Education for Gender Equality in Teacher Preparation

Since the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1979, education has been regarded as an essential vehicle to face gender inequities. As a result, universities are increasingly recognizing the need for mainstreaming gender into education to ensure that all graduates are prepared for developing a gender-sensitive practice. With the purpose of bringing evidence of present developments in connection with current European policies, student teachers' and educators' perceptions of gender mainstreaming implementation from three education programs at the University of Alicante, Spain were explored. Findings reveal that there is a common view that gender mainstreaming has not emerged as a priority in teacher education and that institutional indifference in implementing a gender approach in teaching is a norm. The study contributes to identifying areas of need suggesting actions for making progress in gender equality training at institutional and curricular levels.

Human Biomonitoring of Selected Hazardous Compounds in Portugal: Part II—Lessons Learned on Mycotoxins

Human biomonitoring (HBM) data provide information on total exposure regardless of the route and sources of exposure. HBM studies have been applied to quantify human exposure to contaminants and environmental/occupational pollutants by means of determining the parent compounds, their metabolites, or even their reaction products in biological matrices. HBM studies performed among the Portuguese population are dispersed and limited. Thus, to overcome this knowledge gap, this work reviews the published Portuguese HBM information concerning mycotoxins detected in the urine, serum, milk, hair, and nails of different groups of the Portuguese population. This integrative approach to the available HBM data allows us to analyze the main determinants and patterns of exposure of the Portuguese population to the selected hazardous compounds, as well as to assess the potential health risks. We also aimed to identify the main difficulties and challenges of HBM through the analysis of the enrolled studies. Ultimately, this study aims to support national and European policies in promoting human health by summarizing the most important outcomes and lessons learned through the HBM studies carried out in Portugal.

Differences in Visual Preference in Rural Landscapes on the Plain of La Mancha in Spain

For centuries, agricultural activities have marked and defined the landscape with its own distinctive features. The consideration of the rural landscape as a resource has gained traction in recent years. In Europe, the European Landscape Convention offers a solid framework that places landscape at the forefront of European policies on cultural heritage, environment, and territorial ordination. The most important new development is the integrated vision of the landscape in its cultural and natural aspects, and the introduction of its social dimension. This work analyses the influence of different factors on preferences for rural landscapes in the locality of Campo de Criptana (Ciudad Real), representative of the singular rural landscape of the La Mancha plain. The method for assessing landscape is the people’s aesthetic response to it. Specifically, an analysis has been made of the observers’ preferences in relation to their educational level (university educated or not), gender, age, and place of origin (whether they come from the locality itself or from outside). This is one of the few works that analyse the place of origin of the observer. In view of these results, it can be concluded that all the demographic factors analysed have an influence on preferences in rural landscapes.

An Overview of the European Policies on ESG in the Banking Sector

In recent years, European policy makers have ramped up their efforts to create a regulatory framework for improving sustainability in the financial system. We contribute to the on-going debate on Environmental, Social and Governance in the banking sector by providing an organic overview of the European policies put in place. The legislative framework is currently being enriched by policy makers and regulators that are carefully pursuing the objective of a more sustainable economic system, where financial institutions may act as catalysts. We also offer a comparison of the national level regulations for ESG practices in banking institutions and the related disclosure requirements.

Local Youth Policies between National Frameworks and Local Peculiarities: Examples from Two European Cities

There are ongoing debates in youth research and politics about the impact of European and national youth policies on the local level. Based on the qualitative findings collected in the framework of the European Project partispace, this paper aims at analyzing whether and to what extent current local youth policies relates to national and European policies. Attempting to answer this question, it presents some empirical findings from a study on youth policies in two European cities: Bologna and Frankfurt. Before the reconstruction of the historically grown links between the local and the national youth policies, first the structures of current youth policies are analysed. After this, the results of expert interviews, focus groups with young people from a variety of youth scenes are presented to enlighten how youth policies work in these two urban contexts. It shows that they are linked to national policies in very different constellations with very different outcomes on the level of how they are perceived and taken up by the young people.

Influence of Biobased Polyol Type On The Properties of Polyurethane Hotmelt Adhesives For Footwear Joints

The implementation of a Circular Economy model, promoted by the increasingly stricter European policies, demands a comprehensive approach to resource efficiency. In this sense, polyurethanes, one of the most used polymers worldwide, are strongly dependent of non-renewable fossil resources. Thus, boosting the production of new polyurethanes / a new polyurethane based on more sustainable raw materials is crucial to move towards the footwear industry decarbonisation. INESCOP, aware of the footwear industry’s environmental impact, focuses on reducing or removing fossil-based raw materials and opts for eco-friendly ones. These sustainable raw materials provide polyurethane adhesives with additional beneficial non-toxicity and sustainable characteristics, without harming their properties during their useful life. Therefore, the aim of this study is to synthesise and characterise reactive hotmelt polyurethanes from biomass and CO2-based polyols as bioadhesives for the footwear industry. The influence of biobased polyols on the polyurethane structure, and therefore, on their final properties was analysed by different experimental techniques in order to assess their viability for the upper to sole bonding process.