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A part of students learning in the classroom depends on how the teacher responds to their thinking. The literature has separately addressed teachers' feedback responses to errors and unexpected strategies that students put into play when solving tasks. We propose a framework to analyze these responses together based on three criteria: the focus of the answers (teacher or student), the type of knowledge (conceptual or procedural) that the teacher puts into play in the teacher-centered answers, and the types of actions (asking and proposing) involved in student-centered responses. We codified and analyzed the feedback responses of a group of mathematics teachers to a questionnaire that inquired about their curricular practices. We found similarities in their reports of responses to students' errors and unexpected strategies: two-thirds of teachers have a teacher-centered response. For the student-centered answers, the number of responses of the teacher in which he/she proposes activities is three times the number of responses in which he/she asks students questions. Furthermore, responses to unexpected strategies differ from responses to errors because teachers evaluate, correct, and accept those strategies.

The professional development for teachers is an important component of the quality of education. However, few systems for monitoring and analysing the quality and impact of teacher professional development programmes have been created. In this article, we present the effects on classroom practices of a Colombian professional development programme for in-service secondary mathematics teachers. We compare the teachers' classroom practices of planning, implementation, and assessment, before and after participating in the programme. We found that the professional development programme shows a statistically significant and positive effect on planning, implementing and assessment practices. These results serve as evidence of teacher training policy in terms of changes in classroom practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of students' learning experience depends on the learning activities that their teachers plan prior to classroom delivery. This article characterises the lesson planning practices of a group of 27 mathematics teachers. The questionnaire and the associated information coding and analysis procedures designed for that purpose may be applicable to lesson planning characterisation involving larger groups of teachers and of other disciplines. Some of the study group's needs and difficulties are established. One of the observations discussed is that planning procedures and criteria tend to be generic rather than specific to the lesson at issue. Another is that these teachers' vision of planning does not necessarily ensure a coordinated approach to all curricular dimensions.

Astrocytes play a pivotal role in maintaining brain homeostasis. Recent research has highlighted the significance of palmitic acid (PA) in triggering pro-inflammatory pathways contributing to neurotoxicity. Furthermore, Genomic-scale metabolic models and control theory have revealed that metabolic switches (MSs) are metabolic pathway regulators by potentially exacerbating neurotoxicity, thereby offering promising therapeutic targets. Herein, we characterized these enzymatic MSs in silico as potential therapeutic targets, employing protein–protein and drug–protein interaction networks alongside structural characterization techniques. Our findings indicate that five MSs (P00558, P04406, Q08426, P09110, and O76062) were functionally linked to nervous system drug targets and may be indirectly regulated by specific neurological drugs, some of which exhibit polypharmacological potential (e.g., Trifluperidol, Trifluoperazine, Disulfiram, and Haloperidol). Furthermore, four MSs (P00558, P04406, Q08426, and P09110) feature ligand-binding or allosteric cavities with druggable potential. Our results advocate for a focused exploration of P00558 (phosphoglycerate kinase 1), P04406 (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase), Q08426 (peroxisomal bifunctional enzyme, enoyl-CoA hydratase, and 3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase), P09110 (peroxisomal 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase), and O76062 (Delta(14)-sterol reductase) as promising targets for the development or repurposing of pharmacological compounds, which could have the potential to modulate lipotoxic-altered metabolic pathways, offering new avenues for the treatment of related human diseases such as neurological diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Control theory, a well-established discipline in engineering and mathematics, has found novel applications in systems biology. This interdisciplinary approach leverages the principles of feedback control and regulation to gain insights into the complex dynamics of cellular and molecular networks underlying chronic diseases, including neurodegeneration. By modeling and analyzing these intricate systems, control theory provides a framework to understand the pathophysiology and identify potential therapeutic targets. Therefore, this review examines the most widely used control methods in conjunction with genomic-scale metabolic models in the steady state of the multi-omics type. According to our research, this approach involves integrating experimental data, mathematical modeling, and computational analyses to simulate and control complex biological systems. In this review, we find that the most significant application of this methodology is associated with cancer, leaving a lack of knowledge in neurodegenerative models. However, this methodology, mainly associated with the Minimal Dominant Set (MDS), has provided a starting point for identifying therapeutic targets for drug development and personalized treatment strategies, paving the way for more effective therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hardware Description Languages (HDL) have gained popularity in the field of digital electronics design, driven by the increasing complexity of modern electronic circuits. Consequently, supporting students in their learning of these languages is crucial. This work aims to address this need by developing an automated assessment software tool with feedback process to support the learning of HDL and making an educational intervention to support the learning process of students. The tool's features were selected based on similar developments, and a prototype was designed and implemented. Additionally, an educational intervention was conducted over a five-week period in a Digital Electronics course at the National University of Colombia. Through analyzing students' interactions with the tool and their perceptions of its usage, the study examined their learning experiences. Among the features highlighted by students as most beneficial for their HDL learning process were the online availability of the tool, the feedback system that helped them identify and correct errors in their code, the provision of immediate feedback, the online editor with syntax highlighting, and the graphical user interface. This work makes two significant contributions to the field of HDL teaching in engineering. Firstly, a publicly accessible HDL grading tool has been developed, offering students immediate formative and summative feedback through an automated grader. Secondly, empirical evidence has been provided regarding the benefits of using such a tool in enhancing students' learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ENKI-DB, es un sistema de información taxonómica y molecular de especies propias de la biodiversidad colombiana, accesible vía Internet. Mediante ENKI-DB se tiene acceso inmediato a toda la información taxonómica y molecular presente en las bases de datos SPICA®, SIB, EMBL y UNIPROT para especies propias de la biodiversidad colombiana exclusivamente. Hasta la fecha el sistema ha logrado enlazar 10 808 registros de especies propias de la biodiversidad colombiana (presentes en las bases de datos SIB y SPICA®), para las que han encontrado 1 976 751 registros molecula­res, 96 337 provenientes de las bases de datos de información proteica (UniprotKb, Uniref y Uniparc) y 1 880 414 de la base de datos EMBL de DNA. Aunque esta información se encuentra presente también, de manera independiente, en cada una de estas bases de datos, a través de ENKI- DB los datos son accesibles desde una sola interfase y de manera integrada y depurada. El sistema permite además realizar alineamientos locales utilizando la implementación del algoritmo BLAST del NCBI. ENKI- DB ha sido desarrollado en su totalidad en PHP y PERL, haciendo uso de las librerías Bio-PHP, Bio-PERL y utilizando la base de datos MySQL como repositorio central de información. ENKI-DB es accesible vía Internet, de manera completamente gratuita y pública en la siguiente dirección: http://bioinf.ibun.unal.edu.co/enkidb/ Contacto: cenbio_nal@unal.edu.co Palabras clave: ENKI, molecular, taxonomía, biodiversidad colombiana, bioinformática.ENKI-DB is a taxonomic and molecular integration system for Colombian species which is available on the internet. This system provides users with immediate access to all taxonomic and molecular data present in SPICA®, SIB, EMBL and UNIPROT databases for all Colombian species. To date, our system has been able to link 10,808 Colombian species (SIB and SPICA® databases) to 1 976 751 molecular entries, 96 337 from UniprotKb, Uniref and Uniparc and 1,880,414 from the EMBL DNA datábase. Although this information is also available on each datábase independently, ENKI-DB allows users to reach all that integrated information through one interface. We have also integrated the NCBI-BLAST programme with the ENKI-DB system which allows users to run pair-wise comparisons on the same ENKI-DB web interface. ENKI-DB has been developed with Bio-PHP and Bio-PERL and uses MySQL RDBMS as backup. Availability: http://bioinf.ibun.unal.edu.co/enkidb/ Contact: cenbio_nal@unal.edu.co Key words: ENKI, molecular integration system, taxonomy, Colombian biodiversity, bioinformatics.