How Beliefs about HIV Status Affect Risky Behaviors: Evidence from Malawi, Second Version

This paper examines whether and to what extent changes in beliefs about own HIV status induce changes in risky sexual behavior using data from married males living in three regions of Malawi. Risky behavior is measured as the propensity to engage in extramarital affairs. The empirical analysis is based on panel surveys for years 2006 and 2008 from the Malawi Diffusion and Ideational Change Project (MDICP), which contain detailed information on beliefs about HIV status and on sexual behaviors. Many individuals change their beliefs over time, because of opportunities to get tested for HIV and informational campaigns. We estimate the effect of belief revisions on the propensity to engage in extra-marital affairs using a panel data estimator developed by Arellano and Carrasco (2003), which accommodates unobserved heterogeneity as well as belief endogeneity arising from the dependence of current beliefs on lagged behaviors. We find that downward revisions in the belief of being HIV positive lead to an increased propensity to engage in extra-marital affairs and upward revisions to a decreased propensity. The estimates are shown to be robust to underreporting of affairs. Using our estimates and a standard epidemeological model of disease transmission, we find that increasing the responsiveness of beliefs to test results would reduce the HIV transmission rate as infected individuals reduce sexual behavior and decrease the likelihood that uninfected persons have contact with an HIV-positive person.AIDS, Malawi, Beliefs

How Beliefs About HIV Status affect Risky Behaviors: Evidence From Malawi, Second Version

This paper examines how beliefs about own HIV status affect sexual behavior. Risky behavior is measured as the propensity to engage in extramarital affairs or not use condoms. The empirical analysis is based on 2004 and 2006 data from the Malawi Diffusion and Ideational Change Project. Controlling for endogeneity between beliefs and risk-taking, we find that downward revisions in the belief of being HIV positive lead to a lower propensity to engage in extramarital affairs but have no effect on condom use. We show that the estimates provide a lower bound when there is measurement error in reported extra-marital affairs.Beliefs,AIDS,Malawi

A conceptual model to approach Elder Abuse and Neglect in residential care settings

UID/SOC/04647/2013The purpose of this paper is to discuss a conceptual framework that analyses the relationships between organisational aspects of residential care settings and the interpersonal features of care providers and their relation with the residents´ quality of life. Based on this purpose we would like to discuss how to link long-term care and elder abuse and neglect, through a conceptual model to approach this issue, focusing on a person-centred perspective. The preliminary data were based on self-reported 41 responses of care workers and through observations of daily life practices in three nursing homes in Sintra Council (council of the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon). Therefore, these exploratory approaches were important to improve the conceptual model, due to the lack of conceptual clarification, it allowed to test the instruments and to explore some emerging issues, reveals some preliminary data about elder abuse and neglect, and risk factors. One which we highlighted was the conflicts within work teams and the work conditions of care workers because it is one of the principal factors related mainly with an inadequate care and neglect issues.publishersversionpublishe

How Beliefs about HIV Status Affect Risky Behaviors: Evidence from Malawi, Fifth Version

This paper examines how beliefs about own HIV status affect decisions to engage in risky sexual behavior using data on married males living in Malawi. Risky behavior is measured as the propensity to engage in extramarital affairs. The empirical analysis is based on panel surveys for years 2006 and 2008 from the Malawi Diffusion and Ideational Change Project (MDICP). Beliefs vary significantly over time in the data, in part because of HIV testing and informational campaigns. We estimate the effect of beliefs about own HIV status on risky behavior using a panel data estimator developed by Arellano and Carrasco (2003), which accommodates unobserved heterogeneity as well as belief endogeneity arising from the dependence of current beliefs on lagged behaviors. We find that beliefs are an important determinant of risky behavior, with downward revisions in the belief of being HIV positive increasing risky behavior and upward revisions decreasing it. We modify Arellano and Carrasco’s (2003) estimator to allow for underreporting of affairs and find the estimates to be relatively robust to underreporting. Using our estimates and a prototypical epidemiological model of disease transmission, we show that making individuals better informed about their HIV status, either by increasing the credibility of test results and/or increasing access to testing, would on net reduce the HIV transmission rate.Beliefs, Malawi, HIV

How Beliefs about HIV Status Affect Risky Behaviors: Evidence from Malawi, Sixth Version

This paper examines how beliefs about own HIV status affect decisions to engage in risky sexual behavior (as measured by extramarital affairs) and analyzes the potential for interventions that influence beliefs, such as HIV testing and informational campaigns, to reduce transmission rates. The empirical analysis is based on a panel survey of married males for years 2006 and 2008 from the Malawi Diffusion and Ideational Change Project (MDICP). In the data, beliefs about HIV status vary significantly geographically and over time, in part because of newly available testing opportunities and because of cultural differences. We estimate the effect of beliefs on risky behavior using Arellano and Carrasco’s (2003) semiparametric panel data estimator, which accommodates unobserved heterogeneity and belief endogeneity. Results show that changes in the belief of being HIV positive induce changes in risky behavior. Downward revisions in beliefs increase risky behavior and upward revisions decrease it. We modify Arellano and Carrasco’s (2003) estimator to allow for underreporting of extramarital affairs and find the estimates to be robust. Using the estimates and a prototypical epidemiological model of disease transmission, we show that better informing people about their HIV status on net reduces the population HIV transmission rate.Malawi,HIV,beliefs

Potencial energético dos efluentes da preparação da cortiça

Dada a elevada importância económica, social e ambiental da produção de cortiça em Portugal e tendo em conta a carga orgânica dos efluentes gerados por esta indústria, o presente trabalho apresenta um levantamento dos efluentes produzidos no sector da preparação da cozedura da cortiça e estima o potencial energético envolvido através da respectiva valorização energética por aplicação do processo de digestão anaeróbia. O valor global da energia que é possível obter do biogás produzido a partir dos efluentes da preparação da cortiça, numa base anual, ascende a 153 700-177 100 kWh (valor médio de 165 400 kWh). Sendo o biogás/metano uma fonte de energia e sendo o sector da preparação da cortiça um relevante consumidor de energia, o fluxo gasoso portador de energia, resultante do processo de tratamento por digestão anaeróbia, encontra aplicação directa no próprio processo da preparação da cortiça, podendo traduzir-se no aquecimento de 1755 m3 ano-1 de água para a cozedura da cortiça à temperatura de ebulição

Cork wastes treatment and biogas production

Cork industry is an important economic and social sector in the western Mediterranean region. Portugal is the producer and processing leader of this sector. The cork processing industry gives rise to several effluents that must be treated and valorised. This work is a part of a study that aims to develop an integrated process in order to maximize the valorization of the different wastes/effluents of the cork processing sector taking in count the biorefinery concept. The main objective of the present work is to conduct a survey of all operations involve in the cork processing and identify the possible effluents which may be treated and valorise by anaerobic digestion for energy production

Using Audiovisual Materials for Teaching EFL in Secondary Education: A Corpus for the Design of Learning Activities

Este Trabajo de Fin de Máster se centra en el uso de materiales audiovisuales (tales como películas y series de televisión) como recursos didácticos para la enseñanza del Inglés como Lengua Extranjera, con el fin de mejorar su adquisición y la motivación del estudiante. Para esto se ha llevado a cabo una encuesta para conocer qué clase de contenidos los estudiantes de Educación Secundaria prefieren ver, aunque finalmente el foco ha sido puesto en el cuarto curso. Después, a partir de los resultados se ha compilado un corpus de fragmentos útiles (desde una perspectiva curricular) para este curso académico. En este trabajo se explicará la metodología usada para llevar a cabo este proyecto, además de los hallazgos y resultados obtenidos. En cuanto a los resultados, aunque en los apéndices se incluyen una serie de actividades basadas en los fragmentos del corpus, cinco fragmentos han sido finalmente seleccionados para desarrollar algunas actividades en profundidad. Estas actividades ayudarán a trabajar elementos gramaticales o ciertas temáticas relevantes para cuarto de Educación Secundaria, y además fomentarán la implicación y motivación del estudiante. This dissertation focuses on the use of audiovisual materials such as films and TV series as a learning resource in the EFL classroom to improve language acquisition and student motivation. For this, a survey has been created in order to know what kind of content Secondary Education students enjoy watching, although eventually the focus was put on the fourth year. Then, a corpus of fragments that could be appropriate for this academic year was compiled by making use of the results. In this dissertation the methodology used to carry out this project will be explained, aside from the findings during the process and the results obtained. Regarding the results, although in the Appendices a series of activities related to some of the fragments included in the corpus are proposed, I finally selected five fragments to develop some activities in depth. These will help work either form or content relevant to the fourth year’s curriculum and will promote student engagement.<br /

Simbologias em torno do processo de envelhecer e da vitimação: um estudo qualitativo

Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar, a partir da utilização de técnicas qualitativas (entrevistas e focus group), a heterogeneidade das atitudes e representações sociais face ao processo de envelhecimento e vitimação. Estes fenómenos são geradores de imagens estereotipadas, diferenciadas de acordo com o espaço quotidiano em que os indivíduos se posicionam socialmente. As conceções ambivalentes sobre o processo de envelhecer (doença/problema versus aprendizagem/sabedoria) e de vitimação (atos de violências e condições adversas às práticas de cuidar) constituem formas de interpretação sobre a realidade social, que é necessário compreender quando se pretende estudar o problema da violência contra as pessoas idosas.The aim of this article is to analyze, using qualitative techniques (interviews and focus group), the heterogeneity of social representations in relation to the aging process and victimization. Both phenomena imply different stereotyped images according social position occupied by individuals. The ambivalent ideas about the ageing process (disease/problem versus wisdom/learning) and victimization (violence acts and adverse conditions of family care practices) are forms of interpretation about the social reality, which is necessary to understand when we intend to study the problem of violence against the elderly. Keywords: Active ageing; Violence; Elderly people; Family context.FC

La educación de gestión social como propuesta para trabajar con la diversidad de sujetos

La presente tesina pretende describir y analizar la Educación de Gestión Social (EGS) en la propuesta de los Servicios Educativos de Origen Social (SEOS) de la provincia de Mendoza. Los SEOS son programas educativos que fueron creados en 1988 para satisfacer una demanda social fundada en la necesidad de espacios públicos y gratuitos en los cuales niños y niñas que no estaban en edad escolar pudieran ser recibir cuidado y educación. Se considera que la propuesta de la EGS, es expresada a través de los programas SEOS, definidos bajo la autogestión y bajo abordajes educativos integrales, es el método de aprendizaje que incluye a la diversidad educativa. El desarrollo del siguiente trabajo repasa diferentes perspectivas educativas, ubicándose cerca de Paulo Freire y Henry Giroux. A partir de las mismas se analiza el caso de un centro de actividades educativas perteneciente a un SEOS de Guaymallén.Fil: Ferreyra, Paula Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales.Fil: Gil, Nadya Elisabeth . Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales