Corporate Governance and Innovation: a Theoretical Review

p. 266-284Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a review of the literature on two lines of research, corporate governance and innovation, explaining how different internal corporate governance mechanisms may be determinants of business innovation. Design/methodology/approach – It explores the theoretical background and the empirical evidence regarding the influence of both ownership structure and the board of directors on company innovation. Then, conclusions are drawn and possible future research lines are presented. Findings – No consensus was observed regarding the relation between corporate governance and innovation, with both positive and negative arguments being found, and with empirical evidence not always pointing in the same direction. Thus, new studies trying to clarify this relationship are needed. Originality/value – Over recent years, interest has grown in the influence of governance mechanisms on innovation decisions taken by the management. Innovation efforts and results depend on factors that are influenced by corporate governance, such as ownership structure or the functioning of the board of directors. Thus, the paper shows an updated state of the art in this field proposing future lines for empirical research.S

TRAFAIR: Understanding Traffic Flow to Improve Air Quality

Environmental impacts of traffic are of major concern throughout many European metropolitan areas. Air pollution causes 400 000 deaths per year, making it first environmental cause of premature death in Europe. Among the main sources of air pollution in Europe, there are road traffic, domestic heating, and industrial combustion. The TRAFAIR project brings together 9 partners from two European countries (Italy and Spain) to develop innovative and sustainable services combining air quality, weather conditions, and traffic flows data to produce new information for the benefit of citizens and government decision-makers. The project is started in November 2018 and lasts two years. It is motivated by the huge amount of deaths caused by the air pollution. Nowadays, the situation is particularly critical in some member states of Europe. In February 2017, the European Commission warned five countries, among which Spain and Italy, of continued air pollution breaches. In this context, public administrations and citizens suffer from the lack of comprehensive and fast tools to estimate the level of pollution on an urban scale resulting from varying traffic flow conditions that would allow optimizing control strategies and increase air quality awareness. The goals of the project are twofold: monitoring urban air quality by using sensors in 6 European cities and making urban air quality predictions thanks to simulation models. The project is co-financed by the European Commission under the CEF TELECOM call on Open Data

NeuroEPO influence on the fetal heart in a placental insufficiency model of rats

Foundation: placental insufficiency is the most common cause of intrauterine growth retardation, which can cause cardiovascular alterations. Recently, erythropoietin therapies have been developed that protect hypoxic cardiac tissues.Objective: To evaluate the influence of human recombinant erythropoietin with low sialic acid content (NeuroEPO) on the fetal heart in a rat model of placental insufficiency.Methods: 14 Wistar rats gestated with unilateral ligation of the right uterine artery on day 16 of gestation were used. That same day, seven rats were administered NeuroEPO (0.5 mg/kg/day subcutaneously for three days) and the rest received placebo. On day 20 of gestation, the fetuses were divided into four groups: a control group, a group with intrauterine growth retardation, a NeuroEPO control group, and a group with intrauterine growth retardation and NeuroEPO. In the fetuses, placental weight, fetal weight and placental efficiency were obtained. In the histological study, the number of cardiomyocytes, number of blood vessels and quantity of collagen fibers were quantified.Results: the group with intrauterine growth retardation presented a decrease in fetal weight, the number of cardiomyocytes, the number of blood vessels and an increase in the amount of collagen fibers (p<0.05). When fetuses with intrauterine growth retardation were treated with NeuroEPO, fetal weight increased, although the weight was not similar to the control. The rest of the variables behaved similar to the control.Conclusions: the administration of this molecule improved fetal weight and allowed an adequate balance in the development of the fetal heart, perhaps due to the cytoprotective effects of this molecule

Unfolding jellyfish bloom dynamics along the Mediterranean basin by transnational citizen science initiatives

Science is addressing global societal challenges, and due to limitations in research financing, scientists are turning to the public at large to jointly tackle specific environmental issues. Citizens are therefore increasingly involved in monitoring programs, appointed as citizen scientists with potential to delivering key data at near to no cost to address environmental challenges, therein fostering scientific knowledge and advising policy- and decision-makers. One of the first and most successful examples of marine citizen science in the Mediterranean is represented by the integrative and collaborative implementation of several jellyfish-spotting campaigns in Italy, Spain, Malta, and Tunisia starting in 2009. Altogether, in terms of time coverage, geographic extent, and number of citizen records, these represent the most effective marine citizen science campaigns thus far implemented in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, we analyzed a collective database merging records over the above four countries, featuring more than 100,000 records containing almost 25,000 observations of jellyfish specimens collected over a period of 3 to 7 years (from 2009 to 2015) by citizen scientists participating in any of the national citizen science programs included in this analysis. Such a wide citizen science exercise demonstrates a valuable and cost-effective tool to understanding ecological drivers of jellyfish proliferation over the Western and Central Mediterranean basins, as well as a powerful contribution to developing tailored adaptation and management strategies; mitigating jellyfish impacts on human activities in coastal zones; and supporting implementation of marine spatial planning, Blue Growth, and conservation strategies.peer-reviewe

Effectiveness of Thrombectomy in Stroke According to Baseline Prognostic Factors: Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting Analysis of a Population-Based Registry

Background and Purpose In real-world practice, the benefit of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is uncertain in stroke patients with very favorable or poor prognostic profiles at baseline. We studied the effectiveness of MT versus medical treatment stratifying by different baseline prognostic factors. Methods Retrospective analysis of 2,588 patients with an ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion nested in the population-based registry of stroke code activations in Catalonia from January 2017 to June 2019. The effect of MT on good functional outcome (modified Rankin Score 85 years, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] >25, time from onset >6 hours, Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score 3), good (if NIHSS <6 or distal occlusion, in the absence of poor prognostic factors), or reference (not meeting other groups' criteria). Results Patients receiving MT (n=1,996, 77%) were younger, had less pre-stroke disability, and received systemic thrombolysis less frequently. These differences were balanced after the IPTW stratified by prognosis. MT was associated with good functional outcome in the reference (odds ratio [OR], 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0 to 4.4), and especially in the poor baseline prognostic stratum (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 2.6 to 5.9), but not in the good prognostic stratum. MT was associated with survival only in the poor prognostic stratum (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 2.0 to 3.3). Conclusions Despite their worse overall outcomes, the impact of thrombectomy over medical management was more substantial in patients with poorer baseline prognostic factors than patients with good prognostic factors

The BRCA2 c.68-7T > A variant is not pathogenic: A model for clinical calibration of spliceogenicity.

Although the spliceogenic nature of the BRCA2 c.68-7T>A variant has been demonstrated, its association with cancer risk remains ontroversial. In this study, we accurately quantified by real-time PCR and digital PCR the BRCA2 isoforms retaining or missing exon 3. In addition, the combined odds ratio for causality of the variant was estimated using genetic and clinical data, and its associated cancer risk was estimated by case-control analysis in 83,636 individuals. Co-occurrence in trans with pathogenic BRCA2 variants was assessed in 5,382 families. Exon 3 exclusion rate was 4.5-fold higher in variant carriers (13%) than controls (3%), indicating an exclusion rate for the c.68-7T>A allele of approximately 20%. The posterior probability of pathogenicity was 7.44 x 10-115. There was neither evidence for increased risk of breast cancer (OR 1.03; 95% CI 0.86-1.24), nor for a deleterious effect of the variant when co-occurring with pathogenic variants. Our data provide for the first time robust evidence of the non-pathogenicity of the BRCA2 c.68-7T>A. Genetic and quantitative transcript analyses together inform the threshold for the ratio between functional and altered BRCA2 isoforms compatible with normal cell function. These findings might be exploited to assess the relevance for cancer risk of other BRCA2 spliceogenic variants

Narrativas sobre cambios de conductas en salud durante el confinamiento en España según género

Resumen: Objetivo: Explorar las experiencias relacionadas con los comportamientos orientados a la salud durante el confinamiento en la población residente en España desde una perspectiva de género. Método: Investigación cualitativa con enfoque crítico y feminista. Se realizaron 29 entrevistas semiestructuradas (17 mujeres y 12 hombres) entre junio y julio de 2020, por vía telefónica, a personas que habían contestado previamente a una encuesta on-line. Las entrevistas se transcribieron y se realizó un análisis de contenido temático diferenciando las experiencias de mujeres y hombres. Los datos fueron triangulados por el equipo investigador. Resultados: En las mujeres emergió mayor diversidad en torno a las conductas de salud. En ellas destacaron las difíciles vivencias relacionadas con la COVID-19, la complejidad en la convivencia y realizar trabajo de cuidados no remunerados, así como la importancia de las redes de apoyo. En los hombres hubo diferentes actitudes hacia el deporte, se valoró positivamente el autocuidado y tener tiempo para la alimentación saludable, y hubo una buena valoración sobre la convivencia y la organización en las tareas domésticas. En ambos, la sobrecarga laboral y los problemas económicos se relacionaron con malestar emocional y dificultades para realizar actividades saludables. Conclusiones: Los comportamientos orientados a la salud durante el confinamiento difirieron según género. Estuvieron sobre todo limitados a experiencias con la COVID-19, condiciones socioeconómicas y carga de cuidados. Resulta fundamental adaptar los programas de salud pública y atención primaria según los momentos vitales de las personas, considerando sus escenarios sociales y cuestionando los roles tradicionales de género. Abstract: Objective: To explore experiences related to health-oriented behaviours during lockdown in the Spanish resident population from a gender perspective. Method: Qualitative research with a critical and feminist approach. Twenty-nine semi-structured interviews (17 women and 12 men) were conducted between June and July 2020 via telephone with people who had previously answered an online survey. The interviews were transcribed and a thematic content analysis was carried out, differentiating between the experiences of women and men. The data were triangulated by the research team. Results: Among women, greater diversity emerged in terms of health behaviours. Among them, the difficult experiences related to COVID-19, the complexity of living together and doing unpaid care work, as well as the importance of support networks, stood out. Among men, there were different attitudes towards sport, self-care and having time for healthy eating were positively valued, and there was a good assessment of coexistence and organisation in household chores. In both men and women, work overload and economic problems were related to emotional distress and difficulties in carrying out healthy activities. Conclusions: Health-oriented behaviours during lockdown differed according to gender. They were mostly limited to COVID-19 experiences, socio-economic conditions and burden of care. It is essential to tailor public health and primary care programmes according to people's life moments, taking into account their social context and questioning traditional gender roles