Characterization of the C. elegans nascent polypeptide associated complex (NAC) function under stress

The nascent polypeptide-associated complex (NAC) is a highly conserved heterodimer known to play an important role in protein folding and localization during metazoan development. Evidence in different model systems indicates that removal of either subunit of the NAC, i.e. α- or β-NAC, is sufficient to generate misfolded protein stress in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), resulting in the activation of the ER-specific unfolded protein response (UPR). What is not yet understood is the nature of the UPR depending on which subunit of the NAC is depleted. My research is focused on characterizing the specific UPR outcomes induced upon depletion of either α- or β-NAC during misfolded protein stress in the ER. Assessment of UPR outcomes revealed that depletion of the C. elegans NAC homologues icd-1/NAC and icd-2/NAC shared unique responses relative to the subunit depleted. Specifically, depletion of ICD-1 led to increased ER specific chaperone expression and robust attenuation of protein synthesis when compared to depletion of ICD-2. Along with managing protein homeostasis during ER stress, I also found that specific components of the NAC and UPR actively contribute to cell differentiation programs, e.g. embryos depleted of ICD-1 displayed altered neuronal marker expression during ER stress, while other cell-type specific markers remained unchanged. These results suggest the individual subunits of the C. elegans NAC are functional when unbound and contribute differentially to the activation of the UPR when one subunit is in excess relative to the other. Such findings may provide insights into the pathology of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, in which the 1:1 stoichiometry of the NAC subunits is disrupted

Palaeobiology of tragulids (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Ruminantia)

Tragulidae is a family of the order Artiodactyla and suborder Ruminantia. Its representatives are closely related to deer, antelopes and their relatives. Fossil evidence from Asia suggests an origin of the Tragulidae in the Eocene at least 34 million years ago, with a climax during the Miocene and subsequent decline until present. They were well represented with over 30 species grouped in the genera Archaeotragulus, Afrotragulus, Iberomeryx, Dorcabune, Dorcatherium, Siamotragulus, and Yunnanotherium, which were completely replaced by the infraorder Pecora. Fossil tragulids had a broad geographical distribution in Asia, Africa, and Europe, including different morphotypes (small to large species) and diverse diet preferences (e.g. intermediate feeders, browsers and grazers). Nowadays tragulids are represented by only ten species classified in the genera Tragulus, Moschiola and Hyemoschus. They are exclusively distributed in the Indo-Malayan and Afro-tropical regions and feeding predominantly on fruits. Compared with their fossil relatives, their restricted recent distribution, low species richness and similar phenotype have stimulated the idea that recent tragulids represent “living fossils”. However, comparative studies between fossil and living relatives are very rare, and even the idea that living tragulids have become “frozen” in their evolution has been recently questioned. In this context, the aim of this work is an analysis of the body mass and the morphological diversity of the dentition and skulls of tragulids through time including fossil and living species. Among the studied taxa, the detailed description of a so far unstudied tragulid material from the Miocene of Pakistan has completed previous knowledge on ancient diversity. The methodology used here comprised comparative morphometrics of teeth and skulls as well as digital 3D reconstruction of a fossil skull. The results evidence a broad range of body sizes (from 1.0 kg to more than 100.0 kg) amongst fossil species, contrasting with the limited size range (1.0 kg to 15.0 kg) of the living species. From the late Eocene to present, the analysis of median body mass per 2.0 mya showed a peak between 16.0 mya to 4.0 mya, including species with less than 17.9 kg (that includes the range of living species) and between 18.0 kg to 34.9 kg (only fossil species) as the most diverse class. If we consider the food preferences of fossil tragulids (≤ 17.9 kg and medium-sized species: 18.0 kg-34.9 kg), all categories from grazers, browsers and intermediate feeders have been reported, but not frugivores as in the living species. The study of the skulls of extant tragulids helped to understand their character disparity. With this, a hitherto undocumented difference in the neurocranium geometry among Asian tragulids was quantified: Tragulus javanicus and T. kanchil are relatively tall and their neurocrania are globose, while the heigth of the skull is less pronounced in T. napu and Moschiola spp and somewhat flattened, more comparable to Hyemoschus aquaticus of Africa. Here, it is hypothesized that a flatter skull might be related to dietary habits and mastication movements and/or to diving and under-water locomotion to escape from predator as previously reported. In addition, I have assembled a chart providing revised taxonomic assessments of the specimens of Moschiola and Tragulus included in my analysis. The descriptions of the fossil skull of Dorcatherium crassum improve the understanding on its external morphology as well as its affinities with living species. This fossil has a strong neurocranium with some hyper-developed elements, such as the sagittal and nuchal crests as well as highlight the canine tooth and its alveola. The general morphology is similar to living species, but its hyper-developed morphology is not comparable to living ones, and was probably adapted morpho-functionally to the acquisition and processing of hard food items. Compared with Tragulus, Moschiola and Hyemoschus, the skull of Dt. crassum is bigger, but it is similar in some bone proportions calculated here. In general Dt. crassum is more similar to H. aquaticus than to other living species, supporting their close affinity as reported in previous studies based on other characters (limbs, teeth, partial skulls). The flattened skull of both species support this close affinity. A formerly unreported great morphological diversity in the dentition of fossil tragulids was documented by an analysis of material from the Miocene of Pakistan. Thus, of seven species previously known from the Siwaliks, based on the height of the tooth crown and related morphological features, only four are here recognized: Dorcatherium nagrii, Dt. minus, Dt. majus and Dorcabune anthracotheroides. In addition, we extend the diversity with the new species Dorcatherium dehmi and unexpectedly we extend the distribution into the Siwaliks for Dt. naui and Dt. guntianum previously recorded exclusively from Europe. Thus, the detailed analysis of morphology and the morphometric variables enabled distinguishing tragulid species that were previously masked by overlapping size. Accordingly, the variation described above coincides with data from the limited literature and it is in line with other groups previously misinterpreted as ‘living ancestors’ or ‘living fossils’, which were shown to be part of a greater morphological diversity than previously thought. However, considering that ancient diversity of tragulids was greater than the one of current representatives, and the living species belong to a group that is mostly extinct and such, by definition, provide deficient samples, it is difficult to assess with these data, which are plesiomorphic or derived characters. However, my results suggest a similar palaeobiology in fossil and living tragulids. Finally, the outcomes presented in this Ph.D. thesis clearly enhance the understanding of morphological diversity and palaeobiology of these mammals, but at the same time, reinforce the importance of studies on tragulids in order to improve the understanding on their origin and evolution

Palaeobiology of tragulids (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Ruminantia)

Tragulidae is a family of the order Artiodactyla and suborder Ruminantia. Its representatives are closely related to deer, antelopes and their relatives. Fossil evidence from Asia suggests an origin of the Tragulidae in the Eocene at least 34 million years ago, with a climax during the Miocene and subsequent decline until present. They were well represented with over 30 species grouped in the genera Archaeotragulus, Afrotragulus, Iberomeryx, Dorcabune, Dorcatherium, Siamotragulus, and Yunnanotherium, which were completely replaced by the infraorder Pecora. Fossil tragulids had a broad geographical distribution in Asia, Africa, and Europe, including different morphotypes (small to large species) and diverse diet preferences (e.g. intermediate feeders, browsers and grazers). Nowadays tragulids are represented by only ten species classified in the genera Tragulus, Moschiola and Hyemoschus. They are exclusively distributed in the Indo-Malayan and Afro-tropical regions and feeding predominantly on fruits. Compared with their fossil relatives, their restricted recent distribution, low species richness and similar phenotype have stimulated the idea that recent tragulids represent “living fossils”. However, comparative studies between fossil and living relatives are very rare, and even the idea that living tragulids have become “frozen” in their evolution has been recently questioned. In this context, the aim of this work is an analysis of the body mass and the morphological diversity of the dentition and skulls of tragulids through time including fossil and living species. Among the studied taxa, the detailed description of a so far unstudied tragulid material from the Miocene of Pakistan has completed previous knowledge on ancient diversity. The methodology used here comprised comparative morphometrics of teeth and skulls as well as digital 3D reconstruction of a fossil skull. The results evidence a broad range of body sizes (from 1.0 kg to more than 100.0 kg) amongst fossil species, contrasting with the limited size range (1.0 kg to 15.0 kg) of the living species. From the late Eocene to present, the analysis of median body mass per 2.0 mya showed a peak between 16.0 mya to 4.0 mya, including species with less than 17.9 kg (that includes the range of living species) and between 18.0 kg to 34.9 kg (only fossil species) as the most diverse class. If we consider the food preferences of fossil tragulids (≤ 17.9 kg and medium-sized species: 18.0 kg-34.9 kg), all categories from grazers, browsers and intermediate feeders have been reported, but not frugivores as in the living species. The study of the skulls of extant tragulids helped to understand their character disparity. With this, a hitherto undocumented difference in the neurocranium geometry among Asian tragulids was quantified: Tragulus javanicus and T. kanchil are relatively tall and their neurocrania are globose, while the heigth of the skull is less pronounced in T. napu and Moschiola spp and somewhat flattened, more comparable to Hyemoschus aquaticus of Africa. Here, it is hypothesized that a flatter skull might be related to dietary habits and mastication movements and/or to diving and under-water locomotion to escape from predator as previously reported. In addition, I have assembled a chart providing revised taxonomic assessments of the specimens of Moschiola and Tragulus included in my analysis. The descriptions of the fossil skull of Dorcatherium crassum improve the understanding on its external morphology as well as its affinities with living species. This fossil has a strong neurocranium with some hyper-developed elements, such as the sagittal and nuchal crests as well as highlight the canine tooth and its alveola. The general morphology is similar to living species, but its hyper-developed morphology is not comparable to living ones, and was probably adapted morpho-functionally to the acquisition and processing of hard food items. Compared with Tragulus, Moschiola and Hyemoschus, the skull of Dt. crassum is bigger, but it is similar in some bone proportions calculated here. In general Dt. crassum is more similar to H. aquaticus than to other living species, supporting their close affinity as reported in previous studies based on other characters (limbs, teeth, partial skulls). The flattened skull of both species support this close affinity. A formerly unreported great morphological diversity in the dentition of fossil tragulids was documented by an analysis of material from the Miocene of Pakistan. Thus, of seven species previously known from the Siwaliks, based on the height of the tooth crown and related morphological features, only four are here recognized: Dorcatherium nagrii, Dt. minus, Dt. majus and Dorcabune anthracotheroides. In addition, we extend the diversity with the new species Dorcatherium dehmi and unexpectedly we extend the distribution into the Siwaliks for Dt. naui and Dt. guntianum previously recorded exclusively from Europe. Thus, the detailed analysis of morphology and the morphometric variables enabled distinguishing tragulid species that were previously masked by overlapping size. Accordingly, the variation described above coincides with data from the limited literature and it is in line with other groups previously misinterpreted as ‘living ancestors’ or ‘living fossils’, which were shown to be part of a greater morphological diversity than previously thought. However, considering that ancient diversity of tragulids was greater than the one of current representatives, and the living species belong to a group that is mostly extinct and such, by definition, provide deficient samples, it is difficult to assess with these data, which are plesiomorphic or derived characters. However, my results suggest a similar palaeobiology in fossil and living tragulids. Finally, the outcomes presented in this Ph.D. thesis clearly enhance the understanding of morphological diversity and palaeobiology of these mammals, but at the same time, reinforce the importance of studies on tragulids in order to improve the understanding on their origin and evolution

Codimension two and three Kneser Transversals

Let $k,d,\lambda \geqslant 1$ be integers with $d\geqslant \lambda$ and let $X$ be a finite set of points in $\mathbb{R}^{d}$. A $(d-\lambda)$-plane $L$ transversal to the convex hulls of all $k$-sets of $X$ is called Kneser transversal. If in addition $L$ contains $(d-\lambda)+1$ points of $X$, then $L$ is called complete Kneser transversal.In this paper, we present various results on the existence of (complete) Kneser transversals for $\lambda =2,3$. In order to do this, we introduce the notions of stability and instability for (complete) Kneser transversals. We first give a stability result for collections of $d+2(k-\lambda)$ points in $\mathbb{R}^d$ with $k-\lambda\geqslant 2$ and $\lambda =2,3$. We then present a description of Kneser transversals $L$ of collections of $d+2(k-\lambda)$ points in $\mathbb{R}^d$ with $k-\lambda\geqslant 2$ for $\lambda =2,3$. We show that either $L$ is a complete Kneser transversal or it contains $d-2(\lambda-1)$ points and the remaining $2(k-1)$ points of $X$ are matched in $k-1$ pairs in such a way that $L$ intersects the corresponding closed segments determined by them. The latter leads to new upper and lower bounds (in the case when $\lambda =2$ and $3$) for $m(k,d,\lambda)$ defined as the maximum positive integer $n$ such that every set of $n$ points (not necessarily in general position) in $\mathbb{R}^{d}$ admit a Kneser transversal.Finally, by using oriented matroid machinery, we present some computational results (closely related to the stability and unstability notions). We determine the existence of (complete) Kneser transversals for each of the $246$ different order types of configurations of $7$ points in $\mathbb{R}^3$

Experiências de jovens mexicanos na eleição de uma carreira matemática: um estudo da identidade narrativa matemática

La educación matemática tiene poca investigación cualitativa centrada en las experiencias de los jóvenes estudiantes en la elección de una carrera matemática y cómo estas experiencias se asimilan en sus vidas matemáticas. El objetivo de esta investigación narrativa es identificar las experiencias de los alumnos mexicanos que eligen una carrera matemática a través de su historia de vida matemática. La conceptualización de una identidad narrativa matemática dividida en motivaciones, fuentes de motivaciones y expectativas permitió la identificación de: (1) motivaciones de los estudiantes mexicanos para elegir una carrera matemática, (2) fuentes de estas motivaciones y (3) expectativas futuras asociadas con esta elección. Desarrollamos un estudio cualitativo guiado por un caso de estudio, con el fin de realizar un análisis de múltiples casos y enmarcarlo en una descripción general. Los datos se obtuvieron de 47 entrevistas con la población descrita y recopilan sus historias de vida matemática. Cuatro análisis temáticos arrojaron los siguientes resultados: (1) tres motivaciones principales: “gusto por las matemáticas”, creencias de autoeficacia y el deseo de convertirse en un “buen maestro”, (2) dos expectativas principales: “ser un buen maestro” y “aprender más matemáticas” y (3) cuatro fuentes principales de motivaciones: creencias de autoeficacia, tener “buenos maestros”, experiencias indirectas y dominio del conocimiento. Nuestros resultados tienen similitudes con (la importancia de las creencias de autoeficacia) y diferencias entre (“gusto por las matemáticas” y el deseo de convertirse en un “buen maestro”) en las explicaciones psicológicas sobre las fuerzas motivadoras en la elección de una carrera matemática.There is little qualitative research on mathematics education focused on the experiences of young students when choosing a mathematics degree and how these experiences are assimilated into their mathematics life stories. The objective of this narrative inquiry is to identify the experiences of Mexican students who choose a mathematics degree through their mathematics life story. The conceptualization of a mathematical narrative identity divided into motivations, sources of motivation, and expectations allowed the identification of the following: (1) motivation of Mexican students for choosing a math degree, (2) sources of this motivation, and (3) future expectations related to this choice. This qualitative study was conducted based on a case study to prepare an in-depth analysis of multiple cases and frame them into a general description. Data was gathered from 47 interviews to collect students’ mathematics life stories. The four thematic analyses gave the following results: (1) the three main motivations were “liking mathematics”, self-efficacy belief, and the desire to become a “good teacher”, (2) the two main expectations were “being a good teacher” and “learning more mathematics”, and (3) the four main sources of motivations were self-efficacy belief, having “good teachers”, indirect experiences, and mastering knowledge. Results have similarities with the importance of self-efficacy beliefs and differences between “liking mathematics” and the desire to become a “good teacher” regarding the psychological explanations about the motivational forces to choose a math degree.A educação matemática possui pouca pesquisa qualitativa centrada nas experiências dos jovens estudantes na eleição de um curso de matemática e como tais experiências são assimiladas em suas vidas matemáticas. Esta pesquisa narrativa tem como objetivo identificar as experiências dos alunos mexicanos que escolhem um curso de matemática por meio de sua história de vida matemática. A conceitualização de uma identidade narrativa no ensino da matemática dividida em motivações, fontes de motivações e expectativas, permitiu a identificação de: (1) motivações dos estudantes mexicanos para escolher um curso de matemática, (2) fontes destas motivações e (3) expectativas futuras associadas com tal eleição. Desenvolvemos um estudo qualitativo guiado por um caso de estudo, com a finalidade de realizar uma análise de múltiplos casos e enquadrá-lo em uma descrição geral. Os dados foram obtidos de 47 entrevistas com o público descrito e reúnem suas histórias de vida matemática. Quatro análises temáticas revelaram os seguintes resultados: (1) três principais motivações: “gosto pela matemática”, crença de autoeficácia e desejo de tornar-se um “bom professor”, (2) duas principais expectativas: “ser um bom professor” e “aprender mais matemática” e (3) quatro principais fontes de motivações: crenças de autoeficácia, ter “bons professores”, experiências indiretas e domínio do conhecimento. Nossos resultados têm semelhanças com (a importância das crenças de autoeficácia) e diferenças entre (“gosto pela matemática” e o desejo de tornar-se um “bom professor”) nas explicações psicológicas sobre as forças motivadoras na eleição de um curso de matemática

Palaeobiology of tragulids (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Ruminantia)

Tragulidae is a family of the order Artiodactyla and suborder Ruminantia. Its representatives are closely related to deer, antelopes and their relatives. Fossil evidence from Asia suggests an origin of the Tragulidae in the Eocene at least 34 million years ago, with a climax during the Miocene and subsequent decline until present. They were well represented with over 30 species grouped in the genera Archaeotragulus, Afrotragulus, Iberomeryx, Dorcabune, Dorcatherium, Siamotragulus, and Yunnanotherium, which were completely replaced by the infraorder Pecora. Fossil tragulids had a broad geographical distribution in Asia, Africa, and Europe, including different morphotypes (small to large species) and diverse diet preferences (e.g. intermediate feeders, browsers and grazers). Nowadays tragulids are represented by only ten species classified in the genera Tragulus, Moschiola and Hyemoschus. They are exclusively distributed in the Indo-Malayan and Afro-tropical regions and feeding predominantly on fruits. Compared with their fossil relatives, their restricted recent distribution, low species richness and similar phenotype have stimulated the idea that recent tragulids represent “living fossils”. However, comparative studies between fossil and living relatives are very rare, and even the idea that living tragulids have become “frozen” in their evolution has been recently questioned. In this context, the aim of this work is an analysis of the body mass and the morphological diversity of the dentition and skulls of tragulids through time including fossil and living species. Among the studied taxa, the detailed description of a so far unstudied tragulid material from the Miocene of Pakistan has completed previous knowledge on ancient diversity. The methodology used here comprised comparative morphometrics of teeth and skulls as well as digital 3D reconstruction of a fossil skull. The results evidence a broad range of body sizes (from 1.0 kg to more than 100.0 kg) amongst fossil species, contrasting with the limited size range (1.0 kg to 15.0 kg) of the living species. From the late Eocene to present, the analysis of median body mass per 2.0 mya showed a peak between 16.0 mya to 4.0 mya, including species with less than 17.9 kg (that includes the range of living species) and between 18.0 kg to 34.9 kg (only fossil species) as the most diverse class. If we consider the food preferences of fossil tragulids (≤ 17.9 kg and medium-sized species: 18.0 kg-34.9 kg), all categories from grazers, browsers and intermediate feeders have been reported, but not frugivores as in the living species. The study of the skulls of extant tragulids helped to understand their character disparity. With this, a hitherto undocumented difference in the neurocranium geometry among Asian tragulids was quantified: Tragulus javanicus and T. kanchil are relatively tall and their neurocrania are globose, while the heigth of the skull is less pronounced in T. napu and Moschiola spp and somewhat flattened, more comparable to Hyemoschus aquaticus of Africa. Here, it is hypothesized that a flatter skull might be related to dietary habits and mastication movements and/or to diving and under-water locomotion to escape from predator as previously reported. In addition, I have assembled a chart providing revised taxonomic assessments of the specimens of Moschiola and Tragulus included in my analysis. The descriptions of the fossil skull of Dorcatherium crassum improve the understanding on its external morphology as well as its affinities with living species. This fossil has a strong neurocranium with some hyper-developed elements, such as the sagittal and nuchal crests as well as highlight the canine tooth and its alveola. The general morphology is similar to living species, but its hyper-developed morphology is not comparable to living ones, and was probably adapted morpho-functionally to the acquisition and processing of hard food items. Compared with Tragulus, Moschiola and Hyemoschus, the skull of Dt. crassum is bigger, but it is similar in some bone proportions calculated here. In general Dt. crassum is more similar to H. aquaticus than to other living species, supporting their close affinity as reported in previous studies based on other characters (limbs, teeth, partial skulls). The flattened skull of both species support this close affinity. A formerly unreported great morphological diversity in the dentition of fossil tragulids was documented by an analysis of material from the Miocene of Pakistan. Thus, of seven species previously known from the Siwaliks, based on the height of the tooth crown and related morphological features, only four are here recognized: Dorcatherium nagrii, Dt. minus, Dt. majus and Dorcabune anthracotheroides. In addition, we extend the diversity with the new species Dorcatherium dehmi and unexpectedly we extend the distribution into the Siwaliks for Dt. naui and Dt. guntianum previously recorded exclusively from Europe. Thus, the detailed analysis of morphology and the morphometric variables enabled distinguishing tragulid species that were previously masked by overlapping size. Accordingly, the variation described above coincides with data from the limited literature and it is in line with other groups previously misinterpreted as ‘living ancestors’ or ‘living fossils’, which were shown to be part of a greater morphological diversity than previously thought. However, considering that ancient diversity of tragulids was greater than the one of current representatives, and the living species belong to a group that is mostly extinct and such, by definition, provide deficient samples, it is difficult to assess with these data, which are plesiomorphic or derived characters. However, my results suggest a similar palaeobiology in fossil and living tragulids. Finally, the outcomes presented in this Ph.D. thesis clearly enhance the understanding of morphological diversity and palaeobiology of these mammals, but at the same time, reinforce the importance of studies on tragulids in order to improve the understanding on their origin and evolution

Hungary's Declining Democracy : A Study of Organizational Power in Hungarian Politics

Scholars posit that the successful consolidation of post-communist Central and Eastern European democracies can be linked to their subsequent accession to the European Union (EU). This led observers to assume that the continued democratization of Hungarian society was assured due to their integration into EU institutions. However, since the 2010 election of Viktor Orban, and his party FIDESZ, there have been concerning signs of democratic backsliding in Hungary. While these signs have also been observed in other post-communist nations, Hungary could potentially be termed a competitive authoritarian regime, a regime which has democratic institutions and norms in form but not in substance. To understand how this has occurred in Hungary this study will use the Levitsky and Way’s competitive authoritarianism model, which has three main factors that determine democratization outcomes. These factors are linkage, leverage, and organizational power. For Hungary democratization was due to linkage with and leverage from the EU. However, these previously influential linkages and leverages from the EU have failed to stop Hungary from backsliding under the current government. Instead FIDESZ has utilized their strong organizational power to legitimize their actions. Therefore, the objectives of this study are two-fold. First, to determine why the EU’s linkage and leverage has failed in Hungary. And second, to determine how FIDESZ has created and utilized their organizational power. The findings are relevant to other post-communist nations that are experiencing democratic backsliding

Sistema operativo Android: características y funcionalidad para dispositivos móviles

En la actualidad la masificación y constante crecimiento de la tecnología para dispositivos móviles, ha generando la necesidad de desarrollar sistemas operativos independientes con capacidad de procesamiento de información, conexión constante con la web y el poder para personalizar cada uno de ellos acomodándose así a los gustos de sus usuarios. Dada la creación de tecnologías que resuelven ciertas necesidades, se han dispuesto al mercado dispositivos móviles con sistemas operativos (SO) como lo son: Android, iOS, Windows mobile, Blackberry, etc. Teniendo en cuenta que Android es un sistema operativo libre, se puede aprovechar para el desarrollo de software en dispositivos móviles, permitiendo así una apropiación completa de esta tecnología. En otros sistemas operativos el desarrollo o programación de aplicaciones se limita a aquello que el desarrollador del Sistema Operativo permite, al igual que la modificación del mismo se encuentra limitada bajo sus parámetros. Dada la amplia adopción de Android por parte de los fabricantes de dispositivos móviles (Smartphones y Tablets), y a la poca documentación existente y accesible para los desarrolladores de software en la región del eje cafetero, se visualiza con esta investigación un medio que facilite el estudio del SO Android desde una perspectiva académica. Teniendo en cuenta el ritmo de crecimiento que ha mostrado este SO, es importante conocer en detalle su arquitectura y su funcionamiento con el fin de motivar su posterior apropiación en la investigación y desarrollo de proyectos en la región

Pagos por servicios ambientales : una aproximación desde el enfoque de los sistemas socio-ecológicos.

Tesis de EconomiaEste trabajo busca entender o identificar, los elementos del análisis de los sistemas socioecológicos que pueden integrarse al análisis de los pagos por servicios ambientales, de tal manera que se pueda reconocer la complejidad de los contextos en los cuales son implementados este tipo de esquemas. Para esto, tomando como marco de análisis a los trabajos de Ostrom (2009), y de McGinnis y Ostrom (2014), se lleva a cabo una revisión de literatura o meta-análisis de trabajos prominentes en la conceptualización, diseño y evaluación, de los PSA con respecto a los elementos y procesos de los contextos socio-ecológicos en los cuales se implementan – o se buscan implementar- este tipo de esquemas. Con esto, se desarrolla un Marco de Análisis Multinivel Anidado de variables, para el diseño y evaluación de los PSA desde el marco de los sistemas socioecológicos; donde se identifican variables prioritarias y un conjunto amplio de estas variables se describen, y se elabora una justificación o racionalidad para integrarla en el análisis de los PSA a partir de revisión de literatura complementaria. Con este trabajo se puede concluir que el análisis de los PSA desde el enfoque de SSE puede aclarar porque diferentes experiencias de PSA han mostrado resultados distintos

Análisis de las competencias de los licenciados en filosofía de la UNAD, a partir de las prácticas pedagógicas desarrolladas en la UDR-Soacha y el CEAD José Acevedo y Gómez en el periodo 2017-2018.

Análisis de las competencias de los licenciados en filosofía de la UNAD, a partir de las prácticas pedagógicas desarrolladas en la UDR-Soacha y el CEAD José Acevedo y Gómez en el periodo 2017-2018.Las prácticas pedagógicas se muestran como un espacio pertinente para la investigación en educación pues, además de servir como escenarios para la revisión empírica de aquellas habilidades que se espera hayan desarrollado los estudiantes durante su proceso formativo en el programa, se pueden rastrear aquellas percepciones que estos últimos tienen sobre su ejercicio docente – en el tiempo de prácticas - con miras a contrastar dicha información con referentes académicos importantes sobre este aspecto y, de igual forma, con las metas que se plantea el programa como tal. En este sentido se circunscribe la investigación realizada, de la que, posterior al proceso de indagación sobre las percepciones de la enseñanza de la filosofía desde la visión de los practicantes, expertos y el programa mismo, se encuentra que, entre los dos primeros, pese a los variados matices, existen conceptos que son transversales a todos los discursos, entre ellos el de lectura crítica, pensamiento crítico y formación ética, referida principalmente a lo social. Es de mencionar que existe entre los grupos estudiados una gran preocupación por la labor del licenciado en filosofía, y propiamente su rol en la enseñanza, con relación al análisis de lo social y las alternativas de transformación de los entornos en los que se desenvuelve, teniendo en cuenta las competencias sobre las que está fundamentado su saber y su quehacer y la forma en la que éstas pueden contribuir para dicho fin.The pedagogical practices are shown as a relevant space for research in education, besides they serve as scenarios to the empirical review of those skills that are expected that students have developed during their formative process in the program, and the perceptions that they have about their teaching practice contrasting this information with important academic references about this aspect and, in the same way, with the goals that the program proposes. In this sense, the research is circumscribed, after the investigation process about the philosophy teaching perceptions from the vision of the practitioners, experts and the program considering that despite the varied nuances, there are concepts that are transversal with all speeches, such as: critical reading, critical thinking and ethical formation that is mainly related to the social or society. On the other hand, among the studied groups there is a great concern for the work of the graduated person in philosophy, and properly by his role in teaching aspect due to the relationship with the social analysis and the alternatives of transformation of the environments in which it operates, also taking into account the competences about which their knowledge is based and their work in which they can contribute to that aim