La historia natural de la infección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH-1) incluye la infección aguda, seguida de una fase asintomática de infección crónica, que desemboca en la fase de crisis o síndrome de inmunodeficiencia adquirida (SIDA). En ausencia de una terapia anti-retroviral potente, la mayoría de los pacientes tarda entre 8 y 10 años en evolucionar hacia la fase SIDA, mientras que una minoría permanecen asintomáticos, denominados "no progresores de alta duración" (LTNP). También se han identificado individuos que, a pesar de permanecer altamente expuestos al virus, permanecen seronegativos (expuestos no identificados o ENI. Justamente los ENI y los LTNP son unos excelentes modelos para el estudio de cuáles son los factores capaces de proporcionar protección al sujeto, lo que abre el camino para desvelar claves esenciales para comprender la patogenia de la infección y, por lo tanto, para desarrolar nuevas estrategias preventivas y terapéuticas.

In January of 2014, GED Testing Services launched the GED 21st Century Initiative, which was comprised of 2 achievement levels: a high school equivalency standard and a college and career readiness standard. One of the most important goals of this initiative and the redesign of the 2014 GED test was to demonstrate that GED test takers are college and career ready. Using a qualitative case study cross analysis research approach focused on two Adult Basic Education (ABE) GED test preparation sites, this study focused on developing a holistic view of the GED 21st Century Initiative by addressing 5 research questions. Emphasis for the 5 research questions focused on the implementation and the impact of the GED 21st Century Initiative, preparation of the students for college and career readiness, technology integration for ABE/GED programs, and professional development for the staff of the ABE/GED programs. Study findings suggested a great need for ABE/GED programs to be restructured to include curriculum development that incorporates Common Core State Standards, Career and College Readiness Standards, computer literacy, and pathways for preparing students to enter into college or into the workforce. Providing pathways that are comprised of a comprehensive approach which includes incorporating several strategies for ABE/GED programs have proved to be a more successful approach to helping students transition to the next level. Another important finding of this study was that the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) assessment provided inaccurate scores of the students’ higher order thinking skills when compared to the 2014 GED test, which caused students to be misplaced in their GED classrooms. One other important finding this study indicated was a continuous need for professional development. Overall, participants thought that the redesign of the 2014 GED test was necessary and they remain hopeful about the benefits of the new test and the possibilities that lie ahead for their ABE/GED programs.