Emotional intelligence and creativity in first- and second-year primary school children

The objective of this study was to describe emotional intelligence and creativity in Primary Education schoolchildren. These two constructs were evaluated in first- and second-year Primary Education schoolchildren who went to different schools in the Spanish Autonomous Community of Aragon. The study sample was formed by 631 schoolchildren (313 boys and 318 girls) aged 6-7 years. The results showed differences in emotional intelligence for gender, but the differences obtained for creativity were not significant. Finally, a cluster analysis was done to analyse how the different variables were grouped according to clusters, where differences were found for creativity levels, but not for emotional intelligence levels. This research indicated how emotional intelligence did not influence our pupils'' creativity as the cluster with the highest creativity level had the lowest level of elaboration (quantity of details in responses). This indicated that, despite being creative, these pupils were concise and pragmatic when responding. This situation should make schools reflect on what type of students we are training. As future research lines, work should be done with programmes that include creativity and emotional intelligence, and that investigate the way positive emotions and creativity can be combined

Soil fungal community composition correlates with site-specific abiotic factors, tree community structure, and forest age in regenerating tropical rainforests

Simple Summary:& nbsp;Regenerating forests represent over half of all tropical forests. While regeneration processes of trees and animal groups have been studied, there is surprisingly little information about how the diversity and community composition of fungi and other microorganisms change and what ecological roles play in tropical forest regeneration. In this study, we compared the diversity and community composition of trees and soil fungi among primary forests and regenerating forests of different ages in two sampling areas in southern Costa Rica. Our study shows that while forest age has a significant influence, environmental factors, such as mesoclimate and soil chemistry, have stronger effects on both fungal and tree communities. Moreover, we observed that the more dissimilar tree communities are between any two sites, the more dissimilar the composition of fungal communities. The results presented here contribute to a better understanding of the successional processes of tropical forests in different regions and inform land use and forest management strategies, including, but not limited to, conservation, restoration, and sustainable use.Successional dynamics of plants and animals during tropical forest regeneration have been thoroughly studied, while fungal compositional dynamics during tropical forest succession remain unknown, despite the crucial roles of fungi in ecological processes. We combined tree data and soil fungal DNA metabarcoding data to compare richness and community composition along secondary forest succession in Costa Rica and assessed the potential roles of abiotic factors influencing them. We found a strong coupling of tree and soil fungal community structure in wet tropical primary and regenerating secondary forests. Forest age, edaphic variables, and regional differences in climatic conditions all had significant effects on tree and fungal richness and community composition in all functional groups. Furthermore, we observed larger site-to-site compositional differences and greater influence of edaphic and climatic factors in secondary than in primary forests. The results suggest greater environmental heterogeneity and greater stochasticity in community assembly in the early stages of secondary forest succession and a certain convergence on a set of taxa with a competitive advantage in the more persisting environmental conditions in old-growth forests. Our work provides unprecedented insights into the successional dynamics of fungal communities during secondary tropical forest succession.Plant science

Delimitation of Neonectria and Cylindrocarpon (Nectriaceae, Hypocreales, Ascomycota) and related genera with Cylindrocarpon-like anamorphs

Neonectria is a cosmopolitan genus and it is, in part, defined by its link to the anamorph genus Cylindrocarpon. Neonectria has been divided into informal groups on the basis of combined morphology of anamorph and teleomorph. Previously, Cylindrocarpon was divided into four groups defined by presence or absence of microconidia and chlamydospores. Molecular phylogenetic analyses have indicated that Neonectria sensu stricto and Cylindrocarpon sensu stricto are phylogenetically congeneric. In addition, morphological and molecular data accumulated over several years have indicated that Neonectria sensu lato and Cylindrocarpon sensu lato do not form a monophyletic group and that the respective informal groups may represent distinct genera. In the present work, a multilocus analysis (act, ITS, LSU, rpb1, tef1, tub) was applied to representatives of the informal groups to determine their level of phylogenetic support as a first step towards taxonomic revision of Neonectria sensu lato. Results show five distinct highly supported clades that correspond to some extent with the informal Neonectria and Cylindrocarpon groups that are here recognised as genera: (1) N. coccinea-group and Cylindrocarpon groups 1 & 4 (Neonectria/Cylindrocarpon sensu stricto); (2) N. rugulosa-group (Rugonectria gen. nov.); (3) N. mammoidea/N. veuillotiana-groups and Cylindrocarpon group 2 (Thelonectria gen. nov.); (4) N. radicicola-group and Cylindrocarpon group 3 (Ilyonectria gen. nov.); and (5) anamorph genus Campylocarpon. Characteristics of the anamorphs and teleomorphs correlate with the five genera, three of which are newly described. New combinations are made for species where their classification is confirmed by phylogenetic data

Response of a Specialist Bat to the Loss of a Critical Resource

Human activities have negatively impacted many species, particularly those with unique traits that restrict their use of resources and conditions to specific habitats. Unfortunately, few studies have been able to isolate the individual and combined effects of different threats on population persistence in a natural setting, since not all organisms can be associated with discrete habitat features occurring over limited spatial scales. We present the results of a field study that examines the short-term effects of roost loss in a specialist bat using a conspicuous, easily modified resource. We mimicked roost loss in the natural habitat and monitored individuals before and after the perturbation to determine patterns of resource use, spatial movements, and group stability. Our study focused on the disc-winged bat Thyroptera tricolor, a species highly morphologically specialized for roosting in the developing furled leaves of members of the order Zingiberales. We found that the number of species used for roosting increased, that home range size increased (before: mean 0.14±SD 0.08 ha; after: 0.73±0.68 ha), and that mean association indices decreased (before: 0.95±0.10; after: 0.77±0.18) once the roosting habitat was removed. These results demonstrate that the removal of roosting resources is associated with a decrease in roost-site preferences or selectivity, an increase in mobility of individuals, and a decrease in social cohesion. These responses may reduce fitness by potentially increasing energetic expenditure, predator exposure, and a decrease in cooperative interactions. Despite these potential risks, individuals never used roost-sites other than developing furled leaves, suggesting an extreme specialization that could ultimately jeopardize the long-term persistence of this species' local populations

TICAREX: Exposiciones laborales a agentes cancerígenos y plaguicidas en Costa Rica

The European data system CAREX takes the workforce of a country grouped into 55 economic sectors according to the International Economic Activity Classification (IEAC) of the United Nations, the second 1968 revision and through the application of proportions of workers exposed to 139 carcinogenic agents based on data from industrial hygiene studies, converting it into the total workforce exposed to carcinogens by sector. . In this article we describe a modification and extension of of the CAREX system in order to calculate the number of workers exposed to carcinogens in Costa Rica. It is the first use of CAREX outside Europe (TICAREX) in Costa Rica, Central America, for 27carcinogens and 7 groups of pesticides thought to be of interest for the country, with separate estimations for men and women. The most frequent agents of exposure for the 1.3 million workers of Costa Rica were solar radiation (333,000 workers); diesel exhaust (278,000); paraquat and diquat (175,000); environmental tobacco smoke (71,000); hexavalent chromium compounds (55,000); benzene (52,000); mancozeb, maneb and zineb (49,000); chlorothalonil (38,000); wood dust (32,000); quartz (27,000); benomyl (19,000); lead and its inorganic compounds (19,000); tetrachloroethylene (18,000); and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (17,000). Owing to the different occupational distribution between the genders, exposures to formaldehyde, radon and methylene chloride were more frequent than pesticides, hexavalent chromium, wood dust, and quartz in women. Agriculture, construction, personal and domestic services, manufacture of wood products, mining, forestry, fishing, manufacture of electrical products, and bars and restaurants were sectors with frequent exposures. Substantial reduction of occupational and environmental exposures to these agents would significantly improve public and occupational health. Reduction of occupational exposures is usually also followed by improvement of environmental quality. Monitoring of exposures and health of workers and the general public is an essential element in the control of environmental contamination and human exposures.El sistema europeo de datos CAREX ( CARcinogen Exposure ) considera la fuerza laboral de un país agrupada en 55 sectores económicos según la Clasificación Internacional de Actividades Económicas ( CIAE ) de las Naciones Unidas, segunda revisión de 1968 y mediante la aplicación de proporciones de trabajadores expuestos a partir de datos generados en estudios de higiene industrial para 139 agentes carcinógenos , los convierte a total de fuerza laboral expuesta y número de trabajadores expuestos a agentes carcinogénicos según rama de actividad. . En este artículo se describe una modificación y extensión del sistema CAREX (de CARcinogen Exposure) para calcular los números de trabajadores expuestos a agentes cancerígenos y plaguicidas en Costa Rica. Esta es la primera aplicación de CAREX fuera de Europa (TICAREX) fue realizada en Costa Rica, Centroamérica para 27 agentes cancerígenos y 7 grupos de plaguicidas, considerados de interés para el país, realizando estimaciones por separado para mujeres y hombres . Los agentes cancerígenos más frecuentes a los que se expone la fuerza laboral de Costa Rica de 1.3 millones fueron la radiación solar (333,000 trabajadores); las emisiones de diesel (278,000); paraquat y diquat (175,000); el humo de tabaco ambiental (71,000); los compuestos de cromo hexavalente (55,000); el benceno (52,000); mancozeb, maneb y zineb (49,000); clorotalonil (38,000); el polvo de madera (32,000); el cuarzo (27,000); benomil (19,000); el plomo y sus compuestos inorgánicos (19,000); tetracloroetileno (18,000); y los compuestos aromáticos policíclicos (17,000). En los hombres , la distribución se mantuvo muy ajustada a los anteriores rangos, sin embargo en las mujeres, debido a su diferente distribución en los sectores, el formaldehído, el radón y el cloruro de metileno superaron a los plaguicidas, el cromo (VI), el polvo de madera y el cuarzo. La agricultura, la construcción, los servicios personales y domésticos, el transporte terrestre y acuático y los servicios asociados al transporte , la fabricación de productos cerámicos y semejantes, la manufactura de productos de madera, la minería, la silvicultura, la pesca, la fabricación de maquinaria y aparatos eléctricos, bares y restaurantes fueron sectores de donde las exposiciones son frecuentes. Una reducción drástica de exposiciones laborales y ambientales a estos agentes daría por resultado mejoras sustanciales en los niveles de salud pública y ocupacional. . La vigilancia de las exposiciones laborales y de la salud en el trabajo son esenciales para el control de la contaminación y de las exposiciones a los agentes cancerígenos. La adopción de políticas efectivas para la reducción de los peligros por estos agentes , debe considerar todas las fuentes de exposición y la coordinación intersectorial para la creación, administración e implementación de las regulaciones en esta materia. La reducción de los peligros químicos en el trabajo frecuentemente es seguida por una reducción en las emisiones industriales al ambiente cercano a la planta o proceso productivo

Hypothyroidism attenuates protein tyrosine nitration, oxidative stress and renal damage induced by ischemia and reperfusion: effect unrelated to antioxidant enzymes activities

BACKGROUND: It has been established that hypothyroidism protects rats against renal ischemia and reperfusion (IR) oxidative damage. However, it is not clear if hypothyroidism is able to prevent protein tyrosine nitration, an index of nitrosative stress, induced by IR or if antioxidant enzymes have involved in this protective effect. In this work it was explored if hypothyroidism is able to prevent the increase in nitrosative and oxidative stress induced by IR. In addition the activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase was studied. Control and thyroidectomized (HTX) rats were studied 24 h of reperfusion after 60 min ischemia. METHODS: Male Wistar rats weighing 380 ± 22 g were subjected to surgical thyroidectomy. Rats were studied 15 days after surgery. Euthyroid sham-operated rats were used as controls (CT). Both groups of rats underwent a right kidney nephrectomy and suffered a 60 min left renal ischemia with 24 h of reperfusion. Rats were divided in four groups: CT, HTX, IR and HTX+IR. Rats were sacrificed and samples of plasma and kidney were obtained. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine were measured in blood plasma. Kidney damage was evaluated by histological analysis. Oxidative stress was measured by immunohistochemical localization of protein carbonyls and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal modified proteins. The protein carbonyl content was measured using antibodies against dinitrophenol (DNP)-modified proteins. Nitrosative stress was measured by immunohistochemical analysis of 3-nitrotyrosine modified proteins. The activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase was measured by spectrophotometric methods. Multiple comparisons were performed with ANOVA followed by Bonferroni t test. RESULTS: The histological damage and the rise in plasma creatinine and BUN induced by IR were significantly lower in HTX+IR group. The increase in protein carbonyls and in 3-nitrotyrosine and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal modified proteins was prevented in HTX+IR group. IR-induced decrease in renal antioxidant enzymes was essentially not prevented by HTX in HTX+IR group. CONCLUSION: Hypothyroidism was able to prevent not only oxidative but also nitrosative stress induced by IR. In addition, the antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase seem not to play a protective role in this experimental model

Pan-Atlantic analysis of the overlap of a highly migratory species, the leatherback turtle, with pelagic longline fisheries

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Large oceanic migrants play important roles in ecosystems, yet many species are of conservation concern as a result of anthropogenic threats, of which incidental capture by fisheries is frequently identified. The last large populations of the leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, occur in the Atlantic Ocean, but interactions with industrial fisheries could jeopardize recent positive population trends, making bycatch mitigation a priority. Here, we perform the first pan-Atlantic analysis of spatio-temporal distribution of the leatherback turtle and ascertain overlap with longline fishing effort. Data suggest that the Atlantic probably consists of two regional management units: northern and southern (the latter including turtles breeding in South Africa). Although turtles and fisheries show highly diverse distributions, we highlight nine areas of high susceptibility to potential bycatch (four in the northern Atlantic and five in the southern/equatorial Atlantic) that are worthy of further targeted investigation and mitigation. These are reinforced by reports of leatherback bycatch at eight of these sites. International collaborative efforts are needed, especially from nations hosting regions where susceptibility to bycatch is likely to be high within their exclusive economic zone (northern Atlantic: Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal, Spain, USA and Western Sahara; southern Atlantic: Angola, Brazil, Namibia and UK) and from nations fishing in these high-susceptibility areas, including those located in international waters.Work in Gabon was financially supported by the Large Pelagics Research Center through National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency award no. NA04NMF4550391, the UK Defra Darwin Initiative, the Shellshock Campaign (European Association for Zoos and Aquaria) and the UK Natural Environment Research Council. Sea turtle monitoring programmes in Gabon were financially supported by the Wildlife Conservation Society and by the Gabon Sea Turtle Partnership with funding from the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (United States Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior). Four of the satellite tags were deployed in Canadian waters by M. James (Dalhousie University) and the Canadian Sea Turtle Network, with the funding support of Canadian Sea Turtle Network leatherback field research provided by R. A. Myers, the Canadian Wildlife Federation, Environment Canada and WWF-Canada. Work in French Guiana was financially supported by CNES, DEAL and the European Union.This study results from the collaborative effort of 10 data providers, which have satellite-tracked leatherback turtles in the Atlantic Ocean since 1995, through their voluntary participation in the Trans-Atlantic Leatherback Conservation Initiative (TALCIN), a WWF-led initiative. We thank C. Drews (WWF-International) and Jean-Yves Georges (IPHC-CNRS) for having initiated this project. Significant contributions were made by A. Fonseca and M. L. Felix and the WWF Guianas office in fostering this project to secure its continuation. We thank those involved in the sea turtle restoration plan in French Guiana (DEAL, ONCFS, Kulalasi NGO, Kwata, the Reserve Naturelle de l'Amana, Chiefs of Awala and Yalimapo), Yvon Le Maho (IPHC-CNRS) for having initiated the leatherback tracking programme in French Guiana, colleagues from the Regional Program for Sea Turtles Research and Conservation of Argentina–PRICTMA, Aquamarina and Fundación Mundo Marino, the onboard scientific observers from PNOFA-DINARA, the crew and owner of the F/V Torres del Paine, the artisanal fishermen from Kiyú, San José, Uruguay, D. del Bene (PROFAUMA), Z. Di Rienzo and colleagues from Karumbé, the University of Pisa for initiating the satellite tagging programmes in South Africa, and the South African Department of Environmental Affairs for continuing the work in cooperation with Dr Nel from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. We thank M. L. Felix for her efforts in the deployment of satellite tags in Suriname and the Nature Conservation Division Suriname for facilitating these research efforts. P.M. thanks C. Palma for his help in dealing with ICCAT's database, C. Ere, as well as the GIS training and support received from SCGIS and the ESRI Conservation Program, which allowed processing of fishing-effort data. We thank J. Parezo for her careful reading of the manuscript. All authors designed the study and contributed data; S.F, M.S.C., P.M. and M.J.W. compiled the data; S.F., M.A.N. and A.L. coordinated and supervised the project; S.F., M.J.W., P.M. and B.J.G. led the data analysis and interpretation with contributions from all authors; the manuscript was developed by S.F. and M.J.W. as lead authors, with contributions from all authors

Pan-Atlantic analysis of the overlap of a highly migratory species, the leatherback turtle, with pelagic longline fisheries

Large oceanic migrants play important roles in ecosystems, yet many species are of conservation concern as a result of anthropogenic threats, of which incidental capture by fisheries is frequently identified. The last large populations of the leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, occur in the Atlantic Ocean, but interactions with industrial fisheries could jeopardize recent positive population trends, making bycatch mitigation a priority. Here, we perform the first pan-Atlantic analysis of spatio-temporal distribution of the leatherback turtle and ascertain overlap with longline fishing effort. Data suggest that the Atlantic probably consists of two regional management units: northern and southern (the latter including turtles breeding in South Africa). Although turtles and fisheries show highly diverse distributions, we highlight nine areas of high susceptibility to potential bycatch (four in the northern Atlantic and five in the southern/equatorial Atlantic) that are worthy of further targeted investigation and mitigation. These are reinforced by reports of leatherback bycatch at eight of these sites. International collaborative efforts are needed, especially from nations hosting regions where susceptibility to bycatch is likely to be high within their exclusive economic zone (northern Atlantic: Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal, Spain, USA and Western Sahara; southern Atlantic: Angola, Brazil, Namibia and UK) and from nations fishing in these high-susceptibility areas, including those located in international waters

Evaluación comparativa del proceso de conciliación medicamentosa realizado por el departamento de Enfermería y el de Farmacia en un hospital privado de Costa Rica

Introducción: Los errores de medicación generan riesgos en el paciente hospitalizado y constituyen una de las principales causas del incremento en la morbi-mortalidad y costos económicos; por tanto la conciliación de medicamentos constituye una solución para reforzar la seguridad de los pacientes en los procesos de transición asistencial. Objetivos: Determinar la magnitud de los errores de conciliación en los servicios del ámbito hospitalario descrito y su impacto en el paciente. Métodos: Estudio observacional, prospectivo, con una muestra de pacientes ingresados a los servicios de internamiento del Hospital, que cumplieran con los criterios de inclusión; la información necesaria para comparar los resultados de la conciliación de medicamentos fue tomada de una entrevista, la Valoración Inicial de Enfermería y el expediente clínico. Resultados: Nueve de cada diez pacientes presentó al menos una discrepancia en su medicación. Entre el promedio de medicamentos conciliados por el departamento de Farmacia y mediante la Valoración Inicial de Enfermería existe una diferencia estadísticamente significativa (p=0.00001, IC 95%). La mayor discrepancia se presentó con medicamentos del sistema cardiovascular, tracto gastrointestinal y metabolismo, y sistema nervioso central. Se presentaron 151 casos de error tipo B, 376 de tipo C, y 138 de tipo D.Conclusiones:Sí existen discrepancias significativas entre la conciliación de medicamentos realizada por el servicio de Enfermería y por el de Farmacia, tanto en cantidad como en tipo. Se recomienda que la conciliación se dirija prioritariamente a pacientes mayores de 65 años, con pluripatologías y en tratamiento con fármacos que actúan sobre los sistemas fisiológicos mencionados

Evaluación comparativa del proceso de conciliación medicamentosa realizado por el departamento de Enfermería y el de Farmacia en un hospital privado de Costa Rica

Introducción: Los errores de medicación generan riesgos en el paciente hospitalizado y constituyen una de las principales causas del incremento en la morbi-mortalidad y costos económicos; por tanto la conciliación de medicamentos constituye una solución para reforzar la seguridad de los pacientes en los procesos de transición asistencial. Objetivos: Determinar la magnitud de los errores de conciliación en los servicios del ámbito hospitalario descrito y su impacto en el paciente. Métodos: Estudio observacional, prospectivo, con una muestra de pacientes ingresados a los servicios de internamiento del Hospital, que cumplieran con los criterios de inclusión; la información necesaria para comparar los resultados de la conciliación de medicamentos fue tomada de una entrevista, la Valoración Inicial de Enfermería y el expediente clínico. Resultados: Nueve de cada diez pacientes presentó al menos una discrepancia en su medicación. Entre el promedio de medicamentos conciliados por el departamento de Farmacia y mediante la Valoración Inicial de Enfermería existe una diferencia estadísticamente significativa (p=0.00001, IC 95%). La mayor discrepancia se presentó con medicamentos del sistema cardiovascular, tracto gastrointestinal y metabolismo, y sistema nervioso central. Se presentaron 151 casos de error tipo B, 376 de tipo C, y 138 de tipo D.Conclusiones:Sí existen discrepancias significativas entre la conciliación de medicamentos realizada por el servicio de Enfermería y por el de Farmacia, tanto en cantidad como en tipo. Se recomienda que la conciliación se dirija prioritariamente a pacientes mayores de 65 años, con pluripatologías y en tratamiento con fármacos que actúan sobre los sistemas fisiológicos mencionados