Pathways to Economic Outcomes and the Impact of Health: Comparing Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Adults after Foster Care

Abstract This study examines the financial outcomes in adulthood of Hispanics (N = 87) and White (Non-Hispanic, N = 498) persons placed in foster care during childhood. It uses the Casey Family Programs National Alumni Study (CFPNAS) database. Path models including predictors such as gender, education, having a partner, preparation for leaving care, and problem characteristics yielded predominantly similar effects for Hispanic and White Non-Hispanic respondents. The direct effect of physical and mental health conditions such as physical or learning disability, visual or hearing impairments, or DSM disorders more strongly predicted negative outcomes for White (Non-Hispanic) respondents than for Hispanic ones

Kernel Spectral Clustering and applications

In this chapter we review the main literature related to kernel spectral clustering (KSC), an approach to clustering cast within a kernel-based optimization setting. KSC represents a least-squares support vector machine based formulation of spectral clustering described by a weighted kernel PCA objective. Just as in the classifier case, the binary clustering model is expressed by a hyperplane in a high dimensional space induced by a kernel. In addition, the multi-way clustering can be obtained by combining a set of binary decision functions via an Error Correcting Output Codes (ECOC) encoding scheme. Because of its model-based nature, the KSC method encompasses three main steps: training, validation, testing. In the validation stage model selection is performed to obtain tuning parameters, like the number of clusters present in the data. This is a major advantage compared to classical spectral clustering where the determination of the clustering parameters is unclear and relies on heuristics. Once a KSC model is trained on a small subset of the entire data, it is able to generalize well to unseen test points. Beyond the basic formulation, sparse KSC algorithms based on the Incomplete Cholesky Decomposition (ICD) and $L_0$, $L_1, L_0 + L_1$, Group Lasso regularization are reviewed. In that respect, we show how it is possible to handle large scale data. Also, two possible ways to perform hierarchical clustering and a soft clustering method are presented. Finally, real-world applications such as image segmentation, power load time-series clustering, document clustering and big data learning are considered.Comment: chapter contribution to the book "Unsupervised Learning Algorithms

Comparative Antioxidant, Antiproliferative and Apoptotic Effects of Ilex laurina and Ilex paraguariensis on Colon Cancer Cells

Purpose: To determine and compare the antioxidant, antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of leaf infusions of Ilex laurina and Ilex paraguariensis in colon cancer cells.Methods: Antioxidant activity was determined by ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) and FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power). Cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects were analyzed using MTT ((3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and sulfhorodamine-B respectively. Cell death and apoptosis of human colon adenocarcinoma cells SW480 and their metastatic-derived SW620 cells, were analyzed by flow cytometry using propidium iodide and Annexin-V.Results: Although their flavonoid levels were similar, I. laurina infusion contained 2.2 and 4.4 times higher amounts of total phenolic and caffeoyl derivatives, respectively, than I. paraguariensis. FRAP and ORAC values for I. laurina infusion were 1.6 and 2.0 more active than I. paraguariensis. Both plant infusions inhibited viability and cell growth of SW480 and SW620 cells. These results may be associated to cell cycle-arrest and apoptosis because of the comparable increase of hypodiploid and annexin-V positive colon cancer cells.Conclusion: These data highlight the antioxidant and promising anticancer activities of I. laurina and Ilex paraguariensis.Keywords: Ilex laurina, Ilex paraguariensis, Antioxidant, Antiproliferative, Apoptosis, Colon cance

Estilos educativos parentales y obesidad infantil

Esta tesis corresponde a un estudio exploratorio relacional sobre los Estilos Educativos de los padres y el estado nutricional de niños y niñas de tres instituciones educativas de la Comunidad Valenciana de España; precisa la relación existente entre la obesidad infantil y los estilos educativos de las madres, por ser ellas quienes mayoritariamente participaron en la muestra. Se utilizaron las escalas propuestas por Alonso y Román (2003) para evaluar los Estilos Educativos, y el Índice de Masa Corporal –IMC- recomendado por la OMS para la evaluación de la obesidad, con base en los puntos de corte establecidos por los organismos internacionales. La edad, el nivel socioeconómico y el género fueron variables moderadoras de la relación existente entre la variable independiente –Estilo Educativo Parental- y la variable dependiente –Estado Nutricional.La obesidad infantil presenta asociación directa con el estilo educativo autoritario en niñas y a medida que disminuye el atributo de autoridad, el IMC también disminuye. Caso contrario ocurre en los niños, para quienes el estilo permisivo presenta relación con la obesidad.This thesis is an exploratory study on the Styles Relational Education of parents and the nutritional status of children in three educational institutions in the Valencian Community of Spain, precisely the relationship between childhood obesity and parenting styles of mothers, because mostly the ones who participated in the sample. We used the scales proposed by Alonso and Roman (2003) to assess the Educational Styles, and Body Mass Index-BMI-recommended by WHO for the assessment of obesity, based on the cutoff points established by international . Age, socioeconomic status and gender were variables moderating the relationship between the independent variable-Parenting Styles- and -Nutritional Status- dependent variable. Childhood obesity has direct association with the authoritarian educational style in girls and decreases as the attribute of authority, BMI decreases. Otherwise occurs in children, for whom the permissive style has relation to obesity

AMPK Directly Inhibits NDPK Through a Phosphoserine Switch to Maintain Cellular Homeostasis

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key energy sensor that regulates metabolism to maintain cellular energy balance. AMPK activation has also been proposed to mimic benefits of caloric restriction and exercise. Therefore, identifying downstream AMPK targets could elucidate new mechanisms for maintaining cellular energy homeostasis. We identified the phosphotransferase nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK), which maintains pools of nucleotides, as a direct AMPK target through the use of two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis. Furthermore, we mapped the AMPK/NDPK phosphorylation site (serine 120) as a functionally potent enzymatic “off switch” both in vivo and in vitro. Because ATP is usually the most abundant cellular nucleotide, NDPK would normally consume ATP, whereas AMPK would inhibit NDPK to conserve energy. It is intriguing that serine 120 is mutated in advanced neuroblastoma, which suggests a mechanism by which NDPK in neuroblastoma can no longer be inhibited by AMPK-mediated phosphorylation. This novel placement of AMPK upstream and directly regulating NDPK activity has widespread implications for cellular energy/nucleotide balance, and we demonstrate in vivo that increased NDPK activity leads to susceptibility to energy deprivation–induced death

Peces de planicies de inundación tropical de la cuenca baja del río Magdalena, Colombia

We studied fish diversity and assessed determinant factors in the structure of fish assemblages captured in a tropical floodplain of the Magdalena River basin, Colombia. We identified that the fish richness reported in this study (43 species) corresponds to nearly 38 % of the diversity of the Magdalena River lower basin (112 species) and nearly 19 % of the total diversity of the Magdalena-Cauca system. The floodplains with greater connectivity among themselves and with the river presented more similar communities than the more distant and isolated habitats. Also, the structure of fish communities was determined by environmental conditions and habitat type in terms of connectivity. The environmental variables that most influenced community structure was associated to eutrophication processes, such as hardness, chlorides, nitrates, total nitrogen, total suspended solids and salinity, and to flow pulse such, such as depth, but the main regulating factor was the little or no connection between floodplains and the main channel of the Magdalena River. We considered that the information generated can be used to estimate the actual species composition of freshwater fishes, supporting decision-making by governmental entities, prioritize areas for biodiversity conservation, and/or contribute to the proper use and management of the natural resources present in this complex tropical lagoon system.Se estudió la diversidad de peces y se evaluaron los factores determinantes en la estructuración de los ensamblajes de peces capturados en una llanura de inundación tropical, de la cuenca del río Magdalena, Colombia. Se identificó que la riqueza íctica reportada en este estudio (43 especies) corresponde aproximadamente al 38 % de la diversidad de la cuenca baja del río Magdalena (112 especies) y a cerca del 19 % de la diversidad total del sistema Magdalena-Cauca. Las planicies con mayor conectividad entre sí y con el río presentaron comunidades más similares que los hábitats más distantes y aislados. Asimismo, la estructura de las comunidades de peces estuvo determinada por las condiciones del medio ambiente y el tipo de hábitat en términos de conectividad. Las variables ambientales que más influyeron en la estructura de las comunidades fueron las que estuvieron asociadas a procesos de eutrofización, tales como dureza, cloruros, nitratos, nitrógeno total, sólidos suspendidos totales y salinidad, y al pulso del caudal, como la profundidad, pero el principal factor de regulación fue la poca o nula conexión entre las zonas inundables y el cauce principal del rio Magdalena. Se considera que la información generada pueda ser empleada para estimar la composición real de especies de peces dulceacuícolas, sustentar la toma de decisiones por parte de las entidades gubernamentales, priorizar áreas para la conservación de la biodiversidad y/o contribuir al adecuado uso y manejo de los recursos naturales presentes en este complejo sistema lagunar tropica