Psychological effects of gamified didactics with exergames in Physical Education at primary schools: Results from a natural experiment

The physical effects of exergaming have been proven, but less is known about the psychological effects in elementary schools that make exergames an effective educational tool. The application of gamification to education is still an emerging practice that has been barely studied. The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of a gamified exergaming intervention in Physical Education classes in primary schools on psychological variables like motivation, flow, basic psychological needs and academic performance. A natural experiment with a non-randomised controlled design was run. The participants were recruited from four schools (n = 417), and received traditional didactic intervention or a gamified exergaming intervention. Both lasted 1 month. The results showed better positive gamified exergaming effects on basic psychological needs, academic performance and some flow dimensions. No interaction effects were found in intrinsic motivation, external regulation and amotivation, although specific improvements in the gamified exergaming group are discussed. The Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics gamification model and the Just Dance Now exergame may be resources capable of producing positive psychological effects on school-based Physical Education

Ecological criteria for evaluation candidate sites for marine reserves

Several schemes have been developed to help select the locations of marine reserves. All of them combine social, economic, and biological criteria, and few offer any guidance as to how to prioritize among the criteria identified. This can imply that the relative weights given to different criteria are unimportant. Where two sites are of equal value ecologically, then socioeconomic criteria should dominate the choice of which should be protected. However, in many cases, socioeconomic criteria are given equal or greater weight than ecological considerations in the choice of sites. This can lead to selection of reserves with little biological value that fail to meet many of the desired objectives. To avoid such a possibility, we develop a series of criteria that allow preliminary evaluation of candidate sites according to their relative biological values in advance of the application of socioeconomic criteria. We include criteria that, while not strictly biological, have a strong influence on the species present or ecological processes. Our scheme enables sites to be assessed according to their biodiversity, the processes which underpin that diversity, and the processes that support fisheries and provide a spectrum of other services important to people. Criteria that capture biodiversity values include biogeographic representation, habitat representation and heterogeneity, and presence of species or populations of special interest (e.g., threatened species). Criteria that capture sustainability of biodiversity and fishery values include the size of reserves necessary to protect viable habitats, presence of exploitable species, vulnerable life stages, connectivity among reserves, links among ecosystems, and provision of ecosystem services to people. Criteria measuring human and natural threats enable candidate sites to be eliminated from consideration if risks are too great, but also help prioritize among sites where threats can be mitigated by protection. While our criteria can be applied to the design of reserve networks, they also enable choice of single reserves to be made in the context of the attributes of existing protected areas. The overall goal of our scheme is to promote the development of reserve networks that will maintain biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at large scales. The values of ecosystem goods and services for people ultimately depend on meeting this objective

La autoeficacia creativa y la autoestima como predictores de la capacidad creativa en estudiantes universitarios

La capacidad creativa es independiente y propia de cada persona, pudiendo esta capacidad educarse. Sobre todo, en las áreas artísticas, el desarrollo de la creatividad puede considerarse importante para la adquisición y mantenimiento de nuevos aprendizajes. En los estudiantes, mayores o menores niveles de creatividad están relacionados con determinadas variables de corte competencial. Con este estudio se pretende comprobar las relaciones existentes entre los constructos de la creatividad y de autoeficacia creativa con variables de corte personal como la autoeficacia general, autoestima o ansiedad. La muestra está compuesta por un grupo de estudiantes de Magisterio que cursan la asignatura obligatoria Fundamentos de Educación Musical. Los participantes han cumplimentado diferentes cuestionarios específicos; se ha utilizado una metodología cuantitativa, realizando análisis correlacionales y de regresión. La creatividad está asociada a todas las variables planteadas y solo existen diferencias de medias significativas en función del sexo en una de ellas. Como principal conclusión se debe destacar que hay un valor explicativo en el que está relacionada tanto la autoestima como la ansiedad con la creatividad de estos estudiantes. Creative ability is independent, varies according to the person and can be learned. Especially, in the artistic fields, the development of creativity can be considered important for the acquisition and maintenance of new learning. In students, higher or lower levels of creativity are related to certain variables with respect to competencies. This study aims to verify the relationships between the constructs of creativity and creative self-efficacy and personal variables such as general self-efficacy, self-esteem or anxiety. The sample consists of a group of University Students enrolled in the compulsory course Fundamentals of Music Education. Participants completed different questionnaires; a quantitative methodology was used, performing correlational and regression analyses. Creativity is associated with all the variables considered and there are only significant differences in the means based on the sex of the participants in one of them. The most notable conclusion is that there is an explanatory value in which both self-esteem and anxiety are related to the creativity of these students

The first Hochschild cohomology group of a schurian cluster-tilted algebra

Given a cluster-tilted algebra B we study its first Hochschild cohomology group HH1(B) with coefficients in the B-B-bimodule B. We find several consequences when B is representation-finite, and also in the case where B is cluster-tilted of type Ã.Fil: Assem, Ibrahim. University of Sherbrooke; CanadáFil: Redondo, Maria Julia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Matemática Bahía Blanca. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Matemática. Instituto de Matemática Bahía Blanca; Argentin

The significance of cephalopod beaks as a research tool: An update

The use of cephalopod beaks in ecological and population dynamics studies has allowed major advances of our knowledge on the role of cephalopods in marine ecosystems in the last 60 years. Since the 1960’s, with the pioneering research by Malcolm Clarke and colleagues, cephalopod beaks (also named jaws or mandibles) have been described to species level and their measurements have been shown to be related to cephalopod body size and mass, which permitted important information to be obtained on numerous biological and ecological aspects of cephalopods in marine ecosystems. In the last decade, a range of new techniques has been applied to cephalopod beaks, permitting new kinds of insight into cephalopod biology and ecology. The workshop on cephalopod beaks of the Cephalopod International Advisory Council Conference (Sesimbra, Portugal) in 2022 aimed to review the most recent scientific developments in this field and to identify future challenges, particularly in relation to taxonomy, age, growth, chemical composition (i.e., DNA, proteomics, stable isotopes, trace elements) and physical (i.e., structural) analyses. In terms of taxonomy, new techniques (e.g., 3D geometric morphometrics) for identifying cephalopods from their beaks are being developed with promising results, although the need for experts and reference collections of cephalopod beaks will continue. The use of beak microstructure for age and growth studies has been validated. Stable isotope analyses on beaks have proven to be an excellent technique to get valuable information on the ecology of cephalopods (namely habitat and trophic position). Trace element analyses is also possible using beaks, where concentrations are significantly lower than in other tissues (e.g., muscle, digestive gland, gills). Extracting DNA from beaks was only possible in one study so far. Protein analyses can also be made using cephalopod beaks. Future challenges in research using cephalopod beaks are also discussed.Cephalopod International Advisory Counci

Post-fledging dependence period and onset of natal dispersal in Bearded Vultures (Gypaetus barbatus): new insights from GPS satellite telemetry.

Utilizamos telemetría satelital para estudiar el periodo de dependencia post emplumamiento de tres individuos silvestres y seis individuos cautivos de Gypaetus barbatus. El primer vuelo tuvo lugar cuando los pollos tenían 126 ± 7 días de edad (rango  =  111-134 días) y el inicio de la dispersión ocurrió a los 193 ± 40 días desde el primer vuelo (rango  =  143-231 días). Los jóvenes permanecieron en sus áreas natales (o de liberación, en el caso de aves criadas en cautiverio) durante los primeros dos meses desde la fecha de emplumamiento. Luego, comenzaron a incrementar progresivamente la distancia a sus áreas natales; durante este tiempo, la mayoría de los desplazamientos de larga distancia (>15 km) tuvieron lugar antes del mediodía. Los tamaños de las áreas de acción registrados en este estudio fueron superiores a los descritos con anterioridad para la especie, principalmente debido a la diferencia en los métodos de rastreo empleados: la telemetría satelital permitió la detección de movimientos de larga distancia más allá del rango de medición del rastreo por radio convencional. Finalmente, la adquisición de la independencia (i.e., emancipación) se solapó con la siguiente temporada de cría de los adultos

Gene editing of PKLR gene in human hematopoietic progenitors through 5' and 3' UTR modified TALEN mRNA

Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD) is a rare erythroid metabolic disease caused by mutations in the PKLR gene, which encodes the erythroid specific Pyruvate Kinase enzyme. Erythrocytes from PKD patients show an energetic imbalance and are susceptible to hemolysis. Gene editing of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) would provide a therapeutic benefit and improve safety of gene therapy approaches to treat PKD patients. In previous studies, we established a gene editing protocol that corrected the PKD phenotype of PKD-iPSC lines through a TALEN mediated homologous recombination strategy. With the goal of moving toward more clinically relevant stem cells, we aim at editing the PKLR gene in primary human hematopoietic progenitors and hematopoietic stem cells (HPSCs). After nucleofection of the gene editing tools and selection with puromycin, up to 96% colony forming units showed precise integration. However, a low yield of gene edited HPSCs was associated to the procedure. To reduce toxicity while increasing efficacy, we worked on i) optimizing gene editing tools and ii) defining optimal expansion and selection times. Different versions of specific nucleases (TALEN and CRISPR-Cas9) were compared. TALEN mRNAs with 5' and 3' added motifs to increase RNA stability were the most efficient nucleases to obtain high gene editing frequency and low toxicity. Shortening ex vivo manipulation did not reduce the efficiency of homologous recombination and preserved the hematopoietic progenitor potential of the nucleofected HPSCs. Lastly, a very low level of gene edited HPSCs were detected after engraftment in immunodeficient (NSG) mice. Overall, we showed that gene editing of the PKLR gene in HPSCs is feasible, although further improvements must to be done before the clinical use of the gene editing to correct PKD. Institutode Investigacio ' n Sanitaria de la Fundacio '

Distance disintegration characterizes node-level topological dysfunctions in cocaine addiction

Previous investigations have used global graph theory measures in order to disentangle the complexity of the neural reorganizations occurring in cocaine use disorder (CUD). However, how these global topological alterations map into individual brain network areas remains unknown. In this study, we used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to investigate node-level topological dysfunctions in CUD. The sample was composed of 32 individuals with CUD and 32 healthy controls, matched in age, years of education and intellectual functioning. Graph theory measures of optimal connectivity distance, node strength, nodal efficiency and clustering coefficient were estimated in each participant using voxel-wise functional connectivity connectomes. CUD individuals as compared with healthy controls showed higher optimal connectivity distances in ventral striatum, insula, cerebellum, temporal cortex, lateral orbitofrontal cortex, middle frontal cortex and left hippocampus. Furthermore, clinical measures quantifying severity of dependence were positively related with optimal connectivity distances in the right rolandic operculum and the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex, whereas length of abstinence was negatively associated with optimal connectivity distances in the right temporal pole and the left insula. Our results reveal a topological distancing of cognitive and affective related areas in addiction, suggesting an overall reduction in the communication capacity of these regions. © 2021 The Authors. Addiction Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society for the Study of Addiction

N2O emissions from a loamy soil cropped with winter wheat as affected by N-fertilizer amount and nitrification inhibitor

Nitrogen (N) fertilization leads to the release of reactive N species, which can be detrimental to the environment. Nitrification inhibitors (NIs) are substances capable of retarding the oxidation of ammonium to nitrate, which can increase N use efficiency of applied N fertilizer and decrease N losses such as the release of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Adaption of N fertilizer amount to plant demand might also decrease N surpluses and thus lower N2O emissions. We investigated the effects of N fertilizer amount (0, 120, 180, and 240 kg N ha−1 a−1) and the use of the NI 3,4-dimethylpyrazol phosphate, DMPP, on annual N2O emission from a soil cropped with winter wheat in a 2 year field experiment. N2O fluxes were affected by N level and by use of DMPP with higher fluxes under high N amounts and treatments without NI. Application of DMPP led to a reduction of annual emissions by 45%. Interestingly, also winter emissions (8–12 months after N fertilization) were decreased by DMPP. In this period, a complete degradation of DMPP was assumed. The reason for this effect remains unclear. Wheat yield and quality were unaffected by DMPP, whereas grain yield was increased with N fertilizer amount in the first year. Nevertheless, response curves of grain yield-related N2O emissions over all data showed lower optimal N fertilizer doses when DMPP was used. Application of DMPP at suboptimal N rates could help to achieve a better profitability with simultaneous reduction of the product scaled emission

Texture Quantification in Y Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7 Superconducting Films

Una capa superconductora epitaxial de Y Ba2Cu3 7 es el resultado de un óptimo proceso de crecimiento epitaxial de los granos superconductores. Además, la epitaxia del sustrato tiene una directa repercusión en la microestructura y las propiedades físicas de la capa. Por medio de técnicas de caracterización convencionales, tales como: microscopía electrónica de barrido, y difracción de rayos X, permiten realizar una rápida valoración de la calidad de la epitaxia por medio de la cuantificación de la textura de la capa. Presentamos los resultados de la cuantificación de la textura en capas superconductoras de Y Ba2Cu3O7 .Y Ba2Cu3O7 epitaxial superconducting film is consequence of an optimum epitaxial growth process of superconducting grains. Also, the substrate's epitaxy has a direct repercussion on the lm microstructure and its physical properties. Conventional characterization techniques such as: scanning electronic microscopy, and x ray difrraction, allowed us to obtain a quick assessment of epitaxy quality through of texture quantification of the film. We present the results of texture quantification in Y Ba2Cu3O7 superconducting films