Teaching technology: from knowing to feeling enhancing emotional and content acquisition performance through Gardner’s multiple intelligences Theory in technology and design lessons

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory (MIT) can be a cognitive and emotional improvement if is taken into account in the standard development of the Technology lessons. This work presents a preliminary evaluation of the performance enhancement in two concomitant aspects: contents acquisition and emotional yield. The study was made on up to 150 students with ages of 12-13 years old. The control group was submitted to traditional transmission-reception lessons, whereas the experimental one was submitted to novel educational techniques that included specific activities which took into account the different intelligences styles (IS) inside the classroom. The results clearly depicted that both studied variables underwent a statistical significant enhancement through the application of the MIT-based educational methodPeer Reviewe

Growth, water relations and ion accumulation in Phlomis purpurea plants under water deficit and salinity

The effect of different levels of water deficit and salinity on physiological and morphological alterations in Phlomis purpurea plants was studied to evaluate their adaptability to such conditions. P. purpurea plants growing under greenhouse conditions were subjected to four irrigation treatments between November and May 2008: control (C, 1 dS m-1), moderate water deficit (MWD, 1dS m-1, 60% of the control), severe water deficit (SWD, 1 dS m-1, 40% of the control) and saline (S, 4 dS m-1). Aerial dry weight decreased with salinity, response that was more marked in the water deficit treatments, especially SWD. Stem diameter and leaf number were similarly reduced in both water deficit treatments, while leaf area also decreased in saline treated plants. Throughout the experiment, plant height was similar in both control and saline treated plants and was inhibited 10 weeks after application of the deficit irrigation onwards. Only at the end of the experiment were there significant differences in plant height between all treatments. Plants irrigated with saline water had higher Na+ concentrations in their leaves than in their roots and shoots, while Cl- concentrations were similar in leaves and roots, suggesting some resistance to the movement of the latter ions from root to shoots. The accumulation of salt in the leaves was associated with osmotic adjustment, which maintained midday leaf turgor in saline treated plants. However, no osmotic adjustment was observed in plants submitted to water stress. The results indicate that the effect of osmotic stress due to water deficit was more severe than the toxic effect of salt.This work was supported by the projects: CICYT (AGL 2008-05258-C02-1-2), CDTI (IDI-20070868) and Convenio de la Consejería de Agricultura y Agua de la Región de Murcia-UPCT-CEBAS, 2008.Peer Reviewe

Physiological mechanisms involved in the recovery of euonymus and laurustinus subjected to saline waters

The scarcity of water has frequently led to saline water being reused for the irrigation of ornamental shrubs. However, before the use of such waters can be expanded, the salt tolerance and other characteristics of the ornamentals involved, need to be considered along with their capacity to recover after salinity exposure. For this reason, Euonymus japonica (euonymus) and Viburnum tinus (laurustinus) plants were submitted for twenty weeks to three irrigation treatments applied at 100% water holding capacity: Control (EC<0.9dSm-1); NaCl solution, NaCl (EC: 4dSm-1); and wastewater, WW (EC: 4dSm-1). This was followed by a recovery period of eight weeks, when all the plants were watered in the control irrigation conditions. The results showed that biomass, leaf number and total leaf area of plants subjected to the saline treatments were lower than in the control at the end of both periods in both species. However, after recovery, only euonymus showed lower growth parameters than those observed in the saline period. The highest Na+ and Cl- concentrations were observed in saline plants at the end of saline period for both species, and were higher in shoots than in roots. The opposite was observed for the K+/Na+ and the Ca2+/Na+ ratios. In Laurustinus, the Ψstem did not diminish in the wastewater-irrigated plants with respect to the control, maintaining osmotic adjustment and a high Ψt, even after recovery, whereas in euonymus this did not occur at the end of recovery period. In both species the Pn and gs were similarly reduced during the saline exposure period. However, the recovery of gas exchange in laurustinus irrigated with wastewater might be closely related to the better water status of these plants. Although the aesthetic value and growth decreased in the plants of both species, the chemical properties of the waters applied had different effects in each case, especially as regards the capacity to recover from salinity. These results underline the importance to studying the physiological mechanisms involved in the recovery of plants. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.This work was supported by the projects: CICYT (AGL 2008-05258-CO2-1-2-AGR and AGL 2011-30022-CO2-01-02) and Fundación Séneca (15356/PI/10).Peer Reviewe

Treatment of bilateral hyperplasia of the coronoid process of the mandible : Presentation of a case and review of the literature

Bilateral hyperplasia of the coronoid process is infrequent. It consists of an elongation of the coronoid process of the mandible and is, accordingly, a mechanical problem, limiting mouth opening. This article looks at the case of a 28 year-old male with significant limitation on opening his mouth, secondary to bilateral hyperplasia of the coronoid process. We reviewed the literature and analysed the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures used, paying special attention to the surgical approaches to the coronoid process and emphasising the importance of early post-operative rehabilitation, describing our experience with the TheraBite® (Atos Medical AB, PO Box 183, 242 22 Hörby, Sweden). The satisfactory result of the procedure is marked by the stable recovery of the mouth opening, achieved by a good combination of surgical and physiotherapeutic techniques

Pores Formed by Baxα5 Relax to a Smaller Size and Keep at Equilibrium

AbstractPores made by amphipathic cationic peptides (e.g., antimicrobials and fragments of pore-forming proteins) are typically studied by examining the kinetics of vesicle leakage after peptide addition or obtaining structural measurements in reconstituted peptide-lipid systems. In the first case, the pores have been considered transient phenomena that allow the relaxation of the peptide-membrane system. In the second, they correspond to equilibrium structures at minimum free energy. Here we reconcile both approaches by investigating the pore activity of the α5 fragment from the proapoptotic protein Bax (Baxα5) before and after equilibrium of peptide/vesicle complexes. Quenching assays on suspensions of large unilamellar vesicles suggest that in the presence of Baxα5, the vesicles maintain a leaky state for hours under equilibrium conditions. We proved and analyzed stable pores on single giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) in detail by monitoring the entrance of dyes added at different times after incubation with the peptide. When the GUVs came in contact with Baxα5, leakage started stochastically, was delayed for various periods of time, and in the majority of cases proceeded rapidly to completion. After hours in the presence of the peptide, the same individual GUVs that refilled completely at first instance maintained a porated state, which could be observed in subsequent leak-in events for serially added dyes. However, these long-term pores were smaller in size than the initial equilibration pores. Stable pores were also detected in GUVs made in the presence of Baxα5. The latter pores can be considered equilibrium states and may correspond to structures measured previously in bilayer stacks. Although pore formation may occur as a kinetic process, equilibrium pores may also be functionally relevant structures, especially in highly regulated systems such as the apoptotic mitochondrial pores induced by Bax

Rheology and Tack Properties of Biodegradable Isodimorphic Poly(butylene succinate)-Ran-Poly(ε-caprolactone) Random Copolyesters and Their Potential Use as Adhesives

The sole effect of the microstructure of biodegradable isodimorphic poly(butylene succinate)-ran-poly(ε-caprolactone) random copolyesters on their rheological properties is investigated. To avoid the effect of molecular weight and temperature, two rheological procedures are considered: the activation energy of flow, Ea, and the phase angle versus complex modulus plots. An unexpected variation of both parameters with copolyester composition is observed, with respective maximum and minimum values for the 50/50 composition. This might be due to the peculiar chain configurations of the copolymers that vary as a function of comonomer distribution within the chains. The same chain configuration variations are responsible for the isodimorphic character of the copolymers in the crystalline state. Tack tests, performed to study the viability of the copolyesters as environmentally friendly hot melt adhesives (HMA), reveal a correlation with rheological results. Tackiness parameters, particularly the energy of adhesion obtained from stress-strain curves during debonding experiments, are enhanced as melt elasticity increases. Based on the carried-out analysis, the link microstructure-rheology-tackiness is established, allowing selecting the best performing HMA sample considering the polymer chemistry of the system.We acknowledge the financial support from the BIODEST project; this project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 778092. This work has also received funding from the Basque Government through grant IT1309-19

IMF - metallicity: a tight local relation revealed by the CALIFA survey

Variations in the stellar initial mass function (IMF) have been invoked to explain the spectroscopic and dynamical properties of early-type galaxies. However, no observations have yet been able to disentangle the physical driver. We analyse here a sample of 24 early-type galaxies drawn from the CALIFA survey, deriving in a homogeneous way their stellar population and kinematic properties. We find that the local IMF is tightly related to the local metallicity, becoming more bottom-heavy towards metal-rich populations. Our result, combined with the galaxy mass-metallicity relation, naturally explains previous claims of a galaxy mass-IMF relation, derived from non-IFU spectra. If we assume that - within the star formation environment of early-type galaxies - metallicity is the main driver of IMF variations, a significant revision of the interpretation of galaxy evolution observables is necessary.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJL. 6 pages, 4 figure

Assessment systems and teaching methodologies and their incidence in generic competences (EMICOG - STUDENTS)

Las distintas reformas estructurales, organizativas y metodológicas que ha sufrido el Espacio de Educación Superior, han provocado cambios sustanciales en el modelo educativo imperante en el ámbito universitario y, por consiguiente, en los planes de estudios. Bajo este prisma, en la presente comunicación se describe el diseño de un cuestionario ad hoc online, EMICOG – versión estudiantes, mediante la herramienta web, SurveyMonkey. Con él, se pretenden determinar y analizar las percepciones y creencias de utilidad futura que los alumnos tienen acerca de distintas metodologías docentes aplicadas en diversas asignaturas de grados y másteres impartidos en la Universidad de la Costa (Colombia). Al mismo tiempo que se examinan las formas de valoración o evaluación de las actividades transversales efectuadas, prestando especial atención a las competencias genéricas tales como la lectura crítica y la construcción textual. En este sentido, el EMICOG - versión estudiantes cuenta con ocho categorías claramente diferenciadas: i) datos de carácter general, ii) técnicas y estrategias instruccionales, iii) recursos utilizados en la evaluación y enseñanza de la asignatura, iv) variables psicoeducativas, v) necesidades formativas, vi) procesos de estudio y de aprendizaje, vii) actitudes hacia el aprendizaje y la evaluación y, viii) ansiedad hacia el aprendizaje y la evaluación, que son examinadas mediante escalas tipo Likert de 5 o 7 puntos. Por ello, la aplicación del mismo a 2275 estudiantes de pregrado de la Universidad de la Costa permitirá extraer perfiles diferenciales y diseñar estrategias de actuación instruccional exitosa para la mejora de los resultados académicos en las pruebas nacionales de Saber Pro, a las que se presentarán los discentes colombianos al finalizar sus estudios universitarios.The various structural, organizational and methodological reforms that the Higher Education Area has undergone have caused substantial changes in the prevailing educational model in the university sphere and, consequently, in the study plans. With this in mind, the present communication describes the design of an online ad hoc questionnaire, EMICOG – students version, through the web tool, SurveyMonkey. Therewith, it is intended to determine and analyze the perceptions and beliefs of future usefulness that students have about different teaching methodologies applied in various subjects studied of degrees and master’s degrees taught at the Universidad de la Costa (Colombia). At the same time, the forms of assessment or evaluation of the transversal activities carried out are examined, paying special attention to generic competences such as critical reading and textual construction. In this sense, the EMICOG - students version, has eight clearly differentiated categories: i) general data, ii) instructional strategies and techniques, iii) resources used in the evaluation and teaching of the subject, iv) psychoeducational variables, v) training needs, vi) study and learning processes, vii) attitudes towards learning and evaluation and, viii) anxiety towards learning and evaluation, which are examined using 5 or 7 point Likert scales. Therefore, the application of the same to 2275 undergraduate students of the Universidad de la Costa will allow extracting differential profiles and designing strategies of successful instructional action for the improvement of the academic results in the national tests of Saber Pro, to which the Colombian students will present themselves at the end his university studies.Universidad de la Costa (Colombia) y Universidad de León (España), evaluado por la ACAC (MEN Colombia). Proyecto de investigación competitivo CONV-ÍNDEX nº 13-2018 (código inv. 150-01-007-13)peerReviewe

Sistemas de evaluación y metodologías docentes y su incidencia en las competencias genéricas (EMICOG – PROFESORES)

p. 325-336La proliferación de las herramientas y aplicaciones web sincrónicas, los sistemas de gestión de contenido, los cursos de enseñanza masivos y abiertos y los cambios constantes propios de la denominada sociedad de la información (SI), han conllevado que el principal reto del personal docente universitario sea su capacidad de adaptación e innovación. En este sentido, en la presente comunicación se describe el diseño de un instrumento ad hoc online, EMICOG – versión docente, diseñado a través de la herramienta SurveyMonkey. Con él, se pretenden estudiar las metodologías docentes aplicadas en las diversas asignaturas que imparte el profesorado de la Universidad de la Costa (Colombia), las formas de valoración o evaluación de las actividades transversales efectuadas así como sus prácticas docentes a través del análisis de seis secciones: i) datos de carácter general, ii) técnicas y estrategias instruccionales, iii) recursos utilizados en la evaluación y enseñanza de la asignatura, iv) variables psicoeducativas, v) necesidades formativas, y vi) procesos de enseñanza. Ha sido aplicado a 182 profesores universitarios, con el propósito de estudiar en qué medida estas actuaciones docentes pueden incidir en mejores resultados de competencias genéricas en las pruebas nacionales Saber Pro y en las variables psicoeducativas de los discentes, convirtiéndose pues en un instrumento de potenciación y mejora de la calidad docente y por consiguiente de los resultados académicos, mediante el esclarecimiento y la delimitación de las necesidades formativas, que serán la base de futuros programas/cursos instruccionales de estrategias eficientes para la mejora de la enseñanza y que repercutirán en la obtención de mayores logros académicos. Se trata de un Proyecto de Investigación Competitivo CONV-ÍNDEX Núm. 13-2018, Código Proyecto INV. 150-01-007-13 Universidad de la Costa (Colombia) – Universidad de León (España). Evaluado por la ACAC (MEN Colombia).S

MTOC translocation modulates IS formation and controls sustained T cell signaling

The translocation of the microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) toward the nascent immune synapse (IS) is an early step in lymphocyte activation initiated by T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. The molecular mechanisms that control the physical movement of the lymphocyte MTOC remain largely unknown. We have studied the role of the dynein–dynactin complex, a microtubule-based molecular motor, in the process of T cell activation during T cell antigen–presenting cell cognate immune interactions. Impairment of dynein–dynactin complex activity, either by overexpressing the p50-dynamitin component of dynactin to disrupt the complex or by knocking down dynein heavy chain expression to prevent its formation, inhibited MTOC translocation after TCR antigen priming. This resulted in a strong reduction in the phosphorylation of molecules such as ζ chain–associated protein kinase 70 (ZAP70), linker of activated T cells (LAT), and Vav1; prevented the supply of molecules to the IS from intracellular pools, resulting in a disorganized and dysfunctional IS architecture; and impaired interleukin-2 production. Together, these data reveal MTOC translocation as an important mechanism underlying IS formation and sustained T cell signaling