La actividad teatral valleinclanesca anterior a 1900.

Valle Inclán llega a Madrid en 1896 y contacta inicialmente con el mundo del teatro y así se va forjando su peculiar estilo creador. Sus primeras obras tintes románticos como ocurre con Cenizas y por otra parte, tintes modernos en su concepción. En lo que se refiere al tratamiento del tema, el yermo de las almas supone una acentuada elaboración simbólica de la inoperante soledad en que se debaten dos seres que han desafiado los códigos morales establecidos. En ambas piezas la técnica teatral demuestra la conciencia crítica con que Valle logró eliminar en la segunda versión todos los elementos adventicios propios del teatro melodramático fin de siglo y dar de ese modo un paso adelante en la evolución de su propio teatro. Lo que demuestra que fue un escritor que se exigió constantemente una autodisciplina de enriquecimiento y superación artísticos.

Perspectivas de la Educación General Básica comparada con el Sistema Educativo anterior.

Considerando la educación como un proceso de comunicación psico-cultural, se propone un análisis de los elementos que componen la situación. Se analiza la estructura y función de la Educación Primaria y de la EGB para luego comparar ambos sistemas. Revisión del material documental disponible. Investigación de revisión histórica y análisis teórico. Trata los siguientes aspectos: A) Educación Primaria: 1.- Objetivos. Currícula. 2.- Dinámica del trabajo escolar. Preparación y realización. Control y evaluación del rendimiento. 3.- Formación de profesores. B) EGB: los mismos objetivos que en A. C) Análisis comparado de ambos sistemas. Caracterización de la EGB. Fuentes documentales primarias y secundarias. Textos legales. En la Enseñanza Primaria se identifican 3 momentos históricos caracterizados por la aparición de documentos legales cruciales. En los años 50, se introducen mejoras curriculares importantes y se recomendaba la lección como medio didáctico. En la reordenación posterior de los años 60, se impone el método de la unidad didáctica, aunque su escaso soporte teórico y práctico dificultó su aplicación. Por otro lado, la EGB no responde a los objetivos de adaptación a la vida actual. Es necesario considerar las diferencias individuales y los factores psicoevolutivos del alumno. Se dió una implantación súbita de la EGB, sin recursos para una adaptación didáctica de los profesores y los alumnos. La excesiva gradación de la EGB es contraria a una evaluación enfocada en el individuo, sin control de los efectos de la programación. En términos generales, la reforma que supuso la EGB se basó en criterios económico-políticos más que didácticos y pedagógicos. En el Libro Blanco de la educación de 1969 se plasmaban los objetivos socio-económicos de la época. Esta reforma supuso cierta adaptación del Sistema Educativo a los cambios sociales y económicos. El esfuerzo escolarizador no palió la deficiencia crónica de puestos. La valoración de los aspectos de calidad es más difícil, aunque cabe señalar el hecho positivo de la actualización de los contenidos curriculares. Fecha finalización tomada del código del documento.

Estudi comparatiu del rendiment acadèmic dels estudiants amb els títols de grau i amb els de l’ordenació anterior

La Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB), en el marc del procés d’adaptació dels ensenyaments universitaris a l’Espai Europeu d’Educació Superior (EEES), ha aplicat una sèrie de canvis en els títols de grau i màster oficials en relació amb els títols corresponents a l’anterior ordenació quant a la metodologia docent. Aquests canvis se centren fonamentalment a reforçar la planificació i coordinació docents, fomentar l’oferta d’activitats formatives que afavoreixin l’aprenentatge actiu i el treball autònom de l’estudiant i, finalment, aplicar tècniques d’avaluació alternatives a les tradicionals en un context d’avaluació contínua. El propòsit d’aquest treball és fer un estudi comparatiu, en termes estrictament quantitatius, del rendiment acadèmic entre els estudiants pertanyents a títols de grau i a títols de l’ordenació anterior. Per fer-ho, s’ha treballat amb les actes oficials de la població de 2.584 estudiants que varen començar una llicenciatura, diplomatura o enginyeria tècnica l’any acadèmic 2005-2006, així com les actes oficials de la població de 2.492 estudiants que varen començar un grau l’any acadèmic 2009-2010 a la UIB. Les dades analitzades fan referència al rendiment dels estudiants el segon curs de la titulació. Els resultats globals posen de manifest una millora dels resultats acadèmics dels estudiants amb la implantació dels títols adaptats a l’EEES. Així, si bé la taxa de rendiment (crèdits superats/matriculats) no varia, amb els títols de grau augmenta la taxa de crèdits avaluats (crèdits presentats/matriculats), en la d’èxit (crèdits superats/presentats), així com en la mitjana de les qualificacions de les assignatures. Les línies d’investigació futures en la UIB s’encaminaran a analitzar en un nivell més qualitatiu el grau d’adquisició de les competències i els resultats d’aprenentatge dels estudiants una vegada que hagin conclòs el pla formatiu.

Estudio contrastivo de la oferta acad??mica de Grado y anterior al Plan Bolonia en las Universidades P??blicas de la Comunidad de Madrid

Resumen basado en el de la publicaci??n

Sistemas digitais directos vs indirectos : níveis de referência de diagnóstico locais na radiografia de tórax em projeção postero-anterior em dois hospitais portugueses

Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar e comparar as doses de radiação recolhidas numa amostra de 69 pacientes, em dois hospitais, com diferentes métodos de aquisição de imagem digital, direta e indireta, que realizaram radiografia de tórax, em projeção postero-anterior (PA). Para os dois hospitais, a dose à entrada da pele (DEP) e efectiva (E), foram medidas usando o software PCXMC para comparação entre si e com referências internacionais. No Hospital A, com aquisição digital direta, a média de DEP foi de 0,089 mGy e a média de E foi 0,013 mSv. No Hospital B, com aquisição digital de indireta, a média de DEP foi de 0.151 mGy e a média de E foi 0.030mSv. Em ambos os hospitais, as doses médias não ultrapassaram os limites recomendados por lei (0,3 mGy). Para a radiografia de tórax PA, o nível de referência diagnostico (NRD) local calculado foi 0.107 mGy, para o Hospital A e 0.164 mGy, para o Hospital B. Na radiografia de tórax PA, a utilização de um sistema de aquisição direta implicou uma redução de dose de 41 %, concordante com as referências disponíveis que apontam para a redução da dose de cerca de 50 % entre os dois sistemas.

The tissue-specific processing of pro-opiomelanocortin

It is just over 30 years since the definitive identification of the adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) precursor, pro-opiomelanocotin (POMC). Although first characterised in the anterior and intermediate lobes of the pituitary, POMC is also expressed in a number of both central and peripheral tissues including the skin, central nervous tissue and placenta. Following synthesis, POMC undergoes extensive post-translational processing producing not only ACTH, but also a number of other biologically active peptides. The extent and pattern of this processing is tissue-specific, the end result being the tissue dependent production of different combinations of peptides from the same precursor. These peptides have a diverse range of biological roles ranging from pigmentation to adrenal function to the regulation of feeding. This level of complexity has resulted in POMC becoming the archetypal model for prohormone processing, illustrating how a single protein combined with post-translational modification can have a diverse number of roles.

Identification of a serine protease involved with the regulation of adrenal growth

The adrenal cortex is a dynamic organ in which the cells of the outer cortex continually divide. It is well known that this cellular proliferation is dependent on constant stimulation from peptides derived from the ACTH precursor pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) because disruption of pituitary corticotroph function results in rapid atrophy of the gland. Previous results from our laboratory have suggested that the adrenal mitogen is a fragment derived from the N-terminal of POMC not containing the gamma-MSH sequence. Because such a peptide is not generated during processing of POMC in the pituitary, we proposed that the mitogen is generated from circulating pro-gamma-MSH by an adrenal protease. Using degenerate oligonucleotides, we identified a secreted serine protease expressed by the adrenal gland that we named adrenal secretory protease (ASP). In the adrenal cortex, expression of ASP is limited to the outer zona glomerulosa/fasciculata, the region where cortical cells are believed to be derived, and is significantly up-regulated during compensatory growth. Y1 adrenocortical cells transfected with a vector expressing an antisense RNA (and thus having reduced levels of endogenous ASP) were found to grow slower than sense controls while also losing their ability to utilize exogenous pro-gamma-MSH in the media supporting a role for ASP in adrenal growth. Digestion of an N-POMC peptide substrate encompassing the residues around the dibasic cleavage site at positions 49/50 with affinity-purified ASP showed cleavage not to occur at the dibasic site but two residues downstream leading us to propose the identity of the adrenal mitogen to be N-POMC (1-52).

Anterior cingulate activity and level of cognitive conflict: explicit comparisons

The role of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in attention is a matter of debate. One hypothesis suggests that its role is to monitor response-level conflict, but explicit evidence is somewhat lacking. In this study, the activation of ACC was compared in (a) color and number standard Stroop tasks in which response preparation and interference shared modality (response-level conflict) and (b) color and number matching Stroop tasks in which response preparation and interference did not share modality (non-response-level conflict). In the congruent conditions, there was no effect of task type. In the interference conditions, anterior cingulate activity in the matching tasks was less than that in the standard tasks. These results support the hypothesis that ACC specifically mediates generalized modality-independent selection processes invoked by response competition.

Anticipatory activation in the amygdala and anterior cingulate in generalized anxiety disorder and prediction of treatment response

OBJECTIVE: The anticipation of adverse outcomes, or worry, is a cardinal symptom of generalized anxiety disorder. Prior work with healthy subjects has shown that anticipating aversive events recruits a network of brain regions, including the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex. This study tested whether patients with generalized anxiety disorder have alterations in anticipatory amygdala function and whether anticipatory activity in the anterior cingulate cortex predicts treatment response. METHOD: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed with 14 generalized anxiety disorder patients and 12 healthy comparison subjects matched for age, sex, and education. The event-related fMRI paradigm was composed of one warning cue that preceded aversive pictures and a second cue that preceded neutral pictures. Following the fMRI session, patients received 8 weeks of treatment with extended-release venlafaxine. RESULTS: Patients with generalized anxiety disorder showed greater anticipatory activity than healthy comparison subjects in the bilateral dorsal amygdala preceding both aversive and neutral pictures. Building on prior reports of pretreatment anterior cingulate cortex activity predicting treatment response, anticipatory activity in that area was associated with clinical outcome 8 weeks later following treatment with venlafaxine. Higher levels of pretreatment anterior cingulate cortex activity in anticipation of both aversive and neutral pictures were associated with greater reductions in anxiety and worry symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These findings of heightened and indiscriminate amygdala responses to anticipatory signals in generalized anxiety disorder and of anterior cingulate cortex associations with treatment response provide neurobiological support for the role of anticipatory processes in the pathophysiology of generalized anxiety disorder.

Evolutionary analysis of novel serine proteases in the venom gland transcriptome of Bitis gabonica rhinoceros

Background: Serine proteases are major components of viper venom and target various stages of the blood coagulation system in victims and prey. A better understanding of the diversity of serine proteases and other enzymes present in snake venom will help to understand how the complexity of snake venom has evolved and will aid the development of novel therapeutics for treating snake bites. Methodology and Principal Findings: Four serine protease-encoding genes from the venom gland transcriptome of Bitis gabonica rhinoceros were amplified and sequenced. Mass spectrometry suggests the four enzymes corresponding to these genes are present in the venom of B. g. rhinoceros. Two of the enzymes, rhinocerases 2 and 3 have substitutions to two of the serine protease catalytic triad residues and are thus unlikely to be catalytically active, though they may have evolved other toxic functions. The other two enzymes, rhinocerases 4 and 5, have classical serine protease catalytic triad residues and thus are likely to be catalytically active, however they have glycine rather than the more typical aspartic acid at the base of the primary specificity pocket (position 189). Based on a detailed analysis of these sequences we suggest that alternative splicing together with individual amino acid mutations may have been involved in their evolution. Changes within amino acid segments which were previously proposed to undergo accelerated change in venom serine proteases have also been observed. Conclusions and Significance: Our study provides further insight into the diversity of serine protease isoforms present within snake venom and discusses their possible functions and how they may have evolved. These multiple serine protease isoforms with different substrate specificities may enhance the envenomation effects and help the snake to adapt to new habitats and diets. Our findings have potential for helping the future development of improved therapeutics for snake bites.

Altered anterior insula activation during anticipation and experience of painful stimuli in expert meditators.

Experientially opening oneself to pain rather than avoiding it is said to reduce the mind's tendency toward avoidance or anxiety which can further exacerbate the experience of pain. This is a central feature of mindfulness-based therapies. Little is known about the neural mechanisms of mindfulness on pain. During a meditation practice similar to mindfulness, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used in expert meditators (> 10,000 h of practice) to dissociate neural activation patterns associated with pain, its anticipation, and habituation. Compared to novices, expert meditators reported equal pain intensity, but less unpleasantness. This difference was associated with enhanced activity in the dorsal anterior insula (aI), and the anterior mid-cingulate (aMCC) the so-called ‘salience network’, for experts during pain. This enhanced activity during pain was associated with reduced baseline activity before pain in these regions and the amygdala for experts only. The reduced baseline activation in left aI correlated with lifetime meditation experience. This pattern of low baseline activity coupled with high response in aIns and aMCC was associated with enhanced neural habituation in amygdala and pain-related regions before painful stimulation and in the pain-related regions during painful stimulation. These findings suggest that cultivating experiential openness down-regulates anticipatory representation of aversive events, and increases the recruitment of attentional resources during pain, which is associated with faster neural habituation.