Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Burnout Inventory in University Teachers in Hybrid Education.

Introduction: The scientific literature argues the urgent need for adequate tools to assess burnout in human service professionals, however, little progress has been made on this in university teachers in hybrid environments, even though after the pandemic, these work scenarios are predominant. Objective: To determine the psychometric properties of invariance between male and female teachers of hybrid education in the Spanish Burnout Inventory (SBI). Method: The anonymous, self-administered SBI was administered to 1060 university teachers in Lima, Peru, from online random sampling. Of the total number of participants, 626 were women (59.1%) and 434 were men (40.9%), with an age range of 22 to 76 years, with a mean of 46.97 and a standard deviation of 10.256. It should be noted that 74.5% of the teachers worked full time. The analysis used the statistical programs AMOS v24, SPSS v26 and R-Project v4.1.2. First, a descriptive analysis of the data was performed, as well as a multivariate normality test of the data. Secondly, confirmatory factor analysis was performed; finally, a factorial invariance test was performed. Results: Cronbach's alpha of the SBI was 0.827, and for each subscale: Enthusiasm toward the job (0.742), Psychological exhaustion (0.889), Indolence (0.819), Guilt (0.816). According to the fit indicators, the confirmatory factor model is adequate. The results supported configural invariance, metric invariance, scalar invariance, and strict invariance in the male and female groups, although further investigation of some items specific to the indolence factor is needed. Conclusion: The SBI is a valid instrument to assess burnout in university teachers in hybrid environments. Studies associated with the SBI focus on its psychometric properties, burnout prevalence, related variables, and literature reviews. The validation of the SBI in various countries and service areas is discussed, as well as future implications for intervention in burnout prevention and mastery.

Human land-uses homogenize stream assemblages and reduce animal biomass production.

Human land-use change is a major threat to natural ecosystems worldwide. Nonetheless, the effects of human land-uses on the structure of plant and animal assemblages and their functional characteristics need to be better understood. Furthermore, the pathways by which human land uses affect ecosystem functions, such as biomass production, still need to be clarified. We compiled a unique dataset of fish, arthropod and macrophyte assemblages from 61 stream ecosystems in two Neotropical biomes: Amazonian rainforest and Uruguayan grasslands. We then tested how the cover of agriculture, pasture, urbanization and afforestation affected the taxonomic richness and functional diversity of those three species assemblages, and the consequences of these effects for animal biomass production. Single trait categories and functional diversity were evaluated, combining recruitment and life-history, resource and habitat-use, and body size. The effects of intensive human land-uses on taxonomic and functional diversities were as strong as other drivers known to affect biodiversity, such as local climate and environmental factors. In both biomes, the taxonomic richness and functional diversity of animal and macrophyte assemblages decreased with increasing cover of agriculture, pasture, and urbanization. Human land-uses were associated with functional homogenization of both animal and macrophyte assemblages. Human land-uses reduced animal biomass through direct and indirect pathways mediated by declines in taxonomic and functional diversities. Our findings indicate that converting natural ecosystems to supply human demands results in species loss and trait homogenization across multiple biotic assemblages, ultimately reducing animal biomass production in streams.

Human pressure drives biodiversity-multifunctionality relationships in large Neotropical wetlands.

Many studies have shown that biodiversity regulates multiple ecological functions that are needed to maintain the productivity of a variety of ecosystem types. What is unknown is how human activities may alter the 'multifunctionality' of ecosystems through both direct impacts on ecosystems and indirect effects mediated by the loss of multifaceted biodiversity. Using an extensive database of 72 lakes spanning four large Neotropical wetlands in Brazil, we demonstrate that species richness and functional diversity across multiple larger (fish and macrophytes) and smaller (microcrustaceans, rotifers, protists and phytoplankton) groups of aquatic organisms are positively associated with ecosystem multifunctionality. Whereas the positive association between smaller organisms and multifunctionality broke down with increasing human pressure, this positive relationship was maintained for larger organisms despite the increase in human pressure. Human pressure impacted multifunctionality both directly and indirectly through reducing species richness and functional diversity of multiple organismal groups. These findings provide further empirical evidence about the importance of aquatic biodiversity for maintaining wetland multifunctionality. Despite the key role of biodiversity, human pressure reduces the diversity of multiple groups of aquatic organisms, eroding their positive impacts on a suite of ecological functions that sustain wetlands.

Regime shifts in a shallow lake over 12 years: Consequences for taxonomic and functional diversities, and ecosystem multifunctionality.

Under increasing nutrient loading, shallow lakes may shift from a state of clear water dominated by submerged macrophytes to a turbid state dominated by phytoplankton or a shaded state dominated by floating macrophytes. How such regime shifts mediate the relationship between taxonomic and functional diversities (FD) and lake multifunctionality is poorly understood. We employed a detailed database describing a shallow lake over a 12-year period during which the lake has displayed all the three states (clear, turbid and shaded) to investigate how species richness, FD of fish and zooplankton, ecosystem multifunctionality and five individual ecosystem functions (nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, standing fish biomass, algae production and light availability) differ among states. We also evaluated how the relationship between biodiversity (species richness and FD) and multifunctionality is affected by regime shifts. We showed that species richness and the FD of fish and zooplankton were highest during the clear state. The clear state also maintained the highest values of multifunctionality as well as standing fish biomass production, algae biomass and light availability, whereas the turbid and shaded states had higher nutrient concentrations. Functional diversity was the best predictor of multifunctionality. The relationship between FD and multifunctionality was strongly positive during the clear state, but such relationship became flatter after the shift to the turbid or shaded state. Our findings illustrate that focusing on functional traits may provide a more mechanistic understanding of how regime shifts affect biodiversity and the consequences for ecosystem functioning. Regime shifts towards a turbid or shaded state negatively affect the taxonomic diversity and FD of fish and zooplankton, which in turn impairs the multifunctionality of shallow lakes.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies among workers in the University Hospital of Guadeloupe.

OBJECTIVE: The Covid-19 pandemic is the major global health crisis of our time. The purpose of this study is to estimate the seroprevalence of IgG against SARS-CoV-2 among workers in the University Hospi-tal of Guadeloupe and to assess this seroprevalence in asymptomatic personnel as well as the proportion of asymptomatic agents among seropositive agents. SETTING AND METHODS: We carried out a seroprevalence study in the staff of the University Hospital of Guadeloupe. The presence of IgG anti SARS-CoV-2 was determined by a micro-particulate immunolo-gical assay using the chemiluminescence technique (CMIA, Architect i2000SR, Abbott). Data on the previous presence of symptoms sugge-stive of COVID-19, were identified using a standardized questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed using Epi Info® software. RESULTS: From 07/05/2020 to 28/10/2020, 892 serologies were performed, 45 of which were positive for SARS-CoV-2 : a prevalence of 5.0% [95% CI: 3.6% - 6.5%]. Seroprevalence was 1.5% [95% CI: 0.6% - 2.3%] among agents who reported being asymptomatic. Among seropositive individuals, 24.4% [95% CI:12% - 36%] was totally asymptomatic. CONCLUSION: Our results highlight the importance of continuing seroprevalence studies for SARS-CoV-2 in hospital staff, which can provide important information on the level of exposure in healthcare workers and asymptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical set-tings.

Obstructed Defecation Symptom Severity and Degree of Rectal Hypermobility and Folding Detected by Dynamic Ultrasound.

ABSTRACT: We used dynamic pelvic floor ultrasound to investigate the relationship between obstructed defecation symptom (ODS) severity and the degree of rectal hypermobility/folding. In this retrospective study, women who presented with ODS from October 2017 to January 2019 and underwent an interview, pelvic examination, and pelvic floor ultrasound were recruited. Patients were diagnosed with abdominal constipation, dyssynergia, or pelvic constipation. Pelvic constipation patients were categorized based on their reported frequency of incomplete emptying of stool (<50% or ≥50% of bowel movements) representing mild and severe ODS, respectively. Using dynamic ultrasound, rectal hypermobility was quantified via rectovaginal septum length at rest and Valsalva and its compression ratio, where shorter lengths and larger compression ratios are indicative of increased rectal hypermobility. One hundred twenty-one patients (41 with abdominal constipation, 7 with dyssynergia, and 73 with pelvic constipation) were included. Compression ratios were higher in women with severe versus mild ODS (17.36 ± 16.89 vs 36.38 ± 25.82, P = 0.0039). The risk of having severe symptoms was 4 times greater (odds ratio = 4.2, 95% confidence interval = 1.4 to 12.6, P = 0.01) among those with a high compression ratio (≥20%) after controlling for age, body mass index, and levator plate descent angle. Incomplete emptying was weakly, positively, linearly correlated with rectal hypermobility/folding (r = -0.2724, -0.3767 to 0.3922, and P = 0.0197, 0.0010, 0.0006, respectively). Women with more severe ODS experienced more rectal hypermobility/folding as measured via dynamic ultrasound-a cheaper, effective alternative to magnetic resonance defecography for evaluation of obstructed defecation.

Pervasive decline of subtropical aquatic insects over 20 years driven by water transparency, non-native fish and stoichiometric imbalance.

Insect abundance and diversity are declining worldwide. Although recent research found freshwater insect populations to be increasing in some regions, there is a critical lack of data from tropical and subtropical regions. Here, we examine a 20-year monitoring dataset of freshwater insects from a subtropical floodplain comprising a diverse suite of rivers, shallow lakes, channels and backwaters. We found a pervasive decline in abundance of all major insect orders (Odonata, Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, Megaloptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera and Diptera) and families, regardless of their functional role or body size. Similarly, Chironomidae species richness decreased over the same time period. The main drivers of this pervasive insect decline were increased concurrent invasions of non-native insectivorous fish, water transparency and changes to water stoichiometry (i.e. N : P ratios) over time. All these drivers represent human impacts caused by reservoir construction. This work sheds light on the importance of long-term studies for a deeper understanding of human-induced impacts on aquatic insects. We highlight that extended anthropogenic impact monitoring and mitigation actions are pivotal in maintaining freshwater ecosystem integrity.

FMRF-NH2 -related neuropeptides in Biomphalaria spp., intermediate hosts for schistosomiasis: Precursor organization and immunohistochemical localization.

Freshwater snails of the genus Biomphalaria serve as intermediate hosts for the digenetic trematode Schistosoma mansoni, the etiological agent for the most widespread form of intestinal schistosomiasis. As neuropeptide signaling in host snails can be altered by trematode infection, a neural transcriptomics approach was undertaken to identify peptide precursors in Biomphalaria glabrata, the major intermediate host for S. mansoni in the Western Hemisphere. Three transcripts that encode peptides belonging to the FMRF-NH2 -related peptide (FaRP) family were identified in B. glabrata. One transcript encoded a precursor polypeptide (Bgl-FaRP1; 292 amino acids) that included eight copies of the tetrapeptide FMRF-NH2 and single copies of FIRF-NH2 , FLRF-NH2 , and pQFYRI-NH2 . The second transcript encoded a precursor (Bgl-FaRP2; 347 amino acids) that comprised 14 copies of the heptapeptide GDPFLRF-NH2 and 1 copy of SKPYMRF-NH2 . The precursor encoded by the third transcript (Bgl-FaRP3; 287 amino acids) recapitulated Bgl-FaRP2 but lacked the full SKPYMRF-NH2 peptide. The three precursors shared a common signal peptide, suggesting a genomic organization described previously in gastropods. Immunohistochemical studies were performed on the nervous systems of B. glabrata and B. alexandrina, a major intermediate host for S. mansoni in Egypt. FMRF-NH2 -like immunoreactive (FMRF-NH2 -li) neurons were located in regions of the central nervous system associated with reproduction, feeding, and cardiorespiration. Antisera raised against non-FMRF-NH2 peptides present in the tetrapeptide and heptapeptide precursors labeled independent subsets of the FMRF-NH2 -li neurons. This study supports the participation of FMRF-NH2 -related neuropeptides in the regulation of vital physiological and behavioral systems that are altered by parasitism in Biomphalaria.

Identification and localization of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone-related neuropeptide in Biomphalaria, an intermediate host for schistosomiasis.

Freshwater snails of the genus Biomphalaria serve as obligatory hosts for the digenetic trematode Schistosoma mansoni, the causative agent for the most widespread form of intestinal schistosomiasis. Within Biomphalaria, S. mansoni larvae multiply and transform into the cercariae form that can infect humans. Trematode development and proliferation is thought to be facilitated by modifications of host behavior and physiological processes, including a reduction of reproduction known as "parasitic castration." As neuropeptides participate in the control of reproduction across phylogeny, a neural transcriptomics approach was undertaken to identify peptides that could regulate Biomphalaria reproductive physiology. The present study identified a transcript in Biomphalaria alexandrina that encodes a peptide belonging to the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) superfamily. The precursor and the predicted mature peptide, pQIHFTPDWGNN-NH2 (designated Biom-GnRH), share features with peptides identified in other molluscan species, including panpulmonates, opisthobranchs, and cephalopods. An antibody generated against Biom-GnRH labeled neurons in the cerebral, pedal, and visceral ganglia of Biomphalaria glabrata. GnRH-like immunoreactive fiber systems projected to all central ganglia. In the periphery, immunoreactive material was detected in the ovotestis, oviduct, albumen gland, and nidamental gland. As these structures serve crucial roles in the production, transport, nourishment, and encapsulation of eggs, disruption of the GnRH system of Biomphalaria could contribute to reduced reproductive activity in infected snails.

Substance Use and Psychiatric Disorders Among Mexican Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites by Immigration Status.

OBJECTIVE: To compare prevalence rates of alcohol, nicotine, and other drug use and major psychiatric disorders (major depressive disorder, persistent depression, bipolar I disorder, agoraphobia, social and specific phobias, and antisocial, schizotypal, and borderline personality disorders) between US-born and foreign-born Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites and between early entry versus later-entry foreign-born Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites. METHODS: Data were derived from face-to-face interviews in the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (N = 36,309). RESULTS: US-born Mexican Americans and US-born non-Hispanic whites were at greater risk (P < .05) of alcohol, nicotine, and any drug use and their associated disorders and other DSM-5 psychiatric disorders relative to their foreign-born counterparts. US-born non-Hispanic whites were more likely (P < .05) to use substances and develop many psychiatric disorders relative to US-born Mexican Americans. Foreign-born Mexican Americans < 18 years old at immigration were at greater risk of drug use, drug use disorders, and nicotine use disorder compared with foreign-born Mexican Americans ≥ 18 years old at immigration. Foreign-born non-Hispanic whites < 18 years old at immigration were more likely to use substances and to develop many psychiatric disorders relative to foreign-born non-Hispanic whites ≥ 18 years old at immigration. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the findings of this study support the healthy immigrant hypothesis and adverse role of acculturation for US-born and foreign-born Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites. Further research is warranted on immigration status and age at arrival into the United States and those processes underlying differential exposure to substances and development of psychiatric conditions. An understanding of these processes can be invaluable to clinicians in guiding culturally sensitive and informed prevention and intervention efforts.

GABA-like immunoreactivity in Biomphalaria: Colocalization with tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactivity in the feeding motor systems of panpulmonate snails.

The simpler nervous systems of certain invertebrates provide opportunities to examine colocalized classical neurotransmitters in the context of identified neurons and well defined neural circuits. This study examined the distribution of γ-aminobutyric acid-like immunoreactivity (GABAli) in the nervous system of the panpulmonates Biomphalaria glabrata and Biomphalaria alexandrina, major intermediate hosts for intestinal schistosomiasis. GABAli neurons were localized in the cerebral, pedal, and buccal ganglia of each species. With the exception of a projection to the base of the tentacle, GABAli fibers were confined to the CNS. As GABAli was previously reported to be colocalized with markers for dopamine (DA) in five neurons in the feeding network of the euopisthobranch gastropod Aplysia californica (Díaz-Ríos, Oyola, & Miller, 2002), double-labeling protocols were used to compare the distribution of GABAli with tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity (THli). As in Aplysia, GABAli-THli colocalization was limited to five neurons, all of which were located in the buccal ganglion. Five GABAli-THli cells were also observed in the buccal ganglia of two other intensively studied panpulmonate species, Lymnaea stagnalis and Helisoma trivolvis. These findings indicate that colocalization of the classical neurotransmitters GABA and DA in feeding central pattern generator (CPG) interneurons preceded the divergence of euopisthobranch and panpulmonate taxa. These observations also support the hypothesis that heterogastropod feeding CPG networks exhibit a common universal design.

Looking for attitudes related to amphibian species decline: how are peer-reviewed publications of education activities compared to ecological research?

Biodiversity decline has been the focus of discussions in the last decade, especially on the amphibian species decline. After a scientometric analysis using international databases, we found that the number of peer-reviewed articles considering education practices related to the theme increased along with the number of ecological researches. However, the increase in ecological researches is much higher than the increase in publications of education practices. Studies suggest that conservation attitudes are important and that education practices are an important tool for improving human perceptions on this subject. In this sense, increase the publication of projects and programs results related to local education practices in international journals could help the dissemination of efficient methods for conservation, as well as facilitating access to information internationally, since species decline, especially for amphibians, is a global concern. Then, we suggest that educational practices, at least when related to conservation, should follow a more standardized protocol, and be published in international journals, as the efficiency of such practices should be evaluated and methods once published could help other nations to improve their ecological literacy.

Looking for attitudes related to amphibian species decline: how are peer-reviewed publications of education activities compared to ecological research?

ABSTRACT Biodiversity decline has been the focus of discussions in the last decade, especially on the amphibian species decline. After a scientometric analysis using international databases, we found that the number of peer-reviewed articles considering education practices related to the theme increased along with the number of ecological researches. However, the increase in ecological researches is much higher than the increase in publications of education practices. Studies suggest that conservation attitudes are important and that education practices are an important tool for improving human perceptions on this subject. In this sense, increase the publication of projects and programs results related to local education practices in international journals could help the dissemination of efficient methods for conservation, as well as facilitating access to information internationally, since species decline, especially for amphibians, is a global concern. Then, we suggest that educational practices, at least when related to conservation, should follow a more standardized protocol, and be published in international journals, as the efficiency of such practices should be evaluated and methods once published could help other nations to improve their ecological literacy.

Emotions and beliefs after a disaster: a comparative analysis of Haiti and Indonesia.

A number of studies have examined emotional and belief responses following a disaster, yet there has been limited comparative analysis of responses to disasters in different places. This paper reviews the results of 366 questionnaires that evaluated key emotional and belief concepts in Haiti after the earthquake on 12 January 2010 (n=212) and in Indonesia after the earthquake in Yogyakarta on 27 May 2006 (n=154). The results indicate significant differences between the responses in the two settings, particularly in relation to feelings of impunity, self-blame for the disaster, regret about pre-earthquake behaviour, and a sense of justice in the world. Furthermore, the impacts of age, education, and gender on responses also were different in the two case study sites. Overall, the results suggest that understanding the cultural, religious, and social contexts of different disaster locales is important in comprehending the emotions and beliefs that manifest themselves in the wake of a major disaster.

Incorrect citations give unfair credit to review authors in ecology journals.

The number of citations that papers receive has become significant in measuring researchers' scientific productivity, and such measurements are important when one seeks career opportunities and research funding. Skewed citation practices can thus have profound effects on academic careers. We investigated (i) how frequently authors misinterpret original information and (ii) how frequently authors inappropriately cite reviews instead of the articles upon which the reviews are based. To reach this aim, we carried a survey of ecology journals indexed in the Web of Science and assessed the appropriateness of citations of review papers. Reviews were significantly more often cited than regular articles. In addition, 22% of citations were inaccurate, and another 15% unfairly gave credit to the review authors for other scientists' ideas. These practices should be stopped, mainly through more open discussion among mentors, researchers and students.

Taste bud development and patterning in sighted and blind morphs of Astyanax mexicanus.

In the blind cave-dwelling morph of A. mexicanus, the eye degenerates while other sensory systems, such as gustation, are expanded compared to their sighted (surface-dwelling) ancestor. This study compares the development of taste buds along the jaws of each morph. To determine whether cavefish have an altered onset or rate of taste bud development, we fluorescently labeled basal and receptor cells within taste buds over a developmental series. Our results show that taste bud number increases during development in both morphs. The rate of development is, however, accelerated in cavefish; a small difference in taste bud number exists at 5 dpf reaching threefold by 22 dpf. The expansion of taste buds in cavefish is, therefore, detectable after the onset of eye degeneration. This study provides important insights into the timing of taste bud expansion in cavefish as well as enhances our understanding of taste bud development in teleosts in general.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa internalization by human epithelial respiratory cells depends on cell differentiation, polarity, and junctional complex integrity.

Internalization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by epithelial respiratory cell lines has been suggested to be dependent on the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. Because we have observed intracellular (IC) P. aeruginosa only in cells that do not express apical CFTR, we addressed the question of whether bacterial internalization by epithelial cells depends on the degree of cell differentiation and polarity. Internalization of piliated P. aeruginosa PAO-1 and PAK by human epithelial respiratory cells in primary culture and by the 16 human bronchial epithelial 14o- cell line cultured either on thick collagen gels or on thin collagen films was evaluated by the gentamicin exclusion assay. Cells cultured on thick gels were differentiated, polarized, and tight. They exhibited CFTR at their apical membranes, expressed beta1 integrins at their basal membranes, excluded lanthanum nitrate, and uniformly expressed ZO-1 protein. In contrast, in cells cultured on thin films, CFTR was present mainly in the cytoplasm, whereas beta1 integrins were detected at apical membranes. Most cells cultured on thin films did not exclude lanthanum nitrate and rarely expressed ZO-1 protein. Cells grown on thick and thin collagen substrates differed markedly in bacterial internalization: no IC bacteria could be detected in cells cultured on gels, whereas high IC bacterial concentrations were isolated from cells cultured on thin films. Treatment of cells cultured on thin films with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, to disrupt intercellular junctions further, significantly enhanced P. aeruginosa internalization. Our results suggest that P. aeruginosa internalization by epithelial respiratory cells does not depend on CFTR protein expression at the epithelial cell surface but rather on cell polarity and junctional complex integrity.