Recognition of the epidemiological significance of Neisseria meningitidis capsular serogroup W135 in the Rio de Janeiro region, Brazil

Neisseria meningitidis retains its ability to cause endemic and hiperendemic disease in human population living in any environment, as well as localized outbreaks and massive epidemics in civilians and military personnel. In Rio de Janeiro it has been reported in the 1990s as prolonged outbreak of serogroup B and at least one epidemic of serogroup C was well defined, both demanding quick action by the Public Health authorities. We report here the emergence of serogroup W135 meningococcal disease causing endemic and case cluster in Rio de Janeiro during the first years of this new century

International sustainable development cooperation of physiotherapy course from Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa

Objectives - To share with delegates the international experience in several Program of Physiotherapy course from Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa (ESTeSL)

Impact of Early Postnatal Androgen Exposure on Voice Development

Background: the impact of early postnatal androgen exposure on female laryngeal tissue may depend on certain characteristics of this exposure. We assessed the impact of the dose, duration, and timing of early androgen exposure on the vocal development of female subjects who had been treated for adrenocortical tumor (ACT) in childhood.Methods: the long-term effects of androgen exposure on the fundamental vocal frequency (F0), vocal pitch, and final height and the presence of virilizing signs were examined in 9 adult (age, 18.4 to 33.5 years) and 10 adolescent (13.6 to 17.8 years) female ACT patients. We also compared the current values with values obtained 0.9 years to 7.4 years after these subjects had undergone ACT surgery, a period during which they had shown normal androgen levels.Results: of the 19 subjects, 17 (89%) had been diagnosed with ACT before 4 years of age, 1 (5%) at 8.16 years, and 1 (5%) at 10.75 years. Androgen exposure (2 to 30 months) was sufficiently strong to cause pubic hair growth in all subjects and clitoromegaly in 74% (14/19) of the subjects, but did not reduce their height from the target value. Although androgen exposure induced a remarkable reduction in F0 (132 Hz) and moderate pitch virilization in 1 subject and partial F0 virilization, resulting in F0 of 165 and 169 Hz, in 2 subjects, the majority had normal F0 ranging from 189 to 245 Hz.Conclusions: Female laryngeal tissue is less sensitive to androgen exposure between birth and adrenarche than during other periods. Differential larynx sensitivity to androgen exposure in childhood and F0 irreversibility in adulthood are age-, concentration-, duration-, and timing-dependent events that may also be affected by exposure to inhibitory or stimulatory hormones. Further studies are required to better characterize each of these factors.Brazilian State of Parana Secretary of Science, Technology and Higher Education (SETI)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Raul Carneiro Hospital Association for Childhood Protection (AHPIRC)American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC)SETIAHPIRCALSACInst Pesquisa Pele Pequeno Principe, Curitiba, Parana, BrazilHosp Pequeno Principe, Curitiba, Parana, BrazilFac Pequeno Principe, Curitiba, Parana, BrazilInst Voz Maringa, Maringa, Parana, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Fonoaudiol, São Paulo, BrazilClin Voz, Curitiba, Parana, BrazilIrmandade Santa Casa Misericordia São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Parana, Dept Saude Comunitaria, BR-80060000 Curitiba, Parana, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Fonoaudiol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

A composite indicator for supply chain performance measurement: a case study in a manufacturing company

This paper proposes a methodology to develop and implement a Composite Indicator (CI) to measure the performance of Supply Chain processes. It reflects the aggregation of individual measures, related to the same process, with a weighted average, in order to assess the global performance in terms of both efficiency and effectiveness. Through a case study in a manufacturing company, a concept validation was performed by implementing the methodology in the Return process of the Supply Chain. The results showed that the combination between a Composite Indicator and a Business Intelligence tool provides a better understanding of the overall performance of a given process, facilitating also the identification of root causes. This paper aims to contribute to the supply chain performance management research field, proposing a methodology to implement a Composite Indicator, which is a topic insufficiently explored in the existent literature.- This work has been supported by national funds through FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2019

The Global Mangrove Watch—A New 2010 Global Baseline of Mangrove Extent

This study presents a new global baseline of mangrove extent for 2010 and has been released as the first output of the Global Mangrove Watch (GMW) initiative. This is the first study to apply a globally consistent and automated method for mapping mangroves, identifying a global extent of 137,600 km 2 . The overall accuracy for mangrove extent was 94.0% with a 99% likelihood that the true value is between 93.6–94.5%, using 53,878 accuracy points across 20 sites distributed globally. Using the geographic regions of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Asia has the highest proportion of mangroves with 38.7% of the global total, while Latin America and the Caribbean have 20.3%, Africa has 20.0%, Oceania has 11.9%, North America has 8.4% and the European Overseas Territories have 0.7%. The methodology developed is primarily based on the classification of ALOS PALSAR and Landsat sensor data, where a habitat mask was first generated, within which the classification of mangrove was undertaken using the Extremely Randomized Trees classifier. This new globally consistent baseline will also form the basis of a mangrove monitoring system using JAXA JERS-1 SAR, ALOS PALSAR and ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 radar data to assess mangrove change from 1996 to the present. However, when using the product, users should note that a minimum mapping unit of 1 ha is recommended and that the error increases in regions of disturbance and where narrow strips or smaller fragmented areas of mangroves are present. Artefacts due to cloud cover and the Landsat-7 SLC-off error are also present in some areas, particularly regions of West Africa due to the lack of Landsat-5 data and persistence cloud cover. In the future, consideration will be given to the production of a new global baseline based on 10 m Sentinel-2 composites

Towards an approach to assess Supply Chain Quality Management maturity

Maturity models have been developed in order to help companies to improve organizational performance. Furthermore, due to the globalization and the growing competition, companies need to increase the competitiveness through operational efficiency, internally and in the entire supply chain.In this paper, an approach for the design and implementation of a Supply Chain Quality Management maturity model is presented.The concept of Supply Chain Quality Management has been developed in order to achieve a good integration between the two approaches: Quality Management and Supply Chain Management, and how such integration can help and support the companies to become more effective and efficient.The proposed approach to assess Supply Chain Quality Management maturity incorporates both quantitative and qualitative information to define several levels corresponding to different integration maturity levels. A case study in a world class company of the automotive industry is being used to validate the approach.- This work is sponsored by the Portugal Incentive System for Research and Technological Development. Project in copromotion no 002814/2015 (iFACTORY 2015-2018)

Proposta de musealização do geossítio Pontal da Santa Cruz como ferramenta de apreensão do patrimônio geológico

Brazil has a rich geological heritage, consisting of a diversity of geosites, which represent a unique geodiversity of great symbolic and scientific value. The promotion and conservation of geological heritage is, at the 21st century, one of the greatest challenges. The first initiatives to preserve this heritage had centered their attention on the need of inventorying the geological sites existing in each country, seeking to promote recognition, and safeguarding. Among the initiatives for the conservation of this heritage, initiatives for the musealization of the territory can favor the construction of a more integrated and comprehensive view of socio-environmental issues by providing: the interrelationship between environment, geology, and society; the interrelationship of specific fields of knowledge between geology, museology, and education. Therefore, this work aims to discuss a proposal for the musealization of the Pontal de Santa Cruz Geosite, in the Araripe Geopark (CE), as it presents in its area a diversity of elements, such as geological, geomorphological, paleontological, historical, scenic, touristic, and cultural. These elements are interconnected with local geodiversity, characterized by the "variety of abiotic nature, including lithological, tectonic, geomorphological, edaphic, hydrogeological, topographical elements and physical processes on the land surface, seas and oceans, together with systems generated by endogenous, exogenous and anthropic natural processes, which encompass the diversity of particles, elements and places” (SERRANO E RUIZ-FLANO, 2007, p144). The Geosite under study is part of a set of geosites that make up the Araripe Geopark, endorsing an invaluable heritage value, as shown by Brilha (2005) through the patrimonialization of the inventoried and relevant geodiversity of a given region. Therefore, the Pontal de Santa Cruz Geosite, located 4 km from the city of Santana do Cariri, in the south of the state of Ceará (GEOPARK ARARIPE, S/D), served as an object of study through a proposal for musealization. The area is formed by the sandstone of the Exu Formation that constitutes the upper portion of the Chapada do Araripe escarpment, with a low paleontological diversity, but favoring the accumulation of water and the construction of a scenic landscape of touristic and socioeconomic interest. In addition to the geopaleontological aspect, its historical and religious importance can be added through the existence of the chapel and the Cross, dating from the mid-twentieth century, and linked to the legend of the “haunting”, one of the many existing legends in the region. Despite the observation of geoconservation strategies in the geosite, such as classification, conservation (management), communication and management, the absence of the most effective communication stage of museumization was observed, linked to the other stages of this process (inventory, documentation, conservation, and research). Thus, geological explanations (in its most diversified aspects), historical and cultural are proposed in the geosite under study, aiming at a closer relationship with the local population and the visiting public through their most significant affectivities. Therefore, the importance of a more effective musealization of the geosite for the development of tourism and the apprehension of this heritage by the population is considered, seeking to relate the musealization process as a fundamentally important means of communication in the process of interrelationship of geodiversity, heritage, and environment with society.O Brasil apresenta um rico patrimônio geológico, constituído por uma diversidade de geossítios, que representam uma geodiversidade singular de grande valor simbólico e científico. A promoção e conservação do patrimônio geológico entram no século XXI como um dos maiores desafios. As primeiras iniciativas de preservação deste patrimônio, centraram sua atenção na necessidade de inventariar os sítios geológicos existentes em cada país, buscando promover o reconhecimento e salvaguarda. Dentre as iniciativas de conservação deste patrimônio as iniciativas de musealização do território podem favorecer a construção de uma visão mais integrada e abrangente das questões socioambientais ao propiciar: a inter-relação entre ambiente, geologia e sociedade; a inter-relação de campos de conhecimentos específicos entre geologia, museologia e educação. Sendo assim, este trabalho visa discutir uma proposta de musealização do Geossítio Pontal de Santa Cruz, no Geopark Araripe (CE), pois o mesmo apresenta em sua área uma diversidade de elementos, tais como geológico, geomorfológico, paleontológico, histórico, paisagístico, turístico e cultural. Esses elementos estão interligados com a geodiversidade local, caracterizada pela “variedade de natureza abiótica, incluindo os elementos litológicos, tectônicos, geomorfológicos, edáficos, hidrogeológicos, topográficos e os processos físicos sobre a superfície terrestre, dos mares e oceanos, junto a sistemas gerados por processos naturais endógenos, exógenos e antrópicos, que abrangem a diversidade de partículas, elementos e lugares” (SERRANO E RUIZ-FLANO, 2007, p144). O Geossítio em estudo faz parte de um conjunto de geossítios que compõe o Geopark do Araripe, referendando uma valorização patrimonial inestimável, como mostrado por Brilha (2005) através de patrimonializar a geodiversidade inventariada e relevante de uma dada região. Por isso, o Geossítio Pontal de Santa Cruz, localizado a 4 Km da Cidade de Santana do Cariri, no sul do estado do Ceará (GEOPARK ARARIPE, S/D), serviu de objeto de estudo através de uma proposta de musealização. Área é formada pelo arenito da Formação Exu que constitui a porção superior da escarpa da Chapada do Araripe, com uma diversidade paleontológica baixa, mas favorecendo o acúmulo de água e a construção de uma paisagem cênica de interesse turístico e socioeconômico. Além do aspecto geopaleontológico, pode-se acrescentar a sua importância histórica e religiosa através da existência da capela e da Cruz, datadas de meados do século XX, e ligadas a lenda da “assombração”, uma das muitas lendas existentes na região. Apesar da observação de estratégias de geoconservação no geossítio como classificação, conservação (manejo), comunicação e gestão, observou-se a ausência da etapa de comunicação da musealização mais efetiva, atrelada às outras etapas desse processo (Inventariado, documentação, conservação e pesquisa). Para isso, no geossítio em estudo, propõe-se explicações geológicas (nas suas mais diversificadas vertentes), históricas e culturais, visando uma maior aproximação da população local e público visitante através de suas mais significativas afetividades. Sendo assim, considera-se a importância de uma musealização mais efetiva do geossítio para o desenvolvimento do turismo e apreensão desse patrimônio pela população, buscando relacionar o processo de musealização como meio de comunicação fundamentalmente importante no processo de inter-relação da geodiversidade, patrimônio e meio ambiente com a sociedade

Variations of training load, monotony, and strain and dose-response relationships with maximal aerobic speed, maximal oxygen uptake, and isokinetic strength in professional soccer players

This study aimed to identify variations in weekly training load, training monotony, and training strain across a 10-week period (during both, pre- and in-season phases); and to analyze the dose-response relationships between training markers and maximal aerobic speed (MAS), maximal oxygen uptake, and isokinetic strength. Twenty-seven professional soccer players (24.9±3.5 years old) were monitored across the 10-week period using global positioning system units. Players were also tested for maximal aerobic speed, maximal oxygen uptake, and isokinetic strength before and after 10 weeks of training. Large positive correlations were found between sum of training load and extension peak torque in the right lower limb (r = 0.57, 90%CI[0.15;0.82]) and the ratio agonist/antagonist in the right lower limb (r = 0.51, [0.06;0.78]). It was observed that loading measures fluctuated across the period of the study and that the load was meaningfully associated with changes in the fitness status of players. However, those magnitudes of correlations were small-to-large, suggesting that variations in fitness level cannot be exclusively explained by the accumulated load and loading profile