Traducir y reinventar leyendas: una copia lisboeta del Itinerarium de Alejandro Geraldini y las riquezas del fabuloso reino del Preste Juan etíope

Of all extant copies of the Itinerarium ad regiones sub aequinoctiali plaga constitutas written by the 16th century Italian bishop Alessandro Geraldini, there is one that is preeminently relevant which is held in the National Library of Portugal. According to what the copyist, Pompeo Mongallo, stated in his work, it can be dated to 1565. However, it is probable that the text kept in that library is a copy of the 16th century document due to a watermark which would suggest 1601 as the date of composition. What is significant about the manuscript is the addition of some chapters extracted from a book written in Portuguese and translated by Mongallo. The author of that work was João Bermudez, a doctor and cleric who travelled to Ethiopia as a member of a 1520 expedition guided by Captain Rodrigo da Lima. The main purpose of the journey was to meet the leader of the Ethiopian people in order to obtain a new ally against the numerous enemies of the Portuguese Crown. Thus Bermudez decided to write a report of what he saw and knew: the Breve relaçāo da embaixada que o patriarcha d. Joāo Bermudez trouxe do imperador da Ethiopia, chamado vulgarmente Preste João. The title itself reveals the imaginary elements that characterise the text, since Preste João or Prester John was a legendary Christian king whose principal fictional qualities derive from medieval folklore. This article aims to underline the connection between Itinerarium, Breve relaçāo and the figure of Prester John, as well as the ability of Mongallo as the translator of the above-mentioned chapters. Moreover, some literary features related to the marvels and riches described by Bermudez will be highlighted

Insights into the interaction of the N-terminal amyloidogenic polypeptide of ApoA-I with model cellular membranes

BACKGROUND: About twenty variants of apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) are associated to hereditary systemic amyloidoses. Although the molecular bases of this disease are still largely unknown, it has been hypothesized that ApoA-I proteolysis is a key event in pathogenesis, since it triggers the release of an N-terminal fragment (80-100 residue long) that misfolds to form amyloid deposits in peripheral organs and tissues. It is also known that cell membrane lipids play a key role in the fibrillogenic pathway. In the case of ApoA-I related amyloidosis caused by L174S mutation, the 93-residue N-terminal fragment of ApoA-I ([1-93]ApoA-I) was found to be the major constituent of ex vivo fibrils. METHODS: With the main goal to investigate the interaction of either [1-93]ApoA-I and ApoA-I with biomimetic membranes, we set-up an experimental system based on the Raman Tweezers methodology. We tested GUVs composed by two types of zwitterionic lipids with a different fluidity degree, i.e. dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC). RESULTS: We found that [1-93]ApoA-I induces conformational disorder in an ordered lipid bilayer. When interacting with fluid phases, instead, the fragment was found to be able to penetrate the membrane bilayer inducing an alignment of lipid chains. CONCLUSIONS: The interaction features of [1-93]ApoA-I with biomimetic membranes strongly depend on the lipid phase. Full-length ApoA-I was found to have similar effects, even if significantly less pronounced. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: Our observations shed light on still largely unknown molecular bases of ApoA-I fibrillogenic domain interaction with membranes

Narración espiritual y digresiones moralizadoras: un análisis de coloquios y descripciones sobre un monasterio cisterciense en «Alonso, mozo de muchos amos» (1624)

Este ensayo propone examinar cómo en un capítulo concreto de la obra más conocida de Alcalá Yáñez y Ribera se combinan partes dialogadas, recursos dialécticos y reflexiones moralizadoras para narrar sobre un monasterio de monjas del Císter. Para ello, se profundizarán los aspectos más llamativos en relación con la figura del protagonista en el marco de la picaresca, la relevancia de los coloquios con un vicario y el tratamiento de lo eclesiástico en Alonso, mozo de muchos amos

Evocaciones míticas en versos actuales. La figura de Penélope en algunos poemas contemporáneos

This study aims to illustrate the innovative aspects that reveal themselves through the reading of some of the re-elaborations of the myth of Penelope. The poems of L’altra Penelope (2008) anthology are marked by feminine and feminist connotations that imply a crucial change of viewpoint, although they keep an ontological tie with the archetype. It intends to make a comparison between some of these compositions with the verses of a Chicano writer, Tino Villanueva, who dedicated a collection of poems to the wife of Odysseus. The cardinal porpoise of the analysis is based on the examination of the new thematic paths that establish a binding connection with the past and at the same time they renew the most significant elements of the Homeric narration.Resumen El presente estudio pretende ilustrar los aspectos innovadores que se manifiestan en la lectura de algunos ejemplos de reelaboración del mito de Penélope.  Los poemas de la antología L’altra Penelope (2008) se revisten de connotaciones femeninas y feministas que, pese al hecho de mantener ataduras ontológicas con el modelo de partida, suponen un punto de inflexión contundente. Se propone una comparación entre algunas de estas composiciones con los versos de un poeta chicano, Tino Villanueva, quien dedicó un poemario a la mujer de Odiseo. La finalidad cardinal del análisis estriba en examinar los nuevos derroteros temáticos que establecen un vínculo indisoluble con el pasado, a la vez que renuevan los elementos más significativos de la narración homérica

Apolipoprotein A-I: the dual face of a protein

Conformational plasticity and flexibility are key structural features of ApoAI in lipid metabolism. Amyloidogenic single point mutations, associated with incurable familial amyloidosis with fibril deposition in peripheral organs, may have a dramatic impact on the structural and functional features of ApoAI. Here, the consistent body of data on ApoAI variants has been reviewed, with the aim of highlighting the hallmarks of the pathology. In accordance with our observations, as well as that of others, we propose a model that accounts for the alteration of the delicate balance between lipid-free/lipid-bound dynamic states which is based on monomer-to-dimer interconversion via domain swapping

La sabiduría de la raposa y su actitud frente a los poderosos: la fábula del 'León y la leona' en varias obras teatrales del Siglo de Oro

RESUMENEste estudio se va a centrar principalmente en cómo algunas comedias del Siglo de Oro han asimilado una fábula bastante conocida en aquella época. Me refiero a «El león y la leona», también conocida como «El zorro rechaza hacer de árbitro» según la recopilación llevada a cabo por Maxime Chevalier. Puesto que el género teatral se caracteriza por su complejidad, no es fácil detectar todos los elementos relacionados con dicha fábula en las producciones teatrales en cuestión. Sin embargo, la labor realizada por estos comediógrafos ha permitido averiguar fácilmente cómo han plasmado este cuento de animales hasta convertirlo en algo innovador y renovador del género fabulesco, demostrando una creatividad que quizás proporcione a autores poco conocidos como Cubillo de Aragón o don Jacinto de Herrera nueva e inesperada fama. PALABRAS CLAVE: fábula, animales, teatro, comedia, personajes. ABSTRACTThis essay is focused on how a well-known XVII century fable has been artfully re-elaborated in various Spanish comedies performed in that period. I am referring to «El león y la leona», also known as «El zorro rechaza hacer de árbitro» according to a compilation established by Maxime Chevalier. It is commonly known that drama genre is characterised by its complexity, so it could result difficult to locate the elements related to the fable in those dramatic compositions. Nevertheless, through an exhaustive analysis of what the authors achieved when shaping the content of this animal tale by their ingenious minds, it is easy to consider how craftily the fable has been inserted in their works. Undoubtedly quite ignored names such as Cubillo de Aragón or don Jacinto de Herrera really deserve more fame then they currently have. KEY WORDS: fable, animals, theatre, comedy, characters.</p