Minimizing the weighted number of late jobs on a single machine with equal processing times and agreeable release and due dates

Consider the problem of a set of n jobs which needs to be processed by a single ma chine. The processing time for each job is identical to all the others, and predefined. Once on the machine, preemptions are not allowed. Every job has a release date be fore which it can not be scheduled. They also have due dates, before which they are supposed to have completed processing by the machine. The jobs are weighted, and the goal is to find a schedule which maximize the sum of weights of jobs complete in time. Baptiste [1] approached a generic instance of this problem with a dynamic programming solution which runs in O(n 7 ) time. We use an additional hypothesis related to release and due dates: for any job j, its release date is denoted by rj and its due date by dj . We say that a set of jobs and release and due dates are agreeable if, and only if, for two jobs j1 and j2, rj1 < rj2 ⇔ dj1 < dj2 . We model this problem as an integer linear programming and run in general solvers like glpsol and CPLEX. Finally, we present an alternative solution inspired on Baptiste’s original dynamic programming to solve only instances whose release and due dates are "agreeable" like we defined earlier. Our solution outperforms the original and the solvers when the set of dates is agreeable, running in O(n 3 ) time

Use of antidepressants in the clinical nursing team: a prospective transversal observational study

Currently, with the perspective of becoming the second leading cause of disease in the world, depression is seen as a disease of modern society, affecting even health professionals such as nurses, nursing technicians, and nursing assistants. Based on this, this work aims to survey data on the use of antidepressants in the clinical nursing staff – nurses, technicians, and assistants who work at night at the ABHU. A questionnaire was designed to understand the reason for using antidepressants in the clinical nursing staff – nurses, technicians, and assistants. In addition, the questionnaire also aims to confirm hypotheses such as, whether the use of antidepressants by health professionals is related to the length of experience in the area, the use of antidepressants is related to stress, physical and emotional exhaustion, the length of treatment with antidepressants with a perception of improvement, it is related to the time of use, whether there is a relationship between the use of antidepressants and gender and whether the treatment with antidepressants is carried out with monitoring of professionals

Chitosan nanocomposites with graphene-based filler

This study evaluates the properties of chitosan (CS) membranes modified with different percentages (0.5%, 3%, and 5% w/w) of a graphene-based material. Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) were obtained by the chemical exfoliation of graphite and thermal reduction. Then, they were characterized by electrical conductivity measurements, FESEM, XRD, AFM, and Raman spectroscopy. The composites’ morphology was evaluated by FESEM. The degree of swelling over a 48 h period and mass loss behavior in phosphate-buffered saline solution for up to 70 days were also studied. The hydrophilicity of the CS and CS/graphene nanocomposites was examined by water contact angle. The graphene materials showed small stacks (6-8 sheets) with low defect density and nanoscale thickness (1.3-5.9 nm). The dispersion of the graphene material in the CS matrix significantly decreased the degree of swelling (460%) but did not modify the hydrolytic degradation process and the hydrophilicity of membranes

Reflexões sobre o ensino a distância à luz da noção de contrato didático

Em virtude do crescimento do número de cursos de formação de professores a distância torna-se necessária uma maior investigação sobre esta modalidade. Neste trabalho refletimos sobre as novas relações didáticas estabelecidas utilizando a noção de Contrato Didático, apontamos diferenças entre os contratos estabelecidos nas modalidades: presencial e a distância, e levantamos questões para investigação. Esta reflexão foi feita a partir do modelo semipresencial adotado pela Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) em seus cursos. Entendemos que o aprofundamento dos pontos levantados neste trabalho pode auxiliar o desenvolvimento de novos materiais e metodologias para esta modalidade, independente do modelo adotado

Avaliação econômica de alternativas de suplementação mineral de novilhos em pastagem de colonião adubada

Three alternatives to mineral supplementation (common salt; common salt plus phosphorus; and common salt plus phosphorus and micronutrients) were economically evaluated when fed to nelore steers weighing initially 170 kg. These animals were kept on fertilized guineagrass up to slaughter, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The most economically interesting alternative was using common salt. If we analyse the dry season alone, this alternative isn’t economical since the animals showed no weight gain in response to this treatment.Avaliaram-se economicamente três alternativas de suplementação mineral (sal comum; sal comum e fósforo; sal comum, fósforo e microelementos) de novilhos anelorados, com peso inicial de 170 kg, conduzidos, até o abate, sobre uma pastagem de colonião adubada, localizada no município de Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul. O fornecimento de sal comum foi a alternativa mais interessante do ponto de vista econômico. Restringindo a análise à estação seca, fornecer sal implicou prejuízo ao produtor, pois não houve resposta em ganho de peso dos animais neste período

Gastric bypass versus best medical treatment for diabetic kidney disease: 5 years follow up of a single-centre open label randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: We compared the albuminuria-lowering effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) to best medical treatment in patients with diabetic kidney disease and obesity to determine which treatment is better. METHODS: A 5 year, open-label, single-centre, randomised trial studied patients with diabetic kidney disease and class I obesity after 1:1 randomization to best medical treatment (n = 49) or RYGB (n = 51). The primary outcome was the proportion of patients achieving remission of microalbuminuria after 5 years. Secondary outcomes included improvements in diabetic kidney disease, glycemic control, quality of life, and safety. For efficacy outcomes, we performed an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01821508. FINDINGS: 88% of patients (44 per arm) completed 5-year follow-up. Remission of albuminuria occurred in 59.6% (95% CI = 45.5–73.8) after best medical treatment and 69.7% (95% CI = 59.6–79.8) after RYGB (risk difference: 10%, 95% CI, −7 to 27, P = 0.25). Patients after RYGB were twice as likely to achieve an HbA1c ≤ 6.5% (60.2% versus 25.4%, risk difference, 34.9%; 95% CI = 15.8–53.9, P < 0.001). Quality of life after five years measured by the 36-Item Short Form Survey questionnaire (standardized to a 0-to-100 scale) was higher in the RYGB group than in the best medical treatment group for several domains. The mean differences were 13.5 (95% CI, 5.5–21.6, P = 0.001) for general health, 19.7 (95% CI, 9.1–30.3, P < 0.001) for pain, 6.1 (95% CI, −4.8 to 17.0, P = 0.27) for social functioning, 8.3 (95% CI, 0.23 to 16.3, P = 0.04) for emotional well-being, 12.2 (95% CI, 3.9–20.4, P = 0.004) for vitality, 16.8 (95% CI, −0.75 to 34.4, P = 0.06) for mental health, 21.8 (95% CI, 4.8–38.7, P = 0.01) for physical health and 11.1 (95% CI, 2.24–19.9, P = 0.01) for physical functioning. Serious adverse events were experienced in 7/46 (15.2%) after best medical treatment and 11/46 patients (24%) after RYGB (P = 0.80). INTERPRETATION: Albuminuria remission was not statistically different between best medical treatment and RYGB after 5 years in participants with diabetic kidney disease and class 1 obesity, with 6–7 in ten patients achieving remission of microalbuminuria (uACR <30 mg/g) in both groups. RYGB was superior in improving glycemia, diastolic blood pressure, lipids, body weight, and quality of life. FUNDING: The study was supported by research grants from Johnson & Johnson Brasil, Oswaldo Cruz German Hospital, and by grant 12/YI/B2480 from Science Foundation Ireland (Dr le Roux) and grant 2015-02733 from the Swedish Medical Research Council (Dr le Roux). Dr Pereira was funded by the Chevening Scholarship Programme (Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK)

From Cow Manure to Bioactive Carbon Dots: A Light-up Probe for Bioimaging Investigations, Glucose Detection and Potential Immunotherapy Agent for Melanoma Skin Cancer

Bioactive carbon dots (C-dots) with ca. 4 nm were successfully produced with singular photophysical properties, low-toxicity and interesting immunological response. The optical properties of the C-dots were investigated and the “light-up” behaviour enabled them to be explored in glucose detection and bioimaging experiments (mitochondrial selective probe). C-dots were not selective to the tumour region and several fluorescent spots were visualized spread on animal bodies. The histology investigations showed that cancer-bearing mice treated with C-dots presented a large number of regions with necrosis and inflammatory infiltrates, which were not identified for cancer-bearing mice without the treatment. These results suggested that C-dots have the potential to be explored as an immune therapy agent for melanoma skin cancer

Impactos negativos da administração de hidroxicloroquina e anticoagulante em pacientes com infecção por SARS-COV-2: um ensaio clínico randomizado

Objetivo: Avaliar antimalárico com ou sem tratamento anticoagulante, em pacientes com infecção recente por SARS-COV-2. Métodos: Estudo clínico realizado no Hospital das Clínicas Samuel Libânio da Universidade do Vale do Sapucaí, Pouso Alegre-MG. Aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética (4.034.077) e registrado nos Ensaios Clínicos (NCT04788355). Pacientes suspeitos de COVID-19 foram incluídos na sala de emergência. Os grupos foram: C (controle) com 6 pacientes, A (anticoagulante apixabana) com 9 pacientes, H (hidroxicloroquina) com 5 pacientes e HA (hidroxicloroquina e anticoagulante apixabana) com 8 pacientes. Resultados: não houve diferenças significativas entre os grupos. O grupo HA, no qual houve intervenção com dois medicamentos, apresentou maior número de dias com sintomas (p = 0,037) e piores resultados, quando comparado ao controle: os sintomas mais relevantes foram: tosse (p = 0,001), e anosmia/ageusia (p = 0,011) cefaléia (p = 0,001). Conclusão: O presente estudo teve início quando havia dúvidas sobre o uso de medicamentos como hidroxicloroquina (HCQ) e apixabana (APX). O “n” reduzido foi definido por meio de questões burocráticas e polêmicas independentes das ações dos autores. Nenhum benefício clínico foi associado com HCQ e APX. Houve um aumento no número de dias sintomáticos quando HCQ e APX foram administrados. Apesar das limitações, não houve indicação terapêutica dos medicamentos avaliados.Purpose: To evaluate antimalarial with or without anticoagulant treatment, in patients with recent SARS-COV-2 infection. Methods: Clinical study carried out at Samuel Libânio Clinic Hospital, University of Vale do Sapucaí, Pouso Alegre-MG. Approved by the Ethics Committee (4.034.077) and registered in the Clinical Trials (NCT04788355). Suspected patients for COVID-19 were included in the emergency room. The groups were: C (control) with 6 patients, A (anticoagulant apixaban) with 9 patients, H (hydroxychloroquine) with 5 patients and HA (hydroxychloroquine and anticoagulant apixaban) with 8 patients. Results: there were no significant differences between groups. The HA group, in which there was an intervention with two drugs, presented a greater number of days with symptoms (p = 0.037) and worse results, when compared to the control: most relevant symptoms, were: cough (p = 0.001), and anosmia / ageusia (p = 0.011) headache (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The present study began when there were doubts about the use of drugs such as Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and apixaban (APX). The reduced “n” was defined through bureaucratic and polemic issues independent of the authors’ actions. No clinical benefit was associated with HCQ and APX. There was an increase in the number of symptomatic days when HCQ and APX were administered. Despite the limitations, there was no therapeutic indication of the evaluated drugs

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio