Teachers’ Efficacy With the Use of Technology in Teaching English

This study aimed to examine the common technology being used by the participants, their perceived efficacy level in using technology, and the challenges they face in using those. The research utilized a descriptive method through purposive sampling technique to select the 30 teachers from different private schools in San Pablo City during the Academic Year 2020-2021. A researcher-made questionnaire was used in gathering data. The respondents identified smartphone as hardware device they commonly used while the software apps commonly used were zoom as videoconferencing software app, web browsers as reference software app, and social networking sites as forum software apps. On the other hand, the respondents perceived that they have high level of efficacy with the use of hardware devices. They also have high level of efficacy in using each type of software apps (videoconferencing software, reference software, and forum software). In addition, the result showed four major challenges they faced in using technology; keeping up with changes, fixing troubleshoots, slow internet connection, and lack of familiarity. The results lead to the development of a guidebook, titled “Hi Teach” which may be put into evaluation and validation process to determine its possible strength to be utilized in different classroom purposes

Insects at school: an alternative in science education for the construction of a reflective and contextual environmental education

El presente artículo expone una investigación desarrollada con niños de segundo y tercer grado de una institución pública en Bogotá, que les propone como protagonistas de la construcción de conocimiento, por medio del planteamiento de experiencias con insectos, conocerlos y aprender de ellos; todo, considerando tres destrezas particulares: la observación, la construcción de modelos y la comunicación; resignificando así sus concepciones frente a estos seres y enriqueciendo una actitud crítica, empática y responsable para con su contexto. La estrategia metodológica empleada fue la sistematización de experiencias, desde el enfoque cualitativo.The research was developed out with 2nd and 3rd grade children from a public educational institution in Bogotá. This proposes that children are protagonists in the construction of knowledge through the experience with insects, to know them and learn from them, based on three skills, observation, model building and communication. Managing to resignify their conceptions about them and developing a critical, empathetic and responsible attitude with their context. The methodological strategy used was the systematization of experiences, from the qualitative approach

Collective Social Responsibility: An extended three-dimensional model of Corporate Social Responsibility for contemporary society

The Collective Social Responsibility model (CSRm) arises as a response to questioning the current vision of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). After analysing several authors and sources, this research proposes a vision that is more in line with reality and events in contemporary society and can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The study had three main objectives: (i) to propose a theoretical model to expand the concepts associated with CSR, (ii) to explain the proposed model and its implications for companies, society, and the environment, and, finally, (iii) to establish the relationship between the proposed model and the SDG promoted by the UN. This study used a qualitative methodology based on documentary review and inferential and deductive reasoning. The Collective Social Responsibility model (CSRm) proposed here is an expanded and updated version of CSR, observed from a three-dimensional perspective. The proposed model seeks to transform not only the impact that organizations and businesses have on society, but also the way in which governments, companies, groups, and individuals complement each other in relation to this field

Media structure of social collectivities in Latin America: the case of Uruguay, Argentina, Ecuador and Bolivia

Los medios comunitarios, especialmente en el ámbito de la radio, son una tradición en América Latina y su aporte es muy significativo para la democracia y como forma de expresión de sectores de la población de menos recursos. Destacamos la situación en Uruguay, Argentina, Ecuador y Bolivia, cuyo impulso normativo lidera en el continente la democratización del acceso al espectro, aunque como hemos comprobado su desarrollo legislativo y estructural todavía no se ha completado. Dada esta premisa, las técnicas de investigación que se han manejado han sido el análisis documental de fuentes bibliográficas y hemerográficas, y la conversación personal directa.The existence of community media, especially in the field of radio, is a long tradition in Latin America and its contribution is very significant, both for democracy and forms of expression of vast sectors of the population with fewer resources. However, this reality has not always been accompanied by legal recognition by states as a sector with the same opportunities as public or private media. However, it is notorious that there has been a significant advance in the recognition of community media in the region. In this text we highlight the situation in Uruguay, Argentina, Ecuador and Bolivia, whose normative impulse leads in the continent the democratization of spectrum access, although as we have proven its legislative and structural development has not yet been completed. In the search for this reality in this text we have tried an inductive approach to our object of study with the intention of finding those elements that best allow us to describe and analyze it. Given this premise, the research techniques that have been handled have been, essentially, the documentary analysis of diverse sources, among them the bibliographic and the hemerographic ones, and the direct personal conversation.Ciencias de la Comunicació

Characterization of two Achromobacter xylosoxidans isolates from patients with pertussis-like symptoms

[email protected]: To characterize two Achromobacter xylosoxidans recovered from 2 patients diagnosed with pertussis during a Bordetella pertussis surveillance program. Methods: Nasopharyngeal swabs from 2 children under 1 year of age with clinical suspicion of pertussis were analyzed by culture and PCR. Results: Two Achromobacter xylosoxidans A8, closely related to Bordetella spp. were recovered from 2 patients diagnosed of pertussis, both carrying the ptxA gene and IS418 the pertussis toxin encoding gene. Subsequently, antibiotic susceptibility was evaluated by disk-diffusion method and by PCR. Conclusions: Although more detailed studies are needed, the present data highlight the possibility that Achromobacter xylosoxidans, closely related Bordetella pertussis microorganisms and not covered under the vaccine umbrella, might also result in cases of whooping cough. Thereby further surveillance is necessary to determine the extension and relevance of their pathogenic role in order to discriminate their real public health implication.This work has been supported by Sanofi Aventis del Peru. JR has a fellowship from the program I3, of the ISCIII (grant number: CES11/012), CG has a PhD fellowship of the ISCIII (FI12/00561). MJP has a fellowship from CONCYTEC/FONDECYT.Revisión por pare

Oropouche infection a neglected arbovirus in patients with acute febrile illness from the Peruvian coast

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of infection caused by the Oropouche virus (OROV) in 496 patients with acute febrile disease (AFI), whose samples were obtained for the analysis of endemic arboviruses in a previous investigation carried out in 2016. Results: OROV was detected in 26.4% (131/496) of serum samples from patients with AFI. Co-infections with Dengue virus (7.3%), Zika virus (1.8%) and Chikungunya (0.2%) were observed. The most common clinical symptoms reported among the patients with OROV infections were headache 85.5% (112/131), myalgia 80.9% (106/131), arthralgia 72.5% (95/131) and loss of appetite 67.9% (89/131). Headache and myalgia were predominant in all age groups. Both OROV infections and co-infections were more frequent in May, June and July corresponding to the dry season of the region.Revisión por pare

Characterization of two Achromobacter xylosoxidans isolates from patients with pertussis-like symptoms

OBJECTIVE: To characterize two Achromobacter xylosoxidans recovered from 2 patients diagnosed with pertussis during a Bordetella pertussis surveillance program. METHODS: Nasopharyngeal swabs from 2 children under 1 year of age with clinical suspicion of pertussis were analyzed by culture and PCR. RESULTS: Two Achromobacter xylosoxidans A8, closely related to Bordetella spp. were recovered from 2 patients diagnosed of pertussis, both carrying the ptxA gene and IS418 the pertussis toxin encoding gene. Subsequently, antibiotic susceptibility was evaluated by disk-diffusion method and by PCR. CONCLUSIONS: Although more detailed studies are needed, the present data highlight the possibility that Achromobacter xylosoxidans, closely related Bordetella pertusssis microorganisms and not covered under the vaccine umbrella, might also result in cases of whooping cough. Thereby further surveillance is necessary to determine the extension and relevance of their pathogenic role in order to discriminate their real public health implication

La inversión en infraestructura para el desarrollo local y su impacto en el endeudamiento municipal de El Salvador período 2006 - 2017.

El comportamiento de la deuda municipal analizado a través de la inversión en infraestructura para el desarrollo municipal tomando en cuenta la normativa salvadoreña, nos permite conocer a profundidad la actuación de los gobiernos municipales respecto al manejo de la deuda municipal y la inversión en proyectos que generan Desarrollo Local. ¿Los gobiernos municipales están usando la deuda contratada para la inversión en proyectos que generen Desarrollo Local en los municipios, así como lo establece la normativa salvadoreña?, ¿La inversión en infraestructura para el Desarrollo Local tiene un impacto positivo en el saldo de la deuda? Estas son algunas de las interrogantes que la presente investigación responde, a través del análisis de la información y resultados del desarrollo de un modelo econométrico. En el desarrollo de esta investigación se analizó el Desarrollo Local y endeudamiento municipal desde las siguientes perspectivas: Desarrollo Local visto desde las perspectivas de diferentes autores como Francisco Albuquerque y Enrique Gallichio y de la normativa salvadoreña como la constitución de la Republica de El Salvador, Código Municipal y el FODES y el endeudamiento municipal desde la perspectiva de diferentes teorías que son la teoría de la equidad intergeneracional y teoría de la ilusión fiscal. Otros aspectos importantes que se tocan son los antecedentes del Desarrollo Local, desarrollo sostenible y evolución de la deuda municipal de El Salvador; para el primero analizado desde enfoque neoliberal y enfoque integral. La evolución de la deuda se analizó el comportamiento del saldo de la deuda municipal para el periodo 2006 - 2017 donde los departamentos que tienen mayor endeudamiento son San Salvador, La Libertad y Usuluán. Y los menos endeudados son San Vicente, Santa Ana, Cuscatlán y Chalatenango. Finalizó la investigación con un análisis de los municipios más endeudados de El Salvador con las variables en estudio que son ingreso municipal, gasto municipal, inversión en infraestructura y saldo de la deuda municipal, donde se ve la relación en dos escenarios que son ingreso municipal-gasto municipal y saldo de la deuda municipal-inversión en infraestructura. Se utilizó el modelo econométrico para conocer cuál es la variable que más se relaciona con el saldo de la deuda el principal hallazgo es que cada una de las variables evaluadas tienen influencia positiva en la variable dependiente saldo de la Deuda Municipal (SD), es decir, que la inversión en infraestructura, el ingreso y el gasto municipal explican de una manera significativa el comportamiento del saldo de la deuda en el periodo de estudio. Se determinó que las variables independientes monto total invertido en infraestructura y total de gastos municipales, coinciden con el signo positivo esperado, lo que significa que a mayor monto invertido en infraestructura, y gastos municipales, la deuda municipal aumenta, es decir, que una gran parte de la inversión en infraestructura y el gasto municipal son financiadas por medio de deuda. La variable total de ingresos municipales es la única que no coincide con el signo que se esperaba, el cual es negativo que significa que a mayores ingresos municipales la deuda tendería a disminuir, pero el signo resultante en la modelación econométrica el signo es positivo, significa que a mayores ingresos municipales la deuda tiende a aumentar, es decir que los gobiernos municipales al ver incrementados sus ingresos municipales estos tienden a contratar más deuda, debido a que aumenta su capacidad de endeudamiento

Dengue diagnosis in an endemic area of Peru: Clinical characteristics and positive frequencies by RT-PCR and serology for NS1, IgM, and IgG

This work was supported by Cienciativa of CONCYTEC Peru, under contract number 164-2016-FONDECYT, and the Programa Nacional de Innovación para la Competitividad y Productividad (Innóvate Perú), under contract number 116-PNICP-PIAP-2015.Background: Huánuco is a central eastern region of Peru whose geography includes high forest and low jungle, as well as a mountain range that constitutes the inter-Andean valleys. It is considered a region endemic for dengue due to the many favorable conditions that facilitate transmission of the virus. Methods: A total of 268 serum samples from patients in Huánuco, Peru with an acute febrile illness were assessed for the presence of dengue virus (DENV) via RT-PCR and NS1, IgM, and IgG ELISA during December 2015 and March 2016. Results: DENV was detected in 25% of samples via RT-PCR, 19% of samples by NS1 antigen ELISA, and 10.5% of samples by IgM ELISA. DENV IgG was detected in 15.7% of samples by ELISA. The most frequent symptoms associated with fever across all groups were headache, myalgia, and arthralgia, with no significant difference between the four test methods Conclusions: In this study, DENV was identified in up to 25% of the samples using the standard laboratory method. In addition, a correlation was established between the frequency of positive results and the serological tests that determine NS1, IgM, and IgG. There is an increasing need for point-of-care tests to strengthen epidemiological surveillance in Peru.Revisión por paresRevisión por pare