Entre biología y espíritu. Pensar (desde) la ciencia - pensar (desde) la vida: la aventura intelectual del biólogo Andrés Moya

Las ciencias de la vida, a la luz de la teoría de la evolución, están aportando, según A. Moya, un territorio mestizo que obliga a pensar desde la ciencia cuestiones que parecían patrimonio exclusivo de las humanidades: la naturaleza y sentido del ser humano y de la vida. Las preguntas metafísicas sobre el ser humano y la vida, propias de la tradición humanista, pasan ahora inexorablemente por la ciencia, por los hallazgos recientes en biología molecular y evolutiva, biogénetica, bioquímica, neurobiología, sociobiología, psicología evolutiva, biocomputerización, etc. Entre cientificismo antihumanista y humanismo espiritualista, entre el desprecio de las humanidades y el desprecio de las ciencias —desprecio basado en la ignorancia mutua y/o en presupuestos ideológicos—, cabe un cientismo humanista, fiel a la mejor tradición intelectual de nuestra cultura. Contra este desencuentro, poco ilustrado, Moya muestra su convencimiento de que se debe y se puede superar ese hiato profundo, a partir, sobre todo, de los avances que la biología evolutiva, y en general las ciencias de la vida, podrían proporcionar como territorio común sobre el que pensar y desde el que pensar tanto la misma ciencia como la vida, tanto el sentido de la ciencia como el sentido de la vida humana. La aventura intelectual de A. Moya se presenta como un ejemplo de honestidad y de rigor, abogando contra cualquier reduccionismo por mantener abiertas las tensiones creativas entre biología y espíritu

Secularismo, religión y democracia. El giro democrático en el debate secularismo-religión

La presencia revitalizada de la religión en el contexto globalizado de una sociedad-mundo, tan moderna como religiosa, no acontece únicamente como resultado sociológico del desmantelamiento del mundo postcolonial —que desmiente de hecho el pronóstico secularista del ocaso de la religión y que dota al fénomeno del pluralismo de una complejidad y virtualidad ética/política impensadas—, sino también como resultado de la crisis de la razón moderna y sus postulados, que se revela incapaz de justificar desde el monismo ético racionalista la convivencia política. La crisis de fundamentación racional última afecta tanto a las pretensiones fundamentalistas de la religión —impidiendo una lectura precipitadamente triunfalista del llamado «retorno de la religión» en la «sociedad postsecular»— como a las pretensiones secularistas de negación de toda virtualidad ética y política de la religión en la esfera pública. El giro democrático, antiautoritario y antidogmático, postulado coherentemente en la crisis de la modernidad por tres representantes de la filosofía postmetafísica, hermenéutica y pragmatista, tales como Vattimo, Habermas y Rorty, sitúa el debate entre secularismo y religión en claves no de verdad, sino de solidaridad

Metal-free heteroatom-doped carbon-based catalysts for ORR. A critical assessment about the role of heteroatoms

Metal-free carbon-based catalysts have gained much attention during last years because of their interesting properties towards oxygen reduction reaction. Intrinsic parameters of carbon materials such as porosity, structural order, conductivity and defects have proved to have a strong influence in the catalytic activity of these materials. However, the highest differences in catalytic activity are obtained via doping with heteroatoms, being nitrogen the most remarkable in terms of activity and selectivity. One of the most challenging goals of the scientific community is to unravel the role of the functional groups in order to design an optimized material. However, the complexity of isolating one specific functionality, the difficult unambiguous characterization of the species and the influence of the intrinsic properties of the carbon materials, make the identification of the active sites a complex and controversial issue. This review presents a critical assessment about the role of heteroatoms on ORR from the analysis of the literature that combine both experimental work and computational modelling.The authors thank Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades and FEDER for financial support (Project RTI2018-095291-B-I00, ENE2017-90932-REDT and MAT2016-76595-R)

Take me off this planet!

En el presente TFM (Trabajo Final de Máster) se presentan y desarrollan una serie de actividades envueltas en metodologías activas como el Aprendizaje Basado en Proyectos y el Aprendizaje Cooperativo para trabajar las competencias clave de etapa, así como los contenidos de la asignatura de Tecnología que establece la ley educativa en vigor en Castilla y León en tercero de la ESO (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria). Para ello, se propone un proyecto de tecnología aeroespacial que consiste en la construcción de un cohete de agua que se apoya en la transversalidad del conocimiento STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) para envolver parte de los contenidos de los bloques de las asignaturas de Matemáticas, Física y Química y Educación Plástica y Visual. Las actividades que se exponen buscan desarrollar el trabajo en equipo, el gusto e interés por la ciencia y la tecnología, mejorar las habilidades en el uso de las herramientas tecnológicas y, fundamentalmente, poner el foco de atención del proceso de enseñanza – aprendizaje en el alumno. Este mantra tan repetido en los foros educativos, pero de limitado bagaje en las aulas, ha motivado proponer este TFM para facilitar su implantación ya que se ha considerado de gran valor educativo.In this master's degree final dissertation, a series of activities are presented and developed using active methodologies such as PBL (Project Based Learning) and CL (Cooperative Learning) to work on the key competences of the stage, as well as the contents of the subject of Technology established by the educational law in force in Castile and Lion in the third year of Secondary School. To this end, an aerospace technology project is proposed, consisting of the construction of a water rocket that relies on the transversality of STEAM knowledge to wrap part of the contents of the Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry and Visual and Plastic Education subjects. The activities presented seek to develop teamwork, a taste and interest in science and technology, improve skills in the use of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) and, fundamentally, put the focus of attention on the teaching-learning process in the student. This mantra, so often repeated in educational forums, but with limited experience in the classroom, has motivated the proposal of this project to facilitate its implementation, as it has been considered of great educational value.Departamento de Ingeniería Energética y FluidomecánicaDepartamento de Didáctica de las Ciencias Sociales y ExperimentalesMáster en Profesor de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanzas de Idioma

Polyaniline-Derived N-Doped Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Thin Films: Efficient Catalysts towards Oxygen Reduction Reaction

One of the most challenging targets in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts based on N-doped carbon materials is the control of the pore structure and obtaining nanostructured thin films that can easily be incorporated on the current collector. The carbonization of nitrogen-containing polymers and the heat treatment of a mixture of carbon materials and nitrogen precursor are the most common methods for obtaining N-doped carbon materials. However, in this synthetic protocols, the surface area and pore distribution are not controlled. This work enables the preparation of 2D-ordered N-doped carbon materials through the carbonization of 2D polyaniline. For that purpose, aniline has been electropolymerized within the porous structure of two different templates (ordered mesoporous Silica and ordered mesoporous Titania thin films). Thus, aniline has been impregnated into the porous structure and subsequently electropolymerized by means of chronoamperometry at constant potential. The resultant samples were heat-treated at 900 °C with the aim of obtaining 2D N-doped carbon materials within the template structures. Polyaniline and polyaniline-derived carbon materials have been analyzed via XPS and TEM and characterized by electrochemical measurements. It is worth noting that the obtained 2D-ordered mesoporous N-doped carbon materials have proved to be highly active electrocatalysts for the ORR because of the formation of quaternary nitrogen species during the heat treatment.This research was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades and FEDER grant number Project RTI2018-095291-B-I00 and ENE2017-90932-REDT

Urban Design vs. Science of cities. From the Digital Gap to the AI Barrier

Our future cities design challenge will be to deal with unpredictability and cognitive ethics derived from A.I. implementation at a wide range of scales. When AI machines are dealing with social-cognitive dimensions previously dealt through human-decision making, transparency of the algorithm as well as it analysis easiness in situations of un-appropriate behaviour become main issues. Added to that challenge, as Architects and Urban Designers we have a very particular challenge added to the already mentioned one:dealing with the process of changing from the Digital Gap to the AI Barrier for our built environment inhabitants. Main pillars for avoiding the appearance of the A.I. barrier will be discussed through this research taking into account most recent investigations and ethical debates regarding A.I. procedures implementation on our routines as a society

Towards understanding the active sites for the ORR in N-doped carbon materials through fine-tuning of nitrogen functionalities: an experimental and computational approach

The design of advanced N-doped carbon materials towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysis is only possible if the nature of the active sites is fully understood. There is an important piece of research seeking to overcome this challenge through experimental or theoretical results. However, the combination of both approaches is necessary to deepen the knowledge about this subject. This work presents excellent agreement between experimental results and computational models, which provides evidence of the nature of the most active sites in N-doped carbon materials. N-doped carbon materials have been experimentally obtained through double stage treatment of polyaniline in distinct atmospheres (both oxygen-containing and inert atmospheres) at different temperatures (800–1200 °C). According to temperature programmed desorption (TPD), Raman spectroscopy, N2-adsorption isotherms at −196 °C and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), this synthesis method results in the selective formation of nitrogen species, without significant changes in structural order or porosity. ORR catalytic tests evidence the highly efficient catalysis, with platinum-like performance in terms of the current density and onset potential, of N-doped carbon materials selectively containing graphitic-type nitrogen species. Computational chemistry, through DFT calculations, shows that edge-type graphitic nitrogen is more effective towards ORR catalysis than pyridinic, pyrrolic, pyridonic, oxidized and basal-type graphitic nitrogen species.The authors thank Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades and FEDER for financial support (Project RTI2018-095291-B-I00, ENE2017-90932-REDT and FIS2015-64222-C2-2-P). MMF acknowledges support from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the projects IF/00894/2015, and FCT Ref. UID/CTM/50011/2019 for CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials

Guía práctica para programar una acampada juvenil

Este documento queda confeccionado extrayendo y recomponiendo los deberes y requisitos que de la normativa aplicable a las situaciones de acampada juvenil, tanto a nivel estatal, autonómico como local. Analizar toda la normativa y los procedimientos administrativos que se debe llevar a cabo para preparar una acampada. A través de ejemplos y explicaciones sencillas para que cualquier monitor tenga posibilidad de hacer uso de esta guía. Unido a la guía, un catálogo de anexos con todos los documentos que debe rellenarse, y las autorizaciones que hay que solicitar a las diferentes administraciones.<br /

Fractionation and precipitation of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) phytochemicals by supercritical antisolvent (SAS) technique

Supercritical anti-solvent precipitation (SAS) using carbon dioxide is a novel technique that can be used to produce powdered ingredients in small size particles, facilitating their incorporation into food matrices. In this work, the SAS precipitation of a licorice root ethanolic extract was studied. SAS assays were carried out at 15–20 MPa, 308.15 and 313.15 K, and two different concentrations (9.6 and 14.2 mg/ml) of the ethanolic licorice extract. In the range of conditions investigated, SAS pressure and temperature did not affect significantly the precipitation yield, but phytochemicals recovery was higher with the lower licorice extract concentration. Moreover, the fractionation of licorice bioactives (liquiritin, liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin, glabridin and glycyrrhizic acid) was assessed, together with the content of total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of the powders and oleoresin by-products obtained. In this respect, precipitates and oleoresins presented significant differences in the concentration of some licorice bioactives, and higher antioxidant activity was observed in precipitates. Additionally, significant effect of pressure, temperature and licorice extract concentration on the morphology and particle size of precipitates was observed, recovering smaller and more regular particles at 15–20 MPa, 313.15 K and 9.6 mg/ml licorice extract concentration, attaining satisfactory yield and antioxidant activityThe authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain (Projects AGL2017-89055-R and AGL2016-76736-C3-1-R). Somaris E. Quintana is grateful for the funding provided by Gobernación de Bolivar and Fundación Ceiba, Colombia, in the project “Bolívar Gana con Ciencia

El plan andaluz de atención a las altas capacidades intelectuales: panorama actual y perspectivas de futuro

En nuestro trabajo reconocemos la importancia de promulgar y desarrollar un Plan específico para detectar alumnos y alumnas de altas capacidades, de cara darles la respuesta educativa más adecuada. Analizamos las características del Plan promulgado y puesto en marcha por la Junta de Andalucía, tratando de ver de modo crítico y constructivo sus ventajas y limitaciones. Finalmente, se hacen algunas sugerencias para mejorar las limitaciones detectadas.In our work we recognize the importance of enacting and develop a specific plan to detect high ability students, facing them to the most appropriate educational response. We analyze the characteristics of the issued implemented by the Government of Andalusia, trying to see, in a critical and constructive way, its advantages and limitations. Finally, some suggestions are made to improve the identified limitations.peerReviewe