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Various studies have demonstrated how the discrimination and violence experienced by LGBT+ children and young people affect their mental health and quality of life. Training for professionals working with children and young people is a key means of helping them provide the necessary support to LGBT+ children and youth people, for handling any violence that may occur in their immediate environment, as well as for empowering them. This article discusses changes in the attitudes, beliefs and practices of professionals working with children and young people following their participation in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) delivered through the online platform of the University of Girona. Two surveys were carried out with the participants -- the first at the beginning of the course, and the second at the end -- in order to evaluate possible changes. Participants' attitudes, beliefs and practices regarding sexuality and gender diversity in childhood improved, even when taking into account the fact that many began from an initial position of support. The use of MOOC training has value, given the need to engage with sexuality and gender diversity as part of formal training for a variety of professionals working with children and young people.

Higher Education institutions strive to continuously improve to meet students' expectations. Thus, it is vital to understand the factors involved in students' perceptions on their degree and on the quality of the teaching received. Engineering degrees require specific conditions due to their complex practical lessons and the need for high applicability, and our aim is to identify what affects the quality of the teaching delivered to our engineering students. Previous research on Higher Education focused on students' perception has been based on closed response questionnaires, which do not provide enough information. Hence, we asked students to freely make remarks, positive and/or negative on an open response questionnaire, and the qualitative analysis of their answers led to the description of a four-category figure ("Teacher," "Subject," "Student," and "Degree") revealing students' perceptions. Open response questionnaires offer administrators valuable information, as a complement to the quantitative analysis based on closed response questionnaires.

This paper examines interactions between the presence of top-ranked universities and other conditions that encourage regional competitiveness. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was conducted to assess the combined effect of the conditions. The analysis yields several noteworthy conclusions. First, no single condition is necessary for a region to be competitive. Second, R&D expenditure is important for regional competitiveness. Third, different configurations of conditions are sufficient for high competitiveness in different regional clusters. Furthermore, some of these configurations do not include the presence of top-ranked universities. A 'magic recipe' consists of the combination of a private research system, an inter-firm collaboration network and high levels of human capital. The analysis shows that university excellence is valuable. However, in terms of its contribution to regional development, it is not crucial and must always be contextualised. This conclusion is important for smart strategic planning of local knowledge systems.

Natural environments (green and blue space) are associated with a range of health benefits, but their use is likely to be influenced by the presence of features, facilities and amenities and the condition/maintenance, or the natural environment quality. Most ‘quality’ assessment tools have focused on green spaces and their support for physical activity. This limits their utility for assessment of other natural environment typologies and uses (e.g., social, relaxation). We aimed to develop a tool for feasible, in situ assessment of diverse natural environments that might support a variety of uses, and to explore associations between natural environment quality and objectively measured amount of natural environment and neighbourhood-level socio-economic status (SES). This work was conducted as part of the PHENOTYPE project. Data were collected in 124 neighbourhoods in four European cities (Barcelona, Doetinchem, Kaunas, Stoke-on-Trent). The Natural Environment Scoring Tool (NEST) was developed using existing tools, expert input and field-testing. The final tool comprised 47-items across eight domains: Accessibility , Recreation facilities , Amenities , Aesthetics − natural , Aesthetics – non-natural , Significant natural features , Incivilities and Usability ; typology-specific Overall Scores were derived. In total, 174 natural environments, covering a range of typologies, were audited. Mean time to complete NEST was 16 ± 28 min. There was good inter-rater agreement. Mean domain scores showed some expected patterns by typology (e.g., higher Recreation Facilities scores in urban parks and formal recreation areas; lower Amenities scores in natural/semi-natural areas). Highest mean Overall Scores were observed for areas of blue space and woodland, the types of area that often lack the recreational facilities or amenities that can be dominant in physical activity-focused audit tools. There was a trend towards lower natural environment quality in neighbourhoods of lower SES, with some inter-city variation. Correlations between NEST scores and amount of natural environment indicated higher natural environment in areas with worse access. We recommend further testing of NEST in other locations in relation to use and health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The author "presents an analysis of factors explaining Moroccan labour migration to the Netherlands since the 1960s, focusing on the history, ethnology, economy and socio-political structure of the Moroccan Rif.... The Rifians of Northern Morocco make up some 70 [percent of the] 150,000 Moroccans who have settled in the Netherlands. Labour migration to Western Europe evolved from a traditional pattern of circular migration within North Africa. Since the 1970s settlement in and migration to the Netherlands have become permanent features [in the] changing character of the region of origin. Traditional perceptions of push and pull factors no longer apply. The region has become dependent on migration and is not integrated into the Moroccan economy as a whole." (SUMMARY IN ENG), (excerpt)