From the portal to the classroom: interactions of digital teaching materials

En estas líneas se presentan los resultados de un estudio descriptivo cuyos objetivos principales son conocer los portales instituciones de dos países, analizar la oferta de materiales didácticos digitales dirigidos a la etapa de Educación Primaria y realizar una serie de recomendaciones o propuestas para modificar las prácticas docentes hacia un modelo de enseñanza mediada por tecnología. Los resultados indican la existencia de portales institucionales que se considera una de las principales fuentes de materiales didácticos digitales utilizadas por los docentes para acceder a recursos útiles en la escuela del siglo XXI. Partiendo de esta realidad se concluye la necesidad de formación del profesorado en competencia digital, la dotación de dispositivos en los centros educativos y el desarrollo de una cultura de cooperación entre docentes para compartir recursos educativos en abierto. Esto permitirá modificar las prácticas de aula que en muchos casos siguen estando ancladas en el pasadoThese lines present the results of a descriptive study whose main objective is to know the institutions' portals of two countries, analyze the offer of digital teaching materials aimed at the Primary Education stage and make a series of recommendations or proposals to modify teaching practices towards a model of technology-mediated teaching. The results indicate the existence of institutional portals that are considered one of the main sources of digital teaching materials used by teachers to access useful resources in the 21st century school. Based on this reality, the need for teacher training in digital competence, the provision of devices in schools and the development of a culture of cooperation among teachers to share educational resources in the open is concluded. This will allow the modification of classroom practices that in many cases remain anchored in the pas

Análisis DAFO de herramientas tecnológicas para el área de Música

El objetivo de este trabajo es realizar una comparación crítica de tres herramientas tecnológicas disponibles en el mercado para facilitar la posterior toma de decisiones respecto a la elección y uso futuro en el aula de Música. Tras su utilización en una clase del Máster de Profesor/a en Educación Secundaria compuesta por 42 alumnos titulados superiores en Música, se ha realizado un análisis DAFO. Los resultados muestran que los tres programas promueven el aprendizaje de contenidos musicales a través de las TIC,favoreciendo el aprendizaje musical significativo por la motivación y la proximidad al alumnado

Catalytic valorisation of the effluents generated during the defibrillation process of cellulose from almond hulls : A holistic zero-waste biorefinery approach

The acid-free hydrothermal microwave–assisted selective scissoring (Hymass concept) of cellulosic substrates is gaining keen interest in the field of materials science. Besides, implementing catalytic methodologies to upgrade side streams produced during this process could contribute to better, holistic utilisation of the starting feedstock. This work depicts a zero-waste biorefinery concept based on cellulose defibrillation from almond hulls using various hydrotreatment technologies (hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation) for downstream processing on a ruthenium catalyst. Therein, the hemicellulose separated from the biomass preconditioning step was converted into sugar alcohols and/or marketable polyols with a relatively high yield (47.4%) by hydrolytic hydrogenation (437 K, 3h, 5.0 MPa H2). Meanwhile, a family of bioactive compounds (3-hydroxypyridines) could be directly extracted from the hydrolysate stream derived from microwave digestion, along with an energy carrier that was chemically stabilised (503 K, 60 min, 4.0 MPa H2) to obtain fuel additives (diethyl succinic acid, DES) and/or fuel intermediates

Do galaxy mergers prefer under-dense environments?

Context. Galaxy mergers play a crucial role in galaxy evolution. However, the correlation between mergers and the local environment of galaxies is not fully understood.Aims. We aim to address the question of whether galaxy mergers prefer denser or less dense environments by quantifying the spatial clustering of mergers and non-mergers. We use two different indicators to classify mergers and non-mergers – classification based on a deep learning technique ( f ) and non-parametric measures of galaxy morphology, Gini-M20 (g).Methods. We used a set of galaxy samples in the redshift range 0.1 9.5. We measured and compared the two-point correlation function (2pCF) of mergers and non-mergers classified using the two merger indicators f and g. We measured the marked correlation function (MCF), in which the galaxies are weighted by f to probe the environmental dependence of galaxy mergers.Results.We do not observe a statistically significant difference between the clustering strengths of mergers and non-mergers obtained using 2pCF. However, using the MCF measurements with f as a mark, we observe an anti-correlation between the likelihood of a galaxy being a merger and its environment. Our results emphasise the advantage of MCF over 2pCF in probing the environmental correlations.Conclusions. Based on the MCF measurements, we conclude that the galaxy mergers prefer to occur in the under-dense environments on scales > 50 h−1kpc of the large-scale structure (LSS). We attribute this observation to the high relative velocities of galaxies in the densest environments that prevent them from merging

Catalytic hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose : On the influence of graphene oxide morphology under microwave radiation

Carbon nanostructures provide a unique platform for the synthesis of novel catalysts for biomass conversion. In this work, a set of graphene oxide (GO)-based materials (nanofibers (GONF), sheets of few-layers (FLGO), and quantum dots (GOQD)), differing structurally in morphology and size, was prepared from fishbone-carbon nanofibers (CNF) and their catalytic behavior was compared on the hydrolysis of amorphous cellulose under microwave (MW) radiation. First, the influence of the reaction temperature (135-180 ºC), holding time (0-120 min), catalyst morphology and cellulose/water ratio (0.25-2.0 wt%) was thoroughly screened and compared with conventional heating mode. The use of GO morphologies in concert with MW energy showed the potential to achieve similar kinetic profiles than previously reported sulfonated carbons (110 kJ/mol) but using considerably less amount of catalyst (cellulose-to-catalyst ratio 12-fold lower). Overall, the reactivity of the GO-catalyst was related to their degree of oxidation/exfoliation, decreasing as follows: GOQD > FLGO > GONF. Compared with conventional heating, MW-technology enabled higher loadings of cellulose (2.0 vs. 0.25 wt%) to be processed in a shorter time (20 min instead of 24 h), which is a landmark achievement toward process intensification

Effectiveness of a telephone-based intervention for smoking cessation in patients with severe mental disorders : Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Up to 75% of inpatients with mental disorders smoke, and their life expectancy is decreased by up to 25 years compared to the general population. Hospitalized patients without monitoring after discharge quickly return to prehospitalization levels of tobacco use. The aim of the 061 QuitMental study is to assess the effectiveness of a multicomponent and motivational telephone-based intervention to stop smoking through a quitline addressed to smokers discharged from mental health hospital wards. Methods: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial, single blinded, will include 2:1 allocation to the intervention group (IG) and the control group (CG). The IG will receive telephone assistance to quit smoking (including psychological and psychoeducational support, and pharmacological treatment advice if required) proactively for 12 months, and the CG will receive only brief advice after discharge. The sample size, calculated with an expected difference of 15 points on smoking abstinence between groups (IG, 20% and CG, 5%), α = 0.05, β = 0.10, and 20% loss, will be 334 participants (IG) and 176 participants (CG). Participants are adult smokers discharged from psychiatric units of five acute hospitals. Measurements include dependent variables (self-reported 7-day point prevalence smoking abstinence (carbon monoxide verified), duration of abstinence, number of quit attempts, motivation, and self-efficacy to quit) and independent variables (age, sex, and psychiatric diagnoses). In data analysis, IG and CG data will be compared at 48 h and 1, 6, and 12 months post discharge. Multivariate logistic regression (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval) of dependent variables adjusted for potential confounding variables will be performed. The number needed to treat to achieve one abstinence outcome will be calculated. We will compare the abstinence rate of enrolled patients between groups. Discussion: This trial evaluates an innovative format of a quitline for smokers with severe mental disorders regardless of their motivation to quit. If effective, the pragmatic nature of the study will permit transfer to routine clinical practice in the National Health System. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03230955. Registered on 24 July 2017

North Ecliptic Pole merging galaxy catalogue

Aims. We aim to generate a catalogue of merging galaxies within the 5.4 sq. deg. North Ecliptic Pole over the redshift range 0.0 \u3c z \u3c 0.3. To do this, imaging data from the Hyper Suprime-Cam are used along with morphological parameters derived from these same data. Methods. The catalogue was generated using a hybrid approach. Two neural networks were trained to perform binary merger non-merger classifications: one for galaxies with z \u3c 0.15 and another for 0.15 ≤ z \u3c 0.30. Each network used the image and morphological parameters of a galaxy as input. The galaxies that were identified as merger candidates by the network were then visually checked by experts. The resulting mergers will be used to calculate the merger fraction as a function of redshift and compared with literature results. Results. We found that 86.3% of galaxy mergers at z \u3c 0.15 and 79.0% of mergers at 0.15 ≤ z \u3c 0.30 are expected to be correctly identified by the networks. Of the 34 264 galaxies classified by the neural networks, 10 195 were found to be merger candidates. Of these, 2109 were visually identified to be merging galaxies. We find that the merger fraction increases with redshift, consistent with literature results from observations and simulations, and that there is a mild star-formation rate enhancement in the merger population of a factor of 1.102 ± 0.084

Experimental analysis of direct thermal methane cracking

The analysis of the viability of Hydrogen production without CO2 emissions is one of the most challenging activities that have been initiated for a sustainable energy supply. As one of the tracks to fulfil such objective, direct methane cracking has been analysed experimentally to assess the scientific viability and reaction characterization in a broad temperature range, from 875 to 1700 ?C. The effect of temperature, sweeping/carrier gas fraction proposed in some concepts, methane flow rate, residence time, and tube material and porosity has been analysed. The aggregation of carbon black particles to the reaction tube is the main technological show-stopper that has been identified

Effectiveness of a telephone-based intervention for smoking cessation in patients with severe mental disorders: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: up to 75% of inpatients with mental disorders smoke, and their life expectancy is decreased by up to 25 years compared to the general population. Hospitalized patients without monitoring after discharge quickly return to prehospitalization levels of tobacco use. The aim of the 061 QuitMental study is to assess the effectiveness of a multicomponent and motivational telephone-based intervention to stop smoking through a quitline addressed to smokers discharged from mental health hospital wards. Methods: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial, single blinded, will include 2:1 allocation to the intervention group (IG) and the control group (CG). The IG will receive telephone assistance to quit smoking (including psychological and psychoeducational support, and pharmacological treatment advice if required) proactively for 12 months, and the CG will receive only brief advice after discharge. The sample size, calculated with an expected difference of 15 points on smoking abstinence between groups (IG, 20% and CG, 5%), α = 0.05, β = 0.10, and 20% loss, will be 334 participants (IG) and 176 participants (CG). Participants are adult smokers discharged from psychiatric units of five acute hospitals. Measurements include dependent variables (self-reported 7-day point prevalence smoking abstinence (carbon monoxide verified), duration of abstinence, number of quit attempts, motivation, and self-efficacy to quit) and independent variables (age, sex, and psychiatric diagnoses). In data analysis, IG and CG data will be compared at 48 h and 1, 6, and 12 months post discharge. Multivariate logistic regression (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval) of dependent variables adjusted for potential confounding variables will be performed. The number needed to treat to achieve one abstinence outcome will be calculated. We will compare the abstinence rate of enrolled patients between groups. Discussion: this trial evaluates an innovative format of a quitline for smokers with severe mental disorders regardless of their motivation to quit. If effective, the pragmatic nature of the study will permit transfer to routine clinical practice in the National Health System

Tecnologías del hidrógeno

El interés por las tecnologías del hidrógeno ha crecido en los últimos años, principalmente porque una economía basada en el hidrógeno puede dar respuesta a los grandes desafíos de la economía global del futuro: seguridad energética y cambio climático. Aprovechando este impulso, cada vez son más los países que están implementando un número creciente de políticas en favor del hidrógeno. Prueba de ello es la Estrategia Europea del Hidrógeno que establece al hidrógeno como un elemento esencial en| la descarbonización total del actual sistema energético para alcanzar el compromiso de la UE con la neutralidad de carbono en 2050. No obstante, el desarrollo exitoso de las tecnologías del hidrógeno requiere que todos los actores, incluidos los sectores público y privado, aumenten sus esfuerzos para acelerar su despliegue y hacer que su implantación a gran escala resulte competitiva. Los grupos de investigación que forman parte del área de trabajo de tecnologías del hidrógeno, dentro de la Plataforma Temática Interdisciplinar PTI Mobility 2030 del CSIC, trabajan en este sentido, desarrollando su labor en áreas tan diversas como la generación, el almacenamiento, la distribución y los usos del hidrógeno. The interest in hydrogen technologies has grown in recent years, mainly because an economy based on hydrogen can help to solve important challenges related to the global economy of the future: energy security and climate change. Taking advantage of this momentum, more and more countries are implementing a growing number of policies related to hydrogen. Indeed, the European Hydrogen Strategy establishes hydrogen as essential drivers for the total decarbonization of the current energy system in order to achieve the Ells commitment related to carbon neutrality by 2050. However, the successful development of the hydrogen technologies requires the collaboration of the public and private sectors to accelerate its deployment and make more competitive its implementation at large-scale. The research groups that take part of the line of work dedicated to hydrogen technologies, within the CSIC Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform PTI Mobility 2030, work in this regard, developing their investigations in several important areas related to the hydrogen technologies such as hydrogen generation, storage, distribution and uses