The pinhole camera (dark room) in science classroom. The image size

En este trabajo se describe una actividad didáctica, realizada por maestros en formación, que forma parte de la unidad: ¿Cómo aprender investigando?. Se muestra cómo, en el marco de una investigación escolar sobre la cámara oscura, se propicia que los estudiantes lleven a cabo una revisión de hipótesis, utilizando argumentos cualitativos. Además, se describe una propuesta de profundización, en esa revisión de hipótesis de corte más cuantitativo, que ensayaremos con los estudiantes a partir del curso próximo.This paper describes part of a practical work, carried out by preservice teachers, related to the unit: ‘How to learn by inquiry?’. It shows how, in the context of an inquired–based approach to teaching, on the pinhole camera, our students are encouraged to carry out a hypothesis revision, using qualitative arguments. Besides, it describes a quantitative methodology proposal to study in depth the hypothesis revision to be tested next courses

Range contraction and population decline of the European Dupont’s lark population

Los autores de la UAM pertenecen al Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG-UAM)Artículo escrito por un elevado número de autores, solo se referencian el que aparece en primer lugar, los autores pertenecientes a la UAM y el nombre del grupo de colaboración, si lo hubiereThe Dupont’s lark (Chersophilus duponti) is an endangered passerine typical of Mediterranean shrub-steppes, whose European distribution is restricted to Spain. Here, we update the population size and distribution range of the species at a European scale and evaluate (i) the current status; (ii) the change in population size and distribution range of the species from 2004 to 2009 to the current period (2017–2022); and (iii) the effectiveness of the current network of special protection areas (SPAs) for protecting the Dupont’s lark. The European Dupont’s lark population showed a decrease of 29.9%, declining from ca. 3267 to 2289 territorial males from 2004 to 2009 to the current period. Moreover, the species has suffered a contraction in its distribution range of 35.9%, with only 39.3% of the species’ territories located within the current network of SPAs. Our findings agree with the previously described decline of the Dupont’s lark in Europe. The population decline was even larger in peripheral regions, which suggests that the species is suffering a centripetal process of contraction and extinction. These results indicate that if there is no change in present-day declining forces, several peripheral populations will reach extinction in a few decades and the overall population size of the species will continue decreasing. Our study should be considered as a last call for action and used for implementing urgent conservation measures to protect the species and its habitat. Future studies should focus on analyzing and managing the factors driving the species’ extinction and future actions for the conservation of the species should focus on increasing the percentage of the Dupont’s lark territories within protected areas, since the data are alarmingly low for a species that is facing clear risk of extinctionThis study was partially funded by the LIFE programme (LIFE Ricotí LIFE15-NAT-ES000802 and LIFE Connect Ricotí LIFE20-NAT-ES-000133), by the European Commission, Levantina y Asociado de Minerales, S.A., with the project “Estudios de investigación aplicado a la conservación de las poblaciones de alondra ricotí (Chersophilus duponti) en el entorno del municipio de Vallanca”, by the Dirección General de Política Forestal y Espacios Naturales de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla La Mancha with the project “SSCC/046/2017 Censo de Alondra ricotí en la provincia de Guadalajara. Año 2017” and by the Junta de Castilla y León with the project “Estudio para la Mejora del Conocimiento de las Poblaciones de Alondra Ricotí Chersophilus duponti en Castilla y León”. Censuses in Catalonia were carried out with the support of the Generalitat of Catalonia. CPG acknowledges the support from the Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional through the Beatriz Galindo Fellowship (Beatriz Galindo—Convocatoria 2020). JGC is funded by a Margarita Salas postdoctoral fellowship (CA4/RSUE/2022-00205) provided by the Spanish Ministry of Universities and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain

Dental status, salivary flow, and sociodemographic aspects in Sheehan Syndrome patients

Sheehan?s syndrome (SS) is one of the leading causes of hypopituitarism in developing countries. It occurs after postpartum necrosis of the pituitary gland, and it is considered a significant public health problem. This paper, apparently unpublished, aimed to perform an analysis on oral aspects in patients with SS. A cross-sectional study was performed with 23 women diagnosed with SS at the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes (Walter Cantídio University Hospital, Fortaleza, Brazil). Data on sociodemographic, dental and salivary flow aspects were collected through a clinical approach and a panoramic radiograph request. The mean age was 64 ± 11.5 years old, with the sample consisting mainly of married women (56.5%), socioeconomic class C2 or D / E (78.2%) and years of education up to 8 years (69.5%). The presence of horizontal bone loss (p<0.001) and bilateral pneumatization of the maxillary sinus (p=0.015) were significant data. The mean number of absent teeth considering all subjects was 23.17±9.7, being statistically significant (p<0.001). In relation to age, the mean number of missing teeth was higher in individuals over 65 years old (p=0.048). Reduced salivary flow was observed in 78.3% of the patients. In a bivariate analysis, considering the outcome variables ?missing teeth? and ?reduced salivary flow?, it was observed that economic class (p< 0.001), family income (0.037) and maxillary sinus pneumatization (0.032) were statistically significant. In brief, patients with SS showed severe teeth loss, reduced salivary flow, and low educational status. This study addressed important aspects regarding oral findings in SS and highlighted the importance of researches in oral medicine

Oral health aspects in sporadic and familial primary hyperparathyroidism

Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) is the third most common endocrinopathy, affecting 1-3% of postmenopausal women, with a total incidence of 21.6 cases per 100,000 people in the adult population. This study aimed to analyze the oral health and related a

The Mice at play in the CALIFA survey: A case study of a gas-rich major merger between first passage and coalescence

We present optical integral field spectroscopy (IFS) observations of the Mice, a major merger between two massive (>10^11Msol) gas-rich spirals NGC4676A and B, observed between first passage and final coalescence. The spectra provide stellar and gas kinematics, ionised gas properties and stellar population diagnostics, over the full optical extent of both galaxies. The Mice provide a perfect case study highlighting the importance of IFS data for improving our understanding of local galaxies. The impact of first passage on the kinematics of the stars and gas has been significant, with strong bars likely induced in both galaxies. The barred spiral NGC4676B exhibits a strong twist in both its stellar and ionised gas disk. On the other hand, the impact of the merger on the stellar populations has been minimal thus far: star formation induced by the recent close passage has not contributed significantly to the global star formation rate or stellar mass of the galaxies. Both galaxies show bicones of high ionisation gas extending along their minor axes. In NGC4676A the high gas velocity dispersion and Seyfert-like line ratios at large scaleheight indicate a powerful outflow. Fast shocks extend to ~6.6kpc above the disk plane. The measured ram pressure and mass outflow rate (~8-20Msol/yr) are similar to superwinds from local ULIRGs, although NGC4676A has only a moderate infrared luminosity of 3x10^10Lsol. Energy beyond that provided by the mechanical energy of the starburst appears to be required to drive the outflow. We compare the observations to mock kinematic and stellar population maps from a merger simulation. The models show little enhancement in star formation during and following first passage, in agreement with the observations. We highlight areas where IFS data could help further constrain the models.Comment: 23 pages, 13 figures, accepted to A&A. A version with a complete set of high resolution figures is available here: http://www-star.st-and.ac.uk/~vw8/resources/mice_v8_astroph.pd

Unraveling the effect of silent, intronic and missense mutations on VWF splicing : contribution of next generation sequencing in the study of mRNA

Large studies in von Willebrand disease patients, including Spanish and Portuguese registries, led to the identification of >250 different mutations. It is a challenge to determine the pathogenic effect of potential splice site mutations on VWF mRNA. This study aimed to elucidate the true effects of 18 mutations on VWF mRNA processing, investigate the contribution of next-generation sequencing to in vivo mRNA study in von Willebrand disease, and compare the findings with in silico prediction. RNA extracted from patient platelets and leukocytes was amplified by RT-PCR and sequenced using Sanger and next generation sequencing techniques. Eight mutations affected VWF splicing: c.1533+1G>A, c.5664+2T>C and c.546G>A (p.=) prompted exon skipping; c.3223-7_3236dup and c.7082-2A>G resulted in activation of cryptic sites; c.3379+1G>A and c.7437G>A) demonstrated both molecular pathogenic mechanisms simultaneously; and the p.Cys370Tyr missense mutation generated two aberrant transcripts. Of note, the complete effect of three mutations was provided by next generation sequencing alone because of low expression of the aberrant transcripts. In the remaining 10 mutations, no effect was elucidated in the experiments. However, the differential findings obtained in platelets and leukocytes provided substantial evidence that four of these would have an effect on VWF levels. In this first report using next generation sequencing technology to unravel the effects of VWF mutations on splicing, the technique yielded valuable information. Our data bring to light the importance of studying the effect of synonymous and missense mutations on VWF splicing to improve the current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms behind von Willebrand disease. identifier:02869074

Certificaciones profesionales en recursos humanos: estudio comparativo y propuesta para España

The human resources function lives −suffers− in Spain a permanent debate between the generalized consideration that people are the center of the activity of any organization and many business practices that do not always just reflect this reality. Human resources professionals themselves devote a very relevant time to claiming that their role is not frequently recognized and that other functional activities −such as finance, marketing or logistics− do receive that recognition of their technical specificity and their unique value. In other countries, the existence of institutions and associations −centennial, in some cases− that subsequently certify and confirm the certification of their members with deontological, technical, methodological and continuous development criteria contribute decisively to the professional reputation of the function of human Resources. By studying the opinion of local professionals about this situation, we will understand if the problem is whether that the need for the human resources function is not perceived or that its professionals do not have enough social strength. We will also propose some initiatives that could serve −as they have done in other countries with success− for human resources function to reinforce its social prestige, its professional reputation, its effectiveness and its organizational value.La función de recursos humanos vive −sufre− en España un permanente debate entre la consideración generalizada de que las personas son el centro de la actividad de toda organización y unas prácticas empresariales que no siempre acaban de reflejar esta realidad. Los propios profesionales de recursos humanos dedican un tiempo muy relevante a reivindicar que su papel no es frecuentemente reconocido y que otras actividades funcionales −como finanzas, márketing o logística− sí reciben ese reconocimiento de su especificidad técnica y de su valor único. En otros países, la existencia de instituciones y asociaciones −centenarias, en algún caso− que certifican y confirman con posterioridad la certificación de sus miembros con unos criterios deontológicos, técnicos, metodológicos y de desarrollo continuo contribuyen decisivamente a la reputación profesional de la función de recursos humanos. Estudiando la opinión de profesionales locales acerca de esta situación comprenderemos si el problema es que no se percibe la necesidad de la función de recursos humanos o que sus profesionales no tienen la suficiente fortaleza social y propondremos algunas iniciativas que podrían servir −como así lo han hecho en otros países con éxito− a que la función de recursos humanos refuerce su prestigio social, su reputación profesional, su efectividad y su valor organizativo

Novel mutations in RASGRP2 encoding for CalDAG-GEFI abrogate Rap1 activation causing platelet dysfunction

In addition to mutations in ITG2B or ITGB3 genes that cause defective α(IIb)β(3) expression and/or function in Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia patients, platelet dysfunction can be a result of genetic variability in proteins that mediate inside-out activation of α(IIb)β(3). The RASGRP2 gene is strongly expressed in platelets and neutrophils, where its encoded protein CalDAG-GEFI facilitates the activation of Rap1 and subsequent activation of integrins. We used next-generation sequencing (NGS) and whole-exome sequencing (WES) to identify 2 novel function-disrupting mutations in RASGRP2 that account for bleeding diathesis and platelet dysfunction in 2 unrelated families. By using a panel of 71 genes, we identified a homozygous change (c.1142C>T) in exon 10 of RASGRP2 in a 9-year-old child of Chinese origin (family 1). This variant led to a p.Ser381Phe substitution in the CDC25 catalytic domain of CalDAG-GEFI. In 2 Spanish siblings from family 2, WES identified a nonsense homozygous variation (c.337C>T) (p.Arg113X) in exon 5 of RASGRP2. CalDAG-GEFI expression was markedly reduced in platelets from all patients, and by using a novel in vitro assay, we found that the nucleotide exchange activity was dramatically reduced in CalDAG-GEFI p.Ser381Phe. Platelets from homozygous patients exhibited agonist-specific defects in α(IIb)β(3) integrin activation and aggregation. In contrast, α- and δ-granule secretion, platelet spreading, and clot retraction were not markedly affected. Integrin activation in the patients’ neutrophils was also impaired. These patients are the first cases of a CalDAG-GEFI deficiency due to homozygous RASGRP2 mutations that are linked to defects in both leukocyte and platelet integrin activation

Real-world effectiveness of caplacizumab vs the standard of care in immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

Immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) is a thrombotic microangiopathy caused by anti-ADAMTS13 antibodies. Caplacizumab is approved for adults with an acute episode of iTTP in conjunction with plasma exchange (PEX) and immunosuppression. The objective of this study was to analyze and compare the safety and efficacy of caplacizumab vs the standard of care and assess the effect of the concomitant use of rituximab. A retrospective study from the Spanish TTP Registry of patients treated with caplacizumab vs those who did not receive it was conducted. A total of 155 patients with iTTP (77 caplacizumab, 78 no caplacizumab) were included. Patients initially treated with caplacizumab had fewer exacerbations (4.5% vs 20.5%; P <.05) and less refractoriness (4.5% vs 14.1%; P <.05) than those who were not treated. Time to clinical response was shorter when caplacizumab was used as initial treatment vs caplacizumab used after refractoriness or exacerbation. The multivariate analysis showed that its use in the first 3 days after PEX was associated with a lower number of PEX (odds ratio, 7.5; CI, 2.3-12.7; P <.05) and days of hospitalization (odds ratio, 11.2; CI, 5.6-16.9; P <.001) compared with standard therapy. There was no difference in time to clinical remission in patients treated with caplacizumab compared with the use of rituximab. No severe adverse event was described in the caplacizumab group. In summary, caplacizumab reduced exacerbations and refractoriness compared with standard of care regimens. When administered within the first 3 days after PEX, it also provided a faster clinical response, reducing hospitalization time and the need for PEX

Molecular and clinical profile of von Willebrand disease in Spain (PCM-EVW-ES) : comprehensive genetic analysis by next-generation sequencing of 480 patients

Molecular diagnosis of patients with von Willebrand disease is pending in most populations due to the complexity and high cost of conventional molecular analyses. The need for molecular and clinical characterization of von Willebrand disease in Spain prompted the creation of a multicenter project (PCM-EVW-ES) that resulted in the largest prospective cohort study of patients with all types of von Willebrand disease. Molecular analysis of relevant regions of the VWF, including intronic and promoter regions, was achieved in the 556 individuals recruited via the development of a simple, innovative, relatively low-cost protocol based on microfluidic technology and next-generation sequencing. A total of 704 variants (237 different) were identified along VWF, 155 of which had not been previously recorded in the international mutation database. The potential pathogenic effect of these variants was assessed by in silico analysis. Furthermore, four short tandem repeats were analyzed in order to evaluate the ancestral origin of recurrent mutations. The outcome of genetic analysis allowed for the reclassification of 110 patients, identification of 37 asymptomatic carriers (important for genetic counseling) and re-inclusion of 43 patients previously excluded by phenotyping results. In total, 480 patients were definitively diagnosed. Candidate mutations were identified in all patients except 13 type 1 von Willebrand disease, yielding a high genotype-phenotype correlation. Our data reinforce the capital importance and usefulness of genetics in von Willebrand disease diagnostics. The progressive implementation of molecular study as the first-line test for routine diagnosis of this condition will lead to increasingly more personalized and effective care for this patient population