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Educational governmental institutions have recommended implementing blended learning in higher education to respond to the "new educational normality" caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, although this is not a new challenge. Over the last few decades, higher education institutions have tried to incorporate the use of technological devices to university teaching, by redesigning and optimizing the learning experiences through a mixed teaching model. In this context, the Flipped Classroom (FC) model is one of the pedagogical models that is revolutionizing the scope of education. However, there is still not enough evidence of its advantages and disadvantages in the university stage. Therefore, it is important to analyze the impact of the FC on the learning, satisfaction and interaction of the different agents of the university community. Due to the idiosyncrasy of the present study, an exclusively qualitative and longitudinal methodology was selected; thus, 266 interviews based on open questions were conducted throughout the last five years. The results show that students value the FC model positively and corroborate its great potential from academic, competence, personal and social perspectives. Nevertheless, a small group of students are still very critical about the model and would prefer to keep using a traditional methodology, mainly due to the lack of habit using active methodologies and establishing the learning commitment required by such methodologies.

This study aims at exploring the degree of Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) towards the learning of English that English for Specific Purposes students report experiencing. The participants in this study were 67 undergraduates at the University of the Balearic Islands enrolled in two university degree programs. The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) (Horwitz, Howitz & Cope, 1986) was used to collect data. The findings reveal that most students suffered from average to high anxiety levels. Communication apprehension was found to be the main source of participants' FLA followed by fear of negative evaluation and test anxiety. The data also showed statistically significant differences across students' university degree programs related to test anxiety and fear of negative evaluation. No statistically significant gender differences in FLA levels were observed. Finally, correlation analyses revealed significant negative associations between participants' self-perceived English proficiency and their FLA levels associated with listening and speaking skills.

This study examines test-takers' views on a computer-delivered speaking test in order to investigate the aspects they consider most relevant in technology-based oral assessment, and to explore the main advantages and disadvantages computer-based tests may offer as compared to face-to-face speaking tests. A small-scale open questionnaire was administered to 80 test-takers who took the APTIS speaking test at the Universidad de Alcalá in April 2016. Results reveal that examinees believe computer-based tests provide a valid measure of oral competence in English and are considered to be an adequate method for the assessment of speaking. Interestingly, the data suggest that personal characteristics of test-takers seem to play a key role in deciding upon the most suitable and reliable delivery mode.

The main aim of this study was to examine the most relevant motivating factors (i.e. intrinsic, extrinsic and altruistic) influencing pre-service English school teachers to choose teaching as their profession. A small questionnaire was administered to 73 third-year student teachers at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB). Results indicate that integrative reasons were the most dominant to choose teaching for both male and female students, followed next by altruistic reasons. Extrinsic reasons such as job security or lengthy holidays seem to have the least impact upon participants' decision to enter the profession. However, results reveal statistically significant differences across motivational reasons within each category as a function of gender. Findings also indicate that participants show a highly positive self-concept regarding their English proficiency. This latter affective variable was found to be positively correlated with participants' mastery of oral skills.

Background: The aetiology of Sleep bruxism includes specific personality traits, related to perfectionism. Aim: To investigate the relationship between probable sleep bruxism (PSB) and personality traits in children and their parents, determining whether children with PSB and their parents are more perfectionists. Design: This case–control study included 104 children aged 8–9 years, 52 cases and 52 controls. A clinical examination was performed on the children who completed the Big Five Personality Questionnaire (BFQ‐NA) and the Child Perfectionism Inventory. Parents completed a bruxism diagnostic questionnaire according to the AASM criteria, BFQ and Frost multidimensional perfectionism scale questionnaires. t‐Tests for independent samples and multivariate logistic regression models were used for statistical analysis. Results: A significant relationship between PSB and a self‐demanding personality (OR = 1.11, p =.01), restless sleep (OR = 4.41, p =.004), and a family history of clenching and grinding teeth (OR = 3.07, p =.0006) was found in a binary logistic regression model. When adjusted, only restless sleep showed a significant relationship with PSB (p =.03, OR 3.32, 95% CI 1.13–9.81). Conclusion: Children whose parents reported as clenching or grinding their teeth while asleep in the previous 6 months, and who were found to have abnormal dental wear, had significantly more nightmares, sleep disruption, daytime sleepiness, family history of bruxism, and tended to be more perfectionist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring the sociocultural productivity of heritage sites remains an ongoing issue for international organizations concerned with the conservation and promotion of traditional sites. The productivity of these locations is not only affected by tangible elements but also by intangible factors, such as the emotions generated by the experiences. For this purpose, 597 employees of hotels in these historical locations who had visited one of the 14 heritage sites in Spain assessed what role emotions play in this contribution. The methodology used was the application of structural equations. Several conclusions have been drawn utilizing the SmartPLS 4 software. The first is that the generation of positive emotions comes exclusively from cultural and historical dynamization and not from technological advances or an eagerness to learn. The second is that both the application of technological advances and cultural dynamization have a direct impact on productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first study to follow up on the mental health of children and adolescents in Spain during COVID-19, a country in which a strict stay-at-home directive was issued as a result of the pandemic. We also explore the influence of fear of contagion and the attribution for lockdown on young people's mental health. A sample of 278 children (8 to 12 years) and adolescents (13 to 18 years) were assessed at two time points in relation to different areas linked to well-being, fear of contagion and interpretation of the stringent lockdown as (i) a Punishment, (ii) a means of Slowing the Spread of the Virus, or (iii) a way of Protecting Others. The first time point (T1) was from March 22–25, 2020 (eight to eleven days into lockdown), and the second (T2) was from April 11–14, 2020 (28 to 31 days into lockdown). The results indicate that, following the initial impact of the lockdown, the deterioration observed in the mental health of children and adolescents seemed to stabilize, despite the prolonged nature of the strict stay-at-home directive. A more negative interpretation of the lockdown and greater fear of contagion by the COVID-19 virus resulted in poorer mental health. The present study may help inform the decision-making process regarding stringent lockdown orders for children and adolescents in future pandemics and establish guidelines for providing better support both during and after health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employers look for professionals able to work in a team, able to approach problems, with the capacity to analyze and resolve problems, under the constant renewal of knowledge and competencies. In this paper, a group of University teachers from different areas of knowledge presents an experience to introduce key employability skills in the higher education students' curricula. This work has been developed under the action research scope. The first goal was to make an analysis of terms referred to key skills, generating an integrated denomination for each competency. The elaboration of general templates for key skills is proposed here as a useful tool that provides information about development, assessment and marking of each skill. Different types of rubrics and assessment templates, used during this experience, are presented.

Introduction: The impact of remdesivir on mortality in patients with COVID-19 is still controversial. We aimed to identify clinical phenotype clusters of COVID-19 hospitalized patients with highest benefit from remdesivir use and validate these findings in an external cohort. Methods: We included consecutive patients hospitalized between February 2020 and February 2021 for COVID-19. The derivation cohort comprised subjects admitted to Hospital Clinic of Barcelona. The validation cohort included patients from Hospital Universitari Mutua de Terrassa (Terrassa) and Hospital Universitari La Fe (Valencia), all tertiary centers in Spain. We employed K-means clustering to group patients according to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) cycle threshold (Ct) values and lymphocyte counts at diagnosis, and pre-test symptom duration. The impact of remdesivir on 60-day mortality in each cluster was assessed. Results: A total of 1160 patients (median age 66, interquartile range (IQR) 55–78) were included. We identified five clusters, with mortality rates ranging from 0 to 36.7%. Highest mortality rate was observed in the cluster including patients with shorter pre-test symptom duration, lower lymphocyte counts, and lower Ct values at diagnosis. The absence of remdesivir administration was associated with worse outcome in the high-mortality cluster (10.5% vs. 36.7%; p < 0.001), comprising subjects with higher viral loads. These results were validated in an external multicenter cohort of 981 patients. Conclusions: Patients with COVID-19 exhibit varying mortality rates across different clinical phenotypes. K-means clustering aids in identifying patients who derive the greatest mortality benefit from remdesivir use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of e-Revista Internacional de la Protección Social is the property of e-Revista Internacional de la Proteccion Social 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 work is focused on the Almonte‐Marismas aquifer located within Doñana Natural Space (SW Spain); this aquifer is threatened by droughts, irrigation‐driven groundwater overexploitation, urban use, and the potential reactivation of gas extraction and storage projects. We present ground deformation measurements from Sentinel‐1 Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data ranging from 1 to 2.5 cm, covering ∼2,500 km2 from 2014 to 2020. Detecting spatially distributed ground deformation over this agricultural area is challenging due to the low‐coherence radar signals; consequently, the ground movement results are on the same order of magnitude as the errors associated with InSAR data. We have approached this issue by considering auxiliary information such as groundwater levels, climatic time series, and pumping rates and analyzing their spatio‐temporal connections to ground displacements. We correlate InSAR and hydrogeological information through wavelet analysis, developing a Python package that allows applying the same methodology in other similar study areas. For the first time in the Doñana area, a significant relationship between distances to pumping wells and the displacement extent is detected. Moreover, other subsidence‐related triggering factors are identified, such as the soil moisture balance, clay shrinking‐swelling processes, and creep of geological formations. These results are highly valuable to support aquifer management decisions in the Doñana Natural Space; in this border region, three groundwater bodies were officially declared overexploited in 2020. Our findings provide a ground motion baseline assessment to help differentiate historical variations from any future anthropogenic effect in this complex marsh land ecosystem. Plain Language Summary: This work is focused on Doñana Natural Space (SW Spain), which integrates the Doñana National Park and the Doñana Natural Park in a single space. Doñana has acquired the highest protected area categories that a natural area can receive from international conservation organizations. However, Doñana's ability to support biodiversity is under constant threat due to droughts, groundwater overexploitation for irrigation, urban use, and the reactivation of a gas extraction and storage project. This study presents ground deformation measurements in the Doñana area derived from Earth observation data ranging from 1 to 2.5 cm from 2014 to 2020. The work relates ground displacement, groundwater and climatic information through mathematical tools. For the first time in the Doñana area, a significant relationship between distances to pumping wells and the displacement extent is detected. These results are highly valuable to support aquifer management decisions in the Doñana Natural Space. Our findings provide a ground motion baseline assessment that will help differentiate historical variations from any future anthropogenic effect in this complex marsh land ecosystem. Key Points: Integrated Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar and hydrogeological analysis has shown displacements up to 2.5 cm/year on the aquifer that hosts the Doñana Natural SpaceWavelet method with a new Python package allows for integrated displacement, groundwater level, climatic and pumping time series analysesThe results provide a ground motion baseline to differentiate natural variations from future anthropogenic effects in the Doñana area [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An evaluation of the educational effectiveness of a didactic method for the active learning of greedy algorithms is presented. The didactic method sets students structured-inquiry challenges to be addressed with a specific experimental method, supported by the interactive system GreedEx. This didactic method has been refined over several years of use. Additional elements are lecture contents and the scheduling of classes and lab sessions. Learning gain in the topic of greedy algorithms was measured in the short term for two groups of students: an experimental group taught with the new didactic method, and a control group taught with a traditional approach. The results show a significant learning gain improvement in the experimental group, while the students taught with a traditional method had little learning gain. In addition, the levels of Bloom's taxonomy at which improvements occurred were identified. In the control group, improvements were found at the knowledge level. In the experimental group, however, improvements were found at the knowledge and the comprehension levels, although not at the analysis level. These results are encouraging and indicate directions for future research, as analysis skills are important in algorithm courses.

Several years ago we presented an experimental, discovery-learning approach to the active learning of greedy algorithms. This paper presents GreedEx, a visualization tool developed to support this didactic method. The paper states the design goals of GreedEx, makes explicit the major design decisions adopted, and describes its main characteristics in detail. It also describes the experience of use, the usability evaluations conducted, and the evolution of GreedEx in these years in response to the findings of the usability evaluations. Finally, the positive results obtained in an evaluation of educational effectiveness are shown. The paper has three main contributions. First, the GreedEx system itself is an innovative system for experimentation and discovery learning of greedy algorithms. Second, GreedEx is different from other visualization systems in its support to higher levels of learning, in particular evaluation tasks. Finally, GreedEx is an example of a medium-term research project, where an educational system was designed from explicit learning goals and was later refined in a user-centered design process involving instructors and students, before carrying out a successful evaluation of educational effectiveness.

Climate extremes such as cold spells are becoming more frequent as climate variability increases. However, few studies have evaluated the impacts of winter cold spells on forest cover, tree growth and leaf and sapwood non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations. We analyzed changes in tree cover using remote sensing data and compared the radial growth of coexisting and defoliated Pinus halepensis trees and non-defoliated P. halepensis and Pinus pinaster trees. We also compared NSC concentrations in leaves and sapwood of defoliated and non-defoliated P. halepensis and Quercus ilex trees. In January 2021, a rapid drop in temperatures led to minimum values (−21.3 °C) in eastern Spain and triggered canopy defoliation in several planted (P. halepensis) and native (Q. ilex) tree species. The cold spell led to a decrease in forest cover in the most defoliated stands and reduced radial growth of defoliated P. halepensis and sapwood NSC concentrations in P. halepensis and Q. ilex, particularly starch. Prior to the cold spell, defoliated P. halepensis trees significantly (p < 0.05) grew more (2.73 ± 1.70 mm) in response to wetter winter conditions than non-defoliated P. halepensis (2.29 ± 1.08 mm) and P. pinaster (1.39 mm) trees. Those P. halepensis individuals which grew faster at a young age were less resilient to the winter cold spell in later years. The study stands showed a high recovery capacity after the cold spell, but the Mediterranean drought-avoiding P. halepensis was the most affected species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the renaturation project of the Guadarrama River and Poveda Stream in Collado Villalba, Madrid, Spain. It states that the town of Collado Villalba has transitioned from an agricultural and livestock-based economy to a residential and commercial hub. It mentions that the project aims to restore and renaturalize the urban river, transforming it into a high-quality green and blue landscape that integrates parks, open spaces, and a network of green infrastructure.

In seasonally dry forests, wildfires can reduce competition for soil water among trees and improve forest resilience to drought. We tested this idea by comparing tree-ring growth patterns of Pinus pinea stands subjected to two prescribed burning intensities (H, high; L, low) and compared them with unburned (U) control stands in southwestern Spain. Then, we assessed post-growth resilience to two droughts that occurred before (2005) and after (2012) the prescribed burning (2007). Resilience was quantified as changes in radial growth using resilience indices and as changes in cover and greenness using the NDVI. The NDVI sharply dropped after the fire, and minor drops were also observed after the 2005 and 2012 droughts. We found that post-drought growth and resilience were improved in the H stands, where growth also showed the lowest coherence among individual trees and the lowest correlation with water year precipitation. In contrast, trees from the L site showed the highest correlations with precipitation and the drought index. These findings suggest that tree growth recovered better after drought and responded less to water shortage in the H trees. Therefore, high-intensity fires are linked to reduced drought stress in Mediterranean pine forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loneliness and social isolation are widely recognized problems facing society. Women in situations of economic and social vulnerability are particularly impacted by loneliness. Yet, we know less about the intersectional dimensions of women's experiences. The study, carried out in Basque Country (Spain) used phenomenological interviews and non-random sampling (N = 8) to explore the subjective experiences of loneliness among women clients at community social services using an intersectional approach as an analytical strategy. Intersectionality theory provides insight into how different forms of marginalization intersect to shape the experiences of loneliness of women with high social disadvantages. Among other aspects, the study explores the intersection of loneliness with different variables such as gender, socio-economic and residential inequality, migratory status, as well as physical or mental health problems. The results yielded four themes associated with the loneliness of women, with an interweaving of gender in different axes of exclusion: loneliness and unfulfilled need for meaningful relationships; vulnerability to situations of violence suffered during life; social and economic inequality and responsibility for care; and multiple stigma and discrimination. From a practical perspective, this study identifies policy implications that can be used by social workers to understand and mitigate women's loneliness in community social services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Complutense de Educación is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid 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 explores the perceptions that rural mayors have of social exclusion processes in their territories, and the ideological frames that underpin them. The study was conducted in Spain during the 2008-2014 crisis. It draws on evidence from qualitative interviews conducted with rural mayors as part of two research projects on social exclusion in rural areas in the Castilla-La Mancha and Valencian autonomous communities. Our analysis shows significant differences between the objective descriptions of social exclusion in rural areas and how such exclusion was perceived. Mayors held individuals' responsible for their own exclusion during the economic crisis, which mayors linked to the choices those individuals had made, while ignoring the community's responsibility for social integration. Based on their accounts, neoliberalism, patriarchy, and rural idyll frames were identified as shaping and defining the perception of social exclusion processes in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cariology is today a broad‐based discipline and in the Spanish university teaching field, all this knowledge is not unified in a curriculum. Therefore, the aim was to develop a consensus text based on the European Core Curriculum, updated, and adapted to the characteristics of the Spanish university environment. Materials and Methods: A Spanish Cariology Curriculum Group (SCCG) was set up with members of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology and Oral Public Health (SESPO), Spanish Society of Conservative and Aesthetic Dentistry (SEOC) and Spanish Society of Paediatric Dentistry (SEOP) and university experts to adapt the European Core Curriculum in Cariology for undergraduate dental students (ECCC) for Spain. The work was carried out online during 2018 and 2019, and also face‐to‐face meetings took place to obtain a draft curriculum open for discussion that was presented to all the Spanish universities. The final modifications to the document were specified in a Consensus Conference of Spanish universities offering a Degree in Dentistry that took place in Madrid on 19 November 2019. Results: Thirty‐eight university experts, under SCCG supervision, participated in the elaboration of the new framework document. A total of 16 universities, from 23 invited, reached a consensus as to the contents of the Spanish Curriculum in Cariology for undergraduate dental students. This new Curriculum emphasises learning outcomes, uses a consensus‐based terminology pertaining to caries and other hard‐tissue conditions, and introduces a new domain of competence in Domain III of ECCC. Conclusion: This new Cariology Curriculum is the result of a very broad‐based consensus of university experts in Spain and lays the foundation for the implementation of an integrated teaching of Cariology in Spain in adherence to Alliance for a Caries Free Future (ACFF) objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Which traits provide post-drought growth resilience to trees and shrubs? • We answered this issue by analyzing 19 conifers from climatically contrasting sites. • Growth resilience was negatively related to plant height. • Resilience was positively related to (hydraulic diameter / cell-wall thickness). • Growth recovery was positively related to the growth responsiveness to climate. Warmer and drier climate conditions are negatively impacting conifers, which show different mechanisms to withstand drought stress including growth resilience. However, it is unclear which traits make trees and shrubs more resilient to drought in terms of growth recovery. We addressed this question by measuring and collecting from the literature several functional traits in 19 conifers of nine genera (Abies, Pinus, Pseudotsuga, Cedrus, Picea, Juniperus, Cupressus, Tetraclinis and Taxus) from three families (Pinaceae, Cupressaceae, Taxaceae) inhabiting sites of contrasting climate conditions in Spain. These traits were correlated with three growth resilience indices derived from ring-width data (Rt, resistance; Rc, recovery; Rs, resilience) with and without accounting for their phylogenetic signal. Growth resistance (Rt) was negatively related to plant height (r = -0.52, p = 0.04). Growth resilience (Rs) was negatively related to plant height (r = -0.93, p < 0.001) and leaf life span (r = -0.51, p = 0.03), but positively related to the thickness-to-span ratio (r = 0.80, p < 0.001). However, the relationship between Rs and leaf life span was not significant (p = 0.155) after accounting for phylogenetic signals. Lastly, growth recovery was positively related to the growth responsiveness to climate, assessed as the correlation between ring-width indices and water balance (r = 0.66, p = 0.002). Height and the thickness-to-span ratio, a surrogate of xylem resistance to cavitation, are linked to post-drought growth recovery in conifers subjected to seasonal dry conditions. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Estudios Demográficos y Urbanos is the property of El Colegio de Mexico AC 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.)

When an active landslide is first identified in an artificial reservoir, a comprehensive study has to be quickly conducted to analyse the possible hazard that it may represent to such a critical infrastructure. This paper presents the case of the El Arrecife Landslide, located in a slope of the Rules Reservoir (Southern Spain), as an example of geological and motion data integration for elaborating a preliminary hazard assessment. For this purpose, a field survey was carried out to define the kinematics of the landslide: translational in favour of a specific foliation set, and rotational at the foot of the landslide. A possible failure surface has been proposed, as well as an estimation of the volume of the landslide: 14.7 million m3. At the same time, remote sensing and geophysical techniques were applied to obtain historical displacement rates. A mean subsidence rate of the landslide around 2 cm/year was obtained by means of synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data, during the last 5 and 22 years, respectively. The structure-from-motion (SfM) technique provided a rate up to 26 cm/year during the last 14 years of a slag heap located within the foot of the landslide, due to compaction of the anthropical deposits. All of this collected information will be valuable to optimise the planning of future monitoring surveys (i.e. differential global positioning systems, inclinometers, ground drilling, and InSAR) that should be applied in order to prevent further damage on the reservoir and related infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abundant literature shows the effects of negative emotions on motivations to engage in collective action (i.e., to collectively mobilize personal resources to achieve a common objective), as well as their influence on the creation of shared identities. In this proposal, we focus on the possible role of Self-Transcendent Emotions (STEs) defined as positive-valence emotions that have been key in the creation and maintenance of collective identities, as well as in promoting individuals well-being. In detail, we examine their influence in (a) strengthening a global identification, (b) increasing willingness to collectively help others, and (c) improving people's wellbeing. For this reason, we conducted a preliminary literature review of k = 65 independent studies on the effects of STEs on connection to others. Through this review (fully available in Supplementary Materials), we selected a sample of STEs (Awe, Elevation, and Kama Muta) and elicitors to conduct a video-base study. In it, 1,064 university students from 3 different cultural regions (from Spain and Ecuador) were randomized to answer one of three STE scales (i.e., each measuring one of the selected STEs), and evaluate three videos in random order (i.e., each prototypical for the selected STEs). Participants also answered a measure of global identification and intentions to collectively help others (after each video), as well as self-transcendent and well-being (at the end of the survey). Results from SEM analyses show these STEs motivated a fusion of identity with all humanity, as well as collective intentions to help others, even controlling for individuals' value orientations. In addition, the three of them indirectly increased participants' well-being through a higher global identity. While there are differences among them, these three STEs share common elements and their effects are constant across the different cultural regions. It is concluded that Awe, Elevation, and Kama Muta, even individually experienced, have a significant potential to influence people's behavior. Specifically, in various forms of collective action aimed at helping others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Investigaciones Feministas is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid 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.)

In Spain, in order to control COVID-19 transmission, one of the strictest confinement measures in the world for children and teenagers has been implemented. From 14 March to 26 April 2020 underage Spaniards were not allowed to leave their homes, except for reasons of force majeure. This could have consequences on their mental health in both the short and the long term. Thus, the aim of the present study was to explore the consequences of confinement on the mental health of Spanish children and teenagers, at the time when minors had been locked down in their homes between 8 and 10 days. The sample was composed of 590 confined Spanish children and teenagers between 8 and 18 years old. The scales of Depression, Self-esteem, Anxiety, Problems with Emotional Regulation, Rage Control Problems, Integration and Social Competence, Somatic Complaints, Rebellious Behaviour, as well as Awareness of the Problems of the Assessment System for Children and Adolescents (SENA) were used. The results revealed that, during confinement, children and adolescents showed emotional and behavioural alterations. This study, as far as we know, is the first one to explore the psychological consequences of lockdown in minors while it was taking place, with them being the ones directly assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research has increased our understanding of the parental factors associated with the initiation and development of cannabis use disorder in adolescents, but few studies about this have been performed in middle- or low-income countries. Objective: First, to examine whether perceived past parental drug use, parental monitoring, and attitude toward adolescent cannabis use are associated with general and problematic cannabis use in Chilean adolescents. Second, to explore whether perceived past parental drug use weakens the associations of protective factors with general and problematic adolescent cannabis use. Methods: Regression analyses were performed on cross-sectional data from a multistage probabilistic sample stratified by clusters (municipalities, school and grade) of 43,060 students (47% male, mean age 15.5 years) from grades 8 to 12, which was collected from the Chilean National School Survey on Drug Use (2013). Results: Perceived past parental drug use increased the likelihood of adolescent cannabis use in general, but not its problematic use. Parental monitoring of adolescents' whereabouts and parental opposition to adolescent cannabis use decreased the likelihood of adolescent cannabis use in general, as well as problematic use. Perceived past parental drug use only interacted with parental monitoring of school activities. Conclusions: In line with research from the United States, the Netherlands and Spain, parental monitoring of adolescents' whereabouts and a strong parental opposition to cannabis use appear to be protective factors, irrespective of past parental use. However, the effectiveness of monitoring adolescents' school activities seems to decrease when parents are perceived as having used drugs in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slope failures occur in open-pit mining areas worldwide, producing considerable damage in addition to economic loss. Identifying the triggering factors and detecting unstable slopes and precursory displacements —which can be achieved by exploiting remote sensing data— are critical for reducing their impact. Here we present a methodology that combines digital photogrammetry, satellite radar interferometry, and geo-mechanical modeling, to perform remote analyses of slope instabilities in open-pit mining areas. We illustrate this approach through the back analysis of a massive landslide that occurred in an active open-pit mine in southwest Spain in January 2019. Based on pre- and post-event high-resolution digital elevation models derived from digital photogrammetry, we estimate an entire sliding mass volume of around 14 million m3. Radar interferometry reveals that during the year preceding the landslide, the line of sight accumulated displacement in the slope reached − 5.7 and 4.6 cm in ascending and descending geometry, respectively, showing two acceleration events clearly correlated with rainfall in descending geometry. By means of 3D and 2D stability analyses we located the slope instability, and remote sensing monitoring led us to identify the likely triggers of failure. Las Cruces event can be attributed to delayed and progressive failure mechanisms triggered by two factors: (i) the loss of historical suction due to a pore-water pressure increase driven by rainfall and (ii) the strain-softening behavior of the sliding material. Finally, we discuss the potential of this methodological approach either to remotely perform post-event analyses of mining-related landslides and evaluate potential triggering factors or to remotely identify critical slopes in mining areas and provide pre-alert warning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Informática Educativa Comunicaciones is the property of Asociacion para el Desarrollo de la Informatica Educativa 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 explores how the attention to rural areas is materialised in the plans for social inclusion in Spain. We analyse the national and autonomous frameworks classifying the Autonomous Communities (AACC) according to their degree of rurality (OCDE). Therefore, we establish if there is a relationship between the territorial character of each AACC and the type of inclusive actions set for rural areas, and which are the topics approached. The results show that the predominantly rural autonomous communities do not register the most substantial quantity of actions targeted to rural areas and that the themes more developed are on planning and regional development, education and training enhancement, and support to specific groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the 2008 crisis, the study of social exclusion merits even more attention in rural research. However, common approaches usually employ macro analysis perspective (such as AROPE rate), which may not be appropriate, as rural areas are heterogeneous. Heterogeneity should be acknowledged in order to accomplish the social inclusion of the individuals and / or families who are excluded. Therefore, research should point out territorial differences of social exclusion problems at a micro-level. To this end, we work with the delimitation of the rurality used in the PDR, and we take as cases of study the municipalities of the GAL-LEADER of the province of Valencia. To maintain a multidimensional approach to social exclusion and operate in an efficient way (using free access official statistics) we did develop a «Z-index» with available recent data (2016) from an economic, social and spatial point of view. Basic results do confirm what was expected: rural territories analysed show a plurality of exclusion situations and social inclusion at municipal level. Especially in the most negative cases, where spatial variable turns out to be a critical vulnerability that affects rural society, even more than unemployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Female sex has been associated with differences in diagnostic and management of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Our aim was to analyze sex differences in ACS with interventional management in a tertiary care hospital.Methods: Patients with ACS admitted to a Spanish tertiary care referral center were included prospectively and consecutively. All patients included in the study underwent a coronary angiography.Results: From the total cohort of 1214 patients, 290 (24%) were women. Women were older (71 ± 12.8 vs 64 ± 13.4 years, p < 0.001) and showed lower ischemic risk and higher hemorrhagic risk scores (GRACE 159 ± 45 vs 171 ± 42, p = 0.005; CRUSADE 41 ± 19 vs 28 ± 17, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in time to coronary angiography and revascularization rates between sex groups. A lower proportion of women received high-potency antiplatelet agents (29% vs 41.3%, p = 0.004). In-hospital evolution and one-year mortality were similar between groups.Conclusions: In our population, there were no gender differences in management and prognosis of ACS. Differences in risk profile among groups could have an influence on antiplatelet therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the net effect of renewable energy policy in Spain from 2002 to 2017 and calculates its cost-effectiveness in terms of CO 2 emission reductions in the production of electricity. Our conclusions indicate that although the phasing out of Feed-in Tariffs reduced the regulatory costs, it also limited renewable participation in the electricity market, leading to an increased electricity price and higher emissions. According to our results, the joint effect of (i) the value of avoided emissions due to renewable energy participation and (ii) the merit order effect was able to compensate for the regulatory costs (subsidies) up until 2010, while the sign of the net effect was reversed from 2011 to 2017. Finally, we find that the economic implications of emission reductions are highly dependent on how the social cost of carbon is measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrain surface displacements at a site can be induced by more than one geological process. In this work, we use advanced differential interferometry SAR (A-DInSAR) to measure ground deformation in Arcos de la Frontera (SW Spain), where severe damages related to landslide activity and subsidence have occurred in recent years. The damages are concentrated in two residential neighborhoods constructed between 2001 and 2006. One of the neighborhoods, called La Verbena, is located at the head of an active retrogressive landslide that has an extension of around 0.17 x 106 m² and developed in weathered clayey soils. Landslide motion has caused building deterioration since they were constructed. After a heavy rainfall period in winter 2009-2010, the movement was accelerated, worsening the situation. The other neighborhood, Pueblos Blancos, was built over a poorly compacted artificial filling undergoing a spatially variable consolidation process which has also led to severe damage to buildings. For both cases, a short set of C-band data from the "ENVISAT 2010+" project has been used to monitor surface displacement for the period spanning April 2011-January 2012. In this work we characterize the mechanism of both ground deformation processes using in situ and remote sensing techniques along with a detailed geological interpretation and urban damage distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key characteristic of electricity prices is their sensitivity to changes in supply and demand. In this sense, the Covid-19 lockdown policies modified electricity consumption patterns at both business and household levels, affecting the shape and position of the electricity demand curve and, thus, leading to a direct effect on electricity prices. However, could this demand-side effect be greater than other supply-induced effects? Is it persistent over time? This paper uses a synthetic bidding approach and concludes that the strict lockdown phase had a strong, immediate – but not persistent – effect on the Spanish electricity price. Furthermore, a high share of renewable energy and a reduction in fossil fuel and emission prices have also proven crucial in driving prices down, though lockdown policies had more impact on prices. • The cubic fit is the best approach for Spanish supply and demand curves in 2019 and 2020. • The strict Covid-19 lockdown worsened the fit and made the electricity demand steeper. • During the strict lockdown the horizontal part of the demand curve decreased by 7.1%. • The Covid-19 effect dominated over other supply-induced effects in 2020 in Spain. • When electricity demand recovered its elasticity, supply-induced effects increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pododermatitis interacts directly with the animal welfare, it is a disease that alters the behavior, causing serious discomfort to the animals and is also a port for incoming pathogens, being the legs constantly on the chickens litter. We collected data of male and female chicken's feet with 14, 28 and 42 days of age, in four negative pressures poultry (A, B, C and D) with controlled temperature, either of the coolers side and of the exhausters side, totaling 144 birds in hot season in Brazil and 144 birds in cold season in Spain, applying an evaluation of injury scores of 1-4. Males and females showed no significant differences in any country, although the media in Brazil were higher. In Spain the aviary A showed higher scores of injuries and in Brazil there was no significant difference in any aviary. Regarding ages, in animals with 28 and 42 days, the lesions were significantly bigger than 14 days in both countries. The scores on hand showed significant differences only for the media in Brazil, which were higher than that of Spain. Being the area of the coolers more wet, this indicates that it may increase the injury index, with the aggravation of the external temperature and relative humidity of the air higher in Brazil. We conclude that the external ambience influences the internal ambience and added to the management and reuse of the litter may interfere in increasing injury score as the birds gain more weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of waste biomass as an energy source is likely to increase during the coming years as a result of European energy policy objectives, and because of the wide range of possibilities that it offers: it is a cheap fuel, widespread, and available in large quantities. In addition to crops and forestry operations, the Spanish fruit, olive and wine industries generate large amounts of currently undervalued solid wastes such as stones, branches, pulps or pomaces. The use of these by-products offers environmental benefits like removing waste and preventing fires at the same time as providing an energy yield. A proper energy valorization will require a complete physicochemical characterization. In this article, a structural and thermal characterization is developed from twenty samples from the olive and wine industries, as well as from forest and agro wastes. In addition, predictive equations are proposed to determine higher heating value (HHV) from chemical composition. For this purpose, the chemical extraction method (also called the ‘classic’ method) was used, and results were obtained in accordance with the data shown in the bibliography. Two predictive equations were developed: one based on lignin and hemicellulose content, and the other based on lignin quantity. Both present an absolute average error (AAE) of 0.87% and 1.13%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates effects of long-term care (LTC) benefits on utilization of primary and secondary healthcare in Catalonia (Spain). Identification comes from plausibly exogenous variation in the leniency of LTC needs assessment. We estimate that receiving LTC benefits worth 365 euros per month, on average, reduces the probability of avoidable hospital admissions by 66%, and has no significant effect on planned hospitalisations nor on hospitalisation for any reason. Receiving LTC benefits is estimated to reduce unscheduled primary care visits by 44% and has no significant effect on scheduled visits. These findings have important policy implications suggesting that allocating resources to LTC may not only increase the welfare of LTC beneficiaries but also reduce avoidable and unscheduled utilisation of healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores two theoretical problems that are deeply connected: the concept of control in corporation's governance and the methodological nationalism implicit in the kind of data sets used in most structural analysis of economic power. As an empirical support four networks are used: interlocking directorate's networks of French and Spanish largest firms and the networks of the same corporations in both countries related by common investors. The consequences of choosing one or another kind of relations - interlocking directorates or common investors- on the national character of nationally selected data are analyzed. It appears that the consideration of networks built using the main shareholders of each firm leads to the blurring of the initial national selection of the corporations. And also, challenges standing ideas on the concept of control of corporation's activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To find the prevalence of molar-incisor hypomineralization ( MIH) in a random sample of Spanish children, and to investigate the gender influence, distribution of defects, the treatment need associated and the relation between this disorder and dental caries. Design A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine MIH and caries prevalence in a randomly selected sample of 840 children from the 8-year-old population of the Valencia region of Spain. The examinations were carried out in the children's schools by one examiner who had previously been calibrated with the MIH diagnostic criteria of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry ( EAPD). Results The percentage of children with MIH was 21.8% (95% CI 19.1-24.7), with a mean 3.5 teeth affected (2.4 molars and 1.1 incisors) been the maxillary molars the most affected. No gender differences were found. Of those with MIH, 56.8% presented lesions in both molars and incisors Children with MIH needed significantly more urgent and non-urgent treatment than those without MIH (chi-squared test P-value < 0.005). Both caries indices were significantly higher (Student's t-test P-value < 0.05) in the children with MIH than in the healthy children: the DMFT scores were 0.513 and 0.237 and the DMFS scores 1.20 and 0.79, respectively. Conclusions Molar-incisor hypomineralization prevalence is high in the child population of this region and equally affects boys and girls. The condition increases significantly the need of treatment of affected children. A significant association with dental caries was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Two young red wines from D.O. Navarra (Spain) were separately subjected to accelerated aging in tanks with oak chips added and micro-oxygenation. Wine samples were collected during each process and were analyzed by a sensory panel according to 17 descriptors. A two-fold monitoring approach, aimed at both checking panel performance and tracking the impact of chips/micro-oxygenation treatments on sensory properties, was proposed for process control and optimisation. In a first stage this approach focused on investigating panel performance by suitably combining uni- and multivariate methods. Significant product effects were found for 7 and 6 attributes in the first and second aging series, respectively. Although panel performance was acceptable in both cases, moderate differences between assessors were detected, stressing the need for adopting a consensus approach to properly handle them. Thus, the STATIS method was subsequently applied to find an optimal compromise solution for the significant attributes describing each process. The resulting compromise matrix provided the consensus sensory profiles of samples at different aging stages. The assignment of individual weights was consistent with previous findings on assessors’ agreement. The first principal component of the compromise matrix, which accounted for 86.5% and 90.9% of the variance in each trial data, revealed a sample trend directly related to the time-course evolution of each process, and contrasted the attributes fruit and herbaceous with the other significant descriptors (related to the wood–wine interaction). This is the first time that a multi-block methodology has been used for monitoring sensory changes during accelerated aging processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ground subsidence is a critical problem in populated areas, which requires attention and routine monitoring. Specifically, subsidence related to the exploitation of aquifer systems is of particular interest in terms of risk for the possible damage to buildings and availability of water resources. We propose to realise a survey of the aquifer systems near the city of Lorca, southern Spain, using Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) with a light method necessitating a small number of interferograms rather than analysing hundreds of radar images. We computed nine interferograms with good coherence over the years 2004 and 2005. We analysed them by a two-step filtering process in order to characterise the atmospheric contribution and the ground deformation. We are then able to identify two deforming areas and quantify subsidence rates at 0.20±0.02mm/day south of Lorca and southeast to the city of Alhama de Murcia with the same efficiency as the studies using sophisticated InSAR methods. Using continuous records of water levels in boreholes, we deduced a mean storage coefficient (Sk ) at 4.1×10−3 which is very close to the previous published values, and coincides in this case to an inelastic deformation mode of all the system. With this value, we determine the groundwater level variations from the measurements of the ground subsidence. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The lack of information on the protection status of birds in the winter period is a serious concern, as the survival of many populations depends on this period. Here, we consider the seasonal changes in distribution patterns of bird species in central Spain to assess the value of protected areas ( PA) for simultaneously conserving breeding and wintering avifauna. We used a stepwise algorithm of complementarity to select the minimum set of Universal Transverse Mercator 10 × 10-km squares containing all species at each period and then contrasted selected areas in order to test the degree to which breeding and wintering birds overlap. Using Gap analysis, we identified areas that are still unprotected. Our results show both a weak correlation and a scant overlap between areas that are important for bird conservation during breeding and wintering periods. Thus, we conclude that valuable areas for bird diversity differ between seasons, implying that breeding hot spots are not good surrogates for overwintering hot spots. This paper addresses the need of identifying not only important areas for breeding birds, but also wintering birds, revealing potential gaps in current PA networks. Future conservation policies should take these results into account in order to optimize bird conservation, especially considering that the appropriate protection of the bird species overwintering in Spain will, overall, benefit European breeding populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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