El curr??culum de la Formaci??n Profesional de la Escala B??sica del Cuerpo Nacional de Polic??a

Conocer el grado de idoneidad y eficacia de la actividad policial mediante la evaluaci??n de las tareas que realizan los polic??as del Cuerpo Nacional de Polic??a. Conocer la frecuencia de las diversas tareas. Aplicar los hallazgos de la investigaci??n al nuevo dise??o curricular de la formaci??n policial de la Escala B??sica Nacional de Polic??a. Se remitieron cartas con tres cuestionarios cada una a 106 dependencias policiales, un total de 318 ejemplares. Se contabilizaron un total de 208 cuestionarios considerados como v??lidos para la investigaci??n.. Se han considerado las siguientes variables : idoneidad y eficacia en el desempe??o de la funci??n policial. Cuestionario, observaci??n, an??lisis de tareas. Test de especificidad de Barlett. Indice KMO. An??lisis factorial y an??lisis de Cluster. Configura un marco hist??rico definido por determinaciones pol??ticas e ideol??gicas imprescindibles para entender el proceso que ha permitido durante al menos un siglo llegar a la situaci??n actual. Realiza una descripci??n de las corrientes de la funci??n policial en Europa y en el Estado Espa??ol, orientadas a la resoluci??n de problemas de seguridad. Recoge una consideraci??n a las demandas, opiniones y quejas de los ciudadanos respecto al problema de la seguridad ciudadana. Realiza una revisi??n del estado de formaci??n policial actual, con especial referencia a la Escala B??sica del Cuerpo Nacional de Polic??a. Define el perfil del profesor de polic??a y su impacto en la formaci??n policial, desvelando la complejidad de las tareas que requiere la dedicaci??n docente. Efect??a una evaluaci??n del producto de formaci??n a partir de un an??lisis de las tareas profesionales propias de la Escala B??sica del Cuerpo Nacional de Polic??a, a trav??s de un cuestinario para investigar las dimensiones del curr??culo, los modelos profesionales como referentes de la Formaci??n Profesional Policial. La correspondencia curricular de todas y cada una de las aportaciones sugeridas por la investigaci??n da lugar a la definici??n de los componentes cient??ficos y contenidos curriculares, dejando atr??s las f??rmulas tradicionales, racionales y subjetivas utilizadas en anteriores propuestas del curr??culo. La propuesta que ofrece esta tesis destaca cinco puntos de apoyo para la formaci??n policial : 1.- Para acceder a Polic??a es necesario poseer organizadores previos, que sea capaz de aprender a conocer. 2.- Sobre los mecanismos para aprender a conocer se construye el oficio policial, aprendiendo ha hacer una serie de tareas en un contexto de valores profesionales con materiales curriculares cient??ficos, an??lisis de tareas, investigando necesidades,... 3.- Se construye el oficio policial para aprender a participar en proyectos comunes, integrado en un equipo de trabajo, 4.-La integraci??n, el sentimiento de posesi??n y adscripci??n a la cultura de la organizaci??n depara el aprender a ser polic??a, 5.- Se es polic??a cuando se desarrollan las potencialidades necesarias para servir a la sociedad, como la sociedad desea ser servida, desde la singularidad de la profesi??n policial. La aplicaci??n pr??ctica de la investigaci??n referidas al dise??o curricular desarrollado en la presente Tesis, fue propuesta a la divisi??n de formaci??n y perfeccionamiento de la Direcci??n General de Polic??a como nuevo Plan de Estudios para la Escala B??sica del Cuerpo Nacional de Polic??a en el curso 97, aprob??ndose por el ??rgano Directivo su aplicaci??n, habiendo sido utilizada en la formaci??n de 1300 polic??as-alumnos y 1300 alumnos de la anterior promoci??n, en fase de pr??cticas en puestos de trabajo.

Construcci??n colaborativa de una e-r??brica para la autoevaluaci??n formativa en estudios universitarios de pedagog??a

Resumen basado en el de la publicaci??n

Las claves semióticas de la televisión

La presente investigación aborda dos aspectos sobresalientes de la realidad mediática de nuestro tiempo: el discurso televisivo y la narrativa audiovisual; omnipresencia que amerita desplegar esfuerzos académicos que den cuenta de su estructura y funcionamiento, pues su incidencia sigue creciendo y proyectándose en medios tan portentosos como la internet, y en otras manifestaciones cotidianas como el videoclip, la publicidad o la misma grabación casera. El libro se adentra en el discurso televisivo para definir, explicar y esquematizar aspectos como el texto, el género, el programa, el formato y la programación, a la luz de los aportes de autores clásicos y contemporáneos. El estudio de la narrativa audiovisual, con base en los principios de la narratología y del cine, también es objeto de análisis, e involucra lo más trascendente de esta dimensión enunciativa: el relato, la historia narrativa y la narración, y sus fascinantes implicaciones. En virtud de su carácter teórico-metodológico, la obra incluye una síntesis conceptual de los temas fundamentales, con acotaciones y claves metalingüísticas, sin olvidar las fuentes y los autores más representativos, lo que allanará el recorrido científico y los afanes hermenéuticos de los lectores y lectoras.

Molecular dating and biogeography of fig-pollinating wasps

Figs and fig-pollinating wasps are obligate mutualists that have coevolved for over 60 million years. But when and where did pollinating fig wasps (Agaonidae) originate? Some studies suggest that agaonids arose in the Late Cretaceous and the current distribution of fig-wasp faunas can be explained by the break-up of the Gondwanan landmass. However, recent molecular-dating studies suggest divergence time estimates that are inconsistent with the Gondwanan vicariance hypothesis and imply that long distance oceanic dispersal could have been an important process for explaining the current distribution of both figs and fig wasps. Here, we use a combination of phylogenetic and biogeographical data to infer the age, the major period of diversification, and the geographic origin of pollinating fig wasps. Age estimates ranged widely depending on the molecular-dating method used and even when using the same method but with slightly different constraints, making it difficult to assess with certainty a Gondwanan origin of agaonids. The reconstruction of ancestral areas suggests that the most recent common ancestor of all extant fig-pollinating wasps was most likely Asian, although a southern Gondwana origin cannot be rejected. Our analysis also suggests that dispersal has played a more important role in the development of the fig-wasp biota than previously assumed. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Amino-acid cycling drives nitrogen fixation in the legume - Rhizobium symbiosis

The biological reduction of atmospheric N-2 to ammonium (nitrogen fixation) provides about 65% of the biosphere's available nitrogen. Most of this ammonium is contributed by legume rhizobia symbioses(1), which are initiated by the infection of legume hosts by bacteria (rhizobia), resulting in formation of root nodules. Within the nodules, rhizobia are found as bacteroids, which perform the nitrogen fixation: to do this, they obtain sources of carbon and energy from the plant, in the form of dicarboxylic acids(2,3). It has been thought that, in return, bacteroids simply provide the plant with ammonium. But here we show that a more complex amino-acid cycle is essential for symbiotic nitrogen fixation by Rhizobium in pea nodules. The plant provides amino acids to the bacteroids, enabling them to shut down their ammonium assimilation. In return, bacteroids act like plant organelles to cycle amino acids back to the plant for asparagine synthesis. The mutual dependence of this exchange prevents the symbiosis being dominated by the plant, and provides a selective pressure for the evolution of mutualism.

Influence of a halide ion on ribbons of water pentamer

Reactions of CuF2, CuCl2 center dot 2H(2)O and CuBr2 with 2,2'-dipyridylamine (HDPA) in water at room temperature using Cu: HDPA = 2: 1 mol yield [Cu(HDPA) (H2O)(2)F]F center dot 3H(2)O (1), Cu(HDPA) Cl-2 (2) and [Cu(HDPA) Br-2 (3) respectively. The structures of 2 and 3 are isostructural in spacegroup C-2 with cell dimensions; for 2, a = 14.702(8), b = 7.726(2), c = 4.829(6) angstrom, beta = 96.68(8)degrees and for 3, a = 14.2934(8), b = 7.9057(6), c = 5.1982(5) angstrom, beta = 94.049(7)degrees. In the X-ray crystal structure, the complex 1 is found to contain tapes of water pentamers. Our DFT calculations at the B3LYP/LanL2DZ level show that the reaction Cu(HDPA)X-2 + 2H(2)O = [Cu(HDPA)(H2O)(2)X]X is most exothermic in the gas phase when X- = F-, i.e., the tendency of water uptake is maximum for Cu(HDPA) F-2. It seems that the exothermicities of the aquations of Cu(HDPA) Cl-2 and Cu(HDPA) Br-2 are not sufficient to stabilise the type of ribbons of water observed in 1 and consequently water is eschewed when X- = Cl- or Br-.

A DFT study of propylene polymerization using neutral salicyladiminato nickel(II) and palladium(II) as catalysts

Propylene polymerization using salicyladiminato metal catalalysts has been studied using density functional theory at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level. In particular, the effects on the reaction mechanisms of changing the metal from Pd(II) to Ni(II) have been investigated. While the reaction mechanisms involving the salicyladiminato Ni(II) catalyst have been found to be similar to those established previously for the salicyladiminato Pd(II) catalyst, the nickel catalyst was found to differentiate the trans-O intermediate from the trans-.N intermediate with an energy difference of 46.63 U mol(-1) significantly more than the palladium catalyst for which the energy difference was calculated as 35.82 kJ mol(-1). The energy difference between the trans-O configuration and the trans-N configuration is decreased significantly when combining a molecule of propylene with the catalyst. For the Ni catalyst, the trans-O isomer is more stable than the trans-N isomer to a greater extent than for Pd, so that the insertion of propylene from 20 is relatively less favoured for Ni than for Pd. It is predicted that the mechanism of isomerization from 20 to 2N through a rotational transition state TS2O2N is more appropriate for the Ni catalyst system. The palladium system shows a larger preference for pi-coordination than its nickel counterpart, although the latter possesses a lower reaction barrier. It was found that the occupation of the trans-O position in the asymmetric salicyladiminato catalyst is also more favored by the alkene as it is by the alkyl so that insertion of the alkene may always start from a particular configuration so that specific products are obtained. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cost-benefit evaluation of routine influenza immunisation in people 65-74 years of age

OBJECTIVES: To determine the cost-effectiveness of influenza vaccination in people aged 65-74 years in the absence of co-morbidity. DESIGN: Primary research: randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Primary care. PARTICIPANTS: People without risk factors for influenza or contraindications to vaccination were identified from 20 general practitioner (GP) practices in Liverpool in September 1999 and invited to participate in the study. There were 5875/9727 (60.4%) people aged 65-74 years identified as potentially eligible and, of these, 729 (12%) were randomised. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomised to receive either influenza vaccine or placebo (ratio 3:1), with all individuals receiving pneumococcal vaccine unless administered in the previous 10 years. Of the 729 people randomised, 552 received vaccine and 177 received placebo; 726 individuals were administered pneumococcal vaccine. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES AND METHODOLOGY OF ECONOMIC EVALUATION: GP attendance with influenza-like illness (ILI) or pneumonia (primary outcome measure); or any respiratory symptoms; hospitalisation with a respiratory illness; death; participant self-reported ILI; quality of life (QoL) measures at 2, 4 and 6 months post-study vaccination; adverse reactions 3 days after vaccination. A cost-effectiveness analysis was undertaken to identify the incremental cost associated with the avoidance of episodes of influenza in the vaccination population and an impact model was used to extrapolate the cost-effectiveness results obtained from the trial to assess their generalisability throughout the NHS. RESULTS: In England and Wales, weekly consultations for influenza and ILI remained at baseline levels (less than 50 per 100,000 population) until week 50/1999 and then increased rapidly, peaking during week 2/2000 with a rate of 231/100,000. This rate fell within the range of 'higher than expected seasonal activity' of 200-400/100,000. Rates then quickly declined, returning to baseline levels by week 5/2000. The predominant circulating strain during this period was influenza A (H3N2). Five (0.9%) people in the vaccine group were diagnosed by their GP with an ILI compared to two (1.1%) in the placebo group [relative risk (RR), 0.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.16 to 4.1]. No participants were diagnosed with pneumonia by their GP and there were no hospitalisations for respiratory illness in either group. Significantly fewer vaccinated individuals self-reported a single ILI (4.6% vs 8.9%, RR, 0.51; 95% CI for RR, 0.28 to 0.96). There was no significant difference in any of the QoL measurements over time between the two groups. Reported systemic side-effects showed no significant differences between groups. Local side-effects occurred with a significantly increased incidence in the vaccine group (11.3% vs 5.1%, p = 0.02). Each GP consultation avoided by vaccination was estimated from trial data to generate a net NHS cost of 174 pounds. CONCLUSIONS: No difference was seen between groups for the primary outcome measure, although the trial was underpowered to demonstrate a true difference. Vaccination had no significant effect on any of the QoL measures used, although vaccinated individuals were less likely to self-report ILI. The analysis did not suggest that influenza vaccination in healthy people aged 65-74 years would lead to lower NHS costs. Future research should look at ways to maximise vaccine uptake in people at greatest risk from influenza and also the level of vaccine protection afforded to people from different age and socio-economic populations.

Equitability revisited: why the “equitable threat score” is not equitable

In the forecasting of binary events, verification measures that are “equitable” were defined by Gandin and Murphy to satisfy two requirements: 1) they award all random forecasting systems, including those that always issue the same forecast, the same expected score (typically zero), and 2) they are expressible as the linear weighted sum of the elements of the contingency table, where the weights are independent of the entries in the table, apart from the base rate. The authors demonstrate that the widely used “equitable threat score” (ETS), as well as numerous others, satisfies neither of these requirements and only satisfies the first requirement in the limit of an infinite sample size. Such measures are referred to as “asymptotically equitable.” In the case of ETS, the expected score of a random forecasting system is always positive and only falls below 0.01 when the number of samples is greater than around 30. Two other asymptotically equitable measures are the odds ratio skill score and the symmetric extreme dependency score, which are more strongly inequitable than ETS, particularly for rare events; for example, when the base rate is 2% and the sample size is 1000, random but unbiased forecasting systems yield an expected score of around −0.5, reducing in magnitude to −0.01 or smaller only for sample sizes exceeding 25 000. This presents a problem since these nonlinear measures have other desirable properties, in particular being reliable indicators of skill for rare events (provided that the sample size is large enough). A potential way to reconcile these properties with equitability is to recognize that Gandin and Murphy’s two requirements are independent, and the second can be safely discarded without losing the key advantages of equitability that are embodied in the first. This enables inequitable and asymptotically equitable measures to be scaled to make them equitable, while retaining their nonlinearity and other properties such as being reliable indicators of skill for rare events. It also opens up the possibility of designing new equitable verification measures.

Multiple diversity measures to identify complementary conservation areas for the Baja California peninsular cacti

The Baja California Peninsula is home to 85 species of cacti, of which 54 are endemic, highlighting its importance as a cactus diverse region within Mexico. Many species are under threat due to collection pressure and habitat loss, but ensuring maximal protection of cacti species requires a better understanding of diversity patterns. We assessed species richness, endemism, and phylogenetic and morphological diversity using herbarium records and a molecular phylogeny for 82 species of cacti found in the peninsula. The four diversity measures were estimated for the existing nature reserve network and for 314 hexagrids of 726 km2. Using the hexagrid data, we surveyed our results for areas that best complement the current protected cacti diversity in the Baja California Peninsula. Currently, the natural reserve network in Baja shelters an important amount of the cacti diversity (74% of the species, 85.9% of the phylogenetic diversity, 76% of endemics and all the growth forms). While species richness produced several solutions to complement the diversity protected, by identifying priority species (endemic species with high contribution to overall PD) one best solution is reported. Three areas (San Matías, Magdalena and Margarita Islands and El Triunfo), selected using species richness, PD and endemism, best complement the diversity currently protected, increasing species richness to 89%, PD to 94% and endemism to 89%, and should be considered in future conservation plans. Two of these areas could be included within nature reserves already established.