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The wood industry is an essential part of the economy of some regions in Brazil. Although the excess of wood residue is an environmental concern, it is also an alternative source for electricity generation. This allows for compliance with current legislation to minimize environmental impacts such as strategies to control the emission of pollutants and the decarbonization in the wood exploration activity. Despite this, the thermoelectric plants based on wood residues face problems associated with the low efficiency in generation due to the high moisture content of the residues, and challenges related to transport and storage. In this sense, this work is to evaluate the application of a self-sustainable briquetting plant as an alternative for solving the problems associated with the high moisture content, transport, and storage of wood residues. The aspects related to the construction of the briquetting plant and economic indicators associated with the economic feasibility, such as, the estimation of the net present value over the project lifecycle, internal rate of return and pay-back period, are also presented and discussed. The results demonstrated the feasibility of the plant mainly due to the better energy/volume ratio of the briquette (drying and compaction) and the transportation cost savings associated to the density of the compacted material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: the Informal Caregiver (IC) faces multiple difficulties in the care of the dependent person. Objectives: to assess the difficulties felt by informal caregivers in the care of the dependent person and to identify the predictive variables of these difficulties. Materials and Methods: observational, cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study with a quantitative approach that used a non-probabilistic convenience sample of 119 IC from the Central Region of Portugal. The measurement instrument used included a sociodemographic data sheet and an Informal Caregiver Difficulties Assessment Scale (EADCI). Results: moderate difficulties were mostly observed, being higher in the dimensions of self-care and activities of daily living. The degree of functional dependence of the dependent person, the age of the IC and the existence of architectural barriers were found as predictive variables. Conclusions: the results indicate that ICs present difficulties at different levels of dependent person care, strengthening the need to implement new possible strategies to respond to these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The role of rehabilitation in balance, gait, and functional independence (BGFI) is essential for preventing functional decline in hospitalized older people. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a rehabilitation nursing exercise program (RNEP) on BGFI in hospitalized older people. Methodology: A pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest study was conducted with a non-probability convenience sample of 40 older people admitted to an Internal Medicine Unit. The intervention consisted of the implementation of a daily multicomponent RNEP that was created for this purpose. The questionnaire included a section for sociodemographic and clinical characterization, the Functional Independence Measure, and the Tinetti Test. Results: After seven RNEP sessions, significant positive variations in the mean scores were found: 45% for balance (p < 0.001), 48.8% for gait (p < 0.001), and 15.5% for functional independence (p < 0.001), revealing the program's effectiveness. Conclusion: The RNEP seems to be effective in improving and restoring BGFI in hospitalized older people, thus it should be systematically and daily applied to this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to know about alcohol consumption among students at a university in southern Brazil. A crosssectional, quantitative study was carried out with Biomedicine students (n = 134) using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, translated version. Statistical tests were used to verify the association between categorical variables. There was a predominance of women, aged 18 to 21 years. There was an early onset of alcohol consumption, prior to arrival at the university, linked to parties and the company of friends. After entering the course, 41.04% said they had increased their intake (p = 0.0001). As for risk, 72.38% were classified as low risk consumers, 19.39% as risk consumers, 5.98% high risk and 2.25% dependent. Being a health academic and knowing the losses associated with alcohol consumption does not favor the adoption of a healthy lifestyle. It is evident that the use of alcohol is not exclusively influenced by the knowledge of the risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The “perfect storm” term is used to represent a rare and unlikely combination of circumstances that can cause a real disaster in the environment in which they occur. Thus, this research associates the term in question to social anomie, which means that a combination of factors: the Covid-19 pandemic and government actions related to the labor society in this period, can threaten social cohesion and thus make individuals and anomic society. Therefore, this research aims to reflect on how government actions taken in relation to the labor society in the pandemic period served as a “perfect storm” for social anomie. For this reason, considering the methodological character, this research fits into the interpretive, qualitative, exploratory, bibliographical and cross-sectional method. The findings demonstrate that the government actions taken to combat the pandemic by Covid-19 in relation to the labor society are insufficient to ensure social cohesion, which means that social anomie occurs and shakes the relationship between individual and society. In addition, it appears that the measures imposed by the government are contrary to those adopted in other countries, being considered ineffective in fulfilling the State's duty in meeting the needs of the working population, further increasing social inequalities and injuring the right to life and to health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Musculoskeletal injuries related to the work of professional musicians constitute a real public health problem. Thus, we aimed to identify the prevalence and determinants of musculoskeletal injuries in professional musicians practising plucked string instruments. It is a cross-sectional, descriptivecorrelational and quantitative character study, involving 140 Portuguese musicians living in 3 cities from Portugal, aged 18 to 55 years old. A questionnaire was used that included variables of sociodemographic characterization, health / style and musical practice. For the evaluation of musculoskeletal disorders we used the "Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire". The results showed that 70,0% reported musculoskeletal disorders (MI) that manifested as pain / tingling / numbness in the last 12 months, mainly in the wrists / hands (68,6%) and shoulders (54,3%), We found that MI were more frequent in older musicians with higher Body Mass Indexes, those who consumed alcoholic beverages and did not practise physical activity, and those who had excessive performances. We conclude that the prevalence of MI in Portuguese musicians of plucked string instruments is high (70%) and these are related to individual characteristics, life styles and instrumental practice demands, which is urgent to modify through preventive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work has as its central purpose to investigate the gender category and its approach in the Latin American Journal of Geography and Gender, aiming to analyze the scientific productions of this journal between 2010 and 2019. It adopts a qualitative approach, and the documentary and bibliographic research as its methodology. The selection of papers resulted in a total of twelve articles, which were evaluated and distributed in the categories of Education and Geography Teaching. From the analyses, it was concluded that it is indispensable to work with the theme of gender within geography studies. The social essay of these studies allows students to understand the different forms of local empowerment by different social groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of a research on the socio-spatial transformation process of the municipality of Itapoá-SC. The study focused on the historical, geographic and physical characterization of Itapoá, in order to understand the transformations that occurred from its genesis to the present day. In the collection of the data and in the analysis and interpretation of the same was used as methodology the qualitative bibliographical and field research, through interviews with thirty residents, namely representatives of the history of the municipality. In general terms, the technical information medium helped to identify, in both historical records and oral records, the beginning of the settlement of this territory and related themes, as well as the changes that have occurred over time and how this space is configured today. The research allowed identifying the impacts caused by the port enterprise, consequent transformations and how space has been organized in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Sleep disturbances are frequent in infants. Early development of sleep routines has a positive effect on sleep quality. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of maternal education on the development of infants' sleep habits (SHs).Methods: This was an experimental, longitudinal study. Postnatal mothers were allocated into two groups: to receive (intervention group, IG), or not receive (control group, CG) information on sleep hygiene. Individual 15-min sessions were provided and a leaflet was handed to the IG. A questionnaire on infants' SHs was applied by telephone/e-mail at 1, 2, 4, and 6 months of age.Results: At least three questionnaires were answered by 314 mothers. Results were adjusted for maternal age, education, and race. In the IG, infants acquired more independent sleep habits, an effect still present at six months; slept more frequently in their own beds; adjusted odds ratio (ORadj) 3.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.1-13.5); fell asleep more frequently alone (ORadj, 4.29; 95% CI, 2.4-7.6); fell asleep more frequently in their own beds (ORadj, 6.1; 95% CI, 3.5-10.6) and needed less breast/bottle feeding to fall asleep (ORadj, 2.68; 95% CI, 1.5-4.6). The autonomy was greater in IG infants after night awakenings; also until six months they went back to sleep more frequently alone (ORadj, 3.88; 95% CI, 2-7.5) and needed less breast/bottle feeding (ORadj, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.3-4.3). No differences were found regarding the need for light, television or other routines to fall asleep or after night awakenings.Conclusion: Maternal education is positively associated with the adoption of autonomous SHs in infants. Early maternal education is an adequate prevention strategy to be considered in neonatal care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease which affects the movement and leads to the progressive cognitive deficits and behavioral capacities. Care for a Huntington patient is a complex process with a major impact on health, well-being and quality of life of Informal Caregivers (IC). Objectives: To evaluate the impact of HD in the Quality of Life (QoL) Informal Caregiver, and to verify if the socio-demographic, contextual and clinical variables relate to that QoL. Methods: This is a quantitative study, descriptive and correlational with 50 IC members of the "Asociación de Corea de Huntington Española ". We used the Spanish version of the questionnaire: Huntington's Disease Quality of Life Battery for Carers (HDQoL-C) as the data collection instrument. Results: The participants are mostly female, averaging 50.04 years of age, married with a high level of literacy and active. The IC have a moderate QoL in which the caregiver role has great impact. However "the life satisfaction" and "feelings about life with HD" which appear to alleviate this burden. Data showed that the educational level and the number of hours of daily care influenced the QoL. Conclusions: The results reinforce the multidimensionality and variability of QoL of the Huntington's patients IC and highlight the need for health professionals to take a chance on intervention programs in the community, in order to capacitate the IC to provide care and promote their QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It aims to present aspects of the collection of information centers of the Network of Art Libraries and Information Centers in the State of Rio de Janeiro that allow open access to certain collections of the units that are members of the Network by its users. The Network has a virtual/digital library of information in Art with part of a collection of libraries that have a similar database. This is exploratory and descriptive research with a qualitative and quantitative approach. Informs that new studies are underway to expand the current catalog. Demonstrates through a survey conducted in 2015 that 81% of representatives of entities associated with REDARTE /RJ use the catalog of the virtual library to meet the information needs of its users. It is noticed that even with the issue of the authorship of the numerous collections of each unit it is possible with the catalog of the virtual library to facilitate the service to the user. The usability of the REDARTE /RJ virtual library is acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of Digital Technologies by undergraduates is characterized and notes are elaborated on possible repercussions on their health. Three hundred and sixty-one young people, aged between 17 and 24 years, enrolled in an institute of higher education in the northern region of the state of Paraná, participated. A questionnaire on age at first access, frequency and aim was applied. Statistical analysis showed through logistic regression that information technologies are used for work or leisure, during the evening and night, for a period of four hours, whereas telephony is used for more than 8 hours at all times of the day for social relationship. Results show that technology lies within the day-to-day living of young people, especially within the affective and social life. However, their long use may indicate crucial habits, such as sleep and physical activities, harming young people's health. Technologies are important for interaction and learning and should be employed by public policies to ensure healthy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Musculoskeletal disorders in adolescents, have increased in the last decade to truly alarming levels, with a tendency to chronicity and maintenance in adulthood, which is a serious public health problem. To identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in adolescents and analyze their correlation with sociodemographic, circumstantial and anthropometric variables. This is a nonexperimental, cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational and quantitative character study, which involved 137 adolescents from three schools in the district of Viseu. The study was conducted using a questionnaire that includes sociodemographic, anthropometric and circumstantial variables, a "Physical Activity Questionnaire" to assess the physical activity and the "Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire" to assess musculoskeletal disorders. The data show that 41.6% of adolescents presents no musculoskeletal disorder in the last 12 months, but in 58.4% it is present, being located mainly in the legs / knees (47.4%), dorsal column (37.2%), lumbar (35.8%), cervical (35.0%) and shoulders (34.3%). We observe that musculoskeletal disorders are more prevalent among girls, adolescents taller than 1.59 m and belonging to lower socio-economic classes. Also those using the backpack over one shoulder only, who see television for longer than 10 hours per week and the same time playing video games / computer present major disruption. Our study reinforces the idea that musculoskeletal disorders in adolescents is high, it has dynamic, multifaceted and multidimensional origin, making it imperative to implement rehabilitation interventions and promoting rehabilitation of an optimized musculoskeletal functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical framework: Sensorimotor stimulation is one of the interventions of Rehabilitation Nursing in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). However, the combination of components to be included in a sensorimotor program to obtain more effective results remains uncertain. Objectives: To identify the elements to be included in a Nursing Sensorimotor Rehabilitation Program (NSRP) for preterm infants admitted to NICUs for it to be more efficient in the development of this population. Methodology: Integrative Literature Review using the PICO method through search in electronic databases. Seven articles published between 2003 and 2013 were included. Results: Five elements to be included in a NSRP in a NICU were identified: Nursing rehabilitation techniques, principles of care focused on development, assessment tools, parental education, and continuity of care after discharge. Conclusion: We believe that including elements with high scientific evidence in a NSRP will improve its effectiveness in the development of preterm infants, with clear health gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a discussion on the use of children's literature as a strategy for the development of different educational activities to teach Geography. Presents a project developed a class of pedagogy in the discipline of Methodological Foundations of Teaching Geography which sought to highlight how this kind of literature can be used as a methodological strategy in the classroom of kindergarten and in the early years, with the aim of contributing to construction of learning of geographical science. Highlights the importance of literacy and Geographic literacy in the early years and early childhood education. Discusses the importance of learning Geography in the early years of primary school, which is often taught in a disconnected way of life of the students and does not use largely the conceptual apparatus that science. We understand that the role of geography in the early years should be to develop skills that are meaningful to the child know the space you live in and provide support for apprehension of landscape and expand the notion of space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through this article, we intend to present results of a survey that is part of a movement of research studies that have been developed within the research project “The Role of Practicum in the Context of Geography Teacher Education", inserted in the research line of Geography Teaching and Teacher Education by the research group called “Geography Teaching, Teacher Education, and Different Languages " institutionalized at Universidade Estadual de Santa Catarina (UDESC), as part of its undergraduate teaching program in Geography in collaboration with the Graduate Program in Geography at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC). Our concern lies in investigating the process of teacher education, with focus on Geography teaching. The objective of this article is to understand the role of the classroom teacher in basic education when advising Practicum students and future Geography teachers studying at UDESC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text aims to discuss on pedophilization and social practices that focus on the child's body from an ethnographic research, which began in 2014, with children living in a community in the Great Florianópolis. In alert to defense times, safeguarding and promoting the rights of children, we live a paradoxical image that relates to the violation of their rights, especially to the consumer network and intergenerational brand characterized by childhood pedophilization nowadays. The ethnographic research in this community enables us to understand how children incorporate this social language of violence in their daily lives and how they assimilate as natural a body similar to the adult one, eroticized and consumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroplasticity refers to the ability of the brain to reorganize the function and structure of its connections in response to changes in the environment. Adult human visual cortex shows several manifestations of plasticity, such as perceptual learning and adaptation, working under the top-down influence of attention. Plasticity results from the interplay of several mechanisms, including the GABAergic system, epigenetic factors, mitochondrial activity, and structural remodeling of synaptic connectivity. There is also a downside of plasticity, that is, maladaptive plasticity, in which there are behavioral losses resulting from plasticity changes in the human brain. Understanding plasticity mechanisms could have major implications in the diagnosis and treatment of ocular diseases, such as retinal disorders, cataract and refractive surgery, amblyopia, and in the evaluation of surgical materials and techniques. Furthermore, eliciting plasticity could open new perspectives in the development of strategies that trigger plasticity for better medical and surgical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluate the effectiveness of salinization compared to heparinization on the patency of the fully implanted catheter. Integrative literature review. The search was carried out in the National Library of Medicine, Science Direct, Scientific Electronic Library Online and Virtual Health Library databases. When washing the port-a-cath, 10 to 20ml of 0.9% saline solution is used, reaching up to 20 ml for washing; in blocking, 0.9% saline solution is used to saline or heparinized solution, with concentrations of 50 to 100U/ml, reaching up to 500U/ml for heparinization, both with a 1.5 to 5 ml flush. SF stood out by showing security in port-a-cath blocking. The use of a fully implanted catheter in cancer patients proved to be of such importance for the procedures, the studies showed that there is no significant difference between the solutions, suggesting the use of 0.9% saline solution for catheter blocking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the implementation results of the Portuguese School Libraries Evaluation Model, more specifically the results of primary schools self-evaluation of their libraries' reading promotion and information literacy development activities. School libraries that rated their performance as either 'Excellent' or 'Poor' have been purposefully selected as case studies. Following a QUAN-QUAL approach to data collection and analysis, we first present the results of two surveys designed respectively to understand how students relate to reading and information access, production and communication in the context of the school library provision, and to map teachers' perceptions on school libraries' systematic promotion of reading and information literacy. In the qualitative component of the study, the evaluation reports submitted by school libraries were subject to thematic analysis to unearth meanings assigned and core concepts employed to classify school libraries' provision. The thematic analysis of reports was also used to further confirm the validity of schools' self-attributed performance levels. The paper calls for the development of an evaluation culture in school libraries, and suggests the development of an online case repository, which would operate as evaluation's interface with new organisational practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The city of Aripuana is one of the largest wood producer in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Wood residues are used in the electricity generation at three thermoelectric plants in this region. However, the plants have high costs in transporting the wood residues (due to poor road conditions). Hence, this paper compares the energy performance of wood residues in natura and compacted as briquettes by calculating the heating value and determining the influence of moisture content on the energy characteristics of wood residues. The goal is to demonstrate the viability of using briquettes in order to improve thermoelectric generation. The wood residues from this region are affected by the high humidity of the biome. An alternative to improve the use of energy contained in the wood residues is to produce briquettes with lower humidity. This allows one to maintain high levels of heat energy in a lower volume, facilitating handling and storage. The results show that the use of briquettes improved the performance of thermoelectric plants, generating 1 MW of electricity power with less than 1 ton of briquettes. This contributes to the preservation of the environment, reducing operating costs, transportation and storage of the raw materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gelfand and Bernstein numbers are certain functionals associated with operators between Banach spaces. The Bernstein numbers of an operator never exceed its Gelfand numbers. In this note we compute and compare the Gelfand and Bernstein numbers in special cases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This work analyzed the diurnal variation of generalactivity and plasmatic levels of melatonin and corticosterone in pigeonssubmitted to a 12:00:12:00 h light-dark cycle (lights on at 6:00 a.m.) orto constant light. In both conditions pigeons were observed in 5-min sessionsat times 03:00, 06:00, 09:00, 12:00, 15:00, 18:00, 21:00 and 24:00 h during two successive days. Behavior was video taped in the home cages for posteriorcategorization and quantification. Radioimmunoassays were used to evaluateplasmatic levels of melatonin and corticosterone. Blood samples were obtained at the times of behavioral observation. In the light-dark condition the resultsshowed day-night variation of general activity (p < 0.001) and a robustdiurnal rhythm of plasmatic melatonin (p < 0.001). Both of these variations as well as the oscillatory secretion of corticosterone disappeared underconstant light condition. The parallel changes in general activity and bluntingof melatonin rhythm secretion in constant light condition agree with previousevidences that melatonin may regulate behavioral oscillations in the pigeon.The present data are related to the proposition that the timing system inpigeons may involve neuroendocrine relations characterized by interactionsbetween blood born signalization by melatonin and corticosterone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Validate an educational technology for the promotion of self-care in leprosy. Methodological study carried out by 19 expert judges in the health area and 03 design / marketing judges who validated content and appearance and 28 people affected by leprosy who evaluated the appearance of the material, then proceeded to the final adequacy. Considering the Content Validation Coefficient (CVC) ≥ 0.8; as well as the agreement index ≥ 0.75%. The Content Validation Coefficient was 0.8, determining the appropriate material in the validation of expert judges, 73% suitability for inquiries raised by the instrument Adequacy Material assessment referencing the material as "by the top judges in the graphic design area and 75% for validation for the target audience. The educational booklet for promoting self-care for people with leprosy was considered valid for the content, appearance, constituting a tool for health promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study concerning the adaptation to presbyopia monovision with contact lenses. Topics discussed include analysis of cortical changes in a group of presbyopes using visual evoked potentials (VEPs); functional magnetic resonance imaging of patients with surgical implantation of multifocal intra-ocular lenses during cataract surgery; and role of brain in perceptual construction of vision.

The potential of exosomes as biomarker resources for diagnostics, prognostics and even for therapeutics is an area of intense research. Despite the various approaches available, there is no consensus with respect to the best methodology for isolating exosomes and to provide substantial yields with reliable quality. Differential centrifugation is the most commonly used method but it is time-consuming and requires large sample volumes, thus alternative methods are urgently needed. In this study two precipitation-based methods and one column-based approach were compared for exosome isolation from distinct biofluids (serum, plasma and cerebrospinal fluid). Exosome characterization included morphological analyses, determination of particle concentration, stability and exosome preparations’ purity, using different complementary approaches such as Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, Electrophoretic Light Scattering, Transmission Electron Microscopy, EXOCET colorimetric assay, protein quantification methods and western blotting. The three commercial kits tested successfully isolated exosomes from the biofluids under study, although ExoS showed the best performance in terms of exosome yield and purity. Data shows that methods other than differential centrifugation can be applied to quickly and efficiently isolate exosomes from reduced biofluid volumes. The possibility to use small volumes is fundamental in the context of translational and clinical research, thus the results here presented contribute significantly in this respect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study approaches the evaluation system used to check the learning of students entering a Technical Nursing Course of the federal public school system, referring to basic techniques in the subfunction of integrated practices I. The interest in researching this theme had its origin in frequent complaints from students of this course regarding the insecurity and anxiety-generated stress caused by the fear of error and failure, leading them to a possible disapproval. The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of the evaluation process of this subfunction performed in the laboratory environment on the students of the course and which are the implications of this type of evaluation in their training and motivation to learn. Contextualized in the scope of the qualitative research, the analysis of content of Bardin was used as theoretical reference. The sample consisted of 17 students from the second period of the course, whose number of participants was defined by saturation in responses to a semistructured interview script. The results point out, among other issues, the need for continuing education of educators that enables permanent dialogue and re-signification of what is to be evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study characterises maternal mortality in southern Brazil and verifies its trends between 2000 and 2018. It is an ecological time-series study, analysing secondary data from the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System. The trend of the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) was calculated using generalised linear regression, and the ratios of the rates according to women's characteristics, with a confidence interval (CI) of 95%. The MMR in the South region went from 53.4 to 36.8 deaths per 100,000 live births from 2000 to 2018, a reduction trend of 1.2 percentage points per year. Mortality was directly related to increasing age (p <.001) and inversely related to schooling (p <.001) and predominated in non-white women (p <.001). The main cause of death was direct causes, including hypertensive disorders. Despite the reduction trend in maternal mortality in southern Brazil, the MMR observed is constantly above the recommended by the World Health Organisation. What is already known on this subject? The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is an indicator that allows an analysis of women's health in relation to the socio-economic and care characteristics of the region where they live. Between 2000 and 2015, Brazil had presented a high MMR, with around 50 deaths per 100,000 live births, while WHO considers a reasonably adequate MMR of fewer than 20 deaths per 100,000 live births. What do the results of this study add? This study updates data about MMR in the Southern Region of Brazil, the one which has the lowest rates in the country, but with variable values between the states. There was a reduction in MMR in southern Brazil between 2000 and 2018 but higher rates for women over 30 years old and in a situation of social vulnerability, as low-income and non-white women. Santa Catarina State presented stable values in the period and remained below the RMM averages of the other states during all years. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Comparing previous and current Maternal Mortality Rates in the regional context is important to adapt public health policies for the most affected population. Maternal death is still a reality for single and low-income women, who have greater difficulty in access to health care. Strategies in the Unified Health System are needed to tackle this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the role of field work in rural area tourism as a methodology proposed for development in Geography teaching. We depart from the principle that students must be able to establish relationships between content developed in the classroom and their own life experiences in order to have meaningful learning, relating concepts and content with their daily lives in different geographical scales of analysis. It is possible to approach the environmental issue within the discipline of geography through the study of the landscape. Pedagogical rural tourism comes as an alternative methodology for both basic and higher education from an interdisciplinary point of view while considering the mainstreaming of environmental issues. One of the modalities offered by an association of colonial agritourism named Associação de Agroturismo Acolhida na Colônia is pedagogical, thus providing for both students and teachers from schools in different places of Santa Catarina state while increasing property value of farming families, who have started to diversify and adapt their activities to a new reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to understand the perception of hypertensive and diabetic patients about the nursing consultation. Method: Qualitative study, with 12 hypertensive and diabetic users, assisted by the Family Health Strategy, in a city in Ceará. A semi-structured interview was used, with subsequent analysis and categorization according to the assumptions of the Thematic Analysis. The research was submitted to the ethics committee receiving the assent n° 4,199,675. Results: Four thematic categories emerged: Users' knowledge about chronic diseases; Hiperdia: Frequency, treatment and monitoring of hypertensive and diabetic patients; Perception of the nursing consultation in the view of hypertensive and diabetic patients; Reasons for seeking nursing consultation. Conclusion: The users' view was satisfactory in relation to the nursing consultation, however, consultations centered mainly on the renewal of prescriptions were revealed. The findings reinforce themes such as self-care and lifestyle changes, ensuring greater quality and effectiveness during treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Prefibrillar oligomers decrease in human plasma from middle to old age. • Fibrillar structures increase in human plasma from middle to old age. • FTIR spectroscopy can detect protein conformational changes in human plasma. • FTIR spectroscopy is a suitable approach to assess the biological age of an individual. The loss of proteostasis during aging has been well described using different models, however little is known with respect to protein aggregation levels in biofluids with aging. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the pattern of age-related protein aggregation in human plasma using two distinct approaches: analysis with conformation-specific antibodies and FTIR spectroscopy. The latter has been widely used in biomedical research to study protein conformational changes in health and disease. Samples from a primary care based-cohort from the Aveiro region, Portugal, were used for slot-blot analyses followed by immunodetection with conformation-specific antibodies and for the acquisition of FTIR spectra. Immunoblot analyses revealed an age-dependent evolution of the protein conformational profile in human plasma, towards a decrease in prefibrillar oligomers and an increase in fibrillar structures. This finding was also supported by PLS-R multivariate analysis of FTIR data, where a positive correlation between the age of the donors and secondary structure of plasma proteins could be observed. Samples from younger donors are characterized by antiparallel β-sheet-containing structures while intermolecular β-sheets characterized older samples. Exclusion of age-associated co-morbidities improved the correlation between protein conformational profiles and aging. The results reveal structural changes in human plasma proteins from middle to old age, confirming the age-associated changes in protein aggregation, and support the applicability of FTIR as a reliable approach to study proteostasis during aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Succinic acid is a platform chemical that plays an important role as precursor for the synthesis of many valuable bio-based chemicals. Its microbial production from renewable resources has seen great developments, specially exploring the use of yeasts to overcome the limitations of using bacteria. The objective of the present work was to screen for succinateproducing isolates, using a yeast collection with different origins and characteristics. Four strains were chosen, two as promising succinic acid producers, in comparison with two low producers. Genome of these isolates was analysed, and differences were found mainly in genes SDH1, SDH3, MDH1 and the transcription factor HAP4, regarding the number of single nucleotide polymorphisms and the gene copy-number profile. Real-time PCR was used to study gene expression of 10 selected genes involved in the metabolic pathway of succinic acid production. Results show that for the non-producing strain, higher expression of genes SDH1, SDH2, ADH1, ADH3, IDH1 and HAP4 was detected, together with lower expression of ADR1 transcription factor, in comparison with the best producer strain. This is the first study showing the capacity of natural yeast isolates to produce high amounts of succinic acid, together with the understanding of the key factors associated, giving clues for strain improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During must fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains thousands of volatile aroma compounds are formed. The objective of the present work was to adapt computational approaches to analyze pheno-metabolomic diversity of a S. cerevisiae strain collection with different origins. Phenotypic and genetic characterization together with individual must fermentations were performed, and metabolites relevant to aromatic profiles were determined. Experimental results were projected onto a common coordinates system, revealing 17 statistical-relevant multi-dimensional modules, combining sets of most-correlated features of noteworthy biological importance. The present method allowed, as a breakthrough, to combine genetic, phenotypic and metabolomic data, which has not been possible so far due to difficulties in comparing different types of data. Therefore, the proposed computational approach revealed as successful to shed light into the holistic characterization of S. cerevisiae pheno-metabolome in must fermentative conditions. This will allow the identification of combined relevant features with application in selection of good winemaking strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aboveground wood biomass (AWB) of tropical forests plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, and local AWB estimates provide essential data that enable the extrapolation of biomass stocks to ecosystem or biome-wide carbon cycle modelling. Few AWB estimates exist in Neotropical freshwater floodplains, where tree species distribution and forest structure depend on the height and duration of periodic inundations. We investigated tree species composition, forest structure, wood specific gravity, and AWB of trees ≥10 cm dbh in 16 plots totalling an area of 1 ha in a seasonally inundated riparian forest of the lower Miranda River, southern Pantanal, Brazil. The 443 tree individuals belonged to 46 species. Four species ( Inga vera, Ocotea suaveolens, Tabebuia heptaphylla and Cecropia pachystachya) comprised more than 50% of the Total Importance Values (TIV), and floristic similarities between the plots averaged 38%. Although we detected an overall increase in species diversity correlated with decreasing flood levels, the most important tree species had almost identical distribution patterns along the flooding gradient. The stand basal area per plot (± s.d.) amounted to 3.0 ± 1.1 m2 (47.8 ± 18.1 m2/ha), and the tree heights averaged 10.9 ± 1.4 m. Multiplying the individual basal areas by individual tree heights and a form factor of 0.6, we estimated the aboveground wood volume (AWV) for each individual, and for each plot (24.4 ± 11.7 m3, 391.1 ± 188 m3/ha). Wood specific gravity (SG) varied between 0.39 g/cm3 ( Cecropia pachystachya) and 0.87 g/cm3 ( Tabebuia heptaphylla), with a stand level average of 0.63 ± 0.12 g/cm3. Multiplying the individual AWV with species SG, we estimated the plot AWB to be 16.2 ± 6.4 Mg (259.4 ± 102 Mg/ha). This value is comparable to that reported for late-successional forest stands of Amazonian floodplain forests, and it is close to the worldwide tropical average AWB. Because tree heights in the present forest were comparatively low when compared to other Neotropical forests, we found that resprouting of stems accounted for comparatively high basal areas. We argue that stem resprouting is an adaptation of tree species originating in non-flooded Cerrado to the seasonal inundations of riparian forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of exosomes as biomarker resources for diagnostics and even for therapeutics has intensified research in the field, including in the context of Alzheimer´s disease (AD). The search for disease biomarkers in peripheral biofluids is advancing mainly due to the easy access it offers. In the study presented here, emphasis was given to the bioinformatic identification of putative exosomal candidates for AD. The exosomal proteomes of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), serum and plasma, were obtained from three databases (ExoCarta, EVpedia and Vesiclepedia), and complemented with additional exosomal proteins already associated with AD but not found in the databases. The final biofluids' proteomes were submitted to gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and the exosomal Aβ-binding proteins that can constitute putative candidates were identified. Among these candidates, gelsolin, a protein known to be involved in inhibiting Abeta fibril formation, was identified, and it was tested in human samples. The levels of this Aβ-binding protein, with anti-amyloidogenic properties, were assessed in serum-derived exosomes isolated from controls and individuals with dementia, including AD cases, and revealed altered expression patterns. Identification of potential peripheral biomarker candidates for AD may be useful, not only for early disease diagnosis but also in drug trials and to monitor disease progression, allowing for a timely therapeutic intervention, which will positively impact the patient's quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]