La última comedia romántica estadounidense (2000-2007): panorámica de un género ensimismado

A pesar de su estabilidad en términos cuantitativos, la comedia romántica estadounidense del nuevo siglo se devalúa como género al ser incapaz de articular un discurso romántico genuino y al reincidir en un uso manido de sus estrategias dramáticas. El peso creciente que lo grosero tiene en las comedias románticas se presenta como la primera alternativa para un género llamado a renovarse

Perfiles heroicos en la filmografía de David Mamet

David Mamet’s fictional worlds can be defined as bleak spaces. Relationships are basedon self-interest, which provokes different kinds of deception, manipulation and violence.Nevertheless, this somber image of human nature does not play down the value andnecessity of an ethical behavior. In fact, an important number of Mamet’s films can beanalyzed in the light of this dichotomy between a perverse social context and thepossibility of a moral behavior incarnated by their characters. This article aims to analyzethis type of characters that bring light into those dark worlds. The article is divided in threeparts. The usual traits of Mamet’s “negative spaces” are explained in the first one. Thesecond one is focused on the characters that show the possibility of an ethical integrity inthose contexts. And in the last section, “Espartanos y samuráis”, I study the fully heroic traitsof the protagonists of the last Mamet’s fictions: Spartan (2004), Redbelt (2008) and The Unit(2006-09). These stories have a similar atmosphere, based on a heroic composition inspiredby moral codes of the past, which could be termed, as Mamet points out about Redbelt,as a “modern stoicism”.Los universos ficticios de David Mamet se caracterizan por ser espacios inhóspitos. En ellosprevalecen las relaciones personales basadas en el interés propio, del que derivanvariadas formas de engaño, manipulación y violencia. Sin embargo, esta concepciónpesimista de la naturaleza humana no minimiza el valor y la necesidad delcomportamiento ético. De hecho, una parte considerable de su filmografía puedeanalizarse a la luz de la dicotomía entre un contexto social perverso y unos personajes quealumbran la posibilidad del comportamiento íntegro. El artículo tiene como fin analizarestos personajes que se erigen como resquicios luminosos de un mundo oscuro. Con estepropósito, la investigación se ha dividido en tres epígrafes. En el primero se esbozan losrasgos habituales de los “espacios negativos” mametianos; en el segundo se atiende a lospersonajes que ilustran la posibilidad de la integridad ética en dichos universos; y porúltimo, en el epígrafe “espartanos y samuráis” se examinan los rasgos decididamenteheroicos de los últimos protagonistas de las ficciones audiovisuales de Mamet: Spartan (2004), Cinturón rojo (Redbelt, 2008) y The Unit (2006-09). Estos relatos mantienen unimportante aire de familia que descansa en una configuración heroica inspirada encódigos morales pretéritos y que, en palabras de Mamet a propósito de Cinturón rojo,podría calificarse como un “estoicismo moderno” que será objeto de análisis

La crisis de la paternidad y sus efectos en ciertas películas de autor contemporáneas

Los conflictos paterno-filiales han constituido desde los inicios del cine un recurso inagotable para los relatos fílmicos. Tomando como referencia una serie de películas de autor contemporáneas, este texto aborda una serie de motivos comunes –aunque no exclusivos– que refieren la crisis de la paternidad. En concreto, las cuatro categorías que se toman en consideración son: el arquetipo del “ídolo caído”, el padre autoritario, el padre melancólico y la separación o el abandono de los padres como una experiencia traumática para los hijos. Como evidencia este último modelo argumental, la crisis del padre tiene unos efectos sobre sus vástagos, de ahí que un buen número de las películas que se analizan se configuren como relatos de iniciación. Palabras clave: paternidad en el cine, “ídolo caído”, padres autoritarios, padres melancólicos, trauma infantil, narraciones de iniciación, coming-of-age

Resistance and alternatives to development in Latin America and the Caribbean: Social struggles against extractivism

La represión creciente de las resistencias al modelo de desarrollo vigente hacen del mundo un lugar peligroso para los activistas. Según Naciones Unidas (2017), tres de cada cuatro asesinatos de defensores de derechos humanos ocurren en las Américas, de los cuales 41% eran contrarios a proyectos extractivistas o defendían el derecho a la tierra y a los recursos naturales de los pueblos indígenas. Partiendo de esa realidad, este artículo analiza el papel de los movimientos sociales en las disputas sobre los sentidos del desarrollo en América Latina y Caribe, con foco en las luchas contra el extractivismo. Para ello, se ha realizado un mapeamiento de estas luchas a partir de un banco de datos con 259 conflictos en torno a la minería, desarrollado por el Grupo de Relaciones Internacionales y Sur Global (GRISUL), para mostrar sus impactos en diversas dimensiones (como medio ambiente, género, territorios indígenas, desplazamientos de población, entre otros), así como los procesos de criminalización surgidos frente a los mismos. Además, mostraremos también la tendencia regional de construcción de alternativas al modelo extractivista dominanteThe growing repression of resistance to the current development model makes the world a dangerous place for activists. According to the United Nations (2017), three out of four murders of human rights defenders take place in the Americas, 41% of which were against extractive projects or defended the right to land and natural resources of indigenous peoples. Considering this reality, this article analyzes the role of social movements in the disputes around the meaning of development in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a focus on struggles against extractivism. For that, a mapping has been made from a data bank with 259 conflicts around mining, developed by the Research Group on International Relations and Global South (GRISUL), to show its impacts in various dimensions (such as environment, gender, indigenous territories, population displacement, among others), as well as the processes of criminalization that have arisen against them. In addition, we will also show the regional trend of construction of alternatives to the dominant extractivist mode

El Espacio Iberoamericano de Educación Superior. Diagnóstico y propuestas institucionales

En la investigación que da origen a este documento se reconoce el acervo iberoamericano en la construcción de unas relaciones basadas en la cooperación educativa y en las múltiples variantes que hoy presenta esa cooperación (convenios, redes, intercambios, programas de becas, doctorados, másteres, etc.), que se asientan en la intensa relación académica entre centros españoles y latinoamericanos y caribeños. Dicho Espacio Iberoamericano ha contado ya con el impulso político de gobiernos e instituciones, siendo especialmente relevante el papel del Foro Iberoamericano de Responsables de Educación Superior, Ciencia e Innovación, y del trío de instituciones que forman la estructura básica de funcionamiento en la construcción de ese espacio común: la Secretaría General Iberoamericana (SEGIB), la Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (OEI), y el Consejo Universitario Iberoamericano (CUIB). Esa labor se potencia con la activa presencia de diversos organismos regionales y redes de universidades como CSUCA, IESALC, RIACES y la Fundación Carolina, así como por iniciativas como el Programa Universia

Modification of Pea Starch and Dextrin Polymers with Isocyanate Functional Groups

Pea starch and dextrin polymers were modified through the unequal reactivity of isocyanate groups in isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) monomer. The presence of both urethane and isocyanate functionalities in starch and dextrin after modification were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (C-13 NMR). The degree of substitution (DS) was calculated using elemental analysis data and showed higher DS values in modified dextrin than modified starch. The onsets of thermal degradation and temperatures at maximum mass losses were improved after modification of both starch and dextrin polymers compared to unmodified ones. Glass transition temperatures (T-g) of modified starch and dextrin were lower than unmodified control ones, and this was more pronounced in modified dextrin at a high molar ratio. Dynamic water vapor sorption of starch and dextrin polymers indicated a slight reduction in moisture sorption of modified starch, but considerably lower moisture sorption in modified dextrin as compared to that of unmodified ones.Reza Hosseinpourpia and Stergios Adamopoulos thank VINNOVA, Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (VINNMER Marie Curie Incoming project, grant No. 2015-04825). Arantzazu Santamaria-Echart and Arantxa Eceiza wish to acknowledge the financial support from the Basque Government in the frame of Grupos Consolidados (IT-776-13) and SGIker from the University of the Basque Country for their Technical support

Different environmentaly-friendly strategies for loading waterborne polyurethane and polyurethane-urea dispersions

The environmental awareness has increased the research and development of eco-friendly green synthesis routes for many different applications, such as the waterborne polymer systems. Among others, waterborne polyurethanes (WBPU) and waterborne polyurethane-ureas (WBPUU) have gained attention due to their versatility in terms of composition and properties, making them suitable in a wide range of applications [1]. WBPU and WBPUU synthesis process is based on the incorporation of internal emulsifiers covalently bonded to the polymer obtaining stable water dispersions over months. Furthermore, the waterborne character of the dispersions provides the opportunity of incorporating water dispersible nanoentities and water soluble additives, enhancing or even providing additional properties. In this context, the use of renewable derivatives opens the possibility of enhancing the environmentally-friendly character. Among them, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) are presented as a suitable candidate for the preparation of nanocomposites, considering their unique properties in the nanoscale dimension, provided by their high length/diameter aspect ratio and high specific mechanical properties [2]. Otherwise, the incorporation of natural water soluble additives has focused attention on extracts obtained from plants, consisting in biologically active compounds [3], whose antimicrobial character can determine the antimicrobial behavior of the WBPU and WBPUU. Therefore, in this work, different strategies have been analyzed for the preparation of WBPU-CNC nanocomposites and WBPUU-plant extracts varying their content as well as their incorporation route.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Development of waterborne polyurethane-ureas added with plant extracts: Study of different incorporation routes and their influence on particle size, thermal, mechanical and antibacterial properties

Polyurethane-ureas are a versatile family of polymers which can be employed in a wide range of applications. Among them, waterborne polyurethane-urea (WBPUU) dispersions are gaining relevance in the field of environmentally-friendly products since their productive process adopts green synthesis routes, avoiding the use of organic solvents. Furthermore, their waterborne character can be exploited to incorporate several water compatible ingredients able to confer functional properties to the final materials. Among them, plant extracts, which are known to have relevant bioactivities, can be viewed as interesting candidates. Therefore, in this work, two extracts known to present antimicrobial activity (Melissa officinalis L. and Salvia officinalis L.) were obtained by the infusion method and incorporated into the WBPUU (1, 3 and 5 wt%) following different incorporation routes comprising its adding during different phases of the productive process (post-, in-situ and pre- methods). Thereafter films were prepared by solvent-casting and characterized from the viewpoint of physicochemical, thermal, mechanical, thermomechanical and antibacterial properties and morphologically. The studied incorporation routes resulted in different intercalation mechanisms that varied from extract positioned among the polyurethane-urea nanoparticles (post-method) to extract partially embedded inside them (in-situ and pre-methods), which produced stiffening or flexibilizing effects in the produced films, enhancing in general the antimicrobial characteristics of films after 4 days of incubation comparing with base WBPUU, especially when the extract is embedded.Financial support from the Basque Government (IT-776-13), the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) (MAT2016-76294-R), POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 (LA LSRE-LCM) funded by ERDF through POCI-COMPETE2020 and FCT and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000006, funded by NORTE 2020, under PT2020 through ERDF is gratefully acknowledged. We also wish to acknowledge the “Macrobehaviour- Mesostructure-Nanotechnology” SGIker units from the University of the Basque Country, for their technical support. A.S-E thanks the University of the Basque Country for Ph.D. grant (PIF/UPV/12/201).Financial support from the Basque Government (IT-776-13), the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) (MAT2016-76294-R), POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 (LA LSRE-LCM) funded by ERDF through POCI-COMPETE2020 and FCT and NORTE- 01-0145-FEDER-000006, funded by NORTE 2020, under PT2020 through ERDF is gratefully acknowledged. We also wish to acknowledge the “Macrobehaviour- Mesostructure-Nanotechnology” SGIker units from the University of the Basque Country, for their technical support. A.S-E thanks the University of the Basque Country for Ph.D. grant (PIF/UPV/12/201).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Synthesis and characterization of waterborne polyurethane and polyurethane-urea towards eco-friendly materials by cellulose nanocrystals and plant extracts incorporation

327 p.In this work, environmentally friendly anionic waterborne polyurethane and polyurethane-urea dispersions were synthesized in order to prepare films by casting. The effect of molar composition and synthesis route were analyzed on the waterborne polyurethane and polyurethane-urea dispersions, as well as the properties of films. Furthermore, these dispersions were used for the preparation of new eco-friendly materials. In this way, cellulose nanocrystals were isolated for the preparation of nanocomposite films. The effect of matrix nature, cellulose nanocrystals content and their incorporation route were analyzed in the final properties of the nanocomposites. Moreover, electrospun nanocomposite mats were prepared from waterborne polyurethane-cellulose nanocrystals dispersions using poly(ethylene oxide) as polymer template. The effect of varying the nanoreinforcement content and incorporation route was analyzed in the morphology and surface behavior of mats. In a second section, extracts containing bioactive compounds from two plants (Salvia officinalis L. and Melissa officinalis L.), were obtained for being incorporated to polyurethane-urea dispersions in order to confer antimicrobial properties. Three different incorporation routes were designed for the incorporation of different extract contents. Polyurethane-urea dispersions containing plant extracts were characterized and films were prepared. The final properties of films were analyzed and antimicrobial tests were carried out against Gram positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram negative Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria