Más allá de la proximidad lingüística: Galicia y Portugal en la negociación internacional

Studying the actions of several institutions, as well as the popular belief according to which Galician people and Portuguese people have enough common ground as to fully understand each other, this article considers the reality of the matter in the context of international negotiation. We will study the use of the Galician language in international business, and then refute—or not—the hypothesis which indicates that the use of Galician can be the first step in a mutual understanding, but that it is necessary to be more deeply immersed in the language before facing an international negotiation—immersed in a way that also includes cultural knowledge.Partiendo de varias acciones institucionales y de la creencia popular de que el gallego y el portugués son tan próximos que el entendimiento entre unos y otros ciudadanos es total, nuestro artículo reflexiona sobre la realidad de esta materia en el ámbito de la negociación internacional. Para ello, profundizaremos sobre el uso de la lengua gallega en los negocios internacionales. A partir de ahí, se refutará –o no– la hipótesis de partida que indica que el gallego puede ser un primer paso en un entendimiento mutuo, pero hace falta una mayor inmersión en el idioma a la hora de afrontar una negociación internacional, la cual debe incluir también conocimientos culturales. &nbsp

Más allá de la proximidad lingüística: Galicia y Portugal en la negociación internacional

Studying the actions of several institutions, as well as the popular belief according to which Galician people and Portuguese people have enough common ground as to fully understand each other, this article considers the reality of the matter in the context of international negotiation. We will study the use of the Galician language in international business, and then refute—or not—the hypothesis which indicates that the use of Galician can be the first step in a mutual understanding, but that it is necessary to be more deeply immersed in the language before facing an international negotiation—immersed in a way that also includes cultural knowledge.Partiendo de varias acciones institucionales y de la creencia popular de que el gallego y el portugués son tan próximos que el entendimiento entre unos y otros ciudadanos es total, nuestro artículo reflexiona sobre la realidad de esta materia en el ámbito de la negociación internacional. Para ello, profundizaremos sobre el uso de la lengua gallega en los negocios internacionales. A partir de ahí, se refutará –o no– la hipótesis de partida que indica que el gallego puede ser un primer paso en un entendimiento mutuo, pero hace falta una mayor inmersión en el idioma a la hora de afrontar una negociación internacional, la cual debe incluir también conocimientos culturales. &nbsp

Beyond the linguistic proximity: the Galician and the Portuguese in the international negotiation

Planteamos una reflexión sobre el uso del idioma gallego como lengua vehicular entre el portugués y el español. A partir de varias acciones institucionales, proponemos un estudio comparativo sobre el uso de la lengua gallega en los negocios en el ámbito de la lusofonía, tomando como referencia varias campañas promocionales del gobierno de la Xunta de Galicia. La investigación recopila datos mediante entrevistas en profundidad a responsables de las embajadas de cinco países lusófonos y a empresarios gallegos que negocian en los mismos. La hipótesis manejada es que la utilización del gallego contribuye al entendimiento dentro del ámbito de la lusofonía, pero hace falta una mayor inmersión en el idioma a la hora de afrontar una negociación internacional; este proceso de inmersión lingüística también debe incluir conocimientos culturales como el uso del protocolo y el ceremonial, el valor de la gastronomía o el sentido del tiempo, entre otros.This is a reflection about the use of the Galician language as a language between the Portuguese and the Spanish. Based on several institutional actions, we propose a comparative study on the use of the Galician language in business abroad in countries of lusophony, taking as a reference different promotional campaigns of the government of the Xunta de Galicia. The research will work with the data of several interviews with embassy officials from five Portuguese-speaking countries and Galician businessmen who negotiate there

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Coarse woody debris stimulates soil enzymatic activity and litter decomposition in an old-growth temperate forest of Patagonia, Argentina

In most temperate forest ecosystems, tree mortality over time generates downed logs that accumulate as coarse woody debris (CWD) on the forest floor. These downed logs and trunks have important recognized ecosystem functions including habitat for different organisms and long-term organic C storage. Due to its recalcitrant chemical composition and slow decomposition, CWD can also have direct effects on ecosystem carbon and nutrient turnover. CWD could also cause changes indirectly through the physical and chemical alterations that it generates, although it is not well understood how important these indirect effects could be for ecosystem processes and soil biogeochemistry. We hypothesized that in an old-growth mature forest, CWD affects carbon and nutrient cycles through its ´proximity effects´, meaning that forest floor near CWD would have altered soil biotic activity due to the environmental and biogeochemical effects of the presence of CWD. We conducted our study in an old-growth southern beech temperate forest in Patagonia, Argentina, where we estimated and classified the distribution and mass, nutrient pools and decay stage of CWD on the forest floor, and evaluated its impact on litter decomposition, soil mites and soil enzymatic activity of carbon and phosphorusdegrading enzymes. We demonstrate here that CWD in this ecosystem represents an important organic carbon reservoir (85 Mg ha-1) and nitrogen pool (0.42 Mg ha-1), similar in magnitude to other old-growth forests of the Northern Hemisphere. In addition, we found significant proximity effects of CWD, with increased C-degrading soil enzyme activity, decreased mite abundance, and more rapid litter decomposition beneath highlydecayed CWD. Considered at the ecosystem scale in this forest, the removal of CWD could cause a decrease of 6% in soil enzyme activity, particularly in the summer dry season, and nearly 15% in annual litter decomposition. We conclude that beyond the established importance of CWD as a long-term carbon reservoir and habitat, CWD contributes functionally to the forest floor by influencing the spatial heterogeneity of microbial activity and carbon and nutrient turnover. These proximity effects demonstrate the importance of maintenance of this ecosystem component and should be taken into consideration for management decisions pertaining to carbon sequestration and functional diversity in natural forest ecosystems.Fil: Gonzalez Polo, Marina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Fernández Souto, Adriana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; ArgentinaFil: Austin, Amy Theresa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; Argentin

The educational community and its knowledge and perceptions of native and invasive alien species

Environmental education seeks to foster an appreciation for nature and the impact of humans on it while introducing citizens to scientific thinking. Biological invasions affect different aspects of life on earth and mandate urgent management actions. Education and public awareness are strongly recommended for successful prevention and management of invasive alien species (IAS). This work presents a study on knowledge and perception of the educational community of Argentina about native species and IAS. We designed an on-line semi-structured questionnaire to examine perception of the environment, recognition of native species and IAS and awareness about biological invasions. Educators recognised an important number of biotic components, mostly represented by trees, birds and mammals. Recognition of native species and IAS, and awareness of biological invasions were different between NST (Natural Science Teachers) and non-NST. Respondents had different performances when they were exposed to recognising native species though written names or photographs. Out of 532 respondents, 56% knew what biological invasions are, 21% answered “Maybe” and 23% had never heard about them. We need to foster capacity-building and encourage a two-way communication between educators and scientists, formally and informally, to engage the participation of the whole society in recognition, prevention and management of IAS.Fil: Sosa, Alejandro Joaquín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas; ArgentinaFil: Jiménez, Nadia Lis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas; ArgentinaFil: Faltlhauser, Ana Claudia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas; ArgentinaFil: Righetti, Tomás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas; ArgentinaFil: Mc Kay, Fernando. Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas; ArgentinaFil: Bruzzone, Octavio Augusto. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Patagonia Norte. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Carlos de Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Stiers, Iris. Vrije Unviversiteit Brussel; BélgicaFil: Fernández Souto, Adriana Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de Hurlingham. Instituto de Educacion.; Argentin