Myths and Realities of Puerto Rican Poverty

The following remarks were made as the closing keynote address at the conference, Mainland Puerto Ricans: Myths and Realities on Poverty, held at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, on October 22 and 23, 1993. There are two stories frequently cited to explain the causes of the poverty among Puerto Ricans: the first suggests that Puerto Ricans are poor because they are going through a transition as they move toward full assimilation; the second proposes that Puerto Ricans are becoming part of an urban underclass. Neither of these explanations stands the test of reality

Closing the Growth and Equity Policy Divide: Rethinking the Role of the Federal Government When Promoting Economic Development in Distressed Urban Communities

The objectives of this policy briefing memorandum are two-fold: first, to review the historical record concerning economic growth policies, particularly those overseen by the Economic Development Administration (EDA), and the experience with block grants for urban economic development; and, second, to discuss new roles the federal government might play in promoting the convergence of these two broad policy areas

On the Corner: Day Labor in the United States

This report profiles, for the first time, the national phenomenon of day labor in the United States. Men and women looking for employment in open-air markets by the side of the road, at busy intersections, in front of home improvement stores and in other public spaces are ubiquitous in cities across the nation. The circumstances that give rise to this labor market are complex and poorly understood. In this report, we analyze data from the National Day Labor Survey, the first systematic and scientific study of the day-labor sector and its workforce in the United States. This portrait of day labor in the United States is based on a national survey of 2,660 day laborers. These workers were randomly selected at 264 hiring sites in 139 municipalities in 20 states and the District of Columbia. The sheer number of these sites, combined with their presence in every region in the country, reflects the enormous breadth of this labor market niche. Findings reveal that the day-labor market is rife with violations of workers' rights. Day laborers are regularly denied payment for their work, many are subjected to demonstrably hazardous job sites, and most endure insults and abuses by employers. The growth of day-labor hiring sites combined with rising levels of workers' rights violations is a national trend that warrants attention from policy makers at all levels of government

Community Economic Development and the Latino Experience

Just as people had high expectations for the Great Society programs instituted to address poverty after the Watts riots of 1965 so, too, did people have high hopes for a turning point in federal initiatives to address the plight of the urban poor after the Los Angeles rebellion of 1992. Indeed, both analysts and community activists were hopeful that a more sympathetic administration would be able to capitalize on the political momentum that resulted from their electoral victory and implement somewhat unpopular programs in Congress. This could not have come at a better time for blacks and Latinos in the cities who make up a large part of the urban poverty population. Over the past two decades, concentration of blacks and Latinos in segregated and impoverished urban communities has increased, thus making them more vulnerable to the negative effects of urban restructuring. In many ways, easing the plight of the urban poor is not simply dependent on the existence of federal urban initiatives, but on their success. In this paper, we argue that the success of urban economic development largely depends on the articulation of these programs to communities and, in particular, on recognizing the role that racial and ethnic networks play in mobilizing resources around an economic development agenda. We will present a case study of economic development in Latino communities as an example of how an understanding of race and ethnicity may contribute to more effective public policy

Plan de seguridad y salud ocupacional para mitigar los accidentes laborales en la empresa Best Cable-Chiclayo

El estudio consistió en proponer un Plan de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional bajo las normas OHSAS 18001 para la mitigación de accidentes laborales en la empresa BEST CABLE- CHICLAYO. En el estudio se utilizó se aplicó un cuestionario a fin de identificar la necesidad del plan de seguridad, de manera que se basó en el diagnóstico de la empresa BEST CABLE- CHICLAYO, a fin de cumplir con los requisitos de la norma. La solución de la problemática se realizó mediante la normatividad OHSAS 18000 y la Ley vigente de seguridad y salud ocupación Nº 29783, que dieron origen a la propuesta. La mejora de la propuesta se fundamenta en la evaluación de los riesgos y de la matriz IPER, porque se priorizó los riesgos más peligrosos, así cumpla con los establecido en las normas OHSAS 18000 En la evaluación económica se identificó que es viable, el cual fue un valor del b/c igual 8.5, que indica que la implementación de un plan de seguridad y salud ocupacional en la empresa genera un mayor beneficio, además los más importante es que reduce las condiciones inseguras a los que se encontraban expuestos los trabajadores, también se pude lograr un ahorro en las multas y sobre todo disminuir de accidentes laborales

Implementación y configuración de zentyal server para la asignación de servicios.

No aplicaEl documento contempla cinco temáticas con la cuales se busca establecer servicios de infraestructura IT direccionados a medios Internos y Externos (Intranet, Extranet) todo bajo la plataforma de Zentyal en su versión 6.2 quien nos provee diversas herramientas que permiten gestionar diversos componentes de seguridad y control aplicados en el campo de la informática bajo el ambiente de sistema operativo GNU/Linux.The document contemplates five topics with which it is sought to establish IT infrastructure services directed to Internal and External media (Intranet, Extranet) all under the Zentyal platform in version 6.2 who provides us with various tools that allow us to manage various security and control components applied in the field of computing under the GNU / Linux operating system environment

Enhanced prefrontal serotonin 5-HT1A currents in a mouse model of Williams-Beuren syndrome with low innate anxiety

Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the hemizygous deletion of 28 genes on chromosome 7, including the general transcription factor GTF2IRD1. Mice either hemizygously (Gtf2ird1+/−) or homozygously (Gtf2ird1−/−) deleted for this transcription factor exhibit low innate anxiety, low aggression and increased social interaction, a phenotype that shares similarities to the high sociability and disinhibition seen in individuals with WBS. Here, we investigated the inhibitory effects of serotonin (5-HT) on the major output neurons of the prefrontal cortex in Gtf2ird1−/− mice and their wildtype (WT) siblings. Prefrontal 5-HT receptors are known to modulate anxiety-like behaviors, and the Gtf2ird1−/− mice have altered 5-HT metabolism in prefrontal cortex. Using whole cell recording from layer V neurons in acute brain slices of prefrontal cortex, we found that 5-HT elicited significantly larger inhibitory, outward currents in Gtf2ird1−/− mice than in WT controls. In both genotypes, these currents were resistant to action potential blockade with TTX and were suppressed by the selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist WAY-100635, suggesting that they are mediated directly by 5-HT1A receptors on the recorded neurons. Control experiments suggest a degree of layer and receptor specificity in this enhancement since 5-HT1A receptor-mediated responses in layer II/III pyramidal neurons were unchanged as were responses mediated by two other inhibitory receptors in layer V pyramidal neurons. Furthermore, we demonstrate GTF2IRD1 protein expression by neurons in layer V of the prefrontal cortex. Our finding that 5-HT1A-mediated responses are selectively enhanced in layer V pyramidal neurons of Gtf2ird1−/− mice gives insight into the cellular mechanisms that underlie reduced innate anxiety and increased sociability in these mice, and may be relevant to the low social anxiety and disinhibition in patients with WBS and their sensitivity to serotonergic medicines

Adipocyte extracellular matrix composition, dynamics and role in obesity

The central role of the adipose tissue in lipid metabolism places specific demands on the cell structure of adipocytes. The protein composition and dynamics of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is of crucial importance for the functioning of those cells. Adipogenesis is a bi-phasic process in which the ECM develops from a fibrillar to a laminar structure as cells move from the commitment phase to the growth phase characterized by storage of vast amounts of triglycerides. Mature adipocytes appear to spend a lot of energy on the maintenance of the ECM. ECM remodeling is mediated by a balanced complement of constructive and destructive enzymes together with their enhancers and inhibitors. ECM remodeling is an energy costing process regulated by insulin, by the energy metabolism, and by mechanical forces. In the obese, overgrowth of adipocytes may lead to instability of the ECM, possibly mediated by hypoxia

Comunities and Workforce Development

This volume reveals how, as a result of policy reforms at the national, state, and local levels, programming by different institutions converged with innovative professional practices to transform the employment services industry. The contributors show how these reforms spurred employment service providers to substantially revamp their operations by promoting the principles of universal access, integration of federal funding streams, devolution of policy to local authorities, and work-first as a starting point for employment services.workforce development, job training, community colleges, employment services