Advantages and disadvantages of group work on the improvement of reading skills.

This thesis explored the advantages and disadvantages of using group work to improve reading skills among primary school students. The study employed a qualitative methodology, utilizing face-to-face interviews with teachers to investigate this approach. The findings indicated that group work can foster collaborative learning, encourage active engagement, and develop essential social skills. However, the research also identified potential drawbacks, such as uneven participation, social loafing, and the risk of reinforcing weaker reading abilities within the group. The thesis concluded that group work can be an effective instructional strategy for enhancing reading skills, but it requires careful planning and facilitation by teachers. Finally, key recommendations included providing clear guidelines, assigning specific roles, monitoring group dynamics, adapting groups based on reading ability levels, offering continuous support and feedback, and cultivating metacognitive strategies. The study underscored the need for a balanced approach that maximizes the benefits of collaborative learning while mitigating the challenges. Further research is necessary to explore the long-term impacts and optimal implementation approaches for different age groups and reading proficiency levels

Population Density Estimates of the Montezuma Quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) in West Texas

In Texas, USA, populations of Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) can be found scattered across mountain ranges in the Trans-Pecos region, including the Davis and Guadalupe, and farther east into the Edwards Plateau region. Abundance and distribution information to assist land managers in the enhancement of Montezuma quail populations is scarce due to the species’ secretive behavior and unknown abundance. We aimed to provide population density indices to fill this information gap by using a search path technique. We searched for quail in the winter of 2018–2019 in West Texas at 6 study sites: 5 private ranches and Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area (EMWMA). We chose survey locations based on previous quail sightings and our perception that an area contained suitable Montezuma quail habitat. We searched small watersheds using at least 2 dogs while walking along contours. The average search path length was 1.82 km (range = 0.80–4.30). We produced a hexagonal grid with a cell size of 1 ha such that no pair of coveys can be encountered on the same cell. The area associated to each search was the sum of the areas of all hexagonal cells intersected by the search path. For density index, we directly used the definition of density (birds encountered divided by area searched). Mean covey density was 1.51 ± 2.53 (± standard error) coveys/km2 (range = 0.50–4.17), although abundance data were overdispersed. The highest density estimate was for EMWMA. Mean covey size was 6.55 ± 0.61 birds/covey. These data yielded an estimate of 10.07 ± 17.45 birds/km2. As we did not account for imperfect detection, our quail density estimates are lower bounds of actual density. These quail density estimates are lower than estimates for Arizona, USA but higher than density estimates reported for the Edwards Plateau and central Mexico. A prevailing concern regarding the harvest of the Montezuma quail among some wildlife professionals and the public in Texas is the perception that Montezuma quail are scarce. Therefore, our density estimates suggest that abundance of Montezuma quail in West Texas may not be as low as perceived and that Montezuma quail populations may be appropriate for an open hunt season

Construcción de un modelo de competencias profesionales docentes para la maestría en medicina alternativa, área medicina tradicional china y acupuntura de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia

El creciente interés en la medicina alternativa y complementaria, ha permitido su llegada a ambientes académicos y por ende la creación de nuevos programas; para ello se requieren profesores que implementen los currículos. Es necesario reflexionar sobre las competencias profesionales docentes que ellos deben tener para cumplir los proyectos educativos con calidad. Objetivo: construir un modelo de competencias profesionales para los docentes de Medicina Tradicional China y Acupuntura de la Maestría en Medicina Alternativa de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Metodología: estudio cualitativo, que usó como estrategias la revisión de la literatura y la aplicación de una entrevista de pregunta abierta a todos los profesionales médicos docentes del área de estudio. Resultados: A partir de la revisión de la literatura se construyeron cuatro ejes de análisis para las entrevistas. Se caracterizó al grupo de docentes y se estudiaron todas las respuestas obtenidas. A partir de ellos se construyó el modelo de competencias para profesores del área. Conclusiones: El modelo de competencias contempla competencias técnicas, metodológicas, sociales y personales, cada una de las cuales fue planteada con detalle. Este estudio pone de manifiesto la necesidad urgente de generar espacios de formación docente en pedagogía.Abstract. The growing interest in alternative and complementary medicine, has allowed his arrival in academic environments and the creation of new programs. This situation requires teachers who implement the curriculum. It is necessary to reflect on the teaching skills they must have to achieve quality educational projects. Objective: Build a model of professional skills for teachers of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, Master in Alternative Medicine Masters at National University of Colombia. Methodology: qualitative study, which used two strategies as the literature review and the application of an open question interview to all medical professional teachers in the studied area. Results: From the literature review it was built four axes of analysis for interviews. The group of teachers was characterized and all the responses were studied. With both of them, it was built the competence model for teachers in the area. Conclusions: The competency model provides technical, methodological, social and personal, each of which was raised in detail. This study highlights the urgent need to create spaces for teacher training in pedagogy.Maestrí

Document management practices in SMEs: An information management capability-based approach

Purpose: This research studied the current document management (DM) practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of a road freight transport sector in a South American city with the aim to determine strengths and challenges for improving information management. Design/methodology/approach: The study was conducted using a survey approach based on measuring information management capabilities (IMC) through the following main dimensions: perception about DM practices, DM policies and tools, IT usage, organizational climate, and problems related to document management. Findings: The main results from the work stated the challenges for these companies in adopting electronic document management systems (EDMS) and handling information effectively even though the business experience. Also, the study highlighted the top management commitment in terms of investments for IMC development. Nevertheless, this economic support tends to be not enough to afford the EDMS implementation. Originality/value: Regarding the importance of information in road freight transport sector, this paper explored DM practices in a field in which no previous studies related to DM had been conducted and set the basis to make decisions to improve information management performance

Gaia Data Release 2: The celestial reference frame (Gaia -CRF2)

The second release of Gaia data (Gaia DR2) contains the astrometric parameters for more than half a million quasars. This set defines a kinematically non-rotating reference frame in the optical domain. A subset of these quasars have accurate VLBI positions that allow the axes of the reference frame to be aligned with the International Celestial Reference System (ICRF) radio frame. Aims. We describe the astrometric and photometric properties of the quasars that were selected to represent the celestial reference frame of Gaia DR2 (Gaia-CRF2), and to compare the optical and radio positions for sources with accurate VLBI positions. Methods. Descriptive statistics are used to characterise the overall properties of the quasar sample. Residual rotation and orientation errors and large-scale systematics are quantified by means of expansions in vector spherical harmonics. Positional differences are calculated relative to a prototype version of the forthcoming ICRF3. Results. Gaia-CRF2 consists of the positions of a sample of 556 869 sources in Gaia DR2, obtained from a positional cross-match with the ICRF3-prototype and AllWISE AGN catalogues. The sample constitutes a clean, dense, and homogeneous set of extragalactic point sources in the magnitude range G ' 16 to 21 mag with accurately known optical positions. The median positional uncertainty is 0.12 mas for G < 18 mag and 0.5 mas at G = 20 mag. Large-scale systematics are estimated to be in the range 20 to 30 µas. The accuracy claims are supported by the parallaxes and proper motions of the quasars in Gaia DR2. The optical positions for a subset of 2820 sources in common with the ICRF3-prototype show very good overall agreement with the radio positions, but several tens of sources have significantly discrepant positions. Conclusions. Based on less than 40% of the data expected from the nominal Gaia mission, Gaia-CRF2 is the first realisation of a non-rotating global optical reference frame that meets the ICRS prescriptions, meaning that it is built only on extragalactic sources. Its accuracy matches the current radio frame of the ICRF, but the density of sources in all parts of the sky is much higher, except along the Galactic equator

Gaia Data Release 3: The extragalactic content

The Gaia Galactic survey mission is designed and optimized to obtain astrometry, photometry, and spectroscopy of nearly two billion stars in our Galaxy. Yet as an all-sky multi-epoch survey, Gaia also observes several million extragalactic objects down to a magnitude of G ∼ 21 mag. Due to the nature of the Gaia onboard-selection algorithms, these are mostly point-source-like objects. Using data provided by the satellite, we have identified quasar and galaxy candidates via supervised machine learning methods, and estimate their redshifts using the low resolution BP/RP spectra. We further characterise the surface brightness profiles of host galaxies of quasars and of galaxies from pre-defined input lists. Here we give an overview of the processing of extragalactic objects, describe the data products in Gaia DR3, and analyse their properties. Two integrated tables contain the main results for a high completeness, but low purity (50−70%), set of 6.6 million candidate quasars and 4.8 million candidate galaxies. We provide queries that select purer sub-samples of these containing 1.9 million probable quasars and 2.9 million probable galaxies (both ∼95% purity). We also use high quality BP/RP spectra of 43 thousand high probability quasars over the redshift range 0.05−4.36 to construct a composite quasar spectrum spanning restframe wavelengths from 72−1000 nm

Winter Diet of Montezuma Quail in Arizona and New Mexico

Investigating the diet composition of Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) is fundamental for unveiling how food resources limit the species’ population size and may provide relevant tools for their harvest and habitat management. The objective of this research was to determine the composition and geographic variation of the winter diet of the Montezuma quail in Arizona and New Mexico, USA, from quail crops harvested during the hunting seasons of 2008–2017. In addition, we used beta regression analyses to determine the effect of environmental factors and ecological variables (annual mean precipitation, annual mean temperature, landscape diversity, diet diversity, time of hunt, longitude, latitude, and elevation) on Montezuma quail diet composition. We found that acorns (Quercus spp.) and sedge rhizomes (Cyperus fendlerianus) are the most frequent food items of Montezuma quail in Arizona and New Mexico, respectively, followed by tepary beans (Phaseolus acutifolius), woodsorrel tubers (Oxalis spp.) and insects in both states. Individual crop wet mass is positively associated with time of day during winter. Geographic variation in Montezuma quail diet composition in Arizona and New Mexico was associated with mean annual precipitation for acorns and with geographic variation in mean annual temperature for rhizomes and tubers of sedge (Cyperus spp.). Geographic variation of other food items was not associated with those environmental factors. These functional relationships between the species’ diet and environmental factors suggest that Montezuma quail preference towards these two principal food items is subject to climatic control. Therefore, warmer and drier environments in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico may affect the species’ distribution through changes in food availability

Gaia Data Release 3: The Galaxy in your preferred colours: Synthetic photometry from Gaia low-resolution spectra

Gaia Data Release 3 provides novel flux-calibrated low-resolution spectrophotometry for '220 million sources in the wavelength range 330 nm ≤ λ ≤ 1050 nm (XP spectra). Synthetic photometry directly tied to a flux in physical units can be obtained from these spectra for any passband fully enclosed in this wavelength range. We describe how synthetic photometry can be obtained from XP spectra, illustrating the performance that can be achieved under a range of different conditions – for example passband width and wavelength range – as well as the limits and the problems affecting it. Existing top-quality photometry can be reproduced within a few per cent over a wide range of magnitudes and colour, for wide and medium bands, and with up to millimag accuracy when synthetic photometry is standardised with respect to these external sources. Some examples of potential scientific application are presented, including the detection of multiple populations in globular clusters, the estimation of metallicity extended to the very metal-poor regime, and the classification of white dwarfs. A catalogue providing standardised photometry for '2.2×108 sources in several wide bands of widely used photometric systems is provided (Gaia Synthetic Photometry Catalogue; GSPC) as well as a catalogue of '105 white dwarfs with DA/non-DA classification obtained with a Random Forest algorithm (Gaia Synthetic Photometry Catalogue for White Dwarfs; GSPC-WD)

“Desempeño laboral y su incidencia dentro de las ventajas competitivas en las microempresas comerciales del Cantón la Maná, Provincia de Cotopaxi, año 2020.”

The role of micro-enterprises in business activity is fundamental, it has the potential for self-development, self-sufficiency and growth. The problem arose from the empirical management of microenterprises, lack of knowledge about the importance of quality job performance, the low rate of training, the academic level of the owners and the impact it generates on the competitive advantages of a business, the general objective of this project was to analyze the incidence of job performance on the competitive advantages of commercial microenterprises of La Maná canton; in order to fulfill this purpose, bibliographic and field research was used, among the methods the theoretical method was used: logical historical , deductive, synthetic analytical and empirical method: expert assessment, in addition descriptive and correctional research was used. It was taken as a base the population universe of 3,830 commercial micro enterprises and 1,668 collaborators of the urban sector, applying the calculation of the sampling by strata it was possible to obtain a sample of 150 proprietors and 143 collaborators to whom the surveys were applied whose instrument was the questionnaire that was validated. The most relevant findings indicated that there is a relationship of 0.628 according to the factors of work performance (work environment, organizational culture, incentives, work satisfaction, competence, education, knowledge and experience) and competitive advantage (leadership by cost, differentiation, concentration), demonstrating that work performance is of vital importance to obtain competitive advantages. It is concluded that work performance has an impact on competitive advantages. In view of the results found, the creation of generic competitive advantages was proposed in order to improve profitability conditions and reduce costs in strategic products.El papel de las microempresas en la economía local y nacional es fundamental, tiene posibilidades de autodesarrollarse, autoabastecerse y de crecimiento. La problemática surgió frente al manejo empírico de las microempresas, falta de conocimiento sobre la importancia del desempeño laboral de calidad, el bajo índice de capacitaciones, el nivel académico de los propietarios, la investigación tuvo como objetivo analizar la incidencia del desempeño laboral en las ventajas competitivas de las microempresas comerciales del Cantón La Maná, con la finalidad de cumplir este propósito se recurrió a la investigación bibliográfica y de campo, entre los métodos se empleó el método teórico: histórico lógico, deductivo, analítico sintético y el método empírico: valoración por expertos, además se utilizó la investigación descriptiva y correccional. Se tomó como base el universo poblacional de 3.830 microempresas comerciales y 1.668 colaboradores del sector urbano, aplicando el cálculo del muestreo por estratos se logró obtener una muestra de 150 propietarios y 143 colaboradores a los cuales se aplicó las encuestas cuyo instrumento fue el cuestionario que fue validado. Los hallazgos más relevantes indicaron que existe una relación de 0,628 de acuerdo a los factores de desempeño laboral (ambiente laboral, cultura organizacional, incentivos, satisfacción laboral, competencia educación, conocimiento y experiencia) y ventaja competitiva (liderazgo por costo, diferenciación, concentración), demostrando que es de vital importancia el desempeño laboral para obtener ventajas competitivas. Se concluye que el desempeño laboral tiene incidencia en las ventajas competitivas. Frente a los resultados encontrados se planteó la creación de ventajas competitivas genéricas con la finalidad de mejorar las condiciones de rentabilidad y reducir los costos en productos estratégicos

Composition of the Montezuma Quail’s Diet in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas

The Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) is a popular game bird and an indicator species of oak-pine savannas in the northern part of its range. In Arizona and New Mexico, USA, robust populations allow for a hunting season from mid-November through mid-February. However, there is no open hunting season for this quail in Texas, USA. Data on the Montezuma quail’s diet can provide new information and improve management of the species. Our objective was to analyze the diet composition of the Montezuma quail in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Specimens were collected by hunters in Arizona and New Mexico during 2016–2020 seasons and by researchers during 2018–2020 winter and spring seasons in Texas. We estimated the diet composition by macrohistological analysis of the collected quail crops. We found a high variety of food items: 178 items or morphospecies in crops (n = 175), from which 110 and 66 items were of plant and animal origin, respectively, and 2 unidentified items. We found an average (± standard error) of 5.89 ± 0.42 items/crop (range = 0–22) in Arizona (n = 107) samples, 4.15 ± 0.99 items/crop (range = 1–13) in New Mexico (n = 13), and 4.38 ± 0.40 items/crop (range = 1–12) in Texas (n = 55). Winter diet of Montezuma quail in Arizona was mainly represented by bulbs of Oxalis spp. (35.22% of dry weight), bulbs and rhizomes of Cyperus spp. (30.92%), acorns (Quercus spp.; 7.17%), and tepari beans (Phaseolus acutifolius; 6.50%). Winter diet in New Mexico consisted mainly of bulbs of Cyperus spp. (64.13%), beans of Macroptilium spp. (15.82%), and Panicum hallii grains (10.11%). In Texas, winter diet consisted mostly of rhizomes and bulbs of Cyperus spp. (28.17%), Rhynchosia senna beans (22.49%), P. hallii grains (19.54%), Allium wild onions (8.58%), and Cylindropuntia imbricata seeds (4.16%). The Montezuma quail’s spring diet in Texas consisted mainly of rhizomes and bulbs of Cyperus spp. (61.64%) and bulbs of Oxalis spp. (19.46%). The Montezuma quail diet changes in composition and proportion according to the site and season, but bulbs and rhizomes of Cyperus spp. are the predominant food items in all 3 states. This work provides novel information about the winter and spring diet of Montezuma quail in Texas. Information about Montezuma quail diet at several temporal and geographic scales will prove to be highly relevant to implement better management and conservation strategies in the northern edge of the species’ range