Lesson Study and Service Learning in Teacher Preparation

The aim of this paper is to share an teacher preparation experience that combines Lesson Study (LS) with a Service Learning methodology. This experience is interdisciplinary and includes three subjects from first-grade Childhood Education, carried out at University of Malaga since academic year 2014-2015. Within this framework, our students carry out Service Learning projects for schools in our area that are designed and developed following the LS methodology. Service Learning projects go through the following phases (Puig, J., Martín, & Batlle, 2008): 1) Preparation by the teachers involved in the project; 2) Implementation, i.e. developing the project with the students; 3) Evaluation. The implementation phase also has three sub-phases: preparation, implementation, and round-up. It is here that the LS is developed through the following phases (Soto & Pérez, 2015): 1. Define the problem; 2. Co-operatively design an experimental lesson and its observation process; 3. First experimental lesson; 4. Analyse and review the lesson; 5. Second experimental lesson; 6. Analysis and drafting of conclusions; 7. Presentation in extended context. We were able to gather evidence on how students teachers resolved different cognitive conflicts during the process. We saw how the LS process, with its phases and cooperative work, allows them to combine creativity and unique talents in a common project that acquires meaning and relevance thanks to Service Learning. This provides a framework that facilitates the construction of solid structures related to the meaning of the educational process, and which can be used to recalibrate what it means to be a Childhood School teacher: a creative, relevant, complex experience that requires recreating the knowledge and experience that students bring with them to the University about what it means to be a Childhood School teacher.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Symbiotic stars in X-rays II: faint sources detected with XMM-Newton and Chandra

We report the detection, with ${\it Chandra}$ and XMM-${\it Newton}$, of faint, soft X-ray emission from four symbiotics stars that were not known to be X-ray sources. These four object show a $\beta$-type X-ray spectrum, i.e. their spectra can be modeled with an absorbed optically thin thermal emission with temperatures of a few million degrees. Photometric series obtained with the Optical Monitor on board XMM-${\it Newton}$ from V2416 Sgr and NSV 25735 support the proposed scenario where the X-ray emission is produced in a shock-heated region inside the symbiotic nebulae.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, 2 tables; A&A publishe

Symbiotic stars in X-rays III: Suzaku observations

We describe the X-ray emission as observed with Suzaku from five symbiotic stars that we selected for deep Suzaku observations after their initial detection with ROSAT, ASCA and Swift. We find that the X-ray spectra of all five sources can be adequately fit with absorbed, optically thin thermal plasma models, with either single- or multi-temperature plasmas. These models are compatible with the X-ray emission originating in the boundary layer between an accretion disk and a white dwarf. The high plasma temperatures of kT$~>3$ keV for all five targets were greater than expected for colliding winds. Based on these high temperatures, as well as previous measurements of UV variability and UV luminosity, and the large amplitude of X-ray flickering in 4 Dra, we conclude that all five sources are accretion-powered through predominantly optically thick boundary layers. Our X-ray data allow us to observe a small, optically thin portion of the emission from these boundary layers. Given the time between previous observations and these observations, we find that the intrinsic X-ray flux and the intervening absorbing column can vary by factors of three or more on a time scale of years. However, the location of the absorber and the relationship between changes in accretion rate and absorption are still elusive.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures and 3 tables. Accepted to published 04/15/2016. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1505.0063

Improved serodiagnosis of alveolar echinococcosis of humans using an in vitro-produced Echinococcus multilocularis antigen

Serology is an important tool for the diagnosis of alveolar echinococcosis (AE) in humans. In order to improve serodiagnostic performance, we have developed an in vitro-produced Echinococcus mulilocularis metacestode vesicle fluid (EmVF) antigen for application in an immunoblot assay. Immunoblot analysis of EmVF revealed an abundant immunoreactive band triplet of 20-22kDa, achieving a sensitivity of 100% based on the testing of sera from 62 pre-operative and pre-treatment cases of active and inactive AE. Thus, the EmVF-immunoblotting allowed the specific detection of cases seronegative by the Em2- and/or EmII/3-10-ELISA, usually attributable to abortive, inactive cases of AE. The specificity of the EmVF-immunoblotting did not allow discrimination between AE and cystic echinococcosis (CE) but was 100% with respect to non-Echinococcus parasitic infections or cancer malignancies. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that the current ELISA test combination (Em2- and II/3-10-ELISA) be complemented with EmVF-immunoblotting, allowing an improved diagnosis of both clinical and subclinical forms of AE, including those associated with E. multilocularis-specific antibody reactivities not detectable by ELIS

Determination of transition frequencies in a single 138^{138}Ba+^{+} ion

Transition frequencies between low-lying energy levels in a single trapped $^{138}$Ba$^{+}$ ion have been measured with laser spectroscopy referenced to an optical frequency comb. By extracting the frequencies of one-photon and two-photon components of the line shape using an eight-level optical Bloch model, we achieved 0.1 MHz accuracy for the 5d $^{2}$D$_{3/2}$ - 6p $^{2}$P$_{1/2}$ and 6s $^{2}$S$_{1/2}$ - 5d $^{2}$D$_{3/2}$ transition frequencies, and 0.2 MHz for the 6s $^{2}$S$_{1/2}$ - 6p $^{2}$P$_{1/2}$ transition frequency.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Duality symmetric massive type II theories in D=8 and D=6

We study $T^2$ compactification of massive type IIA supergravity in presence of possible Ramond-Ramond (RR) background fluxes. The resulting theory in D=8 is shown to possess full $SL(2,R)\times SL(2,R)$ T-duality symmetry similar to the massless case. It is shown that elements of duality symmetry interpolate between massive type IIA compactified on $T^2$ and ordinary type IIA compactified on $T^2$ with RR 2-form flux. We also discuss relationship between M-theory vacua and massive type IIA vacua. The D8-brane is found to correspond to M-theory `pure gravity' solution which is a direct product of 7-dimensional Minkowski space and a 4-dimensional instanton. We also construct D6-D8 bound state which preserves 1/2 supersymmetries. We then discuss massive IIA compactification on $T^4$ and point out that when all possible RR fluxes on $T^4$ are turned on the six-dimensional theory appears to assume a nice SO(4,4) invariant form.Comment: 19 pages, JHEP3, typos fixed, references added; v2: small correction in eq.(5.3), published in JHE

ζ1 + ζ2 Reticuli binary system: a puzzling chromospheric activity pattern

We perform, for the first time, a detailed long-term activity study of the binary system ζ Ret. We use all available HARPS spectra obtained between the years 2003 and 2016. We build a time series of the Mount Wilson S index for both stars, then we analyse these series by using Lomb-Scargle periodograms. The components ζ1 Ret and ζ2 Ret that belong to this binary system are physically very similar to each other and also similar to our Sun, which makes it a remarkable system. We detect in the solar-analogue star ζ2 Ret a long-term activity cycle with a period of ?10 yr, similar to the solar one (?11 yr). It is worthwhile to mention that this object satisfies previous criteria for a flat star and for a cycling star simultaneously. Another interesting feature of this binary system is a high ?0.220 dex difference between the average log (R^´ }_HK) activity levels of both stars. Our study clearly shows that ζ1 Ret is significantly more active than ζ2 Ret. In addition, ζ1 Ret shows an erratic variability in its stellar activity. In this work, we explore different scenarios trying to explain this rare behaviour in a pair of coeval stars, which could help to explain the difference in this and other binary systems. From these results, we also warn that for the development of activity-age calibrations (which commonly use binary systems and/or stellar clusters as calibrators) the whole history of activity available for the stars involved should be taken into account.Fil: Flores, M. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Saffe, Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Buccino, Andrea Paola. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Jaque Arancibia, Marcelo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: González, J F. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Nuñez, N E. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Jofré, E. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba; Argentin

Experimental adiabatic vortex ratchet effect in Nb films with asymmetric pinning trap

Nb films grown on top of an array of asymmetric pinning centers show a vortex ratchet effect. A net flow of vortices is induced when the vortex lattice is driven by fluctuating forces on an array of pinning centers without reflection symmetry. This effect occurs in the adiabatic regime and it could be mimiced only by reversible DC driven forces