Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Vocational training

Vision Development in Infants

The visual system is designed to capture light effects. The apparatus of global vision allows us to perceive images based on the amount of light reflected. Light enters through the cornea, passes through the pupil to the lens, and is then sent to the retina.

Developmental Milestones

• Newborn: Distinguishes between light and dark (chiaroscuro).
• 1 Month: Can stare at a large object.
• 2 Months: Can accommodate and converge their vision.
• 3 Months: Can follow a moving object by turning their head.
• 4 Months: Has a vertical and horizontal visual field of 180 degrees.
• 6 Months: Acquires eye-hand coordination.
• 8 Months: Examines objects with more detail.
• 12 Months: Acquires adult-like visual acuity.

Vision Disorders

Refractive Errors

• Myopia

Labor Unions: Representative Status

Requirements for Representative Status

To be considered a most representative union:

1. State Level: Must have 10% of the delegates.
2. Autonomous Community Level: Requirements vary by region.

Powers of Most Representative Unions

• Represent institutional interests.
• Engage in collective bargaining.
• Participate as partners in various forums.
• Participate in non-jurisdictional conflict resolution.
• Promote elections for staff representatives and works councils.
• Obtain temporary transfers of property for use.
• Perform any other representative function.

Business Associations

Article 7 of the Constitution protects the right to form business associations. Their internal structure and operation must be democratic. Business associations... Continue reading "Labor Unions and Business Associations: Workers' Rights" »

Operating Systems

If you have a computer, then you have heard about operating systems. Any desktop or laptop PC that you buy normally comes pre-loaded with Windows XP. Macintosh computers come pre-loaded with OS X. Many corporate servers use the Linux or UNIX operating systems. The operating system (OS) is the first thing loaded onto the computer. Without the operating system, a computer is useless. At the simplest level, an operating system does two things:

• It manages the hardware and software resources of the system. In a desktop computer, these resources include such things as the processor, memory, and disk space. On a cell phone, they include the keypad, the screen, the address book, the phone dialer, the battery, and the network connection.

Company Organization

The formal organization is the intentional setting that is made of the different tasks and responsibilities, fixing its structure so as to achieve the objectives set by the company.

The informal organization comprises a network of informal relationships that occur in the business field and have not been planned by management or established previously.

Synergy means cooperation. Synergy generates a greater overall effect than the sum of the effects that occur in each part separately.

The Division of Labor

Organizations can be hierarchically organized:

• Functional
• By product
• By markets
• Mixed

Organizations can be centralized with a hierarchical structure by levels, while non-hierarchical organizations are decentralized and have a flexible... Continue reading "Company Organization and Human Resources Management" »

Administrative Contracting: Principles and Requirements

Government contracts must conform to the principles of openness, competition, equality, and non-discrimination.

Key Requirements for Administrative Contracts:

• Responsibility of the contracting authority
• Contractor's ability and qualifications
• Clear determination of the contract scope
• Transparent pricing mechanisms
• Existence of credit application processing
• Effective enforcement provisions
• Approval of expenditure
• Proper execution of the contract

Modes of Procurement Management

Different methods are employed for awarding administrative contracts:

Auction

The administration imposes specific conditions, and contractors are invited to offer the best financial bid. The contract is awarded based on the most... Continue reading "Administrative Contracting: Principles, Methods, and Contract Types" »

Value Added Tax (VAT) in Spain

What is VAT?

VAT (Value Added Tax) is an indirect tax levied on the consumption of goods and services in Spain. It applies to the delivery of goods and services but does not apply to the Canary Islands, Ceuta, or Melilla, which have their own indirect tax systems.

Taxable Events

The following are considered taxable events for VAT purposes:

• Delivery of goods and services
• Intra-community acquisitions made by employers and professionals
• Imports of goods made by entrepreneurs, professionals, and individuals

Transactions Not Subject to VAT

The following transactions are not subject to VAT:

• Provision of services arising from labor relations or administration
• Delivery of free samples without commercial value for promotional purposes
• Delivery

After the First World War, most of the belligerent countries had suffered serious economic losses. The United States was the only exception, consolidating its position as a great world power.

The return to the pre-war economy presented many difficulties. These included:

• Dependence of European governments on the U.S. economy
• Increasing protectionism
• Rising inflation caused by an increased money supply during the war
• Rising unemployment
• A tendency towards overproduction in the economic system

The Roaring Twenties and the 1929 Crash

In the 1920s, America best reflected confidence in the future because it was the only country experiencing significant economic expansion. For this reason, much of the population took out loans and speculated on the New York... Continue reading "The Great Depression: Causes and Consequences" »

Nanotechnology

Concept

Nanotechnology is the study, design, and creation of materials by manipulating matter at the nanometer scale. A nanometer is 10^-9 meters. It is based on the fact that the properties of matter at the nanoscale are distinct from those on a macroscopic scale.

*Example:* Graphite and diamond.

Applications

• Machines and instruments capable of depositing atoms and molecules in the right place.
• Design of materials for a specific role and a lead in a specific situation.

Applications in Electronics: LEDs

LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are semiconductor devices made with crystals of indium and gallium. They replace traditional light bulbs. They do not waste heat energy; therefore, all the energy invested produces light more efficiently.

*Examples:... Continue reading "Nanotechnology: Applications, Benefits, and Risks" »

Previous Concepts

Stress: The applied force per unit area.

Elongation: Deformation of a material under the action of a force.

Reduction in Area: The decrease in cross-sectional area.

General Properties

• Impenetrability: The volume occupied by a body cannot be occupied by another simultaneously.
• Severability: Divisible parts can be increasingly smaller.
• Porosity: Having pores.
• Compressibility: The ability of bodies to decrease their volume by applying pressure.
• Affinity: The force that unites similar materials.
• Adhesion: Attraction established between bodies whose surfaces are in contact.
• Solubility: The ability to dissolve and disperse within a liquid.
• Specific Gravity: The ratio of a body's weight to the weight of an equal volume of a reference substance.

Remuneration and Social Security in Spain

Assessing In-Kind Compensation

Housing:

• 10% of the property's rateable value.
• 5% over the revised rateable value (effective from January 1, 1994).
• 5% over 50% of the wealth tax value if no rateable value exists.

Vehicle:

• Delivery: Purchase cost, including taxes.
• Use: 20% of cost and charges, or if not owned, the market value of a new equivalent vehicle.

Other In-Kind Payments:

• Loans with sub-legal interest rates: The difference between the actual and legal interest.
• Meals, lodging, travel, and tourism: Employer's cost, including taxes.
• Insurance premiums and fees: Employer's cost, including taxes.
• Worker's study costs: Employer's cost, including taxes.
• Pension plan contributions and liabilities: Full amount.
• Other: