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This study aimed to investigate the impact of as-received biomass fly ashes (BFA) and green liquor dregs obtained from a pulp and paper plant in Brazil as substitutes for metakaolin in geopolymeric formulations. The properties of this type of waste material vary widely between different industrial plants. This study refrains from subjecting the waste materials to any form of pretreatment, taking into account their organic matter and particle size heterogeneity, requiring extensive characterization to evaluate their influence on the compressive strength, apparent open porosity, and water absorption of the geopolymeric samples. The objective was to assess their potential for upcycling purposes as an alternative to energy-intensive materials, such as ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and advanced ceramics. This potential arises from the ability of alkali-activated materials (AAM) to undergo curing at ambient temperatures, coupled with the possibility of compositions primarily derived from waste materials. To improve the sustainability of the products, the amorphous content of the raw material, which is more reactive than crystalline phases, was quantified and used as the base for mixture ratios. This approach aimed to reduce the requirement for alkaline activators, which have significant environmental impacts, while also increasing the waste content in the formulation. The incorporation of waste materials into the geopolymer matrix generally led to a reduction in the compressive strength compared to the benchmark metakaolin sample (19.4 MPa) but did not present a trend. The dregs led to values of 4.1 MPa at 25 wt% and 7.1 MPa at 50 wt%, a behavior that is somewhat counterintuitive, and BFA at 10 wt% presented 5.7 MPa. Nevertheless, the apparent open porosity remained at high levels for all the samples, close to 50%, and the compressive strength of most of them was over the values obtained for the metakaolin-only samples with mixture ratios calculated from the total composition instead of the amorphous composition. The decrease in strength and the increase in porosity were attributed to the specific characteristics of the waste materials, such as their high crystallinity, presence of organic matter, heterogeneous particle composition, and size. Overall, this study provides insight into the variations in geopolymerization based on the bulk and amorphous content of the aluminosilicate sources and how the characteristics of the waste materials influence the geopolymer matrix. It also highlights how calculating mixture ratios based on the amorphous composition improves the possibility of waste valorization through alkali activation. Additionally, it suggests that BFA and dregs might be effectively utilized in applications other than OPC substitution, such as adsorption, filtration, and catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon (Si) is a chemical element that is not yet considered essential for plants. However, over the past few decades, an increasing number of scientifi c studies have focused on the role of Si in soil-plant interactions. At the same time, many countries are leading the development and use of silicon-based fertilizers. Si can be taken up by plants predominantly in a mobile form (H4SiO4) in the soil through both passive and active uptake mechanisms. Therefore, Scopus data from 2012 to 2022 were used to understand the implementation and current status of research on the benefi cial effects of silicon fertilizers on soil and plants and the role of soil forms of silicon in improving soil quality. A bibliometric study of articles published in the database on the role of Si in soil and silicon fertilizers was carried out. Various tools, such as Microsoft Offi ce Excel 2021, VOS Viewer and Mapchart.net were used in this study. The fi nal literature includes 440 articles, 82% of which are scientifi c. Over the past decade, the number of published articles has increased signifi cantly. For example, in the years 2021–2022, a total of 91 articles were published, which is six times higher than the number of articles published in 2012–2013 (15 articles). This signifi cant increase in publications highlights the growing interest in the role Si and Si fertilizer research. It was found around 32.04% of China, 13.2% of the USA and 9.8% of Brazil the reviewed publications focused on the role of Si and Si fertilizers studies. Among the authors who published the most articles on this topic during the selected period are Wang X. (with 12 articles), Liang Yu., Rizwan M. and Ali S. (each with 8 articles). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 21st century, there is a growing Brazilian academic interest from professors and students in researching realities from Asia, especially in postgraduate courses in Language Arts, Philosophy and Human Science. The paper aims not only to point to a broader panorama of Centers, Nuclei, Programs, Research, Study and Work Groups, Thematic Sessions and Events with Asian themes in the aforementioned academic areas in Brazil, but also to make a brief analysis of the papers carried out in Work Groups and Thematic Sessions of the ANPTECRE and PPCIR (CONACIR) national congresses dedicated to realities of Asian origin, taking into account three criteria, i.e. Religious Studies methodologies used, the genres of authorship, and the religious traditions that were approached by these papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visceral leishmaniasis remains a serious public health issue, and Brazil was among the seven countries with the highest prevalence of this disease worldwide. The measures to control this disease are not easily developed, and the improvement of its diagnosis, surveillance, and control is still needed. This study aimed to carry out the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnosis of Leishmania infantum in vector samples in some municipalities of the State of São Paulo, which included two municipalities with human disease transmission and two with dog transmission only. Vectors were collected in traps with luminous bait. Next, they were killed at −4 °C and kept in 70% alcohol. Groups of ten female insects (pools) were mashed on cation exchange paper (fine cellulose phosphate with 18 µEq/cm² ionic exchange capacity) for DNA extraction. The PCR was carried out to identify the natural infection of the Leishmania genus in female Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lu. Longipalpis). Out of the 3,880 Lu. longipalpis phlebotomines, 1060 were female and 2820 were male (3:1). The method used to extract the DNA in pools of ten phlebotomines and the PCR resulted in sensitivity, specificity, practicality, and faster analyses when compared to the individual analysis method. The procedure described can be used on a large scale in the leishmaniasis epidemiological surveillance, enabling a higher number of analyses and the optimization of human resources because the traditional diagnostic method is carried out via desiccation of the insect digestive system and microscopic examination, which is time-demanding and there is the need of manual skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to understand how violent deaths suffered by common people and their media coverage are approached in the field of Communication, focusing on the sense-making processes about violence and its structural nature. In order to do so, we analysed papers about the media coverage around murders, published in 26 journals in the field of Communication, classified as A2 and B1 in the Brazilian "Qualis Capes" ranking. Based on the ways of identifying the victims and the circumstances of their deaths, in interaction with the ways of naming such violence, presented in the papers' empirical and analytical dimensions, we designed an overview of the silences and absences in the epistemic constructions about violence in media and academia in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze the relative efficiency of graduate programs in terms of the quality of their scientific publications in journals. To this end, we applied Data Envelopment Analysis to the fields of Public and Business Administration, Accounting, and Tourism, using data from the 2017 Quadrennial Evaluation developed by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior ["Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel", CAPES]. The results suggest that efficient graduate programs are concentrated in the center-south axis of Brazil, in the areas of Administration and Accounting. Despite the overall publishing strategy in journals of various ranks (strata), efficient graduate programs allocate their efficiency primarily to Qualis A1 journals, A1 being the excellence rating in the CAPES scale. We conclude that legitimized research practices pressure graduate programs to improve the quality of their publications while threatening the survival of programs that fail to conform to the assessment rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forest sector plays an important role in the circular bioeconomy due to its focus on renewable materials that can substitute fossil or greenhouse gas emissions-intensive materials, store carbon in bio-based products and provide ecosystem services. This study investigates the state of the bioeconomy in Brazil and its forest industry. Specifically, this study presents some examples of novel wood-based products being developed or manufactured in Brazil and discusses possible opportunities for the development of the country's forest sector. The pulp and paper industry plays an important role in the forest sector. It has also been showing advancements in the development of cascading uses of wood invalue-added products, such as nanocrystalline cellulose, wood-based textile fibers, lignin-based products, and chemical derivatives from tall oil. Product and business diversification through the integration of the pulp and paper industry to biorefineries could provide new opportunities. Moreover, biochemicals derived from non-wood forest products, such as resin and tannins could promote diversification and competitiveness of the Brazilian forest industry. Although some engineered wood products are still a novelty in Brazil, the market for such products will likely expand in the future following the global trends in wood construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Estudos Urbanos e Regionais is the property of Associacao Nacional de Pos-Graduacao e Pesquisa em Planejamento Urbano e Regional and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Forest based power plants are alternatives in the diversification of domestic energy supply in Brazil, given the growing demand for electricity in recent decades. Evidences of space-time clusters contribute to the understanding of regional development associated with correlated activity. Therefore, this paper analyzed the space-time conglomerates for Brazilian forest-based power plants, from 2000 to 2019. The data used were from the Generation Information System of the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL)-SIGA. It detected the existence of clusters by means of scan statistics via space-time permutation, considering the high level of conglomeration. The results show the Center-South region of Brazil with the highest concentration of conglomerates, with black liquor and forest residues being the most used energy resources. The clusters with the highest installed power were in the early 2010s, with the black liquor plants. The regions with the formation of fast-growing forest plantations promoted the existence of conglomerates associated with the pulp and paper and steel industry complexes. It is concluded that there was a conglomeration of forest power plants in the central-south region of Brazil, in which they help in decision-making and guidance of public policies for forestry projects for energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Seqüência is the property of Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Programa de Pos-Graduacao Stricto Sensu em Direito and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Over the course of less than a quarter of a century, two Brazilian Heads of State – Fernando Collor in 1992 and Dilma Rousseff in 2016 – have been removed from office by impeachment. There has been much controversy surrounding both proceedings, particularly the latter. The article seeks to discuss briefly the history of the proceeding of impeachment in Brazil and its significance for the country’s political life after 1988. Through an analysis of the impeachment cases of President Fernando Collor and President Dilma Rousseff, and overview of the literature on impeachment in Latin America, the paper will address the similarities and differences present in both cases in which a Brazilian Head of State was removed from office. The last part of the article will further discuss the disputes among Brazilian jurists triggered by differing evaluations of this legal measure and, in particular, the more recent case of its implementation in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Actualidades Biológicas is the property of Universidad de Antioquia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Pixo: Revista de Arquitetura Cidade e Contemporaneidade is the property of Pixo Revista de Arquitetura Cidade e Contemporaneidade and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Malaria is the most important vector-borne disease in the world and a challenge for control programs. In Brazil, 99% of cases occur in the Amazon region. In the extra-Amazonian region, a non-endemic area, epidemiological surveillance focuses on imported malaria and on autochthonous outbreaks, including cases with mild symptoms and low parasitemia acquired in the Atlantic Forest biome. In this scenario, cases are likely to be underreported, since submicroscopic parasitemias are not detected by thick blood smear, considered the reference test. Molecular tests are more sensitive, detecting asymptomatic individuals and mixed infections. The aim of this study was to propose a more efficient alternative to detect asymptomatic individuals living in areas of low malaria endemicity, as they are reservoirs of Plasmodium that maintain transmission locally. In total, 955 blood samples from residents of 16 municipalities with autochthonous malaria outbreaks in the Sao Paulo State were analyzed; 371 samples were collected in EDTA tubes and 584 in filter paper. All samples were initially screened by a genus-specific qPCR targeting ssrRNA genes (limit of detection of 1 parasite/µL). Then, positive samples were subjected to a nested PCR targeting ssrRNA and dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase genes (limit of detection of 10 parasites/µL) to determine Plasmodium species. The results showed a statistically significant difference (K = 0.049; p < 0.0001) between microscopy positivity (6.9%) and qPCR (22.9%) for EDTA-blood samples. Conversely, for samples collected in filter paper, no statistical difference was observed, with 2.6% positivity by thick blood smear and 3.1% for qPCR (K = 0.036; p = 0.7). Samples positive by qPCR were assayed by a species-specific nested PCR that was in turn positive in 26% of samples (16 P. vivax and 4 P. malariae). The results showed that molecular protocols applied to blood samples from residents in areas with autochthonous transmission of malaria were useful to detect asymptomatic patients who act as a source of transmission. The results showed that the genus-specific qPCR was useful for screening positives, with the subsequent identification of species by nested PCR. Additional improvements, such as standardization of blood plotting on filter paper and a more sensitive protocol for species determination, are essential. The qPCR-based algorithm for screening positives followed by nested PCR will contribute to more efficient control of malaria transmission, offering faster and more sensitive tools to detect asymptomatic Plasmodium reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Politai. Revista de Ciencia Política is the property of Asociacion Civil Politai and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of pairs of antagonist teeth (epidemiological criterion) for defining pairs of teeth in occlusal contact (clinical criterion) and to estimate the agreement between the prevalence of "shortened dental arch" (SDA) and "functional dentition" (FD) when occlusal units (OUs) or posterior occluding pairs (POPs) are defined by the epidemiological or clinical criterion. Data were collected in an epidemiological oral health survey conducted in a municipality in Minas Gerais, Brazil. OUs and POPs were defined by the epidemiological criterion (dental crown status) or clinical criterion "gold standard" (carbon paper record of occlusal contacts during habitual maximum intercuspation). SDA corresponded to the presence of an intact anterior region and three to five OUs. FD was based on the concomitant presence of = 1 tooth in each arch, 10 teeth in each arch, 12 anterior teeth, = 3 premolar POPs, and = 1 molar POP bilaterally. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of the epidemiological criterion were calculated. The study included 197 adults. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were 88.5, 87.9, 92.5, and 81.9%, respectively, and accuracy was 88.3%. The epidemiological criterion proved to be valid and could be used in epidemiological studies to calculate the prevalence of reduced dental configurations that consider POPs. The assessment of oral functionality is an aspect that should be included in the diagnosis of the clinical condition of patients, contributing to a more effective individual and collective oral health care plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Pauta Geral is the property of Revista Pauta Geral and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Production systems are being restructured to close production cycles via implementing circular economy (CE) practices. The planted tree industry in Brazil has shown potential for applying CE practices due to its efficient use of resources and inclination towards environmental innovation. However, some gaps and difficulties have been observed in several industrial segments so that the logic of the circular production system is put into practice more effectively and intensely. In this context, the aim was to investigate the use and impacts of CE practices in the Brazilian planted tree industry by sector of operation and scale of enterprises based on the ReSOLVE framework. Data were collected from 34 companies that answered a questionnaire, corresponding to 47.2% of Brazilian planted tree industry companies. Data analysis involved univariate and multivariate statistical techniques, considering the grouping of companies by sector of activity (forest producer, pulp and paper, and timber processing) and scale (small, medium, and large). The results revealed that "pulp and paper" and medium- and large-scale companies had the most significant application of CE practices and reported more significant impacts. [Display omitted] • Explores a segmented analysis of the circular economy by scale and sub-sector groups. • Scores of circular practices and their impacts are presented according to the groups. • The association between circular practices and impacts by group are analyzed. • Propositions to enable the adoption of circular practices are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on evaluating the spatial variability of chemical attributes of soils under different agricultural use and native forest, indicating which are the possible indicator attributes of changes in environmental, through the use and management of the soil. The study was carried out in the southern region of the Amazonas state, in an Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo (Ultisol). Sampling grids were established measuring: 90 m × 70 m with regular soil collection spacing of 10 m for the guarana and forest areas; 90 m × 56 m spaced at 10 m × 8 m for annatto area; and 54 m × 42 m with spacing between points of 6 m for the cupuaçu area, totaling 80 sampling points in each area, with soil samples collected at depths of 0.0-0.05; 0.05-0.10 m and 0.10-0.20 m. The following attributes were determined: pH, Al3+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, P, H + Al, CEC, V% and m%. Descriptive, geostatistical and multivariate statistical analyzes were performed. The results show that it is possible to state that the descriptive, geostatistical and multivariate statistical techniques were able to identify the difference between the spatial variability of the attributes according to each specific use of individual soils. The multivariate analysis made it possible to select the attributes that most contribute to the variability of these soils, and with that, it was found that the forest showed less spatial variability in the surface layer, with higher reach values by scaled semivariograms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tests the predictions of various conflicting theories on international trade and development by examining the impact of exporting and importing on economic level and basic needs in two developing countries of two different developing regions of the world; one in Latin America & Caribbean, and one in Sub-Saharan Africa. The two countries are Brazil and South Africa, respectively. Using fifteen-year lagged data that spanned 1984-2019, the paper finds that exporting tends to have negative and significant impact on both economic level and social basic needs in these two countries. Importing, on the other hand, was found to have positive and significant impact on economic level, and social basic needs in both countries. Implications of these findings for public policy and international trade theory development are discussed, and directions for future research are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to verify the linear associations between the physical, chemical and microbiological variables of spring water. The research was developed from two seasons of spring water sample collections and evaluated physical–chemical variables such as temperature, pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity, total alkalinity, total hardness, total ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, true and apparent colors, total phosphorus, fluoride and total iron, and microbiological variables—total coliforms and Escherichia coli. The variables' total alkalinity, total hardness, and electrical conductivity have a strong positive correlation among them (r > 0.50), which is similar to what occurs with the variables' turbidity, apparent color, true color, and total iron, between nitrite and total iron, and between the turbidity and total coliforms. These correlations occur as a function of the interaction that water has with the soil and the compounds found, thus altering the quality. The springs do not have masonry protection, they only have plant protection. Moreover, this water is exposed and accessible to animals in these areas. In addition, the result of the surface and sub-surface flow effect of spring water must be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A set of diseases caused by fungi and oomycetes are responsible for large losses in annual world cocoa production. Managing the impact caused by these diseases is very complex because a common solution has yet to be found for different pathogens. In this context, the systematic knowledge of Theobroma cacao L. pathogens' molecular characteristics may help researchers understand the possibilities and limitations of cocoa disease management strategies. This work systematically organized and summarized the main findings of omics studies of T. cacao eukaryotic pathogens, focusing on the plant–pathogen interaction and production dynamics. Using the PRISMA protocol and a semiautomated process, we selected papers from the Scopus and Web of Science databases and collected data from the selected papers. From the initial 3169 studies, 149 were selected. The first author's affiliations were mostly from two countries, Brazil (55%) and the USA (22%). The most frequent genera were Moniliophthora (105 studies), Phytophthora (59 studies) and Ceratocystis (13 studies). The systematic review database includes papers reporting the whole-genome sequence from six cocoa pathogens and evidence of some necrosis-inducing-like proteins, which are common in T. cacao pathogen genomes. This review contributes to the knowledge about T. cacao diseases, providing an integrated discussion of T. cacao pathogens' molecular characteristics, common mechanisms of pathogenicity and how this knowledge is produced worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our tribute to Professor Michael Turvey, we have two parallel goals: 1) to highlight the scientific scope of Turvey’s impact on motor development; and, 2) to expose readers to papers that they may not have read but that might cast new light on age-old questions they confront in their current research on motor development. The paper is divided into two equal time periods. In Part 1, from 1975 to 1999, we trace the emergence and growth of Dynamic Systems/Ecological Realism (perception-action) paradigms. We explain how the existing paradigms in motor development research, the descriptive and information processing paradigms were, in part, replaced by new paradigms whose existence owes much to Michael Turvey and his colleagues. We suggest that this time period was one where Turvey had the most conceptual influence on the field. In Part 2, from 2000 to 2024, we describe how factors, including the emergence of two new paradigms in motor development research may have reduced Turvey’s direct influence. But we also note that there is still much research undertaken that builds off the bases of Dynamic Systems and Perception-Action Coupling approaches including research by Turvey and his students/colleagues. We end with the suggestion that the present generation of motor development researchers may have something to gain by re-/reading research from these perspectives regardless of whether it is directly from Professor Turvey’s pen or from those whom he influenced (or influenced him) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myrciaria floribunda, also known as rumberry, is a tree native to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, where its fruits have the potential for commercial use. This study evaluates the antioxidant potential, determines the phytochemical profile, and chemically characterizes the rumberry fruit. Accessions were sampled from the Rumberry Active Germplasm Bank of the Federal University of Alagoas, Brazil. Physical characteristics, chemical characteristics, and phenolic compound content were analyzed. Chemical profile characterization was carried out using PSMS. Accessions had an average weight of 0.86 g. Accession AC137 presented a higher pulp yield (1.12 g). AC132 and AC156 had larger fruits, AC137 showed greater firmness (5.93 N), and AC160 had a higher and total phenolic content ratio (279.01 ± 11.11). Orange-colored accessions scored higher in evaluated parameters, except for AC160 for phenolic content. Thirty-two compounds were identified on positive ionization mode and 42 compounds on negative ionization mode using PSMS. Flavonoids, followed by the derivatives of benzoic acid, sugars, and phenylpropanoids, were the most prominent. Myricitrin, quercitrin, and catechin stand out as flavonoids that have been reported in previous studies with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, in addition to health and therapeutical benefits, demonstrating the potential of the rumberry fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amblyomma sculptum is a species of public health interest because it is associated with the transmission of the bacteria that causes Brazilian Spotted Fever (BSF). The use of repellents on humans is a prophylactic measure widely used to provide protection against a series of arthropod vectors, including mosquitoes and ticks. However, in Brazil, the effectiveness of commercial repellents against A. sculptum is little known. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out specific studies to evaluate the repellency of these commercial products, registered for use against mosquitoes, against the star tick. The main goal of the present work was to evaluate the effectiveness of six commercial repellents against A. sculptum. Unfed nymphs, aged between two and eight weeks, were tested against products based on DEET (OFF!® and Repelex®), Icaridin (Exposis® and SBP®), and IR3535 (Johnsons and Henlau). Three bioassays were conducted to evaluate tick behavior: (i) filter paper, (ii) fingertip, and (iii) field. All bases tested showed high repellent activity, differing significantly (p < 0.05) from the control. It was observed the formulation with DEET resulted in the best results in the filter paper bioassay. In the fingertip bioassay, the DEET base repelled a greater number of ticks compared to Icaridin. In the field bioassay, there was no significant difference between the Icaridin base and DEET, and both formulations differed from the control (p < 0.05). The six formulations tested showed significant percentages of repellency against ticks; however, for the fingertip and field bioassays, the products OFF!®, Repelex®, and Exposis® were tested as they showed better performance in the filter paper test. OFF!® showed the best percentage of repellency (100%), followed by Repelex® (96.8%), and Exposis® (93.1%), considering the two-hour period of the bioassay-field-test. Proving the effectiveness of repellents on the market against A. sculptum presented in this study is crucial, since this is the main ectoparasite of humans that can transmit Rickettsia rickettsii when infected. The effectiveness of commercial insect repellents against other tick species that parasitize humans can also be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting mortality in COVID‐19 is one of the most significant and difficult tasks at hand. This study compares time series and machine learning methods, including support vector machines (SVMs) and neural networks (NNs), to forecast the mortality rate in seven countries: the United States, India, Brazil, Russia, France, China, and Bangladesh. Data were gathered between December 31, 2019, when COVID‐19 began, and March 31, 2021. The study used 457 observations with 4 variables: daily confirmed cases, daily deaths, daily mortality rate, and date. To predict the death rate in the seven countries that were chosen, the data were analyzed using time series analysis and machine learning techniques. Models were compared to obtain more accurate mortality predictions. The autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model with the lowest AIC value for each nation is found through time series analysis. By increasing the hidden layer and applying machine learning techniques, the NN model for each country is chosen, and the optimal model is determined by determining the model with the lowest error value. Additionally, SVM analyzes every country and calculates its R2 and root‐mean‐square error (RMSE). The lowest RMSE value is used to compare all of the time series and machine learning models. According to the comparison table, SVM provides a more accurate model to predict the mortality rate of the seven countries, with the lowest RMSE value. During the study period, mortality rates increased in Brazil and Russia and decreased in the United States, India, France, China, and Bangladesh, according to the comparison value of RMSE in this study. Furthermore, this paper shows that SVM outperforms all other models in terms of performance. According to the author's analysis of the data, SVM is a machine learning technique that can be used to accurately predict mortality in a pandemic scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil counts among the countries the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. A great deal has been said about the negative role played by President Bolsonaro's denialism, but relatively few studies have attempted to measure precisely what impact it actually had on the pandemic. Our paper conducts econometric estimates based on observational data at municipal level to quantitatively assess the 'Bolsonaro effect' over time from March 2020 to December 2022. To our knowledge, this paper presents the most comprehensive investigation of Bolsonaro's influence in the spread of the pandemic from two angles: considering Covid-19 mortality and two key transmission mitigation channels (social distancing and vaccination); and exploring the full pandemic cycle (2020–2022) and its dynamics over time. Controlling for a rich set of relevant variables, our results find a strong and persistent 'Bolsonaro effect' on the death rate: municipalities that were more pro-Bolsonaro recorded significantly more fatalities. Furthermore, evidence suggests that the president's attitude and decisions negatively influenced the population's behaviour. Firstly, pro-Bolsonaro municipalities presented a lower level of compliance with social distancing measures. Secondly, vaccination was relatively less widespread in places more in favour of the former president. Finally, our analysis points to longer-lasting and damaging repercussions. Regression results are consistent with the hypothesis that the 'Bolsonaro effect' impacted not only on Covid-19 vaccination, but has affected vaccination campaigns in general thereby jeopardizing the historical success of the National Immunization Program in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fact that there are (at least) two different translations of the English preposition for used to describe duration in Portuguese, namely durante and por, shows that duration is an interesting area in the tense and aspect panorama of this language, which deserves close study. In this paper, I present an empirical study based on four different corpora to investigate the matter, looking at the Portuguese varieties from Brazil and Portugal and different text genres (general and specialised newspapers, oral interviews, and fiction). The material spans circa two centuries. This paper identifies some specific uses and preferences of the two adverbials and confirms and challenges other claims in the linguistic literature. It shows that narrative fiction is definitely different from newspaper text due to its need to describe short duration and that planned duration can be expressed using both kinds of adverbials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

English as a lingua franca (ELF) is a dynamic, integrative and plurilinguistic mode of communication that encompasses various resources to enhance meaning, understanding, and knowledge among speakers. As a multilingual practice, it involves collaboration, negotiation, sensitivity, and adaptation. Researchers advocate for teacher training programs that raise ELF awareness, promote language fluidity, and utilize corpora materials to examine informal interactions in ELF. This paper discusses pre-service teachers’ reactions to pedagogical activities incorporating ELF corpus interactions in an English teaching program in Brazil. Using audio samples from the BraCES ELF corpus, a lesson plan was designed to promote discussion and raise ELF awareness. Students contemplated incorporating listening activities in ELT rooted in authentic English interactions in Brazil and discussed intelligibility and the potential impact on language learning. Findings reveal that responses questioned the native speaker’s role, underscored the fluidity of English in today’s global context, and pointed to the need for a rethinking of students’ perspectives on learning English. This study highlights the importance of integrating ELF concepts into teacher education programs to foster critical thinking and promote inclusive and dynamic language teaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Despite a recent drive to increase diversity, the global academic workforce is skewed in favor of authors from high‐income countries, and women are under‐represented in the published medical literature. Objectives: To explore the trends in authorship of three high‐impact otolaryngology journals over a ten‐year period (2011–2020). Methods: Journals selected: JAMA Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, The Laryngoscope and Rhinology. Articles were reviewed from four issues per journal per year, and data was collected on: time of publication; subspeciality; number of authors; sex of first and last authors; country of practice of first author and country where each study was conducted. Trends were examined though univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Results: 2998 articles were included. 93.9% of first authors and 94.2% of studies were from high‐income countries. Women were first authors in 31.5% (n = 912) and senior authors in 18.4% (n = 524) of articles. Female first authorship significantly increased between 2011 and 2020 however female senior authorship remained the same. There have been no significant changes in the proportion of published articles from low‐and middle‐income countries (LMIC) over time (p =.65). Amongst the LMIC articles, 72% came from Brazil, Turkey or China and there were no published papers from countries with a low‐income economy (gross national income per capita of $1085 or less). Conclusions: Although female first authorship has increased in the last decade, there has been minimal other demographic change in authorship over this time. High‐impact otolaryngology journals poorly represent academia in low‐and‐middle income countries. There is a need for increased advocacy promoting gender and geographical research equity in academic medicine. Level of Evidence: III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the negative consequences of the excessive use of non-renewable energy and the development of technologies related to photovoltaic energy, the present paper aims to analyze if the photovoltaic systems are economically viable for university hospitals. A photovoltaic system was designed in the parking lot of the University Hospital of the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) and analyzed the financial viability of its installation. As a result, the photovoltaic system is financially viable, with an expected generation of 194.2 MWh in the first year and a payback of 7 years. Thus, this paper contributes to the feasibility of photovoltaic projects in university hospitals, reducing electric energy consumption, reducing its operational costs, reducing the emission of pollution, and diversification of the Brazilian energy matrix. Furthermore, the results can be used as a scientific basis for other fields, such as public and private hospitals and clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity markets offer considerable promise but are accompanied by controversies. Here, we map the utilization of native species (NS) from Brazil's biodiversity across eleven industrial sectors: foodstuffs, beverages, textiles, clothing, leather, wood, pulp and paper, biofuels, pharmochemicals, rubber and furniture. We show that there exists a diverse range of NS use in industrial products (48%) and activities (73%). These economic activities represent potential annual exports of approximately USD $50 billion. However, we found that only 1% of the potential business, USD $500 million of annual exports, is consolidated and can be traced to such products. We show that biodiversity markets and larger annual revenues locate in municipalities away from places in which biodiversity products originate. Therefore, the biodiversity business in Brazil remains largely untapped. This prompts a critical examination of the role of biodiversity within the Brazilian industry and its alignment with the Brazilian Biodiversity Law and the Nagoya Protocol. Our study is a pioneering effort that provides strategic recommendations. We suggest that the responsibility for sustainable NS utilization predominantly falls on sectors dominated by major corporations, most notably pharmochemicals and biofuels. These industry sectors possess the potential to lead the transition towards responsible and sustainable biodiversity practices within Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zika Virus (ZIKV) is a positive-strand RNA virus that can lead to Guillain-Barré syndrome or encephalitis in some individuals and hence presents a serious public health risk. Since the first outbreak of ZIKV in Brazil in 2015, no effective clinical inhibitors have been developed, making the development of effective ZIKV drugs an urgent issue that needs to be addressed. ZIKV belongs to the Flaviviridae family, and its structure includes three structural proteins, namely, capsular (C), premembrane (prM), and envelope (E) proteins, as well as seven nonstructural proteins, namely, NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5. To provide a reference for the development of future ZIKV drugs, this paper reviews the structure of the ZIKV based on recent literature reports, analyzes the potential therapeutic targets of various proteins, and proposes feasible drug design strategies. Additionally, this paper reviews and classifies the latest research progress on several protease inhibitors, such as E protein inhibitors, NS2BNS3 inhibitors, and NS5 inhibitors, so that researchers can quickly understand the current status of development and the interconnections among these inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This paper explores the role of Brazilian research institutions in the global and national context of study of medicinal plants. Most of these plants have ethnopharmacological use and herbal medicines related to the Amazon. It highlights Brazil’s position in scientific production and the importance of Amazonian resources in developing phytomedicines. The study aims to provide an overview of the technical-scientific production of medicinal plants and herbal medicines related to the Amazon, focusing on scientific impact, collaboration, Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of scientific production, and innovation system maturity. Methods: The study employs a comprehensive methodological approach, including data collection from Scopus covering the period from 2002 to 2022. The data was cleaned and analyzed using bibliometric and network analysis techniques. Advanced natural language processing techniques, such as Latent Dirichlet Allocation and Jaccard distance measure, were used for TRL classification. Results: The findings reveal a predominant contribution from Brazilian institutions and authors, with 1,850 publications analyzed. Key areas identified include Pharmacology, Toxicology, Pharmaceuticals, Medicine, and Biochemistry. The study also uncovers various collaborative networks and technological maturity levels, with a significant focus on early-stage development phases. Discussion: The research concludes that Brazilian institutions, particularly those in the Amazon region, play a significant role in the scientific exploration and development of medicinal plants and herbal medicines. Despite this, countries like the USA were proportionally more productive in clinical trial research. The study underscores the potential of Brazil’s rich biodiversity and traditional knowledge in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly for neglected diseases. It suggests the need for stronger research systems and international collaboration to leverage these resources for global health benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an innovative experience involving students and professors from diverse backgrounds and regions that was designed to integrate corporate sustainability (CS) knowledge into undergraduate programs. An action research approach was adopted, with the course running over one semester. The course involved 146 students with diverse academic backgrounds from universities across Brazil along with eight professors from Brazil, Chile, and South Africa. The proposed approach provides actionable insights into the integration of sustainability concepts in the higher educational setting, thereby contributing to the development of a more environmentally and socially conscious generation of professionals. The learning outcomes are discussed in the light of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Agenda, particularly SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure), and SDG 13 (climate action). In addition, it is important to highlight that the dissemination of the course's key features can be useful for universities, professors, and researchers engaged in training future professionals capable of addressing real-world problems of innovation and sustainability. By employing an action research methodology and fostering collaboration among students and professors with diverse academic backgrounds and from different countries, including Brazil, Chile, and South Africa, this paper presents a multiregional and interdisciplinary perspective that sets it apart from conventional practices. The emphasis on providing actionable insights and its potential applicability for universities, professors, and researchers involved in training future professionals further underscore its distinctive contribution to education for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1926, a New York Times article described the cultural and ethnic flows in south Brazil as a "Melting Pot". The report predicted that German Brazilians, tied to their ethnoracial origin, would soon be Brazilianized. The study of congregational song practices offers insight into the relationship between migration, race, culture, and ethnicity. Moreover, investigating Brazilian Lutheran singing practices helps us understand how the New York Times' prediction unfolded on the ground. This paper examines the Brazilian Lutheran hymnal Livro de Canto, published in 2017, and displays how Brazil's ethnoracial diversity is manifested and negotiated in the Lutheran context, both musically and theologically. By interviewing members of the hymnal committee and investigating how they dealt with Brazil's ethnoraciality in the context of the hymnal compilation, this paper demonstrates ways denominations and churchgoers negotiate theological, cultural, musical, and ethnoracial identities through congregational singing. More importantly, it showcases how Brazilian Lutheran church music practices inform broader social conversations around racism, nationalism, Blackness, and Brazilianness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly stringent pollutant emission regulations and a customer demand for a high-fuel economy drive the modern automotive industry to hurriedly solve the problem of decarbonization and powertrain efficiency, leading R&D towards alternative powertrain solutions and fuels. Electrification, today, plays the biggest role in the topic, with Mild Hybrid Electrified Vehicles (MHEVs) being the most cost-effective architectures, displaying dominance in smaller markets such as Brazil. One of the biggest challenges for HEVs' development is the complexity of the hybrid control system, knowing when to actuate the electric machine, and the optimum power delivery, plus the gearshift schedule becomes a hard optimization problem that plays a key role in powertrain efficiency and cost savings for the customer. This paper proposes the implementation of a genetic algorithm (GA) as a machine learning-based control strategy to determine the torque split and the gear engaged for each driving condition of an MHEV operation, aiming to optimize fuel consumption. A quasi-static model of the vehicle was developed in Matlab/Simulink version 2022b, the virtual vehicle was then tested following the FTP75 and HWFET driving cycles. Simulation results indicate that the control decisions taken by the GA are qualitatively coherent for all operation conditions, and even quantitatively coherent in some cases, and that the software has the potential to be used as a control strategy outside the simulation environment, in future steps of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Cordia trichotoma (Vell.) Arrab. ex Steud. is a forest species native to Brazil, naturally propagated by seeds, whose quality assessment may be underestimated by the use of inappropriate methods for conducting the germination test. Given the potential use of this plant and the importance of conserving native species, the present work aimed to study parameters for conducting the germination test in louro-pardo seeds, during three consecutive years of evaluations. For this purpose, temperatures (20, 25 and 30 °C) and substrates (blotter paper, filter paper, sand and vermiculite) were tested in seeds collected in different crop seasons. The tests were carried out under a completely randomized experimental design, with four replications, in a factorial scheme for the germination test (temperatures x substrates), with the data obtained being subjected to analysis of variance and means compared by Tukey's test (p = 0.05). Germination percentage and speed index were determined, and seed health analysis was performed. It is concluded that the germination test for louro-pardo seeds should be carried out between vermiculite, at 30 °C, without light supply, with the first count carried out at 26 days and the last count at 48 days after setting up the test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring food security against climate risks has been a growing challenge recently. Weather index insurance has been pointed out as a tool for increasing the financial resilience of food production. However, the multi-hazard insurance design needs to be better understood. This paper aims to review weather index insurance design for food security resilience, including the methodology for calculating natural hazards' indices, vulnerability assessment, and risk pricing. We searched for relevant research papers in the Scopus database using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol. Initially, 364 peer-reviewed papers from 1 January 2010 to 19 February 2022 were screened for bibliometric analysis. Then, the 26 most relevant papers from the last 5 years were systematically analyzed. Our results demonstrate that despite a significant research effort on index insurance, most papers focused on food production. However, research considering other aspects of food security, such as transportation, storage, and distribution, is lacking. Most research focuses on droughts. Other hazards, such as extreme temperature variation, excessive rainfall, and wildfires, were poorly covered. Most studies considered only single-hazard risk, and the multi-hazard risk studies assumed independence between hazards, neglecting the synergy hypothesis between hazards. Lastly, we proposed a conceptual framework that illustrates design paths for a generalized weather index insurance design and evaluation. Solutions for addressing multi-hazard problems are considered. An illustrative example demonstrates the importance of testing the multi-hazard risk hypothesis for weather-based index insurance design for soybean production in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review aims to give an overview of the diversity of research areas related to human biometeorology in Brazil. The main focus of this paper addresses research trends, represented by published papers with national and international authorship, main contributions and shortcomings, as well as challenges and prospects of research in this area of study. An extensive literature search was conducted in the Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct databases so as to identify relevant publication output up to July 2021 related to the research area. The screening resulted in 96 studies chosen for full-text reading. Overall, results indicated a reduced amount of articles on the subject matter published internationally, with noticeable gaps in research in some regions of the country, such as the Amazon region and in the Brazilian Midwest region. Research gaps in relevant areas have been identified with limited output in the climate dimensions of tourism, vector-borne diseases, mortality and morbidity in urban centers. Such gaps should further encourage researchers to engage in research focused on those areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial autocorrelation describes the interdependent relationship between the realizations or observations of a variable that is distributed across a geographical landscape, which may be divided into different units/areas according to natural or political boundaries. Researchers of Geographical Information Science (GIS) always consider spatial autocorrelation. However, spatial autocorrelation research covers a wide range of disciplines, not only GIS, but spatial econometrics, ecology, biology, etc. Since spatial autocorrelation relates to multiple disciplines, it is difficult gain a wide breadth of knowledge on all its applications, which is very important for beginners to start their research as well as for experienced scholars to consider new perspectives in their works. Scientometric analyses are conducted in this paper to achieve this end. Specifically, we employ scientometrc indicators and scientometric network mapping techniques to discover influential journals, countries, institutions, and research communities; key topics and papers; and research development and trends. The conclusions are: (1) journals categorized into ecological and biological domains constitute the majority of TOP journals;(2) northern American countries, European countries, Australia, Brazil, and China contribute the most to spatial autocorrelation-related research; (3) eleven research communities consisting of three geographical communities and eight communities of other domains were detected; (4) hot topics include spatial autocorrelation analysis for molecular data, biodiversity, spatial heterogeneity, and variability, and problems that have emerged in the rapid development of China; and (5) spatial statistics-based approaches and more intensive problem-oriented applications are, and still will be, the trend of spatial autocorrelation-related research. We also refine the results from a geographer's perspective at the end of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Integration in health and care can improve quality and outcomes, but it is challenged by expansion of medical knowledge, social pressures on patient needs, and demands to deliver critical information. In Latin American and in other lower and middle-income countries integrated care remains in development. This paper examined the available literature on integrated care to understand how Latin American countries identify and measure integration, and what factors influence success. Methods: This integrative literature review included systematic searches in Global Health, PubMed, SciELO and BVSPsi databases for articles on integrated care in Spanish, Portuguese, and English in the period from January of 1999 to December 2020. The articles were screened for selection and assessed independently by five reviewers that used the inclusion criteria of papers about integration in health care systems. The sample excluded articles that did not deal with the integration of health care, which addressed issues related to public health campaigns, programs to control endemics and epidemics, reports on the experience of implementing health services, health promotion guidelines, food safety, oral health, and books evaluation. Results: 24 articles were included: qualitative (75%), quantitative (12,5%), and mixed-method research (4%) published between 2000 and 2017. All studies were undertaken in Brazil, and two of them were also conducted in Latin American countries. In 15 articles there was an interchangeable use between concepts of integration of services and integrated care, while nine studies did not define integration. Barriers to integration included absence of shared understanding of knowledge among members of interprofessional teams, lack of clarity on professional roles, missing consensus on a definition and measurement of integrated care, power struggles between professionals, poor institutional support, insufficient team preparation and training and unequal valuation of professions by society. Conclusion: Several types of integration and factors contributing to the success of implementation of integrated care in various contexts in Brazil were identified. The concept of integration reflected the varied local and regional realities including different health settings and levels of health and care, suggesting a need for further clarifications on its objective and components especially in LMIC contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the predictions of real business cycle theory on the roles of total factor productivity (TFP) and financial frictions to explain business cycles in emerging market economies (EMEs). I obtain evidence about TFP, price of capital, risk premium, and collateral constraint shocks by estimating structural vector autoregressions (SVARs) on a Brazilian sample from 1999Q1 to 2018Q4 and a Mexican sample from 1997Q1 to 2018Q4. On each sample, two SVARs are estimated. One SVAR identifies shocks by imposing restrictions on their short-run impact. The other SVAR is grounded on restrictions that shocks have long-run effects on business cycles in EMEs. Estimates of the SVARs show the TFP shock is the main driver of business cycle movements in Brazil and Mexico. However, this evidence is produced by the SVAR under the long-run restrictions, which indicates the identification of shocks matters to the explanation of business cycles in EMEs. Next, the Brazilian and Mexican business cycles are markedly different, as the contributions of shocks to aggregate fluctuations vary across the two countries. Hence, findings of this paper suggest although not all business cycles are alike in EMEs, "the cycle is the trend" view on aggregate fluctuations in EMEs remains valid. The empirical results of this paper are in support of the economic policies that aim to robustify the productivity process of EMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition of propolis varies between different types, due to the specific vegetation found near the hives and the climatic and soil conditions worldwide. Green propolis is exclusive to Brazil, produced by bees, with the resin of the plant Baccharis dracunculifolia. Brown propolis is a specific variety produced mainly in Northeast Brazil from the plant Hyptis divaricata, also known as "maria miraculosa". Dark propolis is a variety of propolis produced by bees from the resin of the plant known as Jurema Preta (Mimosa hostilis benth). In this study, the aqueous extracts of green, brown, and dark propolis were analyzed for their antioxidant capacity using ABTS, FRAP, and DPPH, and their chemical profiles were determined using paper spray mass spectrometry. Among the three extracts, green propolis had the highest content of total phenolic compounds (2741.71 ± 49.53 mg GAE. 100 g−1), followed by brown propolis (1191.55 ± 36.79 mg GAE. 100 g−1), and dark propolis had the lowest content (901.79 ± 27.80 mg GAE. 100 g−1). The three types of propolis showed high antioxidant capacity, with green showing the highest antioxidant capacity for the three methods used. Using paper spray mass spectrometry, it was possible to suggest the presence of 116 substances, including flavonoids (56), phenylpropanoids (30), terpenes (25), carboxylic acids (1), benzoic acid derivatives (1), fatty acids (1), amino acids (1) and alkaloids (1). The compounds in the green, brown, and dark propolis extracts reinforce the bioactive potential for application in these tree extracts' food and pharmaceutical products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea cucumbers are the second most diverse class among echinoderms. They are characterized by an elongated body and dermal ossicles in the body wall. Among the included groups in that class, the order Holothuriida encompasses many species of commercial interest. Faced with the threats of biodiversity loss resulting from the climate crisis and the advancement of cities, this study provides an overview of recent research involving the Holothuriida of the Brazilian Coast. Searches were carried out in the main periodical databases, using appropriate keywords, targeting publications on the subject in the period between 2000 and 2023. In total, 69 publications were found, most of them corresponding to scientific articles in international journals. Most of the studies come from the Northeast region in Brazil (56.52%). Regarding lines of research, those involving taxonomy and molecular analysis were the most prevalent. Over these 20 years, seven species constituted new occurrences. Of note are the studies focused on Holothuria (Halodeima) grisea, which makes up 39.13% of papers. Despite progress, little is known about morphological variations, genetic distance between populations, population densities, and on reproductive biology of species. Brazil has a vast, heterogeneous coastal area, with unique characteristics to which the species are adapted. The findings reinforce the importance to expand studies aiming on knowing the biodiversity, reproductive biology, and population densities of species. Such data are essential for the creation of public policies aimed at the conservation of species of Holothuriida and their habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]