Managing family conflict and resilience. Results of a universal socio-educative family drugs prevention program developed in school settings

This paper assesses changes in family conflict and resilience among families participating in a socio-educative short universal drug prevention program (PCF-U 11-14). A pre-post test quasi experimental design with control and experimental groups was implemented with 275 families. The work addresses the convenience of family training in social and parenting skills to strengthen families’ capacity to cope with difficulties and boosting family cohesion, but it also highlights the need to research deeper into the factors that affect parent and adolescent conflict to create new training strategies for families.Este trabajo evalúa los cambios en los conflictos familiares y la resiliencia entre las familias que participan en un programa socioeducativo universal, de corta duración, para la prevención de drogas (PCFU 11-14). Se implementó un diseño cuasi experimental pre-post test con grupos control y experimental con 275 familias. Se aborda la conveniencia de la capacitación familiar en habilidades sociales y de crianza para fortalecer la capacidad de las familias para hacer frente a las dificultades y fomentar la cohesión familiar, pero también se destaca la necesidad de investigar más a fondo los factores que afectan al conflicto entre padres y adolescentes para crear nuevas estrategias de capacitación para familias

2,6-Diphenylpyridine

In the title compound, C17H13N, the dihedral angles between the pyridine ring and the phenyl rings are 29.68 (18) and 26.58 (17)°. In the crystal structure, the mol­ecules are linked by a weak C-H inter­action, leading to [01] chains. There are no further significant inter­molecular inter­actions

Magnetic properties of ZnO nanoparticles

We experimentally show that it is possible to induce room-temperature ferromagnetic-like behavior in ZnO nanoparticles without doping with magnetic impurities but simply inducing an alteration of their electronic configuration. Capping ZnO nanoparticles (similar to 10 nm size) with different organic molecules produces an alteration of their electronic configuration that depends on the particular molecule, as evidenced by photoluminescence and X-ray absorption spectroscopies and altering their magnetic properties that varies from diamagnetic to ferromagnetic-like behavior

Peer e-assessment and feedback for student self-regulation and strategic learning at university: Student perception

[EN] The implementation of successful assessment for learning practices requires a co-responsibility of students and teachers. Participative assessment practices and feedback are key elements in assessment for learning to enhance student’s self-regulation and strategic learning. More specifically, through peer-assessment students participate in a dialogic process where they assess their co-equals’ performances and tasks offering constructive feedback. In such cases, technologies can facilitate and enrich the whole process. This paper provides an insight of student perceptions about their participation in peer-assessment and peer-feedback practices using information and communication technologies (ICT). Nine lecturers from different studies and 195 students participated in the research. Data gathering was implemented with a questionnaire that questioned about the possibilities and difficulties of three main topics: peer-assessment and peer-feedback process, the assessment task and the use of technologies to support the process. Results show positive appraisal of students in all the categories. Participants seem to highlight that providing peer-assessment and feedback enhance their critical skills when assessing their own performance. Still, to improve the results there is a need to train students in assessment, communication and technologies. To conclude, some prospective research actions are drawn stressing the contributions to feedback that electronic and virtual resources can provide.[ES] En la evaluación para el aprendizaje la responsabilidad de la evaluación se comparte entre profesorado y alumnado. Mediante la participación del estudiante en los procesos evaluativos y la retroalimentación se pretende fomentar la autorregulación y el aprendizaje estratégico de los implicados. De forma concreta, a través de la evaluación entre iguales los estudiantes participan en un proceso dialógico donde evalúan el trabajo de sus compañeros y les ofrecen retroalimentación orientada a la mejora, siendo un facilitador del proceso la mediación tecnológica. Los beneficios de estas prácticas en la literatura son abundantes, sin embargo, se ha considerado importante indagar sobre qué piensan los propios estudiantes sobre su participación en la evaluación y retroalimentación electrónica entre iguales. De esta forma, se ha realizado una investigación que involucró a nueve docentes de distintas titulaciones y un total de 195 estudiantes universitarios. La recogida de información se realizó a través de un cuestionario que incluía preguntas sobre las posibilidades y dificultades de la evaluación y retroalimentación entre iguales, sobre la tarea diseñada y sobre el uso de herramientas tecnológicas. Los resultados revelan valoraciones positivas del alumnado en todas las dimensiones. Los participantes han destacado sobre todo que evaluar y retroalimentar a compañeros les ha permitido aumentar su capacidad crítica ante trabajos y ejecuciones propias. No obstante, para mejorar estos resultados se plantea la necesidad de mayor formación sobre evaluación, comunicación y tecnologías. Para finalizar se exponen futuras líneas de investigación destacando el papel predominante de los recursos virtuales en la aportación de retroalimentación.Gallego Noche, B.; Quesada Serra, V.; Gómez Ruiz, M.; Cubero Ibáñez, J. (2017). La evaluación y retroalimentación electrónica entre iguales para la autorregulación y el aprendizaje estratégico en la universidad: la percepción del alumnado. REDU. Revista de Docencia Universitaria. 15(1):127-146. doi:10.4995/redu.2017.5991.SWORD12714615

Adsorption of mono- and multivalent cat- and anions on DNA molecules

Adsorption of monovalent and multivalent cat- and anions on a deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) molecule from a salt solution is investigated by computer simulation. The ions are modelled as charged hard spheres, the DNA molecule as a point charge pattern following the double-helical phosphate strands. The geometrical shape of the DNA molecules is modelled on different levels ranging from a simple cylindrical shape to structured models which include the major and minor grooves between the phosphate strands. The densities of the ions adsorbed on the phosphate strands, in the major and in the minor grooves are calculated. First, we find that the adsorption pattern on the DNA surface depends strongly on its geometrical shape: counterions adsorb preferentially along the phosphate strands for a cylindrical model shape, but in the minor groove for a geometrically structured model. Second, we find that an addition of monovalent salt ions results in an increase of the charge density in the minor groove while the total charge density of ions adsorbed in the major groove stays unchanged. The adsorbed ion densities are highly structured along the minor groove while they are almost smeared along the major groove. Furthermore, for a fixed amount of added salt, the major groove cationic charge is independent on the counterion valency. For increasing salt concentration the major groove is neutralized while the total charge adsorbed in the minor groove is constant. DNA overcharging is detected for multivalent salt. Simulations for a larger ion radii, which mimic the effect of the ion hydration, indicate an increased adsorbtion of cations in the major groove.Comment: 34 pages with 14 figure

Virgin olive oil and health: summary of the III international conference on virgin olive oil and health consensus report, JAEN (Spain) 2018

The Mediterranean diet is considered as the foremost dietary regimen and its adoption is associated with the prevention of degenerative diseases and an extended longevity. The preeminent features of the Mediterranean diet have been agreed upon and the consumption of olive oil stands out as the most peculiar one. Indeed, the use of olive oil as the nearly exclusive dietary fat is what mostly characterizes the Mediterranean area. Plenty of epidemiological studies have correlated that the consumption of olive oil was associated with better overall health. Indeed, extra virgin olive oil contains (poly)phenolic compounds that are being actively investigated for their purported biological and pharma-nutritional properties. On 18 and 19 May 2018, several experts convened in Jaen (Spain) to discuss the most recent research on the benefits of olive oil and its components. We reported a summary of that meeting (reviewing several topics related to olive oil, not limited to health) and concluded that substantial evidence is accruing to support the widespread opinion that extra virgin olive oil should, indeed, be the fat of choice when it comes to human health and sustainable agronomy

Nonlinear Integer Programming

Research efforts of the past fifty years have led to a development of linear integer programming as a mature discipline of mathematical optimization. Such a level of maturity has not been reached when one considers nonlinear systems subject to integrality requirements for the variables. This chapter is dedicated to this topic. The primary goal is a study of a simple version of general nonlinear integer problems, where all constraints are still linear. Our focus is on the computational complexity of the problem, which varies significantly with the type of nonlinear objective function in combination with the underlying combinatorial structure. Numerous boundary cases of complexity emerge, which sometimes surprisingly lead even to polynomial time algorithms. We also cover recent successful approaches for more general classes of problems. Though no positive theoretical efficiency results are available, nor are they likely to ever be available, these seem to be the currently most successful and interesting approaches for solving practical problems. It is our belief that the study of algorithms motivated by theoretical considerations and those motivated by our desire to solve practical instances should and do inform one another. So it is with this viewpoint that we present the subject, and it is in this direction that we hope to spark further research.Comment: 57 pages. To appear in: M. J\"unger, T. Liebling, D. Naddef, G. Nemhauser, W. Pulleyblank, G. Reinelt, G. Rinaldi, and L. Wolsey (eds.), 50 Years of Integer Programming 1958--2008: The Early Years and State-of-the-Art Surveys, Springer-Verlag, 2009, ISBN 354068274