The Influence of Gene Environment Interaction on the Risk of Cognitive Impairment: Reducing Sexual Risk Behaviors and Alcohol Use in HIV-infected Adults

Memory deficits and executive dysfunction are highly prevalent among HIV-infected adults. These conditions can affect their quality of life, antiretroviral adherence, and HIV risk behaviors. Several factors have been suggested including the role of genetics in relation to HIV disease progression. This dissertation aimed to determine whether genetic differences in HIV-infected individuals were correlated with impaired memory, cognitive flexibility and executive function and whether cognitive decline moderated alcohol use and sexual transmission risk behaviors among HIV-infected alcohol abusers participating in an NIH-funded clinical trial comparing the efficacy of the adapted Holistic Health Recovery Program (HHRP-A) intervention to a Health Promotion Control (HPC) condition in reducing risk behaviors. A total of 267 individuals were genotyped for polymorphisms in the dopamine and serotonin gene systems. Results yielded significant associations for TPH2, GALM, DRD2 and DRD4 genetic variants with impaired executive function, cognitive flexibility and memory. SNPs TPH2 rs4570625 and DRD2 rs6277 showed a risk association with executive function (odds ratio = 2.5, p = .02; 3.6, p = .001). GALM rs6741892 was associated with impaired memory (odds ratio = 1.9, p = .006). At the six-month follow-up, HHRP-A participants were less likely to report trading sex for food, drugs and money (20.0%) and unprotected insertive or receptive oral (11.6%) or vaginal and/or anal sex (3.2%) than HPC participants (49.4%,

DRD2 and DRD4 genes related to cognitive deficits in HIV‑infected adults who abuse alcohol

Background HIV-infected individuals continue to experience neurocognitive deterioration despite virologically successful treatments. The causes of neurocognitive impairment are still unclear. However, several factors have been suggested including the role of genetics. There is evidence suggesting that neurocognitive impairment is heritable and individual differences in cognition are strongly driven by genetic variations. The contribution of genetic variants affecting the metabolism and activity of dopamine may influence these individual differences. Methods The present study explored the relationship between two candidate genes (DRD4 and DRD2) and neurocognitive performance in HIV-infected adults. A total of 267 HIV-infected adults were genotyped for polymorphisms, DRD4 48 bp-variable number tandem repeat (VNTR), DRD2 rs6277 and ANKK1 rs1800497. The Short Category (SCT), Color Trail (CTT) and Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Tests (ROCT) were used to measure executive function and memory. Results Results showed significant associations with the SNP rs6277 and impaired executive function (odds ratio = 3.3, 95 % CI 1.2–2.6; p = 0.004) and cognitive flexibility (odds ratio = 1.6, 95 % CI 2.0–5.7; p = 0.001). The results were further stratified by race and sex and significant results were seen in males (odds ratio = 3.5, 95 % CI 1.5–5.5; p = 0.008) and in African Americans (odds ratio = 3.1, 95 % CI 2.3–3.5; p = 0.01). Also, DRD4 VNTR 7-allele was significantly associated with executive dysfunction. Conclusion The study shows that genetically determined differences in the SNP rs6277 DRD2 gene and DRD4 48 bp VNTR may be risk factors for deficits in executive function and cognitive flexibility

Serotonin-Related Gene Polymorphisms and Asymptomatic Neurocognitive Impairment in HIV-Infected Alcohol Abusers

HIV-infected individuals continue to experience neurocognitive deterioration despite virologically successful treatments. While the cause remains unclear, evidence suggests that HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) may be associated with neurobehavioral dysfunction. Genetic variants have been explored to identify risk markers to determine neuropathogenesis of neurocognitive deterioration. Memory deficits and executive dysfunction are highly prevalent among HIV-infected adults. These conditions can affect their quality of life and HIV risk-taking behaviors. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the SLC6A4, TPH2, and GALM genes may affect the activity of serotonin and increase the risk of HAND. The present study explored the relationship between SLC6A4, TPH2, and GALM genes and neurocognitive impairment in HIV-infected alcohol abusers. A total of 267 individuals were genotyped for polymorphisms in SLC6A4 5-HTTLPR, TPH2 rs4570625, and GALM rs6741892. To assess neurocognitive functions, the Short Category and the Auditory Verbal Learning Tests were used. TPH2 SNP rs4570625 showed a significant association with executive function in African American males (odds ratio 4.8, 95% CI, 1.5–14.8; ). Similarly, GALM SNP rs6741892 showed an increased risk with African American males (odds ratio 2.4, 95% CI, 1.2–4.9; ). This study suggests that TPH2 rs4570625 and GALM rs6741892 polymorphisms may be risk factors for HAND

CONCEPTO INSEGURIDAD PARAGUAYA Y APLICACIÓN DE TECNOLOGÍA EN EL CONTROL DE INGRESO TECNOLÓGICO A ENTIDADES UNIVERSITARIAS.

Con esta investigación se pretende mostrar la necesidad de implementar la seguridad en el acceso a la comunidad universitaria con los sistemas tecnológicos Biométricos que integre tecnologías de última generación y reduzca los niveles de riesgo ante la inseguridad del país. Y la sensación de temor que se tiene, a pesar que estudios y estadísticas determinan a Paraguay como uno de los países más seguros. La Prevención vale más que mil actos ante la inseguridad por tanto al utilizar tecnologías biométrico como huella dactilar, reconocimiento facial o con tecnología NFC integrado personalizado obtiene un sistema con altos estándares de seguridad al validar información y controlar el acceso a las instituciones universitarias. El sistema se acomoda a las necesidades actuales para control de acceso de funcionarios y estudiantes en las instalaciones planteando un diseño que optimice, proteja y controle el ingreso a los institutos Universitarios como un sistema innovador de seguridad de bajo costo ya que actualmente son sistemas de vigilancia manual tanto para identificarse como para el acceso, mediante el carnet o recibo de pago ante un guarda de seguridad. Por último, al emplear las tecnologías anteriormente mencionadas se cuenta con un sistema rápido y ágil que permite optimizar el en tiempo y forma previniendo situaciones de riesgo.This research aims to show the need to implement security in the access to the university community with biometric technology systems that integrate cutting-edge technologies and reduce the levels of risk in the face of insecurity in the country. And the feeling of fear that is had, although studies and statistics determine Paraguay as one of the safest countries. Prevention is worth more than a thousand acts in the face of insecurity, therefore using biometric technologies such as fingerprints, facial recognition or personalized NFC technology. It obtains a system with high security standards by validating information and controlling access to university institutions. The system is adapted to the current needs for access control of officials and students in the facilities by proposing a design that optimizes, protects and controls the entrance to the University Institutes as an innovative low-cost security system since they are currently surveillance systems manual both for identification and for access, through the card or receipt of payment to a security guard. Finally, by employing the aforementioned technologies, we have a fast and agile system that allows us to optimize the system in time and manner, preventing risk situations

Influence of land use on chlorpyrifos and persistent organic pollutant levels in honey bees, bee bread and honey: Beehive exposure assessment

This work reports the spatial and temporal variations on the dynamics of OCPs, PCBs, PBDEs and chlorpyrifos in honey bee, bee bread and honey samples, as well as soil and flowers from the surrounding areas, considering, different land uses. Honey bee samples showed the highest pollutant levels, with a predominance of the industrial contaminants over pesticides. Chlorpyrifos showed the highest concentration during the application period in almost all samples from the soybean field (S2), in concordance with its current use. By other hand, the recalcitrant compounds such as, DDTs, BDE #47 and also light PCBs exhibited the highest levels in beehive samples from the field adjacent to urban disposal waste (S3). In both soils and flower samples a prevalence of obsolete compounds over chlorpyrifos was observed, and the 6-CB predominated among the homologous groups of PCBs These results highlights the importance of soils as sink of these persistent contaminants, which became available depending on environmental conditions. Results revealed that the land uses and seasonal variations have directly impacted on the levels of agrochemicals, PCBs and PBDEs found in the beehive matrixes. This survey provides novel evidence about the current situation of pollution on honey bee colonies under temperate climates and contributes to the knowledge of this poor studied topic in Argentina.Fil: Villalba, A.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Cs.exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones En Sanidad Produccion y Ambiente. - Comision de Investigaciones Cientificas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Investigaciones En Sanidad Produccion y Ambiente.; ArgentinaFil: Maggi, Matías Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Cs.exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones En Sanidad Produccion y Ambiente. - Comision de Investigaciones Cientificas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Investigaciones En Sanidad Produccion y Ambiente.; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Ondarza, Paola Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Szawarski, Nicolás. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Cs.exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones En Sanidad Produccion y Ambiente. - Comision de Investigaciones Cientificas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Investigaciones En Sanidad Produccion y Ambiente.; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Miglioranza, Karina Silvia Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentin

Las redes sociales como estrategia colaborativa para fortalecer la convivencia escolar en estudiantes de 9° en la I.E. Francisco José de Caldas

School coexistence refers to the human relationships that are established among members who are an active part of the educational community such as students, teachers, managers, parents, community etc. In an equality and respect context related to the rights and the differences. One of the main reasons to carry out this study is to improve the collaborative environments through the application of technological tools during the activities developed in the area of ethics and values among ninth grade students at Francisco Jose de Caldas School in the city of Soledad / Atlántico. Qualitative research is the selected approach for using in our study, it concerns on people improvement, in this particular case, on students coexistence, the development of new social skills and the acquisition of a better relationship development, it also feels interested in the context where they perform and some important features such as students’ target needs and learning needs. When talking about tools for gathering information, the qualitative approach expresses the importance of at least three instruments for collecting the data, the class observation, the questionnaires and the interviews, the ones used in our research study, respectively applied during the process.La convivencia escolar se refiere a las relaciones humanas que se establecen entre los miembros que son parte activa de la comunidad educativa tales como estudiantes, docentes, directivos, padres de familia, comunidad, entre otros enmarcado en un plano de igualdad y respeto con relación a sus derechos y diferencias. Por tal motivo, por medio de esta investigación se fortalecerán los valores y mejorarán los ambientes colaborativos a través del uso de las redes sociales como herramienta tecnológica durante las actividades académicas desarrolladas entre los estudiantes de noveno grado de la Institución Educativa Francisco José de Caldas del municipio de Soledad. La presente investigación se realizará bajo la modalidad de un enfoque cualitativo descriptivo en una población finita de estudiantes. Por lo cual, es necesario el uso de herramientas metodológicas, técnicas e instrumentos tales como encuestas a estudiantes, entrevistas a docentes y padres de familia y observación participante. Esta propuesta de investigación, se orienta a mitigar el impacto generado por comportamientos violentos y conflictos, los cuales generan con frecuencia la práctica de antivalores en el aula de clase, además de analizar el impacto de las TIC y el aprovechamiento pedagógico que tienen las redes sociales actualmente , además de reconocer la formación en valores como tarea inaplazable en los procesos educativos contemporáneos, lo cual permitirá que la población objeto de estudio de la presente propuesta dinamice la participación, disciplina, creatividad, reflexión, responsabilidad, compromiso y trabajo colaborativo, permitiendo que los estudiantes más innovadores, centrados, respetuosos de su realidad y de su entorno

Association between Sociodemographic Factors and Abuse by a Parent or Intimate Partner Violence among Haitian Women: A Population-Based Study

One in three Haitian women, and two in three Haitian children, experience physical abuse. This study aims to assess characteristics of abused Haitian women and identify effective sources of support. This cross-sectional study used multiple logistic regression models to analyze sociodemographic characteristics of Haitian women, associations with abuse-exposure from a parent/intimate partner (IPV)/any perpetrator, and impacts of seeking help for abuse, from police/doctors/family. About 9.1% experienced abuse by a parent, 8.6% from IPV. Women abused by a parent were less likely to be employed (OR = 0.74, [95% CI = 0.59–0.93]) and more likely to have an often-drunk partner (2.10, [1.54–2.87]). IPV-exposed women were more likely to have primary education (1.56, [1.12–2.16]), an often-drunk partner (3.07, [2.24–4.22]) and less likely to live rurally (0.65, [0.47–0.89]). Seeking help from own family for IPV exposure was strongly associated with having a job (2.00, [1.04–3.89]) (P for interaction = 0.039) and seeking help from partner’s family for IPV was strongly associated with having an often-drunk husband (8.80, [3.07–25.23]) (p for interaction <0.001). We recommend family-based interventions targeting men’s perceptions about abuse and their alcohol consumption, introducing programs/policies integrating women into the workforce, and havens for abuse victims to confidentially receive individualized support.S

MODELO DE DIAGNÓSTICO PARA MEDIR EL DESEMPEÑO FINANCIERO EN LAS COOPERATIVAS DE AHORRO Y CRÉDITO DEL ECUADOR

The objective of this research is to design a financial diagnostic model based on the CAMEL, PERLAS, COLAC methodologies and the research carried out by Alfaro published by the INCAE policy center to evaluate the financial performance of credit unions of Ecuador. For this purpose, a quantitative research was used through an empirical study of the 25 cooperatives that make up the No. 1 segment, applying the confirmatory factor analysis. Once the proposed model was obtained, its applicability was evaluated by measuring the financial performance in the selected cooperatives, obtaining as a result the ranking of these organizations. The result of the research is the design of the new model made up of 76 indicators distributed in ten categories, which will allow evaluating the financial performance and risks in the savings and credit cooperatives in Ecuador, minimizing their operating costs. On the other hand, a ranking of cooperatives adjusted to the reality of the Ecuadorian cooperative system was established. &nbsp;La presente investigación tiene como objetivo diseñar un modelo de diagnóstico financiero a partir de las metodologías CAMEL, PERLAS, COLAC y de la investigación realizada por&nbsp; Alfaro publicada por el centro de políticas&nbsp; del INCAE, para evaluar el desempeño financiero en las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito del Ecuador. Para el efecto se utilizó una investigación de tipo cuantitativo a través de un estudio empírico de las 25 cooperativas que conforman el segmento 1, aplicando el análisis factorial confirmatorio. Una vez que se obtuvo el modelo propuesto se evaluó su aplicabilidad midiendo el desempeño financiero en las cooperativas seleccionadas, obteniendo como resultado el ranking de estas organizaciones. El resultado de la investigación es el diseño del nuevo modelo conformado por 76 indicadores distribuidos en diez categorías, que permitirá evaluar el desempeño financiero y los riesgos en las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito en el Ecuador, minimizando sus costos operativos. Por otro lado se estableció un ranking de las cooperativas ajustado a la realidad del sistema cooperativo ecuatoriano

El modelo 1 a 1 en las Escuelas Secundarias. Un estudio a partir de la experiencia de las provincias de Entre Ríos, Formosa y Misiones. 16H362

En el Marco del Convenio de Cooperación, N° 375/12, suscripto entre la Universidad Nacional de Misiones, el Ministerio de Educación de la Nación y la Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos (OEI), el presente proyecto pretende conocer y analizar los cambios y/o continuidades que se estarían produciendo en las aulas, instituciones, sujetos y comunidades de las provincias de Entre Ríos, Formosa y Misiones, a partir de la implementación del Programa Conectar Igualdad. Programa que resulta ser uno de los principales pilares y referentes significativos de un nuevo perfil de política educativa, por parte de un estado nacional que asume su centralidad y responsabilidad como garante del derecho a la educación y la inclusión social, educativa y digital. Cuyo fin, en última instancia, es la revalorización de la escuela pública, a partir de la promoción de la inclusión digital y el mejoramiento de la calidad de la educación, garantizando el acceso y uso de las TIC’s en los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje

Early Fire Detection on Video Using LBP and Spread Ascending of Smoke

This paper proposes a methodology for early fire detection based on visual smoke characteristics such as movement, color, gray tones and dynamic texture, i.e., diverse but representative and discriminant characteristics, as well as its ascending expansion, which is sequentially processed to find the candidate smoke regions. Thus, once a region with movement is detected, the pixels inside it that are smoke color are estimated to obtain a more detailed description of the smoke candidate region. Next, to increase the system efficiency and reduce false alarms, each region is characterized using the local binary pattern, which analyzes its texture and classifies it by means of a multi-layer perceptron. Finally, the ascending expansion of the candidate region is analyzed and those smoke regions that maintain or increase their ascending growth over a time span are considered as a smoke regions, and an alarm is triggered. Evaluations were performed using two different classifiers, namely multi-Layer perceptron and the support vector machine, with a standard database smoke video. Evaluation results show that the proposed system provides fire detection accuracy of between 97.85% and 99.83%