Iñaki García

The effect of thermal and vapor annealing treatments on the self-assembly of TiO2 /PS-b-PMMA nanocomposites generated via the sol–gel process

Polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (SMMA) block copolymer has been used as a structure-directing agent for generating TiO2 /SMMA nanocomposites via the sol-gel process using a hydrophobic surfactant. The aim of the work has been focused on the preparation of well-defined nanostructured composites based on the self-assembling capability of the block copolymer using two different annealing methods: thermal- and solvent-induced microphase separation. The addition of different amounts of nanoparticles caused strong variations in the self-assembled morphology of the TiO2 /SMMA nanocomposites with respect to the block copolymer, as observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). To verify the confinement of the nanoparticles in the PMMA block 3D AFM images and corresponding AFM profiles have also been reported. UV light irradiation of the nanocomposite films provoked the removal of the organic matrix and consequently led to an array of TiO2 nanoparticles on the substrate surface.

The role of reactive silicates on the structure/property relationships and cell response evaluation in polyurethane nanocomposites

Precursors of polyurethane chains have been reacted by means of in situ polymerization with organically modified montmorillonite clay to obtain polyurethane nanocomposites containing from 1 to 4 wt % of nanoreinforcement. The effective final dispersion of inorganic component at nanometric scale was investigated by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, the effect of the nanoreinforcement incorporation on thermal and mechanical behavior of polyurethane nanocomposites was evaluated. Nanocomposites showed similar mechanical properties to polyurethanes containing high-hard segment contents with higher tensile modulus and a decrease in elastomeric properties of polyurethane materials. Finally, biocompatibility studies using L-929 fibroblast have been carried out to examine in vitro cell response and cytotoxicity of the matrix and their nanocomposite materials. Results suggested that the organic modifier in the clay is unsuitable for biomedical devices in spite of the fact that the matrix is a good candidate for cell adhesion and proliferation.

Identidades culturales y lingüísticas en las Comunidades Autónomas Bilingües (CAB) de España: antecedentes y consecuencias

ResumenEl contexto bilingue de algunas Comunidades Autonomas en Espana es un laboratorio natural donde se producen procesos de cambio social en las identidades culturales y linguisticas. Este articulo analiza algunos de los antecedentes y consecuencias de estas identidades. Una muestra de 2.446 estudiantes, distribuidos de forma similar entre cinco Comunidades Autonomas bilingues: Cataluna, Galicia, Navarra, Pais Vasco y Valencia, contestaron en un contexto intergrupal un cuestionario sobre identidad cultural y linguistica, uso y vitalidadde las lenguas autonomicas y del castellanoy actitudes intergrupales, entre otros. Los resultados muestran que se pueden distinguir la identidad cultural y la linguistica, tanto autonomica como espanola, y que la combinacion entre grados de identificacion con estas identidades da lugar a tres prototipos identitarios sociologica y psicosocialmente significativos: la Identidad Autonomica, la Identidad Espanola y la Identidad Autonomico-Espanola (Bilingue-bicultural). Los a...

Identidad etnolingüística y construcción de ciudadanía en las Comunidades Autónomas Bilingües (CAB) de España

ResumenEn este primer articulo se estudia la identidad etnolinguistica resultante de los procesos de identificacion con las lenguas y las culturas en contacto en las CAB, obteniendo un continuum identitario en el que los tipos de identidad extremos son: el tipo de identidad Autonomica (Catalana/Gallega/Valenciana/Vasca) y el tipo de identidad Espanola, que ocuparian los polos del continuum, y el tipo de identidad Autonomico-Espanola, o bilingue-bicultural, que se ubicaria en el centro del continuum. Este ha sido un resultado consistente, obtenido sistematicamente en todas las CAB. Se han obtenido tambien otros tipos identitarios, considerados secundarios en este trabajo, tanto por razones teoricas como por razones empiricas, al no darse sistematicamente en todas las CAB. Tambien se han estudiado las concepciones de ciudadania que se corresponden con cada grupos segun el tipo de identidad, tambien a cada grupo segun el origen geografico, en relacion con las estrategias intergrupales de asimilacion y de int...

Vocabulary growth and composition in monolingual and bilingual Basque infants and toddlers

The question as to whether there is a threshold value for input below which bilinguals do not achieve a monolingual-like development often arises. Although input does not seem to be determining for learning syntax, according to Juan-Garau and Pérez-Vidal, the amount of vocabulary acquired is proportional to the time of exposure. This article contributes to the current discussion with data from very young children exposed either to monolingual input of Basque or to different degrees of bilingual input of Basque and Spanish/French. The corpus for the present investigation has been extracted from the adaptation to Basque of the MacArthur–Bates communicative development inventories 1 and 2 questionnaires based on parental reports. These questionnaires, adapted to more than 40 languages throughout the world (www.sci.sdsu.edu/cdi), involve monthly data collection from different children for each age interval between ages 8 and 30 months and have proved to be a powerful instrument to establish normal linguistic development and deviance at an early stage. This study finds that the development of productive vocabulary in the four input groups established follows the tendencies described by Bates et al. but at different paces corresponding to different vocabulary sizes. In other words, the ‘nominal bias’ lasts to a higher age in the lower input groups, and the lexical diversity appears earlier in the higher input groups. Furthermore, lexical verbs, not predicates, are analysed as a separate category based on the study by Barreña and Serrat, which showed a higher proportion of verbs appeared in Basque as compared to the surrounding Romance languages. This tendency towards the use of verbs is confirmed in the data collected from input groups with higher exposure to Basque.

Influencia del uso de las lenguas en contacto con la identidad social, en la Comunidad Autónoma Vasca (CAV)

ResumenDesde las teorias psicosociales sobre identidad, intentamos estudiar los diferentes grados de identificacion y de implicacion con las culturas en contacto en el contexto vasco. Diferenciamos dos grupos de universitarios en la CAV, segun la lengua de respuesta a nuestro cuestionario, sujetos que realizan sus estudios y contestan al cuestionario en euskera (grupo 1) y sujetos que cursan sus estudios y responden al cuestionario en castellano (grupo 2); en ambos grupos se midio su grado de implicacion en cuatro aspectos de identidad (territorial, linguistica, nacional y cultural). Nuestro objetivo es encontrar los diferentes perfiles identitarios entre los universitarios vascos y estudiar en que medida influye sobre estos el hecho de vivir y estudiar en euskera o en castellano. Los resultados muestran dos perfiles identitarios que se diferencian en la dimension espanol-vasco de las categorias propuestas.

Identity and acculturation: interethnic relations in the Basque Autonomous Community

This study analyses the influence of ethnic identity on the acculturation orientations of Basque undergraduates, towards groups in traditional contact (native Basques and native Spaniards) and towards recent immigrant groups. Five dimensions were used to measure the Basque and/or Spanish identities: linguistic, cultural, political, global, and the desire to be Basque and/or Spanish. Two factors were identified by analysing the factor structure of the items: Basque and Spanish identity. The scales of both factors were dichotomised using the mid-point of a 7-point Likert-type scale. The subjects were classified, according to their scores on identity scales, into three prototypes: two polarised identities, Basque and Spanish, and a third Dual prototype merges both identities. The main aim is to compare the host acculturation orientations of the three prototype identities towards different groups. The differences in acculturation were small in regard to immigrant groups, although orientations were more negative towards groups of immigrants who are less highly regarded by the host society. Interestingly, the prototypes differ in the acculturation orientations regarding the groups in traditional contact, the native Basques and native Spaniards. An in-group favouritism effect occurs, in both polarised prototypes, whereas the Dual prototype shows similar positive acculturation orientations towards both groups.

Attitudes towards languages, contact cultures and immigrant groups according to the ethnolinguistic identity of Basque students / Actitudes hacia lenguas, culturas en contacto y grupos inmigrantes según la identidad etnolingüística de escolares vascos

Abstract This study analyses the influence of ethnolinguistic identity on attitudes of secondary school students in the Basque Autonomous Community (N = 1,065) towards the languages, cultures and linguistic groups in traditional contact, as well as the emergent immigrant groups. Four identity prototypes were obtained according to the ethnolinguistic identity of the subjects. The Dual prototype integrates Basque and Spanish identity, two prototypes show a polarized identity towards either Basque or Spanish identification, and the Diffuse identity prototype shows low identification with both Basque and Spanish. The results indicate that ethnolinguistic identity has an effect on attitudes towards the traditional contact languages and cultures. Ingroup favouritism can be observed in the polarized identity prototypes, although to varying degrees. The subjects’ differing degrees of Basque-Spanish bilingualism and biculturalism is associated with more inclusive attitudes. The effect of ethnolinguistic identity in relation to the emerging contact was small.