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- Structure and composition of a mangrove forest on the Central Pacific
coast of Costa Rica: population of mollusks of commercial interest
Authors: Milagro Carvajal-Oses, Junior Pastor Pérez-Molina, Ángel Herrera-Ulloa, Christian Moreira-Segura
Pages: 1 - 19
Abstract: [Objective]. The floristic composition and populations of associated molluscs of commercial interest of the Chacarita mangrove forest on the Central Pacific of Costa Rica were evaluated to guide proposals for sustainable exploitation activities in the mangrove forest. [Methodology]. Monthly visits to the study area were conducted for one year to establish a floristic baseline of mangrove trees and measure carbon storage. Additionally, bivalve molluscs were collected to analyze the state of their populations based on the abundances of organisms found, as well as other characteristics such as length and mass. Data regarding the mangrove trees included their diameter at breast height (DBH, cm), height (m), importance value index (IVI), and carbon reserves (Mg C·ha-1). Four mollusc species of commercial interest were analyzed, using data on their length (cm), weight (g), and gonadosomatic index. Economic evaluations were also conducted using data obtained from the mangrove forest, as well as tourism and historical fishing data for the collection of Chacarita. [Results]. Five species of mangroves were identified: Rhizophora mangle, Rizophora racemosa, Laguncularia racemosa, Avicennia germinans, and Pelliciera rhizophorae, while P. rhizophorae had the highest importance value index. The study revealed a carbon storage equivalent to 78.49 Mg C·ha-1. A total of 357 organisms were counted, with Anadara similis accounting for 18% of the total count, followed by Anadara tuberculosa (37.5%), Leukoma spp. (41.46%), and Mytella guyanensis (3.08%). When considering the economic value of carbon stocks and the bivalve molluscs obtained from the samples, economic valuations of 9,812.63 USD·ha-1 and 28 USD·ha-1 were determined, respectively. [Conclusions]. The low population densities of molluscs, particularly those belonging to the Anadara genus, necessitate the establishment of management measures to facilitate the recovery of these mollusk populations. This research proposes sustainable use activities such as community tourism for educational and cultural purposes.
PubDate: 2024-01-01
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.6
Issue No: Vol. 38, No. 1 (2024)
- Potential for Saving Drinking Water Through the Use of Rainwater in Social
Housing in Viçosa-Brazil
Authors: Juan Esteban Sánchez-Galvis, María José Sánchez-Galvis, Iván Andrés Sánchez-Ortiz
Pages: 1 - 16
Abstract: [Objective] The main objective of this research was to evaluate the potential for saving drinking water by using rainwater as a source of supply for non-potable purposes in two neighborhoods with social housing in the municipality of Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. [Methodology] The consumption statistics for each month of 2020 were used for each of the homes comprising the Benjamin José Cardoso and Sol Nascente Housing Complexes, and the fraction of drinking water that is destined in homes for non-potable purposes was estimated. The information corresponding to the monthly rainfall records of the last 50 years was analyzed and the monthly volume of rainwater that could be harvested in each house was calculated. [Results] The average monthly volume of rainwater that could be captured through the roof area of each dwelling is 3.39 m3. During the rainy months of the year, it would be feasible to save a higher percentage of water than that allocated for non-potable purposes. Sizing a rainwater reservoir that exceeds the monthly needs for non-potable purposes would allow the surplus of collected water to supply the liquid during the dry season. [Conclusions] Since the average percentage of savings in drinking water for both neighborhoods exceeded 53%, the saving of the monthly consumption can contribute to the reduction of payments for the drinking water service and the consumption of the liquid in the municipality, particularly during drought months.
PubDate: 2024-01-01
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.3
Issue No: Vol. 38, No. 1 (2024)
- Personal meanings in the formulation and argumentation of conjectures by
high school students
Authors: María Elisa Giayetto, María Elena Markiewicz, Silvia Catalina Etchegaray
Pages: 1 - 21
Abstract: [Objective] This paper discusses an investigation of the meaning of “conjecture” for secondary school students, and disparities between personal meanings and those acquired in a mathematical institution. [Methodology] The methodology used is qualitative. A case study was carried out to improve understanding of the personal meanings of conjecture to students in the initial years of secondary education in the city of Río Cuarto, Argentina (15-16 years old). The responses of a group of students to assignments including three problems that involve the creation, contrasting, reformulation and/or validation of conjectures were analyzed, including interviews with the students. These analyses were carried out using tools from the ontosemiotic approach, determining configurations of primary objects and cognitive processes in the students’ personal practices. [Results] It was possible to identify semiotic conflicts in these practices, particularly disparities between personal meanings of the concept of conjecture and the meaning intended to be imparted by the mathematical institution, providing empirical indicators of the epistemic value given by students to emerging propositions in their argumentation. This made it less likely that students would learn to doubt the scope of their initial statements and recognize the need to propose another type of argument, as was intended by the mathematical institution. [Conclusions] The results of this investigation showed the importance of revealing the ontosemiotic complexity of personal practices related to the formulation and validation of conjectures, and revealing the cognitive semiotic conflicts linked to personal meanings.
PubDate: 2024-01-01
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.1
Issue No: Vol. 38, No. 1 (2024)
- Didactic Suitability Assessment Guide of Educational Processes for the
Differential
Authors: Manuel Alejandro Verón, Belén Giacomone, Luis Roberto Pino-Fan
Pages: 1 - 22
Abstract: [Objective] This article describes the process of preparing a Guide for the Assessment of Didactic Suitability of a process for studying the concept of the differential of a function. The objective of this exercise was to propose an instrument to promote, guide and support teachers’ analysis of, and reflection on, teaching and learning processes of the differential concept. [Methodology] The research method used was content analysis, and its starting point was a systematic review of didactic-mathematical knowledge in key research. The analysis was guided by the dimensions or facets that characterize an educational process – epistemic, cognitive, affective, instructional and ecological – whose components and criteria are based on the notion of didactic suitability proposed in the Onto-semiotic Approach to Mathematical Knowledge and Instruction (OSA). [Results] The construction of the Didactic Suitability Assessment Guide introduced a methodology for the reconstruction of the reference meaning for the study of various facets of the differential. In addition, this guide represents a powerful tool for teachers at the time of designing, implementing. and evaluating study processes, taking into account the various meanings of the differential, its connections, its potential semiotic conflicts and its relationships with other concepts. [Conclusions] In line with the theoretical reference framework, it is concluded that its ideal use would allow teachers to make informed decisions about management of the didactic process, taking into account its educational context.
PubDate: 2024-01-01
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.2
Issue No: Vol. 38, No. 1 (2024)
- Analysis of the School Climate Scale in University Environments (ECEAU)
Authors: José Andrey Zamora-Araya, Karolayn Duarte-Abarca, Darcy Quesada-Varela, Mónica Prado-Abarca
Pages: 1 - 21
Abstract: [Objective] The aim of this paper is to verify the factorial structure of the School Climate Scale in University Environments (ECEAU) through structural equation models (SEM). [Methodology] A non-experimental cross-sectional study was carried out with a random sample of 381 students of the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA), to whom the ECEAU was applied. A SEM model was proposed to confirm the factor structure of the scale and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to provide the basis for an alternative SEM model with a different structure. The reliability of scales was determined using McDonald’s omega, and the goodness of fit indexes used for the SEM models were the RMSEA, the CFI, the TLI and the GFI. The analysis was carried out using R software. [Results] The reliability of the scales in both models was adequate (w >0.70), although the metrics in the proposed model produced better results. The AFE suggested a different structure for the ECEAU, keeping some dimensions of the original structure and modifying and eliminating others. The goodness of fit indexes in both models were almost identical, with RMSEA=0.02, CFI=0.99, TLI=0.99 and GFI=0.98, which provides supporting evidence for the factorial structures proposed. [Conclusions] The original structure of the ECEAU was confirmed, while the differences in the results of the estimation and rotation methods generated another equally valid factorial structure for measuring the school climate construct in this university, and could be applied to other similar contexts.
PubDate: 2024-01-01
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.4
Issue No: Vol. 38, No. 1 (2024)
- Specialized Knowledge of Prospective Mathematics Teachers on the Concept
of Mathematical Proof
Authors: Christian Roberto Alfaro-Carvajal, Jennifer Fonseca-Castro
Pages: 1 - 16
Abstract: [Objetivo] En este artículo, se presentan los resultados de una investigación cualitativa de carácter descriptivo que tiene como objetivo caracterizar el conocimiento especializado de los profesores de matemáticas en formación inicial de la Universidad Nacional en Costa Rica (UNA), sobre el concepto de la demostración matemática, mediante el modelo Mathematics Teacher’s Specialized Knowledge (MTSK). [Metodología] La investigación se posiciona en el paradigma interpretativo y tiene un enfoque cualitativo. Se aplicó un cuestionario, durante el primer semestre del 2021, a 42 profesores de matemáticas en formación inicial de cuarto y quinto año de la carrera Bachillerato y Licenciatura en Enseñanza de la Matemática de la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. Para examinar la información, se empleó el análisis de contenido y se hicieron agrupaciones de las respuestas, con el propósito de generar ideas centrales sobre el concepto de demostración. [Resultados] De los resultados se desprenden cuatro ideas centrales sobre lo que es una demostración matemática para los sujetos de la investigación, cercanas a aspectos formales lógico-sintácticos y matemáticos (ALSM) o aspectos informales semánticos (AIS). Se encontraron evidencias de las cinco funciones de De Villiers (1993) para la demostración y surgieron nuevas funciones relacionadas con esta en las matemáticas y en las matemáticas escolares. [Conclusiones] Los resultados brindan insumos a formadores de profesores de matemáticas e investigadores, en la revisión y análisis de programas de formación docente, y contribuyen en la búsqueda de nuevas áreas de investigación relacionadas con el tema.
PubDate: 2024-01-01
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.5
Issue No: Vol. 38, No. 1 (2024)
- Characterizing prospective Secondary Education Mathematics Teachers’
self-efficacy
Authors: María Soledad Salomón-Plata, José María Chamoso-Sánchez, José Manuel Diego-Mantecón, María Mercedes Rodríguez-Sánchez
Abstract: [Objective] The aim of this paper is to analyze the self-efficacy of prospective Secondary School Mathematics Teachers at the end of their initial teacher training. [Methodology] The sample was 98 prospective Secondary School Mathematics Teachers who were studying in a University Master’s program for Secondary Education Teachers. The data were their written reflections, which were organized into information units and classified according to the five sources of self-efficacy collected from specialized literature: professional knowledge; classroom practice; physiological, affective and motivational states; cooperation with colleagues and parents; and experience. Subsequently, a content analysis made it possible to identify common topics among them. [Results] The results showed that a teacher's self-efficacy was still in the process of development, far from what might be expected in teachers completing their initial training period. The need to increase the confidence of prospective teachers in their skills to translate knowledge of content into student learning, to implement different teaching strategies and, especially, to increase their confidence in their emotional skills is highlighted. [Conclusions] The results provide valuable information for teacher education programs by indicating the state of teacher self-efficacy at the end of the initial training period. In addition, a tool is provided to analyze the teaching self-efficacy of prospective Secondary Mathematics teachers. All this opens up future lines of research in various areas.
Keywords:
Original scientific papers (evaluated by academic peers)
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PubDate: 2024-07-31
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.12
- Statistical Inference in School Textbooks. An Approach to Statistical
Thinking
Authors: Francisco Enrique Rodríguez-Alveal, Maitere Aguerrea
Pages: 1 - 16
Abstract: [Objective] The main purpose of this study was to analyze the activities related to statistical inference present in secondary education textbooks in Chile, and their relationship to the development of statistical thinking. [Methodology] For the purposes of the study, a qualitative approach was used through a content analysis of the secondary education books disseminated free of charge by the Chilean Ministry of Education during the years 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022, which were selected using intentional non-probabilistic sampling. [Results] Among the main results obtained, it was found that most of the activities related to statistical inference in the textbooks analyzed had to do with procedures related to the calculation of confidence intervals, without addressing their interpretation in the context of the problem. In addition, it was observed that there were few activities related to informal inference. Likewise, the activities and questions presented in the textbooks do not refer to the formulation of hypotheses or conjectures about the sample data made to guide the formulation of conclusions related to statistical inference. [Conclusions] The findings indicate that despite the fact that confidence intervals are among the topics related to statistical inference in the textbooks, these textbooks are not focused on decision-making at the population level, but rather on description.
Keywords:
Original scientific papers (evaluated by academic peers)
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PubDate: 2024-07-31
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.19
- A Molecular Docking and Dynamics Simulation Study on Prevention of
Merozoite Red Blood Cell Invasion by Targeting Plasmodium vivax Duffy
Binding Protein with Zingiberaceae Bioactive Compounds
Authors: Muhammad Fikri Heikal, Wira Eka Putra, Sustiprijatno, Arief Hidayatullah, Diana Widiastuti, Mardiana Lelitawati
Pages: 1 - 15
Abstract: [Objective] Plasmodium vivax predominantly infects many people in numerous tropical areas, including Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific, the Americas, and the Eastern Mediterranean. The uniqueness of forming dormant stages can lead to relapse in vivax malaria upon further infection. This study used molecular docking and dynamic simulation to predict potential bioactive compounds from the Zingiberaceae plant family as inhibitors by targeting Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein (PvDBP). PvDBP-DARC molecular interaction is required to mediate the merozoite invasion process into red blood cells. Inhibiting this process can possibly control parasite growth and development. [Methodology] Molecular docking screening was conducted by using 138 natural compounds from the Zingiberaceae plant family targeting Plasmodium vivax Duffy binding protein (PvDBP). The top two compounds with the lowest binding energy were selected to be analyzed by pharmacokinetics prediction and molecular dynamic (MD) simulation. [Results] Molecular docking screening resulted in the top two compounds with the lowest binding energy value, including 5,7-dihydroxyflavanone (-9.3 kcal/mol) and pinostrobin (-9.2 kcal/mol). These compounds are predicted to have stronger interaction than chloroquine as a control. Furthermore, the potential compounds also interact with DARC binding site residues and maintain them during the molecular dynamic simulation process. Otherwise, chloroquine as a control cannot retain 75% binding residues towards PvDBP. A molecular dynamic study revealed that all three complexes have relatively similar stability. [Conclusions] We predicted that the two bioactive compounds (5,7-dihydroxyflavanone and pinostrobin) have the potential as merozoite invasion inhibitors.
Keywords:
Original scientific papers (evaluated by academic peers)
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PubDate: 2024-07-31
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.18
- Instructional Process of the Derivative Applied in Business Engineering
Students in Chile
Authors: Maritza Katherine Galindo Illanes, Adriana Breda
Pages: 1 - 23
Abstract: [Objective] The objective of this article is to present the results of the implementation of an instructional design for the teaching of the derivative for undergraduate students of Business Engineering in Chile. [Methodology] The participants in the study were ninety students of Applied Business Calculus at a Chilean university. The methodological design, based on the tools of the Ontosemiotic Approach to Mathematical Cognition and Instruction, consider various epistemic configurations in situations-problems concerning tangents, the calculation of derivatives from the rules for derivation, applications of the derivative for the calculation of maxima and minima, and analysis of graphs of functions. In addition, it integrates ICT into various activities. [Results] The results indicate that the instructional proposal for teaching the derivative overcomes some of students’ learning difficulties, as shown in various research studies. In particular, these include the difficulties that Business Engineering students have with the Euclidean conception of the tangent line, the interpretation of the derivative function and its geometric representation, the optimization of economic functions, and the application of the derivative to marginal functions. [Conclusions] It is concluded that the teaching and learning process is effective, in the sense that student learning for a specific engineering career is achieved by instruction that incorporates different interconnected epistemic configurations of the derivative, its different fields of problems, and contextual applications in their profession, together with the use of ICT resources.
Keywords:
Original scientific papers (evaluated by academic peers)
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PubDate: 2024-07-31
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.17
- Composition of birds associated with organic cacao farms, Huetar Norte
Region, Costa Rica
Authors: Vanessa Carvajal Alfaro, Paul E Oviedo
Pages: 1 - 9
Abstract: [Objective] The objective of this investigation was to analyze the composition of birds associated with organic cocoa (Theobroma cacao) crops managed under 3 different types of tree cover. [Methodology] Three census points were established in each farm to record all birds observed and heard in 5-minute sample periods. Counts were conducted in triplicate, both in the early morning and at dusk. Differences in avifauna composition between farms were analyzed using the ANOSIM test. Abundances were transformed using the Decostand function and the Hellinger method in the R-Vegan statistical package. Analysis of clustering of species among plantations was performed using non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) and the Bray-Curtis index. Contribution of species to the dissimilarity between groups was analyzed with the SIMPER module. Statistically significant differences were considered when P ≤ 0.05. [Results] Four hundred and twenty-eight individuals were observed, and classified into 49 species and 23 families. The farms where cocoa plants grow in shadier conditions due to canopy development showed a higher number of species (34) and individuals (146). Bird composition varied significantly between farms (F (1,8) = 3.22; P < 0.02). The mean abundance of 19 species (39.6%) showed significant differences (P < 0.05) when comparing the farms with the most and least shade. [Conclusion] Bird composition is more complex on organic cocoa farms, which have more developed canopies and are near regenerating forests.
Keywords:
Original scientific papers (evaluated by academic peers)
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PubDate: 2024-07-31
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.8
- Levels of proportional reasoning and microworlds. A study on unitary
tele-secondary education
Authors: Carlos Alberto Lugo Lugo, Erika García-Torres, Santiago Alonso Palmas Pérez
Pages: 1 - 20
Abstract: [Objective] Proportional reasoning is a type of complex thinking that involves recognizing comparisons such as the covariation between magnitudes and multiple comparisons. The aim of this study was to analyze proportional reasoning of students from unitary tele-secondary education using the levels proposed by Karplus (1983) through a microworld like GeoGebra. In the microworld, students can explore and construct meanings about mathematical objects. [Methodology] Four activities were designed in GeoGebra, which were administered to 18 students from a unitary tele-secondary school, an educational modality in Mexico. [Results] It was found that participants are at initial levels that correspond to additive, qualitative, or erroneous structures to justify their procedures. The more complex levels of proportional reasoning, related to the use of ratios and constants of proportionality, were achieved when students interacted with each other and with the microworld. The reasoning levels are not mutually exclusive, as students can reason differently depending on the situation and the software's capabilities. [Conclusions] The use of microworlds in exploring proportional reasoning enables actions that cannot be carried out with pencil and paper, providing opportunities to interact with moving constructions. Additionally, it fosters interactions that reinforce or build collective knowledge.
Keywords:
Original scientific papers (evaluated by academic peers)
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PubDate: 2024-07-31
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.13
- Uses of quantification and category of modeling. A transversality of
mathematical knowledge
Authors: Claudio Gaete-Peralta, Francisco Cordero, Jaime Huincahue, Jaime Mena
Pages: 1 - 24
Abstract: [Objective] The teaching of quantification tends to focus on formulas for quantifying the measurement of geometric magnitudes, ignoring their uses in other disciplines. This makes it essential to formulate reference frameworks that allow such teaching to meet the functional justifications demanded by other domains of knowledge. For this reason, and within the framework of socioepistemology, the aim of this research was to formulate an epistemology of the uses of quantification. [Methodology] The methodology was qualitative and consisted of a theoretical-methodological corpus that articulated constructs of a modelling category with empirical data. This formulation was carried out in two phases. In the first one, an epistemology was hypothetically formulated based on an analysis of resignification of the uses of quantification constructed in two specific measurement situations: one specific to an interdisciplinary community, and the other to the mathematical work entitled Intégrale, Longueur, Aire. The second phase analyzed the emergence of a resignification of the uses of quantification by engineering students during the development of a school situation designed on the basis of hypothetical epistemology. [Results] This emergence made it possible to empirically validate this epistemology and to express a transversality of uses of quantification in specific measurement situations, made up of meanings, procedures and instruments that together can be used to derive quantification arguments. [Conclusions] This epistemology of uses makes it possible to capture the measurement situation as an educational reference to establish the use, resignification, and transversality of quantification.
Keywords:
Original scientific papers (evaluated by academic peers)
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PubDate: 2024-07-31
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.14
- Analyzing tasks assessed in university Calculus exams: a didactic and
historical perspective
Authors: María G. Calderón-Torres, Juan F. Ruiz-Hidalgo
Pages: 1 - 23
Abstract: [Objective] This study seeks to characterize mathematical tasks assessed in exams, with a focus on didactic features related to the meaning of the mathematical content they address, and their cognitive aspects. Additionally, it aims to describe the evolution of these features over time. [Methodology] In this longitudinal descriptive study, a content analysis of 568 mathematical tasks from 51 exams was conducted over 17 consecutive academic periods between 2014 and 2022. The analysis was conducted within the context of a Differential and Integral Calculus course taught at a university in Costa Rica. Information was organized and interpreted using a system of seven variables related to didactic features specific to the analysis of school-level mathematical tasks. [Results] The assessed mathematical tasks stand out for their variety of content and a predominance of verbal-symbolic representation, exclusively mathematical scientific situations, and cognitive demand at the level of procedures without connections. The predominance of exclusively mathematical scientific situations remained constant over time. However, from a certain point onwards, there was a tendency for verbal-symbolic representation and procedures without connections to decrease in favor of multiple representations and procedures with connections. [Conclusions] The assessed mathematical tasks partially reflect features related to the meaning of mathematical content and cognitive aspects essential for learning calculus. The evolution over time indicates progress in several features, although there is still ample room for improvement in others.
Keywords:
Original scientific papers (evaluated by academic peers)
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PubDate: 2024-07-31
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.11
- Selection and analysis of videos in the initial training of early
childhood mathematics education teachers: the R4 Rubric
Authors: Ainhoa Berciano, María Salgado, Ángel Alsina
Pages: 1 - 25
Abstract: [Objective] Although the use of classroom videos is not a new topic in the initial training of early childhood mathematics education teachers, there are still unresolved research questions associated, above all, with criteria for selecting and analyzing these videos from both a didactic and disciplinary approach. From this perspective, the purpose of this article is to design and validate a rubric that serves this dual purpose. [Methodology] Based on a qualitative research paradigm, a 4x3 process has been followed, that is, a method sequenced in four phases with three steps in each one of them: 1) Review; 2) Creation; 3) Contrast and Evaluation; and 4) Improvement. [Results] The final version of the rubric, called R4, consists of 28 items organized in four dimensions: 1) Teaching role, on the role of the teacher in the classroom; 2) Response of children in the task to his/her performance; 3) Mathematical relations, on the type of mathematics; 4) and Resources, on the management and use of human resources and materials. For each dimension, several subdimensions are considered, 16 in total. [Conclusions] It is concluded that the R4 rubric addresses fundamental aspects (Teaching role, Childrens’ response, Mathematical relations and Resources) in the teaching work of an early childhood education teacher, which allows analyzing the teaching practice in a holistic and justified way.
Keywords:
Original scientific papers (evaluated by academic peers)
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PubDate: 2024-07-31
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.10
- Academic Level and Gender-based Mapping of High School Student’s Genetic
Literacy: A Cross Sectional Study in Indonesia
Authors: Dian Safitri, Siti Zubaidah, Abdul Gofur, Sri Rahayu Lestari
Pages: 1 - 26
Abstract: [Objective] Genetic literacy relates to knowledge and skills in utilizing genetic principles for solving various problems or issues related to genetics. Genetic literacy is an essential ability for students to master, as it is related to various current issues, especially in the fields of health and agriculture. However, research on genetic literacy has not been properly developed from different perspectives, including those related to academic level and gender. Therefore, to fill this gap, the present research seeks to measure the genetic literacy of Indonesian high school students in relation to their academic level and gender. [Methodology] Data were collected using an analytic observational cross-sectional study. The research participants were 1102 students from 55 senior high schools in Indonesia. The participants took a test, which had been evaluated for validity and reliability. The data was then analyzed using ANOVA, and the participants’ genetic literacy levels were categorized as adequate or inadequate. [Results]. The study showed that students’ genetic literacy was relatively inadequate. While academic level was significantly related to students’ genetic literacy, gender was not. [Conclusions] The results of this study indicate that the academic level has a significant effect on the level of students’ genetic literacy, while gender does not. The findings support the conclusion that genetic literacy needs to be considered in education, and that it is necessary that teachers and schools design appropriate strategies to empower and increase students’ genetic literacy in high school settings.
Keywords:
Original scientific papers (evaluated by academic peers)
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PubDate: 2024-07-31
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.9
- Mathematical Modeling and Threshold Analysis of Acceptable Failure Rate
and Academic Standard
Authors: Abayomi Ayotunde Ayoade, Mojisola Manuel, Motunrayo Ajoke Adeosun
Pages: 1 - 14
Abstract: A certificate is evidence of participating in a process, and anyone who holds a certificate is believed to have the prerequisites necessary to handle what the certificate qualifies them for. However, this perception might be incorrect if the certificate has been obtained by taking shortcuts. [Objective] In this paper, a compartmental model was developed to quantify factors that could put the authenticity of a certificate in doubt by examining the trade-off between academic standards and failure rates in the context of tertiary education institutions in Nigeria. [Methodology] The model was validated using several mathematical theorems. Equilibria for the model and the threshold for acceptable academic performance were derived. Stability analysis was carried out by using the stability theory of differential equations based on the derived acceptable academic performance threshold. [Results] The theoretical results for the model were validated through numerical simulations, and the results from the simulations linked acceptable failure rates to academic performance falling below the threshold of the institutions’ standards. [Conclusions] The policy implication of the result is that an increase in the supply of qualified graduates into Nigeria’s labor markets, as well as a reduction in the rate of unemployment, is a function of maintaining academic standards.
Keywords:
Original scientific papers (evaluated by academic peers)
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PubDate: 2024-07-31
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.15
- Cloning and Characterization of the Gene Encoding the Heat Shock Protein
HSP83 from Trypanosoma cruzi
Authors: Ana Fernández, Ana Rita De Lima, Elizabeth Ferrer
Pages: 1 - 15
Abstract: [Objective] Trypanosoma cruzi, a causal agent of Chagas’ disease, is a parasite whose life cycle alternates between an invertebrate (triatomine) and a vertebrate (mammal) host. Various studies have shown that in T. cruzi, HSP83 (a homolog of HSP90) is essential for cell division and control of the response to thermal stress. This investigation focused on studying the cloning, bioinformatic characterization, and expression of the heat shock protein HSP83 T. cruzi gene for further cell signaling studies. [Methodology] RNA was extracted from T. cruzi epimastigotes (EPm6 clone, MHOM/VE/2007/ 6c) using a commercial kit. The cDNA encoding HSP83 was determined using RT-PCR on extracted mRNA, for which the primers were designed based on the HSP83 sequence of T. cruzi strain CL Brener. Cloning was performed using pGEM®T-Easy and subcloned into the expression vector pQE30. Sequence and bioinformatic characterization were performed. The gene was expressed, and the recombinant protein was purified using affinity chromatography and identified through immunoblotting. [Results] Sequence analysis showed similarity to the gene encoding HSP83 from Trypanosoma cruzi, and HSP domains and B epitopes in the sequence were also observed. After 3 hours of induction with IPTG, a recombinant protein with an approximate weight of 83 kDa was obtained. The immunoblotting reaction with hyperimmune anti-T. cruzi epimastigote serum helped detect a single band with a molecular weight of nearly 83 kDa. [Conclusions] All results indicate that the cloning and characterization of HSP83 from Trypanosoma cruzi was achieved.
Keywords:
Original scientific papers (evaluated by academic peers)
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PubDate: 2024-07-31
DOI: 10.15359/ru.38-1.16
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