Temporary employment in advanced economies: drawing lessons from Spain

This study analyses the determinants of the rate of temporary employment in various OECD countries using both macro-level data drawn from the OECD and EUROSTAT databases, as well as micro-level data drawn from the 8th wave of the European Household Panel. Comparative analysis is set out to test different explanations originally formulated for the Spanish case. The evidence suggests that the overall distribution of temporary employment in advanced economies does not seem to be explicable by the characteristics of national productive structures. This evidence seems at odds with previous interpretations based on segmentation theories. As an alternative explanation, two types of supply-side factors are tested: crowding-out effects and educational gaps in the workforce. The former seems non significant, whilst the effects of the latter disappear after controlling for the levels of institutional protection in standard employment during the 1980s. Multivariate analysis shows that only this latter institutional variable, together with the degree of coordinated centralisation of the collective bargaining system, seem to have a significant impact on the distribution of temporary employment in the countries examined. On the basis of this observation, an explanation of the very high levels of temporary employment observed in Spain is proposed. This explanation is consistent with both country-specific and comparative evidence.

The referent : a new referential methodology and procedure in live drawing

My research in live drawing and new technologies uses a combination of a human figure in live in composition, overlaid with a digital projection of a second human figure. The aim is to explore, to amplify and thoroughly analyse the search for distinctive identities and graphic languages of representation for live and projected models.

Getting to know about health and safety related to products used in painting, drawing and printmakin

Practicing art is not a high risk activity. This statement, along with the creative, expressive and intangible aims of this activity, as well as the lack of information, promotion of safety awareness and training of thepeople in charge of art studios, may have pushed the implications of practicing art as regards health, safety and environment into the background. Faced with this prospect, a comprehensive study of the facilities and the activities carried out in art studios becomes necessary. The study concerns experimental activities involving Health and Safety risks for both the artists and the teachers and students, especially those carried out in the studios located in educational institutions.

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.

Dibuixar un arbre / Drawing a Tree

L’arbre, un dels símbols més universals i un element intrínsecament vinculat al desenvolupament de la nostra cultura, esdevé, en aquest llibre, el pretext idoni per donar a conèixer alguns dels interrogants que la vivència de l’art contemporani planteja. L’artista Àlex Nogué obre les portes del seu procés de creació per fer visible com es desencadena la gènesi d’una obra d’art i posa a la llum les incerteses, les intuïcions i les aspiracions que comporta la creació artística. Dibuixar un arbre tracta de les similituds entre l’emoció que produeix un plançó al mig d’un bosc i l’emoció de traslladar-lo fins a l’interior d’una presó. De les diferències de dibuixar un xiprer dret o abatut. Dels silencis i dels sorolls de les imatges. Del que una obra pretén i del que mai aconsegueix. Les imatges i els textos d’aquest llibre ens permeten transitar per l’interior de vuit processos de creació i ens mostren com els treballs artístics neixen i creixen. Per emmarcar l’experiència creativa en el context cultural contemporani, Dibuixar unarbre s’inicia amb cinc reflexions d’autors que han viscut amb empatia aquest recorregutcreatiu. Ells mateixos estan immersos de manera apassionada en la creació, producció,difusió o direcció de projectes creatius, i són: Eudald Camps, Xavier Franquesa, Rosa Pera, Víctor Sunyol i Àngels Viladomiu.

An open source browser-based software tool for graph drawing and visualisation

In this research work we searched for open source libraries which supports graph drawing and visualisation and can run in a browser. Subsequent these libraries were evaluated to find out which one is the best for this task. The result was the d3.js is that library which has the greatest functionality, flexibility and customisability. Afterwards we developed an open source software tool where d3.js was included and which was written in JavaScript so that it can run browser-based.

WebGraphEd, an open source graph drawing editor for the web

WebGraphEd is an open source software for graph visualization and manipulation. It is especially designed to work for the web platform through a web browser. The web application has been written in JavaScript and compacted later, which makes it a very lightweight software. There is no need of additional software, and the only requirement is to have an HTML5 compliant browser. WebGraphEd works with scalable vector graphics (SVG), which it makes possible to create lossless graph drawings.

L'autoetnografia com a memòria de trànsit

Projecte realitzat en el Departament de dibuix de la Facultat de Belles Arts, a la Universitat de Barcelona, durant el segon curs de Doctorat, en el seminari que a càrrec de Fernando Hernandez on treballem l’ Autoetnografia Narrativa. Aquesta és una investigació que no té un caràcter individual marcat tan sols per la meva veu, sinó que més aviat la configuren també tots els companys de Seminari, amb ells i a través d’ells he aconseguit aprendre molts factors que intento quedin reflectits en el texte que presento i que treballo des de l’Educació Artística i la Cultura Visual. Durant aquest any me n’he adonat de què l’aprenentatge es realitza i té molt a veure amb les vivències que cada un de nosaltres construeix en societat, en elles centro les següents pàgines que per mí són l’inici d’un recorregut cap a un nou coneixement. Intento en tot moment tenir present el grup amb el qual he tingut la possibilitat de treballar durant aquest any i des del qual he pogut treballar-me com a subjecte educadora. D’aquesta manera i des de mí presento la meva contribució a n’aquest construir aprenentatge en societat, a partir de la següent narració.

Exploring Determinants of Urban Motorcycle Accident Severity: The Case of Barcelona

Public authorities and road users alike are increasingly concerned by recent trends in road safety outcomes in Barcelona, which is the European city with the highest number of registered Powered Two-Wheel (PTW) vehicles per inhabitant,. In this study we explore the determinants of motorcycle and moped accident severity in a large urban area, drawing on Barcelona’s local police database (2002-2008). We apply non-parametric regression techniques to characterize PTW accidents and parametric methods to investigate the factors influencing their severity. Our results show that PTW accident victims are more vulnerable, showing greater degrees of accident severity, than other traffic victims. Speed violations and alcohol consumption provide the worst health outcomes. Demographic and environment-related risk factors, in addition to helmet use, play an important role in determining accident severity. Thus, this study furthers our understanding of the most vulnerable vehicle types, while our results have direct implications for local policy makers in their fight to reduce the severity of PTW accidents in large urban areas.

Desenvolupament d'un servidor d'informació geogràfica

L'explosió d'aplicacions a Internet basades en oferir serveis de localització, com són portals web de mobilitat o aplicacions de seguiment de vehicles en línia han motivat aquest projecte. Google Maps ens permet afegir mapes fàcilment en un lloc web amb la seva API, però OpenLayers, una llibreria JavaScript lliure ens dóna l'opció de carregar cobertures de mapa i marcadors des de qualsevol font. OpenStreetMap proporciona dades geogràfiques de manera lliure, com per exemple mapes de carrers i carreteres. Un estudi acurat de l'estructura i agrupació de les dades en el format OSM i el desenvolupament d'un servidor basat en el model de tessel·les, són els principals elements de partida per crear la nostra pròpia font de dades cartogràfiques. En aquest projecte s'analitza i processa DXF Drawing eXchange Format passant al format OSM. Un fitxer OSM conté la informació geogràfica necessària per a la base de dades espaial a partir de la qual, entre d'altres aplicacions, es podran visualitzar els mapes propis en una aplicació de seguiment de vehicles o en un portal web.

Iconografia de Pèl & Ploma

Treball de recerca realitzat per alumnes d'ensenyament secundari i guardonat amb un Premi CIRIT per fomentar l'esperit científic del Jovent l'any 2009. Aquesta recerca ha consistit en fer una base de dades a partir de la iconografia de la revista modernista ''Pèl&Ploma''. Es tracta de fer un inventari de les il•lustracions que hi surten des de la primera publicació -3 de juny de 1899- fins a la número 76, publicat el 15 de maig de 1901. S’ha fet una fitxa de cadascuna de les imatges on s’hi recull: el nom de l'autor, el títol de l'obra, el número de la revista i la pàgina on apareix, la tècnica utilitzada i un petit comentari. A més, inclou una introducció general sobre la revista i una fitxa bibliogràfica de cada artista que hi participa.

Some Considerations Concerning Regulation and Competition in the Port Sector

The aim of this paper is to discuss the circumstances in which the process of competition between ports takes place in Spain − circumstances arising from the way the port system is currently set up and from the regulations governing it. The importance of this matter lies both in the fact that intensified competition between ports is the way to set about boosting the efficiency of the Spanish port sector and in the relevance of this business to the economies of the regions in which the ports are located. It is precisely for this reason that the reform instituted in 1992 aimed to combine balanced development of the national port system with the defence of the interests of autonomous regions. To this end the current regulatory framework provides for the possibility of port authorities drawing up their own competitive strategies, but makes their implementation conditional upon approval of their business plan by the Spanish state port authority. The latter body coordinates the national port system to ensure the guidelines set by the central government authorities are followed in the field of transport. However, the scale of the differences which exist among both the size of facilities and their relevant markets on the one hand, and the financial and economic circumstances of each of them on the other, suggest that each port authority's needs must be very different. Consequently, their competitive strategies must also be very different. It is therefore valid to ask whether coping with this diversity calls for different guidelines to regulate their freedom of action. Key words: Competition, regulation, port sector JEL classification numbers: L1, L5, L9