Growth and Adjustment in Chile: a Look at the 1990s

This study provides a thorough review of the post-1998 slowdown in economic growth in Chile. This was a rather turbulent period in economic history, and as such, it motivates to carry on research on the likely causes of the slowdown and its possible solutions. The authors use an econometric model to test three competing hypotheses and derive general implications from the analysis. The first hypothesis puts the blame on bad luck, because of external shocks: namely, terms-of-trade losses and reduced capital inflows following the Asian crisis. A second hypothesis blames the slowdown on policies implemented as a response to the deteriorating external conditions, in particular the inability to achieve a balanced mix of monetary and fiscal policies during the 1997–1998 period. Fiscal imbalances and restrictive monetary policy, it is argued, led to very high interest rates, severely affecting the investment and consumption decisions of the private sector. Finally, a third explanation is that the lowdown resulted from the completion of a high growth cycle associated with the structural reforms introduced in the 1985–1995 period. The authors conclude that the slowdown in the Chilean economy was a mix of severe external shocks and lack of cooperation between fiscal and monetary policies.

Cis-regulatory basis of sister cell type divergence in the vertebrate retina

Multicellular organisms evolved via repeated functional divergence of transcriptionally related sister cell types, but the mechanisms underlying sister cell type divergence are not well understood. Here, we study a canonical pair of sister cell types, retinal photoreceptors and bipolar cells, to identify the ke

Genotypic and Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris: A Contribution to Species Characterization.

Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris is the main cause of most spoilage problems in fruit juices and acidic products. Since soil borne species often contaminate fruit juices and do not need strict extreme requirements for survival, it is a great concern to investigate whether and how soil species could evolve from their ecological niches in microbial community to new environments as fruit juices. In this study, 23 isolates of thermo-acidophilic, spore-forming bacteria from soil were characterized by cultural and molecular methods. In addition, 2 strains isolated from a spoilage incident in pear juice were typed. Strains phenotyping showed that they could be grouped into 3 different clusters, and some isolates showed identical or quite similar patterns. Analyzing pH and temperature ranges for growth, the majority of strains were able to grow at values described for many species of Alicyclobacillus. Qualitative utilization of lysine, arginine and indole production from tryptophan revealed, for the first time, deamination of lysine and decarboxylation of arginine. Resistance to 5% NaCl as well as the ability to hydrolyze starch and gelatin, nitrate reduction, catalase and oxidase activities confirmed literature evidences. Examining of 16S rRNA, showed that isolates were divided into three blocks represented by effectively soil species and strains that are moving from soil to other possible growing source characterized by parameters that could strongly influence bacterial survival. RAPD PCR technique evidenced a great variability in banding patterns and, although it was not possible to obtain genotypically well-distinguished groups, it was feasible to appreciate genetic similarity between some strains. In conclusion, the investigation of a microbial community entails a combination of metagenomic and classic culturedependent approaches to expand our knowledge about Alicyclobacillus and to look for new subspecies

Gastronomic cultural EVOOlution of the virgin olive oil consumption model at the restaurant

Gastronomic experience can be a factor of motivation to improve the quality of extra virgin olive oil served at the restaurant. The “new” consumer is a very complex and demanding figure, who seeks in the consumption of food products not only a means to satisfy food needs, but experiences, emotions, feelings, service, nature, culture, etc. The quality requirements do not only concern the chemical-physical and organoleptic components of the product, but also the hedonostic ones, ie those related to the health aspects, the quality of the territory of origin, the typicality, the respect of the environment by the production processes used, respect for animal welfare, the ethical content of the product, etc. He is demanding in terms of information on the features of the product and requires greater guarantees on its characteristics and/or on the production processes used. All this seems to highlight the presence of potential unsatisfied needs around which it is possible to build paths of development of the offer able to satisfy them, especially at the restaurant, where cultural, emotional and multi-sensory satisfaction of food can be easily “discovered”. This is the right time to change the marketing of extra virgin olive oil at the restaurant, because extra virgin olive oil is an element that embodies the different aspects of the expected and perceptible quality of a food: taste, sensory, knowledge, sacredness, syncretism, health, history, naturalness and authenticity. Tasting a high quality oil, discovering the complexity of the aromas released by the contact with the warm dishes and the gustatory and kinesthetic perceptions that harmoniously interact by balancing the sensory profile of the other ingredients, is comparable to the emotion of a blind man when recovers his sight. From that moment, as the blind man will not be able to tolerate returning to the oblivion of darkness, the guests that tasted a high quality extra virgin olive oil can not tolerate returning to the banality of a fat that anoints without seasoning

Avian Cone Photoreceptors Tile the Retina as Five Independent, Self-Organizing Mosaics

The avian retina possesses one of the most sophisticated cone photoreceptor systems among vertebrates. Birds have five types of cones including four single cones, which support tetrachromatic color vision and a double cone, which is thought to mediate achromatic motion perception. Despite this richness, very little is known about the spatial organization of avian cones and its adaptive significance. Here we show that the five cone types of the chicken independently tile the retina as highly ordered mosaics with a characteristic spacing between cones of the same type. Measures of topological order indicate that double cones are more highly ordered than single cones, possibly reflecting their posited role in motion detection. Although cones show spacing interactions that are cell type-specific, all cone types use the same density-dependent yardstick to measure intercone distance. We propose a simple developmental model that can account for these observations. We also show that a single parameter, the global regularity index, defines the regularity of all five cone mosaics. Lastly, we demonstrate similar cone distributions in three additional avian species, suggesting that these patterning principles are universal among birds. Since regular photoreceptor spacing is critical for uniform sampling of visual space, the cone mosaics of the avian retina represent an elegant example of the emergence of adaptive global patterning secondary to simple local interactions between individual photoreceptors. Our results indicate that the evolutionary pressures that gave rise to the avian retina's various adaptations for enhanced color discrimination also acted to fine-tune its spatial sampling of color and luminance

Bcl-2 resistant mitochondrial toxicity mediated by the isoquinoline carboxamide PK11195 involves de novo generation of reactive oxygen species

Resistance to apoptosis is a major obstacle preventing effective therapy for malignancy. Mitochondria localized anti-death proteins of the Bcl-2 family play a central role in inhibiting apoptosis and therefore present valid targets for novel therapy. The peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) shares a close physical association with the permeability transition pore complex (PTPC), a pivotal regulator of cell death located at mitochondrial contact sites. In this study we investigated the cytotoxicity of the PBR ligand, PK11195, in the micromolar concentration range. PK11195 induced antioxidant inhibitable collapse of the inner mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and mitochondrial swelling in HL60 human leukaemia cells, but not in SUDHL4 lymphoma cells (which exhibited a higher level of reduced glutathione and relative tolerance to chemotherapy or pro-oxidant induced ΔΨm dissipation). PK11195 induced the production of hydrogen peroxide that was not inhibited by Bcl-2 transfection, nor depletion of mitochondrial DNA. ROS production was however blocked by protonophore, implicating a requirement for ΔΨm. Our findings suggest that PK11195-induced cytotoxicity relies upon Bcl-2 resistant generation of oxidative stress; a process only observed at concentrations several orders of magnitude higher that required to saturate its receptor. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign www.bjcancer.co

The use of a nutrient quality score is effective to assess the overall nutritional value of three brassica microgreens

Microgreens have immense potential for improving dietary patterns, but little information is available regarding their overall nutritional value. We evaluated the nutritional traits of three hydroponically grown Brassica microgreens by using a Nutrient Quality Score. Micro cauliflower, micro broccoli and micro broccoli raab were grown using nutrient solutions with three different NH4:NO3 molar ratios (5:95, 15:85, and 25:75). Protein, dietary fiber, β-carotene, α-tocopherol and mineral elements (Ca, K, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Na) were analyzed. We developed the Nutrient Quality Score (NQS 11.1) on the basis of 11 desirable nutrients and 1 nutrient (sodium) to be limited. All Brassica microgreens are an excellent source of Vitamins A and E (more than 20% of the daily reference value-DRV), as well as a good source of calcium and manganese (10-19% of the DRV). Micro cauliflower showed a NQS 11.1 at 47% higher than micro broccoli raab and micro broccoli. Using NH4:NO3 25:75 molar ratio, the average score was 27% higher than other molar ratios. In all cases, the microgreens in the present study showed a higher NQS 11.1 than their mature counterpart (on the basis of data from the United States Department of Agriculture), highlighting that the score of micro cauliflower was about six-fold higher than mature cauliflower. In conclusion, the NQS 11.1 was useful for assessing the overall nutritional quality of the three Brassica microgreens, instead of simply quantifying nutrient content, in order to compare a single nutrient among different genotypes. Furthermore, the results highlight that the micro broccoli raab, micro broccoli and micro cauliflower in this study can be considered nutrient-rich vegetables that are able to improve dietary patterns more effectively than their mature counterparts

La imagen promocionada de las "Playas del Sur". Mirada del Ente Municipal de Turismo sobre el recurso playa al sur del Partido de General Pueyrredon

La interfase litoral, en la que el mar (medio oceánico) y la tierra (medio continental) se encuentran e interactúan, constituye un área muy codiciada en tanto ofrece numerosos y variados recursos para la humanidad. Su riqueza se sustenta en aspectos físicos y biológicos pero también en cuestiones paisajísticas y posibilidades de uso. Según García y Veneziano (2021) la playa constituye un recurso clave para el turismo y la recreación, y en ella convergen usos, actividades y diversos actores, lo que da cuenta de la complejidad que caracteriza las áreas litorales. Si bien el uso recreativo de la playa es antiguo, a partir de la década del ´60 el mercado turístico se apropió comercialmente del recurso arena y del paisaje en torno a la playa (López Santillán y Marín Guardado, 2010), transformándolo en una zona objeto de deseo asociado con lo paradisíaco. Este imaginario llega hasta nuestros días, y se encuentra fuertemente instalado en la mente de los turistas reales y potenciales. Además del mercado, también es posible advertir la presión e intervención de otros actores en la construcción de imaginarios e imágenes en relación con los destinos turísticos. Uno de ellos es el Estado, quien en sus distintos niveles, crea discursos y productos y marca tendencias dentro del escenario turístico, principalmente a través de sus políticas de promoción. En este sentido, la presente ponencia se propone analizar la imagen turística construida a partir de las actuales acciones promocionales del Ente Municipal de Turismo (EMTUR) en torno a la franja costera y al recurso playa específicamente en la zona sur del partido de General Pueyrredon. Se asume que, por medio de las campañas de marketing, el sector público puede intervenir y condicionar de manera directa la imagen turística del territorio que gobierna (Perez Winter y Troncoso, 2019; Hiernaux, Vázquez y Osorio, 2020). Y consecuentemente se considera que dichas acciones promocionales reflejan la visión y el posicionamiento del Estado respecto al atractivo central del destino.Fil: Corbo, Yanina A. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Sociales; Argentina