Teaching students about chemical elements using daily-life contexts

Learning the names and symbols for chemical elements is a task that students often find dull, although it is of crucial importance for understanding chemistry. In this respect, the use of games or similar play activities could make the learning experience more enjoyable. This paper presents the results of a study in which two tasks involving play (TIPs) and based on daily-life contexts (football and the home) were used to teach the names and symbols of chemical elements. The experimental group comprised 38 year-10 students who studied this topic through a teaching unit built around the TIPs. A control group of 67 year-10 students followed a traditional teaching approach to the same topic. The effectiveness of the TIPs was assessed using three items, administered pre- and post-test, that explored students’ knowledge about metallic and non-metallic elements and their ability to identify them in their everyday environment. Following the TIP-based teaching unit, students in the experimental group gave a higher percentage of appropriate answers, with the Wilcoxon test indicating significant post-test differences for all three items. However, the Kolgomorov-Smirnov test indicated that the experimental and control groups only differed significantly at post-test in their ability to give the names and symbols of non-metals, with the experimental group performing better. Memorising the names and symbols of chemical elements is a complex task for students, and identifying their presence in everyday environments appears to be particularly difficult. However, the results suggest that the use of TIPs linked to daily-life contexts could help students with their learning of this topic.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Proyecto ‘I+D Excelencia’ EDU2013-41952-

AFLP molecular characterizations of some Saccobolus species (Ascomycota, Pezizales)

Amplified restriction fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) were used to assess the genetic diversity among species and isolates of the genus Saccobolus. Monosporic strains of five Saccobolus species were used throughout. The dendrogram obtained from the analysis of grouping (UPGMA) showed four groups of species. The ordination of isolates through the principal coordinates method exhibited nearly the same relations between isolates as the phenogram. Analysis of six samples identified as Saccobolus versicolor using morphological characters indicated the same diagnostic fingerprints as S. verrucisporus with the primer combinations tested. The isolates identified as S. versicolor may represent an intraspecific variant of S. verrucisporus. The results support the use of AFLP markers to delimit Saccobolus species. This methodology constitutes an additional tool to study the taxonomy of the genus, which has previously used only morphological characters.Fil: Ramos, Araceli Marcela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; ArgentinaFil: Cinto, Isabel Esther. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; ArgentinaFil: Tadic, Luis Franco. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Ranalli, Maria Esther. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; Argentin

Formulación del sistema de información de gestión integral de residuos o desechos peligrosos para el Departamento de Risaralda

El presente trabajo de grado propone la Formulación del Sistema de Información de Gestión Integral de Residuos o Desechos Peligrosos (SI GIRESPEL) del Departamento de Risaralda, como respuesta a la necesidad de una herramienta que facilite la tarea de Seguimiento y Control que debe ejercer la autoridad ambiental sobre la generación de residuos o desechos peligrosos en el territorio bajo su jurisdicción. El documento consta de una descripción general del SI GIRESPEL Risaralda, su función y sus características generales donde se da detalle a cada parámetro y función; Seguido se dan unas conclusiones y recomendaciones a la Gestión Integral de Residuos o desechos peligrosos en el Departamento de Risaralda, dadas a partir de la experiencia adquirida durante el desarrollo del presente proyecto de grado. Finalmente se presenta el Tutorial de Manejo del SI GIRESPEL que ilustra de manera detallada los pasos a seguir para el para utilizar el Sistema de forma adecuada.This degree work proposes the formulation of Information System for the Integrated Management of Hazardous Waste of Risaralda (SI GIRESPEL) as a response to the need of a tool that facilitates the tasks of monitoring and control that it has to be done by the environmental authority on the generation of hazardous waste on its territory in jurisdiction. The document consists of a general description about the SI GIRESPEL, where all its characteristics and functions are described in detail. Following there are some conclusions and recommendations about the integrated management of hazardous waste in Risaralda since the experience gained through the development of this work grade. At the end of the document a Manual will describe in a detail way all the steps required to modify the System

Gaussian Mixture Models of Between-Source Variation for Likelihood Ratio Computation from Multivariate Data

Franco-Pedroso J, Ramos D, Gonzalez-Rodriguez J (2016) Gaussian Mixture Models of Between-Source Variation for Likelihood Ratio Computation from Multivariate Data. PLoS ONE 11(2): e0149958. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0149958In forensic science, trace evidence found at a crime scene and on suspect has to be evaluated from the measurements performed on them, usually in the form of multivariate data (for example, several chemical compound or physical characteristics). In order to assess the strength of that evidence, the likelihood ratio framework is being increasingly adopted. Several methods have been derived in order to obtain likelihood ratios directly from univariate or multivariate data by modelling both the variation appearing between observations (or features) coming from the same source (within-source variation) and that appearing between observations coming from different sources (between-source variation). In the widely used multivariate kernel likelihood-ratio, the within-source distribution is assumed to be normally distributed and constant among different sources and the between-source variation is modelled through a kernel density function (KDF). In order to better fit the observed distribution of the between-source variation, this paper presents a different approach in which a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) is used instead of a KDF. As it will be shown, this approach provides better-calibrated likelihood ratios as measured by the log-likelihood ratio cost (C-llr) in experiments performed on freely available forensic datasets involving different trace evidences: inks, glass fragments and car paints.JFP recieved funding from "Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (ES)" (http://www.mineco.gob.es/) through the project "CMC-V2: Caracterizacion, Modelado y Compensacion de Variabilidad en la Senal de Voz", with grant number TEC2012-37585-C02-01. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Los efectos de la comunicación comercial sobre el Valor de Marca de bienes duraderos.

En el presente trabajo pretendemos establecer, a partir de una revisión teórica previa, una base empírica para la consideración de la influencia de la comunicación comercial como esfuerzo de marketing en la determinación del valor de marca del producto. Tras la revisión teórica que sustenta la aplicación de modelos de ecuaciones estructurales, planteamos la confirmación empírica de las relaciones existentes entre el esfuerzo en comunicación comercial y los componentes del valor de marca: calidad percibida, lealtad hacia la marca, notoriedad e imagen de marca. Esta corroboración la realizamos sobre una muestra de unidades familiares compradoras de lavadoras como producto duradero seleccionado.In this paper we propose, from one previous theoretical revision, an empirical base for consideration of the influence of promotion as effort of marketing in determination of product brand equity. After theoretical revision sustained in application of analysis data based on the models of structural equations, we raised empirical confirmation of the existing relations between promotions and the brand equity dimensions: quality perceived, loyalty, notoriety and brand image. This contrast we made it on a sample of family consumers and users of washing-machines as lasting good

The effects of Marketing Communication on Brand Equity A Look into the Market of Lasting Goods

In this project we establish a theoretical and empirical basis that shows the influence of marketing communications, as a marketing effort, on the determination of the product’s brand equity. The theoretical review supports applying analysis techniques based on structural equations models, to empirically confirm the relationship between marketing communication efforts and the dimensions of brand equity: perceived quality, brand loyalty, brand awareness and brand image. This measurement model is verified on a sample group of families who purchased the chosen lasting goods, which in this case was a washing machine.En este trabajo establecemos una base teórica y empírica que muestre la influencia de la comunicación comercial como esfuerzo de marketing en la determinación del valor de marca del producto. La revisión teórica apoya la aplicación de técnicas de análisis basadas en los modelos de ecuaciones estructurales, para confirmar empíricamente las relaciones entre el esfuerzo en comunicación comercial y los componentes del valor de marca: calidad percibida, lealtad hacia la marca, notoriedad e imagen de marca. Esta corroboración la realizamos sobre una muestra de unidades familiares compradoras de lavadoras como producto duradero seleccionado

Competências e Formação dos Técnicos de Exercício Físico: Opinião dos Diretores Técnicos de Ginásio

O objetivo deste estudo foi conhecer a opinião dos Diretores Técnicos de ginásios relativamente às competências e formação dos Técnicos de Exercício Físico. Responderam a uma entrevista 15 Diretores Técnicos de ginásios. Foram identificadas quais as competências valorizadas pelos Diretores Técnicos aquando do recrutamento dos Técnicos de Exercício Físico, realçando-se as características pessoais e a formação. Foi também identificada a importância dos Técnicos de Exercício Físico possuírem licenciatura na área do Desporto, apesar de nem todos os Técnicos de Exercício Físico que trabalhavam nos ginásios desses Diretores Técnicos serem licenciados, tendo as razões para tal sido referidas. Verificou-se que a maioria dos Diretores Técnicos valoriza a formação contínua dos Técnicos de Exercício Físico. Foi ainda verificado que a maioria dos Diretores Técnicos não concorda com a alteração do número de créditos, introduzida pela legislação, para renovação do título de Técnico de Exercício Físico, tendo sido identificadas as razões da concordância e discordância relativamente a este aspeto.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio