Dimitrinka G. N\uedkileva (ed.), Necesidades y tendencias en la formaci\uf3n del profesorado de espa\uf1ol como lengua extranjera

El volumen editado por Dimitrinka G. N\uedkileva se inscribe en el \ue1mbito investigativo de la formaci\uf3n del profesorado de ELE abarcando temas tanto ling\ufc\uedsticos como metodol\uf3gicos: la formaci\uf3n did\ue1ctica, la formaci\uf3n continua, la evaluaci\uf3n y el aprendizaje, que se funden en un an\ue1lisis del asunto principal, cuyo hilo conductor es la voluntad de contribuir a la uni\uf3n de la did\ue1ctica y las disciplinas ling\ufc\uedsticas

El desarrollo de la competencia léxica de estudiantes italianos universitarios de ELE

Este estudio se inscribe en el ámbito de la didáctica de ELE presentando un proyecto sobre aprendices italianos en contexto universitario, encajado en una más amplia investigación que examina diferentes aspectos del aprendizaje del vocabulario español por parte de estudiantes no nativos. Tras la exposición del marco teórico y de la metodología de la investigación, se comentan los resultados de un test de medición de la competencia léxica sometido a dos grupos de alumnos, correspondientes a los niveles B1 y B2 del MCER, lo cual permitirá conocer si existe una evolución del conocimiento de un nivel a otro y establecer cuál es el caudal léxico que se aprende. Efectivamente, para obtener una visión lo más completa posible se observará el desarrollo de los conocimientos mediante el análisis de la disponibilidad léxica (Carcedo, 2000; Samper Hernández, 2002) y la medición de la riqueza léxica (Guiraud, 1954 y 1960; López Morales, 1983 y 1984)

WNT signalling in joint repair and homeostasis

PhDDisruption of the Wnt canonical signalling leads to the development of osteoarthritis both in human and in mice but the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Both forced activation and blockade of Wnt/β catenin signalling lead to cartilage breakdown. This study attempts to unravel the mechanisms leading to such paradox and is based on the hypothesis that WNT-3A triggers multiple signalling pathways simultaneously, with distinct outcomes. WNT-3A-stimulation induced activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway in articular chondrocytes and promoted proliferation and loss of chondrocytes phenotype markers, such as COL2A1, Aggrecan and SOX9 mRNA. However, whereas the inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by DKK1 rescued the proliferative effect of WNT-3A, it did not rescue the loss of chondrocyte phenotype but, paradoxically, it further enhanced it. Therefore I tested the possibility that WNT-3A-induced chondrocyte de-differentiation could be mediated by other WNT pathways independent of β-catenin. Indeed, in AHAC WNT-3A induced intracellular calcium mobilization and phosphorylation and nuclear localization of CaMKII in a G-protein dependent manner, suggesting the activation of the Wnt/CaMKII pathway. Inhibition of the Wnt/CaMKII pathway rescued the loss of the phenotypic markers SOX9 and COL2A1 induced by WNT-3A, indicating that this pathway drives WNT-3A-induced chondrocyte de-differentiation. Finally, my data show that the Wnt/β-catenin and the Wnt/CaMKII pathways are mutually inhibitory, explaining why both exogenous WNT-3A and its inhibitor DKK1 lead to chondrocyte de-differentiation: the first through direct activation of CaMKII, and the second indirectly by removal of the inhibition of CaMKII exerted by the β-catenin pathway. My results show for the first time that a single WNT ligand can simultaneously activate at least two different pathways in the same cells with different outcomes. These findings highlight the possibility to therapeutically target individual outcomes of Wnt signalling, for instance to prevent chondrocyte de-differentiation without affecting crucial anabolic processes such as cell proliferation

Gamma Radiation Effect on Allergenic Food

Food allergens are substances that cause an overreaction of the individual immune system of who consumes it. The importance of food allergy in the nutritional present context is increasing, and dietary habits and nutrient availability have rapidly transformed in function of access to consumers. There is no specific treatment for food allergies. It is necessary to stop eating the food. Studies with the use of nuclear radiation to minimize these effects have been performed. The absorption of electromagnetic radiation by the biological tissues that constitute the food produces a function of electronic excitability of the constituent molecules. An example of this reaction is with proteins leading to deamination, breaking peptides, aromatic residues formation, and so on. The extent of these reactions depends on the food conditions and substances that are contained in

Texture analysis as a tool to study the kinetics of wet agglomeration processes

In this work wet granulation experiments were carried out in a planetary mixer with the aim to develop a novel analytical tool based on surface texture analysis. The evolution of a simple formulation (300 g of microcrystalline cellulose with a solid binders pre-dispersed in water) was monitored from the very beginning up to the end point and information on the kinetics of granulation as well as on the effect of liquid binder amount were collected. Agreement between texture analysis and granules particle size distribution obtained by sieving analysis was always found. The method proved to be robust enough to easily monitor the process and its use for more refined analyses on the different rate processes occurring during granulation is also suggested

Socially skillful children: How much influence do positive emotions and empathy have?

El análisis de los factores que propician el desarrollo de habilidades sociales en la niñez constituye un reto de gran relevancia para la psicología actual. El objetivo del estudio realizado fue analizar si la empatía y la experiencia de emociones positivas impactan significativamente sobre la ejecución de habilidades sociales en la niñez media, y en qué medida lo hace cada una. Se seleccionó una muestra no aleatoria de 406 niños (227 niñas y 179 varones), comprendidos mayor mente entre los 10 y 12 años de edad, quienes completaron los siguientes instrumentos, previo consentimiento de sus padres: (a) la Subescala de Habilidades Sociales Adecuadas (Matson, Rotatori & Helsel, 1983), validada a la Argentina por Schulz (2008), (b) la Escala Multidimensional de Empatía para niños argentinos (Richaud de Minzi, Lemos & Oros, 2013) y (c) el Cuestionario Infantil de Emociones Positivas (Oros, 2014). Para analizar la acción conjunta de las emociones positivas y la empatía sobre las habilidades sociales apropiadas, se ejecutó un ANOVA factorial con un diseño 3 (alta, moderada y baja emocionalidad positiva) x 3 (alta, moderada y baja empatía). La variable dependiente estuvo constituida por los valores brutos de la Subescala de Habilidades Sociales Adecuadas. Los resultados indicaron que las emociones positivas y la empatía facilitan el despliegue de conductas socialmente habilidosas, siendo mayor el impacto de las emociones positivas en comparación a la empatía. Es tos resultados son importantes a la hora de comprender la dinámica de los procesos implicados y de diseñar programas de intervención para promover habilidades sociales en la niñez.The implementation of social skills, such as maintaining eye contact with another person during a conversation, giving and receiving compliments, helping others, sharing something, giving thanks, asking for permission, apologizing, asking for favors, etc. enables the suitable expression of feelings, desires or opinions, promotes successful management of criticism, and minimizes the probability of interpersonal conflict, allowing people to relate to others in an effective and mutually satisfactory way. As social skills are learned and have radical consequences on the social-emotional health of children and adolescents, psychological research has devoted considerable effort to study what factors may facilitate their development and consolidation, as well as other dimensions of social competence such as assertiveness and prosociality. Reviewing the available literature, it can be seen that empathy has been one of the most largely studied personal precursor in relation to child and adolescent social functioning. Empirical research has shown that this variable acts as a strong motivator of prosocial behavior, social responsibility, cooperative conflict resolution, altruistic behavior and general help; while it negatively correlates with social inadequacy, antisocial behavior, aggression and isolation of children and adolescents. Probably for this reason, it is argued that empathy can also be the basis for the establishment of the social skills, and a requirement to properly master these interaction skills. However, although there exists ample evidence of the relationship between empathy and some negative aspects of social skills, such as aggression, there are very few studies that have specifically explored the dynamics between empathy and appropriate social skills. On the other hand, although the predominance of empathy on social functioning is undeniable and its study has been favored by many researchers, some evidence suggets that positive emotions may have a similar powerful influence on the development of certain skills and social skills. Specifically, in the stages of childhood and adolescence, it has been found that joy and sympathy prevent peer rejection; that sympathy and serenity ease assertive and prosocial responses, while decreasing aggressive behaviors; that gratitude is also negatively related to aggression, and that together with personal satisfaction and serenity, it predicts a successful management of interpersonal conflicts. However, while the motivational role of empathy has been widely discussed, the influence of positive emotions on social skills, and specifically on the social skills has not yet reached the attention it deserves. The aim of this study was to include both variables in a model of analysis of variance to investigate the statistical weight that each of them has, and their possible interaction on the appropriate social skills in childhood. A empirical comparative and cross study was developed. This work included 406 Argentine children (227 females and 179 males), mainly between the ages of 10 and 12 years old (M = 11.11; DE = 1.04), who completed the Appropriate Social Skills Subscale of The Matson Evaluation of Social Skills of Youngsters (MESSY) of Matson, Rotatori and Helsel (1983), adapted in Argentinean population by Schulz (2008); The Multidimensional Scale of Empathy for Argentine children, developed by Richaud de Minzi, Lemos & Oros (2013); and the Child Questionnaire of positive emotions, created by Oros (2014). To analyze the joint action of positive emotions and empathy on the appropriate social skills, 3 (high, moderate and low positive emotionality) x 3 (high, moderate and low empathy) Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) factorial designs were used. The results indicated that positive emotions and empathy facilitate the performance of socially skilled behaviors, being greater the impact of positive emotions compared to empathy. These results are important in understanding the dynamics of the processes involved, and for the further design of intervention programs to promote social skills in childhood.Fil: Oros, Laura Beatriz. Universidad de la Cuenca del Plata. Secretaria de Politicas del Conocimiento. Instituto de Investigaciones Cientificas (sede Posadas); Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Fontana Nalesso, Andrea. Instituto Superior Adventista de Misiones; Argentin

Gamma Rays’ Effect on Food Allergen Protein

Many foods cause different kinds of allergies for so many people due to health problems. Recently, gamma rays have been used to minimize this problem by altering the protein allergen structure. The aim of this study is to represent the use of the gamma rays in allergen food treatment and to show what happened to food structures. It can be concluded that the use of the technique of irradiation by gamma rays may be an efficient solution for allergic foods

Status of the population structure of the mangrove crab Ucides cordatus (Decapoda: Ocypodidae) on the Piraquê-açu River estuary, Espírito Santo, Brazil

The land crab Ucides cordatus is a keystone species of neotropical mangrove forests and an important resource of the artisanal fisheries. The spatial and temporal distribution of U. cordatus in the mangrove area of the Piraquê-açu river estuary was determined following a longitudinal estuarine salinity gradient (lower, middle, upper estuary) and along the vertical intertidal gradient. The numbers of open and closed burrows were counted monthly on fixed transects, the inhabiting crabs were caught, sexed and the carapace width measured, during 1 year. The mean crab density was 2.5 ind.m-². The highest crab density (3.9 ind.m-²), linked to high numbers of juvenile crabs, was found on the upper estuary and correlated with lower salinities. High intertidal levels had higher crab densities than lower intertidal levels, except in the upper estuary. Males were smaller than females; the mean carapace width of the population was 4.89 cm, below the minimum legal harvesting size (6 cm). The predominance of females over males at some sites (especially close to villages) brought out the advanced level of overfishing of this U. cordatus population and highlights the urgent need of management actions.O caranguejo Ucides cordatus é uma espécie chave nos manguezais da região neotropical e um importante recurso pesqueiro para populações tradicionais. A distribuição espacial e temporal de U. cordatus no manguezal do Rio Piraquê-açu foi estudada ao longo de um gradiente de salinidade, no estuário inferior, médio e superior na faixa entre-marés. Mensalmente durante um ano. O número de tocas abertas e fechadas ao longo de transectos fixos, foi contado mensalmente, ao longo de um ano, e os caranguejos capturados foram sexados e medidos quanto à largura da carapaça, sendo posteriormente liberados. A densidade média de caranguejos foi de 2,5 ind.m-². A maior densidade (3,9 ind.m-²), juntamente com o maior número de jovens, foi encontrada na parte superior do estuário, correlacionada com baixas salinidades. Nos níveis mais altos de maré a densidade de caranguejos sempre foi alta, exceto na região superior do estuário. Os machos foram menores do que as fêmeas; o tamanho médio da carapaça da população total foi de 4,89 cm, abaixo do tamanho legal permitido para captura (6 cm). A predominância de fêmeas sobre machos em alguns pontos, principalmente próximos às vilas, revela o avançado nível de sobreexplotação da população de U. cordatus, evidenciando a necessidade urgente de ações fiscalizadoras

Culture expansion in low-glucose conditions preserves chondrocyte differentiation and enhances their subsequent capacity to form cartilage tissue in three-dimensional culture.

Culture conditions that preserve a stable chondrocyte phenotype are desirable in cell-based cartilage repair to maximize efficacy and clinical outcome. This study investigates whether low-glucose conditions will preserve the chondrocyte phenotype during culture expansion. Articular chondrocytes were culture-expanded in media supplemented with either low (1 mM) or high (10 mM) glucose. The metabolic phenotype, reactive oxygen species generation, and mRNA expression of markers of differentiation or catabolism were assessed by reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction after four population doublings (PDs) and subsequent tissue formation capacity determined using pellet cultures. Continuous monolayer culture was used to determine the population doubling limit. After expansion in monolayer for four PDs, chondrocytes expanded in low-glucose conditions exhibited higher expression of the differentiation markers SOX9 and COL2A1 and reduced expression of the catabolic metalloproteinase matrix metallopeptidase 13. When chondrocytes expanded in low glucose were cultured in micropellets, they consistently generated more cartilaginous extracellular matrix than those expanded in high glucose, as evaluated by wet weight, sulfated glycosaminoglycan content, and hydroxyproline assay for collagen content. The same pattern was observed whether high or low glucose was used during the pellet culture. During expansion, chondrocytes in high-glucose generated 50% more reactive oxygen species than low-glucose conditions, despite a lower dependence on oxidative phosphorylation for energy. Furthermore low-glucose cells exhibited >30% increased population doubling limit. These data suggests that low-glucose expansion conditions better preserve the expression of differentiation markers by chondrocytes and enhance their subsequent capacity to form cartilage in vitro. Therefore, low glucose levels should be considered for the expansion of chondrocytes intended for tissue engineering applications.This study was funded by the Medical Research Council/Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) discipline bridging initiative grant PPA026, EPSRC Platform Grant EP/E046975/1; Human Frontier Science Program Grant RGP0025/2009-C and Arthritis Research U.K. grants 19654 and 19344

Disponibilidad léxica terminológica en ELE: una propuesta de análisis

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo conocer el léxico disponible especializado en el sector “comercio y marketing” que posee una muestra de aprendices italianos de español como lengua extranjera de nivel preuniversitario. Nos situamos en el tradicional marco de los estudios sobre el aprendizaje de ELE finalizados al análisis del léxico disponible de aprendices no nativos e introducimos, al mismo tiempo, la novedad de tener en cuenta el vocabulario técnico de la muestra fijándonos en la característica peculiar de las lenguas de especialidad: el repertorio terminológico que permite llevar a cabo la comunicación especializada, profesional o científica. El análisis de los datos se ha realizado a través de la disponibilidad léxica, metodología lexicoestadística que contabiliza diferentes índices para analizar el léxico disponible. Presentamos además un cotejo entre los resultados obtenidos y el bagaje léxico del “español común” aprendido por el grupo de encuestados