Ser gibraltareño: identidades y culturas de los residentes en Gibraltar

Gibraltar es un territorio en el que existen múltiples confluencias históricas, culturales y económicas. El objetivo de este artículo es analizar el proceso de construcción de las identidades de los residentes de Gibraltar mediante un estudio exploratorio cualitativo sobre la diversidad y la complejidad cultural, con entrevistas semi- estructuradas con diferentes perfiles de entrevistados. Los resultados revelan la existencia de una cultura específica, la gibraltareña, pero también de sentimient de pertenencia a la cultura inglesa y española. La diversidad cultural es un factor muy importante en la construcción de la identidad del ser gibraltareño, ya que proporciona - además de un sentimiento de pertenencia común entre sus residentes, también un sentimiento de compartir, de integración y tolerancia, así como un sentimiento de orgullo por su propia diversidad. Gibraltar ha encontrado una forma particular de adaptarse e integrarse en un contexto multicultural, con la incorporación de diversos rasgos culturales.Gibraltar is a territory where there are multiple historical, cultural and economic confluences. The aim of this article is to analyse the process of construction of the identities of the residents of Gibraltar through a qualitative exploratory study on cultural diversity and complexity, with semi-structured interviews with different profiles of interviewees. The results reveal the existence of a specific culture, the Gibraltarian culture, but also feelings of belonging to the English and Spanish culture. Cultural diversity is a very important factor in the construction of the identity of the Gibraltarian self, as it provides - besides a feeling of common belonging among its residents - also a feeling of sharing, integration and tolerance, as well as a feeling of pride in its own diversity. Gibraltar has found a particular way to adapt and integrate in a multicultural context, with the incorporation of diverse cultural features.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Identities, borders and crossbreding: the case of the residents of Gibraltar

A construção das identidades é um processo complexo e contínuo que inclui experiências individuais e coletivas. Neste artigo, analisa-se a complexidade cultural e identitária dos residentes de Gibraltar por meio de um estudo exploratório e qualitativo. Trata-se de um território único no continente europeu e com certos vínculos coloniais devido ao seu passado de conquistas de disputas fronteiriças entre Espanha e Inglaterra. Além da comprovação de distintas origens culturais e geográficas, foi possível perceber, uma dinâmica intercultural entre os seus habitantes, em que a pluralidade e a mestiçagem de culturas conjugam um papel importante no processo construtivo e identitário dos seus residentes, permitindo não só uma integração no seu meio social, mas uma reconfiguração de suas pertenças, despertando um sentimento comum de convivência, além do reconhecimento de seus próprios limites culturais.The construction of identities is a complex and continuous process that includes individual and collective experiences. In this article, identity and cultural complexity of the residents of Gibraltar analysed through an exploratory and qualitative study. It is a unique territory in the European continent and with certain colonial links due to its past of conquests and border disputes between Spain and England. In addition to the evidence of distinct cultural and geographical origins, it was possible to perceive an intercultural dynamic among its inhabitants, in which plurality and crossbreeding of cultures play an important role in the constructive and identity process of its residents, allowing not only an integration in their social environment, but a reconfiguration of their belonging, awakening a common feeling of coexistence, in addition to the recognition of their own cultural limits.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Metabolite composition of chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) upon cooking: Proximate analysis, fibre, organic acids and phenolics

The aim of this research was to study the processing effects (roasting and boiling) on primary and secondary metabolite composition of fruits from the following chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) cultivars (cvs.) of three Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) areas in the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro region (Portugal): PDO Terra Fria (cvs. Aveleira, Boaventura, Côta, Lamela and Trigueira), PDO Padrela (cvs. Judia, Lada, Longal and Negra) and PDO Soutos da Lapa (cvs. Longal and Martaínha). The cooking processes significantly (p < 0.0001) affected primary and secondary metabolite composition of the chestnuts. Roasted chestnuts had higher protein contents, insoluble and total dietary fibre and lower fat contents whilst boiled chestnuts had lower protein, but higher fat contents. Cooking increased citric acid contents, especially in roasted chestnuts. On the other hand, raw chestnuts had higher malic acid contents than cooked chestnuts. Moreover, roasted chestnuts had significantly higher gallic acid and total phenolics contents, and boiled chestnuts had higher gallic and ellagic acids contents, when compared to raw chestnuts. The present data confirms that cooked chestnuts are a good source of organic acids and phenolics and have low fat contents, properties that are associated with positive health benefits

Evaluation of the immune response following a short oral vaccination schedule with hepatitis B antigen encapsulated into alginate-coated chitosan nanoparticles

The purpose of this work was to assess the ability of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine, encapsulated in alginate-coated chitosan nanoparticles, to induce local and systemic immune responses following oral vaccination. The antigen was administered either alone or in combination with the immunopotentiator, synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide containing immunostimulatory CpG motif (CpG ODN) as adjuvant, and associated or not with the alginate-coated chitosan nanoparticles. After two immunizations the group I (HBsAg associated with nanoparticles) and the group VI (HBsAg and CpG, both associated with nanoparticles) showed enhanced immune responses. Both groups showed significant higher values of the CD69 expression in CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes and lower values of this marker in B lymphocytes. Moreover, a strongest proliferative response of the splenocytes, ex vivo stimulated with concanavalin A, was observed in the same groups. Although with a presence of non-responder mice within the groups, only mice of the groups I and VI elicited the generation of anti-HBsAg antibodies detected in serum (IgG) and in the intestinal washings (sIgA). The results demonstrated that coated chitosan nanoparticles might have potential for being used as a deliver system for oral vaccination with the recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6T25-4PF1WCM-2/1/3fe2a6633c054a684fa0fafa7bb4a8b

Nanoparticles for intestinal sepsis prevention synthesized via inverse miniemulsion polymerization

Previous research has shown that phosphate becomes depleted in the intestinal mucosa following local surgical injury or disease, triggering bacterial virulence and sepsis. Consequently, replenishment of depleted phosphate levels has been shown to prevent bacterial virulence in vitro[3] and sepsis in vivo[1]. Inverse phase miniemulsion polymerization (IPMP) has been extensively used in recent years in the production of nanocapsules for drug delivery of water-soluble therapeutic compounds that can be rendered degradable with time while allowing for sustained release of the encapsulated agent. In previous work we have successfully encapsulated inorganic phosphate salts, such as potassium monophosphate[2], into nanoparticles formed using IPMP. Our in vitro studies, however, have shown that polyphosphate salts, specifically sodium hexametaphosphate (PPi), are more effective at suppressing bacterial virulence[3]. This study focuses on the production and encapsulation of sodium hexametaphosphate into nanoparticles for controlled and extended release. Previous studies demonstrated[3] that encapsulation of sodium hexametaphosphate presents a series of challenges affecting the reproducibility of the IPMP process. Sodium hexametaphosphate is a strong lipophobe whose presence induces a high degree of order for water molecules. This modification in water structure weakens the surfactant interaction with water molecules, actively affecting the stability of the emulsion. This process, known as “salting-out”, has been shown to shift the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) of nonionic surfactants towards a more lipophilic value[4]. While this issue has been addressed in a variety of previous studies, no mathematical correlation currently exists describing the effect of salt concentration on the HLB of a specific surfactant. Since miniemulsions require combinations of different phase-soluble surfactants, this adds to the complexity in predicting the extent and strength of the electrolyte effect on the stability of the emulsion system. In this study, we adjusted the IPMP process to counter the unstabilizing force created by the presence of sodium hexametaphosphate in the aqueous phase of the system. A precursor solution containing PEG diacrylate (PEGDA) macromer and NVP comonomer were chosen to create the hydrogel matrix, due to its biocompatibility and the ability to control the crosslinking density. The emulsion was formed of water in cyclohexane with the help of two nonionic surfactants, Tween 20 and SPAN 80. The effect of variations in HLB ranging from 4.0 to 9.5 on emulsion droplet size was investigated, for which the optimum overall HLB occurred at 6.5, an increase of two HLB points over the theoretical required value without salt interference[2, 3]. The effects of total surfactant amounts, reaction time, temperature and initiator concentration on nanoparticle yield were also explored. A final emulsion with 3.2% w/v of surfactants, 2 hours of reaction time, 64ºC and an initiator concentration equal to 1% of the initial double concentration resulted in a maximum nanoparticle mass yield of ~39%. Finally, the particles were characterized in terms of crosslink density, showing an efficient encapsulation of the studied salt and a promising path for in-vivo testing. This study helped us develop a reproduceable formulation of an IPMP process that yields stable nanoparticles with suitable therapeutic levels of phosphates. [1] Hyoju, S.K. et al, “Oral Polyphosphate Suppresses Bacterial Collagenase Production and Prevents Anastomotic Leak Due to Serratia marcescens and Pseudomonas aeruginosa”, Annals of Surgery, Feb, 2017. [2]Vadlamudi, S. et al., “Inverse miniemulsion polymerization of phosphate-loaded hydrogel nanoparticles for sepsis prevention”, Unpublished master dissertation, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois (2014) [3] Yin Y et al, “De Novo Synthesis and Functional Analysis of Polyphosphate-Loaded Poly(Ethylene) Glycol Hydrogel Nanoparticles Targeting Pyocyanin and Pyoverdin Production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a Model Intestinal Pathogen”. Annals of Biomedical Engineering. 45(4):1058-1068, 2017. [4] Shinoda, K., & Takeda, H. “The effect of added salts in water on the hydrophile-lipophile balance of nonionic surfactants: The effect of added salts on the phase inversion temperature of emulsions”. Journal of Colloid And Interface Science, 32(4), 642–646, 1970

Assessment of solar driven TiO2-assisted photocatalysis efficiency on amoxicillin degradation

The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of a solar TiO2-assisted photocatalytic process on amoxicillin (AMX) degradation, an antibiotic widely used in human and veterinary medicine. Firstly, solar photolysis of AMX was compared with solar photocatalysis in a compound parabolic collectors pilot scale photoreactor to assess the amount of accumulated UV energy in the system (Q (UV)) necessary to remove 20 mg L-1 AMX from aqueous solution and mineralize the intermediary by-products. Another experiment was also carried out to accurately follow the antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli DSM 1103 and Staphylococcus aureus DSM 1104 and mineralization of AMX by tracing the contents of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), low molecular weight carboxylate anions, and inorganic anions. Finally, the influence of individual inorganic ions on AMX photocatalytic degradation efficiency and the involvement of some reactive oxygen species were also assessed. Photolysis was shown to be completely ineffective, while only 3.1 kJ(UV) L-1 was sufficient to fully degrade 20 mg L-1 AMX and remove 61 % of initial DOC content in the presence of the photocatalyst and sunlight. In the experiment with an initial AMX concentration of 40 mg L-1, antibacterial activity of the solution was considerably reduced after elimination of AMX to levels below the respective detection limit. After 11.7 kJ(UV) L-1, DOC decreased by 71 %; 30 % of the AMX nitrogen was converted into ammonium and all sulfur compounds were converted into sulfate. A large percentage of the remaining DOC was in the form of low molecular weight carboxylic acids. Presence of phosphate ions promoted the removal of AMX from solution, while no sizeable effects on the kinetics were found for other inorganic ions. Although the AMX degradation was mainly attributed to hydroxyl radicals, singlet oxygen also plays an important role in AMX self-photosensitization under UV/visible solar light

Identification of an anti-CRISPR protein that inhibits the CRISPR-Cas type I-B system in Clostridioides difficile

CRISPR-Cas systems provide prokaryotic hosts with adaptive immunity against mobile genetic elements. Many bacteriophages encode anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins that inhibit host defense. The identification of Acr proteins is challenging due to their small size and high sequence diversity, and only a limited number has been characterized to date. In this study, we report the discovery of a novel Acr protein, AcrIB2, encoded by the φCD38-2 Clostridioides difficile phage that efficiently inhibits interference by the type I-B CRISPR-Cas system of the host and likely acts as a DNA mimic. Most C. difficile strains contain two cas operons, one encoding a full set of interference and adaptation proteins and another encoding interference proteins only. Unexpectedly, we demonstrate that only the partial operon is required for interference and is subject to inhibition by AcrIB2.This work was supported by the Institut Universitaire de France (to O.S.), the Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, the University Paris-Saclay, Graduate School Life Sciences and Health, and OI MICROBES funding and Vernadski fellowship (to P.M.). This work was also supported by NIH grant R01 GM10407 (to K.S.), the Russian Science Foundation grant 19-14-00323, and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Science Federation agreement no. 075-10-2021-114

Synthesis and Antiviral Activities of Novel Purinyl- and Pyrimidinylcarbanucleosides Derived from Indan

The 12th International Electronic Conference on Synthetic Organic Chemistry session Bioorganic Chemistry and Natural ProductsStarting from (±)-trans- and (±)-cis-3-hydroxymethyl-1-indanol, novel 6-substituted purinylcarbanucleoside derivatives of indan (5, 6, 9, 10, 15 and 17) were synthesized through a key coupling reaction with 6-chloropurine under Mitsunobu conditions. Suzuki–Miyaura reactions of the protected 6-chloropurine derivative with different arylboronic acids afforded the corresponding 6-arylpurinylcarbanucleoside derivatives. Finally, three new 5-halouracilcarbanucleosides (19, 20 and 21) were prepared by reaction of uracilcarbanucleoside 18 with different N-halosuccinimides. All of the new analogues were evaluated for antiviral activity against a wide variety of virusesThe authors thank the Xunta de Galicia for financial support of this work under projects PGIDT05PXIB20301PR and 07CSA008203P

Association of Self-Reported Physical Fitness during Late Pregnancy with Birth Outcomes and Oxytocin Administration during Labour—The GESTAFIT Project

We explored (a) the associations between self-reported maternal physical fitness and birth outcomes; (b) whether self-reported maternal physical fitness (PF) is related to the administration of oxytocin to induce or stimulate labour. Pregnant women from the GESTAFIT project randomized controlled trial (n = 117) participated in this prospective longitudinal study. Maternal physical fitness was assessed through the International Fitness Scale at the 34th gestational week. Maternal and neonatal birth outcomes and oxytocin administration were collected from the obstetric medical records. Umbilical arterial and venous cord blood gas were analysed immediately after birth. Selfreported overall fitness, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength and flexibility were not related to any maternal and neonatal birth outcomes (all p > 0.05). Greater speed-agility was associated with a more alkaline arterial (p = 0.04) and venous (p = 0.02) pH in the umbilical cord blood. Women who were administered oxytocin to induce or stimulate labour reported lower cardiorespiratory fitness (p = 0.013, Cohen’s d = 0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.14, 0.93) and flexibility (p = 0.040, Cohen´s d = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.89) compared to women who were not administered oxytocin. Greater maternal physical fitness during pregnancy could be associated with better neonatal birth outcomes and lower risk of needing oxytocin administration.Regional Ministry of Health of the Junta de Andalucía (PI-0395-2016)Research and Knowledge Transfer Fund (PPIT) 2016, Excellence Actions Programme: Scientific Units of Excellence (UCEES)Regional Ministry of Economy, Knowledge, EnterprisesUniversity, European Regional Development Funds (ref. SOMM17/6107/UGR)Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (Grant number FPU17/03715