Legitimation of hate and political violence through memetic images: the Bolsonaro campaign

The federal elections were held in Brazil in 2018. The ballot resulted in a victory for the far-right candidate, Jair Messias Bolsonaro. The question that arose after the victory of the far-right was: How could this have happened? One of the instruments that undoubtedly contributed to this unexpected victory was a peculiar aspect of his political campaign: memetic communication. Through the use of memes in the social media (above all WhatsApp), Bolsonaro’s project transformed these violent discourses against political opponents, feminism, racialised persons and poverty into a series of discourses legitimised through humour and irony. It was a simplification through the memes affecting the static system of cognitive and metaphorical frameworks. During the pre-election period in 2018, we carried out digital ethnographic research in the WhatsApp groups of supporters of Bolsonaro’s project (“Bolsonarism”). In this period, we collected a sample of 132 memes belonging to WhatsApp groups composed of up to 256 members, who did not know each other and were geographically dispersed. The analysis we carried out demonstrates the trivialisation and legitimisation of violence against political opponents and other social groups. Much of this legitimisation was camouflaged under the mask of supposed humour and irony, which in reality was insulting, prejudicial and dehumanising

Seres “humanos” o seres “lejanos”: imágenes de violencia real e implicación/distanciamiento con las víctimas

1. Introducción Las imágenes de violencia real emitidas en los informativos pueden afectar a los espectadores de múltiples maneras. Algunas investigaciones señalan la distancia e insensibilización al sufrimiento de las víctimas, mientras que otras apuntan a que ciertas imágenes y emisiones pueden provocar identificación con las victimas e implicación ética en su sufrimiento. Mediante un análisis del discurso de 16 grupos de espectadores que visualizaron varias escenas de violencia real grave y muy grave ocurrida en lugares cercanos y lejanos, se analizan y describen los argumentos y estrategias discursivas que los espectadores usan para fundamentar sus actitudes de distancia o implicación emocional. Los resultados apuntan a las siguientes cuestiones: a) La dimensión cercanía/lejanía del espectador con respecto a la victimas relacionada directamente con la implicación emocional; b) se detectan dos tipos de implicación emocional: la implicación espontanea, basada en la percepción de similitud o empatía espontanea y la derivada de argumentos éticos, en razones de sensibilidad al malestar de los otros, (la sensibilidad ante la desprotección, ante la vulnerabilidad y ante el abuso interpersonal; c) asimismo se describen los argumentos desimplicativos que distancian al espectador del sufrimiento: la negación del sufrimiento o la información, la normalizacion y rutinizacion de los hechos presenciados en las escenas la atribución de culpabilidad a las víctimas y la incomprensión de la situación. Finalmente extraemos algunas conclusiones sobre las formas más idóneas de emitir la violencia para promover la implicación y reducir el distanciamiento

Identificación y especularidad en los espectadores de violencia en televisión: una reconstrucción a partir del discurso.

Numerosos autores han vinculado la experiencia de ver violencia en televisión con procesos de identificación. La investigación ha descubierto dimensiones que no recogen con precisión la experiencia peculiar de los espectadores. El objetivo de este trabajo es reconstruir la noción de identificación a partir del discurso. Se analizaron ocho grupos focales con visionado de fragmentos de programas con violencia real o ficticia. Los resultados muestran que la identificación está conectada a la especularidad, la posibilidad de experimentar la misma emoción e impacto de los personajes, según la similitud o preferencia de los espectadores. Por último, se discuten las implicaciones sobre los efectos de la violencia en televisió

Construction and classification of Z₂s-linear Hadamard codes

The Z₂s-additive and Z₂Z₄-additive codes are subgroups of Z₂s^n and Z₂^α × Z₄^β, respectively. Both families can be seen as generalizations of linear codes over Z₂ and Z₄. A Z₂s-linear (resp. Z₂Z₄-linear) Hadamard code is a binary Hadamard code which is the Gray map image of a Z₂s-additive (resp. Z₂Z₄-additive) code. It is known that there are exactly ⌊(t−1)/2⌋ and ⌊t/2⌋ nonequivalent Z₂Z₄-linear Hadamard codes of length 2ᵗ, with α=0 and α≠0, respectively, for all t≥3. In this paper, new Z₂s-linear Hadamard codes are constructed for s>2, which are not equivalent to any Z₂Z₄-linear Hadamard code. Moreover, for each s>2, it is claimed that the new constructed nonlinear Z₂-linear Hadamard codes of length 2ᵗ are pairwise nonequivalent

Hiperplasia angiolinfoide con eosinofilia: a propósito de una localización atípica en músculo trapecio

La hiperplasia angiolinfoide con eosinofilia es una patología poco frecuente de presentación clínica inespecífica que lleva a que rara vez se diagnostique antes del estudio histológico. Habitualmente afecta a piel y tejido celular subcutáneo siendo rara la localización extracutánea. Presentamos un caso clínico de una tumoración en una mujer de 46 años localizada a nivel del músculo trapecio; y revisamos las características histopatológicas y de tratamiento de esta patología.Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia is an uncommon condition with non-specific clinical symptoms that needs a histological study to have the diagnosis. Usually this lesion occurs in the skin and the subcutaneous tissue, with extracutaneous affection being rare. We describe a tumour affecting the trapezius muscle in a 40- year-old woman; and we review the histopathologic findings and the treatment of this pathology

Los espectadores ante la violencia televisiva: funciones, efectos e interpretaciones situadas

La investigación sobre violencia en televisión se ha orientado a una labor cuantificadora de lo emitido o a la práctica experimental para determinar sus posibles efectos. El presente trabajo se centra en cómo interpretan los espectadores las imágenes de violencia. Basado en el análisis de 16 grupos de discusión, muestra las dimensiones que mediatizan los posibles efectos de la violencia televisiva; en concreto, las condiciones en que se reconocen y clasifican escenas de violencia, las funciones de la imagen violenta, las emociones y sentimientos despertados por ella y los procesos de identificación que se pueden producir con los personajes de las escenas

Clinical leishmaniosis in a domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo) treated with miltefosine plus allopurinol: Serological and clinical follow-up

The published information on the treatment of mustelid leishmaniosis is extremely scarce because there are only two case reports available. In one case, a domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo) was treated with a combination of meglumine antimoniate plus allopurinol and, in the other case, a therapeutic regimen with allopurinol was administrated to a Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra). This article describes for the first time a combined therapeutic protocol with miltefosine (2 mg/kg once a day during 28 days per os), and allopurinol (10 mg/kg twice a day PO sine die) in a domestic ferret with splenomegaly, lymphadenomegaly and a facial pyogranulomatous dermatitis, with a moderate level of antibodies to Leishmania infantum. © 2021 Elsevier B.V

Geology of the Falcón Basin (NW Venezuela)

This paper presents a geological map and cross-section of the Falcón Basin based both on published and unpublished work and on new data collected in the northern and southern basin margins. The geological map covers an area of 4600 km2 at 1:100,000 scale. The cross- section is oriented NNW-SSE, traversing perpendicular to the main structures. In general, the structure of the study area results from the inversion of a graben (Oligocene-early Miocene back-arc basin), that started in the middle Miocene due to the convergence between the Caribbean and South American plates. The map, the cross-section and the observations made in the field have been used to generate a tectonostratigraphic reconstruction of the Falcón Basin. The Oligocene-early Miocene sedimentary succession mapped and described is relevant to the hydrocarbon exploration in the Caribbean and in the Gulf of Venezuela, where new hydrocarbon resources have recently been discovered (i.e. Perla gas field)

First report on natural infection with Leishmania infantum in a domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo) in Spain

A pet domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo) with a papular lesion involving the right pinna was diagnosed with chronic pyogranulomatous dermatitis by histopathologic examination. Intralesional, intracytoplasmic oval microorganisms compatible with Leishmania spp. or Histoplasma spp. were observed in macrophages and multinucleate giant cells. Leishmania infantum (L. infantum) infection was diagnosed by PCR, culture in Novy-MacNeal-Nicolle medium, and immunohistochemistry. Abnormal clinicopathological results included increased alanine transferase, alkaline phosphatase, serum gamma glutamyl transferase and polyclonal gammpathy. Anti-Leishmania antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescence antibody test and western blot using L. infantum antigen. Immunoreactivity against the 16 kDa specific L. infantum antigen fraction was observed by western blot. PCR performed in blood samples obtained from this patient after positive parasite isolation detected L. infantum DNA. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first diagnosis and isolation of L. infantum in a domestic ferret naturally infected in an endemic region (Spain) where canine and feline leishmaniosis is frequently detected. According to these findings, ferrets should be included as potential reservoir hosts of L. infantum. Future investigations should analyze the epidemiological role of ferrets in L. infantum infection including the prevalence of infection

Extracellular vesicles in parasitic diseases

Parasitic diseases affect billions of people and are considered a major public health issue. Close to 400 species are estimated to parasitize humans, of which around 90 are responsible for great clinical burden and mortality rates. Unfortunately, they are largely neglected as they are mainly endemic to poor regions. Of relevance to this review, there is accumulating evidence of the release of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in parasitic diseases, acting both in parasite–parasite inter-communication as well as in parasite–host interactions. EVs participate in the dissemination of the pathogen and play a role in the regulation of the host immune systems. Production of EVs from parasites or parasitized cells has been described for a number of parasitic infections. In this review, we provide the most relevant findings of the involvement of EVs in intercellular communication, modulation of immune responses, involvement in pathology, and their potential as new diagnostic tools and therapeutic agents in some of the major human parasitic pathogens