Effects of highly active antiretroviral therapy with nelfinavir in vertically HIV-1 infected children: 3 years of follow-up. Long-term response to nelfinavir in children

BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral treatment (ART) in children has special features and consequently, results obtained from clinical trials with antiretroviral drugs in adults may not be representative of children. Nelfinavir (NFV) is an HIV-1 Protease Inhibitor (PI) which has become as one of the first choices of PI for ART in children. We studied during a 3-year follow-up period the effects of highly active antiretroviral therapy with nelfinavir in vertically HIV-1 infected children. METHODS: Forty-two vertically HIV-infected children on HAART with NFV were involved in a multicentre prospective study. The children were monitored at least every 3 months with physical examinations, and blood sample collection to measure viral load (VL) and CD4+ cell count. We performed a logistic regression analysis to determinate the odds ratio of baseline characteristics on therapeutic failure. RESULTS: Very important increase in CD4+ was observed and VL decreased quickly and it remained low during the follow-up study. Children with CD4+ <25% at baseline achieved CD4+ >25% at 9 months of follow-up. HIV-infected children who achieved undetectable viral load (uVL) were less than 40% in each visit during follow-up. Nevertheless, HIV-infected children with VL >5000 copies/ml were less than 50% during the follow-up study. Only baseline VL was an important factor to predict VL control during follow-up. Virological failure at defined end-point was confirmed in 30/42 patients. Along the whole of follow-up, 16/42 children stopped HAART with NFV. Baseline characteristics were not associated with therapeutic change. CONCLUSION: NFV is a safe drug with a good profile and able to achieve an adequate response in children

Com o diabo no corpo: os terríveis papagaios do Brasil colônia

Desde a Antiguidade, papagaios, periquitos e afins (Psittacidae) fascinaram os europeus por seu vivo colorido e uma notável capacidade de interação com seres humanos. A descoberta do Novo Mundo nada faria além de acrescentar novos elementos ao tráfico de animais exóticos há muito estabelecido pelos europeus com a África e o Oriente. Sem possuir grandes mamíferos, a América tropical participaria desse comércio com o que tinha de mais atrativo, essencialmente felinos, primatas e aves - em particular os papagaios, os quais eram embarcados em bom número. Contudo, a julgar pelos documentos do Brasil colônia, esses voláteis podiam inspirar muito pouca simpatia, pois nenhum outro animal - exceto as formigas - foi tantas vezes mencionado como praga para a agricultura. Além disso, alguns psitácidas mostravam-se tão loquazes que inspiravam a séria desconfiança de serem animais demoníacos ou possessos, pois só três classes de entidades - anjos, homens e demônios - possuíam o dom da palavra. Nos dias de hoje, vários representantes dos Psittacidae ainda constituem uma ameaça para a agricultura, enquanto os indivíduos muito faladores continuam despertando a suspeita de estarem possuídos pelo demônio. Transcendendo a mera curiosidade, essa crença exemplifica o quão intrincadas podem ser as relações do homem com o chamado “mundo natural”, revelando um universo mais amplo e multifacetado do que se poderia supor a princípio. Nesse sentido, a existência de aves capazes de falar torna essa relação ainda mais complexa e evidencia que as dificuldades de estabelecer o limite entre o animal e o humano se estendem além dos primatas e envolvem as mais inusitadas espécies zoológicas.Since ancient times, parrots and their allies (Psittacidae) have fascinated Europeans by their striking colors and notable ability to interact with human beings. The discovery of the New World added new species to the international exotic animal trade, which for many centuries had brought beasts to Europe from Africa and the Orient. Lacking large mammals, tropical America participated in this trade with its most appealing species, essentially felines, primates and birds - especially parrots - which were shipped in large numbers. It should be noted, however, that at times these birds were not well liked. In fact, according to documents from colonial Brazil, only the ants rank higher than parrots as the animals most often mentioned as agricultural pests. On the other hand, some of these birds were so chatty that people suspected them to be demonic or possessed animals, since only three classes of beings - angels, men and demons - have the ability to speak. Nowadays, several Psittacidae still constitute a threat to agriculture, and the suspicion that extremely talkative birds were demon possessed has also survived. More than a joke or a mere curiosity, this belief exemplifies how intricate man’s relationships with the “natural world” may be. In this sense, the existence of birds that are able to speak adds a further twist to these relationships, demonstrating that the problem of establishing a boundary between the animal and the human does not only involve primates, but also includes some unusual zoological species

Prediction of Adolescent Physical Self-Concept through Autonomous Motivation and Basic Psychological Needs in Spanish Physical Education Students

Framed within the theoretical support of the Self-determination Theory (SDT) this study aimed to analyze the relationship between the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, the self-determined motivation towards physical education, and the physical self-concept of Spanish teenagers. For this, 618 students, aged from 10 to 14 years-old (M = 11.62, SD = 0.94), participated in physical education classes. The Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale (PNSE), the dimensions of intrinsic motivation and identified motivation of the Perceived Locus of Causality Scale in physical education classes (PLOC), and the Physical Self-Concept Questionnaire (PSPP) were administered. A structural equation model and test confirmatory factor analysis were used. The results indicate a positive relationship between the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs of the students and the self-determined motivation towards physical education, with this being positively associated with the physical self-concept of the students. In addition, a prediction model (χ2 = 763.23; p &lt; 0.001; χ2/d.f. = 3.00; IFI = 0.91; CFI = 0.91; TLI = 0.90; RMSEA = 0.05) showed the satisfaction of basic psychological needs positively predicted their self-determined motivation towards physical education, and this, in turn, a greater physical self-concept of the students. The results are discussed centered on the importance of the physical education teacher contemplating experiences that work on the promotion of personal identity and student self-esteem through the improvement of quality motivation. Consequently, the greater importance of the physical self-concept of the students was explained thanks to more autonomous (intrinsic and identified regulation) motivation and higher levels of basic psychological needs (especially autonomy and competence)

New Model of Heteroasociative Min Memory Robust to Acquisition Noise

Associative memories in min and max algebra are of great interest for pattern recognition. One property of these is that they are one-shot, that is, in an attempt they converge to the solution without having to iterate. These memories have proven to be very efficient, but they manifest some weakness with mixed noise. If an appropriate kernel is not used, that is, a subset of the pattern to be recalled that is not affected by noise, memories fail noticeably. A possible problem for building kernels with sufficient conditions, using binary and gray-scale images, is not knowing how the noise is registered in these images. A solution to this problem is presented by analyzing the behavior of the acquisition noise. What is new about this analysis is that, noise can be mapped to a distance obtained by a distance transform. Furthermore, this analysis provides the basis for a new model of min heteroassociative memory that is robust to the acquisition/mixed noise. The proposed model is novel because min associative memories are typically inoperative to mixed noise. The new model of heteroassocitative memory obtains very interesting results with this type of noise

New Model of Heteroasociative Min Memory Robust to Acquisition Noise

Associative memories in min and max algebra are of great interest for pattern recognition. One property of these is that they are one-shot, that is, in an attempt they converge to the solution without having to iterate. These memories have proven to be very efficient, but they manifest some weakness with mixed noise. If an appropriate kernel is not used, that is, a subset of the pattern to be recalled that is not affected by noise, memories fail noticeably. A possible problem for building kernels with sufficient conditions, using binary and gray-scale images, is not knowing how the noise is registered in these images. A solution to this problem is presented by analyzing the behavior of the acquisition noise. What is new about this analysis is that, noise can be mapped to a distance obtained by a distance transform. Furthermore, this analysis provides the basis for a new model of min heteroassociative memory that is robust to the acquisition/mixed noise. The proposed model is novel because min associative memories are typically inoperative to mixed noise. The new model of heteroassocitative memory obtains very interesting results with this type of noise

Simultaneous polarization monitoring of the X-ray flash XRF080109/SN2008D and SN2007uy: isolating geometry from dust

9 pages, 3 tables, 2 figures.[Context] There is a general consensus that Long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), including X-ray Flashes (XRFs), are created by the explosion of massive stars. However little is still known about the geometry of such stellar explosions. In this paper we study the optical polarimetric properties of an XRF dominated by the associated hypernova, in other words, an XRF with no contaminating afterglow. The final scope of this study is to shed light on the still uncertain picture of the GRBs’ expansion geometry.[Aims] The main aim is to investigate the evolution of the linear optical polarization of the X-ray flash XRF 080109/SN 2008D. As a secondary product, we also report the polarization evolution of SN2007uy, and discuss the properties of the host galaxy interstellar medium (ISM) towards the XRF.[Methods] We present a V-band linear polarization monitoring campaign carried out for the X-ray flash XRF 080109/SN 2008D and SN2007uy, which shone for weeks contemporaneously in NGC2770. This fortunate coincidence brought us the opportunity to observe both objects simultaneously, and most importantly, with identical instrumental setups. The observations span 74.9 days, starting 3.6 days after the X-ray flash and are distributed in 11 visits. In addition we performed observations in the millimetre (mm) range in order to identify the dominant origin of the observed polarization.[Results] We report positive linear polarization detections at several epochs for XRF 080109/SN 2008 at a level of ∼1%. For SN2007uy the measured polarization is around ∼ 1.5%. In both cases the observed linear polarization seems dominated by the host galaxy interstellar polarization (HGIP), especially for the case of SN2007uy. Dust emission at 1.2 mm detected at and around the XRF position supports this scenario. Despite the dominant HGIP, a statistical analysis of the distribution of the XRF 080109/SN 2008D Stokes parametres suggests that it could show a possible intrinsic variable polarization component. Moreover we show that the temporal evolution of the intrinsic XRF 080109/SN 2008D polarization could be explained by an aspherical axisymmetric expansion with variable eccentricity, although other more complex geometric scenarios are also compatible. In contrast, the SN2007uy polarization could be described by the HGIP plus a constant eccentricity expansion on the plane of the sky. We suggest that at least the projected, if not the intrinsic, geometry of XRF 080109/SN 2008D and SN2007uy could be different.The research of JG, AJCT, MJ and IA is supported by the Spanish programmes ESP2005-07714-C03-03, AYA2004-01515, AYA2007- 67627-C03-03, AYA2008-03467/ESP and AYA2009-14000-C03-01. AdUP acknowledges support from an ESO fellowship. AR and SK acknowledge support by DFG Kl 766/11-3, PF and DAK by the Thüringer Landessternwarte. IA acknowledges support by an I3P contract with the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). The Dark Cosmology Centre is funded by the DNRF. The German-Spanish Astronomical Center, Calar Alto, is jointly operated by the MPIA Heidelberg and IAA (CSIC). IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain). The VLT data were acquired with target of opportunity programme 080.D-0008(A).Peer reviewe

À quoi sert aujourd'hui la psychologie sociale ?

Un ouvrage fait de quelques questions concrètes auxquelles des psychologues sociaux ont eu à répondre. Comment s'y prendre pour que des stagiaires s'engagent efficacement dans une formation ? Les conflits entre individus et groupes sont-ils nécessairement négatifs ? Pourquoi des opérateurs chevronnés commettent-ils plus d'erreurs que des débutants ? Quelles conséquences a le fait de se croire supérieur aux autres en matière de conduite automobile ? Quels effets cela a-t-il de s'estimer plus intelligent qu'une machine quand on dialogue avec elle ? Les jugements que nous portons sur la personnalité d'autrui sont-ils toujours fondés ? Y a-t-il des liens entre la vie professionnelle, familiale et sociale chez des personnes au chômage ? Pourquoi une grande entreprise publique connaît-elle une grave crise identitaire au moment de sa privatisation ? À quel groupe appartiennent fondamentalement les femmes-cadres : à celui des femmes ou à celui des cadres ? Certaines de ces questions ont été explicitement formulées comme telles par des entreprises, des collectivités publiques ou des associations. D'autres sont issues de préoccupations plus fondamentales. Mais dans tous les cas, les réponses apportées illustrent ce que peuvent être des applications de la psychologie sociale aujourd'hui

Characterization of Saharan dust ageing over the western Mediterranean Basin during a multi-intrusion event in June 2013 in the framework of the ADRIMED/ChArMEx campaign

International audienceIn the framework of the ChArMEx (Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr/) initiative, a field campaign took place in the western Mediterranean Basin between 10 June and 5 July 2013 within the ADRIMED (Aerosol Direct Radiative Impact on the regional climate in the MEDiterranean region) project. The scientific objectives of the campaign were the characterization of the different aerosol types found over the Mediterranean Sea and the calculation of their direct radiative forcing (column closure and regional scale). Two super-sites (Ersa, Corsica Island, France, and Lampedusa Island, Italy) were equipped with a complete set of instruments to measure in-situ aerosol physical, chemical and optical properties, as well as aerosol mixing state and vertical distribution and radiative fluxes. Four secondary sites were operated in Granada (Spain), Menorca Island (Spain), Rome (Italy) and Lecce (Italy). All sites were equipped with AERONET sunphotometers. The ground observations were supported by airborne measurements including 2 SAFIRE aircraft (ATR-42 equipped with in situ measurements (10 June – 5 July) and Falcon-20 (17 June – 5 July) with the LNG aerosol lidar) and sounding and drifting balloons launched by CNES from Menorca Island and carrying the LOAC particle counter/sizer (16 June – 4 July). Satellite products from MODIS, MSG/SEVIRI and CALIOP provided additional observations. In several occasions corresponding to aerosol loads of different types, the aircraft flew near EARLINET/ACTRIS (European Aerosol Research Lidar Network / Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research InfraStructure Network, http://www.actris.net/) lidar stations. This work is focused on a moderate multi-intrusion Saharan dust event occurred over the western Mediterranean Basin (WMB) during the period 14 – 27 June. The dust plumes were detected by the EARLINET stations of Granada, Barcelona, Naples, Potenza, Lecce and Serra la Nave (Sicily) and by the ChArMEx lidar stations of Menorca, Ersa and Lampedusa. The dust origin is chronologically identified from northern Morocco, center Algeria and center Tunisia. The multi-intrusion aspect of the event results in aerosol optical depth peaks higher in the eastern part of the WMB (maximum of 0.45 at 440 nm detected in Lecce) than in the western part of the WMB where the event starts (maximum of 0.29 at 440 nm detected in Granada). The spatio-temporal evolution of the plumes during their transport and the differences due to the different dust origins are investigated with multi-wavelength ground-based lidars, sun-photometers, the airborne lidar and balloon-borne aerosol counters