Public Tertiary Education Expenditure in Portugal: a Non-Parametric Efficiency Analysis

We employ a non-parametric methodology, Data Envelopment Analysis, to estimate efficiency scores for Portuguese public universities for 2001. Due to the tertiary education organisational features we consider universities as well as faculties and institutes as decision entities. Using frontier analysis we are able to separate universities/faculties/institutes that might qualify, as “performing well” from those were some improvement might increase its efficiency. This is a first effort of checking efficiency and productivity in Portuguese public tertiary education using nonparametric analysis.expenditure in tertiary education; efficiency; production possibility frontier; DEA.

A DEA approach to the relative efficiency of portuguese public universities

We employ Data Envelopment Analysis, to estimate efficiency scores for Portuguese public universities. The input measures are constructed from the number of teachers and from universities' spending while the output measures are based on the undergraduate success rate and on the number of doctoral dissertations. Using frontier analysis we are able to separate universities that might qualify, as "performing well" from those where some improvement might be possible. This could imply a better allocation by the universities of the usually scarce public financial resources available to tertiary education by the universities

Students and Teachers: A DEA Approach to the Relative Efficiency of Portuguese Public Universities

We employ a non-parametric methodology, Data Envelopment Analysis, to estimate efficiency scores for Portuguese public universities, using data mainly for 2003. The input measures are constructed from the number of teachers and from universities' spending while the outputs measures are based on the undergraduate success rate and on the number of doctoral dissertations. Using frontier analysis we are able to separate universities that might qualify, as "performing well" from those were some improvement might be possible in terms of efficiency. This could imply a better allocation by the universities of the usually scarce public financial resources available to tertiary education

Therapeutic Options in Neuro-Oncology

One of the biggest challenges in neuro-oncology is understanding the complexity of central nervous system tumors, such as gliomas, in order to develop suitable therapeutics. Conventional therapies in malignant gliomas reconcile surgery and radiotherapy with the use of chemotherapeutic options such as temozolomide, chloroethyl nitrosoureas and the combination therapy of procarbazine, lomustine and vincristine. With the unraveling of deregulated cancer cell signaling pathways, targeted therapies have been developed. The most affected signaling pathways in glioma cells involve tyrosine kinase receptors and their downstream pathways, such as the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways (MAPK). MAPK pathway inhibitors include farnesyl transferase inhibitors, Ras kinase inhibitors and mitogen-activated protein extracellular regulated kinase (MEK) inhibitors, while PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitors are divided into pan-inhibitors, PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitors and AKT inhibitors. The relevance of the immune system in carcinogenesis has led to the development of immunotherapy, through vaccination, blocking of immune checkpoints, oncolytic viruses, and adoptive immunotherapy using chimeric antigen receptor T cells. In this article we provide a comprehensive review of the signaling pathways underlying malignant transformation, the therapies currently used in the treatment of malignant gliomas and further explore therapies under development, including several ongoing clinical trials.This work was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal: grant numbers PTDC/MED-ONC/29402/2017, UIDP/04138/2020 and UIDB/04138/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Public Tertiary Education Expenditure in Portugal: a Non-Parametric Efficiency Analysis

We employ a non-parametric methodology, Data Envelopment Analysis, to estimate efficiency scores for Portuguese public universities for 2001. Due to the tertiary education organisational features we consider universities as well as faculties and institutes as decision entities. Using frontier analysis we are able to separate universities/faculties/institutes that might qualify, as "performing well" from those were some improvement might increase its efficiency. This is a first effort of checking efficiency and productivity in Portuguese public tertiary education using non-parametric analysis