Search

This study analyzed the factorial structure of motor competence tests designed to evaluate motor development among adolescents, focusing on the two main dimensions of coordination and motor control. To this end, we randomly sampled 1,026 adolescents (45.3% males; 45.7% females, age 13.75 years, SD = 1.28). Participants completed the Multidimensional Sportcomp Motor Battery, which features ten motor competence tests. Results indicate that two factors grouped seven of the ten sub-tests related to upper body strength and skill related-fitness. The factorial structure remained stable across age and sex groups, with the exception of manual grip (grip strength) and 7 Meters with Feet Together (jumping) which may relate to a sex-specific evolutionary pattern for upper body force. The Flexibility, Equilibrium and Lateral Jumps tests were not grouped by this factor analysis on any established dimension. These results underscore the multidimensionality of physical factors that influence motor competence among adolescents.

As one of the most necessary skills of the 21st century for problem solving, critical thinking should be taught and included in the curriculum of those schools in which inclusivity towards all their students is a priority. From this perspective, this study presents the educational implications for the teaching and evaluation of this skill. In addition, teachers' perceptions regarding the teaching methods used, evaluation techniques and limitations that they encounter at the moment of enhancing the critical thinking of their students are analysed. A descriptive-comprehensive research with a qualitative approach was adopted, with data collected from interviews with 10 primary education teachers in the Spanish educational system. The analysis suggests that, although there is some knowledge on the part of teachers about critical thinking skills, most of them are not able to respond to this learning need. They highlight the technique of joint discussion and interactions between teams as among the effective tools for fostering critical thinking skills. Notably, these teachers have referred to the existence of certain relationships between critical thinking and equitable and quality education.

This research addresses the change in how the Spanish University Entrance Examination can be delivered in the future. There is a wide acknowledgement that computer tests are very demanding for the delivering institutions which makes computer language testing difficult to implement. However, the use of tablet PCs can facilitate the delivery at even lower cost than the regular computer based language testing. 183 students in their last year of high school took a computer based language test which included reading, writing, listening and speaking. The research aspects were 1) whether they feel at ease with the tablet PC exam; 2) if they felt that visual aspects were accessible and 3) whether the interface organization was clear. The paper first has a brief description of the OPENPAU® platform, after it addresses the field study based on questionnaires and observations with students during the test delivery,finally the results indicate that this means of language test delivery could be adequate not only for the Spanish University Entrance Examination but for most standardized tests.

This paper proposes several activities that encourage self-learning in engineering courses. For each activity, the context and the pedagogical issues addressed are described emphasizing strengths and weaknesses. Specifically, this work describes and implements five activities, which are: questionnaires, conceptual maps, videos, jigsaw and projects. These activities are applied in seven different knowledge fields and are conducted individually or in group depending on the nature of the subject and of the activity. Furthermore, this paper shows how the same activity can be applied in subjects of different years and how the implementation level changes, depending on the course in which it is conducted. The activities proposed have been introduced in engineering courses, but they can also be applied in any other knowledge field. Finally, the paper proposes four rubrics to assess three of the proposed activities (videos, jigsaw and project), being two of them for the project activity.

Assessing speaking is one of the most difficult tasks in computer based language testing. Many countries all over the world face the need to implement standardized language tests where speaking tasks are commonly included. However, a number of problems make them rather impractical such as the costs, the personnel involved, the length of time for interviews and many other factors. Additionally, reliability as compared to face-to-face tests is continually challenged by issues such as comfort with the interface, navigability and, among others and more important, the lack of visual interaction and the high anxiety created by interacting with a interlocutor with more than a limited interactional activity. This paper addresses a new approach to language testing by the use of VOIP devices. It also addresses its benefits and the way to implement it within the Spanish framework of nationally organized standardized tests. [Paper presented at the 7th World Conference on Educational Sciences, (WCES-2015), 05-07 February 2015, Novotel Athens Convention Center, Athens, Greece.]

Over the few years, computer based language testing has become prevailing worldwide. The number of institutions the use computers as the main means of delivery has increased dramatically. Many students face each day tests for well-known high-stakes decisions which imply the knowledge and ability to use technology to provide evidence of language mastery. However, this situation is not the same everywhere. While countries like the United States or the United Kingdom are spearheads of this tendency, others like Spain, lag way behind. This paper addresses the needs of use of computer based language testing in the new Spanish educational system. To do so, this paper introduces the current situation in Spain, then proceeds to do a SWOT analysis emphasizing the lacks and opportunities for language based assessments and concludes by stating the positive issues involving them. [Paper presented at the 5th World Conference on Learning, Teaching and Educational Leadership, WCLTA 2014.]

Mobile learning permits combining the most motivating elements of online learning. When becoming a supplement to face-to-face education, it is likely to become a most motivating achievement in e-learning. Up to now, little interest and work has been posed in proposing mobile learning as a supporting element for language testing. In this paper, we introduce the concept of motivation for language testing through mobile telephone technology. The purpose of this study was to explore the acceptance of objective tasks by PAU [Pruebas de Acceso a la Universidad] candidates in an academic context. 24 students in a blended enrolled in the last high school year took a test through a mobile telephone simulator and responded to a questionnaire. Results indicate that students were genuinely interested and motivated towards independent autonomous training through mobile technology. The implications are both attractive for the different stakeholders and the educational software designers. (Contains 2 figures.) [Support for this project was provided by the Ministry of Education of Spain.]

The phenomenon of violence, in its different forms and varieties; the peak of aggravated nationalists and extremists; poverty; the different movements of migration; the role of religion, the perception of the deterioration of politics; the need for an impulse of associated movement; the need to adapt to the roles that should confront the educational institutions and the social changes that are reflected in the different unions between people, are some of the aspects that offer us a necessary framework to approach an emotional, social education and to educate the future citizens, which will able the construction of a supportive, fair, peaceful society, and where, especially, freedom and equal opportunities are respected as fundamental rights. The role and the objectives of the development of emotions and the social and civic competence are analysed, in a European context, stressing the need of a multidisciplinary and collaborative work from the psycho pedagogical field. It is necessary to indicate that the fields of orientation are diverse, on a personal, academic, professional, family or social level with the perspective of the need to implement diverse programmes of intervention, in a preventative way and for the integral education of the individual students, aimed at all of the educational community--opening up to the formal, informal and not formal spheres--related to the emotional, social and civic competence.

The new educational paradigm has led to a change in the teaching methodologies toward those more focused on the student, among these, project-based learning (PBL) is postulated as one of the most promising. This work is focused on the description of the experience of using PBL methodology in Materials Science courses, conducted by four different Spanish universities on different engineering degrees. The other main objective is to analyse and evaluate how the PBL was perceived by the students and the lecturers that took part in the PBL process. This investigation was an embedded, sequential mixed-methods study, which began by administering a survey to one hundred and four students and then a focus group with six students and six lecturers in four different engineering degrees of four Universities. Results generally show a good degree of acceptance of this approach by all parties involved.

A context of increased competition between higher education institutions (HEIs) for attracting potential national and international students has led universities to implement marketing communication strategies. Those strategies which are used to some extent include, among others, interactive inbound marketing. The purpose of the present exploratory study is to identify how HEIs can develop to improve their image and awareness by using new interactive marketing communication tools mediated by the student's decision-making process. To conduct our investigation, we used both a qualitative (seven semi-structured interviews) and a quantitative survey (n = 121) methodology. Based on data analysis, we found that among the areas investigated, interactive marketing communication tools have a great impact on postgraduate students' decision-making process with a corresponding change of perception of the university and attitudes towards the brand. Therefore, even unknown universities with a limited budget can increase their brand awareness and brand image for prospective and current students by using such tools.

Few tests were delivered using mobile phones a few years ago, but the flexibility and capability of these devices make them valuable tools even for high stakes testing. This paper addresses research done through the PAULEX (2007-2010) and OPENPAU (2012-2014) research projects at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia and Universidad de Alcalá (Spain) to provide a powerful but low cost delivery system for the foreign language paper of the Spanish College Entrance Examination (henceforth PAU). The first project, PAULEX, intended to create a robust mobile platform for language testing while the second, OPENPAU, examined the specific applications of ubiquitous devices to create more dynamic forms of assessment. This paper focuses on the projects' design, testing theory, and technical evolution including visual ergonomics. The current results demonstrate the technical and didactic feasibility of mobile-based formal assessment that aligns student needs with the kind of inferences that the mobile based language test should provide academic authorities.

Although much has been said about ergonomics in interface and in computer tools and interface design, very few articles in major journals have addressed this topic in relation to language testing. This article describes an experiment carried out at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain, in which 27 Media and Communication students provided support to design and experiment an internet based oral and written English as a foreign language test platform called PLEVALEX (Garcia Laborda, 2007b). These students then responded to a questionnaire about their feelings, acquired experience and ergonomics based on their results in both development stages. According to their opinions, language test interfaces are different from those of other e-learning platforms and websites. These differences have been previously mentioned by authors such as Fulcher (2003) or Garcia Laborda and Magal Royo (2007). This research concludes that the features described by Garcia Laborda and Magal Royo which are applied to the PLEVALEX platform, although tending to simplify interfaces, are to be met if students are to be tested in their knowledge of English as a foreign language as opposed to being tested on their skills and performance as computer users. The findings of this paper have valuable implications for the scientific community, given that more and more standardized high-stakes language tests are beginning to use internet and computer based versions (Garcia Laborda, 2007a). (Contains 3 figures and 6 tables.)

Objectives: To asses the clinical features, aetiology, antimicrobial resistance and outcomes of bacteraemic cholangitis in patients with solid tumours (ST).Methods: All consecutive episodes of bacteraemia in hospitalized patients were prospectively analysed (2006-2015).Results: Of 1852 episodes of bacteraemia, 750 involved patients with ST. Among them, 173 episodes (23%) were due to cholangitis. The most frequent neoplasms were hepato-biliary-pancreatic tumours (68.2%) and gastrointestinal cancer (18.5%); 57.2% of patients had a biliary stent in place. The most frequent causative agents were Escherichia coli (39.3%) followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (15.1%) and Enterococcus faecium (7.8%). Forty-one episodes (18.7%) were caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms. Patients with a second episode of cholangitis were more likely to have an MDR isolate and to had received inadequate empirical antibiotic therapy. 7-day and 30-day case-fatality rates were 7.6% and 26%, respectively. The only risk factors independently associated with 30-day case-fatality rate were corticosteroids and malignancy-related complications.Conclusions: Bacteraemic cholangitis is frequent in patients with ST, and is mainly caused by Enterobacteriaceae and E. faecium. The emergence of MDR is of special concern, particularly in patients with a second episode of bacteraemia. Case-fatality rates are high, especially among patients receiving corticosteroids and presenting malignancy-related complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This work describes a new specimen of the sauropod Tastavinsaurus sanzi, the second of this species recovered. Found at the La Canaleta site (CT-19) at El Castellar (Teruel, Spain), this new specimen is partially articulated. The site lies at the base of the Forcall Formation (early Aptian in age), which is composed of clays and sand, suggesting the area to have been a very shallow, tidal, coastal environment before becoming deeper at the margin of the Maestrazgo Basin. The anatomical elements of T. sanzi recovered include 16 dorsal ribs, some remains of the pelvic girdle, a radius, and a complete hindlimb. The original diagnosis of T. sanzi is revised. The characters of this new specimen confirm it to be a taxon of Titanosauriformes, and allow its inclusion within the clade Laurasiformes, which currently has three taxa: Tastavinsaurus, Cedarosaurus and Venenosaurus. Laurasiformes might have its origin in the Late Jurassic of Laurasia and a radiation that occurred in the Early Cretaceous. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses the state policy applied to silver in the Spanish territories of the Crown of Aragon in the seventeenth century, where increasing demand for silver coins with a lower intrinsic market value led to a debate on the debasement of the domestic silver coinage. It examines the fiscal and monetary reasons for reforms in the state policy and the extent of political support achieved in the Spanish territories of the Crown of Aragon. According to the author, the monarchy was weaker in the Crown of Aragon than in Castile.

Abstract: Harvester ants from the species Messor barbarus (L.) are important seed predators in semi-arid cereal fields of NE Spain, and can contribute substantially to weed control. However, occasionally they harvest newly sown crop seeds at sowing in autumn, or ripe cereal grains close to harvest in summer, causing yield losses. A preliminary study was conducted in 34 commercial winter cereal fields to measure yield loss, and to identify factors that influence it. The area affected by ants was measured ten days prior to the anticipated harvest date. Ant colony size, nest density, crop height, weed densities and temperatures at sowing were assessed. At sowing, harvester ants did not cause yield losses (0.2% of potential yield on average). At harvest, yield losses were generally low as well (0.6%) although occasionally higher losses were recorded (max. 9.2%). Yield losses significantly increased with increasing nest density, nest size and with number of years of no-till. The results of this study show that in 2009 yield losses caused by M. barbarus were insignificant and more than offset by the benefits provided by the destruction of weed seeds. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Spanish University Entrance Examination underwent significant changes in 2010 both in content and pedagogical validation. This paper examines the validation of cellular phones both for the test delivery and as students' valid personal devices for test preparation. 26 high school students (19 boys and two girls), aged between 16 and 18, who attended a middle class in a rural area of Valencia (Spain) took the Spanish University Entrance examination test through mobile phone emulators. This paper intends to outline the qualitative findings and some quantitative data from student surveys, the teacher's reactions and field observations. The results indicated that the majority of the students responded to close answer questions adequately and thought that this innovation was very motivating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Iberoamericana de Micologia is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Low-cost carrier services are important for many tourist destinations. However, there is little information about the characteristics of travellers using low-cost airlines, and their flight preferences. The typical segmentation of air travellers is business versus leisure travellers; and business versus tourist fares. We use segmentation analysis focusing on low-cost travellers’ valuations of various flight attributes and trip-related characteristics, most notably those related to destinations, based on a sample of foreign travellers who used Girona Airport, Spain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Revista Española de Cardiología (18855857) is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Excursions to small, rural villages rich with historical heritage and architectural harmony are popular in Spain and other similar countries. This study presents a conceptualization and definition of this sort of tourism in rural-cultural destinations. In addition, it introduces a combination of variables that define the image of the destination, the characteristics of these types of trips, and characteristics of the rural-cultural tourist. One of the main results of this qualitative and quantitative empirical research is that it identifies a set of variables that span the cognitive and affective components of tourism. These cognitive–affective components mainly address the towns' historical and cultural heritage, the cleanliness and peaceful atmosphere of the location, and the treatment and service the visitor receives. These components show a high internal consistency and they highly correlate with the overall image of the travel destination. The profile of the typical tourist is an educated adult who is very loyal to these locations, has experience in these types of trips, uses the opinions of relatives and friends as the main source of information, and is mainly motivated by a desire to disconnect, relax, and visit new places. The results of this study suggest two things. First, the development of a reliable scale with which to quantitatively assess the image of this type of destination could be used as a management tool. Second, the development of an image formation model of a rural-cultural destination would also incorporate the in situ emotional response. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Archivos de Bronconeumología (English Edition) is the property of Sociedad Espanola de Neumologia y Cirugia Toracica (SEPAR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article considers the economic situation in the region of Aragón, Spain during the 18th century. The author comments on the increase in counterfeit and foreign currency in Aragón as a reaction to the demand for coins with a lower metal content. He analyzes the conflicted response to this event both by the monarchy and public institutions, which led to the development of separate monetary policies in the hopes of stimulating the economy, according to the author. The devaluation of billon coins in Aragón as well as the use of equivalent denominations of Castilian and Valencian currency in the region are also explored.

Copyright of Revista Española de Cardiología (18855857) is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: The essence of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs is the multimodal approach, and many authors have demonstrated safety and feasibility in fast track bariatric surgery. According to this concept, a multidisciplinary ERAS program for bariatric surgery has been developed by the Spanish Fast Track Group (ERAS Spain). The aim of this study was to analyze the initial implementation of this Spanish National ERAS protocol in bariatric surgery, comparing it with a historical cohort receiving standard care. Material and methods: A multi-centric prospective study was performed, including 233 consecutive patients undergoing bariatric surgery during 2015 and following ERAS protocol. It was compared with a historical cohort of 286 patients, who underwent bariatric surgery at the same institutions between 2013 and 2014 and following standard care. Compliance with the protocol, morbidity, mortality, hospital stay and readmission were evaluated. Results: Bariatric techniques performed were Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy. There were no significant differences in complications, mortality and readmission. Postoperative pain and hospital stay were significantly lower in the ERAS group. The total compliance to protocol was 80%. Conclusion: The Spanish National ERAS protocol is a safe issue, obtaining similar results to standard care in terms of complications, reoperations, mortality and readmissions. It is associated with less postoperative pain and earlier hospital discharge.

Background: Nosocomial infection have a relative high prevalence, which is necessary to reduce in order to improve the quality of patient care. The aims of this work is to study the behaviour of Serratia marcescens in our hospital as between 1987 and 1995., Methods: Between February 1987 and March 1995 we detected 679 isolates of Serratia marcescens in 504 patients. We used serotype as first marker and phagotype as second, and evaluation of PGFE as a discriminator of doubtful strains was done., Results: 35.8% of the strains were from the respiratory tract, 37.2% from urinary tract; and 11.7% were isolated in blood culture, among them 23.3% came form children younger than 7 years. We noticed a tendency to decrease the number of isolates along the studied period. The most frequent serotypes were O:6, O:3 and O:2; representing the 36.0% of the total. Serotypes O:6;14, O:4, O:5, O:11 and polyagglutinables accounted for 37% of the total. The frequency was variable from year to year, and the predominant serotypes were different in every one of the hospitals in which the center is divided. A 60% of the patients were hospitalized in the General Hospital Vall d'Hebron building, in ICU (20%) and in chirurgical services (25%). Ninety-six patients had more than one isolate, 91 of them (94.8%) can be classified by phenotypic test. The PFGE is discriminatory in three of the five unclassificable isolates. In more than 35% of the patients the strains isolated along the time are different. The 66.7% of the patients acquired Serratia strains in the same admission, and in some cases with few days of difference. We detected 17 cross infections, predominantly in ICUs. With PFGE we could discriminate isolates which produced cross infections between patient who are not in the same hospital., Conclusions: Although the prevalence of Serratia marcescens is diminishing, it is able to produce crossed infections that, in general, affected few patients. The serotype and phagotype discriminate 94.8% of isolates. The PFGE is high discriminatory and reproducible, only 6.8% of the 44 strains tested by this method can not be typed.