Facultad de Económicas y CC Empresariales

En el actual entorno económico mundial organismos como la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económico (OCDE) o el Banco Mundial reconocen el emprendimiento de nuevos negocios como un motor de crecimiento indiscutible y a los mecanismos financieros para ponerlo en práctica como determinantes. La literatura económica desde hace tiempo viene estudiando los procesos de emprendimiento desde diferentes perspectivas; aunque no tanto atendiendo al género de quien toma la iniciativa empresarial y a las singularidades de esta circunstancia, ya que hay situaciones que pueden llegar a condicionar la puesta en marcha de negocios por mujeres como el menor acceso a la financiación bancaria frente a sus homólogos masculinos, lo que puede justificar una menor actividad emprendedora. En ámbitos específicos como el emprendimiento social, donde el componente del lucro se ajusta con la dimensión social y medioambiental del proyecto, se pone de manifiesto esta situación. El presente artículo se centra en la demanda de financiación por parte de las emprendedoras a partir de tres bloques de análisis. En el primero, se estudian las necesidades de recursos financieros de las emprendedoras frente a los emprendedores con el propósito de establecer si hay diferencias relevantes, contrastando si las primeras precisan menos financiación que los segundos a la hora de llevar a cabo iniciativas empresariales. En el siguiente bloque, se analizan las fuentes de financiación principal declaradas por las emprendedoras de 69 países en la encuesta del Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), identificando varios clústeres relevantes con resultados diversos. Esto último hace posible, para terminar, contrastar empíricamente las diferencias en las fuentes principales expresadas por hombres y mujeres para financiar sus negocios.

Women are underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers, and this poses new challenges at the dawn of the era of digital transformation. The goal of the present study is to demonstrate how female role models influence girls’ preferences for STEM studies. This paper evaluates a role-model intervention in which female volunteers working in STEM go into schools to talk to girls about their careers. The study was conducted with 304 girls, from 12 years old (sixth primary grade) to 16 years old (fourth secondary grade), both before and after the role-model sessions. An adaptation of the expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation is used to test the extent to which this role-model intervention improves girls’ beliefs that they can be successful in STEM fields and increases their likelihood of choosing a STEM career. The results of multigroup structural equation modeling analysis show that on average, the role-model intervention has a positive and significant effect on mathematics enjoyment, importance attached to math, expectations of success in math, and girls’ aspirations in STEM, and a negative effect on gender stereotypes. Additionally, the female role-model sessions significantly increase the positive impact of expectations of success on STEM choices. Finally, the moderation role of the counterstereotypical content of the role-model sessions is tested. The results show that the higher the counterstereotypical character of the sessions, the higher the relationship between expectations of success in math and the choice of STEM. These results are discussed regarding their implications for long-term STEM engagement.

This study analyses the impact of political and regulatory pressures to increase the influence of women within the European board of directors’ network. To accomplish this, we used a longitudinal approach, tracking two centrality measures of a European directors’ network from 1999 to 2014. The network comprised publicly listed firms in 37 European countries, resulting in an extensive sample of 71,300 directors, of which around 10% were women. Governments promoting gender diversity in leadership positions have focused on two solutions: a slow track using voluntary approaches versus a fast track pushing for binding legislation. The panel data analysis shows how voluntary approaches to promote gender diversity, as implemented through corporate governance codes, have a positive and significant relationship with the ‘closeness’ of women to other directors in the network (i.e. their access to information). In contrast, binding legislation, such as gender quotas, increases women's role as unique ‘bridges’ between sub-networks – a result that serves to heighten their ‘betweenness’ centrality (i.e. their control over information).

The mechanisms driving SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility remain poorly understood, especially the factors determining why unvaccinated individuals remain uninfected despite high-risk exposures. To understand lipid and metabolite profiles related with COVID-19 susceptibility and disease progression. We collected samples from an exceptional group of unvaccinated healthcare workers heavily exposed to SARS-CoV-2 but not infected (‘non-susceptible’) and subjects who became infected during the follow-up (‘susceptible’), including non-hospitalized and hospitalized patients with different disease severity providing samples at early disease stages. Then, we analyzed their plasma metabolomic profiles using mass spectrometry coupled with liquid and gas chromatography. We show specific lipids profiles and metabolites that could explain SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 severity. More importantly, non-susceptible individuals show a unique lipidomic pattern characterized by the upregulation of most lipids, especially ceramides and sphingomyelin, which could be interpreted as markers of low susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study strengthens the findings of other researchers about the importance of studying lipid profiles as relevant markers of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis.

Research question/issue This study examines the influence of group behavior on board gender diversity and identifies obstacles to its diffusion. It investigates whether boards are influenced by group behavior in determining their gender composition and explores barriers that impede the diffusion process. Research findings/insights Analyzing a network of over 18,000 US-listed boards observed over 20 years, we find a pattern of mimetic behavior, whereby boards imitate the proportion of women on boards (WoB) among their directly tied boards. We also identify resistant firms with low representation of women on their boards. Our findings suggest that, among those boards, there are heavily male-dominated boards resisting the appointment of women, even when surrounded by women directors among their tied boards. The diffusion of board gender diversity is slowed down by these resistant boards, hindering the overall progress in increasing gender diversity within the board network. Theoretical/academic implications This research contributes insights into group behavior and resistance in board gender diversity. Adopting a network theory lens, our study sheds light on interactions between firms and their connected companies in terms of imitation practices. Drawing on social identity theory, we highlight the significance of the resistance to increasing women's representation exhibited by some boards. Practitioner/policy implications Resistant boards, despite group pressure, slow down the diffusion of board gender diversity within the network, leading to overall stagnation. Understanding the sources of resistance allows an exploration of alternative measures to promote diversity without rigid mandates.

Background: Previous reviews relating to the effects of respiratory muscle training (RMT) after stroke tend to focus on only one type of training (inspiratory or expiratory muscles) and most based the results on poorquality studies (PEDro score ≤4). Objectives: With this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to determine the effects of RMT (inspiratory or expiratory muscle training, or mixed) on exercise tolerance, respiratory muscle function and pulmonary function and also the effects depending on the type of training performed at short- and mediumterm in post-stroke. Methods: Databases searched were MEDLINE, PEDro, CINAHL, EMBASE and Web of Science up to the end of April 2020. The quality and risk of bias for each included study was examined by the PEDro scale (including only high-quality studies) and Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Results: Nine studies (463 patients) were included. The meta-analysis showed a significant increase in exercise tolerance [4 studies; n = 111; standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.65 (95% confidence interval 0.27 −1.04)]; inspiratory muscle strength [9 studies; n = 344; SMD = 0.65 (0.17−1.13)]; inspiratory muscle endurance [3 studies; n = 81; SMD = 1.19 (0.71−1.66)]; diaphragm thickness [3 studies; n = 79; SMD = 0.9 (0.43 −1.37)]; and peak expiratory flow [3 studies; n = 84; SMD = 0.55 (0.03−1.08)] in the short-term. There were no benefits on expiratory muscle strength and pulmonary function variables (forced expiratory volume in 1 s) in the short-term. Conclusions: The meta-analysis provided moderate-quality evidence that RMT improves exercise tolerance, diaphragm thickness and pulmonary function (i.e., peak expiratory flow) and low-quality evidence for the effects on inspiratory muscle strength and endurance in stroke survivors in the short-term. None of these effects are retained in the medium-term. Combined inspiratory and expiratory muscle training seems to promote greater respiratory changes than inspiratory muscle training alone.

To develop a mapping and umbrella review with a meta-meta-analysis (MMA) to critically evaluate the current evidence of motor imagery (MI), action observation and mirror therapy (MT) on pain intensity. The study involved a systematic search of PubMed, PEDro, Scielo, EBSCO and Google Scholar. Ten systematic reviews were included in the qualitative synthesis, 70% of which showed high methodological quality. Three reviews found a significant reduction in chronic musculoskeletal pain as the result of applying movement representation methods (MRM) plus usual-care (UC), with a large clinical effect (standardized mean difference [SMD] of −1.47; 95% CI −2.05 to −0.88; heterogeneity Q = 1.66; p = 0.44; I2 = 0%). However, two reviews showed no statistically significant reduction in acute and postsurgical pain as a result of applying MI plus UC. Four reviews showed no significant reduction in phantom limb pain (PLP) as a result of applying MT plus UC interventions. In four reviews, the MMA showed a significant reduction in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) as a result of applying MT plus UC, with a large clinical effect (SMD −1.27; 95% CI −1.87 to −0.67; heterogeneity Q = 3.95; p = 0.27; I2 = 24%). In two reviews, the MMA showed no significant differences in poststroke pain as a result of applying MT plus UC. Results show that MRM could be effective for chronic musculoskeletal pain, with low to moderate-quality evidence. The results also show a reduction in pain intensity through MT interventions in patients with CRPS, although these results were not found in patients with PLP or poststroke pain. This umbrella review analysed systematic reviews evaluating movement representation techniques, with the aim of synthesizing the available evidence regarding motor imagery, action observation and mirror therapy on pain. The results provide relevant information about the potential clinical use of movement representation techniques in different types of patients with painful conditions.

Telerehabilitation is an option that should be adapted as soon as possible to face the crisis caused by coronavirus disease 2019. An umbrella and mapping review with meta–meta-analysis (MMA) of the available scientific evidence was performed to determine whether telerehabilitation could be an effective alternative to conventional rehabilitation in physical therapist practice. A systematic review of reviews and a synthesis of the findings of all systematic evidence published to date with a visual map and a meta–meta-analysis (MMA) were performed. A systematic search was realized in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE (PubMed), and Google Scholar. Two independent reviewers performed a data analysis and assessed the quality of the included reviews, assessing the risk of bias using ROBIS. Twenty-nine articles that met the inclusion criteria were selected and divided according to the type of patient targeted for rehabilitation (patients with cardiorespiratory,musculoskeletal, and neurological conditions). The MMA regarding physical function between telerehabilitation and usual care rehabilitation did not reveal a statistically significant difference for patientswith cardiorespiratory andmusculoskeletal conditions. For patientswith neurological conditions, theMMArevealed a statistically significant but negligible effect size in 6 reviews in favor of telerehabilitation (standardized mean difference = 0.18; 95% CI = 0.03–0.34). The results of the present review showed that telerehabilitation offers positive clinical results, even comparable to conventional face-to-face rehabilitation approaches. Impact. The advantages of lower cost and less interference by the rehabilitation processes in patients’ daily life could justify implementing telerehabilitation in clinical settings in the coronavirus disease 2019 era.

Pulmonary rehabilitation is one of the main interventions to reduce the use of health resources, and it promotes a reduction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) costs. mHealth systems in COPD aim to improve adherence to maintenance programs after pulmonary rehabilitation by promoting the change in attitude and behavior necessary for patient involvement in the management of the disease. This study aimed to assess the effects of an integrated care plan based on an mHealth web-based platform (HappyAir) on adherence to a 1-year maintenance program applied after pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD patients. COPD patients from three hospitals were randomized to a control group or an intervention group (HappyAir group). Patients from both groups received an 8-week program of pulmonary rehabilitation and educational sessions about their illness. After completion of the process, only the HappyAir group completed an integrated care plan for 10 months, supervised by an mHealth system and therapeutic educator. The control group only underwent the scheduled check-ups. Adherence to the program was rated using a respiratory physiotherapy adherence self-report (CAP FISIO) questionnaire. Other variables analyzed were adherence to physical activity (Morisky-Green Test), quality of life (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessment Test, St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, and EuroQOL-5D), exercise capacity (6-Minute Walk Test), and lung function. In total, 44 patients were recruited and randomized in the control group (n=24) and HappyAir group (n=20). Eight patients dropped out for various reasons. The CAP FISIO questionnaire results showed an improvement in adherence during follow-up period for the HappyAir group, which was statistically different compared with the control group at 12 months (56.1 [SD 4.0] vs 44.0 [SD 13.6]; P=.004) after pulmonary rehabilitation. mHealth systems designed for COPD patients improve adherence to maintenance programs as long as they are accompanied by disease awareness and patient involvement in management.