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El propósito de este estudio es caracterizar el estado del arte de las prácticas educativas que incorporan la perspectiva de género en la educación científica e identificar sus avances y desafíos en torno a la investigación. El método fue una revisión sistemática de la literatura que considera el análisis de investigaciones empíricas producidas entre el período 2013-2022. Se consultaron las bases de datos Scopus, Scielo y Web of Science, aplicando criterios de inclusión y exclusión para obtener la máxima información posible. La estrategia de búsqueda prediseñadas resultó en 23 artículos para análisis. Los resultados muestran que las principales prácticas son el uso de preguntas científicas y reuniones en el aula, y la mayor productividad científica se desarrolla en América del Norte y Europa. Las señas de identidad más significativas que rodean las visiones de la ciencia contempladas en las prácticas educativas, son las perspectivas de equidad de género, que nos dan cuenta de nuevas visiones sobre la relación entre género y educación científica, acercándonos a perspectivas más inclusivas en la ciencia. Esta investigación describe los desafíos relacionados con las metodologías implementadas para incentivar prácticas educativas con perspectiva de género en la educación científica, el alcance geográfico y los modelos ciencia-género subyacentes presentes en los estudios. Por tanto, pretende ser de valor para los profesores de ciencias y la comunidad investigadora en educación científica interesadas en la inclusión de la perspectiva de género en la enseñanza.

Purpose or Objective: Primary sarcoma of the urinary bladder (SUB) is a rare but aggressive form of bladder cancer (BCa). Available evidence on SUB is limited to case reports and small series. The aim of the present multi-institutional study was to assess the clinical features, treatments, and outcomes of patients with SUB. Materials and methods: Using a standardized database, 7 institutions retrospectively collected the demographics, risk factors, clinical presentation, treatment modalities and follow-up data on patients with SUB between January 1994 and September 2021. The main inclusion criteria included BCa with soft tissue tumor histology and sarcomatoid differentiation. Results: Fifty-three patients (38 men and 15 women) were identified. Median follow-up was 18 months (range 1-263 months). Median age at presentation was 69 years (range 16-89 years). Twenty-six percent of patients had a prior history of pelvic radiotherapy (RT), and 37% were previous smokers. The main presenting symptoms at diagnosis were hematuria (52%), pelvic pain (27%), and both hematuria and pelvic pain (10%). American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8 th edition stage II, III and IV at diagnosis were 21%, 63% and 16%, respectively. Treatment modalities included surgery alone (45%), surgery plus neo- or adjuvant-chemotherapy (17%), surgery plus neo- or adjuvant-RT (11%), RT with concurrent chemotherapy (4%), neo-adjuvant chemotherapy plus surgery plus adjuvant RT (2%) and palliative treatment (21%). Rates of local and distant recurrences were 49% and 37%, respectively. Five-year overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS) were 66.5% and 37.6%, respectively. No statistically significant differences in PFS between the treatment modalities were observed. Conclusions: Primary SUB is a heterogeneous disease group, commonly presenting at advanced stages and exhibiting aggressive disease evolution. In contrast to urothelial carcinoma, the primary pattern of recurrence of SUB is local, suggesting the need for multimodal approaches. Continuous international collaborative efforts seem warranted to provide guidance on how to best tailor treatments based on SUB-specific indices.

ABSTRACT The use of hot pack is a common superficial thermotherapy strategy and one of its benefits is the increase of muscle flexibility. However, there is a lack of information about the effects of the heat pack alone, without being used in association with other therapeutic interventions, in the flexibility of the lumbar region. The aim of this study was to compare the effects generated by the application of three different pack on the flexibility of the lower backs of healthy students. Three sessions of 15 minutes of superficial heat through a hot pack (moist heat pack-MHP, seed pack-SP or gel pack-GP) were applied to the lower back. Pack and lower back temperatures and erythema were registered every 5 minutes. A Schober test was performed before the first session and after the third session. After 15 minutes of treatment, pack temperature was higher in the SP group. At the same time, lumbar temperature was lower in the GP group. The heat treatment also increased erythema in the lower back for all three groups. There was a significant increase in intragroup flexibility as assessed by the Schober Test for all groups. There are significant differences in the effect generated between the three types of pack on the flexibility of the lower back. The MHP was able to transfer more heat to the lumbar area and provided a more pronounced increase in the flexibility of lower back tissues.

The study of violence and bullying in schools is a line of scientific research that has contributed significantly to knowledge on human aggressiveness, especially in children and adolescents. This article shows that there are two patterns of aggressive behavior: proactive and reactive. Both are present in bullying, as are other psychological aspects pertaining to the individuals involved, such as basic personality traits, self-esteem and values. This study links both proactive and reactive behavioral patterns to involvement and non-involvement in school bullying. The results reveal that basic personality traits, such as neuroticism, have a direct impact on proactive and reactive bullying, as do the social and individual dimensions of self-esteem and social and moral values. These findings confirm that variables relating to personal and social values are, in turn, related to proactive and reactive aggressive behavior in bullying for those involved and not involved in bullying. However, they also highlight that while aggressors engage in more proactive aggressive behavior, reactive aggression is more frequent among victims.

The goal of this analysis was to explore the beliefs of science college teachers about content, methodology and evaluation. A Likert questionnaire was given to 13 college teachers and the data analysis was performed using a descriptive interpretative method. This was followed up by a case study to inquiry about the identified set of beliefs from the questionnaire and to establish how these relate to the teaching practice. The data was gathered by non-participatory observations of 2 lessons and examined using content analysis method with the Atlas Ti software. The main results indicate that the teaching practice is directed to teach academic knowledge of the discipline. Preliminary evidence indicate the existence of traditional beliefs about content, methodology and evaluation that are built from personal experience. As a result, the belief framework is what defines and sustains, in conscious or unconscious manner, the teaching practice of Science College Teachers. The evaluation of the findings calls for incorporation of a theoretical foundation to help college teachers gain awareness of their teaching practice.

El objetivo de este estudio fue explorar las creencias del profesorado universitario de ciencias sobre el contenido, la metodología y la evaluación. Para tal fin primero se aplicó un cuestionario tipo Likert a 13 docentes universitario, el análisis de los datos se realizó desde una perspectiva descriptiva e interpretativa. Luego, se realizó un estudio de caso, de manera de indagar acerca de las creencias identificadas y cómo estás se relacionaban con la acción educativa, estos datos fueron obtenidos a través de la observación no participante de 2 lecciones de clase y posteriormente, sometidos a un análisis del contenido, utilizando el software Atlas ti. Los principales resultados, revelan que la acción educativa está orientada a enseñar el saber académico propio de la disciplina. Estos antecedentes preliminares, demuestran la existencia de creencias sobre contenido, metodología y evaluación desde perspectivas tradicionales, las cuales fueron construidas a partir de la experiencia, como se aprecia en el caso analizado. Dichas creencias son las que definen y sustentan, de manera consciente o no, la acción educativa de los profesores universitarios de ciencias. Aspecto relevante que llama a la necesidad de incorporar una fundamentación teórica que contribuya a comprender la acción educativa en el profesorado universitario.

The governance of the company has been a topic that has gained increasing importance in the corporate world. Although its beginnings in terms of formal discussion date back to the mid-70, the underlying concept has its roots long back in time. The problem originates from the agency theory, which exposes a conflict of interest between shareholders and suppliers. There are several definitions of Corporate Governance, all pointing to a system of internal and external mechanisms that mitigate the agency problem among the different participants of the large modern company. Among some factors that can shape the significance of relationships within the company are legal systems, which give rise to the relative importance of both external mechanisms, as the market, and internal mechanisms such as the board of directors.

Objective: To assess the individual variability of HOMA and QUICKI indexes for the assessment of insulin resistance, using three fasting blood samples obtained within 30 minutes. Research methods & procedures: Data from 80 participants aged 41.5 ± 15 years (26 females), who underwent an oral glucose tolerance test to calculate Matsuda index, were used. Every participant had three fasting blood samples obtained within 30 minutes and four blood samples obtained at 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after a 75 g oral glucose load. Insulin and glucose were measured in each sample. HOMA and QUICKI indexes were calculated using the nine possible combinations of the three fasting blood samples. Matsuda index was calculated with all samples obtained. Results: Median values of HOMA-IR, HOMA-β, QUICKI and Matsuda indexes were 1.9, 117.9, 0.35 and 3.71 arbitrary units, respectively. The individual variation coefficients of HOMA-IR, HOMA-β and QUICKI were 11.8 (7.8-18.9), 15 (10.2-22.9) and 1.8 (8.8-21.9) % respectively. When compared with Matsuda index, the R squared values of HOMA-IR, HOMA-β and QUICKI were 0.46, 0.2 and 0.71, respectively. Conclusions: Among fasting indexes for insulin resistance, QUICKI had the lower variation coefficient and the higher correlation with Matsuda index.

A finalidade de esta pesquisa foi compreender e estudar as crenças do professorado em formação inicial sobre o gênero e a ciência, e sua relação com as interações na sala de aula. Para alcançar este objetivo se realizou um estudo de casos com dois estudantes de pedagogia em Ciências Biológicas que realizavam seu estágio profissional no último ano de sua formação. Os dados recolhidos derivaram da realização de uma entrevista semiestruturada, a observação direta da interação na sala de aula e uma entrevista através da técnica de lembrança estimulada. A analise descritivo e interpretativo permitiu identificar crenças associadas à perspectiva neutral e amistosa (SINNES, 2006); também foi encontrado que ainda persistem visões tradicionais da atividade cientifica.

El principal objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar los modelos explicativos del estudiantado de 8vo básico, acerca de la estructura de la célula eucarionte animal, antes y después de una intervención didáctica, fundamentada desde el Modelo Cognitivo de Ciencia (Giere, 1992) y estructurada según el Ciclo Constructivista de Aprendizaje (Sanmartí, 2000). La investigación se desarrolló en dos fases: a. En la fase descriptiva interpretativa, se categorizaron los modelos explicativos identificados en 18 familias de modelos y b. En la fase pre-experimental, se identificó sí existían diferencias significativas entre dichos modelos antes y después de la intervención didáctica a través, de las técnicas estadísticas de Wilcoxon y ANOVA de aleatoriedad de datos. Los principales hallazgos evidenciaron que la intervención didáctica favorece la construcción de modelos explicativos dinámicos y flexibles, que se caracterizan por poseer un lenguaje más especializado, establecer nuevas relaciones entre los organelos y funciones celulares, así como la capacidad de incorporar nuevos elementos para enriquecer el modelo de célula escolar, demostrando así que estos modelos se transforman progresivamente (Rodríguez y Moreira, 1999; Justi, 2006).

This longitudinal study examines young adult mental health (MH) trajectories after exposure to natural disasters (i.e., hurricanes, wildfires, mudslides) across four waves, two pre- and two during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (n = 205) answered questions about anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs) across Waves (Ws) s 1–4 and pre-pandemic factors (prior trauma history, disaster exposure, life stressors since disaster) at Wave (W) 1. Hierarchical linear modeling was conducted to examine MH trajectories and associations with pre-pandemic factors. Only the PTSS trajectory significantly differed across all Ws, with the largest increase between Ws 2 and 3 (pre- and during-pandemic time points). Prior trauma history and life stressors since the disaster were significantly associated with all MH trajectory intercepts but not growth rates.

Silk sericin (SS)–based hydrogels show promise for wound healing due to their biocompatibility, moisture regulation, and cell proliferation properties. However, there is still a need to develop green crosslinking methods to obtain non-toxic, absorbent, and mechanically strong SS hydrogels. This study investigated the effects of three green crosslinking methods, annealing treatment (T), exposure to an absolute ethanol vapor atmosphere (V.E), and water vapor (V.A), on the physicochemical and mechanical properties of SS and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) biohydrogels. X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy were used to determine chemical structures. Thermal properties and morphological changes were studied through thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The water absorption capacity, mass loss, sericin release in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and compressive strength were also evaluated. The results showed that physical crosslinking methods induced different structural transitions in the biohydrogels, impacting their mechanical properties. In particular, V.A hydrogen presented the highest compressive strength at 80% deformation owing to its compact and porous structure with crystallization and bonding sites. Moreover, both the V.A and T hydrogels exhibited improved absorption capacity, stability, and slow SS release in PBS. These results demonstrate the potential of green physical crosslinking techniques for producing SS/PVA biomaterials for wound healing applications.

Abstract Silk degumming is considered the first point in the preparation of silk-based materials since this process could modify the silk fiber and the properties of its related products. This study evaluated the differences in morphology, secondary structure, amino acid content, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of two types of raw materials, defective cocoons (DC) and silk fibrous waste (SW), degummed by chemical (C) and autoclaving (A) methods. Subsequently, silk fibroin films were prepared by dissolving each type of degummed fibers, and thermal and structural films properties were determined. The findings demonstrated that autoclaving is an efficient alternative to remove silk sericin, as the resulting fibers presented improved structural, thermal, and mechanical properties compared to those obtained by the chemical method. For films preparation, autoclave resulted in a good option, but dissolution parameters need to be adjusted for defective cocoons. Furthermore, similarities between the physicochemical properties of fibers and films from both fibrous wastes suggest that SW is a promising raw material for producing fibrous resources and regenerated silk fibroin materials. Overall, these findings suggest new recycling methods for fibrous waste and by-products generated in the silk textile production process.

Current efforts in stomach-related drug design focus on improving drug bioavailability within the gastric region. Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) has been established as a suitable material for drug delivery systems; however, it lacks adhesion to the gastric environment. This limitation can be addressed by leveraging the mucoadhesive properties of low molecular weight chitosan (LMWC). Therefore, we aimed to develop mucoadhesive capsules constructed from BNC coated with crosslinked LMWC, intended for targeted drug delivery in the gastric region. The capsules were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and mucoadhesion assessments. Under acidic conditions, crosslinked chitosan exhibited enhanced swelling relative to neutral conditions. The coating of chitosan onto the BNC fibrillar network of the capsules resulted in the superimposition of vibration bands and enhanced thermal stability. Furthermore, the capsules exhibited significant mucoadhesive properties in the gastric environment, with an attachment force measuring 89.151 ± 6.226 mN. To validate the efficacy of the system, we utilized antioxidant turmeric extract (TE) as a bioactive compound with chemopreventive potential against stomach cancer. TE was adsorbed onto BNC in a reversible multilayer system, enabling controlled adsorption and desorption. These findings highlight the significance of developing mucoadhesive capsules as a tailored drug delivery system for gastric conditions, particularly in the context of treating stomach diseases as cancer.

Background: The food security of each country depends on agricultural development, which is sensitive to the implementation of agricultural public policies. These must evolve as new ruralities arise, with new phenomena, such as climate change, ecosystem services, changes in consumer preferences, globalization, sustainability and ecological awareness. Hence, of ex-ante and ex-post evaluations of agricultural policies, are important because they provide timely information to government entities. There are different methodologies for policy evaluation, which have evolved over time. Aims: This systematic review aims to identify manuscript that systematically review methodologies, policies and variables evaluated during the last 50 years to determine whether a policy has been efficient. To assess the quality of the included manuscript and to describe the measures and domains identified. Methods: EBSCO, Dialnet, SciELO, Scopus, Science Direct, Dimensions and Web of Science were searched. A total of 154 manuscript were identified, the review was finalized by reviewing the title, and abstract and the review was finalized by reviewing the title, abstract and full text, resolving disagreements. Of these 154 manuscripts, 37 met the criteria and were included in the analysis. PRISMA checklists were used to evaluate the methodology. Outcomes and results: It were found that there are few studies on the design of evaluation methodologies for agricultural policies in the literature. Research shows that the latest policy evaluation proposals present more complex methodologies involving tools such as machine learning and agent-based modelling (ABM). On the other hand, the issue of sustainability as a policy is seen in the agri-environmental policy evaluation. Conclusions and implications: The evolution of agricultural policy methodologies can be observed at the beginning with the use of quantitative methodologies, such as matrices, statistics and econometrics. With the emergence of new variables, such as agri-environmental variables, citizen participation and market opening, methodologies have become more comprehensive, combining qualitative and quantitative variables. Methodologies were identified that evaluate robust agricultural policies and others that focus on the evaluation of one or two policies. These studies are important for research that focuses not only on the evaluation of agricultural policies but also on their design and implementation processes.

The use of fertilizers coated with insoluble organic compounds is a promising approach for enhancing fertilizer efficiency and crop yield. Silk sericin (SS) is a protein with a high potential for the development of materials oriented toward fertilizer coating and soil amendment because of its biodegradability and the fact that it represents an important source of nitrogen for plants. Thus, this study proposes the design and evaluation of a novel SS-based multilayer coating for fertilizer granules. A pan-coating process was applied to form two distinct layers on the granules: an inner layer made of silk sericin/polyvinyl alcohol, SS/PVA (50/50 w/w), which has low solubility and porosity, and an outer hydrogel layer of SS/PVA with carboxymethyl cellulose CMC (SS/CMC/PVA 45/25/30 w/w/w). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed for the morphological characterization of the coated fertilizer (CF), examining both the cross-section and surface, while SEM with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) was used to analyze the chemical composition of the surface. The ability of the coating to reduce the nutrient-release rate was studied using water- and soil-release tests. Furthermore, its performance was evaluated in in vivo assays using jalapeño bell pepper (Capsicum annum) plants. The results revealed that the structure and composition of the multilayer coating significantly influenced its ability to delay nutrient release in both water and soil. Moreover, the inclusion of SS in the coating potentially contributed to the increased nitrogen content in the soil, thereby improving plant growth rates.

There is growing evidence about the potential negative psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ethnoracially minoritized young adults. Emerging adulthood is a developmental stage (ages 18-29 years old) that is characterized by identity exploration, instability, self-focus, feeling “in between” and having a sense of possibilities. Latinx emerging adults have reported significant socio-emotional consequences as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to explore the psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latinx emerging adults (N = 31; ages 18-29) in California and Florida through online focus group interviews. A qualitative constructivist grounded theory approach was used in an effort to develop empirical knowledge, as research on the psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latinx young adults is limited. This method served to capture the richness of the experiences of participants by allowing analytic codes and categories to drive theory development. In total, seven focus groups were held and participants attended a virtual focus group with other Latinx emerging adults from their state. The focus groups were transcribed verbatim and coded using constructivist grounded theory. Five themes were identified from the data concerning the impact of the pandemic on Latinx emerging adults, which centered around mental health experiences, navigating family factors, pandemic-related communication, career and academic disruptions, and systemic and environmental factors. A theoretical model was constructed to generate an understanding about factors influencing psychosocial functioning for Latinx emerging adults during the pandemic. The study has implications for advancing science on the consequences of pandemics on mental health and cultural considerations that may influence disaster recovery. Examples of these cultural considerations that emerged from this study include multigenerational values, heightened responsibilities, and mediating pandemic information. Results can inform efforts to increase support and resources for Latinx emerging adults in order to address the psychological difficulties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Dizziness is a common scenario in the Emergency Departments (EDs). Among dizziness underlying causes, the posterior circulation stroke is especially relevant due to its mobimortality and concerning misdiagnosis rates. Therefore, we conducted this study to assess dizziness evaluation and baseline characteristics of patients with PS in the ED. Methods: We conducted a 3-year retrospective observational study on PS cases confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Concretely, we analysed the demographic profile of these patients, the initial PS clinical presentation, and diagnostic workup (with emphasis on dizziness evaluation) performed at the ED. Results: During the study period, 85 cases were registered. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease were present in 85.5% and previous visits to the ED due to dizziness were recorded in 16.5%. The main clinical presentation was dizziness, concretely as an acute vestibular syndrome (38.8%) with additional neurological signs or symptoms (80%). Evaluation by the otolaryngologist on call was requested in less than 10% of the cases and included the HINTS protocol use with a sensitivity of 100% for central nervous system underlying causality. A brain CT study was always performed with a sensitivity of 27%. However, 96.47% of patients were primarily admitted to the Neurology hospitalization ward and MRI was always performed in a mean time of 3.21 days confirming the diagnosis. Conclusions: Dizziness is the most frequent symptom of PS. Patients usually present an AVS (associated with additional N-SS or not) and HINTS bedside examination is the most adequate protocol to differentiate a PS from other AVS causes until the diagnostic confirmation via MRI. Interestingly, mainly otolaryngologists seem to use HINTS. However, the use of CT is widespread despite its poor value.

The accurate recognition of activities is fundamental for following up on the health progress of people with dementia (PwD), thereby supporting subsequent diagnosis and treatments. When monitoring the activities of daily living (ADLs), it is feasible to detect behaviour patterns, parse out the disease evolution, and consequently provide effective and timely assistance. However, this task is affected by uncertainties derived from the differences in smart home configurations and the way in which each person undertakes the ADLs. One adjacent pathway is to train a supervised classification algorithm using large-sized datasets; nonetheless, obtaining real-world data is costly and characterized by a challenging recruiting research process. The resulting activity data is then small and may not capture each person’s intrinsic properties. Simulation approaches have risen as an alternative efficient choice, but synthetic data can be significantly dissimilar compared to real data. Hence, this paper proposes the application of Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) to approximate the real activity duration of various ADLs based on synthetic observations. First, the real activity duration of each ADL is initially contrasted with the one derived from an intelligent environment simulator. Following this, different PLSR models were evaluated for estimating real activity duration based on synthetic variables. A case study including eight ADLs was considered to validate the proposed approach. The results revealed that simulated and real observations are significantly different in some ADLs (p-value < 0.05), nevertheless synthetic variables can be further modified to predict the real activity duration with high accuracy (R2(pred)>90%).

Scheduling flexible job-shop systems (FJSS) has become a major challenge for different smart factories due to the high complexity involved in NP-hard problems and the constant need to satisfy customers in real time. A key aspect to be addressed in this particular aim is the adoption of a multi-criteria approach incorporating the current dynamics of smart FJSS. Thus, this paper proposes an integrated and enhanced method of a dispatching algorithm based on fuzzy AHP (FAHP) and TOPSIS. Initially, the two first steps of the dispatching algorithm (identification of eligible operations and machine selection) were implemented. The FAHP and TOPSIS methods were then integrated to underpin the multi-criteria operation selection process. In particular, FAHP was used to calculate the criteria weights under uncertainty, and TOPSIS was later applied to rank the eligible operations. As the fourth step of dispatching the algorithm, the operation with the highest priority was scheduled together with its initial and final time. A case study from the smart apparel industry was employed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The results evidenced that our approach outperformed the current company’s scheduling method by a median lateness of 3.86 days while prioritizing high-throughput products for earlier delivery.