Straight through my heart

Straight through my heart is an exhibition that explores the concept of heartbreak as a socio-political phenomenon. Through the affect of sadness the thesis analyses the way in which subjects are formed under cognitive capitalism. Paying particular interest to the collateral effects of neoliberal culture —hyper-stimulation, self-exploitation, competition, and obsession with productivity—and the pathologies they create —depression, anxiety, body aches, fatigue— this work shifts the burden of sadness from the individual to the community. By doing so it proposes heartbreak as a public feeling

In utero DDT and DDE exposure and obesity status of 7-year-old Mexican-American children in the CHAMACOS cohort.

BackgroundIn utero exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) has been hypothesized to increase risk of obesity later in life.ObjectivesThe Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study is a longitudinal birth cohort of low-income Latinas living in a California agricultural community. We examined the relation of in utero DDT and DDE exposure to child obesity at 7 years of age. We also examined the trend with age (2, 3.5, 5, and 7 years) in the exposure-obesity relation.MethodsWe included 270 children with o,p´-DDT, p,p´-DDT, and p,p´-DDE concentrations measured in maternal serum during pregnancy (nanograms per gram lipid) and complete 7-year follow-up data including weight (kilograms) and height (centimeters). Body mass index (BMI; kilograms per meter squared) was calculated and obesity was defined as ≥ 95th percentile on the sex-specific BMI-for-age Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000 growth charts.ResultsAt 7 years, 96 (35.6%) children were obese. A 10-fold increase in o,p´-DDT, p,p´-DDT, or p,p´-DDE, was nonsignificantly associated with increased odds (OR) of obesity [o,p´-DDT adjusted (adj-) OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.75, 1.82; p,p´-DDT adj-OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 0.81, 1.74; p,p´-DDE adj-OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 0.72, 2.06]. With increasing age at follow-up, we observed a significant trend toward a positive association between DDT and DDE exposure and odds of obesity.ConclusionWe did not find a significant positive relation between in utero DDT and DDE exposure and obesity status of 7-year-old children. However, given the observed trend with age, continued follow-up will be informative

DISSOLUTION BEHAVIOR OF CARBAMAZEPINE SUSPENSIONS USING THE USP DISSOLUTION APPARATUS 2 AND THE FLOW-THROUGH CELL METHOD WITH SIMULATED GI FLUIDS

Objective: To characterize the dissolution behaviour of carbamazepine generic suspensions using the USP Dissolution Apparatus 2 and the flow-through cell method with simulated gastrointestinal fluids as dissolution media.Methods: Tegretol® suspension and two generic formulations were tested. Dissolution studies were performed using the USP Apparatus 2 (75 rpm and 900 ml of dissolution medium) and the flow-through cell method (laminar flow at 16 ml/min). Simulated gastric fluid (SGF) (with and without pepsin) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) (without pancreatin) at 37.0±0.5 °C, was used as dissolution media. The quantity of dissolved carbamazepine was determined at 5 min intervals until reaching 60 min, at 285 nm. Percentage dissolved at 60 min, mean dissolution time, dissolution efficiency values (model-independent parameters), as well as t50% and t63.2% were calculated (model-dependent parameters). Values for all parameters were compared between the reference and generic formulations using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) following a Dunnett's multiple comparison test. Dissolution data were also fitted to different fit models.Results: Since the first sampling time, the reference product had reached 100% of drug dissolved, which was determined using USP Apparatus 2. Nevertheless, significant differences in the three model-independent parameters of generic products were found (*P<0.05). Dissolution data obtained with the paddle apparatus were fitted to different kinetic equations; however, using the flow-through cell method and SIF without pancreatin, the three drug products were fitted to the same kinetic model (Gompertz). With ANOVA-based comparisons and the flow-through cell method, significant differences were found in dissolution data of generic product A versus reference at all sampling times (*P<0.05). The flow-through cell method and SGF with pepsin were the best options to discriminate among dissolution profiles.Conclusion: The flow-through cell method seems to be an adequate dissolution apparatus to characterize in vitrodissolution performance of Class II drugs manufactured as suspensions. For carbamazepine suspensions, SGF and laminar flow at 16 ml/min were the most appropriate conditions to discriminate among generic formulations. Given the physicochemical characteristics of carbamazepine and the environment in which the drug products were tested, these differences could be of clinical relevance.Â

Landmark learning in a navigation task is not affected by the female rats' estrus cycle

In two experiments rats were required to escape from a circular pool by swimming to an invisible platform that was located in the same place relative to one configuration of two landmarks (X and Y). The two landmarks were placed relatively far and equidistant from the hidden platform. Training could be either on consecutive days (Experiment 1) or every fourth day (Experiment 2). Subsequent test trials, without the platform, revealed a preference for searching in the correct quadrant of the pool. In Experiment 1 such a test performance was identical in two groups of females, one tested with high hormonal levels (i.e., in the proestrus phase) and the second one tested with low hormonal levels (i.e., either in the estrus, metaestrus or diestrus phase); in addition, these two groups differed from a third group of male rats (i.e., males had a better performance than females). Experiment 2 replicated the females' previous results with a better procedure. The experiment compared the performance of two groups of female rats which were both trained and tested always in the same estrus phase, one group in the proestrus phase, and the second group in the estrus phase. The implication of these results is that the estrus cycle has little impact on the performance of female rats when landmark learning in a navigation task

Indoor positioning technologies for academic libraries: towards the smart library

Se presenta un caso de uso de la aplicación de tecnologías geoespaciales en una biblioteca universitaria. En concreto, se han desarrollado dos aplicaciones capaces de obtener la localización de los ejemplares buscados por los usuarios, una para dispositivos móviles con sistema operativo Android y la otra para su uso en navegadores web. Dichas aplicaciones permiten dibujar la ruta desde el punto en el que el usuario se sitúa hasta la estantería donde se encuentran los ejemplares, mejorando así la experiencia del usuario. Adicionalmente, el artículo investiga las posibilidades de aplicación de sistemas de información geográfica (SIG) y tecnologías geoespaciales para la mejora de los servicios ofrecidos por la biblioteca.This article is a case study of the application of geospatial technologies in an academic library. More specifically, two applications were developed to assist users in finding the location of books, one for Android mobile devices and the other for web browsers. These applications provide users with the ability to plot the path from the point where the user is located to the shelf where the items are found, thereby improving the user experience. Additionally, this article investigates the possibility of applying geographic information systems (GIS) and geospatial technologies to library services

Sampling rare trajectories using stochastic bridges

The numerical quantification of the statistics of rare events in stochastic processes is a challenging computational problem. We present a sampling method that constructs an ensemble of stochastic trajectories that are constrained to have fixed start and end points (so-called stochastic bridges). We then show that by carefully choosing a set of such bridges and assigning an appropriate statistical weight to each bridge, one can focus more processing power on the rare events of a target stochastic process while faithfully preserving the statistics of these rate trajectories. Further, we also compare the stochastic bridges produced using our method to the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) optimal paths of the target process, derived in the limit of low noise. We see that the paths produced using our method, encoding the full statistics of the process, collapse onto the WKB optimal path as the level of noise is reduced. We propose that our method can be used to judge the accuracy of the WKB approximation at finite levels of noise

Influence of Teaching Style on Physical Education Adolescents’ Motivation and Health-Related Lifestyle

According to various WHO reports in 2018, a large number of adolescents worldwide are either overweight or obese. This situation is the result of not following a healthy and balanced diet, combined with a lack of practice of physical activity. In this sense, Physical Education classes could help to solve the problem. The present study seeks to analyze the relationship between the role of the teacher in relation to the structural dimensions of the PE teaching environment and the basic psychological needs and self-motivation of adolescents as determinants of their behaviors related to eating habits and the practice of physical activity. A total of 1127 secondary school adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 participated in this study. Questionnaires were used: Perceived Autonomy Support Scale, Psychologically Controlling Teaching Scale, Basic Psychological Needs in Physical Education, Frustration of Psychological Needs in PE context, Physical Activity Class Satisfaction Questionnaire, Perceived Locus of Causality Revised, and WHO’s Global school-based student health survey. A structural equations model was elaborated to explain the causal relationships between the variables. The results showed that autonomy support positively predicted the three structural dimensions of PE classes, while, in contrast, they were negatively predicted by psychological control. The three structural dimensions positively predicted the satisfaction of psychological needs and negatively predicted the thwarting of psychological needs. Self-determined motivation was positively predicted by the satisfaction of psychological needs and negatively predicted by the thwarting of psychological needs. Finally, self-determined motivation positively predicted healthy eating habits and the practice of physical activity and negatively predicted unhealthy eating habits. Certainly, the results obtained in this study support the postulates of the self-determination theory, demonstrating the predictability of PE class context towards the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits, such as a proper diet and the regular practice of physical activity

Análisis de la resistencia de suelos arcillosos usando polvo de valvas de moluscos y vidrio molido en Huanchay – Huaraz 2020

Los suelos que están clasificados como arcilla, tienen una muy baja capacidad admisible del suelo y siendo de una calidad mínima, por tal motivo no están dentro de los estándares que se necesitan para que se elaboren proyectos en que se tiene que diseñar pavimentos. La alternativa de procedimiento seria optimizar las propiedades mecánicas del suelo, mejorándolos con materiales agregados. Las estructuras de pavimentos que se elaboran por encima del terreno de menor al 6% de capacidad admisible del suelo, tienen un alto costo ya que modelo solicita espesores de mayor dimensión. Posteriormente el tiempo con un nivel de servicio óptimo para la transpirabilidad será menor por problemas típicos de una estructura mal asentada, como serian hundimientos y asentamientos. El inconveniente añadido, en estos territorios no se ubican muy fácilmente depósitos de material de calidad para uso de pavimentos y sean suficiente para efectuar labores de mejoramiento del material donde se asentará el pavimento. Este trabajo de investigación plantea la utilización de la valva de molusco triturada, específicamente conchas de abanico, dicha utilización tiene como fin el mejorar o estabilizar el suelo de fundación que forma parte de la sub rasante, mediante estabilización mecánica del suelo

Effect of Organic Diet Intervention on Pesticide Exposures in Young Children Living in Low-Income Urban and Agricultural Communities.

BackgroundRecent organic diet intervention studies suggest that diet is a significant source of pesticide exposure in young children. These studies have focused on children living in suburban communities.ObjectivesWe aimed to determine whether consuming an organic diet reduced urinary pesticide metabolite concentrations in 40 Mexican-American children, 3-6 years of age, living in California urban and agricultural communities.MethodsIn 2006, we collected urine samples over 16 consecutive days from children who consumed conventionally grown food for 4 days, organic food for 7 days, and then conventionally grown food for 5 days. We measured 23 metabolites, reflecting potential exposure to organophosphorous (OP), pyrethroid, and other pesticides used in homes and agriculture. We used linear mixed-effects models to evaluate the effects of diet on urinary metabolite concentrations.ResultsFor six metabolites with detection frequencies > 50%, adjusted geometric mean concentrations during the organic phase were generally lower for all children, and were significant for total dialkylphosphates (DAPs) and dimethyl DAPs (DMs; metabolites of OP insecticides) and 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, a herbicide), with reductions of 40%, 49%, and 25%, respectively (p < 0.01). Chemical-specific metabolite concentrations for several OP pesticides, pyrethroids, and herbicides were either infrequently detected and/or not significantly affected by diet. Concentrations for most of the frequently detected metabolites were generally higher in Salinas compared with Oakland children, with DMs and metolachlor at or near significance (p = 0.06 and 0.03, respectively).ConclusionAn organic diet was significantly associated with reduced urinary concentrations of nonspecific dimethyl OP insecticide metabolites and the herbicide 2,4-D in children. Additional research is needed to clarify the relative importance of dietary and non-dietary sources of pesticide exposures to young children