Exploratory study on didactic aspects used in scientific-technical (STEM) dissemination conferences for students of secondary education

The connection between education and a country's economic and social development is unquestionable, and science and technology-related careers are of particular importance. Given the lack of vocations in these degrees, a number of mechanisms have been used to attract students, including science and technology conferences in secondary schools. Focusing on this type of lectures, this article aims to analyse the didactic aspects used by university lecturers who deliver this type of lectures. To this end, 16 teachers were interviewed using a structured interview. From the qualitative analysis of the interviews, we reached a series of results and conclusions, among which we would like to highlight the following: teachers see these lectures as a form of scientific dissemination which also helps to promote the degree courses they teach and serves as a support for attracting students; when choosing the content of the lecture, they mainly take into account the secondary school curriculum, including striking aspects and the results of their own research; the mediums used are mainly visual and supported by Do It Yourself techniques; the content is normally presented through presentations or practical laboratory exercises; finally, the documentation provided to students depends on the teacher giving the lecture, and there is no consensus on this pointPeer Reviewe

Autopercepción Emocional de estudiantes de economía en el rol de docente en un programa de vinculación con la comunidad: un estudio de caso

In Ecuador, community engagement processes are considered a substantive function of higher education; They are a fundamental part of the comprehensive education of students and allow them to approach problems in the community to which they belong, so that they can contribute with solutions based on the knowledge acquired. This paper analyzes the experience of a group of ten students who participated in training sessions for people enrolled in a training program on entrepreneurship skills, called "Entrepreneur 4.0", in the city of Machala, Ecuador. A qualitative methodological approach based on the case study was used, the data were collected through the application of a focus group in which the students participated and were asked open-ended questions around four moments in which they recognized having had some sensation about the acquired character: (a) previous emotions, (b) emotions exercising the teaching role, (c) emotions after the exercise of the teaching role and (d) evaluation of the experience. The results show that the students, as they faced the situation, evolved from negative emotions to positive ones, and that social interaction was very important in this process. It is recommended to replicate studies of this type in other bonding experiences in Ecuador, in order to try to build a generalizing feature that allows the design of strategies aimed at managing emotions in students. En Ecuador los procesos de vinculación con la comunidad son considerados una función sustantiva de la educación superior; son parte fundamental en la formación integral de los estudiantes y les permite el acercamiento previo a problemas de la comunidad a la que pertenecen, para que contribuya con soluciones a partir de los conocimientos adquiridos. En el presente trabajo se analiza la experiencia de un grupo de diez estudiantes, que participaron en jornadas de capacitación a personas inscritas a un programa de formación sobre habilidades en emprendimiento, denominado “Emprendedor 4.0”, en la ciudad de Machala, Ecuador. Se utilizó un enfoque metodológico cualitativo basado en el estudio de caso, los datos se recolectaron mediante la aplicación de grupo focal en el que participaron los estudiantes y se les hicieron preguntas abiertas en torno a cuatro momentos en los cuales se reconoce haber tenido alguna sensación sobre el personaje adquirido: (a) emociones previas, (b) emociones ejerciendo el rol docente, (c) emociones tras el ejercicio del rol docente y (d) evaluación de la experiencia. Los resultados muestran que los estudiantes a medida que se enfrentaban a la situación fueron evolucionando de emociones negativas hacia positivas y que la interacción social fue muy importante en ese proceso. Se recomienda replicar estudios de este tipo en otras experiencias de vinculación en Ecuador, para intentar construir un rasgo generalizador que permita diseñar estrategias tendientes al manejo de las emociones en los estudiantes

Economías de aglomeración por tipo de actividad productiva en Machala-Ecuador

Agglomeration economics refers to the additional benefits and advantages that arise from the concentration of economic activities, industries, and businesses in a specific geographic area. In particular, companies benefit from agglomeration because they increase their access to factors that they contract for their internal production process. This article presents an analysis of the urban agglomeration in Machala, Ecuador; For this purpose, data from the National Economic Census are used to identify possible specialized clusters within the same economic activity or integrated between businesses of different economic activities. A descriptive and analytical methodology is applied based on spatial econometrics techniques and algorithms trained in the R program. The results show that only 3 of the 14 productive typologies of Machala present clustering and integration patterns: Agriculture, Commerce and Manufacturing. It is striking that a key sector for research and development, such as Science and Technology, shows neither association with each other nor integration with other productive activities. It is suggested that public policies be designed to allow a greater degree of integration between the sectors identified as having greater possibilities for clustering. Additionally, it is essential to apply a more in-depth study to identify why businesses dedicated to Science and Technology do not present grouping among themselves, nor integration with other economic sectors; given that their participation in innovation and development processes are vital for productive specialization in the territory. La economía de aglomeración se refiere a los beneficios y ventajas adicionales que surgen de la concentración de actividades económicas, industrias y empresas en un área geográfica específica. De manera particular, las empresas se benefician de la aglomeración debido a que incrementan su acceso a factores que contratan para su proceso productivo interno. En este artículo se presenta un análisis de la aglomeración urbana en Machala, Ecuador; para lo cual se usan datos del Censo Económico Nacional que permitan la identificación de posibles clústeres especializados dentro de una misma actividad económica o integrados entre negocios de diferentes actividades económicas. Se aplica una metodología descriptiva y analítica basado en técnicas de econometría espacial y algoritmos entrenados en el programa R. Los resultados muestran que sólo 3 de las 14 tipologías productivas de Machala presentan patrones de clusterización e integración: Agricultura, Comercio y Manufactura. Llama la atención que un sector clave para la investigación y desarrollo como Ciencia y Tecnología, no muestra ni asociación entre sí, ni integración a otras actividades productivas. Se sugiere el diseño de políticas públicas que permitan un mayor grado de integración entre los sectores identificados con mayores posibilidades de clusterización. Adicionalmente, resulta fundamental aplicar un estudio a mayor profundidad para identificar el por qué los negocios dedicados a la Ciencia y Tecnología no presentan agrupamiento entre sí, ni integración hacia otros sectores económicos; dado que su participación en procesos de innovación y desarrollo son vitales para la especialización productiva en el territorio

Purified Native and Recombinant Major Alternaria alternata Allergen (Alt a 1) Induces Allergic Asthma in the Murine Model

Aeroallergens such us the spores of Alternaria alternata are described as the most important agents associated with respiratory allergies and severe asthma. Various experimental models of asthma have been developed using A. alternata extracts to study the pathogenesis of asthma, establishing the main parameters that trigger the asthmatic response. In this study, we describe a mouse model of asthma induced only by Alt a 1. To induce the allergic response, mice were challenged intranasally with the major allergen of A. alternata, Alt a 1. The presence of eosinophils in the lungs, elevated concentrations of Th2 family cytokines, lymphocyte proliferation and elevated IgE total serum levels indicated that the sensitisation and challenge with Alt a 1 induced the development of airway inflammation. Histological studies showed an eosinophilic cellular infiltrate in the lung tissue of mice instilled with Alt a 1. We demonstrate that Alt a 1 alone is capable of inducing a lung inflammatory response with an increase in IgE serum levels mimicking the allergic asthma immunoresponse when it is administered into BALB/c mice. This model will allow the evaluation of the immunoregulatory or immunotolerant capacity of several molecules that can be used in targeted immunotherapy for fungal allergic asthmaThis work was supported by the Government of the Basque Country, Department of Research and Education, Linguistic Policy and Culture in the Program: Grants for University Research Groups (Project IT-1043-16) and by the Department of Health (Projects SAN18/16 and SAN20/04)

Fungal Allergen and Mold Allergy Diagnosis: Role and Relevance of Alternaria alternata Alt a 1 Protein Family

Alternaria is a genus of worldwide fungi found in different habitats such as soil, the atmosphere, plants or indoor environments. Alternaria species are saprobic—largely involved in the decomposition of organic material—but they can also act as animal pathogens, causing disease in humans and animals, developing infections, toxicosis and allergic diseases. A. alternata is considered one of the most important sources of fungal allergens worldwide and it is associated with severe asthma and respiratory status. Among the A. alternata allergens, Alt a 1 is the main sensitizing allergen and its usefulness in diagnosis and immunotherapy has been demonstrated. Alt a 1 seems to define a protein family that can be used to identify related pathogenic fungi in plants and fruits, and to establish taxonomic relationships between the different fungal divisions.This work was supported by the Basque Country Government: Consolidated Research Groups of the Basque University Research System: Project IT-1043-16 and the Health Research Department of the Basque Government: Projects: SAN18/16 and SAN20/04

Real time analysis of the filament for FDM 3D printers

[EN]This project raises the need to develop a quality control system for manufacturing processes by melt deposition. The main problem with this technology is that, if the environmental parameters are not sufficiently controlled, inaccuracy is created between the mechanical and aesthetic properties of the product. This causes that the pieces do not meet the requirements for the market since they cannot guarantee a unified performance. For this purpose, a proof of concept that implements the necessary sensors in a testing machine will be carried out. The sensors will collect the measurements by means of an Arduino microcontroller. The obtained information will be processed in order to make the reports that indicate if the manufacturing process meets the expected requirements. With this system it is possible to improve the manufacturing results by melted deposition and to assure quality standards. In the future, the system could be improved according to the quality parameters required by the ISO standards for printing filaments and also used to certify them. Considering all the aforementioned, this is undoubtedly a field of research that still has much to develop and it is expected that this work will be a contribution for future research

The Aspergillus niger major allergen (Asp n 3) DNA-specific sequence is a reliable marker to identify early fungal Contamination and postharvest damage in Mangifera indica fruit

[EN] The aim of this work was to study the value of the main allergen Asp n 3 of Aspergillus niger as a molecular marker of allergenicity and pathogenicity with the potential to be used in the identification of A. niger as a contaminant and cause of spoilage of Mangifera indica. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used for the amplification of Asp n 3 gene. Two pairs of primers were designed: one for the amplification of the entire sequence and another one for the amplification of the most conserved region of this peroxisomal protein. The presence of A. niger was demonstrated by the early detection of the allergenic protein Asp n 3 coding gene, which could be considered a species-specific marker. The use of primers designed based on the conserved region of the Asp n 3 encoding gene allowed us to identify the presence of the closely related fungal species Aspergillus fumigatus by detecting Asp n 3 homologous protein, which can be cross-reactive. The use of conserved segments of the Asp n 3 gene or its entire sequence allows us to detect phylogenetically closely related species within the Aspergilaceae family or to identify species-specific contaminating fungi.This work was supported by the Government of the Basque Country, Department of Research and Education, Linguistic Policy and Culture in the Program: Grants for University Research Groups (project IT-1043-16)

Fossil Groups Origins III. Characterization of the sample and observational properties of fossil systems

(Abridged) Fossil systems are group- or cluster-sized objects whose luminosity is dominated by a very massive central galaxy. In the current cold dark matter scenario, these objects formed hierarchically at an early epoch of the Universe and then slowly evolved until present day. That is the reason why they are called {\it fossils}. We started an extensive observational program to characterize a sample of 34 fossil group candidates spanning a broad range of physical properties. Deep $r-$band images were taken for each candidate and optical spectroscopic observations were obtained for $\sim$ 1200 galaxies. This new dataset was completed with SDSS DR7 archival data to obtain robust cluster membership and global properties of each fossil group candidate. For each system, we recomputed the magnitude gaps between the two brightest galaxies ($\Delta m_{12}$) and the first and fourth ranked galaxies ($\Delta m_{14}$) within 0.5 $R_{{\rm 200}}$. We consider fossil systems those with $\Delta m_{12} \ge 2$ mag or $\Delta m_{14} \ge 2.5$ mag within the errors. We find that 15 candidates turned out to be fossil systems. Their observational properties agree with those of non-fossil systems. Both follow the same correlations, but fossils are always extreme cases. In particular, they host the brightest central galaxies and the fraction of total galaxy light enclosed in the central galaxy is larger in fossil than in non-fossil systems. Finally, we confirm the existence of genuine fossil clusters. Combining our results with others in the literature, we favor the merging scenario in which fossil systems formed due to mergers of $L^\ast$ galaxies. The large magnitude gap is a consequence of the extreme merger ratio within fossil systems and therefore it is an evolutionary effect. Moreover, we suggest that at least one candidate in our sample could represent a transitional fossil stage.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&

The Quantification of IgG Specific to α-Gal Could Be Used as a Risk Marker for Suffering Mammalian Meat Allergy

The alpha-Gal Syndrome is a delayed meat allergy characterized by the presence of sIgE against α-Gal epitope. It is known that the α-Gal present in tick saliva induces the sensitization to this epitope ending in the production of sIgG and sIgE to α-Gal. It could be considered that the more times a person is bitten by tick species, the higher the probability of making the switch from sIgG to sIgE to α-Gal and developing allergy, but it is no clear when the switch occurs. To determine the likelihood that a subject bitten by ticks but without AGS be at risk of developing this allergy, we quantified the levels of sIgG to α-Gal by an automated system (ImmunoCap). To stablish a cut-off value for sIgG to α-Gal, a receiving operating curve (ROC) was constructed. The statistical analysis demonstrated that the risk of suffering AGS in individuals bitten by ticks was 35% when the sIgG to α-Gal was greater than or equal to 40 µg/mL. Our data indicate that the sIgG values against α-Gal could be used as a prognostic marker for developing mammalian meat allergy.This research was funded by the Sociedad Española de Alergología e Inmunología Clínica (SEAIC2014) and, by the Department of Education of the Basque Government Grants to support the activities of research groups in the Basque University System (Project IT-1043-16)

An analysis of the composite stellar population in M32

We obtained long-slit spectra of high signal-to-noise ratio of the galaxy M32 with the GMOS spectrograph at the GEMINI North telescope. We analysed the integrated spectra by means of full spectral fitting in order to extract the mixture of stellar populations that best represents its composite nature. Three different galactic radii were analysed, from the nuclear region out to 2 arcmin from the centre. This allows us to compare, for the first time, the results of integrated light spectroscopy with those of resolved colour-magnitude diagrams from the literature. As our main result, we propose that an ancient and an intermediate-age population coexist in M32, and that the balance between these two populations change between the nucleus and outside 1 effective radius in the sense that the contribution from the intermediate population is larger at the nuclear region. We retrieve a smaller signal of a young population at all radii whose origin is unclear and may be a contamination from horizontal-branch stars, such as the ones identified by Brown et al. in the nuclear region. We compare our metallicity distribution function for a region 1 to 2 arcmin from the centre to the one obtained with photometric data by Grillmair et al. Both distributions are broad, but our spectroscopically derived distribution has a significant component with [Z/Z_{\sun}] \leq -1, which is not found by Grillmair et al.Comment: accepted for publication in MNRA