La geoeconomía de Asia Central y el “Gran Juego” de los recursos naturales: agua, petróleo, gas, uranio y corredores de transporte

Este documento de trabajo describe y analiza Asia Central desde una perspectiva geoeconómica, prestando especial atención a cuestiones clave en la región como son el agua, la logística, la dirección del comercio, los hidrocarburos (petróleo y gas) y el uranio. Su propósito es estimar cuál es la participación de las grandes potencias y empresas transnacionales en dichas cuestiones, valorando cuáles son aquellos países o empresas que tienen una mayor presencia o influencia y mostrando cómo algunos de estos actores, en especial Rusia, ejercen una función hegemónica en lo que algunos analistas han denominado como el nuevo “Gran Juego”

Latin Americanist configuration of the speech of Pope Francis

http://sphera.ucam.edu/index.php/sphera-01/article/view/312/290El presente artículo da cuenta de los elementos del pensamiento latinoamericanista que fueron actualizados en el discurso proferido por el Papa Francisco a los Movimientos Populares en Bolivia en 2015. El itinerario metodológico consistió en tres aproximaciones que abordaron el discurso en una suerte de fuerza centrípeta. En primer lugar, se considera el discurso como inserto en un espacio contextual mínimo, por su biografía. Seguidamente, se determina la organización axiológica de la alocución para arribar a la línea de llegada en el marco de un contexto social y simbólico de la historia como horizonte totalizador de las prácticas. El discurso del Papa del fin del mundo recupera elementos del pensamiento latinoamericanista que, congregados, configuran una matriz discursiva diferencial de la tradición eclesiástica de las últimas décadas, fecundada por una propuesta sociopolítico-cultural liberacionista. La tarea asumida hoy por el Papa argentino reside en deconstruir y desandar, muy lentamente, siglos de opresión cultural y acuñar nuevas valoraciones para determinaciones ideológicas intra y extra-eclesiales sostenidas a lo largo del tiempo.This article gives an account of the elements of Latin American thinking that were updated in the speech made by Pope Francis to the Popular Movements in Bolivia in 2015. The methodological itinerary consisted of three approaches that addressed and exhausted the discourse in a sort of centripetal force. In the first place, discourse is considered as inserted in a minimal contextual space, given by its biography. Next, the axiological organization of the speech is determined to finally arrive at the line of arrival in the context of a comprehensive social and symbolic context of history as a totalizing horizon of the practices. The Pope's discourse on the end of the world recovers elements of Latin Americanist thought, elements that, assembled, form a differential discursive matrix of the ecclesiastical tradition of the last decades, a matrix fertilized by a socio-political-liberationist proposal, openly opposed the significant network established by the dominant discourse. The task assumed today by the Argentine Pope lies in deconstructing and retracing, very slowly, centuries of cultural oppression and coining new valuations for intra and extra-ecclesial ideological determinations sustained over time.Ciencias de la Comunicació

On the Analysis of the Contact Conditions in Temporomandibular Joint Prostheses

Temporomandibular joint replacement (TMJR) is a complex surgical procedure in which the artificial joints available must assure the anatomical reconstruction and guarantee a good range of the natural temporomandibular joint (TMJ) movements. With this aim, different types of TMJ prostheses, including the stock prosthetic system and custom-made prostheses, are being currently implanted. Although temporomandibular joint replacements (TMJRs) are expected to accomplish their function during a number of years, they might actually fail and need to be replaced. This paper analyzes different design factors affecting the contact stress distributions within the TMJ prosthesis interface, which are consequently involved in their deterioration and final failure of the prosthetic device. With this purpose, a numerical model based on finite elements has been carried out in order to evaluate the stress states attained in different prosthesis configurations corresponding to general types of TMJ prostheses. On the other hand, the actual degradation of resected implants has been evaluated via optical microscopy. The linkage between the numerical simulations performed and experimental evidence allowed the authors to establish the different wear and damage mechanisms involved in the failure of stock TMJ prostheses. Indeed, the results obtained show that the contact stresses at the interface between the mandible and the glenoid fossa components play a key role in the failure process of the TMJR devices

Feasibility of protein turnover studies in prototroph Saccharomyces Cerevisiae strains

Quantitative proteomics studies of yeast that use metabolic labeling with amino acids rely on auxotrophic mutations of one or more genes on the amino acid biosynthesis pathways. These mutations affect yeast metabolism and preclude the study of some biological processes. Overcoming this limitation, it has recently been described that proteins in a yeast prototrophic strain can also be metabolically labeled with heavy amino acids. However, the temporal profiles of label incorporation under the different phases of the prototroph's growth have not been examined. Labeling trajectories are important in the study of protein turnover and dynamics, in which label incorporation into proteins is monitored across many time points. Here we monitored protein labeling trajectories for 48 h after a pulse with heavy lysine in a yeast prototrophic strain and compared them with those of a lysine auxotrophic yeast. Labeling was successful in prototroph yeast during exponential growth phase but not in stationary phase. Furthermore, we were able to determine the half-lives of more than 1700 proteins during exponential phase of growth with high accuracy and reproducibility. We found a median half-life of 2 h in both strains, which corresponds with the cellular doubling time. Nucleolar and ribosomal proteins showed short half-lives, whereas mitochondrial proteins and other energy production enzymes presented longer half-lives. Except for some proteins involved in lysine biosynthesis, we observed a high correlation in protein half-lives between prototroph and auxotroph strains. Overall, our results demonstrate the feasibility of using prototrophs for proteomic turnover studies and provide a reliable data set of protein half-lives in exponentially growing yeast

Key Production Parameters to Obtain Transparent Nanocellular PMMA

Transparent nanocellular polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) with relative density around 0.4 is produced for the first time by using the gas dissolution foaming technique. The processing conditions and the typical characteristics of the cellular structure needed to manufacture this novel material are discovered. It is proved that low saturation temperatures (−32 °C) combined with high saturation pressures (6, 10, 20 MPa) allow increasing the solubility of PMMA up to values not reached before. In particular, the highest CO2 uptake ever reported for PMMA, (i.e., 48 wt%) is found for a saturation pressure of 20 MPa and a saturation temperature of −32 °C. Due to these processing conditions, cell nucleation densities of 1016 nuclei cm−3 and cell sizes clearly below 50 nm are achieved. The nanocellular polymers obtained, with cell sizes ten times smaller than the wavelength of visible light and very homogeneous cellular structures, show a significant transparency

Barreras interaccionales en aulas multilingües: una aproximación crítica a la comuncación intercultural

In this article we analyse intercultural communication management in student interaction in a culturally and linguistically diverse second year primary school classroom. In order to do so, and trying to overcome culturalist reductionism, we explore how three dimensions of interaction, linguistic, psychosocial and social, are linked. So as to observe how this current socio-educational order might be altered, we decided to conduct research in the classroom by introducing changes to attenuate the asymmetries and differences in values in conversational dynamics. The analysis of communicative practices in the classroom, similarly to that of intercultural situations among adults, indicates that from an early age, in situations where there are large social differences, communicative differences can be (re)constructed and used as a tool reinforce asymmetries as well as the status quo, thereby relegating foreing workers and their descendants to an underprivileged social position .En este artículo analizamos la gestión de la comunicación intercultural en una interacción entre alumnos de un aula lingüística y culturalmente diversa de 2° de Educación Primaria. Para ello, y tratando de superar un reduccionismo culturalista, exploramos cómo se vinculan en la interacción tres dimensiones: una dimensión lingüística, una dimensión psicosocial y una social. Con el fin de observar cómo podía alterarse el presente orden socioeducativo, decidimos realizar una experiencia de aula con la que introducir cambios que atenuaran las asimetrías y las diferencias de valor en la dinámica conversacional. El análisis de estas prácticas comunicativas en el aula nos indica que, al igual que ocurre en las situaciones interculturales entre adultos, ya en edades tempranas las diferencias comunicativas se (re)construyen y pueden utilizarse, en situaciones donde existen profundas diferencias sociales, como instrumento para reforzar las asimetrías y el statu quo, relegando a los trabajadores extranjeros y a sus descendientes a las posiciones sociales más desfavorecidas

Overcoming the Challenge of Producing Large and Flat Nanocellular Polymers: A Study with PMMA

Although nanocellular polymers are interesting materials with improved properties in comparison with conventional or microcellular polymers, the production of large and flat parts of those materials is still challenging. Herein, gas dissolution foaming process is used to produce large and flat nanocellular polymethylmethacrylate samples. In order to do that, the foaming step is performed in a hot press. The methodology is optimized to produce flat samples with dimensions of 100 × 100 × 6 mm3, relative densities in the range 0.25–0.55 and cell sizes around 250 nm. Additionally, foaming parameters are modified to study their influence on the final cellular structure, and the materials produced in this paper are compared with samples produced by using a most conventional approach in which foaming step is conducted in a thermal bath. Results obtained show that an increment in the foaming temperature leads to a reduction in relative density and an increase of cell nucleation density. Moreover, differences in the final cellular structure for materials produced by both foaming routes are studied, proving that although there exist some differences, the mechanisms governing the nucleation and growing are the same in both processes, leading to the production of homogeneous materials with very similar cellular structures

Alteration mechanisms on the stones of the Cathedral of Granada (Spain)

Español: Se analizan los diversos mecanismos de alteración que actúan sobre los materiales pétreos usados en la Catedral de Granada. Se estudia con detalle la acción del agua, influencia antropogénica, oscilaciones térmicas, factores de incompatibilidad, movimientos sísmicos y factores de tipo biológico. Inglés: Alteration mechanisms on the stones of the Catedral of Granada, Spai