Mathematics and Its Influence on University Dropout

15 páginas.La deserción universitaria es una problemática en todas la Instituciones de Educación Superior (IES) a nivel nacional estudiado desde la década de los 60. Muchas de ellas han estudiado los factores que influyen en la decisión de abandonar los estudios por parte de una persona. En particular Las matemáticas y su paso de la educación media a la educación superior marcan un fuerte cambio en los modelos de abstracción en los ejes temáticos, donde se evidencian los vacíos dejados en la educación media. Por su naturaleza y el cambio de nivel de abstracción, las matemáticas marcan fuertes tendencias de deserción en carreras afines e incluso en carreras no afines con ciclos básicos con materias relacionadas con las matemáticas, donde la tasa de deserción promedio es del 50%. Entonces ¿las matemáticas tienen influencia en la permanencia o deserción de los estudiantes en la educación Superior?University desertion is a problem in all the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) at the national level studied since the decade of the 60s. Many of them have studied the factors that influence the decision to leave the studies by a person. In particular, mathematics and its transition from secondary education to higher education mark a strong change in the models of abstraction in the thematic axes, where the gaps left in secondary education are evident

Ablación laser como método de muestre para estudio espectroscópico de materiales de interés tecnológico: espectroscopia de carbones por la –ICP-AES

IP 1102-05-11427En el LEAM hemos venido realizando un programa secuencial de investigación espectroscópica de carbones. En la etapa inicial desarrollada dentro de este programa se han implementado la determinación de elementos en carbones por espectroscopia emisión atómica con plasma generado por acoplamiento iductivo (ICP-AES)[46-48]

Plataformas nanoestructuradas de plata para identificación cualitativa de Escherichia coli mediante espectroscopia Raman intensificada por efecto de superficie “prueba de concepto del sistema”

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) of nanostructured materials is a powerful technique that allows to reach ultrahigh levels of detection of several analytes. In the present study it was possible to identify the bacteria E. coli by using a novel nanostructured platform based on silver-capped nanopillars (AgNP) and SERS technique. AgNPs were fabricated by ion reactive etching and deposition of silver layers. The bacteria culture were prepared in Luria-Bertani (LB) medium at 37° by 4 hours. 5 μL of the bacteria were deposited on top of the surface of AgNPs and let it dry for 30 minutes. Subsequently the AgNP-bacteria system was analysed by Raman spectroscopy. A typical band of E. coli at 731 cm-1 was identified and this Raman vibration was used as a marker peak to detect the bacteria. Finally the novel AgNP could be used as a potential biosensor to detect nosocomial bacteria in intra-hospital environments.La espectroscopia Raman intensificada por efecto de superficie (SERS) de materiales nanoestructurados es una técnica ultrasensible que permite alcanzar niveles de detección extremadamente bajos en la determinación de diferentes analitos. En este estudio se logró identificar cualitativamente la bacteria E. coli, utilizando plataformas nanoestructuradas de plata, mediante la técnica SERS. Las plataformas nanoestructuradas de plata (AgNP) fueron fabricadas por la técnica de grabado mediante iones reactivos con posterior deposición de una capa metálica de plata. Las bacterias fueron preparadas en medio Luria-Bertani (LB) a 37°C por 4 horas. De este cultivo de bacterias 5 uL fueron depositados sobre la superficie de las AgNP, dejándose secar por 30 min. Posteriormente, el sistema AgNP-bacteria fue analizado mediante espectroscopia Raman. La identificación de la banda Raman a 731 nm típica de la E. coli sobre las AgNP permitió identificar cualitativamente la bacteria, lo que brinda la posibilidad de utilizar las plataformas como potenciales biosensores ultrasensibles de bacterias nosocomiales en ambientes intrahospitalarios

Effects of pH and vanadium concentration during the impregnation of Na-SiO2 supported catalysts for the oxidation of propane

SiO2 supported NaVOx catalysts have raised interest due to reports showing an increase in the selectivity to propene in propane oxidation; a process that may become an alternative to conventional petrochemical routes for producing this valuable olefin. In this work, the effects of pH, the concentration of vanadium in solution, [V]Sol, and of their interaction; i.e., non-additive effect, over the properties of Na-SiO2 used for the oxidation of propane under oxygen rich conditions were studied. In general, the studied experimental factors had no net effects over the difference between the nominal and final loadings of vanadium in the catalysts, the surface area, and porosity. However, all catalysts presented a ~50% decrease in surface area due to partial mesopore blocking reflected by a ~30% increase in the average pore diameter. On the other hand, NaVO3 microcrystals and particles constituted -NaVO3 and -NaVO3 were formed at acidic pH, whereas Na metavanadate nanoparticles were formed at pH=9.0. These nanoparticles transformed into an -NaVO3 type phase upon dehydration. The reducibility of the catalysts was a function of the impregnation pH, where the catalysts synthesized at pH=3.8 and 9.0 displayed similar reduction patterns but lower reducibility than those synthesized at pH=1.5. The produced patterns were correlated to the existence of a mixture of V5+ and V4+ species among which V4+ was prevalent for the catalysts synthesized at pH=3.8 and 9.0. Consequently, the basicity of the catalysts decreased with the increase in pH. The surface concentration of vanadium increased with the increase in the concentration of vanadium in solution, while the pH had a weak negative effect over the former. On the other hand, it was established that chemical surface state of oxygen in the synthesized catalysts was influenced weakly by the synthesis pH and, more importantly, by non-additive effects between the pH and the concentration of vanadium in solution. The latter was coherent with the detection of surface oxygen species related to the partial dissolution of the Na-SiO2 support; a phenomenon that seemed to be favored at acidic pH. The latter properties were correlated to changes in basicity. Concerning the catalytic performance, the catalysts synthesized at pH=9.0 displayed the best steady state performance in terms of the selectivity to propene and oxygen consumption. The collected evidence allowed corroborating that both the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propene and its combustion to CO and CO2 are kinetically controlled by the initial activation of one of the C-H bonds of propane. But, the production of CO2 depended on the level of consumption of O2; where, a surplus of the latter compared to the conversion of propane combusted the hydrocarbon into CO2. Such a finding agreed with what has already been established for supported vanadium oxides for hydrocarbon oxidation. An analysis of the Raman spectra of the spent catalysts suggested that under the applied reaction conditions, all catalysts were provided of an active phase mostly constituted by -NaVO3 type structures. Therefore, the observed differences in catalytic behavior were rather associated to changes in particle size, reducibility, and acidity

Photophysical behavior of new acridine(1,8)dione dyes

The photophysical behavior of five acridine(1,8)dione dyes of biological interest was studied by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, photoacoustics and time resolved phosphorescence techniques. The results obtained in ethanol and acetonitrile solutions show that the main spectroscopic and photophysical parameters of these compounds depend strongly on both the solvent and oxygen concentrations. Oxygen completely quenched the triplet state of all dyes. In nitrogen-saturated solutions, quantum efficiencies of triplet formation in ethanol were lower than those in acetonitrileFil: Cabanzo Hernández, Rafael. Universidad Industrial Santander; ColombiaFil: David Gara, Pedro Maximiliano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Opticas (i); ArgentinaFil: Molina Velasco, Daniel. Universidad Industrial Santander; ColombiaFil: Erra Balsells, Rosa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones en Hidratos de Carbono; ArgentinaFil: Bilmes, Gabriel Mario. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Opticas (i); Argentin

Characterization of bio-crude components derived from pyrolysis of soft wood and its esterified product by ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry and spectroscopic techniques

In this work, a detailed analysis of a bio-oil obtained by pyrolysis of softwoods and its esterified product is described. Information of the type of chemical function groups were obtained by 13C and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and compositional analysis was obtained by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR MS). The results obtained indicate that aliphatic hydrogen and carbon atoms are found in higher abundance, compared with aromatic hydrogen-carbon frameworks. Furthermore, a decrease in oxygen functional groups was observed after esterification. According to the FTICR MS results, the samples contain highly oxygenated species corresponding to compound classes Ox, NOx and BOx, with a high predominance of Ox species. After esterification, the compositions shifted towards lower oxygen-content, lower number of rings and double bonds, and longer alkyl chains as a consequence of the water removal via the condensation reaction

The fingerprint of essential bio-oils by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Six essential oils were analyzed by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry coupled to negative-ion electrospray ionization (ESI(−)/FT-ICR MS). ESI offers selective ionization of a compound's polar functional groups containing nitrogen and oxygen heteroatoms. ESI in negative-ion mode allows the identification of the acidic compounds. The results showed that the samples contain between 1100–3600 individual molecular compositions, which corresponds to the greatest number of species detected to date in essential oils obtained from aromatic plant material. The compositions cover a mass range between m/z 150–500 with up to 41 carbon atoms. The dominant organic constituents of the essential oils correspond to species incorporating 2–5 oxygen atoms, detected as deprotonated/sodiated/chlorinated species. A set of 580 molecular assignments were found in common across all the samples and for the first time, a set of unique molecular systems were identified, and up to 1373 species as a unique composition for each essential oil. The molecular distributions plotted in van Krevelen diagrams (classified by their H/C vs. O/C values) suggest the presence of species with long alkyl chains and low numbers of rings plus double bonds