Prosodically Conditioned Realization of Voiced Stops and Vowels in Yucatecan Spanish

This dissertation investigates the acoustic nature and distribution of prosodic strengthening in relation to the Prosodic Word domain and prosodic prominence in Yucatecan Spanish. In order to do so, phonologically voiced stops and word-initial vowels were examined in a corpus of sociolinguistic interviews and a read speech task with 16–21 speakers of the variety. The results provide evidence for prosodic strengthening of both voiced stops and word-initial vowels. The acoustic manifestations of prosodic strengthening of voiced stops are (i) longer duration, (ii) greater change in intensity, and, in extreme cases of strengthening, (iii) presence of a release burst. Strengthening of word-initial vowels is manifested through glottalization, which is present in the first portion of the vowel. Prosodic strengthening occurs in PW-initial position and especially under lexical stress, although accentuation may also play a role. Thus, prosodic strengthening is used to indicate (post)lexical prominence and boundaries at the PW level. In terms of speaker-specific variation, Yucatec Maya language dominance does not appear to favor more strengthened realizations either of voiced stops or word-initial vowels, while gender has no effect on the distribution of strengthened realizations. Finally, a proposal is made for the strengthening of voiced stops and glottalization of word-initial vowels being used to mark the left edges of a recursive PW in Yucatecan Spanish

El consumo femenino de la imagen de la mujer en la publicidad. El sexismo en las campañas publicitarias rechazadas por la audiencia

This article presents the results of research into the perceptions and attitudes of women with regard to gender representations in advertising discourse. This study is part of a research project begun in 2005 on the subject of the consumption of the image of women in advertising and the media carried out by the Catalan Institute of Women (ICD) of the Catalan regional government, the Generalitat. From a qualitative perspective, results are obtained about the significance that women assign to gender representations. The recipients’ evaluation and conceptualization of advertising and sexism demonstrate that a number of stereotypes that continue to exist in the media are distant from social reality. KEY WORDS: Reception, Audiences, Representation, Gender Studies, Discrimination, Advertising, Women, Stereotypes, Media, Sexism. PALABRAS CLAVE: recepción, audiencias, representación, estudios de género, discriminación, publicidad, mujeres, estereotipos, medios, sexismo

Connecting Social Enterprises and Sustainable Consumption: Systematic Review, Bibliometric Analysis, and Conceptual Framework

[Abstract]: The purpose of this study is to explore the meeting point between social enterprises (SEs) and sustainable consumption, given the proven potential of these hybrid organizations in the achievement of sustainable development. Paradoxically, scholarly attention has been scarce to this field of research, particularly from the perspectives of SE products and (potential) customers. Aiming to shed some light, a systematic literature review was conducted, resulting in 24 scientific publications descriptively and thematically explored based on a bibliometric analysis. The findings show that the link between SEs and sustainable consumption is very recent and that empirical articles using quantitative methodologies prevail focused on the analysis of capabilities and performances of SEs aiming to positively influence customers’ response. Nevertheless, the attention to the identification of product attributes and the individual determinants effective enough to press the buy button is still limited. In response to this shortcoming, the originality of this study consists of assembling the findings in this regard into an integrated conceptual framework that paves the way for future analysis in this field of studyMICINN National Project CO-CRESEO ; PID2019-109580RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/ 50110001103

Effect of the electromagnetic water treatment on the carbonate scales. Determination of calcite and aragonite by the Meigen test

Poster submitted to the 14th Mediterranean Congress of Chemical Engineering, Virtual Event: 16-20 November 2020Carbonate scale in water systems is a very common problem, frequently associated with exchange heaters. The presence of deposits involves technical and economic problems that can be minimised using different treatments, such as electromagnetic (EM) techniques. However, there are few studies determining the scientific basis of this water treatment technique. With the application of EM treatment, aragonite becomes predominant with respect to calcite and does not produce scale, in contrast to calcite. The presence of calcite or aragonite could be determined by the Meigen test, which is applied to solid minerals. Hence, this study aimed to analyse the potential usefulness of the TK3K equipment in water treatment, as well as the applicability of the Meigen test to solid samples obtained from water evaporation. It was observed that the evaporation temperature is a fundamental factor in the crystalline form of calcium carbonate because at higher temperatures (70 and 105 °C) there was more aragonite formed than calcite, even when no treated water was evaporated. The application of EM techniques increased the concentration of aragonite in the samples at 25 and 40 °C, as well as the durability of the aragonite crystals, by reducing their reversion to calcite. On the other hand, it was observed that Meigen test could be an excellent option as a complementary technique to X-ray diffraction and microscopy in the determination of calcite and aragonite from water evaporation. It is a simple, cheap and quick analysis, prior to determination by instrumentals techniques

An approach to gut microbiota profile in children with autism spectrum disorder

In recent years, there has been an increase in studies on the implications of gut microbiota (GM) on the behaviour of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) due to a dysbiosis in GM that can trigger onset, development or progression of ASD through the microbiota–gut–brain axis. The aim of this study is to carry out a systematic review of articles from the last 6 years that analyse GM in children with ASD compared to GM in control groups. Children with ASD showed a higher abundance of Roseburia and Candida genera, and lower abundance of Dialister, Bilophila, Veillonella, Streptococcus, Coprococcus and Prevotella genera. Those differences can be attributed to factors such as different nationalities, nature of control groups, place where the sample was taken, gastrointestinal (GI) problems or bacterial detection methods. It is still too early to define a specific GM profile of children with ASD, and future studies should focus on homogenizing the characteristics of samples and control groups. Furthermore, new multicentre studies should also focus on the impact of GM on GI physiology, neurophysiology and behaviour of children with ASD, and on performing psychometric analyses of the correlation between the severity of ASD behavioural symptoms and GM profiles

Stability of the physical properties, bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of spray-dried grapefruit powder

[EN] Spray-drying may be an interesting alternative means of offering consumers high quality, stable, and easy-tohandle fruit. The stability of grapefruit powder formulated with gum Arabic, maltodextrin and whey protein isolate was studied. The changes during powder storage at 20 degrees C of the vitamin C (VC), total phenolics (TP), lycopene (Lp), antioxidant activity (AOA), color and mechanical properties were studied at different relative humidities (RH), from 0 to 56% for up to 9 month, either exposed to light or in darkness. Results showed that TP were the most stable compounds and Lp the most unstable. The properties studied with grapefruit powder were relatively stable when stored at 20 degrees C, in darkness or light, at RH <= 23.1% and for no more than 6 months. With these conditions, losses of 32, 3, 23-68 and 90% were observed for TP, VC, AOA and Lp, respectively, and the powder maintained its flowability and color.The authors wish to thank Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional for the financial support given through the Project AGL 2012-39103.González, F.; García Martínez, EM.; Camacho Vidal, MM.; Martínez-Navarrete, N. (2019). Stability of the physical properties, bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of spray-dried grapefruit powder. Food Bioscience. 28:74-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbio.2019.01.009S74822

Jam processing and storage effects on b-carotene and flavonoids content in grapefruit

[EN] Grapefruit phytochemicals (beta-carotene and flavonoids) stability after different jam processing was evaluated. Osmotic dehydration, microwave energy and conventional heating techniques have been used to obtain jam. beta-Carotene and individual flavonoids were analyzed by HPLC technique. The results showed that jam obtained from osmodehydrated fruit (ODJ) is the only that preserved completely the (beta-carotene content. All processes of production of jam significantly decreased the content of narirutin (NAT), poncirin (PON), naringenin (NAG) and quercetin (QUER), while naringin (NAR) remained stable. Jams obtained by applying a heat treatment showed significant lower values of NAG and QUER in comparison with ODJ. The jam obtained from osmodehydrated fruit, without being submitted to any heat treatment, showed at the end of storage the highest contents of naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, didymin, quercetin, poncirin and the total sum of analysed flavonoids. In general, the phytochemical loss in jams as a consequence of processing was lower than those provoked by storage effect.The authors thank the Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia for the financial support given throughout the Project AGL 2005-05994.Igual Ramo, M.; García Martínez, EM.; Camacho Vidal, MM.; Martínez Navarrete, N. (2013). Jam processing and storage effects on b-carotene and flavonoids content in grapefruit. Journal of Functional Foods. 5(2):736-744. https://doi.org/10.1016/jjf f.2013.01.019S7367445

Bioavailability of Bioactive Compounds from Reconstituted Grapefruit Juice as Affected by the Obtention Process

[EN] Much attention has been paid to the health benefits of including fruits and vegetables in the diet. However, for the compounds responsible for this beneficial effect to be effective at the level of the human organism, they must be available for absorption after digestion. In this sense, in vivo studies are needed to demonstrate the bioavailability of these compounds and their physiological activity. In order to provide information in this regard, this study collects data on the levels of vitamin C (VC) and naringenin (NAG) in the blood serum of the 11 volunteer participants in this trial, before and after consuming two different grapefruit juices. The juices were prepared by rehydrating the grapefruit powder obtained by freeze-drying (FD) the fruit puree or by spray-drying (SD) the liquefied grapefruit. No significant differences (p > 0.05) neither by juice nor by participant were observed in any case. The mean relative increase of VC, NAG and the radical scavenging ability (RSA) in blood serum due to grapefruit juices intake was 12%, 28% and 26%, respectively. Just VC showed a positive and significant Pearson¿s correlation with RSA. The mean bioavailability of VC was quantified as 1.529 +- 0.002 mg VC/L serum per 100 mg of VC ingested.This research was funded by Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Project AGL 2012-39103.Camacho Vidal, MM.; Martínez-Lahuerta, JJ.; García Martínez, EM.; Igual Ramo, M.; Martínez-Navarrete, N. (2023). Bioavailability of Bioactive Compounds from Reconstituted Grapefruit Juice as Affected by the Obtention Process. Molecules. 28(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules2807290428

Expanding the etiology of oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum: a novel interstitial microdeletion at 1p36

The etiology of oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum (OAVS) is not well established. About half of patients show a positive family history. The etiology of familiar cases is unclear but appears genetically heterogeneous. This motivated us to report a case of OAVS with microtia, ptosis, facial microsomy, and fusion of vertebral bodies associated with a novel genetic etiology, including a deletion at 1p36.12-13. This case report expands on the genetic etiology of OAVS. Furthermore, it also expands the clinical manifestations of patients with interstitial deletions of the de 1p36.12-13 region

Online teaching in COVID-19 times. Student satisfaction and analysis of their academic performance

[EN] Online teaching has grown exponentially as a result of COVID-19. Universities and teaching institutions the world over have had to adapt their curricula to this new teaching and learning model. The main goal of this study is to analyse various teaching methodologies used on a sample of university students to analyse their effectiveness in terms of satisfaction, competencies and academic performance. The results suggest that methodologies that include greater student-teacher interaction or the use of videoconferencing for classes and problem-solving help to raise student satisfaction. Students also positively assess online teaching as it allows them to acquire new competencies and even to identify business opportunities. The online evaluation method used also seems to have been appropriate, as it led students to obtain better grades than in face-to-face teaching contexts. The study offers several implications for university teachers of Social Sciences who wish to adopt this type of teaching method