Spain In Terms Research Articles

La conciliación de la vida laboral y familiar en profesionales que valoran la Dependencia

La incorporación de la mujer al trabajo ha provocado uno de los cambios sociales más profundos del pasado siglo generando un nuevo modo de cooperación y compromiso entre mujeres y hombres para el reparto equilibrado de responsabilidades en la vida laboral y familiar. Sin embargo, a pesar de los avances legislativos en España en materia de conciliación de la vida laboral y familiar, aún es necesario contribuir con este sistema de bienestar social en la sociedad actual e investigar si realmente en la práctica existe conciliación laboral y familiar en los diferentes contextos en los que hombres y mujeres participan. En este ámbito, nos interesa explorar cómo los profesionales que valoran la dependencia en la Dirección General de Atención a la Dependencia y al Mayor en la Comunidad de Madrid han sido capaces de conciliar la vida laboral y familiar. Para ello, se han analizado las variables sociodemográficas que inciden en el conflicto trabajo-familia y familia-trabajo. En términos generales, la metodología es de corte descriptivo. Se ha usado un muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia para acceder a los 100 participantes de este estudio, entre los que se incluyen profesionales en medicina, enfermería, terapia ocupacional y trabajo social. Se ha aplicado la versión española del cuestionario de Interacción Trabajo-Familia Survey Work-Home Interaction-Nijme-gen conocido como SWING.

Energy security in Andalusia: The role of renewable energy sources

Energy supply security and environmental issues have been among the major concerns for most governments. Recently, thanks to technological breakthroughs, utilization of renewable energy (RE) sources is frequently suggested as a solution for declining energy dependency of countries and tackling environmental concerns. Andalusia is one of the fast-growing autonomous communities of Spain in terms of economic, industry, and population. While Andalusia has a high dependency on energy imports, it is the wealthiest autonomous community of Spain from the perspective of RE resources. This research tries to evaluate Andalusia’s RE potential and its impact on the security of energy supply. First, the current energy system of Andalusia is discussed, and the feasibility of RE sources is investigated. Finally, the total level of Andalusia’s energy security is calculated and compared with other countries. The results reveal that solar, on/off-shore wind, and bio-energy (algae production) are the most promising RE sources. Therefore, to elevate Andalusia’s energy system robustness, it is highly recommended to invest in noted RE resources.

Imported dengue in Spain: a nationwide analysis with predictive time series analyses.

BackgroundOf febrile illnesses in Europe, dengue is second only to malaria as a cause of travellers being hospitalized. Local transmission has been reported in several European countries, including Spain. This study assesses the evolution of dengue-related admissions in Spain in terms of time, geographical distribution and individuals’ common characteristics; it also creates a predictive model to evaluate the risk of local transmission.MethodsThis is a retrospective study using the Hospital Discharge Records Database from 1997 to 2016. We calculated hospitalization rates and described clinical characteristics. Spatial distribution and temporal behaviour were also assessed, and a predictive time series model was created to estimate expected cases in the near future. Figures for resident foreign population, Spanish residents’ trips to endemic regions and the expansion of Aedes albopictus were also evaluated.ResultsA total of 588 dengue-related admissions were recorded: 49.6% were women, and the mean age was 34.3 years. One person died (0.2%), 82% presented with mild-to-moderate dengue and 7–8% with severe dengue. We observed a trend of steady and consistent increase in incidence (P < 0.05), in parallel with the increase in trips to dengue-endemic regions. Most admissions occurred during the summer, showing significant seasonality with 3-year peaks. We also found important regional differences. According to the predictive time series analysis, a continuing increase in imported dengue incidence can be expected in the near future, which, in the worst case scenario (upper 95% confidence interval), would mean an increase of 65% by 2025.ConclusionWe present a nationwide study based on hospital, immigration, travel and entomological data. The constant increase in dengue-related hospitalizations, in combination with wider vector distribution, could imply a higher risk of autochthonous dengue transmission in the years to come. Strengthening the human and vector surveillance systems is a necessity, as are improvements in control measures, in the education of the general public and in fostering their collaboration in order to reduce the impact of imported dengue and to prevent the occurrence of autochthonous cases.

Economy as Empire: Dutch Disease and the Decline of Imperial Spain

The marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile in 1469 began the process of the eventual unification of Spain. Over the ensuing decades, Spain finally conquered the Muslims at Granada in 1492 and completed the Reconquista. Spain then began a period of imperial expansion with Christopher Columbus’s first voyage later that year. Beginning in the late 15th century and through the middle of the 17th century, Spain was the world’s dominant economic and military empire. But a series of factors combined to exert severe pressure on the empire and ultimately led to its decline beginning in the 1640s. While historians continue to debate the specific causes, a review of the Spanish historiography makes clear that economic forces have always been among the most important. The was the name given by The Economist in 1977 and later developed by economists to the relationship between the discovery of massive deposits of natural gas in the Netherlands in the 1960s and the subsequent negative impact on the industrial sector of the country. It has also been described as a “resource curse” or a “paradox of plenty.” Since then, the Dutch Disease model has been applied to several historical circumstances, including the Spanish Empire of the 16th century. And while some historians have appraised the decline of Spain in terms of the Dutch Disease, there is a gap in the scholarly work regarding how this relationship impacted the protectionist and mercantilist economic policies unique to the Spanish economy. This paper seeks to fill that gap by examining the role of the large influx of American gold and silver into the Spanish economy and specifically its impact on Spain's manufacturing and agricultural base, with an emphasis on the contemporaneous writings of the School of Salamanca (often referred to as the Spanish Scholastics) and the arbitristas. The discovery of massive quantities of gold and silver in Spanish America caused a significant increase in the Spanish money supply. This in turn led to a rise in prices, known as the Spanish Price Revolution, and made the Spanish manufacturing industry less competitive on the global market. Finally, the effects of the Dutch Disease amplified the structural deficiencies in the Spanish economy: first, the special privileges granted to the Mesta, a collection of Spanish sheep ranchers; and second, demographic hollowing caused by the expulsion of so many Jews and Moriscos, which had the impact of removing many artisans, traders, and merchants that were the lifeblood of the Spanish economy.

Remote sensing and ecosystem modeling to simulate terrestrial carbon fluxes

&lt;p&gt;The main goal of this thesis is the establishment of a framework to analyze the forest ecosystems in peninsular Spain in terms of their role in the carbon cycle. In particular, the carbon fluxes that they exchange with atmosphere are modeled to evaluate their potential as carbon sinks and biomass reservoirs. The assessment of gross and net carbon fluxes is performed at 1-km spatial scale and on a daily basis using two different ecosystem models, Monteith and BIOME-BGC, respectively. These models are driven by a combination of satellite and ground data, part of the latter being also employed as a complementary data source and in the validation process.&lt;/p&gt;

Carbon abatement with renewables: Evaluating wind and solar subsidies in Germany and Spain

This paper exploits the exogeneity of weather conditions to evaluate renewable energy (RE) subsidies in Germany and Spain in terms of their short-run direct program costs for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. We find that both aggregate costs and their distribution between energy producers and consumers vary significantly depending on which type of RE technology is promoted — reflecting substantial heterogeneity in production costs, temporal availability of natural resources, and market conditions, i.e., time-varying demand, carbon intensity of installed production capacities, and opportunities for cross-border trade. We estimate that the costs for reducing 1 ton of CO2 through subsidies for solar are 411 to 1944 €. Subsidizing wind entails significantly lower costs, ranging from 82 to276 €. In the short run, the economic rents for energy producers always decrease, while consumers incur four to seven times larger costs when solar is promoted but gain under RE policies promoting wind.

Geographical distribution and evolution of deaths in hospitals in Spain, 1996–2015

Background and objectiveThe location where death occurs varies widely among societies. The aim of this study was to describe the evolution in the hospital mortality rate (HMR) in Spain over the course of 20years and its distribution by province during a more recent period and to explore its relationship with potential explanatory variables. MethodsThis was an ecological study. The population mortality rates were obtained from the Natural Population Movement (Movimiento Natural de la Población), and the hospital mortality rates were obtained from the Specialized Care Information System (Sistema de Información en Atención Especializada), which includes information from all hospitals in Spain. We calculated the mortality rates for patients who were not surveyed and the HMR at the national level between 1996 and 2015 and for provinces between 2013 and 2015. The relationship between the provincial distribution of HMR and various demographic, socioeconomic and healthcare variables were analyzed through simple and multiple linear regressions. ResultsThe HMR in Spain increased from 49% in 1996 to 56% in 2007, having remained stable from 1996 to 2015. The variation among provinces was 40–70%. The multivariate analysis showed a higher HMR in the less rural provinces and in those with a larger availability of hospital beds. ConclusionsThere is considerable provincial heterogeneity in Spain in terms of the probability of dying in hospital or at home. This result could be partly explained by demographics (percentage of rural population) and the healthcare structure (number of hospital beds per population).

Jóvenes catalanes en Londres: emigración juvenil, crisis y mercado de trabajo

Many young people are having dificulties to start their profesional career in Spain due to the current economical crisis, and decide to move abroad. London is one of the prefered destinations because of different reasons: it provides a good opportunity to learn English, the country has ample job opportunities and it is close to Spain. This paper approaches the state of youth in Spain in terms of employment and the migration process adopted by many Spaniards since 2008, focusing specifically in the UK as destination. This paper aims to give voice to the 30 young Catalan people interviewed, showing their migration and labour strategies in London.

Distribución geográfica y evolución de las muertes en hospitales en España, 1996-2015

Background and objectiveThe location where death occurs varies widely among societies. The aim of this study was to describe the evolution in the hospital mortality rate (HMR) in Spain over the course of 20years and its distribution by province during a more recent period and to explore its relationship with potential explanatory variables. MethodsThis was an ecological study. The population mortality rates were obtained from the Natural Population Movement (Movimiento Natural de la Población), and the hospital mortality rates were obtained from the Specialised Care Information System (Sistema de Información en Atención Especializada), which includes information from all hospitals in Spain. We calculated the mortality rates for patients who were not surveyed and the HMR at the national level between 1996 and 2015 and for provinces between 2013 and 2015. The relationship between the provincial distribution of HMR and various demographic, socioeconomic and healthcare variables were analysed through simple and multiple linear regression. ResultsThe HMR in Spain increased from 49% in 1996 to 56% in 2007, having remained stable from 1996 to 2015. The variation among provinces was 40% to 70%. The multivariate analysis showed a higher HMR in the less rural provinces and in those with a larger availability of hospital beds. ConclusionsThere is considerable provincial heterogeneity in Spain in terms of the probability of dying in hospital or at home. This result could be partly explained by demographics (percentage of rural population) and the healthcare structure (number of hospital beds per population).

El tratado musical de Pedro Martínez de Osma, un testimonio recuperado del siglo XV

Este artículo presenta un nuevo tratado musical español del siglo XV escrito por Pedro Martínez de Osma, catedrático de Teología en la Universidad de Salamanca. De esta obra se tenía noticia por referencias coetáneas debidas a su colega Ramos de Pareja, pero hasta ahora no se había identificado. Este texto, escrito en 1465 y conservado en la Biblioteca Nacional de Nápoles, permite obtener nueva información de un periodo muy poco explorado en cuanto al pensamiento musical en España, precisamente por la ausencia de fuentes documentales. Analizando su contenido se detalla el ambiente reformista y prehumanista que se vivía en esos años en el Estudio salmantino y se perfila la corriente de pensamiento que, pasando por Ramos y otros autores en torno al 1500, llevarán al florecimiento de los insignes autores del quinientos, en especial Francisco Salinas.

Institutional resources as a source of trade union power in Southern Europe

Institutional resources are one of the sources of power available to trade unions, but recent literature has tended to pay less attention to these than to associational and organizational resources. We examine institutional resources in three Southern European countries, Greece, Portugal and Spain, which share many common characteristics. However, the character of institutional resources in Spanish industrial relations is distinctive. We examine the plasticity of industrial relations institutions in Spain in terms of labour market outcomes but argue that institutional security is an essential platform for unions seeking to develop other sources of power.

An empirical analysis of the effectiveness of hotel Revenue Management in five-star hotels in Barcelona, Spain

Abstract Many capacity-limited service industries have been reaping the benefits by employing Revenue Management (RM) concepts and techniques. Its application in the hospitality industry has enabled thousands of hotels worldwide to phase out the traditional hotel management models and to develop new strategies to more effectively manage these properties. This research aims at assessing the level of application of RM in five-star hotels in Barcelona (Spain), which was ranked the number one city in Spain in terms of international tourist arrivals. Thus, this exploratory study examines RM-related variables and analyzes the data obtained from the application of MERMI (Model for Evaluating Revenue Management Implementation in the Hotel Industry) in Barcelona as a case study. In addition, it provides RM practitioners with empirical evidence of the effectiveness of RM in the hospitality industry in Barcelona, useful insight in determining the challenges associated with its implementation and recommendations to improve the applied RM practices. In general terms, the findings are encouraging for the participating hotels because a high level of application of RM is been reached. However, some theoretical and practical aspects of RM performance in these hotels need to be improved in order to obtain better results in the future.

Validation of the Mini-OAKHQOL for use in patients with osteoarthritis in Spain.

The Mini-Osteoarthritis Knee and Hip Quality of Life (Mini-OAKHQOL) questionnaire osteoarthritis is specific to individuals with knee or hip osteoarthritis. The objective of this study was to perform a validation of the Mini-OAKHQOL for use in Spain in terms of its psychometric properties of reliability, validity and responsiveness. Patients with osteoarthritis from the waiting list for a joint replacement completed the OAKHQOL, Short Form 36 Health Survey and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. Reliability was assessed in terms of internal consistency and test-retest data, and convergent validity using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Structural validity was investigated by confirmatory factor analysis, and Rasch analysis was used to examine the unidimensionality of the scales. Responsiveness was assessed by calculating effect sizes. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the five-factor model, and the results of the Rasch analyses supported the unidimensionality assumption, with infit and outfit statistics. Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.76 to 0.89 for all except the social dimensions. Statistically significant differences were observed between patients with different degrees of disease severity on all dimensions. There was convergent validity among dimensions expected to be correlated. The OAKHQOL questionnaire showed good responsiveness, with large changes for all dimensions apart from the two social dimensions, which had small effect sizes. Results of the study support the view that the Spanish version of the Mini-OAKHQOL questionnaire is a valid instrument to measure health-related quality of life in patients with osteoarthritis of the lower limb.

Business Networks and Social Capital in Basque Industrialization (1886�1925)

The aim of this article is to analyse the potential role that social capital played in the industrialization of the Basque Country. The province of Gipuzkoa, together with the neighbouring Bizkaia (Biscay), was one of the most dynamic provinces in Spain in terms of the creation of companies. Using information obtained from the registration of new companies in the Mercantile Register, and through social network analysis, we try to measure the importance that social capital may have had in this process. The methodology is tested with the case study of the arms industry in Eibar, one of the most important sectors in the region.

The Burden of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Spain

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease with an estimated prevalence of 0.2- 1.1%. Fatigue, swelling and deformation of the joints are complications of RA that lead to physical dysfunction and a considerable economic burden. The objective of this review was to bring together and analyze the Spanish publications on the burden of RA in Spain in terms of frequency, associated comorbidities, impact on quality of life, and associated costs. Methods: A search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE (2000 to 2014), and in the reference lists of previous reviews. We identified 18 publications of interest in the Spanish setting. Results: After an analysis of the literature, we found that RA in Spain has a prevalence of 0.50% and an incidence of 0.08 to 0.20 cases/1000 person-years. The most common comorbidities associated with RA are dyslipidemia, hypertension, depression and diabetes. In addition, RA is associated with an excess mortality of 85% compared to the general population. With regard to quality of life, RA has a significant negative effect on its physical component. Economic studies showed that the annual cost per patient varies depending on the study (€3,600 to €11,707 in 2002). The largest component of RA annual cost is direct costs, representing 70-75% of the total. Conclusion: RA in Spain is associated with impaired quality of life, increased disability and costs, and increased mortality. Epidemiological data indicate that the frequency of RA in Spain is similar to that of other developed countries

Las asociaciones de inmigrantes en España: funciones y limitaciones ante el reto de la integración

Este artículo analiza las características y necesidades de las asociaciones De inmigrantes en España en materia de gobernanza interna y externa. Tras situar la problemática en el marco de las políticas de integración, se centra, en primer lugar, en los orígenes y motivaciones de creación de las asociaciones, sobre todo aquellas que emanan de los principios de solidaridad y altruismo y las que surgen de la necesidad de convivencia e integración en la sociedad de acogida. En segundo lugar, el trabajo arroja luz sobre la tipología de actividades organizadas, los recursos de las asociaciones y sus prácticas de dirección estratégica, así como de coordinación interinstitucional. Lo que lleva a abordar cuestiones más amplias en relación con la gobernanza participativa y la apertura de la estructura de oportunidades para dar a estas organizaciones mayor protagonismo de cara a la inclusión de las personas inmigrantes y su integración.

Analysis of University Postgraduate Nursing Education in Spain.

The nursing education program framework in Spain has recently been adapted and modified. This study aimed to analyze university postgraduate master'slevel nursing education during the past 21 years in Spain in terms of educational supply and demand. A retrospective, longitudinal, descriptive, and observational design was used. The educational offerings at 15 university nursing schools in Spain were examined. The target population was 7,871 registered and licensed nurses who had completed postgraduate education. Among the 211 programs offered, public universities' educational offerings focused on two areas-public health and emergency care-whereas most courses in private universities were in surgery. Regarding demand, 1,235 nurses were enrolled. The most frequently requested educational areas were surgery, emergency and urgent care, and public health. Although the postgraduate nursing education situation has changed, supply and demand for this type of education in Spain are well balanced at both public and private universities. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(11):615-622.].

Badlands forest restoration in Central Spain after 50 years under a Mediterranean-continental climate

This study shows the results of a badlands restoration carried out 50 years ago in Central Spain in terms of soil evolution, vegetation and hydrological characteristics. Although gully restoration is frequently employed to recover degraded soils and reduce sediment yield to rivers and reservoirs, analysis of the evolution of this type of action after a long period of time is not so commonplace. Moreover, this study focuses on a unique area under a Mediterranean-continental climate, with granite and sandy soils. Restoration works consisted in the construction of at least 123 check dams and the reforestation of more than 730ha, with 2700 treesha−1. Nowadays, the soils have begun to regenerate. Litter thickness and soil humus is 3.7cm under the pine-forest, while it is null in the degraded soil. Forest soil has a higher resistance to penetration and higher K and P content. However, there are no significant differences in the% OM, in the content of Ca, Mg, Na and N, or in the steady-state infiltration rate, possibly because of the influence of soil texture. These results show that much more time is needed for soil evolution. As a conclusion, however, restoration works did improve forest cover and some physical and chemical soil properties as well as slowing down soil erosion and sediment production. Suitable silviculture and land management of the current pine forest will improve soil conditions and serve to recover the ancient native oak forest that grew before the intense historic degradation.

Stay or Go? Ecuadorian Immigrants in Spain in Times of Crisis

This article studies how the economic crisis affects Ecuadorian immigrants' decisions on staying in Spain or returning to their home country. Before the crisis, Ecuadorians were one of the most significant migrant groups in Spain in terms of volume and degree of settlement. The crisis has destabilised their situation and modified their migratory projects in different ways. This article presents the three main choices facing Ecuadorian immigrants during the crisis: permanence, wait and see, and return/re‐migration. The analysis focuses on how the decision‐making process is carried out and on the different factors that lead Ecuadorians to choose each option.

Advanced prostate cancer survival in Spain according to the Gleason score, age and stage

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to determine the overall and disaggregated survival based on the Gleason score, age and extent of a patient cohort diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer according to standard clinical practice. Material and methodWe used an observational and retrospective design for the study. For each patient, we recorded clinical variables such as the extent (metastatic or locally advanced), Gleason score, age, date of diagnosis, date of last contact with the health system and the vital status during the last contact. We used univariate and multivariate statistical techniques of survival. The parametric survival methods enabled us to calculate the mean survival using extrapolation.We analyzed 219 patients treated in the public health system between 2008 and 2011. The analysis showed statistically significant differences in survival depending on Gleason score, age and stage. The longest survival was in the subgroup younger than 75 years, with a local extent and a low-risk category on the Gleason scale (19.41 years), and the shortest survival (0.97 years) was in the 75 years or older group. The survival of the other subgroups ranged between these outliers. ConclusionThe main contribution of this study is that it is the first to calculate the mean survival of advanced prostate cancer in Spain in terms of the variables of our study population. This information helps clinicians predict the life expectancy of each patient according to their prognostic factors.