Schools In Barcelona Research Articles

Traffic-related Air Pollution and Attention in Primary School Children: Short-term Association.

Although air pollution's short-term effects are well understood to be marked and preventable, its acute neuropsychological effects have, to our knowledge, not yet been studied. We aim to examine the association between daily variation in traffic-related air pollution and attention. We conducted a follow-up study from January 2012 to March 2013 in 2,687 school children from 265 classrooms in 39 schools in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain). We assessed four domains of children's attention processes every 3 months over four repeated visits providing a total of 10,002 computerized tests on 177 different days using the child Attention Network test (ANT). Ambient daily levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and elemental carbon (EC) in particulate matter <2.5 µm (PM2.5) filters were measured at a fixed air quality background monitoring station and in schools. Daily ambient levels of both NO2 and EC were negatively associated with all attention processes (e.g., children in the bottom quartile of daily exposure to ambient NO2 levels had a 14.8 msecond [95% confidence interval, 11.2, 18.4] faster response time than those in the top quartile, which was equivalent to a 1.1-month [0.84, 1.37] retardation in the natural developmental improvement in response speed with age). Similar findings were observed after adjusting for the average indoor (classroom) levels of pollutants. Associations for EC were similar to those for NO2 and robust to several sensitivity analyses. The short-term association of traffic-related air pollutants with fluctuations in attention adds to the evidence that air pollution may have potential harmful effects on neurodevelopment. See video abstract at, http://links.lww.com/EDE/B158.

Un nuevo recurso digital para el estudio de las Bellas Artes. Visualización interactiva de los profesores y las asignaturas de la Escuela de Bellas Artes en Barcelona (1850-1900)

The main objective of this paper is to provide information on a new digital database, online and free, that displays detailed data on the structure, classes and professors working at the Barcelona School of Fine Arts between 1850 and 1900. This data has been gathered thanks to publically-financed research projects, and it is displayed in order to make it as comprehensive as possible. The aim is to reach the scientific community and the artists but also the general public. This essay explains the origins and functions of new digital resource; however the focus is on methodological issues, so similar initiatives can be developed. The resource wills to contribute to a better understanding of this School, its structure, characters and evolution, in a crucial moment in the building of modern Art Schools in Spain. At the same time, it allows users to extract specific data with which to construct chapters in the history of pedagogy in Spain, and shed some more light into the educational role and artistic production of later generations, in the 20th century.

ARTICLES - STATE AID AND NATIONAL JURISDICTIONS ∙ National Judges and Training in EU State aid Law

The latest Call from the European Commission identifies the training of national judges in EU State aid law as one of its priority areas. The number of State aid cases at the national level is increasing and present complex issue of law and economics for national judges to solve. A recent training session at the Spanish Judicial School in Barcelona reveals how a successful programme of training can be organised, highlighting the many recent State aid issues that have been identified in European Commission policy documents and Decisions and case law of the European Courts.

El �Proyecto educativo de centro� en el �mbito universitario. Reflexiones y propuestas a partir de

This work is an assessment and general reflection about the opportunity and feasibility of a specific educational project for the University of Barcelona School of Law, considering the general framework of Spanish public universities. For that purpose, the concept of specific educational project at school level is defined, and precedents identified in literature as well as in our higher educational system. Secondly, we enumerate the elements that could occasionally configure a University “School Educational Project”, based upon the academic experience of University of Barcelona School of Law. This contribution relates the core and the complementary components of the project. Moreover, some further action lines are suggested in order to fulfill the evolution of the University of Barcelona School of Law educational project. In summary, our contribution aims to create a debate, mainly between the institutions involved in Law education, but also between any other Schools or programs in public universities, about the convenience of having and publishing an explicit Institutional Educational Project at school/program level. Such type of project could be not only a key element for improving the teaching performance and the educational planning, but also a tool to set the student’s educational framework that at the end should become a main key institutional identity element.

Institutional habitus in context: implementation, development and impacts in two compulsory secondary schools in Barcelona

This article aims to revisit the relationship between school-level variables and students’ educational opportunities through the lens of institutional habitus. This approach is particularly well suited to explore the notion of school culture because it brings to the forefront the impact of social context, avoiding some of the limitations typically associated with the long-dominant perspective of school effectiveness research. Drawing on an ethnographic approach, the article explores how institutional habitus unfolds in two urban public secondary schools in the city of Barcelona. Breaking the notion down into three main components (educational status, organizational practices and expressive order), the analysis identifies two main types of institutional habitus – one based on action and inclusion, and another based on reaction and expulsion. Ultimately, these results give insight into the complex interplay of these three components, as well as on their combined impact on students’ educational opportunities.

Green spaces and spectacles use in schoolchildren in Barcelona

Myopia is one of the major causes of low visual acuity during childhood, and hence of the need for spectacles. It is generally more prevalent in urban areas where children are often less exposed to green spaces than in rural areas. This study evaluated the association between exposure to green space and use of spectacles (as a surrogate measure for myopia) in a cohort of 2727 schoolchildren (7–10 years old) recruited from 39 primary schools in Barcelona (2012–2015). We assessed exposure to green spaces by characterizing outdoor surrounding greenness at home and school and during commuting using satellite data on greenness (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index). We also obtained data on the annual average time children spent playing in green spaces through questionnaires. Cross-sectional analyses were conducted based on prevalent cases of spectacles use at baseline data collection campaign and longitudinal analyses based on incident cases of spectacles use during the three-year period between the baseline and last data collection campaigns. An interquartile range (IQR) increase in exposure to green space at home (500m buffer) and school and during commuting was associated with respectively 14% (95% CI: 2%, 26%), 27% (95% CI: 6%, 44%), and 20% (95% CI: 5%, 33%) decrease in spectacles use in cross-sectional analyses. In longitudinal analyses, we observed a reduction of 23% (95% CI: 4%, 39%) and 34% (95% CI: 2%, 55%) associated with an IQR increase in greenness at home and school, respectively. Moreover, an IQR increase in time playing in green spaces was associated with a 28% (95% CI: 7%, 45%) reduction in the risk of spectacles use in the longitudinal analysis. Our observed reduced risk of spectacles use associated with higher contact with green space calls for more refined studies of the association between green spaces and refractive errors of visions.

Diarios Narrativos: Relaciones y Encuentros en Educación Secundaria

During the academic year 2014-2015, an investigation was conducted in an innovative school in Barcelona where a teacher used personal diaries written by its students during their Catalan lessons in 2nd high school. The objective of this activity was to use this tool to work with and from the students’ emotions, and create a communication channel to enhance closeness in the student-teacher relationship that would also benefit their Catalan language learning process. The second stage of the study includes four participants: three students and one teacher. The objectives are: (a) to do a follow-up on the agents who were involved in the creation of personal diaries and (b) to see what this type of activity made them feel in terms of communication and relationship between teacher-student. The method that has guided this work is biographical narrative and some of the conclusions are that the use of narrative newspapers could be a useful tool in improving teaching and even learning itself because it helps establish links between teacher-student and because it allows expressing the experiences using language first hand.

La biblioteca de un arquitecto modernista

&lt;p&gt;El Modernismo arquitectónico de principios del siglo XX, en países como España y en particular en ciudades periféricas como A Coruña estuvo claramente influido por la Sezession vienesa. Las figura de Otto Wagner y en particular la influencia de las publicaciones especializadas sobre su obra y la de sus discípulos en las escuelas de Arquitectura de Madrid y Barcelona fueron fundamentales para este fenómeno. El análisis de la biblioteca de un arquitecto como Julio Galán que proyectó varias de las obras de arquitectura más importantes de la ciudad, confirma dichas influencias.&lt;/p&gt;

IMPROVING “JUST-IN-TIME, JUST-IN-SEQUENCE” DELIVERY IN FIRST-TIER SUPPLIERS

This paper presents an action-research project aiming at improving the performance of “just-in-time, just-in-sequence” auto parts manufacturing and delivery in three tier-1 suppliers of the Nissan plant in Barcelona. This research was conducted at the Barcelona School of Engineering (ETSEIB) and promoted by the Nissan factory in Barcelona. In this paper, first, the concept of synchronous manufacturing is explored. After several improvement ideas are spotted within the Nissan plant, the paper focuses on the suppliers. An intervention approach is proposed. Suppliers are categorized and selected suppliers are analyzed (by means of three case studies, each one corresponding to a different type of supplier). This research contributes to understanding how synchronous manufacturing and delivery can be extended to suppliers and the existing drawbacks. The critical variables in synchronous manufacturing and delivery and the relations between them are identified in a conceptual model termed the M-S Model. Implications for suppliers are derived, allowing us to improve the performance of the whole synchronous manufacturing system. A piece of software is developed to help companies schedule a smooth flow of components, making synchronous manufacturing easier. Results may help decision makers develop a supply management system, including policies, procedures and the necessary resource deployment.

Contradictory views of nursing care among students at the end of their nursing education.

To understand how nursing students at the end of their nursing education view nursing care. Although care is understood as the essence of nursing, it is often difficult for nurses to provide care, which demonstrates a contradiction between theory and practice. Moreover, it is unknown to what extent this contradiction is transmitted to future nursing professionals or how they view nursing care and its practice. Qualitative ethnographic research. The fieldwork was conducted between December 2010 - May 2012 in a university nursing school in Barcelona and two centres where students carry out most of their practical education. The data collection techniques were participant observation and focus groups. A thematic analysis was used. The students demonstrated contradictory views of nursing care. On one hand, they voiced a more theoretical, official definition where care is considered the core of the profession. On the other hand, they also expressed a view where the provision of care is not nurses' principal daily activity, a fact that did not surprise them. Students interpreted caring as an activity that has low value and that can be transferred unproblematically to other professionals. The contradictory views of care reveal a problem in the transmission of the definition of nursing to new generations of professionals and reflect a problematic professional reality where there is dissonance between how nursing is defined and how it is carried out in practice.

Friendship networks of the foreign students in schools of Barcelona: impact of class grouping on intercultural relationships

This paper account for the relational dynamics that take place in high schools: the interculturality level in the networks of foreign students. Relational networks are characterized by their composition based on origin, identifying those exclusively consisting of native students, those in which only foreign students interact, and the intercultural networks themselves, where native and foreign students coexist. At this stage, I analyse the organizational factors that impede the integration of immigrant students in relational networks with presence of native students, as well as other factors that support the establishment of such networks. Specifically, the analysis focuses on how the organization of school classrooms impact the establishment of more or less intercultural relational networks. In short, there is one concern that motivate this paper: the existence of school dynamics that enhance ethnic ghettoization within schools and, therefore, impede social integration.This research includes the analysis of all students enrolled in the last year of compulsory education (16 years-old) of eight high schools in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (for a total of 664 students from 28 classes). The analytical exploitation is based on a quantitative approach and network analysis (UCINET and Netdraw).Main findings show that the identification of the classrooms with certain ability levels seems to imply a greater barrier between classrooms, which can lead to a greater or lower relational cohesion within the class, according to school organitzation. By contrast, ability levels do not have a direct impact on the degree of intercultural contact; although they do exert a significant influence, defining the possibilities of contact between groups.

Adoption of Preventive Measures and Attitudes Toward the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic in Schools.

This study describes the perceived impact of H1N1 influenza and the adoption of the recommended measures to address the pandemic in schools. A cross-sectional self-reported survey was conducted in 433 schools in Barcelona addressed to the school principal or the H1N1 influenza designated person. A descriptive analysis was performed, stratifying by educational level and type of school. A logistic regression analysis also was conducted. Around 70% of the respondents reported that there had been H1N1 influenza cases among students, being this percentage significantly higher among those schools offering primary education (74.4%) (p < .05). The main measures (single-use paper towels, availability of sanitizer solutions and 15 minutes ventilation per day of enclosed spaces) were implemented in most of the centers. However, the correct adoption of the main measures took place in around 30% of the schools, being the percentage lower in those offering only secondary education (Odds ratio [OR]: 0.518; 95% confidence interval [CI]:0.272-0.986) and those located in medium (OR: 0.438, 95% CI: 0.234-0.811) or low socioeconomic status (SES) districts (OR: 0.321, 95% CI: 0.159-0.649). Despite the climate of social alarm, the perceived impact of H1N1 influenza in most schools was moderate. In future potential threats, the educational level and the SES of the school should be considered, especially when measures requiring purchasing any product are recommended but not provided.

Media devices, family relationships and sleep patterns among adolescents in an urban area

ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe sleep patterns and to examine the association between short sleep time and family relationships and the availability of media devices among adolescents. MethodsA cross-sectional study based on a self-reported questionnaire was performed among a representative sample of adolescents (13–19 years old) enrolled during the 2011–2012 academic year in high schools in Barcelona, Spain. Adolescents reported sleep patterns and family-related variables such as family relationships, the availability of media devices in the bedroom, and watching television at dinner. Sleep time was then calculated from sleep patterns. Multivariate Poisson regression analyses with robust variance were conducted to determine the association between short sleep time (<8 h/day) and family characteristics. ResultsA total of 51.3% of the 3492 students were girls (mean age: 15.9 years). Sleep time was shorter than recommended on school days in almost half of the compulsory schooling students and in around 75% of post-compulsory schooling students. More than 80% of adolescents had at least one media device (television, console, or computer) in their bedroom. Adolescents with a computer in their bedroom and with poorer family relationships were more likely to be short sleepers. In boys, frequently watching TV at dinner and living in a disorganized family were also associated with short sleep time. ConclusionsThere is a high prevalence of short sleepers. Media availability, media use and family relationships should be considered in multi-component educational interventions addressed to both adolescents and parents to reduce short sleep time.

Developmental Trajectories in Primary Schoolchildren Using n-Back Task.

Background: Neuropsychological instruments to assess cognitive trajectories during childhood in epidemiological studies are needed. This would improve neurodevelopment characterization in order to identify its potential determinants. We aimed to study whether repeated measures of n-back, a working memory task, detect developmental trajectories in schoolchildren during a 1-year follow-up.Methods: We administered the n-back task to 2897 healthy children aged 7–11 years old from 39 schools in Barcelona (Spain). The task consisted of 2 levels of complexity or loads (2- and 3-back) and 2 different stimuli (numbers and words). Participants performed the task four times from January 2012 to March 2013. To study the trajectories during the follow-up, we performed linear mixed-effects models including school, individual and age as random effects.Results: We observed improvements related to age in n-back outcomes d′, HRT and accuracy, as well as reduced cognitive growth at older ages in d′ and HRT. Greater improvements in performance were observed at younger ages, in 2-back, in verbal rather than numerical stimuli and in girls compared to boys. Boys responded faster at baseline, while girls showed increased growth in 2-back numbers. Children with ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder) symptoms (15% of boys and 6% of girls) had a lower working memory at baseline, but they showed similar cognitive growth trajectories in numbers variants of the task, as compared to children without ADHD symptoms. However, the age-related improvement in response speed was not observed in children with ADHD symptoms.Conclusions: Changes in n-back outcomes reflected developmental trajectories in 1-year follow-up. The present results suggest that the repeated administration of this task can be used to study the factors that may alter the cognitive development during childhood.

Food consumption frequency and excess body weight in adolescents in the context of financial crisis in Barcelona (Spain)

ObjectivesTo describe food consumption frequency in adolescents in the context of the financial crisis in 2012, and to analyse potential fluctuations in excess body weight between 2008 and 2012. MethodA cross-sectional study of eating habits and excess body weight was conducted in adolescents aged 13 to 19 years old from public, subsidised and private secondary schools in Barcelona, Spain. The FRESC lifestyle risk factors survey was used, and food frequency consumption, food recommendations and body mass index were analysed according to gender, year of education and socioeconomic status. ResultsGirls ate vegetables and fruits more frequently than boys, while the prevalence of junk food consumption was higher in boys. The prevalence of compliance with food recommendations was lower than 50% for all foods, and gender and socioeconomic differences were found for eggs, red meat and soft drinks. Regarding excess body weight, boys had a higher prevalence than girls in the 2 years analysed. Furthermore, a reduction in excess body weight was observed among girls in secondary education in the highest socioeconomic groups (28.7% [95% CI: 24.8-32.6%] in 2008 to 20.5% [95% CI: 17.1-23.8%] in 2012). ConclusionsThe prevalence of adolescents following food recommendations is low, and gender differences were found in terms of food consumption frequency, even in the context of financial crisis. There is a need to promote programmes and policies to reduce inequalities related to eating habits and excess body weight in adolescents.

Neurodevelopmental Deceleration by Urban Fine Particles from Different Emission Sources: A Longitudinal Observational Study.

Background:A few studies have reported associations between traffic-related air pollution exposure at schools and cognitive development. The role of PM components or sources other than traffic on cognitive development has been little explored.Objectives:We aimed to explore the role of PM sources in school air on cognitive development.Methods:A cohort of 2,618 schoolchildren (average age, 8.5 years) belonging to 39 schools in Barcelona (Spain) was followed up for a year. Children completed computerized tests assessing working memory, superior working memory, and inattentiveness during four visits. Particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) was measured during two 1-week campaigns in each school, both outdoors and in the classroom. Source apportionment resulted in nine sources: mineral, organic/textile/chalk, traffic, secondary sulfate and organics, secondary nitrate, road dust, metallurgy, sea spray, and heavy oil combustion. Differences in cognitive growth trajectories were assessed with mixed models with age-by-source interaction terms.Results:An interquartile range increase in indoor traffic-related PM2.5 was associated with reductions in cognitive growth equivalent to 22% (95% CI: 2%, 42%) of the annual change in working memory, 30% (95% CI: 6%, 54%) of the annual change in superior working memory, and 11% (95% CI: 0%, 22%) of the annual change in the inattentiveness scale. None of the other PM2.5 sources was associated with adverse effects on cognitive development.Conclusions:Traffic was the only source of fine particles associated with a reduction in cognitive development. Reducing air pollution from traffic at primary schools may result in beneficial effects on cognition.Citation:Basagaña X, Esnaola M, Rivas I, Amato F, Alvarez-Pedrerol M, Forns J, López-Vicente M, Pujol J, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Querol X, Sunyer J. 2016. Neurodevelopmental deceleration by urban fine particles from different emission sources: a longitudinal observational study. Environ Health Perspect 124:1630–1636; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP209

Variability in exposure to ambient ultrafine particles in urban schools: Comparative assessment between Australia and Spain

Ambient ultrafine particle number concentrations (PNC) have inhomogeneous spatio-temporal distributions and depend on a number of different urban factors, including background conditions and distant sources. This paper quantitatively compares exposure to ambient ultrafine particles at urban schools in two cities in developed countries, with high insolation climatic conditions, namely Brisbane (Australia) and Barcelona (Spain). The analysis used comprehensive indoor and outdoor air quality measurements at 25 schools in Brisbane and 39 schools in Barcelona. PNC modes were analysed with respect to ambient temperature, land use and urban characteristics, combined with the measured elemental carbon concentrations, NOx (Brisbane) and NO2 (Barcelona). The trends and modes of the quantified weekday average daily cycles of ambient PNC exhibited significant differences between the two cities. PNC increases were observed during traffic rush hours in both cases. However, the mid-day peak was dominant in Brisbane schools and had the highest contribution to total PNC for both indoors and outdoors. In Barcelona, the contribution from traffic was highest for ambient PNC, while the mid-day peak had a slightly higher contribution for indoor concentrations. Analysis of the relationships between PNC and land use characteristics in Barcelona schools showed a moderate correlation with the percentage of road network area and an anti-correlation with the percentage of green area. No statistically significant correlations were found for Brisbane. Overall, despite many similarities between the two cities, school-based exposure patterns were different. The main source of ambient PNC at schools was shown to be traffic in Barcelona and mid-day new particle formation in Brisbane. The mid-day PNC peak in Brisbane could have been driven by the combined effect of background and meteorological conditions, as well as other local/distant sources. The results have implications for urban development, especially in terms of air quality mitigation and management at schools.

El paisaje del litoral y los efectos del turismo según J.M. Sostres. El legado al turismo litoral

The article is focussed on the relationship of Sostres with the touristic architecture developed at the littoral. This analysis is made with three works of Sostres: a building –four apartments at Torredembarra- and two writings –“landscape and design” and another reproduced at the end of this article that was remained not published until today. Sostres had not the possibility of building a lot and most of his buildings he builds are dedicated to the architecture of the free time –secondary residences, rental apartments, and a hotel. That is why is relevant his production as a critic on the use of the territory for this architecture of the free time. Sostres seems to understand that this abuse of the territory is because of this new type of buildings and he made a new statement in the one that building is not the devil because landscape needs this building. The writings of Sostres state that when one has to build in this surrounding has to have some continuity with the Mediterranean tradition. In the apartments at Torredembarra we can see this tradition in the use and transformation of the type of building -botigues- with the use of the ground floor and the kind of plotting he uses. But to understand the Mediterranean tradition is not a just a reinterpretation of what he has on the surroundings, Sostres understand the landscape as a cultural tradition. That is why his buildings, I understand, are a lecture of the Greek architecture that is the architecture of the Mediterranean in Sostres mind. He was professor of History of Architecture at the Barcelona school and one of the main books he recommend was The Idea of Space in Greek Architecture of Martienssen. This article uses this text as a touchtone in relation to the four apartments at Torredembarra. In Sostres mind, the transformation of the landscape seems to be unstoppable. This transformation should have the same principles that have buildings that build the building until then.

Canine aggression toward family members in Spain: Clinical presentations and related factors

Abstract Canine aggression toward family members represents a potential hazard for the owner's health and can severely compromise the welfare of the affected dogs. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the main features of canine aggression toward family members using cases from a referral practice. The cases were examined with respect to behavioral and environmental factors that may be related to this problem. Forty-three cases of canine aggression toward family members seen at the Animal Behavior Clinic (Barcelona School of Veterinary Medicine) were analyzed and compared with 50 canine cases with no such history. A logistic regression model was applied to identify environmental and behavioral factors that may be related to aggression toward family members. Dogs adopted before 7 weeks of age and those receiving treats from the table were more likely to present aggression toward family members. Dogs presenting an underlying painful condition were also more likely to be aggressive toward family members. According to the owner's description, most of the dogs showed an ambivalent posture during the aggressive events. These findings provide an insight into some of the factors related to canine aggression toward family members and may help to develop more effective preventive and treatment strategies. Even if causative links cannot be made, our findings certainly provide direction for further investigation.

The Spanish Civil War as seen through children’s drawings of the time

This article presents the most significant results to have emerged from the research process “Documentation, interpretation and digital diffusion of the educational patrimony produced in the period 1936–1939 in the schools of Barcelona: children’s drawings”. This research set out to analyse the drawings produced by the children of the Grup Escolar Lluís Vives that reflect their everyday lives both inside and outside school during the period of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). The article begins by describing the methodology employed in our multidisciplinary study and follows by presenting the various dimensions of the lived experiences of children in wartime, understanding that these dimensions both reflect and draw on the political, educational and social context of that time. Taken together, the multiple voices of the children allow us to develop an interdisciplinary vision of the everyday life and school experiences of the children of Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War.