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ICT tools have gained particular importance in the English as a foreign language classroom in order to promote students' interaction, exchange of opinions, negotiation of meaning, or digital competence. Technological development and the impact of multimedia and virtual spaces on students' lives make educational institutions and teachers explore new tools and strategies to learn the target language. Podcasts present content available on the Internet and can become an influential teaching strategy that may improve the teaching-learning process of EFL. This study aims to investigate the effect of audio podcasts, which deal with social inequality issues, on secondary education students' EFL linguistic competence. A sample of seventy-eight students was randomly distributed into a control and an experimental group during a term in a high school in Madrid (Spain). As instruments for data collection, the grades obtained in the different skills in the pre and post-tests and the different task performance scores were analysed in both groups. The methodological framework is defined as a quasi-experimental design that provides quantitative data. The results confirm the hypothesis that the creation and use of podcasts are beneficial for improving EFL linguistic competence, especially speaking and listening skills. Practical implications aimed at organising English classes to improve EFL proficiency are discussed.

Academic makerspaces have been shown to foster creativity and innovation, as they provide conditions for novel thinking to challenging problems. The capability to foster rich discussions, robust ideas, and unique cross-discipline collaborations and approaches stems directly from the diversity of people, their backgrounds and perspectives, as well as their interests, which become lively in the makerspace. This project leverages the creativity and communities of two makerspaces located in two major higher education institutions, to address the need for educational tools and materials for STEM education of students with visual disabilities. Higher education students who participated in this challenge formed multidisciplinary teams to create novel accessible, affordable devices containing inclusive technology to foster inclusive learning environments. This work is an example of how educational innovation and engineering can merge in a project mediated by makerspaces, culminating not only in the generation of the products expected, but also in valuable outcomes for higher education students who participated in this challenge-based experience.

Ticks are important vectors of pathogenic bacteria that cause diseases in both humans and animals. Analysis of tick microbiota via massive sequencing allows rapid and comprehensive identification of almost all bacteria inhabiting ticks. This has improved the detection of emerging pathogens and has helped define their relationship with public health. In Mexico, the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato) is a public health problem, especially in northeast Durango. In the present study, the bacterial microbiota of this tick was determined using third-generation massive sequencing (PacBio, V1–V9 region of the 16S rRNA gene); bacteria with pathogenic potential that are transmitted by salivation and those that can be transmitted by accidental regurgitation of the parasite were also identified. In 2024, 60 dogs were searched for unfed ticks; then, 15 groups of female ticks and 15 groups of male ticks were formed, with each group consisting of 30 individuals. DNA was extracted from each tick pool, and the complete 16S rRNA gene was amplified (PacBio). Bioinformatics analysis was performed in QIIME2 (Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology) to obtain amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). Alpha and beta diversity metrics, as well as statistical analyses, were performed to test for differences between the microbiota of females and males. The bacterial taxa were classified into 21 phyla, 24 classes, 81 orders, 137 families, 339 genera, and 565 species. The male microbiota presented a significantly greater number of ASVs and a greater phylogenetic diversity index (FaithPD). Additionally, the unweighted UniFrac metric was significantly different between the sexes. The endosymbiont Coxiella mudrowiae was significantly more abundant in females, and Ehrlichia canis was more abundant in males. The pathogens E. canis and Anaplasma platys (transmitted by salivation) were detected, as well as 75 species of potential pathogens recorded in this tick that could enter the host in case of accidental regurgitation of the parasite (e.g., Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Acinetobacter, Corynebacterium, Proteus, Clostridum, Klebsiella, Bacillus, Escherichia, Fusobacterium, and Pasteurella). It is necessary to continue analyzing the microbiota of ticks through massive sequencing for the benefit of public health and to establish new alternatives for controlling these parasites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-service-learning is a pedagogical methodology that promotes social awareness in higher education classrooms. The main objective of this study is to study undergraduate students' acquisition, from a real and practical 100% online perspective, of the competencies in different subjects by providing the community with educational reading and writing resources designed by themselves to work literacy. 161 university students (M = 23.02; SD = 4.78) from the Faculty of Education created digital tools that addressed the preschool teachers' needs of two educational institutions. Forty-nine digital resources for literacy were created by undergraduate students. Results showed satisfaction of all the groups involved in the e-SL project; regarding undergraduate students, the experimentation improved the perception of the connection between the theoretical and practical contents taught, motivation and learning. Extreme e-SL or 100% online is an effective pedagogical methodology that academically develops citizens committed to society without geographical limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social networks are incredibly popular among teenagers, and they have proven, when used with appropriate methodologies and strategies, suitable to be applied in educational environments. Considering that social networks aim to entertain, socialize, inform, and teach, it seems convenient to introduce them as complementary tasks in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction. Thus, this work aims to investigate the effect of three popular social networks, (1) TikTok, (2) YouTube, and (3) Spotify, which are focused on the interdisciplinary issue of the responsible use of social networks, specifically on secondary education students' EFL oral communicative competence and participation. To do so, the speaking skills of a sample of eighty-one ninth-graders were tested when using social networks within the language cooperative learning framework and when being instructed with conventional communicative language teaching tasks. The results confirm the hypothesis that the use of social networks is beneficial for improving EFL oral communicative competence and students' engagement toward their language learning. Practical implications aimed at including social networks in EFL classes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Degraded vegetation is the result of a process that affects structural and functional characteristics. Tree species from the Acacia genus are very important to the ecosystem in semi-arid lands due to their participation in the recovery of highly degraded areas. One of the most important species among this genus is A. schaffneri. The status of a forest stand is determined according to its structure, including height, stratum and density. Remote sensing is a valuable method for estimating volumetric stocks and associated changes in forest populations over established periods of time. The objective of this research was to estimate wood volume of A. schaffneri using remote sensing, and to complement that information with the results obtained from an estimation method based on forest measurements. The results obtained showed that the crown area was the dendrometric variable that can be used in a wood volume prediction model. In the exploratory analysis between dendrometric variables and remote sensing showed low and negative associations were observed in the four stations analyzed. There are conservation problems due to anthropogenic activities, among which stands out the intensive grazing that results in a decrease of the natural regeneration capacity of Acacia schaffneri.

Socioscientific issues represent an innovative approach within the realm of STEM education as they integrate real-world problems, promote critical thinking, and encourage interdisciplinary learning, thus preparing students to address complex societal challenges through scientific inquiry. The objective of this scoping review was to analyze the use of SSIs in science lessons. A database search of Web of Science and Scopus focused on articles published between 2013 and 2023. When applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 106 articles were selected. The scoping review revealed a focus on socioscientific issues within high school and undergraduate curricula, particularly pertaining to environmental, genetic, and health-related concerns, as well as localized SSIs. A variety of methodological approaches, predominantly qualitative, were applied to capture the educational dynamics of integrating socioscientific issues into pedagogy. Inquiry-based learning emerges as a preferred pedagogical model, stimulating student engagement with real societal challenges. The educational resources employed encompass both conventional texts and digital tools, such as data mapping and visualization software, facilitating a multifaceted comprehension of SSIs. Pedagogical techniques are diverse, incorporating argumentation, role-playing, and digital media to enrich the teaching and learning experience. Nevertheless, the incorporation of socioscientific issues faces obstacles, including resistance to pedagogical innovation, the inherent complexity of the topics, and the demand for specialized teacher training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the objectives of the 2030 Agenda is the improvement of vocational education and training at international and national levels, achieving, among other things, the internationalization of such education. To meet this objective, it is necessary to improve linguistic competence in English as L2 of students undergoing vocational training. The purpose of this research is to analyze the influence of affective variables on the level of self-efficacy of English linguistic competence (L2) in early childhood education vocational education and training. Seventy-six students (M = 20.82; SD =2.30) in higher vocational education in this domain, with an average B1 level proficiency (according to CEFR) were selected and administered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the English Willingness to Communicate Questionnaire (WTC), the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB), and an ad hoc questionnaire on selfefficacy in English language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing, reading comprehension, and English language in general). The results indicate that anxiety, willingness to communicate in English, and attitude/motivation toward English predict students' self-efficacy in their level of English language proficiency (L2). Anxiety has a negative influence, explaining the low 15.6 percent of self-efficacy, and willingness to communicate and attitude have a positive influence explaining the 23 and 22.7 percent of self-efficacy, respectively. The practical educational implications, aimed at methodological proposals to improve the level of linguistic competence in English as L2 in vocational training, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: the objective of this study was to calculate the amount, in kilotons per year (kt a-1), of CO2 emissions from firewood consumption in rural communities of Durango in managed areas (UMAFOR - Forest Management Units) and at the municipality scale. Design/Methodology/Approach: the firewood consumption was determined for each of the UMAFOR areas and the 39 municipalities into which the state of Durango is divided. Greenhouse Inventory Software® was used to determine CO2 emissions. Results: the annual CO2 balance due to firewood consumption in Durango was 268.05 kt of CO2. These emissions in relation to the national scale represent 1.52% per year. Those UMAFOR and the municipalities that are geographically located in the semi-arid zone of the state of Durango were those with the higher CO2 emissions. Findings/Conclusions: it is necessary to couple the consumption of firewood with eco-technologies that favor its efficient consumption, thus mitigating CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]