Η επίδραση του στοχασμού του Μάξιμου του Ομολογητή στην οντολογία του Θωμά Ακινάτη

H επίδραση των Ελλήνων Πατέρων της Εκκλησίας στη σκέψη και τη φιλοσοφία του Θωμά Ακινάτη αποτέλεσε ένα πεδίο έρευνας μάλλον παραγκωνισμένο από τη βιβλιογραφία. Μόνον πρόσφατα και μόνον εν μέρει το κενό αυτό αρχίζει σιγά σιγά να συμπληρώνεται, στο πλαίσιο μιας πιο συντονισμένης προσπάθειας θεώρησης της καθολικής θεολογικής παράδοσης στη σχέση και αλληλεπίδρασή της με την ορθόδοξη. Αδιαμφισβήτητα, σε αυτό το πλαίσιο έχουν φωτιστεί όψεις των πατερικών επιδράσεων στον Ακινάτη, οι οποίες μέχρι πρόσφατα βρίσκονταν σχεδόν ολοκληρωτικά στο σκοτάδι. Ταυτόχρονα όμως, σημαντικά στοιχεία του συγκεκριμένου θέματος συνεχίζουν να παραμένουν άγνωστα, ένεκα τόσο της (μέχρι τώρα) περιορισμένης έρευνας όσο και της δυσκολίας του αντικειμένου της. Είναι χαρακτηριστικό ότι, στη περίπτωση του Μάξιμου του Ομολογητή (και παρά το γεγονός ότι είναι ο πιο αριστοτελικός από τους Πατέρες), δεν έχουν υπάρξει εκτενείς μελέτες πάνω σε έναν πιθανό συσχετισμό της οντολογίας του Αγίου με τη φιλοσοφία του Θωμά, ιδιαίτερα μάλιστα από τη στιγμή που για τον Ακινάτη, τα πρότυπα θεολογικής χρήσης του Αριστοτέλη είναι κυρίως αραβικά (κάτι που δεν συμβαίνει με τη νεοπλατωνική φιλοσοφία, στην οποία ο Αρεοπαγίτης είχε ήδη προ πολλού μεταφράσει το χριστιανικό δόγμα). Σε αυτήν την κατεύθυνση, η παρούσα εργασία φιλοδοξεί να αναδείξει πως ο Μάξιμος, κινούμενος με σχετική συνέπεια εντός του αρεοπαγιτικού πλέγματος ιδεών, εισάγει και ενσωματώνει μια πλειάδα αριστοτελικών όρων, μεθόδων και αντιλήψεων, χωρίς να παραβαίνει τις βασικές αρχές της πατερικής φιλοσοφίας. Ακόμη δε σημαντικότερα να υποστηρίξει ότι τα κείμενα του Μαξίμου στα οποία ο Θωμάς είχε πρόσβαση, θα είχαν αποτελέσει ένα ιδιαίτερα χρήσιμο υπόδειγμα χρήσης της αριστοτελικής σκέψης, τόσο στη φιλοσοφική προσέγγιση της κτίσης, όσο και σε εκείνη του Θεού.The influence of the Greek Fathers of the Church on the thought and the philosophy of St Aquinas has been a field of study rather overlooked by modern research. Only recently and only partially an effort has been made to address the lack of relevant bibliographical sources, within the scope of a more coordinated attempt to consider the catholic theological tradition in its interaction and relation with the orthodox tradition. Undoubtedly in this context, aspects of the patristic influences on Aquinas which, in the past, were wholly unknown, have been brought out of obscurity. However, at the same time, important elements of this relation remain unknown, due to the (so far) limited research, as well as due to the difficulty of its object. It is characteristic that, in the case of Maximus the Confessor (and despite the fact that he is the most Aristotelian of the Fathers), there have been no in-depth studies in regard to a possible relation of Maximus’ ontology to the philosophy of St Thomas (it is worth considering here that for Aquinas, unlike the adaptation of Neoplatonism to the Christian doctrines by Dionysius Areopagite, Aristotle’s utility in expressing a monistic theology had only been demonstrated by the Arab philosophers of the 11th and 12th century AD). It is in this direction that the present study aims to show that Maximus, without deviating significantly from Areopagite’s framework of ideas, introduces and incorporates a multitude of Aristotelian concepts, terms and methods, while at the same time staying true to the principles of patristic philosophy. On top of that it also aspires to show, that the works of Maximus to which Aquinas had access, would have constituted a particularly edifying example of the usefulness of the Aristotelian way of thinking in approaching creation, as well as God Himself

Comparative evaluation of [(99m)tc]tilmanocept for sentinel lymph node mapping in breast cancer patients: results of two phase 3 trials.

BackgroundSentinel lymph node (SLN) surgery is used worldwide for staging breast cancer patients and helps limit axillary lymph node dissection. [(99m)Tc]Tilmanocept is a novel receptor-targeted radiopharmaceutical evaluated in 2 open-label, nonrandomized, within-patient, phase 3 trials designed to assess the lymphatic mapping performance.MethodsA total of 13 centers contributed 148 patients with breast cancer. Each patient received [(99m)Tc]tilmanocept and vital blue dye (VBD). Lymph nodes identified intraoperatively as radioactive and/or blue stained were excised and histologically examined. The primary endpoint, concordance (lower boundary set point at 90 %), was the proportion of nodes detected by VBD and [(99m)Tc]tilmanocept.ResultsA total of 13 centers contributed 148 patients who were injected with both agents. Intraoperatively, 207 of 209 nodes detected by VBD were also detected by [(99m)Tc]tilmanocept for a concordance rate of 99.04 % (p < 0.0001). [(99m)Tc]tilmanocept detected a total of 320 nodes, of which 207 (64.7 %) were detected by VBD. [(99m)Tc]Tilmanocept detected at least 1 SLN in more patients (146) than did VBD (131, p < 0.0001). In 129 of 131 patients with ≥1 blue node, all blue nodes were radioactive. Of 33 pathology-positive nodes (18.2 % patient pathology rate), [(99m)Tc]tilmanocept detected 31 of 33, whereas VBD detected only 25 of 33 (p = 0.0312). No pathology-positive SLNs were detected exclusively by VBD. No serious adverse events were attributed to [(99m)Tc]tilmanocept.Conclusion[(99m)Tc]Tilmanocept demonstrated success in detecting a SLN while meeting the primary endpoint. Interestingly, [(99m)Tc]tilmanocept was additionally noted to identify more SLNs in more patients. This localization represented a higher number of metastatic breast cancer lymph nodes than that of VBD

HNBR and its MWCNT reinforced nanocomposites : Crystalline morphology and electrical response

Morphology and electrical response of hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) and its multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) reinforced nanocomposites were studied by means of x-ray diffraction and broadband dielectric spectroscopy. HNBR systems were found to be semi-crystalline, with their crystallinity to increase with the addition of MWCNTs. In their dielectric spectra, four relaxation processes were detected. Ascending in relaxation time, these were attributed to: (i) interfacial polarization at the interface of crystalline and amorphous regions of HNBR and at the interface between HNBR and MWCNTs, (ii) glass to rubber transition of the amorphous part of HNBR, (iii) rearrangement of polar side groups, such as –CN, and (iv) local motions of small segments of the main elastomer chain. Electrical conductivity increases with MWCNT content and frequency increasing. The effect of temperature, on the electrical response, is more pronounced at low frequencies. The temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity strongly deviates from a pure Arrhenius behavior, signifying that the occurring conductance mechanisms do not correspond to a single thermally activated process. Relaxation dynamics imply that crystalline regions exert motion restrictions to large segments of the macromolecules in the amorphous phase and to polar parts of the systems

Mechanical, Electrical, and Thermal Properties of Carbon Nanotube Buckypapers/Epoxy Nanocomposites Produced by Oxidized and Epoxidized Nanotubes

High volume fraction carbon nanotube (CNT) composites (7.5–16% vol.) were fabricated by the impregnation of CNT buckypapers into epoxy resin. To enhance the interfacial reaction with the epoxy resin, the CNTs were modified by two different treatments, namely, an epoxidation treatment and a chemical oxidation. The chemical treatment was found to result in CNT length severance and to affect the porosity of the buckypapers, having an important impact on the physico-mechanical properties of the nanocomposites. Overall, the mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of the impregnated buckypapers were found to be superior of the neat epoxy resin, offering an attractive combination of mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties for multifunctional composites

Local Recurrence Rates are Low in High-Risk Neoadjuvant Breast Cancer in the I-SPY 1 Trial (CALGB 150007/150012; ACRIN 6657)

Increasingly, women with stage 2 and 3 breast cancers receive neoadjuvant therapy, after which many are eligible for breast-conserving surgery (BCS). The question often arises as to whether BCS, if achievable, provides adequate local control. We report the results of local recurrence (LR) from the I-SPY 1 Trial in the setting of maximal multidisciplinary treatment where approximately 50 % of patients were treated with BCS

TBCRC 019: A phase II trial of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel with or without the anti-death receptor 5 monoclonal antibody tigatuzumab in patients with triple negative breast cancer

Purpose: Tigatuzumab (TIG), an agonistic anti-DR5 antibody, triggers apoptosis in DR5+ human tumor cells without crosslinking. TIG has strong in vitro/in vivo activity against basal-like breast cancer cells enhanced by chemotherapy agents. This study evaluates activity of TIG and chemotherapy in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Experimental Design: Randomized 2:1 phase II trial of albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PAC) ± TIG in patients with TNBC stratified by prior chemotherapy. Patients received nab-PAC weekly × 3 ± TIG every other week, every 28 days. Primary objective was within-arm objective response rate (ORR). Secondary objectives were safety, progression-free survival (PFS), clinical benefit, and TIG immunogenicity. Metastatic research biopsies were required. Results: Among 64 patients (60 treated; TIG/nab-PAC n = 39 and nab-PAC n = 21), there were 3 complete remissions (CR), 8 partial remissions (PR; 1 almost CR), 11 stable diseases (SD), and 17 progressive diseases (PD) in the TIG/nab-PAC arm (ORR, 28%), and no CRs, 8 PRs, 4 SDs, and 9 PDs in the nab-PAC arm (ORR, 38%). There was a numerical increase in CRs and several patients had prolonged PFS (1,025+, 781, 672, 460, 334) in the TIG/nab-PAC arm. Grade 3 toxicities were 28% and 29%, respectively, with no grade 4–5. Exploratory analysis suggests an association of ROCK1 gene pathway activation with efficacy in the TIG/nab-PAC arm. Conclusions: ORR and PFS were similar in both. Preclinical activity of TIG in basal-like breast cancer and prolonged PFS in few patients in the combination arm support further investigation of anti-DR5 agents. ROCK pathway activation merits further evaluation

Anisotropic Curie temperature materials

Existence of anisotropic Curie temperature materials [E. R. Callen, Phys. Rev. 124, 1373 (1961)] is a longstanding prediction - materials that become paramagnetic along certain crystal directions at a lower temperature while remaining magnetically ordered in other directions up to a higher temperature. Validating Callen's theory, we show that all directions within the basal plane of monoclinic Fe7S8 single crystals remain ordered up to 603 K while the hard c-axis becomes paramagnetic at 225 K. Materials with such a large directional dependence of Curie temperature opens the possibility of uniquely new devices and phenomena

Locally advanced breast cancers are more likely to present as Interval Cancers: results from the I-SPY 1 TRIAL (CALGB 150007/150012, ACRIN 6657, InterSPORE Trial)

Interval cancers (ICs), defined as cancers detected between regular screening mammograms, have been shown to be of higher grade, larger size, and associated with lower survival, compared with screen-detected cancers (SDCs) and comprise 17% of cancers from population-based screening programs. We sought to determine the frequency of ICs in a study of locally advanced breast cancers, the I-SPY 1 TRIAL. Screening was defined as having a mammogram with 2 years, and the proportion of ICs at 1 and 2 years was calculated for screened patients. Differences in clinical characteristics for ICs versus SDCs and screened versus non-screened cancers were assessed. For the 219 evaluable women, mean tumor size was 6.8 cm. Overall, 80% of women were over 40 and eligible for screening; however, only 31% were getting screened. Among women screened, 85% were ICs, with 68% diagnosed within 1 year of a previously normal mammogram. ICs were of higher grade (49% vs. 10%) than SDCs. Among non-screened women, 28% (43/152) were younger than the recommended screening age of 40. Of the entire cohort, 12% of cancers were mammographically occult (MO); the frequency of MO cancers did not differ between screened (11%) and non-screened (15%). ICs were common in the I-SPY 1 TRIAL suggesting the potential need for new approaches beyond traditional screening to reduce mortality in women who present with larger palpable cancers