Reporting a bottom-up political process : local perceptions of cross- border cooperation in the southern Portugal–Spain region

Beyond the national political-territorial borders in Europe, the cross-regional dimension maintains an experimental democratic character. Entities developed to foster cross- border cooperation, such as working communities and Euroregions, are conceived as mechanisms of democratisation through the decentralisation of regional or/and local governmental bodies. However, scholarly debate suggests that the top-down policy- making process that is characteristic of cross-border programmes seems to cast doubt on the fulfilment of a European participatory democracy. In this respect, the cross-border cooperation process seems to contribute to an added value to the dilemma of the European democratic deficit. The objective of this paper is to present a regional contribution to this debate through a study of local experts’ perspectives on the implementation and impact of cross-border cooperation policies in the southern Portugal-Spain border region and the possibilities for local and social participation. This paper utilises data from two related investigations in the southern cross-border area between Portugal and Spain, including qualitative interviews, focus groups, and content analysis of secondary data. The results reveal a positive attitude towards the recent regional top-down initiatives of European integration, although local experts question the potential for the inclusion of local perspectives in cross-border initiatives. Additionally, during this period of economic crisis, political contradictions may be observed, and political initiatives related to the Spanish-Portugal border may hamper the existing cross-border flows and dynamics of progressive integration. In this sense, local authorities play an important role as the nexus between transnational institutions of cross-border cooperation and the inhabitants of border regions

Assessment of Virgin Olive Oil Adulteration by a Rapid Luminescent Method

The adulteration of virgin olive oil with hazelnut oil is a common fraud in the food industry, which makes mandatory the development of accurate methods to guarantee the authenticity and traceability of virgin olive oil. In this work, we demonstrate the potential of a rapid luminescent method to characterize edible oils and to detect adulterations among them. A regression model based on five luminescent frequencies related to minor oil components was designed and validated, providing excellent performance for the detection of virgin olive oil adulteration

Constructivismo y metodología colaborativa mediada por TIC en educación superior usando webquest

The present article presents an experience of educational innovation framed in the constructivist approach and the collaborative methodology conducted with students of the Degree in Primary Education, in the module “ICT Applied to Education”. The experience consisted of making the students competent in the design, creation and evaluation of WebQuests and Scavenger Hunts. To this end, globalising and competence-based strategies were used, with which the students learn, through a work project, to perform specific tasks designed by the teacher and carried out in collaborative groups based on constructivist models from an active learning. In this case, the students are taught what a WebQuest is by using a WebQuest designed by the teacher, who then gives them the task of creating a WebQuest or Scavenger Hunt designed for students in primary education. This experience is structured in three learning phases, as well as an initial evaluation (pretest) and a final evaluation (post-test) to verify the extent of learning of the students. During the process, instruments of self-evaluation, heteroevaluation and coevaluation were used to enhance learning. The results show that the learning of these students increased, both in their didactic competence and in the use of ICT, using an alternative methodology to the traditional one.En este artículo queremos dar a conocer una experiencia de innovación docente enmarcada en el enfoque constructivista y la metodología colaborativa, realizada con alumnos del Grado de Maestro de Educación Primaria en la Asignatura de Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación aplicadas a la Educación. Se trata de hacer a los alumnos competentes en el diseño, elaboración y evaluación de Webquest y “caza del tesoro”. Para ello utilizamos, estrategias de aprendizaje globalizador y de tipo competencial, donde los alumnos aprenden, a través de un proyecto de trabajo, a realizar unas determinadas tareas diseñadas por el profesor y llevadas a cabo en grupos colaborativos basado en modelos constructivistas desde un aprendizaje activo. En el caso que nos ocupa se enseña a los estudiantes qué es una Webquest utilizando una Webquest diseñada por la profesora, y que exige en la tarea la realización de una Webquest o “caza del tesoro” dirigida a alumnos de Educación Primaria. Esta experiencia se estructura en 3 fases de aprendizaje, además de una evaluación inicial (pre-test) y otra final (post-test) para verificar el grado de aprendizaje de los alumnos. Durante el proceso también se utilizan instrumentos de autoevaluación, heteroevaluación y coevaluación que favorecen el aprendizaje. Los resultados demuestran el incremento superior del aprendizaje de los estudiantes tanto en su competencia didáctica, como en el uso de las TIC, utilizando una metodología alternativa a la tradicional

“ACTITUDES ANTE LA MUERTE Y ADHERENCIA TERAPÉUTICA, DEL PACIENTE CON INSUFICIENCIA RENAL CRÓNICA EN TRATAMIENTO SUSTITUTIVO DE DIÁLISIS PERITONEAL Y SU CUIDADOR PRIMARIO EN LA UNIDAD DE MEDICINA FAMILIAR 64 2012”

Actitud es una predisposición aprendida para responder consistentemente de una manera favorable o desfavorable respecto a un objeto o sus símbolos; las actitudes están relacionadas con el comportamiento que mantenemos en torno a los objetos a que hacen referencia, desde luego, las actitudes solo son un indicador de la conducta, pero no la conducta en sí, es por ello, que las mediciones de actitudes deben interpretarse como síntomas y no como hechos, la actitud es como una semilla que bajo condiciones puede germinar en comportamient

Niveles séricos de PAPP-A y ß-hCG en el primer trimestre del embarazo como predicadores de resultados obstétricos desfavorables en el Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria

Introducción: Los niveles de PAPP-A y β-hCG se utilizan en la práctica médica en el programa de cribado del primer trimestre para la detección de anomalías cromosómicas. Sin embargo, muchos estudios han documentado la asociación entre valores bajos de estos marcadores en el suero materno durante el primer trimestre y efectos maternofetales adversos. El objetivo de este trabajo es valorar dicha relación. Material y métodos: Estudio de casos y controles de tipo retrospectivo anidado en una cohorte de pacientes con embarazo único que se realizó el programa de cribado del primer trimestre entre 2017 y 2018 en el Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria. Para el grupo de los casos se seleccionaron pacientes con niveles de MoM PAPP-A y/o β-hCG iguales o inferiores al percentil 5. El grupo control se obtuvo realizando una selección aleatorizada de entre todas las pacientes con niveles de MoM PAPP-A y/o β-hCG por encima de dicho percentil. Se compara mediante análisis estadístico la incidencia de eventos obstétricos adversos de cada grupo. Resultados: En los grupos con niveles bajos de MoM PAPP-A y MoM β-hCG se observa un mayor riesgo de desarrollar crecimiento intrauterino restringido que en el grupo control (OR: 2,7 y 3,17 respectivamente). En el grupo MoM PAPP-A £ p5 también se obtuvo un riesgo 3,8 veces superior de estados hipertensivos del embarazo (IC: 1,94- 7,83) y 7,9 veces mayor de muerte fetal anteparto (IC:1,09-217,4). Estas dos variables no resultaron estadísticamente significativas en el grupo MoM β-hCG £ p5. Conclusión: Los niveles bajos de PAPP-A y β-hCG en el suero de las gestantes se asocian a un riesgo elevado de desarrollar complicaciones obstétricas por lo que podrían utilizarse para la detección precoz de las mismas y prevención de malos resultados obstétricos.Introduction: PAPP-A and β-hCG levels are used in medical practice in the first trimester screening program for the detection of chromosomal abnormalities. However, many studies have documented the association between low values of these markers in maternal serum during the first trimester and adverse maternal-fetal effects. The objective of this work is to value this relationship Material and methods: Retrospective case-control study based in a cohort of patients with a single pregnancy who underwent the first-trimester screening program between 2017 and 2018 at the Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria. For the group of cases, patients with MoM levels PAPP-A and/or β-hCG equal to or below the 5th percentile were selected. The control group was obtained by making a randomized selection of all patients with MoM PAPP-A levels. and/or β-hCG above that percentile. The incidence of adverse obstetric events in each group is compared by statistical analysis. Results: In the groups with low levels of MoM PAPP-A and MoM β-hCG, we can observe a higher risk of developing restricted intrauterine growth than in the control group (OR: 2,7 and 3,17, respectively). In the MoM PAPP-A £ p5 group we also obtained a 3,8 times higher risk of global hypertensive states of pregnancy (CI: 1.94-7.83) and 7.9 times higher of antepartum fetal death (CI: 1,09- 217,4). These two variables were not statistically significant in the MoM β-hCG £ p5 group. Conclusion: Low levels of PAPP-A and β-hCG in the serum of pregnant women are associated with a high risk of developing obstetric complications, so they could be used for the early detection of these and the prevention of poor obstetric results

Eutanasia y Trabajo Social

El Trabajo Social es una profesión que asume un papel importante en el proceso del final de la vida y, por tanto, también en relación con la eutanasia. En el presente trabajo, mediante una revisión de la bibliografía especializada, se trata de facilitar una visión global de un nuevo derecho reconocido en el año 2021 en España: la prestación de ayuda para morir. El presente trabajo aborda la eutanasia desde su definición conceptual hasta su evolución histórica, así como su reconocimiento en la actualidad a nivel legal, normativo, ético, internacional y desde el posicionamiento y las actuaciones de la profesión de Trabajo Social, especialmente en el ámbito sanitario. Asimismo, con el objetivo de precisar la noción de “eutanasia” y su relación con la muerte digna, se hace una diferenciación entre varios términos similares.Social Work is a profession that plays a significant role in the end-of- life process and, therefore, in the debate on euthanasia. The goal of this work is to provide a global vision of the provision of assitance in dying, a new right recognized in Spain in 2021, through a review carried out from specialized bibliography. This work approaches the euthanasia from its conceptual definition to its historical evolution; and is explained as well as its current recognition at a legal, regulatory, ethical, and international level. More than that, an in-depth perspective from the position and actions of the Social Work profession, particularly in the health field, is given. Likewise, in order to have a straightforward notion of "euthanasia" and its relationship with a dignified death, a differentiation is made between several similar terms.Departamento de Sociología y Trabajo SocialGrado en Trabajo Socia

The social capital applied to cross-border cooperation in the cross-border regions of Alentejo-Algarve-Andalucía and southern Finland-Estonia

The cross-border cooperation (CBC) has been subject of study since eighties, and there is a wide empirical research since the implementation of first community initiatives like Interreg, receiving much of attention from the institutional realm. However, in last decade there has been an interest in the study of CBC from different disciplines which try to deliver the reaiity of day to day in border regions and the cross-border cooperation focused in the study of identities, border citizens’ perspective and informal border relations. At the same time, the study of social capital (SC) has emerged in the last decades and is applied to diverse fields of interest. Among them the cross-border cooperation is a new and interesting area of research. The SC refers to the study of social relations and aspects like trust that facilitate the collective action. Social capita! can be approached in its cognitive (trust, norms), and/or structural (networks) dimension with the development of the social network analysis, an empirical mathematic method that explains systematically how with the investment on networks or relations social actors are capable to obtain benefits or to pursuit a certain collective action. In this context, this thesis tries to unify the institutional and more formal approach of CBC with a more social and informal based on SC theories and application of network analysis to offer a new approach to the study of CBC. The main goal is to study the construction of the cross-border social capital emerged from the institutional cross- border cooperation, focused on experts and institutions participating in EU cross-border cooperation; and to compare how is developed this cross-border social capita! in two different cross-border regions: Alentejo-Algarve- Andalucla and Southern Finland-Estonia. The methodology is qualitative-quantitative, using first a semi-structured interviews with a questionnaire and a module of social network analysis applied to 45 experts on CBC; second, the network analysis of the secondary data of approved projects of the interreg A programme 2007-2013 in each cross-border region. This research aims to contribute to the lack of research from sociology and social capital on cross-border cooperation. From another prism of analysis results will try to shed some light into the reaiity of day to day CBC in these two different and distant cross-border regions within the European Union.La cooperación transfronteriza (CTF) ha sido objeto de estudio desde los ochenta, y hay una amplia investigación desde el desarrollo de los primeros programas Interreg, recibiendo gran interés sobre todo en el marco institucional. Sin embargo, en las ultimo décadas ha habido un gran interés en el estudio de la CTF desde distintas disciplinas que tratan de abordar la realidad del día a día en la regiones fronterizas y ia cooperación transfronteriza centrada más en el estudio de identidades, 1a visión de ios ciudadanos y las relaciones fronterizas informales. Al mismo tiempo, el estudio del capital social (CS) ha surgido en las últimas décadas y ha sido aplicado a distintos campos de interés. Entre ellos, la cooperación transfronteriza es un campo nuevo e interesante de investigación. El CS insta al estudio de relaciones sociales y aspectos como la confianza, que facilitan la acción colectiva. El CS puede ser abordado en su dimensión cognitiva (confianza, normas) y/o estructural (redes) con el desarrollo del análisis de redes sociales, un método empírico matemático que explica sistemáticamente como con la inversión en redes o relaciones sociales los actores sociales son capaces de obtener beneficios o alcanzar una determinada acción colectiva. En este contexto esta tesis intenta unificar el estudio de la cooperación transfronteriza más institucional y formal con e! estudio social e informal basado en teorías del capital social y el uso del análisis de redes sociales. Para ofrecer un nuevo enfoque a la investigación de la CTF. El principal objetivo es abordar la construcción del capital social transfronterizo que surge de la cooperación transfronteriza institucional a través de los expertos y las instituciones que participan en la cooperación transfronteriza de la UE, y comparar como se desarrolla este capital social transfronterizo en dos regiones transfronterizas distintas: Alentejo-Algarve-Andalucía y Sur de Finlandla-Estonia. La metodología usada es cuantitativa-cualitativa, basada primero en entrevistas semiestructuradas con un cuestionario y un módulo de análisis de redes aplicado a 45 expertos en CTF; segundo, el análisis de redes de datos secundarios de los proyectos aprobados en los programas Interreg 2007-2013 en cada reglón transfronteriza. Esta investigación persigue contribuir a la falta de investigación desde la sociología y el capital social en el ámbito de la cooperación transfronteriza. Desde otro prisma de análisis los resultados intentaran ofrecen alguna luz sobre la realidad de CTF en el día a día en estas dos regiones distintas y distantes dentro de la UE

The link between water access and subjective well-being: some methods and proposals

The study of happiness or subjective well-being has traditionally been studied within the disciplines of psychology or sociology. Although economics has contemplated happiness in research terms, it has only recently been studied in any depth. In this paper we offer several proposals in order to investigate the relationship between water access and happiness, suggesting some situations that would merit further research. Moreover, we have included some methodological notes in order to achieve this objective. This relationship can be useful in two ways. Firstly, it can favour the contemplation of water access as a human right. Secondly, it can serve as a framework for the decision-making process carried out by Governments and NGOs in developing countries

Diagnóstico y metodología de restauración en la escultura policromada

Not availableLa policromía es la capa o capas, con o sin preparación, realizada con distintas técnicas pictóricas y decorativas, que recubre total o parcialmente esculturas o elementos arquitectónicos u ornamentales, con el fin de proporcionar a estos objetos un acabado o decoración. Es consustancial a los mismos e indivisible de su concepción e imagen

Competitive implications of quality assurance processes in higher education. The case of higher education in engineering in France

Quality assurance in higher education is one of the cornerstones of the Bologna agenda and the Lisbon strategy, which aims at establishing the world’s most competitive knowledge economy. Extensive literature up to now has addressed quality assurance as a regulatory and policy mechanism and has presented quality assurance and market forces as antagonistic. However, what policymakers in the field fail to see is that the ‘official’ quality assurance processes also have implications in terms of competition. Indeed, higher education institutions are using the results of these, in principle aseptic, non-market-related evaluation processes, as a way to achieve competitive advantage. This paper analyses the case of higher education institutions in engineering in France. The institutional websites of 163 higher education institutions have been analysed through code-based content analysis techniques and Multiple Correspondence Analysis. This study shows that the analysis of institutional websites can be used as a tool to gauge the importance of the different dimensions of quality assurance for higher education institutions in a given national system. Furthermore, a clear association has been found between the ranking position of an institution and its communication behaviour. The results have been interpreted in the light of Neoinstitutional Theory and Porter’s generic competitive strategies. Practical implications for quality assurance practitioners and managers at higher education institutions have been highlighted