Recursivity and Self-Referentiality of Economic Theories and Their Implications for Bounded Rational Actors

This study aims at the analysis of the possible self-referential effects of economic theories and models on its own subject and of the mechanisms through which bounded rational actors perceive the self-referential nature of economic theories and might absorb their prescriptions. Thus, the focus of the present study will be on the effects of economic theories on the behaviour of the analyzed economic actors. The analysis of the possible causal role of theories on bounded rational economic behaviour will be interpreted as a sort of validity test of economic theory

Linear Ramps of Interaction in the Fermionic Hubbard Model

We study the out of equilibrium dynamics of the Fermionic Hubbard Model induced by a linear ramp of the repulsive interaction $U$ from the metallic state through the Mott transition. To this extent we use a time dependent Gutzwiller variational method and complement this analysis with the inclusion of quantum fluctuations at the leading order, in the framework of a $Z_2$ slave spin theory. We discuss the dynamics during the ramp and the issue of adiabaticity through the scaling of the excitation energy with the ramp duration $\tau$. In addition, we study the dynamics for times scales longer than the ramp time, when the system is again isolated and the total energy conserved. We establish the existence of a dynamical phase transition analogous to the one present in the sudden quench case and discuss its properties as a function of final interaction and ramp duration. Finally we discuss the role of quantum fluctuations on the mean field dynamics for both long ramps, where spin wave theory is sufficient, and for very short ramps, where a self consistent treatment of quantum fluctuations is required in order to obtain relaxation.Comment: v2: 19 pages, 14 figures, published versio

Multiphoton Label-Free ex-vivo imaging using a custom-built dual-wavelength microscope with chromatic aberrations compensation

Label-Free Multiphoton Microscopy is a very powerful optical microscopy that can be applied to study samples with no need for exogenous fluorescent probes, keeping the main benefits of a Multiphoton approach, like longer penetration depths and intrinsic optical sectioning, while opening the possibility of serial examinations with different kinds of techniques. Among the many variations of Label-Free MPM, Higher Harmonic Generation (HHG) is one of the most intriguing due to its generally low photo-toxicity, which enables the examination of specimens particularly susceptible to photo-damages. HHG and common Two-Photon Microscopy (TPM) are well-established techniques, routinely used in several research fields. However, they require a significant amount of fine-tuning in order to be fully exploited and, usually, the optimized conditions greatly differ, making them quite difficult to perform in parallel without any compromise on the extractable information. Here we present our custom-built Multiphoton microscope capable of performing simultaneously TPM and HHG without any kind of compromise on the results thanks to two, separate, individually optimized laser sources with full chromatic aberration compensation. We also apply our setup to the examination of a plethora of ex vivo samples in order to prove the significant advantages of our approach

Pharmacological strategies in lung cancer-induced cachexia: effects on muscle proteolysis, autophagy, structure, and weakness

Muscle wasting and cachexia are important systemic manifestations of highly prevalent conditions including cancer. Inflammation, oxidative stress, autophagy, ubiquitin-proteasome system, nuclear factor (NF)-kB, and mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK) are involved in the pathophysiology of cancer cachexia. Currently available treatment is limited and data demonstrating effectiveness in in vivo models are lacking. Our objectives were to explore in respiratory and limb muscles of lung cancer (LC) cachectic mice whether proteasome, NF-kB, and MAPK inhibitors improve muscle mass and function loss through several molecular mechanisms. Body and muscle weights, limb muscle force, protein degradation and the ubiquitin-proteasome system, signaling pathways, oxidative stress and inflammation, autophagy, contractile and functional proteins, myostatin and myogenin, and muscle structure were evaluated in the diaphragm and gastrocnemius of LC (LP07 adenocarcinoma) bearing cachectic mice (BALB/c), with and without concomitant treatment with NF-kB (sulfasalazine), MAPK (U0126), and proteasome (bortezomib) inhibitors. Compared to control animals, in both respiratory and limb muscles of LC cachectic mice: muscle proteolysis, ubiquitinated proteins, autophagy, myostatin, protein oxidation, FoxO-1, NF-kB and MAPK signaling pathways, and muscle abnormalities were increased, while myosin, creatine kinase, myogenin, and slow- and fast-twitch muscle fiber size were decreased. Pharmacological inhibition of NF-kB and MAPK, but not the proteasome system, induced in cancer-induced cachectic animals, a substantial restoration of muscle mass and force through a decrease in muscle protein oxidation and catabolism, myostatin, and autophagy, together with a greater content of myogenin, and contractile and functional proteins. These findings may offer new therapeutic strategies in cancer-induced cachexia.Fil: Chacon Cabrera, Alba. Universitat Pompeu Fabra; España. Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Instituto de Salud; EspañaFil: Fermoselle, Clara. Universitat Pompeu Fabra; España. Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Instituto de Salud; EspañaFil: Urtreger, Alejandro Jorge. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Oncología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Mateu Jimenez, Mercè. Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Instituto de Salud; España. Universitat Pompeu Fabra; EspañaFil: Diament, Miriam. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Oncología; ArgentinaFil: Bal, Elisa Dora. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Oncología "Ángel H. Roffo"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Sandri, Marco. Università di Padova; ItaliaFil: Barreiro, Eshter. Universitat Pompeu Fabra; España. Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Instituto de Salud; Españ

Optical images-based edge detection in Synthetic Aperture Radar images

We address the issue of adapting optical images-based edge detection techniques for use in Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) imagery. We modify the gravitational edge detection technique (inspired by the Law of Universal Gravity) proposed by Lopez-Molina et al, using the non-standard neighbourhood configuration proposed by Fu et al, to reduce the speckle noise in polarimetric SAR imagery. We compare the modified and unmodified versions of the gravitational edge detection technique with the well-established one proposed by Canny, as well as with a recent multiscale fuzzy-based technique proposed by Lopez-Molina et Alejandro We also address the issues of aggregation of gray level images before and after edge detection and of filtering. All techniques addressed here are applied to a mosaic built using class distributions obtained from a real scene, as well as to the true PolSAR image; the mosaic results are assessed using Baddeley's Delta Metric. Our experiments show that modifying the gravitational edge detection technique with a non-standard neighbourhood configuration produces better results than the original technique, as well as the other techniques used for comparison. The experiments show that adapting edge detection methods from Computational Intelligence for use in PolSAR imagery is a new field worthy of exploration.Comment: Accepted for publication in Knowledge-Based System

Laparoscopy in liver transplantation: The future has arrived

In the last two decades, laparoscopy has revolutionized the field of surgery. Many procedures previously performed with an open access are now routinely carried out with the laparoscopic approach. Several advantages are associated with laparoscopic surgery compared to open procedures: reduced pain due to smaller incisions and hemorrhaging, shorter hospital length of stay, and a lower incidence of wound infections. Liver transplantation (LT) brought a radical change in life expectancy of patients with hepatic endstage disease. Today, LT represents the standard of care for more than fifty hepatic pathologies, with excellent results in terms of survival. Surely, with laparoscopy and LT being one of the most continuously evolving challenges in medicine, their recent combination has represented an astonishing scientific progress. The intent of the present paper is to underline the current role of diagnostic and therapeutic laparoscopy in patients waiting for LT, in the living donor LT and in LT recipients

Amyloid deposits and inflammatory infiltrates in sporadic inclusion body myositis: the inflammatory egg comes before the degenerative chicken

International audienc

In-flight calibration and verification of the Planck-LFI instrument

In this paper we discuss the Planck-LFI in-flight calibration campaign. After a brief overview of the ground test campaigns, we describe in detail the calibration and performance verification (CPV) phase, carried out in space during and just after the cool-down of LFI. We discuss in detail the functionality verification, the tuning of the front-end and warm electronics, the preliminary performance assessment and the thermal susceptibility tests. The logic, sequence, goals and results of the in-flight tests are discussed. All the calibration activities were successfully carried out and the instrument response was comparable to the one observed on ground. For some channels the in-flight tuning activity allowed us to improve significantly the noise performance.Comment: Long technical paper on Planck LFI in flight calibration campaign: 109 pages in this (not final) version, 100 page in the final JINST versio

FGF21 as Modulator of Metabolism in Health and Disease

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a hormone that regulates important metabolic pathways. FGF21 is expressed in several metabolically active organs and interacts with different tissues. The FGF21 function is complicated and well debated due to its different sites of production and actions. Striated muscles are plastic tissues that undergo adaptive changes within their structural and functional properties in order to meet their different stresses, recently, they have been found to be an important source of FGF21. The FGF21 expression and secretion from skeletal muscles happen in both mouse and in humans during their different physiological and pathological conditions, including exercise and mitochondrial dysfunction. In this review, we will discuss the recent findings that identify FG21 as beneficial and/or detrimental cytokine interacting as an autocrine or endocrine in order to modulate cellular function, metabolism, and senescence