1,725 research outputs found
Return to dollar, generalized distance function and the fisher productivity index
Exploring the duality between a return to dollar definition of profit and the
generalized distance function we establish the relationship between the Laspeyres, Paasche
and Fisher productivity indexes and their alternative Malmquist indexes counterparts. By
proceeding this way, we propose a consistent decomposition of these productivity indexes
into two mutually exclusive components. A technical component represented by the
Malmquist index and an economical component which can be identified with the
contribution that allocative criteria make to productivity change. With regard to the Fisher
index, we indicate how researchers can further decompose the Malmquist technical
component rendering explicit the sources of productivity change. We also show how the
proposed model can be implemented by means of Data Envelopment Analysis techniques,
and illustrate the empirical process with an example data set
Award errors and permanent disability benefits in Spain
There is a controversial debate about the effects of permanent disability benefits on labor market behavior. In this paper we estimate equations for deserving and receiving disability benefits to evaluate the award error as the difference in the probability of receiving and deserving using survey data from Spain. Our results indicate that individuals aged between 55 and 59, self-employers or working in an agricultural sector have a probability of receiving a benefit without deserving it significantly higher than the rest of individuals. We also find evidence of gender discrimination since male have a significantly higher probability of receiving a benefit without deserving it. This seems to confirm that disability benefits are being used as an instrument for exiting the labor market for some individuals approaching the early retirement or those who do not have right to retire early. Taking into account that awarding process depends on Social Security Provincial Department, this means that some departments are applying loosely the disability requirements for granting disability benefits.Disability benefits, Award error, Early retirement, Social security
A sequential model for older workers’ labor transitions after a health shock
In this work we study older workers’ (50—64) labor force transitions after a health/disability shock. We find that the probability of keeping working decreases with both age and severity of the shock. Moreover, we find strong interactions between age and severity in the 50—64 age range and none in the 30–49 age range. Regarding demographics we find that being female and married reduce the probability of keeping work. On the contrary, being main breadwinner, education and skill levels increase it. Interestingly, the effect of some demographics changes its sign when we look at transitions from inactivity to work. This is the case of being married or having a working spouse. Undoubtedly, leisure complementarities should play a role in the latter case. Since the data we use contains a very detailed information on disabilities, we are able to evaluate the marginal effect of each type of disability either in the probability of keeping working or in returning back to work. Some of these results may have strong policy implications.Health shocks, disability, labor force transitions, older workers, Spain
La introducción de nuevas tecnologías en las organizaciones. Estrategias psicosociales de intervención
Time course of early metabolic changes following diffuse traumatic brain injury in rats as detected by 1H NMR spectroscopy
Experimental models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) provide a useful tool for understanding the cerebral metabolic changes induced by this pathological condition. Here, we report on the time course of changes in cerebral metabolites after TBI and its correlation with early brain morphological changes using a combination of high-resolution proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1H MRS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to closed head impact and examined by MRI at 1, 9, 24, 48, and and 72 h after the injury. Extracts from funnel frozen rat brains were then obtained and analyzed quantitatively by high-resolution 1H MRS. Finally, statistical multivariate analysis was carried out to identify the combination of cerebral metabolites that best described the time evolution of diffuse TBI. The temporal changes observed in the concentration of cerebral metabolites followed three different patterns. The first pattern included taurine, threonine, and glycine, with concentrations peaking 24 h after the injury. The second pattern included glutamate, GABA, and alanine, with concentrations remaining elevated between 24 and 48 h post-injury. The third one involved creatine-phosphocreatine, N-acetylaspartate, and myo-inositol, with concentrations peaking 48 h after the injury. A multivariate stepwise discriminant analysis revealed that the combination of the organic osmolytes taurine and myo-inositol allowed optimal discrimination among the different time groups. Our findings suggest that the profile of some specific brain molecules that play a role as organic osmolytes can be used to follow-up the progression of the early diffuse brain edema response induced by TBI. © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.This work was partly supported by Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (grants SAF 2001-224 and SAF 2004-03197 to J.M.R. and S.C.) and by Spanish Ministry of Health (grants FISss C03/08, C03/10, and G03/155 to J.M.R. and S.C.).Peer Reviewe
La gestión del sistema duna-playa de s'Amarador (Parc Natural de Mondragó, SE de Mallorca)
Abstract not availabl
Psychological contract profiles among permanent and temporary agency workers
Purpose:
– Based on the psychological contract (PC) theory, the purpose of this paper is to identify PC profiles, differentiating between permanent and temporary agency workers (TAW). Moreover, the authors analyzed whether different profiles presented different levels of work engagement.
Design/methodology/approach:
– A cross-sectional survey data analysis of 2,867 workers, of whom 1,046 were TAW, was analyzed using latent profile analyses.
Findings:
– Four PC profiles were identified, which differed quantitatively in terms of the overall dimension levels (i.e. balanced, relational and transactional) for PC (i.e. content and fulfillment). ANCOVAs showed that the relational/balanced dominant and transactional dominant profiles presented similar engagement levels for TAW, but for permanent workers the former profile showed higher engagement than the latter. However, for both permanent and TAW the fulfillment profile showed higher engagement than the unfulfillment profile.
Research limitations/implications:
– The cross-sectional design and the reliance on self-report measures are the limitations of this study, although no causality was claimed and method biases were controlled.
Practical implications:
– Actions that increase PC fulfillment positively affect the employment relationship of TAW with the client organization.
Originality/value:
– Few studies have addressed PC typologies. Furthermore, most studies have focussed on temporary workers, but not on TAW and their contract with the client organization. Finally, this study emphasizes the crucial role played by the PC in the levels of work engagement.This study is part of a larger research project “Temporary agency workers’ transitions: motives, experiences and outcomes – PTDC/MHC-PSO/4399/2012” founded by the Foundation of Science and Technology from Portuguese Government. This grant is gratefully acknowledged. The authors are grateful to Lois Tetrick, René Schalk and two anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions on earlier drafts of this paper
Características citopatológicas del carcinoma de células acinares (CCA) de glándula salival: a propósito de cuatro observaciones
Objetivo: Presentar las características citopatológicas del carcinoma
acinar (CCA), así como su correlación cito-histológica,
comentando los problemas de diagnóstico diferencial de esta
entidad en base a cuatro observaciones estudiadas mediante
PAAF.
Casos clínicos: Dos varones de 52 y 53 años, una mujer de
79 años, y una niña de 12 años que presentaron tumoraciones
localizadas en territorio parotídeo (casos 1, 2 y 4), y a nivel
laterocervical (caso 3).
En tres pacientes, la PAAF fue, junto a los estudios de imagen,
la primera aproximación diagnóstica; correspondiendo el caso
3 a una punción de adenopatías laterocervicales metastásicas en
una paciente con antecedentes de CCA de parótida.
Hallazgos citológicos: Las extensiones citológicas mostraron
abundante celularidad tumoral dispuesta en pequeñas placas
monocapa, formando estructuras acinares, o como células aisladas.
Es de destacar la abundancia de núcleos desnudos en el
fondo de los frotis, y la ausencia de grasa y de epitelio ductal.
Las células poseían núcleos monomorfos redondeados u ovales,
nucleólo poco evidente y abundante citoplasma granular o
finamente vacuolado.
Discusión: La PAAF proporciona información esencial en la
actuación diagnóstico-terapeútica de las tumoraciones de la
glándula salival, resultando esta metodología muy sensible
en su eficacia diagnóstica. La identificación de los CCA frecuentemente
presenta dificultades, debido a la gran similitud citológica de las células tumorales con el componente acinar
normal propio de la glándula salival. El diagnóstico diferencial
se plantea, fundamentalmente, con carcinomas de células claras,
con carcinomas mucoepidermoides, con el tumor de Warthin
y con los oncocitomas. Nuestras observaciones confirman la
validez de la PAAF en una primera aproximación diagnóstica
de estas lesiones tumorales accesibles a la punción directa.Objective: To present the cytopathological characteristics of
acinic cell carcinoma (ACC) as well as its cyto-histological
correlation, commenting on the differential diagnostic problems
of this entity based on four observations studied using fine-needle
aspiration biopsy (FNAB).
Clinical Cases: Two males of 52 and 53 years of age, one 79
year-old woman and a girl of 12 years of age, who presented
tumors located in the parotid area (cases 1, 2 and 4) and at the
laterocervical level (case 3).
In 3 patients, the FNAB was, together with the image studies,
the first diagnostic indication; case 3 corresponding to a puncture
of metastatic laterocervical adenopathies in a patient with
a history of parotid ACC.
Cytological findings: The cytologic smears revealed abundant
tumoral cellularity arranged in small monolayered sheets,
forming acinar structures or isolated cells. The abundance of
bare nuclei at the background of the smears, and the absence of
adipose tissue and ductal epithelium are highlighted. The cells
possessed round or oval monomorphic nuclei, few nucleoli and
abundant granular or finely vacuolate cytoplasm.
Discussion: FNAB provides essential information on the diagnostic-
therapeutic management of salivary gland tumors; this
methodology is highly sensitive in its diagnostic efficacy. The
diagnosis of ACCs frequently presents difficulties, owing to
the great cytologic similarity of the tumor cells with the normal
acinar component of the salivary gland. The differential diag-nosis is considered, fundamentally, with clear cell carcinomas,
mucoepidermoid carcinomas, Warthin's tumor, and oncocytomas.
Our observations confirm the validity of FNAB in a first
diagnostic approximation for those lesions accessible to direct
puncture
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