Development of an evaluation performance scale for social educators in child protection centers

Objeto: En un contexto de crisis económica, como es el caso de España, la evaluación del rendimiento de los empleados de cualquier ámbito resulta una herramienta clave para mejorar la eficiencia de los trabajadores. En el caso de aquellas profesiones que se desarrollan con el fin de ofrecer un servicio social básico a las personas su importancia es aún mayor. Por ello, nuestro estudio se ha centrado en elaborar una Escala de Evaluación del Desempeño de Educadores Sociales mediante la técnica BARS Diseño/metodología: se solicitó a 11 expertos que enumeraran aquellas competencias que creían necesarias para desempeñar de forma eficiente esta labor. Posteriormente, se seleccionaron aquellas en que coincidieran con un acuerdo interjueces de al menos 3. A continuación se asoció a cada competencia con 2 incidentes críticos y se elaboraron sus correspondientes anclajes conductuales. Además, la escala cuenta con una recogida de datos personales como la antigüedad y las bajas, indicadores frecuentemente utilizados como definitorios de buen desempeño. Por último, la escala fue administrada a una muestra de 128 Educadores Sociales que ejercen en Centros de Acogida y de Reforma. Aportaciones y resultados: Los resultados muestran que la escala cumple los criterios psicométricos necesarios para ser validada (α= 0,873) y su posible factorización (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin=0,810), obteniéndose 3 dimensiones (trabajo en equipo, habilidades interpersonales y competencias individuales del trabajo). Limitaciones: La falta de idoneidad de estos criterios externos puede ser debida a la frecuente confusión entre antigüedad y experiencia y bajas y absentismo laboral. Implicaciones prácticas: Puede apreciarse la falta de covariación entre los criterios externos (antigüedad y nº de bajas) y la competencia del empleado. Esto confirma la falta de idoneidad de los mismos para usarse como criterios externos. Siendo necesario el desarrollo de herramientas de evaluación del rendimiento que incluyan absentismo y experiencia como medidas predictoras de rendimiento óptimo. Valor añadido: El estudio contribuye a definir la figura y las competencias del Educador Social, figura académica de reciente aparición en nuestra sociedad y que está difusamente definido.Purpose: In a context of economic crisis, as in the case of Spain, the evaluation of the performance of employees in any field is a key tool for improving worker efficiency. For those professions that are developed in order to provide basic social services to the people of its importance is even greater. Thereby, this study is focused on developing a Performance Rating Scale of Social Workers using BARS technique. Design/methodology/approach: We asked 11 experts to list those competencies they believed necessary to perform this task efficiently. Thereafter, we selected competencies what coincide with an Interjudge arrangement of at least 3. Then each competency was associated with two critical incidents and developed corresponding behavioral anchors. In addition, the scale has a collection of personal data such as age and time off work, often used as indicators defining performance. Finally, the scale was tested to a sample of 128 Social Workers working in interim child care centers and children and youth correctional centers. Findings and Originality/value: The results show that the scale meets the criteria required for validation psychometric (α= 0,873). Also, the scale could be factored (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin=0,810). Three dimensions were obtained: team work, interpersonal skills and competencies of the work). Research limitations/implications: An appreciation of the lack of covariation between external criteria used as identifiers of good performance (age and number of sick leave) and the employee's competence. This confirms the inadequacy of these criteria to predict performance. Necessitating the development of performance evaluation tools that include absenteeism and experience as predictors of performance measures. Practical implications: The inadequacy may be due to the usually confusion between work experience - seniority and sick leave - absenteeism. Originality/value: The study helps define the figure and the competences of social educators, academic figure emerging in our society and that is vaguely defined.Peer Reviewe

Desarrollo y validación del Cuestionario de Adaptación al Centro de menores en acogida (CAC)

El presente estudio tiene como objetivo el desarrollo y validación del Cuestionario de Adaptación al Centro (CAC) mediante el análisis estadístico de homogeneidad, análisis factorial y validez tanto interna como externa del mismo. El cuestionario fue aplicado a 318 menores con edades comprendidas entre 4 y 17 años, de diferentes centros de acogida de la Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla. Los análisis estadísticos indican que el cues- tionario presenta una estructura formada por dos factores y 8 ítems adicio- nales, así como un Alfa de Cronbach adecuado tanto para el índice global de la escala (0,790) como para sus diferentes dimensiones. Estos datos y la correlación existente entre las puntuaciones totales y la medida externa de adaptación, permiten concluir que el Cuestionario de Adaptación al Centro (CAC) es un instrumento fiable y válido.La Revista Publicaciones se edita en la Facultad y cuenta con los siguientes patrocinadores: Consejería de Educación, Juventud y Deportes (Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla) Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de la Universidad de Granada Facultad de Educación y Humanidades de Melill

Knowledge of the behaviors and consequences of catastrophes among psychology students

Background: It does not exist many studies on the perception that people have about behavioral consequences and psychological health of having experienced a catastrophe. However, those who have focused on it, along with this research, have found that the different groups studied present distortions about catastrophes, having topical beliefs about the occurrence of behaviors such as panic, looting, disorders, etc. Method: This study was performed with a sample of 544 psychology students and other disciplines. The design corresponds to a retrospective study or ex post facto where it has been used a scale of collective behavior in disasters and risk situations. Results: It has appeared significant differences in the mean scores between the group of psychology students regarding the correction key and in comparison with non-psychologists. Conclusions: These results could indicate that the training given to students of psychology distorts their perceptions about the occurrence of behavioral myths in catastrophes.La Revista Publicaciones se edita en la Facultad y cuenta con los siguientes patrocinadores: Consejería de Educación, Juventud y Deportes (Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla) Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de la Universidad de Granada Facultad de Educación y Humanidades de Melill

Forage quality of consecutive years interact to affect body condition, reproductive rate and rut phenology in Iberian red deer

Body condition for reproduction in capital breeders such as the red deer (Cervus elaphus) is mostly determined by their stored energy reserves. Thus, environmental conditions and resource availability may affect reproductive performance and breeding success. In warm Mediterranean regions, current climate change is driving to a hotter and drier scenario that is expected to affect the biology and dynamics of many populations. We examined the impact of these local climate variations on red deer body condition and the relationship with female reproductive phenology and breeding success. We used satellite information of landscape vegetation along with a 22-year data series of direct field behavioural observations during the rutting season in Doñana National Park (SW Spain). We analyzed faecal nitrogen content (FN) from faeces collected during the rut. We found that poor vegetation availability in drier years was related to worse body condition of deer (measured by FN) and a delay in the rutting season, which associated with lower reproductive rates (measured by the proportion of females with calves observed the next year). We also evidenced an interesting interaction between environmental conditions in consecutive years on the timing of breeding season, with timing of breeding being more delayed when previous year resource availability was high and many females bred, and the consecutive one was poor, so females hardly recovered condition and the rut occurred later. These findings highlight the carry-over effect of reproduction in capital breeders and the potential impact of climate-change conditions on red deer breeding

Salud mental y factores de resiliencia durante el confinamiento por COVID-19

La pandemia del coronavirus y posterior confinamiento domiciliario adoptada para impedir su propagación puede generar la aparición de síntomas de salud mental, especialmente en países con periodos de confinamientos largos. El presente artículo explora los factores de afrontamiento llevados a cabo por la población general para atenuar dichos síntomas derivados de esta situación. Para ello, se llevó a cabo un estudio mediante encuestas a una muestra de 1041 personas entre 18 y 65 años de edad y residentes en España. Los resultados encontrados muestran el impacto de la actitud positiva y la percepción de autoeficacia como estrategias efectivas de afrontamiento, así como otras variables sociodemográficas. El artículo expone la utilidad y aplicaciones prácticas de estos resultados y posibles líneas futuras, así como la necesidad de realizar entrenamiento psicológico a la población, en estas variables cognitivas ante futuras pandemias y confinamientos

Entrepreneurial self-efficacy measurement in university students and higher degrees students in Melilla

Con el desarrollo de la presente investigación se pretende determinar la percepción de autoeficacia emprendedora de los estudiantes de grado universitario (G.U.) y de grado superior (G.S.) de formación profesional de la Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla, con objeto de poder comparar los datos obtenidos con el resto de las comunidades autónomas de España, comprobar si existen diferencias en dichas percepciones entre los estudiantes de G.U. y G.S., así como entre las puntuaciones obtenidas entre los estudiantes de primer curso académico de G.S. y los de segundo curso (que han cursado la asignatura de Formación y Orientación Profesional Laboral –FOL–). Para ello, se contó con la participación de 177 alumnos pertenecientes a grados universitarios del campus de Melilla de la Universidad de Granada, (Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Jurídicas, Facultad de Educación y Humanidades y Facultad de Enfermería), y de grados superior de institutos de educación secundaria de la ciudad, de ambos sexos y en edades comprendidas entre 18 y 50 años, a quienes se les facilitó la versión adaptada por Moriano et al. (2012) del Enterpreneurial Self-Efficacy (ESE; De Noble, Jung y Ehrlich, 1999). Los resultados exponen que existe una diferencia estadísticamente significativa en la autoeficacia emprendedora percibida entre la muestra estudiada y los alumnos de las demás comunidades autónomas. Por otro lado, no se encontraron diferencias significativas en este constructo entre los estudiantes de G.U. y G.S.; tampoco entre los alumnos pertenecientes al primer y segundo curso del G.S. Palabras clave: autoeficacia emprendedora, emprendimiento, estudiantes de formación profesional, estudiantes universitarios, factores de emprendimientoThe crises and the quick technological progress are changing the job market at high speeds. The mobility (search of employment in other countries), the reductions of staff to be competitive or the adaptation at new technologies are always making businesses improve. One of these changes is the necessary increase of small business owners. Morales, Giménez and Morales (2018) say that they are who create their own business; for Alda-Varas, Villardón-Gallego and Elexpuru-Albizuri (2012) entrepreneurship is vital to create new ideas and improve the economy of the society. This explains the importance of introducing actions to develop the entrepreneur. However, nobody starts a job if they don’t feel prepared to do it; and in the case of the entrepreneur this is called “entrepreneurial self-efficacy”. Morales et al. (2018) define entrepreneurial self-efficacy as the abilities and the aptitude, both cognitive and behavioral, and the beliefs, influenced by many factors (the experience and the emotions), which will determinate the success or not in the creation of a new business. Reynolds, Hay and Camp (1999) explain the meaning of entrepreneurship as the efforts to create businesses or new societies, like self-employment, the foundation of business organisms, or the extension of business already created, directed by one person, a team or an establishment. Enterprising is not a static quality, but a process (Alda-Varas et al., 2012) in constant change. The small business owner passes through a series of periods in which he or she develops his qualities. Summarized, this process has four periods (Alda-Varas et al., 2012) start, institutionalization, decentralization and conglomerate or social cohesion, each involving different functions and tasks. There is a series of characteristics (competences) associated with the self-employment which can forge success in the future: being a persistent person, having passion, determination, farsightedness, flexibility and good communication skills. Besides the abilities and the attitudes quoted that can be denominated “interior factors”, there is another set of factors that influence in the success of the small business owner: these are the economic, cultural and social circumstances. It is worth asking at this stage if the current education system helps mould and create this entrepreneurial attitude, this perception of self-employment that motivates the students to consider creating their own business when they finish their studies. Since the education system presents two ways for the students to eventually join the work force (university and professional training), this begs the question if both of these ways are equally effective in developing entrepreneurial skills in the students. This article pretends to describe the perception of the entrepreneurial self-efficacy for the students of the university degree (U.D.) and the superior grade (S.G.) of professional training of the Autonomous City of Melilla, with the purpose to compare all the data with the rest of the autonomous communities of Spain and test two hypotheses: First hypothesis: students who have finalized S.G. will have a better perception of the entrepreneurial self-efficacy than students who have finished U.D. mainly due to the characteristics of the curriculum design. Second hypothesis: students in the 2nd course of S.G. (who have already taken the subject of Training and Vocational Guidance) will present a greater perception of entrepreneurial self-efficacy than those in the 1st course. A total of 177 subjects participated, belonging to both S.G. and .U.D., both sexes, and ages between 18 and 50 years old, who answered the scale Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy (ESE; De Noble, Jung y Ehrlich, 1999), in the adapted version by Moriano et al. (2012). Results show that there is a statistically significant difference between the entrepreneurial self-efficacy perceived in the sample studied and other peninsular students. On the other hand, no difference was found between U.D. and S.G. students

Control strategy of a pseudo-stationary gait rehabilitation robot

[Resumen] La recuperación de la marcha es una prioridad para las personas con enfermedades neurológicas o lesión medular espinal. Los exoesqueletos actuales de reentrenamiento de la marcha implementan estrategias de control por seguimiento de la trayectoria o por asistencia según la necesidad, sin embargo, éstas no han mostrado aún ser superiores a la rehabilitación convencional de manera concluyente. En este artículo se presenta de forma conceptual la estrategia de control de un nuevo sistema robótico ambulatorio para la rehabilitación de la marcha basado en un exoesqueleto comercial, integrando módulos robóticos adicionales para proporcionar mayor libertad de movimiento al usuario y fomentar el control voluntario y la participación activa. De esta forma se espera que el sistema permita desarrollar de forma satisfactoria la terapia y, a futuro, favorezca la plasticidad neuronal y el aprendizaje motor.[Abstract] The restoration of gait is a priority for people with neurological disease or spinal cord injury. Current gait training exoskeletons implement path-following or assist-as-needed control strategies. However, they have not shown to be conclusively superior to conventional rehabilitation yet. This paper conceptually presents the control strategy of a new ambulatory robotic gait rehabilitation system based on a commercial exoskeleton. The system integrates additional robotic modules to provide more freedom to the user during motion and encourage voluntary control and active participation in the therapy. In this way, the system is expected to provide a successful therapy development and, in the future, to promote neural plasticity and motor learning.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación; PID2021-123657OB-C3

Long-Term Monitoring of Fresco Paintings in the Cathedral of Valencia (Spain) Through Humidity and Temperature Sensors in Various Locations for Preventive Conservation

We describe the performance of a microclimate monitoring system that was implemented for the preventive conservation of the Renaissance frescoes in the apse vault of the Cathedral of Valencia, that were restored in 2006. This system comprises 29 relative humidity (RH) and temperature sensors: 10 of them inserted into the plaster layer supporting the fresco paintings, 10 sensors in the walls close to the frescoes and nine sensors measuring the indoor microclimate at different points of the vault. Principal component analysis was applied to RH data recorded in 2007. The analysis was repeated with data collected in 2008 and 2010. The resulting loading plots revealed that the similarities and dissimilarities among sensors were approximately maintained along the three years. A physical interpretation was provided for the first and second principal components. Interestingly, sensors recording the highest RH values correspond to zones where humidity problems are causing formation of efflorescence. Recorded data of RH and temperature are discussed according to Italian Standard UNI 10829 (1999)

Histological and biochemical evaluation of plasma rich in growth factors treatment for grade II muscle injuries in sheep.

The purpose of this study was to perform a histological and biochemical evaluation of the influence of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) on muscle regeneration process after a surgically induced grade II muscle laceration. A randomized, single blind, controlled experimental research was conducted including twenty-one adult healthy sheep, randomly divided in three groups (n = 7). A grade II surgical section was performed in the biceps femoris muscle of both hindlimbs. After two days (basal time), intralesional infiltration of autologous PRGF or Saline solution was randomly administered in both hindlimbs. Treatment was repeated once a week. Animal groups were euthanized at 1 (T1), 2 (T2) or 4 (T4) weeks. Histological assessment showed that PRGF intralesional injection induced a significant decrease of inflammatory cells density, significant higher centrally nucleated fibers percentage and significantly smaller fibrotic areas compared to Saline-treated muscles at T1, T2 and T4. Also, lower vascular density, with lower capillaries cross-sectional area, in PRGF group compared to Saline was observed. Biochemical analysis revealed a significant higher expression level of MYOD1, MYF5 and MYOG genes in PRGF groups at T1 compared to Saline treated muscles. At ultrastructural level, PRGF groups presented scarce edema and loss of connective tissue structure, as well as higher mitochondrial density adequately associated to the sarcomere unit in contrast to the Saline group. In conclusion, histological, biochemical, and ultrastructural results showed that PRGF treatment improved muscle regeneration process leading to more mature histological aspect in newly formed muscle tissue after a surgically induced grade II muscle injury

Use of glucocorticoids megadoses in SARS-CoV-2 infection in a spanish registry: SEMI-COVID-19

Objective To describe the impact of different doses of corticosteroids on the evolution of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, based on the potential benefit of the non-genomic mechanism of these drugs at higher doses. Methods Observational study using data collected from the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry. We evaluated the epidemiological, radiological and analytical scenario between patients treated with megadoses therapy of corticosteroids vs low-dose of corticosteroids and the development of complications. The primary endpoint was all-cause in-hospital mortality according to use of corticosteroids megadoses. Results Of a total of 14,921 patients, corticosteroids were used in 5,262 (35.3%). Of them, 2,216 (46%) specifically received megadoses. Age was a factor that differed between those who received megadoses therapy versus those who did not in a significant manner (69 years [IQR 59-79] vs 73 years [IQR 61-83]; p < .001). Radiological and analytical findings showed a higher use of megadoses therapy among patients with an interstitial infiltrate and elevated inflammatory markers associated with COVID-19. In the univariate study it appears that steroid use is associated with increased mortality (OR 2.07 95% CI 1.91-2.24 p < .001) and megadose use with increased survival (OR 0.84 95% CI 0.75-0.96, p 0.011), but when adjusting for possible confounding factors, it is observed that the use of megadoses is also associated with higher mortality (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.32-1.80; p < .001). There is no difference between megadoses and low-dose (p.298). Although, there are differences in the use of megadoses versus low-dose in terms of complications, mainly infectious, with fewer pneumonias and sepsis in the megadoses group (OR 0.82 95% CI 0.71-0.95; p < .001 and OR 0.80 95% CI 0.65-0.97; p < .001) respectively. Conclusion There is no difference in mortality with megadoses versus low-dose, but there is a lower incidence of infectious complications with glucocorticoid megadoses