Competency-based training Universities

El Modelo Educativo USAT, fue elaborado en forma participativa durante dos años, con los aportes de las autoridades universitarias, profesores, estudiantes, egresados y grupos de interés; contiene en su estructura, la formación por competencias. Se publicó formalmente en el año 2011. La implementación de un Modelo Educativo Universitario, fundamentado en el Modelo Formativo por Competencias, es un proceso lento que implica la modificación de estructuras, tal como lo referencia la concreción del Proyecto Tuning en Europa y el de Latinoamérica. A nivel institucional, las políticas de cambios, modifican en lo pedagógico, especialmente los planes curriculares, los métodos de enseñanza y el proceso de evaluación. Las estrategias desarrolladas de este proceso en la USAT, se publicaron en un libro, el cual, se sistematiza las experiencias que forman parte del proceso de implementación del Modelo Educativo USAT. Los avances están en el plano de la Acreditación por el Sistema Nacional de Evaluación y Acreditación y Certificación de la Calidad Educativa (SINEACE) de tres carreras universitarias: Educación Primaria, Educación Secundaria (Filosofía y Teología) y Enfermería, el diseño curricular por competencias de varias Escuelas Profesionales, la capacitación de profesores bajo este enfoque, y las tesis de grado y de postgrado en esta línea de investigación.Abstract: The USAT Educational Model was developed in a participatory way for two years, with input from university officials, faculty, students, alumni and stakeholders; It contains in its structure, competency-based training. It was formally published in 2011. The implementation of a university educational model, based on the Training Competency Model is a slow process that involves changing structures, as reference the realization of the Tuning Project in Europe and Latin America. At the institutional level, policy changes, change in pedagogy, especially the curricula, teaching methods and assessment process. The strategies developed for this process in the USAT, were published in a book, which, the experiences that are part of the process of implementing the educational model USAT is systematized. Advances are at the level of accreditation by the National Assessment and Accreditation and Certification of Educational Quality (SINEACE) three university courses: Primary, Secondary Education (Philosophy and Theology) and Nursing, curriculum design competitions several professional schools, training teachers under this approach, and thesis and graduate in this research

Competency-Based Training University

Este ensayo presenta las experiencias que como equipo de profesionales dedicados a la docencia e investigación en el seno de la universidad peruana, hemos alcanzado. La formación profesional por competencias es un reto de la universidad contemporánea, por tanto ¿Qué significa este reto? ¿Qué implicancias tiene para el desempeño docente?, ¿cómo desarrollar una propuesta de formación basada en competencias?, respuesta a estas interrogantes se encuentran en este estudio, que está dirigida a profesores y directivos que gestionan el talento humano a través del aprendizaje autónomo, utilizando estrategias didácticas innovadoras para mediar la formación continua. También va dirigida a expertos que desarrollan procesos de mejora continua de la práctica docente y tienen en cuenta el currículo basado en competencias y la evaluación de éstas mediante criterios de desempeño y evidencias como procesos de mejora permanente de los aprendizajes, en la solución de problemas contextuales.Abstract: This paper presents the experiences as team dedicated to teaching and research within the Peruvian university professionals, we have achieved. Vocational skills training is a challenge of the contemporary university, so what does this challenge? What are the implications for teacher performance ?, how to develop a training proposal based on competencies ?, answer to these questions are found in this study, which is aimed at teachers and administrators who manage human talent through autonomous learning, using innovative teaching strategies to mediate lifelong learning. It also is aimed at experts who develop continuous improvement processes of teaching practice and take into account the competency-based curriculum and evaluation of these through performance criteria and evidence as processes of continuous improvement of learning, in solving problems context

Formación universitaria basada en competencias

Este ensayo presenta las experiencias que como equipo de profesionales dedicados a la docencia e investigación en el seno de la universidad peruana, hemos alcanzado

Management Mathematics for european schools

Beyond the topics, the Mathematics folklore says that pupils think that this field is a boring, non-practical mental exercise, far apart from daily life. This thought is influencing the entire education system and even society, motivating important lack of mathematical skills among students. This work presents experiences, developed within the MaMaEuSch project oriented to stimulate and enforce the study of Mathematics among the students in the High-School education level

A feasible pathway to stabilize monoclinic and tetragonal phase coexistence in barium titanate-based ceramics

Multiphase coexistence has attracted significant interest in recent years because its control has entailed a significant breakthrough for the piezoelectric activity enhancement of lead-free piezoelectric oxides. However, the comprehension of phase coexistence still has many controversies including an adequate synthesis process and/or the role played by crystalline phases in functional properties. In this study, functional barium titanate [BaTiO_(3), (BTO)]-based materials with tunable functional properties were obtained by compositional modification via Bismuth (Bi) doping. Towards this aim, we systematically synthesized BTO-based materials by a sol-gel method, focusing on the control of Bi substitution in the BaTiO_(3) structure. In particular, we found that the substitution of Bi^(+3) leads to the stabilization of a monoclinic-tetragonal (M-T) phase boundary close to room temperature, which facilities the polarization process of the system. As a surprising result, we believe that the simple and cost-effective strategy and design principles described in this work open up the possibility of obtaining BTO-based lead-free ceramics with enhanced properties induced by the stabilization of the phase coexistence, expanding their application range

La actividad física de ocio como factor protector para la obesidad en la población adulta del área rural de Quingeo, Cuenca-Ecuador

Introducción: La obesidad se considera una epidemia global, cuya prevalencia se estima que aumente drásticamente en los próximos años. Por otra parte, la actividad física ha demostrado múltiples beneficios, entre los cuales se encuentran el ser un factor protector de riesgo cardiometabólico. Sin embargo en las parroquias rurales de Cuenca-Ecuador no se ha evaluado el impacto que tiene la actividad física sobre la obesidad.Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un estudio de campo, descriptivo y transversal en 530 individuos mayores a 18 años de ambos sexos residentes en la parroquia Quingeo de la ciudad de Cuenca, Provincia del Azuay. La actividad física fue evaluada mediante el Cuestionario Internacional de Actividad Física (IPAQ), dividiéndose en actividad física de hogar, trabajo, transporte y tiempo de ocio. Se clasificó a su vez según el promedio de equivalentes metabólicos obtenidos (METs) en alta o baja para cada dominio. Se realizó una regresión logística para obesidad ajustada por: sexo, grupo etario, estatus laboral, hábito tabáquico, alcohólico, caféico, actividad física de trabajo, transporte, hogar y ocio.Resultados: El 17,7% tuvo obesidad, siendo mayor en las mujeres (20,4%) comparado a los hombres (13,8%). La actividad física de ocio mostró una diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre obesos [0 (0-1039) METs/min/sem] y no obesos [346 (0-1386) METs/min/sem] (p=0,005). Los factores que mostraron mayor influencia para la obesidad fueron el sexo femenino (OR=1,78; IC95%: 1,01-3,17; p=0,048); edad de 45 a 65 años (OR=1,79; IC95%: 1,05-2,94; p=0,031), edad mayor a 65 años (OR=2,09; IC95%: 1,06-4,09; p=0,032); y la actividad física de ocio se comportó como un factor de protección para obesidad (OR=0,46; IC95%: 0,22-1,45; p=0,038).Conclusión: La actividad física en tiempo de ocio, se comporta como un factor protector para la obesidad en las parroquias rurales, siendo necesaria su recomendación a la población adulta general así como a los pacientes en riesgo de las consultas de atención primaria

Ibero-American Consensus on Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners: Safety, Nutritional Aspects and Benefits in Food and Beverages

International scientific experts in food, nutrition, dietetics, endocrinology, physical activity, paediatrics, nursing, toxicology and public health met in Lisbon on 2-4 July 2017 to develop a Consensus on the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) as substitutes for sugars and other caloric sweeteners. LNCS are food additives that are broadly used as sugar substitutes to sweeten foods and beverages with the addition of fewer or no calories. They are also used in medicines, health-care products, such as toothpaste, and food supplements. The goal of this Consensus was to provide a useful, evidence-based, point of reference to assist in efforts to reduce free sugars consumption in line with current international public health recommendations. Participating experts in the Lisbon Consensus analysed and evaluated the evidence in relation to the role of LNCS in food safety, their regulation and the nutritional and dietary aspects of their use in foods and beverages. The conclusions of this Consensus were: (1) LNCS are some of the most extensively evaluated dietary constituents, and their safety has been reviewed and confirmed by regulatory bodies globally including the World Health Organisation, the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority; (2) Consumer education, which is based on the most robust scientific evidence and regulatory processes, on the use of products containing LNCS should be strengthened in a comprehensive and objective way; (3) The use of LNCS in weight reduction programmes that involve replacing caloric sweeteners with LNCS in the context of structured diet plans may favour sustainable weight reduction. Furthermore, their use in diabetes management programmes may contribute to a better glycaemic control in patients, albeit with modest results. LNCS also provide dental health benefits when used in place of free sugars; (4) It is proposed that foods and beverages with LNCS could be included in dietary guidelines as alternative options to products sweetened with free sugars; (5) Continued education of health professionals is required, since they are a key source of information on issues related to food and health for both the general population and patients. With this in mind, the publication of position statements and consensus documents in the academic literature are extremely desirable

The global abundance of tree palms

Aim Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quantified global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change. Location Tropical and subtropical moist forests. Time period Current. Major taxa studied Palms (Arecaceae). Methods We assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co‐occurring non‐palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure. Results On average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly associated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long‐term climate stability. Life‐form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non‐tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above‐ground biomass, but the magnitude and direction of the effect require additional work. Conclusions Tree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also overwhelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests

Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests

The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (−9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth’s climate

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio