Motivation strategies in the teaching-learning process in EFL Secondary Education

The main purpose of this dissertation is to encompass and critically reflect on the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the Master's Degree regarding learners’ motivation. The aim is to determine whether this Master’s has provided students with the necessary knowledge and abilities to motivate Secondary Education ESL students in the future

World Englishes and pedagogy: EFL teaching project on the integration of the American, British and Jamaican standard varieties

Abstract The present End-of-degree project took the existing lack of correlation between the vast and prosperous range of varieties of English spoken worldwide and its scarce implication in the production of pedagogical materials utilised for the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) as its point of departure. It sought to explore and bring to light the practicability and convenience of implicating other World Englishes in education, apart from the so called “Standard British English” and “Standard American English” on which the majority of methods and textbooks are based, so as to offer students more realistic views of the language and broaden their communicative possibilities in accordance with the global status English holds currently. For this purpose, the present study trusted on the personal proposal, elaboration and in-class implementation of a series of pedagogical activities which were meticulously designed to demonstrate the efficacy and benefits of multicultural approaches in the teaching of EFL. Overall, conclusions indicated that the project was successful in raising awareness of the exposed situation among students who took part in it as well as it revealed other positive inferences of stimulating their levels of reflection on this matter. Resumen El presente Trabajo Fin de Grado toma como punto de partida la falta de correlación que existe entre el vasto y próspero repertorio de variedades de inglés del mundo y su escasa implicación en la elaboración de materiales pedagógicos utilizados para la enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera. Se ha pretendido explorar y demostrar la viabilidad y conveniencia de integrar otras variedades de inglés, además de las variedades británica y americana estándar, en las que la mayoría de libros y métodos se basan, para así ofrecer a los estudiantes visiones más realistas del idioma y ampliar sus posibilidades comunicativas en concordancia con el estatus global que el inglés ostenta hoy en día. Con este propósito, el estudio confió en la propuesta personal, elaboración e implementación de primera mano de una serie de actividades pedagógicas meticulosamente elaboradas para demostrar la eficacia y los beneficios de los enfoques multiculturales en la enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera. En general, las conclusiones obtenidas indican que el proyecto ha logrado despertar conciencia de la situación expuesta entre los estudiantes que han participado en él, y ha revelado otros aspectos positivos de haber estimulado sus niveles de reflexión sobre este tema

Nickel removal from exhausted electroplatting baths by using vegetable wastes

During the last years our research group has been studying the use of industrial vegetable wastes as grape stalks and exhausted coffee to remove metals ions such as Ni(II), Cu(II), Pb(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) or Cr(VI) and Cr(III) in aqueous solution from the point of view to use these wastes as biosorbents in a low cost alternative to activated carbon for wastewater treatment. The optimal experimental conditions for the removal of each of these metal ions in synthetic solutions by using both biosorbents were determined in previous studies . In this work, the performance of grape stalks and exhausted coffee for the removal of nickel ions from an exhausted electroplating bath of a metal finishing industry from Barcelona (Spain) has been investigated. Batch and column experiments were carried out at room temperature by using grape stalk wastes (particle size 0.8-1.0 mm), meanwhile in the case of exhausted coffee, two different particle size ranges were used, 0.25-0.50 mm and 0.50-1.00 mm for batch and column experiments, respectively. Kinetics and equilibrium studies were carried out in batch mode to determine the equilibrium contact time and to obtain the sorption capacity of sorbents. The data in both studies have been treated by using different models. Column experiments were designed to establish the optimal condition for the treatment of the industrial wastewater. The experiments were performed in packed bed up flow columns of different internal diameter and bed depth in order to predict the transport and sorption parameters. In all column experiments the flow rate was around 11 mL h-1. From perspective of process modelling, the dynamic behavior was described in terms of breakthrough curves. The bed depth service time (BDST), Thomas and Yoon Nelson models were used to analyze the experimental data and to determine model parameters. Batch results show that about 1hour was the time needed to reach equilibrium when using grape stalks and around 15 h when using exhausted coffee. In the case of exhausted coffee, the pH solution decreased during the sorption process from initial pH 5,5 to lower pH than the corresponding pHpzc (point zero charge). To avoid this, pH solution was controlled to a constant pH 5,5 and the equilibrium were achieved in 1h. Kinetic data of both sorption processes fit pseudo-second order model, indicating that chemisorption could be rate limiting in the sorption step. Equilibrium data of nickel sorption onto grape stalks and exhausted coffee fit adequately Langmuir model, indicating monolayer coverage. Results showed that maximum sorption capacity of grape stalks (4,8 10-2 mmol/g; 2,84 mg/g) is slightly higher than exhausted coffee (2,9 10-2 mmol/g; 1,70 mg/g). The maximum nickel sorption capacity of both sorbents was reduced to 50% compared to maximum sorption capacity determined using synthetic Ni(II) solutions. Thus, grape stalks and exhausted coffee performance for the removal of Ni(II) from the studied industrial wastewater are negatively affected by the presence of other compounds in the industrial wastewater. In column experiments, the best results were obtained by using 2.8 cm internal diameter columns and bed depth 6 cm and 8 cm for grape stalks and exhausted coffee, respectively. Breakthrough curves were successfully modelled by the proposed columns models. The results obtained demonstrated that grape stalks sorption capacity was higher than exhausted coffee but this one presented a higher sorption rate.Postprint (published version

Valorització de residus vegetals procedents de processos industrials com a biosorbents per a l'eliminació d'ions metàl•lics d'afluents aquosos

L’objectiu d’aquest projecte és la valorització de residus vegetals procedents de processos industrials, com són el pinyol d’oliva, rapa del raïm, suro, marro de cafè, etc.,com a biosorbents per a l’eliminació de diferents ions metàl·lics, crom, arsènic, plom, cadmi, coure, níquel, etc., d’afluents aquosos.Peer Reviewe

Martín Almagro Basch, Fernando Gil Carles y el Corpus de Arte Rupestre Levantino

The Corpus of Levantine Rock Art [CARL] (1971-1976) is a compilation, as yet unmatched in quality, of color photographs and contextual information on three quarters of the paintings known in Mediterranean Spain. Our reconstruction of its genesis is based on published literature, archival records, and oral history (the last of these constituting a particularly important source for the history of science). Its formation by the prehistorian M. Almagro Basch and the photographer F. Gil Carles illustrates the institutional, personal, and economic context of research in the Franco era. We emphasize Almagro’s contributions in studying, documenting and protecting the art and in resorting to an external purveyor within a scientific project. Gil Carles’s training, his work and his innovative classification of the material (described here for the first time) made him Spain’s first heritage photographer. The article shows how the combined efforts of the two made the CARL the only systematic Spanish photographic archive built on an interregional scale and with explicit criteria.El Corpus de Arte Rupestre Levantino (1971-1976) es una recopilación de fotografías a color e información contextual sobre las tres cuartas partes de las pinturas conocidas en el arco mediterráneo español, cuya calidad todavía no se ha superado. La reconstrucción de su génesis se basa en bibliografía, archivos e historia oral cuyo valor para la historia de la ciencia se reivindica. La conexión de su trayectoria con las de sus creadores, el prehistoriador M. Almagro Basch y el fotógrafo F. Gil Carles, pone en evidencia el contexto institucional, personal y económico de la investigación durante el franquismo. Se destacan las aportaciones de Almagro en relación con el estudio, documentación y protección del arte y al recurrir a un suministrador externo dentro de un proyecto científico. La formación de Gil Carles, sus actividades y sistemática original de registro, presentadas aquí por primera vez, le caracterizan como primer fotógrafo español de patrimonio. El artículo expresa cómo la confluencia de ambas personalidades hicieron del CARL el único archivo fotográfico español a escala suprarregional sistemático y con criterios explícitos

Family and School Relationship during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Education systems worldwide have been affected by a sudden interruption in classroom learning because the coronavirus pandemic forced both the closure of all schools in March 2020 and the beginning of distance learning from home, thus compelling families, schools, and students to work together in a more coordinated fashion. The present systematic review was carried out following PRISMA guidelines. The main objective was to present critical information on the relationship between the family and the school in the face of the imposed distance learning scenario caused by COVID-19. A total of 25 articles dealing with the relationships established during the pandemic of any of the three agents involved (family, students, and school) were analysed. The results showed that the relationships between the three groups involved must be improved to some extent to meet the needs that have arisen as a result of distance learning. In conclusion, the educational scenario during the pandemic has been one of the most significant challenges experienced in the recent history of education

Exploring the use of rigid 18-membered macrocycles with amide pendant arms for Pb(II)-based radiopharmaceuticals

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade da Coruña/CISUG[Abstract]: We report a detailed investigation on the use of chelators PYTAM, H4PYTAMGly, CHX-PYTAM and H4CHX-PYTAMGly for the complexation of Pb(II)-radioisotopes with potential use in the preparation of radiopharmaceuticals. The macrocyclic backbones from which the chelators are prepared, PYAN (3,6,10,13-tetraaza-1,8(2,6)-dipyridinacyclotetradecaphane) or CHX-PYAN ((41R,42R,101R,102R)-3,5,9,11-tetraaza-1,7(2,6)-dipyridina-4,10(1,2)-dicyclohexanacyclododecaphane), are readily synthesized in high yields using a Ba(II) template synthesis. The single difference between the two backbones is that while PYAN contains ethylene spacers, CHX-PYAN incorporates more rigid cyclohexyl spacers. The pendant arms incorporated into the backbone were strategically chosen, selecting amide pendants of different nature, compatible with the borderline Lewis acid character of Pb(II). To study the complexation of Pb(II), first, a detailed characterization of the non-radioactive complexes was carried out, including X-ray crystallography, NMR, and the determination of chelator protonation and stability constants of the complexes. Once the complexes were fully characterized and showed favourable properties towards Pb(II), a radiochemical study using the SPECT compatible radioisotope lead-203 was performed. Although all tested chelators sufficiently complexed lead-203 and presented excellent complex stability in human serum, it was found that novel chelator CHX-PYTAM was superior over the others due to its high kinetic inertness. This effect is due to increased rigidity of the complex with cyclohexyl spacers in the backbone and use of primary amides, over secondary amides, as pendant arms and thus this chelator is a promising candidate for future in vivo studies.D. E.-G. and C. P.-I. thank Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Grants PID2019-104626GB-I00 and PID2022-138335NB-I00) and Xunta de Galicia (ED431C 2023/33) for generous financial support. C. H. thanks Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Grant PRE2020-092888) for funding her PhD contract and a short-term research visit to SFU and TRIUMF. C. P.-I. and C. H. thank Centro de Supercomputación de Galicia (CESGA) for providing supercomputer facilities. L. V. is indebted to CACTI (Universidade de Vigo) for X-ray measurements. C. F. R and B. L. M thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada for funding through the Discovery grants (RGPIN-2019-07207) and Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral (CGS-D) programs, respectively. B. L. M thanks the TRIUMF cyclotron operators for their continued support with 203 Pb production at TRIUMF. Funding for open access provided by Universidade da Coruña/CISUG.Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2023/33Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; RGPIN-2019-0720

Responses of Noccaea caerulescens and Lupinus albus in trace elements-contaminated soils

Plants exposed to trace elements can suffer from oxidative stress, which is characterised by the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, alteration in the cellular antioxidant defence system and ultimately lipid peroxidation. We assessed the most-appropriate stress indexes to describe the response of two plant species, with different strategies for coping with trace elements (TEs), to particular contaminants. Noccaea caerulescens, a hyperaccumulator, and Lupinus albus, an excluder, were grown in three soils of differing pH: an acidic soil, a neutral soil (both contaminated mainly by Cu, Zn and As) and a control soil. Then, plant stress indicators were measured. As expected, N. caerulescens accumulated higher levels of Zn and Cd in shoots than L. albus, this effect being stronger in the acid soil, reflecting greater TE solubility in this soil. However, the shoot concentrations of Mn were higher in L. albus than in N. caerulescens, while the As concentration was similar in the two species. In L. albus, the phenolic content and lipid peroxidation were related with the Cu concentration, whereas the Zn and Cd concentrations in N. caerulescens were more closely related to glutathione content and lipid peroxidation. Interestingly, phytochelatins were only found in L. albus grown in polluted soils. Hence, the two species differed with respect to the TEs which provoked stress and the biochemical indicators of the stress, there being a close relationship between the accumulation of TEs and their associated stress indicators in the different plant organs.Ciencias Ambientale