Teachers of Secondary School as democracy coaches: study of their conceptions during their initial formation

This study has been developed within the framework of a European Erasmus + project called ELEF†. The aim of this project is to develop, implement, evaluate and replicate innovative democratic learning environments. With this purpose, the Democracy Coaches are trained as agents of citizen participation and generators of democracy, both in educational centres and in informal educational settings. In this context, and during various training sessions, the Democracy Coaches work with the knowledge and skills they need to acquire. This paper focuses on the study and analysis carried out on the concepts expressed by these teachers of secondary education during their training. In order for them to become democracy coaches in the formal educational field, we address concepts such as democracy, citizenship and the most appropriate teaching-learning methodology for illustrating these concepts and competences, bearing in mind that they should educate citizens with full awareness of their rights and duties

Género, trabajo y migración en un contexto de riesgo: el caso de empresarias campesinas oaxaqueñas

Las sociedades rurales mexicanas están sumergidas en las contradicciones de la segunda modernidad. Estas envuelven a mujeres y a hombres en un espacio donde las ventajas de la primera modernidad aún no han llegado y los enfrentan a situacio - nes de inestabilidad. En ese contexto de riesgo, aparecen transformaciones en las relaciones de género, las cuales se expresan en el ámbito del trabajo, la migración y la fidelidad. Se observan contradicciones y lentos avances en la autonomía de las mujeres, así como una visión desencantada del matrimonio y la familia, los cuales se centran más en la economía que en otros valores y referentes

Robust dynamical pattern formation from a multifunctional minimal genetic circuit

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A practical problem during the analysis of natural networks is their complexity, thus the use of synthetic circuits would allow to unveil the natural mechanisms of operation. Autocatalytic gene regulatory networks play an important role in shaping the development of multicellular organisms, whereas oscillatory circuits are used to control gene expression under variable environments such as the light-dark cycle.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We propose a new mechanism to generate developmental patterns and oscillations using a minimal number of genes. For this, we design a synthetic gene circuit with an antagonistic self-regulation to study the spatio-temporal control of protein expression. Here, we show that our minimal system can behave as a biological clock or memory, and it exhibites an inherent robustness due to a quorum sensing mechanism. We analyze this property by accounting for molecular noise in an heterogeneous population. We also show how the period of the oscillations is tunable by environmental signals, and we study the bifurcations of the system by constructing different phase diagrams.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>As this minimal circuit is based on a single transcriptional unit, it provides a new mechanism based on post-translational interactions to generate targeted spatio-temporal behavior.</p

Chapter Understanding the sensory characteristics of edible insects to promote entomophagy: A projective sensory experience among consumers

In recent years, a remarkable number of studies have investigated sensory characteristics, such as flavor and texture, of edible insect and insect-based foods, their contribution to consumers’ attitudes toward edible insects are important in consumer appeal and their willingness to try eating insects in the future. This paper addresses the problem of describing the sensory characteristics aof edible insect and insect-based foods in terms of preferences. To this end, we conducted a study to explore the representations of sensory experiences related to an insect-based dish involving a voluntary sample of 154 consumers. The quasi-experiment, which we have called projective sensory experience (PSE), follows a two-step procedure. In the first step, we asked the participants to imagine tasting an insect-based dish and then to rate, from 1 (imperceptible) up to 10 (very perceptible), the following taste-olfactory sensations: Sapidity, Bitter tendency, Acidity, Sweet, Spiciness, Aroma, Greasiness-Unctuosity, Succulence, Sweet, Fatness, Persistence. In the second step, we asked our interviewees to indicate, through a specific check-list, which was the most disturbing and least disturbing taste-olfactory sensation imagined. We collected data from May to July 2020 by using an anonymous on-line questionnaire. Results could help understand the sensory characteristics of “insects as food” that should be used or avoided, for example, in communication aimed at promoting familiarity with edible insects and improving the acceptability of insects as a novel food

Astrocytes in Alzheimer’s Disease: Pathological Significance and Molecular Pathways

Astrocytes perform a wide variety of essential functions defining normal operation of the nervous system and are active contributors to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s among others. Recent data provide compelling evidence that distinct astrocyte states are associated with specific stages of Alzheimer´s disease. The advent of transcriptomics technologies enables rapid progress in the characterisation of such pathological astrocyte states. In this review, we provide an overview of the origin, main functions, molecular and morphological features of astrocytes in physiological as well as pathological conditions related to Alzheimer´s disease. We will also explore the main roles of astrocytes in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer´s disease and summarize main transcriptional changes and altered molecular pathways observed in astrocytes during the course of the disease.This work was supported by the FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación—Agencia Estatal de Investigación grant RTI2018-101850-A-I00 to A.M.A. (Spain), and a start-up grant from the IKERBASQUE Basque Foundation of Science to A.M.A

"Capital Stock and Unemployment: Searching for the Missing Link"

The purpose of this paper is to examine the proposition that capital stock relative to aggregate output has been an important variable in the determination of the U.S. NAIRU (Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment) over the last four decades. We present new empirical evidence, obtained from the application of the cointegrated VAR methodology to U.S. time-series data, that lends strong support to the claim that the aggregate capital-output ratio, the real price of imports, and aggregate capacity utilization were determinants of the NAIRU in the period considered. The same evidence also shows that technical progress and changes in long-term unemployment did not affect the NAIRU. We believe this evidence suggests that, insofar as the aggregate capital-output ratio is affected by changes in real interest rates, the stance of monetary policy is one determinant of the NAIRU.