Evaluation of user response by using visual cues designed to direct the viewer's attention to the main scene in an immersive environment

Today the visualization of 360-degree videos has become a means to live immersive experiences.. However, an important challenge to overcome is how to guide the viewers attention to the video main scene, without interrupting the immersion experience and the narrative thread. To meet this challenge, we have developed a software prototype to assess three approaches: Arrows, Radar and Auto Focus. These are based on visual guidance cues used in first person shooter games such as: Radar-Sonar, Radar-Compass and Arrows. In the study a questionnaire was made to evaluate the comprehension of the narrative, the user's perspective with respect to the design of the visual cues and the usability of the system. In addition, data was collected on the movement of the user's head, in order to analyze the focus of attention. The study used statistical methods to perform the analysis, the results show that the participants who used some visual cue (any of these) showed significant improvements compared to the control group (without using visual cues) in finding the main scene. With respect to narrative compression, significant improvements were obtained in the user group that used Radar and Auto Focus compared to the control group

ENGAJAMENTO E A ÉTICA PRESENTES EM GRUPOS E PÁGINAS SOBRE RADIOLOGIA NA MÍDIA SOCIAL FACEBOOK: UMA ANÁLISE REFLEXIVA

A mídia social Facebook pode ser vista, na atualidade, como um importante canal de expressão e comunicação em diferentes setores da sociedade. No âmbito da Saúde, é comum e recorrente o compartilhamento de imagens e pedidos médicos, ou postagens que possam transpassar o limiar da ética profissional, podendo acarretar impactos negativos para estudantes e profissionais como um todo. Este trabalho realiza uma análise crítica e reflexiva acerca do engajamento e interações entre os estudantes e profissionais – Técnicos e Tecnólogos em Radiologia –, por meio da seleção e análise retrospectiva de 39 postagens em páginas e grupos no site do Facebook, com o tema ‘Radiologia’; a coleta de dados ocorreu no período de setembro a dezembro de 2017. Criou-se um sistema de classificação do teor das postagens em seis tipos diferentes, dentre os quais foram encontrados: satírico (41,03%), processos patológicos (30,77%), solicitação de exames (12,82%), radiografias inusitadas (7,69%), literal (5,13%) e incitação (2,56%)

Application of a Meshed Skin Graft in the Surgical Bed Immediately after Resection of Neurofibrosarcoma in the Distal Limb Region of a Dog

Background: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors are neurogenic neoplasms that originate from cells that surround the axons of peripheral nerves. Surgery is the treatment of choice for peripheral nerve sheath tumors. They have a better prognosis when the lesion is in the extremity of a limb and the surgeon leaves wide peripheral margins after resection. However, this procedure makes local treatment a challenge due to difficult wound healing in this region. This report describes a successful case involving the use of a meshed skin graft immediately after resection of a neurofibrosarcoma in the distal region of the radius bone of a dog.Case: A 6-year-old Boxer bitch weighing 40 kg was admitted with a history of a round, firm, non-ulcerated skin nodule attached to the lateral side of the distal region of the right radius bone, which had been present for about 40 days. Fine needle aspiration cytology of the lesion showed the presence of mesenchymal cells, suggesting a sarcoma. Thus, the decision was made for an incisional biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and for the preparation of a subdermal pattern tubular flap for subsequent rotation and transposition to close the wound that would be formed after the complete removal of the lesion. After the 7th postoperative day, the diagnosis of low-grade neurofibrosarcoma was confirmed and due to the presence of necrotic onset in the middle portion of the tubular flap, further surgical intervention was scheduled for the resection of the tube flap, en bloc removal of the neoplastic lesion with peripheral margins of 2 cm, and wound closure with a free skin graft. A mesh skin graft was made with a portion of the right flank skin. The mesh graft was carefully implanted on the recipient bed using simple interrupted sutures with a 3-0 non-absorbable monofilament suture material. A dressing made with water-based sterile lubricating solution and gauze and a modified Robert Jones bandage were applied. The patient was treated with analgesic medication, antimicrobial therapy, and gastric protectors. The first bandage and dressing were changed after 48 h, and only warm physiological solution was used. Histopathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of low-grade neurofibrosarcoma with free surgical margins. The dressing was changed every 72 h for up to 12 postoperative days, when the immobilization was removed, and wound cleaning could be completed at home using physiological solution and a dressing with nitrofurazone ointment. Granulation tissue was first seen at day 12, and at day 30 the wound was completely closed.Discussion: The primary closure of skin defects after the resection of tumors located in the distal portion of limbs is often not possible due to a lack of adjacent skin. Thus, grafts are commonly used to repair the skin in these areas using the technique presented in this report. In order to survive, skin grafts need a vascular bed capable of allowing new blood vessel connections with the implanted skin portion. There is no consensus in the literature on the best bed for graft implantations. In the case described in this study, a free mesh graft was implanted on a fresh wound without granulation tissue, which resulted in excellent clinical evolution and total survival of the graft. Excellent clinical results were achieved with the graft, since its survival and adherence to the recipient bed occurred without complications. The clinical result of this case suggests that the application of full-thickness mesh grafts to fresh wounds in distal limbs immediately after tumor resection is a good alternative when the surgical wound is too large (which prevents primary closure). Good preoperative planning associated with good surgical techniques and adequate postoperative management are essential for the success of the technique under these conditions

Supervivencia de Pteria sterna (Gould, 1851) expuesta a bajas salinidades

The lower basin of the Chone river estuary constitutes an environment with high feasibility for the cultivation of Pteria sterna, however, salinity represents a limiting ecological factor for the development of this activity, particularly during the rainy season. The present study was designed to determine the tolerance of P. sterna exposed to low salinities, by quantifying survival during 96h. 20 aquariums were used, with 20 L of salt water (30 UPS), where 10 oysters were randomly distributed (40 ± 2.05 mm) in four treatments in triplicate: T1 (25 UPS), T2 (20 UPS), T3 (15 UPS), T4 (10 UPS) and Control Group (30 UPS). The experimental salinities were obtained in a time of 6h/10min, achieving acclimatization without mortality. In each treatment and control group, survival was estimated by counting all living organisms. The determination of the LC50 was carried out by means of a Probit regression. The survival percentage of P. sterna showed significant differences (P<0.05) between the treatments and the control group, observing that the oysters exposed to T3 and T4 did not survive after 24 and 48 h. In T2, survival remained constant from 72h (50%), while in T1, it remained at 90% during 96h. The CG did not register mortality. The median lethal salinity (LC50) is located at 20.13 UPS. P. sterna can be considered an osmoregulatory and euryhaline species, a bioecological characteristic, which allows it to be cultivated in the estuary of the Chone river, during the dry season, where the salinity is not less than 20 UPS. Keywords: estuary; oyster; euryhaline; cultureLa cuenca baja del estuario del río Chone, constituye un ambiente con una alta factibilidad para el cultivo de Pteria sterna, sin embargo, la salinidad, representa un factor ecológico limitante, particularmente durante época de lluvia. El presente estudio fue diseñado, para conocer la tolerancia de P. sterna expuesta a bajas salinidades, mediante la cuantificación de la supervivencia durante 96h. Se emplearon 20 acuarios, con 20 L de agua salada (30 UPS), donde se distribuyeron 10 ostras al azar (40±2,05 mm) en cuatro tratamientos por triplicado: T1 (25 UPS), T2 (20 UPS), T3 (15 UPS), T4 (10 UPS) y Grupo Control (30 UPS). Las salinidades experimentales se obtuvieron en un tiempo de 6h/10min, lográndose la aclimatación sin mortalidad. En cada tratamiento y grupo control, se estimó la supervivencia. La determinación del LC50 se realizó por medio de una regresión Probit. El porcentaje de supervivencia de P. sterna, mostró diferencias significativas (P<0,05) entre los tratamientos y grupo control, observándose que las ostras expuestas a T3 y T4, no sobrevivieron transcurridas las 24 y 48 h.  En el T2 la supervivencia se mantuvo constante a partir de las 72h (50%), mientras que, en el T1, se mantuvo en 90% durante las 96h.  El GC, no registró mortalidad. La salinidad letal media (LC50) se ubica a 20,13 UPS. P. sterna puede ser considerada una especie osmoreguladora y eurihalina, característica bioecológica, que le permite ser cultivada en el estuario del río Chone, durante la época seca, donde la salinidad no sea menor de 20 UPS. Palabras clave: estuario; ostra; eurihalino; cultiv

J/Psi Propagation in Hadronic Matter

We study J/$\psi$ propagation in hot hadronic matter using a four-flavor chiral Lagrangian to model the dynamics and using QCD sum rules to model the finite size effects manifested in vertex interactions through form factors. Charmonium breakup due to scattering with light mesons is the primary impediment to continued propagation. Breakup rates introduce nontrivial temperature and momentum dependence into the J/$\psi$ spectral function.Comment: 6 Pages LaTeX, 3 postscript figures. Proceedings for Strangeness in Quark Matter 2003, Atlantic Beach, NC, March 12-17, 2003; minor corrections in version 2, to appear in J. Phys.

Parâmetros morfológicos e fisiológicos de Brachiaria brizantha submetida ao déficit hídrico

O Nordeste brasileiro, em sua maior parte pertencente ao clima semiárido, região em que a maioria da população sobrevive da agricultura. No entanto, o déficit hídrico é um dos fatores limitantes da produtividade do setor agrícola em regiões como essa. Entre as plantas cultivadas podem-se citar as gramíneas do gênero Brachiaria, uma das forrageiras mais produzidas e cultivadas no país, podendo ser utilizada na alimentação de bovinos, equinos e caprinos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as respostas morfológicas e fisiológicas da Brachiaria brizantha submetida ao estresse hídrico. Avaliou-se o conteúdo relativo de água (CRA), danos de membrana, crescimento da parte aérea e raiz. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 2 x 4, com 2 irrigações (80 e 40% da capacidade de campo) e 4 épocas de coletas (0, 3, 8 e 15 dias), com 5 repetições, totalizando 40 parcelas experimentais. De acordo com os dados obtidos, a imposição de uma capacidade de campo de 40% não foi suficiente para causar danos severos às plantas de Brachiaria brizantha. Para o crescimento, vazamento de eletrólitos e CRA, as plantas não foram afetadas em comparação ao controle, no entanto, um maior período de exposição proporcionou diferenças estatísticas no crescimento e vazamento de eletrólitos. Portanto, com os parâmetros avaliados verificou-se que as respostas morfológicas foram semelhantes entre os tratamentos, já os parâmetros fisiológicos demonstram que as plantas sob estresse mantêm a integridade de suas membranas em resposta ao déficit hídrico

Employment of a noninvasive magnetic method for evaluation of gastrointestinal transit in rats

AC Biosusceptometry (ACB) was previously employed towards recording gastrointestinal motility. Our data show a reliable and successful evaluation of gastrointestinal transit of liquid and solid meals in rats, considering the methods scarcity and number of experiments needed to endorsement of drugs and medicinal plants. ACB permits real time and simultaneous experiments using the same animal, preserving the physiological conditions employing both meals with simplicity and accuracy.This study was partially supported by the Brazilian agencies CNPq, Capes and FAPESP

Sustainable strategies based on glycine–betaine analogue ionic liquids for the recovery of monoclonal antibodies from cell culture supernatants

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are of crucial interest for therapeutic purposes, particularly in vaccination and immunization, and in the treatment of life-threatening diseases. However, their downstream processing from the complex cell culture media in which they are produced still requires multiple steps, making mAbs extremely high-cost products. Therefore, the development of cost-effective, sustainable and biocompatible purification strategies for mAbs is in high demand to decrease the associated economic, environmental and health burdens. Herein, novel aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) composed of glycine–betaine analogue ionic liquids (AGB-ILs) and K2HPO4/KH2PO4 at pH 7.0, the respective three-phase partitioning (TPP) systems, and hybrid processes combined with ultrafiltration were investigated and compared in terms of performance as alternative strategies for the purification and recovery of anti-human interleukin-8 (anti-IL-8) mAbs, which are specific therapeutics in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, from Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell culture supernatants. With the studied ABS, mAbs preferentially partition to the IL-rich phase, with recovery yields up to 100% and purification factors up to 1.6. The best systems were optimized in what concerns the IL concentration, allowing to take advantage of IL-based three-phase partitioning approaches where a precipitate enriched in mAbs is obtained at the ABS interface, yielding 41.0% of IgG with a purification factor of 2.7 (purity of 60.9%). Hybrid processes combining the two previous techniques and an ultrafiltration step were finally applied, allowing the recovery of mAbs from the different fractions in an appropriate buffer solution for further biopharmaceutical formulations, while allowing the simultaneous IL removal and reuse. The best results were obtained with the hybrid process combining TPP and ultrafiltration, allowing to obtain mAbs with a purity higher than 60%. The recyclability of the IL was additionally demonstrated, revealing no losses in the purification and recovery performance of these systems for mAbs. The biological activity of anti-IL-8 mAbs is maintained after the several purification and recovery steps, indicating that the novel ABS, three-phase partitioning and hybrid processes comprising AGB-ILs are promising and sustainable strategies in mAbs downstream processing.publishe

Male Oxidative Stress Infertility (MOSI): Proposed Terminology and Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Idiopathic Male Infertility

Despite advances in the field of male reproductive health, idiopathic male infertility, in which a man has altered semen characteristics without an identifiable cause and there is no female factor infertility, remains a challenging condition to diagnose and manage. Increasing evidence suggests that oxidative stress (OS) plays an independent role in the etiology of male infertility, with 30% to 80% of infertile men having elevated seminal reactive oxygen species levels. OS can negatively affect fertility via a number of pathways, including interference with capacitation and possible damage to sperm membrane and DNA, which may impair the sperm’s potential to fertilize an egg and develop into a healthy embryo. Adequate evaluation of male reproductive potential should therefore include an assessment of sperm OS. We propose the term Male Oxidative Stress Infertility, or MOSI, as a novel descriptor for infertile men with abnormal semen characteristics and OS, including many patients who were previously classified as having idiopathic male infertility. Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) can be a useful clinical biomarker for the classification of MOSI, as it takes into account the levels of both oxidants and reductants (antioxidants). Current treatment protocols for OS, including the use of antioxidants, are not evidence-based and have the potential for complications and increased healthcare-related expenditures. Utilizing an easy, reproducible, and cost-effective test to measure ORP may provide a more targeted, reliable approach for administering antioxidant therapy while minimizing the risk of antioxidant overdose. With the increasing awareness and understanding of MOSI as a distinct male infertility diagnosis, future research endeavors can facilitate the development of evidence-based treatments that target its underlying cause