158 research outputs found
Green Growth or Degrowth: Two Opposing Paths to Environmental Sustainability
No full textIn the wake of worsening climate change, environmental sustainability is more important than ever if we wish to mitigate disaster and preserve our way of life. This paper will compare two methods of achieving environmental sustainability. The first is green growth, which attempts to replace non-renewable natural resources with renewable ones, and increase efficiency, while continuing to let the economy grow as usual. The second is degrowth, which advocates for a radical restructuring of society, and accepts a decrease in economic growth as a necessary consequence. The comparison will show that green growth is not good enough, because the mass consumption that results from endless economic growth is partly what drove greenhouse gas levels to what they are today. A drastic change in consumption patterns is needed to deal with climate change, and degrowth seems more likely to achieve this.Peer reviewe
The severity of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in K18‐hACE2 mice is attenuated by a novel steroid‐derivative in a gender‐specific manner
No full textBACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: COVID-19 infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 disseminated through human-to-human transmission can evoke severe inflammation. Treatments to reduce the SARS-CoV-2-associated inflammation are needed and are the focus of much research. In this study, we investigated the effect of N-ethyl-N\u27-[(3β,5α)-17-oxoandrostan-3-yl] urea (NEOU), a novel 17α-ketosteroid derivative, on the severity of COVID-19 infections. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Studies were conducted in SARS-CoV-2-infected K18-hACE2 mice. KEY RESULTS: SARS-CoV-2-infected K18-hACE2 mice developed severe inflammatory crises and immune responses along with up-regulation of genes in associated signalling pathways in male more than female mice. Notably, SARS-CoV-2 infection down-regulated genes encoding drug metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes in male but not female mice. Treatment with NEOU (1 mg·kg ·day ) 24 or 72 h post-viral infection alleviated lung injury by decreasing expression of genes encoding inflammatory cytokines and chemokines while increasing expression of genes encoding immunoglobins. In situ hybridization using RNA scope™ probes and immunohistochemical assays revealed that NEOU increased resident CD169 immunoregulatory macrophages and IBA-1 immunoreactive macrophage-dendritic cells within alveolar spaces in the lungs of infected mice. Consequentially, NEOU reduced morbidity more prominently in male than female mice. However, NEOU increased median survival time and accelerated recovery from infection by 6 days in both males and females. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: These findings demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 exhibits gender bias by differentially regulating genes encoding inflammatory cytokines, immunogenic factors and drug-metabolizing enzymes, in male versus female mice. Most importantly, we identified a novel 17α-ketosteroid that reduces the severity of COVID-19 infection and could be beneficial for reducing impact of COVID-19
Permutation Pattern matching in (213, 231)-avoiding permutations
No full textInternational audienceGiven permutations σ of size k and π of size n with k < n, the permutation pattern matching problem is to decide whether σ occurs in π as an order-isomorphic subsequence. We give a linear-time algorithm in case both π and σ avoid the two size-3 permutations 213 and 231. For the special case where only σ avoids 213 and 231, we present a O(max(kn², n² log log n)-time algorithm. We extend our research to bivincular patterns that avoid 213 and 231 and present a O(kn^4)-time algorithm. Finally we look at the related problem of the longest subsequence which avoids 213 and 231
Impact of early diagnosis and control of chronic respiratory diseases on active and healthy ageing. A debate at the European Union Parliament.
No full textA debate at the European Union Parliament was held on 13 November 2012 on the Impact of early diagnosis and control of chronic respiratory diseases on Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA). The debate was held under the auspices of theCyprus Presidency of the European Union (2012) and represents a follow-up of the priorities of the Polish Presidency of the European Union (2011). It highlighted the importance of early life events on the occurrence of chronic respiratory diseases later in life and their impact on active and healthy ageing. Epidemiologic evidence was followed by actions that should be taken to prevent and manage chronic respiratory diseases in children. The debate ended by practical, feasible and achievable projects, demonstrating the strength of the political action in the field. Three projects will be initiated from this debate: The first will be a meeting sponsored by the Région Languedoc-Roussillon on the developmental origins of chronic diseases and ageing: from research to policies and value creation. The second project is being led by the WHO Collaborating Centre for Asthma and Rhinitis: Prevention of Asthma, Prevention of Allergy (PAPA). The third project is the GA(2)LEN sentinel network
Pattern Matching for Separable Permutations
No full textInternational audienceGiven a permutation π (called the text) of size n and another permutation σ (called the pattern) of size k, the NP-complete permutation pattern matching problem asks whether σ occurs in π as an order-isomorphic subsequence. In this paper, we focus on separable permutations (those permutations that avoid both 2413 and 3142, or, equivalently, that admit a separating tree). The main contributions presented in this paper are as follows.We simplify the algorithm of Ibarra (Finding pattern matchings for permutations, Information Processing Letters 61 (1997), no. 6) to detect an occurrence of a separable permutation in a permutation and show how to reduce the space complexity from O(n3k) to O(n3logk) .In case both the text and the pattern are separable permutations, we give a more practicable O(n2k) time and O(nk) space algorithm. Furthermore, we show how to use this approach to decide in O(nk3ℓ2) time whether a separable permutation of size n is a disjoint union of two given permutations of size k and ℓ .Given a permutation of size n and a separable permutation of size k, we propose an O(n6k) time and O(n4log k) space algorithm to compute the largest common separable permutation that occurs in the two input permutations. This improves upon the existing O(n8) time algorithm by Rossin and Bouvel (The longest common pattern problem for two permutations, Pure Mathematics and Applications 17 (2006)).Finally, we give a O(n6k) time and space algorithm to detect an occurrence of a bivincular separable permutation in a permutation. (Bivincular patterns generalize classical permutations by requiring that positions and values involved in an occurrence may be forced to be adjacent)
Social Group Interactions in a Role-Playing Game
No full textWe present initial findings from an experiment in which participants played Mafia, an established role-playing game, with our robot. In one condition, the robot played like the rest of the participants; in the other, the robot moderated the game. We discuss general aspects of the interaction, participants ’ perceptions, and the potential of this scenario for studying group spatial behavior from robotic platforms. Categories and Subject Descriptors H.4.m [Information Systems Applications]: Miscella-neou
Investigation of heterogeneous growth of nosocomial strains A. Baumannii to carvapenems and its impact to antimicrobial therapy
No full textSURVEILLANCE OF HOSPITAL INFECTIONS CAUSED BY ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII STRAINS AND, ESPECIALLY, THERAPY OF NOSOCOMIAL PNEUMONIA IN ICUS, HAS BEEN A MAJOR CONCERN, FOR THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. IN GREECE, RESISTANCE OF A. BAUMANNII STRAINS TO CARBAPENEMS, BEGAN REPORTING THE LAST DECADE AND CONNECTED WITH THE EUROPEAN CLONES CC1 AND CC2. HETERORESISTAN PHENOTYPE OF A. BAUMANNII WAS FIRTH NOTICED IN 1997, WITHOUT FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS.HEREIN, ARE PRESENTED THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A. BUMANNII CLINICAL ISOLATES WITH PHENOTYPIC HETEROGENEOUS GROWTH AGAINST MEROPENEM AND IMIPENEM, AS WELL AS THEIR INFECTIVITY AND THE MEROPENEM THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY, EVALUATED IN NEUTROPENIC MURINE THIGH INFECTIONS.PFGE ANALYSIS DISCRIMINATED SEVERAL DINSTINCT GENOTYPES AMONG THE A. BAUMANNII ISOLATES AND SOME OF THEM WERE RELATED WITH THE EUROPEAN CLONES I AND II. ALL CLINICAL ISOLATES WERE INITIALLY CLASSIFIED AS CARBAPENEM SUSCEPTIBLE, BY AGAR DILUTION METHOD. POPULATIONS ANALYSIS ASSAYS YIELDED COLONES THAT GREW IN THE PRESENCE OF CARBAPENEMS AT 8 TO 32 MG/L, FOR ALL CLINICAL ISOLATES. IN TIME-KILL STUDIES WITH MEROPENEM, 72% OF THE ISOLATES EXHIBITED SUBSTANTIAL REGROWTH. PCR WAS POSITIVE ONLY FOR THE INTRINSIC blaOXA-51-like GENE, WHILE WAS NEGATIVE FOR ALL OTHER GENES ENCODING FOR ACQUIRED CARBAPENEMASES. THE STUDY OF THE OUTER MEMBRANE PROTEINS REVEALED NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CLINICAL ISOLATES AND THE HETERORESISTANT SUBPOPULATIONS. THE RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENTAL THIGH INFECTIONS SUGGESTED THAT HETEROGENEOUSLY GROWN A. BAUMANNII SUBPOPULATIONS HAVE LOWER VIRULENCE COMPARED WITH THE CLINICAL ISOLATES. THE INFECTION OUTCOME UNDER MEROPENEM TREATMENT WAS NOT CORRELATED WITH THE MEROPENEM MICS, EVEN IN STABLY RESISTANT HETEROGENEOUS SUBPOPULATIONS.Ο ΕΛΕΓΧΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΝΟΣΟΚΟΜΕΙΑΚΩΝ ΛΟΙΜΩΞΕΩΝ ΑΠΟ ΣΤΕΛΕΧΗ ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII ΚΑΙ ΚΥΡΙΩΣ Η ΑΝΤΙΜΕΤΩΠΙΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΝΟΣΟΚΟΜΕΙΑΚΗΣ ΠΝΕΥΜΟΝΙΑΣ, ΑΠΟ ΠΟΛΥΑΝΘΕΚΤΙΚΑ ΣΤΕΛΕΧΗ A. BAUMANNII, ΣΕ ΑΣΘΕΝΕΙΣ ΤΩΝ ΜΟΝΑΔΩΝ ΕΝΤΑΤΙΚΗΣ ΘΕΡΑΠΕΙΑΣ, ΠΟΥ ΒΡΙΣΚΟΝΤΑΙ ΣΕ ΜΗΧΑΝΙΚΗ ΑΝΑΠΝΟΗ, ΑΠΟΤΕΛΕΙ ΜΕΙΖΟΝ ΠΡΟΒΛΗΜΑ ΣΤΙΣ ΑΝΕΠΤΥΓΜΕΝΕΣ ΧΩΡΕΣ. ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ, Η ΑΝΤΟΧΗ ΤΩΝ A. BAUMANNII ΣΤΙΣ ΚΑΡΒΑΠΕΝΕΜΕΣ ΑΥΞΗΘΗΚΕ ΚΑΤΑΚΟΡΥΦΑ ΤΗΝ ΤΕΛΕΥΤΑΙΑ ΔΕΚΑΕΤΙΑ. Η ΕΞΑΠΛΩΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΣΧΕΤΙΣΤΗΚΕ ΜΕ ΤΟΥΣ ΔΙΕΘΝΕΙΣ ΚΛΩΝΟΥΣ CC1 ΚΑΙ CC2. Η ΕΤΕΡΟΓΕΝΗΣ ΑΝΤΟΧΗ ΤΩΝ A. BAUMANNII ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΘΗΚΕ ΤΟ 1997, ΧΩΡΙΣ ΝΑ ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΗΣΟΥΝ ΕΚΤΕΝΕΣΤΕΡΕΣ ΜΕΛΕΤΕΣ. ΣΤΗ ΜΕΛΕΤΗ ΑΥΤΗ ΕΓΙΝΕ ΔΙΕΡΕΥΝΗΣΗ ΤΩΝ ΧΑΡΑΚΤΗΡΙΣΤΙΚΩΝ ΣΕ ΚΛΙΝΙΚΑ ΣΤΕΛΕΧΗ A. BAUMANNII ΜΕ ΕΤΕΡΟΓΕΝΗ ΦΑΙΝΟΤΥΠΟ ΣΤΙΣ ΚΑΡΒΑΠΕΝΕΜΕΣ, ΚΑΘΩΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΣ ΛΟΙΜΟΓΟΝΟΥ ΔΥΝΑΜΗΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΣ ΘΕΡΑΠΕΥΤΙΚΗΣ ΔΡΑΣΗΣ ΤΗΣ ΜΕΡΟΠΕΝΕΜΗΣ ΣΤΑ ΣΤΕΛΕΧΗ ΑΥΤΑ, ΜΕ ΠΕΙΡΑΜΑΤΙΚΕΣ ΛΟΙΜΩΞΕΙΣ ΣΕ ΟΥΔΕΤΕΡΟΠΕΝΙΚΟΥΣ ΕΠΙΜΥΕΣ.ΤΑ ΥΠΟ ΜΕΛΕΤΗ ΣΤΕΛΕΧΗ ΑΝΗΚΑΝ ΣΕ ΔΙΑΦΟΡΟΥΣ ΚΛΩΝΟΥΣ, ΚΑΠΟΙΟΙ ΑΠΟ ΤΟΥΣ ΟΠΟΙΟΥΣ ΣΧΕΤΙΖΟΝΤΑΝ ΜΕ ΤΟΥΣ ΕΥΡΩΠΑΪΚΟΥΣ ΚΛΩΝΟΥΣ I ΚΑΙ II. ΟΛΑ ΤΑ ΣΤΕΛΕΧΗ ΗΤΑΝ ΕΥΑΙΣΘΗΤΑ ΣΤΙΣ ΚΑΡΒΑΠΕΝΕΜΕΣ, ΣΥΜΦΩΝΑ ΜΕ ΤΗΝ ΠΡΟΤΥΠΗ ΜΕΘΟΔΟ ΑΡΑΙΩΣΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΑΝΤΙΒΙΟΤΙΚΟΥ ΣΕ ΑΓΑΡ. ΣΤΙΣ ΠΛΗΘΥΣΜΙΑΚΕΣ ΑΝΑΛΥΣΕΙΣ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΣΣΟΝΤΑΝ ΥΠΟΠΛΗΘΥΣΜΟΙ ΣΕ ΣΥΓΚΕΝΤΡΩΣΕΙΣ ΑΝΤΙΒΙΟΤΙΚΟΥ ΔΙΠΛΑΣΙΕΣ ΕΩΣ ΔΕΚΑΠΛΑΣΙΕΣ ΑΠΟ ΤΙΣ ΑΝΤΙΣΤΟΙΧΕΣ MIC ΤΩΝ ΚΛΙΝΙΚΩΝ ΣΤΕΛΕΧΩΝ, ΠΟΥ ΞΕΠΕΡΝΟΥΣΑΝ ΤΑ ΔΙΕΘΝΗ ΟΡΙΑ ΕΥΑΙΣΘΗΣΙΑΣ. ΣΙΣ ΜΕΛΕΤΕΣ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΣΤΕΛΕΧΩΝ ΣΕ ΣΥΝΑΡΤΗΣΗ ΜΕ ΤΟ ΧΡΟΝΟ, ΤΟ 72% ΤΩΝ ΣΤΕΛΕΧΩΝ ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΣΕ ΕΚ ΝΕΟΥ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗ. ΜΕ ΤΙΣ ΔΟΚΙΜΑΣΙΕΣ PCR ΓΙΑ ΥΠΑΡΞΗ ΓΟΝΙΔΙΩΝ ΠΟΥ ΠΡΟΣΔΙΔΟΥΝ ΑΝΤΟΧΗ, ΟΠΩΣ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΙΣ ΜΕΛΕΤΕΣ ΠΡΩΤΕΪΝΩΝ ΕΞΩΤΕΡΙΚΗΣ ΜΕΜΒΡΑΝΗΣ, ΔΕ ΒΡΕΘΗΚΑΝ ΓΝΩΣΤΟΙ ΜΗΧΑΝΙΣΜΟΙ ΠΟΥ ΝΑ ΠΡΟΣΔΙΔΟΥΝ ΑΝΤΟΧΗ ΣΤΑ ΣΤΕΛΕΧΗ ΠΟΥ ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΖΑΝ ΕΤΕΡΟΓΕΝΗ ΦΑΙΝΟΤΥΠΟ, ΣΕ ΣΧΕΣΗ ΜΕ ΤΑ ΚΛΙΝΙΚΑ ΣΤΕΛΕΧΗ. ΣΤΙΣ ΠΕΙΡΑΜΑΤΙΚΕΣ ΛΟΙΜΩΞΕΙΣ, ΣΕ ΟΥΔΕΤΕΡΟΠΕΝΙΚΟΥΣ ΕΠΙΜΥΕΣ, ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΘΗΚΕ ΠΩΣ ΟΙ ΕΤΕΡΟΓΕΝΕΙΣ ΥΠΟΠΛΗΘΥΣΜΟΙ ΕΙΧΑΝ ΜΙΚΡΟΤΕΡΗ ΛΟΙΜΟΓΟΝΟ ΔΥΝΑΜΗ, ΣΕ ΣΥΓΚΡΙΣΗ ΜΕ ΤΑ ΚΛΙΝΙΚΑ ΣΤΕΛΕΧΗ, ΕΝΩ Η ΕΚΒΑΣΗ ΤΩΝ ΛΟΙΜΩΞΕΩΝ ΠΟΥ ΠΡΟΚΛΗΘΗΚΑΝ, ΔΕ ΦΑΝΗΚΕ ΝΑ ΕΠΗΡΕΑΣΤΗΚΕ ΑΠΟ ΤΙΣ ΑΥΞΗΜΕΝΕΣ ΤΙΜΕΣ MIC ΤΩΝ ΥΠΟΠΛΗΘΥΣΜΩΝ ΜΕ ΕΤΕΡΟΓΕΝΗ ΦΑΙΝΟΤΥΠΟ ΣΤΗ ΜΕΡΟΠΕΝΕΜΗ
Theatre Reviews
No full textThe Tempest. Dir. Silviu Purcarete. The National Theatre “Marin Sorescu” of Craiova, Romania. 16th Shakespeare Festival, Gdansk, Poland
Richard III. Dir. Gabriel Villela. Blanes Museum Garden, Montevideo, Uruguay
Henry V. Dir. Des McAnuff. Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Ontario, Canada
Julius Caesar. Dir. Gregory Doran. Royal Shakespeare Company
A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Adapted and dir. Georgina Kakoudaki. Theatre groups _2 and 4Frontal, Theatro tou Neou Kosmou, Greece
Julius Caesar: Scripta Femina. Dir. Roubini Moschochoriti. Theatre group Anima Kinitiras Studio, Greec
Virulence of Acinetobacter baumannii Exhibiting Phenotypic Heterogeneous Growth against Meropenem in a Murine Thigh Infection Model
No full textAcinetobacter baumannii may exhibit phenotypic heterogeneous growth under exposure to antibiotics. We investigated the in vitro characteristics of A. baumannii isolates grown heterogeneously in the presence of meropenem and their virulence evaluated in experimental infections treated with meropenem. Five clinical A. baumannii isolates and the respective heterogeneously grown subpopulations were tested by agar dilution minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), population analysis using meropenem and growth curves. The virulence of isolates and the therapeutic efficacy of three meropenem dosing schemes was evaluated in a neutropenic murine thigh infection model. The clinical isolates were meropenem-susceptible (MICs 1 to 4 mg/liter) and exhibited three distinct PFGE patterns. In all clinical isolates, population analysis yielded heterogeneously grown colonies. After seven subcultures in antibiotic-free media, resistant MIC levels were retained in two isolates (heteroresistant), while three isolates were reversed to susceptible MICs (persisters). Clinical isolates and heterogeneous subpopulations had similar growth rates. The heterogeneously grown A. baumannii subpopulations had reduced virulence, killing considerably fewer animals than the respective clinical isolates without treatment. The meropenem treatment outcome was similar in infections caused by the clinical and the heterogeneous isolates, irrespective to their MICs. In vitro meropenem exposure induces phenotypic heterogeneous growth in A. baumannii. Compared with the parental clinical isolates, the heterogeneously grown subpopulations exhibited lower virulence, killing fewer mice and responding equally to meropenem treatment, despite their higher MICs
Recherche de motif dans les permutations
No full textThis thesis focuses on permutation pattern matching problem, which askswhether a pattern occurs in a text where both the pattern and text are permutations.In other words, we seek to determine whether there exist elements ofthe text such that they are sorted and appear in the same order as the elementsof the pattern. The problem is NP-complete. This thesis examines particularcases of the problem that are polynomial-time solvable.For this purpose, we study the problem by giving constraints on the permutationstext and/or pattern. In particular, the cases in which the text and/orpattern are permutations in which the patterns 2413 and 3142 do not occur(also known as separable permutations) and in which the text and/or patternare permutations in which the patterns 213 and 231 do not occur (also known aswedge permutations) are also considered. Some problems related to the patternmatching and the permutation pattern matching with bivincular pattern arealso studied.Cette thèse s'intéresse au problème de la recherche de motif dans les permutations, qui a pour objectif de savoir si un motif apparaît dans un texte, en prenant en compte que le motif et le texte sont des permutations. C'est-à-dire s'il existe des éléments du texte tel que ces éléments sont triés de la même manière et apparaissent dans le même ordre que les éléments du motif. Ce problème est NP complet. Cette thèse expose des cas particuliers de ce problème qui sont solvable en temps polynomial.Pour cela nous étudions le problème en donnant des contraintes sur le texte et/ou le motif. En particulier, le cas où le texte et/ou le motif sont des permutations qui ne contiennent pas les motifs 2413 et 3142 (appelé permutation séparable) et le cas où le texte et/ou le motif sont des permutations qui ne contiennent pas les motifs 213 et 231 sont considérés. Des problèmes dérivés de la recherche de motif et le problème de la recherche de motif bivinculaire sont aussi étudiés
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