Search

The article invites researchers to submit papers to be presented at the forthcoming International Symposium on Ambient Intelligence (ISAmI) 2011 at the University of Salamanca, Spain.

This section offers news briefs related to education. Papers are being sought for the 4th International Conference on Information Management and Evaluation (ICIME) to be held in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam in May 2013. Drexel University Associate Professor Tony Grubesic has received the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant. The 4th International Conference on Information Visualization Theory and Applications will be conducted in Barcelona, Spain from February 21 to 24, 2013.

This paper presents the results of a citation analysis focusing on the universities and countries represented by publications in 22 highly oriented fuzzy research journals using bibliometric techniques. Bibliometric studies have recently gained significant relevance, this fact is mainly due to the flexibility and dynamism that new information technologies provide. In our case, the structured gathered materials are thoroughly refined and offer a wide view of the influence that the selected journals have on territories and institutions around the globe. The results show the clear influence of countries located in the Asian continent and the high impact of institutions in Spain, the United States of America and China. This study sheds light on the visualization of the citation scope of these highly oriented fuzzy research journals with the aim of finding possible common ground for synergy and collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the Symposium on Combinatorial Search (SoCS) is to promote the study and understanding of combinatorial search algorithms through the organization of scientific meetings, publications, tutorials, and other public scientific and educational activities. The most prominent among its activities is the annual Symposium on Combinatorial Search that has been organized regularly since 2008 as a result of the success of other scientific meetings, typically workshops co-located with high-level Artificial Intelligence conferences (AAAI and IJCAI). This paper reviews the history of the Symposium making emphasis on the last edition that was held in July 2011 in Barcelona (Spain). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The weak preventive culture among workers in the construction sector leads to the underestimation of risks posed by the presence or handling of chemical agents on-site and, consequently, harms workers' health. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this paper are to classify exposure to chemical agents present or used on-site, determine workers' perception of said agents and establish the influence that socio-demographic variables have on chemical agent exposure and the perception of such exposure. METHODS: A total of 490 workers in the Spanish construction sector participated in this study. The data were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire that explored socio-demographic characteristics, the degree of exposure to chemical agents, attitudes toward exposure and the prevention of consequences. The underlying dimensions of perception were researched using an adapted version of the questionnaire used by the Paul Slovic group to apply the psychometric paradigm. RESULTS: The levels of exposure to and handling of chemical agents found in the sample were high and moderate, respectively. The participants were found to have advanced knowledge about the effects of exposure, with the majority of the workers considering the probability of suffering a serious disease to be low. Statistically significant associations were found between the socio-demographic variables identified in the sample and the various exposure characteristics. A factor analysis performed on the underlying dimensions of perception provided a final version of the instrument comprising two factors. CONCLUSION: Measures are needed to improve the preventive culture among workers in the construction sector and reinforce on-site preventive measures aimed at preventing or minimising the consequences of exposure to chemical agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights the 2nd International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics that was held in Barcelona, Spain on September 1-17, 2005. Organizers of the conference; Simulation tracks of different oral presentations and posters featured at the conference.

BACKGROUND: Sedentary tasks contribute to the deterioration of health and the appearance of chronic diseases. Physical exercise can contribute to the development of health, although the characteristics of the most appropriate program are unknown. OBJECTIVES: This is the second paper of the PRODET® intervention trial evaluating the effect of a supervised group exercise intervention in the worksite based on aerobic capacity and strength lasting 12 weeks. METHODS: The sample was composed of 67 subjects (N = 67, mean age 34.31 years) and the study investigated a 12-week group physical exercise program in the workplace, two days per week with 50-minute sessions, which was supervised and based on aerobic endurance and strength. The 67 subjects were working-age office workers, deemed as sedentary and randomized into an intervention (N = 40) or control (N = 27) group. Outcomes work ability, depression, anxiety and job satisfaction were assessed with questionnaires pre-and post-test in both groups. RESULTS: The program showed effects on the mental factor of work ability (Z = 2.36, P = 0.019, η2 = 0.09). However, there were no significant differences in the rest of the results. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention had an impact on the mental factor of work ability in the workers whose occupations were based on sedentary tasks, and reinforcing this variable with an exercise program in the workplace could contribute to reducing the mental factor of work ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports the acceptance of papers for the 1999 conference of the European Association for Computer Science Logic (CSL) in Madrid, Spain. Details of the CSL annual conference; List of different organizing committees; Deadline for paper submission and notification of acceptance.

Editorial. Introduces a series of articles on artificial intelligence adapted from the Ibero-American Conference on Artificial Intelligence, IBERAMIA 2002 in Seville, Spain.

In this paper, a novel approach to the bank ranking process based on the possibilistic theory is proposed. Through this new method, the sensitivity of the results can be improved. Several methods are applied in order to rank the financial performance of Spanish Banks. Methods such as the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and fuzzy TOPSIS are integrated in the proposed model. Criteria and sub-criteria weights are computed based on the judgments of experts using FAHP. These weights and financial indicators are inputs of the fuzzy TOPSIS methods for ranking the banks. The financial ratios are based on the CAMEL rating system criteria. Moreover, the results from the application of several distance measurements (Vertex, Hamming and Euclidean) in fuzzy TOPSIS as well as a new measure based on the possibilistic theory are compared. Finally, the results obtained applying fuzzy TOPSIS show that they vary depending on the separate measure, so it is necessary to have different measures to be able to correct decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning techniques provide a novel framework for prediction and classification in decision-making procedures that are widely applied in different fields. Precision agriculture is one of these fields where the use of decision-making technologies provides better production with better costs and a greater benefit for farmers. This paper develops an intelligent framework based on a deep learning model for early prediction of crop frost to help farmers activate anti-frost techniques to save the crop. This model is based on a long short-term memory (LSTM) model and it is designed to predict low temperatures. The model is based on information from an IoT infrastructure deployed on two plots in Murcia (Southeast of Spain). Three experiments are performed; a cross validation to validate the model from the most pessimistic point of view, a validation of 24 consecutive hours of temperatures, in order to know 24 hours before the possible temperature drop and a comparison with two traditional time series prediction techniques, namely Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average and the Gaussian process. The results obtained are satisfactory, being better the results of the LSTM, obtaining an average quadratic error of less than a Celsius degree and a determination coefficient R 2 greater than 0.95. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In studies concerned with sustainability the underlying models are, in most cases, not strictly numerical since they depend on many conditions that can be regarded as qualitative. In this paper, a model to evaluate citizens' satisfaction learnt from data collected from a survey is presented. The model, which involves the use of RBF neural networks, will provide local councillors with useful information, enabling them to evaluate trends and improve strategies focused on enhancing sustainability. In this paper a contribution describing a practical experience with a model-based system applied to a study commissioned by the town council of Vilanova i la Geltrú (Catalonia, Spain) is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contains an analytic summary of the content of the session Editing by respondents and data suppliers of the UNECE Work Session on Statistical Data Editing (SDE) held at the National Statistical Institute of Spain, Madrid in October 2003. The aim of the session was to collect information about recent trends in data editing. Statistical agencies are changing their traditional view on editing as a post-data collection phase under the control of survey methodologists. Instead, they are moving some of the editing processes to the respondents and data suppliers to prevent and eliminate errors. The session focused on the integration and optimisation of data editing in the collection phase, and the harmonisation of editing processes performed at both the data capturing and data editing stages by balancing expected levels of quality, time and available resources. The session also considered data editing when administrative or external sources of data are used for statistical purposes. A new "mixed" perspective is emerging where editing and imputation is spread over the entire survey process. In particular, the paper concentrates on the following aspects: evaluating data editing effectiveness when editing is spread over different survey phases; managing survey processes when multiple sources of information (statistical or administative) are used; rationalizing survey processes when different modes of data collection are combined; and improving cooperation with data providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a growing ageing population and the advent of interactive TV (iTV), understanding how older people use iTV services is a timely and important task. Working towards this end, this paper reports on in situ conversations of, and observations with, almost 400 older people, with different levels of educational attainment and experience with ICTs, while talking about and using online video portals and similar interactive systems in Spain, Brazil and Denmark. The results show more similarities than differences in their reasons for adopting online video portals and patterns of use. All our participants used these portals for keeping or remaining in touch with people they trusted. The results also show that privacy online was a common concern to all the participants. Differences in the acceptance of e-government services and the type of content that drove most of their interactions were also found. Implications for designing more accessible and meaningful iTV services are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on the IV Iberoamerican Workshop on Multiagent Systems held in Málaga, Spain in November 2002. Main concern of the workshop; List of sessions during the workshop; Topics of the research papers presented during the workshop.

Confidentiality is one of the basic pillars sustaining public trust in official statistics, and has a prominent place in all declarations of ethical principles. Rules for the preservation of confidentiality in Spain go back as far as 1787. The legislation protecting these rules has evolved under the influence of the political changes undergone by the country since then. In particular, the establishment of a democracy in 1978, and the adoption of a Constitution, after forty years of a totalitarian government, stimulated significant changes in the legislation on statistical confidentiality. New laws on the Protection of Personal Data were also passed in 1992. Also, Spain is since 1986 a European Union (E.U.) Member State, and is consequently subject to the E.U. regulations on confidentiality and data protection. This paper reviews the current legislation and practice on confidentiality in Spain, and its incidence in statistical operations. The challenges arising, in connection with confidentiality issues, from the specific political organisation of the country are also described, as well as the connections between the Statistical Act and the Laws on Personal Data Protection and the cooperation schemes between the Statistical Office and the Data Protection Authority. The paper also includes some comments on specific confidentiality issues related to operations that, although implemented by the National Statistical Office, are not regulated by the Statistical Act, and the solutions that have been adopted in order to deal with them are described. Some conclusions follow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the last in a series of quantitative studies about Supported Employment in Spain, looking at how the situation has changed since the previous studies. The study is based on an Internet survey of all organizations participating in the national ECA Caja Madrid program. The results show a significant increase in the number of organizations that provide Supported Employment programs, in total 202, delivering services to 23,342 users in Spain. This paper analyses the characteristics of the services provided, the users, the professionals and the funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Information Systems Outsourcing has experienced a dramatic growth in recent years, there is a lack of success in many of these contracts, which makes it necessary to study the factors determining that success. The present paper proposes a set of key factors to achieve IS outsourcing success. It also establishes a number of measures meant to assess the degree of success reached by firms at outsourcing. We have validated both things (the proposed success factors and the factors to measure success) through a survey carried out among the Information Systems managers of the largest Spanish firms. The perceived benefits of outsourcing can be reduced to three types: technological, strategic and economic. Strategic motivations stand out as the most important ones in this study. This paper not only identifies the most important outsourcing success factors, from the client’s point of view, but also studies the evolution of these success factors during the last few years in the Spanish context, and offers a number of measures to assess the degree of success obtained by firms with IS outsourcing. So the model could be useful both for teaching and for the industry practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the creation of human capital in the industrial districts. I argue that the recent firm strategy perspectives may explain regional (district) differences. In this context human resources are critical to creation and dissemination of the knowledge-based resources. I further distinguish between the degree of control and ownership of resources and transferable and non-transferable human capital. Using this conceptual framework I analyze industrial district addressable non-transferable resources. This paper suggests that firms should take on a more active role in creating and exploiting local addressable human resources. The paper ends by describing an illustrative example: the Spanish ceramic tile industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the history and current situation of postgraduate studies in Librarianship and Information Science (LIS) at the university level in Spain before and after the development of the Bologna Process's European Higher Education Area (EHEA). It contextualizes the historical development of these studies, describing how official postgraduate studies in Librarianship developed in those Spanish universities which had traditionally offered the first-cycle or Bachelor's degree LIS studies and which have instructors in this area. A distinction is made between the official postgraduate offer (which is regulated by Spain's Ministry of Education) and the unofficial offer (which is governed by the separate regulations of each university). It is concluded that the Bologna Process has led to the consolidation of a range of official Master's and Doctorate studies accredited by the ANECA, a government agency that certifies the minimum quality of the courses. However, there has been little renovation of the LIS content that was being taught before the appearance of the EHEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During last years a new constructive sequence of viaducts with movable scaffolding system (MSS) has been developed in Spain. This sequence is based on a self-supporting core that is formed by the bottom slab, webs and the cantilevers of the top slab so the MSS can advance to the next span and activities of the second casting phase can be performed out of crithical path. This current sequence has 2 related issues: the need of two prestressing stages per span and the need of long length splices between the self-supporting core and the second casting phase. The current paper studies if the number of prestressing stages per span can be reduced to only one. Two different solutions are proposed. Solution 1 consists in introducing 100% of the prestressing force at the self-supporting core. Solution 2 consists in introducing 50% of the prestressing force in a tendon that crosses two spans so when other 50% of the prestressing force is introduced at the self-supporting core, prestressing force reaches 100% at the previous span. As no viaducts have been constructed with Solution 1 and 2, Finite Element models have been carried out and suggest that Solutions 1 and 2 can be considered for construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Estimating health and safety costs in the construction industry presents various difficulties, including the complexity of cost allocation, the inadequacy of data available to managers and the absence of an accounting model designed specifically for safety cost management. Very often, the costs arising from accidents in the workplace are not fully identifiable due to the hidden costs involved. OBJECTIVE: This paper reviews some studies of occupational health and safety cost management and proposes a means of classifying these costs. METHODS:We conducted an empirical study in which the health and safety costs of 40 constructionworksites are estimated. RESULTS: A new classification of the health and safety cost and its categories is proposed: Safety and non-safety costs. CONCLUSIONS: The costs of the company's health and safety policy should be included in the information provided by the accounting system, as a starting point for analysis and control. From this perspective, a classification of health and safety costs and its categories is put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Since the mid-1990 s, Prevention through Design (PtD) has become increasingly prevalent in the built environment. The acceptance of PtD has largely been due to the removal or reduction of risks during the execution phase of construction projects. European States have had the added impetus of national legislation. OBJECTIVE: This paper analyzes the influence of European Union Directive 92/57/EEC on occupational safety and health injury prevention in the project design phase. METHODS: Qualitative methods comprised individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups with a panel of experts. Sixty individuals from construction and related professions (architects, engineers, constructors, developers, and other construction experts) answered 17 key questions to establish national perceptions of the effectiveness of Directive 92/57/EEC in Spain and the United Kingdom (UK). RESULTS: The implementation of PtD in the project design phase in the UK is clearer since the regulations explicitly state the obligations of project designers as well as those of the coordinator. Interviews with Spanish experts show that, in Spain, the prevention culture is less frequently realized. CONCLUSIONS: The most significant differences between the European Directive and national regulations which influence PtD are linked to the Health and Safety Coordinator, and Health and Safety documents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Editorial. Focuses on the Third International Symposium on Engineering of Intelligent Systems which was held in Malaga, Spain on September 24-27, 2002. Papers received for presentation at the conference.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are diseases of high prevalence. The extent to which our work is causing or aggravating them is still questioned because their causes are heterogeneous and usually combined in the same person, and can be attributed to any of them. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to compare Spain with the rest of Europe concerning MSDs. METHODS: The study is based on a comparison between Spanish and European data. The difficulty is that the lists of occupational diseases in the various States of the European Union (EU) are different, and therefore it is difficult to compare data. The study compares two types of data: the views of workers, and the official results of workplace accidents. In the first case, the results of the VII Spanish National Survey of Working Conditions were compared to the V European Working Conditions Survey. In the second case, we compare accident data, published by the Spanish Labour Authorities, to data provided by Eurostat (Statistical Office of the European Communities). RESULTS: During the development of this study, we have proved the importance and significance of MSDs on the Spanish working population in relation to the European one. First, we have discovered a great difference between Spanish and European workers views about the relationship between work and heath. Then, we detected some more important ergonomics risk factors within the Spanish workforces' opinions. These are repetitive movements, tiring positions, and exposure to vibrations. However concerning heavy loads, lifting or moving people, the views of Spanish workers are more carefree than European ones. If we only consider the official results of workplace accidents and diseases, we find Spanish rates higher than the European average. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of MSDs on the Spanish working population significantly exceeds European records in this matter. MSDs account for between 35--40% of Work Accidents and between 70-88% of Occupational Diseases in Spain so, we can see why Spain has one of the top Occupational Accidents rates in Europe. Spain should try to improve this issue by concentrating only on three factors: repetitive work of upper extremities, tiring positions and exposure to vibrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The construction industry is one of the sectors with the highest accident rates and the most serious accidents. A multi-agent safety response approach allows a useful diagnostic tool in order to understand factors affecting risk and accidents. The special features of the construction sector can influence the relationships among safety responses along the model of safety influences. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to test a model explaining risk and work-related accidents in the construction industry as a result of the safety responses of the organization, the supervisors, the co-workers and the worker. METHODS: Sample: 374 construction employees belonging to 64 small Spanish construction companies working for two main companies participated in the study. Instruments: Safety responses were measured using a 45-item Likert-type questionnaire. Methodology: The structure of the measure was analyzed using factor analysis and the model of effects was tested using a structural equation model. RESULTS: Factor analysis clearly identifies the multi-agent safety dimensions hypothesized. The proposed safety response model of work-related accidents, involving construction specific results, showed a good fit. CONCLUSIONS: The multi-agent safety response approach to safety climate is a useful framework for the assessment of organizational and behavioral risks in construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of the 10th International Wildlife Law Conference which took place in Granada, Spain from March 6 to 7, 2008. Over 50 academic, governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental participants from Europe and the U.S., Canada, south Africa and Australia attended the conference. The application of the precautionary principle to the case of seabird bycatch was examined by Arie Trouburst of the University of Utrecht. Other papers explored climate change in relation to international wildlife and fisheries management.

BACKGROUND: Special work centers (SWCs) are the main active labor market targeting people with disabilities in Spain. Their objective is to promote the participation of workers with disabilities in the labor market. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to study the characteristics of workers with disabilities in special work centers in Spain. METHODS: Using the Working Lives Longitudinal Sample (MCVL), we can identify and analyze SWCs and labor relations in these centers from the specific SWC contracts. This is the only database that allows for this type of analysis. RESULTS: The analysis of different aspects of the professional careers of employees at SWCs indicate that the employees enjoy greater stability regarding labor relations, a factor that could be interpreted as better employment conditions when compared to those who do not work at SWCs. However, SWCs appear to be a 'refuge' for people with disabilities with low qualification. CONCLUSIONS: Workers with disabilities in SWC have a more stable career path with lower turnover than those working in ordinary firms; employees in these centers tend to have less favorable professional situations (lower wages and worse working conditions). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Muscle fatigue of the trunk extensor musculature plays a considerable role in chronic low back pain (LBP). The underlying physiology of fatigue is complex and not fully understood. The Kinesio® Taping (KT) supports damaged structures while allowing mobility and at the same time may influence some of the mechanisms associated with muscle fatigue such as blood flow and proprioception. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the influence of KT on the resistance to fatigue of the lumbar extensor musculature in a sample of young healthy subjects. METHODS: A randomized, controlled, doubled-blinded clinical trial was conducted. Ninety nine healthy subjects were randomized in to the three arms of the study Kinesio® Tape (KT), placebo (P) and control (C). Directly after application of KT we measured lumbar extensor musculature endurance with the Biering-Sorensen test. Subjects and researchers were blinded to the intervention. Time achieved (seconds) was compared between groups with one-way ANOVA with confidence intervals of 95%. RESULTS: There were significant differences between the time achieved in the KT group versus the control group (p < 0.05). The placebo group performed better than the control group but worse than the KT group, these were not significant in either case. CONCLUSIONS: KT appears to improve the time to failure of the extensor muscle of the trunk obtained using the Biering-Sorensen test. These findings suggest that KT influences processes that lead to muscle fatigue and that KT could be effective in the management of LBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Service robots may offer an innovative assistive solution to improve the quality of life of frail elderly people, by assisting them in specific situations identified as relevant to maintain independence. Objective: This paper describes the results of a qualitative and quantitative research based on a user-centered methodology carried out within the EU-funded project "Multi-Role Shadow Robotic System for Independent Living" (SRS), aiming to generate user requirements and realistic usage scenarios maximizing the alignment with users' needs, perceptions, feelings and rights. Methods: A qualitative and quantitative research - based on focus groups (59 participants) and questionnaires (129 respondents) - was carried out in three countries: Italy, Spain and Germany. The survey involved prospective end-users (elderly people and family members who care for them), caregivers, and geriatric experts. Results: Results show that despite elderly people encounter difficulties in many activities of daily life, a semi-autonomous remotely-controlled and self-learning service robot has been judged an interesting solution only in some circumstances. Monitoring and managing emergency situations, helping with reaching, fetching and carrying objects that are too heavy or positioned in unreachable places: these are tasks for which robotic support has been widely accepted, while tasks involving direct physical contact between the person and the robot are not appreciated instead. Relatives of the elderly could act as remote operators; however, family psychological burden and time restrictions should be considered too. Conclusions: A tele-operated robotic system may be of help for frail elderly people. In certain cases this solution may be effective only in conjunction with a 24-hour professional Service Centre able to manage tele-operation when relatives are not available. This survey adds further tokens of knowledge to previous literature studies on this subject; it compares the potential users' and the professionals' views; it helps identifying potentially successful applications of tele-operated robots in the care of elderly people living at home. The results obtained by the present study, generated specific requirements and the first versions of concrete usage scenarios, enabling designers and technologists to start with a first development phase of the SRS concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the many fields of application of Ergonomics, this research deals with the services offered to Justice from the expertise recognized by the Law on prevention of occupational risks within the framework of the Law of Civil Procedure: Ergonomics forensic also called Legal Ergonomics. In Spain there are experiences since 1995 and an important development and this paper is to investigate the actions required for a more widespread use in trials. Consensus methods such as the Delphi survey technique are being employed to help enhance effective decision-making in the future development of Ergonomics Forensics. The Delphi survey is a group facilitation technique, which is an iterative multistage process, designed to transform opinion into group consensus. It is a flexible approach, that is used commonly within the health and social sciences, however, there is little use and practice of ergonomics as a technique to facilitate the participation of all experts involved: judges, lawyers and expert ergonomists [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactive art courses usually require a huge amount of computational resources to run in real time. These computational demands can significantly grow whenever the application is designed to run within a Virtual Environment. This paper studies the viability of combining two previously developed approaches: a Collaborative Awareness Model for Task-Balancing-Delivery (CAMT) in clusters and the "Teaching about Madrid" course, which provides a cultural interactive background of the capital of Spain. The integration of both systems can improve the response times of the interactive course by distributing the rendering tasks among the set of available nodes at a given time. We present some experimental results that show how CAMT efficiently manages the rendering process of the "Teaching about Madrid" course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper supports the appropriateness of the objectives of the Librarianship and Information Science (LIS) graduate university studies system in Spain. It identifies formulas to allow the construction of innovative study plans which are attractive within the information society. LIS university studies started in Spain in the 190s although professional training has been available since the 19th century. This gives an historic perspective from which to analyse what has been done and the goals achieved using different parameters. The authors have adopted a critical vision because they argue that the objectives defined for LIS programs have only marginally been achieved, and the new fields and work prospects have not been very well explored. As a result, an important fall in the registration of students in the LIS degree has occurred over recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Last year 2006, we commemorated two important events in the history of Neuroscience. One hundred years ago, on November 3, Alois Alzheimer (1864–1915) presented the first case of a patient with symptoms of a disease that later would be called Alzheimer's disease. One month later, on December 10, Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852–1934) and Camilo Golgi (1843–1926) received the Nobel Prize "in recognition of their work on the structure of the Nervous System". These facts seem not to be related, but working in the Museum Cajal we found 37 histological preparations of material from patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease, revealing that Cajal also studied this disease. This paper deals with Cajal's contribution to the study of Alzheimer's disease and it is fully illustrated by original pictures of Cajal's slides preserved in the Cajal Museum, Madrid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the competitive environments, in which all sorts of organisations move it is of utmost importance to have information about clients. Public databases offer information about households and families. However, the non-crossed and non-georeferenced format of these databases often makes it difficult to extract typologies and information. There are only two public databases from which to get information at the household or family level in Spain: Population and Housing Censuses, which provide aggregated and georeferenced information, and the Family Expenditure Surveys, which provide information on household consumption, both published by the National Statistics Institute. The two databases cannot be directly cross-referenced, because the Family Expenditure Surveys offer a detailed description of the families, whereas the Census provides the same data but aggregated without cross-references. In this paper, we define a procedure for cross-referencing these DBs and calculating the economic household indexes for Spanish censal sections that define the average quarterly economic behaviour of the households located in each censal section. The necessary analysis procedure is based on neural networks and provides an estimate of the trend in these indexes over a series of years. The procedure can be easily extrapolated to similar problems with official data sources from other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In clinical trials which target pathophysiological mechanisms associated with Alzheimer's disease, research participants who are recruited based on biomarker test results should be informed about their increased risk of developing Alzheimer's dementia. This paper presents the results of a qualitative focus group study of attitudes and concerns toward learning information about biomarker-based risk status among healthy research participants in the United Kingdom and Spain and people with dementia and their supporters/caregivers from countries represented in the European Working Group of People with Dementia of Alzheimer Europe. The study identified expectations related to learning risk status and preferences related to the content, quality, and follow-up of the disclosure process. The latter emphasize distinctions between risk and diagnoses, the importance of clear information about risk, and suggestions for risk reduction, as well as expectations for follow up and support. The implications of these preferences for practice are discussed. Providing details of research participants' experience and views may serve as a guide for the development of processes for the responsible disclosure of Alzheimer's disease biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: There are many musculoskeletal disorders in staff members at health centres, given the specific characteristics of their work. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to analyse the postural risk of patient handling tasks performed by nursing assistants and orderlies, as well as task factors, individual or organisational, that may be associated with increased postural risk. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional observational study. Analysis was done on 170 postures in five different tasks performed by 39 participants at three hospitals in Andalusia (Spain). The questionnaires collected sociodemographic variables, the task done, and REBA were used for assessment of postural risk. RESULTS: Overall the average REBA score was 9.0±2.4. Moving the patient to the head of the bed was the task with the highest risk (9.8). Handling involving more than two participants at once increased postural risk. Using mechanical aids were associated with high risk in the legs. Logistic regression analyses showed that age, stature, and not having adjustable beds available were associated with postural risk (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Health centre staff perform many tasks with high musculoskeletal disorder risk. Age, stature of the participants, and adjustment of bed height were associated with postural risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Motor phenotype (MP) can be associated with a different prognosis in Parkinson's disease (PD), but it is not fixed and can change over time. Objective: Our aim was to analyze how the MP changed over time and to identify factors associated with the changes in PD patients from a multicenter Spanish PD cohort. Methods: PD patients who were recruited from January-2016 to November-2017 (baseline visit; V0) and evaluated again at a 2-year±30 days follow-up (V2) from 35 centers of Spain from the COPPADIS cohort, were included in this study.MP was calculated at both visits based on Jankovic classification in TD (tremor dominant), IND (indeterminate), or PIGD (postural instability and gait difficulty). Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected, including serum biomarkers. Results: Five hundred eleven patients (62.57±8.59 years old; 59.2%males) were included in the study. At V0, MP was: 47.4%(242/511) TD; 36.6%(187/511) PIGD; 16%(82/511) IND. Up to 38%(194/511) of the patients changed their phenotype from V0 to V2, being the most frequent from TD to IND (8.4%) and from TD to PIGD (6.7%). A worse cognitive status (OR = 0.966) and less autonomy for activities of daily living (OR = 0.937) at V0 and a greater increase in the globalNMS burden (OR = 1.011) from V0 to V2 were associated with changing from TD to another phenotype after 2-year follow-up. Conclusion: The MP in PD can change over time. With disease progression, the percentage of cases with non-tremoric MP increases. PD patients who changed from TD to postural instability and gait difficulty increased NMS burden significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The scientific literature contextualizes health and safety (H&S) in two major models, the first is based on a holistic perspective with H&S processes in all company departments, and the second approaches health and safety management from a more operational perspective. In this study, we examine the issue of health and safety in wineries. In 2017, a census showed that wineries account for 14% of the food and beverage industry in Spain. They provide direct employment for 24,051 people and involve complex winemaking processes that can cause accidents or occupational diseases. Wineries are part of the industrial sector, which, with 5,264 lost-time accidents per 100,000 workers in 2017, ranks second in the number of occupational accidents in Spain. This shows the need to determine the changes needed to improve health and safety in wineries. METHODS: In this study, we identify H&S determinants in wineries using Delphi methodology with a panel of 11 experts. CONCLUSION: The experts gave high scores to the "activities" dimension, and others such as "control of personal and collective protective equipment" and "training", together with "accident investigation", "coordinated health and safety measures" and "signage" are associated with operational health and safety determinants, namely, capitalizing on knowledge gained in situ and promoting organizational learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: People living homeless represent one of the most extreme embodiments of the phenomena of poverty and social exclusion, and women are a particularly vulnerable group among people living homeless. METHODS: Various factors in a sample of women living homeless in Madrid, Spain (n = 136) have been analyzed for relationships to connections to the employment and labor market. Information was collected using a structured interview. RESULTS: Results show the considerable difficulties women living homeless have in accessing the employment and labor market, despite largely having worked throughout their lives, mainly in unstable jobs, in the informal sector or in related marginal activities. In general, women living homeless tended to attribute their difficulties in accessing the labor market to personal characteristics, dispositional factors, or situational factors beyond their control. A large number of interviewees wanted to work, although few of them did so. Interviewees who reported that they were seeking employment were primarily younger women, in better health, who had been unemployed for a short time, had spent less time homeless, and were of foreign origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest Explorer is a web tool that can be used to easily browse the contents of the Cross-Forest dataset, a Linked Open Data resource containing the forestry inventory and land cover map from Spain. The tool is purposed for domain experts and lay users to facilitate the exploration of forestry data. Since these two groups are not knowledgable on Semantic Web, the user interface is designed to hide the complexity of RDF, OWL or SPARQL. An interactive map is provided for this purpose, allowing users to navigate to the area of interest and presenting forestry data with different levels of detail according to the zoom level. Forest Explorer offers different filter controls and is localized to English and Spanish. All the data is retrieved from the Cross-Forest and DBpedia endpoints through the Data manager. This component feeds the different Feature managers with the data needed to be displayed in the map. The Data manager uses a reduced set of SPARQL templates to accommodate any data request of the Feature managers. Caching and smart geographic querying are employed to limit data exchanges with the endpoint. A live version of the tool is freely available for everybody that wants to try it – any device with a modern browser should be sufficient to test it. Since December 2019, more than 3,200 users have employed Forest Explorer and it has appeared 12 times in the Spanish media. Results from a user study with 28 participants (mainly domain experts) show that Forest Explorer can be used to easily navigate the contents of the Cross-Forest dataset. No important limitations were found, only feature requests such as the integration of new datasets from other countries that are part of our future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Today's uncertain economic and social dynamics are leading companies to seek the sort of human talent that will help them to survive and thrive. Training demands are thus arising for specific skills and competencies that would make current students and employment seekers more employable. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify the twenty-first century's major employability skills and competencies as well as the main demand trends for skills and competencies. METHODS: An international panel of experts (from Spain, Thailand and Poland), from both, academic and professional business backgrounds, were asked to quantitatively project the importance of different generic and specific skills and competencies over the next five years. They were asked to do so twice, once before and once after a four-year interval (in 2016 and in 2019). Each time, they were interviewed to discuss the results. RESULTS: The most valued employability skills were of a generic nature, in all three countries. Regarding specific skills, those of a social and managerial nature were the most highly valued. Work experience and formal education became less relevant for employability. CONCLUSIONS: The study's results can lead to recommendations on how to design a more employability-oriented curriculum in educational institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Librarianship and Information Science (LIS) studies have undergone a decline in many countries that is visible in various ways, among which are the disappearance of these degree courses in different universities around the world. These studies need to seek new scenarios to avoid becoming obsolete in a world in which information is undergoing constant change. The profile of the Head of Intelligence in general, and of the Intelligence Analyst in particular, can serve to develop new areas of study and research, and new professional careers. This work analyses the training of Intelligence professionals, the organisms related to that field, and the role those professionals play in the Intelligence Cycle in Spain. The main objective of this study was to determine whether the subjects taught in the LIS Degree courses offered in Spanish universities make it possible to highlight a profile that has never as yet been recognized as a career opportunity within these studies – that of the figure of the Intelligence Professional in general, and of the Intelligence Analyst in particular. An exhaustive and detailed content analysis was carried out of the teaching plans of all the subjects in the curricula of the eleven LIS Degree courses taught in Spain during the 2019/2020 academic year in terms of their adaptation to the phases of the Intelligence Cycle. There was found to exist an important set of subjects related to that cycle, which have the possibility of giving rise to a new professional profile in the LIS field: the Intelligence Professional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a disruptive technology that has gained interest among scholars, politicians, public servants, and citizens. In the debates on its advantages and risks, issues related to gender have arisen. In some cases, AI approaches depict a tool to promote gender equality, and in others, a contribution to perpetuating discrimination and biases. We develop a theoretical and analytical framework, combining the literature on technological frames and gender theory to better understand the gender perspective of the nature, strategy, and use of AI in two institutional contexts. Our research question is: What are the assumptions, expectations and knowledge of the European Union institutions and Spanish government on AI regarding gender? Methodologically, we conducted a document analysis of 23 official documents about AI issued by the European Union (EU) and Spain to understand how they frame the gender perspective in their discourses. According to our analysis, despite both the EU and Spain have developed gender-sensitive AI policy frames, doubts remain about the definitions of key terms and the practical implementation of their discourses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Today, a growing number of individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) wish to assess their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. The expectations as well as the effects on quality of life (QoL) in MCI patients and their close others through biomarker-based dementia risk estimation are not well studied.Objective: The PreDADQoL project aims at providing empirical data on effects of such prediction on QoL and at developing an ethical and legal framework of biomarker-based dementia risk estimation in MCI.Methods: In the empirical study, 100 MCI-patients and their close others will be recruited from two sites (Germany and Spain). They receive standardized counselling on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker-based prediction of AD dementia and a risk disclosure based on their AD biomarker status. A mixed methods approach will be applied to assess outcomes.Results: The pilot-study yielded a specification of the research topics and newly developed questionnaires for the main assessment. Within this binational quantitative and qualitative study, data on attitudes and expectations toward AD risk prediction, QoL, risk communication, coping strategies, mental health, lifestyle changes, and healthcare resource utilization will be obtained. Together with the normative part of the project, an empirically informed ethical and legal framework for biomarker-based dementia risk estimation will be developed.Conclusion: The empirical research of the PreDADQoL study together with the ethical and legal considerations and implications will help to improve the process of counselling and risk disclosure and thereby positively affect QoL and health of MCI-patients and their close others in the context of biomarker-based dementia risk estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dementia has become a public health priority as the number of cases continues to grow worldwide.Objective: To assess dementia incidence and determinants in the EPIC-Spain Dementia Cohort.Methods: 25,015 participants (57% women) were recruited from three Spanish regions between 1992-1996 and followed-up for over 20 years. Incident cases were ascertained through individual revision of medical records of potential cases. Crude and age-adjusted incidence rates (IR) of dementia and sub-types (Alzheimer's disease (AD), and non-AD) were calculated by sex. Neelson-Aalen cumulative incidence estimates at 10, 15, and 20 years were obtained for each sex and age group. Multivariate Royston-Parmar models were used to assess independent determinants.Results: Global IR were higher in women for dementia and AD, and similar by sex for non-AD. IR ranged from 0.09 cases of dementia (95% confidence interval: 0.06-0.13) and 0.05 (0.03-0.09) of AD per 1000 person-years (py) in participants below 60 years, to 23.2 (15.9-33.8) cases of dementia and 14.6 (9.1-33.5) of AD (per 1000 py) in those ≥85 years. Adjusted IR were consistently higher in women than men for overall dementia and AD. Up to 12.5% of women and 9.1% of men 60-65 years-old developed dementia within 20 years. Low education, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia were the main independent predictors of dementia risk, whereas alcohol showed an inverse association.Conclusion: Dementia incidence increased with age and was higher among women, but showed no geographical pattern. Dementia risk was higher among subjects with lower education, not drinking alcohol, and presenting cardiovascular risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Several studies have been performed on the relationship between working conditions and health. Numerous parameters still require further study, including working hours and obesity among different groups, specifically older workers in national, regional, and international levels. OBJECTIVE: Working hours have considerable effects on the socio-cultural, psychological, and economic aspects of people's lives and health. While long working hours increases income level and raises living standards, it increases the risk of certain health problems. This study investigated whether working hours are associated with obesity in upper-middle-aged workers. METHODS: The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) dataset was used for the analyses. Analyses were carried out by means of a Cox regression of the panel dataset created with the data in question, surveyed by European Commission to 12,000 participants. RESULTS: The survey was performed in Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Ireland. We found that in most countries, especially Sweden and the Netherlands, upper-middle-aged employees working > 59 hours per week are more likely to gain weight than their counterparts working < 59 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings raise awareness of obesity in older workers, and highlight the need to regulate working conditions and hours in the European Union and other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought great disruption to health systems worldwide. This affected ongoing clinical research, particularly among those most vulnerable to the pandemic, like dementia patients. Fundació ACE is a research center and memory clinic based in Barcelona, Spain, one of the hardest-hit countries.Objective: To describe the ad-hoc strategic plan developed to cope with this crisis and to share its outcomes.Methods: We describe participants' clinical and demographic features. Additionally, we explain our strategic plan aimed at minimizing the impact on clinical trial research activities, which included SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR and IgG serological tests to all participants and personnel. The outcomes of the plan are described in terms of observed safety events and drop-outs during the study period.Results: A total of 130 patients were participating in 16 active clinical trials in Fundació ACE when the lockdown was established. During the confinement, we performed 1018 calls to the participants, which led to identify adverse events in 26 and COVID-19 symptoms in 6. A total of 83 patients (64%) could restart on-site visits as early as May 11, 2020. All SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR diagnostic tests performed before on-site visits were negative and only three IgG serological tests were positive. Throughout the study period, we only observed one drop-out, due to an adverse event unrelated to COVID-19.Discussion: The plan implemented by Fundació ACE was able to preserve safety and integrity of ongoing clinical trials. We must use the lessons learned from the pandemic and design crisis-proof protocols for clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The governance of public sector organizations has been challenged by the growing adoption and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems and algorithms. Algorithmic transparency, conceptualized here using the dimensions of accessibility and explainability, fosters the appraisal of algorithms' footprint in decisions of public agencies, and should include impacts on civil servants' work. However, although discretion will not disappear, AI innovations might have a negative impact on how public employees support their decisions. This article is intended to answer the following research questions: RQ1. To what extent algorithms affect discretionary power of civil servants to make decisions?RQ2. How algorithmic transparency can impact discretionary power of civil servants? To do so, we analyze SALER, a case based on a set of algorithms focused on the prevention of irregularities in the Valencian regional administration (GVA), Spain, using a qualitative methodology supported on semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis. Among the results of the study, our empirical work suggests the existence of a series of factors that might be linked to the positive impacts of algorithms on the work and discretionary power of civil servants. Also, we identify different pathways for achieving algorithmic transparency, such as the involvement of civil servants in active development, or auditing processes being recognized by law, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]