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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered one of the biggest health challenges of the 21st century. It has both social and economic consequences; therefore, timely review of public health policies that have been designed to manage AMR is essential. Brazil too has developed and implemented various polices for the prevention and control of AMR. However, till date, no study provides insights regarding the various public health policies or other programs implemented by Brazilian institutes. The objective is to define a scoping review protocol of policies that were developed to address prevention and control of antimicrobial resistance in Brazil, from a human health perspective. This protocol has been registered in the Open Science Framework (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/EC9ZJ). Indexed literature in English, Spanish and Portuguese published till December 2020 in Lilacs, PubMed, Embase, and official websites of the Brazilian government will be reviewed. This review considers all studies identified through a comprehensive search of peer-reviewed and grey literature databases that have a reference for policies made for managing AMR in Brazil. The criteria for the scoping review will be set by two evaluators. A third evaluator will be consulted, if there is any disagreement between the two primary evaluators. A standardized form will be used for data extraction from the selected studies. The results will be presented in a tabular form with narrative abstracts related to the topics identified through the scoping review protocol. The PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews tool will be used.

Restoring the ecosystems of the Cerrado biome is challenging considering the diversity of phytophysiognomies present in the biome, some of which are composed of species from different strata (herbaceous, shrubby, and arboreal), which increases the complexity of restructuring the floristic composition. Other factors was involved, such as soil quality, which directly influences the success of restoration, water storage, and nutrients, the financial costs, and a slow ecological process, due to the adverse circumstances found in the area. be restored. The strong anthropogenic interventions by mining processes reduce dramatically the physical and nutritional composition of the soil. We studied two restoration areas in Paracatu, Brazil, to examine their edaphic conditions six years after mining activities ceased and relate them to the status of the restoration process. In 2009, a Cerrado restoration were established in an area previously explored for gravel extraction. Plants were sampled and identified in 11 transects along the planting lines. The diameter base (DB) and total height (HT) were measured. The physical/chemical quality of the soil substrate was determined using a collection of samples in open trenches at four types of points: Cerrado (TC); dead plant pits (TM); seedling pits having living individuals of the most abundant species (TT); and those of the second-most abundant species (TE). Cecropia pachystachya Trécul and Tapirira guianensis Aubl. were most abundant and demonstrated the potential to thrive in areas degraded by mining having low mortality rates and growth at relatively DB and HT. The physical quality indicators in the gravel pits were not limiting, indicating that substrate preparation was efficient in this regard. The organic matter content in TM, TT, and TE was low in comparison to that of TC, and the chemical conditions in the TE pit substrates were similar to those in TM pits, suggesting C . pachystachya is a species with good plasticity, whereas T . guianensis is present in pits with higher levels of phosphorus.

To assess the quality of life of keratoconus patients using the Keratoconus Outcomes Research Questionnaire (KORQ), translated and validated in Portuguese language. The KORQ is the only validated keratoconus specific questionnaire and has a high rating for its psychometric properties. This cross-sectional study enrolled 100 keratoconus patients from a tertiary referral eye hospital between April 2018 and June 2019. Associations between age, sex, allergic conjunctivitis, keratoconus stage, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), maximum simulated keratometry (Kmax), steep keratometry (K2), pachymetry, treatments performed, hydrops, and KORQ scores were evaluated using univariate (Wilcoxon test and the Kruskal Wallis test) and multivariate linear regression with stepwise backward modeling. Lower KORQ scores are associated with better quality of life, whereas, higher scores are associated with greater impairment of functional activities and symptoms. Among the 100 patients, mild, moderate, and severe keratoconus were observed in 15%, 46% and 39% of participants, respectively. Univariate analysis showed lower function scores values, with male sex ( p  < 0.05) and both functional and symptom scores were significantly associated with BCVA < 0.3 (LogMAR) ( p  < 0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated significantly lower functional scores in individuals with BCVA < 0.3 (LogMAR) ( p  < 0.001) and those with a history of crosslinking treatment ( p  = 0.022), while symptom scores were only significantly associated with only BCVA < 0.3 (LogMAR) ( p  < 0.001). In patients with keratoconus, BCVA in the better eye and history of crosslinkig were factors associated with better quality of life scores using the KORQ.

Cerrado is the second largest biome in South America and accounted for the second largest contribution to carbon emissions in Brazil for the last 10 years, mainly due to land-use changes. It comprises approximately 2 million km2 and is divided into 22 ecoregions, based on environmental conditions and vegetation. The most dominant vegetation type is cerrado sensu stricto (cerrado ss), a savanna woodland. Quantifying variation of biomass density of this vegetation is crucial for climate change mitigation policies. Integrating remote sensing data with adequate allometric equations and field-based data sets can provide large-scale estimates of biomass. We developed individual-tree aboveground biomass (AGB) allometric models to compare different regression techniques and explanatory variables. We applied the model with the strongest fit to a comprehensive ground-based data set (77 sites, 893 plots, and 95,484 trees) to describe AGB density variation of cerrado ss. We also investigated the influence of physiographic and climatological variables on AGB density; this analysis was restricted to 68 sites because eight sites could not be classified into a specific ecoregion, and one site had no soil texture data. In addition, we developed two models to estimate plot AGB density based on plot basal area. Our data show that for individual-tree AGB models a) log-log linear models provided better estimates than nonlinear power models; b) including species as a random effect improved model fit; c) diameter at 30 cm above ground was a reliable predictor for individual-tree AGB, and although height significantly improved model fit, species wood density did not. Mean tree AGB density in cerrado ss was 22.9 tons ha-1 (95% confidence interval = ± 2.2) and varied widely between ecoregions (8.8 to 42.2 tons ha-1), within ecoregions (e.g. 4.8 to 39.5 tons ha-1), and even within sites (24.3 to 69.9 tons ha-1). Biomass density tended to be higher in sites close to the Amazon. Ecoregion explained 42% of biomass variation between the 68 sites (P < 0.01) and shows strong potential as a parameter for classifying regional biomass variation in the Cerrado.

The capture spiral of web from N. clavipes spider consists of a single type of spidroin - the flagelliform silk protein, a natural material representing a combination of strength and high elasticity. Flagelliform spider silk is the most extensible silk fibre produced by orb weaver spiders and the structure of this remarkable material is still largely unknown. In the present study we used a proteomic approach to elucidate the complete sequence and the post-translational modifications of flagelliform silk proteins. The long sequence of flagelliform silk protein presents 45 hydroxylated proline residues, which may contribute to explain the mechanoelastic property of these fibres, since they are located in the GPGGX motif. The 3D-structure of the protein was modelled considering the three domains together, i.e., the N- and C-terminal non-repetitive domains, and the central repetitive domain. In the resulting molecular model there is a predominance of random structures in the solid fibres of the silk protein. The N-terminal domain is composed of three α-helices and the C-terminal domain is composed of one small helical section. Proteomic data reported herein may be relevant for the development of novel approaches for the synthetic or recombinant production of novel silk-based spider polymers.

The relationships between floristic patterns and environmental variation in tropical savannas have been the focus of many studies worldwide. However, important aspects of these relationships, such as the role of geographic distance in structuring plant communities, have received little attention. We investigated the individual and combined influences of substrate, climatic, and spatial factors on the floristic‐structural dissimilarity between two savanna physiognomies in the core region of Brazilian savannas: one on plain relief with deep soils and another on steep relief with shallow rocky soils. Ten 1‐ha plots were sampled in each physiognomy. We modeled species abundance using multiple linear models and variance partitioning. Our results indicated that spatial processes that are intrinsically related to species variation have negligible effects on floristic variation. The most important predictors in our models were related to soil characteristics (mainly nutrient availability) and topography (relief and elevation). Consequently, the substrate component exhibited the greatest power (14%) in explaining the floristic‐structural variation in the overall variance partitioning. Our results provide the first demonstration of the individual and combined contributions of substrate, climatic, and spatial factors to the occurrence and abundance of woody species in the most diverse and threatened savanna in the world. We also provide evidence that neutral processes might not be strong predictors of vegetation structure where savanna substrates differ greatly; instead, community structure may be primarily regulated by environmental filters.

Following the spread of the Industry 4.0 paradigm, the role of digital technologies in manufacturing, especially in production and industrial logistics processes, has become increasingly pivotal. Although the push towards digitalization and processes interconnection can bring substantial benefits, it may also increase the complexity of processes in terms of integration and management. To fully exploit the potential of technology, companies are required to develop an in-depth knowledge of each operational activity and related human aspects in the contexts where technology solutions can be implemented. Indeed, analyzing the impacts of technology on human work is key to promoting human-centred smart manufacturing and logistics processes. Therefore, this paper aims at increasing and systematizing knowledge about technologies supporting internal logistics working activities The main contribution of this paper is a taxonomy of the technologies that may be implemented in the different internal logistics areas to support a Logistics 4.0 model. Such a contribution is elaborated in accordance with a deductive approach (i.e., reasoning from the particular to the general), and backed up by an analysis of the literature. The taxonomy represents a useful framework to understand the current and possible technological implementations to drive logistics processes towards Logistics 4.0, with specific attention to the relation between human operators and technologies.

The aim of this study was to evaluate echocardiography-based indices of myocardial function and markers of vascular inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in the early phases of severe sepsis. Forty-five adult patients (67% women; age 51 ± 18 years; Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Disease Classification System II score, 23 ± 7) admitted to the intensive care unit up to 24 hours after fulfilling criteria for severe sepsis or septic shock were studied. Clinical, laboratorial (endothelin 1 [ET1], vascular cellular adhesion molecule 1), and echocardiographic data were collected within the first 24 hours and again 72 hours and 7 days after admission. Intrahospital mortality was 33% (15 deaths). Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction (LV ejection fraction <55%) was identified in 15 (33%) patients, whereas right ventricular (RV) dysfunction (RV tissue Doppler peak systolic velocity [RV-Sm] <12 cm/s) was present in 14 (30%) patients. LogET1 was increased in patients with LV dysfunction (2.3 ± 0.6 vs 1.8 ± 0.4 pg/mL; P = .01) and RV dysfunction (2.5 ± 0.5 vs 1.8 ± 0.4 pg/mL; P < .001) and had negative correlations with LV ejection fraction (r = −0.50; P = .002) and RV-Sm (r = −0.67; P < .001). Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, RV-Sm, and diastolic dysfunction were able to discriminate survivors from nonsurvivors, and the combination of these parameters identified groups of very low and high risk. Both LV and RV systolic dysfunctions are prevalent in severe sepsis, being directly associated with markers of endothelial dysfunction. Left ventricular nondilation, RV dysfunction, and diastolic dysfunction seem related to poor prognosis in this scenario.

The Cerrado stands out from other savannas of the world for hosting the highest biodiversity and for its ongoing massive destruction. Savannas on plain relief and with deep soils (DS) in Central Brazil have been widely converted into agropastoral ecosystems. In contrast, savannas on steep relief with shallow and rocky soils (RS) have been considered as future biodiversity refuges in Central Brazil. In this study, we show that adjacent DS and RS savanna sites (each with ten 1-ha plots) differ based on their woody species population sizes, but not based on species occurrence or diversity. In addition, we discuss the implications of these results for species conservation. Our research indicates that the DS and RS savannas are complementary, but not equivalent, regarding their representation of savanna vegetation in Central Brazil. We hypothesize that if RS savannas become the only refuges for savannic vegetation, widespread biodiversity losses will occur in the short term (through loss of exclusive and habitat-specialist species) and long term (due to fragmentation, reductions in population size and loss of genetic variability). Thus, we suggest that the consideration of savannas on distinct substrates should be considered for improving conservation decision-making and initiatives and can be beneficial when expanding or creating new conservation units.

Salivary glands are omnipresent in termites and occur in all developmental stages and castes. They function to produce, store, and secrete compounds, ranging from a feeding function to defensive mechanisms. Here, we provide a complete morphological overview of the salivary glands in the soldierless species Ruptitermes reconditus and R. xanthochiton, and the first proteomic profile of the salivary glands in a Neotropical Apicotermitinae representative, R. reconditus. Salivary glands from both species were composed of several acini, roughly spherical structures composed of two types of central cells (type I and II) and peripheral parietal cells, as well as transporting ducts and two salivary reservoirs. Central cells were richly supplied with electron-lucent secretory vesicles and rough endoplasmic reticulum, a feature of protein-secreting cells. Parietal cells of Ruptitermes spp. had conspicuous characteristics such as electron-lucent secretory vesicles surrounded by mitochondria and well-developed microvilli. Moreover, different individuals showed variation in the secretory cycle of salivary acini, which may be related to polyethism. Ultrastructural analysis evidenced a high synthesis of secretion and also the occurrence of lysosomes and autophagic structures in central cells. Proteomic analysis of the salivary glands revealed 483 proteins divided into functional groups, highlighting toxins/defensins and compounds related to alarm communication and colony asepsis. Soldierless termites are quite successful, especially due to morphological adaptations of the workers, including unknown modifications of exocrine glands. Thus, according to our morphological and proteomic findings, we discuss the potential roles of the salivary gland secretion in different social aspects of the sampled species.