“Zombie attack” a new way to teach Chemistry

The Higher Education requires new models which allow training people able to adapt and survive in changing environments. It is based on the use of technologies and the adaptation of knowledge to people. It is about an education according to circumstances, which is adapted to context and virtual behaviour of people. One of the main difficulties that lecturers find in the classroom is how to maintain students' attention and interest in their subject, especially when students also think that the subject is not important for their training. In order to motivate these students, innovation in educational techniques and methodologies, such as experiential learning, are progressively being imposed to and/or coordinated with the traditional ones. Escape Room is a very modern concept in education, based on the development of mental skills for the solution of enigmas and problems. It is a tool to develop the cooperative, cognitive, deductive and logical reasoning skills of the students. In this work, an educational gamification experience based on the escape room concept is presented. The students have 1 hour and 30 minutes to carry out this activity. They will have to solve four puzzles and enigmas that will give them the key to open a treasure chest and finally let them escape from the classroom. Logic, ingenuity and teamwork will allow participants to develop not only chemical competence, but also other basic skills. The story that is told throughout the escape room is a zombie attack: the city has been infected (with a virus) and only the occupants of the room where the activity takes place have not been infected. In addition, they can all protect themselves if they are able to open the chest where the antidote is located. The aim of this activity is to enhance the knowledge acquired throughout the semester as well as the development of skills.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

De la evaluación continua al aprendizaje continuo

Ponencia presentada en: VIII Jornadas de Innovación Docente de la UBU, Burgos, 5 de abril de 2016, organizadas por el Instituto de Formación e Innovación Educativa-IFIE de la Universidad de Burgo

Microtopography and Thickness Measurement with Digital Holographic Microscopy Highlighting and Its Tomographic Capacity

The refocusing capacity is a unique feature of digital holography. In this chapter, we show the capability of reconstructing digital holograms at different planes for different purposes. One of such purposes is to increase the focus depth of the microscope system. First, we show experimental results of the feasibility to perform digital holographic microscopy (DHM) using a Mirau interferometric objective. A profile phase comparison of a 4.2 μm high microlens using interferometry and DHM, extending the depth of focus of the microscope objective as proof of the proposal, is presented. Second, it is also useful in reducing shot noise when using an LED as a light source. In order to attain the reduction noise, we performed an averaging process of phase and amplitude images reconstructed at different reconstruction distances. This reconstruction range is performed within the focus depth of the optical system. We get a reduction of 50% shot noise. Finally, we show a strategy based on this tomographic capability of reducing a ringing effect by using an ideal filter in off‐axis digital holography

New models involving quantum chemical parameters for assessing the chromatographic retention process

.Knowledge about the theoretical relationship between the analyte properties and the critical chromatographic parameters is mandatory for a better interpretation of the separation mechanism and a more leisurely development of quantitative studies. In a preliminary stage of this work, we introduce the Gumbel distribution, the extreme value distribution type-I widely used in other fields, as a novel tool for modelling the chromatographic peak shape. Further, we develop mathematical models to evaluate the effect of the experimental variables and various quantum parameters on the chromatographic indices, such as the retention time, capacity factor, asymmetry factor, tailing factor and number of theoretical plates. Finally, we propose a mechanistic behaviour for the chromatographic separation process based on the structure-retention relationship of fifteen selected drugs involving several molecular quantum parametersS

Experimental and theoretical studies on the effect of the oxo group in 1,4-benzodiazepines

Two families of regioisomeric 1,4-benzodiazepines, 4-benzyl-3H-benzo[e][1,4]diazepin-5-ones and 4-benzoyl-4,5-dihydro-3H-benzo[e][1,4]diazepines, have been synthesized through a similar Ugi/reduction cyclization sequence. Their conformation and stability depend on the position of the tautomeric imine/enamine equilibrium present in the diazepine nucleus, which in turn depends on the relative position of the carbonyl group adjacent to the nitrogen at the 4-position in the benzodiazepine system. Moreover, the electrophilic center on the imine tautomer is essential for the antitumor activity of some benzodiazepines as a DNA binding position. The mechanism of tautomerization in the presence or absence of the oxo group has been studied computationally using DFT methods (B3LYP/6-31G** level).Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain (project CTQ2012- 31611), from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain and Fondo de Desarrollo Regional (project MAT2011-22781), as well as from Junta de Castilla y León, Consejería de Educación y Cultura y Fondo Social Europeo (project ref. BU246A12-1 and BU327A11-2)

SERS-based molecularly imprinted plasmonic sensor for highly sensitive PAH detection

A novel hybrid plasmonic platform based on the synergetic combination of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) thin film with Au nanoparticle (NPs) assemblies, noted as Au@MIP, was developed for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy recognition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). While the MIP trapped the PAH close to the Au surface, the plasmonic NPs enhanced the molecule's Raman signal. The Au@MIP fabrication comprises a two-step procedure, first, the layer-by-layer deposition of Au NPs on glass and their further coating with a uniform MIP thin film. Profilometry analysis demonstrated that the thickness and homogeneity of the MIP film could be finely tailored by tuning different parameters such as prepolymerization time or spin-coating rate. Two different PAH molecules, pyrene or fluoranthene, were used as templates for the fabrication of pyrene- or fluoranthene-based Au@MIP substrates. The use of pyrene or fluoranthene, as the template molecule to fabricate the Au@MIP thin films, enabled its ultradetection in the nM regime with a 100-fold improvement compared with the nonimprinted plasmonic sensors (Au@NIPs). The SERS data analysis allowed to estimate the binding constant of the template molecule to the MIP. The selectivity of both pyrene- and fluoranthene-based Au@MIPs was analyzed against three PAHs of different sizes. The results displayed the important role of the template molecule used for the Au@MIPs fabrication in the selectivity of the system. Finally, the practical applicability of pyrene-based Au@MIPs was shown by performing the detection of pyrene in two real samples: creek water and seawater. The design and optimization of this type of plasmonic platform will pave the way for the detection of other relevant (bio)molecules in a broad range of fields such as environmental control, food safety, or biomedicine.Fil: Castro-Grijalba, Alexander. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Laboratorio de Quimica Analitica Ambiental.; Argentina. Universidad de Vigo; EspañaFil: Montes-García, Verónica. Universidad de Vigo; EspañaFil: Cordero-Ferradás, María José. Universidad de Vigo; EspañaFil: Coronado, Eduardo A.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Pérez-Juste, Jorge. Universidad de Vigo; EspañaFil: Pastoriza-Santos, Isabel. Universidad de Vigo; Españ

Obesidad monogénica humana: papel del sistema leptina-melanocortina en la regulación de la ingesta de alimentos y el peso corporal en humanos

La obesidad humana es un trastorno de origen multifactorial en el que intervienen factores tanto genéticos como ambientales. La existencia de alteraciones genéticas que dan origen a obesidades monogénicas resulta muy interesante para el estudio de los mecanismos que contribuyen a un aumento de la ingesta de energía y la acumulación de grasa en el cuerpo. La mayoría de los genes implicados en obesidad monogénica se relacionan con el sistema de la leptina-melanocortinas, de ahí la importancia de su estudio a través de mutaciones naturales en ratones. Así, se han descrito mutaciones relacionadas con obesidad humana de tipo monogénica en la leptina y su receptor, proopiomelanocortina y prohormona convertasa 1. El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido ofrecer una revisión actualizada acerca de las principales características y funcionamiento del sistema leptina-melanocortinas, así como de sus implicaciones y potencialidades en el proceso de regulación de la ingesta alimentaria y control del peso corporal.Human obesity is a disorder of multifactorial origin in which genetic and environmental factors are involved. To understand the mechanisms regulating energy intake and fat accumulation in the body, it is important to study the genetic alterations causing monogenic obesity. Most of the genes involved in monogenic obesity are associated with the leptin-melanocortin system; hence the importance of studying this system by analysing natural mutations in mice. Previous studies have described mutations in leptin and its receptor, proopiomelanocortin and prohormone convertase 1 associated with human obesity of monogenic origin. The aim of this study is to provide an updated review of the main characteristics and functioning of the leptin-melanocortin system, and its implications and potentialities in regulating food intake and body weight

Deformation quantization of cosmological models

The Weyl-Wigner-Groenewold-Moyal formalism of deformation quantization is applied to cosmological models in the minisuperspace. The quantization procedure is performed explicitly for quantum cosmology in a flat minisuperspace. The de Sitter cosmological model is worked out in detail and the computation of the Wigner functions for the Hartle-Hawking, Vilenkin and Linde wave functions are done numerically. The Wigner function is analytically calculated for the Kantowski-Sachs model in (non)commutative quantum cosmology and for string cosmology with dilaton exponential potential. Finally, baby universes solutions are described in this context and the Wigner function is obtained.Comment: 37 pages, 16 figure

Rare three-body decay t -> c h gamma in the standard model and the two-Higgs doublet model

A complete calculation of the rare three-body decay t --> c h gamma is presented in the framework of the standard model. In the unitary gauge, such a calculation involves about 20 Feynman diagrams. We also calculate this decay in the general two-Higgs doublet model (model III), in which it arises at the tree-level. While in the standard model the decay t --> c h gamma is extremely suppressed, with a branching fraction of the order of $10^{-15}$ for a Higgs boson mass of the order of 115 GeV, in the model III it may have a branching ratio up to $10^{-5}$. We also discuss the crossed decay h --> b \bar{s} gamma.Comment: Updated to match published versio

Un Framework para Big Data Optimization Basado en jMetal y Spark

Las metaheurísticas multi-objetivo se han convertido en técnicas muy utilizadas para la resolución de problemas complejos de optimización compuestos de varias funciones objetivo en conflicto entre sí. Nos encontramos en la actualidad inmersos en la era del Big Data, por lo que los problemas multi-objetivo que surjan en este contexto cumplirán algunas de las cinco V’s que caracterizan a las aplicaciones Big Data (volumen, velocidad, variedad, veracidad, valor). Como consecuencia, las metaheurísticas deberán ser capaces de resolver problemas dinámicos, que pueden cambiar en el tiempo debido al procesamiento y análisis de diferentes fuentes de datos, que típicamente serán en streaming. En este trabajo presentamos el software jMetalSP, que combina el framework jMetal con Apache Spark. De esta forma, las metaheurísticas disponibles en jMetal se pueden adaptar fácilmente para resolver problemas dinámicos que se alimenten de distintas fuentes de datos en streaming, y que son gestionadas por Spark. Se describe la arquitectura de jMetalSP y se valida mediante un caso de uso realista basado en TSP bi-objetivo con datos abiertos reales de tráfico de la ciudad de Nueva York.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech