Constructing cost of living indexes : ideas and individuals, Argentina, 1918-1935

This article examines the first two estimates of the Argentine cost of living index, focusing on their producers, Alejandro Bunge and José Figuerola. The Bunge index, released in 1918, did not hold as a stable social and political artifact because it lacked legitimacy in the eyes of many sectors of society. This was a consequence of Bunge’s personal connections, and of the close relationship between the index and Bunge and between the index and his macroeconomic vision, which differed from that of the economic and political elite. The trajectory of the second estimate, released in 1935 by the National Labor Department, highlights the importance of the working class as a social actor in fostering the adoption of the cost of living index. The legitimacy of the National Labor Department’s index was enhanced by the connections between Figuerola and the International Labour Organization. The contrast between the two histories suggests that for a cost of living index to hold as a stable social and political artifact during the first half of the twentieth century, a connection between the index and industrial relations had to exist. In particular, the index should contribute toward the formation of the working class as a visible object for policy intervention

In-Vitro study of the Anticoagulant Property of Terminalia Catappa (Talisay) Leaf Extract Using Gallus Gallus (Chicken) Blood

Prothrombin time is a test used to help detect and diagnose a bleeding disorder or excessive clotting disorder. It is important to know the prothrombin time because it checks to see if five different blood clotting factors are present. Lack of Vitamin K and having Liver problems are one of the factors that can decrease the prothrombin time of the blood. This research aims to investigate the potential ability of the Terminalia catappa  (Talisay) leaf extract to increases prothrombin time of chicken’s blood. The research methods used by the researchers is experimental. A research design where the results are being observed and determined when the independent variable took effect on the dependent variable. . The materials used are ethanol, calcium chloride, leaves and chicken blood. The method that was used in the study is in-vitro, a process that is performed in a test tube, or elsewhere outside a living organism.  The 0.5 ml plasma sample was separated into four tubes and the first group of plasma was tested first to determine the initial prothrombin time while the other three groups with the different volumes of plant extract (0.2, 0.4, 0.6 mg/ml)  was added separately. The tubes were tilted at about 45° until the permanent clots was obtained. These are recorded as the prothrombin time. The research showed that the Terminalia Catappa leaf extract is effective on increasing the normal prothrombin time of the blood

Estatísticas e gestão política do primeiro ano da pandemia de COVID-19 na Argentina

The Covid-19 pandemic triggered the generation as well as the ample circulation of health statistics. This article examines the role that Covid-19 statistics acquired in the management of the Argentine health emergency. Argentina adopted lockdown measures early and initially had a strict social confinement with subsequent relaxations that became a coordination challenge in a society in crisis. This research followed a qualitative methodological strategy supported by systematic analysis of regulations, government reports, press articles, and presidential press conferences. On the one hand, the article explores the institutional structure behind the elaboration of Covid-19 statistics, focusing on statistical classifications, and underlines the tensions to which it was exposed. On the other hand, it shows how statistics were used to bestow legitimacy to the decisions of the political authority, staged in true rituals of quantification, as they were a means through which that authority was exercised. In addition to attributing meaning to a shared experience, statistical indicators became a device for coordinating action at a distance and from the center, restricting the margins of discretionary action of the subnational authorities and operating as an external and impersonal mechanism of regulation in a society disrupted by an exceptional situation.La pandemia de Covid-19 estimuló la generación y amplia circulación de estadísticas sanitarias. Este artículo examina el rol que adquirieron las estadísticas del Covid-19 en la gestión política de la emergencia sanitaria en la Argentina, un país que se caracterizó por adoptar medidas tempranas, un confinamiento social estricto inicial y posteriores flexibilizaciones que significaban todo un desafío de coordinación en una sociedad en crisis. La investigación adoptó una estrategia metodológica cualitativa apoyada en el análisis sistemático de una variedad de fuentes: normativa, informes gubernamentales, prensa y registros en video de las conferencias de prensa presidenciales. Por un lado, el artículo explora la trama institucional de elaboración de esas estadísticas, deteniéndose en algunos puntos de esa cadena como las clasificaciones estadísticas, y subraya la serie de tensiones a las que estuvo expuesta. Por otro lado, muestra cómo las estadísticas fueron utilizadas para conferir legitimidad a las decisiones de la autoridad política, escenificadas en verdaderos rituales de cuantificación, a la vez que resultaron un medio a través del cual esa autoridad fue ejercida. Además de atribuir significado a la experiencia compartida, los indicadores estadísticos formaron parte de un dispositivo de coordinación de la acción a distancia y desde el centro que restringía los márgenes de acción discrecional de las autoridades subnacionales y operaba como un mecanismo externo e impersonal de regulación en una sociedad convulsionada por una situación tan excepcional como la pandemia.A pandemia de Covid-19 estimulou a geração e ampla circulação de estatísticas de saúde. Este artigo examina o papel assumido pelas estatísticas da Covid-19 na gestão política da emergência sanitária na Argentina, país que se caracterizou por adotar medidas precoces, um confinamento social estrito inicial e subsequentes flexibilizações que significaram um desafio de coordenação em uma sociedade em crise. A pesquisa adotou uma estratégia metodológica qualitativa apoiada na análise sistemática de diversas fontes: regulamentos, relatórios governamentais, imprensa e registros em vídeo de coletivas de imprensa presidenciais. Por um lado, o artigo explora a trama institucional de elaboração dessas estatísticas, detendo-se em alguns pontos dessa cadeia como as classificações estatísticas, e destaca a série de tensões a que foi exposta. Por outro lado, mostra como as estatísticas foram usadas para conferir legitimidade às decisões da autoridade política, encenadas por meio de verdadeiros rituais de quantificação, ao mesmo tempo em que serviram de instrumento para o exercício dessa autoridade. Além de atribuir significado à experiência compartilhada, os indicadores estatísticos faziam parte de um dispositivo de coordenação da ação à distância e a partir do centro, que restringia as margens de ação discricionária das autoridades subnacionais e funcionava como um mecanismo externo e impessoal de regulação em uma sociedade convulsionada por uma situação tão excepcional quanto a pandemia

A New Estimate of the Argentine Cost of Living Index, 1912-1932

Al ser concebidas como reflejos o aproximaciones a la realidad, las estadísticas ayudan a comprender hechos porque objetivan fenómenos. Esta idea se basa en la premisa de que las herramientas estadísticas son hechos incontestables y apolíticos. Sin embargo, la cuantificación y sus resultados no son objetivos. Para determinar el fenómeno a medir y el objetivo de la cuantificación primero se necesitan definiciones. Por lo tanto, las estadísticas están sujetas a debates en torno a sus métodos, interpretación y uso. Utilizando la primera estimación del índice de costo de vida (ICV) argentino y siguiendo la metodología de de-construcción/construcción/re-construcción de estadísticas, este artículo estudia cómo se generan las mismas. En la fase de de-construcción, el trabajo analiza varios informes para determinar cómo se estimó dicho ICV, elaborado por Alejandro Bunge. La etapa de construcción analiza la metodología del índice y determina los problemas del mismo, que son consecuencia de las suposiciones y los métodos utilizados, en base a los datos disponibles en ese entonces. Por último, el ICV se re-construye corrigiendo sus principales problemas, utilizando la información disponible para Bunge, con el fin de demostrar cómo diferentes supuestos resultan en diferentes series. Por ello, se genera una nueva estimación del ICV para el período 1912-1932.Statistics contribute to the understanding of events by objectifying phenomena, as they are perceived to reflect or be an approximation of reality. This perception is based on the premise that statistical tools are straightforward, apolitical facts. However, quantification and its results are not objective. Definitions are needed beforehand to determine the phenomenon to be measured and the aim of the quantification. Thus, statistics face debates on methods, interpretation and use. Using the first estimate of the Argentine cost of living index (COLI) as a case study and following the process of de-construction/construction/re-construction of statistics, this article studies how statistics are made. In the de-construction phase, the paper analyses various reports to arrive at an understanding of how the COLI, elaborated by Alejandro Bunge, was originally estimated. The construction stage discusses the methodology that he used. The pitfalls that come from the assumptions and methods underlying the index are demonstrated using data available at that time. Lastly, the COLI is re-constructed by correcting its main pitfalls using the information available when the series were initially developed to depict how different assumptions result in different series. A new estimate of the COLI is elaborated for the period 1912-1932

Visualizing Phytochemical-Protein Interaction Networks: Momordica charantia and Cancer

The in silico study of medicinal plants is a rapidly growing field. Techniques such as reverse screening and network pharmacology are used to study the complex cellular action of medicinal plants against disease. However, it is difficult to produce a meaningful visualization of phytochemical-protein interactions (PCPIs) in the cell. This study introduces a novel workflow combining various tools to visualize a PCPI network for a medicinal plant against a disease. The five steps are 1) phytochemical compilation, 2) reverse screening, 3) network building, 4) network visualization, and 5) evaluation. The output is a PCPI network that encodes multiple dimensions of information, including subcellular location, phytochemical class, pharmacokinetic data, and prediction probability. As a proof of concept, we built a PCPI network for bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) against colorectal cancer. The network and workflow are available at https://yumibriones.github.io/network/. The PCPI network highlights high-confidence interactions for further in vitro or in vivo study. The overall workflow is broadly transferable and can be used to visualize the action of other medicinal plants or small molecules against other diseases

Unwinding the Winding Trajectory

Using primary sources from different official agencies, this paper reconstructs the initial trajectory of Argentine national accounting and sheds light on its divergent path with regards to the state planning carried out by the Peronist administration. Based on the notions of the sociology of quantification framework, it argues that the divergence was grounded on biases, technical arguments and political support that suggest different conceptions about the Argentine economy and society. This article claims that from the mid-1930s and throughout 1940 two groups of experts were formed within the Argentine state that had responsibilities in the design and implementation of economic programmes and policies. Each group had its own vision of the national economy, based on their specific use of statistics.Retour sur deux trajectoires divergentes. Par le croisement de plusieurs fonds d’archives publiques, cet article examine les premiers pas de la comptabilité nationale en Argentine. Il met en lumière le chemin divergent emprunté par la planification mise en œuvre par l’administration péroniste. Dans une perspective de sociologie de la quantification, l’article montre que cette divergence est le produit de jugements, d’arguments d’ordre technique et d’appuis politiques qui révèlent des conceptions différentes de l’économie et de la société argentines. Il analyse ainsi l’émergence, entre le milieu des années 1930 et les années 1940, de deux groupes d’experts, en charge de la conception et la mise en œuvre des programmes et des politiques économiques, avec chacun sa propre vision de l'économie nationale, et son propre usage des statistiques

Electronic structure of crystalline binary and ternary Cd-Te-O compounds

The electronic structure of crystalline CdTe, CdO, $\alpha$-TeO$_2$, CdTeO$_3$ and Cd$_3$TeO$_6$ is studied by means of first principles calculations. The band structure, total and partial density of states, and charge densities are presented. For $\alpha$-TeO$_2$ and CdTeO$_3$, Density Functional Theory within the Local Density Approximation (LDA) correctly describes the insulating character of these compounds. In the first four compounds, LDA underestimates the optical bandgap by roughly 1 eV. Based on this trend, we predict an optical bandgap of 1.7 eV for Cd$_3$TeO$_6$. This material shows an isolated conduction band with a low effective mass, thus explaining its semiconducting character observed recently. In all these oxides, the top valence bands are formed mainly from the O 2p electrons. On the other hand, the binding energy of the Cd 4d band, relative to the valence band maximum, in the ternary compounds is smaller than in CdTe and CdO.Comment: 13 pages, 15 figures, 2 tables. Accepted in Phys Rev

Optical phonons in isotope superlattices of GaAs, GaP, and GaSb studied by Raman scattering

We have investigated the LO-phonon Raman spectra of [100] oriented gallium isotope superlattices (69GaX)n(71GaX)n [X=P,As; both elements have a single stable isotope] at low temperature. When the number of monolayers 2n within one superlattice (SL) unit cell is varied, anticrossings between phonons confined in the 69GaX and 71GaX layers are observed. We have used a planar bond-charge model to calculate the frequencies and intensities of the modes as a function of layer thickness. For the GaP isotope SL’s, we find that a simulation of isotopically mixed interface layers is in good agreement with the experiment, while the assumption of ideal interfaces does not reproduce the data well. Spectra from the GaAs isotope SL’s are substantially broadened compared to the LO phonon width in bulk samples, thus allowing only a qualitative discussion of phonon-confinement effects. Predictions for GaSb isotope SL’s, in which both Ga and Sb isotopes can be substituted, are given. Raman spectra of bulk GaAs with varying gallium-isotope ratio are also discussed.Peer reviewe

Self‐assembled quantum dots of InSb grown on InP by atomic layer molecular beam epitaxy: Morphology and strain relaxation

Self-organized InSb dots grown by atomic layer molecular beam epitaxy on InP substrates have been characterized by atomic force and transmission electron microscopy. Measurement of high-energy electron diffraction during the growth indicates a Stransky–Krastanov growth mode beyond the onset of 1.4 InSb monolayer ~ML! deposition. The dots obtained after a total deposition of 5 and 7 ML of InSb present a truncated pyramidal morphology with rectangular base oriented along the ^110& directions, elongated towards the @110# direction with $111$113%/$114$111%A lateral facets in @11 ¯ 0# views, and ~001! flat top surfaces. The mismatch between the dot and the substrate has been accommodated by a network of 90° misfit dislocation at the interface. A corrugation of the InP substrate surrounding the dot has been also observedThis work has been funded by the Spanish CICYT Project MAT95-0966.Peer reviewe