Los Algarrobos Observatory

Los memes de Internet son parte habitual de la cotidianidad en los tiempos actuales. Se generan a diario y se distribuyen habitualmente en los diferentes grupos virtuales de la web. Son un tipo de imagen que tienen gran poder de descripción y explicación de un fenómeno, hecho o desarrollo cultural; especialmente entre los jóvenes. Generan posturas y enfoques sobre temas y problemas sociales, al tiempo que pueden ser deliberadamente usados por grupos sociales y fuerzas políticas para promover o desafiar una determinada ideología. Por todo esto, su incorporación como recurso y estrategia educativa es recomendable. El escrito presenta una experiencia educativa en la formación de profesores de Biología que incorporó memes de Internet, en un trabajo interdisciplinario con el profesorado de Comunicación Visual. Se utilizaron 7 memes alusivos a temas de Biología colocados en una encuesta, para recabar datos sobre el impacto emocional de las imágenes y sobre conocimientos previos de Biología y Comunicación Visual, asociados a su análisis. Los resultados muestran que los memes generaron un impacto emocional positivo y que los profesores en formación pudieron asociar -de manera general- cada meme a temas biológicos. A partir de esto, se desarrollaron luego instancias conjuntas entre los dos profesorados para profundizar el análisis de los memes seleccionados en aspectos biológicos, visuales-comunicacionales, y didácticos.

Dioctophyme renale has a worldwide distribution and has been diagnosed in several wild and domestic animals as well as in humans. As numerous reports in the literature exist concerning the presence of D. renale in different animal species, as well as its diagnosis, treatment, and confirmation in new geographic areas, we reviewed existing information to contribute to the knowledge of the etiology, biology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of D. renale. Results of dioctophymosis may range from asymptomatic infection to even death of the host. Diagnosis is based on data from morphology, imaging, and antibody testing, with surgical treatment being the most effective. A high potential for infection of pets exists when there is overlap with wild parasitized animals; given common risk factors for infections in humans, D. renale should be considered as having zoonotic potential.

Aims & Objectives: To describe the epidemiology, therapeutic management and outcomes of children admitted to pediatric ICU (PICU) for acute respiratory failure (ARF) in a contemporary multinational PICU cohort. Methods: Retrospective analysis using prospectively collected clinical data within the LARed Network ARF clinical registry (35 hospitals, 8 Latin-American countries). We analyzed all PICU encounters for ARF that included any respiratory support from May 2017 to October 2019. Demographics, comorbidities, clinical data (including retrieval support and admission severity scores), etiology, PICU respiratory support, adjuvant therapies, and outcomes were described and expressed as median (interquartile percentiles) or relative (percentage) frequencies. Results: Final analysis included 5297 PICU admissions. The main findings are presented in the table. The median age was 5 months (2, 14), 58.1% were males and Bronchiolitis was the most common diagnosis (50.2%) with RSV the most frequent etiology (40.0%). Noninvasive ventilation (NIMV) was the maximal respiratory support in almost 2/3 of encounters from the cohort (61.8%), being high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) and bilevel positive ventilation (BiPAP) the 2 most commonly used techniques. NIMV related complications were low whereas Invasive MV related complications were 21.6%. Although global mortality was low (1.2%), we detected 3.0% of new morbidities at PICU discharge (> 3 change in Functional Status Scale).Conclusions: We present contemporary relevant clinical data regarding ARF epidemiology and patterns of care across Latin-American PICUs. These data provide benchmarks for hospitals to identify current regional practices, assess their performance and guide quality improvement initiatives.

Notes taken by students in class have always been important for education, independently of the form used to take and keep them. Taking this fact into account, a research of the antecedents of the importance and evolution of this practice was carried out so that the reality of a Regional Centre of Teachers could be known. In 2018 two thirds (over 500) of the students of this center from different areas and grades were surveyed using a written form which was voluntarily and anonymously completed. Among the general aspects, it can be stated that this practice is very frequent as more than the 90 % of the surveyed students admit taking notes recognizing its importance. Besides, students are convinced that this practice is closely linked to good academic performance. In general, they state they take notes to understand topics better and keep a record of what is taught in class to help them remember the topics of the lessons afterwards. Classifying the answers according to the different subject areas of teacher training (Language, Arts and Science), no relevant differences are found. As a consequence, it can be stated that note-taking is a current practice among students who consider it positive for their learning. Other aspect that can be considered is the fact that the use of digital media is not so popular for note-taking among students, contrary to previous expectations of the researchers. It is interesting that the majority of students has not had any form of formal instruction related to note-taking and encounters the difficulty of slow writing speed while taking notes, both aspects which would require some special attention.

In the later years the electrical market has been flooded with wind and solar energy, providing a lot of power but poor electrical auxiliary services. Hydropower plants all over the world have been key in balancing this by providing frequency control capabilities, inertia and compensation capabilities to the network. Some plants have gone further and reduced the technical minimum in order to provide higher control margins. The risks and benefits of taking this path are discussed in this paper. A case that derived in premature failure is exposed.