Teachers’ professional identity: validation of an assessment instrument for preservice teachers

This study aims to develop and validate an instrument to analyse future Secondary Education teachers' perceptions regarding the development of Teachers' Professional Identity (TPI). The data were collected from a sample of 733 participants who were students enrolled in the Master's Degree for Secondary Education teachers. The psychometric properties of the instrument were obtained by analysing content, and comprehension validity, construct validity and reliability. A first subsample was used for an Exploratory Factor Analysis, and a second one to verify the identified factor structure via Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The instrument is made up of 31 items in four scales namely the understanding of TPI, the development of TPI at various educational levels, the development of TPI in comparison with that of other professionals and the influencing factors. The results show that it has high levels of validity and reliability. Therefore, it provides TPI research field with an instrument to assess it during the initial teacher training period in consecutive training models where it seems to occur more identity crisis

El efecto de la ineficacia de los actos traslaticios de dominio en el hecho generador del impuesto de alcabala (Tema Central)

This work presents a critical evaluation of article 529 of Cootad (Organic Code of Territorial Organization, Autonomy and Decentralization). Article 529 prescribes that the alcabala tax that has been paid for the transfer of a property will not be refunded in cases of reform, nullity, resolution or rescission of the contracts that preceded the transfer. Specifically, this work analyzes the effect that those cases of inefficacy have over the alcabala tax’s taxable event. This analysis is based on the principle of contributory capacity and its incidence over the taxable event of the alcabala tax. It seeks to determine if, in the cases of reform, nullity, resolution or rescission of the acts that preceded the transfer, the taxable event of the alcabala tax is configured. This work concludes that in cases of nullity, resolution or rescission there is no legal justification to deny the refund of the paid alcabala tax, given that the consequence of those cases of inefficacy is to reverse the effects of the act or contract that originated the tax collection. Therefore, we consider that this retroactive effect conduces to the dissolution of the taxable event, so denying its refund contradicts the principle of contributory capacity.A lo largo de este trabajo se realiza una evaluación crítica del art. 529 del Cootad (Código Orgánico de Organización Territorial, Autonomía y Descentralización), el cual prescribe que el impuesto de alcabala pagado como consecuencia de la transferencia de dominio de un bien inmueble no es susceptible de devolución en favor del sujeto pasivo, en los casos de reforma, nulidad, resolución o rescisión de los actos o contratos que precedieron a la transferencia. Específicamente, se analiza el impacto que dichos supuestos de ineficacia tienen en el hecho generador del tributo. El referido análisis se realiza con un enfoque en el rol del principio de capacidad contributiva en el régimen tributario y su incidencia en el hecho generador, a fin de dilucidar si procede desconocer la devolución del impuesto de alcabala en los términos previstos en el art. 529 del Cootad. Se concluye que, en supuestos de nulidad, rescisión o resolución, no existe justificación jurídica para negar la devolución del impuesto de alcabala pagado, en vista de que la consecuencia de estos supuestos de ineficacia es retrotraer los efectos del acto o contrato que originó el cobro del impuesto. En consecuencia, se considera que este efecto retroactivo conlleva a la disolución del hecho generador del tributo, por lo cual negar su devolución contraviene el principio de capacidad contributiva

Presentación del dossier: Los desafíos actuales del derecho tributario

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Obscuration in AGNs: near-infrared luminosity relations and dust colors

We combine two approaches to isolate the AGN luminosity at near-infrared wavelengths and relate the near-IR pure AGN luminosity to other tracers of the AGN. Using integral-field spectroscopic data of an archival sample of 51 local AGNs, we estimate the fraction of non-stellar light by comparing the nuclear equivalent width of the stellar 2.3 micron CO absorption feature with the intrinsic value for each galaxy. We compare this fraction to that derived from a spectral decomposition of the integrated light in the central arc second and find them to be consistent with each other. Using our estimates of the near-IR AGN light, we find a strong correlation with presumably isotropic AGN tracers. We show that a significant offset exists between type 1 and type 2 sources in the sense that type 1 sources are 7 (10) times brighter in the near-IR at log L_MIR = 42.5 (log L_X = 42.5). These offsets only becomes clear when treating infrared type 1 sources as type 1 AGNs. All AGNs have very red near-to-mid-IR dust colors. This, as well as the range of observed near-IR temperatures, can be explained with a simple model with only two free parameters: the obscuration to the hot dust and the ratio between the warm and hot dust areas. We find obscurations of A_V (hot) = 5 - 15 mag for infrared type 1 sources and A_V (hot) = 15 - 35 mag for type 2 sources. The ratio of hot dust to warm dust areas of about 1000 is nicely consistent with the ratio of radii of the respective regions as found by infrared interferometry.Comment: 17 pages, 10 Figures, 3 Tables, accepted by A&

High-J CO SLEDs in nearby infrared bright galaxies observed by Herschel-PACS

We report the detection of far-infrared (FIR) CO rotational emission from nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN) and starburst galaxies, as well as several merging systems and Ultra-Luminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs). Using Herschel-PACS, we have detected transitions in the J$_{upp}$ = 14 - 20 range ($\lambda \sim$ 130 - 185 $\mu$m, $\nu \sim$ 1612 - 2300 GHz) with upper limits on (and in two cases, detections of) CO line fluxes up to J$_{upp}$ = 30. The PACS CO data obtained here provide the first well-sampled FIR extragalactic CO SLEDs for this range, and will be an essential reference for future high redshift studies. We find a large range in the overall SLED shape, even amongst galaxies of similar type, demonstrating the uncertainties in relying solely on high-J CO diagnostics to characterize the excitation source of a galaxy. Combining our data with low-J line intensities taken from the literature, we present a CO ratio-ratio diagram and discuss its potential diagnostic value in distinguishing excitation sources and physical properties of the molecular gas. The position of a galaxy on such a diagram is less a signature of its excitation mechanism, than an indicator of the presence (or absence) of warm, dense molecular gas. We then quantitatively analyze the CO emission from a subset of the detected sources with Large Velocity Gradient (LVG) radiative transfer models to fit the CO SLEDs. Using both single-component and two-component LVG models to fit the kinetic temperature, velocity gradient, number density and column density of the gas, we derive the molecular gas mass and the corresponding CO-to-H$_2$ conversion factor, $\alpha_{CO}$, for each respective source. For the ULIRGs we find $\alpha$ values in the canonical range 0.4 - 5 M$_\odot$/(K kms$^{-1}$pc$^2$), while for the other objects, $\alpha$ varies between 0.2 and 14.} Finally, we compare our best-fit LVG model ..Comment: 39 pages, 3 figures; Accepted to Ap

La orientación de mediadores: un análisis de la mediación en Quito

This paper exposes the characteristics of the facilitative and evaluative mediation styles; and the vision that the mediator can adopt on the problem submitted to mediation: broad and narrow. This, it examines the four possible orientations that the mediator can follow: facilitative with a narrow vision of the problem; facilitative with a broad vision of the problem; evaluative with a narrow vision of the problem; and evaluative with a broad vision of the problem. Later, this research identifies the style of mediation and the definition of the problem with greater use in the city of Quito, as well as the ones preferred by the lawyers who attend mediations. To this end, surveys were carried out to both mediators and lawyers from the city of Quito in order to determine the style and vision of the problem to which they are oriented and to identify the current situation of mediation in Quito.El presente trabajo expone las características de los estilos de mediación facilitativo y evaluativo; y de la visión que el mediador puede adoptar sobre el problema sometido a mediación: amplia y estrecha. Por lo tanto, examina las cuatro posibles orientaciones que puede tomar el mediador: facilitativo con una visión estrecha del problema; facilitativo con una visión amplia del problema; evaluativo con una visión estrecha del problema; y evaluativo con una visión amplia del problema. Posteriormente, se identifica el estilo de mediación y cuál es el problema más suscitado en la ciudad de Quito, así como aquellos preferidos por los abogados que asisten a mediaciones. Para ello, se realizaron encuestas tanto a mediadores como a abogados de Quito a fin de determinar el estilo y la definición del problema por la cual ellos se orientan e identificar la situación actual de la mediación en Quito

Deriving a multivariate CO-to-H2_2 conversion function using the [CII]/CO(1-0) ratio and its application to molecular gas scaling relations

We present Herschel PACS observations of the [CII] 158 micron emission line in a sample of 24 intermediate mass (9<logM$_\ast$/M$_\odot$<10) and low metallicity (0.4< Z/Z$_\odot$<1.0) galaxies from the xCOLD GASS survey. Combining them with IRAM CO(1-0) measurements, we establish scaling relations between integrated and molecular region [CII]/CO(1-0) luminosity ratios as a function of integrated galaxy properties. A Bayesian analysis reveals that only two parameters, metallicity and offset from the star formation main sequence, $\Delta$MS, are needed to quantify variations in the luminosity ratio; metallicity describes the total dust content available to shield CO from UV radiation, while $\Delta$MS describes the strength of this radiation field. We connect the [CII]/CO luminosity ratio to the CO-to-H$_2$ conversion factor and find a multivariate conversion function $\alpha_{CO}$, which can be used up to z~2.5. This function depends primarily on metallicity, with a second order dependence on $\Delta$MS. We apply this to the full xCOLD GASS and PHIBSS1 surveys and investigate molecular gas scaling relations. We find a flattening of the relation between gas mass fraction and stellar mass at logM$_\ast$/M$_\odot$<10. While the molecular gas depletion time varies with sSFR, it is mostly independent of mass, indicating that the low L$_{CO}$/SFR ratios long observed in low mass galaxies are entirely due to photodissociation of CO, and not to an enhanced star formation efficiency.Comment: Submitted to MNRAS, this version after referee comments. 21 page

On the relation of optical obscuration and X-ray absorption in Seyfert galaxies

The optical classification of a Seyfert galaxy and whether it is considered X-ray absorbed are often used interchangeably. But there are many borderline cases and also numerous examples where the optical and X-ray classifications appear to be in conflict. In this article we re-visit the relation between optical obscuration and X-ray absorption in AGNs. We make use of our "dust color" method (Burtscher et al. 2015) to derive the optical obscuration A_V and consistently estimated X-ray absorbing columns using 0.3--150 keV spectral energy distributions. We also take into account the variable nature of the neutral gas column N_H and derive the Seyfert sub-classes of all our objects in a consistent way. We show in a sample of 25 local, hard-X-ray detected Seyfert galaxies (log L_X / (erg/s) ~ 41.5 - 43.5) that there can actually be a good agreement between optical and X-ray classification. If Seyfert types 1.8 and 1.9 are considered unobscured, the threshold between X-ray unabsorbed and absorbed should be chosen at a column N_H = 10^22.3 / cm^2 to be consistent with the optical classification. We find that N_H is related to A_V and that the N_H/A_V ratio is approximately Galactic or higher in all sources, as indicated previously. But in several objects we also see that deviations from the Galactic ratio are only due to a variable X-ray column, showing that (1) deviations from the Galactic N_H/A_V can simply be explained by dust-free neutral gas within the broad line region in some sources, that (2) the dust properties in AGNs can be similar to Galactic dust and that (3) the dust color method is a robust way to estimate the optical extinction towards the sublimation radius in all but the most obscured AGNs.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication by A&A; updated PDF to include abstrac

A New Probe of Dense Gas at High Redshift: Detection of HCO+(5-4) Line Emission in APM 08279+5255

We report the detection of HCO+(5-4) emission from the Broad Absorption Line (BAL) quasar APM08279+5255 at z=3.911 based on observations conducted at the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer. This represents the first detection of this molecular ion at such a high redshift. The inferred line luminosity, uncorrected for lensing, is L'(HCO+)=(3.5+-0.6)x10^10 Kkms^-1pc^2. The HCO+ J=5-4 source position coincides within the errors with that reported from previous HCN J=5-4 and high-J CO line observations of this quasar. The HCO+ line profile central velocity and width are consistent with those derived from HCN. This result suggests that HCO+(5-4) emission comes roughly from the same circumnuclear region probed by HCN. However, the HCN(5-4)/HCO+(5-4) intensity ratio measured in APM08279+5255 is significantly larger than that predicted by simple radiative transfer models, which assume collisional excitation and equal molecular abundances. This could imply that the [HCN]/[HCO^+] abundance ratio is particularly large in this source, or that the J=5 rotational levels are predominantly excited by IR fluorescent radiation.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters, May 2