Girona, ciudad semilla de ciencia : educación científica para la sostenibilidad

Las ciudades ‘semilla de ciencia’ son el caballo de batalla del proyecto europeo Pollen, seed cities for science: a community approach for a sustainable growth of science education in Europe dirigido principalmente a las etapas de educación infantil y primaria. En la presente comunicación se analiza el proyecto ‘Girona, ciudad semilla de ciencia’ bajo el prisma de la educación para la sostenibilidad. Tomando como marco de referencia las características de la educación ambiental se analizan cualitativamente los diferentes componentes del proyecto. Como conclusión, se identifican debilidades y fortalezas del proyecto y se apuntan propuestas de mejoría para avanzar en la educación para la sostenibilidad, desde la educación científica y en el contexto de una ciudad semilla de ciencia. Finalmente, se proponen posibles nuevas líneas de investigación

Head Nodding and Hand Coordination Across Dyads in Different Conversational Contexts

Patrick Falk, Roser Cañigueral, Jamie A Ward et al. , 03 November 2023, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square [https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3526068/v1] This paper aims to explore what different patterns of head nodding and hand movement coordination mean in conversation by recording and analysing interpersonal coordination as it naturally occurs in social interactions. Understanding the timing and at which frequencies such movement behaviours occur can help us answer how and why we use these signals. Here we use high-resolution motion capture to examine three different types of two-person conversation involving different types of information-sharing, in order to explore the potential meaning and coordination of head nodding and hand motion signals. We also test if the tendency to engage in fast or slow nodding behaviour is a fixed personality trait that differs between individuals. Our results show coordinated slow nodding only in a picture-description task, which implies that this behaviour is not a universal signal of affiliation but is context driven. We also find robust fast nodding behaviour in the two contexts where novel information is exchanged. For hand movement, we find hints of low frequency coordination during one-way information sharing, but found no consistent signalling during information recall. Finally, we show that nodding is consistently driven by context but is not a useful measure of individual differences in social skills. We interpret these results in terms of theories of nonverbal communication and consider how these methods will help advance automated analyses of human conversation behaviours

Neurocognitive basis of model-based decision making and its metacontrol in childhood

Human behavior is supported by both goal-directed (model-based) and habitual (model-free) decision-making, each differing in its flexibility, accuracy, and computational cost. The arbitration between habitual and goal-directed systems is thought to be regulated by a process known as metacontrol. However, how these systems emerge and develop remains poorly understood. Recently, we found that while children between 5 and 11 years displayed robust signatures of model-based decision-making, which increased during this developmental period, there were substantial individual differences in the display of metacontrol. Here, we inspect the neurocognitive basis of model-based decision-making and metacontrol in childhood and focus this investigation on executive functions, fluid reasoning, and brain structure. A total of 69 participants between the ages of 6-13 completed a two-step decision-making task and an extensive behavioral test battery. A subset of 44 participants also completed a structural magnetic resonance imaging scan. We find that individual differences in metacontrol are specifically associated with performance on an inhibition task and individual differences in thickness of dorsolateral prefrontal, temporal, and superior-parietal cortices. These brain regions likely reflect the involvement of cognitive processes crucial to metacontrol, such as cognitive control and contextual processing

Estimation of the interfacial shears strength, orientation factor and mean equivalent intrinsic tensile strength in old newspaper fiber/polypropylene composites

The present paper investigates the suitability of old newspapers (ONPs) as a source of reinforcing fibers for composite materials. Different percentages of ONP fibers were compounded with polypropylene (PP). A coupling agent was added to the compound to improve the interface between matrix and reinforcing fibers. Tensile test were performed to obtain the mechanical properties of the composite materials. Micromechanics of the fibers were obtained using Hirsch model, Bowyer Bader methodology and Kelly-Tyson equations. Due to the presence of a percentage of calcium carbonate in the obtained fibers (10%), the computed intrinsic characteristics were addressed as equivalent. The most important results were the mean equivalent intrinsic tensile strength of the ONP fibers, the mean orientation angle and the mean interfacial shear strength. The contributions of the matrix, the subcritical and the supercritical fibers to the tensile strength of the composite material were also computed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Serrano, A.; Espinach, FX.; Julian, F.; Rey Tormos, RMD.; Mendez, JA.; Mutje, P. (2013). Estimation of the interfacial shears strength, orientation factor and mean equivalent intrinsic tensile strength in old newspaper fiber/polypropylene composites. Composites Part B: Engineering. 50:232-238. doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.2013.02.018S2322385

Best Practice in the chemical characterisation of extracts used in pharmacological and toxicological research—The ConPhyMP—Guidelines

The Advisory group on Consensus statement on the Phytochemical Characterisation of Medicinal Plant extracts (ConPhyMP) is a consortium of experts on Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry open access articleBackground: Research onmedicinal plants and extracts derived fromthem differs from studies performed with single compounds. Extracts obtained from plants, algae, fungi, lichens or animals pose some unique challenges: they are multicomponent mixtures of active, partially active and inactive substances, and the activity is often not exerted on a single target. Their composition varies depending on the method of preparation and the plant materials used. This complexity and variability impact the reproducibility and interpretation of pharmacological, toxicological and clinical research. Objectives: This project develops best practice guidelines to ensure reproducibility and accurate interpretations of studies using medicinal plant extracts. The focus is on herbal extracts used in pharmacological, toxicological, and clinical/intervention research. Specifically, the consensus-based statement focuses on defining requirements for: 1) Describing the plant material/herbal substances, herbal extracts and herbal medicinal products used in these studies, and 2) Conducting and reporting the phytochemical analysis of the plant extracts used in these studies in a reproducible and transparent way. The process and methods: We developed the guidelines through the following process: 1) The distinction between the three main types of extracts (extract types A, B, and C), initially conceptualised by the lead author (MH), led the development of the project as such; 2) A survey among researchers of medicinal plants to gather global perspectives, opportunities, and overarching challenges faced in characterising medicinal plant extracts under different laboratory infrastructures. The survey responses were central to developing the guidelines and were reviewed by the core group; 3) A core group of 9 experts met monthly to develop the guidelines through a Delphi process; and. 4) The final draft guidelines, endorsed by the core group, were also distributed for feedback and approval to an extended advisory group of 20 experts, including many journal editors. Outcome: The primary outcome is the “Consensus statement on the Phytochemical Characterisation of Medicinal Plant extracts“ (ConPhyMP) which defines the best practice for reporting the starting plant materials and the chemical methods recommended for defining the chemical compositions of the plant extracts used in such studies. The checklist is intended to be an orientation for authors in medicinal plant research as well as peer reviewers and editors assessing such research for publicatio

María de Zayas y Sotomayor, "Power of Love" [English .doc]

Pedagogical edition/translation of María de Zayas y Sotomayor's story "The Power of Love" from her collection 'Amorous and Exemplary Novels' (Zaragoza, 1637). Contains short introduction in English, English translation of Zayas' text, notes, and short bibliography

Don't Look at Me, I'm Wearing an Eyetracker!

Looking is a two-way process: we use our eyes to perceive the world around us, but we also use our eyes to signal to others. Eye contact in particular reveals much about our social interactions, and as such can be a rich source of information for context-aware wearable applications. But when designing these applications, it is useful to understand the effects that the head-worn eye-trackers might have on our looking behavior. Previous studies have shown that we moderate our gaze when we know our eyes are being tracked, but what happens to our gaze when we see others wearing eye trackers? Using gaze recordings from 30 dyads, we investigate what happens to a person’s looking behavior when the person with whom they are speaking is also wearing an eye-tracker. In the preliminary findings reported here, we show that people tend to look less to the eyes of people who are wearing a tracker, than they do to the eyes of those who are not. We discuss possible reasons for this and suggest future directions of study

María de Zayas y Sotomayor, "La fuerza del amor" (Spanish .doc)

Pedagogical edition/translation of María de Zayas y Sotomayor's story "La fuerza del amor" ("The Power of Love") from her collection 'Novelas amorosas y ejemplares' ('Amorous and Exemplary Novels') (Zaragoza, 1637). Contains short introduction in Spanish, Spanish edition of Zayas' text, notes, and short bibliography

Girona, ciudad semilla de ciencia : educación científica para la sostenibilidad

Las ciudades 'semilla de ciencia' son el caballo de batalla del proyecto europeo Pollen, seed cities for science: a community approach for a sustainable growth of science education in Europe dirigido principalmente a las etapas de educación infantil y primaria. En la presente comunicación se analiza el proyecto 'Girona, ciudad semilla de ciencia' bajo el prisma de la educación para la sostenibilidad. Tomando como marco de referencia las características de la educación ambiental se analizan cualitativamente los diferentes componentes del proyecto. Como conclusión, se identifican debilidades y fortalezas del proyecto y se apuntan propuestas de mejoría para avanzar en la educación para la sostenibilidad, desde la educación científica y en el contexto de una ciudad semilla de ciencia. Finalmente, se proponen posibles nuevas líneas de investigación

Comprehensive HPTLC fingerprinting as a tool for a simplified analysis of purity of ginkgo products

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Herbal medicinal products based on ginkgo leaf refined dry extract (GBE) are an European development from the Eastern Asia traditionally used species Ginkgo biloba L. Nowadays, ginkgo products have increased the presence in the market, mainly as dietary supplements. Its adulteration with rutin and quercetin or herbal extracts rich in these compounds is a common practice. Tests featuring assays and detection of adulterants need to be performed on top of other existent methods (e.g. identification test). This may increase the costs of evaluating the quality of ginkgo products. / Aim of the study: To prove that comprehensive HPTLC fingerprinting can provide information beyond identification of ginkgo products, avoiding additional chromatographic tests for detection of adulterations. / Materials and methods: The information contained in the fingerprint obtained by HPTLC analysis of flavonoids was used for identification and for detection of adulterants, as well as to verify the limits of rutin and quercetin, which are normally determined by HPLC and used for detection of adulterants. For this purpose, peak profiles were generated from HPTLC chromatogram images. USP-HPLC methods were used for quantification of total flavonoids and testing the limits of rutin and quercetin. HPLC data were used to support the validity of the HPTLC method. An additional reversed phase HPTLC method was developed as a possible confirmatory method for the quercetin limit test. / Results: The proposed HPTLC method uses a particular sequence of detections, resulting in a number of images, which are later interpreted in a certain order. It is able to identify ginkgo products, to detect adulterants (rutin, quercetin, sophora fruit and flower bud, and buckwheat), and, using peak profiles generated from the chromatogram images prior to and after derivatisation, to evaluate the limits of rutin and quercetin. Forty-eight out of fifty-nine ginkgo dietary supplements analysed contained one or more adulterants. Furthermore, results of the HPTLC and HPLC limit tests for rutin and quercetin were in agreement in 98% of the cases. Finally, a decision tree showing the sequence of interpretation of the fingerprints obtained with the different detections after a single HPTLC analysis is included to help the analyst to evaluate whether samples have the correct identity and whether they contain or not adulterants. / Conclusion: A single HPTLC analysis is able to provide information on identity and purity of the products. This simplifies the analytical workflow and reduces the number of analyses prescribed in the USP powdered ginkgo extract monograph