Project Half Double Current Results of Phase 1 and Phase 2, December 2017

The Half Double mission: Project Half Double has a clear mission. We want to succeed in finding a project methodology that can increase the success rate of our projects while increasing the development speed of new products and services. We are convinced that by doing so we can strengthen Denmark’s competitiveness and play an important role in the battle for jobs and future welfare. The overall goal is to deliver “Projects in half the time with double the impact” where projects in half the time should be understood as half the time to impact (benefit realization, effect is achieved) and not as half the time for project execution. The Half Double project journey: It all began in May 2013 when we asked ourselves: How do we create a new and radical project paradigm that can create successful projects? Today the movement includes hundreds of passionate project people, and it grows larger by the day. The formal part of Project Half Double was initiated in June 2015. It is a two-phase project: phase 1 took place from June 2015 to June 2016 with seven pilot projects, and phase 2 is in progress from July 2016 to July 2018 with 10 pilot projects.The Half Double consortium: Implement Consulting Group is the project leader establishing and managing the collaboration with the pilot project companies in terms of methodology. Aarhus University and the Technical University of Denmark will evaluate the impact of the pilot projects and legitimize the methodology in academia.The Danish Industry Foundation, an independent philanthropic foundation, is contributing to the project financially with DKK 13.8 million.About this report: This report focuses on phase 2 pilot projects documenting their development and further consolidates results from the phase 1 pilot projects. This is the third report about Project Half Double (Svejvig et al. 2016, Svejvig et al. 2017). This report’s target group inludes practitioners in Danish industry and society in general. The editorial team from Aarhus University prepared the report from October 2017 to December 2017, which means that data about pilot projects from December 2017 is not included

Effects of DPP-4 Inhibitors on the Heart in a Rat Model of Uremic Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND: Uremic cardiomyopathy contributes substantially to mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) may improve cardiac function, but is mainly degraded by dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a rat model of chronic renal failure, 5/6-nephrectomized [5/6N] rats were treated orally with DPP-4 inhibitors (linagliptin, sitagliptin, alogliptin) or placebo once daily for 4 days from 8 weeks after surgery, to identify the most appropriate treatment for cardiac dysfunction associated with CKD. Linagliptin showed no significant change in blood level AUC(0-∞) in 5/6N rats, but sitagliptin and alogliptin had significantly higher AUC(0-∞) values; 41% and 28% (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.0324), respectively. No correlation of markers of renal tubular and glomerular function with AUC was observed for linagliptin, which required no dose adjustment in uremic rats. Linagliptin 7 µmol/kg caused a 2-fold increase in GLP-1 (AUC 201.0 ng/l*h) in 5/6N rats compared with sham-treated rats (AUC 108.6 ng/l*h) (p = 0.01). The mRNA levels of heart tissue fibrosis markers were all significantly increased in 5/6N vs control rats and reduced/normalized by linagliptin. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: DPP-4 inhibition increases plasma GLP-1 levels, particularly in uremia, and reduces expression of cardiac mRNA levels of matrix proteins and B-type natriuretic peptides (BNP). Linagliptin may offer a unique approach for treating uremic cardiomyopathy in CKD patients, with no need for dose-adjustment

Quantifying the impact of ecological memory on the dynamics of interacting communities

Ecological memory refers to the influence of past events on the response of an ecosystem to exogenous or endogenous changes. Memory has been widely recognized as a key contributor to the dynamics of ecosystems and other complex systems, yet quantitative community models often ignore memory and its implications. Recent modeling studies have shown how interactions between community members can lead to the emergence of resilience and multistability under environmental perturbations. We demonstrate how memory can be introduced in such models using the framework of fractional calculus. We study how the dynamics of a well-characterized interaction model is affected by gradual increases in ecological memory under varying initial conditions, perturbations, and stochasticity. Our results highlight the implications of memory on several key aspects of community dynamics. In general, memory introduces inertia into the dynamics. This favors species coexistence under perturbation, enhances system resistance to state shifts, mitigates hysteresis, and can affect system resilience both ways depending on the time scale considered. Memory also promotes long transient dynamics, such as long-standing oscillations and delayed regime shifts, and contributes to the emergence and persistence of alternative stable states. Our study highlights the fundamental role of memory in communities, and provides quantitative tools to introduce it in ecological models and analyse its impact under varying conditions.</p

Differentiation of primary CNS lymphoma and glioblastoma using Raman spectroscopy and machine learning algorithms

Objective and Methods: Timely discrimination between primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) and glioblastoma is crucial for diagnostics and therapy, but most importantly also determines the intraoperative surgical course. Advanced radiological methods allow this to a certain extent but ultimately, biopsy is still necessary for final diagnosis. As an upcoming method that enables tissue analysis by tracking changes in the vibrational state of molecules via inelastic scattered photons, we used Raman Spectroscopy (RS) as a label free method to examine specimens of both tumor entities intraoperatively, as well as postoperatively in formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) samples. Results: We applied and compared statistical performance of linear and nonlinear machine learning algorithms (Logistic Regression, Random Forest and XGBoost), and found that Random Forest classification distinguished the two tumor entities with a balanced accuracy of 82,4% in intraoperative tissue condition and with 94% using measurements of distinct tumor areas on FFPE tissue. Taking a deeper insight into the spectral properties of the tumor entities, we describe different tumor-specific Raman shifts of interest for classification. Conclusions: Due to our findings, we propose RS as an additional tool for fast and non-destructive, perioperative tumor tissue discrimination, which may augment treatment options at an early stage. RS may further serve as a useful additional tool for neuropathological diagnostics with little requirements for tissue integrity

Screening for antiviral activity of two purified saponin fractions of Quillaja spp. against Yellow Fever Virus and Chikungunya Virus

Yellow Fever Virus (YFV) and Chikungunya Virus (CHIV) are neglected reemerging pathogens that cause comorbidities worldwide. Since no antiviral drug is prescribed for those infections, there is a demand on researching compounds that inhibit viral replication. Saponins are amphiphilic compounds that already demonstrated in vitro activity against enveloped virus. Therefore, two purified saponin fractions from Quillaja spp. were evaluated regarding their antiviral potential against YFV and CHIKV. The cell line used in this study was VERO (African green monkey kidney cells) since it is permissive to the replication of both viruses. The antiviral activity of both saponins fractions was screened using the plaque reduction assay protocol. Although saponins did not inhibited YFV replication, they strongly inhibited CHIKV. To confirm the absence of antiviral activity of Quillaja saponins against YFV, the cytopathic effect inhibition assay was performed also. Further studies are required to determine the antiviral mechanisms involved in the CHIKV inhibition

Naringin supplementation during pregnancy induces sex and region-specific alterations in the offspring’s brain redox status

Research has shown the beneficial effects of naringin supplementation to adult rodents, which can ameliorate oxidative stress in disease models. However, evidence has demonstrated that polyphenol supplementation induced detrimental effects when consumed during sensitive periods of development, such as pregnancy. Therefore, we investigated the effect of maternal naringin supplementation during pregnancy on the offspring’s cerebral redox status. Pregnant Wistar rats were divided into control and naringin groups and supplemented from gestational day 15 to gestational day 21. On postnatal days 1, 7, and 21, offspring were euthanized, and the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, striatum, and cerebellum dissected. On postnatal day 1, maternal naringin supplementation positively modulated the pups’ brain redox status. On postnatal day 7, a pro-oxidative milieu was observed in the offspring’s striatum and cerebellum in a sex-dependent manner, even though the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were not negatively affected. Besides, the alterations observed on postnatal day 7 did not persist up to weaning. Our findings demonstrated that the effect induced by naringin supplementation in the brain redox status differed according to the period of development in which naringin was consumed since the beneficial effects usually found in the adult rodents became detrimental when the supplementation was applied during pregnancy

Increases in Vein Length Compensate for Leaf Area Lost to Lobing in Grapevine

Premise:Leaf lobing and leaf size vary considerably across and within species,including among grapevines (Vitisspp.), some of the best‐studied leaves. Weexamined the relationship between leaf lobing and leaf area across grapevinepopulations that varied in extent of leaf lobing.Methods:We used homologous landmarking techniques to measure 2632 leavesacross 2 years in 476 unique, genetically distinct grapevines fromfive biparentalcrosses that vary primarily in the extent of lobing. We determined to what extent leafarea explained variation in lobing, vein length, and vein to blade ratio.Results:Although lobing was the primary source of variation in shape across theleaves we measured, leaf area varied only slightly as a function of lobing. Rather, leafarea increases as a function of total major vein length, total branching vein length, andvein to blade ratio. These relationships are stronger for more highly lobed leaves, withthe residuals for each model differing as a function of distal lobing.Conclusions:For leaves with different extents of lobing but the same area, the morehighly lobed leaves have longer veins and higher vein to blade ratios, allowing themto maintain similar leaf areas despite increased lobing. Thesefindings show howmore highly lobed leaves may compensate for what would otherwise result in areduced leaf area, allowing for increasedphotosynthetic capacity through similarleaf siz

DEUS ESTÁ MORTO?

“Deus está morto” é a frase mais famosa do filósofo alemão Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche. Ao longo de seus escritos no século XIX, Nietzsche empreendeu uma profunda crítica e questionamento abrangente acerca de questões fundamentais da sociedade, como a religião, a moralidade, a cultura contemporânea e a filosofia. Quando proferiu a frase emblemática “Deus está morto’’, provocou reflexões profundas sobre o declínio da religião como autoridade moral dominante na modernidade. Nesse sentido, selecionamos outras três perspectivas filosóficas para servir de comparação à tese de Nietzsche, levantando um momento de questionamentos existenciais e éticos. O objetivo da apresentação se torna, portanto, explorar e discutir sobre os ideais de cada filósofo, sendo eles: Nietzsche, Spinoza, Epicuro e Santo Agostinho, em relação à religião, além de provocar um curto debate sobre essa temática por meio de um formato interativo, através de um recipiente contendo diversas frases filosóficas sobre a religião. A proposta é que, assim que a pessoa retirar um dos bilhetes, um debate se inicie com a frase retirada, onde pode ou não ser de um dos filósofos apresentados. Como a atividade é opcional, o debate poderá ser realizado mesmo que a atividade interativa não aconteça. Ao reunir esses distintos pensadores, a ideia é mergulhar na profundidade de suas visões, filosofias e pensamentos, estabelecendo uma análise comparativa. Assim, vale refletir sobre a evolução das ideias ao longo dos séculos, percebendo como diversos pensadores, desde a antiguidade, como Epicuro em 341 a.C, até o século XIX, representado por Nietzsche em 1840, têm se debruçado sobre o mesmo tema de maneiras tão distintas. Nesse sentido, a principal mensagem a ser deixada é que a religião é um assunto que transcende barreiras temporais, jamais se tornando obsoleto ou desinteressante. Ainda, é importante enfatizar que, durante a apresentação, onde cada integrante do grupo irá abordar um dos quatro filósofos, não será defendido nenhum pensamento específico, deixando que a exposição sobre cada tese seja a mais imparcial possível

CLÁSSICOS DA SOCIOLOGIA

Na sociedade moderna contemporânea, inúmeros são os difíceis desafios para compreensão da realidade social. A grande contribuição dos estudos realizados pelos autores clássicos ajuda substancialmente a compreender e analisar um padrão na sociedade de hoje. Assim, o tema do trabalho se refere à contribuição teórica dada pelos três autores clássicos da Sociologia que proporcionaram as primeiras pesquisas científicas e estudos importantes sobre as sociedades entre os séculos XVII - XX. Por ser uma pesquisa bibliográfica a apresentação do trabalho aqui em questão tem caráter informativo, buscando apresentar as ideias dos autores e relacioná-los com o que vemos na sociedade atual. Intenta-se atingir o objetivo de fazer uma apresentação dos principais elementos teóricos dos autores com uma posição neutra em relação as várias posições teóricas possibilitadas pelos autores. Também se quer explicar e sensibilizar didaticamente como essas teorias se manifestam no cotidiano, visto que, em tempos atuais problemas sociais surgem e são cada vez mais complexos. Determinar a sua origem por meio do conhecimento é essencial para analisar, compreender e buscar melhorar um sistema social. Com isso, selecionamos os três principais autores da Sociologia, chamados de clássicos por conta da grandiosidade de suas obras. São eles: Karl Marx, David Émile Durkheim e Max Weber como principais fontes de inspiração para uma melhor descrição sobre a organização das sociedades atuais. Buscamos assim, fazer uma relação entre a teoria sociológica clássica desenvolvida em séculos passados com a atualidade em que vivemos, buscando dimensionar em que medida esses autores ``clássicos`` de outros tempos nos ajudam a entender a sociedade de agora. Como resultado dessa atividade queremos contribuir para a divulgação de um conhecimento científico, que foi construído historicamente através de leituras e pesquisa bibliográfica de forma sintetizada e simplificada de modo a divulgar a ciência sociológica para a comunidade acadêmica do IFC – Campus Concórdia