Problemas de terminología en estudios realizados acerca de "lo que el alumno sabe" sobre ciencias

In this paper we have carried out a bibliographic review of the terms currently used by science education researchers to describe «pupils' knowledge» of Science. Further, we have analised their meanings from the perspective of the methodological framework used and have offered our own proposal, as a result of that review, so as to reach a consensus on both the terminology and the possible range of meanings to bt: used. It must be pointed out that we have excluded those studies which discuss "pupils' knowledge" from a purely psychological perspective because of the enormous amount of bibliography on this topic

Molecular data reveal the hybrid nature of an introduced population of banded newts (Ommatotriton) in Spain

The three species of banded newt (genus Ommatotriton) are endemic to the Near East. Recently an introduced banded newt population was discovered in Catalonia, Spain. To determine the species involved and the geographical source, we genotyped 11 individuals for one mitochondrial and two nuclear genetic markers, and compared the observed haplotypes to a range-wide phylogeography of Ommatotriton. All haplotypes identified in Spain are identical to haplotypes known from the native range. The mitochondrial haplotypes derive from O. ophryticus and were originally recorded in northeast Turkey. The nuclear haplotypes reveal that all individuals are genetically admixed between O. ophryticus and O. nesterovi. While the geographical resolution for the nuclear markers is low, the source of the O. nesterovi ancestry must be Turkey, as this species is a Turkish endemic. Species distribution models suggest a large potential distribution for the two Ommatotriton species, extending over northern Iberia and southern France. The ecology of hybrids can differ substantially from that of the parent species, making the impact of the Spanish hybrid banded newt population difficult to predict

Toll-like receptors 2, 4 and 7, interferon-gamma and interleukin 10, and programmed death ligand 1 transcripts in skin from dogs of different clinical stages of leishmaniosis

Background: Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) caused by Leishmania infantum can have several dermatological manifestations. The type of immune response elicited against the parasite appears to be at the basis for such clinical variability. Much of the work in CanL has focused on adaptive immune response and there are scarce data on the importance of the innate immune responses. Moreover, few studies have evaluated the immunological response in the cutaneous lesions in dogs naturally infected with L. infantum and with different degrees of disease severity, and no study has compared clinically-lesioned with normal-looking skin. Methods: We determined and compared the transcription of toll like receptors (TLRs) 2, 4 and 7, interferon gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL) 10 and programmed cell death protein ligand (PD-L) 1 by real-time PCR in paired clinically-lesioned and normal-looking skin from 25 diseased dogs (mild disease-stage I (n = 11) and moderate to severe disease-stages II and III (n = 14) as well as in normal-looking skin from healthy dogs (n = 10) from a non-endemic area. We also assessed the association between the transcripts in clinically-lesioned and normal-looking skin of dogs with leishmaniosis with clinicopathological, immunological and parasitological findings. Results: Clinically-lesioned skin from mildly affected dogs was characterized by a significant upregulation of TLR2 (P < 0.0001) and IL-10 (P = 0.021) and downregulation of TLR7 (P = 0.004) when compared with more severely affected dogs. Normal-looking skin of mildly affected dogs was characterized by a significant lower expression of TLR7 (P = 0.003), IFN-γ(P < 0.0001) and PD-L1 (P = 0.001) when compared with more severely affected dogs. TLR2, TLR4, IL-10 and IFN-γupregulation in clinically-lesioned skin was correlated with lower disease severity while TLR7 upregulation was correlated with markers of disease severity. Upregulation of TLR7, IL-10, IFN-γand PD-L1 in normal-looking skin was correlated with disease severity. Conclusions: This study demonstrated different expression profiles of immune genes in clinically-lesioned and normal-looking skin among mildly and more severely affected dogs. These immunological conditions might favor the maintenance and replication of the parasite in the skin of more severely affected dogs

Una secuencia concreta para enseñar la capacidad de los líquidos en la educación primaria

La principal causa del fracaso de la Enseñanza General Obligatoria es que se enseñan definiciones, interpretaciones y relaciones, sobre informaciones que el niño aún no ha establecido y alejadas de su capacidad de raciocinio, lo que le obliga a memorizarlas al margen de su evolución mental. La evolución mental es simultánea a la evolución del funcionamiento de sistema neuronal, que depende de un proceso biológico temporal. La identidad de los líquidos constituye una etapa decisiva en la evolución mental del niño, pero requiere la manipulación de porciones de líquido. Aquí se expone una secuencia de contenidos que muestra la capacidad de los líquidos para niños de Educación Primaria

Secuencia de actividades sobre el peso para la enseñanza primaria

La definición de peso como fuerza gravitatoria, supera las posibilidades de la evolución mental del niño (Galili y Bar, 1997). En este trabajo se expone una secuencia de actividades para que el niño integre la información del peso en su evolución mental, sin obligarlo a memorizar las definiciones e interpretaciones, compartidas por todos los que memorizaron los modelos físicos. Esta secuencia se justifica en base a la evolución histórica y a una síntesis de las teorías cognitivas actuales (Fernández, Jiménez y Solano, 2007)

Secuencia de actividades sobre el peso para la enseñanza primaria

La definición de peso como fuerza gravitatoria, supera las posibilidades de la evolución mental del niño (Galili y Bar, 1997). En este trabajo se expone una secuencia de actividades para que el niño integre la información del peso en su evolución mental, sin obligarlo a memorizar las definiciones e interpretaciones, compartidas por todos los que memorizaron los modelos físicos. Esta secuencia se justifica en base a la evolución histórica y a una síntesis de las teorías cognitivas actuales (Fernández, Jiménez y Solano, 2007)

Una secuencia concreta para enseñar la capacidad de los líquidos en la educación primaria

La principal causa del fracaso de la Enseñanza General Obligatoria es que se enseñan definiciones, interpretaciones y relaciones, sobre informaciones que el niño aún no ha establecido y alejadas de su capacidad de raciocinio, lo que le obliga a memorizarlas al margen de su evolución mental. La evolución mental es simultánea a la evolución del funcionamiento de sistema neuronal, que depende de un proceso biológico temporal. La identidad de los líquidos constituye una etapa decisiva en la evolución mental del niño, pero requiere la manipulación de porciones de líquido. Aquí se expone una secuencia de contenidos que muestra la capacidad de los líquidos para niños de Educación Primaria

Mountains as barriers to gene flow in amphibians: Quantifying the differential effect of a major mountain ridge on the genetic structure of four sympatric species with different life history traits

AIM: To test the role of mountains as barriers to gene flow in co-distributed taxa with different life history traits. LOCATION: Sierra de Guadarrama, Central Spain. METHODS: We used larval genotypes of four amphibian species (Epidalea calamita, Hyla molleri, Pelophylax perezi and Pelobates cultripes) sampled on northern and southern slopes of Sierra de Guadarrama to describe genetic structure with FST, migration rates per generation, clustering algorithms and resistance by elevation surfaces. We also recorded individual displacement events as a proxy of dispersal potential during a seven-year monitoring project based on capture–mark–recapture (CMR). RESULTS: All species travelled longer cumulative distances than those reported in the study area for P. cultripes (0.71 km). Individuals of E. calamita travelled up to 3.55 km, followed by H. molleri (2.84 km) and P. perezi (1.51 km). Pairwise FST estimates showed lower overall connectivity in P. cultripes. Average migration rates per generation were low in all species, with exceptions in same-slope populations of H. molleri and P. cultripes. Clustering algorithms consistently recovered well-differentiated population groups of P. cultripes in northern versus southern slopes, but widely admixed areas were observed in the other species, especially near mountain passes. Resistance by elevation surfaces showed a strong barrier effect of Sierra de Guadarrama in P. cultripes and suggested a potential role of topography in the genetic structure of E. calamita and H. molleri. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Sierra de Guadarrama currently acts as a strong barrier to gene flow for P. cultripes and, to a lesser extent, for E. calamita, H. molleri and P. perezi. This differential effect can be partly explained by differences in life history traits, including dispersal potential. Our findings support the general role of the Central System as a key feature shaping population connectivity and genetic variation in amphibian communities

Rewilding and the risk of creating new, unwanted ecological interactions

Through a global and interdisciplinary lens, this book discusses, analyzes and summarizes the novel conservation approach of rewilding. The volume introduces key rewilding definitions and initiatives, highlighting their similarities and differences. It reviews matches and mismatches between the current state of ecological knowledge and the stated aims of rewilding projects, and discusses the role of human action in rewilding initiatives. Collating current scholarship, the book also considers the merits and dangers of rewilding approaches, as well as the economic and socio-political realities of using rewilding as a conservation tool. Its interdisciplinary nature will appeal to a broad range of readers, from primary ecologists and conservation biologists to land managers, policy makers and conservation practitioners in NGOs and government departments. Written for a scientifically literate readership of academics, researchers, students, and managers, the book also acts as a key resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses

Mass of genes rather than master genes underlie the genomic architecture of amphibian speciation.

The genetic architecture of speciation, i.e., how intrinsic genomic incompatibilities promote reproductive isolation (RI) between diverging lineages, is one of the best-kept secrets of evolution. To directly assess whether incompatibilities arise in a limited set of large-effect speciation genes, or in a multitude of loci, we examined the geographic and genomic landscapes of introgression across the hybrid zones of 41 pairs of frog and toad lineages in the Western Palearctic region. As the divergence between lineages increases, phylogeographic transitions progressively become narrower, and larger parts of the genome resist introgression. This suggests that anuran speciation proceeds through a gradual accumulation of multiple barrier loci scattered across the genome, which ultimately deplete hybrid fitness by intrinsic postzygotic isolation, with behavioral isolation being achieved only at later stages. Moreover, these loci were disproportionately sex linked in one group (Hyla) but not in others (Rana and Bufotes), implying that large X-effects are not necessarily a rule of speciation with undifferentiated sex chromosomes. The highly polygenic nature of RI and the lack of hemizygous X/Z chromosomes could explain why the speciation clock ticks slower in amphibians compared to other vertebrates. The clock-like dynamics of speciation combined with the analytical focus on hybrid zones offer perspectives for more standardized practices of species delimitation