Three-dimensional radiotherapy planning in the pelvic region of wild animals

Radiotherapy is a medical modality that has been constantly revolutionizing with the offer of three-dimensional computational for treatment planning systems (TPS), providing greater security in the release of the radiation dose in the target volume, improving the therapeutic response and minimizing the radiobiological effects unwanted. The incorporation of modern radiotherapy techniques, along with studies that contribute to the development of radiotherapy protocols in veterinary medicine, may contribute to improve the quality of treatments and survival of animals affected by cancer. A TPS applied in a human radiotherapy clinic was used and the radiometric, clinical and anatomical parameters were adequate for the feasibility of use in veterinary radiotherapy. Tomographic images of the pelvic region of wild animals assisted by the School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (FMVZ/UNESP) were used to perform them. Protocols for the implementation of computational planning in veterinary medicine were verified by analyzing the homogeneity of the radiation dose distribution in the planned treatment volume (PTV) and ensuring the protection of the organs surrounding the PTV. The methodology applied for the use of TPS Eclipse in veterinary radiotherapy planning proved to be feasible, and can present itself as an important tool to improve veterinary oncological therapeutic approaches

ESCRITAS DE SI E ESPAÇO BIOGRÁFICO ‒ REVISÃO TEÓRICO-CRÍTICA

Este artigo visa a apresentar uma revisão teórico-crítica e uma reflexão acerca das chamadas “escritas de si” e de alguns dos gêneros textuais a ela vinculados, como as cartas, os diários e, com maior destaque, a biografia e a autobiografia, de modo a contribuir com análises literárias que pretendam seguir essa vertente de investigação. Para tanto, tomaremos como base dois textos fundamentais sobre o assunto: de Michel Foucault, “Escritas de si” (1992), obra fundamental à temática e a partir da qual se desenvolveram diversos estudos posteriores sobre o assunto; e, de Leonor Arfuch, O espaço biográfico (2010), que abarca importantes considerações sobre o tema a partir da constituição de um conceito de “espaço biográfico”, o qual levaria em conta a forma como nele se agrupam as diversas formas, canônicas ou não, das escritas de si.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Escritas de si; Espaço biográfico; Biografia; Autobiografia

Use of artificial neural networks on the prediction of zootechnical indexes on gestation and farrowing stages of swines

Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar a precisão das redes neurais artificiais (RNA) na estimativa das redes neurais artificiais (RNA) na predição de índices zootécnicos, com base em variáveis térmicas e fisiológicas de porcas gestantes. A pesquisa foi realizada entre janeiro e abril de 2005 em uma propriedade de produção industrial de suínos, no setor de gestação, com 27 matrizes primíparas, alojadas em baias individuais e posteriormente na maternidade em baias de parição, onde foram quantificados os índices de produção dos leitões provenientes do estudo. Para tanto, foi implementada uma RNA backpropagation, com uma camada de entrada, uma oculta e uma camada de saída com funções de transferência tangente sigmoidal. A temperatura do ar e a frequência respiratória foram consideradas variáveis de entrada e o peso ao nascimento dos leitões e número de leitões mumificados, como variáveis de saída. A rede treinada apresentou ótimo poder de generalização, o que possibilitou a predição das variáveis-respostas. A caracterização do ambiente da gestação e maternidade foi adequada se comparada aos dados reais, com poucas tendências de sub ou superestimação de alguns valores. A utilização desse sistema especialista para a previsão dos índices zootécnicos é viável, pois o sistema tem bom desempenho para esta aplicação.The objective of this work was to evaluate the precision of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to estimate zootechnical indexes, based on thermal and physiological variables of pregnant sows. This study was carried out from January to April 2005, in a swine industrial production farm in the gestation section with 27 primiparous gilts, allocated in individual pens and after on farrowing pens where it was quantified animal production indexes of piglets from the study. Therefore, an ANN backpropagation was implemented, with one input layer, one hidden layer, and one output layer with tangent sigmoidal transference functions. Air temperature and respiratory frequency were considered as input variables and weight of piglet at birth and the number of mummified piglets as output variables. The trained ANN presented a great generalization power, which enabled the prediction of the answer-variables. Characterization of the environment of gestation and maternity was appropriated if compared to the real data, with few under or overestimated tendencies of some values. The use of this specialist system to predict zootechnical indexes is viable because the system shows a good performance for this use

Bacterial profile of surfaces and equipment of the Orthopedic Clinic of a University Hospital

Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are an important public health problem that impacts negatively on hospital costs and patient prognosis. Given the importance of the hospital environment in the development of HAIs, the objective was to evaluate the bacterial profile on surfaces and equipment of the Orthopedic Clinic of the Hospital Universitário do Vale do São Francisco. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative study. Samples were collected in 13 wards, each ward with four beds and one was chosen at random, where surfaces and equipment were sampled using swabs soaked in saline and a 1cm2 filter paper mold to standardize the samples. After passing the swab, they were stored in a tube containing 5mL of BHI (Brain Heart Infusion) liquid medium. Then, samples were transported to the Clinical Analysis Laboratory/Microbiology Sector where the microbiological analyzes were performed. Results: In total, 257 bacteria were observed, of which 5.11% were possible causes of hospital infection and 79% coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. Antibiograms of these were performed and different resistance profiles were found. The bathroom doorknob, a high-touch surface, presented the greatest variety of species among the evaluated surfaces. Conclusion: Surfaces and equipment of the evaluated clinic present possible bacteria that cause hospital infection with different profiles of antimicrobial resistance, contributing to possible cross infection

Environmental factors associated with human papillomavirus vaccine coverage in adolescents: 2016-2020 analysis

Objetivo: analizar la asociación entre los factores del entorno social y las tasas de cobertura de la vacuna contra el virus del papiloma humano (VPH) en los adolescentes del estado de Minas Gerais. Método: estudio epidemiológico, ecológico, con análisis de panel y de tendencia, en el período de 2016 a 2020. La población estaba compuesta por adolescentes de 9 a 13 años. Las variables ambientales fueron las tasas de cobertura; el índice de desarrollo humano municipal, la renta, la educación y la longevidad, y la tasa de violencia. Se utilizó el modelo autorregresivo de Prais-Winsten, el cálculo de la variación porcentual media anual y la regresión en panel. Resultados: las tasas de cobertura de la vacuna en todas las regiones analizadas están por debajo de los objetivos recomendados por el Ministerio de Salud. Además, estas tasas están asociadas a los factores relacionados con la aplicación de la primera dosis y a aspectos inherentes al entorno social, como la tasa de violencia. Conclusión: las evidencias encontradas demostraron que, aunque tenues, aspectos del entorno, además de las características individuales, proporcionan informaciones relevantes para comprensión de la ocurrencia de los resultados de salud, una vez que para esa vacuna tenemos la fuerte influencia del entorno y de la edad como factores asociados a la baja tasa de vacunación.Objective: to analyze the association between the factors of the social environment and the coverage rates of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in adolescents, in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Method: this is an epidemiological, ecological study, with panel and trend analysis from 2016 to 2020. The population consisted of adolescents aged 9 to 13 years. The environmental variables were coverage rates, the municipal index of human development, income, education, and longevity; and the rate of violence. The Prais-Winsten autoregression and the panel regression model were used, in addition to the estimate of the mean annual percentage variation. Results: the vaccination coverage rates are below the goals recommended by the Ministry of Health for all regions analyzed. Moreover, these rates are associated with factors related to the application of the first dose and to aspects inherent to the social environment, such as the rate of violence. Conclusion: our findings showed that, although tenuous, aspects of the environment, in addition to individual characteristics, provide relevant information to understand the occurrence of health outcomes, since this vaccination campaign presents a strong influence of the environment and age as factors associated with the low rates.Objetivo: analisar a associação entre os fatores do ambiente social e as taxas de cobertura da vacina contra o papilomavírus humano (HPV) nos adolescentes do estado de Minas Gerais. Método: estudo epidemiológico, ecológico, com análise em painel e de tendência, no período de 2016 a 2020. A população foi composta por adolescentes de 9 a 13 anos. As variáveis ambientais foram as taxas de cobertura; o índice de desenvolvimento humano municipal, de renda, de educação e de longevidade; e a taxa de violência. Utilizou-se o modelo autorregressivo de Prais-Winsten, o cálculo da variação percentual média anual e a regressão em painel. Resultados: as taxas de cobertura da vacina em todas as regiões analisadas estão abaixo das metas preconizadas pelo Ministério da Saúde. Ademais, tais taxas estão associadas aos fatores relacionados à aplicação da primeira dose e a aspectos inerentes ao ambiente social, como a taxa de violência. Conclusão: as evidências encontradas demonstraram que, embora tênues, aspectos do ambiente, além das características individuais, fornecem informações relevantes para compreensão da ocorrência dos desfechos de saúde, uma vez que para essa vacina temos a forte influência do ambiente e da idade como fatores associados à baixa taxa de vacinação

Neuropathology of AIDS: An Autopsy Review of 284 Cases from Brazil Comparing the Findings Pre- and Post-HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) and Pre- and Postmortem Correlation

A retrospective study of central nervous system (CNS) in 284 autopsy AIDS cases in Brazil (1989–2008) divided into 3 groups: A (without antiretroviral treatment: 163 cases); B (other antiretroviral therapies: 76 cases); C (HAART for 3 months or more: 45 cases). In 165 (58.1%) cases, relevant lesions were found, predominantly infections (54.2%); the most frequent was toxoplasmosis (29.9%) followed by cryptococcosis (15.8%), purulent bacterial infections (3.9%), and HIV encephalitis (2.8%); non-Hodgkin lymphomas occurred in 1.4% and vascular lesions in 1.1%. There was no difference when compared the frequency of lesion among the groups; however, toxoplasmosis was less common while HIV encephalitis was more frequent in group C related to A. CNS lesions remain a frequent cause of death in AIDS; however, the mean survival time was four times greater in group C than in A. In 91 (55.1%) of 165 cases with relevant brain lesions (or 32% of the total 284 cases), there was discordance between pre- and postmortem diagnosis; disagreement type 1 (important disease that if diagnosed in life could change the patient prognosis) occurred in 49 (53.8%) of 91 discordant cases (17.6% of the total 284) indicating the autopsy importance, even with HAART and advanced diagnostics technologies

APP-LEARNING: contribuições do Kahoot no Ensino de Jornalismo

Este artigo trata das contribuições do aplicativo Kahoot no ensino de Jornalismo da Faculdade Estácio de São Luís. Analisa a inserção e uso do Kahoot para avaliar os conhecimentos dos alunos na disciplina Práticas de Jornalismo Multimídia em tempo real. Versa sobre um estudo exploratório e descritivo, que utiliza a pesquisa bibliográfica para discutir os aspectos conceituais a respeito da inserção estratégica do app-learning (aprendendo com aplicativos) na educação. Descreve o Kahoot e apresenta suas funcionalidades. Utiliza como instrumento de coleta de dados a realização de um grupo focal. Verifica que o uso do Kahoot despertou a curiosidade e engajamento dos alunos, aumentou o interesse pelos estudos e tornou o processo- de avaliação da aprendizagem mais motivacional, colaborativo, interativo e, principalmente, significativo.   PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Ensino de Jornalismo; Formação do Jornalista; App-learning; Kahoot; Avaliação da aprendizagem.   ABSTRACT This article deals with contributions from the Kahoot app in Journalism teaching at the college, Faculdade Estácio, in São Luís. Kahoot inclusion and use are analyzed to assess student knowledge in Multimedia Journalism Practices in real time. It discusses an exploratory and descriptive study that uses bibliographical research to talk about conceptual aspects regarding strategic inclusion of app-learning in education. In addition to describing Kahoot and its functions, its uses a focus group as a data-collection instrument. This article confirms Kahoot use spawned student curiosity and engagement, thus increasing interest in the studies and made the assessment process more motivation, collaborative, interactive and most importantly, meaningful.   KEYWORDS: Journalism Teaching; Journalist Training; App-learning; Kahoot; Learning assessment.   RESUMEN Este artículo trata de las contribuiciones de la aplicación Kahoot en la enseñanza de Periodismo de la Facultad Estácio de São Luís. Analiza la inserción y uso del Kahoot para evaluar los conocimientos de los alumnos de la asignatura  Prácticas de Periodismo Multimedia en tiempo real. Habla sobre un estudio exploratorio y descritivo, que  utiliza la investigación bibliográfica para discutir los aspectos conceptuales con respecto a la inserción estratégica del app-learning (aprendiendo con aplicaciones) en la educación. Describe el Kahoot y presenta sus funcionalidades. Utiliza como instrumento de colecta de datos la realización de un grupo focal. Verifica que el uso del Kahoot ha despertado la curiosidad y participación de los alumnos, ha aumentado el interés por los estudios y ha hecho el proceso de evaluación del aprendizaje más motivacional, colaborativo, interactivo y, principalmente, significativo.   PALABRAS CLAVE: Enseñanza de Periodismo; Formación del periodista; App-learning; Kahoot; Evaluación del aprendizaje. &nbsp

Effects of different egg turning frequencies on incubation efficiency parameters

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different egg turning frequencies on incubation efficiency parameters. Nine hundred sixty brown fertile eggs, with an average weight of 52.20 ± 0.85 g, from 38-week-old CJD (Carijó Pesadão) breeder hens were randomly distributed among 4 treatments before incubation. Each treatment corresponded to a turning frequency, being 24 (control), 12, 6, or 3 times per day, at an angle of 45°, until day 18 of incubation. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with 4 treatments. Analysis of the incubation parameters was based on 6 replications per treatment. The eggs that were turned 12, 6, and 3 times per day exhibited a decrease in hatchability of the fertile eggs of 6.61, 15.51, and 19.70%, respectively, when compared with the control group (91.84 ± 2.73%). With a decrease in turning frequency, there was a gradual increase in early (2.84 ± 1.89 to 14.31 ± 1.82%) and late (3.57 ± 1.39 to 8.05 ± 1.24%) mortality rates. An egg turning frequency of 24 times per day during incubation provided high hatchability rates. In contrast, the turning frequencies of 12, 6, and 3 times per day showed significant losses in hatchability

Alternative sanitizers to paraformaldehyde for incubation of fertile eggs

The aim of this study was to evaluate an ethanolic extract of propolis and clove essential oil as a substitute for paraformaldehyde for the sanitation of fertile eggs. In total, 1,800 hatching eggs (from 40-week-old CPK [Pesadão Vermelho] breeder hens) were randomly distributed among the treatments (grain alcohol, clove essential oil, ethanolic extract of propolis, and paraformaldehyde). Spraying was the application method for all treatments except for paraformaldehyde, for which fumigation was used. The experimental design was a randomized block design with 4 treatments. Analysis of the incubation parameters was based on 6 replications per treatment. The egg weight loss was lower in the eggs treated with ethanolic extract of propolis (8.59 ± 3.34%) than in the eggs treated with grain alcohol (13.40 ± 2.87%), clove essential oil (12.96 ± 3.33%), and paraformaldehyde (13.05 ± 3.24%). The hatchability of the fertile eggs (51.39 ± 5.81%) and the hatchability of the set eggs (44.74 ± 6.79%) were negatively affected by the application of ethanolic extract of propolis. Late mortality of eggs treated was higher than early mortality in the grain alcohol (12.14 ± 4.72%; 2.86 ± 3.30%), clove essential oil (4.60 ± 5.95%; 3.03 ± 3.50%), and ethanolic extract of propolis (36.63 ± 6.60%, 11.98 ± 4.30%) treatments. The eggs treated with clove essential oil (67.90 ± 1.87%), paraformaldehyde (67.80 ± 1.85%), or grain alcohol (67.50 ± 1.92%) presented chick yields as expected. However, due to the high yield of eggs treated with ethanolic extract of propolis (69.25 ± 1.68%), its application at the concentration used in the present research is not recommended. Clove essential oil, when sprayed on fertile eggs as a sanitizing agent, did not differ from paraformaldehyde in relation to hatchery performance parameters