Alternative strategies to reduce public deficits: the case of Spain

High government deficits are a matter of concern in many European countries. We examine the effects of several alternative measures intended to reduce public deficits, distinguishing between those acting through either taxes or spending. Our analysis is applied to the Spanish economy, using a computable general equilibrium mode

Two-in-One Protocol: Simultaneous Small-Pore and Ultrasmall-Pore Peritoneal Transport Quantification

BACKGROUND: Reduced free water transport (FWT) through ultrasmall pores contributes to net ultrafiltration failure (UFF) and should be seen as a sign of more severe functional deterioration of the peritoneal membrane. The modified peritoneal equilibration test (PET), measuring the dip in dialysate Na concentration, estimates only FWT. Our aim was to simultaneously quantify small-solute transport, FWT, and small-pore ultrafiltration (SPUF) during a single PET procedure. ♢ METHODS: We performed a 4-hour, 3.86% glucose PET, with additional measurement of ultrafiltration (UF) at 60 minutes, in 70 peritoneal dialysis patients (mean age: 50 ± 16 years; 61% women; PD vintage: 26 ± 23 months). We calculated the dialysate-to-plasma ratios (D/P) of creatinine and Na at 0 and 60 minutes, and the Na dip (Dip(D/PNa60')), the delta dialysate Na 0-60 (ΔDNa(0-60)), FWT, and SPUF. ♢ RESULTS: Sodium sieving (as measured by ΔDNa(0-60)) correlated strongly with the corrected Dip(D/PNa60') (r = 0.85, p < 0.0001) and the corrected FWT (r = 0.41, p = 0.005). Total UF showed better correlation with FWT than with indirect measurements of Na sieving (r = 0.46, p < 0.0001 for FWT; r = 0.360, p < 0.0001 for Dip(D/PNa60')). Corrected FWT fraction was 0.45 ± 0.16. A negative correlation was found between time on PD and both total UF and FWT (r = -0.253, p = 0.035 and r = -0.272, p = 0.023 respectively). The 11 patients (15.7%) diagnosed with UFF had lower FWT (89 mL vs 164 mL, p < 0.05) and higher D/P creatinine (0.75 vs 0.70, p < 0.05) than did the group with normal UF. The SPUF correlated positively with FWT in the normal UF group, but negatively in UFF patients (r = -0.709, p = 0.015). Among UFF patients on PD for a longer period, 44.4% had a FWT percentage below 45%. ♢ CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of FWT and SPUF is feasible by simultaneous quantification during a modified 3.86% glucose PET, and FWT is a decisive parameter for detecting causes of UFF in addition to increased effective capillary surface.This study was performed partially with the help of investigation grants to RS from Sociedade Portuguesa Nefrologia, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Fondos FEDER (REDinREN, RETICS 06/0016), and FIS 09/00641

Raman and infrared spectra of dimethyl ether 13C-isotopologue (CH3O13CH3) from a CCSD(T) potential energy surface

So far, no experimental data of the infrared and Raman spectra of 13C isotopologue of dimethyl ether are available. With the aim of providing some clues of its low-lying vibrational bands and with the hope of contributing in a next spectral analysis, a number of vibrational transition frequencies below 300 cm−1 of the infrared spectrum and around 400 cm−1 of the Raman spectrum have been predicted and their assignments were proposed. Calculations were carried out through an ab initio three dimensional potential energy surface based on a previously reported one for the most abundant dimethyl ether isotopologue (M. Villa et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 115 (2011) 13573). The potential function was vibrationally corrected and computed with a highly correlated CCSD(T) method involving the COC bending angle and the two large amplitude CH3 internal rotation degrees of freedom. Also, the Hamiltonian parameters could represent a support for the spectral characterization of this species. Although the computed vibrational term values are expected to be very accurate, an empirical adjustment of the Hamiltonian has been performed with the purpose of anticipating some workable corrections to any possible divergence of the vibrational frequencies. Also, the symmetry breaking derived from the isotopic substitution of 13C in the dimethyl ether was taken into account when the symmetrization procedure was applied

Seroprevalencia y conocimiento de vacunación en nuevos residentes

Artículos originales[ES] Objetivo: Valorar el conocimiento de los nuevos residentes sobre su calendario vacunal, su estado serológico frente enfermedades vacunoprevenibles y la validez de la historia clínico-laboral como indicador de protección frente éstas. Método: Mediante cuestionario específico obtenemos datos sobre el conocimiento del estado e historia vacunal, y mediante serología comprobamos el estado de protección actual de 130 nuevos residentes hospitalarios. Resultados: La edad media es de 26,7 años, siendo 62% mujeres. Son españoles 82%, de Centro y Sur América 17% y un 1% europeos. El 42% desconocen su calendario vacunal. Están protegidos frente varicela 93,1% y frente a sarampión 90.8%, pero frente parotiditis y rubéola sólo presentan anticuerpos positivos el 69.2% y 61.5% respectivamente. Refieren vacunación frente hepatitis B 81.5% y están protegidos 80,8%. Refieren vacunación de hepatitis A 35% y están protegidos 52.3%. 65% nunca se vacunó de gripe. Conclusiones: Se ha objetivado un gran desconocimiento sobre vacunaciones. La protección frente parotiditis y rubéola ha resultado escasa. La cobertura vacunal frente a VHB, VHA y gripe es baja contando con que se trata ya de personal de riesgo antes de realizar este estudio. La historia clínico laboral no es congruente con los resultados serológicos en muchos casos. [EN] Objective: To evaluate knowledge about vaccines, protection against vaccine-preventable diseases and labour medical history value. Methods: We obtained data on immunization status and serum antibodies against these diseases from 130 newcomers residents to our hospital that were enrolled from May to June 2008. Results: Their mean age was 26.7 years (62% women). They are Spanish 82%, from Centre and South America 17% and 1% European. 42% of subjects don’t know their immunization schedule. 93.1% are immune against varicella and 90.8% against measles, but only 69,2% are immune against rubella and 61,5% against mumps. 81% have been vaccinated against hepatitis B and 80,8% are protected. 35% related to be vaccinated against hepatitis A, but 52.3% are protected. 65% of them never have been flu vaccinated. Conclusion: A lack of knowledge about vaccine has been found. Protection against mumps and rubella is not enough. Immunization coverage against VHB, VHA and flu is low for this biological risk population. Lot of the subjects doesn’t have a labour medical history consistent with serological results.N

Reorganization of Functional Networks in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Whether the balance between integration and segregation of information in the brain is damaged in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) subjects is still a matter of debate. Here we characterize the functional network architecture of MCI subjects by means of complex networks analysis. Magnetoencephalograms (MEG) time series obtained during a memory task were evaluated by synchronization likelihood (SL), to quantify the statistical dependence between MEG signals and to obtain the functional networks. Graphs from MCI subjects show an enhancement of the strength of connections, together with an increase in the outreach parameter, suggesting that memory processing in MCI subjects is associated with higher energy expenditure and a tendency toward random structure, which breaks the balance between integration and segregation. All features are reproduced by an evolutionary network model that simulates the degenerative process of a healthy functional network to that associated with MCI. Due to the high rate of conversion from MCI to Alzheimer Disease (AD), these results show that the analysis of functional networks could be an appropriate tool for the early detection of both MCI and AD

Study of Spin and Decay-Plane Correlations of W Bosons in the e+e- -> W+W- Process at LEP

Data collected at LEP at centre-of-mass energies \sqrt(s) = 189 - 209 GeV are used to study correlations of the spin of W bosons using e+e- -> W+W- -> lnqq~ events. Spin correlations are favoured by data, and found to agree with the Standard Model predictions. In addition, correlations between the W-boson decay planes are studied in e+e- -> W+W- -> lnqq~ and e+e- -> W+W- -> qq~qq~ events. Decay-plane correlations, consistent with zero and with the Standard Model predictions, are measured

Ultrarelativistic sources in nonlinear electrodynamics

The fields of rapidly moving sources are studied within nonlinear electrodynamics by boosting the fields of sources at rest. As a consequence of the ultrarelativistic limit the delta-like electromagnetic shock waves are found. The character of the field within the shock depends on the theory of nonlinear electrodynamics considered. In particular, we obtain the field of an ultrarelativistic charge in the Born-Infeld theory.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure