Classroom communication skills: the need to fill a gap in the training of teachers of Spanish as a foreign language

This paper sets out the necessity of examining the communication skills of teachers of Spanish as a foreign language as conducted in other socio-educative contexts. According to this objective, the paper begins with a review of theoretical efforts that have been made during recent years referring to research methodology (such as instruments), and to their main results. This leads to a discussion of the training needs that teachers of Spanish as a foreign language presently face for the development of their communication s kills in the classroom and, in general terms, the paper discusses the different types of ideas and strategies that must be considered during teachers’ instruction. Finally, this brief proposal expects to be the seed of future research projects that impact positively on the improvement of teachers’ communication competence, whereby the ideas discussed here are taken as a nuclear component in the frame of future teaching competence

Influence of hydrogen peroxide in the tribocorrosion behaviour of a CoCrMo biomedical alloy

This paper studies the influence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in simulated body fluids on the wear and corrosion behaviour of a CoCrMo biomedical alloy. CoCrMo are passive materials commonly used in prosthesis and implants because of its high corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. Hydrogen peroxide is produced by bacteria and leukocytes as a consequence of an inflammatory reaction which may modify the tribo-electrochemical response of metals implanted in the human body. Indeed, the oxidizing environment generated by the presence of the peroxide increases the metal dissolution rate. Electrochemical and tribocorrosion tests were carried out in a PBS solution with different addition of H2O2 (0.5, 2, 4 and 12%).The authors acknowledge Generalitat Valencia for the Gerónimo Forteza financial support and to the Electron Microscopy Service of the UPV for the SEM images

Moduli spaces for finite-order jets of Riemannian metrics

We construct the moduli space of r-jets at a point of Riemannian metrics on a smooth manifold. The construction is closely related to the problem of classification of jet metrics via differential invariants. The moduli space is proved to be a differentiable space which admits a finite canonical stratification into smooth manifolds. A complete study on the stratification of moduli spaces is carried out for metrics in dimension n=2.Comment: 25 pages, corrected typos, partially changed content with an appendix adde

Effect of band-filling and structural distortions on the Curie temperature of Fe-Mo double perovkites

By means of high resolution neutron powder diffraction at low temperature we have characterized the structural details of $\rm La_{x}Sr_{2-x}FeMoO_6$ ($0\leq {\rm x}\leq 0.5$) and $\rm Ca_{x}Sr_{2-x}FeMoO_6$ ($0\leq {\rm x}\leq 0.6$) series of compounds. This study reveals a similar variation of the mean bond-angle \FeOMo in both series. In contrast, the mean bond-distance \FeMoO\ increases with La but not with Ca substitution. Both series also present a different evolution of the Curie temperature ($T_C$), which raises in the La series and slightly decreases in the Ca one. We thus conclude that the enhancement of $T_C$ in the La series is due to the electron filling of the conduction band and a concomitant rising of the density of states at the Fermi level.Comment: Revtex, 4 Journal pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl

Rotura de cotilo en artroplastia total de cadera

Describimos dos casos de rotura de cotilos de expansión de prótesis de cadera tipo CLS de origen no traumático. Ambos casos sucedieron a los seis años de cirugía y no se apreció desgaste o rotura del polietileno en ninguno de ellos. En nuestra opinión la hipótesis más probable es que la falta de contacto entre la zona polar del cotilo y el fondo del acetábulo produzca una zona de inestabilidad en los segmentos de la prótesis y rotura por fatiga del material. Creemos que es obligado su recambio aunque el paciente no presente sintomatología actual, ya que la rotura del acetábulo conducirá a un aflojamiento y a una osteolisis secundaria.We describe two cases of breakage of expansion cups in a CLS uncemented total hip arthroplasty wihtout traumatic etiologic. Both cases occurred six years after the surgery and none had breakage or polyethylene wear. We postulate that the lack of contact between the polar area of the cup and the acetabulum produces a zone of instability in the segments of the prosthesis and increases the risk of fatigue of the material. In our opinion acetabular revision is mandatory in this situation, even in asymptomatic cases, because cup rupture leads to implant loosening with secondary short-team osteolysis

Evidencias del incremento en la movilidad de dunas costeras en el último medio siglo como respuesta a la intervención humana

Given the risk of two roads being buried by the sand of two highly mobile coastal dunes (Valdevaqueros and Bolonia, SW Spain), several measures have been taken over the last half century in order to stabilize them or at least slow their progress: installation of several rows of 1-m-high concrete structures, planting of species such as Pinus pinea, Retama monosperma and Ammophila arenaria, wicker and wooden fencing, and sand mining (only performed on the Valdevaqueros dunefield). The evolution of the two dunes was investigated through the interpretation of intensive topographical monitoring and aerial photography. Average migration rates of approximately 10 m yr–1 were detected and the burial of anthropic structures has eventually occurred. This process has caused a serious regional problem, making dune management of these areas a difficult challenge. The comparison of the evolution of these two dunes has been of great importance in assessing the effect of historical human intervention and has provided a new perspective for future dune management strategies. The results obtained show that management measures based on sand removal have been proven to be unsustainable. Moreover, the monitoring methodology presented herein has proven very useful in predicting dune advance rates. For instance, the Bolonia dune could reach the nearest road in approximately 12 years.Se han tomado diferentes medidas a lo largo del último medio siglo tratando de estabilizar o al menos ralentizar el progreso de dos dunas costeras de alta movilidad (Valdevaqueros y Bolonia, SW España) dado el riesgo de enterramiento de sendas carreteras: Entre las medidas tomadas cabe destacar la instalación de filas de estructuras de hormigón de 1 m de altura, la plantación de diferentes especies (como el Pinus pinea, la Retama monosperma o la Ammophila arenaria), vallas de madera y brezo, y la extracción de arena (sólo en la duna de Valdevaqueros). La evolución de ambas dunas se ha investigado a través de la comparación de levantamientos topográficos y fotografías aéreas. Se han detectado tasas medias de avance de aproximadamente 10 m/año hasta que, finalmente, se han enterrado estructuras antrópicas. Este proceso ha causado graves problemas convirtiendo en un difícil reto la gestión de dunas de estas áreas. La comparación de la evolución de estas dos dunas ha resultado de gran importancia a la hora de evaluar el efecto de la intervención humana, y ha proporcionado una nueva perspectiva para las futuras estrategias de gestión. Entre los resultados obtenidos, debería destacarse el que la gestión basada en la retirada de arena ha resultado insostenible. Además, la metodología de seguimiento aquí presentada ha probado ser de gran utilidad al predecir las tasas de avance de las dunas. Por ejemplo, la duna de Bolonia podría alcanzar la carretera próxima en unos 12 años

Arquitecto versus Doctor Arquitecto: las escuelas de arquitectura y el siglo XXI

El objetivo de este trabajo es la realización de un estudio sobre la formación doctoral de arquitectos que contribuya a mejorar la calidad de los programas de doctorados en las Escuelas de Arquitectura españolas y que nos aproxime al Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior y de Investigación. El periodo analizado es el formado por los últimos nueve años: lo transcurrido del siglo XXI. El estudio se ha realizado sobre las Escuelas de Arquitectura de ocho universidades españolas, las que nos han proporcionado la relación de tesis leídas en sus Escuelas de Arquitectura en ese periodo, sus autores y directores. Se ha elaborado una base de datos de las mismas, así como una ficha-modelo que se ha remitido a los autores de esas tesis, recabándole información diversa: tiempo de duración de la tesis, financiación obtenida para su desarrollo, movilidad nacional e internacional, publicaciones derivadas, doctorado europeo, etc. A partir de este estudio se presentan conclusiones sobre el estado actual de la formación doctoral en Arquitectura

Redox-dependent and redox-independent functions of Caenorhabditis elegans thioredoxin 1

Thioredoxins (TRX) are traditionally considered as enzymes catalyzing redox reactions. However, redox-independent functions of thioredoxins have been described in different organisms, although the underlying molecular mechanisms are yet unknown. We report here the characterization of the first generated endogenous redox-inactive thioredoxin in an animal model, the TRX-1 in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We find that TRX-1 dually regulates the formation of an endurance larval stage (dauer) by interacting with the insulin pathway in a redox-independent manner and the cGMP pathway in a redox-dependent manner. Moreover, the requirement of TRX-1 for the extended longevity of worms with compromised insulin signalling or under calorie restriction relies on TRX-1 redox activity. In contrast, the nuclear translocation of the SKN-1 transcription factor and increased LIPS-6 protein levels in the intestine upon trx-1 deficiency are strictly redox-independent. Finally, we identify a novel function of C. elegans TRX-1 in male food-leaving behaviour that is redox-dependent. Taken together, our results position C. elegans as an ideal model to gain mechanistic insight into the redox-independent functions of metazoan thioredoxins, overcoming the limitations imposed by the embryonic lethal phenotypes of thioredoxin mutants in higher organisms.NIH Office of Research Infrastructure P40 OD010440Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness BFU2015- 64408-PFondo Social Europeo BFU2015- 64408-PNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health R01AI07640

c-Jun N-terminal kinase phosphorylation is a biomarker of plitidepsin activity

Plitidepsin is an antitumor drug of marine origin currently in Phase III clinical trials in multiple myeloma. In cultured cells, plitidepsin induces cell cycle arrest or an acute apoptotic process in which sustained activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) plays a crucial role. With a view to optimizing clinical use of plitidepsin, we have therefore evaluated the possibility of using JNK activation as an in vivo biomarker of response. In this study, we show that administration of a single plitidepsin dose to mice xenografted with human cancer cells does indeed lead to increased phosphorylation of JNK in tumors at 4 to 12 h. By contrast, no changes were found in other in vitro plitidepsin targets such as the levels of phosphorylated-ERK, -p38MAPK or the protein p27KIP1. Interestingly, plitidepsin also increased JNK phosphorylation in spleens from xenografted mice showing similar kinetics to those seen in tumors, thereby suggesting that normal tissues might be useful for predicting drug activity. Furthermore, plitidepsin administration to rats at plasma concentrations comparable to those achievable in patients also increased JNK phosphorylation in peripheral mononuclear blood cells. These findings suggest that changes in JNK activity provide a reliable biomarker for plitidepsin activity and this could be useful for designing clinical trials and maximizing the efficacy of plitidepsin.This work has been partially supported by grants (Programa Cenit, CEN-20091016, SAF2010-18302 and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional-Instituto de Salud Carlos III, RD12/0036/0021) from Ministerio de Economíay Competitividad of Spain.S