William Stepney's Spanish schoole-maister as transmission of Spanish culture and language in late 16th- and early 17th-century England

William Stepney, profesor de español en la ciudad de Londres, publicó The Spanish Schoole-master, un manual de español, en 1591. Este Trabajo Fin de Grado expone el contexto en el que el manual fue publicado, un difícil periódo histórico, político y cultural para las relaciones anglo-españolas tras la derrota de la Armada Invencible en 1558; la explicación de la estructura y la comparación con otros manuales de la época como The Spanish Grammer (1590) de Antonio del Corro, Bibliotheca Hispanica (1591) de Richard Percyvall y A dictionarie in Spanish and English (1599) de John Minsheu; y un análisis detallado de los contenidos culturales de los diálogos y el vocabulario presentado por Stepney. El objetivo de este Trabajo Fin de Grado es descubrir cómo planeó Stepney la enseñanza de la lengua española mas allá de los aspectos linguístcos en el contexto de las relaciones anglo-españolas.Departamento de Filología InglesaGrado en Estudios Inglese

La enseñanza de la literatura en el aula de inglés en la perspectiva de las nuevas tecnologías

La temática de este trabajo fin de máster es la enseñanza de la literatura en el aula de inglés desde la perspectiva de las nuevas tecnologías, y el objetivo es el análisis de esta enseñanza desde un punto de vista teórico y práctico. En primer lugar se presentan los objetivos del trabajo para continuar, en segundo lugar, con la fundamentación teórica, donde se desarrolla el concepto de Literatura, y su papel en el aula de Educacíon Secundaria; las principales razones y objetivos que llevan a los profesores a utilizarla; la importancia de la comunicación; los planteamientos de la enseñanza de lengua extranjera; los aspectos a tener en cuenta para la enseñanza de la literatura; y el concepto de nuevas tecnologías. En tercer lugar, se realiza un estudio de campo, y seguidamente, se desarrolla una propuesta didáctica basada en The Tempest, William Shakespeare. En cuarto lugar, se exponen las principales conclusiones de este trabajo.Departamento de Filología InglesaMáster en Profesor de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanzas de Idioma

Biodiversity conservation effectiveness provided by a protection status in temperate forest commons of north Spain

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552The establishment and maintenance of protected areas is the backbone of global conservation strategies to halt biodiversity loss. However, despite the more than 200,000 legally designated protected sites worldwide, the rate of species extinction has not decreased, for which some debate the real effectiveness of protected areas to preserve biodiversity. Using data from tropical areas, many studies have attempted to test the effectiveness of protected areas by comparing species richness in protected and neighbouring unprotected sites, without reaching a consensus. Here, we extend this line of research with data from temperate deciduous forests inside and outside Picos de Europa National Park and Biosphere Reserve (N Spain). Specifically we compare data from mixed broadleaved woodlands, beech forests (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.) forests. We conducted botanical inventories and recorded ecological data from 25 0.2-ha concentric plots distributed in forest commons inside the reserve and from other 25 similar plots established in neighbouring not protected forest commons. Data were used to construct a set of ecological indicators and evaluated using modelling methods. We found no significant differences in species composition between plots in protected and non-protected forest commons, likely due to the similar management criteria applied in both land uses. We found less active management outside the protected area, which helps to maintain stands in a semi-natural state. In contrast, we observed the presence of silvicultural treatments inside the protected area, although these treatments were non-intensive, promoting vegetation composition associated to late-successional ecosystems. We only detected significant differences between plots inside and outside the protected area when relation between species richness was analysed with reference to forest habitat type. Precisely, plots of beech forests inside Picos de Europa were more homogenous than plots outside the protected area, which may indicate that management practices inside the protected area do not favour tree species diversity. Non-intensive silviculture management in beech forests inside Picos de Europa seems to promote the presence of the dominant tree species Fagus sylvatica L., which in the absence of perturbations is characterized by conforming monospecific vegetation communities. Overall, our results do not support the idea that protected areas hold more biodiversity than surrounding forest commons. Conservation treatments applied in protected areas should promote the presence of species associated to disturbances, particularly in stands tending to homogeneous species composition at late-successional stages, as this may enhance their resilience under the current rapid global changes

Familiar Kinship? Palaeogenetic and Isotopic Evidence from a Triple Burial of the Cogotas I Archaeological Culture (Bronze Age, Iberian Peninsula)

This paper examines the identification of kinship relations in archaeological multiple burials and advocates the application of different methods and lines of research to clarify such issues in relation to funerary practices. Recognizing family relationships - an important task in research on prehistoric societies - is especially complicated and interpretations have often been made without an adequate empirical basis. Bioarchaeological, isotopic and DNA analyses applied to the triple burial of Los Tolmos (Cogotas I archaeological culture, Iberian Bronze Age) have provided direct information on this issue. In this respect, the new results also imply the need to consider gender constructs in greater depth and to be more open-minded towards other forms of relationship in the past beyond the traditional heteronormative nuclear family

Internalizing and externalizing personality and subjective effects in a sample of adolescent cannabis users

Cannabis is the illicit substance most widely used by adolescents. Certain personality traits such as impulsivity and sensation seeking, and the subjective effects experienced after substance use (e.g. euphoria or relaxation) have been identified as some of the main etiological factors of consumption. This study aims to categorize a sample of adolescent cannabis users based on their most dominant personality traits (internalizing and externalizing profile). Then, to make a comparison of both profiles considering a set of variables related to consumption, clinical severity and subjective effects experienced. From a cross-sectional design, 173 adolescents (104 men and 69 women) aged 13 to 18 asking for treatment for cannabis use disorder in an Addictive Behavior Unit (UCAD) from the hospital were recruited. For the assessment, an ad hoc protocol was employed to register consumption, the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) and the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI) 49-item short form were also administered. Factor analysis suggested a two-profile solution: Introverted, Inhibited, Doleful, Dramatizing (-), Egotistic (-), Self-demeaning and Borderline tendency scales composed the internalizing profile, and Submissive (-), Unruly, Forceful, Conforming (-) and Oppositional scales composed the externalizing profile. The comparative analysis showed that the internalizing profile has higher levels of clinical severity and more subjective effects reported than the externalizing profile. These results suggest the need to design specific intervention strategies for each profile

Recreando a Frankenstein: incorporación del cine digital creativo a la asignatura de “Estudios comparados de cine y literatura”

Memoria ID2022-210 Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2022-2023

Alpha-band hypersynchronization in progressive mild cognitive impairment. A magnetoencephalography study

People with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) show a high risk to develop Alzheimer?s disease (AD; Petersen et al., 2001). Nonetheless, there is a lack of studies about how functional connectivity patterns may distinguish between progressive (pMCI) and stable (sMCI) MCI patients. To examine whether there were differences in functional connectivity between groups, MEG eyes-closed recordings from 30 sMCI and 19 pMCI subjects were compared. The average conversion time of pMCI was 1 year, so they were considered as fast converters. To this end, functional connectivity in different frequency bands was assessed with phase locking value in source space. Then the significant differences between both groups were correlated with neuropsychological scores and entorhinal, parahippocampal, and hippocampal volumes. Both groups did not differ in age, gender, or educational level. pMCI patients obtained lower scores in episodic and semantic memory and also in executive functioning. At the structural level, there were no differences in hippocampal volume, although some were found in left entorhinal volume between both groups. Additionally, pMCI patients exhibit a higher synchronization in the alpha band between the right anterior cingulate and temporo-occipital regions than sMCI subjects. This hypersynchronization was inversely correlated with cognitive performance, both hippocampal volumes, and left entorhinal volume. The increase in phase synchro- nization between the right anterior cingulate and temporo-occipital areas may be predictive of conversion from MCI to AD

Circadian Genes as Therapeutic Targets in Pancreatic Cancer

JL was supported by the Nicolás Monardes Program from the Andalusian Health Service (C-0033-2015). This work was supported by a research grant from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-FEDER (PI18/01947).Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide due to its symptoms, early metastasis, and chemoresistance. Thus, the mechanisms contributing to pancreatic cancer progression require further exploration. Circadian rhythms are the daily oscillations of multiple biological processes regulated by an endogenous clock. Several evidences suggest that the circadian clock may play an important role in the cell cycle, cell proliferation and apoptosis. In addition, timing of chemotherapy or radiation treatment can influence the efficacy and toxicity treatment. Here, we revisit the studies on circadian clock as an emerging target for therapy in pancreatic cancer. We highlight those potential circadian genes regulators that are commonly affected in pancreatic cancer according to most recent reports.Nicolás Monardes Program from the Andalusian Health Service (C-0033-2015)Instituto de Salud Carlos III-FEDER (PI18/01947

Pre- and post-natal melatonin administration partially regulates brain oxidative stress but does not improve cognitive or histological alterations in the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome

Melatonin administered during adulthood induces beneficial effects on cognition and neuroprotection in the Ts65Dn (TS) mouse model of Down syndrome. Here, we investigated the effects of pre- and post-natal melatonin treatment on behavioral and cognitive abnormalities and on several neuromorphological alterations (hypocellularity, neurogenesis impairment and increased oxidative stress) that appear during the early developmental stages in TS mice. Pregnant TS females were orally treated with melatonin or vehicle from the time of conception until the weaning of the offspring, and the pups continued to receive the treatment from weaning until the age of 5 months. Melatonin administered during the pre- and post-natal periods did not improve the cognitive impairment of TS mice as measured by the Morris Water maze or fear conditioning tests. Histological alterations, such as decreased proliferation (Ki67+ cells) and hippocampal hypocellularity (DAPI+ cells), which are typical in TS mice, were not prevented by melatonin. However, melatonin partially regulated brain oxidative stress by modulating the activity of the primary antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase in the cortex and catalase in the cortex and hippocampus) and slightly decreasing the levels of lipid peroxidation in the hippocampus of TS mice. These results show the inability of melatonin to prevent cognitive impairment in TS mice when it is administered at pre- and post-natal stages. Additionally, our findings suggest that to induce pro-cognitive effects in TS mice during the early stages of development, in addition to attenuating oxidative stress, therapies should aim to improve other altered processes, such as hippocampal neurogenesis and/or hypocellularity.This work was supported by the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (PSI2016-76194-R) and by a grant from CNPq/Brazil (proc. 2606/14-13)