Operation of cognitive memory inhibition in adults with Down syndrome: Effects of maintenance load and material

Background Cognitive inhibition is one of the executive functions; this process over memory plays a fundamental role in recalling relevant information. The aims of this study were to understand the effects of maintenance load and stimuli on the operation of cognitive inhibition over memory in working memory tasks in adults with Down syndrome. Method The study included 36 individuals with Down syndrome (mean age = 33.44 years, standard deviation = 7.54 years, 50% women) and 36 individuals with neurotypical development (mean age = 33.55 years, standard deviation = 7.52 years, 50% women). The participants performed a working memory task in which they had to solve an interference problem during the maintenance phase. Results The Down syndrome group performed worse on cognitive inhibition over memory than the neurotypical development group. Both groups had lower recall with interference and under high-load conditions. In the neurotypical development group, memory was similar with both materials. The Down syndrome group performed better with non-social stimuli than with social stimuli. Conclusions Understanding the variables that influence cognitive inhibition over memory will help in planning effective interventions for people with Down syndrome. Considering the results, special importance should be placed on work with social stimuli, at least in individuals with Down syndrome.This work received funding from Autour des Williams, Code 10.06.01.0050 to JMLF and M

Afectación de la inhibición cognitiva sobre la memoria en personas con discapacidad intelectual: Un meta-análisis.

Background: Cognitive inhibition impairment is intimately related to the forgetfulness of relevant information. This meta-analysis aims to synthesise the evidence of impaired function of cognitive inhibition processes over memory in individuals with intellectual disability (ID). Method: Eleven studies were selected and analysed and included a total of 683 participants. The studies were categorised according to variables such as the task used, the processes involved, the sensory modalities and the method. Results: Despite the small sample of studies, the results revealed signifi cant diffi culties with cognitive memory inhibition (CMI) tasks in individuals with ID compared with typical development (TD) individuals (d = 0.62). CMI problems were found in all life stages except the 19-45- year-old stage. In this stage, there was a smaller amount of evidence even though it included the 31-40-year-old range, during which premature aging has been observed in ID. Conclusions: An impairment of CMI in people with ID was observed. More studies are needed to more reliably assess the potential moderating role of age and other factors.Antecedentes: la afectación de la inhibición cognitiva se encuentra íntimamente relacionada con el olvido de información relevante. Este meta-análisis tiene como objetivo conocer si los procesos de inhibición cognitiva sobre la memoria están afectados en personas con discapacidad intelectual (DI). Método: se seleccionaron y analizaron 11 estudios que incluyeron un total de 683 participantes. Los artículos fueron categorizados en función de la tarea utilizada, los procesos implicados, las modalidades sensoriales y el método. Resultados: a pesar del número de estudios, se observaron difi cultades signifi cativas en inhibición cognitiva sobre la memoria (ICM) en personas con DI, en comparación con personas con desarrollo típico (d = 0.62). Estas difi cultades se observaron en todas las etapas cronológicas, excepto de 19 a 45 años. En esta etapa, la evidencia fue escasa, a pesar de incluir el rango de los 31-40 años, donde se ha observado presencia de envejecimiento prematuro en personas con DI. Conclusiones: se observaron difi cultades en ICM en personas con DI. Se necesitan más estudios para evaluar de forma más exhaustiva el papel potencialmente moderador de la edad y de otros factores.Part of this work has been supported by “Autour des Williams”. Project “Inhibitory processes and memory mechanisms in adults with Williams syndrome: A neuropsychological and functional connectivity approach using magnetoencephalography”

Assessment of an educational intervention to improve healthy life habits in children living in vulnerable socioeconomic conditions

Producción CientíficaNutritional condition impacts academic performance and cognitive development. In Peru, the prevalence of chronic undernutrition in children is 6.9%, increasing the risk of mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to develop an educational intervention to achieve an improvement in the healthy habits of children in a primary education school in Lima who live in vulnerable socioeconomic conditions. We conducted a prospective quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test study of an educational intervention. The information was collected through the adaptation of the WHO questionnaire “Global School-based Student Health Survey” (GSHS), with anthropometric variables, socioeconomic level, hygiene and eating habits. One hundred eight students from 5 to 13 years old from Arenitas del Mar School in Lima (Peru) participated. The educational intervention improved eating habits. Fruit and vegetable consumption 3 or more times/day (50.9%) increased after the educational intervention (49% vs. 62.9%,) p < 0.0001. There was an improvement in hygiene habits, such as the frequency of handwashing with soap (32.4% vs. 63.9%) and the frequency of weekly bathing 4–6 times/week (25% vs. 47.5%) p < 0.0001. The educational intervention promoted better healthy living behaviors, eating habits and hygiene. This kind of initiative is a crucial tool to establish healthy living habits

Age-Related Effects in Working Memory Recognition Modulated by Retroactive Interference

One of the main causes for age-related declines in working memory is a higher vulnerability to retroactive interference due to a reduced ability to suppress irrelevant information. However, the underlying neural correlates remain to be established. Magnetoencephalography was used to investigate differential neural patterns in young and older adults performing an interference-based memory task with two experimental conditions, interrupting and distracting, during successful recognition. Behaviorally, both types of retroactive interference significantly impaired accuracy at recognition more in older adults than in young adults with the latter exhibiting greater disruptions by interrupters. Magnetoencephalography revealed the presence of differential age-related neural patterns. Specifically, time-modulated activations in temporo-occipital and superior parietal regions were higher in young adults compared with older adults for the interrupting condition. These results suggest that age-related deficits in inhibitory mechanisms that increase vulnerability to retroactive interference may be associated with neural under-recruitments in a high-interference task

Funciones atencionales de orientación espacial, alerta y control ejecutivo en personas con trastornos del espectro autista

The aim of this work was to study attentional functions of spatial orientation, alerting and executive control in individuals with autism spectrum disorders, based on Posner’s model of attentional networks (1978). To this purpose the Attention Network Test (Fan et al., 2002) was applied to a group of 10 individuals with Asperger syndrome and a group of 10 normally developing participants. The group of subjects with AS showed an atypical pattern regarding the efficiency of attentional networks, reaction times and total correct answers. Results are discussed as to attention functioning in individuals with autism spectrum disorders and the influence of facilitating factors on their performance.Este trabajo tiene como objetivo investigar las funciones atencionales de orientación espacial, alerta y control ejecutivo en personas con trastornos del espectro autista, basado en el modelo de redes atencionales de Posner (1978). Para ello se aplicó el Test de Redes Atencionales (Fan et al., 2002) a 10 participantes con síndrome de Asperger y 10 con desarrollo neurotípico. El grupo de personas con SA mostró alteraciones en la eficacia de las redes atencionales, en los tiempos de reacción y en el número de aciertos. Los resultados se discuten en relación con el funcionamiento atencional de las personas con trastorno del espectro autista y la influencia de los factores facilitadores sobre su rendimiento.

Impact of Nursing Methodology training sessions on completion of the Virginia Henderson assessment record

Producción CientíficaThe Virginia Henderson model, integrated in the computer application GACELA Care, helps to standardise the nursing assessment and establish precise and personalised nursing diagnoses. The aim was to determine the extent of completion of the initial patient assessment record after nurses following a training programme on nursing methodology. A quasi-experimental, retrospective, randomised, observational, single-group study was performed in two stages: pre-training and post-training. Voluntary training sessions were held for the nurses that work with GACELA Care. The completion of the initial patient assessment using the needs of Virginia Henderson and the Norton scale was evaluated before and after the training sessions. Completion of the needs of Virginia Henderson in the initial patient assessment increased from 94.2% to 100% (p = 0.014). Completion of “hygiene/skin” increased significantly from 83.3% to 95.8% (pre-training and post-training, respectively). The remaining needs did not show statistical significance. Recording of the Norton scale increased from 63.13% to 92.5% (p < 0.001). The training sessions on nursing methodology have improved the completion of records and inclusion of normal characteristics, defining characteristics and risk factors, and improving pressure ulcer risk assessment through the Norton scale

Occupational health of immigrant workers in Spain (ITSAL Project): key informants survey

Objetivo: Caracterizar colectivos de inmigrantes trabajadores en España y conocer sus condiciones de salud laboral mediante informantes clave. Método: Estudio cualitativo exploratorio-descriptivo con entrevistas en profundidad realizado en 2006. Se identificaron organizaciones, asociaciones y colectivos relacionados con la población inmigrante en Alicante, Barcelona, Huelva, Madrid y Valencia, y se seleccionaron los más accesibles y representativos. Se entrevistó a 43 informantes clave procedentes de 34 asociaciones u organismos. Se realizó un análisis narrativo del contenido. Resultados: Se señalan dificultades para el reconocimiento de los daños a la salud derivados del trabajo por las situaciones de irregularidad y precariedad, por resistencia por parte de los contratadores o las entidades aseguradoras, y por desconocimiento de los inmigrantes. Los informantes coinciden en que los riesgos laborales en los inmigrantes no difieren de los riesgos de los trabajadores autóctonos en similares circunstancias, pero los inmigrantes padecerían exposiciones más frecuentes e intensas por el acceso mayoritario a puestos menos cualificados y por la necesidad de prolongar las jornadas de trabajo. También se destaca su desconocimiento general en relación con los derechos de protección y de salud en el trabajo, aunque algunos informantes detectan un crecimiento de su actividad reivindicativa a través de los sindicatos. Conclusiones: Este primer acercamiento ha permitido definir algunos condicionantes generales que influirán en la salud laboral de los inmigrantes. La información obtenida servirá de base para profundizar, mediante técnicas adicionales de carácter cualitativo y cuantitativo, en los problemas de salud laboral de los inmigrantes trabajadores en España dentro del marco del Proyecto Inmigración, Trabajo y Salud (ITSAL), actualmente en desarrollo.Objective: To describe the characteristics, working conditions, and occupational health situation of immigrant workers in Spain through key informants. Method: We performed a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study using indepth interviews carried out in 2006. Organizations and associations working with immigrant collectives in Alicante, Barcelona, Huelva, Madrid and Valencia were identified and the most representative and accessible entities in each location were selected. Fortythree interviews were performed with key informants from 34 different organisms. A narrative content analysis was performed. Results: Informants described difficulties in having health problems recognized as workrelated, due to irregular and precarious employment, employers' and insurance companies' reluctance, and immigrants' lack of knowledge. Informants coincided in reporting that the occupational risks for immigrant workers did not differ from those affecting Spanish workers in the same occupations and circumstances. However, exposure to occupational risks was exacerbated in immigrants because of their greater presence in unqualified jobs and their economic need to prolong working hours. Immigrants had little knowledge of their occupational health and safetyrelated rights, although some informants detected an increase in empowerment in this area, mostly through greater participation in trade unions. Conclusions: This first step allowed us to identify some of the general factors influencing the health and safety of immigrant workers in Spain. This information will be used in a longterm, ongoing research project [Project Immigration, Work and Health (Proyecto Inmigración, Trabajo y Salud [ITSAL]), which aims to evaluate occupational health problems in inmigrants working in Spain through both qualitative and quantitative methods

Energy Refurbishment of an Office Building with Hybrid Photovoltaic System and Demand-Side Management

On-site photovoltaic (PV) and battery systems intend to improve buildings energy performance, however battery costs and monetary incentives are a major drawback for the introduction of these technologies into the electricity grids. This paper proposes an energy refurbishment of an office building based on multi-objective simulations. An innovative demand-side management approach is analyzed through the PV and battery control with the purpose of reducing grid power peaks and grid imported energy, as well as improving the project economy. Optimization results of load matching and grid interaction parameters, complemented with an economic analysis, are investigated in different scenarios. By means of battery use, the equivalent use of the grid connection is reduced by 12%, enhancing the grid interaction potential, and 10% of load matching rates can be increased. Project improvements indicate the grid connection capacity can be reduced by 13% and significant savings of up to 48% are achieved on yearly bills. The economy demonstrates the grid parity is only achieved for battery costs below 100  /kWh and the payback period is large: 28 years. In the case with only PV system, the grid parity achieves better outcomes and the payback time is reduced by a half, making this a more attractive option

A qualitative study about immigrant workers’ perceptions of their working conditions in Spain

Background: Spain has recently become an inward migration country. Little is known about the occupational health of immigrant workers. This study aimed to explore the perceptions that immigrant workers in Spain had of their working conditions. Methods: Qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study. Criterion sampling. Data collected between September 2006 and May 2007 through semi-structured focus groups and individual interviews, with a topic guide. One hundred and fifty-eight immigrant workers (90 men/68 women) from Colombia (n = 21), Morocco (n = 39), sub-Saharan Africa (n = 29), Romania (n = 44) and Ecuador (n = 25), who were authorised (documented) or unauthorised (undocumented) residents in five medium to large cities in Spain. Results: Participants described poor working conditions, low pay and health hazards. Perception of hazards appeared to be related to gender and job sector. Informants were highly segregated into jobs by sex, however, so this issue will need further exploration. Undocumented workers described poorer conditions than documented workers, which they attributed to their documentation status. Documented participants also felt vulnerable because of their immigrant status. Informants believed that deficient language skills, non-transferability of their education and training and, most of all, their immigrant status and economic need left them with little choice but to work under poor conditions. Conclusions: The occupational health needs of immigrant workers must be addressed at the job level, while improving the enforcement of existing health and safety regulations. The roles that documentation status and economic need played in these informants’ work experiences should be considered and how these may influence health outcomes.Garcia Garcia, Ana Maria, [email protected]

INNER NATURE: videoarte, naturaleza y contemplación

[EN] This paper presents the results of Inner Nature, an initiative launched in October 2014 within a wider cultural project organized by the Polytechnic University of Valencia and centred on the study of the relationship between art, nature and contemplation. Its objective is to investigate how a dialogue among video art, ecological thinking and contemplation can be established through an international exhibition enabling the largest possible dissemination of the works with a minimal environmental impact. The use of the video – since its origins a cheap and user-friendly device – creates a fundamental change in our relationship with the moving image, which becomes accessible, easy to edit and disseminate. Video art, influenced by this change, works as a strategy to investigate the image, searching for unconventional ways of seeing and showing. Therefore, working with the perception of time, it proposes a way of looking that questions its own origin and its relationship with the world. At the basis of the contemplative experience we can also find this change of approach that explores, from a new consciousness of time, a different relationship with the environment, allowing the revision of key issues in today’s reality like anthropocentrism, interdependence or empathy.[ES] Esta comunicación recoge los resultados del proyecto Inner Nature, iniciado en octubre de 2014 en el marco de unas Jornadas –organizadas en la UPV-, dedicadas al estudio de la relación entre arte, naturaleza y contemplación. El objetivo del proyecto es investigar de qué modo el videoarte puede dialogar con el pensamiento ecológico y la experiencia contemplativa, realizando una muestra internacional que posibilite la máxima difusión de los trabajos con el mínimo impacto medioambiental. La exhibición integra vídeos de artistas invitados y otros seleccionados mediante convocatoria pública. La itinerancia ha tenido lugar ya en Valencia, Salamanca y Jyaväsylaä (Finlandia) y próximamente también estará en Marnay-sur-Seine, (Francia) y Santiago de Chile. Vista la amplísima participación de artistas de muy distinta procedencia, además del interés demostrado por el público, los organizadores decidimos continuar con el proyecto anualmente para tratar en cada edición una cuestión más específica. Partiendo de un dispositivo –desde sus inicios- barato y fácil de manejar, se produce un cambio fundamental en nuestra relación con la imagen móvil que pasa a ser accesible, fácil de editar y difundir. El videoarte, influido por esa modificación de nuestra relación con la imagen, funciona como una forma de investigarla, buscando otras formas de ver y de mostrar distintas a las convencionales. Propone así, mediante un rotundo trabajo con el tiempo, un tipo de mirada que se pregunta por su origen y su relación con el mundo. En la base de la experiencia contemplativa se encuentra también este cambio de mirada que explora, desde otra conciencia del tiempo, una relación distinta con el entorno, permitiendo revisitar cuestiones centrales en la actualidad como el antropocentrismo, la interdependencia o la empatía. Las obras que componen Inner Nature reivindican ese acto de contemplar, explorando otros modos de conocimiento e invitando así al espectador a detenerse y re-pensar las imágenes.Rodríguez Mattalia, ML.; Albelda Raga, JL.; López De Frutos, E.; Sgaramella, C. (2015). INNER NATURE: videoarte, naturaleza y contemplación. En II CONGRESO INTERNACIONAL DE INVESTIGACIÓN EN ARTE VISUALES. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 620-627. https://doi.org/10.4995/ANIAV.2015.1266OCS62062