Imágenes para el recuerdo. Japón en las fotografías de Oleguer Junyent del Instituto Amatller de Arte Hispánico

From the moment of the opening of Japan in the 19th century, the West experienced an enormous fascination with this country, an attraction that generated many artistic testimonies during the time of Japonisme. From 1868, the knowledge the West had of Japan increased through commerce and, later on in the Meiji era, through visitors who, in increasing numbers, travelled to the Land of the Rising Sun as a leisure destination.Regarding photography, the interest on Japan materialized itself in the commercialization of sets of pictures with codified iconographies. These souvenir photographs turned into a thriving business, but at the same time they became a means by which the image of Japan was disseminated.In contrast to this phenomenon, most common in the Meiji period, this paper addresses the photographic work by Oleguer Junyent, a Spanish artist who visited Japan around 1908 as part of a world tour. Through his photographs, we will study how this Western figure established a different set of parameters in his observation of Japan, offering a particular point of view alternative to commercial standards.Although the object of our study are the photographs kept in the Amatller Hispanic Art Institute, which are part of the photography collection of the Adolfo Mas Archive, we will also support our investigation on the work Roda el món i torna al Born, the travel book Junyent published after his return in 1910, which is profusely illustrated.La fascinación que ejerció Japón en Occidente a partir de su apertura en el siglo XIX es más que patente, y dio lugar a numerosos testimonios artísticos durante el japonismo. Desde la apertura del país en 1868, el conocimiento de Japón en Occidente se incrementó a través del comercio. Con el avance del periodo Meiji creció también el número de visitantes que se desplazaban al País del Sol Naciente en el contexto de viajes de placer.Dentro del ámbito de la fotografía, este interés por Japón se tradujo en una codificación de las imágenes producidas dentro de un contexto comercial. Estas fotografías souvenir constituyeron un negocio muy importante, pero también un medio de difusión de la imagen japonesa.Frente a este fenómeno, que supone la tónica habitual en la fotografía del periodo Meiji, queremos presentar el trabajo de un artista español, Oleguer Junyent, quien visitó Japón en torno a 1908, en el contexto de un viaje alrededor de mundo. A través de las fotografías que realizó, analizaremos la manera en que mira como occidental sobre Japón aportando un punto de vista particular y alternativo a los estándares comerciales.Para ello, nos apoyaremos en la obra Roda el món i torna al Born, libro de viajes profusamente ilustrado que Junyent publicó a su vuelta en 1910, si bien nuestro objeto de estudio serán las fotografías conservadas en el Instituto Amatller de Arte Hispánico, que se integran dentro del corpus fotográfico del Archivo Adolfo Mas

Bases fisiològiques de l’entrenament visual

L’entrenament visual (EV) es basa en la realització d’una sèrie de bateries d’exercicis protocolitzats que necessàriament han de cmplir certes característiques: estar dissenyats partint dels resultats trobats en l’examen optomètric, seguir un ordre evolutiu adequat a les capacitats del pacient i compondre’s d’exercicis específics per a la funció que es vol millorar. Els exercicis realitzats incideixen directament sobre la via retinocortical, la via retinosubcortical i els músculs extrínsecs i intrínsecs de l’ull, millorant la funció dels esmentats sistemes gràcies a la plasticitat cerebral. Conèixer on, perquè, i quan podem fer EV ens ajudarà a comprendre millor les regles que sustenten l’EV i a millorar amb seguretat els nostres protocols d’actuació

Bases fisiológicas del entrenamiento visual

El entrenamiento visual (EV) se basa en la realización de una serie de baterías de ejercicios protocolizados que necesariamente deben cumplir ciertas características: estar diseñados en base a los resultados hallados en el examen optométrico, seguir un orden evolutivo adecuado a las capacidades del paciente y componerse de ejercicios específicos para la función que se quiere mejorar. Los ejercicios realizados inciden directamente sobre la vía retino-cortical, la vía retino-subcortical y los músculos extrínsecos e intrínsecos del ojo, mejorando la función de dichos sistemas gracias a la plasticidad cerebral. Conocer dónde, por qué y cuándo podemos hacer EV nos ayudará a comprender mejor las reglas que sustentan el EV y a mejorar con seguridad nuestros protocolos de actuación

Las mujeres y las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones en la economía y el trabajo

Incluye BibliografíaEl objetivo de este informe es indagar sobre la participación y contribución de las mujeres en la economía y el trabajo en el ámbito de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación. Elegimos tratar esta cuestión en el marco de los derechos de las mujeres, y como meta a alcanzar, lograr una plena igualdad de oportunidades y trato para las mujeres en la sociedad de la información en plena construcción

Immobilization of Pycnoporus coccineus laccase on Eupergit C: stabilization and treatment of olive oil mill wastewaters

The use of olive oil mill wastewaters (OMW) as organic fertilizer is limited by its phytotoxic effect, due to the high concentration of phenolic compounds. As an alternative to physico-chemical methods for OMW detoxification, the laccase from Pycnoporus coccineus, a white-rot fungus that is able to decrease the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and colour of the industrial effluent, is being studied. In this work, the P. coccineus laccase was immobilized on two acrylic epoxy-activated resins, Eupergit C and Eupergit C 250L. The highest activity was obtained with the macroporous Eupergit C 250L, reaching 110 U g-1 biocatalyst. A substantial stabilization effect against pH and temperature was obtained upon immobilization. The soluble enzyme maintained ≥80% of its initial activity after 24 h at pH 7.0-10.0, whereas the immobilized laccase kept the activity in the pH range 3.0-10.0. The free enzyme was quickly inactivated at temperatures above 50 oC, whereas the immobilized enzyme was very stable up to 70 oC. Gel filtration profiles of the OMW treated with the immobilized enzyme (for 8 h at room temperature) showed both degradation and polymerization of the phenolic compounds.We thank Dr. J. Martinez and T. de la Rubia (University of Granada, Spain) for giving us lyophilized OMW. We thank Thomas Boller (Degussa, Darmstadt, Germany) for supplying Eupergit C samples and for technical help. The authors thank the financial support received from the Spanish Projects BIO2003-00621, VEM2004-08559 and CAM S-0505/AMB0100.Peer reviewe

Combinatorial Saturation Mutagenesis by in vivo Overlap Extension for the Engineering of Fungal Laccases

Combinatorial saturation mutagenesis -CSM- is a valuable tool for improving enzymatic properties from hot-spot residues discovered by directed enzyme evolution or performing semi-rational studies. CSM coupled to a reliable high-throughput screening assay -CV below 10 %- has been used to enhance turnover rates in the fungal laccase variant T2 from Myceliophthora thermophila. The influence of the highly conserved pentapeptide 509-513 on the redox potential of blue-copper containing enzymes is well described. We focused combinatorial saturation mutagenesis in residues Ser510 and Leu513. Libraries were constructed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by in vivo overlap extension -IVOE- of the PCR products. This methodology provides a simple manner to build CSM libraries avoiding extra PCR reactions, by-products formation and in vitro ligation steps. After exploring more than 1,700 clones, mutant (7E1) with 3-fold better kinetics than parent type was found. 7E1 showed one synonymous mutation (L513L, CGT/TTG) and beneficial mutation S510G (TCG/GGG) which can not be achieved by conventional error-prone PCR techniques. Mutation S510G seems to affect the C-terminal plug, which modulates the transit of water and oxygen to the trinuclear copper cluster.This material is based upon work founded by Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (project VEM2004-08559), Comunidad de Madrid/CSIC (project 20058M121) and Ramón y Cajal Research Program. MZ thanks Gobierno Vasco for fellowship.Peer reviewe

First record of the mangrove palm Nypa from the northeastern Ebro Basin, Spain : with taphonomic criteria to evaluate the drifting duration

Fossil fruits pertaining to the mangrove palm genus Nypa Steck, (Arecaceae, Arecales) were collected from a new plant-bearing assemblage in the Arguis Formation (Fm.), northeastern Ebro Basin (Arguis, Huesca Province, Spain). This formation is Bartonian to early Priabonian in age and comprises pro-delta and carbonate platform deposits. The new assemblage consists of nine specimens of fossil Nypa fruits and one monocotyledon leaf fragment. Over half of these fossil fruits are nearly-complete (i.e. with preserved mesocarps) while the other represent endocarps. From the point of view of morphology and size they resemble other European records of this genus. The type of remain preserved (fruits or endocarps), presence of abrasion, Teredo borings and sedimentary facies provide criteria to infer contrasting lengths of transport (drifting). However, they indicate in all cases that these fossil fruits were afloat in seawater for a considerable time. The discovery of Nypa fruits suggests a tropical-subtropical climate in the area, as well as the presence of a coastal environment and littoral forests during deposition. This interpretation corroborates previous findings from the nearby Eocene outcrops of the Catalan Central Depression (Eastern Pyrenees range)

Validity of ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes used to identify acute liver injury: a study in three European data sources

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Forns, J. [et al.]. Validity of ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes used to identify acute liver injury: a study in three European data sources. "Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety", 6 Juny 2019, vol. 28, núm. 7, p. 965-975, which has been published in final form at 10.1002/pds.4803. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving."Purpose Validating cases of acute liver injury (ALI) in health care data sources is challenging. Previous validation studies reported low positive predictive values (PPVs). Methods Case validation was undertaken in a study conducted from 2009 to 2014 assessing the risk of ALI in antidepressants users in databases in Spain (EpiChron and SIDIAP) and the Danish National Health Registers. Three ALI definitions were evaluated: primary (specific hospital discharge codes), secondary (specific and nonspecific hospital discharge codes), and tertiary (specific and nonspecific hospital and outpatient codes). The validation included review of patient profiles (EpiChron and SIDIAP) and of clinical data from medical records (EpiChron and Denmark). ALI cases were confirmed when liver enzyme values met a definition by an international working group. Results Overall PPVs (95% CIs) for the study ALI definitions were, for the primary ALI definition, 84% (60%-97%) (EpiChron), 60% (26%-88%) (SIDIAP), and 74% (60%-85%) (Denmark); for the secondary ALI definition, 65% (45%-81%) (EpiChron), 40% (19%-64%) (SIDIAP), and 70% (64%-77%) (Denmark); and for the tertiary ALI definition, 25% (18%-34%) (EpiChron), 8% (7%-9%) (SIDIAP), and 47% (42%-52%) (Denmark). The overall PPVs were higher for specific than for nonspecific codes and for hospital discharge than for outpatient codes. The nonspecific code “unspecified jaundice” had high PPVs in Denmark. Conclusions PPVs obtained apply to patients using antidepressants without preexisting liver disease or ALI risk factors. To maximize validity, studies on ALI should prioritize hospital specific discharge codes and should include hospital codes for unspecified jaundice. Case validation is required when ALI outpatient cases are considered.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Continuous Packed Bed Reactor with Immobilized β-Galactosidase for Production of Galactooligosaccharides (GOS)

The β-galactosidase from Bacillus circulans was covalently attached to aldehyde-activated (glyoxal) agarose beads and assayed for the continuous production of galactooligosaccharides (GOS) in a packed-bed reactor (PBR). The immobilization was fast (1 h) and the activity of the resulting biocatalyst was 97.4 U/g measured with o-nitrophenyl-β-d-galactopyranoside (ONPG). The biocatalyst showed excellent operational stability in 14 successive 20 min reaction cycles at 45 °C in a batch reactor. A continuous process for GOS synthesis was operated for 213 h at 0.2 mL/min and 45 °C using 100 g/L of lactose as a feed solution. The efficiency of the PBR slightly decreased with time; however, the maximum GOS concentration (24.2 g/L) was obtained after 48 h of operation, which corresponded to 48.6% lactose conversion and thus to maximum transgalactosylation activity. HPAEC-PAD analysis showed that the two major GOS were the trisaccharide Gal-β(1→4)-Gal-β(1→4)-Glc and the tetrasaccharide Gal-β(1→4)-Gal-β(1→4)-Gal-β(1→4)-Glc. The PBR was also assessed in the production of GOS from milk as a feed solution. The stability of the bioreactor was satisfactory during the first 8 h of operation; after that, a decrease in the flow rate was observed, probably due to partial clogging of the column. This work represents a step forward in the continuous production of GOS employing fixed-bed reactors with immobilized β-galactosidases.This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BIO2013-48779-C4-1-R and BIO2016-76601-C3-1-R). We thank the support of COST-Action CM1303 on Systems Biocatalysis. P.S.-M. thanks the Spanish Ministry of Education for FPU Grant (FPU13/01185). We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)

Anti-tumour activity of fatty acid maltotriose esters

The anti-tumour properties of two fatty acid esters of maltotriose, 6’’-O-lauroylmaltotriose and 6’’-O-palmitoylmaltotriose, in which the 6-OH at the non-reducing end of the maltotriose has been regioselectively acylated, were studied. Both compounds were synthesised by transesterification of vinyl laurate or vinyl palmitate with maltotriose, in presence of immobilized lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus. A mixture formed by 2-methyl-2-butanol and dimethylsulfoxide (80:20 v/v) was the reaction medium. Their cytotoxic activities against two human cancer cell lines, Hep-G2 and HeLa, were studied. 6’’-O-palmitoylmaltotriose showed 50% inhibition values (IC50) of 2.3 M (1.7 g/ml) for Hep-G2 and 3.6 M (2.7 g/ml) for HeLa cells, whereas 6’’-O-lauroylmaltotriose displayed a lower inhibitory effect. 6’’-O-palmitoylmaltotriose showed a marginal cytotoxicity to rat hepatocytes, confirming its potential as a new anti-tumour agent.We thank Prof. Manuel Bernabé (Instituto de Química Orgánica, CSIC, Madrid) for help with NMR analysis. This work was supported by European Union (project MERG-CT-2004-505242) and the Spanish CICYT (Project BIO2002-00337).Peer reviewe