Study of the language profile of young people who leave school early

En el abandono escolar temprano influyen muchos factores, entre ellos, la competencia comunicativa del alumnado. En Melilla2, ciudad con el índice de fracaso escolar más elevado de España, se realizó una investigación cuyo objetivo era definir el perfil personal y lingüístico del joven que abandona sus estudios antes de los 24 años. Se trabajó con una metodología mixta para unir los resultados de una encuesta realizada a estos jóvenes con la información aportada por un grupo de discusión. Los resultados atienden a: características personales, familiares, escolares y capacidades lingüísticas. Como conclusión, este perfil corresponde a una persona bereber, sin género definido, de entre 16 y 17 años, que usa el español y el “tamazight” en su vida diaria, y tiene un bajo rendimiento académico; además, el nivel de estudios y socioeconómico familiar es bajo. Respecto a sus capacidades lingüísticas, su hábito lector es muy escaso y tiene dificultades en comprensión oral.Early school-leaving is influenced by many factors, among which the communicative competence is included. In Melilla, where the rate of school failure is one of the highest in Spain, a research work was carried out to define the personal and language profile of young people who leave school before being 24. A mixed methodology was used to link the results of a survey with the information received from a discussion group. Data and results are arranged in three categories: personal and educational characteristics, family background and language skills. In conclusion, this profile corresponds to a young Berber person, with no defined gender, aged 16 and 17, who uses Spanish and Tamazight in daily life, and a poor academic performance; in addition, the family level of studies and socioeconomic status are low. Regarding the language skills, the reading habit is very limited and has difficulties in oral comprehension

Perfil plurilingüe del alumnado de nuevo ingreso en el Campus de Melilla de la Universidad de Granada

XV Congreso Internacional de la Sociedad Española de Didáctica de la Lengua y la Literatura (SEDLL 2014), celebrado en Valencia, 19-21 de noviembre de 2014.Being competent in foreign languages is evident at university due to student mobility and the transmission of knowledge and research in a multilingual higher education. The Andalusian Council of Universities set the level B1 as a requirement for obtaining a university degree. In Melilla, this requirement is added to the high percentage of linguistic diversity that exists. This investigation describes the plurilingual reality of first-year students, and the socio-linguistic variables that account for results. With 206 subjects, we determine that a clear plurilingual profile exists, although their level in a foreign language is not sufficient to become independent users.Este trabajo forma parte del proyecto de investigación Estudio de la competencia multilingüe del alumnado universitario en el Campus Universitario de Melilla, incluido en el II Contrato-programa de investigación de la Facultad de Educación y Humanidades de Melilla. Plan 20 (2012-2014), financiado por el Vicerrectorado de Política Científica e Investigación de la Universidad de Granada (España)

Leucine-Rich Alpha-2-Glycoprotein as a non-invasive biomarker for pediatric acute appendicitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of this study was to analyze the diagnostic performance of Leucine-Rich Alpha-2-Glycoprotein (LRG1) in pediatric acute appendicitis (PAA). We conducted a systematic review of the literature in the main databases of medical bibliography. Two independent reviewers selected the articles and extracted relevant data. Methodological quality was assessed using the QUADAS2 index. A synthesis of the results, standardization of the metrics and 4 random-effect meta-analyses were performed. Eight studies with data from 712 participants (305 patients with confirmed diagnosis of PAA and 407 controls) were included in this review. The random-effect meta-analysis of serum LRG1 (PAA vs control) resulted in a significant mean difference (95% CI) of 46.76 μg/mL (29.26–64.26). The random-effect meta-analysis for unadjusted urinary LRG1 (PAA vs control) resulted in a significant mean difference (95% CI) of 0.61 μg/mL (0.30–0.93). The random-effect metaanalysis (PAA vs control) for urinary LRG1 adjusted for urinary creatinine resulted in a significant mean difference (95% CI) of 0.89 g/mol (0.11–1.66). Conlusion: Urinary LRG1 emerges as a potential non-invasive biomarker for the diagnosis of PAA. On the other hand, due to the high between-study heterogeneity, the results on serum LRG1 should be interpreted with caution. The only study that analyzed salivary LRG1 showed promising results. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings

The last deglaciation in the Picos de Europa National Park (Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain)

42 páginas, 8 figuras, 4 tablas.-- El PDF del artículo esta en formato pre-print.A sedimentological and geochemical study of the Lago Enol sequence (Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain), together with detailed geomorphological mapping, provides a first record of glacier evolution and climate change over the last 40 ka in the Picos de Europa National Park. The Enol glacier retreated from its maximum extent prior to 40 ka BP as demonstrated by the onset of proglacial lacustrine sedimentation in two glaciated depressions: the Comella hollow to the north (before 40 ka BP) and the Lago Enol (before 38 ka BP). These results support previous evidence that the maximum extent of southern European glaciers occurred earlier than in northern Europe. Alternation of homogeneous and laminated proglacial sediments during the glacier retreat illustrate a dynamic glacial evolution during the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (40–26 ka BP). A slight warming is detected at 26 ka ago with the change from proglacial sediments (in a lake located in contact to the glacier) to glaciolacustrine sedimentation (in a non-contact or distal lake). Finally, the onset of organic-rich sediments took place at 18 ka ago. This last transition occurred in two phases, similarly to the North Atlantic Last Termination, suggesting a link between North Atlantic Deep Water formation oscillations and palaeohydrological variability in the Cantabrian Mountains.This research has been funded through the projects LIMNOCLIBER (REN2003-09130-C02-02), IBERLIMNO (CGL2005-20236-E/CLI), LIMNOCAL (CGL2006-13327-C04-01) and GRACCIE (CSD2007-00067), provided by the Spanish Inter-Ministry Commission of Science and Technology (CICYT). Additional funding was provided by the Spanish National Parks Agency through the project ‘Evolución climática y ambiental del Parque Nacional de Picos de Europa desde el último máximo glaciar – ref: 53/2006’. A. Moreno acknowledges funding from the European Commission's Sixth Framework Program (Marie Curie Outgoing International Fellowships, proposal 021673-IBERABRUPT).Peer reviewe

A bacterial antirepressor with SH3 domain topology mimics operator DNA in sequestering the repressor DNA recognition helix

Direct targeting of critical DNA-binding elements of a repressor by its cognate antirepressor is an effective means to sequester the repressor and remove a transcription initiation block. Structural descriptions for this, though often proposed for bacterial and phage repressor–antirepressor systems, are unavailable. Here, we describe the structural and functional basis of how the Myxococcus xanthus CarS antirepressor recognizes and neutralizes its cognate repressors to turn on a photo-inducible promoter. CarA and CarH repress the carB operon in the dark. CarS, produced in the light, physically interacts with the MerR-type winged-helix DNA-binding domain of these repressors leading to activation of carB. The NMR structure of CarS1, a functional CarS variant, reveals a five-stranded, antiparallel β-sheet fold resembling SH3 domains, protein–protein interaction modules prevalent in eukaryotes but rare in prokaryotes. NMR studies and analysis of site-directed mutants in vivo and in vitro unveil a solvent-exposed hydrophobic pocket lined by acidic residues in CarS, where the CarA DNA recognition helix docks with high affinity in an atypical ligand-recognition mode for SH3 domains. Our findings uncover an unprecedented use of the SH3 domain-like fold for protein–protein recognition whereby an antirepressor mimics operator DNA in sequestering the repressor DNA recognition helix to activate transcription

Coronal voids and their magnetic nature

Context. Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) observations of the quiet solar atmosphere reveal extended regions of weak emission compared to the ambient quiescent corona. The magnetic nature of these coronal features is not well understood.Aims. We study the magnetic properties of the weakly emitting extended regions, which we name coronal voids. In particular, we aim to understand whether these voids result from a reduced heat input into the corona or if they are associated with mainly unipolar and possibly open magnetic fields, similar to coronal holes. Methods. We defined the coronal voids via an intensity threshold of 75% of the mean quiet-Sun (QS) EUV intensity observed by the high- resolution EUV channel (HRIEUV) of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on Solar Orbiter. The line-of-sight magnetograms of the same solar region recorded by the High Resolution Telescope of the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager allowed us to compare the photospheric magnetic field beneath the coronal voids with that in other parts of the QS.Results. The coronal voids studied here range in size from a few granules to a few supergranules and on average exhibit a reduced intensity of 67% of the mean value of the entire field of view. The magnetic flux density in the photosphere below the voids is 76% (or more) lower than in the surrounding QS. Specifically, the coronal voids show much weaker or no network structures. The detected flux imbalances fall in the range of imbalances found in QS areas of the same size. Conclusions. We conclude that coronal voids form because of locally reduced heating of the corona due to reduced magnetic flux density in the photosphere. This makes them a distinct class of (dark) structure, different from coronal holes

EDUCORE project: a clinical trial, randomised by clusters, to assess the effect of a visual learning method on blood pressure control in the primary healthcare setting

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>High blood pressure (HBP) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). European hypertension and cardiology societies as well as expert committees on CVD prevention recommend stratifying cardiovascular risk using the SCORE method, the modification of lifestyles to prevent CVD, and achieving good control over risk factors. The EDUCORE (Education and Coronary Risk Evaluation) project aims to determine whether the use of a cardiovascular risk visual learning method - the EDUCORE method - is more effective than normal clinical practice in improving the control of blood pressure within one year in patients with poorly controlled hypertension but no background of CVD;</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This work describes a protocol for a clinical trial, randomised by clusters and involving 22 primary healthcare clinics, to test the effectiveness of the EDUCORE method. The number of patients required was 736, all between 40 and 65 years of age (n = 368 in the EDUCORE and control groups), all of whom had been diagnosed with HBP at least one year ago, and all of whom had poorly controlled hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic ≥ 90 mmHg). All personnel taking part were explained the trial and trained in its methodology. The EDUCORE method contemplates the visualisation of low risk SCORE scores using images embodying different stages of a high risk action, plus the receipt of a pamphlet explaining how to better maintain cardiac health. The main outcome variable was the control of blood pressure; secondary outcome variables included the SCORE score, therapeutic compliance, quality of life, and total cholesterol level. All outcome variables were measured at the beginning of the experimental period and again at 6 and 12 months. Information on sex, age, educational level, physical activity, body mass index, consumption of medications, change of treatment and blood analysis results was also recorded;</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The EDUCORE method could provide a simple, inexpensive means of improving blood pressure control, and perhaps other health problems, in the primary healthcare setting;</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01155973 [<url>http://ClinicalTrials.gov</url>].</p

Drosophila evolution over space and time (DEST):A new population genomics resource

Drosophila melanogaster is a leading model in population genetics and genomics, and a growing number of whole-genome datasets from natural populations of this species have been published over the last years. A major challenge is the integration of disparate datasets, often generated using different sequencing technologies and bioinformatic pipelines, which hampers our ability to address questions about the evolution of this species. Here we address these issues by developing a bioinformatics pipeline that maps pooled sequencing (Pool-Seq) reads from D. melanogaster to a hologenome consisting of fly and symbiont genomes and estimates allele frequencies using either a heuristic (PoolSNP) or a probabilistic variant caller (SNAPE-pooled). We use this pipeline to generate the largest data repository of genomic data available for D. melanogaster to date, encompassing 271 previously published and unpublished population samples from over 100 locations in > 20 countries on four continents. Several of these locations have been sampled at different seasons across multiple years. This dataset, which we call Drosophila Evolution over Space and Time (DEST), is coupled with sampling and environmental meta-data. A web-based genome browser and web portal provide easy access to the SNP dataset. We further provide guidelines on how to use Pool-Seq data for model-based demographic inference. Our aim is to provide this scalable platform as a community resource which can be easily extended via future efforts for an even more extensive cosmopolitan dataset. Our resource will enable population geneticists to analyze spatio-temporal genetic patterns and evolutionary dynamics of D. melanogaster populations in unprecedented detail.DrosEU is funded by a Special Topic Networks (STN) grant from the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB). MK (M. Kapun) was supported by the Austrian Science Foundation (grant no. FWF P32275); JG by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (H2020-ERC-2014-CoG-647900) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (BFU-2011-24397); TF by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF grants PP00P3_133641, PP00P3_165836, and 31003A_182262) and a Mercator Fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG), held as a EvoPAD Visiting Professor at the Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster; AOB by the National Institutes of Health (R35 GM119686); MK (M. Kankare) by Academy of Finland grant 322980; VL by Danish Natural Science Research Council (FNU) grant 4002-00113B; FS Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) grant STA1154/4-1, Project 408908608; JP by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Projects 274388701 and 347368302; AU by FPI fellowship (BES-2012-052999); ET Israel Science Foundation (ISF) grant 1737/17; MSV, MSR and MJ by a grant from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (451-03-68/2020-14/200178); AP, KE and MT by a grant from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (451-03-68/2020-14/200007); and TM NSERC grant RGPIN-2018-05551.Peer reviewe