Análisis demográfico y caracterización seminal del caballo de las retuertas de Doñana

El Caballo de las Retuertas de Doñana consta de una población de unos 150 ejemplares ubicados en los espacios protegidos de la Reserva Biológica de Doñana, donde deambulan libremente. Al tipificar el caballo de las Retuertas con marcadores bioquímicos se observa un alelo nuevo de Caboxilesterasa en un grupo de individuos de la población. Este alelo se coteja con la información disponible en otros laboratorios de Genética Equina del mundo, y se deduce podría ser único de esta raza. Este hallazgo da pie a continuar con un protocolo de caracterización de la raza, para conocerla en profundidad y justificar su reconocimiento como raza autóctona española de protección especial por parte del Ministerio de Agricultura, previo estudio y aprobación del Comité de Razas de Ganado de España. El objetivo de ese trabajo es realizar un estudio de la situación genética actual del caballo de las Retuertas y desarrollar la metodología necesaria para la implantación de un programa de conservación completo basado en métodos in situ y ex situ. Para el estudio genético, se tipifican las muestras de sangre tomadas de toda la población y se realiza una caracterización genética basada en microsatélites. Esta información genética, junto con la obtenida tras la realización de un profundo estudio demográfico, da como resultado la reconstrucción del árbol genealógico de la raza. Con esta información (ej. Consanguinidad, índice de Conservación Genética, etc.) Se pueden seleccionar reproductores. Para la caracterización reproductiva se recogen muestras seminales de cuatro sementales de la raza, dando como resultado unas características comparables a las de otras razas autóctonas, esto ha permitido la creación de un banco de germoplasma que garantice la supervivencia de la poblaciónThe Retuertas horse from Doñana has a population of around 150 individuals located within the protected areas of the Doñana Biological Reserve, in which they freely roam. When categorizing Retuertas horse with biochemical markers, a new Carboxylesterase allele can be observed in a group of individuals in the population. This allele is compared and contrasted with other equine genetics laboratories’ available information in the world and it can be deduced to be unique to this breed. This finding leads to continue a characterization protocol for the breed, in order to know it thoroughly and to justify its recognition as a special protection Spanish breed by the Ministry of Agriculture, with the previous study and approval from the Livestock Breeds Committee of Spain. The aim of this project is to study the Retuertas horse current genetic situation and to develop the methodology for the implementation of a comprehensive conservation program based on in situ and ex situ methods. For the genetic study, blood samples of the entire population are classified and a genetic characterization based on microsatellites is performed. This genetic information, all together with the one obtained after conducting a thorough demographic study results in the reconstruction of the breed’s family tree. With this information (i.e.; Inbreeding, Genetic Conservation index, etc.) breeding individuals can be selected. For its seminal characterization, samples from four stallions from the breed are collected, with comparable resulting characteristics to those from other native breeds; this has allowed the creation of a germplasm bank to ensure the population’s survival

Seminal characterization of the menorquina sheep

Menorquina sheep is included in the group of breeds in danger of extinction according the Offcial Spanish Catalogue of Livestock Breeds. In 2003, 2000 animals were enclosed in the herd book, all them belonging to 52 farms. Presently, the breed has, in the ex situ conservation program, a germplasm bank which started in 2008 and continues completing yearly. This paper exposes the preliminary results of the semen characte-rization of the Menorquina sheep breed male, studying variables such as volume, concentration, basal and progressive motility, in relation to the year of collection. A total of 41 ejaculates from 8 males were studied. Preliminary data offered the following means and standard deviations: concentration, 3 897x106±2,74 espermatozoa/ml; 4 456x106±4,43 total spermatozoa; progressive motility 50±16,77 (0-100%); volume 1,06±0,66 ml; basal motility 3,58±1,01 (1-5). The variables shown differences statistically significant among years of collection.La oveja Menorquina está incluida en el grupo de razas en peligro de extinción según el Catálogo Oficial de Razas de Ganado de España. En el año 2003 estaban inscritos en el Libro Genealógico unos 2000 animales pertenecientes a 52 ganaderías. Actualmente, la raza cuenta, dentro del Programa de Conservación ex situ, con un banco de germoplasma que comenzó en 2008 y sigue completándose anualmente. Este trabajo expone los primeros resultados de la caracterización seminal del morueco de raza ovina Menorquina, en el que se ha estudiado el efecto de variables tales como volumen y concentración seminal, así como la motilidad masal y progresiva, en relación al año de la extracción seminal. En total se analizaron 41 eyaculados de 8 sementales. Los datos preliminares ofrecieron las siguientes medias y desviaciones típicas: concentración, 3 897x106±2,74 espermatozoides/ml; 4 456x106±4,43 esperma-tozoides totales; motilidad progresiva 50±16,77 (0-100%); volumen 1,06±0,66 ml; motilidad masal 3,58±1,01 (1-5). Todas las variables mostraron diferencias significativas en relación al año

Study of sperm parameters in the retuertas horse

Geographical concentration and scarce census of the Retuertas horse force to design a complete conservation plan. One of the used tools as a mean of ex situ conservation was the creation of a germplasm bank. Previously, a study of the se-minal quality and its aptitude for freezing was developed. Results were: volume 23,25±12,72 ml; concentration 335,83±135,60x106 spermatozoa/ml; basal motility 3,83±0,98 (1-5) and progressive motility 60,42±15,42 (0-100%); all of them shown significant differences among stallions.La concentración geográfica y el reducido censo del Caballo de las Retuertas obligaron a diseñar un Plan de Conservación integral. Una de las herramientaspara la conservación ex situ fue la creación de un banco de germoplasma. Previamente, se estudió la calidad seminal y aptitud para congelación. Los resultados obtenidos fueron: volumen 23,25±12,72 ml, concentración 335,83±135,60x106 espermatozoides/ml; motilidad masal 3,83±0,98 (1-5) y motilidad progresiva 60,42±15,42 (0-100%), mostrando todas diferencias significativas en relación al semental

Fostering English-taught higher education programs in a Spanish university: the "TechEnglish" innovative project

In recent years, coinciding with adjustments to the Bologna process, many European universities have attempted to improve their international profile by increasing course offerings in English. According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), Spain has notably increased its English-taught higher education programs, ranking fifth in the list of European countries by number of English-taught Master's programs in 2013. This article presents the goals and preliminary results of an on-going innovative education project (TechEnglish) that aims to promote course offerings in English at the Technical University of Madrid (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, UPM). The UPM is the oldest and largest of all Technical Universities in Spain. It offers graduate and postgraduate programs that cover all the engineering disciplines as well as architecture. Currently, the UPM has no specific bilingual/multilingual program to promote teaching in English, although there is an Educational Model Whitepaper (with a focus on undergraduate degrees) that promotes the development of activities like an International Semester or a unique shared curriculum. The TechEnglish project is an attempt to foster courses taught in English at 7 UPM Technical Schools, including students and 80 faculty members. Four tasks were identified: (1) to design a university wide framework to increase course offerings, (2) to identify administrative difficulties, (3) to increase visibility of courses offered, and (4) to disseminate the results of the project. First, to design a program we analyzed existing programs at other Spanish universities, and other projects and efforts already under way at the UPM. A total of 13 plans were analyzed and classified according to their relation with students (learning), professors (teaching), administration, course offerings, other actors/institutions within the university (e.g., language departments), funds and projects, dissemination activities, mobility plans and quality control. Second, to begin to identify administrative and organizational difficulties in the implementation of teaching in English, we first estimated the current and potential course offerings at the undergraduate level at the UPM using a survey (student, teacher and administrative demand, level of English and willingness to work in English). Third, to make the course offerings more attractive for both Spanish and international students we examined the way the most prestigious universities in Spain and in Europe try to improve the visibility of their academic offerings in English. Finally, to disseminate the results of the project we created a web page and a workspace on the Moodle education platform and prepared conferences and workshops within the UPM. Preliminary results show that increasing course offerings in English is an important step to promote the internationalization of the University. The main difficulties identified at the UPM were related to how to acknowledge/certify the departments, teachers or students involved in English courses, how students should register for the courses, how departments should split and schedule the courses (Spanish and English), and the lack of qualified personnel. A concerted effort could be made to increase the visibility of English-taught programs offered on-line