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This research explores the perception of university students of Degrees in Education towards gamification mediated by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as an innovative teaching strategy, aligned with the principles of educational quality of the UN Agenda 2030. A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional and inferential research has been carried out, based on the survey technique. Research sample includes first year students of Degree in Early Childhood, Primary and Social Education, enrolled at the University of Jaen during the 2022-23 academic year (n=521). A questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. Data analysis was carried out using the SPSS software package: descriptive analysis, comparison of means and regression analysis. Results reflect a positive receptiveness on the part of the students towards ICT-supported gamification, considering it fun and dynamic. This strategy is widely known by students, which favors its implementation in the university environment. Specifically, quiz games and classroom management games stand out as the best-known ICT-supported gamification strategies. However, students of the Primary Education Degree show greater knowledge about gamification tools; students who plan to use gamification in their future professional practice have more favorable perceptions towards this didactic strategy. Gamification is considered an active and innovative methodology being a key element for quality improvement in Higher Education.

Abstract Quality control plays a crucial role in maintaining the reputation of agricultural organizations by ensuring that their products meet the expected standards and preventing any loss during the packaging process. A significant responsibility of quality control is conducting periodic product assessments. However, subjective interpretation during physical inspections of fruits can lead to variability in reporting. To counter this, assessing total soluble solids (Brix) and percent acidity (Acid) can provide a more objective approach. Nevertheless, it is essential to note that many fruit metabolites can impact these parameters. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, particularly 1H-NMR, has become a popular tool for quality control in recent years due to its precision, sample preservation, and high throughput analysis. This manuscript investigates if the standard Brix/Acid tests are directly related to the levels of metabolites during cold storage. Using citrus as the model system, a metabolomics analysis was conducted to identify patterns in the cold storage metabolite profiles of the juice, albedo, and flavedo tissues. The results show that Brix (or total dissolved solids) correlates well with sucrose, glucose, and fructose levels and moderately with choline levels. Acid (percent acidity) levels displayed a negative correlation with both fructose and choline levels. Interestingly, the formate levels were susceptible to storage time and directly related to Acid measurements. This study suggests metabolomics could be a complementary technique to quality control of fruits in cold storage, especially with cost-effective desktop NMR spectrometers.

Selective conversion of biomass into targeted molecules like polyols, especially, from cellulosic compounds, is being widely investigated as a sustainable process to produce biodiesel and bio-additives. The known process involves two steps, namely hydrolysis and hydrogenation. Thus, it requires two different catalytic materials or bifunctional catalysts. In this context, the present work reports a new catalytic approach based on the use of tandem catalysts, consisting of the combination of an acid solid catalyst (active for hydrolysis) and a supported metal catalyst (active for hydrogenation). Two different functionalized activated carbons and the resin Amberlyst 15 have been tested as solid acid catalysts, and Ru nanoparticles supported on the original activated carbon (SA) are the metal catalyst part of the tandem. All the tested tandem catalysts exhibited higher activity than the supported Ru catalyst did. The highest cellulose conversion and selectivity to sorbitol (70% and 86%, respectively) have been obtained over a novel tandem catalyst, which resulted from a physical mixture between a sulfuric acid modified SA carbon (SASu) and Ru loaded SA (Ru/SA), leading to a tandem catalyst (Ru/SA+SASu). This novel-designed tandem catalyst is reusable. Based on tandem catalysts with a solid-solid system combination, the adopted novel-designed catalytic approach is cost-efficient and sustainable, and can be considered promising for the green production of high-added-value chemicals.

Background: Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) involves international online activities that allow the support of transversal competencies in diverse and multicultural environments without moving from home. This paper presents the learning experiences and satisfaction of undergraduate nursing students at the University of Girona (Spain) from a COIL activity involving clinical simulation in collaboration with the University of Coventry (United Kingdom). Methods: Qualitative study of content analysis. Twelve students from each of the two universities participated in the data collection process using reflective diaries. Results: The data analysis highlighted five topics related to the COIL activity involving clinical simulation: (a) initial attitudes towards the COIL activity; (b) main learning through the COIL activity; (c) positive aspects of the COIL activity; (d) weaknesses of the COIL activity and proposals for improvement; and (e) overall evaluation of the COIL activity. Conclusions: The main learning outcomes referred to by students were the relationships between transversal competencies and the skills for life, language skills, cultural skills, and more specific skills related to clinical standards. The students were most satisfied with the teaching activities and specified positive aspects and weaknesses that will add value to future versions of the activities.

Despite critical thinking supporting a deeper understanding of the scientific process, university activities prioritize lower cognitive processes, such as remembering skills. Also, it is unclear whether gender biases in interest toward science exist in university science degrees. These hinder students from achieving their goals effectively since students' test scores and motivation improve with project-based learning. The main goal of this study is to examine the influence of active methodology based on research project-based learning (RPBL) on students' overall perception and its variation across gender groups in relation to the acquisition of higher-order cognitive skills. The RPBL activity will consist of a straightforward microbial ecology project in which the students will use conventional and affordable lab equipment. The project will address all higher-order thinking skills levels included in Bloom's taxonomy. We evaluated students' perception of their learning outcomes on lab and cognitive skills, including the effect of gender, using two online surveys we passed before and after the RPBL activity. The results displayed that the students' opinion regarding the project was decidedly favorable. Most of the students view the potential effort required for these activities positively, as it pertains to the subject matter and enhances their learning. However, the gender differences that were observed prior to the project's implementation disappeared once the activity was carried out. Female students lacked confidence in their statistical skills while they had high confidence in their laboratory skills compared to male students. After attending our RPBL activity, female students gained confidence in statistics, and male students gained confidence in laboratory skills. This project reveals that a straightforward and affordable RPBL activity, which would not suppose a substantial additional workload for university lecturers, holds the potential to serve as a valuable tool to eliminate gender segregation, enhancing students' academic self-concept, and improving their prospects for success. Additionally, it emphasizes higher cognitive skills, particularly the critical thinking skills that are essential within the university environment.

ABSTRACT Objective: To assess the association between the combination of corporal adiposity (CA) and cardiorespiratory physical fitness (CRF) with cardiometabolic risk factors in children aged 7–10 years. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study with a sample of 251 children registered in Family Health Units. Sociodemographic, lifestyle, anthropometric, biochemical, blood pressure, and CRF data were collected. Cardiometabolic risk factors assessed: total cholesterol, HDL-c, LDL-c, triglycerides (TG), fasting glucose and blood pressure. CRF was assessed by the 6-minute run/walk test and classified into: “physically unfit” and “physically fit”. Nutritional status was assessed by body mass index (BMI)/age and categorized into CA groups: “no excess weight [≤ z-score+1]” and “excess weight [> z-score+1]”. CRF and CA were combined, and the children were classified as “no excess weight + physically fit”, “no excess weight + physically unfit”, “excess weight + physically fit” and “excess weight + physically unfit”. Bivariate analyses were performed, and Poisson regression models were tested. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 software was used, adopting p

O objetivo foi avaliar a degradação in situ da matéria seca (MS), proteína bruta (PB) e fibra detergente neutro (FDN) na silagem de aveia-folhagem de batata (AFB) (70:30) contendo quatro níveis (0, 25, 50, 75 g de levedura Saccharomyces cerevisiae/kg de forragem fresca) como aditivo. Foi utilizado um delineamento experimental de blocos completos ao acaso, em um esquema fatorial 4 x 8 (níveis, tempos) com três repetições para determinar o impacto dos níveis de levedura e dos tempos de incubação na degradação das variáveis. Três bovinos da raça Brown Swiss com fístula ruminal foram utilizados. Amostras de 5 g foram incubadas em sacos de nylon por 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, 72 e 96 horas. O tempo zero (t0) permitiu estimar a fração solúvel. Os parâmetros de degradação da MS, PB, FDN e FDA foram analisados utilizando um delineamento de blocos completos ao acaso, com três repetições. A degradação potencial (DP) da MS, FDN e FDA nas silagens não foi influenciada pelos níveis de levedura, com médias de 89,55, 85,22 e 83,45%, respectivamente. Isso também foi observado para as degradações efetivas a 2, 5 e 8%/hora da MS, FDN e FDA. As silagens contendo 25, 50 e 75 g de levedura/kg de AFB, que não diferiram entre si, mostraram superioridade significativa (p

La prevalencia mundial combinada de caries dental, enfermedad periodontal y pérdida de dientes se ha mantenido sin cambios y es la más alta que cualquier otra enfermedad no transmisible. Se estima que 320.000 personas en el mundo murieron de cáncer oral en el 2019. Objetivo: Analizar los datos de salud oral publicados por la OMS para Uruguay y relacionarlos con datos de otras fuentes nacionales (2010 -2019). Método: Se recolectaron datos epidemiológicos de estudios realizados en Uruguay que evaluaron la salud bucal según las definiciones de la OMS y se compararon con los últimos datos del Perfil de Salud Bucal por País (OMS Reporte 2023-2030). Resultados: Prevalencia de caries OMS=en dientes deciduos 42.9% y en dientes permanentes =37.6%. Datos nacionales: García y col. en deciduos=53.6; en dientes permanentes: Olmos y col= 91-94%; Lorenzo y col=91-100%. Prevalencia de enfermedad periodontal 15+ OMS= 25%, Datos nacionales: Olmos y col. y Lorenzo y col=30%, Andrade y col, 48.7%. Edentulismo: OMS=29.5%. Datos nacionales Lorenzo y col. 53.9%. Cáncer de cavidad oral, tasa de incidencia (todas las edades): OMS=2.4%; Cosetti y col= 2.76- 2.81%; Barrios y col.=1.41-11.14%. Conclusiones: El análisis de los datos de salud bucal en Uruguay revela una realidad preocupante que supera las estimaciones de la OMS. La prevalencia de las enfermedades orales sigue siendo muy alta. Esto subraya la necesidad de colaboración entre las entidades gubernamentales, los científicos y las universidades para desarrollar estrategias efectivas destinadas a abordar estos desafíos.

Conflict of interest: No Introduction and Objectives: Metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is prevalent and linked to comorbidities such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. This study aimed to conduct a fatty liver detection campaign as part of a linkage to care program for MASLD at Hospital El Cruce in Buenos Aires and to evaluate its association with metabolic comorbidities. Patients / Materials and Methods: The community was invited to participate in liver evaluations through a background survey and transient elastography (FibroScan® 530). Adults over 18 years old without known chronic liver diseases, excluding MASLD, were included. Patients were classified by CAP into steatosis positive or negative, and significant fibrosis defined as >7 kPa and advanced fibrosis as >15 kPa. Data on BMI, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were collected. Patients with significant alcohol consumption were excluded and followed up. Statistical analyses included Student's t-test, chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test. Results and Discussion: From March 6 to July 5, 2024, 321 evaluations were conducted. Of these, 62.1% were women and 37.9% men (p = 0.07). The mean age was 56 ± 11.3 years, 58.4 ± 10.9 years for women, and 54 ± 11.6 years for men. Moderate to severe steatosis was observed in 85.2% (273/321) of patients. Additionally, 22.1% (71/321) had significant fibrosis and 6.5% (24/321) had advanced fibrosis. The median BMI was 34.6, with 82.1% presenting obesity, 13.7% overweight, and 4.2% normal. Comorbidities included diabetes (47.4%), hypertension (42.1%), and dyslipidemia (30.5%). The combination of obesity and diabetes was more common in patients with advanced fibrosis compared to those with significant fibrosis (62.5% vs. 32.4%, p = 0.051). Conclusions: This study highlights the high prevalence of significant and advanced fibrosis in MASLD patients, by. The strong association between obesity, diabetes, and advanced fibrosis underscores the need for early detection and targeted interventions in high-risk populations. Managing these comorbidities is crucial for improving outcomes in MASLD patients.

BackgroundThe evolution of the family model in Europe in the 21st century, and particularly in Spain, has led to grandparents playing a major role in caring for their grandchildren. Grandparents are required to take on certain functions and roles in order to provide this care. This results in changes to their daily lives, their family relationships and therefore their quality of life.ObjectiveTo explore grandparents’ lived experience of being involved in the upbringing and care of grandchildren and to determine how this affects their quality of life.MethodologyA descriptive qualitative design was used. The data collection strategy involved two focus groups in two health centres in the province of Alicante (Spain), which were attended by 19 grandparents. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.ResultsFour themes and their respective sub-themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) Not only caring, but also raising (implications for upbringing; dealing with their children’s rules; nutrition of grandchildren); (2) Motivation for providing care (it is what families do; financial support; barriers to caregiving that outweigh the reasons for caregiving); (3) Significance of gender (grandmothers bring up, grandfathers help out; cultural burden of caregiving for women) and (4) Implications of care (negative aspects of caregiving; positive aspects of caregiving).ConclusionThe study findings show that while grandparents recognise the value and benefits of providing regular childcare, there are important challenges that need to be addressed. It would therefore be advisable for health professionals to take into account the experience of grandparent caregivers and the process of caring for young children when developing inclusive policies for this population of caregivers.

This study presents the preliminary stages of a validation process for a questionnaire developed to assess the digital competencies of future teachers at the University of Bologna, focusing on students in the Pedagogy, Primary Education, and Early Childhood Education programs at the Giovanni Maria Bertin Faculty. Given the increasing importance of technology in various fields, measuring digital competencies is essential for future educators. The questionnaire, based on the “Cuestionario de Competencia Digital para Futuros Maestros” (CCDFM) by Cabero-Almenara et al. (2020), was adapted to Italian. The preliminary validation process described in this paper encompassed cultural adaptation, expert review, and a pilot test. To ensure data reliability, analytical techniques like Cronbach's alpha, KMO, and Bartlett's tests were used. Factor analysis and rotation were conducted to examine item structures, alongside factor loading tests. In a context where technology integration in education is essential, this tool promises to enhance teacher preparation and refine digital competency assessment methods. The results underscore its relevance for education professionals and researchers, confirming its potential to improve teacher training practices and broader research on digital competencies.

Resumen: El género es un importante determinante social de la salud. Su relación con la desigualdad y la violencia permite considerar que ser mujer es un factor de riesgo para la salud. Las niñas y las adolescentes no escapan a esta circunstancia, que condiciona su vida desde antes de nacer y puede determinar su estado de salud a lo largo de la misma. Puede variar según los contextos sociales, pues diversos factores interseccionan con el género, añadiendo riesgo y vulnerabilidad al hecho de ser mujer. La violencia de género suele identificarse como un problema de mujeres adultas. Pero la violencia discriminativa por razón de género se construye a lo largo de la vida de las mujeres, produciendo graves consecuencias individuales y sociales desde la infancia. El sistema sanitario es un lugar privilegiado para detectar y abordar el impacto de todas estas violencias hacia las menores, tal y como se muestra en este artículo. Abstract: Gender is an important determinant of health. Its relationship with inequality and violence allows us to consider being a woman as a risk factor for health. Girls and teenager girls are not exempt from this circumstance, which conditions their lives from before birth and can determine their health status throughout life. It can vary according to social contexts, as various factors intersect with gender, adding risk and vulnerability to being a woman. Gender-based violence is often identified as a problem for adult women; however, the experience of discriminatory gender-based violence is constructed throughout women's lives, producing serious individual and social consequences from childhood. Accepting this violence as a «private or domestic matter» often prevents seeing the true dimension of the problem, its consequences, and the need to address it as a global issue.

Resumen: Introducción: Recientemente se han desarrollado dializadores de helixona de nueva generación como parte del esfuerzo continuo para mejorar la biocompatibilidad del dializador y evitar reacciones adversas a los dializadores sintéticos. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar el rendimiento y la pérdida de albúmina de esta nueva serie de dializadores en hemodiafiltración y compararla con dializadores de helixona de la generación anterior. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio prospectivo en 19 pacientes. Cada paciente recibió ocho sesiones de diálisis con los mismos parámetros de diálisis de rutina; solo varió el dializador: FX60 CorDiax, FX CorAL 60, FX600 CorDiax, FX CorAL 600, FX80 CorDiax, FX CorAL 80, FX800 CorDiax y FX CorAL 800. Los índices de reducción (RR) de urea, creatinina, β2-microglobulina, mioglobina, cadenas ligeras kappa (κFLC), prolactina, α1-microglobulina, α1-glicoproteína ácida, cadenas ligeras lambda (λFLC) y albúmina se compararon intraindividualmente. También se midió la pérdida de albúmina del dializado. Resultados: Todos los tratamientos fueron bien tolerados. La media de líquido de reposición osciló entre 31 y 34 litros. La comparación de los tratamientos de diálisis no mostró diferencias entre moléculas pequeñas e incluso del tamaño de las β2-microglobulinas. Se encontraron pocas diferencias entre los RR de mioglobina, κFLC, prolactina, α1-microglobulina y λFLC. Las pérdidas de albúmina en el dializado fueron similares, con menos de 2,5 gramos por sesión. El dializador FX80 CorDiax mostró puntuaciones de eliminación global ligeramente más altas que el resto de los evaluados, a excepción del FX CorAL 800. Conclusión: La nueva generación de dializadores de helixona, actualizada para minimizar el riesgo de reacciones adversas, ha mantenido la eficacia y la pérdida de albúmina conseguidas por la generación de helixona previa. Abstract: Introduction: New generation helixone dialyzers has recently been developed as part of the ongoing effort to improve dialyzer hemocompatibility and avoid adverse reactions to synthetic dialyzers. This study aimed to assess the performance and albumin loss of this new dialyzer series in hemodiafiltration and compare it with the previous generation helixone series. Material and methods: A prospective study was conducted in 19 patients. Each patient underwent eight dialysis sessions with the same routine dialysis parameters; only the dialyzer varied: FX60 CorDiax, FX CorAL 60, FX600 CorDiax, FX CorAL 600, FX80 CorDiax, FX CorAL 80, FX800 CorDiax, and FX CorAL 800. The reduction ratios (RR) of urea, creatinine, β2-microglobulin, myoglobin, kappa-free immunoglobulin light chains (κFLC), prolactin, α1-microglobulin, α1-acid glycoprotein, lambda immunoglobulin light chains (λFLC), and albumin were compared intra-individually. Dialysate albumin loss was also measured. Results: All treatments were well tolerated. The mean amount of replacement fluid ranged from 31 to 34 litres. Comparison of dialysis treatments showed no differences between small molecules and even up to those the size of β2-microglobulins. Little differences were found between myoglobin, κFLC, prolactin, α1-microglobulin, and λFLC RRs, and only FX80 CorDiax was slightly superior to the others. Mean dialysate albumin losses were similar, with less than 2.5 grams lost in each dialyzer. The FX80 CorDiax showed slightly higher global removal scores than the other dialyzers evaluated, except for FX CorAL 800. Conclusion: The new generation helixone dialyzers series has been updated to minimise the risk of adverse reactions, while maintaining the effectiveness and albumin loss achieved by the previous most advanced helixone generation.