L’ús dels jocs de rol com a eina didàctica per a fomentar la participació i la reflexió crítica de tots els alumnes a la classe de ciències

Els jocs de rol són un recurs molt innovador que permeten un gran desenvolupament competencial i faciliten el treball de les qüestions sociocientífiques. Són dramatitzacions vertebrades al voltant d’una situació concreta en la qual els alumnes hauran d’argumentar la seva opinió en front a una qüestió sociocientífica. En el present treball s’analitza l’ús dels jocs de rol a l’aula de ciències a través de la posada en pràctica d’un joc de rol sobre les fonts d’energia a 1r Batxillerat. S’analitza qualitativament el disseny del joc de rol, la participació dels alumnes i el desenvolupament del pensament crític. Del treball se n’extreu que els jocs de rol afavoreixen la participació de l’alumnat, tot i que de manera heterogènia; i que desenvolupen la capacitat argumentativa, així com el pensament crític. Finalment es fan propostes de millora per tal de dinamitzar els jocs de rol de manera adequada.

Extracellular vesicles from human cardiac progenitor cells inhibit cardiomyocyte apoptosis and improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction.

AIMS: Recent evidence suggests that cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) may improve cardiac function after injury. The underlying mechanisms are indirect, but their mediators remain unidentified. Exosomes and other secreted membrane vesicles, hereafter collectively referred to as extracellular vesicles (EVs), act as paracrine signalling mediators. Here, we report that EVs secreted by human CPCs are crucial cardioprotective agents. METHODS AND RESULTS: CPCs were derived from atrial appendage explants from patients who underwent heart valve surgery. CPC-conditioned medium (CM) inhibited apoptosis in mouse HL-1 cardiomyocytic cells, while enhancing tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. These effects were abrogated by depleting CM of EVs. They were reproduced by EVs secreted by CPCs, but not by those secreted by human dermal fibroblasts. Transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis showed most EVs to be 30-90 nm in diameter, the size of exosomes, although smaller and larger vesicles were also present. MicroRNAs most highly enriched in EVs secreted by CPCs compared with fibroblasts included miR-210, miR-132, and miR-146a-3p. miR-210 down-regulated its known targets, ephrin A3 and PTP1b, inhibiting apoptosis in cardiomyocytic cells. miR-132 down-regulated its target, RasGAP-p120, enhancing tube formation in endothelial cells. Infarcted hearts injected with EVs from CPCs, but not from fibroblasts, exhibited less cardiomyocyte apoptosis, enhanced angiogenesis, and improved LV ejection fraction (0.8 ± 6.8 vs. -21.3 ± 4.5%; P < 0.05) compared with those injected with control medium. CONCLUSION: EVs are the active component of the paracrine secretion by human CPCs. As a cell-free approach, EVs could circumvent many of the limitations of cell transplantation.

The promotion and assessment of generic skills from interdisciplinary teaching teams

The paper explains a teaching project financed by the University of Barcelona (UB). It focuses on ageneric skill of the University of Barcelona, which is defined as "the learning capability andresponsibility”, and in which analytical and synthesis skills are included. It follows a multidisciplinaryapproach including teachers of Mathematics, World Economics and Economic History. All of us sharethe same students during the first and the second course of the grade in Economics at the Faculty ofEconomics and Business. The project has been developed in three stages. The first one has beendone during the first semester of the course 2012/13, being applied to first year students on thesubjects of Mathematics and Economic History. The second phase is being to be done during thesecond semester only on the Economic History subject. A third stage is going to be done next course2013/14 to second year students on the subject of World Economics. Each different teaching teamhas developed specific materials and assessment tools for each one of the subjects included in theproject. The project emphasizes two teaching dimensions: the elaboration of teaching materials topromote the acquisition of generic skills from an interdisciplinary point of view, and the design ofspecific tools to assess such skills. The first results of the first phase of the project shows cleardeficiencies in the analytical skill regarding to first year students.

The promotion and assessment of generic skills from interdisciplinary teaching teams

The paper explains a teaching project financed by the University of Barcelona (UB). It focuses on ageneric skill of the University of Barcelona, which is defined as "the learning capability andresponsibility”, and in which analytical and synthesis skills are included. It follows a multidisciplinaryapproach including teachers of Mathematics, World Economics and Economic History. All of us sharethe same students during the first and the second course of the grade in Economics at the Faculty ofEconomics and Business. The project has been developed in three stages. The first one has beendone during the first semester of the course 2012/13, being applied to first year students on thesubjects of Mathematics and Economic History. The second phase is being to be done during thesecond semester only on the Economic History subject. A third stage is going to be done next course2013/14 to second year students on the subject of World Economics. Each different teaching teamhas developed specific materials and assessment tools for each one of the subjects included in theproject. The project emphasizes two teaching dimensions: the elaboration of teaching materials topromote the acquisition of generic skills from an interdisciplinary point of view, and the design ofspecific tools to assess such skills. The first results of the first phase of the project shows cleardeficiencies in the analytical skill regarding to first year students.

The promotion and assessment of generic skills from interdisciplinary teaching teams

The paper explains a teaching project financed by the University of Barcelona (UB). It focuses on ageneric skill of the University of Barcelona, which is defined as "the learning capability andresponsibility”, and in which analytical and synthesis skills are included. It follows a multidisciplinaryapproach including teachers of Mathematics, World Economics and Economic History. All of us sharethe same students during the first and the second course of the grade in Economics at the Faculty ofEconomics and Business. The project has been developed in three stages. The first one has beendone during the first semester of the course 2012/13, being applied to first year students on thesubjects of Mathematics and Economic History. The second phase is being to be done during thesecond semester only on the Economic History subject. A third stage is going to be done next course2013/14 to second year students on the subject of World Economics. Each different teaching teamhas developed specific materials and assessment tools for each one of the subjects included in theproject. The project emphasizes two teaching dimensions: the elaboration of teaching materials topromote the acquisition of generic skills from an interdisciplinary point of view, and the design ofspecific tools to assess such skills. The first results of the first phase of the project shows cleardeficiencies in the analytical skill regarding to first year students.

Does short-term virologic failure translate to clinical events in antiretroviral-naïve patients initiating antiretroviral therapy in clinical practice?

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether differences in short-term virologic failure among commonly used antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens translate to differences in clinical events in antiretroviral-naïve patients initiating ART. DESIGN: Observational cohort study of patients initiating ART between January 2000 and December 2005. SETTING: The Antiretroviral Therapy Cohort Collaboration (ART-CC) is a collaboration of 15 HIV cohort studies from Canada, Europe, and the United States. STUDY PARTICIPANTS: A total of 13 546 antiretroviral-naïve HIV-positive patients initiating ART with efavirenz, nevirapine, lopinavir/ritonavir, nelfinavir, or abacavir as third drugs in combination with a zidovudine and lamivudine nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor backbone. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Short-term (24-week) virologic failure (>500 copies/ml) and clinical events within 2 years of ART initiation (incident AIDS-defining event, death, and a composite measure of these two outcomes). RESULTS: Compared with efavirenz as initial third drug, short-term virologic failure was more common with all other third drugs evaluated; nevirapine (adjusted odds ratio = 1.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.58-2.22), lopinavir/ritonavir (1.32, 95% CI = 1.12-1.57), nelfinavir (3.20, 95% CI = 2.74-3.74), and abacavir (2.13, 95% CI = 1.82-2.50). However, the rate of clinical events within 2 years of ART initiation appeared higher only with nevirapine (adjusted hazard ratio for composite outcome measure 1.27, 95% CI = 1.04-1.56) and abacavir (1.22, 95% CI = 1.00-1.48). CONCLUSION: Among antiretroviral-naïve patients initiating therapy, between-ART regimen, differences in short-term virologic failure do not necessarily translate to differences in clinical outcomes. Our results should be interpreted with caution because of the possibility of residual confounding by indication.

Hidrólise enzimática de fibras de cotilédones de soja e caracterização das frações sólidas e solúveis

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar as melhores condições de hidrólise enzimática de fibras alimentares de cotilédones de soja, original (FAO) e micronizada (FAM), e caracterizar os hidrolisados sólidos e solúveis. As amostras foram hidrolisadas com carboidrase (200 µL g-1, durante 12 horas, a 30ºC) ou com protease (150 µL g-1, durante 5 horas, a 55ºC). A fração sólida das amostras tratadas com carboidrase teve redução de 73% dos carboidratos e de 50% dos ácidos urônicos iniciais; houve aumento da concentração de proteínas e aumento da solubilidade e volume de intumescimento comparado com o material não hidrolisado. Proteínas de reserva da soja - beta-conglicinina e glicinina - foram extraídas das fibras alimentares não hidrolisadas e identificadas por eletroforese. A protease solubilizou 54% do total de proteínas das amostras e formou peptídeos com peso molecular menor que 10 KDa e uma banda de peso molecular próximo aos 25 KDa, provavelmente glicoproteína de parede celular, e deixou uma fração sólida com 76% de fibras alimentares totais. A microscopia eletrônica de varredura mostrou alterações físicas para a FAO hidrolisada com protease, com superfície mais porosa do que a FAM. O tratamento enzimático foi efetivo em alterar a composição química e estrutural das fibras, dando novas perspectivas para aplicações tecnológicas.

Comparative transcriptomics of extreme phenotypes of human HIV-1 infection and SIV infection in sooty mangabey and rhesus macaque.

High levels of HIV-1 replication during the chronic phase of infection usually correlate with rapid progression to severe immunodeficiency. However, a minority of highly viremic individuals remains asymptomatic and maintains high CD4+ T cell counts. This tolerant profile is poorly understood and reminiscent of the widely studied nonprogressive disease model of SIV infection in natural hosts. Here, we identify transcriptome differences between rapid progressors (RPs) and viremic nonprogressors (VNPs) and highlight several genes relevant for the understanding of HIV-1-induced immunosuppression. RPs were characterized by a specific transcriptome profile of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells similar to that observed in pathogenic SIV-infected rhesus macaques. In contrast, VNPs exhibited lower expression of interferon-stimulated genes and shared a common gene regulation profile with nonpathogenic SIV-infected sooty mangabeys. A short list of genes associated with VNP, including CASP1, CD38, LAG3, TNFSF13B, SOCS1, and EEF1D, showed significant correlation with time to disease progression when evaluated in an independent set of CD4+ T cell expression data. This work characterizes 2 minimally studied clinical patterns of progression to AIDS, whose analysis may inform our understanding of HIV pathogenesis.

Development of Sclerotium rolfsii sclerotia on soybean, corn, and wheat straw, under different soil temperatures and moisture contents

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of moisture and temperature on the development of Sclerotium rolfsii on soybean, corn, and wheat straw. Wheat straw produced the lowest number of sclerotia. Intermediate soil moisture level (70% of field capacity), and temperatures ranging between 25-30ºC favored sclerotia development. No sclerotia were formed at temperatures between 30-35ºC, on any type of straw.

Proteínas del gluten y reología de trigos harineros mexicanos influeciados por factores ambientales y genotípicos

El objetivo de este estudio fue conocer el efecto de factores ambientales y genotípicos sobre los parámetros de calidad industrial y sobre la cantidad y relación de proteínas monoméricas y poliméricas del gluten en 24 líneas recombinantes de trigos harineros de temporal. El cultivo se desarrolló en cinco condiciones ambientales generadas por manejo agronómico, ciclo otoño-invierno 2006/2007, en Roque, Guanajuato, México. Se evaluaron el tiempo de amasado (TMA), fuerza (ALVW), extensibilidad (ALVPL) de la masa, fracción rica en gliadina (50PS) y en glutenina (50PI), y su relación (50PS/50PI). Las mejores combinaciones de gluteninas de alto y bajo peso molecular para TMA y ALVW fueron los genotipos con 1, 17+18, 5+10/Glu-A3c, Glu-B3g, Glu-D3b; 1, 17+18, 5+10/Glu-A3c, Glu-B3h, Glu-D3b, y 2*, 17+18, 5+10/Glu-A3c, Glu-B3g, Glu-D3b; para ALVPL, 2*, 17+18, 2+12/Glu-A3e, Glu-B3h, Glu-D3b; para 50PS, 2*, 17+18, 2+12/Glu-A3e, Glu-B3h, Glu-D3b; y 1, 17+18, 5+10/Glu-A3e, Glu-B3h, Glu-D3b. La relación 50PS/50PI fue mayor en genotipos con 2*, 17+18, 2+12/Glu-A3e, Glu-B3g, Glu-D3b. El TMA es mayor cuando aumenta la temperatura y la mejor ALVPL se obtiene en el ambiente bajo condiciones normales. La fracción 50PS y la relación 50PS/50PI son mayores cuando se realiza la fertilización con azufre, y se obtiene incremento de 50PI con riego limitado y aumento de temperaturas durante el llenado de grano.

La fantasia il·lustrada : la fantasia lliure en la segona meitat del segle XVIII

La Fantasia Il·lustrada és un treball d’investigació entorn la fantasia lliure, gènere compositiu de la segona meitat del segle XVIII. Aprofundeix, a partir d’un extens buidatge bibliogràfic, en els coneixements sobre aquest gènere oblidat, ubicant-lo en el seu entorn musical i social, i reconeix l’empremta que va deixar en l’estètica d’aquells anys, la qual justifica la seva vàlua i el clam per reivindicar el reconeixement que es mereix. Per tal d’aconseguir aquest fi, aquest treball elabora sobre les diferents realitats estètiques de meitat de segle, sobre l’art de la jardineria, sobre Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, i sobre la pràctica improvisativa.

Temporizador y control temperatura

Desarrollo de una aplicación que controla un tiempo determinado en minutos, avisando con una alarma cuando se alcanza el tiempo marcado. También controla la temperatura de una habitación avisando con una alarma si sobrepasa los 30ºC. Estas alarmas son enviadas a un servidor web, que se encarga de enviar un mensaje al teléfono móvil.

Identification and prospective validation of clinically relevant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) subtypes.

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasingly considered a heterogeneous condition. It was hypothesised that COPD, as currently defined, includes different clinically relevant subtypes. Methods To identify and validate COPD subtypes, 342 subjects hospitalised for the first time because of a COPD exacerbation were recruited. Three months after discharge, when clinically stable, symptoms and quality of life, lung function, exercise capacity, nutritional status, biomarkers of systemic and bronchial inflammation, sputum microbiology, CT of the thorax and echocardiography were assessed. COPD groups were identified by partitioning cluster analysis and validated prospectively against cause-specific hospitalisations and all-cause mortality during a 4 year follow-up. Results Three COPD groups were identified: group 1 (n ¼ 126, 67 years) was characterised by severe airflow limitation (postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 ) 38% predicted) and worse performance in most of the respiratory domains of the disease; group 2 (n ¼ 125, 69 years) showed milder airflow limitation (FEV 1 63% predicted); and group 3 (n ¼ 91, 67 years) combined a similarly milder airflow limitation (FEV 1 58% predicted) with a high proportion of obesity, cardiovascular disorders, iabetes and systemic inflammation. During follow-up, group 1 had more frequent hospitalisations due to COPD (HR 3.28, p < 0.001) and higher all-cause mortality (HR 2.36, p ¼ 0.018) than the other two groups, whereas group 3 had more admissions due to cardiovascular disease (HR 2.87, p ¼ 0.014). Conclusions In patients with COPD recruited at their first hospitalisation, three different COPD subtypes were identified and prospectively validated:"severe respiratory COPD","moderate respiratory COPD", and"systemic COPD'

The Oncogene Metadherin Modulates the Apoptotic Pathway Based on the Tumor Necrosis Factor Superfamily Member TRAIL (Tumor Necrosis Factor-related Apoptosis-inducing Ligand) in Breast Cancer.

Metadherin (MTDH), the newly discovered gene, is overexpressed in more than 40% of breast cancers. Recent studies have revealed that MTDH favors an oncogenic course and chemoresistance. With a number of breast cancer cell lines and breast tumor samples, we found that the relative expression of MTDH correlated with tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) sensitivity in breast cancer. In this study, we found that knockdown of endogenous MTDH cells sensitized the MDA-MB-231 cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Conversely, stable overexpression of MTDH in MCF-7 cells enhanced cell survival with TRAIL treatment. Mechanically, MTDH down-regulated caspase-8, decreased caspase-8 recruitment into the TRAIL death-inducing signaling complex, decreased caspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-2 processing, increased Bcl-2 expression, and stimulated TRAIL-induced Akt phosphorylation, without altering death receptor status. In MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, sensitization to TRAIL upon MTDH down-regulation was inhibited by the caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk (benzyloxycarbonyl-VAD-fluoromethyl ketone), suggesting that MTDH depletion stimulates activation of caspases. In MCF-7 breast cancer cells, resistance to TRAIL upon MTDH overexpression was abrogated by depletion of Bcl-2, suggesting that MTDH-induced Bcl-2 expression contributes to TRAIL resistance. We further confirmed that MTDH may control Bcl-2 expression partly by suppressing miR-16. Collectively, our results point to a protective function of MTDH against TRAIL-induced death, whereby it inhibits the intrinsic apoptosis pathway through miR-16-mediated Bcl-2 up-regulation and the extrinsic apoptosis pathway through caspase-8 down-regulation.

Differential miRNA and IncRNA expression in embryonic stem cells lacking the Notch1 receptor

Embryonic stem (ES) cells-derived cardiomyocytes represent an attractive source of cells in cell replacement therapies for heart disease. However, controlled cardiogenic differentiation of ES cells requires a complete understanding of the complex molecular mechanisms regulating the differentiation process. We have previously shown that differentiation of ES cells into cardiomyocytes is favored by inactivation of the Notch 1 receptor pathway. In the present study, we therefore compared two ES cell lines, one with normal Notchl expression and one carrying deleted Notchl receptor alleles (Notchl-deleted ES cells) in order to identify genes responsible for the increased propensity of Notchl-deleted ES cells to produce cardiomyocytes. Using RNA-sequencing, we found approximately 300 coding and noncoding transcripts, which are differently expressed in undifferentiated Notchl-deleted ES cells. Since accumulating evidences indicate that long noncoding RNAs (IncRNAs) play important roles in ES cell pluripotency and differentiation, we focused our analysis on modulated IncRNAs. In particular, two IncRNAs, named here lnc 1230 and lnc 1335, are highly induced in the absence of Notchl receptor expression. These represent therefore prime candidates that could favor cardiogenic commitment in undifferentiated ES cells. Indeed, we demonstrate that forced expression of these two IncRNAs in wild-type ES cells result in a significant increase of the number of cardiac progenitor cells and cardiomyocytes in the differentiated progeny of these ES cells. Furthermore, we also identify several microRNAs that are differentially modulated in absence of Notchl expression. Among these are miR-142-5p and miR- 381-3p. Interestingly, both lncl230 and lncl335 are targets of these two microRNAs. Altogether, these data suggest that Notchl-dependent noncoding gene networks, implicating microRNAs and IncRNAs, control embryonic stem cell commitment into the mesodermal and cardiac lineages already at the undifferentiated state. - Les cardiomyocytes issus cellules souches embryonnaires sont une source très prometteuse pour les thérapies cellulaire de remplacement dans le cadre des maladies cardiaques. Cependant, l'utilisation de telles cellules requiert une compréhension poussée des mécanismes moléculaire régulant la différenciation. Nous avons par le passé démontré que la différenciation des cellules souches embryonnaires en cardiomyocytes est favorisée par l'inactivation de la voie d'activation intracellulaire dépendante du récepteur Notch 1. Nous avons donc comparé deux lignées de cellules souches embryonnaires, une présentant une voie d'activation Notchl normale et une chez laquelle les allèles codant pour le récepteur Notchl avaient été invalidés, de façon à identifier les gènes impliqués dans la capacité augmentée des cellules déficientes à produire des cardiomyocytes. En utilisant du séquençage d'ARN à haut débit, nous avons trouvé environ 300 gènes différemment exprimés dans les cellules déficientes pour Notchl. Par ailleurs, des évidences de plus en plus nombreuses suggèrent qu'une nouvelle classe de molécules appelée « long noncoding RNAs » joue un rôle prépondérant dans la maintenance de l'état non différencié et de la capacité de différenciation des cellules souches embryonnaires. Nous avons trouvé que plusieurs « long noncoding RNAs » étaient modulés en l'absence de Notchl, et en particulier deux molécules que nous avons appelées lncl230 et lncl335. Ces derniers représentent des candidats potentiels devant permettre de favoriser la production de cardiomyocytes. Nous avons en effet démontré que la surexpression de ces deux candidats dans des cellules souches embryonnaires résultait en une surproduction de cardiomyocytes. De plus, nous avons également identifié plusieurs microRNAs dont l'expression était modulée dans les cellules souches embryonnaires déficientes dans la voie Notchl. De façon intéressante, parmi ces microRNAs, le miR-142-5p et le miR-381-3p sont capables de cibler lncl230 and lncl335. Dans l'ensemble, ces résultats indiquent donc que des réseaux d'interaction dépendant de la voie d'activation Notch 1 et impliquant des ARNs non codant existent dans les cellules souches embryonnaires pour réguler leur différenciation en différent types cellulaires spécifiques.