Re-Imaginando la Literatura Chicana en el Siglo Veintiuno: La Conciencia Mestiza y “The People of Paper” de Salvador Plascencia

La literatura chicana ha evolucionado significativamente en narrativa y forma desde mediados del siglo veinte. Esta evolución problematizó el concepto de lo que se consideraba como “literatura chicana”. De modo que a raíz de la compleja problemática de catalogar un texto como “chicano”, este estudio pretende analizar algunos parámetros empleados para definir el canon literario chicano e indagar sobre el posicionamiento del texto The People of Paper de Salvador Plascencia dentro de dicha literatura. Asimismo, se analizará el texto The People of Paper desde un marco teórico chicano. Así pues, se opta por el acercamiento crítico de Gloria Anzaldúa y su concepto de la conciencia mestiza para analizar la multiplicidad discursiva y la forma o estética no-tradicional. Finalmente, propongo un estudio que analice los elementos principales para calificar un texto, con las características de The People of Paper, como un texto chicano en el siglo veintiuno

Molecular Modeling Studies Of Bromopyrrole Alkaloids As Potential Antimalarial Compounds: A DFT Approach

The World Health Organization has reported about 214 million new cases of malaria with about 438,000 deaths worldwide in 2015. An example of antimalarial compounds isolated from plants, and is currently in use, may be mentioned quinine and artemisinin. However, one of the major problems that have arisen in recent years is the resistance of parasites against existing antimalarial drugs. Thus, there is a strong need to find new agents to control and to eradicate the disease. In this regard, marine organisms constitute a universally recognized source of potentially bioactive molecules, which have been enzymatically engineered and biologically validated. In this study, a quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) analysis has been performed on data set of 14 bromopyrrole alkaloids (sponge metabolites) for antimalarial activity. Using density functional theory (DFT) several types of descriptors, including thermodynamics and electronic, have been calculated, in order to derive a quantitative relationship between antimalarial activity and structural properties. Simple and multiple regressions were used to generate the model. The best model (r2 = 0.97, Q2 = 0.86, F = 41.85) was obtained with descriptors as entropy, dipole momentum, molecular polarizability, HOMO energy softness, and electrophilic Index. The robustness of the QSAR models was verified by the leave-one-out cross-validation and external validation methods. The model obtained in this study should aid further study and could suggest some characteristics of novel potent bromopyrrole alkaloids against malaria

Developing a Sustainable Food Security Program for an Urban Coastal City

Local urban coastal cities are most vulnerable to the impacts brought about by climate change. Very little attention, however, had been given to the role of coastal cities, including Navotas City, to the achievement of food security in urban centers like Metro Manila. A unified plan of action and a sustainable food security program are imperative given the unpredictability of climate change and the growing urban populations, which result in an increasing demand for a sustainable source of nutritious and affordable food. This study looked into developing a sustainable food security program designed to mitigate the impacts brought about by climate change on food availability, access, utilization, and stability; and how these affect Navotas City’s food security. Data from literature reviews and agency reports were validated by key informant interviews and focus group discussions to achieve the aforementioned objective

QSAR and molecular docking modelling of anti-leishmanial activities of organic selenium and tellurium compounds

Leishmaniasis affects mainly rural areas and the poorest people in the world. A computational study of the antileishmanial activity of organic selenium and tellurium compounds was performed. The 3D structures of the compounds were optimized at the wb97xd/lanl2dz level and used in the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis. The antileishmanial activity was measured by L. donovani β carbonic anhydrase inhibition (Ki) and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) against L. infantum amastigotes. The dataset was divided into training (75%) and test sets (25%) by using a k-means clustering algorithm. For pKi prediction, model M3 with seven 3D topographic descriptors was characterized by the following statistical parameters: r 2 = 0.879, Q 2 LOO = 0.822, and Q 2 ext = 0.840. For pIC50 prediction, model M12 with six attributes was characterized by the following statistical parameters: r 2 = 0.907, Q 2 LOO = 0.824, and Q 2 ext = 0.795. Both models met all the requirements of Tropsha´s test, which implies predictions of pIC50 and pKi activities with high accuracy. Concomitantly, favourable interactions of the sulphonamide group with the Zn atom in the protein were revealed by the docking analysis

Commencement of flash glucose monitoring is associated with a decreased rate of depressive disorders among persons with diabetes (FLARE-NL7)

INTRODUCTION: Depressive disorders are more common among persons with diabetes, as compared with persons without diabetes. The burden of glucose management is known to associate with depressive symptoms. This study aims to assess the effects of commencement of FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring (FSL-FGM) on the mental health status of persons with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Post-hoc analysis of data from a 1-year prospective nationwide FSL-FGM registry. Participants who used FSL-FGM for 12 months and completed the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-12v2) questionnaires at baseline, 6 and 12 months were included. An SF-12v2 Mental Component Score (MCS) of ≤45 was used as a cut-off to discriminate between persons with and without a depressive disorder. RESULTS: A total of 674 patients were included with a mean age of 48.2 (±15.8) years, 51.2% men, 78.2% type 1 diabetes and baseline HbA1c 62.8 (±13.4) mmol/mol (7.9±1.2%). At baseline, 235 (34.9%) persons had an SF-12 MCS ≤45 while after 6 and 12 months these numbers decreased: 202 (30.0%, p<0.01) and 173 (25.7%, p<0.01). Overall, MCS improved from 48.5 at baseline to 50.7 after 6 months and 51.3 after 12 months. In multivariable regression analysis, age and MCS at baseline were associated with improvement of MCS after 12 months of FSL-FGM use. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis suggests that use of FSL-FGM is associated with a decreased rate of depressive disorders among persons with diabetes. Future studies are needed to corroborate these findings

Imaging the Kirkendall effect in pyrite (FeS2) thin films: cross-sectional microstructure and chemical features

This investigation provides novel data on the structure and chemical composition of pyrite thin films and new hints concerning their formation mechanism. From TEM-HAADF data, it has been found that the films are composed of two different layers: one is very compact and the other one is quite porous with many voids separating a few groups of grains. This porous layer is always in direct contact with the substrate, and its thickness is quite similar to that of the original Fe film. The average size of pyrite grains is equal in both layers, what suggests that the same process is responsible for their formation. Concentration profiles of sulfur, iron and some impurities (mainly sodium and oxygen from the glass substrate) through both layers are given in this work, and thus chemical inhomogeneities of the films are proved by the obtained stoichiometric ratios (S/Fe). Moreover, Na from sodalime glass substrates mainly accumulates at the pyrite grain boundaries and barely dopes them. The obtained results support the hypothesis that the iron sulfuration process essentially induces the diffusion of iron atoms, what leads to the porous layer formation as a manifestation of the Kirkendall Effect. Therefore, it seems that the same mechanisms that operate in the synthesis of surface hollow structures at the nanoscale are also active in the formation of pyrite thin films ranging from several tens to hundreds of nanometersMembers of MIRE Group acknowledge the financial support of the Spanish MICINN under project RTI2018-099794-B-I00. E. Flores acknowledges the intramural CSIC project 2D-MeSes funding and the service from the MiNa Laboratory at IMN, and funding from CM (project SpaceTec, S2013/ICE2822), MINECO (project CSIC13-4E1794) and EU (FEDER,FSE). Financial support through the project UMA18-FEDERJA-041 is gratefully acknowledge

Circulating trimethylamine-N-oxide is associated with all-cause mortality in subjects with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Trimethylamine‐N‐oxide (TMAO), a gut microbiota‐liver metabolite, has been associated with cardiometabolic disease. However, whether TMAO is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and NAFLD‐related health outcomes remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the association of TMAO with NAFLD and to assess the extent to which the association of TMAO with all‐cause mortality is dependent on the presence of NAFLD in the general population. METHODS: We included 5292 participants enrolled in the Prevention of Renal and Vascular End‐stage Disease (PREVEND) cohort study. Cox proportional‐hazards regression analyses were performed to study the association of TMAO with all‐cause mortality in subjects with and without a fatty liver index (FLI) ≥60, which was used as a proxy of NAFLD. RESULTS: During a median follow‐up of 8.2 years, 307 subjects died, of whom 133 were classified with NAFLD. TMAO was positively and independently associated with baseline FLI (Std β 0.08, 95% CI 0.05, 0.11, P < .001). Higher TMAO was associated with increased risk of all‐cause mortality in subjects with NAFLD, in crude analysis (hazard ratio [HR] per 1 SD, 2.55, 95% CI 1.60, 4.05, P < .001) and after full adjustment ((adj)HR 1.90, 95% CI 1.18, 3.04, P = .008). Such an association was not present in subjects without NAFLD (crude HR 1.14, 95% CI 0.81, 1.71, P = .39; (adj)HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.65, 1.39, P = .78). CONCLUSION: This prospective study revealed that plasma concentrations of TMAO were associated with all‐cause mortality in subjects with NAFLD, independently of traditional risk factors