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The voice of the immigrant in Western societies is being heard in the first person in contemporary literature. Therefore, the experience of emigration is no longer or, at least, not necessarily told from the privileged perspective of the white man or woman. And the short story is being a recurrent favourite genre for sharing with readers the diverse causes that force a man or a woman to abandon his/her native land, as well as the conflicts that emerge in the countries of reception. Collections such as The Things I Would Tell You (2017) by Sabrina Mahfouz, or This Hostel Life (2018) by Melatu Uche Okorie, among many others, are offering interesting examples of transcultural renderings of the experience of migration. The purpose of the present contribution is to focus on the use of irony and humour as ethically committed strategies for deploying the possibilities as well as the limits of conviviality in contemporary societies. I study the representative examples of two stories, Melatu Uche Okorie’s “This Hostel Life” (included in the homonymous collection by the author), and Fadia Faqir’s “Under the Cypress Tree”, published in Mahfouz’s collective volume. These two stories are aesthetically brilliant instances of the ethical potential of humour when offering a transcultural view of contemporary migrations that overcomes the limitations of traditional multicultural and intercultural treatments of the topic.

Many of the most outstanding contemporary Irish writers have paid homage to James Joyce’s figure and work in their fiction. This paper examines the extent of Joyce’s influence on a selection of contemporary Irish writers both at a thematic and at an aesthetic level. It is my contention that their humanist reading of the Irish genius has only recently been paralleled by Joycean critics such as Declan Kiberd whose Ulysses and Us: The Art of Everyday Living (2009) recuperates the humanist writer that authors such as Edna O’Brien, William Trevor, Dermot Bolger or Joseph O’Connor have been vindicating in their works. Therefore, their appreciation of the Irish genius contrasts with mainstream critical focus on the aesthetic and technical virtuoso Joyce, more frequently perceived by Joycean scholars and by writers such as Samuel Beckett or Flann O’Brien. My work on the influence of Joyce’s work in the literary career of some of the most relevant contemporary Irish writers is also a revision of the general tendency among Joycean critics who have traditionally centered their efforts on tracing the impact of his work on European and English authors (Virginia Woolf, Gertrude Stein, Philip Roth, John Barthes, Salman Rushdie, etc.).

Keeping in mind the European context of the final two decades of the twentieth century, this paper addresses the social, cultural and artistic relevance of the British writer and intellectual, John Berger (b. London, 1926). I intend to analyse the socio-political and artistic approaches adopted by Berger in the trilogy Pig Earth (1979), Once in Europa (1983) and Lilac and Flag (1990), published in a single volume in 1992 under the title Into Their Labours. The author presents in this trilogy the coexistence in time of two cultures: on the one hand, a ‘culture of survival’, the peasant one, which he considers to be a traditional, exploited minority culture in decline. On the other hand, Berger refers to a capitalist ‘culture of progress,’ generated by modernisation, technological advances and the processes of globalisation, which threaten to make the former culture disappear. We will have the opportunity to explain how the peasant culture of survival conceives the future as a series of repetitive acts, in contrast with the cultures of progress that see the future as the possibility of expansion. As I attempt to demonstrate in this paper, both cultures can be identified and analysed in two distinct, though contemporary, spatial-temporal contexts; two forms of culture, and their different and singular relationships with time.

Nowadays, there is an ever-increasing interest in the development of systems able to guide and influence cell activities for bone regeneration. In this context, we have explored for the first time the combination of type-I collagen and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) to design magnetic and biocompatible electrospun scaffolds. For this purpose, SPIONs with a size of 12 nm were obtained by thermal decomposition and transferred to an aqueous medium via ligand exchange with dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). The SPIONs were subsequently incorporated into type-I collagen solutions to prove the processability of the resulting hybrid formulation by means of electrospinning. The optimized method led to the fabrication of nanostructured scaffolds composed of randomly oriented collagen fibers ranging between 100 and 200 nm, where SPIONs resulted distributed and embedded into the collagen fibers. The SPIONs-containing electrospun structures proved to preserve the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles alone, making these matrices excellent candidates to explore the magnetic stimuli for biomedical applications. Furthermore, the biological assessment of these collagen scaffolds confirmed high viability, adhesion, and proliferation of both pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells and human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs).

A crucial challenge to face in the treatment of biofilm-associated infection is the ability of bacteria to develop resistance to traditional antimicrobial therapies based on the administration of antibiotics alone. This study aims to apply magnetic hyperthermia together with controlled antibiotic delivery from a unique magnetic-responsive nanocarrier for a combination therapy against biofilm. The design of the nanosystem is based on antibiotic-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) externally functionalized with a thermo-responsive polymer capping layer, and decorated in the outermost surface with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs). The SPIONs are able to generate heat upon application of an alternating magnetic field (AMF), reaching the temperature needed to induce a change in the polymer conformation from linear to globular, therefore triggering pore uncapping and the antibiotic cargo release. The microbiological assays indicated that exposure of E. coli biofilms to 200 µg/mL of the nanosystem and the application of an AMF (202 kHz, 30 mT) decreased the number of viable bacteria by 4 log10 units compared with the control. The results of the present study show that combined hyperthermia and antibiotic treatment is a promising approach for the effective management of biofilm-associated infections.

Considering the importance for both foreign investors and Cuban companies that operate tourism hotels, the Financial Assets Assessment Model (MEDAF) has been adapted to the specific conditions of the Cuban economy to determine the profitability required in tourism facilities. Within the service companies, tourist companies have certain complexities that must be considered in order to adapt to the conditions of the Cuban economy the aforementioned model and elements such as market segmentation have been introduced, since they do not correspond to one of the variables of the model that is the existence of a universal market for the whole economy. The results obtained allow the calculation of the coefficient that adjusts the risk rate to the specific characteristics of the different hotel facilities.

James Stephens and James Joyce have been mentioned as referents for Caitriona Lally’s highly acclaimed debut novel, Eggshells (2015). The present contribution intends to study this new brilliant rendering of the city of Dublin through the eyes of allegedly ‘changeling’ Vivian, whose Joycean creative musings on language serve her to portray contemporary Dublin, as well as to imaginatively project portals to other worlds where she can feel more at ease.

The financial budget is a statement about what is to be achieved at a future date and on the other drew up the method by which it shall achieve the financial goals. This has two dimensions, a time frame and level of aggregation, and most of the decisions involve long lead times, which means that they require much time to implant. In most tourist facilities practice indicates that the making of the budget shows a deviation of up to 45 % on the obtained real. From the above it follows that these assumptions are carried out under conditions of considerable uncertainty as it becomes necessary to use methods that take into account financial planning these conditions result in uncertainty and minimize the deviations are not substantiated. There are different methods to prepare the budget, which have advantages and disadvantages. In this research intends to use the preparation of budgets, fuzzy linear regression, which consists in finding two regression lines that contain all the information and that the distance between them is minimal, in order to obtain a range of budget as a basis for future estimation. The two lines are determined by linear programming and its solution is used for the computer system LINDO. Preliminary testing in a hotel installation of the province Santiago de Cuba, are closer to actual budget execution in the years 2007 and 2008 compared with the traditional method by 14 and 18 % less compared to the traditional method.

La adolescencia es un periodo del desarrollo del ser humano en el que proliferan problemas con la percepción de la imagen corporal, la autoestima y el autoconcepto, mientras el niño se encuentra cursando estudios de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria. Este estudio analiza el tratamiento curricular que se dedica a la imagen corporal, la autoestima y el autoconcepto en los diferentes elementos legislativos en el ámbito educativo de la Comunidad Valenciana (España), mediante una metodología cualitativa, a través de la técnica del análisis documental no interactiva. Los resultados del análisis de los documentos, correspondientes a la ordenación académica de la etapa en esta comunidad autónoma, mostraron una presencia de estos contenidos tanto en los planteamientos del ámbito nacional concerniente a la LOE (2006) y el Real Decreto 1631/2006, como en los regionales materializados en el Decreto 112/2007. Aparecen específicamente en algunos elementos del currículo de materias como Educación Física, Educación para la Ciudadanía, Matemáticas, Biología y Geología, Ciencias de la Naturaleza y Música, a pesar de que no en todas ellas adquieren el mismo protagonismo, destacando en este sentido la Educación Física como materia que más se centra tanto en el trabajo como en el desarrollo de estos aspectos. Dentro de ella se muestra un desequilibrio en cuanto al protagonismo alcanzado en lo que se pretende que aprendan (objetivos) y en su ínfima plasmación en las herramientas para alcanzarlo (contenidos), así como en el cómo evaluarlo (criterios de evaluación).

Los receptores iGluR-NMDAposeen gran interés farmacológico debido a que están implicadosen desordenes neurodegenerativos y neurosiquiátricos inclusoparticipan en procesos como plasticidad sináptica, esencial para la formación de la memoria. La subunidad NR1 de los iGluR-NMDA es fundamental para que éste tipo de receptores se activen apropiadamente, de hecho muchos de los fármacos estudiados paralos desordenes anteriormente mencionados, están dirigidos específicamente a la subunidad NR1. Estudios previos han determinado que el orbital molecular de más baja energía (LUMO), puede ser usado como parámetro para estimar la actividad agonista o antagonista en la subunidad NR1. Objetivo Evaluar el método semiempírico CNDO para el cálculo rápido de la energía LUMO, con la finalidad de crear un modelo sencillo para el diseño in silico de nuevos fármacos. Materiales y métodos. Fueron seleccionadas 168 moléculas entre agonistas y antagonistas de la subunidad NR1. La energía de cada estructura fue optimizada y posteriormente fueron calculadas las energías de los orbitales frontera, el LogP, la energía total, la capacidad de formar puentes de hidrógeno, la energía de unión y el momento dipolar. Resultados. Se demuestra quela energía LUMO es suficiente para discriminar entre moléculas agonistas y antagonistas de esta subunidad y que el método CNDO evalúa estas propiedades de manera rápida y eficiente, Conclusión. El método CNDO permite el cálculo rápido, generando a futuro procedimientos eficaces para la caracterización de fármacos potenciales que actúen sobre este sitio en particular.

Some receptor-like kinases (RLK) control plant development while others regulate immunity. The Arabidopsis ERECTA (ER) RLK regulates both biological processes. To discover specific components of ER-mediated immunity, a genetic screen was conducted to identify suppressors of erecta (ser) susceptibility to Plectosphaerella cucumerina fungus. The ser1 and ser2 mutations restored disease resistance to this pathogen to wild-type levels in the er-1 background but failed to suppress er-associated developmental phenotypes. The deposition of callose upon P. cucumerina inoculation, which was impaired in the er-1 plants, was also restored to near wild-type levels in the ser er-1 mutants. Analyses of er cell walls revealed that total neutral sugars were reduced and uronic acids increased relative to those of wild-type walls. Interestingly, in the ser er-1 walls, neutral sugars were elevated and uronic acids were reduced relative to both er-1 and wild-type plants. The cell-wall changes found in er-1 and the ser er-1 mutants are unlikely to contribute to their developmental alterations. However, they may influence disease resistance, as a positive correlation was found between uronic acids content and resistance to P. cucumerina. We propose a specific function for ER in regulating cell wall–mediated disease resistance that is distinct from its role in development.

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Resumen Los objetivos de la investigación fueron: determinar los niveles de práctica de actividad física en adolescentes, consumo de tabaco y alcohol como fenómeno social, establecer qué tipo de actividad y nivel federativo y dictaminar el nivel de AF en los progenitores; y apreciar cómo influye en la práctica de actividad física regular, el consumo de sustancias, el tipo de deporte practicado y el nivel de práctica de padres y madres. Participaronun total de 2.134 adolescentes, empleándose una hoja de autoregistro para las variables: Práctica de AF, Modalidad, Estado Federativo y Nivel de Actividad Física Familiar; el FTND para determinar elConsumo de Tabacoy el AUDIT para elConsumo de Alcohol.Los principales resultados indican que los adolescentes que practican actividad física no consumen habitualmente sustancias nocivas, están influenciadospor parámetros familiares, realizanen mayor medida deportes de tipo colectivo y están federados en ellos.

Con este artículo se intenta aportar el uso de un periférico o ayuda técnica como es el Teclado de Conceptos para el desarrollo de la comunicación no vocal de alumnos/as con déficits motores graves, utilizando para ello la Aplicación Informática de Ayuda a la Comunicación no Vocal, SPCTUTOR, diseñada al efecto con el propio software que acompaña a este Teclado de Conceptos y determinados sistemas lenguajes de autor que permiten la generación de hipertextos e hipermedias, todo ello trabajando con el ordenador personal en un entorno multimedia (mezcla de imagen fija, imagen en movimiento y sonido).

A series of azasterol derivatives, designed as potential inhibitors of the Delta(24)-sterol methyltransferase enzyme (24-SMT), were synthesized and evaluated for their activities against parasitic protozoa. Values in the nanomolar range were obtained for 50% effective dose against the Trypanosoma brucei subsp. rhodesiense bloodstream form cultured in vitro. In order to investigate the mode of action, Trypanosoma brucei subsp. brucei 24-SMT was cloned and overexpressed and compounds were assayed for inhibitory activity. None of the inhibitors tested appeared to be active against the enzyme. Sterol composition analysis showed that only cholestane type sterols are present in membranes of bloodstream forms while ergosterol is a major component of procyclic sterol extracts. Interestingly, Northern blot analysis showed the presence of 24-SMT mRNA in both the procyclic and the bloodstream forms of the parasite, although levels of mRNA were threefold lower in the latter. Likewise, Western blot analysis and activity determinations evidenced the existence of active enzyme in both forms of the parasite. We conclude that the designed compounds act at sites other than 24-SMT in Trypanosoma brucei.