Shaded-Mask Filtering for Extended Depth-of-Field Microscopy

This paper proposes a new spatial filtering approach for increasing the depth-of-field (DOF) of imaging systems, which is very useful for obtaining sharp images for a wide range of axial positions of the object. Many different techniques have been reported to increase the depth of field. However the main advantage in our method is its simplicity, since we propose the use of purely absorbing beam-shaping elements, which allows a high focal depth with a minimum modification of the optical architecture. In the filter design, we have used the analogy between the axial behavior of a system with spherical aberration and the transverse impulse response of a 1D defocused system. This allowed us the design of a ring-shaded filter. Finally, experimental verification of the theoretical statements is also provided

¿Qué factores podrían afectar el rendimiento académico en Educación Primaria?

Algunas interrogantes que se suele hacerse todo profesor son: ¿se habrán alcanzados los objetivos previstos?, ¿los alumnos cumplen con las expectativas?, ¿qué recursos utilizo para evaluarlos?, ¿Qué competencias han cumplido los alumnos?, o definitivamente, ¿cuál es la nota rendimiento académico de cada alumno? Una vez que tiene esas respuestas, suele clasificarlos por su rendimiento académico, se suelen separar entre alto y bajo rendimiento, sin más matices. En este estudio pretendemos conocer los factores que podrían afectar el rendimiento académico y algunos rasgos de los profesores preferidos por parte de los alumnos, que permiten una mayor comunicación en clase. Para ello se aplicó un cuestionario a una muestra de 176 alumnos de último ciclo de Educación Primaria (11-12 años) y primer ciclo de Educación Secundaria (12-13 años) en la ciudad de Albacete (España). Los resultados son claros, los alumnos/as prefieren las siguientes cualidades entre sus profesores/as: la simpatía, el buen humor, la realización de actividades complementarias y extraescolares, la comprensión, la motivación y el respeto. Y el rasgo menos preferido fue la exigencia

Learning Physics with Wolfram Alpha

We believe we are at the beginning of a new Big Bang. This great explosion places us at the dawn of a new era in learning Physics, and we would like to participate in this fascinating process. Mobile devices are exponentially growing amongst our students, so we are convinced that they must be used to promote active learning. In this work, we will focus on several apps from Wolfram Research Company: Wolfram Alpha, Wolfram Alpha Viewer, Physics I and Physics II. All of them have many possibilities to achieve an autonomous and active learning. These apps allow users to select different options from a specific menu, enter values of the required parameters and the app calculates by itself the magnitude involved in the process. In addition, these apps also allow us to study the major laws of Physics, to look for the different units of the International System of Units or even to manage the most common physical constants. We are convinced that there is a necessity of developing more applications for smartphones that will empower a meaningful learning of Physics using apps for the operating systems iOS, Android, Windows Phone and those that arise in the future. This opportunity, which is provided to us by the new technologies, cannot be unexploited. We must strongly engage into this topic to achieve a meaningful learning.AB thanks the “Generalitat Valenciana” of Spain (project PROMETEOII/2015/015) and the "Vicerrectorado de Tecnologías de la Información" of the University of Alicante, Spain (project GITE-09006-UA)

Evaluating competences in Physics through rubrics

El modelo educativo con enfoque en la formación de competencias, promovido a principios del siglo XXI y que ha tomado un papel muy importante en el proceso enseñanza-aprendizaje en las instituciones educativas de todos los niveles educativos, establece que para el desarrollo armónico del ser humano la educación debe ser integral. La educación basada en competencias está orientada hacia la generación de capacidades en el educando y por ello, la evaluación debe centrarse en éstas, particularmente las que tienen que ver con habilidades para identificar, proyectar, resolver problemas y tomar decisiones. Las rúbricas de evaluación por competencias son una herramienta que permite obtener evidencia de la adquisición de éstas y aplicación del conocimiento fuera del aula. Esto supone un cambio en el escenario escolar, tanto para los profesores, así como también para los estudiantes, quienes deben asumir nuevas funciones, roles y tareas para lograr un aprendizaje basado en competencias genéricas y específicas. En este trabajo se presenta una propuesta de rúbricas para la evaluación por Competencias de Física en el ámbito universitario, específicamente, para evaluar el desarrollo de prácticas de laboratorio. Con este trabajo, se pretende introducir nuevos métodos de evaluación e identificar oportunidades para desarrollar capacidades y evaluar aprendizajes a través de indicadores de progreso. En esta primera fase del proyecto, se ha diseñado una práctica de laboratorio y en conjunto se ha elaborado la rúbrica de evaluación, aplicada a alumnos de Fundamentos Físicos de la Informática en el Grado de Ingeniería Informática de la Escuela Politécnica Superior de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), situada en el campus universitario de Albacete.The educational model with focus on competency formation, promoted at the beginning of the XXI century and which has taken a very important role in the teaching-learning process in educational institutions of all educational levels, it establishes that for the development of the human being education must be integral. Competency-based education is oriented towards the generation of skills in the student, therefore, the evaluation should focus on these, particularly those that have to do with abilities to identify, project, solve problems and make decisions. The rubrics of competency evaluation are a tool that allows to obtain evidence of the acquisition of these and application of knowledge outside the classroom. This implies a change in the university’s scenario, both for the teachers, as well as for the students, who must assume new functions, roles and tasks to achieve a learning based on generic and specific competences. In this work a proposal of rubrics for the evaluation by Physics Competences in the university area is presented, specifically, to evaluate the development of laboratory practices. With this work, it is intended to introduce new assessment methods and identify opportunities to develop skills and evaluate learning through indicators of progress. In this first phase of the project, a laboratory practice has been designed and together the evaluation rubric has been developed, applied to students of Physical Foundations of Informatics in the Degree of Computer Engineering of the Higher Polytechnic School of the University of Castilla -La Mancha (UCLM), located on the university campus of Albacete

Beyond visual acuity: Patient-relevant assessment measures of visual function in retinal diseases

Purpose: To identify patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and other clinical outcome measures (contrast sensitivity (CS), low-luminance visual acuity (LLVA) and reading acuity or reading speed (RA-RS)), relevant to patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or diabetic retinopathy (DR), which would be recommended for use in clinical practice. Methods: The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method, based on the synthesis of the scientific evidence and the collective judgment of an expert panel using the two-round Delphi method, was applied. The evidence synthesis was performed by searching for articles on outcome measures for AMD and/or DR published between 2005 and 2018 in English or Spanish. The expert panel consisted of 14 Spanish ophthalmologists, who rated the recommendation degree for each outcome measure on a scale of 1 (extremely irrelevant) to 9 (maximum relevance). The recommended outcome measures were established according to the panel median score and the level of the panelists’ agreement. Results: Through the evidence search, 33 PRO-specific questionnaires (21 for visual function, six for AMD, three for DR, one for AMD and DR) and two treatment satisfaction questionnaires (one on AMD and one on DR) were identified. In addition, 21 methods were found for measuring CS, five for LLVA, and nine for RA-RS. According to the panel ratings, 11 of the 64 outcome measures evaluated for AMD, and seven of the 61 evaluated for DR were recommended. Conclusion: The AMD and DR outcome measures recommended will help ophthalmologists choose the outcome measure most appropriate for their patients. Furthermore, the use of PROs will contribute to shifting clinical practice towards patient-centered medicine

A conceptual map about alternating current circuits

Teachers are deeply concerned on how to be more effective in our task of teaching. We must organize the contents of our specific area providing them with a logical configuration, for which we must know the mental structure of the students that we have in the classroom. We must shape this mental structure, in a progressive manner, so that they can assimilate the contents that we are trying to transfer, to make the learning as meaningful as possible. In the generative learning model, the links before the stimulus delivered by the teacher and the information stored in the mind of the learner requires an important effort by the student, who should build new conceptual meanings. That effort, which is extremely necessary for a good learning, sometimes is the missing ingredient so that the teaching-learning process can be properly assimilated. In electrical circuits, which we know are perfectly controlled and described by Ohm's law and Kirchhoff's two rules, there are two concepts that correspond to the following physical quantities: voltage and electrical resistance. These two concepts are integrated and linked when the concept of current is presented. This concept is not subordinated to the previous ones, it has the same degree of inclusiveness and gives rise to substantial relations between the three concepts, materializing it into a law: The Ohm, which allows us to relate and to calculate any of the three physical magnitudes, two of them known. The alternate current, in which both the voltage and the current are reversed dozens of times per second, plays an important role in many aspects of our modern life, because it is universally used. Its main feature is that its maximum voltage is easily modifiable through the use of transformers, which greatly facilitates its transfer with very few losses. In this paper, we present a conceptual map so that it is used as a new tool to analyze in a logical manner the underlying structure in the alternate current circuits, with the objective of providing the students from Sciences and Engineering majors with another option to try, amongst all, to achieve a significant learning of this important part of physics.AB thanks the “Generalitat Valenciana” of Spain (project PROMETEOII/2015/015) and the "Vicerrectorado de Tecnologías de la Información" of the University of Alicante, Spain (project GITE-09006-UA)

Elaboration of rubrics for the evaluation by competences of Physics in the University

The competency-based educational model, that initiated at the beginning of the XXI century plays a very important role during the teaching-learning process in higher education institutions, it establishes that for the development of the human being education must be integral. Competency-based education is oriented towards an evaluation model linked to student training, in order to foster the development of skills and abilities to identify, project, solve problems and make decisions. In addition, it promotes the pursuit of meaningful learning and fosters collaborative work. In this context, the rubrics of competency evaluation appeared as a tool that allows obtaining evidence of the acquisition of competences and application of knowledge outside the classroom. This implies a change in the university’s scenario, both for teachers and for students, as there are new roles and tasks to achieve learning based on generic and specific competencies. In this work we present a proposal of rubrics for the evaluation by Physics Competences in the university field, specifically, to evaluate the development of laboratory practices. Also, we want to introduce new assessment methods and identify opportunities to develop skills and evaluate learning through indicators of progress. In this first phase we have designed a laboratory practice, and we have developed the evaluation rubric applied to students of Physical Foundations of Informatics in the Degree of Computer Engineering of the Higher Polytechnic School of the University of Castilla -La Mancha (UCLM), located on the university campus of Albacete