Shared Spaces and Social Integration

The pandemic caused by the SARS-COv2 virus demanded actions in universities to ensure safety public health of their community. Several fronts are working in this direction, from physical distancing and sanitation protocols, to the use of indoor and outdoor environments, which includes the circulation of pedestrians and cyclists through the campuses. The University of Campinas is carrying out a tactical urbanism project, consisting of a set of actions aimed at low-cost changes in the built environment to test possible improvements through a living laboratory that involves the entire local community. The living laboratory is an innovative systemic approach that enables the integration of research and innovation in a territorial context through co-creation that involves the local community. The objective of the living laboratory of tactical urbanism at Unicamp is to encourage and guide the circulation of pedestrians and cyclists on the campuses in conditions that ensure physical distance. For this, workshops, questionnaires, decisions and collaborative actions are carrying out, so the community is involved in all stages of the project. After the situational survey and planning, actions should involve surface design with patterns and artistic paintings along the streets in order to promote shared use between modes of transport with special consideration for pedestrians and cyclists. As a result, it is expected that Unicamp will be able to restart face-to-face activities during the pandemic with public safety, mobility and low investment.Keyword: Sustainable Urban Mobility, Pedestrian, Cyclist, Sustainable Campu

Presence and stability of B complex vitamins in bee pollen using different storage conditions

This study has the objective of evaluating the stability of B complex vitamins and its vitamers, for a period of 1 year of storage. The pollen samples were stored under room temperature (with and without light) and frozen. The vitamins were quantified by HPLC with fluorescence detection. All proposed vitamins were found in the samples and the dehydration process did not interfere in vitamin content. The variations were (dry basis): 0.59–1.09 mg/100 g (B1); 1.73–2.56 (B2); 6.43–15.34 (PP) and 0.33–0.68 (B6). After 1 year of storage, it can be stated that vitamin B1 concentration remained constant, while for the others, the concentration loss was dependent on time rather than on storage conditions. All samples were considered vitamin B2 sources. The influence of the storage time in the concentrations of vitamin B6 and PP was explained mathematically, through linear regression equations of multivariate analysis

Longitudinal analysis of the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale in Parkinson's Disease (NMSS): An exploratory network analysis approach

Introduction Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms. In particular, non-motor symptoms have become increasingly relevant to disease progression. This study aimed to reveal which non-motor symptoms have the highest impact on the complex interacting system of various non-motor symptoms and to determine the progression of these interactions over time. Methods We performed exploratory network analyses of 499 patients with PD from the Cohort of Patients with Parkinson's Disease in Spain study, who had Non-Motor Symptoms Scale in Parkinson's Disease ratings obtained at baseline and a 2-year follow-up. Patients were aged between 30 and 75 years and had no dementia. The strength centrality measures were determined using the extended Bayesian information criterion and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator. A network comparison test was conducted for the longitudinal analyses. Results Our study revealed that the depressive symptoms anhedonia and feeling sad had the strongest impact on the overall pattern of non-motor symptoms in PD. Although several non-motor symptoms increase in intensity over time, their complex interacting networks remain stable. Conclusion Our results suggest that anhedonia and feeling sad are influential non-motor symptoms in the network and, thus, are promising targets for interventions as they are closely linked to other non-motor symptoms

Biofabrication of the osteochondral unit and its applications: Current and future directions for 3D bioprinting

Multiple prevalent diseases, such as osteoarthritis (OA), for which there is no cure or full understanding, affect the osteochondral unit; a complex interface tissue whose architecture, mechanical nature and physiological characteristics are still yet to be successfully reproduced in vitro. Although there have been multiple tissue engineering-based approaches to recapitulate the three dimensional (3D) structural complexity of the osteochondral unit, there are various aspects that still need to be improved. This review presents the different pre-requisites necessary to develop a human osteochondral unit construct and focuses on 3D bioprinting as a promising manufacturing technique. Examples of 3D bioprinted osteochondral tissues are reviewed, focusing on the most used bioinks, chosen cell types and growth factors. Further information regarding the applications of these 3D bioprinted tissues in the fields of disease modelling, drug testing and implantation is presented. Finally, special attention is given to the limitations that currently hold back these 3D bioprinted tissues from being used as models to investigate diseases such as OA. Information regarding improvements needed in bioink development, bioreactor use, vascularisation and inclusion of additional tissues to further complete an OA disease model, are presented. Overall, this review gives an overview of the evolution in 3D bioprinting of the osteochondral unit and its applications, as well as further illustrating limitations and improvements that could be performed explicitly for disease modelling

Evaluation of a synthetic peptide-based bioink (PeptiInk Alpha 1) for in vitro 3D bioprinting of cartilage tissue models

Cartilage pathology in human disease is poorly understood and requires further research. Various attempts have been made to study cartilage pathologies using in vitro human cartilage models as an alternative for preclinical research. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is a technique that has been used to 3D-bioprint cartilage tissue models in vitro using animal-derived materials such as gelatine or hyaluronan, which present challenges in terms of scalability, reproducibility, and ethical concerns. We present an assessment of synthetic self-assembling peptides as bioinks for bioprinted human in vitro cartilage models. Primary human chondrocytes were mixed with PeptiInk Alpha 1, 3D-bioprinted and cultured for 14 days, and compared with 3D chondrocyte pellet controls. Cell viability was assessed through LIVE/DEAD assays and DNA quantification. High cell viability was observed in the PeptiInk culture, while a fast decrease in DNA levels was observed in the 3D pellet control. Histological evaluation using hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunofluorescence labeling for SOX-9, collagen type II, and aggrecan showed a homogeneous cell distribution in the 3D-bioprinted PeptiInks as well as high expression of chondrogenic markers in both control and PeptiInk cultures. mRNA expression levels assessed by - qRT-PCR (quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction) confirmed chondrogenic cell behavior. These data showed promise in the potential use of PeptiInk Alpha 1 as a bioprintable manufacturing material for human cartilage in vitro models

Depth dependent local structures in thin films unraveled by grazing incidence x-ray absorption spectroscopy

A method of using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) together with resolved grazing incidence geometry for depth profiling atomic, electronic, chemical or magnetic local structures in thin films is presented. The quantitative deconvolution of thickness-dependent spectral features is performed by fully considering both scattering and absorption formalisms. Surface oxidation and local structural depth profiles in nanometric FePt films are determined, exemplifying the application of the method.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

A critical analysis on the sensitivity enhancement of surface plasmon resonance sensors with graphene

The use of graphene in surface plasmon resonance sensors, covering a metallic (plasmonic) film, has a number of demonstrated advantages, such as protecting the film against corrosion/oxidation and facilitating the introduction of functional groups for selective sensing. Recently, a number of works have claimed that few-layer graphene can also increase the sensitivity of the sensor. However, graphene was treated as an isotropic thin film, with an out-of-plane refractive index that is identical to the in-plane index. Here, we critically examine the role of single and few layers of graphene in the sensitivity enhancement of surface plasmon resonance sensors. Graphene is introduced over the metallic film via three different descriptions: as an atomic-thick two-dimensional sheet, as a thin effective isotropic material (same conductivity in the three coordinate directions), and as an non-isotropic layer (different conductivity in the perpendicular direction to the two-dimensional plane). We find that only the isotropic layer model, which is known to be incorrect for the optical modeling of graphene, provides sizable sensitivity increases, while the other, more accurate, models lead to a negligible contribution to the sensitivity.This work was funded by FAPESP (grant nos. 2018/07276-5 and 2018/25339-4), the Brazilian Nanocarbon Institute of Science and Technology (INCT/Nanocarbon), and CAPES-PrInt (grant no. 88887.310281/2018-00). N.M.R.P. acknowledges PORTUGAL 2020, FEDER, and the FCT through projects: UIDB/04650/2020 strategic project, QML-HEP-CERN/FIS-COM/0004/2021 and PTDC/FIS-MAC/2045/2021, and the European Commission through the project GrapheneDriven Revolutions in ICT and Beyond (Ref. No. 881603, CORE 3).https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/15/256

Enhancement of up-conversion efficiency by combining rare earth-doped phosphors with PbS quantum dots

This paper aims to enhance the up-conversion phenomena observed in silicon solar cells by combining a rare earth-doped phosphor with PbS quantum dots. Two different ways of adhering the up-converter and the fluorescent material to a bifacial solar cell are implemented: dissolving the powder in a spin-on oxide and by dissolving it in a silicone gel. Characterization is carried out through photocurrent and photoluminescence measurements. The improvement in photocurrent detected by the combination of the up-converter and the PbS quantum dots is 60% better than without them, demonstrating that the absorption and emission characteristics of the quantum dots embedded both in the oxide or the silicone can be tuned to the desired spectral region

Virgin and recycled polypropylene composites reinforced with sisal by-product

Foram estudadas as propriedades térmicas e mecânicas de compósitos de polipropileno, virgem e reciclado, reforçados com 30% em massa de fibras residuais de sisal, assim como o perfil de processamento e a morfologia da matriz polimérica. Para tanto, foram determinadas a resistência à tração, o módulo de Young, alongamento na ruptura, e energia de impacto. As amostras também foram caracterizadas por MEV, DMTA e TG. Para ambos os compósitos de polipropileno, virgem e reciclado, com a adição das fibras, o alongamento na ruptura mostrou uma queda significativa, enquanto que a resistência à tração não sofreu grandes variações. Houve um aumento significativo nos valores de tração na ruptura e de energia de impacto com a adição das fibras de sisal na matriz de polipropileno. As análises térmicas mostraram ligações secundárias, como as ligações polares, entre as fibras e a matriz, concordando com o comportamento mecânico dos compósitos. Constatou-se que a temperatura de transição vítrea não variou após a adição da fibra.The mechanical and thermal properties of virgin and recycled polypropylene composites reinforced with 30% by mass of residual sisal fibers were studied, in addition to an analysis of the extrusion process and morphology of the polymeric matrix. Tensile strength, Young's modulus, elongation at break, and impact energy were determined. The samples were also characterized by SEM, DMTA and TG analyses. Elongation at break of the composites presented a significant decrease, while the tensile strength was not affected significantly by addition of sisal fibers. A significant increase was observed in the tension of rupture and in the impact energy of the composite reinforced with sisal fiber. The thermal analyses indicated secondary interactions, such as polar interactions, between the fibers and the matrix, consistent with the mechanical behavior of the composites. The glass transition temperature has not changed after fiber addition.Universidade Federal de São Carlos - Departamento de Engenharia de MateriaisFinepCNP

Deep reefs are not refugium for shallow-water fish communities in the southwestern Atlantic

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M1. The deep reef refugia hypothesis (DRRH) predicts that deep reef ecosystems may act as refugium for the biota of disturbed shallow waters. Because deep reefs are among the most understudied habitats on Earth, formal tests of the DRRH remain scarce. If the DRRH is valid at the community level, the diversity of species, functions, and lineages of fish communities of shallow reefs should be encapsulated in deep reefs. 2. We tested the DRRH by assessing the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of 22 Brazilian fish communities between 2 and 62 m depth. We partitioned the gamma diversity of shallow (30 m) into independent alpha and beta components, accounted for species' abundance, and assessed whether beta patterns were mostly driven by spatial turnover or nestedness. 3. We recorded 3,821 fishes belonging to 85 species and 36 families. Contrary to DRRH expectations, only 48% of the species occurred in both shallow and deep reefs. Alpha diversity of rare species was higher in deep reefs as expected, but alpha diversity of typical and dominant species did not vary with depth. Alpha functional diversity was higher in deep reefs only for rare and typical species, but not for dominant species. Alpha phylogenetic diversity was consistently higher in deep reefs, supporting DRRH expectations. 4. Profiles of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic beta diversity indicated that deep reefs were not more heterogeneous than shallow reefs, contradicting expectations of biotic homogenization near sea surface. Furthermore, pairwise beta-diversity analyses revealed that the patterns were mostly driven by spatial turnover rather than nestedness at any depth. 5. Conclusions. Although some results support the DRRH, most indicate that the shallow-water reef fish diversity is not fully encapsulated in deep reefs. Every reef contributes significantly to the regional diversity and must be managed and protected accordingly