Moderate deviations for stabilizing functionals in geometric probability

The purpose of the present paper is to establish explicit bounds on moderate deviation probabilities for a rather general class of geometric functionals enjoying the stabilization property, under Poisson input and the assumption of a certain control over the growth of the moments of the functional and its radius of stabilization. Our proof techniques rely on cumulant expansions and cluster measures and yield completely explicit bounds on deviation probabilities. In addition, we establish a new criterion for the limiting variance to be non-degenerate. Moreover, our main result provides a new central limit theorem, which, though stated under strong moment assumptions, does not require bounded support of the intensity of the Poisson input. We apply our results to three groups of examples: random packing models, geometric functionals based on Euclidean nearest neighbors and the sphere of influence graphs.Comment: 52 page

Potential of electrospun cationic BSA fibers to guide osteogenic MSC differentiation via surface charge and fibrous topography

Large or complex bone fractures often need clinical treatments for sufficient bone repair. New treatment strategies have pursued the idea of using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in combination with osteoinductive materials to guide differentiation of MSCs into bone cells ensuring complete bone regeneration. To overcome the challenge of developing such materials, fundamental studies are needed to analyze and understand the MSC behavior on modified surfaces of applicable materials for bone healing. For this purpose, we developed a fibrous scaffold resembling the bone/bone marrow extracellular matrix (ECM) based on protein without addition of synthetic polymers. With this biomimetic in vitro model we identified the fibrous structure as well as the charge of the material to be responsible for its effects on MSC differentiation. Positive charge was introduced via cationization that additionally supported the stability of the scaffold in cell culture, and acted as nucleation point for mineralization during osteogenesis. Furthermore, we revealed enhanced focal adhesion formation and osteogenic differentiation of MSCs cultured on positively charged protein fibers. This pure protein-based and chemically modifiable, fibrous ECM model allows the investigation of MSC behavior on biomimetic materials to unfold new vistas how to direct cells’ differentiation for the development of new bone regenerating strategies

Microeconomics of the materials and energents consumption in a simulated copper casting process

An analytical model for the optimization of the consumption of materials and energents in a typical coppercasting process based on a standard simulation procedure is presented. The proposed microeconomic analysisin correlation with the virtual manufacture of castings enabled a shortening of the time required to developa product, as well as the fabrication of high quality castings, which could be a crucial contributionto the achievement of increased engineering adequacy and economic competitiveness.In this sense, the article demonstrates the beneficial employment of mathematical programming withina systematic economic analysis. The analyzed casting process is a part of the metallurgical manufacturingoperations of the Copper Smelter and Refinery Bor, Serbia

A parallelized, perfused 3D triculture model of leukemia for in vitro drug testing of chemotherapeutics

Leukemia patients undergo chemotherapy to combat the leukemic cells (LCs) in the bone marrow. During therapy not only the LCs, but also the blood-producing hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) may be destroyed. Chemotherapeutics targeting only the LCs are urgently needed to overcome this problem and minimize life-threatening side-effects. Predictive in vitro drug testing systems allowing simultaneous comparison of various experimental settings would enhance the efficiency of drug development. Here, we present a three-dimensional (3D) human leukemic bone marrow model perfused using a magnetic, parallelized culture system to ensure media exchange. Chemotherapeutic treatment of the acute myeloid leukemia cell line KG-1a in 3D magnetic hydrogels seeded with mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) revealed a greater resistance of KG-1a compared to 2D culture. In 3D tricultures with HSPCs, MSCs and KG-1a, imitating leukemic bone marrow, HSPC proliferation decreased while KG-1a cells remained unaffected post treatment. Non-invasive metabolic profiling enabled continuous monitoring of the system. Our results highlight the importance of using biomimetic 3D platforms with proper media exchange and co-cultures for creating in vivo-like conditions to enable in vitro drug testing. This system is a step towards drug testing in biomimetic, parallelized in vitro approaches, facilitating the discovery of new anti-leukemic drugs

O retorno a um “novo normal”: a emergência de um pós-normal em educação?

Este texto decorre de estudos motivados pelo cenário político e educacional instalado diante da pandemia da Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) no Brasil e no mundo. Com as orientações sanitárias de distanciamento social no início do ano letivo de 2020, deu-se o fechamento dos espaços escolares e a suspensão das atividades presenciais, ocasionando múltiplos questionamentos quanto a alternativas viáveis para a aprendizagem escolar dos estudantes, inquietações quanto à utilização de atividades remotas, ansiedades quanto ao retorno à normalidade e a possibilidade de um “novo normal”. Nesse contexto da pandemia foi produzido este trabalho cujo objetivo primeiro está em problematizar o “normal” e o “novo normal” não como uma sequência temporal, centrada no antes e depois, respectivamente, mas em suas ambiguidades e tensionamentos, para então agenciar enunciados no sentido da emergência de um pós-normal em educação. Trata-se de um estudo predominantemente teórico, acrescido da escuta de estudantes de ensino fundamental em escola pública e privada e de ensino superior sobre seus novos cenários educativos. As narrativas dos estudantes denotou certo entusiasmo em relação à utilização de atividades online, evidenciando o fato de possuírem acesso às tecnologias digitais e condições estruturais do trabalho remoto, o que não representa a realidade objetiva da maioria da população brasileira. As respostas, ainda provisórias às discussões levantadas apontam para a necessidade de repensarmos nossos modos de produzir e habitar em novos territórios em tempos de intermezzo, deixando emergir novas composições curriculares nesse pós-normal em educação, com todas as suas ambiguidades, suas ambivalências, suas tramas

FREE PLAY IN CURRICULUM COMPOSITIONS IN FUNDAMENTAL EDUCATION: PERSPECTIVING A SMALLER EDUCATION

This article seeks to tension and discuss the idea of free play as a school content that has been neglected and made invisible by the dominant curricular propositions, whether in the school environment or in the home environment. It invests in the verb “to child” as a condition of childhood with all its astuteness, curiosities, freedoms and powers of creation. It is a cartography that seeks to outline the common plan, assuming its necessary transversality. In this way, it meets two other studies previously produced – Baú Brincante and Catadores do Brincar – whose collections allowed, in their crossings, to capture records and narratives of the participating teachers who helped to argue and propose “smaller curriculum” compositions, dear to this current study. Based on the philosophy of difference, above all on the idea of the “smaller curriculum”, this work signals the necessary movements to envisage open curriculum for “to child”, as a way of affirming the child's desire and its processes of singularization.Este artigo busca tensionar e discutir a ideia do brincar livre como um conteúdo escolar que vem sendo desprezado e invisibilizado pelas proposições curriculares dominantes, seja no ambiente escolar, seja no ambiente domiciliar. Investe no verbo "criançar" como uma condição da infância com todas as suas astúcias, curiosidades, liberdades e potências de criação. Trata-se de uma cartografia que busca traçar o plano comum, assumindo a transversalidade que lhe é necessária. Desse modo, vai ao encontro de dois outros estudos anteriormente produzidos - Baú Brincante e Catadores do Brincar – cujos acervos permitiram, em seus atravessamentos, capturar registros e narrativas de professores participantes que ajudaram a argumentar e a propor composições curriculares “menores”, caras a este estudo atual. Apoiando-se na filosofia da diferença, sobretudo na ideia do “currículo menor”, esse trabalho sinaliza para os necessários movimentos de perspectivar currículos abertos ao "criançar", como modo de afirmar o desejo da criança e os seus processos de singularização