Feasibility of electrochemical degradation of pharmaceutical pollutants in different aqueous matrices: optimization through design of experiments.

Electrochemical degradation of different effluents polluted with carbamazepine, a well-known refractory pharmaceutical contaminant, was addressed in this article. Ultrapure water (Milli-Q(TM) technology), surface water from a lake and urban wastewater were the matrices used to evaluate the feasibility of performing the electro-oxidation of carbamazepine. Specific designs of experiments were planned for each of the aqueous media. The initial carbamazepine concentration and the electric current density were considered as the operational variables. Although the optimal values of both variables follow the same trend in the three cases, significant differences are observed regarding the comparative influence of each variable on the degradation of carbamazepine.

Use of aromatic plants and essential oils in the teaching of physics and chemistry to enhance motivation and sustainability awareness among primary education trainee teachers.

This work faces the known problem of negative visión among prospective primary teachers regarding science teaching and learning. This is even more acute if gender is taken into account. To overcome this, the use of ethnobotany as a science of proximity is proposed. Specifically, an educational intervention is described that is based on a combination of active methodologies and the use of ethnobotany as a teaching tool for a subject with physics and chemistry contents. Ninety-two university-based primary education trainee teachers participated in the research. By means of questionnaires, information was collected regarding attitudes toward the subject and the use of ethnobotany as a teaching tool, evaluation of the proposal, sustainability awareness, and affective and emotional dimensions. The data indicated a great impact and acceptability. The results show a significant increase in motivation, an improvement in attitudes toward sustainable behavior and a favorable assessment of the proposed didactic tool. This hybrid methodology demonstrates, in the context used, effectiveness in improving the perception of science.

Detailed Emotional Profile of Secondary Education Students Toward Learning Physics and Chemistry.

The present research arises from the need to identify the emotions that K-7 to K-10 students experience toward the learning of Physics and Chemistry, since it is a fact that there is a decrease in the number of students choosing itineraries related to Science. Different blocks of contents have been considered in each subject in order to identify emotions toward each one of them. The considered sample consisted of 149 K-8 students, 152 K-9 students and 130 K-10 students from several middle and high schools in Badajoz (Spain) during the 2014-2015 school year. Students experienced more positive emotions toward the content of Chemistry than toward those of Physics. A decrease was detected in the mean frequency of positive emotions such as joy, fun, and tranquility from K-8 to K-10, as well as an increase in negative emotions such as boredom, anxiety, disgust, fear, nervousness, worry, and sadness. It has also been found that positive emotions toward Chemistry contents are mainly related to teachers' methods and attitudes, while negative emotions toward Physics contents are related to the exclusive use of the textbook, solving Physics problems, or giving oral presentations of the topics in class.

Exit for success. Gamifying science and technology for university students using escape-room. A preliminary approach.

There is a growing tendency to incorporate gamification activities with the aim of improving student's motivation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses. One of the strategies to apply gamification in the classroom is the use of the escape room. In this work different experiences of escape room in the context of formal university education are analysed. The analysis of students' opinions shows that such activities are well received regardless of background (engineering or education) or gender. The emotions that arise from the experience are mostly positive and the students state that they have developed both specific and transversal competencies. Finally, practical considerations are proposed based on the lessons learned from the developed experiences.

The influence of teaching methodologies in the assimilation of density concept in primary teacher trainees.

Density is one of the most misunderstood concepts amongst the most basic scientific ones, although it is studied even from the earlier academic stages. This is the reason teachers must know its implications as well as possible, including not only the classical definition or what students called "formula" (density is equal to mass divided by volume) but also the concept itself (that is, an intensive matter property). According to this concern, the current research focuses its interest in studying how different teaching methodologies have different outputs in the learning process of pre-service primary teachers. The main aim of this research is to compare the learning results of a control group (n = 84), where mainly oral-based expositions were used as the teaching instrument, with an experimental group (n = 109), where the main educative tool were laboratory activities. The results show statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between both methodologies and reveal the existence of difficulties in the conceptual and experimental understanding of the concept of density. Although those students that were submitted to hands-on activities presented a significant better comprehension of the density idea, the persistence of misconceptions regarding this scientific relevant concept is also confirmed at university level.

Paroxysmal extreme pain disorder: a molecular lesion of peripheral neurons.

BACKGROUND: a 3-month-old male infant presented, beginning on the second day of life, with paroxysmal painful events that started with tonic contraction of the whole body followed by erythematous harlequin-type color changes. INVESTIGATIONS: screening of the SCN9A gene, which encodes the voltage-gated sodium channel Na(V)1.7, identified a new mutation, Gly1607Arg, located within the domain IV S4 voltage sensor. Whole-cell patch-clamp analysis demonstrated functional effects of the mutant channel that included impaired inactivation-a hallmark of paroxysmal extreme pain disorder (PEPD). DIAGNOSIS: the patient was diagnosed as having PEPD, an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by severe rectal pain triggered by defecation or perineal stimulation, usually followed by ocular or submaxillary pain. Erythematous flushing, sometimes in a harlequin pattern, can be a prominent feature of this condition. MANAGEMENT: treatment with carbamazepine (10 mg/kg/day) for approximately 3 months was ineffective in this case, and the parents made a decision to discontinue the drug. The mother was instructed to avoid painful stimuli that could trigger an episode.