Integração de métodos de modelação geométrica, elementos finitos e programação matemática no projecto estructural

A optimizacáo de forma de componentes estruturais, sujeitos a esforcos de membrana, é obtida recorrendo a um modelo numérico que integra modelacáo geométrica, análise por elementos finitos e programacáo matemática. Curvas paramétricas SEO utilizadas para definir a fronteira do domínio, sendo a posicáo dos seus nós assumida como variáveis de projecto. Para cada configuraciio, um gerador de malhaelíptico permite obter automáticamente a discretizacáo elíptico necessári a A solucáo por elementos finitos. As sensibilidades sáo calculadas pela técnica semi-analítica e pelo método directo, podendo ser visualizadas gráficamente.. O método da programacáo sequencial convexa é utilizado na fase de optimizacao. A implementacao é feita com enfase na utilizacáo de gráficos interactivos e em linguagens de programacáo normalizadas, de forma a permitir a portabilidade do sistema desenvolvido.Shape optimization of two dimensional elasticity problems is obtained with a numerical model which integrates geometric modelling, finite elements analysis and mathematical programming. Parametric curves are used to define the boundary of the domain, the position of their nodes is taken as design variables. For each configuration, an elliptic mesh generator obtains automatically the finite element discretization necessary to get the solution. Sensibilities are calculated by the semi-analiticat technique and by the direct method, and can be visualized graphicaly. The method of sequencial con'vex programming is used at the optimization phase. Implementation is made with emphasys on interactive graphics and in standard computer languages, allowing portability of the developed system.Peer Reviewe

Integração de métodos de modelação geométrica, elementos finitos e programação matemática no projecto estructural

A optimizacáo de forma de componentes estruturais, sujeitos a esforcos de membrana, é obtida recorrendo a um modelo numérico que integra modelacáo geométrica, análise por elementos finitos e programacáo matemática. Curvas paramétricas SEO utilizadas para definir a fronteira do domínio, sendo a posicáo dos seus nós assumida como variáveis de projecto. Para cada configuraciio, um gerador de malhaelíptico permite obter automáticamente a discretizacáo elíptico necessári a A solucáo por elementos finitos. As sensibilidades sáo calculadas pela técnica semi-analítica e pelo método directo, podendo ser visualizadas gráficamente.. O método da programacáo sequencial convexa é utilizado na fase de optimizacao. A implementacao é feita com enfase na utilizacáo de gráficos interactivos e em linguagens de programacáo normalizadas, de forma a permitir a portabilidade do sistema desenvolvido.Shape optimization of two dimensional elasticity problems is obtained with a numerical model which integrates geometric modelling, finite elements analysis and mathematical programming. Parametric curves are used to define the boundary of the domain, the position of their nodes is taken as design variables. For each configuration, an elliptic mesh generator obtains automatically the finite element discretization necessary to get the solution. Sensibilities are calculated by the semi-analiticat technique and by the direct method, and can be visualized graphicaly. The method of sequencial con'vex programming is used at the optimization phase. Implementation is made with emphasys on interactive graphics and in standard computer languages, allowing portability of the developed system.Peer Reviewe

Bioprinting:From Tissue and Organ Development to <i>in Vitro</i> Models

Bioprinting techniques have been flourishing in the field of biofabrication with pronounced and exponential developments in the past years. Novel biomaterial inks used for the formation of bioinks have been developed, allowing the manufacturing of in vitro models and implants tested preclinically with a certain degree of success. Furthermore, incredible advances in cell biology, namely, in pluripotent stem cells, have also contributed to the latest milestones where more relevant tissues or organ-like constructs with a certain degree of functionality can already be obtained. These incredible strides have been possible with a multitude of multidisciplinary teams around the world, working to make bioprinted tissues and organs more relevant and functional. Yet, there is still a long way to go until these biofabricated constructs will be able to reach the clinics. In this review, we summarize the main bioprinting activities linking them to tissue and organ development and physiology. Most bioprinting approaches focus on mimicking fully matured tissues. Future bioprinting strategies might pursue earlier developmental stages of tissues and organs. The continuous convergence of the experts in the fields of material sciences, cell biology, engineering, and many other disciplines will gradually allow us to overcome the barriers identified on the demanding path toward manufacturing and adoption of tissue and organ replacements.</p

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the use of prokinetics in gastroesophageal reflux and in gastroesophageal reflux disease in Pediatrics

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate, by systematic review and meta-analysis, randomized studies comparing the prokinetics (domperidone, bromopride, metoclopramide and bethanechol) to placebo in the treatment of gastroesophagic reflux (GER) and gastroesophagic reflux disease (GERD) in children. METHODS: Bibliographic search for randomized clinical trials (Medline, EMBASE, Biological Abstracts, ISI/Web of Science, CINAHL, Lilacs e Cochrane). The primary outcome was the modification of reflux symptoms. Other outcomes were: GER-related complications, alterations in control exams, life quality, adverse events and abandon of treatment. RESULTS: The metanalysis included four studies on domperidone, two on metoclopramide, and one on bethanechol. No study of bromopride was retrieved. The risk of non-response to the treatment was significantly smaller in children that received prokinetics in comparison to placebo (RR 0.35, 95%CI 0.14-0.88). Individual therapeutic advantage regarding placebo was related to domperidone (n=126; RR 0.27; 95%CI 0.14-0.52, NNT 3; I2 0%) and bethanechol (n=44; RR 0.19; 95%CI 0.05-0.55; NNT 2), but not to metoclopramide (n=71; RR 0.63; 95%CI 0.07-5.71; I2 92.2%). CONCLUSIONS: The evidence for prokinetic use in GER and GERD in children is limited because the few studies report preliminary trials that evaluate short-term responses and show methodological limitations.OBJETIVO: Avaliar, por meio de revisão sistemática e metanálise, estudos randomizados que comparam os procinéticos domperidona, bromoprida, metoclopramida e betanecol ao placebo no tratamento do refluxo gastroesofágico (RGE) e da doença do refluxo gastroesofágico (DRGE) em crianças. MÉTODOS: BUsca bibliográfica de ensaios clínicos randomizados (Medline, EMBASE, Biological Abstracts, ISI/Web of Science, CINAHL, Lilacs e Cochrane). O desfecho primário foi eficácia na modificação dos sintomas de refluxo, conforme definição de autores das fontes primárias. Outras variáveis de interesse foram: complicações relacionadas ao RGE, alterações nos exames laboratoriais de controle, qualidade de vida, eventos adversos e abandono do tratamento. RESULTADOS: Foram incluídos quatro estudos com domperidona, dois com metoclopramida, um com betanecol. Nenhum estudo com bromoprida foi localizado. O risco de não resposta ao tratamento foi significativamente menor para os procinéticos quando comparados ao placebo (RR 0,35; IC95% 0,14-0,88). A vantagem terapêutica individual em relação ao placebo se manteve para a domperidona (n=126; RR 0,27; IC95% 0,14-0,52; NNT 3; I2 0%) e betanecol (n=44, RR 0,19, IC95% 0,05-0,55, NNT 2), mas não para metoclopramida (n=71; RR 0,63; IC95% 0,07-5,71, I2 92,2%). CONCLUSÕES: A evidência para o uso de procinéticos no RGE e na DRGE em crianças é limitada, pois os poucos estudos são ensaios preliminares de resposta em curto prazo e com limitações metodológicas.UFPel Centro de Medicina Baseada em EvidênciasHospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Translacional em MedicinaUFRJ Instituto de PsiquiatriaUNIFESP Departamento de PsiquiatriaUNIFESP, Depto. de PsiquiatriaSciEL

Assessing the antitumor potential of variants of the extracellular carbohydrate polymer from synechocystis ΔsigF mutant

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide with a huge societal and economic impact. Clinically effective and less expensive anticancer agents derived from natural sources can help to overcome limitations and negative side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Previously, we showed that the extracellular carbohydrate polymer of a Synechocystis ΔsigF overproducing mutant displayed a strong antitumor activity towards several human tumor cell lines, by inducing high levels of apoptosis through p53 and caspase-3 activation. Here, the ΔsigF polymer was manipulated to obtain variants that were tested in a human melanoma (Mewo) cell line. Our results demonstrated that high molecular mass fractions were important for the polymer bioactivity, and that the reduction of the peptide content generated a variant with enhanced in vitro antitumor activity. This variant, and the original ΔsigF polymer, were further tested in vivo using the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Both polymers significantly decreased xenografted CAM tumor growth and affected tumor morphology, by promoting less compact tumors, validating their antitumor potential in vivo. This work contributes with strategies for the design and testing tailored cyanobacterial extracellular polymers and further strengths the relevance of evaluating this type of polymers for biotechnological/biomedical applications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An Ibero-American inter-laboratory trial to evaluate serological tests for the detection of anti-<i>Neospora caninum</i> antibodies in cattle

We carried out an inter-laboratory trial to compare the serological tests commonly used for the detection of specific Neospora caninum antibodies in cattle in Ibero- American countries. A total of eight laboratories participated from the following countries: Argentina (n = 4), Brazil (n = 1), Peru (n = 1), Mexico (n = 1), and Spain (n = 1). A blind panel of well-characterized cattle sera (n = 143) and sera representative of the target population (n = 351) was tested by seven in-house indirect fluorescent antibody tests (IFATs 1–7) and three enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs 1–3; two in-house and one commercial). Diagnostic performance of the serological tests was calculated and compared according to the following criteria: (1) the BPre-test information,^ which uses previous epidemiological and serological data; (2) the BMajority of tests,^ which classifies a serumas positive or negative according to the results obtained by most tests evaluated. Unexpectedly, six tests showed either sensitivity (Se) or specificity (Sp) values lower than 90%. In contrast, the best tests in terms of Se, Sp, and area under the ROC curve (AUC) values were IFAT 1 and optimized ELISA 1 and ELISA 2. We evaluated a high number of IFATs, which are the most widely used tests in Ibero-America. The significant discordances observed among the tests regardless of the criteria employed hinder control programs and urge the use of a common test or with similar performances to either the optimized IFAT 1 and ELISAs 1 and 2.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Identifying sustainability priorities among value chain actors in artisanal common octopus fisheries

The United Nations (UN) Decade of Ocean Science highlights a need to improve the way in which scientific results effectively inform action and policies regarding the ocean. Our research contributes to achieving this goal by identifying practical actions, barriers, stakeholder contributions and resources required to increase the sustainability of activities carried out in the context of artisanal fisheries to meet UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA) Global Action Plan (GAP) Pillar targets. We conducted a novel ‘social value chain analysis’ via a participatory workshop to elicit perspectives of value chain actors and fisheries stakeholders associated with two Spanish artisanal common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) fisheries (western Asturias—Marine Stewardship Council [MSC] certified, and Galicia—non-MSC certified) about their priorities regarding sustainable octopus production and commercializationOpen Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Cephs and Chefs Project (https://www.cephsandchefs.com/) funded by the European Regional Development Fund (https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/funding/erdf/) through the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme grant number EAPA_282/2016. CP, TF, KR and DC would also like to acknowledge financial support to CESAM by FCT/MCTES (UIDP/50017/2020 + UIDB/50017/2020 + LA/P/0094/2020), through national funds. CP acknowledges the FCT research contract 2020.02510.CEECIND. SV and PP acknowledge the financial support from the Xunta de Galicia (https://www.xunta.gal/portada) (RECREGES II project under Grant 1400 ED481B2018/017 and Grupo de Referencia Competitiva GI-2060 AEMI, under Grant 1401 ED431C2019/11). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscriptS

An Ibero-American inter-laboratory trial to evaluate serological tests for the detection of anti-<i>Neospora caninum</i> antibodies in cattle

We carried out an inter-laboratory trial to compare the serological tests commonly used for the detection of specific Neospora caninum antibodies in cattle in Ibero- American countries. A total of eight laboratories participated from the following countries: Argentina (n = 4), Brazil (n = 1), Peru (n = 1), Mexico (n = 1), and Spain (n = 1). A blind panel of well-characterized cattle sera (n = 143) and sera representative of the target population (n = 351) was tested by seven in-house indirect fluorescent antibody tests (IFATs 1–7) and three enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs 1–3; two in-house and one commercial). Diagnostic performance of the serological tests was calculated and compared according to the following criteria: (1) the BPre-test information,^ which uses previous epidemiological and serological data; (2) the BMajority of tests,^ which classifies a serumas positive or negative according to the results obtained by most tests evaluated. Unexpectedly, six tests showed either sensitivity (Se) or specificity (Sp) values lower than 90%. In contrast, the best tests in terms of Se, Sp, and area under the ROC curve (AUC) values were IFAT 1 and optimized ELISA 1 and ELISA 2. We evaluated a high number of IFATs, which are the most widely used tests in Ibero-America. The significant discordances observed among the tests regardless of the criteria employed hinder control programs and urge the use of a common test or with similar performances to either the optimized IFAT 1 and ELISAs 1 and 2.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria