bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Root positioning and trait shifts in Hibbertia racemosa as dependent on its neighbour's nutrient‐acquisition strategy
Authors: de Britto Costa Patrícia , Staudinger Christiana , Veneklaas Erik J. , Oliveira Rafael S. , Lambers Hans
Published: January 2021

Nutrient‐poor ecosystems globally exhibit high plant diversity. One mechanism enabling the co‐existence of species in such ecosystems is facilitation among plants with contrasting nutrient‐acquisition strategies. The ecophysiological processes underlying these interactions remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that root positioning plays a role between sympatric species in nutrient‐poor vegetation. We investigated how the growth traits of the focal mycorrhizal non‐cluster‐rooted Hibbertia racemosa change when grown in proximity of non‐mycorrhizal Banksia attenuata, which produces cluster roots that increase nutrient availability, compared with growth with conspecifics. Focal plants were placed in the centre of rhizoboxes, and biomass allocation, root system architecture, specific root length (SRL), and leaf nutrient concentration were assessed. When grown with B. attenuata, focal plants decreased root investment, increased root growth towards B. attenuata, and positioned their roots near B. attenuata cluster roots. SRL was greater, and the degree of localized root investment correlated positively with B. attenuata cluster‐root biomass. Total nutrient contents in the focal individuals were greater when grown with B. attenuata. Focal plants directed their root growth towards the putatively facilitating neighbour's cluster roots, modifying root traits and investment. Preferential root positioning and root morphological traits play important roles in positive plant–plant interactions.
How Tryptophan Oxidation Arises by “Dark” Photoreactions from Chemiexcited Triplet Acetone
Authors: O’Connor Ryan M. , Greer Alexander
Published: January 2021

Dioxetane intermediates readily decompose to chemiluminescent triplet carbonyls, giving rise to what has been paradoxically called photochemistry in the dark. In this issue of Photochemistry and Photobiology, Bechara et al. report on mechanistic advances in such a reaction. With the use of horseradish peroxidase for isobutyraldehyde‐derived triplet acetone, light emission from acetone and singlet oxygen can be quenched. The experiments reveal that the reaction depends on oxygen and the amino acid. The analysis reveals that free tryptophan is a target of this form of “carbonyl stress,” with the efficient formation of mono‐, bi‐ and tricyclic compounds (N‐formylkynurenine, indoline, 1λ2‐indole and 3H‐indoles).
6‐Nitro‐Quinazolin−4(3H)−one Exhibits Photodynamic Effects and Photodegrades Human Melanoma Cell Lines. A Study on the Photoreactivity of Simple Quinazolin−4(3H)−ones
Authors: Panagopoulos Anastasios , Balalas Thomas , Mitrakas Achilleas , Vrazas Vassilios , Katsani Katerina R. , Koumbis Alexandros E. , Koukourakis Michael I. , Litinas Konstantinos E. , Fylaktakidou Konstantina C.
Published: January 2021

Photochemo and photodynamic therapies are minimally invasive approaches for the treatment of cancers and powerful weapons for competing bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Synthetic and naturally occurring quinazolinones are considered privileged anticancer and antibacterial agents, with several of them to have emerged as commercially available drugs. In the present study, applying a single‐step green microwave irradiation mediated protocol we have synthesized eleven quinazolinon−4(3H)−ones, from cheap readily available anthranilic acids, in very good yields and purity. These products were irradiated in the presence of pBR322 plasmid DNA under UVB, UVA and visible light. Four of the compounds proved to be very effective DNA photocleavers, at low concentrations, being time and concentration dependent as well as pH independent. Participation of reactive oxygen species was related to the substitution of quinazolinone derivatives. 6‐Nitro‐quinazolinone in combination with UVA irradiation was found to be in vitro photodestructive for three cell lines; glioblastoma (U87MG and T98G) and mainly melanoma (A−375). Thus, certain appropriately substituted quinazolinones may serve as new lead photosensitizers for the development of promising biotechnological applications and as novel photochemo and photodynamic therapeutics.
Moral Panic, Fear of Crime, and School Shootings: Does Location Matter?
Authors: Elsass H. Jaymi , Schildkraut Jaclyn , Haenfler Ross , Klocke Brian V. , Madfis Eric , Muschert Glenn W.
Published: January 2021

The concept of moral panic has been used to describe how society reacts to different threats, either real or perceived. Although most studies in this area rely on qualitative, historical data, recent efforts have employed quantitative applications of an attributional model to understand attitudes consistent with different characteristics of moral panic. The present study utilizes this model along with survey data from college students across the five U.S. regions to examine how perceptions of school shootings as a moral panic vary by location. The findings reveal significant differences by location, with students in the Southwest and West less likely than other regions to express hostile attitudes about the shootings or believe they are happening at disproportional rates. Southwestern students also were most likely to express concern related to defense (gun rights), whereas individuals in the Northeast were least likely to. Broader considerations for these and other findings also are discussed.
Oropharyngeal candidiasis outcomes in renal transplant recipients receiving nystatin versus no antifungal prophylaxis
Authors: Ky Trung Q. , Park Jeong M. , McMurry Katie A. , Tischer Sarah M. , Fitzgerald Linda J. , Cotiguala Laura
Published: January 2021

Objective

To compare the incidence of oropharyngeal candidiasis (OC), or thrush, in renal transplant recipients receiving nystatin versus no antifungal prophylaxis.

Methods

This was a single‐center, retrospective, non‐inferiority study of adult renal transplant recipients (RTRs) who received nystatin for 30 days for OC prophylaxis (nystatin group) or no antifungal prophylaxis therapy (No PPX group). The primary outcome was the incidence of OC within 3 months post‐transplant. Secondary outcomes included time to OC occurrence and severity of OC. The pre‐specified non‐inferiority margin was 10%.

Results

The incidence of OC within 3 months post‐transplant among 257 RTRs was 7.8% (10/128) in the No PPX group and 4.7% (6/129) RTRs in the nystatin group, a risk difference of 3.2% (95% CI, −2.7% to 9.1%, non‐inferiority P = .04). The median time to OC was 7.5 days (IQR 6.3‐34.3 days) in the nystatin group and 9.5 days (IQR 5.3‐30.5 days) in the No PPX group (P = .64). Esophageal candidiasis was observed in 10% (1/10) of RTRs with OC in the No PPX group compared to 16.7% (1/6) RTRs in the nystatin group (P = 1.00). All RTRs with OC achieved symptom resolution with fluconazole and/or nystatin. Two patients in the No PPX group required readmission for decreased oral intake, and OC was diagnosed and treated during their hospital day.

Conclusions

In this retrospective study of adult RTRs, the absence of antifungal prophylaxis demonstrated non‐inferiority to 30‐day nystatin prophylaxis at reducing the incidence of OC within 3 months of transplant. OC prophylaxis may not be warranted after renal transplant.
AMiTaNS - Euro-American Consortium for Promoting the Application of Mathematics in Technical and Natural Sciences - Retrospection, Present and Future
Authors: Todorov Michail
Published: January 2021

The Euro-American Consortium for Promotion of the Application of Mathematics in Technical and Natural Sciences was founded in 2008 as a non-governmental non-profit organization in order to foster the scientific activity and informal international exchange. Since then a main tool to realize this intention and idea became an annual conference called AMiTaNS.
Surgical Applications of Compliant Mechanisms: A Review
Authors: Thomas Theodosia Lourdes , Kalpathy Venkiteswaran Venkatasubramanian , Ananthasuresh G. K. , Misra Sarthak
Published: January 2021

Current surgical devices are mostly rigid and are made of stiff materials, even though their predominant use is on soft and wet tissues. With the emergence of compliant mechanisms (CMs), surgical tools can be designed to be flexible and made using soft materials. CMs offer many advantages such as monolithic fabrication, high precision, no wear, no friction, and no need for lubrication. It is therefore beneficial to consolidate the developments in this field and point to challenges ahead. With this objective, in this article, we review the application of CMs to surgical interventions. The scope of the review covers five aspects that are important in the development of surgical devices: (i) conceptual design and synthesis, (ii) analysis, (iii) materials, (iv) manufacturing, and (v) actuation. Furthermore, the surgical applications of CMs are assessed by classification into five major groups, namely, (i) grasping and cutting, (ii) reachability and steerability, (iii) transmission, (iv) sensing, and (v) implants and deployable devices. The scope and prospects of surgical devices using CMs are also discussed.
A Methodology for Computed Tomography-Based Non-Destructive Geometrical Evaluations of Lattice Structures by Holistic Strut Measurement Approach
Authors: Rathore Jitendra Singh , Mang Chetra , Vienne Caroline , Quinsat Yann , Tournier Christophe
Published: January 2021

The presence of lattice structures is increasing in the manufacturing domain especially in the air/spacecraft and biomedical applications due to their advantages of high strength-to-weight ratios, energy absorption, acoustic and vibrational damping, etc. Dimensional accuracy of a lattice structure is one of the most important requirements to meet the desired functionality as there could be significant deviations in the as-produced part from the designed one. Evidently, an approach (non-destructive) to evaluate the dimensional accuracy of all the elements and eventually the lattice quality is of great significance. X-ray computed tomography (CT) has emerged as a promising solution in the field of industrial quality control over the last few years due to its non-destructive approach. In this work, we propose a methodology for geometrical evaluations of a lattice structure by measuring the deviation in the shape and size of its strut elements holistically. The acquired CT data of the complete lattice are extracted in the form of a point cloud and then segmented and stored as a single strut element with unique identification so that measurements can be performed on the strut individually. As demonstrated with a metallic BCCz-type lattice structure, the methodology helps in critical evaluation of its quality and the correlation with spatial position of the individual struts; e.g., the lattice exhibits large variations of shape among the inclined struts while the vertical struts possess consistency in their shape.
The Effect of Electron Beam Irradiation on Elastomers Used in Tooling for Composites Manufacturing
Authors: Rizzolo Robert , Walczyk Daniel , Montoney Daniel
Published: January 2021

Background: This technical brief discusses material degradation issues and potential remedies related to advanced thermoset composites manufacturing using a new out-of-autoclave consolidation and curing process called Electron Beam processing with Specialized Elastomeric Tooling for Resin Infusion (EB-SETRI). To provide context, the design process for EB-SETRI tooling based on finite element structural analysis and Monte Carlo simulations of EB attenuation within tooling materials is briefly described. Of particular interest in this paper is the elastomeric mask, since it exhibits significant changes in mechanical properties based on prior work. Methods: Samples of five different silicone blends (four different durometers and two different catalysts) and one urethane (elastomeric mask materials of choice) were irradiated by an EB source with 3.0-MeV maximum power to simulate the conditions experienced by EB-SETRI tooling during processing. Changes in surface hardness and compression modulus were measured using ASTM D575 and D2240 as a function of dosage. Results: Urethane embrittles and becomes unusable even at low dosages, whereas silicone generally hardens to a maximum level at higher dosages, presumably due to increased crosslinking density, and stiffens (modulus increases) linearly. The embrittlement of silicone is shown to be a result of the EB irradiation and not due to a temperature increase from energy absorption. Conclusions: Changes in elastomer mechanical properties confound process performance as a result, and several concepts for dealing with these changes are suggested. Although the experimental focus is on EB-SETRI, results apply to any manufacturing process that combines the use of EB irradiation and elastomers.
Exploiting Mixed Binaries
Authors: Papaevripides Michalis , Athanasopoulos Elias
Published: January 2021

Unsafe programming systems are still very popular, despite the shortcomings due to several published memory-corruption vulnerabilities. Toward defending memory corruption, compilers have started to employ advanced software hardening such as Control-flow Integrity (CFI) and SafeStack. However, there is a broad interest for realizing compilers that impose memory safety with no heavy runtime support (e.g., garbage collection). Representative examples of this category are Rust and Go, which enforce memory safety primarily statically at compile time.

Software hardening and Rust/Go are promising directions for defending memory corruption, albeit combining the two is questionable. In this article, we consider hardened
mixed
binaries, i.e., machine code that has been produced from different compilers and, in particular, from
hardened
C/C++ and Rust/Go (e.g., Mozilla Firefox, Dropbox, npm, and Docker). Our analysis is focused on Mozilla Firefox, which outsources significant code to Rust and is open source with known public vulnerabilities (with assigned CVE). Furthermore, we extend our analysis in mixed binaries that leverage Go, and we derive similar results.

The attacks explored in this article
do not
exploit Rust or Go binaries that depend on some legacy (vulnerable) C/C++ code. In contrast, we explore how Rust/Go compiled code can stand as a vehicle for bypassing hardening in C/C++ code. In particular, we discuss CFI and SafeStack, which are available in the latest Clang. Our assessment concludes that CFI can be completely nullified through Rust or Go code by constructing much simpler attacks than state-of-the-art CFI bypasses.
Lattice-based Key-sharing Schemes
Authors: Ravi Prasanna , Howe James , Chattopadhyay Anupam , Bhasin Shivam
Published: January 2021

Public-key cryptography is an indispensable component used in almost all of our present-day digital infrastructure. However, most if not all of it is predominantly built upon hardness guarantees of number theoretic problems that can be broken by large-scale quantum computers in the future. Sensing the imminent threat from continued advances in quantum computing, NIST has recently initiated a global-level standardization process for quantum resistant public-key cryptographic primitives such as public-key encryption, digital signatures, and key encapsulation mechanisms. While the process received proposals from various categories of post-quantum cryptography, lattice-based cryptography features most prominently among all the submissions. Lattice-based cryptography offers a very attractive alternative to traditional public-key cryptography mainly due to the variety of lattice-based schemes offering varying flavors of security and efficiency guarantees. In this article, we survey the evolution of lattice-based key-sharing schemes (public-key encryption and key encapsulation schemes) and cover various aspects ranging from theoretical security guarantees, general algorithmic frameworks, practical implementation aspects, and physical attack security, with special focus on lattice-based key-sharing schemes competing in the NIST’s standardization process.
Relay-based Communications in WBANs
Authors: Vyas Avani , Pal Sujata , Saha Barun Kumar
Published: January 2021

Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) constitute an emerging technology in the field of health care that makes health monitoring possible from one’s home itself. WBANs open many challenges by placing sensors on/inside human bodies for collecting various health-related information. Unlike traditional Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), communication in WBANs suffers from high channel fading and attenuation due to human body fat. Therefore, relay-based communication with data forwarding techniques is used to handle link failures and poor network connectivity. Accordingly, in this survey article, we present a comprehensive study of relay-based communication mechanisms in WBANs. We begin with a brief look at the multi-tiered architecture of WBANs, how direct communication works, and how relay-based communication is different. Subsequently, we present a detailed review of relay node selection approaches, which, in turn, also affects how a WBAN performs. In this context, we also look at the unique quality of service (QoS) demands of WBANs and how they can be assured.
Cyber-aggression, Cyberbullying, and Cyber-grooming
Authors: Mladenović Miljana , Ošmjanski Vera , Stanković Staša Vujičić
Published: January 2021

Cyber-aggression, cyberbullying, and cyber-grooming are distinctive and similar phenomena that represent the objectionable content appearing on online social media. Timely detection of the objectionable content is very important for its prevention and reduction. This article explores and spotlights diversity of definitions of cyber-aggression, cyberbulling, and cyber-grooming; analyzes current categorization systems and taxonomies; identifies the targets, target categories, and subcategories of the subjects of the objectionable content research; analyzes the ambiguity of the linguistic terms in the domain; reviews present databases gathered for researching the field; explores types of features used for modeling systems for automatic detection; and examines methods for automatic detection and/or prediction of the objectionable content. The results point to directions of system development for tracing transformations of objectionable content over time on different online social platforms.
From Server-Based to Client-Based Machine Learning
Authors: Gu Renjie , Niu Chaoyue , Wu Fan , Chen Guihai , Hu Chun , Lyu Chengfei , Wu Zhihua
Published: January 2021

In recent years, mobile devices have gained increasing development with stronger computation capability and larger storage space. Some of the computation-intensive machine learning tasks can now be run on mobile devices. To exploit the resources available on mobile devices and preserve personal privacy, the concept of client-based machine learning has been proposed. It leverages the users’ local hardware and local data to solve machine learning sub-problems on mobile devices and only uploads computation results rather than the original data for the optimization of the global model. Such an architecture can not only relieve computation and storage burdens on servers but also protect the users’ sensitive information. Another benefit is the bandwidth reduction because various kinds of local data can be involved in the training process without being uploaded. In this article, we provide a literature review on the progressive development of machine learning from server based to client based. We revisit a number of widely used server-based and client-based machine learning methods and applications. We also extensively discuss the challenges and future directions in this area. We believe that this survey will give a clear overview of client-based machine learning and provide guidelines on applying client-based machine learning to practice.
The Creation and Detection of Deepfakes
Authors: Mirsky Yisroel , Lee Wenke
Published: January 2021

Generative deep learning algorithms have progressed to a point where it is difficult to tell the difference between what is real and what is fake. In 2018, it was discovered how easy it is to use this technology for unethical and malicious applications, such as the spread of misinformation, impersonation of political leaders, and the defamation of innocent individuals. Since then, these “deepfakes” have advanced significantly.

In this article, we explore the creation and detection of deepfakes and provide an in-depth view as to how these architectures work. The purpose of this survey is to provide the reader with a deeper understanding of (1) how deepfakes are created and detected, (2) the current trends and advancements in this domain, (3) the shortcomings of the current defense solutions, and (4) the areas that require further research and attention.
Relative Worst-order Analysis
Authors: Boyar Joan , Favrholdt Lene M. , Larsen Kim S.
Published: January 2021

The standard measure for the quality of online algorithms is the competitive ratio. This measure is generally applicable, and for some problems it works well, but for others it fails to distinguish between algorithms that have very different performance. Thus, ever since its introduction, researchers have worked on improving the measure, defining variants, or defining measures based on other concepts to improve on the situation. Relative worst-order analysis (RWOA) is one of the most thoroughly tested such proposals. With RWOA, many separations of algorithms not obtainable with competitive analysis have been found.

In RWOA, two algorithms are compared directly, rather than indirectly as is done in competitive analysis, where both algorithms are compared separately to an optimal offline algorithm. If, up to permutations of the request sequences, one algorithm is always at least as good and sometimes better than another, then the first algorithm is deemed the better algorithm by RWOA.

We survey the most important results obtained with this technique and compare it with other quality measures. The survey includes a quite complete set of references.
Security in Brain-Computer Interfaces
Authors: Bernal Sergio López , Celdrán Alberto Huertas , Pérez Gregorio Martínez , Barros Michael Taynnan , Balasubramaniam Sasitharan
Published: January 2021

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) have significantly improved the patients’ quality of life by restoring damaged hearing, sight, and movement capabilities. After evolving their application scenarios, the current trend of BCI is to enable new innovative brain-to-brain and brain-to-the-Internet communication paradigms. This technological advancement generates opportunities for attackers, since users’ personal information and physical integrity could be under tremendous risk. This work presents the existing versions of the BCI life-cycle and homogenizes them in a new approach that overcomes current limitations. After that, we offer a qualitative characterization of the security attacks affecting each phase of the BCI cycle to analyze their impacts and countermeasures documented in the literature. Finally, we reflect on lessons learned, highlighting research trends and future challenges concerning security on BCIs.
Networking in Oceans
Authors: Jiang Shengming
Published: January 2021

The ocean is a huge saltwater body that is different from terrestrial environments in terms of deployment circumstance, weather conditions, and user distributions. Therefore, it is difficult to apply terrestrial networking technologies directly in oceans. The cost-effectiveness of satellites is still an issue to be addressed to increase their popularity due to their high cost in construction, launching, and maintenance and high deployment risks. Such situations stimulate many research efforts on networking technologies in the ocean space consisting of coastline, water surface, sky, and underwater. This article conducts a comprehensive survey on the related issues through reviewing the networking environments and communication networks already operating in the ocean space as well as ongoing R8D activities and results reported in the literature. These systems include coastal networks, water surface networks, sky networks, and underwater networks, which are reviewed and discussed along with summaries on the related topics and research issues necessary for further studies. This article, taking into account maritime communication networks and underwater networking together, aims to provide the reader with an overview on the state of the art and corresponding challenging issues for networking in the ocean space.
Key Generation for Internet of Things
Authors: Xu Weitao , Zhang Junqing , Huang Shunqi , Luo Chengwen , Li Wei
Published: January 2021

Key generation is a promising technique to bootstrap secure communications for the Internet of Things devices that have no prior knowledge between each other. In the past few years, a variety of key generation protocols and systems have been proposed. In this survey, we review and categorise recent key generation systems based on a novel taxonomy. Then, we provide both quantitative and qualitative comparisons of existing approaches. We also discuss the security vulnerabilities of key generation schemes and possible countermeasures. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and point out several potential research directions.
New Leakage Model for Naturally Fractured Formations Considering the Effects of Dual-System Hydro-Mechanical Coupling
Authors: Peng Hao , Li Qian , Gao JiaJia , Yin Hu , Wang Jun
Published: January 2021

Within the existing leakage model accounting for drilling mud loss in naturally-fractured formations, the leak-off velocity is assigned to a fixed value or described by the Cater model, which does not consider the influence of dual-system hydromechanical coupling effects between fracture-wall and fracture-inner systems. The dual-system between the formation and fracture is controlled by the flowing net pressure inside the fracture, which determines the dynamic width of the natural fracture and leak-off velocity. In this study, first, the leak-off velocity under the hydromechanical coupling of the fracture-wall system was obtained based on the coupled governing equations of the solid and liquid phases of the natural fracture-wall, as well as Darcy’s law. Second, the leakage-front invasion velocity, leakage rate, and leakage volume under the hydromechanical coupling of the fracture-inner system were clarified according to the geometric governing of the natural fracture morphology. Finally, the dual-system coupling leakage model was developed considering the continuous equation, while the numerical solution was obtained through a time-step deduction. Results show that at a given time, a greater formation permeability leads to a greater leakage rate and volume, with a smaller leakage front distance. The leakage rate increases with an increase in formation permeability, well bottom differential pressure, and initial width of the natural fracture, while it decreases with an increase in the fracture normal stiffness, yield stress, and plastic viscosity. The new leakage model and numerical method concerning time-step deduction are assessed by solving the issues of fully coupled fracture-wall and fracture-inner systems considering drilling fluid leak-off. The new model may be utilized to simulate various problems related to the invasion of drilling fluids into the fractures, including predicting the dynamic width of natural fracture and borehole ballooning/breathing phenomena.
A sombra dos submersos
Authors: Basevi Anna
Published: January 2021

A divisão entre submersos e salvos revela-se a divisão-chave da visão de mundo de Primo Levi. O “submerso interno” (Di Castro) presente em todo sobrevivente se desdobra no submerso como Doppelgänger, uma voz interna que impulsiona o testemunho e que no escritor encontra sua representação narrativa, oscilante entre a metáfora da ameaça de uma sombra persecutória (presente na produção poética) e a personagem do amigo-duplo Alberto, companheiro desaparecido.A urgência do testemunho se desdobra na questão de como representar os submersos, os únicos que desceram até o fundo e poderiam devolver um testemunho realmente integral. Contudo, o escritor encontra uma “palavra sobrevivente” (Derrida) para aprofundar as facetas da vergonha, interrogar os fantasmas da culpa e delinear a “zona cinzenta”. Diante desta ferida insanável, Levi recusa a ideia de um privilégio merecido, nem precisa do conforto de uma providência divina: vários fatores contribuíram à sua salvação, mas as forças que operam são o acaso e a sorte. Já que a Fortuna, como salienta Robert Gordon, é uma força mítica que nossa cultura sempre utilizou para lidar com a realidade incompreensível e incontrolável, no caso do sobrevivente ela preenche a ausência angustiante de explicações; em Levi torna-se ponto de apoio para compor a representação literária dos eventos.A sobrevivência é, portanto, da ordem do “estranho”. Origem, evolução, adaptação, seleção natural, embate entre ordem e caos confluem no conto “Carbono” e demonstram que afinal o polo de maior atração de toda sua produção é o quesito: quem sobrevive e por quê?
Apresentação
Authors: Souza Rogério Ferreira de
Published: January 2021

Apresentação da seção de capa A urgência do Indizível: as contribuições de Primo Levi
Experiências com a metrópole no romance Adua de Igiaba Scego
Authors: Mathias Dionei
Published: January 2021

Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar o segmento “Zoppe” do romance Adua, de Igiaba Scego. Publicado em 2015 e traduzido para o português brasileiro em 2018, o romance representa uma importante contribuição para o conjunto de obras oriundas de contextos de fluxos migratórios. Este artigo deseja discutir como personagens vindos de países africanos interagem com a metrópole, refletindo sobre as interações entre grupos dominantes e minoritários e o modo como o pensamento imperialista é reproduzido no contexto africano.
O “Buriti” e os buritis: breve estudo sobre a obra de Guimarães Rosa e a cultura e a mitologia dos povos originários das Américas
Authors: Rocha Edinael Sanches
Published: January 2021

Esse artigo analisa as relações de sentido entre a novela “Buriti”, de João Guimarães Rosa, e a cultura dos povos originários da América. A partir da leitura estilística da obra, cotejada com textos que trazem parte da tradição das culturas nativas, esse estudo propõe novas perspectivas interpretativas para a novela rosiana.
Primo e ‘eu’: uma montagem de risco
Authors: Dias Maurício Santana
Published: January 2021

Questão central em toda a obra de Primo Levi, o trabalho humano é o que simultaneamente nos constitui como seres sociais e o que, no antropoceno, pode nos destruir ou reinventar. Definindo-se como um escritor que trabalha com “a montagem das palavras assim como o químico trabalha na montagem de moléculas”, é por meio dessa experiência que ele busca tanto lançar luz sobre a “zona cinzenta” do Lager e seus desdobramentos quanto atravessá-los por meio de uma imaginação vertiginosa, que é a contraface do “estudo sereno” com que examinou a experiência pessoal e coletiva de Auschwitz – em suas palavras, um “gigantesco experimento biológico e social”. Emulando o método de Levi e deixando o autor/tradutor falar, este ensaio procede a uma montagem, por analogia e metonímia, de uma variedade de textos seus que tangenciam muitas de suas obsessões, todos eles traduzidos e refletidos por mim nesses últimos vinte anos.
A representação do espaço e do poder em Mário de Carvalho: uma apologia da subversão
Authors: Tolomei Cristiane Navarrete
Published: January 2021

A resenha apresenta o livro A representação do espaço e do poder em Mário de Carvalho: uma apologia da subversão (2018), da pesquisadora Márcia Manir Miguel Feitosa, da Universidade Federal do Maranhão. No cruzamento entre o literário e o geográfico, Feitosa busca, nos teóricos da Geografia Humanista Cultural, o referencial para traçar uma leitura da representação do espaço e do poder na narrativa do escritor português Mário de Carvalho.
Figurações de sobrevivência em Primo Levi. Diálogos com Norbert Elias
Authors: Leão Andréa Borges , Paiva Antônio Cristian Saraiva
Published: January 2021

Em meio às figurações sociais que moldam a vida dos indivíduos, o escritor italiano Primo Levi, deportado para Auschwitz, em 1944, se perguntou: “É isso é um homem?”. Levi conseguiu sobreviver no trabalho da escrita de testemunho, embora não tenha escapado ao discurso que incorpora o indivíduo na consciência do mal. Ou, às práticas históricas de enunciação que criam a figura do judeu no plano da condenação moral como pessoa que tem um preço, portanto, escravizada. Ou, aos impactos da crença e propaganda nazista no psiquismo humano. Escolheu um outro modo possível de dar fim ao seu trauma. Neste artigo, convidamos o sociólogo alemão Norbert Elias, assim como outros pensadores sociais, para desvelar as figurações de sobrevivência na narrativa de Primo Levi. As categorias analíticas da sociologia eliasiana utilizadas na interpretação de A Tabela Periódica, o entrelaçamento de relações no mapa da existência, oferecem pistas de decifração do que o corpo e o coração de cientista escritor não conseguiram escapar.
O evento limite em Primo Levi: uma leitura de Os afogados e os sobreviventes
Authors: Caldas Pedro Spinola Pereira
Published: January 2021

No presente artigo, pretendo pensar o conceito de evento a partir de uma leitura de Os afogados e os sobreviventes, de Primo Levi. Considerando que o evento limite é, segundo Saul Friedländer, o evento capaz de testar as categorias tradicionais de conhecimento e representação, assumo que seria possível uma inversão, na qual o texto do sobrevivente – como é o caso de Levi – pode servir não de prova documental ou descrição da experiência limítrofe, mas de estrutura conceitual. Aqui, entendo o limite a partir de uma relação com o outro: o limite de falar como um outro de si mesmo, o limite de falar para o outro, o limite de falar pelo outro e o limite de falar do outro.
Apontamentos ecocríticos sobre a peça Mahagonny, de Bertolt Brecht
Authors: Eggensperger Klaus
Published: January 2021

O presente artigo apresenta a peça musical “Ascensão e queda da cidade de Mahagonny”, da fase áurea da colaboração entre Bertolt Brecht e Kurt Weill. Nossa leitura ecocrítica do libreto brechtiano focaliza no tratamento que os elementos do mundo natural recebem na peça, além de investigar a relação entre a comunidade humana de Mahagonny e a natureza em geral. Analisamos a ameaça de destruição da cidade por um furacão em relação à ideia do sublime formulada por Kant e Schiller e retomada por Lyotard duzentos anos mais tarde. Finalmente, retomamos a questão da relação humanos – natureza na peça a fim de levantar o problema básico que nos assalta hoje: a destruição ambiental a nível planetário resultante da globalização do modelo Mahagonny.
HISTÓRIA DE UM ESPÍRITO
Authors: Sousa Frederico Duarte Pires de
Published: January 2021

Este texto parte com o intuito de resgatar, ainda que de maneira modesta, a temporalidade e a narratividade presentes no Discurso do Método (1637), e assim, situá-las em relação ao projeto cartesiano de legitimação de sua concepção de ciência e filosofia – etapa que marca a sua virada metafísica dada a condenação de Galileu em 1633. Complementando e aprofundando esta chave de leitura do pequeno ensaio de Descartes, traçaremos uma breve análise do sentido filosófico da figura da Viagem – presente de forma importante no corpo do texto. Neste espírito, nossa proposta é entender como a dimensão estética da obra dialoga com sua dimensão filosófica.
INDIVIDUO Y COMUNIDAD EN SPINOZA
Authors: Ferez Cecília Abdo
Published: January 2021

En esta conferencia se sostiene que el intento de retrotraer la política en Spinoza a sucesos describibles físicamente, que se puede leer en el texto homónimo de A. Matheron, es falso. La presentación tratará la ontología de Spinoza: se quiere mostrar que ella no se puede interpretar físicamente. La interpretación se dirige igualmente contra la hipótesis de J. Bennett en su libro A Study of Spinoza’s Ethics, para quien la filosofía de Spinoza es interpretada bajo la prioridad del atributo extensión y, con ello, según un modelo físico.
RAZÓN DEL GUSANO
Authors: Aguilar Claudia
Published: January 2021

El objetivo del artículo es analizar la mereología spinoziana, es decir, analizar cómo  se relacionan las partes (tanto las partes con el todo, como las partes entre sí) según Spinoza. Para esto será crucial abordar los conceptos de parte y todo, considerando tanto la Ética como las cartas de nuestro filósofo —sobre todo aquella carta en la que encontramos el famoso ejemplo del gusano en la sangre. La hipótesis que me interesa defender es que, si consideramos los grados de individuación, parte y todo no son meras ideas inadecuadas de la imaginación.
A MIOPIA DA DIÓPTRICA
Authors: Siviero José Marcelo
Published: January 2021

Este artigo analisa, a partir da contraposição da noção cartesiana da mecânica de luz e da ideia da visão como posse à distância desenvolvida por Merleau-Ponty, a crítica à modernidade filosófica e aos seus paradigmas gerais de centralidade da razão. Trata-se, a rigor de duas concepções distintas da sensibilidade: uma associada à mecânica, outra à existência. A luz enquanto movimento de partículas e corpúsculos não dá conta, segundo Merleau-Ponty, da visão enquanto instalação do sujeito numa situação mundana. Mais do que isso, a concepção contemporânea da visão permite, entre outras coisas, dar conta do problema da união substancial de corpo e alma, superando os impasses que nem a filosofia moderna soube responder.
Organizational socialization as kin-work: A psychoanalytic model of settling into a new job
Authors: Gilmore Sarah , Harding Nancy
Published: January 2021

Socialization, the transition from newcomer to embedded organizational citizen, is an inevitable feature of organizational life. It is often a painful and traumatic experience, but why this is so, and how its difficulties can be ameliorated, is not well understood. This article addresses this issue by developing a new person-centred model of socialization. We introduce the concept of kin-work, i.e. the replication of one’s first experiences of becoming part of a family, to explain how ‘successful’ socialization is achieved. Drawing on the methodology of memory work and psychoanalytical theories of object relations, we illustrate how entry into new jobs involves the unconscious re-enactment in adult life of the infant’s initiation into the family. On entry as a stranger to a new organization, one’s sense of self is fractured; processes of kin-work knit the pieces back together and one develops a sense of personhood and being at home. However, there is a sting in this tale: the homely contains its uncanny, unhomely opposite, so socialization is always ambivalent – one can never be at home in this place that feels like home.
Prediction equation for the fundamental vibration period of concrete gravity dams with impounded water
Authors: Aldemir Alper
Published: January 2021

The design of dam structures requires advanced analysis techniques due to the dam body’s complicated interaction with its surroundings. Consequently, most of the time, it is a must to perform response history analysis during the design and assessment of dam structures. The target fundamental vibration period is necessary to generate ground motion histories compatible with the site-specific response spectrum. In this study, an equation was developed to predict the fundamental vibration period of concrete gravity dams based on an extensive database. First, a wide range of parameters to describe gravity dams’ three-dimensional (3D) geometry and their valleys are determined. A total of 19,440 different 3D numerical models with fluid and solid elements were formed, and the fundamental vibration period values were determined to create the necessary database. Then, multiple nonlinear regression analysis was conducted to propose an equation to predict the fundamental vibration period. The proposed equation could be used to accurately estimate the required fundamental vibration period during the preliminary design stage or the implementation of simplified procedures or during the spectrum matching operations.
Multifunctional application of PVA-aided Zn–Fe–Mn coupled oxide nanocomposite
Authors: Abebe Buzuayehu , Murthy H. C. Ananda , Zereffa Enyew Amare
Published: January 2021

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a fascinating semiconductor material with many applications such as adsorption, photocatalysis, sensor, and antibacterial activities. By using a poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) polymer as a capping agent and metal oxides (iron and manganese) as a couple, the porous PVA-aided Zn/Fe/Mn ternary oxide nanocomposite material (PTMO-NCM) was synthesized. The thermal, optical, crystallinity, chemical bonding, porosity, morphological, charge transfer properties of the synthesized materials were confirmed by DTG/DSC, UV–Vis-DRS, XRD, FT-IR, BET, SEM-EDAX/TEM-HRTEM-SAED, and CV/EIS/amperometric analytical techniques, respectively.
The PTMO-NCM showed an enhanced surface area and charge transfer capability, compared to ZnO. Using the XRD pattern and TEM image analysis, the crystalline size of the materials was confirmed to be in the nanometer range. The porosity and superior charge transfer capabilities of the PTMO-NCM were confirmed from the BET, HRTEM (IFFT)/SAED, and CV/EIS analysis. The adsorption kinetics (adsorption reaction/adsorption diffusion) and adsorption isotherm test confirmed the presence of a chemisorption type of adsorbate/methylene blue dye-adsorbent/PTMO-NCM interaction. The photocatalytic performance was tested on the Congo red and Acid Orange-8 dyes. The superior ascorbic acid sensing capability of the material was understood from CV and amperometric analysis. The noble antibacterial activities of the material were also confirmed on both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.
Propedia: a database for protein–peptide identification based on a hybrid clustering algorithm
Authors: Martins Pedro M. , Santos Lucianna H. , Mariano Diego , Queiroz Felippe C. , Bastos Luana L. , Gomes Isabela de S. , Fischer Pedro H. C. , Rocha Rafael E. O. , Silveira Sabrina A. , de Lima Leonardo H. F. , de Magalhães Mariana T. Q. , Oliveira Maria G. A. , de Melo-Minardi Raquel C.
Published: January 2021

Background

Protein–peptide interactions play a fundamental role in a wide variety of biological processes, such as cell signaling, regulatory networks, immune responses, and enzyme inhibition. Peptides are characterized by low toxicity and small interface areas; therefore, they are good targets for therapeutic strategies, rational drug planning and protein inhibition. Approximately 10% of the ethical pharmaceutical market is protein/peptide-based. Furthermore, it is estimated that 40% of protein interactions are mediated by peptides. Despite the fast increase in the volume of biological data, particularly on sequences and structures, there remains a lack of broad and comprehensive protein–peptide databases and tools that allow the retrieval, characterization and understanding of protein–peptide recognition and consequently support peptide design.

Results

We introduce Propedia, a comprehensive and up-to-date database with a web interface that permits clustering, searching and visualizing of protein–peptide complexes according to varied criteria. Propedia comprises over 19,000 high-resolution structures from the Protein Data Bank including structural and sequence information from protein–peptide complexes. The main advantage of Propedia over other peptide databases is that it allows a more comprehensive analysis of similarity and redundancy. It was constructed based on a hybrid clustering algorithm that compares and groups peptides by sequences, interface structures and binding sites. Propedia is available through a graphical, user-friendly and functional interface where users can retrieve, and analyze complexes and download each search data set. We performed case studies and verified that the utility of Propedia scores to rank promissing interacting peptides. In a study involving predicting peptides to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 main protease, we showed that Propedia scores related to similarity between different peptide complexes with SARS-CoV-2 main protease are in agreement with molecular dynamics free energy calculation.

Conclusions

Propedia is a database and tool to support structure-based rational design of peptides for special purposes. Protein–peptide interactions can be useful to predict, classifying and scoring complexes or for designing new molecules as well. Propedia is up-to-date as a ready-to-use webserver with a friendly and resourceful interface and is available at:https://bioinfo.dcc.ufmg.br/propedia
GWAS revealed effect of genotype × environment interactions for grain yield of Nebraska winter wheat
Authors: Eltaher Shamseldeen , Baenziger P. Stephen , Belamkar Vikas , Emara Hamdy A. , Nower Ahmed A. , Salem Khaled F. M. , Alqudah Ahmad M. , Sallam Ahmed
Published: January 2021

Background

Improving grain yield in cereals especially in wheat is a main objective for plant breeders. One of the main constrains for improving this trait is the G × E interaction (GEI) which affects the performance of wheat genotypes in different environments. Selecting high yielding genotypes that can be used for a target set of environments is needed. Phenotypic selection can be misleading due to the environmental conditions. Incorporating information from phenotypic and genomic analyses can be useful in selecting the higher yielding genotypes for a group of environments.

Results

A set of 270 F3:6 wheat genotypes in the Nebraska winter wheat breeding program was tested for grain yield in nine environments. High genetic variation for grain yield was found among the genotypes. G × E interaction was also highly significant. The highest yielding genotype differed in each environment. The correlation for grain yield among the nine environments was low (0 to 0.43). Genome-wide association study revealed 70 marker traits association (MTAs) associated with increased grain yield. The analysis of linkage disequilibrium revealed 16 genomic regions with a highly significant linkage disequilibrium (LD). The candidate parents’ genotypes for improving grain yield in a group of environments were selected based on three criteria; number of alleles associated with increased grain yield in each selected genotype, genetic distance among the selected genotypes, and number of different alleles between each two selected parents.

Conclusion

Although G × E interaction was present, the advances in DNA technology provided very useful tools and analyzes. Such features helped to genetically select the highest yielding genotypes that can be used to cross grain production in a group of environments.