134 research outputs found
Studying Migration from Different Perspectives and with Different Techniques
No full textMigration can be considered a human strategy to improve life and can be defined as a natural behavior of human beings that has developed over time. The issue of migration is a particularly salient theme in this historical period and presents a new challenge for researchers in Europe and worldwide, particularly those researchers attempting to understand the patterns and processes of migration. Researchers of various disciplines have responded to the challenges related to migration using a variety of methodological tools to examine the phenomenon. In this chapter, the author presents qualitative techniques used in the social sciences and discusses their strengths and weaknesses when they are employed to study immigrant populations. Given the complexity of the migration phenomenon, the challenges that researchers must address include collaboration between disciplines and methodologies and the integration of methods. A multimethod, multilevel and multidisciplinary approach is used in an attempt to understand this multifaceted issue
One-Stop Government in Italy and the Lebanon: When the Law Alone Is no Silver Bullet
No full textThe paper investigates the implementation of One-stop government in Italy and the Lebanon. The Italian government’s One-Stop Business Shop (‘SUAP’) programme is first analyzed to discover why it has taken 12 years of legislation to
get Italy’s municipalities fully on board, and whether it has returned the expected benefits by effectively lightening the administrative load that drags on the competitiveness of the country’s business sector. The critical discussion of the “innovation by law” approach identifies the stumbling blocks that have deterred the Italian government from achieving its mission to set up the One-Stop Business Shops and to deliver e-government. From the analysis of the Italian case some
lessons are drawn that can be useful to guide the implementation of One-StopBusiness Shop in Lebanon where the process is still at the beginning also due to the effects of the instability that affected the region during the past years
Mechanistic studies of Gemcitabine-loaded nanoplatforms in resistant pancreatic cancer cells
No full textBackground: Pancreatic cancer remains the deadliest of all cancers, with a mortality rate of 91%. Gemcitabine is considered the gold chemotherapeutic standard, but only marginally improves life-span due to its chemical instability and low cell penetrance. A new paradigm to improve Gemcitabine’s therapeutic index is to administer it in nanoparticles, which favour its delivery to cells when under 500 nm in diameter. Although promising, this approach still suffers from major limitations, as the choice of nanovector used as well as its effects on Gemcitabine intracellular trafficking inside pancreatic cancer cells remain unknown. A proper elucidation of these mechanisms would allow for the elaboration of better strategies to engineer more potent Gemcitabine nanotherapeutics against pancreatic cancer. Methods: Gemcitabine was encapsulated in two types of commonly used nanovectors, namely poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and cholesterol-based liposomes, and their physico-chemical parameters assessed in vitro. Their mechanisms of action in human pancreatic cells were compared with those of the free drug, and with each others, using cytotoxity, apoptosis and ultrastructural analyses. Results: Physico-chemical analyses of both drugs showed high loading efficiencies and sizes of less than 200 nm, as assessed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), with a drug release profile of at least one week. These profiles translated to significant cytotoxicity and apoptosis, as well as distinct intracellular trafficking mechanisms, which were most pronounced in the case of PLGem showing significant mitochondrial, cytosolic and endoplasmic reticulum stresses. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates how the choice of nanovector affects the mechanisms of drug action and is a crucial determinant of Gemcitabine intracellular trafficking and potency in pancreatic cancer settings.Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Fellowship)Breast Cancer Research Program (U.S.) (BCRP Era of Hope Scholar Award)Mary Kay Foundation (Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation Grant)Charles A. King Trust (Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program
Multi-person tracking using dynamic programming
No full textThesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2001.Includes bibliographical references (p. 75-77).This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.by Rania Y. Khalaf.M.Eng
Cloud Computing: Risques et Opportunités pour la Responsabilité sociétale des entreprises.
No full textCet article entend analyser l’impact des outils informatiques utilisés par les organisations sur leur stratégie de responsabilité sociétale (RSE), notamment de la technologie informatique la plus récente que constitue le Cloud computing, du point de vue des utilisateurs, à savoir des entreprises qui se servent de l’informatique en tant que service. Quelles sont les questions auxquelles doivent se mesurer les entreprises qui adoptent les technologies informatiques de Cloud computing? Quelles répercussions ont-elles sur leur stratégie de responsabilité sociétale d’entreprise? Quelles peuvent être les démarches permettant d’harmoniser au mieux les choix informatiques et la réputation des entreprises sociétalement responsables
Nanoparticle-mediated targeting of MAPK signaling predisposes tumor to chemotherapy
No full textThe MAPK signal transduction cascade is dysregulated in a majority of human tumors. Here we report that a nanoparticle-mediated targeting of this pathway can optimize cancer chemotherapy. We engineered nanoparticles from a unique hexadentate-polyD,L-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid polymer chemically conjugated to PD98059, a selective MAPK inhibitor. The nanoparticles are taken up by cancer cells through endocytosis and demonstrate sustained release of the active agent, resulting in the inhibition of phosphorylation of downstream extracellular signal regulated kinase. We demonstrate that nanoparticle-mediated targeting of MAPK inhibits the proliferation of melanoma and lung carcinoma cells and induces apoptosis in vitro. Administration of the PD98059-nanoparticles in melanoma-bearing mice inhibits tumor growth and enhances the antitumor efficacy of cisplatin chemotherapy. Our study shows the nanoparticle-mediated delivery of signal transduction inhibitors can emerge as a unique paradigm in cancer chemotherapy.Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Era of Hope Award (W81XWH-07–1-0482)Mary Kay Ash Charitable Trus
Psicologia sociale delle relazioni familiari .Identità, progetti e traiettorie
No full textFamily, in a psycho-social perspective, can be considered challenged in epistemic sense: by its nature it is compared with the contexts of change, with the ability to adapt to life events that are varied and numerous. The family may be regarded as a "project" that turns to unify different situations, sometimes contradictory, going to define family "paths" increasingly differentiated and difficult to predict. These pathways may be dependent on life events not selected that people suffer all the consequences, or from events strongly desired that bring people to possible happiness or unhappiness.
The author outlines a scenario that includes the varied strategies of coexistence in which family meanings can be very different; along with a “liquid” love and society, the family no longer seems able to hold its form. The construction of its boundaries and relevant meanings, through the current multiplicity of family forms which each of us can experience simultaneously, is the main challenge relates to the ability of each to build and maintain links
Modulation of endothelial cell survival by the angiopoietin-1Tie-2 receptor pathway
No full textThe mechanisms by which Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) modulates the survival of human endothelial cells were investigated. Ang-1 inhibited both TNFalpha-induced and serum deprivation-evoked apoptosis, an effect which was associated with attenuation of caspase activation, inhibition of Smac release from the mitochondria, up-regulation of Survivin-1 expression (IAPs member) and a significant activation of the pro-survival PI-3 kinase/AKT pathway. In addition, Ang-1 activated, in a time-dependent fashion, both the anti-apoptotic ERK1/2 and pro-apoptotic p38 MAP kinases. Ang-1-evoked ERK1/2 activation was mediated in part through the PI-3 kinase pathway, whereas both, the PI-3 kinase and ERK1/2 attenuated p38 MAP kinase activation.We conclude that Ang-1 promotes endothelial cell survival through several pathways including the PI-3 kinase/AKT and ERK1/2 pathways, up-regulation of Survivin-1 as well as inhibition of Smac release and caspase activity. The preferential activation of these anti-apoptotic effects, as opposed to the activation of pro-apoptotic p38 MAP kinase, results in a net survival response
Signaling and biological roles of the angiopoietinstie-2 receptor pathways
No full textAngiopoietin (Ang)-1, -2 and -4 are ligands for the endothelial cell (EC)-selective Tie-2 receptors. Ang-1, and to a lesser degree Ang-4, promote EC survival, migration and angiogenesis, whereas Ang-2 was initially described as a Tie-2 antagonist but might also exert context-dependent roles. Angiopoietin expression was recently shown to be upregulated in breast cancer. Breast cancer progression to the more aggressive phenotype is characterized by the loss of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and the upregulation of angiogenic cytokines. The underlying mechanisms by which angiopoietins modulate EC apoptosis and their regulation during breast cancer progression remain unknown and were investigated.Ang-1 simultaneously activated antiapoptotic (P13K/AKT and ERK1/2) and proapoptotic (p38 MAPKs and SAPK/JNK) pathways in serum deprived ECs. Ang-1-mediated ERK1/2 activation was partly mediated downstream of the PI3K pathway, whereas both the PI3K and ERK1/2 pathways attenuated p38 MAPKs activation. The net effect of Ang-1 was to inhibit EC apoptosis through the preferential activation of the antiapoptotic pathways. Ang-1 also induced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) second messengers derived from a NADPH oxidase complex in ECs. These ROS inhibited Ang-1-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation while promoting activation of the promigratory kinase PAK1. Ang-2 also inhibited serum deprivation-induced apoptosis in ECs through the selective activation of the P13K/AKT and ERK1/2 pathways over the p38 MAPKs pathways. However, Ang-2 treatment did not evoque significant SAPK/JNK and PAK1 activation like Ang-1.In breast cancer cell lines and mice xenografts, Ang-1 levels were inversely correlated with that of ERalpha but positively correlated with the expressions of the angiogenic markers, VEGF and CD31. Ang-1, Ang-2 and Ang-4 levels were also inhibited by estrogen in ERalpha-expressing cells.We conclude that Ang-1 and Ang-2 promote EC survival through the preferential activation of antiapoptotic (PI-3 kinase/AKT, ERK1/2) over proapoptotic (p38 MAPK, SAPK/JNK for Ang-1) pathways. However, only Ang-1 promoted EC migration through PAK1 activation downstream of ROS second messenger, indicating that ROS act as molecular switches to shift EC responses from survival to migration. During breast cancer progression, Ang-1 levels increased in the more aggressive ERalpha negative cancers, whereas in ERalpha positive cancers, Ang-1, Ang-2 and Ang-4 levels were inhibited by estrogen
"Promoting Gender Equality through Stimulus Packages and Public Job Creation: Lessons Learned from South Africa’s Expanded Public Works Programme"
No full textBeyond loss of income, joblessness is associated with greater poverty, marginalization, and social exclusion; the current global crisis is clearly not helping. In this new Public Policy Brief, Research Scholar Rania Antonopoulos explores the impact of both joblessness and employment expansion on poverty, paying particular attention to the gender aspects of poverty and poverty-reducing public employment schemes targeting poor women. The author presents the results of a Levy Institute study that examines the macroeconomic consequences of scaling up South Africa's Expanded Public Works Programme by adding to it a new sector for social service delivery in health and education. She notes that gaps in such services for households that cannot afford to pay for them are mostly filled by long hours of invisible, unpaid work performed by women and children. Her proposed employment creation program addresses several policy objectives: income and job generation, provisioning of communities' unmet needs, skill enhancement for a new cadre of workers, and promotion of gender equality by addressing the overtaxed time of women.
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