Quality of Life in Buenos Aires Neighborhoods: Hedonic Price Regressions and the Life Satisfaction Approach

This paper studies quality of life in urban neighborhoods in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area. First, hedonic price regressions for residential prices are augmented with neighborhood characteristics, based on a real estate database with indicators on each property’s distance to public facilities and amenities, and on a smaller survey with greater detail. Second, following recent developments in the field of happiness research, the document assesses the importance of different neighborhood characteristics on quality of life by interacting objective and subjective indicators. Indices of quality of life related to local amenities are derived for the different neighborhoods for both the hedonic regression and life satisfaction approaches. The results indicate a strong but not perfect correlation between real estate prices, income levels and neighborhood characteristics, suggesting scope for welfare-improving policy interventions.

Pobreza Multidimensional Relativa. Una Aplicación a la Argentina

La pobreza multidimensional es un tópico que ha recibido gradualmente mayor atención dentro la literatura distributiva. Esta disciplina ampliada cuenta con escasa investigación en América Latina y el Caribe. El propósito exploratorio de este trabajo consiste en definir operativamente el concepto, realizar un análisis de su asociación con la pobreza tradicional y, dada su naturaleza relativa, proponer una estrategia de medición para una sociedad determinada en base a functionings esenciales delineados por Sen y a un trabajo previo de Poggi (2004). Se aplica la metodología a la Argentina para el período 1998-2002, donde los datos permiten estimar pobreza mediante cuatro dimensiones: laboral, vivienda, educación e ingresos.pobreza multidimensional relativa, dimensiones fundamentales, functionings, medición, Argentina

Three essays on public policy in Latin America: labor markets, education, and measurement

This dissertation contains three chapters that study how public policies in Latin America affect labor market outcomes, educational choices, and ways to improve policy evaluation methods

Anesthesia Considerations in the Perioperative of Patients with Lip and Palate Length

There is a high risk of adverse events during anesthetic management in the pediatric population mainly in children under 1 year of age and with greater vulnerability: those undergoing head and neck surgery for involving airway, specifically patients who enter surgical correction of the lip and cleft palate. This pathology can be related in a high percentage to isolated malformations without integrating a specific syndrome or be part of the more than 500 associated craniofacial syndromes such as sequence Pierre Robin, Treacher Collins, and Goldenhar, among others; it is also associated in up to 10% with some heart disease. Factors that are determinants for anesthetic management have been identified in corrective surgery of the lip and cleft palate related to the patient’s characteristics such as age and weight, his medical history or associated comorbidities, and the surgical technique. As it is the pathology with the highest incidence in facial malformations that requires surgical treatment, it is necessary to know the anesthetic management alternatives and establish criteria in the different stages of the perioperative period from preanesthetic assessment to postanesthetic care, in order to provide planned approach within the highest safety standards that reduce the risk of adverse events

Nanorings and rods interconnected by self-assembly mimicking an artificial network of neurons

[EN] Molecular electronics based on structures ordered as neural networks emerges as the next evolutionary milestone in the construction of nanodevices with unprecedented applications. However, the straightforward formation of geometrically defined and interconnected nanostructures is crucial for the production of electronic circuitry nanoequivalents. Here we report on the molecularly fine-tuned self-assembly of tetrakis-Schiff base compounds into nanosized rings interconnected by unusually large nanorods providing a set of connections that mimic a biological network of neurons. The networks are produced through self-assembly resulting from the molecular conformation and noncovalent intermolecular interactions. These features can be easily generated on flat surfaces and in a polymeric matrix by casting from solution under ambient conditions. The structures can be used to guide the position of electron-transporting agents such as carbon nanotubes on a surface or in a polymer matrix to create electrically conducting networks that can find direct use in constructing nanoelectronic circuits.The research leading to these results has received funding from ICIQ, ICREA, the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) through project CTQ2011-27385 and the European Community Seventh Framework Program (FP7-PEOPLE-ITN-2008, CONTACT consortium) under grant agreement number 238363. We acknowledge E. C. Escudero-Adan, M. Martinez-Belmonte and E. Martin from the X-ray department of ICIQ for crystallographic analysis, and M. Moncusi, N. Argany, R. Marimon, M. Stefanova and L. Vojkuvka from the Servei de Recursos Cientifics i Tecnics from Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona, Spain).Escarcega-Bobadilla, MV.; Zelada-Guillen, GA.; Pyrlin, SV.; Wegrzyn, M.; Ramos, MMD.; Giménez Torres, E.; Stewart, A.... (2013). 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How important is spatial correlation in randomized controlled trials?

Randomized controlled trials have become the gold standard for impact evaluation since they provide unbiased estimates of causal effects. This paper studies randomized settings where treatment is assigned over geographical units. We analyze how omitting spatial correlation in outcomes or unobservables affects treatment effect estimates. First, we study spatial dependence in Mexico's Progresa program. Second, we conduct Monte Carlo simulations to generalize our results. Findings reveal that spatial correlation is more relevant than the literature suggests, and may affect both the precision of the estimate and the estimate itself. Existing spatial econometric methods may provide solutions to mitigate the consequences of omitting spatial correlation

High Plastic Concrete Temperature Specifications for Paving Mixtures

This report documents a study performed for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) regarding concrete roadway construction in hot weather. The main objective in this project is to develop improved specifications and procedures with respect to monitoring and maintaining plastic concrete temperatures to assure near and long-term concrete quality in the state of Illinois. An additional objective is to develop a better understanding of the effects of higher temperatures on fresh and hardened concrete properties of roadway concrete and to document any new findings.Illinois Department of Transportation ICT R27-38published or submitted for publicationnot peer reviewe

Mutational and Selective Pressures on Codon and Amino Acid Usage in Buchnera, Endosymbiotic Bacteria of Aphids

We have explored compositional variation at synonymous (codon usage) and nonsynonymous (amino acid usage) positions in three complete genomes of Buchnera, endosymbiotic bacteria of aphids, and also in their orthologs in Escherichia coli, a close free-living relative. We sought to discriminate genes of variable expression levels in order to weigh the relative contributions of mutational bias and selection in the genomic changes following symbiosis. We identified clear strand asymmetries, distribution biases (putative high-expression genes were found more often on the leading strand), and a residual slight codon bias within each strand. Amino acid usage was strongly biased in putative high-expression genes, characterized by avoidance of aromatic amino acids, but above all by greater conservation and resistance to AT enrichment. Despite the almost complete loss of codon bias and heavy mutational pressure, selective forces are still strong at nonsynonymous sites of a fraction of the genome. However, Buchnera from Baizongia pistaciae appears to have suffered a stronger symbiotic syndrome than the two other species