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Although leisure constraints that individuals have to cope with can negatively affect their social inclusion and satisfaction with life, little research has addressed the link between these variables. Therefore, the current paper examined the moderator role of leisure constraints on the relationship between satisfaction with life and leisure constraints among adults living in five different European countries. The respondents were 1,382 women and 877 men adults. The findings of analysis revealed that all factors used in the study accounted for 15% of the variance in satisfaction with life and social inclusion had a significant and positive impact on satisfaction with life. As a result, it can be said that leisure constraints had a moderating effect on the relationship between satisfaction with life and social inclusion. The present research study recommends that social inclusion should be encouraged through decreasing to leisure constraints to increase the life satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present paper is to analyse the experience of operating the Madrid-Seville line from 1992 to 2005 and then to describe the scenario that will result from the entry into service of the Madrid-Barcelona and Barcelona-Perpignan routes, within the European context. During the next decade, after the new line between Avignon and Perpignan (approximately 250 km) has been constructed, it will be possible to establish a very long high-speed route between London and Seville in southern Spain (over 2700 km), and this is when the international dimension of high-speed rail transport and its role as a structural element within Europe will acquire a new practical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of early hominins to overcome the constraints imposed by the characteristics of raw materials used for stone tool production is a key topic on the discussion about the evolution of hominin cognitive capabilities and technical behaviours. Thus, technological variability has been the centrepiece on this debate. However, the variability of lithic assemblages cannot be correctly interpreted without understanding site occupational models and function and considering that individual tools represent specific discard moments in a continuous reduction process. In Europe, the earliest technological record is represented by the scarce and scattered Mode 1 technologies, often deriving from occasional occupations or restricted activity areas yielding unrepresentative assemblages. In this paper, we approach the technological behaviours exhibited by Lower Palaeolithic hominins from the subunit TD6.2 of the Gran Dolina site (Atapuerca, Burgos) by including the perspective of reduction intensity studies on the analysis of technological variability. Gran Dolina TD6.2 is a unique and extremely significant archaeological context, as it represents the oldest multi-layered unit of domestic hominin occupations in the Early Pleistocene of Europe. We use the Volumetric Reconstruction Method (VRM) to estimate the original volume of the blanks and quantify the reduction intensity of each core individually to characterise the reduction distribution patterns using Weibull probability distribution functions. Our results suggest differential raw material management in terms of reduction intensity, according to the characteristics of each lithology. This could reflect a solid understanding of raw material qualities and a certain degree of planning. Altogether, the continuity between knapping strategies through reduction denotes constant adaptation to raw material constraints as well as particular knapping conditions, rather than specific compartmentalised mental schemes. In conclusion, Homo antecessor toolmakers would have been situational knappers whose technological behaviour would be highly adaptive. This research constitutes the first reduction approach for the European Early Pleistocene assemblages that will lead to a referential framework for other European Early Pleistocene sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, collaborative economy is an emerging concept which is open to debate, including different meanings depending on the model to provide services, the kind of participant or the use of shared information and communication platforms. However, a distinguishing feature of the collaborative economy is the use of new technologies by the various agents concerned in order to get a common goal such as in the financial sector or in the education sector. This new approach can be transferred to already consolidated organizations, which are noted for pursuing a social interest against the interest of the capital. These organizations seek social benefit and not the economic benefit, seeking a positive social impact that can change society. It is precisely the digital component and the use of the technologies of information the aspect that distinguishes these emerging activities that are developing in recent years. Besides, they are changing purchasing behaviour and ways of doing business. These changes are having significant impacts in economic and employment terms, conflicts with traditional companies that are disadvantaged, or breaches of tax duties. But, at the same time, it also encourages many actions of collective interest, to the extent that digital platforms can be an effective tool to track achievement of the multitude of actions in favour of the community. The aim of this paper is to analyse how platform cooperativism could be a suitable way to carry out the improvement of social welfare in vulnerable districts. In order to enhance the renovation and improvement of neighbourhoods it is necessary an active participation by citizens and public administrations. In fact, a key element to obtain an increase of the quality of life is the implication of residents, who often propose the changes and renovation in their districts, with significant deficiencies of habitability and power consumption, accessibility problems and lack of services. There is a need to recover the consolidated city through urban rehabilitation and urban renovation. The urban renewal has a strong impact on Europe's economy and also on its citizens' quality of life because promote their social welfare. The Spanish urban planning tradition has been based mainly on the production of new city, disregarding the regeneration of consolidated city. Nowadays, Spanish government is concerned about an environment with derelict areas and substandard housing, and a largely obsolete housing stock. Therefore, current urban regulation encourages the urban renewal, the restructuring of building industry and the compliance with European legal requirements regarding sustainable development. In Spain, there are around 6 millions of houses that were built over 50 years ago. Therefore, it is especially necessary and suitable the option of promoting urban renewal and regeneration at different levels. Urban renewal projects are fairly complex to make because many actors are involved in these processes and as well as the activities that should be carried out. Therefore, the use of the new technologies can attract many people to actively participate in the urban regeneration projects design. These projects will improve the quality of life and welfare of citizens who live in deprived neighbourhoods. In this context, we carry out a theoretical revision of platform cooperativism, as well as the urban development regulation focused on urban rehabilitation, studying the economic players involved in the urban regeneration projects such us: owners individually or associated in community of house owners, building corporations, co-operatives, and public administration, in order to analyse the role played by each of them in the platform cooperativism. The community of house owners play a leading role in the processes of urban rehabilitation, they are principal actors because these processes have a direct effect on their lifes; not only from an economic point of view (costs that must be paid by individual citizens) and from a social point of view (improvements in the building made directly affects their quality of life). In this respect, a digital platform could be very useful in order to serve as link between all owners or all those affected by the processes and should provide information about the identified problems that need to be solved by urban rehabilitation. One of the key elements in urban renewal is the implication of the residents, who take part in the changes and improvements of their district. The cooperative initiatives produce cohesive urban neighbourhoods and they are associated with participatory planning approaches and collective action. The cooperative society contributes to social cohesion; therefore this could be the economic organization more suitable in order to develop the urban renewal. The urban rehabilitation cooperative and the use of digital technologies helps to improve the level of quality of life and social well-being for citizens under the principles of democratic participation of all residents, providing more transparency into the process and the published information, allowing members of the cooperative the supervision of the information deposited in the network. In this business model the cooperative takes control of urban rehabilitation in a digital environment, resulting in a benefit to all members involved not only for the cooperative, establishing a commitment to access to different scenarios where conflicts of interest are likely to arise. This platform focuses on creating discussion for successful decision making. The construction companies and the public administration are also an essential part of the cooperative platform. They are the services suppliers, providing valuable information that must be communicated on the platform, allowing it to make effective decisions for residents for the duration of urban regeneration-development works. The platform cooperativism in the processes of urban rehabilitation would benefit all members and not just few as in the "commercial" digital economy. Thus, the main conclusion of the paper is that the cooperative platform should facilitate public participation of the different actors involved in the urban regeneration such as: cooperatives, residents or public administration. This platform should speed up the decision-making process in a democratic and transparent environment, pursuing a common goal to improve the welfare of the citizens through the urban rehabilitation. Thus, cooperative platforms involve a technological, cultural, social and political changing that we have to explore, taking into account the physical condition of many buildings in Spain. Platform cooperativism could be the link between cooperative values and digital revolution, aimed at improving the social welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Following the 2008 economic crisis many countries implemented austerity policies, including reducing public spending on health services. This paper evaluates the trends and equity in the use of health services during and after that period in Spain – a country with austerity policies – and in Germany – a country without restriction on healthcare spending. Methods: Data from several National Surveys in Spain and several waves of the Socio-Economic Panel in Germany, carried out between 2009 and 2017, were used. The dependent variables were number of doctor's consultations and whether or not a hospital admission occurred. The measure of socioeconomic position was education. In each year, the estimates were made for people with and without pre-existing health problems. First, the average number of doctor's consultations and the percentage of respondents who had had been hospitalized were calculated. Second, the relationship between education and use of those health services was estimated by calculating the difference in consultations using covariance analysis – in the case of number of consultations – and by calculating the percentage ratio using binomial regression – in the case of hospitalization. Results: The annual mean number of consultations went down in both countries. In Spain the average was 14.2 in 2009 and 10.4 in 2017 for patients with chronic conditions; 16.6 and 13.5 for those with a mental illness; and 6.4 and 5.9 for those without a defined illness. In Germany, the averages were 13.8 (2009) and 12.9 (2017) for the chronic group; 21.1 and 17.0 for mental illness; and 8.7 and 7.5 with no defined illness. The hospitalization frequency also decreased in both countries. The majority of the analyses presented no significant differences in relation to education. Conclusion: In both Spain and Germany, service use decreased between 2009 and 2017. In the first few years, this reduction coincided with a period of austerity in Spain. In general, we did not find socioeconomic differences in health service use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reforms in higher education have been passed in many European countries in the last decades, mostly trying to adapt national systems to new European and global challenges. This study examines some consequences of such major reforms in France and Spain. Specifically, these reforms introduced new agencies whose remit was inter alia to provide evaluation of research and to make such assessments pivotal for academic career progression. The paper investigates empirically whether, and to what extent, these new forms of authority have been capable of engendering the expected change to the system of academic career evaluation. The respective policy approaches and policy implementation in France and Spain reveal that these reforms triggered a reconfiguration of powers at various levels of academic life – affecting strategies for successful career development. Policy-making implications are relevant when these two countries are compared, suggesting that more radical policy approaches (coercive isomorphism, the French case) do not result in more change to academic evaluation practices than mimetic ones (the Spanish case). It is also important to note that coercive isomorphism encountered more frictions in its implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pulp industry plays an important role in the structure of European economy and society. Paper pulp manufacture, the industrial utilization of plant biomass, is increasing every year. In Spain, Eucalyptus is the dominant raw material and the Kraft cooking and total chlorine free (TCF) bleaching processes lead the procedures of Eucalyptus paper pulp production. This paper aims to identify and quantify the environmental impacts associated to Eucalyptus TCF pulp manufacture by using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as an analytical tool. The system has been defined using a cradle-to-gate perspective, that is to say from forest activities to the exit gate of the pulp mill. The production of chemicals consumed in the cooking and bleaching stages as well as the on-site energy production system is the elements that contribute the most to all impact categories analyzed (more than 50% of total contributions), except for the eutrophication potential where forest activities and waste treatment play an important roles (about 52% of total). Specific actions associated to the recovery boiler, lime kiln and digestion stage could considerably reduce the environmental impact and improve the environmental performance of the Spanish paper pulp industry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The energy retrofitting of residential stock is not always straightforward where heritage protected housing is concerned. In southern Europe, many examples built under the Modern Movement codes are now obsolete in terms of energy efficiency. The aim of this paper is to assess the potential for improvement of comfort conditions and energy efficiency in Mediterranean heritage residential buildings, through the incorporation of passive strategies in keeping with preserving heritage values. Long-term monitoring and field tests in representative flats of the case-study building were carried out and, focusing on a single example, adaptive comfort equations were used to assess results. The passive strategies considered are the thermal isolation of the air cavities of walls, changing window frames, optimizing window glazing, and setting up regular mechanical ventilation rates for indoor air changes. Although simulation results generally predict a better energy performance after testing retrofit strategies, the potential decrease in energy demand is more noticeable than the potential improvement in comfort conditions. • The improvement of comfort and energy efficiency in a heritage building is assessed. • Long-term monitoring and field tests were carried out in representative flats. • Passive strategies in keeping with preserving heritage values were examined. • Adaptive comfort equations were used to assess results focusing on one flat. • Energy efficiency improvements are more noticeable than those of comfort conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the economic and environmental effects of three scenarios of change for the electricity sector in Spain, in line with the European Union targets: (1) to address the low trade with the rest of Europe, increasing the integration with the European network; (2) to enhance environmental sustainability, increasing the use of renewable energy sources, while decreasing the use of brown energy sources; and (3) increasing the competitiveness of the Spanish electricity sector. To this end, we develop a computable general equilibrium model, with 72 productive sectors, eleven of which are energy sectors, where electricity is disaggregated into five production technologies and transmission, distribution, commercialization, and related activities. The model is calibrated on a previously developed input-output table with this detailed disaggregation for Spain for 2013. Our results suggest potential improvements in production and trade, and reductions in CO 2 emissions in scenario 2 are also observed. • We address the effects of three policy scenarios for electricity sector in Spain. • We analyze the effects of increasing trade, renewables, and competitiveness. • We construct and disaggregate a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. • CGE distinguishes the businesses of the sector and the production technologies. • We found improvements in production and trade and reductions in CO 2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This paper focuses on the issue of intimate partner violence and, specifically, on the distribution of femicides over time and the existence of copycat effects. This is the subject of an ongoing debate often triggered by the social alarm following multiple intimate partner homicides (IPHs) occurring in a short span of time. The aim of this research is to study the evolution of IPHs and provide a far-reaching answer by rigorously analyzing and searching for patterns in data on femicides. Methods: The study analyzes an official dataset, provided by the system VioGén of the Secretaría de Estado de Seguridad (Spanish State Secretariat for Security), including all the femicides occurred in Spain in 2007-2017. A statistical methodology to identify temporal interdependencies in count time series is proposed and applied to the dataset. The same methodology can be applied to other contexts. Results: There has been a decreasing trend in the number of femicides per year. No interdependencies among the temporal distribution of femicides are observed. Therefore, according to data, the existence of copycat effect in femicides cannot be claimed. Conclusions: Around 2011 there was a clear change in the average number of femicides which has not picked up. Results allow for an informed answer to the debate on copycat effect in Spanish femicides. The planning of femicides prevention activities should not be a reaction to a perceived increase in their occurrence. As a copycat effect is not detected in the studied time period, there is no evidence supporting the need to censor media reports on femicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The main aims of this paper are to analyse the monetary value of informal care time using different techniques and to identify significant variables associated with the number of caregiving hours. Data and methods: A multicentre study in two Spanish regions in adult caregivers was conducted. A total sample of 604 people was available. A multivariate analysis was performed to identify the variables associated with the number of hours of caregiving time. In the monetary valuation of informal care provided, three approaches were used: replacement cost method, opportunity cost and contingent valuation (willingness to pay and willingness to accept). Results: The main determinants of the amount of time of informal care provided were age, gender, the level of care receiver´s dependence and the professional care services received (at home and out of home). The value estimated for informal care time ranges from EUROS 80,247 (replacement cost method) to EUROS 14,325 (willingness to pay), with intermediate values of EUROS 27,140 and EUROS 29,343 (opportunity cost and willingness to accept, respectively). Several sensitivity analyses were performed over the base cases, confirming the previous results. Conclusions: Time of informal care represents a great social value, regardless of the applied technique. However, the results can differ strongly depending on the technique chosen. Therefore, the choice of technique of valuation is not neutral. Among the determinants of informal care time, the professional care received at home has a complementary character to informal care, while the formal care outside the home has a substitute character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microvertebrate fossil assemblages (chondrichthyans, osteichthyans, lissamphibians and squamates) from the Campanian and Maastrichtian of south-western Europe include taxa with very different palaeobiogeographical affinities. However, most of these biogeographical histories remain unclear. As inhabitants of shallow marine waters, batoids are considered good palaeobiogeographical indicators that could reveal connections between continental platforms. Igdabatis is a stingray (Myliobatiformes) with an abundant Gondwanan fossil record, whereas its occurrence in the Ibero-Armorican landmass is intriguing. In this paper, a new species of Igdabatis – Igdabatis marmii sp. nov. – is reported from the lower Maastrichtian of Spain. Based on this new record, the phylogenetic relationships of Myliobatiformes are assessed, including Igdabatis taxa for first time. In addition, three new morphological characters are proposed based on the diagnoses of the different species and added to the dataset. The palaeobiogeographical events that these stingrays underwent during their speciation were explored through a Statistical Dispersal-Vicariance Analysis (S-DIVA) performed in RASP 2.1. The phylogenetic analysis suggests a highly nested position within Myliobatidae for the genus Igdabatis; and the new species was recovered as the most basal taxon in the clade. The S-DIVA results point to an Ibero-Armorican ancestral area for Igdabatis, from where its species diverged by a combination of vicariant and dispersal events. Both phylogenetic and palaeobiogeographical analyses were congruent with occurrences in the fossil record. Results and fossil evidence allow the proposal of a dispersal route between European and Gondwanan landmasses for these stingrays. The dispersal of Igdabatis between Ibero-Armorica and India during the Late Cretaceous was promoted by the proximity of the European and African continental platforms and then by the Kohistan-Ladakh island arc. :F5C51029-2E26-48C6-8A87-A2D4310887EF [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is overwhelming consensus among policy makers, academics, and professionals about the need to support families in their childrearing tasks. Consequently, European countries have been encouraged to develop family support interventions aimed at guaranteeing children's rights, targeting particularly those children in situations of psychosocial risk. While a certain amount of evidence exists regarding how family support is generally delivered in certain European countries, with a particular focus on parenting initiatives, this paper aims to take existing evidence one step further by providing an updated review focusing on two core components of the Council of Europe's Recommendation on Positive Parenting: families at psychosocial risk as the target population, and family education and support initiatives as the delivery format. The scope of the study was therefore broad, in both geographical and conceptual terms. An online survey was conducted with experts from 19 European countries to gather information regarding how they perceive family education and support initiatives for families at psychosocial risk. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analysed by computing frequencies/percentages and by following a thematic synthesis method, respectively. The results revealed both similarities and disparities as regards provider profiles, intervention characteristics, and quality standards. Practical implications are discussed, such as the need to diversify initiatives for at‐risk families in accordance with the tenets of progressive universalism, the ongoing need for an evidence‐based, pluralistic approach to programmes, and the skills and qualifications required in the family support workforce. This study constitutes a first step towards building a common family support framework at a European level, which would encompass family support and parenting policies aimed at families at psychosocial risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ECTS, European Credit Transfer System, is now widely used throughout higher education institutions as it facilitates student mobility within Europe and the comparison of study programs and courses. Most European institutions provide students with the number of ECTS each course and module is worth. A full-time student needs to complete 60 ECTS per academic year, which represents about 1500 to 1800 h of study. However, there is a lack of research showing that ECTS metrics have been properly implemented in different degrees and universities. The aim of this paper is to assess the relevance of the ECTS metric as a valid indicator of students’ and courses’ workloads. Detailed workload measurements have been taken in two Spanish universities, with 250,000 work hours monitored from 1400 students. This is the first study published with such a large dataset that includes a range of simultaneous courses and throughout a whole semester. Empirical distribution functions of workload indicators have been obtained. Evidence is provided indicating that nominal ECTS credit hours may be overestimated, that the variability of student workload could be too large for ECTS to sensibly characterize course workload, and that workload statistics of courses with same nominal ECTS are generally not comparable. Although the ECTS metric conception seems to be a valid metric to facilitate mobility between different institutions and higher education systems, in practice, according to this study, it requires revision, at least in the two institutions that have been included in this study. Further studies like the present one are required to test if this is a broader problem that has implications for the comparability of degrees across Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building hygrothermal performance, indoor air quality and energy consumption depend heavily on envelope airtightness. Over the last three decades, single-family dwellings have been amply studied in this respect by researchers in North Europe, the United States and Canada. However, very few studies have been conducted on airtightness in multi-family housing in warm climates such as Mediterranean Europe. This paper aims to enhance the understanding of building airtightness in early twenty-first-century multi-family buildings in southern Spain. Blower Door tests were conducted in 45 units in seven such buildings. The main airtightness parameter values found are reported and compared to the data for other buildings in southern Europe. The paper includes a statistical analysis of the findings, characterises building types and describes the protocol used to identify and quantify air leakage pathways. The conclusion drawn is that although a rough predictive model can be developed, the results are widely scattered due to the impact of the random component of manual construction, even in buildings with identical construction characteristics and types. The values recorded are nonetheless consistent with the findings for other European surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roma, today perceived as the most numerous European minority, face marginalisation and exclusion. Education is considered to be one of the focal points for improvement, and numerous studies have analysed and reported on the educational situation of Roma. Several studies have argued that Romani cultural values are not compatible with institutional schooling and that Romani families perceive schools as an alien institution. Other studies have drawn upon cultural–ecological theory (CE theory), developed by Ogbu and colleagues, and argue that the Romani cultural frame of reference is oppositional to academic success and thus suggest that successful Romani students distance themselves from Romani culture. The paper discusses the application of CE theory in the context of the academic discourse about the educational achievement of Romani students. Drawing on interviews with Spanish Romani university students, the paper argues that Romani students themselves challenge the assumption that educational success leads to cultural alienation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: The Sarcoma Policy Checklist was created by a multidisciplinary expert group to provide policymakers with priority areas to improve care for sarcoma patients.Main Body: This paper draws on this research, by looking more closely at how France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom are addressing each of these priority areas. It aims to highlight key gaps in research, policy and practice, as well as ongoing initiatives that may impact the future care of sarcoma patients in different European countries. A pragmatic review of the published and web-based literature was undertaken. Telephone interviews were conducted in each country with clinical and patient experts to substantiate findings. Research findings were discussed within the expert group and developed into five core policy recommendations. The five identified priority areas were: the development of designated and accredited centres of reference; more professional training; multidisciplinary care; greater incentives for research and innovation; and more rapid access to effective treatments. Most of the countries studied have ongoing initiatives addressing many of these priorities; however, many are in early stages of development, or require additional funding and resources.Conclusion: Gaps in access to quality care are particularly concerning in many of Europe's lower-resourced countries. Equitable access to information, clinical trials, innovative treatments and quality specialist care should be available to all sarcoma patients. Achieving this across Europe will require close collaboration between all stakeholders at both the national and European level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The European Disability Strategy (2010-2020) seeks to significantly raise the proportion of people with disabilities working in the open labour market. The ERGO WORK project is a collaboration of academic and industrial partners in six European countries, focused on understanding and tackling barriers to workplace inclusion for workers with disabilities. Methods: This study sought to explore the perceptions and needs of stakeholders in terms of workplace adaptation to the needs of employees with disabilities. An exploratory online survey was completed by 480 participants across six countries. Results: The analysis suggests that workplaces could be further improved to meet the needs of employees with considerable scope for training within companies to raise awareness about employees' needs, employers' obligations and workplace adaptation. Conclusions: This snapshot suggests there is still a gap between intent and reality in workplace inclusion and further strategies are needed to improve the opportunities for employees with disabilities. The paper argues that ergonomics may have a key role to play in tackling these challenges and adapting the workplace environment and job design to suit the needs of individual employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance This paper has two overarching aims: (1) presenting the results of studying the Albacete tariff of medicines of 1526 and (2) broadly analyzing the origin and influences of medicinal traditional knowledge in the region of Albacete, Spain. We use historical and modern literature that may have influenced this knowledge. Our primary goal was to determine the ingredients used in the pharmacy in the 16th century CE in Albacete through the analysis of the tariff, and our secondary goal was to investigate until when ingredients and uses present in pharmacy and herbals persisted in later periods. Methods The identity of medicines and ingredients was determined by analyzing contemporary pharmacopoeias and classical pharmaceutical references. We analyzed further 21 sources (manuscripts, herbals, and books of medicines, pharmacopoeias, pharmacy inventories, and modern ethnobotanical records) for the presence/absence of ingredients and complex formulations of the tariff. Using factorial and cluster analysis and Bayesian inference applied to evolution models (reversible-jump Markov chain Monte Carlo), we compared textual sources. Finally, we analyzed the medicinal uses of the top 10 species in terms of frequency of citation to assess the dependence of modern ethnobotanical records on Renaissance pharmacy and herbals, and, ultimately, on Dioscorides. Results In Albacete 1526, we determined 101 medicines (29 simple drugs and 72 compound medicines) comprising 187 ingredients (85% botanical, 7.5% mineral, and 7.5% zoological substances). All composed medicines appear standardized in the pharmacopoeias, notably in the pharmacopoeia of Florence from 1498. However, most were no longer in use by 1750 in the pharmacy, and were completely absent in popular herbal medicine in Albacete 1995 as well as in Alta Valle del Reno (Italy) in 2014. Among the ingredients present in different formulation are the flowers of Rosa gallica , honey ( Apis mellifera ), the roots of Nardostachys jatamansi , and Convolvulus scammonia , pistils of Crocus sativus , grapes and raisins ( Vitis vinifera ), rhizomes of Zingiber officinale , bark of Cinnamomum verum , leaves and fruits of Olea europaea , mastic generally of Pistacia lentiscus , and wood of Santalum album . The statistical analysis of sources produces four well-separated clusters (Renaissance Herbals and Pharmacopoeias, Ethnobotany and Folk Medicine, Old phytotherapy, and Modern phytotherapy including Naturopathy) confirming our a priori classification. The clade of Renaissance Herbals and Pharmacopoeias appears separated from the rest in 97% of bootstrapped trees. Bayesian inference produces a tree determined by an initial set of two well-distinct core groups of ingredients: 64, locally used in Mediterranean Europe during centuries; and 45, imported, used in pharmacy during centuries. Complexity reached its maximum in Albacete 1526 and contemporary pharmacopoeias, gradually decreasing over time. The analysis of medicinal uses of the top 10 ingredients showed low coincidence between Dioscorides and different Renaissance herbals or medical treatises and of all of them with ethnobotany in Albacete. Conclusions Regarding our question: is there something new under the sun? In some aspects, the answer is “No”. The contrast between expensive drugs, highly valued medicines, and unappreciated local wild medicinal plants persists since the Salerno's school of medicine. Old medicine in Mediterranean Europe, as reflected by Albacete 1526 tariff of medicines, involved strict formulations and preferences for certain ingredients despite other ingredients locally available but underappreciated. This confirms the fact that any system of medicine does not get to use all available resources. Ethnobiological records of materia medica, in rural areas of Albacete, describe systems with a high degree of stability and resilience, where the use of local resources, largely wild but also cultivated, is predominant in contrast with the weight of imported exotic products in pharmacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the late-nineteenth century food production and trade were greatly transformed. Changes in the food chain gave rise to new problems connected with food safety and food quality, which caused new controls to be introduced throughout Europe. In this paper I will contribute to ongoing debates by focusing on the regulation of saccharin in an agrarian city in the south of Europe, Valencia. The laboratory-made sweetener was introduced into the food market at the turn of the century, becoming highly controversial shortly afterwards. Several local groups of players got involved in this dispute. The sugar industry was not only an important stakeholder in the passing of some specific laws that were to constrain the use of saccharin, but also the main driver of regulation, primarily in periods when saccharin could become a serious competitor and reduce the sector’s profit. Furthermore, the combined work of the sugar industry and the municipal laboratories was essential for the implementation of regulations. It was in such municipal laboratories that scientists played a main role in regulation. My paper will address the commercial disputes linked to the use of saccharin and the limited role of science and scientists in its control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows the results of a research project on relative social mobility patterns in Spain during the second half of the 20th century. The data were collected by the Spanish National Statistics Institute for the Survey of Incomes and Living Conditions (2005). This empirical material has not been used previously and it provides new data about the last decade of the 20th century. The social fluidity models created by Erikson and Goldthorpe in The Constant Flux (1992) have been applied. In short, this paper confirms that the rates of the social fluidity remain invariant during this period and that the patterns of core social fluidity for European countries closely match the Spanish case. Nevertheless, this mobility regime has certain particularities resulting from the characteristics of Spain's social and economic structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the last few years the solar-powered air-conditioning systems have been in intensive development and more often are considered as the viable application for the thermal solar systems in the regions of southern Europe. This is mainly due to the increasing higher electrical consumption in many countries (especially in Spain) which is moving from the winter to summer months due to expanding usage of cooling systems in this period of the year. In this paper we will analyze the behaviour of the solar-assisted air-conditioning system installed in the CIESOL building. This system consists mainly of flat-plate solar collectors and the simple effect LiBr–H2O absorption chiller. Different operation modes were analyzed. Coefficient of performance (COP) at various generator, absorber, condenser and evaporator temperatures is investigated and experimental results show that in practice it is easy to obtain values of about 0.6. The main goal of this paper is to describe the characteristics of the developing building and the solar-assisted air-conditioning system. Another useful purpose is to find the optimum conditions and operation parameters for the solar system through analyzing various systems'' operation strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper focuses on the need to promote Educational Guidance for Family Life as a means to support families in developing a Positive Parenting role, as suggested by the Council of Europe (2006). This Recommendation is discussed in some detail and some measures that had been put into practice in Spain to support families under special circumstances are reviewed; in order to do so, Programme-Agreements which had been developed in recent years sponsored by both the central government and the Spanish Autonomous Cities and Communities are described. Moreover, other preventive and community measures focused on socio-educative support for all families through Positive Parenting Programmes are mentioned. This paper ends with some suggestions about actions which require a multidisciplinary, collaborative, network approach among the diverse social entities and institutions working in favour of families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bologna Process is fostering a change in higher education systems in order to attain the objectives of educational convergence, comparability and mobility of students and academics. As a consequence, the structure of degrees, syllabuses, pedagogy and evaluation and assessment systems (for students, teaching staff and programmes) must be revised. The present paper presents a comparative analysis from an accounting education perspective of the educational context in the United Kingdom (UK) and Spain identifying differences in their institutional characteristics, culture, etc. This paper evidences that a comparative analysis of the conditioning factors of the change will be necessary to facilitate any implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an attempt to present the experience of co-development in Europe and particularly in Spain. It is focus on the governmental initiatives since the end of the 1990's decade, as a consequence of a massive reception of migrants. Co-development is the policy in which this paper is focused, from its former periods in France to the moment in which it has been considered in Spain. In order to show this evolution and its effectiveness I use the Mexican case, because it demonstrates that there is a feasible link between migration and development. However, this it is only possible if the initiatives are coming from the migrants and their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to explore the grand narratives that have been produced in the post 9/11 era in Europe by looking at the March 11, 2004 attacks in Madrid, and the July 7, 2005 attacks in London. The paper will posit that the random nature of the Madrid and London attacks, and the apparent lack of meaning behind the 'message' of these attacks, destabilises a fundamental and mythological narrative of the European project: that the 'new Europe' is somehow beyond politics and has entered into a Kantian 'perpetual peace'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the revision of the journalistic coverage given to the conflict caused by the Argentine troops' occupation of the South Atlantic Islands, which ended in an army contend with England, by the two main Spanish newspapers: El Pais and ABC. The paper highlights the implication that this confrontation had for Spain that was at the height of its democratization process. Not only did Spain have a close link with Argentina but it had also experimented a similar conflict in the Rock of Gibraltar. Besides, by the time of the conflict, the Spanish government had started an approaching strategy towards Europe, and was facing one of the first demonstrations against its decision to join the of N.A.T.O. Furthermore, the Argentine dictatorship had become a subject of preferential attention and damnation as a consequence of charges raised against its continuous violations to human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the diversity in patients' experience of biomedicine and contrasts it with the normative view characteristic of health professionals. Ethnographic fieldwork among Polish migrant women in London, Barcelona and Berlin included interviews about their experiences with local healthcare and health professionals. Themes drawn from the narratives are differences between the cities in terms of communication between patients and health professionals, respect for patients' choices and dignity, attitudes to pregnancy and birth (different levels of medicalization), and paediatric care. It is argued that patients continuously negotiate among their own views and expectations based on previous experiences and knowledge from personal communication; internet forums and publications; and the offer of medical services in the countries of their settlement. Patients experience pluralism of therapeutic traditions within and outside bio-medicine. In turn, representatives of bio-medicine are rarely aware of other medical practices and beliefs and this leads to various misunderstandings. By highlighting the pluralism of medical practices in European countries and the increasing mobility of patients, this case study has useful implications for medical anthropologists and health professionals in a broader Western context, such as raising sensitivity to different communication strategies and a diversity of curing traditions and expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has as its goal the measure of the accuracy of the pre-election surveys published in the Spanish media for the 2014 european Parliament, the regionals in the first half of 2015 and the locals in seven of the biggest Spanish cities. Starting with 120 analysed surveys, the aggregated distance model consists of the differences between predictions and actual results by every party and it develops an error coefficient that allows the measure and comparison of those predictions. Results are presented by election, communication group where predictions were published, research company producing them, political party and time distance to election day. Also it is analysed the existing relation between these and some other variables, such as sample size, and the error coefficient as dependent variable with the objective of knowing which are the most decisive factors affecting polls accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between General Franco's agony (October/November 1975) and the constitution's approval (December 1978), European media reported intensively about the democratisation process in Spain. The present paper deals with its examination through the Radio della Svizzera di lingua italiana broadcasts. As the only Swiss Italian-speaking broadcaster, it tried to provide in-depth information and opinion on a country whose solid ties with Switzerland were based on economy, migration and tourism. The study of this non-commercial radio allows us to determine the way the democratisation was approached and portrayed for a Swiss audience and offers a genuine case for transnational historical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the dynamics of the reconfiguration of Bolivian migratory fields in the context of the crisis affecting European destination countries. At a global level, we show how the 2008 worldwide economic crisis, and, in particular, its severity in Spain, has reoriented Bolivian migratory flows towards regional Latin American destinations: economies undergoing larger relative growth, such as Brazil and Chile, are newer destinations, while migration to Argentina has a long history. In a more qualitative approach, based on fieldwork interviews with Bolivian migrants in Spain, we explore the key factors that determine migratory strategies: whether to stay, return or re-emigrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Both the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic transition and the disappearance of the Neanderthals in Europe are frequent issues in the archaeological and paleoanthropological literature. The northern area of the Iberian Peninsula has become a place of remarkable importance for these studies, particularly the Cantabrian cave of Esquilleu, which provides valuable information as well as new dates for understanding the situation at the end of the European Mousterian. The areas used by the last Neanderthals in Esquilleu demonstrate the exploitation of local resources as well as short and sporadic occupations. In this paper we consider these issues from a zooarchaeological and taphonomical perspective and propose an alternative explanation for the unexpected dating for a final Mousterian occupation in the cave: the significance of carnivores in the upper levels may explain this anomalous chronology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents empirical evidence indicating that German and Spanish government bond yields are cointegrated. Thus, a stable long-term equilibrium relationship among these two variables seems to exist. However, there is also empirical evidence for the existence of a structural break in early 2009. Following Basse, Friedrich and v. d. Schulenburg (2011) we interpret this finding as an indication that financial markets started to see a higher sovereign credit risk in Spain. The structural break may even signal some fears about the return of exchange rate risk. Given that the break date is quite early; our empirical findings could be an indication that bond markets are at least partially efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European universities are currently going through a process of change in order to meet the common goals set for higher education by the European Commission. They are revising their educational models to adjust them to the guidelines of the 'Bologna Process' and are devising an institutional strategy for its implementation. In practical terms, this means aligning former national degrees and diplomas to standard European Bachelor and Masters degrees and PhD doctorates, by creating acknowledged professional qualification benchmarks that also include adjusted course lengths and contents. This process, in the end, mostly affects academic staff members who have a fundamental role to play in carrying out the pedagogical reforms on the teaching front. Besides presenting a commentary on the institutional approach of one particular technical university in Spain, the purpose of this paper is to propose, from the authors' point of view as lecturers, a strategy which has the potential to create a favourable atmosphere for carrying out such a reform. The article's main objective is to highlight a series of action points which may serve to reinforce and advance the main institutional strategy by relying on the powerful influence of its academic staff members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Who do citizens blame for the recent European economic crisis? In this paper, we test theories about blame attribution with respect to the economic crisis. We argue that blame for the crisis is partially conditioned by partisan bias and framings of the crisis as being related to globalization. We test the argument with new survey data and a survey experiment from Spain. In the experiment, respondents receive different framings of the economic crisis which are endorsed by different political parties and non-partisan organizations. We obtain the following findings: (i) blame for who is responsible for the economic crisis is greatly affected by partisanship; (ii) making globalization as a cause of the crisis salient exonerates the government of blame, but only for co-partisans of the government; and (iii) citizens are willing to blame other globalization-related factors for the crisis, in particular, European governments and blame the domestic government less. The results expand our understanding of public opinion dynamics during major economic recessions and also suggest conditions under which 'scapegoating' globalization can occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents the results of the OEPM (Spanish Patent and Trademark Office)/OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) survey on the economic and financial uses of patents carried out in 2008 among Spanish business applicants of OEPM patents. It also summarizes evidence from previous surveys. All available information indicates that only a few Spanish firms holding patents license them out. Results from the OEPM/OECD survey also reveal that obtaining public support is the first financial use of patents for Spanish firms. Responses to the same OECD questionnaire by EPO patent applicants from several European countries are quite different: licensing out is an extended practice among EPO patent holders from different countries, including Spain, and convincing venture capitalists and private investors are their two most important financial uses of patents. In our view this suggests that there are significant differences across European countries as regards the development of national technology markets and results from international surveys are driven by responses from the largest and more developed countries. The drivers and actors in markets for patents that only protect inventions nationally may be quite distinct from those in markets for patents that protect inventions regionally, such as EPO patents within Europe. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The author reviews 2 papers which were jointly awarded the "European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry-Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ECAP-ADHD)-Paper of the Year" at a European meeting for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The paper by Imeraj and colleagues focused on two neglected but practically important issues on ADHD, namely, circadiane sleepwake behaviour and autonomic arousal while Kröger and colleagues described risk factors of increased autistic symptoms in ADHD.

This paper presents a study of a pecked pebble from the Middle Paleolithic recovered more than 30 years ago in Axlor rockshelter in the Spanish Basque Country. At the time of the discovery, the piece was described as being deliberately modified, but since then it has been either ignored or described only as problematic evidence of Neanderthal symbolic behavior. In this work, we provide a new description and additional documentation of the piece, and we discuss its anthropic nature and the possibility that its meaning can be related to the small but credible record of graphic behavior known for early hominin groups prior to the Upper Paleolithic in Europe. The linear design theme of the Axlor piece is similar to that of other items made by European Neanderthals. These artifacts confirm the capability of pre-Homo sapiens sapiens humans to create and use portable "art." This tradition is evidence of the emergence of "behavioral modernity" among late Neanderthals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Homo and Pachycrocuta were the two major agents responsible for modifying and accumulating bones during early Pleistocene times in Europe. However, although an intense competition between hominins and hyenas in the access to scavengeable resources has long been proposed, currently there is no conclusive evidence for corroborating or ruling out this hypothesis. This paper presents indirect evidence of competitive behavior between both species, recovered from the Upper Archaeological Level of Fuente Nueva-3 (Orce, Guadix-Baza Basin, southeastern Spain). It consists of a number of coprolites and tools that surround an incomplete elephant carcass, which suggests that humans and hyenas may have competed for the consumption of this megaherbivore. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper examines the stratigraphic sequence of El Palomar Rockshelter, paying special attention to the levels associated with the Gravettian. The preliminary techno-typological study of the lithic collections of these Early Upper Paleolithic levels reveals a large number of splintered pieces that have previously been linked to two different activities--bipolar flintknapping and the use of intermediate tools (wedges) for working hard materials such as bone, wood, and antler. An experiment was carried out to determine the different characteristics resulting from each process, with special emphasis on macroscopic traces. All the main bipolar knapping features identified in this experimental program were also present in the splintered pieces from El Palomar, thus providing proof that the use of the bipolar knapping method was routine during this period. The implications of the use of this knapping method in El Palomar are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I am exploring the criticism of the University-Academy contained in the books of sociologists Pierre Bourdieu and Jean Claude Passeron, and I analyze the also critical approaches to the University-Corporation in the work of Stanley Aronowitz and other academic researchers of the so called "academic capitalism". I place these criticisms in relation to professional and student movements of the 70. I use them by the questioning of the ongoing transformation of the European University, known as Bologna Process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of information on the protection status of birds in the winter period is a serious concern, as the survival of many populations depends on this period. Here, we consider the seasonal changes in distribution patterns of bird species in central Spain to assess the value of protected areas ( PA) for simultaneously conserving breeding and wintering avifauna. We used a stepwise algorithm of complementarity to select the minimum set of Universal Transverse Mercator 10 × 10-km squares containing all species at each period and then contrasted selected areas in order to test the degree to which breeding and wintering birds overlap. Using Gap analysis, we identified areas that are still unprotected. Our results show both a weak correlation and a scant overlap between areas that are important for bird conservation during breeding and wintering periods. Thus, we conclude that valuable areas for bird diversity differ between seasons, implying that breeding hot spots are not good surrogates for overwintering hot spots. This paper addresses the need of identifying not only important areas for breeding birds, but also wintering birds, revealing potential gaps in current PA networks. Future conservation policies should take these results into account in order to optimize bird conservation, especially considering that the appropriate protection of the bird species overwintering in Spain will, overall, benefit European breeding populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is double, to describe the scope of high school dropouts in Spain in comparative terms with Europe and to provide empirical evidence about its main determinants from a gender perspective. Using data from the Eurostat LFS for 1996-2009, the study makes evident a singularity for Spain: the important gender disparity at school. The multivariate statistical analysis shows that for females the academic performance, father's nationality and mother's educational level are the most determining factors in their education demand decisions. For males, father's occupation and labour market conditions are the most significant influences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent rounds of anti-neoliberal mobilizations in Europe have shown to be rooted in cities. Whereas Madrid has become a central hub in Spain's social movement, Athens has assumed a central and centralizing role in Greece. Through a case study on Athens, Greece, this paper aims to show how cities have become the driving force of these national movements. The argument maintains that political institutional factors and local networking processes among activists contributed to making Athens a central hub of this national movement. First, weak state traditions in Greece undermined the abilities of government officials to mitigate the most egregious effects of urban neoliberalism during the 1990s and 2000s. As this triggered a proliferation of struggles throughout Athens, weak state traditions also denied local authorities the capacities to co-opt and control aggrieved inhabitants. Second, as urban grievances spurred countless localized struggles, participants formed new ties to one another, learned how to engage in their broader public worlds, and discovered new ways to become political. At the same time, well-networked activists within these particularistic struggles assumed the role of brokers between localized mobilizations and the wider social movement space. This networking process permitted the city of Athens to become an important staging ground in national mobilizations. In sum, we maintain that political opportunities and urban networking processes combined in ways to make Athens a driving force of the country's anti-neoliberal social movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]