An Action Research Project: Students’ Responses to and Perceptions of Training to Develop Effective Vocabulary Learning Strategies

This article reports on a small-scale action research study aimed at exploring the impact of vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) awareness-raising and training sessions on two groups of Spanish as a Foreign Language beginners. The exploration focused on identifying changes to strategy use and students’ experience of strategy effectiveness after a series of VLS awareness-raising and training sessions that took place on a Spanish beginners’ course. In addition, feedback on the sessions was sought from the students. Data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires and interviews. Responses from the participants were coded using an adaptation of VLS from Schmitt, N. (1997) classification: additional VLS that emerged from the data was also added. Emergent themes from the questionnaires and interviews were analyzed and included in the findings. The results revealed changes in strategy use and suggest that students benefited from the VLS awareness-raising and training sessions. Furthermore, the results provide insights into factors that affect strategy effectiveness and students’ perceptions of what made strategies particularly effective for them when learning Spanish

Histone Extraction From Human Articular Cartilage for the Study of Epigenetic Regulation in Osteoarthritis

[Abstract] Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease that affects articular cartilage, causing its degeneration. Although OA is one of the most prevalent pathologies globally, there are no definitive treatments available. Recently, research has focused on elucidating the complex interplay that takes place between inflammatory processes and epigenetic regulation, showing that histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) can exert a pronounced effect on the expression of OA-related genes. OA chondrocytes enhance the production of interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and interleukin 8 (IL-8), which are epigenetically regulated. These cytokines upregulate the synthesis of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and aggrecanases, which promote the extracellular matrix (ECM) destruction. This motivates the study of histone PTMs to investigate the epigenetic regulation of proinflammatory molecules, but the absence of specific protocols to extract histones from human articular cartilage has complicated this task. The lack of effective methods can be explained by the structural complexity and low cellularity of this tissue, which are responsible for the biomechanical properties that allow the movement of the joint but also complicate histone isolation. Here, we provide a histone extraction procedure specifically adapted for cryopreserved human articular cartilage that can be useful to understand epigenetic regulation in OA and accelerate the search for novel strategies.This research was funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grant No. PI19/01213 and grant No. RD21/0002/0009), integrated in the National Plan for Scientific Research, Development and Technological Innovation 2017–2020 and funded by the ISCIII —General Subdirection of Assessment and Promotion of the Research—European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) “A way of making Europe”. M.C.D.A is supported by the Miguel Servet program from Fondo Investigación Sanitaria-Spain (CP18/00084). Also, by Xunta de Galicia (grant No. IN607A 2021/7). The Biomedical Research Networking Center (CIBER) is an initiative from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)Xunta de Galicia; IN607A 2021/

Tracing the genetic impact of farmed turbot <i>Scophthalmus maximus</i> on wild populations

The impact of escapees from aquaculture is of general concern for the sustainability of natural resources. Turbot Scophthalmus maximus is a marine flatfish of great commercial value whose land-based aquaculture started approx. 40 yr ago; hence, a low impact of escapees is expected on wild populations. However, enhancement of wild stocks using farmed turbot has been carried out along the Northeast Atlantic coasts in the last decades. Recently, a broad panel of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers (755 SNPs; 1 SNP Mb-1) has been used to evaluate the genetic structure of turbot throughout its distribution range, constituting the baseline to evaluate the impact of farmed fish in the wild. Two distinct origins were identified for farmed turbot (F_ORI1 and F_ORI2; FST = 0.049), which differentiated from wild populations after 5 generations of selection (average FST = 0.059), and consistent evidence of adaptation to domestication was detected. A notable proportion of fish of farmed ancestry was detected in the wild (15.5%), mainly in the North Sea, where restocking activities have taken place, determining genetic introgression in wild populations. Conversely, effects of land-based aquaculture appear negligible. A simulation exercise supported panels of 40 and 80 SNPs to identify fishes of F_ORI1 and F_ORI2 ancestry in the wild, respectively. Application to empirical data showed an assignment success (wild/farmed ancestry) of approx. 95% in comparison with the full SNP dataset. The SNP tools will be useful to monitor turbot of farmed ancestry in the wild, which might represent a risk, considering the lower fitness of farmed individuals

Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering for Cartilage Repair

The integrity of the articular cartilage is necessary for the proper functioning of the diarthrodial joint. The self-repair capacity of this tissue is very limited and, currently, there is no effective treatment capable of restoring it. The degradation of the articular cartilage leads to osteoarthritis (OA), a leading cause of pain and disability mainly among older people

Tracing the genetic impact of farmed turbot Scophthalmus maximus on wild populations

The impact of escapees from aquaculture is of general concern for the sustainability of natural resources. Turbot Scophthalmus maximus is a marine flatfish of great commercial value whose land-based aquaculture started approx. 40 yr ago; hence, a low impact of escapees is expected on wild populations. However, enhancement of wild stocks using farmed turbot has been carried out along the Northeast Atlantic coasts in the last decades. Recently, a broad panel of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers (755 SNPs; 1 SNP Mb−1) has been used to evaluate the genetic structure of turbot throughout its distribution range, constituting the baseline to evaluate the impact of farmed fish in the wild. Two distinct origins were identified for farmed turbot (F_ORI1 and F_ORI2; FST = 0.049), which differentiated from wild populations after 5 generations of selection (average FST = 0.059), and consistent evidence of adaptation to domestication was de - tected. A notable proportion of fish of farmed ancestry was detected in the wild (15.5%), mainly in the North Sea, where restocking activities have taken place, determining genetic introgression in wild populations. Conversely, effects of land-based aquaculture appear negligible. A simulation exercise supported panels of 40 and 80 SNPs to identify fishes of F_ORI1 and F_ORI2 ancestry in the wild, respectively. Application to empirical data showed an assignment success (wild/farmed ancestry) of approx. 95% in comparison with the full SNP dataset. The SNP tools will be useful to monitor turbot of farmed ancestry in the wild, which might represent a risk, considering the lower fitness of farmed individualsThe project was funded by the 7th Framework Programme for research (FP7) under ‘Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy — KBBE’, Theme 2: ‘Food, Agriculture and fisheries, and Biotechnologies’ Project identifier: FP7-KBBE-2012-6-singlestage Grant agreement no.: 311920 ‘The development of tools for tracing and evaluating the genetic impact of fish from aquaculture: AquaTrace’ and the Spanish Regional Government Xunta de Galicia GRC2014/010. Ciência sem Fronteiras/CAPES − Brazil supported the fellowship for the stay of F.D.P. at USCS

Public-private partnerships and sustainable development goals: proposal for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda

The importance of non-governmental organizations of achieving the sustainable development goals: The fight against racial discrimination of Roma in Europe / Cristina Hermida del Llano (pp. 15-26). -- Investiment promotion regimes for least developed countries / María Ángeles Cano Linares (pp. 27-45). -- Alliances with international organizations: How the OSCE has contributed to the SDGs / Elena C. Díaz Galán (pp. 47-58). -- Spanish commitment to official development aid with gender perspective / Diana M. Verdiales López (pp. 59-77). -- Project of entrepreneurship of the Guambiano indigenous community: Public-private alliances in the Republic of Colombia / Cristina del Pardo Higuera (pp. 79-95). -- The contribution of petroleum companies to enviromental protection in a framework of compliance with the 2030 Agenda: a necessary alliance / María Sagrario Morán Blanco (pp. 97-122). -- Public-private partnerships and access to water and sanitation in Latin America (SDG 6) / Manuel Rodríguez Barrigón (123-138). -- The renewed commercial and investment agreements: the progressive incorporation of Human Rights and sustainable development goals / Jorge Urbaneja Cillán (pp. 139-152). -- Towards using data as a development lever for cities: the case of Singapore and the smart nation initiative / Benoît Lopez (pp. 153-162). -- Which access to green technologies for developing countries? / Dayana Morales Mina (pp. 163-172). -- Strenght institutional and normative framework to implement effective capacity building actions: a critical regional analysis / Andrés Bautista-Hernáez (pp. 173-185)