The physical-chemical concept of matter in Latin American Primary Schools: When and how much is done

En este artículo se busca identificar cuándo y con qué profundidad se atienden contenidos sobre “la Materia” en los sistemas educativos latinoamericanos en Educación Primaria. Para ello se realiza en primer lugar un análisis de su presencia en los currículos oficiales de una decena de países latinoamericanos y de los problemas detectados por expertos de distintos países. A continuación se muestran los resultados de la explotación de datos aportados por el Segundo Estudio Regional Comparativo y Explicativo (SERCE), desarrollado por la UNESCO. El estudio concluye que los contenidos sobre “la Materia” están presentes en el currículo y en las aulas de los diez países, aunque con diferencias entre ellos, pero también se evidencia la importancia de la formación en Didáctica de las Ciencias del profesorado, ya que los recursos y la metodología utilizada determinarán el grado de aprendizaje de los contenidos científicos. Dicha metodología debe tener presente el contexto sociocultural del alumnado, equilibrando los tiempos dedicados a su enseñanza en las escuelas ubicadas en localizaciones urbanas y rurales, públicas y privadasThis paper seeks to identify when and how thoroughly Latin American primary education systems deal with concepts of “matter.” First, an analysis of their presence in the official curricula of 10 Latin American countries is made, as well as the problems identified by experts from different countries. Second, the results of the exploitation of data from the Second Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (SERCE), developed by UNESCO, are shown. The study concludes that concepts of “matter” are present in the aforementioned curricula and in the classrooms of the 10 countries analyzed, although there are a number of differences between those countries. The importance of Science Education in teacher training is evidenced by the fact that the didactic resources and the methodology used by teachers in the classrooms will determine how science-based content is learnt. This methodology should consider students’ sociocultural context, balancing time dedicated to teaching whether in urban and rural schools or in state and public schoolsEste artigo procura identificar quando e quão profundamente conceito de “matéria” é visto na educação primária nos sistemas de ensino da América Latina. Primeiramente realiza-se uma análise de sua presença no currículo oficial de uma dezena de países latino-americanos e dos problemas identificados por especialistas dos diferentes países. Então, são mostrados os resultados da análise dos dados do Segundo Teste Comparativo Regional (SERCE), desenvolvido pela UNESCO. O estudo conclui que o conteúdo de “matéria” está presente no currículo e salas de aula dos dez países, embora com diferenças entre eles. A importância da educação em ciências na formacao de professores é extremamente imporatnte já que os recursos e metodologia usados pelos educadores irão determinar o grau de aprendizagem de conteúdos científicos pelos alunos. Esta metodologia deve estar ciente do contexto sociocultural do corpo discente, equilibrando o tempo dedicado ao ensino em escolas localizadas em áreas urbanas e rurais, públicas e privada

Preliminary study for simultaneous detection and quantification of androgenic anabolic steroids using ELISA and pattern recognition techniques

A first step towards the multidetection, identification and quantification of anabolic androgenic steroids by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been performed in this study. This proposal combines multiple competitive ELISA assays with different cross-reactivity profiles and multivariate data analysis techniques. Data have been analyzed by principal component analysis in conjunction with a novel K-nearest line classifier. This proposal allows simultaneous detection of up to four different steroids in the range of concentration from 0.1 to 316.2 nM with a total rate of 90.6% of correct detection, even in the presence of cross-reactivities. A methodology for concentration prediction is also presented with satisfactory results

Identification and mapping of a locus conferring plum pox virus resistance in two apricot-improved linkage maps

Sharka disease, caused by the plum pox virus (PPV), is one of the major limiting factors for stone fruit crops in Europe and America. In particular, apricot is severely affected suffering significant fruit losses. Thus, PPV resistance is a trait of great interest for the apricot breeding programs currently in progress. In this work, two apricot maps, earlier constructed with the F1 ‘Goldrich × Currot’ (G×C) and the F2 ‘Lito × Lito’-98 (L×L-98) populations, have been improved including 43 and 37 new simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci, respectively, to facilitate PPV resistance trait mapping. Screening of PPV resistance on the segregating populations classified seedling phenotypes into resistant or susceptible. A non-parametric mapping method, based on the Kruskal–Wallis (KW) rank sum test, was initially used to score marker–trait association, and results were confirmed by interval mapping. Contrary to the putative digenic model inferred from the phenotypic segregations, all significant markers for the KW statistic (P < 0.005) mapped in a unique region of ~21.0 and ~20.3 cM located on the upper part of the G1 linkage group in ‘G×C’ and ‘L×L-98’ maps, respectively. According to the data, PPV resistance is suggested to be controlled by at least one major dominant locus. The association between three SSRs distributed within this region and the PPV resistance was tested in two additional populations (‘Goldrich × Canino’ and ‘Lito × Lito’-00) and breeding program parents. The marker ssrPaCITA5 showed the highest KW value (P < 0.005) in all cases, pointing out its usefulness in marker-assisted selection.This research was supported by a grant from the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (AGL2004-04126-C02-02/AGR).Peer reviewe

Enseñanza medioambiental y justicia social en la Educación Primaria de las aulas de América latina

La investigación que se presenta está incluida dentro del proyecto I+D de referencia EDU2011-29114 y de título "Escuelas para la Justicia Social". Se han analizado los datos aportados por el Segundo Estudio Regional Comparativo y Explicativo (SERCE) realizado por la Oficina Regional de Educación de la UNESCO para América Latina y el Caribe (OREALC/UNESCO) con docentes de diez países de América Latina, relativos a cuándo y cuánto se enseña medio ambiente en Educación Primaria. Los resultados muestran una persistencia de la enseñanza de temas medioambientales en las primeras etapas de la educación, que favorece la concienciación medioambiental. Los sistemas educativos, pese a los informes que localizan importantes áreas de mejora, favorecen el cambio social necesario para entender los problemas medioambientales en sintonía con la necesaria justicia social global

Profesorado de ciencias comprometido con la justicia social : formación, metas y praxis docente en contextos socio-económicamente desafiantes

El trabajo del profesorado en la educación obligatoria es una pieza fundamental en la alfabetización científica del alumnado. Si se desarrolla en un contexto socio-económicamente desafiante el papel del docente es clave. En este contexto una enseñanza de las Ciencias para la Justicia Social puede conseguir ciudadanos/as con una cultura científica crítica que les permita transformar la sociedad. La investigación que se presenta se ha realizado con un profesor de Física y Química y uno de Biología y Geología comprometidos con la Justicia Social. Conocer sus perfiles es determinante para comprender la Enseñanza de las Ciencias que se está implementando en las aulas desde la perspectiva de la Justicia Social. El estudio concluye una discrepancia entre las concepciones docentes y su aplicación práctica, que evidencia la necesidad de formación desde esta perspectiva

Micronarrativas en Instagram: Análisis del storytelling autobiográfico y de la proyección de identidades de los universitarios del ámbito de la Comunicación

The study of social networks among young Internet users has become a growing line of research. There are numerous studies, however, has analyzed the type of content (topics and approaches) published and, especially, the characteristic profiles in the articulation of stories. Between these platforms dialogic, Instagram, which is one of the most useful applications and rated by the users. In this way, this article presents the results of a diagnostic research conducted in two Spanish universities with 204 students of Communication and Education, which reflected on the use and construction of stories in their respective accounts of Instagram. The study concludes that the network has a high degree of acceptance among young people, especially through the mobile phone, to share content targeted at your leisure moments or everyday life. However, warns of the need to sensitize students to the possibilities of the platform as a communicative tool to turn professional. To do this, there is a need for a reformulation of the curriculum by insisting on the importance of media literacy, on the one hand, and projecting the use of the platform beyond entertainment.El estudio de las redes sociales entre los jóvenes internautas se ha convertido en una línea de investigación en crecimiento. Existen numerosas investigaciones al respecto, sin embargo, apenas se ha analizado el tipo de contenidos (temáticas y enfoques) que publican y, especialmente, los perfiles característicos en la articulación de relatos. Entre estas plataformas dialógicas, destaca Instagram, una de las aplicaciones más útiles y mejor valoradas por los usuarios jóvenes. El presente artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación diagnóstica realizada en dos universidades españolas con una muestra total de 204 estudiantes de Comunicación y Educación, que reflexionaron sobre el uso y la construcción de relatos en sus respectivas cuentas de esta red social. El estudio ratifica que la red posee un elevado grado de aceptación entre el público joven, especialmente a través del teléfono móvil, para compartir contenidos focalizados en sus momentos de ocio y vida cotidiana. No obstante, advierte de la necesidad de sensibilizar a este público etario de las posibilidades de la plataforma como herramienta comunicativa de cariz profesional. Para ello, se plantea la necesidad de una reformulación de los planes de estudios, insistiendo en la importancia de la media literacy, por un lado, y proyectando el uso de la plataforma más de allá de su mero uso por ocio y entretenimiento

Circulating miR-200c and miR-141 and outcomes in patients with breast cancer

Research article[Abstract] Background. The deregulation of microRNAs in both tumours and blood has led to the search for microRNAs to indicate the presence of cancer and predict prognosis. We hypothesize the deregulation of miR-200c/miR-141 in the whole blood can identify breast cancer (BC), and could be developed into a prognostic signature. Methods. The expression of miR-200c and miR-141 were examined in bloods (57 stage I-IV BC patients and 20 age-matched controls) by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR. The associations of circulating microRNAs with clinic and pathological characteristics were analysed. Their effects on survival were analysed by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regressions. Results. MiR-200c was down regulated (P < 0.0001) in the blood of BC patients, yielded an area under the ROC curve of 0.79 (90% sensitivity, 70.2% specificity) in discriminating BC from controls. Circulating miR-141 was not discriminating. MiR-200c and miR-141 in the blood of BC patients were inversely correlated (P = 0.019). The miR-200c levels were numerically higher in stage IV and tumours with lower MIB-1. MiR-141 was significantly higher in the blood of patients with stage I-III, lymph node metastasis, and HER2 negative tumours. High blood expression of miR-200c and/or low expression of miR-141 was associated with unfavourable overall survival (hazard ratio, 3.89; [95% CI: 1.28-11.85]) and progression-free survival (3.79 [1.41–10.16]) independent of age, stage and hormonal receptors. Conclusions. Circulating miR-200c and miR-141 were deregulated in BC comparing with controls. Furthermore, miR-200c and miR-141 were independent prognostic factors and associated with distinct outcomes of BC patients.Instituto de Salud Carlos III (España); PI06-154

NOX4-dependent Hydrogen peroxide promotes shear stress-induced SHP2 sulfenylation and eNOS activation

© 2015 Elsevier Inc.All rights reserved. Laminar shear stress (LSS) triggers signals that ultimately result in atheroprotection and vasodilatation. Early responses are related to the activation of specific signaling cascades. We investigated the participation of redox-mediated modifications and in particular the role of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the sulfenylation of redox-sensitive phosphatases. Exposure of vascular endothelial cells to short periods of LSS (12 dyn/cm2) resulted in the generation of superoxide radical anion as detected by the formation of 2-hydroxyethidium by HPLC and its subsequent conversion to H2O2, which was corroborated by the increase in the fluorescence of the specific peroxide sensor HyPer. By using biotinylated dimedone we detected increased total protein sulfenylation in the bovine proteome, which was dependent on NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4)-mediated generation of peroxide. Mass spectrometry analysis allowed us to identify the phosphatase SHP2 as a protein susceptible to sulfenylation under LSS. Given the dependence of FAK activity on SHP2 function, we explored the role of FAK under LSS conditions. FAK activation and subsequent endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation were promoted by LSS and both processes were dependent on NOX4, as demonstrated in lung endothelial cells isolated from NOX4-null mice. These results support the idea that LSS elicits redox-sensitive signal transduction responses involving NOX4-dependent generation of hydrogen peroxide, SHP2 sulfenylation, and ulterior FAK-mediated eNOS activation.Ministerio deEconomía y Competitividad, SAF2012-31338(S.L.),CSD2007-00020(S. L.), SAF2010-37926(J.V.); Instituto de Salud CarlosIII, REDinREN RD12/0021/0009(S.L.), ProteoRed-PT13/0001/0017(J.V.), RETIC-RD12/0042/0056(J.V.); Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB815/TP1toK.S.andR.P.B.andSCHR1241/1-1toK.S.); German Center for Cardiovascular Research; ComunidaddeMadrid “Fi-broteam” S2010/BMD-2321(S.L.);and Fundación Renal “Iñigo Alvarez deToledo” (S.L.). This work was also supported by European Cooperationin Science and Technology actionsBM-1203(EU-ROS) and BM-1005(ENOGAS) (S.L.).A.M.S.is supported by the British Heart Foundation.TheCBMSO receives institutional support from Fundación Ramón ArecesPeer Reviewe

All about (nk cell-mediated) death in two acts and an unexpected encore: initiation, execution and activation of adaptive immunity

NK cells are key mediators of immune cell-mediated cytotoxicity toward infected and transformed cells, being one of the main executors of cell death in the immune system. NK cells recognize target cells through an array of inhibitory and activating receptors for endogenous or exogenous pathogen-derived ligands, which together with adhesion molecules form a structure known as immunological synapse that regulates NK cell effector functions. The main and best characterized mechanisms involved in NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity are the granule exocytosis pathway (perforin/granzymes) and the expression of death ligands. These pathways are recognized as activators of different cell death programmes on the target cells leading to their destruction. However, most studies analyzing these pathways have used pure recombinant or native proteins instead of intact NK cells and, thus, extrapolation of the results to NK cell-mediated cell death might be difficult. Specially, since the activation of granule exocytosis and/or death ligands during NK cell-mediated elimination of target cells might be influenced by the stimulus received from target cells and other microenvironment components, which might affect the cell death pathways activated on target cells. Here we will review and discuss the available experimental evidence on how NK cells kill target cells, with a special focus on the different cell death modalities that have been found to be activated during NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity; including apoptosis and more inflammatory pathways like necroptosis and pyroptosis. In light of this new evidence, we will develop the new concept of cell death induced by NK cells as a new regulatory mechanism linking innate immune response with the activation of tumour adaptive T cell responses, which might be the initiating stimulus that trigger the cancer-immunity cycle. The use of the different cell death pathways and the modulation of the tumour cell molecular machinery regulating them might affect not only tumour cell elimination by NK cells but, in addition, the generation of T cell responses against the tumour that would contribute to efficient tumour elimination and generate cancer immune memory preventing potential recurrences

The Harvey–Bradshaw Index adapted to a mobile application compared with In-clinic assessment: the MediCrohn Study

[Abstract] Objectives: Mobile apps are useful tools in e-health and self-management strategies in disease monitoring. We evaluated the Harvey–Bradshaw index (HBI) mobile app self-administered by the patient to see if its results agreed with HBI in-clinic assessed by a physician. Methods: Patients were enrolled in a 4-month prospective study with clinical assessments at months 1 and 4. Patients completed mobile app HBI and within 48 h, HBI was performed by a physician (gold standard). HBI scores characterized Crohn's disease (CD) as remission <5 or active ≥5. We determined agreement per item and total HBI score and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Bland–Altman plot was performed. HBI changes in disease activity from month 1 to month 4 were determined. Results: A total of 219 patients were enrolled. All scheduled assessments (385 pairs of the HBI questionnaire) showed a high percentage of agreement for remission/activity (92.4%, κ = 0.796), positive predictive value (PPV) for remission of 98.2%, and negative predictive value of 76.7%. High agreement was also found at month 1 (93.15%, κ = 0.82) and month 4 (91.5%, κ = 0.75). Bland–Altman plot was more uniform when the HBI mean values were <5 (remission). ICC values were 0.82, 0.897, and 0.879 in all scheduled assessments, 1 and 4 months, respectively. Conclusions: We found a high percentage of agreement between patients' self-administered mobile app HBI and in-clinic physician assessment to detect CD activity with a remarkably high PPV for remission. The mobile app HBI might allow a strict control of inflammation by remote monitoring and flexible follow-up of CD patients. Reduction of sanitary costs could be possible