Structure and spatial variability of Pinus uncinata Ram. growth forms at two contrasting treeline ecotones in the Spanish Pyrenees.

Describimos la distribución espacial de individuos de Pinus uncinata clasificados según su forma de crecimiento y tamaño en dos ecotonos poco perturbados del límite altitudinal del árbol situados en los Pirineos Centrales españoles (Ordesa, O; Tessó, T). En cada sitio situamos una parcela rectangular (30 140 m), que incluía los límites del árbol y del bosque, y cuyo lado mayor seguía el gradiente altitudinal. En ambos sitios, los individuos vivos eran más grandes y tenían un mayor número de cohortes de acículas pendiente abajo. La distribución de las clases de individuos según su forma de crecimiento y tamaño en el sitio O seguía una secuencia de mayor tamaño pendiente abajo, desde abundantes individuos policórmicos arbustivos (krummholz) con pocas cohortes de acículas (1-3) hasta individuos arbóreos mayores unicórmicos con varias cohortes de acículas (4-12). Por el contrario, los cambios estructurales en el ecotono del sitio T fueron graduales y no siguieron de forma tan clara dicha secuencia

Taxonomic study of the isopod crustaceans from the Spanish expedition 'Antartida 1986-11' in the Scotia Sea, South Atlantic

This paper summarizes the results of a taxonomic study of the isopods collected during the 'Antártida 1986-11' expedition. A total of 123 specimens were studied, of which 99 were in the adult or juvenile phases and 24 were in the postmanca phase. The specimens were attributed to 11 species, 9 genera, 5 families and 4 suborders. The most abundant species were Glyptonotus antarcticus and Ceratoserolis trilobitoides. Several records are reported for the first time from the archipelagos of the Scotia Arc.

The impact of the Spanish economic crisis on the duration of sickness absence

Directors: Jordi Delclós Clanchet, Mònica Ubalde López, Eva Calvo Bonacho

Young innovative firms and R&D strategies: is the Spanish case different?

This paper analyzes the profile of Spanish young innovative companies (YICs) and the determinants of innovation and imitation strategies. The results for an extensive sample of 2,221 Spanish firms studied during the period 2004–2010 show that YICs are found in all sectors, although they are more concentrated in high-tech sectors and, in particular, in knowledge-intensive services (KIS). Three of every four YICs are involved in KIS. Our results highlight that financial and knowledge barriers have much impact on the capacity of young, small firms to innovate and to become YICs, whereas market barriers are not obstacles to becoming a YIC. Public funding, in particular from the European Union, makes it easier for a new firm to become a YIC. In addition, YICs are more likely to innovate than mature firms, although they are more susceptible to sectoral and territorial factors. YICs make more dynamic use of innovation and imitation strategies when they operate in high-tech industries and are based in science parks located close to universities. Keywords: innovation strategies, public innovation policies, barriers to innovation, multinomial probit model. JEL Codes: D01, D22 , L60, L80, O31

Cobertura y desamparo: garantías jurídicas de los españoles en el Perú (1870-1945) = Coverage and helplessness: legal guarantees of the spanish in Peru (1870-1945)

The archives of the Prefecture of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs provide a perspective from which to reconstruct the broad range of legal circumstances in which Spanish residents in various regions of the country find themselves immersed (assets of relatives who have died without wills or family in Peru, political conflicts, legal problems -whether criminal or civil as a result of business activities- or the requested intervention ofconsular authorities when decisions considered detrimental to their compatriots are made by prefects and sub-prefects). The legal framework protecting Spanish nationals in Peru is analysed to understand the mechanisms of immigration in the country and the mechanisms that led them to keep their Spanish nationality, even after establishing wide-reaching family and business interests

Impact of the Spanish smoking law on exponsure to secondhand smoke in offices and hospitality venues: before-and-after study

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: A smoking law was passed by the Spanish Parliament in December 2005 and was enforced by 1 January 2006. The law bans smoking in all indoor workplaces but only in some hospitality venues, because owners are allowed to establish a smoking zone (venues>100 m2) or to allow smoking without restrictions (venues<100 m2). The objective of the study is to assess the impact of the Spanish smoking law on exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in enclosed workplaces, including hospitality venues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study design is a before-and-after evaluation. We studied workplaces and hospitality venues from eight different regions of Spain. We took repeated samples of vapor-phase nicotine concentration in 398 premises, including private offices (162), public administration offices (90), university premises (43), bars and restaurants (79), and discotheques and pubs (24). RESULTS: In the follow-up period, SHS levels were markedly reduced in indoor offices. The median decrease in nicotine concentration ranged from 60.0% in public premises to 97.4% in private areas. Nicotine concentrations were also markedly reduced in bars and restaurants that became smoke-free (96.7%) and in the no-smoking zones of venues with separate spaces for smokers (88.9%). We found no significant changes in smoking zones or in premises allowing smoking, including discotheques and pubs. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study shows the positive impact of the law on reducing SHS in indoor workplaces. However, SHS was substantially reduced only in bars and restaurants that became smoke-free. Most hospitality workers continue to be exposed to very high levels of SHS. Therefore, a 100% smoke-free policy for all hospitality venues is required.

Who is afraid of the big bad ban? An evaluation of the effects of the Spanish clean air law on expenditure at hospitality venues

Background:In January 2011 Spain modified clean air legislation in force since 2006, removing all existing exceptions applicable to hospitality venues. Although this legal reform was backed by all political parties with parliamentary representation, the government's initiative was contested by the tobacco industry and its allies in the hospitality industry. One of the most voiced arguments against the reform was its potentially disruptive effect on the revenue of hospitality venues. This paper evaluates the impact of this reform on household expenditure at restaurants and bars and cafeterias. Methods and empirical strategy:We use micro-data from the Encuesta de Presupuestos Familiares (EPF) for years 2006 to 2012 to estimate "two part" models where the probability of observing a positive expenditure and, for those who spend, the expected level of expenditure are functions of an array of explanatory variables. We apply a before-after analysis with a wide range of controls for confounding factors and a flexible modeling of time effects.Results:In line with the majority of studies that analyze the effects of smoking bans using objective data, our results suggest that the reform did not cause reductions in households' expenditures on restaurant services or on bars and cafeteria services.

Are R&D collaborative agreements persistent at the firm level? Empirical evidence for the Spanish case

We provide evidence on the dynamics in firms’ R&D cooperation behaviour. Our main objective is to analyse if R&D collaborative agreements are persistent at the firm level, and in such a case, to study what are the main drivers of this phenomenon. R&D cooperation activities at the firm level can be persistent due to true state dependence, this implying that cooperating in a given period enhances the probability of doing it in the subsequent period and it can also be a consequence of firms’ individual heterogeneity, so that certain firms have certain characteristics that make them more likely to carry out technological alliances.

Are R&D collaborative agreements persistent at the firm level? Empirical evidence for the Spanish case

We provide evidence on the dynamics in firms’ R&D cooperation behaviour. Our main objective is to analyse if R&D collaborative agreements are persistent at the firm level, and in such a case, to study what are the main drivers of this phenomenon. R&D cooperation activities at the firm level can be persistent due to true state dependence, this implying that cooperating in a given period enhances the probability of doing it in the subsequent period and it can also be a consequence of firms’ individual heterogeneity, so that certain firms have certain characteristics that make them more likely to carry out technological alliances.

Validation study of the Spanish Version of the Work-Family Conflict Questionnaire (CCTF)

In this study, a brief Work-Family Conflict (WFC) Questionnaire in the Spanish language is proposed that takes into account the two directions commonly reported in the literature: work interference with family (WIF), and family interference with work (FIW). The results obtained through exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) with two independent samples, carried out for women and men, showed acceptable validity and reliability. A copy of the instrument in Spanish language is provided, together with the Amos 4 syntax to perform the factor invariance analysis for women and men. The suggested Work-Family Conflict Questionnaire (in Spanish, abbreviated as CCTF) may be useful in studies performed in the work setting, considering the special relevance of the concept in this line of research.

Ecology of Armillaria species on silver fir (Abies alba) in the Spanish Pyrenees

We describe the distribution and the ecology of three Armillaria species observed in silver fir (Abies alba) forests of the Pyrenees. We surveyed the presence and abundance of Armillaria above and belowground in 29 stands. Isolates were identified by the PCR-RFLP pattern of the IGS-1 region of their ribosomal DNA. We measured several ecological and management parameters of each stand in order to describe Armillaria infected sites. Armillaria cepistipes was the most abundant of three species observed. Armillaria gallica was dominant in soils with a higher pH and at lower elevations. Armillaria ostoyae seemed to be more frequent in stands where A. alba recently increased its dominance relative to other forest tree species. Thinning activities correlated with an increased abundance of Armillaria belowground. In 83% of the stands the same Armillaria species was observed above and belowground. It seems that in a conifer forest, A. cepistipes can be more frequent than A. ostoyae, a virulent conifer pathogen. Since logging is related to a higher abundance of Armillaria in the soil, the particular Armillaria species present in a given stand could be considered an additional site factor when making management decisions.

Progress in the Spanish National Barley Breeding Program

The Spanish Barley Breeding Program is carried out by four public research organizations, located at the most representative barley growing regions of Spain. The aim of this study is to evaluate the program retrospectively, attending to: i) the progress achieved in grain yield, and ii) the extent and impact of genotype-by-environment interaction of grain yield. Grain yields and flowering dates of 349 advanced lines in generations F8, F9 and F10, plus checks, tested at 163 trials over 11 years were analized. The locations are in the provinces of Albacete, Lleida, Valladolid and Zaragoza. The data are highly unbalanced because the lines stayed at the program for a maximum of three years. Progress was estimated using relative grain yield and mixed models (REML) to homogenize the results among years and locations. There was evident progress in the program over the period studied, with increasing relative yields in each generation, and with advanced lines surpassing the checks in the last two generations, although the rate of progress was uneven across locations. The genetic gain was greater from F8 to F9 than from F9 to F10. The largest non-purely environmental component of variance was genotype-by-location-by-year, meaning that the genotype-by-location pattern was highly unpredictable. The relationship between yield and flowering time overall was weak in the locations under study at this advanced stage of the program. The program can be continued with the same structure, although measures should be taken to explore the causes of slower progress at certain locations.

Psychometric properties and dimensional structure of the Spanish version of the Coping Responses Inventory - Adult Form

One of the goals of psychological assessment focuses on the adaptation of its instruments to different populations. The objective of this study is to establish the psychometric properties and dimensional structure of the Spanish version of the Coping Responses Inventory- Adult Form (CRI-Adult, Moos, 1993). The following criteria were analyzed: a) descriptive statistics; b) internal consistency reliability (Cronbach"s alpha, and intercorrelations between scales); c) test-retest reliability (4-week interval); d) dimensionality of CRI-Adult (exploratory factor analysis); e) construct validity (confirmatory factor analysis); f) convergent criterion validity (correlations between CRI-Adult and Coping Strategies Indicator, CSI, Amirkhan, 1990), and g) predictive criterion validity (correlations between CRI-Adult, and SCL-90-R, Derogatis, 1983). The results, obtained with 800 adults from Barcelona and surrounding area (334 men and 466 women, aged between 18 to 76 years) indicate that the Spanish version of CRIAdult has satisfactory psychometric properties that allow using this test with guarantee.

Land use changes, landscape ecology and their socioeconomic driving forces in the Spanish Mediterranean coast (the Maresme County, 1850-2005)

[cat] Utilitzem un conjunt de mètriques del paisatge per estudiar l'evolució a llarg termini seguida en una típica zona costanera del Mediterrani des de 1850 fins a 2005, que mostren una greu deterioració del medi ambient entre 1950 i 2005. Les principals forces motores d'aquesta degradació del paisatge han estat el creixement urbà experimentat a les antigues zones agrícoles situades a les planes litorals, juntament amb l'abandonament i la reforestació dels vessants dels pujols interceptats per àrees residencials de baixa densitat, carreteres i altres infraestructures lineals. Duem a terme una anàlisi estadística de redundància (RDA) amb la finalitat d'identificar els que considerem com alguns agents rectors socioeconòmics i polítics d'última instància d'aquests impactes ambientals. Els resultats confirmen les nostres hipòtesis interpretatives, que són que: 1) els canvis en les cobertes i usos del sòl determinen canvis en les propietats dels paisatge, tant estructurals com funcionals; 2) aquests canvis no es produeixen per atzar, sinó que estan relacionats amb factors geogràfics i forces socioeconòmiques i polítiques.

Land use changes, landscape ecology and their socioeconomic driving forces in the Spanish Mediterranean coast (the Maresme County, 1850-2005)

[cat] Utilitzem un conjunt de mètriques del paisatge per estudiar l'evolució a llarg termini seguida en una típica zona costanera del Mediterrani des de 1850 fins a 2005, que mostren una greu deterioració del medi ambient entre 1950 i 2005. Les principals forces motores d'aquesta degradació del paisatge han estat el creixement urbà experimentat a les antigues zones agrícoles situades a les planes litorals, juntament amb l'abandonament i la reforestació dels vessants dels pujols interceptats per àrees residencials de baixa densitat, carreteres i altres infraestructures lineals. Duem a terme una anàlisi estadística de redundància (RDA) amb la finalitat d'identificar els que considerem com alguns agents rectors socioeconòmics i polítics d'última instància d'aquests impactes ambientals. Els resultats confirmen les nostres hipòtesis interpretatives, que són que: 1) els canvis en les cobertes i usos del sòl determinen canvis en les propietats dels paisatge, tant estructurals com funcionals; 2) aquests canvis no es produeixen per atzar, sinó que estan relacionats amb factors geogràfics i forces socioeconòmiques i polítiques.