A new way of teaching different subjects in a foreign language in the Building Engineering Degree at the Universidad Politécnica.

The European Union has been promoting linguistic diversity for many years as one of its main educational goals. This is an element that facilitates student mobility and student exchanges between different universities and countries and enriches the education of young undergraduates. In particular, a higher degree of competence in the English language is becoming essential for engineers, architects and researchers in general, as English has become the lingua franca that opens up horizons to internationalisation and the transfer of knowledge in today’s world. Many experts point to the Integrated Approach to Contents and Foreign Languages System as being an option that has certain benefits over the traditional method of teaching a second language that is exclusively based on specific subjects. This system advocates teaching the different subjects in the syllabus in a language other than one’s mother tongue, without prioritising knowledge of the language over the subject. This was the idea that in the 2009/10 academic year gave rise to the Second Language Integration Programme (SLI Programme) at the Escuela Arquitectura Técnica in the Universidad Politécnica Madrid (EUATM-UPM), just at the beginning of the tuition of the new Building Engineering Degree, which had been adapted to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) model. This programme is an interdisciplinary initiative for the set of subjects taught during the semester and is coordinated through the Assistant Director Office for Educational Innovation. The SLI Programme has a dual goal; to familiarise students with the specific English terminology of the subject being taught, and at the same time improve their communication skills in English. A total of thirty lecturers are taking part in the teaching of eleven first year subjects and twelve in the second year, with around 120 students who have voluntarily enrolled in a special group in each semester. During the 2010/2011 academic year the degree of acceptance and the results of the SLI Programme have been monitored. Tools have been designed to aid interdisciplinary coordination and to analyse satisfaction, such as coordination records and surveys. The results currently available refer to the first and second year and are divided into specific aspects of the different subjects involved and into general aspects of the ongoing experience

Avec Internet, la littérature autrement

Parafraseando el título del trabajo de Marie-Laure Chalaron y Roselyne Rœsch, La grammaire autrement, recogemos bajo el título Avec Internet, la littérature autrement, una serie de enlaces a páginas y sitios de Internet que por sus características y presentación ofrecen una aproximación a la literatura francesa, de otra manera, aprovechando al máximo los recursos hipermedia

Popularizing knowledge in the cyberspace: a travel through multilingualism

The universal declaration of the unesco on the cultural diversity of 2001 explicitly show, among others, the right of the citizens to express, create and spread their works in the language of their choice, the right to an education and a quality formation that respect completely their cultural identity and the right to take part of the cultural life of their choice. In this paper we present some multilingual initiatives in the cyberspace that fight day after day for the respect and the defense of the fundamental rights of the languages and the cultures, despite its minority use, opposite to the linguistic imperialism, promoting in addition, the communication of the science and the research through them.La declaración universal de la unesco sobre la diversidad cultural de 2001 manifiesta explícitamente, entre otros, el derecho de los ciudadanos a expresarse, crear y difundir sus obras en la lengua de su elección, el derecho a una educación y una formación de calidad que respeten plenamente su identidad cultural y el derecho a participar de la vida cultural de su elección. En este trabajo se presentan algunas iniciativas multilingües presentes en el ciberespacio que luchan día a día por el respeto y la defensa de los derechos fundamentales de las lenguas y de las culturas, por minoritarias que sean, frente al imperialismo lingüístico, promoviendo además, la comunicación de la ciencia y de la investigación a través de ellas

Divulgación del conocimiento en el ciberespacio: un viaje a través del multilingüismo Popularizing knowledge in the cyberspace: a travel through multilingualism

Abstract: The universal declaration of the unesco on the cultural diversity of 2001 explicitly show, among others, the right of the citizens to express, create and spread their works in the language of their choice, the right to an education and a quality formation that respect completely their cultural identity and the right to take part of the cultural life of their choice. In this paper we present some multilingual initiatives in the cyberspace that fight day after day for the respect and the defense of the fundamental rights of the languages and the cultures, despite its minority use, opposite to the linguistic imperialism, promoting in addition, the communication of the science and the research through them._____________________________________________________________________________________________________Resumen: La declaración universal de la unesco sobre la diversidad cultural de 2001 manifiesta explícitamente, entre otros, el derecho de los ciudadanos a expresarse, crear y difundir sus obras en la lengua de su elección, el derecho a una educación y una formación de calidad que respeten plenamente su identidad cultural y el derecho a participar de la vida cultural de su elección. En este trabajo se presentan algunas iniciativas multilingües presentes en el ciberespacio que luchan día a día por el respeto y la defensa de los derechos fundamentales de las lenguas y de las culturas, por minoritarias que sean, frente al imperialismo lingüístico, promoviendo además, la comunicación de la ciencia y de la investigación a través de ellas

MARKET SEGMENTATION AND WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR ORGANIC PRODUCTS IN SPAIN

In recent years, consumer concerns on environmental and health issues related to food products have increased and, as a result, the demand for organically grown production has grown. Higher costs of production and retailer margins generate a gap between real prices and those that consumers are willing to pay for organic food. In this article, consumer willingness to pay for organic food in two Spanish regions is analyzed. Markets in both regions are segmented considering consumers lifestyles. Results indicate that consumers concerned about healthy diet and environmental degradation are the most likely to buy organic food, and are willing to pay a high premium. Organic attributes are easily identified in perishable products as the premium consumers would pay for organic meat, fruits, and vegetables is higher.Demand and Price Analysis,

Integrated approach to foreign language in the building engineering degree at the Universidad Politécnica Madrid

The European Union has been promoting linguistic diversity for many years as one of its main educational goals. This is an element that facilitates student mobility and student exchanges between different universities and countries and enriches the education of young undergraduates. In particular,a higher degree of competence in the English language is becoming essential for engineers, architects and researchers in general, as English has become the lingua franca that opens up horizons to internationalisation and the transfer of knowledge in today’s world. Many experts point to the Integrated Approach to Contents and Foreign Languages System as being an option that has certain benefits over the traditional method of teaching a second language that is exclusively based on specific subjects. This system advocates teaching the different subjects in the syllabus in a language other than one’s mother tongue, without prioritising knowledge of the language over the subject. This was the idea that in the 2009/10 academic year gave rise to the Second Language Integration Programme (SLI Programme) at the Escuela Arquitectura Tecnica in the Universidad Politecnica Madrid (EUATM-UPM), just at the beginning of the tuition of the new Building Engineering Degree, which had been adapted to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) model. This programme is an interdisciplinary initiative for the set of subjects taught during the semester and is coordinated through the Assistant Director Office for Educational Innovation. The SLI Programme has a dual goal; to familiarise students with the specific English terminology of the subject being taught, and at the same time improve their communication skills in English. A total of thirty lecturers are taking part in the teaching of eleven first year subjects and twelve in the second year, with around 120 students who have voluntarily enrolled in a special group in each semester. During the 2010/2011 academic year the degree of acceptance and the results of the SLI Programme are being monitored. Tools have been designed to aid interdisciplinary coordination and to analyse satisfaction, such as coordination records and surveys. The results currently available refer to the first semester of the year and are divided into specific aspects of the different subjects involved and into general aspects of the ongoing experience

Confidence in the Beef Production System as a Key Factor to Mitigate the Impact of BSE on Beef Consumption

Recent food scares in the food market has caused a reduction in consumer's confidence in the food system that it has induced a significant reduction in consumption in a sector, the beef sector that was already characterized by a saturated trend in quantity terms. In this context, all participants in the beef production system are facing to a great challenge, to retrieve consumer's confidence in the food chain and to mitigate the reduction in beef consumption. The aim of the paper is to analyse the impact of consumer's confidence in the food system as well as other factors on the explanation of food consumption reduction. A structural modelling approach has been used to analyse factors affecting the reduction in beef consumption in two different regions characterised by different production systems and different marketing strategies (PGI beef label). Results indicate that main factor explaining the reduction in beef consumption is the confidence in the beef and a positive relation has been found. Moreover, confidence in a product is directly related to the perceived quality offered by farmers and other decision makers on the beef chain, and to the consumer involvement with the product. Therefore, the main implication is that participants in the food chain has to develop adequate communication strategies such as quality labelling in order to increase consumers perceive quality because, higher quality perception will recover consumers' confidence in beef, and therefore, it will mitigate beef consumption reduction.food confidence, consumer behaviour, structural equation modelling, beef sector, quality label, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Tourism and economic growth: a meta-analysis of panel data studies

Although for decades it has been acknowledged that tourism likely contributes to economic growth, theoretical models that consider a causal relationship between both are a recent phenomenon. From a sample of 11 studies based on panel data techniques published through to 2011, and for a total of 87 heterogeneous estimations, a metaanalysis is performed by applying models for both fixed and random effects, with the main objective being to calculate a summary measure of the effects of tourism on economic growth. While the results obtained point to a positive elasticity between economic growth and tourism, the magnitude of the effect was found to vary according to the methodological procedure employed in the original studies for empirical estimations

A Critical Approach to Multiliteracy: Automates Intelligents

In this paper we present and analyse a website with a complex rhyzomatic structure in connection with the results of a cybertask in which students were asked to read various information sources by navigating a range of websites. The results and discussion include issues such as: a) culture of learning and students’ task representation; b) possible relationships between learning styles and ways of navigating and managing information to solve a task; c) criteria students use to evaluate their navigation practice

El ácido úrico se asocia con características de un síndrome de resistencia insulínica en los niños obesos en etapas perdurables

Elevated plasma uric acid levels are associated with obesity and could be an expression of insulin-resistant state. The aim of the present study was to evaluate plasma uric acid in obese and normal-weight children exclusively at prepubertal stage and its relationship with anthropometric measurements, intake, and features of the insulin resistance syndrome. A study was performed in 34 obese and 20 normal- weight prepubertal children. Nutrient intake was determined using a 72 h recall questionnaire and a consumption food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric parameters and fasting plasma lipids, glucose, insulin, leptin, adiponectin, tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α) and uric acid were measured. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify association of anthropometric parameters, nutrient intake and insulin resistance syndrome variables (arterial blood pressure, plasma glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index- HOMA- triacylglycerols and, HDL-cholesterol) with uric acid. Plasma uric concentration was significantly higher in the obese group than in the control group and when adjusted by sex, age and BMI was positively associated with tricipital skinfold and insulin resistance, and negatively with adiponectin. In multiple regression analysis, BMI, HDL-cholesterol and adiponectin were independent predictors of plasma uric acid. In conclusion, elevated levels of uric acid in obese children, compared with lean subjects, at the prepubertal period, seems to be an early metabolic alteration that is associated with other features of insulin resistance syndrome.Los niveles elevados de ácido úrico plasmáticos se asocian a la obesidad y pueden ser la expresión de un estado de resistencia insulínica. El objetivo de este estudio ha sido evaluar la concentración plasmática de ácido úrico en niños obesos y normales, exclusivamente en edad prepuberal, y determinar su relación con las medidas antropométricas, la ingesta dietética y los parámetros asociados al síndrome de resistencia insulínica. El estudio se llevó a cabo en 34 niños obesos y 20 controles en edad prepuberal a los cuales se les estimó su ingesta dietética mediante el registro de un cuestionario de ingesta de alimentos de 72 h y un cuestionario de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos y se determinaron, además de los parámetros antropométricos, la glucosa, la insulina, la leptina, la adiponectina y el factor de necrosis tumoral alfa (TNF-α) plasmáticos. Se realizó un análisis de regresión múltiple para identificar la asociación entre los niveles de ácido úrico y los parámetros antropométricos, la ingesta de nutrientes y las variables clásicas relacionadas con el síndrome de resistencia insulínica (hipertensión, glucosa, insulina, índice de resistencia insulínica HOMA, triglicéridos y HDL-colesterol plasmáticos), así como con leptina, adiponectina y TNF-α. La concentración plasmática de ácido úrico fue significativamente más elevada en los niños obesos que en los controles y, cuando se ajustó por sexo, edad e índice de masa corporal, los niveles de ácido úrico se asociaron con el pliegue tricipital y la resistencia inulínica, y negativamente con la adiponectina. En el análisis de regresión múltiple, el índice de masa corporal, el HDL-colesterol y la adiponectina fueron predictores independientes del ácido úrico plasmático. En conclusión, los niveles elevados de ácido úrico en niños obesos en edad prepuberal, comparado con los de los niños normales, representan una alteración metabólica temprana asociada con la resistencia insulínica.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs, the Spanish National Program for Scientific Research, Development, and Technological Innovation (I+D+I), and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spanish National Health Research Institute), FEDER co-financed Project No. PI 051968. Mercedes Gil-Campos was a research scientist appointed on a training contract funded by the Carlos III Health Research Institute