El Devenir Inmediato de la Reforma y Gestión Universitaria en México y sus Tareas en el Marco de la Agenda Mundial

En su devenir inmediato, la universidad como parte integrante del sistema de educación superior, ha venido presentando un conjunto de transformaciones caracterizadas por hechos que han respondido en su momento a dinámicas propias del sistema educativo como también a las de su contexto y sectores con los cuales se vincula. En tales situaciones, las universidades han transitado por un conjunto de reformas y procesos de gestión que han tendido tanto a su adecuación a las necesidades presentes como a su transformación para atender las necesidades emergentes en relación a su objeto de ser. En tales contextos, el presente documento de trabajo hace un recorrido temporal sobre aquellos hechos inmediatos que han sido significativos en las reformas y procesos de gestión académica de las universidades, para luego identificar algunas de las principales tendencias de la educación superior que se presentan en el plano internacional y a partir de ello derivar un conjunto de factores y retos que permiten plantear algunas tareas que se consideran pendientes y necesarias en el marco de las reformas universitarias y sus respectivos procesos de gestión susceptibles de llevar a cabo en los próximos años

Optimization of Energy Distribution in Solar Panel Array Configurations by Graph Theory and Minkowski’s Paths

Nowadays, the development of the photovoltaic (PV) technology is consolidated as a source of renewable energy. The research in the topic of maximum improvement on the energy efficiency of the PV plants is today a major challenge. The main requirement for this purpose is to know the performance of each of the PV modules that integrate the PV field in real time. In this respect, a PLC communications based Smart Monitoring and Communications Module, which is able to monitor at PV level their operating parameters, has been developed at the University of Malaga. With this device you can check if any of the panels is suffering any type of overriding performance, due to a malfunction or partial shadowing of its surface. Since these fluctuations in electricity production from a single panel affect the overall sum of all panels that conform a string, it is necessary to isolate the problem and modify the routes of energy through alternative paths in case of PV panels array configuration.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Rural teaching practices in globalization contexts

El desarrollo de las nuevas tecnologías rompe las fronteras de lo urbano y llegan a los contextos rurales en diferentes formas, generando nuevas visiones, expectativas y desafíos a los sujetos. La escuela rural no queda ajena a estos fenómenos sociales don-de la transgresión de la tecnología enfrenta a los docentes a situaciones para las cuales no siempre han sido formados. Alumnos con nuevas expectativas y exigencias al rol docente, derivadas de nuevas formas de socialización, donde el uso de celulares, redes sociales y los programas de televisión parecen entrar en la escuela generando en el docente la sensación de un “espacio invadido”. El siguiente artículo presenta resultados parciales de una investigación aun en curso que se desarrolla en escuelas rurales de la provincia de Salta, e indaga acerca de los contextos de aprendizaje y el impacto de las nuevas tecnologías en las prácticas docentes en escuelas primarias. Para este trabajo enunciamos en particular las formas en que impactan estas exigencias, desde lo emocional y lo profesional en el trabajo diario de los docentes. Nuestro abordaje de tipo cualitativo busca describir las características de las prácticas docentes, para comprender los nudos problemáticos que irrumpen en sus espacios instituidos, abriendo intersticios para nuevas indagaciones y reflexiones de las prácticas en contextos rurales.O desenvolvimento das novas tecnologias quebra as fronteiras do urbano e alcança os contextos rurais de diferentes maneiras, produzindo novas visões, expetativas e desafios aos sujeitos. A escola rural não fica alheia a estes fenómenos sociais em que a irrupção da tecnologia coloca aos docentes situações para as quais nem sempre foram formados. Os alunos apresentam novas expetativas e exigências relativamente ao papel docente, derivadas de novas formas de socialização onde o uso de telemóveis, redes sociais e programas de televisão parece entrar na escola gerando no docente a sensação de “espaço invadido”. O presente artigo apresenta resultados parciais de uma investigação ainda em curso que se está desenvolvendo em escolas rurais da província de Salta e levanta questões a respeito dos docentes em escolas primárias. Neste trabalho identificamos em particular os impactos destas exigências, a partir das dimensões emocionais e profissionais do trabalho diário dos docentes. A nossa abordagem, de tipo qualitativo, procura descrever as características das práticas docentes a fim de compreender os nós problemáticos que emergem nos seus espaços instituídos, abrindo interstícios para novas indagações e reflexões das práticas em contextos rurais.The development of new technology breaks the boundaries of the urban and reaches rural contexts in different ways, creating new visions, expectations and challenges to the subjects. The rural school does not remain outside these social phenomena where teachers face the challenge of technology in situations for which they have not been trained. Students with new expectations and demands on the teacher’s role, arising from new forms of socialization, where the use of cell phones, social networks and television programs seem to enter school creating in the teacher the feeling of an “invaded.space “. This paper presents partial results ofa research still in progress taking place in rural schools in the Province of Salta, and inquire about learning situations and the impact of new technologies on teaching practices in primary schools. For this work we state in particular the ways in which these requirements impact from the emotional and professional in the daily work of teachers. Our approach, that is qualitative, seeks to describe the features of teaching practices, to understand the problems at appear in their own areas, opening gaps for further research and reflection on the practices in rural contexts.Fil: Sanchez, Lorena Elizabeth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Rosario. Instituto Rosario de Investigaciones En Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Humanidades. Centro de Inv. Sociales y Educativas del Norte Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Jorge Navarro, Marcelo Gaston. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Rosario. Instituto Rosario de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Humanidades. Centro de Inv. Sociales y Educativas del Norte Argentino; Argentin

Microglial response differences between amyloidogenic transgenic models and Alzheimer’s disease patients

Aims: The continuing failure to develop an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) reveals the complexity for AD pathology. Increasing evidence indicates that neuroinflammation involving particularly microglial cells contributes to disease pathogenesis. Here we analyze the differences in the microglial response between APP/PS1 model and human brains. Methods: RT-PCR, western blots, and immunostaining were performed in the hippocampus of human post mortem samples (from Braak II to Braak V-VI) and APP751SL/PS1M146L mice. In vitro studies to check the effect of S1 fractions on microglial cells were assayed. Results: In APP based models the high Abeta accumulation triggers a prominent microglial response. On the contrary, the microglial response detected in human samples is, at least, partial or really mild. This patent difference could simple reflect the lower and probably slower Abeta production observed in human hippocampal samples, in comparison with models or could reflect the consequence of a chronic long-standing microglial activation. However, beside this differential response, we also observed a prominent microglial degenerative process in Braak V-VI samples that, indeed, could compromise their normal role of surveying the brain environment and respond to the damage. This microglial degeneration, particularly relevant at the dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation, might be mediated by the accumulation of toxic soluble phospho-tau species. Conclusions: These differences need to be considered when delineating animal models that better integrate the complexity of AD pathology and, therefore, guarantee clinical translation. Correcting dysregulated brain inflammatory responses might be a promising avenue to restore cognitive function. Supported by grants FIS PI15/00796 and FIS PI15/00957 co-financed by FEDER funds from European Union, and by Junta de Andalucia Proyecto de Excelencia CTS385 2035.Financiado por FIS PI15/00796 y FIS PI15/0095, cofinanciado por los fondos FEDER de la Unión Europea, y por Junta de Andalucia Proyecto de Excelencia CTS385 2035. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Microglial responses in the human Alzheimer’s disease frontal cortex

The continuing failure to develop an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) reveals the complexity for this pathology. Increasing evidence indicates that neuroinflammation involving particularly microglial cells contributes to AD pathogenesis. The actual view, based on the findings in APP based models, gives a cytotoxic/proinflammatory role to activated microglia. However, we have previously reported a limited activation and microglial degeneration in the hippocampus of AD patients in contrast with that observed in amyloidogenic models. Here, we evaluated the microglial response in a different region of AD brains, the frontal cortex. Post mortem tissue from controls (Braak 0-II) and AD patients (Braak V-VI) including familial cases, were obtained from Spain Neurological Tissue Banks. Cellular (immunohistochemistry and image analysis) and molecular (qPCR and western blots) approaches were performed. Frontal cortex of AD patients (Braak V-VI) showed strong microglial activation similar to that observed in amyloidogenic mice. These strongly activated microglial cells, predominantly located surrounding amyloid plaques, could drive the AD pathology and, in consequence, could be implicated in the pathology progression. Furthermore, different microglial responses were observed between sporadic and familial AD cases. These findings in the frontal cortex were highly in contrast to the attenuated activation and degenerative morphology displayed by microglial cells in the hippocampus of AD patients. Regional differences in the microglial response suggest different functional states of microglial cells in a region-specific manner. All together, these data provide a better understanding of the immunological mechanisms underlying AD progression and uncover new potential therapeutic targets to fight this devastating neurodegenerative disease.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Supported by PI18/01557 (AG) and PI18/01556 (JV) grants from ISCiii of Spain co-financed by FEDER funds from European Unio

The ciliary machinery is repurposed for T cell immune synapse trafficking of LCK

Upon engagement of the T cell receptor with an antigen-presenting cell, LCK initiates TCR signaling by phosphorylating its activation motifs. However, the mechanism of LCK activation specifically at the immune synapse is a major question. We show that phosphorylation of the LCK activating Y394, despite modestly increasing its catalytic rate, dramatically focuses LCK localization to the immune synapse. We describe a trafficking mechanism whereby UNC119A extracts membrane-bound LCK by sequestering the hydrophobic myristoyl group, followed by release at the target membrane under the control of the ciliary ARL3/ARL13B. The UNC119A N terminus acts as a “regulatory arm” by binding the LCK kinase domain, an interaction inhibited by LCK Y394 phosphorylation, thus together with the ARL3/ARL13B machinery ensuring immune synapse focusing of active LCK. We propose that the ciliary machinery has been repurposed by T cells to generate and maintain polarized segregation of signals such as activated LCK at the immune synapse

Diagnosis for ecological intensification of maize-based smallholder farming systems in the Costa Chica, Mexico

Enhanced utilization of ecological processes for food and feed production as part of the notion of ecological intensification starts from location-specific knowledge of production constraints. A diagnostic systems approach which combined social-economic and production ecological methods at farm and field level was developed and applied to diagnose extent and causes of the perceived low productivity of maize-based smallholder systems in two communities of the Costa Chica in South West Mexico. Social-economic and production ecological surveys were applied and complemented with model-based calculations. The results demonstrated that current nutrient management of crops has promoted nutrition imbalances, resulting in K- and, less surprisingly N-limited production conditions, reflected in low yields of the major crops maize and roselle and low resource use efficiencies. Production on moderate to steep slopes was estimated to result in considerable losses of soil and organic matter. Poor crop production, lack of specific animal fodder production systems and strong dependence on animal grazing within communal areas limited recycling of nutrients through manure. In combination with low prices for the roselle cash crop, farmers are caught in a vicious cycle of cash shortage and resource decline. The production ecological findings complemented farmers opinions by providing more insight in background and extent of livelihood constraints. Changing fertilizer subsidies and rethinking animal fodder production as well as use of communal lands requires targeting both formal and informal governance structures. The methodology has broader applicability in smallholder systems in view of its low demand on capital intensive resource

Constructions of the soluble potentials for the non-relativistic quantum system by means of the Heun functions

The Schr\"{o}dinger equation $\psi"(x)+\kappa^2 \psi(x)=0$ where $\kappa^2=k^2-V(x)$ is rewritten as a more popular form of a second order differential equation through taking a similarity transformation $\psi(z)=\phi(z)u(z)$ with $z=z(x)$. The Schr\"{o}dinger invariant $I_{S}(x)$ can be calculated directly by the Schwarzian derivative $\{z, x\}$ and the invariant $I(z)$ of the differential equation $u_{zz}+f(z)u_{z}+g(z)u=0$. We find an important relation for moving particle as $\nabla^2=-I_{S}(x)$ and thus explain the reason why the Schr\"{o}dinger invariant $I_{S}(x)$ keeps constant. As an illustration, we take the typical Heun differential equation as an object to construct a class of soluble potentials and generalize the previous results through choosing different $\rho=z'(x)$ as before. We get a more general solution $z(x)$ through integrating $(z')^2=\alpha_{1}z^2+\beta_{1}z+\gamma_{1}$ directly and it includes all possibilities for those parameters. Some particular cases are discussed in detail.Comment: 11 page