17th Annual Institute for Law and Economic Policy Conference Access to Justice: April 7, 2011

There is a fragmented approach to social sustainability in the literature, and this paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the meanings and interpretations of that concept while reviewing and discussing the social dimension of sustainability from the perspectives of two fields: urban development as well as companies and products. The analysis identifies commonalities and differences in the understanding of the conceptualization of social sustainability and helps to identify core aspects that cross disciplinary boundaries. The paper shows that compiling a list of comprehensive aspects that is representative of social sustainability is not straightforward, as interpretations are context dependant and aspects are often closely interconnected. Differences often occur because of variations in scoping and context, or whether or not a life cycle perspective is used. Nonetheless, there seems to be an underlying common understanding of what social sustainability is, and a set of key themes (social capital, human capital and well-being) is suggested as an alternative to put more specific measures and indicators in perspective. However, context-specific information is still necessary in practical applications.QC 20140523. Updated from manuscript to article in journal.</p

Chronic morphine treatment attenuates cell growth of human BT474 breast cancer cells by rearrangement of the ErbB signalling network.

There is increasing evidence that opioid analgesics may interfere with tumour growth. It is currently thought that these effects are mediated by transactivation of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)-controlled ERK1/2 and Akt signalling. The growth of many breast cancer cells is dependent on hyperactive ErbB receptor networks and one of the most successful approaches in antineoplastic therapy during the last decade was the development of ErbB-targeted therapies. However, the response rates of single therapies are often poor and resistance mechanisms evolve rapidly. To date there is no information about the ability of opioid analgesics to interfere with the growth of ErbB-driven cancers. Here we demonstrate that ErbB2 overexpressing BT474 human breast cancer cells carry fully functional endogenous µ-opioid receptors. Most interestingly, the acute opioid effects on basal and Heregulin-stimulated ERK1/2 and Akt phosphorylation changed considerably during chronic Morphine treatment. Investigation of the underlying mechanism by the use of protein kinase inhibitors and co-immunoprecipitation studies revealed that chronic Morphine treatment results in rearrangement of the ErbB signalling network leading to dissociation of ERK1/2 from Akt signalling and a switch from ErbB1/ErbB3 to ErbB1/ErbB2-dependent cell growth. In chronically Morphine-treated cells Heregulin-stimulated ERK1/2 signalling is redirected via a newly established PI3K- and metalloproteinase-dependent feedback loop. Together, these alterations result in apoptosis of BT474 cells. A similar switch in Heregulin-stimulated ERK1/2 signalling from an ErbB2-independent to an ErbB2-, PI3K- and metalloproteinase-dependent mechanism was also observed in κ-opioid receptor expressing SKBR3 human mammary adenocarcinoma cells. The present data demonstrate that the ErbB receptor network of human breast cancer cells represents a target for chronic Morphine treatment. Rearrangement of ErbB signalling by chronic Morphine may provide a promising strategy to enhance the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to ErbB-directed therapies and to prevent the development of escape mechanisms

Effekte zweier Sauerstoffsysteme (Flüssigsauerstoff versus Konzentrator) auf die Oxygenierung in Ruhe und während Belastung bei hypoxämischen COPD-Patienten

Im medizinischen Alltag stehen für COPD-Patienten mit Indikation zur Langzeitsauerstofftherapie neben klassischen Flüssigsauerstoffsystemen (Liquid Oxygen Devices (LOD) mit Dauerfluss (CF) oder Demandsystem/Sparventil (DODS)) mittlerweile eine Vielzahl an mobilen Konzentratoren/POCs (Portable Oxygen Concentrators) als Applikationssysteme zur Verfügung. POCs konzentrieren akkubetrieben Sauerstoff aus der Umgebungsluft und können über eine herkömmliche Steckdose aufgeladen werden, weshalb sie eine größere Mobilität und Autonomie des Patienten versprechen. Hinsichtlich der Vergleichbarkeit der Effekte auf die Oxygenierung eines POCs mit denjenigen eines Flüssigsauerstoffgerätes sowie der korrekten Literkonversion von Flüssigsauerstoff (LOX / Liquid Oxygen) in die einzelnen Konzentratorstufen existieren aktuell nur wenige Studien. Aus diesem Grunde wurde in vorliegender randomisiert-kontrollierter cross-over Studie die Vergleichbarkeit des POCs (mit DODS) Activox™ 4L mit dem LOD (mit CF) Companion® 1000 bei 30 hypoxämischen COPD Patienten (Alter 65,6±8,2 Jahre; FEV1 35,2±10,4%; pO2 56,8±6,1mmHg; pCO2 38,3±4,9mmHg) unter Belastung und bei 15 hypoxämischen Patienten in Ruhe (Alter 65,5±7,6 Jahre; FEV1 31,5±7,3%; pO2 54,9±3,5mmHg; pCO2 40,2±3,3mmHg) untersucht. Es kam zu keinen Drop-outs. Untersuchung unter Belastung: Es wurde der Shuttlewalk als standardisierter Gehtest verwendet. Nach einem Einstufungstest (ISWT) folgten in den darauffolgenden zwei Tagen, in randomisierter Reihenfolge, jeweils ein Endurance Shuttle Walk Tests (ESWT) mit LOD und POC. Während der ESWTs wurde SpO2 als primärer Endpunkt sowie als Nebenzielparameter pCO2, Herzfrequenz, Atemfrequenz, inspiratorische Kapazität gemessen sowie Dyspnoe und körperliche Erschöpfung eruiert. SpO2 war vor als auch während des ESWTS mit dem LOD signifikant höher als mit dem POC (alle p-Werte ˂.001). Der durchschnittliche SpO2-Wert nahm während des ESWTs mit dem LOD von 95,3±2,4% auf 88,9±6,2%, mit dem POC von 93,6±2,9% auf 84,8±7% ab. Ein SpO2 von ˃90% konnte mit dem LOD länger gehalten werden, weshalb mit dem LOD durchschnittlich 108,3±138,0 Meter weiter und 123±160 Sekunden länger gelaufen wurde. Die Gehstrecke und -zeit insgesamt der ESWTs belief sich auf durchschnittlich 344,0±293,7 Meter bei 384±277 Sekunden (LOD) sowie 235,7±249,8 Meter bei 261±219 Sekunden (POC). Hinsichtlich der Nebenzielparameter ergaben sich keine statistisch relevanten Unterschiede. Untersuchung in Ruhe: An zwei Studientagen erhielten 15 Studienpatienten in randomisierter Reihenfolge im Sitzen und in Ruhe über einen Zeitraum von 40 Minuten Sauerstoff aus den Systemen. Die Durchflussrate wurde dabei mit 1l/min LOX (LOD) bzw. Stufe 1 (POC) begonnen und kontinuierlich alle 10 Minuten um eine weitere Stufe/Literflusszahl erhöht bis zur maximalen Stufe/Durchflussrate von Stufe 4 bzw. 4l/min LOX. Vor jeder Erhöhung wurde eine Blutgasanalyse durchgeführt und die Atemfrequenz gemessen. Es ergab sich ein statistisch signifikanter Unterschied zwischen beiden Geräten hinsichtlich des primären Endpunktes pO2 auf allen 4 Durchflussraten (alle p-Werte ˂.001). Mit dem POC nahm der durchschnittliche pO2 von 58,0±5,2mmHg (Stufe 1) auf 66,0±6,3mmHg (Stufe 4) und mit dem LOD von 63,8±6,5mmHg (1l/min LOX) auf 87,4±15,9mmHg (4l/min LOX) zu. Durchschnittlich lag der pO2 mit dem LOD auf allen Flusseinstellungen um 15,2±7,2mmHg höher. Die größte pO2-Mittelwertdifferenz berechnete sich mit 21,4±13,0mmHg bei maximaler Stufeneinstellung 4 und 4l/min LOX, wobei der durchschnittliche pO2 auf dieser Stufe mit dem POC im Vergleich um diesen Wert niedriger war. Auf Stufe 4 des POCs wiesen 14 der 15 Patienten einen niedrigeren pO2-Wert auf als bei ihnen mit 2l/min LOX gemessen worden war, fünf von ihnen lagen dabei unter ihrem Wert von 1l/min LOX. Hinsichtlich der Nebenzielparameter (pCO2, pH, AF) ergaben sich keine signifikanten Unterschiede. Der POC hatte pro Stufe einen ähnlichen Effekt auf die Oxygenierung der Patienten wie 0,304l/min LOX. Auf Stufe 4 erreichte der POC somit eine Flussäquivalenz von ca. 1,2l/min LOX. Für Patienten, die eine Durchflussrate größer als 2l/min LOX benötigten, konnte der POC selbst auf höchster Stufe somit keine gleichwertige Alternative zum Flüssigsauerstoffgerät darstellen. Unter Belastung konnte im Vergleich mit dem LOD annährend eine 1,5-fach längere Strecke zurückgelegt werden. Die niedrige Performance des POC Activox™ steht vermutlich mit technischen Spezifikationen, wie das in diesem Gerät verbaute DODS mit kleinem Bolusvolumen, in Zusammenhang

Semiotic analysis of neuroenergetic networks in the construction of intelligent agents

Orientador: Ricardo Ribeiro GudwinDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Faculdade de Engenharia Eletrica e de ComputaçãoResumo: Neste trabalho desenvolvemos uma análise das redes neuroenergéticas (propostas por Leonid B. Emelyanov-Yaroslavsky) e a especificação de um agente inteligente constru'ido com estas redes, comparando-o com outras especificaçoes de agentes existentes na literatura e também avaliando suas capacidades semióticas. As redes neuroenergéticas caracterizam-se por serem autoorganizáveis em torno do objetivo de minimização do consumo de energia de seus neurônios. A partir deste objetivo, e dadas algumas restrições, Emelyanov-Yaroslavsky sugere que deveriam surgir no agente neuroenergético características típicas de sistemas inteligentes como memória, volição, aprendizado, capacidade de generalização, etc. Este trabalho visa dar os primeiros passos na validação das propostas de Emelyanov-Yaroslavsky por meio da compreensão das características básicas do modelo e sua reprodução e simulação. Uma versão computacional da rede neuroenergética foi implementada demonstrando sua viabilidade operacional e capacidade de auto-organização. Embora não tenha sido implementado, o modelo do agente neuroenergético abre perspectivas no sentido de criar sistemas cognitivos capazes de atuar nos mais diversos ambientes e domíniosAbstract: This work presents an analysis of the neuroenergetic networks (proposed by Leonid B. Emelyanov-Yaroslavsky) and the specification of an intelligent agent constructed with these networks, comparing it to other existing agent specifications in the literature and also evaluating its semiotic capabilities. The neuroenergetic networks are characterized by their capability of selforganizing, aiming at minimizing the energy consumption of their neurons. With this aim in mind, and given some restrictions, Emelyanov-Yaroslavsky suggests that the neuroenergetic agent should develop some typical characteristics of intelligent systems such as: memory, volition, learning and, generalizationcapabilities, etc. This work aims at making the first steps validating Emelyanov-Yaroslavsky¿s proposals through the comprehension of the model¿s basic features and its reproduction and simulation. A computational version of the neuroenergetic network was implemented, demonstrating its operational viability and capacity of selforganization. Even though it has not yet been implemented, the model of the neuroenergetic agent opens perspectives in the direction of creating cognitive systems, capable to act in most diverse environments and domainsMestradoEngenharia de ComputaçãoMestre em Engenharia Elétric

Vestes litúrgicas : “resgatam o sentido da ordenação”?

Martin Weingärtner reporta-se a um artigo da Comissão de Liturgia da IECLB sobre vestes litúrgicas para perguntar: “Vestes Litúrgicas Resgatam o Sentido da Ordenação?” Após uma fundamentação bíblica e histórico-teológica, o artigo aponta para os desafios do contexto cultural a serem considerados na busca de novas formas para a prática litúrgica

Evaluation of the interface of eucalyptus specimens welded by rotary friction

Rotary friction welding produces joints by inserting wood dowels, with a specific rotation and feed rate, into pre-drilled holes made in wood substrates. Studies on the welding of fast-growing eucalypts from Brazilian planted forests are recent. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the macro and microstructural and thermochemical changes at the dowel/substrate interface of eucalypts welded joints from Brazilian planted forests and to determine the mechanical strength of two-piece eucalypts welded joints. Specimens formed by eucalypts dowels and substrates were produced. Subsequently, visual evaluation and scanning electron microscopy, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric, differential scanning calorimetry and tensile tests were performed. The results reveal that the rotary friction welding parameters adopted contribute to the densification of the welded interface and the formation of a structure responsible for joining the dowel and the substrate, providing mechanical strength to the joint. The cellulose crystallinity index and the apparent crystallite size of the eucalypts welded sample increase due to thermal degradation of amorphous components. The rupture of the welded joints is ductile and their average strength is 2,1 MPa. Welded joints of fast-growing eucalypts, from Brazilian planted forests, are suitable when the rotary friction welding parameters are similar to those used for eucalypts woods from Australian forests

O teletrabalho como estratégia para empresas mais diversas e globais

Esta dissertação foi desenvolvida no âmbito do teletrabalho, com enfoque na União Europeia e em organizações de trabalho. Foi explorado o formato de trabalho a distância, a partir da perspetiva de empregados e empregadores. A dissertação parte de um resumo crítico sobre a evolução do trabalho até o presente momento e desenvolve-se no período atual face a digitalização dos meios de produção, a intensa globalização social e acentuada competitividade empresarial: um conjunto de variantes, que gera uma necessidade de inovação constante no mercado de trabalho, alterando o próprio formato de trabalho e agindo também na diversidade no trabalho.This dissertation developed within the scope of telework, focusing on the European Union and work associations. The telework format was explored from the perspective of employees and employers. The dissertation starts from a historical overview on the evolution of work, up to the present moment, entering the digitalization of means of production, the intense social globalization and accentuated business competitiveness: a set of variants that culminate in the need for constant innovation in the job market, transforming the work format itself and also altering the diversity in the workplace.Mestrado em Línguas e Relações Empresariai

Mechanical and microstructural investigations of tungsten and doped tungsten materials produced via powder injection molding

The physical properties of tungsten such as the high melting point of 3420°C, the high strength and thermal conductivity, the low thermal expansion and low erosion rate make this material attractive as a plasma facing material. However, the manufacturing of such tungsten parts by mechanical machining such as milling and turning is extremely costly and time intensive because this material is very hard and brittle. Powder Injection Molding (PIM) as special process allows the mass production of components, the joining of different materials without brazing and the creation of composite and prototype materials, and is an ideal tool for scientific investigations. This contribution describes the characterization and analyses of prototype materials produced via PIM. The investigation of the pure tungsten and oxide or carbide doped tungsten materials comprises the microstructure examination, element allocation, texture analyses, and mechanical testing via four-point bend (4-PB). Furthermore, the different materials were characterized by high heat flux (HHF) tests applying transient thermal loads at different base temperatures to address thermal shock and thermal fatigue performance. Additionally, HHF investigations provide information about the thermo-mechanical behavior to extreme steady state thermal loading and measurements of the thermal conductivity as well as oxidation tests were done. Post mortem analyses are performed quantifying and qualifying the occurring damage with respect to reference tungsten grades by metallographic and microscopical means