The effect of attentional focus cues on corticospinal excitability and neuromuscular efficiency during a sustained task

Attentional focus has been studied in the context of physical activity and sports as a form of feedback or instruction that aims to improve performance by directing a person's focus either externally or internally. Adopting an external focus (i.e., focus on goals and environment) has been shown to be beneficial to performance relative to an internal focus (i.e., focus on self and body movements) for a range of tasks. However, little is understood about the mechanisms underlying improved performance associated with external focus. Emerging neuroimaging studies have shown changes in brain activity relative to the direction of attention, and data from electromyography shows changes at the muscular level. To bridge the gap in knowledge between what is seen in the brain and the muscle during external and internal focus, we explored corticospinal excitability, which is the connection between brain and muscle and reflects the ability of the motor cortex to generate movement. Understanding the relationship between attentional focus and corticospinal excitability is important for advancing our understanding of basic neural mechanisms and informing the development of interventions aimed at improving motor function and physical performance in individuals

Gestión de Recursos Humanos : Mejoramiento del proceso de selección del personal en la Alcaldia Municipal del Crucero

La gestión de Recursos Humanos y el mejoramiento del proceso de selección del personal en una empresa consiste en la planeación, organización, el desarrollo, la coordinación y el control de técnicas capaces de promover el desempeño eficiente del personal en la medida en que la organización representa el medio que permita a las personas que colaboran en ella alcanzar los objetivos individuales relacionados directa o indirectamente con el trabajo. La administración de los recursos humanos busca construir y mantener un entorno de excelencia en la calidad para habilitar mejor la fuerza de trabajo en la consecución de los objetivos de calidad y de desempeño operativo de la empresa. El módulo de gestión de recursos humanos cubre otros aspectos de los RRHH, incluye menos particularidades legales y está más enfocado a una política de gestión, Los factores que influyen en y el comportamiento humano pueden ser internos y externos. Los factores externos están generados por el ambiente social en que se desenvuelve la persona tales como la familia, amistades y entorno laboral. Asimismo factores como el auto concepto, que es el sentimiento que una persona tiene de sí misma, y la autoestima, que es la forma en que una persona se valora a sí misma

Requirement of a Plasmid-Encoded Catalase for Survival of \u3cem\u3eRhizobium etli\u3c/em\u3e CFN42 in a Polyphenol-Rich Environment

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria collectively called rhizobia are adapted to live in polyphenol-rich environments. The mechanisms that allow these bacteria to overcome toxic concentrations of plant polyphenols have not been clearly elucidated. We used a crude extract of polyphenols released from the seed coat of the black bean to simulate a polyphenol-rich environment and analyze the response of the bean-nodulating strain Rhizobium etli CFN42. Our results showed that the viability of the wild type as well as that of derivative strains cured of plasmids p42a, p42b, p42c, and p42d or lacking 200 kb of plasmid p42e was not affected in this environment. In contrast, survival of the mutant lacking plasmid p42f was severely diminished. Complementation analysis revealed that the katG gene located on this plasmid, encoding the only catalase present in this bacterium, restored full resistance to testa polyphenols. Our results indicate that oxidation of polyphenols due to interaction with bacterial cells results in the production of a high quantity of H2O2, whose removal by the katG-encoded catalase plays a key role for cell survival in a polyphenol-rich environment

Exportación y competitividad del sector Agropecuario del Perú 2000 – 2014

El objetivo de la investigación fue determinar la relación entre la exportación y competitividad del sector agropecuario del Perú en el periodo 2000 – 2014. Desde el punto de vista metodológico, la investigación tiene un diseño no experimental y es de tipo descriptiva correlacional. Para analizar los datos se ha utilizado el método estadístico que consiste en organizar los datos a través de cuadros, presentar los datos a través de gráficos de línea, describir los datos a través de números estadísticos. Se obtuvo como principal conclusión que la relación que existe entre las exportaciones y la competitividad del sector agropecuario del Perú 2000 – 2014, es positiva

Perceptions of Adolescent Pregnancy Among Teenage Girls in Rakai, Uganda.

The leading causes of death and disability among Ugandan female adolescents aged 15 to 19 years are pregnancy complications, unsafe abortions, and childbirth. Despite these statistics, our understanding of how girls perceive adolescent pregnancy is limited. This qualitative study explored the social and contextual factors shaping the perceptions of adolescent pregnancy and childbirth among a sample of 12 currently pregnant and 14 never pregnant girls living in the rural Rakai District of Uganda. Interviews were conducted to elicit perceived risk factors for pregnancy, associated community attitudes, and personal opinions on adolescent pregnancy. Findings indicate that notions of adolescent pregnancy are primarily influenced by perceptions of control over getting pregnant and readiness for childbearing. Premarital pregnancy was perceived as negative whereas postmarital pregnancy was regarded as positive. Greater understanding of the individual and contextual factors influencing perceptions can aid in development of salient, culturally appropriate policies and programs to mitigate unintended adolescent pregnancies

Lead coprecipitation with iron oxyhydroxide nano-particles

Pb2+ and Fe3+ coprecipitation was studied with sorption edge measurements, desorption experiments, sorbent aging, High Resolution Transmission and Analytical Electron Microscopy (HR TEM–AEM), and geochemical modeling. Companion adsorption experiments were also conducted for comparison. The macroscopic chemical and near atomic scale HRTEM data supplemented our molecule scale analysis with EXAFS (Kelly et al., 2008). Coprecipitation of Pb2+ with ferric oxyhydroxides occurred at pH 4 and is more efficient than adsorption in removing Pb2+ from aqueous solutions at similar sorbate/sorbent ratios and pH. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) shows peaks of lepidocrocite and two additional broad peaks similar to fine particles of 2-line ferrihydrite (2LFh). HRTEM of the Pb–Fe coprecipitates shows a mixture of 2–6 nm diameter spheres and 8–20 by 200–300 nm needles, both uniformly distributed with Pb2+. Geochemical modeling shows that surface complexation models fit the experimental data of low Pb:Fe ratios when a high site density is used. Desorption experiments show that more Pb2+ was released from loaded sorbents collected from adsorption experiments than from Pb to Fe coprecipitates at dilute EDTA concentrations. Desorbed Pb2+ versus dissolved Fe3+ data show a linear relationship for coprecipitation (CPT) desorption experiments but a parabolic relationship for adsorption (ADS) experiments. Based on these results, we hypothesize that Pb2+ was first adsorbed onto the nanometer-sized, metastable, iron oxyhydrox- ide polymers of 2LFh with domain size of 2–3 nm. As these nano-particles assembled into larger particles, some Pb2+ was trapped in the iron oxyhydroxide structure and re-arranged to form solid solutions. Therefore, the CPT contact method pro- duced more efficient removal of Pb2+ than the adsorption contact method, and Pb2+ bound in CPT solids represent a more stable sequestration of Pb2+ in the environment than Pb2+ adsorbed on iron oxyhydroxide surfaces

Pediatric Feeding Disorder: Consensus Definition and Conceptual Framework

Pediatric feeding disorders (PFDs) lack a universally accepted definition. Feeding disorders require comprehensive assessment and treatment of 4 closely related, complementary domains (medical, psychosocial, and feeding skill-based systems and associated nutritional complications). Previous diagnostic paradigms have, however, typically defined feeding disorders using the lens of a single professional discipline and fail to characterize associated functional limitations that are critical to plan appropriate interventions and improve quality of life. Using the framework of the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health, a unifying diagnostic term is proposed: “Pediatric Feeding Disorder” (PFD), defined as impaired oral intake that is not age-appropriate, and is associated with medical, nutritional, feeding skill, and/or psychosocial dysfunction. By incorporating associated functional limitations, the proposed diagnostic criteria for PFD should enable practitioners and researchers to better characterize the needs of heterogeneous patient populations, facilitate inclusion of all relevant disciplines in treatment planning, and promote the use of common, precise, terminology necessary to advance clinical practice, research, and health-care policy

Automated Additive Construction (AAC) for Earth and Space Using In-situ Resources

Using Automated Additive Construction (AAC), low-fidelity large-scale compressive structures can be produced out of a wide variety of materials found in the environment. Compressionintensive structures need not utilize materials that have tight specifications for internal force management, meaning that the production of the building materials do not require costly methods for their preparation. Where a certain degree of surface roughness can be tolerated, lower-fidelity numerical control of deposited materials can provide a low-cost means for automating building processes, which can be utilized in remote or extreme environments on Earth or in Space. For space missions where every kilogram of mass must be lifted out of Earth’s gravity well, the promise of using in-situ materials for the construction of outposts, facilities, and installations could prove to be enabling if significant reduction of payload mass can be achieved. In a 2015 workshop sponsored by the Keck nstitute for Space Studies, on the topic of Three Dimensional (3D) Additive Construction For Space Using In-situ Resources, was conducted with additive construction experts from around the globe in attendance. The workshop explored disparate efforts, methods, and technologies and established a proposed framework for the field of Additive Construction Using In-situ Resources. This paper defines the field of Automated Additive Construction Using In-situ Resources, describes the state-of-the-art for various methods, establishes a vision for future efforts, identifies gaps in current technologies, explores investment opportunities, and proposes potential technology demonstration missions for terrestrial, International Space Station (ISS), lunar, deep space zero-gravity, and Mars environments

ONLINE MULTIMEDIA SCREEN TIME AND LEVEL OF HAPPINESS OF THE COLLEGE STUDENTS

Online multimedia is very popular in today’s generation. Many people are using different online multimedia platforms as a means to enjoy, study, and connect with other people around the world. This study sought to determine the online multimedia screen time and the level of happiness of the college students of Notre Dame of Midsayap College as well as the relationship between these two variables. The researchers used descriptive- correlational research design and purposive sampling technique in gathering data through a survey questionnaire administered to 50 respondents who are active users of different online multimedia. The findings of the study revealed that online multimedia screen time and level of happiness have a significant relationship. Furthermore, contrary to the findings of previous studies, this study suggests that if online multimedia screen time is increased, students’ level of happiness also increases.  Article visualizations

Genome wide association scan for chronic periodontitis implicates novel locus

Background: There is evidence for a genetic contribution to chronic periodontitis. In this study, we conducted a genome wide association study among 866 participants of the University of Pittsburgh Dental Registry and DNA Repository, whose periodontal diagnosis ranged from healthy (N = 767) to severe chronic periodontitis (N = 99).Methods: Genotypingi of over half-million single nucleotide polymorphisms was determined. Analyses were done twice, first in the complete dataset of all ethnicities, and second including only samples defined as self-reported Whites. From the top 100 results, twenty single nucleotide polymorphisms had consistent results in both analyses (borderline p-values ranging from 1E-05 to 1E-6) and were selected to be tested in two independent datasets derived from 1,460 individuals from Porto Alegre, and 359 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Meta-analyses of the Single nucleotide polymorphisms showing a trend for association in the independent dataset were performed.Results: The rs1477403 marker located on 16q22.3 showed suggestive association in the discovery phase and in the Porto Alegre dataset (p = 0.05). The meta-analysis suggested the less common allele decreases the risk of chronic periodontitis.Conclusions: Our data offer a clear hypothesis to be independently tested regarding the contribution of the 16q22.3 locus to chronic periodontitis. © 2014 Feng et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd