Alcohol expectancy changes over a 12-week cognitive–behavioral therapy program are predictive of treatment success

This study examines if outcome expectancies (perceived consequences of engaging in certain behavior) and self- efficacy expectancies (confidence in personal capacity to regulate behavior) contribute to treatment outcome for alcohol dependence. Few clinical studies have examined these constructs. The Drinking Expectancy Profile (DEP), a psychometric measure of alcohol expectancy and drinking refusal selfefficacy, was administered to 298 alcohol-dependent patients (207 males) at assessment and on completion of a 12-week cognitive–behavioral therapy alcohol abstinence program. Baseline measures of expectancy and self-efficacy were not strong predictors of outcome. However, for the 164 patients who completed treatment, all alcohol expectancy and self-efficacy factors of the DEP showed change over time. The DEP scores approximated community norms at the end of treatment. Discriminant analysis indicated that change in social pressure drinking refusal self-efficacy, sexual enhancement expectancies, and assertion expectancies successfully discriminated those who successfully completed treatment from those who did not. Future research should examine the basis of expectancies related to social functioning as a possible mechanism of treatment response and a means to enhance treatment outcome.

Modelos de regressão aplicado no absenteísmo em uma empresa do setor sucroalcooleiro

Pós-graduação em Engenharia de Produção - FEB

Cambios y/o potencialización de los estilos de vida que practican familiares con enfermedades metabólicas: diabetes mellitus tipo2, hipertensión arterial Fundación DONUM 2002-2003

Con el objetivo de evaluar la efectividad de las modificaciones en los estilos de vida, en la prevención o retardo de la aparición de enfermedades metabólicas. Es un estudio de investigación acción participativa cuyo universo comprendió los usuarios preferidos de la fundación y la muestra es por conveniencia. El grupo de estudio participó en 8 talleres, para modificar y/o reforzar los CAPs sobre estilos de vida. Resultados: de las 24 personas estudiadas, el 66.7son mujeres, el 33.3son hombres, todos residen en el área urbana del cantón Cuenca, el 100tienen familiares con diabetes mellitus tipo 2. Se realizó una valoración inicial y una valoración final encontrándose: un 29.9de conocimientos buenos sobre estilos de vida al inicio de la investigación, un 100al terminar la misma. Actitud muy de acuerdo sobre beneficios y prácticas de alimentación saludable encontrando al inicio un 0, y 41.7al final; actitud muy de acuerdo sobre beneficios y prácticas de actividad física con un 0al inicio, y un 33.3al final del estudi, actitud muy en edsacuerdo sobre consumo de alchohol y tabaco en un 20.8inicialmente y 95.8al final de la investigación; prácticas muy buenas sobre estilos de vida 20.8al inicio y 83.3al final; preferencias alimenticias por el grupo 1, 29.2al inicio y 75.0al final; hábito de fumar negativo 83.3al inicio y 91.7al final, hábito alcohólico negativo 93.7al inicio y 100.0al final; actividad física no sedentarios 16.7al inicio y 54.2al final; promedio de índice de masa corporal 28 al inicio y 27.2 al final; colesterol promedio 219 mg/dl al final; sin riesgo de síndrome metabólico 25al inicio y 33.3al final; integración familiar cada fin de semana 4.2al inicio y 50& al final. Conclusiones: se sonfirma que los investigados han modificado favorablemente sus estilos de vida, asi como también, han mejorado sus indicadores del estado nutricional

Dinoflagellate Genomic Organization and Phylogenetic Marker Discovery Utilizing Deep Sequencing Data

Dinoflagellates possess large genomes in which most genes are present in many copies. This has made studies of their genomic organization and phylogenetics challenging. Recent advances in sequencing technology have made deep sequencing of dinoflagellate transcriptomes feasible. This dissertation investigates the genomic organization of dinoflagellates to better understand the challenges of assembling dinoflagellate transcriptomic and genomic data from short read sequencing methods, and develops new techniques that utilize deep sequencing data to identify orthologous genes across a diverse set of taxa. To better understand the genomic organization of dinoflagellates, a genomic cosmid clone of the tandemly repeated gene Alchohol Dehydrogenase (AHD) was sequenced and analyzed. The organization of this clone was found to be counter to prevailing hypotheses of genomic organization in dinoflagellates. Further, a new non-canonical splicing motif was described that could greatly improve the automated modeling and annotation of genomic data. A custom phylogenetic marker discovery pipeline, incorporating methods that leverage the statistical power of large data sets was written. A case study on Stramenopiles was undertaken to test the utility in resolving relationships between known groups as well as the phylogenetic affinity of seven unknown taxa. The pipeline generated a set of 373 genes useful as phylogenetic markers that successfully resolved relationships among the major groups of Stramenopiles, and placed all unknown taxa on the tree with strong bootstrap support. This pipeline was then used to discover 668 genes useful as phylogenetic markers in dinoflagellates. Phylogenetic analysis of 58 dinoflagellates, using this set of markers, produced a phylogeny with good support of all branches. The Suessiales were found to be sister to the Peridinales. The Prorocentrales formed a monophyletic group with the Dinophysiales that was sister to the Gonyaulacales. The Gymnodinales was found to be paraphyletic, forming three monophyletic groups. While this pipeline was used to find phylogenetic markers, it will likely also be useful for finding orthologs of interest for other purposes, for the discovery of horizontally transferred genes, and for the separation of sequences in metagenomic data sets.