Education, Corruption and the Natural Resource Curse

The empirical evidence on the determinants of growth across countries has found that growth is lower when natural resources are abundant, corruption widespread and educational attainment low. An extensive literature has examined the way in which these three variables can impact growth, but has tended to address them separately. In this paper we argue that corruption and education are interrelated and that both crucially depend on a country’s endowment of natural resources. The key element is the fact that resources affect the relative returns to investing in human and in political capital, and, through these investments, output levels and growth. In this context, inequality plays a key role both as a determinant of the possible equilibria of the economy and as an outcome of the growth process.natural resources, corruption, human capital, growth, inequality

Políticas ambientales-forestales y capital social femenino mazahua

El objetivo del artículo es conocer cómo se incluyó el concepto de capital social y la perspectiva de género en el diseño de las políticas ambientales forestales del gobierno de Vicente Fox en México y cómo operaron sus mecanismos de ejecución en contextos locales. La hipótesis es que dicha inclusión corresponde más a intereses mundiales y nacionales que a necesidades y realidades locales. Se recurre a la etnografía institucional para analizar la reproducción de prácticas discursivas sobre la inclusión de la perspectiva de género en las políticas ambientales, y cómo se crean necesidades de intervención institucional para resolver problemas formulados en ámbitos globales. Se presenta como ejemplo el movimiento de mujeres mazahuas en dos comunidades con áreas boscosas de la zona mazahua del Estado de México

Severe resistant hypocalcemia in multiple myeloma after zoledronic acid administration: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Hypercalcemia is one of the most common metabolic abnormalities encountered in any form of malignancy. Hypocalcemia, however, is a rare manifestation, especially in cancers with bone involvement. Here we present a case of hypocalcemia in a patient with multiple myeloma that was refractory to treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: A 73-year-old African American woman recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma, presented with a 2-day history of fever, vomiting and hypocalcemia. Ten days prior to admission she received zoledronic acid, Velcade(®) (bortezomib), Revlimid(®) (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone. Treatment was started with intravenous antibiotics and calcium gluconate boluses. After 24 hours of treatment her calcium level became undetectable (<5mg/dL). Continuous intravenous calcium gluconate infusions in addition to boluses were started. She remained persistently hypocalcemic and eventually developed tonic–clonic seizures. Vitamin D levels were found to be low and intravenous paricalcitol was initiated, which improved her calcium level. CONCLUSIONS: Underlying vitamin D deficiency can precipitate severe hypocalcemia in patients with multiple myeloma receiving bisphosphonates. This warrants baseline screening for vitamin D deficiency in these patients

Determination of traces of radionuclides by hyphenated techniques coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)

En aquest treball es fa una revisió dels aspectes més innovadors de la determinació de traces de radionúclids en el medi ambient i de la separació d'actínids i dels productes de fissió en mostres nuclears mitjançant tècniques com ara la injecció en flux (FI) / anàlisi per injecció seqüencial (SIA) i la cromatografia acoblades a l'espectrometria de masses mitjançant plasma induït per alta freqüència.An overview is given of the current state of the art for the determination of radionuclide traces in the environment and the separation of fission products and actinides in nuclear samples by techniques like flow-injection (FI)/sequential injection analysis (SIA) and chromatography hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)

Mechanical Isolation of Highly Stable Antimonene under Ambient Conditions

Using mechanical exfoliation combined with a controlled double step transfer procedure we demonstrate that single layers of antimony can be readily produced. These flakes are not significantly contaminated upon exposure to ambient conditions and they do not react with water. DFT calculations confirm our experimental observations and predict a band gap of 1.2-1.3 eV (ambient conditions) for single layer antimonene, which is smaller than that calculated under vacuum conditions at 0 K. Our work confirms antimonene as a highly stable 2D material with promising relevant applications in optoelectronics.Comment: main paper: 5 pages, 4 figures supporting: 9 pages, 7 figures, Advanced Materials, 201

Identification of presumed pathogenic KRT3 and KRT12 gene mutations associated with Meesmann corneal dystrophy.

PurposeTo report potentially pathogenic mutations in the keratin 3 (KRT3) and keratin 12 (KRT12) genes in two individuals with clinically diagnosed Meesmann corneal dystrophy (MECD).MethodsSlit-lamp examination was performed on the probands and available family members to identify characteristic features of MECD. After informed consent was obtained, saliva samples were obtained as a source of genomic DNA, and screening of KRT3 and KRT12 was performed. Potentially pathogenic variants were screened for in 200 control chromosomes. PolyPhen-2, SIFT, and PANTHER were used to predict the functional impact of identified variants. Short tandem repeat genotyping was performed to confirm paternity.ResultsSlit-lamp examination of the first proband demonstrated bilateral, diffusely distributed, clear epithelial microcysts, consistent with MECD. Screening of KRT3 revealed a heterozygous missense variant in exon 1, c.250C&gt;T (p.(Arg84Trp)), which has a minor allele frequency of 0.0076 and was not identified in 200 control chromosomes. In silico analysis with PolyPhen-2 and PANTHER predicted the variant to be damaging to protein function; however, SIFT analysis predicted tolerance of the variant. The second proband demonstrated bilateral, diffusely distributed epithelial opacities that appeared gray-white on direct illumination and translucent on retroillumination. Neither parent demonstrated corneal opacities. Screening of KRT12 revealed a novel heterozygous insertion/deletion variant in exon 6, c.1288_1293delinsAGCCCT (p.(Arg430_Arg431delinsSerPro)). This variant was not present in either of the proband's parents or in 200 control chromosomes and was predicted to be damaging by PolyPhen-2, PANTHER, and SIFT. Haplotype analysis confirmed paternity of the second proband, indicating that the variant arose de novo.ConclusionsWe present a novel KRT12 mutation, representing the first de novo mutation and the first indel in KRT12 associated with MECD. In addition, we report a variant of uncertain significance in KRT3 in an individual with MECD. Although the potential pathogenicity of this variant is unknown, it is the first variant affecting the head domain of K3 to be reported in an individual with MECD and suggests that disease-causing variants associated with MECD may not be restricted to primary sequence alterations of either the helix-initiation or helix-termination motifs of K3 and K12

La promoción de la violencia en Internet

Las nuevas tecnologías suponen la existencia de una herramienta eficaz de comunicación e información. En la actualidad, su uso extendido ha planteado un nuevo paradigma debido al hecho de que Internet reformula no solo el modelo comunicativo y de conocimiento, sino que modifica primordialmente el mensaje. Internet no establece severas restricciones a la creación de información por lo que los usuarios son genuinamente libres en la emisión de sus opiniones y creencias. Esta ausencia de normas sociales y regulación jurídica inhibe en determinados casos la conducta socialmente aceptable del individuo. Ello aunado al anonimato que ofrece Internet resulta en los ingredientes necesarios para la creación de un escenario continente de mensajes de violencia y odio de diverso tipo.Universidad de Málaga. Campus Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech