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In total, 360 pigs slaughtered at 125 kg of BW and destined for the dry-cured industry were used to study the influence of sex and castration [immunocastrated males (IMC), surgically castrated males (CM), and intact females (IF)] in 2 terminal Large White sire lines [Top York (TY) and Tempo (TE)] on growth performance and carcass and meat quality. The female line was Large White × Landrace. The IMC pigs were immunized against gonadotropin-releasing factor (GnRF) with Improvac at 78 (experimental d 16) and 126 (experimental d 64, 48 d before slaughter) d of age. Each of the 6 treatments was replicated 6 times (10 pigs/pen). Through the day of the first Improvac injection (62 to 78 d of age), IMC and IF grew at a slower rate (P < 0.001) than CM with no differences (P = 0.95) in feed intake. The CM had greater G:F than IF, with IMC being intermediate (P < 0.01). From 78 to 126 d of age (between Improvac injections), the IMC pigs ate less feed (P < 0.001) and grew at a slower rate than CM, with IF being intermediate. The IMC pigs were more feed efficient than IF, and both were more efficient than CM (P < 0.001). However, from 126 to 174 d of age (from the second Improvac injection to slaughter), IMC pigs grew at a faster rate (P < 0.001) and were more efficient (P < 0.001) than IF and CM. Overall, IMC and CM pigs grew at a faster rate (P < 0.01) than IF, and IMC were more efficient than the other sexes (P < 0.001), but had reduced (P < 0.001) carcass yield compared with CM and IF. The IMC and IF pigs also had less (P < 0.001) backfat depth than CM. Intact females had greater (P < 0.01) loin yield but less intramuscular fat than IMC and CM and greater (P < 0.05) fresh and trimmed ham yields than CM, with IMC being intermediate. Crossbreds from TE sires grew at a faster rate (P < 0.001) than crossbreds from TY sires, but no differences (P = 0.23 and 0.14, respectively) were found for feed intake or efficiency. Crossbreds from TY produced greater (P < 0.05) fresh and trimmed ham yield, but less (P < 0.01) loin yield and intramuscular fat content than crossbreds from TE. In conclusion, IMC pigs are more efficient, but have less carcass yield than CM and IF. The intramuscular fat content is least for IF and similar for IMC and CM. Crossbreds from TE sires were larger and had greater intramuscular fat content, but slightly less trimmed ham yield compared with crossbreds from TY sires. Immunocastrated pigs can replace CM for the production of heavy pigs destined for the dry-cured industry. Because of increased carcass weight, crossbreds from TE sires may have an advantage over crossbreds from TY sires.

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In total, 240 pigs were used to compare growth performance and carcass quality traits of immunocastrated males (ICM), surgically castrated males (SCM), and intact females (IF) of crossbreds from Large White × Landrace females and Duroc (DU) or Pietrain (PI) sires destined to the dry-cured industry. Between the 2 Improvac injections (87 and 137 d of age), ICM and IF had less ADG than SCM (P < 0.01). Also, ICM ate less feed than IF and both less than SCM (2.33, 2.55, and 2.77 kg/d; respectively; P < 0.001) and consequently, ICM had better G:F than SCM and IF (P < 0.001). From second Improvac injection to slaughter (137 to 164 d of age), ICM were more efficient than IF and both more efficient than SCM (0.346, 0.323, and 0.300 g/g; respectively; P < 0.001). The differences in growth performance among genders observed in this period were more pronounced for the PI than for the DU crossbreds (P < 0.05 for the interaction). For the entire experimental period (87 to 164 d of age), gender did not affect ADG for DU crossbreds but for PI crossbreds ICM and SCM had greater ADG than IF (P < 0.05 for the interaction). The ICM pigs had better feed efficiency (0.406, 0.364, and 0.380; g/g; P < 0.001) and lower carcass yield (76.6, 78.1, and 78.8%; P < 0.001) than SCM or IF. Carcasses from IF were leaner than carcasses from SCM with carcasses from ICM being intermediate (P < 0.01). Ham and loin (P < 0.001) yields were greater for IF than for ICM or SCM. Intramuscular fat content was lower for IF than for SCM with that of ICM being intermediate (3.5 vs. 3.9 and 3.7%; P < 0.05). Cumulatively, crossbreds from DU sires had greater ADG (1.167 vs. 0.986 kg/d; P < 0.001) and ADFI (3.07 vs. 2.56 kg/d; P < 0.001) and more intramuscular fat (P < 0.001) but less ham and loin yields (P < 0.01) than crossbreds from PI sires. It is concluded that growth performance was better but carcass yield less for ICM than for SCM and IF. Intramuscular fat content in LM was less for IF than for SCM with ICM intermediate. Crossbreds from Duroc sires grew faster and had more intramuscular fat but less ham yield than crossbreds from Pietrain sires. Therefore, ICM should be preferred to SCM and Duroc crossbreds should be preferred to Pietrain crossbreds to produce carcasses destined to the production of primal cuts for the dry-cured industry.

School burnout constitutes a current phenomenon which generates diverse negative consequences in the personal and academic lives of students. Given this situation, it is necessary to develop actions that permit us to regulate this harmful mental state and that are administered from within the school context. A descriptive and cross-sectional study is presented that pursues the objective of examining a structural equation model which brings together burnout and emotional regulation. The model assumes that students receive tutoring at school in order to tackle these types of problems. For this, the sample constituted a total of 569 students from the province of Granada (men = 52.3% (n = 298); women = 47.7% (n = 271)). Mean age was reported as 10.39 ± 0.95 years and the School Burnout Inventory (BMI) and the Emotional Regulation Scale were utilized as the principal instruments. As main findings it was observed that students who received one hour of weekly tutoring showed a positive relationship between expressive suppression as a strategy of emotional regulation, cynicism, and exhaustion as consequences of school burnout. In the same way, a direct association existed between burnout-related exhaustion and cognitive repair. Given that significant relationships could not be observed between these variables in students who do not receive tutoring, higher use of emotional regulation was confirmed amongst tutored students when faced with this negative mental state.

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European living environments are well placed as an essential means through which cities become functional, modern, and liveable places, and are the ideal setting for the innovation and implementation of businesses and ideas. In addition, they are a place in which existing gaps in labour market inclusion are easily widened amongst those who, for various reasons, have not received adequate training, such as immigrants (including unaccompanied foreign minors) and young people without qualifications that have several difficulties in the access to higher education. Further, as is noted in the Phoenix report entitled Future Work Skills 2020, our educational system suffers from a lack of training with regards to the employment skills that need to be integrated into current society, as these have a crucial role for achieving success in the workplace. The aim of this study is to analyse the key skills for the inclusion of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (UFM) in the workplace, developing a scale for the assessment of ten basic skills for the work of the future. These individuals are mostly young people without qualifications trying to make it in the new environments of current Smart Cities. This study employs an empirical and experimental methodology with two comparison groups of UFM adolescents. The UFM population is contextualised by the migratory flow from North Africa to Europe. Multistage sampling was used to select 345 participants. An approximation scale of the level of Future Work Skills was created as a data collection instrument through simulations of Horizon 2020 (EA-HFL-SH2020). Multivariate analysis was performed which revealed significant differences between school variables, work experience and educational level. The results are aligned with the evaluation of skill acquisition level for the working future of UFM and with the proposed training model of work skills that facilitate their inclusion in the world of the European workforce, as a function of the significant differences found. In addition, the emphasis is placed on the interest of identifying this type of skills in this group in order to develop appropriate training programs in higher education for employment success.

This study tries to obtaining some inferences about the field of Program Evaluation, synthesising some patterns about research methodologies used by them. Concretely, foundation epistemological paradigm, specific design and its validity threats, the evaluation model, sample techniques, instruments for data collection, data analysis techniques, the evaluative agents and other different methodological characteristics in use. To this respect, we have obtained indicators about 208 studies published in Spain from 1975 year to 2000, mainly papers from educational scientific journals. These studies were achieved from retrieval in several data base and completed with other crossed-references. ResumenEste estudio pretende realizar inferencias sobre el campo de la Evaluación de Programas Educativos (E.P.E.), sintetizando ciertos patrones relativos a la metodología de sus investigaciones.En concreto, sobre el paradigma de fundamentación epistemológica, la metodologíade investigación específica, el modelo evaluativo empleado, las técni-cas de muestreo, los instrumentos empleados para la recogida de información y las técnicas de análisis de datos, el diseños de investigación, las amenazas a su validez, los agentes evaluadores y otras características metodológi-casconsideradas. Para ello, se revisaron 208 trabajos realizados y/o publicados en España desde el año 1975 al 2000, publicados la mayoría como artículos en revistas científicas especializadas. Obtenidos a partir de una bús-queda en diversas bases de datos, complementada con una búsqueda manual de referencias cruzadas KeywordsProgram-Evaluation, Educational Programs, Research Methodology, Spanish Production, Research Analysis, Scientometric Review. DescriptoresEvaluación de programas, programas educativos, metodología de la investigación, producción española, análisis de la investigación, revisión cienciométrica.