Self-management evaluation by small-enterprises and micro-enterprises: exploratory study

Objeto: Conocer sus usos y costumbres sobre la planificación, la obtención de la información y el control de gestión de la micro y pequeña empresa catalana. Diseño/metodología: Se desarrollaron cuatro talleres de trabajo, organizados por instituciones relacionadas con empresas catalanas, donde participaron 70 empresarios de la micro y pequeña empresa. El modelo que se utilizó para trabajar en los talleres fue el modelo canvas. Aportaciones y resultados: La principal aportación es la utilización del lienzo de canvas como herramienta de auto diagnosis para micro y pequeñas empresas, lo cual nos ha permitido conocer cuál es la realidad de este tipo de empresas respecto a la gestión, destacándose la necesidad de tener una visión global de la empresa; la necesidad de fomentar la relación con el exterior y el desconocimiento de las relaciones entre áreas clave. Asimismo, los participantes conocen la importancia de disponer de información de gestión. Limitaciones: Los talleres de trabajo fueron dirigidos a personas que tienen contacto y participan de las instituciones en los cuales se realizaron. Implicaciones prácticas: Brinda un marco conceptual para que el empresario pueda realizar un diagnóstico sobre su modelo de negocio y como lo gestiona. Asimismo, permite conocer las prácticas de gestión de la micro y pequeña empresa para en un futuro diseñar un sistema de control de gestión adaptado a esta tipología de empresas. Implicaciones sociales: Los resultados del estudio sirven como diagnóstico sobre la realidad de las pequeñas y micro empresas, el cual puede ser utilizado para diseñar herramientas y programas que le sean útiles para su desarrollo y su supervivencia. Valor añadido: Para las asociaciones cuyo objeto es fomentar el desarrollo de la micro y pequeña empresa, el diagnóstico de la realidad de estas empresas. Para los empresarios individuales, el modelo de auto diagnóstico y para los académicos el estudio exploratorio para elaborar un sistema de control aplicable a la realidad de la micro y pequeña empresa.Purpose: To know what their habits and customs on planning, developing, information management and control of micro and small enterprises in Catalonia Design/methodology/approach: Four workshops involving 70 people from micro and small companies were carried out. The workshops were organized by institutions related to Catalan companies. The model used in the workshops was the canvas model Findings and Originality/value: The main contribution is the use of canvas as auto diagnostic tool for micro and small businesses, which has allowed us to know which is the reality of this type of business regarding management, highlighting the necessity to have an overview of the company, the necessity to foster the relationship with the external forces, and the lack of relations between key areas. Participants also know the importance of management information Research limitations/implications: The workshops were aimed at people who have contact and participate in the institutions which were performed Practical implications: This research provides a conceptual framework for the companies’ owner to make a diagnosis on your business model and how it is managed. It also allows management practices from the micro and small enterprises, to design a management control system adapted to this type of company Social implications: The results serve as a diagnostic study on the reality of small and micro enterprises, which can be used to design tools and programs that are useful for their development and survival. Originality/value: For the participants Associations aims to promote the development of micro and small enterprises, the diagnosis of the reality of these companies. For the management people, the self-diagnostic tool and for the academic community the exploratory study would allow developing a control system applicable to the reality of the micro and small enterprises.Peer Reviewe

Designing Audiovisual Materials for the Speech Repository of the Directorate General for Interpretation at The European Commission

En este trabajo se presentan los resultados de un proyecto de innovación educativa[1] de diseño y elaboración de vídeos destinados a la plataforma europea de discursos en vídeo Speech Repository, de la Dirección General de Interpretación de la Comisión Europea. Dicha plataforma se creó con el fin de ofrecer a las universidades europeas materiales en formato vídeo destinados a la formación en interpretación de conferencia. En la didáctica de la interpretación de conferencia, la necesidad de contar con material audiovisual compuesto por discursos adaptados a cada nivel es imprescindible para el aprendizaje y progresión de los aprendices. La formación de intérpretes a través de vídeos, además del profesor, las transcripciones y el material en formato audio, es ya un hecho en los laboratorios de formación de intérpretes de la mayoría de centros formativos. Las instituciones europeas, cuya labor depende diariamente de intérpretes cualificados, manifiestan así la importancia que otorgan a la formación en interpretación de conferencia, uno de los pilares fundamentales para el sostenimiento de la Unión Europea. [1] Proyecto realizado con financiación de la Universitat Jaume I en el marco de los Proyectos de Innovación Educativa General (2012-2013).This paper presents the results of an educational innovation project2 involving the creation of video clips for the speech repository of the Directorate General for Interpretation and Conferences of the European Commission. The purpose of this repository is to provide universities, interpretation schools and professional interpreters with a collection of video speeches, graded by difficulty. Interpreter training requires the use of technology in order to facilitate the learning process. This process must be based on the development of interpreting subskills and the implementation of a professional approach. Graded audiovisual material is, therefore, crucial to bring professional experience closer to students. The use of video and audio clips and transcripts in interpreter training enables learning progression; it is just as important to make these resources available via the internet so that trainees can practice autonomous learning to acquire interpreting subskills. The use of video clips in the interpreting lab presents definitive advantages provided certain criteria are met such as graded materials,learning progression and a professional approach. The educational innovation project described here aims at making a contribution to extend the online learning and teaching possibilities of conference interpreting

Editorial. Historical contexts

[EN] The adequate preservation of all what is related to our history started resolutely in the 18th century, when movements such as the Age of the Enlightenment and figures such as the German historian and archeologist Johann Joachim Winckelmann consolidated the concept and structured its contents. Since then, knowledge on our past has grown relentlessly, at the same time that the awareness and commitment to preserve it and to take care of the physical matters which have witnessed events or are good evidences of them. Nowadays this adequate preservation has an utmost importance.[CA] L’adequada preservació de tot allò relacionat amb la nostra història s’inicia de manera decidida al segle XVIII, quan moviments com ara la Il·lustració i figures com la de l’alemany Johann Joachim Winckelmann n’assenten el concepte i estructuren els continguts. Des de llavors, els coneixements sobre el nostre passat han anat augmentant de manera continuada, alhora que ho feia la consciència per preservar-los i per tindre cura de tot allò físic que n’ha estat testimoni i n’és prova. A l’actualitat, aquesta adequada preservació té una importància cabdal.Cabrera Fausto, I.; Fenollosa Forner, EJ.; Franquesa Sánchez, J.; Piqueras Blasco, M. (2021). Editorial. Contextos Històrics. https://doi.org/10.4995/anuari.2021.16773OJ

The architectural structure in the face of climate-relate catastrophe: a classificatory approach

[EN] Nowadays, given the geopolitical and climatic emergency context in which we find ourselves, various catastrophes of different kinds, including natural ones such as floods, volcanic eruptions or earthquakes, and human ones such as armed conflicts, nuclear accidents or most fires, whose impact often results in human and economic losses, have highlighted the need to rethink architectural structures in order to ensure that they are as resilient as possible.The key to achieving this and aim of this manuscript, is to firstly identify the intrinsic objective parameters of the most statistically probable catastrophes that we can currently suffer, in order to characterize and classify them from different points of view based on their future consequences on building structures, since only in this way will we be able to conceive and materialize them with the capacity to withstand not only usual loads, but also to present the best possible behaviour in the face of accidental situations caused by potential new adverse episodes.Sanz Almela, D.; Piqueras Blasco, M.; Serrano Lanzarote, AB.; Fenollosa Forner, EJ. (2023). The architectural structure in the face of climate-relate catastrophe: a classificatory approach. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 260-268. https://doi.org/10.4995/VIBRArch2022.2022.1516026026

Implicación de la matriz extracelular de Bacillus subtilis en la interacción beneficiosa con la planta

Bacillus subtilis es una bacteria Gram-positiva comúnmente presente en los suelos. Algunos aislados de esta especie son capaces de promover el crecimiento en plantas (actividad PGPR, del inglés plant growth promoting rhizobacteria) y de contribuir al control de diferentes enfermedades microbianas mediante la producción de una amplia batería de metabolitos secundarios con actividad antimicrobiana y la inducción de los mecanismos de defensa de la planta. Todo ello ocurre en el contexto de una eficiente colonización y persistencia sobre la raíz, la cual se cree estar asociada a la formación de biofilms: comunidades bacterianas donde las células están englobadas en una matriz extracelular de producción propia y compuesta principalmente por proteínas y exopolisacáridos. Estudios previos han demostrado que la surfactina, uno de los metabolitos secundarios producidos por esta bacteria, está involucrada en la cascada de señalización que dispara la formación del biofilm así como en la comunicación con la planta. Esta observación conduce a plantear la hipótesis de que alguno de los metabolitos secundarios u otros componentes estructurales de la matriz extracelular pueden ser mediadores de la comunicación bacteria-semilla y tener relevancia en la actividad PGPR. En este trabajo se evalúa el papel que los distintos componentes estructurales y metabolitos secundarios presentes en la matriz extracelular de B. subtilis puedan tener en la promoción de la germinación de semillas. Valiéndonos de una batería de mutantes en dichos elementos, realizamos ensayos de bacterización de semillas para estudiar posteriormente los patrones de colonización y persistencia bacteriana en la rizosfera y el efecto sobre la actividad PGPR. Los resultados obtenidos hasta la fecha sugieren que la molécula fengicina y la proteína TasA pueden ser claves en esta función de B. subtilis

Arguments to consider Rugulopteryx okamurae (Dictyotales, Ochrophyta) the potential first seaweed species to be included in the lists of invasive species of European Union concern

In 2015 a new exotic seaweed with invasive behaviour was detected at the Strait of Gibraltar (western Mediterranean), which was morphological and genetically identified as Rugulopteryx okamurae. Due to its rapid expansion and remarkable ecological, economic, and social impacts, the species was included in the Spanish Checklist of exotic invasive species. However, distribution models of the species identified other European coasts as favourable for this new invader. In this presentation we provide scientific arguments for the inclusion of R. okamurae in the list of invasive species of European Union concern, becoming the first seaweed species to be included in that list.Fundación Biodiversidad-Miteco. Universidad de Málaga (Plan propio de investigación). Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Keys to understand the invasive success of Rugulopteryx okamurae (Dictyotales, Ochrophyta).

Since its first records in the Strait of Gibraltar in 2015, the Pacific brown algae Rugulopteryx okamurae has produced important environmental and socioeconomic impacts that have attracted media attention to a seaweed in Spain for the first time and have led to its inclusion in the Spanish checklist of invasive alien species. Since then, this research group has studied the basic biology and the potential distribution of the species, the results of which are part of the present communication in the body of theoretical knowledge of invasion hypotheses. To begin with, the species exhibits a series of vegetative, reproductive and physiological attributes that confer it a high invasiveness. Morphologically the species is an example of a cryptic invasion due to its similarity with native species of the genus Dictyota; furthermore, the species exhibits seasonal changes in its morphology, alternating thin, thick and intermediate thalli, that altogether make its correct identification difficult. Although sexual cycle of the species has not been confirmed yet in its introduced area, it is able to maintain a rapid and abundant recruitment of new clonal individuals along the year, by vegetative propagules and asexual monospores, which produce a constant propagule pressure. Furthermore, it presents a high adaptation capacity to a wide range of the main environmental factors such as temperature, light and nutrients, that allows it colonizing a wide bathymetric and community range. To this we must add the high invasibility of ecosystems that are suffering for more than 20 years an invational meltdown process, due to previous arrivals of other invasive species of macroalgae, such as those of the genus Asparagopsis and Caulerpa racemosa, that have altered their functions and the resources availability. All this together with a high environmental favorability of the Mediterranean Sea and European Atlantic coasts, explain the wide potential distribution area of the species.FUNDACIÓN BIODIVERSIDAD, MITECO FONDOS FEDER UNIVERSIDAD DE MÁLAG

Non-Invasive Tests of Liver Fibrosis Help in Predicting the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma among Patients with NAFLD

Carcinoma hepatocelular; Elastografía transitoriaCarcinoma hepatocel·lular; Elastografia transitòriaHepatocellular carcinoma; Transient elastographyBackground: The potential role of non-invasive tests (NITs) for liver fibrosis for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prediction remains poorly known. Methods: Retrospective analysis of a NAFLD cohort from a single university hospital in Barcelona, Spain. Incidence rates and cumulative incidence for the overall cohort, as well as cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients were calculated. Logistic regression analyses were carried out to investigate risk factors of HCC. Results: From the entire cohort of 1040 patients, 996 patients (95.8%) were analyzed, in whom 35 cases of HCC were detected, of which 26 (72.4%) HCC incident cases were newly diagnosed during a median follow-up of 2.5 (1.9–3.6) years. Two-hundred and thirty-one (23.2%) were cirrhotic at baseline. With the exception of 2 (7.7%) cases of HCC, the rest were diagnosed in cirrhotic patients. Overall HCC cumulative incidence was 9.49 (95% CI 6.4–13.9) per 1000 person-years. The incidence rate for cirrhotic patients was 41.2 (95% CI 27.6–61.6) per 1000 person-years and 0.93 (95% CI 0.23–3.7) per 1000 person-years for patients without cirrhosis. Overall mortality was significantly higher amongst patients with HCC (4.4% vs. 30.8%, p < 0.001). In patients with available liver biopsy (n = 249, 25%), advanced fibrosis (F3–F4) was significantly associated with higher HCC incidence, but not steatosis, lobular inflammation, nor ballooning. In the overall cohort, FIB-4 ≥1.3 (HR 8.46, 95% CI 1.06–67.4, p = 0.044) and older age (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01–1.11, p = 0.025) were associated with increasing risk of HCC over time, whereas in cirrhotic patients predictors of HCC included decreasing values of albumin (HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.13–0.87, p = 0.024), platelets (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.98–0.99, p = 0.001), and increasing values of liver stiffness (HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00–1.06, p = 0.016). Conclusions: In a Spanish cohort of NAFLD patients, HCC was rare in non-cirrhotic patients. NITs might play a relevant role at predicting HCC.The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital Campus Institutional Review Board (study protocol code PR(AG)626/2021)

Combined Use of the Ab105-2φΔCI Lytic Mutant Phage and Different Antibiotics in Clinical Isolates of Multi-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Phage therapy is an abandoned antimicrobial therapy that has been resumed in recent years. In this study, we mutated a lysogenic phage from Acinetobacter baumannii into a lytic phage (Ab105-2phi∆CI) that displayed antimicrobial activity against A. baumannii clinical strain Ab177_GEIH-2000 (isolated in the GEIH-REIPI Spanish Multicenter A. baumannii Study II 2000/2010, Umbrella Genbank Bioproject PRJNA422585, and for which meropenem and imipenem MICs of respectively, 32 μg/mL, and 16 μg/mL were obtained). We observed an in vitro synergistic antimicrobial effect (reduction of 4 log–7 log CFU/mL) between meropenem and the lytic phage in all combinations analyzed (Ab105-2phi∆CI mutant at 0.1, 1 and 10 MOI and meropenem at 1/4 and 1/8 MIC). Moreover, bacterial growth was reduced by 8 log CFU/mL for the combination of imipenem at 1/4 MIC plus lytic phage (Ab105-2phi∆CI mutant) and by 4 log CFU/mL for the combination of imipenem at 1/8 MIC plus lytic phage (Ab105-2phi∆CI mutant) at both MOI 1 and 10. These results were confirmed in an in vivo model (G. mellonella), and the combination of imipenem and mutant Ab105-2phi∆CI was most effective (p < 0.05). This approach could help to reduce the emergence of phage resistant bacteria and restore sensitivity to antibiotics used to combat multi-resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii

Response to Bile Salts in Clinical Strains of Acinetobacter baumannii Lacking the AdeABC Efflux Pump: Virulence Associated with Quorum Sensing

Introduction:Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic nosocomial pathogen associated with multiple infections. This pathogen usually colonizes (first stage of microbial infection) host tissues that are in contact with the external environment. As one of the sites of entry in human hosts is the gastrointestinal tract, the pathogen must be capable of tolerating bile salts. However, studies analyzing the molecular characteristics involved in the response to bile salts in clinical strains of A. baumannii are scarce.Material and Methods: Microbiological and transcriptional studies (arrays and RT-PCR) in the response to bile salts were carried out in isogenic (A. baumanni ΔadeB ATCC 17978 and A. baumannii ΔadeL ATCC 17978) and clinical strains from clone ST79/PFGE-HUI-1 which is characterized by lacking the AdeABC efflux pump and by overexpression the AdeFGH efflux pump.Results and Discussion: In presence of bile salts, in addition to the glutamate/aspartate transporter were found overexpressed in A. baumannii ΔadeB ATCC 17978, the virulence factors (surface motility, biofilm, and Type VI Secretion System) which are associated with activation of the Quorum Sensing system. Overexpression of these factors was confirmed in clinical strains of clone ST79/PFGE-HUI-1.Conclusions: This the first study about the adaptive response to bile salts investigating the molecular and microbiological characteristics in response to bile salts of an isogenic model of A. baumannii ATCC 17978 and clinical isolates of A. baumannii (clinical strains of ST79/PFGE-HUI-1) lacking the main RND efflux pump (AdeABC). Clinical isolates of A. baumannii lacking the AdeABC efflux pump (clone ST79/PFGE-HUI-1) displayed a new clinical profile (increased invasiveness) possibly associated with the response to stress conditions (such as the presence of bile salts)