The revised international autoimmune hepatitis score in chronic liver diseases including autoimmune hepatitis/overlap syndromes and autoimmune hepatitis with concurrent other liver disorders

Background. We conducted a study in order to determine the usefulness and diagnostic value of International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group (IAHG) score in non-autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) hepatic disorders as well as in AIH/overlap syndromes and in cases with coexistence of AIH and other liver diseases. Methods. We applied the IAHG score in 423 patients with liver diseases excluding patients with AIH, AIH/overlap syndromes and AIH with concurrent other liver disease namely, patients with chronic hepatitis B (n = 109), chronic hepatitis C (n = 95), chronic hepatitis D (n = 4), alchoholic liver disease (n = 28), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (n = 55), autoimmune cholestatic liver diseases (n = 77), liver disorders of undefined origin (n = 32) and with miscellaneous hepatic disorders (n = 23). 24 patients with AIH associated with any kind of liver disorder including 10 patients with AIH/overlap syndromes and 14 AIH with concurrent other liver disease were also investigated. 43 patients with AIH consisted the control group. Results. The specificity of the score was 98.1% while the sensitivity in unmasking AIH in patients with either AIH/overlap syndromes or AIH with concurrent other liver diseases was only 50% and 78.6%. In the binary logistic regression model, the presence of other autoimmune diseases (p < 0.001), the total histological score (p < 0.001) and positivity for autoantibodies (p < 0.05) were identified as independent predictors for the presnce of AIH/ovea syndromes o AI with concurren other liver diseass. Conclusion. The IAHG scoring system has very good specificity for excluding AIH in patients with chronic liver diseases but not that sensitivity in order to unmask AIH/overlap syndromes or AIH with concurrent other liver diseases. The presence of other autoimmune diseases or autoantibody markers in the absence of hepatitis viral markers should alarm physicians for the possible presence of AIH either as "pure" AIH or in association with other liver disorders (AIH/overlap syndromes or AIH with concurrent other liver diseases). Under these conditions, liver histology seems essential and it must always be included in the work up of hepatic patients. © 2007 Papamichalis et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

DIMENSÕES DE VALORES PESSOAIS INSTRUMENTAIS E TERMINAIS: UM ESTUDO COMPARATIVO ENTRE BRASIL E TAILÂNDIA

Este artigo buscou identificar quais são as semelhanças entre dimensões de valores de tailandeses e brasileiros. Através do método de pesquisa descritiva, foi aplicado um questionário contendo valores pessoais instrumentais e terminais baseados na Rokeach Value Survey em amostras de estudantes brasileiros e tailandeses. Por meio de uma análise fatorial e da ordenação das dimensões encontradas foram buscadas semelhanças entre as estruturas de valores dos brasileiros e tailandeses. Como resultado, foi verificado que as dimensões de valores instrumentais são agrupadas de maneira semelhante nos dois países e de forma parcialmente semelhante com relação aos valores terminais. No entanto, com relação à ordenação das dimensões, em ambos os casos, os resultados obtidos não foram semelhantes. Apesar das diferenças encontradas, traços evidenciados na análise da amostra tailandesa como a busca do prazer e excitação pela vida estão intimamente ligados à cultura e cotidiano do brasileiro

Natural gas pipeline transportation in Brazil: the legal regime

A regulação do gás natural no Brasil ainda carece de reflexões jurídicas robustas, principalmente no que diz respeito à delimitação do regime constitucional de exploração de suas atividades e seus corolários. Apesar de ter passado por uma reorganização na década de 1990, ao mesmo tempo em que outras indústrias de rede no País, a manutenção da posição do incumbente estatal verticalizado na indústria do gás natural mitigou a aplicabilidade desses questionamentos. Na literatura jurídica, há contribuições importantes sobre o tema de uma forma abrangente, alcançando todas as atividades da cadeia. No entanto, tais contribuições não se propõem a uma análise mais detida da atividade de transporte dutoviário de gás natural. Apesar de a abertura jurídica da indústria ter ocorrido com as Emendas Constitucionais n. 5 e 9, ambas de 1995, ela se manteve verticalmente integrada sob a holding Petrobras. Por essa razão, não houve oposição de interesses/disputas relevantes que levassem a uma reflexão jurídica aprofundada sobre temas que atualmente estão se mostrando necessários em um contexto de liberalização. A perspectiva de abertura do mercado de gás natural a outros agentes tem levantado uma série de questões jurídicas relevantes que foram objeto de pouca (ou nenhuma, em determinados casos) problematização acadêmica. O tratamento dado a essas questões jurídicas esbarra em limitações importantes, relativas não apenas à escassez de problematização específica (doutrinária ou jurisprudencial), mas também à impossibilidade de aplicação das teorizações feitas sobre a categoria de monopólio legal ao transporte dutoviário de gás. Em outros termos, mesmo as reflexões doutrinárias e jurisprudenciais feitas para a categoria de monopólio não são particularmente aplicáveis ao transporte, por meio de conduto, de gás natural. A insuficiência da diferenciação doutrinária usualmente feita entre as categorias de serviço público e de monopólio se torna especialmente presente, nesse caso, pelo fato de o transporte dutoviário de gás natural poder se organizar sob a forma de um monopólio natural. A pesquisa realizada propõe uma leitura constitucional de enquadramento da atividade de transporte de gás natural por meio de conduto, classificando-a com uma atividade reservada, que representa a imputação de uma competência pública à União. A atribuição dessa competência à União importa a exclusão dos demais entes da Federação e lhe impõe a obrigação de prestar a atividade diretamente ou de ordenar sua exploração por privados, na forma do art. 177, § 1º, da Constituição. Ademais, a reserva da atividade à União lhe dá a possibilidade de utilizar arranjos de regulação mais interventivos, a exemplo de ferramentas tipicamente aplicadas à regulação de monopólios naturais (controle de entrada, determinação setorial de acesso, regulação de preços e determinação de transparência de informações). Em relação às atividades de livre iniciativa, aquelas não reservadas a um ente da Federação, defende-se não ser possível a adoção integral e preventiva desses instrumentos, tendo em vista a fragilização desproporcional do direito de propriedade e a liberdade de iniciativa dos privados. Por fim, a última seção do trabalho aplica tais reflexões constitucionais aos três marcos normativos observados na indústria do gás natural após a Emenda Constitucional n. 9/1995The legal regime applicable to the natural gas industry in Brazil has not been yet subject to in-depth research. Although the market has been, in legal terms, liberalized since the 1990s (along with other network industries in the country), in practice the market dominance was still held by the incumbent and, consequently, there has not been opposed interests leading to different legal points of view. There is relevant legal research with a cross-industry perspective. However, these academic contributions do not encompass a specific approach towards the gas transmission system legal regime. The ongoing market reform is raising several legal questions there are yet to be debated, both by the market stakeholders and by academic research. The historical debate opposing public services to legal monopolies is, also in this case, not fit for purpose. Although the majority of national doctrine considers natural gas transmission a legal monopoly (as an opposed category to a public service), the aspects normally claimed to distinguish one from another are not particularly applicable in the case of gas pipelines. Public services are usually explicitly or not - identified by economic characteristics presented by natural monopolies, while legal monopolies are claimed as the activities where the Government or the licensee can freely exploit and potentially obtain excess profits. This work states that such categorization should not be adopted for gas pipelines and that economic activities in the Constitution should be labeled in reserved and non-reserved activities. Natural gas transmission would be then regimented as a reserved activity, meaning that the Federal Union would be legally competent to exercise such prerogative and duty. Such exclusive competence also entails that no other entity would be primarily entitled to exercise these powers and that the Federal Union is the one responsible for providing these services or for designing the market and putting in place the right conditions for licensees to provide the service. Furthermore, the Federal Union could apply to natural gas pipelines the regulatory tools most commonly applicable as a response to natural monopolies (market entry barriers, third party access provisions, price regulation and transparency obligations). These tools cannot be widely adopted in relation to non-reserved economic activities, since in these cases it will most likely lead to regulatory takings. The last chapter then applies such statements to the different legal frameworks that have been applicable to the natural gas industry in Brazil since the Constitutional Amendment n.º 9/199

University of Athens and public discourse: 1837-1911

The main subject of this dissertation is the study of the public university discourse through speeches given during the period 1837 - 1911. Speeches from Professors and Deans of the University of Athens from the main academic ceremonies and events are presented, analysed and evaluated in chronological order. In particular, studies were made about the yearly speeches during the concession and the reacceptance of the Deanship ceremonies, the speeches for the Three Hierarchs, the anniversary of the establishment of the University (20th May) and finally the 25th March national anniversary. The economic, social and political context and the academic reality are depicted in these speeches, highlighting the role and the justification of the University in the public life of the country. As part of the research, the ideological and political origins were sought after, along with the ideas, the viewpoints and the transformation of the public discourse. The most conducive method for the research was considered to be the historical interpretation combined with critical discourse analysis. Using the historical interpretation as a methodological tool, a historical - ideological approach to the speeches given was attempted, aiming to analyse, comprehend and interpret the said speeches. The critical discourse analysis considers the relationship between language - text - ideology. These public ceremonies constitute a way of transferring a message in which the relationship between University - Nation - Community is formed. The ceremony is a platform of communication that can be interpreted within the economical, political and social context of the times. The Ancient Greek world, the Greek - Christian culture, the Great Idea and irredentism run throughout these texts and modulate the ideological framework of the University during the studied period.Η μελέτη πανεπιστημιακών λόγων προσφέρει δυνατότητες ανάδειξης πτυχών όχι μόνον του ελληνικού Πανεπιστημίου, αλλά και της ελληνικής κοινωνίας και ιστορίας. Θεματικός άξονας του παρόντος πονήματος είναι η μελέτη του δημόσιου πανεπιστημιακού λόγου, όπως αυτός προβάλλεται μέσα από τους λόγους που εκφωνήθηκαν από το 1837 έως το 1911. Παρουσιάζονται, αναλύονται και αξιολογούνται κατά χρονολογική σειρά, ομιλίες από Καθηγητές και Πρυτάνεις του Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών στις κεντρικές ακαδημαϊκές τελετές και εκδηλώσεις. Ειδικότερα, μελετήθηκαν οι λόγοι των κατ’ έτος τελετών παράδοσης και παραλαβής της Πρυτανείας, οι λόγοι της εορτής των Τριών Ιεραρχών, της επετείου της εγκαθιδρύσεως του Πανεπιστημίου (20 Μαΐου), και, τέλος, εκείνοι της 25ης Μαρτίου. Το οικονομικό, κοινωνικό και πολιτικό συγκείμενο και η ακαδημαϊκή πραγματικότητα αποτυπώνονται στους λόγους αυτούς, αναδεικνύοντας τον ρόλο και τον λόγο του Πανεπιστημίου στον δημόσιο βίο της χώρας. Στο πλαίσιο της έρευνας, αναζητήθηκαν οι ιδεολογικοπολιτικές αφετηρίες και οι άξονες, οι αντιλήψεις, οι θέσεις και οι μετασχηματισμοί του δημόσιου λόγου. Προσφορότερη μέθοδος για την έρευνα του θέματος κρίθηκε η ιστορικοερμηνευτική προσέγγιση σε συνδυασμό με την κριτική ανάλυση λόγου. Με εργαλείο το ιστορικοερμηνευτικό πρότυπο επιχειρήθηκε μια ιστορική –ιδεολογική προσέγγιση των εκφωνούμενων λόγων με ειδικότερο στόχο την «ανάλυση», την «κατανόηση» και την «ερμηνεία» τους. Η κριτική ανάλυση λόγου κινείται στην συνεξέταση της σχέσης γλώσσας-κειμένου-ιδεολογίας. H ελληνική αρχαιότητα, ο ελληνοχριστιανικός πολιτισμός, η Μεγάλη Ιδέα και ο αλυτρωτισμός διατρέχουν τα κείμενα αυτά και διαμορφώνουν το ιδεολογικό πλαίσιο του Πανεπιστημίου την υπό μελέτη περίοδο

A singular third-order 3-point boundary-value problem with nonpositive Green's function

We find a Green's function for the singular third-order three-point BVP $$u'''(t)=-a(t)f(t,u(t)),quad u(0)=u'(1)= u''(eta )=0$$ where $0leq eta <1/2$. Then we apply the classical Krasnosel'skii's fixed point theorem for finding solutions in a cone. Although this problem Green's function is not positive, the obtained solution is still positive and increasing. Our techniques rely on a combination of a fixed point theorem and the properties of the corresponding vector field