There is considerable academic interest in the consequences of European integration for human resource (HR) management within multinational companies. In the context of this debate discusses the implications of changes in the organisation of production and markets for the management of HR in the banking sector. Frames the analysis with special reference to British and Spanish banks, and draws implications regarding the impact of such changes for the most prominent development in terms of European legislation at company level, European Works Councils (EWCs). Argues that deregulation and European integration have facilitated restructuring and consolidation within national boundaries, which in turn have facilitated cross‐border mergers and acquisitions. As a result, the number of banks with operations in two or more countries of the European Union has increased. While business continues to be geographically segmented according to countries, affording EWCs a relatively limited role, growing similarities in work organisation and processes in banks across countries offers potential for change.
Reformas y cambios institucionales en Cuba. Influencia en el aumento y diversificación del comercio y las inversiones -- Experiencias de las reformas en China y Viet Nam en el aumento del relacionamiento con países vecinos y las diásporas en el exterior -- Circunstancias en América Latina que facilitan o constituyen un reto para el aumento del comercio con Cuba: nuevos instrumentos para desarrollar el comercio -- Elementos a tomar en cuenta para desarrollar las relaciones futuras de comercio e inversiones de Cuba con América Latina.
In this paper we propose a computational approach that applies data mining techniques to analyze the citizen participation recorded in an online digital platform. Differently to previous work, the approach exploits external knowledge extracted from Open Government Data for processing the citizens' proposals and debates of the platform, enabling to characterize targeted issues and problems, and analyze the levels of discussion, support and controversy raised by the proposals. As a result of our analysis, we derive a number of insights and conclusions of interest and value for both citizens and government stakeholders in decision and policy making tasks. Among others, we show that proposals targeting issues that affect large majorities tend to be supported by citizens and ultimately implemented by the city council, but leave aside other very important issues affecting minority groups. Our study reveals that most controversial, likely relevant, problems do not always receive sufficient attention in e-participation. Moreover, it identifies several types of controversy, related to ideological and socioeconomic factors and political attitudes ; This work was supported by the Spanish Ministries of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (TIN2016-80630-P) and Science, Innovation and Universities (CAS18/00035)
Las severas restricciones a la movilidad a las que nos enfrentamos entre marzo y junio de 2020 a causa de las medidas tomadas por el Gobierno de España para frenar el avance de la pandemia derivada de la COVID-19 obligaron a muchas organizaciones, entre ellas los geoparques españoles, a adaptarse a una comunicación únicamente digital. En este trabajo se observa la estrategia seguida en redes sociales por los geoparques mediante un estudio de todas sus publicaciones durante dicho periodo. A través de un análisis cuantitativo y cualitativo, la investigación se fija en cuestiones como la regularidad, el tipo de contenido, el uso de las diferentes redes o la creación de nuevas propuestas comunicativas adaptadas a las exigencias de tan repentina situación. Los datos, que reflejan grandes diferencias entre las estrategias que siguen los parques en el aprovechamiento de estas herramientas, nos ofrecen claves para repensar el uso y el tipo de información compartida en redes de cara a un futuro cada vez más digital. ; The severe restrictions on mobility experienced between March and June 2020, due to the measures taken by the Spanish Government to stop the advance of the COVID-19 pandemic, forced many organizations, including Spanish geoparks, to adopt a purely digital communication. A study of all their publications during this period reveals the social media strategy used by these geoparks. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis, the research focuses on issues such as regularity, type of content, the use of different networks, or the creation of new communication proposals - adapted to the demands of such a sudden change. The data, which reflect great differences between the strategies that the parks use regarding the use of these tools, offer us ways to rethink the use and the type of information shared in social media networks, in the face of an increasingly digital future. ; Este trabajo se inscribe dentro del Grupo de Investigación Reconocido de la Universidad de Burgos, CAYPAT (Comunicación y Patrimonio) y ...
12 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables ; Ecological connectivity in coastal oceanic waters is mediated by dispersion of the early life stages of marine organisms and conditions the structure of biological communities and the provision of ecosystem services. Integrated management strategies aimed at ensuring long-term service provision to society do not currently consider the importance of dispersal and larval connectivity. A spatial optimization model is introduced to maximise the potential provision of ecosystem services in coastal areas by accounting for the role of dispersal and larval connectivity. The approach combines a validated coastal circulation model that reproduces realistic patterns of larval transport along the coast, which ultimately conditions the biological connectivity and productivity of an area, with additional spatial layers describing potential ecosystem services. The spatial optimization exercise was tested along the coast of Central Chile, a highly productive area dominated by the Humboldt Current. Results show it is unnecessary to relocate existing management areas, as increasing no-take areas by 10% could maximise ecosystem service provision, while improving the spatial representativeness of protected areas and minimizing social conflicts. The location of protected areas was underrepresented in some sections of the study domain, principally due to the restriction of the model to rocky subtidal habitats. Future model developments should encompass the diversity of coastal ecosystems and human activities to inform integrative spatial management. Nevertheless, the spatial optimization model is innovative not only for its integrated ecosystem perspective, but also because it demonstrates that it is possible to incorporate time-varying biophysical connectivity within the optimization problem, thereby linking the dynamics of exploited populations produced by the spatial management regime ; This work was supported by the Millennium Scientific Initiative ICM from Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism of Chile to the Center for Marine Conservation [CCM RC 1300004]; AO was supported by the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development, FONDECYT with a post-doctoral grant [3150425] and by H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions [746361]. KJD was supported by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CE11001000104), funded by the Australian Government. Additional funding was provided by FONDECYT [1160289] to SAN. Funding for the development of HYCOM has been provided by the National Ocean Partnership Program and the Office of Naval Research ; Peer reviewed
Ocean acidification (OA) and hypoxic events are an increasing worldwide problem, but the synergetic effects of these factors are seldom explored. However, this synergetic occurrence of stressors is prevalent. The coastline of Chile not only suffers from coastal hypoxia but the cold, oxygen-poor waters in upwelling events are also supersaturated in CO, a study site to explore the combined effect of OA and hypoxia. We experimentally evaluated the metabolic response of different invertebrate species (2 anthozoans, 9 molluscs, 4 crustaceans, 2 echinoderms) of the coastline of central Chile (33°30'S, 71°37'W) to hypoxia and OA within predicted levels and in a full factorial design. Organisms were exposed to 4 different treatments (ambient, low oxygen, high CO, and the combination of low oxygen and high CO) and metabolism was measured after 3 and 6 days. We show that the combination of hypoxia and increased pCO reduces the respiration significantly, compared to a single stressor. The evaluation of synergistic pressures, a more realistic scenario than single stressors, is crucial to evaluate the effect of future changes for coastal species and our results provide the first insight on what might happen in the next 100 years. ; This research is a contribution to ASSEMBLE (grant agreement no. 227799; funded by the European Community: Research Infrastructure Action under the FP7 "Capacities" Specific Program), ESTRESX project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Innovation (ref. CTM2012-32603), LINCGlobal (funded by The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and The Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) to facilitate interaction between Latin American and Spanish researchers in the field of global change). AS was funded by a fellowship from the Government of the Balearic Islands (Department on Education, Culture and Universities) and the EU (European Social Fund), LR was funded by a fellowship from the Government of Chile (CONICYT, Becas Chile Program) and IH was funded by a JAE-DOC fellowship from the Spanish Government. NAL acknowledged funds by Fondecyt 1090624 during the experimental phase and the Millennium Nucleus Center for the Study of Multiple-drivers on Marine Socio-Ecological Systems (MUSELS) by MINECON Project NC120086 also supported this work during the final stages. ; Peer Reviewed
Marine ecosystems are in decline. New transformational changes in governance are urgently required to cope with overfishing, pollution, global changes, and other drivers of degradation. Here we explore social, political, and ecological aspects of a transformation in governance of Chile's coastal marine resources, from 1980 to today. Critical elements in the initial preparatory phase of the transformation were (i) recognition of the depletion of resource stocks, (ii) scientific knowledge on the ecology and resilience of targeted species and their role in ecosystem dynamics, and (iii) demonstration-scale experimental trials, building on smaller-scale scientific experiments, which identified new management pathways. The trials improved cooperation among scientists and fishers, integrating knowledge and establishing trust. Political turbulence and resource stock collapse provided a window of opportunity that triggered the transformation, supported by new enabling legislation. Essential elements to navigate this transformation were the ability to network knowledge from the local level to influence the decision-making processes at the national level, and a preexisting social network of fishers that provided political leverage through a national confederation of artisanal fishing collectives. The resultant governance scheme includes a revolutionary national system of marine tenure that allocates user rights and responsibilities to fisher collectives. Although fine tuning is necessary to build resilience of this new regime, this transformation has improved the sustainability of the interconnected social–ecological system. Our analysis of how this transformation unfolded provides insights into how the Chilean system could be further developed and identifies generalized pathways for improved governance of marine resources around the world.
OBJECTIVES The primary objective is to determine the efficacy of a single dose of ivermectin, administered to low risk, non-severe COVID-19 patients in the first 48 hours after symptom onset to reduce the proportion of patients with detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test from nasopharyngeal swab at day 7 post-treatment. The secondary objectives are: 1.To assess the efficacy of ivermectin to reduce the SARS-CoV-2 viral load in the nasopharyngeal swab at day 7 post treatment.2.To assess the efficacy of ivermectin to improve symptom progression in treated patients.3.To assess the proportion of seroconversions in treated patients at day 21.4.To assess the safety of ivermectin at the proposed dose.5.To determine the magnitude of immune response against SARS-CoV-2.6.To assess the early kinetics of immunity against SARS-CoV-2. TRIAL DESIGN SAINT is a single centre, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, superiority trial with two parallel arms. Participants will be randomized to receive a single dose of 400 μg/kg ivermectin or placebo, and the number of patients in the treatment and placebo groups will be the same (1:1 ratio). PARTICIPANTS The population for the study will be patients with a positive nasopharyngeal swab PCR test for SARS-CoV-2, with non-severe COVID-19 disease, and no risk factors for progression to severity. Vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, minors (i.e.; under 18 years old), and seniors (i.e.; over 60 years old) will be excluded. Inclusion criteria 1. Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in the emergency room of the Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN) with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR. 2. Residents of the Pamplona basin ("Cuenca de Pamplona"). 3. The patient must be between the ages of 18 and 60 years of age. 4. Negative pregnancy test for women of child bearing age*. 5. The patient or his/her representative, has given informed consent to participate in the study. 6. The patient should, in the PI's opinion, be able to comply with all the requirements of the clinical trial (including home follow up during isolation). Exclusion criteria 1. Known history of ivermectin allergy. 2. Hypersensitivity to any component of ivermectin. 3. COVID-19 pneumonia. Diagnosed by the attending physician.Identified in a chest X-ray. 4. Fever or cough present for more than 48 hours. 5. Positive IgG against SARS-CoV-2 by rapid diagnostic test. 6. Age under 18 or over 60 years. 7. The following co-morbidities (or any other disease that might interfere with the study in the eyes of the PI): Immunosuppression.Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.Diabetes.Hypertension.Obesity.Acute or chronic renal failure.History of coronary disease.History of cerebrovascular disease.Current neoplasm. 8. Recent travel history to countries that are endemic for Loa loa (Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Equatorial, Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Sudan). 9. Current use of CYP 3A4 or P-gp inhibitor drugs such as quinidine, amiodarone, diltiazem, spironolactone, verapamil, clarithromycin, erythromycin, itraconazole, ketoconazole, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, indinavir, ritonavir or cobicistat. Use of critical CYP3A4 substrate drugs such as warfarin. *Women of child bearing age may participate if they use a safe contraceptive method for the entire period of the study and at least one month afterwards. A woman is considered to not have childbearing capacity if she is post-menopausal (minimum of 2 years without menstruation) or has undergone surgical sterilization (at least one month before the study). The trial is currently planned at a single center, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, in Navarra (Spain), and the immunology samples will be analyzed at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), in Barcelona (Spain). Participants will be recruited by the investigators at the emergency room and/or COVID-19 area of the CUN. They will remain in the trial for a period of 28 days at their homes since they will be patients with mild disease. In the interest of public health and to contain transmission of infection, follow-up visits will be conducted in the participant's home by a clinical trial team comprising nursing and medical members. Home visits will assess clinical and laboratory parameters of the patients. INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR Ivermectin will be administered to the treatment group at a 400μg/Kg dose (included in the EU approved label of Stromectol and Scabioral). The control group will receive placebo. There is no current data on the efficacy of ivermectin against the virus in vivo, therefore the use of placebo in the control group is ethically justified. MAIN OUTCOMES Primary Proportion of patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR from a nasopharyngeal swab at day 7 post-treatment. Secondary 1.Mean viral load as determined by PCR cycle threshold (Ct) at baseline and on days 4, 7, 14, and 21.2.Proportion of patients with fever and cough at days 4, 7, 14, and 21 as well as proportion of patients progressing to severe disease or death during the trial.3.Proportion of patients with seroconversion at day 21.4.Proportion of drug-related adverse events during the trial.5.Median levels of IgG, IgM, IgA measured by Luminex, frequencies of innate and SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells assessed by flow cytometry, median levels of inflammatory and activation markers measured by Luminex and transcriptomics.6.Median kinetics of IgG, IgM, IgA levels during the trial, until day 28. RANDOMISATION Eligible patients will be allocated in a 1:1 ratio using a randomization list generated by the trial statistician using blocks of four to ensure balance between the groups. A study identification code with the format "SAINT-##" (##: from 01 to 24) will be generated using a sequence of random numbers so that the randomization number does not match the subject identifier. The sequence and code used will be kept in an encrypted file accessible only to the trial statistician. A physical copy will be kept in a locked cabinet at the CUN, accessible only to the person administering the drug who will not enrol or attend to patient care. A separate set of 24 envelopes for emergency unblinding will be kept in the study file. BLINDING (MASKING) The clinical trial team and the patients will be blinded. The placebo will not be visibly identical, but it will be administered by staff not involved in the clinical care or participant follow up. NUMBERS TO BE RANDOMISED (SAMPLE SIZE) The sample size is 24 patients: 12 participants will be randomised to the treatment group and 12 participants to the control group. TRIAL STATUS Current protocol version: 1.0 dated 16 of April 2020. Recruitment is envisioned to begin by May 14th and end by June 14th. TRIAL REGISTRATION EudraCT number: 2020-001474-29, registered April 1st. Clinicaltrials.gov: submitted, pending number FULL PROTOCOL: The full protocol is attached as an additional file, accessible from the Trials website (Additional file 1). In the interest in expediting dissemination of this material, the familiar formatting has been eliminated; this Letter serves as a summary of the key elements of the full protocol.
This work has been supported by grants from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación-Spain, PCTI-FICYT Asturias, Fundación Centro Médico de Asturias, Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson, and the European Union (FP7 Micro- EnviMet). C.L-O. is an investigator in the Botin Foundation. The Instituto Universitario de Oncología is supported by Obra Social Cajastur and Acción Transversal del Cáncer-RTICC
