Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

This research describes the characteristics of the producers of the Association of Livestock Breeders of Camoapa, assesses their business skills and proposes strategies to improve them. A survey, assessment test, focus group, some Geilfus tools and SWOT analysis for the generation of strategies were applied. The socio-economic and technical characteristics, business capacities and improvement strategies were evaluated. The results indicate that the producers have the main purpose of producing milk, they present a weak technological incorporation to their production processes, only 21.8% receive technical assistance or training, 36% of them work with fi nancing for the purchase of land. , livestock and means of transportation; they do not perform formal economic valuation of their farms, they present a high Index of Entrepreneurial Capacity (ICE), except in the knowledge variable (ICE under) that considers the aspects: diff erent ways of doing things, documentation of production, participation in training, consultation with experts and technicians to make decisions in the development of their activities and annual budgeting. The strategies aimed at improving the entrepreneurial capacities of producers consider: the fi nancial strengthening to improve the profi tability of their productive units, the development of technical and administrative capacities according to their needs and expectations, the adaptation to climate change and the diff usion of the knowledge about those business aspects that allow a change of attitude to face the challenges of the agricultural sector.

In order to evaluate the eff ects of cropping systems-tree-grass on soil quality and soil erosion on three farms in the micro basin Tecomapa; were established fi ve experimental plot: traditional burning (Q); Quesungual (SAQ) agroforestry system secondary forest (Bs); improved pastures with Brachiaria sp- Marandú (Pm); and silvopastoral system (SSP). In which two sub plots located in the high and lower position was monitoring soil quality and soil erosion sheet during 2011, 2012 and 2013. As a result, the rate of soil erosion out site was moderately only in the system of agricultural burning (Q) with 28.3 t ha-1 a-1. The in soil erosion rate in site was moderate between 10-50 t ha-1 a-1, in the BS and Pm systems, and high (50 to 200 t ha-1 a-1) in the SAQ and SSP systems. The soil quality was infl uenced by the contents of SOM, contents that were greater than 4000 kg ha-1 in the SAQ, SSP and B systems. This indicator was negatively correlated with increasing clay in the surface horizon of soils used pasture by previous erosion. Finally, soil quality indicators that increase crop yields of corn and beans were the high the organic thickness of soil, rapid soil infi ltration rates, and the soil erosion rate.

Faced with disagreements between the clinical and laboratory diagnosis, it was decided to make a comparative study between the diagnostic study of central and peripheral blood samples, to compare results. 100 cows were sampled from ten diff erent farms (10 cows from each farm) in the town of Pancasan, Matagalpa, Nicaragua, extracting from each one samples of central blood (jugular vein) and peripheral blood (auricular vein). All the samples were processed by means of a thin smear, thick smear and capillary visualization (Woo technique), dyeing them both with the Diff Quick dyes and with Giemsa. The central or peripheral blood tests have very large errors, greater than 20%, as to fully rely on only one of them in the results of studies on hemoparasites. Peripheral blood is only more eff ective in diagnosis at 2.79%, which is not signifi cant (P <0.1). It is recommended to carry out both simultaneous analyzes (central and peripheral blood) for future diagnoses of haemoparasites in the laboratory.

36 California and New Zealand White rabbits with an average live weight of 554 g and 37 days of age were used in a completely randomized design with the objective to evaluate the eff ect of inclusion of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) in rabbits feeding on the productive behavior, carcass characteristics and gastrointestinal tract morphometry. The treatments were: T1 commercial concentrate (CC); T2 CC with 16% of MOLM and T3 CC with 19.64% of MOLM. It was found that the best (p <0.05) LWG and FCI were obtained with T1 (19.22 g/animal/day and 5.69) and T3 (20.49 g/ animal/day and 5.57), which diff er statistically (p <0.05) of T2 (15.61 g/animal/day and 7.13). For live weight at slaughter, carcass yield, loin and chest weight, no statistical diff erences (p> 0.05) were found between T1 and T3, but these diff ered signifi cantly (p <0.05) from T2. In conclusion, the inclusion of 19.64% of MOLM in the concentrate for rabbits, does not aff ect the productive behavior, the characteristics of the carcass and the morphometry of the gastrointestinal tract, being a viable alternative for its use in farms of small producers.

The problem of soil contamination is becoming a priority issue for governments, universities and organizations. The management, regulation and control of chemical products used in the control of pests and in the industrial and business production processes, as well as, the inclusive management of waste discharged to the ground accidentally or intentionally, should be part of the main challenges that society must undertake today. Otherwise, the diversity of functions performed by soils will be aff ected and consequently public health problems will be generated.

Introduction. Students' academic performance is strongly affected by the skills and strategies they use to study. For this reason, in the framework of large-scale evaluations of the Educational System, to have valid and reliable instruments, that allow us to attempt to study these variables and whose length does not exceed the limits to ensure its correct operation, is especially important. This paper presents a psychometric analysis of a learning strategies and skills inventory, which has led to improved the instrument, and ensure potency in the collection of accurate information and its subsequent conclusions and results.Method. This study is part of a longitudinal evaluation that assessed the performance in mathematics and reading comprehension of three simultaneous cohorts of students matriculated in the last cycle of Primary Education and in the two cycles of Compulsory Secondary Education. In addition to the performance evaluation, a questionnaire that sought to know how the students really study, and whose analysis is the purpose of this paper, was applied.Results. The reliability of the instrument was equal to .88. To study the theoretical structure underlying the empirical data was performed a confirmatory factor analysis, in which it was confirmed how the elements of the test were grouped into seven factors. The analysis of the scale from the perspective of the Item Response Theory (Partial Credit Model and Rating Scale Model) has identified the items with best and worst performance. After removal of seven items with poor fit, a new version of the instrument have been obtained, consists of 38 elements and whose reliability is .86.Discussion and conclusions. The psychometric analysis of the instrument from the classical test theory and the item response theory perspectives has allowed its optimization, by reducing its length, without necessarily losing power in the collection of information. The reduction in the number of items facilitates that can be applied in future large-scale evaluations of the Educational System.

Introduction. The aim of this paper is to assess Spanish as a Foreign Language Teachers’ beliefs about inclusive groupings in Temporary Classroom of Linguistic Adaptation program (TCLA program). TCLA program has been implemented in Andalusia, Spain, as a measure of attention to the diversity of immigrant students. It is suggested that teachers who work directly with immigrant students must have a beliefs that support inclusive teaching consistently. The purpose has been to measure the inclusive beliefs of TCLA program teachers using a scale created for this purpose, and relate to the way how they do their support, inside or out-side the ordinary classroom, and their years of experience.Method. Participants in this study were TCLA teachers of the province of Almeria. The scale on beliefs about inclusive grouping was applied to 81 teachers.Results. The results support the reliability and validity of this measure. Teachers with high scores in inclusive beliefs develop their work within the regular classroom more frequently than low scores. Teachers with high-believes about inclusive groupings appreciate the environment and interaction with native partners as keys to work in solving social and educational immigrant students’ barriers. Teachers with low scores on beliefs about inclusive groupings have more years of experience and see as unlikely that the inclusion of TCLA students in regular classroom improve their language and academic skills, as well as their curricular and social inclusion.Discussion and Conclusion. There are two groups of teachers, one group think is very unlikely that the inclusion of TCLA students in regular classroom improve their language skills and academic and curricular and social inclusion. Teachers holding these beliefs think that little or no intervention is good and the heterogeneity of the classes has been imposed. A second group assumes that the learning problems of students come to a greater extent, the educational environment. This set of beliefs coincide with those of TCLA teachers linking further the inclusion of the program students in regular classrooms with improved language skills, academic performance and social relationships.

Introduction. In this paper is describe and analyze the conceptions of learning from reading academic texts that keep college students, freshmen to education science, in the situation of reading to writing with peers. The theoretical assumption is supported by research on conceptions about learning, understood as implicit theories (direct, interpretative and constructive) and scientific approaches to reading (skills, interactive and transactional).Method. The study assumes a non-experimental design, transactional descriptive. Participants are Argentine university students, freshmen to different areas of educational knowledge. For data collection was a questionnaire of dilemmas, built, tested, reviewed and validated for this research. The data analysis was performed by calculating descriptive statistics and multiple correspondence analysis, based on four categories (concept, conditions, processes and results of learning from reading) and three dimensions analysis (reproductive-direct, interpretative-interactive and constructive-transactional).Results. The answers of the students on the concept, is distributed similarly between interpretive-interactive and constructive-transactional theories; regarding the conditions, are mostly linked to a reproductive-direct theory; in relation to processes, are distributed similarly between direct-reproductive, interactive-interpretative and constructive-transactional theory; respect of results, mainly linked with one constructive-transactional theory. On the other hand, the configurations that assume these categories forming conceptions, not fully correspond to the conceptual structure of implicit theories of learning, described in investigations that constitute our empirical and conceptual framework.Conclusion. The results obtained show that the conceptions studied are inconsistent when compared with the implicit theories of learning. Different shaped configurations are characterized by: a) being homogeneous but categorically incomplete in theoretical terms or b) being categorically complete but heterogeneous in theoretical terms, compared with the Implicit Theories about learning

Introduction. IQ has proved an inaccurate predictor of academic success and employment. This led many researchers to suggest to the late twentieth century, the implication of a varia-ble not taken into account before: emotional intelligence. Because of the importance of this competition on academic achievement, employment and social, it is believed necessary to investigate how to develop it in school. The results revealed the possibility of improving the first step in the development of EI.Method. The study was conducted with 75 students (41.33% boys) from first year of primary school, who are between 6 and 7 years (M = 6.58, SD = 0.323). After application of the pretest and after a high experimental fall of 19 children, the final sample was formed by 56 children (22 boys and 34 girls) with 20 experimental subjects and 36 control. For the eval-uation of emotional perception were developed two questionnaires (pretest and posttest) aimed at measuring the degree to which children recognize emotions through images and contextual situations.Results: The results revealed the possibility of improving the emotion recognition, especially in those subjects with higher initial shortcomings. In addition, it was found that the ER is in-dependent of the input used (images or text) and the IQ.Discussion and Conclusion: The results revealed the possibility of improving the first step in the development of IE, giving way to other hopeful future studies that show the same level of improvement in the three following stages: the assimilation of emotions to facilitate thinking, understanding and regulation.

Introduction. Due to a considerable lack in empirical efforts and appropriate instruments, and theoretically rooted in a cognitive-motivational perspective on academic personality development, the present study analyzes a questionnaire for measuring EFL learners’ self-perceptions of oral narrative competencies and perceived anxiety concerning oral narrative classroom situations.Method. In a sample of N = 256 German ninth-graders from 9 inner-city grammar schools this newly developed instrument was administered along with related self-belief and performance measures and, for the purpose of discriminant validation, also with matched measures in the native language German.Results. Principal components analysis led to the formation of two subscales measuring perceived competency and anxiety. Both subscales provided psychometrically sufficient and valid data. Especially, structural equation modeling analyses evidenced the L2 self-perceptions of oral narrative competence and anxiety to be considerably stronger related to English than to German belief and performance variables. The relations between L2 and L1 constructs mainly turned out to draw a domain-specific pattern. Additional analyses of variance could verify significant gender differences in the anxiety scores indicating that female learners tended to report a higher degree of anxiety concerning oral narrative classroom situations. Furthermore, self-perceptions of narrative competencies could be clearly differentiated from the overall English self-concept variable.Discussion. The results could confirm the multidimensional and task-specific feature of academic self-beliefs in the EFL context. Accordingly, both measurement scales might serve as research instruments for further analyses of EFL learners’ cognitive-motivational orientations in a specific competence area of oral language use.