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Employee engagement is increasingly important, as it can become a competitive advantage for companies, helping them increase productivity, attract talent and improve customer satisfaction. Numerous works have studied the drivers that encourage employee engagement and have developed models to identify them. However, the existing models have limitations, and the literature demands more research on the subject since the precision of the models still needs to improve. This paper presents a computational model that can estimate the drivers of employee engagement accurately. A sample of 205 Spanish employees was used, allowing us to consider a wide sectorial heterogeneity. Different methods have been applied to the sample under study to achieve a high-precision model, selecting drivers using the Multilayer Perceptron Classifier and quantifying the impact of the drivers with Sensitivity Analysis. The results obtained in this research present important implications for the managerial improvement of human resources departments by facilitating the design of strategies and policies that foster employee engagement, which significantly influences corporate results.

This paper provides novel empirical evidence that scrutinises how control systems and trust, as governance mechanisms, contribute to SME export performance when they use international business networks. Drawing on the arguments about a positive relationship between them, we propose an integrative model about their direct and indirect effect on performance through competitive advantage. This model is tested using a sample of 193 Spanish export ventures. The results single out mutual trust as a source of competitive advantage and a key driver of export performance. Besides, having output controls in place increases trust, and indirectly impacts export performance through trust mediation. These findings claim that trust is an exclusive, inimitable resource that allows SMEs to effectively orchestrate their relationship with their intermediaries and the role of output controls as an essential mechanism to build trust and support trust's effect on performance.

This study is intended to analyse the situation of female managers in a setting traditionally considered male such as export activities, through examining the position of boundary managers in externalised export channel management where female interpersonal skills could be particularly valuable. This research empirically carries out a gendered analysis of SMEs' Spanish export managers, shedding light about actual barriers that female managers face in this setting and about determinants of export intensity. A quantitative analysis based on an online questionnaire is performed with 193 valid questionnaires (29.42% response rate). Examining human-capital, firm-level, and sociological and cultural attributes, results show that female export managers have less experience than men, are newer in managerial positions and are associated with the service sector; we also observe that export management experience, time in current position and firm export experience have different impacts on export intensity for women than for men. Women need to establish social professional networks and/or mentoring relationships, and export stimulation programs should be sensitive to female differences.

Reproductive efficiency in livestock is a major driver of sustainable food production. The poorly understood process of ruminant conceptus elongation (a) prerequisites maternal pregnancy recognition, (b) is essential to successful pregnancy establishment, and (c) coincides with a period of significant conceptus mortality. Conceptuses at five key developmental stages between Days 8–16 were recovered and cultured in vitro for 6 h prior to conditioned media analysis by untargeted ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy. This global temporal biochemical interrogation of the ex situ bovine conceptus unearths two antithetical stage-specific metabolic phenotypes during tubular (metabolically retentive) vs. filamentous (secretory) development. Moreover, the retentive conceptus phenotype on Day 14 coincides with an established period of elevated metabolic density in the uterine fluid of heifers with high systemic progesterone—a model of accelerated conceptus elongation. These data, combined, suggest a metabolic mechanism underpinning conceptus elongation, thereby enhancing our understanding of the biochemical reciprocity of maternal–conceptus communication, prior to maternal pregnancy recognition.Temporal changes in conceptus metabolism occur in the period leading to maternal pregnancy recognition.

La postura en decúbito prono al dormir es el principal factor de riesgo modificable conocido para el síndrome de muerte súbita del lactante (SMSL). Existen otras recomendaciones respecto al SMSL con menor impacto. El objetivo de este estudio es conocer la prevalencia del decúbito prono durante el sueño así como de otros factores de riesgo asociados a SMSL en una muestra de lactantes españoles.

To explore the use of smartphones at mealtimes by children in fast food restaurants in the city of Barcelona and to assess the variables associated with this use.

Conceptus elongation is a fundamental developmental event coinciding with a period of significant pregnancy loss in cattle. The process has yet to be recapitulated in vitro, whereas in vivo it is directly driven by uterine secretions and indirectly influenced by systemic progesterone. To better understand the environment facilitating this critical reproductive phenomenon, we interrogated the biochemical composition of uterine luminal fluid from heifers with high vs physiological circulating progesterone on days 12-14 of the estrous cycle-the window of conceptus elongation-initiation-by high-throughput untargeted ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy. A total of 233 biochemicals were identified, clustering within 8 superpathways [amino acids (33.9%), lipids (32.2%), carbohydrates (8.6%), nucleotides (8.2%), xenobiotics (6.4%), cofactors and vitamins (5.2%), energy substrates (4.7%), and peptides (0.9%)] and spanning 66 metabolic subpathways. Lipids dominated total progesterone (39.1%) and day (57.1%) effects; however, amino acids (48.5%) and nucleotides (14.8%) accounted for most day by progesterone interactions. Corresponding pathways over-represented in response to day and progesterone include (i) methionine, cysteine, s-adenosylmethionine, and taurine (9.3%); (ii) phospholipid (7.4%); and (iii) (hypo)xanthine and inosine purine metabolism (5.6%). Moreover, under physiological conditions, the uterine lumen undergoes a metabolic shift after day 12, and progesterone supplementation increases total uterine luminal biochemical abundance at a linear rate of 0.41-fold day-1-resulting in a difference (P ≤ 0.0001) by day 14. This global metabolic analysis of uterine fluid during the initiation of conceptus elongation offers new insights into the biochemistry of maternal-embryo communication, with implications for improving ruminant fertility.

To describe the satisfaction with working hours and satisfaction with work-life balance and their association in the European Union (EU-28).

Pregnancy establishment in cattle is contingent on conceptus elongation—a fundamental developmental event coinciding with the time during which most pregnancies fail. Elongation in vivo is directly driven by uterine secretions, indirectly influenced by systemic progesterone concentrations, and has yet to be recapitulated in vitro. To better understand the microenvironment evolved to facilitate this phenomenon, the amino acid and carbohydrate composition of uterine fluid was interrogated using high-throughput metabolomics on days 12, 13, and 14 of the estrous cycle from heifers with normal and high circulating progesterone. A total of 99 biochemicals (79 amino acids and 20 carbohydrates) were consistently identified, of which 31 showed a day by progesterone interaction. Fructose and mannitol/sorbitol did not exhibit a day by progesterone interaction, but displayed the greatest individual fluctuations (P≤ 0.05) with respective fold increases of 18.39 and 28.53 in high vs normal progesterone heifers on day 12, and increases by 10.70-fold and 14.85-fold in the uterine fluid of normal progesterone animals on day 14 vs day 12. Moreover, enrichment analyses revealed that the phenylalanine, glutathione, polyamine, and arginine metabolic pathways were among the most affected by day and progesterone. In conclusion, progesterone had a largely stabilizing effect on amino acid flux, and identified biochemicals of likely importance to conceptus elongation initiation include arginine, fructose, glutamate, and mannitol/sorbitol.Day 3 progesterone supplementation alters the amino acid and carbohydrate profile of the bovine uterine fluid on days 12, 13, and 14 postestrus—the window coinciding with conception elongation initiation.

This study investigated bovine conceptus-induced modifications to the endometrial transcriptome related to effects of interferon tau (IFNT), conceptus origin (in vivo vs. in vitro), and conceptus sex. In vitro (IVF) or in vivo (superovulation and artificial insemination, AI) produced blastocysts were transferred into recipient heifers on day 7 of the estrous cycle. On day 15, IVF- or AI-derived conceptuses were obtained by uterine flushing and individually placed on endometrial explants in media for 6 h. Explants were also cultured with media alone as a control or media containing 100 ng/mL IFNT. Total explant RNA was analyzed by RNA-Seq. Incubation of endometrium with IFNT or IVF- or AI-derived conceptuses changed (P≤ 0.001) expression of 491, 498, and 576 transcripts, respectively, compared to the control. Further, 369 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were common between explants exposed to IFNT or a conceptus. A total of 240 DEGs were uniquely altered by conceptuses (IVF- and AI-derived) but not IFNT. Of these transcripts, 46 were shared between the IVF and AI groups, while 61 and 133 were specific to IVF and AI conceptuses, respectively. Five genes [melanophilin (MLPH), prominin-2 (PROM2), myeloid associated differentiation marker (MYADM), vomeronasal 1 receptor 4 like (VN1R4L) and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 1A (HTR1A)] were more abundant in endometrium exposed to female compared to male conceptuses (P< 0.001). A single gene [ADP-ribosylation factor like GTPase 4C (ARL4C)] was more abundant in response to male conceptuses (P< 0.001) than female conceptuses. These data support the hypothesis that conceptus regulation of gene expression in the endometrium is complex and involves factors other than IFNT that may have a biological role in pregnancy establishment.Elongating bovine conceptuses modify the adjacent endometrial transcriptome in a manner dependent and independent of interferon tau and related to conceptus origin and sex.

The objective of this study was to assess the validity of two questions about the perception of intensity of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) at home using as a reference environmental markers (airborne nicotine and benzene) and biomarkers of exposure (cotinine in saliva and urine). This was a cross-sectional study in a convenience sample of 49 non-smoking volunteers. We found a high correlation between self-reported SHS exposure and airborne nicotine (rsp=0.806, p<0.05), salivary cotinine (rsp=0.752, p<0.05), and urinary cotinine (rsp=0.626, p<0.05). We did not find differences between the score question and the conventional ones (p >0.05). In conclusion, the significant correlation of the two questions proposed with environmental markers and personal markers indicates their potential validity to assess exposure to SHS at home.

Describir el conocimiento y la percepción de nocividad de los cigarrillos electrónicos (e-cigarrillos) en la población de Barcelona en 2013-2014.

Los paneles de consumidores son una técnica de investigación de mercados de gran utilidad para obtener información sobre clientes poco frecuentes o de difícil acceso. El objetivo de esta nota de campo es exponer nuestra experiencia usando esta técnica para un estudio transversal de salud pública sobre el uso de cigarrillos electrónicos. Después de valorar diferentes técnicas de muestreo no probabilístico para obtener una muestra elevada de usuarios de cigarrillos electrónicos (n=600), se ha optado por el uso del panel de consumidores debido al tiempo relativamente corto para obtener el gran tamaño muestral requerido para el estudio y una buena representatividad de la muestra.

Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurement in the lung using gas magnetic resonance imaging is a promising technique with potential for reflecting changes in lung microstructure. Despite some recent impressive human applications, full interpretation of ADC measures remains an elusive goal, due to a lack of detailed knowledge about the structure dependency of ADC. In an attempt to fill this gap we have performed random walk simulations in a three-dimensional geometrical model of the lung acinus, the distal alveolated sections of the lung tree accounting for ∼90% of the total lung volume. Simulations were carried out adjusting model parameters after published morphological data for the rat peripheral airway system, which predict an ADC behavior as microstructure changes with lung inflation in partial agreement with measured ADCs at different airway pressures. The approach used to relate experimental ADCs to lung microstructural changes does not make any assumption about the cause of the changes, so it could be applied to other scenarios such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung development, etc. The work presented here predicts numerically for the first time ADC values measured in the lung from independent morphological measures of lung microstructure taken at different inflation stages during the breath cycle.

Analizar las prevalencias de exposición al humo ambiental de tabaco y de consumo de tabaco de la población española tras la entrada en vigor de la Ley de medidas sanitarias frente el tabaquismo.

A combined approach to 3D radial and spiral MRI is presented. Although radial and spiral MRI have some similarities from the viewpoint of their mathematical properties, sequence design, and reconstruction procedures, they are usually implemented in separate pulse sequences. In this article, a common mathematical foundation for both sampling methods is used. The COMSPIRA3D (COMbined SPIral and RAdial 3D) pulse sequence permits one to choose between spiral and radial center‐out k‐space trajectories in two and three dimensions. Several numerical simulations to study possible artifacts and images resulting from the actual implementation of COMSPIRA3D in a 4.7 T system are shown. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson 29B: 115–124, 2006.

En este estudio evaluamos las concentraciones de troponina I cardíaca (cTnI) y distintos marcadores de lesión miocárdica tras cardioversión externa electiva o interna a través de catéteres específicos o de desfibrilador automático.

No se conoce bien la influencia en el tamaño de la lesión de los catéteres irrigados. Tampoco están bien caracterizadas las posibles diferencias de los dos sistemas con circuito abierto y cerrado. Diseñamos este estudio para comparar las lesiones de los catéteres irrigados, comparándolas con las producidas por catéteres estándar de 4 mm y evaluamos la correlación anatomopatológica y la liberación de marcadores bioquímicos, incluyendo la troponina cardíaca I en un modelo experimental.

Purpose:To evaluate intraoperative endothelial damage after planned extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) with different capsulotomy techniques and phacoemulsification.

A case of papillary squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx in a 50-year-old man is reported. The lesion was located in the supraglottic region and grossly presented a characteristic finger-like pattern of growth. The tumour pursued an indolent clinical course, and the patient is well and free of disease after 47 months of follow-up. The present paper recapitulates the macro- and microscopic features of this rare neoplasm and stresses its differential diagnosis with other exophytic squamous cell carcinomas of the region.

El diagnóstico clínico de los tumores cardíacos es, a menudo, difícil. Presentamos el caso de un paciente de 17 años en el que se diagnosticó un tumor del ventrículo izquierdo a partir del estudio de un síncope. El estudio anatomopatológico confirmó el diagnóstico de mixoma.