Multilocus sequence analysis reveals the genetic diversity of European fruit tree phytoplasmas and supports the existence of inter-species recombination

The genetic diversity of three temperate fruit tree phytoplasmas ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum’, ‘Ca. P. mali’ and ‘Ca. P. pyri’ has been established by multilocus sequence analysis. Among the four genetic loci used, the genes imp and aceF distinguished 30 and 24 genotypes, respectively, and showed the highest variability. Percentage of substitution for imp ranged from 50 to 68% according to species. Percentage of substitution varied between 9 and 12% for aceF, whereas it was between 5 and 6% for pnp and secY. In the case of ‘Ca P. prunorum’ the three most prevalent aceF genotypes were detected in both plants and insect vectors, confirming that the prevalent isolates are propagated by insects. The four isolates known to be hypo-virulent had the same aceF sequence, indicating a possible monophyletic origin. Haplotype network reconstructed by eBURST revealed that among the 34 haplotypes of ‘Ca. P. prunorum’, the four hypo-virulent isolates also grouped together in the same clade. Genotyping of some Spanish and Azerbaijanese ‘Ca. P. pyri’ isolates showed that they shared some alleles with ‘Ca. P. prunorum’, supporting for the first time to our knowledge, the existence of inter-species recombination between these two species.

Mesoclitic Romance futures and conditionals vs participle preposing

(INFINITIVE + CLITIC + AUX) is an evidential configuration in Old Spanish and Old Catalan, whereas (PARTICIPLE + CLITIC + AUX) is an instance of weak or unmarked focus fronting. The evidentiality of mesoclitic structures can be put forward on the bases of three main arguments: a) mesoclisis is not compulsory (i.e., whenever you have a clitic, you can either have mesoclisis or proclisis/enclisis); b) mesoclitic futures and conditionals areattested in interrogative sentences (with wh- elements); and c) they are not found in derived adverbial clauses (which is what you expect if they have an evidential value, since they bring about intervention effects corresponding to the derivational account of conditional and temporal sentences, for example - see Haegeman 2007 and ff.), and are related to high modal expressions (thus interfering with MoodPIrrealis)

Design and evaluation of a panel os single-nucleotide polymorphisms in microRNA genomic regions for association studies in human disease

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are recognized posttranscriptional gene repressors involved in the control of almost every biological process. Allelic variants in these regions may be an important source of phenotypic diversity and contribute to disease susceptibility. We analyzed the genomic organization of 325 human miRNAs (release 7.1, miRBase) to construct a panel of 768 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering approximately 1 Mb of genomic DNA, including 131 isolated miRNAs (40%) and 194 miRNAs arranged in 48 miRNA clusters, as well as their 5-kb flanking regions. Of these miRNAs, 37% were inside known protein-coding genes, which were significantly associated with biological functions regarding neurological, psychological or nutritional disorders. SNP coverage analysis revealed a lower SNP density in miRNAs compared with the average of the genome, with only 24 SNPs located in the 325 miRNAs studied. Further genotyping of 340 unrelated Spanish individuals showed that more than half of the SNPs in miRNAs were either rare or monomorphic, in agreement with the reported selective constraint on human miRNAs. A comparison of the minor allele frequencies between Spanish and HapMap population samples confirmed the applicability of this SNP panel to the study of complex disorders among the Spanish population, and revealed two miRNA regions, hsa-mir-26a-2 in the CTDSP2 gene and hsa-mir-128-1 in the R3HDM1 gene, showing geographical allelic frequency variation among the four HapMap populations, probably because of differences in natural selection. The designed miRNA SNP panel could help to identify still hidden links between miRNAs and human disease.

Contrasting the form and use of reformulation markers

This paper deals with the form and use of reformulation markers in research papers written in English, Spanish and Catalan. Considering the form and frequency of themarkers, English papers tends to prefer simple fixed markers and includes less reformulators than Spanish and Catalan. On the contrary, formal Catalan and Spanish papers include more markers, some of which are complex and allow for some structural variability. As for use, reformulation markers establish dynamic relationships between portions of discourse which can be identified in our corpus with expansion, reduction, and permutation. The analysis of the corpus shows that English authors usually reformulate to add more information to the concept (expansion), whereas Catalan and Spanish authors reduce the contents or the implicatures of the previous formulation more frequently than English.

A portrait of the Spanish accounting community

This study presents a portrait of the Spanish academic accountingcommunity in 1995, based upon a questionnaire circulated to Spanishaccounting academics in 1995 and upon an analysis of authorship andcitations in the main Spanish accounting journals. The approach tothese analyses is grounded in similar studies which have been carriedout in the United States, Spain and elsewhere. but the combination oftechniques used in this study is particularly broad in range.The results of the study are used to describe a range ofcharacteristics of Spanish accounting academics, for example,publications records and length of academic experience. The analysisof publications produces a ranking by institutional affiliation ofthe most significant contributors to current debates on accounting.Citation analysis is used to identify the range and extent ofinternational influences upon the Spanish academic accountingcommunity, and to provide an additional ranking by institutionalaffiliation of the most frequently cited sources A significantfinding was that the nature and extent of international influence hadchanged very little over the ten year period since Spain entered theEuropean Union and started to implement European Directives.Perceptions of journal quality were elicited by questionnaire. Fortyfive journals, Spanish and international are included in a listranked for perceived importance as outlets for publication. and assources of support for teaching and research. The results of thisexercise show that Spanish journals were ranked low relative tojournals published in the United Kingdom and United States.Finally the study examines the extent of purpose upon Spanishaccounting academies to publish, by presenting results of a questionabout criteria for promotion, and also by examining and increasingtendency to publish co-authored work.

Some reflections on Geobotany and Vegetation mapping

uivalent Spanish and Catalan terms.

Growth and externalities across economies : an empirical analysis using spatial econometrics

Recent theoretical models of economic growth have emphasised the role of external effects on the accumulation of factors of production. Although most of the literature has considered the externalities across firms within a region, in this paper we go a step further and consider the possibility that these externalities cross the barriers of regional economies. We assess the role of these external effects in explaining growth and economic convergence. We present a simple growth model, which includes externalities across economies, developing a methodology for testing their existence and estimating their strength. In our view, spatial econometrics is naturally suited to an empirical consideration of these externalities. We obtain evidence on the presence of significant externalities both across Spanish and European regions.

Growth and externalities across economies : an empirical analysis using spatial econometrics

Recent theoretical models of economic growth have emphasised the role of external effects on the accumulation of factors of production. Although most of the literature has considered the externalities across firms within a region, in this paper we go a step further and consider the possibility that these externalities cross the barriers of regional economies. We assess the role of these external effects in explaining growth and economic convergence. We present a simple growth model, which includes externalities across economies, developing a methodology for testing their existence and estimating their strength. In our view, spatial econometrics is naturally suited to an empirical consideration of these externalities. We obtain evidence on the presence of significant externalities both across Spanish and European regions.

Accessing Legal Information in Catalonia. Open Acces to Legislation and Case Law

The article outlines free online legal resources to conduct research on Catalan and Spanish legislation and case-law. Most of these resources are primary sources made public by government bodies. The list shows how the Spanish and Catalan governments, in their attempt to promote equal access to legislation and case-law, cover the different jurisdictions. The text also mentions some resources to conduct historical legal research about legislation and case law, and some free legal private websites.

Suburbanisation and international immigration: The case of The Barcelona Metropolitan Region (1998-2009)

This last decade, main Spanish urban areas have received large amounts of international immigrants, modifying (sub)urban dynamics. The paper specifically explores the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona (RMB), where, between 1998 and 2009, foreign nationality residents rose from 1.8 to 14.9% of total population.Research focuses on the impact of foreign immigration on three specific dynamics: population growth and distribution/segregation of both Spanish and foreign populations within the metropolitan area; their respective residential mobility patterns; and consequences on their age and sex structure. Results show that there are remarkable differences between the two populations: foreign immigrants have preferably settled in the core city"s least affluent neighbourhoods and, in a second phase, in inner ring municipalities, while the Spanish population continues to move to suburban municipalities

Courtship and mating behaviour of the Mediterranean corn borer, Sesamia nonagrioides (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Se describe la secuencia de cortejo y apareamiento de machos y hembras de Sesamia nonagrioides (Lefèbvre) en el laboratorio. Esta secuencia no varió en presencia o ausencia de plantas de maíz. Se estudió la capacidad de atracción de un sexo sobre el otro atando el individuo de un sexo y dejando libre al complementario. La secuencia de cortejo y apareo de las hembras atadas fue la misma que la de las no atadas, pero los machos atados permanecieron absolutamente inactivos. La edad de los adultos (1 día versus 2 días) no afectó al porcentaje de apareamiento. Se encontraron diferencias en la hora del inicio de la llamada de las hembras y en la edad de las hembras en la primera llamada entre la población estudiada y lo descrito para una población griega, diferencias que podrían estar relacionadas con el origen geográfico. Se discute el papel de los penachos abdominales de los machos en el vuelo de cortejo, rechazándose que estimulen el comportamiento de llamada de las hembras o que las atraigan. Cuando no se aplicaron feromonas, el porcentaje de apareamiento en el laboratorio o en el campo no varió cuando aumentó la densidad de la población. Sin embargo, en los campos en que se aplicó confusión sexual, el porcentaje de apareamiento aumentó al aumentar la densidad de adultos. En la discusión se aportan algunas consecuencias para la investigación de la composición de las feromonas y su uso para el seguimiento de plagas y el control mediante confusión sexual.

The state's response to the Catalan question : an emerging ethnic component in contemporary Spanish nationalism?

Peer-reviewed

The state's response to the Catalan question : an emerging ethnic component in contemporary Spanish nationalism?

Peer-reviewed

Reliable entertainment: Spanish consumers' preferences regarding a film's country of origin

This article contributes to the study of cinema audiences in Europe by analyzing theactual behavior of Spanish moviegoers and their level of satisfaction. We modeledmoviegoers’ choice of film by country of origin (U.S.A., Spain, and other countries)according to a set of determinants: (1) consumers’ interpretation of several sources of information, (2) motivations and (3) choice rules. We found three clear consumerstereotypes related to each type of film: (1) U.S.A. films were preferred by almost everyone (especially families and younger audiences); (2) Spanish films had audiences composed of middle-age and middle-class moviegoers; and (3) European productions were preferred by a social or intellectual elite. U.S.A. films dominate the Spanish market for the reason that they provide most of what moviegoers prefer, namely, familiar, reliable entertainment in Spanish; three characteristics that are not satisfied by Spanish and European films. Additionally, we discuss the implications for the European cultural policy

First- and second-language phonological representations in the mental lexicon

Performance-based studies on the psychological nature of linguistic competence can conceal significant differences in the brain processes that underlie native versus nonnative knowledge of language. Here we report results from the brain activity of very proficient early bilinguals making a lexical decision task that illustrates this point. Two groups of SpanishCatalan early bilinguals (Spanish-dominant and Catalan-dominant) were asked to decide whether a given form was a Catalan word or not. The nonwords were based on real words, with one vowel changed. In the experimental stimuli, the vowel change involved a Catalan-specific contrast that previous research had shown to be difficult for Spanish natives to perceive. In the control stimuli, the vowel switch involved contrasts common to Spanish and Catalan. The results indicated that the groups of bilinguals did not differ in their behavioral and event-related brain potential measurements for the control stimuli; both groups made very few errors and showed a larger N400 component for control nonwords than for control words. However, significant differences were observed for the experimental stimuli across groups: Specifically, Spanish-dominant bilinguals showed great difficulty in rejecting experimental nonwords. Indeed, these participants not only showed very high error rates for these stimuli, but also did not show an error-related negativity effect in their erroneous nonword decisions. However, both groups of bilinguals showed a larger correctrelated negativity when making correct decisions about the experimental nonwords. The results suggest that although some aspects of a second language system may show a remarkable lack of plasticity (like the acquisition of some foreign contrasts), first-language representations seem to be more dynamic in their capacity of adapting and incorporating new information. &