bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Balanceamento Dinâmico de Requisições em Cluster de Servidores Web
Authors: Sato Jô , Martini João A. , Gonçalves Ronaldo A. L.
Published: February 2022

Informações provenientes de movimentações bancárias, transações comerciais, pesquisas educacionais, bate-papo e jogos interativos, entre outros, têm crescido intensamente na Internet. Os provedores de serviços precisam estar preparados para sustentar esta demanda crescente de informação e comunicação. Neste sentido, a distribuição de requisições entre vários servidores web de forma balanceada tem se tornado uma estratégia f undamental para garantir melhor qualidade no serviço. O presente trabalho descreve e discute questões arquiteturais e operacionais sobre o balanceamento de requisições, principalmente o dinâmico, abordando conceitos, técnicas e soluções. Experimentos reais foram realizados em diferentes configurações sobre um cluster de servidores Apache não dedicado exclusivamente ao serviço web. O módulo de balanceamento de carga mod_proxy_balancer foi usado com sobrecargas sintéticas intensivas e um novo método de balanceamento chamado byquery foi proposto e avaliado. Os resultados mostram que o balanceamento neste tipo de sistema será mais eficiente se a carga de rede externa ao serviço web for detectada e usada no fator de balanceamento.
Escalabilidade de aplicação operacional em ambiente massivamente paralelo
Authors: Fazenda Álvaro L. , Panetta Jairo , Rodrigues Luiz F. , Katsurayama Daniel M. , Motta Luis F. , Navaux Philippe O. A.
Published: February 2022

A demanda constante para melhorar a qualidade de previsões numéricas do tempo obriga o uso de computadores progressivamente mais potentes. Com a popularização de processadores “multicore”, o uso de sistemas com muitas centenas de processadores tornou-se economicamente viável. Este trabalho investiga como escalar o paralelismo de uma aplicação operacional para a previsão do tempo que executa eficientemente em muitas dezenas de processadores para máquinas com muitas centenas de processadores. A investigação determinou as limitações da aplicação, suas surpreendentes causas e permitiu desenvolver uma solução eficiente que atinge a escala de paralelismo desejado.
Automação de Refatorações para Programas Fortran de Alto Desempenho
Authors: Boniati Bruno Batista , Charão Andrea Schwertner , Stein Benhur de Oliveira
Published: February 2022

Refatoração é uma técnica de engenharia de software que objetiva aplicar melhorias internas no código-fonte de aplicações, sem que isso influencie no seu comportamento. É uma técnica amplamente empregada em código orientado a objetos e utilizada por algumas metodologias de desenvolvimento. Na computação de alto desempenho, a refatoração é uma técnica pouco explorada, sendo que grande parte código legado de programas de alto desempenho está escrita em linguagens não orientadas a objetos. Neste trabalho, explora-se a automatização de técnicas de refatoração e sua aplicação em códigos de alto desempenho escritos em linguagem imperativa Fortran. São identificadas oportunidades de melhorar a legibilidade e o design do código sem afetar o desempenho, além de reestruturações de código quem podem representar ganho de desempenho. As técnicas estudadas e automatizadas são utilizadas em aplicações reais, como meio de validar a abordagem. A automatização das técnicas é feita estendendo as funcionalidades do IDE Photran, um plugin para Eclipse, cujo funcionamento também será abortado neste texto.
Estudo Quantitativo do Modelo WRF de Previsão do Tempo em um Ambiente de Cluster Multi-core
Authors: Pinto Luiz C. , Dantas M. A. R.
Published: February 2022

A computação científica demanda poder computacional de alto desempenho principalmente para resolver em tempo hábil problemas conhecidos como “grandes desafios”. Devido à limitação de clock, cada vez mais arquiteturas não-convencionais construídas com processadores conhecidos como commodity estão sendo utilizadas nesta tarefa, como por exemplo os ambientes multi-cluster. Atualmente, a inserção de processadores com múltiplos núcleos nas configurações de cluster cria um cenário diferenciado no que diz respeito à comunicação entre processos paralelos nestes ambientes. Nesse contexto, o presente artigo vem para ampliar a discussão e apontar possibilidades de ganho em desempenho e eficiência. Os resultados empíricos obtidos com a execução do modelo numérico de previsão do tempo WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting Model) revelaram speedup de 1.39 resultante da adequação do subsistema de comunicação entre processos às especificidades da aplicação e do cluster multi-core em foco, o que reforça a importância da análise e a pertinência deste trabalho.
Simulação de Neurônios Biologicamente Realistas em GPUs
Authors: Camargo Raphael Y. de
Published: February 2022

GPUs modernas são compostas por centenas de processadores capazes de executar milhares de threads simultaneamente e estão sendo utilizadas com sucesso em diversas aplicações na área de computação de alto-desempenho. Neste trabalho apresentamos um simulador de modelos neuronais realistas capaz de simular centenas de milhares de neurônios por GPU. Resultados experimentais mostram que as simulações são executadas 5 vezes mais rápidas em GPUs, quando comparadas a CPUs modernas.
Um modelo de armazenamento de metadados tolerante a falhas para o DDGfs
Authors: Soares Alexandro S. , Pereira Thiago Emmanuel , Silva Jonhnny W. , Brasileiro Francisco
Published: February 2022

O Desktop Data Grid file system (DDGfs) é um sistema de arquivos distribuído desenvolvido para atender a requisitos de escalabilidade e manutenabilidade não oferecidos por sistemas de arquivos distribuídos amplamente utilizados na prática, como NFS e Coda. No DDGfs, dados e metadados são armazenados em componentes separados. Os dados são armazenados em servidores de dados, enquanto os metadados são mantidos em um único servidor de metadados. Essa arquitetura facilita o projeto do sistema, mas torna o servidor de metadados um ponto único de falha. Apesar de ser considerado um componente confiável, falhas são inevitáveis. Se esse componente falhar, os metadados podem ser perdidos e todos os dados armazenados se tornam inacessíveis. Este artigo apresenta um modelo de armazenamento de metadados que permite que o servidor de metadados seja restaurado após uma falha catastrófica que corrompa seu estado.
Performance Evaluation Model based on Precision Reduction and FPGAs applied to Seismic Modeling
Authors: Barros Abner C. , Dutra Bruno H. T. , Brito Vinícius V. , Lima Manoel E. , Silva-Filho Abel , Gandra Rodrigo , Bragança Ricardo
Published: February 2022

The recent increase in computing power of FPGAs has allowed its use in areas such as seismic data processing. Additionally, besides the capability of performing computations in parallel way, FPGAs also support application-specific number representations. In this type of application, in order to achieve better performance, instead of using the floating-point standard, usually the processing and storage of data is done using the fixed point standard. However, the change of representation can cause a degradation in the quality of the results. In the petroleum industry, a seismic image of poor quality can represent an erroneous interpretation of the subsurface, resulting in catastrophic losses. For this reason, it is essential that the quality of data obtained from the seismic data processing for low precision can be evaluated within reliable technical criteria. In this paper, a real case study was used in order to evaluate the efficiency of two different metrics applied to this seismic application based on RTM algorithm. The main strategy is to explore the precision reduction in terms of SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) and UIQI (Universal Image Quality Index) metrics, in order to improve the performance of the system. Results show a performance gain of 50% compared with the architecture implemented in hardware using floating point standart IEE754.
A Model for Mobile Payment in Ubiquitous Commerce
Authors: Roehrs Alex , Costa Cristiano André da , Barbosa Jorge Luis Victória
Published: February 2022

This paper aims at presenting an architectural model proposal for a novel Mobile Payment System, called 4iPay. This work considers the following premises: independence of device, location, carrier and cardholder to meet the needs of executing payment transactions in ubiquitous commerce. Our proposal considers the convergence of concepts of ubiquity, unity, universality and unison to form the proposed model. This article describes the model, implementation, preliminary assessments and requirements for mobile payment in ubiquitous environments. We developed a prototype of 4iPay using Android smartphones. Our protoype was evaluated in three diferente scenarious.
FPGA-based Accelerator to Speed-up Seismic Applications
Authors: Medeiros V. W. C. , Rocha R. C. F. , Ferreira A. P. A. , Correia J. C. B. L. , Barbosa J. P. F. , Silva-Filho A. G. , Lima M. E. , Gandra Rodrigo , Bragança Ricardo
Published: February 2022

Hardware accelerators such as GPGPUs and FPGAs have been used as an alternative to the conventional CPU in scientific computing applications and have shown significant performance improvements. In this context, this work presents an FPGA-based solution that explores efficiently the reuse of data and parallelization in both space and time domains for the first computational stage of the RTM (Reverse Time Migration) algorithm, the seismic modeling. We also implemented the same algorithm for CPU architectures and GPGPU and our results demonstrate that the FPGA-based approach can be a viable solution to improve performance. Experimental results show a speedup of 1.668 times compared with GPGPU and 25.79 times compared to CPU. Results were evaluated with the Marmousi velocity model, considering the same parameters in all approaches.
Un ladrón como maestro para los creyentes
Authors: Van Reisen Hans ,   Order of Augustinian Recollects
Published: February 2022

This article attempts to give an answer from the Augustinian perspective to the question of ecological sustainability, starting from the admiration of Saint Augustine for creation, and taking as reference points, first of all, Saint Augustine’s ideas on property. private and his own monastic ideal, as these are expressed in the Praeceptum as well as in sermons 355 and 356. The second source for the sustainability is the one concerning the relationship that the human being should have with all the created things, taking as point of departure Augustine’s De Genesi aduersus manicheos, where the human being is presented as an administrator of God’s goods and not as an owner who can abuse of them.
New species of Philopterus Nitzsch, 1818 (Ischnocera: Philopteridae), with notes on Cypseloecus Conci, 1941
Authors: Gustafsson Daniel R. , Najer Tomas , Zou Fasheng , Bush Sarah E.
Published: February 2022

We describe and illustrate eight new species of chewing lice in the genus Philopterus Nitzsch, 1818, parasitic on hosts in the bird families Cardinalidae, Chloropseidae, Hirundinidae, Icteridae, Motacillidae, Paridae, and Vangidae from China, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, and the USA. They are: Philopterus coriaceus sp. nov. from Molothrus oryzivorus oryzivorus (Gmelin, 1788); P. hebes sp. nov. from Chloropsis aurifrons inornata Kloss, 1918 and C. cochinchinensis kinneari Hall & Deignan, 1956; P. micropunctatus sp. nov. from Anthus hodgsoni Richmond, 1907; P. afropari sp. nov. from Melaniparus cinerascens cinerascens (Vieillot, 1818); P. pseudhirundo sp. nov. from Pseudhirundo griseopyga Sundevall, 1850; P. sinensis sp. nov. from Hemipus picatus capitalis (Horsfield, 1840); P. stansburyensis sp. nov. from Pheucticus melanocephalus melanocephalus (Swainson, 1827); and P. trepostephanus sp. nov. from Tephrodornis virgatus fretensis Robinson & Kloss, 1920 and T. v. mekongensis Meyer de Schauensee, 1946. Philopterus hebes sp. nov. constitutes the first record of the genus Philopterus from the Chloropseidae. We also provide some notes on the morphology and status of Cypseloecus Conci, 1941.
La representación del trabajo femenino en la mar en el imaginario visual asturiano contemporáneo
Authors: Mier Valerón Laura
Published: February 2022

Con este artículo se pretende llevar a cabo una lectura comparada entre los trabajos femeninos asociados al mar, desempeñados por distintas generaciones de mujeres y de los que se tiene constancia a través de diversas fuentes, y su representación artística en el imaginario visual asturiano contemporáneo. En este sentido, se ha analizado un corpus de imágenes que, desde el siglo XIX hasta nuestros días, recogen estas labores, atendiendo no sólo a las voluntades de la mentalidad artística, sino también a la evolución socioeconómica de aquellas en nuestra región. A tal efecto, las imágenes estudiadas proceden de disciplinas como la pintura, de la cual hemos conservado una buena cantidad de ejemplos, seguida de la fotografía o la imagen publicitaria.
Sustainability – Local explorations – Global awareness
Authors: Vogt Michael , Leth Marianne
Published: February 2022

Education for Sustainable Development in teacher education: Possibilities, capabilities, and dilemmas in educating teachers to handle the complexity of sustainability issues through interdisciplinary and outdoor didactics. What is the relationship between specific substantive knowledge and interdisciplinary skills and the measurable competencies and 'Bildung' processes for teachers in a sustainable future? This paper presents a course, its intentions, methodology, content, and a discussion of the dilemmas between, on the one hand, subject-specific skills in 'nature & technology' and in 'history,' as well as interdisciplinary skills, and on the other hand measurable competencies in teacher education and ideals of 'Bildung.'
Pædagogik og unge
Authors: Redaktionelt
Published: February 2022

Redaktionel indledning
Enfoques normativos sobre las prácticas desleales en la cadena agroalimentaria. Atención a las empresas de economía social. Prácticas desleales y empresas de economía social
Authors: Vázquez Ruano Trinidad
Published: February 2022

En el mercado de productos agroalimentarios es necesario identificar los presupuestos normativos que ofrecen un nivel adecuado de competencia en beneficio de su correcto funcionamiento y de la protección de los que participan en dicho mercado. Esto es, los operadores que intervienen en la figurada cadena que une “el campo con la mesa”, con especial atención a las empresas de economía social. La Comisión Europea se ha preocupado del sector vulnerable en la cadena de suministro de alimentos (Directiva (UE) 2019/633, de 17 de abril). Nuestro legislador ha aprobado el Real Decreto-ley 5/2020 de medidas urgentes en materia de agricultura y alimentación y la Ley 16/2021, de 14 de diciembre, de reforma de la Ley de la Cadena Alimentaria. Sin embargo, y aun cuando se fomenta la innovación en la cadena alimentaria, la transparencia y se incrementa el reparto más justo del valor, la CNMC ha planteado algunas observaciones en negativo al contenido de la reforma.
Efficient UAV-based mobile edge computing using differential evolution and ant colony optimization
Authors: Mousa Mohamed H. , Hussein Mohamed K.
Published: February 2022

Internet of Things (IoT) tasks are offloaded to servers located at the edge network for improving the power consumption of IoT devices and the execution times of tasks. However, deploying edge servers could be difficult or even impossible in hostile terrain or emergency areas where the network is down. Therefore, edge servers are mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to support task offloading in such scenarios. However, the challenge is that the UAV has limited energy, and IoT tasks are delay-sensitive. In this paper, a UAV-based offloading strategy is proposed where first, the IoT devices are dynamically clustered considering the limited energy of UAVs, and task delays, and second, the UAV hovers over each cluster head to process the offloaded tasks. The optimization problem of dynamically determining the optimal number of clusters, specifying the member tasks of each cluster, is modeled as a mixed-integer, nonlinear constraint optimization. A discrete differential evolution (DDE) algorithm with new mutation and crossover operators is proposed for the formulated optimization problem, and compared with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithm (GA) meta-heuristics. Further, the ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm is employed to identify the shortest path over the cluster heads for the UAV to traverse. The simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed offloading strategy in terms of tasks delays and UAV energy consumption.
Antimicrobial properties, cytotoxicity, colour and mechanical behavior of light-cured resin composites containing modified Novaron
Authors: Han Zhihui , Liu Wenjuan , Sun Yang , Zhou Qianrong , Zhao Yue , Sun Jian , Zhu Bangshang , Yu Youcheng
Published: February 2022

Background

The NOVARON, a silver-based antimicrobial agent derived from inorganic ion exchangers developed by Toagosei and registered by FDA, has effectively indicated the antimicrobial power of silver against a variety of microbes. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a silver-supported material (Novaron (N)) on the mechanical behaviour, antimicrobial properties, cytotoxicity and colour of light-cured resin composites.

Methods

Silanized aluminum borate whisker (ABWs) (4 wt%) and nano-zirconia (nano-ZrO2) (2 wt%) were mixed with the resin matrix to obtain the control groups; 4 wt% surface-modified Novaron particles were incorporated into the above matrices as the experimental groups. The surface hardness was tested. Furthermore, the antimicrobial abilities evaluated in vitro with Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) and Candida albicans (C. albicans) using the live/dead, MTT and colony-forming units (CFUs) assay. Furthermore, the effects on fibroblast growth and colour were test in this study.

Results

The data of the Novaron and control groups were analyzed by Student’s t-test. The results showed that the activities of S. mutans, F. nucleatum and C. albicans biofilms on the composites surface were greatly reduced (p < 0.05) and no significant difference was found in the culture medium (p > 0.05). Extracts taken from the cell culture medium of the specimens were used to evaluate cell viability. The composites did not have an adverse effect on fibroblast growth and colour in this study. The results showed that 4 wt% Novaron incorporated into the resin composites could increase the surface hardness (p < 0.05). Therefore, Novaron is a potential antimicrobial agent applying in light-cured and inorganic nanoparticles reinforced dental resin materials.
Perancangan Animasi 2D sebagai Media Edukasi tentang Penyu bagi Anak-Anak
Authors: Lionardi Angelia
Published: February 2022

Penyu adalah salah satu biota laut yang jumlah populasinya semakin sedikit dan terancam punah di Indonesia. Laju kepunahan akan semakin cepat jika kesadaran masyarakat akan perlunya kelestarian penyu tidak ditumbuhkan sejak dini. Media edukasi yang berpotensi untuk memberikan informasi tentang kehidupan penyu adalah media narasi visual yaitu animasi 2D. Proses pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan cara observasi terlibat, wawancara, menyebarkan kuesioner kepada audiens (anak-anak), dan kajian pustaka. Metode perancangan yang digunakan adalah metode design thinking. Proses uji coba dilakukan dengan cara menyebar kuesioner kepada anak-anak. Proses uji coba dilakukan dalam dua tahap. Tahap pertama adalah menyebarkan kuesioner pre-test (sebelum responden menonton animasi) dan tahap kedua adalah kuesioner post-test (setelah responden menerima stimulus berupa animasi 2D). Hasil uji kuesioner antara pre-test dan post-test akan dibandingkan untuk melihat peningkatan aspek pengetahuan/kognitif responden terkait tentang kehidupan penyu setelah dia menetas. Kesimpulan dari perancangan ini adalah secara umum terjadi peningkatan pada seluruh variabel pengetahuan anak terhadap penyu setelah menonton media animasi yang dirancang. Peningkatan itu antara lain: a) pengetahuan anak tentang karakteristik penyu (61%); b) pengetahuan anak tentang predator penyu (54%); dan c) pengetahuan anak mengenai faktor penyebab kepunahan penyu (24%).
Strategi Perancangan Digital Comic sebagai Media Edukasi Cerita Rakyat Jawa Timur bagi Remaja Usia 12-18 Tahun
Authors: Susanto Jonathan Indrawan , Sutanto Ryan Pratama
Published: February 2022

Cerita rakyat Jawa Timur merupakan bagian dari budaya bangsa yang kaya akan nilai, moral, norma, dan sejarah yang berguna bagi remaja di era sekarang. Di era kemajuan teknologi dan internet ini, cerita rakyat dapat menolong remaja mempertahankan identitas mereka sebagai bangsa Indonesia dalam masa pencarian identitas mereka. Kenyataannya sekarang, remaja di Surabaya dan sekitarnya kurang menyukai cerita rakyat karena cerita rakyat dinilai memiliki cerita dan penyajian yang kurang menarik. Strategi perancangan digital comic ini dibuat agar cerita rakyat dapat disajikan secara menarik bagi para remaja agar mereka bisa kembali tertarik untuk mengetahui cerita rakyat, secara khusus cerita rakyat Jawa Timur. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode deskriptif kualitatif yang akan berfokus pada data tentang cerita rakyat, remaja Surabaya dan sekitarnya, media edukasi, dan digital comic.
Sustainable Fashion, Investasi pada Produk Fashion yang Berkualitas untuk Mengurangi Limbah Fashion yang Menumpuk
Authors: Sayyida Shafira Qiddist , Wardaya Marina
Published: February 2022

Setiap manusia memiliki kekhawatiran akan masa depan. Kekhawatiran tersebut diantaranya adalah tentang lingkungan yang meliputi limbah, efek rumah kaca, pencemaran, dan lainnya. Industri fashion mengambil peran cukup banyak dalam meningkatnya kerusakan lingkungan oleh limbah yang dihasilkan. Nyatanya kesadaran masyarakat dalam perilaku belanja cukup memegang peran penting sebagai awal untuk mengurangi limbah fashion. Kebiasaan membeli produk yang cepat rusak merupakan salah satu hal yang menyebabkan menumpuknya limbah fashion yang ada di dunia. Membeli produk fashion dengan kualitas yang baik akan mengurangi laju konsumsi sehingga dapat mengurangi limbah fashion yang ada. Hal tersebut merupakan langkah kecil untuk sustainable fashion. Metode penelitian yang digunakan pada literatur ini adalah kajian pustaka, yaitu dengan mengumpulkan sumber literatur yang kuat untuk mendukung dan mencari kesimpulan akhir. Sumber yang digunakan merupakan jurnal nasional, jurnal internasional, dan juga buku. Hasil akhir penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa perilaku belanja masyarakat cukup berpengaruh pada sedikit-banyaknya limbah yang dihasilkan dan juga berpengaruh pada laju konsumsi. Menanamkan kesadaran pada masyarakat untuk investasi dengan membeli prioduk berkualitas dapat membantu mengurangi limbah fashion yang semakin hari semakin meningkat.
Reiki Is Associated with Changes in Blood Cell Quality
Authors: Bowman Jacqueline
Published: February 2022

Alternative health practitioners, especially those utilizing biofield energies, are challenged to explain what is happening outside of what individuals receiving treatment share post session about their experiences. This research aims to demonstrate the cellular effect, reflected in human blood as evidenced by darkfield microscopy, of an energetic or spiritual treatment. To achieve this, 71 volunteers were recruited for the Vibrant Health Research project. Each volunteer donated blood samples by capillary puncture and received 30 minutes of Reiki. This study aimed to determine if one Reiki treatment session induced changes of quality (motility, shape, and structure) and influenced oxidative stress components within erythrocytes (red blood cells; RBCs). This study further aimed to document any Reiki-induced changes in the protit (somatid), terrain (milieu), or pleomorphic development in the live blood sample. This research also measured changes in volunteer’s perceived wellbeing pre- and posttreatment. These data found that Reiki Ryoho treatment influences mental/emotional outcomes as well as physical effects on live blood samples. Specifically, Reiki treatment was shown here to decrease negative emotions (p = .004) and change the size/shape (p = .003), spatial distance (p < .001), and motility (p = .017) of RBCs. Further, Reiki treatment was also associated with notable differences in the pleomorphic development and markers of oxidative stress reflected in live blood samples. Overall, more systematic research is warranted to validate these findings of long-term Reiki-induced influences on blood.
Axonal Length Determines Distinct Homeostatic Phenotypes in Human iPSC Derived Motor Neurons on a Bioengineered Platform
Authors: Hagemann Cathleen , Moreno Gonzalez Carmen , Guetta Ludovica , Tyzack Giulia , Chiappini Ciro , Legati Andrea , Patani Rickie , Serio Andrea
Published: February 2022

Stem cell‐based experimental platforms for neuroscience can effectively model key mechanistic aspects of human development and disease. However, conventional culture systems often overlook the engineering constraints that cells face in vivo. This is particularly relevant for neurons covering long range connections such as spinal motor neurons (MNs). Their axons extend up to 1m in length and require a complex interplay of mechanisms to maintain cellular homeostasis. However, shorter axons in conventional cultures may not faithfully capture important aspects of their longer counterparts. Here this issue is directly addressed by establishing a bioengineered platform to assemble arrays of human axons ranging from micrometers to centimeters, which allows systematic investigation of the effects of length on human axonas for the first time. This approach reveales a link between length and metabolism in human MNs in vitro, where axons above a “threshold” size induce specific molecular adaptations in cytoskeleton composition, functional properties, local translation, and mitochondrial homeostasis. The findings specifically demonstrate the existence of a length‐dependent mechanism that switches homeostatic processes within human MNs. The findings have critical implications for in vitro modeling of several neurodegenerative disorders and reinforce the importance of modeling cell shape and biophysical constraints with fidelity and precision in vitro.
A Novel Targeted Nanoparticle for Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment: Combined Effect of ROS Depletion and Calcium Overload Inhibition
Authors: Han Zhengzhong , Han Yuhan , Huang Xuyang , Ma Hongwei , Zhang Xuefeng , Song Jingyuan , Dong Jun , Li Shanshan , Yu Rutong , Liu Hongmei
Published: February 2022

Survival after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) depends on minimizing or avoiding secondary insults to the brain. Overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca2+ influx at the damaged site are the key factors that cause secondary injury upon TBI. Herein, a TBI‐targeted lipid covered radical scavenger nanoparticle is developed to deliver nimodipine (Np) (CL‐PPS/Np), in order to inhibit Ca2+ influx in neurons by Np and to scavenge ROS in the brain trauma microenvironment by poly(propylene sulfide)60 (PPS60) and thus prevent TBI‐associated secondary injury. In post‐TBI models, CL‐PPS/Np effectively accumulates into the wound cavity and prolongs the time of systemic circulation of Np. CL‐PPS/Np can markedly protect the integrity of blood‐brain barrier, prevent brain edema, reduce cell death and inflammatory responses, and promote functional recovery after TBI. These findings may provide a new therapy for TBI to prevent the spread of the secondary injury.
Hybrid Plasma Activation Strategy for the Protein‐Coated Magnesium Implants in Orthopedic Applications
Authors: Fang Hui , Zhou Shicheng , Qi Xiaoyun , Tian Yanhong , Wang Chenxi
Published: February 2022

Biodegradable magnesium alloys show superior potential as bone repair implants, which are coated by natural polymers such as biological proteins to reinforce anticorrosion and biocompatibility. Surface pretreatment can facilitate the adhesion force of the organic coating/inorganic metal interface, but potentially causes one or more unfavorable intermediate layers. Herein, hybrid plasma activation is introduced to modify magnesium alloy (MgZnCa), which is directly coated by a natural protein, silk fibroin (i.e., SF), thus achieving a protein/magnesium direct bonding interface. Different plasmas exhibit distinctive physical and chemical performances on magnesium, including cleaning effects, bombardment effects, and modification effects. Due to stronger mechanical interlocking and unique chemical bonding, the optimum O2/N2 hybrid plasma reduces the shedding rate of coating and enhanced the bonding strength by more than ten times that without plasma activation. Meanwhile, the long‐term corrosion resistance is improved by an order of magnitude compared with bare MgZnCa not only because of the effective protection of the SF coating, but also thanks to its tight bonding on substrates. The in vitro and in vivo performances of SF‐coated MgZnCa are confirmed by osteogenic activity and delayed degradation. This hybrid plasma activated coating strategy provides a promising alternative for conventional “sandwich protection systems” in orthopedics.
Phenotype‐Based Isolation of Antigen‐Specific CD4+ T Cells in Autoimmunity: A Study of Celiac Disease
Authors: Christophersen Asbjørn , Dahal‐Koirala Shiva , Chlubnová Markéta , Jahnsen Jørgen , Lundin Knut E. A. , Sollid Ludvig M.
Published: February 2022

The pathogenic immune response in celiac disease (CeD) is orchestrated by phenotypically distinct CD4+ T cells that recognize gluten epitopes in the context of disease‐associated HLA‐DQ allotypes. Cells with the same distinct phenotype, but with elusive specificities, are increased across multiple autoimmune conditions. Here, whether sorting of T cells based on their distinct phenotype (Tphe cells) yields gluten‐reactive cells in CeD is tested. The method′s efficiency is benchmarked by parallel isolation of gluten‐reactive T cells (Ttet cells), using HLA‐DQ:gluten peptide tetramers. From gut biopsies of 12 untreated HLA‐DQ2.5+ CeD patients, Ttet+/Tphe+, Ttet−/Tphe+, and Ttet−/Tphe− cells are sorted for single‐cell T‐cell receptor (TCR)‐sequencing (n = 8) and T‐cell clone (TCC)‐generation (n = 5). The generated TCCs are TCR sequenced and tested for their reactivity against deamidated gluten. Gluten‐reactivity is observed in 91.2% of Ttet+/Tphe+ TCCs, 65.3% of Ttet−/Tphe+ TCCs and 0% of Ttet−/Tphe− TCCs. TCR sequencing reveals clonal expansion and sequence sharing across patients, features reflecting antigen‐driven responses. The feasibility to isolate antigen‐specific CD4+ T cells by the sole use of phenotypic markers in CeD outlines a potential avenue for characterizing disease‐driving CD4+ T cells in autoimmune conditions.
An accurate and interpretable deep learning model for environmental properties prediction using hybrid molecular representations
Authors: Zhang Jun , Wang Qin , Su Yang , Jin Saimeng , Ren Jingzheng , Eden Mario , Shen Weifeng
Published: February 2022

Lipophilicity, as quantified by the decimal logarithm of the octanol–water partition coefficient (logKOW), is an essential environmental property. Deep neural networks (DNNs) based quantitative structure–property relationship (QSPR) studies have received more and more attention because of their excellent performance for prediction. However, the black‐box nature of DNNs limits the application range where interpretability is essential. Hence, this study aims to develop an accurate and interpretable deep neural network (AI‐DNN) model for logKOWprediction. A hybrid method of molecular representation was employed to guarantee the accuracy of the proposed AI‐DNN model. The hybrid molecular representations are able to integrate the directed message passing neural networks (D‐MPNNs) learned molecular representations and the fixed molecule‐level features of CDK descriptors, and can capture both the local and the global features of overall molecule. The performance analysis shows that the proposed QSPR model exhibits promising predictive accuracy and discriminative power in the structural isomers and stereoisomers. Moreover, the Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) approach was used to interpret the proposed AI‐DNN model by identifying the molecular substructures contributed to the lipophilicity. This interpretability can be applied to critical fields where there is a high demand for interpretable deep networks, such as green solvent design and drug discovery.
Caregivers evaluate independence in individuals with Down syndrome
Authors: Santoro Stephanie L. , Hendrix James , White Nicole , Chandan Priya
Published: February 2022

Independence is both a sense of autonomy and self‐reliance coupled with the skills to complete tasks without assistance. Questionnaire of caregivers of individuals with Down syndrome asked about factors related to independence on six topics: safety, communication, self‐care, daily living, social/leisure, and vocational/employment. Responses from 408 caregivers to an independence questionnaire were received, and summarized using means and frequencies. Top goals by topic were safety from sexual abuse, communicating wants and needs, toileting independently, living independently/semi‐independently, engaging in leisure time appropriately, and reading and writing. Independence is a complex, multifactorial phenomenon which varies among individuals with DS.
Zirconium dioxide@phosphazene for enhancing mechanical property, flame retardancy, and thermal property of polythiourethane composites
Authors: Jia Yaya , Jin Junsu , Meng Hong
Published: February 2022

Introducing high strength inorganic nanoparticles has emerged as an effective strategy to optimize the comprehensive properties of polymers, but good dispersion must be maintained to avoid clustering of inorganic nanoparticles. We report a novel phosphazene‐coated ZrO2 nanoparticles (ZrO2@PZS) prepared by a simple ultrasonic method to further enhance thermal, mechanical, optical properties and flame retardancy of polythiourethane (PTU). ZrO2@PZS nanoparticles presented good dispersion in composites, with regular spherical core‐shell structures exhibiting significant enhancement effects for overall performance of PTU composites, through strong interfacial interaction. Studies revealed that regular spherical ZrO2@PZS strengthened thermal and tensile properties of PTU, which reached 62.8°C and 79.28 MPa respectively. More importantly, PTU composites showed good flame retardancy through catalytic carbonization, condensed phase shielding and gas phase dilution effect of ZrO2@PZS, where the limiting oxygen index was increased to 25.39% from 20.39%. Moreover, the peak heat release rate, total heat release and smoke production rate could be reduced by 23.5%, 27.7% and 40.0%, respectively. In brief, PTU composites show excellent potential in high strength special fireproof lenses.
Preparation and characterization of maleic anhydride‐based double‐monomer grafted polylactic acid compatibilizer
Authors: Linghu Changkai , Xie Lijin , Yang Le , Li Xiaolong , Tao Yao , Xu Yinhan , Luo Zhu
Published: February 2022

Grafted maleic anhydrides (MAHs) are common compatibilizers, and the Epoxy (EP) group exhibits high activity of epoxy functional groups and strong affinity with both acidic and basic groups. Therefore, high efficiency and broad‐spectrum compatibilizers can be obtained by grafting these two monomers onto the polymer molecular chain. In this study, the grafted MAH was used as the graft platform to add the second graft monomer, and the bisphenol A epoxy resin (E51) with two epoxy functional groups or the tri‐epoxy functional triglycidyl isocyanurate (TGIC), was added into the polylactic acid molecular chain, in order to prepare the double‐monomer grafted PLA compatibilizers. Three kinds of compatibilizers, polylactic acid grafted maleic anhydride (PLA‐g‐MAH), polylactic acid double grafted maleic anhydride/bisphenol A epoxy resin (PLA‐g‐MAH‐E51), and polylactic acid double grafted maleic anhydride/triglycidyl isocyanurate (PLA‐g‐MAH‐TGIC) were successfully prepared using this single‐step method. Finally, FTIR and 1H‐NMR were adopted to measure the grafting degrees and structures of the grafted products. The grafting degree of PLA‐g‐MAH20% was 5.36%, the MAH and EP grafting degrees of PLA‐g‐MAH 20%‐E51 6% were 2.47% and 1.15%, respectively, and the MAH and EP grafting degrees of PLA‐g‐MAH 20%‐TGIC6% were 2.30% and 0.93%, respectively. A portion of that EP was grafted onto the PLA molecular chain by reacting with grafted anhydride, resulting in a decrease in the number of grafted anhydride groups.
Design, fabrication, and analysis of spatially heterogeneous scaffold by melt electrospinning writing of poly(ε‐Caprolactone)
Authors: Zhang Fucheng , Cao Kai , Zaeri Ahmadreza , Zgeib Ralf , Chang Robert C.
Published: February 2022

Melt electrospinning writing (MEW) that processes molten polymers has emerged as a reliable method to fabricate high‐fidelity fibrous tissue scaffolds for investigation of cell biological performance as a function of structural features. However, most of the current investigations have focused on the scaffolds with homogeneous features, which can yield homogeneous cell performance outcomes as expected. In contrast, spatially heterogeneous scaffolds with well‐defined, non‐uniform pore attributes can serve as biomimetic, multiplexed platforms for biological investigations. In this study, an analytically derived general heterogeneous toolpath design model is introduced. In addition to the traditional orthogonal fiber orientations, fiber placement along diagonal directions is introduced to generate semi‐0‐θ patterned or 0‐θ patterned heterogeneous scaffolds. By specifying model parameters and hence tuning the relative location of the diagonal fibers to orthogonal fibers, the customized heterogeneous scaffolds produced can possess at most three different pore morphologies. The various distributions of different pore morphologies within one scaffold are subsequently mapped by an advanced mathematical matrix method for the first time. Moreover, the proportion of different pore morphologies of semi‐0‐θ patterned scaffolds can be obtained numerically. Finally, this proposed analytical design model is preliminarily validated by fabrication using a MEW printing process.
Luminescence properties of neodymium, samarium, and europium niobate and tantalate thin films
Authors: Brunckova Helena , Rocha Lucas Alonso , Nassar Eduardo Jose , Moscardini Susane Bonamin , Kolev Hristo
Published: February 2022

Thin films of lanthanide orthoniobate LnNbO4 (LnNO) and orthotantalate LnTaO4 (LnTO), (Ln = Nd, Sm, Eu) were fabricated using the sol–gel method with subsequent spin‐coating on the PbZrO3/Al2O3 substrate and annealing at 1000°C. X‐ray diffraction patterns showed monoclinic M‐LnNbO4 or M´‐LnTaO4, which coexists with the orthorhombic or tetragonal phase. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated the presence of Nd3+, Sm3+/Sm2+ and Eu3+/Eu2+ ions. The luminescence properties of polymorphic films were investigated. Excitation spectra of PbZrO3 interlayer represented broad bands at 410 and 550 nm that were assigned to charge transfer bands (CTB). In all films, the CTB broad band at ~275 nm related to charge transfer transition of Ln3+→O2− and NbO43− or TaO43− groups. In excitation spectra, 4I9/2→4G5/2 (Nd3+), 6H5/2→6P3/2 (Sm3+) and 7F0→5L6 (Eu3+) transitions (at 585, 402 and 395 nm), respectively were found to be more intense than any other Ln3+ transition. The emission spectra showed narrow and intense bands at 1065, 600, and 614 nm that were ascribed to Nd3+, Sm3+, and Eu3+ 4f–f intraconfigurational transitions 4F3/2→4I11/2, 4G5/2→6H7/2, and 5D0→7F2, respectively. The excellent luminescence properties of films make them new potential groups for visible and/or near‐infrared applications such as sensors and imaging equipment.
Daidzin inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma survival by interfering with the glycolytic/gluconeogenic pathway through downregulation of TPI1
Authors: Li Lanqing , Xu Haiying , Qu Linghang , Xu Kang , Liu Xianqiong
Published: February 2022

Daidzin (DDZ) is a natural brassin‐like compound extracted from the soybean, and has been found to have therapeutic potential against tumors in recent years. This study investigates the therapeutic effect of DDZ on hepatocellular carcinoma cells and elucidates the possible mechanisms of action. The viability of HCCLM3 and Hep3B cells was detected by MTT assay. Western blots and qPCR were used to detect the protein and mRNA levels of proliferation and apoptosis related genes. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was used for metabolome analysis. In vivo antitumor effects were assessed in nude mice engrafted with HCC cell lines. Our results show that DDZ treatment dose‐dependently inhibited cell viability, migration, and survival. The expressions of CDK1, BCL2, MYC, and survivin were reduced, while the expressions of BAX and PARP were increased in DDZ treated cells. The differentially expressed metabolites detected in DDZ treated cultures are associated with glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathways. Bioinformatic analysis identified TPI1, a gene in the glycolysis pathway with prognostic value for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and DDZ treatment downregulated this gene. In vivo experiments show that DDZ significantly reduced the tumor volume and weight, and inhibited Ki67 expression within tumors. This study shows that DDZ interfered with the survival and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells, likely via TPI1 and the gluconeogenesis pathway.
The influence of social commerce on eco‐friendly consumer behavior: Technological and social roles
Authors: Gao Biao , Li Zhen , Yan Jun
Published: February 2022

There is much evidence that consumers' eco‐friendly consumption behaviors have changed with the development of the mobile internet economy and social networks. Social commerce, which combines social media and e‐commerce, is widely used to promote eco‐friendly consumption behavior. However, there has been insufficient empirical research into how technological and social factors affect consumers' eco‐friendly behavior in the social commerce context. Taking the “Green Box Area” program based on Alibaba Group's two mobile apps as the research object, this study developed a model that integrated technological and social roles to predict consumers' eco‐friendly behavior. Using data from 468 users participating in the “Green Box Area” program, structural equation modeling analysis suggested that technological and social factors are essential predictors of consumers' eco‐friendly behavior in both short‐term and medium‐/long‐term models. Furthermore, consumer achievement played a critical mediating role in the causal chain of social factors influencing eco‐friendly behavior. Additionally, the findings showed that perceived ease of use and social influence significantly affected short‐term but not medium‐/long‐term eco‐friendly behavior. Conversely, social interaction affected eco‐friendly behavior only in the medium‐/long‐term. The results offer implications for policymakers and social commerce practitioners to consider the effective promotion of consumers' eco‐friendly behavior.
Biochanin A Attenuates Cardiomyopathy in Type 2 Diabetic Rats by Increasing SIRT1 Expression and Reducing Oxidative Stress
Authors: Oza Manisha J. , Kulkarni Yogesh A.
Published: February 2022

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is one of the major complications in type 2 diabetes associated with myocardial structure abnormality and major cause of morbidity in type 2 diabetic patients. Biochanin A is a methylated isoflavone present in flowering tops of Trifolium pratense reported for anti‐inflammatory, anti‐oxidant, anti‐infective, anti‐cancer and anti‐diabetic activity. The study was designed to assess the efficacy of Biochanin A in type 2 diabetic cardiomyopathy. Type 2 diabetes was induced in rats feeding high fat diet for two weeks and administration of single low dose of streptozotocin. Biochanin A was administered for 16 weeks orally once in a day (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg of body weight). Various parameters such as blood glucose, cardiac markers, oxidative stress and hemodynamic parameters, immunohistochemical, histopathological investigation and SIRT1 expression were measured at the end of the study. Biochanin A treatment resulted into reduction in plasma concentration of cardiac markers along with reduction in hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress in cardiac tissue. Biochanin A treated animals also demonstrated improvement in hemodynamic parameters. Diabetic animals treated with different doses of Biochanin A shown increased SIRT1 expression in cardiac tissue, and also confirmed reduced cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac protection in histopathological study. Outcome of the study indicates that Biochanin A is the potential candidate to control hyperglycemia, oxidative stress and improve SIRT1 expression in cardiac tissue. Biochanin A might be considered as potential candidate to control progression of cardiomyopathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Improved biological behaviours and osteoinductive capacity of the gelatin nanofibers while composites with GO/MgO
Authors: Mahdavi Mohammad Reza , Kehtari Mousa , Mellati Amir , Mansour Reyhaneh Nassiri , Mahdavi Mehrad , Mahdavi Mahan , Enderami Seyed Ehsan
Published: February 2022

Among the many polymers introduced for bone tissue engineering, natural polymers have more advantages due to their high biocompatibility and biodegradability, despite their low mechanical properties. Herein, gelatin nanofibers with and without magnesium oxide (MgO) and graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles were fabricated by electrospinning. The fabricated gelatin and gelatin/GO/MgO nanofibers were examined using scanning electron microscopy, protein adsorption, cell attachment and viability assays. The results revealed that biological behaviours of the gelatin nanofibers significantly improved while incorporated with MgO and GO nanoparticles. In the following, osteosupportive capacity of the fabricated scaffolds was investigated by Alizarin‐red staining, alkaline phosphatase activity, and calcium content, and bone‐related gene and protein assays. The results revealed that the highest osteogenic differentiation potential of human‐induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) was detected while these cells were cultured on the gelatin/GO/MgO nanofibers. However, these makers in the hiPSCs cultured on the gelatin nanofibers were also significantly increased in comparison with the cells cultured on the tissue culture plates as a control. In conclusion, the results revealed that predictable disadvantages in gelatin nanofibers can be greatly improved by the addition of MgO and GO nanoparticles, and the resulting composite scaffold could be a potential candidate for use in bone tissue engineering.
Pre‐existing singleton E138A mutations in the reverse transcriptase gene do not affect the efficacy of first‐line antiretroviral therapy regimens using rilpivirine in human immunodeficiency virus‐infected patients
Authors: Kuznetsova Anna , Lebedev Aleksey , Gromov Konstantin , Kazennova Elena , Zazzi Maurizio , Incardona Francesca , Sönnerborg Anders , Bobkova Marina
Published: February 2022

General consensus suggests that even singleton E138A mutations in HIV reverse transcriptase at baseline are associated with resistance to rilpivirine (RPV). We detected 11 pre‐existing E138A carriers treated with RPV in the pan European EuResist database. However, all 11 patients presented with full virological efficacy for first‐line RPV‐based ART regimens.