Microplásticos en mejillones silvestres (Mytilus spp.) de la costa del norte de España

Microplastic content (MPs) in mussels (Mytilus spp.) from two areas of the north coast of Spain was measured for the first time. Additionally, a comparison of microplastic levels observed in mussels digested with nitric acid and with potassium hydroxide was carried out. The average microplastic concentration in mussels digested with nitric acid was significantly lower than that observed in mussels digested with potassium hydroxide (p < 0.05). The average concentration of microplastics in mussels from the Cantabrian Sea (2.55±2.80 MPs g–1 WW) was slightly higher than that in mussels from the Ria of Vigo (1.59±1.28 MPs g–1 WW). Both in the Ria of Vigo and in the Cantabrian Sea the observed pattern of pollution was fitted to the one expected. Consequently, mussels have been confirmed as suitable sentinel organisms for microplastic pollution.Se midió por primera vez el contenido en microplásticos (MPs) presente en mejillones (Mytilus spp.) procedentes de dos áreas de la costa del norte de España. Además, se llevó a cabo una comparación de los niveles de microplásticos observados en mejillones digeridos con ácido nítrico y con hidróxido de potasio. La concentración promedio de microplásticos que se observó en los mejillones digeridos con ácido nítrico fue significativamente inferior a la observada en los mejillones digeridos con hidróxido de potasio (

Proteins influencing foam formation in wine and beer: the role of yeast

This review focuses on the role of proteins in the production and maintenance of foam in both sparkling winesand beer. The quality of the foam in beer but especially in sparkling wines depends, among other factors, on the presence ofmannoproteins released from the yeast cell walls during autolysis. These proteins are hydrophobic, highly glycosylated, andtheir molecular masses range from 10 to 200 kDa- characteristics that allow mannoproteins to surround and thus stabilizethe gas bubbles of the foam. Both the production and stabilization of foam also depend on other proteins. In wine, theseinclude grape-derived proteins such as vacuolar invertase; in beer, barley-derived proteins, such as LTP1, protein Z, andhordein-derived polypeptides, are even more important in this respect than mannoproteins

Implementation of the CEFR in the rubrics of two main English Certificates: Cambridge FCE and Trinity ISE-II. Implementación del MCER en las rúbricas de dos principales certificados de inglés: Cambridge FCE y Trinity ISE-II

The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) was developed by the European Council with the intention of providing a comprehensive basis for the creation language syllabi and curriculum guidelines, together with the design of teaching materials, language certificates and instruments of assessment. The CEFR has been implemented in Spain through different education laws and has prompted the introduction of the communicative approach and the use of new instruments of assessment such as rubrics. Nonetheless, almost twenty years after the CEFR was passed, not many pieces of research have been conducted on how the Framework has been implemented. It is from this line where the current research stems as it intends to check how the CEFR has been adapted in the rubrics used for the assessment of the writing skill in two main English Certificates: the Cambridge Assessment English FCE and the Trinity College ISE-II. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia (MCER) se desarrolló con el objetivo de promover una base común para la creación de currículos educativos y servir como guía en la elaboración de materiales didácticos, exámenes de certificación e instrumentos de evaluación. El MCER se ha implantado en España a través de diferentes leyes educativos y ha propiciado la introducción del enfoque comunicativo o nuevos instrumentos de evaluación como rúbricas. Sin embargo, casi veinte años después de la probación del marco, pocos son los estudios que han revisado de qué manera se ha adaptado el marco. Es aquí donde la presente investigación se sitúa, con el objetivo de comprobar cómo se ha implementado el MCER en las rúbricas para examinar la destreza escrita de dos de los principales certificados de inglés: el Cambridge Assessment English FCE y el Trinity College ISE-II &nbsp; &nbsp;The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) was developed by the European Council with the intention of providing a comprehensive basis for the creation language syllabi and curriculum guidelines, together with the design of teaching materials, language certificates and instruments of assessment. The CEFR has been implemented in Spain through different education laws and has prompted the introduction of the communicative approach and the use of new instruments of assessment such as rubrics. Nonetheless, almost twenty years after the CEFR was passed, not many researches have been conducted on how the Framework has been implemented. It is from this line where the current research stems as it intends to check how the CEFR has been adapted in the rubrics used for the assessment of the writing skill in two main English Certificates: the Cambridge Assessment English FCE and the Trinity College ISE-II. El Marco Común Europeo de Referencia (MCER) se desarrolló con el objetivo de promover una base común para la creación de currículos educativos y servir como guía en la elaboración de materiales didácticos, exámenes de certificación e instrumentos de evaluación. El MCER se ha implantado en España a través de diferentes leyes educativas y ha propiciado la introducción del enfoque comunicativo o nuevos instrumentos de evaluación como rúbricas. Sin embargo, casi veinte años después de la aprobación del marco, pocos son los estudios que han revisado de qué manera se ha adaptado el marco. Es aquí donde la presente investigación se sitúa, con el objetivo de comprobar cómo se ha implementado el MCER en las rúbricas para examinar la destreza escrita de dos de los principales certificados de inglés: el Cambridge Assessment English FCE y el Trinity College ISE-II

Adaptation of speaking rubrics to the CEFR: Trinity College and Spain’s Official School of Languages

Uno de los principalesobjetivos del Marco Común Europeo de Referencia (MCER) es el de servir como base para la elaboración de materiales didácticos, exámenes de certificación, instrumentos de evaluación y currículos. Casi veinte años después de su aprobación, el Marco ha promovido el enfoque comunicativo y ha unificado los niveles de dominio de lenguas a nivel europeo. La intención del presente estudio es la de comprobar cómo se han adaptado las rúbricas de evaluación de la destreza oral en los exámenes del Trinity College y dela Escuela de Idiomas para comprobar si siguen los parámetros establecidos por el Marco.The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) intends to work as a basis for the creation of didactic materials, language certification, instruments of assessment, and curriculums. Almost twenty years after the Framework was passed, the communicative approach has been promoted and the levels of language proficiency have been unified in Europe. This research aims at checking the adaptation of the speaking rubrics of two English Official Certificates: Trinity College and Spain’s Official School of Languages in order to determine whether they follow the Framework’s guidelines

Control of the distribution of persistent organic pollutants in the Gulf of Biscay and Galicia: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are produced as a result of fires or combustion processes and are also natural components of coal and oil. Due to their persistence, potential to bioaccumulate and toxicity, the analysis of PAHs in sediment and shellfish is required for the MSFD and Regional Sea Conventions; including, at least, the determination of the concentrations of phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[g,h,i]perylene and indeno[123-c,d]pyrene. In order to control the level of PAHs in the Iberian Northern platform, a sampling campaign (from the Portugal border to the border with France) was performed in which 69 marine surficial sediment samples were collected in 2016. Organic carbon and particle size analysis were performed to complete the sediments characterization and facilitate data interpretation. The PAH analysis included a first step of PLE Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE), followed by a cleaning up of the extract and the quantification of 35 parent and alkylated PAHs was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The obtained results revealed a higher presence of PAHs in the Eastern stations. In the absence of other sediment quality guidelines (SQG) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in sediment were assessed against Effects Range-Low values, developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to assess the ecological significance of PAH concentrations in sediment. The determined concentrations indicated a presence of some stations with concentrations that exceeded the respective ERL indicating the possible biological toxicity of some sediments

A new disruption vector (pDHO) to obtain heterothallic strains from both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces pastorianus

Yeasts are responsible for several traits in fermented beverages, including wine and beer, and their genetic manipulation is often necessary to improve the quality of the fermentation product. Improvement of wild-type strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces pastorianus is difficult due to their homothallic character and variable ploidy level. Homothallism is determined by the HO gene in S. cerevisiae and the Sc-HO gene in S. pastorianus. In this work, we describe the construction of an HO disruption vector (pDHO) containing an HO disruption cassette and discuss its use in generating heterothallic yeast strains from homothallic Saccharomyces species

Presence of banned chlorinated pollutants in sediments of the Northern Iberian Coast

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are industrial chemical compounds that were banned in the mid-1970s owing to concerns about their toxicity, persistence and potential to bioaccumulate in the environment. However, despite European and global action, releases continue through diffuse emissions to air and water and PCBs concentrations are still detected in environmental matrices. In the framework of the Regional Sea Conventions such as OSPAR or Barcelona Convention, it is proposed to monitor the concentrations of pollutants that include, at least, the following PCBs: CB 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153 and 180. A control of the described PCBs presence was performed in a set of more than 70 surficial marine sediment samples distributed in the Gulf of Biscay/Atlantic coastal area. The analysis includes an accelerated solvent extraction step (ASE) followed by detection in a gas chromatography coupled to ECD detector. The analysis was under QA/QC to guarantee the quality of the results. The results indicate a detectable presence of PCBs pointing out higher concentration in eastern stations. Background Assessment Concentration (BACs) and Environmental Assessment Criteria (EAC) are assessment criteria that in place for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediment and they were used to evaluate the concentrations found. Most of the sediments have concentrations close to or even smaller than the BACs but in some specific sediments the concentration of some of the PCBs exceeds the EAC indicating possible toxic effects

Action research in the communicative language classroom: using alternative assessment techniques with efl secondary-school students

The Council of Europe, through the Common European Framework of Reference for Language, Teaching and Assessment (CEFRL), has been promoting communicative competence since 2001. This boost has introduced some changes in the teaching-learning process of English as a Foreign Language is Spain: the methodological use of the communicative approach in the classrooms, the practice of the four skills in the class, and the theoretical implications that Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences theory has in the planning and design of classroom activities. But, in spite of that, academic results are still not very remarkable and the rates of academic failure are not decreasing since English is still a challenging subject for many Secondary School students. In addition, test evaluation is still the predominant assessment method in most of the schools. The current case study intends to provide the educational community with some results obtained from the implementation of some alternative assessment and evaluation methods in an actual high-school in Spain.El Consejo de Europa, a través del Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las Lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza y Evaluación (MCER), impulsa desde 2001 la competencia comunicativa. Dicho impulso ha introducido cambios en el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje dentro del aula de inglés como lengua extranjera: el uso metodológico del enfoque comunicativo, la práctica de las cuatro destrezas y las implicaciones que la teoría de las Inteligencias Múltiples de Gardner ha tenido en la planificación y diseño de actividades. Sin embargo, a pesar de ello, no se han producido resultados académicos significativos y los índices de fracaso no se han reducido, dado que el inglés sigue siendo una materia complicada para gran parte del alumnado de Educación Secundaria. Asimismo, la evaluación de pruebas sigue siendo el método de evaluación predominante en la mayoría de las escuelas. El presente estudio de caso pretende compartir los resultados obtenidos con la puesta en práctica en un instituto de España de varios métodos de evaluación alternativos con la comunidad educativa