Propuesta para le mejora de la eficiencia del sistema de generación y distribución de vapor de caldera pirotubular en Industria de Alimentos, S. A.

Realizar una serie de propuestas para la mejora de la eficiencia del sistema de generación y distribución de vapor, así identificar los factores que están causando pérdidas de energía en el sistema de distribución y sus consecuencias e idientificar soluciones para las mismas

Comparative effectiveness of immediate antiretroviral therapy versus CD4-based initiation in HIV-positive individuals in high-income countries:observational cohort study

Background Recommendations have differed nationally and internationally with respect to the best time to start antiretroviral therapy (ART). We compared effectiveness of three strategies for initiation of ART in high-income countries for HIV-positive individuals who do not have AIDS: immediate initiation, initiation at a CD4 count less than 500 cells per mu L, and initiation at a CD4 count less than 350 cells per mu L. Methods We used data from the HIV-CAUSAL Collaboration of cohort studies in Europe and the USA. We included 55 826 individuals aged 18 years or older who were diagnosed with HIV-1 infection between January, 2000, and September, 2013, had not started ART, did not have AIDS, and had CD4 count and HIV-RNA viral load measurements within 6 months of HIV diagnosis. We estimated relative risks of death and of death or AIDS-defining illness, mean survival time, the proportion of individuals in need of ART, and the proportion of individuals with HIV-RNA viral load less than 50 copies per mL, as would have been recorded under each ART initiation strategy after 7 years of HIV diagnosis. We used the parametric g-formula to adjust for baseline and time-varying confounders. Findings Median CD4 count at diagnosis of HIV infection was 376 cells per mu L (IQR 222-551). Compared with immediate initiation, the estimated relative risk of death was 1.02 (95% CI 1.01-1.02) when ART was started at a CD4 count less than 500 cells per mu L, and 1.06 (1.04-1.08) with initiation at a CD4 count less than 350 cells per mu L. Corresponding estimates for death or AIDS-defining illness were 1.06 (1.06-1.07) and 1.20 (1.17-1.23), respectively. Compared with immediate initiation, the mean survival time at 7 years with a strategy of initiation at a CD4 count less than 500 cells per mu L was 2 days shorter (95% CI 1-2) and at a CD4 count less than 350 cells per mu L was 5 days shorter (4-6). 7 years after diagnosis of HIV, 100%, 98.7% (95% CI 98.6-98.7), and 92.6% (92.2-92.9) of individuals would have been in need of ART with immediate initiation, initiation at a CD4 count less than 500 cells per mu L, and initiation at a CD4 count less than 350 cells per mu L, respectively. Corresponding proportions of individuals with HIV-RNA viral load less than 50 copies per mL at 7 years were 87.3% (87.3-88.6), 87.4% (87.4-88.6), and 83.8% (83.6-84.9). Interpretation The benefits of immediate initiation of ART, such as prolonged survival and AIDS-free survival and increased virological suppression, were small in this high-income setting with relatively low CD4 count at HIV diagnosis. The estimated beneficial effect on AIDS is less than in recently reported randomised trials. Increasing rates of HIV testing might be as important as a policy of early initiation of ART

Relaciones entre aprensión y autoeficacia comunicativa en los estudiantes de contaduría en México

La contabilidad es una actividad íntimamente ligada a la comunicación. La relevancia de las capacidades comunicativas ha sido resaltada por gran número de instituciones académicas y profesionales con el apoyo de los resultados de la investigación, concluyendo que son esenciales para un adecuado desempeño de las tareas profesionales. Sin embargo, los esfuerzos educativos para su desarrollo no parecen tener éxito, debido, en parte, a la barrera que crea la aprensión comunicativa (CA). Una posible forma de aliviar esa barrera es mejorando las percepciones de autoeficacia en comunicación (CSE) de los estudiantes, dado el vínculo que existe entre autoeficacia y aprensión, constatado por la investigación. En esa línea, el propósito de este trabajo es investigar si el vínculo entre CA y CSE también está presente en estudiantes latinoamericanos de contabilidad, población en la que no se ha estudiado esta cuestión. Para ello se distribuyó en clase una batería de cuestionarios ya utilizados en la literatura a una muestra de alumnos iniciales de contabilidad de una universidad pública mexicana. Los resultados obtenidos, usando la misma metodología que los referentes internacionales arrojaron resultados muy similares de correlaciones negativas entre los puntajes CA y CSE. Por lo tanto, el patrón de relaciones no se ve afectado culturalmente, sino que está presente en estudiantes de diferentes contextos, lo que, como implicación, sugiere que las experiencias exitosas de mejora de la CSE y reducción de la CA podrían ser transferibles

Life cycle cost (LCC) and sustainability. Proposal of an IFC structure to implement LCC during the design stage of buildings

The role, the economic relevance and the impacts of the construction sector in the world demand, in today’s society, increasing requirements in terms of sustainability and efficiency. According to ISO 15686, the LCC (Life Cycle Cost) methodology is a useful technique that allows the evaluation of comparative costs during a specific period of time, taking into account all relevant economic factors, both in terms of initial capital costs and future operating costs. However, the integration of this powerful methodology into building design tools is still poor, limiting the ability of projects to optimize the costs of buildings during their life cycle. The emergence of IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) technology in the field of architecture, engineering and construction, helped the exchange of information at the design, construction, operation and maintenance stage of a project to be shared independently of the design tools that currently exist, based on a BIM (Building Information Modeling) model that can contain relevant data related to the project/built asset [25]. According to buildingSMART, IFC are the industry’s core classes (IfcDoor, IfcWindow, IfcBeam, etc.) that form the basis for globally recognized data exchange and interoperability. Therefore, this document presents a structured proposal for LCC to implement at IFC. The proposed structure has been developed based on the ISO 15686 standard, which contains the main costs according to the construction phases. With this proposal, it is expected to encourage the implementation of LCC during the design phase of the project in BIM, to achieve more economically efficient buildings

Effect of Curcumin on Oxidative Stress in a Model of Turpentine Induced Acute Experimental Inflammation

Curcumin, a natural phenolic compound is an anti-tumor agent with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. The aim of this research was to evaluate oxidative stress levels, the antioxidant activity and Curcumin concentrations by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in an acute experimental inflammation induced by Turpentine oil (intramuscular 0.6 mg kg-1 body weight) and to compare a prophylactic versus a therapeutic regimen of Curcumin (oral suspension of 150 mg Curcumin kg-1 rat weight). Sixteen adult male Wistar rats were assigned to four groups: Control, Group I (Curcumin only), Group II (Curcumin administration, then induced inflammation after 1 hour) and Group III (induced inflammation then Curcumin administration after 2 hours). Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring serum malondialdehide and carbonylated proteins, while systemic and local total antioxidant capacity was determined by ABTS. Local tissue changes (muscle, kidney, liver) were analysed using histopathology. Results showed that acute inflammation significantly increased lipid peroxidation in Groups II and III compared to Control and Group I. A significantly reduced total antioxidant capacity (ATBS) was present in serum and kidney in Group II, also in muscle and kidney in Group III. ABTS levels were significantly increased only in the liver tissue of the animals in Groups II and III with induced inflammation as compared to Group I. This study proved the potential of Curcumin in reducing oxidative stress in both prophylactic and therapeutic regimens

Laparoscopic versus open surgical treatment of umbilical hernia

Umbilical hernia is one of the types of ventral hernias of the abdominal wall and it represents the externalization of a part of the abdominal contents through a defect of the anterior abdominal wall located in the umbilical region. It is estimated that more than 20 million abdominal wall hernia surgeries are performed worldwide each year. The paper presents a retrospective study on the patients diagnosed with umbilical hernia and admitted to the First and Second Surgery Departments of the Sibiu County Emergency Clinical Hospital. The study includes 82 cases diagnosed with umbilical hernias over a period of 4 years, between 01.01.2017 and 31.12.2020. Open and laparoscopic surgical techniques are compared in terms of outcomes and postoperative complications. Most cases of umbilical hernia were within the age group 51-70 years, with a slightly higher incidence in males. Arterial hypertension and obesity were the most frequent comorbidities. The alloplastic, classic or laparoscopic procedure became the most widely used due to benefits such as: rapid socio-professional reintegration, short-term hospitalization and low incidence of relapses and postoperative complications. The current trend is for the IPOM laparoscopic procedure to become the gold standard in the treatment of umbilical hernias

Stabilization of Interdomain Interactions in G Protein α Subunits as a Determinant of Gαi Subtype Signaling Specificity

Highly homologous members of the Gαi family, Gαi1-3, have distinct tissue distributions and physiological functions, yet their biochemical and functional properties are very similar. We recently identified PDZ-RhoGEF (PRG) as a novel Gαi1 effector that is poorly activated by Gαi2. In a proteomic proximity labeling screen we observed a strong preference for Gαi1 relative to Gαi2 with respect to engagement of a broad range of potential targets. We investigated the mechanistic basis for this selectivity using PRG as a representative target. Substitution of either the helical domain (HD) from Gαi1 into Gαi2 or substitution of a single amino acid, A230 in Gαi2 with the corresponding D in Gαi1, largely rescues PRG activation and interactions with other potential Gαi targets. Molecular dynamics simulations combined with Bayesian network models revealed that in the GTP bound state, separation at the HD-Ras-like domain (RLD) interface is more pronounced in Gαi2 than Gαi1. Mutation of A230 to D in Gαi2 stabilizes HD-RLD interactions via ionic interactions with R145 in the HD which in turn modify the conformation of Switch III. These data support a model where D229 in Gαi1 interacts with R144 and stabilizes a network of interactions between HD and RLD to promote protein target recognition. The corresponding A230 in Gαi2 is unable to stabilize this network leading to an overall lower efficacy with respect to target interactions. This study reveals distinct mechanistic properties that could underly differential biological and physiological consequences of activation of Gαi1 or Gαi2 by G protein–coupled receptors

Stabilization of Interdomain Interactions in G Protein Α Subunits as a Determinant of Gαi Subtype Signaling Specificity

Highly homologous members of the Gαi family, Gαi1-3, have distinct tissue distributions and physiological functions, yet their biochemical and functional properties are very similar. We recently identified PDZ-RhoGEF (PRG) as a novel Gαi1 effector that is poorly activated by Gαi2. In a proteomic proximity labeling screen we observed a strong preference for Gαi1 relative to Gαi2 with respect to engagement of a broad range of potential targets. We investigated the mechanistic basis for this selectivity using PRG as a representative target. Substitution of either the helical domain (HD) from Gαi1 into Gαi2 or substitution of a single amino acid, A230 in Gαi2 with the corresponding D in Gαi1, largely rescues PRG activation and interactions with other potential Gαi targets. Molecular dynamics simulations combined with Bayesian network models revealed that in the GTP bound state, separation at the HD-Ras-like domain (RLD) interface is more pronounced in Gαi2 than Gαi1. Mutation of A230 to D in Gαi2 stabilizes HD-RLD interactions via ionic interactions with R145 in the HD which in turn modify the conformation of Switch III. These data support a model where D229 in Gαi1 interacts with R144 and stabilizes a network of interactions between HD and RLD to promote protein target recognition. The corresponding A230 in Gαi2 is unable to stabilize this network leading to an overall lower efficacy with respect to target interactions. This study reveals distinct mechanistic properties that could underly differential biological and physiological consequences of activation of Gαi1 or Gαi2 by G protein–coupled receptors

Adaptação do questionário de personalidade resistente na população mexicana

Introduction: The concept of hardy personality as proposed by Kobasa is defined by three dimensions, namely: commitment, control and challenge. Moreno-Jiménez et al. (2014) designed and validated the Hardy Personality Questionnaire (CPR) in Spanish workers and this instrument has been adapted and validated in different Latin American countries; however, in Mexico it has not been psychometrically validated.Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the adaptation of the CPR in Mexican adults.Methodology: A non-random sample of 357 adults who reported being healthy was used. The CPR was adapted to the way of facing daily life.Results: Three models were estimated in the confirmatory factor analysis. Among them, the one that showed better adjustment indexes was the trifactorial (control, involvement and challenge) with a second order factor (resistant personality), the internal consistency of the CPR was acceptable and the construct validity indicated positive correlations of the CPR dimensions with the positive variables and negative correlations with anxiety and social dysfunction variables.Conclusions: The results found indicate that CPR has satisfactory psychometric characteristics and can be used to measure hardy personality (challenge, control and involvement) in Mexican adults.Introducción: El concepto de personalidad resistente tal como lo propone Kobasa queda definido por tres dimensiones, a saber: compromiso, control y reto. Moreno-Jiménez y cols., (2014) diseñaron y validaron el Cuestionario de Personalidad Resistente (CPR) en trabajadores españoles y este instrumento se ha adaptado y validado en diferentes países latinoamericanos; sin embargo, en México no se validado psicométricamente. Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar las propiedades psicométricas de la adaptación del CPR en adultos mexicanos. Metodología: Se contó con una muestra no aleatoria de 357 adultos que reportaron estar sanos. Se adaptó el CPR a la forma de enfrentar la vida cotidiana. Resultados: En el análisis factorial confirmatorio se estimaron tres modelos, de ellos el que mostró mejores índices de ajuste fue el trifactorial (control, implicación y reto) con un factor de segundo orden (personalidad resistente), la consistencia interna del CPR fue aceptable y la validez de constructo indicó correlaciones positivas de las dimensiones del CPR con las variables positivas y correlaciones negativas con variables de ansiedad y disfunción social. Conclusiones: Los resultados encontrados indican que el CPR tiene características psicométricas satisfactorias y que puede utilizarse para medir personalidad resistente (reto, control e implicación) en adultos mexicanos.O conceito de personalidade resiliente proposto por Kobasa é definido por três dimensões, nomeadamente: compromisso, controlo e desafio. Moreno-Jiménez et al. (2014) conceberam e validaram o Questionário de Personalidade Resiliente (RQQ) em trabalhadores espanhóis e este instrumento foi adaptado e validado em diferentes países da América Latina; contudo, no México não foi psicometricamente validado.Objectivo: O objectivo deste estudo era analisar as propriedades psicométricas da adaptação da RCP em adultos mexicanos.Metodologia: Foi utilizada uma amostra não aleatória de 357 adultos que declararam ser saudáveis. A RCP foi adaptada à forma de enfrentar a vida quotidiana.Resultados: Três modelos foram estimados na análise dos factores de confirmação. Entre eles, o que mostrou melhores índices de ajustamento foi o trifactorial (controlo, envolvimento e desafio) com um factor de segunda ordem (personalidade resistente), a consistência interna da RCP foi aceitável e a validade da construção indicou correlações positivas das dimensões da RCP com as variáveis positivas e correlações negativas com as variáveis de ansiedade e disfunção social.Conclusões: Os resultados encontrados indicam que a RCP tem características psicométricas satisfatórias e pode ser utilizada para medir a personalidade resistente (desafio, controlo e envolvimento) em adultos mexicanos. &nbsp