Assessing COVID-19 vaccine literacy: a preliminary online survey

The COVID-19 infodemic can be countered by scientific evidence, clear and consistent communication, and improved health literacy of both individuals in need of information and those providing it. A rapid online survey was carried out to evaluate vaccine literacy (VL) skills in the general population and perceptions about COVID-19 vaccine candidates, along with behavior and beliefs about current vaccinations. Observed VL levels were consistent with previous observations – where comparable self-reported tools were administered face-to-face and by paper-and-pencil – the mean functional score being = 2.92, while the interactive-critical score was = 3.27, out of a maximum of 4. Perceptions regarding future COVID-19 vaccines, along with beliefs about vaccination, were mostly positive and significantly associated with functional and interactive-critical VL scales. Despite limitations, the study confirms that surveys via the web are a suitable method to evaluate and track attitudes during infectious disease outbreaks and assess health literacy skills about vaccination, which can be useful to adapt medical communication strategies, for a better understanding of the value of immunization

The expression of creativity in learning how to read and write : a case study

O presente artigo tem por objetivo destacar as formas em que a criatividade se expressa na aprendizagem da leitura e da escrita da criança. Assume-se como referencial teórico a concepção de aprendizagem criativa desenvolvida por Mitjáns Martínez. Segundo essa concepção, os processos criativos emergem nos contextos de ação do sujeito, mediante recursos subjetivos constituídos historicamente e que se organizam no momento da ação concreta. A expressão desse tipo de aprendizagem tem se configurado pela personalização da informação, confrontação com o dado e pela geração, produção de ideias novas que vão além do que está posto. Adota-se como eixo norteador a pesquisa qualitativa, apoiada nos princípios da epistemologia qualitativa desenvolvida por González Rey, com opção pelo estudo de caso utilizando instrumentos abertos e semiabertos, tais como: dinâmicas conversacionais, observações, entrevistas como processo e diário de ideias. A investigação foi desenvolvida em uma escola da rede pública, com alunos dos primeiros e segundos anos do ensino fundamental, na qual acompanhamos os aprendizes por dois anos consecutivos. Como conclusão, considera-se que a expressão da criatividade na aprendizagem da leitura e da escrita foi significativamente apresentada pelas características destacadas por Mitjáns Martínez, bem como pela relação lúdica da criança com sua aprendizagem.This paper has the purpose of highlighting the ways through which creativity is expressed in the child´s learning of how to read and write. The theoretical assumption taken is the concept of creative learning developed by Mitjáns Martínez. According to such conception, the creative processes emerge in the context of the individual´s action, through subjective resources that are historically constructed and are organized in the moment of concrete action. The expression of this type of learning has been configured by the personalization of information, confrontation with the data, and by the generation and production of new ideas that go beyond what is taken for granted. The guiding axis adopted is qualitative research, supported by the principles of thequalitative epistemology developed by González Rey, with the option of conducting a case study utilizing open and semi-open tools, such as: conversational dynamics, observations, interviews as a process and a diary of ideas. The investigation took place in a public school, among 1st and 2nd graders, in which we monitored the learners for two years in a row. As a conclusion, we consider that the expression of creativity in learning how to read and write was significantly presented by the characteristics emphasized by the author mentioned above, as well as by the playful relationship of the child with his/her learning

Simultaneous production of Q and R bands after staining with chromomycin A3 or olivomycin.

Human and mouse chromosomes, stained with either chromomycin A3 or olivomycin, which bind preferentially to G - C-rich DNA (where G is guanosine and C is cytosine), exhibit a Q or a reverse banding pattern, depending on the wavelength used for excitation. The two complementary banding patterns can be observed in the same metaphase simply by changing the combination of excitation filters. These data suggest, therefore, that in addition to base composition, other factors are involved in the production of chromosome banding by chromomycin A3 and olivomycin

Cytological dissection of sex chromosome heterochromatin of Drosophila hydei.

Prophase chromosomes of Drosophila hydei were stained with 0.5 microgram/ml Hoechst 33258 and examined under a fluorescence microscope. While autosomal and X chromosome heterochromatin are homogeneously fluorescent, the entirely heterochromatic Y chromosome exhibits an extremely fine longitudinal differentiation, being subdivided into 18 different regions defined by the degree of fluorescence and the presence of constrictions. Thus high resolution Hoechst banding of prophase chromosomes provides a tool comparable to polytene chromosomes for the cytogenetic analysis of the Y chromosome of D. hydei. - D. hydei heterochromatin was further characterized by Hoechst staining of chromosomes exposed to 5-bromodeoxyuridine for one round of DNA replication. After this treatment the pericentromeric autosomal heterochromatin, the X heterochromatin and the Y chromosome exhibit numerous regions of lateral asymmetry. Moreover, while the heterochromatic short arms of the major autosomes show simple lateral asymmetry, the X and the Y heterochromatin exhibit complex patterns of contralateral asymmetry. These observations, coupled with the data on the molecular content of D. hydei heterochromatin, give some insight into the chromosomal organization of highly and moderately repetitive heterochromatic DNA

LOOKING AT DROSOPHILA MITOTIC CHROMOSOMES

The repertoire of cytological procedures described in the present paper permits full analysis of brain neuroblast chromosomes. Moreover, if brains are cultured for 13 hr in the presence of 5-bromo-2'-deoxy-uridine, our fixation and Hoechst staining protocols allow visualization of sister chromatid differentiation and the scoring of sister chromatid exchanges (Gatti et al., 1979). Finally, we note that our cytological procedures can be successfully employed for preparation and staining of gonial cells of both sexes and male meiotic chromosomes (Ripoll et al., 1985; our unpublished results). Good chromosome preparations of female meiosis are obtained with the procedure described by Davring and Sunner (1977, 1979), Nokkala and Puro (1976), and Puro and Nokkala (1977). In this chapter, we have focused on the organization and behavior of Drosophila mitotic chromosomes, describing a repertoire of cytological techniques for neuroblast chromosome preparations. We have not considered the numerous excellent cytological procedures for embryonic chromosome preparations (for an example, see Foe and Alberts, 1985; Foe, 1989), because these chromosomes are usually less clearly defined than those of larval neuroblasts. In addition, we have not included the whole-mount and squashing techniques that allow chromosome visualization and spindle immunostaining of neuroblast cells (Axton et al., 1990; Gonzalez et al., 1990), male meiotic cells (Casal et al.. 1990; Cenci et al., 1994), and female meiotic cells (Theurkauf and Hawley. 1992), because the fixation methods used in these procedures alter chromosome morphology. Fixation methods for antibody staining result in poorly defined chromosomes, whereas the methanol/acetic acid fixation techniques, such as those described here, preserve very well chromosome morphology but remove a substantial fraction of chromosomal proteins. Thus, one of the major technical breakthroughs in Drosophila mitotic cytology will be the development of fixation procedures that maximize chromosomal quality with minimal removal of proteins. This will be particularly useful for precise immunolocalization of heterochromatic proteins, including those associated with the centromere