"I'm still here": adolescent social orphans in Colombian state care: the process of identity formation in the absence of permanency

There is an absence of research on the process of identity formation and the related sense of social belonging for adolescent social orphans, that is, those youth who live outside parental care despite the presence of at least one living biological parent. In addition, scant attention has been paid to how culture norms influence the experience of ambiguous loss. Yet this population of children is vast; UNICEF (2012) estimates a total of 151 million orphans worldwide of which at least 8 million languish in institutions (RELAF, 2010). Due to complex social conditions, approximately 40,000 children over the age of seven are under the protection of the Colombian government and of this number, 25,000 reside in institutions (RELAF, 2010). Informed by ambiguous loss and attachment theories, this qualitative study's primary aims were to: (1) understand how parental loss influences the social orphan's social construction of biological as well as psychological family; (2) make explicit the role of adult identity agents who participate in the process of the youth's identity formation; and (3) identify how these youth transitioning to adulthood perceive their futures. The data are derived from two in-depth interviews conducted in Spanish with thirty social orphans aged 14 and 19 residing in two Colombian institutions. Results revealed that, despite having histories of abuse, neglect and/or extreme hardship, the absent birth family is psychologically present for the majority of these youth and their future goals include reunification as well as economic support for biological family members. Findings also suggested that those youth who are able to identify available adults who possess the attributes of an identity agent, and can draw upon the emotional and instrumental resources they offer, are better able to navigate the process of identity formation and imagine futures that are replete with hope and success. From a practice perspective, the study's findings offer insights into strategies for the development of culturally informed models of clinical engagement with adolescent social orphans to improve post-institutional outcomes for those youth for whom the world, without the benefit of parental support, is fraught with challenges and increased risk for social disconnection

Decoding the Role of Gut-Microbiome in the Food Addiction Paradigm

Eating behaviour is characterised by a solid balance between homeostatic and hedonic regulatory mechanisms at the central level and highly influenced by peripheral signals. Among these signals, those generated by the gut microbiota have achieved relevance in recent years. Despite this complex regulation, under certain circumstances eating behaviour can be deregulated becoming addictive. Although there is still an ongoing debate about the food addiction concept, studies agree that patients with eating addictive behaviour present similar symptoms to those experienced by drug addicts, by affecting central areas involved in the control of motivated behaviour. In this context, this review tries to summarise the main data regarding the role of the gut microbiome in eating behaviour and how a gut dysbiosis can be responsible for a maladaptive behaviour such as “food addiction”Financial support from the Xunta de Galicia (Centro singular de investigación de Galicia accreditation 2019-2022- ED431G 2019/02) and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund-ERDF) is gratefully acknowledged. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBER) de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn) is an initiative of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) of Spain, which is supported by ERDF funds. MGN is recipient of “Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación” fellowship (IJCI-2017-32606) from Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, SpainS

Cdk1 inactivation terminates mitotic checkpoint surveillance and stabilizes kinetochore attachments in anaphase

Two mechanisms safeguard the bipolar attachment of chromosomes in mitosis. A correction mechanism destabilizes erroneous attachments that do not generate tension across sister kinetochores [1]. In response to unattached kinetochores, the mitotic checkpoint delays anaphase onset by inhibiting the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/CCdc20) [2]. Upon satisfaction of both pathways, the APC/CCdc20 elicits the degradation of securin and cyclin B [3]. This liberates separase triggering sister chromatid disjunction and inactivates cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) causing mitotic exit. How eukaryotic cells avoid the engagement of attachment monitoring mechanisms when sister chromatids split and tension is lost at anaphase is poorly understood [4]. Here we show that Cdk1 inactivation disables mitotic checkpoint surveillance at anaphase onset in human cells. Preventing cyclin B1 proteolysis at the time of sister chromatid disjunction destabilizes kinetochore-microtubule attachments and triggers the engagement of the mitotic checkpoint. As a consequence, mitotic checkpoint proteins accumulate at anaphase kinetochores, the APC/CCdc20 is inhibited, and securin reaccumulates. Conversely, acute pharmacological inhibition of Cdk1 abrogates the engagement and maintenance of the mitotic checkpoint upon microtubule depolymerization. We propose that the simultaneous destruction of securin and cyclin B elicited by the APC/CCdc20 couples chromosome segregation to the dissolution of attachment monitoring mechanisms during mitotic exit

Intelligent Garbage Classifier

IGC (Intelligent Garbage Classifier) is a system for visual classification and separation of solid waste products. Currently, an important part of the separation effort is based on manual work, from household separation to industrial waste management. Taking advantage of the technologies currently available, a system has been built that can analyze images from a camera and control a robot arm and conveyor belt to automatically separate different kinds of waste

Experiences of Volunteer Staff in Eldercare Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The exploitation of unpaid healthcare staff led to a volunteer flight from long-term residential facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. A literature gap existed on human resource policies to support volunteer eldercare workers who had remained at their posts and taken charge of work in long-term care facilities during the public health crisis. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry study was to explore how volunteers in eldercare facilities viewed their daily experiences and interpreted their role in eldercare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was framed by Garner and Garner’s theory of volunteer retention and Studer’s concept of volunteer management. Interview data were collected from nine volunteers working in eldercare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The critical event approach was the data analysis strategy, from which four conceptual categories emerged: (a) volunteer work in eldercare facilities during the pandemic, (b) the emotional toll on volunteers during the pandemic, (c) human resource managers supporting eldercare volunteers, and (d) volunteer voices on working in eldercare. The participants expressed hope that their voices would be heard to drive positive social change through human resource managers developing proper work conditions and organizational readiness for supporting volunteer staff during a public health crisis, improving the quality of life for older people in long-term care

FAKTOR- FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI PERILAKU MEROKOK PADA REMAJA PUTRA DI PONDOK PESANTREN (Studi Kasus di Wilayah Kerja Puskesmas Rowosari Kota Semarang)

Merokok merupakan salah satu masalah dunia kesehatan yang serius saat ini. Walaupun dampak yang ditimbulkan dari aktivitas merokok dapat menyebabkan kematian, namun aktivitas tersebut tetap membuat seseorang ketagihan.Berdasarkan hasil studi pendahuluan yang dilakukan didapatkan hasil bahwa Pondok Pesantren Sarochaniyyah, Pondok Pesantren Nurul Huda Azhudi dan Pondok Pesantren Al-Islah memiliki tingkat PHBS (Periaku Hidup Bersih dan Sehat) yang paling rendah diantara pondok pesantren lainnya di wilayah kerja Puskesmas Rowosari dimana salah satu indikator dari PHBS adalah tidak merokok. Tujuan penelitian mengetahui determinan (faktor – faktor yang mempengaruhi perilaku merokok pada remaja putra di Pondok Pesantren yang berada Wilayah kerja Puskesmas Rowosari Kota Semarang). Metode penelitian deskriptif analitik dengan metode kuantitatif dengan desain cross-sectional. Populasi berjumlah 61 santri yang berusia 15-18 tahun. Pengambilan sampel dengan metode total sampling. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan 90,2% dari 61 responden mengaku merupakan perokok aktif dan 9,8% responden lainnya mengaku tidak pernah melakukan aktifitas merokok. Variabel yang berhubungan dengan perilaku merokok adalah keterjangkauan akses untuk mendapatkan rokok (p- value= 0,048), keterjangkauan harga rokok (p- value= 0,000), akses informasi mengenai bahaya rokok (p- value= 0,090), peraturan pondok pesantren mengenai larangan merokok(p- value= 0,020), dukungan teman sebaya (p- value= 0,021) dan dukungan pengurus pondok pesantren (p- value= 0,048) Kata Kunci: Perilaku Merokok, Remaja, Pondok Pesantre

Elaboración de TFG, TFM e teses: claves para o éxito

O Plan Boloña foi un ciclón que veu a axitar a vida do estudantado: da noite para a mañá víronse na obriga de elaborar Traballos Fin de Grao e Fin de Mestrado que desen conta das súas capacidades investigadoras. Mais non había instrumentos para axudar a triunfar nesta esixencia. Este libro pretende cubrir ese oco en lingua galega. As súas achegas son contidos claros nacidos ao abeiro dunha filosofía práctica, que permita aplicar o aprendido cubrindo todas as fases de investigación (desde a escolla do tema á defensa oral). A idea fundamental deste manual é que a escritura científica constitúe un código concreto que se pode aprender e para dominalo cómpre adestrar. Estas páxinas ofrecen a estudantes, persoas investigadoras e persoal titor claves prácticas para artellar calquera traballo científico con sensatez e posibilidades de éxito de xeito sinxelo e accesible

Análisis de la influencia epigenética de los tratamientos de reproducción asistida en los resultados gestacionales y perinatales

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Obstetricia y Ginecología. Fecha de lectura: 30-04-201