Reproductive biology of Polioptila lembeyei (Aves: Polioptilidae) in the Siboney-Juticí Ecological Reserve, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba

Se estudió la biología reproductiva de Polioptila lembeyei en la Reserva Ecológica Siboney-Juticí, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba durante los años 2006 y 2007 en seis formaciones vegetales. Se describieron aspectos de su reproducción en términos de cronología reproductiva, tamaño de puesta, duración del período de incubación, permanencia de los polluelos en el nido, morfometría de nidos y huevos, y caracterización del sitio de nidificación en cuanto a la altura de los nidos y especie y altura de las plantas utilizadas como sitio de nidificación. Se localizaron 89 nidos durante las dos temporadas reproductivas, 43 en el año 2006 y 46 en el 2007. El período reproductivo se extendió desde finales de marzo hasta julio, abarcando 129 días en el año 2006 y 122 días durante el año 2007. Las nidadas tuvieron una duración de 36–56 días (construcción 8,6 ± 2,8 días, puesta 8,6 ± 2,7 días, incubación de 14,0 ± 1,2 días y permanencia de los pichones en el nido 14,5 ± 1,0 días). De los 45 nidos examinados el tamaño de puesta modal fue de tres huevos (88,9 %), encontrándose también nidadas de dos (6,7 %) y cuatro huevos (4,4 %). De 38 nidos con huevos para ambas temporadas, 15 nidos produjeron pichones (32 pichones en el 2006 y 20 pichones en el 2007) y solo tres nidos durante el 2006 (37,5 %) lograron producir volantones, los cuales salieron con éxito del nido. La planta más utilizada como sitio de nidificación fue Acacia macracantha (80 % de los nidos detectados), aunque también se hallaron nidos en otras ocho especies de plantas. Las alturas de ubicación del nido fue de 2,7 ± 1,5 m (n = 82; rango 0,3–6,4 m) y la distancia del nido al dosel de la planta utilizada como sustrato fue de 1,1 ± 0,9 m (n = 80; rango 0,1–5,4 m).The reproductive biology of Polioptila lembeyei was studied in six vegetation types during the years 2006 and 2007 in the Siboney-Juticí Ecological Reserve, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Breeding aspects including reproductive chronology, clutch size, incubation length, nestling period, egg and nest morphometrics, and aspects of the nesting site (nest height, plant species, and plant height) were described. Eighty-nine nests were found during both reproductive seasons, 43 in 2006 and 46 in 2007. The reproductive period occurred from late March to July for 129 days in 2006 and 122 days in 2007. The length of the nesting period was 36–56 days (nest construction 8.6 ± 2.8 days, laying 8.6 ± 2.7 days, incubation 14.0 ± 1.2 days, and nestling period 14.5 ± 1.0 days). Of the 45 nests examined, modal clutch size was three eggs (88.9 %), although nests with two (6.7 %) and four eggs (4.4 %) also occurred. Of 38 clutches in both seasons, 15 of them produced chicks (32 chicks in the 2006 and 20 chicks in the 2007) and only three nests in the 2006 season (37.5 %) produced fledglings. Acacia macracantha was the plant species most used as nesting substrate (80 % of detected nests) although nests were also found in eight other plant species. Nest heights were 2,7 ± 1,5 m (n = 82; range 0.3–6.4 m) and the distance from nest to the canopy of the substrate plant was 1.1 ± 0.9 m (n = 80; range 0.1–5.4 m)

EstuPlan: Methodology for the development of creativity in the resolution of scientific and social problems

[EN] Creative thinking is necessary to generate novel ideas and solve problems. "EstuPlan" is a methodology in which knowledge and creativity converge for the resolution of scientific problems with social projection. It is a training programme that integrates teachers, laboratory technicians and PhD students, master and undergraduate students which form working groups for the development of projects. Projects have a broad and essential scope and projection in terms of environmental problems, sustainable use of natural resources, food, health, biotechnology or biomedicine. The results show the success of this significant learning methodology using tools to develop creativity in responding to scientific and social demand for problem-solving to transfer academic knowledge to different professional environments. Bioplastics, Second Life of Coffee, LimBio, Algae oils, Ecomers, Caring for the life of your crop and Hate to Deforestate are currently being developed.Astudillo Calderón, S.; De Díez De La Torre, L.; García Companys, M.; Ortega Pérez, N.; Rodríguez Martínez, V.; Alzahrani, S.; Alonso Valenzuela, R.... (2019). EstuPlan: Methodology for the development of creativity in the resolution of scientific and social problems. En HEAD'19. 5th International Conference on Higher Education Advances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 711-717. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD19.2019.9205OCS71171

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the Largest HIV-1 CRF02_AG Outbreak in Spain: Evidence for Onward Transmissions

Background and Aim: The circulating recombinant form 02_AG (CRF02_AG) is the predominant clade among the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) non-Bs with a prevalence of 5.97% (95% Confidence Interval-CI: 5.41–6.57%) across Spain. Our aim was to estimate the levels of regional clustering for CRF02_AG and the spatiotemporal characteristics of the largest CRF02_AG subepidemic in Spain.Methods: We studied 396 CRF02_AG sequences obtained from HIV-1 diagnosed patients during 2000–2014 from 10 autonomous communities of Spain. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on the 391 CRF02_AG sequences along with all globally sampled CRF02_AG sequences (N = 3,302) as references. Phylodynamic and phylogeographic analysis was performed to the largest CRF02_AG monophyletic cluster by a Bayesian method in BEAST v1.8.0 and by reconstructing ancestral states using the criterion of parsimony in Mesquite v3.4, respectively.Results: The HIV-1 CRF02_AG prevalence differed across Spanish autonomous communities we sampled from (p &lt; 0.001). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 52.7% of the CRF02_AG sequences formed 56 monophyletic clusters, with a range of 2–79 sequences. The CRF02_AG regional dispersal differed across Spain (p = 0.003), as suggested by monophyletic clustering. For the largest monophyletic cluster (subepidemic) (N = 79), 49.4% of the clustered sequences originated from Madrid, while most sequences (51.9%) had been obtained from men having sex with men (MSM). Molecular clock analysis suggested that the origin (tMRCA) of the CRF02_AG subepidemic was in 2002 (median estimate; 95% Highest Posterior Density-HPD interval: 1999–2004). Additionally, we found significant clustering within the CRF02_AG subepidemic according to the ethnic origin.Conclusion: CRF02_AG has been introduced as a result of multiple introductions in Spain, following regional dispersal in several cases. We showed that CRF02_AG transmissions were mostly due to regional dispersal in Spain. The hot-spot for the largest CRF02_AG regional subepidemic in Spain was in Madrid associated with MSM transmission risk group. The existence of subepidemics suggest that several spillovers occurred from Madrid to other areas. CRF02_AG sequences from Hispanics were clustered in a separate subclade suggesting no linkage between the local and Hispanic subepidemics

Colistin resistance in monophasic isolates of Salmonella enterica ST34 collected from meat-derived products in Spain, with or without CMY-2 co-production

Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic in fighting severe infections caused by multidrug resistant Gram negative pathogens in hospitals. Zoonotic bacteria acquire colistin resistance in animal reservoirs and mediate its spread along the food chain. This is the case of non-typhoid serovars of Salmonella enterica. Colistin-resistant S. enterica in foods represents a threat to human health. Here, we assessed the prevalence of colistin-resistance in food-borne isolates of S. enterica (2014–2019; Asturias, Spain), and established the genetic basis and transferability of this resistance. Five out of 231 isolates tested (2.2%) were resistant to colistin. Four of them, belonging to the European monophasic ST34 clone of S. Typhimurium, were characterized in the present study. They were collected from pork or pork and beef meat-derived products, either in 2015 (three isolates) or 2019 (one isolate). Molecular typing with XbaI-PFGE and plasmid profiling revealed distinct patterns for each isolate, even though two of the 2015 isolates derived from the same sample. The MICs of colistin ranged from 8 to 16 mg/L. All isolates carried the mcr-1.1 gene located on conjugative plasmids of the incompatibility groups IncX4 (2015 isolates) or IncHI2 (2019 isolate). Apart from colistin resistance, the four isolates carried chromosomal genes conferring resistance to ampicillin, streptomycin, sulfonamides and tetracycline [blaTEM–1, strA-strB, sul2, and tet(B)] and heavy metals, including copper and silver (silESRCFBAGP and pcoGE1ABCDRSE2), arsenic (arsRSD2A2BCA1D1) ± mercury (merEDACPTR), which are characteristically associated with the European ST34 monophasic clone. The 2019 isolate was also resistant to other antibiotics, comprising third generation cephalosporins and cephamycins. The latter phenotype was conferred by the blaCMY–2 gene located on an IncI1-I(α)-ST2 plasmid. Results in the present study identified meat-derived products as a reservoir of a highly successful clone harboring transferable plasmids which confer resistance to colistin and other clinically important antibiotics. An important reduction in the number of food-borne S. enterica detected during the period of the study, together with the low frequency of colistin resistance, underlines the success of One Health initiatives, such as those implemented at the UE, to control zoonotic bacteria along the food chain and to halt the spread of antimicrobial resistance

The impact of the use of games on student academic performance: gamification as a way to improve the teaching of political, legal and social issues

El juego es una herramienta básica para el aprendizaje, aunque poco utilizada en el Espacio de Educación Superior. El uso de los juegos en las aulas puede contribuir no sólo a mejorar la percepción de la docencia por parte de nuestro alumnado (lo cual a su vez podría transmitirse en una mejor percepción de los estudios de la Universidad Complutense), sino que también pueden conducir a un mayor conocimiento de los procesos dinámicos en los que vivimos hoy día facilitando que los participantes comprendan mejor su naturaleza dinámica. Cuando se simula una situación, los participantes se dan cuenta de cómo funciona el sistema político en movimiento y se preparan para enfrentarlo en la vida real. Además, las simulaciones también son divertidas, hacen que los estudiantes se involucren más en el estudio y profundicen su conocimiento al fomentar su interés. En este Proyecto de Innovación Docente profesores de distintas facultades y universidades analizamos el uso del juego en las aulas y su impacto en el rendimiento de nuestro alumnado.Universidad Complutense de MadridDepto. de Ciencia Política y de la AdministraciónFac. de Ciencias Políticas y SociologíaFALSEsubmitte

The Impact of University Collaborative Learning on Student Academic Achievement: A Wiki for Political and Management Science

El objetivo del proyecto es llevar a la práctica una acción formativa basada en la web 2.0 con la participación de profesores y alumnos pertenecientes a distintos grados, facultades y universidades. En concreto, esta iniciativa pretende continuar con la wiki, www.dcpa.wikidot.com, que comenzó a realizarse en 2015 en virtud de la convocatoria de PIMCD. La wiki contribuye a que los estudiantes, de manera colaborativa, diseñen un proyecto educativo de integración curricular a partir de unos supuestos establecidos previamente por el profesor. Por lo tanto, este tipo de experiencia permite crear una base documental de gran utilidad para otros alumnos que estudian este tipo de asignaturas o para cualquier persona que muestren una inquietud o necesidad de buscar, encontrar o ampliar el conocimiento sobre determinadas cuestiones relacionadas con la Ciencia Política y la Ciencia de la Administración. Además, este año vamos a incorporar al proyecto de innovación la creación de un blog, como una experiencia piloto, en una de las asignaturas de los profesores del equipo. De esta manera, se continúa avanzando en el aprendizaje colaborativo, así como en la interacción entre el profesor y el alumno. El blog, al igual que la wiki, permite difundir de lo que ocurre en el aula al resto de la sociedad, contribuyendo a la transferencia del conocimiento. La razón principal de haber elegido estas herramientas es que este tipo de aplicaciones, bajo la estructura de un procesador de texto en línea, permite que cualquier persona pueda escribir, publicar fotografías o vídeos, archivos o links, sin ninguna complejidad. Además, contribuye a renovar las metodologías de enseñanza, ya que favorece el aprendizaje colaborativo (el conocimiento se comparte) y refuerza la relación de confianza entre profesor-alumno, ya que el estudiante adquiere un rol activo en el proceso de recopilación, análisis y difusión de conocimiento. De este modo, el estudiante adquiere competencias y habilidades de una manera dinámica. No obstante, para que las tecnologías generen valor en los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje es necesario que los profesores nos centremos en diseñar unas experiencias de aprendizaje adaptadas a ellas. Solo de esta manera, la wiki y el blog pueden contribuir a la construcción del conocimiento y a la resolución de problemas de manera progresiva y evolutiva, de fomento de la capacidad crítica, evaluación de la información y el cuestionamiento de la realidad, y compromiso por un análisis equilibrado del trabajo de otros y contra los prejuicios. Por tal motivo, se presentará a los estudiantes una serie de pautas que deberán seguir para su buen desarrollo. En cuanto a la wiki, en primer lugar, se explicará el programa de la asignatura y se les indicarán que podrán desarrollar analíticamente cualquier concepto o acontecimiento que guarde relación con la misma, y en segundo lugar, se les señalara que deberán formar un grupo de 4 personas para poder llevar a cabo tal tarea, y que, una vez que determinen el tema a trabajar, deberá concretarlo con la profesora para evitar duplicidades y recibir los fundamentos sobre las cuales deberán vertebrar sus trabajos. En cuanto al blog, se expondrá a los alumnos de la asignatura de “Sistema político español”, que se creará una bitácora común para toda la clase en la que los mismos grupos de la wiki publicar una noticia, un video, una nota de prensa, etc relacionada con cada tema de la asignatura, y además deberán comentar esta aportación y vincularla con la parte teórica. Así, la innovación docente que se pretende conseguir es fomentar el trabajo colaborativo dentro y fuera del aula. En la actualidad, la wiki cuenta con 308 conceptos, por lo que esta iniciativa contribuirá a ampliar la información y el conocimiento sobre la Ciencia Política y la Ciencia de la Administración, incrementado, así, su repercusión, al igual que el blog. Con ello, los alumnos aprenderán a trabajar en grupo y de forma ordenada y continuada, además de adquirir una serie de herramientas que podrán ser empleadas en otras asignaturas y aspectos de su vida personal y profesional. Además, se medirá y evaluará su rendimiento académico para conocer si esta nueva metodología de aprendizaje permite mejorar los resultados de los estudiantes. Gracias a ello, los profesores podrán proponer nuevas herramientas docentes que tiendan a dirigir a los estudiantes hacia aquél enfoque de aprendizaje que proporcione mejor rendimiento.The aim of the project is to implement a training action based on web 2.0 with the participation of teachers and students belonging to different degrees, faculties and universities. Specifically, this initiative aims to continue with the wiki, www.dcpa.wikidot.com, which began to be carried out in 2015 under the PIMCD call for proposals. The wiki helps students, in a collaborative manner, to design an educational project of curricular integration based on assumptions previously established by the teacher. Therefore, this type of experience makes it possible to create a very useful documentary base for other students studying this type of subject or for anyone who shows an interest or need to search for, find or expand knowledge on certain issues related to Political Science and Management Science. In addition, this year we are going to incorporate into the innovation project the creation of a blog, as a pilot experience, in one of the subjects taught by the team's lecturers. In this way, we continue to make progress in collaborative learning, as well as in the interaction between teacher and student. The blog, like the wiki, allows the dissemination of what happens in the classroom to the rest of society, contributing to the transfer of knowledge. The main reason for choosing these tools is that this type of application, under the structure of an online word processor, allows anyone to write, publish photographs or videos, files or links, without any complexity. Moreover, it contributes to renew teaching methodologies, as it favours collaborative learning (knowledge is shared) and reinforces the relationship of trust between teacher-student, as the student acquires an active role in the process of gathering, analysing and disseminating knowledge. In this way, the student acquires competences and skills in a dynamic way. However, for technologies to generate value in the teaching-learning process, it is necessary for teachers to focus on designing learning experiences adapted to them. Only in this way can the wiki and the blog contribute to the construction of knowledge and problem solving in a progressive and evolutionary way, fostering critical capacity, evaluation of information and questioning of reality, and commitment to a balanced analysis of the work of others and against prejudices. For this reason, students will be presented with a series of guidelines to follow for its proper development. As for the wiki, firstly, the syllabus of the subject will be explained and they will be told that they will be able to analytically develop any concept or event related to it, and secondly, they will be told that they will have to form a group of 4 people to carry out this task, and that, once they have determined the topic to work on, they should discuss it with the teacher to avoid duplication and to receive the foundations on which they should base their work. As for the blog, it will be explained to the students of the subject "Spanish political system" that a common blog will be created for the whole class in which the same wiki groups will publish a news item, a video, a press release, etc. related to each subject of the course, and they will also have to comment on this contribution and link it to the theoretical part. In this way, the teaching innovation that is intended to be achieved is to encourage collaborative work inside and outside the classroom. At present, the wiki has 218 concepts, so this initiative will contribute to expanding information and knowledge about Political Science and Administration Science, thus increasing its impact, just like the blog. In this way, students will learn to work in groups and in an orderly and continuous manner, as well as acquiring a series of tools that can be used in other subjects and aspects of their personal and professional lives. In addition, their academic performance will be measured and evaluated to find out whether this new learning methodology improves students' results. As a result, teachers will be able to propose new teaching tools that tend to direct students towards the learning approach that provides the best performance.Depto. de Ciencia Política y de la AdministraciónFac. de Ciencias Políticas y SociologíaFALSEUCMsubmitte