Decades In Spain Research Articles

De la violencia a la convivencia en la escuela: el camino que muestran los estudios más recientes

The study of the school conflicts, generally known as school violence, is focused social interest in the last decades in Spain and other European countries. Administrators and research groups have developed a number of studies that allow rigorous approximations to the reality of the situation in schools. The Ombusdman-UNICEF 2007 report, replication of the previous one of 2000, shows relevant data about the bullying taxes evolution in secondary at a national level. Its conclusions, as the ones from other regional studies, allow us to develop a set of intervention proposals, focused on the improvement of the school convivencia, in the way this article shows.

Forested landscapes dynamics in relation to forest fire occurrence in peninsular Spain: 1987-2000

Forest fires play a determinant role in landscape configuration, that is, the type and the spatial distribution of major land cover types in large areas of Spain. One possible way to evaluate this role is by means of the comparison between the area affected by forest fires and changes in land cover types during a certain type period. Based on the importance of wildland fires during the last decades in Spain it is expected a strong relationship between landscape changes and fire occurrence. In order to validate this hypothesis we have analysed the relationship between the changes in land cover types identified in the two land cover classifications carried out until now in the European programme CORINE Land Cover (CLC) and fire occurrence in peninsular Spain for a similar time period. The analyses are based on non parametric correlations and in a canonical ordination analysis between several fire variables and the different types of land cover change in which the dynamic of forested landscapes has been resumed according to the two land cover classification used: CLC-1990 and CLC-2000. The territorial units used are the division of Spain in agrarian counties and the reference period the 14 years spanned between the satellite images used in each classification. Focussing of the forested area, the more important changes detected are the changes from woodland to non-woodland (21%), from non-woodland to woodland (23%) and changes between the different types of land-cover included in the non-woodland class (22%). These three types of changes, that accounted for a 66% of changes in forested areas, have been the more related to fire occurrence. The results show a strong relation between both processes. We have obtained statistically significant results in the correlation and also in the multivariate redundancy analyses. These results confirm the determinant role that fires have played, and certainly will play, in the vegetation dynamic of regions each time more prone to fire such as peninsular Spain.

Disminución del tiempo hasta el primer tratamiento con fármacos modificadores de la enfermedad en pacientes con artritis reumatoide

Objective To analyze changes in the lag time to first disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) prescription since onset of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over the last 2 decades in Spain. Patients and method Review of medical records of 865 patients diagnosed with RA living in Spain and attended in specialty care settings of the National Health System. The principal variable was the lag time between the onset of symptoms of RA and the date of first DMARD therapy prescription. Analyses were performed by year and five-year periods and differences between groups were assessed by χ 2 test, Student t test and analysis of variance. Results Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics corresponded to a typical cross-sectional population of patients diagnosed with RA. The median lag time between symptom onset and first DMARD therapy was 14 months (6-36) for the whole group. However, a significant shortening of time to first DMARD was observed over the last two decades (–4.59 ± 0.2 months by year; P < 001). Shortening of time to first DMARD was mainly due to a shortening of time to first visit with specialists since onset of symptoms with a smaller decrease in time from first visit to first prescription of a DMARD agent. Conclusions A significant shortening in the lag time to first DMARD therapy was observed over the last 2 decades in Spain, being a significant reduction in the time to first visit with a specialists its major cause.

Reduction in Time Until First Treatment With Disease Modifying Treatment in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

ObjectiveTo analyze changes in the lag time to first disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) prescription since onset of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over the last 2 decades in Spain. Patients and methodReview of medical records of 865 patients diagnosed with RA living in Spain and attended in specialty care settings of the National Health System. The principal variable was the lag time between the onset of symptoms of RA and the date of first DMARD therapy prescription. Analyses were performed by year and 5-year periods and differences between groups were assessed by χ2 test, Student t test, and analysis of variance. ResultsSociodemographic and clinical characteristics corresponded to a typical cross-sectional population of patients diagnosed with RA. The median lag time between symptom onset and first DMARD therapy was 14 months (6–36) for the whole group. However, a significant shortening of time to first DMARD was observed over the last 2 decades (–4.59 [0.2] months by year; P<.001). Shortening of time to first DMARD was mainly due to a shortening of time to first visit with specialists since onset of symptoms with a smaller decrease in time from first visit to first prescription of a DMARD agent. ConclusionsA significant shortening in the lag time to first DMARD therapy was observed over the last 2 decades in Spain, being a significant reduction in the time to first visit with a specialists its major cause.

Transsexualism in Spain: A Cultural and Legal Perspective

In this paper I will present an overview of the current legal, social and political situation of transsexual and transgendered people in Spain. The study is based on qualitative data gathered from in-depth interviews with transsexual people, transgendered activists and legal experts in Spain, including some aspects of a cross-cultural comparison between Spain and the UK. The empirical study accounts for the development of social policies related to sex-reassignment and their evolution in the last decade in Spain, as well as for transsexual associations and activism, issues of social exclusion and prostitution. The study on transsexuals consists of qualitative interviews with selected individuals of the transsexual community in Scotland and Catalonia about their life experiences. The analysis of the qualitative data explores the cultural assumptions underlying the legal aspects of sex-reassignment. Amongst other issues, the paper will deal with Spanish juridical procedures for documental reorientation and its potential role as incentive for undergoing sex-reassignment operation, and the performative character of transsexualism as a scientific category and folk gender myths in the shaping of gender. The cross-cultural comparison concerns scientific terminology and funding, as well as cultural and legal aspects of sex-reassignment. The study reveals the performative character of scientific categories, the mobilisation of conflicting discourses in the negotiation of meaning, the circularity and self-referentiality of the terms used both in expert and folk discourse. Moreover, the cross-cultural comparison demonstrates the conventionality of transsexualism as a scientific category and some of the ways in which social institutions act to perpetuate the erasure of gender fluidity.

Changes in antimicrobial susceptibility of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolated from pigs in Spain during the last decade

A total of 229 Spanish Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolates recovered from diseased pigs with pleuropneumonia from 1997 to 2004 was tested for their susceptibility to 11 antimicrobials in a broth microdilution method. All the isolates were susceptible to florfenicol and most of them to cephalothin; however, a high rate of resistance was observed to tetracycline. A bimodal or multimodal distribution of isolates over the MIC range were observed for penicillins, tetracycline, trimethoprim, sulfisoxazole and nalidixic acid, suggesting the development of acquired resistance. Eight resistance patterns were established, and 21.1% of the isolates were resistant to at least two antimicrobials. In addition, a considerable increase in the resistance to tetracyclines was observed during the last decade in Spain, when compared with other A. pleuropneumoniae strains isolated during 1987–1988 (Gutiérrez, C.B., Píriz, S., Vadillo, S., Rodríguez Ferri, E.F., 1993. In vitro susceptibility of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae strains to 42 antimicrobial agents. Am. J. Vet. Res. 54, 546–550); this finding was also observed for gentamicin in minor percentage.

The influence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infection in the recipient on late renal allograft failure.

Chronic liver disease is one of the most important complications after renal transplantation. Hepatitis B and mainly hepatitis C are the more frequent causes of liver disease. Although there are controversial results, in some series, hepatitis B and hepatitis C are associated with lower graft and patient survival. A total of 3365 adult patients who received a renal transplant in 1990 (N = 824), 1994 (N = 1075) and 1998 (N = 1466) with a functioning graft after the first year were included. Fifty-one (2.1%) with positive HbsAg were diagnosed with hepatitis B at transplantation; 488 (16.9%) presented positive anti-hepatitis C antibodies and were diagnosed with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and 25 patients (0.8%) were diagnosed with concomitant hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HVC infection. Demographic, immunosuppression, survival figures and post-transplant and follow-up data of these patients and negative HBV and HVC patients were recorded. The overall prevalence of HBV in the recipients was 2.1%. Patient survival was lower and liver disease was the main cause of death in HBV-positive patients. However, in the multivariate analysis the presence of positive HbsAg did not have an independent risk factor for graft loss and patient death. This finding was similar in patients with concomitant HBV and HVC infection. Graft and patient survival were lower in HCV-positive patients and liver disease was the main cause of death. Interestingly, proteinuria and serum creatinine were risk factors for graft loss and patient death. Fortunately, prevalence of HCV in the recipients significantly decreased from 29% in 1990 to 10% in 1998. In the last decade in Spain, HBV infection in the recipients, showing an overall prevalence approximately 2%, did not influence graft and patient survival. However, HCV infection in the recipient was associated with lower graft and patient survival, although the prevalence of HCV clearly decreased from 29% in 1990 to 10% in 1998.

Chronic allograft nephropathy: causes of death and mortality risk factors—a review of the last decade in Spain

BackgroundImproved immunosuppressive regimens and management strategies in renal transplantation (RT) have increased patient and graft survival during the last years. The aim of our study was to analyze the causes, risk factors, and evolution of mortality after renal transplantation. MethodsWe studied 3365 renal transplant recipients in adults (>18 years) who survived at least 1 year after transplantation in Spain during 1990, 1994, and 1998. The mortality rates and risk factors were analyzed employing single and multivariate Cox regression. ResultsThe follow-up was shortest (maximum 2.5 years) for recipients transplanted in 1998. When we consider an identical follow-up period (2.5 years) for all patients, we did not observe a statistical difference in patient survival and causes of death in the three analyzed periods. Mortality was higher for men and for patients over 60 years. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and neoplasia were the most frequent causes of death. Graft dysfunction, as determined by creatinine level or proteinuria range in the first months, were significant factors associated with a higher risk for cardiovascular and infectious deaths. ConclusionsDuring the last decade in Spain, patient survival after RT (2.5 years follow-up) has remained stable. Recipient age (>60 years), male gender, and graft dysfunction in the first year were associated with a higher risk of death especially due to CVD.

Consenso e imposición en la conservación de la monarquía. La práctica política en un territorio de la periferia castellana: el Reino de Murcia (1682-1700)

For many years, the second half of the seventeenth century has been considered the paradigm of the so-called decadence of Spain. But there are many reasons to reconceptualize this period as one which saw the origin of new socio-economic and political foundations upon which the success attributed to Bourbon reforms would be based. Taking the kingdom of Murcia as a model, this article deals with a generation of political consensus between local elites and the Crown in a context of royal and institutional instability, relating to the succession of Carlos II and to the fact that the Cortes of Castile were not convened. The defence of the borders of the Monarchy meant a perceptible fiscal increase and the development of new administrative instruments to make coercion over the population more effective.

Changes in lung-cancer mortality trends in Spain

Several changes in smoking patterns over the past decades in Spain can be expected to result in a shift in lung-cancer mortality rates. We examined time trends in lung-cancer mortality from 1973–1997 using a log-linear Poisson age-period-cohort model. The standardized lung-cancer mortality rate for men almost doubled, from 31.4 per 100,000 in 1973 to 58.6 in 1997, with an average annual increase of 2.7%. Mortality increased for male generations born until 1952 as a consequence of the increasing cigarette smoking in successive birth cohorts. However, the slight downward trend observed for the 2 youngest generations suggests a more favorable outcome of the lung-cancer epidemic among Spanish males in the coming years, if this trend continues. For women, mortality rates were 5 to 9 times lower than those for men, 6.3 per 100,000 in 1973 and 6.4 in 1997. However, the increasing mortality among younger generations born since 1942 reflects the rise in the prevalence of smoking women during the last decades and can be expected to spread to older age groups as a cohort effect, indicating the early phase of the smoking-related lung-cancer epidemic among Spanish females. The decreasing mortality trend observed in women until the late 1980s could be attributed to a lower exposure to environmental tobacco smoke at home as a result of a significant reduction in the prevalence of smoking men. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Technological innovation and employment: Data from a decade in Spain

This paper analyses how technological change is affecting employment in Spain. Focussing especially on New Information Technology, the latest technological innovations and their effects on employment, in both quantitative and qualitative terms, are considered. Subsequent attention highlights one of the principal problems revealed by the implementation of new technologies in Spanish firms: a shortfall in appropriately qualified workers. This gap could be bridged in two ways: by increasing flexibility and by increasing employee training programmes. Both are dealt with in the final part of this paper. Use has been made of data corresponding to the Spanish economy from the mid-1980s to the late-1990s.

Changes in lung‐cancer mortality trends in Spain

Several changes in smoking patterns over the past decades in Spain can be expected to result in a shift in lung-cancer mortality rates. We examined time trends in lung-cancer mortality from 1973-1997 using a log-linear Poisson age-period-cohort model. The standardized lung-cancer mortality rate for men almost doubled, from 31.4 per 100,000 in 1973 to 58.6 in 1997, with an average annual increase of 2.7%. Mortality increased for male generations born until 1952 as a consequence of the increasing cigarette smoking in successive birth cohorts. However, the slight downward trend observed for the 2 youngest generations suggests a more favorable outcome of the lung-cancer epidemic among Spanish males in the coming years, if this trend continues. For women, mortality rates were 5 to 9 times lower than those for men, 6.3 per 100,000 in 1973 and 6.4 in 1997. However, the increasing mortality among younger generations born since 1942 reflects the rise in the prevalence of smoking women during the last decades and can be expected to spread to older age groups as a cohort effect, indicating the early phase of the smoking-related lung-cancer epidemic among Spanish females. The decreasing mortality trend observed in women until the late 1980s could be attributed to a lower exposure to environmental tobacco smoke at home as a result of a significant reduction in the prevalence of smoking men.

Una aproximación al cambio en las representaciones sociales sobre drogas en España

Purposeto analyse the main elements which comprise the erceptions of the Spanish population as a whole with regard to drugs and the problems associated with them, adopting a transverse approach which takes into account the longitudinal evolution in time. Materials and methodsbibliographical review, sample survey and discussion groups. Outcomesat present, social representations of drugs in Spain lie in two main axes: one characterised by ideological attitudes and the other by perational praxis. In the frame of both axes, and together with certain attitudes which continue being mainly fearful and protectionistic with regard to drugs, there are certain population groups which adopt clearly inclined attitudes, or at least permissive attitudes, towards the presence of drugs in society. Almost all attitudes spin around two basic profiles, mainly marked by age, social and historical experience and ideology (taken in its broad sense), which are analysed in the light of an ideal typology, based on age and the cultural evolution around drugs which has emerged in the last few decades in Spain. Conclusionsthe research contributes many underlying elements to the shaping of perceptions and attitudes in different population groups which, in as much as they are –theorically and practically– related to the operational expression of be haviours, should necessarily be the subject of debate and should be taken into account in order to define the relevant interventions

Dietary habits and nutritional status in adolescents over Europe--Southern Europe.

A literature review of the data on dietary habits, food consumption and nutritional status of adolescents of Southern European countries was performed. Snacking seems to be less frequent and the frequency of eating out in fast food restaurants is much lower than in the USA and in some Nordic Countries. A nutrient pattern rich in total fat (around 40% of the energy intake), in saturated fatty acids (around 13% of the energy intake) and mainly in monounsaturated fatty acids (17-19% of the energy intake), due to a high consumption of olive oil, is often observed in Spanish and Greek adolescents. In Portugal, the percentage of the energy provided by fat is relatively low (31-33% of the energy intake) and in Italy the situation is intermediate regarding total fat, but the intake of olive oil is also high. This means that two important characteristics of the Mediterranean diet, a low consumption of saturated fatty acids and a high intake of carbohydrates have been lost. Regarding micronutrients, there seems to exist a risk of deficiency, particularly for calcium, iron and zinc. The prevalence of overweight/obesity is high, around 15-25%, being higher than in the Nordic countries but lower than in the USA. There is no clear indication of trends, due to the different methods and criteria used to define obesity. The serum cholesterol levels of adolescents has increased during the last two decades in Spain, Greece and Italy, and nowadays are similar to those in the USA, but still lower than in the Nordic countries. In Portuguese adolescents, the cholesterol levels seem to be lower, but the situation is not well known.

History of Science in Spain: A preliminary survey

It can certainly be said that history of science has experienced a large growth in recent decades in Spain. This has occurred despite the generic term ‘history of science’ covering activities of a very varied nature and lacking an intimate relation between each other, in research as well as instruction. At present the number of publications which could fit into the frame of this branch of learning has increased remarkably and commercial publishing houses have opened their editorial lists to the publication of classics as well as to monographs on the history of science. Moreover, new specialized journals on these subjects have become popular and have joined the small number of journals which already had a certain tradition. The number of participants in the periodical congresses of the Sociedad Española de Historia de las Ciencias y de las Técnicas [SEHCYT] has risen and the number of congresses and symposia that have been held in Spain and have assembled Spanish as well as foreign historians has also increased. As another recent promising detail, we could quote the presence of history of science in the curricula of Spanish university programmes, a presence that tends to increase progressively.