758 research outputs found
The fall of a symbol? A high predation rate by the introduced horseshoe whip snake Hemorrhois hippocrepis paints a bleak future for the endemic Ibiza wall lizard Podarcis pityusensis
Invasive species currently account for a major threat to global biodiversity, and island ecosystems are among the most vulnerable, because of the frequency and success of species introductions on islands. Within Mediterranean islands, reptiles not only are frequently introduced species but are also among the most threatened because of these introductions. The Balearic archipelago is a good example of this, since only two of its current 16 species of reptiles are native. Thirteen years ago, the snake Hemorrhois hippocrepis was introduced by cargo in Ibiza island, and it is in expansion. Individuals obtained from an early eradication campaign showed a fast expression of phenotypic plasticity and acquired larger sizes than those of the source population, probably due to a high prey availability and predator scarcity. The species is thriving at the expense of a small variety of native and non-native prey, but the predation pressure on the endemic Podarcis pityusensis, the only native reptile in the island, is very high, as this lizard represents 56% of the prey in frequency, which might threaten its survival on the long term. Our results on the feeding ecology of the snake are of sufficient concern to justify the maintenance of actions to eradicate this invader.Peer reviewe
Lesiones y problemas físicos padecidos por senderistas y cicloturistas en una ruta por etapas: el caso del Camino de Santiago
Este trabajo ha tenido por objetivo conocer los problemas físicos, dolencias o enfermedades padecidas por el peregrino mayor de 15 años que recorre el Camino de Santiago, andando o en bicicleta, analizando las diferencias producidas en función de la edad, sexo, medio de locomoción y nacionalidad. La investigación se ha desarrollado mediante la aplicación de un cuestionario autoadministrado en Compostela a una muestra de 1.091 sujetos, utilizando el procedimiento de muestreo estratificado polietápico con afijación proporcional, con un margen de error muestral del ±3 % y un nivel de confianza del 95,5%. Los resultados indicaron que el medio utilizado para realizar una ruta por etapas, y la distancia recorrida, son determinantes de los problemas físicos sufridos, comprobándose que las ampollas y las llagas en los pies, así como la tendinitis, las padecen más los senderistas, mientras que a los cicloturistas afectan más las insolaciones, resfriados y caídas y golpes
Incidence of workplace bullying among hospitality employees
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to the address the key factors of workplace bullying among
hospitality employees, as workplace bullying results in damaging consequences on both individuals and organizations. Design/methodology/approach – This study irst deines the phenomenon of workplace bullying and then reviews the related literature. Data are collected from a sample population of 238 hospitality employees obtained from the latest European Working Conditions Survey. Logistic regression analysis is used to achieve the study objectives. Findings – Results from the binary logistic regression model show the main personal and organizational factors related to the probability of workplace bullying. The logistic regression model explains 76.4 per cent of the total variations in the sample. The model correctly classiies 78.1 per cent of hospitality employees who did
not feel bullied in their profession and 74.1 per cent of employees who did feel bullied. Practical implications – The authors’ indings imply that responsible managers in hospitality enterprises may reduce the organizational levels of workplace bullying by adjusting certain working conditions and establishing a supportive environment. Originality/value – Studies on personalities inclined to bullying are inconclusive. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the irst to develop a comprehensive and exploratory conceptual model of workplace bullying that links personal variables, working conditions and contextual factors to the prevalence of workplace bullying within the hospitality sector in the European context
Percepción de la salud y actividades realizadas en el tiempo libre por adolescentes que viven en medios rurales
[Resumen] Este trabajo examina los efectos del estilo
de vida en la percepción de la salud. La pobla-
ción objeto de estudio está formada por 1109
escolares de 10 a 16 años que viven en el
medio rural de dos comunidades españolas.
En el estudio hemos utilizado como instru-
mento de trabajo el cuestionario Self-
Administered Physical Activity Checklist
(SAPAC) adaptado a la población española.
Recurrimos al análisis de tipo descriptivo, al
análisis inferencial y la prueba de contraste
Chi cuadrado (x2). Los resultados demostra-
ron la existencia de diferencias en la percep-
ción de la salud en función del sexo (p=.000),
de la edad (p=.000) y del lugar de residencia
(p=.015). De igual forma el consumo televisi-
vo (p=.029), el tiempo dedicado al ordenador
(p=.034), el tiempo dedicado a las tareas esco-
lares (p=.034) y la realización de actividad
física (p=.000) se relacionan con la percep-
ción de la salud. El estilo de vida se relaciona
con la percepción que los adolescentes tienen
de su salud.[Abstract] This work he examines the property of
lifestyle in the perception of health. I object
the population of study he is composed of
1109 students of 10 to 16 years that they enjoy
in two Spanish communities’s half way rural.
In the study we have utilized like instrument
of work the questionnaire Self Administered
Physical Activity Checklist (SAPAC) adapted
to the Spanish population. We utilized des-
criptive fellow’s analysis, to the analysis infe-
rencial and the test of contrast Chi cuadrado
(x2). Aftermath demonstrated the existence of
differences in the perception of health in
terms of the sex (p=.000), of age (p=.000) and
of the dwelling place (p=.015). Of equal form
the television consumption (p =.029), the time
dedicated to the computer (p =.034), the time
dedicated to the school tasks (p =.034) and the
accomplishment of physical activity (p =.000)
they relate to the perception of the health.
Lifestyle relates with the perception that the
teens have of his health
Artifact: virtual environment for evaluating the QoS of distributed mobile applications
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades RTI2018-094591-B-I00Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades RTI2018-101204-B-C21 (HORATIO)Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad BELI (TIN2015-70560-R)TIN2016-81978-REDTJunta de Extremadura GR18112Junta de Andalucía APOLO (US-1264651)Junta de Extremadura IB1803
Molecular barcoding confirms the presence of exotic Asian seaweeds (Pachymeniopsis gargiuli and Grateloupia turuturu) in the Cantabrian Sea, Bay of Biscay
Background The introduction of exotic species can have serious consequences for marine ecosystems. On the shores of the Cantabrian Sea (North of Spain) there are no routine examinations of seaweeds that combine molecular and morphological methods for early detection of exotic species making it difficult to assess in the early stages their establishment and expansion processes as a result of anthropogenic activities (e.g., shipping and/or aquaculture). Methods In this work we used both morphological identification and molecular barcoding (COI-5P and rbcL genes) of red algae collected in Asturias, Bay of Biscay (Gijón and Candás harbours) and from the University of Oviedo’s herbarium samples. Results The results confirmed the presence of exotic Asian seaweeds Pachymeniopsis gargiuli and Grateloupia turuturu Yamada on Cantabrian Sea shores. Several individuals of these species were fertile and developing cystocarps when collected, underlining the risk of possible expansion or continued establishment. This study constitutes the first report of the Asian P. gargiuli in this area of the Bay of Biscay. Conclusions Here the presence of the exotic species of the Halymeniales P. gargiuli is confirmed. We hypothesize that this species may have been established some time ago as a cryptic introduction with G. turuturu in Galician shores. The detection of these species on the shores of the Cantabrian Sea is relevant since introductions of Pachymeniopsis species could have been overlooked on other European coasts, probably mixed with G. turuturu and P. lanceolata. Our results confirm one new alien seaweed species that has been detected using molecular methods (COI-5P region and rbcL genes barcoding) on North Atlantic shores: the Asian native P. gargiuli. This demonstrates that routine screening for early detection of exotic algae in the Cantabrian Sea can be used for risk assessment. Genetic barcoding should be done using both rbcL gene and COI-5P regions since, although COI-databases are still poorer in sequences and this inhibits successful outcomes in Grateloupia-related species identifications, it is nonetheless a useful marker for species-level identifications in seaweeds
Virtual environment for evaluating the QoS of distributed mobile applications
The increasing capabilities of end devices has led to a wider distribution of the computation and the massive deployment of distributed mobile applications. The success of these applications is highly dependent on the Quality of Service they provide. This quality is especially difficult to assess due to the large number of entities involved and their heterogeneity. Current tools are usually focused on evaluating the QoS provided by a single entity. Nevertheless, the QoS of distributed applications not only depend on the QoS of each entity, the interactions among entities has also to be evaluated. Therefore, new techniques are required to perform a comprehensive evaluation of the expected QoS of these applications before their production deployment. This paper presents a framework, called Perses, for launching virtual environments to simulate and test the execution of distributed mobile applications. This simulation provides results of the QoS achieved. Moreover, the framework has been integrated into a DevOps methodology in order to automate its execution. Video showcase- https://youtu.be/wpIApe_sPFE.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades RTI2018-101204-B-C21 (HORATIO)Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad BELI (TIN2015-70560-R)Interreg V-A España-Portugal (POCTEP) 0499-4IE-PLUS-4-EMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades TIN2016-81978-REDTJunta de Extremadura GR18112Junta de Extremadura IB18030Junta de Andalucía APOLO (US-1264651
Job quality and work engagement in the cruise industry
This study reviews the working conditions in the emerging cruise industry by using a holistic and systematic approach, as well as the effects on work engagement of two groups of clearly differentiated employees, namely, officers and nonofficer employees. Our sample comprised 353 cruise workers. Regression analysis confirmed the research purposes of this study, that is, seafarers work under poor conditions (especially among nonofficer employees) and that this precarity
determines the engagement of both groups. This study contributes to identifying the job quality dimensions that needs an improvement by human resource managers of cruise line
The CICA GRID: A Cloud Computing Infrastructure on Demand with Open Source Technologies
A new approach technology to enable the expansion and replication of resources on demand is presented in
this paper. This approach is called CICA GRID and it provides service to research community in the Scientific
Computer Centre of Andalusia (CICA). This approach is an alternative solution to the initial cost involved in
building an own data center by public organizations for researches. This solution quickly provides resources
with a minimal technical staff effort. Also, an architecture and user interface example called ReCarta was
presented. This system supplies a private Cloud Computing system for non-technical end-users.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2009-14378-C02-01 (ARTEMISA)Junta de Andalucía TIC-8052 (Simon
Comparing Energy Efficiency Of Drivers And Vehicles Using Data Envelopment Analysis
In this paper, we propose a new methodology to
compare and promote efficient driving by providing feedback to the user. The proposed methodology uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to enable comparisons between drivers and vehicles, by
including parameters retrieved from vehicle as inputs or output for DEA method.
Providing feedback to the user is essential in driving eco-systems for changing bad driving habits
and not returning back to driving bad-habits. In our
case, feedback is provided once the driver has finished some routes, by proposing which corrections
or improvement has to deal with for future trips.
The required vehicle’s telemetry data is obtained
through the OBD2 port using an OBD2 adapterMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2009-14378-C02-01Junta de Andalucía TIC-805
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