Mixed methods study

Funding Information: This work was conducted under the scope of and funded by the Health Data Science PhD Program of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Portugal [82]. The authors would like to thank Knok healthcare, the Order of Portuguese Psychologists, the Portuguese Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health, and all those who contributed to disseminating the survey in appropriate media and forums. The authors would like to thank those whose inputs have made this paper richer in content and form. Funding Information: This work was conducted under the scope of and funded by the Health Data Science PhD Program of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Portugal [82]. Publisher Copyright: ©Diogo Nogueira-Leite, José Miguel Diniz, Ricardo Cruz-Correia.Background: Digital health apps are among the most visible facets of the ongoing digital transition in health care, with mental health–focused apps as one of the main therapeutic areas. However, concerns regarding their scientific robustness drove regulators to establish evaluation procedures, with Germany’s Digitale Gesundheitsanwendungen program pioneering in app prescription with costs covered by statutory health insurance. Portugal gathers a set of conditions and requirements that position it as an excellent test bed for digital health apps. Its daunting mental health landscape reinforces the potential interest in new interventions. To understand if they would be acceptable, we need to understand the supply side’s attitudes and perceptions toward them, that is, those of psychiatrists and psychologists. Objective: This study aims to understand the attitudes and expectations of psychiatrists and psychologists toward digital mental health apps (DMHAs) in the Portuguese context, as well as perceived benefits, barriers, and actions to support their adoption. Methods: We conducted a 2-stage sequential mixed methods study. Stage 1 consisted of a cross-sectional web survey adapted to the Portuguese context that was delivered to mental health professionals and psychologists. Stage 2 complemented the insights of the web survey results with a key opinion leader analysis. Results: A total of 160 complete survey responses were recorded, most of which were from psychologists. This is the most extensive study on mental health professionals’ attitudes and perceptions of DMHAs in Portugal. A total of 87.2% (136/156) of the respondents supported the opportunity to prescribe DMHAs. Increased health literacy (139/160, 86.9%), wider adherence to treatment (137/160, 85.6%), and proper disease management (127/160, 79.4%) were the most frequently agreed upon benefits of DMHAs. However, only less than half (68/156, 43.6%) of the respondents planned to prescribe or recommend DMHAs, with psychologists being more favorable than psychiatrists. Professionals faced substantial barriers, such as a lack of information on DMHAs (154/160, 96.3%), the level of initial training effort (115/160, 71.9%), and the need for adjustments of clinical processes and records (113/160, 70.6%). Professionals reported that having more information on the available apps and their suitability for health objectives (151/160, 94.4%), more scientific evidence of the validity of the apps as a health intervention (147/160, 91.9%), and established recommendations of apps by specific clinical guidelines or professional societies (145/160, 90.6%) would be essential to foster adoption. Conclusions: More information about DMHAs regarding their clinical validity and how they work is necessary so that such an intervention can be adopted in Portugal. Recommendations from professional and scientific societies, as well as from governmental bodies, are strongly encouraged. Although the benefits of and the barriers to using these apps are consensual, more evidence, along with further promotion of mental health professionals’ digital literacy, is needed.publishe

Open legacy soil survey data in Brazil: geospatial data quality and how to improve it

Spatial soil data applications require sound geospatial data including coordinates and a coordinate reference system. However, when it comes to legacy soil data we frequently find them to be missing or incorrect. This paper assesses the quality of the geospatial data of legacy soil observations in Brazil, and evaluates geospatial data sources (survey reports, maps, spatial data infrastructures, web mapping services) and expert knowledge as a means to fix inconsistencies. The analyses included several consistency checks performed on 6,195 observations from the Brazilian Soil Information System. The positional accuracy of geospatial data sources was estimated so as to obtain an indication of the quality for fixing inconsistencies. The coordinates of 20 soil observations, estimated using the web mapping service, were validated with the true coordinates measured in the field. Overall, inconsistencies of different types and magnitudes were found in half of the observations, causing mild to severe misplacements. The involuntary substitution of symbols and numeric characters with similar appearance when recording geospatial data was the most common typing mistake. Among the geospatial data sources, the web mapping service was the most useful, due to operational advantages and lower positional error (~6 m). However, the quality of the description of the observation location controls the accuracy of estimated coordinates. Thus, the error of coordinates estimated using the web mapping service ranged between 30 and 1000 m. This is equivalent to coordinates measured from arc-seconds to arc-minutes, respectively. Under this scenario, the feedback from soil survey experts is crucial to improving the quality of geospatial data

Cuando el cuerpo ocupa la letra o la polifonía de voces. Sobre "Los invasores" de Egon Wolf en escena

From reading to pedagogical application, this paper presents the intersection between different perspectives of a teaching process from a course in Foreign Language Literature (Spanish) designed by an interdisciplinary dialogue with experience in Performing Arts. Using a task-based methodology, the ultimate goal was to test the connection between the Undergraduate Literature Course (Literature/Spanish) and the Middle School. This paper analyzes the process, performance and presentation’s report of a dramatic chilean text - Egon Wolff’s Los invasores - to Spanish students in Florianópolis City (Brazil), from the voices and reflections of the different actors involved in this study. Desde la lectura a la aplicación pedagógica, este artículo plantea el cruce de distintas perspectivas de un proceso de enseñanza de literatura hispánica en lengua extranjera, concebida como una experiencia interdisciplinar en dialogo con las artes escénicas. Con el uso de la metodología de enfoque por tareas, el objetivo final era testar la conexión de un curso de tercer grado (Letras/Español) con la recepción en otro nivel de enseñanza: la educación básica. El ensayo analiza el proceso con los no-actores, la performance y los informes estudiantiles de la performance de un texto dramático chileno – Los invasores, de Egon Wolff, a estudiantes de lengua española del nivel medio en una escuela pública de la ciudad de Florianópolis (Brasil), a partir de las voces de los actores involucrados en ese estudio.&nbsp

Impacts of deoxygenation and hypoxia on shark embryos anti-predator behavior and oxidative stress

Simple Summary Despite their importance, sharks are among the most endangered ocean species. In addition to overexploitation and the destruction of their natural habitat, climate change is also known to pose a serious threat to them. Among the physico-chemical changes associated with climate change, oxygen loss has been the least studied in terms of its effect on shark physiology and behavior. In this study, we evaluated the impact of deoxygenation (93% air saturation) and hypoxia (26% air saturation) on the anti-predatory behavior and physiology of temperate shark embryos. We found that hypoxia caused a high mortality (44%), significantly increased embryo movement within capsules, and, consequently, reduced the freezing response behavior (a behavior that allows embryos to be unnoticed by predators). Regarding oxidative stress, most biomarkers analyzed were not impacted by the experimental treatments. Overall, our results suggest that the temperate shark's early life stages showed a certain degree of resilience to deoxygenation but not to hypoxia. Climate change is leading to the loss of oxygen content in the oceans and endangering the survival of many marine species. Due to sea surface temperature warming and changing circulation, the ocean has become more stratified and is consequently losing its oxygen content. Oviparous elasmobranchs are particularly vulnerable as they lay their eggs in coastal and shallow areas, where they experience significant oscillations in oxygen levels. Here, we investigated the effects of deoxygenation (93% air saturation) and hypoxia (26% air saturation) during a short-term period (six days) on the anti-predator avoidance behavior and physiology (oxidative stress) of small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) embryos. Their survival rate decreased to 88% and 56% under deoxygenation and hypoxia, respectively. The tail beat rates were significantly enhanced in the embryos under hypoxia compared to those exposed to deoxygenation and control conditions, and the freeze response duration showed a significant opposite trend. Yet, at the physiological level, through the analyses of key biomarkers (SOD, CAT, GPx, and GST activities as well as HSP70, Ubiquitin, and MDA levels), we found no evidence of increased oxidative stress and cell damage under hypoxia. Thus, the present findings show that the projected end-of-the-century deoxygenation levels elicit neglectable biological effects on shark embryos. On the other hand, hypoxia causes a high embryo mortality rate. Additionally, hypoxia makes embryos more vulnerable to predators, because the increased tail beat frequency will enhance the release of chemical and physical cues that can be detected by predators. The shortening of the shark freeze response under hypoxia also makes the embryos more prone to predation.FCT AGA-KHAN/541746579/2019; LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-028609; DL57/2016/CP1479/CT0023; LA/P/0069/2020; 2021.01030.CEECINDinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Compreensão e aplicabilidade do conceito de solo florestal

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1980509810563The forestry sector plays an important role in the socioeconomic and environmental Brazilian context, therefore the improvement of the knowledge about forest soil becomes essential for its sustainable use as a conservation base of natural heritage as resource for economical development. Forest soil can be characterized by pedogenesis occurred under influence of a forestry typology or under a currently natural or cultivated forest coverage. Differentiating forest soils from those occupied with other uses helps the understanding of possible alterations related to vegetal coverage and the developing of better management strategies to soil and forest use. Nevertheless, there is no consensus about this term because the soils present variations according to the forest characteristics, stimulating the discussion concerning its interpretation and applicability. This review aimed to analyze the utilization of forest soil concept, highlighting the differentiation characteristics and the relation with coverage type, natural or cultivated. Aspects related to deposition, quality and management of residues, nutrients cycling, soil compaction and site productivity are emphasized. The forest soil concept is widely used by specific literature and useful to collect specific information and to plan the sustainable use of soil and forest. The improvement of knowledge about these resources provides the creation of a common identity, supporting comparative studies and consolidating the research regarding to this theme. http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1980509810563O setor florestal desempenha um papel importante no contexto socioeconômico e ambiental brasileiro, por isso o avanço no conhecimento sobre os solos florestais torna-se essencial para o uso sustentável dos recursos naturais, seja como base de conservação do patrimônio natural ou como recurso para o desenvolvimento econômico. Solo florestal pode ser definido como aquele cuja pedogênese está associada à influência de uma tipologia florestal ou o que apresenta uma cobertura de floresta natural ou plantada. Diferenciar solos florestais daqueles ocupados com outros usos auxilia na compreensão das possíveis alterações relacionadas à cobertura vegetal e no desenvolvimento de melhores estratégias de manejo para o uso do solo e da floresta. No entanto, ainda não há um consenso em torno do termo, uma vez que o solo apresenta variações de acordo com as características da floresta, estimulando a discussão relativa à sua interpretação e aplicabilidade. A presente revisão de literatura tem por objetivo analisar a utilização do conceito de solo florestal, ressaltando características de diferenciação e sua relação com o tipo de cobertura, natural ou plantada. Aspectos relativos à deposição, qualidade e manejo de resíduos, ciclagem de nutrientes, compactação e produtividade de sítio são enfatizados. Conclui-se que o conceito de solo florestal é amplamente utilizado na literatura específica e útil para o levantamento de informações e de planejamento sustentável de uso do solo e da floresta. A melhoria do conhecimento sobre esse recurso abre a possibilidade de se criar uma identidade comum, o que facilita estudos comparativos de características específicas, fortalecendo a pesquisa em torno do tema

Disentangling landscape effects on population genetic structure of a Neotropical savanna tree

ABSTRACTGeographical patterns of genetic variation and population structure and their relationship with habitat loss and fragmentation have been investigated at distinct scales and extents using spatially explicit statistics. Here, we analyzed population genetic structure of Dipteryx alata (Fabaceae; the “baru” tree), an economically important tree widely distributed in Central Brazil that is endemic to the “Cerrado” (savanna) biome, relating population genetic divergence with broad-scale landscape patterns. Genetic divergence among 25 populations, estimated based on eight microsatellite loci for a total of 644 individuals, was correlated with landscape features using several forms of Mantel tests (standard Mantel correlations, Mantel correlograms, partial correlations, and multiple regression). Patterns of genetic divergence are significantly correlated with human-driven landscape features of habitat loss and fragmentation, after taking into account isolation-by-distance and historical effects of range expansion after the last glacial maximum. Our findings present important implications for the conservation of this species, because interruption of gene flow by habitat loss and fragmentation jeopardize the persistence of population in the medium- and long term due to disruption of demographic patterns, increased endogamy, and recruitment problems.© 2014 Associação Brasileira de Ciência Ecológica e Conservação. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltd

AVALIAÇÃO DOS EFEITOS DA FLUNIXINA MEGLUMINA, POR VIA SUBCONJUNTIVAL, SOBRE A CONCENTRAÇÃO E PADRÃO PROTEICO DO HUMOR AQUOSO DE CÃES SUBMETIDOS À PARACENTESE DA CÂMARA ANTERIOR

Avaliaram-se os efeitos da flunixina meglumina, pela via subconjuntival, sobre as proteínas do humor aquoso de olhos de cães submetidos à paracentese da câmara anterior. Dez animais adultos, clinicamente sadios, receberam, por aplicação subconjuntival, flunixina meglumina (1,1mg/kg) no olho direito e solução salina estéril a 0,9% no olho esquerdo, em igual volume. Mediante anestesia geral, foram submetidos a duas paracenteses de ambos os olhos para coleta de 0,2mL de aquoso primário e secundário, respectivamente. As amostras foram submetidas ao Teste de Bradford, cujas concentrações proteicas (média e desvio-padrão) obtidas foram de 15,98mg/dL ± 4,48 e 11,46mg/dL ± 2,72 para os olhos direito e esquerdo, respectivamente, na primeira paracentese, e de 119,8mg/dL ± 6,74 e 120,63mg/dL ± 22,4, para olhos direito e esquerdo, na segunda paracentese. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre os valores proteicos dos olhos tratados comparativamente aos seus controles. Quando comparadas as concentrações proteicas entre a primeira e segunda paracentese de olhos direito e esquerdo, observou-se diferença estatisticamente significativa entre esses dois momentos (

Avanços na observação e no conhecimento do solo via o sensoriamento próximo

Agriculture employs increasingly innovative techniques in search of optimize inputs, maximize profitability, and reduce environmental impact. An example of this is the emergence of Agriculture 4.0, in which sensors collect information through Proximal Soil Sensing. These methods, called photon-based methods, employ different electromagnetic radiation wavelengths to measure soil attributes and properties in situ or ex situ. National and international research institutions have produced knowledge and contributed to the training of professionals able to apply these new approaches in soil science. In this context, this review aimed to produce a synthesis of the main proximal soil sensing techniques and made it accessible to students, technicians, and researchers.A agricultura emprega técnicas cada vez mais inovadoras na busca por otimizar insumos, maximizar a lucratividade e diminuir o impacto ambiental. Exemplo disso é o despontar da agricultura 4.0, na qual sensores coletem informações através do Sensoriamento Proximal do Solo. Esses métodos, chamados photon-based methods, empregam distintos comprimentos de onda da radiação eletromagnética para mensurar atributos e propriedades do solo in-situ ou ex-situ. Instituições nacionais de pesquisa têm produzido conhecimento relevante e contribuído para a formação de profissionais aptos a aplicar essas novas abordagens em ciência do solo. Nesse contexto, esta revisão bibliográfica teve como objetivo verter as principais técnicas de sensoriamento proximal em uma síntese acessível para estudantes, técnicos e pesquisadores

Suscetibilidade magnética na caracterização da variabilidade espacial de atributos do solo em solos subtropicais

Magnetic susceptibility (MS) has been used to estimate soil attributes. With the proposal to increase the information of soils in southern Brazil the objectives of this work were: (i) evaluate the correlation of SM with soil attributes in a slope of subtropical basaltic soils; (ii) to characterize the spatial variation structure of MS and the content of sand, clay and COS; and (iii) identify the sample density that captures the spatial variability to assist future work under similar conditions. In a 22 ha area located in Santo Augusto - RS, Brazil, an 87 points sample grid was collected to determine soil attributes. Samples were also collected in five profiles along the slope. The profile data were analyzed by correlation to verify the degree of Pearson correlation of the SM with the attributes of the soil. In the sample grid spatial dependence analyzes were performed to assess the degree of spatial dependence on soil attributes. The MS presented a high correlation with the attributes of clay soil, Fes, Fed and COS. The evaluation of the spatial variation structure showed that the attributes presented a degree of spatial dependence ranging from weak for COS to strong for MS. The spatial variability pattern suggests a sample density of one point every 4 to 12 ha.A Susceptibilidade magnética (SM) tem sido utilizada na estimativa de atributos do solo. Com a proposta de aumentar as informações de solos no sul do Brasil os objetivos deste trabalho foram: (i) avaliar a correlação da SM com atributos do solo em uma vertente de solos basálticos subtropicais; (ii) caracterizar a estrutura da variação espacial da SM e do teor de areia, argila e COS; e (iii) identificar a densidade amostral que capture a variabilidade espacial para auxiliar trabalhos futuros em condições semelhantes. Em uma área de 22 ha, no município de Santo Augusto – RS, Brasil, foi coletada uma malha amostral com 87 pontos para determinação dos atributos do solo. Também foram coletadas amostras em cindo perfis ao longo da vertente. Os dados dos perfis foram analisados pela correlação de Pearson para verificar o grau de correlação da SM com os atributos do solo. Na malha amostral foram realizadas análises de dependência espacial para avaliar grau da dependência espacial dos atributos. A SM apresentou alta correlação com os atributos do solo argila, Fes, Fed e COS. A avaliação da variação espacial mostrou que os atributos apresentaram grau de dependência espacial variando de fraco, para o COS, à forte para a SM. O padrão de variabilidade espacial sugere densidade amostral de um ponto a cada 4 a 12 ha