The Teacher Self Construction of Language Teachers

The main purpose of this thesis is to deepen the current understanding of how the teacher self is constructed. Specifically, the study intends to integrate into this understanding the way in which language personal, professional, and student teacher identities inform this process. A special emphasis is placed on the role that language teachers’ life histories play on the construction of teacher selves. Narrative research constitutes the research design for this thesis project since I strongly believe that selves are narratively constructed through stories. This study is focused on the storied self (Chase, 2005) that is co-constructed between the researcher and narrator that reveals how personal, professional, and student teacher identities resist and interact with discursive environments in order to create and recreate a language teacher’s self. Life histories constitute the source of data collection in this study. This facilitated the construction of a broader understanding of how six language teachers’ personal, professional, and student teacher identities are shaped throughout a lifetime and the way these impact the formation of the teacher self. The results suggest that language teachers’ selves are in close relation to emotions. Language teachers negotiate their identities and emotions in order to make sense of the different sets of values that the social context presents to them. This in turn leads them to create/recreate their own teacher selves that serve as sources of agency that generates new sets of social/moral rules or stagnation that leads to the preservation of the current status quo. The thesis concludes by providing a series of suggestions tailored to the needs of the teaching context where this research took place with the purpose of fostering a continuous engagement with individual actors and socio-cultural factors that motivate transformation through reflection.Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipa

Análisis del consumidor del destilado de uva y propuesta de valor para la empresa Abuelo Severo en Ancash, 2021

El trabajo de investigación tuvo como objetivo principal: Formular una propuesta de valor para la empresa Abuelo Severo que esté acorde al perfil del consumidor de destilado de uva en Ancash, 2022. El tipo de investigación fue aplicada, tuvo un diseño no experimental de corte transversal, un enfoque cuantitativo, el nivel de investigación fue descriptivo, la variable cualitativa, se utilizó criterios de inclusión y exclusión para delimitar la población y tras aplicar la fórmula del muestreo probabilístico aleatorio simple hallamos nuestra muestra que fue de 383 personas, la técnica fue la encuesta y el instrumento el cuestionario constituido por 20 ítems, obteniendo un ,836. Se concluye que, un 38% indicó que siempre, un 30% casi siempre al consumir el producto con ciertas características los hace sentir de alto estatus, por considerarse un producto de alta calidad. En tal sentido, se formuló la siguiente propuesta de valor que deben tener las siguientes características en armonía al perfil del consumidor. Primeramente, que contengan un alto grado de alcohol. Segundo, que debe ser el aroma de uva o madera. Y tercero, que no debe dejar estragos de resaca para los consumidores

Trichoderma species : our best fungal allies in the biocontrol of plant diseases : a review

Biocontrol agents (BCA) have been an important tool in agriculture to prevent crop losses due to plant pathogens infections and to increase plant food production globally, diminishing the necessity for chemical pesticides and fertilizers and offering a more sustainable and environmentally friendly option. Fungi from the genus Trichoderma are among the most used and studied microorganisms as BCA due to the variety of biocontrol traits, such as parasitism, antibiosis, secondary metabolites (SM) production, and plant defense system induction. Several Trichoderma species are well-known mycoparasites. However, some of those species can antagonize other organisms such as nematodes and plant pests, making this fungus a very versatile BCA. Trichoderma has been used in agriculture as part of innovative bioformulations, either just Trichoderma species or in combination with other plant-beneficial microbes, such as plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). Here, we review the most recent literature regarding the biocontrol studies about six of the most used Trichoderma species, T. atroviride, T. harzianum, T. asperellum, T. virens, T. longibrachiatum, and T. viride, highlighting their biocontrol traits and the use of these fungal genera in Trichoderma-based formulations to control or prevent plant diseases, and their importance as a substitute for chemical pesticides and fertilizers

La escuela: los estados de ánimo depresivos en los educandos

In recent years, the Ecuadorian educational system has had significant changes to achieve quality education, but the emotional part of students has not been researched vehemently. This article aims to analyze the level of depression in primary school and high school students and also to note the influence of depressive states of mind on their learning process; these levels were evaluated using Zung Depression Test, taking a sample of 324 students. It is worth mentioning that the study had a qualitative and quantitative approach, that is, the information acquired was collected through bibliographic research and numerical data. In accordance with the prototype obtained and after the application of the test, it was possible to observe that a considerable number of students have depressive features which influence the correct performance of school activities.En los últimos años el sistema educativo ecuatoriano ha presentado cambios significativos para alcanzar una educación de calidad, pero no se ha indagado con vehemencia la parte emocional de los educandos. En este artículo se pretende analizar el nivel de depresión en el que se encuentran los alumnos de escolaridad básica y bachillerato, además señalar la influencia que producen los estados de ánimo depresivos en el proceso de aprendizaje de los mismos; dichos niveles fueron evaluados mediante el Test de Depresión de Zung, tomando una muestra de 324 estudiantes. Es conveniente mencionar que el estudio realizado tuvo un enfoque cualitativo y cuantitativo es decir la información adquirida se recopiló a través de investigaciones bibliográficas y datos numéricos. De acuerdo con el prototipo obtenido y posterior a la aplicación del test se pudo observar que un número considerable de estudiantes presentan rasgos depresivos lo que influye en el correcto desempeño de las actividades escolares

Emotional intelligence as a mediator of craving and the risk of relapse in adults in treatment for alcohol consumption

Objetivos: Analizar el efecto de craving sobre el riesgo de recaída en adultos en tratamiento por alcohol, considerando la Inteligencia Emocional Percibida (IEP) como mediador. Materiales y métodos: Estudio descriptivo, transversal, predictivo, de comprobación de modelo con análisis de mediación. La muestra fue de 274 adultos internos en Centros de Rehabilitación contra las Adicciones ( CRCA). Los instrumentos utilizados fueron una Cédu- la de Datos Sociodemográficos, Cuestionario de Craving por Alcohol, Inventario de Cociente Emocional y Cuestionario de Variables Predictoras de Abandono y Adhesión al Tratamiento. Resultados: Existe una relación inversa entre la IEP, el riesgo de recaída (r = -,381, p <,001) y el craving (r = -,354, p <,001). El craving y el riesgo de recaída se relacionaron positiva- mente (r = ,218, p <,001). Se reporta un efecto total significativo del craving sobre el riesgo de recaída cuando es mediado por la IE, el cual explica el 11 % de la varianza (B = ,1389; t = 5,688; p <,001). Conclusiones: Los resultados de este estudio indican que IEP se asocia inversamente con el craving y el riesgo de recaída, además de que la IEP desempeña un papel significativo como mediador en esta relación. Esto sugiere que las personas con altos niveles de IEP disponen de más recursos para gestionar sus emociones, lo que podría ayudar a reducir las conductas de craving y, consecuentemente, sufrir un menor riesgo de recaída en el consumo de alcohol.Objectives: To analyze the effect of craving on the risk of relapse in adults undergoing alcohol treatment, considering the Perceived Emotional Intelligence (PEI) as a mediator. Materials and methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional, predictive study, model checking with mediation analysis. The sample consisted of 274 adults interned in Rehabilitation Centers against Addictions ( CRCA). The instruments used were a Sociodemographic Data Card, Alcohol Craving Questionnaire, Emotional Quotient Inventory and Questionnaire of Variables Predictors of Abandonment and Adherence to Treatment. Results: There is an inverse relationship between PEI, the risk of relapse (r = -, 381, p <,001) and craving (r = -, 354, p <,001). Craving and risk of relapse were positively related (r = ,218, p <,001). A significant total effect of craving on the risk of relapse is reported when mediated by EI, which explains 11% of the variance (B = ,1389; t = 5,688; p <,001). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that PEI is inversely associated with craving and risk of relapse, and that PEI plays a significant role as a mediator in this relationship. This suggests the notion that people with high PEI levels have more resources to manage their emotions, which could help reduce craving behaviors and consequently, suffer a lower risk of relapse into alcohol consumption

Bienestar Docente durante la Pandemia COVID-19 : La Comparación entre Ecuador y Chile

The global health crisis has affected the teaching profession, and teachers have had to transform the way they do their work and face new professional challenges. This study aims to identify and compare perceptions of emotional, social, and occupational well-being during the pandemic among Chilean and Ecuadorian teachers and identify differences by gender and the relationship between the level of well-being and different socioemotional dimensions. A total of 881 preschool, primary, and secondary school teachers from both countries participated in the study, answering an online questionnaire about work/domestic load, work schedule, institutional support, positive and negative affect, social support, emotional exhaustion, well-being, and cyber victimization. The results report a greater work and domestic load during the pandemic; there are also scores with a positive trend in all the socioemotional dimensions. However, Ecuadorian teachers significantly perceived less work and domestic load, less burnout, greater general well-being, positive feelings, and support, which indicates that sociodemographic characteristics influence the way they face crises. Another influential variable was gender, where women perceived a more significant emotional, social and work-related burden. There was a high positive correlation between general well-being with positive feelings and social support; high negative correlations between negative feelings and emotional exhaustion. In conclusion, these results reveal the socioemotional reality that teachers are experiencing during the pandemic and provide guidelines to generate actions that promote the general well-being of this population

A collaboratively derived environmental research agenda for Galapagos

Galápagos is one of the most pristine archipelagos in the world and its conservation relies upon research and sensible management. In recent decades both the interest in, and the needs of, the islands have increased, yet the funds and capacity for necessary research have remained limited. It has become, therefore, increasingly important to identify areas of priority research to assist decision-making in Galápagos conservation. This study identified 50 questions considered priorities for future research and management. The exercise involved the collaboration of policy makers, practitioners and researchers from more than 30 different organisations. Initially, 360 people were consulted to generate 781 questions. An established process of preworkshop voting and three rounds to reduce and reword the questions, followed by a two-day workshop, was used to produce the final 50 questions. The most common issues raised by this list of questions were human population growth, climate change and the impact of invasive alien species. These results have already been used by a range of organisations and politicians and are expected to provide the basis for future research on the islands so that its sustainability may be enhanced. </jats:p

Ensuring fidelity: key elements to consider in disseminating a diabetes telemanagement program for underserved Hispanic/Latinos living with type 2 diabetes

BackgroundThe Hispanic/Latino population has greater risk (estimated &gt;50%) of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) and developing it at a younger age. The American Diabetes Association estimates costs of diagnosed diabetes in 2017 was $327 billion; with medical costs 2.3x higher than patients without diabetes. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the methodology utilized in a randomized controlled trial aimed at evaluating the efficacy of a diabetes telemanagement (DTM) program for Hispanic/Latino patients with T2D. The intent is to provide information for future investigators to ensure that this study can be accurately replicated.MethodsThis study was a randomized controlled trial with 240 participants. Eligible patients (Hispanic/Latino, aged 18+, living with T2D) were randomized to Comprehensive Outpatient Management (COM) or DTM. DTM was comprised of usual care, including routine clinic visits every three months, as well as: Biometrics (a tablet, blood glucose meter, blood pressure monitor, and scale); Weekly Video Visits (facilitated in the patient’s preferred language); and Educational Videos (including culturally congruent diabetes self-management education and quizzes). COM consisted of usual care including routine clinic visits every three months. For this study, COM patients received a glucometer, glucose test strips, and lancets. Establishing a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship was a fundamental component of our study for both groups. First contact (post-enrollment) centered on ensuring that patients and caregivers understood the program, building trust and rapport, creating a non-judgmental environment, determining language preference, and establishing scheduling availability (including evenings and weekends). DTM were provided with a tablet which allowed for self-paced education through videos and weekly video visits. The research team and Community Advisory Board identified appropriate educational video content, which was incorporated in diabetes educational topics. Video visits allowed us to assess patient involvement, motivation, and nonverbal communication. Communicating in Spanish, and awareness of diverse Hispanic/Latino backgrounds was critical, as using relevant and commonly-used terms can increase adherence and improve outcomes. Shared decision-making was encouraged to make realistic health care choices.ConclusionKey elements discussed above provide a framework for future dissemination of an evidence-based DTM intervention to meet the needs of underserved Hispanic/Latino people living with T2D

Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

© 2020 Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license Background: Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods: Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (≥65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0–100 based on the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target—1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023—we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings: Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45·8 (95% uncertainty interval 44·2–47·5) in 1990 to 60·3 (58·7–61·9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2·6% [1·9–3·3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010–2019 relative to 1990–2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0·79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388·9 million (358·6–421·3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3·1 billion (3·0–3·2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968·1 million [903·5–1040·3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation: The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people—the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close—or how far—all populations are in benefiting from UHC. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Measuring performance on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational locations : a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

Background A key component of achieving universal health coverage is ensuring that all populations have access to quality health care. Examining where gains have occurred or progress has faltered across and within countries is crucial to guiding decisions and strategies for future improvement. We used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) to assess personal health-care access and quality with the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index for 195 countries and territories, as well as subnational locations in seven countries, from 1990 to 2016. Methods Drawing from established methods and updated estimates from GBD 2016, we used 32 causes from which death should not occur in the presence of effective care to approximate personal health-care access and quality by location and over time. To better isolate potential effects of personal health-care access and quality from underlying risk factor patterns, we risk-standardised cause-specific deaths due to non-cancers by location-year, replacing the local joint exposure of environmental and behavioural risks with the global level of exposure. Supported by the expansion of cancer registry data in GBD 2016, we used mortality-to-incidence ratios for cancers instead of risk-standardised death rates to provide a stronger signal of the effects of personal health care and access on cancer survival. We transformed each cause to a scale of 0-100, with 0 as the first percentile (worst) observed between 1990 and 2016, and 100 as the 99th percentile (best); we set these thresholds at the country level, and then applied them to subnational locations. We applied a principal components analysis to construct the HAQ Index using all scaled cause values, providing an overall score of 0-100 of personal health-care access and quality by location over time. We then compared HAQ Index levels and trends by quintiles on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary measure of overall development. As derived from the broader GBD study and other data sources, we examined relationships between national HAQ Index scores and potential correlates of performance, such as total health spending per capita. Findings In 2016, HAQ Index performance spanned from a high of 97.1 (95% UI 95.8-98.1) in Iceland, followed by 96.6 (94.9-97.9) in Norway and 96.1 (94.5-97.3) in the Netherlands, to values as low as 18.6 (13.1-24.4) in the Central African Republic, 19.0 (14.3-23.7) in Somalia, and 23.4 (20.2-26.8) in Guinea-Bissau. The pace of progress achieved between 1990 and 2016 varied, with markedly faster improvements occurring between 2000 and 2016 for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia, whereas several countries in Latin America and elsewhere saw progress stagnate after experiencing considerable advances in the HAQ Index between 1990 and 2000. Striking subnational disparities emerged in personal health-care access and quality, with China and India having particularly large gaps between locations with the highest and lowest scores in 2016. In China, performance ranged from 91.5 (89.1-936) in Beijing to 48.0 (43.4-53.2) in Tibet (a 43.5-point difference), while India saw a 30.8-point disparity, from 64.8 (59.6-68.8) in Goa to 34.0 (30.3-38.1) in Assam. Japan recorded the smallest range in subnational HAQ performance in 2016 (a 4.8-point difference), whereas differences between subnational locations with the highest and lowest HAQ Index values were more than two times as high for the USA and three times as high for England. State-level gaps in the HAQ Index in Mexico somewhat narrowed from 1990 to 2016 (from a 20.9-point to 17.0-point difference), whereas in Brazil, disparities slightly increased across states during this time (a 17.2-point to 20.4-point difference). Performance on the HAQ Index showed strong linkages to overall development, with high and high-middle SDI countries generally having higher scores and faster gains for non-communicable diseases. Nonetheless, countries across the development spectrum saw substantial gains in some key health service areas from 2000 to 2016, most notably vaccine-preventable diseases. Overall, national performance on the HAQ Index was positively associated with higher levels of total health spending per capita, as well as health systems inputs, but these relationships were quite heterogeneous, particularly among low-to-middle SDI countries. Interpretation GBD 2016 provides a more detailed understanding of past success and current challenges in improving personal health-care access and quality worldwide. Despite substantial gains since 2000, many low-SDI and middle-SDI countries face considerable challenges unless heightened policy action and investments focus on advancing access to and quality of health care across key health services, especially non-communicable diseases. Stagnating or minimal improvements experienced by several low-middle to high-middle SDI countries could reflect the complexities of re-orienting both primary and secondary health-care services beyond the more limited foci of the Millennium Development Goals. Alongside initiatives to strengthen public health programmes, the pursuit of universal health coverage upon improving both access and quality worldwide, and thus requires adopting a more comprehensive view and subsequent provision of quality health care for all populations. Copyright (C) 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe