Fotografía e historia. Nuevos enfoques sobre la fotografía post mortem en la representación del cadáver del Presidente García Moreno

En esta tesis se desarrolló un análisis ampliado del álbum de fotografías post mortem del Presidente Gabriel García Moreno, realizado por el fotógrafo ecuatoriano Rafael Pérez Pinto en el año de 1875.Utilizando los aportes y las posibilidades metodológicas y categoriales que ofrece el campo de los estudios visuales para la investigación alrededor de temas relacionados con la imagen. El trabajo consistió en desarrollar un análisis del álbum de fotografías, a partir de un esquema que considera varios niveles de reflexión y ha sido diseñado específicamente para la imagen fotográfica. Así mismo y bajo la categoría de visualidad, se analiza con mayor detenimiento el período histórico-visual al que pertenecen las fotografías y finalmente, se considera el análisis fenomenológico de la imagen mortuoria como aporte fundamental del presente trabajo. La propuesta metodológica consiste en analizar las imágenes de manera individual y considerándolas también como parte un álbum, es decir, como un conjunto, a partir del cual se desprenden los análisis posteriores: El primero que tiene que ver con los usos y funciones de la imagen fotográfica durante el período garciano, considerando que se trata de un período de mayor desarrollo de la fotografía en el país y la relación directa que se establece entre las imágenes y la histórica muerte de García Moreno. Finalmente, la reflexión de corte fenomenológico, que consiste en buscar más allá de la fotografía, el origen de las prácticas en las que la muerte se convierte en el motivo de la representación. La relación íntima que se plantea entre imagen y muerte permite entender el álbum de fotografías post mortem en un contexto más visual y entiendo de mejor manera los elementos del mundo simbólico que pueden ser observados en él.

An ex-ante evaluation of the economic impact of Bt cotton adoption by spanish farmers facing the EU cotton sector reform

Cotton production in the European Union (EU) is limited to areas of Greece and Southern Spain (Andalusia). The 2004 reform of the EU cotton policy severely affected the profitability of the crop. In this article we analyze how the introduction of genetically modified (GM), insect-resistant cotton varieties (Bt cotton) might help EU cotton farmers to increase profitability and therefore face the cotton policy reform. We first study farmers’ attitudes toward adoption of Bt cotton varieties through a survey conducted in Andalusia (Southern Spain). The results show a positive attitude of Andalusian cotton farmers toward the Bt cotton varieties. Second, we perform an ex-ante analysis of the effects of introducing Bt cotton in Andalusia. Finally, we integrate the analysis of the effects of Bt cotton with the analysis of the EU cotton reform. Our results show that despite the significant economic benefits of Bt cotton, the current policy reform is likely to jeopardize the profitability of cotton production in the EU.

Novel high-resolution characterization of ancient DNA reveals C > U-type base modification events as the sole cause of post mortem miscoding lesions

Ancient DNA (aDNA) research has long depended on the power of PCR to amplify trace amounts of surviving genetic material from preserved specimens. While PCR permits specific loci to be targeted and amplified, in many ways it can be intrinsically unsuited to damaged and degraded aDNA templates. PCR amplification of aDNA can produce highly-skewed distributions with significant contributions from miscoding lesion damage and non-authentic sequence artefacts. As traditional PCR-based approaches have been unable to fully resolve the molecular nature of aDNA damage over many years, we have developed a novel single primer extension (SPEX)-based approach to generate more accurate sequence information. SPEX targets selected template strands at defined loci and can generate a quantifiable redundancy of coverage; providing new insights into the molecular nature of aDNA damage and fragmentation. SPEX sequence data reveals inherent limitations in both traditional and metagenomic PCR-based approaches to aDNA, which can make current damage analyses and correct genotyping of ancient specimens problematic. In contrast to previous aDNA studies, SPEX provides strong quantitative evidence that C U-type base modifications are the sole cause of authentic endogenous damage-derived miscoding lesions. This new approach could allow ancient specimens to be genotyped with unprecedented accuracy.

Water-soluble precursors of beef flavour. Part II: effect of post-mortem conditioning

Changes in glycolytic metabolites, nucleotide degradation products, free amino acids and other amino compounds were monitored in beef muscle (M. longissimus lumborum), stored for 21 days at 4 degrees C, in order to evaluate how post-mortem conditioning may affect flavour formation in beef. The major effects observed in sugar-related substances were the dephosphorylation of the phosphates of glucose, fructose and mannose, to yield their free sugars, as well as the breakdown of inosine 5'-monophosphate, to give a sixfold increase in ribose. Total reducing sugars increased by only 15% during conditioning, while glycogen levels remained unchanged from 2 days post-slaughter. Free amino acids increased during conditioning, particularly between days 7 and 14. Phenylalanine, methionine, lysine, leucine and isoleucine were the amino acids showing the greatest increase with conditioning time, with methionine, in particular, showing a sevenfold increase during the conditioning period. The effects of these precursor changes on cooked beef flavour are discussed. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Forecast uncertainty—ex Ante and ex Post: U.S. inflation and output growth

Survey respondents who make point predictions and histogram forecasts of macro-variables reveal both how uncertain they believe the future to be, ex ante, as well as their ex post performance. Macroeconomic forecasters tend to be overconfident at horizons of a year or more, but overestimate (i.e., are underconfident regarding) the uncertainty surrounding their predictions at short horizons. Ex ante uncertainty remains at a high level compared to the ex post measure as the forecast horizon shortens. There is little evidence of a link between individuals’ ex post forecast accuracy and their ex ante subjective assessments.

APORTACIONES DIDÁCTICAS EN LOS LIBROS DE TEXTO Y SU RELACIÓN CON LA ANSIEDAD ANTE EL APRENDIZAJE DE UNA LENGUA EXTRANJERA : Una exploración cualitativa de tres libros de texto de español como lengua extranjera paso 1 de educación secundaria

El objetivo de este trabajo es identificar qué competencias generales y qué competencias comunicativas, según el enfoque comunicativo, se promueven en tres libros de texto de español como lengua extranjera y determinar su relación con la variable afectiva de la ansiedad. Para alcanzar los planteamientos de nuestra investigación utilizamos una aproximación cualitativa, empleando el cuestionario de análisis NAKIBAR 2004 perteneciente al trabajo de investigación realizado por Joseba Ezeiza Ramos (2004). Los resultados muestran que los tres materiales didácticos satisfacen cada criterio del enfoque comunicativo en diversos grados. Sin embargo, ambos libros constituyen la exteriorización de dicho método, con el fin preciso de apoyar al estudiante en desarrollar la habilidad de poner en función los procesos de comunicación. Es por esto por lo que este tipo de actividades podrían potencialmente activar sentimientos de aprensión

A note on the property rights theory and the ex ante value of information

This paper examines the ex ante value of information in the property rights model where the possibility exists that an investing agent can be provided with relevant information before investments are undertaken. When contracts are incomplete, from an ex ante perspective, informing the investing agent does not necessarily increase the expected surplus resulting from a relationship between two economic agents. The paper highlights the fact that the second-best nature of the problem that arises from contractual incompleteness can ensure this.

Precocious egg development in the blowfly Calliphora vicina : implications for developmental studies and post-mortem interval estimation

The occurrence of precocious egg development in forensically important calliphorid species has previously been reported; however, the frequency of occurrence in both wild and captive colonies, and the consequent effects on developmental studies and post-m