Intenção de adoção de Guia de Trânsito Animal Eletrônica (e-GTA) no Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

Control of livestock and their movement has long been recognized as a crucial for the prevention and control of diseases. In Brazil, the control of livestock movement established in 1934. Since 1995 is regulated based on the Animal Movement Permit (GTA). Since then, the process has been improved and updated on its legal framework and strategies, including the use of emerging technological alternatives, which made possible the launching of the electronic Animal Movement Permit (e-GTA) in 2011. From a broader perspective, the e-GTA is inserted in a global context of the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) which since the early 1980s enabled governments worldwide to drive policies for the development of electronic government systems (e-government). After that, at a global level, there was an expansion and improvement of e-government services; however, discrepancies among countries persisted. Nonetheless, the levels of adoption of e-government by citizens have been lower than those expected by government authorities, which has attracted the attention of researchers in the area. In this context, studies of this nature that used theoretical antecedents related to the adoption of ICT have exposed peculiarities of the process of adoption of e-government, demanding research efforts directed to the structuring of specific models for this area. In Brazil, studies of this nature are still at an early stage, although government actions aimed at e-government date back to the 1990s. The objective of this article was to investigate, in an exploratory way, influence factors on the adoption intention of e-government related to animal health, having the e-GTA as the object of research. The conceptual framework was defined based upon the e-Government Adoption Model (GAM) For this objective, an online questionnaire oriented to intention to adopt e-GTA was applied to equine owners of Rio Grande do Sul not users of this system. Results indicated that respondents positively evaluated the quality of their computers and cellphones, as well as their efficacy to operate them, while quality of the internet connection was considered regular. In this context, the availability of computer and cellphone resources and computer self-efficacy did not influence the intention to adopt e-GTA. Moreover, aspects related to compatibility of e-GTA with users lifestyle have a positive association with the intention to adopt e-GTA. Also the study indicated that public information campaigns could contribute to the improvement of adoption of the e-GTA. Additionally, the authors suggested that further investigations considering other livestock sectors and variables, as well as the continuity of use after the adoption, could contribute to the expansion of the knowledge on this field.O controle dos estoques e de movimentações de animais pecuários há muito tempo é reconhecido como um fator crucial para a prevenção e resposta para a introdução e disseminação de doenças animais ou zoonóticas. No Brasil, o controle de movimentação animal foi inicialmente estabelecido em 1934 e, desde 1995, é regulamentado com base na Guia de Trânsito Animal (GTA). Desde então, o processo foi aprimorado e atualizado em seu arcabouço legal e estratégias, inclusive no uso de alternativas tecnológicas emergentes, que possibilitaram o lançamento em 2011 da Guia de Trânsito Animal Eletrônica (e-GTA). Considerado desde uma perspectiva mais abrangente, o e-GTA está inserido em um contexto global de desenvolvimento da Tecnologia da Informação e Comunicação (TIC), que desde o início dos anos 80 permite que governos em todo o mundo conduzam políticas para o desenvolvimento de sistemas de governo eletrônico (governo eletrônico). Posteriormente, a disponibilidade do governo eletrônico tem estado em expansão de qualidade e de amplitude dos serviços oferecidos, embora este processo seja permeado por desigualdades entre os países. No entanto, os níveis de adoção do governo eletrônico pelos cidadãos têm sido inferiores aos esperados pelas autoridades governamentais, o que tem atraído a atenção dos pesquisadores da área. Nesse contexto, estudos dessa natureza, que utilizaram antecedentes teóricos relacionados à adoção das TIC expuseram idiossincrasias do processo de adoção do governo eletrônico, exigindo que esforços de pesquisa sejam direcionados à estruturação de modelos específicos para essa área. No Brasil, estudos dessa natureza ainda estão em estágio inicial, embora as ações governamentais direcionadas ao governo eletrônico datem dos anos 90. Dessa forma, o objetivo deste artigo foi investigar, de forma exploratória, fatores de influência na intenção de adoção do governo eletrônico relacionado à saúde animal, tendo o e-GTA como objeto de pesquisa. A estrutura conceitual foi definida com base no Modelo de Adoção de Governo Eletrônico (GAM). Para esse objetivo, um questionário online dirigido à intenção de adoção do e-GTA foi aplicado a proprietários de equinos do Rio Grande do Sul que não eram usuários deste sistema. Os resultados indicaram que os entrevistados avaliaram positivamente a qualidade de seus computadores e telefones celulares, bem como sua eficácia em operá-los, enquanto a qualidade da conexão de internet foi considerada regular. Nesse contexto, a disponibilidade de recursos informáticos e de celulares, bem como a capacidade de operação dos mesmos não influenciaram a intenção de adoção do e-GTA. Além disso, aspectos relacionados à compatibilidade do e-GTA com o estilo de vida do usuário têm uma associação positiva com a intenção de adoção do e-GTA. Além disso, o estudo indicou que as campanhas de informação pública poderiam contribuir para o incremento na adoção efetiva do e-GTA. Finalmente, o estudo identificou oportunidades para o desenvolvimento de investigações adicionais, considerando distintas variáveis, setores produtivos e sistemas de governo eletrônico dirigidos à saúde animal, o que poderia contribuir para a expansão do conhecimento nesta área

Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Approach to a Facet Joint Synovial Cyst: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Lumbar facet joint synovial cysts are rare lesions that may cause radiculopathy, usually it does not respond well to clinical management, oftentimes requiring surgical intervention. The percutaneous endoscopic approach may be an alternative that avoids the risk of instability. On this paper we describe the percutaneous endoscopic approach to a lumbar facet joint synovial cyst in a 78-years-old, female patient. 78-years-old female with a history of rheumatoid arthritis, which caused numerous deformities in peripheral joints. She was complaining of progressive neurogenic claudication and right-side sciatica for 6 months and a limited walking ability, the MRI revealed a 12 mm L4L5 right facet joint synovial cyst. The natural history of lumbar facet joint cysts is not completely understood. It has been linked in previous studies to degenerative spine diseases, such as spondylolistheses and scoliosis. There are rare publications or studies confirming the superiority of the endoscopic approach to these cysts due to its rarity. The percutaneous endoscopic approach may be an alternative. The percutaneous endoscopic approach to the lumbar. facet joins cysts is a viable approac

Transforaminal Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy Through a Transfacet Approach: Detailed Surgical Technique

The percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) is a minimally invasive surgical approach described for the treatment of herniated lumbar disks. We aim to offer a brief anatomical review followed by a detailed and illustrated description of the transforaminal PELD technique using the Tom SHIDI endoscope and instrument set (MaxMoreSpine, Unterföhring, Germany).The transforaminal PELD through a transforaminal approach using Tom SHIDI allows safe surgical treatment of most lumbar hernias thanks to the posterior entrance into Kambin's Triangle through a bony landmark allowing foraminoplasty to be performed using a manual drill. Careful surgical technique minimizes unforeseen complications and makes this a safe and viable alternative to conventional microdiscectomy

Carcass washing system and Salmonella spp. control in poultry slaughterhouses

Avaliaram-se os dados do controle e monitoramento de Salmonella em carcaças de frangos de corte, antes e após a implantação do sistema de lavagem de carcaças. Foram amostradas 2692 carcaças antes da instalação do sistema e 1940 após a instalação, totalizando 4632 amostras em cinco abatedouros sob Inspeção Federal, no sul do Brasil. Anteriormente à instalação dos lavadores, obtiveram-se 156 resultados positivos para Salmonella spp. e, após a instalação, 83 resultados positivos, com diferença significativa (P<0,05/OR 1,4) entre os resultados gerais. Em dois dos cinco abatedouros avaliados, houve redução na positividade para Salmonella spp. nas carcaças amostradas após a instalação do lavador. Entretanto, em três estabelecimentos não houve diferença significativa após a instalação desse sistema. Os resultados sugerem que o aumento da vazão da água está relacionado com a redução da contaminação, enquanto o aumento da pressão de água do sistema de lavagem não foi suficiente para reduzir o patógeno nas carcaças amostradas. Dessa forma, conclui-se que o sistema de lavagem tem vantagens do ponto de vista operacional, ao evitar os desperdícios atribuídos à prática do refile, porém não elimina o risco da presença de Salmonella na carcaça de frango.Data of the Control and Monitoring of Salmonella in broiler carcasses were evaluated before and after the implementation of a carcass washing system. A total of 2692 carcasses prior to system installation and 1940 after installation were sampled, totaling 4632 samples in five slaughterhouses under Federal Inspection in southern Brazil. Prior to installation of the washers, 156 carcasses were positive for Salmonella spp. and after installation, 83 carcasses tested positive, with a significant difference (P <0.05/OR 1.4) on the overall results. Two of the five evaluated slaughterhouses showed a prevalence decrease of Salmonella spp. in the sampled carcasses after installing the washer. However, in three establishments, there was no significant difference after installing this system. The results suggest that the increase of the water flow is related to the reduction of the contamination, while the increase of the water pressure of the washing system was not enough to reduce the pathogen in the sampled carcasses. The results show operational results since the washing system avoids the trimming of some carcasses, but doesn’t eliminate the risk of Salmonella

Targeting the Hexosamine Biosynthetic Pathway Prevents Plasmodium Developmental Cycle and Disease Pathology in Vertebrate Host

Cerebral malaria (CM) is a clinical syndrome involving irreversible and lethal signs of brain injury associated to infection by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. The pathogenesis of CM derives from infection-induced proinflammatory cytokines associated with cytoadherence of parasitized red blood cells to brain microvasculature. Glycoconjugates are very abundant in the surface of Plasmodium spp., and are critical mediators of parasite virulence in host–pathogen interactions. Herein, we show that 6-Diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON) therapeutically used for blocking hexosamine biosynthetic pathway leads to recovery in experimental murine cerebral malaria. DON-induced protection was associated with decreased parasitism, which severely reduced Plasmodium transmission to mosquitoes. These findings point to a potential use of DON in combination therapies against malaria

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