MOOC in the Inverted CLIL Approach: Hybridizing English Teaching/Learning

The current digital society requires new approaches to the teaching of English as an Additional Language (EAL). This paper aims at proposing a combination of current blended approaches for the teaching of EAL. It describes a set of activities for an EAL blended course by adopting a Content and Language Integrated Learning approach (CLIL) through an Inverted Classroom approach (IC), alias Inverted CLIL (Finardi, 2015) with the use of a MOOC. It is believed that the integration of a MOOC through an Inverted CLIL approach to EAL may lead to meaningful language and content learning. In addition, it may contribute to the development of students’ autonomy, critical thinking and communication skills

The symmetric N-matrix completion problem

An $n\times n$ matrix is called an $N$-matrix if all its principal minors are negative. In this paper, we are interested in the symmetric $N$-matrix completion problem, that is, when a partial symmetric $N$-matrix has a symmetric $N$-matrix completion. Here, we prove that a partial symmetric $N$-matrix has a symmetric $N$-matrix completion if the graph of its specified entries is chordal. Furthermore, if this graph is not chordal, then examples exist without symmetric $N$-matrix completions. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a symmetric $N$-matrix completion of a partial symmetric $N$-matrix whose associated graph is a cycle are given.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Programa Operacional "Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovação" (POCTI). Spanish DGI - grant number BFM2001-0081-C03-02. Generalitat Valenciana - GRUPOS03/062

Influence of preparation procedures on the phenolic content, antioxidant and antidiabetic activities of green and black teas

The influence of common tea preparation procedures (temperature, infusion time, consumption time interval and tea bag/loose-leaf) and the type of water used, on the total phenolic content (TPC), the radical scavenging activity and the alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity were assessed. Higher TPC and antioxidant activity were obtained when using lower mineralized waters. Tea bags also evidenced higher antioxidant activity than loose-leaf samples. Under the same conditions (90 degrees C and five minutes of infusion time) green tea contains almost twice the quantity of polyphenols and the free radical scavenging ability of black tea. In the alpha-glucosidase assay all infusions were active (97-100 %). Furthermore, HPLC allowed to identify some of the polyphenols present in both teas and to monitor their composition change with time. After twenty-four hours, the antioxidant activity was maintained without significant changes, but a small decrease in enzyme inhibition was observed, although this activity was still very high.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Totally nonpositive completions on partial matrices

An n £ n real matrix is said to be totally no positive if every minor is no positive. In this paper, we are interested in totally no positive completion problems, that is, does A partial totally no positive matrix have a totally no positive matrix completion? This Problem has, in general, a negative answer. Therefore, we analyze the question: for which Labelled graphs G does every partial totally no positive matrix, whose associated graph is G, have a totally no positive completion? Here we study the mentioned problem when G Is a choral graph or an undirected cycle.Spanish DGI grant number BFM2001-0081-C03-02 and Generalitat Valenciana GRUPOS03/062Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Electrospun Phospholipid Fibers as Micro-Encapsulation and Antioxidant Matrices

Electrospun phospholipid (asolectin) microfibers were investigated as antioxidants and encapsulation matrices for curcumin and vanillin. These phospholipid microfibers exhibited antioxidant properties which increased after the encapsulation of both curcumin and vanillin. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and the total phenolic content (TPC) of curcumin/phospholipid and vanillin/phospholipid microfibers remained stable over time at different temperatures (refrigerated, ambient) and pressures (vacuum, ambient). 1H-NMR confirmed the chemical stability of both encapsulated curcumin and vanillin within phospholipid fibers. Release studies in aqueous media revealed that the phenolic bioactives were released mainly due to swelling of the phospholipid fiber matrix over time. The above studies confirm the efficacy of electrospun phospholipid microfibers as encapsulation and antioxidant systems

The doubly negative matrix completion problem

An $n\times n$ matrix over the field of real numbers is a doubly negative matrix if it is symmetric, negative definite and entry-wise negative. In this paper, we are interested in the doubly negative matrix completion problem, that is when does a partial matrix have a doubly negative matrix completion. In general, we cannot guarantee the existence of such a completion. In this paper, we prove that every partial doubly negative matrix whose associated graph is a $p$-chordal graph $G$ has a doubly negative matrix completion if and only if $p=1$. Furthermore, the question of completability of partial doubly negative matrices whose associated graphs are cycles is addressed.Spanish DGI - BFM2001-0081-C03-02.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) – Programa Operacional “Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovação” (POCTI)

Quantifying how step-wise fluorination tunes local solute hydrophobicity, hydration shell thermodynamics and the quantum mechanical contributions of solute-water interactions

The ability to locally tune solute-water interactions and thus control the hydrophilic/hydrophobic character of a solute is key to control molecular self-assembly and to develop new drugs and biocatalysts; it has been a holy grail in synthetic chemistry and biology. To date, the connection between (i) the hydrophobicity of a functional group; (ii) the local structure and thermodynamics of its hydration shell; and (iii) the relative influence of van der Waals (dispersion) and electrostatic interactions on hydration remains unclear. We investigate this connection using spectroscopic, classical simulation and ab initio methods by following the transition from hydrophile to hydrophobe induced by the step-wise fluorination of methyl groups. Along the transition, we find that water-solute hydrogen bonds are progressively transformed into dangling hydroxy groups. Each structure has a distinct thermodynamic, spectroscopic and quantum-mechanical signature connected to the associated local solute hydrophobicity and correlating with the relative contribution of electrostatics and dispersion to the solute-water interactions

Assessment of drying conditions of a yeast-based solution for application on textile industrial wastewater treatment plants

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio