Explorando los discursos de las organizaciones

Después de comentar algunas de las orientaciones con que se estudian los discursos en las organizaciones (empresas o instituciones), presentamos dos clasificaciones discursivas, basadas respectivamente en el organigrama (formal / informal, horizontal / vertical, etc.) y en la función comunicativa (discursos técnico-científicos, organizativos, comerciales y protocolarios).También establecemos una tipología de intervenciones lingüísticas en organizaciones, según tomen como objeto de trabajo la estructura organizativa, los recursos humanos, el registro o un discurso particular.

The 3' half of the mouse mammary tumor virus orf gene is not sufficient for its superantigen function in transgenic mice.

The Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus (MMTV) long terminal repeat contains an open reading frame (orf) of 960 nucleotides encoding a 36 kDa polypeptide with a putative transmembrane domain and five N-glycosylation sites in the N-terminal part of the protein. Transgenic mice bearing either the complete or the 3' terminal half of the orf sequence of MMTV-GR under the control of the SV40 promoter were raised. As shown previously by FACS analysis transgenic mice which express the complete orf gene have a significant deletion of V beta 14 expressing T cells at 6 weeks of age. Here we show that no clonal deletion of V beta 14 bearing T cells takes place in transgenic mice that contain orf sequences from the fifth ATG to the termination codon. The pattern of tissues expressing the truncated transgene was studied by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and was very similar to the one obtained in the V beta 14 deleting animals. These data suggest that the amino-terminal portion of the ORF protein (pORF) is required for a superantigen function, while our previous data indicated that determinants from the carboxy-terminus play an important role for TCR V beta specificity.

En torno a los efectos de la edad en el aprendizaje escolar de una lengua extrangera

The purpose of this article is to treat a currently much debated issue, the effects of age on second language learning. To do so, we contrast data collected by our research team from over one thousand seven hundred young and adult learners with four popular beliefs or generalizations, which, while deeply rooted in this society, are not always corroborated by our data.Two of these generalizations about Second Language Acquisition (languages spoken in the social context) seem to be widely accepted: a) older children, adolescents and adults are quicker and more efficient at the first stages of learning than are younger learners; b) in a natural context children with an early start are more liable to attain higher levels of proficiency. However, in the context of Foreign Language Acquisition, the context in which we collect the data, this second generalization is difficult to verify due to the low number of instructional hours (a maximum of some 800 hours) and the lower levels of language exposure time provided. The design of our research project has allowed us to study differences observed with respect to the age of onset (ranging from 2 to 18+), but in this article we focus on students who began English instruction at the age of 8 (LOGSE Educational System) and those who began at the age of 11 (EGB). We have collected data from both groups after a period of 200 (Time 1) and 416 instructional hours (Time 2), and we are currently collecting data after a period of 726 instructional hours (Time 3). We have designed and administered a variety of tests: tests on English production and reception, both oral and written, and within both academic and communicative oriented approaches, on the learners' L1 (Spanish and Catalan), as well as a questionnaire eliciting personal and sociolinguistic information. The questions we address and the relevant empirical evidence are as follows: 1. "For young children, learning languages is a game. They enjoy it more than adults."Our data demonstrate that the situation is not quite so. Firstly, both at the levels of Primary and Secondary education (ranging from 70.5% in 11-year-olds to 89% in 14-year-olds) students have a positive attitude towards learning English. Secondly, there is a difference between the two groups with respect to the factors they cite as responsible for their motivation to learn English: the younger students cite intrinsic factors, such as the games they play, the methodology used and the teacher, whereas the older students cite extrinsic factors, such as the role of their knowledge of English in the achievement of their future professional goals. 2 ."Young children have more resources to learn languages." Here our data suggest just the opposite. The ability to employ learning strategies (actions or steps used) increases with age. Older learners' strategies are more varied and cognitively more complex. In contrast, younger learners depend more on their interlocutor and external resources and therefore have a lower level of autonomy in their learning. 3. "Young children don't talk much but understand a lot"This third generalization does seem to be confirmed, at least to a certain extent, by our data in relation to the analysis of differences due to the age factor and productive use of the target language. As seen above, the comparably slower progress of the younger learners is confirmed. Our analysis of interpersonal receptive abilities demonstrates as well the advantage of the older learners. Nevertheless, with respect to passive receptive activities (for example, simple recognition of words or sentences) no great differences are observed. Statistical analyses suggest that in this test, in contrast to the others analyzed, the dominance of the subjects' L1s (reflecting a cognitive capacity that grows with age) has no significant influence on the learning process. 4. "The sooner they begin, the better their results will be in written language"This is not either completely confirmed in our research. First of all, we perceive that certain compensatory strategies disappear only with age, but not with the number of instructional hours. Secondly, given an identical number of instructional hours, the older subjects obtain better results. With respect to our analysis of data from subjects of the same age (12 years old) but with a different number of instructional hours (200 and 416 respectively, as they began at the ages of 11 and 8), we observe that those who began earlier excel only in the area of lexical fluency. In conclusion, the superior rate of older learners appears to be due to their higher level of cognitive development, a factor which allows them to benefit more from formal or explicit instruction in the school context. Younger learners, however, do not benefit from the quantity and quality of linguistic exposure typical of a natural acquisition context in which they would be allowed to make use of implicit learning abilities. It seems clear, then, that the initiative in this country to begin foreign language instruction earlier will have positive effects only if it occurs in combination with either higher levels of exposure time to the foreign language, or, alternatively, with its use as the language of instruction in other areas of the curriculum.

En torno a los efectos de la edad en el aprendizaje escolar de una lengua extrangera

The purpose of this article is to treat a currently much debated issue, the effects of age on second language learning. To do so, we contrast data collected by our research team from over one thousand seven hundred young and adult learners with four popular beliefs or generalizations, which, while deeply rooted in this society, are not always corroborated by our data.Two of these generalizations about Second Language Acquisition (languages spoken in the social context) seem to be widely accepted: a) older children, adolescents and adults are quicker and more efficient at the first stages of learning than are younger learners; b) in a natural context children with an early start are more liable to attain higher levels of proficiency. However, in the context of Foreign Language Acquisition, the context in which we collect the data, this second generalization is difficult to verify due to the low number of instructional hours (a maximum of some 800 hours) and the lower levels of language exposure time provided. The design of our research project has allowed us to study differences observed with respect to the age of onset (ranging from 2 to 18+), but in this article we focus on students who began English instruction at the age of 8 (LOGSE Educational System) and those who began at the age of 11 (EGB). We have collected data from both groups after a period of 200 (Time 1) and 416 instructional hours (Time 2), and we are currently collecting data after a period of 726 instructional hours (Time 3). We have designed and administered a variety of tests: tests on English production and reception, both oral and written, and within both academic and communicative oriented approaches, on the learners' L1 (Spanish and Catalan), as well as a questionnaire eliciting personal and sociolinguistic information. The questions we address and the relevant empirical evidence are as follows: 1. "For young children, learning languages is a game. They enjoy it more than adults."Our data demonstrate that the situation is not quite so. Firstly, both at the levels of Primary and Secondary education (ranging from 70.5% in 11-year-olds to 89% in 14-year-olds) students have a positive attitude towards learning English. Secondly, there is a difference between the two groups with respect to the factors they cite as responsible for their motivation to learn English: the younger students cite intrinsic factors, such as the games they play, the methodology used and the teacher, whereas the older students cite extrinsic factors, such as the role of their knowledge of English in the achievement of their future professional goals. 2 ."Young children have more resources to learn languages." Here our data suggest just the opposite. The ability to employ learning strategies (actions or steps used) increases with age. Older learners' strategies are more varied and cognitively more complex. In contrast, younger learners depend more on their interlocutor and external resources and therefore have a lower level of autonomy in their learning. 3. "Young children don't talk much but understand a lot"This third generalization does seem to be confirmed, at least to a certain extent, by our data in relation to the analysis of differences due to the age factor and productive use of the target language. As seen above, the comparably slower progress of the younger learners is confirmed. Our analysis of interpersonal receptive abilities demonstrates as well the advantage of the older learners. Nevertheless, with respect to passive receptive activities (for example, simple recognition of words or sentences) no great differences are observed. Statistical analyses suggest that in this test, in contrast to the others analyzed, the dominance of the subjects' L1s (reflecting a cognitive capacity that grows with age) has no significant influence on the learning process. 4. "The sooner they begin, the better their results will be in written language"This is not either completely confirmed in our research. First of all, we perceive that certain compensatory strategies disappear only with age, but not with the number of instructional hours. Secondly, given an identical number of instructional hours, the older subjects obtain better results. With respect to our analysis of data from subjects of the same age (12 years old) but with a different number of instructional hours (200 and 416 respectively, as they began at the ages of 11 and 8), we observe that those who began earlier excel only in the area of lexical fluency. In conclusion, the superior rate of older learners appears to be due to their higher level of cognitive development, a factor which allows them to benefit more from formal or explicit instruction in the school context. Younger learners, however, do not benefit from the quantity and quality of linguistic exposure typical of a natural acquisition context in which they would be allowed to make use of implicit learning abilities. It seems clear, then, that the initiative in this country to begin foreign language instruction earlier will have positive effects only if it occurs in combination with either higher levels of exposure time to the foreign language, or, alternatively, with its use as the language of instruction in other areas of the curriculum.

Noves perspectives en el diagnòstic del deteriorament cognitiu lleu i la malaltia de l'Alzheimer

Els criteris per al diagnòstic clínic de la malaltia d’Alzheimer es van establir el 1984 pel National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke (NINCDS) i la Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association (ADRDA). D’aplicació continuada fins a l’actualitat, aquests criteris estan quedant obsolets i per tant des de diversos àmbits s’ha abogat per una revisió profunda dels mateixos. Tres grups d’experts formats per reconeguts especialistes del National Institute on Aging (NIA) i la Alzheimer’s Association proposen un conjunt de recomanacions per modificar aquests criteris en l’àmbit de la investigació clínica. Dues diferències remarcables s’inclouen en aquests nous criteris: la incorporació de biomarcadors i la formalització de diferents estadis de la malaltia d’Alzheimer. D’aquesta manera, el deteriorament cognitiu lleu s’incorpora al procés diagnòstic com un estadi més de la patologia. Tanmateix, aquests criteris es troben en revisió i, de moment sols son aplicables en l’àmbit de recerca per tal d’arribar a un consens definitiu que permeti la modificació definitiva dels criteris clínics universals a aplicar. En aquest article es presenten els principals avenços en la investigació referents a la malaltia d’Alzheimer i al Deteriorament Cognitiu lleu per tal d’emmarcar els nous criteris de recerca.

Real-time full field laser Doppler imaging.

We present a full field laser Doppler imaging instrument, which enables real-time in vivo assessment of blood flow in dermal tissue and skin. This instrument monitors the blood perfusion in an area of about 50 cm(2) with 480 × 480 pixels per frame at a rate of 12-14 frames per second. Smaller frames can be monitored at much higher frame rates. We recorded the microcirculation in healthy skin before, during and after arterial occlusion. In initial clinical case studies, we imaged the microcirculation in burned skin and monitored the recovery of blood flow in a skin flap during reconstructive surgery indicating the high potential of LDI for clinical applications. Small animal imaging in mouse ears clearly revealed the network of blood vessels and the corresponding blood perfusion.

Multimodal Strategies in Development.Predictive Value of early simultaneosgesture-speech comination

The present study investigates the predictive value of the early appearance of simultaneous pointing-speech combinations. An experimental task was used to obtain a communicative productive sample from nineteen children at 1;0 and 1;3. Infant’s communicative productions, in combination with gaze joint engagement patterns, were analyzed in relation to different social conditions. The results show a significant effect of age and social condition on infants’ communicative productions. Gesture-speech combinations seem to work as a strong communicative resource to attract the adult’s attention in social demanding communicative contexts. Gaze joint engagement was used in combination with simultaneous pointing-speech combinations to attract adults’ attention during social demanding conditions. Finally, the use of simultaneous pointing-speech combinations at 1;0 in demanding conditions predicted greater expressive vocabulary acquisition at 1;3 and 1;6. These results indicate that the use of gesture-speech combinations may be considered a significant step towards the early integration of language components.

Anàlisi del doblatge al castellà de la sèrie Polseres Vermelles

Aquest treball presenta una anàlisi d’aspectes sempre problemàtics en traducció, i encara més en doblatge, mitjançant exemples extrets de traduccions reals del primer i segon capítols de la sèrie catalana Polseres Vermelles. Aquests aspectes són: el llenguatge col•loquial, l’humor, la intertextualitat, els referents culturals i l’expressió d’estats d’ànim.

Culture in infancy : an account of a way the object "sculpts" early development.

The
 aim
 of
 this
 paper
 is
 to
 bring
 into
 consideration
 a
 way
 of
 studying
 culture
 in
 infancy.
 An
 emphasis 
is 
put 
on
 the
 role 
that 
the 
material 
object 
plays 
in 
early 
interactive
 processes. 
Accounted
 as
 a
 cultural
 artefact,
 the
 object
 is
 seen
 as
 a
 fundamental
 element
 within
 triadic
 mother‐object‐ infant
 interactions
 and
 is
 believed
 to
 be
 a
 driving
 force
 both
 for
 communicative
 and
 cognitive
 development.
 In
 order
 to
 reconsider
 the
 importance
 of
 the
 object
 in
 child
 development
 and
 to
 present
 an 
approach
 of 
studying
object
 construction,
accounts 
in 
literature 
on 
early 
communication
 development
 and
 the
 importance
 of
 the
 object
 are
 reviewed
 and
 discussed
 under
 the
 light
 of
 the
 cultural 
specificity 
of 
the 
material 
object.


Els mitjans de comunicació com a legitimadors o deslegitimadors d’unprojecte polític a través de l’enquadrament i les estructures semionarratives. El cas del dret a decidir de Catalunya en elperíode 2006-2012

El present document -Els mitjans de comunicació com a legitimadors o deslegitimadors d’un projecte polític a través de l’enquadrament i les estructures semionarratives. El cas del dret a decidir de Catalunya en el període 2006-2012- és una proposta de recercadoctoral. La investigació té per objectiu analitzar el tractament informatiu sobre el dret a decidir de Catalunya i identificar quins mitjans de comunicació el legitimen i quins el deslegitimen, a la vegada que determinar quin és el factor clau que defineix elposicionament dels mitjans respecte al dret a decidir. L’anàlisi es realitzarà a partir d’una mostra de 12 mitjans de comunicació -la meitat editats a Catalunya i la meitat a Espanya- mitjançant l’estudi d’agendes mediàtiques, frames, fonts informatives iestructures semionarratives, i amb la complementarietat d’entrevistes en profunditat. L’àmbit teòric de la recerca tindrà com a conceptes de referència els d’opinió pública, esfera pública i legitimitat.

The Coverage of the European independence movements from a Canadian perspective: Comparisons of the francophone online press in Quebec with the English Canadian press on the independence movements in Scotland and Catalonia

This research paper provides the basis of a future doctoral thesison the construction of foreign news. We aim to highlight similarities and differences in the online news coverage of the nationalist movments in Scotland and Catalonia in the Canadian Anglophone and Francophone press. Through a qualitative and quantitative content analysis of The Montreal Gazette, The National Post, The Globe and Mail, Le Devoir and La Presse, we attempt to show the frames used in the coverage of the political developments in both “stateless regions” from January 2011 to September 2014, when a referendum on the constitutional status of Scotland has beenagreed on. In parallel to the analysis of daily online newspapers, we will use semi-structured interviews of journalists from each news organization to obtain more in-depth knowledge of the factors influencing the construction of news. Lastly, we want to find out to the extent to which the coverage on the nationalist movements in Scotland and Catalonia serve to revive the debate on the independence question of Québec

Computer Analysis of Twin Box Culverts, 1959

The paper presents a method of analyzing Rigid Frames by use of the Conjugate Beam Theory. The development of the method along with an example is given. This method has been used to write a computer program for the analysis of twin box culverts. The culverts may be analyzed under any fill height and any of the standard truck loadings. The wall and slab thickness are increased by the computer program as necessary. The final result is steel requirements both for moment and shear, and the slab and wall thickness.

Preclinical evaluation of the immunogenicity of C-type HIV-1-based DNA and NYVAC vaccines in the Balb/C mouse model.

As part of a European initiative (EuroVacc), we report the design, construction, and immunogenicity of two HIV-1 vaccine candidates based on a clade C virus strain (CN54) representing the current major epidemic in Asia and parts of Africa. Open reading frames encoding an artificial 160-kDa GagPolNef (GPN) polyprotein and the external glycoprotein gp120 were fully RNA and codon optimized. A DNA vaccine (DNA-GPN and DNA-gp120, referred to as DNA-C), and a replication-deficient vaccinia virus encoding both reading frames (NYVAC-C), were assessed regarding immunogenicity in Balb/C mice. The intramuscular administration of both plasmid DNA constructs, followed by two booster DNA immunizations, induced substantial T-cell responses against both antigens as well as Env-specific antibodies. Whereas low doses of NYVAC-C failed to induce specific CTL or antibodies, high doses generated cellular as well as humoral immune responses, but these did not reach the levels seen following DNA vaccination. The most potent immune responses were detectable using prime:boost protocols, regardless of whether DNA-C or NYVAC-C was used as the priming or boosting agent. These preclinical findings revealed the immunogenic response triggered by DNA-C and its enhancement by combining it with NYVAC-C, thus complementing the macaque preclinical and human phase I clinical studies of EuroVacc.

Viittauskehykset ja tarkastelunäkökulma : miten sijaintia perusakselilla kuvataan?

E. Summary: Frames of reference and viewpoints: Describing positions on frontal and vertical axes

Jóvenes y prácticas comunicativas: más allá de los datos estadísticos

La forma en que adolescentes y jóvenes utilizan las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación es diferente a la de la población adulta. Las prácticas son más intensivas y extensivas entre l@s más jóvenes, tal y como muestran las estadísticas disponibles. Este resultado, ampliamente conocido, nos lleva a preguntarnos ¿qué implicaciones tienen estas prácticas comunicativas de las generaciones más jóvenes?Tomando como punto de partida algunos estudios que analizan la situación, tanto en España como en otros países, revisaremos los cambios que ya se están produciendo en ámbitos que van desde el aprendizaje a la socialización. Revisaremos, asimismo, algunas propuestas que intentan dar una explicación teórica global de las prácticas y las actitudes comunicativas de jóvenes y adolescentes. En el análisis tendremos en cuenta el creciente proceso de individualización de nuestras sociedades y la presencia habitual de comunidades de práctica permanentemente conectadas que caracterizan a estas generaciones.