Aprendemos sobre “el bosque” de manera vivencial. Propuesta de actividades manipulativas

Treball Final de Grau en Mestre o Mestra d'Educació Infantil. Codi: MI1040. Curs acadèmic 2015-2016El presente proyecto tiene como objetivo principal mejorar la unidad didáctica del libro de clase sobre “El bosque”, mediante el diseño de una serie de actividades manipulativas, con la intención de crear un vínculo más directo entre los niños y la naturaleza. Este objetivo se plantea tras realizar una evaluación diagnostica y comprobar que los niños de cuatro años del colegio Gaetà Huguet no se implican mucho a la hora de trabajar en libro. Para ello, se llevará a cabo una metodología basada en dos teorías constructivistas: el aprendizaje significativo de Ausubel y por descubrimiento de Bruner. De esta manera, se pretende que el alumnado sea el protagonista de la construcción de su propio conocimiento y que disfrute aprendiendo y experimentando. Estas actividades se evalúan mediante técnicas de encuesta y observación, registrando los datos obtenidos en diferentes instrumentos. A partir de estos datos, al tratarse de un proceso de investigación-acción, se realiza una evaluación para comprobar si los propósitos del proyecto han sido satisfactorios o no. Una vez analizados, los resultados extraídos muestran que la mayoría de los objetivos planteados se han alcanzado, puesto que han superado el 80%, un porcentaje que se había marcado como el logro de éstos. En definitiva, el propósito principal de este trabajo se ha conseguido.The main goal of the following Project is to improve the didactic unit of the workbook about "The forest", by designing a series of manipulative activities with the purpose of creating a more direct link between children and nature. This objective arises after a diagnosed evaluation and after checking that four-years-old children of Gaetà Huguet school do not involve themselves a lot when working with the book. Therefore, a methodology based on two constructivist theories will be carried out: significant learning of Ausubel and by discovery of Bruner. In this way, it is expected that students become the protagonist of their own knowledge. Moreover, it is also expected that they enjoy learning and experiencing. These activities are evaluated using techniques of survey and observation, recording data obtained from different tools. From these results, being this a researchaction project, it is carried out an evaluation for checking if the purposes have been successful or not. Once the results have been analyzed, they show that most of the objectives have been obtained. This is because they have exceeded 80%, a percentage that had been marked as the achievement of these. To conclude, the main purpose of his work has been achieved

Estació Intermodal al port de BCN

Amb l’arribada d’una nova línia de ferrocarril a l’estació del Morrot destinada a passatgers i l’allargament del tramvia fins a l’àmbit, es proposa una nova estació intermodal per tal de facilitar la connexió entre els creueristes i la ciutat. L’estratègia es basa en l’explosió del programa que requereix una estació metropolitana d’aquest tipus per tot l’àmbit, incloent-hi un edifici industrial preexistent i usant-lo com a porta d’entrada al port i com a umbracle. El projecte té com a objectiu dotar al port d’un punt de connexió a diferents mitjans de transport per als autobusos interurbans, urbans i autobusos llançadora de cada terminal. Això augmenta la relació entre els passatgers, minimitza l’ús del transport individual i, a més, proporciona una entrada més agradable als creueristes a la ciutat de Barcelona

Enhancing commercial antibiotics with trans-cinnamaldehyde in gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria: an in vitro approach

One strategy to mitigate the emergence of bacterial resistance involves reducing antibiotic doses by combining them with natural products, such as trans-cinnamaldehyde (CIN). The objective of this research was to identify in vitro combinations (CIN + commercial antibiotic (ABX)) that decrease the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of seven antibiotics against 14 different Grampositive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria, most of them classified as ESKAPE. MIC values were measured for all compounds using the broth microdilution method. The effect of the combinations on these microorganisms was analyzed through the checkboard assay to determine the type of activity (synergy, antagonism, or addition). This analysis was complemented with a kinetic study of the synergistic combinations. Fifteen synergistic combinations were characterized for nine of the tested bacteria. CIN demonstrated effectiveness in reducing the MIC of chloramphenicol, streptomycin, amoxicillin, and erythromycin (94–98%) when tested on Serratia marcescens, Staphylococcus aureus, Pasteurella aerogenes, and Salmonella enterica, respectively. The kinetic study revealed that when the substances were tested alone at the MIC concentration observed in the synergistic combination, bacterial growth was not inhibited. However, when CIN and the ABX, for which synergy was observed, were tested simultaneously in combination at these same concentrations, the bacterial growth inhibition was complete. This demonstrates the highly potent in vitro synergistic activity of CIN when combined with commercial ABXs. This finding could be particularly beneficial in livestock farming, as this sector witnesses the highest quantities of antimicrobial usage, contributing significantly to antimicrobial resistance issues. Further research focused on this natural compound is thus warranted for this reason

Glassy PEEK‐WC vs Rubbery Pebax®1657 Polymers: Effect on the Gas Transport in CuNi‐MOF Based Mixed Matrix Membranes

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) are seen as promising candidates to overcome the fundamental limit of polymeric membranes, known as the so‐called Robeson upper bound, which defines the best compromise between permeability and selectivity of neat polymeric membranes. To overcome this limit, the permeability of the filler particles in the MMM must be carefully matched with that of the polymer matrix. The present work shows that it is not sufficient to match only the permeability of the polymer and the dispersed phase, but that one should consider also the individual contributions of the diffusivity and the solubility of the gas in both components. Here we compare the gas transport performance of two different MMMs, containing the metal-organic framework CuNi‐MOF in the rubbery Pebax®1657 and in the glassy poly(ether‐ether‐ketone) with cardo moiety, PEEK‐WC. The chemical and structural properties of MMMs were investigated by means of FT‐IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and EDX analysis. The influence of MOF on the mechanical and thermal properties of both polymers was investigated by tensile tests and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. The MOF loading in Pebax®1657 increased the ideal H2/N2 selectivity from 6 to 8 thanks to an increased H2 permeability. In general, the MOF had little effect on the Pebax®165 membranes because an increase in gas solubility was neutralized by an equivalent decrease in effective diffusivity. Instead, the addition of MOF to PEEK‐WC increases the ideal CO2/CH4 selectivity from 30 to ~48 thanks to an increased CO2 permeability (from 6 to 48 Barrer). The increase in CO2 permeability and CO2/CH4 selectivity is maintained under mixed gas conditions

Action Observation Combined With Conventional Training Improves the Rugby Lineout Throwing Performance: A Pilot Study

Combining action observation (AO) and physical practice contributes to motor skill learning, and a number of studies pointed out the beneficial role of AO training in improving the motor performance and the athletes' movement kinematics. The aim of this study was to investigate if AO combined with immediate conventional training was able to improve motor performance and kinematic parameters of a complex motor skill such as the lineout throw, a gesture that represents a key aspect of rugby, that is unique to this sport. Twenty elite rugby players were divided into two groups. The AO group watched a 5-min video-clip of an expert model performing the lineout throw toward a target at 7 m distance and, immediately after the AO, this group executed the conventional training, consisting of six repetitions x five blocks of throws. The CONTROL group performed only the conventional lineout training. Intervention period lasted 4 weeks, 3 sessions/week. The AO group showed significant improvements in throwing accuracy (i.e., number of throws hitting the target), whilst no significant changes were observed in the CONTROL group. As concerns kinematic parameters, hooker's arm mean velocity significantly increased in both groups, but the increase was higher in AO group compared to CONTROL group. Ball velocity significantly increased only in the AO group, whereas ball angle release and ball spinning significantly decreased in both groups, with no differences between groups. Finally, no significant changes in knee and elbow angles were observed. Our results showed that the combination of AO and conventional training was more effective than a conventional training alone in improving the performance of elite rugby players, in executing a complex motor skill, such as the lineout. This combined training led to significant improvements in throwing accuracy and in hooker's and ball's kinematic parameters. Since AO can be easily implemented in combination with conventional training, the results of this study can encourage coaches in designing specific lineout training programs, which include AO cognitive training

Bioinspired Metal‐Organic Frameworks in Mixed Matrix Membranes for Efficient Static/Dynamic Removal of Mercury from Water

The mercury removal efficiency of a novel metal-organic framework (MOF) derived from the amino acid S-methyl-L-cysteine is presented and the process is characterized by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. A feasibility study is further presented on the performance of this MOF and also that of another MOF derived from the amino acid L-methionine when used as the sorbent in mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). These MOF-based MMMs exhibit high efficiency and selectivity in both static and dynamic regimes in the removal of Hg2+ from aqueous environments, due to the high density of thioalkyl groups decorating MOF channels. Both MMMs are capable to reduce different concentration of the pollutant to acceptable limits for drinking water (<2 parts per billion). In addition, a novel device, consisting of the recirculation and adsorption of contaminated solutions through the MOF-MMMs, is designed and successfully explored in the selective capture of Hg2+. Thus, filtration of Hg2+ solutions with multiple passes through the permeation cell shows a gradual decrease of the pollutant concentration. These results suggest that MOF-based MMMs can be implemented in water remediation, helping to reduce either contaminants from accidental unauthorized or deliberate metal industrial dumping and to ensure access for clean and potable freshwater

PARP1 catalytic variants reveal branching and chain length-specific functions of poly(ADP-ribose) in cellular physiology and stress response

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation regulates numerous cellular processes like genome maintenance and cell death, thus providing protective functions but also contributing to several pathological conditions. Poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) molecules exhibit a remarkable heterogeneity in chain lengths and branching frequencies, but the biological significance of this is basically unknown. To unravel structure-specific functions of PAR, we used PARP1 mutants producing PAR of different qualities, i.e. short and hypobranched (PARP1\G972R), short and moderately hyperbranched (PARP1\Y986S), or strongly hyperbranched PAR (PARP1\Y986H). By reconstituting HeLa PARP1 knockout cells, we demonstrate that PARP1\G972R negatively affects cellular endpoints, such as viability, cell cycle progression and genotoxic stress resistance. In contrast, PARP1\Y986S elicits only mild effects, suggesting that PAR branching compensates for short polymer length. Interestingly, PARP1\Y986H exhibits moderate beneficial effects on cell physiology. Furthermore, different PARP1 mutants have distinct effects on molecular processes, such as gene expression and protein localization dynamics of PARP1 itself, and of its downstream factor XRCC1. Finally, the biological relevance of PAR branching is emphasized by the fact that branching frequencies vary considerably during different phases of the DNA damage-induced PARylation reaction and between different mouse tissues. Taken together, this study reveals that PAR branching and chain length essentially affect cellular functions, which further supports the notion of a ‘PAR code’

Risk factors for COVID-19 mortality: The effect of convalescent plasma administration

Background: Convalescent plasma, widely utilized in viral infections that induce neutralizing antibodies, has been proposed for COVID-19, and preliminary evidence shows that it might have beneficial effect. Our objective was to determine the risk factors for 28-days mortality in patients who received convalescent plasma for COVID-19 compared to those who did not, who were admitted to hospitals in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, throughout the pandemic. Methods: This is a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of 2-month duration beginning on June 1, 2020, including unselected, consecutive adult patients with diagnosed COVID-19, admitted to 215 hospitals with pneumonia. Epidemiological and clinical variables were registered in the Provincial Hospital Bed Management System. Convalescent plasma was supplied as part of a centralized, expanded access program. Results: We analyzed 3,529 patients with pneumonia, predominantly male, aged 62±17, with arterial hypertension and diabetes as main comorbidities; 51.4% were admitted to the ward, 27.1% to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and 21.7% to the ICU with mechanical ventilation requirement (ICU-MV). 28-day mortality was 34.9%; and was 26.3%, 30.1% and 61.4% for ward, ICU and ICU-MV patients. Convalescent plasma was administered to 868 patients (24.6%); their 28-day mortality was significantly lower (25.5% vs. 38.0%, p<0.001). No major adverse effects occurred. Logistic regression analysis identified age, ICU admission with and without MV requirement, diabetes, and preexistent cardiovascular disease as independent predictors of 28-day mortality, whereas convalescent plasma administration acted as a protective factor. Conclusions: Our study suggests that the administration of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to the hospital might be associated with improved outcomes.Facultad de Ciencias Médica

The C-terminal domain of p53 orchestrates the interplay between non-covalent and covalent poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of p53 by PARP1

The post-translational modification poly(ADPribosyl)ation (PARylation) plays key roles in genome maintenance and transcription. Both non-covalent poly(ADP-ribose) binding and covalent PARylation control protein functions, however, it is unknown how the two modes of modification crosstalk mechanistically. Employing the tumor suppressor p53 as a model substrate, this study provides detailed insights into the interplay between noncovalent and covalent PARylation and unravels its functional significance in the regulation of p53. We reveal that the multifunctional Cterminal domain (CTD) of p53 acts as the central hub in the PARylation-dependent regulation of p53. Specifically, p53 bound to auto-PARylated PARP1 via highly specific non–covalent PAR-CTD interaction, which conveyed target specificity for its covalent PARylation by PARP1. Strikingly, fusing the p53-CTD to a protein that is normally not PARylated, renders this a target for covalent PARylation as well. Functional studies revealed that the p53–PAR interaction had substantial implications on molecular and cellular levels. Thus, PAR significantly influenced the complex p53–DNA binding properties and controlled p53 functions, with major implications on the p53-dependent interactome, transcription, and replication-associated recombination. Remarkably, this mechanism potentially also applies to other PARylation targets, since a bioinformatics analysis revealed that CTD-like regions are highly enriched in the PARylated proteome