Family-centered approach in Early Childhood Intervention of a vulnerable population from an Ecuadorian rural context.

Introduction: Studies about the implementation of the Family Centered Practices approach in Early Childhood Intervention refer as outcomes that have an impact on the Quality of Family Life, on children's development, and also on family empowerment. In Ecuador, despite an absence of Early Childhood Intervention policies and programs, a university has developed training in Family Centered Practices for graduate students. A formative component is to implement a Routines Based Model with families of children with disabilities. The aim of the study is to analyze the impact on the Family Quality of Life, children's development and self-perceived competence of families after the Routines Based Model has been implemented in their natural environment. Method: Eight families from a rural area and their children with disabilities were included in the study. The Family Quality of Life Scale-Early Childhood Intervention and the Screening of the Battelle Developmental Inventory were applied at the beginning and end of the process. A qualitative interview established the family perspective upon the outcomes in their family and their children. Results: There is evidence of a significant increase in the families' Quality of Life and in the children's development at the end of the process. At the interview the families declared themselves more competent to understand and contribute to the development of their children. Discussion: The results provide knowledge of the implementation of a Routine Based Model in vulnerable contexts. Also contributes in the understanding of the family perspective on the outcomes and perceived benefits for the children and the family itself as a measure of quality of the intervention and training. Implications of the results for initial and ongoing training of early care professionals with vulnerable populations are discussed.

Contacto con la Naturaleza: Favoreciendo la Conectividad con la Naturaleza y el Bienestar / Contact with Nature: Favoring Connectedness to Nature and Well-being

Resumen Las personas interactúan con la Naturaleza tanto a nivel físico como cognitivo y emocional, y la investigación científica ha puesto de manifiesto la capacidad de la Naturaleza de procurar el bienestar de las personas. Con el objetivo de conocer si el contacto con la Naturaleza se relaciona con mayores niveles de conectividad con la Naturaleza como de bienestar, se realizaron dos estudios. El primero se llevó a cabo con dos muestras diferentes: una de adolescentes (n = 283) y otra de adultos (n = 447), quienes respondieron un cuestionario mediante el que se evaluó la conectividad con la Naturaleza y el bienestar. A partir de los resultados de una prueba t de Student se observó mayor conectividad con la Naturaleza y bienestar en personas con un contacto frecuente con la Naturaleza, en ambas muestras. En el segundo estudio (n = 63), se investigó dicha relación en personas tras realizar un recorrido por un entorno natural artificial. Los resultados del análisis de varianza muestran que las personas que realizaron el recorrido obtuvieron mayores niveles de conectividad y afecto positivo, respecto a la línea base, que quienes no vivieron esta experiencia. Este trabajo evidencia las ventajas de la intervención psicológica mediante el contacto con la Naturaleza.

Abstract Humans relate to nature at a physical, cognitive, and emotional level, and scientific research has shown how this relation impacts on people's well-being. Two studies were carried out to determine whether contact with nature is related to higher levels of connectedness and well-being; one consisted of adolescents (n = 283) and the other of adults (n = 447), who responded to a questionnaire aimed at assessing connectivity with Nature and well-being. A greater connectedness and well-being were observed in people with frequent contact with nature. In the second study (n = 63), this relationship was studied in people after taking a tour through an artificial natural environment. The results show that the people who took the tour had higher levels of connectedness and positive affect, with levels increasing with respect to the baseline. In this study, the advantages of psychological intervention through contact with nature are evident.

Isolation and Selection of New Astaxanthin-Producing Strains of Phaffia rhodozyma.

Astaxanthin is a xanthophyll pigment of high economic value for its use as a feeding component in aquaculture. Phaffia rhodozyma (Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous) is a basidiomycetous fungi able to synthesize astaxanthin as its major carotenoid, the only known yeast species bearing the capability to produce this type of carotenoid and the only tremellomycetes with biotechnological application. Recently, the habitat and intraspecific variability of this species have been found to be wider than previously expected, encouraging the search for new wild strains with potential biotechnological applications. Here we describe effective procedures for isolation of P. rhodozyma from environmental samples, accurate identification of the strains, analysis of their astaxanthin content, and proper conservation of the isolates.

A importância de parques urbanos para a conservação de aves / The importance of urban parks for bird preservation / La importancia de bosques urbanos para conservación de aves

Devido à intensa modificação dos ambientes naturais e sua transformação em ambientes urbanos, muitas espécies da fauna silvestre têm perdido ambientes adequados à sua sobrevivência e reprodução. Algumas espécies de aves têm conseguido, entretanto, se adaptar a parques e praças urbanos, encontrando locais para reprodução, alimentação e abrigo. Este estudo avaliou o uso dos parques Tarquínio Joslin dos Santos, Danilo Galafassi, Paulo Gorski e Bosque Elias Lopuch, em Cascavel, PR, Brasil, por aves, e buscou compreender como se dá essa utilização por diferentes espécies. A primeira atividade realizada foi o levantamento das espécies de aves nos parques. A coleta dos dados foi feita por meio de reconhecimento visual e auditivo. Foi observado um total de 85 espécies: 63 espécies no Parque Tarquínio Joslin dos Santos, 48 espécies no Parque Danilo Galafassi, 62 espécies no Parque Municipal Paulo Gorski e 32 espécies no Bosque Elias Lopuch. Registros de nidificação, de insetivoria, nectarivoria e frugivoria, e de uso do espaço para abrigo permitiram inferir que os parques urbanos estudados podem ser importantes espaços para as aves e utilizados como parte de estratégias para sua conservação.(AU)

Due to the intense modification in natural environments and their transformation in urban zones, many wildlife species have lost appropriate environments for their survival and reproduction. However, some bird species have been able to adapt to urban parks and squares, finding places for breeding, feeding and sheltering. This study evaluated the use of Tarquinio Joslin dos Santos, Danilo Galafassi, Paulo Gorski and Elias Lopuch parks located in the city of Cascavel, in the state of Paraná, Brazil, by birds, and sought to understand how different species use these resources. The first activity performed was the listing of the bird species sighted in the parks. A total of 85 species were observed: 63 species in Tarquínio Joslin dos Santos Park; 48 species in Danilo Galafassi Park; 62 species in Paulo Gorski Municipal Park; and 32 species in Elias Lopuch Park. The registration of nesting, insectivorous, nectarivorous and frugivorous activities, and the use of sheltering allowed implying that urban parks may be important areas for birds and may be used as part of the strategies for their preservation.(AU)

Debido a la intensa modificación de los ambientes naturales y su transformación en ambientes urbanos, muchas especies de la fauna silvestre han perdido ambientes adecuados a su supervivencia y reproducción. Algunas especies de aves han conseguido adaptarse a parques y plazas, encontrando sitios para reproducción, alimentación y abrigo. Este estudio evaluó el uso de los parques Tarquínio Joslin dos Santos, Danilo Galafassi, Paulo Gorski y Bosque Elias Lopuch, en Cascavel ­ PR, Brasil, por aves, y ha buscado comprender cómo se da esa utilización por diferentes especies. La primera actividad realizada fue el levantamiento de las especies de aves en los bosques. La recolección de datos ha sido hecha a través de reconocimiento visual y auditivo. Se ha observado un total de 85 especies: 63 especies en el Parque Tarquínio Joslin dos Santos, 48 especies en el Parque Danilo Galafassi, 62 especies en el Parque Municipal Paulo Gorski y 32 especies en el Bosque Elias Lopuch. Registros de nidificación, de insectívora, nectarívora y frugívora, y de uso del espacio para abrigo, donde permitió inferir que los bosques urbanos estudiados pueden ser importantes espacios para las aves y utilizados como parte de estrategias para su conservación.(AU)

A importância de parques urbanos para a conservação de aves / The importance of urban parks for bird preservation / La importancia de bosques urbanos para conservación de aves

Devido à intensa modificação dos ambientes naturais e sua transformação em ambientes urbanos, muitas espécies da fauna silvestre têm perdido ambientes adequados à sua sobrevivência e reprodução. Algumas espécies de aves têm conseguido, entretanto, se adaptar a parques e praças urbanos, encontrando locais para reprodução, alimentação e abrigo. Este estudo avaliou o uso dos parques Tarquínio Joslin dos Santos, Danilo Galafassi, Paulo Gorski e Bosque Elias Lopuch, em Cascavel, PR, Brasil, por aves, e buscou compreender como se dá essa utilização por diferentes espécies. A primeira atividade realizada foi o levantamento das espécies de aves nos parques. A coleta dos dados foi feita por meio de reconhecimento visual e auditivo. Foi observado um total de 85 espécies: 63 espécies no Parque Tarquínio Joslin dos Santos, 48 espécies no Parque Danilo Galafassi, 62 espécies no Parque Municipal Paulo Gorski e 32 espécies no Bosque Elias Lopuch. Registros de nidificação, de insetivoria, nectarivoria e frugivoria, e de uso do espaço para abrigo permitiram inferir que os parques urbanos estudados podem ser importantes espaços para as aves e utilizados como parte de estratégias para sua conservação.(AU)

Due to the intense modification in natural environments and their transformation in urban zones, many wildlife species have lost appropriate environments for their survival and reproduction. However, some bird species have been able to adapt to urban parks and squares, finding places for breeding, feeding and sheltering. This study evaluated the use of Tarquinio Joslin dos Santos, Danilo Galafassi, Paulo Gorski and Elias Lopuch parks located in the city of Cascavel, in the state of Paraná, Brazil, by birds, and sought to understand how different species use these resources. The first activity performed was the listing of the bird species sighted in the parks. A total of 85 species were observed: 63 species in Tarquínio Joslin dos Santos Park; 48 species in Danilo Galafassi Park; 62 species in Paulo Gorski Municipal Park; and 32 species in Elias Lopuch Park. The registration of nesting, insectivorous, nectarivorous and frugivorous activities, and the use of sheltering allowed implying that urban parks may be important areas for birds and may be used as part of the strategies for their preservation.(AU)

Debido a la intensa modificación de los ambientes naturales y su transformación en ambientes urbanos, muchas especies de la fauna silvestre han perdido ambientes adecuados a su supervivencia y reproducción. Algunas especies de aves han conseguido adaptarse a parques y plazas, encontrando sitios para reproducción, alimentación y abrigo. Este estudio evaluó el uso de los parques Tarquínio Joslin dos Santos, Danilo Galafassi, Paulo Gorski y Bosque Elias Lopuch, en Cascavel ­ PR, Brasil, por aves, y ha buscado comprender cómo se da esa utilización por diferentes especies. La primera actividad realizada fue el levantamiento de las especies de aves en los bosques. La recolección de datos ha sido hecha a través de reconocimiento visual y auditivo. Se ha observado un total de 85 especies: 63 especies en el Parque Tarquínio Joslin dos Santos, 48 especies en el Parque Danilo Galafassi, 62 especies en el Parque Municipal Paulo Gorski y 32 especies en el Bosque Elias Lopuch. Registros de nidificación, de insectívora, nectarívora y frugívora, y de uso del espacio para abrigo, donde permitió inferir que los bosques urbanos estudiados pueden ser importantes espacios para las aves y utilizados como parte de estrategias para su conservación.(AU)