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Leisure activities are known to be especially important for the health of people with disabilities. In Belém, PA, an Amazonian city in Brazil, a nonprofitable organization has promoted leisure ridings in bicycles for those people in Utinga State Park, a large green area for physical and leisure activities. The handcrafted bikes have a sidecar attached for users with disabilities which are ridden by trained volunteers. Since such bikes have been empirically manufactured, they require some minor improvements in safety, comfort, and handling, and verification of structural strength. Therefore, ergonomic, modal, and forced vibration analyses assessed the user’s comfort and safety and a structural analysis with the use of strain gauges evaluated the bicycle’s structural strength. Initially, a numerical modal analysis was performed using the finite element method, and the modal model obtained was validated by an experimental modal analysis employing shaker excitation. ISO-2631-based evaluations of forced vibration and human body comfort were conducted regarding whole-body vibration in vehicles and mechanical equipment. Vibration measurements at the position of the rider and sidecar occupant were obtained during rides on the bicycle and, according to the results, in general, when subjected to loads, the bicycle showed low stress levels far from the yield stress of the material, promoting an excellent safety factor in relation to its structural integrity. The modal, comfort, and forced vibration analyses revealed a mode of vibration in the sidecar that caused discomfort to the back of the users. Ergonomics analysis pointed out changes in the handlebars, the bicycle seat, the coupling between the sidecar and the bike, and the dimensions of the sidecar will provide greater comfort and safety. This paper presents and discusses the proposed modifications to both bicycle and sidecar.

We applied the indirect cohort method to estimate effectiveness of 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) among young children in Brazil. Cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), i.e., Streptococcus pneumoniae, detected in normally sterile fluid identified through laboratory-based surveillance and previously enrolled in a matched case-control effectiveness study are included. We estimated PCV10 effectiveness using multivariable logistic regression comparing PCV10 vaccination among children with vaccine-type or vaccine-related IPD vs. children with non-vaccine-type disease. The adjusted effectiveness of ≥1 doses against vaccine-type (72.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI] [44.1, 86.7]) and vaccine-related (61.3%, 95%CI [14.5, 82.5]) IPD were similar to the effectiveness observed in the original case-control study (which required enrollment >1200 controls). We also found significant protection of ≥1 dose against individual vaccine serotypes (14, 6B, 23F, 18C) and against vaccine-related serotype 19A. The indirect cohort methods leverages existing surveillance is a feasible approach for evaluating pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Encapsulation is a well-established technology that provides thermal stability and enables controlled release of functional compounds, such as avocado oil (AO). In this study, AO was encapsulated through the spray-drying process at inlet (130 °C) and outlet (80 °C) temperatures using different ratios (2.5–12.5%) of enzymatically modified red rice starch (RRS) as the coating material, with α-amylase and amyloglucosidase. The results demonstrated that emulsions with higher concentrations of modified RRS (10% and 12.5%) exhibited higher zeta potential values (− 37.67 mV and − 38.01 mV), indicating greater stability. For all conditions, the process yield was above 49%, and encapsulation efficiency (EE) ranged from 70.51 to 91.36%. AO microcapsules (5.72–8.15 µm) also showed low water content (3.29–5.58%) and high solubility (66.18–81.55%), enhancing their applicability in various processes. Additionally, AO microcapsules produced with 10% modified RRS (RRS4) exhibited the highest levels of phenolic compounds (5.74 mg GAE/100 g) and antioxidant activity (0.29–0.61 µM Trolox/g). Significant variations (p < 0.05) in thermal properties resulting from different concentrations of modified RRS contributed to higher thermal stability of microcapsules, with greater mass loss (59.01–63.37%) in the temperature range of 160–400 °C. According to in vitro release studies, the microcapsules released AO in simulated salivary fluid, continuing in gastric and intestinal fluids. It is concluded that suitable concentrations of modified RRS (10%, RRS4) provided the best techno-functional properties and higher release rates during digestion simulation, offering promising perspectives for innovative solutions in the functional food industry.