Pensions, Work and Informality. A Multi-Tier Contributory Pension System

This thesis studies the relationship between pension incentives and formal labour market participation in a multi-tier de ned contribu- tion pension system. During 2008 a mayor pension reform was imple- mented in Chile, changing simultaneously the redistributive welfare and contributory tier of the system, introducing several elements to boost formal labour market participation and reduce inequalities. The expected pension wealth at retirement and the accrual rate have di er- ently changed for di erent group of the population due to the reform. I estimate the e ects of the reform on formal labour market partici- pation using two di erent empirical strategies: First, I use a di erence in di erence estimator to address the e ect of the expected pension wealth on formal labour market participation. I exploit the di eren- tial e ects of the reform on individuals belonging to di erent groups to gain identi cation. The endogenous pension wealth is instrumen- talized using time and group dummies. Second, I solve and estimate a dynamic consumption, labour supply and pension savings accumula- tion life cycle structural model. It complements the existing literature by incorporating the choice of two sectors in the labour market, the formal and informal labour sectors and by allowing for intrahouse- hold bargaining power. Households choose individuals' sector labour supply and consumption in an environment with uncertainty given by sectoral wage shocks, future marital status and future fertility choices. The main results of the thesis are threefold. Firstly, the changes in the nal pension wealth at retirement and the accrual rate have reduced formal labour market participation. Secondly, the reform has increased not only the self- nanced pension wealth but also has importantly improved the nal pension due to the rst tier reform. Finally, even though the nal pension changes have been positive for both gender, the female pension improvement has been much higher than the rise for men reducing the gender inequalities

Evaluación de las habilidades motrices básicas en el proceso de iniciación deportiva

Assessment of basic motor skills in the sports initiation process is necessary to determine the state of motor developmentt, planning training sessionst and improving skills that need to be strengthened. The objective of this research was to evaluate the motor development of children who are part of a sports initiation school at Medellín city. A descriptive quantitative research method was used, because independent variables were not manipulated and was intended a motor evaluation. The information collection instrument used was the battery of basic motor skills for Colombian children between 5 and 11 years old. The results established that the basic motor skills of locomotion and manipulation are in an intermediate phase of development and stabilization ability in a low and intermediate low state. This study allows us to conclude that it is necessary for the sports initiation processes to attend to and stimulate basic motor skills, because these are fundamental components for the processes and sports performance of children. It is also, expected that sports clubs take motor evaluations into account to guide their training processes.La evaluación de las habilidades motrices básicas en el proceso de iniciación deportiva es necesaria para determinar el estado de desarrollo motriz, la planeación de las sesiones de entrenamiento y la mejora de las habilidades que requieren ser fortalecidas. El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar el desarrollo motriz de los niños que hacen parte de una escuela de iniciación deportiva de la ciudad de Medellín. Se empleó un método de investigación cuantitativo descriptivo, ya que no se manipularon variables independientes y la pretensión fue la evaluación motriz. El instrumento de recolección de información utilizado fue la batería de habilidades motrices básicas para niños colombianos entre 5 a 11 años. Los resultados establecieron que las habilidades motrices básicas de locomoción y manipulación se encuentran en una fase intermedia de desarrollo y la habilidad de estabilización en un estado bajo e intermedio bajo. El estudio permite concluir que es necesario que los procesos de iniciación deportiva atiendan y estimulen las habilidades motrices básicas, ya que estas son componentes fundamentales para los procesos y desempeño deportivo de los niños. Se espera además, que los clubes deportivos tengan en cuenta las evaluaciones motrices para orientar sus procesos de formació

Histological evidence of superficial inflammation is associated with lower recurrence of equine sarcoids following surgical removal: A follow-up study of 106 tumours in 64 horses.

Although the equine sarcoid is the most common skin neoplasm in domesticated horses, histopathological characteristics have not previously been evaluated for association with recurrence. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate clinical and histopathological features of excised equine sarcoids and to evaluate their association with recurrence at the original surgical site and at new sites. Clinical records and excisional biopsies from 106 equine sarcoids from 64 horses referred to Leahurst Equine Hospital, University of Liverpool, between March 2010 and February 2015 were retrieved. Biopsies were re-evaluated histologically. Clinical data were obtained from hospital records, and owner-reported follow-up data were obtained by telephone questionnaire. Associations between clinical and histopathological features of sarcoids and their recurrence at the surgical site were determined using uni- and multivariable mixed effects logistic regression. Recurrence of sarcoids at the surgical site occurred in 30 horses (46.9%). Sarcoids developed at a distant site in 21 horses (32.8%). In the final mixed effects logistic regression model, only superficial inflammation was associated with reduced odds of recurrence at the surgical site (adjusted odds ratio, 0.32; 95% confidence intervals, 0.10-0.96; P=0.04). This suggests that the inflammatory process may play a role in protecting horses against the recurrence of sarcoids

Developmental Defects of Enamel in Primary Teeth and Association with Early Life Course Events: A Study of 6--36 Month old Children in Manyara, Tanzania.

Children with low birth weight show an increased prevalence of developmental defects of enamel in the primary dentition that subsequently may predispose to early childhood caries (ECC).Focusing 6--36 months old, the purpose of this study was to assess the frequency of enamel defects in the primary dentition and identify influences of early life course factors; socio-demographics, birth weight, child's early illness episodes and mothers' perceived size of the child at birth, whilst controlling for more recent life course events in terms of current breastfeeding and oral hygiene. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the high fluoride area of Manyara, northern Tanzania including 1221 child-mother pairs who attended Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) clinics for immunization and/or growth monitoring. After the primary caregivers had completed face to face interviews at the health care facility, children underwent oral clinical examination whereby ECC and developmental defects of enamel were recorded using field criteria. All erupted teeth were examined and the enamel defects were assessed on buccal surfaces according to the modified DDE Index. The prevalence of enamel defects was 33.3%. Diffuse opacities were the most common defects identified (23.1%), followed by hypoplasia (7.6%) and demarcated opacities (5.0%). The most frequently affected teeth were the upper central incisors (29.0% - 30.5%), whereas lower central incisors (4.3% to 4.5%) were least frequently affected. Multiple logistic regression analysis, adjusting for confounding the factors revealed that having normal birth weight (equal or more than 2500 g) associated with lower odds of having enamel hypoplasia [OR 0.22 (95% CI 0.1-0.7)]. No statistically significant association occurred between birth weight and diffuse opacities, demarcated opacities or combined DDE. Children with the history of low birth weight were more likely than their normal birth weight counterparts to present with enamel hypoplasia. In view of the frequent occurrence of enamel defects and the fact that hypoplasia may constitute a risk factor for future ECC, enamel defects should be included as a dental health indicator in epidemiological studies of children in northern Tanzania

A new method to quantify and compare the multiple components of fitness-A study case with kelp niche partition by divergent microstage adaptations to Temperature

Point 1 Management of crops, commercialized or protected species, plagues or life-cycle evolution are subjects requiring comparisons among different demographic strategies. The simpler methods fail in relating changes in vital rates with changes in population viability whereas more complex methods lack accuracy by neglecting interactions among vital rates. Point 2 The difference between the fitness (evaluated by the population growth rate.) of two alternative demographies is decomposed into the contributions of the differences between the pair-wised vital rates and their interactions. This is achieved through a full Taylor expansion (i.e. remainder = 0) of the demographic model. The significance of each term is determined by permutation tests under the null hypothesis that all demographies come from the same pool. Point 3 An example is given with periodic demographic matrices of the microscopic haploid phase of two kelp cryptic species observed to partition their niche occupation along the Chilean coast. The method provided clear and synthetic results showing conditional differentiation of reproduction is an important driver for their differences in fitness along the latitudinal temperature gradient. But it also demonstrated that interactions among vital rates cannot be neglected as they compose a significant part of the differences between demographies. Point 4 This method allows researchers to access the effects of multiple effective changes in a life-cycle from only two experiments. Evolutionists can determine with confidence the effective causes for changes in fitness whereas population managers can determine best strategies from simpler experimental designs.CONICYT-FRENCH EMBASSADY Ph.D. gran

Nursing Diagnosis Risk for falls: prevalence and clinical profile of hospitalized patients

Objectives: to identify the prevalence of the Nursing Diagnosis (ND) Risk for falls in the hospitalizations of adult patients in clinical and surgical units, to characterize the clinical profile and to identify the risk factors of the patients with this ND. Method: a cross-sectional study with 174 patients. The data was collected from the computerized nursing care prescriptions system and on-line hospital records, and analyzed statistically. Results: the prevalence of the ND Risk for falls was 4%. The patients’ profile indicated older adults, males (57%), those hospitalized in the clinical units (63.2%), with a median length of hospitalization of 20 (10-24) days, with neurological illnesses (26%), cardio-vascular illnesses (74.1%) and various co-morbidities (3±1.8). The prevalent risk factors were neurological alterations (43.1%), impaired mobility (35.6%) and extremes of age (10.3%). Conclusion: the findings contributed to evidencing the profile of the patients with a risk of falling hospitalized in clinical and surgical wards, which favors the planning of interventions for preventing this adverse event

Integration of Women Veterans into VA Quality Improvement Research Efforts: What Researchers Need to Know

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other federal agencies require funded researchers to include women in their studies. Historically, many researchers have indicated they will include women in proportion to their VA representation or pointed to their numerical minority as justification for exclusion. However, women’s participation in the military—currently 14% of active military—is rapidly changing veteran demographics, with women among the fastest growing segments of new VA users. These changes will require researchers to meet the challenge of finding ways to adequately represent women veterans for meaningful analysis. We describe women veterans’ health and health-care use, note how VA care is organized to meet their needs, report gender differences in quality, highlight national plans for women veterans’ quality improvement, and discuss VA women’s health research. We then discuss challenges and potential solutions for increasing representation of women veterans in VA research, including steps for implementation research

Sensitivity is not an intrinsic property of a diagnostic test: empirical evidence from histological diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We aimed to provide empirical evidence of how spectrum effects can affect the sensitivity of histological assessment of <it>Helicobacter pylori </it>infection, which may contribute to explain the heterogeneity in prevalence estimates across populations with expectedly similar prevalence.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cross-sectional evaluation of dyspeptic subjects undergoing upper digestive endoscopy, including collection of biopsy specimens from the greater curvature of the antrum for assessment of <it>H. pylori </it>infection by histopathological study and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), from Portugal (n = 106) and Mozambique (n = 102) following the same standardized protocol.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the Portuguese sample the prevalence of infection was 95.3% by histological assessment and 98.1% by PCR. In the Mozambican sample the prevalence was 63.7% and 93.1%, respectively. Among those classified as infected by PCR, the sensitivity of histological assessment was 96.2% among the Portuguese and 66.3% among the Mozambican. Among those testing positive by both methods, 5.0% of the Portuguese and 20.6% of the Mozambican had mild density of colonization.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study shows a lower sensitivity of histological assessment of <it>H. pylori </it>infection in Mozambican dyspeptic patients compared to the Portuguese, which may be explained by differences in the density of colonization, and may contribute to explain the heterogeneity in prevalence estimates across African settings.</p

Dual TNFα-induced effects on NRF2 mediated antioxidant defence in astrocyte-rich cultures: role of protein kinase activation

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) is a pleiotropic molecule that can have both protective and detrimental effects in neurodegeneration. Here we have investigated the temporal effects of TNFα on the inducible Nrf2 system in astrocyte-rich cultures by determination of glutathione (GSH) levels, γglutamylcysteine ligase (γGCL) activity, the protein levels of Nrf2, Keap1, the catalytic and modulatory subunit of γGCL (γGCL-C and γGCL-M respectively). Astrocyte-rich cultures were exposed for 24 or 72 h to different concentrations of TNFα. Acute exposure (24 h) of astrocyte-rich cultures to 10 ng/mL of TNFα increased GSH, γGCL activity, the protein levels of γGCL-M, γGCL-C and Nrf2 in parallel with decreased levels of Keap1. Antioxidant responsive element (ARE)-mediated transcription was blocked by inhibitors of ERK1/2, JNK and Akt whereas inactivation of p38 and GSK3β further enhanced transcription. In contrast treatment with TNFα for 72 h decreased components of the Nrf2 system in parallel with an increase of Keap1. Stimulation of the Nrf2 system by tBHQ was intact after 24 h but blocked after 72 h treatment with TNFα. This down-regulation after 72 h correlated with activation of p38 MAPK and GSK3β, since inhibition of these signalling pathways reversed this effect. The upregulation of the Nrf2 system by TNFα (24 h treatment) protected the cells from oxidative stress through elevated γGCL activity whereas the down-regulation (72 h treatment) caused pronounced oxidative toxicity. One of the important implications of the results is that in a situation where Nrf2 is decreased, such as in Alzheimer’s disease, the effect of TNFα is detrimental.Fil: Correa, Fernando Gabriel. University Goteborg; Suecia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Mallard, Carina. University Goteborg; SueciaFil: Nilsson, Michael. University Goteborg; SueciaFil: Sandberg, Mats. University Goteborg; Sueci

Arachnoid cyst in a patient with psychosis: Case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aetiology of a psychotic disturbance can be due to a functional or organic condition. Organic aetiologies are diverse and encompass organ failures, infections, nutritional deficiencies and space-occupying lesions. Arachnoid cysts are rare, benign space-occupying lesions formed by an arachnoid membrane containing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In most cases they are diagnosed by accident. Until recently, the coexistence of arachnoid cysts with psychiatric disturbances had not been closely covered in the literature. However, the appearance of some references that focus on a possible link between arachnoid cysts and psychotic symptoms has increased the interest in this subject and raised questions about the etiopathogeny and the therapeutic approach involved.</p> <p>Clinical presentation</p> <p>We present the clinical report of a 21-year-old man, characterised by the insidious development of psychotic symptoms of varying intensity, delusional ideas with hypochondriac content, complex auditory/verbal hallucinations in the second and third persons, and aggressive behaviour. The neuroimaging studies revealed a voluminous arachnoid cyst at the level of the left sylvian fissure, with a marked mass effect on the left temporal and frontal lobes and the left lateral ventricle, as well as evidence of hypoplasia of the left temporal lobe. Despite the symptoms and the size of the cyst, the neurosurgical department opted against surgical intervention. The patient began antipsychotic therapy and was discharged having shown improvement (behavioural component), but without a complete remission of the psychotic symptoms.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It is difficult to be absolutely certain whether the lesion had influence on the patient's psychiatric symptoms or not.</p> <p>However, given the anatomical and neuropsychological changes, one cannot exclude the possibility that the lesion played a significant role in this psychiatric presentation. This raises substantial problems when it comes to choosing a therapeutic strategy.</p