Youth and the Third Sector Media in Spain: Communication and Social Change Training = Jóvenes y tercer sector de medios en España: Formación en comunicación y cambio social

The aim of this paper is to examine the role of community, free and university media in Spain as tools for media literacy and as instruments for creating a more critical and communicative citizenry. After a conceptual section, we analyse training processes in this area with regard to the general population and their reference communities, devoting particular emphasis to the involvement of young people. The triangulation research method was based on quantitative (a survey) and qualitative (focus groups) techniques. The results show that the third sector media in Spain act as invaluable tools for the acquisition of skills and competences that are transferable into young people’s professional and experiential sphere, given the ability of these media outlets to identify with their interests, aspirations and difficulties. In a broad sense, these initiatives contribute to expanding the right of communication in two different ways: on the one hand, because they are open to citizen participation in both management responsibilities and content programming; and, on the other, because their decentralized practices provide a laboratory for creative journalism which, in turn, is linked to social movements and other means of expression for citizens (NGOs, associations, etc.)

Towards profitable customized solutions in small firms: a matter of relationships, modularity and expertise

Producción CientíficaPurpose.The decision concerning the degree of product and service customization is crucial, yet has scarcely been studied for small businesses in business-to-business (B2B) contexts. Although such a decision allows relationships with potential customers to be strengthened, it might involve high opportunity costs given the investment required. This paper aims to analyse the profitability of customization undertaken by small businesses in terms of cost–benefit and examine the drivers of profitable customized projects vis-à-vis the ability to strengthen relationships with clients (relationship investment and customer involvement) and the firm’s resources related to processes and technology (expertise and modularity). Design/methodology/approach.To test the proposed hypotheses, data were collected from 140 small Spanish firms involved in two sectors characterized by the offer of customized solutions: information and professional, scientific and technical services. Findings.Analysis reveals that customer involvement in the customized solution, even when it requires investing in equipment, time or human resources has a positive effect on customization and ultimately on profitability, as the cost of this customer interaction is lower than the revenue it provides. Likewise, supplier investment in the relationship allows for a solution that is adapted to the client, although it requires a cost associated with investing in specific assets. Such costs cancel out the positive indirect effect through the customized solution. Finally, expertise enables appropriate use of the flexibility derived from modularity to satisfy customer requirements, with both being key company resources for driving profitability through customized solutions. Originality/value. This study makes a contribution to the domain of customization. The authors extend current knowledge on B2B customization by proving that small firms can use their available capabilities and knowledge to achieve a successful customization strategy.Junta de Castilla y León y the European Regional Development Fund (Project VA219P20)Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Project ECO217-86628-P

La relación médico-paciente en el tratamiento de la diabetes tipo 1. Un estudio cualitativo

ObjetivosConocer las experiencias y las expectativas de pacientes con diabetes tipo 1 (DM1) y sus familiares sobre la relación que establecen con sus médicos y su influencia en la forma de afrontar la enfermedad y el tratamiento.DiseñoDiseño cualitativo a través de grupos focales realizado en 2001.EmplazamientoDistintos centros sanitarios de Granada y Sevilla.ParticipantesPacientes con DM1, familiars y/o cuidadores.MétodoMuestreo teórico con representación de los perfiles más característicos. Procedimiento de análisis cualitativo: asignación de códigos al texto, triangulación e interpretación de resultados.ResultadosLa relación médico-paciente influye decisivamente en la vivencia emocional de la enfermedad y en la manera en que los pacientes asumen el control. Los pacientes entrevistados aseguran que la relación con sus médicos está centrada en los signos y los síntomas de la enfermedad, y que el aspecto emocional se deja de lado. Es frecuente que los profesionales basen su comunicación en la reprimenda y en la amenaza. Los tratamientos se imponen más que se consensúan, y las posibilidades de participación en las decisiones clínicas son escasas. En consecuencia, los pacientes desarrollan estrategias para tomar sus propias decisiones sobre el tratamiento adaptándolo a su vida.ConclusionesDesean un modelo de relación con sus médicos en el que les escuchen, empaticen con su situación, comprendan los problemas que enfrentan para seguir el tratamiento, les transmitan ánimos y adapten sus recomendaciones a las circunstancias vitales y emocionales de cada paciente. Se prefiere a los profesionales que combinan la competencia técnica (incluida la dimensión relacional) con la humanidad y la amabilidad, y que asumen su corresponsabilidad en el éxito del tratamiento.ObjectivesTo know the experiences and expectations of diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM1) patients and their relatives as regards the relationships established with doctors, and the impact of such relationships on their strategies to cope with the disease and treatment.DesignQualitative design based on focus groups conducted in 2001.LocationSeveral health care centres in Granada and Seville, Spain.ParticipantsDM1 patients and their relatives and/or carers.MethodTheory-based sampling including the most representative profiles. Qualitative analysis procedure: text coding, triangulation and interpretation of results.ResultsDoctor/patient relationship highly influences the emotional experience of disease and the way patients gain control over it. Interviewed patients said that the relationship with doctors is focused on disease signs and symptoms, leaving emotional aspects aside. Very often, provider communication is built on recrimination and threat. Treatment is imposed rather than agreed, with scarce opportunities for participating in clinical decisions. Patients develop strategies to take their own decisions and adapting treatment to their daily life.ConclusionsPatients value a relationship model whereby providers listen and empathise with their situation, understand their difficulties in treatment compliance, encourage them, and adapt recommendations to the personal and emotional circumstances of each patient. They prefer doctors combining professional competence-including relational skills-with humanity and kindness, as well as being capable of assuming their co-responsibility in treatment success

Youth and the Third Sector Media in Spain: Communication and Social Change Training

El siguiente trabajo tiene por objeto acercarse al papel de los medios comunitarios, libres y universitarios del Estado español comoinstrumentos para la alfabetización mediática y en tanto que espacios para la conformación de ciudadanía crítica y comunicativa.Tras el apartado conceptual, se analizan los procesos de aprendizaje que se implementan con respecto a la ciudadanía en generaly a las comunidades de referencia en particular, prestando especial atención al rol y a la participación de la juventud. A partir dela triangulación de técnicas cuantitativas (encuesta) y cualitativas (grupos de discusión), los resultados demuestran que los mediosdel tercer sector actúan como valiosas herramientas para la adquisición de habilidades y competencias críticas que pueden transferirsea la esfera profesional y vivencial de los jóvenes, dada la identificación de estos medios con los intereses, problemáticas yaspiraciones juveniles. En un sentido amplio, estas iniciativas contribuyen a la expansión del derecho a la comunicación en dosdirecciones: por un lado, porque están abiertas a la participación ciudadana en las tareas de gestión y programación de los contenidos;y, por otro, porque sus prácticas descentralizadas constituyen un laboratorio de creatividad periodística que, a su vez,está vinculado al devenir de los movimientos sociales y otras formaciones de la ciudadanía organizada (ONG, asociaciones, etc.).The aim of this paper is to examine the role of community, free and university media in Spain as tools for media literacy and as instruments for creating a more critical and communicative citizenry. After a conceptual section, we analyse training processes in this area with regard to the general population and their reference communities, devoting particular emphasis to the involvement of young people. The triangulation research method was based on quantitative (a survey) and qualitative (focus groups) techniques. The results show that the third sector media in Spain act as invaluable tools for the acquisition of skills and competences that are transferable into young people’s professional and experiential sphere, given the ability of these media outlets to identify with their interests, aspirations and difficulties. In a broad sense, these initiatives contribute to expanding the right of communication in two different ways: on the one hand, because they are open to citizen participation in both management responsibilities and content programming; and, on the other, because their decentralized practices provide a laboratory for creative journalism which, in turn, is linked to social movements and other means of expression for citizens (NGOs, associations, etc.)

Ostracods as palaeoenvironmental tracers: evolution of the southern area of the Doñana National Park from the lower Pliocene to recent

El estudio de los materiales geológicos y las asociaciones de ostrácodos presentes en un testigo largo obtenido en el sur del Parque Nacional de Doñana (SO de España) permite inferir una evolución paleoambiental desde medios marinos someros (Plioceno Inferior) hasta un lagoon salobre (Pleistoceno Superior-Holoceno) y la implantación de sistemas eólicos (<1.900 años BP), con un estadio intermedio aluvial durante la mayor parte del Pleistoceno. En el Holoceno Superior, se detecta un evento tsunami- génico caracterizado por la erosión de sedimentos eólicos y su depósito sobre medios submarealesThe analysis of the geological units and the ostracod assemblages of a long core collected in the southern Doñana National Park (SW Spain) permits to deduce an evolution from shallow marine palaeoenvironments (Lower Pliocene) to a brackish lagoon (Upper Pleistocene-Holocene) and the deposit of aeolian sediments (<1900 yr BP), with an intermediate alluvial stage during the Pleistocene. In the Late Holocene, a tsunamigenic event was detected, with the erosion of aeolian sediments and a subsequent deposit on subtidal environment

Structure–Biological Activity Relationships of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Phenolic Compounds: Health Properties and Bioavailability

Extra-virgin olive oil is regarded as functional food since epidemiological studies and multidisciplinary research have reported convincing evidence that its intake affects beneficially one or more target functions in the body, improves health, and reduces the risk of disease. Its health properties have been related to the major and minor fractions of extra-virgin olive oil. Among olive oil chemical composition, the phenolic fraction has received considerable attention due to its bioactivity in different chronic diseases. The bioactivity of the phenolic compounds could be related to different properties such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, although the molecular mechanism of these compounds in relation to many diseases could have different cellular targets. The aim of this review is focused on the extra-virgin olive oil phenolic fraction with particular emphasis on (a) biosynthesis, chemical structure, and influence factors on the final extra-virgin olive oil phenolic composition; (b) structure–antioxidant activity relationships and other molecular mechanisms in relation to many diseases; (c) bioavailability and controlled delivery strategies; (d) alternative sources of olive biophenols. To achieve this goal, a comprehensive review was developed, with particular emphasis on in vitro and in vivo assays as well as clinical trials. This report provides an overview of extra-virgin olive oil phenolic compounds as a tool for functional food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical applications.Junta de Andalucía B-AGR-466-UGR1

Grape and Grape-Based Product Polyphenols: A Systematic Review of Health Properties, Bioavailability, and Gut Microbiota Interactions

Grapevine-derived products have been widely studied for their reported benefits, especially those related to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. However, in recent years, the interest in the study of grapes and their non-fermented derivatives (grape juices) has gained prominence over the well-known interest in red wine, since grapes and grape juices seem to be widely related to the beneficial effects associated with the Mediterranean diet, and consequently to the presence of phenolic compounds. The focus of this systematic review was the phenolic profiles of grape, juice, and wine, as well as the possible beneficial effects of their consumption on the human microbiota through a systematic literature review. PubMed and Scopus were accessed during April 2021 and the PRISMA methodological protocol was followed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the PRISMA methodology has been applied to this systematic knowledge. This methodology allowed for a scientific description of: (a) the comparison between grapes and their derived products as source of phenolic compounds, (b) great possibilities for working on a new line of investigation based on the synergy between polyphenol consumption and microbiota, and (c) the urgent need for strategies to improve the bioavailability of these compounds

Struvite as a Sustainable Fertilizer in Mediterranean Soils

Recycled sources of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N), such as struvite extracted from wastewater, have the potential to substitute conventional manufactured fertilizers and mitigate environmental problems such as water eutrophication or the depletion of non-renewable resources. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of struvite as a nitrogenous and phosphate fertilizer in the Spanish Mediterranean region. Two experiments were carried out using struvite recovered from sewage sludge and different representative soils from the area. Since knowing the rates at which their nutrients are released is key for efficient use, experiment I determined the struvite N-releasing rate for 16 weeks. Experiment II studied the effect of different struvite doses (50, 100, 200 kg P2O5 ha−1) on crop growth compared to superphosphate + ammonium nitrate. The results indicated N-releasing rates that fall in line with a slow-release fertilizer. More than 20% of applied struvite-N was unavailable for plants or in the longer term, which suggests struvite fractionation as the most efficient application method. Struvite showed similar fertilization capacity, which was even better at some points, than conventional mineral fertilization, plus adequate plant growth and good nutrient concentration at the 50 kg P2O5 ha−1 dose. Based on this study, struvite can be considered an interesting and effective option for sustainable fertilization in the Mediterranean region

Postcesarean Thromboprophylaxis with Two Different Regimens of Bemiparin

Objectives. To compare the effectiveness of postcesarean thromboprophylaxis with two different regimens of bemiparin. Material and Methods. The study included 646 women with cesarean delivery in our hospital within a 1-year period, randomly assigned to one of two groups for prophylaxis with 3500 IU bemiparin once daily for 5 days or 3500 IU bemiparin once daily for 10 days. Results. There was one case of pulmonary embolism (first day following cesarean). An additional risk factor was present in 98.52% of the women, most frequently emergency cesarean, anemia, or obesity. The only risk factors for thromboembolic disease significantly related to pulmonary thromboembolism were placental abruption and prematurity. There were no differences in thromboembolic events among the two thromboprophylaxis regimens. Conclusions. Cesarean-related thromboembolic events were reduced in our study population due to the thromboprophylactic measures taken. Thromboprophylaxis with 3500 IU bemiparin once daily for 5 days following cesarean was sufficient to avoid thromboembolic events

Analysis and Screening of Commercialized Protein Supplements for Sports Practice

Recent years have seen a rise in the popularity of the consumption of sports-related supplements. However, the hypothesis is raised that it is necessary to analyze the quality aspects of these supplements in relation to the information provided on the label, to avoid associated risks and obtain the greatest possible benefit from their consumption. Therefore, the aim of this study has been to carry out an analysis or screening of the protein supplements that are currently marketed in Spain. We analyzed the labels of 52 protein sports supplements available both in physical stores and online. The analysis consisted of addressing three relevant aspects considering the labeling: (a) the legislative framework in which the supplements are marketed, (b) the quality of the protein, and (c) the presence of other ingredients according to the specifications of the label. In the legislative context, there do not seem to be any specific regulations to guarantee consumer protection, which can lead to unfair practices and misleading advertising. Most of the supplements analyzed to comply with the requirements of their current regulations. However, claims about their benefits that are not allowed under European legislation have been found in some of them. Regarding composition and according to label information, the supplements have been found to provide a sufficient dose of protein in terms of recommended protein intake per serving. Regarding the presence of other ingredients and according to the information on the label, most of them, except for egg supplements, contain other ingredients. Colostrum was also found in one of the supplements evaluated. The conclusions of the study reveal that, due to a lack of knowledge or misleading advertising practices, supplements are often not used properly. The information provided is essential for both professionals and consumers to avoid the risks associated with consumption, such as unintentional doping, interactions between ingredients that reduce the quality of the supplement, and consumption of supplements inappropriately, among others