Haloferax mediterranei GlnK proteins are post-translationally modified by uridylylation

In this work we report for the first time a post-translational modification of PII homologues from the Archaea Domain. Haloferax mediterranei is the first haloarchaea whose PII proteins have been studied, it possesses two of them (GlnK1 and GlnK2), both encoded adjacent to a gene for the ammonia transporter Amt. An approach based on 2DE, anti-GlnK immunoblot and peptide mass fingerprint (MALDI-TOF-MS) of the reactive spots showed that GlnK proteins in H. mediterranei are post-translationally uridylylated. A third spot with lower pI suggests the existence of a non-descript post-translational modification in this protein family.

Isobutane Alkylation Process Synthesis by means of Hybrid Simulation-Multiobjective Optimization

Multiobjective Generalized Disjunctive Programming (MO-GDP) optimization has been used for the synthesis of an important industrial process, isobutane alkylation. The two objective functions to be simultaneously optimized are the environmental impact, determined by means of LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), and the economic potential of the process. The main reason for including the minimization of the environmental impact in the optimization process is the widespread environmental concern by the general public. For the resolution of the problem we employed a hybrid simulation- optimization methodology, i.e., the superstructure of the process was developed directly in a chemical process simulator connected to a state of the art optimizer. The model was formulated as a GDP and solved using a logic algorithm that avoids the reformulation as MINLP -Mixed Integer Non Linear Programming-. Our research gave us Pareto curves compounded by three different configurations where the LCA has been assessed by two different parameters: global warming potential and ecoindicator-99.

Valoración de la guía docente de Música en Educación Primaria desde la perspectiva del alumnado

La puesta en marcha del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior –E.E.E.S.- ha supuesto una adaptación de todas las titulaciones y sus asignaturas a una nueva concepción del aprendizaje, donde el estudiante es el centro de dicho proceso y los créditos ECTS –European Credit Transfer System- son la unidad de medida del haber académico (España, 2003). Esto conduce a considerar como valiosas las opiniones de los alumnos cuando se analiza la validez de las guías docentes, en este caso la relativa a Música en la Educación Primaria, con relación a la consecución de las competencias y objetivos en el tiempo establecido en las mismas. Además, permite averiguar las dificultades que tienen los discentes a la hora de superar la materia y contribuir a su proceso formativo. El cuestionario utilizado para este fin ha sido una adaptación del diseñado por Castejón (2005) con las debidas modificaciones para acoplarlo a la asignatura. Los datos obtenidos han sido analizados con el paquete informático SPSS con procedimientos descriptivos y correlacionales.

El eterno dilema: la lengua materna en la clase de español

Este artículo presenta una reflexión sobre el papel de la lengua materna del aprendiz en la clase de español. Partiendo de su consideración como elemento fundamental del aprendizaje, planteamos un breve debate sobre distintos aspectos que hacen de la L1 un instrumento polémico en el aula de lenguas. Finalmente, ofrecemos algunas recomendaciones de uso basadas en las directrices del MCER y en el Plan Curricular del Instituto Cervantes.

Trends and Disparities in Mortality Among Spanish-Born and Foreign-Born Populations Residing in Spain, 1999–2008

Spain’s immigrant population has increased 380 % in the last decade, accounting for 13.1 % of the total population. This fact has led her to become during 2009 the eighth recipient country of international immigrants in the world. The aim of this article is to describe the evolution of mortality and the main causes of death among the Spanish-born and foreign-born populations residing in Spain between 1999 and 2008. Age-standardised mortality rates (ASRs), average age and comparative mortality ratios among foreign-born and Spanish-born populations residing in Spain were computed for every year and sub-period by sex, cause of death and place of birth as well as by the ASR percentage change. During 1999–2008 the ASR showed a progressive decrease in the risk of death in the Spanish-born population (−17.8 % for men and −16.6 % for women) as well as in the foreign-born one (−45.9 % for men and −35.7 % for women). ASR also showed a progressive decrease for practically all the causes of death, in both populations. It has been observed that the risk of death due to neoplasms and respiratory diseases among immigrants is lower than that of their Spanish-born counterparts, but risk due to external causes is higher. Places of birth with the greater decreases are Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Southern Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The research shows the differences in the reduction of death risk between Spanish-born and immigrant inhabitants between 1999 and 2008. These results could contribute to the ability of central and local governments to create effective health policy. Further research is necessary to examine changes in mortality trends among immigrant populations as a consequence of the economic crisis and the reforms in the Spanish health system. Spanish data sources should incorporate into their records information that enables them to find out the immigrant duration of permanence and the possible impact of this on mortality indicators.