The integration of labwork as a guided-inquiry-based chemistry education

Despite of the importance of practical work for learning science as well as the nature of science, labwork often transmits an atheorical and empiricist view of scientific research and it is framed like a cookbook-style lab, that is, as a sequence of instructions students must follow with serious shortcomings from the methodological point of view, (i.e.: lacking of hypothesis, absence of inductive and deductive critical thinking). We show how this situation might be overcome by a guided-inquiry-based chemistry education where different kinds of practical work can be integrated in a coherent way within the learning of concepts, models and “paper and pencil” problems. As an example, we transform a conventional “labwork sheet” about the rate of a chemical reaction (sodium thiosulfate with hydrochloric acid) in a problematized sequence of activities, including detailed educational comments for each one of them

Emerging, non-PCV13 serotypes 11A and 35B of Streptococcus pneumoniae show high potential for biofilm formation in vitro

Background: Since the use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines PCV7 and PCV13 in children became widespread, invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) has dramatically decreased. Nevertheless, there has been a rise in incidence of Streptococcus pneumoniae non-vaccine serotypes (NVT) colonising the human nasopharynx. Nasopharyngeal colonisation, an essential step in the development of S. pneumoniae-induced IPD, is associated with biofilm formation. Although the capsule is the main pneumococcal virulence factor, the formation of pneumococcal biofilms might, in fact, be limited by the presence of capsular polysaccharide (CPS). Methodology/Principal Findings: We used clinical isolates of 16 emerging, non-PCV13 serotypes as well as isogenic transformants of the same serotypes. The biofilm formation capacity of isogenic transformants expressing CPSs from NVT was evaluated in vitro to ascertain whether this trait can be used to predict the emergence of NVT. Fourteen out of 16 NVT analysed were not good biofilm formers, presumably because of the presence of CPS. In contrast, serotypes 11A and 35B formed >45% of the biofilm produced by the non-encapsulated M11 strain. Conclusions/Significance This study suggest that emerging, NVT serotypes 11A and 35B deserve a close surveillance

Disease isolates of Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae and non-typeable S. pneumoniae presumptively identified as atypical S. pneumoniae in Spain

We aimed to obtain insights on the nature of a collection of isolates presumptively identified as atypical Streptococcus pneumoniae recovered from invasive and non-invasive infections in Spain. One-hundred and thirty-two isolates were characterized by: optochin susceptibility in ambient and CO2-enriched atmosphere; bile solubility; PCR-based assays targeting pneumococcal genes lytA, ply, pspA, cpsA, Spn9802, aliB-like ORF2, and a specific 16S rRNA region; multilocus sequence analysis; and antimicrobial susceptibility. By multilocus sequence analysis, 61 isolates were S. pseudopneumoniae, 34 were pneumococci, 13 were S. mitis, and 24 remained unclassified as non-pneumococci. Among S. pseudopneumoniae isolates, 51 (83.6%) were collected from respiratory tract samples; eight isolates were obtained from sterile sources. High frequency of non-susceptibility to penicillin (60.7%) and erythromycin (42.6%) was found. Only 50.8% of the S. pseudopneumoniae isolates displayed the typical optochin phenotype originally described for this species. None harbored the cpsA gene or the pneumococcal typical lytA restriction fragment length polymorphism. The Spn9802 and the specific 16S rRNA regions were detected among the majority of the S. pseudopneumoniae isolates (n = 59 and n = 49, respectively). The ply and pspA genes were rarely found. A high genetic diversity was found and 59 profiles were identified. Among the S. pneumoniae, 23 were capsulated and 11 were non-typeable. Three non-typeable isolates, associated to international non-capsulated lineages, were recovered from invasive disease sources. In conclusion, half of the atypical pneumococcal clinical isolates were, in fact, S. pseudopneumoniae and one-fourth were other streptococci. We identified S. pseudopneumoniae and non-typeable pneumococci as cause of disease in Spain including invasive disease

Emergence of Amoxicillin-Resistant Variants of Spain(9V)-ST156 Pneumococci Expressing Serotype 11A Correlates with Their Ability to Evade the Host Immune Response

Capsular switching allows pre-existing clones of Streptococcus pneumoniae expressing vaccine serotypes to escape the vaccine-induced immunity by acquisition of capsular genes from pneumococci of a non-vaccine serotype. Here, we have analysed the clonal composition of 492 clinical isolates of serotype 11A causing invasive disease in Spain (2000-2012), and their ability to evade the host immune response. Antibiograms, serotyping and molecular typing were performed. The restriction profiles of pbp2x, pbp1a and pbp2b genes were also analysed. Interaction with the complement components C1q, C3b, C4BP, and factor H was explored whereas opsonophagocytosis assays were performed using a human cell line differentiated to neutrophils. Biofilm formation and the polymorphisms of the major autolysin LytA were evaluated. The main genotypes of the 11A pneumococci were: ST62 (447 isolates, 90.6%), followed by ST6521 (35 isolates, 7.3%) and ST838 (10 isolates, 2.1%). Beta lactam resistant serotype 11A variants of genotypes ST838 and ST6521 closely related to the Spain9V-ST156 clone were first detected in 2005. A different pattern of evasion of complement immunity and phagocytosis was observed between genotypes. The emergence of one vaccine escape variant of Spain9V-ST156 (ST652111A), showing a high potential to avoid the host immune response, was observed. In addition, isolates of ST652111A showed higher ability to produce biofilms than ST83811A or ST6211A, which may have contributed to the emergence of this PEN-resistant ST652111A genotype in the last few years. The emergence of penicillin-resistant 11A invasive variants of the highly successful ST156 clonal complex merits close monitoring

BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in males with familial breast and ovarian cancer syndrome. Results of a Spanish multicenter study

Producción CientíficaMale breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease that represents <1 % of all breast cancers (BCs). We analyze the results of a multicenter study performed in Spanish familial MBC including family history of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOCS) and clinicopathological features. We also study the relationship between BRCA1/BRCA2 mutational status in male relatives affected with cancer (MAC) and, family history and tumor types. The study included 312 men index cases with family history of HBOCS and 61 MAC BRCA1/2 mutation-carriers. Family history, histological grade (HG), clinicopathological and immunohistochemistry data were collected. BRCA1/2 mutation analyses were performed by direct sequencing or screening methods and the large rearrangements by multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification. We found 49 mutation-carriers (15.7 %), 95.9 % with BRCA2 mutations. BRCA2 mutation-carriers were associated with families with at least one MBC and one BC in female (type II; p = 0.05). Strong association were found between the presence of pathogenic mutations in MBCs and the advanced HG (p = 0.003). c.658_659delTG, c.2808_2811delACAA, c.6275_6276delTT and c.9026_9030delATCAT were the most prevalent mutations. In 61 MAC we found 20 mutations in BRCA1 and 41 in BRCA2. For MAC we show that mutational status was differentially associated with family history (p = 0.018) and tumor type, being BRCA2 mutations linked with BC and prostatic cancer (p = 0.018). MBC caused by BRCA1/2 mutations define two types of MBCs. The most frequent caused by BRCA2 mutation linked to type II families and the rarest one attributed to BRCA1 mutation. Tumor associated with MAC suggest that only BRCA2 mutations have to do with a specific type of cancer (BC and prostatic cancer); but the linkage to tumors is questionable for BRCA1 mutations

La docencia en emprendimiento y emprendimiento social en los ecosistemas universitarios de referencia: Aplicación de las metodologías docentes de aprender a emprender en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Fac. de Ciencias Económicas y EmpresarialesFALSEsubmitte

Educación para el desarrollo en Castilla y León: cómo vemos el mundo

439 p.Quienes creemos que son necesarios cambios en el sistema económico, político y financiero mundial que permitan avanzar en el desarrollo humano sostenible de los pueblos, superando las injusticias y las brechas de desigualdad en el acceso a los recursos, siempre hemos considerado la educación como una pieza clave para conducir ese cambio, y a la universidad como un agente fundamental que puede y debe desarrollarla. Es difícil reflexionar sobre la “Educación para el Desarrollo” distanciándose de los acontecimientos que durante los últimos meses están ocurriendo en Europa y España. Estamos viendo y viviendo cómo la crisis financiera y económica es utilizada para justificar decisiones políticas que reducen nuestro nivel de bienestar. Es inevitable la comparación con los planes de ajuste estructural (PAE) que desde los años 80 se impusieron al dictado del FMI y el BM a los países empobrecidos como respuesta a la crisis de la Deuda Externa, así como sus nefastas consecuencias sociales y económicas para los pueblos afectado

The superficial teaching of the energy concept: a cause of the lack of learning achieved by students when they finish their studies in high school

Hay un amplio acuerdo entre los investigadores en que una enseñanza en profundidad de los conceptos y modelos favorecerá su aprendizaje. El análisis de las propuestas y afirmaciones hechas por profesores en formación y en activo, en relación con la enseñanza de la energía en bachillerato (17/18 años), nos permite afirmar que la enseñanza habitual deja de lado aspectos importantes de dicho concepto. Esta sería una de las razones que explicaría la escasa comprensión con que terminan los estudios los alumnos de secundaria.There is a ubiquitous agreement amongst researchers that an in-depth teaching of concepts and models will promote learning. The analysis of the proposals and statements made by teachers about the energy teaching in high school (17/18 years-old students) allows stating that the usual education does not take into account relevant issues of that concept. This would be one of the reasons which explains the lack of the understanding of several concepts acquired by students they finish their studies in high school

Aprender conociendo a las personas usuarias de los servicios

Se presentan tres experiencias de innovación docente realizadas en la asignatura de Iniciación a las Habilidades Profesionales, primer curso del Grado en Trabajo Social, Universidad de Alicante. Objetivos: 1) Implicar en la docencia a las personas usuarias de los servicios, considerándolos expertos por su experiencia personal con Trabajadores Sociales y con la sociedad en general. 2) Proporcionar un contexto de aprendizaje que permita conocer, comprender y aprender a comunicarse profesionalmente con personas usuarias de servicios. Metodología: Aprendizaje significativo basado en la interacción con personas usuarias de los servicios con tres modalidades: a) Diseño conjunto de actividades de enseñanza-aprendizaje entre una entidad social y el profesorado de la asignatura Iniciación a las Habilidades Profesionales del Grado en Trabajo Social de la Universidad de Alicante; b) Diseño con enfoque multidisciplinar (profesorado de Trabajo Social con el profesorado de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y Deporte) y la entidad social; c) Diseño internacional con participación de las universidades Queen’s University, Belfast (Northern Ireland) (coordinadora del proyecto) junto con las universidades de Ljubljana (Slovenia) y Alicante. Los resultados proporcionan evidencias sobre la pertinencia de la colaboración docente de personas expertas por su experiencia y de la utilización de una metodología docente basada en el aprendizaje significativo para la adquisición de competencias