A sequence to promote geoscientific literacy and heritage education

Se presenta una secuencia didáctica para el aula de secundaria sobre geodinámica externa y controversias ambientales y patrimoniales. La propuesta se enmarca dentro de las investigaciones sobre prácticas científicas y cuestiones geocientíficas relacionadas con el patrimonio geológico. El objetivo de la secuencia es promover la educación ambiental y patrimonial mediante la alfabetización geológica y el desempeño de prácticas científicas de modelización y argumentación por el alumnado de secundaria. Se discuten algunos resultados relevantes de la puesta en práctica de la secuencia e implicaciones didácticas para su implementación efectiva.We present a teaching sequence for the secondary school classroom about external geodynamics and environmental and heritage controversies. The proposal is part of the research on scientific practices and geoscientific issues related to geological heritage. The goal of the sequence is to promote environmental and heritage education through geological literacy and modelling and argumentation practices by secondary students. We present the results of the implementation of the sequence for its effective implementation

Report on argumentation and teacher education in Europe

This document will ultimately form part of a comprehensive package of materials for teacher education and professional development in argumentation. The initial deliverable from Kaunas University of Technology described the rhetorical basis of argumentation theory for pre‐ and in‐service teachers, whilst this state of the art report sets out the current and rather unsatisfactory status of argumentation in curricula, initial teacher training/education and teacher professional development, across the fifteen S‐TEAM partner countries. We believe that this is a representative sample and that the report can be taken as a reliable snapshot of the situation in Europe generally

Vivienda rural y medio ambiente

Sin resumenSin resume

Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells as a strategy to improve recovery after stroke

Introduction: Based on the positive results observed in experimental animal models, adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) constitute a promising therapy for stroke treatment. However, several aspects need to be clarified to identify the optimal conditions for successful clinical translation. Areas covered: This review focuses on AD-MSC treatment for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in experimental animal models. In addition, we will explore the optimization of treatment conditions including AD-MSC production, administration routes and therapeutic windows for their appropriate use in patients, and we will provide an update on clinical trials on this therapy. Expert opinion: Compared with other cell types, AD-MSCs have been less investigated in stroke studies. Currently, experimental animal models have shown safety and efficacy with this treatment after stroke. Due to several advantages of AD-MSCs, such as their abundance and accessibility, they can be considered a promising strategy for use in patients. However, many questions are still to be resolved regarding their mechanisms of action, immune system modulation and the effects of AD-MSCs on all components of the brain that may be affected after ischemic and hemorrhagic strokesThis project is supported by research grants PS12/01754 (Spanish Ministry of Science) and INVICTUS (RD12/0014/0006) (Spanish Neurovascular Network), and Research Institute Carlos III, Ministry Science and Innovatio

Perfil sociodemográfico y económico de estudiantes universitarios

Objetivo. Este artículo es producto de la investigación que tuvo como objetivo identificar las características de la población estudiantil de pregrado y posgrado en la Corporación Universitaria del Caribe (CECAR), en Sincelejo (Sucre, Colombia), en el año 2016, mediante el análisis comparativo de variables demográficas, socio-familiares y económicas. Método. se utilizó un enfoque cuantitativo de corte positivista y tipo de estudio descriptivo; la muestra fue probabilística aleatoria simple de 1664 estudiantes, constituida por 851 de pregrado, modalidad presencial; 834 de la modalidad de educación a distancia, y 48 de especializaciones. El instrumento fue una encuesta construida con preguntas semiabiertas y cerradas, validado mediante juicio de expertos. Resultados. las características sociodemográficas no son significativamente diferenciales entre estudiantes de una y otra modalidad respecto a vínculos y dependencia del núcleo familiar, estado civil, procedencia y tipología familiar; en lo económico, prevalecen los estratos 1 y 2, el ingreso económico no asciende a los dos salarios mínimos legales vigente, el nivel y la modalidad educativa tampoco son factores diferenciadores. Conclusiones. el estudio permitió mayor conocimiento sobre las características o perfil de los estudiantes, lo que sirvió a la vez para la trazabilidad de líneas de acción que favorezcan la atención de los más vulnerables social y económicamente, así como a la reorientación del apoyo académico, psicosocial, becas y auxilios

Eficacia de programas de intervención para el desarrollo de habilidades psicológicas en jóvenes con discapacidad mental

Se muestra el desempeño de personas adolescentes y adultas con daño cerebral, después de haber participado en programas de intervención para el desarrollo de habilidades psicológicas, que permitan promover su integración social e independencia personal. El estudio se llevó acabo aplicando la escala de Rogers y D?Eugenio, la evaluación psicológica breve en español (neuropsi) y el test guestáltico visomotor de Bender

New markers for human ovarian cancer that link platinum resistance to the cancer stem cell phenotype and define new therapeutic combinations and diagnostic tools

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of gynecologic cancer-related death, due in part to a late diagnosis and a high rate of recurrence. Primary and acquired platinum resistance is related to a low response probability to subsequent lines of treatment and to a poor survival. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms that drive platinum resistance is urgently needed. METHODS: We used bioinformatics analysis of public databases and RT-qPCR to quantitate the relative gene expression profiles of ovarian tumors. Many of the dysregulated genes were cancer stem cell (CSC) factors, and we analyzed its relation to therapeutic resistance in human primary tumors. We also performed clustering and in vitro analyses of therapy cytotoxicity in tumorspheres. RESULTS: Using bioinformatics analysis, we identified transcriptional targets that are common endpoints of genetic alterations linked to platinum resistance in ovarian tumors. Most of these genes are grouped into 4 main clusters related to the CSC phenotype, including the DNA damage, Notch and C-KIT/MAPK/MEK pathways. The relative expression of these genes, either alone or in combination, is related to prognosis and provide a connection between platinum resistance and the CSC phenotype. However, the expression of the CSC-related markers was heterogeneous in the resistant tumors, most likely because there were different CSC pools. Furthermore, our in vitro results showed that the inhibition of the CSC-related targets lying at the intersection of the DNA damage, Notch and C-KIT/MAPK/MEK pathways sensitize CSC-enriched tumorspheres to platinum therapies, suggesting a new option for the treatment of patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The current study presents a new approach to target the physiology of resistant ovarian tumor cells through the identification of core biomarkers. We hypothesize that the identified mutations confer platinum resistance by converging to activate a few pathways and to induce the expression of a few common, measurable and targetable essential genes. These pathways include the DNA damage, Notch and C-KIT/MAPK/MEK pathways. Finally, the combined inhibition of one of these pathways with platinum treatment increases the sensitivity of CSC-enriched tumorspheres to low doses of platinum, suggesting a new treatment for ovarian cancerSpanish Ministry of Education FPU12/01380Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity, Plan Estatal de I + D + I 2013–2016Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (RTI2018–097455-B-I00)CIBER de Cáncer (CD16/12/00275)Spanish Consejería de Salud of the Junta de Andalucia (PI-0397-2017

A self-adaptive image processing application based on evolvable and scalable hardware

Evolvable Hardware (EH) is a technique that consists of using reconfigurable hardware devices whose configuration is controlled by an Evolutionary Algorithm (EA). Our system consists of a fully-FPGA implemented scalable EH platform, where the Reconfigurable processing Core (RC) can adaptively increase or decrease in size. Figure 1 shows the architecture of the proposed System-on-Programmable-Chip (SoPC), consisting of a MicroBlaze processor responsible of controlling the whole system operation, a Reconfiguration Engine (RE), and a Reconfigurable processing Core which is able to change its size in both height and width. This system is used to implement image filters, which are generated autonomously thanks to the evolutionary process. The system is complemented with a camera that enables the usage of the platform for real time applications

Comparison between xenogeneic and allogeneic adipose mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of acute cerebral infarct: Proof of concept in rats

Background: Rat adipose tissue-derived-mesenchymal stem cells (rAD-MSCs) have proven to be safe in experimental animal models of stroke. However, in order to use human AD-MSCs (hAD-MSCs) as a treatment for stroke patients, a proof of concept is needed. We analyzed whether the xenogeneic hAD-MSCs were as safe and effective as allogeneic rAD-MSCs in permanent Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (pMCAO) in rats. Methods: Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups, which were intravenously injected with xenogeneic hAD-MSCs (2 × 106), allogeneic rAD-MSCs (2 × 106) or saline (control) at 30 min after pMCAO. Behavior, cell implantation, lesion size and cell death were evaluated. Brain markers such as GFAP (glial fibrillary acid protein), VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) and SYP (synaptophysin) and tumor formation were analyzed. Results: Compared to controls, recovery was significantly better at 24 h and continued to be so at 14 d after IV administration of either hAD-MSCs or rAD-MSCs. No reduction in lesion size or migration/implantation of cells in the damaged brain were observed in the treatment groups. Nevertheless, cell death was significantly reduced with respect to the control group in both treatment groups. VEGF and SYP levels were significantly higher, while those of GFAP were lower in the treated groups. At three months, there was no tumor formation. Conclusions: hAD-MSCs and rAD-MSCs were safe and without side effects or tumor formation. Both treatment groups showed equal efficacy in terms of functional recovery and decreased ischemic brain damage (cell death and glial scarring) and resulted in higher angiogenesis and synaptogenesis marker levelsThis research was supported by research grants FIS06/0575, FIS09/01606, FIS12/01754 and INVICTUS (RD12/0014/0006) (Spanish Neurovascular Network), Cellerix, and Research Institute Carlos III, Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain

White matter repair after extracellular vesicles administration in an experimental animal model of subcortical stroke

Mesenchymal stem cells have previously been shown to mediate brain repair after stroke; they secrete 50-100 nm complexes called extracellular vesicles (EVs), which could be responsible for provoking neurovascular repair and functional recovery. EVs have been observed by electron microscopy and NanoSight, and they contain associated proteins such as CD81 and Alix. This purified, homogeneous population of EVs was administered intravenously after subcortical stroke in rats. To evaluate the EVs effects, we studied the biodistribution, proteomics analysis, functional evaluation, lesion size, fiber tract integrity, axonal sprouting and white matter repair markers. We found that a single administration of EVs improved functional recovery, fiber tract integrity, axonal sprouting and white matter repair markers in an experimental animal model of subcortical stroke. EVs were found in the animals' brain and peripheral organs after euthanasia. White matter integrity was in part restored by EVs administration mediated by molecular repair factors implicated in axonal sprouting, tract connectivity, remyelination and oligodendrogenesis. These findings are associated with improved functional recovery. This novel role for EVs presents a new perspective in the development of biologics for brain repair.This study has been partially supported by grants from PS15/01318 and INVICTUS (RD12/0014) (Spanish Neurovascular Network), Miguel Servet (CP15/00069 to María Gutiérrez-Fernández) and a Sara Borrell postdoctoral fellowship (CD12/00706, to Laura Otero-Ortega) from Research Institute Carlos III, Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain and European Regional Development Fun