Pension systems compared : a polarised perspective, a diverse reality

Production of INCASI Project H2020-MSCA-RISE-2015 GA 691004Globalisation and international competition have a spillover effect on the reforms of pension systems that imposes a similar pattern of dismantling, hardening access to pensions, reducing expenditure and retrenchment in said reforms. The comparative analysis of four countries with different pension systems: two liberal (United Kingdom and Chile) and another two with contributory-proportional systems (Spain and Argentina) serves to determine the details of the reform processes, which discursively seem to have a shared pattern recommended by the international financial and economic institutions. But the reality of the four case studies shows considerable differences in the implementation of the pension reform policies. The reforms depend on the societal context, institutions, history, the role of unions, the government in power, demographic factors and economic perspectives, among other matters. Many countries need to sustain pension systems because they are associated with many pensioners' political vote. Therefore, the spillover effect of globalisation and the convergence in certain uniform patterns of reforms is far from reality in the four countries, and as such, the measures adopted are specific for each country

Comparing inequalities in the labour market from a segmentation perspective

Production of INCASI Project H2020-MSCA-RISE-2015 GA 691004The purpose of this chapter is to carry out a comparative analysis of labour markets in Europe and Latin America from the perspective of segmentation in order to explain the processes of social inequality that arise in the workplace, in light of recent trends in global socio-economic changes. The chapter proposes two main objectives. The first is to perform a comparative descriptive analysis of the main features of labour markets among 60 European and Latin American countries. The second objective is to propose a model of comparative analysis of labour inequality from the theoretical perspective of the segmentation of the labour market and structural heterogeneity. We will focus our analysis by selecting two countries, Spain and Argentina, which both underwent a late development of capitalism. The following general hypothesis is formulated: Spain and Argentina, having clearly differentiated features in economic structure, level of development, institutional frameworks and socio-historical processes, show common dynamics in the structuring of the capitalist labour market between a primary and secondary segment. Using equivalent databases on the workforce a typology of segmentation of employment is constructed that show, in addition to the specificities of each country, the similarities in the structuring of the labour market

Structural and physiological characteristics of petunia axillaris related to their low sensitivity to glyphosate

La utilización repetida de glifosato como herbicida, entre otros aspectos, aumenta la frecuencia de individuos con baja sensibilidad al mismo. Entre los numerosos casos reportados de especies de malezas que han presentado algún inconveniente para su adecuado manejo se encuentra Petunia axillaris. En este trabajo se evalúa su sensibilidad y se estudian posibles mecanismos involucrados. Se analizó la retención, absorción y translocación con herbicida radiomarcado, así como también la modificación estructural producida por la aplicación del herbicida. Los análisis comprueban que Petunia axillaris es una especie tolerante a glifosato, no mostrando inhibición de la ruta metabólica del ácido shikímico. La menor sensibilidad al herbicida podría estar relacionada con una menor retención foliar de glifosato y un mayor tiempo de absorción; lo cual retarda el ingreso y movimiento del herbicida. Desde el punto de vista estructural se afecta el desarrollo del eje principal, mateniendo sin embargo una elevada producción de flores y semillas. Petunia axillaris muestra una combinación de características morfológicas-estructurales y fisiológicas que determinan su ventaja adaptativa para permanecer y aumentar su población en sistemas con uso intensivo de glifosato.Repeated use of glyphosate as herbicide in the same site, among other things, increases the frequency of individuals with low sensitivity. Petunia axillaris is among the many reported cases of weed species that have presented problems for proper management. This study evaluates their sensitivity and discusses the possible mechanisms involved in its differential sensitivity. For this purpose, we analyzed the retention, absorption and translocation of radiolabeled herbicide, and the morphological characteristics related to the herbicide response. Studies confirms that Petunia axillaris is a glyphosate tolerant specie and the shikimic acid metabolic pathway is not altered. The low sensitivity to glyphosate in Petunia axillaris could be associated to low foliar retention and increased time of absorption, which delayed the entrance and movement of the herbicide. Regardless the altered structure with glyphosate, seed production is high enough which ensures the perpetuation of the less sensitive genotypes. Petunia axillaris showed a combination of morphological, structural, and physiological characteristics that determined their adaptive advantage to perpetuate and increase its population in systems with intensive use of glyphosate.Fil: Dellaferrera, Ignacio Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina. Universidad de Córdoba; EspañaFil: Panigo, Elisa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad de Córdoba; EspañaFil: Gonzalez Torralba, F.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Prados, Romina del Valle. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Christoffoleti, Pedro Jacob. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Perreta, Mariel Gladis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentin

N-3 fatty acids in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors

BACKGROUND: Trials have shown a beneficial effect of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in patients with a previous myocardial infarction or heart failure. We evaluated the potential benefit of such therapy in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors or atherosclerotic vascular disease who had not had a myocardial infarction. METHODS: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, we enrolled a cohort of patients who were followed by a network of 860 general practitioners in Italy. Eligible patients were men and women with multiple cardiovascular risk factors or atherosclerotic vascular disease but not myocardial infarction. Patients were randomly assigned to n-3 fatty acids (1 g daily) or placebo (olive oil). The initially specified primary end point was the cumulative rate of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke. At 1 year, after the event rate was found to be lower than anticipated, the primary end point was revised as time to death from cardiovascular causes or admission to the hospital for cardiovascular causes. RESULTS: Of the 12,513 patients enrolled, 6244 were randomly assigned to n-3 fatty acids and 6269 to placebo. With a median of 5 years of follow-up, the primary end point occurred in 1478 of 12,505 patients included in the analysis (11.8%), of whom 733 of 6239 (11.7%) had received n-3 fatty acids and 745 of 6266 (11.9%) had received placebo (adjusted hazard ratio with n-3 fatty acids, 0.97; 95% confidence interval, 0.88 to 1.08; P=0.58). The same null results were observed for all the secondary end points. CONCLUSIONS: In a large general-practice cohort of patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors, daily treatment with n-3 fatty acids did not reduce cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Copyright © 2013 Massachusetts Medical Society