Examining the impact of technology-mediated oral communicative tasks on students’ willingness to communicate and communicative performance

This study examines the impact of technology-mediated pedagogical tasks on students’ willingness to communicate and communicative performance in the intermediate level of Spanish at Iowa State University. Drawing from the framework on technology-mediated tasks by Gonzalez-Lloret & Ortega, 2014, and the World-Readiness Standards for communicative performance of the American Council on the Teaching for Foreign Languages, the technology-mediated pedagogical tasks were designed and implemented over the course a semester on the video platform Flipgrid. A quasi-experimental mixed-methods research with two groups of participants: (1) technology-mediated tasks (FG), and comparison group (CG) was conducted. Quantitative data sources included a pre-post survey on learners’ willingness to communicate, scores on speaking quizzes, scores on final oral presentation, scores and analytic data from the Flipgrid tasks. The qualitative data included learners’ reflections on their participation in the technology-mediated oral (FG group only), learners’ midterm and final survey, focus-group interviews with students, and semi-structured interviews with instructors. Results of this study indicated that the implementation of the technology-mediated pedagogical tasks facilitated students’ increase in their willingness to communicate and communicative performance, as well as in the use of Spanish in spontaneous ways. In addition, the findings suggest that students in the FG group perceived increased confidence in their speaking skills while participating in the tasks within a safe and free-from judgment learning environment. The findings also showed the instructor’s mixed perceptions while facilitating the technology-mediated tasks. The course instructor believed that students’ apparent growth in their communicative performance responded more from students’ interest and motivation than from extended practice. Contrastively, students in the CG had statistically significantly higher scores in the post-survey than students in the FG, specifically for the variable international posture. In addition, the CG group’s instructor perceived that students’ speaking skills related mostly to the learning environment and the support provided. This dissertation shows that the design of the pedagogical tasks is closely connected to the affordances of the technology applications, therefore, placing greater emphasis on evaluating how the technology can leverage language learning. This study has pedagogical as well as theoretical implications regarding the design of technology-mediated pedagogical tasks and the conditions of the learning environment that can foster or hinder students’ willingness to participate and communicative performance

Etiology of chronic urticaria: the Ecuadorian experience

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify chronic urticaria (CU) etiologies and treatment modalities in Ecuador. We propose that the sample distribution fits the expected one, and that there is an association between the etiology and its treatment. Methods: We performed a retrospective study involving 112 patients diagnosed with CU using a Checklist for a complete chronic urticaria medical history. Demographic and clinical variables were collected. The etiology of CU was classified using the EAACI/GA2LEN/EDF/WAO guideline. Descriptive analyses were performed for demographical and clinical variables. Chi square tests were applied to analyze the fit of distribution and the independence of variables. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Among all the patients, 76.8% were diagnosed with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), of which 22.3% had a known etiology or possible exacerbating condition. Food allergy was identified as the most common accompanying condition in patients with CSU (10.7%) (p < 0.01).. On the other hand, 23.2% inducible urticarias (CIndU) were indentified; dermographism was the most common (10.7%) (p < 0.01). Regarding treatment regimens, sg-H1-antihistamines alone represented the highest proportion (44.6%). The combination of any H1-antihistamine plus other drug was a close second (42.0%) (p < 0.01). Almost 48% of CSUs of unknown etiology were treated with any antihistamine plus another drug. In patients with known etiology, sg-antihistamines alone (44.0%) was the most common management. In addition, 53.8% of CIndUs were treated with sg-antihistamines alone. Though, these associations were not statistically significant. Conclusion: CSU is the most frequent subtype of CU. Modern non-sedating antihistamines in licensed doses are the drug of choice. Nevertheless, a great proportion of patients require the addition of another type of medication

Willingness to communicate and oral communicative performance through asynchronous video discussions

Speaking in a foreign/second language is a challenge for many learners, even when they have linguistic knowledge. Drawing on González-Lloret and Ortega’s (2014) framework for technology-mediated tasks and MacIntyre’s (2007) framework for willingness to communicate in a second language, this mixed- methods study investigated the impact of asynchronous video discussion tasks on learners' willingness to communicate and oral communicative performance. Two groups of intermediate learners of Spanish participated in the study, (a) a video discussion Flip group (the experimental group) (FG, n = 28), and (b) a control group (CG, n = 24). Measures included a pre-post survey, speaking quizzes, a final oral presentation, and semi-structured interviews. Results showed that the video discussion tasks facilitated the increase of FG students’ willingness to communicate and oral communicative performance, and their frequency and confidence in using Spanish. The qualitative findings revealed FG students' positive but challenging experiences in the tasks. Implications for practice and further research are provided

Management and attitudes about IPF (Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis) among physicians from Latin America

Background: The aim of our study was to assess current practice patterns and attitudes towards diagnosis and management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients in Latin America. Methods: A Cross-sectional survey was developed and up to 455 physicians were enrolled. We used a rigorous method of validation using the translated version of the AIR Survey. Results: Mean age was 47.5 years (SD 12.6) with 20.4 years (SD 12.3) of practice. In around 30% of physicians were reported access to radiologist, pathologist and multidisciplinary team. Despite almost all physicians reported that (ATS/ERS/JRS/ALAT) guidelines are useful, half of them prescribed corticoids for treatment of disease. Most respondents (69.9%) reported cough as the presenting symptom. Around 80% considered IPF to be an important clinical disorder, and felt that identifying patients at risk for IPF was important or extremely important. However, only 59.7% felt confident in managing patients with IPF, and similar numbers (60.8%) felt confident about their knowledge. Pulmonologist have more confidence and management of IPF that no pulmonologist. Conclusion: The results of this survey of Latin American physicians could help to fill gaps regarding awareness, management and treatment of IPF and improve earlier diagnosis of IPF

Autoimmune thyroid disease and urticarial vasculitis: is there a significant association?

Little is known about the association of urticarial vasculitis (UV) with thyroid autoimmunity. The latter has been mostly described in the setting of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). In this letter to the editor, we compare UV and CSU through retrospective analyses, which reveal that 41.7% patients with UV presented antithyroperoxidase (anti-TPO) and/or antithyroglobulin antibody (ATA) above the reference range, while only 4% patients with CSU had these antibodies elevated. There is a moderately strong association assessed by the Phi coefficient (φ = 0.420, p = 0.004). Further research is needed to appropriately address the relationship between UV and thyroid autoimmunity and explore any potential underlying pathophysiological process between both diseases

Diseño e implementación de un sistema de localización, medición de velocidad y aceleración de un vehículo para determinar rutas alternas, utilizando tecnologías GPS Y GPRS.

Se construyó un sistema vehicular que utilizó tecnologías de Sistema de Posicionamiento Global (GPS) y de servicio General de Paquetes Vía Radio (GPRS) con ayuda de google maps para evitar el tráfico y para vehículos que no cuentan con la tecnología de rastreo satelital. Dicho sistema posibilitó visualizar en una aplicación celular creada por el autor llamada Traveling with maps la ubicación, velocidad, aceleración y distancia recorrida cuando se traslada a un destino captando el tráfico en tiempo real para evitarlo y así disminuir la tensión, estrés del conductor reduciendo accidentes de tránsito. El sistema se desarrolló por bloques de: entrada, procesamiento, almacenamiento y salida. En el primer bloque se recolectaron datos mediante el módulo GPS/GSM/GPRS SIM 808 y el sensor de efecto hall W130-515, el segundo bloque procesó los datos obtenidos a través del Arduino Uno siendo esta la placa principal, los dos Arduinos Nano fueron programados para realizar cálculos matemáticos y enviarlos a la placa principal, además en este bloque se envía un sms con la posición en tiempo real obtenida por GPS, mediante la tecnología GPRS; en el tercer bloque se creó una base de datos del tráfico existente en la ciudad en horas pico que es visualizada en el cuarto bloque a través de marcadores que fueron ubicados según la información obtenida, además en el cuarto bloque se visualizaron los datos obtenidos en el primer bloque que fueron transmitidos por el módulo bluetooth HC-05. La aplicación fue programada para mostrar una ruta alterna que evite el tráfico que se observa en la aplicación. Se concluyó que el sistema tiene una ventaja con los demás sistemas comparados porque no se necesita un pago mensual y es completo en cuanto a los servicios que ofrece. Se recomienda que la aplicación sea manejada por un copiloto porque puede ocasionar accidentes e infracciones.A vehicle system was built using Global Positioning System (GPS) and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technologies with the help of google maps to avoid traffic and for vehicles that do not have satellite tracking technology. This system made it possible to visualize in a cellular application created by the author called Traveling with maps the location, speed, acceleration and distance traveled when it is transferred to a destination capturing the traffic in real time to avoid it and thus to reduce the tension, driver stress reducing accidents traffic. The system was developed by blocks of: input, processing, storage and output. In the first block, data were collected using the GPS / GSM / GPRS SIM 808 module and the hall effect sensor W130-515, the second block processed the data obtained through the Arduino Uno being the main board, the two Arduinos Nano were Programmed to perform mathematical calculations and send them to the main board, also in this block sends a sms with the position in real time obtained by GPS, using GPRS technology; In the third block a database of the existing traffic in the city was created in peak hours, which is visualized in the fourth block through markers that were located according to the information obtained, and in the fourth block the data obtained in the fourth block were visualized First block that were transmitted by the Bluetooth module HC-05. The application was programmed to show an alternate route that avoids the traffic that is observed in the application. It was concluded that the system has an advantage with other systems compared because it does not need a monthly payment and is complete in terms of the services it offers. It is recommended that the application be handled by a co-pilot because it can lead to accidents and infractions

Diseño y aplicación de un instructivo de seguridad industrial

PDFEl problema objeto de investigación se presentó por las falencia observadas en los talleres del Instituto Tecnológico Simón Bolívar, en cuanto que las practicas se realizan en condiciones inseguras que laboran en su aéreas de trabajo, las mismas que no cumplen las normas de seguridad que demanda un trabajo de calidad, y que los estudiantes y profesores deben aprender atrabajar bajo normativa y seguir un manual de seguridad industrial, el objetivo de estudio fue diseñar un instructivo de seguridad industrial y prevención de riesgos , determinar la factibilidad de implementarlo y ponerlo en marcha. La metodología de la investigación del proyectos de desarrollo factible en el que se utilizar {a investigación de campo y documental de tipo descriptivo, el diagnóstico está basado en preguntas directrices, la población a investigación es el personal administrativo, estudiantes personal de servicio del Instituto Tecnológico Superior Técnico Simón Bolívar, con una población de autoridades de cuatro, docente 73, estudiantes 1.073 da un total de 1.150, la técnica de utilización de datos se utilizó la encuesta y el cuestionario. Los recursos utilizados en la investigación son : humanos, técnicos y económicos el objetivo es minimizar los riesgos de trabajo en ninguno de los talleres de trabajo en base a la prevención de riesgos y seguridad, y la prevención de enfermedades profesionales ocasionadas por los trabajos en forma empírica o tradicional, para lograr mejorar los estándares de seguridad y salud, y propuesta corresponde satisfacer la creación de una estructura administrativa relacionada con la seguridad industrialThe problem under investigation is presented for the shortcoming observed in the workshops of the institute of Technology Simon Bolivar, in that the practices are performed in unsafe conditions working in their work areas, which do not meet the same safety standards that demands quality work, and that students and teachers must learn atrabajar under rules and instructive industrial safety manual, the aim of study was to designa n instructive industrial safety and risk prevention, to determine the feasibility of implementing it and get it going. The research methodology feasible development projects which use a documentary fieldreseach and descriptive, the diagnosis is based on guiding questions, the research population is the staff, student service personnel Institute of Technology Technical Superior Simon Bolivar, with a population of four authorities, teachers 73, 1073 students a total of 1150, the technique of use of data you/he/she was used the survey and the questionnaire. The resources used in the investigation are: human, technicians and economic the objective is to minimize the working risks in none of the working shops based on the works in empiric or traditional form, to be able to improve the safe-deposit standards and health, and proposal corresponds to satisfy the creation of an administrative structure related with the industrial security

Creación de una empresa exportadora de peces ornamentales

En esta tesis de Tópico se presenta de forma clara y detallada el aspecto técnico y financiero de la creación de una empresa acuícola de exportación de peces ornamentales enfocada a la realidad económica del País, y a las oportunidades y amenazas que esto suscita. Se presenta los aspectos legales y estructurales de la creación de la empresa, su constitución, los aspectos generales de exportación, entre ellos los requisitos en los diferentes mercados internacionales (Comunidad Europea, Estados Unidos, etc.), sistemas de comercialización, condiciones de contrato, tramites, mercadeo, estrategias de venta, etc. La empresa estará ubicada en el sector del “Cortijo” vía Samborondón con un espacio físico de 1 Ha donde se realizara la construcción de las oficinas y el laboratorio abastecido de agua por la perforación de un pozo. Se espera poder de esta manera obtener los recursos financieros necesarios para sentar las bases de la investigación básica de las especies nativas de exportación (aún desconocido) haciendo la actividad auto sustentable

El código orgánico de la producción, comercio e inversiones: Mecanismo para fomento de las exportaciones nacionales. Período 2009-2013

Comercio exterior: La investigación propuesta pretende analizar el Código Orgánico de la Producción COPCI y su impacto en el fomento de las exportaciones. El análisis se basa en el hecho de poder diversificar las exportaciones y dejar la dependencia al petróleo, bajo el hecho de un cambio en la matriz productiva, el COPCI pretende estimular las exportaciones nacionales en busca de nuevos mercados internacionales, es por eso que el COPCI se aprueba en el 2010, pero se pone en vigencia en el 2011. El estudio se lo enfocará en el período de análisis 2009-2013.: The proposed research aims to analyze the Organic Code of Production Copci and its impact on the promotion of exports. The analysis is based on being able to diversify exports and leave the dependence on oil, on the fact of a change in the production model, the Copci aims to stimulate domestic exports for new international markets, is why the Copci it was approved in 2010, but it gets into force in 2011. the study would focus on the analysis period 2009-2013

Marketing turístico ecuador, incidencia tras la declaratoria de Rvsmc- Pacoche a San Lorenzo - Manta

Las montañas de San Lorenzo ahora declarada Refugio de Vida Silvestre Marino y Costero Pacoche tiene como característica ser un bosque primario-secundario, en donde la flora y la fauna es muy exuberante, antes de la declaratoria era un lugar visitado en su mayoría por estudiantes de turismo y personas amantes de la aventura, no habían senderos seguros para familias y niños, los dueños de las tierras del sector comenzaban a deforestar para la agricultura, después de la declaratoria, toma la administración el Ministerio del Ambiente y cambia de dirección. Esta investigación tiene como objetivo principal analizar la incidencia del marketing turístico en la afluencia de visitantes antes y después de ser declarado a las Montañas de San Lorenzo como Refugio de Vida Silvestre Marino y Costero Pacoche. La metodología aplicada fue la investigación descriptiva, porque se determinó el efecto de la declaración de área protegida a las Montañas de San Lorenzo. Como resultado se obtuvo que la incidencia fue positiva ya que antes de la declaratoria solo las visitaban estudiantes de turismo y personas gustosas de la flora y la fauna, y a partir del 2009 la afluencia de turistas aumento considerablemente justamente por haberla declarado RVSMC Pacoche (figura 7), las agencias ya promocionan este lugar en sus portafolio de productos. Se concluye declarar zonas protegidas a territorios nacionales es un buen Marketing turístico, ya que atraen más a los turistas