The Impact of Immigrant Diversity on Wages. The Spanish Experience

The massive waves of migration that have emerged as part of the recent globalization process have attracted increasing attention in the field of economic geography. Traditionally, empirical research on this issue has focused on the possible substitution effect between native and foreign workers in the labour market. However, this evaluation omits the potential positive spillovers derived from a greater cultural diversity related to immigration. The aim of this work is to fill this gap by analysing the impact that immigrant diversity has on wages in Spain. To do so, we built three different indexes that measure cultural diversity across the Spanish regions. We control for the problem of potential simultaneity between migration and wages using instrumental variable techniques. We also consider the role of the increasing entry of foreigners coming from developed economies and other local factors. The results confirm that a greater diversity of immigrants’ birthplaces is associated with higher wages for both natives and the total population. Moreover, our findings reveal the importance of skilled labour (national or foreign), to encourage workers’ productivity and to ensure sustainable economic development

Ethical assessments and mitigation strategies for biases in AI-systems used during the COVID-19 pandemic

This research has been funded thanks to the “Ayudas Fundación BBVA a Equipos de Investigación Científica SARS-CoV-2 y COVID-19” in Humanities.The main aim of this article is to reflect on the impact of biases related to artificial intelligence (AI) systems developed to tackle issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, with special focus on those developed for triage and risk prediction. A secondary aim is to review assessment tools that have been developed to prevent biases in AI systems. In addition, we provide a conceptual clarification for some terms related to biases in this particular context. We focus mainly on non-racial biases that may be less considered when addressing biases in AI systems in the existing literature. In the manuscript, we found that the existence of bias in AI systems used for COVID-19 can result in algorithmic justice and that the legal frameworks and strategies developed to prevent the apparition of bias have failed to adequately consider social determinants of health. Finally, we make some recommendations on how to include more diverse professional profiles in order to develop AI systems that increase the epistemic diversity needed to tackle AI biases during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.Fundación BBVA SARS-CoV-2, COVID-1

Exploring the use of silica sands and calcite from natural deposits to prepare bioactive glasses.

Nowadays bioactive glasses represent one of the most successful bioceramics used for bone tissue restorations. In this work, three types of silica sands (White, Yellow and Gray Sands) and calcite from Cuban natural deposits were employed to synthesize glasses from the system SiO2-CaO-Na2O. The ions released from glasses were evaluated through in vitro tests in Tris-HCl and in simulated body fluids. All sands had purity around 99.2 % of SiO2 and contained traces (ppm) of Zr, Cr, Ba, Ce and Sr ions, while calcite raw material had traces of Sr, Cr, Zr, Ce and Zn. All glasses induced a pH change in Tris-HCl from 7.4 to 9 after 24 h; they had similar ion-release behavior in the in vitro solutions tested and showed a significant bioactive performance after 5 h. This work illustrates the potentialities of the use of natural resources to develop medical products when recognized trademark materials are not available

Bias in algorithms of AI systems developed for COVID-19 : A scoping review

To analyze which ethically relevant biases have been identified by academic literature in artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms developed either for patient risk prediction and triage, or for contact tracing to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, to specifically investigate whether the role of social determinants of health (SDOH) have been considered in these AI developments or not. We conducted a scoping review of the literature, which covered publications from March 2020 to April 2021. ​Studies mentioning biases on AI algorithms developed for contact tracing and medical triage or risk prediction regarding COVID-19 were included. From 1054 identified articles, 20 studies were finally included. We propose a typology of biases identified in the literature based on bias, limitations and other ethical issues in both areas of analysis. Results on health disparities and SDOH were classified into five categories: racial disparities, biased data, socio-economic disparities, unequal accessibility and workforce, and information communication. SDOH needs to be considered in the clinical context, where they still seem underestimated. Epidemiological conditions depend on geographic location, so the use of local data in studies to develop international solutions may increase some biases. Gender bias was not specifically addressed in the articles included. The main biases are related to data collection and management. Ethical problems related to privacy, consent, and lack of regulation have been identified in contact tracing while some bias-related health inequalities have been highlighted. There is a need for further research focusing on SDOH and these specific AI apps

Um programa de intervenção em educação física orientado para a saúde: a avaliação dos alunos

An investigation project whose main purpose laid on the up-dating of the concept of (Physical) Education inside the school curriculum has been carried out with the aim that Secondary Physical Education is not seen as a second level subject by pupils because of its low capacity to create meaningful learning, among a lot of more reasons. The physical education intervention program directed to health developed as an alternative to the traditionalmodel was fixed through an integrating curriculum treatment, together with the use of a change in the development of the contents in all the sides within the school curriculum.The most relevant aspects in the intervention program as well as the pupil assessment (obtained by means of group interviews) both about the intervention proposal and the teaching performance will be shown in this paper. The conclusion of this research stands out the high acceptance of the accomplished lesson planning and, therefore, the viability and suitability of the aforesaid proposal.Con ánimo de que la Educación Física en Secundaria no sea percibida por el alumnado como una asignatura de segunda categoría, por su baja capacidad para generar aprendizajes significativos en ellos, entre otros muchos motivos, se procedió a llevar a cabo un proyecto de investigación cuya finalidad principal estribaba en actualizar el concepto de Educación (Física) dentro del currículum escolar. El programa de intervención de E.F. orientada a la salud que se desarrolló como alternativa al modelo tradicional, se concretó a través de un tratamiento integrador del currículum, junto con el uso de una metodología reflexiva, de manera que se produjera un cambio significativo en el desarrollo de los contenidos en todas sus vertientes dentro del currículum escolar. En el presente artículo se presentarán los aspectos más relevantes del programa de intervención así como la valoración del alumnado tanto sobre la propuesta de intervención como sobre la actuación docente (estas valoraciones se obtuvieron a través de entrevistas en grupo). La conclusión de este estudio destaca la alta aceptación del planteamiento didáctico que se llevó a cabo y, por tanto, la viabilidad e idoneidad de dicha propuesta.Foi criado um projecto de investigação destinado principalmente a actualizar o conceito de Educação (Física) dentro do currículo escolar. Este projecto tem como objectivo, entre outros, que a Educação Física (EF) no Ensino Secundário não seja encarada pelos estudantes como uma disciplina de segunda categoria, dada a sua baixa capacidade de gerar aprendizagens significativas. O progama de intervenção de EF orientada à saúde que foi desenvolvido, como alternativa ao modelo tradicional, realizou-se através de um tratamento integrante do plano curricular, juntamente com o uso de uma metodología reflexiva, de maneira a que se produzisse uma mudança significativa dos conteúdos em todas as suas vertentes dentro do currículo escolar. No presente artigo apresentar-se-ão os aspectos mais relevantes do programa de intervenção, bem como a valorização dos estudantes da proposta de intervenção e da actuação docente (estas valorizações foram obtidas a través de entrevistas em grupo). A conclusão deste estudo destaca a elevada aceitação da proposta didáctica levada a cabo e, portanto, a sua viabilidade e idoneidade

Development of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)/bioglass fibers using an electrospinning technique.

This work establishes experimental conditions for the synthesis of polymeric fibers using the electrospinning technique, modifying some operational parameters such as drum collector rotation speed and applied voltage were modified. The samples were obtained from a copolymer of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), with a molecular weight of approximately 220,000 g/mol, dissolved in a dimethyl sulfoxide/dichloromethane (3:1 v/v) solution. With the aim of developing scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, we added a calcium phosphate glass based on 44.5Ca0-44.5P2O5-11Na2O to the fibrous PLGA structures. The preliminary characterization of these PLGA structures with and without the addition of biodegradable glass was performed using SEM analysis. We found the formation of aligned and homogeneous fibers with an average diameter of 5.2 ± 2.1 µm when using the 800 rpm - 8cm - 9 kV parameters. In addition, the incorporation of 1 wt% of previously silanized calcium phosphate particles substantially altered the fiber morphology and porosity. However, a substantial increase in the bioactivity of the composite was observed in contrast with the unmodified PLGA

Phosphorous pentoxide-free bioactive glass exhibits dose-dependent angiogenic and osteogenic capacities which are retained in glass polymeric composite scaffolds

Bioactive glasses (BGs) are attractive materials for bone tissue engineering because of their bioactivity andosteoinductivity. In this study, we report the synthesis of a novel phosphorous pentoxide-free, silicatebasedbioactive glass (52S-BG) composed of 52.1% SiO2, 23.2% Na2O and 22.6% CaO (wt%). The glasswas thoroughly characterized. The biocompatibility and osteogenic properties of 52S-BG particles wereanalyzed in vitro with human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AdMSCs) and human osteoblasts.52S-BG particles were biocompatible and induced mineralized matrix deposition and the expression ofosteogenic markers (RunX2, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, osteopontin, collagen I) and the angiogenicmarker vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Angiogenic properties were additionallyconfirmed in a zebrafish embryo model. 52S-BG was added to poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) to obtain acomposite with 10 wt% glass content. Composite PCL/52S-BG scaffolds were fabricated by additive manufacturingand displayed high porosity (76%) and pore interconnectivity. The incorporation of 52S-BG particlesincreased the Young’s modulus of PCL scaffolds from 180 to 230 MPa. AdMSC seeding efficiencyand proliferation were higher in PCL/52S-BG compared to PCL scaffolds, indicating improved biocompatibility.Finally, 52S-BG incorporation improved the scaffolds’ osteogenic and angiogenic properties byincreasing mineral deposition and inducing relevant gene expression and VEGF protein secretion. Overall,52S-BG particles and PCL/52S-BG composites may be attractive for diverse bone engineering applicationsrequiring concomitant angiogenic properties

The prognostic impact of minimal residual disease in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia requiring first-line therapy.

A proportion of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia achieve a minimal residual disease negative status after therapy. We retrospectively evaluated the impact of minimal residual disease on the outcome of 255 consecutive patients receiving any front-line therapy in the context of a detailed prognostic evaluation, including assessment of IGHV, TP53, NOTCH1 and SF3B1 mutations. The median follow-up was 73 months (range, 2-202) from disease evaluation. The median treatment-free survival durations for patients achieving a complete response without or with minimal residual disease, a partial response and no response were 76, 40, 11 and 11 months, respectively (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that three variables had a significant impact on treatment-free survival: minimal residual disease (P<0.001), IGHV status (P<0.001) and β2-microglobulin levels (P=0.012). With regards to overall survival, factors predictive of an unfavorable outcome were minimal residual disease positivity (P=0.014), together with advanced age (P<0.001), unmutated IGHV status (P=0.001), TP53 mutations (P<0.001) and elevated levels of β2-microglobulin (P=0.003). In conclusion, for patients requiring front-line therapy, achievement of minimal residual disease negativity is associated with significantly prolonged treatment-free and overall survival irrespective of other prognostic markers or treatment administered

Update on the Serum Biomarkers and Genetic Factors Associated with Safety and Efficacy of rt-PA Treatment in Acute Stroke Patients

An accurate understanding of the mechanisms underlying an individual's response to rt-PA treatment is critical to improve stroke patients' management. We thus reviewed the literature in order to identify biochemical and genetic factors that have been associated with safety and efficacy of rt-PA administration after stroke

Use of colonoscopy as a primary screening test for colorectal cancer in average risk people

The use of colonoscopy as a primary screening test for colorectal cancer (CRC) in average risk adults is a subject of controversy. Our primary objective was to build a predictive model based on a few simple variables that could be used as a guide for identifying average risk adults more suitable for examination with colonoscopy as a primary screening test. METHODS: The prevalence of advanced adenomas was assessed by primary screening colonoscopy in 2210 consecutive adults at least 40 yr old, without known risk factors for CRC. Age, gender, and clinical and biochemical data were compared among people without adenomas, those with non-advanced adenomas, and those with any advanced neoplasm. A combined score to assess the risk of advanced adenomas was built with the variables selected by multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Neoplastic lesions were found in 617 subjects (27.9%), including 259 with at least one neoplasm that was 10 mm or larger, villous, or with moderate-to-severe dysplasia, and 11 with invasive cancers. Advanced lesions were more frequent among men, older people, and those with a higher body mass index (BMI). These three variables were independent predictors of advanced adenomas in multivariate analysis. A score combining age, sex, and BMI was developed as a guide for identifying individuals more suitable for screening colonoscopy. CONCLUSIONS: Age, gender, and BMI can be used to build a simple score to select those average risk adults who might be candidates for primary screening colonoscop