The Political Economy of Productivity. The Case of Chile

This paper analyzes the political economy of productivity-related policymaking in Chile following a political transaction cost model (Spiller and Tommasi, 2003; Murillo et al., 2008). The main findings indicate that i) the Chilean policymaking process (PMP) was successful in the 1990s in implementing productivityenhancing policies, but as the country moved to a higher stage of development, the PMP grew less adept at generating the more complex set of policies needed to increase productivity at this stage; and ii) the Chilean PMP is less transparent than previously thought (Aninat et al., 2008), thus allowing political actors to favor private interests without being punished by the electorate. This has become apparent as the more sophisticated reforms needed at this stage of development require a deeper and more consolidated democracy.Economic policy, Institutional reforms, Productivity, Pensions, Education, Innovation, State modernization, Competitiveness, Chile

Mosquito-Host Interactions during and after an Outbreak of Equine Viral Encephalitis in Eastern Panama

Mosquito blood meals provide information about the feeding habits and host preference of potential arthropod-borne disease vectors. Although mosquito-borne diseases are ubiquitous in the Neotropics, few studies in this region have assessed patterns of mosquito-host interactions, especially during actual disease outbreaks. Based on collections made during and after an outbreak of equine viral encephalitis, we identified the source of 338 blood meals from 10 species of mosquitoes from Aruza Abajo, a location in Darien province in eastern Panama. A PCR based method targeting three distinct mitochondrial targets and subsequent DNA sequencing was used in an effort to delineate vector-host relationships. At Aruza Abajo, large domesticated mammals dominated the assemblage of mosquito blood meals while wild bird and mammal species represented only a small portion of the blood meal pool. Most mosquito species fed on a variety of hosts; foraging index analysis indicates that eight of nine mosquito species utilize hosts at similar proportions while a stochastic model suggests dietary overlap among species was greater than would be expected by chance. The results from our nullmodel analysis of mosquito diet overlap are consistent with the hypothesis that in landscapes where large domestic animals dominate the local biomass, many mosquito species show little host specificity, and feed upon hosts in proportion to their biomass, which may have implications for the role of livestocking patterns in vector-borne disease ecology.Mosquito blood meals provide information about the feeding habits and host preference of potential arthropod-borne disease vectors. Although mosquito-borne diseases are ubiquitous in the Neotropics, few studies in this region have assessed patterns of mosquito-host interactions, especially during actual disease outbreaks. Based on collections made during and after an outbreak of equine viral encephalitis, we identified the source of 338 blood meals from 10 species of mosquitoes from Aruza Abajo, a location in Darien province in eastern Panama. A PCR based method targeting three distinct mitochondrial targets and subsequent DNA sequencing was used in an effort to delineate vector-host relationships. At Aruza Abajo, large domesticated mammals dominated the assemblage of mosquito blood meals while wild bird and mammal species represented only a small portion of the blood meal pool. Most mosquito species fed on a variety of hosts; foraging index analysis indicates that eight of nine mosquito species utilize hosts at similar proportions while a stochastic model suggests dietary overlap among species was greater than would be expected by chance. The results from our nullmodel analysis of mosquito diet overlap are consistent with the hypothesis that in landscapes where large domestic animals dominate the local biomass, many mosquito species show little host specificity, and feed upon hosts in proportion to their biomass, which may have implications for the role of livestocking patterns in vector-borne disease ecology

The Political Economy of Productivity. The Case of Chile

This paper analyzes the political economy of productivity-related policymaking in Chile following a political transaction cost model (Spiller and Tommasi, 2003; Murillo et al., 2008). The main findings indicate that i) the Chilean policymaking process (PMP) was successful in the 1990s in implementing productivityenhancing policies, but as the country moved to a higher stage of development, the PMP grew less adept at generating the more complex set of policies needed to increase productivity at this stage; and ii) the Chilean PMP is less transparent than previously thought (Aninat et al., 2008), thus allowing political actors to favor private interests without being punished by the electorate. This has become apparent as the more sophisticated reforms needed at this stage of development require a deeper and more consolidated democracy

Distension-Induced Gastric Contraction is Attenuated in an Experimental Model of Gastric Restraint

Background Gastric distension has important implications for motility and satiety. The hypothesis of this study was that distension affects the amplitude and duration of gastric contraction and that these parameters are largely mediated by efferent vagus stimulation. Methods A novel isovolumic myograph was introduced to test these hypotheses. The isovolumic myograph isolates the stomach and records the pressure generated by the gastric contraction under isovolumic conditions. Accordingly, the phasic changes of gastric contractility can be documented. A group of 12 rats were used under in vivo conditions and isolated ex vivo conditions and with two different gastric restraints (small and large) to determine the effect of degree of restraint. Results The comparison of the in vivo and ex vivo contractility provided information on the efferent vagus mediation of gastric contraction, i.e., the in vivo amplitude and duration reached maximum of 12.6±2.7 mmHg and 19.8±5.6 s in contrast to maximum of 5.7±0.9 mmHg and 7.3±1.3 s in ex vivo amplitude and duration, respectively. The comparison of gastric restraint and control groups highlights the role of distension on in vivo gastric contractility. The limitation of gastric distension by restraint drastically reduced the maximal amplitude to below 2.9±0.2 mmHg. Conclusions The results show that distension-induced gastric contractility is regulated by both central nervous system and local mechanisms with the former being more substantial. Furthermore, the gastric restraint significantly attenuates gastric contractility (decreased amplitude and shortened duration of contraction) which is mediated by the efferent vagus activation. These findings have important implications for gastric motility and physiology and may improve our understanding of satiety

MEDICIÓN ANTROPOMETRIA OROFACIAL DEL CRECIMIENTO TRANSVERSO DE LA MANDIBULA

INTRODUCCIÓN: Evaluar la existencia de relaciones estadísticas entre las medidas antropométricas orofaciales de los vectores de crecimiento mandibular anteroposterior y vertical con un patrón de medición en sentido transversal, es el propósito de este estudio. MÉTODOS: Medidas antropométricas orofaciales para los vectores de crecimiento mandibular propuestas por Rangel, Albarracín, Rivera, Mogollón & Mantilla, incluyendo una medida adicional para valorar el crecimiento transverso; entre los ángulos mandibulares; a través del uso del parquímetro. El estudio de tipo censal a 74 sujetos entre 2 y 5 años de edad. El análisis estadístico se realizó a través de las correlaciones canónicas. RESULTADOS: Se encontraron relaciones de inferencia entre Índice de Masa Corporal (IMC) y las medidas de Rangel, Albarracín, Rivera, Mogollón & Mantilla, sin embargo, la evaluación del crecimiento transversal no mostró relaciones significativas ni con IMC, ni con las demás medidas. Se reportan las medianas por edad para el crecimiento mandibular. ANÁLISIS Y DISCUSIÓN: En el rango etario evaluado el crecimiento transverso de la mandíbula no guarda relación con las demás medidas mandibulares. Se observa mayor desarrollo del hemicuerpo derecho de la mandíbula, posiblemente asociados a los hábitos masticatorios, los cuales deben ser estudiados para profundizar en este aspecto. CONCLUSIONES: El crecimiento transverso de la mandíbula antes de la erupción de los molares no puede ser usado como índice de crecimiento mandibular o de simetría facial para la evaluación en Motricidad Orofacial y Terapia Miofuncional

Five-Year Follow-Up of the Argentine Randomized Trial of Coronary Angioplasty With Stenting Versus Coronary Bypass Surgery in Patients With Multiple Vessel Disease (ERACI II)

ObjectivesThe purpose of the present study is to report the five-year follow-up results of the ERACI II trial.BackgroundImmediate and one-year follow-up results of the ERACI II study showed a prognosis advantage of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stents over coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).MethodsA total of 450 patients were randomly assigned to undergo either PCI (n = 225); or CABG (n = 225). Only patients with multi-vessel disease were enrolled. Clinical follow-up during five years was obtained in 92% of the total population after hospital discharge. The primary end point of the study was to compare freedom from major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) at 30 days, 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years of follow-up.ResultsAt five years of follow-up, patients initially treated with PCI had similar survival and freedom from non-fatal acute myocardial infarction than those initially treated with CABG (92.8% vs. 88.4% and 97.3% vs. 94% respectively, p = 0.16). Freedom from repeat revascularization procedures (PCI/CABG) was significantly lower with PCI compared with CABG (71.5% vs. 92.4%, p = 0.0002). Freedom from MACE was also significantly lower with PCI compared with CABG (65.3% vs. 76.4%; p = 0.013). At five years similar numbers of patients randomized to each revascularization procedure were asymptomatic or with class I angina.ConclusionsAt five years of follow-up, in the ERACI II study, there were no survival benefits from any revascularization procedure; however patients initially treated with CABG had better freedom from repeat revascularization procedures and from MACE

Active low intrusion hybrid monitor for wireless sensor networks

Several systems have been proposed to monitor wireless sensor networks (WSN). These systems may be active (causing a high degree of intrusion) or passive (low observability inside the nodes). This paper presents the implementation of an active hybrid (hardware and software) monitor with low intrusion. It is based on the addition to the sensor node of a monitor node (hardware part) which, through a standard interface, is able to receive the monitoring information sent by a piece of software executed in the sensor node. The intrusion on time, code, and energy caused in the sensor nodes by the monitor is evaluated as a function of data size and the interface used. Then different interfaces, commonly available in sensor nodes, are evaluated: serial transmission (USART), serial peripheral interface (SPI), and parallel. The proposed hybrid monitor provides highly detailed information, barely disturbed by the measurement tool (interference), about the behavior of the WSN that may be used to evaluate many properties such as performance, dependability, security, etc. Monitor nodes are self-powered and may be removed after the monitoring campaign to be reused in other campaigns and/or WSNs. No other hardware-independent monitoring platforms with such low interference have been found in the literature.This research was supported by the Valencian Regional Government under Research Project GV/2014/012, the Polytechnic University of Valencia under Research Projects VLC/Campus UPV PAID-06-12, financed by the Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte as part of the program Campus de excelencia internacional UPV SP20140730 and UPV SP20150050, and the Spanish government under projects CTM2011-29691-C02-01 and TIN2011-28435-C03-0.Navia, M.; Campelo Rivadulla, JC.; Bonastre Pina, AM.; Ors Carot, R.; Capella Hernández, JV.; Serrano Martín, JJ. (2015). Active low intrusion hybrid monitor for wireless sensor networks. Sensors. 15(9):23927-23952. https://doi.org/10.3390/s150923927S2392723952159Mahapatro, A., & Khilar, P. M. (2013). Fault Diagnosis in Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 15(4), 2000-2026. doi:10.1109/surv.2013.030713.00062Rodrigues, A., Camilo, T., Silva, J. S., & Boavida, F. (2012). Diagnostic Tools for Wireless Sensor Networks: A Comparative Survey. Journal of Network and Systems Management, 21(3), 408-452. doi:10.1007/s10922-012-9240-6Schoofs, A., O’Hare, G. M. P., & Ruzzelli, A. G. (2012). Debugging Low-Power and Lossy Wireless Networks: A Survey. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 14(2), 311-321. doi:10.1109/surv.2011.021111.00098FAQ—TinyOS Wikihttp://tinyos.stanford.edu/tinyos-wiki/index.php/FAQGarcia, F., Andrade, R., Oliveira, C., & de Souza, J. (2014). EPMOSt: An Energy-Efficient Passive Monitoring System for Wireless Sensor Networks. Sensors, 14(6), 10804-10828. doi:10.3390/s140610804Yunhao Liu, Kebin Liu, & Mo Li. (2010). Passive Diagnosis for Wireless Sensor Networks. IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, 18(4), 1132-1144. doi:10.1109/tnet.2009.2037497Information Technology—Open Systems Interconnection—Basic Reference Modelhttp://www.iso.org/iso/home/store/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?-csnumber=20269STM32F051R8 ARM Cortex-M0 MCUhttp://www.st.com/web/catalog/mmc/CMSIS-Cortex Microcontroller Software Interface Standardhttp://www.arm.com/products/processors/cortex-m/cortex-microcontroller-software-interface-standard.phpKeil MDK-ARM Version 5http://www2.keil.com/mdk5/34405A Digital Multimeter, 5½ digit | Keysight (Agilent)http://www.keysight.com/en/pd-686884-pn-34405A/Gharghan, S., Nordin, R., & Ismail, M. (2014). Energy-Efficient ZigBee-Based Wireless Sensor Network for Track Bicycle Performance Monitoring. Sensors, 14(8), 15573-15592. doi:10.3390/s140815573Molina-Garcia, A., Fuentes, J. A., Gomez-Lazaro, E., Bonastre, A., Campelo, J. C., & Serrano, J. J. (2012). Development and Assessment of a Wireless Sensor and Actuator Network for Heating and Cooling Loads. IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, 3(3), 1192-1202. doi:10.1109/tsg.2012.2187542Lee, D.-S., Liu, Y.-H., & Lin, C.-R. (2012). A Wireless Sensor Enabled by Wireless Power. Sensors, 12(12), 16116-16143. doi:10.3390/s12121611

ANÁLISIS DE CORRELACIÓN CANÓNICA ENTRE VOICE ONSET TIME Y DIADOCOCINESIA DEL HABLA DEL ESPAÑOL COLOMBIANO

INTRODUCCIÓN: Evaluar a través del análisis de correlación canónica (ACC) la existencia de relaciones predictivas para uso diagnóstico entre Voice Onset Time (VOT) y Diadococinesia del Habla (DDK) en el español colombiano. MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal con inclusión población aleatoria por muestreo estratificado. 69 participantes 22 hombres, 44 mujeres. Recolección de datos por repetición de 19 palabras para el cálculo de VOT y repetición silábica para DDK. El ACC fue usado como estrategia para la evaluación estadística de correlaciones entre los datos. RESULTADOS: La media de VOT por sonido fue de /p/ 16,74 seg; /t/ 18,57 seg; /k/ 25,59 seg; /b/ -33,66 seg; /d/ -21,28 seg; /g/ -24,84 seg. Para DDK los valores obtenidos fueron /pa/ 17.08 repeticiones por segundo (rps); /ta/ 17.12rps; /ka/ 14.96 rps; /pataka/ 15.92 rps. No se encontro correlación canónica entre VOT y DDK. ANÁLISIS Y DISCUSIÓN: La ausencia de relaciones predictivas entre VOT y DDK podría explicarse por efecto de la tasa de producción del habla como elemento central en la producción de la DDK, o por efecto de la composicion de la relación de sentido entre DDK y VOT necesaria para el ACC. CONCLUSIONES: No existe relación predictiva entre VOY y DDK, sin embargo exuste entre estos una relación de singularidades no positivas a la cual no es sensible el ACC

Propuesta de Supply Chain Management y Logística para la empresa DICORP S.A.S.

El Supply Chain Manager (SCM) debe estar en perfecta coordinación con las tareas logísticas, para que se garantice el excelente funcionamiento del conjunto de procesos que implican, adaptándose a la demanda y los costos de la empresa en lo que se refiere al almacenamiento, transporte y distribución del producto en su destino final. El estado del arte evidenció que en la SCM implican una infinidad de detalles que deben ser tenidos en cuenta, para asegurar un alto nivel competitivo con el menor consumo de recursos. Para el caso de las empresas de alimentos, a partir de la situación coyuntural de la pandemia, han tenido que reinventarse y adaptarse a las crecientes restricciones de tipo biosanitario que regula aún más el proceso de adquisición del producto. Por lo anterior, se desarrolla una propuesta a la empresa DICORP S.A.S, basado en el análisis interno y externo dentro de su contexto en el mercado, como táctica de sostenimiento, velando por sus intereses y garantizando su nivel de competitividad organizacional. La metodología aplicada fue la de programación extrema, apropiado para crear ciclos cortos de desarrollo de equipos pequeños. Los resultados generados en la aplicación contextual y conceptual muestran la relevancia tan significativa que tiene su aplicación en la empresa, para el segmento de mercado arrocero colombiano. La propuesta en curso es una estrategia dinámica acorde con las necesidades actuales de SCM y logística de la empresa, quizás desconocida por la empresa en ciertos procesos, por lo que entrega elementos interesantes que generarán ventajas competitivas.The Supply Chain Manager (SCM) must be in perfect coordination with the logistics tasks to guarantee the excellent functioning of the set of processes involved, adapting to the demand and costs of the company in terms of storage, transportation and distribution of the product in its final destination. The state of the art has shown that SCM involves an infinity of details that must be taken into account to ensure a high competitive level with the least consumption of resources. In the case of food companies, due to the current situation of the pandemic, they have had to reinvent themselves and adapt to the growing bio sanitary restrictions that regulate even more the product acquisition process. Therefore, a proposal is developed for the company DICORP S.A.S, based on internal and external analysis within its context in the market, as a support tactic, promoting its interests and guaranteeing its level of organizational competitiveness. The methodology applied was extreme programming, appropriate to create short development cycles for small teams. The results generated in the contextual and conceptual application show the significant relevance that its application has in the company, for the Colombian rice market segment. The current proposal is a dynamic strategy in accordance with the current needs of SCM and logistics of the company, perhaps unknown by the company in certain processes, for which it provides interesting elements that will generate competitive advantages