Preserved Executive Control in Ageing: The Role of Literacy Experience

Healthy ageing is commonly accompanied by cognitive decline affecting several domains such as executive control, whereas certain verbal skills remain relatively preserved. Interestingly, recent scientific research has shown that some intellectual activities may be linked to beneficial effects, delaying or even alleviating cognitive decline in the elderly. Thirty young (age: M = 23) and thirty old (age: M = 66) adults were assessed in executive control (switching) and literacy experience (print exposure). First, we tried to confirm whether healthy ageing was generally associated with deficits in switching by looking at mixing cost effects, to then investigate if individual differences in print exposure explained variation in that age-related mixing costs. Both accuracy and reaction times mixing cost indexes demonstrated larger cost in old (but not in young) adults when switching from local to global information. More importantly, this cost effect was not present in old adults with higher print exposure (reaction times). Our findings suggest literacy experience accumulated across the life-span may act as a cognitive reserve proxy to prevent executive control decline.European Social Fund (ESF)European Commission IDAR/2656Greek national funds through the Operational Program "Education and Lifelong Learning" of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF)MSCA-COFUND Athenea3i Grant 75444

Cancer information leaflets in hospitals: Perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals

La actual tendencia a la educación del paciente ha aumentado la necesidad de textos que faciliten la transferencia del conocimiento médico a un público no especializado. Partiendo de la premisa de que los traductores, en tanto que expertos familiarizados con una amplia variedad de géneros textuales, pueden responder a esta realidad social, el Grupo Gentt inició el proyecto MedGentt, cuyo objetivo es sistematizar la información escrita dirigida a pacientes mediante la redacción de textos que respondan a sus necesidades. Este artículo presenta los resultados de la primera fase del proyecto, centrada en el análisis de las necesidades de información de los pacientes oncológicos en contextos hospitalarios.The current trend in patient education has increased the need for texts that facilitate the transfer of medical knowledge to a lay audience. Starting from the premise that translators, as experts who are familiar with a wide variety of text genres, can respond to this social reality, the Gentt Group started the MedGentt project, the goal of which is to systematize written information directed to patients by writing texts that respond to their needs. This article presents the results of the project’s first phase, which focuses on analyzing the information needs of cancer patients in hospitals

Sociolinguistic context matters: Exploring differences in contextual linguistic diversity in South Africa and England

This work was supported by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust to Mandy Wigdorowitz, and MSCA-COFUND Athenea 3i-2018 grant (754446) to Ana I. Perez: [Grant Number 754446].Individual reports of language history, use, and proficiency are generally considered sufficient for language profiling. Yet, these variables alone neglect the contribution of contextual linguistic diversity to one’s overall language repertoire. In this study we used the Contextual Linguistic Profile Questionnaire to evaluate whether there is a difference in contextual linguistic diversity between participants across the linguistically dissimilar contexts of South Africa and England. We further assessed whether selfreported lingualism status groups (monolinguals, bilinguals, multilinguals) scored differently on contextual linguistic diversity to evaluate the utility and uniformity of categorical labels across varying contexts, and investigated how codeswitching and socio-economic status contributed to these effects. Our results demonstrated that contextual linguistic diversity differs between nations: South Africans score higher, promotion of multilingualism is dependent on socio-economic status only in England, lingualism status is not contextually comparable when measured categorically, and codeswitching accounts for linguistic features of South Africans.Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International TrustMSCA-COFUND Athenea 3i-2018 grant 75444

Suitability of Blackboard as Learning Management System to assess oral competence: Students’ perceptions and results

[EN] Learning a foreign language involves the practice and development of linguistic competencies through a series of communicative activities. Assessing each of these competencies face to face can provide an accurate profile of the student’s level of language proficiency. But assessing them online, particularly oral skill, poses a challenge for both students and professors. The change of scenario and use of digital tools may intimidate students and deprive the interview from naturality and warmth. In this paper, the suitability of Blackboard Collaborate as Learning Management System to assess English speaking skill is studied together with other factors influencing students’ online performance. 81 students from 5 different undergraduate programs in Engineering and Applied Sciences were assessed, following the threefold pattern of IELTS speaking test questions. Their results and responses to a final survey are contrasted so as to check the positive of negative effect of online testing on the students’ state of mind and eventual achievement. Blackboard platform proves to be as a suitable online framework for optimal performance, and the examiner’s attitude is equally a conditioning factor in students’success.Muñoz Alcón, AI.; Trullén Galve, F. (2021). Suitability of Blackboard as Learning Management System to assess oral competence: Students’ perceptions and results. En 7th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'21). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 983-991. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd21.2021.12929OCS98399

Alcoholic beverages as determinants of traffic fatalities

The most important contribution of this research lies in considering the impact of wine, beer and liquors on the ratio of traffic fatalities because each kind of alcoholic beverage is characterized by different ethanol content. The data, drawn for case of Spain, validate our theoretical hypothesis. Our findings support the strategy of incrementing alcohol taxes in order to reduce the negative externalities of alcohol abuse. However, it is necessary to implement non-economic policies because of the existence of collateral effects (positive crossed price elasticities)

Fostering Employability through Versatility within Specialisation in Medical Translation Education

The current increase of automation (Rodríguez 2017; Massey/Wieder 2018) and the emergence of new needs and forms of communication are triggering substantial changes in the translation profession, in the role of the translator and in translator education. Previous studies (Muñoz-Miquel 2014, 2016a, 2018) have shown the rich variety of tasks — beyond those traditionally considered — that medical translators perform in the workplace, including heterofunctional translation, editing, or community management. The ability to develop new skills and to adapt continuously to the changing needs of the market is one of the essential characteristics of the translator in the 21st century. That is why we consider it of critical importance that, together with specialisation, versatility is promoted in translator education. In this article, we explore the notion of versatility and propose a teaching strategy that incorporates it and can contribute to improving the employability of future translators. Specifically, we put forward some pedagogical proposals for the English-Spanish language combination that promote diversification of competences and tasks within a narrow specialisation — the medical and healthcare field — in order to provide (future) translators with the versatility necessary to respond to new demands and thus be more employable. Our approach is based on the results of surveys of professional medical translators on the tasks and roles they perform, as well as on our own teaching experience in a master’s degree programme in medical translation.&nbsp

Medición de las ganancias en el aprendizaje de una segunda lengua

Learning gain can be defined as the difference between students’ language competences demonstrated at two different points in time. In this article, we reported on a small-scale study aimed at measuring learning gains and piloting the methods chosen. Fourteen students of English as a foreign language participated in the study. We employed a student self-report survey, an oral performance assessment task and a standardised test for data gathering, and we applied them at three different moments during the eight-month study. Our data analysis includes the comparison of percentages rendered by test scores, the estimation of means for oral task scores and grouping and coding for qualitative data in the survey. Results show the gradual pattern of language improvement and the suitability of methods. These results can help stakeholders or policymakers in selecting relevant evidence to improve accountability in decision-making. We have provided conclusions and recommendations below for a larger scale study.La ganancia en el aprendizaje se puede definir como la diferencia entre las competencias en el idioma demostradas en diferentes momentos del aprendizaje. En este artículo, describimos un estudio a pequeña escala destinado a medir los logros de aprendizaje y realizar una prueba piloto de los métodos elegidos. Los participantes en el estudio fueron 14 estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera. Las herramientas de recopilación de datos incluyeron una encuesta de autoinforme de los estudiantes, una tarea de evaluación de desempeño oral y un examen estandarizado. Estas medidas se aplicaron en tres momentos diferentes durante el estudio que duró ocho meses. El análisis de datos incluyó la comparación de porcentajes generados por los puntajes de las pruebas, la estimación de promedios para tareas orales y la agrupación y codificación de datos cualitativos en la encuesta. Los resultados muestran un patrón gradual de mejora del lenguaje y la idoneidad de los métodos. Estos resultados pueden ayudar a las partes interesadas o formuladores de políticas a seleccionar evidencia relevante para mejorar su responsabilidad en la toma de decisiones. Se proporcionan conclusiones y recomendaciones para un estudio a mayor escala

The new age of the transport sector. Is it sharing economy unfair competition?

Trabajo de fin de Grado. Grado en Derecho. Curso académico 2016-2017[ES]Las nuevas empresas de economía colaborativa del sector del transporte están revolucionando el mercado europeo y a su vez también generan problemas con los sectores tradicionales del transporte. El transporte de pasajeros está regulado muy detalladamente en España, no obstante estas empresas carecen prácticamente de regulación, por tanto esto genera una situación de incertidumbre que ha de subsanarse. La tecnología avanza más rápido que la legislación, lo que ha provocado un choque directo entre dos modelos económicos completamente distintos, el tradicional y el de economía colaborativa. Más allá del análisis de casos en concreto que se realizan en el presente trabajo, el objetivo del mismo es la reflexión un escalón por encima. Se ha de meditar sobre qué clase de mercado queremos, si proteccionista o competitivo, y cavilar además sobre la seguridad de los usuarios. Se abordará desde una postura neutral, teniendo en cuenta ambas partes implicadas para así podernos aproximar de una forma más adecuada; pero siempre abogando por una legislación que termine con la inseguridad jurídica, pues es ésta el origen de los conflictos.[EN]The new companies of sharing economy in the transport sector are revolutionising the European market and they are also producing problems with the traditional sectors of transport. The transport of passengers is regulated in great detail in Spain, however these new enterprises have a lack of regulation; therefore a situation of uncertainty has appeared and it must be offset. Technology advances faster than legislation; this has resulted in a direct collision between both economic models which are completely different: the traditional and the sharing economy. Beyond the analysis of concrete cases, which is made during the project; the aim of it is the further reflection. It is necessary to meditate about what kind of market we want: protectionist or competitive; and also reflect on the security of users. The project will be tackled from a neutral position taking into account both implicated parts; so we can reflect the reality in a more suitable way, but always advocating a legislation that finishes with the legal insecurity, which is the origin of conflicts

Numerical resolution of a reinforced random walk model arising in haptotaxis

In this paper we study the numerical resolution of a reinforced random walk model arising in haptotaxis and the stabilization of solutions. The model consists of a system of two differential equations, one parabolic equation with a second order non-linear term (haptotaxis term) coupled to an ODE in a bounded two dimensional domain. We assume radial symmetry of the solutions. The scheme of resolution is based on the application of the characteristics method together with a finite element one. We present some numerical simulations which illustrate some features of the numerical stabilization of solutions

Enseñanza – aprendizaje del concepto de digestión humana en estudiantes del grado sexto

En este trabajo de investigación se identificaron los modelos explicativos más frecuentes y los obstáculos más comunes en el proceso enseñanza – aprendizaje del concepto de digestión humana, en estudiantes de sexto grado de básica secundaria, reconociendo la importancia de realizar una exploración de ideas previas de los estudiantes. Se realizó el análisis de la información empleando la herramienta ATLAS TI. Una vez identificados los modelos y los obstáculos se diseñó una unidad didáctica que permita mejorar los procesos de enseñanza - aprendizaje del concepto de digestión humana empleando estrategias metacognitivas y de lenguaje que faciliten su desenvolvimiento en la vida cotidiana y facilitar la solución de problemas en diferentes situaciones y contextos.Abstract : In this research the explanatory models frequently the most common obstacles in the teaching process were identified - learning the concept of human digestion, sixth grade students in junior high school, recognizing the importance of a preliminary exploration of student ideas. Information analysis was performed using the ATLAS IT tool. Learning the concept of human digestion and using metacognitive strategies to facilitate language development in your daily life and facilitate problem solving in different situations - Once identified models and obstacles a teaching unit that will improve the teaching was designed and contextsMaestrí