Discrete distributions when modeling the disability severity score of motor victims

Many European states apply score systems to evaluate the disability severity of non-fatal motor victims under the law of third-party liability. The score is a non-negative integer with an upper bound at 100 that increases with severity. It may be automatically converted into financial terms and thus also reflects the compensation cost for disability. In this paper, discrete regression models are applied to analyze the factors that influence the disability severity score of victims. Standard and zero-altered regression models are compared from two perspectives: an interpretation of the data generating process and the level of statistical fit. The results have implications for traffic safety policy decisions aimed at reducing accident severity. An application using data from Spain is provided.

A Pragmatic Intellectual: Dutch Fabians, Boekman, and Cultural Policy in the Netherlands, 1890-1940

Around 1900, the notion of community art (gemeenschapskunst) served to crystallize Dutch social democratic thinking about the role of the arts in society. Drawing on the pragmatism of leading social democrats like Wibaut, and drawing on his formal education in economics and statistics, the self‐made social democrat Emanuel Boekman redressed the utopian meaning of community art to signify the dissemination of "good" culture over all layers of society in his influential 1939 dissertation on the relation of the state to the arts. Being about facts rather than opinions, Boekman set the boundaries of his work to exclude a substantial discussion of the meaning of "good" culture. On the one hand, this pragmatism helped Boekman to gain support for government intervention for the arts over most of the political spectrum. On the other hand, Boekman thus pre‐empted discussions about the tension between "quality" and "accessibility" of the arts that haunts cultural policy in the Netherlands to this day.

Transición a la vida adulta de jóvenes con discapacidad intelectual. La opinión de los profesionales de servicios escolares y postescolares = Transition to adulthood of young people with intellectual disabilities. Views of professionals from school and postschool services

La transición a la edad adulta y vida activa es un proceso extremadamente complejo para los jóvenes con discapacidad. Para plantear propuestas de actuación que mejoren sus oportunidades de conseguir objetivos relacionados con la inclusión laboral y social en la vida adulta es imprescindible el diagnóstico en profundidad del contexto en que se construyen y desarrollan los procesos de transición. En este artículo se presenta un estudio en el que se ha aplicado el método Delphi con el propósito de obtener datos sobre la adecuación de los servicios o dispositivos que trabajan con jóvenes con discapacidad a lo largo de su proceso de transición a la edad adulta y vida activa, tanto en el escenario escolar como en el postescolar. Se han constituido dos paneles de expertos, uno con profesionales del ámbito educativo y otro con profesionales que trabajan en servicios postescolares. En ambos casos, los ejes temáticos son: visión del proceso de transición, aspectos curriculares y organizativos de los servicios, existencia de itinerarios de apoyo sistematizados, trabajo colaborativo entre profesionales, acciones de orientación con familias, adecuación de las alternativas postescolares, la formación de los profesionales, y coordinación de servicios. El análisis de los cuestionarios permite constatar las principales dificultades percibidas por los expertos en cada uno de los ámbitos y establece líneas básicas de actuación para mejorar los procesos de tránsito, entre las cuales destaca la necesidad de reforzar el papel de los equipos multiprofesionales en la articulación de redes de trabajo interprofesional

La inclusión laboral y social de los jóvenes con discapacidad intelectual : el papel de la escuela = Work and social inclusion of young people with intellectual disabilities : the role of the school

The transition to adult life from the standpoint of inclusion is a complex process, especially for young people with intellectual disabilities. This article analyzes the context of transition processes showing the main relationships and differences of the different scenarios where young people with disabilities develop personal pathways that lead to adulthood. Among these scenarios, the school -the period of compulsory secondary education- plays a key role. Therefore, a specific section is devoted to developing an approach to the role of the school in the construction of bridges that facilitate social and work inclusion. Finally, it presents some major challenges that need to be faced to improve the processes of transition from an inclusive perspective

El compromís cívic i intel·lectual d'Armand Quintana explicat per ell mateix

L’escriptor Armand Quintana i Panedas (Manlleu, 1921 – Vic, 2005) al llarg de la seva vida va desenvolupar una dilatada i extensa trajectòria cultural que fins ara ha estat poc estudiada. A partir de la transcripció fragmentària de l’arxiu sonor Autobiografia i missatge pòstum d’Armand Quintana i Panedas, conservat al fons Fonoteca Històrica Jaume Font de l’Arxiu Nacional de Catalunya, aquest treball analitza la trajectòria de l’autor i, entre d’altres coses, el presenta com a col·laborador actiu de la revista Inquietud (1955-1966), com a professor de català i agitador social i com a membre fundador del Cineclub de Vic, de la revista infantil i juvenil Cavall Fort i de la Delegació d’Òmnium Cultural a Osona.

Modelling the disability severity score in motor insurance claims: an application to the Spanish case

Bodily injury claims have the greatest impact on the claim costs of motor insurance companies. The disability severity of motor claims is assessed in numerous European countries by means of score systems. In this paper a zero inflated generalized Poisson regression model is implemented to estimate the disability severity score of victims in-volved in motor accidents on Spanish roads. We show that the injury severity estimates may be automatically converted into financial terms by insurers at any point of the claim handling process. As such, the methodology described may be used by motor insurers operating in the Spanish market to monitor the size of bodily injury claims. By using insurance data, various applications are presented in which the score estimate of disability severity is of value to insurers, either for computing the claim compensation or for claim reserve purposes.

Apoyando proyectos de vida inclusivos: claves para transformar las prácticas socioeducativas de personas adultas con discapacidad intelectual

En el marco del modelo social de la discapacidad cobran importancia la autodeterminación y autogestión de las personas con discapacidad intelectual, replanteando la relación de poder entre profesionales y usuarios. Por ello, la transformación de las prácticas socioeducativas en la construcción y logro de proyectos de vida personalizados constituye un reto para los servicios dirigidos a personas adultas con discapacidad. El objetivo del presente artículo es mostrar, a partir de la revisión de literatura y el análisis de buenas prácticas, algunos elementos clave que facilitan esta transformación. En primerlugar, se presentan las líneas principales de la nueva conceptualización de las personas con discapacidad intelectual como protagonistas de sus proyectos de vida. Seguidamente, y después de contextualizar brevemente el escenario formado por los servicios de adultos en España, se presentan algunas estrategias e instrumentos básicos para la transformación de las prácticas educativas. En las conclusiones se incide en los retos que estas claves plantean en nuestro contexto

La davallada intel·lectual és enemiga de la innovació

A més, a l'escola hi ha problemes derivats de l'accés a l'educació de nens d'estrats socials amb poc nivell educatiu. L'escola per a tothom és intrínsecament bona i desitjable, però la mescla d'alumnes amb diferents aptituds i motivacions en escoles sense mitjans no estimula els dots innats dels individus, sinó que involuntàriament frena la genialitat provocant l'avorriment dels més capacitats. L'objectiu, lloable, és aconseguir que tothom passi, però sembla que amb els recursos que tenim això només es pugui aconseguir reduint el nivell

The Management of Intellectual Capital in the Early Phases of Project Marketing

This study aims at enhancing understanding and deriving new constructs about the management of intellectual capital in the early phases of project marketing. The research methodology employed is deductive; conceptual reasoning is based on existing literature. The study's knowledge base is drawn from the bodies of literature dealing with project, relationship, and industrial marketing, as well as from the literature dealing with mechanical engineering, network approach, systems selling, R&D, project portfolio, strategic, financial, and knowledge management. As a result, three processes, 32 summaries and 19 conclusions give to the management of intellectual capital meaning in the context of project marketing. These conclusions and synthesis are proposed to improve the existing concepts and models in project marketing.

Análisis de los apoyos que reciben los jóvenes con discapacidad intelectual en su transición a la vida adulta en España: una investigación a partir de experiencias de profesionales y personas con discapacidad = Analysis of support received by young people with intellectual disabilities in their transition to adulthood in Spain: an investigation based on the experiences of professionals and people with disabilities

The objective of this study is to gather information regarding the adaptation of the range of socio educational projects and services aimed at the transition to an adult life of young persons with intellectual disabilities in Spain. The research of the study has been done in three stages. During each stage, a specific tool has been used. One to one in-depth interviews have been undertaken with 45 professionals and 20 individuals with intellectual disabilities. The Delphi method has been applied to two panels consisting of 20 experts each. Firstly, results focus on the approach to different issues related to the devices. Secondly, the training opportunities that these individuals receive to ease the transition period is addressed. And finally, the study refers to the participation of the individuals themselves and their families in the process. The developed analysis allows us to propose strategies to improve the transition to adult life

Impact of multimorbidity on disability and quality of life in the spanish older population

BACKGROUND: Population aging is closely related to high prevalence of chronic conditions in developed countries. In this context, health care policies aim to increase life span cost-effectively while maintaining quality of life and functional ability. There is still, however, a need for further understanding of how chronic conditions affect these health aspects. The aim of this paper is to assess the individual and combined impact of chronic physical and mental conditions on quality of life and disability in Spain, and secondly to show gender trends. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were collected from the COURAGE study. A total of 3,625 participants over 50 years old from Spain were included. Crude and adjusted multiple linear regressions were conducted to detect associations between individual chronic conditions and disability, and between chronic conditions and quality of life. Separate models were used to assess the influence of the number of diseases on the same variables. Additional analogous regressions were performed for males and females. RESULTS: All chronic conditions except hypertension were statistically associated with poor results in quality of life and disability. Depression, anxiety and stroke were found to have the greatest impact on outcomes. The number of chronic conditions was associated with substantially lower quality of life [β for 4+ diseases: -18.10 (-20.95,-15.25)] and greater disability [β for 4+ diseases: 27.64 (24.99,30.29]. In general, women suffered from higher rates of multimorbidity and poorer results in quality of life and disability. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic conditions impact greatly on quality of life and disability in the older Spanish population, especially when co-occurring diseases are added. Multimorbidity considerations should be a priority in the development of future health policies focused on quality of life and disability. Further studies would benefit from an expanded selection of diseases. Policies should also deal with gender idiosyncrasy in certain cases.

Estudi comparatiu de la qualitat de vida dels discapacitats intel·lectuals i del desenvolupament en els centres penitenciaris de Catalunya

El present estudi té com a objectiu principal conèixer la qualitat de vida que presenten les persones amb discapacitat intel·lectual i del desenvolupament (DID) que es troben complint condemna en els centres penitenciaris de Catalunya. També pretén explorar i descriure les característiques sociodemogràfiques i criminològiques dels interns amb DID que es troben ubicats als diferents centres penitenciaris, i a diferents unitats o mòduls residencials, així com comparar la qualitat de vida dels interns que estan en el Departament d’Atenció Especialitzada per la DID (DAE-DID) del Centre Penitenciari de Quatre Camins, en funcionament des de juny del 2013, amb la d’altres interns amb DID que es troben complint condemna a d’altres centres penitenciaris de Catalunya, i amb els quals s’intervé de forma menys intensiva. També s’analitzaran les diferències en la qualitat de vida dels DID que estan a presó i els DID amb trastorns de conducta que estan ingressats en centres residencials del medi comunitari. La mostra es va composar de 185 subjectes. Els professionals que tenen contacte amb ells van respondre l’Escala GENCAT (Verdugo, Arias, Gómez, Schalock, 2009). Les diferències trobades en aquest estudi indiquen que els interns amb DID que resideixen al DAE i aquells interns dels quals es té sospita de presència de discapacitat i que no es troben atesos pel programa Accepta presenten un nivells de qualitat de vida similars i significativament superiors als d’aquells interns amb DID atesos pel programa Accepta, apuntant en la línia que els interns ja diagnosticats amb DID estan millor si s’ubiquen en mòduls específics, al marge del funcionament ordinari del centre. Malgrat això, el nivell de qualitat de vida que presenten aquests dos grups no és superior a aquell que presenten els interns sense discapacitat. Tanmateix, el nivell de qualitat de vida dels discapacitats a presons és superior al d’aquelles persones discapacitades que es troben ingressades a centres de la xarxa comunitària. En l’estudi s’apunten alguns possibles factors que poden estar influenciant aquest resultat.