Els STEs dels Països Catalans davant la vertebració cultural i política de la nostra nació

Abstract not availabl

Joan Fuster i la nostra nació: implicacions didàctiques

Abstract not availabl

III Trobada d'STEs del País Valencià, les Illes i Catalunya

Abstract not availabl

IV Congrés: crònica a vol d'ocell

Abstract not availabl

The Use of Patents to Assess National Innovation Systems: Evidences from Spanish Biotechnology

Spain’s economy recorded a high rate of growth from the mid-1990s onwards. At the same time, the resources allocated to Research and Development (R&D) grew at a much faster pace than in other European Union (EU) countries. Spain’s growth recorded an average rate of 2.93% from the early 1990s to 2004. Over the same period, the average growth in the EU was 0.46%. This circumstance, together with several sound policy decisions implemented between 2004 and 2009, ushered in a “golden age of Spanish biotechnology”. In terms of the national patent licenses issued by the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO) between 2004 and 2009, the number in biotechnology grew from 84 to 151. However, the current economic situation in Spain, along with a series of political decisions taken over the past two or three years to cut spending on R&D, predicts a sharp downturn in the performance of Spanish biotechnology. This scenario makes Spain one of the best places to study the successes and failures of the management of science and allows transfer this experience to the other international regions. We need to analyze the influence of political decisions as a major factor with a bearing on the quality of science. Using patents as an indicator of scientific development, this paper analyzes the evolution of the biotechnology sector in Spain and its relationship with scientific policy and the management of R&D

Locomotor training through a novel robotic platform for gait rehabilitation in pediatric population: short report

[Background] Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a disorder of posture and movement due to a defect in the immature brain. The use of robotic devices as alternative treatment to improve the gait function in patients with CP has increased. Nevertheless, current gait trainers are focused on controlling complete joint trajectories, avoiding postural control and the adaptation of the therapy to a specific patient. This paper presents the applicability of a new robotic platform called CPWalker in children with spastic diplegia.[Findings] CPWalker consists of a smart walker with body weight and autonomous locomotion support and an exoskeleton for joint motion support. Likewise, CPWalker enables strategies to improve postural control during walking. The integrated robotic platform provides means for testing novel gait rehabilitation therapies in subjects with CP and similar motor disorders. Patient-tailored therapies were programmed in the device for its evaluation in three children with spastic diplegia for 5 weeks. After ten sessions of personalized training with CPWalker, the children improved the mean velocity (51.94 ± 41.97 %), cadence (29.19 ± 33.36 %) and step length (26.49 ± 19.58 %) in each leg. Post-3D gait assessments provided kinematic outcomes closer to normal values than Pre-3D assessments.[Conclusions] The results show the potential of the novel robotic platform to serve as a rehabilitation tool. The autonomous locomotion and impedance control enhanced the children’s participation during therapies. Moreover, participants’ postural control was substantially improved, which indicates the usefulness of the approach based on promoting the patient’s trunk control while the locomotion therapy is executed. Although results are promising, further studies with bigger sample size are required.The work presented in this paper has been carried out with the financial support from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain, under Contract DPI2012-39133-C03-01.Peer reviewe

La Cova del Sardo de Boí i l'explotació de l'alta muntanya als Pirineus occidentals en època neolítica

Les excavacions arqueològiques a la Cova del Sardo de Boí (anys 2006 a 2008) junt a un extens programa de prospecció arqueològica al Parc Nacional d'Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici han permès documentar el procés de colonització i poblament dels espais d'alta muntanya del nord-oest de Catalunya des de inicis de l'Holocè. La seqüència prehistòrica de la Cova del Sardo cobreix pràcticament tres mil anys, entre el 5.500 i el 2.500 ca lANE. Junt amb d'altres jaciments documentats aporta indicis sobre les dinàmiques del poblament neolític en petits abrics i cavitats, que a partir del 3.000 calANE esdevé molt més intens i extens i experimenta una profunda modificació entorn el 2.400 calANE. Les dades paleoecològiques obtingudes a la zona completen la imatge d'aquestes primeres ocupacions humanes en aquest sector dels Pirineu

The optimal age for performing surgery on patients with MEN 2B syndrome

Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) syndromes are characterized by the association of various endocrine neoplasias. Prophylactic thyroidectomy is the treatment of choice for patients with RET gene mutations. The age at which patients undergo prophylactic thyroidectomy may vary depending on the position of the RET gene codon. In cases of MEN 2B, when the mutation is carried in codons 883, 918 or 922, prophylactic thyroidectomy is performed prior to 6 months of age, due to the increased aggressiveness of these heterozygosities, which are capable of determining the onset of medullary cancer during the first months of life. We present two heterozygous twin patients with MEN 2B syndrome who were born 32 weeks premature, and who underwent prophylactic thyroidectomy at 7 months of age. The patients were carriers of the mutation at codon 918. We suggested the early surgery at 7 months as, due to their prematurity, the patients were required to gain weight to improve their condition prior to surgery. The two patients had medullary thyroid carcinoma without lymph node involvement. In conclusion, for a truly prophylactic thyroidectomy, such patients should undergo surgery within the first month of life, particularly if these patients are carriers of the mutation in codons 883, 918 or 922