Students´ opinions about the use of L1 in an intermediate level course

The use of the mother tongue in the language classroom has created controversy for years and its role in the different teaching methods that have been developed has also been clearly defined. Experts in the language-teaching field have conducted studies whose results have approved its use whereas others have disapproved it. Two reasons against its use are that learners do not have sufficient exposure to the target language and that they do not receive the necessary amount of input resulting in poor language proficiency. On the other hand, some researchers claim that the judicious use of students’ L1 produces benefits such as stress relief. However, despite the disadvantages of the use of students’ mother tongue in the language class and in the personal need to do what is best for students in my teaching context is how this research project began. This project was conducted at a private university in Mexico, where I am currently working, and 38 students were used as subjects. The participants, whose L1 is Spanish, belong to two pre-intermediate level groups and answered an online questionnaire in class. Also, two different teachers participated: a Spanish native speaker (myself) and an English Native speaker who speaks Spanish but does not talk to her students in their mother tongue. Their responses were analysed through a mixed-method (Dörnyei, 2007; Borg, 2009, in Hall and Cook, 2013) that combined qualitative and quantitative approaches. Based on the results, I tried to find the answers to the following research questions: Under what circumstances do students consider the use of their mother tongue a benefit for their learning process? Do affective factors influence the learning process? Can the use of students’ mother tongue help diminish anxiety? In general, the results showed positive opinions on the use of L1 in the language classroom by both students and teachers but only under certain circumstances. The use of L1 does not seem to hinder their learning process, but having to speak only English does make them experience negative feelings. The fact that both students and the teacher can interact in the same language seems to lower students’ anxiety levels and perform more easily.ITESO, A.C

Analysis of diachronic relationships in successful and unsuccessful behaviors by world fencing champions using three complementary techniques

The aim of this study was to investigate diachronic relationships in successful and unsuccessful behaviors by world fencing champions using three complementary techniques: T-pattern analysis, lag sequential analysis, and polar coordinate analysis. We employed a nomothetic, point, multidimensional observational design in which we analyzed 24 bouts fenced by six world fencing champions in 2014. The actions were recorded and coded using LINCE software. The results revealed a series of behaviors that were significantly associated with successful outcomes, and also identified actions that contributed to poorer performance. One key conclusion to be drawn from the study is that the use of these complementary techniques is perfectly feasible and holds great potential in the field of sport. Lag sequen tial analysis of occurrences at lag 0 (co-occurrences) and analysis of basic T-patterns provided tactical insights into the different fencing actions em ployed. This analysis is focused on the actions and reactions of each fencer and his rival during each exchange. Insights into combat strategy, by con trast, were provided by lag sequential analysis of occurrences at lags -1 to -5 and lags +1 to +5, analysis of T-pattern clusters, and polar coordinate analysis. In the last case, we observed how prospective and retrospective behaviors, reflected in the modification or extension of certain behaviors during each bout, improved the efficacy of actions performed throughout the competition.El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar las posibles relaciones diacrónicas en las conductas de éxito y fracaso en campeones del mundo de esgrima desde tres técnicas analíticas complementarias: detección de T patterns, análisis secuencial de retardos y análisis de coordenadas polares. Se utilizó un diseño observacional nomotético, puntual y multidimensional en el registro de 24 asaltos de los seis esgrimistas campeones del mundo de 2014. Se utilizó como instrumento de registro el software LINCE. Los resul tados revelaron una serie de comportamientos que estaban estadísticamente asociados con la mejora del rendimiento deportivo y también se identifica ron acciones que contribuyeron a empeorarlo. Una de las principales con clusiones que pueden extraerse de este estudio es que el uso de estas técni cas complementarias de análisis es perfectamente factible y tiene un gran potencial en el ámbito del deporte. El análisis secuencial en el retardo 0 (co ocurrencias) y de las configuraciones básicas de los T-patterns proporcionan conocimientos tácticos sobre las diferentes acciones de esgrima empleadas. Este análisis se produce en el marco de la interacción entre las técnicas eje cutadas por cada tirador y su rival en cada acción del asalto. El análisis se cuencial en los retardos -1 a -5 y +1 a +5, las agrupaciones de clusters de los T-patterns y el análisis de coordenadas polares contribuyen al análisis de la estrategia de combate. En este caso, se observaron cómo las conductas prospectivas y retrospectivas determinaron la consolidación o modificación de ciertos comportamientos durante cada asalto, con el fin de mejorar la eficacia de las acciones realizadas a lo largo de toda la competiciónCiencias de la Actividad Física y del Deport

Presencia de infección y lesiones mínimas en mama y otros tejidos en ovinos afectados de Maedi-Visna

5 páginas, 2 tablas.--Trabajo presentado al: XL Congreso Nacional y el XVI Congreso Internacional de la Sociedad Española de Ovinotecnia y Caprinotecnia. (Castellón de la Plana, España, 16-18 septiembre 2015).Este trabajo ha sido subvencionado por los proyectos LE361A12-1 y LE314U14 de la Junta de Castilla y León y por una beca FPU del Ministerio de Educación.Peer Reviewe

Obstetric violence in spain (Part I): women’s perception and interterritorial differences

The decentralization of health systems can have direct repercussions on maternity care. Some inequalities can be noted in outcomes, like neonatal and child mortality in Spain. This study aimed to make the presence of obstetric violence in Spain visible as an interterritorial equity criterion. A descriptive, restrospective and cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2018 and June 2019. The sample comprised 17,541 questionnaires, which represented all Spanish Autonomous Communities. Of our sample, 38.3% perceived having suffered obstetric violence; 44.4% perceived that they had undergone unnecessary and/or painful procedures, of whom 83.4% were not requested to provide informed consent. The mean satisfaction with the attention women received obtained 6.94 points in the general sample and 4.85 points for those women who viewed themselves as victims of obstetric violence. Spain seems to have a serious problem with public health and respecting human rights in obstetric violence. Offering information to women and requesting their informed consent are barely practiced in the healthcare system, so it is necessary to profoundly reflect on obstetric practices with, and request informed consent from, women in Spain

Breastfeeding and Obstetric Violence during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in Spain: Maternal Perceptions

Catalan legislation, a pioneer in Europe, has defined obstetric violence (OV) as “preventing or hindering access to truthful information, necessary for autonomous and informed decision-making”. The definition also states that OV can affect physical and mental health, as well as sexual and reproductive health. Some authors have expressed concern about an increase in OV during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. During the pandemic, recommendations were also openly offered on the non-establishment and/or early abandonment of breastfeeding without scientific evidence to support them. Experiencing a traumatic childbirth can influence breastfeeding outcomes. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-administered online questionnaire. The sample consisted of women who gave birth in Spain between March 2020 and April 2021. The mean age was 34.41 (±4.23) years. Of the women, 73% were employed, 78.2% had a university education, and almost all were Caucasian. Among the subjects, 3.3% were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy and 1% were diagnosed during delivery. Some of the women (1.6%) were advised to stop breastfeeding in order to be vaccinated. Women diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 during delivery (p = 0.048), belonging to a low social class (p = 0.031), with secondary education (p = 0.029), or who suffered obstetric violence (p < 0.001) perceived less support and that the health care providers were less inclined to resolve doubts and difficulties about breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has been significantly challenged during the pandemic. In addition to all the variables to be considered that make breastfeeding support difficult, we now probably need to add SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis and OV

Obstetric Violence in Spain (Part III): Healthcare Professionals, Times, and Areas

Background: Obstetric violence is a worldwide public health problem, which seems greater in Spain. As no studies were found that identify the most representative healthcare professionals, times, and areas involved in obstetric violence, the objective of this work was to study at what time of maternity, with which professionals, and in what areas women identified obstetric violence. Methods: This descriptive, retrospective, and cross-sectional study was performed from January 2018 to June 2019. The main variables were the area (hospital, primary care, both), the time (pregnancy, birth, puerperium), and the professionals attending to women. Results: Our sample comprised 17,541 participants. The area identified with the most obstetric violence for the different studied variables was hospitals. Women identified more obstetric violence at time of birth. Findings such as lack of information and informed consent (74.2%), and criticism of infantile behavior and treatment (87.6%), stood out. The main identified healthcare professionals were midwives and gynecologists, and “other” professionals repeatedly appeared. Conclusions: Having identified the professionals, times, and areas of most obstetric violence in Spain, it seems necessary to reflect on not only the Spanish National Health System’s structure and management but also on healthcare professionals’ trainin

Obstetric Violence in Spain (Part II): Interventionism and Medicalization during Birth

This article belongs to the Special Issue Obstetric Violence and Women's HealthBackground: obstetric violence can partially be represented by the high number of interventions and medicalization rates during the birthing process. The objective of the present study was to determine the interventionism and medicalization levels during childbirth in Spain. Methods: a descriptive, retrospective, and cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2018 and June 2019. Results: the intervention percentages were 34.2% for Kristeller maneuver and 39.3% for episiotomy. Differences appeared in public, private, and mixed healthcare settings (p < 0.001). The mean satisfaction, with healthcare in the different settings, was estimated at 6.88 points (SD ± 2.146) in public healthcare, 4.76 points (SD ± 3.968) in private healthcare, and 8.03 points (SD ± 1.930) in mixed healthcare (p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were found in Spanish autonomous communities. Conclusions: births in Spain seem to be highly intervened. In this study, a certain equity criterion was found concerning interventionism during childbirth in Spain. Healthcare influenced female intervention, satisfaction, and perception levels for obstetric violence; this evidences that female empowerment plays an important role

Inhibition of gamma-secretase promotes axon regeneration after a complete spinal cord injury

In a recent study, we showed that GABA and baclofen (a GABAB receptor agonist) inhibit caspase activation and promote axon regeneration in descending neurons of the sea lamprey brainstem after a complete spinal cord injury (Romaus-Sanjurjo et al., 2018a). Now, we repeated these treatments and performed 2 independent Illumina RNA-Sequencing studies in the brainstems of control and GABA or baclofen treated animals. GABA treated larval sea lampreys with their controls were analyzed 29 days after a complete spinal cord injury and baclofen treated larvae with their controls 9 days after the injury. One of the most significantly downregulated genes after both treatments was a HES gene (HESB). HES proteins are transcription factors that are key mediators of the Notch signaling pathway and gamma-secretase activity is crucial for the activation of this pathway. So, based on the RNA-Seq results we subsequently treated spinal cord injured larval sea lampreys with a novel gamma-secretase inhibitor (PF-3804014). This treatment also reduced the expression of HESB in the brainstem and significantly enhanced the regeneration of individually identifiable descending neurons after a complete spinal cord injury. Our results show that gamma-secretase could be a novel target to promote axon regeneration after nervous system injuriesGrant sponsors: FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades – Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Grant number: BFU-2017-87079-P) and the Xunta de Galicia (Grant number: ED431C 2018/28). DR was supported by the BBSRC Institute Strategic Programme Grants to the Roslin Institute (BB/P013732/1, BB/P013740/1, and BB/P013759/1)S

Electrochemical assessment of pigments-binding medium interactions in oil paint deterioration: a case study on indigo and Prussian blue

Abstract The degradation of laboratory oil paint film specimens containing indigo and Prussian blue pigments and pictorial samples from the Sant Francesc de Paula painting exhibited in the Tomàs Balvey Arxiu Museum (Cardedeu (Catalonia), Spain) has been studied by voltammetry of immobilized particles. This technique, combined with light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis, nanoindentation-atomic force microscopy, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy techniques permits the proposal of a dual scheme for the degradation of the pigments when naturally aged and submitted to accelerated UVA aging. Under conditions of moderate temperature, humidity and natural illumination, and low gradients of these parameters, Prussian blue acts as a radical scavenger moderating the production of reactive oxygen species produced in the oil binding medium by the action of ultraviolet radiation, resulting in the formation, in the solid state, of the solid-solution, {KFeIII[FeII(CN)6]} x {FeIII[FeIII(CN)6]}1–x , known as Berlin green, which then promotes the formation of indigo adducts with radicals. In several localized areas of the Sant Francesc de Paula paint showing strong degradation, Prussian blue acts as a promoter of the indigo oxidation to isatin, thus resulting in a considerable chromatic shift