Elasticity of cigarette demand in Argentina: An empirical analysis using vector error-correction model.

Is objective this paper estimate empirically the short and long-term effects on cigarette demand in Argentina based on changes in cigarette price and income. We analyzed data from the Ministry of Economy and Production of Argentina. Analysis was based on monthly time-series data between 1994 and 2004. The econometrics specification is a linear double-logarithmic form using cigarettes consumption per person older than 14 y. as dependent variable and real income per person older than 14 y. and the real average price of cigarettes sales as independent variables. Empirical analyses were done in three steps: 1) To verify the order of integration of the variables using the augmented Dickey-Fuller test; 2) To test for co-integration using the Johansen-Juselius maximum likelihood approach to capture the long-term effects; and 3) To utilize the Vector error-correction model to capture the short-run dynamics of the variables.Results: The empirical results showed that in the long-term period the demand for cigarettes in Argentina is affected by changes in real income and real average price of cigarettes. The value of income elasticity is equal to 0.54 while the value of own-price elasticity is equal to –0.34. The results using vector error-correction model estimation suggest that the short-term cigarette demand in Argentina is independent of price (not statistically significant). The value of the short-term income elasticity is equal to 0.49. A simulation exercise show that increasing the prices in a 120% we can obtain a maximum of revenues from cigarette tax and obtain also a big impact in the fall of the total consumption of cigarettes in the country.Price elasticity, cigarette demand, Tobacco control

Criterios de calidad de los instrumentos evaluativos escritos

Constantemente se emiten juicios y decisiones sobre los estudiantes basados en varios tipos de evaluación. Para hacer juicios imparciales, se debe entender cuidadosamente las fortalezas y limitaciones de las herramientas y procesos de evaluación sobre el cual se basan estas decisiones. En realidad, se requiere de evidencia para respaldar la validez de nuestras decisiones. Es necesario conocer los indicadores técnicos que definen la calidad del instrumento evaluativo que se emplea por su dimensión y por el poderoso impacto social que tiene, pues los defectos en la elaboración de los mismos tienen efectos negativos en los estudiantes. Con el objetivo de presentar algunos criterios que en la actualidad predominan en relación con la calidad de los instrumentos evaluativos escritos, se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica a través de Infomed, Medline, SciELO y Redalyc.y Google Scholar. Se concluye que el actual modelo de Validez, por su carácter holístico, procesal, dinámico y abierto, resulta esencial como criterio de calidad en la evaluación. Cuando se emplean instrumentos escritos, el contenido de la prueba y su estructura interna constituyen las más importantes fuentes de evidencia para argumentar su validez

Eritroedema idiopatico en el municipio Güines: estudio clinico-epidemiológico

Se realizó un estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de una nueva enfermedad, denominada Eritroedema Idiopático, con el objetivo de conocer características clínicas y epidemiológicas del brote de dicha enfermedad en el municipio Güines. En los pacientes afectados predominó el sexo masculino, la raza blanca y las edades comprendidas entre los 30 y 60 años. Los pacientesresidían en forma dispersa en toda el área urbana del municipio. No se encontró predominio de ninguna ocupación. De los complementarios realizados, sólo la Eritrosedimentación presentóalteraciones, con gran variabilidad entre pacientes

Neuroblastoma de la suprarrenal en embarazo gemelar

Introduction: the anomalies of adrenal glands are rarely detected during prenatal life, they can be observed on the second half of pregnancy, cysts and hemorrhages are the most frequent anomalies found; solid tumors are rare. Though, ultrasonographic advances make possible the intrauterine detection, its prenatal diagnosis is not frequent. This kind of tumor presents a high rate of morbidity and mortality due to its metastatic risk.A case report: a fetal ultrasonography to a twin pregnancy at 23 weeks was performed and informed as a normal test, but a solid hyper-echogenic mass was detected above the left kidney of one of the fetus. Conclusions: a neuroblastoma of the adrenal gland was the main diagnosis. Pregnancy was interrupted having the previous consent of the couple, pathological studies confirmed the diagnosis.Introducción: las anomalías de la glándula suprarrenal son raramente detectadas en la vida prenatal, y se pueden observar sobre todo a partir de la segunda mitad del embarazo, siendo las más frecuentes los quistes y las hemorragias, y menos los tumores sólidos. Aunque los avances tecnológicos en ecografía hacen posible su detección dentro del útero, su diagnóstico prenatal es todavía infrecuente. Este tipo de tumor tiene una alta tasa de morbilidad y mortalidad debido a su riesgo metastásico. Presentación del caso: se presenta un embarazo gemelar que a las 23 semanas acude a nuestro centro para realizarse una ecografía fetal que fue informada como normal, pero se detecta una masa sólida hiperecogénica por encima del riñón izquierdo de uno de los fetos.Conclusiones: se plantea un neuroblastoma de la glándula suprarrenal como diagnóstico principal. Se realiza interrupción del embarazo previo consentimiento de la pareja, confirmándose el diagnóstico por anatomía patológica

Neuroblastoma of the adrenal gland in twin pregnancy

Introducción: las anomalías de la glándula suprarrenal son raramente detectadas en la vida prenatal, y se pueden observar sobre todo a partir de la segunda mitad del embarazo, siendo las más frecuentes los quistes y las hemorragias, y menos los tumores sólidos. Aunque los avances tecnológicos en ecografía hacen posible su detección dentro del útero, su diagnóstico prenatal es todavía infrecuente. Este tipo de tumor tiene una alta tasa de morbilidad y mortalidad debido a su riesgo metastásico. Presentación del caso: se presenta un embarazo gemelar que a las 23 semanas acude a nuestro centro para realizarse una ecografía fetal que fue informada como normal, pero se detecta una masa sólida hiperecogénica por encima del riñón izquierdo de uno de los fetos.Conclusiones: se plantea un neuroblastoma de la glándula suprarrenal como diagnóstico principal. Se realiza interrupción del embarazo previo consentimiento de la pareja, confirmándose el diagnóstico por anatomía patológica.Introduction: the anomalies of adrenal glands are rarely detected during prenatal life, they can be observed on the second half of pregnancy, cysts and hemorrhages are the most frequent anomalies found; solid tumors are rare. Though, ultrasonographic advances make possible the intrauterine detection, its prenatal diagnosis is not frequent. This kind of tumor presents a high rate of morbidity and mortality due to its metastatic risk.A case report: a fetal ultrasonography to a twin pregnancy at 23 weeks was performed and informed as a normal test, but a solid hyper-echogenic mass was detected above the left kidney of one of the fetus. Conclusions: a neuroblastoma of the adrenal gland was the main diagnosis. Pregnancy was interrupted having the previous consent of the couple, pathological studies confirmed the diagnosis

Embolismo pulmonar

La elevada incidencia, mortalidad y dificultad en el diagnóstico del Embolismo Pulmonar, unido a que las pruebas complementarias disponibles para confirmar el diagnóstico tienen un valor predictivo limitado o son relativamente agresivas, además de los costos que representan, motivó a realizar una revisión sobre el tema con la pretensión de que posibilitara identificar las tendencias actuales más eficientes y eficaces para enfrentar dicho problema, para lo cual se consultaron las fuentes de información en formato electrónico. Se organizó siguiendo un orden lógico, que incluye concepto, factores de riesgo, fisiopatología, diagnóstico, tratamiento y profilaxis, con reflexiones sobre el consenso de criterios al respect

Optimization of polymeric nanofiltration performance for olive-oil-washing wastewater phenols recovery and reclamation

The core of the present work was to model and optimize an environmentally friendly nanofiltration (NF) treatment process for two-phase olive-oil-washing wastewater (OOWW) valorization throughout the concentration and recovery of its phenolic fraction and the obtention of a purified permeate stream. For this objective, a factorial design was used for the optimization of the process. Results were interpreted by means of the response surface methodology. A statistical multifactorial analysis was performed in order to quantify all the potential complex conjugated effects of the input parameters in the NF process. The process was subsequently modelled by means of a second-grade quadratic fitting model equation. Finally, the parametric quality standards that permit to reuse the purified stream for irrigation, recycling or even discharge in-site reuse purposes were checked. To the author's knowledge, no previous work on the optimization and statistical modelling of membrane processes for OOWW purification and valorization can be found up to the present. The optimized parameters for the proposed OOWW purification process – operating pressure of 26.5 bar, tangential velocity 32.7 m s−1, system temperature 35 °C and pH of 3.7 – ensured high and stable membrane flux (106.2 L h−1 m−2). The obtained optimized data are very relevant for the feasible scale-up of the proposed process in the mills, since the NF membrane (TFC polyamide/polysulfone, MWCO 300 Da) was highly efficient at ambient temperature conditions and raw effluent pH. The optimized conditions provided a permeate stream that could be reused for irrigation purposes and a retantate stream concentrated in volume up to 6.5 times, with a total phenolic content of minimum 1315.7 mg/L.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness is acknowledged for having funded the project CTM2014-61105-JIN ‘Design and development of an integral process for revalorization and treatment of the effluents from olive oil industry’, as well as the University of Granada

Polyhydroxyalkanoates production from methane emissions in Sphagnum mosses: Assessing the effect of temperature and phosphorus limitation

Producción CientíficaThe isolation of highly efficient methanotrophic communities is crucial for the optimization of methane bioconversion into products with a high market value such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). The research here presented aimed at enriching a methanotrophic consortium from two different inocula (Sphagnum peat moss (Sp) and Sphagnum and activated sludge (M)) able to accumulate PHA while efficiently oxidizing CH4. Moreover, the effect of the temperature and phosphorus limitation on the biodegradation rate of CH4 and the PHA accumulation potential was investigated. Higher CH4 degradation rates were obtained under P availability at increasing temperature (25, 30 and 37 °C). The biomass enriched from the mixed inoculum always exhibited a superior biodegradation performance regardless of the temperature (a maximum value of 84.3 ± 8.4 mg CH4 h−1 g biomass−1 was recorded at 37 °C). The results of the PHB production showed that phosphorus limitation is required to promote PHB accumulation, the highest PHB content being observed with the Sphagnum inoculum at 25 °C (13.6 ± 5.6%). The differential specialization of the microbial communities depending on the enrichment temperature supported the key role of this parameter on the results obtained. In all cases after the completion of the enrichment process and of the P limitation tests, Methylocystis, a type II methanotroph known for its ability to accumulate PHA, was the genus that became dominant (reaching percentages from 16 to 46% depending on the enrichment temperature). Thus, the results here obtained demonstrated for the first time the relevance of the temperature used for the enrichment of the methanotrophic bacteria to boost PHA production yields under P limiting condition, highlighting the importance of optimizing culture conditions to improve the cost-efficiency of bioprocesses based on using methane as the primary feedstock for the PHA industrial market.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad - FEDER (Project CTM2015-73228-JIN)Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación - Ref. UIC 71 and CLU 2017-09