Search

To evaluate the test-retest reliability and validity of the Patient Generated Index (PGI) in individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease (CDK) undergoing hemodialysis. Through a non-experimental study with repeated measures, PGI was applied twice to assess internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Correlations with the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF), the Human Activity Profile (HAP) questionnaire, the Social Participation Scale, and the Glittre ADL Test were used. 91 individuals with CKD were evaluated. There was high reliability for the PGI (ICC= 0.97) PGI correlated with KQDOL – SF in Functional Capacity r = 0.38 (p < 0.001), Emotional Well-Being r = 0.31 (p = 0.003), Social Aspect r = 0.22 (p = 0.036), Emotional Function r = 0.22 (p = 0.038) and Effect of Kidney Disease r = 0.21 (p = 0.042), and Physical scores r = 0.24 (p = 0.021)), Mental r = 0.21 (p = 0.05) and General r = 0.22 (p = 0.037) summarized. There was a significant correlation between PGI and HAP r = 0.40 (p < 0.001) and the Social Participation Scale r = −0.36 (p < 0.001). There was no correlation between the PGI and Glittre ADL scores r = 0.12 (p = 0.247). In adults receiving hemodialysis, the PGI proved to be an accurate and reliable instrument for the assessment of the quality of life from the perspective of the patient.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONAlthough hemodialysis treatment is associated with increased survival and symptom control, there is a significant change in the patient’s lifestyle.In order to provide a more focused view of the individual, the Patient Generated Index (PGI) was created to evaluate the quality of life.PGI is reliable and correlates with KQDOL – SF and the Social Participation Scale in this population. Although hemodialysis treatment is associated with increased survival and symptom control, there is a significant change in the patient’s lifestyle. In order to provide a more focused view of the individual, the Patient Generated Index (PGI) was created to evaluate the quality of life. PGI is reliable and correlates with KQDOL – SF and the Social Participation Scale in this population.

Emerging IoT applications with stringent requirements on latency and data processing have posed many challenges to cloud-centric platforms for Smart Cities. Recently, Fog Computing has been advocated as a promising approach to support such new applications and handle the increasing volume of IoT data and devices. The Fog Computing paradigm is characterized by a horizontal system-level architecture where devices close to end-users and IoT devices are used for processing, storage, and networking functions. Fog Computing platforms aim to facilitate the development of applications and systems for Smart Cities by providing services and abstractions designed to integrate data from IoT devices and various information systems deployed in the city. Despite the potential of the Fog Computing paradigm, the literature still lacks a broad, comprehensive overview of what has been investigated on the use of such paradigm in platforms for Smart Cities and open issues to be addressed in future research and development. In this paper, a systematic mapping study was performed and we present a comprehensive understanding of the use of the Fog Computing paradigm in Smart Cities platforms, providing an overview of the current state of research on this topic, and identifying important gaps in the existing approaches and promising research directions.

Esta é uma tradução do artigo Solution d’une question curieuse qui ne paroit soumise à aucune analyse, de L. Euler (1707-1783), sobre o passeio do cavalo no tabuleiro de xadrez.

Developing smart city applications typically faces challenges such as meeting several complex requirements, integrating heterogeneous data sources, and considering geographical information representing the real-world urban space. Smart city platforms have a key role in realizing these applications as they provide high-level services that can be (re)used by developers. Despite the existence of many platforms to support the development of smart city applications, most of them do not associate the offered services with geographical information, do not support performing semantic queries on the available data, and have limitations that may burden development tasks. This paper presents Smart Geo Layers (SGeoL), a platform for developing smart city applications. Besides integrating urban data with geographical information, SGeoL relies on an underlying middleware infrastructure and leverages it by including high-level abstractions for (i) context data management, (ii) integration of heterogeneous data, (iii) semantic support, (iv) data analysis and visualization, and (v) data security and privacy support. This paper also reports experiences on the real use of SGeoL and empirical results on the evaluation of its performance and scalability.

Introduction: Data on the impact of left bundle-branch block after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) are scarce, and treatment has been individualized. Based on this, the electrophysiological study (EPS) concomitant with TAVI may be a strategy for the early stratification of patients needing permanent pacemaker implantation (PPM). Objective: To describe the use of EPS in risk stratification of a definitive pacemaker in patients undergoing TAVI. Materials and methods: Data from seven patients with indications for TAVI due to critical aortic stenosis were retrospectively evaluated. The EPS was performed with a quadripolar diagnostic catheter in His bundle to measure the His-ventricle (HV) interval. Measurement of HV at 70 ms or above was used for discussion on PPM implant indication. Results: Four analyzed patients evolved with left bundle-branch block after TAVI. PPM implantation was indicated for one patient, and the surgery was performed uneventfully during the same hospital stay. Before TAVI, the HV interval ranged from 46 to 58 ms (mean = 53.2 ms), increasing to 52 to 84 ms (mean = 62.8 ms) immediately after valve intervention. Conclusion: The strategy of EPS during TAVI is viable to stratify patients early according to the risk of 2nd or 3rd-degree atrioventricular block, allowing adequate treatment.

Purpose To investigate the validity of the 30-seconds sit-to-stand test (STS-30) and its reliability in hemodialysis patients. Methods Patients receiving hemodialysis treatment three times a week for at least six months were evaluated using STS-30, Incremental Shuttle Walking Test, and health-related quality of life by KDQOL-SF questionnaire. The data obtained from the Incremental Shuttle Walking Test were divided into tertiles, and the STS-30 results were compared among tertiles. The accuracy of the STS-30 to identify low exercise capacity was evaluated. A second STS-30 was performed after 6 to 8-weeks for the reliability analyses using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Minimal detectable change scores were calculated. Results Sixty-three individuals (66.7% men) aged 48.3 years (95%CI 44.6–51.9) were evaluated. There were significant correlations between STS-30, exercise capacity (r = 0.72), and physical domains of health-related quality of life (0.30 ≤ r ≤ 0.51). Tertile 1 of the Incremental Shuttle Walking Test was different from tertiles 2 and 3 for STS-30 [difference of 3.4 repetitions (95%CI 1.5–5.4) and 4.7 repetitions (95%CI 2.8–6.7), respectively]. The value of 12 repetitions was the cut-off points for stratification of individuals with low exercise capacity. The STS-30 had a high test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.93) and the minimal detectable change was 2.1 repetitions. Conclusion The STS-30 is a reliable test, associated with exercise capacity and physical domains of health-related quality of life. Thus, is a valid method for functional evaluation in hemodialysis patients.

Objective To assess difficulties in filling the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Bladder Diary (ICIQ-BD), determining the most troublesome items and patients’ characteristics (age, education level, and professional activity) related to these difficulties. Methods A text composed of a clinical history of a fictitious patient with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) was designed. 95 healthy volunteers (49 females, 46 males, mean age 45.6 ± 17.3 years) were asked to fill in the ICIQ-BD according to the data from the fictitious clinical history. Filling errors were analyzed, and patients’ demographic characteristics tested as predictors. Results Bladder Sensation Score is the most problematic item of the ICIQ-BD, with only 38% of patients accurately filling this item. No association was found between total number of errors and age or education level, but participants working in less specialized professions had more difficulty in filling the BD (mean: 7.00 vs 3.94 errors, P= .002). Conclusion ICIQ-BD is a reliable tool to assess for LUTS, but filling the Bladder Sensation Score item was more likely to be incorrectly filled by manual workers and volunteers with less intellectually demanding current professions.

To evaluate the association between Maximal Inspiratory Pressure (MIP) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to verify the reliability of the MIP in patients on hemodialysis.In a repeated-measures design, patients on hemodialysis performed MIP and specific HRQoL questionnaire (trial 1). The MIP was repeated after 6 to 8 weeks (trial 2) and reliability was assessed using Intra-class Correlation Coefficient. Standard Error of Measurement and Minimal Detectable Change scores were calculated.Sixty-one individuals (68.9% men) were evaluated in trial 1. MIP was associated with specific domains "Symptoms" (r = 0.45; RThe MIP is a reliable test, associated with physical domains of HRQoL in patients on hemodialysis. Thus, it is a useful method for respiratory evaluation in this population.

To investigate the validity and within-day reliability of the Glittre activities of daily living test (Glittre ADL-test) in patients on hemodialysis.Ninety-one patients on hemodialysis were evaluated using Glittre ADL-test, functional tests, health-related quality of life, human activity profile, and social participation. Convergent validity was analyzed by the correlation analysis. The Glittre ADL-test results were compared among different levels of the functional tests, human activity profile, and participation (known-groups validity). Within-day reliability was examined by Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC).There was a significant moderate to strong correlation between Glittre ADL-test and functional tests (The Glittre ADL-test is a reliable test associated with functional parameters and physical aspects related to health-related quality of life, with potential value in the functional evaluation of patients on hemodialysis.Implications for rehabilitationFunctional impairment is a common clinical finding and is an important predictor of poor prognosis in patients on hemodialysis.The Glittre ADL-test has excellent within-day reliability and is a valid instrument for functional assessment in patients on hemodialysis.Activity limitations of patients on hemodialysis can be assessed by Glittre ADL-test.

INTRODUÇÃO: A Posição Prona (PP) geralmente é utilizada em casos de Insuficiência Respiratória Aguda (IRpA) grave, em pacientes com Síndrome da Angústia Respiratória Aguda (SARA) e em ventilação mecânica invasiva, com o objetivo de melhorar a oxigenação. Entretanto, pode ser útil em casos de IRpA leve secundária ao COVID -19 reduzindo a necessidade de ventilação mecânica invasiva e as complicações associadas ao ventilador. OBJETIVO: Descrever o relato de caso do uso da posição prona (PP) em pacientes em ventilação espontânea com Insuficiência Respiratória Leve secundária ao COVID-19. MÉTODO: Trata-se de um relato de caso de um paciente com diagnóstico de COVID-19, com IRpA leve, com dispneia, tosse, hipoxemia e dessaturação, que dentre as técnicas de tratamento utilizou um protocolo de posição prona por períodos de duas horas, duas vezes ao dia, durante todo o período de internação. RESULTADOS: O paciente apresentou hipoxemia (SPO2 -94% e PO2- 62,9), associada a dispneia (Borg 6) na admissão, tendo apresentado melhora na dispneia (Borg 4) e saturação na oximetria de pulso de 96% após 24 horas de início do protocolo. Após 48 horas apresentou melhora gasométrica com valores e SPO2 e PO2 de 96,5% e 80,6 mmHg respectivamente. CONCLUSÃO: A posição prona em pacientes em ventilação espontânea, com insuficiência respiratória leve secundária ao COVID-19 é segura e pode ser utilizada como terapia adjuvante ao tratamento desse perfil de pacientes.

Nowadays, Blockchain has been widely used to store decentralized and secure transactions involving cryptocurrency, e.g., Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc. However, Blockchain can also store other types of information besides monetary transactions. On the other hand, innovative solutions for smart cities are concerned with how services and information can be safely stored and shared. For this reason, smart city systems can benefit from using Blockchain to integrate their data and services. These smart solutions also demand consistency and standardization across the industry. However, this Blockchain integration varies according to its implementation. FIWARE, a framework of an open-source platform for smart solutions, adopts NGSI Standards (Context Information Management (CIM); NGSI-LD API: Tech. Rep., CIM and ETSI Industry Specification Group (ISG), 2020) to enable the integration of components and provides the basis for interoperability and portability among smart solutions. Unfortunately, FIWARE does not support any integration with Blockchain technology. Hence, this paper proposes a set of new components to allow FIWARE to be integrated with Blockchain technology. With these proposed components, it is possible to support Blockchain technology with smart city applications via the FIWARE platform. For instance, we have designed and implemented a FIWARE Blockchain adapter to submit/listen to transactions from/to FIWARE Context Broker to/from any Blockchain implementation without human intervention. In addition, we present a global post-pandemic vaccination case study to evaluate the proposed approach in the Smart City context.

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a atividade antibacteriana de extratos vegetais no controle de bactérias causadoras de mastite em vacas leiteiras. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, onde as duas espécies de bactérias (Staphylococcus intermedius e Staphylococcus aureus) foram submetidas ao controle de inibição com 10 extratos diferentes: extrato de barbatimão, jamelão, mamica-de-porca, mama-cadela, jenipapo, pau-terra, pau-ferro e murici, e para efeito de controle positivo e negativo, utilizou-se a solução salina (EDTA) e disco esteril perfazendo assim, dois ensaios experimentais simultâneos, que possuíam 10 tratamentos com 5 repetições cada e o delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 2 x 10 (microorganismo x extrato vegetal), totalizando 20 tratamentos com 5 repetições cada. Os resultados foram submetidos à análise de variância e as médias ao teste de Tukey a 5% de probabilidade. O extrato de pau-terra (Qualea grandiflora) teve um efeito significativo perante os microorganismos (Staphylococcus intermedius e Staphylococcus aureus).

Background: Learning to cycle is an important milestone in a child’s life, so it is important to allow them to explore cycling as soon as possible. The use of a bicycle with training wheels (BTW) for learning to cycling is an old approach practiced worldwide. Most recently, a new approach using the balance bike (BB) has received increased attention, and several entities believe that this could be most efficient. Drawing on the work of Bronfenbrenner (1995) and Newel (1986), this study aimed to analyse the effect of BB’s use on the learning process of cycling independently. Methods: Data were collected in Portugal from an online structured survey between November 2019 and June 2020. Results: A total of 2005 responses were obtained for adults and children (parental response). Results revealed that when the BB’s approach was used, learning age (LA) occurred earlier (M = 4.16 ± 1.34 years) than with the BTW’s approach (M = 5.97 ± 2.16 years) (p < 0.001); or than when there was only the single use of the traditional bicycle (M =7.27 ± 3.74 years) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Children who used the BB as the first bike had a significantly lower LA than children who did not use it (p < 0.001). To maximize its effects, the BB should be used in the beginning of the learning process.

Play has a key role in children psychomotor development, and the quality of play spaces can be a facilitator of the former. The physical properties of the environment, such as equipment or material available, can influence children’s behavior. However, it is not clear how the provision of different loose parts impacts children’s play patterns. This study aimed to analyze the influence of four types of loose parts on the time, frequency and number of children using them during free play sessions. We recorded the 1st, 5th and 10th sessions delivered by playworkers in a primary school, with 14 children (Mage = 9.96 years). The available loose parts were categorized, and four types of materials were chosen: tarpaulin/fabrics, cardboard boxes, plastic crates and plastic tubes. The influence of these materials on the time spent using them, frequency of use and number and sex of users (dependent variables) was analyzed. Some tendencies emerged, such as the popularity of tarpaulin/fabrics, but results showed no significant differences between materials. This could mean that the specific physical qualities of each loose part were not determiners of the behavioral domains analyzed. These findings suggest that all types of materials studied can be meaningful for children to engage with in diverse play opportunities.

This study examined the relationship between the quality of the kindergarten physical and social environment to promote physical activity (PA) and preschoolers’ motor and social-emotional competence. Two Portuguese kindergartens (Gondomar city) were selected from a pool of seventeen with an assessment of kindergarten PA best practices (one with high PA practices, the other with low). Thirty-six children (M = 4.42; SD = 1.00 years) without neuromotor disorders participated in this study. Motor and social-emotional competence were assessed with standardized motor skills tasks and parent report of child behaviors. Children from the kindergarten with higher compliance with PA best practices showed significantly better motor competence. No statistically significant differences were found for social-emotional competence scores. These findings emphasize the critical importance of kindergarten in promoting preschoolers’ motor competence by assuring a physical and social environment that enhances their PA practice. This is a particularly relevant concern for directors and teachers during the post-pandemic period, given the developmental delays and decreases in physical activity preschool children experienced across the pandemic period.

Blockchain has been widely used to store decentralized and secure transactions involving cryptocurrency (for instance, Bitcoin and Ethereum solutions). On the other hand, Smart City applications are concerned about how data and services can be safely stored and shared. In this regard, this research investigates the use of Blockchain in the Smart Cities scenario. Based on that, a platform named Orthus was proposed to support Blockchain in Smart City initiatives focused on scalability. This work presents a case study about how to use the proposed platform in the Natal Smart City Initiative in Brazil to handle land registration. Moreover, it also compares this platform with other implementations that use Blockchain in different domains. Finally, this research confirms that the use of blockchain technology has much to contribute to Smart City solutions once it enables the creation of solutions in distributed networks to meet the demand of the entire population.

Fundamento: O estado de saúde bucal pode ter influência física e psicológica sobre a vida dos indivíduos. Pode afetar simultaneamente o prazer na vida devido a interferência nas condições bucais, na fala, mastigação, sabor e deglutição, nos domínios sociais, sobre a aparência e autoconfiança dos indivíduos. Objetivo: Verificar se o tratamento protético odontológico é capaz de gerar melhoria na qualidade de vida e na autoestima de pacientes idosos submetidos a hemodiálise. Materiais e Métodos: Realizou-se um estudo intervencional com 26 pacientes submetidos à hemodiálise na cidade de Diamantina, Brasil. Os pacientes foram divididos em dois grupos de acordo com a realização do tratamento; com e sem tratamento. O grupo tratamento recebeu ajustes ou confecção de uma nova prótese odontológica, já o grupo sem tratamento recebeu apenas avaliação clínica e orientações sobre higiene bucal. A qualidade de vida foi avaliada através do instrumento Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Questionnaire (SF-36) e Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) na sua versão 14. Já para a autoestima utilizou-se a Escala de Autoestima de Rosenberg. Resultados: A média de idade foi 69,08 anos (±05,90) e o índice CPO-D médio foi de 29,65 (±01,35). Houve significância estatística na dimensão aspecto emocional do SF-36 nos dois grupos. O grupo que recebeu tratamento apresentou significância na incapacidade física do OHIP-14 e melhora da autoestima. Conclusão: O tratamento protético odontológico gerou melhoria na qualidade de vida e impactou na autoestima de pacientes idosos submetidos à hemodiálise, sendo o impacto maior nos pacientes que realizaram tratamento protético.

Contexto: a insuficiência renal crônica dá-se quando os rins deixam de desenvolver suas multitarefas com eficácia, levando o paciente à hemodiálise ou transplante renal e um progressivo desgaste emocional Objetivo: avaliar percepção da qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde bucal e autoestima de pacientes descobertos à hemodiálise, após intervenções odontológicas e transplantes renais. Materiais e Métodos: Oitenta e dois pacientes responderam aos questionários SF-36, OHIP-14 e Escala de Autoestima de Rosenberg. Destes, 76 passaram por intervenções odontológicas e responderam aos questionários novamente. Doze foram transplantados e 10 responderam aos questionários ao final. Resultados: Apenas a autoestimativa melhora, com mudanças estatisticamente importantes. Conclusão: Tratamento odontológico e transplante renal melhoraram a autoestima dos pacientes. Ocorreu uma tendência de melhora no aspecto social.

In this article, we intend to discuss the children’s right to the city, assuming their role as "spatialists" who participate in the transformation of public spaces into meaningful places. The signs of change in the conditions and dispositions of society in relation to the presence of children, as a moving body that transits between unequal spaces, bring with them common territories to different disciplines that investigate childhood. Thus, we situate here the contribution that environmental psychology offers to the dialogue between areas of knowledge that problematize the physical and social invisibility of children and demand public policies for childhood as a condition of citizenship.

Risk aversive perceptions and practices among ECEC practitioners and parents have proven to be an important reason for the decline of young children’s opportunities for free outdoor play. Yet, ther...

The ability to initiate and engage in relationships is a critical landmark and predictor of children’s development and well-being. In kindergarten, children exhibit greater social participation outdoors rather than indoors. Indeed, the physical environment influences preschoolers’ social proximity. In this study, we examine the relationship between the quality of kindergartens’ outdoor physical environment and preschoolers’ social functioning. Two kindergartens in Gondomar, Portugal, were selected to participate according to different levels of their physical environment outdoors (poor and fair quality) and measured by a specific physical environment rating scale. Twenty-six children (aged 3–6, 10 boys) participated in this study. Children’s social proximity at the playground was measured through Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID). Mann–Whitney statistical tests were used to compare social proximity between groups. Our results showed that in the higher quality outdoor area, children spent less time alone and more time in social proximity with their peers in smaller groups (one or two children). More time was also spent in social proximity with different genders. Our study emphasizes the critical importance of reviewing kindergartens’ outdoor physical environments to support preschoolers’ social needs in a more challenging and diverse setting.

Background: Patients undergoing dialysis treatment have a worse quality of life than the general population, experience decreased quality of life and have higher rates of malnutrition, inflammation and hospitalization compared to the general population. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of dental treatment on quality of life and self-esteem of hemodialysis-therapy patients. Materials and Methods: An interventional study was developed with 27 patients undergoing hemodialysis in Diamantina, Brazil. Initially, patients received clinical evaluation of a dentist and responded to questionnaires to estimate quality of life (Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Questionnaire (SF-36) and Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) version 14) and self-esteem (Scale Self-Esteem of Rosenberg). After 45 days, the questionnaires were reapplied and the patients received dental treatment. After the treatment, 45 days were awaited to reapply the questionnaires. Descriptive analyzes were performed, Wilcoxon and Friedman tests were done. The level of significance was set at 5% (p

The present article aimed to verify whether the age at which children learn to ride a bicycle is related to their physical activity or birth order. Data were collected from an online structured survey between November 2019 and June 2020. A total of 8614 responses were obtained from 22 countries. The results reveal significant differences in learning age depending on the frequency of physical activity (F(5, 7235) = 35.12, p &lt, 0.001, ηp2 = 0.24). People who engaged in physical activity less than twice a month learned to cycle later (M = 7.5 ± 5.3 years) than people who engaged in physical activity on a daily basis (M = 5.7 ± 2.2 years) (p &lt, 0.001). There were also significant differences in learning age according to birth order (F(2, 3008) = 7.31, p = 0.00, ηp2 = 0.005). Only children had the highest learning age (M = 5.5 ± 2.4 years), whereas those who were born last had the lowest, (M = 5.1 ± 1.9 years) (p = 0.013). Creating opportunities for children to be engaged in play and physical activity and social modulation through their older siblings seem to be key conditions to encourage children to learn how to ride a bicycle from a young age and to foster their motor development.

Learning to ride a bicycle is an important milestone in children’s life, so it is important to allow them to explore cycling as soon as possible. The use of a bicycle with training wheels (BTW) for learning to cycling independently is an old approach practiced worldwide. Most recently, a new approach using the balance bike (BB) has increased, and several entities believe that this could be most efficient. Drawing on the work of Bronfenbrenner (1995) and Newel (1986), this study aimed to analyse the effect of BB’s use on the learning process of cycling independently. Data were collected in Portugal from an online structured survey between November 2019 and June 2020. A total of 2005 responses were obtained for adults and children (parental response). Results revealed that when the balance bike’s approach was used, learning age (LA) occurred earlier (M=4.16 ± 1.34 years) than with the bicycle with training wheels’ approach (M=5.97 ± 2.16 years) (ppp

Sustainability has been a concern for society over the past few decades, preserving natural resources being one of the main themes. Among the various natural resources, water was one of them. The treatment of residual waters for future reuse and release to the environment is a fundamental task performed by Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP). Hence, to guarantee the quality of the treated effluent in a WWTP, continuous control and monitoring of abnormal events in the substances present in this water resource are necessary. One of the most critical substances is the pH that represents the measurement of the hydrogen ion activity. Therefore, this work presents an approach with a conception, tune and evaluation of several candidate models, based on two Machine Learning algorithms, namely Isolation Forests (iF) and One-Class Support Vector Machines (OCSVM), to detect anomalies in the pH on the effluent of a multi-municipal WWTP. The OCSVM-based model presents better performance than iF-based with an approximate 0.884 of Area Under The Curve - Receiver Operating Characteristics (AUC-ROC)., This work is financed by National Funds through the Portuguese funding agency, FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia within project DSAIPA/AI/0099/2019.

This paper presents a tool for product derivation and semi-automatic deployment of web-based systems. The tool focuses on cloned web-based systems implemented using the PHP language, which are refactored to become software product lines. The paper also reports the results of a case study of using the tool in the context of a large scale web-based system. Our findings show some preliminary evidence of the benefits of the tool to reduce: (i) the time of product derivation and deployment; and (ii) the manual effort to customize existing cloned web-based systems.

Background Several systematic reviews have reviewed the evidence relating to nature on aspects of children and adolescent’s health and wellbeing; however, none have looked at the associations or effectiveness of attending nature-based early childhood education (ECE). The main objective is to systematically review and synthesise the evidence to determine if nature-based ECE enhances children’s health, wellbeing and development. Methods We will search the following electronic databases (from inception onwards): MEDLINE, Scopus, PsycINFO, ERIC, SportDiscus, Australian Education Index, British Education Index, Child Development and Adolescent studies, and Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts. Grey literature will be identified searching dissertations and reports (e.g. Open Grey, Dissertations Theses Database [ProQuest], and Google Scholar). All types of studies (quantitative and qualitative) conducted in children (aged 2–7 years old) attending ECE who had not started education at primary or elementary school will be included. The exposure of interest will be nature-based ECE settings that integrate nature into their philosophy and/or curriculum and environment. The outcomes of interest will be all aspects of the child’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional health wellbeing and development. Two reviewers will independently screen full-text articles. The study methodological quality (or bias) will be appraised using appropriate tools. If feasible, a meta-analysis will be conducted using a random-effect model for studies similar in exposure and outcome. Where studies cannot be included in a meta-analysis, findings will be summarised based on the effect directions and a thematic analysis will be conducted for qualitative studies. Discussion This systematic review will capture the state of the current literature on nature-based ECE for child health, wellbeing and development. The results of this study will be of interest to multiple audiences (including researchers and policy makers). Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Gaps for future research will be identified and discussed. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42019152582

The coronavirus pandemic challenged smart cities to encourage citizens towards the social distance, as well as to optimize health and policing resources allocation. Mobile apps have played an unprecedented role during this pandemic to enable citizens to participate and interact with social issues while raising concerns about privacy and surveillance. In a partnership of the Natal smart city initiative of the university and the public ministry, we deployed the “To de Olho” (TdO) platform for integrating different sectors of society against coronavirus spreading in the state of RN, Brazil. In less than four months, TdO reached more than 20,000 users with several user roles, functionalities and a strictly defined privacy policy. Location data allows TdO to notify users when they have possible suspicious contact with an infected person or have gone through virus hot zones. The platform also helps city health officials to select people for infectious testing, according to user information on symptoms, comorbid diseases, contact with infected people, risk status and QR health code. Our integration with private institutions enables employers to know which employees have tested positive to protect work environments. We discuss the partnerships involved with TdO’s deployment and compare our context with related apps around the world, suggesting that public scrutiny, government investments and integration with active applications in the city are essential to achieving massive use. Further, we evaluate the feedback of active users (N=175), analyzing the positive points and advising improvements for future work on participatory applications during an epidemic.

During a criminal investigation, the evidence collection process produces an enormous amount of data. These data are present in many medias that are extracted as crime evidences (USB flash drives, smartphones, hard drives, computers, etc). Due to this data volume, the manual analysis is slow and costly. This work fulfills this gap by presenting a data extraction and processing platform for crime evidence analysis, named INSIDE. Our proposed platform leverages a lambda architecture and uses a set of tools and frameworks such as Hadoop HDFS, Kafka, Spark and Docker to analyze a big volume of data at an acceptable time. We also present an example of the proposed platform in use by the Public Ministry of Rio Grande do Norte(Brazil), where some evaluative tests have been carried out.

During a criminal investigation, the evidence collection process produces an enormous amount of data. These data are present in many medias and IoT devices that are extracted as crime evidences (USB flash drives, smartphones, hard drives, computers, drones, smartwatches, AI speakers, sensors etc). Due to this data volume, the manual analysis is slow and costly. This work fulfills this gap by presenting a data extraction and processing platform for crime evidence analysis. Our proposed platform leverages a lambda architecture and uses a set of tools and frameworks such as Hadoop HDFS, Kafka, Spark and Docker to analyze a big volume of data at an acceptable time. We also present an example of the proposed platform in use by the State Attorney Office of Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil), where some evaluative tests have been carried out.

RESUMO Introducao Poucas publicacoes avaliaram a evolucao temporal dos resultados da intervencao coronaria percutânea em pacientes diabeticos na era contemporânea. Nosso objetivo foi verificar a evolucao do resultado e da mortalidade da intervencao coronaria percutânea em diabeticos no Brasil nos ultimos 10 anos. Metodos Analisamos as intervencoes coronarias percutâneas cadastradas na Central Nacional de Intervencoes Cardiovasculares (CENIC) da Sociedade Brasileira de Hemodinâmica e Cardiologia Intervencionista de 2006 a 2016, sendo comparados tres intervalos de tempo: 2006-2008, 2009-2011 e 2012-2016. Foram [...]

This systematic review synthesised evidence on associations between nature-based early\ud childhood education (ECE) and children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. A search\ud of nine databases was concluded in August 2020. Studies were eligible if: (a) children (2–7 years)\ud attended ECE, (b) ECE integrated nature, and (c) assessed child-level outcomes. Two reviewers\ud independently screened full-text articles and assessed study quality. Synthesis included effect\ud direction, thematic analysis, and results-based convergent synthesis. One thousand three hundred\ud and seventy full-text articles were screened, and 36 (26 quantitative; 9 qualitative; 1 mixed-methods)\ud studies were eligible. Quantitative outcomes were cognitive (n = 11), social and emotional (n = 13),\ud nature connectedness (n = 9), and play (n = 10). Studies included controlled (n = 6)/uncontrolled\ud (n = 6) before-after, and cross-sectional (n = 15) designs. Based on very low certainty of the evidence,\ud there were positive associations between nature-based ECE and self-regulation, social skills, social and\ud emotional development, nature relatedness, awareness of nature, and play interaction. Inconsistent\ud associations were found for attention, attachment, initiative, environmentally responsible behaviour,\ud and play disruption/disconnection. Qualitative studies (n = 10) noted that nature-based ECE afforded\ud opportunities for play, socialising, and creativity. Nature-based ECE may improve some childhood\ud development outcomes, however, high-quality experimental designs describing the dose and quality\ud of nature are needed to explore the hypothesised pathways connecting nature-based ECE to childhood\ud development (Systematic Review Registration: CRD42019152582).

Currently, blockchain has been widely used to store decentralised and secure transactions involving cryptocurrency (for instance, Bitcoin solution). On the other hand, smart city applications are concerned about how data and services can be safely stored and shared. In this regard, this article investigates the use of blockchain and pinpoints a set of essential requirements to meet the needs of blockchain for the context of smart cities. Base on that, we propose a platform, named Orthus, to support the use of blockchain in smart city initiatives. We have demonstrated how to use the proposed platform in the context of the Natal Smart City Initiative, in Brazil, to handle land registration. Finally, we compare this platform with other implementations that use blockchain in different domains.

Este artigo traz a apresentação de uma ferramenta feita com o propósito de auxiliar a coleta de informações em locais nos quais um homicídio pode ter acontecido. A ferramenta, denominada Assistente de Cena de Crime, foi desenvolvida com as funcionalidades de criação de ocorrências a partir de dados da API do Centro Integrado de Operações de Segurança Pública, preenchimento de formulários com informações que auxiliarão a investigação criminal, captura precisa de geolocalização do evento e emissão de documentos pertinentes a cada ocorrência. O sistema também trabalha sem conexão com a internet e em dispositivos móveis, sendo desenvolvido a partir dos frameworks React, baseado em JavaScript, e Spring, baseado em Java.

Atualmente diversas cidades tem se envolvido com pesquisas no intuito de fomentar a criacao de solucoes que dispoe os dados e informacoes a populacao, sao os chamados City Dashboards. Estes projetos possibilitam aos cidadaos acompanhar os acontecimentos da cidade em tempo real, possibilitando a essas pessoas planejarem suas rotinas baseado no conhecimento gerado sobre o seu contexto local. Mesmo com o numero crescente de projetos sendo desenvolvidos com essa finalidade, nao ha, ainda, trabalhos que sejam voltados a criar estruturas reaproveitaveis ou metodologias que utilizem outros produtos de softwares de codigo aberto com vistas a padronizacao de producao de dashboards. Diante disso, esse trabalho se propos em criar um framework utilizando o Bootstrap. O framework teve a intencao de implementar padroes de projetos e de interface web, focados em conteudos com estruturas reaproveitaveis, utilizando o Node-RED como plataforma de execucao. Como resultados deste trabalho, foi possivel conceber o SmartNode Dashboard, um framework para criacao de interfaces padronizadas e customizaveis. Alem de oferecer aos desenvolvedores de dashboards uma metodologia de utilizacao do SmartNode Dashboard junto ao Node-RED para facilitar e ampliar a capacidade das equipes no tocante ao desempenho, tempo e qualidade no desenvolvimento de dashboards.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a smart city initiative presenting a mobile tourist guide developed for Natal, Brazil. Design/methodology/approach – This study has employed an exploratory case study approach to gain more knowledge about a smart city initiative and a mobile tourist guide in Brazil. The city of Natal was selected for this case study since it was one of the host cities during the FIFA World Cup 2014. The collected data for this research came from government (e.g. Natal Smart City plan), academic sources (e.g. Metropole Digital Institute (IMD)), and tourists’ information from the mobile tourist guide application. Findings – The smart city initiative of Natal, and the mobile tourist guide (named Find Natal) responsible for collecting, processing, sharing, storing and analysing the tourist behaviour were detailed in the paper. The Smart City Consortium in Natal is developing an interoperable and distributed infrastructure that is advancing the state-of-the-art in information and communication technologies (ICT) for planning and managing smart cities. The IMD implemented an application, which aims to enhance the traveller’s experience through software programs designed to leverage the infrastructure mechanisms behind the city. The data gathered by the application was analysed to show how it was used during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Originality/value – The results show a developed ICT initiative in a Latin American country. This study offers a starting point for destinations willing to implement and deploy a smart city initiative.