Diseño simplificado de videojuegos para educación infantil basada en una herramienta de autor

Las pizarras digitales son uno de los grandes avances de los últimos tiempos y clave en la innovación docente actual. Bien utilizada, es capaz de ayudar a los profesores a enseñar a los niños de una manera más amena, y que llame la atención de estos para que aprendan divirtiéndose. En esto se fundamentan nuevas técnicas de enseñanza como la gamificación, que es el uso de técnicas y dinámicas propias de los juegos y el ocio en actividades no recreativas. Para que este avance sea útil es necesario que exista una herramienta y un repositorio de recursos para poder crear contenido que permita aprovechar las pizarra digitales en el aula. Hablando con profesores de diferentes edades y capacidades informáticas se llegó al a conclusión de es que existen algunos recursos pero son confusos, limitados, o difíciles de entender y manejar tanto por los profesores como por los alumnos. Por otra parte, la aparición de tablets, que tan intuitivas resultan para los niños y que utilizan una interacción equivalente a las pizarras digitales , abre la posibilidad de extender este tipo de aprendizaje basado en juegos desde la pizarra a casa. Con este proyecto se ha tratado de solucionar esos problemas, creando una herramienta de autor, pensada y orientada para que los profesores puedan crear, editar y almacenar recursos educativos fácilmente, para mejorar e incentivar el uso de las pizarras digitales en las aulas, así como intentar llevar este tipo de juegos educativos a las tablets. La herramienta ha sido implementada en HTML5+JavaScript, de esta manera se logra la compatibilidad de la herramienta con diferentes tipos de dispositivos y sistemas operativos haciendo uso del navegador como plataforma de ejecución. Aprovechando las ventajas de HTML5, se ha creado una herramienta que funciona totalmente en local, sin necesidad de conexión a Internet, y que, haciendo uso de la exportación de archivos en formato json permite compartir juegos. Finalmente será posible ejecutar la aplicación desde un servidor para jugar a los juegos desde las tab9lets donde no es posible ejecutar dicha aplicación haciendo uso del sistema local de archivos. Para evaluar la funcionalidad y usabilidad de la herramienta hemos contado con la colaboración del colegio Mater Immaculata que nos ha dejado realizar varias pruebas en las aulas de Infantil, y con la opinión de varios profesores para la correcta evaluación de la aplicación.Digital whiteboards are one of the greatest advances in recent times, key for actual teaching innovation. When properly used, they help teachers to teach children in a more entertaining way, attracting their attention to learn while having fun. On these grounds new teaching techniques arise, such as gamification, which is applying techniques and dynamics from games and leisure to non-recreational activities. For this advance to be useful, a Tool and a Resources Repository are necessary to enable easily create content that will make possible to take advantage of digital whiteboards within classrooms. Conversations with professors of different ages and computer knowledge, allowed to realize that some resources do exist, but disorganized, limited or difficult to understand and maintain for pupils and teachers alike. On the other hand, the appearance of tablets, which are so intuitive to children and equally interactive as digital whiteboards are, opens the possibility to extend this type of learning based on games from whiteboards to home. These are the problems this project intends to resolve, by creating a tool for authors, thought and oriented to enable the teachers to create, edit and store educational resources easily, to improve and encourage the use of digital whiteboards in class, as well as to take this kind of educational games to tablets. The tool is implemented in HTML5+JavaScript, which allows it to be compatible with different devices, operating systems, and browsers used as the platform for its execution. Leveraging on HTML5 advantages a fully functional locally tool has been created, without Internet connection, and able to share games by exporting Json format files. Finally, it is possible to run the application from a server to play games from tablets where the application cannot be executed by making use of local file system. To evaluate tool’s functionality and usage, we have counted on the collaboration of the Mater Immaculata school, which has let us to do several tests in its Infant classrooms and gather several teacher's opinions to correctly evaluate the application

WHEN ALL THINGS ARE NOT CONSIDERED: ETHICAL ISSUES IN A WELFARE-TO-WORK PROGRAM

Employing an ethical perspective to viewing problems as well as regard for participants’ socio-cultural context will help providers apply a constructive approach to program planning, curriculum design, and in implementing welfare-to-work programs. This paper explores the impact of a lack of sensitivity to the ethical issues that surfaced in a specific welfare-to-work program on participants’ perceptions, self-esteem, and motivation. Ethical issues in four areas were identified and discussed: 1) professional competence and accountability issues; (2) participant-provider relationships; (3) interagency issues and conflicts of interest; and (4) curriculum design issues. Actual and desired program outcomes were compared to identify gaps between them in terms of provider’s ethical behavior. Findings revealed that providers lacked functional, behavioral, and ethical competence; and this contributed to participants feeling stereotyped, degraded, and unmotivated to complete the program

Assessment of the mechanical and thermal properties of injection-molded poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate)/hydroxyapatite nanoparticles parts for use in bone tissue engineering

In the present study, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) [P(3HB-co-3HHx)] was reinforced with hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nHA) to produce novel nanocomposites for potential uses in bone reconstruction. Contents of nHA in the 2.5–20 wt % range were incorporated into P(3HB-co-3HHx) by melt compounding and the resulting pellets were shaped into parts by injection molding. The addition of nHA improved the mechanical strength and the thermomechanical resistance of the microbial copolyester parts. In particular, the addition of 20 wt % of nHA increased the tensile (Et) and flexural (Ef) moduli by approximately 64% and 61%, respectively. At the highest contents, however, the nanoparticles tended to agglomerate, and the ductility, toughness, and thermal stability of the parts also declined. The P(3HB-co-3HHx) parts filled with nHA contents of up to 10 wt % matched more closely the mechanical properties of the native bone in terms of strength and ductility when compared with metal alloys and other biopolymers used in bone tissue engineering. This fact, in combination with their biocompatibility, enables the development of nanocomposite parts to be applied as low-stress implantable devices that can promote bone reconstruction and be reabsorbed into the human body.L.Q.-C. wants to thank GVA for his FPI grant (ACIF/2016/182) and the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports (MECD) for his FPU grant (FPU15/03812). S.T.-G. acknowledges MICI for his Juan de la Cierva–Incorporación contract (IJCI-2016-29675). J.I.-M. wants to thank Universitat Politècnica de València for his FPI grant (PAID-2019- SP20190011). Microscopy services of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) are acknowledged for their help in collecting and analyzing the FESEM images. Authors also thank Ercros S.A. for kindly supplying ErcrosBio® PH110.This research work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICI) project numbers RTI2018-097249-B-C21 and MAT2017-84909-C2-2-R and the POLISABIO program with grant number 2019-A02

From Green Technology to Functional Olive Oils: Assessing the Best Combination of Olive Tree-Related Extracts with Complementary Bioactivities

Our aim was to assess the combination of olive tree-related extracts with the most favorable profile of in vitro bioactive properties. We tested the antioxidant (increment of low-density lipoprotein resistance against oxidation), vasoactive (promotion of nitric oxide release and decrease of endothelin-1 production in human umbilical vein endothelial cells), anti-inflammatory (decrease of the endothelial production of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1), and antithrombotic (reduction of the endothelial release of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1) capacities of six phenolic extracts and three triterpenic acid solutions (Ps and Ts, respectively). We tested extracts alone and in combination, at nutritional (Ps: 0.05–0.5 μmol/L; Ts: 0.001–0.1 μmol/L) and nutraceutical doses (Ps: 1–10 μmol/L; Ts: 0.25–10 μmol/L). The combination of Ps rich in 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol (76%, P2), hydroxytyrosol (95%, P3), and oleuropein (70%, P4) (final nutritional concentration: 0.15 μmol/L; final nutraceutical concentration: 3 μmol/L) was the best in order to prepare functional products and nutraceuticals with cardioprotective properties, despite the fact that the isolated extract with the greatest in vitro properties was P5 (75% oleocanthal), suggesting a potential synergistic effect among different olive components

Structural equations model with influential variables on the urban quality of life. Case study: Cienfuegos’ city, Cuba

Este artículo presenta un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales que miden la calidad de vida urbana (CVU), tomando como referencia la ciudad de Cienfuegos (Cuba). El objetivo es determinar las variables que influyen en la calidad de vida urbana, para ello se desarrolla un procedimiento que permite el diseño de dos modelos: uno desde la dimensión objetiva y otro desde la dimensión subjetiva de este concepto. Como principal resultado se muestra un modelo de relaciones entre indicadores de gestión, a partir de información suministrada por los decisores locales y otro modelo que relaciona indicadores de percepción, con información dada por los ciudadanos. La comparación entre ambos modelos permite generalizar qué variables, tales como la salud, la vivienda, los ingresos personales y la carga contaminante al medio ambiente son factores determinantes en la CVU de la ciudad.This paper presents a structural equations model (SEM) that measure the Urban Quality of Life (UQoL), taking as reference Cienfuegos's city (Cuba). The objective is to determine the variables that influence the UQoL, to develop a procedure that allows the design of two models: one from the objective dimension and the other from the subjective dimension of this concept. As main results a model of relations of management indicators, given by local decision makers and another model that relates perception indicators, given by citizens is showed. The comparison between these models makes it possible to generalize that variables such as health, housing and income are determining factors in the UQoL of Cienfuegos's city

Alcohol intake, wine consumption and the development of depression: the PREDIMED study

Background: Alcoholic beverages are widely consumed. Depression, the most prevalent mental disorder worldwide, has been related to alcohol intake. We aimed to prospectively assess the association between alcohol intake and incident depression using repeated measurements of alcohol intake. Methods: We followed-up 5,505 high-risk men and women (55 to 80 y) of the PREDIMED Trial for up to seven years. Participants were initially free of depression or a history of depression, and did not have any history of alcohol-related problems. A 137-item validated food frequency questionnaire administered by a dietician was repeated annually to assess alcohol intake. Participants were classified as incident cases of depression when they reported a new clinical diagnosis of depression, and/or initiated the use of antidepressant drugs. Cox regression analyses were fitted over 23,655 person-years. Results: Moderate alcohol intake within the range of 5 to 15 g/day was significantly associated with lower risk of incident depression (hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.72 (0.53 to 0.98) versus abstainers). Specifically, wine consumption in the range of two to seven drinks/week was significantly associated with lower rates of depression (HR (95% CI) = 0.68 (0.47 to 0.98)). Conclusions: Moderate consumption of wine may reduce the incidence of depression, while heavy drinkers seem to be at higher risk

International conference on the healthy effect of virgin olive oil

Ageing represents a great concern in developed countries because the number of people involved and the pathologies related with it, like atherosclerosis, morbus Parkinson, Alzheime's disease, vascular dementia, cognitive decline, diabetes and cancer. Epidemiological studies suggest that a Mediterranean diet (which is rich in virgin olive oil) decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The Mediterranean diet, rich in virgin olive oil, improves the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as the lipoprotein profile, blood pressure, glucose metabolism and antithrombotic profile. Endothelial function, inflammation and oxidative stress are also positively modulated. Some of these effects are attributed to minor components of virgin olive oil. Therefore, the definition of the Mediterranean diet should include virgin olive oil. Different observational studies conducted in humans have shown that the intake of monounsaturated fat may be protective against age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. Microconstituents from virgin olive oil are bioavailable in humans and have shown antioxidant properties and capacity to improve endothelial function. Furthermore they are also able to modify the haemostasis, showing antithrombotic properties. In countries where the populations fulfilled a typical Mediterranean diet, such as Spain, Greece and Italy, where virgin olive oil is the principal source of fat, cancer incidence rates are lower than in northern European countries. The protective effect of virgin olive oil can be most important in the first decades of life, which suggests that the dietetic benefit of virgin olive oil intake should be initiated before puberty, and maintained through life. The more recent studies consistently support that the Mediterranean diet, based in virgin olive oil, is compatible with a healthier ageing and increased longevity. However, despite the significant advances of the recent years, the final proof about the specific mechanisms and contributing role of the different components of virgin olive oil to its beneficial effects requires further investigations. © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Defining complementary tools to the IVI. The Infrastructure Degradation Index (IDI) and the Infrastructure Histogram (HI)

[EN] The Infrastructure Value Index (IVI) is quickly becoming a standard as a valuable tool to quickly assess the state of urban water infrastructure. However, its simple nature (as a single metric) can mask some valuable information and lead to erroneous conclusions. This paper introduces two complementary tools to IVI: The Infrastructure Degradation Index (IDI) and the Infrastructure Histogram (HI). The IDI is focused on time (compared to the IVI, focused on value), represents an intuitive concept and behaves in a linear way. The joint analysis of IVI and IDI provides results in a more complete understanding of the state of the assets, while maintaining the simplicity of the tools. The Infrastructure Histogram allows for a full evaluation of the infrastructure state and provides a detailed picture of network age compared to its expected life, as well as an order of magnitude of the required investments in the following years.Cabrera Rochera, E.; Estruch-Juan, ME.; Gomez Selles, E.; Del Teso-March, R. (2019). Defining complementary tools to the IVI. The Infrastructure Degradation Index (IDI) and the Infrastructure Histogram (HI). Urban Water Journal. 16(5):343-352. https://doi.org/10.1080/1573062X.2019.1669195S343352165Alegre, H., Vitorino, D., & Coelho, S. (2014). Infrastructure Value Index: A Powerful Modelling Tool for Combined Long-term Planning of Linear and Vertical Assets. Procedia Engineering, 89, 1428-1436. doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2014.11.469Amaral, R., Alegre, H., & Matos, J. S. (2016). A service-oriented approach to assessing the infrastructure value index. Water Science and Technology, 74(2), 542-548. doi:10.2166/wst.2016.250Aware-p.org. 2014. “AWARE-P/Software.” Accessed 25 November 2018. http://www.aware-p.org/np4/software/Baseform. 2018. “Baseform.” Accessed 24 November 2018. https://baseform.com/np4/productCanal de Isabel II Gestión. 2012. Normas Para Redes de Abastecimiento. [Standards for Water Supply Networks.]. https://www.canalgestion.es/es/galeria_ficheros/pie/normativa/normativa/Normas_redes_abastecimiento2012_CYIIG.pdfFrost, and Sullivan. 2011. “Western European Water and Wastewater Utilities Market.” https://store.frost.com/western-european-water-and-wastewater-utilities-market.html#section1Leitão, J. P., Coelho, S. T., Alegre, H., Cardoso, M. A., Silva, M. S., Ramalho, P., … Carriço, N. (2014). Moving urban water infrastructure asset management from science into practice. Urban Water Journal, 13(2), 133-141. doi:10.1080/1573062x.2014.939092Marchionni, V., Cabral, M., Amado, C., & Covas, D. (2016). Estimating Water Supply Infrastructure Cost Using Regression Techniques. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 142(4), 04016003. doi:10.1061/(asce)wr.1943-5452.0000627Marchionni, V., Lopes, N., Mamouros, L., & Covas, D. (2014). Modelling Sewer Systems Costs with Multiple Linear Regression. Water Resources Management, 28(13), 4415-4431. doi:10.1007/s11269-014-0759-zPulido-Velazquez, M., Cabrera Marcet, E., & Garrido Colmenero, A. (2014). Economía del agua y gestión de recursos hídricos. Ingeniería del agua, 18(1), 95. doi:10.4995/ia.2014.3160Rokstad, M. M., Ugarelli, R. M., & Sægrov, S. (2015). Improving data collection strategies and infrastructure asset management tool utilisation through cost benefit considerations. Urban Water Journal, 13(7), 710-726. doi:10.1080/1573062x.2015.102469

Olives and olive oil are sources of electrophilic fatty acid nitroalkenes

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and olives, key sources of unsaturated fatty acids in the Mediterranean diet, provide health benefits to humans. Nitric oxide (•NO) and nitrite (NO2-)-dependent reactions of unsaturated fatty acids yield electrophilic nitroalkene derivatives (NO 2-FA) that manifest salutary pleiotropic cell signaling responses in mammals. Herein, the endogenous presence of NO2-FA in both EVOO and fresh olives was demonstrated by mass spectrometry. The electrophilic nature of these species was affirmed by the detection of significant levels of protein cysteine adducts of nitro-oleic acid (NO2-OA-cysteine) in fresh olives, especially in the peel. Further nitration of EVOO by NO2- under acidic gastric digestive conditions revealed that human consumption of olive lipids will produce additional nitro-conjugated linoleic acid (NO2-cLA) and nitro-oleic acid (NO2-OA). The presence of free and protein-adducted NO2-FA in both mammalian and plant lipids further affirm a role for these species as signaling mediators. Since NO2-FA instigate adaptive anti-inflammatory gene expression and metabolic responses, these redox-derived metabolites may contribute to the cardiovascular benefits associated with the Mediterranean diet. © 2014 Fazzari et al