Southern Spain Research Articles

Objective and Subjective Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort Indices: Characterization of Mediterranean Climate Archetypal Schools After the COVID‐19 Pandemic

The COVID‐19 pandemic has prompted renewed interest in indoor air quality (IAQ). Poor ventilation habits, energy obsolescence, and the lack of cooling equipment in schools, combined with increasing temperatures due to climate change, are leading to situations of thermal stress in classrooms. Changes in school operation, following the COVID pandemic, have made it necessary to establish an accurate understanding of the current situation. This research work presents an assessment of winter and summer IAQ and thermal comfort (TC) for a sample of 7 archetypal secondary schools in 5 Mediterranean climate variants in southern Spain in a postpandemic situation. IAQ was assessed through CO2, PM2.5, PM10, and CH2O, while static and adaptive models were used in the case of TC. Surveys were also used to assess both of these. The main novelty is the use of IAPI (indoor air pollution index) and IDI (indoor dissatisfaction index) objective global dimensionless indices to optimize the joint assessment of both variables. Poor objective IAQ results, especially for CO2 and PM2.5, were obtained for both seasons and all climate variants. Global IAPI is between 6.2 and 8.1, with an index of 10 considered unacceptable, while time percentages exceeding established limits are more variable in winter, ranging from 7% to 31.9%, than in summer, ranging from 14.3% to 20.9%. TC objective results varied, and the summer percentage of hours outside the comfort bands reached 40%–47% due to excess heat in the hottest regions. This discomfort was reported by 58.3% of users.

A PID-based control architecture for mobile robot path planning in greenhouses

This article presents a control strategy for an Ackermann mobile robot designed for greenhouse operation, based on a cascade control mechanism. It controls both, (i) an inner loop, based on PID, for two motors, and (ii) a classic Pure Pursuit control for the outer loop. In addition, a feedforward control strategy is proposed to address the issue of the natural variable terrain in greenhouses in southern Spain. Path following will be evaluated using a 2D model of the experimental greenhouse to obtain coordinates that will be assessed in simulation. Open-loop tests were conducted on a real agricultural robot prototype, AGRICOBIOT II, designed and built at the University of Almeria.

Psychological mediators between risk perception and psychological wellbeing in emergency healthcare workers.

Healthcare workers are subjected to numerous work-related stress factors, which have negative consequences on their physical and mental health, making them a vulnerable group. The recent pandemic caused by the new coronavirus created a high demand for attention from healthcare workers, which put their mental health at risk. This study aimed to test a mediation model in which resilience and the satisfaction of psychological needs play a mediating role in risk perception, the attitude toward the management carried out by the administration, emotional intelligence on psychological wellbeing, and depressive symptoms of frontline professionals. The sample consisted of 405 healthcare professionals aged between 22 and 65 years, belonging to critical care units in southern Spain. Linear correlation and mediation analyses were performed. The results showed that psychological wellbeing had positive correlations with resilience and negative correlations with the discrepancy in the satisfaction of psychological needs. Depressive symptoms had negative correlations with resilience and positive correlations with the satisfaction of psychological needs. To explore these results further, a mediation analysis was conducted, and a large set of significant indirect effects was found.

Building parameter influence on overheating and undercooling risks in the Mediterranean social housing stock of southern Spain

Building parameter influence on overheating and undercooling risks in the Mediterranean social housing stock of southern Spain

Updating the distribution data of the Red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758) in the province of Málaga (southern Spain)

Between 2019 and 2022 we carried out a survey to update the distribution data of the red squirrel in the province of Málaga. Fifteen years after the last elaboration of the distribution atlas, it was likely that this forest species had expanded in step with the increase in forest mass in the province. The results show that the species has expanded in the province, increasing its distribution range between 24.8% and 27.7% and almost tripling the number of UTM grid squares. The species has colonised the region of Antequera, the mountains of the Arco Calizo Central and the banks of the Genil River in the north of the province. To the south it has expanded towards the urban environments of the city of Málaga and has begun its expansion towards the west. In the extreme northeast, the species has made less progress, colonising some new areas just beyond the limits of the Sierra Tejada, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park. Most of the new populations are geographically closer to the population at Montes de Málaga, which seems to have served as the main source population. In the eastern area, subtropical crops seem to function as a barrier limiting further expansion. We propose and discuss a series of hypotheses regarding the origin of the population and the need to undertake future studies of historical, genetic, and epidemiological distribution models.

Cultural Impact of Scholars in the Andalusian Emirate (138-442 AH / 756-1031 AD)

Scholars during the Islamic ages played a significant role in the development of society, culture, and various other fields including economy, science, literature and arts etc. With the fragmentation of Abbasid caliphate, various rulers became independent and formed parallel caliphates, and adopted their own approaches towards development. Andalusian emirate is one such independent kingdom in southern Spain, which disowned its diligence to the Islamic caliphate, and adopted its own approaches to the development of the region. Scholars during this period played a significant role in transfer of technology from foreign regions, leading innovation in various sciences such as agronomy, astrology, astronomy, mathematics, arts, philosophy etc. All these events led to a significant impact on the culture and society, which are discussed and presented in this paper.

Almond consumption by Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758) in Montes de Málaga Natural Park (south of Spain)

We studied the consumption of almonds by Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) in a nature park in southern Spain where the species coexists with the crop. For two years, we collected weekly samples of almonds consumed by the species and analyzed its spatial and temporal patterns. We also compared almonds consumed with the production of the crop to assess possible damages. The results reveal a marked seasonal pattern of almond consumption, which begins in mid-June, peaks in mid-July and declines towards the beginning of the harvest season in early October. The mean number of almonds consumed was 1.3 ± 0.4 almonds/m2, and consumption was restricted to a 20-metre-wide band in the ecotone of the pine forest to the crop. We appreciate that this amount of consumption is insignificant when compared to the crop production in large cultivation plots, but the damage may be important in small ones. We discuss different hypotheses (edge effect and refuge-distance effect) to explain why almond consumption occurs only in the ecotone. Finally, we propose almonds consumption as a new presence index of this species in areas where red squirrels coexist with the crop.

Microbial composition of Saharan dust plumes deposited as red rain in Granada (Southern Spain)

During durst storms, also biological material is transported from arid areas such as the Sahara Desert. In the present work, rain samples containing significant amounts of mineral dust have been collected in Granada during different red rain episodes. Biological features (bacteria, biofilm, pollen grain and fungal spore) as well as size-particle distribution and mineralogical composition were studied by SEM. Nanobacteria were observed for the first time in red rain samples. A preliminary metabarcoding analysis was performed on three red rain samples. Here, Bacillota made up 18 % and Pseudomonadota 23 % of the whole prokaryotic community. The fungal community was characterized by a high abundance of Ascomycota and, dependent on the origin, the presence of Chytridiomycota. By means of 16S rRNA sequencing, 18 cultivable microorganisms were identified. In general, members of the phyla Pseudomonadota and Bacillota made up the majority of taxa. Some species, such as Peribacillus frigoritolerans and Bacillus halotolerans were isolated during three different red rain episodes. Generally, red rain carries a wide variety of microorganisms, being their ecosystem and health effects largely unknown.

Identification of age at death in red deer (Cervus elaphus) through the upper dentition: Eruption pattern, wear stage and crown heights

The present research aims to determine the age at which red deer (Cervus elaphus) specimens died by examining their upper dentition. We analyzed eighty free-ranging individuals from southern Spain to establish a reference database for age calculation. The age of these individuals was identified by the mandibular teeth inferred from their known death years and the maxillary teeth were evaluated relative to them. As a result, we have provided three non-destructive methods: a description of the eruption sequence and dental replacement, a referential code for occlusal wear stages, and a regression analysis considering the height of the cusps in both upper and lower dentition. These methods offer the possibility of estimating the age at which the animals died and categorizing them into specific age groups. To evaluate the practicality of this method, we applied it to the Middle Paleolithic archaeological site of Abric Romaní. All the proposed methods allow us to approximate the age at death of red deer individuals. The most accurate results, whenever feasible, are obtained by combining these different methods. This study facilitates the inclusion of upper dentition fossils that have traditionally been omitted from the analysis in archaeological sites, allowing a better adjustment of the quantitative methods used to calculate the number of skeletal elements and the number of individuals. This, in turn, enables a more accurate construction of the anatomical and mortality profiles.

Fictionalizing and researching: An approach from collaborative ethnography

This article describes the process of making a radio soap opera with Stop Desahucios Granada 15M, a movement fighting for the right to decent housing in southern Spain. The production of the radio soap opera has allowed us to: (i) investigate the affective and political implications of the problem of evictions after the financial crisis of 2008; (ii) reflect on how to produce meanings through co-research (using collaborative ethnography and fiction); (iii) experiment with the use of fiction as a research device, to “do” research and not only to transmit its results; and (iv) investigate the potential of fiction to facilitate new creative forms of knowledge construction.

Can neutral genetic differentiation explain geographical variation in body size of the natterjack toad, Epidalea calamita?

Population genetic studies are crucial for evolutionary biologists because the population is the basic substrate on which evolution is forged. However little empirical evidence has been able to demonstrate the role that isolation and gene flow play in maintaining differentiation in populations at short geographic scales. Epidalea calamita exhibits a steep variation in body size and reproductive traits in southwestern Spain, associated with changes in the geological substrate. This implies a decrease of 70.9% of body mass and 28.5% in snout-vent length, on a micro-geographic scale of only 60 km. Previous results from both metamorphic and juvenile common garden experiments showed that genetic differentiation may be a causal determinant of geographic variation in adult. This study tested whether neutral genetic differentiation can explain the geographical variation in the body size observed in E. calamita. It was addressed analyzing the level of genetic structuring and gene flow among populations along the cline, comparing the genetic diversity between and within populations, as well as between ecological environments. The study showed that the geographic variation in body size observed in E. calamita has evolved in absence of geographic isolation, with moderate gene flow connecting the populations. Thus, neutral genetic differentiation cannot explain the geographical variation observed. Future studies are needed on the interaction between the genetic component with the environmental factors and will be necessary to analyze the contribution of the maternal effects in the origin and evolution of the geographical variation in the body size observed in E. calamita from southern Spain.

Energetic and Monetary Analysis of Efficiency in Family-Owned Dairy Goat Production Systems in Andalusia (Southern Spain).

The family-owned dairy goat sector in Andalusia presents great diversity. Taking into account the particularities of their economic strategies, which are focused on generating net value added and a stable long-term remuneration for family labor, this work aims to expand the scarce existing knowledge on the energetic and economic profiles of the different caprine management systems in a context of climate and energy crisis. For this purpose, twenty-one farms, representatives of the four typologies of the Andalusian dairy goat system, were monitored for one year: pastoral systems, grazing systems with high feed supply, indoor systems with associated crops, and indoor systems without associated crops. Technical-economic information was obtained that allowed the calculation of energy and economic indicators. In terms of socialized output, the differences found were due to the energy derived from milk sales, which was clearly lower in pastoral systems. The higher proportion of energy output obtained from manure with respect to edible products (milk and meat) highlights the importance of the former in energetic terms. High values for external inputs are found in the intensive group (111.22 GJ LSU-1), while the lowest results correspond to the pastoral group (36.96 GJ LSU-1). The main external input is the energy proceeding from purchased feed, which accounts for over 79% of the total external energy input in all four groups. The highest energy efficiency corresponds to the pastoral group, which is also the most efficient one in the use of non-renewable energy to produce milk and meat. Additionally, the level of eco-efficiency is higher in pastoral systems. Common Agricultural Policy funds contribute to increasing the remuneration of family work in pastoral systems, assimilating it to the rest of the systems. Therefore, intensification does not imply an absolute monetary advantage in all cases, while extensification can be remunerative for family-owned dairy farming.

Breaking the cycle of couscous pedagogy: Are future teachers empowered to teach in multicultural societies?

ABSTRACT Despite the increasing racial diversity within British and Spanish societies, teacher education and school curricula continue to be Eurocentric and taught by predominantly White teachers. This quantitative research sought to explore the perceptions of student teachers in relation to their attitudes and preparedness to teach in ethnically diverse school contexts. Data were gathered at two universities, one in Southern Spain and the other in Northwest England. The article employs critical race theory and critical whiteness studies as frames to understand outcomes of an online questionnaire. The majority White student teacher sample across both countries register an acceptance of racial diversity and report the need for better preservice teacher education in this respect. Despite preservice teachers’ positive responses to racial diversity, teacher education in both countries fails to equip them for increasingly diverse classrooms. This failure serves to replicate the enactment of whiteness and, does not develop student teachers’ stated commitment to racial diversity.

Methodological procedure based on quantitizing/liquefying: a case study to assess work climate in an emergency department.

In the assessment of health organizations, results-based indicators are mainly used, with no consideration of internal work dynamics. This type of assessment forfeits much of the rich, useful information needed to make decisions on improving the organization. In order to address this, a rigorous procedure based on mixed methods is laid out here on gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data associated with the implementation process. A 55-year-old doctor was selected at random from among the staff who volunteered to be interviewed at the emergency department at a public hospital located in southern Spain for an interview. Qualitative data obtained from the in-depth interview (indirect observation) were progressively systematized (liquefied and quantitized) based on a theoretical framework until a code matrix was obtained, without losing or distorting any information. Afterwards, data quality was controlled using Cohen's kappa (κ) coefficient. A quantitative polar coordinate analysis was then carried out using the free software HOISAN (v. 1.6.3.3) to obtain robust results, vectorizing the relationships between codes and specifying whenever such relationships were statistically significant (and if they resulted in behavior activation or inhibition). Finally, a supplementary quantitative and qualitative assessment was carried out. The proposed method was applied to the needs assessment of teams in order to evaluate that work climate in the hospital's emergency department Health Services of a hospital. Data quality control yielded an adequate result (κ = 0.82). Significant activation and inhibition of behaviors occurred, both prospectively and retrospectively. For instance, We seek to understand the needs of our clients and We readily adapt to new circumstances showed a significant activation (vector length = 3.43, p < 0.01) both prospectively (Zsum = 0.48) and retrospectively (Zsum = 3.4).An adequate method to obtain detailed information about group dynamics in a work environment is presented, based on an in-depth interview. Practical applications for implementations to improve the functioning of organizations are presented.

Climatic fluctuations over the Holocene in southern Iberia (Sierra Nevada, Spain) reconstructed by fossil cladocerans

A combination of microfossil assemblages, abundance of fossil ephippia and mean body size provides the longest paleoclimatic reconstruction based on cladoceran subfossils in the Iberian Peninsula. Species turnover in Laguna de Río Seco (Sierra Nevada, southern Spain) was controlled by changes in lake levels in response to fluctuations in hydroclimatic variability over the last ∼8600 years. Our archive documents a wet period in the Early and Middle Holocene (∼8600–5000 cal yr BP), characterized by eurytopic and plant-associated species. A drier stage occurred from ∼5000 cal yr BP and implied a reduction in lake level and higher occurrence of species highly adapted to more ephemeral environments. Proportions of total chydorid ephippia (TCE), indicating rates between asexual and sexual reproduction, are well-correlated with a progressive trend towards aridification. Lower TCE was registered before ∼5000 cal yr BP as a result of a favourable environment under higher lake level, while higher TCE started with the upcoming arid stage (∼5000 cal yr BP) due to environmental stress. Besides these hydrological signatures, data on Daphnia size broadly indicate a warmer period ∼8600–4000 cal yr BP and a colder stage ∼4000–255 cal yr BP. Further investigations using this indicator in the Sierra Nevada will provide more precise reconstructions of past climatic conditions in southern-latitude and alpine ecosystems.

Equids (Equus sp.) in southern Spain from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age

ABSTRACTThe genus Equus was represented on the Iberian Peninsula by four species during the late Quaternary: the wild, now extinct, E. ferus (wild horse) and E. hydruntinus (European wild ass) and the extant, domestic E. caballus (horse) and E. asinus (donkey). The distribution and timing of the extinctions of the wild species and arrival of the domestic species is important to understand the changing environment and cultures through this dynamic period in one of the three southern Pleistocene glacial refugia in Europe. Here we collected data from all zooarchaeological studies that meet basic completeness criteria from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age (45–3.2 ka bp) and analysed the equine data in light of other large mammals at the same sites in order to document the species turnover and distributions through this culturally and ecologically dynamic period. The vast majority of Palaeolithic Equus were confidently identified as E. ferus, and by the Bronze age as E. caballus, with much uncertainty in between. Over time the larger equids (horses) were much more common than the smaller equids (asses). Equids were not common, but they were distributed across the southern Iberian peninsula through the Chalcolithic, and then appear to have become restricted to the drier eastern region in the Bronze Age. These analyses indicate that both E. ferus and E. hydruntinus went extinct by the end of the Pleistocene/Palaeolithic in Andalucia. Not all communities maintained equal numbers of equids, and their distribution changed with the changing climate through time, most notably between the Chalcolithic and the Bronze Age when confidence in species identification and local density of horses increase, but the distribution is restricted to the drier eastern region.

Exploring First Language Use in Non-Formal Foreign Language Education: A Mixed- Method Approach

In Foreign Language Teaching, investigating the multiple variables that intervene in first language use is essential to uncover learning processes and design optimal teaching practices. Past studies have mainly focused on identifying teachers’ reasons for their first language use, while research on learners’ views is scarce. This mixed-method case study aims to provide a comprehensive description of first language use in a foreign language classroom through the examination of its pedagogical functions and the corresponding views held by the teacher and his students. This article adds to the scholarly body of knowledge about the role of first language use in Foreign Language Teaching with the yielding of constructive insights from non-formal education–a non-previously researched context. Specifically, this study was conducted in “Mar Menor” Center of Adult Education (Southern Spain). The main research questions address the quantification of the pedagogical functions of first language use generated by the instructor in certain classes and the comparison of his views with those of his students, concerning L1 use in general teaching and his sessions. Data comprised classroom observations, teacher’s stimulated recalls, students’ diaries and questionnaires addressed to both sets of participants. The results revealed the multifunctional nature of the teacher’s first language use and a fairly degree of alignment between his views and those of his students. This study underscores the importance of fostering learners’ agency. Furthermore, its findings can potentially inform Foreign Language Teaching by deepening the understanding of the myriad of factors and perspectives involved in first language use.

The endophallus of &lt;i&gt;Timarcha kiesenwetteri&lt;/i&gt; ssp. &lt;i&gt;sagrensis&lt;/i&gt; Kuntzen 1911 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Chrysomelinae)

The endophallus of Timarcha kiesenwetteri ssp. sagrensis is herein described for the first time. Its morphology is simple. It has a long basal lobe and a large medial lobe which narrows progressively to a small apical diverticulum. Timarcha kiesenwetteri is an extremely rare species from Southern Spain. It is so rare it has been found very infrequently in the last century.

Interhospital Spread of blaVIM-1- and blaCTX-M-15-Producing K. pneumoniae ST15 on an IncR Plasmid in Southern Spain.

In 2014-2015, the main CTX-M-15- and OXA-48-producing clone in our region was ST15. Recently, K. pneumoniae ST15 isolates co-producing VIM-1 and CTX-M-15 were detected in several hospitals. The aim was to study the emergence and acquisition of this carbapenemase. Between 2017 and 2019, four hospitals submitted twenty-nine VIM-1- and CTX-M-15-producing K. pneumoniae ST15 isolates to our laboratory. Seven representatives of each XbaI PFGE pulsotype were sequenced using short- and long-read technologies. RAST, CGE databases, and Pathogenwatch were used for resistance determinants and capsule-type analysis. Plasmid comparison was performed with Easyfig2.1. Phylogenetic analysis included other contemporary ST15 isolates from Spain. The 29 isolates were clustered into seven different pulsotypes. The selected genomes, from three hospitals in two different provinces, were clustered together (fewer than 35 alleles) and differed by more than 100 alleles from other ST15 isolates obtained in the region. These seven isolates harbored one IncR plasmid (200-220 kb) with a common backbone and four regions flanked by IS26: one contained blaVIM-1, another contained blaCTX-M-15, the third contained blaOXA-1, and the fourth harbored heavy-metal-tolerance genes. The two initial plasmids, from two different centers, were identical, and rearrangement of four regions was observed in the five subsequent plasmids. Our findings showed the first intercenter dissemination of IncR plasmids carrying blaVIM-1, blaCTX-M-15, and metal-tolerance genes mediated by a new lineage of K. pneumoniae ST15. Two different capture events of the blaVIM-1 gene or different IS26-mediated plasmid rearrangements from a common ancestor may explain plasmid variations.

Overrepresentation of Students from a Migrant Background in Special Education: Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Education

This study analyses the overrepresentation of students from a migrant background in special education in the stage of primary education, in the region of El Campo de Gibraltar (Southern Spain). This phenomenon poses significant concerns in terms of educational equity and discrimination, as well as questions about the possible underlying causes. It was decided to address this issue from a qualitative methodology through semi-structured interviews with 16 educators of educational centres that have a significant number of students from a migrant background. The results show the need of educators for specific training in attention to diversity. Likewise, many migrant families come to Spain due to the lack of adequate attention that their children receive in their home countries. Lastly, language and cultural barriers were identified, which allow for biased assessments and subjective decisions that result in the referral of students from a migrant background to special education from a multidimensional perspective. Therefore, it is fundamental to provide training to professionals, overcome the language and cultural barriers and ensure that the necessary resources are available, thus guaranteeing an inclusive and equitable education for all students, regardless of their origin.