Algunos factores que inciden en el rendimiento y en la evaluación de los alumnos en las PAAU

The context where the university admissions exams are performed is presented and the main concerns about this exams are outlined and discussed from a statistical point of view. The paper offers an illustration of the use of random coefficient models in the study of educational data. The association between two individual scores (one internal and the other external to the school) and the effect of the school in the external exam is analized by a regression model with random intercept and fixed slope. A variance component model for the analysis of the grading process is also presented. The paper ends with an outline of the main findings and the presentation of some specific proposals to improve and control the equity of the system. Some pedagogic reflections are also included.

Les biblioteques universitàries i el suport a la recerca

The European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area are currently two key objectives for university learning, teaching and research in all European universities. University libraries must meet the challenges by offering the best library services to the academic community. In drafting the second strategic plan, Rebiun (Network of University Libraries) gathered comments and suggestions from professionals in Spanish university libraries. This article presents the reflections and suggestions contributed by the author regarding the support services that university libraries could offer for university research.

Optical-geometrical effects on the photoluminescence spectra of Si nanocrystals embedded in SiO2

We demonstrate that thickness, optical constants, and details of the multilayer stack, together with the detection setting, strongly influence the photoluminescence spectra of Si nanocrystals embedded in SiO2. Due to multiple reflections of the visible light against the opaque silicon substrate, an interference pattern is built inside the oxide layer, which is responsible for the modifications in the measured spectra. This interference effect is complicated by the depth dependence of (i) the intensity of the excitation laser and (ii) the concentration of the emitting nanocrystals. These variations can give rise to apparent features in the recorded spectra, such as peak shifts, satellite shoulders, and even splittings, which can be mistaken as intrinsic material features. Thus, they can give rise to an erroneous attribution of optical bands or estimate of the average particle size, while they are only optical-geometrical artifacts. We have analyzed these effects as a function of material composition (Si excess fraction) and thickness, and also evaluated how the geometry of the detection setup affects the measurements. To correct the experimental photoluminescence spectra and extract the true spectral shape of the emission from Si nanocrystals, we have developed an algorithm based on a modulation function, which depends on both the multilayer sequence and the experimental configuration. This procedure can be easily extended to other heterogeneous systems.

Side scan sonar image and geologic interpretation of the Ria de Pontevedra seafloor (Galicia, NW Spain).

High-resolution side scan sonar has been used for mapping the seafloor of the Ría de Pontevedra. Four backscatter patterns have been mapped within the Ría: (1) Pattern with isolated reflections, correlated with granite and metamorphic outcrops and located close to the coastal prominence and Ons and Onza Islands. (2) Pattern of strong reflectivity usually located around the basement outcrops and near the coastline and produced by coarse-grained sediment. (3) Pattern of weak backscatter is correlated with fine sand to mud and comprising large areas in the central and deep part of the Ría, where the bottom currents are weak. It is generally featureless, except where pockmarks and anthropogenic features are present. (4) Patches of strong and weak backscatter are located in the boundary between coarse and fine-grained sediments and they are due to the effect of strong bottom currents. The presence of megaripples associated to both patterns of strong reflectivity and sedimentary patches indicate bedload transport of sediment during high energy conditions (storms). Side scan sonar records and supplementary bathymetry, bottom samples and hydrodynamic data reveal that the distribution of seafloor sediment is strongly related to oceanographic processes and the particular morphology and topography of the Ría.

Some fundamental aspects of palentological methodology: its problems and incidence

Two trends which presently exist in relation to the concept of Paleontology are analyzed, pointing out some of the aspects which negative influence. Various reflections are made based on examples of some of the principal points of paleontological method, such as the influence of a punctual sampling, the meaning of size-frequency distribution and subjectivity in the identification of fossils. Topics which have a marked repercussion in diverse aspects of Paleontology are discussed.

Mourning becomes Electra d'Eugene O'Neill: Èsquil i Plató per a crear un drama fosc?

The fundamental debt of E. O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra to Aeschylus, and to a lesser degree to Sophocles and Euripides, has been always recognised but, according to the author's hypothesis, O'Neill might have taken advantage of the Platonic image of the cave in order to magnify his both Greek and American drama. It is certainly a risky hypothesis that stricto sensu cannot be proved, but it is also reader's right to evaluate the plausibility and the possible dramatic benefit derived from such a reading. Besides indicating to what degree some of the essential themes of Platonic philosophy concerning darkness, light or the flight from the prison of the material world are not extraneous to O'Neill's work, the author proves he was aware of the Platonic image of the cave thanks to its capital importance in the work of some of his intellectual mentors such as F. Nietzsche or Oscar Wilde. Nevertheless, the most significant aim of the author's article is to emphasize both the dramatic benefits and the logical reflections derived, as said before, from reading little by little O'Neill's drama bearing in mind the above mentioned Platonic parameter.

Mourning becomes Electra de Eugene O'Neill: ¿Esquilo y la caverna de Platón para crear un drama oscuro?

The fundamental debt of E. O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra to Aeschylus, and to a lesser degree to Sophocles and Euripides, has been always recognised but, according to the author's hypothesis, O'Neill might have taken advantage of the Platonic image of the cave in order to magnify his both Greek and American drama. It is certainly a risky hypothesis that stricto sensu cannot be proved, but it is also reader's right to evaluate the plausibility and the possible dramatic benefit derived from such a reading. Besides indicating to what degree some of the essential themes of Platonic philosophy concerning darkness, light or the flight from the prison of the material world are not extraneous to O'Neill's work, the author proves he was aware of the Platonic image of the cave thanks to its capital importance in the work of some of his intellectual mentors such as F. Nietzsche or Oscar Wilde. Nevertheless, the most significant aim of the author's article is to emphasize both the dramatic benefits and the logical reflections derived, as said before, from reading little by little O'Neill's drama bearing in mind the above mentioned Platonic parameter.

Parity violation in Aharonov-Bohm systems: The spontaneous Hall effect

We show how macroscopic manifestations of P (and T) symmetry breaking can arise in a simple system subject to Aharonov-Bohm interactions. Specifically, we study the conductivity of a gas of charged particles moving through a dilute array of flux tubes. The interaction of the electrons with the flux tubes is taken to be of a purely Aharonov-Bohm type. We find that the system exhibits a nonzero transverse conductivity, i.e., a spontaneous Hall effect. This is in contrast to the fact that the cross sections for both scattering and bremsstrahlung (soft-photon emission) of a single electron from a flux tube are invariant under reflections. We argue that the asymmetry in the conductivity coefficients arises from many-body effects. On the other hand, the transverse conductivity has the same dependence on universal constants that appears in the quantum Hall effect, a result that we relate to the validity of the mean-field approximation.

Embodying feminist research: learning from action research, political practices, diffractions and collective knowledge.

In the past three decades, feminists and critical theorists have discussed and argued the importance of deconstructing and problematizing social science research methodology in order to question normalized hierarchies concerning the production of knowledge and the status of truth claims. Nevertheless, often, these ideas have basically remained theoretical propositions not embodied in research practices. In fact there is very little published discussion about the difficulties and limits of their practical application. In this paper we introduce some interconnected reflections starting from two different but related experiences of embodying 'feminist activist research'. Our aim is to emphasise the importance of attending to process, making mistakes and learning during fieldwork, as well as experimenting with personalized forms of analysis, such as the construction of narratives and the story-telling process.

Embodying feminist research: learning from action research, political practices, diffractions and collective knowledge.

In the past three decades, feminists and critical theorists have discussed and argued the importance of deconstructing and problematizing social science research methodology in order to question normalized hierarchies concerning the production of knowledge and the status of truth claims. Nevertheless, often, these ideas have basically remained theoretical propositions not embodied in research practices. In fact there is very little published discussion about the difficulties and limits of their practical application. In this paper we introduce some interconnected reflections starting from two different but related experiences of embodying 'feminist activist research'. Our aim is to emphasise the importance of attending to process, making mistakes and learning during fieldwork, as well as experimenting with personalized forms of analysis, such as the construction of narratives and the story-telling process.

Construcción de un índice de calidad ocupacional (ICO) para el análisis de la inserción profesional de los graduados universitarios = Building an employment quality index (EQI) to analyse graduates’ access to the labour market

En este trabajo se propone la construcción de un índice de calidad ocupacional (ICO) a partir de los datos de la Encuesta de Inserción Laboral de los Graduados de las Universidades Catalanas realizada por la Agencia para la Calidad del Sistema Universitario de Catalunya (AQU), que ha de permitir un mejor análisis de la información que proporciona la encuesta y facilitar su comparación con estudios similares. La encuesta se realiza tres años después de la graduación. En este artículo, se utiliza la segunda encuesta realizada el año 2005 entre 11.456 graduados (52,63%) de la promoción 2001 (AQU, 2005, Serra-Ramoneda, 2007). El índice se ha elaborado a partir de los indicadores objetivos ‘tipo y duración del contrato laboral’, ‘retribución económica’, ‘adecuación entre la formación universitaria y el empleo’ a los que se otorga una puntuación ponderada según las respuestas dadas por los graduados. La suma de las puntuaciones se matiza con un coeficiente derivado del indicador subjetivo ‘satisfacción con el trabajo en general’. A partir de la información proporcionada por el índice, se realiza un análisis comparativo del nivel de calidad ocupacional que han logrado los graduados de áreas de conocimiento, ámbitos de trabajo, ramas de actividad y ubicaciones territoriales del empleo diferentes. Los resultados obtenidos permiten observar que entre los graduados catalanes los siguientes hechos son buenos predictores de la calidad de la ocupación: haber estudiado una carrera que no sea de Humanidades, ser un hombre, haber desempeñado durante la carrera un trabajo relacionado con los estudios, estar ocupado en la construcción, en instituciones financieras o en servicios a empresas, haber tenido algún tipo de movilidad por motivos de trabajo, trabajar fuera de Cataluña y hacerlo en empresas grandes, especialmente con más de 500 trabajadores. Finalmente, se presentan algunas reflexiones y propuestas que pueden resultar de interés para la orientación de los estudiantes y la planificación universitaria

Aprender a ser docente en un mundo en cambio. Simposio internacional

[spa] Este texto recoge el conjunto de contribuciones presentadas al simposio internacional Aprender a ser docente en un mundo en cambio, que tuvo lugar en Barcelona el 21 y 22 de noviembre de 2013, un acto organizado por los grupos de investigación consolidados Esbrina - Subjetividades y entornos de aprendizaje contemporáneos (2009SGR 503) de la Universidad de Barcelona y ELKARRIKERTUZ (IT-563-13) de la Universidad del País Vasco.El simposio nos dio la oportunidad de debatir con la comunidad educativa el sentido de ser docente en el mundo actual y nos permitió presentar y debatir los resultados del proyecto de investigación coordinado La construcción de la identidad docente del profesorado educación infantil y primaria en la formación inicial y los primeros años de trabajo (Identidoc) (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. EDU2010-20852-C02-01/EDU2010-20852-C02-02), e intercambiar con otros colegas conocimientos y reflexiones en torno a estos temas.[cat]Aquest text recull el conjunt de contribucions presentades al simposi internacional Aprender a ser docente en un mundo en cambio, que va tenir lloc a Barcelona el 21 i 22 de novembre de 2013, un acte organitzat pels grups de recerca consolidats ESBRINA - Subjectivitats i entorns educatius contemporanis (2009SGR 503) de la Universitat de Barcelona i ELKARRIKERTUZ (IT-563-13) de la Universitat del País Basc.El simposi ens va donar l'oportunitat de debatre amb la comunitat educativa el sentit de ser docent en el món actual i ens va permetre presentar i debatre els resultats del projecte de recerca coordinat La construcción de la identidad docente del profesorado educación infantil y primaria en la formación inicial y los primeros años de trabajo (Identidoc) (Ministeri d'Economia i Competitivitat. EDU2010-20852-C02-01/EDU2010-20852-C02-02), i intercanviar amb altres col·legues coneixements i reflexions al voltant d'aquests temes.

Aproximació geogràfica als projectes hidràulics del Ter selvatà (1850-1930). Reflexions a propòsit d’un llibre recent

This contribution tries to do a geographical approach about the hydraulic works in the River Ter, in the area of the Selva county. The reflections included here are based in the considerations of the research contained in the book of the historian Gerard Buxeda recently published. The interest will be focused in the scale of the projects proposed, in the differentiation of their characteristics according to the zone where will be proposed, in the relation of these works with the policy and the ideology dominant in the state, etc. In short, the aim is to frame the hydraulic works in a larger context and with the geographical specifies during the period 1850-1930

Aprender a ser docente en un mundo en cambio. Simposio internacional

[spa] Este texto recoge el conjunto de contribuciones presentadas al simposio internacional Aprender a ser docente en un mundo en cambio, que tuvo lugar en Barcelona el 21 y 22 de noviembre de 2013, un acto organizado por los grupos de investigación consolidados Esbrina - Subjetividades y entornos de aprendizaje contemporáneos (2009SGR 503) de la Universidad de Barcelona y ELKARRIKERTUZ (IT-563-13) de la Universidad del País Vasco.El simposio nos dio la oportunidad de debatir con la comunidad educativa el sentido de ser docente en el mundo actual y nos permitió presentar y debatir los resultados del proyecto de investigación coordinado La construcción de la identidad docente del profesorado educación infantil y primaria en la formación inicial y los primeros años de trabajo (Identidoc) (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. EDU2010-20852-C02-01/EDU2010-20852-C02-02), e intercambiar con otros colegas conocimientos y reflexiones en torno a estos temas.[cat]Aquest text recull el conjunt de contribucions presentades al simposi internacional Aprender a ser docente en un mundo en cambio, que va tenir lloc a Barcelona el 21 i 22 de novembre de 2013, un acte organitzat pels grups de recerca consolidats ESBRINA - Subjectivitats i entorns educatius contemporanis (2009SGR 503) de la Universitat de Barcelona i ELKARRIKERTUZ (IT-563-13) de la Universitat del País Basc.El simposi ens va donar l'oportunitat de debatre amb la comunitat educativa el sentit de ser docent en el món actual i ens va permetre presentar i debatre els resultats del projecte de recerca coordinat La construcción de la identidad docente del profesorado educación infantil y primaria en la formación inicial y los primeros años de trabajo (Identidoc) (Ministeri d'Economia i Competitivitat. EDU2010-20852-C02-01/EDU2010-20852-C02-02), i intercanviar amb altres col·legues coneixements i reflexions al voltant d'aquests temes.