GROUP 2018 Special Issue Guest Editorial: Another 25 Years of GROUP

For over 25 years, the ACM International Conference on Supporting GroupWork (GROUP) has been and will continue to be the premier venue for research on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work,Human–Computer Interaction, Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, and Socio-Technical Studies. The three papers in this special issue demonstrate GROUP’s continued commitment to diverse research approaches, emerging technologies, and collaborative work. We hope you enjoy these papers and, like us, look forward to another 25 years of GROUP.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146739/1/Robert et al. 2018.pdfDescription of Robert et al. 2018.pdf : Articl

Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of reactional parameters on substitution degree of N-hexyl-N-methylene phosphonic chitosan

N-methylene phosphonic chitosan (NMPC) is treated with hexyl aldehyde to give an imine, which is easily converted into N-hexyl-N-methylene phosphonic chitosan (HNMPC) under mild conditions. The structure of this new chitosan derivative is characterized by FT- IR, 1H, 13C, 31P, 1H13C–HSQC NMR, SEM and XRD. The influence of reactional parameters on the substitution degree (DS), evidenced that a mol ratio 1.50:1.00 (hexyl aldehyde: free amino groups); a reaction time of 1 h. and 45 °C of temperature afford the best DS. HNMPC molecular weight is 12,768.62 Da. It shows good emulsifying properties giving o/w emulsions with high stability in time. Microscopic observation as well as particle size distribution show an unimodal droplet size distribution with low droplet diameters. Preliminary tests lead us to believe that this new polymer has good film forming properties.Fil: Zuñiga, Adriana Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Química del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Química. Instituto de Química del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Forte Nerán, Romina Adela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Química del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Química. Instituto de Química del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Albertengo, Liliana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Química del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Química. Instituto de Química del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, Maria Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Química del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Química. Instituto de Química del Sur; Argentin

Microencapsulation of essential oils: a review

Essential oils (EOs) are complex mixtures of volatile compounds extracted from different parts of plants by different methods. There is a large diversity of these natural substances with varying properties that lead to their common use in several areas. The agrochemical, pharmaceutical, medical, food, and textile industry, as well as cosmetic and hygiene applications are some of the areas where EOs are widely included. To overcome the limitation of EOs being highly volatile and reactive, microencapsulation has become one of the preferred methods to retain and control these compounds. This review explores the techniques for extracting essential oils from aromatic plant matter. Microencapsulation strategies and the available technologies are also reviewed, along with an in-depth overview of the current research and application of microencapsulated EOs.roject ReleaseME-POCI-01-0247-FEDER-033268, for their research grants from the Agência Nacional de Inovação, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (COMPETE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement. Juliana F. Marques and Marta A. Forte are grateful to the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) of Portugal for their Ph.D. grants, SFRH/BD/112868/2015 and PD/BD/128491/2017, respectively. The authors also acknowledge the funding from FCT/PIDDAC through the Strategic Funds project reference UIDB/04650/2020-2023. This research was funded by the project Repel+: New solutions for mosquito repellence as an application for malaria control (project number 47036) from the Agência Nacional de Inovação, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (COMPETE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement

Multifunctionalization Modulates Hydroxyapatite Surface Interaction with Bisphosphonate: Antiosteoporotic and Antioxidative Stress Materials

Multifunctionalized biomaterials with enhanced bone antiresorptive properties were obtained through adsorption of a bisphosphonate, risedronate, on hydroxyapatite (HA) nanocrystals functionalized with zinc ions and polyethylenimine (PEI). Zn incorporation into the HA structure amounts to about 8 atom %, whereas the PEI content of the bifunctionalized material ZnHAPEIBP is about 5.9 wt %. The mechanism of adsorption and release of the bisphosphonate on ZnHAPEI is compared with that on ZnHA: risedronate adsorption isotherm on ZnHA is a Langmuir type, whereas the isotherm of adsorption on ZnHAPEI is better fitted with a Freundlich model and involved a higher amount of adsorbed risedronate. In vitro cell tests were carried out with a coculture model of osteoblasts and osteoclasts using a model simulating oxidative stress and consequent cellular senescence and osteoporosis by the addition of H2O2. The conditions utilized in the coculture model strongly affect osteoblast behavior. The results show that the composite materials allow an increase in osteoblast viability and recover impairment, revealing a novel characteristic of risedronate that is able to counteract the negative effects of oxidative stress when associated with differently functionalized samples. Both PEI and the bisphosphonate reduce osteoclast viability. Moreover, PEI, and even more risedronate, exerts an inhibitory effect on osteoclast activity

Biomimetic fabrication of antibacterial calcium phosphates mediated by polydopamine

In this work we developed new antibacterial composite materials using polydopamine (PDA) to trigger the deposition of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) onto calcium phosphates, namely octacalcium phosphate (OCP) and α-tricalcium phosphate (αTCP). Functionalization of OCP and αTCP with a self-polymerized polydopamine layer was obtained by soaking the calcium phosphates in dopamine solution. The PDA surface of functionalized calcium phosphates (OCPd and αTCPd) promoted the deposition of AgNPs by reducing silver ions when soaked in a silver nitrate solution. The amount of deposited AgNPs can be modulated by varying the concentration of silver nitrate solution and the type of substrate. The results of in vitro tests carried out with osteoblast-like MG63 cells indicate that the combination of AgNPs with OCP provides more biocompatible materials than those obtained using αTCP as substrate. In particular, the study of osteoblast activity and differentiation was focused on the samples OCPdAg5 (silver content = 8.2 wt%) and αTCPdAg5 (silver content = 4.7 wt%), which did not show any cytotoxicity, and compared with those obtained on pure OCP and αTCP. The results demonstrate that the AgNPs loaded materials support osteoblast viability and differentiation, whereas they significantly inhibit the growth of relevant antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria

Representaciones sociales sobre la práctica en educación artística en los Profesorados de Artes (música y visuales)

Nos propusimos conocer y vincular las representaciones de docentes y estudiantes sobre las prácticas en educación artística, en aquellos espacios curriculares cuyo formato (1) está orientado a la planificación e implementación de situaciones didácticas de los Profesorados de Artes en Música y Artes Visuales del Instituto Superior de Bella Artes (ISBA).Como supuesto interviene la consideración que las representaciones de los docentes sobre la educación artística son diferentes según la interpretación del objeto arte y la enseñanza del mismo. Esto se actúa en el aula, con situaciones de desestimación o priorización, tanto en el campo pedagógico como en el artístico.Es un diseño cualitativo, con estudio de seis casos construidos a partir de la interrelación de los discursos de docentes y estudiantes de cada espacio curricular.Presentamos el análisis de las representaciones acerca del modelo didáctico desarrollado en cada caso y las valoraciones de los actores así como información acerca de sus condiciones particulares de formación, referencias a la concepción de arte y de educación artística.El diálogo entre la formación heredada (experiencias previas en educación artística) y aquello por adquirir, permite identificar representaciones que reconstruyen, remodelan y enriquecen cada uno de los abordajes sobre la práctica. Este análisis intenta convertirse en un aporte de las actuales prácticas de formación en el ISBA

Hydroxyapatite functionalization to trigger adsorption and release of risedronate

Bisphosphonates are widely employed drugs for the treatment of pathologies characterized by excessive bone resorption, and display a great affinity for apatitic supports. In this work we investigate how hydroxyapatite functionalization can influence the processes of adsorption and release of a bisphosphonate, namely risedronate. To this aim, pure hydroxyapatite (HA), hydroxyapatite with a partial substitution of Zn to Ca (ZnHA) and poly-ethylenimine-functionalized hydroxyapatite (HAPEI) were submitted to interaction with risedronate solution. The results indicate that the mechanisms of adsorption and release are greatly influenced by the type of the apatitic support. All the apatitic supports display Langmuir isotherms for risedronate adsorption. However in the case of HAPEI the plateau is not reached even at high equilibrium concentrations in solution. The data suggest that risedronate adsorption on HAPEI mineral-organic support occurs not only through chemisorption on apatitic phase, as on HA and ZnHA, but also through physisorption involved by PEI coating, which modulates also bisphosphonate release. These properties of tailor-made hydroxyapatite supports could be exploited to develop delivery systems for antiresorptive agents directly on osteoporotic sites

Genetics of longevity. Data from the studies on Sicilian centenarians

The demographic and social changes of the past decades have determined improvements in public health and longevity. So, the number of centenarians is increasing as a worldwide phenomenon. Scientists have focused their attention on centenarians as optimal model to address the biological mechanisms of “successful and unsuccessful ageing”. They are equipped to reach the extreme limits of human life span and, most importantly, to show relatively good health, being able to perform their routine daily life and to escape fatal age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Thus, particular attention has been centered on their genetic background and immune system. In this review, we report our data gathered for over 10 years in Sicilian centenarians. Based on results obtained, we suggest longevity as the result of an optimal performance of immune system and an overexpression of anti-inflammatory sequence variants of immune/inflammatory genes. However, as well known, genetic, epigenetic, stochastic and environmental factors seem to have a crucial role in ageing and longevity. Epigenetics is associated with ageing, as demonstrated in many studies. In particular, ageing is associated with a global loss of methylation state. Thus, the aim of future studies will be to analyze the weight of epigenetic changes in ageing and longevity

ORALIDADE E FORMAÇÃO PROFISSIONAL DOCENTE: CONFIGURAÇÕES DO GÊNERO ORAL PROVA DIDÁTICA

In this paper, we analyze the configurations of the oral genre didactic-test in the context of a public contest for the teaching career. We seek fundamentals about the importance of teacher education strongly related to the field of work, which involves a series of professional knowledge and practices. In addition, we are based on the concept of textual genre, from different theoretical perspectives, which cover pragmatic, historical and ideological issues in the analysis, which allowed us to unveil still fragile topics in public notices for such a career. In this exploratory study, we used six public notices, in addition to the authors' experiences - in the role of candidates and members of the examining committee; with these data, we featured the most common topics of this practice of orality. The data were organized into eight items, which reveal the settings of the genre: the context of circulation, the interlocutors and roles, other genres involved, the simulation, the typical forms of interaction, the didactic resources, the content and the non-linguistic aspects of this typical oral genre. The study allows us to better visualize fundamental elements for the performance of the teacher-candidate, which also strengthens the discourse in favor of learning the teacher’s métier gender in their professionalization.  Neste trabalho, analisamos as configurações do gênero oral prova didática em contexto de concurso para a carreira de magistério. Buscamos fundamentos acerca da importância da formação de professores fortemente relacionada ao campo do trabalho, que envolve uma série de conhecimentos e práticas profissionais. Além disso, baseamo-nos no conceito de gênero textual, a partir de diferentes perspectivas teóricas, que abarcam questões pragmáticas, históricas e ideológicas na análise, o que nos permitiu descortinar tópicos ainda frágeis em editais de concurso para tal carreira. Neste estudo exploratório, lançamos mão de seis editais de concurso, além de experiências dos autores - no papel de candidatas/os e integrantes de bancas; com esses dados, caracterizamos os tópicos mais comuns desta prática de oralidade. Os dados foram organizados em oito itens, que revelam as configurações do gênero: o contexto de circulação, os interlocutores e papéis, outros gêneros envolvidos, a simulação, as formas típicas de interação, os recursos didáticos, o conteúdo e os aspectos não linguísticos desse típico gênero oral. O estudo permite melhor visualizar elementos fundamentais para atuação do professor-candidato, o que também fortalece o discurso em prol da aprendizagem dos gêneros do métier docente na sua profissionalização

Impact of the Pandemic on NonInfected Cardiometabolic Patients: A Survey in Countries of Latin America—Rationale and Design of the CorCOVID LATAM Study

Background: The first case of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in Latin America was detected on February 26th, 2020, in Brazil. Later, in June, the World Health Organization announced that the focus of the outbreak had shifted to Latin America, where countries already had poor control of indicators of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Concerns about coronavirus infection led to a reduced number of visits and hospitalizations in patients with NCDs, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. There is a need to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients who have cardiometabolic diseases but do not have clinical evidence of COVID-19 infection. Methods: The CorCOVID LATAM is a cross-sectional survey of ambulatory cardiometabolic patients with no history or evidence of COVID-19 infection. The study will be conducted by the Interamerican Society of Cardiology. An online survey composed of 38 questions using Google Forms will be distributed to patients of 13 Latin American Spanish-speaking countries from June 15th to July 15th, 2020. Data will be analyzed by country and regions. Seven clusters of questions will be analyzed: demographics, socioeconomic and educational level, cardiometabolic profile, lifestyle and habits, body-weight perception, medical follow-up and treatments, and psychological symptoms. Results: Final results will be available upon completion of the study. Conclusions: The present study will provide answers regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on noninfected cardiometabolic patients. Data on this topic are scarce, as it is an unprecedented threat, without short-term solutions.Fil: Lopez Santi, Ricardo. Hospital Italiano de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Piskorz, Daniel Leonardo. No especifíca;Fil: Marquez, Manlio F.. Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia Ignacio Chavez; MéxicoFil: Ramirez Ramos, Cristhian. Centro de Medicina del Ejercicio y Rehabilitación Cardíaca; ColombiaFil: Renna, Nicolas Federico. Hospital Espanol de Mendoza; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Medicina y Biología Experimental de Cuyo; ArgentinaFil: Ibarrola, Martin. No especifíca;Fil: Wyss, Fernando Stuardo. Servicios y Tecnología Cardiovascular de Guatemala; GuatemalaFil: Naranjo Dominguez, Adrián. Instituto de Cardiologia y Cirugia Cardiovascular; CubaFil: Perez, Gonzalo Emanuel. No especifíca;Fil: Farina, Juan María. No especifíca;Fil: Forte, Ezequiel. Centro Diagnóstico Cardiovascular; ArgentinaFil: Juarez Lloclla, Jorge Paul. Hospital de Apoyo II Santa Rosa; PerúFil: Flores de Espinal, Emma. Hospital Nacional San Juan De Dios; El SalvadorFil: Puente Barragan, Adriana. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social; MéxicoFil: Ruise, Mauro Gabriel. Clínica Yunes; ArgentinaFil: Delgado, Diego. University of Toronto; CanadáFil: Baranchuk, Adrian. Queens University; Canad