bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and evaluation of recombinant E2 protein based IgM capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and double antigen sandwich ELISA for detection of antibodies to Chikungunya virus
Authors: Guo Meijun , Du Shanshan , Lai Lijin , Wu Wei , Huang Xiaoxia , Li Aqian , Li Hao , Li Chuan , Wang Qin , Sun Lina , Liu Tiezhu , Tian Tingting , Wang Shiwen , Liang Mifang , Li Dexin , Xie Chun , Li Jiandong
Published: December 2022

Background

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) reemerged and caused millions of human infections since 2004. The disease could be established, when the virus has been introduced to areas where the appropriate vectors are endemic. The differential diagnosis of CHIKV infection varies based on place of residence, travel history, and exposures. Serological tests are commonly used to diagnose CHIKV infection, but their availability and assessments of the performance of the diagnostics have been limited.

Objectives

To develop and evaluate antibodies detection methods for chikungunya diagnosis and serological investigation.

Methods

Recombinant E2 protein based IgM capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Mac-ELISA) and double antigen sandwich ELISA (Das-ELISA) for detection of antibodies to Chikungunya virus were developed and evaluated. The repeatability was evaluated by testing of three reference sera at single dilutions in triplicated for 5 times. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and agreement of the MAC-ELISA and Das-ELISA were obtained by comparing the detection results of 225 serum samples (45 positive; 180 negative) with a real-time RT-PCR assay and an IFA commercial tests manufactured by Euroimmun.

Results

The established ELISA assays were standardized by determining the optimal concentrations of the key reagents. The coefficient values of repeat testing were within 10% and 20% for intraassay and interassay precision, respectively. A sensitivity of 60.0% and 52.5%, a specificity of 96.2% and 96.8%, and an accuracy of 89.8% and 88.9% were obtained for the Mac-ELISA and Das-ELISA, respectively, when compared to a CHIKV qRT-PCR method. And a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 97.5% and 99.5%, and an accuracy of 97.8% and 99.6% were yielded respectively when using the IIFT as a reference method, which showed a highly consistence to the commercial IIFT assay with a Kappa value greater than 0.90.

Conclusions

The Mac-ELISA and Das-ELISA based on recombinant E2 protein of CHIKV were developed and standardized, which could detect IgM or total antibodies against CHIKV in 2–3 hours with acceptable sensitivities and specificities. These assays can be used for laboratory diagnosis and serological investigation of CHIKV infections to evaluate the risk of CHIKV transmission.
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever among general people: A cross-sectional study in Pakistan
Authors: Jamil Hashaam , Din Muhammad Fazal Ud , Tahir Muhammad Junaid , Saqlain Muhammad , Hassan Zair , Khan Muhammad Arslan , Cheema Mustafa Sajjad , Ullah Irfan , Islam Md. Saiful , Ahmed Ali
Published: December 2022

Background

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) continues to pose a serious threat to the fragile healthcare system of Pakistan with a continuous increase of morbidity and mortality. The present study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding CCHF among general people who resided in Pakistan.

Methods

An online cross-sectional survey design was applied, and a convenience sampling technique was used to recruit 1039 adult people from Pakistan. Data were collected from September 08 to October 12, 2021. The questionnaire consisted of a total of 32 questions in four parts assessing socio-demographics, as well as knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding CCHF. All statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), and logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the factors associated with good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices.

Results

Alarmingly, 51.5% of participants heard about CCHF infection before administering the survey. Among these, 20.2%, 33.3%, and 48.2% of the study participants had demonstrated good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices, respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that education and income status had a significant impact on knowledge and attitudes (p<0.05). Similarly, the mean attitude scores differed significantly by age, education, and income status (p<0.05).

Conclusions

The findings reflected inadequate levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding CCHF among general people in Pakistan which may regard as lower than expected. As CCHF is a highly contagious disease, it’s urgent to initiate a comprehensive approach to handle the situation before it spreads further in Pakistan.
Automation and standardization of subject-specific region-of-interest segmentation for investigation of diffusion imaging in clinical populations
Authors: Azor Adriana M. , Sharp David J. , Jolly Amy E. , Bourke Niall J. , Hellyer Peter J.
Published: December 2022

Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) is key in clinical neuroimaging studies. In recent years, DWI has undergone rapid evolution and increasing applications. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) is widely used to analyse group-level differences in white matter (WM), but suffers from limitations that can be particularly impactful in clinical groups where 1) structural abnormalities may increase erroneous inter-subject registration and 2) subtle differences in WM microstructure between individuals can be missed. It also lacks standardization protocols for analyses at the subject level. Region of Interest (ROI) analyses in native diffusion space can help overcome these challenges, with manual segmentation still used as the gold standard. However, robust automated approaches for the analysis of ROI-extracted native diffusion characteristics are limited. Subject-Specific Diffusion Segmentation (SSDS) is an automated pipeline that uses pre-existing imaging analysis methods to carry out WM investigations in native diffusion space, while overcoming the need to interpolate diffusion images and using an intermediate T1 image to limit registration errors and guide segmentation. SSDS is validated in a cohort of healthy subjects scanned three times to derive test-retest reliability measures and compared to other methods, namely manual segmentation and tract-based spatial statistics as an example of group-level method. The performance of the pipeline is further tested in a clinical population of patients with traumatic brain injury and structural abnormalities. Mean FA values obtained from SSDS showed high test-retest and were similar to FA values estimated from the manual segmentation of the same ROIs (p-value > 0.1). The average dice similarity coefficients (DSCs) comparing results from SSDS and manual segmentations was 0.8 ± 0.1. Case studies of TBI patients showed robustness to the presence of significant structural abnormalities, indicating its potential clinical application in the identification and diagnosis of WM abnormalities. Further recommendation is given regarding the tracts used with SSDS.
A comprehensive accuracy assessment of Samsung smartwatch heart rate and heart rate variability
Authors: Sarhaddi Fatemeh , Kazemi Kianoosh , Azimi Iman , Cao Rui , Niela-Vilén Hannakaisa , Axelin Anna , Liljeberg Pasi , Rahmani Amir M.
Published: December 2022

Background

Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a low-cost and easy-to-implement method to measure vital signs, including heart rate (HR) and pulse rate variability (PRV) which widely used as a substitute of heart rate variability (HRV). The method is used in various wearable devices. For example, Samsung smartwatches are PPG-based open-source wristbands used in remote well-being monitoring and fitness applications. However, PPG is highly susceptible to motion artifacts and environmental noise. A validation study is required to investigate the accuracy of PPG-based wearable devices in free-living conditions.

Objective

We evaluate the accuracy of PPG signals—collected by the Samsung Gear Sport smartwatch in free-living conditions—in terms of HR and time-domain and frequency-domain HRV parameters against a medical-grade chest electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor.

Methods

We conducted 24-hours monitoring using a Samsung Gear Sport smartwatch and a Shimmer3 ECG device. The monitoring included 28 participants (14 male and 14 female), where they engaged in their daily routines. We evaluated HR and HRV parameters during the sleep and awake time. The parameters extracted from the smartwatch were compared against the ECG reference. For the comparison, we employed the Pearson correlation coefficient, Bland-Altman plot, and linear regression methods.

Results

We found a significantly high positive correlation between the smartwatch’s and Shimmer ECG’s HR, time-domain HRV, LF, and HF and a significant moderate positive correlation between the smartwatch’s and shimmer ECG’s LF/HF during sleep time. The mean biases of HR, time-domain HRV, and LF/HF were low, while the biases of LF and HF were moderate during sleep. The regression analysis showed low error variances of HR, AVNN, and pNN50, moderate error variances of SDNN, RMSSD, LF, and HF, and high error variances of LF/HF during sleep. During the awake time, there was a significantly high positive correlation of AVNN and a moderate positive correlation of HR, while the other parameters indicated significantly low positive correlations. RMSSD and SDNN showed low mean biases, and the other parameters had moderate mean biases. In addition, AVNN had moderate error variance while the other parameters indicated high error variances.

Conclusion

The Samsung smartwatch provides acceptable HR, time-domain HRV, LF, and HF parameters during sleep time. In contrast, during the awake time, AVNN and HR show satisfactory accuracy, and the other HRV parameters have high errors.
Paroxetine treatment in an animal model of depression improves sperm quality
Authors: Aghajani Reyhane , Tavalaee Marziyeh , Sadeghi Niloofar , Razi Mazdak , Gharagozloo Parviz , Arbabian Maryam , Drevet Joël R. , Nasr-Esfahani Mohammad Hossein
Published: December 2022

Depression in mammals is known to be associated with poor reproductive capacity. In males, it has been associated with decreased efficiency of spermatogenesis as well as the production of spermatozoa of reduced structural and functional integrity. Although antidepressants are effective in correcting depressive states, there is controversy regarding their effectiveness in restoring male reproductive function. Here, using an animal model of depression induced by a forced swim test, we confirmed that depression is accompanied by impaired male reproductive function. We further show that administration of a conventional antidepressant of the serotonin reuptake inhibitor class (paroxetine) impairs male reproductive performance in terms of sperm production and quality when administered to healthy animals. Intriguingly, when paroxetine is administered to "depressed" animals, it resulted in a complete restoration of the animal’s ability to produce sperm that appears to be as capable of meeting the parameters evaluated here as those of control animals. The one-carbon cycle (1CC) is one of the most important metabolic cycles that include the methionine and folate cycles and plays a major role in DNA synthesis, amino acids, and also the production of antioxidants. Our results show that depression affects the main components of this cycle and paroxetine on healthy mice increases homocysteine levels, decreases glycine and vitamin B12, while in depressed mice, it increases folate levels and decreases vitamin B12. Thus, paroxetine exerts negative impacts on male reproductive function when administered to healthy animals and it well correlate with the altered sperm parameters and functions of depressed animals, and its mechanism remains to be explored.
Fertility plans in the early times of the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of occupational and financial uncertainty in Italy
Authors: Luppi Francesca , Arpino Bruno , Rosina Alessandro
Published: December 2022

This study investigates the association between objective and subjective indicators of economic uncertainty, generated by the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, and young Italians’ fertility plans during the 2020. We use unique repeated cross-sectional data, collected at different time points during the pandemic (March and October/November 2020) together with pre-COVID data (2016). The data offer a standard fertility intention question pre- and during-COVID, and also a direct question on whether pre-COVID fertility plans have been confirmed, postponed or abandoned. In March 2020, individuals with more vulnerable occupations show a lower probability of intending to have a(nother) child in the short-term and a higher probability of abandoning their pre-COVID fertility plan; in October 2020 changes in fertility plans do not vary by employment condition. Instead, both in March and October, those who suffered from a negative income shock and those with negative expectations on their future income and occupation are more likely to abandon their pre-pandemic fertility plan compared to their better off counterparts. Overall, economic uncertainty seems to have similarly affected men and women’s fertility intentions. Our findings point to the fact that the unequal economic consequences of the pandemic also produced and will produce heterogeneous effects on fertility intentions.
β-tricalcium phosphate/gelatin composite scaffolds incorporated with gentamycin-loaded chitosan microspheres for infected bone defect treatment
Authors: Liu Yu , Zhao Qingqing , Chen Changsong , Wu Chunhu , Ma Yuhai
Published: December 2022

The repair of infected bone defects remains a clinical challenge. Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogenic micro-organism associated with such infections. Gentamycin (GM) is a broad spectrum antibiotic that can kill S. aureus in a dose-dependent manner. However, the systemic administration of antibiotics may lead to drug resistance and gut dysbiosis. In this work, we constructed β-tricalcium phosphate/gelatin composite scaffolds incorporated with gentamycin-loaded chitosan microspheres (CMs(GM)-β-TCP/gelatin composite scaffolds), which helped optimize the local GM release in the infected defect areas and enhance bone regeneration. The cumulative release curves showed that both microspheres and composite scaffolds reached a sustained slow-release phase after the initial rapid release, and the latter further stabilized the initial drug release rate. The release curve of CMs(GM)-β-TCP/gelatin composite scaffolds reached a plateau after 24 h, and the cumulative release reached 41.86% during this period. Moreover, the combination of β-TCP and gelatin mimicked bone composition and were able to provide the requisite mechanical strength (0.82 ± 0.05 MPa) during the first phase of bone generation. The inner structure of the scaffold was arranged in the shape of interconnected pores, and presented a porosity level of 16%. The apertures were uniform in size, which was beneficial for cell proliferation and material transportation. Macroscopic observation and histological analysis showed that CMs(GM)-β-TCP/gelatin composite scaffolds fused with bone tissues, and new tissues were formed in defect areas without any infection. This new composite scaffold may be a promising repair material for treating infected bone defects.
Evaluation of a COVID-19 convalescent plasma program at a U.S. academic medical center
Authors: Root Heather B. , Gilleskie Matt , Lu Chih-Huan , Gilmore Andrew , Evans Mariama , Nelson Bridget G. , Johnson William , Gurney Brian , Kuruc JoAnn , Markmann Alena J. , Barzin Amir H. , Wohl David A. , Fischer William A. , Park Yara A. , Weiss Susan , Napravnik Sonia , Baric Ralph , de Silva Aravinda M. , Lachiewicz Anne M. , van Duin David , Margolis David M. , Herce Michael E. , Bartelt Luther A.
Published: December 2022

Amidst the therapeutic void at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a critical mass of scientific and clinical interest coalesced around COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP). To date, the CCP literature has focused largely on safety and efficacy outcomes, but little on implementation outcomes or experience. Expert opinion suggests that if CCP has a role in COVID-19 treatment, it is early in the disease course, and it must deliver a sufficiently high titer of neutralizing antibodies (nAb). Missing in the literature are comprehensive evaluations of how local CCP programs were implemented as part of pandemic preparedness and response, including considerations of the core components and personnel required to meet demand with adequately qualified CCP in a timely and sustained manner. To address this gap, we conducted an evaluation of a local CCP program at a large U.S. academic medical center, the University of North Carolina Medical Center (UNCMC), and patterned our evaluation around the dimensions of the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to systematically describe key implementation-relevant metrics. We aligned our evaluation with program goals of reaching the target population with severe or critical COVID-19, integrating into the structure of the hospital-wide pandemic response, adapting to shifting landscapes, and sustaining the program over time during a compassionate use expanded access program (EAP) era and a randomized controlled trial (RCT) era. During the EAP era, the UNCMC CCP program was associated with faster CCP infusion after admission compared with contemporaneous affiliate hospitals without a local program: median 29.6 hours (interquartile range, IQR: 21.2–48.1) for the UNCMC CCP program versus 47.6 hours (IQR 32.6–71.6) for affiliate hospitals; (P<0.0001). Sixty-eight of 87 CCP recipients in the EAP (78.2%) received CCP containing the FDA recommended minimum nAb titer of ≥1:160. CCP delivery to hospitalized patients operated with equal efficiency regardless of receiving treatment via a RCT or a compassionate-use mechanism. It was found that in a highly resourced academic medical center, rapid implementation of a local CCP collection, treatment, and clinical trial program could be achieved through re-deployment of highly trained laboratory and clinical personnel. These data provide important pragmatic considerations critical for health systems considering the use of CCP as part of an integrated pandemic response.
Assessing effectiveness of many-objective evolutionary algorithms for selection of tag SNPs
Authors: Moqa Rashad , Younas Irfan , Bashir Maryam
Published: December 2022

Background

Studies on genome-wide associations help to determine the cause of many genetic diseases. Genome-wide associations typically focus on associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Genotyping every SNP in a chromosomal region for identifying genetic variation is computationally very expensive. A representative subset of SNPs, called tag SNPs, can be used to identify genetic variation. Small tag SNPs save the computation time of genotyping platform, however, there could be missing data or genotyping errors in small tag SNPs. This study aims to solve Tag SNPs selection problem using many-objective evolutionary algorithms.

Methods

Tag SNPs selection can be viewed as an optimization problem with some trade-offs between objectives, e.g. minimizing the number of tag SNPs and maximizing tolerance for missing data. In this study, the tag SNPs selection problem is formulated as a many-objective problem. Nondominated Sorting based Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-III), and Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm based on Decomposition (MOEA/D), which are Many-Objective evolutionary algorithms, have been applied and investigated for optimal tag SNPs selection. This study also investigates different initialization methods like greedy and random initialization. optimization.

Results

The evaluation measures used for comparing results for different algorithms are Hypervolume, Range, SumMin, MinSum, Tolerance rate, and Average Hamming distance. Overall MOEA/D algorithm gives superior results as compared to other algorithms in most cases. NSGA-III outperforms NSGA-II and other compared algorithms on maximum tolerance rate, and SPEA2 outperforms all algorithms on average hamming distance.

Conclusion

Experimental results show that the performance of our proposed many-objective algorithms is much superior as compared to the results of existing methods. The outcomes show the advantages of greedy initialization over random initialization using NSGA-III, SPEA2, and MOEA/D to solve the tag SNPs selection as many-objective optimization problem.
STRAINS: A big data method for classifying cellular response to stimuli at the tissue scale
Authors: Zheng Jingyang , Wyse Jackson Thomas , Fortier Lisa A. , Bonassar Lawrence J. , Delco Michelle L. , Cohen Itai
Published: December 2022

Cellular response to stimulation governs tissue scale processes ranging from growth and development to maintaining tissue health and initiating disease. To determine how cells coordinate their response to such stimuli, it is necessary to simultaneously track and measure the spatiotemporal distribution of their behaviors throughout the tissue. Here, we report on a novel SpatioTemporal Response AnalysisIN Situ(STRAINS) tool that uses fluorescent micrographs, cell tracking, and machine learning to measure such behavioral distributions. STRAINS is broadly applicable to any tissue where fluorescence can be used to indicate changes in cell behavior. For illustration, we use STRAINS to simultaneously analyze the mechanotransduction response of 5000 chondrocytes—over 20 million data points—in cartilage during the 50 ms to 4 hours after the tissue was subjected to local mechanical injury, known to initiate osteoarthritis. We find that chondrocytes exhibit a range of mechanobiological responses indicating activation of distinct biochemical pathways with clear spatial patterns related to the induced local strains during impact. These results illustrate the power of this approach.
Political change as group-based control: Threat to personal control reduces the support for traditional political parties
Authors: Rodríguez-López Álvaro , de Lemus Soledad , Bukowski Marcin , Potoczek Anna , Fritsche Immo
Published: December 2022

People desire agentic representations of their personal and collective selves, such as their own nation. When national agency is put into question, this should increase their inclination to restore it, particularly when they simultaneously lack perceptions of personal control. In this article, we test this hypothesis of group-based control in the context of political elections occurring during socio-economic crises. We propose that people who are reminded of low (vs. high) personal control will have an increased tendency to reject traditional political parties that stand for the maintenance of a non-agentic political system. We experimentally manipulated the salience of low vs. high personal control in five studies and measured participants’ intentions to support traditional and new political parties. Across four of five studies, in line with the predictions, low personal control reduced support for the main traditional conservative party (e.g., Partido Popular (PP) in Spain, the Republicans in France). These results appeared in contexts of national economic and/or political crisis, and were most pronounced when low (vs. high) national agency was made salient in Studies 4 and 5. The findings support the notion that rejecting the stability of the national political system can serve as a means to maintain a sense of control through the collective self.
The rice blast fungus SR protein 1 regulates alternative splicing with unique mechanisms
Authors: Shi Wei , Yang Jun , Chen Deng , Yin Changfa , Zhang Huixia , Xu Xiaozhou , Pan Xiao , Wang Ruijin , Fei Liwang , Li Mengfei , Qi Linlu , Bhadauria Vijai , Liu Junfeng , Peng You-Liang
Published: December 2022

Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins are well known as splicing factors in humans, model animals and plants. However, they are largely unknown in regulating pre-mRNA splicing of filamentous fungi. Here we report that the SR protein MoSrp1 enhances and suppresses alternative splicing in a model fungal plant pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. Deletion of MoSRP1 caused multiple defects, including reduced virulence and thousands of aberrant alternative splicing events in mycelia, most of which were suppressed or enhanced intron splicing. A GUAG consensus bound by MoSrp1 was identified in more than 94% of the intron or/and proximate exons having the aberrant splicing. The dual functions of regulating alternative splicing of MoSrp1 were exemplified in enhancing and suppressing the consensus-mediated efficient splicing of the introns in MoATF1 and MoMTP1, respectively, which both were important for mycelial growth, conidiation, and virulence. Interestingly, MoSrp1 had a conserved sumoylation site that was essential to nuclear localization and enhancing GUAG binding. Further, we showed that MoSrp1 interacted with a splicing factor and two components of the exon-joining complex via its N-terminal RNA recognition domain, which was required to regulate mycelial growth, development and virulence. In contrast, the C-terminus was important only for virulence and stress responses but not for mycelial growth and development. In addition, only orthologues from Pezizomycotina species could completely rescue defects of the deletion mutants. This study reveals that the fungal conserved SR protein Srp1 regulates alternative splicing in a unique manner.
Osteoarthritis Literacy and Equity Issues: A Post COVID-19 Analysis and Update
Authors: Marks Ray
Published: December 2022

Background
Osteoarthritis, the most common joint disease and one affecting a large number of older adults is not always amenable to the use of passive interventions such as surgery or pharmacologic interventions, but even then, to maximize any desirable intervention approaches, a trustworthy and supportive partnership with the sufferer is strongly indicated. Complicating this process are emerging equity and persistent health literacy issues, as well as post COVID-19 service associated ramifications and persistent disease risks.

Aim
This mini review was designed to examine what current data reveal as regards the presentation of osteoarthritis and its pathology among the older adult as of the current post COVID-19 pandemic period in 2022, and how health literacy and equity issues are likely implicated in some degree with the disease presentation and its outcomes and will be likely to continue, unless remediated.

Methods
Peer reviewed published articles on this topic were sought from multiple data bases using the key words- osteoarthritis, health equity, health literacy, prevention, and intervention.

Results
As in prior years, osteoarthritis continues to induce considerable physical disability and consistently impedes the attainment of a high life quality for many older adults. Although not studied to any degree, attention to health equity and literacy issues appear to pose additional osteoarthritis intervention challenges, especially among the long COVID affected older adults and those with low income and educational levels.

Conclusions
Many behaviourally oriented and necessary osteoarthritis management approaches and interventions may fail to reduce the functional disability and pain experienced by older people with any form of osteoarthritis to any meaningful degree if a) the provider does not tailor their recommendations in light of possible prevailing health literacy, economic, and educational challenges; b) the patient does not understand how their health behaviours impact joint disease as well as COVID-19 risk status, and are not empowered to undertake these.
A Long-Term Polydromic Function to Disentangle Personal Remittance, Migration and Employment in Agriculture in Order to Raise the GDP of the Donor aid Ratio in Five African Countries
Authors: Ceesay Ebrima K. , Masoero Giorgio
Published: December 2022

Economic statistics concerning the quinquennial features of Agriculture employment (A), net Migration (M), Donor aid (D) and Personal remittances (P), available for over forty years from five West African countries have here been related to the GDP (G). The overall results of a multilinear regression (R2 0.84) have confirmed that the GD ratio, which is an index of aid efficiency, is significantly and positively driven by the PD ratio (high P and low D - favorable) and the PA ratio (high P and low A - favorable), but negatively driven by the PG ratio ( a higher D efficiency is obtained for constant G and lower P). A higher migration flux corresponds to a non-significant rise in the GD ratio. The five countries are clustered, by means of a principal component analysis, into three types. Partial least square regressions fitted to the GD ratio within each cluster provide a long-term polydromic function that highlights certain particular cluster features: reactive to forcing factors, such as Donor diminutions (SEN), active, as driven by Personal remittance (MLI), and mostly entropic for GMB, GNB and MRT. The learnt from the database is that Donor variations may follow different evolutions of the GD ratio in the three clusters.
ANÁLISE EPIDEMIOLÓGICA DA HANSENÍASE NA MICRORREGIÃO DA SAÚDE GARÇAS/ARAGUAIA-MT
Authors: Sousa Romário Rosa de , Lima Samuel do Carmo
Published: December 2022

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi analisar o comportamento epidemiológico da hanseníase em Barra do Garças e nos municípios da microrregião Garças/Araguaia-MT e sua relação com a vulnerabilidade social da população. Os dados foram obtidos nos prontuários de Atendimento Ambulatorial do Centro de Referência em Saúde/CECAP/Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Barra do Garças – MT e Também se utilizaram dados do SINAN/DATASUS. Ambos foram organizados em ambiente de planilha eletrônica para a modelagem estatística, obtendo as somatórias, médias, coeficientes e taxas com posterior geração de tabelas, mapas, quadros e gráficos. Durante o período investigado o quantificou-se 4.142 casos de hanseníase, sendo Barra do Garças (1.691); Nova Xavantina (616); Campinápolis (350); Novo São Joaquim (164); Araguaiana (159); Ribeirãozinho (156); Pontal do Araguaia (125); Torixoréu (91); Ponte Branca (72) e General Carneiro (49). As pessoas do sexo masculino foram as mais acometidas, com 1.707(54%) e feminino foram 1.491 (46%). Analisado o coeficiente de detecção de novos casos em indivíduos menores de 15 anos, durante o período de tempo da pesquisa (1970 – 2020), classificou-se a microrregião da saúde Garças/Araguaia-MT, como Hiperendêmico. As políticas e as ações de prevenção e controle da hanseníase se mostram fragmentadas e insuficientes, não sendo capazes de interromper a transmissão.
A produção de alternativas agroenergéticas e a questão da terra em Moçambique: a Provincia de Manica
Authors: Langa Jose Maria do Rosário  Chilaule , Souza Jose Gilberto de , Hespanhol Rosangela Aparecida de Medeiros
Published: December 2022

A utilização do agrocombustível é vista como alternativa energética, porém, são muitos os problemas causados com o modelo utilizado na produção deste combustível normalmente baseado em sistemas de "monoculturas". Um estudo sobre a produção de agrocombustíveis em Moçambique significa perceber o "território como apropriação", constituído de relações sociais fundadas sobre as diferenças de poder. Neste sentido, esta investigação apresenta uma visão sobre o processo de produção de agrocombustíveis em Manica, província do centro de Moçambique, analisando as transformações de uso e ocupação da terra, como dinamismo de homogeneização de sistemas produtivos e seus desdobramentos sobre o valor da terra; o valor de produção; a concentração fundiária e as relações institucionais no que se refere a posse e ao "mercado de terras". Para tal utilizou-se os seguintes conceitos basilares de análise: Estado, Território e Desenvolvimento Local. A análise tem como centralidade verificar como o agronegócio dos agrocombustíveis apropria-se do território, considerando que em Moçambique a terra é propriedade do Estado.
The songs of the Violated Vereda Wetlands in the nooks of brazilian savannah backlands
Authors: Vasconcelos Vitor Vieira , Seingyai Apinyapon
Published: December 2022

This reportseeks to present the outcome of exchanges conducted within the event, Songs of Violated Vereda Wetlands (Veredas Violadas), the most recent celebration of the Sagarana Festival: Becoming Guimarães Rosa for the Backlands (como Rosa para o Sertão), 2 in November 2012.Topics for discussion included conceptual and cultural aspects, and public policies on the ecosystems of vereda wetlands. Special emphasis wasplaced on the perception of traditional populations living in the Brazilian Savannah  hinterlands and their relationship to the Veredas, including the expression of traditional life in the work of João Guimarães  Rosa3. A typology of the environmental impact on the ecosystems of veredas is presented, based on the regional etymology by which the peoples of the hinterlands interpret these impacts.
O circuito espacial de produção e os círculos de cooperação da cana-de-açúcar: uma análise a partir de Alagoas
Authors: Silva Dênis Carlos da
Published: December 2022

Investigar a cana-de-açúcar em Alagoas implica em aprofundar a compreensão sobre a

história da formação territorial do estado. Vários aspectos presentes na realidade alagoana

foram herdados da dinâmica da atividade canavieira. Atualmente, destaque no Brasil e

recordista no Nordeste em produção de açúcar e álcool, Alagoas conta com 25 unidades

produtoras (usinas), e exporta seus produtos para muitos países. Esse complexo

sucroalcooleiro se estende principalmente pela Zona da Mata (polo industrial canavieiro).

O circuito espacial de produção da cana-de-açúcar em Alagoas se insere dentro da lógica

global, justamente por atender em grande parte as exigências do mercado externo que faz

com que a produção circule em larga escala, contribuindo, contraditoriamente, para a

reprodução da pobreza local. Para a concretização desses projetos, os chamados agentes

hegemônicos contam com o apoio de instituições públicas e privadas, as quais fazem

possível a confirmação de suas práticas, através das normas e dos círculos de cooperação.

Para a operacionalização dessas ideias, se fez necessário a utilização do conceito de

circuito espacial de produção e de território, este último analisado a partir da categoria uso

do território, sendo estes pressupostos capazes de indicar os vários desvendamentos

inerentes a teia dos circuitos da cana-de-açúcar a partir de Alagoas.
La Geografía, útil de transformación. El método Territorii, diálogo con la Inteligencia Territorial
Authors: Bozzano Horacio
Published: December 2022

La Geografía puede ser un útil de transformación con sustento científico, trabajando en miles de proyectos cuyos objetos no sólo sean de estudio o de investigación básica, sino de intervención y transformación, para contribuir a ir generando otra globalización alternativa a la dominante. El Método Territorii trabajando por territorios posibles durante dos décadas, fue tomando forma desde 2007 al conocer el quehacer de los científicos de la actual INTI International Network of Territorial Intelligence. Así territorios reales, vividos, pasados, legales, pensados, posibles, concertados e inteligentes van jalonando fases particulares en cada proyecto de investigación básica y aplicada, en procesos que normalmente duran varios años. Los objetivos de este trabajo son: 1-entablar diálogos entre la Geografía y la Inteligencia Territorial, con el propósitode reconocer si ambas están en condiciones de ofrecer aportes científicos para una Teoría de la Transformación hacia un mundo más sobrio, multicultural y biodiverso, que contribuya a generar alternativas de transición socio-ecológica al modelo hegemónico de despilfarro del Planeta y postergación de mas de tres mil millones de seres humanos; y 2-reflexionar acerca de la validez del Método Territorii para operacionalizar esta perspectiva teórica y epistemológica, con referencia a algunos casos, así como en relación a su articulación con otros métodos en aplicación en la INTI, en particular el Método Catalyse y el Método Stlocus.
Modelagem social computacional como instrumento de análise de sistemas sociais territoriais complexos: o caso do Território Sul Sergipano, Brasil
Authors: Silva Marcos Aurélio Santos da , Medeiros Sonise dos Santos , Manos Maria Geovânia Lima , Siqueira Edmar Ramos de
Published: December 2022

O governo brasileiro e os governos locais recorreram à abordagem territorial para a

elaboração de suas estratégias de desenvolvimento regional sustentável. Espaço

geográfico delimitado, dotado de uma governança própria e animado por processos

específicos, o território é visto como o lugar de integração das dimensões social,

econômica e ambiental das diversas políticas públicas. Todavia, apesar do discurso

sobre a integração das diferentes dimensões do desenvolvimento sustentável, a maioria

das ações está polarizada entre a economia e a conservação ambiental. A pesquisa

apresentada neste artigo visa à adoção de um quadro conceitual para avaliação da

dimensão social dos processos territoriais segundo a teoria dos sistemas. Seguindo uma

abordagem iterativa e interdisciplinar, foi estudado o Território Rural Sul Sergipano,

Brasil, considerando o território como um sistema complexo de atores e utilizando um

método de modelagem social computacional baseada na Sociologia da Ação

Organizada. Os resultados mostraram que essa abordagem permitiu a identificação dos

atores pertinentes, assim como os jogos de atores nos quais eles se engajam,

fundamentados, principalmente, nas relações de poder e dependência, contribuindo

assim para a compreensão da estrutura social do território.
Paulo Freire e Educação do Campo: da invasão à ocupação cultural para a liberdade
Authors: Rossi Rafael , Di Giorgi Cristiano Amaral Garboggini
Published: December 2022

Há um movimento mobilizador que na atualidade vem despertando a atenção de vários setores da sociedade, dentre eles a universidade, esse movimento se chama: Educação do Campo. No entanto, a partir da luta dos trabalhadores rurais, em muitos casos organizados em seus movimentos sociais e sindicais, há a necessária contextualização do conceito em construção da educação pensada a partir dos interesses dessa classe trabalhadora. É nesse intuito que o presente artigo e as reflexões que nele constam, a partir da tese de doutorado em Educação em andamento, o pensamento e a reflexão teórica contida nos escritos do educador Paulo Freire ajudam a desmistificar e distinguir projetos educacionais do campo e para o campo, rumo à  garantia dos direitos sociais, dentre eles a educação, e o reconhecimento do campo enquanto território e não somente local da produção.
Acesso a terra e exploração mineira em Moçambique: que implicações para as comunidades locais
Authors: Matos Elmer Agostinho Carlos de , Medeiros Rosa Maria Vieira
Published: December 2022

Em Moçambique a terra desempenha um papel fundamental nas comunidades locais, onde a mesma para além de ser uma fonte de reprodução social desses grupos, ela se torna extensão dos mesmos, por sedimentar uma ligação com os seus antecedentes, transformando-se em espaços adequados para a sacralização das relações espirituais. O acesso a terra desempenha nas comunidades a sua libertação, fator que desde a ocupação portuguesa nunca chegou a acontecer. Ao longo deste artigo pretendemos defender a hipótese de que depois da independência, apesar do discurso político e da legislação ter defendido que a terra passou a ser do povo moçambicano, a mesma sempre foi utilizada como um meio para alcançar os objetivos dos sistemas políticos vigentes em cada período histórico que sempre representaram interesses contrários aos verdadeiros interesses das comunidades locais. Para sustentar as análises efetuadas ao longo do artigo, recorreremos à análise das diversas legislações aprovadas no país depois da independência, com destaque para a constituição da república, a legislação de terras e a de minas.

Palavras-chave: Acesso a terra. Lei de terras. Exploração mineira. Comunidades locais. Moçambique.
Experiências de desenvolvimento territorial em confronto
Authors: Saquet Marcos Aurelio , Alves Adilson Francelino
Published: December 2022

Neste artigo, descrevemos e analisamos aspectos inerentes à formação e atuação de distintas instituições vinculadas aos agricultores de base camponesa e da agricultura familiar. São organizações políticas, ou seja, uma ONG, uma cooperativa de agricultores familiares e duas associações, todas territorializadas, porém, em âmbitos diferentes: local, regional e nacional. Portanto, são distintos processos organizativos e de atuação na produção e comercialização, com destaque para a agroecológica. Para tal, partimos do pressuposto da efetivação de relações de poder, redes e identidades formando territórios diferentes, autocentrados e heterocentrados, porém, sobrepostos e concomitantes.
Análise das variações dos custos e de rentabilidade para a produção da soja no município de Sorriso-MT no período de 2008 a 2010
Authors: Dalfovo Wylmor Constantino Tives , Brum Argemiro Luís , Yonenaga William Hajime , Zílio Jéssica Andressa , Lucca Emerson Juliano
Published: December 2022

Atualmente, o Mato Grosso apresenta-se como o principal produtor de soja do país, sendo esta, a atividade que movimenta a maior parte da economia do agronegocio. Especificamente o município de Sorriso, comporta a maior parte da produção desta commodity, destacando-se como maior exportador de soja do país. Este artigo propõe analisar a viabilidade do cultivo da soja para o município de Sorriso - MT. Nesta análise, foi feito um recorte para os anos de 2008, 2009 e 2010, sendo que cada um destes anos apresenta custos de produção e preço da saca distintos. Deste modo, identificando-se os lucros anuais, é apresentado o cálculo do valor presente líquido para um projeto de três anos, onde este se mostrou altamente rentável, confirmando assim, a viabilidade dessa cultura.
Agricultura orgânica: uma proposta de diferenciação entre estabelecimentos rurais
Authors: Candiotto Luciano Zanetti Pessôa , Meira Suzana Gotardo de
Published: December 2022

Este artigo procura desenvolver uma análise sobre o conceito de Agroecologia, considerando como ele vem sendo discutido no plano teórico e qual sua diferença em relação ao conceito de agricultura orgânica e a outros conceitos correlatos. Ao compreender que a Agroecologia engloba três dimensões que são coexistentes: científica, política e pedagógica, buscou-se levantar os fundamentos e a posição de alguns autores que discutem o conceito de Agroecologia na atualidade. Para atingir tal objetivo, foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre o tema e desenvolvida uma proposta de uma metodologia para diferenciar os agricultores envolvidos com a produção orgânica, daqueles que se aproximam da Agroecologia, considerando para tal, as similitudes e diferenças teóricas entre estas. Finalmente, apresentou-se uma proposta de tipologia para os estabelecimentos rurais envolvidos com a agricultura de base ecológica, com o intuito de criar um referencial teórico para aplicação em estudos empíricos.
The use of digital photographs to quantify vegetation ground cover in degraded areas
Authors: Azevedo Marinete Martins , Leite Laércio Leonel , Baptista Gustavo Macedo de Mello
Published: December 2022

This study was aimed at assessing the possibility to use digital photographs to evaluate

success of the reclamation of a gravel-mined degraded area. The indicator used to measure

success was the degree of vegetation ground cover. Photographs were taken with a Canon

camera (model Power Shot A 100). On 11th

of October 2003, in a sunny day (without clouds),

a total of 24 photographs were taken of the centre of the 24 experimental plots. All the 24

photographs were processed with ENVI 3.5 software following the same procedures applied

to process satellite scenes. In each scene analysed, two classes - vegetation cover and bared

soil - were identified with the maximum likelihood algorithm. Results showed that digital

photographs can be used in the quantification of vegetation ground cover and that the

technique employed in this study can be applied to evaluate methodologies of reclamation of

mined areas in which the establishment of vegetation is expected. The technique tested in this

study can be employed by government agencies in charge of land reclamation plans because it

is efficient in determining vegetation ground cover, is easy to perform and is not expensive.
ABORDAGEM BIOGEOGRÁFICA SOBRE A FAUNA SILVESTRE EM ÁREAS ANTROPIZADAS: O SISTEMA ATIBAIA-JAGUARI EM AMERICANA (SP)
Authors: Marques Neto Roberto , Viadana Adler Guilherme
Published: December 2022

O presente artigo tem por objetivo apresentar um estudo da fauna ocorrente no sistema Atibaia-

Jaguari em Americana (SP). A pesquisa se encarregou da listagem das espécies de répteis, aves e

mamíferos, apresentando e discutindo aspectos das relações entre a fauna aferida e o meio físico

(biótico e abiótico) e a exploração antrópica do território.
ANÁLISE ESPACIAL DE DADOS GEOGRÁFICOS: A UTILIZAÇÃO DA EXPLORATORY SPATIAL DATA ANALYSIS - ESDA PARA IDENTIFICAÇÃO DE ÁREAS CRÍTICAS DE ACIDENTES DE TRÂNSITO NO MUNICÍPIO DE SÃO CARLOS (SP)
Authors: Santos Luciano dos , Raia Junior Archimedes Azevedo
Published: December 2022

A Análise Espacial é uma das várias formas de se compreender como estão interrelacionados

alguns eventos espaciais. Atualmente, essa técnica ver sendo incorporada para diversas áreas do

conhecimento tais como, as áreas de saúde, transporte e trânsito. Este trabalho tem como objetivo

demonstrar a aplicação da análise exploratória de dados espaciais ou ESDA, para a identificação

de áreas críticas de acidentes de trânsito em cidades de médio porte, tendo como área de estudo o

Município de São Carlos - SP - Brasil. Nesse estudo foi possível demonstrar a viabilidade de

utilização dessa técnica, visto que foi possível incorporar novos parâmetros de análise dos acidentes

proporcionando novos meios para identificação de áreas problemáticas, facilitando a sua análise.
O papel de fatores naturais e antrópicos na variabilidade da perda de solos no estado de Goiás entre 1985 e 2018
Authors: Rosa Lucas Espíndola , Cherem Luís Felipe Soares , Siamé Lionel
Published: December 2022

A perda de solos depende de fatores naturais e antrópicos com elevada variabilidade espacial e temporal que podem ser inferidos por modelos de predição como a Equação Universal de Perda de Solos Revisada (EUPS-M). Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste trabalho é analisar a distribuição e a variação espaço-temporais das perdas de solo no estado de Goiás para os anos de 1985, 2000 e 2018, a partir da aplicação da EUPS-M, tendo a bacia hidrográfica como unidade de análise multiescalar. Os resultados demonstram que, em geral, há o aumento na perda média de solos no estado entre os anos observados, sendo que, em 1985 a média foi 2,4 ton.ha-1.ano-1, crescendo para 10,8 ton.ha-1.ano-1 no ano de 2000 e 11,56 ton.ha-1.ano-1 em 2018. As regiões hidrográficas do Tocantins e do Paraná são as que apresentam maiores perdas. Para além do controle geral da expansão da conversão dos Cerrados, o estado de Goiás apresenta dois padrões espaciais de perda de solos, um no qual predomina o controle dos fatores naturais, ligados aos aspectos morfogenéticos com forte influência do fator topográfico e o outro da erosividade das chuvas, espacializadas em áreas como o “front” da cuesta Caiapó, a Serra Dourada e a Serra dos Pireneus. Esses dois fatores, quando associados definem áreas sensíveis, com as maiores perdas de solo do estado de Goiás.