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Purpose: This research examines policies aimed at reducing the environmental impact of the hotel sector in Catalonia, Spain in 2020 and how they are communicated to stakeholders through corporate websites. It applies academic criteria to identify key aspects that are relevant to tourism. Design/Methodology: This study conducts a descriptive analysis of Catalonia's hotel sector in 2020, utilizing SABI (Iberian Balance Sheet Analysis System) data. It selects the top 48 companies in the hotel sector that are legally required to report their annual accounts in the regular format. The study then systematically evaluates their websites to assess the availability and transparency of information on environmental sustainability. Findings: Sustainable tourism, marked by non-financial indicators such as environmental impact, energy/water usage and waste generation, is a very important issue for stakeholders in the hotel industry, including governments, owners, investors, and customers. The sector's reporting methods are crucial for effectively communicating environmental policies to these parties. While many companies have implemented strategies to assess and reduce their environmental impact, there is still considerable room for improvement, particularly in communicating these efforts to the various stakeholders. Research limitations/implications: This research, while rigorous, has certain limitations that suggest directions for future studies. A primary constraint involves data reported at a group level by hotel companies, which complicates obtaining specific data for the Catalonia region, particularly for hotel groups with an international presence. Another significant limitation is the reliance on indirect data collection, based on the companies' self-reported environmental policies posted on their websites. Practical implications: By identifying and knowing the environmental policies of the hotel industry over the analyzed period, we can help the industry itself to improve the sustainability of its environmental efforts and make it more attractive to all stakeholders. Social implications: The study highlights the importance of environmental policies and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the hotel industry. This industry plays an important role in achieving the UN SDGs, which offer significant benefits for business, such as access to new markets, better risk management and long-term sustainability, as well as social benefits. This is increasingly expected by both consumers and investors. Originality/Value: This study examines the commitment and information transparency of the Costa Brava hotel sector in terms of environmental sustainability, as well as its communication strategies. This is achieved primarily through the analysis of corporate websites, comparing the information and indices to those of other entities in the sector. The relevance and value of this analysis stems from the recognition that, despite the efforts made to improve the sector, further progress needs to be made in order to make it more attractive to stakeholders.

Icy bodies with subsurface oceans are a prime target for astrobiology investigations, with an increasing number of scientists participating in the planning, development, and realization of space missions to these worlds. Within Germany, the Ocean Worlds and Icy Moons working group of the German Astrobiology Society provides an invaluable platform for scientists and engineers from universities and other organizations with a passion for icy ocean worlds to share knowledge and start collaborations. We here present an overview about astrobiology research activities related to icy ocean worlds conducted either in Germany or in strong collaboration with scientists in Germany. With recent developments, Germany offers itself as a partner to contribute to icy ocean world missions.

Abstract In the context of continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs), one strategy to prevent the severe outcomes of COVID-19 is developing safe and effective broad-spectrum vaccines. Here, we present preclinical studies of a RBD vaccine derived from the Gamma SARS-CoV-2 variant adjuvanted with Alum. The Gamma-adapted RBD vaccine is more immunogenic than the Ancestral RBD vaccine in terms of inducing broader neutralizing antibodies. The Gamma RBD presents more immunogenic B-cell restricted epitopes and induces a higher proportion of specific-B cells and plasmablasts than the Ancestral RBD version. The Gamma-adapted vaccine induces antigen specific T cell immune responses and confers protection against Ancestral and Omicron BA.5 SARS-CoV-2 challenge in mice. Moreover, the Gamma RBD vaccine induces higher and broader neutralizing antibody activity than homologous booster vaccination in mice previously primed with different SARS-CoV-2 vaccine platforms. Our study indicates that the adjuvanted Gamma RBD vaccine is highly immunogenic and a broad-spectrum vaccine candidate.

The aim of this research is to propose a more sustainable swimming pool, in terms of water and energy, in the Costa Brava area. The methodology is focused on the creation of a descriptive water and energy model for swimming pools and their monitoring, to propose the transition to a more sustainable swimming pool, in the context of climate change. The research is characterized by an exploratory, descriptive, and simulation approach to adapt swimming pools to the new requirements. Two significant impacts are highlighted from the perspective of water and energy stress—the carbon footprint, related to environmental impact and climate change, and the new business models of the sector, for a more sustainable tourism, with more sustainable pools. In terms of water balance, evaporation is an important variable and there are technical solutions on the market to control it, such as the use of covers. Furthermore, the modeling and simulation carried out helps to calculate the variable as a tool for improvement. For energy balance, in outdoor pools, pumping is an important variable and there are technologies, such as speed variation, that make it possible to reduce this. Furthermore, it should be noted that this research represents an important tool for the improvement of sustainability and operability for the various stakeholders, especially owners and governments, to face climate change, which is becoming increasingly critical for many regions.

Purpose: To explore the future of former anatomy tutors, their perception of the impact that the anatomy near-peer teaching (NPT) program have had on them, in terms of academic performance, professional development, personal growth, long-term anatomical knowledge, and views on body donor ethics. Additionally, we compared their academic performance with non-tutor peers in terms of ranking at the National Qualifying Examination (NQE)., Methods: A voluntary survey was emailed to all anatomy tutors from 2005 to 2024, using an online Google Forms questionnaire including closed and open-ended questions across four themes. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while qualitative responses underwent thematic analysis. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed to compare former tutors' NQE rankings to their peers., Results: Forty-seven out of 48 tutors responded. Tutors reported a positive program impact, including improvements in technical skills (100%), teamwork (97.9%), communication (89.4%), and organizational skills (76.6%), and good long-term anatomical knowledge retention (85.7%). Dissection on body donors was deemed essential for anatomy learning while shaping professional and ethical values. Of the 36 residents/specialists, 38.9% ranked in the top 10% at the NQE, with a statistically significant higher rank than their peers (p = 0.0011), and 100% obtained their desired specialty., Conclusion: This results suggest that the anatomy NPT program significantly enhanced tutors' academic performance, technical skills, personal and professional development, and was useful to foster a positive perception of dissection on body donors and reinforced the importance of anatomical knowledge in clinical practice., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature.)