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Introduction: The paper "Moluscos de la Isla del Coco" (Mollusks of Cocos Island) published in the Revista del Colegio Superior de Señoritas (1935) is the translation to Spanish of one of the last works of Paul Biolley Matthey (1862-1908), Swiss naturalist that lived in Costa Rica. This article was one product of a malacological research carried out during a scientific expedition organized by the 'Instituto Físico- Geográfico Nacional de Costa Rica' (IFGN) in 1902 to Cocos Island, at a time when the country claimed its sovereignty both in this territory. Objective: To analyze the contributions of the article "Moluscos de la Isla del Coco" from the Social History of Science approach. Methods: Most of the researches that have applied this approach in Costa Rica analyze processes of institutionalization of scientific disciplines. The methodology used in these works was very useful for the analysis of the Biolley article, together with the information of historical data provided by other texts about Cocos Island and the development of scientific research in Costa Rica from a temporal perspective. In addition, tables were made to synthesize the classification of the species and genera studied by Biolley in Cocos Island to identify their provenance and the habitat in which they lived. Results: This study of Biolley constitutes a text of interest from the point of view of the Social History of Science, due to the descriptions it offers of the physical conditions of the territory of Cocos Island, of the different species of mollusks located in them and to the exchange of information with national and foreign scientists that show the participation of Biolley in scientific networks. Conclusions: The analysis of the information with the Social History of Science approach, concludes that the compilation of the flora and fauna permits a greater knowledge of the natural resources of the explored territories, in order to colonize them and integrate them into the economic dynamics of the Central Valley of Costa Rica. However, attempts colonize Cocos Island failed given the distance between this and the continent, in addition to the topographic conditions that prevent the permanent establishment of human populations and their productive activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In issue 183 of the Journal of Social Sciences, different studies are presented on voices and career paths, identities, and resistances. One of the studies analyzes the working conditions of call center workers in Costa Rica and their perspective on their work. Another study investigates the waist weaving done by female artisans in Peru and their contribution to the preservation of cultures and identities. The implementation of the Supported Employment method in companies in Mérida, Mexico, for people with disabilities is also examined. In addition, bibliometric analyses of graduation papers in Anthropology are presented, as well as reflections on mobilizations in El Salvador, the perception of insecurity among university students in Ecuador, Bourdieu's social critique, and the concept of inequality in political discourse in Costa Rica. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: The electoral volatility that has characterized the last electoral processes of the country has intensified with the ballots phenomenon. The instability in party support has been clearly concentrated in rural areas of the country. Objective: This article aims to present some findings regarding the reasons that explain the electoral volatility in the rural areas of the country based on the case study of the Cariari district, Pococí canton in the Limón province in the presidential elections of 2014 and 2018. Method: The paper presents territory as a geographical, political and explanatory concept that allows the understanding of the conditions that derived the electoral results of 2014 and 2018 elections in Cariari district. A mixed methodology has been used which complemented the quantitative and qualitative approaches. Results: The results show that the electoral volatility phenomenon in Costa Rica does not follow a random pattern instead, it has been located in rural areas. The study case allowed to observe how dissatisfaction and apathy with politics are both, the basis of support for parties with different ideological positions from 2014 to 2018. Conclusion: The perception of the abandonment of rural areas and the wish for political change is identified as the basis for the instability of party support. Also, a scenario is identified that facilitated the capitalization of support from the Partido Restauración Nacional due to a complex territorial dynamic in which religious groups play a main role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This article derives from research on psychosocial risk factors associated with women's work in cooperatives in the Costa Rican Western Region. It should be noted that cooperativism in this area is of long standing and has a marked male tradition. Objective: Therefore, this paper analyzes some elements related to work and gender in six cooperatives with female managers in the western region of Costa Rica. Method: The methodology of the study is qualitative with the application of semi-structured interviews that inquire about the experience of women managers in cooperatives. The information is examined using Critical Discourse Analysis. The types of cooperatives involved, although diverse, have in common that, until before the current management structure, leadership and administration were in the hands of men. The chronological framework of the investigation was developed between August 2019 and March 2020. Results: Among the main findings, the reasons why they were selected as managers in times of crisis stand out, in addition to the different types of violence involved in leading sectors with masculinized structures. It is also relevant that the participants have generated strategies of resistance to such violence, through which they try to transform the working conditions of women in this sector. Conclusions: It can be concluded, based on the scarce research on the cooperative sector with a gender perspective in the region, that it is urgent to learn more about the reality of women cooperative workers in the region, who are making enormous efforts to improve their working conditions and the cooperative model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Environmental compensation is the final alternative to face the impacts of development projects that cannot be avoided, reduced, or mitigated. The offset of affected habitats or environmental elements usually substitutes ecologically equivalent resources. The Habitat-Hectare Method was initially designed to assess the ecological equivalence of native vegetation, and employs indicator scores relative to a reference habitat. The sum of these scores measures the structural condition of the environment against the reference, quantifying the number of hectares needed to compensate for the loss of similar habitat. Although it is not exempt from limitations, the values can be estimated from field data collected without ambiguity, in a reproducible way, with less bias than more qualitative methods. In this paper, we use a modification of the Habitat-Hectare Method to determine the equivalent area needed to compensate for habitat loss in a protected wilderness in Costa Rica. Methods: We worked in the Lomas de Barbudal Biological Reserve, north Pacific of Costa Rica, a protected wilderness where nearly 113 hectares will be flooded for the Río Piedras Reservoir. In a property previously identified as a potential compensation site, we assessed indicators for landscape, soil, vegetation structure, and ecosystem services; the scores were assigned in relation to the environment found at the flood site. Results: The environmental condition score at the compensation site was 44.7% (±15.9%) of the impact site. Consequently, considering the uncertainty in our measurements, compensating for the loss of each hectare would require between 2.23 and 3.49 hectares of a similar environment. Conclusion: Between 2.23 and 3.49 hectares of are needed to compensate for the loss of habitat in the Río Piedras Reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Environmental compensation is a technical-legal instrument of environmental management used to offset damage due to non-reversible and unavoidable impacts. Usually, offset regulations are included in national environmental legislations. This paper summarizes environmental compensation legislation in Costa Rica, a country with a recognized conservation tradition and environmental awareness. Our goal is to describe how compensation is formulated in that country and identify possible regulations gaps. Methods: We carried out a systematic review of environmental legislation through the Costa Rican Legal Information System (http://www.pgrweb.go.cr/scij/avanzada_pgr.aspx), considering both regulations and pronouncements on compensation measures and mitigation. Results: The Political Constitution of Costa Rica recognizes a healthy environment as a fundamental right for all citizens. At least seven laws dealing with environmental issues and their respective regulations are currently enforced. This bulky legislation aims to protect natural resources by regulating their use and creating an assemblage of protected wild areas. However, the legislation is somewhat repetitive and open to interpretation, facilitating confusion. Actions requiring compensation are regulated in a general way, making it difficult to establish when and how to apply them. In addition, compensation is considered based on when the damage is identified and not on its level of environmental impact. Furthermore, the regulations do not make explicit the principles and goals that support the compensatory measures or how they should be carried out, briefly mentioning some actions that do not ensure that the net environmental loss is zero. Conclusions: This review reveals the need to standardize the mechanisms to determine compensatory measures at the regulatory level, also analyzing the strategies that will be followed to ensure proportionality and ecological equivalence. The legislation must emphasize the importance of compensation as a positive practice, which must be incorporated within the guidelines of the Environmental Impact Study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this writing I present a brief description of some busts of Christopher Columbus engraved in coins, medals, paper money, and postage stamps around 1892. The bust of Columbus engraved in the gold coins of Costa Rica (1897-1928) and in paper money until 1942, is similar to the medal designed in 1892 by Francisco Asís López in Madrid, and the medal in turn is probably based on the painting of Columbus made by Lorenzo Lotto in 1512. The medal and portrait are illustrated in the 1893 catalogue published in New York by Nestor Ponce de León, the up to date reference at the time on the many looks of Columbus. Columbus arrived at Cariari, Costa Rica, during his fourth voyage in 1502, and the event is engraved in the 50 colones bank note of 1942. The last coin of Costa Rica with a bust of Columbus was issued in 1997. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights the central role that urban forestry management and development should play in future efforts to articulate holistic conservation and urban improvement projects in Costa Rica. With this in mind, it provides a non-exhaustive examination of the state of the art in the country. Likewise, this article briefly analyzes the state of knowledge and professional development in this area of expertise. Finally, the paper offers a reflection on the role that the social sciences ought to play in improving the practice and the development of knowledge in this emergent and transdisciplinary field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Historia is the property of Universidad de Costa Rica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper first examines the right to health and whether or not there is a human right to health (or, rather, to the provision of health services). Secondly, the paper addresses the case of Costa Rica, focusing on the Constitutional ruling regarding the obligation for the provision of health services by the national health service (CCSS: Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social). Thirdly, because the needs of health care outweigh the resources available, the paper evaluates the criteria for rationing or limiting health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to identify a putative guava microorganisms observed on bagged fruits in a commercial plantation established in Carrillo de Poás, Alajuela, Costa Rica, during the dry and rainy seasons of year 2007. Laboratory isolations were conducted to determine the presence and nature of the microorganisms associated with the symptoms. Four different materials were used to bag the fruits: wax paper, tergal (nylon bag), telephone directory paper and Taiwanese bag. Damaged tissues were placed in PDA and PDA + lactic acid as culture media, and the isolates were transferred to YDC, King agar and potato fleshy tissue to identify possible bacteria. Microorganisms identified in both seasons were: Colletotrichum sp., Pseudomonas, Pestalotia and two unidentified microorganisms. Highly significant differences were found (X2= 7,52 × 10 -4) in the incidence of the diseases in the following ranking: control > telephone directory paper bags > tergal bags> Taiwanese bag > wax paper bags, during the dry season. Highly significant differences were also found (X2= 0,04773) for microorganisms incidence during the rainy season, when control > tergal bag > Taiwanese bag. The results suggest that the microorganism isolated from diseased fruits could be responsible for losses of commercial fruits in tropical guava field plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the epilogues of a corpus of 30 presidential speeches are analyzed in relation to their topics and particular aspects of style. The speeches correspond to the last given to the Congress by each Administration during the period 1902-2008. This article is part of a series of papers (Jara Murillo 2006, 2008, in press) resulting from the research project "Análisis del Discurso Político en Costa Rica: Evolución y Perspectiva" (Instituto de Investigaciones Lingüísticas, 2004-2009). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development and innovation in the curriculum design of the Agricultural Engineering undergraduate program of the Technological Institute of Costa Rica. After its 30 years of existence, this program has reached its maturity. However, due to the changes in the development of agriculture, national and international tendencies, as well as the productive surroundings of the area and the social and academic context of the university, it faces the necessity to modify and innovate its curriculum. The main objective of the process consists of improving the quality in this area, proposing an integral redesign of the program. The antecedents, the methodology, and the most outstanding achievements of the process are described in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activities of professionals in the Inter-institutional Network Against Family Violence (RIcVF in Spanish) in the Huetar Region in the North of Costa Rica and the proposal of conceptual and methodological guidelines to study the social and economic costs, are the principal goals of this paper. Before this network was created, the services were usually provided many times to the same victim by different institutions. Now with the network, attention is integrated, thanks to the inter-institutional coordination. But most important, this is a chance to address the dispersion of services and also a chance to establish the organizational priorities and assign work better across the network. Following this direction, there is a real need to study the direct and indirect cost of violence. The information collected evidences the need to make decisions in order to prevent violence and reduce the generational effects of violence. Thus, this paper shows a few indicators that should be analyzed in order to measure those costs. The direct reconstruction, with the networked professionals, of the social and economic costs of their interventions to address violence, is the strategy that made possible the creation of the new knowledge presented in this article. [TRANSLATION]

One of the major social tension today is between the demands of price capital and ‘national’ governments for economic growth and the demands of local communities for security and livelihoods. Sustainable development is commonly believed to resolve these tension by reconciling global economic interest, ecological and local interests. The paper assesses the implementation of sustainable development in Costa Rica rain forest, through Canada /Costa Rica debt-for-nature investment. In this case, funds were channelled to the Wiordl Wildlife Fund-Canadá (WWF-C)c and the National Institute for Biodiversity (INBio) of Costa Rica. The paper argues that the concept of sustainable development articuted as a new framework fro international donor and NGO practices, creates new poverty among local people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along this paper I study two cases of land occupations at the banana enclave zone of Sarapiquí from 1980 to 2009, in order to know the state's role in political processes of agrarian conflict. The analysis of the peasant's narratives -on land occupation, public negotiation, collective action, discursive and organizational dispositions- problematizes the notions of state's "absence" and/or "abandonment", leading to the conclusion that the state can be absent in its institutional forms when it is understood within the welfare ideal, but selectively present when it comes to judicialization, criminalization and repression; also, is shown that state is found where is least looked for: in peasant's organizational practices and daily desire for legal recognition. Structural adjustment promoted state's institutional reduction, however, reduction wasn't absolute, and this study concludes that such withdrawal occurred in redistributive policies, not in the repressive ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the advance of the neoliberal model brings challenges that Public Universities must face. It is necessary to discuss about future scenarios of our society, and the role that Psychology professionals should play. This paper shows the main findings from the interviews to four experience psychologists who have diverse theoretical perspectives about the possible scenarios, challenges and competences that the discipline must address. The findings highlight the potential impact of communication technologies on future society, as well as the discipline's challenges in instructing professionals with social awareness, critical thinking and the skills to develop community intervention modalities. It also evidences the importance of developing the ability to work in interdisciplinary teams which has been neglected in the training programs. Finally, it debates on the role that Public Universities must play in attaining the Costa Rican Psychology that promotes the transformation required by society in order to achieve an adequate approach to mental health and wellness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Historia is the property of Universidad de Costa Rica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Historia is the property of Universidad de Costa Rica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper offers a discussion on the connection between the language and ideology of young people, and the possible relationship between these aspects and the stereotypical mentality of the Costa Rican society. Furthermore, the analysis follows a social and historical perspective about the relationship between thought and language, and applies a method of thematic analysis to interpret the lyrics and themes of a selected song form the musical genre called Dancehall. In addition, two main points are presented. In first place, this particular musical language is evidence of the encryption strategy that limits the access to this cultural group to other social groups, and generates some linguistic and cultural changes at a long term. In second place, on the thematic level, this cultural manifestation doesn't differ from other Costa Rican cultural expressions because it perpetuates certain stereotypic world visions. As a result, the study conclusions are part of a working hypothesis for further research about the relationship between language and ideology of youth groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The different socioeconomic, cultural, and socio-territorial conditions of the costarican society show that the experiences of young people are not equal. The objective conditions are different, but so are their subjective constructions. It is important to understand the way the different objective realities influence the subjectivities of young people, and therefore the real capabilities that they actually have. One way to understand this is by reaching in to the way young people think of their future. This paper analyzes the aspirations and expectations about the future of costarican urban youth, related to study, professions and jobs, depending on the level of social inclusion or exclusion in which they develop. The fact that the idea of a “dream" doesn't means the existence of a bond with reality, leads to think that dreams should be infinite for all, and that the only differences between people's dreams should lay on their individual particularities. However, the truth is that in reality this isn't necessarily like that. The social conditions on which people develop, their interactions, and the “habitus" that are built from the different ways of knowing and experimenting the world, influence the subjectivities, to the point of potencialize or limit the future wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents some developed ideas based on the research entitled “The contribution of Ethic programs, aesthetics and citizenship to improve human rights on adolescence." Mainly, the analysis focuses on the characterization of the ideology behind Costa Rican educational model and its consequences as well as the display of a critical education as a way to achieve peace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to describe the importance and the main challenges for the use, management and conservation of the Vanilla genus in Costa Rica. Topics covered in this study were: taxonomy in the country and worldwide, data collection and new estimates of wild relatives, the economic, ecological and social importance, the gene pool of the Costa Rican species, the crop situation worldwide (harvested area, production, yield, major producers), causes that reduce the productive potential of the species, culture methods, the vulnerability of Vanilla planifolia to extinction, and the genetic potential in the country with respect to the concentration of vanillin. The comprehensive conservation strategy proposed in this paper aims to perpetuate vanilla plant genetic resources in gene banks through a formal system of seed production, for further use for breeding, research and commercial production. Through sustainable use, those species will be protected in Costa Rica. The natural or legal persons who use such materials must generate monetary or non-monetary benefits from the use of resources through a fair and equitable system to the suppliers. Agro-ecological conditions of Costa Rica as well as the genetic material of both wild and cultivated vanilla opens the possibility of developing production models based on organic agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is on the “resistance to change" facing organizations in the West Central Region (WCR), defined here as Knowledge Needs (NC), which hinder their internal performance and eventual development and that of the region, given the conditions that are imposed by the neoliberal process of globalization. These were identified in 60 research papers from the National Reality Seminars which were held at the University of Costa Rica West headquarters for over seven years. The analysis of each project allowed establishing that, of the 8 possible KN, the priority is in knowing: how to eliminate obstacles for efficient work, how to better include and satisfy people´s needs, how to take advantage of abilities and competences for group work, and how to bring forward a unified strategy. It is argued that, in spite of the importance for organizational development, the KN oriented know how to improve the way people identify with the objectives from the organization identified in only one case, and seeking to establish how KN foster new forms of leadership, not found in any of the research projects analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores some dynamics developed by La Ultra Morada (group amateur organized mostly younger supporters of Deportivo Saprissa, created in April 1995), which refer to the organization, structuring it. Also, two other important dimensions in this youth group, namely, the condition of neighborhood and some class specificity. Permeated by hedonic games and playful, the young members and do not give up their criticism and reflection of their daily, on the contrary, the references to the neighborhood and the differentiated economic position, outlined the construction of reflexive subjectivities from ecstasy positions and vice versa. Finally, it is important to note that the field which follows this article, was conducted from 2003 to 2006 (as part of a research thesis form entitled: “Between songs and stands: the construction of a youth group of Costa Rican football field's. The case of La Ultra Morada"), which could mean that many of the dynamics of the youth group and reflected described here are either re meaning, taken nuances differentiated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report the experiencies and learnings achieved during the enforcement of a social investigation at national level. It is emphasised the importance of planning phase for the later stages, which consist in the gathering of information and data processing. Also, we highlight the relevance of interdisciplinarity and some reflexions about the costarrican educational system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to address the issue of credit cards and the deficiencies of public policy related to that subject in Costa Rica. For that purpose, we taking into consideration the perspective of Regulations of Credit and Debit Cards, that protect rights such as confidentiality, discretion in handling data and the information right; however, it is limited in terms of regulating and promoting the financial system balance which allows cardholders protection from excessive interest rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The category of space has migrated from the physical sciences into the sciences of society and culture, where it has stimulated studies and debates that open new possibilities to understand the spatiality of human activities, as well as the relationships between space, time, and history. The category "space" refers simultaneously to objective materiality and abstract temporality and at the same time to the subjective dimension of experience. This paper presents the distribution of space as it resulted from the settlement of the United Fruit Company on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, and analyzes the patterns of social communication and the hierarchical structure of human transit flows within the village and residential complex stressing the mechanisms of exclusion and segregation between the three zones in which the settlement was divided. The author builds on Michel Foucault's theory of space, his notion of panopticum, and different views on concentrationary spaces [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on the most recent theories of scales of socialization and spatial analysis, both concepts focused within the framework of sociolinguistic ideology. According to these theories, space must not be conceived as neutral background, but as an active agent in the sociolinguistic processes. For a speaker the change of space results in a permutation of the connection between his/her linguistic repertoire and the linguistic competence required to act in that space. Speakers express themselves in and from a space which projects certain values, a certain social order, a certain authority, and affective attributes. I will present here the results of applying the socialization scales and spatial analysis in an empiric investigation on linguistic micro-variants in Limonese Creole, based on English in contact with Spanish in Costa Rica. I will explore the construction of individual identities, in the context of globalization and the Diaspora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a brief systematization of the experiences of the Centro de Capacitación en Educación a Distancia (CECED) from the Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED) of Costa Rica with the goal to understand the evolution of the "traditional" training concept, to a professional development concept. This proposal is directed toward students and educators who want to improve their capabilities through the application of our mission and vision and the Pedagogical Model. CECED has been looking for excellence in academic areas by using tutorial practices where the student is the most important part of the equation. Students can benefit from the experience of learning furthermore from our society and acquire better educational standards, therefore providing more opportunities for everyone. Thus, CECED provides both self-confidence and personal development. The program's goal can be increased by using elements such as equality, pertinence and equity to make the teaching learning process more effective. It will improve motivation to develop competition in the general curriculum and simultaneously result in greater proficiency in the target group. We have analyzed this through situations and comments from our students to develop the strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism has been a boosting factor of Puntarenas' economy. However, the history of the development of tourism in Puntarenas shows growth from the 1940s to 1980 and a decrease afterwards. We carried out a study to understand the social, economical, and cultural impact of tourism in the households of communities near Puntarenas City. We also studied differences observed with respect to other touristic centers in the country. This paper shows the specific findings of the study regarding the Puntarenas community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper highlights the importance of electoral observation as a new way to involve citizens in political processes. It outlines the scope of this practice in democratic contexts, taking observation as a tool for recording data on the administration and organization of the elections, and also the possibility of guaranteeing the transparency of the process and the behavior of political actors. It also shows the experience of Alajuelita with an analysis in the last two elections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses key aspects of the debate on political parties and power networks, focusing empirically analyze the presence of such actors within political parties Liberación Nacional y Partido Unidad Social Cristiana and their presence on the formation of cabinets in the Costa Rican government. Highlights CINDE alliance partners, CEFSA and the Central American Academy, who control the state institutions linked to the export sector from 1986 to 2010. It discusses the limits of procedural democracy to allow such corporate trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I analyze the connections that occurred between the electoral offer of candidate Laura Chinchilla and the new demographic, social and sexual realities of Costa Rica, which help to understand why mainly women and older people voted for her. In addition, I explain the new challenges the Costa Rican society faces in terms of a necessary new social and sexual contract, and the prospect of its approach, or not, by the Government of the first woman President. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the role of History in the construction of Social Sciences in Costa Rica during the last 35 years. Our goal is to determine how the Costa Rican historiography evolved within Social Sciences. In doing that examination, we also study different institutional projects that pretended to propel historical knowledge, the constitution of an academic community around history and different theoretical and empirical foundations of analysis and research within the School of History, the Graduate Program of History, and the Center of Central American Historical Research of the University of Costa Rica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes a discussion about the configuration, action, and actual relevance of alternative transportation organizations in Costa Rica. These organizations claim to fight for an improvement in the exercise of mobility rights for everyone. At the same time, they put pressure for the implementation of safety measures in the political, legal, social, and infrastructural spheres that comprise sustainable transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a model of periodization and developmental analysis of trade unions in Costa Rica during 20th century. This seeks to identify as the political and economical changes influencing unionist organizations and how these have led to fragment, and loss of significance, as well as a constant unionization rate decrease, even though by the end of last century, a stable union base was still observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper gives the results of a study that was based on exploration in self-esteem in two ethnic groups (Térrabas and Borucas). In this, 170 young people participated: 72 Térrabas and 98 Borucas. Both cases show good results with respect to the personal identity of young participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the most relevant results of the research project "Audience analysis of student radio programs", performed by the author in 2006 - 2008 at Universidad de Costa Rica. The study focused on the experience of Proyecto CONTRASTES, the oldest student radio project at the School of Mass Communication Sciences. The research's rationale was to determine the audience characteristics as well as their information and guidance necessities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Costa Rica has mangrove forests on both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. The Pacific side has 99% of the mangrove area of the country. In this review we compile available information on the mangroves of the north Pacific coast of Costa Rica, from Bahía Salinas, on the border with Nicaragua, to the tip of the Peninsula de Nicoya at Cabo Blanco. We provide information on the location of the mangroves and all available information for each mangrove forest. These mangrove communities are smaller in extension and tree sizes, and have lower diversity compared to the mangroves on the southern section of the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The dominant species are Rhizophora mangle and Rhizophora racemosa along the canal edges, backed by Avicennia germinans, and farther inland Avicennia bicolor, Laguncularia racemosa and Conocarpus erectus. At Potrero Grande a healthy population of Pelliciera rhizophorae, a rare species, has been reported. We recognized 38 mangrove communities in this part of the country, based on the National Wetland Inventory, published papers, field observations, theses, technical reports, and the national topographic maps (1:50 000, Instituto Geográfico Nacional). Relatively detailed information could be found for only five mangrove forests, for 14 more only prelimary and incomplete lists of plants and in some cases of animal species are available, for nine there is even less information, and for nine more only their location is known, which in some cases was not correct. Detail mapping, characterization of the vegetation and fauna, physiological studies, analyses of biogeochemical and physical processes, economic valuations, and determination of the health status of the mangrove of the northern Pacific coast, as well as for the rest of Costa Rica, are neccesary and urgent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is aimed at gathering some gauges related to increasing rates of alcohol consumption among young people and the jeopardy involved in binge drinking. Besides it displays a state of art of the national consumer trends based on the available data from which could be proposed a set of psychosocial issues to be researched in order to achieve a wide and deep comprehension of the origins and dynamic of the risky behaviors derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although this paper does not pretend to be a history of the Costa Rican Philosophical Association, it may be helpful in its reconstruction. Its aim is to reflect informally on the activities of the Association in these fifty years and to explore some possibilities for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Historia is the property of Universidad de Costa Rica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Historia is the property of Universidad de Costa Rica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)