Prospectiva en América Latina y el Caribe: instituciones, enfoques y ejercicios

Esta publicación es producto de la selección y edición de los mejores trabajos presentados durante las II Jornadas de Planificación organizadas por ILPES en Santiago de Chile, del 24 al 25 de septiembre de 2014, con el apoyo de la República de Corea. Estas II Jornadas se desarrollaron en paralelo con el Seminario Internacional “Latinoamérica y el Caribe al 2030: visiones del mundo, miradas continentales”.

Telenovelas coreanas en América Latina : ¿una nueva forma decomunicación intercultural?

La distribución de telenovelas coreanas en distintos países latinoamericanos es un fenómeno relativamente nuevo que, a diferencia de otros vinculados al audiovisual, no ha sido demasiado investigado desde la academia. Sonata de Invierno, Otoño en mi corazón y Escalera al cielo, entre otras, son las telenovelas que posibilitaron el acercamiento de audiencias tales como la mexicana, la peruana, la paraguaya, etc. a la cultura coreana, distante y disímil. Cautivaron a la audiencia en su diversidad al punto de fomentar, en ciertos casos, la conformación de comunidades de fanáticos. Este trabajo se plantea como una primera aproximación al tema postulando que las telenovelas constituyen una forma apropiada de comunicación entre culturas. El abordaje se basa en el tratamiento de los siguientes ejes: a) las telenovelas como industria cultural y género seriado de ficción; b) descripción del fenómeno del Hallyu como contexto general de surgimiento y propagación de las telenovelas coreanas; c) la presencia de las telenovelas coreanas en América Latina, y d) la ficción popular como forma de comunicación intercultural en la era global. El análisis permite concluir con una valoración del aporte al entendimiento intercultural que propaga la participación de las telenovelas coreanas en América Latina, y esboza algunas propuestas que favorezcan el intercambio entre culturas desde enunciados democráticos y plurales

Glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60-70% of cases in subjects over 65 years of age. Several postulates have been put forward that relate AD neuropathology to intellectual and functional impairment. These range from free-radical-induced damage, through cholinergic dysfunction, to beta-amyloid-induced toxicity. However, therapeutic strategies aimed at improving the cognitive symptoms of patients via choline supplementation, cholinergic stimulation or beta-amyloid vaccination, have largely failed. A growing body of evidence suggests that perturbations in systems using the excitatory amino acid L-glutamate (L-Glu) may underlie the pathogenic mechanisms of (e.g.) hypoxia-ischemia, epilepsy, and chronic neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's disease and AD. Almost all neurons in the CNS carry the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of ionotropic L-glutamate receptors, which can mediate post-synaptic Ca2+ influx. Excitotoxicity resulting from excessive activation of NMDA receptors may enhance the localized vulnerability of neurons in a manner consistent with AD neuropathology, as a consequence of an altered regional distribution of NMDA receptor subtypes. This review discusses mechanisms for the involvement of the NMDA receptor complex and its interaction with polyamines in the pathogenesis of AD. NMDA receptor antagonists have potential for the therapeutic amelioration of AD. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Components of optical qubits encoded in sideband modes

We describe a scheme for the encoding and manipulation of single photon qubits in optical sideband modes using standard optical elements. We propose and analyze the radio frequency half-wave plate, which may be used to make arbitrary rotations of a state in the frequency basis, and the frequency beamsplitter, which may be used to separate (or combine) photons of different frequencies into (from) different spatial modes.

Demonstration of the spatial separation of the entangled quantum sidebands of an optical field

Quantum optics experiments on bright beams are based on the spectral analysis of field fluctuations and typically probe correlations between radio-frequency sideband modes. However, the extra degree of freedom represented by this dual-mode picture is generally ignored. We demonstrate the experimental operation of a device which can be used to separate the quantum sidebands of an optical field. We use this device to explicitly demonstrate the quantum entanglement between the sidebands of a squeezed beam.

Coherent analysis of quantum optical sideband modes

We demonstrate a device that allows for the coherent analysis of a pair of optical frequency sidebands in an arbitrary basis. We show that our device is quantum noise limited, and hence applications for this scheme may be found in discrete and continuous variable optical quantum information experiments. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America.

Quadrature-phase noise penalties of optically and electro-optically phase-locked lasers

Focussing particularly on solid-state laser systems, the phase-noise penalties of laser injection-locking and electro-optical phase-locking are derived using linearised quantum mechanical models. The fundamental performance limit (minimum achievable output phase noise) for an injection-locked laser (IJL) system at low frequencies is equal to that of a standard phase-insensitive amplifier, whereas, in principle, that of a phase-locked laser (PLL) system can be better. At high frequencies, the output phase noise of the IJL system is limited by that of the master laser, while that of the PLL system tends to a weighted sum of contributions from the master and slave laser fields. Under conditions of large amplification, particularly where there has been significant attenuation, the noise penalties are shown to be substantial. Nonideal photodetector characteristics are shown to add significantly to the noise penalties for the PLL system. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The role of group I metabotropic glutamate receptor's in neuronal excitotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease, ischemia, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are major causes of death. Recently, metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), a group of seven-transmembrane-domain proteins that couple to G-proteins, have become of interest for studies of pathogenesis. Group I mGluRs control the levels of second messengers such as inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) Cal(2+) ions and cAMP. They elicit the release of arachidonic acid via intracellular Ca2+ mobilization from intracellular stores such as mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. This facilitates the release of glutamate and could trigger the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, a pathological hallmark of AD. mGluRs regulate neuronal injury and survival, possibly through a series of downstream protein kinase and cysteine protease signaling pathways that affect mitochondrially mediated programmed cell death. They may also play a role in glutamate-induced neuronal death by facilitating Cal(2+) mobilization. Hence, mGluRs have become a target for neuroprotective drug development. They represent a pharmacological path to a relatively subtle amelioration of neurotoxicity because they serve a modulatory rather than a direct role in excitatory glutamatergic transmission.

Finding the balance: Living with memory loss

Since the late 1980s, it has been increasingly recognized that the experiences of people with dementia have been omitted from research in the area of dementia and memory loss. More recently, it has been accepted that people with dementia have insight into their condition and, therefore, the ability to contribute to research. A qualitative research project was undertaken with nine participants to explore the experiences and coping strategies of people with dementia. Interviews were undertaken and the data analysed using thematic analysis. Three major themes emerged: coming to terms with memory loss, maintaining control and independence, and the impact of illness on relationships. Understanding the reality for people is essential given that representations of the catastrophic impact of dementia generate high levels of anxiety and depression. Implications for nurses' practice include the need for skilled, well-paced, sensitive and ongoing information about the condition, along with the need to recognize and support the active coping strategies of people with memory loss.

OHS in the nursing workplace: accountability and the management of stress

There has been growing interest in occupational stress in the nursing context, both in New Zealand and internationally. This article takes a critical approach to the literature on nursing stress by examining the implications of a body of research largely informed by a theoretical approach which highlights the individual. In spite of evidence that the main sources of stress for nurses are related to workplace conditions, the focus is on the individual nurse and his/her personal response to stress. This approach encourages the development of interventions where the objectives are the individual management of stress, and thereby consolidates nurses' perceptions of powerlessness. Alternatives to these palliative measures, such as highlighting the legal obligations for employers to provide a safe workplace or collective industrial action for change, are glaringly absent in the literature. The importance of such an approach is supported by recent findings from the United States on the advantages of hospitals which promote nurses' autonomy and control.

Obesity in pre-school children: Issues and challenges for community based child health nurses

Childhood obesity is becoming a topical issue in both the health literature and the popular media and increasingly child health nurses are observing preschool children who appear to be disproportionately heavy for their height when plotted on standardised growth charts. In this paper literature related to childhood obesity in New Zealand and internationally is explored to identify current issues, and the implications of these issues for nurses in community based child health practice are discussed. Themes that emerged from the literature relate to the measurement of obesity, links between childhood and adult obesity and issues for families. A theme in the literature around maternal perception was of particular interest. Studies that investigated maternal perceptions of childhood obesity found that mothers identified their child as being overweight or obese only when it imposed limitations on physical activity or when the children were teased rather than by referring to individual growth graphs. The implications for nursing in the area of child health practice is discussed as nurses working in this area need an understanding of the complex and often emotive issues surrounding childhood obesity and an awareness of the reality of people's lives when devising health promotion strategies.

Family violence: Walking the tight rope between maternal alienation and child safety

Mothers are often alienated from their children when child abuse is suspected or confirmed, whether she is the primary abuser of the child or not. An abusive or violent partner often initiates the process of maternal alienation from children as a control mechanism. When the co-occurrence of maternal and child abuse is not recognised, nurses and health professionals risk further alienating a mother from her children, which can have detrimental effects in both the short and long term. Evidence shows that when mothers are supported and have the necessary resources there is a reduction in the violence and abuse she and her children experience; this occurs even in situations where the mother is the primary abuser of her children. The family-centred care philosophy, which is widely accepted as the best approach to nursing care for children and their families, creates tension for nurses caring for children who are the victims of abuse as this care generally occurs away from the context of the family. This fragmented approach to caring for abused children can inadvertently undermine the mother-child relationship and further contribute to maternal alienation. This paper discusses the complexity of family violence for nurses negotiating the 'tight rope' between the prime concern for the safety of children and further contributing to maternal alienation, within a New Zealand context. The premise that restoration of the mother-child relationship is paramount for the long-term wellbeing of both the children and the mother provides the basis for discussing implications for nursing practice.

Generation of a frequency comb of squeezing in an optical parametric oscillator

The multimode operation of an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) operating below threshold is calculated. We predict that squeezing can be generated in a comb that is limited only by the phase matching bandwidth of the OPO. Effects of technical noise on the squeezing spectrum are investigated. It is shown that maximal squeezing can be obtained at high frequency even in the presence of seed laser noise and cavity length fluctuations. Furthermore the spectrum obtained by detuning the laser frequency off OPO cavity resonance is calculated.