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Abstract Background The Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM), a pictorial scale for the measurement of pleasure and arousal dimensions of emotions, is one of the most applied tools in the emotion research field. Objective We present a detailed description of a remote method to collect affective ratings in response to pictures by using the SAM scale. Methods To empirically validate our remote method, we conducted a study using a digitized version of the SAM scale and delivered online didactic instructions that followed the normative rating procedure for the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) to the participants. We presented 70 pictures from the IAPS and an additional set of 22 food pictures to the participants. Results We found strong correlations between the ratings of IAPS pictures obtained in our sample and those reported by North American and Brazilian participants in previous in-person studies that applied the same pictures and methodology. We were also able to obtain an additional standardized set of food pictures. Conclusion The protocols described here may be useful for researchers interested in collecting remotely valid and reliable affecting ratings.

A new invasive snapping shrimp from the Alpheus lobidens De Haan, 1849 species complex has become one of the most frequently observed crustaceans in certain saltmarshes along the southwestern Spanish coast. The first place in Europe where this invasion has occurred is reported in this study; however, little is known about this species, even within its undetermined native range. Here, the population structure, density, sex ratio, sexual dimorphism, reproductive period, and relative growth of this nonnative shrimp are reported for an intertidal saltmarsh in SW Spain based on monthly data collection over a year. Ovigerous females were collected during all months of the year. This population trait is not found in any native crustacean in the temperate zone of Europe. The sex ratio showed a similar proportion of male and female individuals, 0.88:1 (F:M), throughout the year. Sexual dimorphism was evident in the growth characteristics of body structures and implications are discussed. These results highlight the successful establishment of this shrimp in the Mediterranean climate area of Spain and have implications on marine fauna conservation and management. These findings also provide a basis for future comparative research in the shrimp native regions and enhance understanding of the species population dynamics. KEY WORDS: Alpheus lobidens, nonindigenous species, Caridea, life-history traits, size, reproduction, San Pedro River, snapping shrimp, INTRODUCTION The caridean family Alpheidae Rafinesque, 1815, is present in various marine habitats, spanning tropical, and temperate regions and can be found from the intertidal zone to deep waters (Anker [...]

Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a relação entre os cenários de crise econômica, dificuldade financeira e a agressividade tributária em empresas listadas na B3. Metodologia: Este estudo, de natureza descritiva e documental, adotou uma abordagem quantitativa, com uma amostra composta por 326 empresas. A análise dos dados foi realizada por meio da estatística descritiva e análise de regressão com dados em painel. Resultados: Os resultados encontrados apontam que o ambiente de crise não favorece a adoção de estratégias de agressividade tributária pelas empresas da amostra, contradizendo ao evidenciado pela literatura, de que existe um maior esforço para reduzir a tributação em períodos de crise. Entretanto, identificou-se que empresas em dificuldade financeira tendem a adotar estratégias de agressividade tributária, buscando reduzir seus encargos fiscais. Contribuições do Estudo: Este estudo visa enriquecer o debate sobre agressividade tributária em empresas brasileiras durante crises econômicas, evidenciando divergências em relação a pesquisas anteriores. Além disso, busca ampliar o conhecimento na área tributária, fomentando a compreensão do perfil de agressividade tributária em cenários de crise e dificuldade financeira.

Artesunate-mefloquine combination therapy (AR-MQ) is a standard therapy for treating uncomplicated malaria by Plasmodium falciparum. Time-to-event (TTE) analysis is used to describe the occurrence and timing of events by yielding information about the risk of an event occurring during a specific period. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of AR-MQ combination therapy on the survival time of Plasmodium berghei-infected mice using TTE analysis. Here, TTE analysis was used to analyze P. berghei-infected mice receiving a single oral dose of 100 mg/kg artesunate and 55 mg/kg mefloquine or dose-matched artesunate monotherapy. Median survival was higher for AR-MQ than for monotherapy. A survival analysis to evaluate the influence of treatment on survival was performed using MonolixSuite™. The Weibull model best described the mortality time of the animals. Subsequent analysis identified that AR-MQ had a significant influence on population survival time (Te_pop), estimated at 13.66 days, population parameter for curve fitting (p_pop) at 4.39, and survival time under AR-MQ treatment (beta Te_AR-MQ) at 0.77 days. The probability of survival 7, 15, and 30 days after treatment with AR-MQ was 94.4%, 88.9%, and 14.9%, respectively. The experimental and modeling data both found that AR-MQ combination therapy yielded increased survival of infected animals.

Objective: to describe the epidemic curves and analyze the epidemiological profile of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in a triple border city. Method: descriptive-quantitative. The population consisted of COVID-19 cases that required hospitalization, analyzing variables such as: age, gender, race/color, city where they lived, occupation, pregnant woman, institutionalized patient and evolution. Descriptive statistical analysis and analysis of variance and chi-square tests were used. Results: four epidemic curves were identified in the studied period. Among hospitalized cases, males predominated (55%). Cure was the most frequent outcome in curves 1, 2 and 4, but with no statistical difference (p = 0.2916). Curve 3 showed a higher frequency of deaths (41.70%) in relation to cures (38.77%). The mean ages were significantly different between the curves, with curve 4 having the lowest mean age. Conclusion: it was concluded that the epidemic curves were influenced by different situations; unvaccinated population, easing of restrictive measures, reopening of the Brazil-Paraguay border, interruption of control actions, crowding of people and circulation of new variants of the disease. Through the epidemiological profile of hospitalized patients, it was concluded that being male, of mixed race/color, aged between 61 and 85 years, and being deprived of freedom were associated with hospitalization and the occurrence of death.

Randomized clinical trials are considered the gold standard for studies with dietary interventions, which is mainly due to the fact that they can establish causal relationships between food exposure and body composition measures or biomarkers. The aim of this study was to describe the details of a double-blind, randomized, clinical trial protocol to identify, characterize and evaluate the effects of human dietary exposure to pesticide residues in food. Specific aspects of planning (development of a research question, determination of objectives, selection of participants, randomization and blinding) and performance (recruitment of participants, measures to improve adherence, data collection, follow-up and evaluation of results) are addressed in this study. The study design proved effective in characterizing dietary patterns with foods originating from both conventional and organic agriculture. A total of 148 individuals were recruited for the study. The conventional group was represented by 47 % of the sample and the organic group was represented by 53 %. The practice of evidence-based nutrition has demanded that trials be well designed and systematically performed in the field of clinical nutrition. Therefore, this clinical trial emphasizes the importance of improving studies with toxicological nutrition that assess sources of exposure through food. • This double-blind, randomized clinical trial details the protocol for identifying, characterizing, and evaluating the effects of dietary exposure to pesticide residues. • The protocol demonstrates that well-designed and systematically conducted trials emphasize the importance of robust methodologies in evidence-based nutrition. • In the face of the global climate crisis, this clinical trial underscores the importance of enhancing studies in toxicological nutrition, particularly those evaluating sources of exposure through food, to better understand the dietary impacts on health.

Air pollution is responsible for illness and death of millions of people worldwide annually and has strong impacts on the economy and society. Large cities typically have more robust and effective air quality monitoring coverage, however, less populated cities need to rely on monitoring via satellite data or low-cost sensors. Additionally, global and national study hotspots are megacities and highly industrialized regions, and the Southern Air Project aims to broaden the focus on the impact on populations in less populated areas. This article describes the initiatives of the Southern Air Project, aimed at providing data on air pollution and its health effects in small and medium-sized cities in southern Brazil. A significant portion of the air pollutant data used in the project originates from satellite information, low-cost sensors, passive samplers, and data provided by enterprises. These data have been used to understand the levels, dynamics and human health impacts of air pollutants in cities that do not have well-established monitoring networks and, consequently, are less studied. In addition to research initiatives, the project engages in community actions with the aim of informing about the risks of exposure to air pollution and the role of citizens in demanding quality air from public managers.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between economic crisis scenarios, financial difficulties, and tax aggressiveness in companies listed on B3. Methodology: This descriptive and documentary study employed a quantitative approach, incorporating a sample of 326 companies. Data analysis entailed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis with panel data. Results: The findings of this study suggest that a crisis environment does not promote the adoption of aggressive tax strategies by the companies within the sample. This contradicts established literature, which has posited that there is a heightened effort to decrease tax liability during periods of crisis. Nonetheless, it was observed that companies experiencing financial difficulties tend to adopt aggressive tax strategies in an effort to alleviate their tax burdens. Study Contributions: This research aims to contribute to discussing tax aggressiveness among Brazilian companies during economic crises, pointing out discrepancies with previous studies. Additionally, it seeks to broaden the understanding of tax aggressiveness in situations of crisis and financial difficulty, thereby enhancing the body of knowledge in the tax domain.

Introduction: The severity of COVID-19 in the general population ranges from minimally symptomatic disease to critical illness, which may require hospitalization and progress to death. Methods: A retrospective cohort study carried out with all positive cases of COVID-19 reported in the municipality of Foz do Iguaçu (PR) between the period from March 2020 to December 2021. Data were collected from Bank Notifies COVID-19 is the name of the information system that provides notifications by professionals of suspected and confirmed cases of the disease. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques and calculation of relative risk. Results: 24,647 confirmed cases were identified in the study; among these, 22,211 (90.1%) were not hospitalized and 2436 (9.9%) were hospitalized. Among the 2436 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, 947 (38.9%) died and 1489 (61.1%) recovered. Among the 22,211 outpatients, 93 (0.4%) died and 22,118 (99.6%) recovered. An association between death and the following characteristics was identified among the cases that were hospitalized: male gender, all age groups over 40 years, indigenous race/color, hospital staylength of more than 10 days,hospitalization in a Unified Health System (SUS) bed and in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). According to the clinical characteristics of symptoms and comorbidities, the following prevailed:ities dyspnea, intercostal retraction, cyanosis, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, smoking, lung disease, kidneydisease, neurological disease, neoplasia, and immunodeficiency. Among the cases that were not hospitalized, death was associated with: malegender, all age groups over 50 years, dyspnea, cyanosis, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, neurological disease, neoplasia, and liver disease. Conclusions: Older adults, male, and Caucasian people are commonly affected by COVID-19 and can evolve with aggravation when they have modifiable risk factors such as obesity and smoking, as well as nonmodifiable risk factors such as: cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, renal, hypertension, diabetes, and immunosuppression.

Abstract Lightning strikes, snow, and wind are common causes of power system failures. Their frequency of occurrence varies depending on weather patterns and seasons. Here, we analyse the occurrence of thirty pre-defined daily weather patterns along with nearly 70,000 power system failures in the United Kingdom between 2010 and 2019 to investigate the predictability of weather-induced power outages. We identify high-risk weather patterns and pattern transitions for all seasons. Winter weather patterns characterized by high wind speeds and high precipitation volumes are responsible for many instances of power outages caused by wind, gale, and lightning strikes. Weather patterns with moderate to high snowfall are often linked to power outages caused by snow and ice. Because high-risk weather patterns can be forecast reliably with valuable lead time, clear links between specific patterns and transitions can significantly improve the preparedness of the United Kingdom and broader European distribution network operators for adverse weather conditions.

This work describes a low cost solution based on ESP32 processor and the LoRa controller SX1276 for interoperability of photovoltaic inverters with WiFi interfaces. The system firmware is developed in C++ and MicroPython. Also, this work describes a solution on Python for Raspberry. For the test of firmware solution, we use a HELTEC platform. This work present also, a development of Hardware solution on PCB with more functionalities for different kind of interfaces in PV inverters.

ABSTRACT The continuous demand for water in the agricultural sector has encouraged researchers worldwide to find alternatives to optimize this resource. The use of wastewater in irrigation is promising in this scenario, especially to produce tree seedlings. The growth, quality, and water productivity of Dalbergia nigra seedlings cultivated with sewage sludge were determined when irrigated with urban supply water (W1) and cattle wastewater (CWW) treated for 1 h (W2) and 2 h (W3) of ozonation, considering four irrigation depths and shading levels (0 % (C1), 37.6 % (C2), 49.4 % (C3), 75.8 % (C4)). The height, stem diameter, biomass, and the Dickson Quality Index (DQI) were evaluated. The largest volumes of water applied in each experiment were 2.342 L per plant in W2C1, 2.114 L per plant in W1C3 and 1.556 L per plant in W3C1. The CWW provided satisfactory seedling growth, especially W2, highlighting a DQI of 0.47 obtained in C1 and better water productivity (3.8 g L–1) in W2C1, with full depth. Using alternative inputs in the seedling production of tree species is a promising strategy and indicates benefits for waste disposal, such as sewage sludge and wastewater.