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In Spain, wind energy development has followed a centralized, extractivist model, with wind farms concentrated in peripheralized and impoverished rural territories. Wind developers benefit from these regions' low land value and lack of political power, thus reproducing patterns of geographical hierarchy and strengthening processes of uneven development. This paper examines these dynamics as they have unfolded in Southern Catalonia, a poor, rural area that concentrates a vast array of energy infrastructure. My ethnographic description focuses on what I call practices of devaluation: the variety of mechanisms through which wind energy companies erode both the economic value and the cultural worth of these regions, especially the land and the livelihoods it supports. Resistance to wind energy development in Southern Catalonia thus emerges as a reaction against these practices of devaluation, that is to say, as struggles to assert worth and preserve value. Overall, I argue that local experiences and cultural frameworks surrounding energy infrastructure reveal the inequities of existing processes of energy transition while foregrounding alternative logics to the dominant extractivist model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Advocatus is the property of Universidad Libre Seccional Barranquilla and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista d'Estudis Autonòmics i Federals is the property of Revista d'Estudis Autonomics i Federals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista d'Estudis Autonòmics i Federals is the property of Revista d'Estudis Autonomics i Federals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Mediterranean ecosystem exhibits a particular geology and climate, which is characterized by mild, rainy winters and long, very hot summers with low precipitation; it has led to the emergence of resilient plant species. Such habitats contain a preponderance of shrubs, and collectively harbor 10% of the Earth's species, thus containing some of the most unique shrubby formations protecting against environmental natural degradation. Due to shrub species diversity, initial phases of forestland, heterogenous grasses, bare ground and stones, the monitoring of such areas is difficult. For this reason, the aim of this paper is to assess semi-automatic classifications of the shrubby formations based on multispectral Sentinel-2 and visible and near infrared (VINR) AISA-EAGLE II hyperspectral airborne images with a support of Canopy High Model (CHM) as a three-dimensional information and field-verified patterns, based on Match-T/DSM and aerial photos. Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF) classifiers have been tested on a few scenarios featuring different combinations of spectral and Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) transformed bands and vegetation indices. Referring to the results, the average overall accuracy for the SVM and AISA images (all tested data sets) was 78.23%, and for the RF: 79.85%. In the case of Sentinel-2, the SVM classifier obtained an average value of 83.63%, while RF: 85.32%; however, in the case of the shrubland, we would like to recommend the RF classifier, because the highest mean value of F1-score achieved was 91.86% (SVM offered few-percent-point worse results), and the required training time was quicker than SVM. Commonly available Sentinel-2 data offered higher accuracies for shrubland monitoring than did the airborne VNIR data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Having an increasing number of patients in the emergency department constitutes an obstacle to the admissions process and hinders the emergency department (ED)'s ability to deal with the continuously arriving demand for new admissions. In addition, forecasting is an important aid in many areas of hospital management, including elective surgery scheduling, bed management, and staff resourcing. Therefore, this paper aims to develop a precise prediction model for admissions in the Integral Healthcare System for Public Use in Catalonia. These models assist in reducing overcrowding in emergency rooms and improve the quality of care offered to patients. Data from 60 EDs were analyzed to determine the likelihood of hospital admission based on information readily available at the time of arrival in the ED. The first part of the study targeted the obtention of models with high accuracy and area under the curve (AUC), while the second part targeted the obtention of models with a sensitivity higher than 0.975 and analyzed the possible benefits that could come from the application of such models. From the 3,189,204 ED visits included in the study, 11.02% ended in admission to the hospital. The gradient boosting machine method was used to predict a binary outcome of either admission or discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the COVID-19 on tourist satisfaction is a particular relevant issue, due to the role that elements such as the prevention measures implemented at the destination might play. For this reason, this article examines tourist satisfaction during the peak tourist season of 2020 in a mature coastal destination in Catalonia in relation to safety and prevention measures imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We use explanatory factor analysis and partial least squares path modelling for comparing the determinants of tourist satisfaction prior and during the pandemic based on surveys conducted in 2019 (N = 1556) and 2020 (N = 2220). The results suggest that the determinants of overall tourist satisfaction in 2019 remained significant in 2020. Moreover, although tourists especially appreciated feeling safe in 2020, our results suggest that such a perception was unrelated to measures to prevent COVID-19. The paper raises concerns towards the management of situations such as the pandemic in tourist destinations, as a proper balance must be found between the need of making visitors feel safe, and avoiding measures that can be felt as invasive or annoying, hampering the tourist experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Producers of PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) wines must submit to the EU authorities' technical specifications that include the specific sensory description of each product typology, to be subsequently checked by the competent authority in each country. Unfortunately, there is no consensual and standardized approach for the development of sensory control methods for PDO wines. The aim of this work was to develop a sensory profile for the taste and mouthfeel descriptors that allows the characterization of wines from 11 existing PDOs in Catalonia (Spain), and with the purpose of advancing the process of harmonization of the official sensory analysis of wines. This paper includes the selection process of tasters, the procedure used for the definition and grouping of descriptors, and the development of references for the selected attributes. The use of this analytical tool should allow PDO/PGI product certification and control authorities to verify compliance with their specifications (descriptive and quantitative) based on objectively evaluated results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Estudios de la Administración Local y Autonómica is the property of Instituto Nacional de Administracion Publica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Estudios Sobre Educacion is the property of Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Navarra, S.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Fronteira: Revista de Iniciacao Cientifica em Relacoes Internacionais is the property of Instituto de Ciencias Sociais, Departmento de Relacoes Internacionais, PUC Minas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper analyses knowledge transfers between Catalonia and Romania in the interwar period, in order to cast new light on the nature of national history writing in early‐twentieth‐century Europe. To do so, it discusses the historiographical works of the Catalans Josep Puig i Cadafalch (1867–1956) and, to a lesser extent, Antoni Rubió i Lluch (1856–1937) and of the Romanians Nicolae Iorga (1871–1940) and Constantin Marinescu (1891–1970). It pays particular attention to Iorga's and Marinescu's contributions on the history of medieval Catalonia in the Eastern Mediterranean and to Puig's studies on Moldavian painted churches. In doing so, the paper challenges the view that the historiography of foreign scholars regarding one's own national history was often disregarded as incompetent. At the same time, the paper also responds to the debate on the creation and validation of cultural knowledge across borderlands, outside of cultural cores. It builds on recent work on the creativity of cultural peripheries and argues that, while France continued to operate as a reference in the exchanges between Catalans and Romanians, their historiographical exchanges responded to local research and political agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Language & Law / Revista de Llengua i Dret is the property of Revista de Llengua i Dret and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Iberian ibex is one of the most singular species of the Iberian Peninsula. Throughout the years, this species suffered several threats which led the population to its decline. Many reintroductions and translocations were made, however, none of those actions took into account the genetic patterns of both reintroduced individuals and the target populations. In this paper, we explored the genetic traits of three populations of Iberian ibex in Catalonia, which experienced blind reintroductions in past years: The populations of Iberian ibex from Els Ports de Tortosa i Beseit National Game Reserve (TBNGR), Montserrat Natural Park (Monserrat) and Montgrí, les Illes Medes i el Baix Ter Natural Park (Montgrí) Based on the genetic patterns of the three populations coupled with the absence of genetic introgression with domestic goats–inferred using mitochondrial and nuclear markers–we propose that these should be regarded as two different management units: TBNGR coupled with Montserrat, and Montgrí. Montserrat population should be targeted as a population model for ecology and evolution studies. Although we did not detect evidences of recent bottleneck events, this population seems to be monomorphic for the mtDNA haplotype. Our results suggest that the blind reintroductions from TBNGR to Montserrat failed on maximizing the genetic diversity of the latter. We enhance the importance of genetic monitoring of both the source population and the selected individuals to be re-introduced. We conclude that the three studied population of Iberian ibex must be monitored to explore which strategy would be advantageous for maintaining the genetic diversity. On the other hand, TBNGR should be monitored to assess the existence of its singular genetic variation, where stochastic events could preserve this lost genetic variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sanctuaries are common spaces of interaction between humankind and the gods. In many religious systems, mountains and other elevated topographical features are known to have formed part of these privileged spaces of communication. It is not surprising that open-air and, in many cases, rock sanctuaries are the cultic spaces par excellence among the pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula. In this article, we offer a more nuanced picture of these architectonically humble but culturally rich sacred spaces by studying the Palaeohispanic inscriptions recorded in rock sanctuaries located in the territories of the Iberian peoples (fourth–first centuries BCE). Special attention will be paid to the corpus of inscriptions in Cerdanya (Pyrénées-Orientales and Catalonia), where more than 150 texts have so far been identified. After a brief introduction contextualizing the Rock Sanctuaries, the Iberian language, and the epigraphic habit of its speakers, the first section of our article analyses the characteristics that enable us to interpret most of these inscriptions as religious and votive formulations. The second half of the paper discusses what these inscriptions can reveal about the Iberian pantheon and how these rock sanctuaries formed a consolidated religious landscape that was to survive the Roman conquest. The reinterpretation of the Celtiberian sanctuary of Peñalba de Villastar will be fundamental to put forward the hypothesis that, while Iberian and Celtiberian places of worship and pantheons had points of contact, they were mostly dissociated from each other prior to the Roman arrival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of misinformation and digital propaganda has added to the invasion of fake news, and the prominence of audiences on social networks becomes a hallmark of the political and media agenda. The publication of the sentence of the Supreme Court that sanctioned the rebellion of independent politicians during the Procés of Catalonia in 2019 provoked citizen mobilizations that occupied the front pages of the media. The general objective of this paper is to determine the number and theme of hoaxes spread about the riots on different digital platforms. We apply a content analysis methodology to a general sample (n1 = 4,500) of hoaxes reported by fact-checking agencies (Maldito Bulo, Newtral, Verificat) and news items (n2 = 190) published in the national and international press (El País/El Mundo, El Periódico/Ara, The Guardian/Le Monde). The results confirm that private users are the main authors of fake news and that journalists use verification codes to combat misinformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mapping the subsurface temperatures can efficiently lead to identifying the geothermal distribution heat flow and potential hot spots at different depths. In this paper, an advanced adaptive multitask deep learning procedure for 3D spatial mapping of the subsurface temperature was proposed. As a result, predictive 3D spatial subsurface temperatures at different depths were successfully generated using geolocation of 494 exploratory boreholes data in Catalonia (Spain). To increase the accuracy of the achieved results, hybridization with a new modified firefly algorithm was carried out. Subsequently, uncertainty analysis using a novel automated ensemble deep learning approach for the predicted temperatures and generated spatial 3D maps were executed. Comparing the accuracy performances in terms of correct classification rate (CCR) and the area under the precision–recall curves for validation and whole datasets with at least 4.93% and 2.76% improvement indicated for superiority of the hybridized model. According to the results, the efficiency of the proposed hybrid multitask deep learning in 3D geothermal characterization to enhance the understanding and predictability of subsurface spatial distribution of temperatures is inferred. This implies that the applicability and cost effectiveness of the adaptive procedure in producing 3D high resolution depth dependent temperatures can lead to locate prospective geothermally hotspot active regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the 1st October 2017 an independence referendum was organised in Catalonia. The aim of this paper is to analyse the nature of the political debate going on in the Catalan Parliament during the whole process by focusing on the kind of argumentation strategies that were used by each of the leanings to legitimise their political decisions. We do that relying on a methodological distinction that differentiates between sound argumentation and fallacious argumentation. By using a Critical Discourse Analysis approach, this study offers a wide picture of the kind of argumentation used by the main political actors involved in the process of decision making in Catalonia. The results show that there is more emphasis in antagonising with the others, than engaging in sound argument exchange that could facilitate minimal points of consensus. Such results may help explain why the Catalan conflict is still unsolved at the political level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gloria storm rainfalls affected Catalonia from 20 to 23 January 2020 and triggered multiple landslides, some of which affected buildings and infrastructures (such as roads and railways). This paper presents the rainfall and landslide datasets collected during the event, and evaluates the performance of a regional landslide early warning system (LEWS) during the Gloria storm applying a fuzzy verification method. The majority of the inventoried landslides can be classified as slides, involving a limited volume of sediment (up to 10 m3), and were triggered in cut slopes along linear infrastructures. Rainfall accumulations were significant in the whole region, especially in the Montseny area, where over 450 mm were registered in 96 h. Generally, the LEWS computed moderate and high warnings in the areas where large rainfall amounts were recorded, and showed good correspondence with the locations where landslides were reported. The fuzzy verification method has been applied using neighbouring windows of different sizes to obtain scale-dependant information on the LEWS performance. The skill of the LEWS considerably improves when enlarging the neighbouring window size from 500 m to 1 km. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on manuscripts from early medieval Septimania and Catalonia has become quite sophisticated, but significant and detailed work remains to be done. The ongoing digitization of thousands of manuscript fragments, preserved especially in public, ecclesiastical, and private archives and libraries in Catalonia, will furnish a rich collection of unknown items that will allow for the reconstruction of lost testimonies of the region's religious culture from the ninth century onwards. This paper shows how modern fragmentology, based on systematic digitization and comparison of scattered pieces, enables us to rediscover and write the history of the Carolingian homiletic collections in the south-western periphery of the Carolingian empire formed by Septimania and Catalonia—both in general and in the specific case of the autochthonous Homiliary of Luculentius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Española de Derecho Constitucional is the property of Centro de Estudios Politicos y Constitucionales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper asks how we can explain the remarkable punitive turn against the political opponents of a liberal democratic state in twenty-first-century Europe. It uses Michel Foucault's analysis as a point of departure for understanding how the form of state power witnessed in Catalonia is entirely consistent with a Westphalian fixation with the indissoluble unity of statehood. Moreover, we identify a classic dual strategy of criminalization and depoliticization that will be familiar to critical students of the criminal justice system. The form of justice resorted to by the postfascist Spanish state is one that seeks to replace politics with law; to impose a kind of legalized violence that is at the same time a proxy for war and a proxy for politics. yet, in the process of presenting state repression as having only legal – rather than social or political content – all the Spanish state can do is repack age this political struggle in a form that reflects the war-making origins of the state. We argue, therefore, that in the Catalan case, as in countless other political conflicts, the autonomy of the political realm is a fallacy: the political realm cannot hide its violent origins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a historical institutionalist framework emphasizing the importance of transformative events, this paper seeks to explain the sudden emergence of self-determination claims in Hong Kong and their transformation into separatist ones in Catalonia. The paper argues that the inflexibility of the state in addressing moderate demands for regional autonomy has played a major role in the emergence and radicalization of these demands. In Hong Kong, the 1997 Handover from British to Chinese sovereignty was originally presented as an opportunity for self-governance under the principle of "Hong Kong People ruling Hong Kong" and the "One Country, Two Systems" formula. If Hong Kong nationalism was practically unheard of in the early years of the Handover, the unconciliatory attitude of the central government towards moderate demands for the actualization of the autonomy and democratization frameworks vested in Hong Kong's Basic Law has directly contributed to the formation of today's emerging self-determination movement. In Catalonia, the 2010 decision of the Spanish Constitutional Court to annul some articles of the reform to the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia and to interpret others narrowly represented a transformative event that took Catalonia onto the pathway of secessionist politics. The secessionist turn was then further fed by the on-going refusal of the central government to negotiate with the Catalan government, notably on the notion of a popular consultation on the political future of the Autonomous Community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship between the economic turmoil generated by the Great Recession and the increase of secessionism. Some authors have stressed that the Great Recession triggered changes in territorial preferences and, in the context of a conflict between the centre and the periphery, fuelled secessionism as a radical shift of the institutional setup. Nevertheless, other researchers have remarked that a recession may enhance the status quo bias and decrease the likelihood of changes. Our paper aims at contributing to this debate by analysing the case of Catalonia. We use an aggregate and an individual-level empirical design to explore the relationship between the deterioration of the economic situation and the increase of preferences for secession among the Catalan population. The findings from the analysis of our empirical models do not support the hypothesis that the effects of the Great Recession had any significant impact on political preferences in Catalonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies, from the point of view of local politicians, the governance of social services in different municipalities and County Councils in Catalonia. The political dimension of local social services has rarely been studied and this article contributes to the understanding of which actors and what kind of relations are developed during the policy process. From a qualitative approach, the study is based on 17 in-depth interviews with local politicians, as well as two focus groups with managers and front-line social workers. The results reveal that local politicians do not have a long-term and strategic perspective, and that they feel more comfortable dealing with management rather than politics. At the local level, social services tend to be a depoliticized issue. Although local politicians have a positive attitude towards dialogue and working together with all actors, they lack regular coordination and strong commitment to facilitate a comprehensive approach to the challenges they face. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intermediate living arrangements, like shared flats, collective accommodation or double residence, have become increasingly common due to the individualization of life scripts, and because of economic and cultural shifts in western societies. However, they have been assumed to be negligible in Mediterranean Europe, where housing transitions are 'late but simple'. This paper challenges this assumption, using Catalonia (Spain) as a case study. Data coming from the 2017 Catalan Youth Survey offer some clear-cut results. First, shared flats and double residence are not uncommon among Catalans: respectively 15.7% and 8.1% of youngsters experience them sometime during their twenties. Second, multinomial regression models show that double residence implies economic reliance on parents, it is most common among university students, especially those with well-off parents, and among young people coming from rural areas. Conversely, shared flats appear to be linked to precarious economic situations, and they are common among young immigrants, and those living in the city of Barcelona. Both arrangements are transitory, being less frequent among older people. Some expected predictors of intermediate living turned out to predict double residence instead, so this semi-dependent practice could be the equivalent of 'living away from home' for youngsters in 'familistic' territories as Catalonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a Python application for visualizing the 3D stratigraphic architecture of porous sedimentary media. The application uses the parameter granulometry deduced from borehole lithological records to create interactive 3D HTML models of essential stratigraphic elements. On the basis of the high density of boreholes and the subsequent geological knowledge gained during the last six decades, the Quaternary onshore Llobregat River Delta (LRD) in northeastern Spain was selected to show the application. The public granulometry dataset produced by the Water Authority of Catalonia from 433 boreholes in this strategic coastal groundwater body was clustered into the clay–silt, coarse sand, and gravel classes. Three interactive 3D HTML models were created. The first shows the location of the boreholes granulometry. The second includes the main gravel and coarse sand sedimentary bodies (lithosomes) associated with the identified three stratigraphic intervals, called lower (>50 m b.s.l.) in the distal LRD sector, middle (20–50 m b.s.l.) in the central LRD, and upper (<20 m b.s.l.) spread over the entire LRD. The third deals with the basement (Pliocene and older rocks) top surface, which shows an overall steeped shape deepening toward the marine platform and local horsts, probably due to faulting. The modeled stratigraphic elements match well with the sedimentary structures reported in recent scientific publications. This proves the good performance of this incipient Python application for visualizing the 3D stratigraphic architecture, which is a crucial stage for groundwater management and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Christian Pentecostalism has been one of the most successful religious movements in the province of Barcelona, while the high level of immigration from Latin America has clearly been an influential factor in its development. Yet, despite the fact that Pentecostalism has played a prominent role in religious diversification in Catalonia, it has been the subject of very few studies. This paper seeks to address this gap in research and shed light on an area of fundamental importance to the movement: its ritual dimension. Drawing on ethnographic information from the Iglesia Evangélica el Vallès (Canovelles), we describe and analyze the principal channels of communication with the sacred established by the Latin American Pentecostals. In our conclusions, we show that the communicative practices developed during worship are oriented toward manifesting the presence of the Holy Spirit, leading to the emergence of ritual condensation around this symbolic force. For this purpose, practices such as "praise", the "laying on of hands" and "speaking in tongues" establish sequential and progressive communication with the Holy Spirit throughout the process of worship, culminating in mimetic communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the use of technology to improve democracy, comparing the cases of Estonia and Catalonia. Both examples are closely related in their use of technology to further democratize the decision-making processes, but have opposite starting points. Estonia's internet voting system is an offshoot of the comprehensive e-governance system developed by the Estonian government. It is meant to make it more convenient for people to vote and, thus, easier for them to take part in elections. In Catalonia, the online participation system Decidim, initially set up in the city of Barcelona, represents a bottom-up project that emerged from the 15 May protests and aims to make the representative democratic system more direct and participatory. In our comparison we approach both paradigmatic cases from a theoretical reflection on the ideal types of democracy in relation to how decisions are made and by whom. Both projects have evolved and integrated new features that draw them together. First, internet voting is able to reach wider portions of society and digitally transform the Public Administration. Second, online participation platforms increase the potential for collecting citizens' proposals and enriching discussions. These features make them more like a mixed model which, in the current model of representative democracy, creates spaces for a more direct and deliberative democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to reach a conclusion about the aspects that enable graduates to achieve success in the labour market. The analysis focuses on the factors that accelerate graduates' entry into the labour market as well as those that foster their success 2 years after graduation, when it is considered that their career is in the first phase of consolidation. Design/methodology: Our analysis was conducted among graduates in Economics and Business in Catalonia. The data were collected from the Agència Catalana per a la Qualitat Universitària (AQU) survey that was carried out in 2014; the results were published in 2017. ANOVA analysis was performed. Findings: Our results show that university grades and the influence that studying in a specific university are not important in relation to the length of time needed to enter the labour market. Nevertheless, socio-economic variables and previous experience in the labour market play important roles. Our analysis focuses on professional success 2 years after graduation, concluding that the factors related graduates academic (university grades and type of university) and socio-economic backgrounds play a decisive role. The academic background and the labour situation are very important to guarantee professional success. Precarious job conditions pose an obstacle to professional advancement. The relationship with work experience during the undergraduate period is not clear. Originality/value: The study sheds some light on the variables affecting the success of professional life both when graduates access the labour market and 2 years later. Until now, the studies analysing the Spanish situation have focused on isolated factors, but no studies have analysed employability and professional success as a whole. We obtain a complete picture of the variables that increase employability, providing a reference for universities and politicians when defining their strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much has been debated regarding the environmental and economic aspects that conform the pillars of sustainability in nature-based solutions (NbSs). However, the social implications are lagging behind in both theory and practice. NbSs are not inherently socially and environmentally just and they might not work for or benefit everyone. On the contrary, they may lead to unequal environmental tradeoffs influencing therefore community acceptance. This research explored the different levels of community acceptance of NbSs in the Tordera delta (Catalonia) through structured interviews and Q-methodology with representative stakeholders. It pretended to contribute to more just NbS discussions by identifying variables of community acceptance through a socio-environmental perspective. The results exposed existing socio-economic and socio-spatial differences that cause unequal co-benefits and tradeoffs among stakeholders of the area. Three distinctive discourses were identified: (1) NbSs as an opportunity to re-naturalize the river; (2) the possibility of NbS implementation if aligned with the current socio-economic structure of the delta; and (3) the belief in a hybrid NbS future, combining grey infrastructure and NbSs. Building on those results and discussions, the paper reflected on a restructuration of the delta's governance through further collaborative processes to seek a more socio-environmentally just and inclusive NbSs in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moving towards Smart Learning Spaces (SLS) requires reconsideration of the school environment using a multi-dimensional approach that considers pedagogical, environmental and technological aspects. However, learning spaces have not changed that much. New designs and remodelling of educational contexts rarely are evidence-based and rarely incorporate teachers' insights, knowledge and perceptions of environments in which learning occurs. This paper explores the perceptions of and attitudes towards change of teachers working in preschool, primary and compulsory secondary education in Catalonia regarding SLS. To achieve this, a survey was carried out with 847 students. After checking the instrument's validity and reliability, univariate and bivariate analysis were followed by two-step cluster analysis. Teachers had a limited perception of their classrooms' actual suitability as SLS, which impedes further pedagogical reflection about change. Irrespective of actual classrooms conditions, three groups of teachers with different degrees of favourableness towards SLS were identified. These profiles bring to light contradictory perceptions regarding both constructivist, student-centred pedagogical assemblages involving environmental changes and certain conceptions and control practices that are more typical of traditional teaching styles. Recommendations can inform the decision-making of management teams and teachers about re-conceptualizing the learning space and their interventions in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To what extent nationalist sentiments affect economic behavior is still an open question. In this paper a study of emerging and competing lottery markets in the same jurisdiction (Catalonia, a Spanish region) is conducted to explore the impact of such nationalistic feelings in the demand for gambling. The use of panel data allows controlling for changing economic and demographic conditions at the province level and their potential effect on the analyzed lottery markets. The results from a difference-in-difference regression analysis indicate that a statistically significant but limited impact of the introduction of the new lottery exists, suggesting that the observed shift in the existing market demand may respond, beyond mere economic determinants, to behavioral biases (e.g. identification feeling with the new lottery). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short extreme events have significant impact on landscape and ecosystems in low-lying and exposed areas such as deltaic systems. In this context, this paper proposes a combined methodology for the mapping and monitoring of the flooding and water quality dynamics of coastal areas under extreme storms from Sentinel 2 imagery. The proposed methodology has been applied in a coastal bay of the Ebro Delta (Catalonia, NE Spain) to evaluate jointly the impact of Gloria storm (January 2020) in land-flooding and water quality. The experimental results show that the Gloria storm had a strong morphological impact and altered the water quality (chl-a) dynamics. The results show a recovery in terms of water quality after some weeks but in contrast the coastal morphology did not show the same degree of resilience. This paper is the first step of an overall goal that is to set the bases in a long term, for a workflow for rapid response and continuous monitoring of storm effects in coastal areas and/or highly valuable ecosystems such as the Ebro Delta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the question of how place, time, ritual, and liturgy were interconnected before, during, and after trials in the tenth and eleventh centuries in what is today Catalonia. It does so by highlighting cases that show that Visigothic law heavily affected the way in which trials were organized, while simultaneously leaving enough space for the liturgy and the divine to impact legal customs. This article aims to showcase these dynamics, which combine space and time with liturgy in a well-articulated framework of legal procedure that formed part of how people experienced the law and its application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will evaluate the political stance of sport analysing the case of FC Barcelona (Barça) during the sovereignty process of Catalonia. The main objective is to clarify Barça's commitment with the sporting values between the 2012 Diada and the unilateral declaration of independence of October 2017, and to do that, we perform a critical discourse analysis through the methodological triangulation. We analyse the official statements, public declarations and interviews of the club members to comprehend the involvement of Barça in the political events that occurred in Catalonia. The theoretical framework rejects the use of politicization as a valid concept to understand the political implications of sports institutions, since it is an oversimplification of the complex relationship between sport and politics. The conclusion is that Barça has defended the political values of sport – dialogue, mutual respect and democracy – looking for a peaceful solution to the political conflict in Catalonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studies in Oral Folk Literature / Estudis de Literatura Oral Popular is the property of Universitat Rovira I Virgili and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Izquierdas is the property of Izquierdas, Universidad de Santiago de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of A&C - Administrative & Constitutional Law Review - Revista de Direito Administrativo e Constitucional is the property of A&C - Revista de Direito Administrativo & Constitucional (Instituto Bacellar) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Crónica Tributaria is the property of Instituto de Estudios Fiscales, Ministerio de Hacienda y Funcion Publica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Adicciones is the property of Sociedad Cientifica Espanola de Estudios sobre el Alcohol and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article presents notes on the 13th Conference of the Sociology of Religion at lloret-de-Mar, Costa-Brava, Catalonia, Spain, in 1975. The conference was held at a popular tourist resort. The place was crowded with bars, souvenirs and tourists mainly coming from Great Britain and West Germany. The theme of the conference was Religion and Social Change. The principal papers were not read at the conference but appeared in advance in the acts either in extenso or as resumés. The papers were discussed at the conference in five different kinds of sessions. It is quite possible to unite the many different papers and discussions in one single view or even in a short article. Thirty papers were printed in the acts, and half of them in extenso. The subject areas also varied widely: From African to Irish religion and from Polish to Japanese popular beliefs. The theoretical discussions also covered the wide range from traditional positivism and functionalism to some tender outbreaks of critical theory, This confrontation which is very usual among secular sociologists still possesses the charm of novelty among sociologists of religion, but nevertheless it made discussions difficult at the conference.

Copyright of Boletín de la Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles is the property of Asociacion de Geografos Espanoles and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Electrónica de Estudios Penales y de la Seguridad is the property of Revista Electronica de Estudios Penales y de la Seguridad and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The main hypothesis of this paper states that the frontier does not constitute a structural feature of the Iberian societies in the twelfth century. Conversely, it results from a time-limited process, and thereby traditional ideas according to which the frontier was a physical and social space where a particular society was created and long-term cultural exchanges took place are wrong and based on a historiographical assumption rather than verified evidence. This work develops the argument that growing feudal states could not tolerate fluid and extended borders in social and temporal terms. This was the case in the Ebro Valley and its Iberian edges. Between 1080 and 1130, the conquest destroys the foundations of the taifa sultanates, and disrupts the Andalusian society. Thereupon, between 1150 and 1190, the Catalan-aragonese sovereigns impose in border territories, and their aristocratic competitors miss the opportunity to begin the thirteenth century consolidating big autonomous or semi-autonomous domains, with the relative exception of Albarracin. This paper studies the way in which this entrenchment of the Catalan-aragonese state took place and impeded the consolidation of a "border society". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the mechanisms involved in the dispersion, structure, and mixing in the vertical column of atmospheric pollen. The methodology used employs observations of pollen concentration obtained from Hirst samplers (we will refer to this as surface pollen) and vertical distribution (polarization-sensitive lidar), as well as nested numerical simulations with an atmospheric transport model and a simplified pollen module developed especially for this study. The study focuses on the predominant pollen type, Pinus , of the intense pollination event which occurred in the region of Barcelona, Catalonia, NE Spain, during 27–31 March 2015. First, conversion formulas are expressed to convert lidar-derived total backscatter coefficient and model-derived mass concentration into pollen grains concentration, the magnitude measured at the surface by means of aerobiological methods, and, for the first time ever, a relationship between optical and mass properties of atmospheric pollen through the estimation of the so-called specific extinction cross section is quantified in ambient conditions. Second, the model horizontal representativeness is assessed through a comparison between nested pollen simulations at 9, 3, and 1 km horizontal resolution and observed meteorological and aerobiological variables at seven sites around Catalonia. Finally, hourly observations of surface and column concentration in Barcelona are analyzed with the different numerical simulations at increasing horizontal resolution and varying sedimentation/deposition parameters. We find that the 9 or 3 km simulations are less sensitive to the meteorology errors; hence, they should be preferred for specific forecasting applications. The largest discrepancies between measured surface (Hirst) and column (lidar) concentrations occur during nighttime, where only residual pollen is detected in the column, whereas it is also present at the surface. The main reason is related to the lidar characteristics which have the lowest useful range bin at ∼ 225 m, above the usually very thin nocturnal stable boundary layer. At the hour of the day of maximum insolation, the pollen layer does not extend up to the top of the planetary boundary layer, according to the observations (lidar), probably because of gravity effects; however, the model simulates the pollen plume up to the top of the planetary boundary layer, resulting in an overestimation of the pollen load. Besides the large size and weight of Pinus grains, sedimentation/deposition processes have only a limited impact on the model vertical concentration in contrast to the emission processes. For further modeling research, emphasis is put on the accurate knowledge of plant/tree spatial distribution, density, and type, as well as on the establishment of reliable phenology functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the presence of microplastics in drinking water is of concern worldwide due to potential impacts on human health. This paper has examined the presence of microplastics along the Llobregat river basin (Catalonia, Spain) and studied their behaviour and elimination along the drinking water treatment plant (DWTP). Due to different water composition, different sampling and sample preparation protocols were used to determine microplastics from river water and in the DWTP. Identification of microplastics of size range from 20 μm to 5 mm was performed by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Microplastics were detected in 5 out of 7 points along the Llobregat basin, with concentrations ranging between non-detected and 3.60 microplastics/L. In the intake of the DWTP, the mean concentration was 0.96 ± 0.46 microplastics/L (n=5), with a predominance of polyester (PES) and polypropylene (PP) and at the outlet the mean concentration was of 0.06 ± 0.04 microplastics/L with an overall removal efficiency of 93 ± 5%. Sand filtration was identified as the key stage in microplastic removal (78 ± 9%). Furthermore, the results showed that ultrafiltration/reverse osmosis (advanced treatment) is more effective for microplastic removal than ozonation/carbon filtration stage (upgraded conventional treatment). In addition, a preliminary migration test of the different materials used in the DWTP has been performed to identify potential sources of microplastics in each treatment step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Monografies de la Societat ďHistòria Natural de les Balears is the property of Societat d'Historia Natural de les Balears and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The potash mines located in the central region of Catalonia generate waste brines that are transported and discharged beneath the sea on the Catalan central coast through a pipeline facility more than 100 km long. The pipeline has variable diameters; a major part has an internal diameter of 334 mm and is mainly made up of fiberglass-reinforced polyester (GRP). A 4-km-long section was monitored for 3 months. The wastewater level in the head tank, temperature, pressure evolution, and flow rate were recorded during this period. This information enabled the achievement of the major aim of this paper, that is, the discussion of the evolution of the roughness of the pipeline and the prediction of the limit deposition velocity of the suspended solid particles transported by the flow. The values obtained for absolute roughness showed wide variability in the varied between 0.57 and 16.7 mm. The values obtained for the limit deposition velocity indicated that particles of a size greater than 150 μm would settle down inside the pipe. In addition, the effect of the removal of a waste salt stockpile hill located in the vicinity of the monitored pipeline stretch was analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades, Europe has witnessed the rise of secessionist movements driven by national minorities and other separatist groups. This phenomenon is currently capturing the world's attention and is perceived as a significant challenge to states, governments, and global politics. In the context of liberal political theory, none of the theories of secession has appeared to find a healthy balance of considerations between the anti-secessionists and the pro-secessionists, and the less permissive view and the more permissive view. They are also incompetent to formulate the specific conditions under which secession might be justified or legitimate practically. Moreover, as demonstrated in the cases of Catalonia and Scotland, all of the theories neglect the economic implications of secession, which have crucially fueled and driven contemporary secessionist movements. This paper seeks to develop a conceptual framework for secession as reflected by the cases of secessionist movements in Catalonia and Scotland. It proposes that Plebiscitary approaches require modification to safeguard a flawless state and suggests reconsidering the electoral procedure. The first-tier referendum is to be conducted within seceding territories and then the second-tier referendum is to be held statewide. Consequently, after a negotiation process over economic and other important concerns between the seceding groups and the national government has been concluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]