PAPCIM: programa d'acompanyament professional del centre CIM adreçat a estudiants de la UPC

Donada la importànci que estant donant les empreses al fet que els candidats a incorporar-se a les seves plantilles hagin realitzat pràctiques per completar la formació universitària, els recents titulats han de compaginar els últims anys d’estudi amb estades pràctiques a empreses i/o institucions que els donin la oportunitat de participar en proyectes reals i en proyectes de recerca i investigació, pera conseguir millorar les seves habilitats interpersonals. Amb aquesta finalitat es planteja el projecta “Programa d’Acompanyament Professional del Centre CIM (PAPCIM)” que té com a objectiu, capcitar als participants amb els coneixements, habilitats i experiencia per disminuir les barreres d’entrada al mercat laboral, mitjançant el suport d’un tutor i d’un itinerari formatiu personalitzat. Amb el desenvolupament del projecte s’ha posat a prova mitjançant una promoció pilot, la gestió de pràctiques d’estudiants de la UPC, que s’ha consolidat i materialitzat al centre CIM en el programa PAPCIM, amb la participació activa de tot el personal implicat: coordinadors, tècnics de depertament, tutors i participants, i amb una alta satisfacció per part de tots els involucrats. També s’ha consolidat una metodología de treball i uns procediments, amb el programa i els documents associats a les pràctiques dels estudiants, adequats per portar una gestió i un seguiment eficaz dels participants, i s’anirà fent una revisió i una actualització d’aquest, per anar fent una millota contínua en el procés

Social networks and performance in distributed learning communities

Social networks play an essential role in learning environments as a key channel for knowledge sharing and students' support. In distributed learning communities, knowledge sharing does not occur as spontaneously as when a working group shares the same physical space; knowledge sharing depends even more on student informal connections. In this study we analyse two distributed learning communities' social networks in order to understand how characteristics of the social structure can enhance students' success and performance. We used a monitoring system for social network data gathering. Results from correlation analyses showed that students' social network characteristics are related to their performancePostprint (published version

Sensors: elaboració d'un curs de sensors en suport digital per desenvolupament de formació a distància i/o semipresencial

La finalitat del projecte de Sensors, ha estat dissenyar un material docent que permeti capacitar als participants del curs en el funcionament i característiques de diferents tipologies de sensors, facilitant el desenvolupament mitjançant activitats pedagògiques no presencials. El projecte Sensor és un projecte Leonardo on han participat entitats de diferents països. Es va iniciar a l’any 2001 amb la recerca i identificació de fonts d’informació que van servir com a punt de partida per al desenvolupament dels mòduls educatius sobre sensors. Es va elaborar i redactar el contingut del material docent en format multimedia, estructurat en mòduls educatius i activitats pedagògiques no presencials i en diferents idiomes. Per a avaluar l’efectivitat i qualitat dels mòduls educatius es van realitzar nombroses sessions de prova entre grups d’estudiants de diferents branques de l’enginyeria, professionals i professors universitaris qui avaluaven els mòduls per mitjà de proves escrites i enquestes de satisfizo, posteriorment, els resultats de aquestes eren analitzats per a extreure conclusions i realitzar suggerimets. El resultat obtingut es va preparar en un CDROM i es va publicar la informació sobre el projecte en la pàgina web de cadascuna de les institucions participants, així com la pàgina web dedicada completament a haches

El paisaje portuario en viñetas

The term “comic” is used to refer to a strip or sequence of cartoons/vignettes with or without text that tell a story (however short it might be) in which at least one character appears in more than one vignette. The comic is recognised as the ninth art form, and there are a great variety of types and names, depending on the source and the format: historieta, tebeo, manga, bande dessinée, banda desenhado, fumetti or comic-book, amongst others. Virtually every country has its own characters and collections, and those that deal with universal subject matter or historical questions transcend frontiers and gradually become known the world over, the following being such examples: Tintin, Asterix, Mortadelo and Filemón, Corto Maltés, Superman, Spiderman or Flash Gordon, which have now become real classics. Comics undoubtedly have the ability to convey knowledge and feelings. Their educational value enables children and adults alike to gain insight into different areas of reality, in the past and present, dealing with almost every aspect of life: nature, mankind, technology, legends, cultures, history, adventures, etc., allowing the reader to explore the boundaries between fiction and reality, even heralding a future that can prove to be most unexpected and surprising. Comics make learning easier and stimulate the imagination, and they are an excellent resource for developing creative thinking and artistic sensitivity, while at the same time encouraging the reader to adopt a critical stance. They can be suitable instruments for creatively and intelligently explaining the world of ports and the sea, and to make this accessible to all types of potential reader. This is particularly the case where the port landscape is concerned, because of the nature of the artistic discipline that is deeply rooted in the way cartoons or vignettes are illustrated.Postprint (published version

Multi-objective allocation of multi-function workers with lower bounded capacity

This paper deals with the assignment of a type of task to each member of a multi-function staff (each worker is able to perform a given subset of types of tasks, possibly with a priority index associated to each element of the subset). The resulting number of workers for each type of task must be not less than a given lower bound and as close as possible to another given value. The objectives are to minimise a function of the slacks and the surpluses of capacity, to distribute the slacks and the surpluses homogeneously among the types of task and to maximise the sum of priority indexes of the assignments. The problem is modelled as a nonlinear mixed integer program and is transformed and solved as a minimum cost flow problem.Peer Reviewe

Improving social capital: a social network monitoring system

To increase communication and collaboration opportunities, members of a community must be aware of the social networks that exist within that community. This paper describes a social network monitoring system that enables users to register their interactions and visualize their social networks. The system was implemented in two distributed learning communities and the results have shown that this system facilitates collecting information about social interactions. Furthermore, the visualization of the social networks, given as feedback, appeared to have a positive impact on users, augmenting their social network awareness.Postprint (published version

Organització del temps de treball, competitivitat i qualitat de vida

Organització del temps de treball, competitivitat i qualitat de vida aborda en profunditat les modalitats més importants de l’organització flexible del temps de treball i dels sistemes productius que han de funcionar de manera ininterrompuda, alhora que centra l’atenció en el nivell meso de l’organització del temps de treball. Aquest nivell està constituït per tres etapes: la planificació, la programació i l’assignació de tasques per a cada persona de la plantilla.Postprint (published version

Molecular Pathways Leading to Induction of Cell Death and Anti-Proliferative Properties by Tacrolimus and mTOR Inhibitors in Liver Cancer Cells

Background/Aims: Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is the recommended treatment for patients at early stages of hepatocarcinoma (HCC) with portal hypertension and/or increased bilirubinemia, but without vascular-associated diseases. Tumor recurrence, which is the main drawback for the survival of patients submitted to OLT for HCC, has been related to tumor-related variables and the immunosuppressive therapies. We have previously shown that Tacrolimus (FK506) exerts a more potent pro-apoptotic and anti-proliferative effects than the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors (Sirolimus and Everolimus) in liver cancer cells. This study identified the role of the immunosuppressant partners such as FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs) in the induction of cell death and arrest of cell proliferation by immunosuppressants in two representative liver cancer cells. Methods: The regulation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, apoptosis/autophagy, cell proliferation, and FKBPs expression was determined in Tacrolimus-, Sirolimus- and Everolimus-treated primary human hepatocytes, and hepatoma HepG2 and Huh7 cell lines. The functional repercussion of FKBPs on cell death and proliferation was also addressed using the siRNA technology. The assessed antitumoral properties of the immunosuppressants were associated to microRNAs (miRNAs) pattern. Results: The enhanced pro-apoptotic and anti-proliferative properties of Tacrolimus versus mTOR inhibitors were associated with increased protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK)-related ER stress, Ser15 P-p53/p53 ratio and p21 protein expression that may counterbalance the risk of proliferative upregulation caused by enhanced Thr172 P-Cdk4/ Cdk4 activation in liver cancer cells. The inhibition of the mTOR pathway by Sirolimus and Everolimus was related to an induction of autophagy; and at a high dose, these drugs impaired translation likely at a very early step of the elongation phase. Tacrolimus and mTOR inhibitors increased the protein expression of FKBP12 and FKBP51 that appeared to play pro-survival role. Interestingly, the administration of immunosuppressants yields a specific pattern of miRNAs. Tacrolimus and mTOR inhibitors decreased miR-92a-1-5p, miR-197-3p, miR-483-3p and miR- 720, and increased miR-22-3p, miR-376a-3p, miR-663b, miR-886-5p, miR-1300 and miR-1303 expressions in HepG2 cells. Conclusion: The more potent pro-apoptotic and anti-proliferative properties of Tacrolimus versus mTOR inhibitors were associated with an increased activation of PERK and p53 signaling, and p21 protein expression. FKBP12 and FKBP51 appeared to be the most relevant partners of Tacrolimus and mTOR inhibitors exerting a pro-survival effect in HepG2 cells. The observed effects of immunosuppressants were related to a specific miRNA signature in liver cancer cellsEspaña Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) cofinanced by the ERDF (BFU2016-75352-P AEI/FEDER, EU

Spontaneous reperfusion enhances succinate concentration in peripheral blood from stemi patients but its levels does not correlate with myocardial infarct size or area at risk

Cardiovascular biology; Diagnostic markers; Prognostic markersBiología cardiovascular; Marcadores de diagnóstico; Marcadores pronósticosBiologia cardiovascular; Marcadors diagnòstics; Marcadors pronòsticsSuccinate is enhanced during initial reperfusion in blood from the coronary sinus in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients and in pigs submitted to transient coronary occlusion. Succinate levels might have a prognostic value, as they may correlate with edema volume or myocardial infarct size. However, blood from the coronary sinus is not routinely obtained in the CathLab. As succinate might be also increased in peripheral blood, we aimed to investigate whether peripheral plasma concentrations of succinate and other metabolites obtained during coronary revascularization correlate with edema volume or infarct size in STEMI patients. Plasma samples were obtained from peripheral blood within the first 10 min of revascularization in 102 STEMI patients included in the COMBAT-MI trial (initial TIMI 1) and from 9 additional patients with restituted coronary blood flow (TIMI 2). Metabolite concentrations were analyzed by 1H-NMR. Succinate concentration averaged 0.069 ± 0.0073 mmol/L in patients with TIMI flow ≤ 1 and was significantly increased in those with TIMI 2 at admission (0.141 ± 0.058 mmol/L, p < 0.05). However, regression analysis did not detect any significant correlation between most metabolite concentrations and infarct size, extent of edema or other cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) variables. In conclusion, spontaneous reperfusion in TIMI 2 patients associates with enhanced succinate levels in peripheral blood, suggesting that succinate release increases overtime following reperfusion. However, early plasma levels of succinate and other metabolites obtained from peripheral blood does not correlate with the degree of irreversible injury or area at risk in STEMI patients, and cannot be considered as predictors of CMR variables. Trial registration: Registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02404376) on 31/03/2015. EudraCT number: 2015-001000-58.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Grants PI17/01397 and CIBERCV) and the Spanish Society of Cardiology (Proyectos de la FEC para Investigación Básica en Cardiología 2018, Sociedad Española de Cardiología), and was cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF-FEDER, a way to build Europe). Antonio Rodríguez-Sinovas has a consolidated Miguel Servet contract

Polypropylene and polyvinylidene fluoride transobturator slings for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence : 1-Year outcomes from a multicentre randomized trial

Finançament de: Fundación Dexeus Salud de la Mujer; CardiolinkTo compare the effectiveness and safety of polypropylene (PP) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) transobturator tapes (TOT) for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). This is a multicentre randomized trial. Women with SUI or stress-predominant mixed urinary incontinence and scheduled for a TOT procedure were randomized to PP or PVDF slings. The primary outcome was 1-year cure or improvement rate using composite criteria. Complications were also compared. Relationships with outcomes were analyzed using multivariable logistic regressions models. From April 2016 to January 2018 285 participants were randomized. PP and PVDF slings showed similar high cure or improvement rate (91.0% vs. 95.6%, p = .138). Improvement in validated questionnaires was also similar. PVDF slings were associated with a lower rate of de novo urgency incontinence (adjusted odds ratio = 0.35; 95% confidence interval = 0.15-0.80). We found no statistical differences in complications rates, although a higher incidence of long-term pain events were observed in the PP group. The study is underpowered to find differences in specific complications owing to the low number of events. PP and PVDF TOTs are equally effective, although PVDF is associated with fewer cases of de novo urgency incontinence. Further studies are needed to give robust conclusions on safety profiles