An Analysis of Celtic and Welsh Mythology in The Raven Boys Saga by Maggie Stiefvater

The presence of myth and folklore in Young Adult fantasy has increased in the last decades, boosting the genre’s popularity among young readers. The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the way in which, specifically Welsh/Celtic mythology and folklore, are included in fictional worlds of fantasy as exemplified in Maggie Stiefvater’s four-book saga The Raven Cycle. Although the narrative is framed in a modern-day American setting, several allusions to Welsh/Celtic mythology, folklore, and historical figures can be found throughout the story, also in relation with more worldwide-spread beliefs as well as myths.La presencia de mitos y folclore en la ficción juvenil ha ido incrementando a lo largo de las últimas décadas, haciendo que dicho género gane popularidad entre sus lectores. El objetivo de este Trabajo de Fin de Máster es analizar la inclusión de, en particular, la mitología y folclore celta/gaélico en mundos fantásticos, más concretamente en el creado por Maggie Stiefvater en la saga The Raven Cycle, compuesta por cuatro libros. Aunque la narrativa de esta saga se enmarca en la Norteamérica actual, se pueden apreciar en ella diferentes alusiones a la mitología y folclore gaélicos/celtas, así como la inclusión de algunos de sus personajes históricos, estableciendo también una relación entre esta cultura y creencias o mitos con carácter más globalizado.Departamento de Filología InglesaMáster en Estudios Ingleses Avanzados: Lenguas y Culturas en Contact

Toni Morrison's Sula: A Black Feminist Rereading

Feminism within the African-American community is a topic that has to be thoroughly studied still. African-American women claim that they are the ones that suffer the most from this patriarchal racist community for being both black and female. Due to this, a study on black feminism in the US based on the ideas of the book Ain’t I a Woman by bell hooks will be carried out, about the analysis of the main characters of the Sula by Toni Morrison. This way, the ideas that black women struggle the most because they are treated poorly by both the white community, since they are hated and laughed at for being black, and the black male community, which treat them like objects for them to use and abandon, will be reinforced. Key words: Feminism, Black feminism, Racism, Sula, Toni Morrison, bell hooks.El feminismo dentro de la comunidad afroamericana es un tema que tiene que ser estudiado a fondo aún. Las mujeres afroamericanas claman que son las que más sufren y más expuestas están a la comunidad racista patriarcal por ser tanto negras como mujeres. Debido a esto un estudio sobre el afro feminismo en Estados Unidos basándose en las ideas del libro Ain’t I A Woman de bell hooks será hecho, aplicándolas al análisis de los personajes principales de la novela Sula de Toni Morrison. De esta forma, las ideas de que la mujer afroamericana es la que más sufre debido a que es mal tratada y burlada por ser negra por la comunidad blanca, y usada y tratada como mero objeto que pueden usar y abandonar por los afroamericanos serán reforzadas.Departamento de Filología InglesaGrado en Estudios Inglese

The role of women in World War II: an analysis of Code Name Verity (2012)

The role women acquired during World War II was essential for the war effort that the different countries developed in order to fight the Nazis, but also for the fight of women’s rights. The aim of this study is to reflect on the situation of English women during this period, focusing mainly on the work of female spies and female pilots. This will be done through an analysis of Elizabeth Wein’s novel Code Name Verity (2012) that portrays different roles assigned to women during the war as well as different interactions they had with other men and women. Although the novel is a fictional work, it represents the reality of lots of women at the time.El rol que las mujeres tuvieron durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial fue esencial tanto para el papel que cada país tuvo en ésta, como para la lucha por los derechos de la mujer. El objetivo de este Trabajo de Fin de Grado es reflexionar sobre la situación de las mujeres inglesas en este periodo, sobre todo centrándose en el papel de aquellas que fueron espías o pilotos. Para ello, se realizará un análisis de la novela de Elizabeth Wein Nombre en clave, Verity (2012) la cual describe diferentes ocupaciones asignadas a las mujeres durante la guerra y los diferentes lazos forjados con otros personajes. A pesar de que la novela es ficción, representa la realidad de muchas mujeres en ese momento.Departamento de Filología InglesaGrado en Estudios Inglese

A Tabu Search Algorithm for Scheduling Independent Jobs in Computational Grids

The efficient allocation of jobs to grid resources is indispensable for high performance grid-based applications, and it is a computationally hard problem even when there are no dependencies among jobs.We present in this paper a new tabu search (TS) algorithm for the problem of batch job scheduling on computational grids. We define it as a bi-objective optimization problem, consisting of the minimization of the makespan and flowtime. Our TS is validated versus three other algorithms in the literature for a classical benchmark. We additionally consider some more realistic benchmarks with larger size instances in static and dynamic environments. We show that our TS clearly outperforms the compared algorithms

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of diazabicyclo[3.1.0]hexanes by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides with azirines

Substituted 1,3-diazabicyclo[3.1.0]hexanes with two contiguous quaternary stereocentres are readily prepared by catalytic asymmetric [3+2] cycloaddition of α-substituted iminoesters with azirines. High diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee) are achieved using CuI/(R)-Fesulphos as the catalytic systemWe thank the Spanish Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Grant CTQ2015-66954-P, MINECO/FEDER, UE) and FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades – Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Grant PGC2018-098660-B-I00) for financial suppor

Design and evaluation of a tabu search method for job scheduling in distributed enviorments

The efficient allocation of jobs to grid resources is indispensable for high performance grid-based applications. The scheduling problem is computationally hard even when there are no dependencies among jobs. Thus, we present in this paper a new tabu search (TS) algorithm for the problem of batch job scheduling on computational grids. We consider the job scheduling as a bi-objective optimization problem consisting of the minimization of the makespan and flowtime. The bi-objectivity is tackled through a hierarchic approach in which makespan is considered a primary objective and flowtime a secondary one. An extensive experimental study has been first conducted in order to fine-tune the parameters of our TS algorithm. Then, our tuned TS is compared versus two well known TS algorithms in the literature (one of them is hybridized with an ant colony optimization algorithm) for the problem. The computational results show that our TS implementation clearly outperforms the compared algorithms. Finally, we evaluated the performance of our TS algorithm on a new set of instances that better fits with the concept of computational grid. These instances are composed of a higher number of -heterogeneous- machines (up to 256) and emulate the dynamic behavior of these systems.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Catalytic Dehydrogenative Coupling of Hydrosilanes with Alcohols for the Production of Hydrogen On-demand: Application of a Silane/Alcohol Pair as a Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier

The compound [Ru(p-cym)(Cl)2(NHC)] is an effective catalyst for the room-temperature coupling of silanes and alcohols with the concomitant formation of molecular hydrogen. High catalyst activity is observed for a variety of substrates affording quantitative yields in minutes at room temperature and with a catalyst loading as low as 0.1 mol %. The coupling reaction is thermodynamically and, in the presence of a Ru complex, kinetically favourable and allows rapid molecular hydrogen generation on-demand at room temperature, under air, and without any additive. The pair silane/alcohol is a potential liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) for energy storage over long periods in a safe and secure way. Silanes and alcohols are non-toxic compounds and do not require special handling precautions such as high pressure or an inert atmosphere. These properties enhance the practical applications of the pair silane/alcohol as a good LOHC in the automotive industry. The variety and availability of silanes and alcohols permits a pair combination that fulfils the requirements for developing an efficient LOHC

An Expedient Method for the Umpolung Coupling of Enols with Heteronucleophiles

[EN] In this paper, we present an unprecedented and general umpolung protocol that allows the functionalization of silyl enol ethers and of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with a large range of heteroatom nucleophiles, including carboxylic acids, alcohols, primary and secondary amines, azide, thiols, and also anionic carbamates derived from CO2. The scope of the reaction also extends to carbon-based nucleophiles. The reaction relies on the use of 1-bromo-3,3-dimethyl-1,3-dihydro-1 lambda(3)[d][1,2]iodaoxole, which provides a key alpha-brominated carbonyl intermediate. The reaction mechanism has been studied experimentally and by DFT, and we propose formation of an unusual enolonium intermediate with a halogen-bonded bromide.The authors are grateful for support from the Swedish Research Council through Vetenskapsradet, and from the Goran Gustafsson Foundation. This project was also funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement 721223 and NordForsk through NordCO2 (85378)

A simple approach to understand solid state chemistry with the example of a piezoelectric material incorporated in a birthday card

EDULEARN17 Proceedings: 9th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies Dates (3-5 July, 2017, Barcelona, Spain),Advanced solid materials are present in a large quantity of fields of our quotidian live. All the electronic devices surrounding us, such as mobile phones, computers or appliances are made up of many different materials: ceramics, metals, polymers, etc. The recent development of advanced ceramic materials to be applied in electronic devices, which require high performances as well as relatively economic syntheses and environmentally friendly characteristics, is a wide field in Materials Chemistry. It is important to motivate students to this area, so that, they can understand the importance of the chemistry and the material science in our society. In the present contribution, we would like to relate our experience giving a comprehensive laboratory session intended for all undergraduate chemistry students. Piezoelectric compounds can be defined as materials that produce some electric charge when a mechanical stress is applied (direct effect) or suffer a mechanical deformation when an electric field is applied (reverse effect). These materials are used in several devices such as lighters, speakers, sensors or sonars. Lead zirconate titanate [Pb(Ti 1-x ,Zr x )O 3 ] (PZT) is the most studied and commercialized ceramic piezoelectric mat erial due to their excellent characteristics. Relation between structure -composition -properties of this material and its easy preparation makes it suitable to use in low value added devices. In this work, we propose an example to understanding this technology based on the components of a speaker of a musical birthday card, in particular the piezoelectric component, including the chemistry that is involved in these types of devices. Two common characterization techniques in Solid State Chemistry are also int roduced to the students: X -Ray Diffraction and Electron Microscopy. Moreover, the discovery by the students of the presence of this type of material in this simple device offers a possibility to motivate them to learn these sciences, and allow them to know the importance of the Solid State Chemistry and the Materials Science in our society. Different educational methodologies may be used to study and understand these materials with piezoelectric properties. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a widely applied approach intended to encourage students to learn through the structured exploration of a research problem. Currently this particular system has become a valid teaching method in high schools, where students are encouraged to develop a real research project. The PBL methodology used in this work represents an improvement in the content of the knowledge while simultaneously it fosters the development of communication, problem -solving, and self -directed learning skills. This work can also be interesting for tea chers of inorganic chemistry and material science and undergraduate students owing to its pedagogical character

Recovery of phenolic compounds from wine lees using green processing: Identifying target molecules and assessing membrane ultrafiltration performance

Winery wastes are rich in polyphenols with high added value to be used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food products. This work aims at recovering and purifying the polyphenolic fraction occurring in the malolactic fermentation lees generated during the production of Albariño wines. Phenolic acids, flavonoids, and related compounds were recovered from this oenological waste by green liquid extraction using water as the solvent. The resulting extract solution was microfiltered to remove microparticles and further treated by ultrafiltration (UF) using membranes of 30 kDa and 5 kDa molecular weight cut-offs (MWCOs). The feed sample and the filtrate and retentate solutions from each membrane system were analyzed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV and mass spectrometric (MS) detection. The most abundant polyphenols in the extracts were identified and quantified, namely: caftaric acid with a concentration of 200 µg g−1 and trans-coutaric acid, cis-coutaric acid, gallic acid, and astilbin with concentrations between 15 and 40 µg g−1. Other minor phenolic acids and flavanols were also found. The UF process using the 30 kDa membrane did not modify the extract composition, but filtration through the 5 kDa poly-acrylonitrile membrane elicited a decrease in polyphenolic content. Hence, the 30 kDa membrane was recommended to further pre-process the extracts. The combined extraction and purification process presented here is environmentally friendly and demonstrates that malolactic fermentation lees of Albariño wines are a valuable source of phenolic compounds, especially phenolic acids