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Coastal erosion poses a continuous threat to ecosystems, infrastructure, and property. To address these challenges and mitigate the effects of coastal changes, effective and current monitoring is essential. It is particularly important to monitor coastlines and coastal changes in Africa, where a significant portion of the population resides in coastal regions. While optical satellite imagery has been used for large-scale annual coastlines and change monitoring for Africa, its availability and quality are largely limited by the presence of cloud and cloud shadow. In comparison, using radar satellite observations such as Sentinel-1 data can provide consistent coastal mapping and change detection regardless of cloud presence. This paper outlines a fully automated supervised machine learning workflow using Sentinel-1 data and training samples extracted from Sentinel-2 data. It also explores the performance of the workflow for different coastal morphology types across the African coast. The workflow has proved to perform better and produced results that were visually more consistent with Sentinel-2 data compared to thresholding methods. While challenges exist to distinguish between land and water over smooth sandy beaches and rough near-shore water surfaces, our workflow provides an alternative method for coastal change mapping where optical satellites provide insufficient observations free from clouds. Python code of the proposed methodology has been made publicly available.

Abstract Background Intra- and postoperative hemorrhage is a relevant problem in major abdominal surgery, leading to acute anemia and necessitating transfusion of packed red blood cells. It is estimated that in 30% of abdominal surgeries, intra- or postoperative transfusion is required. Transfusion potentially has detrimental health effects and poses a considerable socioeconomic burden. Tranexamic acid, a lysine analog inhibiting plasminogen activation and providing clot stability, has been used to reduce hemorrhage. While there is ample evidence in other surgical disciplines, it is almost completely lacking in abdominal surgery. Methods This multicenter double-blind parallel group randomized superiority trial will compare tranexamic acid (loading dose 1000 mg over 10 min prior to skin incision, maintenance dose 125 mg/h continuously until skin closure or until 1000 mg have been administered) to placebo in patients ≥ 18 years undergoing elective esophagectomy, gastrectomy, colectomy, rectal resection, pancreatic resection, or hepatectomy. The primary efficacy endpoint is the intra- or postoperative transfusion of at least one unit of packed red blood cells. Key secondary endpoints are the number of transfused units per patient, estimated intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications/mortality, length of hospital stay, operation/anesthesia time, D-dimer levels, and quality of life. Sample size calculation is based on the assumption that in the control group, 30% of patients require transfusion while the intervention achieves a risk reduction of 33%, reducing the probability to 20%. With a type one error of 5% and a power of 90%, using a two-sided χ 2 test, this results in 412 patients per group. Accounting for non-compliance, 425 patients are to be randomized per group. The total trial duration will be 30 months with a recruitment period of 18 months. Discussion If the proposed trial yielded positive results, the routine use of tranexamic acid in major abdominal surgery would be supported. This would avoid acute anemia with detrimental effects such as tissue hypoxia and organ injury, as well as the negative immediate and delayed effects of transfusions. Trial registration EU CT Nr: 2023–509970-43–01, NCT06414031 . Registered on 10 May 2024.

Abstract Background Extreme sports have increased in popularity, particularly over the past two decades. Theories explaining participation in extreme sports tend to focus on risk. Consequently, extreme sports participants are often characterized by an accentuated desire for risk and abnormal personal traits, but the positive aspects of extreme sports are often neglected in the literature. This scoping review summarizes extreme sport motives, emotions and personal characteristics. Methods Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist, three databases were searched (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, SportDiscus and, PsycInfo) on 20th April 2023. Studies were included if they were originally articles written in English and examined psychology traits in extreme sport participants. Results In total, 39 manuscripts met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in the present review. There is no unique profile for individuals involved in extreme sports. Risk and fear are considered natural characteristic of participation, and many positive aspects are associated with involvement in extreme sports (e.g., organization, planning, confidence). The quality of experience is often reported to justify extreme sport participation. Conclusion Changes in emotions and motives characterized the reversal theory, which in combination with the flow approach, could explain the participation in extreme activities. A dynamic ecological approach considering the interaction between individuals and the environment should be adopted to understand individual motives, behaviour and emotions.

Introduction: The IBD-Control questionnaire and IBD-Disk are two patient-reported outcome measures designed to evaluate the impact of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on different health domains. Unlike IBD-Disk, there is no fully published validated Portuguese version of IBD-Control. Furthermore, the two instruments have not yet been compared. We aimed to translate and validate IBD-Control in Portugal and compare it with IBD-Disk. Methods: After translation into Portuguese, the IBD-Control was administered to IBD patients, at baseline (T0), after 1–4 weeks (T1), and >3 months (T2). Patients also completed the Portuguese versions of the PRO2, EQ-5D, SIBDQ, and IBD-Disk. We assessed the reliability, validity, responsiveness, and interpretability of IBD-Control. We compared the usability (3 questions) and the ability to identify good disease control (area under the curve [AUC]) of IBD-Control and IBD-Disk. Results: At T0, the IBD-Control was completed by 142 patients (108 Crohn’s disease, 34 ulcerative colitis). At T1 and T2, 68 and 101 patients completed the questionnaire, respectively. Factor analysis confirmed the one-dimensionality of the scale with 8 items (IBD-Control-8). Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) was 0.80. Test-retest reproducibility for stable patients (n = 54) was high (intraclass correlation coefficient-0.86). IBD-Control-8 significantly correlated (r between 0.55 and 0.82; p ≤ 0.001) with PRO2, EQ-5D, SIBDQ and IBD-Disk. The variation in IBD-Control-8 between T0 and T2 correlated significantly (r between 0.48 and 0.53; p ≤ 0.01) with the variation in PRO2 (only for Crohn’s disease), SIBDQ and IBD-Disk. The IBD-Control-8 significantly discriminated between well and poorly controlled disease (15 ± 2 vs. 11 ± 4; p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed between IBD-Control-8 and IBD-Disk regarding usability and the ability to identify good disease control (AUC: −0.79 vs. 0.76, respectively). Conclusions: The IBD-Control is reliable and valid for measuring disease control from the perspective of patients with IBD in Portugal, presenting no significant differences regarding usability and assessment of disease control when compared to IBD-Disk.

Introduction: Dengue is the most fatal virus disease spread by mosquito bites and Aedes aegypti is the main transmitting agent. It is an endemic disease in the tropical and subtropical regions, currently affecting more than 100 countries. Although most patients present mild forms of the disease, a considerable proportion of individuals has severe alterations in the blood count. The aim of this study was to evaluate the consumption pattern of blood components in epidemic and non-epidemic periods and to verify if there was an impact on dengue cases and the death rate. Method: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted through the collection and analysis of data from the Brazilian Ministry of Health from 2008 to 2019 on new cases and deaths from dengue, as well as the consumption of blood components in the period mentioned by hemovigilance bulletins of the Brazilian authority. Results: Regarding the results, no significant difference was found between the absolute amount of blood components used in years with an epidemic peak. Regarding the relative values, an important variation was shown among the distributive consumption patterns of blood components in the outbreak years. In the univariate linear regression analysis, there was statistical significance between the increase in the number of dengue cases and deaths from dengue with the increase in the consumption of red blood cell concentrates (RBP), platelet concentrates (PP), fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and cryoprecipitate (Cryo) (p-value < 0.05). The increase in dengue cases was related to the increase in Cryo consumption with clinical significance (R² > 0.5), but dengue deaths were not correlated to the same. In multivariate analysis, all regression models had clinical and statistical significance. Conclusion: The data obtained in the present study demonstrate that there is a relevant relationship between the increase in cases and deaths from dengue with the blood components usage, especially PP, FFP and cryoprecipitate.

Abstract Background CrossFit® combines different types of activities (weightlifting, gymnastics, and cardiovascular training) that challenge aerobic and anaerobic pathways. Over the last few years, the scientific interest in CrossFit® has increased considerably. However, there have been no published reviews characterizing the physical demands and physiological responses to CrossFit®. The present study synthesizes current evidence on the physical demands and physiological responses to CrossFit®. Methods The search was performed in three electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science). Manuscripts related to the physical and physiological performance of adult CrossFit® participants written in English, Portuguese, and Spanish were retrieved for the analysis. Results In addition, a meta-correlation was conducted to examine the predictors of CrossFit® performance. A total of 68 papers were included in the review. Physical and physiological markers differed between the different workouts analyzed. In addition, 48 to 72 h are needed to recover from a CrossFit® challenge. Specific tests that involve CrossFit® movements were more related to CrossFit® performance than non-specific. Conclusion Although the characterization of CrossFit® is dependent on the workout examined, the benefits of muscle hypertrophy are aligned with the recent findings of concurrent training. The characterization of CrossFit® entire sessions and appropriate recovery strategies should be considered in future studies to help coaches manipulate and adjust the training load.

The increasing need for continuous innovation has given rise to a substantial increase in co-creation initiatives. Since the co-creation of value involves customers participating in the creation of product offerings voluntarily and actively, this investigation tries to understand what drives customers to participate in these co-creation initiatives. To do so, this study employs a probabilistic sample of 683 users enrolled in Linux forums for open-source software distributions. The path analysis and bootstrap samples revealed that customers who exhibit a high innate innovativeness and feel that they belong in the online community show a greater motivation towards platform exploration and participation in co-creation. Moreover, the effect of this synergic interaction on their co-creation participation was partially mediated by the normative dimension of their intrinsic motivation, while the hedonic dimension was not a strong predictor of co-creation contributions. This study fills the voids in the existing literature by showcasing the relevance of personal characteristics, beyond individual motivation, in co-creation behavior.

Abstract Episodic memory (EM) allows us to remember and relive past events and experiences and has been linked to cortical-hippocampal reinstatement of encoding activity. While EM is fundamental to establish a sense of self across time, this claim and its link to the sense of agency (SoA), based on bodily signals, has not been tested experimentally. Using real-time sensorimotor stimulation, immersive virtual reality, and fMRI we manipulated the SoA and report stronger hippocampal reinstatement for scenes encoded under preserved SoA, reflecting recall performance in a recognition task. We link SoA to EM showing that hippocampal reinstatement is coupled with reinstatement in premotor cortex, a key SoA region. We extend these findings in a severe amnesic patient whose memory lacked the normal dependency on the SoA. Premotor-hippocampal coupling in EM describes how a key aspect of the bodily self at encoding is neurally reinstated during the retrieval of past episodes, enabling a sense of self across time.

Abstract The cell-adhesion molecule NEPH1 is required for maintaining the structural integrity and function of the glomerulus in the kidneys. In the nervous system of Drosophila and C. elegans, it is involved in synaptogenesis and axon branching, which are essential for establishing functional circuits. In the mammalian nervous system, the expression regulation and function of Neph1 has barely been explored. In this study, we provide a spatiotemporal characterization of Neph1 expression in mouse dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) and spinal cord. After the neurogenic phase, Neph1 is broadly expressed in the DRGs and in their putative targets at the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, comprising both GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons. Interestingly, we found that PRRXL1, a homeodomain transcription factor that is required for proper establishment of the DRG-spinal cord circuit, prevents a premature expression of Neph1 in the superficial laminae of the dorsal spinal cord at E14.5, but has no regulatory effect on the DRGs or on either structure at E16.5. By chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis of the dorsal spinal cord, we identified four PRRXL1-bound regions within the Neph1 introns, suggesting that PRRXL1 directly regulates Neph1 transcription. We also showed that Neph1 is required for branching, especially at distal neurites. Together, our work showed that Prrxl1 prevents the early expression of Neph1 in the superficial dorsal horn, suggesting that Neph1 might function as a downstream effector gene for proper assembly of the DRG-spinal nociceptive circuit.

Este artigo objetiva analisar as diferentes políticas nacionais propostas para a Educação Especial e identificar desafios persistentes ao atendimento educacional dos alunos com deficiência, transtornos globais do desenvolvimento, altas habilidades/superdotação. Em diálogo com a literatura da área da Educação Especial, como procedimentos metodológicos foi realizada consulta a documentos norteadores da política de Educação Especial entre 1994 e 2023, estando alguns ainda em discussão. A elaboração de uma política nacional de Educação Especial deveria ser fruto de amadurecimento de análises e discussões, a partir de um Documento de Referência, com o envolvimento popular, instâncias representativas da sociedade civil organizada, passando pelas Conferências Municipais e/ou Intermunicipais, Estaduais e Nacional de Educação e dos Direitos das Pessoas com Deficiência, situações em que as propostas receberiam maior atenção dos grupos de pessoas com deficiência e suas famílias, de pesquisadores, especialistas e população em geral.

ABSTRACT: The objective of the experiment was to determine the effects of supplemental SFA sources, lysophospholipids (LPL), and their interaction on production and nutrient digestibility in lactating dairy cows. The experiment was conducted with 48 cows in a randomized complete block design. Cows were blocked (12 blocks total) by parity and days in milk and randomly assigned to 4 dietary treatments in each block (2 × 2 factorial arrangement), i.e., 2 sources of fat supplements, C16:0 (PA)- or C18:0 (SA)-enriched fat, and with or without LPL. The experiment was conducted for 6 wk to measure daily dry matter intake, milk yield, and weekly milk composition. During the last week of the experiment, spot fecal and urine samples were collected to determine total-tract nutrient digestibility. Milk samples in the last week were also collected to analyze the milk fatty acid (FA) profile. All data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS, where block was used as a random effect and FA, LPL, and the interaction of FA by LPL were used as fixed effects. Week and interactions of week by FA or LPL were included for production measures. Different sources of SFA did not affect dry matter intake and milk yield. However, the PA treatment increased (39.7 vs. 36.8 kg) energy-corrected milk compared with SA due to increased milk fat yield. No effect of LPL on production measures was observed. Total-tract digestibilities of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, and total FA were not different between the PA and SA groups, but PA increased (41.4% vs. 38.8%) neutral detergent fiber digestibility compared with SA. Supplementation of LPL increased (64.7% vs. 60.5%) total FA digestibility, especially 18-carbon FA (74.1% vs. 68.2%). An interaction of SFA by LPL was found for 16-carbon FA digestibility. The PA diet increased the concentration of 16-carbon FA in milk fat and SA increased the concentration of preformed FA (≥18 carbons). Supplementation of LPL decreased the concentration of trans-10 C18:1. No difference in N utilization and excretion among treatments was observed. In conclusion, the PA diet was more effective in improving milk fat yield of lactating cows compared with SA. Supplementation of LPL increased digestibility of total FA, especially 18-carbon FA but did not affect production.

O mundo mudou, os mapas se redesenharam nas fronteiras das relações interativas, os antigos grupos étnicos ressurgiram e as novas culturas apareceram no cenário digital. Uma rápida olhada na Internet mostra como a cultura humana, já complexa, se tornou ainda mais diversa. Este artigo propõe um passeio pelas mudanças ocorridas na última década nas interrelações sociais com a utilização maciça de Internet. Neste cenário, novas configurações de grupamentos humanos se viabilizaram por essas interações, em especial mediadas pela inteligência artificial (AI). Estas mudanças impactam diretamente a forma de fazer etnografia, visto que o sujeito etnográfico, sua cultura e formas interativas são o alvo principal deste tipo de investigação. Comunidades online, educação remota, hibridismo no ensino-aprendizagem, são algumas das discussões que se pretende delinear. O texto se desenvolve a partir de uma pesquisa bibliográfica que tem como objeto o conceito de netnografia, sua aplicação e implicações para a pedagogia na era digital. Os resultados desta revisão demonstram que os termos: netnografia, etnografia virtual, webnografia, etnografia digital, etnografia em mídias sociais ou etnografia on-line são alguns exemplos dessa variedade de abordagens. Pretende-se ainda demonstrar como o uso da etnografia digital se expande para vários campos do conhecimento. Como problemática principal se discute a questão ética que permeia as relações humanas e o fazer etnográfico. Neste sentido, é importante considerar cuidadosamente as preocupações de segurança com relação à privacidade individual e social, bem como prevenir a desinformação no âmbito digital.

This paper provides a detailed literature review of the environmental implications of vehicle platooning, a topic gaining significant attention in transportation. While previous reviews have focused on the safety, planning, fuel economy, and microsimulation aspects of platooning, this paper delves into environmental aspects. It identifies a lack of research adopting a holistic approach to transport and environmental benefits and emphasizes the need for further research to enhance vehicle efficiency and improve air quality and health conditions. This study traces the historical evolution of platooning, highlighting the shift in research focus over the decades. It advocates for more research on platooning’s environmental aspects, particularly pollutant emissions and air quality. The primary contributions of this work are threefold and include the following: firstly, it delineates simulation methodologies for platooning and the associated pollutant emissions; secondly, it offers a critical assessment of the existing literature on vehicle emissions, fuel consumption, and energy savings; and thirdly, it illuminates the prospective research challenges within the specialized domain of vehicle platooning.