Effects of Two Grazing Conditions on the Reproductive Achievement of Male Alpaca in the Northern Peru Grasslands

Alpaca have recently been introduced to the northern Peru grasslands (Jalca). Effects of two systems of grazing management, co-grazing (with sheep) under fair grassland condition (CGFC) versus exclusive grazing under good grassland condition (EGGC), upon the reproductive achievement was examined from the 6th to the 16th month of age. Each system involved 20 Huacaya animals, managed by individual herders. Availability of herbage preferred by alpaca (HMA) and animal measurements (herbage intake, liveweight, testicle size, penis release from preputial attachments, plasma testosterone) were monitored monthly. Puberty, judged by the penis release from the preputial attachments, was achieved by 7 animals in the EGGC system, compared to nil in the CGFC system. Although this achievement was positive and closely related to the rate of body growth as influenced by the feeding level, it might be subject to some underlying process of adaptation

On Unitary Time Evolution in Gowdy T3T^3 Cosmologies

A non-perturbative canonical quantization of Gowdy $T^3$ polarized models carried out recently is considered. This approach profits from the equivalence between the symmetry reduced model and 2+1 gravity coupled to a massless real scalar field. The system is partially gauge fixed and a choice of internal time is performed, for which the true degrees of freedom of the model reduce to a massless free scalar field propagating on a 2-dimensional expanding torus. It is shown that the symplectic transformation that determines the classical dynamics cannot be unitarily implemented on the corresponding Hilbert space of quantum states. The implications of this result for both quantization of fields on curved manifolds and physically relevant questions regarding the initial singularity are discussed.Comment: 16 pages, no figures, latex file; references added, a proof included. Final version to appear in IJMP

Recovery of anchovy (Engraulis anchoita) and whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri) proteins by alkaline solubilisation process

The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical, chemical, and functional properties of recovered proteins of anchovy (Engraulis anchoita) and whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri) through the process of alkaline solubilisation and isoelectric precipitation, using different solubilisation (NaOH and KOH) and precipitation (HCl and H3PO4) reagents. The tests showed high protein level, and the lowest lipid reduction (94.5%) was found in the recovered protein of anchovy, the lowest yield of the process was 76.1%. The highest whiteness (78.8 and 74.2) was found in whitemouth croaker proteins. The solubilisation of the recovered protein was studied in the pH range (3, 5, 7, 9, and 11). The maximum solubility was at pHs 3 and 11 and minimum solubility was at pH 5 in the species under study

Examining Librarians’ Rights in the Philippine Copyright Law: The Academic Law Librarians\u27 Standpoint

Academic law librarians have two primary responsibilities in the profession: to be faithful to the fundamental law of library science, and to be the frontrunners in implementing the law of the land. The Philippine copyright law tests the academic law librarians\u27 purpose in accomplishing both responsibilities. In this pandemic, when most library services are on online modality, the academic law librarians’ duty of providing information the fastest way possible may slow down due to their obligation to abide by the copyright law. To avoid this scenario and provide recommendations when this happens, the researchers of this study examines the overall perception of academic law librarians on the following: (1) the degree of which the copyright law in the country affects the librarians\u27 provision of information service in this time of online modality; (2) the copyright law’s impacts in fulfilling librarians\u27 mission of carrying out the first fundamental law of library science; and (3) the extent of support the copyright law is providing the librarians while performing their tasks. Results are gathered using a 3-part survey questionnaire that tackles the demographics, perceptions, and concerns, and suggestions of the respondents. These are analyzed using percentages, weighted mean, and Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient. Salient results such as the low level of support the academic law librarians perceive they can get from the Philippine copyright law, and their conviction that the prevailing law needs additional provisions to protect librarians in providing information services while adhering to the fundamental law of librarianship, are significantly discussed in this study

The performance of social responsible investing from retail investors' perspective: international evidence

This paper investigates the performance of socially responsible investment (SRI) portfolios compared to conventional investments. Adopting a retail investor's perspective, we provide evidence of SRI financial performance at the worldwide level as well as at the regional level, for five regions (North America, Europe except UK, UK, Pacific region and emerging markets). Our results show that the performance of global SRI portfolios is higher than conventional investments. Moreover, we observe differences in the financial performance of regional SRI portfolios in the overall period and, in particular, in bear markets. These results suggest that country-specific factors may affect the relationship between corporate social and financial performance

Language Classroom Anxiety: College Students’ Perceptions, Experiences, and Manifestations in a University

The study assessed the factors that contributed to the language anxiety of college female students in the use of English as a second language; their perceptions, experiences, manifestations, and the extent to which the classroom environment contributes to the students’ anxiety in learning the target language. The mixed method was used in the study with quantitative and qualitative data analysis. The quantitative dealt with numeric data and analyses, while qualitative dealt with narrative data and analyses. The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale [1] was the main research tool used in gathering the data and the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) for an in-depth analysis of the students’ language anxiety. Considering the low-risk status of the study, the Research Ethics Committee approved the research protocol and informed consent in an expedited manner considering the respondents as a non-vulnerable group. In quantitative analysis, the findings revealed that the majority of the respondents agreed having perceived, experienced, and manifested their English language anxiety in the classroom as per composite mean of 3.52; 3.19; and 3.30 respectively. In qualitative analysis, the findings disclosed that three-fourths or a little less of the student respondents had anxiety in each of the ten themes: (1) students’ perceptions in English; (2) actual language anxiety experiences; (3) students’ academic outputs in English; (4) characteristics of English teachers; (5) teaching strategies employed; (6) attendance in English language class; (7) participation in dialogue/role play; (8) importance of English language; (9) fear of negative evaluation; and (10)  test-taking. However, some of the anxieties were mitigated by using appropriate teaching strategies and the accommodating-positive attitudes of the English teachers in handling the English class. Hence, regardless of sex and race, the cited related literature and the present findings have revealed that learners of a second/foreign language had experienced anxiety in the classroom. Further studies may be explored to unravel new insights using the time-honored Anxiety Theory not just to test the theory but to build a new one if possible

PAHs and metals in a coastal lagoon (Esmoriz/Paramos), Portugal

Esmoriz/Paramos is a coastal lagoon on the northwest coast of Portugal with an area of approximately 5.6 km2 and occasional communication with the sea. This habitat has a great ecological importance due to the characteristics of its fauna and vegetation. For the last 25 years, the wet area of the lagoon has been reduced as well as its biodiversity and at present it is very degraded and in-filled. The transport of particles from land through the main affluent is one of the causes for siltation. Pollution sources include untreated sewage water, industrial effluents and run-off from agricultural activities. Dredging the sediments is the strategy planned by the local authorities to restore this ecosystem and improve its recreational value. Thus, evaluation of sediment quality is important for planning disposal purposes. The objective of this work was to evaluate de water quality of the lagoon and to assess the contamination of its sediments by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals. The water analysis carried out in three different stations within the lagoon, showed a poor quality, namely low oxygen concentrations and high inorganic nitrogen and biochemical oxygen demand, whereas the sediments revealed moderate concentrations of PAHs with different patterns of distribution along stations and depth. Zinc was the most abundant metal followed by copper and smaller concentrations of lead and chromium. Metal variation in sediments was larger between stations than along depth. Therefore an average concentration of metals exposure to living organisms was calculated

Multivoicedness as a tool for expanding school leaders’ understandings and practices for school-based professional development

This article presents findings from the implementation of a pilot study of a professional development model, Schools Inquiring and Learning with Peers (SILP) in Chile. SILP includes a network learning setting involving a cluster of three schools supported by university partners that conduct peer reviews and a school learning setting involving school teams in conversations to mobilise new leadership for learning practices. The notions of joint practice development and multivoicedness in professional conversations are the essence of these processes. Data produced through the review process, understood as voices, enabled participants to incorporate the perspectives, conceptual horizon, and intentions of administrators, students, and teachers who need to collaborate for teaching to produce learning. Across schools we observed common learning as well as important differences. These differences show that by taking an active role in making sense of their participation in a professional development programme, learners achieve outcomes that may be much more meaningful than what program designers prescribed. As facilitators we learned with participants about their specific contexts, expanding the affordances they and we envisioned for the use of new tools that became available through their participation in SILP