P2P Web service based system for supporting decision-making in cellular manufacturing scheduling

With the increase of the Internet and Virtual Enterprises (VEs), interfaces for web systems and automated services are becoming an emergent necessity. In this paper we propose a Peer-to-peer (P2P) web-based decision-support system for enabling access to different manufacturing scheduling methods, which can be remotely available and accessible from a distributed knowledge base. The XML-based modeling and communication is applied to manufacturing scheduling. Therefore, manufacturing scheduling problems and methods are modeled using XML. The proposed P2P web-based system works as web services, under the SOAP protocol. The system’s distributed knowledge base enables sharing information about scheduling problems and corresponding solving methods in a widened search space, through a scheduling community, integrating a VE. Running several methods enables different results for a given problem, consequently, contributing for a better decision-making. An important aspect is that this knowledge base can be easily and continuously updated by any contributor through the VE. Moreover, through this system once suitable available methods, for a given problem, are identified, it enables running one or more of them, for enabling a better manufacturing scheduling support, enhanced though incorporated fuzzy decision-making proceduresAichi Science and Technology Foundation(PTDC/EME-GIN/102143/2008)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Essential versus accessory aspects of cell death: recommendations of the NCCD 2015

Cells exposed to extreme physicochemical or mechanical stimuli die in an uncontrollable manner, as a result of their immediate structural breakdown. Such an unavoidable variant of cellular demise is generally referred to as ‘accidental cell death’ (ACD). In most settings, however, cell death is initiated by a genetically encoded apparatus, correlating with the fact that its course can be altered by pharmacologic or genetic interventions. ‘Regulated cell death’ (RCD) can occur as part of physiologic programs or can be activated once adaptive responses to perturbations of the extracellular or intracellular microenvironment fail. The biochemical phenomena that accompany RCD may be harnessed to classify it into a few subtypes, which often (but not always) exhibit stereotyped morphologic features. Nonetheless, efficiently inhibiting the processes that are commonly thought to cause RCD, such as the activation of executioner caspases in the course of apoptosis, does not exert true cytoprotective effects in the mammalian system, but simply alters the kinetics of cellular demise as it shifts its morphologic and biochemical correlates. Conversely, bona fide cytoprotection can be achieved by inhibiting the transduction of lethal signals in the early phases of the process, when adaptive responses are still operational. Thus, the mechanisms that truly execute RCD may be less understood, less inhibitable and perhaps more homogeneous than previously thought. Here, the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death formulates a set of recommendations to help scientists and researchers to discriminate between essential and accessory aspects of cell death

Prevalence of pre-frailty for the component of gait speed in older adults

OBJETIVO: investigar a pré-fragilidade e os fatores associados a essa condição, considerando as medidas de velocidade da marcha dos idosos. MÉTODO: a seleção dos participantes ocorreu por meio de critérios de inclusão/exclusão e teste de rastreamento cognitivo. A amostra foi calculada com base na estimativa da proporção populacional e constituída por 195 idosos, usuários de uma Unidade Básica de Saúde de Curitiba, PR. Os dados foram coletados mediante questionário sociodemográfico/clínico e teste de velocidade da marcha. RESULTADOS: a pré-fragilidade para velocidade da marcha possui moderada prevalência (27,3%) e associou-se à faixa etária entre 60 e 69 anos, baixa escolaridade, não se sentir solitário, utilizar anti-hipertensivo, apresentar doença cardiovascular e sobrepeso. CONCLUSÃO: considera-se relevante identificar os idosos na condição de pré-fragilidade, pois, dessa maneira, existe a possibilidade de intervenção imediata com a finalidade de estacionamento do quadro. É significativo o déficit de estudos sobre a síndrome da fragilidade em idosos brasileiros, principalmente aqueles que se referem a um componente isolado. Visto que a enfermagem gerontológica se encontra nos primeiros passos referentes à temática, entende-se que a identificação da prevalência deve ser o ponto primordial das pesquisas sobre o tema.Objetivo: investigar la prefragilidad y los factores asociados a esa condición, considerando medidas de velocidad de la marcha de los ancianos. Método: la selección de los participantes ocurrió por medio de criterios de inclusión/exclusión y prueba de rastreo cognitivo. La muestra fue calculada con base en la estimativa de la proporción poblacional y fue constituida por 195 ancianos usuarios de una Unidad Básica de Salud de Curitiba, PR. Los datos fueron recolectados mediante cuestionario sociodemográfico/clínico y prueba de velocidad de la marcha. Resultados: la prefragilidad para la velocidad de la marcha posee moderada prevalencia (27,3%) y se asoció al intervalo de edad entre 60 y 69 años, baja escolaridad, no sentirse solitario, utilizar antihipertensivos, presentar enfermedad cardiovascular y sobrepeso. Conclusión: se considera relevante identificar a los ancianos en la condición de prefragilidad, ya que de esa manera existe la posibilidad de intervenir inmediata con la finalidad de estacionar el cuadro. Es significativo el déficit de estudios sobre el síndrome de la fragilidad en ancianos brasileños, principalmente aquellos que se refieren a un componente aislado. Considerando que la enfermería gerontológica se encuentra en los primeros pasos en lo que se refiere a la temática, se entiende que la identificación de la prevalencia debe ser el punto primordial de las investigaciones sobre el tema.OBJECTIVE: to investigate pre-frailty and the factors associated with this condition, taking into account the measurements of the older adults' gait speed. METHOD: participants were selected by means of inclusion/exclusion criteria and a cognitive tracking test. The sample was calculated based on the estimation of populational proportion and made up of 195 older adults who were using a Primary Health-Care Center in Curitiba in the state of Paraná. Data was collected using a socio-demographic/clinical questionnaire and the gait speed test. RESULTS: pre-frailty for gait speed has moderate prevalence (27.3%), and is associated with the 60 - 69 years age range, a low level of schooling, not feeling oneself to be alone, using anti-hypertensives, having cardiovascular disease and being overweight. CONCLUSION: it is considered relevant to identify those older adults with pre-frailty, as this creates the possibility for immediate intervention with the aim of stabilizing the picture. There is a significant shortage of studies on the syndrome of frailty in Brazilian older adults, principally referring to components in isolation. Given that gerontological nursing is at an early stage regarding this issue, it is understood that the identification of the prevalence must be the key point of the research on the matter

Spread of a SARS-CoV-2 variant through Europe in the summer of 2020.

Following its emergence in late 2019, the spread of SARS-CoV-21,2 has been tracked by phylogenetic analysis of viral genome sequences in unprecedented detail3–5. Although the virus spread globally in early 2020 before borders closed, intercontinental travel has since been greatly reduced. However, travel within Europe resumed in the summer of 2020. Here we report on a SARS-CoV-2 variant, 20E (EU1), that was identified in Spain in early summer 2020 and subsequently spread across Europe. We find no evidence that this variant has increased transmissibility, but instead demonstrate how rising incidence in Spain, resumption of travel, and lack of effective screening and containment may explain the variant’s success. Despite travel restrictions, we estimate that 20E (EU1) was introduced hundreds of times to European countries by summertime travellers, which is likely to have undermined local efforts to minimize infection with SARS-CoV-2. Our results illustrate how a variant can rapidly become dominant even in the absence of a substantial transmission advantage in favourable epidemiological settings. Genomic surveillance is critical for understanding how travel can affect transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and thus for informing future containment strategies as travel resumes. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field