Shall we play together? Game-based learning for engagement and classroom climate in Spanish socially deprived communities

This research is part of the Educational Research Project entitled Instagamers (PIV-023/21), called under the Order of 14 January 2009 (BOJA No. 21, February 2, 2009).Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of a game-based learning (GBL) program on the classroom climate and engagement of high schools in socially deprived communities in Spain. Methods: The study included 277 students from two secondary schools located in Southern Spain, situated in Zones in Need of Social Transformation. Sampling was non-probabilistic and accidental, based on the accessibility of the school and the willingness of the management and teaching staff to participate in the GBL program. The study employed a control group and two experimental groups (cooperative games group only and cooperative and competitive games group) to compare pre-test and post-test data in both groups. The Brief Class Climate Scale and Engagement Inventory, validated in academic literature, were used as assessment instruments. Results: The study used a series of ANOVA tests to compare the experimental groups with the control group. The results indicated statistically significant changes in all study variables. In all cases, the experimental groups demonstrated greater benefits than the control group. Discussion and conclusion: The study findings reveal that games can provide significant benefits to students, regardless of whether they are cooperative or competitive. The study provides evidence of the benefits of GBL in high schools located in socially deprived communities in Spain.Educational Research Project entitled Instagamers (PIV-023/21

Unleashing creativity and cooperation: a qualitative case study on designing digital breakouts for social education degrees

This article examines the implementation of a cooperative training workshop for Spanish undergraduate social educators. The workshop aimed to explore the integration of escape rooms and breakouts in teaching, specifically addressing cyberbullying as a curricular topic. A total of 40 students participated in designing and qualitatively evaluating the training workshop. The findings highlight the workshop’s effectiveness in enhancing social education students’ training, preparing them for future professional careers, and enhancing their learning, teamwork, and proficiency in utilising ICT programs and resources. The study underscores the significance of incorporating these innovative approaches to improve student motivation, interest, and overall skill development

Game-Based Learning and Service-Learning to Teach Inclusive Education in Higher Education

This study evaluates the impact of game-based learning (GBL) and Service-Learning on the flow and engagement of teacher education students. A quasi-experimental between-group comparison design with pre-test and post-test measures was conducted with a sample of 113 students majoring in childhood education. The results indicate that the experimental group statistically significantly improved their flow and engagement scores compared to the control group. It is concluded that the GBL and SL methodology in initial teacher training allows students to learn about inclusive education in a motivating way and to design different strategies and resources that they will be able to use in their professional future

Nuevos datos geocronológicos 40Ar-39Ar en dos puntos singulares del macizo de Anaga (Tenerife): Punta Poyata e Igueste de San Andrés. Consecuencias de interés

En este trabajo se aportan nuevos datos geocronológicos Ar40-Ar39 en rocas ancaramíticas submarinas localizadas en dos puntos singulares del macizo de Anaga (NE de Tenerife): las ancaramitas submarinas hidrotermalizadas de Punta Poyata (NNW de Anaga) y las lavas submarinas ancaramíticas del Barranco de Igueste (SE de Anaga). Las muestras estudiadas pertenecen a afloramientos pertenecientes a los niveles estratigráficos más inferiores de la secuencia volcánica que conforma el edificio de Anaga. En Punta Poyata se tomaron dos especímenes que dieron edades de 12,2 ± 1,9 Ma and 13,0 ± 1,0 Ma. En el barranco de Igueste los resultados geocronológicos de las muestras tomadas dieron edades de 12,7 ± 1,6 Ma and 9,7 ± 1,0 Ma. Estos datos sugieren que el macizo de Anaga comenzó su desarrollo subaéreo antes de lo que anteriormente se creía, ajustándose dicho período inicial al Mioceno Medio en lugar de al Mioceno tardío como previamente se asumía.This work provides new Ar40-Ar39 geochronological data in submarine ankaramite rocks located in two distant points of Anaga (NE Tenerife): the submarine hydrothermally altered ankaramites of Punta Poyata area (NNW Anaga) and the ankaramitic pillow lavas at Barranco de Igueste (SE Anaga). The studied samples were collected from outcrops of the lowest stratigraphic levels throughout the volcanics that build up the Anaga massif. At Punta Poyata, two collected samples yielded an age of 12,2 ± 1,9 Ma and 13,0 ± 1,0 Ma. At Barranco de Igueste, sample results are of 12,7 ± 1,6 Ma and 9,7 ± 1,0 Ma. These data support the assumption that the Anaga massif began its subaerial growth earlier than that previously was supposed, most likely in the Mid-Miocene Instead of late Miocene as currently believed.Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEpu

The Legends of Elendor: Educational Gamification as an Influential Factor in Academic Flow and Academic Performance in Socially Depressed Communities

Secondary education needs to find learning strategies that favor student engagement, particularly in socially deprived communities. The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of gamification on educational flow and academic performance. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test study has been carried out with 207 secondary school students that compares the gamified cooperative learning method with the directive teaching methodology. The results show statistically significant differences in perceived class flow and academic performance in favor of the gamified group. In addition, it has been analyzed whether these improvements vary according to sex, proving that the gamified methodology is just as effective for girls as for boys. It is concluded that the game systems achieved with gamification favor student engagement because they perceive the tasks as enjoyable and immersive

Crtc1 activates a transcriptional program deregulated at early Alzheimer's disease-related stages

Cognitive decline is associated with gene expression changes in the brain, but the transcriptional mechanisms underlying memory impairments in cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), are largely unknown. Here, we aimed to elucidate relevant mechanisms responsible for transcriptional changes underlying early memory loss in AD by examining pathological, behavioral, and transcriptomic changes in control and mutant β-amyloid precursor protein (APPSw,Ind) transgenic mice during aging. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis using mouse microarrays revealed deregulation of a gene network related with neurotransmission, synaptic plasticity, and learning/memory in the hippocampus of APPSw,Ind mice after spatial memory training. Specifically, APPSw,Ind mice show changes on a cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB)-regulated transcriptional program dependent on the CREB-regulated transcription coactivator-1 (Crtc1). Interestingly, synaptic activity and spatial memory induces Crtc1 dephosphorylation (Ser151), nuclear translocation, and Crtc1-dependent transcription in the hippocampus, and these events are impaired in APPSw,Ind mice at early pathological and cognitive decline stages. CRTC1-dependent genes and CRTC1 levels are reduced in human hippocampus at intermediate Braak III/IV pathological stages. Importantly, adeno-associated viral-mediated Crtc1 overexpression in the hippocampus efficiently reverses Aβ-induced spatial learning and memory deficits by restoring a specific subset of Crtc1 target genes. Our results reveal a critical role of Crtc1-dependent transcription on spatial memory formation and provide the first evidence that targeting brain transcriptome reverses memory loss in AD

Acceleration strategies for elastic full waveform inversion workflows in 2D and 3D

Full waveform inversion (FWI) is one of the most challenging procedures to obtain quantitative information of the subsurface. For elastic inversions, when both compressional and shear velocities have to be inverted, the algorithmic issue becomes also a computational challenge due to the high cost related to modelling elastic rather than acoustic waves. This shortcoming has been moderately mitigated by using high-performance computing to accelerate 3D elastic FWI kernels. Nevertheless, there is room in the FWI workflows for obtaining large speedups at the cost of proper grid pre-processing and data decimation techniques. In the present work, we show how by making full use of frequency-adapted grids, composite shot lists and a novel dynamic offset control strategy, we can reduce by several orders of magnitude the compute time while improving the convergence of the method in the studied cases, regardless of the forward and adjoint compute kernels used.The authors thank REPSOL for the permission to publish the present research and for funding through the AURORA project. J. Kormann also thankfully acknowledges the computer resources, technical expertise and assistance provided by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputacti ´on together with the Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES) through grant FI-2014-2-0009. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020, research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 644202. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme (2014–2020) and from the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation through Rede Nacional de Pesquisa (RNP) under the HPC4E Project (www.hpc4e.eu), grant agreement no. 689772.We further want to thank the Editor Clint N. Dawson for his help, and Andreas Fichtner and an anonymous reviewer for their comments and suggestions to improve the manuscript.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Behavior of vine varieties resistant to fungal diseases in the somontano region

The vine is highly susceptible to numerous fungal diseases, the incidence and severity of which are increasing because of climate change. To fight them, large amounts of phytosanitary products are generally used, although they entail important economic and environmental costs. The new fungus resistant vine varieties (PIWI) constitute one of the most active lines of research on plant material in viticulture and are regarded as a viable solution to respond to the requirements of European Directive 2009/128/EC. In the present work, the evolution and impact of the three main fungal diseases (powdery mildew, downy mildew and botrytis bunch rot) were monitored in plots in the Somontano region (Huesca, Spain), comparing three PIWI varieties (Sauvignon Kretos, Souvignier gris and Muscaris) with a susceptible control variety (Sauvignon blanc) in real field growing conditions over three successive years (2016–2018). The main ampelographic characters of each variety were studied and a weekly follow-up was carried out to track the development of each disease, relating it to climatic variables. Regardless of the climatic conditions (one of the growing seasons was rainy and the other two corresponded to dry years, with differences in the distribution of rainfall), the three PIWI varieties hardly presented any symptoms, demonstrating a high resistance to downy mildew and powdery mildew and even to botrytis. Principal component analysis results pointed to a differential behavior versus the control and treated Sauvignon blanc plants in terms of disease resistance. Based on production results, despite the youth of the plantation, the excellent potential of Sauvignon Kretos variety was observed. However, from the analysis of the quality of wine obtained in microvinifications from these fungus resistant varieties in the second and third year, the one obtained from Muscaris seemed to have the best organoleptic properties. Apart from environmental considerations, given that these fungus resistant varieties can significantly contribute to the sustainability of wineries, they may also respond to the demand of consumers who want zero-pesticide products or of the supporters of ecological products adjusted to European regulations