Un acercamiento al concepto de la innovación en los servicios públicos

La innovación en el sector público ha sido poco abordada por los estudios sobre innovación y administración pública. Partiendo de la evolución del enfoque que ha definido la problemática, el artículo plantea desde una perspectiva teórica, el concepto de innovación en el sector público, las dimensiones que comprende, su aplicación y las diferencias con respecto a la innovación en el sector privado. Las características organizacionales y la naturaleza de los servicios públicos obligan a pensar la innovación desde una perspectiva distinta a la que ocurre en las empresas industriales. El objetivo es presentar una propuesta del concepto de innovación en servicios públicos retomando distintas categorías de análisis, enfatizando en dos dimensiones particulares: el valor de uso y el valor público

Factors influencing erythrocyte sedimentation rate in adults New evidence for an old test

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a routine test for inflammation. Few studies have investigated the potential influence of lifestyle factors and common metabolic abnormalities on the ESR. This study investigates the influence of demographic factors, alcohol consumption, smoking, physical activity, obesity, and metabolic syndrome on the ESR in adults.This cross-sectional study covered 1472 individuals (44.5% males; age range, 18-91 years) randomly selected from the population of a Spanish municipality. The ESR was measured using a standardized method. We assessed habitual alcohol consumption in standard drinking units, along with tobacco smoking, regular physical exercise (by questionnaire), body mass index, and variables defining metabolic syndrome. Multivariate analyses were performed, including mean corpuscular volume and hemoglobin concentration in the models.The ESR was higher in females than in males, and increased steadily with age. Median ESR of females was 2-fold higher than that of males, and median ESR of individuals aged >65 years was 2-fold higher than that of individuals in the youngest category (ages 18-35 years). Body mass index, presence of metabolic syndrome, and smoking were independently and positively associated with higher ESR values. Light alcohol drinkers and individuals with high regular physical activity displayed lower ESR values than did alcohol abstainers and individuals with low physical activity, respectively.ESR varies greatly with age and sex, and corresponding reference values are proposed. Lifestyle factors (physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption) and common metabolic abnormalities (obesity and related metabolic syndrome) may also influence ESR values

Orange Solid Waste Valorization: Optimization of Pectinase Extraction and Enzimatic Treatment of Orange Press Liquor

During orange juice production only approximately a half of fresh oranges weight is transformed into juice while the other half is considered as production waste. Orange solid wastes can be pressed with lime to obtain a press liquor that is currently concentrated up to 65-70°Brix by multiple effect evaporation. A prior preconcentration step by reverse osmosis (RO) reduces significantly energy consumption during evaporation. However, RO treatment is not easily performed due to the high viscosity of the press liquor, attributed to the presence of pectic substances. The aims of this work are to study the extraction of pectinase enzymes from orange peels, as well as to asses the effect of the enzyme extract on pectic content and viscosity of press liquor. Pectinmethylesterase enzymes were characterized in terms of the typical enzyme kinetic parameters. The optimum extracting conditions were pH=5.5 and NaCl=1.7 M. The characteristic kinetic parameters of the pectinmethylesterase were K M=0.5 % and Vmax = 2.3 mg/min·mL. The application of the enzymatic extract to real orange press liquor reduced considerably its pectin content (77.72 %) and viscosity (48.30 %), suggesting that enzyme extraction could be included as a step in the integrated valorization of orange wastes. Copyright © 2012, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l.García Castelló, EM.; Mayor, L.; Alcaraz, N.; Gras Romero, ML.; Arguelles, Á.; Vidal Brotons, DJ. (2012). Orange Solid Waste Valorization: Optimization of Pectinase Extraction and Enzimatic Treatment of Orange Press Liquor. Chemical Engineering Transactions. 29:823-828. doi:10.3303/CET1229138S8238282

An alternative approach to the tomographic reconstruction of smooth refractive index distributions

Continuous, mathematically smooth Phase Objects with radial symmetry are reconstructed from cross sections of their refractive index distribution by a novel method, consisting of a linear combination of Gaussian basis functions, whose technical details are discussed. As an application example, this approach is used to get a fast and accurate estimation of the temperature distribution of an actual soldering tip

Race Place and Capital Workshop

This workshop will look at a series of questions that have in common a theoretical concern with Race, Place, and Capital. Participants will address issues of empire, development, transnationalism, and policing.Mershon Center for International Security StudiesDepartment of Political ScienceCriminal Justice Research CenterCenter for Interdisciplinary Law and Policy Studie

First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. IV. Imaging the Central Supermassive Black Hole

We present the first Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) images of M87, using observations from April 2017 at 1.3 mm wavelength. These images show a prominent ring with a diameter of similar to 40 mu as, consistent with the size and shape of the lensed photon orbit encircling the "shadow" of a supermassive black hole. The ring is persistent across four observing nights and shows enhanced brightness in the south. To assess the reliability of these results, we implemented a two-stage imaging procedure. In the first stage, four teams, each blind to the others' work, produced images of M87 using both an established method (CLEAN) and a newer technique (regularized maximum likelihood). This stage allowed us to avoid shared human bias and to assess common features among independent reconstructions. In the second stage, we reconstructed synthetic data from a large survey of imaging parameters and then compared the results with the corresponding ground truth images. This stage allowed us to select parameters objectively to use when reconstructing images of M87. Across all tests in both stages, the ring diameter and asymmetry remained stable, insensitive to the choice of imaging technique. We describe the EHT imaging procedures, the primary image features in M87, and the dependence of these features on imaging assumptions