Search

Josep Rizo is a Professor of Biophysics, Biochemistry and Pharmacology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he is Virginia Lazenby O'Hara Chair in Biochemistry. He is particularly interested in the study of the mechanisms of neurotransmitter release and intracellular membrane fusion using structural biology, a variety of biophysical techniques and reconstitution approaches. Jose has been a part of the FEBS Open Bio Editorial Board since 2021. In this interview, he shares his insights into developments in the field of neurotransmitter release, describes his move from Spain to the United States, and discusses how sometimes you need to use both logic and scientific hunches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the role of personal ties in migration decisions has received considerable attention. However, this aspect has seldom been studied in the context of retirement. This paper addresses this gap by shedding light on the composition of personal networks, types of mobility patterns and retirement locations for four groups of older adults. To this end, two methodological approaches are employed: (1) a qualitative Social Network Analysis to examine the composition of older adults' personal networks and (2) thematic coding to analyse the relational aspects of migration decisions. This paper draws on 29 semi‐structured interviews conducted in Spain and Switzerland in 2020 and 2021. The findings demonstrate that pre‐retirement migration trajectories shape personal network composition. Moreover, personal ties play a critical role in older adults' mobility patterns and choices of retirement location. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the impact of personal networks on migration decisions of older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on two extended qualitative research projects conducted between 2017 and 2022, this paper analyses the refugee reception programme (RP) in Spain, which is managed both by the central state and some specialised social organisations. This cross‐sectoral RP presents notable and enduring problems, which have deepened since the increase in asylum applications during the so‐called European refugee crisis in 2015. This paper affirms that, although this increase in asylum seekers represents a serious challenge, the persistent shortcomings of the RP are better explained by a set of structural factors related to (1) the restrictive institutional model of asylum and immigration policy, (2) the lack of development of the RP, its dispersal policy and its social intervention design, (3) the lack of multilevel governance between the State and the municipalities and regional administration and (4) the current neoliberal and nativist policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This paper is a report of an ICSH review of policies and practices for internal quality control (IQC) policy for haematology cell counters among regulatory bodies, cell counter manufacturers and diagnostic laboratories. It includes a discussion of the study findings and links to separate ICSH guidance for such policies and practices. The application of internal quality control (IQC) methods is an essential pre‐requisite for all clinical laboratory testing including the blood count (Full Blood Count, FBC, or Complete Blood Count, CBC). Methods: The ICSH has gathered information regarding the current state of practice through review of published guidance from regulatory bodies, a questionnaire to six major cell counter manufacturers (Abbott Diagnostics, Beckman Coulter, Horiba Medical Diagnostic Instruments & Systems, Mindray Medical International, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics and Sysmex Corporation) and a survey issued to 191 diagnostic laboratories in four countries (China, Republic of Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom) on their IQC practice and approach to use of commercial IQC materials. Results: This has revealed diversity both in guidance and in practice around the world. There is diversity in guidance from regulatory organizations in regard to IQC methods each recommends, clinical levels to use and frequency to run commercial controls, and finally recommended sources of commercial controls. The diversity in practice among clinical laboratories spans the areas of IQC methods used, derivation of target values and action limits used with control materials, and frequency of running commercial controls materials. Conclusions: These findings and their implications for IQC Practice are discussed in this paper. They are used to inform a separate guidance document, which proposes a harmonized approach to address the issues faced by diagnostic laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on my ongoing ethnographic research with people living with HIV in different European countries, the paper focuses on RD, a Catalan man I have interviewed three times since 2014. In RD's life narrative, 'crisis' is a recurring theme including both the most blatant forms, like the severe housing crisis in Spain that followed the global financial crisis, and the most ordinary ones like domestic violence. Analysing the impact of crises in RD's perception and experience of the present, interwoven with the past(s) and the future(s), the paper discusses two main benefits of longitudinal ethnographic research. First, it allows to capture how crisis is not just a moment or a phase in RD's life, but acts as context generating a recurring experience of an 'uncanny present' shaped by logics of return and repetition of the past, and anticipation of the future. Second, it supports RD's self‐awareness around his ability to navigate the unknown when experiencing the 'uncanny present'; this highlights the ethical care dimension entailed by such methodology. The paper presents two main benefits of longitudinal ethnographic research. First, it allows to capture how crisis, for some people, is not just a moment or phase but acts as context generating a recurring experience of an 'uncanny present'. Second, it supports participants' self‐awareness around their ability to navigate the unknown, this demonstrating the ethical care dimension of the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a description of the ICSH guidance for internal quality control (IQC) policy for blood cell counters. It follows from and links to a separate ICSH review for such policies and practices. The ICSH has gathered information regarding the current state of practice through review of published guidance from regulatory bodies, a questionnaire to six major cell counter manufacturers and a survey issued to 191 diagnostic laboratories in four countries (China, the Republic of Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom) on their IQC practice and approach to the use of commercial IQC materials. This has revealed diversity both in guidance and in practice around the world. There is diversity in guidance from regulatory organizations in regard to IQC methods each recommends, clinical levels to use and frequency to run commercial controls, and finally recommended sources of commercial control materials. The diversity in practice among clinical laboratories spans the areas of IQC methods used, derivation of target values, and action limits used with commercial control materials, and frequency of running commercial controls materials. These findings and their implications for IQC Practice are addressed in this guidance document, which proposes a harmonized approach to address the issues faced by diagnostic laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the recent studies that are being carried out in the structural health monitoring of bridges, it has been observed that the results of the modal damping ratio can be influenced by some ambient variables and significantly depend on the calculation method that is adopted. In this paper, the main conclusions obtained in the study of the dynamic behaviour of a real structure, the viaduct "Arcos de Alconétar", in Spain, whose main span is a long metal arch, is reviewed. With this aim, the results obtained from the instrumentation installed during the initial months after its traffic opening are analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The knowledge of soil moisture spatio‐temporal variability is highly relevant for water resources management. This paper reports an analysis of the spatial–temporal variability of soil moisture data for a small to medium‐scale soil‐sensors network in a coastal wetland of southwestern Spain. Measurements were taken from five sites located in the Doñana National Park over the time‐period of one hydrological year from September 2017 to September 2018. The total area of the soil‐sensors network shows an extension about 25 × 3 km. Soil moisture data was separated into time invariant (the temporal mean of the whole period at each site) and time‐variant terms (the deviations of soil moisture from the mean, or anomalies). The time‐invariant component was generally the main contributor to the total spatial variance of soil moisture and it was mostly controlled by the groundwater levels in the area. Nevertheless, the time variant terms have a huge effect on soil moisture variability in very dry states. Characteristic convex time‐dependent patterns for this field site were found between spatially averaged soil moisture and its variability. This information could be used for the up and downscaling of soil moisture from satellite data. Those patterns of relation between spatial mean and variability of soil moisture were only affected by heavy rainfalls giving rise to hysteretic behaviour. This study shows that even though groundwater level is a time‐variant variable, it significantly affects soil moisture's time‐variant but also time‐invariant terms due to the different average groundwater level depths at the different sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Customers, civil organizations, the media, and society demand that companies behave in ways beyond regulatory requirements concerning social and environmental issues. Therefore, companies are striving to adapt to these new requirements and to express their commitment to stakeholders through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy. The values and principles of cooperatives make them ideal for responsible business management within the framework of CSR. Almeria is a province in southeastern Spain and it is one of the areas with the highest concentration of agribusiness in Europe. This paper aims to empirically verify whether the CSR orientation of agricultural cooperatives in this province are greater than that of other companies because of the application of these principles. Or, if globalization and competition is pushing these organizations to abandon their principles and values while losing their distinctive identity. A cluster analysis was applied to a representative sample of 107 fruit and vegetable production‐commercialization companies, and this included five dimensions of study applying the stakeholder theory: partners, employees, customers, farmers, and the environment. According to their legal form, we concluded that these entities do not significantly differ in their corporate social responsibility strategy. The Mann‐Whitney nonparametric analysis indicates that only the employee dimension shows significant differences depending on the legal form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an approach to estimate the effects of a managed recharge experiment in a multilayer aquifer characterized by the presence of perched water tables in the Medina del Campo groundwater body, Douro basin, central Spain. A numerical model was developed to evaluate the effect of artificial recharge on the shallow sector of a regional‐scale aquifer and on formerly active wetlands. The model was developed in the Visual MODFLOW Pro v.2011.1 environment in order to represent and analyse the regional impact of this artificial recharge event. Results suggest that the assumption of a single perched system may prove useful in regional contexts where data is limited. From a study site perspective, managed recharge is observed to increase shallow storage along the riverbanks, which is considered valuable for environmental purposes. However, downstream wetlands are unlikely to experience a significant recovery. Furthermore, only a small percentage of artificial recharge is expected to reach the deep regional aquifer. This method can be exported to settings characterized by the presence of perched aquifers and associated groundwater dependent ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the extent to which two factors—social networks and the severity of the scarcity of a common property resource—affect norm‐complying behavior that favors cooperation. It assumes that those who comply with the social norm exercise social pressure on defectors. We develop an analytical framework that allows us to determine the minimum (maximum) share of norm‐complying agents at which social networks start (stop) having an influence on cooperation. Knowing these shares allows policymakers to identify the conditions under which legal and/or informal enforcement policies for cooperation are effective and how different types of social networks affect the design of these policies. We find that stable steady states exist in which compliers and defectors coexist (partial cooperation), but the stability of such states requires that the costs of coordination among compliers to exercise social pressure are high. Full cooperation is another possible steady state but is unlikely to prevail if the agents do not perceive the scarcity of the common property resource as severe. A numerical study, empirically calibrated for an aquifer in Spain, shows that subsidizing the compliers' costs of exerting social pressure may impede the attainment of a steady state based on partial cooperation. Although social networks can promote cooperation, their influence is limited. The minimum share of compliers for attaining cooperation can be reduced by informal enforcement policies by not more than 26%. We show that combinations of different types of informal enforcement policies should be applied cautiously because they may cancel each other out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing use of digital resources has changed the way of teaching, where platforms such as YouTube offer large repositories of educational videos. There are many theoretical studies that analyse the digital competences of teachers, but to a lesser extent on the behaviours and use that the teacher makes of this multimedia platform. Thus, the purpose of this study is the development of an instrument in which it is analysed how the behavioural intention of teachers on YouTube impacts their digital competence to search and select information, share information, and interact with other users of the platform, and create educational material. To achieve this, following the partial least squares (PLS) method of structural equation models, a higher‐order causal model was proposed based on an adaptation and extension of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The study was carried out with a sample of 2157 teachers from all over Spain. The main result was that behavioural intention explained 22.70% of the true variance of teachers' digital competence. In addition, it has been possible to verify the reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of the established causal relationships, determining a model with acceptable goodness‐of‐fit. These findings show that it is a valid and reliable instrument to measure teachers' digital competences on YouTube, behavioural intention, and the system of relationships between factors. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Teachers can use YouTube to search and create creative and innovative educational lessons.The teacher must have adequate digital competence to search, select, evaluate, and effectively use the content of this platform in the classroom.The four central predictors of the UTAUT model (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology) allow to explain and predict the adoption and use of ICT in different contexts.What this paper adds The elaboration of an instrument on the digital competences of the teacher on the use of YouTube as a didactic resource, based on an extended model of UTAUT.Identification of the factors with the greatest incidence on the behavioral intention of the teacher to use YouTube as an educational resource.Identification of how the behavioral intention and the ease of the conditions determine the use of YouTube by teachers to search for educational content, share it or create it by themselves.Implications for practice and/or policy Extensive information on the factors that teachers should pay attention to improve their behavioral intention to use YouTube as a teaching resource.The need to promote improvement policies on technological and digital conditions which will affect the digital competence of the teacher for the usability of YouTube as a more visual, verbal, and interactive educational process.Educational institutions should better prepare teachers for their role as innovative teachers, providing them with adequate digital skills in relation to the use of YouTube as a teaching resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a sequentially restored cross-section of the Organyà and Montsec minibasins based on geological mapping, new field observations and available borehole data. The main objective was to describe the geometry and evolution of both basins in terms of salt tectonics and minibasin mobility. To this end, a comprehensive palaeomagnetic database has been used to constrain vertical-axis rotations potentially related to minibasin translation and pivoting. The Organyà minibasin constitutes an asymmetric depocentre formed during the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous by translation above a southerly inclined salt layer. Salt evacuation and minibasin touchdown induced salt accumulation on the northern side of the basin that culminated in the development of the major Santa Fe unconformity during the late Albian--early Cenomanian. Indicative of salt quiescence is the following isopachous Cenomanian to lower Santonian sequence Salt tectonics resumed during the late Santonian--Palaeocene, with the Montsec minibasin downbuilding coinciding with the onset of Pyrenean convergence. Changes of the base-salt topography reflects regional-scale geodynamic processes. The acceleration of crustal thinning in the North Pyrenean zone during the late Albian-early Cenomanian favoured uplift in the Axial Zone, increasing slope and triggering salt mobilization in the Southern Pyrenees. Likewise, the onset of contraction renewed the downslope gliding of the Organyà and Montsec minbasins, and supports the idea that the early stages of basin inversion were governed by gravity tectonics. The kinematic reconstruction suggests that the more that 30° counterclockwise vertical axis rotation records pivoting during the suprasalt translation of the Organyà minibasin rather than solely the Iberian microplate rotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the Brexit referendum results, there may have been fears that a significant part of the British population in Spain, one of the largest outside the Commonwealth, would return to the United Kingdom. This paper uses different sources to assess whether, on the one hand, such a return movement has existed and, on the other hand, whether it could exist in the future. To do so, we analyse data from the Spanish Population Register (Padrón) and the Residential Variation Statistics (EVR) from 2003 to 2021, and a survey carried out in 2020 of 643 British people over 55 years of age living in Spain. In relation to the registry data, it has been observed that the return movement after Brexit has not been as significant as might be expected at a time of great uncertainty. Only in 2021 it was detected an increase in return movements, especially above the age of 75, probably caused by the end of the application of the Withdrawal Agreement. On the other hand, the survey results show that the intention to return is lower than in other similar surveys that have been carried out in the past, even in another COVID‐19 outbreak scenario. Moreover, this intention to return is especially related to variables linked to insertion, such as not being properly registered or owning a property in the United Kingdom, among other variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the current pattern of climate change, mountain bird populations are generally shifting their ranges to higher elevations, tracking their climatic optima. Nevertheless, space limitations at high altitudes constrain mountain species' resilience to climatic change, making them particularly vulnerable. In extreme cases, the climatic niche of some species can move beyond mountaintops, ultimately driving such species to extinction. This study presents the case of the northern wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe in mainland Spain and compares its breeding distribution from 2003 to 2022. Spain, where the species mostly occupies mountain areas, represents its southernmost distribution limit in Europe. We built environmental favourability models using information from the two most recent Spanish bird atlases and a set of climatic, topographic, human activity and lithological variables to determine the factors affecting the occurrence of the species. The influence of climate compared to all other factors was obtained using variation partitioning analysis. The northern wheatear has suffered a strong reduction (67%) in occupied areas and also in favourability throughout mainland Spain (especially in the south) where climate change may have far‐reaching consequences, including local extinctions. Climate explained more than 90% of the variation in the model obtained for 2022. Interestingly, the occupied areas were, on average, 100 m higher in 2022 than in 2003. If the effects of climate warming persist, the northern wheatear will likely disappear in its southernmost distribution limit, being the Sierra de las Nieves National Park population the most vulnerable in mainland Spain. For this reason, it is necessary to implement monitoring programmes for northern wheatear populations, with priority for mountain systems wherein they already occupy higher elevations, as well as further studies on other mountain species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental feeding practices, such as the use of food to soothe, can be shaped by various factors, including the family environment and parents' psychological characteristics and capacities. To our knowledge, the combined effect of these factors has not been studied. Furthermore, parental feeding practices have mainly been studied in women, resulting in a gender gap in the research. This study aims to investigate the combined effect of family environment and parental characteristics on the likelihood of using food to soothe children, taking the gender of both parents into account. This cross‐sectional study included a sample of 846 parents (36.3% men) of 1‐year‐old children from different regions of Spain. Participants completed an online survey that included questionnaires to measure whether parents used food to soothe children, the family environment, parents' characteristics, and their psychological capacities. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify associations between the variables. The final model showed that, within the family environment, higher levels of dyadic adjustment between couples (OR = 0.965; p =.026) were associated with a reduced likelihood of using food to soothe children, whereas the psychological characteristic of parental fatigue (OR = 1.053; p =.007) appeared to be associated with an increased likelihood. Also associated with an increased likelihood of this practice were higher parental sense of competence (OR = 1.028; p =.029) and the attention dimension of emotional intelligence (OR = 1.043; p =.007). Our study suggests that using food to soothe children may be influenced by factors at different levels, from the quality and adjustment of the couple's relationship to parental fatigue, self‐competence, and emotional intelligence. For future research, it may be worthwhile contextualizing parental practices to gain a better understanding of children's behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A severe hailstorm that occurred in Spain on 30 August 2022, caused material and human damage, including one fatality due to giant hailstones up to 12 cm in diameter. By applying a pseudo‐global warming approach, here we evaluate how a simultaneous marine heatwave (and anthropogenic climate change) affected a unique environment conductive to such giant hailstones. The main results show that the supercell development was influenced by an unprecedented amount of convective available energy, with significant contributions from thermodynamic factors. Numerical simulations where the marine heatwave is not present show a notable reduction in the hail‐favorable environments, related mainly to modifications in thermodynamic environment. Our simulations also indicate that the environment in a preindustrial‐like climate would be less favorable for convective hazards and thus the hailstorm event would likely not have been as severe as the observed one, being possible to perform a novel attribution of such kind. Plain Language Summary: In August 2022, northeastern Spain faced a damaging hailstorm with hailstones up to 12 cm, causing significant harm and one fatality. This study examined how hail‐favorable environments were modified by a marine heatwave and human‐induced climate change. Numerical simulations show that the storm's intensity was influenced by abundant atmospheric energy and moisture from the warm sea, partly influenced by human‐induced warming. When the warm sea factor was excluded from the simulations, hailstones were smaller. These findings emphasize the role of human‐induced climate change and warm sea surface temperature events in intensifying extreme and high‐impact weather events like hailstorms. Key Points: Unprecedented hailstones in Spain (up to 12 cm) caused widespread damage and one fatalityA record‐breaking marine heatwave enhanced the strong hail‐favorable environmentNovel demonstration of an extreme hailstorm event attribution to anthropogenic warming [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pregnant women have an increased risk of severe COVID‐19. Evaluation of drugs with a safety reproductive toxicity profile is a priority. At the beginning of the pandemic, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was recommended for COVID‐19 treatment. Material and methods: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial was conducted in eight teaching hospitals in Spain to evaluate the safety and efficacy of HCQ in reducing viral shedding and preventing COVID‐19 progression. Pregnant and postpartum women with a positive SARS‐CoV‐2 PCR (with or without mild COVID‐19 signs/symptoms) and a normal electrocardiogram were randomized to receive either HCQ orally (400 mg/day for 3 days and 200 mg/day for 11 days) or placebo. PCR and electrocardiogram were repeated at day 21 after treatment start. Enrollment was stopped before reaching the target sample due to low recruitment rate. Trial registration EudraCT #: 2020‐001587‐29, on April 2, 2020. Clinical trials.gov # NCT04410562, registered on June 1, 2020. Results: A total of 116 women (75 pregnant and 41 post‐partum) were enrolled from May 2020 to June 2021. The proportion of women with a positive SARS‐CoV‐2 PCR at day 21 was lower in the HCQ group (21.8%, 12/55) than in the placebo group (31.6%, 18/57), although the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.499). No differences were observed in COVID‐19 progression, adverse events, median change in QTc, hospital admissions, preeclampsia or poor pregnancy and perinatal outcomes between groups. Conclusions: HCQ was found to be safe in pregnant and postpartum women with asymptomatic or mild SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Although the prevalence of infection was decreased in the HCQ group, the statistical power was insufficient to confirm the potential beneficial effect of HCQ for COVID‐19 treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wound‐QoL assesses the impact of chronic wounds on patients' health‐related quality of life (HRQoL). A 17‐item and a shortened 14‐item version are available. The Wound‐QoL‐17 has been validated for multiple languages. For the Wound‐QoL‐14, psychometric properties beyond internal consistency were lacking. We aimed to validate both Wound‐QoL versions for international samples representing a broad range of European countries, including countries for which validation data had yet been pending. Patients with chronic wounds of any aetiology or location were recruited in Austria, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine. Psychometric properties were determined for both Wound‐QoL versions for the overall sample and, if feasible, country‐wise. We included 305 patients (age 68.5 years; 52.8% males). Internal consistency was high in both Wound‐QoL‐17 (Cronbach's α: 0.820–0.933) and Wound‐QoL‐14 (0.779–0.925). Test–retest reliability was moderate to good (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.618–0.808). For Wound‐QoL‐17 and Wound‐QoL‐14, convergent validity analyses showed highest correlations with global HRQoL rating (r = 0.765; r = 0.751) and DLQI total score (r = 0.684; r = 0.681). Regarding clinical data, correlations were largest with odour (r = −0.371; r = −0.388) and wound size (r = 0.381; r = 0.383). Country‐wise results were similar. Both Wound‐QoL versions are valid to assess HRQoL of patients with chronic wounds. Due to its psychometric properties and brevity, the Wound‐QoL‐14 might be preferrable in clinical practice where time is rare. The availability of various language versions allows for the use of this questionnaire in international studies and in clinical practice when foreign language patients are being treated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing the biogenicity of sedimentary surface textures with unresolved microbial origin is critical to any environmental and geobiological interpretation of clastic settings. Here, some Ediacaran wrinkle structures and associated carbonaceous greywacke samples containing mat fragments rich in 'bacteriomorph acritarchs' are investigated. Their biogenicity was evaluated with transmitted light and scanning electron microscopy, epifluorescence and Raman spectroscopy, and confirmed by the presence of distinct cyanobacterial biomarkers. The comparison of results yielded by these techniques validates the use of Raman spectroscopy on Neoproterozoic kerogen (organic‐walled microfossils and amorphous organic material) under low metamorphic conditions. Raman spectrographs also allowed recognition of associated rare‐earth element‐rich phosphate (monazite) and subsidiary metal sulphide concentrations, and interpreted as a result of biosorption and/or mat trapping under normal oxic conditions. These microbial mat features represent cyanobacterial bloom‐forming Bavlinella acritarchs, which characterise eutrophic episodes in a semi‐enclosed retroarc basin sandwiched between an active Cadomian arc and West Gondwana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prenatal iron supplementation improves children's health and cognitive performance, but few studies explore behavioural development. This study assessed the effects of adjusting prenatal iron supplementation to maternal iron stores during early pregnancy on children's behavioural problems. Randomized controlled trial conducted in Tarragona (Spain) involving 230 nonanaemic pregnant women and their children after a 4‐year follow‐up. Based on haemoglobin (Hb) levels before gestational week (GW) 12, women receive different iron doses: those with Hb = 110–130 g/L were randomized to receive 80 or 40 mg/day and those with Hb > 130 g/L were randomized to receive 20 or 40 mg/day. Maternal iron stores at GW12 were classified using serum ferritin (SF) as low (SF < 15 µg/L), normal (SF = 15–65 µg/L), and normal‐high (SF > 65 µg/L). Children's behaviour was assessed by parents using the Child Behaviour Checklist for ages 1.5–5 years and the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function‐Preschool Version, and by teachers using the Teacher's Report Form for ages 1.5–5 years. Multivariable regression models were performed. Taking 80 mg/day of iron improved child behaviour when women had low iron stores but worsened it when mothers had normal–high iron stores, except for depressive and attention/hyperactivity problems. Taking 20 mg/day of iron improved behaviour only in those children whose mothers had SF > 65 µg/L in early pregnancy. Additionally, executive functioning improved at high doses of prenatal iron when maternal baseline SF < 15 µg/L. Adjusting prenatal iron supplementation to both maternal baseline Hb levels and iron stores reduces behavioural problems in 4‐year‐old children. Key messages: Prenatal iron supplementation succeeds in improving maternal haematological outcomes and cognitive performance of children, but few studies have focused on behavioural development.Prenatal iron supplementation adjusted to maternal iron stores reduces behavioural problems in 4‐year‐old children.Maternal iron stores early in pregnancy should be measured in addition to haemoglobin concentration.These findings contribute greatly to the advancement of public health by giving physicians the tools to prescribe the most appropriate dose of iron supplementation to contribute to better child development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Modelling academic self-concept through second-order factors or bifactor structures is an important issue with substantive and practical implications; besides, the bifactor model has not been analysed with a Chinese sample and cross-cultural studies in the academic self-concept are scarce. Likewise, latent structure validity evidence using network psychometrics has not been carried out., Aims: The aim of this study is twofold: to analyse (1) the internal structure of ASC through the Self-Description Questionnaire II-Short (SDQII-S) in Chinese and Spanish samples using two approaches, structural equation modelling and network psychometrics conducting an exploratory graph analysis; and (2) the measurement invariance of the best model across countries and investigate the cross-cultural differences in ASC., Sample: The sample was composed by 651 adolescents. Seven models of ASC were tested., Results: Results supported the multi-dimensional nature of the data as well as the reliability. The best-fitted model for the two subsamples was the three-factor ESEM model, but only the configural invariance of this model was supported across countries. The graph function shows that the school dimension appears more related to the verbal factor in the Spanish subsample and to the math dimension in the Chinese subsample. Likewise, the relationship between verbal and math factors in Spanish students is non-existent, but this connection is more relevant for Chinese students., Conclusion: These two differences may be behind the difficulty in finding invariance using SEM models. It is a question of the construct's nature, less related to analytical phenomena, and deserves deeper discussion., (© 2023 The Authors. British Journal of Educational Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.)