Statistical mechanics of random graphs

We discuss various aspects of the statistical formulation of the theory of random graphs, with emphasis on results obtained in a series of our recent publications.Comment: 6 pages (Talk at Conference: Applications of Physics in Financial Analysis 4, Warsaw 13-15 Nov. 2003

L’alternance et l’enseignement des langages de spécialité

Il est évident que l’acquisition de langages de spécialité ou, autrement dit, des langues pratiques ne peut se faire qu’en liaison étroite avec les exigences de la vie professionnelle quotidienne. Or, dès que l’on aborde un problème professionnel, on s’aperçoit que la seule connaissance des concepts et du langage propres à cette profession n’est pas suffisante en elle-même. Il en résulte qu’un stage au sein d’un monde hautement spécialisé et totalement cloisonné n’apporte qu’une connaissance ..

O tabu do incesto e a bioantropologia

The debate about the incest taboo has been widely discussed even before the foundation of anthropology as a field of study. However, it was in that area of knowledge that the theme acquired accentuated attention, especially after the publication of the renamed work of Claude Levi-Strauss, The Elementary Structures of Kinship, in 1949. A large part of Brazilian schools of social sciences assumes this subject was ended by this author; nevertheless, this is far from being true. In this article we try to relight the debate with the Levi-Straussian structuralism and its main theory about the prohibition of incest – the alliance theory – through the selection of several studies that somehow dialogs with this author’s work. Thereby, it is with special help of the boundary works between biology and anthropology – which many times don’t reach the social scientists – that we hope to revive this reflection among the Brazilian academy.O debate acerca do tabu do incesto tem sido amplamente discutido até mesmo antes da fundação da antropologia como disciplina. Porém, foi nessa área do conhecimento que o tema adquiriu atenção acentuada, em especial após a publicação do renomado trabalho de Claude Lévi--Strauss, As estruturas elementares do parentesco, em 1949. Grande parte das escolas de ciências sociais brasileiras toma o assunto como encerrado por esse autor, contudo, isso está longe de ser verdade. Neste artigo procuramos reacender o debate com o estruturalismo lévi-straussiano e a sua principal teoria a respeito da proibição do incesto – a teoria da aliança– através do levantamento de diversos estudos que de algum modo dialoguem com a obra desse autor. Deste modo, com especial auxílio dos trabalhos de fronteira entre a biologia e a antropologia – que muitas vezes não chegam ao contato dos cientistas sociais – desejamos reavivar essa reflexão no circulo acadêmico brasileiro

Backbone NMR resonance assignment of the Abelson kinase domain in complex with imatinib

Imatinib (Glivec or Gleevec) potently inhibits the tyrosine kinase activity of BCR-ABL, a constitutively activated kinase, which causes chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Here we report the first almost complete backbone assignment of c-ABL kinase domain in complex with imatini

Analysis of VNTR loci amplified by the polymerase chain reaction for investigating the origin of intimal smoth muscle cells in a coronary artery lesion developing after heart transplantation in man

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Desmoplastic small round cell tumor: impact of 18F-FDG PET induced treatment strategy in a patient with long-term outcome

The desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is an uncommon and highly aggressive cancer. The role of 18F-FDG PET in management of DSRCT is little reported. We report a case of metastasized abdominal DSRCT detected in a 43-year old patient whose diagnostic and therapeutic approaches were influenced by 18F-FDG PET-CT. The patient is still alive ten years after diagnosis. 18F-FDG PET-CT seems to be a useful method for assessing therapeutic efficiency and detecting early recurrences even in rare malignancies such as DSRCT

Probabilistic and semi-probabilistic analysis of slender columns frequently used in structural engineering

The stability of slender columns is a topic that has been dealt with in research and practice for many years. The importance of this topic also increases with the possibility of using non-linear modeling approaches to determine the stability and with the increasingly complex safety formats. In order to show the complexity and the variability associated with the non-linear models, two previous contributions discussed and compared (a) the results of the Round Robin Non-Linear Modeling, and (b) the existing international associated standard specifications and safety concepts with respect to experimental results. The aim herein is to determine the reliability level (safety index) on the basis of these investigations and findings and to examine the existing safety formats of classical and extended probabilistic analyses and to derive any necessary adjustments. In addition, the method of the safety format Estimation of Coefficient of Variance of resistance (ECOV) is used for the determination of the global safety resistance factors based on the non-linear analyses’ findings of the Round Robin modeling partners.This paper describes work mainly carried out during IABSE activities. The authors would like to acknowledge IABSE Commission 1 for supporting this project, the authors acknowledge the financial support provided by the Interreg project ATCZ190 SAFEBRIDGE. The authors also gratefully acknowledge Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education. This work was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contract No. APVV-150658. The authors also would like to express their thanks for the support provided from the Czech Science Foundation project MUFRAS No. 19-09491S. In addition, this work was partly financed by: (1) national funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under Grant No. PD/BD/143003/2018 attributed to the seventh author; and (2) FCT/MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC) under the R&D Unit Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), under Reference UIDB/04029/2020

Functional characterization and phenotypic monitoring of human hematopoietic stem cell expansion and differentiation of monocytes and macrophages by whole-cell mass spectrometry

The different facets of macrophages allow them to play distinct roles in tissue homeostasis, tissue repair and in response to infections. Individuals displaying dysregulated macrophage functions are proposed to be prone to inflammatory disorders or infections. However, this being a cause or a consequence of the pathology remains often unclear. In this context, we isolated and expanded CD34+ HSCs from healthy blood donors and derived them into CD14+ myeloid progenitors which were further enriched and differentiated into macrophages. Aiming for a comprehensive phenotypic profiling, we generated whole-cell mass spectrometry (WCMS) fingerprints of cell samples collected along the different stages of the differentiation process to build a predictive model using a linear discriminant analysis based on principal components. Through the capacity of the model to accurately predict sample's identity of a validation set, we demonstrate that WCMS profiles obtained from bona fide blood monocytes and respectively derived macrophages mirror profiles obtained from equivalent HSC derivatives. Finally, HSC-derived macrophage functionalities were assessed by quantifying cytokine and chemokine responses to a TLR agonist in a 34-plex luminex assay and by measuring their capacity to phagocytise mycobacteria. These functional read-outs could not discriminate blood monocytes-derived from HSC-derived macrophages. To conclude, we propose that this method opens new avenues to distinguish the impact of human genetics on the dysregulated biological properties of macrophages in pathological conditions

‘Content to be sad’ or ‘runaway apprentice’? The psychological contract and career agency of young scientists in the entrepreneurial university

This article examines employee agency in psychological contracts by exploring how young scientists proactively shape their careers in response to unmet expectations induced by academic entrepreneurialism. It uses the lens of social exchange to examine their relationships with the professors engaged in two types of activities: collaborative research characterized by diffuse/reciprocal exchange, and commercial ventures, by restricted/negotiated exchange. These two categories show how career agency varies in orientation, form and behavioural outcome depending on the relational context within which their psychological contracts evolve. Those involved in collaborative research experienced a relational psychological contract and responded to unfulfilled career promises by ‘extended investment’ in their current jobs. They use ‘proxy agency’ by enlisting the support of their professors. However, some become ‘trapped’ in perennial temporary employment and are ‘content to be sad’. By contrast, those involved in research commercialization experienced a transactional contract and assert ‘personal agency’ by crafting their own entrepreneurial careers. They are ‘runaways’ who seek autonomy. The evidence is based on interviews with 24 doctoral/postdoctoral researchers and 16 professors from three leading UK universities. The study extends psychological contract theory by incorporating career agency and sheds new light on changing academic careers