Religión y empresas: claves para hacer negocios en el Islam

The aim of this research has been to analyze empirically the internal demand and its future evolution, as well as whether and how the Spanish retailers are currently satisfying the needs of Muslim residents in Spain. There are numerous articles about the great market potential Halal as the result of growth of the Muslim population and the expected future growth of the population. These studies in Spain are based on the great potential of Spanish manufacturers to increase their sales through exports, finance and tourism. Once reviewed the existing bibliography, we have not found any research that covers our topic.  It will bring managerial implications in the areas of innovation, production, distribution and marketing that will guide and orientate the decisions thatmanufactures, distributors, commercial managers or other operators can make in the retail market. This research has also identified an interesting opportunity in adapting retailer’s assortment to a segment of the population that is increasingly concerned by Halal products in each act of consumption. The main retailers Mercadona, Carrefour, Dia and Auchan,  should  include products with the Halal Guarantee to identify products that satisfy the requirements of the Halal Guarantee Islamic Law. This paper has been organized as follows: First, we explain the retail market in Spain. Second, we extrapolate population and consumption to 2050. Later we explain the methodology and results. And, after summarizing the conclusions, we discuss the limitations. Lastly, we present future lines of research.El objetivo de esta investigación ha sido analizar empíricamente la demanda interna y su evolución futura, tanto como si, y de qué forma,  los minoristas españoles satisfacen actualmente las necesidades de los residentes musulmanes en España. Hay numerosos artículos sobre el gran potencial del mercado Halal como resultado del crecimiento de la población musulmana y el crecimiento futuro esperado de la población. Estos estudios en España se basan en el gran potencial de los fabricantes españoles para aumentar sus ventas a través de las exportaciones, las finanzas y el turismo. Una vez revisada la bibliografía existente, no hemos encontrado ninguna investigación que cubra nuestro idea. Sus conclusiones traerán implicaciones administrativas en las áreas de innovación, producción, distribución y comercialización que guiarán y orientarán las decisiones que los fabricantes, distribuidores, gerentes comerciales u otros operadores puedan tomar en el mercado minorista. Esta investigación también ha identificado una oportunidad interesante para adaptar el surtido de minoristas a un segmento de la población que está cada vez más preocupada por los productos Halal en cada acto de consumo. Los principales minoristas Mercadona, Carrefour, Dia y Auchan deben incluir productos con la Garantía Halal para identificar productos que cumplan con los requisitos de la Ley Islámica de Garantía Halal. Este documento se ha organizado de la siguiente manera: En primer lugar, explicamos el mercado minorista en España. En segundo lugar, extrapolamos la población y el consumo a 2050. Más adelante explicamos la metodología y los resultados. Y, luego de resumir las conclusiones, discutimos las limitaciones. Por último, presentamos futuras líneas de investigación

Quality control process of the daily rainfall series available in Catalonia from 1855 to the present

The quality control of weather data is a necessity and a responsibility of meteorological services that store, distribute, and use these data. In the present work, a newly designed quality control procedure for daily rainfall data is presented after it has been adjusted and tested with more than 10^7 data from 1726 daily rainfall measurement sites in Catalonia. It is applicable to data from different origins (e.g., automatic weather stations or manual historical measurements). The procedure is focused on relative comparison of daily data with reference stations that are automatically selected after an initial estimation of their quality and a proximity study regarding location and correlation. The presented procedure has been verified taking advantage of an available network in the study area that has been routinely quality controlled by technicians of the Meteorological Service of Catalonia. The newly designed quality control procedure for daily precipitation yields good results, especially for extreme values: type I error under 10% is found for values up to 150 mm (error decreasing for lower values) and type II error is under 16% when reported values are twice a measure of 50 mm or more (error decreasing for more extreme values). After the application of the quality control procedure, a selection of series with the minimum desired quality is achieved.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Study of total stimulated saliva flow and hyperpigmentation in the oral mucosa of patients diagnosed with hereditary hemochromatosis. Series of 25 cases

Objective: To study lesions in the oral cavity of patients with hereditary hemochromatosis and determine their association with iron overload. Study Design: We took a clinical history, examined the pigmentation of the oral mucosa, and measured total stimulated saliva production. We correlated our results with epidemiological, phenotypic, and genotypic findings. Patients with associated diseases or drug therapy causing xerostomia were excluded. Results: We evaluated 25 patients (20 men, mean age 52 years) over a period of 6 months. No patient complained of xerostomia and pigmentation was not detected in the oral mucosa. The total stimulated salivary flow was reduced in 9 patients who had an average ferritin level of 796.5 ?g/l. The decline in total stimulated salivary flow was significantly correlated with ferritin levels (p=0.002). Patients with ferritin levels within the normal range also had normal stimulated salivary flow. Conclusions: We found no pigmented lesions in the oral mucosa; however, we did observe a decrease in total stimulated salivary flow that correlated with ferritin levels. Therefore, hyposialia caused by functional impairment of the salivary glands may be an early marker of iron deposition. © Medicina Oral S. L

Export Performance in Spanish Wineries: the Role of Human Capital and Quality Management System

This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1504/EJIM.2018.091372[Abstract] The aim of this paper is to research the effect of human capital and Quality Management System (QMS) on the export performance of wine firms. The empirical analysis is carried out using data from a sample of Spanish wineries and performing Tobit regression models. In relation to human capital, the results show that only the specific human capital is associated with superior export performance of wineries whereas the general human capital although it has a positive coefficient, it is not statistically significant on the export performance of wine firms. The results related to Quality Management System show that those wine firms certified with the ISO 9000 standard of QMS have better export performanc

Ethanol exerts dual effects on calcium homeostasis in CCK-8-stimulated mouse pancreatic acinar cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A significant percentage of patients with pancreatitis often presents a history of excessive alcohol consumption. Nevertheless, the patho-physiological effect of ethanol on pancreatitis remains poorly understood. In the present study, we have investigated the early effects of acute ethanol exposure on CCK-8-evoked Ca²⁺signals in mouse pancreatic acinar cells. Changes in [Ca²⁺]_iand ROS production were analyzed employing fluorescence techniques after loading cells with fura-2 or CM-H₂DCFDA, respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Ethanol, in the concentration range from 1 to 50 mM, evoked an oscillatory pattern in [Ca²⁺]_i. In addition, ethanol evoked reactive oxygen species generation (ROS) production. Stimulation of cells with 1 nM or 20 pM CCK-8, respectively led to a transient change and oscillations in [Ca²⁺]_i. In the presence of ethanol a transformation of 20 pM CCK-8-evoked physiological oscillations into a single transient increase in [Ca²⁺]_iin the majority of cells was observed. Whereas, in response to 1 nM CCK-8, the total Ca²⁺mobilization was significantly increased by ethanol pre-treatment. Preincubation of cells with 1 mM 4-MP, an inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase, or 10 μM of the antioxidant cinnamtannin B-1, reverted the effect of ethanol on total Ca²⁺mobilization evoked by 1 nM CCK-8. Cinnamtannin B-1 blocked ethanol-evoked ROS production.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>ethanol may lead, either directly or through ROS generation, to an over stimulation of pancreatic acinar cells in response to CCK-8, resulting in a higher Ca²⁺mobilization compared to normal conditions. The actions of ethanol on CCK-8-stimulation of cells create a situation potentially leading to Ca²⁺overload, which is a common pathological precursor that mediates pancreatitis.</p

Prevalencia de ansiedad dental en pacientes del servicio de odontología de dos hospitales del Ministerio de Salud del Perú.

Objective: To determine the level of dental anxiety in dental patients from two hospitals managed by the Ministry of Health of Peru, between August-September 2015. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional, comparative, and observational study, carried out between August and September 2015, including a total of 660 adult patients from the Dental Service of the Hospitals Regional Docente de Trujillo and Belén de Trujillo, Peru. A questionnaire based on the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) (Cronbach's Alpha=0.77) was applied to the participating subjects. Student's t test for independent groups and the Mann-Whitney U test were used for the analysis of the results, considering a significance level of 5%. Results: The mean total anxiety score for the population was 12.05 (SD=3.76). Females (mean=12.56) presented greater anxiety than males (mean=11.53) (p&lt;0.001), young adults (Me=12.60) presented greater anxiety than subjects in mid-adulthood (Me=11.10) (p&lt;0.001). No difference was found in terms of hospitals (p=0.386); 96.06% of the patients evaluated presented dental anxiety, 4.09% had extreme anxiety. Conclusion: The mean dental anxiety of the studied population coincides with the level of moderate anxiety. Females and young adults presented greater anxiety. No difference was found with respect to hospitals. Likewise, 96.06% of the evaluated patients presented dental anxiety, 4.09% had extreme anxiety.Objetivo: Determinar la ansiedad dental en pacientes odontológicos de dos hospitales del Ministerio de Salud del Perú, agosto-septiembre, 2015.Material y Métodos: El presente estudio de corte transversal, comparativo y observacional, se desarrolló entre agosto y septiembre del 2015 e incluyó un total de 660 pacientes adultos del Servicio de Odontología de los hospitales Regional Docente de Trujillo y Belén de Trujillo. Se les aplicó un cuestionario basado en la Escala de Ansiedad Dental Modificada (Alfa de Cronbach=0.77). Para el análisis de resultados se empleó la prueba t de Student para grupos independientes y la prueba U de Mann-Whitney, considerando un nivel de significancia del 5%. Resultados: La puntuación media total de ansiedad para la población fue de 12.05 (DE=3.76), el sexo femenino (Me=12.56) presentó mayor ansiedad que el masculino (Me=11.53) (p&lt;0.001), la adultez joven (Me=12.60) presentó mayor ansiedad que la adultez media (Me=11.10) (p&lt;0.001). No se encontró diferencia en cuanto a hospital (p=0.386). El 96.06% de los pacientes evaluados presentaron ansiedad dental, siendo el 4.09% de ansiedad extrema. Conclusión: La ansiedad dental media de la población estudiada coincide en el nivel de ansiedad moderada. El sexo femenino y los adultos jóvenes presentaron mayor ansiedad. No se encontró diferencia con respecto a los hospitales. Asimismo, el 96.06% de los pacientes evaluados presentaron ansiedad dental, siendo el 4.09% de ansiedad extrema

The Aircraft of the Future: Towards the Tangible Cockpit

The future of the cockpit is undeniably tactile. To make this vision become a reality, several usability issues must be first addressed, being the most important one the eyes-free interaction. In fact, different ways of interaction (tactile, physical) will coexist, and it is paramount to identify those elements in the cockpit that can become tactile and those that must remain as tangible (i.e. physical) ones. This work intends to analyze the current situation and the requirements from the point of view of Human-Machine Interaction. In this regard, we propose a new approach that, leading to the concept of "tangibilisation of the cockpit", can facilitate the coexistence between tactile and physical actuators in the cockpit. We believe that this approach will foster and inspire the development of a tangible cockpit in the near future

Impacts of urbanization on groundwater hydrodynamics and hydrochemistry of the Toluca Valley Aquifer (Mexico)

The Toluca Valley is located on the high plains of Mexico, where there are significant industrial zones and large populations.Water needs are almost exclusively met by groundwater, which has brought about intense exploitation of the aquifer and indication of some contamination. The present study investigates the effect of urbanization, related to industrialization of the region, on groundwater in the central portion of the Toluca Valley aquifer—a zone with high population density and where the largest industrial park is located. A general decline in the groundwater level has been found over the years, at a rate of as much as 2.5 m/year. The appearance of a large drawdown cone was identified, indicating changes in the direction of groundwater flow. Also identified was the presence of several ground fissures, the location of which coincided with the drawdown cone. In hydrochemical terms, the water type is sodium-magnesium bicarbonate and this characteristic has not changed over time, although it has been possible to detect the presence of larger quantities of sulfates (up to 117 mg/L) and nitrates (up to 47 mg/L) in recent years, likely associated with contamination from industrial and urban wastewater. Factor analysis made it possible to identify ions that would characterize natural processes involving the acquisition of salts (HCO3 −, Na+, Mg2+, and Si), as well as anthropic activities (SO4 2−, NO3 −, Cl−, Ca2+, and K+)

Return period curves for extreme 5-min rainfall amounts at the Barcelona urban network

Heavy rainfall episodes are relatively common in the conurbation of Barcelona and neighbouring cities (NE Spain), usually due to storms generated by convective phenomena in summer and eastern and south-eastern advections in autumn. Prevention of local flood episodes and right design of urban drainage have to take into account the rainfall intensity spread instead of a simple evaluation of daily rainfall amounts. The database comes from 5-min rain amounts recorded by tipping buckets in the Barcelona urban network along the years 1994–2009. From these data, extreme 5-min rain amounts are selected applying the peaks-over-threshold method for thresholds derived from both 95% percentile and the mean excess plot. The return period curves are derived from their statistical distribution for every gauge, describing with detail expected extreme 5-min rain amounts across the urban network. These curves are compared with those derived from annual extreme time series. In this way, areas in Barcelona submitted to different levels of flood risk from the point of view of rainfall intensity are detected. Additionally, global time trends on extreme 5-min rain amounts are quantified for the whole network and found as not statistically significant.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft