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Presentation skills, such as oral expression and public speaking, have normally been relegated to the background in engineering degree programs. In recent years, however, the labor market has specifically demanded these kinds of skills in engineers. Accordingly, new engineering degrees, adapted to the goals of the Bologna Declaration or ABET criteria, consider presentation skills as being fundamental transferable skills. In practice, however, many engineering degree programs do not specifically foster these skills even though they are included in the syllabus. This paper proposes a presentation-skills training that uses the Master's thesis as an opportunity for fostering presentation-related skills. This activity has students deliver a scheduled series of rehearsals, in front of their classmates and tutors, for their officially assessed presentation of their Master's thesis work. The paper also presents a Web tool specifically designed for uploading recordings of the rehearsal presentations for feedback online as a complementary method for fostering presentation-related skills. Finally, the results of carrying out the proposed resource over a 4-year period from 2009 to 2013 are discussed; they show that students following the proposed methodology had higher than average marks, all receiving an A+, and 82% of them receiving an A+ with distinction.

Online platforms have transformed gambling into a daily activity for many, raising concerns about its potential harm. Notably, marketing strategies play a crucial role in influencing gambling behaviors and normalizing gambling. This study aims to explore the relationship between monthly marketing expenditure by the gambling industry, the online amount of money bet, and the number of online accounts (active and new) in Spain. A secondary goal is to assess the impact of marketing restrictions under the Spanish Royal Decree 958/2020 on the relationship between marketing and online gambling behavior. Longitudinal study. Data covering January 2013 to December 2023. Dependent variables included: new accounts, active accounts, gambler deposits, and the total money bet. Independent variables included: expenditure on advertising, bonuses, affiliate marketing, and sponsorship. A Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) model was employed to assess marketing's impact on online gambling behavior. Findings show that investment in advertising (P ≤ 0.025), promotions (P < 0.001), and sponsorships (P ≤ 0.004) significantly increase the number of new and active accounts, deposits, and total money bet. For instance, it has been estimated that, for every €1 invested in bonuses and sponsorship, gamblers deposit €1.6 and €4 into their accounts, respectively. Moreover, the Spanish law regulating gambling advertising has seemingly weakened the link between marketing expenditure and gambling behavior, with the notable exception of bonuses, where the impact has intensified. These results underline the importance of ongoing monitoring and regulation of gambling behavior in Spain, emphasizing the need for strict adherence to regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses educational tools developed at the University of Salamanca to aid in the study and application of 3-dimensional cartography. A digital camera calibrator employs “simulation” and “reality” modules to make learning about camera calibration easier. Another program helps teach the fundamentals of laser scanning technology. Inexpensive digital aerial photogrammetry is the focus of a third program. The authors also describe programs for close-range photogrammetry and digital terrain and elevation

In recent years, studies have highlighted the upward trend in electronic cigarette use among adolescents, as well as the potential of e-cigarette use to lead to subsequent conventional cigarette use. The study's aims were two-fold: 1) to examine the progression from e-cigarette use to conventional cigarette use; and 2) to analyze the differences in the severity of smoking pattern among dual users (i.e., e-cigarette and conventional cigarette use), cigarette-only smokers, and e-cigarette-only users in a Spanish adolescent population. Data were obtained from the ESTUDES, a representative survey of addictive behaviors of Spanish adolescents aged 14-18, which was comprised of 38,010 adolescents (Mage = 15.69; SD = 1.19; 51.35% females). Results indicate that lifetime e-cigarette use increased the prevalence of subsequent conventional cigarette use by 1.86 times (95% CI 1.74, 1.99), and the prevalence of conventional cigarette use in the last month by 2.38 times (95% CI 2.19, 2.58), independently of whether the e-cigarette contains nicotine or not. Dual users showed a higher percentage of daily smokers, and a greater number of cigarettes per day, a higher use of e-cigarettes with nicotine, and an earlier age of smoking onset. Regarding risk perception, e-cigarette-only users perceived both conventional tobacco and e-cigarettes as less harmful (all p-values < .001). These findings document the strength of association between e-cigarette and conventional cigarettes, and underscore the importance of developing legal restrictions and prevention strategies aimed at reducing e-cigarette use, which in turn would reduce tobacco use.

Despite problematic internet use being especially high among adolescents, there are no screening instruments in Spain specifically for adolescents that would facilitate early detection of this problem. The main goal of this study was to validate the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) in the adolescent Spanish population as well as to analyze the discriminative capacity of CIUS based on sociodemographic characteristics, grade point average, and other addictive behaviors. Data were obtained from the ESTUDES, a representative survey of addictive behaviors of Spanish adolescents. The sample consisted of a total of 34,308 adolescents aged between 14 and 18 years old ( M age = 1.19; 51.7% females). Results indicated that the CIUS fit a unidimensional structure, exhibited measurement invariance with respect to sex and age, and demonstrated excellent reliability (ω = .94). Past-month tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use, as well as past-year gambling and gaming, were related to CIUS scores. A standardized screening instrument that provides valid, reliable information on young people's use of the Internet in Spain is a critical requirement for successful early detection and intervention in this population.SD = 1.19; 51.7% females). Results indicated that the CIUS fit a unidimensional structure, exhibited measurement invariance with respect to sex and age, and demonstrated excellent reliability (ω = .94). Past-month tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use, as well as past-year gambling and gaming, were related to CIUS scores. A standardized screening instrument that provides valid, reliable information on young people's use of the Internet in Spain is a critical requirement for successful early detection and intervention in this population., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Las Tablas de Daimiel National Park (TDNP, Iberian Peninsula) is a semi-arid wetland of international significance for waterfowl and serves as a migratory route for various bird species. However, TDNP presents strong anthropization and fluctuating water levels, making it a highly fragile ecosystem. Water physico-chemical parameters and microbial diversity of the three domains (Bacteria-Archaea- Eukarya) were analysed in Zone A and Zone B of the wetland (a total of eight stations) during spring and summer, aiming to determine how seasonal changes influence the water quality, trophic status and ultimately, the microbial community composition. Additionally, Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) was used to determine the trophic status instead of transparency using Secchi disk, setting the threshold to 20-40 μmol/sm 2 for benthic vegetation growth. In spring, both zones of the wetland were considered eutrophic, and physico-chemical parameters as well as microbial diversity were similar to other wetlands, with most abundant bacteria affiliated to Actinobacteriota, Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidota, Gammaproteobacteria and Verrumicrobiota. Methane-related taxa like Methanosarcinales and photosynthetic Chlorophyta were respectively the most representative archaeal and eukaryotic groups. In summer, phytoplankton bloom led by an unclassified Cyanobacteria and mainly alga Hydrodictyon was observed in Zone A, resulting in an increase of turbidity, pH, phosphorus, nitrogen, chlorophyll-a and phycocyanin indicating the change to hypertrophic state. Microbial community composition was geographical and seasonal shaped within the wetland as response to changes in trophic status. Archaeal diversity decreases and methane-related species increase due to sediment disturbance driven by fish activity, wind, and substantial water depth reduction. Zone B in summer suffers less seasonal changes, maintaining the eutrophic state and still detecting macrophyte growth in some stations. This study provides a new understanding of the interdomain microbial adaptation following the ecological evolution of the wetland, which is crucial to knowing these systems that are ecological niches with high environmental value., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background Cannabis use in the young population has undergone a significant increase in Europe. Empirical assessments of individual and contextual mediating variables in relation to cannabis use are informative for prevention actions and have yet to be conducted in Spain. Objectives: This study used the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education in Spain (ESTUDES) to inform on potentially relevant cannabis prevention targets. We examined individual variables (sex, age, and cannabis risk perception), past 30-day legal and illicit substance use, substance-free activities, and contextual factors (perceived accessibility to cannabis) associated to past 30-day cannabis use. Methods: Data were drawn from 35,369 adolescents (% females: 50.1). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was implemented to identify predictors of cannabis use, and indirect paths were tested via bootstrapping to examine the mediating effects of cannabis risk perception and accessibility. Results: Demographics (male sex, higher age), and past 30-day tobacco, alcohol, and illicit substance use were associated with past 30-day cannabis use. Frequency of past-year engagement in hobbies and reading did also predict past 30-day cannabis use. The mediators worked on most of the relationships examined, except for hobbies and illegal substance use in the case of accessibility and reading and hobbies in the case of risk perception. Conclusions/importance: Cannabis use is more likely to emerge in the event of low risk perception and high accessibility. Lower frequency of past year reading and higher engagement in some hobbies that are often carried out alone represent risk factors, which could potentially influence prevention programs.