Innovation, exports and productivity.

We argue that the positive association found between firm productivity and exports in the literature relates to the firm's innovation decisions. Using a panel of Spanish manufacturing firms we find strong evidence that product innovation and not process innovation affects productivity and induces small non exporting firms to enter the export market.Innovación; Exportación; Productividad;

The pirouettes and their application in different sporting disciplines

Resumen basado en el de la publicaciónSe realiza una revisión bibliográfica del término pirueta y sus diferentes acepciones en algunas disciplinas artístico-deportivas. Se profundiza en la terminología, definición y clasificación del elemento pirueta, examinando las diferencias que existen en su ejecución en las diferentes disciplinas deportivas analizadas (gimnasia rítmica, gimnasia artística, patinaje artístico y natación sincronizada). Dichas disciplinas están relacionadas con el mundo del arte, el baile y la música; es por esto que en ellas se realiza uno de los movimientos más bellos y estéticos que recibe el nombre de pirueta. Igualmente en este trabajo se proponen ejercicios para la mejora de la ejecución técnica de la pirueta.AndalucíaES

Innovation, exports and productivity

We argue that the positive association found between firm productivity and exports in the literature relates to the firm's innovation decisions. Using a panel of Spanish manufacturing firms we find strong evidence that product innovation and not process innovation affects productivity and induces small non exporting firms to enter the export market.Publicad

Collaboration in innovation between foreign subsidiaries and local universities: evidence from Spain

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Industry and Innovation on 06 Oct. 2015, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13662716.2015.1089034Collaboration between foreign subsidiaries and universities is relevant for multinational companies that aim at absorbing knowledge from abroad, as well as for universities and policy makers attempting to maximize the spillovers associated with FDI. We explore how multinational companies collaborate with universities in the foreign countries where they locate and provide new empirical evidence for Spain as a host country. Using a probit model with panel data comprising 9 614 firms for the period 2005-2011, we examine differences between the propensity to collaborate with universities of foreign subsidiaries and Spanish firms. Subsequently, building on a new survey to 89 foreign subsidiaries and on a more detailed analysis of five case studies, we discuss the variety of motivations that drive collaboration with universities and relate the scale and scope of such collaborations with the dynamic mandates of foreign subsidiaries in global innovation networks

Evaluación de la transferencia de la formación permanente: análisis de una experiencia de talleres sobre astronomía

In the framework of a European project to bring astronomy near to children, several permanent teachers training activities were developed. These actions included workshops with teachers from various stages of the educational system.Postprint (published version

Tau inhibits mitochondrial calcium efflux and makes neurons vulnerable to calciuminduced cell death

Aggregation or phosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau is the pathological hallmark in a number of diseases termed tauopathies, which include the most common neurodegenerative disorder, Alzheimer’s disease; or frontotemporal dementia, linked to mutations in the gene MAPT encoding tau. Although misfolded tau has strong familial and histopathological (as in intracellular tangles) association with neurodegenerative disorders, the cellular mechanism of tau-induced pathology remains to be controversial. Here we studied the effect of tau on the cytosolic and mitochondrial calcium homeostasis using primary cortical cultures treated with the protein and iPSC-derived neurons bearing the 10 + 16 MAPT mutation linked to frontotemporal dementia. We found that incubation of the primary cortical co-cultures of neurons and astrocytes with tau induced spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations in the neurons, which were also observed in iPSC-neurons with the 10 + 16 MAPT mutation. Importantly, tau inhibited mitochondrial calcium efflux via the mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCLX) in both neurons and astrocytes. This inhibition led to mitochondrial depolarisation in response to physiological and pathological calcium stimuli and made these cells vulnerable to calcium-induced caspase 3 activation and cell death. Thus, inhibition of the mitochondrial NCLX in neurons with misfolded or mutated tau can be involved in the mechanism of neurodegeneration.EB was supported with an EMBO short-term fellowship (number 7834) for the development of this project. The work was supported by EPSRC grant EP/R024898/1

Juvenile–adult tree associations in a continental Mediterranean ecosystem: no evidence for sustained and general facilitation at increased aridity

Question: How do tree species identity, microhabitat and water availability affect inter- and intra-specific interactions between juvenile and adult woody plants? Location: Continental Mediterranean forests in Alto Tajo Natural Park, Guadalajara, Spain. Methods: A total of 2066 juveniles and adults of four co-occurring tree species were mapped in 17 plots. The frequency of juveniles at different microhabitats and water availability levels was analysed using log-linear models. We used nearest-neighbour contingency table analysis of spatial segregation and J-functions to describe the spatial patterns. Results: We found a complex spatial pattern that varied according to species identity and microhabitat. Recruitment was more frequent in gaps for Quercus ilex, while the other three species recruited preferentially under shrubs or trees depending on the water availability level. Juveniles were not spatially associated to conspecific adults, experiencing segregation from them inmany cases. Spatial associations, both positive and negative, were more common at higher water availability levels. Conclusions: Our results do not agree with expectations from the stressgradient hypothesis, suggesting that positive interactions do not increase in importance with increasing aridity in the study ecosystem. Regeneration patterns are species-specific and depend on microhabitat characteristics and dispersal strategies. In general, juveniles do not look for conspecific adult protection. This work contributes to the understanding of species co-existence, proving the importance of considering a multispecies approach at several plots to overcome limitations of simple pair-wise comparisons in a limited number of sites