The determinants of the health status in a developing country: results form the colombian case

ABSTRACT This paper tries to find empirical evidence of the health determinants, as a measure of health capital in a developing country after a deep reform of its health-care sector. It follows the Grossman model (1972) and also takes, besides individual and socioeconomic variables, institutional factors of the health sector. Two surveys from 1997 and 2000 in Colombia, with a subjective (self-report) health status of the individuals, and information about the health system affiliation type, were used. The estimation method is an order probit model. At the end, the results show an important connection between individual, institutional and socioeconomic variables with the health status of a person in Colombia. The effect of the type of access to medical care strengths the inequities in health outcome. *************************************************************************** RESUMEN El artículo busca encontrar evidencia empírica de los determinantes de la salud, como una medición de capital salud en un país en desarrollo después de una profunda reforma en el sector salud. Siguiendo el modelo de Grossman (1972) y tomando factores institucionales, además de las variables individuales y socioeconómicas. Se usaron las encuestas de 1997 y 2000 donde se responde subjetivamente sobre el estado de salud y tipo de afiliación al sistema de salud. El proceso de estimación usado es un probit ordenado. Los resultados muestran una importante conexión entre las variables individuales, institucionales y socioeconómicas con el estado de salud. El efecto de tipo de acceso al sistema de salud presiona las inequidades en salud.Demand for health, health production, developing countries, probit estimations

Bildungsroman. Stories to grow

El "bildungsroman" es un género narrativo que se caracteriza por presentar una evolución en el personaje protagonista a lo largo de sus páginas. También es conocido como novela de formación o novela de aprendizaje. El autor del artículo considera que se trataría del más genuino género narrativo aplicado a la literatura juvenil porque en la adolescencia tiene lugar en la persona una profunda transformación que posibilita la identificación entre el lector y el personajeA "bildungsroman" is a literary genre characterized by the evolution of the main character throughout its pages. It is also known as novel of formation or coming-of-age novel. The author of this article believes that it would be the most authentic genre used in Young-Adult fiction, as it is during the adolescence when the deep transformation that allows the identification between the reader and the character takes place.peerReviewe

La práctica del portafolio como herramienta para el reconocimiento de competencias adquiridas en el voluntariado del Comercio Justo

La práctica del portafolio posee una amplia experiencia de años y de extensión en la educación y la formación de adultos. Más concretamente, se ha aplicado como una herramienta para reconocimiento de las competencias de los adultos adquiridas mediante aprendizajes no formales. En estas situaciones, el portafolio ha demostrado que era eficaz en la síntesis de las destrezas desarrolladas en la vida profesional y social, puesto que ha permitido una presentación esclarecedora, fruto de una reflexión personal, orientada por un formador y que ya es por sí misma una experiencia educativa. El artículo propone distinguir dos modelos de portafolio, según su finalidad, y presenta la experiencia en una tienda de comercio justo en Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona) que se ha decantado por elaborar el portafolio formativo o de proceso.La pràctica del portafoli té una àmplia experiència d'anys i d'extensió en l'educació i la formació d'adults. Més concretament, ha estat aplicat com una eina per al reconeixement de les competències dels adults adquirides mitjançant aprenentatges no formals. En aquestes situacions, el portafoli ha demostrat que era eficaç en la síntesi de les destreses desenvolupades a la vida professional i social, perquè ha permès fer-ne una presentació aclaridora, fruit d'una reflexió personal, orientada per un formador i que ja és, per si mateixa, una experiència educativa. L'article proposa distingir dos models de portafoli, segons la finalitat que tenen, i presenta l'experiència en una botiga de Comerç Just de Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona) que ha optat per elaborar el portafoli formatiu o de procés

Mathematical Modeling of the Mojave Solar Plants

Competitiveness of solar energy is one of current main research topics. Overall efficiency of solar plants can be improved by using advanced control strategies. To design and tuning properly advanced control strategies, a mathematical model of the plant is needed. The model has to fulfill two important points: (1) It has to reproduce accurately the dynamics of the real system; and (2) since the model is used to test advanced control strategies, its computational burden has to be as low as possible. This trade-off is essential to optimize the tuning process of the controller and minimize the commissioning time. In this paper, the modeling of the large-scale commercial solar trough plants Mojave Beta and Mojave Alpha is presented. These two models were used to test advanced control strategies to operate the plants.Comisión Europea OCONTSOLAR 78905

Personality and nonjudging make you happier: Contribution of the Five-Factor Model, mindfulness facets and a mindfulness intervention to subjective well-being

Mindful individuals are able to acknowledge mind wandering and live in the present moment in a nonjudgmental way. Previous studies have found that both mind wandering and mindfulness are associated with subjective well-being. However, the main predictor of happiness is personality; more specifically, happier people are emotionally stable and extraverted. The present study aimed to explore the contribution of the five factors of personality, dispositional mindfulness facets and a mindfulness intervention to happiness. A sample of 372 university students was assessed with the NEO-Five Factor Inventory, and another sample of 217 community adults answered the Big Five Personality Trait Short Questionnaire. Both samples, 589 participants in all, completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the Subjective Happiness Scale. Furthermore, 55 participants from the general population sample took a 6-week training course in meditation and developing mindfulness. The regression analyses showed that emotional stability and extraversion traits were the strongest predictors of subjective well-being. Nonetheless, the nonjudging facet, which is nonevaluative/acceptance awareness of thoughts and feelings, still remained a significant predictor of happiness when personality was accounted for. Finally, mindfulness training did not increase subjective well-being. Being nonjudgmental of one’s inner thoughts, feelings and sensations contributes to happiness even when personality is taken into account. Accordingly, it seems reasonable that mindfulness training that intends to improve subjective well-being should focus on noticing thoughts without judging the

The Ciao clp(FD) library. A modular CLP extension for Prolog

We present a new free library for Constraint Logic Programming over Finite Domains, included with the Ciao Prolog system. The library is entirely written in Prolog, leveraging on Ciao's module system and code transformation capabilities in order to achieve a highly modular design without compromising performance. We describe the interface, implementation, and design rationale of each modular component. The library meets several design goals: a high level of modularity, allowing the individual components to be replaced by different versions; highefficiency, being competitive with other TT> implementations; a glass-box approach, so the user can specify new constraints at different levels; and a Prolog implementation, in order to ease the integration with Ciao's code analysis components. The core is built upon two small libraries which implement integer ranges and closures. On top of that, a finite domain variable datatype is defined, taking care of constraint reexecution depending on range changes. These three libraries form what we call the TT> kernel of the library. This TT> kernel is used in turn to implement several higher-level finite domain constraints, specified using indexicals. Together with a labeling module this layer forms what we name the TT> solver. A final level integrates the CLP (J7©) paradigm with our TT> solver. This is achieved using attributed variables and a compiler from the CLP (J7©) language to the set of constraints provided by the solver. It should be noted that the user of the library is encouraged to work in any of those levels as seen convenient: from writing a new range module to enriching the set of TT> constraints by writing new indexicals

Transgressivity in Key Functional Traits Rather Than Phenotypic Plasticity Promotes Stress Tolerance in A Hybrid Cordgrass

Hybridization might promote offspring fitness via a greater tolerance to environmental stressors due to heterosis and higher levels of phenotypic plasticity. Thus, analyzing the phenotypic expression of hybrids provides an opportunity to elucidate further plant responses to environmental stress. In the case of coastal salt marshes, sea level rise subjects hybrids, and their parents, to longer tidal submergence and higher salinity. We analyzed the phenotypic expression patterns in the hybrid Spartina densiflora x foliosa relative to its parental species, native S. foliosa, and invasive S. densiflora, from the San Francisco Estuary when exposed to contrasting salinities and inundations in a mesocosm experiment. 37% of the recorded traits displayed no variability among parents and hybrids, 3% showed an additive inheritance, 37% showed mid-parent heterosis, 18% showed best-parent heterosis, and 5% presented worst-parent heterosis. Transgressivity, rather than phenotypic plasticity, in key functional traits of the hybrid, such as tiller height, conveyed greater stress tolerance to the hybrid when compared to the tolerance of its parents. As parental trait variability increased, phenotypic transgressivity of the hybrid increased and it was more important in response to inundation than salinity. Increases in salinity and inundation associated with sea level rise will amplify the superiority of the hybrid over its parental species. These results provide evidence of transgressive traits as an underlying source of adaptive variation that can facilitate plant invasions. The adaptive evolutionary process of hybridization is thought to support an increased invasiveness of plant species and their rapid evolution