Labor demand and information technologies: evidence for Spain, 1980-2005

Utilizando la base de datos EU KLEMS, se contrasta la hipótesis de complementariedad entre habilidad y capital en los distintos sectores productivos en España en el periodo 1980-2005. Se analizan tres tipos de trabajadores clasificados según su nivel de habilidad sea alto, medio o bajo. Los activos de capital se van a clasificar entre activos TIC (tecnologías de la información y la comunicación) y activos no-TIC. La adquisición y el uso de activos TIC son costosos pero ha ido disminuyendo en el periodo en consideración en términos relativos a otros activos y al factor trabajo. El principal resultado que se obtiene es que existe un grado de sustituibilidad entre los trabajadores y los activos TIC a medida que la habilidad del trabajador va aumentando. De hecho, los activos TIC son muy complementarios con los trabajadores de alta habilidad. A lo largo del periodo analizado, la fracción de trabajadores con habilidad media y alta ha crecido un 21% y un 12%, respectivamente, en detrimento de los trabajadores de baja habilidad. Después de descomponer estos cambios, se descubre que existe un ajuste dentro de los sectores más que un ajuste del trabajo entre sectores.capital-skill complementarity, ICT, translog cost function, elasticity of substitution.

¿Prosodia norteña o castellana? Aproximación a la entonación del oriente de Cantabria

Son escasos los estudios realizados hasta el momento acerca de la entonación del castellano de Cantabria. Las peculiares características geográficas y lingüísticas de esta región, su temprana incorporación a Castilla, la fuerte influencia del euskera, del asturleonés y de algunos dialectos del español justifican suficientemente su gran variedad lingüística interna. En este estudio analizamos la estructura entonativa de Laredo, con el fin de realizar una primera aproximación a la taxonomía entonativa de la zona oriental y mostrar las diferencias y semejanzas con otras variedades lingüísticas norteñas y castellanas. El análisis de los datos muestra una gran variedad de realizaciones de los acentos tonales en las dos modalidades oracionales y una fuerte influencia de la estructura acentual de las palabras en la configuración entonativa. En términos generales, hemos constatado la coexistencia de dos modelos diferentes: de una parte, el patrón norteño, conservado con regularidad en el área rural. De otra, el patrón castellano, característico del área urbana, si bien presenta interferencias con los rasgos entonativos autóctonos.To this date studies in the intonation of the Cantabrian Castillian are scarce. The peculiar geographical and linguistic characteristics of this region, its early incorporation to Castille, the strong influence of Euskera, Asturleones and of other Spanish dialects sufficiently justify its wide internal variety. In this paper an analysis of the intonational structure of Laredo is performed, with a view to stablishing a first approximation to the intonational taxonomy of the eastern area and showing the differences and similitudes with other northern varieties and Castillians. The analysis of the data shows a great variety of realizations of the tonal accents in the two orational modes and a strong influence of the accentual structure of the words on the entonative configuration. In general terms, we have confirmed the coexistence of two diferent models: on the one hand, the northern pattern, regularly preserved in rural areas and, on the other hand, the Castillian one, characteristic of urban areas, albeit showing interferences with indigenous intonative features.Son escasos los estudios realizados hasta el momento acerca de la entonación del castellano de Cantabria. Las peculiares características geográficas y lingüísticas de esta región, su temprana incorporación a Castilla, la fuerte influencia del euskera, del asturleonés y de algunos dialectos del español justifican suficientemente su gran variedad lingüística interna. En este estudio analizamos la estructura entonativa de Laredo, con el fin de realizar una primera aproximación a la taxonomía entonativa de la zona oriental y mostrar las diferencias y semejanzas con otras variedades lingüísticas norteñas y castellanas. El análisis de los datos muestra una gran variedad de realizaciones de los acentos tonales en las dos modalidades oracionales y una fuerte influencia de la estructura acentual de las palabras en la configuración entonativa. En términos generales, hemos constatado la coexistencia de dos modelos diferentes: de una parte, el patrón norteño, conservado con regularidad en el área rural. De otra, el patrón castellano, característico del área urbana, si bien presenta interferencias con los rasgos entonativos autóctonos

Assessment of Postural Load during Melon Cultivation in Mediterranean Greenhouses

Health and safety at work directly influence the development of sustainable agriculture. In the agricultural sector, many farm workers suffer musculoskeletal disorders caused by forced posture. The objective of this research is to assess working postures during melon cultivation in Almería-type greenhouses. The Ovako Working Posture Assessment System (OWAS) has been used with pictures of the tasks. The variables studied by multiple correspondence analysis were as follows: Subtask, Posture code, Back, Arms, Legs, Load, Risk, and Risk combination. The OWAS analysis showed that 47.57% of the postures were assessed as risk category 2, 14.32% as risk category 3, 0.47% as risk category 4, and the rest as risk category 1. Corrective measures should be implemented immediately, as soon as possible, or in the near future, depending on the risks detected

Labor Demand and Information Technologies: Evidence for Spain, 1980-2005

Using the EU KLEMS dataset we test the capital-skill complementarity hypothesis in a cross-section of sectors in Spain between 1980 and 2005. We analyze three groups of workers, who are classed according to skill level: high, medium and low. Capital assets have been broken down into ICT (information and communication technologies) assets and non-ICT assets. Acquisition and usage costs of ICT assets declined throughout the period studied, both in absolute terms and relative to the other capital assets and workers. Our principal finding is that the substitutibility between workers and ICT assets falls as worker skill level rises. In fact, the ICT assets were strongly complement with highly skilled workers and were not substitutive with them. Throughout the period analyzed, the fraction of employed medium- and high-skill workers rose by 21% and 12%, respectively, to the disadvantage of low-skill workers. After decomposing these changes, we found that the latter were dominated by an ajustment within sectors more than by a composition effect or adjustment between sectors. These adjustments may be explained by reference to the estimated elasticities of substitution.capital-skill complementarity, ICT, translog cost function, elasticity of substitution.

Global characterization and target identification of piRNAs and endo-siRNAs in mouse gametes and zygotes

44 p.-1 tab.-10 fig.A set of small RNAs known as rasRNAs (repeat-associated small RNAs) have been related to the down-regulation of Transposable Elements (TEs) to safeguard genome integrity. Two key members of the rasRNAs group are piRNAs and endo-siRNAs. We have performed a comparative analysis of piRNAs and endo-siRNAs present in mouse oocytes, spermatozoa and zygotes, identified by deep sequencing and bioinformatic analysis. The detection of piRNAs and endo-siRNAs in the spermatozoa and revealed also in zygotes, hints to their potential delivery to oocytes during fertilization. However, a comparative assessment of the three cell types indicates that both piRNAs and endo-siRNAs are mainly maternally inherited. Finally, we have assessed the role of the different rasRNA molecules in connection with amplification processes by way of the "ping-pong cycle". Our results suggest that the ping-pong cycle can act on other rasRNAs, such as tRNA- and rRNA-derived fragments, thus not only being restricted to TEs during gametogenesis. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.This work was funded by grants from The European Chemical Industry Council Long-range Research Initiative (CEFIC-LRi), from the MEDDTL (11-MRESPNRPE-9-CVS-072), France, from the CSIC (PIE 201020E016), Spain.Peer reviewe

Study of the thermal behavior of the aluminium dust stabilized with gypsum

[ES]El polvo de aluminio (pAl) es un residuo peligroso procedente de la metalurgia secundaría del aluminio. Con objeto de reducir la reactividad del mismo, en el CENIM se ha desarrollado un proceso de estabilización/solidificación mediante su fraguado con yeso. En este trabajo se presenta el estudio del comportamiento térmico del pAl estabilizado con el yeso, con el fin de establecer la influencia del residuo en las reacciones de hidratación/deshidratación del yeso durante el proceso del fraguado, a saber: deshidratación parcial del sulfato calcico dihidrato, deshidratación del hemihidrato, deshidratación del hidróxido de aluminio y transformación de anhidrita soluble en anhidrita insoluble. Asimismo se ha estudiado la cinética asociada a cada una de las reacciones anteriormente mencionadas mediante Calorimetría Diferencial de Barrido.[EN]The aluminium dust is a hazardous waste from the secondary aluminium remelting industry. A stabilization/solidification process was developed at CENIM with the aim of decreasing its reactivity. Gypsum was used as a binder material. Tliis work summarizes the study of the thermal behavior of the aluminium dust stabilized with gypsum, in order to establish the influence of the residue in the reactions of hydration/dehydration of the gypsum during the hardening process, namely: partial dehydration of calcium sulphate dihydrate, dehydration of calcium sulphate hemi'hydrate, dehydration of aluminium hydroxide and anhydrite soluble/anhydrite insoluble transformation. The activation energy associated to all those reactions was determined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry.Los autores agradecen a la Consejería de Educación de la Comunidad de Madrid la financiación del proyecto (07M/0136/2000) y a la empresa Recuperación y Reciclaje Román por el apoyo a esta investigación.Peer reviewe

Field Quality Control of Spectral Solar Irradiance Measurements by Comparison with Broadband Measurements

Measurement of solar spectral irradiance is required in an increasingly wide variety of technical applications, such as atmospheric studies, health, and solar energy, among others. The solar spectral irradiance at ground level has a strong dependence on many atmospheric parameters. In addition, spectroradiometer optics and detectors have high sensitivity. Because of this, it is necessary to compare with a reference instrumentation or light source to verify the quality of measurements. A simple and realistic test for validating solar spectral irradiance measurements is presented in this study. This methodology is applicable for a specific spectral range inside the broadband range from 280 to 4000 nm under cloudless sky conditions. The method compares solar spectral irradiance measurements with both predictions of clear-sky solar spectral irradiance and measurements of broadband instruments such as pyrheliometers. For the spectral estimation, a free atmospheric transmittance simulation code with the air mass calculation as the mean parameter was used. The spectral direct normal irradiance (Gbl) measurements of two different spectroradiometers were tested at Plataforma Solar de Almería, Spain. The results are presented in this article. Although only Gbl measurements were considered in this study, the same methodology can be applied to the other solar irradiance componentsThis research was funded by the Chilean Corporación de Fomento de la Producción (CORFO), grant number 17BPE3-83761, and 7PTECES-75830 under the framework of the project “AtaMoS TeC,” by the ANID grant number ANID/FONDAP/15110019 (SERC-Chile) and ANID/ FONDECYT-INITIATION/11190289, funded by the Spanish Education and Competitivity Ministry and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund grant number ENE2017-83790-C3- 1,2,3 and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund grant reference PID2020-118239RJ-I00 (MAPVSpain) Special thanks to Antonio Campos (PSA, Spain) for his support during this wor

Verbal interaction pattern analysis in clinical psychology

Recent developments in pattern analysis research have made this methodology suitable for the study of the processes that are set in motion in psychological interventions. Outcome research, based on the comparison between clinical results from treatment and control groups, has leveraged our empirical knowledge about the efficacy of psychological interventions. However, these methods of research are not precise enough for the analysis of these processes. On the contrary, pattern analysis could be a powerful tool to study moment-to-moment interactions typical of psychological interventions. This is methodology is relevant because clinical psychology is experiencing a paradigm shift from a protocol for syndrome perspective to a principle-based and person-centered intervention. This evidence-based, theory-grounded, and process-oriented paradigm of clinical intervention needs new research methods to thrive (i.e., pattern analysis). The analysis of the therapeutic relationship built into the verbal interaction between the clinician and the client is one of the cornerstones of this new era of research. So, the purpose of this article is three-fold: (1) to discuss the role of the verbal interaction pattern analysis in the clinical context to the development of the principle-based clinical psychology, (2) to analyze the patterns of verbal interaction in a clinical case, and (3) to compare the results using two different methods. To reach these purposes, using the observational methodology, we have coded the verbal interaction of 16 clinical sessions with a person diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder. We have analyzed the data using sequential analysis (GSEQ) and pattern recognition algorithms (i.e., T-Pattern detection). We have been able to detect typical patterns during different phases of psychological intervention (i.e., evaluation, explanation, treatment, and consolidation). Finally, the conceptual, methodological, and empirical implications of this study will be discussed within the realms of pattern analysis research and principle-based clinical psychology

Effects of recombinant growth hormone replacement and physical rehabilitation in recovery of gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy is an important health issue that has a strong socioeconomic impact. There is no cure for cerebral palsy, and therapeutic approaches only report small benefits for affected people. In this study we assessed the effects of growth hormone treatment (0.3 μg/kg/day) combined with physical rehabilitation in the recovery of gross motor function in children with growth hormone deficiency and cerebral palsy (four males and six females, mean age 5.63 ± 2.32 years) as compared with that observed in a similar population of cerebral palsy children (five males, five females, mean age 5.9 ± 2.18 years) without growth hormone deficiency treated only with physical rehabilitation for two months. The Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) and Modified Ashworth Scale were performed before commencing the treatment and after completion thereof. In children with cerebral palsy and growth hormone deficiency, Dimension A (P < 0.02), dimension B (P < 0.02), and dimension C (P < 0.02) of the GMFM-88, and the total score of the test (P < 0.01) significantly improved after the treatment; dimension D and dimension E did not increase, and four of five spastic patients showed a reduction in spasticity. However, in children with cerebral palsy and without growth hormone deficiency, only the total score of the test improved significantly after the treatment period. This indicates that growth hormone replacement therapy was responsible for the large differences observed between both groups in response to physical rehabilitation. We propose that the combined therapy involving growth hormone administration and physical rehabilitation may be a useful therapeutic approach in the recovery of gross motor function in children with growth hormone deficiency and cerebral palsy