Phenotypical characterization in "Plasmopara halstedii" (sunflower downy mildew) isolates of several races

Phenotypic variation (morphological and pathogenic characters), and genetic variability were studied in 50 isolates of seven Plasmopara halstedii (sunflower downy mildew) races 100, 300, 304, 314, 710, 704 and 714. There were significant morphological, aggressiveness, and genetic differences for pathogen isolates. However, there was no relationship between morphology of zoosporangia and sporangiophores and pathogenic and genetic characteristics for the races used in our study. Also, our results provided evidence that no relation between pathogenic traits and multilocus haplotypes may be established in P. halstedii. The hypothesis explaining the absence of relationships among phenotypic and genetic characteristics is discussed.

The proposal of democratic citizenship in Hannah Arendt

The main purpose of this paper is to analyze Hannah Arendt’s citizenship proposal. The central thesis is that this proposal is possible in contemporary democracies, and it is adequate for developing and strengthening of political action. The work is divided in five sections. In the first, we develop a brief introduction on the studied issue. In the second and third section, we analyze, respec-tively, political and moral conditions that enable democratic citizenship, and the conditions that hinder the exercise of the same, according to Arendt. Then, we reflect critically on Arendt’s citizenship proposal. Finally, we conclude and we propose a set of civic challenges relate to current democracies in light of the above proposal.

Welfare Effort and Poverty from the Monetary and Capabilities Approach: A Cross-Country Analysis in Latin American and the Caribbean (1990-2010)

There is abundant empirical evidence on the negative relationship between welfare effort and poverty. However, poverty indicators traditionally used have been representative of the monetary approach, excluding its multidimensional reality from the analysis. Using three regression techniques for the period 1990-2010 and controlling for demographic and cyclical factors, this paper examines the relationship between social spending per capita —as the indicator of welfare effort— and poverty in up to 21 countries of the region. The proportion of the population with an income below its national basic basket of goods and services (PM1) and the proportion of population with an income below 50% of the median income per capita (PM2) were the two poverty indicators considered from the monetarist approach to measure poverty. From the capability approach the proportion of the population with food inadequacy (PC1) and the proportion of the population without access to improved water sources or sanitation facilities (PC2) were used. The fi ndings confi rm that social spending is actually useful to explain changes in poverty (PM1, PC1 and PC2), as there is a high negative and signifi cant correlation between the variables before and after controlling for demographic and cyclical factors. In two regression techniques, social spending per capita did not show a negative relationship with the PM2. Countries with greater welfare effort for the period 1990-2010 were not necessarily those with the lowest level of poverty. Ultimately social spending per capita was more useful to explain changes in poverty from the capability approach.

Dynamic analysis of employment trajectories through the concept of fl exicurity

The paper presents a dynamic study of the Spanish labour market which tries to determine if it matches the characteristics of transitional labour markets from a fl exicurity approach. Employment trajectories of Spanish workers during the years 2007-2010 are studied using the Continuous Sample of Working Lives. This period covers the end of the expansion of the Spanish economy and the beginning of the current employment crisis. From the combination of the chosen topic, the approach, and the database used, this is a novel perspective in our country. The article shows evidence of the evolution of the employment and unemployment spells, the Spanish labour market turnover degree, and the diffi culties of some groups for carrying out transition between employment and unemployment. The results obtained show a labour market in which a) transitions have come to a halt, and b) there is high job insecurity.

Contratos públicos adjudicados a sociedades cooperativas en el País Vasco entre 2010 y 2012

La Contratación Pública constituye una fuente muy importante de la demanda de bienes y servicios, especialmente en la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco en donde el Gobierno Autonómico, también llamado la Administración General Vasca, desarrolla un papel capital como impulsor de dicha contratación pública. Por otro lado, la Economía Social, y especialmente el movimiento cooperativo, tiene en ese mismo ámbito geográfico un papel de gran peso en el conjunto de la Economía Vasca, por sus cifras de empleo y aportación al PIB, así como por tradición y arraigo social. Cabe preguntarse en tal caso, cuál es el papel que desempeñan las cooperativas en la Contratación Pública en aquella Comunidad Autónoma, cómo y cuáles son los contratos de los que resultan adjudicatarias, qué importes suponen esos contratos para las cuentas públicas y, en definitiva, si su papel de adjudicatarias se corresponde con el que desempeñan en el conjunto de la Economía Vasca. Del examen de los contratos publicados en el Perfil del Contratante del Gobierno Vasco, se obtienen datos suficientes que, una vez procesados y analizados, se visualizan en tablas y porcentajes que constituyen la base de un diagnóstico que responde a las preguntas planteadas y evidencia la situación de debilidad de las cooperativas en el campo de la contratación pública vasca.

Non-agrocultural co-peratives and economy transformation in Cuba: politic processes and strategies

Contribution of co-operatives has been demonstrated since the 1970s as the main development line in agricultural production in Cuba. In contrast, there has been a late recognition of urban co-operatives, even if the need of transformations based on the realization of property in different territorial scenarios had been identified. The article analyses the reform processes launched since the first decade of the 21st century focusing on the nature of the initiatives fostering formation and promotion of nonagricultural co-operatives including follow up of their performance. The potential and limitations of the recent experiences are examined in order to reflect on the organizational processes and transformations from the point of view of their members. To conclude, some questions are posed about whether these co-operatives are capable of avoiding the impact of earlier employment circumstances and of developing strategies aimed at reinforcing voluntary membership and autonomy on which they are founded.

Determining factors of the innovative behavior of cooperatives: an analysis of the case of Castilla y León

Cooperatives have a long historical experience in the Spanish economy and have demonstrated their ability to compete against traditional firms in the market. To maintain this capability, while taking advantage of the competitive advantages associated with their idiosyncrasies as social economy enterprises, they should take into consideration that the economy is increasingly globalized and increasingly knowledge-based, especially with regards to technological content. As a consequence, the innovative capacity appears to be a key aspect in order to be able to challenge competitors. This article characterizes the innovative behavior of cooperatives in the region of Castile and Leon and analyses the internal and external factors affecting their innovative performance, based on data from a survey of 581 cooperatives. The results of the empirical analysis, which is performed by multivariate binary logistic regression on various types of innovation, lead us to identify the size of the organizations, the existence of planning, the R & D activities and the human capital as the main determining factors.

Teacher attitudes and best practices with ICT faculty Adult Continuing Education in Andalusia

The present paper reports the results of a study aiming to describe the attitudes of teachers in adult continuous education in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia (Spain) towards the use and integration of information and communication technologies (ITC) in the educational centres they work in, while identifying those factors that favour the development of good practice. It is a mixed methods descriptive research, and information collection techniques include a questionnaire and in-depth interviews. A total number of 172 teachers were surveyed, as well as 18 head teachers and coordinators, in adult education. For questionnaire validation the expert judgment technique was used, as they were selected by the «expert competence coefficient» or «K coefficient» procedure. To improve its psychometric properties, construct validity was determined by means of Varimax factor analysis and maximum likelihood extraction (two factors were extracted). Confidence was set by Cronbach's alpha (0.88). The interview guide was also validated by this group of experts. Results point out, on one hand, that teachers hold positive attitudes towards ICT regarding both ICT's role in professional development and their ease of use and access. On the other hand, among the most important factors for ICT-supported good educational practices lies in ICT's capacity to favour personalized work.

Project evaluation SOU-estuTUtor: mentors’ perception

The introduction of new degrees in the Faculty of Education and the relevance of educational guidance comes to them, as a compulsory subject in all four grades started from 2009-2010, gives the opportunity to return and boost the University Guidance Service (UGS) as a means of consistency with the profile of their education and professional development of its students. The aim of the paper focuses on the evaluation of the results after the first year of implementing a peer mentoring project, SOU-estuTUtor Project, developed from UGS with all degree students of the Faculty of Education for Students new entrants. Program has been evaluated through the perception and satisfaction of the mentors on the organization, training, skills developed and adapted to the needs of students. After one academic year of implementation, the results show, on the one hand, the satisfaction and commitment of those involved and the partial response to the needs of the students served, as well as the optimization of the personal resources of the university but also some limitations that make it necessary to review the mentoring program in terms of control and duration of the process.

Calibration of assessment instruments – classification in mathematics at the Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano

Item Response Theory, IRT, is a valuable methodology for analyzing the quality of the instruments utilized in assessment of academic achievement. This article presents an implementation of the mentioned theory, particularly of the Rasch model, in order to calibrate items and the instrument used in the classification test for the Basic Mathematics subject at Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano. 509 responses chains of students, obtained in the june 2011 application, were analyzed with a set of 45 items, through eight case studies that are showing progressive steps of calibration. Criteria of validity of items and of whole instrument were defined and utilized, to select groups of responses chains and items that were finally used in the determination of parameters which then allowed the classification of assessed students by the test.

Continuous assessment activities - correlation with final exam grades and effect on final grades. A business studies experience

In this paper we analyze the partial grades – of continuous assessment activities including the final exam – and the final grades – computed as a weighted average of partial grades – for nine subjects taught in the third year of Business Administration Degree. On one hand, results show that there is a significant positive correlation between the grades of continuous assessment activities (excluded the final exam) and final exam in seven subjects. On the other hand, overall we find that students’ grades in continuous assessment activities (excluded the final exam) help in the improvement of their final grades (i.e., students’ final grades exceed the grades that they would obtain by only taking into account their final exam grades). The results are consistent when the analysis is carried out over each subject area as well as over the grades of the students who registered for the nine subjects.

Predictors of attitudes toward inclusion of students with special educational needs in future education professionals

One of the main pillars in the development of inclusive schools is the initial teacher training. Before determining if it is necessary to make changes (and of what type) in training programs or curriculum guides related to the attention to diversity and inclusive education, the attitudes of future education professionals in this area should be analyzed. This includes the identification of the relevant predictors of inclusive attitudes. The research reported in this article pursued this objective, doing so with a quantitative survey methodology based on the use of cross-sectional structured data collection and statistical analyses related to the quality of the attitude questionnaire (factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha), descriptive statistics, correlations, hypothesis tests for difference of means, and regression analysis in order to predict attitudes towards inclusion in education. Firstly, the results show that the participants held very positive attitudes toward the inclusion of students with special educational needs. Particularly, older respondents, those with a longer training and, to a lesser extent, women and those who had been in touch with disabled people stood out within this attitude. Secondly, it is evidenced that self-transcendence values ​and, more weakly, contact, function as robust predictors of attitudes of future practitioners towards the inclusion of students with special needs. Some applications for the initial professionalization of educators are suggested in the discussion.

Otras vías de aprendizaje: el reconocimiento de la experiencia profesional en la universidad. El caso de la UNED

Nadie cuestiona que una fuente de aprendizaje es el propio ámbito de trabajo, en el que todo profesional resuelve las funciones y tareas a las que se enfrenta diariamente a partir de su formación y de su experiencia. Reconocer esta experiencia en las titulaciones de Grado es un tema aún no resuelto. Pero este reconocimiento exige un proceso de evaluación, apoyado en metodologías y herramientas fiables y válidas, a partir del cual se valide que una persona ha adquirido un determinado nivel de logro en unas competencias en el marco de una cualificación profesional determinada. A raíz de los resultados obtenidos en 2 convocatorias dirigidas al reconocimiento de la experiencia profesional en el Grado en Educación Social impartido por la UNED, este articulo lleva a cabo un análisis de carácter descriptivo y en perspectiva comparada, entre ambas ediciones (2011-12 y 2012-13), con el fin de valorar la pertinencia de este proceso y la calidad de los resultados obtenidos. Con una muestra de 421 estudiantes hemos inferido la validez del procedimiento propuesto. Además, esta realidad nos muestra cuáles son las áreas de intervención más demandadas, los puntos fuertes y débiles de estos profesionales, las competencias más y menos consolidadas de acuerdo a la titulación que se imparte, etc. Disponer de estos datos, además de favorecer el desarrollo profesional de nuestros estudiantes, aporta una información clave para perfilar mejor las competencias específicas del título, trabajar de forma coordinada y colaborativa entre el mundo académico y el profesional, a la vez que responder a un derecho de nuestros estudiantes. 

Revisión sistemática de la producción española sobre rendimiento académico entre 1980 y 2011

El bajo rendimiento académico sigue siendo un problema de investigación de gran impacto social. Sin embargo, los resultados científicos no están teniendo repercusión en la mejora, ni en las políticas educativas. En este trabajo nos propusimos identificar, ordenar, analizar y extraer conclusiones sobre la producción española sobre rendimiento académico, con el fin de visualizarla y derivar problemas futuros objeto de investigación. Para ello se llevó a cabo un estudio de revisión en seis etapas, en el que se combinaron procedimientos metodológicos de investigación de síntesis y de investigación bibliométrica. Se identificaron las publicaciones en cuatro bases de datos españolas; posteriormente se analizaron y codificaron los datos extraídos alrededor de nueve indicadores: título, año, tipo de documento, editorial, autor, número autores, institución, comunidad autónoma y tema. Los resultados muestran una producción constante y creciente (1595 referencias), pero dispersa, tanto por el inmenso número de autores que publican, la mayoría con un solo trabajo, como por los lugares donde publican. Las temáticas más tratadas se refieren en primer lugar a modelos explicativos, diagnóstico y tratamiento; en segundo lugar se abordan los factores y variables determinantes del bajo y alto rendimiento académico; en tercer lugar se desarrollan estudios sobre legislación y de otras variables psicológicas y educativas en relación con el rendimiento. Este estudio supone una aproximación sintetizada de la producción sobre rendimiento académico en España, y un primer paso para investigaciones de síntesis posteriores, que nos permitan identificar buenas prácticas para el ejercicio de “prácticas basadas en la evidencia”, y otros problemas de investigación.

Practicum in Educational Psychology: comparative analysis between areas of knowledge

In this paper we present the process and results of an investigation in which, after reflecting on the concept of Practicum and, specifically, in the Practicum in Educational Psychology degree taught at the University of A Coruña, an assessment is made taking into account the opinion of the students who have studied this matter, as to the relevance that the planned objectives are given and subsequent achievement of these. The results differ considering the area that the teacher who has tutored belongs to. Methodologicaly, it is a descriptive research, survey type, which involved a significant sample of students in their final year of the degree in the year 2012/13 through a questionnaire which validity (Teaching and content) and reliability (internal consistency) have been properly set (judgment of experts and a pilot experience for the calculation of Cronbach's alpha). The results show that the Practicum program has a good development of most of the objectives, especially those related to skills, where the average of the highest rated goals exceed the rating of 4. This suggests clear lines for innovation and improvement in the areas of conceptual and attitudinal level.