"It's just one of the wonders of the world": James Donaghue in Under the Net

Analyis of the central character of Iris Murdoch's Under the Net as picaresque

Validation of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire

Orientação: Ricardo José Martins PintoExperiências adversas na infância (ACE) são experiências que ocorrem na infância, tais como abuso, negligência e tipos de disfunção familiar, que aumentam o risco de problemas de saúde física e psicológica e afetam o desenvolvimento. As ACE são avaliadas normalmente através de uma entrevista semiestruturada. No entanto existem muitos instrumentos que completam o diagnóstico, como o Questionário das Experiências Adversas na Infância. Existem várias vantagens em analisar as propriedades psicométricas do instrumento e esta dissertação visa examinar a estrutura fatorial deste questionário. Método: Foram utilizados dados da versão portuguesa do Questionário ACE. A amostra incluiu 383 adolescentes. A média de idades foi de 17 anos (M = 16.52, SD = 1.74), variando entre 13 e 23 anos (171 (44.6%) do sexo masculino e 212 (55.4%) do sexo feminino). Resultados: Aproximadamente metade da amostra relatou exposição a três/ quatro ACE (n = 192; 50.1%). Considerando a análise fatorial confirmatória, os resultados mostraram que todos os modelos testados apresentaram baixos índices. Contudo, a análise da consistência interna revelou valores altos de alfa. Conclusão: Apesar do questionário ACE ser um dos instrumentos de autorrelato mais utilizados nesta área, a validade de construto requer mais estudos no sentido de se estreitar a relação entre o plano conceptual e o estatístico. Contudo, importa referir que ainda permanece em debate o melhor método para avaliar a validade de construtos que envolvem experiências, comparativamente a outros construtos. Consequentemente, os procedimentos tradicionais quando uma nova medida é desenvolvida, como confiabilidade interna e análise fatorial, podem não ser métodos apropriados para instrumentos que avaliam experiências de vida, e o nosso estudo parece corroborar essa hipótese. Alguns investigadores sugerem o teste-reteste como o melhor método, pelo que seria importante alargar o estudo e fazer esse tipo de análise.Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events in childhood, like abuse, neglect and kinds of serious household dysfunction, that can increase risk for physical or psychological health and development. ACEs are mostly evaluated with a careful semi-structured interview. However, there are many instruments that complete the diagnosis, like the ACE Questionnaire. There are several advantages to examining the psychometric properties of the instrument, and this dissertation aims to access and examine the factorial structure of this questionnaire. Method: We used a data from the Portuguese version of the ACE Study Questionnaire. The sample included 383 adolescents. The mean of the age was 17 years old (M = 16.52, SD = 1.74), ranged between 13 and 23 years old (171 (44.6%) males and 212 (55.4%) females). Results: Approximately half of the sample reported having been exposed at three/four ACE (n = 192; 50.1%). Considering fit indices models, results presented that all tested models presented poor fit. However, the analysis of internal consistency showed high alpha values. Conclusion: Although the ACE questionnaire is one of the most commonly used self-report instruments to assess this theme, construct validity requires further studies in order to narrow the relationship between the conceptual and statistical planes. However, they should be aware that the best method for assessing the validity of constructs involving experiments as compared to other constructs is still under debate. Consequently, traditional procedures when a new measure is developed, such as internal reliability and factor analysis, may not be appropriate methods for instruments that evaluate life experiences, and our study seems to corroborate this hypothesis. Some researchers suggest that test-retest may be the best method, so it would be important to extend the study and do this kind of analysis in the future

The impact of immigration on the wage structure : Spain 1995-2002

In this paper we estimate the impact of inward migration flows on the Spanish wage structure over the period 1995-2002 by constructing counterfactual wage distributions that provide the wages that would have been observed had individual and job characteristics remain constant over time. Hence, we compute the impact of immigration on the wage distribution from (i) the estimated wage gaps between similar immigrants and native workers and (ii) the changes in the composition of employment associated to the arrival of new immigrants. Overall, we find that (i) the effects of immigration on wage changes are small and only noticeable when job characteristics are included as determinants of wages, and (ii) the correlation between the incidence of immigration in each decile of the wage distribution and the change in native wages not explained by changes in their individual and job characteristics is positive. These results suggest that other factors, besides immigration, should be identified as the key determinants of the wage moderation observed since the early nineties in Spain

The effect of immigration on the employment opportunities of native-born workers : some evidence for Spain

Spain is one of the European countries where immigration flows during the last decade have increased noticeably. The Spanish labor market institutions and the Spanish immigration policy exhibit some peculiarities which may be relevant when analyzing the impact of immigration. This paper provides a first approximation to the labor market effects of immigrants in Spain during the second half of the 1990s, the period in which immigration flows to Spain have accelerated. By using alternative datasets, we estimate both the impact of legal and total immigration flows on the employment rates of native workers, accounting for the possible occupationa l and geographical mobility of immigrants and native-born workers. Using different samples and estimation procedures, we have not found a significant negative effect of immigration on the employment rates of native workers. The corresponding estimated elasticity is low, around -0.1, when considering only legal immigrants, and is not significant when considering both legal and illegal immigrants

Multiparameter ergodic Cesàro-α averages

Let (X,F,ν) be a σ-finite measure space. Associated with k Lamperti operators on Lp(ν), T1,…,Tk, nˉ=(n1,…,nk)∈Nk and αˉ=(α1,…,αk) with 0<αj≤1, we define the ergodic Cesàro-αˉ averages Rnˉ,αˉf=1∏kj=1Aαjnj∑ik=0nk⋯∑i1=0n1∏j=1kAαj−1nj−ijTikk⋯Ti11f. For these averages we prove the almost everywhere convergence on X and the convergence in the Lp(ν) norm, when n1,…,nk→∞ independently, for all f∈Lp(dν) with p>1/α∗ where α∗=min1≤j≤kαj. In the limit case p=1/α∗, we prove that the averages Rnˉ,αˉf converge almost everywhere on X for all f in the Orlicz–Lorentz space Λ(1/α∗,φm−1) with φm(t)=t(1+log+t)m. To obtain the result in the limit case we need to study inequalities for the composition of operators Ti that are of restricted weak type (pi,pi). As another application of these inequalities we also study the strong Cesàro-αˉ continuity of functions.Fil: Bernardis, Ana Lucia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Crescimbeni, Raquel Liliana. Universidad Nacional del Comahue; ArgentinaFil: Ferrari Freire, Cecilia. Universidad Nacional del Comahue; Argentin

Book review: seven steps to a comprehensive literature review: a multimodal and cultural approach by Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie and Rebecca Frels

In Seven Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review: A Multimodal and Cultural Approach , Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie and Rebecca Frels offer a new guide on how to produce a comprehensive literature review through seven key steps that incorporate rigour, validity and reliability. Ana Raquel Nunes recommends this helpful, well-informed and well-organised book to those undertaking literature reviews as well as those reflecting on research methodologies more broadly

REASONS TO ACCESS TO A PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Introdução: O recurso ao serviço de urgência (SU) hospitalar motivado por situações não urgentes é frequente e conduz a pior prestação de cuidados, insatisfação dos utentes e profissionais e aumento dos custos. Objectivos: Determinar os motivos para recurso a SU pediátrica hospitalar. Material e métodos: Estudo descritivo, transversal, entre 10/10 e 31/12/2013 em SU pediátrico hospitalar, através de análises de inquéritos preenchidos de forma anónima pelos acompanhantes e complementados com informação clínica pelo médico. Resultados: Foram analisados 481 questionários. O recurso ao SU ocorreu nas primeiras 24 horas de doença em 48% dos casos. Os principais motivos foram: noção de doença grave e urgente (33%), local de atendimento mais próximo (17%), preferência por avaliação por pediatra (17%). A maioria teve alta sem realização de exames complementares de diagnóstico ou tratamento (89%) e os principais diagnósticos de alta foram nasofaringite e gastroenterite agudas. Apenas 19,7% das idas ao SU poderiam ser consideradas como “justificadas” pelo cumprimento dos critérios de OMS para urgência hospitalar ou por orientação prévia por outra entidade de saúde. Não existem diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre as características das crianças que recorreram ao SU de forma “justificada” e “não justificada”. Discussão e conclusão: O reconhecimento de situações clínicas que justifiquem o recurso ao SU hospitalar não parece relacionado com habilitações literárias parentais ou atribuição de médico de família. A percepção de doença grave em situação benigna com recurso precoce e injustificado ao atendimento em contexto de serviço de urgência denota falta de educação para a saúde na população geral.Introduction: Hospital emergency department (ED) utilization by non-urgent situations is common and leads to worse care, patients and professionals dissatisfaction and increasing costs. Objective: To determine the reasons and adequacy for the use of a hospital pediatric ED. Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional study between October 10 and December 31 2013 at an hospital pediatric ED, through analysis of questionnaires completed by child caretakers and with clinical data provided by the doctor who observed the child. Results: There were 481 validated and analised questionnaires. ED use within the first 24 hours of disease was observed in 48%. The main reasons were: notion of a serious and urgent disease (33%), being the nearest facility (17%), preference for evaluation by a pediatrician (17%). Most were discharged without any additional diagnostic test or specific treatment (89%) and the main discharge diagnosis were acute nasopharyngitis and gastroenteritis. Only 19.7% of ED episodes were considered as “justified” by the WHO criteria for hospital emergency or by referral from another health institution. There are no differences between children who used pediatric ED in a “justified” or “unjustified” way. Discussion and conclusion: Recognition of clinical situations that justify the hospital ED use seems unrelated to parental education or primary care doctor assignment. The notion of serious illness in low-severity situations with early and fast access to a tertiary health care facility reveals lack of information on health concepts by the general population

Ensino, aprendizagem e avaliação no ensino superior: perspetivas dos estudantes

Dissertação de mestrado em Ciências da Educação (área de especialização em Desenvolvimento Curricular)A adesão de Portugal ao Processo de Bolonha exigiu que o Ensino Superior português implementasse reformas estruturantes no seu funcionamento, de forma a garantir os princípios da Declaração de Bolonha (1999). Parte da complexidade deste processo prende-se com a necessidade de uma definição prévia dos conhecimentos a ser adquiridos pelos estudantes, dos saberes e competências, o que obriga a uma reorganização do currículo, passando de conjunto de conhecimentos divididos por disciplinas a áreas curriculares mais alargadas, permitindo uma articulação entre estas. Estes desafios relevam a importância da articulação entre as metodologias de ensino e avaliação, que envolvam ativamente os estudantes na construção do seu conhecimento e na sua avaliação e estão na origem da nossa problemática de investigação: a implementação do processo de Bolonha trouxe alterações a nível prescrito, ou as práticas foram alteradas? Qual a perceção dos estudantes de duas Licenciaturas sobre as metodologias de ensino, aprendizagem e avaliação utilizadas pelos docentes no Ensino Superior? Para o tratamento desta problemática, elegemos os seguintes objetivos: inferir, de acordo com as perspetivas dos estudantes, sobre a adequação das metodologias de ensino, aprendizagem e avaliação utilizadas pelos docentes no Ensino Superior às preconizadas no documento regulador; compreender a relação entre os instrumentos de avaliação utilizados em duas Licenciaturas e os utilizados no Ensino Secundário; identificar a homogeneidade/diversidade dos instrumentos de avaliação utilizados nas duas Licenciaturas; identificar se e de que modo o ano de frequência do estudante interfere com as suas perspetivas. Trata-se de investigação de natureza predominantemente quantitativa, tendo a recolha de dados sido efetuada através da aplicação de um inquérito por questionário, junto de uma amostra constituída por 108 estudantes da Universidade do Minho, a frequentar os 1º e 3º anos de duas Licenciaturas de áreas científicas distintas. Os dados foram tratados com recurso à estatística descritiva para as questões fechadas e à análise de conteúdo para as questões abertas. Os principais resultados indicam que, na perspetiva dos estudantes, as metodologias de avaliação utilizadas pelos docentes estão de acordo com os resultados de aprendizagem previstos nos programas das UCs, que são transmitidas aos estudantes no início de cada UC, assim como os elementos de avaliação a adotar e são utilizados no mínimo dois elementos de avaliação em cada UC; os trabalhos de grupo escritos, orais ou experimentais são referidos pelos estudantes como os mais utilizados no Ensino Superior, na sua generalidade; a adaptação dos estudantes ao Ensino Superior fez-se sem dificuldades.The accession of Portugal to the Bologna Process urged structural reforms in the way the Portuguese Higher Education operated, in order to ensure the principles of the Bologna Declaration (1999). Part of the complexity of this process is related to the need of a previous definition of what knowledge has to be acquired by students, knowledge and skills, and this requires a reorganization of the curriculum, from a body of knowledge divided into disciplines to broader curriculum areas, allowing a link between these. These challenges enhance the importance of the interconnection between teaching and assessment methodologies, which involve students actively in building their knowledge as well as their assessment and they are the basis of our research problem: has the implementation of the Bologna process brought changes at the prescribed level or have practices changed? What is the perception of students of two courses on the methodologies of teaching, learning and assessment used by teachers in Higher Education? To handle this issue, we chose the following aims: to infer, according to the students' perspectives, on the appropriateness of the methodologies of teaching, learning and assessment used by teachers in Higher Education to those advocated in the regulatory document; understand the relationship between the instruments used to assess in two courses and in Secondary Education; identify the homogeneity / diversity of assessment tools used in both courses; identify if and how the student's year of attendance interferes with their prospects. This is a predominantly quantitative research, and data collection was performed by applying a questionnaire survey to a sample consisting of 108 students from the University of Minho, attending the 1st and 3rd years of two courses of different scientific areas. Data were processed using descriptive statistics for the closed questions and content analysis for open questions. The main results show that, from the perspective of students, assessment methodologies used by teachers correspond to the expected learning outcomes described in the programs of the curricular units (UCs), which are transmitted to students at the beginning of each UC, as well as the elements of assessment to adopt, and at least two elements of assessment are used in each UC; written, oral or experimental works in group are referred to by students as the most widely used in Higher Education, in general; students adapted to Higher Education without difficulties

The impact of immigration on the wage structure : Spain 1995-2002

In this paper we estimate the impact of inward migration flows on the Spanish wage structure over the period 1995-2002 by constructing counterfactual wage distributions that provide the wages that would have been observed had individual and job characteristics remain constant over time. Hence, we compute the impact of immigration on the wage distribution from (i) the estimated wage gaps between similar immigrants and native workers and (ii) the changes in the composition of employment associated to the arrival of new immigrants. Overall, we find that (i) the effects of immigration on wage changes are small and only noticeable when job characteristics are included as determinants of wages, and (ii) the correlation between the incidence of immigration in each decile of the wage distribution and the change in native wages not explained by changes in their individual and job characteristics is positive. These results suggest that other factors, besides immigration, should be identified as the key determinants of the wage moderation observed since the early nineties in Spain.Immigration, Wage structure, Quantile regressions