Browsing by Author "Carrasco, Ximena"

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    Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Aymara children
    (SOC MEDICA SANTIAGO, 2012) Carrasco, Ximena; Daiber, Francisca; Rothhammer, Paula; Huerta, Daniela; Andrade, Claudia; Opazo, Patricia; Paz Lagos, Liza; Rothhammer, Francisco; Aboitiz, Francisco
    Background: The assessment of Attentional Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among ethnic groups may reveal environmental or cultural variables that influence the appearance of this disorder. Aim: To assess the presence and characteristics of ADHD in two communities of the inland Arica valleys (Azapa and Lluta), where the Aymara population predominates. Material and Methods: Starting from a screening based on the Conner's test, we evaluated 79 children aged 8 to 13 years. Sixty children were of Aymara origin and 19 children were of non-Aymara origin. Twenty Aymara and 9 non-Aymara children had ADHD. They were compared with a group of patients from Santiago, Chile (110 children) that were previously assessed. Results: Patients from Azapa/Lluta displayed similar characteristics to those from Santiago. However the former had significantly less psychiatric comorbidities than the latter. On the other hand, the non-Aymara subgroup of Azapa/Lluta displayed an increased rate of comorbidities and was exclusively of the combined subtype, although their sample size is too small to draw strong conclusions. Conclusions: Although we cannot dismiss biological variables, the importance of family values and the respect to authorities may be protective factors for ADHD, associated to Aymara culture. Our findings suggest that the clinical characteristics of ADHD are not uniform among ethnic groups and cultures. The relative contribution of environmental and genetic factors in this variability remain to be determined. (Rev Med Chile 2012; 140: 1409-1416).
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    Exogenous orienting of visual-spatial attention in ADHD children
    (2013) Ortega, Rodrigo; López Hernández, Vladimir; Carrasco, Ximena; Anllo-Vento, Lourdes; Aboitiz, Francisco
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    Non-homogeneous spatial configuration of vibrissae cortical representation in layer IV of the barrel somatosensory cortex
    (SOC BIOLGIA CHILE, 2008) Guic, Eliana; Carrasco, Ximena; Rodriguez, Eugenio; Robles, Ignacio; Merzenich, Michael M.
    In the present experiments we studied exclusive and overlapping cortical representational areas of the vibrissae in layer IV cells, across the entire barrel subfield of the rat somatosensory cortex, looking for evidences that would challenge the present assumptions of homogeneity and symmetry among cortical columns in this sensorial system. Our main findings were that in layer IV of the rat barrel cortex: A) Size of vibrissae cortical representational areas (X=0.4174mm(2); SD=0.025) was not homogeneous, vibrissae in dorsal rows (A-B) had significantly smaller areas than those in ventral rows (D-E), a pattern that repeated itself in arcs 1-4. B) This difference arises from vibrissal representational overlap, and not from variations in exclusive zones, which are surprisingly homogeneous in size across the barrel cortex (X=0.079mm(2); SD=0.0075), C) The extent of overlapping cortical areas varied systematically, with intra-row overlapping areas having a predominant bias (71.4% of total overlapping) independent of area sizes. Accordingly, vibrissae shared receptive fields with an average of 1.15 vibrissae in the same row and 0.38 in the same arc. Barrel cortex has been viewed operationally as a conglomerate of essentially homogenous cortical columns that interact equivalently in the ire and row dimensions. Our simple but global cortical reconstructions show that this predominant view should be revised. We postulate that the vibrissae/barrels spatial disposition in rows and arcs has a relevant functional meaning, related to different sensory capabilities.
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    Science Teacher Education in Chile: On the Verge of a Turning Point toward STEM-Oriented Science Education
    (Springer International Publishing, 2023) Merino, Cristian; Marzabal Blancafort, Ainoa; Miller, Brant G.; Carrasco, Ximena; Marzabal Blancafort, Ainoa; Facultad de Educación, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
    In this chapter, we discuss how the STEM era is impacting secondary science teacher education in Chile. We begin by framing the Chilean context related to governmental policy associated with science education reforms as it relates to larger STEM era conversations globally. Two Chilean universities are highlighted for their innovative and complementary approaches to teacher education—Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV). Both institutions have explicitly sought to effectively prepare secondary science teachers in a way that both embraces and enacts the STEM approach. For PUC that embodies a focus on the development of STEM Pedagogical Content Knowledge; and PUCV focuses on teaching reflection, practice, and action. After a careful review of the two approaches, broader considerations are explored for science education in the STEM era as it relates to the Chilean context.
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    Theta and Alpha Oscillation Impairments in Autistic Spectrum Disorder Reflect Working Memory Deficit
    (2017) Larraín Valenzuela, Josefina; Zamorano, Francisco; Soto Icaza, Patricia; Carrasco, Ximena; Herrera, Claudia; Aboitiz, Francisco; Daiber, Francisca; Billeke, Pablo
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    Use of augmented reality in chromatography learning: How is this dynamic visual artifact fostering the visualization capacities of chemistry undergraduate students?
    (FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2022) Merino, Cristian; Marzabal, Ainoa; Quiroz, Waldo; Pino, Sonia; Lopez-Cortes, Francisco; Carrasco, Ximena; Miller, Brant G.
    Developing chemistry students' capability to use representations to explain phenomena is a challenging task for educators. To overcome chemistry students' learning difficulties, strategies that favor the development of visualization capabilities have been identified as productive. We are particularly interested in exploring the use of augmented reality in chemistry education to foster the development of those capabilities in undergraduate students. Our research objective was to analyze the contribution of augmented reality to support undergraduate chemistry students' visualization capacities while explaining the physical-kinetic processes of chromatography. Using an exploratory case study approach, we designed and conducted four task teaching and learning sequences, with seven Augmented Reality markers embedded. Thirty-eight undergraduate students, who voluntarily agreed to participate, explained the different elution rates of pigments in a chromatographic column. Their written accounts were analyzed to identify the level of sophistication of their representations. After using Augmented Reality, students' representations progressed from simple macroscopic descriptions of observed phenomena to explanations of processes where scientific ideas and microscopic representations were used as supporting evidence. Our study shows that the use of Augmented Reality has the potential to favor a more sophisticated use of representations when undergraduate students explain chromatographic processes. However, there are still limitations in reaching the highest levels of performance described in the literature.