Efectos de las estancias en el extranjero frente a la instrucción en el país de origen en la adquisición de lenguas: una revisión crítica de estudios comparativos

In the last two decades numerous studies have been conducted to document the language learning gains in a second language (L2) thought to be prompted by study abroad (SA) programs. Although different research syntheses have been attempted to take stock of the findings involved, no review to date has been conducted with a view to analyze those studies in which researchers have compared the learning effects of SA contexts and those of at home (AH) regular classrooms. The present review is an attempt to identify the studies that have adopted this comparative approach and to critically assess the dimensions investigated, the methodology used and the main findings reported. A number of methodological issues awaiting to be addressed in future research are also discussed.En las últimas dos décadas se han llevado a cabo numerosos estudios cuyo objetivo es documentar los beneficios lingüísticos que reportan las estancias en el extranjero (SA) en la adquisición de una segunda lengua (L2). Aunque algunas revisiones han intentado hacer balance de la investigación en el área, no se ha llevado a cabo ninguna revisión con la idea de analizar aquellos estudios en los que se han comparado los efectos de las estancias en el extranjero con la instrucción formal en el país de origen. La presente revisión tiene como fin identificar los estudios que han adoptado un enfoque comparativo, así como evaluar de forma crítica las dimensiones analizadas, la metodología empleada y los principales resultados reportados. También se discuten algunos aspectos metodológicos que deberían considerarse al llevar a cabo futuras investigaciones en el área

Considérations pratiques sur l’élaboration du portfolio de l’étudiant : son application à l’apprentissage de la prononciation de l’anglais

The present paper is intended as an empirically motivated discussion of some practical considerations on the use of students’ portfolios as a methodological alternative to current university pedagogical practices. After describing the defining characteristics of the portfolio as well as its purported advantages and drawbacks, the main stages involved in its elaboration and use are discussed and illustrated with examples from a portfolio-based project aimed to teach English pronunciation at the University of Murcia. A brief analysis is then presented of the content of the portfolios produced by the students taking part in that project, followed by a summary of their perceptions on the elaboration process. Finally, a number of pedagogical recommendations are suggested as to the use of students’ portfolios for syllabus planning and implementation.En este trabajo presentamos una serie de consideraciones prácticas sobre la elaboración y el empleo del portafolios del estudiante como alternativa metodológica en la enseñanza universitaria. Delimitamos, en primer lugar, lo que se entiende por portafolios y señalamos las principales ventajas e inconvenientes que se le atribuyen. Describimos a continuación las etapas que se aconseja cubrir a la hora de introducir el portafolios del alumno como innovación metodológica, e ilustraremos cada una de estas fases con algunos ejemplos extraídos de un proyecto en el que se utilizó el portafolios para la enseñanza de la pronunciación del inglés en la universidad de Murcia. En una sección posterior, damos cuenta de los resultados de ese proyecto a partir de un breve análisis del contenido de los portafolios producidos por los alumnos y de sus percepciones a la hora de elaborarlos. Completamos el trabajo con un conjunto de recomendaciones relativas a la implantación del portafolios del alumno como recurso didáctico en la universidad.Dans ce travail, nous présentons une série de considérations pratiques sur l’élaboration et l’utilisation du portfolio de l’étudiant comme alternative méthodologique dans l’enseignement signalons les principaux avantages et inconvenients qui lui sont attribués. Ensuite, nous décrivons les étapes qu’il est conseillé de suivre lors de l’introduction du portolio de l’étudiant comme innovation méthodoloqique, et après cela nous illustrerons chacune de ces phases à l’aide de quelques exemples tirés d’un projet dans lequel le portfolio a été utilisé pour l’enseignement de la prononciation de l’anglais à l’université de Murcia. Nous continuons en rendant compte des résultats de ce projet à partir d’une brève analyse du contenu des portfolios produits par les étudiants ainsi que de leurs perceptions pendant le processus d’élaboration de ceux-ci. Finalement, nous complétons notre travail par une série de recommendations en relation avec l’implantation à l’université du portfoloio de l’étudiant comme recours didactique

De la mirada y la seducción

A modo de preámbulo, consideramos importante mencionar que el presente ensayo pretende entrelazar los conceptos mirada y seducción desde distintas ópticas. Se plantean someramente algunas ideas desde la filosofía hasta el psicoanálisis. Se inicia con una "mirada" a las construcciones literarias de creadores de gran importancia, tales como Jean Braudrillard y Georges Bataille, en quienes se estudia la idea del ojo perverso, de la mirada y el deseo, subjetividad que nos atrapa. Se ambiciona articular con teorizaciones psicoanalíticas de lo inconsciente, abundando en investigaciones freudianas y de otros teóricos del psicoanálisis para analizar e interpretar sus "seductoras" aportaciones

Context effects in second language acquisition : formal instruction, study abroad and immersion classrooms

Introduction to the volum

Assessing the Impact of Different Measurement Time Intervals on Observed Long-Term Wind Speed Trends

During the last two decades climate studies have reported a tendency toward a decline in measured near-surface wind speed in some regions of Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. This weakening in observed wind speed has been recently termed >global stilling>, showing a worldwide average trend of -0.140 m s -1 dec -1 during last 50-years. The precise cause of the >global stilling> remains largely uncertain and has been hypothetically attributed to several factors, mainly related to: (i) an increasing surface roughness (i.e. forest growth, land use changes, and urbanization); (ii) a slowdown in large-scale atmospheric circulation; (iii) instrumental drifts and technological improvements, maintenance, and shifts in measurements sites and calibration issues; (iv) sunlight dimming due to air pollution; and (v) astronomical changes. This study proposed a novel investigation aimed at analyzing how different measurement time intervals used to calculate a wind speed series can affect the sign and magnitude of long-term wind speed trends. For instance, National Weather Services across the globe estimate daily average wind speed using different time intervals and formulae that may affect the trend results. Here we analyzed near-surface wind speed trends recorded at 19 land-based stations across Spain comparing monthly mean wind speed series obtained from: (a) daily mean wind speed data averaged from standard 10-min mean observations at 0000, 0700, 1300 and 1800 UTC; and (b) average wind speed of 24 hourly measurements (i.e., wind run measurements) from 0000 to 2400 UTC. As a complementary analysis, in this study we also quantified the impact of anemometer drift (i.e. bearing malfunction) by presenting preliminary results (i.e. 11 months of paired measurements) from a comparison of one new anemometer sensor against one malfunctioned anemometer sensor due to old bearings.We would like to thank the AEMET for supplying wind speed data. C. A-M. received a postdoctoral fellowship # JCI-2011-10263. Research supported by projects CGL2011-27574-C02-02, CGL2011-27536/HID and CGL2011-29263-C02-01 financed by the Spanish Commission of Science and Technology.Peer Reviewe

Generación de materiales y recursos para la implantación del Plan de Lenguas para la Internacionalización PLI en la Facultad de Óptica y Optometría

Depto. de Optometría y VisiónFac. de Óptica y OptometríaFALSEsubmitte

The Future We Want: a Learning Experience to Promote SDGs in Higher Education from the United Nations and University of Valencia

This article shares the strategy for mainstreaming the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the University of Valencia (UV), which, although limited in its scale, may compel other Higher Education Institutions to think in technological and social progress aligned with the 2030 Agenda. It explicates a process driven by the UV, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (UN), and in collaboration with the Service for Geospatial, Information, and Telecommunications Technologies from the UN Support Base in Valencia (Spain) to prepare the online event: ¿The United Nations We Want¿. It was the culmination of a collaborative project between students and faculties from different scientific, technological, social, legal, humanistic, and health disciplines that structure the University of Valencia. The intention was that new generations experience the role they can have to shape the future we want, while the university community as a whole can become part of transformative institutional change that draws on both top-down and bottom-up strategies in pursuit of Education for Sustainable Development

DNA vaccine based on conserved HA-peptides induces strong immune response and rapidly clears influenza virus infection from vaccinated pigs

Swine influenza virus (SIVs) infections cause a significant economic impact to the pork industry. Moreover, pigs may act as mixing vessel favoring genome reassortment of diverse influenza viruses. Such an example is the pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) virus that appeared in 2009, harboring a combination of gene segments from avian, pig and human lineages, which rapidly reached pandemic proportions. In order to confront and prevent these possible emergences as well as antigenic drift phenomena, vaccination remains of vital importance. The present work aimed to evaluate a new DNA influenza vaccine based on distinct conserved HA-peptides fused with flagellin and applied together with Diluvac Forte as adjuvant using a needle-free device (IntraDermal Application of Liquids, IDAL®). Two experimental pig studies were performed to test DNAvaccine efficacy against SIVs in pigs. In the first experiment, SIV-seronegative pigs were vaccinated with VC4-flagellin DNA and intranasally challenged with a pH1N1. In the second study, VC4-flagellin DNA vaccine was employed in SIV-seropositive animals and challenged intranasally with an H3N2 SIV-isolate. Both experiments demonstrated a reduction in the viral shedding after challenge, suggesting vaccine efficacy against both the H1 and H3 influenza virus subtypes. In addition, the results proved that maternally derived antibodies (MDA) did not constitute an obstacle to the vaccine approach used. Moreover, elevated titers in antibodies both against H1 and H3 proteins in serum and in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALFs) was detected in the vaccinated animals along with a markedly increased mucosal IgA response. Additionally, vaccinated animals developed stronger neutralizing antibodies in BALFs and higher inhibiting hemagglutination titers in sera against both the pH1N1 and H3N2 influenza viruses compared to unvaccinated, challenged-pigs. It is proposed that the described DNA-vaccine formulation could potentially be used as a multivalent vaccine against SIV infections.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

DNA vaccine based on conserved HA-peptides induces strong immune response and rapidly clears influenza virus infection from vaccinated pigs

This work was funded in part by the Spanish Government, Ministerio de Econom?a y Competitividad de España (MINECO), project: AGL2013-48923-C2-2-R, and by the collaborative infrastructure project funded by the European Comission (EC) under Horizon 2020, project Transvac2-730964-INFRAIA-2016-1. IRTA is supported by CERCA Programme/ Generalitat de Catalunya. M.S.O. is supported by MINECO (scholarship n BES-2014-068506). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Swine influenza virus (SIVs) infections cause a significant economic impact to the pork industry. Moreover, pigs may act as mixing vessel favoring genome reassortment of diverse influenza viruses. Such an example is the pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) virus that appeared in 2009, harboring a combination of gene segments from avian, pig and human lineages, which rapidly reached pandemic proportions. In order to confront and prevent these possible emergences as well as antigenic drift phenomena, vaccination remains of vital importance. The present work aimed to evaluate a new DNA influenza vaccine based on distinct conserved HA-peptides fused with flagellin and applied together with Diluvac Forte as adjuvant using a needle-free device (IntraDermal Application of Liquids, IDAL®). Two experimental pig studies were performed to test DNA-vaccine efficacy against SIVs in pigs. In the first experiment, SIV-seronegative pigs were vaccinated with VC4-flagellin DNA and intranasally challenged with a pH1N1. In the second study, VC4-flagellin DNA vaccine was employed in SIV-seropositive animals and challenged intranasally with an H3N2 SIV-isolate. Both experiments demonstrated a reduction in the viral shedding after challenge, suggesting vaccine efficacy against both the H1 and H3 influenza virus subtypes. In addition, the results proved that maternally derived antibodies (MDA) did not constitute an obstacle to the vaccine approach used. Moreover, elevated titers in antibodies both against H1 and H3 proteins in serum and in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALFs) was detected in the vaccinated animals along with a markedly increased mucosal IgA response. Additionally, vaccinated animals developed stronger neutralizing antibodies in BALFs and higher inhibiting hemagglutination titers in sera against both the pH1N1 and H3N2 influenza viruses compared to unvaccinated, challenged-pigs. It is proposed that the described DNA-vaccine formulation could potentially be used as a multivalent vaccine against SIV infections