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Spatial and Temporal Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment in the West Bank, Palestine
No full textClimate change is widely recognized as an inevitable phenomenon, with the Mediterranean region expected to experience some of the most severe impacts. Countries in this region, including Palestine, are already observing significant effects on key sectors such as agriculture, water resources, industry, and health. Consequently, there is a need for multidimensional analyses of vulnerability. This study applied a Climate Change Vulnerability (CCV) index to assess spatial and temporal changes in vulnerability across different governorates in the West Bank, Palestine. Climate change vulnerability maps for the West Bank were developed using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) matrices, incorporating various indicators across categories such as Health, Socio-demographic, Agriculture, Service, Housing, and Economic components. The findings indicate that socio-demographic factors contribute significantly to the West Bank’s overall vulnerability to climate change. Although the overall vulnerability has decreased over time, the developed maps reveal that 76% of the West Bank’s population resides in areas classified as highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. In contrast, 10% of the population lives in areas classified as low to very low in terms of vulnerability, including the governorates of Tubas, Salfit, Qalqiliya, and Jericho and Al-Aghwar. These results are invaluable for policymakers, offering guidance on selecting appropriate mitigation and adaptation measures, particularly in highly vulnerable areas, to reduce the impacts of climate change across the regionAuthors acknowledge the support from the Economy and Knowledge Department of the Catalan Government through Consolidated Research Groups (ICRA-ENV 2021 SGR 01282), as well as from the CERCA program1
Ocean literacy in managing marine protected areas: bridging natural and cultural heritage
No full textThis study explores the factors driving the integration of ocean literacy into the management of Marine Protected Areas, highlighting its role as a powerful tool to transform the human-ocean relationship to improve conservation efforts. A survey was completed by 197 visitors in Cap de Creus (Northeastern Catalonia, Spain). The findings show that visitors who were more willing to pay for conservation valued cultural and natural heritage more highly, and held more positive opinions about protection, regardless of their knowledge and despite their lower income and educational level. These results show us that knowledge does not necessarily indicate greater environmental awareness. The need to consider the marine environment as a cultural-natural embedded heritage is highlighted to foster a cultural connection, inspire commitment to its protection and promote conservation that ensures human well-being and health. Finally, some recommendations are offered to improve the integration of OL in MPA policiesThe Catalan
Government, Dep. of Territory and Sustainability provided
funding for this research through a minor contract (nº016491)
under the title: Socioeconomic impact of the development of the
master plan for the use and management of the marine protected
area of the natural park of Cap de Creus. The Horizon Europe
Research Program (contract grant no. 101059957, project
EmpowerUs) also contributed fund
A comprehensive approach to meeting the needs and demands of people with multiple sclerosis
No full textENG- This thesis aims to provide a comprehensive approach to meeting the needs and demands of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) by expanding knowledge and offering solutions to enhance patient participation, health literacy, and empowerment. Firstly, the thesis identifies the key elements necessary for shared decision-making and patient participation from their own perspective, emphasizing the need for access to comprehensive and high-quality information, details about all aspects of treatments, and the individual’s role in the decision-making process. Secondly, it explores how a peer learning program should be structured to empower individuals in navigating a complex health process such as MS. Specifically, it identifies the essential contents of the program, its design and characteristics more adequate, the profiles of the Expert Patient and participants, and the potential benefits such a program can offer. Finally, the thesis describes the development, piloting, and implementation of the peer support program and evaluates its impact on health indicators and outcomes and patient reported experienceCAT- Aquesta tesi té com a objectiu abordar de manera integral les necessitats i les demandes de les persones amb esclerosi múltiple mitjançant l'ampliació del coneixement i proporcionant solucions per millorar la participació de la persona, la seva alfabetització en salut i el seu empoderament. En primer lloc, la tesi identifica els elements clau necessaris per a la presa de decisions compartides i la participació del pacient des de la seva pròpia perspectiva, amb èmfasi en la necessitat d’accés a informació complerta i d’alta qualitat, informació sobre tots els aspectes relatius al tractament i el rol de la persona en la presa de decisions. En segon lloc, explora com ha de ser una programa d’aprenentatge entre iguals per a empoderar a la persona respecte a un procés de salut complex com és l’esclerosi múltiple. Concretament s’identifiquen els continguts essencials del programa; el disseny i característiques essencials del programa; els perfils del Pacient Expert i dels participants; i els potencials beneficis que pot aportar un programa d’aquestes característiques. Finalment, la tesi descriu el desenvolupament, pilotatge i la implementació del programa de suport entre iguals i avalua el seu impacte sobre els indicadors i resultats de salut i l’experiència reportada per les personesPrograma de Doctorat en Biologia Molecular, Biomedicina i Salu
Promotion of exclusive breastfeeding in Lebanon through perinatal education: a salutogenic approach
No full textENG - Background:
The health benefits of Exclusive Breastfeeding (EFB) for mothers and infants have been well established. In Lebanon, interventions and research related to breastfeeding are scarce and the rate of breastfeeding is low. Peer support and social media platforms could be promising to improve breastfeeding outcomes.
Objectives:
To evaluate the effectiveness of a salutogenic intervention on breastfeeding initiation and rates of exclusive breastfeeding, sense of coherence and self-esteem in Lebanon. To achieve it, first it was crucial to evaluate the facilitators and barriers of breastfeeding among mothers.
Methods:
In Part 1, a generic inductive qualitative content analysis study was conducted on the discussions in a breastfeeding support group on social media in Lebanon during August 2020.
Posts and comments were analyzed in two phases: first, identifying breastfeeding barriers, facilitators, and assets; second, examining community resilience in the breastfeeding context.
In Part 2, a randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted from June 2022 until July 2023 involving 101 women residing in Lebanon. The intervention consists of participating in WhatsApp groups created by Infant Feeding Facilitators (IFHs) who supported the mothers from the antenatal period until 6 months postpartum. This adopted a salutogenic approach increasing the mothers' Sense of Coherence (SOC) encouraging them to self-identify their General Resistance Resources (GRRs), describe the coping mechanisms used, and express the role of breastfeeding in their lives. Chi-square tests, Wilcoxon tests, and non-parametric Quade tests were used. SPSS v.20.0 for Windows was utilized for the analysis. The significance level was set at p<0.05.
Results:
Barriers to breastfeeding included lack of support and supportive policies at mothers’ emotional stress. Facilitators and assets were peer relationships and advice sharing. After Beirut’s port explosion, foundation of community resilience through the collaboration of several stakeholders, healthcare professionals in facing this disaster emerged.
A statistically significant change observed in SOC and Self-esteem and rates of EFB at the intervention group compared to control group (F=11.358, p=0.001), (F= 82.421; p=0.000) and (36.5% vs.10.2%, p=0.00).
Conclusion:
The salutogenic intervention demonstrated statistically significant improvements in SOC and self-esteem, that could explain the higher exclusive breastfeeding initiation and duration. This study underscores the importance of support systems based on the salutogenic model to enhance breastfeeding initiation and durationCAT - Antecedents:
Els beneficis per a la salut de la lactància materna exclusiva (LME) per a mares i nadons estan àmpliament establerts. Al Líban, les intervencions i la recerca relacionades amb la lactància materna són escasses, i la taxa de lactància és baixa. El suport entre iguals i les plataformes de xarxes socials podrien ser eficaces per millorar els resultats de la lactància materna.
Objectius:
Avaluar l'eficàcia d'una intervenció salutogènica en la iniciació de la lactància materna, els percentatge de lactància materna exclusiva, el sentit de coherència (SOC) i l'autoestima al Líban. Per aconseguir-ho, primer va ser crucial avaluar els facilitadors i les barreres de la lactància materna entre les mares.
Mètodes:
Part 1: Es va dur a terme un estudi qualitatiu genèric d’anàlisi de contingut sobre les discussions en un grup de suport a la lactància materna a les xarxes socials al Líban durant l'agost del 2020. Les publicacions i els comentaris es van analitzar en dues fases: primer, identificant les barreres, els facilitadors i els recursos per a la lactància; segon, examinant la resiliència comunitària en el context de la lactància materna.
Part 2: Entre juny de 2022 i juliol de 2023, es va realitzar un assaig clínic aleatoritzat amb 101 dones residents al Líban. La intervenció consistia en participar en grups de WhatsApp creats per Facilitadores d'Alimentació Infantil (IFHs), que donaven suport a les mares des del període prenatal fins als sis mesos postpart. Aquesta intervenció adoptava un enfocament salutogènic, augmentant el SOC de les mares mitjançant la facilitació de la identificació dels seus Recursos Generals de Resistència (GRRs), la descripció dels mecanismes d'afrontament utilitzats i l'expressió del paper de la lactància materna en les seves vides. Es van utilitzar proves de Chi-quadrat, Wilcoxon i Quade no paramètriques. L’anàlisi es va realitzar amb SPSS v.20.0 per a Windows, amb un nivell de significació establert a p<0.05.
Resultats:
Les barreres a la lactància materna incloïen la manca de suport i polítiques favorables davant l'estrès emocional de les mares. Els facilitadors i recursos incloïen les relacions entre iguals i l'intercanvi de consells. Després de l'explosió del port de Beirut, es va observar la creació de resiliència comunitària gràcies a la col·laboració de diversos actors i professionals sanitaris per fer front a aquest desastre.
Es va observar un canvi estadísticament significatiu en el SOC, l'autoestima i les taxes de LME al grup d'intervenció comparat al grup control (F=11.358, p=0.001), (F=82.421; p=0.000) i (36.5% vs. 10.2%, p=0.000).
Conclusió:
La intervenció salutogènica va demostrar millores estadísticament significatives en el SOC i l'autoestima, fet que podria explicar l'augment en la iniciació i la durada de la lactància materna exclusiva. Aquest estudi subratlla la importància dels sistemes de suport basats en el model salutogènic per millorar la iniciació i la durada de la lactància maternaPrograma de Doctorat en Biologia Molecular, Biomedicina i Salu
Ejercicios resueltos de gestión de precios
No full textEl objetivo de este texto es poner a disposición del lector un conjunto de ejercicios básicos sobre estrategias de precios, los cuales se solucionan y explican con detalle. Los ejercicios se realizan con cálculos matemáticos simples que son fáciles de entender e implementar tanto para los alumnos como para la actividad empresarial. Por ello, este texto puede ser de utilidad como material docente en distintas asignaturas de Economía de la Empresa y de Marketing, y también para ayudar a las actividades empresariales – pequeñas, medianas y grandes - en la fijación de precio
Contratos y promesas en las dinámicas de las relaciones personales
No full textThis paper explores the role of contracts and promises in managing our personal relationships. It critically examines the tradition of viewing contracts as promises, with particular focus on the theories of Charles Fried and Dori Kimel. After outlining the main theses of each theory, the paper discusses some of the challenges they face in accounting for the contractual phenomenon. It concludes by suggesting that while both promises and contracts serve important functions of coordination, cooperation, and socialization, only contracts enable us to engage with others in highly complex collective endeavours. This capacity significantly expands personal autonomy in a way that promises and other informal arrangements cannot matchO trabalho trata da função dos contratos e das promessas na gestão de no‐ssas relações pessoais. Para tanto, analisa criticamente a tradição do contrato como pro‐messa, com base nas teorias de Charles Fried e Dori Kimel. Após apresentar as principais teses de cada autor, o texto expõe algumas das dificuldades enfrentadas por essas teorias para dar conta do fenômeno contratual. O artigo culmina sugerindo que tanto as prome‐ssas quanto os contratos cumprem funções importantes de coordenação, cooperação e so‐cialização, mas somente os contratos permitem que nos relacionemos com os outros em iniciativas coletivas altamente complexas. Essa possibilidade amplia significativamente a autonomia pessoal, de um modo que as promessas e outros arranjos informais não conse‐guem igualEn este trabajo se aborda la función de los contratos y las promesas en la gestión de nuestras relaciones personales. Para ello, se analiza críticamente la tradición del contrato como promesa, tomando como referencia las teorías de Charles Fried y Dori Kimel. Luego de presentar las tesis principales de cada teoría, se exponen algunas de las dificultades que enfrentan para dar cuenta del fenómeno contractual. El artículo culmina sugiriendo que tanto las promesas como los contratos cumplen funciones de coordinación, cooperación y socialización importantes, pero solo los contratos nos permiten relacionarnos con otros en empresas colectivas altamente complejas, lo que amplía significativamente la autonomía personal de un modo que las promesas y otros arreglos informales no pueden igualarCon apoyo del proyecto PID2023-152057NB-I00, financiado por el Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España
Necropolitics at the Southern European Border: Deaths and Missing Migrants on the Western Mediterranean and Atlantic Coasts
No full textIn recent years, the number of migrant deaths and disappearances in the Mediterranean and on the Atlantic coasts has risen steadily. The arrival of small boats with migrants on board on the Spanish and Italian coasts has received a lot of media attention, and European Governments are investing more than in the past to stop unauthorized arrivals on their shores. Certain narratives from governments and officials of international organizations attribute these deaths to “smugglers” and the dangerous routes they take. However, this article provides evidence that the higher mortality rates are the result of changes in border controls following bilateral agreements between the European Union and Morocco after 2018. By analyzing data from official statistics, microdata, and data provided by NGOs up to 2024, it shows how the increase in the mortality rate of migrants in the Western Mediterranean is the result of changes in the management of sea rescues, the militarization and externalization of the border, and the way in which migrants attempting to cross the sea are taking more dangerous routes than in the past.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CSUC agreement with Cambridge University Press (CUP)1
Applying quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models to extend the mixture toxicity prediction of scrubber water
No full textMarine organisms are constantly exposed to complex chemical mixtures from natural and anthropogenic sources. One source that has raised concerns is the discharge water from ships equipped with exhaust gas cleaning systems, commonly known as scrubbers. During operation, ships with scrubbers discharge large volumes of scrubber water, known to adversely affect marine organisms, into the environment. Scrubber water is highly acidic and contains a complex mixture of contaminants, including metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), at high concentrations. To assess the effect from these mixtures, critical values for individual mixture components can be determined from ecotoxicological studies and then compared to measured exposure concentrations. However, for several substances identified in scrubber water, for instance many alkylated PAHs, ecotoxicological studies are unavailable, preventing the determination of critical values. In this study, Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) models have been used to amend and complement experimental data to estimate the mixture toxicity of scrubber water. Our results show that the combined predicted ecotoxicological response of an amended list of 50 substances measured in scrubber water from the substance groups metals (n = 10), PAHs (n = 16) and their alkylated derivatives (n = 24), still underestimates the response observed in whole effluent toxicity tests. This suggests that there are additional substances and/or synergistic effects in the scrubber water mixtures that contribute to the overall toxicity. Thus, to accurately describe the toxicity of scrubber water, measurements and toxicity assessments must extend far beyond the usual suspects of 16 PAHs and a limited selection of metals. Here, QSAR models and advanced chemical screening-based methods are valuable tools for identifying substances of concernThis work was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme Evaluation, control and Mitigation of the EnviRonmental impacts of shippinG Emissions (EMERGE) [grant agreement No 874990]. This work reflects only the authors' view and CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. This work was also supported by the FRAM Centre for Future Chemical Risk Assessment and Management at the University of Gothenbur
Microcredenciales para formarse a lo largo y ancho de la vida
No full textPresentación de Àngels Fitó, rectora de la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, sobre la estrategia de formación del estudiantado universitario basada en las microcredenciales, comentando el caso concreto de las microcedenciales de la UOC en el marco del proyecto pedagógico "Insignia", un modelo de formación continua. Esta presentación corresponde a la conferencia inaugural de la '1ª Jornada Biblioteca Impacta' de la red REBIUN-CRUEPresentació d'Àngels Fitó, rectora de la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, sobre l'estratègia de formació de l'estudiantat universitari basada en les microcredencials, comentant el cas concret de les microcedencials de la UOC en el marc del projecte pedagògic "Insignia", un model de formació continua. Aquesta presentació correspon a la conferència inaugural de la '1a Jornada Biblioteca Impacta' de la xarxa REBIUN-CRUE
Microcredenciales: experiencias de bibliotecas universitarias. Servicios bibliotecarios de apoyo a la investigación: contribución a un nuevo modelo de publicación científica
No full textPresentació sobre la microcredencial universitària titulada “Servicios bibliotecarios de apoyo a la investigación: contribución a un nuevo modelo de publicación científica”, de 5 crèdits ECTS, dirigida a professionals i titulats universitaris. Activitat de formació que respon a la creixent necessitat d’actualització dels perfils i competències professionals del personal bibliotecari en l’entorn de la transformació digital i la ciència oberta