Educational quality and dropout risk: a causal analysis of the university dropout phenomenon

[EN] University dropout is one of the main problems of the Spanish university system due to its high rates. The latest report issued by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN, 2020) shows that more than 30% of students drop out of an undergraduate degree program. In order to explore the phenomenon, in line with the scientific literature, we have focused on identifying personal and family variables associated with university dropout. Using an ex post facto, quantitative, descriptive and causal design methodology, we observed significant relationships between the dependent variable “completion of university degree” and the independent variables “age”, “marital status” and “number of siblings”. In agreement with other researches (Belloc et al, 2010; Diaz Peralta, 2008; Lizarte Simon, 2017) we conclude that university dropout is a multicausal phenomenon that needs to be fully understood. This will allow to maximize the use of resources allocated to higher education and optimize university access, permanence and quality policies.Pedraza-Navarro, I.; González-Ramírez, T. (2021). Educational quality and dropout risk: a causal analysis of the university dropout phenomenon. En 7th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'21). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 881-888. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd21.2021.12910OCS88188

Clonación, expresión, caracterización y modelado de esterasas putativas de Corynebacterium glutamicum ATTC 13032

El objetivo de este trabajo fue clonar, expresar, purificar y caracte-rizar algunos genes de Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC13032,identificados como enzimas de la superfamilia de las esterasas/li-pasas. De todos los genes clonados, solo se pudo estudiar la pro-teína codificada por el gen Cg2528. Se purificó y caracterizó laproteína. Su máxima actividad la presentó 40 oC y a pH 8. Presen-tó una gran estabilidad en presencia de disolventes orgánicos co-mo el DMSO y el metanol. Con respecto al análisis cinético, pre-sentó una mayor actividad sobre los p-nitrofenil ésteres y los nafti-los que sobre el S-methiltiobutanoato. Se dilucidó la triada catalíti-ca alineando la secuencia de aminoácidos. La estructura tridimen-sional se predijo usando la esterasa (2OGS) de Geobacillus stea-rothermophilus como molde

Sintomatología externalizante y rendimiento académico

Este estudio tiene dos objetivos principales; en primer lugar, definir en qué medida el rendimiento académico está relacionado con la presencia de sintomatología externalizante y, por último, ofrecer cifras de prevalencia de dicha sintomatología en una muestra comunitaria. Se utilizó como instrumento el Young Self Report (YSR; Achenbach y Edelbrock, 1987) que evalúa, entre otros aspectos, el comportamiento agresivo y la ruptura de normas. La muestra estuvo constituida por 87 niños y niñas de entre 10 y 12 años, de colegios públicos de la provincia de Albacete. Los resultados arrojaron cifras de prevalencia de sintomatología externalizante en torno al 3% y, además mostraron diferencias significativas en cuanto a la presencia de esta sintomatología en función del rendimiento académico. La implicación más importante que se deriva de estos resultados es que las escuelas deben contar con suficientes recursos para la identificación temprana y el tratamiento de la sintomatología externalizante, dada su implicación en el rendimiento académico y en el clima del aula.This study has two main objectives; firstly, to define the extent to which academic achievement is related to the presence of externalizing symptoms and, secondly, to provide prevalence figures of such symptoms in a community sample. Youth Self Report (YSR; Achenbach and Edelbrock, 1987) was used as a tool which evaluates, among other things, aggressive behaviour and the violation of rules. The sample comprised 87 children between the ages of 10 and 12 years in state schools in Albacete province. The results showed prevalence figures of about 3% and also significant differences in the presence of externalizing symptoms according to academic achievement. The most important implication derived from these results, is that schools must have adequate resources for early identification and treatment of externalizing symptoms, given their influence on academic achievement and the classroom climate

La educación sostenible y resiliente en el currículum de la LOMLOE

This article sets out the international guidelines set out by the United Nations (UN), the UNESCO and the European Union (EU) with regard to sustainability. It also describes the evolution in the incorporation of sustainability in the educational laws of Spanish legislation. Finally, the article offers the examples of Japan and the Republic of Korea as curricular models in which sustainability is linked to resilience. With regard to Spanish legislation, the study considers how the LOMLOE (Organic Law for the Modification of the LOE) is the first education law that, following the recommendations of the 2030 Agenda, incorporates education for sustainability explicitly. From an ecological approach, as it seeks practical solutions that can be applied to real contexts and be useful for decision-makers, this study shows the need to link resilience to the concept of sustainability in order to cope with the uncertainty society.Este artículo expone las orientaciones internacionales marcadas desde la ONU, la UNESCO y la Unión Europea (UE) en referencia a la sostenibilidad.  Describe la evolución en la incorporación de la sostenibilidad en las leyes educativas marco de la legislación española. El artículo ofrece los ejemplos de Japón y la República de Corea como modelos curriculares en los que se vincula la sostenibilidad a la resiliencia. El estudio se plantea cómo la LOMLOE (Ley Orgánica de Modificación de la LOE) constituye la primera ley educativa que, siguiendo las recomendaciones de la Agenda 2030, incorpora la educación para la sostenibilidad de manera explícita. Desde un enfoque ecológico, puesto que busca soluciones prácticas que pueden aplicarse a contextos reales y ser útiles para quienes toman las decisiones, este estudio manifiesta la necesidad de vincular la capacidad resiliente al concepto de sostenibilidad para hacer frente a la sociedad de incertidumbre

Chemical composition of the edible flowers, pansy (Viola wittrockiana) and snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) as new sources of bioactive compounds

©2018. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This document is the, Published, version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Food Chemistry. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.01.10

Pesticide residues and autism spectrum disorder

El trastorno del espectro autista (TEA) engloba a un conjunto de trastornos del neurodesarrollo que se caracterizan por una interacción social deficiente, comunicación restringida y comportamientos repetitivos y estereotipados. La etiología del TEA es desconocida a día de hoy, por lo que diversos equipos de investigación multidisciplinares están realizando grandes esfuerzos para intentar dilucidar los factores y mecanismos que intervienen en su aparición. En este sentido, existe un creciente interés en el estudio de factores ambientales como la exposición a residuos de plaguicidas ya que se dispone de suficiente evidencia científica sobre los efectos neurotóxicos que éstos pueden provocar. Por lo tanto, pueden ser formuladas hipótesis de asociaciones específicas entre el TEA y los residuos de plaguicidas. Este trabajo realiza una revisión sistemática sobre la influencia de la exposición a residuos de plaguicidas y la aparición del TEA. La metodología para llevar a cabo este trabajo de revisión sistemática siguió las directrices marcadas por el método PRISMA, encontrándose un total de siete artículos elegibles para su discusión. Los residuos de plaguicidas estudiados por los artículos seleccionados fueron los organofosforados y sus metabolitos; los organoclorados, incluidos el endosulfán y los bifenilos policlorados junto a sus metabolitos; los carbamatos; los piretroides, incluida la cipermetrina; y el glufosinato de amonio. El estudio de la acción de estos plaguicidas se centró en el periodo prenatal, investigándose su exposición en madres gestantes que vivían en zonas próximas a campos de cultivo donde se aplican pesticidas, en modelos animales de ratón y en cultivos de células cerebrales. Se encontró que existe relación entre la exposición a plaguicidas en el periodo prenatal y el riesgo de aparición de TEA en la descendencia junto a una disbiosis en la microbiota intestinal en ratones. Por lo tanto, es importante evaluar el factor de riesgo de exposición a residuos de plaguicidas en la aparición del TEA con más datos, para lo cual se requieren más estudios tanto in vitro como in vivo con el fin de dilucidar los mecanismos bioquímicos precisos involucrados.Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) encompasses a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by poor social interaction, restricted communication, and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. The etiology of ASD is unknown today, so various multidisciplinary research teams are making great efforts to try to elucidate the factors and mechanisms involved in its appearance. In this sense, there is a growing interest in the study of environmental factors such as exposure to pesticide residues since there is sufficient scientific evidence on the neurotoxic effects that these can cause. Therefore, specific associations between TEA and pesticide residues can be hypothesized. This work carries out a systematic review on the influence of exposure to pesticide residues and the appearance of ASD. The methodology to carry out this systematic review followed the guidelines set by the PRISMA method, finding a total of seven articles eligible for discussion. The pesticide residues studied by the selected articles were organophosphates and their metabolites; organochlorines, including endosulfan and polychlorinated biphenyls together with their metabolites; carbamates; pyrethroids, including cypermethrin; and glufosinate ammonium. The study of the action of these pesticides focused on the prenatal period, investigating their exposure in pregnant mothers who lived in areas close to fields where pesticides are applied, in mouse animal models and in brain cell cultures. It was found that there is a relationship between exposure to pesticides in the prenatal period and the risk of the appearance of ASD in the offspring together with a dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in mice. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the risk factor of exposure to pesticide residues in the appearance of ASD with more data, for which more studies are required both in vitro and in vivo in order to elucidated the accurate biochemical mechanisms involved

Induction of Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest in Human Colon Carcinoma Cells by Corema album Leaves

The leaves of Corema album (Ericaceae), an endemic shrub which grows in Atlantic coastal areas of the Iberian Peninsula, are rich in flavonoids and other secondary metabolites. Silica gel column chromatography of the ethyl acetate extract from dried leaves was performed and a flavonic active fraction was obtained. The cytotoxic activity of this fraction was assessed using the colon cancer cell lines HCT116 and HT29. After 48 hours of treatment, cell viability was determined with luminescence-based ATPLite assay, showing IC50 values of 7.2 ± 0.7 and 6.8 ± 1.2 µg/mL, respectively. The study by flow cytometry revealed that the cytotoxicity of this fraction was mediated, at least in part, by induction of apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest. The active fraction was then subjected to Sephadex LH-20 chromatography and two flavonoids were separated and identified as the flavanone pinocembrin and 2’,4’-dihydroxychalcone after UV, MS and NMR analysis

Raspberry dietary fibre: Chemical properties, functional evaluation and prebiotic in vitro effect

©2020. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This document is the, Published, version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in LWT - Food Science and Technology. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2020.110140Raspberries have high content of antioxidants; however, there is a lack of information about the functional composition of their dietary fibre. In this work, the total dietary fibre and its soluble and insoluble fractions were analysed for extractable and hydrolysable (poly)phenols, non-starch polysaccharides and functional properties with physiological effects and health implications (fat and water retention and swelling capacity, glucose diffusion retardation index, osmotic pressure and antioxidant capacity). Additionally, their prebiotic effect was assessed by an in vitro fermentation model by the analysis of short chain fatty acids. Results show that raspberry fibre contained mainly hydrolysable (poly)phenols; insoluble dietary fibre was the fraction richest in these compounds and also had the highest antioxidant and fat retention capacity, whereas soluble dietary fibre underwent greater hydration. The in vitro fermentations showed that (poly)phenols were responsible to a great extent for the raspberry prebiotic-like effect, in comparison with the fibre fractions. The results confirm that raspberry dietary fibre fractions could be used as functional and prebiotic ingredients for the development of food products with enhanced physical and nutritional properties

Phytochemical Profile and Antibacterial Activity of Retama raetam and R. sphaerocarpa cladodes from Algeria

Retama raetam (RR) and R. sphaerocarpa (RS) are shrubs growing in Algeria desert areas, where are commonly used as healing remedies because of their antiseptic, antipyretic and anti-diarrheal properties. Phytochemical studies have shown that these species are very rich in flavonoids (isoflavones) and alkaloids (quinolizidine and bipiperidyl). The aim of this study was to compare the chemical composition of both Retama species by GC/MS and LC/MS and to determinate their antimicrobial activity of two Retama species growing naturally in Algeria. Ten alkaloids and seven flavonoids were identified in cladodes of RR and RS. The quantitative analysis showed that the most abundant flavonoid of both the aqueous extract from RR and RS was the isoflavone genistein (610.0±2.8 and 408.0±14.1 mg/100 g respectively), whereas sparteine was the predominant alkaloid in RR and retamine in RS. The antibacterial activity of Retama extracts against standard strains was performed by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and by the disc diffusion method (expressed by inhibition zone, IZ). Both Retama species showed the best activity against Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), being RS aqueous extract more active than RR aqueous extract, with MIC 125 µg/mL and bactericidal activity against both strains

A preliminary study about gender gap perception in informatics studies in Spain

The gender gap in STEM is an issue that affects regions and countries worldwide. Furthermore, the percentage of women in these areas depends on a range of different factors. In particular, the gender gap is critical in technology in general and, more specifically, in informatics. This problem affects not only the business sector but also society. Informatics is part of our lives; however, 50% of the world population is not represented in the teams that are developing solutions for solving society's problems. In Spain, the number of women with informatics degrees is around 15%. This work describes a case study developed by the committee of Women in Informatics at the Scientific Society of Spanish Informatics (SCIE) to analyse the perception of informatics scientists on the gender gap in informatics