Ibero-American Research on Local Development. An Analysis of Its Evolution and New Trends

Local development is a subject that arouses significant interest in the international scientific community in general, and in the Ibero-American one, in particular. The process of globalization has transformed the management of local development, altering the role that is played by local and regional entities, and it is the object of an important follow-up and analysis by academia. This research uses a bibliometric methodology and a fractional counting method, reviewing the 738 articles from the Scopus database in order to understand the state of Ibero-American research on local development, and analyze the scientific literature on the topic. The results show a significant increase in the number of publications in the 21st century, with Spain and Brazil leading the way. In addition, this research provides interesting results regarding the most influential authors on this topic, the most relevant journals, and the most important institutions and funding organizations. There are several areas of knowledge involved since local development is a transversal field, such as Social Science, environment, business, economics, and agriculture. A deep analysis of authors’ keywords identified new trends, linking local development with tourism, education, geotourism, climate change, local sustainable development, social innovation, and creativity, which provides academia with potential new lines of research

Auxiliary Companies of the Horticultural Sector as a Competitiveness Element: The Case of Almeria (Spain)

The horticultural model of Almeria (Spain) based on the operation of greenhouses is an international reference and has been considered as an economic miracle. Alongside this agricultural development has been the deployment of the diverse productive activity of auxiliary companies. The objective of this article is to understand how these companies operate and analyze their factors of competitiveness, competing needs, and future competitive improvements, taking as reference four of the most important subsectors (machinery, greenhouse infrastructure, plastics, and seeds). The Delphi method was used and through a panel of experts the conditioning factors of each of the variables to be analyzed (factors, needs, and competitiveness improvements) was chosen. Of the 120 companies that were sent questionnaires, 72 participated. The sectors that make up the auxiliary companies are heterogeneous and therefore the results obtained have differed among them. The synergies between the greenhouse crops and the auxiliary companies are an example of diversification of productive activity that can be extrapolated to other production areas worldwide. The future of the auxiliary companies is linked to that of the intensive agriculture and the key variables must be underscored by competitiveness and sustainability

A Study of eHealth from the Perspective of Social Sciences

The field of social sciences has become increasingly important in eHealth. Patients currently engage more proactively with health services. This means that eHealth is linked to many different areas of Social Sciences. The main purpose of this research is to analyze the state-of-the-art research on eHealth from the perspective of social sciences. To this end, a bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science database. The main findings show the evolution of publications, the most influential countries, the most relevant journals and papers, and the importance of the different areas of knowledge. Although there are some studies on eHealth within social sciences, most of them focus on very specific aspects and do not develop a holistic analysis. Thus, this paper contributes to academia by analyzing the state-of-the-art of research, as well as identifying the most relevant trends and proposing future lines of research such as the potential of eHealth as a professional training instrument, development of predictive models in eHealth, analysis of the eHealth technology acceptance model (TAM), efficient integration of eHealth within public systems, efficient budget management, or improvement in the quality of service for patients

International Trade and Sustainability: Bibliometric and Cluster Analysis

This article studies the scientific research literature that focuses on the terms related to international trade and sustainability. For this, a bibliometric analysis using the Web of Science database and a cluster analysis on the results obtained carried out. With regard to the results, it can be pointed out that, despite being closely linked, the terms have opposing characteristics and are included in a wide variety of research trends such as those related to agriculture, industry or carbon footprint. This article is of special importance for researchers who want to have a holistic view of international trade and sustainability by identifying its main indicators in the scientific literature

The Embeddedness of Social Sciences and Economics in Research on Resources

Sustainability, local development, and ecology are keywords that cover a wide range of research fields in both experimental and social sciences. The transversal nature of this knowledge area creates synergies but also divergences, making a continuous review of the existing literature necessary in order to facilitate research. There has been an increasing number of articles that have analyzed trends in the literature and the state-of-the-art in many subjects. In this Special Issue of Resources, the most prestigious researchers analyzed the past and future of Social Sciences in Resources from an economic, social, and environmental perspectiv

The Ubiquitin Proteasome System in Neuromuscular Disorders: Moving Beyond Movement

Neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) affect 1 in 3000 people worldwide. There are more than 150 different types of NMDs, where the common feature is the loss of muscle strength. These disorders are classified according to their neuroanatomical location, as motor neuron diseases, peripheral nerve diseases, neuromuscular junction diseases, and muscle diseases. Over the years, numerous studies have pointed to protein homeostasis as a crucial factor in the development of these fatal diseases. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) plays a fundamental role in maintaining protein homeostasis, being involved in protein degradation, among other cellular functions. Through a cascade of enzymatic reactions, proteins are ubiquitinated, tagged, and translocated to the proteasome to be degraded. Within the ubiquitin system, we can find three main groups of enzymes: E1 (ubiquitin-activating enzymes), E2 (ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes), and E3 (ubiquitin-protein ligases). Only the ubiquitinated proteins with specific chain linkages (such as K48) will be degraded by the UPS. In this review, we describe the relevance of this system in NMDs, summarizing the UPS proteins that have been involved in pathological conditions and neuromuscular disorders, such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), or Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), among others. A better knowledge of the processes involved in the maintenance of proteostasis may pave the way for future progress in neuromuscular disorder studies and treatments.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad RTI2018-098645-B-10

A Look at the Past, Present and Future Research Trends of Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture

Technification in agriculture has resulted in the inclusion of more efficient companies that have evolved into a more complex sector focused on production and quality. Artificial intelligence, one of the relevant areas of technology, is transforming the agriculture sector by reducing the consumption and use of resources. This research uses a bibliometric methodology and a fractional counting method of clustering to analyze the scientific literature on the topic, reviewing 2629 related documents recorded on the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The study found significant results regarding the most relevant and prolific authors (Hoogenboom), supporting research organizations (National Natural Science Foundation of China) and countries (U.S., China, India, or Iran). The identification of leaders in this field gives researchers new possibilities for new lines of research based on previous studies. An in-depth examination of authors’ keywords identified different clusters and trends linking Artificial Intelligence and green economy, sustainable development, climate change, and the environment

El papel del valor de la marca propia en la composición del surtido del minorista: su influencia sobre la lealtad al establecimiento

El objetivo del presente trabajo es conocer la influencia del valor de la MdD, en diferentes tipos de surtido, sobre la lealtad de los consumidores hacia el establecimiento, tanto para una categoría de producto como para la cesta de la compra. Para ello, consideramos surtidos con diferente tamaño y estructura (solo MdD y mixtos) y desarrollamos un experimento online con una muestra de 1.400 consumidores en España. A partir de un análisis ANOVA, los resultados solo muestran diferencias significativas en surtidos mixtos donde la MF de alto valor tiene poco peso, no encontrándose diferencias significativas en surtidos con solo MdD, ni en surtidos mixtos con mayor proporción de MF de alto valor. Estos resultados sugieren diferentes recomendaciones para los minoristas, dependiendo del tipo de surtido por el que optenThe objective of this work is to know the influence of the PL equity, in different structures of the assortment, on the consumer’s loyalty towards the store, for both a product category and the shopping basket. Thus, we consider assortments with different sizes and composition (PL-only and mixed) and develop an online experiment with a sample of 1,400 consumers in Spain. Through an ANOVA analysis, the results only show significant differences in mixed assortments where NBs high equity represent a low ratio, not finding significant differences in PL-only assortments, nor in mixed assortments with a higher ratio of NBs high equity. These results suggest different suggestions for retailers, depending on the type of assortmen

Sleep monitoring by a specklegram fiber optic sensor

Sleep monitoring is becoming more and more popular. This is due to the considerably large number of pathologies and illness related to sleep disorders.In this work a long-termmonitoring system based on a fiber-optic specklegram sensor is presented. The system has been tested under real scenarios and compared with a commercial wrist-based actigrapher. The results suggest that our sensor is highly accurate on detecting movements and can be far more precise than traditional wrist-based actigraphers.This work has beensupported by the Spanish Government through the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness projects TEC2013-47264-C2-1-R and TEC2016-76021-C2-2-R (AEI/FEDER, UE)

Evaluación en resultados de salud del proceso diabetes tipo 2

ResumenObjetivoAnalizar la asociación entre el desarrollo del proceso diabetes tipo 2 (DM2) y la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS).DiseñoEstudio descriptivo transversal.EmplazamientoUnidad de Gestión Clínica (Ayamonte, Huelva).ParticipantesSelección por muestreo aleatorio simple entre los pacientes registrados en el proceso DM2: n=143.El proceso DM2 es una herramienta que utiliza indicadores de buena práctica clínica para el seguimiento de los pacientes.Recogida de datos desde registros y entrevista personal para el cuestionario de CVRS SF-36.ResultadosSe analizaron 101 pacientes. 51,5% mujeres. Edad media: 66,8 años (DE 11,3). Realizan actividad física: 52,5%. Tiempo de evolución de la diabetes: 9,6 años (DE 7,7). Índice de calidad del proceso (ISCD): 64,5%.Peor puntuación en componente físico de CVRS, media de 41,9 (DE 9,6).Mayor puntuación en hombres. Practicar ejercicio físico regular mejora la puntuación (diferencia de medias de 19,5 IC95% 10,2–28,8). Asociación negativa entre: edad y función física (r=−0,354 p<0,005), tiempo de evolución de diabetes y componente sumario físico (r=−0,278 p<0,005).Retinopatía (t=2,03 p<0,04) y cardiopatía (t=2,6 p<0,008) se relacionan con menor puntuación en componente físico.La asociación de CVRS con control metabólico, automedida de glucemia y educación diabetológica es no significativa.Predictores de la CVRS son: actividad física y enfermedades comórbidas.ConclusionesLa CVRS es mala en los diabéticos tipo 2 a pesar de tener buenos indicadores en el proceso.Debería incluirse la CVRS como estándar del proceso DM2.AbstractObjectiveTo analyse association between the development of type 2 diabetes and the health-related quality of life (HRQL).DesignDescriptive cross-sectional study.SettingPrimary care centre in Ayamonte (Huelva). Participants: Selection by simple random sampling between the patients registered with type 2 diabetes: n=143.The type 2 diabetes process is a tool that uses indicators of good clinical practice for the follow-up of the patients.Collection of data from records and personal interview for the questionnaire HRQL SF-36.ResultsA total of 101 patients were analysed, of which 51.5% were women. the average age was 66.8 years (SD 11.3). Performing physical activity 52.5%. Time of evolution of diabetes: 9.6 years (SD 7.7). Quality Index of the process: 64.5%. Worst score in physical component HRQL, mean of 41.9 (SD 9.6). Men had a better score, and it improves if there is regular physical exercise (mean difference 19.5% IC95%CI: 10.2–28.8). Age was inversely associated with physical function (r −0.354 P<0,005); and the time of evolution of diabetes with physical component (r −0.278 P<0.005). Retinopathy (t=2.03 P<0.04) and heart disease (t=2.6 P<0.008) were associated with lowest score in physical component. The association of HRQL with metabolic control, self control of glucose and diabetes education was not significant. Physical activity and comorbid diseases predict HRQL.ConclusionsThe HRQL is poor in type 2 diabetics despite having good indicators in the process. The HRQL should be included as standard in the type 2 diabetes process