Neurobehavioral changes in people with post-stroke aphasia

At present, research on neurobehavioral disorders in people with post-stroke aphasia is scarce, especially in Spanish. The objective of this study is to design a new scale on neurobehavioral change, the Scale of Neurobehavioral Affectation in Aphasia (EANA, in Spanish) and to evaluate 14 people affected by chronic post-stroke aphasia (mean age: 51/ DT: 7.2) together with their main informants. At the same time, psychiatric (Neuropsychiatric Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Stroke Aphasic Depression Questionnaire), cognitive (Mini Mental State examination, Informer Test) and functional instruments (Stroke and Aphaisa Quality of Life Scale and Barthel Index) have been used to provide a multidimensional description of the affected persons. The results show statistically significant neurobehavioral changes in multiple domains. According to the EANA, those affected with post-stroke aphasia communicate with less frequently, show more introversion, shyness, dependence and apathy, behave in a more infantile manner ("makes me grimaces"), in addition to showing heightened anxiety and impulsivity. Finally, the informants report more aggressive acts, both verbal (insults) and physical (throwing objects, hitting both objects as persons), that did not occur before the stroke. According to the psychiatric instruments, many of the affected cope with anxiety, agitation and apathy, as well as mild depression. At a cognitive level, affected individuals show mild to moderate deficits, especially in working memory and temporal orientation. Functionally most individuals maintain a medium-high level of functional independence in daily activities. These findings support the inclusion of recommendations for the routine assessment and management of neurobehavioral changes to help optimize long-term recovery in people with stroke and aphasia.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Feasibility analysis of a sewage sludge treatment by an irradiation plant in Mexico

Technical and economic analyses of an irradiation plant for sewage sludge treatment determined that an appropriate place for the first sludge electron irradiator in Mexico would be the sewage water treatment plant located north of Toluca in the State of Mexico. This treatment plant is mainly used for domestic wastewater and produces an approximate volume of 70 ton d-1 liquid sewage sludge. Considering a 50 kW power of a 10 Mev electron linear accelerator, an irradiation dose of 5 kGy and a treatment capacity of 346 tons per day, it is estimated that the treatment cost would be of $9.00 US dollars per ton

Senior Thesis Art and Design Exhibition Opening Reception

Alison Andrews Mandala Paintings 4 paintings, 30 x 30 , Mixed Media on Panel Statement:I’ve been blessed with an extremely extensive travel log that exposed me to a broad scope of cultures, and more importantly, their art. A few years ago after returning from an especially inspiring trip to rural India, I began creating mandalas. At first these mandalas incorporated other classic Indian designs and patterns, similar to a henna tattoo. Overtime, I found solace in getting lost in creating mandala patterns and tuning out the rest of the world. Maggie Davila Cambio Animated Video Installation Statement:The nonlinear animation centers on themes of change and journey, accompanied by the song Where\u27d All the Time Go by Dr Dog. The work allows the viewer to be both experience and the observer, constantly alternating visual perspective. It allows for an intimate relationship to develop between the piece and the spectator inciting reflection on their own journey and metamorphosis. Michael Ensign Seven Portraits Ink drawings on bristol, 18 x 24 , black fabric. Statement: I primarily create art that explore divisions within race, gender, religion, and sexuality. By portraying uncomfortable subject matters, I aim to force people to reassess their outlook on these issues. In doing so, I hope to shape the future and inspire positive change. Kayla Mahoney Inspiration Quotes Installation of nine uniquely designed T-shirts screen printed with hand-drawn type. Statement: As an artist, I am as versatile and practical as possible. I create with clean lines and mechanical, technical elements, and yet there’s hand-made aesthetic that persists through out. The message I hope to spread is one of perseverance and kindness, especially to young adults during a particularly vulnerable time in their lives. Andrew McCollum Daimōnic Archival digital print of twelve pages from graphic novel. Statement:I am a craftsman of stories, illustrations, ideas, and mechanical devices. All of these things are brought to life through a combination of traditional and digital techniques, and an eclectic collection of knowledge and research. Jocelyn Moreno Bestiary Eight drawings, ink on Arches paper, 18 x 24 and 20 x 32 Statement: I’ve always admired novels that include pen illustrations, it gave the stories greater impact and gave me the opportunity to compare my vision. Now able to render my own vision, I have illustrated a series of imagined creatures in a dystopian setting, which are being studied by an alien anthropologist. Jasmine Randhawa Soda Tab Creatures Installation of DIY activity with recycled sodacan tabs. Statement: Through this thesis, I want to bring back the creativity that we often keep hidden inside of us. These Soda Tab Creatures are designed to help spark people\u27s imagination by creating a variety of characters and shapes using accessible materials and simple weaving techniques. Kyawt Thiri Nyunt Grandmother\u27s Home Animated Video Installation Statement: This work is about my grand mom’s backyard in the Suburbs of Yangon, Burma, a neighborhood by the river. The home was a traditional Burmese house all built in teak and surrounded by a beautiful garden. My favorite part was the backyard. There was a walkway that went down to a pond with “magic floating plants”. I would lay on them, watched tadpoles for hours, looked at the movement of clouds and birds that flew by. My grandmom moved from that place seven years ago. The last time I drove by the backyard, I saw no two beautiful ponds but a pool of contaminated water, polluted in all possible ways. No space left for the magic plants to grow. With the place, my memories are also slowly fading away

Pharmacokinetics of Echinocandins in Suspected Candida Peritonitis: a Potential Risk for Resistance.

A possible increase of Candida resistance, specially in C. glabrata, has been speculated according to a poor diffusion of echinocandins to peritoneal fluid. Peritoneal and serum concentrations of Caspofungin, micafungin and anidulafungin were analyzed in surgical patients with suspected candida peritonitis. After four days of starting therapy serum and peritoneal samples (through peritoneal drainage) were obtained at baseline, 1 h, 6 h, 12 h, and 24 h of drug administration. Micafungin and anidulafungin concentrations were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC/F), whereas caspofungin concentration were stablished by bioassay. A total of 23 critically ill patients with suspected abdominal fungal infection who were receiving an echinocandin were prospectively recruited. No specific criteria were applied to prescribe one specific echinocadin. No special clinical differences were observed among the 3 groups of patients. All were receiving antibiotic therapy, 80% required inotropic drugs and finally fungal peritonitis were confirmed in 74% of them. The AUC0_24h (mg*h/L) obtained in serum and peritoneal fluid were: 126.84 and 34.38; 98.52 and 18.83; and 66.9 and 8.78 for anidulafungin, micafungin and caspofungin, respectively. The median concentration in peritoneal fluid ranged from 0.66 to 1.82 μg/ml for anidulafungin, 0.68 to 0.88 μg/mL for micafungin and 0.21 to 0.46 μg/ml for caspofungin. The results show a moderate penetration of echinocandins into the peritoneal fluid in these patients. These levels are below the threshold of resistance mutant selection published by other authors. It could justify a potential risk of resistance in patients with prolonged treatments with echinocandins and suboptimal control of the abdominal infection.The study received funding from the “Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias” of the Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS PI 15/1536). The work was supported by Plan Nacional de I + D+i 2013-2016 and Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI RD16), and co-financed by European Development Regional Fund “A way to achieve Europe”, Operative program Intelligent Growth 2014-2020.S

Determinación de parámetros tecnológicos en curtición vegetal de piel de paiche (Arapaima gigas) con extracto de quebracho (Schinopsis balansae) y mimosa (Acacia dealbata) para el aprovechamiento industrial ambientalmente sostenible

La crianza de paiche en la Amazonía peruana produce suficiente materia prima para la elaboración de cuero a base de piel de pescado; sin embargo, estas pieles representan un problema de contaminación debido a su limitado aprovechamiento. En esta investigación, se resalta la relevancia de emplear procedimientos tanto mecánicos como químicos con el fin de obtener cuero de excelente calidad. Para llevar a cabo este proceso, se utilizaron diferentes concentraciones de quebracho y mimosa. El cuero de piel de paiche resultante fue resistente y moldeable, con una capacidad de resistencia a la flexión que excede las 30 000 flexiones sin deformación, mayor resistencia al desgarro en T1 (146.23 N) y T5 (143.12 N) y mayor tracción en T4 (16.62 N/mm2). Además, presentó un contenido de cenizas inferior al 1%, humedad inferior al 9% y óxido de cromo inferior al 1.5%. Se trataron además los efluentes generados durante el proceso, los cuales presentaron valores aceptables de pH, conductividad y DQO

Microtubule stabilization protects cognitive function and slows down the course of Alzheimer's like pathology in an amyloidogenic mouse model

Cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is highly related to synaptic dysfunction and neuronal loss. In AD, the hyperphosphorylation of tau compromises axonal transport and leads to the generation of dystrophic neurites, contributing to synaptic impairment. In addition to phospho-tau, AD brains accumulate amyloid-beta. This study evaluated the effect of the brain-penetrant microtubule-stabilizing agent, Epothilone D (EpoD) in the progression of the disease in a double transgenic mouse model of amyloidosis. Young APP/PS1 mice were weekly treated with intraperitoneal injections of EpoD (2 mg/kg) or vehicle solution for 3 months. Memory performance was tested using object-recognition tasks, Y-maze and Morris water maze. EpoD-treated mice improved their performance of cognitive tests, while hippocampal phospho-tau and Aβ levels, especially soluble oligomers, decreased significantly. β/γ-secretase activities were not affected by EpoD in vitro. A significant amelioration of synaptic/neuritic pathology was found. Remarkably, EpoD exerted a neuroprotective effect on SOM-interneurons, a highly AD-vulnerable GABAergic subpopulation. In conclusion, EpoD improved microtubule dynamics and axonal transport in an AD-like context, reducing tau and Abeta accumulation, and promoting neuronal and cognitive protection. These results underline the crosstalk between cytoskeleton pathology and proteinopathy. Therefore, microtubule-stabilizing drugs could be candidates for slowing AD progression at both tau and Aβ pathologies.Supported by PI18/01557 (to AG) and PI18/01556 (to JV) grants from ISCiii of Spain, co-financed by FEDER funds from European Union, CIBERNED collaborative grant (to AG and JV), and by PPIT.UMA.B1.2017/26 grant (to RSV). Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Magnetic signature of daily sampled urban atmospheric particles

Accepted versio

The Interplay of the Tree and StandLevel Processes Mediate DroughtInduced Forest Dieback: Evidence from Complementary Remote Sensing and Tree-Ring Approaches

Moreno-Fernández, D., Camarero, J.J., García, M. et al. The Interplay of the Tree and Stand-Level Processes Mediate Drought-Induced Forest Dieback: Evidence from Complementary Remote Sensing and Tree-Ring Approaches. Ecosystems 25, 1738-1753 (2022).Drought-induced forest dieback can lead to a tipping point in community dominance, but the coupled response at the tree and stand-level response has not been properly addressed. New spatially and temporally integrated monitoring approaches that target different biological organization levels are needed. Here, we compared the temporal responses of dendrochronological and spectral indices from 1984 to 2020 at both tree and stand levels, respectively, of a drought-prone Mediterranean Pinus pinea forest currently suffering strong dieback. We test the influence of climate on temporal patterns of tree radial growth, greenness and wetness spectral indices; and we address the influence of major drought episodes on resilience metrics. Tree-ring data and spectral indices followed different spatio-temporal patterns over the study period (1984?2020). Combined information from tree growth and spectral trajectories suggests that a reduction in tree density during the mid-1990s could have promoted tree growth and reduced dieback risk. Additionally, over the last decade, extreme and recurrent droughts have resulted in crown defoliation greater than 40% in most plots since 2019. We found that tree growth and the greenness spectral index were positively related to annual precipitation, while the wetness index was positively related to mean annual temperature. The response to drought, however, was stronger for tree growth than for spectral indices. Our study demonstrates the value of long-term retrospective multiscale analyses including tree and stand-level scales to disentangle mechanisms triggering and driving forest dieback.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y UniversidadesUniversidad de AlcaláMinisterio de Ciencia e InnovaciónComunidad de MadridUK Research and Innovatio

Limitaciones y barreras en el uso del condón en jóvenes universitarios de Cali, Colombia

Introducción: El condón es un método de prevención de las Infecciones de Transmisión Sexual (ITS) y del embarazo, sin embargo, su uso en jóvenes colombianos es bajo. Objetivo: Identificar las barreras y limitaciones individuales, culturales e institucionales, en el uso del condón en jóvenes universitarios. Materiales y métodos: Investigación cualitativa, con 4 grupos focales mixtos con jóvenes de 17 a 24 años. Se realizó codificación con el software ATLAS.TI y un análisis temático. Resultados: A nivel individual se evidencia baja intención de uso, la confianza en la pareja aleja el temor de una ITS y el embarazo es la principal preocupación que desplaza su uso por otro método anticonceptivo. A nivel cultural las relaciones de género refuerzan que la mujer es responsable de los anticonceptivos y el hombre del condón. A nivel institucional, las políticas y los servicios de salud limitan su acceso. La lógica mercantilista y el enfoque de riesgo limitan la distribución gratuita y masiva. Conclusiones: El reconocimiento de factores individuales y sociales que limitan el uso del condón, permite la promoción del cuidado de sí y del otro; además la orientación de estrategias para promover una adecuada atención en los servicios de Salud Sexual y Reproductiva