Effective connectivity of visual word recognition and homophone orthographic errors

The study of orthographic errors in a transparent language like Spanish is an important topic in relation to writing acquisition. The development of neuroimaging techniques, particularly functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), has enabled the study of such relationships between brain areas. The main objective of the present study was to explore the patterns of effective connectivity by processing pseudohomophone orthographic errors among subjects with high and low spelling skills. Two groups of 12 Mexican subjects each, matched by age, were formed based on their results in a series of ad hoc spelling-related out-scanner tests: a high spelling skills (HSSs) group and a low spelling skills (LSSs) group. During the f MRI session, two experimental tasks were applied (spelling recognition task and visuoperceptual recognition task). Regions of Interest and their signal values were obtained for both tasks. Based on these values, structural equation models (SEMs) were obtained for each group of spelling competence (HSS and LSS) and task through maximum likelihood estimation, and the model with the best fit was chosen in each case. Likewise, dynamic causal models (DCMs) were estimated for all the conditions across tasks and groups. The HSS group's SEM results suggest that, in the spelling recognition task, the right middle temporal gyrus, and, to a lesser extent, the left parahippocampal gyrus receive most of the significant effects, whereas the DCM results in the visuoperceptual recognition task show less complex effects, but still congruent with the previous results, with an important role in several areas. In general, these results are consistent with the major findings in partial studies about linguistic activities but they are the first analyses of statistical effective brain connectivity in transparent languages

Implementing citizen science programmes in the context of university gardens to promote preservice teachers' scientific literacy: a study case on soil

This work presents an assessment of pre-service teachers' argumentative practice, after implementing a novel teaching-learning sequence on soil health including a citizen science programme, which was applied outdoors at the university garden. The sequence was implemented at five Spanish universities with 351 undergraduates studying Early Childhood and Primary Teacher Education. It posed a final assessment task consisting in a real-world situation that involved making decisions on science-related issues: students needed to argue whether it was possible to use a piece of land as a school garden, based on soil data provided in a variety of formats. To assess participants' level of achievement, a rubric was specifically designed by adapting the Evidence-Explanation Continuum approach, which was applied to a subsample of 123 answers (35%). Results evidenced that the process of knowledge-building discourse from initial data to final explanations involved a series of transformations of increasing difficulty, since the percentage of students who were able to correctly accomplish them decreased a long the continuum. Including the citizen science programme promoted the development of basic aspects of scientific literacy related to interpreting data and evidence scientifically but, for students to be generally capable of drawing evidence-based conclusions, argumentation practices should be regularly included in science classes

Estudio y purificación de los sustratos aceptores de la proteína O-fucosiltransferasa

La O-fucosilación es una modificación post-traduccional que tiene lugar generalmente en un gran número de proteínas de membrana o secretadas. Múltiples estudios han revelado que esta modificación está implicada en la señalización celular y plegamiento de proteínas durante el desarrollo embrionario, así como en el metabolismo del tejido adulto. Entre los diferentes elementos implicados en el proceso de O-fucosilación destacan las glicosiltransferasas (GTs) POFUT1 y POFUT2 las cuales transfieren residuos de fucosa desde GDP-fucosa a sustratos aceptores específicos. Mientras POFUT1 fucosila proteínas conteniendo repeticiones con estructura similar al factor de crecimiento epidermal (EGF). POFUT2 fucosila las repeticiones de tromboespondinas tipo 1 (TSRs). En ambas repeticiones se fucosilan residuos de serina o treonina y están formadas por tres puentes disulfuro. Si bien tanto la estructura cristalina de POFUT2 como la de los dominios TSR ha sido resuelta mediante la difracción por rayos X en múltiples estudios, sigue sin conocerse con precisión el mecanismo de transferencia de cómo la POFUT2 reconoce los TSRs y de por tanto como se fucosilan. En este sentido optimizaremos la expresión y purificación de diferentes dominios TSR para posteriormente caracterizar cualitativa y cuantitativamente la interacción entre estos y la enzima POFUT2. Además, algunos de estos dominios se utilizarán para obtener una estructura cristalina junto con la POFUT2 con el fin de elucidar el mecanismo de reacción de la fucosilación y se cómo esta GT reconoce a sus sustratos aceptores

Neuroimage study on low orthographic competence group

Background: In this paper we studied the functional neural substrates underlying the performance of homophonic spelling error detecting tasks including frequent and infrequent Spanish words- through functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) procedure in subjects with low orthographic performance. Method: A block design was used to administer 2 visual tasks,with 2 experimental conditions each, to 8 healthy participants with low orthographic performance. In both tasks correct and misspelled Spanish words sequentially appeared. Participants were instructed to detect orthographic errorsin one task, as well as the presence of 1 specific vowel in the other. Image data were obtained from 32 axial contiguous slices and repetition time of 3 seconds. Results: Significant bilateral activations were found, especially inmedial temporal areas during the orthographic error recognition task performance, whereas upper right and left frontal regions were significantly activated while detecting a specific vowel. Conclusions: These data are consistent with the literature and suggest an association between orthographic processing and hyperactivation of bilateral cerebral areas in subjects with low orthographic skills, probably due to compensatory mechanism

DEA : dispositivo electrónico para el monitoreo de variables ambientales

Este trabajo contiene el diseño e implementación de un sistema para el monitoreo y control de variables ambientales en entornos cerrados. Se dividió en 5 componentes: 1. Diseñar la etapa de adaptación electrónica para la integración de sensores. 2. Implementar un sistema de monitoreo para las variables, cuya visualización se realice a través de un display y a su vez por medio de una interfaz para un terminal móvil. Esto, con el fin de construir una plataforma loT. 3. Diseñar una aplicación móvil. 4. Implementar un mecanismo de control y adaptación para ajustar la velocidad de un extractor y regular así la humedad del ambiente. 5. Diseñar y realizar una serie de experimentos para validar el funcionamiento y especificaciones del sistema.This work contains the design and implementation of a system for monitoring and controlling of environmental variables. Its divided in 5 different design components: 1. Design the stage of electronic adaptation for the integration of sensors. 2. Implement a monitoring system of the levels of the variables, obtained from the hardware prototype, through a display connected to a microprocessor and this in turn to a display interface for a mobile terminal and build a platform IOT. 3. Design a mobile application. 4. Implement a monitoring mechanism in which a signal sent to a power amplifier to adjust the speed of a fun regulating the amount humidity in a closed environment is created. 5. Design a series of experiments to validate the operation and specifications of the system.Ingeniero (a) ElectrónicoPregrad

The Seventh Book: una app de turismo cultural gamificado

[ES] Se analiza la importancia del juego como recurso didáctico mediante la presentación de la aplicación Seventh Book. El objetivo de la misma es crear una experiencia de turismo diferente en la que los protagonistas van resolviendo diversas pruebas a la vez que van conociendo distintos espacios de la ciudad de Vilanova i la Geltrú

Analysis of Pseudohomophone Orthographic Errors through Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

The study of orthographic errors in a transparent language such as Spanish is an important topic in relation to writing acquisition because in Spanish it is common to write pseudohomophones as valid words. The main objective of the present study was to explore the possible differences in activation patterns in brain areas while processing seudohomophone orthographic errors between participants with high (High Spelling Skills (HSS)) and low (Low Spelling Skills (LSS)) spelling orthographic abilities. We hypothesize that (a) the detection of orthographic errors will activate bilateral inferior frontal gyri, and that (b) this effect will be greater in the HSS group. Two groups of 12 Mexican participants, each matched by age, were formed based on their results in a group of spelling-related ad hoc tests: HSS and LSS groups. During the fMRI session, two experimental tasks were applied involving correct and pseudohomophone substitution of Spanish words. First, a spelling recognition task and second a letter searching task. The LSS group showed, as expected, a lower number of correct responses (F(1, 21) = 52.72, p <.001, η2 = .715) and higher reaction times compared to the HSS group for the spelling task (F(1, 21) = 60.03, p <.001, η2 = .741). However, this pattern was reversed when the participants were asked to decide on the presence of a vowel in the words, regardless of spelling. The fMRI data showed an engagement of the right inferior frontal gyrus in HSS group during the spelling task. However, temporal, frontal, and subcortical brain regions of the LSS group were activated during the same task

Complicaciones post-quirúrgicas de cirugía cardiaca más frecuentes en pacientes obesos equiparados a pacientes normopeso

La obesidad constituye un problema de salud pública; es la segunda causa de muerte en Estados Unidos; causando también un aumento en la prevalencia de enfermedades cardiovasculares, diabetes mellitus tipo 2 y complicaciones postquirúrgicas. Un estudio del departamento de anestesiología en el Hospital Universitario de Michigan, ha revelado que la obesidad aumenta el riesgo de complicaciones durante el periodo peri y postoperatorio. Los pacientes obesos mostraron una mayor prevalencia de IAM, infecciones de tracto urinario, intubación traqueal, entre otras. Hay un aumento excesivo del consumo de oxígeno y la producción de dióxido de carbono, por tanto compromete significativamente el trabajo respiratorio; el riesgo de hipoxia postoperatoria se duplica cada vez que aumenta el IMC, razón por la cual es más frecuente la necesidad de reintubacion en pacientes con obesidad mórbida, consecuentemente aumenta el riesgo de infecciones pulmonares y la estadía en UCI. También se relaciona con el desarrollo de insuficiencia renal aguda postquirúrgica con mayor frecuencia que en aquellos pacientes que tienen peso normal. Está demostrado que las infecciones de herida quirúrgica así como de tejidos profundo adyacentes es de alta prevalencia en estos pacientes, lo cual prolonga también la estadía de la UCI. Encontramos pertinente realizar una revisión como esta ya que complicaciones como infecciones de la herida quirúrgica o arritmias tipo fibrilación auricular pueden disminuir la calidad de vida y predisponen a desarrollar comorbilidades que de otra manera no hubieran adquirido. Es una tendencia que representa una dificultad y por lo tanto requiere de estudio y análisis.PregradoMedic

CONMEBOL Libertadores Cup: Altitude impact on goals and results in 16 years of soccer matches

Background: The CONMEBOL Libertadores Cup, is the continent’s most important international club tournament. Teams are exposed to different altitudes with short acclimatization periods. The present study describe the effect of altitude on the results and goals of soccer club teams matches between 2000 and 2015 in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Cup. Materials & Methods: All home and visiting matches from the group phase onwards and which have been played at the traditional team venue were taken into account, thus, 2039 games were analysed. The teams were classified into altitude categories according to the physiological impact and registered hometown altitude. Poisson´s generalized linear model was used to study the relationship between the altitude of both home and visiting teams and the number of goals scored for each team according to the altitude category. The probabilities that the home team winning, drawing, or losing the match were estimated using a regression model for ordinal variables and assuming a multinomial probability distribution with the logistic linkage. Factors as heat, temperature and general performance of the teams were not considered. Results: Local team scores more (2.62 goals) when the visiting team descends three altitude categories, followed by a descent of two altitude categories (2.01 goals) and an ascent of three altitude categories (1.89 goals). This is associated with an increase probability of winning for the local team, being 5.5 times more likely when the visiting team descends three altitude categories, 2.3 times more when it descends two categories, and 2.5 times more when it ascends three altitude categories. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the visiting team is more likely to lose a match when it has to descend two or three altitude categories and when it ascends three altitude categories

Talleres para el fortalecimiento de la red de investigación y monitoreo del bosque seco tropical en Colombia (red bst-col)

Memorias talleresBogot