City Of Zaragoza Research Articles

Towards a critical Edition of the «Sermones» by Don Martín García

In the year 1520, the bishop of Barcelona, Don Martin Garcia compiled 156 of his sermons, supposedly preached in the city of Zaragoza throughout 30 years. On the one hand, these sermons are conceived as an apologia of the Christian faith and, on the other hand, they aim for the catechization and the conversion to Catholicism of the Jewish and Muslim population from the different Hispanic kingdoms.When he composed his sermons, the author used a huge amount of writings, not only from the ambit of Christian patristic, but also from Jewish exegetes and commentators, as well as Muslim authors. The use of this tapestry of sources of such different nature serves the bishop of Barcelona to improve and to strengthen his complex system of argumentations and refutations against the opponent.Despite their importance and subsequent influence, this work, which its complete title is Sermones eminentissimi totiusque Barchinonensis gregis tutatoris acerrimi, necnon immarcessibilis sacre theologie paludamento insigniti Martini Garsie, has not been edited neither deeply studied yet. The critical edition and the study of the sources that compose the text are the main objective of the doctoral thesis that the author is currently carrying out.

A Multilayer perspective for the analysis of urban transportation systems

Public urban mobility systems are composed by several transportation modes connected together. Most studies in urban mobility and planning often ignore the multi-layer nature of transportation systems considering only aggregated versions of this complex scenario. In this work we present a model for the representation of the transportation system of an entire city as a multiplex network. Using two different perspectives, one in which each line is a layer and one in which lines of the same transportation mode are grouped together, we study the interconnected structure of 9 different cities in Europe raging from small towns to mega-cities like London and Berlin highlighting their vulnerabilities and possible improvements. Finally, for the city of Zaragoza in Spain, we also consider data about service schedule and waiting times, which allow us to create a simple yet realistic model for urban mobility able to reproduce real-world facts and to test for network improvements.

Making ‘Retail Mobility Environments’ visible for collaborative transport planning

ABSTRACTUnder the context of collaborative transport planning paradigms, maps should be seen as learning instruments that create dialogue spaces between stakeholders involved in policy-making, rather than simply demonstration tools for transport planning diagnosis and outcomes. This paper explores the role of maps in collaborative transport planning through the elaboration process of the ‘Retail Mobility Environments’ map, a planning concept focused on how non-motorised modes and retail activity are interconnected. This map aims to provide a meaningful tool to assists stakeholders during policy-making, creating a common framework for discussion. The city of Zaragoza (Spain) is taken as case study. The map consists of two parts: (1) based on a mixed approach (both quantitative and qualitative), the spatial distribution of ‘Retail Mobility Environments’ is shown; (2) based on design approaches, specific characteristics of those ‘Retail Mobility Environments’ are detailed. The paper closes with some concluding remarks on the role of maps under collaborative planning schemes.

Micropolítica escolar y el liderazgo directivo en la escuela

El presente trabajo analiza la micropolítica de la escuela para conocer la organización de cada centro en particular, así como los conflictos que se generan entre sus miembros. En este escenario, el liderazgo directivo cobra mayor importancia, pues permite fomentar el diálogo y la búsqueda de consensos. Esta dinámica política guarda estrecha relación con la estructura macro de orden jerárquico, racional y lineal. Por lo tanto, estudiarla supone llegar al núcleo de la vida institucional, develar los motivos ocultos que originan sus conflictos, descubrir su base constitutiva, sus juegos de intereses y la manera en que el poder se nutre bajo el paraguas de las normativas y es matizado por sus protagonistas. No obstante, las luchas de poder por intereses comunes o particulares dan lugar a la formación de grupos o coaliciones en defensa de sus objetivos. Considerando lo expuesto, el objetivo de este texto es presentar un breve ensayo como resultado de una revisión bibliográfica relacionada con el tema en cuestión (liderazgo y micropolítica). Esta misma se confronta con opiniones, presentadas a modo de ejemplos empíricos, de miembros de la comunidad educativa de tres centros públicos de la ciudad de Zaragoza (España), obtenidas a través de entrevistas etnográficas. Este grupo heterogéneo consta de: tres directores, tres profesores, tres padres de familia, un jefe de estudios y tres estudiantes. La confrontación de criterios entre las fuentes consultadas y los juicios de los sujetos informantes revelan que el liderazgo del director, en caso de existir, juega un papel importante para impulsar el diálogo en los centros educativos, ya que el líder actúa como dinamizador de la participación y como mediador en la búsqueda de consensos entre distintas posturas en beneficio colectivo, sin que esto suponga, para el director escolar, perder auctoritas y potestas.

Retail Mobility Environments: A methodological framework for integrating retail activity and non-motorised accessibility in Zaragoza, Spain

While adequate integration of land use and transport is seen as crucial for achieving sustainable outcomes, the reciprocal interconnection between retail activity and non-motorised accessibility is yet to be adequately examined. To address this gap, this paper proposes the concept of Retail Mobility Environment (RME) and develops a methodological process for identifying and mapping RMEs, using the city of Zaragoza, Spain, as a case study. The concept of RME is developed through three methodological phases: (i) definition of non-motorised Accessibility Zones (AZs), using three indicators (walking accessibility, bicycling accessibility, betweenness); (ii) definition of Retail Zones (RZs), also using three indicators (retail density, retail diversity, retail contiguity); and (iii) definition of RMEs, where both retail activity and non-motorised indicators were weighted and combined using multi-criteria analysis. In total, four RMEs were identified and mapped: short-distance environments, motorised environments, non-motorised environments, and long-distance environments. The paper concludes with a discussion on the need to unravel the relationships between retail activity and non-motorised accessibility, in order to reach sustainable planning goals, as well as the potential usefulness of RMEs for transport policy-making.

Education and Roma population

This article deals with Education and the Roma Population. It presents an approach to schooling of Romani children since its outset in the city of Zaragoza (Spain). It analyzes the current status as presented by the Strategy for Social Inclusion of this people 2012-2020, and collects, from various sources, the fact that education remains a pending challenge for Roma Population. Measures to be taken by the educational community from a gender and inclusive perspective are proposed.

Mould and grass pollen allergy as risk factors for childhood asthma in Zaragoza, Spain

ObjectiveExamine the prevalence of asthma and associated predictive factors in a group of 468 students. Patients and methodsA descriptive, cross-sectional observational study in a randomly selected population of 468 children aged 10–12, in the city of Zaragoza. We used the ISAAC questionnaire on asthma completed by children under supervision of the investigators. We assessed the genetic risk (family history of asthma) and environmental risks. The risk for atopy was assessed by the presence of positive skin prick tests. Results25.3% of the children had symptoms consistent with asthma in the city of Zaragoza. Among them 33.1% reported a history of asthma in close relatives (OR=1.78, p<0.001). The history of hospitalisations for lower respiratory tract illness was strongly associated with the presence of asthma (OR=6.72, p<0.0001). Positive skin tests to Alternaria (OR=2.00, p<0.0001) and grass pollen (OR=1.76, p<0.001) were predictors of asthma. 63.6% of asthmatic children had presented clinical rhinitis in the previous 12 months, compared with 32% of non-asthmatics, and this difference was statistically significant (OR=3.89, p<0.0001). 47% of asthmatics presented with or previously had eczema, whereas only 26.9% of non-asthmatics presented with or previously had these types of lesions (p<0.0001). ConclusionThe following are predictors of asthma: History of hospital admissions for lower respiratory tract illness, presence of rhinitis and/or eczema, positive prick test for certain aeroallergens, especially Alternaria and grass pollen, and family history of asthma.

Analysis of the environmental performance of life-cycle building waste management strategies in tertiary buildings

At urban level, the generation Municipal Solid Waste and Construction and Demolition Waste is mostly related to the life-cycle of buildings. An evaluation method based on Life Cycle Assessment methodology is presented in this paper to make an analysis of the environmental performance of different life-cycle building waste management strategies in tertiary buildings. As a case study, several waste management strategies considering a tertiary building located in the city of Zaragoza in Spain, are studied. The aim of the case study is to compare the environmental impacts, in terms of Global Warming Potential, of the scenarios proposed focussing on the waste minimisation and avoidance of landfilling of at least 10% for the Municipal Solid Waste generation during a building's use stage, and Construction and Demolition Waste generated during its construction and end-of-life. In case of Municipal Solid Waste, the results show that when a recovery scenario includes energy recovery from the residual fraction of the mechanical-biological treatment plant in the form of Refuse Derived Fuel, greater benefits in terms of the Global Warming Potential are obtained than with current scenarios of landfill deposition of the residual fraction. On the other hand, in case of Construction and Demolition Waste, a similar situation can be observed in case of an increase of the recovery rates of metals.

Metal uptake of Nerium oleander from aerial and underground organs and its use as a biomonitoring tool for airborne metallic pollution in cities.

The analysis of the airborne particulate matter-PM-incorporated to plant leaves may be informative of the air pollution in the surroundings, allowing their use as biomonitoring tools. Regarding metals, their accumulation in leaves can be the result of both atmospheric incorporation of metallic PM on aboveground plant organs and root uptake of soluble metals. In this study, the use of Nerium oleander leaves as a biomonitoring tool for metallic airborne pollution has been assessed. The metal uptake in N. oleander was assessed as follows: (a) for radicular uptake by irrigation with airborne metals as Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, As, Ce and Zn (alone and in mixture) and (b) for direct leave exposure to urban PM. Plants showed a high resistance against the toxicity of metals under both single and multiple metal exposures. Except for Zn, the low values of translocation and bioaccumulation factors confirmed the excluder behaviour of N. oleander with respect to the metals provided by the irrigation. For metal uptake from airborne pollution, young plants grown under controlled conditions were deployed during 42days in locations of the city of Zaragoza (700,000h, NE Spain), differing in their level of traffic density. Samples of PM2.5 particles and the leaves of N. oleander were simultaneously collected weekly. High correlations in Pb concentrations were found between leaves and PM2.5; in a lesser extent, correlations were also found for Fe, Zn and Ti. Scanning electron microscopy showed the capture of airborne pollution particles in the large and abundant substomatal chambers of N. oleander leaves. Altogether, results indicate that N. Oleander, as a metal resistant plant by metal exclusion, is a suitable candidate as a biomonitoring tool for airborne metal pollution in urban areas.

A bottom-up model to describe consumers’ preferences towards late season peaches

Peaches are consumed in Mediterranean countries since ancient times. Nowadays there are few areas in Europe that produce peaches with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), and the Calanda area is one of them. The aim of this work is to describe consumers’ preferences towards late season PDO Calanda peaches in the city of Zaragoza, Spain, by a bottom-up model. The bottom-up model proves greater amount of information than top-down models. In this approach it is estimated one utility function per consumer. Thus, it is not necessary to make assumptions about preference distributions and correlations across respondents. It was observed that preference distributions were neither normal nor independently distributed. If those preferences were estimated by top-down models, conclusions would be biased. This paper also explores a new way to describe preferences through individual utility functions. Results show that the largest behavioural group gathered origin sensitive consumers. Their utility increased if the peaches were produced in the Calanda area and, especially, when peaches had the PDO Calanda brand. In sequence, the second most valuable attribute for consumers was the price. Peach size and packaging were not so important on purchase choice decision. Nevertheless, it is advisable to avoid trading smallest size peaches (weighting around 160 g/fruit). Traders also have to be careful by using active packaging. It was found that a group of consumers disliked this kind of product, probably, because they perceived it as less natural.

Variabilidad de la distribución en derivaciones a consulta especializada entre profesionales de un centro de salud

ObjectivesTo determine the distribution in variability of referrals to a specialist by each healthcare worker according to their primary care (PC) centre. To analyze the distribution of the referrals to different specialists. MethodologyThis is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in San José Centro PC centre in the city of Zaragoza, with 18,264 inhabitants, where referrals to specialist consultations made by healthcare workers are analyzed. The necessary statistics for the descriptive analysis and for the comparison between multiple workers of the PC were used. For analysis, Chi square and standardized residuals were used. The study includes all referrals made by medical staff of the PC, which consisted of 13 physicians. Referrals cover the period between 1st of January 2010 until 31st December 2010, with data collected through the Management of Primary Care, due to the impossibility of obtaining a computer-based medical history. Indicators were the number of referrals per 100 patients assisted in general practice according to each PC workers and according to each specialty. Results6,345 referrals to different specialists were analyzed. PC centre assisted 74,529 patients with a referral rate of 8.54%. The specialties with a greater demand were ophthalmology (14.4%), dermatology (12.9%), traumatology (7.8%), ENT (7,7%), cardiology (5.8%), gastroenterology (5.1%), A&E (4.7%), neurology (4.7%), urology (4.1%), psychiatry (3.6%), rehabilitation (3.4%) rheumatology (2.8%), endocrinology (2.2%), obstetrics (1.8%), allergology (1.7%), pulmolonogy (1.5%), haematology (0.7%), internal medicine (0.5%), nephrology (0.3%) and geriatric medicine (0.3%). ConclusionsThe study shows great variability of referrals to different specialists by each physician of the PC. In addition, there is an disproportionate variability regarding the frequency of referrals to certain specialists.

City attachment and use of urban services: Benefits for smart cities

Increasing uses of urban services enhance urban management efficiency and also favor social, environmental, and economic sustainability. This research analyzes how users' city attachment levels and other personal determinants contribute to their uses of urban services. Focusing on the city of Zaragoza (Spain), the empirical study reveals that personal attitudes and needs, possession of user cards, and education levels have positive influences on the use of urban services. City attachment affects use indirectly through attitude. This study also presents some innovative approaches to advance the development of smart cities and suggests implications for managing citizen-oriented urban services to achieve higher living standards.

Graffiti of British Ships at La Aljaferia Castle

La Aljaferia Castle is situated on the west side of the Spanish city of Zaragoza in the north-east of the Iberian peninsula. It was built around 1065 to 1081 ad by Al-Muqtadir, head of the Islamic ...

Avian remains from the Upper Pleistocene (MIS3) site of Aguilón P-7, south of the Ebro River, Spain

Aves are represented by abundant fossil remains in Quaternary sites. Birds are well adapted to the environment they inhabit, so they make very good paleoenvironmental indicators for Quaternary sites. Here we analyse the avian remains from the Late Pleistocene (probably MIS3) site of Aguilón P-7 (AGP-7). The Pleistocene sediments fill up a shallow cave, which is located in the Zaragozan part of the Iberian Range, 55 km south of the city of Zaragoza. We have for the first time provided a taxonomic and taphonomic study of the avian assemblage of AGP-7, as well as a preliminary paleoenvironmental analysis based on these data. Nine avian taxa have been identified: Galliformes indet., Lagopus sp., Aquila chrysaetos, Gyps fulvus, Passeridae indet., Anthus sp., Prunella modularis,Sturnus cf. unicolor and Corvus monedula. The taphonomic analysis did not provide conclusive information. However, it suggests an accumulation of uneaten food remains by diurnal birds of prey. The identified taxa currently inhabit the Iberian Peninsula, populating woodland environments with rocky areas. They are found in areas with an oceanic climate, in contrast to the Mediterranean climate that now prevails in Aguilón.

Influence of different factors on relative air humidity in Zaragoza, Spain

In this study, the spatial patterns of relative air humidity and its relation to urban, geographical and meteorological factors in the city of Zaragoza (Spain) is discussed. We created a relative humidity database by means of 32 urban transects. Data were taken on different days and with different weather types. This data set was used to map the mean spatial distribution of urban dry island (UDI). Using stepwise multiple regression analysis and Landsat ETM+ images the relationships between mean UDI and the main geographic-urban factors: topography, land cover and surface reflectivity, have been analyzed. Different spatial patterns of UDI were determined using Principal Component Analysis (Varimax rotation). The three components extracted accounted for 91% of the total variance. PC1 accounted for the most general patterns (similar to mean UDI); PC2 showed a shift of dry areas to the SE and PC3 a shift to NW. Using data on wind direction in Zaragoza, we have found that the displacement of dry areas to the SE (PC 2) was greater during NW winds while the shift to the NW (PC 3) was produced mainly by SE winds.

Comparison of different methods to measure soil erosion in the Central Ebro Valley

Fire is a natural factor of landscape evolution in Mediterranean ecosystems. Due to social and economical changes, wildfires have caused hydrological and geomorphological changes to be more pronounced, resulting in enhanced soil erosion. The study area is located in the Zuera Mountains, near the city of Zaragoza (Spain) in the Middle Ebro Valley. These mountains were affected by two wildfires in 2008 and 2009, burned around 2000 ha and 6000 ha, respectively. Middle Ebro Valley has extreme aridity, which results in a low plant cover and high soil erodibility enhanced by the fire effects. Soil infiltration is one of the properties affected by fire as a consequence of litter and vegetation removal, heating of and changes to the biological, chemical and physical soil properties. The objective was to compare two different methods –rainfall simulations and erosion plots–, to assess soil erosion after forest fires. We compared different measurements with rainfall simulators and erosion plots, applying a woodchip cover –in order to reduce the rain splash effect–, and to measure the erosion reduction. The work showed low sediment rates in both experiments covered with woodchips.

Multilocus typing and population structure of Cryptosporidium from children in Zaragoza, Spain

A multilocus typing approach with eight variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) loci and the GP60 gene was used to analyze the inter- and intra-species variation of 44 Cryptosporidium isolates from pediatric patients in Zaragoza city (NE, Spain). Restriction and sequence analyses of the SSU rRNA gene revealed that Cryptosporidium transmission is mostly anthroponotic in this area, with the predominance of Cryptosporidium hominis (n: 41) over Cryptosporidium parvum (n: 3). GP60 subtyping showed limited genetic diversity and four subtypes were identified, including IbA10G2 (n: 35), IaA24R3 (n: 6), IIaA15G1R1 (n: 1) and IIaA15G2R1 (n: 2). Five out of eight VNTR loci showed a discriminatory power higher than the GP60 gene, although each locus had a predominant allele exhibited by more than 50% of isolates. All but four alleles were associated to either C. hominis or C. parvum and linked alleles at different loci were found. Multilocus typing substantially increased the discriminatory power (Hunter–Gaston index: 0.807, 95% CI, 0.683–0.926) and revealed that genetic diversity is much higher than that reported by GP60 sequencing, since 17 multilocus subtypes (MLTs) were identified. Nearly half of the specimens were allocated to a single major MLT. However, no more than three specimens were allocated to each of the remaining MLTs. Both phylogenetic and population analyses revealed a population clustering of C. hominis according to the GP60 subtype, which indicates the robustness of this marker to differentiate genetic subpopulations. Subpopulations had an overall clonal genetic structure, although traces of genetic flow between them were also observed.

Los antiguos cafés de Zaragoza en el siglo XIX

En este texto nos proponemos un recorrido, dentro del contexto de la época, por los antiguos cafés con los que contó la ciudad de Zaragoza a lo largo del siglo XIX. Interesa especialmente analizar su evolución y características desde finales del siglo XVIII (cuando comienzan a conformarse como espacios de reunión y entretenimiento) hasta el año 1902 (cuando se cierra su edad de oro y se halla plenamente establecido el café lujoso y fastuoso como lugar preferente de la sociedad burguesa). Estos establecimientos públicos vinieron a enriquecer la oferta de ocio en la ciudad y muchos de ellos desempeñaron hasta su desaparición en el siglo XX un papel relevante como espacios de encuentro social y de celebración de tertulias.

Assessing karst hazards in urbanized areas. Case study and methodological considerations in the mantle karst from Zaragoza city (NE Spain)

Mantle karst environments can be analyzed by means of historical, geophysical and geomechanical approaches with the objectives of avoiding urban development in hazardous areas or to establish guidelines for foundation design. Nevertheless, geophysical and geomorphological techniques can show complexities in interpretation in urban domains. In order to analyze their limits and resolutions, historical approaches, geophysical surveys and field inspection are here combined with the analysis of building and construction problems in urbanized sectors. The particular case study presented is a sinkhole affecting three different domains: an agricultural area, an uncultivated plot and an urbanized zone where surficial karst evidences affecting streets, roads and buildings are observed. The results obtained permit to analyze the noises from urban environments for both magnetic and electromagnetic (multifrequency) techniques, and the limitations of ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey in agricultural areas with clayey soils and subhorizontal conductive layers. The comparison and evaluation of different approaches and geophysical techniques in the three domains permit to define an efficient routine in order to characterize surficial evidences, structural changes in underground materials, and changes in their geophysical characteristics.

The presence and importance of tourist destinations on Twitter

There is no doubt about the great international success of Twitter. This is possibly due to its simplicity, and how easy it is to contact companies, organisations and people of all types and origins. With this type of social media, where information beats gossip, and where there are more adults than adolescents, it is fast becoming essential for any company or organisation wishing to promote itself and get closer to its target audience to have a presence on twitter. Thus, tourist destinations are starting to report their actions, showcase their tourism and offers, promote their brands and contact potential visitors via Twitter. In order to analyse and describe this phenomenon, a descriptive study of several existing profiles has been examined, based on a case study of the city of Zaragoza (Spain) as an example of how one destination can use several profiles, each with different objectives.