The relative importance of Term Spread, Policy Inertia and Persistent Monetary Policy Shocks in Monetary Policy Rules

This paper estimates a standard version of the New Keynesian Monetary Model (NKM) augmented with the term structure in order to analyze two types of issue. First we analyse the relative importance of policy inertia, persistent policy shocks and the term spread in the estimated US monetary policy rule. Second, we study the ability of the model to reproduce some stylized facts such as high persistent dynamics and the weak comovement between economic activity and inflation observed in actual US data. The estimation procedure implemented is a classical structural method based on the indirect inference principle. The empirical results show that (i) policy intertia, persistent policy shocks and the term spread are all significant determinants in the estimated US monetary policy rule, (ii) the Fed responds to the information content of the spread about future inflation and real activity, but the Fed does not seem to respond independently to the spread; and (iii) the model augmented with term structure reproduces the weak comovement between economic activity and inflation as well as the strong comovement at medium and long-term forecast horizons between the Fed rate and the 1-yar rate observed in the US datNKM model, term structure, monetary policy rule

Prototipo de fonendoscopio digital

La auscultación es la primera herramienta de análisis que se emplea para evaluar el estado funcional del corazón y es el primer indicador utilizado para remitir el paciente al especialista. En este proyecto se desarrolló un estetoscopio digital, el cual captura, amplifica y filtra la señal a través de una tarjeta electrónica que, a su vez, transmite la señal digitalizada al software en un pc, el cual adquiere, filtra, almacena y analiza los sonidos auscultados. El fin es proporcionar al personal médico una ayuda diagnóstica, objetiva y confiable; que mejore notablemente la confiabilidad de la técnica auscultatoria y que se pueda emplear en aplicaciones de telemedicina

The Wind Employment in Spain (1995-2010): A Theoretical Approximation Applied to the Region of Galicia

The development of the renewable energies, and especially of the wind power, in the last decades has stayed out of any discussion. The advantages associated with the energy of the odd wind have considered in occasions authentic information that they them should corroborate. For example, about the streghness of creating jobs, there do not exist official statistics that gather the dimension of the created employment, without forgetting that the field of the energy stands out for being intensive in the capital. In this paper, there is realized an analysis of the different bibliographical sources relative to the generation of employment in the wind sector in Spain, establishing a few margins  of the creation of the same one for categories for the region of Galicia, in the period (1995-2010). Keywords: Renewable energy; wind energy; wind promotors JEL Classifications: Q25; Q43; 01

Developmental and tumoral vascularization is regulated by G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2

Tumor vessel dysfunction is a pivotal event in cancer progression. Using an in vivo neovascularization model, we identified G protein–coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) as a key angiogenesis regulator. An impaired angiogenic response involving immature vessels was observed in mice hemizygous for Grk2 or in animals with endothelium-specific Grk2 silencing. ECs isolated from these animals displayed intrinsic alterations in migration, TGF-β signaling, and formation of tubular networks. Remarkably, an altered pattern of vessel growth and maturation was detected in postnatal retinas from endothelium-specific Grk2 knockout animals. Mouse embryos with systemic or endothelium-selective Grk2 ablation had marked vascular malformations involving impaired recruitment of mural cells. Moreover, decreased endothelial Grk2 dosage accelerated tumor growth in mice, along with reduced pericyte vessel coverage and enhanced macrophage infiltration, and this transformed environment promoted decreased GRK2 in ECs and human breast cancer vessels. Our study suggests that GRK2 downregulation is a relevant event in the tumoral angiogenic switch.Our laboratory is funded by grants from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (SAF2011-23800), Fundación Ramón Areces, The Cardiovascular Network (RECAVA) of Ministerio Sanidad y Consumo-Instituto Carlos III (RD06-0014/0037 and RD12/0042/0012), and Comunidad de Madrid (S-2010/BMD- 2332) to F. Mayor Jr. and Instituto Carlos III (PI11/00859), Fundación Ramón Areces, and Fundación Rodríguez Pascual to P. Penela. Marta Mendiola is supported by a postdoctoral research contract from Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (“Sara Borrell” Programme), Instituto de Salud Carlos III

Proteins Involved in Platelet Signaling Are Differentially Regulated in Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Proteomic Study

BACKGROUND: Platelets play a fundamental role in pathological events underlying acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Because platelets do not have a nucleus, proteomics constitutes an optimal approach to follow platelet molecular events associated with the onset of the acute episode. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed the first high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis-based proteome analysis of circulating platelets from patients with non-ST segment elevation ACS (NSTE-ACS). Proteins were identified by mass spectrometry and validations were by western blotting. Forty protein features (corresponding to 22 unique genes) were found to be differentially regulated between NSTE-ACS patients and matched controls with chronic ischemic cardiopathy. The number of differences decreased at day 5 (28) and 6 months after the acute event (5). Interestingly, a systems biology approach demonstrated that 16 of the 22 differentially regulated proteins identified are interconnected as part of a common network related to cell assembly and organization and cell morphology, processes very related to platelet activation. Indeed, 14 of those proteins are either signaling or cytoskeletal, and nine of them are known to participate in platelet activation by αIIbβ3 and/or GPVI receptors. Several of the proteins identified participate in platelet activation through post-translational modifications, as shown here for ILK, Src and Talin. Interestingly, the platelet-secreted glycoprotein SPARC was down-regulated in NSTE-ACS patients compared to stable controls, which is consistent with a secretion process from activated platelets. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The present study provides novel information on platelet proteome changes associated with platelet activation in NSTE-ACS, highlighting the presence of proteins involved in platelet signaling. This investigation paves the way for future studies in the search for novel platelet-related biomarkers and drug targets in ACS

Desarrollo Consulta de Enfermería Clínica en el manejo de las enfermedades reumáticas

Se presenta la actividad desarrollada por la Consulta Experta de Enfermería Reumatológica del Hospital Moisés Broggi.Incluye una revisión de los criterios de derivación desde las consultas clínicas de Reumatología así como recomendaciones prácticas sobre la actividad que en ella se desarrolla

Turismo rural en Cataluña. Estrategias empresariales

In the present article we expose the findings of a research that aims to reveal the nature of the strategies of rural business creation. These strategies are situated according to the unequal social position and the connection with the rural world of rural tourism entrepreneurs. In accordance with their social and professional position in the rural habitat, we have identified three types of owner operators: a) farmers, b) professionals with no agricultural activity and c) neo-rurals. These types are explained by the processes of deagriculturalisation and a differentiation between agriculture and tourism. We emphasize that the motive for the development of rural tourism is property ownership and fundamentally originates from those who have been able to take advantage of the deagriculturalisation process and the new distribution of property resulting from the rural exodus that has occurred in the region during the last few decades.En este artículo se exponen los resultados de una investigación que trata de analizar la naturaleza de las estrategias de creación de negocios rurales. Estas estrategias las situamos en relación a la desigual posición social y conexión con el mundo rural de los empresarios de turismo rural. De acuerdo con su situación social y profesional en el mundo rural hemos identificado tres tipos de propietarios de establecimientos turísticos: a) granjeros-ganaderos; b) profesionales sin actividades agrícolas o ganaderas; c) neorrurales. Esta tipología de propietarios se explica por el proceso de desagrarización y de diferenciación entre agricultura y turismo. Enfatizamos que el motivo para el desarrollo de establecimientos de turismo rural es la propiedad de patrimonio por parte de aquellos que pueden beneficiarse del proceso de desagrarización y de la nueva distribución de la propiedad rural fruto del exodo rural que ha ocurrido en la región durante las últimas décadas

Mortality of emergency abdominal surgery in high-, middle- and low-income countries

Background: Surgical mortality data are collected routinely in high-income countries, yet virtually no low- or middle-income countries have outcome surveillance in place. The aim was prospectively to collect worldwide mortality data following emergency abdominal surgery, comparing findings across countries with a low, middle or high Human Development Index (HDI). Methods: This was a prospective, multicentre, cohort study. Self-selected hospitals performing emergency surgery submitted prespecified data for consecutive patients from at least one 2-week interval during July to December 2014. Postoperative mortality was analysed by hierarchical multivariable logistic regression. Results: Data were obtained for 10 745 patients from 357 centres in 58 countries; 6538 were from high-, 2889 from middle- and 1318 from low-HDI settings. The overall mortality rate was 1⋅6 per cent at 24 h (high 1⋅1 per cent, middle 1⋅9 per cent, low 3⋅4 per cent; P < 0⋅001), increasing to 5⋅4 per cent by 30 days (high 4⋅5 per cent, middle 6⋅0 per cent, low 8⋅6 per cent; P < 0⋅001). Of the 578 patients who died, 404 (69⋅9 per cent) did so between 24 h and 30 days following surgery (high 74⋅2 per cent, middle 68⋅8 per cent, low 60⋅5 per cent). After adjustment, 30-day mortality remained higher in middle-income (odds ratio (OR) 2⋅78, 95 per cent c.i. 1⋅84 to 4⋅20) and low-income (OR 2⋅97, 1⋅84 to 4⋅81) countries. Surgical safety checklist use was less frequent in low- and middle-income countries, but when used was associated with reduced mortality at 30 days. Conclusion: Mortality is three times higher in low- compared with high-HDI countries even when adjusted for prognostic factors. Patient safety factors may have an important role. Registration number: NCT02179112 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)