Effects of Dolphin-assisted Therapy on the Social and Communication Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Although several studies have shown that dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) may be beneficial for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), most of these studies have methodological weaknesses. This study tested the effectiveness of DAT in improving the social and communicative skills of children with ASD. We used a pretest- posttest design with a control group. The 48 participants were selected according to the following inclusion criteria: age between 4 and 5 years, diagnosis of ASD, and clear impairment in communication. Participants were randomly assigned to the groups: DAT and Therapy Without Dolphins (TWD). The research lasted 10 weeks. The intervention phase lasted 6 weeks and consisted of three weekly 45-min sessions, with a total of 18 sessions per participant. Therapy sessions for both groups, DAT and TWD, were conducted by a dolphin trainer and a health professional in the same facilities and under the same conditions, except for the use of the interaction with the dolphin as support for the activities. Three instruments were used to assess communicative and social skills: The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic, the Reynell Developmental Language scales, and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior scales. Significant improvements were observed between the pretests and posttests in both groups, DAT and TWD, on the total scores of all the scales, except for the Social Interaction Domain of the ADOS-G. These improvements were significantly greater for the DAT group on only two items of the Language and Communication Domain, ADOS-G: "frequency of vocalizations toward others" and "gestures" (η2 = 0.11, p < 0.05) in both cases. In conclusion, we found some evidence that DAT is a useful therapeutic intervention to foster the social and communication skills of children with ASD and that dolphins specifically can enhance the improvement of some communication-related aspects

Las emociones y el ambiente motivacional generado por un director de orquesta y la percepción de dicho clima por sus músicos y cantantes de coro. / Study of emotions and motivational climate generated by an orchestral director and the perception of ...

El presente estudio se centra en elaborar un perfil emocional del director de la ópera “Tosca” en el Teatro Principal de Palma de Mallorca (España) y analizar el clima motivacional que crea éste en los músicos y coristas bajo su dirección, así como analizar la percepción que tienen éstos de dicho clima motivacional. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que el director produce un clima con una clara orientación a tarea, mientras que los músicos y coristas perciben un clima combinado. The present study focuses on developing an emotional profile of the director of the Opera “Tosca” in the Teatro Principal (Palma de Mallorca, Spain) and analyze the motivational climate created in musicians and singers under his direction, as well as analyze the musicians and singers perceptions of the motivational climate. The results show that the director produces a climate with a clear task orientation while musicians and chorus singers perceive a combined climate

Una nueva etapa: hacia la IDE 2.0

El desarrollo de las Infraestructuras de Datos Espaciales (IDE) en España ha cubierto una primera etapa basada en el despliegue de servicios básicos, aplicaciones de visualización y apertura de geoportales. Una IDE paradigmática de esta primera fase, que podemos llamar convencionalmente IDE 1.0, incluiría: un visualizador con servicios de mapas WMS de ortofotos, imágenes de satélite y cartografía, un catálogo de metadatos (CSW, SRW, otro perfil, o soluciones no estándar), un servicio de Nomenclátor (WFS-G, WFS-MNE o soluciones no estándar) para realizar búsquedas por nombre, un servicio de descarga de datos (basado en WFS), ,y probablemente aplicaciones complementarias no estándar al margen de las specificaciones OGC, como, por ejemplo, utilidades de transformación de coordenadas, o un cliente pesado para realizar vuelos virtuales. En suma, la mayoría de los geoportales disponibles están orientados fundamentalmente a la visualización de datos geográficos

Evidence of autochthonous transmission of urinary schistosomiasis in Almeria (southeast Spain): An outbreak analysis

Background: Schistosomiasis is endemic in 78 countries belonging to tropical and subtropical areas. However, autochthonous transmission of urogenital schistosomiasis was reported in Corsica (France) in 2013. We present evidence of autochthonous transmission of urogenital schistosomiasis in Almería (Spain) in 2003. Methods: Description of the outbreak in farmers and subsequent epidemiological studies aimed at searching for Bulinus snails and their genotypic characteristics. Results: The outbreak affected 4 farmers out of a group of 5 people who repeatedly bathed that summer in an irrigation pool in the area. Two of them presented macroscopic hematuria with bilharziomas, showing the presence of Schistosoma eggs in bladder biopsies. Two others were asymptomatic but the serology for schisto somiasis was positive. In 2015, the presence of the vector Bulinus truncatus was demonstrated in Almería in water collections of appropriate characteristics. DNA sequencing proving that local B. truncatus species were base-to base identical to B. truncatus from Senegal. Conclusions: We present a new outbreak of autochthonous transmission of urogenital schistosomiasis in Europe. Although no new cases of autochthonous transmission have been reported, some other cases may have occurred at that time or later on and be unnoticed as many cases of schistosomiasis are asymptomatic or present mild and unspecific symptoms

Activar la comunidad de prácticas en la docencia universitaria: Proyectos Zero en Arquitectura en Alicante

Después de 5 años de experiencia, hemos planteado una nueva etapa en el curso “Proyectos Zero” en Arquitectura (PZ). Una vez probado su éxito entre alumnos y docentes, en la nueva edición profundizamos en las consecuencias del modelo para la evaluación de la enseñanza impartida durante la carrera. En PZ diversos arquitectos egresados de la U. de Alicante revisan los aprendizajes recibidos para transmitirlos a los recién llegados a la universidad. En esta comunicación nos centraremos en cómo los egresados recrean, redefinen y desafían los elementos clave de la tradición de la docencia de Proyectos Arquitectónicos en Alicante (como el Alumno-Actor, el Proyecto Teórico Personal, etc) con las prácticas que proponen a los nuevos alumnos. Y lo más aún, veremos cómo esta revisión está influenciada por sus incipientes carreras profesionales donde se ven obligados a resignificar todo su aprendizaje, adaptándolo al mercado de trabajo. Nos apoyamos en la comunidad de práctica de Lave y Wenger (1991) y las ideas sobre creatividad de Ingold (2014) para mostrar el potencial para la innovación docente de la incorporación de estos perfiles intermedios entre el profesor y el alumno recién llegado, especialmente en carreras enfocadas a la práctica profesional como la Arquitectura

Comparación entre las técnicas de cribado de patología cervical y las conizaciones de tres hospitales en españa

Objetivo: Analizar las características poblacionales y los métodos diagnósticos de patología cervical para la prevención del cáncer de cérvix de tres hospitales españoles para mejorar y unificar los programas de cribado y prevención. Material y métodos: Estudio retrospectivo de las características demográficas y clínicas de 408 mujeres con patología cervical uterina diagnosticadas en 3 hospitales españoles. Se comparan los factores de riesgo, el proceso diagnóstico y la indicación de tratamiento de dos grupos: las que requirieron conización cervical (n=222) y las que no precisaron tratamiento quirúrgico (n=186). También se analizan las recomendaciones vacunales y su grado de cumplimiento. Resultados: Las mujeres conizadas usaron más anticoncepción hormonal y tienen un mayor hábito tabáquico mientras que el número de compañeros sexuales es mayor en pacientes no conizadas. Más del 50% de pacientes con biopsia cervical positiva presentaron un resultado igual o más grave en la anatomía patológica de la pieza quirúrgica. Existen diferencias significativas en sensibilidad y valor predictivo positivo de la citología y de la determinación de HPV entre hospitales. La recomendación de vacunación en ambos grupos fue similar, el porcentaje de mujeres que no la cumplieron fue elevado y significativamente mayor entre pacientes conizadas. Conclusión: En nuestro medio las mujeres conizadas tienen características clínicas y epidemiológicas diferentes a las no conizadas, existen diferencias entre las técnicas diagnósticas de distintos hospitales y sin embargo la concordancia entre biopsia y resultado del cono es elevada. Sigue siendo necesaria una correcta educación sanitaria en relación con la vacunación en mujeres con patología cervical. Background: To analyse the characteristics of the population and diagnostic methods related to the cervical cancer prevention program in three different-level hospitals of a Spanish region in order to improve and unify the screening program. Methods: We retrospectively studied demographic and clinical characteristics of 408 women with cervical lesions diagnosed in three hospitals in Aragon (Spain). Correlation between risk factors, diagnosis process and conisation indication was analysed divided in two groups: conisation required (n=222) or non-conisation (n=186). We also assessed the number of vaccine recommendations made to the patients and the degree of compliance. Results: Conisaited women more frequently used a combined hormonal contraceptive method and are more smokers, while the sexual partners are more in women without conisation. More than 50% of women con positive biopsy was confirmed after surgical treatment. There are significant differences between sensibility and positive predictive value of pap-smear and HPV determination in different hospitals. The recombinant vaccine was recommended to both groups at a similar rate. The percentage of women who were recommended to receive the vaccine but chose not to do it, was high in both groups but significantly higher in the Conisation group. Conclusion: In our environment conisaited women have different clinical and epidemiological profiles, there are differences between diagnosis techniques in different hospitals, however, the concordance between biopsy and definitive result is high. A good sanitary education is necessary in relation with the vaccination of women with cervical pathology

Rationale, design and organization of the delayed antibiotic prescription (DAP) trial: a randomized controlled trial of the eficacy and safety of delayed antibiotic prescribing strategies in the non-complicated acute respiratory tract infections in general practice

Background: Respiratory tract infections are an important burden in primary care and it's known that they are usually self-limited and that antibiotics only alter its course slightly. This together with the alarming increase of bacterial resistance due to increased use of antimicrobials calls for a need to consider strategies to reduce their use. One of these strategies is the delayed prescription of antibiotics. Methods: Multicentric, parallel, randomised controlled trial comparing four antibiotic prescribing strategies in acute non-complicated respiratory tract infections. We will include acute pharyngitis, rhinosinusitis, acute bronchitis and acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (mild to moderate). The therapeutic strategies compared are: immediate antibiotic treatment, no antibiotic treatment, and two delayed antibiotic prescribing (DAP) strategies with structured advice to use a course of antibiotics in case of worsening of symptoms or not improving (prescription given to patient or prescription left at the reception of the primary care centre 3 days after the first medical visit). Discussion: Delayed antibiotic prescription has been widely used in Anglo-Saxon countries, however, in Southern Europe there has been little research about this topic. The DAP trial wil evaluate two different delayed strategies in Spain for the main respiratory infections in primary care

Under pressure: phenotypic divergence and convergence associated with microhabitat adaptations in Triatominae.

BACKGROUND: Triatomine bugs, the vectors of Chagas disease, associate with vertebrate hosts in highly diverse ecotopes. It has been proposed that occupation of new microhabitats may trigger selection for distinct phenotypic variants in these blood-sucking bugs. Although understanding phenotypic variation is key to the study of adaptive evolution and central to phenotype-based taxonomy, the drivers of phenotypic change and diversity in triatomines remain poorly understood. METHODS/RESULTS: We combined a detailed phenotypic appraisal (including morphology and morphometrics) with mitochondrial cytb and nuclear ITS2 DNA sequence analyses to study Rhodnius ecuadoriensis populations from across the species' range. We found three major, naked-eye phenotypic variants. Southern-Andean bugs primarily from vertebrate-nest microhabitats (Ecuador/Peru) are typical, light-colored, small bugs with short heads/wings. Northern-Andean bugs from wet-forest palms (Ecuador) are dark, large bugs with long heads/wings. Finally, northern-lowland bugs primarily from dry-forest palms (Ecuador) are light-colored and medium-sized. Wing and (size-free) head shapes are similar across Ecuadorian populations, regardless of habitat or phenotype, but distinct in Peruvian bugs. Bayesian phylogenetic and multispecies-coalescent DNA sequence analyses strongly suggest that Ecuadorian and Peruvian populations are two independently evolving lineages, with little within-lineage phylogeographic structuring or differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: We report sharp naked-eye phenotypic divergence of genetically similar Ecuadorian R. ecuadoriensis (nest-dwelling southern-Andean vs palm-dwelling northern bugs; and palm-dwelling Andean vs lowland), and sharp naked-eye phenotypic similarity of typical, yet genetically distinct, southern-Andean bugs primarily from vertebrate-nest (but not palm) microhabitats. This remarkable phenotypic diversity within a single nominal species likely stems from microhabitat adaptations possibly involving predator-driven selection (yielding substrate-matching camouflage coloration) and a shift from palm-crown to vertebrate-nest microhabitats (yielding smaller bodies and shorter and stouter heads). These findings shed new light on the origins of phenotypic diversity in triatomines, warn against excess reliance on phenotype-based triatomine-bug taxonomy, and confirm the Triatominae as an informative model system for the study of phenotypic change under ecological pressure