Estimation of the distance and the properties of open clusters with Gaia

Treballs Finals de Grau de Física, Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2017, Tutor: Xavier LuriThe purpose of this research work is to determine the distance and the properties of several open clusters using the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) of the first Gaia Data Release. We have analysed the problem of the membership selection and the data collection using TGAS and the information in other catalogues. We have studied the properties of different clusters using a membership selection done by van Leeuwen (2017) and using the Palmer et al. (2015) algorithm to derive the different properties of the clusters. We have also compared our results with previous values from the bibliography for the studied clusters

Getting a Taste of the Other: The Eighteenth-Century British Novel as the Epitome of Masquerade

Mediante el análisis de Moll Flanders de Daniel Defoe, se argumenta que el nacimiento de la novela en las islas Británicas se definiría por el carácter híbrido y dinámico de un género en búsqueda de su identidad literaria. Esto le permite configurar un imaginario colectivo en el que el público lector asume el poder y la capacidad de subvertir simbólicamente las restricciones sociales al nivel de la lectura. La inversión carnavalesca, según la definición de Mijail Bajtín, se manifiesta en la novela inglesa del siglo XVIII a través del recurso de la «mascarada», tanto en su sentido de género espectacular como en su sentido figurado de transgresión, lo que dota al género narrativo de un discurso de oposición accesible a un amplio espectro de la sociedad. Por esta razón, se explicaría el rechazo inicial hacia esta forma literaria emergente por parte del estamento literario y cultural

Everything Remains the Same and Yet Nothing is the Same : Neocolonialism in the Caribbean Diaspora through the Language of Family and Servitude

This essay examines Jamaica Kincaid’s Lucy, a novel that tackles the process of decolonization from old and new forms of colonialism through the language of servitude and family (specifically, mother-daughter relationships). The novel’s protagonist is not only an example of the wave of West Indian migration and the feminization of labor, but her agency also provides Kincaid with the necessary platform to deploy her views on U.S. imperialism. I propose reading Lucy’s evolution toward self-determination as not only an individual but also a collective experience. I interpret the novel as an allegory that can help us better understand the nuances, tensions, and challenges involved in the historical journey of former British colonies in the Caribbean, from colonial rule, through political independence, and into the current challenges posed by neocolonialism. Kincaid’s Lucy suggests the need for Caribbean countries to question, if not reject, the influence of American culture, economics, and politics, in order to achieve absolute independence and freedom to determine their own fate. This allegorical reading also illustrates how race, class, gender, and national origins are intertwined in Kincaid’s rendition of the Caribbean migrant experience. What makes the novel more relevant to discussions of current Caribbean migration patterns is how the author also weaves in the significance of the colonial past in approaches to the new globalization culture. Although Lucy’s story reflects a yearning for a borderless world where cultural differences do not restrict the individual’s choices, Kincaid does not allow her readers to escape the legacy of colonialism, challenging them to consider the complex nature of current U.S.-Caribbean relations. Lucy thus becomes a symbol of the neocolonial condition, experiencing the economic and social challenges that both Caribbean peoples and postcolonial writers face in today’s globalization era

Transnational Abolitionist Rhetoric to End Modern Slavery

In his 1998 autobiography, Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle-Class American, Jean-Robert Cadet denounces the horrors of modern child slavery as he narrates his life journey. Emotionally, physically, and sexually abused under the restavek system, Cadet migrates with his “masters” to the United States, where he pursues a formal education, joins the army, and acquires a middle-class status. Today, Cadet has his own organization, dedicated to ending child slavery in Haiti through education and advocacy. In this presentation, I analyze how Cadet adopts conventional genre characteristics of slave narratives and U.S. migration literature in order to enter the American literary tradition and take his abolitionist message to a transnational audience. “Writing himself into being” enables him to construct a new transnational identity that helps him at an emotional and at a vocational level. Legitimized by his current U.S. middle-class status, Cadet goes back to his personal and diasporic roots to inspire others to join his fight against slavery. His story incorporates the conventions of many eighteenth- and nineteenth-century slave narratives: the illegitimate origins of the author; the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of restaveks; the cruelty and hypocrisy of the masters; the ramifications of racism and colorism; and education as a means toward freedom. Cadet also interweaves his process of acculturation into American culture, common to U.S. immigrant narratives, into his journey toward freedom. These themes are all fundamental to Cadet’s commitment to end modern slavery within the American (and international) conceptualization of and resources for social justice. Finally, I address the following questions: Is Cadet’s adaptation of old abolitionist rhetoric effective in today’s society? Does it captivate modern audiences to the point of generating a new international debate against slavery

Interacción entre las vías de HGF y TGF-ß en células progenitoras adultas hepáticas y células de hepatocarcinoma

Tesis inédita de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Farmacia, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, leída el 11-10-2019Chronic liver diseases (CLDs) are associated with fibrosis, which eventually progress to cirrhosis and ultimately to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development, constituting a major global health problem. In the context of chronic liver injury where the proliferative capacity of adult hepatic cells is impaired, the population of adult hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs), also known as oval cells in rodents, takes over the regenerative process. Upon activation, HPCs/oval cells expand, proliferate and migrate into liver parenchyma and due to their bipotential nature differentiate into hepatocytes and cholangiocytes compensating the cellular loss and maintaining liver functionality. However, some authors give HPCs/oval cells a pro-fibrotic role, establishing a direct relationship between the HPCs/oval cell expansion and the severity of thefibrosis. They could also be the cells of origin of a subset of HCC. It is therefore evident that the signals and mechanisms regulating HPC/oval cell biology and function need to be clarified not only because of their potential utility in regenerative medicine, but also because of their still uncertain role in the aforementioned diseases..Las enfermedades hepáticas crónicas (CLD) están asociadas con fibrosis, que eventualmente progresa a cirrosis, y en último término al desarrollo de un carcinoma hepatocelular (HCC), y constituyen un importante problema de salud global. En este contexto de daño hepático crónico en el que la capacidad regenerativa de las células maduras hepáticas se ve comprometida, es la población de células progenitoras adultas (HPCs), también conocidas como células ovales en modelos murinos, la que va a tomar las riendas del proceso de regeneración hepática. Tras su activación, las HPCs/células ovales se expanden,proliferan y migran en el parénquima hepático y gracias a su naturaleza bipotencial se diferencian a hepatocitos y colangiocitos, compensando así la pérdida de masa hepática y manteniendo la funcionalidad hepática. Sin embargo, algunos autores dotan a las HPCs/células ovales de un papel profibrótico, estableciendo una relación directa entre su expansión y la severidad de la fibrosis. Estas células también pueden ser el origen celular de algunos subtipos de HCC. Resulta por tanto evidente la necesidad de estudiar las señales y mecanismos que regulan la biología y la función de estas células, no solo por su potencial utilidad en medicina regenerativa sino también por su papel aún no claro en las ya mencionadas enfermedades hepáticas...Sección Deptal. de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular (Farmacia)Fac. de FarmaciaTRUEunpu

Nuevos accesos a la C-32 en el municipio de Teià

Como su nombre indica, este proyecto pretende facilitar el acceso de los habitantes del municipio de Teià a la autopista C-32. Para ello, se propone el diseño de nuevas vías de acceso y salida en dicho municipio. El proyecto consiste principalmente en dar una alternativa viable a dichos habitantes, ya que actualmente los únicos accesos a la autopista C-32 disponibles están situados en Premià de Dalt y Alella, obligando a los habitantes de Teià a desplazarse a dichos municipios para acceder a la autopista. El proceso a seguir se inicia con el levantamiento topográfico de la zona, con el objetivo de conocer las características del terreno en el cual se pretende implantar el proyecto. La toma de datos se ha realizado mediante estación total. Además, con el fin de mejorar los resultados, se han tomado observaciones con GPS de algunas de las bases del levantamiento, para orientar y dar buenas coordenadas al trabajo dentro de la cartografía del ICC. Una vez obtenidos los datos del levantamiento y procesadas las coordenadas de la nube de puntos radiados, se han realizado los viales de acceso con la ayuda del programa Istram-Ispol v10, un software específico para el diseño del trazado de carreteras. Para realizar el diseño, se ha seguido la normativa vigente, tanto en el trazado de los viales, como en el impacto ambiental y las medidas de seguridad. El apartado gráfico está formado por los planos de situación geográfica y geológica y el plano topográfico a escala 1/1000. Éste último se ha complementado con el estado de alineaciones y sus correspondientes secciones y perfiles. Por último se han realizado los planos de señalización y drenajes

Photo- and Thermocatalytic CO2 Methanation: A Comparison of Ni/Al2O3 and Ni–Ce Hydrotalcite-Derived Materials under UV and Visible Light

Catalysts derived from Ni/Al/Mg/Ce hydrotalcite were prepared via a co-precipitation method, varying the Ce/Al atomic ratio. All of the catalytic systems thus prepared were tested for CO2 methanation under dark and photocatalytic conditions (visible and ultraviolet) under continuous flow with the light intensity set to 2.4 W cm−2. The substitution of Al by Ce formed a solid solution, generating oxygen vacancies and Ce3+/Ce4+ ions that helped shift the dissociation of CO2 towards the production of CH4, thus enhancing the activity of methanation, especially at lower temperatures ( Hydrotalcite without Ce promoter > 25Ni/Al2O3 > 13Ni/Al2O3. Hydrotalcite, with a Ce/Al atomic ratio of 0.22 and a Ni content of 23 wt%, produced 7.74 mmol CH4 min−1·gcat at 473 K under visible light. Moreover, this catalyst exhibited stable photocatalytic activity during a 24 h reaction time with a CO2 conversion rate of 65% and CH4 selectivity of >98% at 523 K. This photocatalytic Sabatier enhancement achieved activity at lower temperatures than those reported in previous publications.This research was supported by the UPV/EHU and Basque Government (IT1554-22, GIC 21/68, grant number PID2020-112889RB-I00, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033)

Evolution of project-based learning in small groups in environmental engineering courses

This work presents the assessment of the development and evolution of an active methodology (Project-Based Learning –PBL-) implemented on the course “Unit Operations in Environmental Engineering”, within the bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering, with the purpose of decreasing the dropout rate in this course. After the initial design and implementation of this methodology during the first academic year (12/13), different modifications were adopted in the following ones (13-14, 14-15 & 15-16) in order to optimize the student’s and professor’s work load as well as correct some malfunctions observed in the initial design of the PBL. This active methodology seeks to make students the main architects of their own learning processes. Accordingly, they have to identify their learning needs, which is a highly motivating approach both for their curricular development and for attaining the required learning outcomes in this field of knowledge. The results obtained show that working in small teams (cooperative work) enhances each group member’s self–learning capabilities. Moreover, academic marks improve when compared to traditional learning methodologies. Nevertheless, the implementation of more active methodologies, such as project-based learning, in small groups has certain specific characteristics. In this case it has been implemented simultaneously in two different groups of 10 students each one. Such small groups are more heterogeneous since the presence of two highly motivated students or not can vary or affect the whole group’s attitude and academic resultsPeer Reviewe

Value Co-Creation in Ecotourism: Finding Solutions in a Digital Era

This study aims to identify the main actors in the ecotourism online value co-creation ecosystem. With the ever-increasing demand to which the ecotourism sector has been subject in recent years, there is a need for business models featuring interactive tools that allow ecotourists to participate and co-create their own experiences. Not only will ecotourism businesses and ecotourists participate in this process, but so too will several other stakeholders, becoming key actors in the co-creation of value. Ecotourism, being of a hedonic and experiential nature, requires strategies that are geared towards enjoyment of the joint value co-creation experience. With this finality, we present some factors, such as motivation, that are necessary for the ecotourist's value co-creation, as well as various other aspects that influence their behavior. Our expectation is that value co-creation will have a positive effect on the behavior and experiences of tourists when it comes to developing ecotourism products and services. Specifically, we expect that the implementation of a co-creation strategy will lead to greater satisfaction and loyalty. Accordingly, drawing on the existing literature, we present a theoretical proposal of the antecedents and consequents that affect and enable online value co-creation by ecotourists

Regulación de la dinámica de las células B por estímulos de tipo innato: efectos de TLR4 y su ligando LPS

Tesis doctoral inédita, leída en Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología Molecular. Fecha de lectura: 15/10/2013B cells are constantly migrating in follicles, where they survey for the presence of potential antigens. The recognition of specific antigen through the B cell receptor (BCR) initiates the humoral immune response. B cells also express a wide range of innate-like receptors, including several members of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family. TLR recognition of pathogen-associated ligands has important effects in a number of B cell functions: enhances antigen presentation capacity and promotes cytokine secretion, cell proliferation and differentiation into antibody-secreting cells. TLR ligands detection also modifies B cell localization and trafficking. Nevertheless, the direct role of TLR signaling on B cell dynamics remains almost entirely unknown. Using a two-dimensional model combined with real-time microscopy, we analyzed the effects of TLR4 signaling on B cell motility. We found that 4 h of TLR4 stimulation modulates B cell migration in response to chemokines. This short-term TLR4- stimulation increases B cell adhesion, polarization, migration and directionality in response to CXCL13. These effects are dependent on the MyD88-dependent signaling pathway, with little implication of the TRIF-mediated route. ERK and p38 MAPK regulate cellular migration and inflammatory responses; 4 h-TLR4 stimulation increases CXCR5 levels at the B cell surface and enhances CXCL13-mediated ERK activation. Both effects might aid in the observed enhancement of B cell dynamics; however, they do not explain all the described effects. We explored TLR4-mediated regulation of Rho GTPase family members and ERM proteins, important for cell migration. We found that TLR4 stimulation enhances Rac GTPase activity and promotes sustained Rac activation in response to chemokines. As a result, actin polymerization is increased, probably through the higher activity of the Rac-effector PAK. We also proposed that the enhanced PAK activity regulates NM-II activation and thus, actomyosin contraction and integrin-mediated adhesion in TLR4-stimulated B cells. Finally, the level of active ERM, in particular Moesin, is also increased in LPS-treated B cells. All these molecular changes might be responsible of B cell dynamics modulation by TLR4. In summary, TLR4 signaling could improve B cell antigen-seeking efficiency by a molecular mechanism that involves a Rac/PAK/NM-II/moesin signaling complex