El recuerdo de los futuros profesores de secundaria sobre sus profesores de Biología y Geología en educación secundaria

Con este trabajo se pretende conocer si el recuerdo que poseen los egresados de diferentes carreras científicas sobre la actitud y la metodología que usaban sus profesores de Biología y Geología (ESO) ha podido influir en su elección de carrera. Contamos con una muestra de 40 alumnos del Máster de Formación del Profesorado de Secundaria de la Universidad de Extremadura (España) durante el curso académico 2010/2011. El análisis realizado nos indica que los licenciados en Biología y Ciencias Ambientales recuerdan aspectos más favorables sobre sus profesores de Biología y Geología de Educación Secundaria que los egresados de otras carreras científicas, manifestando de este modo cierta concordancia entre el recuerdo y la carrera realizada

Colloidal systems in bone regeneration. Is the size important

Poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) is one of the most widely used synthetic polymers for development of delivery systems for drugs and therapeutic biomolecules. Its properties and versatility make it a reference polymer in the manufacturing of nano and microparticles to encapsulate and deliver a wide variety of hydrophobic and hydrophilic molecules, including biomolecules such as proteins or nucleic acids that must be released in a controlled way [1]. Delivery of growth factors such as bone morphogenetic proteins, and specially BMP-2, is an attractive therapeutic strategy for bone tissue engineering. However, their administration is problematic due to their short biological half-lives, localized action and rapid clearance. Consequently, its clinical use requires high doses far exceeding its physiological concentration which implies possible side effects and high costs. These barriers might be overcome by developing new delivery systems which allow a better control of the release rate in order to achieve the desired concentrations in specific site and time [2]. With this aim, in this preliminary study we have synthesized PLGA particles with different diameters, from nano (200 nm) to micro scale (12.5 μm) via double emulsion procedure, in order to study the influence of size in the release profile of lysozyme, which has been selected as an appropriate model for BMP2. A physico-chemical characterization of the particles was done, followed by a complete study on the encapsulation efficiency, cumulative protein release and bioactivity of the released enzyme with and without co-encapsulated bovine serum albumin, a protective biomolecule that can prevent protein instability during emulsification process. Additionally, fluorescently labeled lysozyme was used to study the protein distribution and the influence of particle size on the in vitro cellular uptake.Universidad de Málaga. Campus Internacional de Andalucía Tec

Sustainability and efficiency of rural accommodation business: an approach in the main tourist region of southern Europe

Purpose – The objective of this study is to determine the efficiency of tourist accommodation companies located in the main tourist area of southern Europeas one of the three elements of the local sustainable development triangle. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis, carried out using the data envelopment analysis(DEA) methodology on 130 companies,has obtained that from the CCR perspective (results-oriented method when companies present constant returns on the input variables). Findings – The companies involveda requite inefficient, while which from the BCC perspective (where the input and out put variables used in the company respond to avariable and not constant scale)are quite efficient. The efficiency of these companies in the seven provinces of Andalusia has also been analysed to determine if there are patterns that differenti ate the mand thus be able to propose strategies that improve the sustainability of these territories. The conclusions of the study indicate the need to improve the operational efficiency of rural accommodation companies. Originality/value – The analysis of efficiency in the hotel sector and even more so in the rural tourism sector is relatively scarce in the literature, especially in Spain.More specifically, Rubio and Roman (2006) have demonstrated the existence of scale inefficiencies in hotels, but no evidence has been found in previous studies that this behaviour carries over to accommodation establishments located in the destinations under study

Theory of Mind Profiles in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Adaptive/Social Skills and Pragmatic Competence

Theory of Mind (ToM) is one of the most relevant concepts in the field of social cognition, particularly in the case of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Literature showing that individuals with ASD display deficits in ToM is extensive and robust. However, some related issues deserve more research: the heterogeneous profile of ToM abilities in children with ASD and the association between different levels of ToM development and social, pragmatic, and adaptive behaviors in everyday life. The first objective of this study was to identify profiles of children with ASD without intellectual disability (ID), based on explicit and applied ToM knowledge, and compare these profiles with a group of children with typical development (TD). A second objective was to determine differences in symptom severity, adaptive/social behavior, and pragmatic abilities between the profiles identified. Fifty-two children with a clinical diagnosis of ASD without ID and 37 children with TD performed neuropsychological ToM tasks and two vocabulary and memory tests. In addition, all of their mothers completed different questionnaires about applied ToM abilities, severity of ASD symptoms, adaptive/social skills, and pragmatic competence. Two subgroups were identified in the cluster analysis carried out with explicit and applied ToM indicators. The “Lower ToM abilities” profile obtained significantly lower scores than the “Higher ToM abilities” profile on all the ToM measures. Furthermore, the analysis of covariance, controlling for vocabulary and working memory (ANCOVAs), showed statistically significant differences in applied ToM abilities between the two groups of children with ASD without ID and the group with TD. However, only the group with “Higher ToM abilities” achieved similar performance to the TD group on the verbal task of explicit ToM knowledge. Finally, the “Lower ToM abilities” cluster obtained significantly higher scores on autism symptoms (social and communication domains) and lower scores on adaptive behavior and pragmatic skills than the cluster with “Higher ToM abilities.” Taken together, these findings have implications for understanding the heterogeneity in ToM skills in children with ASD without ID, and their differential impact on social, communicative, and adaptive behaviors