Trabajar el léxico en el aula de ELE mediante el uso directo de un corpus lingüístico

Treball Final de Màster Universitari en Professor/a d'Educació Secundària Obligatòria i Batxillerat, Formació Professional i Ensenyaments d'Idiomes. Codi: SAP429. Curs acadèmic: 2016/2017El presente trabajo analiza y explora la aplicación de la lingüística de corpus en la enseñanza-aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras. Se repasa la tipología de corpus y sus usos dentro de la docencia. El análisis también incluye una revisión del constructivismo y el aprendizaje inductivo, en los que situamos el enfoque léxico, y más concretamente la aplicación directa de los corpus en la enseñanza-aprendizaje con el Data-Driven Learning. Finalmente, bajo estos parámetros se realiza una propuesta de actividades prácticas basadas en corpus para trabajar el léxico, principalmente las locuciones idiomáticas, adaptadas para un curso de español como lengua extranjera de la Escuela de Idiomas de nivel C1. Uno de los objetivos principales de este trabajo es la introducción de los corpus lingüísticos en el aula como una herramienta más, en este caso considerada herramienta de tecnologías de la información y comunicación (TIC). Este uso de corpus en el aula puede ser como herramienta de consulta o como herramienta de trabajo de las actividades. Con esta propuesta se resaltan los beneficios de enseñar el léxico como eje central de aprendizaje lengua extranjera y mediante la utilización de corpus, que muestra el patrón de comportamiento de la lengua real en su contexto

An Exploration of User Engagement in HCI

Engagement is a concept of the utmost importance in human computer interaction, not only for informing the design and implementation of interfaces, but also for enabling more sophisticated interfaces capable of adapting to users. While the notion of engagement is actively being studied in a diverse set of domains, the term has been used to refer to a number of related, but different concepts. This paper represents a first attempt at exploring a number of important concepts that the term has been used to refer to, of relevance to both human-human and human-machine interaction modelling

Los museos de La Raya y sus proyectos educativos: una herramienta de diplomacia cultural

Este artículo analiza cuatro proyectos educativos (“La Mujer en la Raya Hispano-Portuguesa”, “¿A Qué Jugamos?”, “Juego de Niños” y “Máscaras Ibéricas de la Raya”) planteados en museos en la Raya hispanoportuguesa como herramientas de cohesión social vinculadas a acciones culturales en el exterior del territorio de ambos países porque ello es uno de los aspectos esenciales de la diplomacia cultural. Estos casos son elegidos por constituir proyectos educativos museísticos basados en el intercambio cultural y en el conocimiento de ambas culturas a uno y otro lado de la frontera. La acotación geográfica elegida se justifica por ser una zona característica de intercambio cultural entre ambos países, donde la frontera se diluye en una estrecha relación cultural. El objetivo de dicho estudio es poner en valor que los museos son, en la actualidad, instituciones culturales de encuentro y diálogo y que las nuevas perspectivas en investigación museológica plantean museos cada vez más abiertos al entorno. Los resultados muestran la importancia de la diplomacia cultural entendida como elemento dentro de “poder blando” desde un ámbito local con una proyección internacional, unos resultados cualitativos relevantes que establecen un marco común de investigación entre los trabajos de los museos en educación en España y Portugal. Desde una metodología cualitativa, de observación y razonamiento, en un límite temporal trimestral, los principales resultados de esta investigación reflejan cómo los proyectos educativos a ambos lados de la frontera hunden sus raíces en la idea de transmitir un patrimonio cultural común, fomentar el diálogo y transmitir en el alumnado la llamada cultura de frontera.This research discusses four educational projects (“La Mujer en la Raya Hispano-Portuguesa”, “¿A Qué Jugamos?”, “Juego de Niños” y “Máscaras Ibéricas de la Raya”) proposed in museums of the Hispano-Portuguese border (La Raya) as tools of social cohesion linked to cultural actions abroad as one of the essential aspects of cultural diplomacy. These cases are chosen because they constitute educational museum projects based on cultural exchange and knowledge of both cultures on either side of the border. The chosen geographical delimitation is justified by the fact that this is a zone of cultural exchange between both countries, where the border is diluted in a close cultural relationship. The objective of this study is to highlight that museums are, currently, cultural institutions of encounter and dialogue and that the new perspectives in museological research propose museums that are increasingly open to the environment. The results show the importance of cultural diplomacy understood as an element within soft power from a local level with an international projection, relevant qualitative results that establish a common research framework between the work of museums in education in Spain and Portugal. Using a qualitative methodology of observation and reasoning, within a quarterly time limit, the main findings of this research reflect how educational projects on both sides of the border are rooted in the idea of transmitting a common cultural heritage, fostering dialogue and introducing the students to the so-called border culture

Parameter-dependent behavior of articular cartilage: 3D mechano-electrochemical computational model

Background and objective Changes in mechano-electrochemical properties of articular cartilage play an essential role in the majority of cartilage diseases. Despite of this importance, the specific effect of each parameter into tissue behavior remains still obscure. Parametric computational modeling of cartilage can provide some insights into this matter, specifically the study of mechano-electrochemical properties variation and their correlation with tissue swelling, water and ion fluxes. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of the main mechanical and electrochemical parameters on the determination of articular cartilage behavior by a parametric analysis through a 3D finite element model. Methods For this purpose, a previous 3D mechano-electrochemical model, developed by the same authors, of articular cartilage behavior has been used. Young's modulus, Poisson coefficient, ion diffusivities and ion activity coefficients variations have been analyzed and quantified through monitoring tissue simulated response. Results Simulation results show how Young's modulus and Poisson coefficient control tissue behavior rather than electrochemical properties. Meanwhile, ion diffusivity and ion activity coefficients appear to be vital in controlling velocity of incoming and outgoing fluxes. Conclusions This parametric study establishes a basic guide when defining the main properties that are essential to be included into computational modeling of articular cartilage providing a helpful tool in tissue simulations

Hemogram as marker of in-hospital mortality in COVID-19.

The clinical impact of COVID-19 disease calls for the identification of routine variables to identify patients at increased risk of death. Current understanding of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 pathophysiology points toward an underlying cytokine release driving a hyperinflammatory and procoagulant state. In this scenario, white blood cells and platelets play a direct role as effectors of such inflammation and thrombotic response. We investigate whether hemogram-derived ratios such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and the systemic immune-inflammation index may help to identify patients at risk of fatal outcomes. Activated platelets and neutrophils may be playing a decisive role during the thromboinflammatory phase of COVID-19 so, in addition, we introduce and validate a novel marker, the neutrophil-to-platelet ratio (NPR). Two thousand and eighty-eight hospitalized patients with COVID-19 admitted at any of the hospitals of HM Hospitales group in Spain, from March 1 to June 10, 2020, were categorized according to the primary outcome of in-hospital death. Baseline values, as well as the rate of increase of the four ratios analyzed were significantly higher at hospital admission in patients who died than in those who were discharged (p<0.0001). In multivariable logistic regression models, NLR (OR 1.05; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.08, p=0.00035) and NPR (OR 1.23; 95% CI 1.12 to 1.36, p<0.0001) were significantly and independently associated with in-hospital mortality. According to our results, hemogram-derived ratios obtained at hospital admission, as well as the rate of change during hospitalization, may easily detect, primarily using NLR and the novel NPR, patients with COVID-19 at high risk of in-hospital mortality.pre-print300 K

Investigation of fMRI protocol for evaluation of Gestural Interaction applied to upper-limb motor improvement

The use of Virtual Reality (VR) systems for rehabilitation treatment as a complement to conventional therapy has grown in recent years. Upper limbs therapy using VR has already been shown useful for stroke patients. In this work, we present a pilot study aiming to investigate the use of a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) protocol to analyze brain connectivity changes in subjects undergoing upper limb training through a VR environment. Thirteen healthy subjects underwent resting-state fMRI exams before and after a VR session. Although no significant changes are expected in healthy subjects performing only one training session, this study could pave the way for future studies performed with both stroke patients or athletes performing more sessions. Indeed, no significant changes in motor cortex connectivity were found. Nonetheless, an evaluation protocol for this type of VR rehabilitation procedure was successfully established, to be used in further studies with patients or athletes

Population trends of the fan mussel Pinna nobilis from Portofino MPA (Ligurian Sea, Western Mediterranean Sea) before and after a mass mortality event and a catastrophic storm

Two Pinna nobilis populations thriving inside the borders of the Portofino Marine Protected Area (MPA) (Ligurian Sea, western Mediterranean Sea) were monitored before (2012) and after (September 2018) a dire mass mortality event that, since September 2016, spread through the whole Mediterranean Sea. In Portofino MPA, recorded mortality rates reached values of 91.29% and 43.94% in the two populations. The presence of a Haplosporidium protozoan parasite, considered to be the main cause of the mortality episodes, was confirmed from histological evidence: sporocysts and plasmodia were observed in all the tubules of the digestive glands of the collected specimens. Moreover, a catastrophic storm hit the Ligurian coasts at the end of October 2018, causing considerable damages both below and above the surface; a new survey conducted in November 2018 showed the complete annihilation of the two studied populations, as a probable combination of the continued parasite infections and the mechanical impacts caused by the storm. Finally, in June 2020 the sites were monitored again looking for traces of recovery, but no new specimens were recorded, indicating that P. nobilis became virtually absent from the MPA

Risk Score for Predicting In-Hospital Mortality in COVID-19 (RIM Score).

Infection by SARS-CoV2 has devastating consequences on health care systems. It is a global health priority to identify patients at risk of fatal outcomes. 1955 patients admitted to HM-Hospitales from 1 March to 10 June 2020 due to COVID-19, were were divided into two groups, 1310 belonged to the training cohort and 645 to validation cohort. Four different models were generated to predict in-hospital mortality. Following variables were included: age, sex, oxygen saturation, level of C-reactive-protein, neutrophil-to-platelet-ratio (NPR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte-ratio (NLR) and the rate of changes of both hemogram ratios (VNLR and VNPR) during the first week after admission. The accuracy of the models in predicting in-hospital mortality were evaluated using the area under the receiver-operator-characteristic curve (AUC). AUC for models including NLR and NPR performed similarly in both cohorts: NLR 0.873 (95% CI: 0.849-0.898), NPR 0.875 (95% CI: 0.851-0.899) in training cohort and NLR 0.856 (95% CI: 0.818-0.895), NPR 0.863 (95% CI: 0.826-0.901) in validation cohort. AUC was 0.885 (95% CI: 0.885-0.919) for VNLR and 0.891 (95% CI: 0.861-0.922) for VNPR in the validation cohort. According to our results, models are useful in predicting in-hospital mortality risk due to COVID-19. The RIM Score proposed is a simple, widely available tool that can help identify patients at risk of fatal outcomes.This research received no external fundingS