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The aging process we are witnessing in the majority of developed countries is raising financial sustainability problems in the pay-as-you-go pension system. The reforms designed to re-establish the financial equilibrium of pension systems may put one of the most important objectives of these systems at risk: to reduce the poverty rate among the elderly. This paper studies the effects that the reforms implemented in the Spanish pension system would have on the poverty rate of the retired population. The two main novelties presented are the following. First, the collective under study is focused on the most vulnerable workers. Second, the effects of the reforms are studied taking into account the labour market situation of the individuals in the years prior to retirement.

The paper analyses the mistakes made in the management of the fiscal policy in Spain before the crisis. The authors argue that the low size of the public expenditures, the adoption of a procyclical expansionary fiscal policy the years before the crisis, and the lack of a correct coordination between the Spanish fiscal policy and the ECB’s monetary policy, are key elements to understand the depth and length of the economic crisis and the current high fiscal imbalances in Spain.

This paper shows the dynamic effects of the reform of the Spanish social security pension system on the pensions received by one of the most vulnerable groups of the population, namely, widows. We undertake a duration analysis to account for the effects of reform over time. We study the effects on the widows’ overall financial welfare in terms of the evolution of their risk of poverty. We show that the combined effects of the measures to be implemented will have a positive impact; that is to say, the risk of poverty diminishes with respect to the current financial situation of the widows. However, the risk of poverty increases as the pensioners get older.

A study about of the influence of CNTs elastic properties in polymer nanocomposites is presented. These properties are assumed to be dependent on the CNTs diameter and number of walls, identified as key characteristics of these reinforcements. The analysis is carried out using a micromechanical model based on the mean field homogenization theory for the prediction of the composite elastic properties of a MWCNT – epoxy resin system. A transversally isotropic elastic behavior has been considered for the CNTs based on values/dependencies reported in the literature. Interphase properties between the CNT and epoxy resin has been investigated by means of molecular dynamics simulations.

El presente trabajo, desde una visión crítica, examina la historia de la gestión presupuestal del ICBF desde su fundación en 1968 hasta 1994.Sus logros, dificultades y paradojas presentes en los diferentes periodos de su evolución histórica apoyan el diagnóstico de su situación administrativa y organizativa más reciente; éste, integrado a los resultados arrojados por indicadores cuantitativos de eficiencia, eficacia y equidad, permiten establecer un balance histórico que ofrece elementos sobre las posibilidades y retos futuros del Instituto. La historia y la situación actual del Instituto muestran un rezago persistente e insostenible en el contexto de las actuales demandas sociales de modernización del Estado; pero, en su concepción y desarrollo de sus programas, se destacan algunos aspectos que en la política social se presentan rezagados.

The proinsulin molecule results from the cleavage of pre-pro-insulin, produced in pancreatic beta cells. Its subsequent -cleavage allows the release of insulin, the key hormone of glycemia regulation and C-peptide in equimolar proportions. During fasting trial, insulinoma diagnosis relies on inadequately high insulin and C-peptide serum levels concomitant with an hypoglycemia. In this context, proinsulin assay can be interesting in the cases of discrepancy between the two parameters. In diabetes, endoplasmic reticulum stress and beta cells inflammation, lead to the secretion of misfolded proinsulin molecules. Thus, in type 2 diabetes, proinsulin/insulin ratio increases with the degree of insulin resistance. In type 1 diabetes, proinsulin/C-peptide ratio could predict the onset of diabetes in relatives. In our practice, serum pro-insulin determined using an Elisa immunoassay (Millipore®) during fasting trial can be complementary to C-peptide and insulin assays in relation to glycemia to label an hypoglycemia. In case of glucose intolerance and diabetes, proinsulin could thus be measured.

A 30 year old patient with isolated retroperitoneal hydatid cyst was the first case of this type to be studied by CT scanning. Isolated retroperitoneal hydatid cyst is defined as any zone of hydatidosis occurring in the fatty tissue of the spaces lying behind posterior parietal peritoneum, without any parasitic foci in other organs. Differential diagnosis from other primary retroperitoneal cysts has been improved by the availability of modern imaging procedures: ultrasonography and CT scan.