Las transformaciones de la burocracia provincial: capacidades del Estado en la provincia de Córdoba. Transformations of provincial bureaucracy: State´s capacities in the province of Córdoba.

A partir de las políticas de descentralización llevadas adelante en Argentina desde la década de los ochenta, las provincias han adquirido desde entonces una importante serie de nuevas funciones lo cual las ha obligado a ampliar y diversificar sus estructuras burocráticas y administrativas. Lo que este proyecto busca abordar es un análisis de las transformaciones ocurridas durante los últimos veinte años en la organización burocrática del estado provincial en Córdoba. El proyecto pretende indagar dos aspectos de la organización burocrática: por un lado, el diseño organizacional institucional (leyes de Ministerios) y la división del trabajo que ello implica; y por otro lado, los principales procesos administrativos transversales que articulan funcionalmente las diferentes áreas de la burocracia provincial (administración financiera y recursos humanos). A partir de ello nos interesa poner en relación estas transformaciones con los cambios que va experimentando la agenda gubernamental. Suponemos, en este sentido, que los cambios organizacionales responden a cambios en dicha agenda y a la relación de fuerzas políticas que va implícita en la conformación de las mismas. De este modo, nuestra hipótesis plantea que los cambios organizaciones generados por la transformación de las agendas se manifiestan de forma más inmediata en la dimensión del diseño organizacional, mientras que los procesos administrativos transversales experimentan cambios más graduales y no necesariamente vinculados a las transformaciones de la primera dimensión. El objetivo general es analizar las transformaciones de la Administración Pública Provincial (APP) en la provincia de Córdoba, a través de dos dimensiones (el diseño de la organización burocrática y los procesos administrativos transversales), desde el retorno a la democracia (1983) a la actualidad. La investigación será realizada a la luz de posturas epistemológicas y metodológicas que en las ciencias sociales sustentan la triangulación de métodos. Recurriremos tanto a fuentes documentales y estadísticas para reconstruir el proceso de transformación de la APP, como a entrevistas semiestructuradas con actores claves para indagar sobre las dimensiones identificadas en el proyecto. Se encuadra en lo que metodológicamente se denomina "estudio de caso". La investigación permitirá fortalecer el estudio de la administración y las organizaciones públicas, lo que representa una tarea altamente significativa (y necesaria) para el mejoramiento del sector público y las necesidades de la ciudadanía. El impacto esperable es la explicitación y sistematización de las transformaciones del aparato burocrático, que puedan ser observadas, mejoradas y desarrolladas por el conjunto de las carteras ministeriales, y la confección de estrategias y tecnologías de gestión que permitan incrementar las capacidades de la administración pública provincial en la realización de las políticas y la resolución de los problemas sociales.

La dinámica de las coaliciones presidenciales intergubernamentales. Las relaciones políticas entre presidentes y gobernadores en la Argentina, 2003-2013.

El presente proyecto tiene por objetivo general establecer las condiciones y factores que inciden en el mantenimiento de las coaliciones entre presidentes y gobernadores durante el período de gobiernos kirchneristas. Como señala la literatura que se ocupa del tema, la constitución y mantenimiento de estas coaliciones es crucial para los presidentes para el sostenimiento de sus posibilidades electorales y sus posibilidades de implementación de políticas públicas, dada la importancia que adquirieron los gobernadores como actores que inciden en aspectos claves de la política nacional en sus diferentes aspectos. No obstante, dadas las condiciones del contexto institucional argentino, tanto desde un punto de vista analítico como por antecedentes empíricos, es evidente que estas coaliciones son inestables, con secuencias de entradas y salidas de diferentes gobernadores de las mismas. Sobre la base de un estudio cuantitativo, y del estudio del caso de la provincia de Córdoba (cuya relevancia surge del hecho de que muestra durante la etapa que abarca una sucesión de entras y salidas de sus gobernadores de la coalición intergubernamental presidencial), intentaremos verificar la hipótesis de que esta inestabilidad resulta de la incidencia secuencial de: 1) la preeminencia de incentivos centrípetos (que se configuran principalmente a través de la derivación de apoyo fiscal del gobierno nacional hacia la provincia a cambio de apoyo político del gobernador hacia el presidente), seguida por: 2) la preeminencia de incentivos centrífugos que operan desde las relaciones políticas a partir de señales de ambición presidencial proactiva y que cristalizan en conflictos de tipo fiscal.

El sistema de función pública en la provincia de Córdoba: aportes y dificultades para la construcción de capacidad institucional.

Las reformas acaecidas en las organizaciones públicas en Latinoamérica aún tienen una deuda pendiente, que es la implementación eficaz de sistemas coherentes y completos de función pública. Los diagnósticos sobre servicio civil han señalado que dichos sistemas se han plasmado formalmente en reglas escritas y generales, pero la observancia práctica de dichas reglas aún es débil, dificultando la construcción de capacidad institucional en la administración pública. En el caso de los niveles de gobierno subnacionales, como es el caso de las provincias argentinas, han avanzado parcialmente en la reforma de la función pública, planteándose diferencias entre ellas en función de las medidas adoptadas y los resultados alcanzados. En este contexto y estado actual del conocimiento del tema, se plantea como objetivo de investigación analizar los procedimientos e instrumentos a través de los cuales se implementaron los cambios previstos en la legislación para el sistema de función pública en la provincia de Córdoba (1983-2012) a los fines de poder valorar su impacto en la construcción de capacidad institucional. Entendemos que los cambios previstos en la legislación del sistema de función pública de la provincia de Córdoba se han implementado de una manera parcial, poniendo un mayor énfasis en el desarrollo de nuevos procedimientos y en menor medida en el diseño y utilización de instrumentos específicos de la gestión de personas, lo cual no permitiría fortalecer la capacidad institucional de la administración pública provincial. Se encuadra el proyecto en lo que metodológicamente se denomina “estudio de caso”, donde, si bien se privilegiará un enfoque cualitativo, no se excluye la posibilidad de considerar simultáneamente métodos cuantitativos para recabar y analizar la información.

Miocardite na forma aguda da doença de Chagas

The autopsy of a case of CHAGAS'S disease or American tryponosomiasis (a girl, 5 years old), dead in the 22nd day of illness is reported. The anatomic diagnosis was a follows: Acute diffuse chagasic nyocarditis. Chagasic encephalitis. Chagasic lymphadenitis of the right posterior auricular node. Tuberculosis of the bronchial and pulmonary nodes. Chronic passive hyperemia and atelectasia of the lungs. Chronic passive congestion and hemorrhages of the spleen. Serous hepatitis. Parotiditis. Edema of the right eyelids. Bilateral hydrothorax. Hydropericardium. Hydroperitoneum. The morphology of Schizotrypanum cruzi in the myocardium is considered. Besides agglomerates with typical small oval or round intracellular bodies, pre-flagellate and flagellate organisms, others are found in which the great amount of parasites and marked pressure exerted by them against each other render very difficult their identification; sometimes the similitude of such agglamerates to Toxoplasma is striking (Fig. 1 and 1 A). In such a case, the structure of the blepharoplast (Fig. 1 and IA), usually preserved, is profitable and allows the identification of the pre-flagellate and flagellate forms of Schizotrypanum cruzi. Most of the small sensitive nerves in the epicardium shows mononuclear infiltration of the perineurium (perineuritis, Figs. 12-14). Microscopically there is extensive Zenker's degeneration (Figs. 6-8) and parasitism of the heart muscle fibers, marked cellular infiltration of the interstitial connective tissue, which are found in the ordinary musculature of every chamber of the heart (Figs. 10-11) as well as in Tawara's node (Fig. 9), main bundle (Fig. 2) and right (Fig. 4) and left (Fig. 5) septal divisions of the bundle of His, and perineuritis. Those anatomic changes are associated to an abnormal electrocardiogram presenting some similitude to that of an anemic infarct of the anterior wall of the heart and which will be discussed elsewhere (unpublished paper by Dias, Nobrega & Laranja).

Sensibility of the hamster (Cricetus auratus) to the Treponema pertenue

In two experiments, 8 Hamsters inoculated with material from yaws lesions (Treponema pertenue), developed skin lesions considered specific by their clinical and histopathological aspects and by the presence of treponemae. These lesions appeared on the scrotumm, testicle, prepuce, anus, tail, muzzle, back and hinders paws (palm surface). In the internal organs no treponemae were found in direct examinations and inoculation of brain, spleen and lymph node. The incubation period was of 35 days for the testicle, 55 days for the scrotum and 107 days for peritoneal cavity inoculation. Positive sub-inoculations were obtained. The serum reactions (Qasserman's and Kahn's) were negative in all 5 tested Hamsters. Out of 4 normal females matched to infected males two developed nasal lesions resulting from direct contact. Apparently the genital lesions hindered copulation. Hamsters are very well suited for an experimental study of yaws.

Minimal lenght elements of Thompson's groups F(p)

We describe a method for determining the minimal length of elements in the generalized Thompson's groups F(p). We compute the length of an element by constructing a tree pair diagram for the element, classifying the nodes of the tree and summing associated weights from the pairs of node classifications. We use this method to effectively find minimal length representatives of an element.

Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: clinical, parasitological, therapeutical and epidemiological findings (1977-1983)

Forty dogs from the periphery of the city of Rio de Janeiro were studied. All dogs where diagnosed as positive for leishmaniasis either parasitologically and/or serologically. Among them, 19 came from areas where only Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) occurs (Realengo, Bangu, Senador Camará). Clinical signs of the disease were seen in 36.8% of the cases, including emaciation - 100%, lymphadenopathy and depilation - 85.7%. The other 21 dogs came from an area (Campo Grande) where both diseases (VL, and American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis - ACL) occur. Clinical signs of the disease, mainly cutaneous or mucocutaneous ulcers were seen in 76.2% of the cases. Leishmania parasites were found in 39 cases: 22% in viscera, 42.5% in viscera and normal skin and 35% in cutaneous or mucocutaneous ulcers. All the Leishmania stocks isolated from dogs which came from Realengo, Bangu, Senador Camará (VL area), and from Campo Grande (VL + ACL area) were characterized as L. donovani (except in one case) according to their schizodeme, zymodeme and serodeme. The only stock characterized as L. b. braziliensis, was isolated from the lymph node of a dog from Campo Grande with visceral disease and without skin lesions. Antimony therapy attempted in eight Leishmania donovani positive dogs was unsuccessful.

Preliminary study of cooperation in hybrid ad-hoc networks

In this paper, we present a first approach to evolve a cooperative behavior in ad hoc networks. Since wireless nodes are energy constrained, it may not be in the best interest of a node to always accept relay requests. On the other hand, if all nodes decide not to expend energy in relaying, then network throughput will drop dramatically. Both these extreme scenarios are unfavorable to the interests of a user. In this paper we deal with the issue of user cooperation in ad hoc networks by developing the algorithm called Generous Tit-For-Tat. We assume that nodes are rational, i.e., their actions are strictly determined by self-interest, and that each node is associated with a minimum lifetime constraint. Given these lifetime constraints and the assumption of rational behavior, we study the added behavior of the network.

Interleukin- 2 production during murine infection by Leishmania mexicana amazonensis

Highly susceptible BALB/c mice, resistant C57B1/6 and their F1 progeny (BDF1) were infected subcutaneously in the foot pad with Leishmania mexicana amazonenesis. At various times after infection, spleen or draining popliteal lymph node cells were assayed for their capacity to generate Interleukin-2 (I1-2) by Concanavalin A (ConA) stimulation. In both BALB/c and C57B1/6 strains there was a transient increase in their capacity to produce I1-2, from the 3rd to the 10th week post-infection. Return to pre-infection levels ocurred between 13th to 16th week post-infection in all three strains. BALB/c mice always produced higher titers of 11-2 than C57B1/6, but such differences were statistically significant only at 3 and 10 weeks post-infection. BDF1 mice had titers similar to those observed in BALB/c mice. I1-2 production by ConA-stimulated lymph node cells was lower as compared to the spleen, but with a similar pattern among the three mice strains. Our data show that susceptibility to infection by l. mexicana amazonenesis is not associated with deficient ConA-stimulated I1-2 production.

The retinoid-related orphan receptor RORα promotes keratinocyte differentiation via FOXN1.

RORα is a retinoid-related orphan nuclear receptor that regulates inflammation, lipid metabolism, and cellular differentiation of several non-epithelial tissues. In spite of its high expression in skin epithelium, its functions in this tissue remain unclear. Using gain- and loss-of-function approaches to alter RORα gene expression in human keratinocytes (HKCs), we have found that this transcription factor functions as a regulator of epidermal differentiation. Among the 4 RORα isoforms, RORα4 is prominently expressed by keratinocytes in a manner that increases with differentiation. In contrast, RORα levels are significantly lower in skin squamous cell carcinoma tumors (SCCs) and cell lines. Increasing the levels of RORα4 in HKCs enhanced the expression of structural proteins associated with early and late differentiation, as well as genes involved in lipid barrier formation. Gene silencing of RORα impaired the ability of keratinocytes to differentiate in an in vivo epidermal cyst model. The pro-differentiation function of RORα is mediated at least in part by FOXN1, a well-known pro-differentiation transcription factor that we establish as a novel direct target of RORα in keratinocytes. Our results point to RORα as a novel node in the keratinocyte differentiation network and further suggest that the identification of RORα ligands may prove useful for treating skin disorders that are associated with abnormal keratinocyte differentiation, including cancer.

Prevalence and clinical importance of mesenteric venous thrombosis in the swiss inflammatory bowel disease cohort.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of mesenteric venous thrombosis (MVT) in the Swiss Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort Study and to correlate MVT with clinical outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Abdominal portal phase CT was used to examine patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Two experienced abdominal radiologists retrospectively analyzed the images, focusing on the superior and inferior mesenteric vein branches and looking for signs of acute or chronic thrombosis. The location of abnormalities was registered. The presence of MVT was correlated with IBD-related radiologic signs and complications. RESULTS. The cases of 160 patients with IBD (89 women, 71 men; Crohn disease [CD], 121 patients; ulcerative colitis [UC], 39 patients; median age at diagnosis, 27 years for patients with CD, 32 years for patients with UC) were analyzed. MVT was detected in 43 patients with IBD (26.8%). One of these patients had acute MVT; 38, chronic MVT; and four, both. The prevalence of MVT did not differ between CD (35/121 [28.9%]) and UC (8/39 [20.5%]) (p = 0.303). The location of thrombosis was different between CD and UC (CD, jejunal or ileal veins only [p = 0.005]; UC, rectocolic veins only [p = 0.001]). Almost all (41/43) cases of thrombosis were peripheral. MVT in CD patients was more frequently associated with bowel wall thickening (p = 0.013), mesenteric fat hypertrophy (p = 0.005), ascites (p = 0.002), and mesenteric lymph node enlargement (p = 0.036) and was associated with higher rate of bowel stenosis (p < 0.001) and more intestinal IBD-related surgery (p = 0.016) in the outcome. Statistical analyses for patients with UC were not relevant because of the limited population (n = 8). CONCLUSION. MVT is frequently found in patients with IBD. Among patients with CD, MVT is associated with bowel stenosis and CD-related intestinal surgery.

Role of cytokines in secondary lymphoid organ development

Summary Secondary lymphoid organs are sites of antigen presentation, clonal expansion of B and lymphocytes, and affinity maturation of B lymphocytes. In the intestine, these immune functions occur mainly in Peyer's patches (PP). PP develop through the interplay of two main cell types, haematopoietic cells and meserichyrnal cells. One particular haematopoietic cell type was identified as the inductive cell type in the formation of both PP and lymph nodes and was therefore designated as lymphoid tissue inducer cell. For a successful PP organogenesis, the crucial molecular components involved in the crosstalk of inducer cells and their mesenchymal target cells are adhesion molecules, lymphotoxin (LT) family members, and cytokines. In particular, the interleukin 7 receptor (IL-7R) expressed on inducer cells is absolutely required. To investigate the contribution of the ligand for the IL-7R. the cytokine IL-7, in the process of PP formation, we analyzed double transgenic (TG) mice. These mice resulted from an interbreeding of an IL-7TG mouse strain where the transgene is under the control of the MHC class II promoter with a second transgenic mouse strain, which overexpresses a transactivator for MHC class II genes. Double TG offsprings revealed higher levels of IL-7 mRNA occuring earlier in embryogenesis. Consequently, double TG mice showed a striking phenotype with a 3- to 5-fold increase in PP numbers compared to single IL-7TG or control littermates. Analysis of embryonic double TG intestines demonstrated that the process of PP development was already elevated during development as early as the embryonic day 16.5. Importantly, inducer cells were significantly increased in numbers in these embryonic intestines. Furthermore, the expression of LT? mRNA, which at this early time point is exclusively expressed by inducer cells, was also increased in double TG animals. These data clearly indicate a direct influence of IL-7 on the expansion of lymphoid tissue inducer cells and on the availability of LT? leading to a higher frequency of developing PP in fetal life. Interestingly, in addition to an enhanced frequency of PP development, in double TG mice, three additional phenotypic differences were observed. i) Lymphocyte infiltration in various non-lymphoid organs, such as stomach, salivary gland, and liver. Subsequent analysis demonstrated that B lymphocytes were predominant within these tertiary lymphoid structures. ii) Ectopic lymph node-like structures containing both B and T lymphocytes were found near the inguinal lymph node. iii) Double TG mice had a severe bone resorption syndrome most likely as a consequence of the pro-osteoclastic effect of IL-7. Taken together, these results show that IL-7 plays a key role in the homeostasis of inducer cells, in the generation of PP in the gut, in the formation of ectopic lymphoid tissue, and in bone resorption. Résumé Les organes lymphoïdes secondaires sont les lieux de présentation des antigènes aux lymphocytes, permettant l'expansion des lymphocytes B et T et la maturation d'affinité des lymphocytes B. Dans l'intestin, ces fonctions immunitaires se déroulent dans les plaques de Peyer (PP). Ces plaques se développent grâce à l'interaction des cellules hématopoïétiques avec des cellules mésenchymales. Un type particulier de cellules hématopoïétiques a été identifié comme cellule inductrice dans la formation des PP et des ganglions lymphatiques et de ce fait a été désigné cellule inductrice des tissus lymphoïdes. Durant l'organogénèse des PP, les composants moléculaires cruciaux impliqués dans l'interaction des cellules inductrices et des cellules mésenchymales sont les molécules d'adhésion, les membres de la famille des lymphotoxines (LT) et les cytokines. En particulier, le récepteur de l'interleukine 7 (IL-7R) exprimé par les cellules inductrices est absolument nécessaire. Pour étudier le rôle du ligand de l'IL-7R, l'interleukine IL-7, dans la formation des PP, nous avons croisé une lignée de souris transgénique (TG) surexprimant IL-7 sous contrôle du promoteur MHC class Il avec une lignée de souris transgénique surexprimant un transactivateur des genes MHC class II. Les souris doubles TG présentent une concentration élevée d'ARNm de l'IL-7 durant l'embryogénèse, ce qui résulte en une augmentation du nombre de PP de 3 à 5 fois en comparaison aux souris ayant seul le transgène IL-7 et aux souris contrôles. L'analyse des intestins des souris doubles TG démontre que le processus de développement des PP était élevé dès le jour 16.5 du développement embryonnaire. L'augmentation du nombre des cellules inductrices dans ces intestins embryonnaires est signilicative. De plus l'expression de l'ARNm LT?, qui à ce stade précoce est exclusivement exprimé dans les cellules inductrices, est également augmenté dans les doubles TG. Ces résultats indiquent clairement une influence directe d'IL-7 sur l'expansion des cellules inductrices des tissues lymphoïdes et sur la synthèse de LT? induisant une augmentation des PP se développant durant la vie foetale. En plus du développement accru des PP dans les souris doubles TG, trois différences phénotypiques ont été observées. i) L'infiltration lymphocytaire dans différents organes non-lymphoïdes, comme l'estomac, les glandes salivaires et le foie. Des analyses complémentaires ont demontré que les lymphocytes B étaient prédominants dans ces structures lymphoïdes tertiaires. ii) Des structures de ganglions lymphatiques ectopiques contenant des lymphocytes B et T ont été trouvées près des ganglions lymphatiques inguinaux. iii) Les souris doubles TG présentent un syndrome de résorption osseuse sévère probablement dû à l'effet pro-osteoclaste d'IL-7. Globalement, ces résultats montrent que IL-7 joue un rôle clé dans l'homéostasie des cellules inductrices dans la génèse de PP de l'intestin, dans la formation des tissus lymphoïdes ectopiques et dans la résorption osseuse.