Measuring Online Teaching Service Quality in Higher Education in the COVID-19 Environment.

The use of the Internet to develop new technologies has generated a considerable change in teaching and student learning in higher education. The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has forced universities to switch from face-to-face to online instruction. Furthermore, this transfer process was planned and executed quickly, with urgent redesigns of courses originally conceived for live teaching. The aim of this work is to measure the service quality of online teaching delivered during the COVID-19 period. The methodology was based on an importance-performance analysis using a structural equations model. The data were obtained from a sample of 467 students attending a university in southern Spain. The results reveal five priority attributes of online teaching that need to be improved in order to enhance the service quality of the virtual instruction provided to students. Universities need to redefine their online format by integrating methodological and technological decisions and involving collaboration between teachers, students and administration staff and services. The results do not apply to educational institutions that exclusively teach courses online, but to those institutions that had to rapidly adapt, and shift course material originally designed for face-to-face training.

Dataset for analyzing the influence of country of origin, gastronomic culture and products evaluation on consumers' shopping intentions.

Knowing the tastes and needs of consumers is a key aspect in the literature review on consumer behaviour. This becomes even more important when it comes to selling across borders, in international markets. In other words, facing a different environment, both the tastes and the needs of consumers are different compared to those that can be found in a local market. Therefore, knowing how consumers behave takes on special relevance in business internationalization. In order to determine this behaviour, companies develop commercial research, which involves a large investment of resources (especially when it comes to obtaining primary information). Large companies usually have the resources to be able to carry out this type of market research, but what about small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's)?  They generally do not have enough resources to undertake a full commercial research experiment to investigate the tastes and needs of customers in foreign market countries. The data from this paper allow participating SME's to have a first understanding of the tastes and needs of consumers in these countries-markets that are being internationalized (in this case, through exports).  The data provide the precise information sought about consumers in those countries-markets that are the target of internationalization. To this end, tourists visiting a certain place have been analysed. Based on the information needs of these companies (and on questionnaires found in the scientific literature), the questionnaire for this experiment was drawn up and completed by tourists who visited that particular place. The information collected by the questionnaire was mainly focused on how consumers responded to some of the main marketing variables: product, price and distribution, as well as, gastronomic culture, "made in" effect and purchase intention. This  valuable information allowed the companies that participated in the  experiment to adapt their products to the tastes and needs of each  international market country  targeted, and even led some of these companies to consider market  countries that were not previously considered for the exportation of their products.

Trasplante de progenitores hematopoyéticos con intensidad reducida en enfermedades genéticas. Experiencia del grupo GETMON (Grupo Español de Trasplante de Médula Ósea en Niños) / Reduced-intensity conditioning haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in genetic diseases: Experience of the Spanish Working Group for Bone Marrow Transplantation in Children

INTRODUCCIÓN: El trasplante de progenitores hematopoyéticos (TPH) consiste en implantar elementos celulares capaces de generar un sistema hematopoyético nuevo y sano. El régimen de intensidad reducida (RIR) consiste en un tratamiento predominantemente inmunosupresor, para facilitar un implante progresivo con menor morbilidad. Este tipo de acondicionamiento puede también provocar mielosupresión, aunque potencialmente reversible en el tiempo. El acondicionamiento RIR permite aplicar TPH a pacientes con enfermedad genética en los que no es deseable añadir comorbilidad por las altas dosis de quimioterapia que conlleva el régimen mieloablativo convencional. PACIENTES Y MÉTODOS: Se analiza la evolución de 68 pacientes pediátricos con enfermedades genéticas que entre los años 2005-2013 se han sometido a un TPH con RIR en las Unidades pediátricas de Trasplante Hematopoyético de los hospitales españoles integrantes del Grupo Español para Trasplante de Médula Ósea en niños. Se trata de un estudio multicéntrico que incluye a 68 pacientes, de los cuales 43 presentan inmunodeficiencia primaria, 21 presentan hemopatía congénita y 4 están afectados de metabolopatía. RESULTADOS: Cincuenta de los 68 pacientes se encuentran vivos (73,5%). La supervivencia global (SG) a 9 años es de 0,74. Veintitrés (33,8%) han presentado en el transcurso del TPH algún evento. Supervivencia libre de evento de 0,66. La SG en los pacientes con hemopatía es de 0,81; en las inmunodeficiencias primarias es de 0,70 y en las metabolopatías es de 0,4. No se observa diferencia significativa entre los 3 grupos de enfermedades. Respecto a la fuente de progenitores hematopoyéticos, la SG en los pacientes trasplantados con sangre periférica es de 0,74; con médula ósea es de 0,70 y con la sangre de cordón umbilical es de 0,70. No se observa tampoco diferencia estadística significativa. CONCLUSIONES: En nuestro trabajo, de ámbito nacional, hemos evidenciado unos resultados favorables en TPH con régimen de intensidad reducida en las enfermedades genéticas. Cabe destacar que las metabolopatías requieren una consideración individualizada para sopesar en cada paciente los riesgos y beneficios que comporta el RIR

INTRODUCTION: Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) involves implanting cellular elements capable of generating a new and healthy haematopoietic system. Reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) consists of an immunosuppressive treatment to facilitate a progressive implant with lower morbidity. This type of conditioning can also lead to myelosuppression, which is potentially reversible over time. Reduced intensity conditioning enables HSCT to be performed on patients with genetic diseases for whom added comorbidity is undesirable due to the high doses of chemotherapy that accompanies conventional myeloablative regimens. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An analysis was performed on the outcomes of 68 paediatric patients with genetic diseases who underwent HSCT with RIC between 2005 and 2013 in the of Paediatric Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Units that are part of the Spanish Working Group for Bone Marrow Transplantation in Children. A multicentre study was conducted including 68 patients, of whom 43 had Primary Immunodeficiency, 21 with congenital haematological diseases, and 4 with metabolic diseases. RESULTS: Fifty (73.5%) of the 68 patients were still alive. The Overall Survival (OS) at nine years was 0.74. Twenty-three (33.8%) had some event during the course of the HSCT, with an event-free survival rate of 0.66. The OS in patients with haematological diseases was 0.81, being 0.7 in primary immunodeficiencies, and 0.4 in metabolic diseases. No significant difference was observed between the 3 groups of diseases. As regards the source of haematopoietic progenitors, there was an OS rate of 0.74 in patients transplanted with peripheral blood, 0.70 with bone marrow, and 0.70 and with cord blood, with no statistically significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: Favourable results have been obtained in HSCT with reduced intensity conditioning in genetic diseases. It should be noted that the risks and benefits of the RIC in patients with metabolic diseases need to be assessed on an individual basis

Study of the influence of socio-economic factors in the international expansion of Spanish franchisors to Latin American countries.

The saturation of the domestic market is one of the factors which drive firms to expand their business to other markets. Franchising is one of the formats adopted by companies when establishing their internationalization strategy. Spain is a country where franchising is strongly consolidated. This degree of maturity means that many chains seek other countries in which to operate. This work's specific aims are, on the one hand, to offer a general view of the current situation of Spanish franchisors in Latin American countries and, on the other hand, to analyze which the socio-economic or external factors are that determine the presence of Spanish franchisors in this market. Canonical-correlation analysis is used to do so. The results show that Spanish franchisors focus on the market's potential and size, and the per capita income, while they do not take into account its unemployment level, the country risk or the competitiveness there. This work shows that there is a series of socio-economic factors which influence the final choice of the destination country. However, this decision is not solely based on this country's socio-economic aspects, but also on the structure of the franchising firm itself and on its export experience in other markets. This study therefore complements other research and helps franchisors in their difficult decision of choosing the destination for their internationalization.

[Reduced-intensity conditioning haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in genetic diseases: Experience of the Spanish Working Group for Bone Marrow Transplantation in Children]. / Trasplante de progenitores hematopoyéticos con intensidad reducida en enfermedades genéticas. Experiencia del grupo GETMON (Grupo Español de Trasplante de Médula Ósea en Niños).

INTRODUCTION: Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) involves implanting cellular elements capable of generating a new and healthy haematopoietic system. Reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) consists of an immunosuppressive treatment to facilitate a progressive implant with lower morbidity. This type of conditioning can also lead to myelosuppression, which is potentially reversible over time. Reduced intensity conditioning enables HSCT to be performed on patients with genetic diseases for whom added comorbidity is undesirable due to the high doses of chemotherapy that accompanies conventional myeloablative regimens. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An analysis was performed on the outcomes of 68 paediatric patients with genetic diseases who underwent HSCT with RIC between 2005 and 2013 in the of Paediatric Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Units that are part of the Spanish Working Group for Bone Marrow Transplantation in Children. A multicentre study was conducted including 68 patients, of whom 43 had Primary Immunodeficiency, 21 with congenital haematological diseases, and 4 with metabolic diseases. RESULTS: Fifty (73.5%) of the 68 patients were still alive. The Overall Survival (OS) at nine years was 0.74. Twenty-three (33.8%) had some event during the course of the HSCT, with an event-free survival rate of 0.66. The OS in patients with haematological diseases was 0.81, being 0.7 in primary immunodeficiencies, and 0.4 in metabolic diseases. No significant difference was observed between the 3 groups of diseases. As regards the source of haematopoietic progenitors, there was an OS rate of 0.74 in patients transplanted with peripheral blood, 0.70 with bone marrow, and 0.70 and with cord blood, with no statistically significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: Favourable results have been obtained in HSCT with reduced intensity conditioning in genetic diseases. It should be noted that the risks and benefits of the RIC in patients with metabolic diseases need to be assessed on an individual basis.

Lateral prefrontal activity as a compensatory strategy for deficits of cortical processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common neuropsychiatric disorder in childhood and is characterized by a delay of cortical maturation in frontal regions. In order to investigate interference control, which is a key function of frontal areas, a functional MRI study was conducted on 17 ADHD boys and 17 typically developing (TD) boys, while solving the multi source interference task (MSIT). This task consists of two conditions, a "congruent condition" and an "incongruent condition". The latter requires to inhibit information that interferes with task-relevant stimuli. Behavioral results showed that ADHD subjects committed more errors than TD children. In addition, TD children presented a larger MSIT effect -a greater difference in reaction times between the incongruent and the congruent conditions- than ADHD children. Associated to the MSIT effect, neuroimaging results showed a significant enhancement in the activation of the right lateral prefrontal cortex (rlPFC) in ADHD than in TD subjects. Finally, ADHD subjects presented greater functional connectivity between rlPFC and bilateral orbitofrontal cortex than the TD group. This difference in connectivity correlated with worse performance in both groups. Our results could reflect a compensatory strategy of ADHD children resulting from their effort to maintain an adequate performance during MSIT.

Temporal constraints of behavioral inhibition: relevance of inter-stimulus interval in a Go-Nogo task.

The capacity to inhibit prepotent and automatic responses is crucial for proper cognitive and social development, and inhibitory impairments have been considered to be key for some neuropsychiatric conditions. One of the most used paradigms to analyze inhibitory processes is the Go-Nogo task (GNG). This task has been widely used in psychophysical and cognitive EEG studies, and more recently in paradigms using fMRI. However, a technical limitation is that the time resolution of fMRI is poorer than that of the EEG technique. In order to compensate for these temporal constraints, it has become common practice in the fMRI field to use longer inter-stimulus intervals (ISI) than those used in EEG protocols. Despite the noticeable temporal differences between these two techniques, it is currently assumed that both approaches assess similar inhibitory processes. We performed an EEG study using a GNG task with both short ISI (fast-condition, FC, as in EEG protocols) and long ISI (slow-condition, SC, as in fMRI protocols). We found that in the FC there was a stronger Nogo-N2 effect than in the SC. Moreover, in the FC, but not in the SC, the number of preceding Go trials correlated positively with the Nogo-P3 amplitude and with the Go trial reaction time; and negatively with commission errors. In addition, we found significant topographical differences for the Go-P3 elicited in FC and SC, which is interpreted in terms of different neurotransmitter dynamics. Taken together, our results provide evidence that frequency of stimulus presentation in the GNG task strongly modulates the behavioral response and the evoked EEG activity. Therefore, it is likely that short-ISI EEG protocols and long-ISI fMRI protocols do not assess equivalent inhibitory processes.

Assay performance improved, but which "scorecard" designation for Vitros Troponin I?

BACKGROUND: Since cardiac troponins assay technology should comply with the recommendations of scientific societies (i.e. imprecision (10%) at the 99th percentile value observed in healthy subjects being the analytical qualifying aspect), the aim of the present study was to evaluate whether an improved troponin assay (Vitros Troponin I ES) provides data that meet the "guideline acceptable"criteria recently defined in a proposed scorecard. METHODS: Vitros Troponin I ES, an enhanced chemiluminescence immunoassay, was evaluated in a multicenter study considering: limit of blank (LOB, 60 replicates of 0 calibrators), limit of detection (LOD, 12 measurements for each of 5 serum pools), precision, linearity using control materials and serum plasma pool; matrix samples study matching serum and lithium-heparin plasma (n=107 hospitalized patients); the 99th percentile limit in serum samples from 500 healthy Caucasian donors. RESULTS: LOB and LOD, 0.0029 µg/L and 0.0030 µg/L respectively; coefficients of variation (total CV%), obtained by running 3 levels of control materials and 10 serum pools, from 15.2% (x(-)=0.014 µg/L) to 2.0% (x(-)=5.324 µg/L); method, linear up to 70 µg/L. No significant differences were found between serum and lithium-heparin matched sample (p=0.48) values; 99th percentile limit of cTnI distribution in healthy donors, 0.021 µg/L. CONCLUSION: Since its analytical reliability meets the proposed performance and scorecard requirements, the Vitros TropI method can be considered "contemporary" and "guideline acceptable".

Temporal evolution of oscillations and synchrony in GPi/muscle pairs in Parkinson's disease.

Both standard spectral analysis and time-dependent phase correlation techniques were applied to 27 pairs of tremor-related single units in the globus pallidus internus (GPi) and EMG of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) undergoing stereotactic neurosurgery. Over long time-scales (approximately 60 s), GPi tremor-related units were statistically coherent with restricted regions of the peripheral musculature displaying tremor. The distribution of pooled coherence across all pairs supports a classification of GPi cell/EMG oscillatory pairs into coherent or noncoherent. Analysis using approximately 2-s sliding windows shows that oscillatory activity in both GPi tremor units and muscles occurs intermittently over time. For brain/muscle pairs that are coherent, there is partial overlap in the times of oscillatory activity but, in most cases, no significant correlation between the times of oscillatory subepisodes in the two signals. Phase locking between coherent pairs occurs transiently; however, the phase delay is similar for different phase-locking subepisodes. Noncoherent pairs also show episodes of transient phase locking, but they occurred less frequently, and no preferred phase delay was seen across subepisodes. Tremor oscillations in pallidum and EMGs are punctuated by phase slips, which were classified as synchronizing or desynchronizing depending on their effect on phase locking. In coherent pairs, the incidence of synchronizing slips is higher than desynchronizing slips, whereas no significant difference was seen for noncoherent pairs. The results of this quantitative characterization of parkinsonian tremor provide a foundation for hypotheses about the structure and dynamical functioning of basal ganglia motor control networks involved in tremor generation.

Statistical method for detection of phase-locking episodes in neural oscillations.

In many networks of oscillatory neurons, synaptic interactions can promote the entrainment of units into phase-coupled groups. The detection of synchrony in experimental data, especially if the data consist of single-trial runs, can be problematic when, for example, phase entrainment is of short duration, buried in noise, or masked by amplitude fluctuations that are uncorrelated among the oscillating units. In the present study, we tackle the problem of detecting neural interactions from pairs of oscillatory signals in a narrow frequency band. To avoid the interference of amplitude fluctuations in the detection of synchrony, we extract a phase variable from the data and utilize statistical indices to measure phase locking. We use three different phase-locking indices based on coherence, entropy, and mutual information between the phase variables. Phase-locking indices are calculated over time using sliding analysis windows. By varying the duration of the analysis windows, we were able to inspect the data at different levels of temporal resolution and statistical reliability. The statistical significance of high index values was evaluated using four different surrogate data methods. We determined phase-locking indices using alternative methods for generating surrogate data and found that results are sensitive to the particular method selected. Surrogate methods that preserve the temporal structure of the individual phase time series decrease substantially the number of false positives when tested on a pair of independent signals.