Measuring social exclusion: social networks and long-time unemployed in Spain

Las diferentes investigaciones sobre la medición de la desigualdad y la pobreza que se han venido desarrollando desde hace ya bastante tiempo, ofrecen al investigador social una serie de herramientas para sus trabajos empíricos. Investigaciones y diseños como los de Sen o los del Banco Mundial o los del PNUD son ejemplos claros de lo anterior. Sin embargo, investigaciones metodológicas sobre la exclusión social son más difíciles de encontrar y más complicadas a la hora de ser planteadas. Los trabajos de Room y en el ámbito de la UE son paradigmáticos. En esta comunicación se plantean dos alternativas a la hora de trabajar de forma empírica con la exclusión social: el análisis estadístico de los parados de larga duración y el análisis de redes sociales. Se presenta una visión sintética sobre cada una de estas aproximaciones y se reflexiona sobre las limitaciones y potencialidades. Concluimos con una serie de elementos generales para el estudio integrado de la exclusión social.Different investigations on the measurement of inequality and poverty, that have been coming developing for alread y enough a long time, offer to the social researchers a series of tools for their empirical works. Amartya Sen’s investigations and designs are clear examples of the previous thing, as well as the World Bank an UNDP works. However, methodological investigations on social exclusion are more difficult to find and more complicated at the time of being raised. Graham Room’s works of in the scope of the UE are important. In this work two alternatives are considered to study social exclusion: the statistical analysis of the long-time unemployed and the analysis of social networks. We introduce a synthetic vision on each one of these approaches and we explain their limitations and potentialities. We concluded with a list of general elements for the integrated study of the social exclusion

Aspergillus nidulans ambient pH signaling does not require endocytosis

9 p.-6 fig.-1 tab.Aspergillus nidulans (Pal) ambient pH signaling takes place in cortical structures containing components of the ESCRT pathway, which are hijacked by the alkaline pH-activated, ubiquitin-modified version of the arrestin-like protein PalF and taken to the plasma membrane. There, ESCRTs scaffold the assembly of dedicated Pal proteins acting downstream. The molecular details of this pathway, which results in the two-step proteolytic processing of the transcription factor PacC, have received considerable attention due to the key role that it plays in fungal pathogenicity. While current evidence strongly indicates that the pH signaling role of ESCRT complexes is limited to plasma membrane-associated structures where PacC proteolysis would take place, the localization of the PalB protease, which almost certainly catalyzes the first and only pH-regulated proteolytic step, had not been investigated. In view of ESCRT participation, this formally leaves open the possibility that PalB activation requires endocytic internalization. As endocytosis is essential for hyphal growth, nonlethal endocytic mutations are predicted to cause an incomplete block. We used a SynA internalization assay to measure the extent to which any given mutation prevents endocytosis. We show that none of the tested mutations impairing endocytosis to different degrees, including slaB1, conditionally causing a complete block, have any effect on the activation of the pathway. We further show that PalB, like PalA and PalC, localizes to cortical structures in an alkaline pH-dependent manner. Therefore, signaling through the Pal pathway does not involve endocytosis.This work was supported by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Spain) grants BIO2009-07281 and BIO2012-30965 and by the Comunidad de Madrid (grant S2010/BMD2414).Peer reviewe

Multipactor discharges in parallel-plate dielectric-loaded waveguides including space-charge effects

[EN] The objective of this paper is to study the time evolution of multipactor discharges in a parallel-plate dielectric-loaded waveguide. The electron discharge phenomena investigated in this paper include the effects of space charge, as well as the presence of time varying static fields. In order to perform the simulations presented in this paper, an approach considering simultaneously multiple effective electrons has been used. The results obtained demonstrate that multipactor discharges do turn off by themselves under certain circumstances when they occur in such dielectric-loaded structures.This work was supported by the Spanish Government's Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia under Project TEC2007-67630-C03-01. The review of this paper was arranged by Editor W. Menninger.Coves, A.; Torregrosa-Penalva, G.; Vicente, C.; Gimeno, B.; Boria Esbert, VE. (2008). Multipactor discharges in parallel-plate dielectric-loaded waveguides including space-charge effects. IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices. 55(9):2505-2511. https://doi.org/10.1109/TED.2008.927945S2505251155

Per al mesurament de la desigualtat, pobresa i exclusió. Limitacions, propostes tècniques i alternatives

Des d’un punt de vista empíric, el mesurament de la desigualtat és una qüestió bastant desenvolupada. Des dels treballs clàssics de Sen en la dècada dels setanta, fins als treballs actuals realitzats per l’equip d’investigadors del Luxemburg Income Study (LIS), s’ha produït una sistematització dels instruments i les tècniques d’investigació al voltant de la desigualtat. Una cosa semblant passa amb la pobresa (el treball del Programa de Nacions Unides per al Desenvolupament en aquesta direcció —Índex de Pobresa Humana 1, Índex de Pobresa Humana 2—), però sense una conceptualització tan clara o, almenys, no exempta de polèmiques. Pel que fa a l’exclusió social, els investigadors encara no hem aconseguit un corpus teòric ni sobre la seua definició ni sobre el seu mesurament. Hi ha intents, però estem lluny d’aconseguir fer una cosa pareguda als altres estudis de desigualtat i pobresa. En aquest paper, s’ofereix una visió sintètica de les diferents conceptualitzacions pel que fa als tres termes enunciats: desigualtat, pobresa i exclusió. Al mateix temps es mostren els diferents mesuraments possibles (indicadors, tècniques, instruments) per a concloure amb una sèrie de propostes metodològiques i tècniques per a una reconceptualització oberta i plural.Desde un punto de vista empírico, la medición de la desigualdad es una cuestión bastante desarrollada. Desde los trabajos clásicos de Sen en la década de los setenta, hasta los trabajos actuales realizados por el equipo de investigadores del Luxemburg Income Study, se ha producido una sistematización de los instrumentos y las técnicas de investigación con respecto a la desigualdad. Algo parecido sucede con la pobreza (el trabajo del Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo en esa dirección —Índice de Pobreza Humana 1, Índice de Pobreza Humana 2—), aunque sin una conceptualización tan clara o, al menos, no exenta de polémicas. Con respecto a la exclusión social, los investigadores aún no hemos conseguido un corpus teórico ni sobre su definición ni sobre su medición. Hay intentos, pero estamos lejos de lograr algo similar a lo ocurrido con la desigualdad. En este papel, se ofrece una visión sintética de las diferentes conceptualizaciones de los tres términos enunciados: desigualdad, pobreza y exclusión, mostrando a su vez las diferentes mediciones posibles (indicadores, técnicas, instrumentos), para concluir con una serie de propuestas metodológicas y técnicas para la medición que abogan por una reconceptualización abierta y plural

Tuberculous meningitis in HIV-infected patients in Brazil: clinical and laboratory characteristics and factors associated with mortality

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a growing problem in HIV-infected patients in developing countries, where there is scarce data about this co-infection. Our objectives were to analyze the main features and outcomes of HIV-infected patients with TBM. Methods This was a retrospective study of HIV-infected Brazilian patients admitted consecutively for TBM. All patients had Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Presenting clinical and laboratory features were studied. Multivariate analysis was used to identify variables associated with death during hospitalization and at 9 months after diagnosis. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Results We included 108 cases (median age 36 years, 72% male). Only 15% had fever, headache, and meningeal signs simultaneously. Forty-eight percent had extrameningeal tuberculosis. The median CD4+ cell count was 65 cells/μl. Among 90 cases, 7% had primary resistance to isoniazid and 9% presented multidrug-resistant strains. The overall mortality during hospitalization was 29% and at 9 months was 41%. Tachycardia and prior highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) were associated with 9-month mortality. The 9-month survival rate was 22% (95% confidence interval 12–43%). Conclusions Clinical and laboratory manifestations were unspecific. Disseminated tuberculosis and severe immunosuppression were common. Mortality was high and the 9-month survival rate was low. Tachycardia and prior HAART were associated with death within 9 months of diagnosis147e586e59

Federalismo no Brasil: análise da descentralização financeira da perspectiva das cidades médias

The objective of this paper is to analyze the impacts upon the intermediate size cities of the administrative and fiscal decentralization policy put under way by the Federal Constitution of 1988. By intermediate size cities is meant those ones with urban population in the range 100,000 - 500,000 inhabitants. Our interest in this set of cities lies in the fact that they are the ones with the highest population growth rates in the 1970/96 period. This demographic expansion puts pression on the demand for public social services available in these cities, with no assurance thatthese municipalities will be financially able to expand them. This article adresses to this question using agregated and regional data on financial revenues/expenditures for these cities and their social infraestructure indicators as well. One of the major results is that the metropolitan medium size cities, besides showing high demographic growth rates, are the ones with the smallest social indices and in which, due to thenhigh poverty levels, are consequently the municipalities for which the fiscal extraction is harder