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Bullying refers to degrading actions, recurring and prolonged, exerted by minors on an equal. Physical or virtual assaults and insults, rejections or intimidations that hinder the victims' school activity and cause them to feel continually threatened are examples of bullying and cyberbullying, which have serious repercussions, not only on the emotional well-being and academic performance, but also on physical and mental health. It is necessary to build a citizenship engaged to education (Global Citizenship Education) to prevent bullying, and to work in other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The solutions must involve families and teachers, particularly in the context of regulated education, where participation can be promoted in a more planned and controlled way. Expert approaches insist on the relevance of the school to prevent aggression and discrimination through critical and reflective attitudes towards the violence that surrounds these situations. It is about teaching students to reject them "ab initio" as inappropriate. The aim of this paper is to identify the characteristics of the interventions aimed at the prevention and detection of physical and psychological violence among school children in various settings and populations, specifically in Spain, as well as their results and controversial aspects. [Note: The page range (9-26) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 9-25.]

The role, functions and duties of teachers have dramatically changed with the COVID-19 pandemic. This sudden change has posed enormous challenges for schools, students and teachers. This article deals with the situation of music teaching in the Spanish province of Albacete (Castilla-La Mancha) in the first two terms of the course 2020-2021 through face-to-face lessons. A questionnaire, created on music teaching in elementary schools, was answered by 96 teachers, teaching an amount of 35,365 primary education pupils in Albacete. The results of this research show that the everyday teaching has experienced relevant changes, especially in instrumental practice.

It is believed that the way in which media speak about emerging technologies can influence the public perception of their benefits and risks. Risk statements highlight the possible negative effects, real or imaginary, that a particular event could have on audiences. Just as journalism varies over space and time, what is considered a risk is deeply rooted in specific social, economic, and technological contexts. This variability implies that journalistic practices are neither universal nor static; instead, they change and adapt according to circumstance. Moreover, technological advances have allowed the press to better understand their audiences and adhere to their demands. In this context, the discursive construction of the risk of artificial intelligence was studied in the press of four European countries: Belgium, Spain, France, and Portugal. In total, 290 texts published in January 2024 were examined. Mentions of “artificial intelligence” were found in the following newspapers: Le Soir, El País, Le Figaro, and Público. Fourteen risk categories and seven groups of voices responsible for their enunciation were identified, with significant variations between the studied newspapers. It was concluded that national contexts make it possible to differentiate the way in which the press communicates the risks associated with artificial intelligence. Although these results do not directly reflect public awareness of the risks in each of these countries, they open a line of research on the possible influences of the progressive monitoring and knowledge of audiences in the construction of the media agenda.

Abstract Division and differentiation events by which cell populations with specific functions are generated often take place as part of a developmental programme, which can be represented by a sequence of compartments. A compartment is the set of cells with common characteristics; sharing, for instance, a spatial location or a phenotype. Differentiation events are transitions from one compartment to the next. Cells may also die or divide. We consider three different types of division events: (i) where both daughter cells inherit the mother’s phenotype (self-renewal), (ii) where only one of the daughters changes phenotype (asymmetric division), and (iii) where both daughters change phenotype (symmetric division). The self-renewal probability in each compartment determines whether the progeny of a single cell, moving through the sequence of compartments, is finite or grows without bound. We analyse the progeny stochastic dynamics with probability generating functions. In the case of self-renewal, by following one of the daughters after any division event, we may construct lifelines containing only one cell at any time. We analyse the number of divisions along such lines, and the compartment where lines terminate with a death event. Analysis and numerical simulations are applied to a five-compartment model of the gradual differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells and to a model of thymocyte development: from pre-double positive to single positive (SP) cells with a bifurcation to either SP4 or SP8 in the last compartment of the sequence.

Abstract Salivary gland squamous cell carcinomas (SG-SCCs) constitute a rare type of head and neck cancer which is linked to poor prognosis. Due to their low frequency, the molecular mechanisms responsible for their aggressiveness are poorly understood. In this work we studied the role of the phosphatase DUSP1, a negative regulator of MAPK activity, in controlling SG-SCC progression. We generated DUSP1 KO clones in A253 human cells. These clones showed a reduced ability to grow in 2D, self-renew in ECM matrices and to form tumors in immunodeficient mice. This was caused by an overactivation of the stress and apoptosis kinase JNK1/2 in DUSP1 −/+ clones. Interestingly, RNAseq analysis revealed that the expression of SOX2, a well-known self-renewal gene was decreased at the mRNA and protein levels in DUSP1 −/+ cells. Unexpectedly, CRISPR-KO of SOX2 did not recapitulate DUSP1 −/+ phenotype, and SOX2-null cells had an enhanced ability to self-renew and to form tumors in mice. Gene expression analysis demonstrated that SOX2-null cells have a decreased squamous differentiation profile -losing TP63 expression- and an increased migratory phenotype, with an enhanced epithelial to mesenchymal transition signature. In summary, our data indicates that DUSP1 and SOX2 have opposite functions in SG-SCC, being DUSP1 necessary for tumor growth and SOX2 dispensable showing a tumor suppressor function. Our data suggest that the combined expression of SOX2 and DUSP1 could be a useful biomarker to predict progression in patients with SG-SCCs.

Soil functioning is intrinsically related to the structure of associated biological communities. This link is barely understood in the multispecies context of soil microbial communities, which often requires complex analytical approaches to discern structural and functional roles of microbial taxa inhabiting the soil. To investigate these ecological properties, we characterized the assembly and soil functioning contribution of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal communities through co-occurrence network analysis. Co-occurrence networks were inferred from ECM root tips of Cistus albidus, Quercus faginea and Q. ilex on a regional scale, in Mediterranean mixed forests. Soil enzymatic activities related to carbon and nutrient cycling were also measured, and soil functionality outcomes related to ECM fungal network structure were evaluated on the community to taxon levels. Network complexity relied on habitat characteristics and seasonality, and it was linked to different dominant ECM fungal lineages across habitats. Soil enzymatic activities were habitat-dependent, driven by host plant identity and fungi with reduced structuring roles in the co-occurrence network (mainly within Thelephorales, Sebacinales and Pezizales). ECM fungal co-occurrence network structure and functioning were highly context-dependent, pointing to divergent regional fungal species pools according to their niche preferences. As increased network complexity was not related to greater soil functionality, functional redundancy might be operating in Mediterranean forest soils. The revealed differentiation between structural and functional roles of ECM fungi adds new insights into the understanding of soil fungal community assembly and its functionality in ecosystems.

Disinformation has become a core concept in communications research, related to media, technological and political phenomena that complexify its definition and diagnosis. Although its approach has been mainly quantitative, focus groups have also been used to understand the perception of the audience of this particular issue. This research is part of this second group of studies, and attempts to investigate the notions and discourses on disinformation in the case of Spain. For this purpose, seven discussion groups were conducted, with a structural sample constructed according to employment situation, ideology and age. The results show a perception of the communicative ecosystem structured in two chronological poles, which contrasts a past of reduced information supply -- associated with traditional media -- with a current informational environment where there is more media diversity, but also less trust in them. The groups point to the overabundance of information and associated disinformation with decontextualisation, low-quality journalism and the economic and political interests of different actors. Discourses outline a scenario of decline in journalism and the public sphere, which is perceived as polarised and emotional. Disinformation is therefore perceived as a multidimensional phenomenon that is associated with issues of major democratic transcendence rather than merely sending hoaxes through the Internet.

The objective of this research was to analyze the mediation of academic engagement and the satisfaction of basic needs between teaching styles and academic confidence amongst teachers during initial training. The research design was observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, and non-randomized. In total, 920 university students in initial teacher training participated (61.85% women) (M[subscript age] = 24.73; SD = 5.34). The scales of interpersonal teaching styles, the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, academic engagement, and academic confidence were used, and a structural equation analysis with latent variables was carried out. The results highlight the important mediating role played by the satisfaction of basic psychological needs between the autonomous support style and the academic confidence of the trainee teachers. This research also highlights the importance, both for teachers and researchers, of using an autonomous support style, as well as the creation of a context for encouraging the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, to promote academic confidence in initial teacher training programs at university.

Objective: The aim was to examine the association between social frailty and diet quality in adults over 65 years of age, and whether results differed by sex. Design: Population-based cross-sectional study using data from the Spanish National Health Survey. Participants: 5,071 community-dwelling people ≥65 years from Spain. Measurements: Social frailty was deemed to exist when the person both lived alone and had low social support, measured with the Duke-UNC scale. Diet was assessed with the Spanish Healthy Eating Index (S-HEI), ranging from 0 to 100 points (highest diet quality). Means and 95% confidence intervals of the S-HEI score for each social frailty group were calculated using linear regressions, with socially robust people as reference. Analyses were adjusted for main confounders, including sociodemographic, lifestyle and morbidity variables. Results: There were no differences in the S-HEI adjusted mean of socially frail (74.3 points, 95%CI: 73.4−75.2) compared to socially robust older adults (75.4 points; 95%CI: 75.1−75.7). In sex-stratified analyses, the S-HEI adjusted mean of socially frail men (71.9 points; 95%CI: 70.6−73.2) was lower than robust men (74.8 points; 95%CI: 74.4−75.3). Specifically, social frailty was associated with lower consumption of vegetables, fruits, dairy and lower diet variety in men. Differences were not observed according to social frailty among older women. Conclusions: Social frailty was associated with poor diet quality in community-dwelling older men, but not in women in Spain. Gender differences in self-care could partly explain this association. Sex-specific interventions are required to minimize the impact of social frailty on diet quality.

Many newsrooms around the world are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to generate journalistic content. Often, these machine-generated texts are distributed without being clearly identified as synthetic or hybrid. Since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, the tool’s extraordinary ability to mimic human language has been widely celebrated. Given that subjectivity is an integral part of human language, this study examines how different texts generated using AI tools are imbued with subjective features in order to anthropomorphize their linguistic content. Our aim is to gain insight into the ways in which these texts express subjectivity in order to appear anthropomorphic, as well as the limits of this expression and its implications for communication. To this end, a corpus of AI-generated journalistic texts published in various media, as well as texts created using AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini, is analysed to assess these tools’ capabilities. Ten criteria are used to characterize the expression of subjectivity in journalistic discourse on the surface of texts and in terms of situational appropriateness. The results show that AI tools can incorporate subjective markers on the text surface, but have important limitations when it comes to situational appropriateness, making it difficult to imitate certain features of journalistic writing. The paper also discusses the implications of asymmetrical audience interaction with machines that simulate human characteristics, and the varying degrees of opacity and transparency with which AI is used in newsrooms.

Innate immune responses are induced after viral infections, being these responses essential to establish an antiviral response in the host. The RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs), RIG-I and MDA5 are pivotal for virus detection by recognizing viral RNAs in the cytoplasm of infected cells, initiating these responses. However, since excessive responses can have a negative effect on the host, regulatory feedback mechanisms are needed. In this work, we describe that IFN alpha-inducible protein 27 (IFI27) co-immunoprecipitates with melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5), being this interaction likely mediated by RNAs. In addition, by using IFI27 overexpression, knock-out, and knock-down cells, we show that IFI27 inhibits MDA5 oligomerization and activation, counteracting the innate immune responses induced after SARS-CoV-2 infections or after polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) transfection. Furthermore, our data indicate that IFI27 competes with MDA5 for poly(I:C) binding, providing a likely explanation for the effect of IFI27 in inhibiting MDA5 activation. This new function of IFI27 could be used to design target-driven compounds to treat diseases associated with an exacerbated induction of innate immune responses, such as those induced by SARS-CoV-2.

Objetivos: Conocer el efecto de la autotrascendencia sobre el bienestar, por lo cual se planteó la hipótesis que indica que a mayor autotrascendencia (intrapersonal, interpersonal y transpersonal [espiritualidad]) mayor bienestar (físico, psicológico y social) en los adultos mayores. Metodología: estudio descriptivo correlacional. La población fueron adultos mayores de ambos sexos. El muestreo fue probabilístico aleatorio estratificado, la muestra total fueron 251 adultos mayores. Resultados: El efecto de la autotrascendencia y la espiritualidad fue significativo (F(1,249) = 4.24, p=.015) sobre el bienestar físico (consumo de alcohol sensato) explicando el 25% de la varianza total. Respecto al efecto de estas mismas variables sobre el bienestar psicológico se puede observar que el modelo fue significativo (F(1,249) = 51.52,p=.001) explicando el 28.8% de la varianza total. Por último se identificó que el efecto de la autotrascendencia y la espiritualidad sobre el bienestar social fue significativo (F(1,249) = 31.00, p=.001), este modelo explicó el 20.0% de la varianza total. Conclusiones: La autotrascendencia (intra e interpersonal y transpersonal [espiritualidad]) tiene efecto sobre el bienestar físico (consumo de alcohol sensato), bienestar psicológico y social. Debido a los resultados se considera que la enfermería debe de abordar estas problemáticas de estudio bajo marcos teóricos que promuevan el desarrollo integrar en el adulto mayor y facilitar el bienestar de la persona en todas las etapas de la vida. ABSTRACT Objectives: To know the effect of self-transcendence on well-being, for which the hypothesis was raised that indicates that the greater the self-transcendence (intrapersonal, interpersonal and transpersonal [spirituality]), the greater the well-being (physical, psychological and social) in elderly. Methodology: predictive descriptive study. The population was older adults of both sexes. The sampling was stratified random probabilistic, the total sample was 251 older adults. Results: The effect of self-transcendence and spirituality was significant (F(1,249) = 4.24, p=.015) on physical well-being (sensible alcohol consumption) explaining 25% of the total variance. Regarding the effect of these same variables on psychological well-being, it can be seen that the model was significant (F(1,249) = 51.52, p=.001) explaining 28.8% of the total variance. Finally, it was identified that the effect of self-transcendence and spirituality on social well-being was significant (F(1,249) = 31.00, p=.001), this model explained 20.0% of the total variance. Conclusions: Self-transcendence (intra- and interpersonal and transpersonal [spirituality]) has an effect on physical well-being (sensible alcohol consumption), psychological and social well-being. Therefore, it is considered that nursing should address these study problems under theoretical frameworks that promote the comprehensive development of the elderly and facilitate the well-being of the person at all stages of life.

Introducción. El consumo de alcohol es un fenómeno complejo y multifactorial que puede surgir a partir de múltiples características del individuo y el entorno, así como de creencias e ideologías sobre esta conducta. Objetivo. Identificar los patrones del consumo de alcohol y explorar las representaciones sociales del consumo de alcohol que construyen los jóvenes universitarios. Metodología. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo con enfoque cualitativo. En la recolección cuantitativa se obtuvieron 59 participantes, a quienes se aplicó una cédula de datos personales y consumo de alcohol y el cuestionario AUDIT, en la recolección cualitativa se realizaron siete entrevistas semiestructuradas en línea. Resultados. En los 59 participantes, se identificó que el 93.2% consumió alcohol alguna vez en la vida, el 83.1% en el último año, el 55.9% en el último mes y el 28.8% en los últimos siete días. El 36.7% presentó consumo de bajo riesgo, el 34.7% dependiente o de riesgo y el 28.6% perjudicial. A partir de las siete entrevistas surgieron siete categorías: conducta previa relacionada, percepción de beneficios del consumo de alcohol, percepción de barreras para el consumo de alcohol, autoeficacia de resistencia al consumo de alcohol, afectos positivos relacionados al consumo de alcohol, influencias interpersonales e influencia situacional de las redes sociales. Discusión. Los resultados evidencian el papel que pueden tener las creencias, percepciones e ideologías sobre la conducta del consumo de alcohol en los jóvenes universitarios; hallazgos que se convierten en un importante aporte para el desarrollo de futuros estudios y de estrategias de prevención enfocada a jóvenes universitarios. ABSTRACT Introduction. Alcohol consumption is a complex phenomenon to study that can arise from multiple characteristics of the individual and the environment, as well as beliefs and ideologies about this behavior. Objective: Identify patterns of alcohol consumption and explore the social representations of alcohol consumption constructed by university students. Methodology. A descriptive study was carried out with a qualitative approach. In the quantitative collection, 59 participants were obtained, to whom a personal data and alcohol consumption card and the AUDIT questionnaire were applied; In the qualitative collection, seven semi-structured online interviews were conducted. Results. Of the 59 participants, it was identified that 93.2% consumed alcohol at some point in their lives, 83.1% in the last year, 55.9% in the last month and 28.8% in the last seven days. 36.7% presented low-risk consumption, 34.7% dependent or risky, and 28.6% harmful. Seven categories emerged from the seven interviews: previous related behavior, perception of benefits from alcohol consumption, perception of barriers to alcohol consumption, self-efficacy of resistance to alcohol consumption, positive affects related to alcohol consumption, interpersonal influences and situational influence of social relations. networks. Discussion. The results show the important role that beliefs, perceptions and ideologies can have on alcohol consumption behavior in university students; findings that become an important contribution to the development of future prevention strategies focused university students.

Joan Oró Florensa (1923-2004), al mismo tiempo que fue un destacado científico del siglo XX, es una de las figuras más desconocidas y olvidadas por parte de la historiografía de la ciencia contemporánea. Su destacado papel en las primeras investigaciones sobre el origen de la vida, en los análisis bioquímicos de las muestras lunares recogidas en la misión Apollo 11, así como su decisiva participación en los experimentos biológicos de la misión Viking ―entre otras importantes aportaciones―, ameritan con mucho el inicio de estudios históricos que atiendan y analicen pormenorizadamente alguna de las dimensiones de su poliédrica figura. Este artículo, que analiza su figura y aportaciones en el contexto histórico y científico en el que se desarrollaron y utiliza el archivo inédito de Joan Oró, busca conmemorarlo en el centenario de su nacimiento (2023) y contribuir a los estudios historiográficos sobre el bioquímico español.

Co-doped NiMnSn Heusler-type metamagnetic shape memory alloys (MMSMAs) are promising materials for the next-generation solid-state refrigeration systems due to their excellent magnetocaloric performance around the martensitic transformation, which is easily tuneable by slight changes in the alloy composition. An improvement in the thermal efficiency of active magnetic regenerator devices, a key element in magnetocaloric cooling systems, arises by obtaining powdered magnetocaloric alloys that meet technical requirements for their implementation as a feedstock material in the additive manufacturing of 3D-printed heat exchangers. In the present work, powders of Mn-rich NiCoMnSn Heusler-type MMSMAs were obtained from their ribbon form avoiding or minimizing residual stresses, the number of defects and disorder in the crystal lattice and microstructure. Since atomic order and crystallographic structure are crucial in the transformation and magnetic properties of these alloys, a complementary structural analysis of the powders after different heat treatments was performed by powder neutron diffraction. The results show that the cubic austenitic phase of the non-heat-treated melt-spun powder exhibits a highly stressed structure, which leads to an incomplete martensitic transformation and, therefore, to the coexistence of martensitic and austenitic phases at low temperatures. The magnetic structure of the austenite phase was also determined by neutron powder diffraction, obtaining a ferromagnetic coupling between 4a and 4b Wyckoff positions in the samples analysed. It was found that a heat treatment facilitates the martensitic transformation and enables the formation of a pure martensitic phase.The observed changes in the magnetocaloric performance of the powders have been understood in terms of the differently stressed structures and their impact on the martensitic transformation. A fully completed structural transformation leads to a significant increase of the magnetisation change across the martensitic transformation and, consequently, to high values of both a magnetic field induced isothermal entropy change and refrigeration capacity.

Resumen: Objetivo: Conocer los instrumentos de evaluación de calidad de la Atención Primaria (AP) más utilizados, por qué y en qué países han sido aplicados aporta información relevante para tomar decisiones fundamentadas sobre qué instrumento utilizar. El objetivo es determinar los instrumentos utilizados para evaluar la calidad internacional de la AP, su evolución y distribución geográfica entre 2013 y 2023. Diseño: Revisión sistemática. Fuentes de datos: PubMed y Embase. Desde marzo hasta diciembre del 2023. Criterios de inclusión: 1) Estudios de validación de instrumentos de evaluación específicos para medir la calidad de la AP o la satisfacción del paciente, proveedores o gestores; 2) en el ámbito de AP, y 3) publicados desde el 1/01/2013 hasta el 1/02/2023. Se incluyeron 83 artículos a texto completo. Extracción de datos: Instrumento utilizado para evaluar la calidad de la AP, atributos de AP que evalúa, destinatario de la evaluación, usuario, proveedor o gestor, año y país. Resultados: Se localizan 15 instrumentos de evaluación de la AP. El más utilizado es la Primary Care Assessing Tool (PCAT), con amplia distribución geográfica y versiones en varios idiomas, de uso más limitado en Europa, salvo en España, y mayoritaria evaluación de la calidad de la AP desde la perspectiva del usuario. Conclusiones: El PCAT, por su adaptabilidad cultural, disponibilidad en varios idiomas, su capacidad para evaluar los principios fundamentales de la AP enunciados por la Organización Mundial de la Salud y contemplar las perspectivas de todos los agentes de salud, es un cuestionario completo, versátil y consistente para la evaluación de la calidad de la AP. Abstract: Objective: There are numerous instruments in the scientific literature for the evaluation of the quality of Primary Care (PC) and to know which of them are the most used and in which countries provides more information to make a well-founded decision. The aim is to determine which, between 2013 and 2023, have been the instruments used to assess the international quality of PC, its evolution and geographical distribution. Design: Systematic review. Data sources: PubMed and Embase. From March to December 2023. Inclusion criteria: 1) Validation studies of specific assessment instruments to measure the quality of PC and/or the satisfaction of patients, providers or managers. 2) carried out in the field of PC and 3) published between 1/01/2013 and 01/02/2023. 83 full-text articles were included. Data extraction: From each publication, an instrument used to evaluate the quality of the PC, attributes of the PC it evaluates, recipient of the evaluation, user, provider or manager, year, and country. Results: Fifteen PC assessment instruments were found. The most widely used is the Primary Care Assessing Tool (PCAT), with wide geographical distribution, versions in several languages, is more limited in Europe, except in Spain, and is mostly used in the Primary Care Assessing Tool (PCAT). Conclusions: The PCAT, due to its cultural adaptability, availability in several languages, its ability to evaluate the fundamental principles of PC enunciated by the World Health Organization and to contemplate the perspectives of all health agents, is a complete, versatile, and consistent questionnaire for the evaluation of the quality of PC.

Background COVID-19 survivors who were hospitalised continue to experience long-term multisystemic sequelae and symptoms, impacting their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The complexity of post-COVID-19 conditions underscores the importance of adopting a multidisciplinary, patient-centric approach to ensure ongoing care. This study aims to assess HRQoL and post-COVID symptoms in a cohort of severe COVID-19 survivors depending on their participation in a multidisciplinary programme. Methods This prospective study was conducted in a post-COVID clinic staffed by a multidisciplinary team (physical rehabilitator, nutritionist, psychologist, including experts in pulmonary rehabilitation, nutrition, psychology and others). Subjects over 18 years old who were hospitalised due to severe COVID-19 during the acute phase and had attended the post-COVID clinic within the first 3 months following discharge were included. Subjects who were unable or unwilling to provide informed consent to participate in the protocol were excluded. Linear mixed-effect models were employed to examine changes in 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) component scores. The resolution of post-COVID symptom clusters was compared using the Cox model. Results A total of 730 patients were included, with a mean±sd age of 55.78±15.43 years; 60.55% were male and 90.62% required mechanical ventilation during hospitalisation. Programme attendants demonstrated improved SF-12 physical and mental component scores at 3 and 12 months. A reduction in the prevalence of post-COVID symptoms was observed in both groups, with greater reductions in those attending the programme. Conclusion Our study showed that patients enrolled on the multidisciplinary programme experienced improvements in fatigue, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, neuropsychiatric and respiratory symptoms, along with enhanced SF-12 mental and physical component scores.

Abstract Protective antigen (PA) is a protein produced by Bacillus anthracis. It forms part of the anthrax toxin and is a key immunogen in US and UK anthrax vaccines. In this study, we have conducted experiments to quantify PA in the supernatants of cultures of B. anthracis Sterne strain, which is the strain used in the manufacture of the UK anthrax vaccine. Then, for the first time, we quantify PA production and degradation via mathematical modelling and Bayesian statistical techniques, making use of this new experimental data as well as two other independent published data sets. We propose a single mathematical model, in terms of delay differential equations (DDEs), which can explain the in vitro dynamics of all three data sets. Since we did not heat activate the B. anthracis spores prior to inoculation, germination occurred much slower in our experiments, allowing us to calibrate two additional parameters with respect to the other data sets. Our model is able to distinguish between natural PA decay and that triggered by bacteria via proteases. There is promising consistency between the different independent data sets for most of the parameter estimates. The quantitative characterisation of B. anthracis PA production and degradation obtained here will contribute towards the ambition to include a realistic description of toxin dynamics, the host immune response, and anti-toxin treatments in future mechanistic models of anthrax infection.