Shareholder wealth creation in response to announcements of acquisitions of unlisted firms: Evidence from Spain

We investigate shareholder value creation of Spanish listed firms in response to announcements of acquisitions of unlisted companies and compare this experience to the purchase of listed firms over the period 1991–2006. Similar to foreign markets, acquirers of listed targets earn insignificant average abnormal returns, whereas acquirers of unlisted targets gain significant positive average abnormal returns. When we relate these results to company and transaction characteristics our findings diverge from those reported in the literature for other foreign markets, as our evidence suggests that the listing status effect is mainly associated with the fact that unlisted firms tend to be smaller and lesser–known firms, and thus suffer from a lack of competition in the market for corporate control. Consequently, the payment of lower premiums and the possibility of diversifying shareholders’ portfolios lead to unlisted firm acquisitions being viewed as value–orientated transactions

Diseño y análisis del funcionamiento del Test de Memoria Autobiográfica en población española

Aunque existe un amplio desarrollo teórico y experimental que muestra una relación entre la memoria autobiográfica (MA) y la aparición de trastornos emocionales, el procedimiento que se utiliza para evaluar la MA presenta algunas limitaciones metodológicas. Actualmente no existe un instrumento estandarizado para la evaluación de los procesos implicados en el recuerdo autobiográfico que controle los sesgos subjetivos. Este trabajo analiza el funcionamiento del Test de Memoria Autobiográfica (AMT) en población española controlando la subjetividad de los ítems mediante el uso de un programa psicolingüístico. Los resultados muestran un funcionamiento satisfactorio del procedimiento elegido para seleccionar las palabras. Sin embargo, se observan algunas diferencias en la respuesta de MA en función de variables de tipo emocional y psicológico, lo cual apoya la importancia de la subjetividad asociada a la MA. Esta versión española del AMT puede considerarse como un instrumento apropiado para la obtención de recuerdos específicos voluntarios.Although there has been a wide theoretical and experimental development showing some evidence of the relationship between this type of memory and emotional disturbance, the procedure employed to obtain memories has methodological restrictions. Nowadays, a standardized instrument to assess memory recovery processes controlling for subjective bias is not available. This work analyzes the behaviour of the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) among Spanish population controlling for such subjective bias employing a psycholinguistic programme to opt for cue-words. Results showed a satisfactory functioning of the chosen procedure to select Spanish cue-words. However, some differences between emotional and psychological variables and specific recall were also reported, according to recent research that support the presence of important subjective elements linked to autobiographical retrieval. The Spanish version of the Autobiographical Memory Test, obtained as a result of the current work, is considered an appropriate instrument to obtain specific voluntary memories for Spanish samples.Consejería de Educación y Ciencia de Castilla La Mancha PII1I09-0274-8863Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación PSI2010-2008

BogotáViva, guía de ocio alternativo

El proyecto surge a partir de una percepción nuestra al identificar que gran cantidad de bogotanos gastan su tiempo libre en los mismo lugares y actividades comúnmente conocidas. Por esta razón, propusimos una plataforma donde los habitantes de Bogotá sean los principales beneficiados y puedan encontrar en esta actividades de ocio alternativo. BogotáViva, es una guía de ocio alternativo, entendido alternativo como algo no convencional y poco conocido. La página web cuenta con apoyos audiovisuales, factor diferencial del resto de guías de ocio. Además, cada actividad incluye una amplia galería fotográfica y toda la información necesaria para dar a conocer la actividad.The project arises from our perception when we identify that the great majority of Bogota citizens spend their free time in the same places and doing commonly known activities. For this reason, we proposed a platform where the habitants of Bogotá are the main beneficiaries and can find alternative activities to spend their leisure time. BogotáViva, is an alternative leisure guide, understanding alternative as something unconventional and unknown. The differential factor of our website is the audiovisual material, which is not found in the other ones. Besides, each activity includes a large photo gallery and all the necessary information to visit the place.Comunicador (a) SocialPregrad

Depresión en la vejez : evaluación, variables implicadas y relación con el deterioro cognitivo

Se ha evaluado la depresión y el deterioro cognltlvo en una muestra de ancianos con una un conjunto de pruebas que incluye tests neuropslcológicos, la escala de depresión del Cenins de Estudios Epidemiológicos (CES-D) y la que utiliza los criterios del DSM-lll-R. Las dos escalas muestran un gran coincidencia en la evaluación de la depresión. La prevalencia de la depresión disminuye con la edad hasta los 80 años, momento en el que se invierte la tendencia, es mayor en las mujeres, en los que viven en una residencia y en los que tienen un nivel de estudios más bajo. A partir de los 80 años aumenta el diagnóstico conjunto depresión-demencia y la probabilidad de confusión en el mismo, sobre todo en los sujetos con un nivel de estudios bajo, por lo que se apunta la necesidad de que en los estudios sobre la depresión en la vejez se incluyan pruebas neuropsicológicas, especialmente de recuerdo demorado, fluidez verbal, memoria lógica y metamemoria, para diferenciar ambos estados

Software architecture for smart emotion recognition and regulation of the ageing adult

This paper introduces the architecture of an emotion-aware ambient intelligent and gerontechnological project named “Improvement of the Elderly Quality of Life and Care through Smart Emotion Regulation”. The objective of the proposal is to find solutions for improving the quality of life and care of the elderly who can or want to continue living at home by using emotion regulation techniques. A series of sensors is used for monitoring the elderlies’ facial and gestural expression, activity and behaviour, as well as relevant physiological data. This way the older people’s emotions are inferred and recognized. Music, colour and light are the stimulating means to regulate their emotions towards a positive and pleasant mood. Then, the paper proposes a gerontechnological software architecture that enables real-time, continuous monitoring of the elderly and provides the best-tailored reactions of the ambience in order to regulate the older person’s emotions towards a positive mood. After describing the benefits of the approach for emotion recognition and regulation in the elderly, the eight levels that compose the architecture are described.This work was partially supported by Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad/FEDER under TIN2013-47074-C2-1-R grant. José Carlos Castillo was partially supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism, operated by Universidad Complutense de Madrid.Publicad

Variables fenomenológicas de narrativas de memoria autobiográfica asociadas a hábitos saludables en niños

Different studies relate self-defining memories (SDM) to psychological well-being and health. This study aims to analyze the relation between the phenomenological variables (e.g., emotional intensity, vividness etc.) involved in self-defining memories associated with health (HSDMs) and healthy habits in 262 children aged between 9 and 13 years. Participants’ eating habits and physical activity events are associated with the emotionality of their HSDMs. Most of the HSDMs were declared to be experienced with their family members, and greater importance was attributed to those memories related to mothers. Significant features of retrieved HSDM can be detected from construction of autobiographical memories supporting the development of a robust healthy self in children. As such, families and schools should facilitate life experiences that lead to the formation of vivid and detailed HSDMs given that this is likely to promote health-related behaviours.Diferentes estudios relacionan los recuerdos autodefinidos (SDM) con el bienestar psicológico y la salud. Este estudio tiene como objetivo analizar la relación entre las variables fenomenológicas (p. ej., intensidad emocional, viveza, etc.) implicadas en los recuerdos autodefinidos asociados a la salud (HSDM) y los hábitos saludables en 262 niños de entre 9 y 13 años. Los hábitos alimentarios y los eventos de actividad física de los participantes están asociados con la emotividad de sus HSDM. La mayoría de los HSDM declararon ser vividos con sus familiares, y se atribuyó mayor importancia a aquellos recuerdos relacionados con las madres. Se pueden detectar características significativas del HSDM recuperado a partir de la construcción de recuerdos autobiográficos que respaldan el desarrollo de un yo saludable y robusto en los niños. Como tal, las familias y las escuelas deben facilitar experiencias de vida que conduzcan a la formación de HSDM vívidos y detallados, dado que es probable que esto promueva comportamientos relacionados con la salud

Comparación de la calidad de la dieta entre niños pequeños y adolescentes en la cuenca mediterránea y la influencia de los hábitos de vida

Introduction: the dietary intake patterns of children should be monitored because of their influence on health in adulthood. It is now widely accepted that childhood nutrition is linked to specific diseases such as obesity and to risk factors for cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Therefore, knowledge of dietary intake during childhood may be useful to identify possible risk factors for disease in adulthood. The main focus of research into children’s diets has been the contribution of macronutrients and micronutrients. Objective: several indices have been developed for assessing the diet quality of previously defined population groups. The aim of the present study was to compare the nutritional status of Andalusian children and adolescents and examine the relationship between their diet quality and socio-demographic or lifestyle factors. Results and conclusions: the food intake of the younger children in this study was closer to RDIs compared with the adolescents, who generally reported a lower energy supply in their diet than the recommended. The mean (SD) diet quality score was 12.1 (1.9) for the younger children (6-9 years) and 9.4 (3.2) for the older group (10-17 years), a statistically significant difference. A good correlation was found between energy intake (MJ/kg body weight) and estimated energy (MET MJ/kg body weight).Introducción: los patrones de ingesta alimentaria de los niños deben ser controlados debido a su influencia en la salud en la edad adulta. Actualmente se acepta ampliamente que la nutrición infantil está vinculada a enfermedades específicas como obesidad y a factores de riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular en adultos. Por lo tanto, el conocimiento de la ingesta dietética durante la infancia puede ser útil para identificar posibles factores de riesgo de enfermedad en la edad adulta. Objetivo: el objetivo principal de la investigación sobre las dietas de niños ha sido la contribución de los macronutrientes y los micronutrientes. Se han desarrollado varios índices para evaluar la calidad de la dieta de grupos de población previamente definidos. El objetivo del presente estudio fue comparar el estado nutricional de niños y adolescentes andaluces y examinar la relación entre la calidad de su dieta y factores sociodemográficos o de estilo de vida. Resultados y conclusiones: la ingesta de alimentos de los niños más pequeños en este estudio fue más cercana a la RDI en comparación con los adolescentes, quienes en general informaron menor aporte energético en su dieta de lo que se recomienda. El puntaje promedio de calidad de la dieta (DE) fue de 12,1 (1,9) para los niños más pequeños (6-9 años) y de 9,4 (3,2) para el grupo de más edad (10-17 años), una diferencia estadísticamente significativa. Se encontró una buena correlación entre la ingesta de energía (MJ/kg de peso corporal) y la energía estimada (MET MJ/kg de peso corporal).This work was supported by grants from the Andalusian Regional Government (AGR255). This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Health (FEDER-ISCIII PI14/01040)

Malignant fibrohistiocytoma of the parotid region : report of a case

Most salivary gland tumors are benign, malignant lesions accounting for 15-30% of the total. The most frequent site of salivary gland neoplasms is the parotid gland (80% of all cases). We present a case of malignant fibrohistiocytoma with atypical features due to its location (in the parotid region), size and rapid growth. Generally, this type of tumor arises in the lower limbs and in the abdomen. When located in the parotid gland, these lesions appear as a firm, slow growing and painless mass. Due to the low frequency of such lesions and their clinical behavior, the imaging study and fine-needle aspiration biopsy findings tend to diagnose them as pleomorphic adenoma. The definitive diagnosis requires microscopic study of the resection piece using immunohistochemical techniques. The treatment of choice is surgery, occasionally associated to radiotherapy. The success of treatment is dependent upon complete resection of the tumor - long term follow-up being necessary due to the risk of recurrence or distant metastasis

Metatranscriptomic Approach to Analyze the Functional Human Gut Microbiota

The human gut is the natural habitat for a large and dynamic bacterial community that has a great relevance for health. Metagenomics is increasing our knowledge of gene content as well as of functional and genetic variability in this microbiome. However, little is known about the active bacteria and their function(s) in the gastrointestinal tract. We performed a metatranscriptomic study on ten healthy volunteers to elucidate the active members of the gut microbiome and their functionality under conditions of health. First, the microbial cDNAs obtained from each sample were sequenced using 454 technology. The analysis of 16S transcripts showed the phylogenetic structure of the active microbial community. Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Prevotellaceae, and Rickenellaceae were the predominant families detected in the active microbiota. The characterization of mRNAs revealed a uniform functional pattern in healthy individuals. The main functional roles of the gut microbiota were carbohydrate metabolism, energy production and synthesis of cellular components. In contrast, housekeeping activities such as amino acid and lipid metabolism were underrepresented in the metatranscriptome. Our results provide new insights into the functionality of the complex gut microbiota in healthy individuals. In this RNA-based survey, we also detected small RNAs, which are important regulatory elements in prokaryotic physiology and pathogenicity

Sugar consumption in schoolchildren from southern Spain and influence on the prevalence of obesity

Aim The main cause of childhood overweight/obesity is an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. The objective was to determine whether the intake by Spanish schoolchildren of sugars from habitually consumed foods and drinks can be related to overweight/ obesity. Methods Subjects The study included 657 schoolchildren between 7–10 years from educational centers in Southern Spain. These children live under the influence of the Mediterranean diet. Design Participants completed an encoded questionnaire with three sections: a) data on sex, age, educational center, school year, and life/family habits, among others; b) semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire related to the previous 12 months; and c) information on anthropometrics and physical activities. Results Obesity was observed in 10.9% of the children. The daily activity questionnaire showed a mean energy expenditure of 8.73 (1.33) MJ/day. The study considered foods that supply carbohydrates in any form (total carbohydrates, starch, total sugars, added sugars, and free sugars). The likelihood of overweight/obesity was significantly greater with a higher intake/ day of total sugars, starch, added sugars, and free sugars. The likelihood of normal weight was significantly greater with lower energy expenditure in sedentary activities (OR = 3.03), higher energy expenditure in sports activities (OR = 1.72), and higher total activity/day measured as METs (OR = 8.31). Conclusions In this population, overweight/obesity was influenced by the physical activity of the children and by their intake of energy, total sugars, starch, added sugars, and free sugars. Further studies are warranted to verify this observation and explore the implications for public health policiesAndalusian Regional Government (Nutrition, Diet and Risks Assessment) AGR255European Union (EU)Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) - FEDER-ISCIII PI14/0104