Costa Rica Research Articles

Evolution of Regulatory Governance for Human Research in Costa Rica

Regulatory governance of human research derives from historical abuses of people participating in health related and non-health relates studies. Costa Rica was no exception and nowadays counts with a Regulatory Law of Biomedical Research (Law 9234) that guarantees the protection of research participants’ human rights. The aim of this narrative review is to overview the gradual development and state of the art of protections and oversight of research with humans in Costa Rica. A recapitulation of why regulatory governance for biomedical human research was enacted in 2014 will be discussed. Even so, there is no legal requirement in Costa Rica, as in other developing nations, for non-health related protocols with human participants, to undergo the scrutiny of research boards. Nonetheless, even before Law 9234 was passed, the University of Costa Rica made efforts to compel compliance with research ethics when studying humans. Therefore, another objective is to review the current ethical guidelines dictated by the University of Costa Rica and Scientifical Ethics Committee of the University of Costa Rica to conduct responsible human research. The University of Costa Rica’s institutional regulatory framework on human research, can serve as a model to other national and international institutions from developing nations, where ethical assessment of sociocultural research is relatively neglected, compared to the review of biomedical and clinical studies.

Climate and sovereign risk: The Latin American experience with strong ENSO events

Using monthly panel data over the period 2007–2019 for seven Latin American countries, we empirically test the impact of climate shocks, here strong ENSO events (El Niño Southern Oscillations), on sovereign risk. Local Projections are computed to assess the dynamic response of sovereign spreads to ENSO events. Results show that strong El Niño and La Niña shocks lead to a significant increase in sovereign spreads, but with different timing. Strong El Niño shocks are associated with a significant short-term increase in sovereign spreads, while strong La Niña events are associated with a delayed but significant increase in sovereign spreads after a short-term decrease. Thus, our results suggest a potential asymmetry in the effect of these strong ENSO events on sovereign risk. We also highlight high volatility in the dynamics of sovereign spreads, which may reflect an overreaction of investors faced with the high degree of uncertainty generated by the economic and financial consequences associated with strong ENSO events. Complementary time-series estimates suggest that Costa Rica and Peru are especially subject to these effects. Overall, our results provide a warning about the fact that, in the case of Latin American countries, weather shocks associated with strong ENSO events have adverse macroeconomic and financial consequences that can lead to an increase in sovereign risk, hinder their government's ability to act as a ‘climate rescuer’ of last resort, and may be aggravated in the future by climate change.

Bamboo as a Sustainable Building Material for Innovative, Low-Cost Housing Construction

Bamboo is commonly used as a construction material in low-cost housing projects located in tropical and subtropical countries. This practice is especially prevalent in rural areas where bamboo grows naturally and families have experience working with it. Bamboo can be a sustainable building material for homes, even in cases where houses need to be resistant to earthquakes or storms. The traditional bahareque technology was enhanced in Costa Rica and Colombia to make it earthquake resistant. After the year 2000, this technology was transferred to several other countries in Latin America and Asia, gaining recognition as an innovative building technique. Many successful examples of bamboo housing constructions can be found in various countries, where modern architectural solutions are combined with innovative bamboo methods. Local communities can play a crucial role in bamboo processing, allowing residents to actively participate in the construction of their homes under technical supervision. This emphasizes the social sustainability aspect associated with bamboo. Ensuring the durability of bamboo housing constructions is paramount for the longevity of the houses, highlighting the need for technical assistance for self-builders and resident groups. With proper organization, bamboo housing has the potential to become part of the social production of housing.

Measuring mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) testes via parallel laser photogrammetry: Expanding the use of noninvasive methods.

Parallel laser photogrammetry (PLP), which consists of attaching two or three parallel laser beams at a known inter-beam distance to a camera, can be used to collect morphological measurements of organisms noninvasively. The lasers project onto the photo being taken, and because the inter-beam distance is known, they act as a scale for image analysis programs like ImageJ. Traditionally, this method has been used to measure larger morphological traits (e.g., limb length, crown-rump length) to serve as proxies for overall body size, whereas applications to smaller anatomical features remain limited. To that end, we used PLP to measure the testes of 18 free-living mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. We tested whether this method could reliably measure this relatively small and globular morphology, and whether it could detect differences among individuals. We tested reliability in three ways: within-photo (coefficient of variation [CV] = 4.7%), between-photo (CV = 5.5%), and interobserver (intraclass correlation = 0.92). We found an average volume of 36.2 cm3 and a range of 16.4-54.4 cm3, indicating variation in testes size between individuals. Furthermore, these sizes are consistent with a previous study that collected measurements by hand, suggesting that PLP is a useful method for making noninvasive measurements of testes.

Modeling of a tissue expander with a radiofrequency identification port in postmastectomy radiation therapy planning.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dose attenuation of Motiva Flora® (Flora, Establishment Labs, Alajuela, Costa Rica) tissue expander with a radiofrequency identification port locator and to develop a model for accurate postmastectomy radiation therapy planning. Dose attenuation was measured using an EBT3 film (Ashland, Bridgewater, NJ), and the optimal material and density assignment for the radiofrequency identification coil for dose calculation were investigated using the AcurosXB algorithm on the Eclipse (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) treatment planning system. Additionally, we performed in vivo dosimetry analysis using irradiation tangential to the Flora tissue expander to validate the modeling accuracy. Dose attenuations downstream of the Flora radiofrequency identification coil was 1.29% for a 6 MV X-ray and 0.99% for a 10 MV X-ray when the coil was placed perpendicular to the beam. The most suitable assignments for the material and density of the radiofrequency identification coil were aluminum and 2.27g/cm3, respectively, even though the coil was actually made of copper. Gamma analysis of in vivo dosimetry with criteria of 3% and 2mm did not fail in the coil region. Therefore, we conclude that the model is reasonable for clinical use.

Ranking of immunization programs in Latin America, 2020Ranking dos programas de vacinação na América Latina, 2020

Construct a ranking of national immunization programs in Latin America in 2020 and compare it with the previous year. Eighteen national immunization programs were evaluated on the basis of public information obtained from official sites of the countries' ministries of health, the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, and local sources. The ranking was based on the 2020 vaccination schedule for different life stages, special situations, vaccination against influenza, 2019 vaccination coverage, and programmatic aspects. Vaccination coverage decreased in most countries. The average regional declined in 2020, as did the scores for most countries, except Chile and Colombia. Chile leads the ranking, followed by Uruguay, Panama, and Costa Rica. Chile stands out for its full calendar, higher vaccination coverage rates, and programmatic achievements. The lower overall score in 2020 highlights the need to recover the Region's vaccination coverage rates. This analysis seeks to motivate countries to address pending challenges.

Molecular characterization of antibiotic resistant Salmonella enterica across the poultry production chain in Costa Rica: A cross-sectional study

Antibiotic resistant Salmonella enterica are on the increase, worldwide. Given the scarcity of data, this study aimed to investigate its occurrence, virulence, and antibiotic resistance in Costa Rica's food chain. In total, 65 chicken meat- and 171 chicken caecal samples were collected and examined for Salmonella. High frequencies of Salmonella were found in chicken meat (58.5 %, n/N = 38/65) and poultry farms (38.0 %, n/N = 65/171). The majority of Salmonella from chicken meat (89.5 %, n/N = 34/38) and caecum samples (93.6 %, n/N = 59/63) exhibited multidrug resistance (MDR). Serovar Infantis was the most prevalent (94 %, n/N = 67/71), followed by serovars Anatum and Kentucky (3 %, n/N = 2/71). A pESI-like plasmid (92 %, n/N = 65/71) containing virulence and resistance markers was found in S. Infantis. Given the high prevalence of MDR Salmonella, this study emphasizes the need to enhance surveillance systems for foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in Costa Rica's food production chain.

Thriving in dry conditions: on the Neotropical spider genus Galapa (Araneae: Pholcidae).

The genus Galapa Huber, 2000 includes tiny spiders (body length <1.5 mm) restricted to semi-arid habitats. It has long been thought to be endemic to the Galapagos Islands until G. spiniphila Huber, 2020 was described from the Venezuelan Paraguan Peninsula. Here, we support this generic assignment with molecular (CO1) data and describe two new species from Colombia (G. gabito Huber sp. n.) and Costa Rica (G. murphyi Huber sp. n.), showing that the genus is actually widely distributed. Distribution modelling identifies several high suitability areas for Galapa, all of which are poorly sampled with respect to Pholcidae (ranging from Nicaragua to northern Peru and Guiana). Our results suggest a strong sampling bias against spiders restricted to dry tropical regions and habitats.

Review and assessment of smartphone apps for forest restoration monitoring

With increased interest in forest restoration comes an urgent need to provide accurate, scalable, and cost‐effective monitoring tools. The ubiquity of smartphones has led to a surge in monitoring apps. We reviewed and assessed monitoring apps found through web searches and conversations with practitioners. We identified 42 apps that (1) automatically monitor indicators or (2) facilitate data entry. We selected the five most promising from the first category, based on their relevance, availability, stability, and user support. We compared them to traditional field techniques in a well‐studied restoration project in Costa Rica. We received further feedback from 15 collaborator organizations that evaluated these in their corresponding field restoration sites. Diameter measurements correlated well with traditional tape‐based measurements (R2 = 0.86–0.89). Canopy openness and ground cover showed weaker correlations to densiometer and quadrat cover measurements (R2 = 0.42–0.51). Apps did not improve labor efficiency but do preclude the purchase of specialized field equipment. The apps reviewed here need further development and validation to support monitoring adequately, especially in the tropics. Estimates of development and maintenance costs, as well as statistics on user uptake, are required for cost‐effective development. We recommend a coordinated effort to develop dedicated restoration monitoring apps that can speed up and standardize the collection of indicators and provide evidence on restoration outcomes alongside a centralized repository of this information.

Effects of agriculture and nature reserves on avian behavior in northwestern Costa Rica.

Behavioral changes are often animals' first responses to environmental change and may act as a bellwether for population viability. Nonetheless, most studies of habitat conversion focus on changes in species occurrences or abundances. We analyzed >14,000 behavioral observations across 55 bird species in communities in northwestern Costa Rica to determine how land use affects reproductive, foraging, and other passive kinds of behaviors not associated with either foraging or reproduction. Specifically, we quantified differences in behaviors between farms, privately owned forests, and protected areas and implemented a novel modeling framework to account for variation in detection among behaviors. This framework entailed estimating abundances of birds performing different behaviors while allowing detection probabilities of individuals to vary by behavior. Birds were 1.2 times more likely to exhibit reproductive behaviors in forest than in agriculture and 1.5 times more likely to exhibit reproductive behaviors in protected areas than in private forests. Species were not always most abundant in the habitats where they were most likely to exhibit foraging or reproductive behaviors. Finally, species of higher conservation concern were less abundant in agriculture than in forest. Together, our results highlight the importance of behavioral analyses for elucidating the conservation value of different land uses.

Metabolite signatures associated with microRNA miR-143-3p serve as drivers of poor lung function trajectories in childhood asthma

Lung function trajectories (LFTs) have been shown to be an important measure of long-term health in asthma. While there is a growing body of metabolomic studies on asthma status and other phenotypes, there are no prospective studies of the relationship between metabolomics and LFTs or their genomic determinants. We utilized ordinal logistic regression to identify plasma metabolite principal components associated with four previously-published LFTs in children from the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP) (n=660). The top significant metabolite principal component (PCLF) was evaluated in an independent cross-sectional child cohort, the Genetic Epidemiology of Asthma in Costa Rica Study (GACRS) (n=1151) and evaluated for association with spirometric measures. Using meta-analysis of CAMP and GACRS, we identified associations between PCLF and microRNA, and SNPs in their target genes. Statistical significance was determined using an false discovery rate-adjusted Q-value. The top metabolite principal component, PCLF, was significantly associated with better LFTs after multiple-testing correction (Q-value=0.03). PCLF is composed of the urea cycle, caffeine, corticosteroid, carnitine, and potential microbial (secondary bile acid, tryptophan, linoleate, histidine metabolism) metabolites. Higher levels of PCLF were also associated with increases in lung function measures and decreased circulating neutrophil percentage in both CAMP and GACRS. PCLF was also significantly associated with microRNA miR-143-3p, and SNPs in three miR-143-3p target genes; CCZ1 (P-value=2.6×10-5), SLC8A1 (P-value=3.9×10-5); and TENM4 (P-value=4.9×10-5). This study reveals associations between metabolites, miR-143-3p and LFTs in children with asthma, offering insights into asthma physiology and possible interventions to enhance lung function and long-term health. Molecular data for CAMP and GACRS via the Trans-Omics in Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

Otoliths of the Gobiidae from the Neogene of tropical America

Otoliths are common and diverse in the Neogene of tropical America. Following previous studies of Neogene tropical American otoliths of the lanternfishes (Myctophidae), marine catfishes (Ariidae), croakers (Sciaenidae), and cusk-eels (Ophidiiformes), we describe here the otoliths of the gobies (Gobiidae). The Gobiidae represent the richest marine fish family, with more than 2000 species worldwide and about 250 in America. In the fossil record too they are the species richest family in the Neogene of tropical America. We have investigated otoliths sampled from Ecuador, Pacific and Atlantic Panama, Atlantic Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Trinidad, ranging in age from late Early Miocene (late Burdigalian) to late Early Pleistocene (Calabrian). Most of the studied material originates from the collection expeditions of the Panama Paleontology Project (PPP). Our study represents the first comprehensive record of fossil gobies from America, and we recognize 107 species, of which 51 are new to science, 35 are in open nomenclature, and 19 represent species that also live in the region today. Previously, only two fossil otolith-based goby species have been described from the Neogene of tropical America. The dominant gobies in the fossil record of the region are from the Gobiosomatini, particularly of genera living over soft bottoms or in deeper water such as Bollmannia, Microgobius, Antilligobius, and Palatogobius. Another purpose of our study is to provide a first comprehensive account of otoliths of the extant Gobiidae of America, which we consider necessary for an adequate identification and interpretation of the Neogene otoliths. We studied otoliths of 130 extant American gobiid species and figured 106 of them for comparison. We also present a morphological analysis and characterization of the extant otoliths as a basis for the identification of fossil otoliths. Problems that commonly arise with the identification of fossil otoliths and specifically of fossil goby otoliths are addressed and discussed. A comparison of the history of the Gobiidae in tropical America reveals a high percentage of shared species between the Pacific and the Atlantic basins during the Late Miocene (Tortonian and Messinian) from at least 11 to 6 Ma. A recording gap on the Pacific side across the Pliocene allows a comparison again only in the late Early Pleistocene (Calabrian, 1.8 to 0.78 Ma), which shows a complete lack of shared species. These observations support the effective closure of the former Central American Seaway and emersion of the Isthmus of Panama in the intervening time. Groups that today only exist in the East Pacific were also identified in the Miocene and Pliocene of the West Atlantic, and there is also at least one instance of a genus now restricted to the West Atlantic having occurred in the East Pacific as late as the Pleistocene. The evolution of gobies in tropical America and the implications thereof are extensively discussed. Furthermore, observations of fossil gobies in the region are discussed in respect to paleoenvironmental indications and paleobiogeographic aspects.

Compensation for Length of Service: The Case of Latin America Based on the Release of Intangible Social Benefits Promoting Economic Reactivation Post COVID-19

Reactivating the economy during a health crisis involves initiatives to enhance market activities both domestically and internationally. Various governments around the world have strategically decided to act, taking into consideration employment benefits. This research aimed to determine economic satisfaction in the Latin American population as a result of the release of Severance for Time of Service (Compensación por Tiempo de Servicio - CTS), an indicator of intangible labor performance. This study employed a descriptive-analytical methodology with a quantitative, nonexperimental transactional design, focusing on various countries in Latin America with emphasis on Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Ecuador. The study applied a survey through a virtual form and concluded that 13% lacked or were unaware of the benefit of their time of work, 54% agreed with the measures of their government, and 14% showed disinterest in the calculation of the CTS. It was concluded that strategic economic reactivation, in tandem with employment benefits during a crisis, had a positive effect on the economy of active workers during the pandemic.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 3 November 2023 / Accepted: 29 January 2024 / Published: 5 March 2024

Complete circularized genome resources for Xylella fastidiosa subsp. sandyi strains CO33 and CFBP8478

Complete circularized genome resources for <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i> subsp. <i>sandyi </i>strains CO33 and CFBP8478

The first harvestman described from Bocas del Toro Archipelago: a new Poecilaemula (Opiliones: Cosmetidae) and notes about the genus

ABSTRACT The discovery of a new Cosmetidae species from Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama, with unusual sexual dimorphism and colouration, presented an identification challenge due to the limited knowledge of the taxonomy of cosmetids in Central America. The new species is notable for the extensive bright orange blots on the dorsal scutum and by the unusual structure of tibia IV of males, which is not incrassate, and bears two compact rows of strong spines. After examination of both type and non-type specimens of the type species of the genus Poecilaemula Roewer, 1912 (Meterginus signatus Banks, 1909), we decided that the new species should be assigned to this genus, and that the current circumscription of the genus is debatable as a natural group. Here, we propose a new definition of Poecilaemula, which includes three species: the type species from Costa Rica; Poecilaemula iching sp. n. from western Panama; and the species Poecilaemula eutypa (Chamberlin, 1925) comb. n. from eastern Panama, which is newly transferred from Paecilaema C.L. Koch, 1839. Additionally, Paecilaemana reimoseri Roewer, 1933 is considered a new junior subjective synonym of Meterginus signatus Banks 1909 (currently under Poecilaemula). The five South American species currently included in Poecilaemula reveal a geographic discrepancy, and they should be transferred to other genera in future investigations because they do not share any special similarity with the type species of the genus. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0101B1EE-CF5F-4781-96FF-E797C71CF05C

Growth‐chemical defence‐metabolomic expression trade‐off is relaxed as soil nutrient availability increases for a tropical passion vine

Abstract Abiotic resource limitation presents organisms with a dilemma about how to use resources when they become available. Characterizing how resource allocation affects investment in growth or defensive traits that affect organismal survival strategies allows us to understand the environmental contexts in which species interact. Our goal was to measure how macronutrient availability drives nitrogen and phosphorus allocation towards functional growth and defensive chemical traits of the Neotropical passion vine, Passiflora biflora. We investigated this question with a paired field study in La Selva, Costa Rica and a full factorial greenhouse experiment to determine whether the concentration of a key secondary chemical defence is driven by nitrogen availability. We correlated defensive chemical concentration with soil nitrogen availability in naturally occurring plants, measured the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus availability on growth and secondary chemical defence traits in the greenhouse and characterized the P. biflora leaf metabolome to assess how nutrient availability affected shifts in metabolism related to plant fitness. We found that nutrient allocation increased the magnitude of both growth and defence traits. Increased nitrogen availability resulted in higher concentrations of toxic leaf secondary chemicals, longer vines, greater biomass and more leaves with a superior ability to capture sunlight. In addition, plants from high nitrogen environments had metabolomes with significantly greater secondary metabolite richness and biochemical pathway diversity, as well as increases in the number of metabolites from several chemical classes related to basic cell function and defence. Nutrient availability had no significant effect on the richness and diversity of primary metabolites involved in basic cell functions. A direct comparison of the relative strength of quantitative growth and secondary defence traits indicated that P. biflora favours nutrient allocation to growth at low nitrogen levels but invests in both strategies more evenly as nitrogen availability increases. These findings lead us to predict that passion vines are better prepared to tolerate and resist herbivory when nutrients are plentiful and experience a trade‐off between growth and chemical defence against natural enemies when they are scarce. These findings are consistent with both the ‘escape’ and ‘defend’ syndromes that are often used to describe tropical plant survival strategies. This is one of the only studies to measure nutrient allocation in vines, a group comprising a significant percentage of global plant diversity. Moreover, this work demonstrated the power of leveraging untargeted metabolomics to characterize how nutrient addition affects plant growth and defence, highlighting its potential for understanding functional trait variation. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

A Narrative Review Exploring the Similarities between Cilento and the Already Defined "Blue Zones" in Terms of Environment, Nutrition, and Lifestyle: Can Cilento Be Considered an Undefined "Blue Zone"?

Longevity is rightly considered one of the greatest achievements of modern society, not only as a function of lifespan, but, more importantly, as a function of healthspan. There are Longevity Blue Zones (LBZs), regions around the world, such as in Okinawa, Japan; the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; Loma Linda, California; Icaria, Greece; and Ogliastra, Sardinia, that are characterized by a significant percentage of residents who live exceptionally long lives, often avoiding age-related disability to a significantly higher degree than in the Western way of life. Longevity is not a universal phenomenon, so if there are places in the world with characteristics similar to the LBZs, it is important to identify them in order to better understand what other factors, in addition to the known ones, might contribute to a long and healthy life. This narrative review aims to identify common factors between Cilento and the five LBZs, taking into account environmental, nutritional, and lifestyle factors. Articles from 2004 to the present, limited to studies published in English, German, and Italian, were searched in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The co-authors agreed on 18 final reference texts. In order to evaluate the similarities between Cilento and the LBZs, a descriptive comparative approach was used. Cilento and the LBZs share several common factors, including a hilly altitude ranging from 355 to 600 m; a mild climate throughout the year, with temperatures between 17.4 and 23.5 degrees Celsius; traditional professions, such as agriculture and animal husbandry; and a predominantly Mediterranean or plant-based diet, with typical recipes based on legumes, tubers, vegetables, and extra virgin olive oil. Additionally, maintenance of strong intergenerational family relationships, religious devotion, and social relationships within the community are also prevalent. Given the similarities to Cilento, one might wonder if this is an LBZ waiting to be discovered. The lessons learned from this discovery could be applied to the general population to protect them from non-communicable chronic diseases and help slow the aging process.

Molecular characterization and demographic insights into soybean bud borer (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Brazil.

The soybean bud borer, a soybean pest in Brazil, was initially identified as Crocidosema aporema (Walsingham 1914) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Outbreaks of this species have recently increased, but identification of this pest remains uncertain, and the historical factors associated with its geographic distribution in Brazil are little known. Here, we conducted a species characterization and phylogeographic analysis based on molecular and morphological evidence. Ninety individuals of bud-borers Lepidoptera were collected in different regions of Brazil. We sequenced COI and COII mitochondrial genes and examined wing patterns and male genital morphology. DNA barcoding approach revealed that 10 individuals were Argyrotaenia sphaleropa (Meyrick 1909) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and 80 were a species of the genus Crocidosema Zeller. The morphology of the adult genitalia and wings proved to be insufficient to confirm the identification of Brazilian individuals as C. aporema, a species originally described from a high-elevation site in Costa Rica. Furthermore, the genetic distance between putative C. aporema specimens from Brazil and Costa Rica (ranging from 5.2% to 6.4%) supports the hypothesis that the Brazilian specimens are not referable to C. aporema. Our analysis revealed a single genetic strain (i.e., species) with low genetic diversity on soybean crops. We found no indication that the genetic structure was related to geographic distance among populations or edaphoclimatic regions. The population expansion of the soybean bud borer coincides with the increase in the area of soybean production in Brazil, suggesting that expanded soybean farming has allowed a significant increase in the effective population size of this pest.

Article: Throughput Legitimacy of the Peer Review Process of the Four Beps Minimum Standards: A Case Study

This article focuses on the Base Erosion Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project and more specifically on the peer review of the four BEPS minimum standards. The first part of this contribution introduces the analysis of this process in the context of a case study of seven countries participating in the BEPS Inclusive Framework: Cameroon, Congo, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Peru, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam. Thereafter, this article will provide the analysis of the peer review process by using the concept of throughput legitimacy developed by Schmidt (in other areas than tax law) that includes accountability, transparency, inclusiveness and openness. Its use can contribute to enhancing the governance of the peer review process and increasing legitimacy at the same time and thereby strengthening countries’ compliance with the four BEPS minimum standards. Its use can also facilitate helping countries that are part of the BEPS Inclusive Framework to build trust in the peer review process. In light of the findings of the case study, this article concludes that there are throughput legitimacy deficits and that these should be addressed by the OECD and countries participating in the BEPS Inclusive Framework. This article’s preliminary findings can be used for further research by the OECD, regional organizations, scholars, civil society, and think tanks to improve countries’ compliance with the four BEPS minimum standards. Beps, Peer Review Process, OECD, International Taxation, Legitimacy, Throughput Legitimacy, Inclusive Framework, Developing Countries

From acting to simulation: Contributions of theatre students to healthcare simulation

IntroductionThe use of student theaters as simulated patients (SP) can improve the learning process, but studies on the SP methodology in Costa Rica are limited. Thus, this study investigated the contribution of theatre students as SP, as perceived by faculty and nursing students. MethodsThis study used the action-research framework and the data collection included observational data and qualitative interviews. The data were analyzed through three phases: pre-analysis, exploration of the material, and treatment/interpretation. Results and discussionParticipants included 20 undergraduate nursing students and eight faculty members. The involvement of actors in the simulation increased the psychological fidelity and realism of the simulation, leading to deeper experiential training. Therefore, the inclusion of theater students as SP with acting training in nursing undergraduate or postgraduate courses can be an effective strategy to promote emancipatory learning and has potential for developing critical-reflective thinking skills when used in a constructivist pedagogical practice.