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Conversations regarding moral values are increasingly becoming a pivotal dimension of public discourse. This paper presents a new approach to unacceptable discourse. Drawing on René Girard's cultural anthropology and Luciano Elizalde's dissent management theory, this work develops a scale of situations of dissent, such as controversy, polemic and public discourse scandal. It offers a detailed study of the polemic raised by the book Marry Him and Be Submissive, a process of dissent which was generated in Spain in November 2013 on the occasion of the publication of this Italian bestseller and lasted until January 2014. The book was written by the Italian journalist Costanza Miriano and translated and edited by the Archdiocese of Granada. The case study uses a triangular approach to discourse analysis, which aims to comprehend the enunciator's legitimacy and social positioning, the communication context in which the debate takes place, and the characteristics of the public discourse. A central element regards how reactions are organized around the signifier 'submissive' and the different frames of interpretation assigned to this word, in what will be called 'feminist' and 'post-feminist' paradigms. Mechanisms of dissent and consensus are explained, and takeaways and actors' strategies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical geopolitics conceives of the internal organization of the state as a relevant geopolitical subfield. In this context, this paper aims to develop a geopolitical interpretation of the covid-19 crisis management in Catalonia and Spain from March 2020 to mid-April 2020. The paper begins by providing an overview of internal geopolitics literature by Spanish geographers, focusing on the Catalonia/Spain conflict, followed by a thorough analysis of written and oral materials compiled for that purpose. Three discursive periods are identified: up until the declaration of the State of Alarm in mid-March 2020, the first two weeks with this in force, and the first half of April 2020. The paper evinces that the examined materials support contested visions about the distribution of territorial powers within Spain, while also unearthing some specificities that ultimately relate to the Catalan national question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdown and containment measures have instigated substantial changes in our daily lives and have affected many people's mental health. This paper reports two studies exploring gender-based differences with regard to the impact of COVID-related confinement on individuals' self-efficacy to regulate negative emotions (RESE-NE) and anxiety. Methods: Study 1 (cross-sectional; 269 participants; 52% women) explored the evolution of RESE-NE and anxiety. To this end, participants assessed their status at two time points: a retrospective assessment of the period before confinement in Spain, and a current assessment during confinement. Study 2 (longitudinal; 114 participants; 72.2% women) explored the evolution of the variables by adding a post-confinement time point and analyzed the mediating role of RESE-NE in the positivity–anxiety and resilience–anxiety relationships. Results: The results confirmed that: (a) RESE-NE decreased and anxiety increased more among women than among men during confinement (Study 1); (b) women recovered their pre-pandemic levels of mental health more slowly than did men following confinement; and (c) the mediating role of RESE-NE could be observed in the two relationships under analysis. Conclusion: In practical terms, the research highlights the need to pay special attention to women undergoing mental health interventions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to the differential burden that the pandemic may entail for men and women and to the contrasting social roles traditionally attributed to them. From the gender differences identified, it is possible to infer how stereotypes and social roles influence the behavior and mental health of men and women, leading them to cope differently with stressful situations such as confinement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to identify potential causal relationships between macroeconomic variables and the stock market in Spain. Numerous articles recognize the influence of macroeconomic variables on the stock market and value this knowledge as essential for good investment management. However, there are very few empirical studies that justify the influence of disaggregated macroeconomic variables on the stock market in Spain and vice versa. This article uses the general index of the Madrid Stock Exchange as a proxy variable of the stock market and numerous macroeconomic variables, analyzing monthly data from January 2001 to December 2020 from various published data sources. A descriptive analysis is carried out and a vector autoregressive model (VAR) is applied. Finally, the causality is analyzed identifying the transmission of effects between them. The results confirm the impact of lagged interest rate, monetary aggregate M1 and unemployment rate on the stock market but also identify new features, such as the influence of the stock market on the interest rate, industrial production index, manufacturing activity index and economic sentiment index. This research is useful for Public Administration to detect possible risks in the economy, and it enables investors to better manage their investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrapreneurs are needed in the sport sector due to its competitive nature. However, little attention has been paid to this topic within sport entrepreneurship literature. This paper aims to examine the cross-cultural applicability of Ajzen's theory of planned behavior for predicting the intrapreneurial intentions (II) of sport science students from two European countries and to discover if there is a moderating effect of country's culture on the antecedents of II. A questionnaire to collect the data was used. The sample is composed by 736 final year sports sciences students from Spain and Lithuania. The combination of a symmetric (Structural Equations Modelling) and asymmetric (Qualitative Comparative Analysis) approach was used to examine the students' country culture as a potential moderator. Results indicate Ajzens's theory of planned behavior as a suitable framework to predict intrapreneurial intentions (II). Moreover, it is highlighted that the country's culture can have a moderating effect on the university students' II. Educational policy makers should consider the impact of county culture when promoting intrapreneurial behavior. In Spain, it should be developed a positive attitude towards intrapreneurial behavior, while in Lithuania it is more important to foster that they perceive as having the necessary skills to be an intrapreneur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is the construction of computerized 3D visualization of geological structures. Several Python applications have been used to adapt the paper map-based geological classical information to numerical geological maps represented in HTML files. The models include a map with the stratigraphic and structural contacts and symbols, five serial vertical sections, and a geological block diagram, all with real topography. This block diagram made with 2D figures allows a 3D visualization. Palomeque area (Murcia region, southeastern Spain) has been used as a key-case. This area consists of a deformed Upper Cretaceous to Oligocene succession belonging to the Internal Zone Malaguide Complex. The main structure consists of two thrust-fold sheets forming an imbricate system, also affected by a set of strike-slip faults with a sinistral regime. The constructed maps show a good agreement with the published classical geological maps and cross-sections demonstrating the benefits of using these Python applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport is one of the essential services contributing to a country's development. The global pandemic caused by Covid-19 has affected different sectors, one of the most affected being public transport services. In Spain there are several transport companies, some of them are public, and others are private. The main objective of this paper is to study the profitability, liquidity, and solvency situation of transport companies considering their size and type of management. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on transport companies will be analyzed too. After descriptive analysis of the companies by ratios, the Altman Z-score indicator has been used. This methodology has been used to assess whether the health crisis has compromised the solvency of these companies. The results have shown that privately managed companies are healthier and have a lower risk of insolvency than public companies. In addition, small companies were more solvent than big companies. This study is an essential contribution to the academic literature, public administration, and management of companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism is one of the most important industries in the Mediterranean countries, which strongly contributes to the economic activity, capital investment and job creation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants influencing profitability of hotel companies in selected Mediterranean countries. Thereby, dynamic panel data models are estimated on an extensive dataset for the period from 2007 to 2015. The paper provides evidence on differences among internal profitability determinants of hotel companies operating in tourism competitive countries. The results indicate that the cash flow to operating revenue has a statistically significant and positive impact on profitability in all observed countries. The total asset turnover ratio is significant for all countries except Portugal, while labour productivity is significant only for Spain, which is also the country with the highest turnover per employee. The solvency ratio is positively related to profitability, except for Greece as the most indebted country. Size proved to be significant for hotels in Spain and Portugal, while age is the variable by which the countries mostly differ, as findings show a different impact of underlying variable on hotel profitability. Findings provide information to shareholders that would ensure profitability of hotel companies operating in different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural tourism is one of the most sustainable and fastest-growing types of tourism, and so has been widely studied. Despite countless works analyzing the possible factors that can condition the choice of the tourist destination, few have addressed how they may differ by sex and within cultural tourism, and they contradict. This paper analyzes this phenomenon through the dimensions of cultural offerings, services and motivations in the city of Málaga, a very tourist city in Spain, which is the fourth country out of 167 with the most world heritage sites—UNESCO. Partial least squares—structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) were performed for a database of 415 cultural tourists survey responses. The results showed differences between constructs depending on the sex of the tourists. For men, the factor that most affects the choice of destination is tourist motivation—namely, the reason for their visit—followed by services. Conversely, services are first for women, followed by cultural offerings and motivations. The results of this study can be valuable when designing more specific tourism strategies adapted to the profile of tourists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an increasingly competitive environment, many hotels have implemented sustainable practices and have actively involved the guests in the generation of unique experiences through the value co-creation process. In this sense, this paper aims at analysing the impact of 'green' practices and value co-creation on hotel image, guest trust, satisfaction, and loyalty, and to assess the moderating role of culture, conceived as related to guest nationality. To test the model, a quantitative method based on a sample of 611 guests from Spain and Colombia was used. Our results indicated that there are significant differences based on the guests´ nationality regarding the effects of value co-creation and image on trust, image on satisfaction, and satisfaction on loyalty. These findings will allow hotel management to have a better understanding of tourists when designing their corporate strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early access programs (EAPs) generally refer to patient access to medicines/indications before marketing authorization, possibly extended to price and reimbursement approval. These programs include compassionate use, which is usually covered by pharmaceutical companies, and EAPs reimbursed by third-party payers. This paper aims at comparing EAPs in four European countries (France, Italy, Spain, UK) and providing empirical evidence on EAPs in Italy. The comparative analysis was conducted through a literature review (including scientific and grey literature), complemented by 30-min semi-structured interviews with local experts. The Italian empirical analysis employed data available on the National Medicines Agency website. Although EAPs are very different across countries, they exhibit some common features: (i) eligibility criteria refer to the absence of valid therapeutic alternatives and a presumed favourable risk–benefit profile; (ii) payers do not allocate a pre-determined budget to these programs; (iii) total spending on EAPs is unknown. The French EAPs seem to be the most structured, financed through social insurance, covering pre-marketing, post-marketing and pre-reimbursement phases and providing for data collection. Italy's approach to EAPs has been varied, with several programs covered by different payers, including the cohort-based 648 List (for both early access and off-label use), the nominal-based 5% Fund, and Compassionate Use. Most applications to EAPs are from the Antineoplastic and immunomodulating drug class (ATC L). Some 62% of indications in the 648 List are either not under clinical development or have never been approved (pure off-label use). For those subsequently approved, most approved indications coincide with those covered through EAPs. Only the 5% Fund provides data on economic impact (€ 81.2 million in 2021; average cost per patient € 61.5K). Diverse EAPs are a possible source of inequalities in access to medicines across Europe. A harmonization of these programs, though difficult to achieve, could be modelled on the French EAPs and provide key advantages, not least of which a common effort to collect real-world data in parallel with clinical trials and clear separation between EAPs and off-label use programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a map of the current state of vegetation and land use in a UTM square measuring 10 × 10 km in Utande (La Alcarria, Central Spain) at a semi-detailed scale of 1:20,000. The map presented here offers an example of how to carry out a series of maps of the plant landscape, using regular grid squares of 100 km² (hectads). The map was drawn up using a cartographic method scaled in levels, which can be updated in line with advances in territorial tracking, and enabled us to group together synthetic categories adapted to the biogeographical idiosyncrasy of territory. We recommend combining this phytocoenotic study with another focusing on the flora and the chorology in the same space. A map was obtained with 35 categories, which offers a large-scale image of the biophysical land covers. This will be useful for territorial planning and biodiversity protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a naïve map that attempts to reflect the vision that Philip II and his advisors probably had of the Spanish road network in the second half of the sixteenth century, a crucial aspect for the choice of the seat of the capital of the kingdom. The elaboration of the naïve map was carried out in two phases: in the first, the road network was reconstructed based on a thorough revision of the primary sources that have survived to the present day. As these sources showed evident problems of completeness, the network was completed using mathematical methods, which were statistically contrasted. The analysis carried out is an important novelty since it shows that most of the transport in the Iberian Peninsula was channeled through the center following a radial structure with six principal axes two centuries before what has been traditionally considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last 3 ka, different human communities occupied the Bay of Cádiz (SW Spain), including Phoenician, Carthaginian, Roman, Medieval and Modern settlements. Traces of such historical occupations have been recognized along the bay from a geoarchaeological point of view. Some of them bear a palaeogeographical interest related to the historical location of the shoreline. At the same time, Holocene sedimentary units and geomorphological elements identified along the bay can be interpreted as evidences of its morphological evolution. The objective of the present paper is to represent all the available data about archaeological sites and geomorphology in the northern Bay of Cádiz, with the aim of combining both sources of data for elaborating a simple proposal of landscape evolution during the last 3 millennia. The base for mapping was multiple, from historical aerial photographs to satellite imagery and a digital terrain model with a maximum resolution of 0.35 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To establish pan-European consensus on tapering and discontinuing thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), we applied a three-step Delphi technique consisting of a one-to-one interview round and two online survey rounds. Three healthcare professionals (HCPs) from Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom formed the Steering Committee (SC), which advised on study design, panelist selection, and survey development. A literature review also informed the development of the consensus statements. Likert scales were used to collect quantitative data on panelists' level of agreement. Twelve hematologists representing nine European countries assessed 121 statements spanning three categories: (1) patient selection; (2) tapering and discontinuation strategies; (3) post-discontinuation management. Consensus was reached on approximately half of the statements in each category (32.2%; 44.6%; 66%). Panelists agreed on patients' main selection criteria, patients' involvement in decision-making, tapering strategies, and follow-up criteria. Areas not reaching consensus were risk factors and predictors of successful discontinuation, monitoring intervals, and rates of successful discontinuation or relapse. This lack of consensus signals knowledge and practice gaps among European countries and suggests the need for the development of clinical practice guidelines that outline a pan-European, evidence-based approach to tapering and discontinuing TPO-RAs. Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a condition that may cause extensive bruising and excessive bleeding. Another sign is a pattern of small reddish-purple dots resembling a rash. ITP is treated with a class of medications known as thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs), which include eltrombopag, avatrombopag, and romiplostim. Sometimes the beneficial effects of the medication last even after the patient stops taking it, which means that some patients can be tapered off it. This paper presents the results of a Delphi panel—a method of research that gathers insights from experts—about tapering and discontinuing TPO-RAs. There were 12 physicians from nine European countries on the Delphi panel, all practicing hematologists with expertise in tapering and discontinuing TPO-RAs in patients with ITP. Panelists were presented with a total of 130 statements over three survey rounds. At the end of Round Three, 52 statements (40%) achieved consensus (response pattern of ≥80% "Agree"), and six statements (4.6%) achieved dissensus (response pattern of ≥80% "Disagree"). Consensus was achieved on the appropriateness of tapering the dose of the TPO-RA for two to three months prior to attempting discontinuation. The panel also reached consensus on considering tapering in a slower fashion (six to 12 months) for patients showing suboptimal response to TPO-RAs. More than half the survey's statements did not achieve consensus or dissensus. This signals that knowledge gaps exist and highlights the importance of conducting prospective, real-world evidence studies to identify best practices and develop pan-European guidelines for tapering and discontinuing TPO-RAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While levels of internal mobility have been trending down in many advanced economies, the interregional migration rates of Spanish young adults have increased. This paper analyses the internal movements of the Spanish-born population aged 25-39 between NUTS-2 regions from 1992 to 2018, including sub-periods linked to the Spanish economic context. The analysis incorporates the urban-rural dimension within each region and the educational level of migrants, a variable that has not been included in Spanish internal migration studies. We used flow register data of migration and sociodemographic information from the Labor Force Survey. The results show that migrations between regions have become more unbalanced over time, especially since the 2008 crisis. In addition, a new trend of out-migration from cities in peripheral regions has been detected, which contrasts with the former high level of rural outmigration. A great educational selectivity of out-migrants and a growing internal brain drain have also been found. Moreover, qualified human capital accumulation has been increasing in Madrid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the differing online banking adoption in Spanish cities and towns through Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). This paper is the first to unveil such differences between cities and towns. Data was collected from the Centre for Sociological Research and analyzed with PLS-SEM through SmartPLS. The analyzed model comprised perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), and online banking use behaviour (UB) as variables directly associated. Perceived security (PS) was included as a mediator of the effects in UB. Multi-group analysis (MGA) and Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) were implemented. Most of the hypothesised direct and indirect effects were statistically significant and found support for both cities' and towns' populations. PEOU did not present a statistically significant influence over PS. The direct effects expected were found to be different in cities and towns, although differences were minimal. The study makes an outstanding contribution regarding the banking sector's social responsibility, which may be further studied to mirror inclusive practices. It also corroborates the importance of PS as a mediator that influences online banking services use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In small catchments, the time interval most commonly used for simulation – daily or monthly – may not be sufficient to accurately capture the time distribution of hydrological processes. In this paper, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to perform an hourly long-term streamflow and sediment load simulation in the small (4.8 km2) and forested Aixola catchment (northern Spain). From this simulation, 10 runoff events were tested; the most satisfactory results for streamflow were obtained under wet antecedent conditions. However, simulated sediment load was underestimated during the peaks and remained high towards the end of the event. Furthermore, the influence of the precipitation time step (1–4 h, daily) was not relevant in the streamflow simulation but does influence the sediment simulation. The best results were achieved with the daily step simulations obtained at an hourly time step. This paper shows that sub-daily modelling improves water and especially sediment yield results; however, improvements are still needed in timing-related routines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Iberian Peninsula is a climate change hotspot, where the temperature is increasing faster than the global annual mean surface temperature, with the largest reduction of precipitation. Consequently, freshwater availability is expected to decrease substantially. In this context, freshwater systems are especially vulnerable in terms of meeting the water demands and ecosystem requirements we know today. In this paper, we present an extension of the eco-engineering decision scaling (EEDS) method to explore trade-offs in agricultural and ecologic metrics at the catchment scale across a range of unknown future hydrological and climate states. The extended EEDS method evaluates current water resource management rules focusing on agricultural and ecologic objectives, identifies climate hazards that make the system fail and assesses climate risk in three time horizons for the design of adaptation measures. The case study is the Serpis River basin, Spain, where 72% of available water is used for agricultural purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete mitochondrial genome of the olive cultivar Mehras was determined using high-throughput sequencing technology. It consisted of 710,808 base pairs and comprised 70 genes, including 44 protein-coding genes, 23 tRNA genes, and three rRNA genes, with a GC content of 44.7%. Significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertions/deletions (InDels) were detected throughout the mitogenome. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted using other genotypes, including five olive cultivars, three related species, and Olea exasperata as an out-group. The analysis revealed that the olive cultivar Mehras shares an ancient common ancestor with the Frantoio cultivar from Italy and the Manzanilla cultivar from Spain, which confirms previous findings based on plastome sequencing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report on a compilation of more than 2200 sites (more than 10,000 individual measurements) where anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) was studied in granites from the Variscan Pyrenees. The standardization and homogenization of this information has allowed us to produce threeMain Mapsthat synthesize all the information related with the AMS of the Pyrenean granites. We also describe the problems found during the construction of the database (variable geo-positioning, different published information, etc.). The information derived from 21 granite bodies, the database, and the synthesis maps (magnetic susceptibility, Km, and the orientation of the magnetic foliation, plane perpendicular to k3, and of the magnetic lineation, k1) allow us to see for the first time a complete image of this important kinematic and petrographic indicator. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The dynamics of anthropic occupation of a territory over time play a central role in shaping the cultural landscape we see today. This paper presents a methodology for visually representing this phenomenon. The method consists of transforming data from archaeological records and historic cartography into a series of maps that allow historic settlement patterns to be interpreted and the historic depth of contemporary urban areas to be revealed. To create these maps, a series of geospatial analyses were carried out, including density analysis and weighted overlay. The methodology was applied to the peri-urban area of Seville in southern Spain, although it may be extrapolated to other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at describing the eating experience of people diagnosed with and treated for laryngeal cancer. Going beyond the mere conceptualization of "after-effect" or the quantification of the disease's impact on the basis of standardized questionnaires, we present a qualitative analysis of the narratives of such experiences. Ethnographic study. Data is obtained from conversations, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and written documents. A discourse analysis of the narrative information was conducted, with process coding and using the constant comparative method, inductive content analysis, category analysis, units of meaning associated with each other, and triangulation. The impact of cancer on eating processes is not limited to nutrition, but also affects the social and cultural value of food, which is put into question. The symbolic and social values which accompany the traditional way of eating are modified, which is connected with impaired quality of life. The impact on the eating process and its relationship with quality-of-life impairment are clear and connect with the importance of eating ways in culture and social organization. Greater attention should be paid to these contexts in clinical practice, which can affect even more than the impact on communicative processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism in the Spanish economy represents 11% of the GDP (INE, 2018). Its sun and beach tourism model has diversified into other products, such as cultural tourism, that has been increasing in recent years. The objective of this research is to develop a structural model that measures the behaviour of cultural tourists, to help better understand the main variables affecting their loyalty to a destination, travelling within Spain. After reviewing the scientific literature, a hypothetical-deductive method has been used that focussed on the importance of considering the customer's experience, proposes a set of working hypotheses, contrasted by means of an analysis of the structural equations model (SEM), estimated taking the data from the Resident Tourism Survey/FAMILITUR of the National Statistics Institute (INE). The model confirms the importance of socio-cultural variables and the experience of tourists in loyalty-building and the zero importance of the spend in this relationship. This paper analyses the new segments of tourist demand, with a view to the results obtained assisting in the design of differentiated marketing strategies to increase the repetition of the cultural tourisms visits to the same destination and, therefore customer loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the restructuring of the Spanish financial system. This study is justified by the massive economic and social impact of this process in Spain. Based on the annual accounts and the annual reports of Spanish credit institutions, a model was created to predict the possibility of bank failure or bailout. The variables were selected following a review of the literature. They included the legal form of the credit institution (savings bank versus bank), leverage, real estate investment, gross operating margin, staff costs and non-performing loans. Two variables that had not previously been used in studies of this type were also included in the model: risk-weighted assets and coverage (as part of the provisions for non-performing loans). Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was used for the analysis. Use of fsQCA is another novel aspect of this study. This technique has never been used to predict corporate bankruptcy or the failure of credit institutions. Proposals were made and tested using data on Spanish banks and savings banks for the year 2010, a critical year for the Spanish financial system. The results yield several interesting conclusions. First, greater leverage increases the probability of survival, contrary to the opinion of most scholars. This result shows that the problem facing Spanish credit institutions was the closure of international markets, not the level of debt. Another key conclusion is that financial institutions with higher staff costs have a greater chance of survival. Therefore, the widespread policy of reducing human resource costs should be reconsidered. Finally, the risk-weighted assets measure offers an excellent predictor of failure of credit institutions, as well as providing other benefits, which substantially increase the value of this measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Education systems rely on both teacher and test-based assessments. Where these assessments are used for summative purposes particularly, it is important to understand why, and for which groups of students, teachers’ assessments may produce different results from test-based assessments.Purpose:This paper assesses whether the difference between teacher and test-based summative assessment at age 11 and 15 – as a measure of bias or uncertainty in assessment – is linked systematically to observable pupil characteristics. We also consider the important question of whether these measures of uncertainty and bias in assessment have any relationship with pupils’ subsequent educational choices at age 16.Sample:To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper focused on the Spanish educational system that has compared teacher and test-based assessments for school-age children. The sample consists of 3000 primary and secondary students.Design and methods:This research is conducted using regression analysis on quantitative data, comparing teacher and test-based assessments conducted during the academic year 2009/10.Results:The gap between test scores and teacher assessments is particularly large for female students in mathematics, who obtain significantly higher teacher assessments compared with their test scores. Students from semi-private schools (concertadas), who are more likely to be socially advantaged, gain higher test scores in relation to their teachers’ assessments.This is particularly noticeable in reading.Conclusions:This finding is consistent with the notion that teachers overestimate the achievement of girls in mathematics, relative to their test scores. Teachers tend to assess pupils in a relative way and hence teachers in semi-private schools (with higher achieving pupils) underestimate the achievement of their pupils. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper discusses the gradual eclipse of a water management paradigm governed by the dominance of hydropower and irrigation-driven development. With the advent of new values, the former approach has given way to an acknowledgement of the value of water for its intangible contribution to the landscape, among other things. The European Water Framework Directive has lent further impetus to changes in water management and governance. Future water authorities and stakeholders will face additional management challenges such as growing water scarcity, climate change and the predominant role of regional governments in water use negotiation and decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine whether the size effect is present in four European markets viz. France, Germany, Spain and Italy. We also investigate whether the size effect can be explained through the sources as available in the literature. We employ prominent asset pricing models to ascertain if size anomaly in our sample countries passes the risk story. We find single-factor model i.e.capital asset pricing model to be still relevant in explaining size anomaly for Spain and Italy. We find FF3 factor model to be a suitable model to be explain for alphas in Germany, while we find that none of the asset pricing model is able to fully explain the size effect for France. Hence, we conclude that though size anomaly does not provide any opportunities to portfolio managers for making extra normal returns for their investors in three of the four sample countries. France, however, provides an opportunity to portfolio managers for exploiting size anomaly. Our findings have implications for portfolio managers, academia as well as regulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From a corporate governance point of view, this paper addresses the question of how corporate ownership and board characteristics influence firm value for a sample of Ibero-American companies. Specifically, we analyse indexed non-financial companies from Chile and Spain for the period 2007 – 2016, using the GMM panel data technique. Our research is novel in considering a two-country approach, with one emerging and one developed country, and in analysing how corporate ownership and board characteristics, in addition to contextual variables, determine firm value. Our results assess the efficiency of corporate governance mechanisms. Although findings are intriguing regarding ownership concentration, they confirm the benefits of a good board of directors. This type of board is characterised by a large size, sufficiently independent directors, and a balance in terms of gender diversity. We provide several policy recommendations from our main findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carefully examining the site map of a firm with a well-developed website can provide both patterns about its corporate strategy– considering all the elements that surround the organization – and a primary source for benchmarking. Our paper's aim is to use this technique: (a) to highlight the key strategic management issues which affect the top large Spanish firms; and (b) to show trends identified amongst such companies during the last ten years. Our methodology consists of a content analysis focused on websites of the Ibex35 companies listed on the Spanish Stock Market. It includes drawing a comparison with these same websites as two photos with a difference of ten years. Rather than carrying out a breakdown of the businesses developed by each corporation, the appropriate approach is the assessment of their respective corporate principles, as this would allow for a better identification of the underlying managerial, organisational and strategic realities of these organisations. The results evidence the high usefulness of this technique when it comes to detecting the most significant strategic management issues faced by the leading large Spanish firms, as well as their evolution over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the first months of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has driven social distancing measures in many countries, which have made it potentially more attractive to reside in less populated areas. This paper visualizes whether the registered populations in municipalities with fewer than 2000 inhabitants in Spanish regions have changed during 2020 in a different way than previous years. The per cent variation of the rural population is measured, as well as the proportion of the rural population over the total population, in two periods: January 2000-January 2020 and during 2020. The results show an increase in the rural population in 13 of the 17 Spanish regions, and an increase in the proportion in 14 regions during 2020, in contrast to the declining trends prevailing in previous years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatio-temporal study of wildfires has two complex elements that are the computational efficiency and longtime processing. Modelling the spatial variability of a wildfire could be performed in different ways, and an important issue is the computational facilities that the new methodological techniques afford us. The Markov random fields methods have made possible to build risk maps, but for many forest managers, it is more advantageous to know the size of the fire and its location. In the first part of this work, Stochastic Partial Differential Equation with Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation is utilised to model the size of the forest fires observed in the Valencian Community (Spain) and so it does the inclusion of the time effect, and the study of the emergency calls. The most crucial element in this paper is the inclusion of the improved meshes for the spatial effect and the time, these are, 2d (locations) and 1d (time) respectively. The advantage of the use of spatio-temporal meshes is described with the inclusion of Bayesian methodology in all the scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employee-owned firms (EOFs) form part of the so-called social economy, and they are seen as an alternative business model that aims to establish itself as a third way, different to conventional capitalist firms and public enterprises. These firms meet the Spanish legal requirements (Law 44/2015) for employee ownership designation. This paper assesses whether the capital ownership structure is a key factor determining operating performance, productivity and solvency, or in other words, the impact the firm's capital ownership structure may have on its economic performance, labour factor and capital factor. Based on a sample of small employee-owned firms and non-employee owned firms, the study develops an empirical methodology using a panel data analysis. The study shows the characteristics of Spain's EOFs as an alternative legal form of employee share ownership, which is included in the Social Economy, but different from cooperative societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is fairly well-established in Spain, informing decision-makers on the likely environmental consequences of their plans and policies. However, limited attention has been paid to the study of SEA effectiveness in Spain, particularly with regards to practitioner and stakeholder views. This paper aims to bridge this knowledge gap by gathering and examining views on SEA's participatory aspects, the performance of the procedural elements and the overall role of SEA in decision-making. The paper describes the legal implementation of SEA in Spain, and discusses current views on its effectiveness, grounded on the authors' own experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The literature shows how gender mandates contribute to differences in exposure and vulnerability to certain health risk factors. This paper presents the results of a study developed in the south of Spain, where research aimed at understanding men from a gender perspective is still limited. Objective: The aim of this paper is to explore the lay perceptions and meanings ascribed to the idea of masculinity, identifying ways in which gender displays are related to health. Design: The study is based on a mixed-methods data collection strategy typical of qualitative research. We performed a qualitative content analysis focused on manifest and latent content. Results: Our analysis showed that the relationship between masculinity and health was mainly defined with regard to behavioural explanations with an evident performative meaning. With regard to issues such as driving, the use of recreational drugs, aggressive behaviour, sexuality, and body image, important connections were established between manhood acts and health outcomes. Different ways of understanding and performing the male identity also emerged from the results. The findings revealed the implications of these aspects in the processes of change in the identity codes of men and women. Conclusions: The study provides insights into how the category 'man' is highly dependent on collective practices and performative acts. Consideration of how males perform manhood acts might be required in guidance on the development of programmes and policies aimed at addressing gender inequalities in health in a particular local context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of works proving the possible relationship empirically that Airbnb lodgings could have with crime in Spain is not known. This research analyzes the relationship between Airbnb lodgings and crimes against the properties and people in Barcelona's neighbourhoods. To achieve this, we use an ordinary least squares regression model and a geographically weighted regression model. The results show a significant and positive relationship between the higher density of Airbnb lodgings and the higher crime rates in the neighbourhoods, especially of patrimonial nature. Divided by type of leased space, the Airbnb homes, in which the guest shares a room with other guests, show a higher relationship with crimes against property and people. The results of the local model show a spatial heterogeneity in all variables used, indicating the need to address non-stationary spatial processes that reveal hidden patterns. However, the only variable that shows statistically significant local variability is the total Airbnb lodgings variable. Finally, we discussed some unexpected results, proposing some future lines of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lakes and reservoirs provide habitat for a wide range of species and are essential components of numerous ecosystems. In Spain, these water bodies are particularly important and sensitive, so studying the impact of climate change critical for their long-term management and maintenance. This study aims to identify warming trends in these water bodies and determine whether they vary by season or geographical location by processing time series data of surface temperatures from Landsat 5 images to identify changes in the surface temperature of lakes and reservoirs between 1994 and 2011. This analysis revealed that 87% of water bodies exhibit a warming trend, with an average increase in water surface temperature of þ0.037 ℃ per year. The Ebro and Guadalquivir depressions exhibited the highest temperature increases. However, temperature changes vary across the peninsula, generally associated with air surface temperatures, and are influenced by altitude in the mountain areas and Atlantic winds in the west depressions. The trends indicate a seasonal pattern: in summer, the number of water bodies with high temperatures increases, while in autumn there are more lakes and reservoirs with intermediate temperatures. In winter and spring, the number of water bodies with low temperatures decreases and they are located further north. The influence of factors such as climate and local conditions should be investigated to better understand the warming of these water bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundNetworks play an important role in today’s societies. As a consequence, changes are apparent in the political, economic, cultural, educational and social agendas. PurposeThe main goal of this article is to map the situation of school networks in Spain. The research questions are focused on what forms collaboration and networking take in the Spanish education system; how policy and practice are providing a framework for the development of networks; and what the main barriers to fostering school-to-school collaboration in this context are. MethodsA mix of case studies and documentary analysis was used. Two regions located in the Southwest (Extremadura and the Canary Islands) were selected to examine their legislation about networks in education. The following aspects were considered: aims and aspirations, areas of interest, organisational structure, benefits and incentives, network project and evaluation and improvement proposals. In this way, Spain is presented as an example of a country that is exploring the possibilities offered by networks. Findings and conclusionsThere is no common state policy to support networking between schools. Rather, every local educational authority acts with different purposes and a variable extent of development. This particular situation offers a diverse map of education networks. The case studies show that networks are being developed bottom-up, through topics of interest, such as library, ecology, health-promotion, equality, emotional intelligence, educational research, enterprise and physical education. The paper concludes by reflecting on and discussing the current landscape of educational networks. Some barriers identified are related to: the networks’ structures that could be more inclusive, the loose culture of collaboration, the weak mechanisms to link social and professional capital provided by policy-makers, the importance of belief in the network society and community power by stakeholders and also to the necessity to increase incentives for people involved, in terms of working-time conditions and resources. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a geomorphological analysis of the littoral zone of the Arosa-Pontevedra estuary mouth and identifies geomorphological units and categorizes them into morphogenetic systems. The different morphogenetic systems are used to establish a comprehensive evolutionary analysis, contrasting the depositional systems found in the continental littoral zone with the marine erosional systems (‘rasas’). The compiled cartography groups the geomorphological units into the following: the lithoestructural morphogenetic system with large-scale forms (domes, inselbergs, residual relief, etc.) and small-scale forms (gnammas, tafoni, channels, etc.); the littoral morphogenetic system comprised of marine (marine terraces, beaches, tidal bars, tombolos and coastal arrows), transition (marshes, lagoons and fan deltas) and eolian (dune systems) settings; the fluvial morphogenetic system with channelled (alluvial, flood plain and river terraces), transition (alluvial fans and alluvial cones) and sheet flood (pediments and glacis) systems; the gravitational morphogenetic system (colluvium); and the alteration morphogenetic system (sand-alteration). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a geological map and cross-sections of the Cotiella thrust sheet at 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scale, respectively. The map covers an area of 225 km2in the southern Pyrenees. The structure of the studied area is dominated by an upper Santonian – lower Miocene thrust system, which transported a middle Coniacian-lower Santonian extensional basin, the Cotiella Basin, 10 s of kilometres southwards during the Pyrenean orogeny. The map focuses on the internal structure of the Cotiella Basin, its partially inverted extensional faults and its up to 6.5 km of upper Albian – lower Santonian sediments that unconformably overlie Upper Triassic salts. The map and cross-sections, together with outcrop-scale observations, have led us to interpret the rising of passive diapirs in the area. This newly recognized salt tectonic event in the Cotiella Basin is important because of the insights it can provide for the paleogeographic reconstruction of the Upper Cretaceous paleomargin of the northern parts of the Iberian Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sheep production systems in regions with a Mediterranean climate are important in social, economic and environmental terms. Modeling these systems allows, among others, evaluation of the costs efficiencies which in turn permits assessing the expected effects of changes in production variables. This paper presents a prototype analysis of the economic sustainability of ecological dairy sheep systems of Castilla-La Mancha, Central Spain evaluated through the estimation of costs efficiencies. Costs functions were developed using data from 31 farms. Rate of supplementary feeding, labour use, and flock size were used to measure the cost efficiency. On average, cost efficiency was 61.7±15.5%, with significant differences among typological groups. High efficiency was found in only 29% of the farms. The economic analyses performed suggest that the continued existence of economically unsustainably farms is explained by the available subsidies, lack of amortization of fixed assets leading to progressive decapitalization, and subsistence incomes by family groups (gross family income). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Vector-borne diseases are a growing burden worldwide. In particular, the risks of allergic reactions to bites are associated with growing arthropod populations in contact with the public. The diversity of allergic reactions associated with host and arthropod factors difficult disease diagnosis, prognosis and prevention. Therefore, arthropod-associated allergies are underdiagnosed and require better surveillance of arthropod populations and disease diagnosis and management. To face these challenges, in this study, we describe five cases to illustrate arthropod-associated allergies with different symptomatology, including alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) associated with anti-alpha-gal IgE antibody titres. Information on symptoms in response to arthropod bites was collected from patients and medical doctors. The five cases included patients bitten by a robber fly and different tick species. Cases were in Spain or U.S.A. Two cases were diagnosed with AGS and one case was diagnosed with anaphylaxis in response to tick bite with high anti-alpha-gal IgE levels. The symptoms in response to arthropod bites vary between different cases. Allergic reactions and symptoms in response to arthropod bites vary in association with host and arthropod factors. Herein we propose recommendations to control allergic symptoms, associated disease risk factors and the way forward to advance in the prevention and control of arthropod-associated allergies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires leaders to navigate different fields and work across public, private, and plural sectors. Higher education (HE) is positioned uniquely to bring disciplines together and convene leaders from business, government, and civil society by designing customized learning encounters. Here we explore the creation and delivery of a change program for leaders concerned with the SDGs based on a framework for understanding and shifting underlying relationships – termed here, agreement structures. Informed by meta-analysis of cases integrating social and technical innovations, an immersive personalized sustainability learning program was designed and offered in a university setting in summer 2019 in Spain. Drawing from academia (students and faculty), business and local government, learning experiences were co-created to help shift the paradigm for creating change among people, place, and planet. Making explicit agreement structures influenced learning design and enabled the co-creation of a customized cross-disciplinary, cross-sectoral program for leaders concerned with fulfilment of the SDGs. Exploiting the unique convening and integrating power of HE, the SDGs provided a shared narrative around which the faculty could communicate and bring their unique perspectives to co-create the program. Focused on accelerating multi-actor partnerships for delivery of the SDGs, the program focused on enabling a shift in underlying agreement structures necessary for local-global collaboration and transformation. The study describes a program that made conscious the relationships that need shifting to fulfil the SDGs and offers new insights to leverage the convening power of HE to contribute towards fulfilment of the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The main aim of this research was to explore experiences of care during the lockdown of the first wave of COVID-19 syndemic in Spain Methods: This is a qualitative and explorative study using self-photo-elicitation as a data collection method. Fifteen participants (Twelve women and three men) shared 25 photographs and one video between the June 18 and August, 2020. Participants' photographs and texts were collected online. Data were analysed based on Thematic Analysis. Results: Three emerging categories were constructed: 1) the deconstruction of care: self-care and collective care 2) the crisis of care and gendered care, 2) beyond anthropocentrism: animalism and ecology. Findings indicate the need to understand "care" in terms of social reproduction, including self-care, care towards other humans and non-human animals, and collective care. Also, the need to care for planetary health and to be in contact with nature as a form of self-care and social care. Conclusions: Care in a period of social and health crisis puts human relationships and also non-human life at the centre. Care requires adopting taking an ecological one-health perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A methodological proposal was developed for the study of prehistoric siliceous artefacts which includes the use of smartphone photography as an analytical tool. Different kinds of materials (cherts, rock crystal and quartzite) were sampled from the lithic assemblage of La Calvera rock-shelter (Camaleño, Spain), chosen as a case study. Each sample was photographed with a smartphone and colour features were compared with portable and non-destructive standardised techniques including visible spectrophotometry, Raman, diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and portable X-ray fluorescence. The obtained results suggest that smartphone image analysis is a reliable approach to characterise siliceous rocks and that it can be a valuable, cheap and fast method especially suitable for the first screening of large lithic assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standard FIX prophylaxis for PWHB require frequent injections, which has led to the development of extended half-life products like rIX-FP (albutrepenonacog alfa) that has shown good efficacy in clinical studies. This ambispective study aims to report a real-world experience with rIX-FP in a Spanish centre with PWHB who switched from SHL-FIX or began prophylaxis with rIX-FP. Five PWHB were included in this study, Four PTP switched to rIX-FP with prophylaxis every 7 days whilst one PUP started with an every-14-days regimen. 3 PTPs extended their dosing intervals to every 14 days or every 21 days. In all PTPs, median annualized spontaneous and joint bleeding rates were maintained at 0.00 and median (range) of ABR was 0.92 (0.00–2.77) after switch to rIX-FP. Mean trough level with previous product was 3.68% (SD = 2.06), while it was 7.08% (SD = 3) with all rIX-FP dosing intervals. After switching to rIX-FP, all PTP reduced their annual infusion rate between 50 and 84% and their annual FIX consumption by 61% (59–67%). This is the first reported real-world experience with albutrepenonacog alfa in a small cohort in Spain and demonstrates good bleeding control together with a reduction of the infusion rate, factor consumption and higher through factor level than previous treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective is to assess the perception of gynecologists regarding patients' adherence to vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) treatments, to evaluate the gynecologists' opinions on what their patients think about treatment adherence, and to compare the gynecologists' opinions with the patients' own perceptions within the CRETA study. Spanish gynecologists who participated in the CRETA study were asked to fill out an online 41-item questionnaire to evaluate their views on VVA management. From 29 centers across Spain, 44 gynecologists completed the survey. Their mean age was 47.2 years old, two-thirds of them were women, and the average professional experience was over 20 years. According to the gynecologists, the therapy most frequently used by VVA-diagnosed women was vaginal moisturizers (45.5%), followed by local estrogen therapy (36.4%) and ospemifene (18.2%). Nevertheless, ospemifene was viewed as the therapeutic option with the most efficacy, easiest route of administration, shorter time to symptom improvement, lower percentage of dropouts, and higher treatment adherence. Spanish gynecologists are in general agreement with their patients regarding VVA treatment preferences and the main issues for adherence and effectiveness. However, there is an opportunity for doctor–patient communication improvement. Among the three therapeutic options evaluated, ospemifene is regarded as offering some competitive advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deer hunting has traditionally had great relevance due to the diversity of resources obtained from it, such as meat. Our aim has been to analyse the total post-mortem weight, dressed carcass weight and carcass yield, as well as their variations as a function of years, sex, age and hunting season (autumn vs. winter). Also, predictive equations for carcass weight from total weight were performed. A total of 947 red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) of both sexes, hunted from 1989 to 1993 in the Quintos de Mora National Reserve, Spain, were analysed. Seasonal and interannual differences were detected in all weight measures and carcass yield, conditioned by sex, age and climatic factors such as temperature. In general, to obtain a higher meat yield deer extractions should be carried out in autumn. In addition, carcass weight variation (measured on cold carcasses dressed without head and feet, keeping skin, lateral diaphragm portions, fat deposits and legs) can be considered a good indicator of body condition that integrates seasonal nutritional gains and/or losses and long-term nutritional legacies. This index provides information on the animal´s natural history and ecological environment conditions, making its standardized record an essential tool for monitoring wild game populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 outbreak forced governments to implement regional measures avoiding the spread of the virus, while evaluating their economic effects. However, official Spanish regional economic information is scarce. We estimate monthly regional aggregated indicators for each Spanish region combining a mixed frequency Dynamic Factor Model with a recursive procedure that identifies the most informative variables capturing economic developments in each region. The set of variables that better describe aggregate economic conditions varies considerably across the regions, which emphasizes the heterogeneity in their productive structures. Our results suggest that the post-pandemic recovery will be uneven across territories, stressing the need to monitor regional economic developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]