A Causal Analysis of Life Expectancy at Birth. Evidence from Spain

Background: From a causal point of view, there exists a set of socioeconomic indicators concerning life expectancy. The objective of this paper is to determine the indicators which exhibit a relation of causality with life expectancy at birth. Methods: Our analysis applies the Granger causality test, more specifically its version by Dumitrescu–Hurlin, starting from the information concerning life expectancy at birth and a set of socioeconomic variables corresponding to 17 Spanish regions, throughout the period 2006–2016. To do this, we used the panel data involving the information provided by the Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare (MHCSW) and the National Institute of Statistics (NIS). Results: Per capita income, and the rate of hospital beds, medical staff and nurses Granger-cause the variable “life expectancy at birth”, according to the Granger causality test applied to panel data (Dumitrescu–Hurlin’s version). Conclusions: Life expectancy at birth has become one of the main indicators able to measure the performance of a country’s health system. This analysis facilitates the identification of those factors which exhibit a unidirectional Granger-causality relationship with life expectancy at birth. Therefore, this paper provides useful information for the management of public health resources from the point of view of the maximization of social benefits

Life Expectancy at Birth in Europe: An Econometric Approach Based on Random Forests Methodology

The objective of this work is to identify and classify the relative importance of several socioeconomic factors which explain life expectancy at birth in the European Union (EU) countries in the period 2008–2017, paying special attention to greenhouse gas emissions and public environmental expenditures. Methods: The Random Forests methodology was employed, which allows classification of the socioeconomic variables considered in the analysis according to their relative importance to explain health outcomes. Results: Per capita income, the educational level of the population, and the variable AREA (which reflects the subdivision of Europe into four relatively homogeneous areas), followed by the public expenditures on environmental and social protection, are the variables with the highest relevance in explaining life expectancy at birth in Europe over the perip.1 he peusto el correo e inciod 2008–2017. Conclusions: We have identified seven sectors as the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions: Electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply; manufacturing; transportation and storage; agriculture, forestry, and fishing; construction; wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; and mining and quarrying. Therefore, any public intervention related to environmental policy should be aimed at these economic sectors. Furthermore, it will be more effective to focus on public programs with higher relevance to the health status of the population, such as environmental and social protection expenditures

Lessons from the first wave of COVID-19. What security measures do women and men require from the hotel industry to protect against the pandemic?

[EN] The tourism sector in general and the hotel sector in particular face the challenge of managing appropriate security measures to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. In this sense, it is useful to know which measures are most demanded by the clientele. This research, through non-parametric statistics tests, concluded that women are more demanding than men in relation to the security measures to be taken in hotels. More specifically, this research concludes that women are more demanding than men in relation to a set of measures including ensuring good hygiene conditions, the use of disinfectants, the existence of health and information checks, adapting the establishment to WHO recommendations, obtaining quality certification, measuring temperature, the need to provide information on protocols and measures, and the elimination of physical contact between people. This, as a practical application, makes it possible to know more accurately about the safety requirements of sex-segmented customers in the face of future health crises, allowing tourist managers to offer safer destinations and the hotel sector better health conditions for their clients.S

RESTest: automated black-box testing of RESTful web APIs

Testing RESTful APIs thoroughly is critical due to their key role in software integration. Existing tools for the automated generation of test cases in this domain have shown great promise, but their applicability is limited as they mostly rely on random inputs, i.e., fuzzing. In this paper, we present RESTest, an open source black box testing framework for RESTful web APIs. Based on the API specification, RESTest supports the generation of test cases using different testing techniques such as fuzzing and constraint-based testing, among others. RESTest is developed as a framework and can be easily extended with new test case generators and test writers for different programming languages. We evaluate the tool in two scenarios: offline and online testing. In the former, we show how RESTest can efficiently generate realistic test cases (test inputs and test oracles) that uncover bugs in real-world APIs. In the latter, we show RESTest’s capabilities as a continuous testing and monitoring framework. Demo video: https://youtu.be/1f_tjdkaCKo.Junta de Andalucía APOLO (US-1264651)Junta de Andalucía EKIPMENT-PLUS (P18-FR-2895)Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades RTI2018-101204-B-C21 (HORATIO)Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte FPU17/0407

Towards the Definition of Test Coverage Criteria for RESTful Web APIs

Web APIs following the REST architectural style (so-called RESTful Web APIs) have become the de-facto standard for software integration. As RESTful APIs gain momentum, so does the testing of them. However, there is a lack of mechanisms to assess the adequacy of testing approaches in this context, which makes it difficult to mea sure and compare the effectiveness of different testing techniques. In this work-in-progress paper, we take a step forward towards a framework for the assessment and comparison of testing approaches for RESTful Web APIs. To that end, we propose a preliminary catalogue of test coverage criteria. These criteria measure the adequacy of test suites based on the degree to which they exercise the different input and output elements of RESTful Web services. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first at tempt to measure the adequacy of testing approaches for RESTful Web APIs.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad BELI (TIN2015-70560-R)Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades RTI2018-101204-B-C21 (HORATIO)Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte FPU17/0407

Lessons from the First Wave of COVID-19. What Security Measures Do Women and Men Require from the Hotel Industry to Protect against the Pandemic?

The tourism sector in general and the hotel sector in particular face the challenge of managing appropriate security measures to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. In this sense, it is useful to know which measures are most demanded by the clientele. This research, through non-parametric statistics tests, concluded that women are more demanding than men in relation to the security measures to be taken in hotels. More specifically, this research concludes that women are more demanding than men in relation to a set of measures including ensuring good hygiene conditions, the use of disinfectants, the existence of health and information checks, adapting the establishment to WHO recommendations, obtaining quality certification, measuring temperature, the need to provide information on protocols and measures, and the elimination of physical contact between people. This, as a practical application, makes it possible to know more accurately about the safety requirements of sex-segmented customers in the face of future health crises, allowing tourist managers to offer safer destinations and the hotel sector better health conditions for their clients

Decisional balance and processes of change in community-recruited with moderate-high versus mild severity of cannabis dependence

Decisional Balance and Processes of Change are generally addressed in motivational interventions for the treatment of cannabis use disorders. However, specific aspects of these multifaceted constructs, with greater relevance for severe cannabis users, need to be ascertained to enable better interventions. This study aimed to compare the different facets of decisional balance and processes of change between mild and severe cannabis users in a community-based sample of young undergraduates. Thirty-one severe cannabis users and 31 mild cannabis users, indicated with the Severity of Dependence Scale, were assessed using the Decisional Balance Questionnaire (DBQ) and the Processes of Change Questionnaire (PCQ). We found that severe cannabis users had higher scores in the DBQ dimensions of Utilitarian Gains for the Self, Utilitarian Gains for Significant Others, and Self-approval, as well as in the total subscale of Gains but not Losses. The group of severe cannabis users also had higher scores in the PCQ dimensions of Self-revaluations and Counter-conditioning. Our results pinpoint specific dimensions of Decisional Balance and Processes of Change that are endorsed by severe cannabis users. This knowledge could be applied to inform motivational interventions targeting severe cannabis users

Percepcion del estado de los bordes incisales de incisivos centales maxilares y su influencia en el analisis de sonrisa de estudiantes de 1er a 5to año de la facultad de odontología de la Universidad Americana en el año 2014

Tesis (Cirujano Dentista)--Universidad Americana, Managua, 2014Este estudio pretende percibir el estado de los bordes incisales de los incisivos centrales maxilares y su influencia en el análisis de sonrisa, en los estudiantes de la Facultad de Odontología, de la Universidad Americana, durante el año 2014. Por consiguiente, la adquisición de conocimiento de esto, ya que muchos de los estudiantes de la facultad de odontología sufren algunos signos y/o síntomas de lesión continua, los cuales pasan desapercibidos por el desconocimiento que existe del tema

Efficacy of music therapy on stress and anxiety prior to dental treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

IntroductionStress and anxiety are emotional states that often accompany patients who have to receive dental treatments, leading them to postpone or avoid treatments with the consequent deterioration of their oral health and, hence, their general condition. Music therapy has been shown to be an alternative to other treatments that are invasive and not without danger, such as anxiolytics or sedation. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effect of music therapy on anxiety and stress prior to dental treatments.MethodsStudies published in PubMed (through Medline), Web of Science (WOS), Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were consulted up to October 2023. The inclusion criteria were established for intervention studies (randomized controlled trials, RCTs) according to the PICOS (population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, and study) strategy in subjects with dental stress and anxiety (participants) treated with music therapy (intervention) in comparison with patients without music therapy (control) and evaluating the response to treatment (outcomes).ResultsA total of 154 results were obtained, with 14 studies finally selected. The risk of bias and the methodological quality were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool and the Jadad scale, respectively. A random-effects meta-analysis was used to quantify the results of the pooled studies, while a fixed-effects meta-analysis was used for studies in the pediatric population. The meta-analysis of pooled studies found statistical significance in the subgroups of anxiety and anxiety–stress (p = 0.03 and p = 0.05, respectively), with an overall effect in favor of the intervention group (p = 0.005). Meta-analysis of the studies in the pediatric population showed considerable statistical significance for the experimental group (p < 0.00001).ConclusionMusic therapy as a treatment for stress and anxiety, prior to dental treatment, proved to be effective in both children and adults although more well-designed randomized clinical studies are needed to validate its efficacy.Systematic review registrationINPLASY, identifier 202312000