Learning to live together: an exploration and analysis of managing cultural diversity in ten early childhood development centres in South Africa

This study explores how South African Early Childhood Development (ECD) Practitioners and families meet the needs of the increasing number of children from diverse cultural backgrounds in their care. Research participants were identified through ten ECD centres located in two urban communities in the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa. The values and attitudes held by Practitioners and families vis-à-vis cultural diversity was investigated, along with the knowledge and strategies they employ to manage cultural diversity in ECD programmes. The intercultural education model provides the necessary tools to address the challenges identified.

Preserving memories on-line : the exhibition 'Memories of our childhood' and the Catalan Immigration History Museum

Gràcies a la introducció d'Internet, les institucions de la memòria poden anar ara un pas endavant i proporcionar narratives i documentació en línia. La present comunicació intenta descobrir com poden ser utilitzades les memòries en línia basant-se en dues experiències: una exposició de nens de la guerra i un portal d'immigració.

Intermediary and structural determinants of early childhood health in Colombia: exploring the role of communities

This study examines how structural determinants influence intermediary factors of child health inequities and how they operate through the communities where children live. In particular, we explore individual, family and community level characteristics associated with a composite indicator that quantitatively measures intermediary determinants of early childhood health in Colombia. We use data from the 2010 Colombian Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). Adopting the conceptual framework of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH), three dimensions related to child health are represented in the index: behavioural factors, psychosocial factors and health system. In order to generate the weight of the variables and take into account the discrete nature of the data, principal component analysis (PCA) using polychoric correlations are employed in the index construction. Weighted multilevel models are used to examine community effects. The results show that the effect of household’s SES is attenuated when community characteristics are included, indicating the importance that the level of community development may have in mediating individual and family characteristics. The findings indicate that there is a significant variance in intermediary determinants of child health between-community, especially for those determinants linked to the health system, even after controlling for individual, family and community characteristics. These results likely reflect that whilst the community context can exert a greater influence on intermediary factors linked directly to health, in the case of psychosocial factors and the parent’s behaviours, the family context can be more important. This underlines the importance of distinguishing between community and family intervention programmes.

Theorizing institutional changes: understanding decentralization and federalization in Brazil, Spain and South Africa

In light of the existing theories about institutional change, this paper seeks to advance a common framework to understand the unfolding of decentralization and federalization in three countries: Brazil, Spain, and South Africa. Although in different continents, these three countries witnessed processes after their respective transitions to democracy that transferred administrative and fiscal authority to their regions (decentralization) and vertically distributed political and institutional capacity (federalization). This paper attempts to explain how institutional changes prompted a shift of power and authority towards regional governments by looking at internal sources of change within the intergovernmental arena in the three countries. This analysis is organized around two propositions: that once countries transit to democracy under all-encompassing constitutions there are high incentives for institutional change, and that under a bargained intergovernmental interaction among political actors subnational political elites are able to advance their interests incrementally. In short, through a common framework this paper will explain the evolving dynamics of intergovernmental dynamics in three countries.

Childhood adversity and psychosis: examinig whether the association is due to genetic confounding using a monozygotic twin differences approach

Purpose: To test whether the association between childhood adversity and positive and negative psychotic experiences is due to genetic confounding. Method: Childhood adversity and psychotic experiences were assessed in a sample of 226 twins from the general population. A monozygotic (MZ) twin differences approach was used to assess possible genetic confounding. Results: In the whole sample, childhood adversity was significantly associated with positive (β =.45; SE=.16; p=.008) and negative psychotic experiences (β=.77; SE=.18; p<.01). Within-pair MZ twin differences in exposure to childhood adversity were significantly associated with differences in positive (β =.71; SE=.29; p=.016) and negative psychotic experiences (β =.98; SE=.38; p=.014) in a subsample of 86 MZ twin pairs. Conclusions: Individuals exposed to childhood adversity are more likely to report psychotic experiences. Furthermore, our findings indicate that unique environmental effects of childhood adversity contribute to the development of psychotic experiences.

"Maurice" de James Ivory . ¿Traïció a la Tradició Clàssica en adaptar la novel·la d'E. M. Forster?

D'acord amb els estudis sobre literatura i cinema i des del punt de vista de la influència de la Tradició Clàssica -Tradició Grega Clàssica, en aquest cas-, aquest article és una anàlisi acurada de les traïcions inevitables -fins a un cert punt- dels guionistes respecte dels textos literaris que adapten. Tanmateix, malgrat ser pràcticament inevitable, el Dr. Pau Gilabert Barberà indica quins són en opinió seva els límits que Ivory/Hesketh-Harvey no haurien d'haver ultrapassat a fir de no diluir el temperament hel·lènic de "Maurice" d'E. M. Forster.

"Maurice" de James Ivory . ¿Traición a la Tradición Clásica al adaptar la novela de E. M. Forster?

De acuerdo con los estudios sobre literatura y cine y desde el punto de vista de la influencia de la Tradición Clásica -Tradición Griega Clásica, en este caso-, este artículo es un análisis minucioso de las traiciones inevitables ¿hasta un cierto punto- de los guionistas a los textos literarios que adaptan. Sin embargo, a pesar de ser prácticamente inevitable, el Dr. Pau Gilabert Barberà indica cuáles son en su opinión los límites más allá de los cuales Ivory/Hesketh-Harvey no deberían haber ido a fin de no diluir el temperamento helénico de "Maurice" de E. M. Forster.

Dover, Kenneth James: "Homosexualidad griega", Barcelona

Publicado en inglés en el año 1978, el libro de K. J. Dover Homosexualidad griega se considera el primer ensayo serio dedicado a la homosexualidad masculina en la Grecia clásica. Éste y otros trabajos del mismo autor tuvieron influencia importante en los dos volúmenes centrados en la antigüedad de Histoire de la sexualité de Michel Foucault, de quién la edición española incluye como prólogo la reseña que el filósofo escribió a raíz de la edición francesa de la obra de K. J. Dover en 1982. La presente edición incluye, además, un actualizado apartado bibliográfico sobre la sexualidad en el mundo grecorromano y la homosexualidad en Grecia.

Perceptions of diabetes obtained through drawing in childhood and adolescence

Objective: To examine whether drawing is useful in the detection of problems of psychosocial adaptation in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and in improving communication with health professionals. Methods: We performed an exploratory descriptive study in 199 children and adolescents with T1D aged 413 years. The participants were asked to render a drawing on a suggested topic. The variables analyzed were related to the drawing and to clinical and sociodemographic data. Results: Most participants showed evidence of having a well-balanced personality, but there were also signs of affective or psychosocial difficulties. Conclusion: Drawing is a useful technique by which to identify children"s and adolescents" feelings and possible problems in adapting to T1D, as well as to gain information directly from the children themselves. Future studies should delimit the possibilities of this technique in clinical practice in greater detail.

Perceptions of diabetes obtained through drawing in childhood and adolescence

Objective: To examine whether drawing is useful in the detection of problems of psychosocial adaptation in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and in improving communication with health professionals. Methods: We performed an exploratory descriptive study in 199 children and adolescents with T1D aged 413 years. The participants were asked to render a drawing on a suggested topic. The variables analyzed were related to the drawing and to clinical and sociodemographic data. Results: Most participants showed evidence of having a well-balanced personality, but there were also signs of affective or psychosocial difficulties. Conclusion: Drawing is a useful technique by which to identify children"s and adolescents" feelings and possible problems in adapting to T1D, as well as to gain information directly from the children themselves. Future studies should delimit the possibilities of this technique in clinical practice in greater detail.

Dover, Kenneth James: "Homosexualidad griega", Barcelona

Publicado en inglés en el año 1978, el libro de K. J. Dover Homosexualidad griega se considera el primer ensayo serio dedicado a la homosexualidad masculina en la Grecia clásica. Éste y otros trabajos del mismo autor tuvieron influencia importante en los dos volúmenes centrados en la antigüedad de Histoire de la sexualité de Michel Foucault, de quién la edición española incluye como prólogo la reseña que el filósofo escribió a raíz de la edición francesa de la obra de K. J. Dover en 1982. La presente edición incluye, además, un actualizado apartado bibliográfico sobre la sexualidad en el mundo grecorromano y la homosexualidad en Grecia.

Prediction of Childhood Asthma Using Conditional Probability and Discrete Event Simulation

Abstract: Asthma prevalence in children and adolescents in Spain is 10-17%. It is the most common chronic illness during childhood. Prevalence has been increasing over the last 40 years and there is considerable evidence that, among other factors, continued exposure to cigarette smoke results in asthma in children. No statistical or simulation model exist to forecast the evolution of childhood asthma in Europe. Such a model needs to incorporate the main risk factors that can be managed by medical authorities, such as tobacco (OR = 1.44), to establish how they affect the present generation of children. A simulation model using conditional probability and discrete event simulation for childhood asthma was developed and validated by simulating realistic scenario. The parameters used for the model (input data) were those found in the bibliography, especially those related to the incidence of smoking in Spain. We also used data from a panel of experts from the Hospital del Mar (Barcelona) related to actual evolution and asthma phenotypes. The results obtained from the simulation established a threshold of a 15-20% smoking population for a reduction in the prevalence of asthma. This is still far from the current level in Spain, where 24% of people smoke. We conclude that more effort must be made to combat smoking and other childhood asthma risk factors, in order to significantly reduce the number of cases. Once completed, this simulation methodology can realistically be used to forecast the evolution of childhood asthma as a function of variation in different risk factors.

Roumanian childhood and adolescence in transnational migrations

This book offers the reader the study and the conclusions obtained from theresearch made in Spain in the frame of the JUST/2009/FRAC/AG/0933 project,“Children’s rights in action. Improving children’s rights in migration acrossEurope. The Romanian case”. A project funded by the Department of FundamentalRights and Citizenship of the European Commission. This research wascarried out in Spain, Italy and Romania between October 2010 and June 2012,performing activities to spread the results obtained until March 2013.