El rincón de la ciencia en las aulas de la EPB N°74

En el presente trabajo se muestra la puesta en marcha y desarrollo de un proyecto de voluntariado-extensión universitaria, dirigido a acompañar las trayectorias educativas en una escuela primaria, y las interacciones entre los diferentes actores que participan del mismo: maestros, voluntarios, docentes investigadores y alumnos. En las distintas etapas del proyecto cada uno de los participantes manifestó su satisfacción. Los docentes de la escuela no sólo profundizaron saberes en el área de Ciencias Naturales, sino que también aprendieron otras maneras de enseñarla. Los directivos y padres de la escuela encontraron a una Universidad comprometida con lo social, que abrió sus puertas a sectores de la comunidad que no podrían acceder de otra manera. Los/as niños/as tomaron contacto con la experimentación, revalorizando el trabajo en grupo. A los/as voluntarios/as les sirvió para conocer la realidad de la escuela pública a través de la interacción con los niños/as y maestros y para reafirmar o descubrir su vocación docente. Como docentes investigadores, coordinadores de este proyecto nos sentimos reconfortados al poder brindar nuestros conocimientos fuera del ámbito académico universitario; con esta tarea hemos tratado de promover actitudes y valores que contribuyeran a mejorar la comunidad escolar, dejando “capacidad instalada” en las maestras.Facultad de Periodismo y Comunicación Socia

Spatial scale effects on taxonomic and biological trait diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrates in Mediterranean streams

We examined the effect of spatial scale on aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in Mediterranean streams from six basins distributed across southern Europe, including Spain, France, Italy, and Greece. We classified the studied streams according to their long-term aquatic regime into the three following types: (i) permanent (P), (ii) intermittent with summer pools (I-P), and (iii) intermittent with summer dry channels (I-D). For each stream type, we analyzed taxonomic and trait diversity, as well as the composition of the macroinvertebrate community, following a spatially nested design at three spatial scales of analysis: microhabitat (substratum patches), mesohabitat (pools vs. riffles), and macrohabitat (streams). In order to assess intrinsic seasonal variability in streams from the Mediterranean region, 20 Surber samples were taken from each stream according to meso- and microhabitat frequency in the wet and the dry season during 2010. Given the need for adaptation to specific hydrological conditions and the fact that microhabitats should encompass the niche requirements of particular taxa, we hypothesized that this spatial scale would have a greater influence on macroinvertebrate taxa composition and biological traits than the other two larger spatial scales in intermittent streams. We observed that patterns in the relative importance of variance components across hierarchical spatial scales changed with time because low flow or droughts altered both mesohabitat preva - lence and microhabitat composition. Our results confirm the importance of the microhabitat scale in I-P streams in the wet season but not in the dry one, when a loss of microhabitat diversity occurred. Stream-to-stream variability was more important in P and I-D streams. Our study also explored the relationships between traits and aquatic regimes. We found that aquatic macroinvertebrates inhabiting permanent streams exhibited traits related to the longer duration of life cycles in these rivers (e.g. large size of adult stages) and adaptations to flowing conditions (e.g. modes of aquatic dispersal), whereas aquatic macroinvertebrates inhabiting intermittent streams with summer pools had traits adapted to depositional conditions and ecological preferences for confined habitats (i.e. disconnected pools without flow). Finally, aquatic macroinvertebrates from intermittent streams with summer dry channels had adaptations conferring ability to survive periods with no water (e.g. modes of aerial dispersal, resistant stages). These results indicate that microhabitat conditions should not be neglected as they can play an important role in certain situations

Gestación, puesta a punto y ejecución de una propuesta de abordaje vivencial y multidisciplinar para las ciencias naturales en la educación primaria

En este trabajo se describirá la gestación, puesta a punto e inicio de ejecución de un abordaje de tipo vivencial y multidisciplinar de las Ciencias Naturales a lo largo de la etapa de formación primaria. La experiencia descripta es el resultado de un ejercicio de interacción continua de más de cuatro años entre los directivos y la totalidad del cuerpo docente de nivel primario del Colegio Victoria Ocampo de la ciudad de Bahía Blanca con docentes e investigadores de la Universidad Nacional del Sur y el CONICET.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

A biological tool to assess flow connectivity in reference temporary streams from the Mediterranean Basin

Many streams in the Mediterranean Basin have temporary flow regimes. While timing for seasonal drought is predictable, they undergo strong inter-annual variability in flow intensity. This high hydrological variability and associated ecological responses challenge the ecological status assessment of temporary streams, particularly when setting reference conditions. This study examined the effects of flow connectivity in aquatic macroinvertebrates from seven reference temporary streams across the Mediterranean Basin where hydrological variability and flow conditions are well studied. We tested for the effect of flow cessation on two streamflow indices and on community composition, and, by performing random forest and classification tree analyses we identified important biological predictors for classifying the aquatic state either as flowing or disconnected pools. Flow cessation was critical for one of the streamflow indices studied and for community composition. Macroinvertebrate families found to be important for classifying the aquatic state were Hydrophilidae, Simuliidae, Hydropsychidae, Planorbiidae, Heptageniidae and Gerridae. For biological traits, trait categories associated to feeding habits, food, locomotion and substrate relation were the most important and provided more accurate predictions compared to taxonomy. A combination of selected metrics and associated thresholds based on the most important biological predictors (i.e. Bio-AS Tool) were proposed in order to assess the aquatic state in reference temporary streams, especially in the absence of hydrological data. Although further development is needed, the tool can be of particular interest for monitoring, restoration, and conservation purposes, representing an important step towards an adequate management of temporary rivers not only in the Mediterranean Basin but also in other regions vulnerable to the effects of climate change

Gestación, puesta a punto y ejecución de una propuesta de abordaje vivencial y multidisciplinar para las ciencias naturales en la educación primaria

En este trabajo se describirá la gestación, puesta a punto e inicio de ejecución de un abordaje de tipo vivencial y multidisciplinar de las Ciencias Naturales a lo largo de la etapa de formación primaria. La experiencia descripta es el resultado de un ejercicio de interacción continua de más de cuatro años entre los directivos y la totalidad del cuerpo docente de nivel primario del Colegio Victoria Ocampo de la ciudad de Bahía Blanca con docentes e investigadores de la Universidad Nacional del Sur y el CONICET.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Gestación, puesta a punto y ejecución de una propuesta de abordaje vivencial y multidisciplinar para las ciencias naturales en la educación primaria

En este trabajo se describirá la gestación, puesta a punto e inicio de ejecución de un abordaje de tipo vivencial y multidisciplinar de las Ciencias Naturales a lo largo de la etapa de formación primaria. La experiencia descripta es el resultado de un ejercicio de interacción continua de más de cuatro años entre los directivos y la totalidad del cuerpo docente de nivel primario del Colegio Victoria Ocampo de la ciudad de Bahía Blanca con docentes e investigadores de la Universidad Nacional del Sur y el CONICET.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Poden els registres d'atenció primària ajudar a detectar el risc de suïcidi? : Un estudi de cas a Barcelona

El suïcidi és un greu problema de salut pública que s'ha vist incrementat en les últimes dècades, la qual cosa ha portat a la creació de diferents programes d'intervenció que tenen com a finalitat identificar i ajudar la persona afectada. En aquest article, un grup d'investigadors de l'àrea de Medicina presenta el resum d'un estudi en el qual intenten trobar a partir de registres electrònics del sistema sanitari, quins factors poden ajudar a identificar pacients amb alt risc de suïcidi. Una de les primeres conclusions és que molts d'ells queden recollits de manera rutinària en aquests registres, la qual cosa suposa un bon punt de partida per elaborar estratègies de prevenció.El suicidio es un grave problema de salud pública que se ha visto incrementado en las últimas décadas, lo que ha llevado a la creación de diferentes programas de intervención que tienen como finalidad identificar y ayudar a la persona afectada. En este artículo, un grupo de investigadores del área de Medicina presenta el resumen de un estudio que han llevado cabo para intentar encontrar a partir de registros electrónicos del sistema sanitario, qué factores pueden ayudar a identificar pacientes con alto riesgo de suicidio. Una de Llas primeras conclusiones es que muchos de ellos quedan recogidos de manera rutinaria en estos registros, lo que supone un buen punto de partida para elaborar estrategias de prevención.Suicide is a serious public health problem that has increased in recent decades, and this has led to the creation of different intervention programs that aim to identify and help the affected person. In this article, a group of medical researchers presents the summary of a study they conducted, using electronic records of the health system, to find the factors which could help to identify patients with a high risk of suicide. One of the first conclusions is that many of them are routinely collected in these registries, which is a good starting point for developing prevention strategies

Progressive and Simultaneous Right and Left Atrial Remodeling Uncovered by a Comprehensive Magnetic Resonance Assessment in Atrial Fibrillation

Background Left atrial structural remodeling contributes to the arrhythmogenic substrate of atrial fibrillation (AF), but the role of the right atrium (RA) remains unknown. Our aims were to comprehensively characterize right atrial structural remodeling in AF and identify right atrial parameters predicting recurrences after ablation. Methods and Results A 3.0 T late gadolinium enhanced-cardiac magnetic resonance was obtained in 109 individuals (9 healthy volunteers, 100 patients with AF undergoing ablation). Right and left atrial volume, surface, and sphericity were quantified. Right atrial global and regional fibrosis burden was assessed with validated thresholds. Patients with AF were systematically followed after ablation for recurrences. Progressive right atrial dilation and an increase in sphericity were observed from healthy volunteers to patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF; fibrosis was similar among the groups. The correlation between parameters recapitulating right atrial remodeling was mild. Subsequently, remodeling in both atria was compared. The RA was larger than the left atrium (LA) in all groups. Fibrosis burden was higher in the LA than in the RA of patients with AF, whereas sphericity was higher in the LA of patients with persistent AF only. Fibrosis, volume, and surface of the RA and LA, but not sphericity, were strongly correlated. Tricuspid regurgitation predicted right atrial volume and shape, whereas diabetes was associated with right atrial fibrosis burden; sex and persistent AF also predicted right atrial volume. Fibrosis in the RA was mostly located in the inferior vena cava-RA junction. Only right atrial sphericity is significantly associated with AF recurrences after ablation (hazard ratio, 1.12 [95% CI, 1.01-1.25]). Conclusions AF progression associates with right atrial remodeling in parallel with the LA. Right atrial sphericity yields prognostic significance after ablation

Kinetics of humoral immune response over 17 months of COVID-19 pandemic in a large cohort of healthcare workers in Spain : the ProHEpiC-19 study

Understanding the immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus is critical for efficient monitoring and control strategies. The ProHEpic-19 cohort provides a fine-grained description of the kinetics of antibodies after SARS-CoV-2 infection with an exceptional resolution over 17 months. We established a cohort of 769 healthcare workers including healthy and infected with SARS-CoV-2 in northern Barcelona to determine the kinetics of the IgM against the nucleocapsid (N) and the IgG against the N and spike (S) of SARS-CoV-2 in infected healthcare workers. The study period was from 5 May 2020 to 11 November 2021.We used non-linear mixed models to investigate the kinetics of IgG and IgM measured at nine time points over 17 months from the date of diagnosis. The model included factors of time, gender, and disease severity (asymptomatic, mild-moderate, severe-critical) to assess their effects and their interactions. 474 of the 769 participants (61.6%) became infected with SARS-CoV-2. Significant effects of gender and disease severity were found for the levels of all three antibodies. Median IgM(N) levels were already below the positivity threshold in patients with asymptomatic and mild-moderate disease at day 270 after the diagnosis, while IgG(N and S) levels remained positive at least until days 450 and 270, respectively. Kinetic modelling showed a general rise in both IgM(N) and IgG(N) levels up to day 30, followed by a decay with a rate depending on disease severity. IgG(S) levels remained relatively constant from day 15 over time. IgM(N) and IgG(N, S) SARS-CoV-2 antibodies showed a heterogeneous kinetics over the 17 months. Only the IgG(S) showed a stable increase, and the levels and the kinetics of antibodies varied according to disease severity. The kinetics of IgM and IgG observed over a year also varied by clinical spectrum can be very useful for public health policies around vaccination criteria in adult population. Regional Ministry of Health of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Call COVID19-PoC SLT16_04; NCT04885478). The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-022-07696-6