Adaptación de un programa de desarrollo socio-cognitivo para niños con deprivaciones socio-ambientales.

Adaptar el programa think aloud (pensar en voz alta) de Bash y Camp a las necesidades cognitivas de alumnos procedentes de medios socio-ambientalmente deprivados, con el fin de facilitar la adquisición de estrategias de resolución de problemas tanto cognitivos como sociales; conjugando para ello la metodología cognitivo-conductual de dicho programa con los planteamientos que sobre el desarrollo socio-cognitivo presenta la Escuela de Ginebra. Formulan 3 hipótesis. 25 alumnos pertenecientes al programa de educación compensatoria, con edades comprendidas entre los 5 y 7 años, escolarizados en centros públicos de Palencia capital. Utilizan un diseño cuasiexperimental de grupo control no equivalente. Realizan una fase de pretest o evaluación inicial, aplican el programa de desarrollo socio-cognitivo, evaluan y por último efectuan un seguimiento. Las variables utilizadas son: 1. V. D.; Habilidad para resolver problemas sociales, habilidad para resolver problemas cognitivos, 2. V. I.; Aplicación del programa de desarrollo socio-cognitivo, 3. V. C.; Aplicación del programa por 4 profesores, teorías educativas y estilos de enseñanza. 1. Batería de habilidades sociales en la solución de problemas interpersonales para ciclo inicial; prueba de inducción de causas, prueba de generación de alternativas, prueba de identificación de sentimientos, prueba de estrategias medios-fines, 2. Escala para la medición de las estrategias de resolución de problemas cognitivos, 3. Cuestionario para padres, 4. Escala de inteligencia de Wechsler para preescolar y primaria (WPPSI), 5. Hoja de registro del estilo de enseñanza del profesor, 6. Cuestionario de las teorías implícitas de la educación, 7. Escala de evaluación de programas de entrenamiento, 8. Cuestionario de evaluación de la intervención por unidades, 9. Cuestionario de evaluación de la intervención global, 10. Indicadores de evaluación por unidades, 11. Programa de entrenamiento socio-cognitivo. Análisis intragrupo, análisis intergrupo, análisis de la varianza de dos clasificaciones por rangos de Friedman, prueba de rangos y pares igualados de Wilcoxon, tablas. 1. Los sujetos del grupo experimental comparados con ellos mismos mejoran en la resolución de problemas tanto sociales como cognitivos. 2. Los sujetos del grupo experimental comparados con los del grupo control mejoran en la resolución de problemas sociales y en la resolución de problemas cognitivos en el apartado de entrada de la información, en el procesamiento y salida de la información se aprecian simplemente ciertos avances cualitativos. 3. El programa de entrenamiento sirve para que los alumnos progresen en aspectos atencionales, en inhibición de conductas impulsivas y en estrategias de autocontrol. 4. El profesorado considera que el programa motiva a los niños y que se inserta perfectamente en la actividad curricular ordinaria, facilitando la generalización de lo aprendido.

Effect of amplification bandwidth on intelligibility of several different speech samples for a listener with sensorineural hearing loss

This paper examines the effect of amplification bandwidth on speech intelligibility using multiple speech samples.

Assessing the use of forest islands by parrot species in a neotropical savanna

Understanding the effect of habitat fragmentation is a fundamental yet complicated aim of many ecological studies. Beni savanna is a naturally fragmented forest habitat, where forest islands exhibit variation in resources and threats. To understand how the availability of resources and threats affect the use of forest islands by parrots, we applied occupancy modeling to quantify use and detection probabilities for 12 parrot species on 60 forest islands. The presence of urucuri (Attalea phalerata) and macaw (Acrocomia aculeata) palms, the number of tree cavities on the islands, and the presence of selective logging,and fire were included as covariates associated with availability of resources and threats. The model-selection analysis indicated that both resources and threats variables explained the use of forest islands by parrots. For most species, the best models confirmed predictions. The number of cavities was positively associated with use of forest islands by 11 species. The area of the island and the presence of macaw palm showed a positive association with the probability of use by seven and five species, respectively, while selective logging and fire showed a negative association with five and six species, respectively. The Blue-throated Macaw (Ara glaucogularis), the critically endangered parrot species endemic to our study area, was the only species that showed a negative association with both threats. Monitoring continues to be essential to evaluate conservation and management actions of parrot populations. Understanding of how species are using this natural fragmented habitat will help determine which fragments should be preserved and which conservation actions are needed.

Kinetic models as a route to control acrylamide formation in food

Reports that heat processing of foods induces the formation of acrylamide heightened interest in the chemistry, biochemistry, and safety of this compound. Acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, genotoxicity, and carcinogenicity are potential human health risks based on animal studies. Because exposure of humans to acrylamide can come from both external sources and the diet, there exists a need to develop a better understanding of its formation and distribution in food and its role in human health. To contribute to this effort, experts from eight countries have presented data on the chemistry, analysis, metabolism, pharmacology, and toxicology of acrylamide. Specifically covered are the following aspects: exposure from the environment and the diet; biomarkers of exposure; risk assessment; epidemiology; mechanism of formation in food; biological alkylation of amino acids, peptides, proteins, and DNA by acrylamide and its epoxide metabolite glycidamide; neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, and carcinogenicity; protection against adverse effects; and possible approaches to reducing levels in food. Cross-fertilization of ideas among several disciplines in which an interest in acrylamide has developed, including food science, pharmacology, toxicology, and medicine, will provide a better understanding of the chemistry and biology of acrylamide in food, and can lead to the development of food processes to decrease the acrylamide content of the diet.

The effect of cooking on acrylamide and its precursors in potato, wheat and rye

The relationship between acrylamide and its precursors, namely free asparagine and reducing sugars, was studied in simple cakes made from potato flake, wholemeal wheat and wholemeal rye, cooked at 180 degrees C, from 5 to 60 min. Between 5 and 20 min, large losses of asparagine, water and total reducing sugars were accompanied by large increases in acrylamide, which maximized in all three products between 25 and 30 min, followed by a slow linear reduction. Acrylamide formation did not occur to any extent until the moisture contents of the cakes fell below 5%. A comparison of each type of cake with a commercial product, made from the same food material, showed that acrylamide levels in all three commercial products were well below the maximum levels in the cooked cakes.