Abstract Stromatolites are laminated biosedimentary structures of great importance for paleobiological, paleoecological, and paleoenvironmental analyses, mainly in Precambrian rocks. Their value is related to the glimpse of past life recorded in their lamination, fabric, and, eventually, due to the preservation of organic matter, including microfossils, and because their deposition is directly influenced by environmental conditions. Although stromatolites are widely described in microscopic scale, there is a lack of standardization of their nomenclature, precluding better paleoenvironmental and paleobiological interpretations. In this study, we propose a guide for the microscopic analysis of fossil stromatolites and, possibly, thrombolites, and provide a review of specialized literature and the bibliometric context of main terms. The goal is to contribute to the improvement of their application through systematization of microscopic data, in the face of novel paleoecological and paleobiological approaches and for astrobiological prospection for microbialites in therock record of Mars. analyses rocks lamination fabric eventually matter microfossils conditions scale nomenclature interpretations study possibly thrombolites terms data Mars

Resumo O presente trabalho visa contribuir na avaliação dos aspectos relacionados à aplicabilidade de técnicas de computação afetiva aos testes psicológicos computadorizados, a fim de encontrar as reais contribuições na transformação de testes psicológicos de consultório para versões computadorizadas, que sejam sensíveis aos estados emocionais do paciente. Para tanto, será proposta uma arquitetura de sistema específica para este contexto, com ênfase na adoção de um módulo de computação afetiva. Também, como prova de conceito, serão apresentados um teste psicológico computadorizado desenvolvido sob o modelo proposto de arquitetura e seus resultados.

Abstract The present work aims to contribute to the evaluation of aspects related to the applicability of affective computing techniques to computerized psychological tests, in order to find the real contributions in the transformation of psychological tests in the office to computerized versions, which are sensitive to the emotional states of the patient. Therefore, a specific system architecture for this context will be proposed, with emphasis on the adoption of an affective computing module. Also, as proof of concept, a computerized psychological test developed under the proposed model of architecture and its results will be presented.

Abstract A great challenge for researchers is to find out a software development methodology that can be adhered to the characteristics of software factories. In this sense, this work presents a hybrid methodology, called Agile Short Unified Process - ASUP. The proposal is based on elements extracted from the Scrum framework inserted in the four phases of the Unified Process - UP: Conception, Elaboration, Construction and Transition. We can find a life cycle represented and typified with all its elements in each stage. The ASUP was applied in four projects of two federal institutions of professional education (IFTM and IFNMG) in order to evaluate its efficiency. After applying this methodology, some notes were made by the teams as a form of feedback, and their final perceptions realized meaningful gains in project management activities. In the end, the methodology was approved and was no longer only a suggestive one, but being considered perfectly possible to be applied in other projects, in both institutions.

Resumo Encontrar uma metodologia de desenvolvimento de software que seja aderente às características de fábricas de software é um grande desafio para pesquisadores. Neste sentido, este trabalho apresenta uma metodologia híbrida, denominada Agile Short Unified Process - ASUP. A proposta tem como base elementos extraídos do framework Scrum inseridos nas quatro fases do Unified Process - UP: Concepção, Elaboração, Construção e Transição. Em cada fase encontra-se um ciclo de vida representada e tipificada com todos os seus elementos. Para avaliar a eficiência, o ASUP foi aplicado em quatro projetos de duas instituições federais de educação profissional - IFTM e IFNMG. Após a aplicação da metodologia, alguns apontamentos foram realizados pelas equipes como forma de feedback e suas percepções finais foram de ganhos significativos nas atividades de gerenciamento dos projetos. Por fim, nas duas instituições, a metodologia foi aprovada e deixou de ser apenas sugestiva para ser considerada aplicável em outros projetos.

RESUMEN Objetivo. Investigar la prevalencia y los factores de riesgo de los síntomas persistentes de la COVID-19 hasta 12 meses después del alta hospitalaria en pacientes sobrevivientes de esta enfermedad. Métodos. Este estudio prospectivo de cohorte incluyó pacientes con COVID-19 que recibieron el alta de un hospital universitario en Brasil. El seguimiento se hizo a los 2, 6 y 12 meses del alta. Se realizaron pruebas de función pulmonar y tomografía computarizada de tórax dos meses después del alta y se repitieron si los resultados eran anormales. Los resultados primarios investigados fueron síntomas presentes, situación laboral y limitaciones en las actividades diarias. Resultados. Se incluyeron 88 pacientes. Los síntomas más comunes fueron disnea (54,5%), fatiga (50,0%), mialgia y debilidad muscular (46,6%), que disminuyeron con el tiempo. La ansiedad fue frecuente (46,6%) y se mantuvo sin cambios. Un año después del alta, 43,2% de los pacientes notificaron limitaciones en las actividades diarias, y 17,6% no se había reincorporado al trabajo. El consumo de corticosteroides se asoció significativamente con disnea y limitaciones en las actividades diarias. Las mujeres tuvieron un mayor riesgo de fatiga en la evaluación a los 12 meses, con una importancia marginal después del ajuste multivariable. También fueron factores de riesgo de disnea en el seguimiento: edad temprana y engrosamiento de las paredes bronquiales en la tomografía computarizada al momento del ingreso hospitalario. Las anomalías más comunes de la función pulmonar fueron la reducción de la capacidad de difusión y la enfermedad de las vías respiratorias pequeñas, que mejoraron parcialmente con el tiempo. Conclusiones. Un año después del alta hospitalaria, más de un tercio de los pacientes todavía tenían síntomas persistentes relacionados con la COVID-19, disnea notable, fatiga y limitaciones en las actividades diarias, independientemente de la gravedad aguda de la enfermedad. La edad, el sexo femenino, el uso de corticosteroides durante la hospitalización y el engrosamiento bronquial en la tomografía computarizada al momento del ingreso hospitalario se asociaron con un mayor riesgo de secuelas.

ABSTRACT Objective. To investigate the prevalence and risk factors for persistent symptoms up to 12 months after hospital discharge in COVID-19 survivors. Methods. This prospective cohort study included patients with COVID-19 discharged from a university hospital in Brazil. Follow-up was performed 2, 6, and 12 months after discharge. Lung function tests and chest computed tomography (CT) were performed 2 months after discharge and were repeated if abnormal. The primary outcomes were the symptoms present, work status, and limitations in daily activities. Results. Eighty-eight patients were included. Dyspnea (54.5%), fatigue (50.0%), myalgia, and muscle weakness (46.6%) were the most common symptoms, which decreased over time. Anxiety was frequent (46.6%) and remained unchanged. One year after discharge, 43.2% of the patients reported limitations in daily activities, and 17.6% had not returned to work. Corticosteroid use was significantly associated with dyspnea and limitations in daily activities. Females had an increased risk of fatigue at the 12-month assessment, with marginal significance after multivariable adjustment. Young age and bronchial wall thickening on admission CT were also risk factors for dyspnea at follow-up. The most common lung function abnormalities were reduced diffusion capacity and small airway disease, which partially improved over time. Conclusions. One year after hospital discharge, more than one-third of patients still had persistent COVID-19-related symptoms, remarkable dyspnea, fatigue, and limitations in daily activities, regardless of acute disease severity. Age, female sex, corticosteroid use during hospitalization, and bronchial thickening on admission CT were associated with an increased risk of sequelae.

RESUMO Objetivo. Investigar a prevalência e os fatores de risco para sintomas persistentes por até 12 meses após a alta hospitalar entre sobreviventes da COVID-19. Métodos. Este estudo de coorte prospectivo incluiu pacientes com COVID-19 que receberam alta de um hospital universitário do Brasil. O acompanhamento foi realizado 2, 6 e 12 meses após a alta. Testes de função pulmonar e tomografia computadorizada (TC) do tórax foram realizados 2 meses após a alta hospitalar e repetidos em caso de resultados alterados. Os desfechos primários foram os sintomas presentes, a situação de trabalho e as limitações nas atividades diárias. Resultados. Foram incluídos 88 pacientes. Dispneia (54,5%), fadiga (50,0%), mialgia e fraqueza muscular (46,6%) foram os sintomas mais comuns, que diminuíram com o tempo. A ansiedade era frequente (46,6%) e permaneceu inalterada. Um ano após a alta, 43,2% dos pacientes relatavam limitações nas atividades diárias e 17,6% não haviam retornado ao trabalho. O uso de corticosteroides estava significativamente associado à dispneia e a limitações nas atividades diárias. Pacientes do sexo feminino tinham um risco maior de fadiga na avaliação de 12 meses, com significância marginal após ajuste multivariado. A idade jovem e o espessamento da parede brônquica na TC de admissão também eram fatores de risco para dispneia no acompanhamento. As alterações mais comuns da função pulmonar foram capacidade de difusão reduzida e doença das pequenas vias aéreas, que melhoraram parcialmente com o tempo. Conclusões. Um ano após a alta hospitalar, mais de um terço dos pacientes ainda apresentava sintomas persistentes relacionados à COVID-19, dispneia marcante, fadiga e limitações nas atividades diárias, independentemente da gravidade da doença aguda. A idade, o sexo feminino, o uso de corticosteroides durante a internação e o espessamento brônquico na TC de admissão estavam associados a um maior risco de sequelas.

Abstract This project presents the results obtained from a new strategy based on Virtual Reality techniques, which intends to minimize the operational issues caused in electric power substations due to the lack of spatial and functional information on the traditional operation interfaces. For this purpose, a three-dimensional interactive virtual reality environment was built in a realistic and accurate way regarding an energy supplier substation in Minas Gerais – Brazil and subsequently implanted it in its operation center for tasks related to its functioning. Lastly, tests were applied to operators to obtain results aiming at the contextualized problems.

Abstract The characteristic of immersion, involvement and motivation have made serious games an important tool to be used in the medical field. However, there are people that, having some sort of physical disability, are not able to, or do not feel motivated to play. This work presents a strategy to support human- computer interactions for children with a disability in their upper limbs through a wearable device, with the objective of improving access to digital games for the target audience. For the development of this work, the wearable device Myo was used to control a puzzle game as a means of providing the interaction between the individual and the game. In this context, the game is controlled with the movement of the user's upper limb that presents the disability, through the Myo device. For the validation of this research, the game developed was made available for individuals presenting a disability in the upper limbs, from an age range between five and fifteen years old, of the Association of Assistance to the Disabled Child (AACD). Soon, it was noticed that the participants of the research soon could play while utilizing the deficient limb with Myo's support and felt more motivated to play. On the long run, it is expected to contribute to the motivation of patients through technological innovation, so that the process of body consciousness is made more interactive.

RESUMO O manejo farmacológico da asma mudou consideravelmente nas últimas décadas, com base no entendimento de que a asma é uma doença heterogênea e complexa, com diferentes fenótipos e endótipos. Agora está claro que o objetivo do tratamento da asma deve ser alcançar e manter o controle da doença e evitar riscos futuros (exacerbações, instabilidade da doença, perda acelerada da função pulmonar e efeitos adversos do tratamento). Isso implica em uma abordagem personalizada, incluindo tratamento farmacológico, educação do paciente, plano de ação por escrito, treinamento para uso do dispositivo inalatório e revisão da técnica inalatória a cada visita ao consultório. Um painel de 22 pneumologistas brasileiros foi convidado a revisar criticamente evidências recentes de tratamento farmacológico da asma e a preparar esta recomendação, um guia de tratamento adaptado à nossa realidade. A escolha dos tópicos ou questões relacionadas às mudanças mais significativas nos conceitos e, consequentemente, no manejo da asma na prática clínica foi realizada por um painel de especialistas. Foi solicitado a cada especialista que revisasse criticamente um tópico ou respondesse a uma pergunta, com base em evidências, para estas recomendações. Numa segunda fase, três especialistas discutiram e estruturaram todos os textos submetidos pelos demais e, na última fase, todos revisaram e discutiram cada recomendação. As presentes recomendações se aplicam a adultos e crianças com asma e destinam-se a médicos envolvidos no tratamento da doença.

ABSTRACT The pharmacological management of asthma has changed considerably in recent decades, as it has come to be understood that it is a complex, heterogeneous disease with different phenotypes and endotypes. It is now clear that the goal of asthma treatment should be to achieve and maintain control of the disease, as well as to minimize the risks (of exacerbations, disease instability, accelerated loss of lung function, and adverse treatment effects). That requires an approach that is personalized in terms of the pharmacological treatment, patient education, written action plan, training in correct inhaler use, and review of the inhaler technique at each office visit. A panel of 22 pulmonologists was invited to perform a critical review of recent evidence of pharmacological treatment of asthma and to prepare this set of recommendations, a treatment guide tailored to use in Brazil. The topics or questions related to the most significant changes in concepts, and consequently in the management of asthma in clinical practice, were chosen by a panel of experts. To formulate these recommendations, we asked each expert to perform a critical review of a topic or to respond to a question, on the basis of evidence in the literature. In a second phase, three experts discussed and structured all texts submitted by the others. That was followed by a third phase, in which all of the experts reviewed and discussed each recommendation. These recommendations, which are intended for physicians involved in the treatment of asthma, apply to asthma patients of all ages.

Abstract: Digital games are no longer seen as a form of entertainment detrimental to health. They have become an important tool to improve the treatment of patients, ranging from those who are experiencing a serious illness, such as cancer, to those requiring milder procedures such as physiotherapy. However, there are people who are physically disabled and have difficulty playing digital games. In this line of reasoning, this work presents a systematic review on the use of digital games for people with physical disabilities in the upper limbs. The sources of research were the following indexed databases: IEEE Xplore, Portal of Periodicals of the Coordination of Improvement of Personnel of Higher Level (CAPES), PubMed, Scielo, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of Science. It should be noted that the application of Systematic Mapping in the elaboration of a bibliographical review allowed to identify the main gaps for the development of new research, and to redirect to the main publications related to the study. Finally, the results shows that it is an area that is constantly expanding.

Resumo Como um grave problema de saúde pública, não é recente o interesse das organizações internacionais pela problemática da mortalidade por suicídio, tanto nos distintos grupos etários como nos segmentos socioeconômicos. A sociologia, desde suas origens, oferece explicações a respeito dos determinantes estruturais desse fenômeno. As estatísticas oficiais indicam que o Brasil é o oitavo país com o maior número de suicídios no mundo, todavia, existem poucos estudos que se dedicam a tratar do assunto, ainda que o suicídio tenha elevada prevalência em muitas sociedades contemporâneas. Partindo dessa lacuna na literatura, este artigo apresenta os padrões das mortes por suicídios no Brasil entre os anos de 1980 a 2010, usando informações do Sistema de Informações de Mortalidade (SIM/DataSUS), do Ministério da Saúde. Ao tomar como unidade de análise os municípios brasileiros, análises exploratórias e econométricas foram usadas a fim de verificar o efeito de elementos de integração social sobre as taxas de suicídios. Adicionalmente, investigou-se como o espaço é uma variável relevante para o estudo desse fenômeno, indicando para duas grandes regiões de conglomerados espaciais no Brasil. Os resultados apontam uma possível associação entre fatores de baixa integração social e maior taxa de suicídio no Brasil.

Abstract As a major public health problem, the interest of the international organizations in the issue of problematic of suicide mortality, wether in the different age groups or socioeconomic segments, is not recent. Sociology itself, since its onset, explains the phenomenon from its structural determinants. Official statistics indicate that Brazil is the eighth country with the largest number of suicides in the world, however, there are few studies that deal with the subject, although suicide has high prevalence in many contemporary societies. Based on this literature gap, this article presents the patterns of suicide deaths in Brazil between 1980 and 2010, using information from the Mortality Information System - SIM / DataSUS, of the Ministry of Health. Using as a unit of analysis the municipalities, exploratory and econometric analyzes were used to verify the effect of social integration’s elements on suicide rates. Additionally, we investigated how space is a relevant variable for the study of this phenomenon, indicating for two large spatial clusters of regions in Brazil. The results point to a possible association between factors of low social integration and higher suicide rates in Brazil.

ABSTRACT PURPOSE: To analyze the healing effects of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) application compared to wound dressing with 2% silver sulfadiazine in full thickness burn wounds in rats. METHODS: Animals were divided into two groups: 2% silver sulfadiazine group and SVF group. Both groups received occlusive bandages while the first one was treated with 2% silver sulfadiazine and the latter was treated with injections of SVF prepared from adipose tissue extracted from an animal donor. The animals were accompanied through 3, 7 and 30 days for evaluation of macroscopic, microscopic and morphometric aspects. RESULTS: On day three, a significant increase (p<0.05) of infiltration of polymorphonuclear, fibrin formation and fibroblasts migration in SVF group was observed. On the 7th day the mononuclear infiltrate, angiogenesis, collagen and fibroblasts were significantly increased in the SVF group (p<0.05). At 30 days significantly increased collagen deposition was observed in the SVF group (p<0.05) . CONCLUSION: Adipose tissue derived stromal vascular fraction injections promotes better wound repair than 2% silver sulfadiazine in the treatment of full thickness burn in rats during the evaluated experimental period.

Introduction: Individuals with mobility impairments associated with lower limb disabilities often face enormous challenges to participate in routine activities and to move around various environments. For many, the use of wheelchairs is paramount to provide mobility and social inclusion. Nevertheless, they still face a number of challenges to properly function in our society. Among the many difficulties, one in particular stands out: navigating in complex internal environments (indoors). The main objective of this work is to propose an architecture based on Mobile Augmented Reality to support the development of indoor navigation systems dedicated to wheelchair users, that is also capable of recording CAD drawings of the buildings and dealing with accessibility issues for that population. Methods Overall, five main functional requirements are proposed: the ability to allow for indoor navigation by means of Mobile Augmented Reality techniques; the capacity to register and configure building CAD drawings and the position of fiducial markers, points of interest and obstacles to be avoided by the wheelchair user; the capacity to find the best route for wheelchair indoor navigation, taking stairs and other obstacles into account; allow for the visualization of virtual directional arrows in the smartphone displays; and incorporate touch or voice commands to interact with the application. The architecture is proposed as a combination of four layers: User interface; Control; Service; and Infrastructure. A proof-of-concept application was developed and tests were performed with disable volunteers operating manual and electric wheelchairs. Results The application was implemented in Java for the Android operational system. A local database was used to store the test building CAD drawings and the position of fiducial markers and points of interest. The Android Augmented Reality library was used to implement Augmented Reality and the Blender open source library handled the basis for implementing directional navigation arrows. OpenGL ES provided support for various graphics and mathematical transformations for embedded systems, such as smartphones. Experiments were performed in an academic building with various labs, classrooms and male and female bathrooms. Two disable volunteers using wheelchairs showed no difficulties to interact with the application, either by entering touch or voice commands, and to navigate within the testing environment with the help of the navigational arrows implemented by the augmented reality modules. Conclusion The novel features implemented in the proposed architecture, with special emphasis on the use of Mobile Augmented Reality and the ability to identify the best routes free of potential hazards for wheelchair users, were capable of providing significant benefits for wheelchair indoor navigation when compared to current techniques described in the literature.

Duas novas espécies de peixe-banjo do gênero Bunocephalus são descritas para as bacias do alto e médio rio São Francisco no Brasil. Bunocephalus hartti difere das demais espécies do gênero pela ausência de ganchos ao longo da margem anterior do espinho da nadadeira peitoral em adultos (vs. presença de ganchos ao longo da margem anterior do espinho). Bunocephalus minerim pode ser distinguido dos demais congêneres, exceto B . larai , pela ausência da barra epifiseana entre os frontais (vs . presença da barra epifiseana ao menos nos adultos). Bunocephalus minerim pode ser distinguidade B . larai e outras congêneres, exceto B. chamaizelus, pela presença de nove raios principais na nadadeira caudal (vs. 10 raios caudais principais).

Two new species of banjo catfish of the genus Bunocephalus are described from the upper and middle rio São Francisco basins of Brazil. Bunocephalus hartti is distinguished from all its congeners by the absence of serrations along the anterior margin of pectoral-fin spine in adults (vs. presence of serrations along the anterior margin of the spine). Bunocephalus minerim can be diagnosed from all congeners,except B. larai, by the absence of an epiphyseal bar between the paired frontals (vs. presence of the epiphyseal bar at least in adults). Bunocephalus minerim is distinguished from B. larai and other congeners, except B. chamaizelus , by having nine principal caudal-fin rays (vs. 10 principal caudal-fin rays).

A Realidade Aumentada (RA) apresenta a vantagem de permitir o uso de ações tangíveis e de operações multimodais, envolvendo voz, gestos, tato, etc. Devido a sua variedade de interfaces é notavelmente maior a complexidade em projetá-las e usá-las. Logo, os projetistas desses sistemas precisam desenvolver um projeto centrado no usuário, se não vários problemas de usabilidade poderão surgir. Para solucionar esse problema, os projetistas de ambientes em RA precisam de orientações, guias e diretrizes para auxiliá-los na construção do projeto. Até a data, guias de projeto para RA que podem ser encontrados na literatura são sugestões bastante estreitas, derivadas de problemas específicos dos pesquisadores. Este trabalho tem o objetivo de apresentar uma investigação que resultou em uma Estratégia de Análise de Requisitos para construção de ambientes com RA. Como resultado dessa estratégia, estão disponíveis para os projetistas guias, atividades da análise do domínio e formulários que o auxiliam na análise de requisitos e na tomada de decisões de como proceder na implementação do sistema. A eficácia da estratégia é verificada com a sua aplicação a um meta-modelo de especificação de requisitos para a construção de um sistema para o auxílio do tratamento da Aracnofobia.

Augmented Reality (AR) offers the advantage of enabling the use of tangible actions and multimodal operations, including voice, gestures, and touch, among others. Due to the its interface varieties of interfaces, the complexity in designing and using them is notably high. Therefore, this system´s designers need to develop a user-focused project or else a lot of usability problems may arise. In order to solve these problems, AR environment designers need instructions, guidance and guidelines in order to help them develop a project. So far, AR project instructions, found in the related literature, are very limited, stemming from researchers' specific problems. This paper has the purpose of presenting an investigation that resulted in a Requirements Analysis Strategy for the development of AR environments. As a result of this strategy, guiding designers have at their disposal domain analysis activities and forms that help them analyze requirements and make decisions on how to proceed in the system´s implementation. The strategy efficacy is verified by means of its application to a requirements specification meta model for the development of a system that helps in the treatment of arachnophobia.

Bunocephalus erondinae, uma espécie nova de bagre banjo é descrita do sistema da laguna dos Patos, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. A espécie nova é distinguível de todas as espécies do gênero pela barra epifiseal óssea muito larga (vs. estreita). Bunocephalus erondinae é externamente muito similar a Bunocephalus doriae (bacias do rio Uruguai e rio Pananá-Paraguai), porém, difere desta espécie pelos seguintes caracteres: barra epifiseal óssea larga (vs. estreita), metapterigoide arredondado, com largura igual a altura (vs. metapterigoide alongado, com largura menor que a metade da altura), lâmina bem desenvolvida no hipial e no cerato-hial anterior (vs. pouco desenvolvida ou ausente), 32 vértebras (vs. 34-35), primeiros raios prócorrentes caudais bem desenvolvidos (vs. vestigiais) da parapófise da quinta vértebra expandida na forma de um machado (vs. não expandida).

Bunocephalus erondinae, a new species of banjo catfish is described from the laguna dos Patos system, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The new species differs from its congeners by the bony epiphyseal bar very wide (vs. narrow). Bunocephalus erondinae is externally most similar to Bunocephalus doriae (rio Uruguay and rio Paraná-Paraguay basins), however, differs from this species by the following characters: the bony epiphyseal bar very wide (vs. narrow); metapterygoid round, width is equal the height (vs. metapterygoid elongate, width lesser than half of height), well developed lamina in the hypohyal and anterior ceratohyal bones (vs. little developed or absent), 32 vertebrae (vs. 34-35), first procurrent caudal-fin rays well developed (vs. vestigial), vertebral parapophysis 5 distally expanded, shaped like an axe (vs. not expanded).