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Process models, e.g., BPMN models, may represent how companies in an ecosystem interact with each other. However, the business model of the same ecosystem, e.g., expressed by an $$e^{3}value$$ e 3 v a l u e model, is often left implicit. This hinders the proper analysis of the ecosystem at the business level, and more specifically financial assessment, for which process models are less appropriate. Therefore, the question is if we can somehow derive $$e^{3}value$$ e 3 v a l u e models from BPMN models. This would not only allow for proper business model analysis but would also facilitate business model mining, similar to the success of process mining. However, although an $$e^{3}value$$ e 3 v a l u e model and BPMN model represent the same ecosystem, their perspectives differ significantly. Therefore an automated derivation of an $$e^{3}value$$ e 3 v a l u e model from a BPMN seems not to be feasible, but we can assist the $$e^{3}value$$ e 3 v a l u e model designer with practical guidelines. We explore and test our guidelines in two real-world settings, we then analyze and evaluate its application to better understand their limitations and how to improve them.

This study investigated the effect of different prenatal nutrition approaches in 126 pregnant Nellore cows on reproductive and nutrigenetic traits of the male offspring during the finishing phase. For that purpose, three nutritional treatments were used in these cows during pregnancy: PP - protein-energy supplementation in the final third, FP - protein-energy supplementation during the entire pregnancy, and NP - (control) only mineral supplementation. The male progeny (63 bulls; 665 ± 28 days of age) were evaluated for scrotal circumference, seminal traits, number of Sertoli cells and testicular area. We performed a genomic association (700 K SNPs) for scrotal circumference at this age. In addition, a functional enrichment was performed in search of significant metabolic pathways (P 0.05) with inclusion of genes that are expressed in these genomic windows by the MetaCore software. With the exception of major sperm defects (P 0.1), the other phenotypes showed no difference between prenatal treatments. We found genes and metabolic pathways (P 0.05) that are associated with genomic windows (genetic variance explained1%) in different treatments. These molecular findings indicate that there is genotype-environment interaction among the different prenatal treatments and that the FP treatment showed greater major sperm defects compared to the NP treatment.

To address the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to search for assistive learning tools for the subject of Animal Anatomy II and Applied Anatomy, 123 anatomical kits were prepared at the Animal Anatomy Laboratory for students of the Veterinary Medicine course at the University of São Paulo, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA/USP) in Pirassununga city, São Paulo, Brazil. The kits contained anatomical pieces for teaching splanchnology and topographic anatomy (two different classes), and they were elaborated based on effective preservation techniques for the preparation of animal anatomical pieces. At the end of each course, we sent an online questionnaire to the students for evaluation of the methodology used. Alternative methods were used to minimize the odour and non-generation of chemical or microbiological contaminants. The acceptance of the kits was unanimous with adherence by all the students, who had the opportunity to experience the Anatomy class in its entirety, without leaving their homes.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is one of the most common complications of premature birth. The current definition of BPD is based on the duration of oxygen therapy and/or respiratory support. Among the pitfalls of all the diagnostic definitions, the lack of a proper pathophysiologic classification makes it difficult to choose an appropriate drug strategy for BPD. In this case report, we describe the clinical course of four premature infants, admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, for whom the use of lung and cardiac ultrasound was an integral part of the diagnostic and therapeutic process. We describe, for the first time to our knowledge, four different cardiopulmonary ultrasound patterns of evolving and established chronic lung disease of prematurity and the consequent therapeutic choices. This approach, if confirmed in prospective studies, may guide the personalized management of infants suffering from evolving and established BPD, optimizing the chances of success of the therapies and at the same time reducing the risk of exposure to inadequate and potentially harmful drugs.

Invasive alien plants (IAP) pose a major threat to biodiversity and have a negative impact on the integrity and conservation status of plant communities. Mediterranean dunes are widely exposed to IAP, due to their environmental heterogeneity and the anthropogenic pressures to which they are subjected. The current study explored the possible existence of critical thresholds of IAP cover/abundance and dune path impacts that may cause the decline in diagnostic species cover in shifting and transition dunes. A random sampling of 126 plots in areas invaded and not invaded by IAP across the Italian Adriatic dunes has been used and the recorded species have been classified in ecological guilds. In order to explore the effect of plant community composition and distances from dune paths on the diagnostic species cover, a Random Forest regression model has been fitted. The results revealed that three main critical thresholds can be detected concerning IAP total cover, IAP Oenothera stucchii Soldano abundance and the distance from dune paths and they work differently in shifting and transition dunes. The identification of such cut-off points provides useful insights for an array of actions to preserve the biodiversity of the Mediterranean coastal dunes.

Object-centric event log is a format for properly organizing information from different views of a business process into an event log. The novelty in such a format is the association of events with objects, which allows different notions of cases to be analyzed. The addition of new features has brought an increase in complexity. Clustering analysis can ease this complexity by enabling the analysis to be guided by process behaviour profiles. However, identifying which features describe the singularity of each profile is a challenge. In this paper, we present an exploratory study in which we mine frequent patterns on top of clustering analysis as a mechanism for profile characterization. In our study, clustering analysis is applied in a trace clustering fashion over a vector representation for a flattened event log extracted from an object-centric event log, using a unique case notion. Then, frequent patterns are discovered in the event sublogs associated with clusters and organized according to that original object-centric event log. The results obtained in preliminary experiments show association rules reveal more evident behaviours in certain profiles. Despite the process underlying each cluster may contain the same elements (activities and transitions), the behaviour trends show the relationships between such elements are supposed to be different. The observations depicted in our analysis make room to search for subtler knowledge about the business process under scrutiny.

Dados eletroencefalográficos (EEG) são registros da atividade elétrica cerebral, com potencial de aplicação em uma ampla gama de contextos, que vão desde diagnóstico médico, tecnologias assistivas e reabilitação até dispositivos para entretenimento. Nesse âmbito, com a consolidação de técnicas de processamento de sinais e de aprendizado de máquina, destaca-se o sistema de transmissão de informação direta entre o cérebro e o computador, que recebe o nome de Interface Cérebro-Computador (BCI, do inglês Brain-Computer Interface). Entretanto, a ampla variabilidade observada nos dados dos usuários do sistema BCI, bem como seu emprego em aplicações cada vez mais sofisticadas, tornam o uso desta interface um problema bastante desafiador. Neste sentido, o presente projeto de pesquisa busca utilizar métodos de aprendizado profundo e de processamento de sinais para aprimorar os sistemas BCI baseados em EEG, tornando-os mais eficientes e robustos. Serão seguidas duas frentes de pesquisa. A primeira delas está voltada para o processamento dos sinais de EEG através do uso de técnicas de Análise de Componentes Independentes e geometria Riemanniana, permitindo a eficiente extração de características. Na segunda frente, serão utilizadas redes de aprendizado profundo focadas no processamento de sinais de EEG. Tais estruturas apresentam grande potencial para o tratamento de dados com grande variabilidade, podendo ser bastante úteis no desenvolvimento de sistemas BCI.

PurposeConsidering the centrality of the editor-in-chief in the scientific editorial process, this research aimed to investigate what are (if any) the gaps in the current competencies and the future competencies of this professional, according to the evolution of the journals business model.Design/methodology/approachThe qualitative research method was used, seeking a deeper understanding of the studied group and their professional skills in a practical way. The epistemological approach of pragmatism was adopted, and the semi-structured interview technique was used with a sample of 29 interviews.FindingsThe survey results revealed that the editor-in-chief learns his métier on a daily basis, on-the-job, as a result of a lack of prior preparation, due to the absence of structured training of these professionals. The study showed a change in the competencies of the editor-in-chief, but influenced beyond the scientific business model, involving a broader contemporary scenario of high complexity. Finally, it also contributes by highlighting important skills trends for the editor-in-chief.Practical implications It is expected that the results of this research will contribute to institutionalize training and skills development programs for the editor-in-chief and, consequently, for professionalization for the editor-in-chief.Originality/valueThis study deals, for the first time, specifically with the editor-in-chief's skills, where other studies focus on role, functions and responsibilities.

Process mining explores event logs to offer valuable insights to business process managers. Some types of business processes are hard to mine, including unstructured and knowledge-intensive processes. Then, trace clustering is usually applied to event logs aiming to break it into sublogs, making it more amenable to the typical process mining task. However, applying clustering algorithms involves decisions, such as how traces are represented, that can lead to better results. In this paper, we compare four vector space models for trace clustering, using them with an agglomerative clustering algorithm in synthetic and real-world event logs. Our analyses suggest the embeddings-based vector space model can properly handle trace clustering in unstructured processes.

Este texto busca apresentar nossa pesquisa de doutorado que teve como objetivo analisar as concepções de cultura presentes nas teses de etnomatemática desenvolvidas sob as vertentes da etnografia e defendidas nos Programas de Pós-Graduação do Brasil, no período entre 1992 e 2019. Nossa pesquisa, de abordagem qualitativa, está baseada em um levantamento bibliográfico onde foram selecionadas 14 teses que atendiam nosso recorte, a partir de consultas junto ao Catálogo de Teses da CAPES. O levamento das teses, a delimitação da pesquisa física e temporal, os níveis do estudo foram baseados nas elaborações teórico-metodológicos de autores envolvidos em estudos bibliográficos e estado da arte, e para as análises do material utilizamos a análise de conteúdo. Teoricamente dialogamos com referenciais do campo da . e identificamos como demanda uma revisão teórica no campo antropológico sobre as concepções de cultura assumida por seus autores. Consideramos que nossa pesquisa pode ser uma contribuição para etnomatemática tanto em suas bases conceptivas, produção e legitimação como área de pesquisa.

Motor imagery is a paradigm in Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems based on EEG data. Recently, Deep Neural Networks (DNNs), such as EEGNet, have become a vital component for those systems, overcoming previous state-of-the-art techniques for classifying these data. However, most motor imagery EEG datasets are relatively small, hindering DNNs from achieving better results. In this sense, we propose using Generative Adversarial Networks to augment dataset 1 from the BCI Competition IV for classification efficiency improvement. In addition, we explore augmentation with Gaussian noise for comparison purposes. The experiments were analyzed considering the intrasubject and cross-subject perspectives.

In many organizational contexts, the existence of a normative process model makes it possible to verify if the actual execution of activities of a business process conforms to that model. Non-conforming behavior can be detected by aligning the actions recorded in the event log with a related normative process model. The alignment approach uses a cost-function to build an execution path that shows which actions do not conform to the model, and which are the expected activities for that trace. In this paper, we are interested on finding the optimal probable alignment using a history-base cost-function, i.e. a function based on the process execution history. For that, we use as a base implementation the planning-based approach, previously proposed in the literature, which demonstrates to find large processes faster when compared to A* for standard cost-functions. We incorporate in this tool the automatic generation of an history-base cost-function to find an optimal probable alignment. In addition, we evaluated our approach using data from both synthetic event logs and a real-life event log.

Background Worldwide, several efforts have been made to develop, distribute and administer safe and effective vaccines to reduce morbidity and mortality and control the Covid-19 pandemic. This study aimed to analyze the effect of vaccination against Covid-19, one year after its introduction in Brazil. Methods An ecological study that analyzed the general effect of vaccination against Covid-19 on disease morbidity and mortality indicators among the Brazilian population aged 18 years or older per epidemiological week (EW), comparing the pre and postvaccination period. Morbidity and mortality indicators were calculated from secondary databases (hospitalization rate, severity, case fatality rate and mortality) and vaccination coverage by age groups (18 to 59 years and 60 years or older). Morbimortality trends were estimated using the JoinPoint model and their association with vaccine coverage using the Poisson model. Results The average weekly percentage change (AWPC) of morbidity and mortality indicators reduced after the introduction of Covid-19 vaccination: hospitalization rate (from 15.3% to -6.0%), severity (from 0.4% to -0.2%), case fatality rate (from 0.3% to -0.2%) and mortality (from 20.5% to -4.3%). The following indicators were inversely associated with the increase in vaccine coverage against Covid-19: hospitalization (IRR: 0.974), mortality (IRR: 0.975) and lethality for people aged 60 years or older (IRR: 0.997). Conclusions In spite of the three epidemic waves and the circulation of variants of concern, the general effect of vaccination against Covid-19 in reducing the trend of morbidity and mortality from the disease in Brazil was demonstrated. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the mass vaccination program against Covid-19 and may inform future public health policies.

Several opportunities for embryo development, stem cell maintenance, cell fate, and differentiation have emerged using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). However, the difficulty in comparing bovine iPSCs (biPSCs) with embryonic stem cells (ESCs) was a challenge for many years. Here, we reprogrammed fetal fibroblasts by transient expression of the four transcription factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc, collectively termed “OSKM” factors) and cultured in iPSC medium, supplemented with bFGF, bFGF2i, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), or LIF2i, and then compared these biPSC lines with bESC to evaluate the pluripotent state. biPSC lines were generated in all experimental groups. Particularly, reprogrammed cells treated with bFGF were more efficient in promoting the acquisition of pluripotency. However, LIF2i treatment did not promote continuous self-renewal. biPSCs (line 2) labeled with GFP were injected into early embryos (day 4.5) to assess the potential to contribute to chimeric blastocysts. The biPSC lines show a pluripotency state and are differentiated into three embryonic layers. Moreover, biPSCs and bESCs labeled with GFP were able to contribute to chimeric blastocysts. Additionally, biPSCs have shown promising potential for contributing to chimeric blastocysts and for future studies.

QUESTIONS: Which environmental factors influence fine-grain beta diversity of vegetation and do they vary among taxonomic groups? LOCATION: Palaearctic biogeographic realm. METHODS: We extracted 4,654 nested-plot series with at least four different grain sizes between 0.0001 m² and 1,024 m² from the GrassPlot database, covering a wide range of different grassland and other open habitat types. We derived extensive environmental and structural information for these series. For each series and four taxonomic groups (vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, all), we calculated the slope parameter (z-value) of the power law species–area relationship (SAR), as a beta diversity measure. We tested whether z-values differed among taxonomic groups and with respect to biogeographic gradients (latitude, elevation, macroclimate), ecological (site) characteristics (several stress–productivity, disturbance and heterogeneity measures, including land use) and alpha diversity (c-value of the power law SAR). RESULTS: Mean z-values were highest for lichens, intermediate for vascular plants and lowest for bryophytes. Bivariate regressions of z-values against environmental variables had rather low predictive power (mean R² = 0.07 for vascular plants, less for other taxa). For vascular plants, the strongest predictors of z-values were herb layer cover (negative), elevation (positive), rock and stone cover (positive) and the c-value (U-shaped). All tested metrics related to land use (fertilization, livestock grazing, mowing, burning, decrease in naturalness) led to a decrease in z-values. Other predictors had little or no impact on z-values. The patterns for bryophytes, lichens and all taxa combined were similar but weaker than those for vascular plants. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that productivity has negative and heterogeneity positive effects on z-values, while the effect of disturbance varies depending on type and intensity. These patterns and the differences among taxonomic groups can be explained via the effects of these drivers on the mean occupancy of species, which is mathematically linked to beta diversity. The Bavarian Research Alliance (via the BayIntAn scheme) and the Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER) funded the initial GrassPlot workshop during which the database was established and the current paper was initiated (grants to JDe). WU acknowledges support from the Polish National Science Centre (grant 2017/27/B/NZ8/00316). IB, JAC and IG-M were funded by the Basque Government (IT936-16). GF carried out the research in the frame of the MIUR initiative "Department of excellence" (Law 232/2016). SBa was supported by the GINOP-2.3.2-15-2016-00019 project. CM was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (grant no. 19-28491X) and the Basque Government (IT936-16). ID was supported by the Polish National Science Centre (grant DEC-2013/09/N/NZ8/03234) and by a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship for Postdocs (ESKAS No. 2019.0491). MJ was supported by the Slovak Academy of Sciences (grant VEGA 02/0095/19). AN was supported by a " Master Plan Project" in the University of Mazandaran, Iran. DS was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (grant no. 20-29554X). AK, IV and DV were supported by the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (project no. 2020.01/0140). JDo was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (GA17-19376S) and LTAUSA18007 info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

With the aim to identify future challenges and opportunities in vegetation science, we brought together a group of 22 early career vegetation scientists from diverse backgrounds to perform a horizon scan. In this contribution, we present a selection of 15 topics that were ranked by participants as the most emergent and impactful for vegetation science in the face of global change. We highlight methodological tools that we expect will play a critical role in resolving emerging issues by providing ways to unveil new aspects of plant community dynamics and structure. These tools include next generation sequencing, plant spectral imaging, process-based species distribution models, resurveying studies and permanent plots. Further, we stress the need to integrate long-term monitoring, the study of novel ecosystems, below-ground traits, pollination interactions and global networks of near-surface microclimate data at fine spatio-temporal resolutions to fully understand and predict the impacts of climate change on vegetation dynamics. We also emphasize the need to integrate traditional forms of knowledge and a diversity of stakeholders into research, teaching, management and policy-making to advance the field of vegetation science. The conclusions reached by this horizon scan naturally reflect the background, expertise and interests of a representative pool of early career vegetation scientists, which should serve as basis for future developments in the field., We would like to thank the IAVS for their support in organizing the workshop in October. FAY is grateful to J. Jeschke for his suggestions and advice on logistics for the horizon scan. FAY would like to thank the support of the Rising Star Junior Fellowship in the Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy of the Freie Universität and specially the women’s representative office at the Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy of the Freie Universität (Frauenbeauftragte BCP) for providing financial support for childcare during Germany’s COVID-19 lockdowns. Without this help, working on this manuscript would have not been possible during these hard times. We acknowledge PhD grants from Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo - FAPESP (2018/09054-0) to GD, from Conselho Nacional do Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico- CNPq (141715/2018-9) to JT, from an Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) Scholarship to MJMH, from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia granted to TŠ, from the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) to FK and from Mexico’s CONACyT (CVU: 348078) to CXPV

In recent years, machine learning has been used for data processing and analysis, providing insights to businesses and policymakers. Deep learning technology is promising to further revolutionize this processing leading to better and more accurate results. Current trends in information and communication technology are accelerating widespread use of web services in supporting a service-oriented architecture (SOA) consisting of services, their compositions, interactions, and management. Deep learning approaches can be applied to support the development of SOA-based solutions, leveraging the vast amount of data on web services currently available. On the other hand, SOA has mechanisms that can support the development of distributed, flexible, and reusable infrastructures for the use of deep learning. This paper presents a literature survey and discusses how SOA can be enabled by as well as facilitate the use of deep learning approaches in different types of environments for different levels of users.

In the present study, a range of serum biomarkers were quantified in suspected cases of adverse events following YF immunization (YEL-AEFI) to propose a reliable laboratorial algorithm to discriminate confirmed YEL-AEFI (“A1” class) from cases with other illnesses (“C” class). Our findings demonstrated that increased levels of CXCL8, CCL2, CXCL10, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α were observed in YEL-AEFI (“A1” and “C” classes) as compared to primary vaccines without YEL-AEFI [PV(day 3–28)] and reference range (RR) controls. Notably, increased levels of CCL3, CCL4, CCL2, CCL5, IL-1β, IL-15, IL-1Ra and G-CSF were found in “A1” as compared to “C” class. Venn diagrams analysis allowed the pre-selection of biomarkers for further analysis of performance indices. Data demonstrated that CCL3, CCL5, IL-15 and IL-1Ra presented high global accuracy (AUC = 1.00) to discriminate “A1” from “C”. Decision tree was proposed with a reliable algorithm to discriminate YEL-AEFI cases according to cause-specific definitions with outstanding overall accuracy (91%). CCL3, CCL5, IL-15 and IL-1Ra appears as root attributes to identify “A1” followed by VEGF as branch nodes to discriminate Wild Type YFV infection (“C(WT-YFV)”) from cases with other illnesses (“C*”). Together, these results demonstrated the applicability of serum biomarker measurements as putative parameters towards the establishment of accurate laboratorial tools for complementary differential diagnosis of YEL-AEFI cases.

Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T11:03:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-01-01 Culture conditions regulate the process of pluripotency acquisition and self-renewal. This study aimed to analyse the influence of the in vitro environment on the induction of porcine induced pluripotent stem cell (piPSCs) differentiation into primordial germ cell-like cells (pPGCLCs). piPSC culture with different supplementation strategies (LIF, bFGF, or LIF plus bFGF) promoted heterogeneous phenotypic profiles. Continuous bFGF supplementation during piPSCs culture was beneficial to support a pluripotent state and the differentiation of piPSCs into pPGCLCs. The pPGCLCs were positive for the gene and protein expression of pluripotent and germinative markers. This study can provide a suitable in vitro model for use in translational studies and to help answer numerous remaining questions about germ cells. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] Department of Animal Reproduction School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science University of São Paulo Department of Veterinary Medicine School of Animal Sciences and Food Engineering Department of Pharmacology Institute of Biosciences São Paulo State University (UNESP) Department of Surgery Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences University of Sao Paulo Department of Biochemistry Paulista School of Medicine Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Reproduction Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences São Paulo State University (UNESP) Department of Animal Science Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering University of São Paulo Department of Pharmacology Institute of Biosciences São Paulo State University (UNESP) Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Reproduction Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences São Paulo State University (UNESP)

PurposeThis review scopes evidence on the use of social robots for older adults with depressive symptoms, in the scenario of smart cities, analyzing the age-related depression specificities, investigated contexts and intervention protocols' features.Design/methodology/approachStudies retrieved from two major databases were selected against inclusion and exclusion criteria. Studies were included if used social robots, included older adults over 60, and reported depressive symptoms measurements, with any type of research design. Papers not published in English, published as an abstract or study protocol, or not peer-reviewed were excluded.Findings28 relevant studies were included, in which PARO was the most used robot. Most studies included very older adults with neurocognitive disorders living in long-term care facilities. The intervention protocols were heterogeneous regarding the duration, session duration and frequency. Only 35.6% of the studies had a control group. Finally, only 32.1% of the studies showed a significant improvement in depression symptoms.Originality/valueDespite the potential for using social robots in mental health interventions, in the scenario of smart cities, this review showed that their usefulness and effects in improving depressive symptoms in older adults have low internal and external validity. Future studies should consider factors as planning the intervention based on well-established supported therapies, characteristics and needs of the subjects, and the context in which the subjects are inserted.

Habitat monitoring in Europe is regulated by Article 17 of the Habitats Directive, which suggests the use of typical species to assess habitat conservation status. Yet, the Directive uses the term “typical” species but does not provide a definition, either for its use in reporting or for its use in impact assessments. To address the issue , a n online workshop was organized by the Italian Society for Vegetation Science (SISV) to shed light on the diversity of perspectives regarding the different concepts of typical species, and to discuss the possible implications for habitat monitoring. To this aim, we inquired 73 people with a very different degree of expertise in the field of vegetation science by means of a tailored survey composed of six questions. We analysed the data using Pearson's Chi-squared test to verify that the answers diverged from a random distribution and checked the effect of the degree of experience of the surveyees on the results. We found that most of the surveyees agreed on the use of the phytosociological method for habitat monitoring and of the diagnostic and characteristic species to evaluate the structural and functional conservation status of habitats. With this contribution, we shed light on the meaning of “typical” species in the context of habitat monitoring.

Public transparency enables the exercise of democracy by the active participation of citizens in the public management. Even though promoting transparency is an essential conduct in a democratic context, its practice is still incipient. In this context, process mining emerges as an agent to promote public transparency as the data related to public processes event logs may have the potential to enable visual and analytical analysis of the process execution. In order to exemplify how process mining might promote public transparency, we present a study considering the health products' management process of a health surveillance agency. Our analysis reveals details about the process execution logic as well as the actions that impact the efficiency of its management.

Smart toys are becoming increasingly present in children's lives, reinforcing the relevance of this market niche. Advances in user interfaces and artificial intelligence have been incorporated into smart toys to provide greater autonomy and inductive reasoning skills through machine learning. However, machine learning embedded in smart toys not only brings benefits but also potential problems of bias, possibly related to prejudice and discrimination. This work aims to explore Mattel's Hello Barbie smart toy in a case study, seeking to analyze its knowledge base and conversational functionality to identify possible ethical issues that could cause harm to children. The intention is to show unknown risks that can occur in the evolution's process of smart toys.

Process mining is an area that seeks to extract insights from event logs obtained from work performed by information systems. Although there has already been significant improvement over techniques developed for predictive process mining, the trend is towards interpreting the details of the business process to make better decisions. Recent studies point to the need to interpret the results obtained with such techniques. This poster aims to show research opportunities and challenges encountered in an exploratory review conducted as part of the author’s doctoral project.

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the erythrogram and iron serum profiles of neonatal calves born spontaneously or born by elective cesarean section with or without dexamethasone induction. The research was performed on 38 newborn Nellore calves. Three groups of calves were assigned according to the type of birth: calves born by spontaneous vaginal calving (n = 10), calves born by elective cesarean section without inducing labor (n = 14), and calves born by elective cesarean section with labor induction with dexamethasone (n = 14). Blood samples to assess red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), concentration of mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCHC), serum iron (SFe), total capacity to bind iron to transferrin (TIBIC), and transferrin saturation index (TSI) were performed at calving (0, 3, 6, and 12 h of life) and on 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, and 30 days of life. Regardless of the experimental group (calves born spontaneously, or born by elective cesarean section with or without dexamethasone induction), in the first day of life there was a decrease in the number of red blood cells, hemoglobin rates, and values of the globular volume. In the period of the first 10 days of life, animals from spontaneous vaginal delivery quickly recovered values of erythrocytes, hemoglobin, and packed cell volume, whereas animals born by elective C-section (induced and uninduced) did not recover as quickly in their rates of hemoglobin and packed cell volume values. In calves born by elective C-section (induced and uninduced), it was observed in their period between 10 and 30 days of life that the MCV and MCH were reduced by passing the presenting microcytic hypochromic when compared with calves obtained by spontaneous vaginal delivery. In the period between 10 and 30 days of life, the levels of SFe and TSI in animals born by elective C-section (induced and uninduced) are significantly lower. The differences in the erythrogram values between Nellore calves born spontaneously and those by elective C-section with or without induction must be considered consequent to the process of neonatal adaptation to extrauterine life. Iron supplementation in the first month of life in calves from cesarean could be recommended to prevent anemia of this iron deficiency.

Encephalic vascular accident, or stroke, is the most common pathology of the central nervous system in humans. It is the second leading cause of death, as well as physical and cognitive disabilities, in developing countries. It is a vascular disorder that may present in an ischemic (more common) or hemorrhagic form. Ozone is a gas capable of oxidizing double bonds of organic molecules, thereby producing lipoperoxides and aldehydes. Stimulation of the immune and antioxidant system, and improvement in tissue vascularization and oxygenation, are few among several effects exerted by ozone. Ozone therapy has previously been shown to be effective in neuromodulation, neuroprotection, and nerve regeneration. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of targeted mild ozone after inducing cerebral ischemia in vitro. The experiment was divided into two steps; in the first step, neuroblastoma lineage cells (SH-SY5Y) were subjected to 24 hours of hypoxia in an incubator culture chamber. Treatment with different concentrations of ozone (2–10 µg/mL), followed by an 2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay, indicated a possible neuroregenerative effect at low concentrations. The same protocol was applied to canine amniotic membrane stem cells that were evaluated via colorimetric assay spectrophotometry, fluorescence microscopy, and flow cytometry. The metabolic conditions and cellular regeneration in cells at low ozone concentrations (3–8 µg/mL) correlated with lower levels of apoptosis and oxidative stress compared to cells not subjected to hypoxia. High concentrations of ozone (18–30 µg/mL) promoted an increase in rate of apoptosis and cell death. Therefore, we developed a novel protocol that mimics ozone therapy for ischemic stroke, using ozonized culture medium after hypoxia induction. Although more studies are needed to open new avenues for translational medicine, we conclude that ozone has a dose-dependent hormetic effect and can reverse the effect of ischemia in vitro at low concentrations.

Neste artigo procuramos apresentar alguns resultados de uma dissertação de mestrado em Educação, na qual buscamos refletir sobre como ocorre o diálogo entre os saberes da experiência dos professores dos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental I e a disciplina da área da matemática do curso de Pedagogia que frequentam. A pesquisa, de natureza qualitativa, utilizou como procedimentos metodológicos: observação participante; entrevista semiestruturada; narrativa e análise documental. Os informantes da pesquisaforam: a única aluna do curso que também atuava como professora dos anos iniciais e a professora responsável pela disciplina voltada para o ensino da Matemática no curso de Pedagogia selecionado. A linha teórica do trabalho foi dada pelos estudos de Shulman (2004), Tardif (2002) e Cavaco (2002). Oestudo apontou que tanto a linguagem inadequada utilizada quanto o pouco tempo destinado à disciplina voltada para o ensino da Matemática contribuem para uma formação matemática superficial, gerando professores inseguros e que se sustentam em discursos prontos e de senso comum. Percebemos, ainda, que o uso do material concreto está mais relacionado com a negação do ensino tradicional do que com uma proposta voltada para Educação Matemática. O estudo apontou a existência de pouco diálogo entre os saberes da experiência trazidos pelos alunos na formação matemática do Curso de Pedagogia.

Apresentação da Revista ECO-Pós v. 23, n. 1, 2020Dossiê: A Música e suas Determinações Materiais

This article analyses the conformity of Italian legislation adopted in 2019 – and its implementation – with the regime of innocent passage in the territorial sea under Part II of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea with respect to civil rescue vessels returning from rescue operations with rescued persons on board. It first gives a brief overview over the international legal regime applicable to search and rescue (SAR) operations. Next, the article introduces Italian legislation adopted in 2019, which establishes a legal basis for administrative orders prohibiting ships the entry into, transit through, and stopping in Italy’s territorial sea. In a third step, the article shows how the new Italian legislation has so far been implemented vis-à-vis SAR vessels of non-governmental organizations in post-rescue situations. This is followed by an analysis of the conformity of the Italian legislation and its implementation with the regime of innocent passage.

Alessandra de Oliveira Pinheiro,1 Valéria M Lara,1 Aline F Souza,1 Juliana B Casals,2 Fabiana F Bressan,1 Paulo Fantinato Neto,1 Vanessa C Oliveira,1 Daniele S Martins,1 Carlos E Ambrosio1 1Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Private Veterinary Practice, Pirassununga, São Paulo, BrazilCorrespondence: Carlos E AmbrosioDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, FZEA- Av. Duque de Caxias Norte, 225, ZMV, Pirassununga 13635-900, São Paulo, BrazilTel +55 19 3565-4113 Email ceambrosio@usp.brPurpose: Amniotic membrane stem cells have a high capacity of proliferation, cell expansion, and plasticity, as well as immunomodulatory properties that contribute to maternal-fetal tolerance. Owing to the lack of research on human amniotic membrane at different gestational stages, the canine model is considered ideal because of its genetic and physiological similarities. We aimed to characterize the canine amniotic membrane (CAM) cell lineage in different gestational stages and evaluate the expression of immunomodulatory genes.Materials and Methods: Twenty CAMs from early (20– 30 days) (n=7), mid- (31– 45 days) (n=7), and late gestation (46– 63 days) (n=6) stages were studied. The cell features were assessed by cell viability tests, growth curve, colony-forming units, in vitro differentiation, cell labeling for different immunophenotypes, and pluripotent potential markers. The cells were subjected to RT-PCR and qPCR analysis to determine the expression of IDO, HGF, EGF, PGE2, and IL-10 genes.Results: CAM cells exhibited a fibroblastoid morphology and adherence to plastic with an average cell viability of 78.5%. The growth curve indicated a growth peak in the second passage and we obtained an average of 138.2 colonies. Osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic lineages were confirmed by in vitro differentiation assays. Cellular immunophenotyping experiments confirmed the presence of positive mesenchymal markers (CD90 and CD105) and the low or negative expression of hematopoietic markers (CD45 and CD34). Qualitative analysis of the immunomodulatory functions indicated the expression of the IDO, HGF, EGF5, and PGE2 genes. When stimulated by interferon-gamma, CAM cells exhibited higher IDO levels throughout gestation.Conclusion: The CAMs from different gestational stages presented features consistent with mesenchymal stem cell lineage; better results were observed during the late gestation stage. Therefore, the gestational stage is a key factor that may influence the functionality of therapies when using fetal membrane tissues from different periods of pregnancy.Keywords: canine stem cells, immunomodulation, fetal annexes

Purpose Amniotic membrane stem cells have a high capacity of proliferation, cell expansion, and plasticity, as well as immunomodulatory properties that contribute to maternal-fetal tolerance. Owing to the lack of research on human amniotic membrane at different gestational stages, the canine model is considered ideal because of its genetic and physiological similarities. We aimed to characterize the canine amniotic membrane (CAM) cell lineage in different gestational stages and evaluate the expression of immunomodulatory genes. Materials and Methods Twenty CAMs from early (20-30 days) (n=7), mid- (31-45 days) (n=7), and late gestation (46-63 days) (n=6) stages were studied. The cell features were assessed by cell viability tests, growth curve, colony-forming units, in vitro differentiation, cell labeling for different immunophenotypes, and pluripotent potential markers. The cells were subjected to RT-PCR and qPCR analysis to determine the expression of IDO, HGF, EGF, PGE2, and IL-10 genes. Results CAM cells exhibited a fibroblastoid morphology and adherence to plastic with an average cell viability of 78.5%. The growth curve indicated a growth peak in the second passage and we obtained an average of 138.2 colonies. Osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic lineages were confirmed by in vitro differentiation assays. Cellular immunophenotyping experiments confirmed the presence of positive mesenchymal markers (CD90 and CD105) and the low or negative expression of hematopoietic markers (CD45 and CD34). Qualitative analysis of the immunomodulatory functions indicated the expression of the IDO, HGF, EGF5, and PGE2 genes. When stimulated by interferon-gamma, CAM cells exhibited higher IDO levels throughout gestation. Conclusion The CAMs from different gestational stages presented features consistent with mesenchymal stem cell lineage; better results were observed during the late gestation stage. Therefore, the gestational stage is a key factor that may influence the functionality of therapies when using fetal membrane tissues from different periods of pregnancy.

Probiotic bacteria, which are traditionally studied to aid intestinal functions, are also currently being researched for benefits in other parts of the body such as the oral cavity. In the case of throat infections caused by bacteria, which traditional treatment involves antibiotics, some researchers are studying the possibility of introducing special strains of commensal bacteria into the mouth that can specifically inhibit the tonsillitis agent Streptococcus pyogenes for both prevention and treatment of such disease. A PCR assay was used to identify Streptococcus salivarius subsp salivarius. Therefore, tests for the complete absence of toxicity of these strains are required to ensure their safe use in human trials. In this research, we evaluated the new Streptococcus salivarius subsp salivarius BIO5 strain for toxicity factors, as follows: clinical, ophthalmic lesions, behavioral observations, mortality, anatomopathological examination, biopsy, hematology, serum biochemistry, and urine analysis. This strain, isolated from the oral cavity and with bacteriocinogenic activity against S. pyogenes, showed a complete absence of toxicity and thus it may be used in replacement therapy as a probiotic.

Traditional fertilization techniques in crop production consist in a homogeneous distribution of inputs all over the cultivated field. Alternatively variable fertilization methods could minimize the environmental impact and increase economic benefits.The objective of this study is to evaluate the capabilities of a Google Earth Engine code conceived to rapidly study the variability of cultivated fields, for a possible variable fertilization. The tool is semi-automatic as it requires just the field boundary and it gives few outputs ready to be inspected by the user. This work presents an application of this model in a corn field in Northern Italy (province of Venice).Field variability is evaluated through NDVI index extracted from Sentinel-2 images from 2017 to 2021. For the purpose, the tool provides NDVI statistics, classified maps, classified area percentages, and punctual NDVI trends.Results show that boundary regions of the field are systematically less vigour than other parts, thus crop production is not efficient. Otherwise, fertilization should be enhanced in internal parts, as they are steadily healthier.The proposed model is a fast way to analyse field vigour status and Google Earth Engine capabilities permit to apply it nearly all over the world. Field variability and linked variable fertilization are crucial to reduce environmental and increase economic benefits, especially in extensive farming.

The European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) is one of the most detrimental insects of the European spruce forests. An effective mitigation measure consists in the removal of infected trees before the beetles leave the bark, which generally happens before the end of June. To minimize economic loss and prevent tree destruction, fast and early detection of European spruce bark beetle is therefore crucial for the future of spruce forests.In order to detect the forest stressed regions, possibly associated to the beetle infestation, we investigated the forest vigour changes in time. One of the most damaged regions is Northern Italy in which the beetle diffusion has highly increased after the Storm Adrian of late 2018.In this work we used Sentinel-2 images of a study area in the mountain territory of Val di Fiemme (Trento, Italy) from early 2017 to late 2021. A preliminary field investigation was necessary to localize healthy (green) and stressed (red) trees. NDVI index trends from Sentinel-2 showed an evident vigour discrepancy from green and red regions.We therefore conceive a classification algorithm based on the slope of fitting lines of NDVI over time. Model accuracy is around 86%. The result is a classified map useful to distinguish stressed and healthy forest areas.By using the proposed method and Google Earth Engine computational capabilities, we highlight the potential of a simple and effective model to predict and detect forest stressed areas, potentially associated with the diffusion of the European spruce bark beetle.