La investigación-acción : un reto para el profesorado : guía práctica para grupos de trabajo, seminarios y equipos de investigación.

Uno de los pilares sobre los que se apoya el sistema educativo para elevar la calidad de la enseñanza es la investigación educativa, abogando por un docente investigador, reflexivo y en continua formación permanente. En este sentido, en los últimos años y a nivel internacional, la investigación-acción se ha revelado como uno de los modelos de investigación que mejor se ajustan a este nuevo enfoque, invitando al profesorado a una intercomunicación y a una constante reflexión crítica de su labor docente, ayudándole a buscar y aplicar nuevas estrategias didácticas con el fin de mejorarla. Esta obra trata de dar a conocer la investigación-acción desde una perspectiva teórico-práctica, así como de animar al profesorado a utilizarla como una forma de cultura y desarrollo profesional, guiándole en la tarea de renovar continuamente su labor docente.

Desarrollo socioafectivo y trabajo social : el proyecto GIPS como estrategia psicopedagógica y social.

Ofrece una fundamentación teórica y empírica, a una metodología y un modelo subyacente (IPSI) para la formación superior de los profesionales que intervienen en la acción social, en el trabajo social y en las políticas sociales.Se parte de la necesidad de un nuevo paradigma integrador y de las consecuencias educativas y sociales que ello conlleva, en los actuales escenarios formativos, institucionales, sociales y políticos. Se valora un modelo y una metodología integradora de paradigmas y una triangulación teórica y metodológica, mediante el análisis de la experiencia de seis cursos de postgrado (1992 a 2001) y de 197 proyectos de intervención social integradora. La propuesta metodológica IPSI (Intervención Psicoeducativa Social Integradora) integra la vertiente educativa y la social. En la vertiente educativa se le da suma importancia al desarrollo socioafectivo, a la integración de polaridades, al trabajo con los valores y al desarrollo moral, articulando el aula como un nuevo espacio comunitario. En la vertiente social se trabaja sobre el proyecto real, aplicado y comprometido con las diferentes realidades, personales, institucionales y sociales de los participantes. Estas dos vertientes se encuentran entrelazadas y se van deconstruyendo y reconstruyendo a partir de la narración de los proyectos en el aula, del acompañamiento y de la presencia cuidada de figuras tutoriales, de la supervisión y de la altervisión.Los resultados muestran que se va produciendo un avance integrador posibilitador de cambios personales, sociales y culturales, facilitador de nuevos compromisos, de redes de proyectos y de nuevos poderes transformadores. Se avanza hacia una nueva conciencia ética favorecedora de la globalización de la justicia y de la solidaridad.

Errores en lectura oral en sílabas : ensayo de estudio experimental en cuarto curso de EGB.

Estudiar los errores más frecuentes cometidos por los 'malos lectores', qué tipo de error y cuál es su frecuencia. 73 varones y 75 mujeres del cuarto nivel de EGB de las provincias de Ávila, León, Madrid, Salamanca, Valladolid y Zamora. Los centros estatales están representados por 76 alumnos y los no estatales por 72. Estudio en el que se analizan los errores cometidos por niños de diferentes niveles educativos en la lectura de sílabas, palabras y textos. Para realizar el estudio se paso a los alumnos una prueba analística de lectura oral llamado TALE. Esta prueba está estructurada en dos partes bien definidas: subtest de lectura y subtest de escritura. El subtest de lectura consta a su vez de dos series de pruebas, una para evaluar la competencia en lectura oral y otra para determinar el grado de comprensión en lectura silenciosa. El subtest de escritura está integrado por pruebas de copia (de sílabas, de palabras y de frases), de dictado (de un texto distinto para cada curso), y de escritura espontánea. En este estudio sólo pasaron las pruebas de lectura oral. La prueba de lectura de letras contiene en dos cartulinas las letras del alfabeto. Son presentadas en forma desordenada, en forma mayúscula y minúscula. La prueba de lectura de sílabas consta de 20 sílabas, elegidas teniendo en cuenta las posibles combinaciones de letras que figuran en el castellano. En la prueba de lectura de palabras se incluye el máximo de combinaciones posibles representantes. Presentan cincuenta vocablos: de una hasta cinco sílabas por palabra. Estas tres pruebas son comunes para cualquier curso de los cuatro primeros de nuestro sistema educativo. En cambio, la prueba de lectura de texto se nos presenta con tres textos distintos, cada uno varía respecto al otro en complejidad a medida que el grado que cursa el sujeto sea mayor. 1) El tipo de error predominante es el de sustitución. 2) No se dan diferencias apreciables por razón del sexo. 3) El error de vacilación se presenta en todas las sílabas de la prueba. 4) Todas las sílabas de la prueba tienen errores de rectificación, menos la sílaba 'lu'. En todas las sílabas, sin incluir 'lu' y 'bla' se registran errores de sustitución. Es preciso destacar el elevado número de errores de sustitución en la sílaba 'ac'. 5) las sílabas 'pla', 'bor', 'ib','dri','ed', 'pru' y 'bra' presentan errores de rotación. 6) Todas las sílabas excepto 'din' y 'ed' presentan errores de adición. 7) Se registran errores de inversión en todas exceptuando 'ac', 'os', 'lu', 'din' y 'ed'. 8) Exceptuando las sílabas'os','lu','tar','at' y 'bra' todas presentan errores de repetición.

El Euro (que viene) : propuesta didáctica y actividades.

Este trabajo ha obtenido un Primer Premio en el VII Certamen de Materiales Curriculares adaptados a la Comunidad de Madrid. - Material publicado. - Material inédito en el MC-7.1.1 y R. 5528-5529

Variation in clonality and antibiotic-resistance genes among multiresistant Salmonella enterica serotype typhimurium phage-type U302 (MR U302) from humans, animals, and foods

Since 1990 multiresistant (MR) Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium definitive phage-type (DT) 104 (MR DT104) and closely related phage types have emerged as a worldwide health problem in humans and food animals. In this study the presence of the bla(CARB-2) (ampicillin), cmlA (chloramphenicol), aadA2 (streptomycin/spectinomycin), sul1 (sulphonamide), and tetG (tetracycline) resistance genes in isolates of one such phage type, U302, have been determined. In addition bla(TEM) I primers have been used for the detection of TEM-type beta-lactamases. Isolates have also been characterized by plasmid profile and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Thirty-three of 39 isolates were positive for blaCARB-2, cmlA, aadA2, sul1 and tetG, four for bla(TEM), aadA2 and sul1, one for aadA2 and sul1, and one for blaTEM only. bla(TEM)-mediated ampicillin resistance was transferred to Escherichia coli K12 from three isolates along with other resistance markers, including resistance to chloramphenicol, streptomycin, spectinomycin, sulphonamides, and tetracyclines. Strains carried up to 6 plasmids and 34 plasmid profiles were identified. Although the majority of strains (33/39) produced a PFGE profile identical to that predominant in MR DT104, six different patterns were generated demonstrating the presence of various clones within MR U302. The results show that the majority of the MR U302 strains studied possessed the same antibiotic resistance genes as MR DT104. However, isolates with distinctive PFGE patterns can have different mechanisms of resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulphonamides, and tetracyclines. Such resistance genes may be borne on transmissible plasmids.

Antibiotic resistance genes, integrons and multiple antibiotic resistance in thirty-five serotypes of Salmonella enterica isolated from humans and animals in the UK

Objectives: To examine 397 strains of Salmonella enterica of human and animal origin comprising 35 serotypes for the presence of aadB, aphAI-IAB, aadA1, aadA2, bla(Carb(2)) or pse1, bla(Tem), cat1, cat2, dhfr1, floR, strA, sul1, sul2, tetA(A), tetA(B) and tetA(G) genes, the presence of class 1 integrons and the relationship of resistance genes to integrons and antibiotic resistance. Results: Some strains were resistant to ampicillin (91), chloramphenicol (85), gentamicin (2), kanamycin (14), spectinomycin (81), streptomycin (119), sulfadiazine (127), tetracycline (108) and trimethoprim (45); 219 strains were susceptible to all antibiotics. bla(Carb(2)), floR and tetA(G) genes were found in S. Typhimurium isolates and one strain of S. Emek only. Class 1 integrons were found in S. Emek, Haifa, Heidelberg, Mbandaka, Newport, Ohio, Stanley, Virchow and in Typhimurium, mainly phage types DT104 and U302. These strains were generally multi-resistant to up to seven antibiotics. Resistance to between three and six antibiotics was also associated with class 1 integron-negative strains of S. Binza, Dublin, Enteritidis, Hadar, Manhattan, Mbandaka, Montevideo, Newport, Typhimurium DT193 and Virchow. Conclusion: The results illustrate specificity of some resistance genes to S. Typhimurium or non- S. Typhimurium serotypes and the involvement of both class 1 integron and non-class 1 integron associated multi-resistance in several serotypes. These data also indicate that the bla(Carb(2)), floR and tetA(G) genes reported in the SG1 region of S. Typhimurium DT104, U302 and some other serotypes are still predominantly limited to S. Typhimurium strains.

Contextual, but not auditory, fear conditioning is disrupted by neurotoxic selective lesion of the basal nucleus of amygdala in rats

The basolateral amygdala complex (BLA) is involved in acquisition of contextual and auditory fear conditioning. However, the BLA is not a single structure but comprises a group of nuclei, including the lateral (LA), basal (BA) and accessory basal (AB) nuclei. While it is consensual that the LA is critical for auditory fear conditioning, there is controversy on the participation of the BA in fear conditioning. Hodological and neurophysiological findings suggest that each of these nuclei processes distinct information in parallel; the BA would deal with polymodal or contextual representations, and the LA would process unimodal or elemental representations. Thus, it seems plausible to hypothesize that the BA is required for contextual, but not auditory, fear conditioning. This hypothesis was evaluated in Wistar rats submitted to multiple-site ibotenate-induced damage restricted to the BA and then exposed to a concurrent contextual and auditory fear conditioning training followed by separated contextual and auditory conditioning testing. Differing from electrolytic lesion and lidocaine inactivation, this surgical approach does not disturb fibers of passage originating in other brain areas, restricting damage to the aimed nucleus. Relative to the sham-operated controls, rats with selective damage to the BA exhibited disruption of performance in the contextual, but not the auditory, component of the task. Thus, while the BA seems required for contextual fear conditioning, it is not critical for both an auditory-US association, nor for the expression of the freezing response. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Detection of metallo-beta-lactamases-encoding genes in environmental isolates of Aeromonas hydrophila and Aeromonas jandaei

Aims: To determine the prevalence and expression of metallo-beta-lactamases (MBL)-encoding genes in Aeromonas species recovered from natural water reservoirs in southeastern Brazil. Methods and Results: Eighty-seven Aeromonas isolates belonging to Aeromonas hydrophila (n = 41) and Aer. jandaei (n = 46) species were tested for MBL production by the combined disk test using imipenem and meropenem disks as substrates and EDTA or thioglycolic acid as inhibitors. The presence of MBL genes was investigated by PCR and sequencing using new consensus primer pairs designed in this study. The cphA gene was found in 97.6% and 100% of Aer. hydrophila and Aer. jandaei isolates, respectively, whereas the acquired MBL genes bla(IMP), bla(VIM) and bla(SPM-1) were not detected. On the other hand, production of MBL activity was detectable in 87.8% and 10.9% of the cphA-positive Aer. hydrophila and Aer. jandaei isolates respectively. Conclusions: Our results indicate that cphA seems to be intrinsic in the environmental isolates of Aer. hydrophila and Aer. jandaei in southeastern Brazil, although, based on the combined disk test, not all of them are apparently able to express the enzymatic activity. Significance and Impact of the Study: These data confirm the presence of MBL-producing Aeromonas species in natural water reservoirs. Risk of water-borne diseases owing to domestic and industrial uses of freshwater should be re-examined from the increase of bacterial resistance point of view.

BYC, an atypical aspartic endopeptidase from Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus eggs

An aspartic endopeptidase was purified in our laboratory from Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus eggs [Logullo, C., Vaz, I.S., Sorgine, M.H., Paiva-Silva, G.O., Faria, F.S., Zingali, R.B., De Lima, M.F., Abreu, L., Oliveira, E.F., Alves, E.W, Masuda, H., Gonzales, J.C., Masuda, A., and Oliveira, P.L., 1998. Isolation of an aspartic proteinase precursor from the egg of a hard tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. Parasitology 116, 525-532]. Boophilus yolk cathepsin (BYC) was tested as component of a protective vaccine against the tick, inducing a significant immune response in cattle [da Silva, VI., Jr., Logullo, C., Sorgine, M., Velloso, F.F., Rosa de Lima, M.F., Gonzales, J.C., Masuda, H., Oliveira, P.L., and Masuda, A., 1998. Immunization of bovines with an aspartic proteinase precursor isolated from Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus eggs. Vet. Immunol. Immunopathol. 66,331-341]. In this work, BYC was cloned and its primary sequence showed high similarity with other aspartic endopeptidases. In spite of this similarity, BYC sequence shows many important differences in relation to other aspartic peptidases, the most important being the lack of the second catalytic Asp residue, considered to be essential for the catalysis of this class of endopeptidases. When we determined BYC cleavage specificity by LC-MS, we found out that it presents a preference for hydrophobic residues in P1 and P1` in accordance to most aspartic endopeptidases. Also, when analyzed by circular dicroism, BYC presented high beta sheet content, also a characteristic of aspartic endopeptidases. On the other hand, although both native and recombinant BYC are catalytically active, they present a very low specific activity, what seems to indicate that this peptidase will digest its natural substrate, vitellin, very slowly. We speculate that such a slow Vn degradative process might constitute an important strategy to preserve egg protein content to the hatching larvae. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Faktorstruktur utifrån "frågor kring attraktivt arbete"

År 2007 är det högkonjunktur och arbetslösheten sjunker i Sverige. Fler väljer att läsa vidare på högskola och universitet och färre människor föds. En attraktiv arbetsplats vinner konkurrensen om den kompetens som finns. Arbetslivsinstitutet startade därför, tillsammans med Högskolan Dalarna, ett gemensamt forskningsprojekt 2001 som avslutades 2003. Projektet resulterade bla. i enkäten ”Frågor kring attraktivt arbete”. Denna enkät har ett brett innehåll och reliabilitet har ej beräknats på ett tillfredsställande sätt. Genom beräkning av korrelation, faktoranalys, cronbach´s alpha samt multipel regression kunde ett steg i att förbättra enkätens kvalitet tas. Denna studie visade att stimulans har störst betydelse för huruvida ett arbete är attraktivt eller inte. Nästa steg i förbättringen av enkäten kan vara att ifrågasätta de tre nuvarande kategorierna denne är uppdelad i samt att göra liknande beräkningar på en större mängd data.

Att lyckas med kommunalaIT-projekt : En förstudie inför införande av enprojektmodell för Ludvika kommuns IT-enhet

IT-projekt i offentlig verksamhet finansieras i huvudsak av statliga medel och omsätter stora summor varje år. Tyvärr brister de ofta vad gäller tidsramar, budget, utlovad kvalitet eller pga. en kombination av dessa faktorer. Det ligger inte bara i den egna verksamhetens intresse, utan även medborgarnas, att dessa projekt faller väl ut.Rapporten syftar bl.a. till att fungera som ett av flera beslutsunderlag för offentlig verksamhet vad gäller införande av en projektmodell. Den försöker bl.a. fastställa om en av orsakerna till dessa misslyckanden har att göra med avsaknad av en lämplig projektmodell, alternativt om den modell och de metoder man använder sig av används på fel sätt.Fokus ligger på vikten av att använda en projektmodell som stöd för IT-projekt i kommunal verksamhet. Den pekar också på vanliga fallgropar och bygger i huvudsak på två studier. En statistisk undersökning som omfattar landets kommunala IT-enheter och deras användning av projektmodeller, metoder och verktyg anpassade för projektarbete i allmänhet och IT-projekt i synnerhet. Den andra är en förstudie hos IT-enheten på Ludvika kommun. De använder ingen projektmodell och ville bla få en nulägesanalys som underlag för framtida beslutsfattning om att införa en lämplig projektmodell. Resultaten har validerats med befintliga teorier om projektarbete och systemutvecklingsmodeller och visar att en projektmodell är bidragande för att kunna genomföra lyckade projekt. Användandet i sig, räcker inte för att projekten skall bli framgångsrika. Kunskap om projektarbete, förankring i organisationen, god dokumenthantering och rätt rollfördelningar inom projekten är exempel på sådant som är högst relevant.

Wireless sensor networks for in-situ image validation for water and nutrient management

Water and Nitrogen (N) are critical inputs for crop production. Remote sensing data collected from multiple scales, including ground-based, aerial, and satellite, can be used for the formulation of an efficient and cost effective algorithm for the detection of N and water stress. Formulation and validation of such techniques require continuous acquisition of ground based spectral data over the canopy enabling field measurements to coincide exactly with aerial and satellite observations. In this context, a wireless sensor in situ network was developed and this paper describes the results of the first phase of the experiment along with the details of sensor development and instrumentation set up. The sensor network was established based on different spatial sampling strategies and each sensor collected spectral data in seven narrow wavebands (470, 550, 670, 700, 720, 750, 790 nm) critical for monitoring crop growth. Spectral measurements recorded at required intervals (up to 30 seconds) were relayed through a multi-hop wireless network to a base computer at the field site. These data were then accessed by the remote sensing centre computing system through broad band internet. Comparison of the data from the WSN and an industry standard ground based hyperspectral radiometer indicated that there were no significant differences in the spectral measurements for all the wavebands except for 790nm. Combining sensor and wireless technologies provides a robust means of aerial and satellite data calibration and an enhanced understanding of issues of variations in the scale for the effective water and nutrient management in wheat.

Physiological responses of elite junior Australian Rules footballers during match-play

Australian Football (AF) is Australia's major football code. Despite research in other football codes, to date, no data has been published on the physiological responses of AF players during match play. Fifteen athletes (17.28 ± 0.76 yrs) participated in four pre-season matches, sanctioned by Australian Football League (AFL) Victoria, investigating Heart Rate (HR), Blood Lactate (BLa), Core Temperature (Tcore), and Hydration status. Match HR was measured continuously using HR monitors. BLa was measured via finger prick lancet at the end of each quarter of play. Tcore was measured by use of ingestible temperature sensor and measured wirelessly at the end of each quarter of play. Hydration status was measured using refractometry, measuring urine specific gravity, and body weight pre and post-match. Environmental conditions were measured continuously during matches. Results of HR responses showed a high exertion of players in the 85-95% maximum HR range. Elevated mean BLa levels, compared to rest, were observed in all players over the duration of the matches (p = 0.007). Mean Tcore rose 0.68 °C between start and end of matches. Mean USG increased between 0.008 g/ml (p = 0.001) with mean body weight decreasing 1.88 kg (p = 0.001). This study illustrates physiological responses in junior AF players playing in the heat as well as providing physiological data for consideration by AF coaching staff when developing specific training programs. Continued research should consider physiological measurements under varying environments, and at all playing levels of AF, to ascertain full physiological responses during AF matches.

North or south? Phylogenetic and biogeographic origins of a globally distributed avian clade

Establishing phylogenetic relationships within a clade can help to infer ancestral origins and indicate how widespread species reached their current biogeographic distributions. The small plovers, genus Charadrius, are cosmopolitan shorebirds, distributed across all continents except Antarctica. Here we present a global, species-level molecular phylogeny of this group based on four nuclear (. ADH5, FIB7, MYO2 and RAG1) and two mitochondrial (. COI and ND3) genes, and use the phylogeny to examine the biogeographic origin of the genus. A Bayesian multispecies coalescent approach identified two major clades (. CRD I and CRD II) within the genus. Clade CRD I contains three species (. Thinornis novaeseelandiae, Thinornis rubricollis and Eudromias morinellus), and CRD II one species (. Anarhynchus frontalis), that were previously placed outside the Charadrius genus. In contrast to earlier work, ancestral area analyses using parsimony and Bayesian methods supported an origin of the Charadrius plovers in the Northern hemisphere. We propose that major radiations in this group were associated with shifts in the range of these ancestral plover species, leading to colonisation of the Southern hemisphere.

Ontogenic differences in sexual size dimorphism across four plover populations

Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) among adults is commonly observed in animals and is considered to be adaptive. However, the ontogenic emergence of SSD, i.e. the timing of divergence in body size between males and females, has only recently received attention. It is widely acknowledged that the ontogeny of SSD may differ between species, but it remains unclear how variable the ontogeny of SSD is within species. Kentish Plovers Charadrius alexandrinus and Snowy Plovers C. nivosus are closely related wader species that exhibit similar, moderate (c. 4%), male-biased adult SSD. To assess when SSD emerges we recorded tarsus length variation among 759 offspring in four populations of these species. Tarsus length of chicks was measured on the day of hatching and up to three times on recapture before fledging. In one population (Mexico, Snowy Plovers), males and females differed in size from the day of hatching, whereas growth rates differed between the sexes in two populations (Turkey and United Arab Emirates, both Kentish Plovers). In contrast, a fourth population (Cape Verde, Kentish Plovers) showed no significant SSD in juveniles. Our results suggest that adult SSD can emerge at different stages of development (prenatal, postnatal and post-juvenile) in different populations of the same species. We discuss the proximate mechanisms that may underlie these developmental differences.