Exploratory study into oral communication skills in students of Veterinary Medicine

[EN] At present, there are certain generic abilities which are considered to be as important as professional abilities to perform properly at work. Among these abilities, we can mention the ability to communicate in the oral and written medium, to interact and work in teams, to evaluate others and evaluate themselves, to act in new situations, to take decisions, to search common goals and to commit to their sociocultural environment. The present study aimed to find out about the abilities in oral communication of undergraduate students of elective subjects in the programme of the Veterinary Medicine course at Universidad Nacional del Litoral. These abilities were explored by means of an online survey administered to these students. The survey was designed around different dimensions related to abilities in oral communication: the purpose of communication, the bilateral nature of the communicative process, being an empathic communicator, active listening, the combination of verbal and non-verbal abilities and strategic oral communication in formal situations. Our results showed that in general the students perceive that their abilities in relation to most dimensions are satisfactory. However, a significant number of them expressed that they have certain problems with strategic oral communication in formal situations. This study reveals the importance of conducting classroom interventions oriented towards the development and improvement of abilities in strategic oral communication in order to contribute to meet the demands of the professional world.[ES] En la actualidad, existen ciertas competencias genéricas que son consideradas tan importantes para el buen desempeño laboral como las competencias profesionales. Entre ellas se encuentran la capacidad de comunicación oral y escrita, de interactuar y trabajar en equipo, de crítica y autocrítica, de actuar en nuevas situaciones, de tomar decisiones, de motivar y conducir hacia metas comunes y de comprometerse con el medio socio-cultural. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo conocer las competencias para la comunicación oral de los estudiantes de las asignaturas electivas de la carrera Medicina Veterinaria en la Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Se exploró acerca de estas competencias mediante una encuesta en línea administrada a dichos estudiantes. La misma fue diseñada en torno a distintas dimensiones relacionadas con las competencias para la comunicación oral: el propósito de la comunicación, el sentido bilateral o de intercambio del proceso comunicativo, la empatía del comunicador, el proceso de adaptación en la comunicación, la escucha activa, la combinación de habilidades de comunicación verbal y no verbal, y la comunicación oral estratégica en situaciones formales. Los resultados obtenidos revelaron que en términos generales los estudiantes perciben que las mismas son satisfactorias, aunque un número significativo manifestó tener ciertas dificultades en relación con la comunicación oral estratégica en situaciones formales. Esta investigación pone de manifiesto la importancia de realizar intervenciones didácticas afines al desarrollo y mejoramiento de competencias para la comunicación oral que contribuyan a cumplimentar con las exigencias de la futura actividad profesional de nuestros estudiantes.Gramaglia, C.; Cignetti, LM.; Aressi, G.; Cadoche, L. (2018). Exploración de las competencias para la comunicación oral de estudiantes de Medicina Veterinaria. REDU. Revista de Docencia Universitaria. 16(2):281-292. doi:10.4995/redu.2018.9800SWORD28129216

Biological and Non-Biological Methods for Lignocellulosic Biomass Deconstruction

Owing to their abundance and cost-effectiveness, lignocellulosic materials have attracted increasing attention in clean energy technologies over the last decade. However, the complex polymer structure in these residues makes it difficult to extract the fermentable sugars. Therefore, various pretreatment regimes have been used resulting in the breaking of lignocelluloses’ physical and chemical structures, thereby enhancing the availability of the polysaccharides which are subsequently hydrolysed into different biocommodities. This chapter provides an evaluation of some of the latest exploited methodologies that are used in the pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials. Moreover, the chapter discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each method

Reflexiones sobre aspectos de la enseñanza de la matemática en diálogo con algunos autores de filosofía de la educación

Desde hace varios años en la Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria de la Universidad Nacional del Litoral, un equipo de docentes-investigadores de la cátedra de Matemática trabaja en una propuesta de “Aprendizaje Cooperativo” en la que se estimulan y evalúan habilidades sociales imprescindibles para una correcta interacción. En este artículo se intenta dialogar con algunos autores de textos de filosofía, en los que se plantean cuestiones relacionadas con comunicación, lenguaje, símbolo, significado y placer, de cuya lectura y relaciones se desprenden aspectos relacionados con las mencionadas competencias sociales. En Matemática, la comunicación y el lenguaje, refieren al empleo de palabras y símbolos cuyo significado es diferente según el contexto en el que se empleen, y el significado atribuible a una palabra/símbolo puede ser absolutamente distinto en matemática que en el lenguaje cotidiano. Al finalizar el artículo se menciona, cómo significado y placer retratan quiénes son los estudiantes, cómo se ven a sí mismos, y cómo construyen una visión particular de su futuro. SUMMARY. Mathematics teaching in dialog with authors of education philosophy. For several years in the School of Veterinary Medicine of Universidad Nacional del Litoral, a team of teachers-researchers of Mathematics works on a proposal of "Collaborative Learning" in which are stimulated and evaluated social skills essential for a correct interaction. In this article, we try to talk with some authors of texts of philosophy, in which issues related to communication, language, symbol, meaning and pleasure are raised, from which aspects related to the aforementioned social competences are revealed. In Mathematics, communication and language refer to the use of words and symbols whose meaning is different according to the context in which they are used, and the meaning attributable to a word / symbol may be quite different in mathematics than in everyday language. At the end of the article it is mentioned, how meaning and pleasure portray who the students are, how they see themselves, and how they construct a particular vision of their future

Proinflammatory cytokines and CD14 expression in mammary tissue of cows following intramammary inoculation of Panax ginseng at drying off

The lack of efficacy of conventional strategies for the maintenance of healthy udders in domestic cattle has prompted studies on the use of immunomodulators or biological response modifiers (BRM) for this purpose. These compounds are agents that modify the host's response to pathogens leading to beneficial effects on disease outcome. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a single intramammary infusion of Panax ginseng (GS) extract on the amount of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the number of monocytes/macrophages present in bovine mammary tissues at drying off. Eight mammary quarters from six nonpregnant cows in late lactation were infused with 10 mL of GS (3 mg/mL), six quarters were treated with 10 mL of placebo (vehicle alone) and six quarters were maintained as uninoculated controls. The analyses of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) by immunohistochemistry revealed that the production of this proinflammatory cytokine significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the inoculated mammary glands of cows following BRM inoculation, whereas the interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α) and IL-6 staining area was not affected by BRM treatment. The number of monocytes/macrophages detected with CD14 antibody was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in BRM-treated quarters than in placebo and uninoculated control quarters. These results indicated an immunomodulator potential of the BRM used. The beneficial effect of the extract could be used as alternative therapy in the control of mastitis at drying off, either alone or in conjunction with dry cow antibiotic therapy.Fil: Baravalle, Celina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias ; ArgentinaFil: Dallard, Bibiana Elisabet. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias ; ArgentinaFil: Cadoche, M. C.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias ; ArgentinaFil: Pereyra, Elizabet Amanda Lorena. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias ; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Neder, V. E.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; ArgentinaFil: Ortega, H. H.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias ; ArgentinaFil: Calvinho, L. F.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias ; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; Argentin