bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Culturally competent communication in Indigenous disability assessment: a qualitative study
Authors: Ferdinand Angeline , Massey Libby , Cullen Jennifer , Temple Jeromey , Meiselbach Kristy , Paradies Yin , Baynam Gareth , Savarirayan Ravi , Kelaher Margaret
Published: March 2021

Background

Indigenous people tend to exhibit a higher burden of disability than their non-Indigenous counterparts, and are often underserved by disability services. Engaging appropriately with Indigenous communities, families and individuals in the initial stages of disability assessment and planning is crucial in order to build trust and understanding of disability service models and ensure that Indigenous people receive support that is tailored to their needs and cultural realities. This article aims to identify key elements of culturally competent communication in Indigenous disability assessment and planning, and provide recommendations for strengthening capacity in this area.

Methods

This qualitative research was designed to involve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at all stages and to reflect the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers, people and families affected by disability and the community-controlled health sector. Semi-structured individual interviews were undertaken with staff implementing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) (n = 4), NDIS participants (n = 24), disability support providers and organisational partners (n = 19) and Community Connectors (n = 8) in Queensland and the Northern Territory of Australia. Key themes derived from thematic analysis included appropriate and adequate engagement of individuals with disability and their families, the role of trusted relationships, and culturally safe and appropriate communication during planning meetings.

Results

Overall, the research findings highlight that a low level of cultural competence in the initial stages of the disability assessment and planning process exacerbated participant confusion and distrust towards assessment staff and the NDIS. Given difficulties in communication, participant understanding of the NDIS was generally limited. The necessity of culturally safe and appropriate use of interpreters was stressed, as was the role of trusted individuals, including existing service providers, Community Connectors and family members in providing a solid base for participant understanding of the NDIS.

Conclusions

Cultural competence in disability assessment and planning can be strengthened through multi-level engagement with the Aboriginal community-controlled sector and community leaders. Implementing mechanisms to enable the involvement of families, trusted service providers and Community Connectors can support a more meaningful understanding of individuals’ needs within their cultural context and in relation to their cultural roles.
“Include me if you can”—reasons for low enrollment of pediatric patients in a psychopharmacological trial
Authors: Niemeyer Larissa , Mechler Konstantin , Buitelaar Jan , Durston Sarah , Gooskens Bram , Oranje Bob , Banaschewski Tobias , Dittmann Ralf W. , Häge Alexander
Published: March 2021

Background

Low recruitment in clinical trials is a common and costly problem which undermines medical research. This study aimed to investigate the challenges faced in recruiting children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder and autism spectrum disorder for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial and to analyze reasons for non-participation. The trial was part of the EU FP7 project TACTICS (Translational Adolescent and Childhood Therapeutic Interventions in Compulsive Syndromes).

Methods

Demographic data on pre-screening patients were collected systematically, including documented reasons for non-participation. Findings were grouped according to content, and descriptive statistical analyses of the data were performed.

Results

In total, n = 173 patients were pre-screened for potential participation in the clinical trial. Of these, only five (2.9%) were eventually enrolled. The main reasons for non-inclusion were as follows: failure to meet all inclusion criteria/meeting one or more of the exclusion criteria (n = 73; 42.2%), no interest in the trial or trials in general (n = 40; 23.1%), and not wanting changes to current therapy/medication (n = 14; 8.1%).

Conclusions

The findings from this study add valuable information to the existing knowledge on reasons for low clinical trial recruitment rates in pediatric psychiatric populations. Low enrollment and high exclusion rates raise the question of whether such selective study populations are representative of clinical patient cohorts. Consequently, the generalizability of the results of such trials may be limited. The present findings will be useful in the development of improved recruitment strategies and may guide future research in establishing the measurement of representativeness to ensure enhanced external validity in psychopharmacological clinical trials in pediatric populations.

Trial registration

EudraCT 2014-003080-38. Registered on 14 July 2014.
Ensuring of Nuclear, Radiation and Environmental Safety for a Floating Nuclear Power Plant based on KLT‑40S Reactor Installations
Authors: Kuznecov V. , Kondrat'eva O. , Priymak S. , Ceytin K. , Yurchevskiy E.
Published: March 2021

Main principles and criteria for nuclear and radiation safety of a floating nuclear power plant have been considered. It has been shown that the existing regulatory framework, technical and organizational safety measures for nuclear and radiation safety of a floating nuclear power plant are sufficient, and operation of the floating nuclear power plant won't lead to an irradiation of the population above recommended norms both at its normal work, and in case of project accidents and under-project ones.
Asymmetric Returns and the Economic Content of Accruals and Investment
Authors: Del Viva Luca , Kothari S. P. , Lambertides Neophytos , Trigeorgis Lenos
Published: March 2021

This study contributes to our understanding of what accruals capture and how they relate to the distribution of future returns. It examines the past and future growth components of accruals and shows that, whereas past growth is negatively associated with idiosyncratic skewness, future growth is positively associated with it. In addition, although both past and future growth are negatively associated with future returns, the association is more pronounced for past growth when volatility is lower, but for future growth when volatility is higher. The study also shows that the association between the future growth component and future returns reverses in the long run, whereas the association between past growth and future returns does not.

This paper was accepted by Shivaram Rajgopal, accounting.
A new clinical presentation: breast implant pneumocapsule and pneumothorax following penetrating chest wall trauma
Authors: Ashcroft J , Murphy S , Laing TA , Durrani AJ , Roshan A
Published: March 2021

Pneumothorax resulting from traumatic thoracic injury is a potentially life-threatening emergency requiring prompt recognition and management with an intercostal drain. A 34-year-old woman was brought into the emergency department after sustaining a stab injury to the right upper outer quadrant of the right breast. She described noticing a jelly-like substance from her wound, on the background of a prior cosmetic breast augmentation. On examination, it was noted that the right breast was significantly swollen. Computed tomography demonstrated a large right sided pneumothorax with associated punctured right breast implant, a ‘pneumocapsule’ and extensive subcutaneous emphysema of the breast. This case highlights that the fibrous tissue capsule around a breast implant can function as an anatomical space in continuity with the thoracic cavity, masking the diagnosis of pneumothorax in penetrating trauma.
Theatre ventilation
Authors: Theodorou C , Simpson GS , Walsh CJ
Published: March 2021

Introduction

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been significant disruption to all surgical specialties. In the UK, units have cancelled elective surgery and a decrease in aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) was favoured. Centres around the world advocate the use of negative pressure environments for AGPs in reducing the spread of infectious airborne particles. We present an overview of operating theatre ventilation systems and the respective evidence with relation to surgical site infection (SSI) and airborne pathogen transmission in light of COVID-19.

Methods

A literature search was conducted using the PubMed, Cochrane Library and MEDLINE databases. Search terms included “COVID-19”, “theatre ventilation”, “laminar”, “turbulent” and “negative pressure”.

Findings

Evidence for laminar flow ventilation in reducing the rate of SSI in orthopaedic surgery is widely documented. There is little evidence to support its use in general surgery. Following previous viral outbreaks, some centres have introduced negative pressure ventilation in an attempt to decrease exposure of airborne pathogens to staff and surrounding areas. This has again been suggested during the COVID-19 pandemic. A limited number of studies show some positive results for the use of negative pressure ventilation systems and reduction in spread of pathogens; however, cost, accessibility and duration of conversion remain an unexplored issue. Overall, there is insufficient evidence to advocate large scale conversion at this time. Nevertheless, it may be useful for each centre to have its own negative pressure room available for AGPs and high risk patients.
Tim’s Vermeer, Reconsidered
Authors: Stork David G.
Published: March 2021

A recent documentary feature film, Tim’s Vermeer, proposes
that Johannes Vermeer secretly used a catadioptric telescope and novel
mirror–comparator procedure to create his sublime paintings of
domestic interiors. How well does that bold hypothesis stand up to
analysis?
Monocyte subtype counts are associated with 10-year cardiovascular disease risk as determined by the Framingham Risk Score among subjects of the LIFE-Adult study
Authors: Zeynalova Samira , Bucksch Karolin , Scholz Markus , Yahiaoui-Doktor Maryam , Gross Melanie , Löffler Markus , Melzer Susanne , Tárnok Attila
Published: March 2021

Coronary heart disease, an inflammatory disease, is the leading cause of death globally. White blood cell counts (including monocytes) are easily available biomarkers of systemic inflammation. Monocyte subtypes can be measured by flow cytometry and classified into classical (CD14high, CD16neg), intermediate (CD14high, CD16+) and non-classical (CD14+, CD16high) with distinct functional properties. The goal of this study was to investigate the association of monocyte total count and its subtypes with cardiovascular risk groups defined by the Framingham Risk Score, which is used to estimate the 10-year risk of developing myocardial infarction or predict mortality following coronary heart disease. We also aimed to investigate whether monocyte counts are associated with relevant cardiovascular risk factors not included in the Framingham Risk Score, such as carotid atherosclerotic plaque and intima-media thickness. Our data came from the LIFE-Adult study, a population-based cohort study of 10,000 randomly selected participants in Leipzig, Germany. Data was gathered using self-administered questionnaires and physical examinations. Carotid plaques and intima-media thickness were measured using carotid artery sonography. Monocyte subtypes in blood were determined by 10-color flow cytometry for a total of 690 individuals. In a multivariate regression analysis adjusting for the risk factors BMI, intima-media thickness, presence of carotid plaques and diabetes mellitus, monocyte subtypes and total count were found to be significantly associated with the dichotomized Framingham Risk Score (≥10% versus <10%): Odds ratios [95% confidence interval] for monocyte subtypes: classical: 11.19 [3.79–34.26]; intermediate: 2.27 [1.11–4.71]; non-classical: 4.18 [1.75–10.20]; total: 14.59 [4.61–47.95]. In absence of prospective data, the FRS was used as a surrogate for CHD. Our results indicate that monocyte counts could provide useful predictive value for cardiovascular disease risk.
Measurement of the adult human midbrain with transcranial ultrasound
Authors: Aoun Karl , Double Kay L. , Pearson-Dennett Verity , Yilmaz Rezzak , Berg Daniela , Todd Gabrielle
Published: March 2021

Background

Transcranial sonography is increasingly used to aid clinical diagnoses of movement disorders, for example, to identify an enlarged area of substantia nigra echogenicity in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Objective

The current study investigated characteristics of the midbrain at the anatomical plane for quantification of substantia nigra echogenicity. METHODS: Area of substantia nigra echogenicity, cross-sectional area of the midbrain, and interpeduncular angle were quantified in two groups of adults aged 18–50 years: 47 healthy non-drug-using controls (control group) and 22 individuals with a history of methamphetamine use (methamphetamine group), a cohort with a high prevalence of enlarged substantia nigra echogenicity and thus risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Results

In the control group, cross-sectional area of the midbrain (4.47±0.44 cm2) and interpeduncular angle were unaffected by age, sex, or image acquisition side. In the methamphetamine group, cross-sectional midbrain area (4.72±0.60 cm2) and area of substantia nigra echogenicity were enlarged compared to the control group, and the enlargement was sex-dependent (larger in males than females). Whole midbrain area and interpeduncular angle were found to be weak predictors of area of substantia nigra echogenicity after accounting for group and sex.

Conclusions

History of methamphetamine use is associated with an enlarged midbrain and area of substantia nigra echogenicity, and the abnormality is more pronounced in males than females. Thus, males may be more susceptible to methamphetamine-induced changes to the brainstem, and risk of Parkinson’s disease, than females.
The extracellular loop of the membrane permease VraG interacts with GraS to sense cationic antimicrobial peptides in Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Cho Junho , Costa Stephen K. , Wierzbicki Rachel M. , Rigby William F. C. , Cheung Ambrose L.
Published: March 2021

Host defense proteins (HDPs), aka defensins, are a key part of the innate immune system that functions by inserting into the bacterial membranes to form pores to kill invading and colonizing microorganisms. To ensure survival, microorganism such as S. aureus has developed survival strategies to sense and respond to HDPs. One key strategy in S. aureus is a two-component system (TCS) called GraRS coupled to an efflux pump that consists of a membrane permease VraG and an ATPase VraF, analogous to the BceRS-BceAB system of Bacillus subtilis but with distinct differences. While the 9 negatively charged amino acid extracellular loop of the membrane sensor GraS has been shown to be involved in sensing, the major question is how such a small loop can sense diverse HDPs. Mutation analysis in this study divulged that the vraG mutant phenocopied the graS mutant with respect to reduced activation of downstream effector mprF, reduction in surface positive charge and enhanced 2 hr. killing with LL-37 as compared with the parental MRSA strain JE2. In silico analysis revealed VraG contains a single 200-residue extracellular loop (EL) situated between the 7th and 8th transmembrane segments (out of 10). Remarkably, deletion of EL in VraG enhanced mprF expression, augmented surface positive charge and improved survival in LL-37 vs. parent JE2. As the EL of VraG is rich in lysine residues (16%), in contrast to a preponderance of negatively charged aspartic acid residues (3 out of 9) in the EL of GraS, we divulged the role of charge interaction by showing that K380 in the EL of VraG is an important residue that likely interacts with GraS to interfere with GraS-mediated signaling. Bacterial two-hybrid analysis also supported the interaction of EL of VraG with the EL of GraS. Collectively, we demonstrated an interesting facet of efflux pumps whereby the membrane permease disrupts HDP signaling by inhibiting GraS sensing that involves charged residues in the EL of VraG.
Symbiotic bracovirus of a parasite manipulates host lipid metabolism via tachykinin signaling
Authors: Wang Yanping , Wu Xiaotong , Wang Zehua , Chen Ting , Zhou Sicong , Chen Jiani , Pang Lan , Ye Xiqian , Shi Min , Huang Jianhua , Chen Xuexin
Published: March 2021

Parasites alter host energy homeostasis for their own development, but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain largely unknown. Here, we show thatCotesia vestalis, an endoparasitic wasp ofPlutella xylostellalarvae, stimulates a reduction of host lipid levels. This process requires excess secretion ofP.xylostellatachykinin (PxTK) peptides from enteroendocrine cells (EEs) in the midgut of the parasitized host larvae. We found that parasitization upregulates PxTK signaling to suppress lipogenesis in midgut enterocytes (ECs) in a non-cell-autonomous manner, and the reduced host lipid level benefits the development of wasp offspring and their subsequent parasitic ability. We further found that aC.vestalisbracovirus (CvBV) gene,CvBV 9–2, is responsible forPxTKinduction, which in turn reduces the systemic lipid level of the host. Taken together, these findings illustrate a novel mechanism for parasite manipulation of host energy homeostasis by a symbiotic bracovirus gene to promote the development and increase the parasitic efficiency of an agriculturally important wasp species.
Sustainable collection practices and life cycle strategies: A fashion design perspective
Authors: Ræbild Ulla
Published: March 2021

The fashion collection is a primary format in fashion design. Nevertheless, literature on the phenomenon is limited. In the transition towards new sustainable ways of designing and producing fashion garments, it is important to understand (1) how designers can promote change through their core collection design practice, and (2) how collection practices manifest within life cycle strategies for design. The study is constructed as a qualitative comparative analysis of interview data from three designers in a company context. The data is analysed in two modes: first through a framework for sustainable collection practices and second through a life cycle strategy framework. The study contributes with insights on how designers work with sustainability strategies in their collection building design practice and the key role that both material choices and design for garment longevity play in driving the strategies. Furthermore, it shows that the represented approaches to sustainability: circular system, slow fashion and fibre sourcing, reside within technical life cycle strategies with slowing and closing circular loops objectives, and that strategies solely in biological life cycles appear nonexistent. The study is small scale, and insights are therefore indicative.
User-centric cognitive assessment. Evaluation of attention in special working centres: from paper to Kinect
Authors: Vilaro Anna , Orero Pilar
Published: March 2021

PROLOG project aims to provide a complementary ICT tool for the assessment of cognitive skills of mentally disabled working people. The project is developed by Centre d’Accessibilitat i Intel·ligència Ambiental de Catalunya (CAiAC), Indra, Fundación Adecco and PRODIS, and is part of Cátedra INDRA de Tecnologías Accesibles. The project provides a platform to evaluate, in a quick and personalized way, the attentional performance of users through specific tasks grounded in existing psychological tests. Interaction with the tests is done by Kinect technology. Also a platform execution logs users in different tests over time in order to detect possible cognitive impairments. The platform records the worker’s performance on various tasks and presents the evolution over time in order to detect possible cognitive impairment. This paper details the first phase of the project corresponding to the design of the tests.
Applying a text mining framework to the extraction of numerical parameters from scientific literature in the biotechnology domain
Authors: Santos André , Nogueira Regina , Lourenço Anália
Published: March 2021

Scientific publications are the main vehicle to disseminate information in the field of biotechnology for wastewater treatment. Indeed, the new research paradigms and the application of high-throughput technologies have increased the rate of publication considerably. The problem is that manual curation becomes harder, prone-to-errors and time-consuming, leading to a probable loss of information and inefficient knowledge acquisition. As a result, research outputs are hardly reaching engineers, hampering the calibration of mathematical models used to optimize the stability and performance of biotechnological systems. In this context, we have developed a data curation workflow, based on text mining techniques, to extract numerical parameters from scientific literature, and applied it to the biotechnology domain. A workflow was built to process wastewater-related articles with the main goal of identifying physico-chemical parameters mentioned in the text. This work describes the implementation of the workflow, identifies achievements and current limitations in the overall process, and presents the results obtained for a corpus of 50 full-text documents.
MAS architecture and knowledge model for vehicles data communication
Authors: Adam Emmanuel , Grislin-Le Strugeon Emmanuelle , Mandiau René
Published: March 2021

Completely autonomous vehicles in traffic should allow to decrease the number of road accident victims greatly, and should allow gains in terms of performance and economy. Modelling the vehicles interaction, and especially knowledge sharing, is one of the main challenges to optimize traffic flow with autonomous vehicles. We propose in this paper a model of knowledge communication between mobile agents on a traffic network. The model of knowledge and of interaction enables to propagate new knowledge without overloading the system with a too large number of communications. For that, only the new knowledge is communicated, and two agents communicate the same knowledge only once. Moreover, in order to allow agents to update their knowledge (perceived or created), a notion of degradation is used. A simulator has been built to evaluate the proposal, before to implement it in mobile robots. Some results of the simulator are proposed in this article.
Fall Detection on Ambient Assisted Living using a Wireless Sensor Network
Authors: Pereira António , Felisberto Filipe , Maduro Luis , Felgueiras Miguel
Published: March 2021

In this work, a distributed system for fall detection is presented. The proposed system was designed to monitor activities of the daily living of elderly people and to inform the caregivers when a falls event occurs. This system uses a scalable wireless sensor networks to collect the data and transmit it to a control center. Also, an intelligent algorithm is used to process the data collected by the sensor networks and calculate if an event is, or not, a fall. A statistical method is used to improve this algorithm and to reduce false positives. The system presented has the capability to learn with past events and to adapt is behavior with new information collected from the monitored elders. The results obtained show that the system has an accuracy above 98%.
Mixed Odor Classification for QCM Sensor Data by Neural Network
Authors: Omatu Sigeru , Araki Hideo , Fujinaka Toru , Yano Mitsuaki , Yoshioka Michifumi , Nakazumi Hiroyuki , Tanahashi Ichiro
Published: March 2021

Compared with metal oxide semiconductor gas sensors, quarts crystal microbalance (QCM) sensors are sensitive for odors. Using an array of QCM sensors, we measure mixed odors and classify them into an original odor class beforemixing based on neural networks. For simplicity we consider the case that two kinds of odor are mixed since more than two becomes too complex to analyze the classification results. We have used eight sensors and four kinds of odor are used as the original odors. The neural network used here is a conventional layered neural network. The classification is acceptable although the perfect classification could not been achieved.
Network Management using Multi-Agents System
Authors: Isaza Gustavo , Mejía Maria H. , Castillo Luis Fernando , Morales Adriana , Duque Nestor
Published: March 2021

This paper aims to present a multiagent system for network management. The models developed for the proposed system defines certain intelligent agents interact to achieve the objectives and requirements of the multiagent organization.These agents have the property of being adaptive, acquire knowledge and skills to make decisions according to the actual state of the network that is represented in the information base, MIB, SNMP devices. The ideal state of the network policy is defined by the end user entered, which contain the value that should have performance variables and other parameters such as the frequency with which these variables should be monitored.. An agent based architecture increase the integration, adaptability, cooperation, autonomy and the efficient operation in heterogeneous environment in the network supervision.
Crawling PubMed with web agents for literature search and alerting services
Authors: Carvalhal Carlos , Deusdado Sérgio , Deusdado Leonel
Published: March 2021

In this paper we present ASAP - Automated Search with Agents in PubMed, a web-based service aiming to manage and automate scientific literature search in the PubMed database. The system allows the creation and management of web agents, parameterized thematically and functionally, that crawl the PubMed database autonomously and periodically, aiming to search and retrieve relevant results according the requirements provided by the user. The results, containing the publications list retrieved, are emailed to the agent owner on a weekly basis, during the activity period defined for the web agent. The ASAP service is devoted to help researchers, especially from the field of biomedicine and bioinformatics, in order to increase their productivity, and can be accessed at: http://esa.ipb.pt/~agentes.
A Qualitative Acceleration Model Based on Intervals
Authors: Martinez-Martin Ester , Teresa Escrig Maria , P. Del Pobil Angel
Published: March 2021

On the way to autonomous service robots, spatial reasoning plays a main role since it properly deals with problems involving uncertainty. In particular, we are interested in knowing people's pose to avoid collisions. With that aim, in this paper, we present a qualitative acceleration model for robotic applications including representation, reasoning and a practical application.
Black-Box Optimization for Buildings and Its Enhancement by Advanced Communication Infrastructure
Authors: Macek Karel , Rojicek Jiri , Kontes Georgios , Rovas Dimitrios V.
Published: March 2021

The solution of repeated fixed-horizon trajectory optimization problems of processes that are either too difficult or too complex to be described by physics-based models can pose formidable challenges. Very often, soft-computing methods   e.g. black-box modeling and evolutionary optimization   are used. These approaches are ineffective or even computationally intractable for searching high-dimensional parameter spaces. In this paper, a structured iterative process is described for addressing such problems: the starting point is a simple parameterization of the trajectory starting with a reduced number of parameters; after selection of values for these parameters so that this simpler problem is covered satisfactorily, a refinement procedure increases the number of parameters and the optimization is repeated. This continuous parameter refinement and optimization process can yield effective solutions after only a few iterations. To illustrate the applicability of the proposed approach we investigate the problem of dynamic optimization of the operation of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems, and illustrative simulation results are presented. Finally, the development of advanced communication and interoperability components is described, addressing the problem of how the proposed algorithm could be deployed in realistic contexts.
Biomedical Literature Exploration through Latent Semantics
Authors: Matos Sérgio , Araújo Hugo , Oliveira José Luís
Published: March 2021

The fast increasing amount of articles published in the biomedical field is creating difficulties in the way this wealth of information can be efficiently exploited by researchers. As a way of overcoming these limitations and potentiating a more efficient use of the literature, we propose an approach for structuring the results of a literature search based on the latent semantic information extracted from a corpus. Moreover, we show how the results of the Latent Semantic Analysis method can be adapted so as to evidence differences between results of different searches. We also propose different visualization techniques that can be applied to explore these results. Used in combination, these techniques could empower users with tools for literature guided knowledge exploration and discovery.
On the Use of Compact Approaches in Evolution Strategies
Authors: Sergio Anderson , Carvalho Sidartha , Rego Marco
Published: March 2021

Compact evolutionary algorithms have proven to be an efficient alternative for solving optimization problems in computing environments with low processing power. In this kind of solution, a probability distribution simulates the behavior of a population, thus looking for memory savings. Several compact algorithms have been proposed, including the compact genetic algorithm and compact differential evolution. This work aims to investigate the use of compact approaches in other important evolutionary algorithms: evolution strategies. This paper proposes two different approaches for compact versions of evolution strategies. Experiments were performed and the results analyzed. The results showed that, depending on the nature of problem, the use of the compact version of Evolution Strategies can be rewarding.
Wireless controller and smartphone based interaction system for electric bicycles.
Authors: Revuelta Herrero Jorge , Villarrubia Gabriel , L. Barriuso Alberto , Hernández Daniel , Lozano Álvaro , De La Serna González Marco Antonio
Published: March 2021

Throughout the last years, great improvements have been made in the automotive industry, a sector with a high impact in both economics and social environments. Many development efforts have targeted on satisfying the need of providing smart environments to the end user in vehicles, such as cars. This paper proposes a brand-new solution in the automotive field, consisting of a new product family which aims to transform the traditional bicycle to an electric bicycle using an architecture that provides an adaptive environment to the user, improving the driving experience enabling value-added services.
Control Prosody using Multi-Agent System
Authors: Matsui Kenji , Kimura Kenta , Pérez Alberto
Published: March 2021

Persons who have undergone a laryngectomy have a few options to partially restore speech but no completely satisfactory device. Even though the use of an electrolarynx (EL) is the easiest way for a patient to produce speech, it does not produce a natural tone and appearance is far from normal. Because of that and the fact that none of them are hands-free, the feasibility of using a motion sensor to replace a conventional EL user interface has been explored. A mobile device motion sensor with multi-agent platform has been used to investigate on/off and pitch frequency control capability. A very small battery operated ARM-based control unit has also been developed to evaluate the motion sensor based user-interface. This control unit is placed on the wrist and the vibration device against the throat using support bandage. Two different conversion methods were used for the forearm tilt angle to pitch frequency conversion: linear mapping method and F0 template-based method A perceptual evaluation has been performed with two well-trained normal speakers and ten subjects. The results of the evaluation study showed that both methods are able to produce better speech quality in terms of the naturalness.
„Az igazi kutatás nem akkor kezdődik, amikor beigazolódnak a hipotéziseid, hanem amikor megcáfolod őket” – Beszélgetés Csutora Mária egyetemi tanárral
Authors: Kiss Gabriella
Published: March 2021

Csutora Mária a környezetgazdaságtan elismert hazai képviselője. Munkásságának nagy részében a Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem Környezetgazdaságtani és Technológiai Tanszékének a kötelékében dolgozott. Oktatási tevékenysége a környezetgazdaságtan, a környezeti menedzsment több területén jelenik meg, számos meghatározó tankönyv szerzője. A Corvinus Gazdálkodástani Doktori Iskolában a fenntarthatósági menedzsment specializáció vezetője, továbbá publikációs stratégiákat oktat fiatal kutatóknak. Írásai neves egyetemek kötelező irodalmai között szerepelnek. Kutatásai környezeti menedzsment témák mellett a fenntartható fogyasztás, az ökológiai lábnyom és a szubjektív jóllét területén jelentősek. Kutatási eredményeit közlő angol nyelvű cikkei nagy olvasottságúak a nemzetközi folyóiratokban, egyes kutatási eredményei az Európai Unió tudományos híranyagában és a The New York Times hasábjain is megjelentek.
O Estado da Arte Sobre os Caminhos Percorridos na Formação Docente / The State of the Art on the paths taken in teacher training
Authors: Oliveira Letícia Augusto , Macêdo Maria Erilucia Cruz
Published: March 2021

A docência é uma atividade complexa e que requer desse profissional muito além apenas da transmissão de conteúdo. Com a descentralização do ensino superior à docência se tornou um espaço de atuação cada vez mais viável. Sabe-se que nem todos os atuantes nesse campo se constituíram profissionalmente com a finalidade de lecionar, muitos são professores bacharéis que não tiveram formação pedagógica e prática (SANTOS GIASSON, 2019). No entanto, alguns aspectos têm chamado atenção, como por exemplo, como se dá o processo de formação do docente no ensino superior. Neste sentido, a pesquisa busca responder o seguinte questionamento: como se dá o processo de formação do docente no ensino superior, considerando as competências necessárias, a didática como a metodologia que possibilita o ensino e as experiências pessoais que atravessam o seu fazer profissional. O artigo foi estruturado em seções, que se apresentam de forma a garantir o entendimento do tema proposto. Para isso foi utilizado a pesquisa de estado da arte por trazer em comum o desafio de mapear e de discutir uma certa produção acadêmica em diferentes campos do conhecimento, tentando responder que aspectos e dimensões vêm sendo destacados e privilegiados em diferentes épocas (FERREIRA, 2002). Observando com isso a importância da criação de espaços de discussão das práticas docentes que produziria uma reflexão contínua da atuação e consciência sobre seus processos de formação e assim de suas concepções de docência, dialogando com seus pares e com referenciais.
Alternativas Terapêuticas ao uso da Hidroclorotiazida em Pacientes Diabéticos e Hipertensos / Therapeutic Alternatives to the use of Hydrochlorothiazide in Diabetic and Hypertensive Pacients
Authors: Oliveira Caio Escarião de , Sousa Milena Nunes Alves de
Published: March 2021

Resumo: O objetivo deste estudo é analisar na literatura o uso de hidroclorotiazida em diabéticos e hipertensos, observar seus possíveis efeitos negativos no perfil metabólico e encontrar alternativas terapêuticas. Realizou-se revisão integrativa da literatura; foram respeitadas as seguintes etapas: estabelecimento da hipótese e dos objetivos; estabelecimento dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão de artigos; definição dos estudos selecionados e dos dados extraídos dos artigos; análise crítica e discussão dos resultados; apresentação da revisão. A pergunta norteadora foi a seguinte: Quais os efeitos positivos na retirada da hidroclorotiazida em pacientes com Diabetes Mellitus e Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica? No universo de trabalhos analisados, evidenciou-se que o uso da hidroclorotiazida altera o perfil metabólico dos pacientes, principalmente na população diabética. É fundamental um bom controle pressórico desta população, diminuindo ao máximo os efeitos metabólicos das medicações. Estratégias de troca e/ou de associação de diuréticos devem estar presentes no raciocínio clínico do médico.
A Crise como Impulso para a Ressignificação Existencial: Uma Revisão Integrativa / The Crisis as Impulse for the Existential Resignification: An Integrative Review
Authors: Bezerra Larissa Campos , Ribeiro Débora Inácia
Published: March 2021

Resumo: A vida cotidiana é marcada pelo predomínio de um modo impessoal de existir, que muitas vezes se sobrepõe à responsabilidade pessoal de fazer escolhas, resultando no silenciamento da angústia. Considerando que esta pode insurgir abruptamente e desencadear situações de crise, o objetivo do presente artigo é investigar como a literatura científica aborda o tema da angústia e crise no contexto da psicologia clínica humanista/existencial. O método empregado foi a revisão integrativa da literatura, sendo feito um levantamento nas bases de dados BVS-Psi, Portal de Periódicos CAPES e SciELO. Os descritores utilizados foram angústia, crise, humanismo, psicoterapia existencial. Nos resultados, verificou-se uma concordância entre as publicações analisadas, que conceituam: 1) angústia, como uma condição inerente à existência humana; 2) crise, como uma interrupção da estabilidade da vida. Conclui-se que a eclosão da angústia pode manifestar situações de crise e a clínica humanista/existencial é reconhecida como espaço facilitador à ressignificação da existência.Palavras-chave: Angústia; Crise Existencial; Psicoterapia Humanista/Existencial.
A Violência Doméstica Contra Mulheres: Contribuição da Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental na Intervenção / Domestic Violence Against Women: Contribution of Cognitive- Behavioral Therapy to Intervention
Authors: Martins Grasiela Borges , Nobre Natalia Kelle Da Silva , Martins Maria das Graças Teles
Published: March 2021

Resumo: A violência doméstica contra a mulher é definida como ocorrendo dentro de casa e sendo praticada por companheiros ou ex-parceiro íntimo, considera-se um problema mundial e de saúde pública com base na desigualdade de gênero. O objetivo do artigo é analisar a violência doméstica, o sofrimento psíquico em mulheres vítimas e as contribuições da terapia cognitivo-comportamental na intervenção psicoterapêutica. Consistiu-se em pesquisa bibliográfica e exploratória. Os materiais utilizados são livros, dissertações, periódicos e artigos científicos disponíveis nas bases de dados da Scientific Eletronic Library Online (Scielo), Revistas Eletrônicas em Psicologia (Pepsic), Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS) publicadas no período de 2014 a 2020. Afirma-se que a violência causa transtornos psicopatológicos às vítimas, comprometendo sua autoestima e apresentando sintomas de depressão, pensamentos, tentativas de suicídio e estresse pós-traumático. Portanto, a terapia cognitivo-comportamental apresenta métodos e técnicas para auxiliar essas mulheres, contribuindo para seu empoderamento e redução dos sintomas.
Alfabetização das Competências Socioemocionais na Educação Infantil: Habilidades para a Vida / Literacy of Socioemotional Skills in Early Childhood Education: Life Skills
Authors: Rodrigues Francisco Alex , Carvalho Sayara Sá de , Melo Adriana Soely André de Souza
Published: March 2021

Resumo: No ensino das habilidades socioemocionais na educação infantil tanto as crianças, quanto os professores, aprendem a melhor controlar seu emocional e desenvolver habilidades. Sendo assim, também cabe aos educadores agirem como mediadores do conhecimento, entretanto, utilizando-se de estratégias que melhor contribuirá para a formação dos alunos, visto que estes são reconhecidos pelas crianças como modelos. Nesse cenário, o presente estudo tende a responder o seguinte questionamento: De que forma os professores podem trabalhar competências socioemocionais na educação infantil? Como objetivo geral, o estudo pretende verificar a possibilidade de os professores da modalidade de educação infantil trabalharem competências socioemocionais em sala de aula com a faixa etária de 3 a 6 anos. Utilizou-se para esse estudo a pesquisa bibliográfica sistemática de caráter exploratório e cunho qualitativo, realizada por meio de consultas em livros e artigos científicos. No entorno geral da temática, conclui-se que, as competências socioemocionais são de grande relevância e devem ser inseridas no contexto escolar começando desde a modalidade de educação infantil, pois comprova-se que tais competências causa um grande impacto benéfico no desempenho acadêmico da criança, nas quais interferem diretamente no processo de aprendizagem, bem como nas suas relações humanas durante suas vivências tanto nas questões intrapessoais quanto nas interpessoais.
Um estudo exploratório sobre a Fadiga Laboral / An Exploratory Study on Working Fatigue
Authors: Pereira César Brasileiro Bezerra
Published: March 2021

Resumo: Objetivou-se identificar a existência de fadiga laborai nos técnicos em enfermagem que atuam em um hospital da região metropolitana do Cariri cearense. Trata-se de estudo exploratório-descritivo, com abordagem predominantemente quantitativa, realizada com 22 profissionais da UTI, CCCME e CMC. A coleta de dados se deu com a aplicação de formulário para a caracterização dos sujeitas e o Questionário Bipolar'. Os dados foram tabulados para a obtenção das frequências relativas pelos procedimentos estatísticos do Excel (2007) e analisados à luz da literatura pertinente. Constatou-se que a fadiga é frequente no ambiente hospitalar, principalmente no turno diurno, sendo que os fatores desencadeantes encontrados foram: jornadas duplas e horas diárias de trabalho excessivas, posturas inadequadas na realização de procedimentos: o carregamento de pesas e posturas estáticas prolongadas. Conclui-se que há escassez de trabalhos que quantifiquem ou qualifiquem a fadiga, falta de padronização dos instrumentos utilizados, dificultando a consolidação do conhecimento e dados encontrados.
Ação da Cafeína no Sistema Nervoso Central e na Variabilidade da Frequência Cardíaca / Caffeine Action in the Central Nervous System and in Heart Rate Variability
Authors: Benjamim Cicera Josilânia Rodrigues , Coelho José Leonardo Gomes , Feitosa Raimunda Aureniza , Santana Willma José de
Published: March 2021

O objetivo deste comentário, foi discutir os efeitos da cafeína no sistema nervoso central, trata-se de um comment, o qual foi trabalhado a partir de artigos científicos das bases de dados: PubMed, Scielo. Utilizou-se o método booleano (AND e NOT) e Descritores em Ciências da Saúde (DeCS)- Cafeína, Sistema nervoso central, Variabilidade.  Foi elaborado a partir de uma reflexão sobre Ação da cafeína no sistema nervoso central e na variabilidade da frequência cardíaca. O qual foi utilizado diversos artigos a respeito da cafeína e sua ação no sistema nervoso central como também a variabilidade da frequência cardíaca; com o intuito de mostrar suas ações, pontos positivos e negativos da sua utilização.
Segurança no Trabalho pela Redução de Infortúnios Laborais na Construção Civil: Uma Revisão de Literatura / Safety at Work for the Reduction of Labor Informs in Civil Construction: A Literature Review
Authors: Silva Debora Duarte Torres da , Andrade Elysson Marcks Gonçalves de , Almeida Ricardo Ricelli Pereira de , Leite Guilherme Urquisa
Published: March 2021

Resumo: A segurança do trabalho na construção civil se apresenta, no contexto atual, como uma basilar preocupação para garantia de resultados positivos durante o processo construtivo. Dessa forma, o objetivo deste estudo é desenvolver uma análise acerca da importância dos Equipamentos de Proteção Individual (EPI’S) no contexto da engenharia civil. A área da construção civil é um dos setores que mais gera emprego e renda no Brasil, tendo em vista o número elevado de vagas no mercado de trabalho, justificado pelo efetivo surgimento de novas obras, porém, juntamente a tal prática aparece a realidade de acidentes no trabalho com os profissionais que as executam. Foi realizada uma revisão narrativa da literatura na base de dados Scielo. Foram aplicadas as palavras-chave: "Acidentes de trabalho" AND "construção civil". A revisão selecionou artigos publicados entre janeiro de 2005 e dezembro de 2019. Após triagem, 9 artigos foram incluídos para esta síntese qualitativa. Como resultados alcançados, há uma urgente necessidade de que haja, por parte dos profissionais mais esclarecidos uma campanha em prol da importância da implantação de medidas preventivas com o objetivo de conscientizar tanto empresário, proprietários das construtoras, quanto os profissionais diretamente envolvidos na construção, para a importância da proteção sistemática e, consequentemente, preservação da vida. A conclusão chegada é que o uso correto de equipamentos e o cumprimento das normas regulamentadoras pode promover consideravelmente a segurança no contexto laboral da construção civil e reduzir pela metade os riscos de acidentes entre os construtores e obreiros.
Pandemia Covid-19: Reflexões Sobre o Enlutamento / Covid-19 Pandemic: Reflections on Bereavement
Authors: Teixeira Paulo Tadeu Ferreira
Published: March 2021

Resumo: Este artigo teórico tem o objetivo de refletir sobre a relevância da vivência do luto no atual momento de pandemia COVID-19. Reconhecer de que forma este processo está sendo vivenciado frente às situações de enfrentamento dentro do cenário nacional. A pesquisa visa propor uma reflexão sobre a vivência do luto, interditados pela emergência da pandemia da Covid-19. O luto é considerado um processo de acomodação singular e uma experiência comum a todos e apontada pela subjetividade e pelos costumes de cada cultura. Muitas pessoas conseguem na medida do tempo ajusta-se ao fato da morte do ente querido. O artigo bibliográfico foi desenvolvido mediante análise de onze artigos consultado na BVS PSI no período de Dezembro 2020 a Janeiro de 2021, a pesquisa aconteceu usando filtros para títulos, resumo e assunto, cujas palavras foram luto e pandemia Covid-19. O objetivo do artigo é promover a reflexão do enlutamento frente ao momento de pandemia e contribuir para ampliação do diálogo sobre o luto. Desses onze artigos consultados foram utilizados como critério de inclusão quatro artigos que apresentam as palavras consultadas, sem a precisão de profundidade numa abordagem teórica da psicologia, mas que representasse a resposta da pesquisa referente ao luto durante a pandemia. Conclui-se que, mediante as perdas e o desenvolvimento do luto, uma forma de manter o equilíbrio emocional no período de pandemia, crer que a busca por novas reinserções sociais, adotar novos papéis, construir um novo cenário e experenciar novas conquistas e respostas, permitindo-se ao desenvolvimento da resiliência e encontrando o papel de sobrevivente.