Pedagogical Opportunities of the Reflective Learning Portfolio

The research analyses the pedagogical opportunities presented by the reflective learning portfolio as an educational tool. A case study is conducted where empirical findings are rationally reflected upon. It carries out a pretest-posttest design with a control group; applied to students from six countries who are taking virtual master's degree programmes at a university in Mexico. The Honey-Alonso Questionnaire is used to measure effectiveness. The results show that, if the instrument is used transversally, covering the Master's thesis, it is possible to encourage reflective learning. Moreover, there are no significant correlations between the gender and country of the trainees and the results. The evidence points to the advantages of using the portfolio as a promoter of critical thinking in e-learning environments, as it favours meta-reflection and dialogical collaboration between the actors in the training process, allowing the dynamisation of relevant learning of future graduates as global citizens.La investigación analiza las oportunidades pedagógicas que presenta el portafolio de aprendizaje reflexivo como herramienta educativa. Se realiza un estudio de caso donde las constataciones empíricas se reflexionan racionalmente. Efectúa un diseño de pretest-postest con grupo de control; aplicada a estudiantes de seis países que cursan virtualmente programas de maestría en una universidad de México. Para medir la eficacia se emplea el Cuestionario Honey-Alonso. Los resultados muestran que, si el instrumento se utiliza de forma transversal, abarcando el trabajo de fin de máster, es posible incentivar el aprendizaje reflexivo. Además, no hay correlaciones significativas entre el género y país de los formandos y los resultados. Las evidencias señalan las ventajas del usar el portafolio como impulsor del pensamiento crítico en los entornos e-learning, en tanto favorece la meta reflexión y colaboración dialógica entre los actores del proceso formativo permitiendo la dinamización de aprendizajes relevantes de los futuros egresados como ciudadanos globales

The Digital Skills of Teachers and Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic

At the current time, digital skills are an indicator of quality. With that in mind, the aim of this study was to analyze the self-perception of the faculty members of a secondary school in the Dominican Republic in terms of the extent to which the level of their digital skills enabled them to deal with the challenges which arose during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is not experimental but of a cross-sectional descriptive and quantitative nature. It was undertaken during the quarantine (April to June, 2020). The results indicate that the self-perception of most of the teachers is that they have a high level of development in technological literacy but regard their digital skills as being between sub-standard and adequate.Las competencias digitales constituyen actualmente un indicador de calidad. En este sentido, el propósito del estudio fue diagnosticar la autopercepción del profesorado de una institución de secundaria de República Dominicana con relación al nivel de desarrollo de sus competencias digitales para lidiar con los retos emergidos durante la pandemia de COVID-19. Es un estudio no experimental, de tipo transeccional-descriptivo y cuantitativo, realizado durante el periodo de confinamiento (abril-junio de 2020). Los resultados indican que la mayoría del profesorado se autopercibe con un alto nivel de desarrollo en la alfabetización tecnológica, pero que valoran sus competencias digitales entre regulares y adecuadas

Assessment of the functional properties stability in (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 piezoceramics: huge dielectric and piezoelectric nonlinearity

The (Ba,Ca)(Zr,Ti)O3 ceramic system has received special attention in recent years because it may lead to promising lead-free piezoceramics. However, the stability of the functional properties of these materials is an important issue that requires greater attention. In this work, the (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 compound (BCZT) is taken as a reference material for evaluating the variation of the functional properties when an external stimulus (e.g., electric field or dynamical stress) is applied, which may constitute an important drawback of piezoceramics. The results show that BCZT exhibits a huge nonlinear behavior, which notably limits this lead-free material for transfer to applications. The instabilities manifest at considerably low amplitudes of the applied electric field or dynamical stress due to a large extrinsic contribution from the irreversible motion of domain walls. Understanding and controlling the physical phenomena related to the domain wall motion presents a fundamental challenge for achieving an effective enhancement of the functional property stability of this system.Postprint (author's final draft

Encuesta sobre Nutrición Clínica en Cuidado Crítico en Latinoamérica

Introducción. Un gran número de estudios clínicos prospectivos, randomizados en nutrición en cuidado crítico, han demostrado en forma concluyente que NO es necesario (ni beneficioso) llegar a las metas calóricas durante la primera semana en la UCI.  En lugar de eso, es importante incrementar lentamente el aporte proteico para llegar a entregar 1.3 g/k/d hacia el día 5-7.  Estos cambios en el paradigma son reflejados en las nuevas guías internacionales. Objetivos. Evaluar las prácticas clínicas en cuidado nutricional en la UCI en Latino América, con énfasis en determinar la adopción de las nuevas guías. Métodos. Se diseñó una encuesta electrónica (Google Forms) que se distribuyó a través de las diferentes sociedades de nutrición en Latino América, con énfasis en clínicos que tuvieran prácticas en nutrición del paciente de cuidado crítico. Resultados. Un total de 172 encuestas fueron completadas.  La mayoría de los clínicos entrevistados tenían más de 10 años de experiencia en cuidado crítico.  La mayoría de los clínicos expresaron haber cambiado su práctica clínica   reduciendo el énfasis en intentar llegar a metas calóricas tradicionales y en incrementar el aporte proteico. La mayoría de los clínicos expresaron que la adopción de la terapia nutricional en los primeros 7 días de estancia en la UCI mejoraba los resultados clínicos y la mayoría todavía utilizaban una terapia nutricional basada en volumen.  Conclusiones. Existe una adopción parcial de las nuevas guías nutricionales en cuidado crítico.  Este trabajo nos permite entender mejor como asistir en la educación para que los clínicos abandonen viejos paradigmas y adopten nuevas ideas y conceptos en sus prácticas clínicas.

Aplicación del portafolio digital en una estrategia metodológica para el aprendizaje reflexivo en estudiantes de maestría

There is little scientific evidence on the use of portfolio beyond the curricular limits of a certain course. We present a study conducted to evaluate a methodological strategy for globally employing a portfolio for the development of reflexive learning. We adopted an experimental design with pretest-postest with 50 masters students from various countries who study online in a Mexican university. We used the Honey-Alonso Questionnaire for styles of learning for the prestest and postest. Results show evidence of reflexive learning development when applying the designed methodological strategy, since students showed progress in the autocritical analysis of their learning. We conclude that the portfolio constitutes a driver for critical thought in e-learning environments, given that it favors meta-reflection and dialogic collaboration between the actors of the formative process. This allows greater dynamism in learning experiences for these future graduates relevant to their development as global citizens.Existen pocas evidencias científicas del uso del portafolio más allá de los límites curriculares de una asignatura. Se presenta un estudio realizado para evaluar una estrategia metodológica de utilización del portafolio de forma global para el desarrollo del aprendizaje reflexivo. Se adoptó un diseño experimental con pretest-postest con 50 estudiantes de maestría de varios países que estudian virtualmente en una universidad de México. Se utilizó el Cuestionario Honey-Alonso de estilos de aprendizaje para pretest y postest. Los resultados muestran evidencias de desarrollo del aprendizaje reflexivo al aplicar la estrategia metodológica diseñada, pues los estudiantes mostraron avances en el análisis autocrítico de sus aprendizajes. Se concluye que el portafolio constituye un impulsor del pensamiento crítico en los entornos e-learning, en tanto favorece la meta-reflexión y colaboración dialógica entre los actores del proceso formativo y permite la dinamización de aprendizajes relevantes de los futuros egresados como ciudadanos globales

Cuestionario de ejercicio basado en el modelo transteórico de la conducta en una muestra mexicana

Se elaboró un cuestionario de ejercicio basado en el modelo transteórico de cambio de la conducta propuesto por Prochaska y DiClemente. Este cuestionario fue diseñado para medir los cinco factores del modelo: precontemplación, contempla ción, preparación, acción y mantenimiento. Primero se elaboraron los reactivos para cada uno de los factores y después se llevó a cabo un análisis factorial exploratorio para analizar la estructura del cuestionario. La muestra fue de 951 participantes de cinco ciudades mexicanas, con una media de edad de 28.76 años. El análisis factorial exploratorio mostró una estructura compuesta de los cinco factores con pesos factoriales variables. Este cuestionario puede ser útil para identificar la etapa en la que una persona se encuentra en relación con hacer ejercicio, y saber qué técnicas usar en las posibles intervenciones

Exploring the Immunogenicity of Noncanonical HLA-I Tumor Ligands Identified through Proteogenomics

Immunogenicity; ProteogenomicsInmunogenicidad; ProteogenómicaImmunogenicitat; ProteogenòmicaPurpose: Tumor antigens are central to antitumor immunity. Recent evidence suggests that peptides from noncanonical (nonC) aberrantly translated proteins can be presented on HLA-I by tumor cells. Here, we investigated the immunogenicity of nonC tumor HLA-I ligands (nonC-TL) to better understand their contribution to cancer immunosurveillance and their therapeutic applicability. Experimental Design: Peptides presented on HLA-I were identified in 9 patient-derived tumor cell lines from melanoma, gynecologic, and head and neck cancer through proteogenomics. A total of 507 candidate tumor antigens, including nonC-TL, neoantigens, cancer-germline, or melanocyte differentiation antigens, were tested for T-cell recognition of preexisting responses in patients with cancer. Donor peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were in vitro sensitized against 170 selected nonC-TL to isolate antigen-specific T-cell receptors (TCR) and evaluate their therapeutic potential. Results: We found no recognition of the 507 nonC-TL tested by autologous ex vivo expanded tumor-reactive T-cell cultures while the same cultures demonstrated reactivity to mutated, cancer-germline, or melanocyte differentiation antigens. However, in vitro sensitization of donor PBL against 170 selected nonC-TL, led to the identification of TCRs specific to three nonC-TL, two of which mapped to the 5′ UTR regions of HOXC13 and ZKSCAN1, and one mapping to a noncoding spliced variant of C5orf22C. T cells targeting these nonC-TL recognized cancer cell lines naturally presenting their corresponding antigens. Expression of the three immunogenic nonC-TL was shared across tumor types and barely or not detected in normal cells. Conclusions: Our findings predict a limited contribution of nonC-TL to cancer immunosurveillance but demonstrate they may be attractive novel targets for widely applicable immunotherapies.We thank the patients for their participation in this study, Steven A. Rosenberg for providing valuable reagents and support for NGS studies, R. Pujol for helpful scientific discussion, J. Gonzalez for bioinformatics support, CRG/UPF Flow Cytometry Unit for assistance with cell sorting, and CRG/UPF and IRB Proteomics Units for technical support. A. Gros and this work were funded by the Comprehensive Program of Cancer Immunotherapy & Immunology II (CAIMI-II) supported by the BBVA Foundation (53/2021), Institute Carlos III (MS15/00058 and PI17/01085), AECC (IDEAS197PORT), and La Fundació La Marató de TV3 (201919–30). We thank CERCA Programme / Generalitat de Catalunya for institutional support. M. Lozano-Rabella was supported by the Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) (2018FI_B 00946). A. Garcia-Garijo was supported by Generalitat PERIS award (SLT017/20/000131). A. Yuste-Estevanez was supported by the Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) (2021 FI_B 00365). J. Palomero was supported by the Beatriu de Pinós programme (BP 2018), cofounded by the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) and European Union's Horizon 2020

Exploring the Immunogenicity of Noncanonical HLA-I Tumor Ligands Identified through Proteogenomics

Purpose: Tumor antigens are central to antitumor immunity. Recent evidence suggests that peptides from noncanonical (nonC) aberrantly translated proteins can be presented on HLA-I by tumor cells. Here, we investigated the immunogenicity of nonC tumor HLA-I ligands (nonC-TL) to better understand their contribution to cancer immunosurveillance and their therapeutic applicability. Experimental Design: Peptides presented on HLA-I were iden-tified in 9 patient-derived tumor cell lines from melanoma, gyneco-logic, and head and neck cancer through proteogenomics. A total of 507 candidate tumor antigens, including nonC-TL, neoantigens, cancer-germline, or melanocyte differentiation antigens, were tested for T-cell recognition of preexisting responses in patients with cancer. Donor peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were in vitro sensitized against 170 selected nonC-TL to isolate antigen-specific T-cell recep-tors (TCR) and evaluate their therapeutic potential.Rudolf Virchow Center, Center for Integrative and Transla- tional Bioimaging, Julius-Maximilians-University Wueurorzburg, Wueurorzburg, German

L’irruzione dei sentimenti nel canto popolare. Un capitolo di storia sociale del matrimonio

Viene seguito il mutamento storico degli atteggiamenti popolari verso corteggiamento, fidanzamento e matrimonio, e più in generale verso i sentimenti, attraverso l'analisi e il commento di canti popolari italiani, fonte importante per lo studio della storia sociale

Impact of an Andean breakfast on biochemistry and immunochemistry laboratory tests: an evaluation on behalf COLABIOCLI WG-PRE-LATAM

Introduction: In Andean countries, specifically in Ecuador, a food transition in the population has been observed because of economic growth. The Working Group for Preanalytical Phase in Latin America (WG-PRE-LATAM) of the Latin America Confederation of Clinical Biochemistry (COLABIOCLI) was established in 2017, and its main purpose is to study preanalytical variability and establish guidelines for preanalytical procedures in order to be implemented by clinical laboratories and healthcare professionals in Latin America. The aim of this study on behalf of COLABIOCLI WG-PRE-LATAM was to evaluate whether an Andean breakfast can interfere with routine biochemistry and immunochemistry laboratory tests. Materials and methods: We studied 20 healthy volunteers who consumed an Andean breakfast containing a standardized amount of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. We collected blood specimens for laboratory tests before breakfast and 1, 2, and 4 hours thereafter. Significant differences between samples were assessed by the Wilcoxon ranked-pairs test. Results: The Andean breakfast statistically (P ≤ 0.05), modified the results of the following tests: triglycerides, insulin, cortisol, thyroid stimulating hormone, free thyroxine, total protein, albumin, urea, creatinine, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, amylase, lipase, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and uric acid. Conclusions: Andean breakfast can influence the routine biochemistry and immunochemistry laboratory tests and might expose patient safety to some risks. Therefore, the COLABIOCLI WG-PRE-LATAM calls attention and highlights that the fasting time needs to be carefully considered when performing blood testing in order to prevent spurious results and thus, reduce laboratory errors