Towards an epistemology of medical imaging

Tese de doutoramento (co-tutela), História e Filosofia das Ciências (Filosofia), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Università degli Studi di Milano, 201

Strange loves: a remarkable case of aberrant copulation in beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae, Chrysomelidae)

A case of copulation between two mimic and repellent beetle species (a male of Timarcha fracassii, and a female of Meloe autumnalis), belonging to distinct families (Chrysomelidae, Meloidae), is recorded

Dynamic programming for variable discounted Markov decision problems

We study the existence of optimal strategies and value function of non stationary Markov decision processes under variable discounted criteria, when the action space is assumed to be Borel and the action space to be compact. With this new way of defining the value of a policy, we show existence of Markov deterministic optimal policies in the finite-horizon case, and a recursive method to obtain such ones. For the infinite horizon problem we characterize the value function and show existence of stationary deterministic policies. The approach presented is based on the use of adequate dynamic programming operators.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

Modulation of STAT3 signaling, cell redox defenses and cell cycle checkpoints by β-caryophyllene in cholangiocarcinoma cells: possible mechanisms accounting for doxorubicin chemosensitization and chemoprevention

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive group of biliary tract cancers, characterized by late diagnosis, low effective chemotherapies, multidrug resistance, and poor outcomes. In the attempt to identify new therapeutic strategies for CCA, we studied the antiproliferative activity of a combination between doxorubicin and the natural sesquiterpene β-caryophyllene in cholangiocarcinoma Mz-ChA-1 cells and nonmalignant H69 cholangiocytes, under both long-term and metronomic schedules. The modulation of STAT3 signaling, oxidative stress, DNA damage response, cell cycle progression and apoptosis was investigated as possible mechanisms of action. β-caryophyllene was able to synergize the cytotoxicity of low dose doxorubicin in Mz-ChA-1 cells, while producing cytoprotective effects in H69 cholangiocytes, mainly after a long-term exposure of 24 h. The mechanistic analysis highlighted that the sesquiterpene induced a cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase along with the doxorubicin-induced accumulation in S phase, reduced the γH2AX and GSH levels without affecting GSSG. ROS amount was partly lowered by the combination in Mz-ChA-1 cells, while increased in H69 cells. A lowered expression of doxorubicin-induced STAT3 activation was found in the presence of β-caryophyllene in both cancer and normal cholangiocytes. These networking effects resulted in an increased apoptosis rate in Mz-ChA-1 cells, despite a lowering in H69 cholangiocytes. This evidence highlighted a possible role of STAT3 as a final effector of a complex network regulated by β-caryophyllene, which leads to an enhanced doxorubicin-sensitivity of cholangiocarcinoma cells and a lowered chemotherapy toxicity in nonmalignant cholangiocytes, thus strengthening the interest for this natural sesquiterpene as a dual-acting chemosensitizing and chemopreventive agent

Attitudes toward “Non-Traditional” Mothers: Examining the Antecedents of Mothers’ Competence Perceptions

Mothers are the protagonists in a widespread narrative that emphasizes motherhood as prolonged and exclusive attention to children, accompanied by references to natural competence in child-rearing skills. The present research aimed to investigate the linking mechanisms and conditional processes underlying the perception of mothers’ competence. Cisgender heterosexual Italian participants (N = 230) read one of four vignettes describing a situation in which a mother (i.e., heterosexual biological mother, heterosexual stepmothers, lesbian stepmother, and lesbian biological mother) interacts with her two children who had misbehaved. After reading the vignette, the participants rated the depicted mother’s competence and to what extent the children’s misbehaviour was attributable to the mother. Moderated-mediation analyses indicated that all the non-traditional mothers were perceived as being less competent compared to the heterosexual biological mother, by giving them greater responsibility for their children’s misbehaviour, among participants with medium–high levels of traditional gender-role beliefs. Sexual orientation and biology relatedness were not cumulative variables, but intersecting categories creating a unique way to perceive mothers. As the number of non-traditional families grows, negative societal attitudes toward non-traditional parents and their children should be increasingly considered

Semiclassical limit for Schr\"odinger equations with magnetic field and Hartree-type nonlinearities

The semi-classical regime of standing wave solutions of a Schr\"odinger equation in presence of non-constant electric and magnetic potentials is studied in the case of non-local nonlinearities of Hartree type. It is show that there exists a family of solutions having multiple concentration regions which are located around the minimum points of the electric potential.Comment: 34 page

Transanal minimally invasive surgery for rectal lesions

Background and Objectives: Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) has emerged as an alternative to transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM). The authors report their experience with TAMIS for the treatment of mid and high rectal tumors. Methods: From November 2011 through May 2016, 31 patients (21 females, 68%), with a median age of 65 years who underwent single-port TAMIS were prospectively enrolled. Mean distance from the anal verge of the rectal tumors was 9.5 cm. Seventeen patients presented with T1 cancer, 10 with large adenoma, 2 with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and 2 with carcinoid tumor. Data concerning demographics, operative procedure and pathologic results were analyzed. Results: TAMIS was successfully completed in all cases. In 4 (13%) TAMIS was converted to standard Park’s transanal technique. Median postoperative stay was 3 days. The overall complication rate was 9.6%, including 1 urinary tract infection, 1 subcutaneous emphysema, and 1 hemorrhoidal thrombosis. TAMIS allowed an R0 resection in 96.8% of cases (30/31 cases) and a single case of local recurrence after a large adenoma resection was encountered. Conclusion: TAMIS is a safe technique, with a short learning curve for laparoscopic surgeons already proficient in single-port procedures, and provides effective oncological outcomes compared to other techniques

LA GESTION DEL CONOCIMIENTO COMO ESTRUCTURANTE DE LA FORMACIÓN DE RECURSOS HUMANOS EN LA U.N.C.P.B.A. EL CASO DE LA TECNICATURA EN GESTION UNIVERSITARIA.

La naturaleza del cambio tecnológico le impone a las universidades dos requisitos: deben ser científicas, para asegurar su posición de excelencia dentro de un sistema terciario ampliado, pero al mismo tiempo deben orientar carreras cortas orientadas directamente a los nuevos perfiles técnicos y profesionales que este cambio requiere; sin dejar de enfatizar estos requerimientos, al mismo tiempo, deben establecer relaciones más estrechas con organizaciones no académicas, con el Estado y con el sistema productivo en general, hecho que requiere no sólo revisar los procesos y prácticas que al interior de la institución se producen sino también replantear los marcos desde donde se desea generar el cambio. Sintéticamente este es contexto en el cual se ha diseñado la Carrera “Tecnicatura en Gestión Universitaria” que considera que el cambio científico-tecnológico, las nuevas condiciones de la competitividad, el impacto de los anteriores sobre perfiles y niveles de empleo y el desarrollo de nuevas capacidades y habilidades laborales que surgen de las nuevas tecnologías, mostrando que el eje conocimiento-educación es el principal motor para un desarrollo exitoso en medio de un escenario plagado de incertidumbres y rupturas diversas

Articulación en el Sistema de Educación Superior. Nuevas formas de gestión del conocimiento y de desarrollo académico. El caso de las Familias de Carreras Agroalimentarias.

Ante el interrogante acerca de la pertinencia de las acciones que desarrolla la universidad, en términos de dar respuesta a la complejidad de un contexto signado por la incertidumbre que provocan los tiempos de crisis, este trabajo hace referencia a la inevitabilidad que el entramado estado, mercado, academia genera en el desarrollo de estrategias orientadas a efectuar los cambios que las Instituciones de Educación Superior. En este sentido, tanto la UNCPBA como la UNLP, están comprometidas en ofrecer nuevas alternativas de formación, ya sean éstas bajo la forma de carreras, de cursos de especialización o de capacitación. De lo que se trata es de conjugar esfuerzos que tiendan a potenciar tanto la creatividad como la disposición de diversas áreas del saber por parte de la universidad