Developing emphatic teams: influence of healthy organizational practices in collective emphaty

En un contexto de crisis económica y social, las organizaciones saludables y resilientes (HERO - HEalthy and Resilient Organizations) se caracterizan por llevar a cabo prácticas organizacionales saludables de manera sistemática, planificada y proactiva, que influyen en el desarrollo de empleados y grupos saludables, así como en el logro de los objetivos organizacionales (Salanova, Llorens, Cifre y Martínez, 2012). Según Hobfoll (2001) en el modelo de conservación de recursos (COR) cuando las personas cuentan con recursos que les permiten adaptarse o trabajar en su ambiente, continuarán generando más recursos que les permitan desarrollarse en el futuro de una manera dinámica. Dado que las prácticas organizacionales pueden ser utilizadas por los empleados como recursos que le brinda la organización para desarrollar su trabajo, según el modelo COR se esperaría que los empleados generen más recursos como podría ser en este caso la empatía colectiva entendida como un recurso positivo. Es por esto que objetivo principal de este trabajo es examinar el rol predictor de cada una de las prácticas organizacionales (i.e., conciliación familia-trabajo, fomento de la salud psicosocial, prevención del mobbing, desarrollo de habilidades, desarrollo de carrera, fomento de la equidad, comunicación, información, y responsabilidad social empresarial) sobre la empatía colectiva. La muestra está compuesta por 3.309 trabajadores, agregados en 566 grupos de trabajo de 137 organizaciones españolas de diversos sectores socio-económicos. Los análisis de regresión muestran que las prácticas dirigidas al desarrollo de habilidades, información y prevención del mobbing son las que mayor varianza explican de la empatía colectiva. Al final del artículo se incluyen las implicaciones teóricas y prácticas, junto con las limitaciones y sugerencias para estudios futuros.In a context of economic and social crisis, Healthy and Resilient Organizations (HERO) are characterized by carrying out healthy organizational practices in a systematic, planned and proactive way which affect employee development and healthy groups as well as in achieving organizational objectives (Salanova, Llorens, Cifre and Martinez, 2012). According Hobfoll (2001) in the conservation of resources theory (COR) when people have resources that allow them to adapt or work in an environment, they continue to generate more resources to develop it in the future and in a dynamic way. Because, organizational practices given by the organizations can be used by employees as resources to develop their work, according to the COR model it would be expected that employees generate more resources, as it could be collective empathy, taken as a positive resource. That is why the main objective of this paper is to examine the predictor role of each organizational practice (i.e., reconciliation family-work, psychosocial health, prevention of mobbing, development skills, career development, equity, communication, information, and corporate social responsibility) toward collective empathy. The sample consists of 3.309 workers, 566 aggregates in working groups of 137 Spanish organizations of various socio-economic sectors. Regression analyzes show that the practices aimed at the skills development, information, and mobbing’s prevention are most at variance explained of empathy. The article concludes with theoretical and practical implications, together with limitations and suggestions for future research

Interaction of intestinal microorganisms with the human host in the framework of autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), are caused by a complex interaction of environmental-, genetic-, and sex-related factors. Although SLE has traditionally been considered independent from the microbiota, recent work published during the last 5 years suggests a strong connection between SLE and the composition of our gut commensals as one of the main environmental factors linked to this disease. Preliminary data have evidenced that (i) interaction of certain microbial-derived molecules with specific cell receptors and (ii) the influence of certain commensal microorganisms over specific immune cell subsets plays an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE and SLE-like diseases. In addition, epigenetic changes driven by certain microbial groups have been recently proposed as an additional link between gut microbiota and SLE. As immune responses elicited against commensal bacteria are deeply dependent on the composition of the latter, and as microbial populations can be modified by dietary interventions, identifying the precise gut microorganisms responsible for worsening the SLE symptoms is of crucial importance for this and other SLE-related diseases, including antiphospholipid syndrome or lupus nephritis. In this minireview, the current knowledge on the relationships between microbes and SLE and SLE-related diseases is compiled and discussed.This research was funded by Grants AGL2013-44039-R and AGL2010-14952 from the Spanish “Plan Estatal de I + D + I”. BS and AH were recipients of a Ramón y Cajal postdoctoral contract and a FPI grant, respectively, from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.Peer Reviewe

Automatic tree detection and attribute characterization using portable terrestrial lidar

Currently, the implementation of portable laser scanners (PLS) in forest inventories is being studied, since they allow for significantly reduced field-work time and costs when compared to the traditional inventory methods and other LiDAR systems. However, it has been shown that their operability and efficiency are dependent upon the species assessed, and therefore, there is a need for more research assessing different types of stands and species. Additionally, a few studies have been conducted in Eucalyptus stands, one of the tree genus that is most commonly planted around the world. In this study, a PLS system was tested in a Eucalyptus globulus stand to obtain different metrics of individual trees. An automatic methodology to obtain inventory data (individual tree positions, DBH, diameter at different heights, and height of individual trees) was developed using public domain software. The results were compared to results obtained with a static terrestrial laser scanner (TLS). The methodology was able to identify 100% of the trees present in the stand in both the PLS and TLS point clouds. For the PLS point cloud, the RMSE of the DBH obtained was 0.0716, and for the TLS point cloud, it was 0.176. The RMSE for height for the PLS point cloud was 3.415 m, while for the PLS point cloud, it was 10.712 m. This study demonstrates the applicability of PLS systems for the estimation of the metrics of individual trees in adult Eucalyptus globulus stands.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PID2019-111581RB-I00Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades | Ref. FPU19/02054Universidade de Vigo/CISU

Red Wine Consumption Is Associated with Fecal Microbiota and Malondialdehyde in a Human Population

[Objectives] Red wine intake has been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease; its polyphenol content is the primary cause of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties attributed to this beverage. However, the way in which these activities are exerted is not yet clear, although some authors have proposed that intestinal microbiota could be implicated.[Methods] The association between red wine intake, inflammation, and oxidative stress parameters and fecal microbial populations has been explored in 38 adult volunteers. Food intake was recorded by means of an annual food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Energy, cholesterol, and ethanol intake were analyzed using the nutrient Food Composition Tables developed by Centro de Enseñanza Superior de Nutrición y Dietética (CESNID) and polyphenol intake was obtained from the Phenol-Explorer Database. Fecal levels of Akkermansia, Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Blautia coccoides group, Clostridium leptum group, Lactobacillus group, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose were analyzed by standard methods.[Results] Subjects with regular consumption of red wine (mean = 100 ml/day) had lower serum concentrations of MDA and lower fecal levels of B. coccoides, C. leptum, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus. A positive association between MDA levels and B. coccoides and Lactobacillus was also found.[Conclusion] Regular consumption of red wine appears to be associated with a reduced serum lipoperoxidation in which the intestinal microbiota may be involved.This work was funded by Biopolis SL within the framework of the e-CENIT Project SENIFOOD from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.Peer Reviewe

Imaginario social del estudiante en los docentes y su implicación en la formación educativa : estudio realizado en la Escuela de Ciencias Psicológicas de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala.

Describe los efectos emocionales en niños / niñas víctimas de abuso sexual que asisten al Centro educativo Fe y Alegría # 2, ubicado en Carolingia Zona 6 de Mixco. La investigación tipo cualitativa se realizó durante los meses de marzo a mayo. La muestra estuvo conformada por 20 niños, comprendidos entre los 7 a 12 años y 10 maestros, para seleccionar la muestra se utilizó la técnica de muestreo por intención. La recopilación de datos se realizó mediante la utilización de instrumentos: encuesta para docentes, entrevista semiestructurada para docentes, lista de cotejo de conductas disruptivas, escala de efectos mocionales en niños víctimas de abuso sexual y escala de emociones positivas y negativas de Fredickson. Analiza e interpreta los resultados y concluye, que el abuso sexual es un problema multidimensional que desencadena diversas situaciones de incomodidad, degradación, sufrimiento emocional, culpa, tristeza, miedo, auto desvalorización, desmotivación, necesidad de apoyo y afecto, inseguridad, desconfianza y ansiedad, estos fueron los efectos emocionales encontrados en los niños / niñas víctimas de abuso sexual. Así mismo también se encontraron cambios de conducta, como agresividad, rebeldía, bajo rendimiento, etc

Calibrated and completeness-corrected optical stellar density maps of the Northern Galactic Plane

© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Royal Astronomical Society. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Following on from the second release of calibrated photometry from IPHAS, the INT/WFC Photometric Hα Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane, we present incompleteness-corrected stellar density maps in the r and i photometric bands. These have been computed to a range of limiting magnitudes reaching to 20th magnitude in r and 19th in i (Vega system), and with different angular resolutions – the highest resolution available being 1 arcmin2. The maps obtained cover 94 per cent of the 1800 square degree IPHAS footprint, spanning the Galactic latitude range, −5◦ < b < +5◦, north of the celestial equator. The corrections for incompleteness, due to confusion and sensitivity loss at the faint limit, have been deduced by the method of artificial source injection. The presentation of this method is preceded by a discussion of other more approximate methods of determining completeness. Our method takes full account of position-dependent seeing and source ellipticity in the survey data base. The application of the star counts to testing reddened Galactic disc models is previewed by a comparison with predicted counts along three constant-longitude cuts at 30◦, 90◦ and 175◦: some overprediction of the most heavily reddened 30◦ counts is found, alongside good agreement at 90◦ and 175◦. KeyPeer reviewedFinal Published versio

Effect of dietary macronutrients on the expression of cholecystokinin, leptin, ghrelin and neuropeptide Y in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata)

Endocrine factors released from the central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, adipose tissue and other peripheral organs mediate the regulation of food intake. Although many studies have evaluated the effect of fed-to-starved transition on the expression of appetite-related genes, little is known about how the expression of appetite-regulating peptides is regulated by the macronutrient composition of the diet. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of diet composition and nutritional status on the expression of four peptides involved in food intake control in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata): neuropeptide Y (NPY), ghrelin, cholecystokinin (CCK) and leptin. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR showed that high protein/low carbohydrate diets stimulated the expression of CCK and ghrelin in the intestine and leptin in the adipose tissue, while downregulation of ghrelin and NPY mRNA levels was observed in the brain. Opposite effects were found for the expression of the four genes in fish fed low protein/high carbohydrate diets or after long-term starvation. Our findings indicate that the expression pattern of appetite-regulating peptides, particularly CCK and ghrelin, is modulated by the nutritional status and diet composition in S. aurata

Intestinal dysbiosis is associated with altered short-chain fatty acids and serum-free fatty acids in systemic lupus erythematosus

Metabolic impairments are a frequent hallmark of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Increased serum levels of free fatty acids (FFA) are commonly found in these patients, although the underlying causes remain elusive. Recently, it has been suggested that factors other than inflammation or clinical features may be involved. The gut microbiota is known to influence the host metabolism, the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) playing a potential role. Taking into account that lupus patients exhibit an intestinal dysbiosis, we wondered whether altered FFA levels may be associated with the intestinal microbial composition in lupus patients. To this aim, total and specific serum FFA levels, fecal SCFA levels, and gut microbiota composition were determined in 21 SLE patients and 25 healthy individuals. The Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio was strongly associated with serum FFA levels in healthy controls (HC), even after controlling for confounders. However, this association was not found in lupus patients, where a decreased F/B ratio and increased FFA serum levels were noted. An altered production of SCFA was related to the intestinal dysbiosis in lupus, while SCFA levels paralleled those of serum FFA in HC. Although a different serum FFA profile was not found in SLE, specific FFA showed distinct patterns on a principal component analysis. Immunomodulatory omega-3 FFA were positively correlated to the F/B ratio in HC, but not in SLE. Furthermore, divergent associations were observed for pro- and anti-inflammatory FFA with endothelial activation biomarkers in lupus patients. Overall, these findings support a link between the gut microbial ecology and the host metabolism in the pathological framework of SLE. A potential link between intestinal dysbiosis and surrogate markers of endothelial activation in lupus patients is supported, FFA species having a pivotal role.This work was funded through the grants GRUPIN14-043 “Microbiota Humana, Alimentación y Salud” from the “Plan Regional de Investigación del Principado de Asturias” and cofounded from European Union FEDER funds, AGL2010-14952 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and PI012/00523 from the “Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, Instituto de Investigación Carlos III.” JR-C is supported by a contract from the grant GRUPIN14-043.Peer reviewedPeer Reviewe

Diet: Cause or consequence of the microbial profile of cholelithiasis disease?

Recent dietary habits and lifestyle could explain the shaping of the gut microbiota composition and, in consequence, the increasing prevalence of certain pathologies. However, little attention has been paid to the influence of diet on microbiotas, other than the gut microbiota. This is important in cholelithiasis, given that changes in the production of bile acids may affect gallbladder microbial communities. Our aim was to assess the association between regular dietary intake and gallbladder microbial composition. Fourteen adults with cholelithiasis and 14 controls, sex-age-matched and without gastrointestinal pathology, were included. Diet was assessed through a food frequency questionnaire and quantification of gallbladder microbiota sequences by Illumina 16S rRNA gene-based analysis. The cholelithiasic patients showed greater intake of potatoes and lower consumption of vegetables, non-alcoholic drinks, and sauces, which resulted in a lower intake of energy, lipids, digestible polysaccharides, folate, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, and some phenolic compounds. Regarding the altered bile microorganisms in cholelithiasic patients, dairy product intake was negatively associated with the proportions of Bacteroidaceae and Bacteroides, and several types of fiber, phenolics, and fatty acids were linked to the abundance of Bacteroidaceae, Chitinophagaceae, Propionibacteraceae, Bacteroides, and Escherichia-Shigella. These results support a link between diet, biliary microbiota, and cholelithiasis.This research was funded by the Spanish “Plan Estatal de I+D+i” Grant number (AGL2013-44761-P) I. Gutiérrez-Díaz was supported by “Plan Regional de Investigación del Principado de Asturias” Grant number (GRUPIN14-043).Peer reviewe