Assessing the Argument for Specialized Courts: Evidence from Family Courts in Spain

Specialized courts have become a key component of the legal reform packages implemented in civil law countries, particularly, in the area of family law. One argument for this policy is that they are able to reach a decision faster than the regular courts, which are normally congested. We use data from a survey of Spanish family courts in the region of Madrid to test this claim. After controlling for other relevant variables, the econometric results did not provide strong support for specialized courts

Structural analysis and stakeholder-developed scenarios for the continuous training of secondary school teachers in Barcelona

Just as teachers strive to inspire a dedication to lifelong learning in their students, educators must also continue their own learning as professionals in order to keep pace with a changing world through updates in curriculum content and pedagogical practices. In Spain, Continuous Teacher Training (CTT) programs are in place to support teachers' in this effort. However, these programs must also be reviewed and, when necessary, reimagined in order to meet teachers' needs. Using a qualitative prospective approach and structural analysis, this research provides a case study from Barcelona resulting in stakeholder-developed objectives and scenarios for improving CTT: an Ideal Scenario and a Basic Scenario. The study takes into account three underlying elements: (i) the complexity of CTT; (ii) innovation; and (iii) adoptability. While this work focuses on a specific location, the objectives and scenarios offer insight into a stakeholder-guided process for designing meaningful teacher training programs that is relevant for a broad range of education contextsDel mismo modo que los maestros se esfuerzan en inspirar una dedicación a la formación continua en sus estudiantes, los educadores también deben seguir su propio aprendizaje como profesionales, con el fin de seguir el ritmo de un mundo cambiante, los cambios en el contenido curricular o en las prácticas pedagógicas. En España, los programas de Formación Continua de Profesores (CTT) existen para apoyar a los maestros en este esfuerzo. Sin embargo, estos programas también deben ser revisados y, cuando sea necesario, reinventados con el fin de satisfacer las necesidades de los maestros. Desde un enfoque cualitativo de análisis estructural y prospectivo, esta investigación proporciona a través de un estudio de caso de Barcelona, objetivos y escenarios de actores, desarrollado para mejorar la CTT: un escenario ideal y un escenario básico. El estudio tiene en cuenta tres elementos fundamentales: (i) la complejidad del CTT; (Ii) la innovación; y (iii) la capacidad de adaptación. Si bien este trabajo se genera en una ubicación específica, los objetivos y escenarios ofrecen información sobre un proceso guiado para el diseño de programas de formación docente, relevantes para una amplia gama de contextos educativo

High population density survival of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum (Philippi 1845) to a category 5 hurricane in southern Mexican Caribbean

The vulnerability of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum to the impact of the category 5 hurricane Dean was assessed at a back-reef area of Mahahual (Southern Mexican Caribbean). Seventy days after Dean, there was a high mean Diadema population density of 12.6 ± 4.3 (SD; from here forward) ind m2 , with a large mean individual test diameter of 59.2 ±9.8 mm. This population was comparable to a previous report for the same area, just before the landfall of Dean on 21 August 2007. Immigration of adults from deeper fore-reef sites after Dean across the reef-crest was unlikely, considering the homing behavior displayed by tagged urchins. The degree of physical alteration of the habitat indicated that Diadema may survive higher hurricane-generated disturbances than those reported in previous works. These results have strong implications on the conservation of the Mexican Caribbean coral reefs since the Diadema populations surveyed have a high grazing activity and are persistent against hurricanes impact

An exact expression to calculate the derivatives of position-dependent observables in molecular simulations with flexible constraints

In this work, we introduce an algorithm to compute the derivatives of physical observables along the constrained subspace when flexible constraints are imposed on the system (i.e., constraints in which the hard coordinates are fixed to configuration-dependent values). The presented scheme is exact, it does not contain any tunable parameter, and it only requires the calculation and inversion of a sub-block of the Hessian matrix of second derivatives of the function through which the constraints are defined. We also present a practical application to the case in which the sought observables are the Euclidean coordinates of complex molecular systems, and the function whose minimization defines the constraints is the potential energy. Finally, and in order to validate the method, which, as far as we are aware, is the first of its kind in the literature, we compare it to the natural and straightforward finite-differences approach in three molecules of biological relevance: methanol, N-methyl-acetamide and a tri-glycine peptideComment: 13 pages, 8 figures, published versio

Optimized intermolecular potential for nitriles based on Anisotropic United Atoms model

An extension of the Anisotropic United Atoms intermolecular potential model is proposed for nitriles. The electrostatic part of the intermolecular potential is calculated using atomic charges obtained by a simple Mulliken population analysis. The repulsion-dispersion interaction parameters for methyl and methylene groups are taken from transferable AUA4 literature parameters [Ungerer et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2000, 112, 5499]. Non-bonding Lennard-Jones intermolecular potential parameters are regressed for the carbon and nitrogen atoms of the nitrile group (–C≡N) from experimental vapor-liquid equilibrium data of acetonitrile. Gibbs Ensemble Monte Carlo simulations and experimental data agreement is very good for acetonitrile, and better than previous molecular potential proposed by Hloucha et al. [J. Chem. Phys., 2000, 113, 5401]. The transferability of the resulting potential is then successfully tested, without any further readjustment, to predict vapor-liquid phase equilibrium of propionitrile and n-butyronitrile

Variational reduced density matrix method in the doubly occupied configuration interaction space using three-particle N-representability conditions

Ground-state energies and two-particle reduced density matrices (2-RDMs) corresponding to N-particle systems are computed variationally within the doubly occupied configuration interaction (DOCI) space by constraining the 2-RDM to satisfy a complete set of three-particle N-representability conditions known as three-positivity conditions. These conditions are derived and implemented in the variational calculation of the 2-RDM with standard semidefinite programming algorithms. Ground state energies and 2-RDMs are computed for N2, CO, CN-, and NO+ molecules at both equilibrium and nonequilibrium geometries as well as for pairing models at different repulsive interaction strengths. The results from the full three-positivity conditions are compared with those from the exact DOCI method and with approximated 2-RDM variational ones obtained within two-positivity and two-positivity plus a subset of three-positivity conditions, as recently reported [D. R. Alcoba et al., J. Chem. Phys. 148, 024105 (2018) and A. Rubio-García et al., J. Chem. Theory Comput. 14, 4183 (2018)]. The accuracy of these numerical determinations and their low computational cost demonstrate the usefulness of the three-particle variational constraints within the DOCI framework.Fil: Alcoba, Diego Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Capuzzi, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Rubio García, Alvaro. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; EspañaFil: Dukelsky, Jorge. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; EspañaFil: Massaccesi, Gustavo Ernesto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Ciclo Básico Común; ArgentinaFil: Oña, Ofelia Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Torre, Alicia. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Lain, Luis. Universidad del País Vasco; Españ

A mathematical and computational review of Hartree-Fock SCF methods in Quantum Chemistry

We present here a review of the fundamental topics of Hartree-Fock theory in Quantum Chemistry. From the molecular Hamiltonian, using and discussing the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, we arrive to the Hartree and Hartree-Fock equations for the electronic problem. Special emphasis is placed in the most relevant mathematical aspects of the theoretical derivation of the final equations, as well as in the results regarding the existence and uniqueness of their solutions. All Hartree-Fock versions with different spin restrictions are systematically extracted from the general case, thus providing a unifying framework. Then, the discretization of the one-electron orbitals space is reviewed and the Roothaan-Hall formalism introduced. This leads to a exposition of the basic underlying concepts related to the construction and selection of Gaussian basis sets, focusing in algorithmic efficiency issues. Finally, we close the review with a section in which the most relevant modern developments (specially those related to the design of linear-scaling methods) are commented and linked to the issues discussed. The whole work is intentionally introductory and rather self-contained, so that it may be useful for non experts that aim to use quantum chemical methods in interdisciplinary applications. Moreover, much material that is found scattered in the literature has been put together here to facilitate comprehension and to serve as a handy reference.Comment: 64 pages, 3 figures, tMPH2e.cls style file, doublesp, mathbbol and subeqn package

Involvement of social partners in policymaking during the COVID-19 outbreak

Aquesta publicació s'elabora a partir de les contribucions de cadascú dels membres nacionals que integren la Network of Eufound Correspondent. Pel cas d'Espanya la contribució ha estat realitzada per l'Oscar Molina GodinoSince 2016, Eurofound has closely monitored the involvement of national social partners in policymaking as part of the European Semester cycle. In 2020, the focus was on their involvement during the first months of the COVID-19 outbreak. While the pandemic has presented a huge challenge to social dialogue, the results of the analysis highlight how social dialogue can be an effective tool in shaping policy initiatives and finding solutions to emergency situations affecting businesses, workers, the economy and society. It is clear that the participation of social partners in the design and implementation of national recovery and resilience plans in 2021 will be key in the recovery process and for strengthening social dialogue going forward

Latitude, temperature, and habitat complexity predict predation pressure in eelgrass beds across the Northern Hemisphere

Latitudinal gradients in species interactions are widely cited as potential causes or consequences of global patterns of biodiversity. However, mechanistic studies documenting changes in interactions across broad geographic ranges are limited. We surveyed predation intensity on common prey (live amphipods and gastropods) in communities of eelgrass (Zostera marina) at 48 sites across its Northern Hemisphere range, encompassing over 370 of latitude and four continental coastlines. Predation on amphipods declined with latitude on all coasts but declined more strongly along western ocean margins where temperature gradients are steeper. Whereas in situ water temperature at the time of the experiments was uncorrelated with predation, mean annual temperature strongly positively predicted predation, suggesting a more complex mechanism than simple increased metabolic activity at the time of predation. This large-scale biogeographic pattern was modified by local habitat characteristics; predation declined with higher shoot density both among and within sites. Predation rates on gastropods, by contrast, were uniformly low and varied little among sites. The high replication and geographic extent of our study not only provides additional evidence to support biogeographic variation in intensity, but also insight into the mechanisms that relate temperature and biogeographic gradients in species interactions