Is writing a diary a pharmakon?

Resumen Tras un prolongado intercambio epistolar entre dos docentes universitarios (Branda, 2015; 2016), la relación afectuosa ha sido terminada por una de los correspondientes. En este escrito se presentan las entradas en el diario de Alberto, el otro correspondiente, donde se incluyen reflexiones relacionadas a Henri–Frédéric Amiel y referencias a los comentarios sobre su psicología que la lectura de su Journal intime ha generado en varios escritores, incluyendo Gregorio Marañón. También se menciona un aspecto de la vida de Amiel que parece haber recibido menos atención, que es su rol como docente. El diario finaliza con comentarios sobre las aspiraciones del diarista con reflexiones sobre el pasado y la incertidumbre del futuro

Reformulation of general chance constrained problems using the penalty functions

We explore reformulation of nonlinear stochastic programs with several joint chance constraints by stochastic programs with suitably chosenpenalty-type objectives. We show that the two problems are asymptotically equivalent. Simpler cases with one chance constraint and particular penalty functions were studied in [5, 9]. The obtained problems with penalties and with a fixed set of feasible solutions are simpler to solve and analyze then the chance constrained programs. We discuss solving both problems using Monte-Carlo simulation techniques for the cases when the set of feasible solution is finite or infinite bounded. The approach is applied to the financial optimization problem with Value at Risk constraint, transaction costs and integer allocations. We compare the ability to generate a feasible solution of the original chance constrained problem using the sample approximations of the chance constraints directly or via sample approximation of the penaltyfunction objective

Chance constrained problems: penalty reformulation and performance of sample approximation technique

summary:We explore reformulation of nonlinear stochastic programs with several joint chance constraints by stochastic programs with suitably chosen penalty-type objectives. We show that the two problems are asymptotically equivalent. Simpler cases with one chance constraint and particular penalty functions were studied in [6,11]. The obtained problems with penalties and with a fixed set of feasible solutions are simpler to solve and analyze then the chance constrained programs. We discuss solving both problems using Monte-Carlo simulation techniques for the cases when the set of feasible solution is finite or infinite bounded. The approach is applied to a financial optimization problem with Value at Risk constraint, transaction costs and integer allocations. We compare the ability to generate a feasible solution of the original chance constrained problem using the sample approximations of the chance constraints directly or via sample approximation of the penalty function objective

Bridles to the wild heart – epistolary

El epistolario que se presenta es una continuación del que mantuvieron dos académicos, el Dr. Alberto Golding (bueno como el oro, pero potencialmente maleable) y la Dra. Manman Touchstone (comprueba si algo o alguien es genuino) (Branda, 2015). El título se inspira en la primera novela de Clarice Lispector, Perto do coração selvagem donde las relaciones humanas se examinan a través de los sentimientos de una mujer y donde la protagonista dice “No entanto como seria bom construir alguma coisa pura, liberta do falso amor sublimizado, liberta do medo de não amar... Medo de não amar, pior do que o medo de não ser amado...” (Lispector, 1995: 108). Los correspondientes en este epistolario intercalan sus sentimientos y reflexiones siendo el tema dominante el análisis de la naturaleza de las relaciones amorosas, incluyendo la de los padres a su progenie y la separación o el escoger un nuevo camino; “Não fugir, mas ir” (Lispector, 1995: 208

The Yersinia enterocolitica Ysa type III secretion system is expressed during infections both in vitro and in vivo.

Yersinia enterocolitica biovar 1B maintains two type III secretion systems (T3SS) that are involved in pathogenesis, the plasmid encoded Ysc T3SS and the chromosomally encoded Ysa T3SS. In vitro, the Ysa T3SS has been shown to be expressed only at 26°C in a high-nutrient medium containing an exceptionally high concentration of salt - an artificial condition that provides no clear insight on the nature of signal that Y. enterocolitica responds to in a host. However, previous research has indicated that the Ysa system plays a role in the colonization of gastrointestinal tissues of mice. In this study, a series of Ysa promoter fusions to green fluorescent protein gene (gfp) were created to analyze the expression of this T3SS during infection. Using reporter strains, infections were carried out in vitro using HeLa cells and in vivo using the mouse model of yersiniosis. Expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) was measured from the promoters of yspP (encoding a secreted effector protein) and orf6 (encoding a structural component of the T3SS apparatus) in vitro and in vivo. During the infection of HeLa cells GFP intensity was measured by fluorescence microscopy, while during murine infections GFP expression in tissues was measured by flow cytometry. These approaches, combined with quantification of yspP mRNA transcripts by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), demonstrate that the Ysa system is expressed in vitro in a contact-dependent manner, and is expressed in vivo during infection of mice