L'ús de la llengua valenciana a la Il·lustració: la figura de Carles Ros

L'arribada de la nova dinastia borbònica va suposar a nivell cultural la desaparició oficial del valencià en el llenguatge de l'administració i un retrocés de la llengua en tots els àmbits d'ús. El notari valencià Carles Ros va ser un ferm defensor de la llengua en un context poc favorable, com així ho demostra a les seues obres. Gran part de la seua producció literària, la qual inclou tractats gramaticals i lexicogràfics, vocabularis, obres apologètiques, col·loquis i romanços, està dedicada a defensar i promoure el valencià, així com facilitar-ne el seu coneixement.

Hibridación entre la codorniz común (Coturnix coturnix) y la codorniz de granja: estado de un problema de conservación

La hibridación entre especies es un fenómeno ampliamente extendido que puede tener consecuencias en la conservación de la biodiversidad. En el presente artículo se hace una revisión del problema de conservación derivado de la suelta de codornices de granja en poblaciones silvestres de codorniz común (Coturnix coturnix). Estas codornices de granja han resultado ser híbridos de codorniz común y codorniz japonesa (Coturnix japonica). Si no existen mecanismos de aislamiento reproductor, estas sueltas favorecerían la introgresión de genes de codorniz japonesa en las poblaciones de codorniz común; ello conllevaría que se produjera un “enjambre de híbridos” y la sedentarización de las poblaciones de codorniz, lo que comportaría muy probablemente su disminución en Europa. Esta amenaza es real, al haberse demostrado que no hay mecanismos de aislamiento reproductor, ni pre-cigóticos, ni post-cigóticos, ni ecológicos. Sin embargo, datos empíricos sugieren que a pesar de ello no se produce el temido “enjambre de híbridos”, sugiriéndose una mortalidad diferencial entre las dos especies como una posible explicación. Finalmente, se sugieren algunas medidas de gestión derivadas de la situación actual, entre las que destacaría un control genético que certifique el origen de los individuos criados en granja y la prohibición de efectuar sueltas de codornices japonesas o híbridos.

Evolution of alkaloid biosynthesis in the genus Narcissus

In an attempt to reveal the relationships between alkaloid biosynthesis and phylogeny, we investigated by GC–MS the alkaloid patterns of 22 species and 3 hybrids (from 45 locations) from seven main sections of the genus Narcissus (Amaryllidaceae). The results indicate that the first alkaloids to evolve in the genus Narcissus were of the lycorine- and homolycorine-type. The alkaloid pattern of the Nevadensis section supports its recent separation from the Pseudonarcissus section. The plants of Narcissus pallidulus (Ganymedes section) show a predominance of Sceletium-type compounds, which are quite rare in the Amaryllidaceae family. Two successful evolutionary strategies involving alkaloid biosynthesis and leading to an expansion in taxa and occupied area were determined. Firstly, a diversification of alkaloid patterns and a high alkaloid concentration in the organs of the large Narcissus species (in the Pseudonarcissus section) resulted in an improved chemical defence in diverse habitats. Secondly, both plant size and alkaloid biosynthesis were reduced (in the Bulbocodium and Apodanthi sections) relegated to dry pastures and rocky places.

Erosion of universal health coverage in Spain

Whereas the recent UN resolution urges governments to accelerate progress towards universal access to affordable and quality health-care services, the Spanish Government, bypassing the parliamentary procedure, enacted a Royal Decree to limit access to free services at the point of delivery for all-undermining the principle of universal coverage. Spanish health and social service budgets have been subjected to large cuts (13,7% in 2012 and 16,2% in 2013) with some regions imposing additional budget cuts.

The structure of a PII signaling protein from a halophilic archaeon reveals novel traits and high-salt adaptations

To obtain insights into archaeal nitrogen signaling and haloadaptation of the nitrogen/carbon/energy-signaling protein PII, we determined crystal structures of recombinantly produced GlnK2 from the extreme halophilic archaeon Haloferax mediterranei, complexed with AMP or with the PII effectors ADP or ATP, at respective resolutions of 1.49 Å, 1.45 Å, and 2.60 Å. A unique trait of these structures was a three-tongued crown protruding from the trimer body convex side, formed by an 11-residue, N-terminal, highly acidic extension that is absent from structurally studied PII proteins. This extension substantially contributed to the very low pI value, which is a haloadaptive trait of H. mediterranei GlnK2, and participated in hexamer-forming contacts in one crystal. Similar acidic N-extensions are shown here to be common among PII proteins from halophilic organisms. Additional haloadaptive traits prominently represented in H. mediterranei GlnK2 are a very high ratio of small residues to large hydrophobic aliphatic residues, and the highest ratio of polar to nonpolar exposed surface for any structurally characterized PII protein. The presence of a dense hydration layer in the region between the three T-loops might also be a haloadaptation. Other unique findings revealed by the GlnK2 structure that might have functional relevance are: the adoption by its T-loop of a three-turn α-helical conformation, perhaps related to the ability of GlnK2 to directly interact with glutamine synthetase; and the firm binding of AMP, confirmed by biochemical binding studies with ATP, ADP, and AMP, raising the possibility that AMP could be an important PII effector, at least in archaea.

Intimate partner violence among women in Spain: the impact of regional-level male unemployment and income inequality

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a complex worldwide public health problem. There is scarce research on the independent effect on IPV exerted by structural factors such as labour and economic policies, economic inequalities and gender inequality. Objective: To analyse the association, in Spain, between contextual variables of regional unemployment and income inequality and individual women’s likelihood of IPV, independently of the women’s characteristics. Method: We conducted multilevel logistic regression to analyse cross-sectional data from the 2011 Spanish Macrosurvey of Gender-based Violence which included 7898 adult women. The first level of analyses was the individual women’ characteristics and the second level was the region of residence. Results: Of the survey participants, 12.2% reported lifetime IPV. The region of residence accounted for 3.5% of the total variability in IPV prevalence. We determined a direct association between regional male long-term unemployment and IPV likelihood (P = 0.007) and between the Gini Index for the regional income inequality and IPV likelihood (P < 0.001). Women residing in a region with higher gender-based income discrimination are at a lower likelihood of IPV than those residing in a region with low gender-based income discrimination (odds ratio = 0.64, 95% confidence intervals: 0.55–0.75). Conclusions: Growing regional unemployment rates and income inequalities increase women’s likelihood of IPV. In times of economic downturn, like the current one in Spain, this association may translate into an increase in women’s vulnerability to IPV.

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Mercados informales, intercambios y cesiones de agua de riego en la Comunidad Valenciana

A inicios de la pasada década la legislación española de aguas incorporó diversos cambios normativos para permitir la realización de cesiones e intercambios de recursos hídricos entre concesionarios y usuarios, con el ánimo de flexibilizar la asignación de recursos y mejorar su aprovechamiento, particularmente en contextos de escasez. Sin embargo, como ya han apuntado diversos autores, con anterioridad a estos cambios legales ya existían fórmulas de cesión e intercambio de recursos entre usuarios, más o menos formales. El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar las cesiones e intercambios de aguas que han tenido lugar en la Comunidad Valenciana en las últimas décadas. Los resultados demuestran que los intercambios de derechos entre usuarios pueden resultar eficaces para resolver problemas locales de escasez. El trabajo discute también el concepto de mercados informales y si estos intercambios o cesiones pueden considerarse como tales.