Development of digital competences of university students in the context of the use of business simulators

En los momentos actuales se puede ver que las competencias digitales han cobrado más relevancia en el entorno universitario, es así que el presente artículo busca evidenciar la percepción de estudiantes universitarios sobre el desarrollo de competencias digitales dentro del contexto educativos universitario. Para este fin, se llevó a cabo una investigación con metodología cuantitativa de corte no experimental con estudiantes universitarios de los ciclos iniciales y del último ciclo académico de una institución privada de la ciudad de Lima, Perú. Para la recolección de información se implementó un cuestionario electrónico y dos grupos de discusión uno en segundo ciclo y otro en el último ciclo de la universidad. Entre los principales resultados se encontró que los estudiantes tienen una percepción heterogénea respecto al desarrollo de los distintos dominios de la competencia digital, siendo más fuertes las relacionadas con la Comunicación y la creación/edición de contenidos multimedia. Las de menor desarrollo son las competencias de los dominios de seguridad y resolución de problemas. Los estudiantes consultados manifiestan haber mejorado sus habilidades por medio de un amplio número de prácticas digitales guiados por la interacción y dinámicas planteadas en el uso de simuladores y de forma autónoma, a través de la interacción con sus compañeros de clase, con recursos propios de la web y a partir de experiencias personales de ensayo y error. Finalmente, se presentan algunas propuestas que pueden plantearse como ejes articuladores del desarrollo de competencias digitales dentro y fuera del aula con el uso de simuladores.At present, it can be seen that digital skills have become more relevant in the university environment, so this article seeks to show the perception of university students about the development of digital skills within the university educational context. For this purpose, a research was carried out with a non-experimental quantitative methodology with university students from the initial cycles and from the last academic cycle of a private institution in the city of Lima, Peru. For the collection of information, an electronic questionnaire and two discussion groups were implemented, one in the second cycle and the other in the last cycle of the university. Among the main results, it was found that students have a heterogeneous perception regarding the development of the different domains of digital competence, with those related to Communication and the creation/editing of multimedia content being stronger. The least developed are the competencies of the security and problem-solving domains. The students consulted state that they have improved their skills through a large number of digital practices guided by interaction and dynamics proposed in the use of simulators and autonomously, through interaction with their classmates, with the university's own resources. web and from personal experiences of trial and error. Finally, some proposals are presented that can be considered as articulating axes of the development of digital skills inside and outside the classroom with the use of simulators

Evaluation of ram semen quality using polyacrylamide gel instead of cervical mucus in the sperm penetration test

P. 1575-1586Fertility is a very complex biological function that depends on several properties of the spermatozoa, including sperm motility. Two objectives are analyzed in this study: (1) Replace the cervical mucus by a synthetic medium in a sperm penetration test, and (2) evaluating the results of this test objectively analyzing the sperm number that migrates. In experiment 1, we have tested eight concentrations of acrylamide (1%–2%). Rheological properties of media were analyzed. The plastic straws, loaded with acrylamide, were placed vertically on the semen sample tube for 15 min at 39 °C. After, the acrylamides were placed, by segments of 5 mm, into wells of a 24-well plate, dyed with Hoechst 33342 and the number of spermatozoa were calculated by automated microscopy analysis. The 1.55% and 1.6% acrylamide gel showed a number of spermatozoa emigrating closer to that seen with natural mucus. In experiment 2, we applied the sperm penetration in acrylamide 1.6% and 1.55% using fresh semen and cooled semen at 15 °C and 5 °C. The spermatozoa counts were performed for each segment of 10 mm. Semen chilled at 15 °C presented intermediate values of sperm counts in comparison with fresh semen (higher) and 5 °C chilled semen. The sperm counts do not differ between acrylamides but the rheological properties of acrylamide 1.6% were more similar to those of the natural cervical mucus. In experiment 3, we have observed significant correlations between the number of spermatozoa and several sperm quality parameters (positive: progressive motility and velocity according to the straight path; negative: damaged acrosomes and apoptotic cells) in 1.6% acrylamide media. We conclude that the size of the cell subpopulation, objectively calculated, that migrate beyond 20 mm in 0.5-mL straws filled with acrylamide is a useful parameter in ram sperm quality assessment and further studies are needed to evaluate its relationship with field fertility.S

Sterile and dual-porous aerogels scaffolds obtained through a multistep supercritical CO2-based approach

Aerogels from natural polymers are endowed with attractive textural and biological properties for biomedical applications due to their high open mesoporosity, low density, and reduced toxicity. Nevertheless, the lack of macroporosity in the aerogel structure and of a sterilization method suitable for these materials restrict their use for regenerative medicine purposes and prompt the research on getting ready-to-implant dual (macro + meso)porous aerogels. In this work, zein, a family of proteins present in materials for tissue engineering, was evaluated as a sacrificial porogen to obtain macroporous starch aerogels. This approach was particularly advantageous since it could be integrated in the conventional aerogel processing method without extra leaching steps. Physicochemical, morphological, and mechanical characterization were performed to study the effect of porogen zein at various proportions (0:1, 1:2, and 1:1 zein:starch weight ratio) on the properties of the obtained starch-based aerogels. From a forward-looking perspective for its clinical application, a supercritical CO2 sterilization treatment was implemented for these aerogels. The sterilization efficacy and the influence of the treatment on the aerogel final properties were evaluated mainly in terms of absence of microbial growth, cytocompatibility, as well as physicochemical, structural, and mechanical modifications.Work supported by Xunta de Galicia [ED431F 2016/010 & ED431C 2016/008], MINECO [SAF2017-83118R], AEI, FEDER and Interreg VAPOCTEP Programme [0245_IBEROS_1_E].C.A.García-González acknowledges to MINECO for a Ramón y Cajal Fellowship [RYC2014-15239]. V. Santos-Rosales acknowledges to Xunta de Galicia (Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria) for a predoctoral research fellowship [ED481A-2018/014]. A.L. Oliveira acknowledges Portuguese National Funds from FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through Program FCT Investigator (IF/00411/2013), project SERICAMED (IF/00411/2013/CP1167) and project UID/Multi/50016/2013. Work carried out in the frame of the COST-Action “Advanced Engineering and Research of aeroGels for Environment and Life Sciences” (AERoGELS, ref. CA18125) funded by the European CommissionS

Altered thiol chemistry in human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-linked mutants of superoxide dismutase 1

Neurodegenerative diseases share a common characteristic, the presence of intracellular or extracellular deposits of protein aggregates in nervous tissues. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a severe and fatal neurodegenerative disorder, which affects preferentially motoneurons. Changes in the redox state of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) are associated with the onset and development of familial forms of ALS. In human SOD1 (hSOD1), a conserved disulfide bond and two free cysteine residues can engage in anomalous thiol/disulfide exchange resulting in non-native disulfides, a hallmark of ALS that is related to protein misfolding and aggregation. Because of the many competing reaction pathways, traditional bulk techniques fall short at quantifying individual thiol/disulfide exchange reactions. Here, we adapt recently developed single-bond chemistry techniques to study individual disulfide isomerization reactions in hSOD1. Mechanical unfolding of hSOD1 leads to the formation of a polypeptide loop held by the disulfide. This loop behaves as a molecular jump rope that brings reactive Cys-111 close to the disulfide. Using force-clamp spectroscopy, we monitor nucleophilic attack of Cys-111 at either sulfur of the disulfide and determine the selectivity of the reaction. Disease-causing mutations G93A and A4V show greatly altered reactivity patterns, which may contribute to the progression of familial ALS

Transcranial static magnetic stimulation reduces seizures in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome

[Abstract] Dravet syndrome is a rare form of severe genetic epilepsy characterized by recurrent and long-lasting seizures. It appears around the first year of life, with a quick evolution toward an increase in the frequency of the seizures, accompanied by a delay in motor and cognitive development, and does not respond well to antiepileptic medication. Most patients carry a mutation in the gene SCN1A encoding the α subunit of the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.1, resulting in hyperexcitability of neural circuits and seizure onset. In this work, we applied transcranial static magnetic stimulation (tSMS), a non-invasive, safe, easy-to-use and affordable neuromodulatory tool that reduces neural excitability in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome. We demonstrate that tSMS dramatically reduced the number of crises. Furthermore, crises recorded in the presence of the tSMS were shorter and less intense than in the sham condition. Since tSMS has demonstrated its efficacy at reducing cortical excitability in humans without showing unwanted side effects, in an attempt to anticipate a possible use of tSMS for Dravet Syndrome patients, we performed a numerical simulation in which the magnetic field generated by the magnet was modeled to estimate the magnetic field intensity reached in the cerebral cortex, which could help to design stimulation strategies in these patients. Our results provide a proof of concept for nonpharmacological treatment of Dravet syndrome, which opens the door to the design of new protocols for treatment.Instituto de salud Carlos III; PI21/00151Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2022/05 (CR)Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (España); PID2019-108250RJ-10

Los niños y niñas de 6 a 8 años reflexionan sobre las prácticas de educación parental: un análisis de su discurso desde la teoría de la autodeterminación

This work aims to explore the discourse of students from 6 to 8 years of age when they reflect on the dynamics of education used by their parents. To do this, we start from the theory of self-determination and reflect on the practices of support for autonomy and parental control present in the discourse of minors. In this sense, we found that the students' discourse revolves mainly around parental practices that support autonomy, such as the possibility of choosing leisure activities, communicating problems and concerns to parents, and the autonomous performance of some tasks by minors. However, there is also evidence that autonomy support practices converge with others related to parental control in certain situations.Este trabajo tiene como objetivo explorar el discurso de los estudiantes de 6 a 8 años de edad cuando reflexionan sobre las dinámicas de educación empleadas por sus progenitores. Para ello, partimos de la teoría de la autodeterminación y reflexionamos sobre las prácticas de apoyo a la autonomía y de control parental presentes en el discurso de los menores. En este sentido, comprobamos que el discurso de los estudiantes gira, principalmente, en torno a prácticas parentales de apoyo a la autonomía como la posibilidad de elección de actividades de ocio, la comunicación de problemas y preocupaciones a los progenitores y el desempeño autónomo de algunas tareas por parte de los menores. Sin embargo, también hay evidencias de que las prácticas de apoyo a la autonomía convergen con otras relacionadas con el control parental en determinadas situaciones

Impact of prophylactic TNF blockade in the dual PD-1 and CTLA-4 immunotherapy efficacy and toxicity

The TNF blockade therapy is currently a well-established treatment option for a variety of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis or Crohn's disease, given the proinflammatory role of TNF in the course of these diseases. Importantly, TNF neutralization is also used for the treatment of corticosteroid-refractory immune-related adverse events (irAEs) induced by the combined anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 immunotherapy. The manifestation of these toxicities is an important limiting factor for the successful implementation of the inhibitory checkpoint blockade therapy (ICB), restraining its anti-tumor efficacy. In our recent study (Perez-Ruiz et al., Nature 569(7756): 428-432.), we analyzed the potential impact of prophylactic TNF neutralization therapy in the anti-PD1/CTLA-4 efficacy. Through several mouse models, we demonstrated that TNF neutralization ameliorated ICB-exacerbated colitis in addition to improving ICB-dependent anti-tumor efficacy. Similar results were obtained after prophylactic TNF blockade in graft vs host xenografted mouse models with human immune cells, which showed a reduction in colitis and hepatitis. Importantly, there was a preservation of the immunotherapeutic control of xenografted tumors after ICB treatment. Moreover, TNF and TNF-dependent gene expression is upregulated in the colon mucosa from patients affected by colitis as a side effect of ipilimumab and nivolumab. Our results, thus, provide evidence of the successful combination of prophylactic TNF neutralization with ICB therapy strategy to ameliorate toxicities, while keeping or even ameliorating anti-tumor efficacy. The prophylactic TNF blockade strategy is clinically feasible since excellent TNF inhibitors have been approved for the treatment of autoimmunity and are used for the immune-related serious adverse events in immunotherapy

Stable nitrogen isotope studies of the pelagic food web on the Atlantic shelf of the Iberian Peninsula

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Potential Impacts in the Gilthead Seabream Larviculture by Nodavirus

The nervous necrosis virus (NNV) leads to viral encephalopathy and retinopathy (VER) disease in more than 170 fish species, mainly from marine habitats. It replicates in the central nervous tissues, reaching up to 100% mortalities after a few days of infection, mainly in the larvae and juvenile stages. This is continuously spreading and affecting more species, both wild and cultured, posing a risk to the development of the aquaculture industry. In the Mediterranean Sea, it mainly affects European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and some grouper species (Epinephelus spp.). Interestingly, in the gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), typically resistant to common NNV strains, great mortalities in hatcheries associated with typical clinical signs of VER have been confirmed to be caused by RGNNV/SJNNV reassortants. Thus, we have evaluated the susceptibility of seabream larvae to either RGNNV/SJNNV or SJNNV/RGNNV reassortants, as well as the larval immunity. Based on our results we can conclude that: (i) gilthead seabream larvae are susceptible to infection with both NNV reassortant genotypes, but mainly to RGNNV/SJNNV; (ii) virus replicated and infective particles were isolated; (iii) larval immunity was correlated with larval survival; and (iv) larval resistance and immunity were correlated with age of the larvae. Further investigations should be carried out to ascertain the risks of these new pathogens to Mediterranean larviculture