ARE TEMPORARY HELP AGENCIES CHANGING MOBILITY PATTERNS IN THE SPANISH LABOUR MARKET?

This paper examines to what extent Temporary Help Agency intermediation in the labour market affects workers' transitions into and out of employment in the Spanish youth labour market throughout the nineties. Results obtained show that this intermediation presents a positive impact on the likelihood of leaving unemployment, although only for short-term unemployed individuals; at the same time, however, the employment hazard rate is substantially higher for agency workers. We also find that employment hazard rates were substantially affected in the 90's by the extensive use of fixed-term contracts, although the 1997 labour market reform is found to reduce this hazard rate. Finally, very young workers, women and those with lower qualification levels are more likely to be affected by higher labour turnover.

Entrepreneurial orientation and the threat of imitation: the influence of upstream and downstream capabilities

This paper uncovers the complexity between Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) and performance. The paper explores the effect of the threat of imitation, which is a key external factor to explain competitive dynamics, and hence highlights effectiveness of EO. Also the paper accounts for the role of upstream (technical) and downstream (marketing) capabilities as they influence effectiveness of EO. Our results show that, under threat of imitation, downstream marketing capabilities facilitate taping into opportunities derived from EO, which positively affects performance. Conversely, available upstream technical capabilities do not aim at EO when imitation threats exist in the environment. Of importance is that we question the complexity between EO and performance can be better understood using a configurational approach

Hierarchy and Competition in CSCW applications: Model and case study

CSCW applications need to adapt themselves to the functional and organizational structures of people that use them. However they do not usually support division in groups with a certain hierarchical structure among them. In this paper, we propose and study a theoretical model of groupware appliations that reflects those hierarchical interactions. The proposed model is also intended to evaluate the effects in performance derived from competitive and collaborative relationships among the components of a hierarchy of groups. In order to demonstrate the above ideas, a groupware game, called Alymod, was designed and implemented using a modified version of a well-known CSCW Toolkit, namely Groupkit. Groupkit was modified in order to support group interactions in the same CSCW application. In Alymod, participants compete or collaborate within a hierarchical structure to achieve a common goal (completing gaps in a text, finishing numerical series, resolving University course examinations, etc.).Publicad

Rapid colour changes in Euglena sanguinea (Euglenophyceae) caused by internal lipid globule migration

The accumulation of red pigments under chronic stress is a response observed in most groups of oxygenic photoautotrophs. It is thought that the red pigments in the cell shield the chlorophyll located underneath from the light. Among these red pigments, the accumulation of carotenoids is one of the most frequent cases. However, the synthesis or degradation of carotenoids is a slow process and this response is usually only observed when the stress is maintained over a period of time. In the Euglenophyte Euglena sanguinea, this is due to the accumulation of a large amount of free and esterified astaxanthin (representing 80% of the carotenoid pool). While reddening is a slow and sometimes irreversible process in other phototrophs, reducing the efficiency of light harvesting by chlorophyll, in E. sanguinea it is highly dynamic, capable of shifting from red to green (and vice-versa) in 10-20 min. This change is not due to de novo carotenogenesis, but to the relocation of cytoplasmic lipid globules where astaxanthin accumulates. Thus, red globules migrate from the centre of the cell to peripheral locations when photoprotection is demanded. This protective system seems to be so efficient that other classical mechanisms are not operative in this species. For example, despite the presence and operation of the diadino-diatoxanthin cycle, nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) is almost undetectable. Since E. sanguinea forms extensive floating colonies, reddening can be observed at much greater scale than at a cellular level, the mechanism described here being one of the fastest and most dramatic colour changes attributable to photosynthetic organisms at cell and landscape level. In sum, these data indicate an extremely dynamic and efficient photoprotective mechanism based on organelle migration more than on carotenoid biosynthesis that prevents excess light absorption by chlorophylls reducing the need for other protective processes related to energy dissipation.This work was supported by the Basque Government [UPV/EHU-GV IT-1018-16] [UPV/EHU PPG17/67 – GV IT-1040-16], and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and the European Research and Development Foundation (FEDER) through (i) [CTM2014-53902-C2-2-P] national grant and (ii) a “Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación” postdoctoral grant [IJCI-2014-22489] to BFM

Purifications of multipartite states: limitations and constructive methods

We analyze the description of quantum many-body mixed states using matrix product states and operators. We consider two such descriptions: (i) as a matrix product density operator of bond dimension D; and (ii) as a purification that is written as a matrix product state of bond dimension D'. We show that these descriptions are inequivalent in the sense that D' cannot be upper bounded by D only. Then we provide two constructive methods to obtain (ii) out of (i). The sum of squares (sos) polynomial method scales exponentially in the number of different eigenvalues, and its approximate version is formulated as a semidefinite program, which gives efficient approximate purifications whose D' only depends on D. The eigenbasis method scales quadratically in the number of eigenvalues, and its approximate version is very efficient for rapidly decaying distributions of eigenvalues. Our results imply that a description of mixed states which is both efficient and locally positive semidefinite does not exist, but that good approximations do

Thermal study of a transport container

A thermal study of a container for international transport has been carried out in order to determine the temperature distributions. Several experimental conditions such as cooling modes, the onset of defrosting, the existence of cargo inside the container and two varying set points have been evaluated. It was observed that the difference between the temperature inside the container and the set point raised up to 30% of ambient temperature. Moreover, it was observed that the modulated cooling allowed to obtain a more homogeneous refrigeration. However, temperature differences up to 8 °C were observed under on–off control cooling

Reproduction of the wedge sole (Dicologoglossa cuneata Moreau) in captivity: spawning parameters and influence of the natural temperature

In this work, the wedge sole (Dciologoglossa cuneata) spawning under natural thermocycle has been studied. The spawning parameters were similar to those of other flatfish in captivity, the relative fecundity being very high (1.7&plusmn;0.1 &middot;106 eggs Kg female-1 per spawning season). The percentage of floating eggs decreased in parallel to the time and was directly related to egg diameter, daily relative fecundity and fertilization rate. Nevertheless, the hatching rate variations were not correlated to any other spawning parameter. The temperature range during the spawning season was very wide (11-21 &ordm;C) though the largest spawns occurred between 12 and 16 &ordm;C . The natural temperature cycle influenced wedge sole egg production, the winter temperature minimum indicating the onset of spawning, but the variations in the reproductive season did not appear to affect the daily egg production. Future research should focus on the photoperiod and its interaction with temperature as key factor for spawning. This work was supported by Interreg Project 0251_ECOAQUA_5_E, financed by the EDRF (European Regional Development Fund). www.juntadeandalucia.es/agriculturaypesca/ifapa/ecoaqua.. &nbsp;El presente trabajo trata del estudio de las puestas de la aced&iacute;a (Dicologoglossa cuneata) en cautividad bajo condiciones naturales de temperatura. Los par&aacute;metros de puesta fueron similares a los de otros peces planos en cautividad, siendo la fecundidad relativa muy alta (1.7&plusmn;0.1 &middot;106 huevos Kg hembra-1 por estaci&oacute;n reproductora). El porcentaje de huevos flotantes disminuy&oacute; paralelamente con el tiempo y fue directamente proporcional al di&aacute;metro de huevos, fecundidad relativa diaria y tasa de fecundaci&oacute;n. Sin embargo, las variaciones de la tasa de eclosi&oacute;n no estuvieron correlacionadas con ning&uacute;n par&aacute;metro de puesta. El rango de temperatura durante la estaci&oacute;n de puesta fue muy amplio (11-21 &ordm;C), aunque las mayores puestas tuvieron lugar entre 12 y 16 &ordm;C. El ciclo natural de temperatura tuvo efectos sobre la producci&oacute;n de huevos de aced&iacute;a, con los m&iacute;nimos invernales indicando el comienzo de la puesta, aunque las variaciones dentro de la estaci&oacute;n de puesta no pareci&oacute; afectar a la producci&oacute;n diaria de huevos. Este trabajo fue apoyado por el proyecto Interreg 0251_ECOAQUA_5_E , financiado por el FEDER (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional).www.juntadeandalucia.es/agriculturaypesca/ifapa/ecoaqua.</p

Hook effect in radioligand assay for Anti Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase (Anti-GAD65). Influence of temperature and physicochemical interpretation

Background: Radioligand assay is one of the principal methods used for analytical determination of the Anti-GAD65 concentration. We studied the influence of temperature on the calibration curves obtained by such a method Matherial and Methods: We used a commercially available RIA kit for Anti-GAD65 and a gamma counter. Data was analyzed using Statistica software. Results and Discusion: Activities bound to the antibody increase with temperature. There was a decrease in activity for high concentrations attributable to the "hook effect". We propose a simple physicochemical model that justifies satisfactorily the results.Objetivo: El análisis por radioligando es uno de los métodos principales utilizados en la determinación analítica del Anti-GAD65. Se ha estudiado la influencia de la temperatura sobre las gráficas de calibración obtenidas por dicha técnica. Material y Métodos: Usamos un kit comercial para Anti-GAD65 y un contador gamma. Los resultados son analizados mediante el programa Statistica. Resultados y Discusión: Las actividades ligadas al anticuerpo aumentan con la temperatura. Se observa una disminución de la actividad para altas concentraciones atribuible al llamado “efecto anzuelo”. Se propone un sencillo modelo fisicoquímico que justifica satisfactoriamente los resultado

Evolution, biosynthesis and protective roles of oligogalactolipids: Key molecules for terrestrial photosynthesis?

14 p.Galactolipids (GLs) are the main lipids in chloroplast membranes and by default are also the most abundant polar lipids on earth. GLs with one or two galactose residues, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG), are ubiquitous and essential for photosynthesis. GLs with a headgroup formed by three to five galactoses, the so-called oligogalactolipids (OGLs), are only detected in some taxa, organs and environmental conditions. OGLs can be synthesized by two metabolic pathways: successive galactosylation by DGDG synthase (DGD) or transgalactosylation from MGDG by the GL:GL galactosyltransferase (GGGT/SFR2). While the first route appeared early in the evolution (cyanobacteria), the second evolved associated to the process of terrestrialization in the streptophytes. Both routes also differ on the anomeric type of glycosidic linkages formed: ?-type in DGD and ?-type in GGGT/SFR2. Despite functional differences between both configurations, the anomeric analysis of OGLs allows tracking their biosynthetic origin. While ?-OGLs are constitutive and present in some algae and non-vegetative organs of vascular plants, ?-OGLs are typically stressinducible in photosynthetic tissues. Land colonization by plants involved new challenges, such as the risk of dehydration, which required developing biochemical and physiological strategies to stabilize chloroplast membranes and safeguard their functioning. Based on the integrated assessment of data available we propose that the appearance of OGLs was one of those adaptations that simultaneously could have provided advantages against other environmental constraints such as freezingUniversidad del País Vasco ; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad ; FEDER ; Universidad de Alcal

Neuroscience and subjectivity. A proposal for cooperation between neuroscience and some philosophical traditions

One of the main challenges of biology consists in articulating a coherent view of the central nervous system and its structure. To this end, neuroscience has emerged as an interdisciplinary project which looks to integrate the different disciplines