Refugees Welcome? Online Hate Speech and Sentiments in Twitter in Spain during the Reception of the Boat Aquarius

High-profile events can trigger expressions of hate speech online, which in turn modifies attitudes and offline behavior towards stigmatized groups. This paper addresses the first path of this process using manual and computational methods to analyze the stream of Twitter messages in Spanish around the boat Aquarius (n = 24,254) before and after the announcement of the Spanish government to welcome the boat in June 2018, a milestone for asylum seekers acceptance in the EU and an event that was highly covered by media. It was observed that most of the messages were related to a few topics and had a generally positive sentiment, although a significant part of messages expressed rejection or hate—often supported by stereotypes and lies—towards refugees and migrants and towards politicians. These expressions grew after the announcement of hosting the boat, although the general sentiment of the messages became more positive. We discuss the theoretical, practical, and methodological implications of the study, and acknowledge limitations referred to the examined timeframe and to the preliminary condition of the conclusions

Immobilization in ionogel: a newway to improve the activity and stability of candida antarctica lipase B

New Candida antarctica lipase B derivatives with higher activity than the free enzyme were obtained by occlusion in an organogel of an ionic liquid (ionogel) based on the ionic liquid [Omim][PF6] and polyvinyl chloride. The inclusion of glutaraldehyde as a crosslinker improved the properties of the ionogel, allowing the enzymatic derivative to reach 5-fold higher activity than the free enzyme and also allowing it to be reused at 70 ◦C. The new methodology allows enzymatic derivatives to be designed by changing the ionic liquid, thus providing a suitable microenvironment for the enzyme. The ionic liquid may act on substrates to increase their local concentration, while reducing water activity in the enzyme’s microenvironment. All this allows the activity and selectivity of the enzyme to be improved and greener processes to be developed. The chemical composition and morphology of the ionogel were also studied by scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, finding that porosity, which was related with the chemical composition, was a key factor for the enzyme activity.This research was partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) (Grant number: RTI2018-099011-B-I00) and Séneca Foundation (Grant number: 20957/PI/18

Intravitreal implants manufactured by supercritical foaming for treating retinal diseases

Chronic retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), are a major cause of global visual impairment. However, current treatment methods involving repetitive intravitreal injections pose financial and health burdens for patients. The development of controlled drug release systems, particularly for biological drugs, is still an unmet need in prolonging drug release within the vitreous chamber. To address this, green supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) foaming technology was employed to manufacture porous poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-based intravitreal implants loaded with dexamethasone. The desired implant dimensions were achieved through 3D printing of customised moulds. By varying the depressurisation rates during the foaming process, implants with different porosities and dexamethasone release rates were successfully obtained. These implants demonstrated controlled drug release for up to four months, surpassing the performance of previously developed implants. In view of the positive results obtained, a pilot study was conducted using the monoclonal antibody bevacizumab to explore the feasibility of this technology for preparing intraocular implants loaded with biologic drug molecules. Overall, this study presents a greener and more sustainable alternative to conventional implant manufacturing techniques, particularly suited for drugs that are susceptible to degradation under harsh conditions

Process design and economic analysis of a hypothetical bioethanol production plant using carob pod as feedstock

A process for the production of ethanol from carob (Ceratonia siliqua) pods was designed and an economic analysis was carried out for a hypothetical plant. The plant was assumed to perform an aqueous extraction of sugars from the pods followed by fermentation and distillation to produce ethanol. The total fixed capital investment for a base case process with a capacity to transform 68,000 t/year carob pod was calculated as 39.61 millon euros (€) with a minimum bioethanol production cost of 0.51€/L and an internal rate of return of 7%. The plant was found to be profitable at carob pod prices lower than 0.188€/kg. An increase in the transformation capacity of the plant from 33,880 to 135,450 t/year was calculated to result in an increase in the internal rate of return from 5.50% to 13.61%. The obtained results show that carob pod is a promising alternative source for bioethanol production.This work was partially supported by Mondial Group, CICYT ENE2010-18687 and SENECA Foundation 15260/PI/10 grants. The authors wish to thank the Young Researchers Training Program sponsored by “Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo” (CAM) for their economic support

Carob pod as a feedstock for the production of bioethanol in Mediterranean areas

There is a growing interest worldwide to find out new and cheap carbohydrate sources for production of bioethanol. In this context, carob pod (Ceratonia siliqua) is proposed as an economical source for bioethanol production, especially, in arid regions. The carob tree is an evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean region, cultivated for its edible seed pods and it is currently being reemphasised as an alternative in dryland areas, because no carbon-enriched lands are necessary. In this work, the global process of ethanol production from carob pod was studied. In a first stage, aqueous extraction of sugars from the pod was conducted, achieving very high yields (>99%) in a short period of time. The process was followed by acid or alkaline hydrolysis of washed pod at different operating conditions, the best results (R = 38.20%) being reached with sulphuric acid (2% v/v) at 90 °C, using a L/S (liquid/solid) ratio of 7.5 and shaking at 700 rpm for 420 min. After that, fermentation of hydrolysates were tested at 30 °C, 125 rpm, 200 g/L of sugars and 15 g/L of yeast with three different kinds of yeasts. In these conditions a maximum of 95 g/L of ethanol was obtained after 24 h. Finally, the distillation and dehydration of water–bioethanol mixtures was analyzed using the chemical process simulation software CHEMCAD with the aim of estimate the energy requirements of the process.The authors wish to thank the Young Researchers Training Programme sponsored by Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo (CAM) and Mondial Carob Group for their economic support

Removal of metal ions from aqueous solutions by extraction with ionic liquids

This work analyzed the extraction of Zn2+, Cd2+, and Fe3+ from aqueous hydrochloride solutions using ionic liquids in the absence of chelating agents. For this purpose, ionic liquids based on 1-(n-alkyl)-3-methylimidazolium and tetraalkylammonium cations and several anions (hexafluorophosphate, bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide, tetrafluoroborate, and chloride) were tested. It was found that the ionic liquid methyltrioctylammonium chloride, [MTOA+][Cl−], allowed almost complete removal (extraction percentage > 94) of Zn2+, Cd2+, and Fe3+ from the aqueous solutions. Furthermore, efficient selective separation of Zn2+/Fe3+and Cd2+/Fe3+ was achieved using 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, [omim+][BF4−], since high extraction percentages were reached for Zn2+ and Cd2+ (extraction percentage > 90) while this parameter was very low for Fe3+. These results indicate that the use of ionic liquids as an alternative to traditional extraction agents in liquid/liquid extraction of heavy metal ions is very promising.This work was partially supported by the SENECA Foundation-Agency of Science and Technology of Murcia Region 11086/AC/09 and 11086/AC/09 grants in the framework of the II PCTRM 2007-2010 and by the CICYT ENE2006-09395 and SENECA Foundation 05649/PI/07grants

Preproghrelin expression is a key target for insulin action on adipogenesis.

This study aimed to investigate the role of preproghrelin-derived peptides in adipogenesis. Immunocytochemical analysis of 3T3-L1 adipocyte cells showed stronger preproghrelin expression compared with that observed in 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cells. Insulin promoted this expression throughout adipogenesis identifying mTORC1 as a critical downstream substrate for this profile. The role of preproghrelin-derived peptides on the differentiation process was supported by preproghrelin knockdown experiments, which revealed its contribution to adipogenesis. Neutralization of endogenous O-acyl ghrelin (acylated ghrelin), unacylated ghrelin, and obestatin by specific antibodies supported their adipogenic potential. Furthermore, a parallel increase in the expression of ghrelin-associated enzymatic machinery, prohormone convertase 1/3 (PC1/3) and membrane-bound O-acyltransferase 4 (MBOAT4), was dependent on the expression of preproghrelin in the course of insulin-induced adipogenesis. The coexpression of preproghrelin system and their receptors, GHSR1a and GPR39, during adipogenesis supports an autocrine/paracrine role for these peptides. Preproghrelin, PC1/3, and MBOAT4 exhibited dissimilar expression depending on the white fat depot, revealing their regulation in a positive energy balance situation in mice. The results underscore a key role for preproghrelin-derived peptides on adipogenesis through an autocrine/paracrine mechanism

On the selective separation of metal ions from hydrochloride aqueous solution by pertraction through supported ionic liquid membranes

Previously, we reported the use of imidazolium and ammonium based ionic liquids in the absence of chelating agents for the selective liquid–liquid extraction of Zn(II), Cd(II), Cu(II), and Fe(III) from hydrochloride aqueous solutions. It was found that the ionic liquid methyltrioctylammonium chloride, [MTOA+][Cl−], allowed the almost complete removal of Zn(II), Cd(II), Fe(III) and Cu(II) from the aqueous solutions. In this work, supported ionic liquid membranes based on methyltrioctylammonium chloride were used in an pertraction process for the selective extraction of Fe(III), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Cu(II). The influence of the composition of the receiving phase (milliQ water or Na2CO3, 0.1 M; or NH3,6 M) in the pertraction process was analyzed. It was found that Milli-Q water and Na2CO3 allowed the recovery of Zn(II), Fe(III), reaching pertraction factors (PFs), defined as the ratio between the concentration of the target metal ion in the receiving and the feed phase, of up to 373 for Zn(II), using Na2CO3 as receiving phase at 48 h and 9 for Fe(III), using Milli-Q water at 31 h. The use of NH3 (6 M) allowed the recovery of Cd(II), with a PF of 15.1 at 24 h. Therefore, by modifying the stripping composition, the selective separation of the target metal ions can be reached. It is worthy to highlight the remarkable stability of the obtained supported ionic liquid membranes.This work was partially supported by the the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) and by the FEDER (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional), ref.CICYT ENE2010-18687 and ENE2011-25188 and by the SENECA Foundation 15260/PI/10 grants

Air breathing cathode-microbial fuel cell with separator based on ionic liquid applied to slaughterhouse wastewater treatment and bio-energy production

Background: The present work explores the catalytic and electric performance of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) implementedwith high chemical oxygen demand (COD) industrial wastewater from Spain. The polymer inclusion membrane based on 70%[MTOA][Cl] IL was used as separator and showed a good efficiency in power production and COD removal .Results: Outputs of 72% in COD conversion, 200 mV voltage and 32 mW m−3power density were obtained, demonstrating thatslaughterhouse wastewater is a good feedstock for the scale-up of this technology. Furthermore, the effect of the microbialfuel cell on the physical/chemical parameters of the slaughterhouse wastewater was analyzed. The concentration of nitrite,orthophosphate, sulfate and ammonium was reduced by more than half. conclusions: Air breathing cathode-microbial fuel cells based on polymer ionic liquids inclusion membranes allow thetreatment of an industrial and high load slaughterhouse wastewater with good depuration and electrical performanceefficiency.This work was partially supported by the the Spanish Ministryof Science and Innovation (MICINN) and by the FEDER (FondoEuropeo de Desarrollo Regional), ref.CICYT ENE2011-25188 and bythe SENECA Foundation 18975/JLI/2013 grant