Patriotism and Dual Citizenship

I am a citizen of two countries—the United States and Mexico—and I have a deep love of both, for different reasons. I believe that being a citizen of two countries allows me to be a partial outsider in each, which perhaps gives me an uncommon perspective on both. I know that there are those who argue that it’s impossible to be truly loyal to one country if one is also a citizen of another, and there are those for whom any criticism of one’s country is tantamount to treason. I reject both of those positions. First, I believe that a patriot is a person who loves his or her country and therefore wants it to be the best it is capable of being. The United States has been the leader of the free world for most of the time that the majority of us alive today have existed. This sets a unique standard. I believe this means that we should not only be the best we can be for ourselves, but that we should also set an example for those we would lead. Importantly, to be a good leader, it is essential to know something about those one is leading. In other words, it is helpful to know what makes other countries good, or even best, at some things in order to build on those strengths and perhaps adopt them whenever possible, as well as to lead in a way that acknowledges the strengths of others. This, in my mind, is precisely why promising to “Make America Great Again” is antithetical to true leadership. Making America “great” without helping those we hope to lead also be “great” is the very abandonment of leadership and therefore false patriotism

English Learners in California Schools: Unequal resources, 'Unequal outcomes

The Williams vs the State of California class action suit on behalf of poor children in that state argues that California provides a fundamentally inequitable education to students based on wealth and language status. This article, an earlier version of which was prepared as background to that case, reviews the conditions of schooling for English learners in the state with the largest population of such students, totaling nearly 1.6 million in 2003, and comprising about 40 percent of nation’s English learners. We argue, with evidence, that there are seven aspects of the schooling of English language learners where students receive an education that is demonstrably inferior to that of English speakers. For example, these students are assigned to less qualified teachers, are provided with inferior curriculum and less time to cover it, are housed in inferior facilities where they are often segregated from English speaking peers, and are assessed by invalid instruments that provide little, if any, information about their actual achievement. We end with suggestions for ways in which teachers, administrators, and policymakers can begin to address these inequities, even while legal remedies may remain in the distant future

Assessment Of Human Health Risk Associated With Methylmercury In The Imported Fish Marketed In The Caribbean

The decline in marine and freshwaters catches in recent years in Colombia has led to a change in dietary habits, with an increase in the purchase and consumption of imported fish. This is of particular concern as fish are sometimes caught in mercury-contaminated waters, and are subsequently sold canned or uncanned. In addition, canned tuna has received little attention as it is widely assumed that concentrations are low. In this study, total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations were evaluated in three imported fish species marketed in Colombia, Prochilodus lineatus, Prochilodus reticulatus, and Pangasianodon hypophthalmus, plus four brands of canned tuna and one of sardines. One brand of tuna showed the highest mean concentrations of THg (0.543 ± 0.237 μg/g, wet weight, ww) and MeHg (0.518 ± 0.337 μg/g ww), while concentrations in P. hypophthalmus were approximately 30 times lower (≈0.02 µg/g ww). The estimated weekly intake (EWI) in children was above the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) of MeHg established by the Joint FAO/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) in 2007, 1.6 μg/kg body weight (bw) per week, for all the canned tuna brands. Values for adults were below PTWI, whereas for women of childbearing age, values were above PTWI only for brand D of canned tuna. The estimate of the potential risk indicated that MeHg levels in canned tuna can generate negative effects in vulnerable groups, while the EWI of fresh fish did not pose a threat to the general population. Therefore, establishing strategies to address the high consumption of canned tuna, and continuous monitoring to control commercial food, are recommended to decrease Hg exposure

Buoyancy of Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus eggs obtained from captive broodstock spontaneous spawning events

One way to alleviate the pressure on the wild fishery of the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) and aid in its conservation could be its domestication and the development of a self-sustained industry to rear the larvae and produce fingerlings in captive conditions for further grow-out. The Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) is carrying out several research projects on this target for the last 12 years. No one has yet measured the vertical distribution and the in situ buoyancy of bluefin tuna eggs in any of its spawning areas in the world (Mac Kenzie and Mariani, 2012). In the present study the density of bluefin tuna eggs has been measured, comparing it with those of other fish species, particularly Atlantic bonito. We have estimated the speed by which BFT eggs rise to the surface to get a better idea of the potential loss of spawned eggs dragged by the currents out of the cage

PhenQE8, a Novel Ligand of the Human Telomeric Quadruplex

A novel quadruplex ligand based on 1,10-phenanthroline and incorporating two guanyl hydrazone functionalities, PhenQE8, is reported herein. Synthetic access was gained in a twostep procedure with an overall yield of 61%. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that PhenQE8 can adopt an extended conformation that may be optimal to favor recognition of quadruplex DNA. DNA interactions with polymorphic G-quadruplex telomeric structures were studied by different techniques, such as Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) DNA melting assays, circular dichroism and equilibrium dialysis. Our results reveal that the novel ligand PhenQE8 can efficiently recognize the hybrid quadruplex structures of the human telomeric DNA, with high binding affinity and quadruplex/duplex selectivity. Moreover, the compound shows significant cytotoxic activity against a selected panel of cultured tumor cells (PC-3, HeLa and MCF-7), whereas its cytotoxicity is considerably lower in healthy human cells (HFF-1 and RPWE-1)

Size-selective mortality of laboratory-reared Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae: evidence from microstructure analysis of otoliths during the piscivorous phase

Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) larvae show strong piscivorous feeding behavior at the very early larval stage and this enables them to grow at high rates. We conducted a laboratory experiment in which Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae were offered larval prey for the first time at different ages to simulate the early onset of piscivory at three treatments: yolk-sac larvae (YSL), delayed onset of piscivory (DYSL) and a solely planktivorous diet (Rotifers). The otolith microstructure was then used to compare the larval size distribution at the onset of the experiment with the estimated previous size-at-age of the survivors at the end of the experiment by back- calculation. Within a cohort, our results show size-selective mortality of the largest larvae independent of the differences in the timing of onset of piscivory and differences in growth patterns. The results also corroborate the rapid response of Atlantic bluefin tuna to piscivory in terms of growth reflected in the otolith increment widths. Being bigger did not infer a survival advantage and mortality rates did not decline with increasing larval size. Smaller size at a given age could under certain conditions and stages of development confer a survival advantage of individual members of a larval cohort when suitable small-sized prey is available.Versión del editor2,26

Effect of photoperiod and light intensity on larval rearing of bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus

A couple of trials to test the effects of photoperiod and light intensity on growth and survival of Atlantic bluefin tuna larva were carried out. With regard to light intensity, no significant differences were found between 500, 1000 and 2000 luxes. With regards to photoperiod meanwhile long photoperiods lead to a greater growth, intermediate photoperiods (16hL:8hD and 12hL:12hD ) improve significantly survival rates.Research Project ATAME (CT M2011-29525-C04)

Otolith microstructure analyses in cultured Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae as a tool to provide accurate estimates of size selective growth and mortality

Being bigger is not always the best option to survive and mortality rates do not always decline with increasing larval size. Smaller size at a given age could under certain condition and at certain stages of development confer a survival advantage on individual members of a larval cohort. Reference

Nutraceutical Potential of Phenolics from `Brava´ and `Mansa´ Extra-Virgin Olive Oils on the Inhibition of Enzymes Associated to Neurodegenerative Disorders in Comparison with Those of `Picual´ and `Cornicabra´

The increasing interest in theMediterranean diet is based on the protective effects against several diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders. Polyphenol-rich functional foods have been proposed to be unique supplementary and nutraceutical treatments for these disorders. Extra-virgin olive oils (EVOOs) obtained from 0Brava0 and 0Mansa0, varieties recently identified from Galicia (northwestern Spain), were selected for in vitro screening to evaluate their capacity to inhibit key enzymes involved in Alzheimer0s disease (AD) (acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX)), major depressive disorder (MDD) and Parkinson0s disease (PD) (monoamine oxidases: hMAO-A and hMAO-B respectively). 0Brava0 oil exhibited the best inhibitory activity against all enzymes, when they are compared to 0Mansa0 oil: BuChE (IC50 = 245 ± 5 and 591 ± 23 mg.mL-1), 5-LOX (IC50 = 45 ± 7 and 106±14 mg.mL-1), hMAO-A (IC50 = 30 ± 1 and 72 ± 10 mg.mL-1) and hMAO-B (IC50 = 191 ± 8 and 208 ±14 mg.mL-1), respectively. The inhibitory capacity of the phenolic extracts could be associated with the content of secoiridoids, lignans and phenolic acids.This work received financial support from Programa de Cooperación Interreg V-A España—Portugal (POCTEP) 2014–2020 (projects Ref.: 0181_NANOEATERS_01_E and Ref: 0377_IBERPHENOL_6_E)

First estimates of metabolic rate in Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae

Author's accepted manuscript.Available from 26/07/2021.This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Blanco, E., Reglero, P., Ortega, A., Folkvord, A., de la Gándara, F., Hernández de Rojas, A. & Moyano, M. (2020). First estimates of metabolic rate in Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae. Journal of Fish Biology, 97(5), 1296-1305, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.14473. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.acceptedVersio