Examining the Neural Activity of Self-Monitoring Using fNIRS

In social psychology, self-monitoring refers to the way in which individuals regulate the manner in which they present themselves to others. High self-monitors are those who are driven to fit in, and strategically adapt their presentation of self to cultivate a specific image of themselves. Low self-monitors are driven more by their personal values and are less likely to adjust their behaviors situationally. One component of self-monitoring is emotional regulation, where high self-monitors are more adept at regulating the presentation of their emotions, (e.g. concealing and faking them), than low self-monitors. We used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to study how brain activation differs in high and low self-monitors in a self-monitoring task. fNIRS uses two wavelengths of near-infrared light to measure cortical activity by detecting levels of oxygenated hemoglobin. Participants were asked to fill out a self-monitoring questionnaire to determine whether they are high or low self-monitors. Then, while monitoring neural activity with fNIRS, participants viewed a series of positive, neutral, and negative images while completing one of three self-monitoring tasks: inhibiting facial expressions, producing a facial expression consistent with the emotion elicited by the image, and producing an expression inconsistent with the emotion elicited by the image. High self-monitors, being more skilled at emotional regulation, are expected to have an easier time inhibiting facial expressions and producing inconsistent facial expressions in comparison to low self-monitors. We hope to determine the regions of the brain involved with self-monitoring, and to detect any differences between high and low self-monitors while performing this self-monitoring task

SISTEMA DE GESTIÓN DE LA INFORMACIÓN, EL CONOCIMIENTO Y LA INNOVACIÓN EN LOS MUNICIPIOS AVILEÑOS PARA EL LOGRO DE MAYOR EFICACIA EN LA TOMA DE DECISIONES EN EL DESARROLLO LOCAL

El presente trabajo se basa en diferentes planteamientos y el diagnóstico realizado en los municipios estudiados. Nos propusimos como objetivo: Diseñar indicadores que expresen la relación conocimientos-brecha, estratégica-innovación-impactos en el contexto de la formación y capacitación en las condiciones actuales de la Universidad Cubana en Ciego de Ávila, desarrollando y aplicando modelos novedosos de formación y desarrollo local sustentados en la gestión del conocimiento y la innovación

SISTEMA INFORMÁTICO DE APOYO AL CONTROL ESTRATÉGICO A TRAVÉS DEL CUADRO DE MANDO INTEGRAL EN LA UNIVERSIDAD DE CIEGO DE ÁVILA MÁXIMO GÓMEZ BÁEZ

Actualmente, numerosas empresas y organismos, entre los que se encuentra el Ministerio de Educación Superior y como parte de este la Universidad de Ciego de Ávila, han confrontado importantes transformaciones que tienen una profunda implicación en las organizaciones y especialmente, en sus sistemas de control, aplicándose sistemas de Planeación Estratégica en correspondencia con la política de la dirección del país, como vía para el perfeccionamiento de la dirección y la implementación de procesos de cambios organizacionales. El presente trabajo está orientado hacia la obtención y puesta en funcionamiento de un sistema informático de apoyo al Control Estratégico basándose en la filosofía del Cuadro de Mando Integral. La novedad del mismo radica en la no existencia en Cuba de un sistema de este tipo, específicamente para la gestión universitaria.

Autonomous strategies for the production of argumentative texts in the Peruvian jungle

The objective of this research was to analyze the autonomous strategies for the production of argumentative texts used by elementary school students from an educational institution in the Peruvian jungle, according to the subcategories metacognitive strategies and self-regulation strategies. The methodology is of qualitative approach, with the hermeneutic work method. The informants were 14 students. The technique was the interview where an unstructured interview guide was applied. The results show that most of the students used autonomous strategies for the production of argumentative texts, being the most prevalent those of organization and planning, information search via the Internet, underlining and summarizing. Conclusions: the autonomous strategies for the production of argumentative texts used by primary school students of an educational institution in the Peruvian jungle are in the categories of meta-cognition and self-regulation

INSTRUMENTOS PARA EVALUAR LA CALIDAD EN CONDICIONES DE UNIVERSALIZACIÓN Y SU IMPACTO EN EL DESARROLLO LOCAL

El surgimiento de la universalización y el progreso de la evaluación y acreditación de la calidad de la educación superior, tanto en lo nacional como en lo regional, evidencia la necesidad de crear instrumentos que garanticen medir con rigor la calidad de los procesos, y en particular, la formación de profesionales en los municipios, teniendo en cuenta, además, las transformaciones que se pretenden lograr en el entorno en condiciones de lamunicipalización de la enseñanza superior, dinamizando la gestión del conocimiento para el desarrollo local. En el presente trabajo, se sintetiza un grupo de coeficientes que evalúan la dinámica del conocimiento universitario y su vínculo con el desarrollo local, utilizando a la vez los estándares establecidos e instrumentos utilizados por el Sistema Nacional de Evaluación

Demonstration of the event identification capabilities of the NEXT-White detector

In experiments searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay, the possibility of identifying the two emitted electrons is a powerful tool in rejecting background events and therefore improving the overall sensitivity of the experiment. In this paper we present the first measurement of the efficiency of a cut based on the different event signatures of double and single electron tracks, using the data of the NEXT-White detector, the first detector of the NEXT experiment operating underground. Using a 228Th calibration source to produce signal-like and background-like events with energies near 1.6 MeV, a signal efficiency of 71.6 ± 1.5 stat± 0.3 sys% for a background acceptance of 20.6 ± 0.4 stat± 0.3 sys% is found, in good agreement with Monte Carlo simulations. An extrapolation to the energy region of the neutrinoless double beta decay by means of Monte Carlo simulations is also carried out, and the results obtained show an improvement in background rejection over those obtained at lower energies. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Radiogenic backgrounds in the NEXT double beta decay experiment

Natural radioactivity represents one of the main backgrounds in the search for neutrinoless double beta decay. Within the NEXT physics program, the radioactivity- induced backgrounds are measured with the NEXT-White detector. Data from 37.9 days of low-background operations at the Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc with xenon depleted in 136Xe are analyzed to derive a total background rate of (0.84±0.02) mHz above 1000 keV. The comparison of data samples with and without the use of the radon abatement system demonstrates that the contribution of airborne-Rn is negligible. A radiogenic background model is built upon the extensive radiopurity screening campaign conducted by the NEXT collaboration. A spectral fit to this model yields the specific contributions of 60Co, 40K, 214Bi and 208Tl to the total background rate, as well as their location in the detector volumes. The results are used to evaluate the impact of the radiogenic backgrounds in the double beta decay analyses, after the application of topological cuts that reduce the total rate to (0.25±0.01) mHz. Based on the best-fit background model, the NEXT-White median sensitivity to the two-neutrino double beta decay is found to be 3.5σ after 1 year of data taking. The background measurement in a Qββ±100 keV energy window validates the best-fit background model also for the neutrinoless double beta decay search with NEXT-100. Only one event is found, while the model expectation is (0.75±0.12) events. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Energy calibration of the NEXT-White detector with 1% resolution near Q ββ of 136Xe

Excellent energy resolution is one of the primary advantages of electroluminescent high-pressure xenon TPCs. These detectors are promising tools in searching for rare physics events, such as neutrinoless double-beta decay (ββ0ν), which require precise energy measurements. Using the NEXT-White detector, developed by the NEXT (Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC) collaboration, we show for the first time that an energy resolution of 1% FWHM can be achieved at 2.6 MeV, establishing the present technology as the one with the best energy resolution of all xenon detectors for ββ0ν searches. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Indução da atividade fagocitária e produção de óxido nítrico numa população natural de Trypanosoma cruzi I e II do Estado do Paraná, Brasil

Twelve strains of Trypanosoma cruzi isolated from wild reservoirs, triatomines, and chronic chagasic patients in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil, and classified as T. cruzi I and II, were used to test the correlation between genetic and biological diversity. The Phagocytic Index (PI) and nitric-oxide (NO) production in vitro were used as biological parameters. The PI of the T. cruzi I and II strains did not differ significantly, nor did the PI of the T. cruzi strains isolated from humans, triatomines, or wild reservoirs. There was a statistical difference in the inhibition of NO production between T. cruzi I and II and between parasites isolated from humans and the strains isolated from triatomines and wild reservoirs, but there was no correlation between genetics and biology when the strains were analyzed independently of the lineages or hosts from which the strains were isolated. There were significant correlations for Randomly Amplified Polymorphic Deoxyribonucleic acid (RAPD) and biological parameters for T. cruzi I and II, and for humans or wild reservoirs when the lineages or hosts were considered individually.Doze cepas de Trypanosoma cruzi isoladas de reservatórios silvestres, triatomíneos e de pacientes chagásicos crônicos do Estado do Paraná, Brasil, classificadas como Tc I e II foram usadas para avaliar a correlação entre genética e diversidade biológica. Índice fagocítico (IF) e produção de óxido nítrico (ON) in vitro foram os parâmetros biológicos utilizados. O IF de cepas T. cruzi I e II não diferiram significativamente assim como o IF de cepas isoladas de humanos, triatomíneos ou de reservatórios silvestres. Há diferença estatística na inibição da produção de ON entre T. cruzi I e II e entre parasitos isolados de humanos e de cepas isoladas de triatomíneos e reservatórios silvestres, mas não foi observada correlação entre genética e biologia quando as cepas foram analisadas independentemente da linhagem ou hospedeiros das quais elas foram isoladas. Observou-se correlação significativa para amplificação aleatória do DNA polimórfico e parâmetros biológicos de Tc I ou II e para os seres humanos ou reservatório silvestre quando linhagens ou hospedeiros são consideradas separadamente