War and Economics: Spanish Civil War Finances Revisited

This paper reviews how the Spanish civil war was financed. We present new evidence to show that the two combatant parties, the Republican government and the Franco administration followed similar financial strategies. In both cases money creation, rather than new taxes or the issue of debt, was the main mechanism used to cover the expenses of the war. We argue, contrary to the established knowledge, that both sides consumed a similar amount of domestic and foreign resources. We also argue that the Spanish Republic did not lose the war because of a lack of means. International factors, such as the Non-Intervention agreement promoted by France and Great Britain, and the military setbacks of the Republican army during the first year of the war, were decisive for Franco’s victory in 1939.Spain, civil war, financial resources

DNA extraction from leaves of Vaccinium cylindraceum SMITH (Ericaceae). The use of RAPD markers to detect genetic variation. Preliminary results.

Vaccinium cylindraceum Smith is an endemic Ericaceae from Azores archipelago. This species is being produced by seed germination, micropropagation and stem cuttings. The produced plants are then reintroduced in their natural but disturbed environment and used to repopulate protected areas meanwhile infested with more or less invasive exotic flora. In order to protect the genetic variability within the species, a study of genetic variation between and within populations from different islands was started. DNA extraction was achieved on fresh, dried and criopreserved leaves and the First results using the PCR technique are also presented

Evaluación formativa del TFG del Grado de Psicologia. Diseño de Rubricas para diferentes modalidades, fases y acciones

El Trabajo de Fin de Grado (TFG), es una asignatura novedosa y de elevada complejidad que ha necesitado el desarrollo de un marco normativo por las Universidades y sus Centros (Reglamentos y Guías Docentes específicas). Tras varios cursos de implantación en el Grado en Psicología de la Universidad de Málaga, este equipo docente consideró necesario revisar el sistema de evaluación de las competencias adquiridas por los alumnos. Para ello se eligió el sistema de evaluación por rúbricas por los beneficios que de ellas se derivan (Alsina, 2010; Del Pozo, 2012; Fernández, 2010; García y Terrón, 2010; Mertler, 2001), especialmente por su valor formativo y evaluador (Blanco, 2008; Cano, 2015; Fernández, 2010), tanto para los estudiantes como para el profesorado. Por tanto, el objetivo de este trabajo fue el diseño de rúbricas para facilitar a todos los implicados (estudiantes, tutores y tribunales) el desarrollo del TFG y la evaluación formativa de los resultados de aprendizaje vinculados a cada una de sus fases, para cada modalidad (Trabajo de Investigación, desarrollo y/o innovación; Análisis y propuesta de resolución de casos prácticos reales; Trabajo de revisión y actualización teórica y/o metodológica y Proyecto de emprendimiento). Para ello se eligió un tipo de rúbrica analítica (Blanco, 2008) y su diseño y elaboración se llevó a cabo según los pasos establecidos por Mertler (2005), de acuerdo al consenso del equipo docente, bajo la supervisión y guía de una profesora experta en evaluación. Fueron evaluadas cualitativamente por el equipo docente, estando prevista la validación de las mismas en cursos posteriores. Se presenta aquí la primera de las rúbricas realizadas para la evaluación de los Trabajos de Fin de Grado en Psicología de la Universidad de Málaga según la modalidad Trabajo de Investigación, desarrollo y/o innovación, sobre un tema determinado relacionado con la Psicología en cualquiera de sus ámbitos de aplicación. Palabras clave: Trabajo de fin de grado, rúbricas, evaluación formativa, enseñanza superior.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

CathepsinKCre mediated deletion of βcatenin results in dramatic loss of bone mass by targeting both osteoclasts and osteoblastic cells

It is well established that activation of Wnt/βcatenin signaling in the osteoblast lineage leads to an increase in bone mass through a dual mechanism: increased osteoblastogenesis and decreased osteoclastogenesis. However, the effect of this pathway on the osteoclast lineage has been less explored. Here, we aimed to examine the effects of Wnt/βcatenin signaling in mature osteoclasts by generating mice lacking βcatenin in CathepsinK-expressing cells (Ctnnb1;CtsKCre mice). These mice developed a severe low-bone-mass phenotype with onset in the second month and in correlation with an excessive number of osteoclasts, detected by TRAP staining and histomorphometric quantification. We found that WNT3A, through the canonical pathway, promoted osteoclast apoptosis and therefore attenuated the number of M-CSF and RANKL-derived osteoclasts in vitro. This reveals a cell-autonomous effect of Wnt/βcatenin signaling in controlling the life span of mature osteoclasts. Furthermore, bone Opg expression in Ctnnb1;CtsKCre mice was dramatically decreased pointing to an additional external activation of osteoclasts. Accordingly, expression of CathepsinK was detected in TRAP-negative cells of the inner periosteal layer also expressing Col1. Our results indicate that the bone phenotype of Ctnnb1;CtsKCre animals combines a cell-autonomous effect in the mature osteoclast with indirect effects due to the additional targeting of osteoblastic cells.This work was supported by grant ISCIII PI12/01405 to JGM and grant BFU2014-57216-P to MAR from the Spanish Government and R01AR056679 from NIAMS/NIH to MA.Peer Reviewe

Reading accuracy and naming speed in primary school children

The aim of this study is to determine whether naming speed predicts word reading accuracy at the beginning of primary education. The sample consists of a group of 120 students of Elementary Education, 65 boys and 55 girls, between 6 and 7 years (M= 79.79 months; SD= 3.44). The accuracy in reading words and speed of naming colors, pictures, letters and numbers were evaluated. The results of the regression analysis shows that 13% of the variance in reading accuracy is explained by the speed of naming colors, images, numbers and letters. Naming speed is a good predictor of reading accuracy even at the beginning of compulsory education.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Relación entre las estrategias de fijación de precio y la decisión de compra en un supermercado en la ciudad de Cajamarca en el año 2018

RESUMEN En el presente trabajo de investigación se estudió la relación entre las variables Estrategias de fijación de precio y la Decisión de compra de clientes en un supermercado en la ciudad de Cajamarca en el año 2018, se utilizó como herramienta dos cuestionarios para medir las dimensiones de las variables antes mencionadas; las dimensiones de la variable Estrategias de fijación de precio estudiadas fueron cinco: estrategias diferenciales, estrategias de precios psicológicos, estrategias de precios referenciales, estrategia de precios bajos todos los días y estrategias de precios promocionales; asimismo, las dimensiones de la variable Decisión de compra fueron cuatro: reconocimiento de la necesidad, búsqueda de información, evaluación de alternativas y satisfacción post-compra. La presente investigación tuvo como problema de investigación ¿Cuál es la relación entre las estrategias de fijación de precio y la decisión de compra en un supermercado en la ciudad de Cajamarca en el año 2018? y como objetivo general el determinar la relación entre las estrategias de fijación de precio y la decisión de compra en un supermercado en la ciudad de Cajamarca en el año 2018. Se realizó una investigación no experimental, transversal, correlacional en un supermercado en la ciudad de Cajamarca, estudiando una muestra de 385 clientes externos. Se estableció como hipótesis de la investigación que existe una relación directa entre las estrategias de fijación de precios y la decisión de compra, al realizar la prueba de hipótesis mediante el coeficiente de Pearson se obtuvo que sí existe una correlación positiva débil entre las variables estudiadas, lo que corrobora la hipótesis planteada, en cuanto a las estrategias de fijación de precio se observó que la estrategia con mayor preferencia por parte de los clientes del supermercado en estudio son la de precios bajos todos los días; asimismo, la estrategia con menor preferencia fue la de precios psicológicos; en cuanto a las correlaciones entre las dimensiones de la variable estrategia de fijación de precios con la variable decisión de compra, se pudo observar que en todas las dimensiones existe una correlación positiva, lo que significa que las estrategias de fijación de precio son un factor importante en cuanto a la decisión de compra se refiere. PALABRAS CLAVES: Decisión de compra, estrategias de fijación de precio, estrategias diferenciales, estrategias psicológicas, estrategias referenciales, estrategia de precios bajos todos los días, estrategia promocional, reconocimiento de la necesidad, búsqueda de información, evaluación de alternativas, satisfacción post compra.ABSTRACT In the present work of investigation the relation between the variables Strategies of fixing of price and the Decision of purchase of clients in a supermarket in the city of Cajamarca in the year 2018 was studied, it was used like tool two questionnaires to measure the dimensions of the variables mentioned above; the dimensions of the variable Price strategies studied were five: differential strategies, psychological price strategies, referential pricing strategies, everyday low prices strategy and promotional pricing strategies. Likewise, the dimensions of the purchasing decision variable were four: recognition of the need, search for information, evaluation of alternatives and postpurchase satisfaction. The present investigation had as a research problem What is the relationship between pricing strategies and the purchase decision in a supermarket in the city of Cajamarca in 2018? and as a general objective to determine the relationship between pricing strategies and the purchase decision in a supermarket in the city of Cajamarca in 2018. A non-experimental, transversal, correlational investigation was carried out in a supermarket in the city of Cajamarca, studying a sample of 385 external clients. It was established as a research hypothesis that there is a direct relationship between the pricing strategies and the purchasing decision, when performing the hypothesis test using the Pearson coefficient, it was found that there is a weak positive correlation between the variables studied, what corroborates the hypothesis, in terms of pricing strategies, it was observed that the strategy with the greatest preference on the part of the customers of the supermarket under study is everyday low prices; likewise, the strategy with the least preference was psychological prices. Regarding the correlations between the dimensions of the pricing strategy variable with the purchasing decision variable, it was observed that in all the dimensions there is a positive correlation, which means that pricing strategies are an important factor as for the purchase decision is concerned. KEYWORDS: Purchase decision, pricing strategies, differential strategies, psychological strategies, referential strategies, daily low price strategy, promotional strategy, recognition of need, search for information, evaluation of alternatives, post purchase satisfaction

Bayesian approach and Naturalness in MSSM analyses for the LHC

The start of LHC has motivated an effort to determine the relative probability of the different regions of the MSSM parameter space, taking into account the present, theoretical and experimental, wisdom about the model. Since the present experimental data are not powerful enough to select a small region of the MSSM parameter space, the choice of a judicious prior probability for the parameters becomes most relevant. Previous studies have proposed theoretical priors that incorporate some (conventional) measure of the fine-tuning, to penalize unnatural possibilities. However, we show that such penalization arises from the Bayesian analysis itself (with no ad hoc assumptions), upon the marginalization of the mu-parameter. Furthermore the resulting effective prior contains precisely the Barbieri-Giudice measure, which is very satisfactory. On the other hand we carry on a rigorous treatment of the Yukawa couplings, showing in particular that the usual practice of taking the Yukawas "as required", approximately corresponds to taking logarithmically flat priors in the Yukawa couplings. Finally, we use an efficient set of variables to scan the MSSM parameter space, trading in particular B by tan beta, giving the effective prior in the new parameters. Beside the numerical results, we give accurate analytic expressions for the effective priors in all cases. Whatever experimental information one may use in the future, it is to be weighted by the Bayesian factors worked out here.Comment: LaTeX, 19 pages, 3 figure

Demethylation of H3K9 and H3K27 Contributes to the Tubular Renal Damage Triggered by Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

Loss of protein homeostasis (proteostasis) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) activates the unfolded protein response (UPR), restoring correct protein folding. Sustained ER stress exacerbates activation of the major UPR branches (IRE1α/XBP1, PERK/ATF4, ATF6), inducing expression of numerous genes involved in inflammation, cell death, autophagy, and oxidative stress. We investigated whether epigenetic dynamics mediated by histone H3K9 and H3K27 methylation might help to reduce or inhibit the exacerbated and maladaptive UPR triggered in tubular epithelial cells. Epigenetic treatments, specific silencing, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were performed in human proximal tubular cells subjected to ER stress. Pharmacological blockage of KDM4C and JMJD3 histone demethylases with SD-70 and GSKJ4, respectively, enhanced trimethylation of H3K9 and H3K27 in the ATF4 and XBP1 genes, inhibiting their expression and that of downstream genes. Conversely, specific G9a and EZH2 knockdown revealed increases in ATF4 and XBP1 expression. This is a consequence of the reduced recruitment of G9a and EZH2 histone methylases, diminished H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 levels, and enhanced histone acetylation at the ATF4 and XBP1 promoter region. G9a and EZH2 cooperate to maintain the repressive chromatin structure in both UPR-induced genes, ATF4 and XBP1. Therefore, preserving histone H3K9 and H3K27 methylation could ameliorate the ER stress, and consequently the oxidative stress and the triggered pathological processes that aggravate renal damageThis research was supported by grants from the Plan Nacional de I+D+ I 2013–2016, Spanish Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII) (grant numbers PI19/00184 to B.S.-A. and PI20/00639 to C.L.-L.), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), Plan de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (PCTI) 2021–2023 del Principado de Asturias (grant number IDI-2021-000032 to C.L.-L.), and Red de Investigación Renal RICORS2040 KIDNEY DISEASE (ISCIII): RD21/0005/0002 to M.R.-O. and RD21/0005/0017 to C.L.-L. Sara Borrell’ program (grant number CD20/00042 to R.R.R.-D.), Rio Hortega’program (grant number CM20/00115), and Miguel Servet I´program (grant number CP18/00106 to B.S.-A.) from ISCIII. A.B.F. received a Severo Ochoa Grant (BP20-143) from Programa de Ayudas “Severo Ochoa” para la formación en investigación y docencia del principado de Asturias, Gobierno del Principado de Asturias. P.D.-B. has been supported by Red de Investigación Renal REDINRED, grant number RD16/0009/0020, ISCIII; and M.L.S. by FEDER-PCTI 2018-2020, Gobierno del Principado de Asturias (grant number IDI/2018/000144

Walls talk: Microbial biogeography of homes spanning urbanization.

Westernization has propelled changes in urbanization and architecture, altering our exposure to the outdoor environment from that experienced during most of human evolution. These changes might affect the developmental exposure of infants to bacteria, immune development, and human microbiome diversity. Contemporary urban humans spend most of their time indoors, and little is known about the microbes associated with different designs of the built environment and their interaction with the human immune system. This study addresses the associations between architectural design and the microbial biogeography of households across a gradient of urbanization in South America. Urbanization was associated with households' increased isolation from outdoor environments, with additional indoor space isolation by walls. Microbes from house walls and floors segregate by location, and urban indoor walls contain human bacterial markers of space use. Urbanized spaces uniquely increase the content of human-associated microbes-which could increase transmission of potential pathogens-and decrease exposure to the environmental microbes with which humans have coevolved

Characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains colonizing the nostrils of Spanish children

Objective: To characterize the Staphylococcus aureus strains colonizing healthy Spanish children. Methods: Between March and July 2018, 1876 Spanish children younger than 14 years attending primary healthcare centers were recruited from rural and urban areas. Staphylococcus aureus colonization of the anterior nostrils was analyzed. MecA and mecC genes, antibiotic susceptibility, and genotyping according to the spa were determined in all strains, and the following toxins were examined: Panton-Valentine leucocidin (pvl), toxic shock syndrome toxin (tst), and exfoliative toxins (eta, etb, etd). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCCmec) typing were performed on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains, as well as pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results: 619 strains were isolated in 1876 children (33%), and 92% of them were sent for characterization to the Spanish National Centre of Microbiology (n = 572). Twenty (3.5%) of these strains were mecA-positive. Several spa types were detected among MRSA, being t002 the most frequently observed (30%), associating with SCCmec IVc. Among MSSA, 33% were positive for tst, while only 0.73% were positive for pvl. The 20 MRSA strains were negative for pvl, and 6 (30%) harbored the tst gene. Conclusions: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization in Spanish children is rare, with t002 being the most observed spa type, associated with SCCmec IVc. None of the MRSA strains produced pvl, but up to 30% of S. aureus strains were positive for tst