Socio-economic inequalities in health in Catalonia

In this paper we measure the degree of income related inequality in mental health as measured by the GHQ instrument and general health as measured by the EQOL-5D instrument for the Catalan population. We find that income is the main contributor to inequality, although the share of inequality in mental health that can be explained by income is much greater than the corresponding share of inequality in general health. We also find that the variation in demographic structure reduces income related inequality in mental health but increases income related inequality in general health. The regional variations in both instruments for health are striking, with the Barcelona districts faring relatively bad with respect to the rest of geographical areas and Lleida being the health region where, all else held equal, the population reports the greatest level of health. A big share of inequality in the two health measures, but specially mental health, is due to the favourable position in both health and income of those who enjoy an indefinite contract with respect to the rest of individuals. We also find that risky working conditions affect both health measures and are able to explain an important share of socio-economic inequality.Health inequalities, decomposition analysis, Spain

The evolution of inequity in the access to health care in Spain: 1987-2001

This paper reports an analysis of the evolution of equity in access to health care in Spain over the period 1987-2001, a time span covering the development of the modern Spanish National Health System. Our measures of access are the probabilities of visiting a doctor, using emergency services and being hospitalised. For these three measures we obtain indices of horizontal inequity from microeconometric models of utilization that exploit the individual information in the Spanish National Health Surveys of 1987 and 2001. We find that by 2001 the system has improved in the sense that differences in income no longer lead to different access given the same level of need. However, the tenure of private health insurance leads to differences in access given the same level of need, and its contribution to inequity has increased over time, both because insurance is more concentrated among the rich and because the elasticity of utilization for the three services has increased too.Health care utilization; health insurance; equity; Spain

Regional differences in socio-economic health inequalities in Spain

This paper reports an analysis of income related health inequalities at the Autonomous Community level in Spain using the self assessed health measure in the 2001 edition of the Encuesta Nacional de Salud. We use recently developed methods in order to cardinalise and model self assessed health within a regression framework, decompose the sources of inequality and explain the observed differences across regions. We find that the regions with the highest levels of mean health tend to enjoy the lowest degrees of income related health inequality and vice-versa. The main feature characterizing regions where income related health inequality is low is the absence of a positive gradient between income and health. In turn, the regions where income related health inequality is greater are characterized by a strong and significant positive gradient between health and income. These results suggest that policies aimed at eliminating the gradient between health and income can potentially lead to greate r reductions in socio-economic health inequalities than policies aimed at redistributing income.Health inequalities, decomnposition analysis, Spain

La divulgación científica en el MNCN: El reto de innovar en un museo con más de dos siglos de historia

En el contexto de la educación integral y permanente los museos son considerados como una institución educativa y por ello se esfuerzan en ofrecer programas y actividades con una intención didáctica. Aunque es habitual referirse a estas acciones como educación patrimonial, tenemos que señalar que educación y patrimonio es un binomio que no siempre se conjuga como educación patrimonial. Analizamos el caso concreto de los museos industriales y proponemos estrategias y contenidos para construir programas de educación patrimonial aprovechando los valores específicos de universalidad, memoria social e interdisciplinariedad de este conjunto patrimonial. Finalmente proponemos una plantilla para la evaluación cualitativa de las actividades realizadas con grupos escolaresIn today´s Knowledge Society in which citizens have immediate and almost unlimited access to information Natural History Museums are committed to guarantee Access to collections and to expose its Scientific Research to Society. It is more so when you think of the great impact that processing and transmitting such information has in Economy, leisure and public life.Natural History Museum fulfill these tasks through its exhibits but also and in a closer and more visible way to the public, through the daily activities specifically designed and adapted to different groups of visitor

The scientific collections as a hub for organizing educational programs in the Museum

El Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, MNCN, con más de dos siglos de historia, es una institución única dentro de la Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas porque además de llevar a cabo investigaciones científicas punteras, gestiona colecciones formadas por más de ocho millones de ejemplares de gran interés histórico y científico y desarrolla un amplio programa de exposiciones y actividades educativas dirigidas al público general. El objetivo común de todas las actividades del Museo es promover un conocimiento más completo de la diversidad del mundo natural. Este conocimiento se aplica a la conservación del medio ambiente, y es transmitido a la comunidad para mejorar la percepción de la ciencia y de la riqueza de nuestro patrimonio natural. Especialmente para el sector de la enseñanza, se desarrolla en el Museo, desde 1991, un amplio programa de actividades que tienen como denominador común su propuesta metodológica basada en propiciar la actividad y participación de los alumnos, teniendo como referente el aprendizaje por descubrimiento dirigido, los asistentes, conducidos por un monitor del Museo que ejerce como mediador en el proceso, desarrollan distintas tareas encaminadas a la adquisición de conceptos relativos al área de ciencias de la naturaleza, procedimientos acordes con el método científico y actitudes coherentes con la conservación del medio ambiente. Durante estas experiencias los alumnos se aproximan, en la medida de lo posible, a la realidad del trabajo de los científicos, teniendo como referente los ejemplares de las colecciones del Museo, en función de su nivel educativo.The National Museum of Natural Sciences, MNCN, with more than two centuries of history, is a unique institution within the State Agency for National Research Council as well as carrying out scientific research leading, managing collections comprise more than eight million specimens of great historic and scientific interest and an extensive program of exhibitions and educational activities for the general public. The common objective of all activities of the Museum is to promote a fuller understanding of the diversity of the natural world. This knowledge is applied to the conservation of the environment, and is transmitted to the community to improve the perception of science and wealth of our natural heritage. Especially for the education sector, develops a comprehensive program of activities which have in common their methodological proposal based on the activity and encourage student participation, taking as reference the directed discovery learning, attendees, led by an instructor Museum who serves as mediator in the process, develop various tasks aimed at the acquisition of concepts for the area of natural sciences, procedures consistent with the scientific method and attitudes consistent with the conservation of the environment. During these experiences the students are coming, as far as possible to the reality of the work of scientists, taking as reference specimens of the Museum's collections, depending on their educational level

Contribución al conocimiento de paisaje holoceno de la provincia de Soria: Análisis palinológico en el yacimiento arqueológico de Parpantique

This paper presents the palynological analyses carried out on six samples which proceed from excavations at the Parpantique site (Balluncar, Soria, Spain). This site includes archaeological levels which range from Bronze to Middle Age. The palynological record shows a strong anthropogenic impact on the vegetal assemblages from 3730 years BP. Moreover the development of the cereal culture during the Medieval age is also recorded

La influencia de contacto lingüístico en la historia del español: arabismos en las variedades meridionales

A partir de un conjunto textual de documentación andaluza del siglo XIII en adelante, analizamos el léxico de origen árabe como testimonio del contacto lingüístico entre las dos culturas durante la Edad Media y primera Edad Moderna. Este estudio posibilita la determinación del tipo de influencia del árabe sobre el español según etapas y zonas, además de permitir comprobar cómo el peso de este contacto se refleja en un arabismo léxico residual y prácticamente desconocido que ha sobrevivido en las variedades meridionales

Analysis of the errors in written composition made by greek cypriot students of spanish as a foreign language (SFL): A1- B1.1 language level

El propósito de este trabajo ha sido investigar los errores morfosintácticos de los alumnos griegochipriotas de español como lengua extranjera en la expresión escrita. Al mismo tiempo, considerando que a lo largo del camino hacia la lengua extranjera el alumno formula sus hipótesis empleando varias estrategias psicolingüísticas, este trabajo ha suscitado también la indagación sobre estas estrategias, con el fin de destacar las posibles causas de los errores detectados. Se ha seguido el modelo del análisis de errores y una clasificación de los mismos basada en el criterio gramatical y el criterio etiológico. Los datos han sido recogidos de las producciones escritas de los alumnos que estaban aprendiendo español en la Escuela Inglesa de Chipre durante el curso académico 2014-2015. Para analizar los datos obtenidos, hemos aplicado una investigación cuantitativa en la que se proporcionan detalles porcentuales sobre la frecuencia de errores morfosintácticos. Siguiendo el criterio etiológico del análisis de errores, en este trabajo se describen las estrategias y mecanismos que originan este tipo de equívocos. Los resultados de nuestro estudio han revelado que estos errores se cometen en todas las categorías gramaticales, pero con grandes variaciones en los porcentajes de cada nivel. Las conclusiones a las que se ha llegado en esta investigación resultan útiles para observar la progresión del aprendizaje desde el nivel A1 al B1.1. y para optimizar la enseñanza del español a alumnos griego-chipriotas.The purpose of this study is to research the morphosyntactic errors in written compositions by Greek-Cypriot students of Spanish as a foreign language. At the same time, in order to understand the possible causes leading to such errors, this study also explores these learners’ psycholinguistic strategies to formulate hypothesis regarding the target language. The method followed is that of error analysis and the classification of errors is based on grammatical and the etiological criteria. The data have been collected from the written compositions of students of the English School of Nicosia who were learning Spanish as a foreign language during the academic year 2014-2015. In order to analyse the data obtained, we have applied quantitative research in which percentage details are given regarding the frequency of morphosyntactic errors. Following the etiological criteria of error analysis, this study also describes the strategies and mechanisms that generate this kind of errors. The results of this analysis reveal that errors are made in all the grammatical categories but with large variations in the percentages of each level. The results reached in this study are useful for observing the progress of Spanish language learning from A1 to B1.1 level, and for optimizing the teaching of Spanish to Greek-Cypriot students

Pollen analysis from Early and Middle Holocene archaeological sites in the Blue Nile area, Central Sudan Análisis palinológicos en yacimientos arqueológicos del Holoceno Inicial y Medio en el área del Nilo Azul, Sudán Central

Se han realizado análisis palinológicos de seis muestras procedentes de dos yacimientos arqueológicos del Holoceno inicial (Sheikh Mustafa y El Mahalab) y uno del Holoceno medio (Sheikh el Amin), en el área de Nilo Azul (Sudán Central). Se discuten los problemas tafonómicos derivados de los contextos sedimentarios aquí estudiados. Los resultados del análisis indican que, tanto factores de índole natural como antrópica dieron lugar a un paisaje del tipo sabana-pradera durante el Holoceno inicial y medio en el área estudiada.Palynological analysis has been carried out on six samples collected from two Early Holocene sites (Sheikh Mustafa and El Mahalab) and one Middle Holocene site (Sheikh el Amin) in the Blue Nile area, Central Sudan. The taphonomic problems derived from the sedimentary contexts studied here are discussed. The results of the analysis indicate that natural (and to some extent anthropic) factors shaped a savanna-grassland type of environment during Early-Middle Holocene in the area being studied

Analysis of the errors in written composition made by greek cypriot students of spanish as a foreign language (SFL): A1- B1.1 language level

El propósito de este trabajo ha sido investigar los errores morfosintácticos de los alumnos griegochipriotas de español como lengua extranjera en la expresión escrita. Al mismo tiempo, considerando que a lo largo del camino hacia la lengua extranjera el alumno formula sus hipótesis empleando varias estrategias psicolingüísticas, este trabajo ha suscitado también la indagación sobre estas estrategias, con el fin de destacar las posibles causas de los errores detectados. Se ha seguido el modelo del análisis de errores y una clasificación de los mismos basada en el criterio gramatical y el criterio etiológico. Los datos han sido recogidos de las producciones escritas de los alumnos que estaban aprendiendo español en la Escuela Inglesa de Chipre durante el curso académico 2014-2015. Para analizar los datos obtenidos, hemos aplicado una investigación cuantitativa en la que se proporcionan detalles porcentuales sobre la frecuencia de errores morfosintácticos. Siguiendo el criterio etiológico del análisis de errores, en este trabajo se describen las estrategias y mecanismos que originan este tipo de equívocos. Los resultados de nuestro estudio han revelado que estos errores se cometen en todas las categorías gramaticales, pero con grandes variaciones en los porcentajes de cada nivel. Las conclusiones a las que se ha llegado en esta investigación resultan útiles para observar la progresión del aprendizaje desde el nivel A1 al B1.1. y para optimizar la enseñanza del español a alumnos griego-chipriotas.The purpose of this study is to research the morphosyntactic errors in written compositions by Greek-Cypriot students of Spanish as a foreign language. At the same time, in order to understand the possible causes leading to such errors, this study also explores these learners’ psycholinguistic strategies to formulate hypothesis regarding the target language. The method followed is that of error analysis and the classification of errors is based on grammatical and the etiological criteria. The data have been collected from the written compositions of students of the English School of Nicosia who were learning Spanish as a foreign language during the academic year 2014-2015. In order to analyse the data obtained, we have applied quantitative research in which percentage details are given regarding the frequency of morphosyntactic errors. Following the etiological criteria of error analysis, this study also describes the strategies and mechanisms that generate this kind of errors. The results of this analysis reveal that errors are made in all the grammatical categories but with large variations in the percentages of each level. The results reached in this study are useful for observing the progress of Spanish language learning from A1 to B1.1 level, and for optimizing the teaching of Spanish to Greek-Cypriot students