Comparativa de las estrategias metodológicas utilizadas en dos escuelas inclusivas con alumnado con Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA)

En Cataluña, el alumnado con Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA) escolarizado en escuelas inclusivas recibe apoyo por parte del servicio de apoyo intensivo para la escolarización inclusiva (SIEI), bien en las aulas ordinarias, o bien en un aula específica. No obstante, para los maestros supone un reto acoger al alumnado con TEA, pues se deben desarrollar numerosas estrategias metodológicas: utilizar una apertura y un cierre claros, dar ejemplos, utilizar un lenguaje concreto, presentar la información de manera oral con apoyo visual, propiciar actividades de interés y anticipar, por citar algunas. Dada su gran variedad, el objetivo del estudio es identificar qué estrategias metodológicas se usan con los alumnos con TEA en el aula regular, y si difieren de las usadas en el aula SIEI. Se desarrolló un estudio cualitativo y descriptivo a partir de la observación en las aulas y entrevistas con una muestra de dos escuelas de educación primaria. Los resultados muestran que ambas escuelas utilizan múltiples estrategias, aunque algunas no se contemplan, por ejemplo, la generalización. Además, cuando hay un aula SIEI, se tiende a situar al alumno con TEA fuera del aula regular, donde el maestro de apoyo mantiene el rol de tutor. En cambio, dentro del aula regular, el maestro de apoyo destina su tiempo al alumno con TEA de bajo funcionamiento; mientras que los alumnos con TEA de alto funcionamiento reciben apoyo por parte de los iguales. Finalmente, se observa la necesidad de desarrollar programas formativos para todo el profesorado para fomentar una mayor inclusión

Perspectivas comparativas de las partes interesadas sobre la educación inclusiva en cuatro regiones de China

El proyecto europeo INCLUTE (Promoción de la educación inclusiva a través del desarrollo curricular y la formación de docentes en China) Unión Europea (Proyecto Erasmus +)561.600-EPP-1-2015-CN-EP ayuda a contribuir a la demanda de docentes altamente calificados en la escuela primaria donde se puede abordar el nivel y se puede alentar a las universidades en China a tomar en consideración los estándares europeos. Este proyecto es innovador porque se centra en el tema de la educación inclusiva para apoyar la formación de docentes de escuelas primarias chinas. El ideal pedagógico confuciano de “aprender sin discriminación” todavía predomina entre los educadores chinos en la actualidad. Sin embargo, durante los últimos treinta años, los actores gubernamentales han subrayado la necesidad de implementar políticas de educación inclusiva, siguiendo el modelo occidental. Por lo tanto, el sistema educativo chino ha comenzado a implementar la política de “aprendizaje en el aula”, una alternativa a medio camino entre la pedagogía tradicional confuciana y las nociones occidentales de educación inclusiva. No obstante, se sabe poco sobre las perspectivas y expectativas chinas sobre la educación inclusiva. En consecuencia, el presente estudio tiene como objetivo identificar la percepción de las partes interesadas chinas sobre la educación inclusiva a través de una encuesta, una entrevista y un grupo focal de una muestra de 8.412 sujetos compuestos por maestros de escuela primaria, funcionarios gubernamentales y trabajadores de organizaciones no gubernamentales (ONG) de Guanxi, Sichuan, Chongqing y Tíbet. Los resultados de este estudio sugieren que los actores educativos chinos conceptualizan la educación inclusiva como una idea filosófica relacionada con nuevas estrategias metodológicas, pero que no está asociada a las discapacidades, la educación para todos o la comunidad educativa. Se discuten las debilidades y fortalezas de la educación inclusiva.También se concluye con una serie de indicadores que orientan mejoras en la metodología estudiada.The European project INCLUTE (Promoting inclusive education through curriculum development and teacher education in China) European Union (Proyecto Erasmus +) 561.600-EPP-1-2015-CN-EP helps to contribute the demand for highly educated teachers at the primary school level can be tackled, and universities in China can be encouraged to take European standards into consideration. This project is innovative because it focuses on the topic of inclusive education for supporting teacher training for Chinese primary school teachers. The Confucian pedagogical ideal of “learning without discrimination” still predominates among Chinese educators nowadays. However, over the last thirty years, government stakeholders have underscored the need to implement inclusive education policies, following the Western model. Thus, the Chinese educational system has started to implement the “learning in the classroom” policy – a halfway alternative between Confucian traditional pedagogy and the Western notions of inclusive education. Nonetheless, little is known about the Chinese perspectives on, and expectations about, inclusive education. Accordingly, the present study aims to identify the Chinese stakeholders’ perception of inclusive education through a survey, an interview and a focus group out of a sample of 8,412 subjects composed of primary school teachers, government officials and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) workers from Guanxi, Sichuan, Chongqing and Tibet. The results of this study suggest that Chinese education stakeholders conceptualize inclusive education as a philosophical idea related to new methodological strategies, but that it is not associated with disabilities, education for all or the educational community. The weaknesses and strengths of inclusive education are discussed

Orientación motivacional, autoeficacia y expectativas: la implicación cognitiva con el feedback en entornos virtuales

In order that online feedback plays its role regarding learning, students need to engage with it. However, few studies have addressed the role of individual differences in interaction with some characteristics of educational intervention in students’ cognitive engagement with online feedback. This study explores potential relationships between motivational orientation, control of learning beliefs, self-efficacy and success expectancy with cognitive engagement with feedback. In addition, it is analyzed whether the possibilities of resubmitting the assignment, based on the feedback received, generate different levels of cognitive engagement. A quasi-experiment with pre-post measures was designed. There were 87 students who had the possibility to rework the assignment from the feedback received during the process and to resubmit it, and 80 students from the control group with no possibility of rework. The results highlight that there were no significant differences in the incidence of motivational orientation relative to cognitive engagement with feedback, but all students showed a high level of learning motivational orientation. Beliefs about learning process control, self-efficacy, and expectations for success impacted on cognitive engagement with feedback received at the end of the activity. Providing feedback during the assignment mediated this influence.Para que el feedback online cumpla su función con relación al aprendizaje, es necesario que los estudiantes se impliquen con él. Sin embargo, son pocos los estudios que han abordado el papel de las diferencias individuales en interacción con algunas características de la intervención educativa en la implicación cognitiva de los estudiantes con el feedback online. Este estudio explora las posibles relaciones entre la orientación motivacional, las creencias sobre el control del proceso de aprendizaje, la autoeficacia y las expectativas de éxito con la implicación cognitiva con el feedback. Además, se analiza si las posibilidades de reelaboración de la actividad, a partir del feedback recibido, genera diferentes niveles de implicación cognitiva. Se diseñó un cuasi-experimento con medidas pre-post. Participaron 87 estudiantes que tuvieron la posibilidad de reelaborar el trabajo a partir del feedback recibido durante el proceso y volverlo a entregar, y 80 estudiantes del grupo control sin posibilidades de reelaboración. Los resultados apuntan que no se apreciaron diferencias significativas en cuanto a la incidencia de la orientación motivacional con relación a la implicación cognitiva con el feedback, pero todos los estudiantes mostraron un elevado nivel de orientación motivacional hacia el aprendizaje. Las creencias sobre el control del proceso de aprendizaje, la autoeficacia y las expectativas de éxito incidieron en la implicación cognitiva con el feedback recibido al final de la actividad. Proporcionar feedback durante la realización de la actividad mediatizó esta influencia

Electrochemical assessment of pigments-binding medium interactions in oil paint deterioration: a case study on indigo and Prussian blue

Abstract The degradation of laboratory oil paint film specimens containing indigo and Prussian blue pigments and pictorial samples from the Sant Francesc de Paula painting exhibited in the Tomàs Balvey Arxiu Museum (Cardedeu (Catalonia), Spain) has been studied by voltammetry of immobilized particles. This technique, combined with light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis, nanoindentation-atomic force microscopy, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy techniques permits the proposal of a dual scheme for the degradation of the pigments when naturally aged and submitted to accelerated UVA aging. Under conditions of moderate temperature, humidity and natural illumination, and low gradients of these parameters, Prussian blue acts as a radical scavenger moderating the production of reactive oxygen species produced in the oil binding medium by the action of ultraviolet radiation, resulting in the formation, in the solid state, of the solid-solution, {KFeIII[FeII(CN)6]} x {FeIII[FeIII(CN)6]}1–x , known as Berlin green, which then promotes the formation of indigo adducts with radicals. In several localized areas of the Sant Francesc de Paula paint showing strong degradation, Prussian blue acts as a promoter of the indigo oxidation to isatin, thus resulting in a considerable chromatic shift

Desarrollo de la orientación professional en el grado de Enfermería: talleres de formación

Se describen las acciones de orientación profesional dirigidas a los estudiantes del Grado de Enfermería. La valoración de los talleres de formación para la búsqueda de empleo se realizó mediante un estudio descriptivo para conocer la opinión de los 134 alumnos participantes. Los talleres se valoraron mediante una encuesta anónima de elaboración propia. El ítem mejor valorado fue el cumplimiento de las expectativas en referencia al taller de como confeccionar un currículum vitae

RhoE is required for contact inhibition and negatively regulates tumor initiation and progression

RhoE is a small GTPase involved in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton dynamics, cell cycle and apoptosis. The role of RhoE in cancer is currently controversial, with reports of both oncogenic and tumor-suppressive functions for RhoE. Using RhoE-deficient mice, we show here that the absence of RhoE blunts contact-inhibition of growth by inhibiting p27 Kip1 nuclear translocation and cooperates in oncogenic transformation of mouse primary fibroblasts. Heterozygous RhoE +/gt mice are more susceptible to chemically induced skin tumors and RhoE knock-down results in increased metastatic potential of cancer cells. These results indicate that RhoE plays a role in suppressing tumor initiation and progression

Estudi de la policromia d’una mènsula tardogòtica provinent del monestir de Sant Jeroni de la Murtra (Museu de Badalona)

L’estudi tècnic i material d’una obra és una premissa necessària abans d’encetar qualsevol procés d’intervenció i representa una font de coneixement inestimable per a la tecnologia de l’art. La col·laboració entre els conservadors-restauradors i els científics ha permès realitzar descobertes significatives sobre la policromia original i la seqüència decorativa d’un fragment escultòric d’època gòtica tardana que representa un àngel, procedent del monestir de Sant Jeroni de la Murtra, a Badalona

Progressive and Simultaneous Right and Left Atrial Remodeling Uncovered by a Comprehensive Magnetic Resonance Assessment in Atrial Fibrillation

Background Left atrial structural remodeling contributes to the arrhythmogenic substrate of atrial fibrillation (AF), but the role of the right atrium (RA) remains unknown. Our aims were to comprehensively characterize right atrial structural remodeling in AF and identify right atrial parameters predicting recurrences after ablation. Methods and Results A 3.0 T late gadolinium enhanced-cardiac magnetic resonance was obtained in 109 individuals (9 healthy volunteers, 100 patients with AF undergoing ablation). Right and left atrial volume, surface, and sphericity were quantified. Right atrial global and regional fibrosis burden was assessed with validated thresholds. Patients with AF were systematically followed after ablation for recurrences. Progressive right atrial dilation and an increase in sphericity were observed from healthy volunteers to patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF; fibrosis was similar among the groups. The correlation between parameters recapitulating right atrial remodeling was mild. Subsequently, remodeling in both atria was compared. The RA was larger than the left atrium (LA) in all groups. Fibrosis burden was higher in the LA than in the RA of patients with AF, whereas sphericity was higher in the LA of patients with persistent AF only. Fibrosis, volume, and surface of the RA and LA, but not sphericity, were strongly correlated. Tricuspid regurgitation predicted right atrial volume and shape, whereas diabetes was associated with right atrial fibrosis burden; sex and persistent AF also predicted right atrial volume. Fibrosis in the RA was mostly located in the inferior vena cava-RA junction. Only right atrial sphericity is significantly associated with AF recurrences after ablation (hazard ratio, 1.12 [95% CI, 1.01-1.25]). Conclusions AF progression associates with right atrial remodeling in parallel with the LA. Right atrial sphericity yields prognostic significance after ablation

Olive oil intake and risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in the PREDIMED Study

Background: It is unknown whether individuals at high cardiovascular risk sustain a benefit in cardiovascular disease from increased olive oil consumption. The aim was to assess the association between total olive oil intake, its varieties (extra virgin and common olive oil) and the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk. Methods: We included 7,216 men and women at high cardiovascular risk, aged 55 to 80 years, from the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) study, a multicenter, randomized, controlled, clinical trial. Participants were randomized to one of three interventions: Mediterranean Diets supplemented with nuts or extra-virgin olive oil, or a control low-fat diet. The present analysis was conducted as an observational prospective cohort study. The median follow-up was 4.8 years. Cardiovascular disease (stroke, myocardial infarction and cardiovascular death) and mortality were ascertained by medical records and National Death Index. Olive oil consumption was evaluated with validated food frequency questionnaires. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards and generalized estimating equations were used to assess the association between baseline and yearly repeated measurements of olive oil intake, cardiovascular disease and mortality. Results: During follow-up, 277 cardiovascular events and 323 deaths occurred. Participants in the highest energy-adjusted tertile of baseline total olive oil and extra-virgin olive oil consumption had 35% (HR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.47 to 0.89) and 39% (HR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.85) cardiovascular disease risk reduction, respectively, compared to the reference. Higher baseline total olive oil consumption was associated with 48% (HR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.29 to 0.93) reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality. For each 10 g/d increase in extra-virgin olive oil consumption, cardiovascular disease and mortality risk decreased by 10% and 7%, respectively. No significant associations were found for cancer and all-cause mortality. The associations between cardiovascular events and extra virgin olive oil intake were significant in the Mediterranean diet intervention groups and not in the control group. Conclusions: Olive oil consumption, specifically the extra-virgin variety, is associated with reduced risks of cardiovascular disease and mortality in individuals at high cardiovascular risk. Trial registration This study was registered at controlled-trials.com (http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN35739639). International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN): 35739639. Registration date: 5 October 2005

The INCREASE project: Intelligent Collections of food‐legume genetic resources for European agrofood systems

Food legumes are crucial for all agriculture-related societal challenges, including climate change mitigation, agrobiodiversity conservation, sustainable agriculture, food security and human health. The transition to plant-based diets, largely based on food legumes, could present major opportunities for adaptation and mitigation, generating significant co-benefits for human health. The characterization, maintenance and exploitation of food-legume genetic resources, to date largely unexploited, form the core development of both sustainable agriculture and a healthy food system. INCREASE will implement, on chickpea (Cicer arietinum), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), lentil (Lens culinaris) and lupin (Lupinus albus and L. mutabilis), a new approach to conserve, manage and characterize genetic resources. Intelligent Collections, consisting of nested core collections composed of single-seed descent-purified accessions (i.e., inbred lines), will be developed, exploiting germplasm available both from genebanks and on-farm and subjected to different levels of genotypic and phenotypic characterization. Phenotyping and gene discovery activities will meet, via a participatory approach, the needs of various actors, including breeders, scientists, farmers and agri-food and non-food industries, exploiting also the power of massive metabolomics and transcriptomics and of artificial intelligence and smart tools. Moreover, INCREASE will test, with a citizen science experiment, an innovative system of conservation and use of genetic resources based on a decentralized approach for data management and dynamic conservation. By promoting the use of food legumes, improving their quality, adaptation and yield and boosting the competitiveness of the agriculture and food sector, the INCREASE strategy will have a major impact on economy and society and represents a case study of integrative and participatory approaches towards conservation and exploitation of crop genetic resources