Gene Silencing: Small RNAs Control RNA Polymerase II Elongation

SummaryShort interfering RNAs trigger histone silencing marks and stalling of RNA polymerase II at their genomic target sites through a mechanism termed transcriptional gene silencing (TGS). The Argonaute protein NRDE-3, along with NRDE-2, are needed for TGS in C. elegans. TGS also inhibits elongation and controls alternative splicing in mammalian cells

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the climate change debate on Twitter?

Climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic share many similarities. However, in the past months, concerns have increased about the fact the health emergency has put on hold during the pandemic many climate adaptation and mitigation policies. We focus our attention on understanding the role of the recent health emergency on the transmission of information related to climate change, jointly with other socio-economic variables, social norms, and cultural dimensions. In doing so, we create a unique dataset containing the number of tweets written with specific climate related keywords per country worldwide, as well as country specific socio-economic characteristics, relevant social norms, and cultural variables. We find that socio-economic variables, such as income, education, and other risk-related variables matter in the transmission of information about climate change and Twitter activity. We also find that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly decreased the overall number of messages written about climate change, postponing the climate debate worldwide; but particularly in some vulnerable countries. This shows that in spite of the existing climate emergency, the current pandemic has had a detrimental effect over the short-term planning of climate policies in countries where climate action is urgentAuthors acknowledge financial support from Spanish Agency of Research (Agencia Estatal de Investigación). Grant number “PID2019-111255RB-100”S

Sostenibilidad ambiental en la era del Big Data

Este documento forma parte del material de consulta y ampliación del curso MOOC “Sostenibilidad Ambiental, Social y Económica en la era del Big Data”, desarrollado por el equipo docente de la Universidade da Coruña: Iván López Martínez, Estefanía Mourelle Espasandín, María Alló Pazos, Carmen Gago Cortés y Ángeles Mª Longarela Ares

Social norms, economic incentives and environmental policies

Human activities are the major causes of the biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. Despite the considerable budget invested to conserve ecosystems, these are far from their conservation objectives (Chen et al. 2009). Therefore, it seems clear that an understanding of human behavior is crucial in order to improve general environmental policies. Pretty and Smith (2004) state that economic incentives are important but sometimes they are not powerful enough to achieve certain objectives. Sethi and Somanathan (1996) indicate that social norms can be largely influential in a social setting. Thus, the objective of this thesis is to focus on the analysis of these factors on the fulfillment of certain environmental objectives. Different case studies will be analyzed from both, a global and more local perspective. At a global level, it is analyze a current serious problem such as the climate change. At a more local level, three case studies are presented in order to understand: a) the degree of acceptance of agri-environmental schemes by farmers in Aragon; b) the role of poaching in conservation objectives in shellfish extraction; and c) the impact of common management in conservation outcomes in forest lands of Galicia. This thesis concludes with a summary of conclusions and future orientations

Hot in Twitter: Assessing the emotional impacts of wildfires with sentiment analysis

[Abstract]: Social media generates a significant amount of information in terms of perceptions, emotions, and sentiments. We present an economic analysis using the information provided by Twitter messages, describing impressions and reactions to wildfires occurring in Spain and Portugal. We use natural language processing techniques to analyze this text information. We generate a hedonometer estimate on how sentiments about wildfires vary with exposure, measured via Euclidean distance from the catastrophic event, and air quality. We find that direct exposure to wildfires significantly decreases the expressed sentiment score and increases the expressions of fear and political discontent (protest). Economic valuation of these losses has been computed to be between 1.49€–3.50€/year/Kilometer of distance to the closest active fire. Welfare losses in terms of air quality have been computed as 4.43€–6.59€/day of exposure.Agencia Estatal de Investigacion, ´ RETOS program, grant number PID2019-111255RB-I0

The Inefficiency of the Neoclassical Paradigm in the Promotion of Subjective Well-Being and Socioeconomic, and Environmental Sustainability: An Empirical Test for the Spanish Case

[Abstract] The recent literature developed in the field of happiness economics highlights the overvaluation of income and material prosperity as determinants of happiness, and calls into question many of the assumptions of traditional economic theory linked to “rationality” and the “non-satiety” of the consumer. This article aimed to study which factors explain individual subjective well-being, paying special attention to the role of income and the incidence of social variables and focusing on the case of Spain. As a novelty, this research introduces variables such as trust or the perception of justice, among others. Based on the analysis of the European Social Survey and through the estimation of an ordered logit, we find that, in line with the theory of happiness economics, the material aspects do not play a relevant role as explanatory of subjective well-being, unlike social aspects, such as sociability and trust in people (social capital). In addition, our results indicate that in the case of Spain, the most materialistic people are associated with a lower level of happiness. Thus, it seems that the excess of concern for material and economic issues in the pursuit of happiness undermines socioeconomic and environmental sustainability by causing the “wealth destruction effect”

RNA Polymerase II Elongation at the Crossroads of Transcription and Alternative Splicing

The elongation phase of transcription lies at the core of several simultaneous and coupled events leading to alternative splicing regulation. Although underestimated in the past, it is at this phase of the transcription cycle where complexes affecting the transcription machinery itself, chromatin structure, posttranscriptional gene regulation and pre-mRNA processing converge to regulate each other or simply to consolidate higher-order complexes and functions. This paper focuses on the multiple processes that take place during transcription elongation which ultimately regulate the outcome of alternative splicing decisions

Innovation in the Teaching-Learning Process through a MOOC: Sustainability in the Era of Big Data

[Resumen] La interacción entre la importante preocupación mundial en torno al desarrollo sostenible y el rápido crecimiento tecnológico ha dado como resultado el diseño de un curso abierto masivo en línea (MOOC) sobre Sostenibilidad en la era del Big Data. Este proyecto se enmarca en una convocatoria pionera lanzada por la Universidade da Coruña (UDC) (España) en 2018. Su objetivo principal es crear un espacio para difundir, concienciar y promover el desarrollo sostenible en sus tres dimensiones: ambiental, social y económica. Mediante el uso de herramientas basadas en la web, el conocimiento se comparte con un amplio público, sin necesidad de conocimientos previos. Para motivar a los estudiantes, el MOOC fue diseñado como una historia basada en un mundo distópico, la cual les permite involucrarse, desarrollar sus habilidades digitales y mejorar su aprendizaje sobre la sostenibilidad. Se proponen también diferentes desafíos aplicables al mundo real basados en el enfoque de gamificación, así como debates entre estudiantes. Asimismo, se ha realizado un cuestionario en línea para conocer el grado de compromiso de los participantes con la sostenibilidad al comienzo del curso y en su evaluación final. Su realización reveló la buena recepción de esta iniciativa, además de la generación de conciencia y conocimiento. Estos resultados fomentan el desarrollo de acciones similares, centradas en herramientas innovadoras.[Abstract] The interaction between the worldwide major concern on sustainable development and the rapid technological growth resulted in the design of a massive online open course (MOOC) on Sustainability in the Era of Big Data. This project is engaged in a pioneer call launched by the Universidade da Coruña (UDC) (Spain) in 2018. Its main goal was to create a space to publicize, raise awareness and promote sustainable development in its three dimensions: environmental, social and economic. By using web-based tools, knowledge is open and shared with a wide audience, without previous knowledge needed. To engage students, the MOOC was designed as a storytelling based on a dystopian world where they get involved, developing their digital skills, and improving their learning about sustainability. Different challenges applicable in real-world based on the gamification approach, as well as debates between students, were proposed. An online questionnaire was carried to know the degree of commitment of the participants with sustainability at the beginning of the course, and at their final assessment. Its completion revealed the good reception of this initiative, besides raising awareness and knowledge. These results encourage the development of similar actions, focused on innovative tools.https://doi.org/10.17979/spudc.97884974975

Sustainable Fashion and Consumer Preferences

[Resumen] En la actualidad existe una necesidad urgente de caminar hacia un modelo de crecimiento económico sostenible. En este sentido, los ciudadanos deben ser conscientes de que sus altos niveles de consumo tienen graves consecuencias a la hora de embarcarse en la senda del desarrollo sostenible. Este trabajo tiene como fin centrarse en el sector textil, en concreto, analiza el comportamiento de los consumidores hacia un nuevo concepto de moda, la Moda Lenta (ML). La ML se presenta como una alternativa responsable desde un doble punto de vista: social y ambiental. Su fin principal es cambiar el enfoque, pasar de valorar la cantidad de productos a la calidad de los mismos, aumentando por tanto el tiempo de uso de las prendas de vestir. La ML nace para hacer frente al modelo predominante en la actualidad, la moda rápida (MR). La MR se basa fundamentalmente en el establecimiento de precios bajos, diversidad de estilos y un tiempo de uso reducido con el consecuente impacto ambiental. El objetivo principal de este trabajo es analizar las preferencias de los consumidores hacia este nuevo modelo más social y ambientalmente responsable. Para ello, se ha realizado un cuestionario y se ha encontrado que las mujeres y los consumidores que compran con frecuencia a través de internet tienen una mayor disposición a pagar precios más altos por este tipo de prendas de vestir. Por el contrario, los consumidores con rentas más altas destacan que no se sentirían socialmente aceptados con este tipo de prenda.[Abstract] At present, there is an urgent need to move towards a model of sustainable economic growth. In this sense, citizens must be aware that their high levels of consumption have serious consequences when embarking on the path of sustainable development. This paper focuses on the textile sector. Specifically, it analyzes the behaviour of consumers towards a new concept of fashion, the Slow Fashion (SF). The SF is presented as a responsible alternative from a double point of view: social and environmental. Its main purpose is to change the focus, moving from quantity to quality, increasing, therefore, the time use of clothes. SF has born to face the current predominant model, the fast fashion (FF). The FF is based fundamentally on the establishment of low prices, diversity of styles and a reduced time of use with the consequent environmental impact. The main objective of this work is to analyze the preferences of consumers towards this new model, which is more socially and environmentally responsible. In order to achieve this goal, a questionnaire has been conducted and through the analysis of data, results show that women and consumers who frequently buy online have a greater willingness to pay higher prices for this type of clothing. On the contrary, consumers with higher income emphasize that they would not feel socially accepted with this type of garment