Does devolution influence the choice and quality of public (vs private) health care?

Government decentralisation also called ‘government devolution’ (GD) can provide an alternative to the ‘build in’ accountability mechanism of markets by influencing both the choice as well as the perceived quality of public versus private health care. To test this hypothesis, this paper exploits the gradual decentralisation of the political stewardship of the Spanish National Health System (NHS) using a difference-in-differences design. We find that GD (abandoning centralised governance) increases the choice and quality of (measured by the preference for, perceptions of, and satisfaction with) public health care (NHS) compared to private health care. Consistently, we also find that the GD reduces the uptake of private health insurance among higher income and education groups. These effects are mainly driven by improvements in health care quality as well as policy innovation and diffusion

Propostas de atividades de leitura com a obra "piggybook", de Anthony Browne

Situated in the interdisciplinary perspective of research in Applied Linguistics, in this work, our general research objective is to develop a proposal for reading activities with the work Piggybook, by Anthony Browne, for English language classes, in the context of basic education. For this, we have as specific objectives:1) To present a possible understanding for the work Piggybook, considering the elements of the verbal and visual dimension of the language; 2) Develop reading activities for the Piggybook work that can assist in the learning of English by basic education students. The dialogical perspective of language, according to Mikhail Bakhtin and his Circle is used as the main theoretical and methodological contribution, considering that in this way it is possible to explain the verbal and the visual articulated “in a structured material expression” (BAKHTIN/VOLOCHINOV, 2002, p. 118). The work is configured as a research of a descriptive-interpretative nature that follows a qualitative research. Through this proposal, it will be possible for the student to reflect on gender issues, carry out a complete reading of the book and have contact with grammatical issues in the English language. The issues raised in the proposed reading activities are not ready and finished in themselves, they will be implemented and adapted according to the considerations of the teacher and students who will use how they will use them.Situada na perspectiva interdisciplinar das pesquisas em Linguística Aplicada, neste trabalho, temos como objetivo geral de pesquisa elaborar propostas de atividades de leitura com a obra Piggybook, de Anthony Browne para aulas de língua inglesa, no contexto da educação básica. Temos como objetivos específicos: 1) Apresentar uma possibilidade de leitura da obra Piggybook, considerando os elementos da dimensão verbal e visual da linguagem; 2) Desenvolver atividades de leitura para a obra Piggybook que possam auxiliar na aprendizagem de língua inglesa por parte de estudantes da educação básica. A perspectiva dialógica da linguagem de Mikhail Bakhtin e seu Círculo é utilizada como principal aporte teóricometodológico, tendo em vista que neste viés é possível explicar o verbal e o visual articulados “numa expressão material estruturada” (BAKHTIN/VOLOCHINOV, 2002, p. 118). O trabalho se configura como uma pesquisa de natureza descritivo-interpretativa que segue uma abordagem qualitativa. Por meio dessa proposta, será possível ao estudante refletir questões de gêneros, realizar a leitura completa do livro e ter contato com questões gramaticais da língua inglesa. As questões apresentadas na proposta de atividades de leitura não se encontram prontas e acabadas em si mesmas, poderão ser implementadas e adaptadas de acordo com as considerações do professor e dos estudantes que as utilizarão

Quality Evaluation of Meals served at a Portuguese Hospital

[resumo][abstract

Perceived barriers for healthy eating by university employees at the workplace

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Food consumption determinants and barriers for healthy eating at the workplace: a university setting

Background: A wide variety of social, cultural and economic factors may influence dietary patterns. This work aims to identify the main determinants of food consumption and barriers for healthy eating at the workplace, in a university setting. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 533 participants. Data were obtained through the application of a self-administered questionnaire that included socio-demographic information, food consumption determinants and the main perceived barriers for healthy eating at the workplace. Results: The respondents identified “price” (22.5%), “meal quality” (20.7%), and “location/distance” (16.5%). For women, the determinant “availability of healthy food options” was more important than for men (p < 0.001). The food consumption determinants at the workplace most referred to by respondents were related to the nutritional value. Smell, taste, appearance and texture, and good value for money, were also considered important for choosing food at the workplace. Respondents referred to work commitments and lack of time as the main barriers for healthy eating at the workplace. Conclusions: Identification of determinants involved in food consumption, and the barriers for healthy eating, may contribute to a better definition of health promotion initiatives at the workplace aiming to improve nutritional intake.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Non-symplectic symmetries and bi-Hamiltonian structures of the rational Harmonic Oscillator

The existence of bi-Hamiltonian structures for the rational Harmonic Oscillator (non-central harmonic oscillator with rational ratio of frequencies) is analyzed by making use of the geometric theory of symmetries. We prove that these additional structures are a consequence of the existence of dynamical symmetries of non-symplectic (non-canonical) type. The associated recursion operators are also obtained.Comment: 10 pages, submitted to J. Phys. A:Math. Ge

Linear spaces of matrices of constant rank and instanton bundles

We present a new method to study 4-dimensional linear spaces of skew-symmetric matrices of constant co-rank 2, based on rank 2 vector bundles on P^3 and derived category tools. The method allows one to prove the existence of new examples of size 10x10 and 14x14 via instanton bundles of charge 2 and 4 respectively, and provides an explanation for what used to be the only known example (Westwick 1996). We also give an algorithm to construct explicitly a matrix of size 14 of this type.Comment: Revised version, 22 pages. Brief intro to derived category tools and details to proof of Lemma 3.5 added, some typos correcte

Wellbeing at Work before and during the SARS-COV-2 Pandemic: A Brazilian Nationwide Study among Dietitians

This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of dietitians' wellbeing at work before and during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic in Brazil. This cross-sectional study was performed using a previously validated instrument to investigate the wellbeing of dietitians at work in Brazil. The questionnaire on the wellbeing of dietitians was composed of 25 items (with a 5-point scale), characteristics, and questions about the SARS-COV-2 period. The application was carried out with GoogleForms(R)tool from 26 May to 7 June 2020. The weblink to access the research was sent via email, messaging apps, and social networks. Volunteers were recruited nationwide with the help of the Brazilian Dietitians Councils, support groups, as well as media outreach to reach as many dietitians as possible. Volunteers received, along with the research link, the invitation to participate, as well as the consent form. A representative sample of 1359 dietitians from all the Brazilian regions answered the questionnaire-mostly female (92.5%), Catholic (52.9%), from 25 to 39 years old (58.4%), with a partner (63.8%), and with no children (58%). Most of the participants continue working during the pandemic period (83.8%), but they did not have SARS-COV-2 (96%), nor did their family members (80.7%). The wellbeing at work before SARS-COV-2 was 3.88 +/- 0.71, statistically different (p< 0.05) from during the pandemic, with the wellbeing of 3.71 +/- 0.78. Wellbeing at work was higher before the pandemic for all the analyzed variables. Analyzing variables separately before and during the pandemic, dietitians with partners, children and a Ph.D. presented higher scores for wellbeing at work. Professionals receiving more than five times the minimum wage have higher scores. During the pandemic, better wellbeing was observed for dietitians working remotely

The biocompatibility of amino functionalized CdSe/ZnS quantum-dot-Doped SiO2 nanoparticles with primary neural cells and their gene carrying performance.

Nanoparticles have an enormous potential for the development of applications in biomedicine such as gene or drug delivery. We developed and characterized NH(2) functionalized CdSe/ZnS quantum dot (QD)-doped SiO(2) nanoparticles (NPs) with both imaging and gene carrier capabilities. We show that QD-doped SiO(2) NPs are internalized by primary cortical neural cells without inducing cell death in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the ability to bind, transport and release DNA into the cell allows GFP-plasmid transfection of NIH-3T3 and human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell lines. QD-doped SiO(2) NPs properties make them a valuable tool for future nanomedicine application