Llicenciat en Psicopedagogia. Un títol polèmic?

Necessariament l'enfocament i contingut d'aquest article ha de diferir de la resta de treballs que en aquest número de la revista aborden els altres títols de l'Àmbit dé Ciències de l'Educació. La raó és molt simple: en aquest moment encara no ha conclos a la UB el procés d'elaboració i aprovació del Pla d'estudis del títol de Ilicenciat en Psicopedagogia. Potser hauria estat més adequat no incloure-hi cap comentari del Pla. La insisténcia, tal vegada en forma de raó estética, perqué no quedés el 'buit' d'un títol, la gestació del qual no ha estat exempta de polémica, ha minat la resisténcia inicial. Assumint el risc d'allo que és provisional, el contingut d'aquest treball tindra un elevat ingredient técnic, deixant de banda opinions i argumentacions de caracter disciplinari i aportant elements d'informació sobre el procés, encara inacabat, d'elaboració d'aquest Pla d'estudis.

Modalidades alternativas de reaseguro basados en la ordenación de riesgos

En este trabajo se estudian tres modalidades de reaseguro basadas en el número de siniestros: Reaseguro de los siniestros más grandes. Modalidad por la cual el reasegurador se hace cargo de los siniestros más grandes. Reaseguro de exceso del número de siniestros. En este caso la compañía cedente retiene los siniestros más pequeños, cediendo el resto al reaseguro. Reaseguro de exceso del número de siniestros, hasta un tope de siniestralidad. En esta modalidad de reaseguro, la compañía cedente retiene los siniestros más pequeños pero condicionados a que su cuantía no exceda un determinado pleno fijado por ella. De esta manera se consigue limitar la pérdida de la compañía cedente hasta un mkimo conocido. Esta última modalidad de reaseguro puede ser una buena alternativa al reaseguro Stop-loss ya que al igual que éste, elimina la probabilidad de ruina de la cedente. El estudio de estas modalidades de reasegwo pasa por tratar previamente la problemática actuarial de la ordenación de riesgos.

Aspectos socioculturales de la precariedad laboral y de su impacto

This essay analyzes the current work crisis, its individual and social influence and its implications on human development and health. It discusses the main cultural perspectives on the notion of work and presents the hypothesis of a possible influence of the cultural meaning of the concept of 'work' on diminishing self-esteem and mental health problems among unemployed people. The essay also highlights possible implications of the current situation in the future taking into consideration socioeconomic and political aspects as well as global demographic growth. Finally, the essay discusses the role that Public Health should have not only in the prevention and control of health problems among the unemployed, but also in the social, economic and cultural changes that are considered necessary to mitígate the serious social differences and to improve the current situation.

L'increment demogràfic afecte la salut genètica

Un estudi publicat a 'Science' demostra que l'augment exponencial de la població del planeta també té conseqüències mèdiques, ja que fa créixer el risc de patir malalties rares

Beyond Value-at-Risk : GlueVaR Distortion Risk Measures

We propose a new family of risk measures, called GlueVaR, within the class of distortion risk measures. Analytical closed-form expressions are shown for the most frequently used distribution functions in financial and insurance applications. The relationship between Glue-VaR, Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Tail Value-at-Risk (TVaR) is explained. Tail-subadditivity is investigated and it is shown that some GlueVaR risk measures satisfy this property. An interpretation in terms of risk attitudes is provided and a discussion is given on the applicability in non-financial problems such as health, safety, environmental or catastrophic risk management

Dollarization and the relationship between EMBI and fundamentals Latin American countries

This paper presents empirical evidence on the interrelationship that exists between the evolution of the Emerging Markets Bonds Index (EMBI) and some macroeconomic variables in seven Latin American countries; two of them (Ecuador and Panama), full dollarized. We make use of a Cointegrated Vector framework to analyze the short run effects from 2001 to 2009. The results suggest that EMBI is more stable in dollarized countries and that its evolution influences economic activity in non-dollarized economies; suggesting that investors confidence might be higher in dollarized countries where real and financial economic evolution are less tied than in non-dollarized ones.

Dollarization and the relationship between EMBI and fundamentals Latin American countries

This paper presents empirical evidence on the interrelationship that exists between the evolution of the Emerging Markets Bonds Index (EMBI) and some macroeconomic variables in seven Latin American countries; two of them (Ecuador and Panama), full dollarized. We make use of a Cointegrated Vector framework to analyze the short run effects from 2001 to 2009. The results suggest that EMBI is more stable in dollarized countries and that its evolution influences economic activity in non-dollarized economies; suggesting that investors confidence might be higher in dollarized countries where real and financial economic evolution are less tied than in non-dollarized ones.

One more lie: the Monday effect in Spain’s retail petrol market

Empirical evidence drawn from the economic literature points to a low level of competition in the retail petrol market. Similar evidence can be found for the Spanish market. In fact, both Spain’s antitrust authority -Comisión Nacional de la Competencia- and its energy regulator -Comisión Nacional de la Energía- have recently initiated disciplinary proceedings against the majors on the grounds of suspected price manipulation in the retail petrol market. They are accused of cutting retail prices on Mondays so as to distort the rank position of Spain in European Union statistics in a practice that has received the name of the Monday effect. Here, we analyze this effect by constructing a database that includes daily retail prices for all petrol stations in Spain in the period 2009-2012, and a more detailed database for the city of Barcelona in 2013. Our estimations confirm that: 1- in 2011 and 2012 prices fell on Mondays at retailers branded by majors; 2- prices were unchanged at stations in our two control groups; 3- prices were also seen to fall when a more detailed analysis was conducted, and this price cut was also found in 2013. In short, one more indicator of collusion in this sector and … one more lie.

The use of flexible quantile-based measures in risk assessment

A new family of distortion risk measures -GlueVaR- is proposed in Belles- Sampera et al. -2013- to procure a risk assessment lying between those provided by common quantile-based risk measures. GlueVaR risk measures may be expressed as a combination of these standard risk measures. We show here that this relationship may be used to obtain approximations of GlueVaR measures for general skewed distribution functions using the Cornish-Fisher expansion. A subfamily of GlueVaR measures satisfies the tail-subadditivity property. An example of risk measurement based on real insurance claim data is presented, where implications of tail-subadditivity in the aggregation of risks are illustrated.

Los Medios de comunicación : el rol que juegan los medios de comunicación en la crisis de comunicación

La relación entre las organizaciones y la sociedad es muy sutil. Debido a las diferentes motivaciones de las dos, es inevitable que tienen conflictos o disputas entre la organización y los públicos. Estos conflictos o crisis afectan mucho a la imagen corporativa y la credibilidad en el público. Cómo gestionar la crisis y conflictos de comunicación entre las organizaciones y públicos es un problema importante para los gabinetes de comunicación. Se hará la comparación entre el accidente de vuelo de Asiana Airlines y de Malaysia Airlines; y se hablará del accidente nuclear de Fukushima de 2011

Programa de prevención orientado a evitar el Juego Patológico en Adolescentes

El joc es converteix en un problema de salut quan la persona perd el control de la seva conducta, anteposant-ho a les seves obligacions socials i familiars. Diversos estudis sobre el joc demostren que és una conducta iniciada en l'adolescència. La prevenció en salut es mostra fonamental en aquesta etapa del desenvolupament del jove, moment en el qual s'estableixen patrons de conducta. El propòsit d'aquest treball és realitzar un programa de prevenció orientat a evitar el joc patològic en adolescents. Els seus objectius són: Prevenir conductes que deriven en joc patològic per a adolescents; reduir o limitar les hores de joc, fomentant conductes i activitats alternatives; i fomentar la integració i participació del jove al programa com a mitjà d'assimilació dels conceptes exposats i mantenir la seva atenció en el curs del programa. Aquest programa es basa en el model Precedeix i en la teoria Cognitiu-Social de Bandura. Està dirigit a joves de tots dos sexes, escolaritzats a Terrassa, d'entre 15 i 17 anys. Les variables d'interès són edat, sexe; edat, professió i situació social dels seus pares; entorn social, accés a internet. No es considerarà si el jove ha tingut problemes similars precedents. Constarà de sis sessions de 1h. en les quals s'explicaran les conseqüències del joc patològic i la forma d'adquisició d'aquesta conducta, la relació conductual del jove entorn del joc, els factors de risc i protecció que envolten al joc, i es fomentarà l'autoconcienciación del jove referent a la seva conducta, tenint també en compte el seu entorn social. Es realitzarà una sessió final evaluativa d'anàlisi de funcionament i avaluació del programa tant per part del jove com del ponent. Els resultats esperats de la implementació del programa són: Un millor control i coneixement del joc, reducció del temps de joc i el reconeixement de patrons de conducta inadequats per part del jove.

Pass-through in dollarized countries: should Ecuador abandon the U.S. Dollar?

In this article we examine the convenience of dollarization for Ecuador today. As Ecuador is strongly integrated financially and commercially with the United States, the exchange rate pass-through should be zero. However, we sustain that rising rates of imports from trade partners other than the United States and subsequent real effective exchange rate depreciations are causing the pass-through to move away from zero. Here, in the framework of the Vector Error Correction Model, we analyse the impulse response function and variance decomposition of the inflation variable. We show that the developing economy of Ecuador is importing inflation from its main trading partners, most of them emerging countries with appreciated currencies. We argue that if Ecuador recovered both its monetary and exchange rate instruments it would be able to fight against inflation. We believe such an analysis could be extended to other countries with pegged exchange rate regimes.

The determinants of contractual choice for private involvement in infrastructure projects in the United States

Reliance on private partners to help provide infrastructure investment and service delivery is increasing in the United States. Numerous studies have examined the determinants of the degree of private participation in infrastructure projects as governed by contract type. We depart from this simple public/private dichotomy by examining a rich set of contractual arrangements. We utilize both municipal and state-level data on 472 projects of various types completed between 1985 and 2008. Our estimates indicate that infrastructure characteristics, particularly those that reflect stand alone versus network characteristics, are key factors influencing the extent of private participation. Fiscal variables, such as a jurisdiction’s relative debt level, and basic controls, such as population and locality of government, increase the degree of private participation, while a greater tax burden reduces private participation.

A short screener is valid for assessing mediterranean diet adherence among older spanish men and women

Ensuring the accuracy of dietary assessment instruments is paramount for interpreting diet-disease relationships. The present study assessed the relative and construct validity of the 14-point Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) used in the Prevencio´n con Dieta Mediterra´nea (PREDIMED) study, a primary prevention nutrition-intervention trial. A validated FFQ and the MEDAS were administered to 7146 participants of the PREDIMED study. The MEDASderived PREDIMED score correlated significantly with the corresponding FFQ PREDIMED score (r = 0.52; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.51) and in the anticipated directions with the dietary intakes reported on the FFQ. Using Bland Altman"s analysis, the average MEDAS Mediterranean diet score estimate was 105% of the FFQ PREDIMED score estimate. Limits of agreement ranged between 57 and 153%. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that a higher PREDIMED score related directly (P , 0.001) to HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and inversely (P , 0.038) to BMI, waist circumference, TG, the TG:HDL-C ratio, fasting glucose, and the cholesterol:HDL-C ratio. The 10-y estimated coronary artery disease risk decreased as the PREDIMED score increased (P , 0.001). The MEDAS is a valid instrument for rapid estimation of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and may be useful in clinical practice.

A short screener is valid for assessing mediterranean diet adherence among older spanish men and women

Ensuring the accuracy of dietary assessment instruments is paramount for interpreting diet-disease relationships. The present study assessed the relative and construct validity of the 14-point Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) used in the Prevencio´n con Dieta Mediterra´nea (PREDIMED) study, a primary prevention nutrition-intervention trial. A validated FFQ and the MEDAS were administered to 7146 participants of the PREDIMED study. The MEDASderived PREDIMED score correlated significantly with the corresponding FFQ PREDIMED score (r = 0.52; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.51) and in the anticipated directions with the dietary intakes reported on the FFQ. Using Bland Altman"s analysis, the average MEDAS Mediterranean diet score estimate was 105% of the FFQ PREDIMED score estimate. Limits of agreement ranged between 57 and 153%. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that a higher PREDIMED score related directly (P , 0.001) to HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and inversely (P , 0.038) to BMI, waist circumference, TG, the TG:HDL-C ratio, fasting glucose, and the cholesterol:HDL-C ratio. The 10-y estimated coronary artery disease risk decreased as the PREDIMED score increased (P , 0.001). The MEDAS is a valid instrument for rapid estimation of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and may be useful in clinical practice.