Preliminary results of the Social Impact Research Group of MEDEX: the request database (2000-2002) of two Meteorological Services

One of the aims of the MEDEX project is to improve the knowledge of high-impact weather events in the Mediterranean. According to the guidelines of this project, a pilot study was carried out in two regions of Spain (the Balearic Islands and Catalonia) by the Social Impact Research group of MEDEX. The main goal is to suggest some general and suitable criteria about how to analyse requests received in Meteorological Services arising out of the damage caused by weather events. Thus, all the requests received between 2000 and 2002 at the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya as well as at the Division of AEMET in the Balearic Islands were analysed. Firstly, the proposed criteria in order to build the database are defined and discussed. Secondly, the temporal distribution of the requests for damage claims is analysed. On average, almost half of them were received during the first month after the event happened. During the first six months, the percentage increases by 90%. Thirdly, various factors are taken into account to determine the impact of specific events on society. It is remarkable that the greatest number of requests is for those episodes with simultaneous heavy rain and strong wind, and finally, those that are linked to high population density.

Renormalization-group improvement of the spectrum of hydrogenlike atoms with massless fermions

We obtain the next-to-next-to-leading-logarithmic renormalization-group improvement of the spectrum of hydrogenlike atoms with massless fermions by using potential NRQED. These results can also be applied to the computation of the muonic hydrogen spectrum where we are able to reproduce some known double logarithms at O(m¿s6). We compare with other formalisms dealing with logarithmic resummation available in the literature.

Guidelines for specialized nutritional and metabolic support in the critically-ill patient. Update. Consensus SEMICYUC-SENPE: Oncohematological patient

Patients with cancer, irrespective of the stage of their disease, can require admission to the intensive care unit as a result of the complications of their underlying process or the surgical or pharmacological treatment provided. The cancer itself, as well as the critical status that can result from the complications of the disease, frequently lead to a high degree of hypermetabolism and inadequate energy intake, causing a high incidence of malnutrition in these patients. Moreover, cancer causes anomalous use of nutritional substrates and therefore the route of administration and proportion and intake of nutrients may differ in these patients from those in noncancer patients.

La bogeria i les construccions imaginàries a l'antiguitat clàssica : els filòsofs i els mites

El tema d'aquest treball se centra en la bogeria i la diferent visió dels filòsofs grecs i les concepcions mítiques referents a ella. La concepció de la bogeria en la cultura antiga clàssica és diferent a la concepció actual, però és mantenen encara certs mites que s'arrosseguen des de l'antiguitat. La concepció del Malalt Mental té un arrelament a voltes ancestral i forma part de cultures antiquíssimes sobre l'ésser humà que, encara ara, no s'han acabat de perdre en certs contextos actuals.

The effect of intergroup competition on group coordination: An experimental study

We report an experiment on the effect of intergroup competition on group coordination in the minimal-effort game (Van Huyck et al., 1990). The competition was between two 7-person groups. Each player in each group independently chose an integer from 1 to 7. The group with the higher minimum won the competition and each of its members was paid according to the game s original payoff matrix. Members of the losing group were paid nothing. In case of a tie, each player was paid half the payoff in the original matrix. This treatment was contrasted with two control treatments where each of the two groups played an independent coordination game, either with or without information about the minimum chosen by the outgroup. Although the intergroup competition does not change the set of strict equilibria, we found that it improved collective rationality by moving group members in the direction of higher-payoff equilibria. Merely providing group members with information about the minimal-effort level in the other group was not sufficient to generate this effect.

Jóvenes que estuvieron en el sistema de protección social a la infancia : reflexiones a partir de una investigación realizada en Girona, España = Young people who were in the child protection system : reflections from a study done in Girona, Spain

Research on residential care is still scarce despite its high implementation in Spain. This article presents the results of a research using qualitative methods. The study analyses the situation experienced by young people who lived in foster care in the province of Girona (1994-2002) based on their opinions and perceptions expressed in a semi-structured interview. The results, clustered into subcategories, show lack of knowledge about the reasons why they needed foster care, if it was better being there than staying with their parents, and the lack of support for transition to adulthood. The study shows implications for children and youth policies, professional practice and research

The Child Protection System from the Perspective of Young People: Messages from 3 Studies

This article reports findings and reflections based on the results of three different research projects conducted between 2008 and 2013 and focusing on the perspective of young care leavers in Spain. The overall aim was to examine these young people’s perceptions and evaluations of how they were treated while in the public care system, mainly residential care. Reviewing these qualitative studies, the most common and relevant issues highlighted by young people were related to the following themes: (a) entering care; (b) stability and emotional bonds in care; (c) education; (d) friends; (e) labelling, stigmatization, rights and opportunities; (f) autonomy and responsibility versus overprotection; (g) contact with parents, siblings and extended family; (h) maltreatment in care; and (i) leaving care. One of the main elements used in their assessments was comparison (i) between their previous situation within their birth family and the quality of care experienced in the residential home; and (ii) between what these young people commonly refer to as “normal children” and children in care. Recommendations deriving from their advice and opinions are also debated