Education facing new gazes: the media age and educommunication of knowledge as key elements to school success

En la actualidad, para que la escuela transmita conocimientos de manera efectiva, se precisa de un profesorado implicado en la gestión de la incesante cantidad de informaciones que provienen de los medios de comunicación y tecnológicos. La tradición escolar había identificado el conocimiento con una acumulación de saberes ordenados y subordinados; pero la pedagogía moderrna nos muestra que el aprendizaje es una actividad intencional y que queda determinada por la predisposición en participar en los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Este artículo propone una revisión de los métodos de enseñanza como meros agentes de transmisión de conocimientos y se postula a favor de la gestión de todo aquel conocimiento que llega a nuestro alumnado a través de los medios. Todo ello se fundamenta sobre una idea esencial: los mensajes de los medios son construcciones; es por ello que una escuela que se proponga trabajar la educación en medios debe marcarse como objetivo aprender a que su alumnado interrogue esas representaciones, a fin de entender mejor la manera en la que los medios, en su día a día, van dando sentido a su realidad.Nowadays, in order for the school to transmit knowledge in an effective way, it is essential to have teachers who become involved in the management of the massive amounts of daily information from the media. School tradition had identified knowledge as a collection of organized or subordinate knowledge; but modern pedagogy shows us learning as concious and determined by the learner´s predisposition in the teaching-learning process.This article proposes a revision of the teaching methods as mere agents of transmission of knowledge, and is in favour of managing all the knowledge which is obtained by the media. It is all based on an essential idea: media messages are constructions; that is why, a school which makes the decision of working with the media should have as its main objective to make learners question those representations in order to clearly understand the way the media, in their daily life, are giving meaning to their reality

Diferencias en el paisaje asociadas a límites internacionales y asimetrías económicas

Land cover divergences across international borders reflect how country-level policies influence ecological footprints on the landscape. We identified 30 abrupt transboundary divergences across the globe, with major land cover differences despite similar ecological conditions. Divergences were significantly associated with differences in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between countries, not with demographic differences. In mountains, unsuitable for mechanized agriculture, wealthier countries have higher forest cover and urbanization, suggesting advanced ‘forest transitions’. Lowlands with rainfed agricultural potential showed more agriculture development on the wealthier side of the border, except when the country´s economy was not based on agriculture. In drylands, wealthier countries showed much more irrigation-based agriculture. Despite globalization, transboundary divergences are unlikely to disappear and may even intensify, thus meriting increased research attention as a distinctive feature of Anthropocene ecology.Las divergencias de uso del territorio a través de límites internacionales reflejan en qué medida diferentes políticas nacionales influyen en su impacto sobre el paisaje. Identificamos 30 diferencias abruptas de cobertura del territorio a ambos lados de límites internacionales, bajo condiciones ambientales similares, alrededor del mundo. Las divergencias se asociaron significativamente con diferencias de Producto Bruto Interno (PBI) entre los países, no con diferencias demográficas. En zonas montañosas, no aptas para agricultura mecanizada, los países económicamente más prósperos mostraron mayores coberturas boscosas, sugiriendo etapas avanzadas de ‘transición forestal’. Las tierras bajas aptas para agricultura de secano mostraron mayor desarrollo agrícola hacia el lado del límite correspondiente al país con mayor PBI. En zonas áridas, los países más ricos mostraron mayor desarrollo de agricultura bajo riego. A pesar de la globalización, las divergencias entre países en cuanto a cobertura del territorio no son fácilmente reversibles e, inclusive, se pueden intensificar; por lo tanto, requieren mayor atención como una característica distintiva de la ecología del Antropoceno.Fil: Grau, Hector Ricardo. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Gasparri, Nestor Ignacio. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Aráoz, Ezequiel. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Aide, T. Michell. Universidad de Puerto Rico; Puerto RicoFil: Piquer Rodríguez, María. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina. Freie Universität Berlin; Alemani

Contribution of Irrigation Ponds to the Sustainability of Agriculture. A Review of Worldwide Research

The use of irrigation ponds has proved to be an efficient alternative for increasing the availability and quality of water resources for irrigation and contributing to the sustainability of agriculture. This article analyses the dynamics of worldwide research on this topic over the last two decades. To do this, a review including a qualitative systematic analysis and a quantitative bibliometric analysis was carried out on a sample of 951 articles. The results reveal that this line of research is becoming more relevant within agricultural research, particularly in recent years. The research in this topic has focused on the sustainable development of vulnerable regions, the contribution to the agronomic improvement of crops and farms, environmental impact assessment, the joint management of water resources, the restoration of groundwater bodies, and the use of rainfall. Gaps have been found in the literature with respect to the capacity of irrigation ponds to cover the irrigation needs in different agricultural contexts, the perceptions and attitudes of farmers towards the use of irrigation ponds, and the economic–financial feasibility of these systems

Mapping and characterizing social-ecological land systems of South America

Humans place strong pressure on land and have modified around 75% of Earth’s terrestrial surface. In this context, ecoregions and biomes, merely defined on the basis of their biophysical features, are incomplete characterizations of the territory. Land system science requires classification schemes that incorporate both social and biophysical dimensions. In this study, we generated spatially explicit social-ecological land system (SELS) typologies for South America with a hybrid methodology that combined data-driven spatial analysis with a knowledge-based evaluation by an interdisciplinary group of regional specialists. Our approach embraced a holistic consideration of the social-ecological land systems, gathering a dataset of 26 variables spanning across 7 dimensions: physical, biological, land cover, economic, demographic, political, and cultural. We identified 13 SELS nested in 5 larger social-ecological regions (SER). Each SELS was discussed and described by specific groups of specialists. Although 4 environmental and 1 socioeconomic variable explained most of the distribution of the coarse SER classification, a diversity of 15 other variables were shown to be essential for defining several SELS, highlighting specific features that differentiate them. The SELS spatial classification presented is a systematic and operative characterization of South American social-ecological land systems. We propose its use can contribute as a reference framework for a wide range of applications such as analyzing observations within larger contexts, designing system-specific solutions for sustainable development, and structuring hypothesis testing and comparisons across space. Similar efforts could be done elsewhere in the world

Trade-offs between biodiversity and agriculture are moving targets in dynamic landscapes

1. Understanding how biodiversity responds to intensifying agriculture is critical to mitigating the trade-offs between them. These trade-offs are particularly strong in tropical and subtropical deforestation frontiers, yet it remains unclear how changing landscape context in such frontiers alters agriculture?biodiversity trade?offs.2. We focus on the Argentinean Chaco, a global deforestation hotspot, to explore how landscape context shapes trade-off curves between agricultural intensity and avian biodiversity. We use a space-for-time approach and integrate a large field dataset of bird communities (197 species, 234 survey plots), three agricultural intensity metrics (meat yield, energy yield and profit) and a range of environmental covariates in a hierarchical Bayesian occupancy framework.3. Woodland extent in the landscape consistently determines how individual bird species, and the bird community as a whole, respond to agricultural intensity.Many species switch in their fundamental response, from decreasing occupancy with increased agricultural intensity when woodland extent in the landscape is low (loser species), to increasing occupancy with increased agricultural intensity when woodland extent is high (winner species).4. This suggests that landscape context strongly mediates who wins and loses along agricultural intensity gradients. Likewise, where landscapes change, such as in deforestation frontiers, the very nature of the agriculture?biodiversity trade?offs can change as landscapes transformation progresses.5. Synthesis and applications. Schemes to mitigate agriculture?biodiversity trade?offs,such as land sparing or sharing, must consider landscape context. Strategies that are identified based on a snapshot of data risk failure in dynamic landscapes, particularly where agricultural expansion continues to reduce natural habitats. Rather than a single, fixed strategy, adaptive management of agriculture?biodiversity trade?offs is needed in such situations. Here we provide a toolset for considering changing landscape contexts when exploring such trade-offs. This can help to better align agriculture and biodiversity in tropical and subtropical deforestation frontiers.Fil: Macchi, Leandro. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Decarre, Julieta. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales. Instituto de Recursos Biológicos; ArgentinaFil: Goijman, Andrea Paula. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales. Instituto de Recursos Biológicos; ArgentinaFil: Mastrangelo, Matias Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Laboratorio de Agroecología; ArgentinaFil: Blendinger, Pedro Gerardo. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Gavier Pizarro, Gregorio. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales. Instituto de Recursos Biológicos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Murray, Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional La Pampa-San Luis. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Luis. Agencia de Extensión Rural San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Piquer Rodríguez, María. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Semper Pascual, Asunción. Humboldt-universitat Zu Berlin. Geography Department.; AlemaniaFil: Kuemmerle, Tobias. Humboldt-universitat Zu Berlin. Geography Department.; Alemani

Open Standards for conservation as a tool for linking research and conservation agendas in complex socio-ecological systems

Disparity between the knowledge produced and knowledge required to address complex environmental challenges, such as biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation, continues to grow. Systems thinking under the Open Standards for Conservation framework can help close this gap by facilitating interdisciplinary engagement, advancing conversations on how environmental systems work, and identifying actions that could be implemented to achieve defined conservation goals. Here, we present a modelling exercise for one of the most endangered forested systems in the world: The Gran Chaco. We focus on unsustainable hunting, a pressing threat to this system. We highlight knowledge gaps that underpin all parts of an adaptive management process from understanding key relationships in social-ecological systems to design and implementation of strategies for Gran Chaco conservation as well as evaluation of outcomes.Fil: Núñez Regueiro, Mauricio Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; Argentina. Universidad Católica de Salta; ArgentinaFil: Branch, Lyn Clarke. University of Florida. Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; Estados UnidosFil: Derlindati, Enrique Javier. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Cs.naturales. Escuela de Agronomia. Cat.de Agroecologia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gasparri, Nestor Ignacio. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Marinaro Fuentes, María Sofía. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Nanni, Ana Sofía. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Nuñez Godoy, Cristina Cecilia. University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Piquer Rodríguez, María. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Soto, José R.. University of Arizona; Estados UnidosFil: Tálamo, Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; Argentin

Oxidative stress is associated with an increased antioxidant defense in elderly subjects: a multilevel approach.

BACKGROUND: Studies of associations between plasma GSH-Px activity and cardiovascular risk factors have been done in humans, and contradictory results have been reported. The aim of our study was to assess the association between the scavenger antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in plasma and the presence of novel and classical cardiovascular risk factors in elderly patients. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study with baseline data from a subsample of the PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea) study in Spain. Participants were 1,060 asymptomatic subjects at high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), aged 55 to 80, selected from 8 primary health care centers (PHCCs). We assessed classical CVD risk factors, plasma oxidized low-density lipoproteins (ox-LDL), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) using multilevel statistical procedures. RESULTS: Mean GSH-Px value was 612 U/L (SE: 12 U/L), with variation between PHCCs ranging from 549 to 674 U/L (Variance =  013.5; P<0.001). Between-participants variability within a PHCC accounted for 89% of the total variation. Both glucose and oxidized LDL were positively associated with GSH-Px activity after adjustment for possible confounder variables (P = 0.03 and P = 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: In a population at high cardiovascular risk, a positive linear association was observed between plasma GSH-Px activity and both glucose and ox-LDL levels. The high GSH-Px activity observed when an oxidative stress situation occurred, such as hyperglycemia and lipid oxidative damage, could be interpreted as a healthy defensive response against oxidative injury in our cardiovascular risk population

Ultra-processed foods consumption as a promoting factor of greenhouse gas emissions, water, energy, and land use: A longitudinal assessment

Background: Dietary patterns can produce an environmental impact. Changes in people's diet, such as the increased consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) can not only influence human health but also environment sustainability. Objectives: Assessment of the impact of 2-year changes in UPF consumption on greenhouse gas emissions and water, energy and land use. Design A 2-year longitudinal study after a dietary intervention including 5879 participants from a Southern European population between the ages of 55-75 years with metabolic syndrome. Methods Food intake was assessed using a validated 143-item food frequency questionnaire, which allowed classifying foods according to the NOVA system. In addition, sociodemographic data, Mediterranean diet adherence, and physical activity were obtained from validated questionnaires. Greenhouse gas emissions, water, energy and land use were calculated by means of the Agribalyse® 3.0.1 database of environmental impact indicators for food items. Changes in UPF consumption during a 2-year period were analyzed. Statistical analyses were conducted using computed General Linear Models. Results: Participants with major reductions in their UPF consumption reduced their impact by −0.6 kg of CO2eq and −5.3 MJ of energy. Water use was the only factor that increased as the percentage of UPF was reduced. Conclusions: Low consumption of ultra-processed foods may contribute to environmental sustainability. The processing level of the consumed food should be considered not only for nutritional advice on health but also for environmental protection

Dietary diversity and nutritional adequacy among an older Spanish population with metabolic syndrome in the PREDIMED-Plus study: a cross-sectional analysis

Dietary guidelines emphasize the importance of a varied diet to provide an adequate nutrient intake. However, an older age is often associated with consumption of monotonous diets that can be nutritionally inadequate, increasing the risk for the development or progression of diet-related chronic diseases, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS). To assess the association between dietary diversity (DD) and nutrient intake adequacy and to identify demographic variables associated with DD, we cross-sectionally analyzed baseline data from the PREDIMED-Plus trial: 6587 Spanish adults aged 55-75 years, with overweight/obesity who also had MetS. An energy-adjusted dietary diversity score (DDS) was calculated using a 143-item validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Nutrient inadequacy was defined as an intake below 2/3 of the dietary reference intake (DRI) forat least four of 17 nutrients proposed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between DDS and the risk of nutritionally inadequate intakes. In the higher DDS quartile there were more women and less current smokers. Compared with subjects in the highest DDS quartile, those in the lowest DDS quartile had a higher risk of inadequate nutrient intake: odds ratio (OR) = 28.56 (95% confidence interval (CI) 20.80-39.21). When we estimated food varietyfor each of the food groups, participants in the lowest quartile had a higher risk of inadequate nutrient intake for the groups of vegetables, OR = 14.03 (95% CI 10.55-18.65), fruits OR = 11.62 (95% CI 6.81-19.81), dairy products OR = 6.54 (95% CI 4.64-9.22) and protein foods OR = 6.60 (95% CI 1.96-22.24). As DDS decreased, the risk of inadequate nutrients intake rose. Given the impact of nutrient intake adequacy on the prevention of non-communicable diseases, health policies should focus on the promotion of a healthy varied diet, specifically promoting the intake of vegetables and fruit among population groups with lower DDS such as men, smokers or widow(er)s

Does Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods Matter for Liver Health? Prospective Analysis among Older Adults with Metabolic Syndrome

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) includes a spectrum of liver alterations that can result in severe disease and even death. Consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) has been associated with obesity and related comorbidities. However, the link between UPF and NAFLD has not been sufficiently assessed. We aimed to investigate the prospective association between UPF consumption and liver health biomarkers. Methods: We followed for 1 year 5867 older participants with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) from the PREDIMED-Plus trial. A validated 143-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to evaluate consumption of UPF at baseline, 6, and 12 months. The degree of processing for foods and beverages (g/day) was established according to the NOVA classification system. The non-invasive fatty liver index (FLI) and hepatic steatosis index (HSI) were used to evaluate liver health at three points in time. The associations between changes in UPF consumption (percentage of total daily dietary intake (g)) and liver biomarkers were assessed using mixed-effects linear models with repeated measurements. Results: In this cohort, UPF consumption at baseline was 8.19% (SD 6.95%) of total daily dietary intake in grams. In multivariable models, each 10% daily increment in UPF consumption in 1 year was associated with significantly greater FLI (β 1.60 points, 95% CI 1.24;1.96 points) and HSI (0.43, 0.29; 0.57) scores (all p-values < 0.001). These associations persisted statistically significant after adjusting for potential dietary confounders and NAFLD risk factors. Conclusions: A higher UPF consumption was associated with higher levels of NAFLD-related biomarkers in older adults with overweight/obesity and MetS