Appraising and selecting strategies to combat and mitigate desertification based on stakeholder knowledge and globalbest practices in Cape Verde Archipelago

Cape Verde is considered part of Sahelian Africa, where drought and desertification are common occurrences. The main activity of the rural population is rain-fed agriculture, which over time has been increasingly challenged by high temporal and spatial rainfall variability, lack of inputs, limited land area, fragmentation of land, steep slopes, pests, lack of mechanization and loss of top soil by water erosion. Human activities, largely through poor farming practices and deforestation (Gomez, 1989) have accelerated natural erosion processes, shifting the balance between soil erosion and soil formation (Norton, 1987). According to previous studies, vegetation cover is one of the most important factors in controlling soil loss (Cyr et al., 1995; Hupy, 2004; Zhang et al., 2004; Zhou et al., 2006). For this reason, reforestation is a touchstone of the Cape Verdean policy to combat desertification. After Independence in 1975, the Cape Verde government had pressing and closely entangled environmental and socio-economic issues to address, as long-term desertification had resulted in a lack of soil cover, severe soil erosion and a scarcity of water resources and fuel wood. Across the archipelago, desertification was resulting from a variety of processes including poor farming practices, soil erosion by water and wind, soil and water salinity in coastal areas due to over pumping and seawater intrusion, drought and unplanned urbanization (DGA-MAAP, 2004). All these issues directly affected socio-economic vulnerability in rural areas, where about 70% of people depended directly or indirectly on agriculture in 1975. By becoming part of the Inter- State Committee for the Fight against Drought in the Sahel in 1975, the government of Cape Verde gained structured support to address these issues more efficiently. Presentday policies and strategies were defined on the basis of rational use of resources and human efforts and were incorporated into three subsequent national plans: the National Action Plan for Development (NDP) (1982–1986), the NDP (1986–1990) and the NDP (1991–1995) (Carvalh

Automated Sorting: Mapping of selective collection disposal objects using artificial intelligence

Introdução: A inteligência artificial, especialmente na área de visão computacional, tem se destacado como uma ferramenta poderosa para diversas aplicações, incluindo a classificação de objetos. Neste estudo, desenvolvemos uma pesquisa aplicada que utiliza inteligência artificial para detectar e classificar objetos descartados como lixo em duas categorias principais: papel e metal. Método: A pesquisa se baseou em uma base de dados contendo cerca de 897 imagens de objetos descartados, sendo 448 imagens de papel e 449 imagens de metal. Utilizamos o modelo YOLOv5 (you only look once) para treinar e testar a detecção e classificação dos objetos. O YOLOv5 é conhecido por apresentar resultados promissores nesse tipo de tarefa. Resultados: Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que o modelo YOLOv5 apresentou um desempenho satisfatório na detecção e classificação dos objetos descartados. A precisão média alcançada foi de 0,88. Conclusão: O estudo mostra que o uso da inteligência artificial, por meio do modelo YOLOv5, é eficaz para detectar e classificar objetos descartados em categorias de reciclagem, como papel e metal. Essa abordagem pode contribuir significativamente para aprimorar o processo de coleta seletiva e a gestão de resíduos, promovendo práticas mais sustentáveis e conscientes em relação ao meio ambiente.Introduction:Artificial intelligence, especially in the field of computer vision, has emerged as a powerful tool for various applications, including object classification. In this study, we developed an applied research that utilizes artificial intelligence to detect and classify discarded objects as waste into two main categories: paper and metal. Method:The research was based on a database containing approximately 897 images of discarded objects, with 448 images of paper and 449 images of metal. We used the YOLOv5 (you only look once) model to train and test the object detection and classification. YOLOv5 is known for providing promising results in this type of task. Results:The obtained results demonstrated that the YOLOv5 model exhibited satisfactory performance in detecting and classifying the discarded objects. The achieved mean average precision was 0.88. Conclusion:The study shows that the use of artificial intelligence, through the YOLOv5 model, is effective in detecting and classifying discarded objects into recycling categories, such as paper and metal. This approach can significantly contribute to improving the selective collection process and waste management, promoting more sustainable and environmentally-conscious practices

Fatores de risco para ansiedade e depressão no período pré-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca

Objective: To evaluate the risk factors of anxiety and depression in the preoperative period of cardiac surgery.Method: This is a sectional study, conducted between January and June 2017, in a university hospital of reference in cardiology in northeastern Brazil. A total of 174 patients were evaluated using their own questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Odds Ratios were calculated to assess the risk.Results: In the assessment of anxiety, significant risk factors were: female gender, years of study, absence of companion, previous experience of cardiac surgery and cancellation of surgery during hospitalization. As for depression, risk factors were revealed: female sex and hospitalization time greater than 15 days.Conclusion: The nurse has instruments available to recognize anxiety and depression, including nursing diagnoses and validated scales, as well as having a preponderant role in these cases. It should be an institutional challenge to streamline the service in order to avoid prolongation of hospitalization and cancellations of surgery for structural reasons.Objetivo: Evaluar los factores de riesgo de ansiedad y depresión en el período preoperatorio de la cirugía cardíaca.Método: Se trata de un estudio seccional, realizado entre enero y junio de 2017, en un hospital universitario de referencia en cardiología en el nordeste de Brasil. Se evaluaron 174 pacientes utilizando un cuestionario propio y la Escala Hospitalaria de Ansiedad y Depresión (HADS) y calculadas las Odds Ratios para evaluar el riesgo.Resultados: En la evaluación de la ansiedad, fueron factores de riesgo significativos: sexo femenino, años de estudio, ausencia de acompañante, experiencia previa de cirugía cardiaca y la cancelación de la cirugía durante el internamiento. En cuanto a la depresión, se revelaron factores de riesgo: sexo femenino y tiempo de internamiento mayor de 15 días.Conclusión: El enfermero tiene instrumentos disponibles para reconocer la ansiedad y la depresión, incluyendo los diagnósticos de enfermería y las escalas validadas, así como tiene un papel preponderante en la actuación en estos casos. Debe ser un desafío institucional dinamizar el servicio para evitar prolongaciones de la internación y cancelaciones de cirugía por cuestiones estructurales.Objetivo: avaliar os fatores de risco de ansiedade e depressão no período pré-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca. Método: Trata-se de um estudo seccional, realizado entre janeiro e junho de 2017, em um hospital universitário de referência em cardiologia no nordeste do Brasil. Foram avaliados 174 pacientes utilizando-se um questionário próprio e a Escala Hospitalar de Ansiedade e Depressão (HADS) e calculadas as Odds Ratios para avaliar o risco. Resultados: Na avaliação da ansiedade, foram fatores de risco significativos: sexo feminino, anos de estudo, ausência de acompanhante, experiência prévia de cirurgia cardíaca e o cancelamento da cirurgia durante o internamento. Quanto à depressão, revelaram-se fatores de risco: sexo feminino e tempo de internamento maior de 15 dias. Conclusão: O enfermeiro tem instrumentos disponíveis para reconhecer a ansiedade e a depressão, incluindo os diagnósticos de enfermagem e as escalas validadas, assim como tem papel preponderante na atuação nestes casos. Deve ser um desafio institucional dinamizar o serviço de forma a evitar prolongamentos do internamento e cancelamentos de cirurgia por questões estruturais. &nbsp

Theranostic applications of phage display to control leishmaniasis: Selection of biomarkers for serodiagnostics, vaccination, and immunotherapy

© 2015, Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical. All rights reserved. Phage display is a high-throughput subtractive proteomic technology used for the generation and screening of large peptide and antibody libraries. It is based on the selection of phage-fused surface-exposed peptides that recognize specific ligands and demonstrate desired functionality for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Phage display has provided unmatched tools for controlling viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections, and allowed identification of new therapeutic targets to treat cancer, metabolic diseases, and other chronic conditions. This review presents recent advancements in serodiagnostics and prevention of leishmaniasis -an important tropical parasitic disease- achieved using phage display for the identification of novel antigens with improved sensitivity and specificity. Our focus is on theranostics of visceral leishmaniasis with the aim to develop biomarker candidates exhibiting both diagnostic and therapeutic potential to fight this important, yet neglected, tropical disease.Peer Reviewe

Diffractive Limited Acoustic Field Of An Apodized Ultrasound Transducer

The diffraction in the acoustic field of an ultrasound transducer can be modeled as the result of the interference of edge and plane waves generated from the periphery and the center of the piezoelectric element, respectively. Our objective in developing ultrasound transducers with apodized piezoelectric ceramic discs was to generate acoustical fields with reduced edge waves interference. Transducer were built with apodized ceramic discs (polarized more intensively in the central region than in the edges) and their mapped acoustic fields showed a distinct pattern when compared to those of conventional transducers. A polynomial equation describing the nonlinear poling field intensity, was used with the Rayleigh equation to simulate the nonuniform vibration amplitude distribution generated by the apodized transducers. Simulated acoustic fields were compared to experimental field mappings. The results of simulations and experimental tests showed reduction in the lateral spreading of acoustic fields produced by apodized transducers, compared to those produced by conventional transducers. The reduced presence of the lateral lobes in the apodized acoustic field is due to the minimized vibration of the disc periphery. The numerical and experimental results were in good agreement and showed that it was possible to reduce acoustic field diffraction through nonlinear polarization of the piezoelectric element.398213214