Trade Reforms and Market Selection: Evidence from Manufacturing Plants in Colombia

We use plant output and input prices to decompose the profit margin into four parts: productivity, demand shocks, mark-ups and input costs. We find that each of these market fundamentals are important in explaining plant exit. We then use variation across sectors in tariff changes after the Colombian trade reform to assess whether the impact of market fundamentals on plant exit changed with in creased international competition. We find that greater international competition magnifies the impact of productivity, and other market fundamentals, on plant exit. A dynamic simulation that compares the distribution of productivity with and without the trade reform shows that improvements in market selection from trade reform help to weed out the least productive plants and increase average productivity. In addition, we find that trade liberalization increases productivity of incumbent plants and improves the allocation of activity within industries.trade liberalization, plant exit, market selection

De la lucha ante la muerte al enfrentamiento de la muerte evitable

ResumenDice el saber popular que para poder enfrentar un problema primero es necesario conocerlo de la manera más adecuada posible. Esta premisa ha sido muy importante para el trabajo sanitario y aunque no deja de ser difícil  resolver el asunto de lo que se entiende por "adecuado", su valor como regla de comportamiento ha dejado importantes frutos

Social security: reforming the reform

The proposals to modify the Law number 100 of 1993 that were presented in the regional forum on social security held in Bogotá at the beginning of 1999 are examined. Based on 53 documents, the different kinds of proposals are presented, as well as the tendencies underlying them and the coincidences and divergences that are found between the different acting parts in the social security system. The most frequent subjects, in which most of the proposals were inscribed, were the mechanisms for government control, the subsidized regimen, the benefit plans, the information system and social participation. An outline for the analysis of the main problems that are recognized by the different acting parts in the social security system is presented, with emphasis on the need for scenarios of debate where the bases for guaranteeing the right to integral social security are discussed.Se examinan las propuestas de reforma a la Ley 100 de 1993, presentadas en el Foro Regional sobre Seguridad Social en Salud, llevado a cabo en Bogotá a comienzos de 1999. Con base en 53 documentos se describen los tipos de propuestas, las tendencias que subyacen a las mismas y algunas de las confluencias y divergencias que se encuentran entre diversos actores del Sistema de Seguridad Social. Los temas más frecuentes, en los cuales se inscribían las propuestas, fueron los mecanismos de control estatal, el régimen subsidiado, los planes de beneficios, el sistema de información y la participación social. Se presenta un esquema de análisis de los principales problemas que son reconocidos por actores del Sistema de Seguridad Social en Salud, y se remarca la necesidad de escenarios de debate donde se esclarezcan las bases para garantizar el derecho que tenemos a una íntegra seguridad social

Trade Reforms and Market Selection: Evidence from Manufacturing Plants in Colombia

We use plant output and input prices to decompose the profit margin into four parts: productivity, demand shocks, mark-ups and input costs. We find that each of these market fundamentals are important in explaining plant exit. We then use variation across sectors in tariff changes after the Colombian trade reform to assess whether the impact of market fundamentals on plant exit changed with increased international competition. We find that greater international competition magnifies the impact of productivity, and other market fundamentals, on plant exit. A dynamic simulation that compares the distribution of productivity with and without the trade reform shows that improvements in market selection from trade reform help to weed out the least productive plants and increase average productivity. In addition, we find that trade liberalization increases productivity of incumbent plants and improves the allocation of activity within industries.

Artificial Intelligence for Detecting Preterm Uterine Activity in Gynacology and Obstertric Care

Preterm birth brings considerable emotional and economic costs to families and society. However, despite extensive research into understanding the risk factors, the prediction of patient mechanisms and improvements to obstetrical practice, the UK National Health Service still annually spends more than £2.95 billion on this issue. Diagnosis of labour in normal pregnancies is important for minimizing unnecessary hospitalisations, interventions and expenses. Moreover, accurate identification of spontaneous preterm labour would also allow clinicians to start necessary treatments early in women with true labour and avert unnecessary treatment and hospitalisation for women who are simply having preterm contractions, but who are not in true labour. In this research, the Electrohysterography signals have been used to detect preterm births, because Electrohysterography signals provide a strong basis for objective prediction and diagnosis of preterm birth. This has been achieved using an open dataset, which contains 262 records for women who delivered at term and 38 who delivered prematurely. Three different machine learning algorithm were used to identify these records. The results illustrate that the Random Forest performed the best of sensitivity 97%, specificity of 85%, Area under the Receiver Operator curve (AUROC) of 94% and mean square error rate of 14%

Fracturas por fatiga del cuello femoral: A propósito de un caso tratado quirúrgicamente

Se presenta un caso de fractura por fatiga de cuello femoral en un paciente de 26 años. Fue tratado quirúrgicamente realizándose osteosíntesis con 3 tornillos. La evolución fue satisfactoria, encontrándose el paciente sin dolor ni repercusión funcional a los 4 años de la lesión.A case of stress fracture of the femoral neck in a 26-year-old patient is presented. Surgical treatment was indicated by means of internal fixation with three screws. At four-year follow-up there was no pain or functional impairment

Inequidad en los años de vida potencial perdida, por departamentos en colombia 1985-2005

Objetivo Describir las diferencias en los años de vida perdidos en la expectativa de vida al nacer por Departamentos en Colombia, durante el periodo de estudio. Métodos Los datos sobre expectativa de vida al nacer por género, fueron tomados del Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DAÑE) para los periodos: 1985-1990, 1995-2000 y 2000-2005. Los datos sobre el país con la mejor expectativa de vida en el mundo fue tomado de los reportes de la Organización Mundial de la Salud. Los años de vida perdidos en expectativa de vida (AVPP) fueron estimados a partir de las diferencias relativas entre valores regionales y los mejores valores del mundo para los periodos de estudio. Resultados El número de AVPP tuvo una tendencia a disminuir en ambos géneros durante el periodo de estudio. Sin embargo hubo Departamentos en los cuales los AVPP fueron mayores para mujeres que para hombres en los tres periodos. Adicionalmente, el peor quintil de AVPP tuvo un valor medio de 18,98 ±2,36 AVPP para hombres y 18,45+/-2,43 AVPP para mujeres en 1985-1990; 16,99+/-1,7 AVPP para hombres y 16,01+/1,46 para mujeres en 1995-2000; y 15,99+/-1,34 AVPP para hombres y 14,51 +/-0,96 AVPP para mujeres en 2000-2005. Los valores para el mejor quintil de LLY fueron respectivamente para hombres y mujeres: 7,41+/-0,65; 8,34+/-0,65 en 1985-1990; 7,22+/-0,62 y 8,59+/-0,31 en 1995-2000; y 7,72+/ 0,58 y 8,89+/-0,67 en 2000-2005. Conclusiones Hubo diferencias en la expectativa de vida al nacer entre Departamentos y géneros en los tres periodos estudiados. Hubo disparidad en el numero de AVPP, comparando con el mejor país en el mundo, por Departamentos, durante los periodos de estudio

A facile way to produce epoxy nanocomposites having excellent thermal conductivity with low contents of reduced graphene oxide

A well-dispersed phase of exfoliated graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets was initially prepared in water. This was concentrated by centrifugation and was mixed with a liquid epoxy resin. The remaining water was removed by evaporation, leaving a GO dispersion in epoxy resin. A stoichiometric amount of an anhydride curing agent was added to this epoxy-resin mixture containing the GO nanosheets, which was then cured at 90 C for 1 h followed by 160 C for 2 h. A second thermal treatment step of 200 C for 30 min was then undertaken to reduce further the GO in situ in the epoxy nanocomposite. An examination of the morphology of such nanocomposites containing reduced graphene oxide (rGO) revealed that a very good dispersion of rGO was achieved throughout the epoxy polymer. Various thermal and mechanical properties of the epoxy nanocomposites were measured, and the most noteworthy finding was a remarkable increase in the thermal conductivity when relatively very low contents of rGO were present. For example, a value of 0.25 W/mK was measured at 30 C for the nanocomposite with merely 0.06 weight percentage (wt%) of rGO present, which represents an increase of *40% compared with that of the unmodified epoxy polymer. This value represents one of the largest increases in the thermal conductivity per wt% of added rGO yet reported. These observations have been attributed to the excellent dispersion of rGO achieved in these nanocomposites made via this facile production method. The present results show that it is now possible to tune the properties of an epoxy polymer with a simple and viable method of GO addition. A