Aragon Government Research Articles

Evaluation of a soft skills serious game educational methodology in an industrial branches technical training program

The technical training of the industrial branches sometimes shows important shortcomings of new graduates in training and practice in analytical skills, high-level critical thinking, communication skills, teamwork and understanding of engineering in business practice. Gamification, understood as the application of design elements and game principles in the context of achieving learning outcomes, acquires a remarkable dimension and relevance. In this context, this job is focused on designing, developing, and measuring the results of a training module including gamification. This module is taught in an experimental training course aimed at a group with a heterogeneous educational level whose all its members play the role of team leader in manufacturing industries. The course is promoted by the Aragon (Spain) Government, and the Aragon Automotive Cluster Association, Caar. This work carries out a methodology and results evaluation project for soft skills problem solving and conflict resolution module, through gamification. For this evaluation, a discussion is carried out on the evaluation methods of gamified training. The work allows to obtain significant results on the methodology used in relation to the heterogeneity of the group. The study draws conclusions about the design of the methodology, the validity and efficacy of the educational method, the evaluation model and the relationship between training, experience and educational results.

An Evolving Insight into Metal Organic Framework-Functionalized Membranes for Water and Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. 1941700 and NSF Career No. 1944134 and to the Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Reclamation (BR) under Agreement No. R19AC00087. The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) under Sponsor No. 20-WRC207214 and to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Award No. 84014501. The financial Spanish Research Projects MAT2016-77290-R (MINECO/AEI, FEDER/UE), PID2019-104009RB-I00 (MICINN/AEI, FEDER/UE), and T43-20R (the Aragon Government and the ESF) are gratefully acknowledged.

HCH air levels derived from Bailín dumpsite dismantling (Sabiñánigo, Spain)

Remediation and management of dumpsites is a worldwide problem that must be addressed to protect human health and the environment. Aragon Government long-term objective is the control of air quality related to landfills used to dump organochlorine waste. The present study evaluated the influence of dismantling works performed in Bailín landfill, an hexachlorocyclohexane (1,2,3,4,5,6-hexaclorohexane; HCH) dumpsite located in the city of Sabiñánigo, Spain. A total of 65,000 t of HCH solid waste and 342,000 t of polluted soil were transferred to a new cell with additional isolating measures going beyond the Spanish legal requirements. To evaluate influence of excavation of the old cell, transfer of waste and the state once the works in Bailín area had finished, levels of α-, β-, γ-, δ- and ɛ- HCH isomers were analyzed in 112 air samples obtained from summer 2014 to autumn 2016 by using passive air samplers. Results showed that: i) the existence of the old landfill and/or the works performed during its dismantling were a source of HCH air contamination, ii) old landfill represented an HCH source even after dismantling work was completed, iii) other sources, tentatively associated to Sardas dumpsite and HCH production site (INQUINOSA Factory) were identified in the surroundings, where management should be addressed. Data comparison reflected a heavier contamination caused by the production, storage, and waste disposal than the corresponding to application of lindane and/or technical HCH in Spain. Meteorological dependence (temperature, solar radiation and relative humidity), α-/γ-HCH ratios and isomer profiles of HCH air concentrations were evaluated for temporal trends and geographic distribution.

Corrigendum

Corrigendum

Ant pollination promotes spatial genetic structure in the long-lived plantBorderea pyrenaica(Dioscoreaceae)

We thank Juan Jose Robledo-Arnuncio and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and for critically reviewing an earlier version of the manuscript, as well as Emily Lemonds and Douglas Laing for linguistic assistance. The present study has been funded by a Fundacion BBVA project grant BIOCON05/093. E. Perez-Collazos was supported by a Postdoctoral grant from the Fundacion BBVA. J. G. Segarra-Moragues was funded by two consecutive Spanish Aragon Government ‘Araid’ and Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation ‘Ramon y Cajal’ postdoctoral contracts, respectively. The work was partially supported by a Bioflora research group grant, co-funded by the Aragon Government and the European Social Fund.

Aula en bici: un proyecto longitudinal de intervención docente en Ed. Primaria (Class by Bicycle: a longitudinal project of educational intervention in primary school)

El desarrollo y la aplicación didáctica de un proyecto educativo que articule un contenido asociado a la utilización de la bicicleta, como recurso con amplias posibilidades educativas, es el objetivo del presente trabajo. El proyecto docente realizado se denomina el Aula en bici. Se trata de una experiencia didáctica piloto, en la que se efectúa un tratamiento pedagógico de carácter longitudinal, al vertebrar los objetivos y contenidos de trabajo a lo largo del segundo y tercer ciclo de Educación Primaria (de 3º a 6º curso). La vinculación con los bloques de contenido del Área de Educación Física establecidos por el Gobierno de Aragón (DGA) sitúa esta experiencia en el bloque de las habilidades motrices y en el de actividad física, salud y educación en valores. Esta experiencia ha logrado aproximar el contenido de la bicicleta desde una triple perspectiva: como medio de transporte urbano, como modalidad deportiva ecológica y saludable, y como herramienta para descubrir el medio natural. Palabra clave: Bicicleta, intervención didáctica, educación primaria, transversalidad, proyecto longitudinal.Abstract: The purpose of this study is the development and application of a program based on the use of the bicycle as educational tool. This project, named the Class by Bicycle was based on a longitudinal pedagogical treatment structuring the objectives and contents of work throughout Primary School (8-9 years old to 11-12 years old). This experience is included into the motor skill block, as well as into the physical activity, health and education values blocks according to the content blocks of Physical Education established by the Aragón Government (DGA). This experience approached the cycling contents from a tripled perspective: as a mean of urban transport, as an healthy and ecological sport, and as a tool to discover the natural environment.Key words: Bicycle, didactics intervention, primary school, methodology, longitudinal project.

Morphometric and molecular variation in concert: taxonomy and genetics of the reticulate Pyrenean and Iberian alpine spiny fescues (Festuca eskiacomplex, Poaceae)

We thank Victor Sorribas, Shi Ying and Clive Stace for their advice and help with the RFLP and CAPS analyses, the authorities of the Spanish National Parks of Ordesa-Monte Perdido, Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici and Picos de Europa for the permits to sample the Festuca materials in these protected areas, the curators of the G, FCO, JACA, LEB, MA, W, Z and Jochen Muller and Oscar Sanchez-Pedraja (private) herbaria for facilitating the loan of voucher specimens, Jochen Muller for fruitful nomenclatural discussion and Emily Lemonds for linguistic assistance. This work was supported by a Spanish Ministry of the Environment – National Parks Organism research project (059/2009) and by an Instituto de Estudios Altoaragoneses and Aragon Government-European FEDER Bioflora grant. P.T. and A.J.D.-P. were supported by Venezuelan CDCH postdoctoral and PhD grants, respectively. J.G.S.-M. was supported by two consecutive Aragon Government ‘Araid’ and Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation ‘Ramon y Cajal’ postdoctoral contracts. P.C. was supported by an Aragon CAI-Programa Europa XXI fellowship.

ChemInform Abstract: Isatin as a Strategic Motif for Asymmetric Catalysis

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Isatin as a Strategic Motif for Asymmetric Catalysis

We thank the Ministry of Science and Innovation (CTQ2010-19606-C02-01) and Aragon Government (E-10) for financial support of our research. R.H. and S.M. thank the Iranian Government for their fellowships and financial support.

Veinte años de seguimiento poblacional de ungulados silvestres de Aragón

The remarkable increase of wild ungulates populations in Aragon during the last 50 years, both in numbers and distribution, has made population monitoring a need for effective management of these species. In parallel to their raising numbers, problems related to crop damage and collisions with vehicles are growing. In this situation there has been a shift in the management goals from conservation to population control. Different methods have been used in the surveys: postal enquiries for distribution, battues, distance sampling, night spotlight surveys and indirect ones based on transect and plot counts of pellet groups. Surveys started in 1985 for red deer, 1990 for wild boar and Iberian wild goat, 1995 for chamois and 2002 for roe deer, gradually becoming a population monitoring program. The surveys are carried out by rangers and wildlife consultants under the coordination and supervision of the Fish and Game Service of the Aragon Government. The ungulate populations are still growing (wild boar, wild goat, red and roe deer), are relatively stabilised (fallow deer, feral goat), fluctuate due to diseases (chamois) or show small populations limited to fenced states (Barbary sheep, mouflon). Hunting bags went from 1,100 to 36,000 during an eleven-year period (1990-2009): 303 chamois, 1,173 wild goats, 2,141 roe deer, 2,424 red deer and 29,595 wild boars, showing a trend which is still increasing. The main tool is therefore hunting quota and its verification through hunting bags declarations, damages to crops and car crashes, and population trend and abundance.

Orthogonal Action of Noncovalent Interactions for Photoresponsive Chiral Columnar Assemblies

This work was supported by the CICYT projects MAT2009-14636-C03-01 and CTQ2009-09030, FEDER funding (EU), and the Aragon Government. F.V. thanks the MEC of Spain for a grant.

Restoration of the mudejar torre del Salvador of Teruel. Aragón, Spain

The Torre del Salvador together with the rest of the Mudejar architecture of Teruel was included in the World Heritage List in I986. Its restoration, promoted by the Aragon Government, has kept in mind its value as architectural element, a key piece of the Mudejar style of Aragon and Spain and as a symbolic part of the city. Paying attention to these meanings, the intervention tries to extend its survival and return it its splendor. There are no spatial transformations but merely an encounter with the traditional materials, a study and a contemporary interpretation of them and of the techniques through which they were applied. It was necessary to pay special attention to the plaster since it was the only composite used, as well as to another fundamental part of the Mudejar style of Teruel, the glazed ceramics of the facades, partly lost or deteriorated. The article tries to transmit the methodology of the project and the work which, together with the close familiarity with the building itself have been essential in the documentary and complementary studies.