DESCRIÇÃO MATEMÁTICA E SIMULAÇÃO DE MODELOS CINÉTICOS NA PRODUÇÃO DE ETANOL

O etanol é um importante biocombustível alternativo para reduzir a dependência dos combustíveis fósseis. A produção de etanol por via fermentativa é a mais difundida no Brasil. Avanços tecnológicos na fermentação podem elevar a competitividade do etanol e torná-lo ainda mais atrativo. Uma ferramenta que auxilia no avanço do processo fermentativo é o desenvolvimento e aplicação de modelos matemáticos. Eles podem ser utilizados para prever e avaliar o comportamento do processo em diferentes condições operacionais. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho é realizar uma revisão para apresentar e analisar os modelos cinéticos da literatura acerca da modelagem matemática da produção de etanol. Há diversos modelos empíricos na literatura para representar a cinética fermentativa, cada um com suas características específicas. Há modelos que apresentam inibição por produto, substrato e células. A decisão de qual modelo utilizar é inteiramente dependente do meio em que a fermentação ocorre.ABSTRACTEthanol is an important alternative biofuel to reduce dependence of fossil fuels. The production of ethanol by fermentation is the most widespread in Brazil. Technological advances in fermentation can increase the competitiveness of ethanol and make it even more attractive. A tool that helps in the advancement of the fermentation process is the development and application of mathematical models. They can be used to predict and evaluate the process behavior under different operating conditions. The objective of this paper is to do a review to present and analyze the kinetic models of the literature on mathematical modeling of ethanol production. There are several empirical models in the literature to represent the fermentation kinetics, each one with their specific characteristics. There are models that show inhibition by product, substrate and cells. The decision of which model to use is entirely dependent on the environment in which fermentation occurs

Evaluating the psychometric properties of the iconographical falls efficacy scale (ICON-FES)

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the construct and content validity of the Iconographical Falls Efficacy Scale (Icon-FES) in order to measure the fear of falling in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: The Icon-FES was applied to 333 older adults. An exploratory factor analysis was performed to assess internal consistency. Item response theory (IRT) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to evaluate the consistency of the questionnaire and whether it corresponded satisfactorily to the construct ‘‘concern about falling.’’ Concurrent validity with the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) and convergent validity with the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) were also assessed. Receiving operator characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: The structural model of the 30-item and 10-item Icon-FES showed some theoretical fragility. The final model of the new short version of the Icon-FES consisted of 13 items, yielding a theoretically satisfactory structural model. Validity analyses indicated that the 13-item Icon-FES had a moderate relationship with the SFT, a strong relationship with the FES-I, and good sensitivity and specificity for a history of falls. CONCLUSION: The 13-item Icon-FES has excellent psychometric properties for measuring fear of falling in community-dwelling older adults. It can be recommended as a screening tool for fear of falling for both research and clinical purposes

Perfil epidemiológico de gestantes e puérperas internadas em leitos de saúde mental de maternidade pública de ensino, referência em alto risco no estado do Piauí, Brasil

Introdução: Transtornos mentais, uso de álcool/drogas, vulnerabilidade social, violência interpessoal/autoprovocada, circunscrevem graves fatores de risco no ciclo gravídico-puerperal, associados a complicações para o binômio mãe-bebê. Objetivo: Conhecer o perfil epidemiológico de gestantes e puérperas internadas em leitos de saúde mental de Maternidade pública de ensino, referência em alto risco no Piauí. Método: Pesquisa documental, retrospectiva, descritiva, quantitativa, que apreciou dados secundários identificados nos registros de admissão hospitalar e em prontuários eletrônicos (Sistema MV®), de 1/11/2016 a 31/10/2023, sobre as pacientes assistidas nos leitos de saúde mental do Hospital-Maternidade de alta complexidade, integrante da rede SUS, em Teresina/PI. O estudo foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa da Universidade Estadual do Piauí, parecer nº 5.978.742/2023. Resultados e Discussão: Foram internadas 461 pacientes, predominantemente, com idade entre 21 e 30 anos (45,2%); raça-cor parda (40,7%); ensino fundamental incompleto (13,7%); solteiras (66,5%); com vínculos familiares preservados (29,7%), enquanto 3,0% estava em situação de rua; residentes em Teresina (53,5%) ou provenientes de outros municípios do Piauí (43%). Os quadros psicopatológicos mais prevalentes foram: transtorno depressivo (16,1%); transtorno de ansiedade (14,1%); esquizofrenia (10,2%); transtorno afetivo bipolar (8,3%); depressão pós-parto (3,7%);  transtorno misto ansioso e depressivo (2,8%); deficiência mental (2%); transtorno de personalidade com instabilidade emocional (0,9%). Ademais, 30% das gestantes e puérperas (138) estavam em uso prejudicial de substâncias psicoativas, das quais, respectivamente, drogas ilícitas (38,4%); álcool, tabaco, drogas ilícitas (34,1%); álcool e drogas ilícitas (8,7%); 6,5% tabaco e drogas ilícitas (6,5%); tabaco (5,8%); álcool (3,6%); álcool, tabaco (2,9%). Particularmente a situações de crise, 57,5% exibiram crise psicossocial; 15,5%, crise psiquiátrica do tipo surto psicótico; 8,2%, comportamento autolesivo sem intenção suicida; 17,2%, tentativa de suicídio. Aliás, 7,4% das pacientes foram vítimas de violência, sobretudo, doméstica (4,1%) e estupro (1,1%). Quanto aos itinerários terapêuticos, 22,6% das gestantes e puérperas declararam experiências, sobretudo, no CAPS (9,1%), em dispositivos diversos (6,3%) e no Hospital Psiquiátrico (4,3%). Conclusão: As evidências atestam como crucial a criação de um banco de dados epidemiológico institucional, para fortalecer ações longitudinais de vigilância em saúde mental e qualificação do cuidado especializado em equipe multiprofissional de saúde, com ênfase na clínica ampliada, integralidade e efetiva articulação com a Rede de Atenção Psicossocial e a Rede Cegonha

Addition of orange, pineapple and beet juices as extenders for cryopreservation of ram semen

Searching for improvements in semen cryopreservation, natural substances are commonly studied focusing to improve the sperm quality. The aim of this study were evaluated the effect of adding orange, pineapple, and beet juices in different concentrations and combinations to the ram semen cryopreservation extender. Five ejaculates from five adult rams were used. The semen pool was diluted in egg yolk-based extender and mixed with the following 15 treatments (at a final concentration of 400.10⁶ sptz/mL): orange 10% (O10) and 15% (O15); pineapple 10% (P10) and 15% (P15); beet 10% (B10) and 15% (B15); pineapple + orange 10% (PO10) and 15% (PO15); pineapple + beet 10% (PB10) and 15% (PB15); beet + orange 10% (BO10) and 15% (BO15); pineapple + beet + orange 10% (PBO10) and 15% (PBO15); and the control group (CON). Post-thaw in 0.25 mL straws semen quality analysis of cryopreserved semen was performed by CASA and flow cytometry. Analysis of variance (PROC GLM) was carried out and the averages were compared using the SNK test. Pearson's correlation test was also performed. No effect was noted in the addition of juices to the semen extender prior to cryopreservation. Post-thawed, although, statistically similar to the control group, the total motility of the B10 group reached acceptable standards of total motility. In addition, B10 group showed the highest values (p<0.05) of progressive motility than control group or other treatments. The addition of 10% beet juice to the ram semen extender can improve the cryopreservation of sperm motility. Keywords: antioxidant; freezing; sperm; semen extender

First-year experience of a Brazilian tertiary medical center in supporting severely ill patients using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this manuscript is to describe the first year of our experience using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. METHODS: Ten patients with severe refractory hypoxemia, two with associated severe cardiovascular failure, were supported using venous-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (eight patients) or veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (two patients). RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 31 yr (range 14-71 yr). Their median simplified acute physiological score three (SAPS3) was 94 (range 84-118), and they had a median expected mortality of 95% (range 87-99%). Community-acquired pneumonia was the most common diagnosis (50%), followed by P. jiroveci pneumonia in two patients with AIDS (20%). Six patients were transferred from other ICUs during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support, three of whom were transferred between ICUs within the hospital (30%), two by ambulance (20%) and one by helicopter (10%). Only one patient (10%) was anticoagulated with heparin throughout extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. Eighty percent of patients required continuous venous-venous hemofiltration. Three patients (30%) developed persistent hypoxemia, which was corrected using higher positive end-expiratory pressure, higher inspired oxygen fractions, recruitment maneuvers, and nitric oxide. The median time on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support was five (range 3-32) days. The median length of the hospital stay was 31 (range 3-97) days. Four patients (40%) survived to 60 days, and they were free from renal replacement therapy and oxygen support. CONCLUSIONS: The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support in severely ill patients is possible in the presence of a structured team. Efforts must be made to recognize the necessity of extracorporeal respiratory support at an early stage and to prompt activation of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation team

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space. While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes, vast areas of the tropics remain understudied. In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity, but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases. To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge, it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

SARS-CoV-2 introductions and early dynamics of the epidemic in Portugal

Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Portugal was rapidly implemented by the National Institute of Health in the early stages of the COVID-19 epidemic, in collaboration with more than 50 laboratories distributed nationwide. Methods By applying recent phylodynamic models that allow integration of individual-based travel history, we reconstructed and characterized the spatio-temporal dynamics of SARSCoV-2 introductions and early dissemination in Portugal. Results We detected at least 277 independent SARS-CoV-2 introductions, mostly from European countries (namely the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, and Switzerland), which were consistent with the countries with the highest connectivity with Portugal. Although most introductions were estimated to have occurred during early March 2020, it is likely that SARS-CoV-2 was silently circulating in Portugal throughout February, before the first cases were confirmed. Conclusions Here we conclude that the earlier implementation of measures could have minimized the number of introductions and subsequent virus expansion in Portugal. This study lays the foundation for genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Portugal, and highlights the need for systematic and geographically-representative genomic surveillance.We gratefully acknowledge to Sara Hill and Nuno Faria (University of Oxford) and Joshua Quick and Nick Loman (University of Birmingham) for kindly providing us with the initial sets of Artic Network primers for NGS; Rafael Mamede (MRamirez team, IMM, Lisbon) for developing and sharing a bioinformatics script for sequence curation (https://github.com/rfm-targa/BioinfUtils); Philippe Lemey (KU Leuven) for providing guidance on the implementation of the phylodynamic models; Joshua L. Cherry (National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health) for providing guidance with the subsampling strategies; and all authors, originating and submitting laboratories who have contributed genome data on GISAID (https://www.gisaid.org/) on which part of this research is based. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the view of the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government. This study is co-funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Agência de Investigação Clínica e Inovação Biomédica (234_596874175) on behalf of the Research 4 COVID-19 call. Some infrastructural resources used in this study come from the GenomePT project (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022184), supported by COMPETE 2020 - Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Lisboa Portugal Regional Operational Programme (Lisboa2020), Algarve Portugal Regional Operational Programme (CRESC Algarve2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio