Mapping teaching, learning and assessment in the MPharm in UK schools of pharmacy

Aim To undertake a national study of teaching, learning and assessment in UK schools of pharmacy. Design Triangulation of course documentation, 24 semi-structured interviews undertaken with 29 representatives from the schools and a survey of all final year students (n=1,847) in the 15 schools within the UK during 2003–04. Subjects and setting All established UK pharmacy schools and final year MPharm students. Outcome measures Data were combined and analysed under the topics of curriculum, teaching and learning, assessment, multi-professional teaching and learning, placement education and research projects. Results Professional accreditation was the main driver for curriculum design but links to preregistration training were poor. Curricula were consistent but offered little student choice. On average half the curriculum was science-based. Staff supported the science content but students less so. Courses were didactic but schools were experimenting with new methods of learning. Examinations were the principal form of assessment but the contribution of practice to the final degree ranged considerably (21–63%). Most students considered the assessment load to be about right but with too much emphasis upon knowledge. Assessment of professional competence was focused upon dispensing and pharmacy law. All schools undertook placement teaching in hospitals but there was little in community/primary care. There was little inter-professional education. Resources and logistics were the major limiters. Conclusions There is a need for an integrated review of the accreditation process for the MPharm and preregistration training and redefinition of professional competence at an undergraduate level.

Data on the biogeochemical cycle of methane in the ocean

Geological, mineralogical and microbiological aspects of the methane cycle in water and sediments of different areas in the oceans are under consideration in the monograph. Original and published estimations of formation- and oxidation rates of methane with use of radioisotope and isotopic methods are given. The role of aerobic and anaerobic microbial oxidation of methane in production of organic matter and in formation of authigenic carbonates is considered. Particular attention is paid to processes of methane transformation in areas of its intensive input to the water column from deep-sea hydrothermal sources, mud volcanoes, and cold methane seeps.

What is this thing called Historical Archaeology?

Historical archaeology, in its narrow temporal sense -as an archaeology of the emergence and subsequent evolution of the Modern world- is steadily taking pace in Spanish academia. This paper aims at provoking a more robust debate through understanding how Spanish historical archaeology is placed in the international scene and some of its more relevant particularities. In so doing, the paper also stresses the strong links that have united historical and prehistorical archaeology since its inception, both in relation to the ontological, epistemological and methodological definition of the first as to the influence of socio-political issues in the latter. Such reflection is partly a situated reflection from prehistory as one of the paper’s authors has been a prehistorian for most of her professional life.

Agro industrialización y comercialización de frijol rojo y negro en Unión de Cooperativas Agropecuarias Augusto César Sandino, San Ramón - Matagalpa: Informe de pasantías 2014

Como forma de culminación de estudios de la carrera de Licenciatura en Desarrollo Rural, se realizó pasantías en la Unión de Cooperativas Augusto César Sandino (UCA, San Ramón). En el proyecto tiene como nombre: Apoyo al desarrollo productivo y agroindustrial del Frijol en organizaciones cooperativas de pequeños productores y productoras de Matagalpa en el período de Abril a Octubre del 2014. La UCA San Ramón es una cooperativa comprometida con el desarrollo económico-social de sus asociados, apoyándoles en la formación de capacidades, promueve la equidad de género, protección del medio ambiente flora y fauna ,aplicación de las buenas prácticas agrícolas (BPM), Promoción del turismo rural sostenible, apoyo al sector agrícola en los diferentes rubros(Café, Granos Básicos, Ganado).La UCA San Ramón, también otorga becas a estudiantes hijos de socios para que culminen sus estudios y que retornen a trabajar en la institución con el propósito de mejorar el relevo generacional. El trabajo del pasante estuvo enfocado en el área de planificación y proyectos que se desarrollan dentro de la institución misma, los cuales están dirigidos a promover la formulación, gestión, evaluación y gerencia de proyectos sociales, para los socios, llevando a cabo la siguiente funcione: Elaboración de plan de Negocios, para el cual es el pasante desarrollo las siguientes funciones: Análisis de información primaria y secundaria; Sondeos para analizar la competencia en presentaciones de frijol (Crudos, molidos, cocidos)en supermercados, Capacitaciones en uso de maquinaria de planta procesadora de frijol; Registros y control de actividades de la planta. El plan de negocios que se diseñó dio como resultado la demostración de una factibilidad sobre la comercialización de frijol procesado en diferentes presentaciones conforme a las demandas de los consumidores, el análisis de información primaria permitió conocer la demanda sobre gustos y preferencias de los consumidores, según los sondeos realizados demuestran que el frijol crudo tiene mayor demanda, los registros y controles en la planta complementan los documentos realizados dentro de la institución misma, la realización de esta pasantía fue de gran importancia y lección aprendida ya que el pasante debe estar accesible a adquirir conocimientos novedosos que complementan su trabajo como profesional, el espíritu de responsabilidad y confianza es muy valioso al momento de llegar formalizar un acuerdo permite evitar conflictos en un futuro. Como conclusión se puede decir que a medida que se va ejecutando las pasantías hace familiar la labor y se va obteniendo nuevos conocimientos amplios sobre la misma; tratándose de un periodo de nuevas enseñanzas y experiencias que se basan en los conocimientos adquiridos en el aula de clase y para alcanzar mejores oportunidades en el campo laboral. Como una recomendación enfocada a la Universidad, es dar mejor seguimiento para los pasantes durante el periodo de pasantías constando en supervisión a este.

Detection of virulence-associated genes in pathogenic and commensal avian Escherichia coli isolates

Poultry colibacillosis due to Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is responsible for several extra-intestinal pathological conditions, leading to serious economic damage in poultry production. The most commonly associated pathologies are airsacculitis, colisepticemia, and cellulitis in broiler chickens, and salpingitis and peritonitis in broiler breeders. In this work a total of 66 strains isolated from dead broiler breeders affected with colibacillosis and 61 strains from healthy broilers were studied. Strains from broiler breeders were typified with serogroups O2, O18, and O78, which are mainly associated with disease. The serogroup O78 was the most prevalent (58%). All the strains were checked for the presence of 11 virulence genes: 1) arginine succinyltransferase A (astA); ii) E. coli hemeutilization protein A (chuA); iii) colicin V A/B (cvaA/B); iv) fimbriae mannose-binding type 1 (fimC); v) ferric yersiniabactin uptake A (fyuA); vi) iron-repressible high-molecular-weight proteins 2 (irp2); vii) increased serum survival (iss); viii) iron-uptake systems of E. coli D (iucD); ix) pielonefritis associated to pili C (papC); x) temperature sensitive haemaglutinin (tsh), and xi) vacuolating autotransporter toxin (vat), by Multiplex-PCR. The results showed that all genes are present in both commensal and pathogenic E. coli strains. The iron uptake-related genes and the serum survival gene were more prevalent among APEC. The adhesin genes, except tsh, and the toxin genes, except astA, were also more prevalent among APEC isolates. Except for astA and tsh, APEC strains harbored the majority of the virulence-associated genes studied and fimC was the most prevalent gene, detected in 96.97 and 88.52% of APEC and AFEC strains, respectively. Possession of more than one iron transport system seems to play an important role on APEC survival.

Characterisation and quantification of changes in odorants from litter headspace of meat chickens fed diets varying in protein levels and additives

The effect of dietary crude protein (CP) and additives on odor flux from meat chicken litter was investigated using 180 day-old Ross 308 male chicks randomly allocated to five dietary treatments with three replicates of 12 birds each. A 5 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments was employed. Factors were: diet (low CP, high CP, high CP+antibiotic, high CP+probiotic, high CP+saponin) and age (15, 29, 35 days). The antibiotic used was Zn bacitracin, the probiotic was a blend of three Bacillus subtilis strains and the saponin came from a blend of Yucca and Quillaja. Odorants were collected from litter headspace with a flux hood and measured using selective ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS). Litter moisture, water activity (Aw), and litter headspace odorant concentrations were correlated. The results showed that low CP group produced lower flux of dimethyl amine, trimethyl amine, H2S, NH3, and phenol in litter compared to high CP group (P < 0.05). Similarly, high CP+probiotic group produced lower flux of H2S (P < 0.05) and high CP+saponin group produced lower flux of trimethylamine and phenol in litter compared to high CP group (P < 0.05). The dietary treatments tended (P = 0.065) to have higher flux of methanethiol in high CP group compared to others. There was a diet × age interaction for litter flux of diacetyl, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone (acetoin), 3-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methylbutanal, ethanethiol, propionic acid, and hexane (P < 0.05). Concentrations of diacetyl, acetoin, propionic acid, and hexane in litter were higher from low CP group compared to all other treatments on d 35 (P < 0.05) but not on d 15 and 29. A high litter moisture increased water activity (P < 0.01) and favored the emissions of methyl mercaptan, hydrogen sulfide, dimethyl sulfide, ammonia, trimethyl amine, phenol, indole, and 3-methylindole over others. Thus, the low CP diet, Bacillus subtilis based probiotic and the blend of Yucca/Quillaja saponin were effective in reducing the emissions of some key odorants from meat chicken litter.

Inovar com a investigação-ação: Desafios para a formação de professores

O título desta obra define bem o programa proposto, no texto, que vai ser lido. Efetivamente, o que nele se preconiza é a promoção da inovação pedagógica, colocando, nas mãos dos formadores de formadores, um instrumento, que associa, indissoluvelmente, a investigação e a acção – pesquisar, em função da mudança da prática pedagógica, e investigar, mais uma vez, para resolver os problemas suscitados pela nova prática. E isto, num processo, que se quer circular, ou seja, teoricamente, ilimitado. Que tal programa é aliciante mostra-o o objetivo, que lhe está subjacente – fundar a prática pedagógica nas bases sólidas da investigação, ultrapassando soluções marcadas, em doses mais ou menos consideráveis, pelo subjetivismo, ou pelo intuicionismo, de horizontes necessariamente limitados. Por outro lado, nada melhor para dar consistência e firmeza à inovação pedagógica do que alicerçá-la, firmemente, na investigação, numa simbiose, que só pode resultar em utilidade para uma e para outra. A autora do presente trabalho mostra que estas expetativas teóricas e apriorísticas se não traduziram em resultados tão positivos como elas pareciam prometer. No entanto, após mais madura reflexão, parece que a prudência e o bom senso aconselhariam a moderar entusiasmos desmedidos. Efetivamente, aquilo que, em abstrato, se revela uma vantagem do processo, apresenta-se, na prática, como uma dificuldade, para não dizer uma desvantagem: como conciliar o rigor, sempre desejado, da investigação, com o seu caráter, eminentemente situacional, neste contexto particular? E, na exata medida, em que o alicerce da investigação não apresenta a firmeza desejada, o resto do edifício, ou seja, a prática, não pode deixar de vacilar. Eis porque as realizações e, nomeadamente, as inovações pedagógicas, se não traduziram, em termos quantitativos e qualitativos, naquilo que muitos esperariam. Falhanço, então, de um projeto que, dados os magros resultados, não justifica que se percam com ele mais tempo precioso e mais esforços? Não necessariamente. Este último é o parecer da autora, que à reflexão sobre a inovação pedagógica e à investiga- ção-ação, e bem assim à prática docente nelas inspirada, tem consagrado uma parte significativa dos seus esforços. Vale bem a pena conhecê-lo. Coimbra, Julho de 2013. Prof. António Simões.

Iron Transformation Pathways and Redox Micro-Environments in Seafloor Sulfide-Mineral Deposits: Spatially Resolved Fe XAS and delta Fe-57/54 Observations

Hydrothermal sulfide chimneys located along the global system of oceanic spreading centers are habitats for microbial life during active venting. Hydrothermally extinct, or inactive, sulfide deposits also host microbial communities at globally distributed sites. The main goal of this study is to describe Fe transformation pathways, through precipitation and oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions, and examine transformation products for signatures of biological activity using Fe mineralogy and stable isotope approaches. The study includes active and inactive sulfides from the East Pacific Rise 9 degrees 50'N vent field. First, the mineralogy of Fe(III)-bearing precipitates is investigated using microprobe X-ray absorption spectroscopy (RXAS) and X-ray diffraction (mu XRD). Second, laser-ablation (LA) and micro-drilling (MD) are used to obtain spatially-resolved Fe stable isotope analysis by multicollector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). Eight Fe -bearing minerals representing three mineralogical classes are present in the samples: oxyhydroxides, secondary phyllosilicates, and sulfides. For Fe oxyhydroxides within chimney walls and layers of Si-rich material, enrichments in both heavy and light Fe isotopes relative to pyrite are observed, yielding a range of delta Fe-57 values up to 6 parts per thousand. Overall, several pathways for Fe transformation are observed. Pathway 1 is characterized by precipitation of primary sulfide minerals from Fe(II)aq-rich fluids in zones of mixing between vent fluids and seawater. Pathway 2 is also consistent with zones of mixing but involves precipitation of sulfide minerals from Fe(II)aq generated by Fe(III) reduction. Pathway 3 is direct oxidation of Fe(II) aq from hydrothermal fluids to form Fe(III) precipitates. Finally, Pathway 4 involves oxidative alteration of pre-existing sulfide minerals to form Fe(III). The Fe mineralogy and isotope data do not support or refute a unique biological role in sulfide alteration. The findings reveal a dynamic range of Fe transformation pathways consistent with a continuum of micro-environments having variable redox conditions. These micro-environments likely support redox cycling of Fe and S and are consistent with culture-dependent and -independent assessments of microbial physiology and genetic diversity of hydrothermal sulfide deposits.

INDICE GENERAL DE LAS REVISTAS DE LA FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS SOCIALES, UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL

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El relevo de género en la elaboración alfarera. El caso de las comunidades Guaitil y San Vicente, provincia de Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Resumen El artículo presenta un breve recorrido por la historia reciente de las comunidades alfareras costarricenses de Guaitil y San Vicente, en la región Chorotega. Profundiza en el cambio intergeneracional y el relevo de género que comprometen el mantenimiento de esta tradición ancestral. Asimismo introduce la importancia que tienen los sellos de calidad diferenciada por territorio, como las denominaciones de origen (DO): una herramienta de rescate, valoración y protección de estos saberes culturales. El aporte al conocimiento de la actividad alfarera en Guaitil y San Vicente presenta datos de un censo realizado por el centro especializado CadenAgro de la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA) en los talleres artesanos. La información obtenida muestra un panorama para la gestión a largo plazo de la DO que garantice el mantenimiento de las prácticas culturales de las comunidades artesanas. Abstract The article presents a brief overview of the recent history of potter Costa Rican communities Guaitil and San Vicente, in the Chorotega region. It deepen is intergenerational change and gender relay involving the maintenance of this ancient tradition. It also introduces the importance of quality labels differentiated by territory, as designations of origin (DO): a rescue tool, valuation and protection of this cultural knowledge. The contribution to knowledge of the activity of pottery in San Vicente and Guaitil presents data from a census conducted by the specialized center CadenAgro of the National University of Costa Rica (UNA) in artisan workshops. The information obtained shows an overview for long-term management of DO to ensure the maintenance of the cultural practices of artisan communities.