A relational approach to local immigrant policy-making: collaboration with immigrant advocacy bodies in French and German cities

The role of immigrant advocacy bodies in collaborative policy–making in cities isso far insufficiently researched. This article investigates the ties between relevanturban actors and immigrant advocacy bodies in cities in two Western Europeancountries. We draw on an original survey in forty French and German cities aswell asfieldwork in one French and one German city to analyze whetherurban actors from a variety of policy sectors and domains of societycooperate with immigrant councils and immigrant associations, and whichfactors explain such collaboration. Counter to the existing literature on therole of intermediaries between municipalities and immigrant populations, wefind a widespread existence of ties with immigrant advocacy bodies. However,such ties are not mainstreamed. Instead, collaboration is most present amongactors in charge of immigrant affairs, and when actors meet in policy fora thatallow interaction between urban actors and immigrant advocacy bodies

Beyond the separation of church and state: Explaining the new governance of religious diversity in Spain

Religious affairs have gained prominence in Spanish politics in recent years. Two factors have played a crucial role in raising the profile of religion in the policy agenda: first, the growth of religious diversity due to the rapid influx of immigrants from the global south that has led to the emergence of multiple challenges and controversies concerning the accommodation of religious diversity; second, the effects of the Al-Qaeda attacks on Spanish soil that fostered policymakers’ perception of the need to “do something” to reinforce Muslim newcomers’ loyalty to the host country. In light of these events, the Spanish policy approach has changed considerably in the last years, being the creation of the public foundation Pluralismo y Convivencia in 2004 being the most illustrative case in point. The aim of this paper is to explain the tranfromations in the governance of religious diversity in Spain. Drawing upon qualitative fieldwork done between 2010 and 2013, we argue that three different political logics underlie the developments leading to the current policy outcome: the logic of democratization, the logic of securitisation of Islam and the logic of the Europeanisation of politics. In this paper we explain these transformations by using a sequential combination of three theoretical approaches: a) the church-state relations approach, b) the theory of control and c) the European convergence perspective

A multi-scalar photogrammetric recording approach in Termez (Uzbekistan)

This paper presents the preliminary results obtained during the 3D recording campaign carried out in 2018 by the Spanish-Uzbek IPAEB mission in the archaeological site of Termez (southern border of Uzbekistan). Ancient Termez is an important historical city within the Silk Road located in the ancient Bactria region. The archaeological work performed at the site since the beginning of the 20th century allowed a large fortified urban complex to be identified that includes other walled enclosures inside it, i.e., a Hellenistic- Seleucid fortress founded after the campaigns of Alexander the Great in the late 4th century BC, several Buddhist monastic complexes dated to the Kushan period (1st to mid-3rd centuries), and a large urban settlement dated to the Islamic period which includes the city proper or shahristan and the suburbs or rabad. After the destruction by Genghis Khan in 1220, Termez was rebuilt following a different plan. Major changes involved the movement of the pottery workshops from the rabad to the previous shahristan. The research focuses on: a) the identification, study and archaeological contextualization of ceramic production centres located in different areas of the ancient Termez from the Kushan to the Islamic period (1st to 14th centuries AD); b) the integration of the pottery workshops into the general topography of the site and c) the study of their evolution in relation to the transformation of the urban design. Since the site is currently located in a military area – close to the border area between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan –, the archaeological work is restricted to specific zones and the use of aerial devices such as drones is forbidden. However, this research requires both micro and macro spatial approaches to accurately record all the archaeological structures and to evaluate the integration and evolution of the pottery workshops into the general topography of the city. In order to fill this gap, declassified images of the CORONA satellite program were analyzed and compared to historical and archaeological data. In addition, we propose a geometrical and graphical recording and distribution system of the kilns – located in the rabad and the shahristan – and the ceramics produced and used in Termez during the period studied by means of photogrammetric techniques. The results are aimed at management through open-source 3D formats and web mapping GIS libraries combined with historical satellite information that defines the different archaeological areas

Structural, ferroelectric, and optical properties of Bi3+ doped YFeO3: A first‐principles study

The orthoferrites with the general formula RFeO3 (R = Ho, Er, Lu, Sc, and Y) have recently attracted a great deal of attention because they are promising candidates for a second generation of multiferroic materials. In this computational work, the structural, ferroelectric and optical properties of the YFeO3 perovskite oxide (YFO) and a Bi‐doped YFeO3 were analyzed. Bi‐substitution in YFO leads to an increase of its lattice parameters by virtue of the larger ionic radius of Bi3+. Both compounds exhibit a G‐type antiferromagnetic ground state. The calculations disclose a significant spontaneous polarization along the [101] direction of YFO‐Bi, which originates in the asymmetric distribution of the charges around the Bi3+ ions, as a result of the Bi‐6s electrons. The electric polarizability of YFO is increased upon Bi3+‐doping and the more significant components of the real permittivity tensor of YFO‐Bi are those associated with the direction along which the maximum value of spontaneous polarization is observed. The spontaneous polarization of YFO‐Bi found in this work reveals that this compound holds the potential for the next generation of multi ferroic materials

Archaeological prospection with corona and wv-3 satellite imagery of the archaeological site of zar tepe (uzbekistan)

Abstract. The use of different data from satellite platforms for archaeological prospecting and remote sensing has been applied since the end of the 20th century. Although the current use of drones with different visible and multispectral sensors for small areas has partially replaced in some cases the use of this type of satellite information due to its higher spatial resolution. The historical importance of satellite imagery is essential to find out about and compare the transformations of the archaeological landscape of the last 60 years since the CORONA satellite program started in 1960. In this paper we propose the evaluation of a proposal for the automation of processes of two photographic reconnaissance correlative satellite programs CORONA (1960-1972), HEXAGON (1971-1986) declassified since 1995 and 2011 respectively, and the commercial satellite WorldView-3 (WV3) (2014) for use in the detection of buried archaeological structures at the archaeological site of Zar Tepe in the southeast of Uzbekistan. This is a site located in the Surkhan Darya region very little known between the first century BC and the fourth century AD. This methodology is part of the IPAEB project (International Pluridisciplinary Archaeological Expedition to Bactria) led by the University of Barcelona, the University of Salamanca and recently in 2019 the University of Zaragoza. IPAEB was started in 2006 in the South of Uzbekistan and is currently trying to explore the urban planning of the Zar Tepe archaeological site and the elements that make up its natural physical environment: evidence of communication routes, smallholdings, irrigation channels, fences and sources of raw materials

Management of Helicobacter Pylori infection and effectiveness rates in daily clinical practice in Spain: 2010–2019

The management and effectiveness of the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection are heterogeneous worldwide, despite the publication of international consensus conferences and guidelines, which have been widely available for years. The aim of the study was to describe the clinical management and the eradication rates in a region of Southern Europe (Spain). Between 2010 and 2019, we conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with H. pylori infection attended by gastroenterologists in two defined areas of the National Health System in Aragón. We compared the appropriateness of therapies according to guidelines, and described the effectiveness of each treatment. A total of 1644 penicillin non-allergic patients were included. The most prescribed therapy between 2010 and 2013 was the ‘classic’ triple therapy PCA (80%), whereas the ’concomitant’ therapy PCAM was chosen by 90% of the gastroenterologists in 2015. After 2016, the use of the quadruple bismuth-containing therapy in a single capsule (Pylera®) quickly increased, representing almost half of the overall prescriptions in 2019. Throughout the decade, adherence to guidelines was 76.4% and global efficacy was 70.7% (ITT). Triple therapies’ eradication rates were lower than 70% (ITT), whereas eradication rates with quadruple therapies achieved or were over 80% (ITT). In conclusion, despite the use of quadruple therapies and optimized treatments, the effectiveness of H. pylori management in daily clinical practice is far from the target of 90%

Mistakes in the diagnosis and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in daily clinical practice

Background: An adequate diagnostic and therapeutic approach to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is the cornerstone to avoid overdiagnosis, overuse of health resources, and increase in antibiotic resistances. The aim of the study was to evaluate the most common errors in clinical practice and the associated risk factors. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective observational study including patients with H. pylori infection and no previous treatment belonging to two defined areas of the National Health System in Spain; some of them were enrolled in the European Registry on H. pylori management (Hp-EuReg). Patients were attended by gastroenterologists between 2010 and 2019. According to current guidelines, we evaluated indications for H. pylori investigation, appropriateness of diagnostic test used in dyspeptic patients and discontinuation of surveillance after treatment. Results: A total of 1730 patients were included, receiving 2260 eradication regimens. H. pylori infection was investigated in 1.7% cases in absence of a formal indication. Oral endoscopy was incorrectly used in 56% of patients with dyspepsia under 55 years without alarm signs, and urea breath test (UBT) was incorrectly used in 22.4% of patients with dyspepsia ≥55 years or red flags. Levofloxacin containing regimens were used as first-line therapy in 7.5% of non-allergic to penicillin patients. After first-line failure, clarithromycin was repeated in 2.6% of the patients who received second-line therapy. Confirmatory test of H. pylori status was absent in 2.5% cases. Men, patients under 55 years, and patients diagnosed by UBT had a higher risk of not undergoing a confirmatory test. Conclusions: Investigation of H. pylori infection by gastroenterologists is rare in absence of a formal indication; however, endoscopy is commonly used for dyspeptic patients <55 years without red flags and non-invasive tests are still used for dyspeptic patients ≥55 years or presenting alarm signs. Men, patients under 55 years, and patients diagnosed by UBT have an increased risk of being lost to follow-up after eradication treatment

Effect of La3+/Sr2+ ordering on the magnetic properties of La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 by first principles calculations

In this work, using DFT + U formalism, we investigate the effect of order-disorder in the A-site occupation byLa3+and Sr2+on the stability of the ferromagnetic order in La2/3Sr1/3MnO3with−Rc3symmetry. To date, adetailed theoretical discussion of such phenomenon, using a combination of different representations of theelectronic structure, is still missing in the Literature. We employed structural models consisting of 120 atomsupercells constructed according to the precise stoichiometry of the compound. Two configurations, describingrandomized and ordered occupation of the La3+/Sr2+ions, were evaluated. We demonstrate that the ferro-magnetic arrangement of La2/3Sr1/3MnO3with randomly distributed La3+and Sr2+ions is more stable. In suchconfiguration wefind that the Mn3+and Mn4+ions are not distinguished, favoring the double-exchange me-chanism, enhanced by the higher degree of covalence in the MneO bonds near the Fermi level between thespin-upMn-egorbitals and the O-porbitals

Mountains as barriers to gene flow in amphibians: Quantifying the differential effect of a major mountain ridge on the genetic structure of four sympatric species with different life history traits

AIM: To test the role of mountains as barriers to gene flow in co-distributed taxa with different life history traits. LOCATION: Sierra de Guadarrama, Central Spain. METHODS: We used larval genotypes of four amphibian species (Epidalea calamita, Hyla molleri, Pelophylax perezi and Pelobates cultripes) sampled on northern and southern slopes of Sierra de Guadarrama to describe genetic structure with FST, migration rates per generation, clustering algorithms and resistance by elevation surfaces. We also recorded individual displacement events as a proxy of dispersal potential during a seven-year monitoring project based on capture–mark–recapture (CMR). RESULTS: All species travelled longer cumulative distances than those reported in the study area for P. cultripes (0.71 km). Individuals of E. calamita travelled up to 3.55 km, followed by H. molleri (2.84 km) and P. perezi (1.51 km). Pairwise FST estimates showed lower overall connectivity in P. cultripes. Average migration rates per generation were low in all species, with exceptions in same-slope populations of H. molleri and P. cultripes. Clustering algorithms consistently recovered well-differentiated population groups of P. cultripes in northern versus southern slopes, but widely admixed areas were observed in the other species, especially near mountain passes. Resistance by elevation surfaces showed a strong barrier effect of Sierra de Guadarrama in P. cultripes and suggested a potential role of topography in the genetic structure of E. calamita and H. molleri. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Sierra de Guadarrama currently acts as a strong barrier to gene flow for P. cultripes and, to a lesser extent, for E. calamita, H. molleri and P. perezi. This differential effect can be partly explained by differences in life history traits, including dispersal potential. Our findings support the general role of the Central System as a key feature shaping population connectivity and genetic variation in amphibian communities