Smartphones and Learning: An Extension of M-Learning or a Distinct Area of Inquiry

The smartphone has become an integral part of the education landscape. While there has been significant smartphone research in education under the guise of m-learning, the unique role of the device suggests that m-learning may not be an appropriate characterization. The purpose of this paper is to review the use of m-learning as a primary descriptor for smartphone-and learning-related research. In support of this goal, the paper reviews the definitions associated with m-learning, smartphones, and related technologies from the perspective of educational research. In addition, a review of author keywords of research on smartphones in education is used to provide context to the classification of the research. Finally, three theoretically guided smartphone programs are presented as evidence of the unique nature of smartphone and learning research. This review concludes with recommendations for the characterization of future research

Mobile Instant Messaging: Whatsapp and its Potential to Develop Oral Skills

This study investigates the benefits of Mobile Mediated Communication (MMC) to develop oral skills in second-language learners. A total of 80 Spanish students taking a B1 English course at the University of Almería were studied in this research. According to treatment type, subjects were divided in two groups, experimental and control. A “Whatsapp” group was created where 40 of these students participated in a daily interaction during six months. The samples collected in the application as well as a speaking were used to measure the students’ degree of oral development and the type and triggers of the language related episodes (LRE) given rise to mobile chat-based oral interaction. This study focuses on such interaction and seeks to measure the students’ degree of oral development through a mixed analysis approach. A temporal axis is used to measure the differences between the groups studied. Significant improvements in term of oral proficiency were observed in the experimental group and negotiations were the LRE most common throughout the activity. It is worth mention that Mobile learning offers an environment where learners can ubiquitously negotiate meaning, reflect and evaluate on their own performance through authentic interaction and feedback, constituting a powerful tool for developing second language proficiency

Smartphones and Learning: An Extension of M-Learning or a Distinct Area of Inquiry

The smartphone has become an integral part of the education landscape. While there has been significant smartphone research in education under the guise of m-learning, the unique role of the device suggests that m-learning may not be an appropriate characterization. The purpose of this paper is to review the use of m-learning as a primary descriptor for smartphone- and learning-related research. In support of this goal, the paper reviews the definitions associated with m-learning, smartphones, and related technologies from the perspective of educational research. In addition, a review of author keywords of research on smartphones in education is used to provide context to the classification of the research. Finally, three theoretically guided smartphone programs are presented as evidence of the unique nature of smartphone and learning research. This review concludes with recommendations for the characterization of future research

Integrating Flipped Foreign Language Learning through Mobile Devices: Technology Acceptance and Flipped Learning Experience

Blended learning models have been extensively used in foreign language environments to extend in-class time as well as reinforce in-class explanations. Among these models, the increasing popularity of flipped learning has given rise to transformative pedagogies that address many of the problems experienced in traditional lecture-based classes. In this context, the use of stationary devices to develop flipped learning processes has been a common practice over the last years. However, the ubiquitous characteristics of mobile devices have rarely been investigated to carry out these types of learning methodologies. With this aim, the present investigation explores students’ perceptions and technological acceptance of the implementation of a flipped learning model in two English as a Foreign Language classes. A quantitative analysis was carried out in order to evaluate the information collected in the two groups. Findings yielded a positive perception of the flipped learning experience, particularly in terms of overall satisfaction. In addition, with regard to the use of mobile devices, participants reported ease of use and highlighted the importance of an appropriate design of the video contents for a successful flipped learning experience through mobile devices. Further research into this topic is sought as students also faced difficulties during the project

Bisphenol A Analogues in Food and Their Hormonal and Obesogenic Effects: A Review

Bisphenol A (BPA) is the most well-known compound from the bisphenol family. As BPA has recently come under pressure, it is being replaced by compounds very similar in structure, but data on the occurrence of these BPA analogues in food and human matrices are limited. The main objective of this work was to investigate human exposure to BPA and analogues and the associated health effects. We performed a literature review of the available research made in humans, in in vivo and in vitro tests. The findings support the idea that exposure to BPA analogues may have an impact on human health, especially in terms of obesity and other adverse health effects in children.This research was funded by Plan Estatal de I+D+I 2013-2016 Proyecto cofinanciado FEDER-ISCIII PI17/01758 and by Fundación Mapfre MAPFRE2018

Narrowing the Tolerance Factor Limits for Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Dicyanamide-Perovskites

[Abstract] In this work we focus in setting the limits of the tolerance factor and the size of the A-cations that stabilize the perovskite structure in hybrid dicyanamide compounds [A][Mn(dca)3]. For this purpose, we propose an alternative, simple approach to calculate a more realistic effective ionic radius for the large and anisotropic A-cations often present in these type of compounds. We test the proposed procedure by analysing the crystal structures of [A][Mn(dca)3] dicyanamide hybrids reported in the literature and recalculating the tolerance factors of such compounds, as well as by preparing five new [A][Mn(dca)3] members, discussing also the influence of the A-cation shape in the stability limits of the perovskite structure. Interestingly, such methodology is not only useful to develop new compounds of the emerging family of (multi)functional multi(stimuli)-responsive dicyanamide materials but can also be applied to other hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites and related materials.As for financial support, the authors thank Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MINECO and EU-FEDER (projects MAT2017-86453-R and PDC2021-121076-I00), and Xunta de Galicia for the collaboration agreement “Development of research strategic actions Universidade da Coruña I ​+ ​D ​+ ​i 2021–2022: CICA-Disrupting Projects 2021SEM-A3 (NanoCool). J.G.-B. and J.M.B.-G. acknowledge Xunta de Galicia for Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships, respectively. I.D.-F thanks Ministerio de Universidades for a FPU Predoctoral Fellowship. A. G.-F. and U.B.C thank the Carl Tryggers foundation and the Göran Gustafsson foundation for financial suppor

Raman Spectroscopy Studies on the Barocaloric Hybrid Perovskite [(CH₃)₄N][Cd(N₃)₃]

[Abstract] Temperature-dependent Raman scattering and differential scanning calorimetry were applied to the study of the hybrid organic-inorganic azide-perovskite [(CH₃)₄N][Cd(N₃)₃], a compound with multiple structural phase transitions as a function of temperature. A significant entropy variation was observed associated to such phase transitions, |∆S| ~ 62.09 J·kg⁻¹ K⁻¹, together with both a positive high barocaloric (BC) coefficient |δTt/δP| ~ 12.39 K kbar⁻¹ and an inverse barocaloric (BC) coefficient |δTt/δP| ~ −6.52 kbar⁻¹, features that render this compound interesting for barocaloric applications. As for the obtained Raman spectra, they revealed that molecular vibrations associated to the NC₄, N₃⁻ and CH₃ molecular groups exhibit clear anomalies during the phase transitions, which include splits and discontinuity in the phonon wavenumber and lifetime. Furthermore, variation of the TMA⁺ and N₃⁻ modes with temperature revealed that while some modes follow the conventional red shift upon heating, others exhibit an unconventional blue shift, a result which was related to the weakening of the intermolecular interactions between the TMA (tetramethylammonium) cations and the azide ligands and the concomitant strengthening of the intramolecular bondings. Therefore, these studies show that Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool to gain information about phase transitions, structures and intermolecular interactions between the A-cation and the framework, even in complex hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites with highly disordered phases.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (Brasil); 431943/2016-8Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Maranhão (Brasil); COOPI-07771/17Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; MAT2017-86453-RXunta de Galicia; ED431G/0

Mecanismos celulares involucrados en la amiloidosis inducida por apo AI humana: estimulación de respuesta inflamatoria mediante la activación del factor de transcripción NF-kB

La apolipoproteína (apo) AI es el constituyente proteico principal de las lipoproteínas de alta densidad (HDL) plasmáticas teniendo una función primordial en el transporte reverso de colesterol, sin embargo, y en el otro extremo del espectro bioquímico, las amiloidosis debidas a apoAI están asociadas al plegamiento anómalo y depósitos insolubles de la proteína causando serio daño tisular y falla orgánica dependiendo de la mutación. La primera forma de amiloidosis apoAI que se describió es la provocada por apoAI Arg26Gly, induciendo neuropatía periférica y muerte por insuficiencia renal. El mecanismo que desencadena la formación de estos depósitos y el daño tisular no es claro, sugiriendo en base a datos nuestros y de otros grupos dos posibilidades; 1) que la proteína en su conformación amiloidogénica es la responsable de activar señales pro-inflamatorias y 2) ambientes inflamatorios son los responsables del procesamiento patológico de apoAI.Facultad de Ciencias Médica

Mecanismos celulares involucrados en la amiloidosis inducida por apo AI humana: estimulación de respuesta inflamatoria mediante la activación del factor de transcripción NF-kB

La apolipoproteína (apo) AI es el constituyente proteico principal de las lipoproteínas de alta densidad (HDL) plasmáticas teniendo una función primordial en el transporte reverso de colesterol, sin embargo, y en el otro extremo del espectro bioquímico, las amiloidosis debidas a apoAI están asociadas al plegamiento anómalo y depósitos insolubles de la proteína causando serio daño tisular y falla orgánica dependiendo de la mutación. La primera forma de amiloidosis apoAI que se describió es la provocada por apoAI Arg26Gly, induciendo neuropatía periférica y muerte por insuficiencia renal. El mecanismo que desencadena la formación de estos depósitos y el daño tisular no es claro, sugiriendo en base a datos nuestros y de otros grupos dos posibilidades; 1) que la proteína en su conformación amiloidogénica es la responsable de activar señales pro-inflamatorias y 2) ambientes inflamatorios son los responsables del procesamiento patológico de apoAI.Facultad de Ciencias Médica

Near-Room-Temperature Reversible Giant Barocaloric Effects in [(CH₃)₄N]Mn[N₃]₃ Hybrid Perovskite

[Abstract] We report giant reversible barocaloric effects in [(CH₃)₄N]Mn[N₃]₃ hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite, near its first-order cubic-monoclinic structural phase transition at ₀ ∼ 305 K. When driving the transition thermally at atmospheric pressure, the transition displays a large change in entropy of ∼80 J K⁻¹ kg⁻¹ and a small thermal hysteresis of ∼7 K, as well as a large change in volume of ∼1.5%. When driving the transition with pressure near room temperature, the transition displays large changes in entropy of ∼70 J K⁻¹ kg⁻¹, which represent a giant barocaloric response. Hybrid perovskites with similar barocaloric response and lower operating temperatures may find applications in environmentally friendly cooling.The authors are grateful for financial support from Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MINECO and EU-FEDER (MAT2017-86453-R), Xunta de Galicia (ED431G/09), FAMEPA (COOPI-07771/17), and ERC Starting Grant no. 680032Xunta de Galicia; ED431G/0