Nuevos elementos escultóricos del recinto de culto del Concilium Provinciae Hispaniae Citerioris (Tarraco, Hispania Citerior)

The work of the Director Plan for the Cathedral of Tarragona has allowed us to make a revision regarding the knowledge, chronology and features of the sacred area of the Concilium Provinciae Hispaniae Citerioris. We present diverse elements of architectural and sculptured decoration recovered from constructive levels of 1st century A.D, and the 6th century A.D levels of re-use and transformation, in contemporary constructions. All these elements ratify the process of imitation of the Forum Augustum made in the capital of the Hispania Citerior.

The marmora used in the imperial cult area of Tarraco (Hispania Citerior)

The imperial cult area of Tarraco was built in the 1st century AD in the highest part of the city and presided over the seat of the Concilium Prouinciae Hispaniae Citerioris. It was a temenos with a similar layout to that of the Forum Pacis and architectural decoration imitating that of the Forum Augustum in Rome, where the use of marble was a fundamental part of the architectural and sculptural decorative programme. An extensive assemblage of marble was recovered during the excavations carried out under the Tarragona Cathedral Master Plan. It reflects the use of imperial quarries in the decorative programme and has been analyzed at the Unitat d’Estudis Arqueomètrics (ICAC) facilities. This assemblage reflects the wide panorama of marmora imported and used in the decoration of the temenos. Local varieties of marmora have been identified in Tarraco, plus a series of foreign marmora from quarries all over the Roman Empire (Greece, Turkey, Egypt and North Africa). All this shows the involvement of the imperial power in the monumental architecture of the capital of the prouincia Hispania Citerior.

El multilingüisme en una Catalunya independent : Representacions d'un hipotètic futur

Aquest treball final de carrera analitza les diferents propostes dels partits polítics catalanistes i dels seus militants juntament amb la dels sociolingüistes (o experts) sobre el multilingüisme en una suposada Catalunya independent.

Avaluació integral de l'impacte del màster en lideratge de la transformació socioeducativa

Aquest article analitza els resultats obtinguts amb l’avaluació de l’impacte del Màster enPedagogia Social i Comunitària: Lideratge de la Transformació Socioeducativa (MPS) i presenta les característiques del mètode d’avaluació proposat. La necessitat de determinar quins són els canvis (tant personals com laborals) que generen las formacions i la voluntat de millora contínua dels programes ha fomentat la posada en pràctica de diferents mecanismes d’avaluació d’impacte. Aquest estudi, a més d’avaluar genèricament l’impacte, ho fa en profunditat, proposa millores concretes de les formacions a estudi i posa el client (els estudiants) al centre de la recerca.

Effect of Tocopherol Extract, Staphylococcus carnosus Culture, and Celery Concentrate Addition on Quality Parameters of Organic and Conventional Dry-Cured Sausages

The effects of the addition to sausage mix of tocopherols (200 mg/kg), a conventional starter culture with or without Staphylococcus carnosus, celery concentrate (CP) (0.23% and 0.46%), and two doses of nitrate (70 and 140 mg/kg expressed as NaNO(3)) on residual nitrate and nitrite amounts, instrumental CIE Lab color, tocol content, oxidative stability, and overall acceptability were studied in fermented dry-cured sausages after ripening and after storage. Nitrate doses were provided by nitrate-rich CP or a chemical grade source. The lower dose complies with the EU requirements governing the maximum for ingoing amounts in organic meat products. Tocopherol addition protected against oxidation, whereas the nitrate dose, nitrate source, or starter culture had little influence on secondary oxidation values. The residual nitrate and nitrite amounts found in the sausages with the lower nitrate dose were within EU-permitted limits for organic meat products and residual nitrate can be further reduced by the presence of the S. carnosus culture. Color measurements were not affected by the CP dose. Product consumer acceptability was not affected negatively by any of the factors studied. As the two nitrate sources behaved similarly for the parameters studied, CP is a useful alternative to chemical ingredients for organic dry-cured sausage production.

Logopèdia i educació

Aquest article té per objectiu descriure com, des de la practica logopèdica i a partir d'una determinada manera d'entendre l'adquisició del llenguatge, s'orienta un model de treball inclusiu per abordar les dificultats del llenguatge en el context escolar. Es revisa breument el marc teòric i els principis de la intervenció naturalista i els nous reptes que aquest enfocament planteja pel que fa a l'avaluació i a la intervenció en contextos naturals i vinculats amb el currículum.

El trastorn específic del llenguatge : més enllà del perfil psicololingüistic

El Trastorn Específic del Llenguatge (TEL) és un dètficit lingüístic que afecta el desenvolupament normal del llenguatge, en qui es poden veure implicades tant la comprensió com l'expressió, i en què es mostra un rendiment cognitiu superior al linguístic. L'objectiu d'aquest treball és estudiar el perfil psicolingüístic de nens amb TEL. S'hi estudien setze nens, vuit amb TEL i vuit que segueixen la pauta estàndard de desenvolupament del llenguatge (NP); tots els nens tenen entre 5 i 9;4 anys d'edat. Les diferències són notables entre els dos grups de nens estudiats, tant quantitativament com qualitativament. En l'estudi es pot observar que la comprensió es relaciona directament amb els errors gramaticals i sintàctics en el nens amb TEL. També es destaquen les relacions existents entre errors de formulació i errors gramaticals i sintàctics, d'una banda, i entre aquests dos últims, de ['altra. Les característiques que mostren els nens amb TEL comprometen el seu procés d'escolarització i la seva integració social.

Photographic rectification of the graphic documentation of historical and archaeological heritage: The case of the southern facade of the Praetorium tower in Tarragona (Tarraco, Hispania Citerior)

This article details the use of photographic rectification as support for the graphic documentation of historical and archaeological heritage and specifically the southern facade of the Torre del Pretori (Praetorium Tower) in Tarragona. The Praetorium Tower is part of a larger monumental complex and one of the towers that connected different parts of the Tarraco Provincial Forum, the politic-administrative centre of the ancient capital of Hispania Citerioris. It is therefore a valuable example of the evolution of Roman urban architecture. The aim of this project is to provide accurate graphic documentation of the structure to facilitate the restoration and conservation of the tower, as well as to provide a more profound architectural and archaeological understanding of the Roman forum. The use of photographic rectification enabled us to overcome the spatial and time difficulties involved in collecting data caused by the size and location of the building. Specific software made it easier to obtain accurate two-dimensional images. For this reason, in our case, photographic rectification helped us to make a direct analysis of the monument and facilitated interpretation of the architectural stratigraphy. We currently separate the line of research into two concepts: the construction processes and the architecture of the building. The documentation collected permitted various analyses: the characterisation of the building modules, identification of the tools used to work the building materials, etc. In conclusion, the use of orthoimages is a powerful tool that permits the systematic study of a Roman building that has evolved over the centuries and is now in a modern urban context.

PFKFB3 (6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3)

The human PFKFB3 is composed of 19 exons spanning genomic region about 90,6 Kb (GenBank). Alternative splicing variants have been reported. The main variants corresponding to mRNAs of 4453 bp and 4224 bp for the variant 1 u-PFK2 (NM_004566.3) and variant 2 i-PFK2 (NM_001145443.1), respectively...

Evaluation of potential breath biomarkers for active smoking: assessment of smoking habits

Different compounds have been reported as biomarkers of a smoking habit, but, to date, there is no appropriate biomarker for tobacco-related exposure because the proposed chemicals seem to be nonspecific or they are only appropriate for short-term exposure. Moreover, conventional sampling methodologies require an invasive method because blood or urine samples are required. The use of a microtrap system coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis has been found to be very effective for the noninvasive analysis of volatile organic compounds in breath samples. The levels of benzene, 2,5-dimethylfuran, toluene, o-xylene, and m- p-xylene have been analyzed in breath samples obtained from 204 volunteers (100 smokers, 104 nonsmokers; 147 females, 57 males; ages 16 to 53 years). 2,5-Dimethylfuran was always below the limit of detection (0.005 ppbv) in the nonsmoker population and always detected in smokers independently of the smoking habits. Benzene was only an effective biomarker for medium and heavy smokers, and its level was affected by smoking habits. Regarding the levels of xylenes and toluene, they were only different in heavy smokers and after short-term exposure. The results obtained suggest that 2,5-dimethylfuran is a specific breath biomarker of smoking status independently of the smoking habits (e.g., short- and long-term exposure, light and heavy consumption), and so this compound might be useful as a biomarker of smoking exposure

Novel FOXF1 Mutations in Sporadic and Familial Cases of Alveolar Capillary Dysplasia with Misaligned Pulmonary Veins Imply a Role for its DNA Binding Domain.

Alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of pulmonary veins (ACD/MPV) is a rare and lethal developmental disorder of the lung defined by a constellation of characteristic histopathological features. Nonpulmonary anomalies involving organs of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and genitourinary systems have been identified in approximately 80% of patients with ACD/MPV. We have collected DNA and pathological samples from more than 90 infants with ACD/MPV and their family members. Since the publication of our initial report of four point mutations and 10 deletions, we have identified an additional 38 novel nonsynonymous mutations of FOXF1 (nine nonsense, seven frameshift, one inframe deletion, 20 missense, and one no stop). This report represents an up to date list of all known FOXF1 mutations to the best of our knowledge. Majority of the cases are sporadic. We report four familial cases of which three show maternal inheritance, consistent with paternal imprinting of the gene. Twenty five mutations (60%) are located within the putative DNA-binding domain, indicating its plausible role in FOXF1 function. Five mutations map to the second exon. We identified two additional genic and eight genomic deletions upstream to FOXF1. These results corroborate and extend our previous observations and further establish involvement of FOXF1 in ACD/MPV and lung organogenesis.

Concentrations of resveratrol and derivatives in foods and estimation of dietary intake in a Spanish population: European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Spain cohort

Resveratrol has been shown to have beneficial effects on diseases related to oxidant and/or inflammatory processes and extends the lifespan of simple organisms including rodents. The objective of the present study was to estimate the dietary intake of resveratrol and piceid (R&P) present in foods, and to identify the principal dietary sources of these compounds in the Spanish adult population. For this purpose, a food composition database (FCDB) of R&P in Spanish foods was compiled. The study included 40 685 subjects aged 3564 years from northern and southern regions of Spain who were included in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Spain cohort. Usual food intake was assessed by personal interviews using a computerised version of a validated diet history method. An FCDB with 160 items was compiled. The estimated median and mean of R&P intake were 100 and 933 mg/d respectively. Approximately, 32% of the population did not consume RΠ The most abundant of the four stilbenes studied was trans-piceid (53·6 %), followed by trans-resveratrol (20·9 %), cis-piceid (19·3 %) and cis-resveratrol (6·2 %). The most important source of R&P was wines (98·4 %) and grape and grape juices (1·6 %), whereas peanuts, pistachios and berries contributed to less than 0·01 %. For this reason the pattern of intake of R&P was similar to the wine pattern. This is the first time that R&P intake has been estimated in a Mediterranean country.

Absorption and pharmacokinetics of grapefruit flavanones in beagles

The present study evaluated the pharmacokinetics of three different grapefruit flavanone forms in dog plasma and demonstrated their absorption after an oral intake of a grapefruit extract; pharmacokinetic parameters of these forms were also determined. Ten healthy beagles were administered 70 mg citrus flavonoids as a grapefruit extract contained in capsules, while two additional dogs were used as controls and given an excipient. The grapefruit flavanone naringin, along with its metabolites naringenin and naringenin glucuronide, was detected in dog plasma. Blood samples were collected between 0 and 24 h after administration of the extract. Naringin reached its maximun plasma concentration at around 80 min, whereas naringenin and naringenin glucuronide reached their maximun plasma concentrations at around 20 and 30 min, respectively. Maximum plasma concentrations of naringin, naringenin and naringenin glucuronide (medians and ranges) were 0·24 (0·05 2·08), 0·021 (0·001 0·3) and 0·09 (0·034 0·12) mmol/l, respectively. The areas under the curves were 23·16 l (14·04 70·62) min £ mmol/for nariningin, 1·78 (0·09 4·95) min £ mmol/l for naringenin and 22·5 (2·74 99·23) min £ mmol/l for naringenin glucuronide. The median and range values for mean residence time were 3·3 (1·5 9·3), 2·8 (0·8 11·2) and 8·0 (2·3 13·1) h for naringin, naringenin and naringenin glucuronide, respectively. The results of the present study demonstrate the absorption of grapefruit flavanones via the presence of their metabolites in plasma, thus making an important contribution to the field since the biological activities ascribed to these compounds rely on their specific forms of absorption.