El coneixement del llegendari de la Vila Joiosa en l'educació secundària

En aquest Treball final de màster volem analitzar una problemàtica d'aula relacionada amb la literatura popular en l'educació secundària obligatòria. Més concretament, el coneixement del llegendari de la Vila Joiosa entre l'alumnat d'educació secundària de l'IES La Malladeta. Analitzarem la pervivència i la vitalitat de les llegendes del poble i, a més, com han estat apreses i quines són les versions que els alumnes coneixen

Implicació de les neurotrofines en el desenvolupament i consolidació de les sinapsis neuromusculars

La pèrdua de contactes sinàptics és un fenomen que té lloc en tot el sistema nerviós durant la histogènesis dels circuits neuronals. La superproducció sinàptica inicial ve seguida d'una pèrdua de sinapsis anomenada eliminació sinàptica durant el desenvolupament, en l'envelliment i en algunes malalties. Les neurotrofines, són proteïnes essencials per la supervivència de les motoneurones i també participen en altres processos biològics. Amb el model neuromuscular de rosegadors hem investigat la localització de les neurotrofines (BDNF, NT-3 i NT-4) i els seus receptors (TrkB, TrkC i p75NTR) i la implicació en el procés de desconnexió i eliminació sinàptiques en el període postnatal i en el control local de la neurotransmissió colinèrgica de les sinapsis neuromusculars neonatals i adultes.Els principals resultats demostren que les neurotrofines i els seus receptors es localitzen en els components cel·lulars de la sinapsi neuromuscular i que exerceixen diferents efectes en l'alliberament de l'ACh i en el procés de l'eliminació sinàptica.The loss of synaptic contacts is a phenomenon that it takes place in all the nervous system during the histogenesis of neural circuits. The initial synaptic superproduction comes followed by a synaptic contacts loss called synaptic elimination, given in the development period and also in the aging and in some illnesses. Neurotrophins are essential proteins for the survival of the motorneuron and also can participate in other biological processes.With the neuromuscular model of rodents we investigate the neurotrophins location (BDNF, NT-3 and NT-4) and its receptors (TrkB, TrkC and p75NTR) and its involvement in the disconnection process and synaptic elimination in the postnatal period and in the local control of the cholinergic neurotransmission in the neonatal and adult neuromuscular junctions.The main results demonstrate that neurotrophins and its receptors are found in the cellular components of the neuromuscular junction and exert different effects in the ACh release and in the process of synaptic elimination

Interrelationship of serum paraoxonase activity and paraoxonase genetic variants on atherosclerosis risk

La paraoxonasa (PON1) és una esterasa calciodepenent estretament associada a les lipoproteïnes d'alta densitat (HDL) que contenen apolipoproteïna AI, i s'ha descrit que dóna capacitat antioxidant a les HDL, amb la qual cosa disminueix l'acumulació dels lipoperòxids. L'activitat PON1 està sota control genètic i ambiental, i varia àmpliament entre individus i poblacions. L'activitat PON1 del paraoxon com a substrat és modulada per diversos polimorfismes en el locus PON1 dels humans. Un d'aquests polimorfismes és el PON1-192, que conté PON1 Q, una isoforma amb baixa activitat per la hidròlisi de paraoxon que té una glutamina a la posició 192, mentre que la isoforma R d'alta activitat conté una arginina a la posició 192. L'associació de l'activitat PON1 amb l'arteriosclerosi en estudis humans, animals i in vitro és prou consistent. Per tant, cal conèixer els factors que poden influenciar la PON1 sèrica. Els estudis genètics d'associació són menys consistents, probablement perquè els polimorfismes de la PON1 tenen només efecte en el risc de malaltia cardíaca coronària en grups particulars d'individus amb la presència de factors addicionals. És particularment important estudiar les interaccions gen-ambient que poden modular l'expressió fenotípica de la PON1 en diferents poblacions.Paraoxonase (PON1) is a calcium-dependent esterase, closely associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-containing apolipoprotein AI, that has been reported to confer antioxidant properties on HDL by decreasing the accumulation of lipid peroxidation products. PON1 activity is under genetic and environmental regulation and appears to vary widely among individuals and populations. PON1 enzyme activity for paraoxon as a substrate is modulated by a number of polymorphisms at the PON1 locus in humans. One of them is the PON1-192 genetic polymorphism that comprises PON1 Q, an isoform which has a glutamine at position 192, and shows a low activity towards paraoxon hydrolysis, while the high paraoxon-activity PON1 R isoform contains an arginine at position 192. The association of PON1 activity levels with atherosclerosis in human, animal and in vitro studies is consistent and exciting. Therefore, there is an obvious need to know whether environmental factors can influence serum PON1. The genetic association studies for PON1 and atherosclerosis are less consistent, since the PON1 polymorphisms probably only produce an effect on coronary heart disease risk in particular subgroups of subjects in the presence of additional factors. It is particularly important to study gene-environmental interactions that may modulate phenotypic expression of PON1 in different populations

Evaluation of a parenting training program, "limits", in a juvenile justice service : Results and challenges

This study was supported by a grant from CEJFE and Àrea de Medi Obert i de la Unitat de Programes d'Innovació de la Direcció General d'Execusió Penal a la Comunitat i de Justícia Juvenil, Department of Justice, Autonomous Government of Catalonia.The aim of the study is to evaluate the results of "Limits", a parenting training program which was implemented in a juvenile justice service by professionals from the Department of Justice. A controlled before and after design was undertaken to measure the effects of the program on the use of parental practices and parents' perception of self-efficacy. Fifty-nine families with adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system participated either in an intervention group (n = 42 families) or in a waiting list group (n = 17 families). In order to triangulate the information, professionals and the target adolescents were also asked about the improvement of the parents in their parenting practices. A generalized linear model was used to compare the intervention and comparison groups. The findings demonstrate that the program had a positive impact on the intervention group with regards to the transfer of practices to their real life, especially those related to communication and family relationships. However, no significant changes were observed in parents' perception of self-efficacy. The results are geared towards the improvement of future research evaluations using longitudinal designs

A Review of Medical Conditions and Behavioral Problems in Dogs and Cats

Behavioral problems and medical conditions have been treated separately for years. However, behavior depends directly on an animal's health condition, and vice versa. Some behavioral problems are caused totally or partially by a medical condition. Additionally, some of these problems represent a diagnostic challenge for veterinarians because, in many cases, apart from behavioral changes, there are no other clinical signs or evidence of illness. Improving our knowledge of the most common medical problems that can modify behavior may help veterinarians to improve their diagnostic protocols and treatments. Based on our experience, most relevant medical conditions are some neurological problems, endocrine or metabolic problems, and pain-related conditions. Thus, the aims of this review are to describe the state of the art of the relationship between these medical conditions (among others) and behavioral problems, and proposing new lines of investigation. Not all animals behave identically when faced with the same situation. These individual differences in the expression of their behavior could be due to many factors, including medical conditions. These medical problems can change behavior directly or indirectly. The aims of this review are to describe the state of the art of the relationship among some medical and behavioral problems, and to propose new lines of investigation. The revision is focused on the relation between behavioral problems and pain, endocrine diseases, neurological problems, vomeronasal organ alterations, and cardiac disorders. These problems represent a diagnostic challenge from a practical point of view. The most common sign of pain in animals is a change in behavior. Although the relation of pain to behavioral problems has been widely studied, it is not absolutely clear. As an example, the relation between sleep disorders and pain is poorly known in veterinary medicine. New studies in humans and laboratory animals show that a reciprocal relationship does, in fact, exist. More specifically, the literature suggests that the temporal effect of sleep deprivation on pain may be stronger than that of pain on sleep. Some behavioral problems could modify the sleep-awake cycle (e.g., cognitive dysfunction). The impact of these behavioral problems on pain perception is completely unknown in dogs and cats. Thyroid hormones play an important role, regarding behavioral control. Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism have been related to behavioral changes. Concerning hypothyroidism, this relationship remains controversial. Nonetheless, new neuro-imaging studies provide objective evidence that brain structure and function are altered in hypothyroid patients, both in laboratory animals and in humans. There are many neurological problems that could potentially change behavior. This paper reviews those neurological problems that could lead to behavioral changes without modifying neurological examination. The most common problems are tumors that affect central nervous system silent zones, mild traumatic brain injury, ischemic attacks, and epilepsy. Most of these diseases and their relationship to behavior are poorly studied in dogs and cats. To better understand the pathophysiology of all of these problems, and their relation to behavioral problems, may change the diagnostic protocol of behavioral problems

Els CREI de Catalunya. Intervenció, perfil i evolució dels joves atesos

Aquest projecte és fruit d'un conveni de colaboració del grup de recerca IARS amb la DGAIA. El projecte pretén analitzar quina incidencia té la intervenció que es realitza als Centres Residencials d'Educació Intensiva de Catalunya (CREI) en l'evolució que els joves fan durant la seva estada en aquests centre

Metropolitan Challenges and Reform Pressures across Europe - the Perspectives of City Mayors

Metropolitan governance arrangements and their policy purposes have been a matter of debate among researchers and practitioners around the globe. While we may trace three broad schools of metropolitan governance - reform school, public choice theory and new regionalism - with each still having its proponents, we are interested to learn whether there are assumptions on metropolitan governance that have today become general knowledge among urban political elites. By investigating the attitudes and perceptions of city mayors across Europe, we show that functional multipurpose governance bodies are indeed more generally associated with equitable service distribution, whereas the preconditions for cost-efficiency and sustainable development are more equivocally placed at different modes of governance. Moreover, we show that a perceived general lack of problem-solving capacities does not automatically translate into pressures for metropolitan reform, but it is only in combination with a general disaffection with the governance structures currently in place

Structural diversity among Edwarsiellaceae core oligosaccharides.

The Edwardsiella genus presents five different pathogenic species: Edwardsiella tarda, E. anguillarum, E. piscicida, E. hoshinae and E. ictaluri. These species cause infections mainly in fish, but they can also infect reptiles, birds or humans. Lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of these bacteria. For the first time, the chemical structure and genomics of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) core oligosaccharides of E. piscicida, E. anguillarum, E. hoshinae and E. ictaluri were studied. The complete gene assignments for all core biosynthesis gene functions were acquired. The structure of core oligosaccharides was investigated by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The structures of E. piscicida and E. anguillarum core oligosaccharides show the presence of !3,4)-L-glycero- -D-manno-Hepp, two terminal -D-Glcp, !2,3,7)-L-glycero- -Dmanno- Hepp,!7)-L-glycero- -D-manno-Hepp, terminal -D-GlcpN, two!4)- -D-GalpA,! 3)- -DGlcpNAc, terminal -D-Galp and !5-substituted Kdo. E. hoshinare core oligosaccharide shows only one terminal -D-Glcp, and instead of terminal -D-Galp a terminal -D-GlcpNAc. E. ictaluri core oligosaccharide shows only one terminal -D-Glcp, one !4)- -D-GalpA and do not have terminal -D-GlcpN (see complementary figure)