Corporate Governance: The Revival of an Academic, Professional and Policy Field

This paper explores the basic concepts of corporate governance in relation to its intellectual foundations and historical development. The basic assumption relies on the fact that the reinforcement of corporate governance as an academic, professional, and policy field is a consequence of the many corporate failures that have occurred in recent years, mainly since 2002. Most theoretical developments for this new moment in history have been borrowed from the same academics and practitioners that reflected and worked on the field after the 1929 economic crash, with deep origin on general social scientific research. In addition, corporate governance is growing as a distinctive business function as well as a set of global prescriptions that impact business activities across industries and cultures. The role of the board of directors and the ideas on power and accountability remain critical issues in the new 21st century corporate governance debates

Influence of Body Composition on Arterial Stiffness in Middle-Aged Adults: Healthy UAL Cross-Sectional Study

Background and objectives: Several anthropometric and body composition parameters have been linked to arterial stiffness (AS) as a biomarker of cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about which of these closely related factors is more strongly associated with AS. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship of different anthropometric and body composition parameters with AS in middle-aged adults. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 186 middle-aged participants (85 women, 101 men; age = 42.8 ± 12.6 years) evaluated as part of the Healthy UAL study, a population study conducted at the University of Almería with the main purpose of analyzing the etiology and risk factors associated with cardio-metabolic diseases. Anthropometric measures included neck, waist, and hip circumferences, as well as the waist-to-height ratio (WHtr). Bioimpedance-derived parameters included fat-free mass index (FFMI), fat mass index (FMI), and percent of body fat (%BF). AS was measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV). The relationships of interest were examined through stepwise regression analyses in which age and sex were also introduced as potential confounders. Results: Neck circumference (in the anthropometric model; R2: 0.889; β: age = 0.855, neck = 0.204) and FFMI (in the bio-impedance model; R2: 0.891; β: age = 0.906, FFMI = 0.199) emerged as significant cross-sectional predictors of AS. When all parameters were included together (both anthropometry and bio-impedance), both neck circumference and FFMI appeared again as being significantly associated with AS (R2: 0.894; β: age = 0.882, FFMI = 0.126, neck = 0.093). Conclusion: It was concluded that FFMI and neck circumference are correlated with AS regardless of potential confounders and other anthropometric and bioimpedance-derived parameters in middle-aged adults

Contributions to the flora of Cadiz (Sierra de Líjar)

Incluimos en esta nota 47 táxones recolectados en la Sierra de lijar (Cádiz) que representan una aportación al conocimiento florístico de la provincia de Cádiz y de Andalucía occidental.A list of 47 vascular plants collected in the Sierra de Lijar (Cádiz, Spain) is presented; most of them are new records for the province and for western Andalusia