Inquiry-based science education in primary school in Spain : teachers' practices

Teaching science by inquiry allows students to develop scientific skills, which is key during primary school, and enhances learning. In this study we present the results of a survey to 63 primary school teachers in Spain about their practices in science class and their knowledge about inquiry-based science education (IBSE). Our results show that concept-based paradigm of science is predominant. Scientific skills, besides observation, are not developed, and the concept of research is restricted to bibliographic search. Teachers believe that IBSE is feasible in the Spanish educative system, although they identify the length of the curriculum and the lack of time are the main obstacles

Are pre-service Primary School teachers prepared to teach science by inquiry?

[EN] Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) focuses on the development of science process skills. This teaching methodology has been shown to be especially effective during Primary School as it allows children to explore and confront their own ideas about Nature. Also, a methodology based on process skills is coherent with the main purpose of this educational stage where children need to learn to do things. In order to implement a methodology based on science process skills Primary teachers need to know to use science process skills, and how to teach them. In this paper we address if Spanish pre-service teachers are able to implement IBSE. We focus on pre-service Primary School teachers and compare our results with in-service teachers and a random sample of non-teachers. We explore their level of knowledge about science process skills and if pre-service teachers know how to develop an inquiry-based learning sequence. An overview of the situation of science education and teaching of scientific skills among the degrees on Primary Education in Spain is also presented. Our results show that pre-service teachers have a lack of knowledge on science process skills and fail when they attempting to build a learning sequence based on inquiry.Montero-Pau, J.; Tierno, SP.; Tuzon, P. (2017). Are pre-service Primary School teachers prepared to teach science by inquiry?. En Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Higher Education Advances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1294-1301. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD17.2017.55861294130

Education for Health in Spanish education laws: comparative between the LOE and the LOMCE

Background: The current Organic Law for the Improvement of Educational Quality (LOMCE) incorporates substantial changes from the previous law, in particular a new curricular configuration with a higher prevalence of optionality, which may affect the development of health competencies by students. The objective was to address health education in the last two years, according to the amount and variability of Health related terms. Methods: A comparative quantitative analysis was performed based on the presence of 281 terms related to eight areas of Health Education in both laws and for the two compulsory education stages (Primary and Secondary). Results: Overall, no significant differences were found in the number of terms, or in the treatment of the health areas between laws. However, the increase in optional subjects in the LOMCE increases differences in training in Health Education. The difference in the number of terms studied by a student depending on the curricular itinerary is 28% in Primary and ESO in the LOMCE, compared to 0% and 7% in the LOE. Conclusions: The LOMCE does not represent an improvement in Health Education in terms of the number of health terms, and allows considerable asymmetry in the training of young people depending on their curricular itinerary. The results suggest that it would be necessary to reinforce the contents of Health Education in compulsory subjects

Long-Term Coexistence of Rotifer Cryptic Species

Despite their high morphological similarity, cryptic species often coexist in aquatic habitats presenting a challenge in the framework of niche differentiation theory and coexistence mechanisms. Here we use a rotifer species complex inhabiting highly unpredictable and fluctuating salt lakes to gain insights into the mechanisms involved in stable coexistence in cryptic species. We combined molecular barcoding surveys of planktonic populations and paleogenetic analysis of diapausing eggs to reconstruct the current and historical coexistence dynamics of two highly morphologically similar rotifer species, B. plicatilis and B. manjavacas. In addition, we carried out laboratory experiments using clones isolated from eight lakes where both species coexist to explore their clonal growth responses to salinity, a challenging, highly variable and unpredictable condition in Mediterranean salt lakes. We show that both species have co-occurred in a stable way in one lake, with population fluctuations in which no species was permanently excluded. The seasonal occurrence patterns of the plankton in two lakes agree with laboratory experiments showing that both species differ in their optimal salinity. These results suggest that stable species coexistence is mediated by differential responses to salinity and its fluctuating regime. We discuss the role of fluctuating salinity and a persistent diapausing egg banks as a mechanism for species coexistence in accordance with the ‘storage effect’

Experiences of simulation use in industrial projects

This paper presents experiences obtained from our involvement in the development of industrial simulation projects. Some important, common questions are covered, such as the need to define model behavior using a conceptual model, the problem of choosing the appropriate tool to code the model, and the validation and verification process required. As we will see, the scope of applicability of simulation is broad and the tools are therefore diverse. A clear understanding of the objectives of the simulation, the client’s aims and the resources at our disposal are key issues that often determine the success of a simulation project.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Utility of the SENIORS elderly heart failure risk model applied to the RICA registry of acute heart failure

Background: Heart failure (HF) is predominantly a disease of the elderly. Reliable risk stratification would help in the management of this population, but no model has been well evaluated in elderly HF patients in both acute and chronic settings and not being restricted by ejection fraction. To evaluate the utility of the SENIORS risk model, developed from a clinical trial of elderly patients with chronic HF, in an independent cohort (National Spanish Registry: RICA) of elderly acute HF patients. Methods: We applied the SENIORS risk model to 926 patients in RICA to estimate risk at one year of a) composite outcome of all-cause mortality or cardiovascular hospital admission and b) all-cause mortality. Results: In the RICA registry mean age was 78 years, mean ejection fraction 51% and 87% were in NYHA II and III. At one year death/CV hospitalization occurred in 31.9% and all-cause mortality in 19.5%. The risk model provided good separation of Kaplan Meier curves stratified by tertile for death/CV hospitalization and all-cause mortality. The observed versus expected rates of death/CV hospitalization in the lowest, middle and highest risk tertiles were (%) 34/24, 45/41 and 57/67, and for death 13/16, 32/38 and 44/70 respectively. C-statistic for all-cause mortality or CV hospitalization was 0.60 and for all-cause mortality 0.66. Conclusion: The SENIORS risk model was a reliable tool for relative risk stratification among acute heart failure patients in a “real world” registry, but predicted versus observed risk showed some variability. The model provides a useful basis for clinical risk prediction

Development of environmental health competencies through compulsory education. A polyhedral approach based on the SDGs

This paper focuses on the competencies in environmental health acquired by students during compulsory education. Questionnaires addressing environmental health problems were completed by 923 students of primary and secondary schools from five different Spanish regions. The results for five challenging situations related to hunger, consumerism, climate change, pollution in the cities and allergies are analysed according to the internal coherence of each sub-competency, i.e., addressing knowledge, skills and attitudes towards these topics. Our results show that problems related to air and water pollution were the most commonly described by the students. Focusing on competency achievement, the higher the educational level, the higher the score students obtained, especially regarding pollution and climate change, two problems that appear directly in the school curriculum. The complexity of the concept of environmental health matches with the necessary holistic perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals in a polyhedral approach including as many factors (facets) as necessary to complete the approach to this evolving concept

RNA-seq transcriptome analysis provides candidate genes for resistance to Tomato leaf cur New Delhi virus in melon

[EN] Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) emerged in the Mediterranean Basin in 2012 as the first DNA bipartite begomovirus (Geminiviridae family), causing severe yield and economic losses in cucurbit crops. A major resistance locus was identified in the wild melon accession WM-7 (Cucumis melo kachri group), but the mechanisms involved in the resistant response remained unknown. In this work, we used RNA-sequencing to identify disease-associated genes that are differentially expressed in the course of ToLCNDV infection and could contribute to resistance. Transcriptomes of the resistant WM-7 genotype and the susceptible cultivar Piñonet Piel de Sapo (PS)(C. melo ibericus group) in ToLCNDV and mock inoculated plants were compared at four time points during infection (0, 3, 6, and 12 days post inoculation). Different gene expression patterns were observed over time in the resistant and susceptible genotypes in comparison to their respective controls. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in ToLCNDV-infected plants were classified using gene ontology (GO) terms, and genes of the categories transcription, DNA replication, and helicase activity were downregulated in WM-7 but upregulated in PS, suggesting that reduced activity of these functions reduces ToLCNDV replication and intercellular spread and thereby contributes to resistance. DEGs involved in the jasmonic acid signaling pathway, photosynthesis, RNA silencing, transmembrane, and sugar transporters entail adverse consequences for systemic infection in the resistant genotype, and lead to susceptibility in PS. The expression levels of selected candidate genes were validated by qRT-PCR to corroborate their differential expression upon ToLCNDV infection in resistant and susceptible melon. Furthermore, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) with an effect on structural functionality of DEGs linked to the main QTLs for ToLCNDV resistance have been identified. The obtained results pinpoint cellular functions and candidate genes that are differentially expressed in a resistant and susceptible melon line in response to ToLCNDV, an information of great relevance for breeding ToLCNDV-resistant melon cultivars.This work was supported by grants AGL201785563-C2-1-R and RTA2017-00061-C03-03 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by "ERDF A way of making Europe," by grant PID2020-116055RB-C21 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033; and by PROMETEO projects 2017/078 and 2021/072 (to promote excellence groups) by the Conselleria d'Educacio, Investigacio, Cultura i Esports (Generalitat Valenciana).Sáez-Sánchez, C.; Flores-León, A.; Montero-Pau, J.; Sifres, A.; Dhillon N.P.S:; López, C.; Picó, B. (2022). RNA-seq transcriptome analysis provides candidate genes for resistance to Tomato leaf cur New Delhi virus in melon. Frontiers in Plant Science. 12:1-26. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.7988581261

Drone-Based Identification of Erosive Processes in Open-Pit Mining Restored Areas

Altres ajuts: European Union LIFE20 PRE/IT/000007Unmanned Aerial Systems, or drones, are very helpful tools for managing open-pit mining operations and developing ecological restoration activities. This article presents a method for identifying water erosion processes in active quarries by means of drone imagery remote sensing, in the absence of pre-existing imagery or mapping for comparison. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with a spatial resolution (SR) >10 cm and an orthophoto with an SR >2.5 cm were generated from images captured with a drone and their subsequent photogrammetric processing. By using Geographical Information Systems tools to process the DEM, a detailed drainage network was obtained, the areas of detected water erosion were separated, and the watersheds in the gullies identified. Subsequently, an estimated DEM before the erosive processes was reconstructed by interpolating the gully ridges; this DEM serves as a reference for the relief before the erosion. To calculate the volume of eroded material, the DEM of Differences was calculated, which estimates the volume difference between the previously estimated DEM and the current DEM. Additionally, we calculated the material necessary for the geomorphological adaptation of the quarry and the slope map, which are two valuable factors closely related to the monitoring of erosive processes. The results obtained allowed us to identify the erosion factors quickly and accurately in this type of mining. In the case of water-filled quarries, it would be important to characterize the subsurface relief. Essentially, the presented method can be applied with affordable and non-invasive materials to create digital grid maps at 10 cm resolution, obtaining data ready for 3D metrics, being a very practical landscape modelling tool for characterizing the restoration evolution of open-pit mining spaces