Explaining High Economic Growth in Small Tourism Countries with a Dynamic General Equilibrium Model.

This paper shows that tourism specialisation can help to explain the observed high growth rates of small countries. For this purpose, two models of growth and trade are constructed to represent the trade relations between two countries. One of the countries is large, rich, has an own source of sustained growth and produces a tradable capital good. The other is a small poor economy, which does not have an own engine of growth and produces tradable tourism services. The poor country exports tourism services to and imports capital goods from the rich economy. In one model tourism is a luxury good, while in the other the expenditure elasticity of tourism imports is unitary. Two main results are obtained. In the long run, the tourism country overcomes decreasing returns and permanently grows because its terms of trade continuously improve. Since the tourism sector is relatively less productive than the capital good sector, tourism services become relatively scarcer and hence more expensive than the capital good. Moreover, along the transition the growth rate of the tourism economy holds well above the one of the rich country for a long time. The growth rate differential between countries is particularly high when tourism is a luxury good. In this case, there is a faster increase in the tourism demand. As a result, investment of the small economy is boosted and its terms of trade highly improve.High growth, Small tourism countries, Terms of trade, Luxury good, Dynamic general equilibrium.

Genome Editing of the Octoploid Fragaria x ananassa Using the CRISPR/Cas9 System

Due to its octoploid nature, gene functional analyses in the cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) are commonly carried out via gene silencing using self-complementary “hairpin” double-stranded RNA (RNAi) constructs. However, this system is not always as efficient as expected. First, an efficient silencing of the target gene is not always achieved, and second, its effect might not be stable after several clonal propagations of the transgenic lines. Recently, genome editing is becoming an important biotechnological tool for gene functional analysis and crop improvement, in particular since the development of the CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat-CRISPR associated protein 9) system. To investigate the functionality of the CRISPR/Cas9 in strawberry, we designed two sgRNAs directed against two regions of the floral homeotic gene APETALA3 (AP3) in order to induce a deletion of around 200 nt. A vector containing both sgRNAs and Cas9 was used to transform leaf disks of F. × ananassa cv. Camarosa. Several independent stable transgenic lines displayed defects in stamen and fruit development, partially phenocopying that of the Arabidopsis ap3 mutants. Molecular analysis of the targeted AP3 locus indicated differences in gene editing among different transgenic lines and suggests mutations in all the possible AP3 alleles. Phenotypic analyses indicate that impaired fruit development might be caused by the lack of proper development of the anthers due to the CRISPR/Cas9 induced mutation in AP3. In summary, we show that the CRISPR/Cas9 system is a functional tool to perform genome editing in the octoploid F. × ananassa. We propose this system as an alternative to the traditional RNAi strategy to stably mutagenize a particular gene of interest for functional analyses in this species.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Thymine starvation causes abortive initiation of chromosome replication critical for cell death in Escherichia coli

Presentado en: XXXVI Congreso SEBBM (Sociedad Española de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular), Madrid, 4-6 septiembre, 2013Thymineless death (TLD), a phenomenon in which thymine auxotrophy becomes lethal when cells are starved for thymine, can be prevented by rifampicin addition. In this work, we have obtained evidence indicating that among the effects of RNA polymerase inhibition by rifampicin, the inhibition of chromosomal replication initiation is the process responsible for TLD suppression. We show that diminishing, abolishing or increasing the transcription level around oriC alleviates TLD by limiting the chromosomal initiation capacity (ChIC) generated under thymine starvation. TLD suppression was eliminated by DnaA inactivation or the deletion in the left half of the replication origin or deletion of the DnaA-boxes located in the right half of the oriC region. In accordance with these data, two-dimensional DNA electrophoresis gels showed an accumulation of simple-Y and bubble arc replication intermediates, as well as recombination structures at the oriC region during thymine starvation. None of these structures were observed under genetic or physiological conditions that suppress TLD. These results demonstrate that abortive initiations of chromosome replication occur under thymine starvation, supporting the idea that these events are a critical target for the lethal damage caused by thymine starvation and that results in TLD.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Targeted mutagenesis of FaTM6 in the Octoploid Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) using the CRISPR/Cas9 System

The B-class of MADS-box transcription factors has been studied in many plant species, but remain functionally uncharacterized in the Rosaceae family. APETALA3 (AP3), a member of this class, controls the identity of petals and stamens in Arabidopsis thaliana. In this work, we identified two members of the AP3 lineage in the cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa): FaAP3 and FaTM6. Interestingly, FaTM6, and not FaAP3, shows an expression pattern equivalent to that of AP3 in Arabidopsis. Genome editing using Cluster Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 system is becoming a robust tool for targeted and stable mutagenesis of DNA. However, whether it can be efficiently used in an octoploid species such as F. × ananassa is not known. In our study, we report the application of the CRISPR/Cas9 in F. × ananassa to characterize the function of FaTM6 in flower development. An exhaustive analysis by high-throughput sequencing of the FaTM6 locus spanning the target sites showed a high efficiency genome editing already in the T0 generation. The phenotypic characterization of the mutant lines indicates that FaTM6 plays a key role in petal and especially in anther development in strawberry. Our results validate the CRISPR/Cas9 strategy for gene functional analysis in an octoploid species such as F. × ananassa, and offer new opportunities for engineering strawberry to improve traits of interest in breeding programs.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Metodología de investigación en estudios de usuarios

The brief review of the history of user studies set out in this paper serves as an introduction to their definition and important role in information centres, as well as to the methods available for gathering information on users. The resulting overview of the literature is followed by a discussion of the methods used to date, where general considerations give way to an analysis of the particulars, based on an initial classification of users as active or passive information providers. The main techniques along with their advantages and drawbacks, the type of information that can be obtained with each technique and the utility of such information for the various information centre departments are also described. The final section discusses scientific methodology in general, and naturally the need to use scientific method in any type of research, in this case user surveys. The advantages afforded by the implementation of such methodology in these studies are also examined

Comparing Sexist Expressions in English and Spanish: (De)-Constructing Sexism though Language

La literatura, el folclore, los diccionarios y las gramáticas han utilizado y explicado las manifestaciones lingüísticas de modo que se adapten a la idea de que lo masculino debe ser el criterio universal (Spender 1980). Frente a estos antecedentes históricos, las feministas durante los años 70 y, posteriormente, los defensores de lo políticamente correcto de los 90, comenzaron una batalla contra el sexismo en el lenguaje, proporcionando soluciones en forma de pautas, folletos, glosarios, etc (Key 1975, Maggio 1987, 1991, McMinn 1991).El presente artículo explora la afirmación: "male equals positive and normal, female equals negative and abnormal" (Lakoff 1975, 2001) y, al prestar atención a desviaciones semánticamente parciales, proporcionar una visión histórica de equivalentes masculinos y femeninos. El corpus se construirá a partir de diccionarios monolingües y bilingües, diccionarios de expresiones idiomáticas, argot y proverbios para ofrecer un estudio diacrónico del lenguaje sexista, principalmente en inglés y español. Los sinónimos de algunas palabras se extraerán de páginas web y, para medir la actualidad de algunos de los ejemplos, se utilizarán tres corpus en línea. Se analizará también el marco sociocultural de estos términos y expresiones para ver hasta qué punto han moldeado ambas sociedades y qué efectos tienen actualmente en la vida de las mujeres.Literature, folklore, dictionaries and grammars have used and explained language manifestations to conform to the idea that male should be the standard of humanity (Spender 1980). Against this historical background, feminists during the 1970s and later politically correct advocates of the 1990s started battling against sexism in language, providing solutions, in the form of guidelines, booklets, glossaries, etc (Key 1975, Maggio 1987,1991, McMinn 1991).The present article explores the value assumption: "male equals positive and normal, female equals negative and abnormal" (Lakoff 1975, 2001) and, by paying attention to semantic biased deviations, gives a historical account of male and female counterparts. The corpus will be drawn from monolingual and bilingual dictionaries, dictionaries of idiomatic expressions, slang and proverbs to offer a diachronic study of sexist language mainly in English and in Spanish. Synonyms for certain terms will be drawn from Web pages and to measure the currency of some of the examples three on-line corpora will be used. The socio-cultural framework of these terms and expressions will be studied to see to what extent they have moulded both societies and what effects they have in women's lives today

Traducción de los referentes culturales en el doblaje de la serie “Érase una vez... el hombre” al español

En el presente artículo analizaremos las dificultades que presenta la traducción audiovisual de productos de divulgación histórica para un público infantil y juvenil. El estudio se centra en dos elementos representativos del capítulo «La Revolución francesa» de la serie Érase una vez… el hombre en francés y en las versiones en español peninsular y de Latinoamérica. El objetivo será observar los problemas de traducción y las soluciones que las dos culturas y lenguas meta ofrecen.G.I. HUM 767 (ayudas a Grupos de Investigación de la Junta de Andalucía) / Editorial Comares (colección interlingua

La organización política y social de los saharauis en España. Desarrollo y desafíos de las asociaciones de migrantes

Este artículo profundiza en una temática poco conocida dentro de los estudios sobre el Sáhara Occidental: el proceso de organización social, política y cultural de los saharauis en el espacio migratorio.[1] Más allá de la dificultad que ha tenido el desarrollo de las asociaciones de migrantes y de diversos colectivos de jóvenes saharauis en España desde principios de la década del 2000, y las tensiones que se han ido materializando después de su irrupción en el campo político saharaui, estas organizaciones son el reflejo de los profundos cambios que se han producido en la última década en el seno de la sociedad saharaui. Dichas transformaciones están relacionadas directamente con procesos de (re)cambio generacional y están obligando a las tradicionales estructuras del Frente Polisario a adaptarse a una nueva realidad –marcada aún por el conflicto no resuelto– pero también por esquemas de acción y de lucha que buscan diferenciarse necesariamente de las décadas precedentes.

Contingencia, género y sujeto

La intromisión de lo femenino deteriora la noción metafísico-moral de sujeto y obliga a sustituir los procedimientos tradicionales para luchar contra los elementos distorsionadores en dicha noción, por otros básicamente contrarios a la noción misma. En esencia, nos encontramos con una seudometafísica, como devaluación de la metafísica tradicional, que sustituye la lucha contra la contingencia por una “edénica inmanencia preternatural”.The notion of a subject, as a metaphysical and moral notion, is severely distorted by the intromission of the feminine in it. Metaphysics used to be the way to solve the problems that contingency made explicit to that notion. Now, we are bound to be trapped in a pseudo-metaphysics, which will substitute a preternatural immanence to the traditional fight against contingency