bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Planejamento urbano e governança: realidade e desafios para a expansão urbana
Authors: Braga Maria do Carmo de Albuquerque , Alves Mariana de Albuquerque Braga
Published: September 2021

Entende-se urbanização como processo de ampliação na implantação de edificações e infraestruturas, e demograficamente como aumento da população urbana em relação à total. Quando influenciado por políticas públicas, esse processo nem sempre deve ser intolerado. Garanhuns, município do agreste de Pernambuco, Brasil, teve seu Plano Diretor Participativo (PDP) aprovado em 2008, atingindo em 2018 o período máximo para atualização previsto em Lei Federal, sem que fosse priorizado. Desde então, várias intervenções ocorreram, gerando instabilidade no processo. Nesse contexto, discute-se como permitir a expansão urbana em zonas de transição sem base no PDP vigente, minimizando impactos territoriais, ambientais e sociais causados. Para análise, adotou-se o estudo de caso, enfocando os anos 2018 e 2019. Como conclusão, sugere-se revisão legal quanto a validade das exigências para atualização do PDP bem como de punições pelo descumprimento, com foco no atendimento do objetivo para o qual foi criado.

Urbanization is a process of expansion in the implementation of buildings and infrastructure. Demographically it means the increase of urban population in relation to the total. When influenced by public policies, such process could be tolerated. Garanhuns, in semi-arid Pernambuco, Brazil, had its Participative Master Plan (PMP) approved in 2008, reaching its maximum lifespan in 2018, therefore, an update is overdue by law. Since then, several interventions have occurred, creating instability in the process. In this context, it is discussed how to allow urban expansion in transition areas without a provision in the current PMP, minimizing territorial, environmental and social impacts. A case study was adopted for analysis, considering the years 2018 and 2019. As a conclusion it is suggested a statutory checking concerning the validity of demands for updates as well as due punishments for non-compliances focusing on the objectives of the plan.
Bordada em prata: implicações do traçado espanhol na cidade de Potosí (Bolívia)
Authors: Silva Eudes Raony
Published: September 2021

Emblema da exploração da prata na América Latina, a cidade boliviana de Potosí cresceu espontaneamente por três décadas até a coroa espanhola implementar a usual grelha que aplicava nas colônias. O presente artigo busca absorver esta formação do desenho colonial potosino e sua influência morfológica na cidade ao longo dos anos. Para isto, foram elaborados os traçados urbanos da cidade e seus respectivos mapas axiais em seis estágios de desenvolvimento, gerando medidas passíveis de serem confrontadas à luz da Sintaxe Espacial. O estudo apresentou (1) a variação diacrônica das características do traçado em Potosí, (2) suas consequências nas alterações das dinâmicas de movimento e, principalmente, (3) a permanência da malha regular espanhola como o núcleo de integração da cidade ao longo dos séculos. Esta análise integra pesquisa doutoral que busca compreender a identidade morfológica aferida pelos espanhóis e portugueses na cidade latino-americana.

Symbol of the exploration of silver in Latin America, the Bolivian city of Potosí grew spontaneously for three decades until the Spanish crown implemented the usual grid that it applied to the colonies. This article seeks to absorb this formation of the colonial design of Potosí and its morphological influence in the city over the years.To this end, the urban mesh of the city and their respective axial maps were elaborated in six stages of development, generating measures that can be confronted in the light of the Space Syntax. The study presented (1) the diachronic variation of the characteristics of the spatial configuration in Potosí, (2) its consequences in the alteration of movement dynamics and, mainly, (3) the permanence of the regular Spanish grid as the nucleus of integration of the city throughout the centuries. This analysis integrates doctoral research that seeks to understand the morphological identity ascertained by the Spanish and Portuguese in the Latin American city.
Projeto de urbanização para faixas de domínio de dutos
Authors: Zola Jordana Alca Barbosa , Pestana Katia Bonfim
Published: September 2021

Este artigo apresenta um Estudo Técnico de Urbanização para as Faixas de Domínio de Dutos existentes no Brasil. A pesquisa é consequência da aplicação de investigações profissionais e acadêmicas, realizadas em nível de Doutorado. O objetivo da proposta foi desenvolver alternativas de urbanização para os lugares onde a rede de dutos atravessa comunidades precárias, com espaços públicos escassos e infraestrutura urbana deficitária. A conformação linear e contínua das faixas, por grandes extensões de terra, permite que sejam compreendidas como um sistema territorial urbano e ambiental, capaz de alavancar ações em diversas escalas. O alcance do Sistema de Faixas de Dutos como articulador de novas estruturas urbanas foi o cenário futuro projetado. O trabalho concentrou-se em investigar estratégias de projeto e intervenção nas faixas de dutos, ao delimitar oportunidades de qualificar as áreas precárias adjacentes, considerando que a sua integração ao cotidiano da população pode produzir eficientes práticas e articulações de urbanidade.

This article presents a Technical Urbanization Study for pipeline rights-of-way existing in Brazil. The research is a consequence of the application of professional and academic investigations, carried out at the Doctorate level. The aim of the proposal was to develop urbanization alternatives for places where the pipeline network crosses precarious communities, with scarce public spaces and deficient urban infrastructure. The linear and continuous conformation of the strips, over large tracts of land, allows them to be understood as an urban and environmental territorial system, capable of leveraging actions at different scales. The reach of the Pipeline System as an articulator of new urban structures was the projected future scenario. The work focused on investigating design and intervention strategies in the pipeline ranges, by delimiting opportunities to qualify the precarious areas adjacent, considering that their integration into the daily lives of the population can produce efficient practices and articulations of urbanity.
Projetos urbanos como promotores de qualidade de espaços públicos: uma análise comparativa entre as experiências de Brasil e Portugal
Authors: Campagner L. , Jorge P.
Published: September 2021

A cidade de São Paulo teve seu atual Plano Diretor Estratégico (Lei 16.050;14) aprovado em 2014 e traz um novo instrumento urbanístico denominado Projeto de Intervenção Urbana (PIU), tendo como objetivo promover transformações estruturais, o ordenamento e a reestruturação urbana em áreas subutilizadas e com potencial de transformação. Desde 2016, quando foi regulamentado, a cidade produziu 14 deles. Assim, este artigo tem como objetivo analisar se o PIU poderá ter resultados que desdobrem em qualidade do ambiente urbano, a partir de projetos que abarquem também a escala do desenho urbano. Como metodologia utiliza-se a análise comparativa entre o PIU brasileiro e o instrumento português conhecido como Plano de Pormenor (PP), por tratar-se de uma ferramenta mais utilizada, que parece trazer resultados efetivos de melhoria da qualidade do espaço urbano e com diversos deles já implantados.

The city of São Paulo had its current Strategic Master Plan (Law 16,050; 14) approved in 2014 and brings a new urban instrument called the Urban Intervention Project (PIU), aiming to promote structural transformations, urban planning and restructuring in areas underutilized and with potential for transformation. Since 2016, when it was regulated, the city has produced 14 of them. Thus, this article aims to analyze whether the PIU can have results that unfold in quality of the urban environment, from projects that also encompass the scale of urban design. As a methodology, comparative analysis between the Brazilian PIU and the Portuguese instrument known as the Detailed Plan (PP) is used, as it is a more widely used tool, which seems to bring effective results in improving the quality of urban space and with several already implemented.
O Programa Nacional da Política de Ordenamento do Território (PNPOT): oportunidade e utilidade de um documento programático
Authors: Gomes A. Irina , Marat-Mendes B. Teresa , Joanaz de Melo C. João
Published: September 2021

reconhecimento público de um efectivo desordenamento do território em Portugal impõe um trabalho proactivo no sentido de contrariar as consequências nefastas desse mesmo desordenamento.O Programa Nacional da Política de Ordenamento do Território (PNPOT) - instrumento de topo do sistema de gestão territorial português - foi idealizado em 1999 com o objectivode contribuir com uma visão de conjunto que orientasse a organização do espaço nacional, contudo a sua apropriação não tem sido muito evidente nas decisões políticas e na transformação territorial. A propósito da revisão em 2019 deste importante documento programático, este artigo apresenta uma leitura crítica do PNPOT e de alguns documentos conexos.Sublinham-se algumas das virtudes e lacunas do PNPOT 2019, bem como algumas das críticas que lhe têm sido apontadas,com o objectivode avaliar o seu potencial no contexto actual e a integração das suas propostas noutros instrumentos políticos com impactes territoriais relevantes.

There is a problem of territorial disorganization in Portugal that needs to be researched and addressed in order to be reversed. The National Program of Spatial Planning Policy (PNPOT) - a top instrument of the portuguese territorial management system - was conceived in 1999 with the aim of contributing with a vision that would guide the spatial organization of the country, however its appropriation in the main political decisionswith territorial impact has not been very successful. This article presents a critical reading of the PNPOT and the accompanying documents, with a focus on the 2019 revision of this important program. Some of the virtues and shortcomings of PNPOT 2019 are underlined, as well as some of the relevant criticisms, with the aim of assessing its potential in the current context and integrating its proposals in other political instruments with relevant territorial impact.
Agricultura urbana nos vazios urbanos de Goiânia: estratégia de adaptação das cidades às mudanças climáticas globais
Authors: Daher Luiza Amaral , Hora Karla Emmanuela Ribeiro
Published: September 2021

Este artigo tem como temática o estudo da agricultura urbana como estratégia de adaptação das cidades no contexto das mudanças climáticas globais aplicado aos vazios urbanos em Goiânia. As mudanças climáticas, entendidas pela desregulação dos padrões meteorológicos, dadas pelos padrões de uso da terra e do solo, requerem medidas mitigadoras e adaptativas para tornar as cidades resilientes. Dentre as possibilidades de ações de adaptação esse estudo se ancora na prática de agricultura urbana. Nesse contexto, um dos aspectos primordiais é o da necessidade de áreas apropriadas para sua prática na cidade. Sendo assim, busca-se identificar se os vazios urbanos podem ser aproveitados para a atividade de agricultura urbana em Goiânia, considerando as reflexões sobre sustentabilidade ambiental, cumprimento da função social da propriedade urbana e direito à cidade. A pesquisa é de natureza aplicada e explicativa e se fundamenta em procedimento técnico de pesquisa bibliográfico e documental.

This article studies urban agriculture as a strategy for adapting cities in the context of climate change applied to urban voids in Goiânia. As climate changes, understood by the deregulation of meteorological patterns, given by the patterns of land use system, need to mitigating and adaptive measures to make cities resilient. Among the possibilities for adapting cities, this article is based in practice of urban agriculture. In this context, one of the primary aspects in the need for appropriate areas for their practice in the city. Therefore, it seeks to identify if the urban voids can be used for urban agriculture in Goiânia, considering reflections on environmental sustainability, according of the social function of urban property and guaranteeing the right to city. This research is of an applied and explanatory nature and is based on bibliographical and documentary research.
Permacultura como princípio orientador para manejo de águas urbanas
Authors: Carulli Ellen Emerich
Published: September 2021

O presente artigo visa apresentar o debate sobre permacultura como um conjunto de princípios orientadores para o planejamento e projeto de manejo de águas urbanas. No contexto de mudanças climáticas, a pauta sobre as temáticas de riscos de desastres, vulnerabilidade e resiliência está em voga. Logo, o texto defende a importância da mudança de chave de discurso de riscos de desastres “naturais” para construção social do risco, com foco em apoiar as políticas urbanas que reduzam desigualdades socioambientais. Ressalta-se a prevenção de riscos, defendendo a universalização de acesso às infraestruturas urbanas - sustentáveis e com soluções baseadas na natureza – como uma das medidas preventivas possíveis e necessárias.

This article aims to debate about permaculture as a set of guiding principles to plan and project stormwater management practices. In the context of climate changes, the agenda on the themes of risks of disasters, vulnerability, and resilience is in vogue. The discussion about the change of speech key from “natural” disaster risks to the social construction of risks is fundamental for public policies. Therefore, universal access to urban infrastructure – focusing on sustainable solutions based on nature - can be understood as one of the preventive risk measures for disasters that should be originated from policies that focus on reducing socio-environmental inequalities to increase resilience and reduce vulnerability.
Sobrado Aguiar Vallim: Bananal interface entre a restauração e o espaço urbano
Authors: Carrilho Marcos José , Domschke Vera Lúcia
Published: September 2021

Um dos testemunhos históricos pioneiros do desenvolvimento da cultura do café no século XIX, o Sobrado Aguiar Vallim é descrito, tomando como referência as origens de formação da vila de Bananal no Vale do Paraíba paulista. A seguir, o texto apresenta referências de formação da cidade de Bananal, detendo-se sobre as características particulares da configuração e do traçado desse pequeno núcleo urbano para situar o Sobrado Aguiar Vallim. A obra é descrita em sua relação com os principais logradouros urbanos e em seus aspectos arquitetônicos, notadamente em relação ao valor particular de sua organização espacial. O estado de conservação é examinado, bem como as intervenções sofridas no transcurso do tempo. Tais intervenções constituíram fatores agravantes das condições de estabilidade do edifício. A partir destas considerações, é apresentado o projeto de restauração, consolidação e adaptação ao novo uso do Sobrado Aguiar Vallim.

One of the pioneering historical testimonies of the development of coffee plantations in the 19th century, Sobrado Aguiar Vallim is described, taking as reference the urban context of the formation of the village of Bananal in the Paraíba Valley of São Paulo State. Next the text presents references of formation of the city of Bananal. focusing on the particular characteristics of the configuration and the layout of this small urban center to locate the Sobrado Aguiar Vallim. The work is described in its relation to the main urban areas and its architectural aspects, notably in relation to the particular value of its spatial organization. The conservation conditions are examined, as well as the intervention suffered overtime. Such interventions were aggravating factors for the building’s stability conditions. Based on this considerations, the project for restoration, consolidation and adaption to new use of Sobrado Aguiar Vallim is presented.
¿Propietarios-plenos? revisión de normativas en defensa de la tenencia del suelo
Authors: Mosso Emilia
Published: September 2021

En el contexto de la política urbana contemporánea vinculada a la problemática de la propiedad del suelo para familias empobrecidas, que se muestra activo y divergente en Latinoamérica, la reciente implementación de la Ley Nacional N° 27.453/2018 de Regularización Dominial sancionada en Argentina se enmarca en el seno de la discusión. Utilizando como principal instrumento la expropiación pública de terrenos privados, la regularización dominial es argumentada como una política de inclusión que posibilita la incorporación de propietarios plenos, entre otras cuestiones, siguiendo la injerencia del economista neoliberal De Soto. Este trabajo se propone abordar los argumentos teóricos que legitiman a la reciente ley, abordando estas estrategias en relación con otras normativas y programas que, aunque instrumentalizados previamente comparten la injerencia teórica del entramado discursivo proveniente de la línea teórica neoliberal en defensa de la tenencia segura desde, al menos, mediados de la década de 1970.

In the context of contemporary urban policy linked to the problem of land ownership for impoverished families, which is active and divergent in Latin America, the recent implementation of National Law No. 27.453 / 2018 on Land Regularization passed in Argentina is framed in the discussion. Using as a main instrument the public expropriation of private land, domain regularization is argued as an inclusion policy that allows the incorporation of full owners, among other issues, following the interference of the neo-liberal economist De Soto. This paper aims to address the theoretical arguments that legitimize the recent law, addressing these strategies in relation to other regulations and programs that, although previously instrumentalized, share the theoretical interference of the discursive framework coming from the neo-liberal theoretical line in defense of secure tenure from At least the mid-1970s.
Sustainable urban project: the role of public spaces in adapting cities to the effects of climate change
Authors: Mariano Carmela , Marino Marsia
Published: September 2021

Contemporary urban planning is nowadays getting involved into thematic related with the slow and unceasing city transformations. This circumstance highlights the need for overcoming the sectoral approach to urban complexity, in favor of a more integrated one. The context to which reference is made is the urban area; the challenge is about the adaptation to the physical, social and economic transformations; the intervention tool to which the contribution refers is that of Urban Project. The authors focus is referred to the urban transformations induced by the effects of climate change, with specific reference to the increasingly frequent floods: highlighting their effects ,in terms of design, on public spaces, and analyzing some good practices that have managed to transform the calamitous event into an urban development engine. The paper proposes a critical reflection on two case studies, “Water Square” in Benthemplein and “Climate tiles” in Copenhagen that represent ways of intervening on public space, at different scale, the first one in the field of urban planning, the latter in the field of Urban Design, complementary approaches for an ecological reconversion of city areas compromised by the effects of climate change.
The reuse of marble waste heaps in the Estremoz Anticlinal
Authors: Talento Katia , Amado Miguel , Kullberg José Carlos
Published: September 2021

Nowadays, the original image and structure of the territory havebeen permanently changed, by human action, due to the intenseindustrialization. The quarries represent the industrial activity that causes more transmutations in the landscape, modifying it in a more invasive manner. The present research describes a case study in Portugal where is located the highest concentration of marble quarries, flanked by escombreiras, large waste heaps. The work highlights the importance of the waste reuse concept in landscape and architecture, preserving the industrial memory and the identity of the place. The research, through an exhaustive analysis of real examples of quarries rehabilitation, investigates innovative methods to regenerate the Portuguese abandoned landscape. The investigationis expected to prompt the implementation of projects to revitalize the discarded spaces, and toreuse the local waste material for the creation, in situ, of architectonic and landscape elements, and to increase the knowledge on waste reuse procedures.
Interaction Analysis of Simple form Objects with Fluid and Control Optimization
Authors:   , Vutukuru Shravan Koundinya
Published: September 2021

Fluid-rigid body interaction is an age-old phenomenon, but interestingly, a good approximated solution for the phenomenon pertaining to non-stationary body-fluid interaction is still non-existent. The solution is much more complicated due to huge system of simultaneous partial differential equations that are framed from multi-degrees of freedom, all elements in the spatial domain coupled together between all time steps. Additionally, when considering the spatial aspects of solving the system of partial differential equations, there arise a range of complexities from the type of solution technique (finite-differences, finite-volume, finite-element) and also from meshing techniques (moving, structured or unstructured). Even though advanced commercial fluid-structure interaction solvers are available, they are limited to simple objects and require frequent remeshing techniques that are time consuming and computationally expensive. The promotion work specifically focuses solely on rigid body-fluid (air) interaction and does not consider flow reattachment or flow separation phenomenon offering an alternative approach to study the interaction phenomenon and its advantages. The basic idea of the approximated theory in the current work is to have a simplified approach through a straightforward mathematical model without considering the viscous nature of fluid medium (air). Therefore, this is an approximate theory for non-stationary body and fluid interaction phenomenon considering inputs (post-processing results) from stationary rigid body-fluid interaction performed in ANSYS Fluent (2D and 3D) where the steady state RANS equation is solved with the help of turbulence model. The concept discussed in the work will offer an alternative approach for ‘space-time’ programming techniques and also help to solve the engineering tasks of optimization and synthesis for simple form objects without requiring huge computational efforts. A new world of science for autonomous robots (underwater robotic fish with single and dual tail actuator) is explored where in an on-board power pack technique (energy scavenging from surrounding medium) is proposed that purely based on the fluid and rigid body interaction phenomenon is analysed. Experiments on simple form objects were performed in ARMFIELD wind tunnel, available at Riga Technical University, at a constant speed of 10 m/s and validated with the computer program ANSYS Fluent (in 3D). All the latest techniques, advantages and importance related to fluid-structure interaction phenomenon are summarized in the literature review section through various databases available over internet.
“Green” vector within the system of ensuring socioeconomic interests of macro- and micro-actors
Authors: Samoilova Liudmila Konstantinovna
Published: September 2021

This article is dedicated to examination of the “green” economy – the economic model with priorities similar to the goals of sustainable development; its postulates are of particular importance in the context of increasing negative anthropogenic impact upon the environment. The majority of scientific publications discuss the advantages of transitioning toward the “green” course, which are indisputable from the perspective of preservation and augmentation of natural potential of the territory; while the factors that impede the proliferation of eco-oriented behavior, consequences of implementation such transformations for macro- and micro-actors, and assessment of the existing eco-trends in public law entities do not receive due attention. Therefore, this article aims to determine the impact of “green” reforms upon the socioeconomic interests of macro- and micro-actors leaning on the results of analysis of the characteristic features of the process of greening of economic activity. In the course of research, the author establishes that the “green” vector of economic development entails not only positive changes for macro- and micro-actors, but negative as well, which discourages their eco-activity. At the same time, the assessment of environmental situation in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation indicates the low eco-involvement of economic agents, which requires immediate implementation of environmental initiatives, although considering other public and private interests.
A Cultural Biography of the Prostate
Authors: Johnson Ericka
Published: September 2021

What contemporary prostate angst tells us about how we understand masculinity, aging, and sexuality.

We are all suffering an acute case of prostate angst. Men worry about their own prostates and those of others close to them; women worry about the prostates of the men they love. The prostate—a gland located directly under the bladder—lurks on the periphery of many men's health issues, but as an object of anxiety it goes beyond the medical, affecting how we understand masculinity, aging, and sexuality. In A Cultural Biography of the Prostate, Ericka Johnson investigates what we think the prostate is and what we use the prostate to think about, examining it in historical, cultural, social, and medical contexts.

Johnson shows that our ways of talking about, writing about, imagining, and imaging the prostate are a mess of entangled relationships. She describes current biomedical approaches, reports on the “discovery” of the prostate in the sixteenth century and its later appearance as both medical object and discursive trope, and explores present-day diagnostic practices for benign prostate hyperplasia—which transform a process (urination) into a thing (the prostate). Turning to the most anxiety-provoking prostate worry, prostate cancer, Johnson discusses PSA screening and the vulnerabilities it awakens (or sometimes silences) and then considers the presence of the absent prostate—how the prostate continues to affect lives after it has been removed in the name of health.
AI Assistants
Authors: Pieraccini Roberto
Published: September 2021

An accessible explanation of the technologies that enable such popular voice-interactive applications as Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant.

Have you talked to a machine lately? Asked Alexa to play a song, asked Siri to call a friend, asked Google Assistant to make a shopping list? This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series offers a nontechnical and accessible explanation of the technologies that enable these popular devices. Roberto Pieraccini, drawing on more than thirty years of experience at companies including Bell Labs, IBM, and Google, describes the developments in such fields as artificial intelligence, machine learning, speech recognition, and natural language understanding that allow us to outsource tasks to our ubiquitous virtual assistants.

Pieraccini describes the software components that enable spoken communication between humans and computers, and explains why it's so difficult to build machines that understand humans. He explains speech recognition technology; problems in extracting meaning from utterances in order to execute a request; language and speech generation; the dialog manager module; and interactions with social assistants and robots. Finally, he considers the next big challenge in the development of virtual assistants: building in more intelligence—enabling them to do more than communicate in natural language and endowing them with the capacity to know us better, predict our needs more accurately, and perform complex tasks with ease.
Deconstruction
Authors: Gunkel David J.
Published: September 2021

An accessible introduction to a concept often considered impossibly abstruse, demonstrating its power as a conceptual tool in the twenty-first century.

This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series offers a clear and concise introduction to a topic often considered difficult and abstruse: deconstruction. David Gunkel sorts out the concept, terminology, and practices of deconstruction, not to defend academic orthodoxy, or to disseminate the thought of Jacques Derrida—the fabricator of the neologism and progenitor of the concept—but to provide readers with a powerful conceptual tool for the twenty-first century.

Gunkel explains that deconstruction is not simply the opposite of construction—the “deconstructed” jacket hanging in your closet is not, strictly speaking, accurately named—or synonymous with destruction. It is a way to think beyond the construction/destruction dichotomy and all other conceptual dichotomies and logical oppositions. After describing what deconstruction is not, and developing an abstract and schematic characterization derived from Derrida, Gunkel offers examples in (rather than of) deconstruction, including logocentrism (the speech/writing dichotomy) and virtuality (the ruling philosophical binary of real/appearance), remix (the original/copy distinction), and the posthuman figure of the cyborg (the human/machine conceptual pairing). Finally, Gunkel discusses the costs and benefits of deconstruction, considering the many things deconstruction is good for and identifying potential problems, including Eurocentrism, relativism, difficulties in communicating the concept, and reappropriation.
Sludge
Authors: Sunstein Cass R.
Published: September 2021

How we became so burdened by red tape and unnecessary paperwork, and why we must do better.

We've all had to fight our way through administrative sludge—filling out complicated online forms, mailing in paperwork, standing in line at the motor vehicle registry. This kind of red tape is a nuisance, but, as Cass Sunstein shows in Sludge, it can also impair health, reduce growth, entrench poverty, and exacerbate inequality. Confronted by sludge, people just give up—and lose a promised outcome: a visa, a job, a permit, an educational opportunity, necessary medical help. In this lively and entertaining look at the terribleness of sludge, Sunstein explains what we can do to reduce it.

Because of sludge, Sunstein explains, too many people don't receive benefits to which they are entitled. Sludge even prevents many people from exercising their constitutional rights—when, for example, barriers to voting in an election are too high. (A Sludge Reduction Act would be a Voting Rights Act.) Sunstein takes readers on a tour of the not-so-wonderful world of sludge, describes justifications for certain kinds of sludge, and proposes “Sludge Audits” as a way to measure the effects of sludge. On balance, Sunstein argues, sludge infringes on human dignity, making people feel that their time and even their lives don't matter. We must do better.
Health and Wellness Literacy Initiatives for Immigrant Populations Delivered Through Faith-Based Entities
Authors: Genereux Olivia , Chowdhury Nashit , Khalid Ayisha , Turin Tanvir C.
Published: September 2021

Background: Health literacy has been shown to be low among immigrant populations globally, leading to limited ability to locate, access and use health information. Religious entities are often the initial contact for many immigrants regarding health and social supports, there are a lack of knowledge about how initiatives to improve health literacy of the immigrant population may be offered through faith-based entities. The objective of this proposed scoping review is to identify available evidence on health literacy initiatives delivered through faith-based entities for immigrant populations.

Methods/Design: Using a scoping review framework we will complete a comprehensive search of relevant keywords in major academic and grey literature databases. Eligible articles will be identified through screening by two independent reviewers according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria to include articles relevant to our research question. Selected articles will be charted into data extraction tables for analysis, synthesis and presentation of narrative description and visual graphics.

Discussion: This scoping review will identify and assess existing health literacy initiatives delivered through faith-based entities to improve health literacy of immigrant communities. This review will inform which initiatives are commonly practiced, and which immigrant groups are most benefitted from and can potentially be benefitted. It will also describe how to conduct those initiatives and what resources are needed and identify the stakeholders of such initiatives those needed to be engaged with to conduct a successful and acceptable program. The challenges and facilitators of those initiatives will also be identified.
Non‐negative blind deconvolution for signal processing in a CRISPR‐edited iPSC‐cardiomyocyte model of dilated cardiomyopathy
Authors: Xu Hang , Wali Ruheen , Cheruiyot Cleophas , Bodenschatz Jonathan , Hasenfuss Gerd , Janshoff Andreas , Habeck Michael , Ebert Antje
Published: September 2021

We developed an integrated platform for analysis of parameterized data from human disease models. We report a non‐negative blind deconvolution (NNBD) approach to quantify calcium (Ca2+) handling, beating force and contractility in human‐induced pluripotent stem cell‐derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC‐CMs) at the single‐cell level. We employed CRISPR/Cas gene editing to introduce a dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)‐causing mutation in troponin T (TnT), TnT‐R141W, into wild‐type control iPSCs (MUT). The NNDB‐based method enabled data parametrization, fitting and analysis in wild‐type controls versus isogenic MUT iPSC‐CMs. Of note, Cas9‐edited TnT‐R141W iPSC‐CMs revealed significantly reduced beating force and prolonged contractile event duration. The NNBD‐based platform provides an alternative framework for improved quantitation of molecular disease phenotypes and may contribute to the development of novel diagnostic tools.
Reciprocal epigenetic remodeling controls testicular cancer hypersensitivity to hypomethylating agents and chemotherapy
Authors: Singh Ratnakar , Fazal Zeeshan , Bikorimana Emmanuel , Boyd Raya I. , Yerby Cliff , Tomlin Megan , Baldwin Hannah , Shokry Doha , Corbet Andrea K. , Shahid Khadeeja , Hattab Aleyah , Freemantle Sarah J. , Spinella Michael J.
Published: September 2021

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are aggressive but sensitive to cisplatin‐based chemotherapy. Alternative therapies are needed for tumors refractory to cisplatin with hypomethylating agents providing one possibility. The mechanisms of cisplatin hypersensitivity and resistance in TGCTs remain poorly understood. Recently, it has been shown that TGCTs, even those resistant to cisplatin, are hypersensitive to very low doses of hypomethylating agents including 5‐aza deoxy‐cytosine (5‐aza) and guadecitabine. We undertook a pharmacogenomic approach in order to better understand mechanisms of TGCT hypomethylating agent hypersensitivity by generating a panel of acquired 5‐aza‐resistant TGCT cells and contrasting these to previously generated acquired isogenic cisplatin‐resistant cells from the same parent. Interestingly, there was a reciprocal relationship between cisplatin and 5‐aza sensitivity, with cisplatin resistance associated with increased sensitivity to 5‐aza and 5‐aza resistance associated with increased sensitivity to cisplatin. Unbiased transcriptome analysis revealed 5‐aza‐resistant cells strongly downregulated polycomb target gene expression, the exact opposite of the finding for cisplatin‐resistant cells, which upregulated polycomb target genes. This was associated with a dramatic increase in H3K27me3 and decrease in DNMT3B levels in 5‐aza‐resistant cells, the exact opposite changes seen in cisplatin‐resistant cells. Evidence is presented that reciprocal regulation of polycomb and DNMT3B may be initiated by changes in DNMT3B levels as DNMT3B knockdown alone in parental cells resulted in increased expression of H3K27me3, EZH2, and BMI1, conferred 5‐aza resistance and cisplatin sensitization, and mediated genome‐wide repression of polycomb target gene expression. Finally, genome‐wide analysis revealed that 5‐aza‐resistant, cisplatin‐resistant, and DNMT3B‐knockdown cells alter the expression of a common set of polycomb target genes. This study highlights that reciprocal epigenetic changes mediated by DNMT3B and polycomb may be a key driver of the unique cisplatin and 5‐aza hypersensitivity of TGCTs and suggests that distinct epigenetic vulnerabilities may exist for pharmacological targeting of TGCTs.
STAT3 is required for Smo‐dependent signaling and mediates Smo‐targeted treatment resistance and tumorigenesis in Shh medulloblastoma
Authors: Yuan Liangping , Zhang Hongying , Liu Jingbo , Malhotra Anshu , Dey Abhinav , Yu Bing , Jella Kishore Kumar , McSwain Leon F. , Schniederjan Matthew J. , MacDonald Tobey J.
Published: September 2021

Sonic hedgehog (Shh)‐driven medulloblastoma (Shh MB) cells are dependent on constitutive Shh signaling, but targeted treatment of Shh MB has been ineffective due to drug resistance. The purpose of this study was to address the critical role of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in Shh signaling and drug resistance in Shh MB cells. Herein, we show that STAT3 is required for Smoothened (Smo)‐dependent Shh signaling and, in turn, is reciprocally regulated by Shh signaling, and demonstrate that STAT3 activity is critical for expression of HCK proto‐oncogene, Src family tyrosine kinase (Hck) in Shh MB. We also demonstrate that maintained STAT3 activity suppresses p21 expression and promotes colony formation of Shh MB cells, whereas dual treatment with inhibitors of both Smo and STAT3 results in marked synergistic killing and overcomes drug resistance in vitro of Smo antagonist‐resistant Shh MB cells. Finally, STAT3 inhibitor treatment significantly prevents in vivo tumor formation in genetically engineered Shh MB mice. Collectively, we show that STAT3 is necessary to maintain Shh signaling and thus is a potential therapeutic target to treat Shh MB and overcome anti‐Smo drug resistance.
3D/2D Perovskite Single Crystals Heterojunction for Suppressed Ions Migration in Hard X‐Ray Detection
Authors: He Yuhong , Pan Wanting , Guo Chunjie , Zhang Huimao , Wei Haotong , Yang Bai
Published: September 2021

Halide perovskites exhibit diverse properties depending on their compositions. However, integrating desired properties into one material is still challenging. Here, a facile solution‐processed epitaxial growth method to grow 2D perovskite single crystal on top of 3D perovskite single crystal, which can passivate the surface defects for improved device performance is reported. Short formamidine (FA+) ions are replaced by long organic cations, which can fully align and cover the single crystal surface to prevent the ions migration or short FA+ ions volatilization. The thickness of epitaxial layer can be finely adjusted by controlling the growth time. The defect density of single crystals heterojunction is only 3.18 × 109 cm−3, and the carrier mobility is 80.43 cm2 V−1 s−1, which is greater than that of the control 3D perovskite single crystal. This study for the first time realized large area 3D/2D perovskite single crystals heterojunction, which suppressed ions migration and exhibited advanced performance in hard X‐rays detection applications. This strategy also provides a way to grow large area 2D perovskite single crystal from solution processes.
Boosting Photothermal Theranostics via TICT and Molecular Motions for Photohyperthermia Therapy of Muscle‐Invasive Bladder Cancer
Authors: Zeng Sheng , Gao Heqi , Li Chuang , Xing Shaoqiang , Xu Zhaoliang , Liu Qian , Feng Guangxue , Ding Dan
Published: September 2021

The development of photothermal agents with high photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) can help to reduce drug and laser dosage, but still remains a big challenge. Herein, a novel approach is reported to design photothermal agents with high PCE values by promoting nonradiative heat generation processes through the cooperation of twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) and molecular motions. Within the designed molecule 2DMTT‐BBTD, the tetraphenylethenes act as molecular rotors, the long alkyl chain grafted thiophene helps to twist the molecular geometry to facilitate TICT state formation and preserve molecular motions in aggregate, while the strong electron‐withdrawing BBTD unit enhances TICT effect. 2DMTT‐BBTD exhibits NIR‐absorption and a high PCE value of 74.8% under 808 nm laser irradiation. Gambogic acid (GA) which surmounts tumor cell thermotolerance by inhibiting heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) expression is coloaded into the nanoparticles, RGD peptide is further introduced to the nanoparticle surface to improve tumor accumulation. The resultant nanoparticles facilitate the effective low‐temperature hyperthermia therapy of muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) with minimal damage to surrounding heathy tissues. This work delivers a new design concept for development of highly efficient photothermal agents, which also provides a safer approach for noninvasive treatment of MIBC and other malignant tumors.
Mechanotopography‐Driven Design of Dispersible Nanofiber‐Laden Hydrogel as a 3D Cell Culture Platform for Investigating Tissue Fibrosis
Authors: Kim Suntae , Choi Cholong , Cha Chaenyung
Published: September 2021

Fibrosis is one of the most frequent occurrences during one's lifetime, identified by various physiological changes including, most notably, excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM). Despite its physiological importance, it is still a significant challenge to conduct a systematic investigation of tissue fibrosis, mainly due to the lack of in vitro 3D tissue model that can accurately portray the characteristic features of fibrotic events. Herein, a hybrid hydrogel system incorporating dispersible nanofibers is developed to emulate highly collagenous deposits formed within a fibrotic tissue leading to altered mechanotopographical properties. Micrometer‐length, aqueous‐stable nanofibers consisting of crosslinked gelatin network embedded with graphene oxide (GO) or reduced graphene (rGO) are infused into hydrogel, resulting in controllable mechanotopographical properties while maintaining permeability sufficiently enough for various cellular activities. Ultimately, the ability to induce fibrotic behavior of fibroblasts cultured in these mechanotopography‐controlled, nanofiber‐laden hydrogels is investigated in detail.
Crystal Facet‐Controlled Efficient SnS Photocathodes for High Performance Bias‐Free Solar Water Splitting
Authors: Lee Hyungsoo , Yang Jin Wook , Tan Jeiwan , Park Jaemin , Shim Sang Gi , Park Young Sun , Yun Juwon , Kim Kyungmin , Jang Ho Won , Moon Jooho
Published: September 2021

To achieve a high solar‐to‐hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency, delicate strategies toward high photocurrent together with sufficient onset potential should be developed. Herein, an SnS semiconductor is reported as a high‐performance photocathode. Use of proper sulfur precursor having weak dipole moment allows to obtain high‐quality dense SnS nanoplates with enlarged favorable crystallographic facet, while suppressing inevitable anisotropic growth. Furthermore, the introducing Ga2O3 layer between SnS and TiO2 in SnS photocathodes efficiently improves the charge transport kinetics without charge trapping. The SnS photocathode reveals the highest photocurrent density of 28 mA cm−2 at 0 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. Overall solar water splitting is demonstrated for the first time by combining the optimized SnS photocathode with a Mo:BiVO4 photoanode, achieving a STH efficiency of 1.7% and long‐term stability of 24 h. High performance and low‐cost SnS photocathode represent a promising new material in the field of photoelectrochemical solar water splitting.
Impact of an acute geriatric outreach service to residential aged care facilities on hospital admissions
Authors: Dai Jun , Liu Frank , Irwanto Deni , Kumar Manoj , Tiwari Nabaraj , Chen Jack , Xu Yinghua , Smith Matthew , Chan Daniel KY
Published: September 2021

Introduction

Residential aged care facility (RACF) residents frequently present to the emergency department (ED) and are often admitted to hospital. Some presentations and admissions may be avoidable. In 2013, Bankstown‐Lidcombe Hospital introduced a subacute geriatric outreach service (SGOS), which had little impact on reducing ED presentations. In 2015, Bankstown‐Lidcombe Hospital introduced an acute geriatric outreach service (AGOS), a geriatrician‐led team that assesses and treats acutely unwell patients in RACFs. We aim to determine whether the AGOS reduces the risk of hospital admission for RACF residents.

Methods

Hospital admissions data from 2010 to 2019 were used to conduct an interrupted time series (ITS) analysis. AGOS activity data were also summarized.

Results

The average number of admissions from RACF per month declined from 42.8 during the SGOS period to 27.1 during the AGOS period. The difference of 15.7 admissions from RACF per month was statistically significant (95% CI 12.1–19.2; P < .001). After the introduction of the AGOS, the risk of admission to our geriatric department from RACFs was reduced by 36.1% (incidence rate ratio =0.64; 95% CI: 0.58–0.71; P < .001) compared to the SGOS period, adjusting for seasonality.

Discussion

The AGOS probably reduced the risk of hospital admission for RACF residents.
Suicide mortality rates in farm‐related occupations and the agriculture industry in the United States
Authors: Arif Ahmed A. , Adeyemi Oluwaseun , Laditka Sarah B. , Laditka James N. , Borders Tyrone
Published: September 2021

Background

Studies suggest that agricultural workers and rural residents may have an elevated suicide risk. However, suicide is relatively rare, and rural and farming populations have significantly declined, limiting their representation in national surveys. Many studies have inadequate samples for meaningful analysis.

Methods

We pooled 29 years of data from the Mortality‐Linked National Health Interview Survey, 1986–2014, then measured suicide mortality in groups including agriculture workers, and variation in suicide across rural and urban areas. Exposure variables indicated whether participants worked in a farm‐related occupation or industry, or lived in a rural area. We used survey‐weighted Poisson regression to estimate suicide mortality rates and rate ratios.

Results

Age‐adjusted suicide mortality rate per 100,000 was: 22.3 for farmers and farm managers; 21.6 for farmworkers; 28.7 in farming, forestry, and fishing; 15.3 across all other occupations; 16.1 among rural residents. Among farmworkers, age‐adjusted rates were 28.3 in rural areas, 17.1 in urban areas (not significantly different). The age‐adjusted suicide mortality rate ratio (RR) comparing workers in the agriculture, forestry, and fishery industries to those in all other industries was 1.34 (95% confidence interval, [CI]: 1.05–1.72) (not statistically significant after further adjustment for demographic characteristics). Age‐adjusted results were consistent with a higher suicide risk for workers in forestry and fishing than in all other occupations (RR: 1.88, 95% CI: 0.79–4.46).

Conclusion

Workers in agriculture, forestry, and fishing may have an elevated suicide risk. National surveys should consider oversampling of rural residents, who have increased morbidity and mortality risks.