El impacto de las microfinanzas sobre el crecimiento económico de los países en vías de desarrollo

Con el nacimiento y expansión de los microcréditos se ha abierto una nueva vía de financiación hacia los sectores de la población que carecen de medios pecuniarios. Estratos sociales que hasta ese momento no habían tenido acceso a posibilidades de financiación comienzan a adquirirla gracias a las salidas abiertas por las Instituciones Microfinacieras. En teoría, este fenómeno de divulgación de los microcréditos debería haber contribuido a la profundización financiera de los países implicados. Y basándonos en este supuesto, la sobresaliente ampliación de la financiación debería haber tenido un resultado concreto sobre el crecimiento económico. El estudio se centra por tanto, en el análisis del impacto que las microfinanzas tienen a nivel macroeconómico para lo cual se ha empleado, previa justificación, una variable para medir la microfinanciación. Este análisis se enmarca dentro de la rama de estudios que observa el comportamiento del binomio desarrollo financiero-crecimiento económico. Nuestra conjetura apunta a que se habría producido un movimiento a escala nacional como consecuencia de las millonarias operaciones efectuadas a escala doméstic

Strength tests on asphalt mixes attacked by motor fuels. Recommendations on bath immersion times

[Abstract:] One of the limitations of asphalt mixes as pavement materials is their poor resistance to attack from crude oil-based motor fuels. Several procedures exist for determining the resistance of asphalt materials to motor fuel action. Different test standards can be found for fillers and surface dressings in both the US and European series. However, where the assessment of asphalt mixes themselves are concerned, there is a considerable lack of standardisation. This paper reports on laboratory studies on certain essential aspects of the procedures for assessing the strength of asphalt mixes in respect of motor fuel attack, chiefly the time the mix is exposed to the fuel. Based on the research results, the paper makes some good-practice recommendations for weight-loss procedures after immersion in motor fuel, with or without subsequent brushing, and in respect of the Marshall stability preserved after immersion. In relation to the immersion period and in view of the laboratory findings and their subsequent statistical processing, one of the factors with the greatest influence is the recommendation that the immersion period should be 24 hours, except in the weight-loss test subseuent to immersion without any brushing where the results obtained prove to be more significant if the immersion period is seven days

Healthcare workers hospitalized due to COVID-19 have no higher risk of death than general population. Data from the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 Registry

Aim To determine whether healthcare workers (HCW) hospitalized in Spain due to COVID-19 have a worse prognosis than non-healthcare workers (NHCW). Methods Observational cohort study based on the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry, a nationwide registry that collects sociodemographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment data on patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Spain. Patients aged 20-65 years were selected. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to identify factors associated with mortality. Results As of 22 May 2020, 4393 patients were included, of whom 419 (9.5%) were HCW. Median (interquartile range) age of HCW was 52 (15) years and 62.4% were women. Prevalence of comorbidities and severe radiological findings upon admission were less frequent in HCW. There were no difference in need of respiratory support and admission to intensive care unit, but occurrence of sepsis and in-hospital mortality was lower in HCW (1.7% vs. 3.9%; p = 0.024 and 0.7% vs. 4.8%; p<0.001 respectively). Age, male sex and comorbidity, were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality and healthcare working with lower mortality (OR 0.211, 95%CI 0.067-0.667, p = 0.008). 30-days survival was higher in HCW (0.968 vs. 0.851 p<0.001). Conclusions Hospitalized COVID-19 HCW had fewer comorbidities and a better prognosis than NHCW. Our results suggest that professional exposure to COVID-19 in HCW does not carry more clinical severity nor mortality

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Effectiveness of an intervention for improving drug prescription in primary care patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy:Study protocol of a cluster randomized clinical trial (Multi-PAP project)

This study was funded by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias ISCIII (Grant Numbers PI15/00276, PI15/00572, PI15/00996), REDISSEC (Project Numbers RD12/0001/0012, RD16/0001/0005), and the European Regional Development Fund ("A way to build Europe").Background: Multimorbidity is associated with negative effects both on people's health and on healthcare systems. A key problem linked to multimorbidity is polypharmacy, which in turn is associated with increased risk of partly preventable adverse effects, including mortality. The Ariadne principles describe a model of care based on a thorough assessment of diseases, treatments (and potential interactions), clinical status, context and preferences of patients with multimorbidity, with the aim of prioritizing and sharing realistic treatment goals that guide an individualized management. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a complex intervention that implements the Ariadne principles in a population of young-old patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy. The intervention seeks to improve the appropriateness of prescribing in primary care (PC), as measured by the medication appropriateness index (MAI) score at 6 and 12months, as compared with usual care. Methods/Design: Design:pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial. Unit of randomization: family physician (FP). Unit of analysis: patient. Scope: PC health centres in three autonomous communities: Aragon, Madrid, and Andalusia (Spain). Population: patients aged 65-74years with multimorbidity (≥3 chronic diseases) and polypharmacy (≥5 drugs prescribed in ≥3months). Sample size: n=400 (200 per study arm). Intervention: complex intervention based on the implementation of the Ariadne principles with two components: (1) FP training and (2) FP-patient interview. Outcomes: MAI score, health services use, quality of life (Euroqol 5D-5L), pharmacotherapy and adherence to treatment (Morisky-Green, Haynes-Sackett), and clinical and socio-demographic variables. Statistical analysis: primary outcome is the difference in MAI score between T0 and T1 and corresponding 95% confidence interval. Adjustment for confounding factors will be performed by multilevel analysis. All analyses will be carried out in accordance with the intention-to-treat principle. Discussion: It is essential to provide evidence concerning interventions on PC patients with polypharmacy and multimorbidity, conducted in the context of routine clinical practice, and involving young-old patients with significant potential for preventing negative health outcomes. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02866799Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Guaranteed Crowdlending Loans: A Tool for Entrepreneurial Finance Ecosystem Sustainability

Crowdlending is a disruptive financial tool that has been increasingly requested by SME ’s to cover their capital needs. However, the growth of this technological development is being limited by the existing risk of default resulting in loss for lenders. To deal with this, funding platforms have started to offer more sustainable products such as the guaranteed loans. These special loans are backed by a Mutual Fund so Lenders minimise the risk of suffering the consequences of a default. This study aims to investigate the importance of factors related to loan characteristics, investor type and borrower’s characteristics, in the crowdlending campaign success. To perform the analysis, we use Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique over a sample of 196 guaranteed loans from the pioneer platform in Spain offering that type of loans (MytripleA). Results indicate that the characteristics with greater influence in guaranteed crowdlending success are those related to the investors and the loans, while SME’s factors seem not to have any impact. We consider that our results are interesting for both the funding platforms and the SME’s seeking for funds

Experiências e propostas para o practicum na educação social: um diálogo entre os seus agentes

The practicum, a fundamental process in university studies, tries to bring the students closer to the future professional environment. The objective of this article is to collaborate in the improvement of transit through this practical period in the degree of social education, with some proposals that start from the dialogue between the agents that intervene. The methodology is based on a critical reflection on its own functions, based on a review of theoretical contributions and research by different authors. The participation of professional associations in the meeting between the academic and professional spheres has been incorporated. The result has been a compendium of shared reflections on the obstacles that appear in professional practices in social education, as well as the identification of elements that can be incorporated into the process. The conclusion highlights the possible improvement of students learning by perfecting the meeting between theory and practice and critical reflection during the process.El practicum, proceso fundamental en los estudios universitarios, trata de acercar al estudiantado al futuro entorno profesional. El objetivo de este artículo es colaborar en la mejora del tránsito por este periodo práctico en el grado de educación social, con algunas propuestas que parten del diálogo entre los agentes que intervienen. La metodología se basa en una reflexión crítica sobre sus propias funciones, fundamentada en una revisión de aportaciones teóricas e investigaciones de diferentes autores. Se ha incorporado la participación de los colegios profesionales en el encuentro entre el ámbito académico y profesional. El resultado ha sido un compendio de reflexiones compartidas sobre los obstáculos que aparecen en las prácticas profesionales en educación social, así como la identificación de elementos que se pueden incorporar en el proceso. La conclusión destaca la posible mejora del aprendizaje del estudiantado perfeccionando el encuentro entre teoría y práctica y la reflexión crítica durante el proceso.O practicum, um processo fundamental nos estudos universitários, tenta trazer o estudantes mais próximos do futuro ambiente profissional. O objectivo deste artigo é colaborar na melhoria do trânsito através deste período prático em o grau de educação social, com algumas propostas que partem do diálogo entre os agentes que intervêm. A metodologia é baseada numa reflexão crítica sobre as suas próprias funções, com base numa revisão das contribuições teóricas e da investigação por diferentes autores. A participação de associações profissionais na foi incorporado o encontro entre as esferas académica e profissional. O resultado tem sido um compêndio de reflexões partilhadas sobre os obstáculos que aparecem nas práticas profissionais de educação social, bem como a identificação de elementos que podem ser incorporados no processo. A conclusão destacaa possível melhoria da aprendizagem dos estudantes através do aperfeiçoamento do encontro entre teoria e prática e reflexão crítica durante o processo. &nbsp

Comunicación y sexismo en las aulas: un estudio entre universitarios del Grado de Derecho y Educación

La comunicación didáctica, constituye un factor de cambio y transformación al que es necesario prestar atención. Por otra parte, el sexismo es un prejuicio moderno, que traslada, a partir de un discurso racionalista, la idea “natural” de la inferioridad de un colectivo (las mujeres) frente a otro (los varones), apoyado en la tolerancia a la desigualdad de los sexos y a su relación jerárquica. El sexismo, no es algo excepcional es cotidiano y con una gran diversidad de manifestación, que puede ir desde lo sutil y transparente hasta la violencia radical. Nuestro objetivo es estudiar y analizar la posible relación entre el sexismo y la calidad de la comunicación en el alumnado del ámbito del derecho y de la educación, así como analizar comparativamente los resultados obtenidos en ambos grados. Nuestra muestra está compuesta por 503 estudiantes universitarios matriculados en el grado de derecho y educación y los instrumentos de evaluación que vamos a utilizar para nuestro estudio son el TECA, y el ISA y la escala de Valoración del lenguaje no sexista (VLNS) Proponemos una estrategia ex pos facto como diseño de esta investigación por considerarla la más eficaz dado el tipo de exploración y análisis que queremos desarrollar. Los resultados obtenidos ponen en evidencia que la violencia de género, aquella que se ejerce sobre las mujeres, influye en elección de estudios superiores, a la vez que nos permiten visibilizar estrategias de intervención psicopedagógica en ambas ramas de conocimiento: Educación y Derecho

COEDUCA

Nuestro objetivo es construir y validar un instrumento, Cuestionario de Estudios sobre la Percepción de la Igualdad en las relaciones heterosexuales en Universitarios, en adelante (CEPIU), que sirva de forma eficaz y segura para evaluar la violencia machista, en el ámbito universitario. Para su construcción hemos realizado, por un lado, una revisión de estudios teóricos y empíricos que relacionan la manifestación de la violencia de género con variables como el auto-concepto, el apego, la inteligencia emocional, los celos, la sobreprotección, el dominio y la sumisión. Por otra parte, hemos realizado un cribado de instrumentos, que evalúan la violencia de género o factores psicológicos y psicosociales que la literatura científica relaciona con la violencia ejercida y o sufrida. El análisis psicométrico que vamos a llevar a cabo para la validación del cuestionario se basará en un análisis factorial exploratorio, un análisis clásico de los ítems, y el cálculo de la de la consistencia interna del cuestionario. Esperamos encontrar, respecto al instrumento, una estructura multifactorial, así como adecuadas propiedades psicométricas