Lean engineering education: DNA for change

The Lean Engineering Education (LEE) model is advocated by the authors of a book in press, Lean Engineering Education: DNA for Change (Flumerfelt, et al., 2014) as a methodology to allow for students’ parallel content and competency development, based on the double helix DNA image (Figure 1). This LEE methodology targets the shortcomings in the professional development of engineering students as evidenced in several data sets, such as the ASME’s Vision2030 survey results (2010, 2011). (...

The Lean Production multidisciplinary: from operations to education

Lean Engineering (LE) had its roots in Toyota automobile production where the main objective is to standardize operations, so that wastes in the production processes can be identified and eliminated. Pursuing standardization in a systematically and continuous way, companies enter a continuous improvement mode of operation where input from all affected parties across the value stream is sought; this requires personnel on all levels of the organization to be prepared to be active learners. As LE has exceeded its original focus and application in the automotive industry, it has transformed manufacturing industries as well as service providers, including travel agents, health care, and many others. Yet, although engineers and non-engineers alike rely on LE principles and tools almost daily, LE has not yet transforme d Engineering Education. In this paper, the authors review their concept of Lean Engineering Education which they have based on the three-step of ethics, system-thinking and sustainability. The paper concludes with recommendations for curriculum innovations to improve engineering students’ competencies.National Funds - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under Project Pest-OE/EME/UI0252/2011

Lean Engineering Education : bridging-the-gap between academy and industry

This paper presents Lean Engineering Education (LEE) as an curricular innovation in the Engineering courses. It provides a discussion, mainly based on literature and informal dialogues, about the disconnected world of academy and industry and the demands for new educational methods and strategies. Additionally, it defines LEE as also the principles inherent to this and describes how LEE addresses two complex challenges faced by Higher Education Institutions: the globalized marketplace and the right skills from industry perspective for engineering graduates

Genetic Determinants for Prediction of Outcome of Patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Aggressive metastatic disease is rare in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), a neoplasia that usually carries an excellent prognosis. BRAF, RAS, and TERT promoter (TERTp) genes are altered in PTC, and their impact on patient outcomes remains controversial. We performed Sanger sequencing on a series of 241 PTCs to determine the role of genetic mutations (BRAF, RAS, and TERTp) in PTC patient outcomes. The implication of RAS mut tumors remain uncertain in clinical terms. BRAF mut /TERTp wt tumors were prone to be associated with local aggressiveness (recurrent, persistent/disease), whereas TERTp mut tumors were predisposed to recurrent/persistent structural disease, and disease-specific mortality. Our results indicate that different molecular markers play a distinct role in predicting PTC patient outcomes. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) usually presents an excellent prognosis, but some patients present with aggressive metastatic disease. BRAF, RAS, and TERT promoter (TERTp) genes are altered in PTC, and their impact on patient outcomes remains controversial. We aimed to determine the role of genetic alterations in PTC patient outcomes (recurrent/persistent disease, structural disease, and disease-specific mortality (DSM)). The series included 241 PTC patients submitted to surgery, between 2002-2015, in a single hospital. DNA was extracted from tissue samples of 287 lesions (primary tumors and metastases). Molecular alterations were detected by Sanger sequencing. Primary tumors presented 143 BRAF, 16 TERTp, and 13 RAS mutations. Isolated TERTp mut showed increased risk of structural disease (HR = 7.0, p < 0.001) and DSM (HR = 10.1, p = 0.001). Combined genotypes, BRAF wt /TERTp mut (HR = 6.8, p = 0.003), BRAF mut /TERTp mut (HR = 3.2, p = 0.056) and BRAF mut /TERTp wt (HR = 2.2, p = 0.023) showed increased risk of recurrent/persistent disease. Patients with tumors BRAF wt /TERTp mut (HR = 24.2, p < 0.001) and BRAF mut /TERTp mut (HR = 11.5, p = 0.002) showed increased risk of structural disease. DSM was significantly increased in patients with TERTp mut regardless of BRAF status (BRAF mut /TERTp mut, log-rank p < 0.001; BRAF wt /TERTp mut, log-rank p < 0.001). Our results indicate that molecular markers may have a role in predicting PTC patients' outcome. BRAF mut /TERTp wt tumors were prone to associate with local aggressiveness (recurrent/persistent disease), whereas TERTp mut tumors were predisposed to recurrent structural disease and DSM

What is the response profile of deciduous pulp fibroblasts stimulated with E. coli LPS and E. faecalis LTA?

BACKGROUND: Oral fibroblast immunological responses to bacterial stimuli are well known. However, there are few studies about pulp fibroblasts from deciduous teeth (HDPF) responses, which are important for the treatment of pulp infections in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate expression and production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines by HDPF when challenged with bacterial antigens normally present in advanced caries lesions. METHODS: Triplicate HDPF from 4 children (n = 4; 2 boys and 2 girls) were cultured by explant technique and challenged or not with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide/1 μg/mL (EcLPS) or Enterococcus faecalis lipoteichoic acid/1 μg/mL (EfLTA) for 6 and 24 h. Most of published studies employed immortalized cells, i.e., without checking possible gender and genetic variables. mRNA expression and protein production were evaluated by RT-qPCR and ELISA MILLIPLEX®, respectively, for Interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-17, Chemokine C-C motif ligand 2/monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (CCL2/MCP-1), Chemokine C-C motif ligand 3/macrophage inflammatory protein 1-alpha (CCL3/MIP1-α), Chemokine C-C motif ligand 5/ regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (CCL5/RANTES), C-X-C motif chemokine 12/ stromal cell-derived factor 1 (CXCL12/SDF-1), Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α), Interferon-gamma (IFN γ), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Colony stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1) and Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). RESULTS: EcLPS increased IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-8, CCL2, CCL5, TNF-α and CSF-1 mRNA and protein levels while EfLTA was only able to positively regulate gene expression and protein production of IL-8. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study confirmed our hypothesis, since pulp fibroblasts from deciduous teeth are capable of increasing gene expression and protein production after being stimulated with EcLPS and EfLTA

Avaliação da percepção sobre zoonoses com agentes de saúde, combate a endemias e docentes de escola públicas, do entorno da Estação Ecológica de Caetés, Região Metropolitana do Recife-PE, Brasil

Objetivou-se avaliar o aprendizado de professores da disciplina Ciências da Natureza de escolas próximas à Estação Ecológica de Caetés, agentes comunitários de saúde (ACS) e de agentes de combate a endemias (ACE) dos municípios de Abreu e Lima e Paulista, PE, com relação às zoonoses leptospirose, toxoplasmose, raiva e leishmanioses. No primeiro momento foi aplicado um questionário sobre as doenças, tocante ao conceito de zoonoses e sua cadeia epidemiológica. Após as ações de Educação e Saúde foi feito um segundo questionário para verificar o aumento do nível de conhecimento dos participantes. No primeiro questionário cada participante em média, acertou 13 questões a mais do que errou e esta média aumentou para 27 questões mais certas do que erradas no segundo questionário. Em geral, os ACS, ACE e professores possuíam um bom domínio de zoonoses comuns ao seu cotidiano, seja nas campanhas de saúde, ou citadas nas mídias e presentes em meio urbano, como a leptospirose e a raiva. No entanto, em relação às zoonoses negligenciadas como a toxoplasmose e as leishmanioses, os participantes possuíam um nível de conhecimento insuficiente, levando em consideração seu papel de educador.  O conhecimento da cadeia epidemiológica da raiva e da leptospirose foi maior do que a toxoplasmose e as leishmanioses. Este trabalho representou a primeira descrição de atividades de educação em saúde sobre zoonoses para ACS, ACE e professores de escolas no entorno de uma Unidade de Conservação no nordeste do Brasil

Search for squarks and gluinos in events with isolated leptons, jets and missing transverse momentum at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for supersymmetry in final states containing at least one isolated lepton (electron or muon), jets and large missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider are reported. The search is based on proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy s√=8 TeV collected in 2012, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20 fb−1. No significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed. Limits are set on supersymmetric particle masses for various supersymmetric models. Depending on the model, the search excludes gluino masses up to 1.32 TeV and squark masses up to 840 GeV. Limits are also set on the parameters of a minimal universal extra dimension model, excluding a compactification radius of 1/R c = 950 GeV for a cut-off scale times radius (ΛR c) of approximately 30

Search for squarks and gluinos with the ATLAS detector in final states with jets and missing transverse momentum using √s=8 TeV proton-proton collision data

A search for squarks and gluinos in final states containing high-p T jets, missing transverse momentum and no electrons or muons is presented. The data were recorded in 2012 by the ATLAS experiment in s√=8 TeV proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, with a total integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−1. Results are interpreted in a variety of simplified and specific supersymmetry-breaking models assuming that R-parity is conserved and that the lightest neutralino is the lightest supersymmetric particle. An exclusion limit at the 95% confidence level on the mass of the gluino is set at 1330 GeV for a simplified model incorporating only a gluino and the lightest neutralino. For a simplified model involving the strong production of first- and second-generation squarks, squark masses below 850 GeV (440 GeV) are excluded for a massless lightest neutralino, assuming mass degenerate (single light-flavour) squarks. In mSUGRA/CMSSM models with tan β = 30, A 0 = −2m 0 and μ > 0, squarks and gluinos of equal mass are excluded for masses below 1700 GeV. Additional limits are set for non-universal Higgs mass models with gaugino mediation and for simplified models involving the pair production of gluinos, each decaying to a top squark and a top quark, with the top squark decaying to a charm quark and a neutralino. These limits extend the region of supersymmetric parameter space excluded by previous searches with the ATLAS detector

ATLANTIC ‐ PRIMATES : a dataset of communities and occurrences of primates in the Atlantic Forests of South America

Primates play an important role in ecosystem functioning and offer critical insights into human evolution, biology, behavior, and emerging infectious diseases. There are 26 primate species in the Atlantic Forests of South America, 19 of them endemic. We compiled a dataset of 5,472 georeferenced locations of 26 native and 1 introduced primate species, as hybrids in the genera Callithrix and Alouatta. The dataset includes 700 primate communities, 8,121 single species occurrences and 714 estimates of primate population sizes, covering most natural forest types of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina and some other biomes. On average, primate communities of the Atlantic Forest harbor 2 ± 1 species (range = 1–6). However, about 40% of primate communities contain only one species. Alouatta guariba (N = 2,188 records) and Sapajus nigritus (N = 1,127) were the species with the most records. Callicebus barbarabrownae (N = 35), Leontopithecus caissara (N = 38), and Sapajus libidinosus (N = 41) were the species with the least records. Recorded primate densities varied from 0.004 individuals/km2 (Alouatta guariba at Fragmento do Bugre, Paraná, Brazil) to 400 individuals/km2 (Alouatta caraya in Santiago, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). Our dataset reflects disparity between the numerous primate census conducted in the Atlantic Forest, in contrast to the scarcity of estimates of population sizes and densities. With these data, researchers can develop different macroecological and regional level studies, focusing on communities, populations, species co‐occurrence and distribution patterns. Moreover, the data can also be used to assess the consequences of fragmentation, defaunation, and disease outbreaks on different ecological processes, such as trophic cascades, species invasion or extinction, and community dynamics. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this Data Paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data.Fil: Culot, Laurence. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Pereira, Lucas Augusto. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Agostini, Ilaria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical; Argentina. Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico; ArgentinaFil: de Almeida, Marco Antônio Barreto. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Alves, Rafael Souza Cruz. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Baldovino, María Celia. Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; ArgentinaFil: Di Bitetti, Mario Santiago. Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; ArgentinaFil: Oklander, Luciana Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; ArgentinaFil: Holzmann, Ingrid. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; ArgentinaFil: Dums, Marcos. RUMO S.A. Licenciamento Ambiental; BrasilFil: Lombardi, Pryscilla Moura. RUMO S.A. Licenciamento Ambiental; BrasilFil: Bonikowski, Renata Twardowsky Ramalho. RUMO S.A. Licenciamento Ambiental; BrasilFil: Age, Stéfani Gabrieli. RUMO S.A. Licenciamento Ambiental; BrasilFil: Souza Alves, João Pedro. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Chagas, Renata. Universidade Federal da Paraíba; BrasilFil: da Cunha, Rogério Grassetto Teixeira. Universidade Federal de Alfenas; BrasilFil: Valença Montenegro, Monica Mafra. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservaçao de Primates Brasileiros; BrasilFil: Ludwig, Gabriela. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservaçao de Primates Brasileiros; BrasilFil: Jerusalinsky, Leandro. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservaçao de Primates Brasileiros; BrasilFil: Buss, Gerson. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservaçao de Primates Brasileiros; BrasilFil: de Azevedo, Renata Bocorny. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservaçao de Primates Brasileiros; BrasilFil: Filho, Roberio Freire. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Bufalo, Felipe. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Milhe, Louis. Université D'Avignon et des Pays du Vaucluse; FranciaFil: Santos, Mayara Mulato dos. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Sepulvida, Raíssa. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Ferraz, Daniel da Silva. Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Faria, Michel Barros. Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Ribeiro, Milton Cezar. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Galetti, Mauro. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasi