Moodleando en posgrado: uso del campus virtual y evaluación continuada

[spa] La adaptación al EEES ha implicado una reestructuración de los estudios universitarios promoviendo, entre otros, el uso de una evaluación continuada de los aprendizajes y de herramientas docentes virtuales en los nuevos grados. Estos cambios también pueden aplicarse en el posgrado, aunque hasta el momento, son pocas las experiencias al respecto. El presente trabajo muestra la opinión y los resultados obtenidos de los estudiantes de una asignatura de posgrado de un Máster Oficial Universitario URV-UB en el que se llevó a cabo evaluación continuada y se utilizó el Campus Virtual (CV) como herramienta de aprendizaje y participación activa. La aplicación del proyecto (2007PID/UB-14) se llevó a cabo en 4 fases: elaboración del aula, diseño de encuestas dirigidas a los estudiantes para obtener su opinión sobre la evaluación continuada y sus conocimientos en el uso de plataformas virtuales de forma previa al curso, gestión diaria del aula y seguimiento de las actividades propuestas y finalmente, evaluación del proyecto a través de indicadores cualitativos y cuantitativos derivados de las encuestas y de la propia aplicación virtual. Al inicio del curso la mayoría (93,75%) de los estudiantes prefería evaluación continuada y al final de éste el 100% estuvieron de acuerdo con el tipo de evaluación realizado. Respecto al CV, los estudiantes realizaron todas las actividades de autoevaluación voluntarias. La puntuación sobre la utilidad de todos los recursos del aula del CV fue muy elevada, siendo máxima la obtenida por los ejercicios de autoevaluación. En global, los estudiantes otorgaron al aula una puntuación de 8,1 sobre 10.

Ensenyar a escriure textos acadèmics a la Universitat : el guiatge i la revisió col·laborativa del projecte de recerca en els estudis de psicologia

En aquest article es recull una intervenció per ensenyar a escriure el projecte de recerca als estudis de Psicologia de la Facultat de Psicologia, Ciències de l’Educació i l’Esport Blanquerna. La proposta tenia com a objectiu general ajudar als estudiants a utilitzar els mecanismes discursius que els permetessin fer visible la seva veu en els textos acadèmics i desenvolupar la seva identitat com a autors mitjançant el guaitge i la revisió col·laborativa. En aquest article es focalitza especialment en la presentació dels pressupòsits teòrics de la intervenció i en el seu impacte en el coneixement i les representacions dels estudiants. Els resultats evidencies que els estudiants van desenvolupar el coneixement necessari per a produir textos acadèmics, gràcies a l’apropiació dels recursos discursius vinculats al posicionament de l’autor, al diàleg intertextual amb d’altres autors i a l’organització de la informació. Tanmateix, també van posar de manifest dificultats pel que fa a la seva comprensió del concepte d’objectivitat i la seva relació amb la veu del autor en els textos cientifico-acadèmics.

Summer ozone cycles in the Lisbon metropolitan area and its relation to some meteorological variables

The aim of this work is to study the tropospheric ozone concentrations and daily peak cycles in the Lisbon MetropolitanArea (LMA) during the summer season (June, July and August, JJA) covering the 4-yr study period 2002-2005. Theresults show that all the stations have the same pattern: a minimum in the early morning followed by an increase at 1000UTC reaching to a peak at 1300-1400 UTC, dropped again to minimum values 1800 UTC but with different concentrationsdue to regional and local wind circulations and complex dynamic interactions. We identified in Lisbon city the ozone “weekendeffect”. Finally, we studied an episode of very high levels of tropospheric ozone and related daily ozone concentrationswith some meteorological variables.

Cocoa flavonoid-enriched diet modulates systemic and intestinal immunoglobulin synthesis in adult Lewis rats

Previous studies have reported that a diet containing 10% cocoa, a rich source of flavonoids, has immunomodulatory effects on rats and, among others effects, is able to attenuate the immunoglobulin (Ig) synthesis in both systemic and intestinal compartments. The purpose of the present study was focused on investigating whether these effects were attributed exclusively to the flavonoid content or to other compounds present in cocoa. To this end, eight-week-old Lewis rats were fed, for two weeks, either a standard diet or three isoenergetic diets containing increasing proportions of cocoa flavonoids from different sources: one with 0.2% polyphenols from conventional defatted cocoa, and two others with 0.4% and 0.8% polyphenols, respectively, from non-fermented cocoa. Diet intake and body weight were monitored and fecal samples were obtained throughout the study to determine fecal pH, IgA, bacteria proportions, and IgA-coated bacteria. Moreover, IgG and IgM concentrations in serum samples collected during the study were quantified. At the end of the dietary intervention no clear changes of serum IgG or IgM concentrations were quantified, showing few effects of cocoa polyphenol diets at the systemic level. However, in the intestine, all cocoa polyphenol-enriched diets attenuated the age-related increase of both fecal IgA and IgA-coated bacteria, as well as the proportion of bacteria in feces. As these effects were not dependent on the dose of polyphenol present in the diets, other compounds and/or the precise polyphenol composition present in cocoa raw material used for the diets could be key factors in this effect.

Los referentes culturales y su tratamiento en la traducción del manga: los casos de La espada del inmortal, GALS!, Vidas etílicas y Ranma ½

L’objecte d’estudi d’aquesta investigació és l’observació i categorització dels referents culturals que apareixen en obres manga (còmic japonès) i la descripció del tractament que reben els elements esmentats en les versions traduïdes. Es tracta d’un estudi sincrònic de la traducció del primer volum de quatre obres publicades a España en castellà: La espada del inmortal, GALS!, Vidas etílicas i Ranma ½. Cadascun d’ells s’ha escollit per pertànyer a un gènere de manga dirigit a un segment de la població japonesa determinat: seinen (homes), shôjo (nenes-noies), jôsei (dones) y shônen (nens-nois)

Reduced microwave losses of YBa2Cu3O7_thin films on electro-optic LiNbO3 crystals

We report on the growth of epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7 thin films on X-cut LiNbO3 single crystals. The use of double CeO2/YSZ buffer layers allows a single in-plane orientation of YBa2Cu3O7, and results in superior superconducting properties. In particular, surface resistance Rs values of 1.4 m¿ have been measured at 8 GHz and 65 K. The attainment of such low values of Rs constitutes a key step toward the incorporation of high Tc materials as electrodes in photonic and acoustic devices.

Microwave spectrometry for the Evaluation of the structural integrity of metallic stents

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of a method based on microwave spectrometry to detect structural distortions of metallic stents in open air conditions and envisage the prospects of this approach toward possible medical applicability for the evaluation of implanted stents. Methods: Microwave absorbance spectra between 2.0 and 18.0 GHz were acquired in open air for the characterization of a set of commercial stents using a specifically design setup. Rotating each sample over 360º, 2D absorbance diagrams were generated as a function of frequency and rotation angle. To check our approach for detecting changes in stent length (fracture) and diameter (recoil), two specific tests were performed in open air. Finally, with a few adjustments, this same system provides 2D absorbance diagrams of stents immersed in a water-based phantom, this time over a bandwidth ranging from 0.2 to 1.8 GHz. Results: The authors show that metallic stents exhibit characteristic resonant frequencies in their microwave absorbance spectra in open air which depend on their length and, as a result, may reflect the occurrence of structural distortions. These resonances can be understood considering that such devices behave like dipole antennas in terms of microwave scattering. From fracture tests, the authors infer that microwave spectrometry provides signs of presence of Type I to Type IV stent fractures and allows in particular a quantitative evaluation of Type III and Type IV fractures. Recoil tests show that microwave spectrometry seems able to provide some quantitative assessment of diametrical shrinkage, but only if it involves longitudinal shortening. Finally, the authors observe that the resonant frequencies of stents placed inside the phantom shift down with respect to the corresponding open air frequencies, as it should be expected considering the increase of dielectric permittivity from air to water. Conclusions: The evaluation of stent resonant frequencies provided by microwave spectrometry allows detection and some quantitative assessment of stent fracture and recoil in open air conditions. Resonances of stents immersed in water can be also detected and their characteristic frequencies are in good agreement with theoretical estimates. Although these are promising results, further verifica tion in a more relevant phantom is required in order to foresee the real potential of this approach.

Cambios de color y pH causados por el PVAc en bienes culturales

Este artículo presenta los primeros resultados del estudio "Identificación de patologías causadas por el PVAc en bienes culturales" que se está realizando en la Sección de Conservación-Restauración de la Facultad de Bellas Artes, Universidad de Barcelona. El trabajo se basa en el estudio de obras originales que fueron tratadas con PVAc en los años 70-80 y pretende identificar los problemas que genera el PVAc en materiales de archivo, arqueológicos, pintura sobre tela, sobre madera y pintura mural. Tras el análisis de las obras originales, se han preparado muestras probeta que reproducen sus características, así como de adhesivos de PVAc comerciales y de uso específico en restauración. Éstas han sido analizadas antes y después de someterlas a dos fases consecutivas de envejecimiento acelerado. También se han analizado obras originales con PVAc aplicado hace aproximadamente 30 años. El artículo presenta los resultados de las mediciones de color y pH en las muestras probeta antes y después de la primera fase de envejecimiento acelerado y, también, en las muestras envejecidas de forma natural durante 10 años.

Cambios de color y pH causados por el PVAc en bienes culturales

Este artículo presenta los primeros resultados del estudio "Identificación de patologías causadas por el PVAc en bienes culturales" que se está realizando en la Sección de Conservación-Restauración de la Facultad de Bellas Artes, Universidad de Barcelona. El trabajo se basa en el estudio de obras originales que fueron tratadas con PVAc en los años 70-80 y pretende identificar los problemas que genera el PVAc en materiales de archivo, arqueológicos, pintura sobre tela, sobre madera y pintura mural. Tras el análisis de las obras originales, se han preparado muestras probeta que reproducen sus características, así como de adhesivos de PVAc comerciales y de uso específico en restauración. Éstas han sido analizadas antes y después de someterlas a dos fases consecutivas de envejecimiento acelerado. También se han analizado obras originales con PVAc aplicado hace aproximadamente 30 años. El artículo presenta los resultados de las mediciones de color y pH en las muestras probeta antes y después de la primera fase de envejecimiento acelerado y, también, en las muestras envejecidas de forma natural durante 10 años.

L'accesso aperto alla letteratura scientifica

Traducció de l'original en castellà: Ernest Abadal “Acceso abierto a la ciencia” Editorial UOC 2012[http://hdl.handle.net/2445/24542]

Activitats d'aprenentatge de tipus aplicatiu en l'estudi de casos a grau i postgrau

La metodología basada en el estudio de casos constituye una estrategia docente que ha sido de gran utilidad en la asignatura de Fisiopatología de la Licenciatura de Farmacia desde el año 2002. Esta estrategia se ha continuado aplicando en la asig-natura de Fisiología y Fisiopatología II del actual Grado en Farmacia, así como en otras asignaturas de postgrado, como es el caso de la asignatura “Intolerancias y Alergias Alimentarias” del Master en Nutrición y Metabolismo (URV-UB). En el marco del proyecto 2010PID-UB/38, se estableció como objetivo el diseño de actividades de aprendizaje de tipo funcional, implementadas en el entorno del Campus Virtual, que permitieran desarrollar diversas competencias transversales.

General electromagnetic simulation tool to predict the microwave nonlinear response of planar, arbitrarily-shaped HTS structures

This work describes a simulation tool being developed at UPC to predict the microwave nonlinear behavior of planar superconducting structures with very few restrictions on the geometry of the planar layout. The software is intended to be applicable to most structures used in planar HTS circuits, including line, patch, and quasi-lumped microstrip resonators. The tool combines Method of Moments (MoM) algorithms for general electromagnetic simulation with Harmonic Balance algorithms to take into account the nonlinearities in the HTS material. The Method of Moments code is based on discretization of the Electric Field Integral Equation in Rao, Wilton and Glisson Basis Functions. The multilayer dyadic Green's function is used with Sommerfeld integral formulation. The Harmonic Balance algorithm has been adapted to this application where the nonlinearity is distributed and where compatibility with the MoM algorithm is required. Tests of the algorithm in TM010 disk resonators agree with closed-form equations for both the fundamental and third-order intermodulation currents. Simulations of hairpin resonators show good qualitative agreement with previously published results, but it is found that a finer meshing would be necessary to get correct quantitative results. Possible improvements are suggested.

The reappearance of a forgotten disease in the oral cavity: syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) produced by Treponema pallidum, which mainly affects humans and is able to invade practically any organ in the body. Its infection facilitates the transmission of other STDs. Since the end of the last decade, successive outbreaks of syphilis have been reported in most western European countries. Like other STDs, syphilis is a notifiable disease in the European Union. In Spain, epidemiological information is obtained nationwide via the country"s system for recording notifiable diseases (Spanish acronym EDO) and the national microbiological information system (Spanish acronym SIM), which compiles information from a network of 46 sentinel laboratories in twelve Spanish regions. The STDs that are epidemiologically controlled are gonococcal infection, syphilis, and congenital syphilis. The incidence of each of these diseases is recorded weekly. The information compiled indicates an increase in the cases of syphilis and gonococcal infection in Spain in recent years. According to the EDO, in 1999, the number of cases of syphilis per 100,000 inhabitants was recorded to be 1.69, which has risen to 4.38 in 2007. In this article, we review the reappearance and the evolution of this infectious disease in eight European countries, and alert dentists to the importance of a) diagnosing sexuallytransmitted diseases and b) notifying the centres that control them

Determination of salivary glucose in healthy adults

Objectives: Our aim in this study was to determine the concentration of salivary glucose in healthy individuals and to compare it with the capillary glycemia. Study design: Samples of unstimulated whole saliva were collected from 63 non-diabetic patients. The concentration of salivary glucose and capillary blood was measured in all of the patients. The salivary glucose was determined by enzymatic method and spectrophotometry. The data was then analyzed using the Spearman correlation test, considering values of p<0.05 to be significant. Results: The whole sample consisted of 47.6% males and 52.4% women, with an average age of 37.5±15.7 years old. The average rates of unstimulated salivary flow were 0.41±0.21 ml/min among males and 0.31±0.15 ml/min among females. No significant difference was found based on these results (p=0.078). The average blood glucose among the males studied was 100.05±13.51 mg/dL, and among females, it was 99.5±13.9 mg/dL. The average salivary glucose for the whole sample was 5.97±1.87 mg/dL, with 5.91±2.19 mg/dL among males and 5.97±1.56 mg/dL among females, respectively, without presenting any significant differences (p=0.908). The concentration of salivary glucose did not present any statistically significant correlation with the capillary glycemia (p=0.732). Conclusions: The results suggest that the concentration of salivary glucose is not dependent on capillary glycemia and that the concentration of salivary glucose does not present significant differences between the measurements for males and females.

De què vas, tio?

My study is based on an ethnography of two groups of young people from working-class neighbourhoods in Barcelona. I was interested in researching the impact of Catalan language policies on the identities of young people of Spanish-speaking immigrant families. I sought to go beyond the constraints of traditional structuralist approaches in Sociolinguistics in order to make my analysis relevant to people working for gender equality, the promotion of the Catalan language, or other social causes. I combine ideas from Bakhtin, Bourdieu, Fairclough, Foucault and Goffman to build a dialectical, historical, process-centred perspective that conceptualises practices in terms of social and political struggles.I analyse young people's peer-group activities in terms of their significance for the construction of gender identities. I propose a variety of forms of masculinity and femininity according to the various ways in which members organised their gender displays in face-to-face interaction.I also show how their use of argot and dialectal Spanish was part of the processes whereby members defined their relationships, constructed particular subject positions in interaction and struggled to legitimate their own values.I explore the meanings constructed through Catalan and Spanish by looking into the code-switching practices of my participants. I analysed their talk in terms of narratives that present particular sequential dramatisations of events for conversational audiences. These narratives follow the expressive intention of the author, and are populated with multiple voices of animated characters. I argue that, in the groups I studied, Catalan was generally not used to animate the voices that were central to the identities of the peer-group, and particularly to masculine identities.In order to contextualise these practices within the wider society, I also look into the processes of language choice in face-to-face encounters. I argue that existing conventions made it difficult for people to find opportunities to speak Catalan. I also pointed to the difficulties that my participants had to find employment, which were particularly acute amongst the more politically aware individuals. I conclude that these young working-class people had little possibilities of investing in more egalitarian forms of identity given their lack of resources and opportunities to develop their identities in other social spaces, such as the workplace.