SSCC TD: a serial and simultaneous configural-cue compound stimuli representation for temporal difference learning

This paper presents a novel representational framework for the Temporal Difference (TD) model of learning, which allows the computation of configural stimuli – cumulative compounds of stimuli that generate perceptual emergents known as configural cues. This Simultaneous and Serial Configural-cue Compound Stimuli Temporal Difference model (SSCC TD) can model both simultaneous and serial stimulus compounds, as well as compounds including the experimental context. This modification significantly broadens the range of phenomena which the TD paradigm can explain, and allows it to predict phenomena which traditional TD solutions cannot, particularly effects that depend on compound stimuli functioning as a whole, such as pattern learning and serial structural discriminations, and context-related effects

Auditoría gubernamental y su influencia en la gestión administrativa en el gobierno regional San Martín 2019 – 2020

La investigación tuvo como objetivo determinar la influencia de la auditoría gubernamental en la gestión administrativa en el Gobierno Regional San Martín 2019 – 2020. El tipo de investigación fue aplicada, con diseño no experimental de corte transversal – correlacional. La muestra estuvo integrada por el Jefe de la OCI, presupuesto y del área contable, para la recolección de datos, se aplicó guía de entrevista, lista de cotejo y guía de análisis documental. Los resultados demostraron que el 67% de las actividades no se cumplen, en vista que existe una inadecuada identificación y registro de todos los riesgos durante el proceso de control, así también una incorrecta elaboración, verificación y reporte de todas las evidencias y hallazgos, originando actividades con bajos índices entre ellos de reducción de la violencia de género, seguridad ciudadana, atención en salud con 29.30%, 11.40%, 26 respectivamente. Las actividades de promoción del trabajo formal, gestión institucional, oferta turística y calidad educativa presentaron índices mayores de 19.90%, 96.60%, 49% y 55.33% respectivamente. Concluimos que la auditoría gubernamental influye significativamente en la gestión administrativa en el Gobierno Regional San Martín 2019 – 2020

Lesiones bucales en un grupo de pacientes con trasplante renal

Objetivo: Determinar la prevalencia de lesiones de la mucosa bucal (LB) en un grupo de pacientes con trasplante renal (TR), y analizar las posibles asociaciones de las lesiones entre sí, con el uso de fármacos y con variables clínicas y de laboratorio relevantes. Metodología. Estudio transversal, en el que se examinó a pacientes consecutivos con TR de la consulta de nefrología de un hospital General de Zona del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. Se determinó la frecuencia y el tipo de lesiones bucales. Se analizaron las posibles asociaciones de las LB entre sí y con la cuenta de leucocitos totales, la función renal, el índice de higiene oral simplificado (IHO-S), los niveles de ciclosporina A (CsA) en sangre y el uso de nifedipina. Se utilizó un modelo de regresión logística para analizar la asociación entre hiperplasia gingival (HG) y la dosis de CsA y de nifedipina. Resultados. Se examinaron 50 (55.6%) hombres y 40 (44.4%) mujeres. El 60% de los pacientes presentaron al menos una lesión bucal. Se presentó candidosis bucal (CB) en 18.7%, lesiones clínicamente compatibles con leucoplasia vellosa (CLV) en 13%. Se identificó asociación entre la presencia de CB y CLV (P<0.05). Se encontró lengua saburral (LS) en 22% de los pacientes, e HG en 49%; Grado 1 en 11 (12.2%); Grado 2 en 26 (28.9%) y Grado 3 en 7 (7.8%). Los resultados de la regresión logística demostraron asociación de HG con mala higiene bucal (P<0.001), pero no con la dosis o los niveles de CsA, ni con el uso de nifedipina (P=0.075). Conclusión. El 60% de los pacientes con TR presentó al menos una lesión en la mucosa bucal. La asociación entre HG y mala higiene bucal demuestra la necesidad de supervisar la higiene bucal en el paciente trasplantado.Aim: To assess the prevalence of oral mucosa lesions (OL) in a group of kidney transplant (KT) patients, and analyze possible OL associations with one another and with drugs use and relevant clinical and laboratory variables. Methodology. Transversal study, in which consecutive KT patients from the nephrology outpatient service at a General Zonal Hospital were examined. The prevalence of several types of OL was assessed, and their possible statistical associations with one another and total leukocyte count, renal function, the simplified oral hygiene index (S-OHI), cyclosporin-A (CsA) dose and blood levels, and nifedipine use was analyzed. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between gingival hyperplasia (GH) and CsA dose and nifedipine use. Results. Fifty (55.6%) men and forty (44.4%) women were studied. Sixty percent of the patients had at least one OL. Oral candidiasis (OC) was found in 18.7%; 13% had lesions clinically compatible with hairy leukoplakia (CHL). An association was found between OC and CHL (P<0.05). Saburral tongue (ST) was found in 22% of the patients and gingival hyperplasia (GH) in 49%, which was distributed as follows: Grade 1 in 11 (12.2%); Grade 2 in 26 (28.9%), and Grade 3 in 7 (7.8%). Logistic regression results showed an association between GH and poor oral hygiene (P<0.001), but not to either CsA dose or blood levels, or nifedipine use (P=0.075). Conclusion. Sixty percent of the KT patients had at least one OL. The association between GH and poor oral hygiene corroborate the need for oral hygiene practices supervision in the transplant patient

Probiotics as a Possible Strategy for the Prevention and Treatment of Allergies. A Narrative Review

Allergies are an increasing global public health concern, especially for children and people living in urban environments. Allergies impair the quality of life of those who suffer from them, and for this reason, alternatives for the treatment of allergic diseases or reduction in their symptoms are being sought. The main objective of this study was to compile the studies carried out on probiotics as a possible therapy for allergies. The most studied allergies on which probiotics have been shown to have a beneficial effect are rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis. Most studies have studied the administration of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium spp. in children and have shown beneficial effects, such as a reduction in hyperreactivity and inflammation caused by allergens and a decrease in cytokine release, among other beneficial effects. In the case of children, no clear beneficial effects were found in several studies, and the potential risk from the use of some opportunistic bacteria, such as probiotics, seems controversial. In the studies that reported beneficial results, these effects were found to make allergy symptoms less aggressive, thus reducing morbidity in allergy sufferers. The different effects of the same probiotic bacteria on different patients seem to reinforce the idea that the efficacy of probiotics is dependent on the microbial species or strain, its derived metabolites and byproducts, and the gut microbiota eubiosis of the patient. This study is relevant in the context of allergic diseases, as it provides a broader understanding of new alternatives for the treatment of allergies, both in children, who are the main sufferers, and adults, showing that probiotics, in some cases, reduce the symptoms and severity of such diseasesThe authors thank the European Regional Development Funds (FEDER), grant ED431C 2018/05, and Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo (CyTED), grant PCI2018-093245, for covering the cost of publicationS

Vinculación entre usuarios, biblioteca y núcleos académicos en el uso de los recursos de información: una propuesta de alfabetismo informacional en la UNAM

In this paper we analize the role of the university library as a provider of quality information services that collaborate with the basic functions of the University and its commitment with society: teaching well prepared professionals in vast areas of knowledge who possess the capacity of acquiring all the new information that is produced in their field and in their working environment. Skills and abilities in the search and retrieval of information is a must in the formation of our students, if we want them to be immersed, not only in the informational context and in the new methodologies of information, but also in the steady process of scientific research that a good university education implies, process that any country needs for getting a sustainable development. Our proposal of informational literacy includes required application forms, interviews with professors and instructors of classroom courses, an interactive manual for the development of competence in the use of digital resources the university offers, and one on line course presenting the manual.Se analiza el rol de la biblioteca como prestadora de servicios de información de calidad que coadyuve en las funciones sustantivas de la universidad, y del compromiso que ésta tiene con la sociedad, en formar profesionistas sólidamente preparados en sus respectivas áreas de conocimiento y como poseedores de la información, que les permita una constante actualización en sus campos de conocimiento y en su entorno laboral. Los recursos y habilidades en la búsqueda y recuperación de información son herramientas que no debemos soslayar en la formación de nuestros educandos, para lograr una educación de altura en el contexto informacional y en las nuevas tecnologías de información, así como en el continuo proceso de la investigación científica que todo país requiere para su propio desarrollo. En este entorno la biblioteca debe constituirse como un bastión fundamental para este proceso de formación que haga posible a la Universidad cumplir sus fines de docencia, investigación y extensión de la cultura. La propuesta de alfabetismo informacional incluye: formato de solicitud y entrevista con docentes de cursos presenciales, manual interactivo para el desarrollo de competencias en el uso de los recursos digitales de la institución y curso en línea con las mismas temáticas

An extension of the Rescorla and Wagner Simulator for context conditioning

This paper introduces R&W Simulator version 4, which extends previous work by incorporating context simulation within standard Pavlovian designs. This addition allows the assessment of: (1) context–stimulus competition, by treating contextual cues as ordinary background stimuli present throughout the whole experimental session; (2) summation, by computing compound stimuli with contextual cues as an integrating feature, with and without the addition of specific configural cues; and (3) contingency effects in causal learning. These new functionalities broaden the range of experimental designs that the simulator is able to replicate, such as some recovery from extinction phenomena (e.g., renewal effects). In addition, the new version permits specifying probe trials among standard trials and extracting their values

Small vessel disease burden and functional brain connectivity in mild cognitive impairment

Background: The role of small vessel disease in the development of dementia is not yet completely understood. Functional brain connectivity has been shown to differ between individuals with and without cerebral small vessel disease. However, a comprehensive measure of small vessel disease quantifying the overall damage on the brain is not consistently used and studies using such measure in mild cognitive impairment individuals are missing.Method: Functional brain connectivity differences were analyzed between mild cognitive impairment individuals with absent or low (n = 34) and high (n = 34) small vessel disease burden using data from the Parelsnoer Institute, a Dutch multicenter study. Small vessel disease was characterized using an ordinal scale considering: lacunes, microbleeds, perivascular spaces in the basal ganglia, and white matter hyperintensities. Resting state functional MRI data using 3 Tesla scanners was analyzed with group-independent component analysis using the CONN toolbox.Results: Functional connectivity between areas of the cerebellum and between the cerebellum and the thalamus and caudate nucleus was higher in the absent or low small vessel disease group compared to the high small vessel disease group.Conclusion: These findings might suggest that functional connectivity of mild cognitive impairment individuals with low or absent small vessel disease burden is more intact than in mild cognitive impairment individuals with high small vessel disease. These brain areas are mainly responsible for motor, attentional and executive functions, domains which in previous studies were found to be mostly associated with small vessel disease markers. Our results support findings on the involvement of the cerebellum in cognitive functioning

Small vessel disease burden and functional brain connectivity in mild cognitive impairment

Background: The role of small vessel disease in the development of dementia is not yet completely understood. Functional brain connectivity has been shown to differ between individuals with and without cerebral small vessel disease. However, a comprehensive measure of small vessel disease quantifying the overall damage on the brain is not consistently used and studies using such measure in mild cognitive impairment individuals are missing.Method: Functional brain connectivity differences were analyzed between mild cognitive impairment individuals with absent or low (n = 34) and high (n = 34) small vessel disease burden using data from the Parelsnoer Institute, a Dutch multicenter study. Small vessel disease was characterized using an ordinal scale considering: lacunes, microbleeds, perivascular spaces in the basal ganglia, and white matter hyperintensities. Resting state functional MRI data using 3 Tesla scanners was analyzed with group-independent component analysis using the CONN toolbox.Results: Functional connectivity between areas of the cerebellum and between the cerebellum and the thalamus and caudate nucleus was higher in the absent or low small vessel disease group compared to the high small vessel disease group.Conclusion: These findings might suggest that functional connectivity of mild cognitive impairment individuals with low or absent small vessel disease burden is more intact than in mild cognitive impairment individuals with high small vessel disease. These brain areas are mainly responsible for motor, attentional and executive functions, domains which in previous studies were found to be mostly associated with small vessel disease markers. Our results support findings on the involvement of the cerebellum in cognitive functioning

Small vessel disease burden and functional brain connectivity in mild cognitive impairment

Background: The role of small vessel disease in the development of dementia is not yet completely understood. Functional brain connectivity has been shown to differ between individuals with and without cerebral small vessel disease. However, a comprehensive measure of small vessel disease quantifying the overall damage on the brain is not consistently used and studies using such measure in mild cognitive impairment individuals are missing. Method: Functional brain connectivity differences were analyzed between mild cognitive impairment individuals with absent or low (n = 34) and high (n = 34) small vessel disease burden using data from the Parelsnoer Institute, a Dutch multicenter study. Small vessel disease was characterized using an ordinal scale considering: lacunes, microbleeds, perivascular spaces in the basal ganglia, and white matter hyperintensities. Resting state functional MRI data using 3 Tesla scanners was analyzed with group-independent component analysis using the CONN toolbox. Results: Functional connectivity between areas of the cerebellum and between the cerebellum and the thalamus and caudate nucleus was higher in the absent or low small vessel disease group compared to the high small vessel disease group. Conclusion: These findings might suggest that functional connectivity of mild cognitive impairment individuals with low or absent small vessel disease burden is more intact than in mild cognitive impairment individuals with high small vessel disease. These brain areas are mainly responsible for motor, attentional and executive functions, domains which in previous studies were found to be mostly associated with small vessel disease markers. Our results support findings on the involvement of the cerebellum in cognitive functioning.</p