Bioética e investigação: análise de caso epidemia. do vírus ebola em 2014

The Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa (2014) has raised some ethical questions surrounding public health measures for its containment, the use of experimental drugs and the development of vaccines against this disea- se. This paper explores some of these issues from the perspective of ethics in biomedical research. Ebola virus epidemic is a suitable study model to address multilateral efforts in research as well as to analyze anthropological aspects of public health and social, economic and political determinants of global health.La epidemia por el virus Ébola en África occidental (2014) ha suscitado una serie de interrogantes éticos en torno a las medidas de salud pública para su contención, el uso de medicamentos experimentales y el desarrollo de vacunas contra esta enfermedad. El presente trabajo explora algunas de estas preguntas desde la perspectiva de la ética en investigación biomédica. La epidemia por el virus Ébola es un modelo de estudio adecuado para abordar esfuerzos multilaterales en investigación, así como para analizar aspectos antropológicos en salud pública y determinantes sociales, económicos y políticos en salud a nivel global.A epidemia pelo vírus Ebola, na África Ocidental (2014), tem levantado uma série de questões éticas em torno às medidas de saúde pública para a sua contenção, o uso de medicamentos experimentais e o desenvolvimento de vacinas contra esta doença. Este artigo explora algumas destas questões a partir da perspectiva da  tica na pesquisa biomédica. A epidemia pelo vírus Ebola é um modelo de estudo adequado para abordar esforços multilaterais em pesquisa, como também para analisar aspectos antropológicos em saúde pública e determinantes sociais, econômicos e políticos em saúde a nível global

Heterologous hyperimmune polyclonal antibodies against SARS-COV-2: A broad coverage, affordable, and scalable potential immunotherapy for Covid-19

The emergence and dissemination of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the resulting COVID-19 pandemic triggered a global public health crisis. Although several SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been developed, demand far exceeds supply, access to them is inequitable, and thus, populations in low- and middle-income countries are unlikely to be protected soon (1). Furthermore, there are no specific therapies available, which is a challenge for COVID-19 patient care (2). Thus, the appearance of SARS-CoV-2 variants and reports of reinfections associated with immune escape (3, 4) highlight the urgent need for effective and broad coverage COVID-19 therapeutics. Intravenous administration of human or heterologous antibodies is a therapy successfully used in patients with viral respiratory diseases (5). Accordingly, formulations containing SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies are an attractive therapeutic option for COVID-19 patients (6). SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies could limit infection by direct virion neutralization and/or by targeting infected cells for elimination via complement or antibody-mediated cytotoxicity (6). Specific SARS-CoV-2 antibody-based therapeutics include convalescent plasma (CP), monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), human polyclonal IgG formulations purified from CP or transgenic animals, and heterologous hyperimmune polyclonal antibodies (pAbs) (6). Although the window for using antibody-based therapeutics varies, clinical data show that they are mainly effective if administered early after symptoms onset (6).Universidad de Costa Rica/[741-C0-198]/UCR/Costa RicaCaja Costarricense del Seguro Social/[]/CCSS/Costa RicaBanco Centroamericano de Integración Económica/[]/BCIE/Costa RicaGerman academic exchange services/[57592642]/DAAD/AlemaniaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias de la Salud::Instituto Clodomiro Picado (ICP)UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Salud::Facultad de Medicina::Escuela de MedicinaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias de la Salud::Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET

Hacia la Sociedad de la Información y el Conocimiento: Informe 2012

Por séptimo año consecutivo el Prosic presenta su informe anual “Hacia la Sociedad de la Información y el Conocimiento en Costa Rica, 2012”, cuyo propósito es aportar cada año nueva información sobre cómo progresan las tecnologías de la información y comunicación en los diferentes sectores de la sociedad. La Web es hoy en día la mayor fuente de información; definitivamente la forma de comunicarnos ha cambiado: la inmediatez del correo electrónico, los SMS, las redes sociales, el microblogging, los datos abiertos entre muchos otros, abren un gran abanico de oportunidades en la interactividad del quehacer diario: trabajo, estudios, investigación, diversión, familia etc. En esta era de la información las nuevas tecnologías están marcando un cambio fundamental en nuestro país; para muchos habitantes de la ciudad, es casi imposible imaginar la vida sin las TIC. La importancia de este Informe anual del Prosic reside, entre otros elementos, en la exploración de dimensiones diversas concernientes a la incorporación de las tecnologías de información y comunicación en la interacción social cotidiana, tanto en el ámbito privado como público, en la educación, en la salud, en la ciencia y la investigación, la ingeniería, la física y en la economía; en fin en todos los sectores de esta sociedad de la información cada vez en mayor convergencia.UCR::Rectoría::Programa Sociedad de la Información y el Conocimiento (PROSIC

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Impacts of the Tropical Pacific/Indian Oceans on the Seasonal Cycle of the West African Monsoon

The current consensus is that drought has developed in the Sahel during the second half of the twentieth century as a result of remote effects of oceanic anomalies amplified by local land–atmosphere interactions. This paper focuses on the impacts of oceanic anomalies upon West African climate and specifically aims to identify those from SST anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Oceans during spring and summer seasons, when they were significant. Idealized sensitivity experiments are performed with four atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs). The prescribed SST patterns used in the AGCMs are based on the leading mode of covariability between SST anomalies over the Pacific/Indian Oceans and summer rainfall over West Africa. The results show that such oceanic anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Ocean lead to a northward shift of an anomalous dry belt from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel as the season advances. In the Sahel, the magnitude of rainfall anomalies is comparable to that obtained by other authors using SST anomalies confined to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. The mechanism connecting the Pacific/Indian SST anomalies with West African rainfall has a strong seasonal cycle. In spring (May and June), anomalous subsidence develops over both the Maritime Continent and the equatorial Atlantic in response to the enhanced equatorial heating. Precipitation increases over continental West Africa in association with stronger zonal convergence of moisture. In addition, precipitation decreases over the Gulf of Guinea. During the monsoon peak (July and August), the SST anomalies move westward over the equatorial Pacific and the two regions where subsidence occurred earlier in the seasons merge over West Africa. The monsoon weakens and rainfall decreases over the Sahel, especially in August.Peer reviewe

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI

Search for stop and higgsino production using diphoton Higgs boson decays

Results are presented of a search for a "natural" supersymmetry scenario with gauge mediated symmetry breaking. It is assumed that only the supersymmetric partners of the top-quark (stop) and the Higgs boson (higgsino) are accessible. Events are examined in which there are two photons forming a Higgs boson candidate, and at least two b-quark jets. In 19.7 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton collision data at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV, recorded in the CMS experiment, no evidence of a signal is found and lower limits at the 95% confidence level are set, excluding the stop mass below 360 to 410 GeV, depending on the higgsino mass

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good