Efficient crack length measurement using A* shortest path methodology for a phase-field fracture framework

Accurately measuring a crack length is a crucial aspect of experimental fracture tests. In this work, we present an innovative application of the A* (A-star) shortest path methodology to track different shapes of cracks from numerical simulations. This approach is highly efficient, significantly improving the speed and accuracy of crack length measurements. Furthermore, we introduce a modified weight cost function that follows the crack path in the damage field, enhancing the accuracy of our method. The effectiveness of the proposed procedure is shown by fabricating damage fields with different geometry and good agreement when compared to the exact values. In addition, we evaluate a time-dependent crack propagation case, achieving high accuracy. We present all features and steps of the procedure to showcase its efficacy in accurately measuring the length of a crack path. Finally, we validate our method using a phase-field fracture framework and compare it with the compliance technique. The results show that the proposed method is applicable in finite element analyses with recovering accurate resultsThe authors would like to acknowledge CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) for the scholarship under grant 88882.435204/2019-01. J.A. Avila is a Serra Hunter Fellow and a CNPq fellow.Postprint (published version

Mexican Perspectives on Mexico-U.S. Immigration:Implications for Adult Education in the U.S. & Mexico

Mexican immigration has spawned a public discourse about the private motivations and experiences of immigrants and their families that is shaped by U.S. political and economic interests. This study sought to recover Mexican immigrants’ stories about their experiences and to imagine how adult educators can address this transnational phenomenon

Occupational Therapy Interventions Using New Technologies in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review

New technologies (NT) are increasingly used in Occupational Therapy (OT) interventions in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We conducted a scoping review to describe OT interventions investigated in scientific literature which use NT in children and adolescents with ASD. Two authors independently searched the scientific databases PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science, carried out a peer-review screening of articles and extracted data. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. OT interventions lasted between 1 week and 12 months, consisted of between 1 session per day and 5 sessions per week, were carried out exclusively by an occupational therapist, and the most used NT was the computer (n = 12). The duration of the interventions and assessment measures used varied greatly between studies

Biased news sharing and partisan polarization on social media

In the ever-connected digital landscape, news dissemination on social media platforms serves as a vital source of information for the public. However, this flow of information is far from unbiased. It is deeply influenced by the political inclinations of the users who share news as well as the inherent biases present in the news outlets themselves. These biases in news consumption play a significant role in the creation of echo chambers and the reinforcement of beliefs. This phenomenon, in turn, influences the voting intentions of the population during critical electoral periods. In this study, we use a metric called "Sentiment Bias", a tool designed to classify news outlets according to their biases. We explore the impact of this metric on various levels, ranging from news outlets to individual user biases. Our metric, while simple, unveils a well-known trend: users prefer news aligning with their political beliefs. Its power lies in extending this insight to specific topics. Users consistently share articles related to subjects that echo their favored candidates, illuminating a deeper layer of political alignment in online discourse

Contribuição das disciplinas do curso de engenharia de produção no desenvolvimento das áreas de competências da indústria 4.0 / Contribution of the disciplines of the production engineering course in the development of industry 4.0 competence areas

O desenvolvimento das competências nos cursos de Engenharia está associado as práticas de aprendizagem na qual vivenciam situações reais cada vez mais exigidas pelo mercado de trabalho. Com a quarta revolução industrial, novas competências estão inseridas ao ambiente do trabalho que deverão ser desenvolvidos nos cursos de graduação, principalmente nas diversas áreas da Engenharia. A partir da análise das disciplinas do curso de Engenharia de Produção o objetivo deste artigo científico é evidenciar a contribuição das disciplinas para o desenvolvimento das áreas de competências mediante análise do colegiado de professores. Diante disso, espera-se entender a relevância das disciplinas para o profissional caracterizado pelo Indústria 4.0 na qual conteúdos deverão ser revistos e novos métodos de aprendizagem estabelecidos no intuito de preparar o Engenheiro para o concorrente mercado de trabalho. 

The WSB1 Gene Is Involved in Pancreatic Cancer Progression

Pancreatic cancer cells generate metastases because they can survive the stress imposed by the new environment of the host tissue. To mimic this process, pancreatic cancer cells which are not stressed in standard culture conditions are injected into nude mice. Because they develop xenografts, they should have developed adequate stress response. Characterizing that response might provide new strategies to interfere with pancreatic cancer metastasis.In the human pancreatic cancer cell lines Panc-1, Mia-PaCa2, Capan-1, Capan-2 and BxPC3, we used Affymetrix DNA microarrays to compare the expressions of 22.000 genes in vitro and in the corresponding xenografts. We identified 228 genes overexpressed in xenografts and characterized the implication of one of them, WSB1, in the control of apoptosis and cell proliferation. WSB1 generates 3 alternatively spliced transcripts encoding distinct protein isoforms. In xenografts and in human pancreatic tumors, global expression of WSB1 mRNA is modestly increased whereas isoform 3 is strongly overexpressed and isoforms 1 and 2 are down-regulated. Treating Mia-PaCa2 cells with stress-inducing agents induced similar changes. Whereas retrovirus-forced expression of WSB1 isoforms 1 and 2 promoted cell growth and sensitized the cells to gemcitabine- and doxorubicin-induced apoptosis, WSB1 isoform 3 expression reduced cell proliferation and enhanced resistance to apoptosis, showing that stress-induced modulation of WSB1 alternative splicing increases resistance to apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells.Data on WSB1 regulation support the hypothesis that activation of stress-response mechanisms helps cancer cells establishing metastases and suggest relevance to cancer development of other genes overexpressed in xenografts

MYC and human telomerase gene (TERC) copy number gain in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer

Objectives: We investigated the frequency of MYC and TERC increased gene copy number (GCN) in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and evaluated the correlation of these genomic imbalances with clinicopathologic parameters and outcome. Materials and Methods: Tumor tissues were obtained from 113 resected NSCLCs. MYC and TERC GCNs were tested by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) according to the University of Colorado Cancer Center (UCCC) criteria and based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) classification. Results: When UCCC criteria were applied, 41 (36%) cases for MYC and 41 (36%) cases for TERC were considered FISH-positive. MYC and TERC concurrent FISH-positive was observed in 12 cases (11%): 2 (17%) cases with gene amplification and 10 (83%) with high polysomy. By using the ROC analysis, high MYC (mean ≥2.83 copies/cell) and TERC (mean ≥2.65 copies/cell) GCNs were observed in 60 (53.1%) cases and 58 (51.3%) cases, respectively. High TERC GCN was associated with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) histology (P=0.001). In univariate analysis, increased MYC GCN was associated with shorter overall survival (P=0.032 [UCCC criteria] or P=0.02 [ROC classification]), whereas high TERC GCN showed no association. In multivariate analysis including stage and age, high MYC GCN remained significantly associated with worse overall survival using both the UCCC criteria (P=0.02) and the ROC classification (P=0.008). Conclusions: Our results confirm MYC as frequently amplified in early-stage NSCLC and increased MYC GCN as a strong predictor of worse survival. Increased TERC GCN does not have prognostic impact but has strong association with squamous histology

Desempenho da atencao entre motoristas de caminhao brasileiros e sua associacao com uso de anfetaminas: estudo-piloto

The aim of this article was to describe the attention functioning of twenty-two truck drivers and its relationship with amphetamine use. Those drivers who reported using amphetamines in the twelve months previous to the interview had the best performance in a test evaluating sustained attention functioning. Although amphetamine use may initially seem advantageous to the drivers, it may actually impair safe driving. The findings suggest the importance of monitoring the laws regarding amphetamine use in this country.O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever o desempenho de atenção de motoristas de caminhão e sua relação com o uso de anfetaminas. Os motoristas que relataram usar anfetaminas nos doze meses prévios à entrevista tiveram desempenho melhor em um teste de atenção sustentada. Apesar de inicialmente representar uma vantagem para motoristas, o uso de anfetaminas pode dificultar a direção segura. Os resultados sugerem a importância de supervisionar as leis que regulamentam o uso de anfetaminas no País.El objetivo de éste estudio fue describir el desempeño de atención de choferes de camión y su relación con el uso de anfetaminas. Los choferes que informaron usar anfetaminas en los doce meses previos a la entrevista tuvieron mejor desempeño en la prueba de atención sustentada. A pesar de inicialmente representar una ventaja para los choferes, el uso de anfetaminas puede dificultar la dirección segura. Los resultados sugieren la importancia de supervisar las leyes que regularizan el uso de anfetaminas en el País