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In this study, we aimed to identify how Information Technology professionals make sense of digital transformation, in order to compare this perception with the scientific literature on the topic. To conduct the research, we adopted the Social Representation Theory. Thus, via an online tool, we applied the words evocation technique as well as an ancillary questionnaire comprising open and closed questions. The expressions collected were then semantically treated and categorized, being then analyzed vis-à-vis their frequency of evocation, relevance, connectedness, and cooccurrence. Then, we performed similarity and content analyses for the open answers received. In doing so, we detected dissonance between scientific production on the concept of digital transformation and the perception of Information Technology professionals on this construct, concluding that such professionals have a technocentric view of digital transformation, based mainly on its technological aspects, which can prevent digital transformation initiatives from fully achieving the desired objectives.

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The present study aimed to investigate the effects of emotional congruency between faces and words on word evaluation through event-related brain potentials (ERPs). To this end, 20 women performed a face-word congruency task in which an emotional face was presented simultaneously with an affective word in a non-superimposed format. Participants had to evaluate the emotional valence of the word in three different conditions: congruent, incongruent, and control. The emotionally congruent words were categorized faster and more accurately than the incongruent ones. In addition, the emotionally congruent words elicited higher P3/LPP amplitudes than the incongruent ones. These results indicate a beneficial effect of emotional face-word congruency on emotional judgments of words.

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Scene classification in autonomous navigation is a highly complex task due to variations, such as light conditions and dynamic objects, in the inspected scenes; it is also a challenge for small-factor computers to run modern and highly demanding algorithms. In this contribution, we introduce a novel method for classifying scenes in simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) using the boundary object function (BOF) descriptor on RGB-D points. Our method aims to reduce complexity with almost no performance cost. All the BOF-based descriptors from each object in a scene are combined to define the scene class. Instead of traditional image classification methods such as ORB or SIFT, we use the BOF descriptor to classify scenes. Through an RGB-D camera, we capture points and adjust them onto layers than are perpendicular to the camera plane. From each plane, we extract the boundaries of objects such as furniture, ceilings, walls, or doors. The extracted features compose a bag of visual words classified by a support vector machine. The proposed method achieves almost the same accuracy in scene classification as a SIFT-based algorithm and is 2.38× faster. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in terms of accuracy and robustness for the 7-Scenes and SUNRGBD datasets.

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Introduction: Atherosclerosis, cognitive impairment, and depression are common entities in postmenopausal patients. Our aim was to ascertain the relationship between the carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and cognitive function and depression in postmenopausal women. Material and methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional, comparative study among postmenopausal women. A carotid artery ultrasound was performed, and the IMT was measured. Mental function was assessed with the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), and the presence of depression with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). For statistical analysis the Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman correlation were used. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and odds ratio (OR) were calculated. Results: Seventy-five patients were studied. The median of age was 52 years (31-76), and the IMT was 1.1 mm (0.6-0.20). The HDRS score was 8.9 (1-21), and that of the MMSE was 29 (18-30). After dividing the group according to the presence or absence of depression, it was found that age and IMT were greater in the group with depression, and the MMSE score was greater in the group without depression. After dividing according to the MMSE score, age and HDRS score were significantly greater in the group with cognitive impairment. The intima-media thickness had an OR of 12.2 (2.6-58.0) for cognitive impairment and an OR of 5.2 (1.9-14.1) for depression. Conclusions: The intima-media thickness is associated with greater risk of cognitive impairment and depression.

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Introduction: Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) functioning at Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels IV and V require "on time" identification and intervention. Interventions offered continue to be a challenge, in high-, but even more so in middle-, and low-income countries. Aim: To describe the methods developed to explore the ingredients of published studies on early interventions in young children with cerebral palsy (CP) at highest risk of being non-ambulant based on the "F-words for child development framework" and the design of a scoping review exploring these ingredients. Method: An operational procedure was developed through expert panels to identify ingredients of published interventions and related F-words. After sufficient agreement among researchers was reached, a scoping review was designed. The review is registered in the Open Science Framework database. The "Population, Concept and Context" framework was used. Population: young children (0-5 years with CP and at highest risk for being non-ambulant (GMFCS levels IV or V); Concept: non-surgical and non-pharmacological early intervention services measuring outcomes from any ICF domain; Context: studies published from 2001 to 2021. After duplicated screening and selection, data will be extracted and quality will be assessed with the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) and Mixed Methods Appraisal (MMAT) tools. Results: We present the protocol to identify the explicit (directly measured outcomes and respective ICF domains) and implicit (intervention features not explicitly intended or measured) ingredients. Conclusion: Findings will support the implementation of the F-words in interventions for young children with non-ambulant CP.

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Accessibility to housing is crucial for people with disabilities as it provides them with equal opportunities and allows them to live independently. A systematic literature review has been conducted to understand the current research on accessibility in housing for people with disabilities in Latin America. The study analysed 56 papers and used co-word analysis to identify common themes and topics within the documents. The results of the analysis showed that Brazil (61%) is the country with the most research on the subject, physical disability, at 36%, is the impairment most analysed, and interventions or analysis for the older people (45%) in their homes is the most researched type of population. The co-word analysis revealed that topics such as policy, regulations, the use of technologies, ergonomics interventions, and architectural criteria or barriers to the daily life of disabled people were frequently discussed in the papers. Although this work shows a substantial and growing increase in research on housing for people with disabilities in Latin America, it also demonstrates the importance of increasing research on other types of impairment, such as visual and cognitive-intellectual disabilities, and including children, caregivers, or even young adults.

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The present study investigated the effect of emotional valence on auditory word recognition memory in English as a foreign language. Participants included 48 native Spanish speakers whose foreign language was English. They viewed four emotionally negative, four positive, and four neutral videos that, in total, contained 48 emotionally valenced target words. After watching the videos, participants completed an auditory word recognition memory task where target words, and the same number of fillers, were presented. The results showed a statistically significant main effect of valence on both reaction times and accuracy. Positive words were recognised more accurately and faster than neutral and negative words, but no difference between neutral and negative stimuli was found. These findings fit in well within the gradient model of automatic vigilance, which implies that emotional valence has a monotonic effect on processing latencies during auditory recognition memory in a foreign language.

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The association of chronic exposure to pesticides with overweight and abdominal obesity in adult farmers was investigated. This cross-sectional study included a random sample of 122 farmers and their family members of both sexes (61% were male), living in the municipality of Farroupilha, southern Brazil. Pesticide groups and their individual compounds were self-reported and classified according to major functional and chemical classes (never used, 1-20 years, or > 20 years of use). Abdominal obesity and overweight were the outcomes of interest. A multivariate Poisson regression model was analyzed. After confounding factors were controlled, chronic use (>20 years) of insecticides (PR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.00-2.10) and organophosphorus pesticides (PR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.02-2.12) was associated with a higher prevalence of overweight but not abdominal obesity. Additional studies are needed to confirm our findings and clarify the specific mechanisms of these pollutants in the etiology of obesity.

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The aim of this study was to investigate histopathological and inflammatory response in liver and kidney of rats after crack exposure. For this purpose, a total of 32 male Wistar rats were distributed into four groups: (G1) and (G2): received 18 mg/kg of body weight (b.w) of crack cocaine, but Group G2 remained 72 h without exposure after the experimental period (5 days). Experimental group 3 (G3): received 36 mg/kg of body weight (b.w) of crack cocaine. Control Group (CTRL): received only the vehicle (DMSO) administered by intraperitoneal (i.p) route for 5 days. The results showed that crack cocaine induced histopathological changes in liver and kidney. Immunohistochemistry data revealed that G2 group showed a higher immunoexpression of Ki-67 in hepatic and renal tissues. Regarding inflammation, the results showed that all groups exposed to crack cocaine decreased the expression of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 in liver and kidney. In summary, our results showed that the subacute doses of crack cocaine used in this study had cytotoxic, and immunosuppressive effects in liver and kidney of rats, especially at 36 mg/kg dose. Since cellular death and inflammation participates in the multi-step process of chemical carcinogenesis, these data offer new insights into potential ways to understand the pathobiological mechanisms induced by crack cocaine in several tissues and organs.

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BACKGROUND: Adjuvant chemotherapy with trastuzumab for HER2 positive breast cancers has brought considerable benefits to disease-free survival and overall survival. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of the treatment of patients with early and locally advanced HER2 positive breast cancer, within the scope of the Brazilian public health system, comparing adjuvant chemotherapy with and without trastuzumab, for 1 year of treatment. METHODS: A 4-state Markov model was developed to estimate strategy costs and outcomes. RESULTS: Based on the proposed model, we verified an incremental benefit of trastuzumab therapy compared to treatment without trastuzumab with 0.84 quality-adjusted life years (QALY) and 1.16 life years gained (LYG). The use of adjuvant chemotherapy with trastuzumab has an ICER of US$19,599.26 for each quality-adjusted life year and US$14,180.68 for each life year gained in relation to chemotherapy without trastuzumab. CONCLUSION: In Brazil, adjuvant chemotherapy with trastuzumab may be considered cost-effective only if a cost-effectiveness threshold is stipulated with the value starting at three times the Brazilian GDP per capita for QALY or two times the Brazilian GDP per capita for LYG, from health system perspective.

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INTRODUCTION: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a systemic and neglected parasitic disease. Its main symptoms are fever, splenomegaly with or without hepatomegaly, and anemia, however, most individuals remain asymptomatic. Due to the lack of a gold standard and the limitations of current diagnostic techniques, where parasitology is ethically unfeasible for individuals without symptoms and serological tests do not differentiate between past and present disease, molecular methodologies are the most suitable. AREAS COVERED: We performed a systematic review analyzing the molecular techniques based on PCR used, so far, to detect asymptomatic cases of VL in humans. Structured searches were carried out on PubMed, LILACS, Scopus, and Web of Science databases without time and language restrictions. Two reviewers evaluated the studies, performed data extraction, and quality assessment by assigning scores. EXPERT OPINION: qPCR using RNA targets can be used in the diagnosis of asymptomatic cases of human VL, due to its characteristics. We recommend further studies to analyze the methodology, mainly observing the use of different rRNA targets. Therefore, we hope that this technique contributed to the construction of public policies that address the diagnosis and handling of asymptomatic patients.

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Introducción: el proceso de evaluación del desempeño de los recursos humanos en proyectos médicos está sujeto a niveles considerables de subjetividad, lo cual genera incertidumbre a la hora de tomar decisiones. Problemas de esta índole donde se incluye la evaluación y clasificación de alternativas en el proceso, pueden ser abordados a través de la Computación con palabras. Objetivo: el objetivo del presente trabajo es desarrollar un método para la evaluación del desempeño de los recursos humanos en proyectos médicos mediante computación con palabras. Materiales y métodos: se utilizan los conjuntos de datos lingüísticos para mejorar la interpretación de los resultados. Se emplea el modelo de representación de la información lingüística basado en 2-tuplas en el tratamiento de la incertidumbre. El procesamiento de la información se realizó mediante los operadores de agregación de información Promedio Ponderado Ordenado que permiten la agregación de información de acuerdo a parámetros predefinidos obteniéndose un valor representativo. Resultados: se obtiene un método de apoyo a la toma de decisiones basado en la computación con palabras. El método propuesto fue implementado para manejar la incertidumbre existente en el proceso de evaluación del desempeño de los recursos humanos en proyectos médicos a partir de la evaluación y clasificación de alternativas, basado en computación con palabras. Conclusiones: la implementación del método propuesto, permite evaluar y clasificar a los Recursos Humanos según su desempeño(AU)

Introduction: the process of evaluating the performance of human resources in medical projects is subject to considerable levels of subjectivity, which generates uncertainty when making decisions. Problems of this nature, where the evaluation and classification of alternatives is included in the process, can be addressed through Computing with Words. Objective: to develop a method for evaluating the performance of human resources in medical projects using Computing with Words. Method: linguistic data sets are used to improve the interpretation of the results. The 2-tuple-based linguistic information representation model is used in the treatment of uncertainty. The information processing was performed using the Ordered Weighted Average information aggregation operators that allow the aggregation of information according to predefined parameters obtaining a representative value. Results: a method of decision support is obtained, based on Computing with Words. The method was implemented to manage the uncertainty in the process of evaluating the performance of human resources in medical projects based on the evaluation and classification of alternatives. Conclusions: the implementation of the proposed method allows evaluating and classifying human resources according to their performance(AU)

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Single-stranded positive RNA ((+) ssRNA) viruses include several important human pathogens. Some members are responsible for large outbreaks, such as Zika virus, West Nile virus, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2, while others are endemic, causing an enormous global health burden. Since vaccines or specific treatments are not available for most viral infections, the discovery of direct-acting antivirals (DAA) is an urgent need. Still, the low-throughput nature of and biosafety concerns related to traditional antiviral assays hinders the discovery of new inhibitors. With the advances of reverse genetics, reporter replicon systems have become an alternative tool for the screening of DAAs. Herein, we review decades of the use of (+) ssRNA viruses replicon systems for the discovery of antiviral agents. We summarize different strategies used to develop those systems, as well as highlight some of the most promising inhibitors identified by the method. Despite the genetic alterations introduced, reporter replicons have been shown to be reliable systems for screening and identification of viral replication inhibitors and, therefore, an important tool for the discovery of new DAAs.

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A common practice among clinical psychologists and other health professionals is the use of school-based sexual health promotion programs as a means for preventing sexually transmitted infections. A fundamental criterion for the designing and adaptation of these programs is the age of their target populations because limited education and language are the most relevant factors that limit the efficacy of these programs. The contribution of this paper consists of assessing both the readability of the written materials that accompany the contents of a Spanish-written school-based sexual health promotion program used in Colombia, as well as the words co-occurrence network structure of its contents. The readability of the evaluated program corresponded to its intended target population aged between 14 and 19, with the schooling of 9-13 years of education. The resulting words co-occurrence network structure of the COMPAS program also mirrored its theoretical content. These results all together are deemed as empirical evidence of the adequacy of the program.

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Though well established for languages acquired in infancy, the role of embodied mechanisms remains poorly understood for languages learned in middle childhood and adulthood. To bridge this gap, we examined 34 experiments that assessed sensorimotor resonance during processing of action-related words in real and artificial languages acquired since age 7 and into adulthood. Evidence from late bilinguals indicates that foreign-language action words modulate neural activity in motor circuits and predictably facilitate or delay physical movements (even in an effector-specific fashion), with outcomes that prove partly sensitive to language proficiency. Also, data from newly learned vocabularies suggest that embodied effects emerge after brief periods of adult language exposure, remain stable through time, and hinge on the performance of bodily movements (and, seemingly, on action observation, too). In sum, our work shows that infant language exposure is not indispensable for the recruitment of embodied mechanisms during language processing, a finding that carries non-trivial theoretical, pedagogical, and clinical implications for neurolinguistics, in general, and bilingualism research, in particular.

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Resumo Com base nos estudos conduzidos de acordo com o paradigma Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM), em quais palavras de uma lista tendem a evocar outros itens relacionados, utilizado em pesquisas de falsas memórias, neste estudo elaborou-se 15 listas de palavras semanticamente relacionadas para o português. Para a elaboração das listas, foram considerados critérios como frequência de palavras no corpus de português brasileiro e extensão de palavras. A pré-seleção guiada por características linguísticas visava controlar possíveis vieses por parte dos voluntários. Testes de associação semântica e concretude de palavras foram realizados para apurar a conveniência dos itens selecionados, e um teste de recordação livre foi conduzido para avaliar características de evocação. Sugerimos a utilização das listas de palavras em pesquisas que avaliem falsas memórias.

Abstract Based on studies conducted in accordance with the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm, in which words of a list tend to evoke other related items, used in false memory research, this study produced 15 lists of semantically related words for Brazilian Portuguese. For the preparation of the lists, certain criteria were considered, such as word length and frequency of words in a Brazilian Portuguese corpus. Pre-selection guided by linguistic characteristics aimed to control possible biases among volunteers. Semantic association and concreteness tests were carried out to determine the suitability of the selected items, and a free recall test was performed to evaluate evocation characteristics. We suggest using word lists in researches that evaluate false memories.

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O presente estudo explorou a relação da medida de vocabulário da Escala WISC-III com as habilidades de precisão de leitura de palavras e de compreensão de texto, com 174 crianças, matriculadas no 3º e 4º anos do ensino fundamental. Identificou-se evidência de predição do vocabulário na compreensão de texto, mesmo depois do controle da precisão de leitura de palavras, da consciência fonológica e morfológica, e da memória de curto prazo. O mesmo não foi encontrado para a leitura de palavras. Os resultados indicam que o vocabulário medido pelo teste do WISC-III se relaciona com as habilidades de leitura, mas tem papel preditivo apenas na compreensão de texto. Esses achados são discutidos à luz da teoria do Modelo Simples de Leitura e da Hipótese Qualidade Lexical. (AU)

The present study explored the relationship of the WISC-III Vocabulary measure with the skills of word reading and reading comprehension in 174 children enrolled in the 3rd and 4th grades of Elementary School. Evidence of prediction of vocabulary in reading comprehension was identified, even after controlling for word reading, phonological awareness, short-term memory, and morphological awareness. The same was not found for the skill of word reading. The results indicate that the WISC-III vocabulary relates to reading skills, but has a predictive role only in text comprehension. These findings are discussed in light of the Simple Reading Model theory and the Lexical Quality Hypothesis. (AU)

En el presente estudio fue analizada la relación de la medida de vocabulario de la Escala WISC-III con las habilidades de comprensión de lectura y de texto, participando 174 niños, matriculados en 3º y 4º año de Enseñanza Primaria. Se encontraron evidencias de predicción de vocabulario en la comprensión de texto, inclusive después de controlar otras variables como precisión lectora de palabras, conciencia fonológica, memoria de corto plazo y conciencia morfológica. La misma evidencia no fue encontrada en la lectura de palabras. Los resultados indican que el vocabulario medido por el WISC-III se relaciona con las habilidades de lectura, pero tiene un papel predictivo sólo en la comprensión de texto. Estos hallazgos son discutidos a la luz de la teoría del Modelo de Lectura Simple y la Hipótesis Calidad Léxica. (AU)

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Este artigo, filiado aos estudos da comunicação, aprofunda a hipótese (já apresentada em textos anteriores do autor) de que duas esferas que o discurso do capitalismo globalizado entende como separadas, quais sejam, o negócio do entretenimento e as empresas de tecnologia, constituem um corpo único, a indústria do imaginário. Para essa indústria, o olhar é uma força produtiva, assim como era o trabalho em fases anteriores do capitalismo. Daí a necessidade de uma técnica especializada na extração de olhar e no emprego do olhar para fabricar o que, de passagem, Jacques Lacan, nos anos 1960, chamou de valor de gozo. Assim opera o capitalismo na era da sociedade do espetáculo, em que o capital se encontra "em tal grau de acumulação que se torna imagem" (Debord). A era digital não revogou o espetáculo; ao contrário, potencializou-o numa profusão de signos em que a imagem avança sobre a palavra e, na palavra, a função imaginária fala mais alto que a função simbólica. O triunfo da técnica, antes entendido como a prevalência da razão, impõe-se como o triunfo do capital (espetáculo). O pensamento se recolhe.

This article, together with communication studies, deepens the hypothesis (already presented in previous articles by the same author); of the two sides the globalized capitalism speech understands as separate ones. They are: the entertainment business and the technology companies business, which are one, the industry of the imaginary. For this industry, the vision is a productive force, as the job was in phases previous to capitalism. Therefore, the need for a special technique in the vision and using that to produce what, according to Jacques Lacan, in the 1960s called pleasure principle. That's how capitalism works in the era of Society of Spectacle, when capitalism is found in such an "accumulating level that it becomes image" (Debord). The digital era hasn't eliminated the spectacle; on the contrary, it has made it stronger by abundance of signs that image substitutes words and in words the imaginary means more than the symbolic function. This technique's success, before seen as reason prevalence, is enforced as capital success (spectacle). Ideas are replaced.

Este artículo, asociado a los estudios de la comunicación, profundiza la hipótesis (presentado en textos anteriores del autor) de que dos esferas que el discurso del capitalismo globalizado entiende como separadas, cualesquiera que sean, el negocio del entretenimiento y las empresas de tecnología, constituyen un cuerpo único, la industria de lo imaginario. Para esta industria, la visión es una fuerza productiva, de la misma forma que lo era el trabajo en etapas anteriores del capitalismo. De aquí la necesidad de una técnica especializada en la extracción de la visión y en su empleo para fabricar lo que, Jacques Lacan, en los años 1960, denominó valor de disfrute. De esta forma opera el capitalismo en la era de la sociedad del espectáculo, en la que el capital se encuentra "en tal grado de acúmulo que se convierte en imagen" (Debord). La era digital no revocó el espectáculo; al contrario, lo potencializó en una profusión de signos en los que la imagen avanza sobre la palabra y, en la palabra, la función imaginaria habla más alto que la función simbólica. El triunfo de la técnica, antes entendido como la prevalencia de la razón, se impone como el triunfo del capital (espectáculo). El pensamiento se recoge.

Cet article, affilié aux études de la communication, approfondit l'hypothèse (présentée déjà sur des textes préalables de l'auteur) que deux sphères conçues séparément par le discours du capitalisme mondialisé, à savoir, l'affaire de l'entraînement et les entreprises de technologie, consistent en un corps unique: l'industrie de l'imaginaire. Pour cette industrie, le regard est une force productive, tel que l'était le travail dans les phases antérieures du capitalisme. D'où le besoin d'une technique spécialisé dans l'extraction du regard et dans l'emploie du regard pour fabriquer ce que, dans les années 1960, Jacques Lacan a appelé, en passant, la valeur de jouissance. Ainsi opère le capitalisme dans l'ère de la société du spectacle, où le capital se retrouve "dans un tel degré d'accumulation qu'il devient une image" (Debord). L'ère digitale n'a pas révoqué le spectacle; au contraire, elle l'a potentialisé dans une profusion de signes où l'image avance sur le mot et, dans le mot, la fonction imaginaire parle plus fort que la fonction symbolique. Le triomphe de la technique, que l'on comprenait avant comme la prévalence de la raison, s'impose maintenant comme le triomphe du capital (spectacle). La pensée se recueillit.

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The objective of the present study was, in a first moment, to observe the consumers' perception, qualitatively and quantitatively, with respect to nopal through a cross-cultural study among participants from Mexico (n = 200) and Brazil (n = 200), traditional and potential consumers, respectively. And, secondly, to use a Brazilian nopal cookie to complement the perception of the Brazilians regarding the nopal, evaluating their sensory acceptance and possible commercial potential in this country through the Check All That Apply (CATA) test. The cross-cultural study using the word association task has shown that although nopal is not part of the Brazilian food culture, people are willing to accept it as food because of its functional properties. This result, coupled with the positive acceptance of Mexican nopal cookies, confirmed the primary objective of working with products made from this unfamiliar vegetable in Brazil. In this context, the use of Brazilian nopal cladodes resulted in cookies with satisfactory sensory acceptance. This acceptance was similar to the one obtained by the Mexican commercial cookies. The affective and the CATA tests constitute a potential tool to evaluate and develop innovative products made with nopal, thus increasing their commercial potential. The results obtained provide support for a better utilization of this food, mainly in the arid and semi-arid regions, where this cactus is generally abundant, considering the social and cultural context to which the nopal is inserted in each country.

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