Search results for "TF"
showing 10 items of 1652 documents
Grading investment diversification options in presence of non-historical financial information
2021
Modern portfolio theory deals with the problem of selecting a portfolio of financial assets such that the expected return is maximized for a given level of risk. The forecast of the expected individual assets’ returns and risk is usually based on their historical returns. In this work, we consider a situation in which the investor has non-historical additional information that is used for the forecast of the expected returns. This implies that there is no obvious statistical risk measure any more, and it poses the problem of selecting an adequate set of diversification constraints to mitigate the risk of the selected portfolio without losing the value of the non-statistical information owne…
Measuring Social Responsibility: A Multicriteria Approach
2016
In this chapter we present a portfolio selection model for Socially Responsible Investment. The model, following the spirit of Socially Responsible Investment, consists of two different steps. Firstly, a social screening is applied in order to obtain the feasible set of assets accomplishing the socially responsible investment policy of the assets’ manager. In this step, an indicator is obtained for the measurement of the social responsibility degree of an asset. Assets are then ranked using this indicator from the most socially responsible to the less socially responsible. In a second step, once the feasible set is obtained, composed of those socially responsible assets verifying the screen…
Project portfolio selection and planning with fuzzy constraints
2018
Abstract Selecting a project portfolio is a complex process involving many factors and considerations from the time it is proposed to the time the project portfolio is finally selected. Given that making a good selection is of crucial importance, it is essential to develop well-founded mathematical models to lead the organization to its final goal. To achieve this, such models have to reflect as closely as possible both the real situation of the organization as well as its targets and preferences. However, since the process of selecting and implementing project portfolios occurs in real environments and not in laboratories, uncertainty and a lack of knowledge regarding some data is always a…
Implant Abutment Cleaning by Plasma of Argon: 5-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
2015
Contamination of implant abutments could potentially influence the peri-implant tissue inflammatory response. The aim of the present study is to assess the radiographic bone changes around customized, platform-switched abutments placed according to the "one-abutment-one-time" protocol, with and without plasma of argon cleaning treatment.Thirty healthy patients with thin gingival biotype (1 mm) and history of periodontal disease received one maxillary implant each. Immediately before abutment connection, patients were randomly assigned to control group (cleaning protocol by steaming) or test group (plasma of argon treatment). Outcome measures were: 1) success rate of implants and prostheses;…
Synergistic activation of AMPK prevents from polyglutamine-inducedtoxicity inCaenorhabditis elegans
2020
11 páginas, 4 figuras. Supplementary material related to this article can be found, in the online version, at doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2020.105105.
Breastfeeding Practices Influence the Breast Milk Microbiota Depending on Pre-Gestational Maternal BMI and Weight Gain over Pregnancy
2021
Breastfeeding is critical for adequate neonatal microbial and immune system development affecting neonate health outcomes in the short and long term. There is a great interest in ascertaining which are the maternal factors contributing to the milk microbiota and the potential relevance for the developing infant. Thus, our study aimed to characterize the effect of mixed and exclusive breastfeeding practices on the milk microbiota and to determine the impact of pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and weight gain over pregnancy on its composition. Breast milk samples from 136 healthy women were collected within the first month post-partum and milk microbiota profiling was analyzed by 16S rRNA …
Mechanisms of action of metformin in type 2 diabetes: Effects on mitochondria and leukocyte-endothelium interactions.
2020
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a very prevalent, multisystemic, chronic metabolic disorder closely related to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. It is characterised by mitochondrial dysfunction and the presence of oxidative stress. Metformin is one of the safest and most effective anti-hyperglycaemic agents currently employed as first-line oral therapy for T2D. It has demonstrated additional beneficial effects, unrelated to its hypoglycaemic action, on weight loss and several diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders and metabolic diseases, including thyroid diseases. Despite the vast clinical experience gained over several decades of use, the mechanism of action of metformin i…
Biological and biophysics aspects of metformin-induced effects: cortex mitochondrial dysfunction and promotion of toxic amyloid pre-fibrillar aggrega…
2016
The onset of Alzheimer disease (AD) is influenced by several risk factors comprising diabetes. Within this context, antidiabetic drugs, including metformin, are investigated for their effect on AD. We report that in the C57B6/J mice, metformin is delivered to the brain where activates AMP-activated kinase (AMPK), its molecular target. This drug affects the levels of β- secretase (BACE1) and β-amyloid precursor protein (APP), promoting processing and aggregation of β-amyloid (Aβ), mainly in the cortex region. Moreover, metformin induces mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death by affecting the level and conformation of Translocase of the Outer Membrane 40 (TOM40), voltage-dependent anion-sel…
Time-kill assays of amphotericin B plus anidulafungin against Candida tropicalis biofilms formed on two different biomaterials.
2017
Purpose: To determine the fungicidal activity by time-killing assays of amphotericin B (AMB) combined with anidulafungin (ANF) against biofilms of 2 clinical isolates of Candida tropicalis and the reference strain ATCC® 750, developed on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and titanium, using the CDC Biofilm Reactor (CBR) as an in vitro model. Methods: Biofilms were developed for 24 hours on the disk surfaces and then exposed to AMB (40 mg/L), ANF (8 mg/L), alone and combined. At predetermined time points after drug exposure, biofilms were removed from the disk surface by vortexing-sonication to quantify viable biofilm cells. Results: Drug activity was dependent on strain and time. After exposur…
The cytoprotective protein MANF promotes neuronal survival independently from its role as a GRP78 cofactor
2021
Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress-regulated protein exhibiting cytoprotective properties through a poorly understood mechanism in various in vitro and in vivo models of neuronal and non-neuronal damage. Although initially characterized as a secreted neurotrophic factor for midbrain dopamine neurons, MANF has recently gained more interest for its intracellular role in regulating the ER homeostasis, including serving as a cofactor of the chaperone glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78). We aimed for a better understanding of the neuroprotective mechanisms of MANF. Here we show for the first time that MANF promotes the survival of …