The spatial effect of intra-metropolitan agglomeration economies

This study deals with the role of spatial accessibility to agglomeration economies in the change in spatial structure of industrial employment for the case of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region of Barcelona (BMR). Using the growth in gross density of municipal employment between 1986 and 1996 for seven manufacturing industries as an indicator of changes in the spatial structure of employment, an exploration is made of the spatial impact of agglomeration economies operating on a local scale the municipality and three areas 5, 8 and 12 kilometres away surrounding the municipality itself - , agglomeration economies emerging from CBD and the main specialised subcentres in the region, and the network economies associated with the total jobs in the region, access to which depends on the distance from the main transport infrastructures

Inter-group conflict and intra-group punishment in an experimental contest game

We study how conflict in a contest game is influenced by rival parties being groups and by group members being able to punish each other. Our main motivation stems from the analysis of socio-political conflict. The relevant theoretical prediction in our setting is that conflict expenditures are independent of group size and independent of whether punishment is available or not. We find, first, that our results contradict the independence of group-size prediction: conflict expenditures of groups are substantially larger than those of individuals, and both are substantially above equilibrium. Towards the end of the experiment material losses in groups are 257% of the predicted level. There is, however, substantial heterogeneity in the investment behaviour of individual group members. Second, allowing group members to punish each other after individual contributions to the contest effort are revealed leads to even larger conflict expenditures. Now material losses are 869% of the equilibrium level and there is much less heterogeneity in individual group members' investments. These results contrast strongly with those from public goods experiments where punishment enhances efficiency and leads to higher material payoffs.

Las complicaciones biliares en el trasplante hepático de donante vivo no afectan a los resultados a largo plazo

El transplantament hepàtic de donant viu comporta un alt índex de complicacions biliars. El nostre objectiu és avaluar-les, així com els resultats a llarg termini. Es van analitzar 70 casos retrospectivament. 39 de 70 pacients van presentar algun tipus de complicació biliar. Entre ells, 29 van presentar una fuga, 10 una estenosi i 14 ambdues. La probabilitat de presentar una estenosi fou major en els pacients amb fuga biliar prèvia (58% vs. 29,5% als 5 anys p=0,05). Un 70,8% es solucionaren mitjançant radiología intervencionista. No hi van haver diferències de supervivencia amb o sense complicacions de la via biliar.

Perfil y grado de la hiperglucemia tras la infiltración de corticoesteroides intra-articular en pacientes con y sin diabetes tipo 2

Las infiltraciones intra-articulares de concorticoesteroides suelen indicarse como tratamiento coadyuvante en casos de presencia de dolor y limitación de la movilidad. La información existente sobre los efectos en el metabolismo hidrocarbonado son muy escasos y dispares. El objetivo de este estudio es definir el patrón y grado de la hiperglucemia después de la administración intra-articular de acetónido de triamcinolona en pacientes sin diabetes y con diabetes tipo 2. Se realiza un estudio observacional y prospectivo dónde se incluyen 14 pacientes a quienes se les ha indicado una infiltración en la rodilla o el hombro. Recogemos las glucemias preprandiales y 2 horas postprandiales, del día previo y los 6 días posteriores a la infiltración. En los pacientes sin diabetes, únicamente las glucemias medias el día de la infiltración y el siguiente fueron superiores a las del día previo a la infiltración. En los pacientes con diabetes no observamos diferencias estadísticamente significativas.

Atresia de vías biliares: pronóstico a largo plazo

L’atrèsia de vies biliars és una colangiopatia obstructiva neonatal poc freqüent que planteja encara en l'actualitat una sèrie de problemes encara no resolts; sent la causa més freqüent de trasplantament hepàtic pediàtric. Estudiem el pronòstic a llarg termini dels pacients amb atrèsia de vies biliars després d'un maneig multidisciplinar a l'Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron i descrivim els resultats i la supervivència dels pacients intervinguts de Kasai requereixin o no trasplantament.

Evolución de las complicaciones biliares tras el trasplante hepático

L'anastomosi biliar en el trasplantament hepàtic és una de les causes més freqüents de morbiditat. En aquest treball s'ha analitzat l'evolució de les complicacions biliars després d'un trasplantament hepàtic en adults al llarg de 20 anys, comparant els primers 100 trasplantaments realitzats amb els darrers 200 entre 1985 i 2007. Resultats: la incidència de les complicacions biliars ha disminuït significativament al llarg dels anys, principalment a causa de l'abandonament de l'ús rutinari del tub de Kehr. La gravetat d'aquestes complicacions ha estat similar en ambdós grups.

Valoración ecográfica de la vesícula como marcador diagnóstico de la atresia de vias biliares: Gallbladder Ghost Triad (tríada fantasma de la vesícula) VS Pseudo Gallbladder Sign (signo de la pseudovesícula).

Estudi retrospectiu de les troballes ecogràfiques abdominals en 37 bebés menors de 5 mesos amb icterícia colestásica amb revisió de les dades clíniques, patológiques i d´imatge desde l´any 2000 al 2010. L´ecografia es l´estudi d´imatge inicial i es imprescindible distinguir entre les dues entitats més freqüents: atresia de vies biliars i hepatitis neonatal idiopàtica. Les troballes referides a la vesícula, arteria hepàtica i a les característiques del fetge van ser estadísticamente significatives. La valoració conjunta de les mateixes demostra que l´ecografia abdominal és una eina imprescindible per el diagnóstic de l´atresia de vies biliars.

Intra-Party Democracy and middle-level elites in Spain

The gradual implementation of new, more participatory and thus, more democratic mechanisms of intra-party decision-making has been pointed out by several party politics scholars. This phenomenon has been studied as the party elite’s reactions to a widespread trend in Western countries: the party membership decline. Spain is still a deviant case in both the party membership decline trend, and with regards to the introduction of more participatory and democratic decision-making mechanisms. However, the paper point out that support for intra-party democracy is quite widespread within Spanish party middle elites (party delegates). That is why the aim of this paper is to explain which factors are underpinning the supports for intra-party democracy amongst Spanish party delegates. After conducting a multivariate analysis, the results show that ideology, the involvement in intra-party experiences and the degree of pragmatism, amongst others, are factors strongly associated with the support for intraparty democracy in Spanish party middle elites.

Medición de la absorción de los ácidos biliares en el diagnóstico inicial de la diarrea crónica.

Evaluar la utilidad de 75SeHCAT como prueba de primera línea en el diagnóstica en el síndrome diarreico crónico (SDC). Se estudiaron prospectivamente 47 pacientes. En todos se midió la retención abdominal a los 7 días post-administración 75SeHCAT (RA7). Los pacientes con prueba alterada se evaluo la respuesta a la resincolestiramina y se realizó un nuevo test a los 3 meses. çEn nuestro estudio se objetivo que la medición de la RA7 de 75SeHCAT permite un diagnóstico precoz de la malabsorción de sales biliares en el 42.5 % de pacientes con SDC.

Factores de riesgo cardiovascular en una población de trasplantados hepáticos con supervivencia superior a diez años. Estudio específico de la hipertensión arterial.

Introducció: Els factors de risc cardiovascular originen un problema de salut pública important. El transplant hepàtic pot ocasionar una modificació del seu desenvolupament degut a la immunosupressió, però hi ha pocs estudis que evaluen estos aspectes en pacients amb una supervivència llarga. El nostre objectiu es analitzar l'efecte de la hipertensió arterial (HTA) posttrasplantament sobre la supervivència a llarg termini d'una cohort de pacients trasplantats amb més de deu anys de seguiment. Metodologia: S'estudiaren restrospectivament els pacients trasplantats al nostre centre per totes les causes, des de 2001 fins 2007, amb una supervivència mínima de deu anys. S'analitzaren dades demogràfiques, clíniques, analítiques e histològiques del pre i/o postrasplant. Resultats: La prevalència dels factors de risc cardiovascular va ser molt freqüent durant el primer any: obesitat 24.5%, HTA 67%, diabetes 22.5%, dislipèmia46.5% i insuficiència renal crónica 28%. La HTA es el factor de risc més prevalent i la seua incidència augmenta amb el temps de 67% al 72,5% entre el primer i desè any. La HTA pareix asociar-se a una major mortalitat posttrasplantament i a una major incidència d'enfermetat cardiovascular (p&0.005). Els factors de risc asociats amb el desenvolupament de HTA en la nostra població son l'edat, l'obesitat i la dislipèmia. Conclusió: Es important disenyar estratègies per al millor control de la HTA des del posttrasplantament inicial, degut a la seua repercusió negativa sobre les enfermetats cardiovasculars i la supervivència, així com per a l'obesitat i la dislipèmia, ja que son co-factors de desenvolupament de l'HTA.

How do coil configuration and packing density influence intra-aneurysmal hemodynamics?

Endovascular coiling is a well-established therapy for treating intracranial aneurysms. Nonetheless, postoperative hemodynamic changes induced by this therapy remain not fully understood. The purpose of this work is to assess the influence of coil configuration and packing density on intra-aneurysmal hemodynamics

On the distribution of income and worker assignment under intra-firm spillovers, with an application to ideas and networks

We study the earnings structure and the equilibrium assignment of workers when workers exert intra-firm spillovers on each other.We allow for arbitrary spillovers provided output depends on some aggregate index of workers' skill. Despite the possibility of increasing returns to skills, equilibrium typically exists. We show that equilibrium will typically be segregated; that the skill space can be partitioned into a set of segments and any firm hires from only one segment. Next, we apply the model to analyze the effect of information technology on segmentation and the distribution of income. There are two types of human capital, productivity and creativity, i.e. the ability to produce ideas that may be duplicated over a network. Under plausible assumptions, inequality rises and then falls when network size increases, and the poorest workers cannot lose. We also analyze the impact of an improvement in worker quality and of an increased international mobility of ideas.

The intra-generational redistributive effects of social security

This paper provides a quantitative evaluation of the intra--cohortredistributive elements of the United States social security system in thecontext of a computable general equilibrium model. I determine how thewell--being of individuals that differ across {\sl gender, race} and {\sl education}is affected by government social security policy. I find that females, whitesand non--college graduates stand less to gain (lose) from reductions(increases) in the size of social security than males, non--whites andcollege graduates, respectively. Differences in mortality risk and laborproductivity translate into differences in the magnitudes of capitalaccumulation and labor supply distortions, that are responsible for theobserved welfare difference between types. Results imply that the currentprogram is lifetime progressive across gender and education, yet lifetimeregressive across race.

Experimental evidence that intra-specific competition in seagrass meadows reduces reproductive potential in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck)

To better understand the biological controls that regulate sea urchin dynamics, we studied the effects of potential inter- and intra-specific competition for food on several biological variables of the main sea urchin in the Mediterranean (Paracentrotus lividus). We carried out a caging experiment in which we manipulated sea urchin density (natural vs. high density) and herbivorous fish (Sarpa salpa) accessibility (free access vs. exclusion) in a Posidonia oceanica meadow. No evidence of competition between fish and urchins was detected. Neither density-dependent mortality nor changes in the somatic variables were found; however, we detected that intra-specific competition affected the reproductive potential of P. lividus. The gonad index of urchins at high population densities was ca. 30% lower than that of urchins at natural densities. As a spawning event had just occurred when urchins were collected, these differences probably reflect differences in reserve content, which may compromise the following reproductive period and decrease survival in the long term, as the gonads are also used as storage organs. For the time period studied, mortality rates appeared to be independent of local densities. The results indicate that a long-term negative feedback mechanism appears to take place in P. lividus in response to increased population density.

Experimental evidence that intra-specific competition in seagrass meadows reduces reproductive potential in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck)

To better understand the biological controls that regulate sea urchin dynamics, we studied the effects of potential inter- and intra-specific competition for food on several biological variables of the main sea urchin in the Mediterranean (Paracentrotus lividus). We carried out a caging experiment in which we manipulated sea urchin density (natural vs. high density) and herbivorous fish (Sarpa salpa) accessibility (free access vs. exclusion) in a Posidonia oceanica meadow. No evidence of competition between fish and urchins was detected. Neither density-dependent mortality nor changes in the somatic variables were found; however, we detected that intra-specific competition affected the reproductive potential of P. lividus. The gonad index of urchins at high population densities was ca. 30% lower than that of urchins at natural densities. As a spawning event had just occurred when urchins were collected, these differences probably reflect differences in reserve content, which may compromise the following reproductive period and decrease survival in the long term, as the gonads are also used as storage organs. For the time period studied, mortality rates appeared to be independent of local densities. The results indicate that a long-term negative feedback mechanism appears to take place in P. lividus in response to increased population density.