SOME MATRIX MODELS

In this paper we present three matrix models that express the relevance of studying Linear Algebra, trying to answer the question Why study Linear Algebra?, often asked by students. Linear Algebra is fundamental within the mathematical modelling of phenomena, so we explore examples of models in which it is applied, in a simple manner as possible appropriated to the students’ knowledge. The models presented are Leontief Economic Model, Leslie Population Growth Model and Rating Web Pages Model

WHY CASTING OUT NINES?

In this paper our purpose is to answer questions like: Why casting out nines works? Why it fails? Why casting out nines and not, for example, ―casting out elevens‖? The casting out nines method was used to ―check‖ the results of operations on positive integers. Although not currently taught in elementary school it hides mathematical concepts that will help to understand important current applications such as internet security. We present the mathematical concepts behind the casting out nines method: some tests for computing remainders and the congruence relation modulo n and its properties

SOME MATRIX MODELS

In this paper we present three matrix models that express the relevance of studying Linear Algebra, trying to answer the question Why study Linear Algebra?, often asked by students. Linear Algebra is fundamental within the mathematical modelling of phenomena, so we explore examples of models in which it is applied, in a simple manner as possible appropriated to the students’ knowledge. The models presented are Leontief Economic Model, Leslie Population Growth Model and Rating Web Pages Model

Empowering more Proactive Citizens through Development Education: The Results of Three Learning Practices Developed in Higher Education

In today’s society, schools have the ultimate responsibility to help students increase their awareness and understanding of the interdependent and unequal world in which we live, through a process of interactive learning, debate, reflection and action. With this in mind, development education (DE) has a crucial role to play through the development of analysis, reflection and action skills in tackling the effects of globalisation and the multiple dimensions of (un)sustainability and (in)justice in today’s world. In this article, based on the assumptions, objectives, and results obtained in three interactive learning practices, we describe how DE, based on a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) methodology was successfully used in higher education to challenge and transform worldviews and to prepare students (and teachers) to act for a more just and sustainable world. The effectiveness of the practices has been demonstrated by the students’ acquisition of a more complete understanding of what it means to be a proactive citizen

La Educación Social: un recurso para mejorar el vínculo entre los centros educativos y las familias

Este trabajo de fin de grado parte de una búsqueda y análisis de información con el fin de clarificar la posibilidad de incorporar la figura profesional de la Educación Social en Centros de Educación Secundaria, para afianzar una educación equitativa e inclusiva, que tenga en cuenta los contextos sociales, culturales y familiares, creando nexos comunes de actuación que favorezcan el desarrollo personal y social del alumnado. La investigación deriva en la creación de una propuesta de intervención que concierne e involucra tanto la educación formal, no formal como la informal, orientadas a esclarecer el ámbito de trabajo de la figura profesional de la Educación Social en cuanto a las habilidades, aptitudes y competencias que se adquieren en el Grado y que permiten intervenir en el contexto familiar y el contexto educativo formal.This end-of-grade work is part of a search and analysis of information in order to clarify the possibility of incorporating the professional figure of Social Education in Secondary Education Centers, to strengthen an equitable and inclusive education, taking into account social, cultural and family contexts, creating common links of action that favors the personal and social development of students. The research results in the creation of an intervention proposal that concerns and involves both formal, non-formal and informal education, aimed at clarifying the field of work of the professional figure of Social Education in terms of skills, skills and competences acquired in the Degree and which allow intervention in the family context.Grado en Educación Socia

Calidad de vida de las mujeres durante el período climatérico = Woman's quality of life during climateric status.

El presente estudio plantea la descripción de la calidad de vida de un grupo de mujeres en período climatérico y sus factores asociados. Metodología: se trata de un estudio descriptivo transversal, en muestra no aleatorizada de 17 mujeres entre 45-59 años de edad, pertenecientes al Área de Salud de Valladolid. La recogida de la información se realizó a través de cuestionarios individuales registrándose las siguientes variables de estudio: sociodemográficas y calidad de vida. En la recogida de datos se utilizaron los siguientes cuestionarios y escalas: cuestionario específico para recogida de variables sociodemográficas y la Escala Cervantes para la calidad de vida. El análisis estadístico se efectuó con el programa EpiInfo. Resultados: Las mujeres estudiadas mostraron una calidad de vida media. Dentro del estatus climatérico reportaron una peor calidad de vida las mujeres premenopáusicas, y dentro de las mismas, las que presentaban en el momento del estudio una amenorrea menor de 12 meses. El dominio más afectado en el que se mostraron puntuaciones más elevadas fue el correspondiente a menopausia y salud. No se hallaron relaciones estadísticamente significativas entre las variables sociodemográficas y la calidad de vida. Conclusiones: se sugiere que el climaterio es en sí mismo una situación influyente por sus características en la percepción de la calidad de vida. Las mujeres premenopáusicas presentan peor calidad de vida que las mujeres postmenopáusicas, existiendo una tendencia en la mejora de calidad de vida en mujeres climatéricas a medida que avanza la eda

GOLDBACH CONJECTURE: METHOD TO DETERMINE PRIME PAIRS

Being the Goldbach Conjecture considered the most famous conjecture unsolved, concerning prime numbers, this paper is dedicated to prime numbers, seeking to create a method to determine prime pairs for a given even number. This method, described in the paper, allows to determine a Goldbach partition for an even number, sometimes even all, in a practical and effective way, without using complex algorithms

Fungal community in olive fruits of cultivars with different susceptibilities to anthracnose and selection of isolates to be used as biocontrol agents

Olive anthracnose is an important fruit disease in olive crop worldwide. Because of the importance of microbial phyllosphere to plant health, this work evaluated the effect of cultivar on endophytic and epiphytic fungal communities by studying their diversity in olives of two cultivars with different susceptibilities to anthracnose. The biocontrol potency of native isolates against Colletotrichum acutatum, the main causal agent of this disease, was further evaluated using the dual-culture method. Fungal community of both cultivars encompassed a complex species consortium including phytopathogens and antagonists. Host genotype was important in shaping endophytic but not epiphytic fungal communities, although some host-specific fungal genera were found within epiphytic community. Epiphytic and endophytic fungal communities also differed in size and in composition in olives of both cultivars, probably due to differences in physical and chemical nature of the two habitats. Fungal tested were able to inhibited C. acutatum growth (inhibition coefficients up to 30.9), sporulation (from 46 to 86%) and germination (from 21 to 74%), and to caused abnormalities in pathogenic hyphae. This finding could open opportunities to select specific beneficial microbiome by selecting particular cultivar and highlighted the potential use of these fungi in the biocontrol of olive anthracnose.This work was funded by National Funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology under the project “EndoBio – Isolation and selection of endophytic fungi from olive tree for the biological control of Colletotrichum acutatum and Verticillium dahliae” (PTDC/AGR-PRO/ 4354/2012).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Protein changes as robust signatures of fish chronic stress: a proteomics approach to fish welfare research

Background Aquaculture is a fast-growing industry and therefore welfare and environmental impact have become of utmost importance. Preventing stress associated to common aquaculture practices and optimizing the fish stress response by quantification of the stress level, are important steps towards the improvement of welfare standards. Stress is characterized by a cascade of physiological responses that, in-turn, induce further changes at the whole-animal level. These can either increase fitness or impair welfare. Nevertheless, monitorization of this dynamic process has, up until now, relied on indicators that are only a snapshot of the stress level experienced. Promising technological tools, such as proteomics, allow an unbiased approach for the discovery of potential biomarkers for stress monitoring. Within this scope, using Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) as a model, three chronic stress conditions, namely overcrowding, handling and hypoxia, were employed to evaluate the potential of the fish protein-based adaptations as reliable signatures of chronic stress, in contrast with the commonly used hormonal and metabolic indicators. Results A broad spectrum of biological variation regarding cortisol and glucose levels was observed, the values of which rose higher in net-handled fish. In this sense, a potential pattern of stressor-specificity was clear, as the level of response varied markedly between a persistent (crowding) and a repetitive stressor (handling). Gel-based proteomics analysis of the plasma proteome also revealed that net-handled fish had the highest number of differential proteins, compared to the other trials. Mass spectrometric analysis, followed by gene ontology enrichment and protein-protein interaction analyses, characterized those as humoral components of the innate immune system and key elements of the response to stimulus. Conclusions Overall, this study represents the first screening of more reliable signatures of physiological adaptation to chronic stress in fish, allowing the future development of novel biomarker models to monitor fish welfare.This study received Portuguese national funds from FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology through project UIDB/04326/2020 and project WELFISH (Refª 16–02-05-FMP-12, “Establishment of Welfare Biomarkers in farmed fish using a proteomics approach”) financed by Mar2020, in the framework of the program Portugal 2020. Cláudia Raposo de Magalhães acknowledges an FCT PhD scholarship, Refª SFRH/BD/138884/2018. Denise Schrama acknowledges an FCT PhD scholarship, Refª SFRH/BD/136319/2018.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio