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Mean synoptic-scale conditions accompanying convective storms that produce hazardous weather phenomena in southern Brazil (SB) and neighboring areas are investigated. Emphasis is placed on discriminating between conditions conducive to tornadoes (TORN) and those to heavy rainfall (RAIN) and non-tornadic wind gusts (GUST). For this purpose, an analysis of the meteorological conditions associated with 40 events from each severe weather category is conducted using data from CFSR/CFSv2 reanalysis. Data are sampled for times closest to the severe weather event in a 30 ∘ × 30 ∘ adaptive latitude-longitude domain centered on each event location. Average charts are obtained for the synoptic fields and atmospheric parameters, and mean tropospheric profiles are compared among the distinct hazards. Overall, the role played by a surface low pressure system that extends to SB is highlighted, conditioning the environment to convective storms. This system favors low-level northwesterly moist flow and surface convergence over the center of the domain. Subtle differences are found between the TORN and GUST composites, with the former exhibiting weaker baroclinic forcing but stronger vertical wind shear in the lower troposphere. Distinctions between TORN and RAIN are more pronounced, with TORN exhibiting more intense horizontal pressure gradients, surface-based CAPE, and vertical wind shear. The average wind profile for TORN exhibited the most elongated and curved hodograph at low levels. Convective parameters showed poor discrimination between TORN and GUST, while performing better in discriminating TORN from RAIN, especially the shear parameters computed along the effective inflow layer of the storms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe storms produce hazardous weather phenomena, such as large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. However, relationships between convective parameters and confirmed severe weather occurrences are poorly quantified in south-central Brazil. This study explores severe weather reports and measurements from newly available datasets. Hail, damaging wind, and tornado reports are sourced from the PREVOTS project from June 2018 to December 2021, while measurements of convectively induced wind gusts from 1996 to 2019 are obtained from METAR reports and from Brazil's operational network of automated weather stations. Proximal convective parameters were computed from ERA5 reanalysis for these reports and used to perform a discriminant analysis using mixed-layer CAPE and deep-layer shear (DLS). Compared to other regions, thermodynamic parameters associated with severe weather episodes exhibit lower magnitudes in south-central Brazil. DLS displays better performance in distinguishing different types of hazardous weather, but does not discriminate well between distinct severity levels. To address the sensitivity of the discriminant analysis to distinct environmental regimes and hazard types, five different discriminants are assessed. These include discriminants for any severe storm, severe hail only, severe wind gust only, and all environments but broken into "high" and "low" CAPE regimes. The best performance of the discriminant analysis is found for the "high" CAPE regime, followed by the severe wind regime. All discriminants demonstrate that DLS plays a more important role in conditioning Brazilian severe storm environments than other regions, confirming the need to ensure that parameters and discriminants are tuned to local severe weather conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected tropical disease that is globally distributed and has the potential to cause very serious illness. Prior literature highlights the emergence and spread of VL is influenced by multiple factors, such as socioeconomic status, sanitation levels or animal and human reservoirs. The study aimed to retrospectively investigate the presence and infectiousness of VL in Rio Grande do Norte (RN), Brazil between 2007 and 2020. We applied a hierarchical Bayesian approach to estimate municipality-specific relative risk of VL across space and time. The results show evidence that lower socioeconomic status is connected to higher municipality-specific VL risk. Overall, estimates reveal spatially heterogeneous VL risks in RN, with a high probability that VL risk for municipalities within the West Potiguar mesoregion are more than double the expected VL risk. Additionally, given the data available, results indicate there is a high probability of increasing VL risk in the municipalities of Natal, Patu and Pau dos Ferros. These findings demonstrate opportunities for municipality-specific public health policy interventions and warrant future research on identifying epidemiological drivers in at-risk regions. Author summary: As a neglected tropical disease (NTD), Leishmaniasis contributes to poor health outcomes, suffering, and death of vulnerable populations. Leishmania infantum or Leishmania donovani is transmitted from animals to humans through the sandfly vector and can be fatal in 5% of the cases even with treatment. Visceral leishmaniasis is a severe form of Leishmaniasis. The purpose of this study was to estimate regions of high Visceral leishmaniasis risk in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil between 2007 and 2020 to help inform public health initiatives and potential health policy interventions for this disease. Visceral leishmaniasis is a reportable disease and therefore VL cases are documented to the Brazilian Ministry of Health database through passive surveillance. Passive surveillance data can suffer from missing information; individuals may be asymptomatic, or may not seek medical care allowing for diagnosis. When modeling disease risk from passive surveillance data, assuming there is an absence of disease in regions without documented cases can underestimate disease risk. In this paper we estimate disease risk and identify areas with high-risk and increasing infection trends over time while considering data characteristics such as missing information and high correlation of risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmodium vivax blood-stage invasion into reticulocyte is critical for parasite development. Thus, validation of novel parasite invasion ligands is essential for malaria vaccine development. Recently, we demonstrated that EBP2, a Duffy binding protein (DBP) paralog, is antigenically distinct from DBP and could not be functionally inhibited by anti-DBP antibodies. Here, we took advantage of a small outbreak of P.vivax malaria, located in a non-malarious area of Brazil, to investigate for the first time IgM/IgG antibodies against EBP2 and DEKnull-2 (an engineering DBPII vaccine) among individuals who had their first and brief exposure to P.vivax (16 cases and 22 non-cases). Our experimental approach included 4 cross sectional surveys at 3-month interval (12-month follow-up). The results demonstrated that while a brief initial P.vivax infection was not efficient to induce IgM/ IgG antibodies to either EBP2 or DEKnull-2, IgG antibodies against DEKnull-2 (but not EBP2) were boosted by recurrent blood-stage infections following treatment. Of interest, in most recurrent P. vivax infections (4 out of 6 patients) DEKnull-2 IgG antibodies were sustained for 6 to 12 months. Polymorphisms in the ebp2 gene does not seem to explain EBP2 low immunogenicity as the ebp2 allele associated with the P.vivax outbreak presented high identity to the original EBP2 isolate used as recombinant protein. Although EBP2 antibodies were barely detectable after a primary episode of P.vivax infection, EBP2 was highly recognized by serum IgG from long-term malaria-exposed Amazonians (range from 35 to 92% according to previous malaria episodes). Taken together, the results showed that individuals with a single and brief exposure to P.vivax infection develop very low anti-EBP2 antibodies, which tend to increase after long-term malaria exposure. Finally, the findings highlighted the potential of DEKnull-2 as a vaccine candidate, as in non-immune individuals anti-DEKnull-2 IgG antibodies were boosted even after a brief exposure to P.vivax blood stages. Author summary: Vaccines might be a crucial component of the current efforts to malaria control and elimination, and much of the vaccine-related research on P. vivax has been focused on region II of the Duffy binding protein (DBPII), a ligand for human blood-stage infection. Recently, the newly described Erythrocyte binding protein 2 (EBP2), a P.vivax DBP paralog that it is antigenically distinct from DBP, was identified as potential vaccine targets. To date, scarce data are available about the naturally acquired immunity to EBP2. In a small outbreak of P.vivax malaria, located in a non-malarious area, we investigated whether a first P.vivax exposure induces antibodies against EBP2 that could be boosted by P.vivax recurrent infections. In parallel, we included an engineered DBPII vaccine (named DEKnull-2) whose antibody response were previously associated with broadly neutralizing P.vivax antibodies. This study shows EBP2, compared with DEKnull-2, was poorly immunogenic among individuals who experienced their first blood-stage P. vivax malaria infection. However, EBP2 was highly immunogenic in long-term malaria exposed individuals, reinforcing its potential as a P. vivax blood-stage vaccine candidate. Finally, our results reinforce that multiple blood-stage antigens should be targeted for the development of efficient vaccines against P. vivax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Alice Boer site, located in Southeastern Brazil, was considered to be one of the oldest sites in the Americas, and a strong candidate for being a pre‐Clovis site. Ages obtained by researchers during the 1970s and 1980s put the site inside a chronological range between 2 and 14 ka, eventually reaching as old as 30 ka or even 130 ka. Between 2010 and 2012, our research team revisited the site to improve the knowledge of Paleoindian occupation in Southeastern Brazil. Here, we present new data of stratigraphy and chronology (luminescence and radiocarbon dating), pedological and magnetic analysis performed at some of the sites. Results show that the site's oldest occupation took place ca. 8 ka, which provides new insight into human occupation in South America. In addition, we show some issues with radiocarbon contamination due to soil humin fraction mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil is one of the few countries in the world that can produce animal products, grains, fibers, and bioenergy in the same area, either in a consortium, rotation, or succession. Our objective was to compare pasture productivity and animal performance in agroforestry systems with grass monoculture in the Brazilian Amazon Biome. The experiment was carried out in Sinop, MT, Brazil, with Nellore steers in a continuous stocking with variable stocking rate. The experimental design was a randomized complete block, with four systems and four replicates. The palisadegrass [Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) R. D. Webster cv. Marandu] was planted in the four systems: livestock (grass monoculture); livestock–forestry [eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus urograndis; hybrid of Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden and Eucalyptus urophylla S. T. Blake) arranged in three-row groves spaced 30 m apart]; crop–livestock (palisadegrass after two years of crops); and crop–livestock–forestry (palisadegrass after two years of crops with single rows of eucalyptus trees spaced 37 m apart). The herbage accumulation was greater in the systems with the two previous cropping years (crop–livestock and crop–livestock–forestry) than in the livestock and livestock–forestry, in both seasons. In the crop–livestock–forestry, the greatest herbage accumulation associated with the modified microclimate supported the greatest average daily gain (0.750 kg BW day− 1), stocking rate in both seasons, resulting in the greatest gain per area (940 kg BW ha− 1). We conclude that agroforestry systems assure pasture productivity and animal performance similar or greater than livestock (grass monoculture). Furthermore, the combination of two previous crop years and the least tree density optimized the synergy between crop, livestock, and forestry components, improving beef cattle productivity in crop–livestock–forestry systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being an affable strategy of adaptive expectation, the transmission of cultural information can result in unintended changes in the information. This is known as "mutation" in the theory of cultural evolution. The occurrence of information mutations in local medical systems may be greater in some situations. For example, "vegetable complexes" can be used as good study models to show a greater accumulation of mutations due to the variation in the mixtures and combinations of information. Here, we tested the following hypotheses: (H1) medicinal plants in plant complexes generate a greater accumulation of mutations than isolated plants in local medical systems; (H2) information on the medicinal function of the plant species generates a greater proportion of mutations than information on the parts of plants used medicinally; (H3) plants in plant complexes perceived as less efficient undergo more information mutational events; and (H4) changes in information on plant complexes are more random (mutation) than intentional (guided variation). We conducted the study in the Lagoa do Junco community, state of Alagoas, Northeast Brazil. For data collection, we used semistructured interviews to address the use of isolated medicinal plants and plant complexes. Additionally, we assessed the informants' perceptions about the effectiveness of the plants used in these preparations. We found that the mutation rate was higher when isolated plants were used than when plant complexes were used (p = 0.02), and it was also higher for function than for parts of the medicinal plants (p < 0.001). No relationship between the mutations and perceived efficiency of the plants (p = 0.19) was observed, and changes in information were more random (mutation) than intentional (guided variation) (p < 0.001). From an evolutionary perspective, greatly varying information, such as that on plant complexes, did not explain a greater accumulation of mutations. Thus, we suggested that further studies that include other evolutionary parameters that may cause the accumulation of information mutations must be conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to evaluate manganese (Mn) sources and levels effects in irrigated rice production in central Brasil (tropical lowlands of Tocantins state). The experiment was conducted in a 5x5 + 1 factorial scheme, five Mn sources and five levels (0.5; 1.0; 1.5; 2.0; and 2.5 kg ha−1), applied in induction of tillering of rice plants, plus a control without treatment, and Mn content in leaves (mg kg−1), number of panicles per area (m2), hundred grains weight (g), intact grains (%), and grain yield (kg ha−1) were analyzed. Treatments with Mn-carbonate source got the best results and this source at the level of 1.5 kg ha−1 provided the highest yield: 7,375 kg ha−1. Higher values were obtained with the application of 1.0 to 1.5 kg ha−1 of Mn, except for the intact grains where the best means were obtained at 2.5 kg ha−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Campos rupestres is an extremely phosphorus (P)‐impoverished rocky ecosystem in Brazil. Velloziaceae is an important plant family in this environment, and some species colonize exposed quartzite rock. However, we know virtually nothing about their root development and nutrient acquisition within the rock outcrops and their possible role in rock weathering and landscape formation.We tested the hypothesis that Velloziaceae dissolve P from the rock, enhancing rock weathering. The study was carried out with two Barbacenia species (Velloziaceae) that colonize quartzite rocks. We assessed the root specializations and exudates, and determined the mineralogical composition of the rocks.The quartzite rocks contained a low concentration of total P in a matrix composed predominantly of silica. Using transmission electron microscopy, we show root growth perpendicular to the rock‐bedding planes. A micro‐XRF set‐up at the XRF beamline of a synchrotron evidenced root‐associated rock dissolution.The investigated roots show novel morphological and physiological specializations, coined vellozioid roots, which are highly effective at P acquisition. These carboxylate‐releasing roots function like other specialized roots in nutrient‐depleted soils. The rocks represent a barrier for most species, but due to their chemical and physical actions inside the rocks, vellozioid roots play a pivotal role in rock weathering, contributing to shaping the campos rupestres landscapes. A plain language summary is available for this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to determine a simple and rapid protocol for the extraction of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls and carotenoids) from Acacia mangium (Willd.), a pioneer species with rapid growth and that has been used in commercial forests in northern Brazil. The experiment consisted of 4x5 factorial, 4 solvents (ethanol, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and 80% acetone) and 5 extraction times (24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours). The equations used for calculations varied according to the solvent used. For a quantification of the photosynthetic pigment contents of A. mangium it is recommended to use 80% acetone with 84 hours of extraction since this solvent allows the efficient extraction of both chlorophylls and carotenoids with a single protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To analyze the School Health Program (SHP) through the perceptions of managers and health professionals. Materials and methods. This was a descriptive, crosssectional, and qualitative study that conducted interviews with 21 individuals using the lexical analysis of Bardin's speech and processed the data through the Alceste software. Results. In the interviewees' perception, verification of blood pressure, visual acuity, weight, height, body mass index, oral health, preventive actions and educational lectures are recommended in the program's guidelines. The schools do not have available and adequate space for the staff to perform the work. The predominant exchange occurs between the health and education secretaries. The actions that provided opportunities to students were primarily promotion, prevention, and health education; funding is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and Municipal Secretary of Health. Conclusions. The structures, exchanges, and available resources were insufficient for the development of the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nelore is the major beef cattle breed in Brazil with more than 130 million heads. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are often used to associate markers and genomic regions to growth and meat quality traits that can be used to assist selection programs. An alternative methodology to traditional GWAS that involves the construction of gene network interactions, derived from results of several GWAS is the AWM (Association Weight Matrices)/PCIT (Partial Correlation and Information Theory). With the aim of evaluating the genetic architecture of Brazilian Nelore cattle, we used high-density SNP genotyping data (~770,000 SNP) from 780 Nelore animals comprising 34 half-sibling families derived from highly disseminated and unrelated sires from across Brazil. The AWM/PCIT methodology was employed to evaluate the genes that participate in a series of eight phenotypes related to growth and meat quality obtained from this Nelore sample. Results: Our results indicate a lack of structuring between the individuals studied since principal component analyses were not able to differentiate families by its sires or by its ancestral lineages. The application of the AWM/PCIT methodology revealed a trio of transcription factors (comprising VDR, LHX9 and ZEB1) which in combination connected 66 genes through 359 edges and whose biological functions were inspected, some revealing to participate in biological growth processes in literature searches. Conclusions: The diversity of the Nelore sample studied is not high enough to differentiate among families neither by sires nor by using the available ancestral lineage information. The gene networks constructed from the AWM/PCIT methodology were a useful alternative in characterizing genes and gene networks that were allegedly influential in growth and meat quality traits in Nelore cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil is the largest sugarcane producer in the world in which hexazinone (3-cyclohexyl-6-dimethylamino-1-methyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-dione) and tebuthiuron (1-(5-tert-butyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-1,3-dimethylurea) are heavily used. Sugarcane harvesting is changing from the manual system with previous straw burning to the mechanized system without straw burning. The lack of burning results in soil organic carbon accumulation mainly in clayey soils, which should affect herbicides availability and fate. Therefore, we evaluated sorption of these herbicides in soil samples with and without straw burning. Both herbicides presented low apparent sorption coefficients (meanKd,app= 0.6 and 2.4 L kg−1for hexazinone and tebuthiuron, respectively), suggesting that they may leach to groundwater. Moreover, their sorption correlated primarily with soil organic carbon (SOC), but iron oxide contents extracted with ammonium oxalate (Fe2O3AOX) also affected it (Kd,app= −0.228 + 0.0397 SOC + 0.117 Fe2O3AOXfor hexazinone andKd,app= −1.407 + 0.201 SOC + 0.348 Fe2O3AOXfor tebuthiuron). Soil organic carbon accumulation due to straw maintenance in the field positively affected sorption of both herbicides, but its effects were not enough to classify them as “non-leachers.” [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Hyptis pectinata, popularly known in Brazil as "sambacaití" or "canudinho," is an aromatic shrub largely grown in the northeast of Brazil. The leaves and bark are used in an infusion for the treatment of throat and skin inflammations, bacterial infections, pain, and cancer. Analogues of rosmarinic acid and flavonoids were obtained from the leaves of Hyptis pectinata and consisted of two new compounds, sambacaitaric acid (1) and 3-O-methyl-sambacaitaric acid (2), and nine known compounds, rosmarinic acid (3), 3-0-methyl-rosmarinic acid (4), ethyl caffeate (5), nepetoidin A (6), nepetoidin B (7), cirsiliol (8), circimaritin (9), 7-O-methylluteolin (10), and genkwanin (11). The structures of these compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1-5, and 7 were evaluated in vitro against the promastigote form of L. braziliensis, and the ethanol extract. The hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol-water fractions were also evaluated. The EtOH extract, the hexane extract, EtOAc, Me0H:H2O fractions; and compounds 1,2 and 4 exhibited antileishmanial activity, and compound 1 was as potent as pentamidine. In contrast, compounds 3, 5, and 7 did not present activity against the promastigote form of L. braziliensis below 100 ΜM. To our knowledge, compounds 1 and 2 are being described for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During paediatric dental treatment, non-collaboration and fearful reactions are frequently observed in the child client. The dentistry student must be prepared to cope with these reactions, particularly considering the importance of the relationship between dentists and patients in the promotion of oral health. The present study aimed to assess undergraduate dentistry students' perceptions of their ability to cope with non-collaboration situations in paediatric dentistry. A Likert-style questionnaire was used to analyse students' self-confidence levels, and proposed solutions to 10 problem situations the students would be likely to encounter were recorded. The questionnaire was administered to two undergraduate dentistry student groups from two different Brazilian Public Faculties, comprising 122 respondents. The self-confidence analysis indicated that it varied according to the extent of the child's reaction and the invasiveness of the procedure. Responses to the open-ended questions were categorised by solution proposed, and the analysis indicated that the most frequent responses were categorised as follows: tranquilising, explanation and restriction. Significant differences were found in tranquilising (with higher values for Faculty 2 than 1, and higher values for female students than male students at Faculty 2) and restriction (with higher values for female students compared with male student at both Faculties). The results and discussion focused on the aspects of training dentistry students' social and behavioural management skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated baru oil and partially defatted baru flour from the northwest region of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The physicochemical characterization of the oil was made by determining the fatty acid profile using gas chromatography, lutein, and α- and β-carotenes by means of high-performance liquid chromatography, and total carotenoids by spectrophotometry. The flour was analyzed for its chemical composition, fiber, and mineral contents. Baru oil presented excellent quality parameters and high contents in unsaturated fatty acids and carotenoids. The flour showed relevant levels of proteins, lipids, and dietary fiber, in addition to having representative mineral contents for food such as manganese, magnesium, and copper. Thus, baru oil and the by-product of its extraction offer a rich chemical composition, and their application may add nutritional value to foods in addition to reducing negative environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infection with the protozoan Leishmania infantum can lead to asymptomatic infection and protective immunity, or to the progressive and potentially fatal disease visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Published studies show host genetic background determines in part whether infected individuals will develop a symptomatic or asymptomatic outcome. The purpose of the current study was to fine map chromosome regions previously linked with risk for symptomatic (chromosome 9) or asymptomatic (chromosomes 15 and 19) manifestations of L. infantum infection. We conducted a family-based genetic study of VL and asymptomatic infection (detected by a DTH skin test) with a final post quality control sample of 961 individuals with full genotype and phenotype information from highly endemic neighborhoods of northeast Brazil. A total of 5485 SNPs under the linkage peaks on chromosomes 9, 15 and 19 were genotyped. No strong SNP associations were observed for the DTH phenotype. The most significant associations with the VL phenotype were with SNP rs1470217 (p = 5.9e − 05; p corrected = 0.057) on chromosome 9, and with SNP rs8107014 (p = 1.4e − 05; p corrected = 0.013) on chromosome 19. SNP rs1470217 is situated in a 180 kb intergenic region between TMEM215 (Transmembrane protein 215) and APTX (Aprataxin). SNP rs8107014 lies in the intron between exons 26 and 27 of a 34 exon transcript (ENST00000204005) of LTBP4 , (Latent transforming growth factor-beta-binding protein 4a). The latter supports growing evidence that the transforming growth factor-beta pathway is important in the immunopathogenesis of VL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Papaya (Carica papaya) is an important tropical fruit crop in northeastern Brazil. Lethal yellowing is a disease caused by Papaya lethal yellowing virus (PLYV) that occurs only in northeastern Brazil. The symptoms are characterized by progressive leaf yellowing and greenish circular spots on the fruits. The virus has isometric particles (30 nm), genomic single-stranded (ss)RNA (1.6 × 106 Da), and a coat protein with a single component (35 kDa). Although no biological vector has been confirmed, the virus is spreading every year. In the present study, an isolate of the virus was characterized biologically, serologically, physically, and molecularly, and its survival in dried tissue was evaluated. Approximately 309.5 mg of virus was purified per kilogram of infected papaya leaves, and a high-titer polyclonal antiserum (1:1,024,000) was obtained from an immunized rabbit. The virus was detected in dried roots and leaves maintained up to 120 days. Its physical properties were thermal inactivation point (80°C), longevity in vitro (60 days), and dilution end point (10-6). The virus was inactivated in leaves and roots eradicated from infected plants when they were submitted to a solarization period of 12 days, but maintained its infectivity when leaves and roots were maintained over the soil at natural conditions for 32 days. Among 58 plant species from 13 botanical families, the PLYV isolate infected only C. papaya, Jacaratia heterophylla, J. spinosa, Vasconcella cauliflora, V quercifolia, and V. monoica, all from the family Caricaceae. A fragment of 1,098 nt of the virus isolate, corresponding to the 3′ replicase (RdRp) and 5′ coat protein (CP) cistron, was cloned and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of the RdRp nucleotide sequences indicated some similarity of PLYV with members of the genus Sobemovirus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay we analyze the spatial distribution of Covid-19 in the city of Fortaleza, Northeastern Brazil, using participatory mapping techniques. We then evaluate why people are not adequately fulfilling social isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]