La voz bizarro y sus insólitas fortunas literarias

Se estudia la presencia del vocablo bizarro en el español actual en su acepción como «raro, extravagante», que se impone sobre los significados recomendados por la RAE. Se presentan fenómenos culturales globales como Bizarro fiction, Bizarro World y Bizarro del DCComics, que han influido en su desplazamiento semántico: bizarro adquiere un uso relacionado con la creación artística. Su etimología se traza enfocándonos en el «loco bizarro» del Quijote (1615), que permite contrastar la voz italiana bizzarro con bizarro y bizarre, castellano y francés, respectivamente. El último dio origen al cultismo bizarre en el inglés del XVII que, según Merriam-Webster Dictionary, en torno a 1971 pasó a bizarro en la variante informal del inglés norteamericano

Removal of nickel(II) and lead(II) ions from aqueous solution using peat as a low-cost adsorbent: A kinetic and equilibrium study

AbstractAnalysis was carried out to determine the physicochemical characteristics – morphological and structural, electrokinetic properties, elemental composition and functional groups – of peat, with a view to its use as a potential adsorbent of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. A significant part of the study comprised tests of adsorption of nickel(II) and lead(II) ions from model solutions. It was determined how the parameters of the adsorption process (time, pH, quantity of sorbent) influence the effectiveness of removal of nickel(II) and lead(II) ions. The adsorption kinetics are also described, using a pseudo-first-order model and pseudo-second-order models of types 1–4. The results show strong correspondence to a pseudo-second-order kinetics model of type 1 (r2=0.999 for all initial concentrations). Another key part of the analysis was the use of the Langmuir and Freundlich models to determine the adsorption isotherms. The experimental data were in strong correspondence with Langmuir’s isotherm model. The sorption capacities of peat with respect to nickel(II) and lead(II) ions were 61.27mg(Ni2+)/g and 82.31mg(Pb2+)/g. Desorption tests confirmed the possibility of reusing peat as an effective sorbent of environmentally harmful metals. A mechanism is also proposed for the adsorption of Ni2+ and Pb2+ ions on adsorbent

The Influence of Emotional Intelligence and Social Competencies on the Work Performance of Debt Collectors: A Research Report

Poniższy artykuł stanowi raport z badań na temat wpływu inteligencji emocjonalnej (IE) i kompetencji społecznych na poziom uzyskiwanych wyników w pracy windykatorów. W badaniu potwierdzono silne relacje pomiędzy powyższymi zmiennymi. Zarówno wynik ogólny IE, jak i jej wszystkie składowe oraz wynik ogólny w zakresie kompetencji społecznych wraz z ich wszystkimi elementami wykazują silny pozytywny związek z wynikami pracy specjalistów ds. odzyskiwania należności.This article is a research report on a study on the impact of emotional intelligence and social competencies on the performance of debt collectors. The research confirms a strong correlation between the above variables. Both the general result for emotional intelligence and the total for all its component parts as well as the overall result for social competencies inclusive of all its component parts demonstrate a strong positive correlation with the achieved work performance of debt collecting specialists

The role of FGF2 in migration and tubulogenesis of endothelial progenitor cells in relation to pro-angiogenic growth factor production

International audienceIn recent years, special attention has been paid to finding new pro-angiogenic factors which could be used in gene therapy of vascular diseases such as critical limb ischaemia (CLI). Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is a complex process dependent on different cytokines, matrix proteins, growth factors and other pro- or anti-angiogenic stimuli. Numerous lines of evidence suggest that key mediators of angiogenesis, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) together with fibroblast growth factor2 (FGF2) are involved in regulation of the normal and pathological process of angiogenesis. However, less information is available on the complex interactions between these and other angiogenic factors. The aim of this study was to characterise the effect of fibroblast growth factor2 on biological properties of human endothelial progenitor cells with respect to the expression level of other regulatory cytokines. Ectopic expression of FGF2 in EP cells stimulates their pro-angiogenic behaviour, leading to increased proliferation, migration and tube formation abilities. Moreover, we show that the expression profile of VEGF and other pro-angiogenic cytokines, such as HGF, MCP2, and interleukins, is affected differently by FGF2 in EPC. In conclusion, we provide evidence that FGF2 directly affects not only the biological properties of EP cells but also the expression pattern and secretion of numerous chemocytokines. Our results suggest that FGF2 could be applied in therapeutic approaches for CLI and other ischaemic diseases of the vascular system in vivo

miR-31-5p as a Potential Circulating Biomarker and Tracer of Clinical Improvement for Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy

Background. MicroRNAs are endogenous, small noncoding RNA molecules that play a pivotal role in the regulation of gene expression. MicroRNAs are involved in many biological processes such as proliferation, cell differentiation, neovascularization, and apoptosis. Studies on microRNA expression may contribute to a better understanding of the pathomechanism of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and consequently enable the development of new therapeutic measures using antisense miRNAs (antagomirs). In this study, we evaluated the level of miR-31-5p in the serum of patients with CIDP and its correlation with the miR-31-5p level and clinical presentation and electrophysiological and biochemical parameters. Methods. The study group consisted of 48 patients, mean age 61.60±11.76, who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of a typical variant of CIDP. The expression of miR-31-5p in patient serum probes was investigated by droplet digital PCR. The results were correlated with neurophysiological findings and the patient’s clinical and biochemical parameters. Results. The mean copy number of miRNA-31 in 100 μl serum was 1288.64±2001.02 in the CIDP group of patients, while in the control group, it was 3743.09±4026.90. There was a significant positive correlation (0.426) between IgIV treatment duration and miR-31-5p expression. Patients without IgIV treatment showed significantly lower levels of miR-31 compared to the treated group (259.44±304.02 vs. 1559.48±2168.45; p=0.002). The group of patients with body weight>80 kg showed statistically significantly lower levels of miRNA-31-5p than the patients with lower body weight (934.37±1739.66 vs. 1784.62±2271.62, respectively; p=0.014). Similarly, the patients with elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein levels had significantly higher miRNA-31-5p expression than those with normal protein levels (1393.93±1932.27 vs. 987.38±2364.10, respectively; p=0.044). Conclusion. The results may support the hypothesis that miR-31-5p is strongly involved in the autoimmune process in CIDP. The positive correlation between higher miR-31-5p levels and duration of IVIg treatment may be an additional factor explaining the efficacy of prolonged IVIg therapy in CIDP

Transport of Zn(II), Fe(II), Fe(III) across polymer inclusion membranes (PIM) and flat sheet supported liquid membranes (SLM) containing phosphonium ionic liquids as metal ion carriers

<p>In this work transport of Zn(II), Fe(II) and Fe(III) ions from chloride aqueous solutions across polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) and supported liquid membranes (SLMs) containing one of three phosphonium ionic liquids: trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride (Cyphos IL 101), trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium <i>bis</i>(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl)phosphinate (Cyphos IL 104) and tributyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride (Cyphos IL 167) as an ion carrier was reported. The results show that Zn(II) and Fe(III) are effectively transported through PIMs and SLMs, while Fe(II) transport is not effective. The highest values of initial flux and permeability coefficient of Zn(II) were noticed for SLM containing Cyphos IL 167. Cyphos IL 101-containing SLM is more stable than PIM.</p