The teaching of Spanish in Maltese secondary schools : an overview of the current state and needs

This contribution looks at the teaching of Spanish in Maltese secondary schools. However, before looking more closely at its establishment and development in Malta, it is probably desirable that we review the growth of Spanish in the world. In this manner we will be in a position to better understand the specific context of the teaching of Spanish in Forms IV and V in Maltese secondary schools.peer-reviewe

The Central role of KNG1 gene as a genetic determinant of coagulation pathway-related traits: Exploring metaphenotypes

Traditional genetic studies of single traits may be unable to detect the pleiotropic effects involved in complex diseases. To detect the correlation that exists between several phenotypes involved in the same biological process, we introduce an original methodology to analyze sets of correlated phenotypes involved in the coagulation cascade in genome-wide association studies. The methodology consists of a two-stage process. First, we define new phenotypic meta-variables (linear combinations of the original phenotypes), named metaphenotypes, by applying Independent Component Analysis for the multivariate analysis of correlated phenotypes (i.e. the levels of coagulation pathway–related proteins). The resulting metaphenotypes integrate the information regarding the underlying biological process (i.e. thrombus/clot formation). Secondly, we take advantage of a family based Genome Wide Association Study to identify genetic elements influencing these metaphenotypes and consequently thrombosis risk. Our study utilized data from the GAIT Project (Genetic Analysis of Idiopathic Thrombophilia). We obtained 15 metaphenotypes, which showed significant heritabilities, ranging from 0.2 to 0.7. These results indicate the importance of genetic factors in the variability of these traits. We found 4 metaphenotypes that showed significant associations with SNPs. The most relevant were those mapped in a region near the HRG, FETUB and KNG1 genes. Our results are provocative since they show that the KNG1 locus plays a central role as a genetic determinant of the entire coagulation pathway and thrombus/clot formation. Integrating data from multiple correlated measurements through metaphenotypes is a promising approach to elucidate the hidden genetic mechanisms underlying complex diseases.Postprint (published version

Wireless Intelligent Sensors Management Application Protocol-WISMAP

Although many recent studies have focused on the development of new applications for wireless sensor networks, less attention has been paid to knowledge-based sensor nodes. The objective of this work is the development in a real network of a new distributed system in which every sensor node can execute a set of applications, such as fuzzy ruled-base systems, measures, and actions. The sensor software is based on a multi-agent structure that is composed of three components: management, application control, and communication agents; a service interface, which provides applications the abstraction of sensor hardware and other components; and an application layer protocol. The results show the effectiveness of the communication protocol and that the proposed system is suitable for a wide range of applications. As real world applications, this work presents an example of a fuzzy rule-based system and a noise pollution monitoring application that obtains a fuzzy noise indicator

Angular distributions of the alpha particle production in the 7Li+144Sm system at near-barrier energies

We have studied the production of alpha particles in reactions induced by 7Li projectiles on a 144Sm target at bombarding energies of 18, 24 and 30 MeV over the 15°-140° angular range. The purpose of the investigation has been to determine the contribution of different mechanisms in reactions that involve weakly bound projectiles. We have included in our analysis several processes that can either directly or sequentially lead to the emission of alpha particles: complete fusion, direct transfer of 3H, capture breakup (incomplete fusion, sequential complete fusion) and non-capture breakup. In order to distinguish alpha particles stemming from these processes it is necessary to determine the mass and charge of the reaction products and to obtain precise measurements of their energies and scattering angles over relatively wide ranges of these variables. We have done this using a detection system consisting of an ionization chamber plus three position sensitive detectors. We present results of these measurements and a preliminary interpretation based on kinematical considerations and comparisons with predictions from a statistical model.Fil: Carnelli, Patricio Francisco Florencio. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería Ambiental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; ArgentinaFil: Arazi, Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; ArgentinaFil: Capurro, Oscar Ángel. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez Niello, Jorge Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería Ambiental; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; ArgentinaFil: Martinez Heimann, Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería Ambiental; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; ArgentinaFil: Pacheco, Alberto Jorge. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; ArgentinaFil: Cardona, Maria Angelica. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: de Barbará, Ezequiel. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; ArgentinaFil: Figueira, Juan Manuel. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Hojman, Daniel Leonardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; ArgentinaFil: Martí, Guillermo Virginio. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; ArgentinaFil: Negri, Agustin Eduardo. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería Ambiental; Argentin

Emotional Processing Profile in Patients with First Episode Schizophrenia:The Influence of Neurocognition

This study sought to investigate the influence of neurocognition on the emotional processing profiles of patients with first-episode schizophrenia, using the 4-branch Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) (Perceiving Emotions; Facilitating Emotions; Understanding Emotions and Managing Emotions). A sample of 78 patients with first-episode schizophrenia and a group of 90 non-psychiatric control subjects were included in this work. The initial results showed that patients had lower scores than controls for the "Understanding Emotions" and "Managing Emotions" MSCEIT branches. However, after controlling for neurocognition, the only deficits were found on the "Managing Emotions" branch of the MSCEIT. This branch can be considered as measuring a more sophisticated level of emotional processing, which may constitute a deficit in itself. In conclusion, patients with first-episode schizophrenia present deficits in social cognition at the highest level that seem to be independent from neurocognition. These findings support the inclusion of the "Managing Emotions" branch of the MSCEIT as part of the MCCB.Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI16/00359)Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI19/00766)Comunidad de Madrid (S2017/BMD-3740)Ministry of Health (MOH-000013)4.242 JCR (2020) Q1, 39/167 Medicine, general & internal1.040 SJR (2021) Q1, 438/2489 Medicine (miscellaneous)No data IDR 2020UE

Morton’s Extension on Hallux Rigidus Pathology

Study design, case-control study: Background, Morton’s extension (ME) is a kind of orthotic that has been used as a conservative treatment of painful hallux rigidus (HR) osteoarthritis, but only their effects on first metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) mobility and position in healthy subjects have been studied, but not on its applied pulled tension forces neither in subjects with HR. Objectives: This study sought to understand how ME’s orthotics with three different thicknesses could influence the kinematic first MPJ by measuring hallux dorsiflexion using Jack’s test and a digital algometer with a rigid strip anchored to the iron hook’s extremity and comparing subjects with healthy first MPJ mobility to those with HR.We aimed to clarify whether tension values were different between healthy and HR subjects. Methods: Fifty-eight subjects were selected, of whom thirty were included in the case group according to HR criteria and twenty-eight were included in the control group. A digital algometer (FPX®® 25,Wagner Instruments®®, Greenwich, CT, USA) was used to assess the pulled tension values (kgf) of the first MPJ during Jack’s test. Results: The pulled tension values were highly reliable (ICC > 0.963). There were no statistically significant differences between the pulled tension values for the different ME conditions in the case (p = 0.969) or control (p = 0.718) groups. However, as it’s expected, there were statistically significant differences comparing all pulled tension values between case and control group subjects (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Different ME’s thicknesses had no influence on the pulled effort applied during the dorsiflexion Jack’s test between the healthy and HR groups; therefore, it can be prescribed without joint-care danger. In addition, it is proven that there is greater resistance to performing Jack’s test in the HR group than in the healthy group, regardless of ME’s orthotics. Furthermore, it is shown that the digital algometer device is a valid tool to detect the first MPJ restriction and is more reliable than other tests

Integrated GWAS and Gene Expression Suggest ORM1 as a Potential Regulator of Plasma Levels of Cell-Free DNA and Thrombosis Risk

Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a surrogate marker of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) that contribute to immunothrombosis. There is growing interest about the mechanisms underlying NET formation and elevated cfDNA, but little is known about the factors involved. We aimed to identify genes involved in the regulation of cfDNA levels using data from the Genetic Analysis of Idiopathic Thrombophilia (GAIT-2) Project. Imputed genotypes, whole blood RNA-Seq data, and plasma cfDNA quantification were available for 935 of the GAIT-2 participants from 35 families with idiopathic thrombophilia. We performed heritability and GWAS analysis for cfDNA. The heritability of cfDNA was 0.26 ( p  = 3.7 × 10 (−6) ), while the GWAS identified a significant association (rs1687391, p  = 3.55 × 10 (−10) ) near the ORM1 gene, on chromosome 9. An eQTL (expression quantitative trait loci) analysis revealed a significant association between the lead GWAS variant and the expression of ORM1 in whole blood ( p  = 6.14 × 10 (−9) ). Additionally, ORM1 expression correlated with levels of cfDNA ( p  = 4.38 × 10 (−4) ). Finally, genetic correlation analysis between cfDNA and thrombosis identified a suggestive association ( ρ (g)  = 0.43, p  = 0.089). All in all, we show evidence of the role of ORM1 in regulating cfDNA levels in plasma, which might contribute to the susceptibility to thrombosis through mechanisms of immunothrombosis

The incorporation of the SDGs in the Technical Architecture and Building plan (2021) of the University of Alcalá

[EN] The Bachelor's degrees of the first round of verifications (2008), have the obligation to review and renew their teaching approaches, since neither the ways of teaching, nor the ways of practicing the profession, nor the technologies are the same in 2021. There is an opportunity to update the contents and the interrelation between them. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can and should be part of this process of teaching innovation. This is the case of the evolution of the Degree in Science and Technology of Building, to the Degree in Technical Architecture and Building, recently approved (March 2021). The objective of the communication is to present the method followed for the integration of the SDGs in the verification process. The way practiced to determine the goals of each SDG to be incorporated is analyzed. The prioritization of the character of transversality in the planned approach, not as a specific subject but integrated, coordinated, and related between the different subjects in which it is progressively integrated into the degree. Finally, the definitive incorporation procedure to the Plan, its documentary and conceptual reflection, and the implementation forecast, the monitoring and control processes for the 2021/2022 academic year will be discussed.[ES] Las titulaciones de Grado de la primera tanda de verificaciones (2008), tienen la obligación de revisar y renovar sus planteamientos docentes, ya que ni los modos de enseñar, ni los modos de ejercer la profesión, ni las tecnologías son las mismas en 2021. Se presenta una oportunidad de actualización de los contenidos y la interrelación entre ellos. Los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) pueden y deben formar parte de este proceso de innovación docente. Es el caso de la evolución del Grado en Ciencia y Tecnología de la Edificación, al Grado de Arquitectura Técnica y Edificación, aprobado recientemente (marzo 2021). El objetivo de la comunicación es presentar el método seguido para la integración de los ODS en el proceso de verificación. Se analiza el modo practicado para determinar las metas de cada ODS a incorporar. La priorización del carácter de transversalidad en el enfoque planificado, no como materia específica sino integrada, coordinada, y relacionada entre las diferentes asignaturas en las que se integra de forma progresiva en la titulación. Por último se comentará el procedimiento de incorporación definitiva al Plan, su reflejo documental y conceptual, y la previsión de implantación, los procesos de seguimientos y control para el curso 2021/2022.Da Casa Martín, F.; Baño Nieva, A.; Vega Ballesteros, JM.; Delgado Conde, I.; Maza Vazquez, F.; Fernandez Tapia, E.; Temiño Vela, J.... (2021). La incorporación de los ODS en el plan de estudios de Arquitectura Técnica y Edificación (2021) de la Universidad de Alcalá. En EDIFICATE. I Congreso de Escuelas de Edificación y Arquitectura Técnica de España. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 409-421. https://doi.org/10.4995/EDIFICATE2021.2021.13543OCS40942

Engineered 3D bioimplants using elastomeric scaffold, self-assembling peptide hydrogel, and adipose tissue-derived progenitor cells for cardiac regeneration

[EN] Contractile restoration of myocardial scars remains a challenge with important clinical implications. Here, a combination of porous elastomeric membrane, peptide hydrogel, and subcutaneous adipose tissue-derived progenitor cells (subATDPCs) was designed and evaluated as a bioimplant for cardiac regeneration in a mouse model of myocardial infarction. SubATDPCs were doubly transduced with lentiviral vectors to express bioluminescent-fluorescent reporters driven by constitutively active, cardiac tissue-specific promoters. Cells were seeded into an engineered bioimplant consisting of a scaffold (polycaprolactone methacryloyloxyethyl ester) filled with a peptide hydrogel (PuraMatrix(TM)), and transplanted to cover injured myocardium. Bioluminescence and fluorescence quantifications showed de novo and progressive increases in promoter expression in bioactive implant-treated animals. The bioactive implant was well adapted to the heart, and fully functional vessels traversed the myocardium-bioactive implant interface. Treatment translated into a detectable positive effect on cardiac function, as revealed by echocardiography. Thus, this novel implant is a promising construct for supporting myocardial regeneration.The research leading to these results received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (Project RECATABI, 7FP/2007-2013) under grant agreement number 229239. This work was also supported by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (SAF2011- 30067-C02-01), Fundació La Marató de TV3 (080330), Red de Terapia Celular-TerCel (RD12/0019/0029), Red Cardio-vascular (RD12/0042/0047), Sociedad Española de Cardiología, and Fundació Privada Daniel Bravo AndreuSoler-Botija, C.; Bago, JR.; Llucia-Valldeperas, A.; Vallés Lluch, A.; Castells-Sala, C.; Martinez-Ramos, C.; Fernandez-Muinos, T.... (2014). Engineered 3D bioimplants using elastomeric scaffold, self-assembling peptide hydrogel, and adipose tissue-derived progenitor cells for cardiac regeneration. American Journal of Translational Research. 6:291-301. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/63949S291301