Consumption For The Fulfillment Of Human Life

The present moment is characterized by the syntagm of „hiperconsumption society”, as we assist to an unprecedented augmentation of our desires to consume, associated with a fundamental change of values. The study analyzes, based on the vast scientific literature, the causes and the effects of this hypertrophy of consumption, based on the assumption of Oswald „Economic performance is not intrinsically interesting... Economic things matter only in so far as they make people happier.” Also, as a new paradigm on economic development is being outlined in the economic science, using „health of the living” as a fundamental value, understood as an ensemble of parameters that create the frame for what must be a normal and desired evolution, we analyzed the means that are available and can be used for the transition towards a healthy model of consumption. From the perspective of consumers’ protection, we consider that education for a healthy consumption is an appropriate answer that can generate a durable change of the present pattern towards a more generous consumption from an intergenerational point of view that can also sustain a high quality of life for the generations that coexists and succeed themselves.healthy consumption, consumer⁳ education, the right to education, underconsumption and hyperconsumption, paradox of happiness, imperatives of human life

Modelling the spectral energy distribution of galaxies from the ultraviolet to submillimeter

We present results from a new modelling technique which can account for the observed optical/NIR - FIR/submm spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of normal star-forming galaxies in terms of a minimum number of essential parameters specifying the star-formation history and geometrical distribution of stars and dust. The model utilises resolved optical/NIR images to constrain the old stellar population and associated dust, and geometry-sensitive colour information in the FIR/submm to constrain the spatial distributions of young stars and associated dust. It is successfully applied to the edge-on spirals NGC891 and NGC5907. In both cases the young stellar population powers the bulk of the FIR/sub-mm emission. The model also accounts for the observed surface brightness distribution and large-scale radial brightness profiles in NGC891 as determined using the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) at 170 and 200 mcrions and at 850 micron using SCUBA.Comment: 20 pages (Latex), Highlight talk at the Joint European and National Astronomical Meeting JENAM 2001, to be published in Reviews in Modern Astronomy 15: Five Days of Creation: Astronomy with Large Telescopes from Ground and Base. Germany : Astronomische Gesellschaft, 200

Moldova's left behind children: Weighing the impact of parental emigration

Stuck between its Soviet past, while still navigating its relative independence, Moldova is still struggling today – it remains under the burden of a weak development and socio-economic crisis. Emigration has become normalized in the culture and many have labelled the country’s present situation as a “social tragedy". This mass emigration has increased the number of the Left Behind Children (LBCH). With this study, we propose to analyze the impact that parental emigration has on the LBCH in Moldova. We consider that both the literature and the clinical settings have been overlooking the damage that parental emigration causes on the family and on the LBCH. Generally, most studies focus on the benefits that emigration brings to the families, mainly through the remittances that are sent home by the emigrants. However, considering everything, the LBCH pay a much higher price for it. Further research is needed in order to find a fixed answer for the emigration equation. Nonetheless, we know that emigration remains an uncertain journey, both for the families, as well as for the country itself.Presa entre o seu passado soviético, enquanto ainda navega a sua relativa independência, a Moldávia ainda hoje luta – permanece sob o peso de uma crise socioeconómica e desenvolvimento débil. A emigração tornou-se normalizada na cultura e muitos nomearam a atual situação do país como uma “tragédia social”. A emigração em massa da Moldávia tem aumentado o número de Crianças Deixadas Para Trás. Com este estudo, propomos analisar o impacto que a emigração dos pais tem sobre as Crianças Deixadas para Trás na Moldávia. Consideramos que tanto a literatura quanto os cenários clínicos têm negligenciado o dano que a emigração dos pais causa na família e nas Crianças Deixadas Para Trás. Geralmente, a maioria dos estudos foca-se nos benefícios que a emigração traz às famílias, principalmente através das remessas enviadas para casa pelos emigrantes. Todavia, considerando as consequências, as crianças pagam um preço muito maior. Para encontrar uma resposta fixa para a equação da emigração no país, mais estudos serão necessários. No entanto, sabemos que a emigração continua a ser uma jornada incerta, tanto para a instituição da família, como para o próprio país

Normal Nearby Galaxies

Following on from IRAS, ISO has provided a huge advancement in our knowledge of the phenomenology of the infrared (IR) emission of normal galaxies and the underlying physical processes. Highlights include: the discovery of an extended cold dust emission component, present in all types of gas-rich galaxies and carrying the bulk of the dust luminosity; the definitive characterisation of the spectral energy distribution in the IR, revealing the channels through which stars power the IR light; the derivation of realistic geometries for stars and dust from ISO imaging; the discovery of cold dust associated with HI extending beyond the optical body of galaxies; the remarkable similarity of the near-IR (NIR)/ mid-IR (MIR) SEDs for spiral galaxies, revealing the importance of the photo-dissociation regions in the energy budget for that wavelength range; the importance of the emission from the central regions in shaping up the intensity and the colour of the global MIR luminosity; the discovery of the ``hot'' NIR continuum emission component of interstellar dust; the predominance of the diffuse cold neutral medium as the origin for the main interstellar cooling line, [CII] 158 micron, in normal galaxies.Comment: 47 pages, 15 figures, to be published in the ISO Special Issue of Space Science Reviews: "ISO science legacy - a compact review of ISO major achievements", Springer 2005. See http://www.iso.vilspa.esa.es/science/SSR/ for a higher resolution version and for all papers in the volum

INVESTMENT IDEAS IN A VOLATILE ENVIRONMENT - A STUDY CASE FOR THE 2012 SOCIETY

The year 2011 has proven to be a highly volatile year, especially if we take into account the Eurozone crisis. Even so, the year 2011 has proved to be a year in which great opportunities were created, as well. Our article “Investment Ideas in a Volatile Environment - A Study Case for the 2012 Society” starts by presenting both the strong and the weak points of the year 2011, in terms of assets markets and net results, continuing with the general outlook of the year 2012 and putting a strong emphasis on the investment ideas for 2012. In our study we are going to describe the opportunities that exist in the year 2012, providing answers to questions such as: what equities should investors focus on, what changes can be predicted in terms of foreign exchange market, what will the evolution of the commodities be like, how will the evolution of different types of currencies look like

Self-Assessed Health Status and Satisfaction with Health Care Services in the Context of the Enlarged European Union

The paper aims at analysing the relationship between self-rated health-status, satisfaction with health care services and socio-economic factors, in the context of different national health care systems in the enlarged European Union. The effects of socio-economic deprivation and the functioning of national health care systems on self-rated health status and satisfaction with health care services are investigated using the European Social Survey 2006 dataset (ESS3), and macro data provided by Eurostat (2007) and the World Health Organization (2007). Socio-economic deprivation is measured both at the micro-level (using indicators of economic strain, household income, education, employment status and belonging to discriminated groups), and the macro-level (national poverty rates, the values of poverty thresholds, quintile ratios and GDP per capita). The performance of national health care systems is quantified with the help of two indexes, designed for the purpose of the present study: an index of total health care provisions and an index of governmental commitment to health care. The following countries are included in the analysis: Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.self-assessed health ; health care systems ; health inequalities ; governmental policies