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This paper aims to analyze the frequency of occurrence of different forms of communication in nonspeaking children during activities with digital games. The participants in this study were three children with multiple disabilities, whose limitations were due to cerebral palsy. All the children had severe oral communication disabilities. Three digital games were developed by the Research Group of Computational Modeling of SENAI/CIMATEC for this population: Food Safety, Public Safety and Sustainable City. This research group has qualified people who have different areas of training and experience. From analysis of the footage, by recording the observation, it was possible to identify the occurrence of five categories of communication; vocal and non-verbal was the one that stood out. Additionally, we analyzed the expansion of the children's communication individually in each session, thus allowing us to identify the ongoing progress of this variable. The digital games encouraged the use of different forms of communication in nonspeaking children with multiple disabilities resulting from cerebral palsy. This paper discusses the importance of analyzing the different possibilities of expression for these children with cerebral palsy in order to plan more effective treatments in the area Augmentative and Alternative Communication, using digital games and assistive technology.

This paper reports a 6-year experience teaching building information modeling (BIM) methodology in the undergraduate/graduate architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) program at the Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Brazil. This work is part of the long-term goal of developing a new BIM AEC-based curriculum track for engineering and architecture students at this university. The paper also reports the results of a survey on the student's perception on how this knowledge has affected their way of working with other disciplines and how it has influenced their professional lives. The adopted approach involved theoretical lectures, computer laboratory practice, student oral presentations, and the complete project of an enterprise. The lectures delivered by specialists with practical experience in the subject exposed the students to BIM concepts. In the laboratory, students were trained in the software tools that enables BIM activity. To develop the project, multidisciplinary teams of students were formed and each team was challenged to emulate the change in process that BIM implies. The task was to develop the complete project of an enterprise considering all different specialties involved in its design, detailing, and planning. More specifically, these specialties consisted of architecture, structural engineering, mechanical and electrical systems, and BIM management. The teams made oral presentations to the client (the professor) and consultants roughly on a weekly basis. In each year, the students' performance was evaluated in several ways. In particular, a 360° evaluation tool was used, which was crucial to provide feedback to each team member during the exercise. The culmination of this experience is the elaboration of this article that aims to describe the challenges and the successes of the adopted approach.

Within the context of climate change and the quest for more sustainable cities, greener urban solutions are gaining traction through emerging concepts that have been orienting municipalities' regeneration and development agendas, including the so-called nature-based solutions (NbS), which have been discussed, planned, and proposed worldwide by academics, NGOs, and policymakers. Comprising different scales and typologies, NbS makes up a modern toolkit of actions towards decarbonized, climate-resilient, and ecologically healthy cities, claiming ample ecological, social, and economic benefits. A literature analysis indicates a greater presence of research and projects focused on NbS in countries in the Global North than in the South; however, given their accelerated urban growth, lack of green areas, and degradation of local environments, cities of the South urgently need such solutions. Nonetheless, research on the effects of urban greening agendas in the Global North has demonstrated that solutions may be entangled with neoliberal practices of space production that exacerbate inequalities, resulting in harmful social impacts such as displacement of people and increases in land and housing costs. This study seeks to build an anticipatory understanding of practices that articulate NbS in the Global South from a Brazilian viewpoint. Given Brazil's reality of social and environmental injustices, we focus on whether implementing NbS could amplify such problems. Our objective is to contribute to the debate by (1) understanding how the NbS concept is being appropriated, in practice, in Brazil, and (2) reflecting and pointing out paths and recommendations on how to plan NbS through a justice lens. • Nature-based solutions (NbS) are spreading rapidly in the Global North. • Empirical work on NbS and the dimensions of justice in the Global South is lacking. • Environmental justice policy and planning are absent from Brazil's NbS projects. • We identify possible undesired social impacts of NbS and preventive measures. • There is a need to include "developing a Just City" as a goal in the planning axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During power outages in power distribution systems, a framework to detect and locate faults and broken cables is required to promptly restore the power supply and, therefore, to mitigate continuity indexes degradation. In developing countries, such as Brazil, customers' phone calls are usually the only way for the power distribution utility to become aware of a power outage. Researches on this matter have proposed meta-heuristics, artificial intelligence, and traveling waves-based methodologies. Currently, they are mostly based on a final specific technology, restricted to some monitoring devices. Such condition makes the proposed solutions unfeasible for immediate application to Brazilian distribution systems. This work presents the development of a robust Fault and Broken Cable Location framework (FBCL), successfully deployed at a Brazilian power distribution network. Two major guidelines are considered: (1) use of existing devices' records through corporate systems integration and (2) aggregation of innovative smart devices devised under the R&D scope and destined to expand monitoring capability. Aside from assisting the distribution utility in locating conventional low-impedance faults, the FBCL framework can also locate high-impedance faults with broken cables, which is a major contribution to mitigate safety issues in distribution networks. Based on the case studies conducted, the FBCL accurately located faults and broken cable events, considering multiple combinations of monitoring conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ciência & Saúde Coletiva is the property of Associacao Brasileira de Pos-Graduacao em Saude Coletiva 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 city of Rio de Janeiro has implemented, on a large scale, the model of Social Organizations (OSS) for the management of Primary Health Care (PHC). This option makes the understanding of the city's experience very relevant, especially since, until then, the OSS organizational model had been adopted predominantly in the SUS hospital management. Thus, the experience of PHC development at two conflicting moments of municipal management in relation to the OSS model is analyzed: the implementation and development of the PPPs (2009-2016); and their dismantling (2017-2020). Case Studies, Literature Review and analysis of public data from DATASUS/Ministry of Health were used. It was verified that: the adoption of outsourcing based on OSS can be directly associated with the rapid expansion of PHC in the city and PHC coverage improvement indicators; the diffusion of the OSS model is associated with the high priority given to health expenditures in the municipal budget; the sustainability of the adoption of the OSS model did not depend on the municipality's economic status, but on the government's political choice in the period of 2009 to 2016. The PPP arrangement resulted in important organizational advances, although it did not prevent the veto of the OSS model carried out during the 2017-2020 term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ciência & Saúde Coletiva is the property of Associacao Brasileira de Pos-Graduacao em Saude Coletiva 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 Ciencia, Cuidado e Saude is the property of Universidade Estadual de Maringa 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.)

We provide pathological, immunohistochemical and molecular evidence of cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) infection in a live-stranded adult female killer whale (Orcinus orca), which stranded alive in Espírito Santo State, Brazil, in 2014. Although attempts were made to release the animal, it stranded again and died. The main pathological findings were severe pulmonary oedema, pleural petechiation, multifocal, lymphoplasmacytic meningoencephalitis and leptomeningomyelitis with perivascular cuffing and gliosis, chronic lymphocytic bronchointerstitial pneumonia and multicentric lymph node and splenic lymphoid depletion. Other pathological findings were associated with the 'live-stranding stress response'. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed multifocal morbilliviral antigen in neurons and astrocytes, and in pneumocytes, histiocytes and leukocytes in the lung. CeMV was detected by a novel reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction method in the brain and kidney. Phylogenetic analysis of part of the morbillivirus phosphoprotein gene indicates that the virus is similar to the Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) morbillivirus strain, known to affect cetaceans along the coast of Brazil. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of morbillivirus disease in killer whales. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the social and geographical inequalities in the performance of prenatal medical care in the Unified Health System (SUS) in the Metropolitan Region of Grande Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 1,209 puerperae living in this region, admitted for childbirth from 2010 to 2011. Data about prenatal care and contextual, enabling, and social characteristics were collected, following the Andersen's Behavioral Model. The performance of prenatal care was classified into five levels, including information on the number of prenatal visits, initial and repetitive examinations, tetanus vaccination, gestational risk management, and participation in educational activities. The likelihood of different levels of prenatal care performance was analyzed using a multivariate multinomial model, according to maternal social variables. High prenatal coverage (98%) and 4.4% care adequacy were identified. The likelihood of access to prenatal care was increased by enabling, contextual, and social factors. The relationship between prenatal care quality and pregnant women's social and geographical conditions must be considered in the organization of services to achieve equity and reduce maternal and perinatal morbimortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Neotropical Biology & Conservation is the property of Pensoft Publishers 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 Revista Ciência & Saúde Coletiva is the property of Associacao Brasileira de Pos-Graduacao em Saude Coletiva 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 Brazilian Journal of Oceanography is the property of Instituto Oceanografico da Universidade de Sao Paulo 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 Brazilian Journal of Oceanography is the property of Instituto Oceanografico da Universidade de Sao Paulo 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 Journal of Integrated Coastal Zone Management / Revista de Gestão Costeira Integrada is the property of Associacao Portuguesa dos Recursos Hidricos 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 Brazilian Journal of Oceanography is the property of Instituto Oceanografico da Universidade de Sao Paulo 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 plankton was examined as an indicator of water quality in 14 shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei farms in Brazil in 2003. The ponds were categorized by high stocking density (>30PLm−2) of phytoplankton, consisting of 51 species with concentrations ranging from 365,218±416,615cellsmL−1 to 1,961,675±3,160,172cellsmL−1. Diatoms contributed to almost 70% of the species number and high densities resulted from Cyanophyta blooms, mainly Pseudanabaena cf limnetica. Forty zooplankton taxa were registered and were essentially composed of typical marine euryhaline species and suspension-feeders. Copepoda dominated (45%) the make-up, followed by Protozoa (18%), Rotifera (12%), and Mollusca (12%) larvae. Zooplankton varied from 972±209indm−3 to 4235±2877indm−3. Enhanced nutrient input affected plankton density and composition. Diatom and Copepoda dominance was replaced by cyanobacteria, protozoan, and rotifers as nutrient concentrations increased with the cultured period, indicating that plankton structure is affected by eutrophic conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An analysis of 79 yellow fever virus (YFV) isolates collected from 1935 to 2001 in Brazil showed a single genotype (South America I) circulating in the country, with the exception of a single strain from Rondonia, which represented South America genotype II. Brazilian YFV strains have diverged into two clades; an older clade appears to have become extinct and another has become the dominant lineage in recent years. Pairwise nucleotide diversity between strains ranged from 0% to 7.4%, while amino acid divergence ranged from 0% to 4.6%. Phylogenetic analysis indicated traffic of virus variants through large geographic areas and suggested that migration of infected people may be an important mechanism of virus dispersal. Isolation of vaccine virus from a patient with a fatal case suggests that vaccine-related illness may have been misdiagnosed in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to analyse the feeding habits and trophic interactions between four oceanic predatory fish around the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago (FNA), Brazil, in the western equatorial Atlantic (3.86°S/32.42°W), internationally recognized as an environment of high economic and ecological value. For this purpose, biological samples of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri), barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) and dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) were collected for stomach content and stable isotope analysis. Values of the index of relative importance revealed varied diets, with a strong presence of teleost fishes (Diodontidae and Exocoetidae) for all species, with yellowfin tuna having a greater diversity of food items. Despite being generalists/opportunists, the feeding strategy of these predators showed a tendency towards a specialized diet in the use of the available resources around the FNA. They presented a narrow trophic niche width (Levin's index, Bi < 0.6) and low overlap between species, except between barracuda and wahoo (MacArthur and Levin's, R 0  = 0.72). Isotopic compositions had broad values of δ 13 C and δ 15 N, and were significantly different between species. Our results provide information about the four species' trophic organization and suggest that the predators avoid competition by preying on different prey, thus allowing their coexistence., (© 2021 Fisheries Society of the British Isles.)

Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is a screening and diagnostic modality that acquires images of a breast at multiple angles during a short scan. The Selenia Dimensions (Hologic, Bedford, Mass) DBT system can perform both full-field digital mammography and DBT. The system acquires 25 projections over a 15° angular range (from -7.5° to +7.5°). X-ray spectroscopy is generally linked with a high-resolution semiconductor detector through a correction to its energy response function. The energy spectrum describes the radiation field, in which several quality parameters can be extracted, such as the effective energy, half-value layer and exposure. X-ray spectroscopy is usually performed with solid-state semiconductor detectors. Radiation dose is a concern in mammography, as the current protocols recommend that medical physicians evaluate mean glandular dose (MGD) as a part of service quality control. Studies are needed for radiation dose optimization from tomosynthesis patients. The COMET metrological X-ray tube, considered as with a constant potential and cooled, has proved to be a crucial tool in order to obtain the high energy resolution for low-energy radiographs in mammography. The Monte Carlo method, through Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended (MCNPX), was proven to be an essential tool for image formation and posterior analysis of the deposited dose from breast simulators and radiographic contrast evaluation, for several anode/filter combinations. The purpose of this work was to assess the MGD and spectra in slabs of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and breast equivalent thicknesses using four experiments with a Hologic Selenia Dimensions mammography X-ray tube with multimeter, a spectrometer (only for spectra, in this case), a metrological X-ray tube with a multimeter, and the MCNPX code. References indicate that the real conditions for a mammography X-ray tube that conducts tomosynthesis include tube voltages of 26, 29, 30 and 33 kVp. Taking into account several thicknesses of PMMA, both the MGD and spectral results were in accordance with the references. Most of the spectra were in accordance with the references, showing that the resources used in the experiments can evaluate the energy level received by a patient. The MGD values were lower than those in the references from 30 to 50 mm PMMA, and the data can be used for improvements in the detectors used in the Laboratory of Metrology in the State of Rio de Janeiro University, Brazil. Additionally, in the future, optimization of image quality can be performed for both semiconductors and mammography X-ray equipment., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The reproduction of Blackfin tuna Thunnus atlanticus has been described for coastal regions, and for a long time, this species was considered to be a strictly continental spawner. Recently, this species was observed around a seamount habitat 500 nautical miles Northeast of Brazil, located between South America and Africa. In this study we describe the reproductive biology of Blackfin tuna at Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (SPSPA). Male and female gonads were sampled from December 2008 to July 2010, and analyzed macro and microscopically. A total of 361 fish were sampled (247 males and 114 females). Males were more common than females, with a sex ratio of 2.2 male:1 female. The fork length (FL) of all sampled specimens ranged from 38 to 98cm, and larger length classes were more frequent in males. It was possible to distinguish six maturity phases for females: immature, developing, spawning capable, actively spawning, regressing and recovering. Five phases were identified for males: immature, developing, spawning capable, actively spawning and recovering. The gonad index (GI) mean monthly values ranged from 6.6 (SD = 4.1) to 58.4 (SD = 34.7) for females, and from 2.6 (SD = 1.3) to 66.2 (SD = 30.4) for males. For both sexes, the largest GI values were observed at the beginning of the first semester of the year. Size at first maturity was estimated at 48cm FL and 55cm FL for females and males respectively. Approximately 80% of the specimens were adults and considered to be in reproductive conditions. Histological analysis of the ovaries and testes showed that most of the specimens were sexually mature and were reproductively active during all months of the year. However, females with mature ovaries, with large amounts of hydrated oocytes and post-ovulatory follicles, were mainly found from December to March, thus these months may constitute the main spawning season in SPSPA. Batch fecundity varied between 272025 and 1,140584 oocytes for 56 and 68 cm FL females respectively. Oocyte development and spawning patterns suggest a multiple spawning behavior. The results revealed that Blackfin tuna is using the SPSPA as a spawning ground, similar to other species commonly observed in the same area during the same reproductive season.

The rainbow runner, Elagatis bipinnulata, which belongs to the Carangidae family, has a circumtropical distribution. It is found throughout the Atlantic Ocean, from Massachusetts (USA) to Bahia (Brazil). The reproductive biology of the rainbow runner was studied, using specimens captured off the São Pedro and São Paulo Archipelago. From July 1999 to November 2003, a total of 352 fishes were analysed (201 females and 151 males). Fork length (FL) was measured and specimens were gutted for gonads collection. In the laboratory, gonads length, width and weight were measured, and sexes identified macroscopically. Through histological analysis, five different maturation stages were identified for females: immature, maturing, mature, spent and resting. A predominance of maturing and mature females was observed from January to May. The highest gonad index (GI) values were also observed during this period, ranging from 7.7 to 55. Mean sexual maturity size (L50) for females was estimated at 64.6 cm (FL). In the studied area the species exhibited total spawning, with two synchronous groups. Testicles were histologically very similar making them impossible to differentiate sexual maturation stages. Considerable variation was observed in the male gonads weight, hampering the assessment of size at maturity. However, GI values for males were also higher from January to May. These results suggest that the spawning period of the rainbow runner in the São Pedro and São Paulo Archipelago occurs during the first semester of the year.

200 cervical lateral punctions (CLP) were performed in comatose patients without psychomotor trouble proving this new system to be an alternative for suboccipital punction. This procedure was successful in 90% of the cases. Low importance venous accidents happened but they did not bring any injury or serious consequences to the patients or to cerebrospinal fluid examination results. Vertebral artery injury was not observed. Punctions in corpses showed us that this artery is one cm far from the needle trajectory during the realization of the CLP.