Análisis arqueometalúrgico de yacimiento calcolítico de “La Pijotilla” (Badajoz)

Los restos de carácter metalúrgico del yacimiento de La Pijotilla han sido so metidos a distintos métodos analíticos (XRF, Microsonda, Metalografías, Isóto pos de Plomo) para la caracterización de la tecnología metalúrgica Calcolítica, evaluar los procesos que se llevaban a cabo en el yacimiento y establecer pau tas en el aprovisionamiento de materias primas y/o objetos elaborados

LA INSTRUCCIÓN PROGRAMADA REMOTA Y EL TUTORIAL COMO ESTRATEGIAS EN EL PROCESO DE APRENDIZAJE PARA EL DESARROLLO DE COMPETENCIAS MATEMÁTICAS.

The objective of the research is to determine the importance in the use of the remote programmed instruction and the tutorial as strategies in the learning process for the development of mathematical competences in students of the middle school of Educational Institutions of the District of Barranquilla, Colombia. Given the current situation of remote education caused by the pandemic Sars Cov 2 virus, known as Corona Virus, Covid 19, has had an impact on the fabric of human reality on a planetary level, especially because of the health conditions of communities at the local, regional, national and global levels, educational institutions as social organizations have thus migrated to a form of virtual study. In this sense, the role that the school plays in this current context, its teachers and parents have been decisive to face this formation from the home, where the technologies are the tools that allow to establish the direct connection with the students. Methodologically, the research was descriptive – Field, with a non-experimental, transactional design, with descriptive and inferential analysis. The population consisted of 140 eleventh-grade students. It was found that the eleventh grade students stood out in the high category, when it comes to using technological tools using the Remote Programmed Instruction (IPR) and the tutorial on solving mathematical problems. It is concluded that the use of technologies under the virtual remote modality promotes favorable results in the training of students. It is recommended to establish a curriculum and content in the area of mathematics adapted to learning strategies through remote programmed teaching.El objetivo de la investigación es determinar la importancia en el uso de la instrucción programada remota y del tutorial como estrategias en el proceso de aprendizaje para el desarrollo de competencias matemáticas en estudiantes de la media de Instituciones Educativas del Distrito de Barranquilla, Colombia. Dada la situación actual de una educación a distancia remota provocada por la pandemia del virus Sars Cov 2, conocido como Corona Virus, Covid 19, ha tenido un impacto en el tejido de la realidad humana a nivel planetario, sobre todo por las condiciones sanitarias que presentan las comunidades a nivel local, regional, nacional y mundial, en consecuencia, las instituciones educativas como organizaciones sociales han emigrado en estos tiempos a una modalidad de estudio virtual. En ese sentido, el papel que juega la escuela en este contexto actual, sus docentes y padres de familia ha sido determinante para enfrentar esta formación desde el hogar, donde las tecnologías son las herramientas que permiten establecer la conexión directa con los estudiantes. Metodológicamente, la investigación fue descriptiva – De campo, con un diseño no experimental, transaccional, con un análisis descriptivo e inferencial. La población estuvo constituida por 140 estudiantes de undécimo grado. Se encontró que los estudiantes de undécimo grado se destacaron en la categoría alta, cuando se trata de utilizar herramientas tecnológicas valiéndose de la Instrucción Programada Remota (IPR) y el tutorial en la resolución de problemas matemáticos. Se concluye que el empleo de las tecnologías bajo la modalidad remota virtual promueve resultados favorables en la formación del estudiantado. Se recomienda establecer un currículo y contenidos en el área de matemáticas ajustados a las estrategias de aprendizaje mediante la enseñanza programada remota

A P-Lingua based simulator for tissue P systems

AbstractInvestigations within the field of tissue-like P systems are being conducted, on one hand studying their computational efficiency, and on the other hand exploring the possibilities to use them as a computational modelling framework to biological phenomena.In both cases it is necessary to develop software that provides simulation tools (simulators) for the existing variety of tissue P systems. Such simulators allow us to carry on computations of solutions to computationally hard problems on certain (small) instances. Moreover, they also provide a way to verify tissue-like models for real biological processes, by means of experimental data.The paper presents an extension of P-Lingua (a specification language intended to become a standard for software devoted to P systems), in order to cover the class of tissue-like P systems, that were not considered in the previous release. This extension involves on one hand defining the syntax to be used, and on the other hand introducing a new built-in simulation algorithm that has been added to the core library of P-Lingua

Sex-related seasonal differences in the foraging strategy of the Kentish Plover

In species of birds with biparental care, each sex may have its own energy requirements and/or schedule for feeding, possibly leading the sexes to differ in foraging strategy. In estuaries, shorebirds such as the Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus alexandrinus) may forage on intertidal mudflats and in adjacent su- pratidal habitats during winter as well as during the breeding season. In this study, we analyzed the diet, use of foraging habitat, food-intake rate (biomass ingested per unit time), and time allocated to foraging by male and female Kentish Plovers at both seasons in an estuary near Cádiz, Spain, where intertidal mudflats and adjacent salt works are the main habitats for foraging. The plovers’ main prey was the ragworm (Nereis diversicolor), an intertidal polychaete that supplied more than 80% of the biomass consumed at each season. During the breeding season, both sexes increased their intake rate and decreased their daylight foraging time. By increasing the diurnal intake rate during the breeding season, the birds minimized their time spent foraging on the intertidal mudflats, allowing them to maximize the time for activities associated with breeding in the adjacent salt works. Therefore, the plovers solved the conflict between foraging on the mudflats and breeding in the salt works by shortening the foraging time on the mudflats, minimizing time away from the nesting areas. The sexes differed in the daylight time allocated to foraging, with females spending 2 hr less on foraging and concentrating their feeding activity into the central hours of low tideEn especies de aves con cuidado biparental, cada sexo puede tener sus propios requerimientos de energía y/o esquema de tiempo para la alimentación, lo cual podría conducir a diferencias en las estrategias de alimentación entre ambos sexos. En los estuarios, las especies de playeros como Charadrius alexandrinus pueden forrajear en fangos intermareales y en hábitats supramareales adyacentes tanto durante el invierno así como du- rante la época reproductiva. Aquí, analizamos la dieta, el uso de hábitat de forrajeo, la tasa de ingestión (biomasa ingerida por unidad de tiempo) y el tiempo dedicado al forrajeo por el macho y la hembra de C. alexandrinus du- rante ambas temporadas en una zona estuarina donde los fangos intermareales y las salinas adyacentes son las principales áreas de alimentación. La principal presa para C. alexandrinus fue un poliqueto (Nereis diversicolor), una presa intermareal que suplió más del 80% de la biomasa consumida en cada estación. Ambos sexos incremen- taron sus tasas de alimentación durante la época reproductiva, y disminuyeron sus tiempos diurnos de forrajeo. Por el incremento de la tasa de ingestión durante la época reproductiva, las aves minimizaron el tiempo que pasaron en los fangos intermareales, lo que les permitió maximizar el tiempo dedicado a las actividades de reproducción en las salinas adyacentes. Por lo tanto, el conflicto entre alimentarse en los fangos versus el desarrollo de las ac- tividades de reproducción (en las salinas), fue resuelto acortando el tiempo en los fangos, minimizando el tiempo fuera de las zonas de nidada. Hubo diferencias relacionadas con el sexo en el tiempo diurno dedicado al forrajeo: las hembras dedicaron dos horas menos a la alimentación y concentraron su actividad de alimentación en las horas centrales de la marea baja

Brood desertion by female shorebirds: A test of the differential parental capacity hypothesis on Kentish plovers

The aim of this study was to examine whether the energetic costs of reproduction explain offspring desertion by female shorebirds, as is suggested by the differential parental capacity hypothesis. A prediction of the hypothesis is that, in species with biparental incubation in which females desert from brood care after hatching, the body condition of females should decline after laying to a point at which their body reserves are too low for continuing parental care. We tested this prediction on Kentish plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) in which both sexes incubate but the females desert from brood care before the chicks fledge. We found no changes in either the body masses or body compositions of both individual male and female plovers from early incubation and throughout early chick rearing. Furthermore, the timing of brood desertion by females was not affected by their body condition. Neither did we find gender differences in the energetic costs of incubation. There were no differences in the timing of brood desertion between experimental and control females in an experiment in which we lengthened or shortened the duration of incubation by one week. These results indicate that energetic costs do not explain offspring desertion by female Kentish plovers and that the needs of chicks for parental care rather than cumulative investment by females is what determines the timing of brood desertion.Peer Reviewe

Conocimiento etnobotánico de la palma Mauritia flexuosa L.f. entre los aripaeños, descendientes de cimarrones, Aripao, Bolívar, Venezuela

Los aripaeños, descendientes de cimarrones de la comunidad de Aripao, estado Bolívar, Venezuela, tienen una estrecha relación con su entorno ambiental y los diversos recursos naturales que este ofrece. Esta se refleja en sus actividades tradicionales de subsistencia, como en la recolección de diversos productos forestales no maderables (PFNMs). En este artículo argumentamos que los aripaeños aún conservan un conocimiento etnobotánico profundo y amplio sobre los PFNMs, corroborado por medio de nuestra investigación de la palma de moriche (Mauritia flexuosa L.f.). Se realizaron varios trabajos de campo en períodos de lluvia y de sequía, empleando varias técnicas de recolección de datos, como observación participativa, entrevistas abiertas y semi-estructuradas. Desde la perspectiva del conocimiento ecológico local (CEL), nuestro análisis indica que existe una correspondencia entre el conocimiento etnobotánico que ellos poseen sobre los PFNMs y su continuidad cultural a través de la práctica de sus actividades tradicionales de subsistencia

A trade-off between overheating and camouflage on shorebird eggshell colouration

In ground-nesting birds egg colour and appearance may have evolved due to opposite selection pressures. Pigmentation and spottiness make the eggs darker and have been suggested to improve camouflage. However darker and more spotted eggs may reach higher temperatures when not attended by adults and receiving direct sunlight, which may be lethal for embryos. Some authors suggested that this trade-off may not exist because eggshell pigments mainly reflect in the infrared region of the solar spectrum, but have not considered that wavelengths in the visible part of the spectrum may also contribute to overheating. To test the occurrence of a trade-off between camouflage and overheating of eggs, we took digital images to analyse colour and camouflage in 93 nests of four shorebird species (two stilts and two plovers) in two regions (tropical and mediterranean sites). We predicted that these species (closely related) may have evolved different eggshell designs depending on solar radiation, which is supposed to be stronger in the Tropics. To record egg temperatures, we placed Japanese quail eggs in natural nests of shorebirds, and registered temperatures using a datalogger. We found that darker and more spotted eggs reached higher temperatures than lighter ones, and that after controlling for environmental temperatures, eggs overheated more in the Tropics, likely because of a more intense solar radiation. We also found that tropical shorebirds’ eggshells have darker spots and lighter backgrounds. Overall, darker eggs were better camouflaged. Taken together, our results show that the benefits of increasing pigmentation of eggshell backgrounds and spottiness for a better camouflage are counteracted by the increased risks of overheating when eggs remain exposed to direct solar radiation.Peer reviewe

A membrane parallel rapidly-exploring random tree algorithm for robotic motion planning

© 2020-IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved. In recent years, incremental sampling-based motion planning algorithms have been widely used to solve robot motion planning problems in high-dimensional configuration spaces. In particular, the Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithm and its asymptotically-optimal counterpart called RRT∗ are popular algorithms used in real-life applications due to its desirable properties. Such algorithms are inherently iterative, but certain modules such as the collision-checking procedure can be parallelized providing significant speedup with respect to sequential implementations. In this paper, the RRT and RRT∗ algorithms have been adapted to a bioinspired computational framework called Membrane Computing whose models of computation, a.k.a. P systems, run in a non-deterministic and massively parallel way. A large number of robotic applications are currently using a variant of P systems called Enzymatic Numerical P systems (ENPS) for reactive controlling, but there is a lack of solutions for motion planning in the framework. The novel models in this work have been designed using the ENPS framework. In order to test and validate the ENPS models for RRT and RRT*, we present two ad-hoc implementations able to emulate the computation of the models using OpenMP and CUDA. Finally, we show the speedup of our solutions with respect to sequential baseline implementations. The results show a speedup up to 6x using OpenMP with 8 cores against the sequential implementation and up to 24x using CUDA against the best multi-threading configuration

Procedencia de las puntas de jabalina del “Dolmen de la Pastora” (Valencina de la Concepción, Sevilla)

Este artículo combina una revisión bibliográfica actualizada y una nueva aproximación arqueométrica a las puntas de jabalina tipo La Pastora. Se incluyen recientes resultados del análisis por FRX e isótopos de plomo de ejemplares de este tipo metálico procedentes del Dolmen de La Pastora (Valencina de la Concepción, Sevilla) y del yacimiento de La Pijotilla (Badajoz), incorporando los datos de Outeiro de São Bernardo (Moura, Portugal). Las evidencias relacionadas con la interpretación arqueológica contextual de estos tres yacimientos permiten sugerir una fecha para las jabalinas tipo La Pastora en los siglos de transición entre el III y el II milenio a.C. Se confrontan los datos compositivos e isotópicos de las puntas de jabalina con otros elementos metálicos del ámbito regional y con las mineralizaciones caracterizadas isotópicamente en el suroeste de la Península Ibérica, además de con mineralizaciones y elementos metálicos del Mediterráneo oriental. Ello permite defender la producción local de estas jabalinas en el suroeste peninsular, aunque con variaciones tipológicas regionales y a partir de fuentes minerales diversificadas

When do predatory mites (Phytoseiidae) attack? Understanding their diel and seasonal predation patterns

Predatory mites of the Phytoseiidae family are considered one of the most important groups of natural enemies used in biological control. The behavioral patterns of arthropods can differ greatly daily and seasonally; however, there is a lack of literature related to Phytoseiidae diel and seasonal predation patterns. The predatory activity of three phytoseiid species (two Tetranychidae‐specialists, Phytoseiulus persimilis and Neoseiulus californicus, and one omnivore, Euseius stipulatus) that occur naturally in Spanish citrus orchards was observed under laboratory conditions in winter and summer. The temperature and photoperiod of the climatic chamber where the mites were reared did not change during the experiment. Our study demonstrates that phytoseiids can exhibit diel and seasonal predatory patterns when feeding on Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae). Neoseiulus californicus was revealed to be a nocturnal predator in summer but diurnal in winter. In contrast, P. persimilis activity was maximal during the daytime, and E. stipulatus showed no clear daily predation patterns. The predatory patterns described in this study should be taken into account when designing laboratory studies and also in field samplings, especially when applying molecular techniques to unveil trophic relationships