Itsasoari buruzko alfabetizazio zientifikoa DBHko ikasle eta etorkizuneko DBHko irakasleengan. Proposamen didaktikoa

This work is focused on the learning-teaching difficulties of key concepts about ocean literacy. Obligatory Secondary Education (OSE) future teachers´ and OSE 4th degree students´ ideas about sea ecosystems were examined and conceptual difficulties were defined, through drawings and a questionnaire. Thus, it could be confirmed that knowledge about the sea was very poor among the groups studied. However, to promote the knowledge about the ocean and clarify conceptual errors among OSE students, a didactic sequence was designed and implemented. In this sequence students visited Getxo Aquarium and a work was realized individually by students to describe different sea ecosystems using ICT. The evaluation of the students´ works showed that this motivating activity was effective in promoting ocean literacy and to think about conceptual errors

Ikastorratza. e-Revista de didáctica

Resumen y palabras clave en euskera, español e inglésResumen basado en el de la publicaciónSe estudian los conocimientos y las principales dificultades conceptuales que presentan acerca del mar, tanto futuros profesores y profesoras de ESO como estudiantes de 4º curso de ESO, por medio de dibujos y de un cuestionario. Se comprueba que los grupos estudiados presentan un conocimiento escaso acerca del mar. Por otro lado, se diseña e implementa una secuencia didáctica para promover el conocimiento acerca del océano y corregir los errores conceptuales entre el alumnado de ESO. Así, se visita el Aquarium de Getxo, y los y las alumnas realizan individualmente un trabajo descriptivo de los ecosistemas marinos valiéndose de TIC. Tal y como demostró la evaluación de estos trabajos, esta actividad motivadora es efectiva para la promoción del conocimiento acerca del mar y reflexionar sobre los errores conceptuales.ES

Association between prenatal exposure to air pollutants and newborn thyroxine (T4) levels

Background: Thyroid hormones play a key role in fetal and child development. Recent studies have linked prenatal exposure to atmospheric contaminants with changes in thyroid hormone levels in newborns, but the data from the few studies that have explored this issue are inconclusive. The present study aims to assess the association of total thyroxine (TT4) levels in newborns with weekly prenatal exposure to PM2.5 and NO2 and to identify sensitivity windows to exposure to air pollution in different developmental stages. Methods: This prospective cohort study included mother-child pairs from the INMA-Gipuzkoa project. Specifically, 463 mother-child pairs with data on PM2.5 and NO2 exposure during pregnancy and TT4 levels at birth were included. PM2.5 and NO2 levels were measured by high-volume aerosol samplers and passive samplers respectively during the women's pregnancies. TT4 levels were measured in heel-prick blood samples from infants. Data on maternal and infant covariates were gathered through questionnaires administered in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy and review of clinical records. Potential associations of PM2.5 and NO2 with TT4 levels over the entire pregnancy was assessed by linear regression models and DLMs were used to identify susceptibility windows. Results: The exposure of pregnant women to PM2.5 during pregnancy was positively associated with infant TT4 level at birth (β [95% CI] = 0.198 [0.091, 0.305]. DLMs identified three different sensitivity windows, one in the periconceptional period with a negative association between PM2.5 exposure and TT4 levels at birth, and a second (weeks 12–17) and a third one (weeks 31–37) with a positive association. In addition, the later the exposure, the stronger the association. In contrast, no association was observed between NO2 exposure and TT4 levels. Conclusions: The results indicate that prenatal exposure to PM2.5 could lead to a thyroid function impairment in newborns.This work is part of the INMA Project (INfancia y Medio Ambiente), which has received funding from the following organizations: Carlos III Health Institute (PI06/0867), Department of Health of the Government of the Basque Country (2005111093), Gipuzkoa Regional Government (DFG06/002) and the local councils of the study areas (Zumarraga, Urretxu, Legazpi, Azkoitia, Azpeitia and Beasain)