Weather-based prediction of anthracnose severity using artificial neural network models

Data were collected and analysed from seven field sites in Australia, Brazil and Colombia on weather conditions and the severity of anthracnose disease of the tropical pasture legume Stylosanthes scabra caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Disease severity and weather data were analysed using artificial neural network (ANN) models developed using data from some or all field sites in Australia and/or South America to predict severity at other sites. Three series of models were developed using different weather summaries. of these, ANN models with weather for the day of disease assessment and the previous 24 h period had the highest prediction success, and models trained on data from all sites within one continent correctly predicted disease severity in the other continent on more than 75% of days; the overall prediction error was 21.9% for the Australian and 22.1% for the South American model. of the six cross-continent ANN models trained on pooled data for five sites from two continents to predict severity for the remaining sixth site, the model developed without data from Planaltina in Brazil was the most accurate, with >85% prediction success, and the model without Carimagua in Colombia was the least accurate, with only 54% success. In common with multiple regression models, moisture-related variables such as rain, leaf surface wetness and variables that influence moisture availability such as radiation and wind on the day of disease severity assessment or the day before assessment were the most important weather variables in all ANN models. A set of weights from the ANN models was used to calculate the overall risk of anthracnose for the various sites. Sites with high and low anthracnose risk are present in both continents, and weather conditions at centres of diversity in Brazil and Colombia do not appear to be more conducive than conditions in Australia to serious anthracnose development.

Consumo de drogas psicoactivas por adolescentes escolares de Assis, SP

To quantify psychoactive drug use and investigate use-related variables among students of Assis, Brazil, a questionnaire was administered to collect sociodemographic data and identify the pattern of non-medical use of psychoactive drugs in 20% of public and private school students. The largest consumption indexes for lifetime use were seen for alcohol (68.9%) and tobacco (22.7%). Drugs most often used were: solvents (10.0%); marijuana (6.6%); benzodiazepines (3.8%); amphetamines (2.6%); cocaine (1.6%); and anticholinergics (1.0%).

Economic growth in Latin America: the role of investment and other growth sources

Includes bibliography

Vasectomia no sistema público de saúde: Características dos candidatos e variáveis associadas

Objective: This study aimed to characterize candidates undergo vasectomy in the public health system, Araçatuba- SP and to study related variables. Methods: We surveyed 300 medical patients and vasectomized contacted by telephone to assess several characteristics. The variables analyzed for the study were age, marital status, education, religion, monthly family income and per capita, number of living children, reason for seeking treatment method, contraceptive use, marital relationship quality, decision time (date of intent to perform the procedure) and not because of the procedure. Data were pooled for the analysis of results. Results: The age of the candidates ranged from 23 to 65 years (mean 36.86 years) and average 2.56 living sons. The average monthly family income was R$ 1.079,15, with average per capita income of R$ 249,07. The couple's contraception before the procedure was on account of the woman who used oral anti-conception (84%). The complication rate with the method was around 6.04%, the biggest complication was dehiscence (77.7% of cases of complications), these being mainly during the first 100 cases. Conclusion: Vasectomy is a very effective contraceptive method, with low complication rate and low cost, should be encouraged by the public health system as a means of family planning policy.

Investigação de novas ferramentas estatísticas e utilização de microcontrolador no monitoramento da queima na retificação plana tangencial

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estudo da influencia do potássio e do cálcio na reprodução do nematoide do cisto da soja

The objective of this work was to evaluate the reproduction of the soybean cyst nematode (SCN) in soybean plants in substract with different potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) doses. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized block design, with 25 treatments and six replicates. A factorial scheme (5 x 5) was used with five K doses (0; 150; 300; 450; and 600 mg / dm3 ) and five Ca doses (0; 75; 150; 225; and 300 mg / dm3 ). Eighteen days after sowing, plants were inoculated with 4,000 H. glycines race 3 eggs. Thirty days after inoculation a total of three weekly evaluations were performed measuring plant height and stem diameter. Seventy days after inoculation, the following variables were analyzed: measurement of leaf blade, numbers of eggs / pot, cysts / pot, eggs / cyst, females and cysts / root system, eggs / female and the reproduction factor of H. glycines. Root and shoot dry matter were weighed. Then, K and Ca shoot contents of each sample was obtained. There was a significant interaction between K and Ca doses only for number of eggs / female. The K doses significatively influenced the numbers of cysts / pot, eggs / cyst, eggs / pot, females and cysts / root system and reproduction factor. The Ca doses did not influence significatively the nematologic variables analyzed. The K-Ca interaction affected all crop-related variables analyzed. A significative K-Ca interaction was observed for Ca contents in shoot dry matter. The K contents were only influenced by potassium doses amended to the soil.

Análise da adesão ao tratamento em mulheres com lúpus eritematoso sistêmico

O lúpus eritematoso sistêmico (LES) é uma doença inflamatória crônica do tecido conjuntivo, de caráter auto-imune e natureza multissistêmica, podendo afetar diversos órgãos e sistemas. Há predomínio no sexo feminino e apresenta períodos de remissão e exacerbação. Embora de etiologia ainda desconhecida, vários fatores contribuem para o desenvolvimento da doença, dentre eles os fatores hormonais, ambientais, genéticos e imunológicos. Algumas manifestações clínicas têm desafiado os especialistas, como é o caso da associação do LES com estados depressivos. Este estudo teve como objetivo identificar variáveis relacionadas à adesão ao tratamento em mulheres com diagnóstico de LES. Foram feitas correlações entre características sociodemográficas, níveis de depressão, qualidade de vida, estratégias de enfrentamento e comportamentos de adesão ao tratamento. Foram usados os instrumentos: Roteiros de entrevista, Escalas Beck, International Quality of Life Assessment Project (SF-36), Escala Modos de Enfrentamento de Problemas (EMEP) e Inventário de Qualidade de Vida (WHOQOL-Breve). As participantes integravam um grupo de trinta pacientes assistidas no ambulatório de reumatologia de um hospital público. Foram distribuídas em dois grupos, de acordo com o uso ou não de medidas orientadas pelo médico: Adesão (n=17) e Não Adesão (n=13). O grupo Adesão, independentemente da idade e do tempo de diagnóstico, apresentou menores níveis de depressão se comparado com o grupo Não Adesão. Os resultados sugerem que, em ambos os grupos, nos primeiros cinco meses de convivência da paciente com o LES, o aspecto físico, a dor e o estado geral de saúde são percebidos como fatores difíceis de lidar. Entretanto, é possível afirmar que, nesse mesmo período, se o paciente não adere às prescrições médicas, o desconforto em relação aos fatores citados é intensificado. A correlação entre o domínio Vitalidade, o domínio Aspectos sociais (medidos pelo SF-36) e a adesão ao tratamento apresentou-se válida, pois as participantes do grupo Adesão também relataram que se sentiam amparadas, tanto pelo seu grupo social quanto pela equipe de saúde. Os resultados sugerem que o comportamento depressivo pode ocorrer pelo longo tempo de convivência dessas pacientes com a incontrolabilidade dos sintomas da doença, e também por conta das seqüelas do LES, que as atinge severamente, comprometendo órgãos vitais como rins, coração, pulmões, prejudicando a qualidade de vida das mesmas. Discutem-se as vantagens e limitações do uso de instrumentos para identificação de variáveis relevantes no estudo da adesão ao tratamento em doenças crônicas. Sugere-se a realização de estudos longitudinais, com delineamento do sujeito como seu próprio controle para investigar a relação entre estados depressivos, controle de sintomas e adesão ao tratamento.

Risk factors for perinatal death in two different levels of care: a case-control study

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Atitudes sociais em relação à inclusão: estudos brasileiros

An important component of the Inclusive Education can be the social attitudes toward inclusion presented by teachers, students and other members of the school community. The aim of this paper is to systematize main fidings of some Brazilian studies concerning that theme. The results of studies in which the Likert Scale of Social Attitudes toward Inclusion was used are summarized. Twelve studies were analyzed, examining the relationship between the social attitudes toward inclusion and some subjects characteristics, highlighting the chronological age, formation area, educational experience and previous experience with people with deficiency. The results were not able to demonstrate in a conclusive way the nature of the relationship between each of these variables and the social attitudes toward inclusion. These seem to be affected by a group of complexly related variables of the subjects and of the target of social attitudes.

Postactivation Potentiation Biases Maximal Isometric Strength Assessment

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A dengue como ferramenta de interdisciplinaridade e popularização científica entre estudantes de ensino fundamental

The majority of the population knows their role in dengue control, preventing the accumulation of water in containers as potential breeding sites of Aedes aegypti, the main vector of dengue. Also known chemical control, widely used by the institutions responsible for the control of endemic diseases. On the other hand, unaware that an alternative measure such biological control through a microbial biopesticide, safe, harmless to health and the environment, can be adopted. Thus, this work reported for elementary school students, simply and clearly, the biological control of mosquitoes through bacterial biopesticide produced locally. Moreover, promoted the interdisciplinary teaching of science and mathematics through the data tabulation and charting on interviews conducted by students, about the level of knowledge of the population about dengue and other related variables.

Desperdício de dieta enteral em UTI: análise de modo de falhas e efeitos de danos ao paciente grave

Pós-graduação em Enfermagem (mestrado profissional) - FMB

Prevalence of low back pain and associated factors in adults from a middle-size Brazilian city

Objective: To determine the prevalence of low back pain and some related variables among adults of both genders. Methods: Was conduct a cross-sectional study of population-based in the urban area of Presidente Prudente, São Paulo. The sample consisted of 743 adult residents for over two years in this city. Low back pain, quality of sleep and physical activity were collected through face to face interview at the residence of respondents. Was used the chi-square test to analyze the association between variables, later was created tree multivariate models with hierarchical inclusion of confounding factors. Results: The prevalence of low back pain reported last year was 50.2% (95% CI: 46.6, 53.8), and the last week 32.3% (95% CI: 28.9, 35.6). Was association among low back pain and females (p-value = 0.031), older age, lower education, altered sleep and overweight, the adjusted model found that people over the age of 45 years (45 to 59.9 years, OR = 13.1 [1.72-98.5] and ≥ 60 years, OR = 9.10 [1.15-71.7]), with some alteration of sleep (OR = 3.21 [1.84-5.61]) and obese (OR = 2.33 [1:26 to 4:33]) seems to be a risk group for low back pain. Conclusion: The prevalence of low back pain is high and obese people aged over 45 years, with any sleep disturbance are a group at higher risk for low back pain.

How do laryngeal and respiratory functions contribute to differentiate actors/actresses and untrained voices?

Purpose. The present study aimed to compare actors/actresses's voices and vocally trained subjects through aerodynamic and electroglottographic (EGG) analyses. We hypothesized that glottal and breathing functions would reflect technical and physiological differences between vocally trained and untrained subjects.Methods. Forty participants with normal voices participated in this study (20 professional theater actors and 20 untrained participants). In each group, 10 male and 10 female subjects were assessed. All participants underwent aerodynamic and EGG assessment of voice. From the Phonatory Aerodynamic System, three protocols were used: comfortable sustained phonation with EGG, voice efficiency with EGG, and running speech. Contact quotient was calculated from EGG. All phonatory tasks were produced at three different loudness levels. Mean sound pressure level and fundamental frequency were also assessed. Univariate, multivariate, and correlation statistical analyses were performed.Results. Main differences between vocally trained and untrained participants were found in the following variables: mean sound pressure level, phonatory airflow, subglottic pressure, inspiratory airflow duration, inspiratory airflow, and inspiratory volume. These variables were greater for trained participants. Mean pitch was found to be lower for trained voices.Conclusions. The glottal source seemed to have a weak contribution when differentiating the training status in speaking voice. More prominent changes between vocally trained and untrained participants are demonstrated in respiratory-related variables. These findings may be related to better management of breathing function (better breath support).

Assessment of physical activity by accelerometer and IPAQ-short version in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis

To compare the short version of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the accelerometer measurement of physical activity (PA) in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Sample consisted of 40 patients (19 men) aged 45 ± 16 years. Patients reported their PA using the IPAQ during a face-to-face interview, and wore an Actigraph GT3-X accelerometer for 1 week to obtain minutes per day of light PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and total PA as well as raw counts per day (vector magnitude). All PA-related variables were significantly correlated among instruments (r = 0.34-0.47) when analyzed as a group. However, when analyzed separately by gender, the relationships were present for women only (r = 0.46-0.62). IPAQ significantly underestimated light PA (IPAQ vs. accelerometer: 180.0 vs. 251.1 min/day, p = 0.019), but no differences were found between methods for MVPA and total PA. Modest correlations were found between self-reported PA time by IPAQ (short version) and accelerometer, but only in women. However, the IPAQ may underestimate light PA, which is the main form of PA in this population.