Becoming a researcher : dialogical-self based methods to the identity formation of postgraduate students

Based on the dialogical-self theory the study aims to determine how a course based on identity development might contribute to changes in the I-positions of the participants. The study explores what changes did occur and also determine which devices contributed the most to the I-position's development of the students as researchers. The investigation was held within the course of the research line in an Official Master in Educational Psychology at a Spanish University. The findings suggest that there have been significant changes in the student's I-positions, specifically strengthening those related to research. The methods that have contributed the most were the role-playing, the after class reports, and the peer interview. Therefore, these findings contribute not only to a better understanding of the process of changing and developing I-positions as a way to become a researcher, but also to provide valuable educational methods to improve junior researchers' formation.Siguiendo la teoría del self dialógico tenemos como objetivo determinar cómo un curso basado en el desarrollo de la identidad podría contribuir a generar cambios en las posiciones identitarias (I-positions) de los participantes. Exploramos los cambios producidos y establecemos qué dispositivos contribuyeron más al desarrollo de la I-position de los estudiantes en tanto investigadores. Realizamos el estudio en un curso de la línea de investigación del Máster Oficial en Psicología de la Educación en una universidad española. Los hallazgos sugieren que se produjeron cambios significativos en las I-positions de los estudiantes, fortaleciendo las relacionadas con la investigación. Los métodos que más contribuyeron fueron el juego de roles, los informes individuales y la entrevista entre pares. Estos hallazgos contribuyen a una mejor comprensión del cambio y desarrollo de las I-position en el proceso de convertirse en investigador y también aporta métodos educativos valiosos para mejorar la formación de los investigadores junior

Mumps : MMR vaccination and genetic diversity of mumps virus, 2007-2011 in Catalonia, Spain

Mumps is a vaccine-preventable disease but outbreaks have been reported in persons vaccinated with two doses of MMR vaccine. The objective was to describe the demographic features, vaccination effectiveness and genetic mumps virus diversity among laboratory-confirmed cases between 2007 and 2011 in Catalonia. Cases and outbreaks of mumps notified to the notifiable diseases system of Catalonia between 2007 and 2011 retrospectively registered were included. Public health care centres provided written immunization records to regional public health staff to determine the vaccination history. Saliva and serum specimens were collected from suspected cases for laboratory-confirmation using real-time reverse-transcriptase PCR (rtRT-PCR) or serological testing. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete SH gene (316 nucleotides) and complete coding HN protein (1749 nucleotides) sequences was made. Categorical variables were compared using the Chi-square or Fisher's tests and continuous variables using the Student test. Vaccination effectiveness by number of MMR doses was estimated using the screening method. During the study period, 581 confirmed cases of mumps were notified (incidence rate 1.6 cases/100,000 persons-year), of which 60% were male. Three hundred sixty-four laboratory-confirmed cases were reported, of which 44% were confirmed by rtRT-PCR. Of the 289 laboratory-confirmed cases belonging to vaccination cohorts, 33.5% (97) had received one dose of MMR vaccine and 50% (145) two doses. Based on phylogenetic analyses of 316-nucleotide and 174-nucleotide SH sequences, the viruses belonging to viral genotypes were: Genotype G (126), genotype D (23), genotype H (2), genotype F (2), genotype J (1), while one remained uncharacterized. Amino acid differences were detected between circulating strains and the Jeryl Lynn vaccine strains, although the majority of amino acid substitutions were genotype-specific. Fifty-one outbreaks were notified that included 324 confirmed mumps cases. Genotype G was the most frequent genotype detected. The family (35%), secondary schools (25%) and community outbreaks (18%) were the most frequent settings. Our study shows that genotype G viruses are the most prevalent in Catalonia. Most cases occurred in people who had received two doses of MMR, suggesting inadequate effectiveness of the Jeryl Lynn vaccine strain. The possible factors related are discussed

Erratum: Evaluation of a new, rapid, simple test for the detection of influenza virus

Following publication of [1] it has come to our attention that there was an error in the authorship order and in Jordi Vila's name, which should be Jordi Vila and not Jordi Vila Estape. We would like to sincerely apologize for the error and any inconvenience caused

Analytical Evaluation of Dried Blood Spot and Rapid Diagnostic Test as a New Strategy for Serological Community Screening for Chronic Chagas Disease

Trypanosoma cruzi; Mancha de sangre seca (DBS); Cribado serológicoTrypanosoma cruzi; Taca de sang seca (DBS); Cribratge serològicTrypanosoma cruzi; Dried blood spot (DBS); Serological screeningBackground: Chagas disease is a public health problem not only in Latin America, but also in other regions, including Spain, due to migration movements. Conventional serological diagnosis requires an invasive sample (plasma or serum) and a well-equipped laboratory. To circumvent those limitations, blood samples dried on filter paper (DBS) or Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) could be a practical alternative to reference protocol for serological screening in epidemiological studies. We evaluated the usefulness of dried blood sampling and a rapid diagnostic test (Trypanosoma Detect™) for the detection of antibodies against T. cruzi for their use in community-based screening. Methodology/Principal Findings: A total of 162 stored paired whole-blood and serum samples from Latin American migrants and 25 negative-control blood samples were included. Diagnosis of chronic Chagas disease was performed in serum according to WHO algorithms. Blood samples were retrospectively collected as dried spots and then analyzed using two different serological techniques, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (E-CLIA). Whole-blood samples were also used to evaluate a rapid diagnostic test based on immunochromatography. A better correlation with conventional serum was observed in dried blood elutes using E-CLIA than ELISA (97% vs. 77% sensitivity, respectively). Both assays reported 100% specificity. The median cut-off index values of E-CLIA for dried blood were significantly lower than those for serum (138.1 vs. 243.3, P<0.05). The Trypanosoma Detect™ test presented a sensitivity and specificity of 89.6% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: The detection of antibodies against T. cruzi in dried blood samples shows a higher sensitivity when using E-CLIA compared with ELISA. Trypanosoma Detect™ is easier to use but has a lower sensitivity. Hence, we propose a sequential strategy based on performing the rapid test first, and a negative result will be confirmed by DBS-ECLIA for use in community Chagas disease screening programs.This work has been supported by the Fundació la Marató TV3 (project number 20182610)

Heterogeneous Infectivity and Pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Beta, Delta and Omicron in Transgenic K18-hACE2 and Wildtype Mice

Altres ajuts: Fundació La Marató de TV3 202126-30-21The emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) may display enhanced transmissibility, more severity and/or immune evasion; however, the pathogenesis of these new VOCs in experimental SARS-CoV-2 models or the potential infection of other animal species is not completely understood. Here we infected K18-hACE2 transgenic mice with B.1, B.1.351/Beta, B.1.617.2/Delta and BA.1.1/Omicron isolates and demonstrated heterogeneous infectivity and pathogenesis. B.1.351/Beta variant was the most pathogenic, while BA.1.1/Omicron led to lower viral RNA in the absence of major visible clinical signs. In parallel, we infected wildtype (WT) mice and confirmed that, contrary to B.1 and B.1.617.2/Delta, B.1.351/Beta and BA.1.1/Omicron can infect them. Infection in WT mice coursed without major clinical signs and viral RNA was transient and undetectable in the lungs by day 7 post-infection. In silico modeling supported these findings by predicting B.1.351/Beta receptor binding domain (RBD) mutations result in an increased affinity for both human and murine ACE2 receptors, while BA.1/Omicron RBD mutations only show increased affinity for murine ACE2

La realitat augmentada, la realitat virtual i el metavers en la societat. Impacte a l’educació

Per començar, ens introduirem en el món de la Realitat Augmentada (RA o AR en anglès), la Realitat Virtual (RV o VR) i el Metavers. Aquests són termes cada vegada més freqüents en el nostre entorn tecnològic i tenen un impacte significatiu en diversos àmbits, especialment en l'educació. Comencem explorant i definint cadascun d'aquests conceptes per comprendre millor la seva essència i possibles aplicacions..

Becoming a researcher : dialogical-self based methods to the identity formation of postgraduate students

Based on the dialogical-self theory the study aims to determine how a course based on identity development might contribute to changes in the I-positions of the participants. The study explores what changes did occur and also determine which devices contributed the most to the I-position's development of the students as researchers. The investigation was held within the course of the research line in an Official Master in Educational Psychology at a Spanish University. The findings suggest that there have been significant changes in the student's I-positions, specifically strengthening those related to research. The methods that have contributed the most were the role-playing, the after class reports, and the peer interview. Therefore, these findings contribute not only to a better understanding of the process of changing and developing I-positions as a way to become a researcher, but also to provide valuable educational methods to improve junior researchers' formation.Siguiendo la teoría del self dialógico tenemos como objetivo determinar cómo un curso basado en el desarrollo de la identidad podría contribuir a generar cambios en las posiciones identitarias (I-positions) de los participantes. Exploramos los cambios producidos y establecemos qué dispositivos contribuyeron más al desarrollo de la I-position de los estudiantes en tanto investigadores. Realizamos el estudio en un curso de la línea de investigación del Máster Oficial en Psicología de la Educación en una universidad española. Los hallazgos sugieren que se produjeron cambios significativos en las I-positions de los estudiantes, fortaleciendo las relacionadas con la investigación. Los métodos que más contribuyeron fueron el juego de roles, los informes individuales y la entrevista entre pares. Estos hallazgos contribuyen a una mejor comprensión del cambio y desarrollo de las I-position en el proceso de convertirse en investigador y también aporta métodos educativos valiosos para mejorar la formación de los investigadores junior

IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL REALITY TO IMPROVE COMPETENCE TO MANAGE CLASSROOM CLIMATE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Este artículo describe el sistema Didascalia Virtual-Classroom, un entorno de realidad virtual inmersiva (ERVI) que permite a los docentes experimentar y reflexionar sobre cuestiones decisivas de la gestión eficaz de conflictos en el aula de secundaria. En el contexto del máster de formación del profesorado, en una universidad española, 162 docentes en formación (67.3% mujeres, Medad= 27.3) participaron en una experiencia de Investigación e Innovación Responsable, para evaluar la utilidad del ERVI para fomentar el aprendizaje de la competencia de gestión de clima del aula, al tiempo que reflexionaban sobre su autoeficacia percibida en esta competencia docente. Los datos se recopilaron mediante cuestionarios, entrevistas y grupos de discusión, y posteriormente se analizaron mediante pruebas estadísticas y análisis de contenido. Nuestros resultados confirman que los docentes en formación perciben limitaciones en su autoeficacia para la gestión del aula. Por otro lado, el análisis temático de los grupos de discusión permitió identificar oportunidades y ventajas que ofrece este escenario para fomentar el aprendizaje de la competencia para la gestión del clima del aula. En general, los participantes percibieron que el entorno Didascalia-VC podría ser muy útil en la formación inicial, destacaron la importancia de la inmersión del sistema y su realismo. Además, los participantes reconocieron que las experiencias proporcionadas por este ERVI pueden fomentar el aprendizaje reflexivo y crítico sobre la gestión eficaz del aula. Se sugieren algunas ideas para continuar la investigación, mejorar el desarrollo y extender el uso de esta herramienta en el máster de profesorado de secundaria, vigente en las universidades españolas.Depto. de Ingeniería de Software e Inteligencia Artificial (ISIA)Fac. de InformáticaTRUEpu

Introducción de “Videos de bajo coste” para la enseñanza enfocados en la semi-presencialidad

En este proyecto se expone los resultados de utilización de videos docentes de bajo coste, orientados a completar la docencia presencial y semi-presencial de las titulaciones de Ingeniería Industrial, Ingeniería en organización Industrial e Ingeniería Aeronáutica de la ETSEIAT (Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Industrial y Aeronáutica de Terrassa). La alta velocidad de acceso y la posibilidad de crear redes de conocimiento donde todos los autores pueden participar activamente, son ventajas del Video Stream (Fiil &Ottewill, 2006; Michelinch, 2002) y de la Web 2.0, que se han utilizado para desarrollar videos que hemos podido insertar fácilmente en la plataforma docente del centro ATENEA (Moodle), desarrollando nuevas metodologías docentes para la ayuda al aprendizaje autónomo principalmente. Estos recursos no serán los únicos utilizados, ya que se combinarán con textos, imágenes y cuestionarios y serán complementarios en algunos de los casos aplicados, a las clases presenciales.SIN FINANCIACIÓNNo data 200