Adult students’ perceptions on positive and ambivalent emotions during foreign language learning

El campo de la investigación sobre emociones en el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras se caracteriza por la escasez de investigaciones en las que esté representado el conjunto de la población adulta. Esta circunstancia motivó un estudio cualitativo sobre las emociones positivas y ambivalentes que experimenta alumnado adulto de distintas edades al aprender una lengua extranjera. Un total de 39 estudiantes de seis idiomas se prestaron voluntariamente a ser entrevistados. Se trataba de estudiantes de 10 Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas de todos los niveles impartidos. Para el análisis de los datos se llevó a cabo un análisis temático. Se investigaron las percepciones de las emociones positivas y ambivalentes, las ocasiones en que se experimentan y los motivos que las ocasionan. Los hallazgos indican que las emociones positivas provienen, fundamentalmente, del buen ambiente incentivado por actividades artísticas, participativas, dinámicas y divertidas, y de la satisfacción y el enriquecimiento personal; por su parte, las emociones ambivalentes están más relacionadas con el esfuerzo ligado al disfrute que, a su vez, comporta superación personal, como en el caso de las tareas de producción oral. Se abordan asimismo las implicaciones para la enseñanza de una LE a alumnado adulto de idiomas que se derivan de nuestros hallazgos.Research on emotions is still scarce in the field of adult foreign language learning. For this reason, a qualitative study was carried out to investigate the emotions that adult students feel during the foreign language (FL) learning process. A total of 39 learners of six languages volunteered to be interviewed. They were all-level students from 10 State Language Schools. The data were analyzed through a thematic analysis. This study examined positive and ambivalent emotions, the instances when these occur and what triggers them. The results indicate that positive emotions are mainly caused by the good environment encouraged through artistic, participative, dynamic, and fun tasks, along with personal satisfaction and enrichment. Ambivalent emotions are related to the dynamics between effort and enjoyment, which implies personal growth, as in the case of speaking tasks. This study contributes to expanding research on the role of emotions in FL learning in adult population segments that are not usually included in investigations

Cytochrome c signalosome in mitochondria

Cytochrome c delicately tilts the balance between cell life (respiration) and cell death (apoptosis). Whereas cell life is governed by transient electron transfer interactions of cytochrome c inside the mitochondria, the cytoplasmic adducts of cytochrome c that lead to cell death are amazingly stable. Interestingly, the contacts of cytochrome c with its counterparts shift from the area surrounding the heme crevice for the redox complexes to the opposite molecule side when the electron flow is not necessary. The cytochrome c signalosome shows a higher level of regulation by post-translational modifications—nitration and phosphorylation—of the hemeprotein. Understanding protein interfaces, as well as protein modifications, would puzzle the mitochondrial cytochrome c-controlled pathways out and enable the design of novel drugs to silence the action of pro-survival and pro-apoptotic partners of cytochrome c.Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation BFU2009-07190Andalusian Government BIO198 P08-CVI-387

Enfermedad de Chagas: Interpretación de pruebas cardiológicas, utilidad de la RMN cardiaca y uso combinado in vitro de benznidazol y corticoide

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Medicina. Fecha de lectura: 08-10-202

El análisis del disfrute y la ansiedad como fundamento metodológico en las clases de adultos

[ES] El campo de las emociones tanto positivas como negativas en el aprendizaje de lengua extranjera por adultos se caracteriza por la escasez de investigaciones. Por este motivo, se inició un Grupo de Trabajo en la Escuela Oficial de Idiomas de Lucena que indagó en el disfrute y la ansiedad que el alumnado adulto experimenta durante el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de una lengua extranjera con el fin de fundamentar las decisiones metodológicas del profesorado y contribuir a la mejora de la calidad educativa. En este estudio se analizan concretamente los resultados de los 25 aprendientes de Nivel Intermedio B2.2. de inglés de los 190 participantes que rellenaron el cuestionario. Para fomentar la participación, el cuestionario se distribuyó a través de un enlace de Formularios de Google, se publicó en las plataformas de aprendizaje virtuales y se dejó tiempo en clase para cumplimentarlo. El análisis de los datos se llevó a cabo mediante el programa IBM SPSS Statistics. Gracias a este estudio, se pudieron identificar las fuentes que ocasionan FLE y FLCA y adaptar la metodología para mejorar el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras en adultos.[EN] Research on the field of positive and negative emotions in Adult Foreign Language Learning is still scarce. For this reason, a Working Group at the State Language School of Lucena launched a project to further their knowledge of the Foreign Language Enjoyment and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety that adult students feel during the foreign language learning process. By analyzing adult students’ emotions, teachers have the tools to substantiate their methodological decisions and improve the education system. In this study, only the results of the 25 B2.2. English learners are examined out of the 190 participants who filled the questionnaire.To promote participation, the questionnaire was distributed through Google Forms and published on the teachers’ online learning platforms.Time was also assigned to fill it in class.The data analysis was carried out with the software IBM SPSS Statistics. Thanks to this study, the different conditions that trigger positive and negative emotions in adult students have been identified and methodologies can be adaptded to improve the adult foreign language teaching-learning process.Acosta-Manzano, I. (2021). El análisis del disfrute y la ansiedad como fundamento metodológico en las clases de adultos. En IN-RED 2020: VI Congreso de Innovación Educativa y Docencia en Red. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 23-36. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2020.2020.11941OCS233

Ansiedad y expresión gráfica en pacientes pediátricos hospitalizados

Even with the progress made in health care and policies, child hospitalization continues to be a vital event capable of generating various emotional and physical alterations, one of them being anxiety. There is a potential risk that a series of emotional and behavioral alterations will originate in the child that modify their personal development. Along with the emotional effects, another problem of hospitalized children is that of communication, since it is difficult for them to express themselves. The graphic expression of the child is in intimate relationship with all its evolutionary development and especially with that of its thought, with its modes of expression and communication. In this sense, drawing can be a useful tool for hospitalized children to relate their experiences and feelings without words. The objective of this research is to know the anxiety generated by hospitalization in children between 6 and 12 years of age admitted to 3 public hospitals in Caracas, Venezuela, and its relationship with their graphic expression in that situation. A quasi-experimental study without a control group, cross-sectional, quantitative, descriptive, correlational and comparative has been designed. The instruments used were the State-Trait Anxiety Self-Assessment Inventory in Children (STAIC), and free drawing, taking into account the anxiety indicators in free drawing collected by Acosta and Crespo (2002). The results showed that the hospitalization experience is perceived as a stressful life event that generates anxiety, as well as direct and significant correlations between state anxiety and the presence of anxiety indicators in the drawing. It is concluded that the use of drawing constitutes an effective strategy to explore children’s perceptions of anxiety about hospitalization, the impact of which requires that the emotional sphere be included in hospital care. It is necessary to detect anxiety and develop interventions to prevent or reduce its effects on hospitalized children.Aun con el progreso llevado a cabo en la atención y políticas sanitarias, la hospitalización infantil sigue siendo un acontecimiento vital capaz de generar diversas alteraciones emocionales y físicas, siendo una de ellas la ansiedad. Existe un riesgo potencial de que se originen una serie de alteraciones emocionales y conductuales en el niño que modifiquen su desarrollo personal. Junto a los efectos emocionales, otro de los problemas de los niños hospitalizados es el de la comunicación, ya que les resulta difícil expresarse. La expresión gráfica del niño se halla en íntima relación con todo su desarrollo evolutivo y en especial con el de su pensamiento, con sus modos de expresión y comunicación. En este sentido, el dibujo puede ser una herramienta útil para que los niños hospitalizados relaten sus experiencias y sentimientos sin palabras. El objetivo de la presente investigación es conocer la ansiedad que genera la hospitalización en niños de 6 a 12 años de edad ingresados en 3 hospitales públicos de Caracas, Venezuela, y su relación con la expresión gráfica en dicha situación hospitalaria. El estudio fue cuasi-experimental sin grupo control, transversal, cuantitativo de tipo descriptivo, correlacional y comparativo. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron el Inventario de autoevaluación Ansiedad Estado-Rasgo en niños (STAIC) y el dibujo libre, tomando en cuenta los indicadores de ansiedad en el dibujo libre recopilados por Acosta y Crespo (2002). Los resultados mostraron que la experiencia de hospitalización es percibida como un evento vital estresante que genera ansiedad, así como correlaciones directas y significativas entre la ansiedad estado y la presencia de indicadores de ansiedad en el dibujo. Se concluye que el empleo del dibujo constituye una estrategia eficaz para explorar las percepciones de ansiedad que tienen los niños sobre la hospitalización, cuyo impacto requiere que se incluya la esfera emocional dentro del cuidado hospitalario. Se hace necesario detectar la ansiedad y desarrollar intervenciones para prevenir o disminuir sus efectos en el niño hospitalizado

Cytochrome c: Surfing Off of the Mitochondrial Membrane on the Tops of Complexes III and IV

The proper arrangement of protein components within the respiratory electron transport chain is nowadays a matter of intense debate, since altering it leads to cell aging and other related pathologies. Here, we discuss three current views-the so-called solid, fluid and plasticity models-which describe the organization of the main membrane-embedded mitochondrial protein complexes and the key elements that regulate and/or facilitate supercomplex assembly. The soluble electron carrier cytochrome c has recently emerged as an essential factor in the assembly and function of respiratory supercomplexes. In fact, a 'restricted diffusion pathway' mechanism for electron transfer between complexes III and IV has been proposed based on the secondary, distal binding sites for cytochrome c at its two membrane partners recently discovered. This channeling pathway facilitates the surfing of cytochrome c on both respiratory complexes, thereby tuning the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation and diminishing the production of reactive oxygen species. The well-documented post-translational modifications of cytochrome c could further contribute to the rapid adjustment of electron flow in response to changing cellular conditions.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BFU2015-71017/BMC MINECO/FEDER and PGC2018-096049-B-I00 BIO/BMC MICINN/FEDER, EU

Computing the rational torsion of an elliptic curve using Tate normal form

It is a classical result (apparently due to Tate) that all elliptic curves with a torsion point of order n (4 ≤ n ≤ 10, or n = 12) lie in a oneparameter family. However, this fact does not appear to have been used ever for computing the torsion of an elliptic curve. We present here a extremely down–to–earth algorithm using the existence of such a family.Junta de Andalucí

Long distance electron transfer through the aqueous solution between redox partner proteins

Despite the importance of electron transfer between redox proteins in photosynthesis and respiration, the inter-protein electron transfer rate between redox partner proteins has never been measured as a function of their separation in aqueous solution. Here, we use electrochemical tunneling spectroscopy to show that the current between two protein partners decays along more than 10 nm in the solution. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal a reduced ionic density and extended electric field in the volume confined between the proteins. The distance-decay factor and the calculated local barrier for electron transfer are regulated by the electrochemical potential applied to the proteins. Redox partners could use electrochemically gated, long distance electron transfer through the solution in order to conciliate high specificity with weak binding, thus keeping high turnover rates in the crowded environment of cells.España, MINECO BFU2015-71017-P/España, Gobierno de Andalucía (BIO198)Comisión de Universidades e Investigación del Departamento de Innovación, Universidades y Empresa de la Generalitat de Catalunya.(2017 SGR 1442, 2014 SGR 1442, and 2017 SGR 1189

Urban streams and physical activity promotion: toward an ecological-experiential approach

Physical activity nearby urban streams is a relevant issue of public health. Ecological models offer an holistic understanding of the factors that influence this practice. However, issues related to the experiential processes behind people-place interactions remain overlooked. Through the analysis of a Barcelona metropolitan stream, this research proposes and tests an integrated ecological-experiential approach. Twenty-four in-depth map-based and go-along interviews were conducted with lay-public. Qualitative content analysis using ATLAS.ti software revealed six place-experience patterns related to users’ motivations for physical activity. Likewise, physical and social factors influential to physical activity were identified. Such factors became barriers or facilitators depending on the perception of each pattern, and the most controversial issue was safety. The diverse perception of factors can lead to conflict when the itineraries related to different experiential patterns coincide. Such finding suggests that the design of inclusive and specialized itineraries is required for physical activity promotion

Decisiones económicas que toman los clientes morosos del sistema financiero

Esta disertación analiza el comportamiento de pago de los clientes morosos del sistema financiero con una muestra representativa de clientes que forman parte de la cartera castigada propia de la empresa Recaudadora Ecuador S.A. (RECSA) con la finalidad de establecer por una parte las variables exógenas y endógenas de la gestión de cobranza que explican la mejor recuperación de la cartera y por otra parte la eficiencia de los mecanismos de recuperación empleados por la empresa de cobranzas. Se analiza la evolución de la cartera de crédito del sistema bancario privado ecuatoriano y el desempeño y comportamiento de la morosidad durante el período 2010-2014 con la finalidad de determinar la calidad de la cartera de crédito en el período en mencionado, para lo cual se realizó un análisis global mediante la utilización de indicadores financieros propios de la actividad financiera. Esta investigación permitió observar que el mercado de administración de cartera tiene muchas oportunidades de realizar una gestión óptima y focalizada convirtiéndola en eficiente a través de una adecuada segmentación y clusterización tomando en cuenta las características de los clientes y los esfuerzos de gestión que se necesitan para cada caso