English Language Learning through Physical and Social Environment Interaction at Adolfo Kolping School

A través de una serie de clases piloto, este proyecto de investigación tuvo como objetivo introducir la enseñanza didáctica del idioma inglés en estudiantes de primaria a través del compromiso con el entorno físico y social proporcionado por la escuela. Tuvo como fin examinar hábitos, actitudes, experiencias y eventos, el enfoque de investigación se construyó mediante la aplicación de encuestas, cuestionarios, conocimientos y observaciones del proceso de enseñanza. Se recopiló alguna información. Se desarrollaron clases piloto con 22 alumnos de quinto grado de la Escuela Técnica Adolfo Kolping, con el objetivo de poner en práctica métodos de enseñanza que desarrollarán determinadas habilidades en los alumnos y promoverán la interacción con el entorno escolar a través de la experimentación con el mundo real, en el que para la realización del estudio se han utilizado todo tipo de elementos de la escuela.Through a series of pilot classes, this research project aimed to introduce didactic teaching of the English language in elementary school students through engagement with the physical and social environment provided by the school. In order to examine habits, attitudes, experiences and events, the research approach was built through the application of surveys, questionnaires, knowledge and observations of the teaching process. Some information was collected. Pilot classes were developed with 22 students from the fifth grade of Adolfo Kolping Technical School, with the aim of putting into practice teaching methods that will develop certain skills in students and promote interaction with the school environment through experimentation with the real world, in which all kinds of elements of the school have been used to carry out the study

Kinematic analysis of the stage 5 design of the Kevitsa open pit mine

Abstract. The development of a new pushback in the Kevitsa Open Pit Mine has raised concerns regarding the potential impact of minor and major geological discontinuities on the overall stability of the pit. Furthermore, the daily mining operations are continuously threatened by frequent rock falls that occasionally exceed the bench slope scale, posing hazards in terms of safety and economics. Despite these challenges, the structures or group of structures responsible for most of the rock falls have not been confidently identified. This study reviews the effect of the structural features within the Kevitsa area into the open pit excavation and the proposed slopes of the Stage 5 pit design. To achieve this, structural mapping of rock surfaces was performed using 3D photogrammetry. The collected data was integrated with geotechnical logging data and laser scan data to characterize the dominant joint orientations of the deposit. Kinematic analyses of rock blocks were carried out by stereographic projection techniques to identify potential instabilities in the bench, inter-ramp, and overall slopes of the Stage 5 pit design. Results establish that two areas in the current pit and Stage 5 have major slope instability, where bench and inter-ramp slope failures are attributed to specific joint sets. Moreover, potential planar and wedge failures of overall slope scale are identified. Based on the findings, recommendations for pit optimization and geotechnical investigations are made

On the properties of compacton-anticompacton collisions

We study the properties of compacton-anticompacton collision processes. We compare and con- trast results for the case of compacton-anticompacton solutions of the K(l, p) Rosenau-Hyman (RH) equation for l = p = 2, with compacton-anticompacton solutions of the L(l,p) Cooper-Shepard- Sodano (CSS) equation for p = 1 and l = 3. This study is performed using a Pad\'e discretization of the RH and CSS equations. We find a significant difference in the behavior of compacton- anticompacton scattering. For the CSS equation, the scattering can be interpreted as "annihila- tion" as the wake left behind dissolves over time. In the RH equation, the numerical evidence is that multiple shocks form after the collision which eventually lead to "blowup" of the resulting waveform.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Stability and dynamical properties of Rosenau-Hyman compactons using Pade approximants

We present a systematic approach for calculating higher-order derivatives of smooth functions on a uniform grid using Pad\'e approximants. We illustrate our findings by deriving higher-order approximations using traditional second-order finite-differences formulas as our starting point. We employ these schemes to study the stability and dynamical properties of K(2,2) Rosenau-Hyman (RH) compactons including the collision of two compactons and resultant shock formation. Our approach uses a differencing scheme involving only nearest and next-to-nearest neighbors on a uniform spatial grid. The partial differential equation for the compactons involves first, second and third partial derivatives in the spatial coordinate and we concentrate on four different fourth-order methods which differ in the possibility of increasing the degree of accuracy (or not) of one of the spatial derivatives to sixth order. A method designed to reduce roundoff errors was found to be the most accurate approximation in stability studies of single solitary waves, even though all derivates are accurate only to fourth order. Simulating compacton scattering requires the addition of fourth derivatives related to artificial viscosity. For those problems the different choices lead to different amounts of "spurious" radiation and we compare the virtues of the different choices.Comment: 12 figure

In Utero Exposure to Arsenic and Mercury : Epigenome-Wide Associations and Newborn Health Outcomes

Mercury and arsenic are known developmental toxicants and environmental exposures are ubiquitous worldwide from natural and anthropogenic sources. Prenatal exposure to both contaminants are independently associated with adverse perinatal health outcomes and latent disease risk that could be in part mediated by epigenetic reprogramming events. Fetal programming events involving DNA methylation occur early during fetal development and are sensitive to environmental stimuli, potentially influencing disease risk throughout the life course. This research evaluated the epigenetic disruption of DNA methylation associated with exposure to mercury and arsenic in utero, and the potential impact on infant birth outcomes. The first study provides evidence that exposure to mercury during fetal development can contribute to epigenetic variability and immune cell proportion changes in infant cord-blood collected at birth. The data also suggests that exposure to mercury and arsenic, even at low levels, may interact to impact the epigenome in cord-blood. The second study evaluated the epigenome wide association of arsenic exposure in utero for placenta, umbilical artery and umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Our results show that prenatal arsenic exposure alters DNA methylation of umbilical artery and placenta but there is limited evidence for an association in HUVEC. We also identified DNA methylation disruption of key biological pathways related to adverse health outcomes previously associated with arsenic exposure in epidemiological studies. Lastly, the third study evaluated the direct association between prenatal arsenic exposure, birth gestational age and birth weight, as well as the indirect effect of arsenic exposure mediated through DNA methylation in cord-blood. We observed that the inverse relationship between arsenic exposure in utero and birth gestational age was completely mediated through DNA methylation of selected CpG loci. No association or mediation was observed between prenatal arsenic exposure and infant birth weight. These results provide evidence that exposure to arsenic and mercury in utero, two common environmental contaminants, can influence epigenetic programming of DNA methylation in different biological human tissues. Particularly, the effect of arsenic exposure on gestational age was mediated through CpG methylation of infant cord-blood, which is a critical parameter of infant health and associated with disease later in life. Future studies should evaluate if these epigenetic changes are persistent and associated with disease risk later in life. The design of public health interventions that target prevention of environmental exposures in utero that may increase disease risk later in life provide a unique opportunity for early disease prevention. Overall, these results will guide future research and inform regulatory guidelines to help reduce arsenic and mercury exposure, particularly during pregnancy

The BIophysical Basis for Adaptation: Predicting Evolutionary Outcomes from Physicochemical Properties

Experimental evolution can be used in conjunction with biophysical characterization of enzymes to determine the link between cellular fitness and physicochemical properties of enzymes. Sequencing of ancestral and evolved populations can be used to compare the outcomes of experimental evolution with measurements of fitness, using growth rate assays to correlate fitness outcomes to specific mutations. Combined with enzyme assays of kinetic properties that can provide a direct link between genotypic and phenotypic changes of adaptive mutants, we can model the complex relationship between genotypic changes and evolutionary outcomes. Two experimental evolution systems were used to explore the link between enzyme properties and fitness outcomes. In the first series of studies, a “weak link” evolution experiment was used to explore the effect of reducing selection strength on altering accessible pathways for adaptation. In the weak link method the essential gene for adenylate kinase (AK) was replaced in the chromosome of the thermophile Geobacillus stearothermophilus with a homolog from Bacillus subtilis. Replacement with the maladapted gene confers a high fitness cost, and therefore mutations that restore function of AK are strongly favored. Two triple mutants of AK containing a new combination of single point mutants identified under strong selection, AKQ199R/A193V/Q16L and AKQ199R/T179I/Q16L were discovered through an adaptation experiment using a weak temperature ramp; suggesting that the adaptive landscape for AK thermostability is highly constrained. A thermostable coupled assay was developed for measuring adenylate kinase activity using LDHTTHERMOPHILUS and PKGSTEAROTHERMOPHILUS at high temperatures. The triple mutants had increased function compared with the double mutant ancestors, but the triple mutants displayed diminishing returns epistasis on fitness. In the second experimental evolution system, a mathematical model was developed to investigate the role of adaptive mutations, in the tetracycline inactivation enzyme TetX2, on antibiotic resistance to minocycline (MCN). Growth rates measurements, enzyme kinetics, and flux balance equations were used to develop a model to predict the effect on growth rates of TetX2 and seven adaptive TetX2 variants at different MCN concentrations. Population histogram measurements for the experimental evolution study were measured using a high throughput Illumina sequencing method (FREQ-SEQ). We found that the model was able to accurately predict the fitness outcomes for the wild type and the seven single mutants of TetX2 that were originally isolated, as well as for a double mutant that was not used in the development of the original model. The mathematical model accurately predicts that the two mutants TetX2T280A and TetX2N371I provide the largest fitness benefits, in agreement with the results of in vitro experiments on adaptation to MCN. The model was also able to accurately predict enzyme parameters from growth rates values, with a specific emphasis on predicting the ratio of Vmax/KM(MCN). The model allows us to make predictions about the fitness benefits of physicochemical changes to enzymes, and can be used as a high throughput method for determining enzyme kinetic parameters without requiring protein purification. Understanding how physicochemical changes of enzymes relate to phenotypic changes, and ultimately to fitness, requires knowledge of both the molecular basis for determining enzyme properties, and how selection acts on fitness differences to determine evolutionary outcomes. This research provides direct links between physicochemical changes and adaptive phenotypes, as well providing observations of how adaptive landscapes and fitness changes affect evolutionary outcomes