Showing papers by "Open University of Catalonia published in 2013"

A Review on Massive E-Learning (MOOC) Design, Delivery and Assessment

Abstract: MOOCs or Massive Online Open Courses based on Open Educational Resources (OER) might be one of the most versatile ways to offer access to quality education, especially for those residing in far or disadvantaged areas. This article analyzes the state of the art on MOOCs, exploring open research questions and setting interesting topics and goals for further research. Finally, it proposes a framework that includes the use of software agents with the aim to improve and personalize management, delivery, efficiency and evaluation of massive online courses on an individual level basis.

Environmental footprints of Mediterranean versus Western dietary patterns: beyond the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet

Abstract: Background Dietary patterns can substantially vary the resource consumption and environmental impact of a given population. Dietary changes such as the increased consumption of vegetables and reduced consumption of animal products reduce the environmental footprint and thus the use of natural resources. The adherence of a given population to the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern (MDP) through the consumption of the food proportions and composition defined in the new Mediterranean Diet pyramid can thus not only influence human health but also the environment. The aim of the study was to analyze the sustainability of the MDP in the context of the Spanish population in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, agricultural land use, energy consumption and water consumption. Furthermore, we aimed to compare the current Spanish diet with the Mediterranean Diet and in comparison with the western dietary pattern, exemplified by the U.S.A. food pattern, in terms of their corresponding environmental footprints.

Multi-modal gesture recognition challenge 2013: dataset and results

Abstract: The recognition of continuous natural gestures is a complex and challenging problem due to the multi-modal nature of involved visual cues (e.g. fingers and lips movements, subtle facial expressions, body pose, etc.), as well as technical limitations such as spatial and temporal resolution and unreliable depth cues. In order to promote the research advance on this field, we organized a challenge on multi-modal gesture recognition. We made available a large video database of 13,858 gestures from a lexicon of 20 Italian gesture categories recorded with a Kinect™ camera, providing the audio, skeletal model, user mask, RGB and depth images. The focus of the challenge was on user independent multiple gesture learning. There are no resting positions and the gestures are performed in continuous sequences lasting 1-2 minutes, containing between 8 and 20 gesture instances in each sequence. As a result, the dataset contains around 1.720.800 frames. In addition to the 20 main gesture categories, "distracter" gestures are included, meaning that additional audio and gestures out of the vocabulary are included. The final evaluation of the challenge was defined in terms of the Levenshtein edit distance, where the goal was to indicate the real order of gestures within the sequence. 54 international teams participated in the challenge, and outstanding results were obtained by the first ranked participants.

Robust gait-based gender classification using depth cameras

Abstract: This article presents a new approach for gait-based gender recognition using depth cameras, that can run in real time. The main contribution of this study is a new fast feature extraction strategy that uses the 3D point cloud obtained from the frames in a gait cycle. For each frame, these points are aligned according to their centroid and grouped. After that, they are projected into their PCA plane, obtaining a representation of the cycle particularly robust against view changes. Then, final discriminative features are computed by first making a histogram of the projected points and then using linear discriminant analysis. To test the method we have used the DGait database, which is currently the only publicly available database for gait analysis that includes depth information. We have performed experiments on manually labeled cycles and over whole video sequences, and the results show that our method improves the accuracy significantly, compared with state-of-the-art systems which do not use depth information. Furthermore, our approach is insensitive to illumination changes, given that it discards the RGB information. That makes the method especially suitable for real applications, as illustrated in the last part of the experiments section.

Learning online: massive open online courses (MOOCs), connectivism, and cultural psychology

Abstract: In this reflection, we discuss the connectivist conception of learning in Web 2.0 environments, which underpins the pedagogy of what are known as cMOOCs (connectivist massive open online courses). We argue that this conception of learning is inadequate and problematic, and we propose that cultural psychology is best suited to address the explanatory challenges that Web 2.0 poses on learning, and therefore, it is also best suited to provide massive open online courses with more adequate and less problematic pedagogy. We suggest two initial and general pedagogical principles based on cultural psychology upon which to begin building this new pedagogy for massive open online courses.

Identifying Measures Used for Assessing Quality of YouTube Videos with Patient Health Information: A Review of Current Literature.

Abstract: Background: Recent publications on YouTube have advocated its potential for patient education. However, a reliable description of what could be considered quality information for patient education on YouTube is missing. Objective: To identify topics associated with the concept of quality information for patient education on YouTube in the scientific literature. Methods: A literature review was performed in MEDLINE, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and PsychINFO. Abstract selection was first conducted by two independent reviewers; discrepancies were discussed in a second abstract review with two additional independent reviewers. Full text of selected papers were analyzed looking for concepts, definitions, and topics used by its authors that focused on the quality of information on YouTube for patient education. Results: In total, 456 abstracts were extracted and 13 papers meeting eligibility criteria were analyzed. Concepts identified related to quality of information for patient education are categorized as expert-driven, popularity-driven, or heuristic-driven measures. These include (in descending order): (1) quality of content in 10/13 (77%), (2) view count in 9/13 (69%), (3) health professional opinion in 8/13 (62%), (4) adequate length or duration in 6/13 (46%), (5) public ratings in 5/13 (39%), (6) adequate title, tags, and description in 5/13 (39%), (7) good description or a comprehensive narrative in 4/13 (31%), (8) evidence-based practices included in video in 4/13 (31%), (9) suitability as a teaching tool in 4/13 (31%), (10) technical quality in 4/13 (31%), (11) credentials provided in video in 4/13 (31%), (12) enough amount of content to identify its objective in 3/13 (23%), and (13) viewership share in 2/13 (15%). Conclusions: Our review confirms that the current topics linked to quality of information for patient education on YouTube are unclear and not standardized. Although expert-driven, popularity-driven, or heuristic-driven measures are used as proxies to estimate the quality of video information, caution should be applied when using YouTube for health promotion and patient educational material. [Interact J Med Res 2013;2(1):e6]

Just a Matter of Identity? Support for Independence in Catalonia

Abstract: The Catalan case is usually depicted in the literature as a typical example of a nation without state with a predominant civic nationalism, where the importance of dual identities tends to generate claims for self-government short of independence. However, the recent evolution of Catalan and Spanish politics shows that independence receives relevant levels of support even among groups expressing some degree of identification with the state identity. This paper aims to fill the gap in this relatively unexplored dimension of Catalan nationalism by analysing the factors that help explain support for independence in Catalonia. The results of the research point to the importance of identity in explaining attitudes towards independence but also that it receives widespread support across Catalan society, suggesting much more complex relations.

Quality of life and mental health among parents of children with cerebral palsy: the influence of self‐efficacy and coping strategies

Abstract: Aims and objectives To explore the quality of life and mental health of caregivers of children with cerebral palsy and to examine the impact of self-efficacy and coping strategies on these outcomes. Background Few studies analyse the impact of caring for a child with cerebral palsy on the caregivers' quality of life besides mental health. Also, less attention has been paid to the influence of caregiver's personal resources like self-efficacy or coping strategies on how they adjust to the child's illness and the care situation. Design Cross-section correlational design. Methods Sixty two parents of children with cerebral palsy completed measures to assess the quality of life (i.e. physical, environmental and social relationships), mental health (i.e. general mental health, depression and anxiety), self-efficacy and coping strategies. Results Parents of children with cerebral palsy had, in general terms, low levels of quality of life and mental health. Self-efficacy was related to most of the outcomes, whereas any of the coping strategies assessed was significantly related to the outcomes. Conclusions Quality of life and mental health can be affected in caregivers of children with CP. Personal resources like self-efficacy also need attention as they can help in the understanding of the differences in these outcomes and the design of effective interventions. Relevance of clinical practice Self-efficacy should be a key element in interventions addressed to parents of children with CP to elicit a process of empowerment that can improve the well-being of the family as a whole.

Impact of Caring for a Child with Cerebral Palsy on the Quality of Life of Parents: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract: The implications of caring for a child with cerebral palsy (CP) are considerable, and parents have to cope with many changing demands related to the specific needs of their child. A new research field, devoted to the consequences of these caring tasks, has recently emerged. However, an overall vision is lacking, one that would enable us to understand how research is evolving and the relevant data that should be taken into account when planning interventions with these families. In this paper, we review the literature on the effects of caregiving on parents of children with CP, and summarize the factors related to these effects. A systematic search of online databases was performed and further studies were identified based on the reference lists of selected articles. Forty six articles that met the inclusion criteria were analysed. The review shows that caregivers of children with CP tend to have high levels of stress and depression and lower quality of life than parents of healthy children. We identify child behaviour and cognitive problems, low caregiver self-efficacy and low social support as factors that are consistently related with higher levels of stress and depression. The implications of these findings are discussed, especially those related to interventions that should be addressed to the family as a whole and which should aim to enhance parents’ competence and resources to better cope with the demands of the caring task.

Linguistic ‘mudes’ and the de-ethnicization of language choice in Catalonia

Abstract: Catalan speakers have traditionally constructed the Catalan language as the main emblem of their identity even as migration filled the country with substantial numbers of speakers of Castilian. Although Catalan speakers have been bilingual in Catalan and Castilian for generations, sociolinguistic research has shown how speakers' bilingual practices have always been sensitive to keeping a clear sense of the boundaries between the languages and between their communities of speakers. The norms of language choice in everyday life have reflected this as Catalans have tended to use Catalan basically between those considered to ‘be’ Catalan. This article shows that this situation is gradually changing due to new conditions of mobility and access to language, that is, because most native speakers of Castilian are now bilingual and speak Catalan often in everyday life. On the basis of a corpus of 25 interviews and 15 group discussions conducted in Catalonia with a sample of young people of different profi...

Causal Frequency-Specific Contributions of Frontal Spatiotemporal Patterns Induced by Non-Invasive Neurostimulation to Human Visual Performance

Abstract: Neural oscillatory activity is known to play a crucial role in brain function. In the particular domain of visual perception, specific frequency bands in different brain regions and networks, from sensory areas to large-scale frontoparietal systems, have been associated with distinct aspects of visual behavior. Nonetheless, their contributions to human visual cognition remain to be causally demonstrated. We hereby used non-uniform (and thus non-frequency-specific) and uniform (frequency-specific) high-beta and gamma patterns of noninvasive neurostimulation over the right frontal eye field (FEF) to isolate the behavioral effects of oscillation frequency and provide causal evidence that distinct visual behavioral outcomes could be modulated by frequency-specific activity emerging from a single cortical region. In a visual detection task using near-threshold targets, high-beta frequency enhanced perceptual sensitivity (d') without changing response criterion (beta), whereas gamma frequency shifted response criterion but showed no effects on perceptual sensitivity. The lack of behavioral modulations by non-frequency-specific patterns demonstrates that these behavioral effects were specifically driven by burst frequency. We hypothesize that such frequency-coded behavioral impact of oscillatory activity may reflect a general brain mechanism to multiplex functions within the same neural substrate. Furthermore, pathological conditions involving impaired cerebral oscillations could potentially benefit in the near future from the use of neurostimulation to restore the characteristic oscillatory patterns of healthy systems.

Dissociating the Role of the pre-SMA in Response Inhibition and Switching: A Combined Online and Offline TMS Approach

Abstract: The pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) is considered to be a key node in the cognitive control of actions that require rapid updating, inhibition or switching, as well as working memory. It is now recognized that the pre-SMA is part of a ‘cognitive control’ network involving the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and subcortical regions, such as the striatum and subthalamic nucleus. However, two important questions remain to be addressed. First, it is not clear if the main role of the pre-SMA in cognitive control lies in inhibition or switching of actions. From imaging evidence, the right pre-SMA is consistently recruited during inhibition and switching, but the extent to which it participates specifically in either of these processes is unknown. Secondly, the pre-SMA may perform inhibition and switching alone or as part of a larger brain network. The present study used online and offline transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to dissociate the roles of pre-SMA in cognitive control, but also to investigate the potential contribution of connectivity between the pre-SMA and IFG. We applied continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) over the right IFG before participants performed a stop switching task while receiving single TMS pulses over the right pre-SMA. The results were compared to a sham cTBS session and pulses applied over the vertex region. Significant worsening of inhibition as well as response adaptation during inhibition was found when applying pulses over the pre-SMA. However, no such worsening was observed in switch trials. Additionally, after cTBS over the IFG, inhibition was also delayed, suggesting its critical necessity in stopping of actions. The results reveal a key contribution of the pre-SMA in inhibition and could suggest a dissociative role in the switching of actions. These findings indicate there is an essential union between IFG and pre-SMA during inhibition.

The limitations of community-based tourism as an instrument of development cooperation: the value of the Social Vocation of the Territory concept.

Abstract: This paper contributes to the debate over the validity of community-based tourism (CBT) as a development and poverty-reduction strategy in the rural-peasant world. In this debate, researchers tend to compare and contrast specific experiences on which they have conducted field work. This implies limitations in the analysis: conclusions may be biased, leading to circular unresolved discussions. This paper introduces a structural analysis, to discover whether CBT has intrinsic characteristics which mean that as an instrument of development cooperation it increases the risks typically involved in social intervention. It applies the concept of the Social Vocation of the Territory (SVT), adapted from Land Suitability concepts used in geography and environmental studies. SVT is a historical process in which land and local society adapt over time to reach equilibrium in specific uses of natural and social resources. Employing this concept on South American case studies, this paper concludes that CBT can have limi...

Using parallel & distributed computing for real-time solving of vehicle routing problems with stochastic demands

Abstract: This paper focuses on the Vehicle Routing Problem with Stochastic Demands (VRPSD) and discusses how Parallel and Distributed Computing Systems can be employed to efficiently solve the VRPSD. Our approach deals with uncertainty in the customer demands by considering safety stocks, i.e. when designing the routes, part of the vehicle capacity is reserved to deal with potential emergency situations caused by unexpected demands. Thus, for a given VRPSD instance, our algorithm considers different levels of safety stocks. For each of these levels, a different scenario is defined. Then, the algorithm solves each scenario by integrating Monte Carlo simulation inside a heuristic-randomization process. This way, expected variable costs due to route failures can be naturally estimated even when customers’ demands follow a non-normal probability distribution. Use of parallelization strategies is then considered to run multiple instances of the algorithm in a concurrent way. The resulting concurrent solutions are then compared and the one with the minimum total costs is selected. Two numerical experiments allow analyzing the algorithm’s performance under different parallelization schemas.

Effects of feedback on collaborative writing in an online learning environment

Abstract: The need for supporting student writing has received much attention in writing research. One specific type of support is feedback—including peer feedback—on the writing process. Despite the wealth of literature on both feedback and academic writing, there is little empirical evidence on what type of feedback best promotes writing in online environments. This article reports on research that tries to determine what type of feedback best improves the quality of collaborative writing and what the effects of feedback are on student learning in an environment based on asynchronous written communication. The results reveal that concerning the type of feedback, epistemic feedback or epistemic and suggestive feedback best improve the quality of collaborative writing performance. The nature of the feedback-giver (whether teacher feedback or teacher and peer) makes a difference to the final text only when the feedback is epistemic, or epistemic and suggestive.

From native speakers to “new speakers” – problematizing nativeness in language revitalization contexts

Abstract: Dans le champ de la linguistique appliquee, le concept de locuteur natif est reconnu comme problematique depuis plusieurs decennies. Sa problematisation est neanmoins plus recente dans d’autres sous-champs des sciences du langage – comme celui des langues minoritaires et de la revitalisation des langues, auquel nous nous interessons plus particulierement dans cet article. Les chercheurs qui travaillent sur les langues de communautes minoritaires, comme l’irlandais, le basque, le gallois, le corse, etc., et les processus de changement linguistique et de revitalisation qui leur sont associes, ont dans l’ensemble eu tendance a privilegier l’etude des communautes «natives » . Une attention bien moindre a ete portee au locuteur «non natif » , ou a celui que nous appelons ici «neolocuteur » . Nous examinons les raisons de cette situation, et en quoi le traitement du «natif » dans ce sous-champ disciplinaire correspond aux debats epistemologiques plus larges autour du concept de «locuteur natif » en linguistique appliquee et dans les sciences du langage en general.

Water conservation campaigns and citizen perceptions: the drought of 2007–2008 in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona

Abstract: Droughts are expected to become more common in Mediterranean urban contexts during the next decades. Water conservation campaigns are a crucial part of drought management actions but doubts remain regarding their effectiveness once the drought period has finished. In this paper and taking the example of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, we present the results of a survey on drought perception and behaviour undertaken for 437 households of this area. Conservation messages were compared with household perception and conservation behaviours. Results indicate that conservation campaigns were successful in raising awareness about the drought, but messages failed to target specific uses (indoor/outdoor). Against a backdrop of decreasing consumption per capita in the compact urban areas, future conservation campaigns must be aware of these factors if the conservation burden is not to fall on those already consuming very little water.

MIRHA: multi-start biased randomization of heuristics with adaptive local search for solving non-smooth routing problems

Abstract: This paper discusses the use of probabilistic or randomized algorithms for solving vehicle routing problems with non-smooth objective functions. Our approach employs non-uniform probability distributions to add a biased random behavior to the well-known savings heuristic. By doing so, a large set of alternative good solutions can be quickly obtained in a natural way and without complex configuration processes. Since the solution-generation process is based on the criterion of maximizing the savings, it does not need to assume any particular property of the objective function. Therefore, the procedure can be especially useful in problems where properties such as non-smoothness or non-convexity lead to a highly irregular solution space, for which the traditional optimization methods—both of exact and approximate nature—may fail to reach their full potential. The results obtained so far are promising enough to suggest that the idea of using biased probability distributions to randomize classical heuristics is a powerful one that can be successfully applied in a variety of cases.

Label switching over IEEE802.15.4e networks

Abstract: An open issue still to be addressed in low-power lossy networks (LLNs) is how the application requirements, the available transport services, the network layer routes, and the data link-layer resources are mapped efficiently. This can be explained by the fact that, in most LLNs, link-layer resources cannot be easily managed; this results in a best effort IP layer, and traffic engineering performed solely through flow control at the transport layer. The new IEEE802.15.4e standard defines a link-layer mechanism by which motes in the network synchronise and communicate by following a schedule. Each slot in that schedule can be seen as an atomic link-layer resource, which can be allocated to any arbitrary link in the network. The schedule can be built to match the bandwidth, latency and power requirements of each mote in the network. Managing that schedule is performed centrally in IEEE802.15.4e networks today. This paper explores a solution to achieve the same goal in a distributed manner. Specifically, we argue that this problem is very similar to traffic engineering on today's Internet. We show how multiprotocol label switching can be mapped to LLNs to manage the network's schedule. By using the completely fair distributed scheduler, we show by simulation how this novel link-layer resource allocation scheme yields a proper distribution of end-to-end delays among the motes and an average throughput that achieves the 70% of the maximum possible throughput in the worst conditions tested. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Online teacher development: collaborating in a virtual learning environment

Abstract: Over recent years, educational institutions have been making increasing use of virtual environments to set up collaborative activities for learners. While it is recognized that teachers play an important role in facilitating learner collaboration online, they may not have the necessary skills to do so successfully. Thus, a small-scale professional development programme was set up and piloted by two distance universities. The aims were to develop teachers’ experience of online group work, to trial a set of pilot activities that would raise awareness of factors contributing to successful collaborative online activity, and to identify professional development needs in this area. This article reports on the hands-on experience of a group of 20 teachers, examines some of the competences that are needed to successfully collaborate in virtual environments, and presents the skills that teachers need to foster online collaborative learning in the virtual classroom. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected,...

Impact of brain tissue filtering on neurostimulation fields: A modeling study

Abstract: Electrical neurostimulation techniques, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), are increasingly used in the neurosciences, e.g., for studying brain function, and for neurotherapeutics, e.g., for treating depression, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease. The characterization of electrical properties of brain tissue has guided our fundamental understanding and application of these methods, from electrophysiologic theory to clinical dosing-metrics. Nonetheless, prior computational models have primarily relied on ex-vivo impedance measurements. We recorded the in-vivo impedances of brain tissues during neurosurgical procedures and used these results to construct MRI guided computational models of TMS and DBS neurostimulatory fields and conductance-based models of neurons exposed to stimulation. We demonstrated that tissues carry neurostimulation currents through frequency dependent resistive and capacitive properties not typically accounted for by past neurostimulation modeling work. We show that these fundamental brain tissue properties can have significant effects on the neurostimulatory-fields (capacitive and resistive current composition and spatial/temporal dynamics) and neural responses (stimulation threshold, ionic currents, and membrane dynamics). These findings highlight the importance of tissue impedance properties on neurostimulation and impact our understanding of the biological mechanisms and technological potential of neurostimulatory methods.

An algorithm for k-degree anonymity on large networks

Abstract: In this paper, we consider the problem of anonymization on large networks. There are some anonymization methods for networks, but most of them can not be applied on large networks because of their complexity. We present an algorithm for k-degree anonymity on large networks. Given a network G, we construct a k-degree anonymous network, G, by the minimum number of edge modifications. We devise a simple and efficient algorithm for solving this problem on large networks. Our algorithm uses univariate micro-aggregation to anonymize the degree sequence, and then it modifies the graph structure to meet the k-degree anonymous sequence. We apply our algorithm to a different large real datasets and demonstrate their efficiency and practical utility.

A Risk and Benefits Behavioral Model to Assess Intentions to Adopt Big Data

Abstract: Everyday a constant stream of data is generated as a result of social interactions, Internet of things, e‐commerce and other business processes. This vast amount of data should be collected, stored, transformed, monitored and analyzed in a relatively brief period of time. Reason behind is data may contain the answer to business insights and new ideas fostering competitiveness and innovation. Big Data technologies/methodologies have emerged as the solution to this need. However, being a relatively new trend there is still much that remains unknown. This study, based on a risk and benefits perspective, uses the theory of planned behavior to develop a model that predicts the intention to adopt Big Data technologies.

Engineering ethics beyond engineers' ethics.

Abstract: Engineering ethics is usually focused on engineers' ethics, engineers acting as individuals. Certainly, these professionals play a central role in the matter, but engineers are not a singularity inside engineering; they exist and operate as a part of a complex network of mutual relationships between many other people, organizations and groups. When engineering ethics and engineers' ethics are taken as one and the same thing the paradigm of the ethical engineer which prevails is that of the heroic engineer, a certain model of the ideal engineer: someone both quite individualistic and strong enough to deal with all the moral challenges that could arise. We argue that this is not the best approach, at least today in our interrelated world. We have achieved a high degree of independence from nature by means of technology. In exchange for this autonomy we have become increasingly tied up with very complex systems to which we constantly delegate new tasks and powers. Concerns about safety keep growing everywhere due to the fact that now we have a sensitive awareness of the huge amount of power we are both consuming and deploying, thus, new forms of dialogue and consensus have to be incorporated at different levels, in different forums and at different times. Within these democratic channels of participation not just the needs and interests, but also the responsibilities and mutual commitments of all parties should be taken into account.

Outcomes of Job Insecurity Climate: The Role of Climate Strength

Abstract: The large majority of studies on job insecurity have focused upon the individual level. Recent research has also paid some attention to job insecurity at the level of the organisation, referred to as job insecurity climate. This research has shown negative relationships between job insecurity climate and employees' individual job attitudes. Nevertheless, in these studies no attention has been paid to organisational climate strength, in spite of the recommendations formulated in the literature on this topic. In response, this study aims to account for climate strength in the relationship between job insecurity and job attitudes. We hypothesise that climate strength is related to job satisfaction, organisational commitment, work involvement, and organisational trust. Moreover, we hypothesise that the relationship between job insecurity climate and these outcomes may be stronger when there is a strong agreement among employees concerning their job insecurity perceptions compared to when there is a weak agreement (strong versus weak climate strength). Results based on a Spanish sample of 428 employees from 20 organisations largely supported our hypotheses except in the case of work involvement: climate strength was negatively related to job attitudes, and the relationship between job insecurity climate and individual job attitudes was moderated by climate strength.

Considering the effects of operating lease capitalization on key financial ratios

Abstract: Current IFRS accounting regulation does not require capitalization of operating leases. However, this may change once the new IASB proposal is published. Relevant Spanish companies have been lobbying strong for the delay or even the cancellation of the proposal. In this paper we assess the potential impact that would be derived from operating leases capitalization. We have built on the constructive capitalization method as the basis for our analysis but we have also run the tests with the factor method. Results show how the impact on financial ratios is statistically significant. When the sector is considered, retail and energy show to be most affected. We also find a positive relationship between size, ratio variation and retail sector membership. Our results answer to the question of why Spanish companies show themselves against this proposal. This study is an ex ante research and can not go beyond the effect analysis of this new standard.

International mobility of women in science and technology careers: shaping plans for personal and professional purposes

Abstract: International mobility has become a key requirement in science and technology (S&T) professional career progression. On the one hand, the increasing mobility of women suggests that this may be a way for them to avoid or get away from women-unfriendly working environments. On the other hand, international mobility can present problems for women as they, particularly, have to plan their lives around their professional goals and personal lives. This article addresses the international mobility strategies of women regarding their personal and professional choices. We analyse their motivations to move, the way they manage their lives abroad and the effects of mobility on their lives. The analysis is based on 24 in-depth interviews of highly skilled women working in Spanish S&T sectors. Our main findings show that mobility is a new challenge which may improve women's family lives and professional careers. However, they have to plan carefully their lives on a long-term as well as a daily basis. In this sense, th...