A case study on how language learning strategies are fostered in an EFL chilean classroom context

Tesis (Profesor de Inglés para la Enseñanza Básica y Media y al grado académico de Licenciado en Educación)This mixed-methods case study attempted to explore how Language Learning Strategies (LLS) are fostered within a secondary level Chilean EFL public school context, based on a teacher’s pedagogical actions. Through empirical observation, task analysis, and an interview, this thesis intended to unveil the rationale behind the predominance of certain LLS at expense of others. Previous studies and literature served as a reference to later on determine potential cohesion between background records and first-hand evidence, which proved to be in relative alignment. Accordingly, this paper looked forward to extrapolating thoughts and assumptions the teacher had about that strategy-fostering bias with objective information evidenced through the development of the tasks carried out during the observation period. The results drew a tendency placing Memory strategies among the rest as the most fostered category, whereas Compensation befell to be the least favored LLS category overall.El propósito de este estudio de caso con un enfoque de investigación mixto fue explorar el desarrollo de la promoción de Estrategias del Estudio de la Lengua (Language Learning Strategies) dentro de una clase de Inglés como Lengua Extranjera (EFL) en un curso/nivel de educación secundaria inmerso en el contexto de un establecimiento educacional público chileno basado en las acciones pedagógicas del profesor a cargo. A través de observaciones empíricas, análisis de actividades y una entrevista, la intención de esta tesis fue develar la lógica tras la predominancia de ciertas Estratégias del Estudio de la Lengua en desmedro de otras. Varios artículos, tesis y otros tipos de documentos literarios sirvieron como referencia para posteriormente determinar la cohesión entre estos precedentes y la evidencia empírica recolectada, la cual ha probado estar en relativa concordancia. Por consiguiente, este documento buscó extrapolar la subjetividad de las reflexiones y suposiciones que el profesor-muestra del caso en cuestión fue capaz de dilucidar respecto a la tendencia a parcializar la promoción de ciertas estrategias con información objetiva obtenida a través del análisis de las instrucciones y actividades desarrolladas por el profesor durante el periodo de observación. Los resultados arrojaron tendencias favoreciendo a las estrategias de Memoria por encima del resto como la categoría más fomentada, mientras que las estrategias de Compensación resultaron ser aquellas con menos rodaje

Re-entry survival analysis and ground risk assessment of space debris considering by-products generation

[EN] Space debris that re-enter the Earth's atmosphere can be partially or fully ablated along the trajectory path after hitting the atmosphere layers, once these become denser (approximately below 82 km). This paper combines reentry survival analysis to by-product generation analyses according to specific trajectory analysis and different levels of modelling within the re-entry simulation tool. Particular attention is made on metallic alloy decomposition and metallic oxides formation from the debris' materials ablation. Generic alloys present within satellite constructions are considered. The flow field in the induced shock layer is considered to be in non-equilibrium and the trajectory tool is based on a 3DOF object-oriented approach. The by-product analyses give important information on emitted species in the atmosphere at different altitudes, and the risk of substances reaching the ground is evaluated as a function of the initial break-up altitude. The non-equilibrium atmospheric chemistry within the shock layer has a significant impact for the re-entry analysis.This work was supported by the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship (ESKAS No. 2019.0535) awarded by Federal Commission for Scholarships (FCS). The collaboration with UPV was partially financed as part of an activity performed with TAS-I in the context of an ESA subcontract ARA, under ITT-A0/1-8558/16/NL/KML.Park, S.; Navarro-Laboulais, J.; Leyland, P.; Mischler, S. (2021). Re-entry survival analysis and ground risk assessment of space debris considering by-products generation. Acta Astronautica. 179:604-618. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.09.03460461817

Neuroprotective Effects of Exercise Treatments After Injury : The Dual Role of Neurotrophic Factors

Shared connections between physical activity and neuroprotection have been studied for decades, but the mechanisms underlying this effect of specific exercise were only recently brought to light. Several evidences suggest that physical activity may be a reasonable and beneficial method to improve functional recovery in both peripheral and central nerve injuries and to delay functional decay in neurodegenerative diseases. In addition to improving cardiac and immune functions, physical activity may represent a multifunctional approach not only to improve cardiocirculatory and immune functions, but potentially modulating trophic factors signaling and, in turn, neuronal function and structure at times that may be critical for neurodegeneration and regeneration. Research content related to the effects of physical activity and specific exercise programs in normal and injured nervous system have been reviewed. Sustained exercise, particularly if applied at moderate intensity and early after injury, exerts anti-inflammatory and pro-regenerative effects, and may boost cognitive and motor functions in aging and neurological disorders. However, newest studies show that exercise modalities can differently affect the production and function of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and other neurotrophins involved in the generation of neuropathic conditions. These findings suggest the possibility that new exercise strategies can be directed to nerve injuries with therapeutical benefits. Considering the growing burden of illness worldwide, understanding of how modulation of neurotrophic factors contributes to exercise-induced neuroprotection and regeneration after peripheral nerve and spinal cord injuries is a relevant topic for research, and represents the beginning of a new non-pharmacological therapeutic approach for better rehabilitation of neural disorders

Tubulization with chitosan guides for the repair of long gap peripheral nerve injury in the rat

Biosynthetic guides can be an alternative to nerve grafts for reconstructing severely injured peripheral nerves. The aim of this study was to evaluate the regenerative capability of chitosan tubes to bridge critical nerve gaps (15 mm long) in the rat sciatic nerve compared with silicone (SIL) tubes and nerve autografts (AGs). A total of 28 Wistar Hannover rats were randomly distributed into four groups (n = 7 each), in which the nerve was repaired by SIL tube, chitosan guides of low (∼2%, DAI) and medium (∼5%, DAII) degree of acetylation, and AG. Electrophysiological and algesimetry tests were performed serially along 4 months follow-up, and histomorphometric analysis was performed at the end of the study. Both groups with chitosan tubes showed similar degree of functional recovery, and similar number of myelinated nerve fibers at mid tube after 4 months of implantation. The results with chitosan tubes were significantly better compared to SIL tubes (P < 0.01), but lower than with AG (P < 0.01). In contrast to AG, in which all the rats had effective regeneration and target reinnervation, chitosan tubes from DAI and DAII achieved 43 and 57% success, respectively, whereas regeneration failed in all the animals repaired with SIL tubes. This study suggests that chitosan guides are promising conduits to construct artificial nerve grafts

Propuesta de mejora en las áreas de mantenimiento y logística, aplicando herramientas Lean Manufacturing, para reducir costos en una empresa de transporte, Trujillo 2021

El presente trabajo de investigación tuvo como objetivo general determinar en qué medida la propuesta de mejora en mantenimiento y logística según teoría TPM, método ABC y Lean Manufacturing afecta en los costos de una empresa de transporte. En primer lugar, en el área de mantenimiento y logística se realizó el diagnostico actual, determinando las causas raíces aplicando el diagrama de análisis de proceso, FODA, Ishikawa, donde se determina las principales causas en cada una de las áreas a trabajar, siendo la falta de un mantenimiento y la falta de un sistema de inventarios, en las cuales se aplicó un mantenimiento preventivo, con intervención del sistema Lean Manufacturing, modelo de tarjetas Kanvan, en el área de logística se implementó un sistema de clasificación mediante el método ABC determinando los materiales de mayor importancia. La investigación fue de observación directa análisis de documentos. Finalmente, la propuesta resulto ser económicamente viable y financieramente se obtuvo resultados positivos de VAN, TIR y B/C. La investigación concluyo mediante la aplicación de la propuesta mejorando los costos operativos se reducen en S/. 75,835.93

On the sensitivity of generic porous optical sensors

A porous material was considered as a platform for optical sensing. It was envisaged that the porous material was infiltrated by a fluid which contains an agent to be sensed. Changes in the optical properties of the infiltrated porous material provide the basis for detection of the agent to be sensed. Using a homogenization approach based on the Bruggeman formalism, wherein the infiltrated porous material was regarded as a homogenized composite material, the sensitivity of such a sensor was investigated. For the case of an isotropic dielectric porous material of relative permittivity $\epsilon^a$ and an isotropic dielectric fluid of relative permittivity $\epsilon^b$, it was found that the sensitivity was maximized when there was a large contrast between $\epsilon^a$ and $\epsilon^b$; the maximum sensitivity was achieved at mid-range values of porosity. Especially high sensitivities may be achieved for $\epsilon^b$ close to unity when $\epsilon^a >> 1$, for example. Furthermore, higher sensitivities may be achieved by incorporating pores which have elongated spheroidal shapes

A sub-resolution multiphase interstellar medium model of star formation and SNe energy feedback

We present a new multi-phase sub-resolution model for star formation and feedback in SPH numerical simulations of galaxy formation. Our model, called MUPPI (MUlti-Phase Particle Integrator), describes each gas particle as a multi-phase system, with cold and hot gas phases, coexisting in pressure equilibrium, and a stellar component. Cooling of the hot tenuous gas phase feeds the cold gas phase. Stars are formed out of molecular gas with a given efficiency, which scales with the dynamical time of the cold phase. Our prescription for star formation is not based on imposing the Schmidt-Kennicutt relation, which is instead naturally produced by MUPPI. Energy from supernova explosions is deposited partly into the hot phase of the gas particles, and partly to that of neighboring particles. Mass and energy flows among the different phases of each particle are described by a set of ordinary differential equations which we explicitly integrate for each gas particle, instead of relying on equilibrium solutions. This system of equations also includes the response of the multi-phase structure to energy changes associated to the thermodynamics of the gas. We apply our model to two isolated disk galaxy simulations and two spherical cooling flows. MUPPI is able to reproduce the Schmidt-Kennicutt relation for disc galaxies. It also reproduces the basic properties of the inter-stellar medium in disc galaxies, the surface densities of cold and molecular gas, of stars and of star formation rate, the vertical velocity dispersion of cold clouds and the flows connected to the galactic fountains. Quite remarkably, MUPPI also provides efficient stellar feedback without the need to include a scheme of kinetic energy feedback. [abridged]Comment: 23 pages, 26 figures, MNRAS accepte

Entropy profiles in X-ray luminous galaxy clusters at z>0.1

[Abridged] The entropy distribution of the intracluster gas reflects both accretion history of the gas and processes of feedback which provide a further non-gravitational energy besides the potential one. In this work, we study the profiles and the scaling properties of the gas entropy in 24 hot (kT_{gas} > 6 keV) galaxy clusters observed with Chandra in the redshift range 0.14-0.82 and showing different states of relaxation. We recover the gas density, temperature and entropy profiles in a non-parametric way. Adding the hydrostatic equilibrium hypothesis, radial profiles are also obtained from the deprojection of the surface brightness, allowing to verify whether the hydrostatic equilibrium is a tenable hypothesis by comparison with the spectral measurements. We confirm that this is the case on scales larger than 100 kpc and discuss the deviations observed in few non-cooling core clusters in the inner regions. We show that the entropy profiles are remarkably similar outside the core and can be described by simple power-laws with slope of 1.0-1.2. We measure an entropy level at 0.1 R_{200} of 100-500 keV cm^2 and a central plateau which spans a wide range of value (~ a few-200 keV cm^2) depending on the state of relaxation of the source. To characterize the energetic of the central regions, we compare the radial behaviour of the temperature of the gas with the temperature of the dark matter T_{DM} by estimating the excess of energy Delta E = 3/2 k(T_{gas}- T_{DM}). We point out that Delta E ranges from ~ 0 in typical cooling-core clusters to few keV within 100 kpc in non-cooling core systems. We also measure a significant correlation between the total iron mass and the entropy outside the cooling region,whereas in the inner regions they anti-correlate strongly.Comment: MNRAS in press - Minor revision to match the accepted versio