Resumen El estudio se cuestiona sobre un abordaje fructífero en el estudio de los efectos de la modalidad lingüística (de señas versus oral) en la organización de la memoria semántica. Para responder la pregunta de investigación, un aspecto central es definir criterios y procedimientos capaces de distinguir entre los factores transportados por la modalidad lingüística de los que le son propios. Entre los primeros, se encuentran la edad de exposición a la lengua natural y su distribución funcional, etaria o geográfica. Entre los aspectos propios de la modalidad se incluyen la iconicidad y el grado de concreción/abstracción de las piezas léxicas. Se sugiere centrarse en el uso de dicho gradiente para evocar dominios conceptuales. Si lo concreto/abstracto es un continuo, entonces hay que preguntarse qué forma de organización es predominante en el léxico mental de las poblaciones señantes u oyentes y qué factores modulan el perfil de esa organización.

Abstract The efforts to understand the relationship of the meaning of a lexical piece to the object to which it refers, the relationship between the lexical pieces and the concepts, and the understanding of the meanings shared between two speakers who use the same lexical pieces have all constituted major problems for the semantic memory models. According to contemporary literature, perceptual-motor, linguistic, and social information have different weights in the formation of concepts, whether concrete or abstract, stored in the aforementioned memory. Regardless of the models developed so far, it is interesting to note that semantic knowledge is represented by various ways of relating the concepts and the types of relationships between them. In this context, studies in sign languages and comparative studies between spoken and sign languages are scarce. Thus, little is known about the effect of linguistic modality on the semantic networks. After all, the theory on semantic networks and norms for the production of features has been grounded on theories of language and its processing adjusted to spoken languages. As the incorporation of the sign language and the Deaf population has shown in other psycholinguistic and linguistic topics, the importance of including these languages and populations, and comparatives with spoken languages, might increase the explanatory power of the theory to account for the universal and contextual aspects of language and its processing. In this effort, there is a latent risk: the linguistic modality can be only a vehicle for more well-known or studied cross-modal variables (e. g., age of acquisition, functional distribution of language, size of the available lexicon, etc.). If it is considered that languages are not stored together, but similar processes can occur in them, it is essential to find out what may be a singular feature of each modality (spoken versus sign) that might ground differentiated processes. Considering the high iconicity of the sign languages and the possibility of a high concreteness of the lexical pieces in the sign language as distinctive features –not collapsible into well-known variables such as the aforementioned–, this article suggests a careful approach to avoid the aforementioned risk in the study of the effects of the linguistic modality (sign versus oral) in the organization of semantic memory. Since perceptual-motor and social information are the main sources of iconicity, a balanced instrument is necessary in the evocation of perceptual-motor, social, and linguistic information. Repeated free word association tasks seem like an appropriate paradigm for a suggested approach. The reasons for this are that, by not censoring the types of response, then free association tasks allow capturing all kinds of concepts (concrete or abstract), all kinds of semantic relationships/organization (paradigmatic versus thematic) and all kinds of processes (comparison versus interaction). This type of task therefore makes it possible to collect meanings related to linguistic information and non-linguistic experience because affective and experiential information is accessible by doing the task in different repetitions. The approach and the tool are exemplified by an ongoing comparative study between Deaf signing and hearing populations. The partial findings of this study also serve to focus on the expected effects of the difference in iconicity and the level of concreteness/abstractness of the lexical pieces of each linguistic modality; namely, the differences between an abstract and a concrete conceptualization of the conceptual domains. Taxonomic and introspective labels might appear as indicative of paradigmatic relationships, of a taxonomic organization, and of underlying comparison processes. On the other hand, the situational and entity labels, indicative of syntagmatic relationships, of a thematic organization and of underlying interaction processes, might suggest a predominantly concrete organization.

RESUMO As tarefas de fluência verbal são frequentemente utilizadas na avaliação neuropsicológica, destacando-se pela facilidade de aplicação e boa sensibilidade ao comprometimento cognitivo incipiente. No entanto, na Argentina, a disponibilidade de padrões atualizados é limitada, especialmente pela variante de fluência de ações. Assim sendo, a evidência de validade é escassa. Objetivos: Obter normas argentinas para três tarefas de fluência verbal e analisar sua validade convergente. Métodos: Usando um método de amostragem não probabilística, 303 argentinos de uma população não clínica (idade M=66,8, 50–91 anos) foram recrutados para participar deste estudo. Foram excluídos aqueles com condições médicas que pudessem comprometer o desempenho neuropsicológico. Três tarefas de fluência verbal (ou seja, fonológica, semântica e ações), o teste Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) e o teste Digit Span-WAIS III foram administrados. Correlações e regressão múltipla foram realizadas posteriormente. Resultados: A escolaridade e a idade explicaram significativamente 11,8% da variância da fluência fonológica, 15,8% da variância da fluência semântica e 20,2% da variância da fluência de ações. Assim, os dados normativos variaram de acordo com a escolaridade e a faixa etária, com limite de desempenho normal entre 9 e 14 para fluência fonológica, 11 e 18 para fluência semântica e 8 e 17 para fluência de ações. Foram obtidas correlações positivas entre todas as tarefas de fluência verbal, bem como entre estas, o teste MoCA e o Digit Span. Conclusões: Este estudo apoia a aplicabilidade de três tarefas de fluência verbal no contexto argentino, fornecendo normas corrigidas por idade e educação e evidências aceitáveis de validade convergente.

Abstract Verbal fluency tasks are frequently used in neuropsychological assessment, standing out for their easy application and good sensitivity to early cognitive impairment. However, in Argentina, the availability of updated norms is limited, especially for the action fluency variant. There is also little evidence of validity. Objectives: The aim of this study was to obtain Argentine norms for three verbal fluency tasks and to analyze their convergent validity. Methods: Using a nonprobability sampling method, 303 Argentines from a nonclinical population (age mean=66.8, 50–91 years) were recruited to participate in this study. Those with medical conditions that could compromise neuropsychological performance were excluded. Three verbal fluency tasks (i.e., phonological, semantic, and action), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test, and the Digit Span-WAIS III test were administered. Correlations and multiple regressions were subsequently performed. Results: Education and age significantly explained 11.8% of the variance in phonological fluency, 15.8% of the variance in semantic fluency, and 20.2% of the variance in action fluency. Hence, the normative data varied according to educational level and age group, with normal performance limit values between 9 and 14 for phonological fluency, 11 and 18 for semantic fluency, and 8 and 17 for action fluency. Positive correlations were obtained between all verbal fluency tasks, as well as between the MoCA test and the Digit Span test. Conclusions: This study supports the applicability of three verbal fluency tasks in an Argentine context by providing age- and education-corrected norms and acceptable evidence of convergent validity.

Resumen Aunque las emociones básicas son consideradas universales, su significado varía según las culturas y los grupos sociales. En el marco de la construcción social de los significados, aquí se analizan y comparan las representaciones semánticas de seis emociones básicas (alegría, tristeza, enojo, miedo, sorpresa, asco) activadas por 78 niños (9 a 11 años) y 78 adultos (20 a 40 años). En base a una tarea de producción de atributos semánticos, se construyó la representación semántica asociada a cada emoción para cada rango etario. Luego, utilizando la metodología provista por el análisis de redes sociales (ARS), se analizó la calidad intrínseca y las diferencias en cantidad y tipos de atributos, estructura de las redes, densidad y nivel de entropía, y el uso de la definición por negación. Los resultados indicaron que los mapas semánticos de niños y mayores demuestran que los adultos producen mayor cantidad y diversidad de atributos que los niños, pero que ambas poblaciones comparten el núcleo del significado de los conceptos evaluados. Asimismo, muestra que la escolarización conduce a la generación de más atributos taxonómicos, que en los niños prevalecen los atributos introspectivos, que la densidad y la entropía revelan cómo los conceptos se vinculan entre sí diferencialmente en ambas poblaciones y finalmente que, frente a la dificultad para encontrar definidoras de pertenencia a una clase, los niños recurren a operaciones de contraste categorial. Entre las redes semánticas de adultos y de niños se encuentran continuidades y divergencias. En ambos grupos se encuentran separadas las emociones positivas de las negativas, lo cual es consistente con las teorías que sostienen la importancia de la valencia hedónica en la comprensión de las emociones.

Abstract Although basic emotions are considered universal, their representation, associations and meaning vary among cultures and social groups. Within the framework of the socio-constructivist theory, where the meanings develop in the social context, this paper analyzes and compares the semantic representations of six basic emotions (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, Surprise and Disgust), evoked by 78 children between 9 and 11 years old and 78 adults between 20 and 40 years old. Participants had to list a series of properties/features for each concept in a Property Listing Task (PLT). With the lists produced by the participants, their frequencies and other statistical properties were calculated, and the matrix of distances between concepts was obtained from the vectors defined by each of them. Thus, using the six aforementioned emotions as stimuli, the semantic representation associated with each emotion was elaborated for each age range. Once these were obtained, an analysis was carried out to evaluate the intrinsic quality and the differences in: (1) quantity and types of features produced; (2) structure of each of the semantic networks obtained, both by means of quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) and hierarchical clustering algorithms; (3) network density (that describes the portion of the potential connections in a network that are actual connections) and entropy level (that describe the level of randomness and the amount of information encoded in a network); (4) comparative use of definition by negation; (5) qualitative analysis of the features associated with each emotional concept. To carry out the bulk of these activities and analysis, we used the tools and procedures provided by Social Network Analysis (SNA). As a result: (1) regarding the number of features, adults produced significantly more associations. A chi-square analysis found significant differences between groups in the type of features evoked, with a primacy of taxonomic for adults and introspective for children; (2) the quadratic assignment procedure found a significant level of association of .59 between the two age groups. The groupings performed at the lowest level of demand for linkage between cluster members distinguish positive emotions from negative ones; higher levels of demand begin to disaggregate the groupings: first fear and sadness are separated, then anger, then the dyad constituted by both versions of disgust. The emotion of greater commonality between children and adults is joy; (3) the density of the total network is higher in children than in adults, and the concepts of joy, disgust and sadness present a lower entropy in children than in adults; (4) Children produce considerably more definitions by the negative than adults; (5) the most similar emotion between both groups is joy and the most dissimilar is disgust. In children, disgust responds to gustatory stimuli, in adults it is used with social metaphorical value. The results obtained show the semantic representation of basic emotions in children and adults, finding both continuities (e. g. joy) and divergences (e. g. disgust) associated with the context and life experience. In both age groups, positive and negative emotions are found to be separated, which is consistent with theories on the importance of hedonic valence in the understanding of emotions. There are also differences in categorization, either more thematically or taxonomically oriented.

RESUMO As tarefas de fluência verbal são frequentemente utilizadas na avaliação neuropsicológica, destacando-se pela facilidade de aplicação e boa sensibilidade ao comprometimento cognitivo incipiente. No entanto, na Argentina, a disponibilidade de padrões atualizados é limitada, especialmente pela variante de fluência de ações. Assim sendo, a evidência de validade é escassa. Objetivos: Obter normas argentinas para três tarefas de fluência verbal e analisar sua validade convergente. Métodos: Usando um método de amostragem não probabilística, 303 argentinos de uma população não clínica (idade M=66,8, 50–91 anos) foram recrutados para participar deste estudo. Foram excluídos aqueles com condições médicas que pudessem comprometer o desempenho neuropsicológico. Três tarefas de fluência verbal (ou seja, fonológica, semântica e ações), o teste Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) e o teste Digit Span-WAIS III foram administrados. Correlações e regressão múltipla foram realizadas posteriormente. Resultados: A escolaridade e a idade explicaram significativamente 11,8% da variância da fluência fonológica, 15,8% da variância da fluência semântica e 20,2% da variância da fluência de ações. Assim, os dados normativos variaram de acordo com a escolaridade e a faixa etária, com limite de desempenho normal entre 9 e 14 para fluência fonológica, 11 e 18 para fluência semântica e 8 e 17 para fluência de ações. Foram obtidas correlações positivas entre todas as tarefas de fluência verbal, bem como entre estas, o teste MoCA e o Digit Span. Conclusões: Este estudo apoia a aplicabilidade de três tarefas de fluência verbal no contexto argentino, fornecendo normas corrigidas por idade e educação e evidências aceitáveis de validade convergente.

Abstract Verbal fluency tasks are frequently used in neuropsychological assessment, standing out for their easy application and good sensitivity to early cognitive impairment. However, in Argentina, the availability of updated norms is limited, especially for the action fluency variant. There is also little evidence of validity. Objectives: The aim of this study was to obtain Argentine norms for three verbal fluency tasks and to analyze their convergent validity. Methods: Using a nonprobability sampling method, 303 Argentines from a nonclinical population (age mean=66.8, 50–91 years) were recruited to participate in this study. Those with medical conditions that could compromise neuropsychological performance were excluded. Three verbal fluency tasks (i.e., phonological, semantic, and action), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test, and the Digit Span-WAIS III test were administered. Correlations and multiple regressions were subsequently performed. Results: Education and age significantly explained 11.8% of the variance in phonological fluency, 15.8% of the variance in semantic fluency, and 20.2% of the variance in action fluency. Hence, the normative data varied according to educational level and age group, with normal performance limit values between 9 and 14 for phonological fluency, 11 and 18 for semantic fluency, and 8 and 17 for action fluency. Positive correlations were obtained between all verbal fluency tasks, as well as between the MoCA test and the Digit Span test. Conclusions: This study supports the applicability of three verbal fluency tasks in an Argentine context by providing age- and education-corrected norms and acceptable evidence of convergent validity.

Abstract Purpose. The aim of this work has been to review the scientific literature regarding the role of regucalcin in bone loss. Method. A bibliographic search was performed in the PubMed database. A total of 31 articles were used. After analyzing its content and applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 13 articles were included. Results The decrease in femoral calcium content observed in regucalcin transgenic mice decreased with increasing age, suggesting that bone loss is not restored with bone modeling. In the same way, it was found that the addition of regucalcin with 1 to 100 nM significantly stimulated the baseline activity of NF-kB (P <0.01). Likewise, there was a significant decrease in the DNA content in femoral metaphyseal tissues, with a greater decrease in females than in males, these values being: 3,3 mg / g became 2,6 mg / g (P <0.01). Osteoclastic bone resorption increased in male and female transgenic regucalcin mice with increasing age. Also, exogenous regucalcin reveals suppressive effects on osteoblastogenesis and mineralization in vitro and that it had no effects on cell proliferation and apoptosis in osteoblast cells in short-term cultures. Conclusion. Regucalcin plays a fundamental role in the maintenance of cell homeostasis and the function of the cellular response in relation to bone mass.

Resumen Objetivo. El propósito de este trabajo ha sido revisar la literatura científica con relación al papel de la regucalcina en la pérdida de masa ósea. Método. Se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica en la base de datos PubMed. Se encontraron 31 artículos. Tras analizar su contenido y aplicar los criterios de inclusión y exclusión, un total de 13 artículos fueron incluidos. Resultados. La disminución en el contenido de calcio femoral observado en ratones transgénicos con regucalcina se observó con el aumento de la edad, lo que sugiere que la pérdida ósea no se restaura con el modelado óseo. De la misma manera, se encontró que la adición de regucalcina con 1 a 100 nM estimulaba significativamente la actividad basal de NF-kB (P<0.01). Se apreció una disminución significativa en el contenido de ADN en los tejidos metafisarios femorales, con una mayor disminución en hembras que en machos, siendo estos valores: 3.3 mg/g pasaron a ser 2.6 mg/g en las hembras (P<0.01). La reabsorción ósea osteoclástica aumentó en ratones transgénicos con regucalcina machos y hembras con edad creciente. La regucalcina exógena revela efectos supresores sobre la osteoblastogénesis y la mineralización in vitro y que no tuvo efectos sobre la proliferación celular y la apoptosis en las células osteoblásticas en cultivos a corto plazo. Conclusión. La regucalcina desempeña un papel fundamental en el mantenimiento del homeostasis celular y la función de la respuesta celular en relación a la masa ósea.

Abstract To the best of the author's knowledge, no previous studies have described the effect of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) on vertical performance during a week in professional volleyball players. This study assessed BCAA supplementation for a week, aiming to improve vertical jump performance in male professional volleyball players. Twelve male volleyballers were randomly assigned to a BCAA group (n = 6) or a control group (n = 6). The BCAA group ingested 21 g over a week, 7 g per day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, before a volleyball training session, while the control group drank a placebo drink. Participants performed 8 maximal countermovement jumps (CMJ); the 3 CMJs on Monday and Wednesday were evaluated after warm-up, after plyometric training, and at the end of the training session; and the 2 CMJs on Friday were evaluated after warm-up, and at the end of the training session. Compared with baseline, no significant differences in CMJ over the week were observed in BCAA or control group, neither between groups. The results indicated that 21 g of BCAA supplementation over a week did not improve vertical jump performance in professional volleyball players.

Resumen Hasta donde los autores saben, no se han descrito estudios previos sobre el efecto de los aminoácidos ramificados (BCAA) en el rendimiento vertical durante una semana en jugadores de voleibol profesionales. Este artículo estudió la suplementación de BCAA durante una semana con el objeto de mejorar el rendimiento del salto vertical en jugadores de voleibol profesionales masculinos. Doce jugadores de voleibol masculinos se asignaron aleatoriamente a un grupo con BCAA (n = 6) o a un grupo de control (n = 6). El grupo con BCAA ingirió 21 g en una semana, 7 g por día los lunes, miércoles y viernes antes de la sesión de entrenamiento de voleibol, mientras que el grupo de control bebió una bebida placebo. Los participantes realizaron 8 saltos máximos de contramovimiento (CMJ); los 3 CMJ de lunes y miércoles se evaluaron después del calentamiento y del entrenamiento pliométrico, y al final de la sesión de entrenamiento; los 2 CMJ del viernes se evaluaron después del calentamiento y al final de la sesión de entrenamiento. En comparación con el valor inicial, no se observaron diferencias significativas en los CMJ a lo largo de la semana, ni en el grupo BCAA ni en el grupo control, tampoco hubo diferencias entre grupos. Los resultados indicaron que 21 g de BCAA administrados durante una semana no mejoraron el rendimiento del salto vertical en jugadores de voleibol profesionales.

Resumen En los últimos años, se ha producido una profusa investigación en torno a la memoria semántica en la vejez. En ese marco, el presente trabajo abordó la producción de atributos semánticos y las variaciones en la fluencia verbal en el envejecimiento cognitivo normal. Existen numerosos estudios sobre fluencia, pero son exiguos los que comparan la distancia semántica entre conceptos en poblaciones de personas jóvenes y mayores de una misma región. El objeto de este trabajo fue comparar y analizar la distancia semántica entre ambos grupos etarios y la riqueza semántica por medio de la fluencia dada a 130 conceptos por 90 adultos mayores de 65 años, cognitivamente conservados, con los atributos producidos por 120 adultos jóvenes, tal como se hallan en las Normas de Producción de Atributos Semánticos en Español. Estos atributos fueron empíricamente recolectados en forma escrita y corresponden a los dominios 'seres vivos' y 'no vivos'. Se encontraron diferencias significativas en fluencia verbal a favor de los más jóvenes, en coincidencia con lo expresado en la literatura, y estabilidad en la constitución semántica entre los conceptos dados por ambos grupos etarios, como aspecto novedoso.

Abstract In recent years, there has been a profuse research on semantic memory in old age. In this framework, this paper addressed the production of semantic features and the variations in verbal fluency in normal cognitive aging. There are numerous studies on fluency, but there are fewer that compare the semantic distance between concepts in populations of young people and seniors in the same region. The purpose of this paper is to compare and analyze the semantic distance between both age groups, and the semantic richness measured by the fluency, given to 130 concepts by 90 cognitively conserved adults over 65 years old, with the features produced by 120 young adults, as found in the Normas de Producción de Atributos Semánticos en Español. Semantic features were empirically collected in written form and correspond to the domains living and non-living beings. Significant differences were found in verbal fluency in favor of the youngest, in coincidence with what was expressed in the literature, and stability in the semantic constitution between the concepts given by both age groups, as a novel aspect.

Resumo Nos últimos anos se tem produzido uma profunda pesquisa em torno ao tema da memória semântica na velhice. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho abordou a produção de atributos semânticos e as variações na fluência verbal no envelhecimento cognitivo normal. Existem numerosos estudos sobre fluência, mas são exíguos os estudos que comparam a distância semântica entre conceitos em populações de jovens e de idosos de uma mesma região. O objetivo deste trabalho é comparar e analisar a distância semântica entre ambos os grupos etários e a riqueza semântica medida por meio da fluência, dada para 130 conceitos por 90 idosos de 65 anos cognitivamente conservados, com os atributos produzidos por 120 adultos jovens, tal como encontram-se nas Normas de Produção de Atributos Semânticos em Espanhol. Os atributos semânticos foram empíricamente coletados em forma escrita e correspondem aos domínios seres vivos e não vivos. Se encontraram diferenças significativas em fluência verbal a favor dos mais jovens, em coincidência com o expressado na literatura, e estabilidade na constituição semântica entre os conceitos dados por ambos os grupos etários, como aspeto inovador.

The Project for a Scientific Psychology is Freud's most forceful attempt to formulate a model of psychic functioning within the framework of the natural sciences. In order to do this he defines the psychism as a system constituted by specifiable material particles, the neurons, particles subject to changes of state according to an operator of change of state conceived as an amount (Q) and on which the laws of Newton validly operate. In this way, he studies the composition of the mental system, differentiating the existence of three neuronal subsystems (Fi, Psi and Omega) and analyzing the avatars of the quantity Q as a state change operator, which is essentially the motor of the Psychicdynamics and foundation of the Ego organization organization, taking this organization as a particular state of the distribution of Q in the system. The purpose of this work is to make explicit the use of the concepts coming from the physics of that time and the form they took in the Project. This paper presents four axes: 1) The notion of system, state and change of state. Freud advocates for a Psychology defined as natural science as capable of representing phenomena as quantitatively determined states of specifiable material particles. The system is subject to state changes according toa physical and measurable change of state operator, which corresponds to the notion of quantity (Q). 2) The support of psychic dynamics in the first and second principles of thermodynamics. The tendency described in the Project as an impulse tothe discharge of the neuronal tension to zero, is heiress of a model constructed according to the first two principles of the thermodynamics. The notion of the general irreversibility of the psychic process, despite the mechanisms that retard, and even partially reverse the direction of the process, is an implicit idea on which all repetitive phenomena are based. The concept of facilitation itself involves the irreversibility of the process since it does not contemplate the possibility that mechanisms exist that may allow the reverse operation, except in the exceptional situation in which, for different reasons, the expected spontaneous sense is reversed, generating the process of regression. 3) The analogy of electrodynamics notions in the functioning of the psychic apparatus. Neurons, as conductors charged by a current flowing in a given direction, are also capable of storing a quantity of excitation, cathexis, neologism derived from the word cathode, used in physics. The idea of gradual local differences in potential is the only possible justification within the model for explaining psychic work as a product of the interrelationship between energy and work. Thus, it is difficult to say that when Freud developed his project he was not thinking of an electrodynamics model, it is difficult to imagine that he did not think of current (electron flow) when he spoke of current, or tha the did not think of physical resistances when he spoke of resistances, or that he did not think about tension when he described the storage of potential excitation, or else that he did not seek, finally, to formulate an Ohm law of neural function, when he spoke of their relations. 4) The study of the wave characteristics as the basis of the third neuronal subsystem of the model. The Project solves the problem of the quality by assigning to the currents in flow another property, the periodicity, independent of the quantity. This periodicity refers to frequency and frequency changes, which only in the Omega system become significant, because in the Psi system they do not exist, neither in Fi. These are, in Freud's words, monotonous, that is to say of uniform and constant frequency so as to give a unique tone.

El Proyecto de Psicología para Neurólogos constituye el más enérgico intento de Freud de formular un modelo de funcionamiento psíquico en el marco de las Ciencias Naturales. Así, estudia la composición del sistema mental llegando a diferenciar la existencia de tres subsistemas neuronales y analiza los avatares de la cantidad Q, esencia de la dinámica psíquica y fundamento de la organización Yoica. El propósito de este trabajo es explicitar el uso de los conceptos provenientes de la Física de su época y la forma que tomaron en el Proyecto. Se presentan cuatro ejes: (1) La noción de sistema, estado y cambio de estado, para analizar las proposiciones metateóricas. (2) La sustentación dela dinámica psíquica en el primer y segundo principio de la Termodinámica. (3) El símil de las nociones electrodinámicas en el funcionamiento del aparato psíquico. (4) El estudio de las características ondulatorias como sustento del tercer subsistema neuronal del modelo.

Resumen Pese a la abundante evidencia de que los niños pueden categorizar perceptiva, temática y taxonómicamente, pocos estudios indagan si los patrones hallados en adultos -asociación de seres vivos con atributos taxonómicos y perceptivos, y de objetos con información temática- se encuentran también en población infantil. Por eso el objetivo del trabajo fue estudiar los tipos de atributos -principalmente taxonómicos y temáticos- utilizados por niños de 6 a 11 años de 1°, 3° y 5° año de educación primaria de Mar del Plata, mediante una tarea que consistió en solicitar características de conceptos de seres vivos y no vivos (ANIMALES, FRUTAS, OBJETOS y MUEBLES). Las relaciones temáticas predominaron en los OBJETOS y MUEBLES, y no en las FRUTAS y ANIMALES, en apoyo a la idea de que las características contextuales y funcionales son más importantes para reconocer y describir artefactos que seres vivos. Las relaciones taxonómicas primaron en los ANIMALES y FRUTAS, y no en los OBJETOS y MUEBLES, avalando la idea de que las relaciones taxonómicas, por su vinculación con el procesamiento visual, son más pertinentes para reconocer y categorizar seres vivos.

Abstract Although many studies show that children are able to perform perceptive, thematic and taxonomical characterization, few studies investigate whether adults' patterns -living things mostly associated with taxonomic and perceptive attributes, and nonliving things, with thematic information- resemble those of children. Thus, this paper undertook to study the types of -mainly taxonomic and thematic- attributes used by 6- to- 11-year-old children attending 1st, 3rd and 5th year of basic primary education in Mar del Plata city. This was done through a task that consisted of asking for conceptual attributes of living and nonliving things (ANIMALS, FRUITS, OBJECTS, FURNITURE). We found that thematic relations prevailed in OBJECTS and FURNITURE but not in FRUITS and ANIMALS, which matches with the idea that contextual and functional characteristics are more important for artifacts than living things. Likewise, taxonomic relations prevailed in ANIMALS and FRUITS, and its presence was much lower in OBJECTS and FURNITURE. In conclusion, we found a reverse pattern vis-à-vis that of thematic relations, in accordance with the idea that taxonomic relations are more relevant for living things given their relation to visual processing.

This article describes a student assessment computer system based on the DistSem method. The diagnostic system, Infosem, is based on the model of a semantic network. The nodes of the network make up the concepts proposed by the expert evaluator and the links represent the degree of similarity that the students attribute to the two concepts that join each link. One of the relevant aspects of the system is the visual interface which allows the inspection of the network that represents conceptual knowledge. A qualitative and a quantitative assessment has been implemented. The display allows the professor to easily interpret a student's answer. Numerous experiences have been carried out with university students.

Este artículo describe un sistema computacional de evaluación del estudiante basado en el método DistSem. El sistema de diagnóstico, Infosem, ha tomado como base el modelo de una red semántica. Los nodos de la red conforman los conceptos propuestos por el evaluador experto y los vínculos representan el grado de similitud que el estudiante atribuye a los dos conceptos que une cada vínculo. Uno de los aspectos relevantes del sistema es la interface visual la cual permite inspeccionar la red que representa el conocimiento conceptual. Se ha implementado una evaluación cualitativa y otra cuantitativa. La visualización permite al docente interpretar fácilmente la respuesta de un estudiante. Se han realizado numerosas experiencias con estudiantes universitarios.

Traditionally, semantic memory has been defined as a mental trove that contains organized information about words and their meaning, as well as relationships between words, facts and concepts.There are different ways of explaining how the information in such memory system is represented and organized. One of the main ways of explaining this organization is through categories. Categorization starts the very moment that any sensorial perception is associated to an abstract category; it is the ability to organize information in equivalence classes, and it is very important because it allows us to summarize the information that we gather through our senses and thus facilitate its manipulation. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the main cause of dementia among older adults, and it is one of the most pressing sanitary, social and cultural problems of the present times. The main risk factor for the illness is age, for its prevalence augments exponentially from 65 to 85 years old, and due to the rise in life expectancy it is considered that it might be transformed into a world-wide epidemic in the coming years. The start of the illness is insidious and slowly progressing, and it is characterized by a loss of episodic memory from its beginnings. With respect to the deterioration of semantic memory in AD, a debate has arisen about its mode of presentation, its causes, and whether there is a differential loss of categories (live or non-live beings) in different moments of the illness. During the 90s, Petersen proposed the concept of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to label the subjects with a functional cognitive impairment insufficient to diagnose a dementia syndrome. The importance of this syndrome is that between 8 to 15% of those who suffer it evolve to AD annually, while in the general population this evolution is only from 1 to 2%. However, there is a great controversy about the validity and scope of the term MCI, for its etiology can be very varied and it is very difficult to predict its evolution. There are different sub-kinds of MCI, and the amnesic form is the more likely to evolve into AD, for its main characteristic is the subjective deterioration of memory corroborated by standardized test by reference to normative data for the same age and educational level of the subject. The other cognitive functions not present alterations. The main objective of this work was to analyze the semantic categorization processes in healthy older adults comparing them with two groups of people with neurological pathologies, one with diagnosis of MCI and the other with AD, matched by age, educational level and gender. To evaluate this categorization process, two traditional tasks were used together with a novel method, the DISTSEM, which allows the evaluation of the estimation made by people about the semantic distance among a set of given concepts. The results showed that the group of people without pathologies had a superior performance in all the tasks in comparison with the groups of people with neurological pathologies. On the other hand, the group with AD showed a semantic impairment which affected in the first place the category of live beings, which was evident in the all the tasks. The MCI preserved the categorical structure with only minor intrusions. The DISTSEM has shown itself to be a valuable instrument that allows the discrimination between healthy subjects and those with AD. It is expected that this work can provide empirical evidence relevant to the debate surrounding semantic memory, for studies in patients with brain injury offer key information to examine the organizing models of such memory.

Tradicionalmente la memoria semántica ha sido definida como un tesoro mental que almacena información sobre las palabras, su significado, como así también la relación entre ellas, los hechos y los conceptos. Una de las vías principales para explicar cómo se organiza la información en la memoria semántica (MS) es a través de categorías. La demencia tipo Alzheimer (DTA) suele estar caracterizada por un deterioro en la memoria episódica. Sin embargo, se debate en torno al deterioro de la misma, en qué momento aparece, a qué se debe y si hay una pérdida diferencial en distintos momentos de la enfermedad. El objetivo del trabajo que se informa fue analizar los procesos de categorización semántica en adultos mayores sanos comparándolos con dos grupos de personas con patologías neurológicas: uno con diagnóstico de deterioro cognitivo leve (DCL) y otro con demencia tipo Alzheimer (DTA), emparejados por edad, nivel educativo y género. Para ello, se utilizaron tareas tradicionales para evaluar la memoria semántica y también un método novedoso, el DISTSEM, que permite evaluar las estimaciones que realizan las personas de las distancias semánticas entre los conceptos. Los resultados mostraron que el grupo de personas sin patología tuvo un rendimiento superior en todas las tareas en comparación con los grupos de personas con patología neurológica. Por otro lado, el grupo con DTA mostró un deterioro semántico afectando en primer lugar a la categoría seres vivos. El DCL preservó la estructura categorial sólo con pequeñas intrusiones. El DISTSEM mostró ser un instrumento adecuado para la discriminación entre sujetos sanos y DTA.

Durante los últimos años han sido descritas diversas anormalidades genéticas asociadas al desarrollo de carcinomas colorectales, tales como mutaciones en el proto-oncogen K-ras y en los genes p53, DCC, y APC. En nuestro medio, zona de alto riesgo para cáncer gástrico, se conoce poco sobre el comportamiento biológico de las lesiones colónicas premalignas. El objetivo de esta investigación fue establecer restrospectivamente, mediante técnica de inmunohistoquímica, la prevalencia de la expresión de marcadores, específicamente p53, Cerb B2, PCNA y EGFR en pólipos colorectales, resecados durante procedimientos endoscópicos llevados a cabo en pacientes adultos sintomáticos. Casos: Fueron procesados un total de 50 pólipos colorectales, incluidos 37 adenomas, 8 pólipos hiperplasicos, 3 pólipos inflamatorios juveniles y 2 adenomas serrados. Resultados: La inmunotinción resultó positiva a dos de los marcadores inmunohistoquímicos utilizados, p53 y PCNA en 19 casos, (36%: 16 casos PCNA + y 8% 4 casos p53+). No se encontró relación entre positividad al marcador y diagnóstico histológico (p=0.30 y p=0.13 respectivamente). De igual modo, la expresión inmunohistoquimica de los marcadores positivos no estuvo asociada al índice de mitosis. Finalmente, la expresión de p53 no incrementó el riesgo de presentar displasia (OR=1.06, IC 95% 0.08-29.67). La positividad del PCNA determinó un aumento del riesgo de presentar alguna de las displasias con OR=8.18 IC 95% 1.18-189.4, p=0.03. Encontrándose que no existe relación entre la expresión positiva y el grado de displasia (OR=3.48 IC 95% 0.71-17.7, p=0.07 por Mantel-Haenzel). Conclusión: Considerando los resultados obtenidos podría plantearse que la determinación de la expresión de PCNA podría ser utilizada en la identificación de adenomas colorectales con alto riesgo de transformación maligna. No se evidenció resultado positivo para cerb-2 y egfr. Probablemente la negatividad de la expresión de marcadores como el C-erb B2 y de EGFR encontrada en esta serie de pólipos colorectales obedezca a su comportamiento molecular, que ha sido descrito por otros autores. La realización de futuras investigaciones sobre lesiones premalignas y carcinomas del colon-recto con la inclusión de un mayor número de casos en donde se plantee la determinación de estos y otros marcadores, así como análisis de ADN, son necesarias para un mejor análisis sobre la carcinogénesis colónica en nuestra región.

Over the past several years diverse genetic abnormalities have been described associated with the development of colorectal carcinomas, such as mutations in the proto - oncogen k - ras and the p53, DCC, and APC genes. Our area is at high risk for gastric cancer. We don`t know about the expression of these markers and the biological behaviour of the premalignant colonic lesions in this country´s area. The aim of this research was to establish retrospectively by immunohistochemistry, the prevalence of markers expression, especially p53, CERB - B2, PCNA and EGFR in colorectal polyps removed during endoscopic procedures in symptomatic adult patients. Cases: A total of 50 colorectal polyps were evaluated including 37 adenomas, 8 hyperplasic polyps, 3 inflammatory juvenile polyps and 2 serrated adenomas. Result: Immunohistochemistry was positive in 19 cases (36 %: 16 cases PCNA +, 4 cases p53 +), we did not find any kind of relation with histological diagnosis (p=0.30 and p=0.13 respectively). Similarly, the immunohistochemical expression of the positive markers wasn`t associated with the mitosis rate. Finally, the p53 expression did not increase the risk of dysplasia (OR=1.06, IC 95 % 0.08-29.67). The expression of the PCNA determined an increase of the risk of any dysplasia with OR=8.18 IC 95 % 1.18-189.4, p=0.03. The analysis did not show association between positive expression and dysplasia (OR=3.48 IC 95 % 0.71-17.7, p=0.07 for Mantel- Haenzel). Conclusion: Considering the results, could be alleged that the determination of PCNA expression could be used in the identification of colorectal adenomas with high risk of malignant transformation. A positive result for CERB-B2 and EGFR was not demonstrated. Probably the negativity of the expression of markers such as CERB - B2 and EGFR found in this series of colorectal polyps is related to its molecular behaviour, which has been described by other authors. Conducting further investigations to learn more about precancerous lesions and colorectal cancer with the inclusion of a greater number of cases, with these and other markers as well as DNA analysis, are needed to a better understanding colon carcinogenesis in our region.

The Extended Theory of the Propagation of the Activation is one of the more accepted models to represent the information stored in the long term memory. In this model isolated concepts do not have meaning but they acquire it by their relation with the others. The aim of this paper is to communicate the results of an experience in which it was applied a method to estimate the semantic distances (Distsem) between nine concepts of the subject cognitive psychology in three instances, individual initial, group and individual final. The participants were 225 students from third year of the career of psychology (National University of Mar del Plata) that were taking the course of cognitive psychology. Subjects were asked to estimate the proximity between random pairs of concepts and then it was applied a set of Social Network Analyses routines. The results show that the student´s semantic networks changed positively in the second individual instance thank to group interaction. The conclusions suggest an association between initial knowledge and the influence exerted in the group product and allow describing the evolution of the networks

La Teoría Extendida de la Propagación de la Activación es uno de los modelos más aceptados para representar la información almacenada en la memoria a largo plazo. En dicho modelo los conceptos no poseen significado de manera aislada sino que lo adquieren por su posición en la estructura reticular. El objetivo de este trabajo es comunicar los resultados de la aplicación del método de evaluación de distancias semánticas (Distsem) sobre nueve conceptos de la asignatura psicología cognitiva en tres instancias, individual inicial, grupal e individual final. Participaron 225 estudiantes del 3er año de psicología (UNMDP) que cursaban la asignatura. Se solicitó a los alumnos estimar la proximidad entre pares aleatorizados de dichos conceptos y luego se aplicó un conjunto de procedimientos de análisis de redes sociales. Los resultados mostraron que las redes semánticas de los alumnos evolucionaron favorablemente en la segunda instancia individual gracias a la interacción grupal. Las conclusiones sugieren una fuerte asociación entre conocimiento inicial y la influencia ejercida en el producto grupal y permiten describir la evolución de las redes.

Diversas anormalidades genéticas han sido reportadas en el desarrollo del carcinoma gástrico. Este trabajo estudia la inmuno expresión de marcadores inmunohistoquímicos: p 53, C-erb-B2, PCNA y EGFR, en 65 casos (37 hombres y 28 mujeres) con edad promedio de 54.5 años con cáncer gástrico precoz y avanzado. Histológicamente de acuerdo a la clasificación Japonesa, 8 casos (12,3%), se reportaron como adenocarcinomas moderadamente diferenciados, 7 (10.8%) como adenocarcinomas poco diferenciados con patrón sólido, 8 (12,3%) adenocarcinomas pobremente diferenciados patrón no sólido, 1 (1,5%) adenocarcinoma papilar, 12 (18,5%) carcinomas con células en anillo de sello y 12 (18,5%) carcinomas mucinosos. Tres lesiones (4,6%) fueron clasificadas como otro tipo de tumores, específicamente linfoepiteliomas. Según la clasificación de Lauren 23 lesiones (35.4%) se reportaron como carcinomas de tipo intestinal, 27 (41,5%) como carcinomas difusos, 1 (1.5%) como carcinoma mixto y en 14 casos (21.5%) los tumores se consideraron como no clasificables. Observándose: 37 casos positivos para p53, 24 con expresión de EGFR, 33 con expresión c-erbB2, y 55 que expresaron PCNA. La expresión de genes supresores, de factores de crecimiento, así como la expresión de marcadores de proliferación celular en el cáncer gástrico, son frecuentes en tumores gástricos avanzados y precoces En este estudio no se encontró correlación entre la expresión de los marcadores inmunohistoquímicos y los estadios clínico-patológicos.

Many genetic abnormalities have been reported in gastric cancer. We study the immunoexpression of p 53, Cerb B2, PCNA and EGFR in different types of gastric cancers. 65 cases (37 men and 25 women) with a rate of 54.5 years old with early and advanced gastric cancer from the records of our institute, 89.2% were advanced cases, 37cases positive to p53, 24 cases positive to EGFR and 55 cases positive to PCNA. Histological diagnosis was made according to the Japanese classification, 8 cases (12%) were moderately differentiated adenocarcinomas, 7(10.8%) poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas with a solid pattern type, 8(12.3%), poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with a non solid pattern type 1(1.5%), papillary adenocarcinomas 12 (18.5%), signet-ring cell carcinoma and mucinous carcinoma 12 (18.5%). We also found 3(4.6%) lymphoepithelioma. According to Lauren's classification 23(35.4%) cases were intestinal type, 22(41.5%) cases diffuse type, 14(21.5%) not otherwise specified and 1 case mixed (intestinal and diffuse type). The expression of tumor Suppressors Genes, Growth Factors Genes and Proliferative Genes are frequently expressed in gastric cancer, but there are no correlations with clinical and pathological stages in this study.

Se realiza un estudio de revisión de casos en el Centro de Control de Cáncer Gastrointestinal "Dr. Luís Andersón" de cuatro pacientes con diagnóstico endoscópico de cáncer gástrico precoz múltiple, corroborado en acto operatorio encontrando 2 lesiones en cada caso ubicadas a nivel de cuerpo gástrico en tres de ellos y en uno, una lesión en cuerpo y otra en antro, con diagnóstico histológico de adenocarcinoma en todos ellos, solo uno con células en anillo de sello. Todos los pacientes presentaron una sobrevida post-operatoria (Kapllan -Meyer) a los 5 años del 100%.

A review study of cases at the Centro de Control de cancer Gastrointestinal " Dr. Luis Anderson " was made of four patients with an endoscopic diagnosis of multiple early gastric cancer, corroborated at surgery by finding 2 injuries in each case located at the level of the gastric body in three of them and in one, an injury in the body and another one at the antrum, with histological diagnosis of adenocarcinoma in all of them, only one with signet-ring cells. All the patients presented a postoperative survival (Kapllan - Meyer) at 5 years of 100%.