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This article presents the findings of a comprehensive skills-and-competencies analysis conducted among incoming Engineering and Health Sciences freshmen at a leading technological university in Mexico. The primary objective was to determine whether these students possessed an ideal competency profile that would effectively prepare them to meet the evolving demands of their future professional training. The study focuses on evaluating complex thinking macro-competency, recognizing its critical importance in equipping individuals to tackle the multifaceted challenges and intricacies they will encounter in their academic and professional journeys. More precisely, this research focuses on the assessment of scientific thinking as a meta-competency of complex thinking macro-competency and considered a cornerstone competency essential for success in the fields of Engineering and Health Sciences. The statistically significant findings demonstrated marked disparities in the perception and development of complex thinking macro-competency and, specifically, in the meta-competency of scientific thinking among incoming students in the Engineering and Health Sciences domains, as opposed to their counterparts in Humanities and Social Science. This observation gains particular importance in the context of the requisite competency sets for career paths in Engineering and Health Sciences, accentuating the students' proficiency and preparedness to excel in their selected fields. These results emphasize the criticality of conducting competency assessments at early stages and advocate for the modification of educational methodologies to foster the specialized competencies vital for prospective success in these disciplines. The results are analyzed in terms of their suitability for aligning educational goals with the evolving demands of the Engineering and Health Sciences fields. Overall, this study centers on the fundamental aspects of education, highlighting its importance not only due to its relevance but also for its capacity to drive meaningful changes in the future landscape of higher education.

Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) has disrupted teaching situations around the world. In Mexico, the first term taught with ERT was characterized by an abrupt transition that caught many institutions and teachers unprepared. The second term of ERT was a more planned process where training was provided to teachers; nevertheless, little is known about how English teachers approached online teaching in response to a shifting, complex teaching situation. This phenomenographic study aimed at characterizing the approaches to e-teaching of a group of sixteen Mexican ELT and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) faculty members in connection with their perceptions of the teaching situation. Interviews, discovery-based coding, and theme analysis were used. The findings show that many teachers adhered to less sophisticated approaches, in part due to negative perceptions of the teaching situation. A minority held complex, collaboration-focused approaches to e-teaching. However, some teachers with negative views implemented sophisticated approaches, while some who held complex views could not implement them due to constraints in the teaching situation and their personal lives. The digital gap and student dishonesty and disengagement were among the negative elements of the teaching situation that had an impact on teachers' approaches. These findings suggest that teachers need more training in collaborative, knowledge-building approaches and governments need to do more to address the digital gap.

Learning basic programming concepts in computer science-related fields poses a challenge for students, to the extent that it becomes an academic-social problem, resulting in high failure and dropout rates. Proposed solutions to the problem can be found in the literature, such as the development of new programming languages and environments, the inclusion of virtual and augmented reality, gamification, automatic grading tools, and intelligent tutoring systems, among others. However, most of these solutions do not explicitly describe the application of some learning theory, instead, they focus on new technologies. Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) is an instructional design theory that aligns the design of instructional materials with human cognitive architecture using 17 design guidelines to optimize learning. The goal of this research is to design, develop, and test instructional materials to support the teaching and learning of basic programming, measuring their effectiveness compared to traditional materials, based on the self explanation effect of CLT. To compare the instructional materials, a quasi-experimental design with homogeneous groups was used, involving students from the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes. The results indicate a positive impact of the use of CLT-based instructional materials, either through the application of a single effect or the combination of two effects such as worked example and self-explanation.

Purpose: The study aims to assess students' perceived mastery of reasoning-for-complexity competency and its sub-competencies in a sample of students in a Latin American university. The intention was to identify statistically significant differences between a population of men and women with similar sociocultural characteristics, assessing whether gender could be a factor for educational institutions to consider when implementing strategies to develop this competency. Design/methodology/approach: The eComplexity instrument was applied to 370 undergraduate students in their first to ninth semesters in a private university in Western Mexico. Descriptive statistics were analyzed to determine the mean and standard deviation indicators and were tested for statistical significance. The convenience sampling methodology ensured that there were students from all semesters and a diversity of majors. The sampling aimed for a balance of men and women, resulting in 189 women and 181 men. Findings: The results confirmed no statistically significant evidence to indicate differences between men and women in their perceived mastery of the reasoning-for-complexity competency in general. However, statistically significant differences were found in the perceived achievements of the sub-competencies of systems, critical and scientific thinking, which comprise the overall competency. Women presented a higher average perception of systemic and critical thinking achievement, and men had a higher perception of scientific thinking. The authors concluded that social and cultural elements influence the perception of achievement that men and women develop in thinking and solving problems. Practical implications: Governments and educational institutions must establish training programs that do not follow gender stereotypes and promote reasoning-for-complexity skills equitably in men and women. It is necessary to create more scientific and academic spaces and projects involving women in the sciences; countries must emphasize this to improve their scientific competency. Only in this way will it be possible to reverse the perception that men and women have of their problem-solving skills and abilities, which, as this study shows, are more a matter of culture than capabilities. Originality/value: Unlike previous studies, which analyze the competency of complex thinking in a particular way among its sub-competencies, this research sought comprehensive measurement. Furthermore, beyond measuring competency development, this study aimed to measure the perception of achievement. The authors believe this is the first step towards identifying elements of the social imagination that limit the formation of scientific thinking among women in Latin America.

Going beyond teaching knowledge to develop students' competencies challenges contemporary universities because acquiring knowledge is insufficient without the capacity to implement it in real environments. Complex thinking is among the most valued competencies. It allows people to reason to solve problems, integrating their scientific, systemic, critical, and innovative skills. However, theoretically, there is a gender gap in the acquisition and development of complex thinking, suggesting inequity within the training processes. This article examines how acquiring and developing complex thinking are configured in a group of Mexican university students. Employing a multivariate descriptive statistical analysis, we intended our study to identify a possible gender gap and particular characteristics in the sample of female students to understand the formation of complex thinking considering the gender variable. Our conclusion found that, although the data suggests no statistically significant gap between the genders, it is still present in the unequal development of procedural knowledge in women, affecting their perception of their ability to implement what they know when solving problems. Practically, this text shows an area of opportunity for institutions that train complex thinking and establish educational policies to promote women's leadership.

Purpose: This article aims to present the results of an exploratory pilot study that demonstrates the validity of a self-created implementation methodology to develop the students' level of perceived achievement of the social entrepreneurship competency and explain how this is equally valid in developing the perceived achievement of the complex thinking competency. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a multivariate descriptive statistical analysis, this article offers the results of an educational intervention carried out on a sample group of students from a Mexican university before and after a training program in social entrepreneurship. Findings: The favorable results showed that the proposed methodology is valid for scaling social entrepreneurship and complex thinking competencies and their subcompetencies. Originality/value: These results are not only academically valuable, as they highlight the need to delve into the relationship between these two competencies, but they also allow us to appreciate the ample opportunities for practical implementation of entrepreneurship programs by universities and other institutions to work directly with social entrepreneurs and seek alternatives to develop skills through devising, proposing and developing social entrepreneurship projects.

The present action-research study analyzes students' basic perceptions about the use of the Flipped Classroom as part of their EFL class in a Mexican technical high school. To this end, 47 5th semester students took two versions of a survey, which combined provided an understanding of their views after having taken part of a six-week intervention. The intervention focused on what is typically considered the most challenging topic of the semester: the simple past and its functions included in the official syllabus. On the one hand, the 'flipped' part of the lessons was divided into before and after-class online activities following a set of principles for the Flipped Classroom, Communicative Language Teaching, and Multimedia Instruction. On the other hand, in-class activities focused on reviewing content and communicative oral practice. The Flipped Classroom was favorably regarded. Students perceived it as a technique to facilitate a rapid improvement of certain aspects of speaking performance, especially in regards to fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.

The aim of this research is to propose indicators of epistemic and mediational suitability to assess tasks designed in a mobile learning context, using theoretical and methodological elements of the onto-semiotic approach (OSA) and the SAMR model (substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition). With these indicators, 110 tasks designed by two Mexican teachers are evaluated, for the teaching of the natural number in primary education. Some results indicate that the situation-problems addressed the meanings of numerical sequence, operational, ordinal, and measure, and that 56% of the tasks were located at the substitution level. Some implications derived from the research are that the mathematical content can be complemented by including other representations of the natural number and that the design of tasks that are positioned at the modification and redefinition levels should be encouraged. The foregoing serves as a basis for the design and assessment of mobile content for the natural number concept.

This paper proposes the production of animated comics in POWTOON to serve as a visual collaborative tool and a teaching-learning strategy for a course on Operations Research. This proposal aims to achieve meaningful learning of the subject matter, incentivizing the creativity of undergraduate students of marketing and business at the Guadalajara University, given that the production of comics develops, in students, cognitive and practical abilities such as the following: reflection; critical thinking; observation; analysis; synthesis; analogy; systematization; a sense of collaboration; and, teamwork. To validate the substantial improvement in student performance after producing the comic, a paired two-sample means t-test was carried out for 35 undergraduate students of marketing and business at the Guadalajara University who were enrolled in the same Operations Research course. The results obtained show that student performance improved considerably after the production of the comics, facilitating both teaching and the students' significant learning. In this sense, the use of POWTOON demonstrated to be a good learning alternative, since the students for the realization of the comic were able to recover and review the information acquired, write a script, and organize images, videos, sounds, and text in a congruent and didactic way, even when it comes to complex topics.

This article aims to present an analysis of the development of the level of perceived achievement of complex thinking competency in a group of business students at a university in Mexico. The intention was to identify the scaling of the competency and its sub-competencies during the training process and whether the students have the necessary skills to solve the problems and meet the challenges of their future environments. The study conducted exploratory and multivariate descriptive statistical analyses. The results showed that the participants perceived their achievement of the competency and its sub-competencies highly at the end of their training process and that the students scaled up their sub-competencies considerably.

The goal of this paper is to introduce an emerging theoretical lens and strand of research in the field of language teacher education, that of threshold concepts (TCs). We do so by a) defining and explaining the construct of TCs itself, b) systematically reviewing the small body of literature that has explicitly used a TC lens to research language teacher education and c) discussing the implications of using this construct for research and practice. To find and select papers, we used a combination of inductive and deductive searches with Scopus, Google Scholar, and Research Gate. Papers not using TCs as an explicit theoretical lens were excluded. The review of the literature shows that 5 threshold concepts have been identified so far in language teacher education: interlanguage, effective teacher talk, real language use, fostering learner autonomy, and grammatical rank scale. All but one of the threshold concept studies in language teacher education have been conducted in the British Isles. The only non-British paper is by a Mexican author and was conducted and published in Mexico. Action research has been the preferred design. Other established methods for identifying threshold concepts have not been applied to language teacher education, which means that there is much potential for expanding and improving upon existing research. We suggest that threshold concepts hold potential to both investigate and enhance the disciplinary identity of language teachers.

This article, which is based on an ethnographic approach, analyses the models and strategies that a rural elementary school community in Mexico has developed to keep available, accessible, and in daily use, digital devices and connectivity despite their marginality conditions. This case study is explored from two theoretical perspectives. First, a critical approach to digital inclusion policies in Latin America (Dussel 2014; González 2014) is used to understand how the school community has "translated" digital inclusion policies to build their own availability models. Second, the access of the school community to ICT is examined under the scope of a literacy access perspective (Street 2016) in order to understand ICT practices according to discourses and ideology that surround practices, the community and institutional structures that support participation, and the relationships with other people who model and promote ways of using ICT (Hernández & López 2019; Kalman & Hernández 2018; Warschauer 2003). This analysis shows the local strategies that allow the school community to keep availability, access and everyday use of ICT, such as, the use of economic resources generated by the school, the incorporation of students' and teachers' own devices, the subcontracting of Internet connectivity, and knowledge sharing practices among teachers.

Education in Mexico has not evolved in the way it is taught and evaluated. In the historical moment that postmodernism enters, it has not been possible to adapt to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), or rapid technological innovation, or changes and trends in the industry, to the sharing economy or the rise of distance races. In its analysis, an essential deficiency is detected in the current education models, and it is detected that educational freedom is nil or scarce, which has led to poor student performance, high youth unemployment, which cause severe social problems and the economy of the economy. The current government is working closely with the private sector to connect education and promote employment. It is necessary to grant public schools more autonomy, freedom and responsibility. This paper explains how to act so that Mexico can adapt education 4.0 with solid steps to reach society 5.0.

The objective of this study is to analyze the ability of students of the University Center for the Economic Administrative Sciences which forms part of the University of Guadalajara from different economic-administrative undergraduate programs, to solve distinct problems in the area of probability, applying a multiple-choice instrument aligned to the learning objectives via a qualitative-descriptive methodology. The study comprised a sample of 251 students from 14 different undergraduate degree programs who were enrolled in the same statistics course. Multivariate tests were conducted in order to identify any differences in performance related to undergraduate degree program and sex, while a RASCH model was applied to provide validity evidence for the assessment. The results show that the students do not have a good level of ability for solving conditional probability problems, which they confused with the formulation of independent event problems although they did show a satisfactory level of ability for solving other types of problems.

From an APOS (Action-Process-Object-Schema) theory perspective, learning mathematics involves construction of knowledge through mental mechanisms, which evolves between different mental structures or stages. The focus of this study is to explore how transition occurs from an Action to a Process conception, in the context of a task related to the learning of the concept of linear transformation in general, and the notion of preimage in particular. A questionnaire was designed and applied to 31 students from three different higher education institutions in Mexico, who were enrolled in an introductory linear algebra course. For the first time, transitional points known as "levels" are explicitly identified in the aforementioned context and empirical evidence is presented. Some difficulties resulting from the intervention of constructions related to the function concept are also pointed out. Discussion about the characteristics of levels in the APOS framework provides a theoretical contribution to the field.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the test applied at the eighth Statistics II tournament to students from the University Center for Economic and Administrative Sciences of the University of Guadalajara, for the purpose of determining whether it promotes competitive learning among students. To achieve this, Item Response Theory (IRT) is used, specifically in the form of a three-parameter logistic model. The findings show that approximately 20% of the participating students performed at a level ranging from outstanding to satisfactory, while the rest had a performance that fell between regular and poor. The findings also indicate that participating students were motivated by academic competition and the opportunity to improve their skills in the area of statistics. Moreover, we concluded that the tournament's assessment instruments need to be substantially improved in terms of design and the content of the items.

Worldwide, curricular changes and financial investments are currently underway to promote the integration of technology in public education and English language learning at a young age. This study examines the ICTs that have become part of the daily instructional practices and educational settings of teachers of English who work with young learners in public schools. To this end, this mixed-methods study draws on a quantitative descriptive-exploratory design and a qualitative multiple-case study. The quantitative data were collected through a Likert questionnaire administered to 28 secondary school teachers of English across 17 municipalities in five regions of Southeast Mexico and 2,944 learners. The qualitative data were gathered from a subsample of six teachers through longitudinal classroom observations, teacher and administrator interviews, and school visits. The non-parametric analyses of the quantitative data and the categorical aggregation analyses of the qualitative data reveal that the use of some multimedia and mobile-assisted communication resources is emerging in the L2 public classrooms. In line with findings from other international contexts, variables that seem particular to public education for young learners and their school setting, however, led teachers to prefer using their own technological devices that included laptops, multimedia material, and cellphones, rather than those in the schools.

The Hand-Print concept emerged as a proposition for learner-led action learning in the Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Hand-Print CARE as an ethics-led action learning proposition was developed at a Local Culture for Understanding Mathematics and Science (LOCUMS) research group meeting with some educators in Alta, Norway. Here 'CARE' emerged as an acronym reflecting an ethic of inclusive respect through Concern for others, being Attentive to needs, showing Respect for each other and being Engaged in learning actions for the common good. Hand-Print CARE was thus activated as a co-engaged mediation process towards 'Learning to look after others to best care for ourselves and the surroundings we all share'. Conceptual tools towards a Hand-Print CARE rationale were clarified in subsequent ESD workshops in Malaysia and Mexico and the challenge of developing a schema for ESD in school subject disciplines emerged at an ESD training workshop with National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) in Delhi, India. This article explores the emergence of Hand-Print CARE and the framing of an open-ended schema for mediating better-situated and ethics-led action learning in school subject disciplines. A formative perspective towards more locally situated and co-engaged processes for mediating learning was refined through an ESD Expert-Net collaboration to clarify ESD learning progressions in school subject disciplines. Some start-up materials were developed with partnering NGOs in the small town of Howick in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and in an expanding collaboration involving partners in India, Mexico, Germany and South Africa. Each of us worked to refine Hand-Print CARE learning progressions for ESD processes of action learning in diverse subject discipline and school-in-community settings.

The purpose of this study was to empirically test two major theoretical models: a modified version of the social capital model (Pattie, Seyd and Whiteley, 2003), and the Informed Social Engagement Model (Barr and Selman, 2014; Selman and Kwok, 2010), to explain civic participation and civic knowledge of adolescents from Chile, Colombia and Mexico, using data from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study 2009 (Schulz, et al., 2010). The models were used to identify factors associated with different levels of knowledge and civic participation: expected participation in legal and illegal protests, and electoral participation. Data were analyzed using regression analysis. Results show that the Informed Social Engagement approach (ISEM), explains better the observed differences in civic knowledge and civic participation, than the Social Capital Model (SCM). That is, the expected values associated with the variables included in the ISEM are closer to the observed values, than those predicted by the SCM. This is true for the three outcomes (expected participation in legal protests, illegal protests, and electoral participation) and in the three countries analyzed (Chile, Colombia and Mexico).

Simple Summary: KRAS is one of the most prominent driver genes implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC), with mutations detected in 33% to 50% of CRC patients. Exon 2 harbors up to 98% of these mutations. Variants in this gene play crucial roles in the progression of the disease, influencing its development, clinical manifestations, and treatment election. This study elucidates a 17% prevalence of mutations in KRAS exon 2 among western Mexican patients with sporadic CRC. Furthermore, a 30% pooled prevalence of mutations in KRAS exon 2 was determined after analyzing an additional 16 studies from Latin America, encompassing 12,604 CRC patients. Due to advances in precision medicine treatments, knowing the pathogenic status of the KRAS gene will become imperative to optimally select targeted therapies. We searched for the prevalence of actionable somatic mutations in exon 2 of the KRAS gene in western Mexican patients with CRC. Tumor tissue DNA samples from 150 patients with sporadic CRC recruited at the Civil Hospital of Guadalajara were analyzed. Mutations in exon 2 of the KRAS gene were identified using Sanger sequencing, and the data were analyzed considering clinical–pathological characteristics. Variants in codon 12 (rs121913529 G>A, G>C, and G>T) and codon 13 (rs112445441 G>A) were detected in 26 patients (with a prevalence of 17%). No significant associations were found between these variants and clinical–pathological characteristics (p > 0.05). Furthermore, a comprehensive search was carried out in PubMed/NCBI and Google for the prevalence of KRAS exon 2 mutations in Latin American populations. The 17 studies included 12,604 CRC patients, with an overall prevalence of 30% (95% CI = 0.26–0.35), although the prevalence ranged from 13 to 43% across the different data sources. Determining the variation and frequency of KRAS alleles in CRC patients will enhance their potential to receive targeted treatments and contribute to the understanding of the genomic profile of CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article delivers the results of an ethnographic educational research project carried out in an indigenous community in Veracruz State, Mexico, in which cultural practices were identified that produce Indigenous Knowledge aligned with the sustainability paradigm, and therefore with the SDGs. Empirical findings are shown regarding knowledge and values incorporated into the local world view that support behavior that promotes respect between people and protection toward the environment. I also present evidence of knowledge of the ecological dynamics of the ecosystems in which they live and work among the community's inhabitants. I argue for the importance of perpetuating these cultural practices and for the incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge in the implementation of educational interventions to meet the SDGs in indigenous settings.

Since the approval of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States in 1917, The 3rd constitutional article has undergone 11 reforms, the last one on May 15, 2019 (Gonzalez, 2021). This reform was founded on an alternative policy model underpinned by a model of improvement that promotes the defense of public schools and the fulfillment of the right to education. On this premise, Mexican regulations put educational improvement at the center of its debate and introduced changes focused on improvement within the framework of the National System for the Continuous Improvement of Education under the coordination of a new agency: the National Commission for the Continuous Improvement of Education (in Spanish Comisión Nacional para la Mejora Continua de la Educación). The purpose of this article is to examine the progress and challenges identified by this agency to rethink the process of educational improvement in the context of the transition of government. We are interested in providing elements of analysis to evaluate the continuity of the improvements in the framework of the educational project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and depressive symptoms in Mexican older adults 70 years and older. Methods: A total of 326 adults aged 70 or older from Coyoacán Cohort Study were included in this study. The depressive symptoms were assessing by Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were measured by commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Overall, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 36.5%. The mean age was 79 years, and 53.4% were women. The total serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were lower in older adults with depressive symptoms when compared with older adults without depressive symptoms (p =.006). Logistic regression models showed a significant association between low serum 25(OH)D levels and depressive symptoms even after adjusting for potential confounders (OR = 2.453; 95% CI:1.218–4.939; p =.012). In addition, linear regression model to predict the effect of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels on the CES-D score as a continuous variable, was statistically significant [F(1,324) = 8.54, p =.004], and the R-squared value was.026, indicating that this regression model explains 2.6% of the change in the CES-D score. Conclusion: These results suggest that older Mexican adults with lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels are at higher risk of presenting depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A group of university students used a variety of personal portable devices (cellphones, tablets, laptops, and netbooks) which distracted them in English class. This qualitative action research aimed to implement activities entailing the use of such devices and to learn their impact on students' learning and the use of English in class. Thus, a series of applications was used to promote the use of these devices for the benefit of the English as a Foreign Language class. These applications included a learning management system that resembled a social network, a live interaction application, and an online dictionary. It was found that students were able to productively use these devices as learning tools plus they expressed comfort and interest in using them.

Background: Pompe Disease (PD) is a metabolic myopathy caused by variants in the GAA gene, resulting in deficient enzymatic activity. We aimed to characterize the clinical features and related genetic variants in a series of Mexican patients. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of clinical records of patients diagnosed with LOPD, IOPD or pseudodeficiency. Results: Twenty‐nine patients were included in the study, comprising these three forms. Overall, age of symptom onset was 0.1 to 43 years old. The most frequent variant identified was c.‐32‐13T>G, which was detected in 14 alleles. Among the 23 different variants identified in the GAA gene, 14 were classified as pathogenic, 5 were likely pathogenic, and 1 was a variant of uncertain significance. Two variants were inherited in cis arrangement and 2 were pseudodeficiency‐related benign alleles. We identified two novel variants (c.1615 G>A and c.1076‐20_1076‐4delAAGTCGGCGTTGGCCTG). Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this series represent the largest phenotypic and genotypic characterization of patients with PD in Mexico. Patients within our series exhibited a combination of LOPD and IOPD associated variants, which may be related to genetic diversity within Mexican population. Further population‐wide studies are required to better characterize the incidence of this disease in Mexican population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying how phylogeny influences the composition and functions of microbiotas within animal hosts is essential for gaining insights into the connection between genetics, ecology, and health in the animal kingdom. However, due to limited comprehensive studies, this influence remains unclear for many wild mammals, including Mexican pinnipeds. We employed 16S rRNA gene deep-sequencing to investigate the impact of phylogeny on the gut microbiota of four pinniped species inhabiting Mexican shores: the Pacific harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii), the northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), and the Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus philippii townsendi). Our results indicated that factors such as diets and shared life histories exerted more influence on microbiota composition than phylogeny alone. Notably, otariid species sharing similar life histories displayed greater microbiota similarity than phocids, which have distinct life histories and fewer microbiota similarities. Furthermore, harbor seals have more microbial similarities with the two otariid species than with elephant seals. Of particular concern, we observed a higher abundance of potentially pathogenic bacteria (e.g., Photobacterium damselae and Clostridium perfringens) in harbor seals and Guadalupe fur seals compared to other pinnipeds. This finding could pose health threats to these species and nearby human populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rodents are important hosts for ectoparasites, such as fleas, ticks, and mites, which means they are also important intermediate hosts for many zoonotic diseases. As anthropogenic environments bring humans and rodents into closer contact, an understanding of host–ectoparasite ecology is essential to predict and manage disease spillover risks. We aimed to understand how disturbances in vegetation cover affect rodent ectoparasite diversity, prevalence, spatial segregation, host (i.e., sex, genus, size, and habitat domain), and environmental (i.e., vegetation structure, forest cover, and rainfall) variables in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. We investigated these relationships by trapping rodents in five paired disturbed (reduced vegetation cover and regular human activities) and undisturbed (no reduction in vegetation cover) sites in the summer and autumn of 2022. From 110 trapped rodents, we collected 138 ectoparasites on 38 individuals. We found no difference in rodent diversity, ectoparasite diversity, or ectoparasite prevalence between disturbed and undisturbed sites. However, arboreal and male rodents had a higher probability of carrying ectoparasites than ground‐dwelling and female rodents. Rodents with ectoparasites were not spatially clustered; rather, they were randomly distributed across trapping grids. We also identified two rodent genera (Rattus and Sigmodon) that carry ectoparasites of medical importance and that are in close contact with humans. Our results highlight the necessity of constant monitoring of rodents, ectoparasites, and their associated transmittable diseases. Assessing these interactions and how they are affected by anthropogenic disturbance could better inform management decisions and support the need for rodent conservation programmes in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reservoirs are highly relevant infrastructure assets, and now, more than ever, they play an essential role in society's welfare and national security. Their importance is related to regional socioeconomic development due to their capacity to store water for different uses, such as human consumption, agricultural irrigation, flood control, and hydroelectric energy production, among other important services. However, many reservoirs are reaching the end of their period of life, and others are showing undesired displacements and cracking. Four 3D surveys were conducted on a reservoir that serves the Metropolitan Area of Monterrey City in Mexico. These surveys were carried out over a period of 5 years using GNSS observation to assist in understanding the actual dam kinematics, i.e., the behavior of its longitudinal and transversal displacements and the possible correlation with the reservoir level. The high-precision leveling and close-range remote sensing data were assessed and then mapped. The high-precision geodetic and leveling techniques allowed us to locate and measure 84 established permanent control points with errors of about ± 0.003 m. The mapping of displacements was made possible by modeling the positive and negative translations. The highest uplifts (11 mm) occurred at the left riverbank, and the highest subsidences (−5 mm) occurred along the downstream piers from the middle of the dam crest to the right riverbank. A ground laser scanner (GLS) produced 3D digital models with geometrical and radiometric characteristics, detecting displacements among the dam crest elements. The synergy of GNSS and high-leveling techniques allows the possibility to measure displacements, while the use of geographical information system (GIS) and geomatic techniques allows a better visualization through 2D and 3D maps validated using traditional topographical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coloration in amphibians plays an essential role in their ecology and has implications for adaptation, reproduction, speciation, crypsis, and thermoregulation. Color is produced by chromatophores and their pigments. Color anomalies result from mutations or exogenous factors that impact the distribution, abundance, or synthesis of the pigments within the chromatophores. While doing a population dynamics study of Ambystoma amblycephalum in 6 ponds at the municipality of Tapalpa, Jalisco, in west-central Mexico, we registered 7 neotenic individuals with abnormal coloration. We captured and observed one of these individuals for more than 7 months. In this area, the regular coloration of neotenic organisms is dark yellow with irregular dark brown spots all over the body. The reported individual had a gradual change in its coloration, from almost all yellow with dark spots to almost all dark gray, in an elapsed time of 220 days. This individual presented piebaldism, a coloration anomaly that is possibly epigenetically controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the design and application of a teacher training strategy to promote the inclusive education of students with disabilities in the science classroom, through the creation of adult learning environments grounded on the principles of dialogic learning. Participants of the workshop proposal consisted of a group of twelve teachers who were working at various educational levels. Teacher teams proposed and implemented in their classroom, innovative, inclusive science-learning activities about a topic of their choice. Data were collected from interviews with teachers five months after the courses, teachers' portfolios about their practice during implementation of such sequences, and researchers' observations. The data suggest that it is possible to stimulate a gradual transformation of teaching practices through a teacher training proposal that promotes self-awareness and critical reflection, situated in the creation of meaning and a willingness to change in the spirit of solidarity and social action. We found elements to recommend the incorporation of these innovations at the curricular and practical level for teacher training schools and for in-service teacher development programmes in Mexico and elsewhere.

This article focuses on language displacement in the High Mountains of Central Veracruz. It begins by presenting a brief historical account of the Nahuatl presence in the region in order to distinguish this group from other Nahuatl-speaking groups. Later, it describes the situation of language loss that is currently underway and argues that the gains of the indigenous movement in the last two decades, such as the intercultural system of education, have not translated into a process of language revitalization. It focuses on the lower linguistic status of Nahuatl in the region as a key factor in language displacement, caused by (a) a hierarchical value system associated with different language domains, (b) the absence of Nahuatl in educational spaces, and (c) the current low vitality of Nahuatl. The article concludes with some actions being taken at the Intercultural University of Veracruz to address the deep causes of language displacement.

This article proposes the articulation of intercultural education and sustainability, linking the recognition of cultural diversity to socio-environmental concerns. This implies transcending formal education and classrooms; moving towards educational modalities that could impact people of different ages, and levels of scholastic achievement, with different needs and demands. We suggest that education is a key to transform structural conditions that have perpetuated inequality, and then to the self-empowerment of indigenous peoples, but that previous models, political basis and forms have not been pertinent, nor do they respond entirely to explicit demands of indigenous peoples. Intercultural education should go beyond simply adding cultural elements to the curriculum. Learning and sharing about ways to connect knowledges and know-how from cultural, social, economic and political distant sources, and ways to visualise and propose autochthonous relevant methods to transform their regions and make these visions of social justice real, are amongst the elements that we consider central to intercultural education. In order to demonstrate this, we analyse an experience of non-formal, collaborative, intercultural education with fisherwomen and youths, making up a learning community and emphasising a dialogue of knowledge for the conservation of their territory.

The study calculated the Length-Based Spawning Potential Ratio (LB-SPR) for several species, including red grouper (Epinephelus morio), black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci), gag grouper (M. microlepis), yellowtail snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus), lane snapper (Lutjanus synagris), hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus), and white grunt (Haemulon plumierii). Data were obtained from the small-scale commercial fleet operating in the red grouper fishery on the Campeche Bank within the Yucatan Peninsula. Monthly records of total length (cm) from April 2017 to May 2018, totaling 10,182 fish, were collected from five fishing ports along the Yucatan Peninsula coast. Biological data, such as growth and reproductive patterns and exploitation parameters were gathered from scientific literature. The LB-SPR package on the R Core Team platform was utilized for analysis. Despite being the largest, groupers exhibited immaturity ( SL 50 < L 50 ) and low Spawning Potential Ratio (SPR). Red and black groupers showed particularly low SPR values (0.10 and 0.05, respectively), indicating a looming risk of local extinction. The gag grouper achieved the highest SPR value (0.26) among groupers, although it was very close to the minimum critical value (i.e., 0.20). Snappers, hogfish, and white grunt were generally captured in the adult state ( SL 50 > L 50 ). Yellowtail, hogfish, and white grunt displayed high SPR values (0.44, 0.72, and 0.98, respectively). Lane snapper had a low SPR (0.28) but fell within the range for maintaining satisfactory stock productivity, albeit with reduced yields. The findings emphasize the urgent need to adjust the current management framework for the red grouper fishery, focusing on improving fishing gear selectivity to address heightened pressure on both juvenile groupers and adult lane snapper. Implementing these measures is crucial to mitigate the risks of local extinction and population decline for each species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article demonstrates how digital information and communication technologies (ICTs) (Zoom/WhatsApp) unexpectedly and counterintuitively proved to be valuable tools for community-engaged health research when, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were integrated into a research study testing a peer support group intervention with female immigrants from Mexico. Because of pandemic restrictions, we changed the study protocol to hold meetings remotely via Zoom rather than in person as originally planned. Because we recognized that this would lack some opportunities for participants to interact and develop relationships, we created a WhatsApp chat for each group. Despite challenges for participants to use ICTs and participant-stated preference for in-person meetings, the results demonstrated that participants overwhelmingly endorsed these technologies as promoting access, participation, engagement, and satisfaction. Zoom/WhatsApp created a valuable environment both as a method for conducting research with this population, but also as part of the intervention for immigrant women to support and learn from each other. ICT adaptations have now permanently changed the way we conduct community-engaged health research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mexico ranks second in raspberry production and very little knowledge has been generated about the mites associated with this crop. In the present work, mites collected in the aerial part of raspberries produced in the municipalities of Zamora and Los Reyes de Salgado, Michoacán, Mexico from February 2018 to March 2019, were identified. In Los Reyes, 8 748 mites belonging to four families and nine species were recorded. The species found were Amblydromalus ca. congeae, Neoseiulus californicus, Phytoseiulus persimilis, Typhlodromips sp., Euseius mesembrinus, Euseius sp. (Phytoseiidae), Tetranychus ludeni (Tetranychidae), Tarsonemus sp. (Tarsonemidae), and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acaridae). A total of 4 253 adult specimens of two species were collected in Zamora, Neoseiulus fallacis with 235 (Phytoseiidae) and Tetranychus ludeni with 4 018 (Tetranychidae). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the findings of a comprehensive skills-and-competencies analysis conducted among incoming Engineering and Health Sciences freshmen at a leading technological university in Mexico. The primary objective was to determine whether these students possessed an ideal competency profile that would effectively prepare them to meet the evolving demands of their future professional training. The study focuses on evaluating complex thinking macro-competency, recognizing its critical importance in equipping individuals to tackle the multifaceted challenges and intricacies they will encounter in their academic and professional journeys. More precisely, this research focuses on the assessment of scientific thinking as a meta-competency of complex thinking macro-competency and considered a cornerstone competency essential for success in the fields of Engineering and Health Sciences. The statistically significant findings demonstrated marked disparities in the perception and development of complex thinking macro-competency and, specifically, in the meta-competency of scientific thinking among incoming students in the Engineering and Health Sciences domains, as opposed to their counterparts in Humanities and Social Science. This observation gains particular importance in the context of the requisite competency sets for career paths in Engineering and Health Sciences, accentuating the students' proficiency and preparedness to excel in their selected fields. These results emphasize the criticality of conducting competency assessments at early stages and advocate for the modification of educational methodologies to foster the specialized competencies vital for prospective success in these disciplines. The results are analyzed in terms of their suitability for aligning educational goals with the evolving demands of the Engineering and Health Sciences fields. Overall, this study centers on the fundamental aspects of education, highlighting its importance not only due to its relevance but also for its capacity to drive meaningful changes in the future landscape of higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Going beyond teaching knowledge to develop students' competencies challenges contemporary universities because acquiring knowledge is insufficient without the capacity to implement it in real environments. Complex thinking is among the most valued competencies. It allows people to reason to solve problems, integrating their scientific, systemic, critical, and innovative skills. However, theoretically, there is a gender gap in the acquisition and development of complex thinking, suggesting inequity within the training processes. This article examines how acquiring and developing complex thinking are configured in a group of Mexican university students. Employing a multivariate descriptive statistical analysis, we intended our study to identify a possible gender gap and particular characteristics in the sample of female students to understand the formation of complex thinking considering the gender variable. Our conclusion found that, although the data suggests no statistically significant gap between the genders, it is still present in the unequal development of procedural knowledge in women, affecting their perception of their ability to implement what they know when solving problems. Practically, this text shows an area of opportunity for institutions that train complex thinking and establish educational policies to promote women's leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kelp communities are experiencing exacerbated heat‐related impacts from more intense, frequent, and deeper marine heatwaves (MHWs), imperiling the long‐term survival of kelp forests in the climate change scenario. The occurrence of deep thermal anomalies is of critical importance, as elevated temperatures can impact kelp populations across their entire bathymetric range. This study evaluates the impact of MHWs on mature sporophytes of Pterygophora californica (walking kelp) from the bathymetric extremes (8–10 vs. 25–27 m) of a population situated in Baja California (Mexico). The location is near the southernmost point of the species's broad distribution (from Alaska to Mexico). The study investigated the ecophysiological responses (e.g., photobiology, nitrate uptake, oxidative stress) and growth of adult sporophytes through a two‐phase experiment: warming simulating a MHW and a post‐MHW phase without warming. Generally, the effects of warming differed depending on the bathymetric origin of the sporophytes. The MHW facilitated essential metabolic functions of deep‐water sporophytes, including photosynthesis, and promoted their growth. In contrast, shallow‐water sporophytes displayed metabolic stress, reduced growth, and oxidative damage. Upon the cessation of warming, certain responses, such as a decline in nitrate uptake and net productivity, became evident in shallow‐water sporophytes, implying a delay in heat‐stress response. This indicates that variation in temperatures can result in more prominent effects than warming alone. The greater heat tolerance of sporophytes in deeper waters shows convincing evidence that deep portions of P. californica populations have the potential to serve as refuges from the harmful impacts of MHWs on shallow reefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of our study was to investigate whether TNFAIP3, PTPN22, and TRAF1-5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with susceptibility, severity, or serological markers in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). Patients and methods: The cases and controls study was conducted between December 2021 and June 2022. TNFAIP3 rs10499194C/T, rs6920220G/A, and rs2230926T/G, PTPN22 rs2476601C/T and rs33996649G/A, and TRAF1-C5 rs10818488G/A polymorphisms were genotyped in 154 female pSS patients (mean age: 45.2±6.8 years) and 313 female control subjects (mean age: 50.3±7.5 years) using the TaqMan® SNP genotyping assay. An association analysis between TNFAIP3, PTPN22, and TRAF1-C5 SNPs and susceptibility, clinical characteristics, and serological markers of pSS was performed. Interactions between TNFAIP3, PTPN22, and TRAF1-C5 SNPs were also evaluated in patients and controls. Results: The genotype and allele frequencies showed no association with susceptibility, severity, or serological markers of pSS. Nevertheless, several interactions between TNFAIP3 and TRAF1-C5 or TNFAIP3, PTPN22, and TRAF1-C5 genotypes were associated with susceptibility to pSS (p<0.01). Conclusion: Individual TNFAIP3, PTPN22, and TRAF1-C5 SNPs are not associated with susceptibility, severity, or serological markers of pSS. However, genetic interactions between TRAF1-C5 and TNFAIP3 or TNFAIP3, PTPN22, and TRAF1-C5 SNPs are risk factors for pSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study objectives were to estimate the standardized incidence and evaluate factors associated with moderate/severe pediatric traumatic brain injury (p -TBI) in children aged 5–15 years in Western, Mexico. The study was cross-sectional in design. We estimated the standardized incidence of moderate/severe p -TBI using the direct methods of the World Health Organization (WHO) standard populations. We utilized the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) to identify moderate/severe p -TBI patients (GCS ≤ 13). Logistic regression analysis was applied to evaluate variables associated with moderate/severe p -TBI. The standardized incidence of patients diagnosed with moderate/severe p -TBI was 31.0/100,000 person-years (95 % CI 28.7–33.4). According to age, the moderate/severe TBI group was included. A total of 254 (38.5 %) patients were aged 5–9 years, 343 (52.0 %) were aged 10–14 years, and 62 (9.5 %) were aged 15 years. Factors associated with moderate/severe TBI in the crude analysis were male sex (OR 5.50, 95 % CI 4.16–7.39, p < 0.001), primary school (OR 2.15, 95 % CI 1.62–2.84, p < 0.001), and falls (OR 1.34, 95 % CI 1.02–1.77, p = 0.035). Factors associated with moderate/severe p -TBI in the adjusted analysis were male sex (OR 6.12, 95 % CI 4.53–8.29, p < 0.001), primary school (OR 3.25, 95 % CI 2.31–4.55, p < 0.001), and falls (OR 1.78, 95 % CI 1.28–2.47, p < 0.001). The incidence of moderate/severe p -TBI in children aged 5–15 years in western Mexico in this study was higher than that in other studies. One of the biggest factors associated with moderate/severe p -TBI was male sex, specifically those with lower education levels and those who were prone to falls. • The standardized incidence of moderate TBI diagnoses patients was 24.5 (95 % CI 22.6–26.4). • The standardized incidence of severe TBI diagnoses patients was 5.1 (95 % CI 3.6–7.3). • Falls were the leading cause of moderate/severe TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The Rio Grande–Rio Bravo's flow regime has been highly altered for more than 130 years, yet the river ecosystem still supports important biodiversity including numerous endangered species. More than 80% of water consumed in the basin goes to irrigating farms, but in recent decades, farmers have repeatedly experienced severe water shortages. Given this water-scarce condition, any plans for enhancing environmental flows must be carefully designed to minimize impacts or provide benefits to agriculture. This study describes the development of the Rio Grande–Rio Bravo's first whole-basin hydrologic model—representing both the United States and Mexico portions of the basin—to enable exploration of environmental flow restoration needs and options for meeting these needs. We then demonstrate an analytical process in which environmental flow needs are compared to existing flow conditions to quantify gaps, and then evaluate how those gaps can be filled by reducing farm irrigation needs by shifting to less water-intensive crops and fallowing a portion of existing farmland while maintaining or improving net revenues. In our pilot assessment we find that an improvement of 2.2 m3/s would fill the environmental flow gap for late-summer low-flow conditions at Albuquerque, New Mexico. This flow enhancement is attainable by fallowing 18%–26% of cropland and shifting to more profitable and less water-intensive crops to sustain overall farm revenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The data was collected for a cohort study to assess the capability of thermal videos in the detection of SARS-CoV-2. Using this data, a published study applied machine learning to analyze thermal image features for Covid-19 detection. Data description: The study recorded a set of measurements from 252 participants over 18 years of age requesting a SARS-CoV-2 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test at the Hospital Zambrano-Hellion in Nuevo León, México. Data for PCR results, demographics, vital signs, food intake, activities and lifestyle factors, recently taken medications, respiratory and general symptoms, and a thermal video session where the volunteers performed a simple breath-hold in four different positions were collected. Vital signs recorded include axillary temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation. Each thermal video is split into 4 scenes, corresponding to front, back, left and right sides, and is available in MPEG-4 format to facilitate inclusion into pipelines for image processing. Raw JPEG images of the background between subjects are included to register variations in room temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to present the results of a study conducted on a population of students from two technological universities in Mexico. The intention was to contrast the perceived achievement of the complex thinking competency and its sub-competencies among students in the last levels of their training. Then, to identify areas of opportunity for developing professional competencies it was applied a sample of 551 Engineering and Business school students from two higher education institutions in this Latin American country. In this manner, 60,61% corresponded to public universities while 39,39% remaining corresponded to private universities. Methodologically, a statistical descriptive analysis was carried out. The study was conducted with a convenience sample answered by students from technological universities located in western Mexico through Google Forms. After analyzing the results, it was possible to identify a gap in the students' perceived achievement in both institutions, with the private institution having a significantly higher mean. This study raises the importance of guaranteeing the development of professional competencies equitably among all students, intending to avoid differences that impact their perceptions of their abilities. All of this considering that complex thinking as a set of disciplinary and meta-competences should be similarly taught indifferent the type of university or higher education institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Therya is the property of Asociacion Mexicana de Mastozoologia, A. C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)