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From a neuroconstructivist approach and a developmental model of high intellectual ability (HIA), it is argued that the management of intellectual resources through executive functioning (EF) is one of the factors influencing the expression of high potential. The main objective is to determine the effectiveness of measures of executive functioning used comparing schoolchildren with HIA and those of average intelligence. A meta-analysis was carried out on a selection of 17 studies for a total sample of 1518 children with either HIA or an average level of intelligence. Pooled estimates of effect size revealed a significant difference favoring the HIA individuals in the two components of EF related with WM verbal (d = 1.015), and WM visual-spatial (d = 0.709). Other components did not show significant differences: inhibition (d = −0.014), flexibility (d = 0.068), and planification (d = −0.038). The empirical heterogeneity was very high. It is concluded that these instruments show a degree of measurement impurity, which condition their validity and reliability, and that schoolchildren with HIA display better executive functioning in the components of verbal and visual-spatial working memory.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of students have been affected by the closure of educational institutions. This has forced a shift from face-to-face to distance education, facing numerous emergency educational measures, such as online assessment. This study aims to present a systematic review of the literature on the impact of assessment in higher education during the pandemic. The study has followed the methodology set out in the PRISMA statement, and includes 13 studies selected from a total of 51. The results indicate that faculty and students have faced numerous challenges in moving to virtual environments; on the faculty side the lack of training in online assessment techniques is the main problem, on the students’ side there is dishonesty and misconduct. However, it is concluded that continuous assessment, not focused on exams, but in a more qualitative way is the best way to assess at a distance.

Teacher’s professional identity (TPI) is an essential and decisive element in the way future EY and primary teachers approach their labour. This study aims to analyse how and when student teachers build TPI and to study its relationship with personal well-being. The sample was made up of 135 students of the Faculty of Education of the University of Burgos (Spain), aged 18–44. A questionnaire elaborated ad hoc and an individual psychological well-being scale were both implemented. The results suggest that training activities, initially scheduled by the university courses, are those which most contribute to the building of a TPI; that there seem to be no differences in relation to gender and year of study in the factors which contribute to its development, regardless of whether it is rather innovative or research-oriented and that there is a relationship between types of TPI, as well as between these and the satisfaction with academic choice, and psychological well-being. Future teachers should build a solid TPI which enables them to successfully adapt to complex educational settings and encourages them to innovate. It is necessary to gradually make room for reflection from the beginning of the university training, as this could improve the future professional performance and the students’ psychological well-being.

The objective of this paper involves the analysis of opportunities for the management of Railway Systems’ demand using Physical-Based models and aggregation tools well-known in “conventional” Power Systems to develop and enlarge the portfolio of Distributed Energy Resources. This proposed framework would also enable the use of railway flexible resources to their use in Power Systems. The work considers trends for the development of railway transportation units through the adoption of technologies that increase the flexibility of railway units. For instance, we mean a set of resources such as onboard generation in dual units, energy storage and generation in last-mile units, and auxiliary loads. Their inherent flexibility can contribute to increasing the management possibilities of the overall net demand. The proposed scenario under study faces some of the energy concerns of periodic timetables: fast and high-power peaks in demand unknown in conventional Power Systems. The simulation results present the achieved flexibility and its potential: a decrease in peak demand by around 20% and an increase in energy recovery by 10%, lagging new investments in infrastructure. These results improve the social and economic benefits of railway transportation on the overall energy and environmental objectives while reducing energy concerns due to the increasing use of railways and boosting the sustainability of the transportation system in the coming decades.

Although the use of the Internet is generalised, its potential as a teaching tool is rarely taken into account. At the same time, there exists a digital divide affecting vulnerable or disadvantaged groups: students of foreign origin and students with special educational needs. It is necessary to identify how inequality can be overcome to reach the objectives set by the United Nations regarding sustainable forms of development for education and to foster more inclusive and egalitarian societies. In this research with students aged 12–16, the objective was to establish profiles according to gender, social class, ethnic background and educational special needs. We used a mixed methodological design, applying a questionnaire to 2734 students from 15 centres and qualitative data collection techniques. We made a descriptive and inferential analysis (SPSS program) and a qualitative data content analysis supported by the “Maxqda” program. The results show that, although most students have Internet access, students of foreign origin and students with special educational needs use this resource less frequently. There are significant differences for gender. Likewise, social divide has an impact on the learning potential of the Internet. Some proposals for improvement are provided, from the framework of the school, with a view to improving socio-educational equity and inclusion in societies in search of a more sustainable form of development.

In this work, the effects of replacing the aggregates of self-compacting concrete by air-cooled blast furnace slag have been analysed. Different mixes have been manufactured by substituting the fine and coarse natural aggregates by air-cooled blast furnace slag. The fracture energy and the tensile and compressive strength have been determined for each mix. The self-compacting properties of the mixes, or the absence of them, have been observed. The main goals of this research are the decrease of the price of aggregates, reduction of the industrial waste, and attenuation the rate of consumption of natural resources. The results show that the self-compactability of the concrete is gradually lost as the slag content is increased, thus, when the ratio of replacement is low, the concrete keeps the self-compacting properties. Nevertheless, the loss of self-compaction affects the mechanical properties by increasing its strength. An air-cooled blast furnace slag did not present problems of heavy metals leaching.

In the financial industry, two relationships are well-researched: (i) innovation and financial performance and, (ii) sustainability and financial performance, both focused primarily on Western and advanced countries. The relationship between innovation and sustainability, however, is underresearched. This study’s purpose consists of determining whether there is a relationship between innovation and corporate sustainability in the financial industry. In doing so, this study responds to a critical question: are the most innovative firms also the most sustainability-oriented? We empirically explore sustainability-oriented innovation in the financial industry of 11 catching-up countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Using Community Innovation Survey (CIS) data for 2012–2014, this study empirically analyzes a large sample of 1574 firms in the financial industry. Our results suggest that innovation is positively linked to corporate sustainability, pointing out that innovation capabilities are positively related to sustainability. Our study proposes a framework for analyzing innovation and sustainability from a capability-perspective.