Using facebook for learning: a case study on the perception of students in higher education

Facebook is essentially a successful online social network site, in which individuals can share information; the company was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes as a way to support the communication of Harvard University. This network was successful used within the Harvard community, and then was quickly spread out to other institutions. Site was opened to the public in 2006. Nine years later, when the company was established and it became into the most popular social network in the world, more and more users are being added every day, coming to already be millions around the world, including students in higher education. This paper shows the results of a study conducted in one a Mexican University, in order to explore the potential benefits that might have this social network in the learning process. Data were obtained by the survey was analyzed and commented upon using the SPPS program with the percentage, frequency, and mean statistical analysis techniques. The results indicated that students will benefit from this interaction tool. The potential benefits of Facebook for students are not only limited to the improvement of learning process used as a communication and a interaction tool, but also as a tool useful to help students in their professional development

Experiencia vivida de los adolescentes consumidores de drogas: un abordaje fenomenológico

Objective: To understand the life experience of adolescents who use illicit drugs. Method: A phenomenological qualitative study conducted in a Youth Integration Center of Sinaloa Mexico from October 2016 to July 2017. The phenomenological interview was conducted with 11 adolescent informants and was based on a leading question. Heideggerian hermeneutics were used as a reference for the analysis of the narratives that identified the phenomenon described. Results: Three categories expressed the phenomenon: family roughness, which revealed a violent, oppressive world lacking in affection and moral values; experimenting in the world of drug use, which revealed its existence and experimentation with several drugs and the novelty in that world; and the hope of “being there”, which portrays an individual with possibilities to coexist with themselves, society, family, loved ones and their spirituality. Conclusion: The understanding of the life experience reflects the adolescent drug user’s need for sensitive and comprehensive human care provided by a multidisciplinary health team.Objective: To understand the life experience of adolescents who use illicit drugs. Method: A phenomenological qualitative study conducted in a Youth Integration Center of Sinaloa Mexico from October 2016 to July 2017. The phenomenological interview was conducted with 11 adolescent informants and was based on a leading question. Heideggerian hermeneutics were used as a reference for the analysis of the narratives that identified the phenomenon described. Results: Three categories expressed the phenomenon: family roughness, which revealed a violent, oppressive world lacking in affection and moral values; experimenting in the world of drug use, which revealed its existence and experimentation with several drugs and the novelty in that world; and the hope of “being there”, which portrays an individual with possibilities to coexist with themselves, society, family, loved ones and their spirituality. Conclusion: The understanding of the life experience reflects the adolescent drug user’s need for sensitive and comprehensive human care provided by a multidisciplinary health team

Changes in P2Y Purinergic Receptor Expression in the Ciliary Body in a Murine Model of Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a neuropathology, often accompanied by an elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), which can lead to blindness. Since DBA/2J mice develop glaucoma, several studies of the physiopathology of glaucoma have been reported in this animal model. It is also known that purinergic receptors are involved in the pathology of glaucoma by controlling aqueous humor production and drainage and therefore controlling IOP. There are no studies on purinergic receptors in the DBA/2J model of glaucoma and their relation to the development of the pathology, so the aim of this study was to make an approach to the purinergic mechanisms involved in glaucoma. All the experiments were performed using DBA/2J and C57BL/6J mice and investigating P2Y1, P2Y2, and P2Y6 receptors. IOP measurements were made with a non-invasive rebound tonometer, and animals were instilled with diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap4A) and the corresponding purinergic antagonists in order to see their effects on IOP. The expression of mRNA for P2Y1, P2Y2, and P2Y6 purinergic receptors was carried out by quantitative real-time PCR. Additionally, P2Y-receptor expression was performed by immunohistochemical techniques carried out on the ciliary processes. The results showed that IOP decreases when Ap4A was instilled and that the expressions of the analyzed purinergic receptors were stable throughout all the ages under study in the C57BL/6J mice (control mice). On the other hand, there were significant changes in the purinergic receptor expression in DBA/2J suggesting that elevated IOP in these animals could be related to an increase of P2Y2 expression and a decrease in P2Y1 receptors

Influencia en los estilos de aprendizaje en estudiantes de primer año de licenciatura en una universidad pública.

La presente investigación tuvo como propósito analizar los diferentes estilos de aprendizaje de los estudiantes que estaban cursando el primer año de la carrera en una universidad pública de México. Para identificar los estilos de aprendizaje de los estudiantes fue utilizado el cuestionario Honey- Alonso de Estudios de Aprendizaje (CHAEA). El tipo de estudio que fue realizado es de tipo no experimental, ex post facto (Gall, Borg and Gall, 1996; Kerlinger y Howard, 2002). En el periodo académico de agosto del 2012 a junio del 2013. Los datos se obtuvieron del cuestionario aplicado a 1,272 estudiantes de 3 facultades, F1, F2 y F3 y fueron analizados a través del paquete SPPS versión 21, utilizando estadística descriptiva. Los resultados indican que predomina el estilo de aprendizaje reflexivo en los estudiantes de las 3 facultades con preferencia moderada según el Baremo General de Preferencia en Estilos de Aprendizaje (Alonso, Gallego y Honey, 2007), seguido por el pragmático, el teórico y por último se encuentra el activo

Changes in melatonin receptor expression in a murine model of glaucoma

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in the melatoninergic receptors of DBA/2J and C57BL/6J mice with the development of glaucoma. DBA/2J mice are widely used to study the physiopathology of glaucoma due to the similarities of their eyes to human eyes and the resulting similarity in the development of their pathology. In addition, melatoninergic receptors are known for their control of intraocular pressure (IOP), reducing the production of aqueous humor; however, little is known about their relationship with the development of this pathology. Methods: mRNA expression of MT1, MT2, and GPR50 melatoninergic receptors was performed with quantitative real-time PCR. In addition, receptor expression was performed with immunohistochemical techniques on the ciliary processes. To further investigate the effect of melatonin and its analog 5-methoxycarbonylamino-N-acetyltryptamine (5-MCA-NAT) on IOP, animals were instilled with these compounds and the corresponding melatoninergic antagonists to assess their effect on IOP. Results: All melatoninergic receptor expression decayed with the development of the glaucomatous pathology in the DBA/2J mice, and was especially visible for the MT2 receptor. However, receptor expression was consistent in the C57BL/6J control mice across all ages investigated. Furthermore, IOP blockage was stronger with 4PPDOT (MT2 antagonist) only in the DBA/2J mice which suggests a correlation of this receptor with the development of the glaucomatous pathology in DBA/2J animals. Conclusions: Melatonin receptor expression decays with the development of the glaucomatous pathology. This implies that the physiologic hypotensive effect of endogenous melatonin reducing IOP is not possible. A solution for such changes in receptor expression is the exogenous application of melatonin or any of its analogs that permit the activation of the remaining melatonin receptors

Language learning strategy use by spanish efl students: the effect of proficiency level, gender, and motivation

This article aims to investigate the use of Language Learning Strategies (LLSs) by Spanish EFL students, as well as the relationship between that use and other learner variables such as the proficiency level, gender, and motivation. Participants were 206 Spanish students of English from different proficiency levels. The instrument used to collect data was a questionnaire.The results show that the participants use LLSs moderately with a high preference for metacognitive and affective strategies. Proficiency level did not have a significant effect, except in the cognitive category between proficient and basic users groups. In relation to gender, there were not statistically significant differences between male and female students. However, motivation had a paramount effect in the use of LLSs. El propósito de este estudio es investigar el uso de las estrategias de aprendizaje de la lengua extranjera por parte de estudiantes de inglés con distintos niveles de competencia. Además, intenta explorar la relación que ptstros participantes (N=206) hacen un uso moderado de esas estrategias, siendo las más utilizadas las metacognitivas y las afectivas. El nivel de competencia sólo tuvo un impacto significativo en la categoría de estrategias cognitivas entre los estudiantes del nivel más alto y los de los niveles básicos. No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre las mujeres y los hombres en el uso de las estrategias. Sin embargo, el factor motivacional sí arrojó diferencias significativas

Valoración de distintos tiempos de espera previos al sacrificio en corderos lechales sobre su comportamiento y varios parámetros sanguíneos indicadores de estrés

En 18 corderos lechales machos de 11-13 Kg de peso vivo de raza Lacaune, se han estudiado las repercusiones que tienen los tiempos de espera en matadero de 0, 3 y 6 horas sobre los parámetros de comportamiento indicadores del bienestar animal (de pie quieto o en movimiento, tumbado y número de veces que beben) y los parámetros plasmáticos indicadores de deshidratación (proteinas totales), de estrés físico (lactato) y de estrés psicológico (cortisol). Los corderos que permanecieron en la sala de espera (3 y 6 h) presentaron niveles significativamente más elevados (P < 0,01) de lactato que los sacrificados inmediatamente (0 h), como consecuencia de un mayor gasto energético. En relación a los parámetros de comportamiento los corderos estuvieron tumbados más tiempo en la sala de espera en las tres primeras horas que en las tres últimas (P< 0,001), sin diferencias significativas entre los lotes de 3 y 6 horas. Los resultados de este trabajo indican que el bienestar de los corderos lechales puede verse afectado por el tiempo de espera en el matadero, que debería ser mínimo.18 male suckling lambs 11-13 kg live weight of Lacaune breed have been studied in order to evaluate the impact of lairage time of 0, 3 and 6 hours at slaughterhouse: on the behavioural indicators of animal welfare (standing or moving, lying and number time of drinking) and plasma parameters of physical stress (lactate) and psychological stress (total protein and cortisol). Lambs housed in the lairage had significantly higher levels of lactate (

Therapeutic Effects of Anti-Bone Morphogenetic Protein and Activin Membrane-Bound Inhibitor Treatment in Psoriasis and Arthritis

Abstract Objective: The transforming growth factor ? (TGF?) inhibitor BAMBI (bone morphogenetic protein and activin membrane-bound inhibitor) has been shown to control differentiation of CD4+ T lymphocytes into either tolerogenic Treg cells or pathogenic Th17 cells, through the regulation of TGF? and interleukin-2 (IL-2) signaling strength. The present study was undertaken to explore the potential beneficial effects of this strategy of pharmacologic inhibition using novel anti-BAMBI monoclonal antibodies (mAb) in different experimental murine models of chronic skin and joint inflammatory/autoimmune disease. Methods: Development of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mannan-induced psoriatic arthritis (MIP) (n = 18-30 mice per group), imiquimod-induced skin psoriasis (n = 20-30 mice per group), or type II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) (n = 13-16 mice per group) was analyzed in a total of 2-5 different experiments with either wild-type (WT) or BAMBI-deficient B10.RIII mice that were left untreated or treated with mAb B101.37 (mouse IgG1 anti-BAMBI), a mouse IgG1 anti-TNP isotype control, anti-CD25, or anti-TGF? mAb. Results: Treatment of normal mice with IgG1 anti-BAMBI mAb clone B101.37 led to expansion of Treg cells in vivo, and had both preventive and therapeutic effects in mice with MIP (each P < 0.05 versus controls). The conferred protection against disease progression was found to be mediated by Treg cells, which controlled the activation and expansion of pathogenic IL-17-producing cells, and was dependent on the level of TGF? activity. Furthermore, treatment with B101.37 mAb blocked both the development of skin psoriasis induced by imiquimod and the development of CIA in mice (each P < 0.05 versus controls). Finally, pharmacologic inhibition of BAMBI with the IgM anti-BAMBI mAb B143.14 also potentiated the suppressive activity of Treg cells in vitro (P < 0.001 versus controls). Conclusion: These results in murine models identify BAMBI as a promising new therapeutic target for chronic inflammatory diseases and other pathologic conditions modulated by Treg cells.Funding was provided by grants from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Plan Nacional I+D+i) co-financed by European Development Regional Fund to RM (SAF2017-82905-R) and JM (SAF2016-75195-R). PA and MI were partially supported by grants from “Luchamos por la Vida Foundation” and the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (IPT2011-1527-010000) associated with Fibrostatin SL, respectivel

Influence of ACE Gene I/D Polymorphism on Cardiometabolic Risk, Maximal Fat Oxidation, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Diet and Physical Activity in Young Adults

There is controversy about the relationship between ACE I/D polymorphism and health. Seventy-four healthy adults (n = 28 women; 22.5 +/- 4.2 years) participated in this cross-sectional study aimed at determining the influence of ACE I/D polymorphism, ascertained by polymerase chain reaction, on cardiometabolic risk (i.e., waist circumference, body fat, blood pressure (BP), glucose, triglycerides, and inflammatory markers), maximal fat oxidation (MFO), cardiorespiratory fitness (maximal oxygen uptake), physical activity and diet. Our results showed differences by ACE I/D polymorphism in systolic BP (DD: 116.4 +/- 11.8 mmHg; ID: 116.7 +/- 6.3 mmHg; II: 109.4 +/- 12.3 mmHg, p = 0.035) and body fat (DD: 27.3 +/- 10.8%; ID: 22.6 +/- 9.7%; II: 19.3 +/- 7.1%, p = 0.030). Interestingly, a genotype*sex interaction in relativized MFO by lean mass (p = 0.048) was found. The DD polymorphism had higher MFO values than ID/II polymorphisms in men (8.4 +/- 3.0 vs. 6.5 +/- 2.9 mg/kg/min), while the ID/II polymorphisms showed higher R-MFO values than DD polymorphism in women (6.6 +/- 2.3 vs. 7.6 +/- 2.6 mg/kg/min). In conclusion, ACE I/D polymorphism is apparently associated with adiposity and BP, where a protective effect can be attributed to the II genotype, but not with cardiorespiratory fitness, diet and physical activity. Moreover, our study highlighted that there is a sexual dimorphism in the influence of ACE I/D gene polymorphism on MFO

Increased Amoxicillin–Clavulanic Acid Resistance in Escherichia coli Blood Isolates, Spain

To determine the evolution and trends of amoxicillin–clavulanic acid resistance among Escherichia coli isolates in Spain, we tested 9,090 blood isolates from 42 Spanish hospitals and compared resistance with trends in outpatient consumption. These isolates were collected by Spanish hospitals that participated in the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System network from April 2003 through December 2006