Recognition and political accommodation: from regionalism to secessionism. The Catalan case

Having lived through a bloody civil war in the 1930s followed by four decades of General Franco’s dictatorship, the Spanish state carried out a transition to a democratic system at the end of the 1970s. The 1978 Constitution was the legal outcome of this transition process. Among other things, it established a territorial model – the so-called “Estado de las Autonomías” (State of Autonomous Communities) – which was designed to satisfy the historical demands for recognition and self-government of, above all, the citizens and institutions of Catalonia and the Basque Country .In recent years support for independence has increased in Catalonia. Different indicators show that pro-independence demands are endorsed by a majority of its citizens, as well as by most of the political parties and organizations that represent its civil society. This is a new phenomenon. Those in favour of independence had been in the minority throughout the 20th century. Nowadays, however, demands of a pro-autonomy and pro-federalist nature, which until recently had been dominant, have gradually lost public support in favour of demands for self-determination and secession. This paper analyses the massive increase in support for secession in Catalonia during the early years of the 21st century. After describing the different theories of secession in plurinational liberal democracies (section 1), we analyse Catalonia’s political evolution over the past decade focusing on the shortcomings with regard to constitutional recognition and accommodation displayed by the Spanish political system. The latter have been exacerbated by the reform process of Catalonia’s Statute of Autonomy (2006) and the subsequent judgement of Spain’s Constitutional Court regarding the aforementioned Statute (2010) (section 2). Finally, we present our conclusions by linking the Catalan case with theories of secession applied to plurinational contexts

Stress, coping and presenteeism in nurses assisting critical and potentially critical patients

Objective to verify the associations between stress, Coping and Presenteeism in nurses operating on direct assistance to critical and potentially critical patients. Method this is a descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative study, conducted between March and April 2010 with 129 hospital nurses. The Inventory of stress in nurses, Occupational and Coping Questionnaire Range of Limitations at Work were used. For the analysis, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, correlation coefficient of Pearson and Spearman, Chi-square and T-test were applied. Results it was observed that 66.7% of the nurses showed low stress, 87.6% use control strategies for coping stress and 4.84% had decrease in productivity. Direct and meaningful relationships between stress and lost productivity were found. Conclusion stress interferes with the daily life of nurses and impacts on productivity. Although the inability to test associations, the control strategy can minimize the stress, which consequently contributes to better productivity of nurses in the care of critical patients and potentially critical.


Referencial para o ensino em português língua segunda em Cabo Verde no contexto da oficialização da língua cabo-verdiana

A qualidade do ensino depende da língua em que é ministrado, conforme o domínio que dela têm os aprendentes. Historicamente, nas escolas de Cabo Verde, o Português tem sido a língua veicular e de alfabetização e é assumido como instrumento de comunicação escrita e meio de acesso a diferentes áreas de saber, já que usufrui do estatuto de língua recomendada para o ensino das diferentes disciplinas. No entanto, a UNESCO recomenda ou reconhece que o ensino deve ser iniciado e/ou realizado em língua materna, de acordo com a Declaração Universal dos Direitos Linguísticos. Todavia, a Língua Cabo-Verdiana (LCV), que tem o estatuto de Língua materna (LM), é ainda predominantemente oral, embora seja utilizada à escala nacional, a nível do quotidiano. A LCV ainda não é ensinada nas escolas, pelo que a instituição de um modelo de ensino que favoreça a situação actual de Cabo Verde exige uma complexa e reflectida decisão a tomar pelas autoridades educativas. O ensino será ministrado na Língua Cabo-Verdiana? Continuará a sê-lo em Português, como se fosse língua materna, ou como língua estrangeira, língua segunda? Ou será melhor um ensino bilingue? As respostas a estas e outras questões serão procuradas junto dos professores do Ensino Básico, alguns do Secundário que ensinam em Cabo Verde e altos responsáveis pelo sistema educativo caracterizarão o ensino, a língua de ensino no processo pedagógico, a hipótese de introdução da língua materna. É nossa perspectiva reunir ideias que justifiquem a proposta de um planeamento educativo, onde sobressaem aspectos relacionados com a escolha de língua (s) de ensino, visando introduzir melhoria na qualidade das aprendizagens, de modo a satisfazer as necessidades do país.

Premsa diària i comunicació política: La percepció del projecte de reforma de l'Estatut de Catalunya en 12 diaris espanyols

La recerca que es presenta en aquest article analitza la percepció del projecte de nou Estatut de Catalunya a la premsa espanyola. L’estudi s’ha fet a partir dels editorials i de les portades publicades en dotze diaris de tot l’Estat entre els dies 1 d’octubre i 15 de desembre de2005. El projecte de nou Estatut de Catalunya va provocar un debat sobredimensionat que va convertir els mitjans en una autèntica «arena política», un locus públic on mitjans i polítics van desplegar múltiples estratègies ideològiques cooperatives o competitives. L’article conclou que el nou Estatut va patir un rebuig sever en la majoria de diaris, especialment en alguns d’àmbit estatal, i tracta d’identificar les diferències de matís entre els dotze rotatius.El treball també dissecciona els punts forts i febles del projecte estatutari segons els rotatiusanalitzats.

Senescence rates are determined by ranking on the fast-slow life-history continuum.

Comparative analyses of survival senescence by using life tables have identified generalizations including the observation that mammals senesce faster than similar-sized birds. These generalizations have been challenged because of limitations of life-table approaches and the growing appreciation that senescence is more than an increasing probability of death. Without using life tables, we examine senescence rates in annual individual fitness using 20 individual-based data sets of terrestrial vertebrates with contrasting life histories and body size. We find that senescence is widespread in the wild and equally likely to occur in survival and reproduction. Additionally, mammals senesce faster than birds because they have a faster life history for a given body size. By allowing us to disentangle the effects of two major fitness components our methods allow an assessment of the robustness of the prevalent life-table approach. Focusing on one aspect of life history - survival or recruitment - can provide reliable information on overall senescence.

Un país amb 7 territoris

El nou Estatut d’autonomia de Catalunya (2006) preveu la creació de vegueries, enteses en la doble funció d’ens local en substitució de les diputacions i com a àmbit d’actuació perifèrica de la Generalitat. Resta per aclarir l’encaix de la vegueria amb la província estatal. Hores d’ara la planificació del territori i bona part de l’administració perifèrica de la Generalitat s’organitza en 7 àmbits, en tant que l’Estat manté inalterada la seva organització en 4 províncies. S’estudien els precedents històrics de les vegueries contemporànies i en particular el debat i gestació de 9 regions en temps de la Generalitat republicana (1931-1939). Es posa de relleu la important aportació intel·lectual d’Enric Lluch en la reforma i simplificació del mapa de vegueries (de 9 a 7). Es planteja el feixuc trànsit efectuat des de la idea de “província única” al plantejament d’un increment en el nombre de províncies-vegueries.

Chronic disease management programmes for adults with asthma (intervention Review)

BACKGROUND: The burden of asthma on patients and healthcare systems is substantial. Interventions have been developed to overcome difficulties in asthma management. These include chronic disease management programmes, which are more than simple patient education, encompassing a set of coherent interventions that centre on the patients' needs, encouraging the co-ordination and integration of health services provided by a variety of healthcare professionals, and emphasising patient self-management as well as patient education. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of chronic disease management programmes for adults with asthma. SEARCH METHODS: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) Group Specialised Register, MEDLINE (MEDLINE In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations), EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched up to June 2014. We also handsearched selected journals from 2000 to 2012 and scanned reference lists of relevant reviews. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included individual or cluster-randomised controlled trials, non-randomised controlled trials, and controlled before-after studies comparing chronic disease management programmes with usual care in adults over 16 years of age with a diagnosis of asthma. The chronic disease management programmes had to satisfy at least the following five criteria: an organisational component targeting patients; an organisational component targeting healthcare professionals or the healthcare system, or both; patient education or self-management support, or both; active involvement of two or more healthcare professionals in patient care; a minimum duration of three months. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: After an initial screen of the titles, two review authors working independently assessed the studies for eligibility and study quality; they also extracted the data. We contacted authors to obtain missing information and additional data, where necessary. We pooled results using the random-effects model and reported the pooled mean or standardised mean differences (SMDs). MAIN RESULTS: A total of 20 studies including 81,746 patients (median 129.5) were included in this review, with a follow-up ranging from 3 to more than 12 months. Patients' mean age was 42.5 years, 60% were female, and their asthma was mostly rated as moderate to severe. Overall the studies were of moderate to low methodological quality, because of limitations in their design and the wide confidence intervals for certain results.Compared with usual care, chronic disease management programmes resulted in improvements in asthma-specific quality of life (SMD 0.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.08 to 0.37), asthma severity scores (SMD 0.18, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.30), and lung function tests (SMD 0.19, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.30). The data for improvement in self-efficacy scores were inconclusive (SMD 0.51, 95% CI -0.08 to 1.11). Results on hospitalisations and emergency department or unscheduled visits could not be combined in a meta-analysis because the data were too heterogeneous; results from the individual studies were inconclusive overall. Only a few studies reported results on asthma exacerbations, days off work or school, use of an action plan, and patient satisfaction. Meta-analyses could not be performed for these outcomes. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is moderate to low quality evidence that chronic disease management programmes for adults with asthma can improve asthma-specific quality of life, asthma severity, and lung function tests. Overall, these results provide encouraging evidence of the potential effectiveness of these programmes in adults with asthma when compared with usual care. However, the optimal composition of asthma chronic disease management programmes and their added value, compared with education or self-management alone that is usually offered to patients with asthma, need further investigation.

Fenestra Oy:n tuotekustannuslaskennan kehittäminen – Case oviteollisuus

Kilpailluilla markkinoilla menestyäkseen yrityksen tulee tuntea oman tuotannon kustannusrakenne. Yrityksen täytyy menestyäkseen tarjota asiakkaalle yksilöllisiä tuotteita kilpailukykyiseen hintaan. Tämä aiheuttaa haasteita tuotannolle, mutta myös tuotekustannuslaskennalle; perinteisin tuotekustannuslaskentamenetelmin ei enää pystytä huomioimaan laajan tuotevalikoiman tuotteiden valmistuksen eroavaisuuksia. Tämän diplomityön tarkoituksena on selvittää Fenestra Oy:n tuotekustannuslaskentakäytäntöjen soveltuvuus nykyhetkeen. Vertailukohdaksi työssä määritellään vaihtoehtoinen laskentamalli tuotekustannusten laskemiseksi. Uuden laskentamallin soveltuvuutta käytäntöön tutkitaan esimerkkilaskelmin, joiden tuloksia verrataan Fenestra Oy:n nykyisen laskennan tuloksiin. Laskentamallilla aikaansaadut tulokset poikkeavat Fenestra Oy:n nykyisestä laskennasta ennakoidulla tavalla; perinteisin menetelmin valmistukseltaan yksinkertaisille tuotteille kohdistuu liikaa kustannuksia ja monimutkaisille liian vähän. Laadittu laskentamalli on diplomityön laajuuden puitteessa varsin yksinkertainen, mutta suuntaa-antava. Jatkokehityskohteena laskennan kehittämiseksi tuotannosta tulisi alkaa kerätä tarkemmin tietoa ja materiaalikäytön osalta tarkkaa hukkaselvitystä.

Concorrência e mudança técnica: aportes e limites dos modelos neo-schumpeterianos evolucionários de dinâmica industrial

This paper makes a critical survey of some recent evolutionary economic literature dealing with industrial dynamics. Although the evolutionary models of industrial dynamics has explored the relationships among market structure and the innovation process within an analytical context that emphasize non-linearity, behavioral asymmetries and the existence of selective process in the competitive dynamics of markets, have been capable of offering compatible results with industrial organization stylized facts, a lot of limitations in technical change description pointed out have able to alter in a crucial way the results attained.

Living between two cultures : personality and adaptation in Chinese immigrant youth /

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between shyness and acculturation modes of Chinese immigrant youth in Canada and whether shyness moderates the relationship between acculturation and adaptation. In addition, I examined whether shyness, in conjunction with sociability, moderates the relationship between acculturation and adaptation. Ninety-nine young Chinese immigrants (42 men), ranging in age from 16 to 26 years old, completed a questionnaire that assessed their demographic information, acculturation modes, shyness, sociability, psychological adaptation Oife satisfaction, self-esteem, and depression), and socio-cultural adaptation. Results showed that Chinese orientation was significantly and negatively correlated with age, generation status, English proficiency, and length of residence in Canada. In contrast, Canadian orientation was significantly and positively correlated with generation status, English proficiency, and length of residence in Canada. Canadian orientation was also significantly and negatively correlated with shyness and positively correlated with sociability and psychological and socio-cultural adaptation. Participants who were shyer were more likely to have poorer psychological and socio-cultural adaptation, and to report lower life satisfaction and self-esteem and higher depression. Results from hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that Chinese immigrant youth who were separated had higher scores on shyness than those who were integrated and assimilated. There were no significant differences in shyness between youth who were separated and youth who were marginalized, nor were there differences between youth who were integrated and those who were assimilated. Furthermore, integrated Chinese youth reported significantly higher scores in sociability than those who were separated and marginalized but not significantly higher than those who were assimilated.' Shyness did not moderate the relationship between acculturation modes and psychological and socio-cultural adaptation. Unfortunately, the hypothesis to examine if shyness, in combination with sociability, moderated the relationship between acculturation and psychological adaptation could not be tested in the present study because of limitations in cell sizes. The findings suggested that how Chinese immigrant youth acculturate in the receiving country might not be the crucial factor in determining their adaptation. Instead, other factors, such as personality characteristics and nature of the acculturating group, may playa more crucial role. Shyness may have important ramifications for the acculturation and adaptation of young Chinese immigrants to a new society.

Irish John Willson United Empire Loyalist Family Fonds

John Willson first came to Upper Canada along with his friend Nathaniel Pettit in the late 1700s. They both moved with their families from New Jersey where they had both been imprisioned for not siding with the rebels and maintaining Loyalist allegiences. Pettit arrived with his four daughters, leaving his son behind. Willson came with his wife and nine children. Willson received 1200 acres of land as well as 200 per child. He settled at the corner of Dorchester road and Thorold Stone Road, where he and his family did very well for themselves. Willson as well as his son Thomas ran ox-teams on the portage. His son John became the proprietor of the Exchange hotel at Niagara, and Charles operated at the Pavilion hotel at Falls View. Shortly after his arrival in Upper Canada John Willson changed his name to “Irish” John Willson, as there were 5 other “John Willsons” which appeared on the Loyalists lists. Irish John drowned in the Niagara River in 1798, and his family continued to thrive in Niagara after his death. His second son Thomas Willson, married Abigail Pettit, daughter of his Father’s friend Nathaniel. Thomas was awarded 250 acres of land as a Loyalist and 200 for Abigail, as she was the daughter of a loyalist. He became a blacksmith and also operated ox-teams along the portage. He was Assessor for Stamford Township for 1800, 1807, 1820 and 1829. During the years 1808, 1822, 1825, 1826 and 1831 he was a tax collector and overseer of Statute of Labour. Thomas and Abigail Willson had nine children together. Francis Bond Head Willson of Beaverdams (mentioned throughout the collection) was a great grandson of Thomas and Abigail. Thomas and his wife are both buried beside the Lundy’s Lane United Church. *for more information on the remaining Willson family please refer to box #1, folders 1-3. * Genealogical information from a paper prepared by Pearl Wilson and given before the Lundy’s Lane Historical Society, May 1945, by Hazel Culp Ferris. Box 1 Folder 1.

L'émergence des limites à la liberté de tester en droit québécois : étude socio-juridique de la production du droit

"Thèse présentée à la Faculté des études supérieures en vue de l'obtention du grade de docteur en droit (LL.D.)". Cette thèse a été acceptée à l'unanimité et classée parmi les 10% des thèses de la discipline.

Les difficultés d’application du droit international au conflit du Haut-Karabagh : effectivités et causes géopolitiques

Conflit présenté comme gelé, la guerre du Haut-Karabagh n’en est pas moins réelle, s’inscrivant dans une géopolitique régionale complexe et passionnante, nécessitant de s’intéresser à l’histoire des peuples de la région, à l’histoire des conquêtes et politiques menées concomitamment. Comprendre les raisons de ce conflit situé aux limites de l’Europe et de l’Asie, comprendre les enjeux en cause, que se soit la problématique énergétique ou l’importance stratégique de la région du Caucase à la fois pour la Russie mais également pour les Etats-Unis ou l’Union Européenne ; autant de réflexions que soulève cette recherche. Au delà, c’est l’influence réciproque du droit international et du politique qui sera prise en compte, notamment concernant l’échec des négociations actuelles. Les difficultés d’application du droit international à ce conflit sui generis se situent à plusieurs niveaux ; sur le statut de la région principalement, mais également sur les mécanismes de sanctions et de réparations devant s’appliquer aux crimes sur les personnes et les biens et qui se heurtent à la classification difficile du conflit.

Le statut de Rome de la cour pénale internationale et le droit interne d’un pays en situation de conflit armé : le cas de la Colombie

L'incorporation du Statut de Rome de la Cour pénale internationale dans l’ordre juridique d'un État partie représente pour celui-ci un énorme engagement envers la justice, la protection et la garantie des droits fondamentaux de la personne humaine. La situation est particulièrement préoccupante dans le cas de la Colombie où la violation de ces droits fondamentaux a historiquement été notoire au cours du conflit armé interne qui sévit encore dans le pays aujourd’hui. Du fait de la ratification du Statut de Rome par l'État colombien, ce pays a le devoir de privilégier la recherche de la vérité, de la justice, de la réparation intégrale et les garanties de non-répétition pour les victimes du conflit armé. Ce traité international vise à empêcher la mise en place de règles consacrant l'impunité et empêchant de connaître la vérité de faits, comme ce qui a longtemps été le cas dans ce pays et qui a entraîné la prolongation du conflit pendant tant d'années. L'adoption du Statut de Rome par l'État colombien a produit différents effets juridiques dans le droit interne colombien. Certains de ces effets peuvent être observés dans les lois adoptées par le Congrès de la République ainsi que dans les arrêts de la Cour constitutionnelle et de la Cour suprême de justice où s'expriment les obligations internationales de l'État, rattachées au respect du système universel des droits de l'homme. Ce mémoire vise ainsi entre autres à exposer de quelle manière les dispositions sur les amnisties et la Loi Justice et paix rendent inefficace la mise en œuvre législative du Statut de Rome en Colombie.

Étude exploratoire et comparative de la culture organisationnelle de deux commissions scolaires du Québec : une commission scolaire francophone et une commission scolaire anglophone : le point de vue de cadres intermédiaires.

Cette recherche est issue d'un questionnement personnel au regard d'impressions singulières ressenties lors de certaines interactions professionnelles avec des confrères de commissions scolaires distinctes au niveau de la langue d’enseignement. Elle compare les cultures organisationnelles de deux commissions scolaires différentes par la langue d'enseignement et de travail : une commission scolaire francophone et une commission scolaire anglophone. Ces cultures organisationnelles sont esquissées à partir de propos recueillis auprès de cadres intermédiaires issus de différentes unités administratives de chacune des commissions scolaires. Ce statut d'emploi a été choisi car ces cadres sont au cœur des flux informationnels entre le sommet stratégique et les centres opérationnels. De plus, bien qu’ils interviennent officiellement dans les processus consultatifs et décisionnels de leur commission scolaire, leurs rôles sont peu étudiés par les chercheurs en administration. Cette recherche exploratoire de deux commissions scolaires utilise une approche multiperspective afin d'éclairer les différentes facettes que peut présenter une culture organisationnelle. Trois perspectives sont considérées : la perspective de l'intégration qui explore les caractéristiques culturelles qui favorisent une cohérence des comportements des acteurs aux objectifs organisationnels; la perspective de la différenciation qui tente de discerner l'existence de sous-cultures dans les organisations; la perspective de la fragmentation qui interroge les significations particulières que peuvent attribuer, aux actions et aux décisions des pairs, certains regroupement d'individus. Deux processus d'enquête ont été utilisés dans cette recherche : l'interview semi-directif et la recherche documentaire. Les données recueillies ont été analysées selon le procédé de l'analyse thématique. Ainsi, les propos émis par les cadres intermédiaires ont été transposés en un certain nombre de thèmes en rapport avec l'orientation de recherche. Les résultats révèlent que les cadres intermédiaires sont des acteurs réflexifs dans l'appropriation, la construction et la diffusion de la culture générale de leur commission scolaire, mais également d'une culture identitaire de leur unité administrative. De plus, des différences significatives ont été identifiées, entre autres, sur l'identification des éléments culturels propre à chacun des groupes linguistiques. Alors que les cadres de la commission scolaire francophone décrivent leur culture comme une structure d'encadrement des processus consultatifs, décisionnels et d'accompagnement, les cadres de la commission scolaire anglophone mentionnent surtout des valeurs associées à des postulats de base issus de leur appartenance linguistique.