Educating Children on the Benefits of Physical Activity

The increased use of technology has lead to a decrease in physical activity engagement by elementary aged children, and children are often unaware of how a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of childhood diseases and illnesses, such as obesity and diabetes. In order to increase understanding about the importance of physical activity, I designed a two-day curriculum on the benefits of physical activity and presented it to a class of third grade students at Natividad Elementary School in Salinas, California

The El Sitio cultural project

Centro para jóvenes artistas plásticos y de las artes escénicas con el objetivo de difundir la cultura y las artes además de estimular la participación de las personas en la vida comunitaria y la capacitación en expresión artística para niños y jóvenes

The Roles and Regulation of the Redundant Phenazine Biosynthetic Operons in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14

The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been well studied for its ability to cause nosocomial infections in immunocompromised patients. However, its pathogenicity is only one aspect of the biology that makes this bacterium one of the most versatile of its genus. Since its first description in 1885, P. aeruginosa has been known to produce colorful, small molecules called phenazines. These redox-active compounds were originally thought of as mere secondary metabolites or virulence factors that allow P. aeruginosa to infect plant and animal hosts. However, recently we have gained an appreciation for their diverse functions that directly benefit their producer: phenazines act as signaling molecules, regulate intracellular redox homeostasis and are implicated in iron uptake. As a result, phenazines also have dramatic effects on the structural development of multicellular communities of P. aeruginosa, generally referred to as biofilms. How phenazine production is regulated in response to environmental cues to allow for this functional diversity is still poorly understood. Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces at least five different phenazines, each of which have distinct chemical properties. The genes encoding the core phenazine biosynthetic enzymes are found in two redundant 7-gene operons. These operons, phzA1-G1 (phz1) and phzA2-G2 (phz2), encode two sets of proteins that catalyze the synthesis of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA), the precursor for all other phenazine derivatives. Although the phz1 and phz2 operons are nearly identical (~98% similarity), they are differentially regulated. phz1 is regulated by quorum sensing (QS), while the factors controlling phz2 expression have not yet been identified. Furthermore, the contribution of phz2 to phenazine production is not fully understood. The phz2 operon is conserved among all P. aeruginosa species and we hypothesize that it may be vital to their ability to adapt to diverse environments. In this work, we have investigated the regulation of the phz2 operon and its contribution to colony biofilm development in P. aeruginosa PA14 (Chapter 2). We found that (1) phenazine production in biofilms is mediated exclusively through the phz2 operon, (2) phz2 expression is required for biofilm development and host colonization and (3) phz2 is regulated by quinolones, which are prominent signaling molecules in P. aeruginosa's QS system. We then investigated the roles of individual phenazines in colony development (Chapter 3) and the specificity of SoxR activation by redox active molecules (Chapter 4). We found that the effects of individual phenazines are not redundant and may be used in combination to modulate colony development. SoxR is a transcription factor that is activated by redox-active molecules including phenazines. Investigations into SoxR specificity showed that SoxR activation in non-enteric bacteria is tuned to specific redox potentials. Together, the findings presented in this thesis have expanded our knowledge about the role of phenazine production in biofilms and pathogenicity

Frecuencia de falsos positivos e indeterminados en pruebas rápidas y pruebas Elisa VIH en embarazadas, Laboratorio Central en el período de Enero 2009 a Junio 2010.

Estudio descriptivo: revisión documental. Se encontró que la transmisión vertical ha ido disminuyendo en los últimos años, siendo la prevalencia menor de 0.5% gracias a los esfuerzos nacionales (Ministerio de Salud y el Seguro Social) de prevención con la realización de la prueba prenatal en forma gratuita con consejería pre y post prueba e incentivo. Se pudo apreciar la alta frecuencia de falsos positivos e indeterminados para las pruebas rápidas y ELISA, lo que indica que estas pacientes se les debe dar seguimiento realizando una nueva ronda de pruebas, complicando el manejo clínico durante el embaraz

Barreras que influyen en la toma de citología en mujeres entre 20-49 años sexualmente activas. Municipio de Guacotecti-El Salvador 2010.

Estudio descriptivo de tipo transversal. Los sentimientos de temor y vergüenza han sido una razón primordial y la principal barrera para que ellas no se la realicen. No se encontró una relación univoca entre el conocimiento y la práctica a pesar de que las mujeres conocen la frecuencia en que deben tomarla demoran un poco más en realizarla

Understanding Student GPA

As a student of Stephen F. Austin State University have you ever wondered about the efficacy of you weekly habits as it relates towards your cumulative college GPA? Have you ever been curious of students with a higher GPA (grade point average) spent their free time than those with a lower GPAs? We decided to test various weekly habits of the everyday college student to discover if their actions are in fact a determinant of college GPA

EFFECT OF SALINITY ON CALLUS FORMATION AND ORGANOGENESIS OF RED KIDNEY BEANS (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS L.)

The global warming and its effect on sea level raise is an undisputed fact that has been supported by numerous studies. Countries such as Belize with large area of land just above sea level will face problems due to increased soil salinity. The sea level raise will also affect our fresh water supplies due to back flow in to our rivers. These all will have effect on agriculture since many crops cannot tolerate the increased salinity level. Development of resistant varieties of crops that can withstand moderate level of salinity can help to mitigate the problems of food shortage in the future. Tissue culture or micropropagation can be an effective technique for the in vitro development of salt resistant varieties of crops. Initially an experiment was carried out to test the effect of hormones on callus formation of red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Callus tissue was initiated on MS medium supplemented with various hormones (IAA, IBA and 2,4 D) by using explants from epicotyle. Based on the fresh weight produced during the incubation period, 2,4-D was identified as the best hormone for callus growth. After choosing the best hormone for callus generation under in vitro conditions, the effect of salinity on callus regeneration and organogenesis of P. vulgaris was tested under in vitro conditions. Although callus regeneration occurred in all of the salt concentration used in the experiment, the callus regeneration decreased as the concentration of the salt increased. Microscopic evidence of organogenesis was observed as the callus tissue has differentiated in to roots, root hairs and vascular tissues under in vitro saline conditions