Cosmic censorship of smooth structures

It is observed that on many 4-manifolds there is a unique smooth structure underlying a globally hyperbolic Lorentz metric. For instance, every contractible smooth 4-manifold admitting a globally hyperbolic Lorentz metric is diffeomorphic to the standard $\R^4$. Similarly, a smooth 4-manifold homeomorphic to the product of a closed oriented 3-manifold $N$ and $\R$ and admitting a globally hyperbolic Lorentz metric is in fact diffeomorphic to $N\times \R$. Thus one may speak of a censorship imposed by the global hyperbolicty assumption on the possible smooth structures on $(3+1)$-dimensional spacetimes.Comment: 5 pages; V.2 - title changed, minor edits, references adde

Classtalk: A Classroom Communication System for Active Learning

This pdf file is an article describing the advantages of using Classtalk technology in the classroom to enhance classroom communication. Classtalk technology cab facilitate the presentation of questions for small group work, collec the student answers and then display histograms showing how the class answered. This new communication technology can help instructors create a more interactive, student centered classroom, especially when teaching large courses. The article describes Classtalk as a very useful tool not only for engaging students in active learning, but also for enhancing the overall communication within the classroom. This article is a selection from the electronic Journal for Computing in Higher Education. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

Multi-omics for studying and understanding polar life

Polar ecosystems are experiencing amongst the most rapid rates of regional warming on Earth. Here, we discuss ‘omics’ approaches to investigate polar biodiversity, including the current state of the art, future perspectives and recommendations. We propose a community road map to generate and more fully exploit multi-omics data from polar organisms. These data are needed for the comprehensive evaluation of polar biodiversity and to reveal how life evolved and adapted to permanently cold environments with extreme seasonality. We argue that concerted action is required to mitigate the impact of warming on polar ecosystems via conservation efforts, to sustainably manage these unique habitats and their ecosystem services, and for the sustainable bioprospecting of novel genes and compounds for societal gain

Formación docente para la implementación de la plataforma virtual Moodle como recurso didáctico en educación básica secundaria

1 recurso en línea (288 páginas) : ilustraciones color, tablas.Este estudio describe una experiencia llevada a cabo en entornos virtuales de aprendizaje Moodle, donde se planteó la utilización de la Educación Virtual como recurso didáctico educativo. A partir de un proceso de formación docente para la implementación de la plataforma virtual Moodle como recurso didáctico de enseñanza, se analizó si se presentaron cambios significativos en las competencias digitales: Pedagógica, tecnológica, comunicativa y de gestión, y a partir de ello se mejoró el desempeño pedagógico de los educadores; de igual forma se indago sobre la posibilidad de que las plataformas virtuales como Moodle puedan convertirse en una alternativa viable que pueda dar respuesta a los nuevos retos educativos relacionados con los ambientes virtuales de aprendizaje para dinamizar el proceso educativo. Como objetivo general del estudio se planteó Identificar las competencias digitales que poseen los docentes para el uso y administración de la plataforma Moodle, en el nivel de educación básica secundaria y media de la Institución Educativa Técnica de Monguí, para implementar un programa de formación encaminado a fortalecer dichas competencias. La metodología empleada en el estudio fue de tipo mixto, porque involucra aspectos cuantitativos como la medición de las variable competencias digitales desarrolladas por los docentes para el empleo de la plataforma virtual Moodle, desde el paradigma cualitativo se tuvieron en cuenta las opiniones y conceptos de los sujetos participantes en el estudio; de los resultados obtenidos se encontró que los programas de formación docente para el uso didáctico de las TIC en entornos de aprendizaje virtual como la plataforma Moodle, cuando son orientados con un modelo pedagógico activo diferente al catedrático, permiten que los educadores apropien el uso de estas tecnologías y sean gestores de proyectos que dinamizan el proceso enseñanza – aprendizaje, al brindar al estudiante la posibilidad de ser un agente participativo y por su puesto al educador ser guía y orientador en el proceso educativo.This study describes an experience carried out in Moodle virtual learning environments, where the use of Virtual Education as an educational didactic resource was proposed. From a process of teacher training for the implementation of the Moodle virtual platform as a didactic teaching resource, it was analyzed if there were significant changes in the digital competences: Pedagogical, technological, communicative and management, and from this the pedagogical performance of educators; In the same way, I inquired about the possibility that virtual platforms such as Moodle could become a viable alternative that could respond to new educational challenges related to virtual learning environments to boost the educational process. The general objective of the study was to identify the digital competences that teachers possess for the use and administration of the Moodle platform, at the level of secondary and secondary education of the Technical Educational Institution of Monguí, to implement a training program aimed at strengthen these competences The methodology used in the study was of mixed type, because it involved quantitative aspects such as the measurement of the variable digital competences developed by teachers for the use of the Moodle virtual platform, from the qualitative paradigm the opinions and concepts of the subjects participating in the study; From the results obtained it was found that the teacher training programs for the didactic use of ICT in virtual learning environments such as the Moodle platform, when they are oriented with an active pedagogical model different from the professor, allow educators to appropriate the use of these technologies and managers of projects that dynamize the teaching - learning process, giving the student the possibility of being a participative agent and of course the educator being a guide and guidance in the educational process.Bibliografía y webgrafía: páginas 196-205MaestríaMagíster en TIC Aplicadas a las Ciencias de la Educació

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 310 diseases and injuries, 1990�2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Background Non-fatal outcomes of disease and injury increasingly detract from the ability of the world's population to live in full health, a trend largely attributable to an epidemiological transition in many countries from causes affecting children, to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) more common in adults. For the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 (GBD 2015), we estimated the incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for diseases and injuries at the global, regional, and national scale over the period of 1990 to 2015. Methods We estimated incidence and prevalence by age, sex, cause, year, and geography with a wide range of updated and standardised analytical procedures. Improvements from GBD 2013 included the addition of new data sources, updates to literature reviews for 85 causes, and the identification and inclusion of additional studies published up to November, 2015, to expand the database used for estimation of non-fatal outcomes to 60�900 unique data sources. Prevalence and incidence by cause and sequelae were determined with DisMod-MR 2.1, an improved version of the DisMod-MR Bayesian meta-regression tool first developed for GBD 2010 and GBD 2013. For some causes, we used alternative modelling strategies where the complexity of the disease was not suited to DisMod-MR 2.1 or where incidence and prevalence needed to be determined from other data. For GBD 2015 we created a summary indicator that combines measures of income per capita, educational attainment, and fertility (the Socio-demographic Index SDI) and used it to compare observed patterns of health loss to the expected pattern for countries or locations with similar SDI scores. Findings We generated 9·3 billion estimates from the various combinations of prevalence, incidence, and YLDs for causes, sequelae, and impairments by age, sex, geography, and year. In 2015, two causes had acute incidences in excess of 1 billion: upper respiratory infections (17·2 billion, 95% uncertainty interval UI 15·4�19·2 billion) and diarrhoeal diseases (2·39 billion, 2·30�2·50 billion). Eight causes of chronic disease and injury each affected more than 10% of the world's population in 2015: permanent caries, tension-type headache, iron-deficiency anaemia, age-related and other hearing loss, migraine, genital herpes, refraction and accommodation disorders, and ascariasis. The impairment that affected the greatest number of people in 2015 was anaemia, with 2·36 billion (2·35�2·37 billion) individuals affected. The second and third leading impairments by number of individuals affected were hearing loss and vision loss, respectively. Between 2005 and 2015, there was little change in the leading causes of years lived with disability (YLDs) on a global basis. NCDs accounted for 18 of the leading 20 causes of age-standardised YLDs on a global scale. Where rates were decreasing, the rate of decrease for YLDs was slower than that of years of life lost (YLLs) for nearly every cause included in our analysis. For low SDI geographies, Group 1 causes typically accounted for 20�30% of total disability, largely attributable to nutritional deficiencies, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis. Lower back and neck pain was the leading global cause of disability in 2015 in most countries. The leading cause was sense organ disorders in 22 countries in Asia and Africa and one in central Latin America; diabetes in four countries in Oceania; HIV/AIDS in three southern sub-Saharan African countries; collective violence and legal intervention in two north African and Middle Eastern countries; iron-deficiency anaemia in Somalia and Venezuela; depression in Uganda; onchoceriasis in Liberia; and other neglected tropical diseases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Interpretation Ageing of the world's population is increasing the number of people living with sequelae of diseases and injuries. Shifts in the epidemiological profile driven by socioeconomic change also contribute to the continued increase in years lived with disability (YLDs) as well as the rate of increase in YLDs. Despite limitations imposed by gaps in data availability and the variable quality of the data available, the standardised and comprehensive approach of the GBD study provides opportunities to examine broad trends, compare those trends between countries or subnational geographies, benchmark against locations at similar stages of development, and gauge the strength or weakness of the estimates available. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY licens