Desarrollo de membranas híbridas dieléctricas de tipo Nafión con óxidos de zirconio, hafnio y lantano

En el presente trabajo se realizó la síntesis de membranas híbridas tipo Nafion/(MxOy)n donde M=Zr, Hf o La y n=1wt%. Las membranas fueron preparadas mediante el proceso Sol-Gel. Tres nuevas membranas fueron obtenidas con espesores de 61, 67 y 300 μm respectivamente. Cada membrana fue caracterizada mediante espectroscopia infrarroja, análisis termogravimétrico y microscoía electrónica de barrido. Obteniendo que las membranas híbridas presentan mayor resistencia térmica que el polimero por si solo adquiriendo 40ºC más, lo que da como resultado una temperatura de trabajo de 120ºC, además en los espectros de infrarrojo se evidencia la presencia del efecto del material inorgánico sobre el incremento en el carácter autohumidificante de la membrana híbrida, finalmente la microscopía electrónica de barrido nos permite identificar la obtención de la membrana híbrida mediante las micrografías así como el espesor de las mismas

Collaborative lifelong learning and professional transfer. Case study: ECO European Project

This research reviews the formative model of the sMOOCs (social MOOC) characterized by the interaction and the implication of the participants who, relying on collective intelligence, look for the co-creation of knowledge in every educational action. The fieldwork focuses on the analysis of the “Step by Step” sMOOC of ECO Project (the second and third editions), that aims at the training of e-teachers and the transfer of learning to the professional field. The research methodology is mixed, with quantitative and qualitative techniques: it uses a semi-structured questionnaire, in order to compare possible bivariate correlations between the different variables; it conducts a content analysis of the fragments of messages written by the participants in the forums of the course. One of the most significant conclusions is the high degree of satisfaction of the participants with regard to the value of the course for their professional life. This form of transfer of the learning process leads to the proposal of a new modality for MOOCs, the tMOOC as “transferMOOC”

La producción del discurso escrito en redes sociales respecto a las desapariciones de personas y consiguientes juicios paralelos. Caso de Gabriel Cruz (España) en Twitter y Facebook

Este artículo tiene como objetivo llevar a cabo un análisis de la realidad representada en la construcción del discurso, a partir de un caso de estudio cualitativo netnográfico que conjunta una doble vertiente: la desaparición de un menor que terminó en tragedia y la presunta culpabilidad de una inmigrante de raza negra en un asesinato que tuvo gran repercusión mediática. Para ello, en este análisis y categorización del discurso escrito de los actantes, tratamos de dilucidar los diferentes rasgos, intencionalidad y tratamiento del mismo en los sitios oficiales de Twitter y Facebook de cuatro medios de comunicación españoles @telecincoes, @LaSextaNoticias, @noticias-cuatro y @A3Noticias, mediante el estudio de sus diferencias. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto cómo el discurso en redes sociales tiene mayor proyección si está basado en la xenofobia, presentándose como `juicio paralelo´ normalizado ante determinados hechos sociales, planteamiento que es potenciado por los propios medios de comunicación. The aim of this article is to account for the analysis of the reality represented in the construction of discourse, from a case of a qualitative etnographic study which blends into a double aspect: the disappearance of a minor which ended in tragedy and the supposed guilt of an immigrant belonging to the black race in a murder which had a wide spread media impact. Thus, in this discourse analysis and categorization analysis of the actants, we will try to clarify the different features, components and treatment in the official sites of Twitter and Facebook of four Spanish mass media: @telecincoes, @laSextaNoticias, @NoticiasCuatro and @A3Noticias. The results bring to light how discourse in social networks has a much wider projection if it is based on aporophobia, revealing itself as a ''parallel trial'' normalized before certain social events, approach which is boosted by mass media itself

Implementation and Performance of the tau trigger in the ATLAS experiment

Triggering on hadronic taus at the LHC is a difficult task due to the high rate and occupancy of the events. On the other hand, the tau trigger increases the discovery potential of ATLAS in many physics channels, among others the Standard Model or SuperSymmetric Higgs (charged or neutrals) production. In order to cope with the rate and optimize the efficiency on important physics channels, the results of the current simulation studies indicate that the ATLAS tau trigger should be used either with relatively high transverse momentum thresholds alone, or with more relaxed threshold requirements in combination with other triggers, like the missing transverse energy trigger or a leptonic or jet trigger. In this contribution we describe the ATLAS tau trigger, and we present some of the current results from the simulation studies, focusing both on early physics and on physics at high luminosity

Upper airway and systemic inflammation in obstructive sleep apnoea

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with pharyngeal inflammation, but the coexistence of systemic inflammation is controversial. This study investigated whether local and systemic inflammatory biomarkers are related in patients with OSA. An uncontrolled extension to the study assessed the response to effective treatment. We recruited 89 patients with OSA (apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI) =5 events · h-1), 28 snorers and 26 healthy controls. Pharyngeal lavage (PHAL) and plasma samples were collected at baseline and after a 1-year follow-up. Inflammatory cells were evaluated by flow cytometry; interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and tumour necrosis factor-a were evaluated by immunoassay. In PHAL, CD4+ T-cells, IL-6 and IL-8 were higher in OSA patients than in snorers or healthy controls ( p<0.05). The AHI correlated with CD4+, IL-6 and IL-8 in PHAL (all p-values <0.05). There were no differences in the inflammatory biomarkers in plasma between the study groups and no relationship between plasma and PHAL biomarkers. Biomarkers decreased significantly in PHAL but not in plasma after 1 year of therapy with continuous positive airway pressure or surgery. In patients with OSA, increased levels of inflammatory biomarkers were found in PHAL, which were reduced with effective treatment. No simultaneous increase in plasma inflammatory biomarkers was found. Copyrigh

Values and Intercultural Experiences Through Picture Books

The authors searched for picture books that are useful for intercultural education and for discovering students’ perceptions about the values and intercultural experiences conveyed through the books. To do so, the authors selected two books by following established criteria and analyzed students’ responses through semistructured interviews. The data were obtained after reading the books aloud to 30 fifth-grade students in a school located in the south of Spain and reflecting on the books’ contents. As a main conclusion, the authors found that students’ answers revealed the presence of some positive values, such as helpfulness, friendship, and empathy, through questions about the experiences of characters in the books. Thus, prejudices were dismantled and positive intercultural experiences in school were fostered

Bioengineered 3D models of human pancreatic cancer recapitulate in vivo tumour biology

Patient-derived in vivo models of human cancer have become a reality, yet their turnaround time is inadequate for clinical applications. Therefore, tailored ex vivo models that faithfully recapitulate in vivo tumour biology are urgently needed. These may especially benefit the management of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), where therapy failure has been ascribed to its high cancer stem cell (CSC) content and high density of stromal cells and extracellular matrix (ECM). To date, these features are only partially reproduced ex vivo using organoid and sphere cultures. We have now developed a more comprehensive and highly tuneable ex vivo model of PDAC based on the 3D co-assembly of peptide amphiphiles (PAs) with custom ECM components (PA-ECM). These cultures maintain patient-specific transcriptional profiles and exhibit CSC functionality, including strong in vivo tumourigenicity. User-defined modification of the system enables control over niche-dependent phenotypes such as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and matrix deposition. Indeed, proteomic analysis of these cultures reveals improved matrisome recapitulation compared to organoids. Most importantly, patient-specific in vivo drug responses are better reproduced in self-assembled cultures than in other models. These findings support the use of tuneable self-assembling platforms in cancer research and pave the way for future precision medicine approaches