Bioethics for Biotechnologists: From Dolly to CRISPR

Abstract: Bioethics, as a discipline, has developed mainly, but not exclusively, around themes of moral importance for the medical practice, such as abortion and euthanasia, a never ending discussion that has been shaped by social mores and influenced by scientific and technological advance. However, in the past 20 years an important shift has been taking place, one where bioethical issues and their discussion are starting to being driven by the so-called emerging biotechnologies, from cloning to genome sequencing and editing. If Bioethics is concerned with human beings, and their interaction with other living beings and the environment, it makes sense for Biotechnology, by definition the use of living systems or organisms to develop products, to become an important, if not the most important, source of bioethical conflicts in modern era and for future society. As Biotechnology keeps expanding and becomes entangled in everyday life, so does the need for ethical competent biotechnologists, with competencies built not only on ethical principles but also on a realistic grasp of the impact these technologies could have on human society and the world we inhabit. Keywords: Biotechnology, genome editing, animal cloning, ethics, fairness, biothreats, biosafety, biosecurit

El nuevo portal web del IAPH: una realidad virtual al servicio de la sociedad

El IAPH renueva su sede Web (www.juntadeandalucia.es/cultura/iaph) en su integridad, desde la estructura de los contenidos y el diseño gráfico hasta el sistema de gestión más idóneo, creando un espacio virtual de información especializada en patrimonio histórico para la transferencia de conocimientos con los agentes del patrimonio y con la sociedad en general. La nueva sede Web del IAPH potencia aspectos como la interactividad a través de servicios electrónicos, la accesibilidad independientemente de las posibilidades físicas y tecnológicas de los usuarios, la usabilidad a través de un esquema de navegación lógico e intuitivo y un diseño coherente con los objetivos de esta institución cultural

Aportaciones Metodológicas de la Investigación a la Docencia

La presente ponencia constituye un ejercicio de aplicación de la metodología de investigación a la docencia. De este modo se identificarán las principales actividades de la metodología investigadora, y se verá cómo éstas se pueden utilizar para construir en torno a ellas una asignatura. Se realizará también un análisis de las capacidades, habilidades y conocimientos generales que potencia este tipo de metodología

Cold alkaline extraction of Elephant grass for optimal subsequent extraction of hemicelluloses and energy production

There is growing scientific and industrial interest in obtaining useful substances by fractionating lignocellulosic biomass from non-food plant crops for use by the bioenergy industry. The primary goals are to ensure process sustainability and to comply with the principles of circular economy. In this work, we optimized energy production from Elephant grass by previously using cold alkaline extraction to remove its hemicellulose fraction. Elephant grass contains a high proportion of lignin (20%) and hemicelluloses (27.4%), and therefore is an excellent alternative to wood materials for energy production by direct burning. Energy production was optimized to identify the best operating conditions among those tested, namely: alkali concentrations of 80–120 g NaOH L– 1, temperatures of 20–40 °C, and treatment times of 30–90 min. Using the optimum conditions thus established (viz., 100 g NaOH L– 1, 30 °C, and 30 min) raised the high heating value (HHV) to 19.151 MJ kg– 1 (i.e., by 4% relative to the starting material). Also, it allowed the content in elemental C to be preserved, that in H increased by 4.86% and, more environmentally significant, most sulphur (46.9%) to be removed from the solid phase upon treatment. Cold alkaline extraction of the raw material additionally enabled relatively selective separation of the hemicellulose fraction from the cellulose and lignin fractions. Thus, 30.1% of all hemicellulose was dissolved in the treatment liquor and made valorizable while 93.0% of cellulose and 82.1% of lignin present in the raw material remained in the solid phase.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. Funding for open acces charge: Universidad de Huelva/CBUA. This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the National Programme for Research Aimed at the Challenges of Society (CTQ201785251-C2-1and 2-R and PID2020-112875RB-C21), additional cofunding, in an 80:20 proportion, by FEDER (Project Green Asphalt, ref. 802C1800001) and the Andalusian Regional Government (Economy, Knowledge, Enterprises and University Council/IDEA Agency) and by micro-projects of research “Cátedra de la provincia” of the University of Huelva

Digital materials to strength learning process in upper secondary education: A study to understand how educational change takes place

Se presenta un estudio en el marco de un proceso de cambio educativo en relación con la técnica Aula Invertida con apoyo de la herramienta de aprendizaje Living Class (LC) para apoyar el estudio de las disciplinas de química y ciencias sociales en educación media superior. El proceso de cambio se define a partir de dos aportaciones teóricas que integran cinco pasos: iniciación, planeación, implantación, evaluación e institucionalización. Se realizaron tres sub-estudios para indagar a profundidad el proceso de cambio que se suscitaba en la institución: uno sobre usabilidad de la herramienta LC y dos sobre percepción alrededor del proceso de cambio y apoyo en la herramienta, los cuales se enfocaron en colectar la percepción de docentes y estudiantes respectivamente. Participaron en total 4,708 estudiantes y 154 docentes. El estudio se enmarcó en el diseño metodológico de Métodos mixtos. Las conclusiones conllevaron a afirmar que el proceso de cambio educativo se encuentra en la fase de implantación. La discusión apunta a diagnosticar el estadio en el que se encuentra un proceso de cambio educativa de forma holística. Se realizan sugerencias para estudios futurosThis article presents the results of a study made in order to analyze a process of educational change in upper secondary level. It focused on the implementation of Flipped Classroom technique supported by a learning tool called Living Class (LC). The educational change phenomena is defined within this study from two theoretical contributions that build a five steps process: initiation, planning, implementation, evaluation and institutionalization. Three sub-studies were conducted to investigate in depth the process of educational change that is experimented in the institution: one on LC usability and two others on students and teacher’s perception about the target change process. A total of 4,708 students and 154 professors participated in this study. The methodological design was based on Mixed Methods. After the analysis, it is concluded that the target process is located by now in the implementation phase. The discussion points out the importance of diagnose an educational change phenomenon in a holistic way. Some suggestions for future studies are give

Women in limnology: From a historical perspective to a present-day evaluation

Research in limnology is nurtured by the work of many fascinating and passionate women, who have contributed enormously to our understanding of inland waters. Female limnologists have promoted and established the bases of our knowledge about inland waters and fostered the need of protecting the values of those ecosystems. However, on numerous occasions, their contribution to the advancement of limnology has not been duly recognized. Here, we review the presence of women in limnology through the history of the discipline: from the pioneers who contributed to the origins to present day' developments. We aim at visibilizing those scientists and establish them as role models. We also analyze in a simple and illustrative way the current situation of women in limnology, the scientific barriers they must deal with, and their future prospects. Multiple aspects fostering the visibility of a scientist, such as their presence in conferences, awards, or representation in societal or editorial boards show a significant gap, with none of those aspects showing a similar visibility of women and men in limnology. This article raises awareness of the obstacles that women in limnology faced and still face, and encourages to embrace models of leadership, scientific management, and assessment of research performance far from those commonly established.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The avoidance of G-CSF and the addition of prophylactic corticosteroids after autologous stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma patients appeal for the at-home setting to reduce readmission for neutropenic fever

Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) remains the standard of care for young multiple myeloma (MM) patients; indeed, at-home ASCT has been positioned as an appropriate therapeutic strategy. However, despite the use of prophylactic antibiotics, neutropenic fever (NF) and hospital readmissions continue to pose as the most important limitations in the outpatient setting. It is possible that the febrile episodes may have a non-infectious etiology, and engraftment syndrome could play a more significant role. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of both G-CSF withdrawal and the addition of primary prophylaxis with corticosteroids after ASCT. Between January 2002 and August 2018, 111 MM patients conditioned with melphalan were managed at-home beginning +1 day after ASCT. Three groups were established: Group A (n = 33) received standard G-CSF post-ASCT; group B (n = 32) avoided G-CSF post-ASCT; group C (n = 46) avoided G-CSF yet added corticosteroid prophylaxis post-ASCT. The incidence of NF among the groups was reduced (64%, 44%, and 24%; P2 (OR 6.1; P = 0.002) and G-CSF avoidance plus corticosteroids (OR 0.1; P<0.001); and for hospital readmission: age �60 years (OR 14.6; P = 0.04) and G-CSF avoidance plus corticosteroids (OR 0.07; P = 0.05. G-CSF avoidance and corticosteroid prophylaxis post ASCT minimize the incidence of NF in MM patients undergoing at-home ASCT. This approach should be explored in a prospective randomized clinical trial

Competencias en enfermeras especialistas y en enfermeras de práctica avanzada

10 p.Objetivo: Analizar la distribución de competencias avanzadas en enfermeras especialistas y enfermeras de práctica avanzada y evaluar su asociación con algunas características de superfil profesional.Método: Estudio transversal analítico multicéntrico. Se incluyeron enfermeras que ejercían como Enfermeras de Práctica Avanzada y enfermeras Especialistas. Se midió su nivel de competencias avanzadas percibidas, así como variables de caracterización profesional.Resultados: Doscientas setenta y siete enfermeras participaron (149 ejercían práctica avanzada y 128 especialistas), con una media de 13,88 (11,05) años como especialista y 10,48 (5,32) años como Enfermera de Práctica Avanzada. Un 28,8% tenía nivel de máster o doctorado. El 50,2% ejercía en atención primaria, el 24,9% en hospitales y el 22,7% en salud mental. El nivel global autopercibido fue elevado en las distintas competencias, siendo las dimensiones más bajas las de investigación, práctica basada en la evidencia, gestión de la calidad y seguridad y liderazgo y consultoría. Las Enfermeras de Práctica Avanzada obtuvieron mayor nivel competencial de forma global y en las dimensiones de liderazgo y consultoría, relaciones interprofesionales, gestión de cuidados y promoción de salud. No hubo diferencias en función de la experiencia o la posesión de nivel de máster o de doctorado. En las Enfermeras de Práctica Avanzada el contexto de práctica no influía en los niveles competenciales, aunque en las enfermeras especialistas sí, a favor de las que ejercían en salud mental.Conclusiones: Las enfermeras especialistas y de práctica avanzada tienen competencias distintas que deberían ser gestionadas adecuadamente para el desarrollo de los servicios enfermeros avanzados y especializados

Evaluación de un programa de intervención formativa del profesorado de habilidades clínicas y quirúgicas basado en la modelación mediante video y un sistema de participación activa (activeclassroom)

Memoria ID12-0244. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2012-2013