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We study why suffering a negative economic shock, i.e., a significant loss, may trigger a change in other-regarding behavior. We conjecture that people trade off concern for money with a conditional preference to follow social norms and that suffering a shock makes extrinsic motivation more salient, leading to more norm violation. This hypothesis is grounded on the premise that preferences are norm-dependent. We study this question experimentally: after administering losses on the earnings from a real-effort task, we analyze choices in prosocial and antisocial settings. To derive our predictions, we elicit social norms for each context analyzed in the experiments. We find evidence that shock increases deviations from norms.

IntroductionFeo is the most widespread and conserved system for ferrous iron uptake in bacteria, and it is important for virulence in several gastrointestinal pathogens. However, its mechanism remains poorly understood. Hitherto, most studies regarding the Feo system were focused on Gammaproteobacterial models, which possess three feo genes (feoA, B, and C) clustered in an operon. We found that the human pathogen Helicobacter pylori possesses a unique arrangement of the feo genes, in which only feoA and feoB are present and encoded in distant loci. In this study, we examined the functional significance of this arrangement.MethodsRequirement and regulation of the individual H. pylori feo genes were assessed through in vivo assays and gene expression profiling. The evolutionary history of feo was inferred via phylogenetic reconstruction, and AlphaFold was used for predicting the FeoA-FeoB interaction.Results and DiscussionBoth feoA and feoB are required for Feo function, and feoB is likely subjected to tight regulation in response to iron and nickel by Fur and NikR, respectively. Also, we established that feoA is encoded in an operon that emerged in the common ancestor of most, but not all, helicobacters, and this resulted in feoA transcription being controlled by two independent promoters. The H. pylori Feo system offers a new model to understand ferrous iron transport in bacterial pathogens.

Abstract In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, households throughout the world have to cope with negative shocks. Previous research has shown that negative shocks impair cognitive function and change risk, time and social preferences. In this study, we analyze the results of a longitudinal multi-country survey conducted in Italy (N = 1652), Spain (N = 1660) and the United Kingdom (N = 1578). We measure cognitive function using the Cognitive Reflection Test and preferences traits (risk, time and social preferences) using an experimentally validated set of questions to assess the differences between people exposed to a shock compared to the rest of the sample. We measure four possible types of shocks: labor market shock, health shock, occurrence of stressful events, and mental health shock. Additionally, we randomly assign participants to groups with either a recall of negative events (more specifically, a mild reinforcement of stress or of fear/anxiety), or to a control group (to recall neutral or joyful memories), in order to assess whether or not stress and negative emotions drive a change in preferences. Results show that people affected by shocks performed worse in terms of cognitive functioning, are more risk loving, and are more prone to punish others (negative reciprocity). Data do not support the hypotheses that the result is driven by stress or by negative emotions.

This paper explores in detail the transfer and investment components of the General Budget of the Nation, whose composition is complex to evaluate due to the nature and variety of its items. For the study of these items, the literature on the political economy of the budget and the budget process in Colombia is considered. The transfer and investment items represent about 60 % of the General Budget and have great inflexibility of public spending, due to the diversity of appropriations with legal backing, especially in the transfer’s item. The investment is made up of a wide range of social programs, subsidies, and infrastructure projects, which in some cases correspond to commitments acquired in previous terms, through the so-called future terms. The rigidity of the budget deepens with the frequent approval of laws that generate additional spending on a temporary or permanent basis.

ABSTRACT Iron acquisition is essential for almost all living organisms. In certain environments, ferrous iron is the most prevalent form of this element. Feo is the most widespread system for ferrous iron uptake in bacteria and is critical for virulence in some species. The canonical architecture of Feo consists of a large transmembrane nucleoside triphosphatase (NTPase) protein, FeoB, and two accessory cytoplasmic proteins, FeoA and FeoC. The role of the latter components and the mechanism by which Feo orchestrates iron transport are unclear. In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis of Feo protein sequences to gain insight into the evolutionary history of this transporter. We identified instances of how horizontal gene transfer contributed to the evolution of Feo. Also, we found that FeoC, while absent in most lineages, is largely present in the Gammaproteobacteria group, although its sequence is poorly conserved. We propose that FeoC, which may couple FeoB NTPase activity with pore opening, was an ancestral element that has been dispensed with through mutations in FeoA and FeoB in some lineages. We provide experimental evidence supporting this hypothesis by isolating and characterizing FeoC-independent mutants of the Vibrio cholerae Feo system. Also, we confirmed that the closely related species Shewanella oneidensis does not require FeoC; thus, Vibrio FeoC sequences may resemble transitional forms on an evolutionary pathway toward FeoC-independent transporters. Finally, by combining data from our bioinformatic analyses with this experimental evidence, we propose an evolutionary model for the Feo system in bacteria. IMPORTANCE Feo, a ferrous iron transport system composed of three proteins (FeoA, -B, and -C), is the most prevalent bacterial iron transporter. It plays an important role in iron acquisition in low-oxygen environments and some host-pathogen interactions. The large transmembrane protein FeoB provides the channel for the transport of iron into the bacterial cell, but the functions of the two small, required accessory proteins FeoA and FeoC are not well understood. Analysis of the evolution of this transporter shows that FeoC is poorly conserved and has been lost from many bacterial lineages. Experimental evidence indicates that FeoC may have different functions in different species that retain this protein, and the loss of FeoC is promoted by mutations in FeoA or by the fusion of FeoA and FeoB.

Objetivo: Determinar la probabilidad de obtener un determinado título académico en Colombia, dado un conjunto de variables que caracterizan a los individuos. Método: es un estudio cuantitativo desarrollado a través de un modelo econométrico de probabilidad Probit ordenado según cuatro categorías que corresponden a cada título académico respetivamente: ninguno, bachiller, técnico, universitario. Los datos provienen de la Gran Encuesta Integrada de Hogares (GEIH) del año 2018. Resultados: las mujeres tienen mayor probabilidad de tener un título de técnico y universitario que los hombres, los casados, los jefes de hogar, los que viven en la zona urbana y los que tienen vivienda propia, también presentan mayor probabilidad de tener un título de educación técnica y superior. Discusión y Conclusiones: las mujeres presentan mayores niveles de educación que los hombres; el nivel académico no necesariamente garantiza mayores probabilidades de conseguir empleo, pues los desempleados presentan mayores probabilidades de tener educación técnica y superior.

Many different countries have been under lockdown or extreme social distancing measures to control the spread of COVID-19. The potentially far-reaching side effects of these measures have not yet been fully understood. In this study we analyse the results of a multi-country survey conducted in Italy (N = 3,504), Spain (N = 3,524) and the United Kingdom (N = 3,523), with two separate analyses. In the first analysis, we examine the elicitation of citizens' concerns over the downplaying of the economic consequences of the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. We control for Social Desirability Bias through a list experiment included in the survey. In the second analysis, we examine the data from the same survey to predict the level of stress, anxiety and depression associated with being economically vulnerable and having been affected by a negative economic shock. To accomplish this, we have used a prediction algorithm based on machine learning techniques. To quantify the size of this affected population, we compare its magnitude with the number of people affected by COVID-19 using measures of susceptibility, vulnerability and behavioural change collected in the same questionnaire. We find that the concern for the economy and for "the way out" of the lockdown is diffuse and there is evidence of minor underreporting. Additionally, we estimate that around 42.8% of the populations in the three countries are at high risk of stress, anxiety, and depression, based on their level of economic vulnerability and their exposure to a negative economic shock.

Introducción: el aumento de enfermedades crónicas ha motivado la creación de métodos de evaluación del adulto mayor que permitan estimar su estado general de salud. Entre estos, se ha propuesto la fuerza de prensión. El objetivo de este estudio fue buscar la asociación entre el número de comorbilidades y la fuerza de prensión. Materiales y métodos: se analizaron los datos del estudio sabe Ecuador 2009, un estudio transversal que incluyó una muestra probabilística y representativa de 5235 adultos mayores de 60 años o más. La variable dependiente fue el desempeño en la fuerza de prensión y la sumatoria de comorbilidades, como la variable independiente. Se realizó un modelo de regresión logística lineal para estimar asociaciones independientes. Resultados: de un total de 5235 personas, la media de la suma de comorbilidades fue 1.54 ± 1.36 y la media de la fuerza de prensión fue de 21.45 ± 9.37 kg. Se encontró una asociación negativa de la fuerza de prensión y la suma de comorbilidades, desde 0 comorbilidades -0.88, hasta más de 6 comorbilidades -3.52 (p < 0.05). Ninguna enfermedad por sí sola tuvo mayor asociación con la disminución de la fuerza muscular que el tener más de dos enfermedades concomitantes. Conclusiones: este estudio encontró una asociación lineal negativa entre la fuerza de prensión y la sumatoria de comorbilidades. Los resultados reportados abren la puerta para plantear nuevos estudios que permitan desarrollar herramientas de evaluación que beneficien a la población adulta mayor.

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo principal realizar una comparación entre dos metodologías para calcular el número máximo de visitantes que pueden ingresar diariamente a un área natural en donde se realiza turismo, para establecer las fortalezas y debilidades de cada una. Como caso de estudio se seleccionó la reserva Biológica El Encenillo ubicada en el municipio de Guasca, departamento de Cundinamarca – Colombia. Las metodologías utilizadas fueron la Capacidad De Carga Turística (CCT), ampliamente utilizada, pero que en la actualidad ha ido cayendo en desuso y se le tacha de subjetiva y el Cálculo de Acogida Turística Multicriterio – CATUM, que sigue un método basado en la ponderación de los factores de corrección mediante el Proceso Analítico Jerárquico (Analytic Hierarchy Process - AHP), aplicado en 3 niveles de consulta: Sui validatio, Scientatis validatio y Societatis validatio, como mecanismo para reducir la subjetividad.

Objetivo: Describir la asociación entre la presencia de alteración cognoscitiva y el consumo de inhibidores de bomba de protones (IBP) en población adulta mayor de Bogotá, Colombia. Métodos: Se analizaron los datos del estudio SABE-Bogotá, que incluyó 2000 personas mayores de 60 años de edad, en una muestra transversal probabilística por conglomerados. La variable de interés fue la alteración en el Mini-Mental State Examination Modificado (MMSE-M), la cual se relacionó con el uso de IBP, ajustado por factores como sexo, edad, escolaridad y estado civil. Resultados: La edad promedio fue de 71,17±8,05 años, y el 63,4 % eran mujeres. El consumo de IBP se encontró en el 20,7 % de la población estudiada, con un tiempo de uso promedio en meses de 74,8±93,76. El 12,6 % tenía el MMSE-M alterado, siendo mayor la prevalencia en los consumidores de IBP (25,4 % vs. 20,02 %; p= 0,049). En el análisis multivariado se encontró una asociación de aumento de riesgo ajustado entre el deterioro cognitivo y el uso de IBP por ≥ 24 meses (OR: 1,90; IC: 1,11-3,24; p = 0,018). Conclusiones: Este estudio muestra una asociación de aumento de riesgo significativa entre deterioro cognitivo consumir IBP durante ≥ 24 meses. Se necesitan más estudios que permitan concluir una relación directa de causalidad.

The toxic lineage (TL) of Lysinibacillus sphaericus has been extensively studied because of its potential biotechnological applications in biocontrol of mosquitoes and bioremediation of toxic metals. We previously proposed that L. sphaericus TL should be considered as a novel species based on a comparative genomic analysis. In the current work, we constructed the first manually curated metabolic reconstruction for this species on the basis of the available genomes. We elucidated the central metabolism of the proposed species and, beyond confirming the reported experimental evidence with genomic a support, we found insights to propose novel applications and traits to be considered in further studies. The strains belonging to this lineage exhibit a broad repertory of genes encoding insecticidal factors, some of them remain uncharacterized. These strains exhibit other unexploited biotechnological important traits, such as lactonases (quorum quenching), toxic metal resistance, and potential for aromatic compound degradation. In summary, this study provides a guideline for further research aimed to implement this organism in biocontrol and bioremediation. Similarly, we highlighted the unanswered questions to be responded in order to gain a deeper understanding of the L. sphaericus TL biology.

The purpose of this research is to study the welfare impact on consumption that lifecycle investors constrained to make compulsory contributions into a pension fund will get by choosing a multifund. The use of simulation techniques is applied to a life cycle investment model designed to fit the situation of the Colombian private pension system. It shows the importance of combining the percentage of investments in equity in the pension fund with the structure of human capital in order to determine which investment vehicle individuals should be chosen in order to save for retirement.

BACKGROUND: In 2010, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) investigated reports of high mortality in young children in Zamfara State, Nigeria, leading to confirmation of villages with widespread acute severe lead poisoning. In a retrospective analysis, we aimed to determine venous blood lead level (VBLL) thresholds and risk factors for encephalopathy using MSF programmatic data from the first year of the outbreak response. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We included children aged ≤5 years with VBLL ≥45 µg/dL before any chelation and recorded neurological status. Odds ratios (OR) for neurological features were estimated; the final model was adjusted for age and baseline VBLL, using random effects for village of residence. 972 children met inclusion criteria: 885 (91%) had no neurological features; 34 (4%) had severe features; 47 (5%) had reported recent seizures; and six (1%) had other neurological abnormalities. The geometric mean VBLLs for all groups with neurological features were >100 µg/dL vs 65.9 µg/dL for those without neurological features. The adjusted OR for neurological features increased with increasing VBLL: from 2.75, 95%CI 1.27-5.98 (80-99.9 µg/dL) to 22.95, 95%CI 10.54-49.96 (≥120 µg/dL). Neurological features were associated with younger age (OR 4.77 [95% CI 2.50-9.11] for 1-

Introducción. Existe una especial preocupación por las características de la comunicación en las salas de cirugía, dado el impacto que esta tiene en los resultados tanto en el paciente como en las relaciones entre los diferentes grupos de trabajo que interactúan en tales situaciones. Materiales y métodos. Se hicieron la observación y el registro en tiempo real de fallas de comunicación durante los procedimientos quirúrgicos de diferentes especialidades y complejidades. Se hizo un análisis estadístico de las frecuencias de los errores más comunes y un análisis “etnográfico” caracterizando los tipos de errores en la comunicación. Resultados. Se hicieron la observación y el registro en tiempo real de 179 fallas de comunicación en 35 procedimientos quirúrgicos, cuya complejidad era alta en17%,bajaen40%ymedianaen43%;en80%tuvo lugar en horas de la tarde, en 60 % se usó anestesia general, y raquídea y local en 20 % en cada una. En 92 % se encontraba presente, al menos, un residente; en 54 % la falla se debió al receptor, 84,3 % ocurrieron durante la cirugía y se presentaron más de tres fallas en un mismo procedimiento en 71,5 % de las cirugías. Discusión. Existen múltiples variables y factores que afectan el proceso de comunicación y su desarrollo en salas de cirugía es especialmente “sensible” por el tipo de actividad que allí se lleva a cabo. Si se encuentran los diferentes tipos de patrones y fallas en la comunicación, se pueden generar e implementar acciones para mejorarlas de tal forma que podrían disminuirse los efectos en la morbimortalidad que generan estas fallas en la comunicación.

En la presente investigación se realizó un análisis de las principales causas de accidentalidad aérea, especialmente en las misiones de instrucción y entrenamiento, tomando como factor principal de éstas al "piloto instructor".

In this study, we evaluated the abundance and richness of diurnal butterfly species in three vegetation types in the Central Andes of Colombia. Three surveys were conducted for each vegetation type, between December 2021 and January-February 2022, using two capture methods: an entomological net and a Van Someren-Rydon trap, the latter baited with decaying bananas and liquefied shrimp. We registered 725 specimens from six families, 21 subfamilies, and 179 species. The results showed the presence of indicator species in disturbed areas, such as Anarthia amathea amathea, Heliconius clysonymus clysonymus, Phoebis philea philea, Pyrisitia venusta aequatorialis, Spicauda simplicius, Hermeuptychia hermes, Heliconius melpomene, Adelpha alala alala, and Oxeoschistus simplex simplex. We also recorded species of the Heliconiinae subfamily endemic to the central cordillera, including Heliconius cydno cydnides and Heliconius erato chestertonii. High richness and abundance of butterflies were observed in this sub-andean region. However, we recommend conducting studies during the driest season of the year to ensure a greater representation of butterfly species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Rectal perforation due to blunt trauma is rare and associated with pelvic fractures. Signs of necrotizing fasciitis in lower limbs have been reported in non-traumatic rectal perforations, in most cases associated with high mortality. Case report. A 36-year-old man presents blunt abdomino-pelvic trauma and perforation of the lower rectum. Surgical management by intestinal diversion and pelvic fixation is performed. 4 days after admission, evolves with over-infected scrotal hematoma, hemodynamic instability, signs of necrotizing fasciitis and septic shock. Results. A sample for culture was taken from a scrotal hematoma that reported E. coli. Pathology of scrotal debridement reported coagulation necrosis in the entire specimen. Discussion. Digital rectal examination should always be performed in the presence of subcutaneous emphysema on physical examination or CT scan for early and multidisciplinary diagnosis and surgical management as appropriate. Conclusion. The presence of subcutaneous emphysema should raise the suspicion of rectal perforation. There are few reports of rectal perforation due to blunt trauma and fasciitis, so the associated mortality is not precisely known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Segmental resection of the intestine and its temporary or permanent bypass is a frequent procedure in surgical practice, which involves the construction of a stoma. The disease that leads to surgery, the clinical conditions of the patient and the technical aspects in the construction of the ostomy are key points in the postoperative evolution. Methods: A review of the literature was performed, identifying the complications associated with the construction of stomas, with the aim of offering treatment and decision-making tools to the medical personnel involved in the care of these patients. Results: Emergency surgery, immunosuppression, obesity, and the technique used to open the orifice in the abdominal wall favor the appearance of early complications that require medical management or surgical reintervention. Conclusions. Every patient with a stoma must be carefully evaluated by the surgeon and the enterostomal therapist in the first 72 hours after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Gaceta Médica de Caracas is the property of Academia Nacional de Medicina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)