On the occurrence of Zenopsis conchifer (Lowe, 1852) (Osteichthyes, Zeidae) in the Mediterranean Sea

Sobre la presència de Zenopsis conchifer (Lowe, 1852) (Osteichthyes, Zeidae) al mar Mediterrani S’informa de la captura de quatre exemplars de Zenopsis conchifer, espècie que va ser citada per primera vegada al Mediterrani l’any 2007, a las costes de la península Ibèrica. Un dels exemplars va ser capturat prop de l’estret de Gibraltar, per la qual cosa probablement es tractava d’un individu errant. Malgrat aquestes captures no hi ha evidència de l’existència d’una població estable, raó per la qual l’espècie ha de continuar sent considerada com a exòtica al Mediterrani.The capture of four specimens of Silvery John Dory (Zenopsis conchifer),a species recorded in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time in 2006, is reported from the Iberian coast (western Mediterranean). One of the specimens was caught near the Strait of Gibraltar and is probably a vagrant. Despite these catches, there is no evidence of a self–sustaining population, so this species should be considered as alien in the Mediterranean.Sobre la presencia de Zenopsis conchifer (Lowe, 1852) (Osteichthyes, Zeidae) in el Mar Mediterráneo Se informa de la captura de cuatro ejemplares de Zenopsis conchifer, especie cuya primera cita en el Mediterráneo data del año 2007, en las costas de la península ibérica. Uno de los ejemplares fue capturado cerca del estrecho de Gibraltar, por lo que probablemente se trataría de un individuo errante. A pesar de estas capturas, no hay evidencia de la existencia de una población

The presidency of the governing boards of cooperatives in Spain: a gendered approach

International cooperative values and principles are guidelines that could lead cooperatives towards greater gender equality in the decision-making process. Stimulated by the interest in cooperatives and by the growing demand for advocating a faster increase in the presence of chairwomen in boardrooms, this research aims to analyse the impact of the gender of the cooperative president in some variables related to financial and employment ratios, corporate governance and other characteristics of the organization in Spain. Information about the major Spanish cooperative entities has been collected and analyzed to carry out the empirical study. We find that cooperatives with higher liquidity ratio, higher number of employees, higher percentage of female employees, higher employee costs divided by operating revenue ratio, lower indebtedness, and fewer years since the appointment of the president have a higher probability of belonging to the group of cooperatives with a board chaired by a woman. Cooperatives headed by women exhibit a higher ratio of staffing costs to operating revenues, which could indicate an increased intensity of cooperative principles and values related with the primacy of the economic welfare of workers over the economic benefits

Barriers to innovation in Spanish rural Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

In the context of globalisation, innovation has been recognized as a key driver of Europe’s national and regional economies, whether rural or not. Nevertheless, rural firms are considered less innovative than firms in urban agglomerations. Rural areas represent three-quarters of the land of the OECD countries and are home to a quarter of its population. Moreover, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the economy. This paper reviews the barriers to innovation indicated throughout literature, brings out what constitutes the main barriers in rural SMEs and presents an understanding of some of the factors that determine the position of these firms in responding to new requirements. Data were collected through a questionnaire for managers of 511 SMEs in a rural area of Spain. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software package. The results identify key factors that hinder innovation in rural SMEs, namely those related to economic reasons, such as high costs of the innovation or the difficulty to obtain financial resources, and risk aversion issues. Specific research related to the study of innovation barriers in SMEs firms in rural areas is limited. Therefore, this paper fills this research gap by expanding the body of knowledge in the field of rural SMEs innovation and provides further evidence on this phenomenon. The results also offer relevant insights for managers and policy makers when formulating and implementing strategies to diminish innovation barriers in rural SMEs

Environmental practices in firms located in underpopulated rural areas in Spain: The case of the province of Teruel

This study aims to develop a better understanding of what drives small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage in environmental practices in isolated rural areas. Despite a growing literature on environmental behavior in different contexts, the green activities of SMEs in rural areas remains underexposed. This neglect is remarkable, and deserves attention given the serious depopulation problems they have to face, and the economic and social challenges that lie ahead. Using unique data from 141 SMEs in one of the most sparsely populated regions in the European Union, we study the influence of territorial relations on firms’ environmental conduct. Our results suggest that different territorial factors have some impact on the adoption of environmental practices. We report evidence indicative of the role of these factors in shaping environmental decisions. Finally, we offer suggestions for future research that could further develop our understanding of environmental management decisions in rural and underpopulated areas

Barcos para la construcción de paraques eólicos Offshore: Ventanas temporales y clssificación COVEMA

En las últimas décadas, la Ingeniería eólica ha dado el gran salto desde tierra firme al medio marino. El desarrollo de parques cada vez más grandes, unido a la instalación de aerogeneradores de mayor tamaño y potencia, así como a la creciente demanda energética social, medioambiental y política, han hecho que dichos parques cada vez se diseñen a mayores profundidades: es la era de la Ingeniería Eólica Offshore. Para ello se emplea gran cantidad y tipologías de barcos de construcción. Dichos barcos serán reutilizados posteriormente en las fases de O&M de los parques. Del diseño y uso de dichos buques depende en gran medida el éxito de la instalación offshore. Es por esto que en este artículo se busca la optimización de los buques de construcción de parques eólicos, dando como resultado de la investigación una innovadora clasificación de los mismos: la matriz COVEMA

Eliminating Error in the Chemical Abundance Scale for Extragalactic HII Regions

In an attempt to remove the systematic errors which have plagued the calibration of the HII region abundance sequence, we have theoretically modeled the extragalactic HII region sequence. We then used the theoretical spectra so generated in a double blind experiment to recover the chemical abundances using both the classical electron temperature + ionization correction factor technique, and the technique which depends on the use of strong emission lines (SELs) in the nebular spectrum to estimate the abundance of oxygen. We find a number of systematic trends, and we provide correction formulae which should remove systematic errors in the electron temperature + ionization correction factor technique. We also provide a critical evaluation of the various semi-empirical SEL techniques. Finally, we offer a scheme which should help to eliminate systematic errors in the SEL-derived chemical abundance scale for extragalactic HII regions.Comment: 24 pages, 9 Tables, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS. Updated considering minor changes during the final edition process and some few missing reference

Combined Treatment with Open and Endovascular Surgery of a Mycotic Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

AbstractWe report the treatment of a 67-year-old male patient with a suprarenal mycotic aortic aneurysm. A 67-year-old male developed renal failure during the treatment of a urine infection and a paracervical abscess. Further investigations revealed a 5.6cm saccular suprarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm. A successful combined treatment was carried out with endovascular techniques and open surgery, realizing a retrograde aorto-superior mesenteric bypass. Postoperative follow up scans showed exclusion and thrombosis of the aneurysm. Treatment of mycotic aneurysms is mainly surgical, but endovascular therapy helps to avoid highly complicated surgery and reduces mortality

Cavity solitons in bidirectional lasers

We show theoretically that a broad area bidirectional laser with slightly different cavity losses for the two counterpropagating fields sustains cavity solitons (CSs). These structures are complementary, i.e., there is a bright (dark) CS in the field with more (less) losses. Interestingly, the CSs can be written/erased by injecting suitable pulses in any of the two counterpropagating fields.Comment: 4 figure