Assessment of adolescent self-constructed material use in physical education

the goals of this research project were three: study how secondary education students value self-made materials, assess their effects while used to teach sport, and analyze how the students’ perspective on these materials change over age and gender. Students from a high school in the north part of Spain agreed to participate. They belonged to 1st, 2nd, and 4th year of secondary education. They were asked to build their own self-made cardboard ringo with recycled materials to use it during an ultimate learning unit. A hybrid instructional method (tactical games + sport education) was used along 8-10 sessions. After the intervention, subjects filled out a 15-item questionnaire (1-5 likert point scale). Overall results showed that subjects did not consider that building the ringo was hard. Finding the material was not difficult, either. They also thought that using the ringo was more fun than using the traditional Frisbee. Younger students valued the experience higher than older subjects. The usage of self-made materials was more attractive, motivating and useful for 1st year subjects. They also though that this type of material had helped them improve their throwing and catching skills. They even wanted to use it in extracurricular setting

How similar can co-occurring species be in the presence of competition and ecological drift?

If two species live on a single resource, the one with a slight advantage will out-compete the other: complete competitors cannot coexist. This is known as the competitive exclusion principle. If no extinction occurs, it is because evolutionary adaptation to slightly different niches takes place. Therefore, it is widely accepted that ecological communities are assembled by evolutionary differentiation and progressive adaptation of species to different niches. However, some ecologists have recently challenged this classic paradigm highlighting the importance of chance and stochasticity. Using a synthetic framework for community dynamics, here we show that, while deterministic descriptors predict coexistence, species similarity is limited in a more restrictive way in the presence of stochasticity. We analyse the stochastic extinction phenomenon, showing that extinction occurs as competitive overlap increases above a certain threshold well below its deterministic counterpart. We also prove that the extinction threshold cannot be ascribed only to demographic fluctuations around small population sizes. The more restrictive limit to species similarity is, therefore, a consequence of the complex interplay between competitive interactions and ecological drift. As a practical implication, we show that the existence of a stochastic limit to similarity has important consequences in the recovery of fragmented habitats

Modelling Functional Shifts in Two-Species Hypercycles

Research on hypercycles focuses on cooperative interactions among replicating species, including the emergence of catalytic parasites and catalytic shortcircuits. Further interactions may be expected to arise in cooperative systems. For instance, molecular replicators are subject to mutational processes and ecological species to behavioural shifts due to environmental and ecological changes. Such changes could involve switches from cooperative to antagonistic interactions, in what we call a functional shift. In this article, we investigate a model for a two-member hypercycle model, considering that one species performs a functional shift. First, we introduce the model dynamics without functional shifts to illustrate the dynamics only considering obligate and facultative cooperation. Then, two more cases maintaining cross-catalysis are considered: (i) a model describing the dynamics of ribozymes where a fraction of the population of one replicator degrades the other molecular species while the other fraction still receives catalytic aid; and (ii) a system in which a given fraction of the population predates on the cooperating species while the rest of the population still receives aid. We have characterized the key bifurcation parameters determining extinction, survival, and coexistence of species. We show that predation, regardless of the fraction that benefits from it, does not significantly change dynamics with respect to the degradative case (i), thus conserving dynamics and bifurcations. Their biological significance is interpreted, and their potential implications for the dynamics of early replicators and ecological species are outlined

Análisis y valoración del proceso de incorporación de las Competencias Básicas en Educación Primaria

The goal of this research study is to assess the integration process of the Basic Competences (CCBB) in the daily work of Primary Education teachers of a Spanish autonomous community. 412 teachers (296 women and 116 men; Mean age = 43.9 years) answered a specially designed questionnaire of 12 items in a 6-point Likert scale. Results show that the majority of the teachers had incorporated the CCBB in their class programs. However, they declared that the real degree of development of the CCBB was very low. Gender, age, initial teacher training, level of specific instruction on CCBB, and age group instructed were distinctive variables on teachers’ perceptions of CCBB integration. Teachers with a specialist profile declared that they have integrated more the CCBB that teachers with a general profile. Regarding the relevance that they give to each competence, those competences closely related to instrumental areas are considered more important than the transversal ones. However, teachers with a specialist profile considered the transversal competences more valuable, while teachers with a general profile considered the instrumental ones more important.El objeto de este trabajo es evaluar el proceso de incorporación de las Competencias Básicas (CCBB) entre los docentes de Educación Primaria. 412 maestros (296 mujeres y 116 varones; M de edad = 43,9 años) contestaron a un cuestionario ad hoc de 12 ítems en una escala Likert de 6 puntos.  Sexo, edad, formación académica inicial, nivel de formación específica en base a CCBB, así como el ciclo en donde desarrollan la docencia se mostraron como variables diferenciales en la percepción de la implantación del marco competencial. Los maestros de perfil especialista afirman trabajar con mayor referencia a las CCBB que los tutores. Aquellas competencias vinculadas a áreas instrumentales se han mostrado más relevantes que aquellas de carácter más transversal. Sin embargo, los maestros especialistas consideraron más importante las competencias transversales  frente a los tutores que enfatizaron especialmente las instrumentales

His452Tyr polymorphism in the human 5-HT2A receptor affects clozapine-induced signaling networks revealed by quantitative phosphoproteomics

Antipsychotic drugs remain the current standard for schizophrenia treatment. Although they directly recognize the orthosteric binding site of numerous monoaminergic G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), these drugs, and particularly second-generation antipsychotics such as clozapine, all have in common a very high affinity for the serotonin 5-HT receptor (5-HTR). Using classical pharmacology and targeted signaling pathway assays, previous findings suggest that clozapine and other atypical antipsychotics behave principally as 5-HTR neutral antagonists and/or inverse agonists. However, more recent findings showed that antipsychotics may also behave as pathway-specific agonists. Reversible phosphorylation is a common element in multiple signaling networks. Combining a quantitative phosphoproteomic method with signaling network analysis, we tested the effect of clozapine treatment on the overall level of protein phosphorylation and signal transduction cascades in vitro in mammalian cell lines induced to express either the human 5-HTR or the H452Y variant of the gene encoding the 5-HTR receptor. This naturally occurring variation within the 5-HTR gene was selected because it has been repeatedly associated with schizophrenia patients who do not respond to clozapine treatment. Our data show that short time exposure (5 or 10 min) to clozapine (10 M) led to phosphorylation of numerous signaling components of pathways involved in processes such as endocytosis, ErbB signaling, insulin signaling or estrogen signaling. Cells induced to express the H452Y variant showed a different basal phosphoproteome, with increases in the phosphorylation of mTOR signaling components as a translationally relevant example. However, the effect of clozapine on the functional landscape of the phosphoproteome was significantly reduced in cells expressing the 5-HTR-H452Y construct. Together, these findings suggest that clozapine behaves as an agonist inducing phosphorylation of numerous pathways downstream of the 5-HTR, and that the single nucleotide polymorphism encoding 5-HTR-H452Y affects these clozapine-induced phosphorylation-dependent signaling networks

Análisis del desarrollo curricular de la Educación Física en la Enseñanza Secundaria Obligatoria: comparación de los currículos autonómicos : Analysis of curriculum development of Physical Education in Secondary Education: comparison of regional curricula

P. 82-87Tres fueron los objetivos de esta investigación: a) analizar el desarrollo curricular autonómico a partir del RD 1.105/2014 que establece el currículo básico de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) en relación a la Educación Física (EF), b) comparar la carga horaria asignada a esta asignatura, y c) examinar las diferentes posibilidades que los currículos autonómicos han contemplado para incrementar la actividad física (AF) de los estudiantes en horario lectivo. Se realizó un análisis comparativo y cualitativo de las 15 normativas curriculares autonómicas disponibles. Los resultados muestran una elevada disparidad entre las autonomías en la manera de abordar los elementos curriculares. La catalogación de la EF como asignatura específica ha provocado serias divergencias, principalmente en los contenidos. Pese a las reiteradas reivindicaciones de los docentes y profesionales de la salud, la carga horaria se ha mantenido inmutable en relación a las leyes anteriores: dos horas semanales. Con todo, la consideración de propuestas en el marco de las asignaturas de libre configuración autonómica podría representar una vía eficaz para el incremento de la AF en los centros educativosS

Psychometric characteristics of the Spanish version of instruments to measure neck pain disability

[EN] Background. The NDI, COM and NPQ are evaluation instruments for disability due to NP. There was no Spanish version of NDI or COM for which psychometric characteristics were known. The objectives of this study were to translate and culturally adapt the Spanish version of the Neck Disability Index Questionnaire (NDI), and the Core Outcome Measure (COM), to validate its use in Spanish speaking patients with non-specific neck pain (NP), and to compare their psychometric characteristics with those of the Spanish version of the Northwick Pain Questionnaire (NPQ). Methods. Translation/re-translation of the English versions of the NDI and the COM was done blindly and independently by a multidisciplinary team. The study was done in 9 primary care Centers and 12 specialty services from 9 regions in Spain, with 221 acute, subacute and chronic patients who visited their physician for NP: 54 in the pilot phase and 167 in the validation phase. Neck pain (VAS), referred pain (VAS), disability (NDI, COM and NPQ), catastrophizing (CSQ) and quality of life (SF-12) were measured on their first visit and 14 days later. Patients' self-assessment was used as the external criterion for pain and disability. In the pilot phase, patients' understanding of each item in the NDI and COM was assessed, and on day 1 test-retest reliability was estimated by giving a second NDI and COM in which the name of the questionnaires and the order of the items had been changed. Results. Comprehensibility of NDI and COM were good. Minutes needed to fill out the questionnaires [median, (P25, P75)]: NDI. 4 (2.2, 10.0), COM: 2.1 (1.0, 4.9). Reliability: [ICC, (95%CI)]: NDI: 0.88 (0.80, 0.93). COM: 0.85 (0.75,0.91). Sensitivity to change: Effect size for patients having worsened, not changed and improved between days 1 and 15, according to the external criterion for disability: NDI: -0.24, 0.15, 0.66; NPQ: -0.14, 0.06, 0.67; COM: 0.05, 0.19, 0.92. Validity: Results of NDI, NPQ and COM were consistent with the external criterion for disability, whereas only those from NDI were consistent with the one for pain. Correlations with VAS, CSQ and SF-12 were similar for NDI and NPQ (absolute values between 0.36 and 0.50 on day 1, between 0.38 and 0.70 on day 15), and slightly lower for COM (between 0.36 and 0.48 on day 1, and between 0.33 and 0.61 on day 15). Correlation between NDI and NPQ: r = 0.84 on day 1, r = 0.91 on day 15. Correlation between COM and NPQ: r = 0.63 on day 1, r = 0.71 on day 15. Conclusion. Although most psychometric characteristics of NDI, NPQ and COM are similar, those from the latter one are worse and its use may lead to patients' evolution seeming more positive than it actually is. NDI seems to be the best instrument for measuring NP-related disability, since its results are the most consistent with patient's assessment of their own clinical status and evolution. It takes two more minutes to answer the NDI than to answer the COM, but it can be reliably filled out by the patient without assistanceS

Preclinical carotid atherosclerosis in patients with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), type 2 diabetes and classical type 1 diabetes

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.This project was funded by Grants Nos. PI12/00183 and PI15/00625, both included in Plan Nacional de I + D + I, and co-financed by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Subdireccion General de Evaluacion, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER). CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM) is an initiative from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain

Famílies botàniques de plantes medicinals

Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona. Ensenyament: Grau de Farmàcia, Assignatura: Botànica Farmacèutica, Curs: 2013-2014, Coordinadors: Joan Simon, Cèsar Blanché i Maria Bosch.Els materials que aquí es presenten són els recull de 175 treballs d’una família botànica d’interès medicinal realitzats de manera individual. Els treballs han estat realitzat per la totalitat dels estudiants dels grups M-2 i M-3 de l’assignatura Botànica Farmacèutica durant els mesos d’abril i maig del curs 2013-14. Tots els treballs s’han dut a terme a través de la plataforma de GoogleDocs i han estat tutoritzats pel professor de l’assignatura i revisats i finalment co-avaluats entre els propis estudiants. L’objectiu principal de l’activitat ha estat fomentar l’aprenentatge autònom i col·laboratiu en Botànica farmacèutica