La resolución de problemas en física y su representación : un estudio en la escuela media

The present study explores: a) the relationship between certain characteristics of physics (problem statements and the internal representation that students form after reading the statement; b) the correlation between this representation and the equation generation stage. Seventeen-year-old students of secondary school from Madrid were taken as an accidental sample (N = 189). Certain characteristics of these statements were observed to be favourable instances to solve the problem. Possible implications for the instruction were analysed

Editorial: Factors Affecting Host Selection by Mosquitoes: Implications for the Transmission of Vector-Borne Pathogens

Project PGC2018- 095704-B-I00 from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competition and from the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER

Genetic colour polymorphism is associated with avian malarial infections

Peer reviewe

Genetic colour polymorphism is associated with avian malarial infections

Peer reviewe

Análisis De La Dependencia En Población Geriátrica Como Factor Pronóstico Después De Sufrir Factura De Cadera

En España se producen entre 50.000 y 60.000 fracturas de cadera al año. El objetivo de este análisis es evaluar la dependencia para las Actividades Básicas de la Vida diaria como factor pronóstico después de sufrir una fractura de cadera. Para ello, se realizó el análisis prospectivo de 428 pacientes ingresados por fractura de cadera en nuestro centro entre los años 2015 y 2017. Se evaluó el grado de autonomía mediante el índice de Barthel previo al ingreso, la aparición de complicaciones durante el ingreso y la mortalidad a los 6 meses y al año. Un 43,6% de los pacientes presentaban dependencia grave el ingreso según la escala de Barthel. La mortalidad a los 6 meses de seguimiento fue del 24% de los pacientes y el año del 33,5%. El estudio de regresión logística muestra que sufrir dependencia grave en la escala de Barthel al ingreso es factor de riesgo de muerte a los 6 meses (p = 0,047) y el año (p = 0,043). La dependencia grave al alta también se asocia a la mortalidad a los 6 meses (p <0,001). Por otra parte, no sufrir dependencia es un factor protector de mortalidad a los 6 meses (p = 0,023)

Do mosquitoes transmit the avian malaria-like parasite Haemoproteus? An experimental test of vector competence using mosquito saliva

[Background] The life-cycle of many vector-borne pathogens includes an asexual replication phase in the vertebrate host and sexual reproduction in the insect vector. However, as only a small array of parasites can successfully develop infective phases inside an insect, few insect species are competent vectors for these pathogens. Molecular approaches have identified the potential insect vectors of blood parasites under natural conditions. However, the effectiveness of this methodology for verifying mosquito competence in the transmission of avian malaria parasites and related haemosporidians is still under debate. This is mainly because positive amplifications of parasite DNA in mosquitoes can be obtained not only from sporozoites, the infective phase of the malaria parasites that migrate to salivary glands, but also from different non-infective parasite forms in the body of the vector. Here, we assessed the vectorial capacity of the common mosquito Culex pipiens in the transmission of two parasite genera.[Methods] A total of 1,560 mosquitoes were allowed to feed on five house sparrows Passer domesticus naturally infected by Haemoproteus or co-infected by Haemoproteus/Plasmodium. A saliva sample of the mosquitoes that survived after 13 days post-exposure was taken to determine the presence of parasite DNA by PCR.[Results] Overall, 31.2% mosquito’s head-thorax and 5.8% saliva samples analysed showed positive amplifications for avian malaria parasites. In contrast to Haemoproteus DNA, which was not found in either the body parts or the saliva, Plasmodium DNA was detected in both the head-thorax and the saliva of mosquitoes. Parasites isolated from mosquitoes feeding on the same bird corresponded to the same Plasmodium lineage.[Conclusions] Our experiment provides good evidence for the competence of Cx. pipiens in the transmission of Plasmodium but not of Haemoproteus. Molecular analyses of saliva are an effective method for testing the vector competence of mosquitoes and other insects in the transmission of vector-borne pathogens.This study was funded by projects CGL2012-30759 and CGL2015-65055-P from the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad and European Regional Development’s funds (FEDER). We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI). R.G.L. was supported by a FPI grant (BES-2013-065274), J.M.P. by a Juan de la Cierva contract, L.G. by a contract under the Excelence Projects from Junta de Andalucía (RNM-7800) and J.Y. by a grant from China Scholarship Council.Peer reviewe

Effects of sex and sampling site on the relative proportion of pesticides in uropygial gland secretions of European Blackbirds (Turdus merula)

ETHICS AND PERMISSIONS This project was undertaken with all the necessary permits issued by the Regional Department of the Environment (Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía) and CSIC bio-ethics commit- tee. Ringing licences 66 042 and 660 019. Bio- Ethics permit: 25–05–15-254. Regional Depart- ment of the Environment Permit 2013_21_22- 2011_15 DGGMN 2014_2015.Data Availability Statement All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article. Data availability: the sequences from parasite lineages generated dur- ing the current study are available in MALAVI repository (http://130.235.244.92/Malavi/index. html) and GenBank (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/). The lineages submitted are from Plasmodium SYAT05 (Plasmodium vaughani) and LINN1 (= pSPHUjJ 2), and three different lineages of Leucocy- tozoon: TUMER01, TUMER02 and NEVE01. The GenBank numbers are as follows: Leucocytozoon: ON730883 – Lineage NEVE01, ON730884 – Line- age TUMER02 and ON730885 – Lineage TUMER01; Plasmodium: ON730886 – Linage LINN1 and ON730887 – Lineage SYAT05.This study was funded by project P11-RNM-7038 from the Junta de Andalucía and projects CGL2015-65055-P and PGC2018-095704-B-I00 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). A.D.F. was supported by a Severo- Ochoa grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SVP-2014-068571). L.G. was supported by a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship from the European Commission (grant number 747729, EcoEvoClim).Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is a pesticide that was commonly used for decades worldwide. The use of DDT was banned in the 1970s and 1980s in Europe because of its high toxicity and persistence in the environment, bioaccumulation in living organisms and biomagnification through food webs. However, monitoring using both invasive and non-invasive methods has routinely reported the occurrence of DDT metabolites such as dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) in wild birds, providing valuable information about the exposure to pesticides and potential differences between species and over time. Here, we analysed the relative proportion of DDE in the uropygial gland secretions of European Blackbirds Turdus merula from two localities in southern Spain. Given the negative effects of this pollutant on animal immunity, we also tested for associations between the prevalence of haemosporidians and the relative proportion of DDE in their secretions. Relative proportions of DDE varied between sampling sites and were higher in females than in males, regardless of their age. In spite of the potential immunosuppressive effect of DDE, haemosporidian infection was not associated with DDE presence.Project P11-RNM-7038 from the Junta de AndalucíaProjects CGL2015-65055-P and PGC2018-095704-B-I00 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and European Regional Development Fund (FEDER)Severo Ochoa grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SVP-2014-068571)Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship from the European Commission (grant number 747729, EcoEvoClim

Análisis De La Dependencia En Población Geriátrica Como Factor Pronóstico Después De Sufrir Factura De Cadera

En España se producen entre 50.000 y 60.000 fracturas de cadera al año. El objetivo de este análisis es evaluar la dependencia para las Actividades Básicas de la Vida diaria como factor pronóstico después de sufrir una fractura de cadera. Para ello, se realizó el análisis prospectivo de 428 pacientes ingresados por fractura de cadera en nuestro centro entre los años 2015 y 2017. Se evaluó el grado de autonomía mediante el índice de Barthel previo al ingreso, la aparición de complicaciones durante el ingreso y la mortalidad a los 6 meses y al año. Un 43,6% de los pacientes presentaban dependencia grave el ingreso según la escala de Barthel. La mortalidad a los 6 meses de seguimiento fue del 24% de los pacientes y el año del 33,5%. El estudio de regresión logística muestra que sufrir dependencia grave en la escala de Barthel al ingreso es factor de riesgo de muerte a los 6 meses (p = 0,047) y el año (p = 0,043). La dependencia grave al alta también se asocia a la mortalidad a los 6 meses (p <0,001). Por otra parte, no sufrir dependencia es un factor protector de mortalidad a los 6 meses (p = 0,023)

Low prevalence of blood parasites in a long-distance migratory raptor: the importance of the host habitat

Background The low prevalence of blood parasites in some bird species may be related to the habitats they frequent, the inexistence of the right host-parasite assemblage or the immunological capacity of the host. Here, we assess the parasite load of breeding populations of Eleonora's falcon (Falco eleonorae), a medium-sized long-distance migratory raptor that breeds on small isolated islets throughout the Mediterranean basin and overwinters in inland Madagascar. Methods We examined the prevalence and genetic diversity of the blood parasites belonging to the genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon in Eleonora's falcon nestlings from five colonies and in adults from two colonies from nesting sites distributed throughout most of the species' breeding range. Results None of the 282 nestlings analysed were infected by blood parasites; on the other hand, the lineages of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon were all found to infect adults. Our results support the idea of no local transmission of vector-borne parasites in marine habitats. Adult Eleonora's falcons thus may be infected by parasites when on migration or in their wintering areas. Conclusion The characteristics of marine environments with a lack of appropriate vectors may thus be the key factor determining the absence of local transmission of blood parasites. By comparing the parasite lineages isolated in this species with those previously found in other birds we were able to infer the most likely areas for the transmission of the various parasite lineages

Low prevalence of blood parasites in a long-distance migratory raptor: the importance of host habitat

Background: The low prevalence of blood parasites in some bird species may be related to the habitats they frequent, the inexistence of the right host-parasite assemblage or the immunological capacity of the host. Here, we assess the parasite load of breeding populations of Eleonora’s falcon (Falco eleonorae), a medium-sized long-distance migratory raptor that breeds on small isolated islets throughout the Mediterranean basin and overwinters in inland Madagascar. Methods: We examined the prevalence and genetic diversity of the blood parasites belonging to the genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon in Eleonora’s falcon nestlings from five colonies and in adults from two colonies from nesting sites distributed throughout most of the species’ breeding range. Results: None of the 282 nestlings analysed were infected by blood parasites; on the other hand, the lineages of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon were all found to infect adults. Our results support the idea of no local transmission of vector-borne parasites in marine habitats. Adult Eleonora’s falcons thus may be infected by parasites when on migration or in their wintering areas. Conclusion: The characteristics of marine environments with a lack of appropriate vectors may thus be the key factor determining the absence of local transmission of blood parasites. By comparing the parasite lineages isolated in this species with those previously found in other birds we were able to infer the most likely areas for the transmission of the various parasite lineages.This study was partially supported by the Cabildo de Lanzarote, the project CGL2012-30759 from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and through the Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D&I (SEV-2012-0262). RGL was supported by a FPI grant, JMP and PLL by the Juan de la Cierva program, and LG by a contract from the Excellence Projects from the Junta de Andalucía (RNM-6400). JM was supported by an International Outgoing Fellowship (FP7-PEOPLE-2010). BS was supported by the Algerian Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique (DGRSDT/M.E.S.R.S.) and a Distinguished Scientist Fellowship Program from King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. The Hellenic Ornithological Society and A.G. Leventis Foundation financed the fieldwork in Greece