Purification of Starch Granules from Arabidopsis Leaves and Determination of Granule-Bound Starch Synthase Activity

Starch constitutes the most important carbon reserve in plants and is composed of branched amylopectin and linear amylose. The latter is synthesized exclusively by the Granule-Bound Starch Synthase (GBSS, EC 2.4.1.21). Here we report a readily reproducible, specific and highly sensitive protocol, which includes the isolation of intact starch granules from Arabidopsis thaliana leaves and the subsequent determination of GBSS activity. We have applied this method to study GBSS activity in diurnal cycles in vegetative growth and during the photoperiodic transition to flowering in Arabidopsis (Tenorio et al., 2003; Ortiz-Marchena et al., 2014).España,MINECO CSD2007-00057, BIO2008-02292, and BIO2011-28847-C02-00España, Junta de Andalucía P06-CVI-01450 and P08-AGR-0358

Pedagogical strategies used to teach grammar to a group of seventh grade in the morning shift at San José school in Jinotepe, Carazo, Nicaragua

This paper is based on some strategies that a teacher uses to teach grammar in high school, this research was achieved in a private school. We used the qualitative method, where it was necessary to make a classroom observation in order to figure out grammar strategies and the way those ones were applied. It was very useful to apply some data collection tools to obtain real information. During the process was found some strategies used by the teacher in order to explain grammar rules in the English class. At the end of this research, we propose some strategies to improve the teaching grammar in the classroom. Key words: Strategies, grammar, teacher, classroom observations

Pedagogical strategies used to teach grammar to a group of seventh grade students in the morning shift at San José School in Jinotepe, Carazo, Nicaragua

This paper is based on some strategies that a teacher uses to teach grammar in high school, this research was achieved in a private school. We used the qualitative method, where it was necessary to make a classroom observation in order to figure out grammar strategies and the way those ones were applied. It was very useful to apply some data collection tools to obtain real information. During the process was found some strategies used by the teacher in order to explain grammar rules in the English class. At the end of this research, we propose some strategies to improve the teaching grammar in the classroom. Key words: Strategies, grammar, teacher, classroom observation

Determination of Soluble Sugars in Arabidopsis thaliana Leaves by Anion Exchange Chromatography

Determination of soluble sugars is basic for the study of carbon metabolism in plants. Soluble sugar quantitation can be achieved by enzymatic methods implying different coupled reactions. Here we describe a simple method that allows rapid determination of the most abundant soluble sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose) in Arabidopsis leaves by anion exchange chromatography. We have applied this method to study the levels of soluble sugars during the photoperiodic transition to flowering (Ortiz-Marchena et al., 2014).España, MINECO projects CSD2007-00057, BIO2008-02292, and BIO2011-28847-C02-00España, Junta de Andalucía P06-CVI-01450 and P08-AGR-0358

Establecimiento de las causas de disminución del periodismo como vocación en los estudiantes de las principales facultades de comunicación de Bogotá.

112 páginas incluye ilustraciones y diagramasCada vez menos estudiantes levantan su mano ansiosamente cuando un profesor pregunta: ¿quién de ustedes quiere ser periodista? Esta es una situación que refleja la disminución vocacional por el periodismo, al comparar la aspiración de los estudiantes próximos a graduarse contra lo que ellos mismos pensaban en primer semestre. La presente investigación estudia este fenómeno y revela sus causas internas y externas. Para tal fin, se realizó una encuesta a 234 jóvenes bogotanos que estaban en últimos semestres de comunicación social y periodismo, durante el período académico 2011-2, de las Universidades Externado de Colombia, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Politécnico Grancolombiano, Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Santo Tomás y La Sabana. Nota: Para consultar la carta de autorización de publicación de este documento por favor copie y pegue el siguiente enlace en su navegador de Internet: http://hdl.handle.net/10818/910

Cibernética educativa, actores y contextos en los sistemas de educación superior a distancia

La educación superior a distancia asume grandes desafíos en pos de la actualización de mediaciones tecnológicas que permitan realizar procesos de interactividad e interacción social, así como ante el reconocimiento de los actores y el contexto en aras de favorecer el desarrollo de las competencias generales y específicas que requieren los nuevos profesionales para dar respuesta a las necesidades del entorno. El presente artículo presenta resultados parciales de una investigación cualitativa, cuyo objetivo consistió en identificar el papel de los actores y el contexto en los sistemas de educación a distancia, en aras de mejorar los procesos educativos y buscar alternativas para cerrar brechas entre la formación profesional y la demanda laboral. Para alcanzar el objetivo se realizó un análisis documental y se valoraron los aportes de la cibernética educativa en aras de comprender de manera sistemática los procesos de interacción social e interactividad que se llevan a cabo en este modelo educativo. Como resultados se encontró que la cibernética educativa hace posible el reconocimiento de los actores y contextos, dado que brinda claridad sobre la composición de los sistemas que se articulan a la hora de formar futuros profesionales. Asimismo, se considera fundamental reconocer a los actores como seres humanos de un contexto determinado, en el cual asumen retos para transformar el sistema económico y social con su labor.//Distance higher education take on big challenges in pursuit of the update of technological mediations that allow processes to be carried out of interactivity and social interaction, as well as before recognition of actors and context for the sake of to encourage the development of specific general competencies required by new professionals to meet the environment needs. This paper presents the partial results of qualitative research, whose objective was in identifying the role of actors and the context in distance education systems, for the sake of improving educational processes and find alternatives to close gaps between vocational training and the labour supply. To reach the objective was to carried out documentary analysis and the contributions of educational cybernetics were assessed for the sake of systematically understanding the processes of social interaction an interactivity that are carried out in this educational model. As results was found that educational cybernetics makes it possible to recognize actors and contexts, because it provides clarity on the composition of the systems that are articulated when it comes to training future professionals. It is also considered essential to recognize actors as human beings linked to a specific context, in which they take on challenges to transform the economic and social system with their work

Infantile systemic juvenile xanthogranuloma case with massive liver infiltration

Infantile systemic juvenile xanthogranuloma (ISJXG) is an uncommon form of juvenile xanthogranuloma, a non-Langerhans cell proliferation of infancy and early childhood. In a small percentage of patients, the visceral involvement—most commonly to the central nervous system, liver, spleen, or lungs—may be associated with severe morbidity, and eventually fatal outcome. Here we describe the clinical and pathological findings of a 28-day-old girl with ISJXG who died with respiratory distress syndrome. She had few cutaneous lesions but massive liver and spleen infiltration; other affected organs were multiple lymph nodes, thoracic parasympathetic nodule, pleura, pancreas, and kidneys. Additional findings were mild pulmonary hypoplasia and bacteremia. Immunohistochemistry on fixed tissues is the standard for diagnosis. Immunophenotype cells express CD14, CD68, CD163, Factor XIIIa, Stabilin-1, and fascin; S100 was positive in less than 20% of the cases; CD1a and langerin were negative. No consistent cytogenetic or molecular genetic defect has been identified. This case demonstrates that the autopsy is a handy tool, because hepatic infiltration, which was not considered clinically, determined a restrictive respiratory impairment. In our opinion, this was the direct cause of death

The application of a multi-component programme on a set of disruptive behaviours in a case of mental retardation

This paper analyses the application of a multi-modal treatment to a complex set of disruptive behaviours in a case of mental retardation. The patient was a twenty-four-year-old woman, with a moderate level of deficiency and a long history of institutionalisation. The multi-modal treatment combined extinction with instructions, response cost, differential reinforcement of other behaviours and overcorrection, all of which were applied by trained co-therapists from the contexts in which the behaviour problems first appeared (residence and occupational workshop). Findings show the treatment to be effective in both contexts. The discussion refers to the implications of the results, the importance of each technique and the need for a prolonged follow-up in this type of intervention.El presente trabajo analiza la aplicación de un tratamiento multimodal sobre un conjunto complejo de conductas disruptivas en un caso de deficiencia mental. Se trata de una mujer de 24 años de edad, con un nivel de deficiencia moderado y.una larga historia de institucionalización. El tratamiento multimodal consistió en la combinación de la extinción con instrucciones, costo de respuesta, reforzamiento de otras conductas y sobrecorrección, aplicado por coterapeutas entrenados procedentes de los contextos (residencia y taller ocupacional) en los que se desatan las conductas problema. Los resultados mostraron la efectividad del tratamiento en ambos contextos. Se discute la implicación de los resultados, la importancia de cada una de las técnicas y la necesidad de un seguimiento prolongado en este tipo de intervenciones