Abstract Brazil has a high rate of homicide, whose increase in recent years seems to be closely related to the expansion of the illegal drug market. This study aims to analyze the role that socioeconomic factors (family instability, ethnic heterogeneity, unemployment rate, and average income) play in this escalation. The study uses pooled regression models and fixed and random effects, with panel data from 27 Brazilian states for the period 2006–2015. The results indicate that the illegal drug trade is positively correlated with the mortality rates in Brazil during 2006-2015. Furthermore, the results show family instability, ethnic heterogeneity, unemployment rate, and average income as crime enhancers. This research brings insights that help develop a better interpretation of Brazilian lethal violence: in the 1980s and 1990s, violence was mainly explained by economic factors. This study points to the fact that phenomena linked to social disorder are also correlated with the level of homicides in Brazilian states. Therefore, this paper contributes to the literature by incorporating other elements that suggest alternatives to mitigate violent crime in Brazil.

Resumo O Brasil apresenta um alto índice de homicídios, cujo aumento nos últimos anos parece estar intimamente relacionado à expansão do mercado ilegal de drogas. Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar o papel que fatores socioeconômicos (instabilidade familiar, heterogeneidade étnica, taxa de desemprego e renda média) desempenham nessa escalada. O trabalho utiliza modelos de regressão pooled, efeitos fixos e aleatórios, com dados em painel de 27 estados brasileiros para o período 2006–2015. Os resultados indicam que o comércio ilegal de drogas está positivamente correlacionado com as taxas de mortalidade para o Brasil no período 2006-2015. Além disso, os resultados mostram os papéis da instabilidade familiar, heterogeneidade étnica, taxa de desemprego e renda média como potencializadores do crime. Esta pesquisa traz insights que ajudam a desenvolver uma melhor interpretação da violência letal brasileira: nos anos 80 e 90, a violência era explicada principalmente por fatores econômicos, este estudo aponta para o fato de fenômenos ligados à desordem social também estarem correlacionados com o nível de homicídios nos estados brasileiros. Portanto, este trabalho contribui com a literatura ao incorporar outros elementos que sugerem alternativas para mitigar a criminalidade violenta no Brasil.

Resumo Os incêndios ocorrem devido às ações antrópicas e causam problemas socioambientais no Nordeste do Brasil (NEB). Portanto, este estudo avaliou a variabilidade espaço-temporal dos focos de calor (FC) nas três mesorregiões climáticas de Alagoas: Sertão, Leste e Agreste Alagoano. Os dados de FC foram obtidos do Banco de Dados de Queimadas (BDQueimadas) entre 1998-2020. A série temporal de FC foi submetida às análises estatísticas descritiva, exploratória e multivariada aplicada aos 102 municípios alagoanos. Com base no agrupamento hierárquico identificaram-se três grupos homogêneos (G1, G2 e G3) no Sertão e dois grupos homogêneos de FC no Agreste e Leste Alagoano (G1 e G2). Alguns municípios não formaram grupos (NA), tais como: Belo Monte (26,83 ± 25,87 focos), Limoeiro de Anadia (54,48 ± 38,65 focos), Penedo (262,83 ± 183,80 focos) e Coruripe (553 ± 369,40 focos). A variabilidade interanual dos FC em Alagoas está associada com atividades agrícolas, desmatamento, novas áreas para a criação de animais e colheita da cana-de-açúcar. Na avaliação espacial via densidade de FC por município utilizou-se o período total (1998-2020) e os anos de destaque na série temporal (2012 e 2019). O maior registro de densidade de FC no período total encontra-se na mesorregião do Leste Alagoano e não se descarta que os anos em destaque sejam influenciados pela ocorrência de seca e períodos de estiagens em Alagoas.

Abstract Fires occur due to anthropic actions and cause socio-environmental problems in Northeast Brazil (NEB). Therefore, this study evaluated the spatiotemporal variability of fire focis (FF) in the three climatic mesoregions of Alagoas: Arid Zone, East and Hinterland Alagoano. FF data were obtained from the Queimadas Database (BDQueimadas) between 1998-2020. The FF time series was submitted to descriptive, exploratory, and multivariate statistical analysis applied to 102 municipalities in Alagoas. Based on the hierarchical grouping, three homogeneous groups were identified (G1, G2 and G3) in the Arid Zone and two homogeneous groups of FF in the Hinterland and East Alagoas (G1 and G2). Some municipalities did not form groups (NA), such as: Belo Monte (26.83 ± 25.87 foci), Limoeiro de Anadia (54.48 ± 38.65 foci), Penedo (262.83 ± 183.80 foci) and Coruripe (553 ± 369.40 foci). The interannual FF variability in Alagoas is associated with agricultural activities, deforestation, new areas for animal husbandry and sugarcane harvest. In the spatial evaluation via FF density per municipality, the total period (1998-2020) and the years highlighted in the time series (2012 and 2019) were used. The highest FF density record in the total period is found in the East Alagoas mesoregion and it is not ruled out that the highlighted years are influenced by the occurrence of drought and dry periods in Alagoas.

Resumen Introducción. La ciclofosfamida se usa para tratar neoplasias malignas y controlar enfermedades autoinmunitarias, pero uno de sus metabolitos, la acroleína, es tóxico para el urotelio y puede provocar cistitis hemorrágica y malestar grave. Objetivo. Evaluar la capacidad del propóleos rojo para prevenir y tratar la cistitis hemorrágica inducida por ciclofosfamida en ratas. Materiales y métodos. Se extrajo propóleos rojo en goma arábiga al 1 % y se administró por vía subcutánea. En el primer experimento, los grupos IA, IIA, IIIA, IB, IIB y IIIB recibieron agua, goma arábiga y propóleos, respectivamente, durante 30 días. Luego se les administró agua (controles) o el tratamiento (ciclofosfamida) por inyección intraperitoneal. En el segundo experimento, los grupos IVA, VA, VIA recibieron agua por vía intraperitoneal, y los grupos IVB, VB, VIB recibieron el tratamiento por la misma vía, a lo que le siguieron cinco inyecciones con intervalos de dos horas entre ellas, con agua, goma arábiga o propóleos. El tejido de la vejiga se examinó de acuerdo con los criterios de Gray. Resultados. La puntuación total de la inflamación según la histología fue significativamente menor en el grupo VIB (11,33 ± 2,07). La inflamación leve predominó en este grupo, en tanto que la mayoría de los animales del IVB presentó inflamación grave (p=0,0375). Predominaron las úlceras múltiples en los grupos IVA y VB, pero fueron raras o estuvieron ausentes en el VIB (p=0,0118). En general, no se observaron células uroteliales en los grupos IVB y VB, pero sí en el VIB (p=0,0052). La fibrina fue abundante en los grupos IVB y VA, pero predominantemente ausente en el VIB (p=0,0273). Conclusiones. El propóleos rojo puede reducir la inflamación en la cistitis hemorrágica inducida por ciclofosfamida en ratas.

Abstract Introduction. Cyclophosphamide (CP) is used to treat malignant neoplasias and control autoimmune diseases. Still, one of its metabolites, acrolein, is toxic to the urothelium and can lead to hemorrhagic cystitis and severe discomfort. Objective. To evaluate the ability of red propolis to prevent and treat CP-induced hemorrhagic cystitis in rats. Materials and methods. Red propolis was extracted in 1% gum arabic and administered subcutaneously (sc). In the first experiment, groups IA, IIA, and IIIA and groups IB, IIB, and IIIB received water, gum arabic (GA), or propolis, respectively, for 30 days. Then water (controls) or CP (treatment) was administered i.p. In the second experiment, groups IVA, VA, and VIA received water i.p. while groups IVB, VB, and VIB received CP i.p. This was followed by 5 injections at 2-hour intervals with either water, GA, or propolis. Bladder tissue was examined according to Gray’s criteria. Results. The total inflammatory histology score was significantly smaller in group VIB (11.33 ± 2.07). Mild inflammation predominated in group VIB while most of the animals in group IVB had severe inflammation (p=0.0375). Ulcers were predominantly multiple in Groups IVA and VB but rare or absent in Group VIB (p=0.0118). Urothelial cells were mostly absent in groups IVB and VB and present/normal in group VIB (p=0.0052). Fibrin was abundant in groups IVB and VA but mostly absent in group VIB (p=0.0273). Conclusions. Red propolis can reduce inflammation in CP-induced hemorrhagic cystitis in rats.

RESUMO Physalis angulata L. (Solanaceae), conhecida popularmente como camapu, possui elevado potencial farmacológico e agroindustrial. No entanto, por ser uma espécie essencialmente silvestre, os estudos sobre a qualidade fisiológica de suas sementes ainda são escassos. Neste sentido, objetivou-se avaliar o desempenho fisiológico de sementes de P. angulata, em função de tratamentos pré-germinativos com promotores químicos. Para isso, realizou-se testes de germinação, primeira contagem de germinação, índice de velocidade de germinação e emergência de plântulas. O substrato foi previamente umedecido com soluções de ácido giberélico - GA3 (0,00; 0,02; 0,04; 0,06 e 0,08%), nitrato de potássio - KNO3 (0,0; 0,2; 0,4; 0,6; 0,8 e 1,0%), e Stimulate® (0,00; 0,25; 0,50; 0,75; 1,00; 1,25 e 1,50%). Cada promotor químico constituiu um experimento independente, em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com quatro repetições de 25 sementes. Os três promotores químicos estimularam o desempenho fisiológico de sementes de P. angulata, e as concentrações de 0,05% de GA3, 0,4% de KNO3 e 1,0% de Stimulate® foram as mais adequadas.

ABSTRACT Physalis angulata L. (Solanaceae), popularly known as ‘camapu’, has high pharmacological and agroindustrial potential. However, because it essentially is a wild species, studies on the physiological quality of its seeds are still scarce. In this sense, the objective was to evaluate the physiological performance of P. angulata seeds as a function of pre-germination treatments with chemical promoters. For this, germination, first germination count, germination speed index and seedling emergence tests were performed. The substrate was previously moistened with solutions of gibberellic acid - GA3 (0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 and 0.08%), potassium nitrate - KNO3 (0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0%) and Stimulate® (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25 and 1.50%). Each chemical promoter constituted an independent experiment, in a completely randomised design, with four replicates of 25 seeds each. The three chemical promoters enhanced the physiological performance of P. angulata seeds, and the concentrations of 0.05% GA3, 0.4% KNO3 and 1.0% Stimulate® were most suitable.

Abstract Purpose To Compare the extent and intensity of adhesions formed between the intra-abdominal organs and the intraperitoneal implants of polypropylene mesh versus polypropylene/polyglecaprone versus polyester/porcine collagen used for correction of abdominal wall defect in rats. Methods After the defect in the abdominal wall, thirty Wistar rats were placed in three groups (ten animals each) for intraperitoneal mesh implant: polypropylene group, polypropylene/polyglecaprone group, and polyester/porcine collagen group. The macroscopic evaluation of the extent and intensity of adhesions was performed 21 days after the implant. Results The polypropylene group had a higher statistically significant impairment due to visceral adhesions (p value = 0.002) and a higher degree of intense adherence in relation to polypropylene/polyglecaprone and polyester/porcine collagen groups (p value<0.001). The polyester/porcine collagen group showed more intense adhesions than the polypropylene/polyglecaprone group (p value=0.035). Conclusions The intraperitoneal implantation of polypropylene meshes to correct defects of the abdominal wall caused the appearance of extensive and firm adhesions to intra-abdominal structures. The use of polypropylene/polyglecaprone or polyester/porcine collagen tissue-separating meshes reduces the number and degree of adhesions formed.

BACKGROUND Field testing required to license the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine must take into account the current recommendation of the vaccine in Brazil: first dose at 12 months and second dose at 15 months of age in combination with a varicella vaccine. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate the clinical consistency, immunogenicity, and reactogenicity of three batches of MMR vaccine prepared with active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) from Bio-Manguinhos, Fiocruz (MMR-Bio), and compare it to a vaccine (MMR produced by GlaxoSmithKline) with different API. METHODS This was a phase III, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority study of the MMR-Bio administered in infants immunised at health care units in Pará, Brazil, from February 2015 to January 2016. Antibody levels were titrated by immunoenzymatic assays. Adverse events were recorded in diaries. FINDINGS Seropositivity levels after MMR-Bio were 97.6% for measles, 84.7% for mumps, and 98.0% for rubella. After the MMRV vaccine, seroconversion rates and GMT increased substantially for mumps. In contrast, approximately 35% of the children had no detectable antibodies to varicella. Systemic adverse events were more frequent than local events. CONCLUSION The demonstration of batch consistency and non-inferiority of the Bio-MMR vaccine completed the technology transfer. This is a significant technological achievement with implications for immunisation programs.

RESUMO O cistadenoma mucinoso apendicular é entidade rara que causa mucocele apendicular, sendo mais frequente em mulheres acima dos 50 anos. Em metade dos casos, o cistadenoma mucinoso apendicular é assintomático. A tomografia do abdome é o padrão-ouro para um diagnóstico pré-operatório. O tratamento é cirúrgico e tem bom prognóstico; a ressecção completa evolui sem ruptura apendicular e sem extravasamento. Relatamos um caso de paciente homem de 64 anos com cistadenoma mucinoso apendicular. Foi realizada hemicolectomia laparoscópica direita. Esse é um procedimento que pode ser usado com segurança no tratamento de mucocele apendicular, desde que seja executado com cautela.

ABSTRACT Appendiceal mucinous cystadenoma is a rare entity, which causes appendicular mucocele. It is more frequent in women over 50 years old. In half of the cases it is asymptomatic. Tomography of the abdomen is the gold standard in its preoperative diagnosis. The treatment is surgical, with good prognosis, the complete resection evolves without appendicular rupture and extravasation. We report a case of a 64-year-old man with appendiceal mucinous cystadenoma. A laparoscopic right hemicolectomy was performed. This therapy that can be safely used to treat appendiceal mucocele, as long as it is cautious.

This study carried out the microstructural characterization, by light microscopy, of sintered SiC in the presence of liquid phase at temperatures of 1800, 1850 and 1900 ºC, added with Al2O3 and Y2O3 as well with Al2O3-YAG composite in the proportions of 5, 10 and 15% by weight. It was possible to observe the formation of microstructural patterns resulting from the heterogeneous segregation of the additives, such observation is associated to the pulling of additives during the initial stage of ceramography. Two ceramographic paths were followed: method I - surface grinding followed by manual polishing and method II - automatic grinding and polishing. In order to compare the two techniques the analysis of 3D roughness by light interferometry and the Vickers microhardness test were used. It was concluded by the analysis of variance with 95% confidence that the degree of finishing obtained by both methods allowed the adequate microstructural characterization, as well as, to meet the requirements established by the ASTM C1327-15 standard for hardness test.

Resumo: Este trabalho analisou os diversos tipos de ocorrência de subsídio cruzado no setor de saneamento. Verificou-se, então, que existe a sua prática entre grupos de consumo, residencial, comercial, industrial, público e derivações desses: - por nível de consumo, já que os consumidores que consomem mais pagam por um custo unitário de água superior aos demais; - entre produtos, visto que os serviços de água, em alguns casos, são subsidiados pelos serviços de esgoto; - entre localidades, porque, apesar de o custo de captação, tratamento e distribuição da água não ser uniforme entre os municípios em um estado, a tarifa praticada em determinados casos é única. Como resultado, identificou-se que tais mecanismos induzem ao consumo supérfluo, fazem pessoas aquinhoadas serem patrocinadas por pessoas menos favorecidas e geram conflitos intermunicipais.

Abstract: This study examined the several occurrences of cross-subsidy in the Brazilian sanitation sector. We perceived its existence among the following groups: consumers, residential, commercial, industrial, and the public sector. The phenomenon also manifests itself under several guises: by level of consumption, since consumers who consume more pay a higher unit cost of water than others; among products, since water services are sometimes subsidized by sewage services; and among localities, for althought the costs of water collection, treatment, and distribution are not uniform among municipalities in a given state, the rates practised in certain cases are the same. As a result, we found that these mechanisms 1) induce superfluous consumption, 2) result in relatively wealthy people being subsidized by their less-favored brethren, and 3) generate intermunicipal conflicts.

Abstract Introduction: Due to the increasing popularization of computers and the internet expansion, Alternative and Augmentative Communication technologies have been employed to restore the ability to communicate of people with aphasia and tetraplegia. Virtual keyboards are one of the most primitive mechanisms for alternatively entering text and play a very important role in accomplishing this task. However, the text entry for this kind of keyboard is much slower than entering information through their physical counterparts. Many techniques and layouts have been proposed to improve the typing performance of virtual keyboards, each one concerning a different issue or solving a specific problem. However, not all of them are suitable to assist seriously people with motor impairment. Methods: In order to develop an assistive virtual keyboard with improved typing performance, we performed a systematic review on scientific databases. Results: We found 250 related papers and 52 of them were selected to compose. After that, we identified eight essentials virtual keyboard features, five methods to optimize data entry performance and five metrics to assess typing performance. Conclusion: Based on this review, we introduce a concept of an assistive, optimized, compact and adaptive virtual keyboard that gathers a set of suitable techniques such as: a new ambiguous keyboard layout, disambiguation algorithms, dynamic scan techniques, static text prediction of letters and words and, finally, the use of phonetic and similarity algorithms to reduce the user's typing error rate.

In this work, we report a new method for obtaining racemic β-hydroxyesters by reduction of β-ketoesters. The use of glycerol as a reactional medium in selective reduction of β-ketoesters into the corresponding alcohols was shown to be a viable and more efficient alternative compared with the conventional methodology, taking into account green chemistry prerogatives.

Este trabalho tem como objetivo mensurar a eficiência educacional do ensino superior no Brasil, no período de 2004 a 2008, com ênfase nas Instituições Federais de Ensino Superior (IFES). Para tal propósito, mensuraram-se os escores da eficiência educacional por meio da análise de dados DEA-SBM. Procurou-se considerar os indicadores de gestão educacional das próprias instituições observando-as em dois subconjuntos: o grupo A, contendo 28 instituições; e um grupo B, com 21. Os resultados apontaram, em todos os períodos avaliados, níveis elevados de eficiência educacional. As causas da ineficiência da produção educacional das IFES variaram de acordo com os grupos analisados; por exemplo, para a maioria das IFES do grupo A, o elevado número de alunos por professores e o aumento do custo por aluno foram causas de ineficiência. Já para as IFES do grupo B, os fatores que mais comprometeram a eficiência foram o elevado número de alunos por professores e por funcionários, e o índice de qualificação do corpo docente. Ademais, a baixa taxa de sucesso nos cursos de graduação e do conceito CAPES-MEC, dos cursos de pós-graduação, representaram fatores de ineficiência das IFES.

The objective of this study is to measure the educational efficiency of higher education in Brazil, in the period between 2004 and 2008, focusing on the Federal Institutions of Higher Education (FIHE). To achieve this purpose, educational efficiency scores were measured by a DEA-SBM analysis. Indicators of educational management of the institutions were considered, observing them in two subsets: group A containing twenty eight institutions and group B with twenty one. The results indicate higher rates of educational efficiency in the periods designated for this research. The causes of inefficiency in educational production at the FIHEs vary according to the two groups analyzed: for the majority of FIHEs in group A, the high number of students per professor and the increase in cost per student were causes of inefficiency; in group B the factors that most compromised efficiency were the high number of students per professor and staff, as well as the qualification index of the faculty. Moreover, the low rate of success in undergraduate courses and the CAPES-MEC ranking of graduate courses, represented inefficiency factors in the FIHEs.

In the present study, we determined the frequency of superficial and cutaneous mycoses and their etiologic agents during a 7-year period (2002-2008) in Natal, Brazil. A total of 1,717 specimens of skin, nail, and hair were collected from 1,382 patients with suspected mycoses lesions and were then subjected to direct microscopy and culture.

Esta pesquisa foi desenvolvida para avaliar o desempenho produtivo e a histomorfometria dos segmentos do intestino delgado em frangos de corte no período de 1 a 21 dias de idade alimentados com dietas contendo diferentes aditivos melhoradores de crescimento: ração controle (sem melhorador de crescimento); ração controle + antibióticos (colistina e bacitracina de zinco); ração controle + probiótico; ração controle + prebiótico; ração controle + probiótico + prebiótico. As aves foram distribuídas em delineamento em blocos casualizados, com cinco tratamentos e quatro repetições. Foram avaliadas as variáveis de desempenho, consumo de ração, ganho de peso e conversão alimentar e as características morfométricas, altura, perímetro e profundidade de vilos, dos segmentos do intestino delgado no período de 1 a 21 dias de idade. O desempenho das aves e as características morfométricas dos segmentos dos intestino não apresentaram diferença entre os grupos. O uso de probiótico, prebiótico, probiótico + prebiótico e antibiótico em rações para frangos de corte no período de 1 a 21 dias de idade em condições de baixo desafio sanitário não interfere no desempenho e nas características histomorfométricas dos segmentos do intestino delgado.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the performance and intestinal histomorphometry of small intestine segments in broiler chickens in 1 to 21-day of age period, fed diets with different growth promoter additives: control diet (without growth promoter); control diet + antibiotic (colistin and zinc bacitracin); control diet + probiotic (Protexin); control diet + prebiotic (Bio moss); control diet + probiotic + prebiotic. The birds were distributed in a random block design, with five treatments and four replications. It was evaluated variables of performance, feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion and the morphometric characteristics, height, circumference and depth of the villus of small intestine segments in 1 to 21-day of age period. Performance and morphometric traits of small intestine did not present differences among groups. The use of probiotic, prebiotic, probiotic + prebiotic and antibiotic in diets for broiler chickens in 1 to 21-day of age period, in conditions of low health challenge, does not interfere in the performance and in the histomorphometric characteristics of the segments of the small intestine.

O artigo identifica os custos de oportunidade da alocação de efluentes nas áreas plantadas de cana, distantes mais de 2 Km da agroindústria JB, nos meses de safra em que isso não ocorre. Esses custos são obtidos por meio dos valores marginais das variáveis de decisão, provenientes do problema de maximização de benefícios econômicos, resolvido por meio do General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) e da análise do dual do problema linearizado. Além disso, simulam-se diferentes coeficientes para os custos de transporte e de tratamento de efluentes para verificação dos efeitos sobre sua alocação e os benefícios associados à mesma. Desta forma, pode-se subsidiar a identificação de taxas e/ou subsídios que favoreçam a alocação dos efluentes em áreas plantadas de cana mais distantes das agroindústrias, proporcionando não só ganhos de produtividade mais disseminados, como também o respeito aos limites de qualidade do rio.

This paper identifies the opportunity costs in effluent allocation over sugarcane crop acres located more than 2Km away from the agroindustry plant JB, during the harvest season. The optimization problem described herein explains why these opportunity costs are usually missed. Actually, these costs derive from the marginal values associated to the decision-making variables concerning an economic benefit maximization problem resolved using the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) and from the dual analysis of the linearized problem therein. Besides, different effluent transportation and effluent treatment cost coefficients were considered in simulating possible impacts and benefits regarding effluent allocation. This approach supports the optimal definition of charging and/or subsidizing schemes best suited to allocate effluents over sugarcane crops located farther away from hub agroindustry plants, not just for more disseminated productivity gains, but also for best compliance with river water quality constraints.