De Costa Research Articles

Teachers’ Perception of the English Curriculum Change in Costa Rica: The Action-Oriented Approach

This qualitative study explores the perception of eight seventh-grade teachers from academic schools in the western region of Costa Rica about implementing the action-oriented approach (AOA). As the main objective, the researchers sought to assess the professors' perception of the execution of this approach in order to explore its precision regarding its principles and the guidelines of the Ministerio de Educación Pública de Costa Rica. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview and then coded considering three primary constructs: the participants’ definition of AOA, its strengths and weaknesses, and the continuities, variations, and innovations that arose with the change from the CLT to the AOA. Regarding the coding, the researchers carried it out under the principles of grounded theory to identify commonalities among participants. The results show a favorable perception of the approach, yet the individuals could not clearly define the AOA for they perceived the materials, the student, and the teacher’s roles as strengths; and tests, materials, and planning as weaknesses. The continuities and variations were not tied to the approach and the most salient innovations were the teacher’s guide and the mini-project. The researchers concluded that there exist discrepancies between the participants’ understanding of the AOA and the actual tenets of the approach.

Reflexões e experiências do Programa de Capacitação, Atualização e Difusão da Escola de Geografia da Universidade da Costa Rica no período 2015-2021

Teaching extensions are one of the functions of the Vicerrectoría de Acción Social at the Universidad de Costa Rica. Through this modality an academic exchange between teachers. and communities is offered to improve the welfare of society through the transfer of knowledge in an agile and direct way. These activities are beneficial for communities and contribute to the country's social and economic development. The Training, Update and Dissemination Program of the School of Geography (PROCADI) was created to promote geographical trade through teaching extension, attending non-formal educational needs aimed at companies, institutions, career graduates, university students, professionals and technicians from various competencies. Through a systematization of data associated with the PROCADI that are administered from the Academic and Budget Information Management System of the Vicerrectoría de Acción Social (BITE) in the 2015-2021 period it was determined that the PROCADI issues annually on average between 10 and 15 activities such as: courses, conferences, forums, seminars, among others that correspond to the themes of geomatic, society and population, environment, teaching and research, ordering and territorial planning. In general, the development of geomatic activities in the last 7 years predominate in quantity and frequencies. Traditionally, the PROCADI and the School of Geography have developed their in-person training in different spaces such as in the field, in laboratories, in auditoriums and in classrooms. However, the Covid-19 pandemic required a methodological change towards virtuality with the support of digital platforms. Among the challenges for the PROCADI, it is identified the ability to offer greater opportunities in training in the fields of territorial ordering and planning, environment, society and population, in addition to consulting and articulating the professional demands of the target audiences, as well as internationalization.

Violence and prison: an approach to culture within walls from overcrowding in Costa Rica

This work has been undertaken as part of the academic project UNA pedagogía para el reencuentro: derechos humanos, educación y literatura en centros de atención institucional de Costa Rica of Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA) and the Instituto de Estudios Latinoamericanos (IDELA). It covers the problem of prison overcrowding in the Costa Rican penal system: due to this issue, a large number of human rights are violated day by day to the extent of becoming a worrying and urgent problem to address. The country has entered a prison crisis where the dignity of people deprived of liberty has been diminishing with ill-treatment in terms of food, recreation, and health. The accumulation of these factors has generated the constitution of a violent prison culture; human interaction between walls is constituted between tensions and indifference among inmates.

“The Road Not Taken” in Language Testing: Sociocultural Implications of Test and Teaching Contents

AbstractShifting focus of asocial language tests toward social considerations recalls their ideological basis (Mirhosseini, De Costa, 2020). The recurrent exposure to and involvement in discursive constructions of high stakes' contents, may bring along certain sociocultural conceptualizations and values by test audiences (van Dijk, 1998). Thus, unless a clear perception of their contents is gained, any discussions on test misuses, fairness, and negative consequences seem ungrounded. To complement prior findings on sociocultural meanings of the IELTS test contents (Noori & Mirhosseini, 2021), and as another phase of triangulated approach to my dissertation study, the mediated contents through IELTS teachings were recorded through a micro‐ethnography of 22 online IELTS classes offered by an IELTS center in Iran. Bridging critical views of language testing and critical discourse analysis, qualitative content analysis was conducted in search of reflected topics. The emerging 89 codes sat together in four prominent categories outlining the whole content of IELTS pedagogical practices: Entertainment, Money, Education, Immigration, and a Miscellaneous set of minor topics. The findings reflected a homogeneous conceptual flow through inclusion/exclusion/contrast of certain limited value‐laden topics restricted to core communities in the contents of IELTS tests, preparation materials, and pedagogical practices. I suggest inclusion of sociocultural content‐wise considerations in language teaching and testing contents including test and content validity perspectives, and as new test facet to be accounted for in washback, fairness, and consequential validity frameworks. Reconsideration of test content validity is also put forwarded in terms of included test topics and their value implications. These perspectives which account for inclusive views and long wished glocalization, will manifest “the road not taken” (Frost, 1916, p.9)/wrongly taken in language assessment and teaching and will further their literacy.

Looking Back and Forward: Language Assessment Insights from Constant Leung

ABSTRACT In this interview piece, Peter De Costa and Matt Coss invite Constant Leung, LAQ co-editor (2017–2021) and active member of the LAQ editorial team since its inception in 2004, to highlight key milestones within the field of language assessment in general, and as they relate to major accomplishments of the journal. In addition, readers will also gain insight into anticipated developments within language assessment that extend contemporary trends, and thus advance the language assessment research agenda.

Fast seed histology protocols: Benzene derivatives-free vs xylene-dependent

Introduction. Seeds are complex structures that allow the biological and crop propagation of plants. Seed histology can be used for teaching, researching, and for pathological diagnostic. Histology protocols are commonly divided into 5 different stages: fixation, processing, cutting, staining, and mounting. Xylene is a dangerous reagent used during the processing, staining, and mounting of histological specimens that can contaminate the environment and is toxic for users. Objective. To compare two new protocols for seed histology accelerated with microwave, tested on seeds of economic importance species. Materials and methods. The experiments were done between January and May of 2022 at the Centro de Investigaciones en Granos y Semillas (CIGRAS) of the Universidad de Costa Rica. The compared protocols were: a benzene derivatives-free (BDF) and a xylene-dependent (XD). Seeds of Carica papaya L. (Caricaceae) var. Pococí, Coffea arabica L. (Rubiaceae) var. Obata, Glycine max L. (Fabaceae) var. CIGRAS-06, Phaseolus vulgaris L. (Fabaceae) var. Tayni, Oryza sativa L. (Poaceae) var. Lazarroz FL, and Zea mays L. (Poaceae) var. EJN-2 were used. Three technical replicates of five seeds of each species were tested with the XD and BDF protocols, on different days each replicate. Results. The photomicrographs obtained with both protocols showed that the samples maintained the morphology integrity of embryo, endosperm or cotyledons, and other seed structures. BDF and XD protocols produced seed histology slides and microphotographs. PAS-Coomassie Blue staining made a good differentiation of carbohydrates and proteins. Fastness of both protocols is a benefit compared with other protocols for plant histology that can take several days or even weeks. Conclusions. The BDF and XD protocols were suitable for seed histology analysis of bean, coffee, maize, papaya, and soybean, slides were obtained in less than 5 hours. BDF protocol is the first for plant tissue processing that does not use benzene derivatives and that uses paraffin as embedding medium.

Meta-analysis of ecosystem services associated with oyster restoration.

Restoration of foundation species promises to reverse environmental degradation and return lost ecosystem services, but a lack of standardized evaluation across projects limits understanding of recovery, especially in marine systems. Oyster reefs are restored to reverse massive global declines and reclaim valuable ecosystem services, but the success of these projects has not been systematically and comprehensively quantified. We synthesized data on ecosystem services associated with oyster restoration from 245 pairs of restored and degraded reefs and 136 pairs of restored and reference reefs across 3500km of U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coastlines. On average, restoration was associated with a 21-fold increase in oyster production (mean log response ratio=3.08 [95% confidence interval: 2.58-3.58]), 34-97% enhancement of habitat provisioning (mean community abundance=0.51 [0.41-0.61], mean richness=0.29 [0.19-0.39], and mean biomass=0.69 [0.39-0.99]), 54% more nitrogen removal (mean=0.43 [0.13-0.73]), and 89-95% greater sediment nutrients (mean=0.67 [0.27-1.07]) and organic matter (mean=0.64 [0.44-0.84]) relative to degraded habitats. Moreover, restored reefs matched reference reefs for these ecosystem services. Our results support the continued and expanded use of oyster restoration to enhance ecosystem services of degraded coastal systems and match many functions provided by reference reefs.

34714 Contextualization of skin cancer incidence rates in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is the only Central American country with a higher life expectancy than the United States. However, there are limited studies that characterize the country’s skin cancer burden. We contextualize regional trends on the incidence of skin cancer in Costa Rica through the lens of poverty rates and the estimated proportional density of dermatologists per province. The last report from the Ministerio de Salud de Costa Rica on the incidence of malignancies includes data from 2014. When combining incidence data on the female and male populations through an average weighing the country’s sex ratio, the highest rate was seen in San José (72.99 per 100,000 individuals) and the lowest rates in Limón and Guanacaste (31.78 and 38.56 per 100,000 individuals, respectively). A weak negative correlation was identified between skin cancer incidence and poverty rates across provinces (r = -0.195, r2 = 0.038). We identified a strong positive correlation between the incidence rate of skin cancer and the proportional density of dermatologists across provinces (r = 0.6464, r2 = 0.4178), and a strong negative correlation between the latter and poverty rates (r = -0.739, r2 = 0.546 ) These relationships suggest several possibilities, including: (1) more dermatologists translates to better access to skin examinations and biopsies, (2) a lower number of dermatologists in poorer provinces contributes to underdetection of skin cancer, and/or (3) overdiagnosis of skin cancer may be occurring and is more pronounced in provinces with more dermatologists. Further investigations are needed to elucidate the implications of these findings.

Cover, Content, and Editorial Note from Borneo J Pharm Vol. 5 No. 3 August 2022

Assalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb.
 Alhamdulillahirabbil ‘alamin. The next edition of the Borneo Journal of Pharmacy (Borneo J Pharm), has been published at August 2022. This edition contains ten articles: Pharmacognosy-Phytochemistry, Pharmaceutical, Microbiology Pharmacy, Natural Product Development, Clinical-Community Pharmacy, and Management Pharmacy. This edition includes writings from four countries: Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Netherlands, and Nigeria. The authors come from several institutions, including Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, K24 Indonesia, Institut Sains dan Teknologi Nasional, Universidad de Costa Rica, Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliero, Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, Sekolah Tinggi Teknologi Industri dan Farmasi Bogor, IPB University, National Research and Innovation Agency Republic of Indonesia, Poltekkes Kemenkes Bandung, Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Farmasi Riau, Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim, Universitas Airlangga, Universitas Hang Tuah, Universitas Katolik Widya Mandira, University of Groningen, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Hasanuddin, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Poltekkes Kemenkes Maluku, and Universitas Islam Sultan Agung.
 Editorial boards are fully aware that there are still room for improvement in this edition, hence with all humility willing to accept constructive suggestions and feedback for improvements to the publication for the next editions. The editorial board would like to thank all editors and reviewers, and contributors of the scientific articles who have provided the repetoire in this issue. We hope that all parties, especially the contributors, could re-participate for the publication in the next edition on November 2022.
 Wassalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb.

Costa Rica (1821–2021): De la independencia a su bicentenario

Costa Rica (1821–2021): De la independencia a su bicentenario

Diversity of Deep-Sea Echinoderms From Costa Rica

Echinoderms are a highly diverse group and one of the most conspicuous in the deep sea, playing ecological key roles. We present a review about the history of expeditions and studies on deep-sea echinoderms in Costa Rica, including an updated list of species. We used literature and information gathered from the databases of the California Academy of Sciences, the Benthic Invertebrate Collection of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the National Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Comparative Zoology and the Museo de Zoología from the Universidad de Costa Rica. A total of 124 taxa (75 confirmed species) have been collected from the Costa Rican deep sea, 112 found in the Pacific Ocean, 13 in the Caribbean Sea, and one species shared between the two basins. We report 22 new records for the Eastern Tropical Pacific, 46 for Central American waters, and 58 for Costa Rica. The most specious group was Ophiuroidea with 37 taxa, followed by Holothuroidea (34 taxa), Asteroidea (23 taxa), Echinoidea (17 taxa), and Crinoidea (11 taxa). The highest number of species (64) was found between 800 m and 1200 m depth. Only two species were found deeper than 3200 m. Further efforts on identification will be required for a better comprehension of the diversity of deep-sea echinoderms. Limited research has been done regarding the biology and ecology of deep-sea echinoderms in Costa Rica, so additional approaches will be necessary to understand their ecological functions.

Acciones humanísticas: un espacio de diálogo y expresión artística

This essay describes the community experience developed during 24 months in 2018-2019 by Carlos Morúa Carrillo (Universidad Nacional) and Haydée Jiménez Fernández (Universidad de Costa Rica). Both coordinated an inter-university project in Huetar Caribe Region together with the Limón center community. This project pushed different cultural promotion and diffusion activities. It was possible to create a process of socio-cultural transformation by promoting dance progress through different activities like workshops, performances, papers, meetings, speeches, and conferences.

Abstract 330: Targeting B7-H3 in prostate cancer: Preclinical proof of concept with MGC018, an investigational anti-B7-H3 antibody-drug conjugate

Abstract Introduction: Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men worldwide. In 2021, it is estimated that 248,530 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 34,130 will die from the disease. Although current treatments have success initially, development of resistance commonly leads to recurrence of an incurable castrate-resistant form of the disease. Thus, significant need for novel therapies to improve the outcome of castrate-resistant prostate cancer remains. B7-H3 (CD276), a member of the B7 family of immunomodulatory molecules, is overexpressed in primary and metastatic prostate cancer, and correlates with disease severity and poor clinical outcome. MGC018, a duocarmycin-based B7-H3 antibody-drug conjugate, is currently being evaluated in clinical studies. Here, MGC018 was explored preclinically to assess the potential for targeting B7-H3 in prostate cancer. Methods: Immunohistochemistry studies were performed to define the expression of B7-H3 in prostate cancer tissue microarrays (TMA). In vivo efficacy studies were conducted with human prostate cancer cell line-derived xenograft (CDX) models to explore the antitumor activity of MGC018 as a single agent and in combination with Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and androgen receptor (AR) inhibitors. Based on the results in the CDX studies, in vivo efficacy studies were extended to a panel of metastatic prostate cancer patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, which exhibit heterogenous expression of B7-H3 and more closely mimic the biological characteristics of patient tumors. Results: Staining of prostate tumor TMAs revealed high expression of B7-H3 in primary and metastatic prostate cancer. Of the prostate samples evaluated, 95% (38/40) of the tumor samples were positive for B7-H3 (H-score ≥ 20): 65% had H-scores greater than 200, while 20% and 10% had H-scores between 101-200 and 1-100, respectively. MGC018 demonstrated in vitro cytotoxicity toward B7-H3-positive human prostate cancer cell lines. The in vitro cytotoxicity translated to potent antitumor activity in vivo toward prostate cancer CDX models, and the antitumor activity of MGC018 was enhanced when combined with inhibitors of PARP or AR. In PDX models of metastatic prostate cancer, MGC018 was active as a single agent toward heterogeneous B7-H3-expressing tumors, and combining MGC018 with inhibitors of PARP or AR led to a greater response in some models. Conclusion: B7-H3 is frequently overexpressed in prostate cancer. MGC018 demonstrated potent antitumor activity in vivo toward CDX and PDX models of prostate cancer, and enhanced antitumor activity when combined with inhibitors of PARP or AR. These results support prostate cancer as an indication that may be responsive to ADC-based treatments directed toward B7-H3. MGC018 is being investigated in metastatic prostate cancer in a Phase 1/2 clinical study. Citation Format: Juniper A. Scribner, Francine Z. Chen, Anushka De Costa, Ying Li, Michael Chiechi, Thomas Son, Jeff Hooley, Jonathan Li, Scott Koenig, Chet Bohac, Ezio Bonvini, Paul A. Moore, Deryk Loo. Targeting B7-H3 in prostate cancer: Preclinical proof of concept with MGC018, an investigational anti-B7-H3 antibody-drug conjugate [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 330.

Corrosión atmosférica tropical de hierro galvanizado en una atmósfera urbana leve, en el valle de San José de Costa Rica

Costa Rica is an importer of most of the metallic materials it uses. In construction, Galvanized Steel (GS) is one of the most used elements in urban areas, where atmospheric corrosion is the main problem of its environmental deterioration. The area of greatest population and economic activity in Costa Rica is the San José Valley, which has a tropical monsoon climate with low pollution, defined under ISO 9223 as light urban. The present study of the atmospheric corrosion of the GS, proposes a high correlation for simple linear models, with climatic parameters as main components and SO2 as secondary component. Seasonality and sampling sites are partially significant at the beginning of the oxidation process, but this effect is damped over time. The average corrosion rate after 2 years is in the order of 0,4 mm y-1, which represents a low level (C2 according to ISO 9223). Complex annual corrosion models, such as those indicated by ISO 9223, overestimate the real corrosion value.

Interactive Digital Mathematics Books as Support for Learning in a Distance Modality: A Proposal for Sixth Grade in Primary School

EVEPRIM 6 (Spanish acronym for Virtual Education for Sixth Grade Primary Students) is a project developed by Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica throughout the second semester of 2020. Its main purpose was to support the education system of Costa Rica due to the impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the main goals of the project was to analyze different types of educational resources that can be used in distance education. This was done for developing educational tools that can be used by teachers, parents and sixth year primary school students. In the end, two interactive books were created. The books are aimed at students, teachers and parents, and the main content focuses on the areas of Numbers and Algebra. Also, 43 videos that explain the subjects of the books were created. All the resources follow the five disciplinary areas given by the Ministry of Public Education of Costa Rica. Resources are free to use and share and can be access at www.tec.ac.cr/eveprim.

Role of inflammation in the pulmonary hemorrhage induced by a snake venom metalloproteinase

Abstract Snakebite envenoming (a neglected tropical disease that affects millions of people worldwide every year) is characterized by a complex pathophysiology. In cases of viperid envenomings, local and systemic hemorrhage is one of the major systemic effects that manifest in patients. This work focuses on studying pulmonary hemorrhage caused by a type P-III snake venom metalloproteinase (SVMP) extracted from Crotalus simus venom, and the extent to which inflammation affects the outcome of this hemorrhage. In order to determine the role of inflammation in pulmonary hemorrhage, we created a new automated image analysis methodology using the CellProfiler platform to quantitatively assess hemorrhage under different conditions, in conjunction with a statistical analysis program to process and analyze said image analysis results. With this toolset, we subsequently analyzed hemorrhage under the effects of treatment with three anti-inflammatory agents (a COX inhibitor, a TNF-ɑ inhibitor, and anti-neutrophil antibodies) in combination with the toxin on a murine model. Our findings conclude that inhibiting inflammation reduced lung hemorrhage significantly, which shows promise as a potential novel avenue for the treatment of snake envenomings. Moreover, we propose new hypotheses for how the toxin may enter lung capillaries and subsequently cause basement membrane damage which eventually leads to lung hemorrhage. This study was supported by Vicerrectori?a de Investigación, Universidad de Costa Rica (Project 741-B4-524), and by a fund for support of graduate studies of the Sistema de Estudios de Posgrado (Universidad de Costa Rica)

Theoretical-Methodological Reflections for the Approach to Older Adults in Vulnerable Situations: From Social Education to Social Pedagogy, a Study in the Province of Alajuela, Costa Rica

This article systematizes theoretical and methodological considerations to care to vulnerable elders. It also systematizes the experiential process in jointly building a network of older adults in Santa Rita de Alajuela, as part of the 2013-2018 Social Pedagogy project being implemented by Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA) at Centro de Investigación y Docencia en Educación (CIDE) [Center for Education Teaching and Research] of UNA’s Division of Basic Education (DEB). The methodology is based on the naturalistic paradigm and holds that participating adults and older adults are both builders of previous stages and social actors at current stages in their lives. This field is addressed by social pedagogy through participatory action research. A conclusion reached by the research team in the project is that the elderly population in this type of community requires not only care and healthcare but also leisure and recreational spaces as tools to improve health thoroughly. This will result, in turn, in enjoyment, well-being, and quality of life and will be reflected in the emotional and physical health of the elderly.

The virtual experience of the course Drama for English as Second Language at the Sede del Pacífico of the Universidad de Costa Rica

This article systematizes the experience lived by the teacher and the students of the course Drama for English as Second Language during the first semester of 2020. This semester was particularly marked by the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article provides definitions of terms used during the course but most importantly it deals with the adaptation process the teacher went through to adjust the contents, activities, and instruction of this course to a new virtual reality that had never been experienced by any of the participants (including the teacher). An important part of the course is to approach the participants (11 English Teaching senior students) to different drama and theater techniques that can be used in the English classroom. So, the article also mentions the activities that were implemented, the way they were developed and it offers the perception of the participants about the course itself, the job done by the teaching when adapting the contents, and their criteria regarding the activities presented so that they, as future teachers, can talk about the teaching potential those activities have. The techniques were developed during the whole semester and as long as they were implemented, participants were requested to provide their opinions regarding positive and negative aspects of the activities developed, that information was kept and then systematized. Also, by the end of the semester, participants were given a digital instrument that helps them evaluate the course and offer their opinions and ideas about it. The results are very positive and encouraging since participants, despite the pandemic, mentioned being satisfied with the development of the course and see a lot of teaching potential in the activities developed during the semester.

Enacting multilingual entrepreneurship: an ethnography of Myanmar university students learning Chinese as an international language

ABSTRACT Drawn on the notion of linguistic entrepreneurship (De Costa, P., Park, J. S., & Wee, L. (2016). Language learning as linguistic entrepreneurship: Implications for language education. Asia-Pacific Education Research, 25(5–6), 695–702, De Costa, P., Park, J. S., & Wee, L. (2019). Linguistic entrepreneurship as affective regime: Organisations, audit culture, and second/foreign language education policy. Language Policy, 18(3), 387–406, De Costa, P., Park, J. S., & Wee, L. (2021). Why linguistic entrepreneurship? Multilingua), this study extends the field of inquiry of neoliberal language learning by exploring Chinese as an international language. Based on a large-scale ethnography of Myanmar university students in China conducted between September 2013 and July 2017, this paper reports on a qualitative inquiry on how the neoliberal discourse permeates Myanmar students’ language exploitation to enhance their worth and maximise their opportunities. Findings show that Chinese learning constitutes the formation of a neoliberal self through the valorisation of multilingual competence. However, the study demonstrates that the enactment of multilingual entrepreneurship only values certain languages, which aligns with the neoliberal logic of convertibility for the China-and-Myanmar communication market. The study also reveals that access to entrepreneurial ambitions through Chinese learning opportunities is largely constrained by citizenship status, socioeconomic conditions, and the fast-evolving demands of linguistic markets within and across national boundaries. The study concludes with some implications for language policy and language education.

Reflection on Praxis as an Axis of Pedagogical Training of Faculty of Universidad Nacional

This essay will explore the process of teacher training at Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA). A historical overview of the approaches to teacher professional development and an analysis of future challenges is made. The need for the inclusion of reflection on praxis as the axis of training is argued, through specific strategies, such as the systematization of experiences, learning communities, and pedagogical partners.