Mid-morning Break and Poster Sessions: Comorbidity among pathological gamblers seeking treatment

Context of the study Pathological gambling prevalence in the general population: United States 0.42% (Petry et al., 2005), Canada 0.5% (Rush et al., 2008), Quebec 0.7% (Kairouz et al., 2011) Epidemiological surveys (i.e. NESARC) indicate that pathological gambling is usually accompanied by other comorbid disorders, such as: Alcohol and drug abuse (prevalence of 25 and 27%, respectively), alcohol and drug dependence (48 and 11%), mood disorders (50%), anxiety disorders (41%), personality disorders (61%). (Petry et al., 2005) The comorbidity found in clinical samples is usually higher than that in the general population because it is more likely for a person to seek professional help when presenting more symptoms or more psychiatric disorders compared to individuals with only one condition or a less severe problem. (Petry et al., 2005) Importance of assessing the prevalence of comorbid disorders in pathological gamblers in treatment, in order to better address their needs and reduce the risk of recurrence

Partially linear models on Riemannian manifolds

In partially linear models the dependence of the response y on (x^T,t) is modeled through the relationship y=\x^T \beta+g(t)+\epsilon where \epsilon is independent of (x^T,t). In this paper, estimators of \beta and g are constructed when the explanatory variables t take values on a Riemannian manifold. Our proposal combine the flexibility of these models with the complex structure of a set of explanatory variables. We prove that the resulting estimator of \beta is asymptotically normal under the suitable conditions. Through a simulation study, we explored the performance of the estimators. Finally, we applied the studied model to an example based on real dataset.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure

El paso de Joan Corominas por Argentina

El presente artículo apunta a rescatar los hechos más importantes relacionados con el paso de Joan Corominas por Mendoza (Argentina), adonde se exilió al término de la Guerra Civil española. Desde una metodología historiográfica basada en el rastreo de fuentes y su interpretación contextualizada, se toman en consideración los siguientes puntos: su desempeño como docente en la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, la fundación del Instituto de Lingüística, la creación de la revista Anales del Instituto de Lingüística (en el año 1940) y la publicación de un amplio abanico de artículos científicos y de divulgación científica. Además, se destaca que el filólogo catalán elaboró en Mendoza su Diccionario Crítico Etimológico de la Lengua Castellana (1954-1957). Se insistirá sobre todo en las publicaciones del autor, principalmente en las de divulgación, que constituyen el aspecto menos revisado de la etapa mendocina de Corominas.Fil: Gonzalez, Daniela Soledad. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

M@TE - Monitoring at TeV Energies

Blazars are extremely variable objects emitting radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum and showing variability on time scales from minutes to years. For the understanding of the emission mechanisms, simultaneous multi-wavelength observations are crucial. Various models for flares predict simultaneous flux increases in the X-ray and gamma-ray band or more complex variability patterns, depending on the dominant process responsible for the gamma-ray emission. Monitoring at TeV energies is providing important information to distinguish between different models. To study duty cycle and variability time scales of an object, an unbiased data sample is essential, and good sensitivity and continuous monitoring are needed to resolve smaller time scales. A dedicated long-term monitoring program at TeV energies has been started by the FACT project. Its success clearly illustrated that the usage of silicon based photo sensors (SIPMs) is ideal for long-term monitoring. They provide not only an excellent and stable detector performance, but also allow for observations during bright ambient light minimizing observational gaps and increasing the instrument's duty cycle. The observation time in a single longitude is limited to 6 hours. To study typical variability time scales of few hours to one day, the ultimate goal is 24/7 monitoring with a network of small telescopes around the globe (DWARF project). The installation of an Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescope is planned in San Pedro Martir, Mexico. For the M@TE (Monitoring at TeV energies) telescope, a mount from a previous experiment is being refurbished to be equipped with a camera using the new generation of SiPMs. In the presentation, the status of the M@TE project will be reported outlining the scientific potential, including the possibility to extend monitoring campaigns to 12 hours by coordinated observations together with FACT.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Contribution to the 6th International Symposium on High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy (Gamma2016), Heidelberg, Germany. To be published in the AIP Conference Proceeding

Cocaine Diminishes Consolidation of Cued Fear Expression in Female Rats Through Interactions With Dopamine D2 Receptors

In addition to cocaine’s addictive properties, cocaine use may lead to heightened risk-taking behaviors in individuals despite potentially aversive consequences. One possible reason for this may be cocaine’s disruptive effect on aversive memory formation. The present study investigated the effects of cocaine on fear memory formation using a cued fear conditioning paradigm in female Sprague Dawley rats. On day 1, animals received tone-shock pairings and on day 2 (24 hours later) were returned to the fear chamber and tested for recall of fear memory. Fear was measured as percent time the animal spent freezing during the tone presentation. In Experiment 1 (n = 48), cocaine (15mg/kg; i.p.) was administered prior to or immediately after the conditioning trials to assess the effect of cocaine on fear memory acquisition and consolidation. To determine whether cocaine’s effects on memory consolidation are mediated by D2 receptors, the D2 receptor antagonist eticlopride (0.1mg/kg; i.p.) was administered concurrently with cocaine. No drugs were administered on test day. Results from Experiment 1 revealed that pre-training cocaine diminishes fear acquisition and that post-conditioning cocaine resulted in diminished fear expression during fear test. Concurrent D2 antagonism attenuated the impairing effect of cocaine on fear memory consolidation, with animals showing increased freezing relative to animals receiving cocaine alone. In Experiment 2 (n = 15), animals received direct infusions of eticlopride (0.05 μl/min) into the ventral hippocampus (VH), a structure known to be involved in cued fear conditioning and a target region of ventral tegmental area, substantia nigra, and locus coeruleus dopaminergic neurons. Intra-VH eticlopride or saline was directly infused into the VH immediately after conditioning concurrent to cocaine administration. Results from Experiment 2 suggest that the antagonism of VH D2 receptors may disrupt the impairing effects of cocaine on fear memory consolidation, suggesting the VH as a potential region mediating this effect. The present study provides evidence that acute cocaine administration impairs aversive memory formation and establishes a potential circuit through which cocaine induces its detrimental effects on fear memory consolidation. Moreover, these results provide insight into why cocaine users might engage in impulsive and risk-taking behavior that could lead to fatal consequences

The relationship between semantic and episodic memory: Exploring the effect of semantic neighbourhood density on episodic memory

Semantic and episodic memory have been traditionally conceptualized as distinct memory systems (Tulving, 1972). Recent research emphasizes that these systems are interdependent, and many studies have found that semantic memory influences episodic memory (Graham et al., 2000; Greenberg & Verfaellie, 2010; Takashima et al., 2014). This dissertation expands this area of research by examining a question that had not been explored to date. The main objective was to examine the influence of semantic neighbourhood density on explicit and implicit episodic memory. Semantic neighbourhood density is a measure that captures the degree of semantic relationship between words in semantic memory (Buchanan et al., 2001). This variable has been shown to influence language processing, but it has not been studied in the context of episodic memory (Buchanan et al., 2001; Danguecan & Buchanan, 2016). Four experiments were designed to explore the effect of semantic neighbourhood density on a variety of episodic memory tasks. The results indicate that high semantic neighbourhood density facilitates both explicit and implicit episodic memory. These findings contribute to our current understanding about the influence of semantic factors on episodic memory for words

Educating Nursing Staff on Evidence-Based Maternal Positioning to Promote Fetal Descent During the First and Second Stages of Labor

This project aims to educate labor and delivery nurses on evidence-based maternal labor positions that promote fetal descent in the first and second stages of labor. In a labor and delivery unit in the San Francisco Bay Area Silicon Valley region, there is a gap in nurse knowledge relating to labor positions. Evidence supports upright and flexible sacrum positions, along with frequent repositioning promotes shorter labor duration, decreased vaginal tearing, and decreased rate of cesarean section deliveries. A quality improvement project was conducted through education implementation using evidence-based practices utilizing a PDSA cycle for a semester. Educational content was created in the form of handouts, and a demonstration video. To assess the efficacy of this project\u27s educational impact, a pre-survey and post-survey was created and reached a 54% completion rate. The results of this project demonstrated an overall increase in nurse confidence, particularly in assisted squatting (131%), lunging (93%), and kneeling (74%). This project was limited in scope due in part to time constraints and nurse willingness to participate, however, results reinforce the need for continued nursing education and the role it has on increased nurse confidence in the labor and delivery unit

Ranking Interesting Changes in Correlation Coefficient Matrix Results from Varying Data Partitions in Causal Graphic Modeling

Problem In life we need to compare situations in order to select the best solution. The study in this paper is about analyzing data (variables), which is also called data mining. There are situations where it is not enough to compare variables among themselves at one specific moment. Sometimes it is necessary to compare the behavior of variables at different periods of time and know how they behave at different times in order to select the best arrangements for any situation. Method To find correlation among variables, traffic intersections were simulated so they could be compared, since the correlation coefficient matrix is normalized. This type of matrix was used to compare intersections in different time variances to find the most interesting information. By comparing each point from the first matrix with each point to the second matrix one can find the intersections that are busier and have a larger difference from the others. Also, two formulas were found to help find the most interesting correlations; in one of those I modified the harmonic mean formula to obtain a balance between two important details. Results By using these two new formulas the most interesting information between variables may be found, such as those that are the most popular or least popular (average value) and those that are very different from or very similar to each other (difference value) at different times. “Rank 1” is the value of the balance between the average and the difference, with values ranging between 0 and 0.6. A 0 means that those intersections have very low values in averages and differences, and 0.6 means the opposite. The formula “Rank 2” is based on assigning weight into the average and the difference categories. Once the formula is applied, the values would be between 0 and 1, where 0 will mean that their average or their difference is low, depending on which one was assigned more weight. A value of 1 would mean the opposite. The weight depends on what is needed for a specific situation. Conclusions By comparing two correlation coefficient matrices from any type of data in different time periods (since this type of matrix is already normalized) anybody can find out very interesting information for any situations where we need to know how different and popular any types of variables may be. Finally, the most interesting information may be identified by calculating the average or the difference between variables. As an example, these formulas were used to compare traffic intersections, and the result obtained was a rank with the most popular intersections to the less important intersections, which confirmed previously observed traffic patterns

Respuesta del perifiton de agua dulce al glifosato grado-técnico y dos formulados comerciales

El glifosato es el herbicida más utilizado a nivel mundial. Puede llegar a los cuerpos de agua y afectar a las comunidades microbianas. Comparamos los efectos del glifosato grado técnico y dos formulados comerciales sobre una comunidad periférica de agua dulce. Se llevó a cabo un experimento de laboratorio con cuatro tratamientos: glifosato ácido grado técnico, Glifosato II Atanor, Roundup Max, a una concentración de 3 mg de ingrediente activo/L, y un Control. A los 2, 5 y 9 días posteriores a la aplicación de los herbicidas se determinaron la concentración de pigmentos, peso seco, peso seco libre de cenizas y densidad algal del perifiton. Se registró un incremento de la abundancia de Cyanobacteria y una disminución de Chlorophyta y Bacillariophyta en todos los tratamientos con herbicida. Este efecto fue mayor con la adición de Roundup Max y Glifosato II Atanor, y fue menor con glifosato grado técnico, sugiriendo que los aditivos en los formulados comerciales pueden intensificar los efectos del glifosatoGlyphosate is the most widely used herbicide worldwide. It may reach water bodies and affect microbial communities. We compared the effects of two commercial formulations and technical-grade glyphosate on a freshwater periphytic community. A laboratory bioassay was carried out with four treatments: technical-grade glyphosate acid, Glifosato II Atanor, Roundup Max, at a concentration of 3 mg active ingredient/L, and Control. At 2, 5 and 9 days after herbicide application, pigments concentration, dry weight, ash-free dry weight, and periphytic algal density were determined. An increase of Cyanobacteria and a decrease of Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta abundances were registered in all treatments with the herbicide. This effect was greater when Roundup Max and Glifosato II Atanor® were added, and was lower with technical-grade glyphosate, suggesting that additives in the commercial formulations may enhance glyphosate effects.Fil: Gonzalez, Daniela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; ArgentinaFil: Juarez, Angela Beatriz. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Krug, Cecilia Pamela. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería Ambiental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Santos, Marina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial; ArgentinaFil: Vera, Maria Solange. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Gender Bias and Stereotypes in Medicine: A Medical Student Experience

Gender bias is a universal phenomenon that is strongly embedded in human society. Its omnipresence originates consequences that have a lasting structural impact. Despite social, scientific, and cultural changes, gender discrimination remains prevalent in the twenty-first century. In this paper, we describe a situation in which a medical student was discouraged by a professor when she expressed the professional path she intended to pursue in the future just because of her gender. In addition, we discuss possible solutions such as raising awareness, developing educational programs, increasing women representation, and addressing everyone’s needs. It is imperative that we, as a society, educate ourselves in identifying stereotypes and gender-biased situations to eliminate gender discrimination in science and in our systems