Advancing air quality monitoring: A low-cost sensor network in motion - Part I.

In urban areas, high levels of air pollution pose significant risks to human health, emphasising the need for detailed air quality (AQ) monitoring. However, traditional AQ monitoring relies on the data from Reference Monitoring Stations, which are sparsely distributed and provide only hourly or daily data, failing to capture the spatial and temporal variability of air pollutant concentrations. Addressing this challenge, we introduce in this article the ExpoLIS system, an all-weather mobile AQ monitoring system that integrates various AQ low-cost sensors (LCSs), providing high spatio-temporal resolution data.

A Multiarmed Bandit Approach for LTE-U/Wi-Fi Coexistence in a Multicell Scenario.

Recent studies and literature reviews have shown promising results for 3GPP system solutions in unlicensed bands when coexisting with Wi-Fi, either by using the duty cycle (DC) approach or licensed-assisted access (LAA). However, it is widely known that general performance in these coexistence scenarios is dependent on traffic and how the duty cycle is adjusted. Most DC solutions configure their parameters statically, which can result in performance losses when the scenario experiences changes on the offered data.

A Low-Cost Sensor System Installed in Buses to Monitor Air Quality in Cities.

Air pollution is an important source of morbidity and mortality. It is essential to understand to what levels of air pollution citizens are exposed, especially in urban areas. Low-cost sensors are an easy-to-use option to obtain real-time air quality (AQ) data, provided that they go through specific quality control procedures.

An Educational Game to Teach Children about Air Quality Using Augmented Reality and Tangible Interaction with Sensors.

Air pollution is known to be one of the main causes of injuries to the respiratory system and even premature death. Gases, particles, and biological compounds affect not only the air we breathe outdoors, but also indoors. Children are highly affected by the poor quality of the air they breathe because their organs and immune systems are still in the developmental stages.

Self-care deficit among older men in the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for nursing.

Objectives: to analyze self-care deficit among older men in the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and to discuss the implications for nursing practice.

Methods: web survey, multicentric, qualitative. A total of 120 older men participated, applying a form from April to June 2020 and April to August 2021.

Strategic use of organoids and organs-on-chip as biomimetic tools.

Organoid development and organ-on-a-chip are technologies based on differentiating stem cells, forming 3D multicellular structures resembling organs and tissues in vivo. Hence, both can be strategically used for disease modeling, drug screening, and host-pathogen studies. In this context, this review highlights the significant advancements in the area, providing technical approaches to organoids and organ-on-a-chip that best imitate in vivo physiology.

Drugs and Endogenous Factors as Protagonists in Neurogenic Stimulation.

Neurogenesis is a biological process characterized by new neurons formation from stem cells. For decades, it was believed that neurons only multiplied during development and in the postnatal period but the discovery of neural stem cells (NSCs) in mature brain promoted a revolution in neuroscience field. In mammals, neurogenesis consists of migration, differentiation, maturation, as well as functional integration of newborn cells into the pre-existing neuronal circuit.

Education, but not occupation, is associated with cognitive impairment: The role of cognitive reserve in a sample from a low-to-middle-income country.

Introduction: Education, and less frequently occupation, has been associated with lower dementia risk in studies from high-income countries. We aimed to investigate the association of cognitive impairment with education and occupation in a low-middle-income country sample.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, cognitive function was assessed by the Clinical Dementia Rating sum of boxes (CDR-SOB).

Linear and non-linear analysis of heart rate variability in HIV-positive patients on two different antiretroviral therapy regimens.

Background: Cardiac autonomic dysfunction in HIV+ patients on different antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens has been described. We aimed to characterize parameters of heart rate variability (HRV) and correlate with different classes of ART in HIV+ patients in three experimental conditions: rest, cold face, and tilt tests.

Methods: Cross-sectional study with three groups of age- and gender-matched individuals: group 1, 44 HIV+ patients undergoing combination therapy, with two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) and one non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI); group 2, 42 HIV+ patients using two NRTI and protease inhibitors (PI's); and group 3, 35 healthy volunteers with negative HIV serology (control group).

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Associated with High-Grade Atrioventricular Block and Ventricular Fibrillation: A Case Report.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a condition characterized by reversible left ventricular dysfunction. TCM usually has a good prognosis but, in rare situations, it can be associated with life-threatening arrhythmias. We report a case and the management of TCM with a high-grade AV block and QT prolongation followed by ventricular fibrillation.

First case of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in cardiorespiratory arrest in an emergency room in Brasil: a possible reality?

The extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a procedure that has been used for a long time in reference centers worldwide. Its fundamental precept is to serve as a bridge to a definitive treatment in patients with severe, but potentially reversible, clinical conditions. Despite this, its use in cardiopulmonary arrest (ECPR) is still a matter of debate, especially when indicated in the emergency department.

Multi-Cell LTE-U/Wi-Fi Coexistence Evaluation Using a Reinforcement Learning Framework.

Cellular broadband Internet of Things (IoT) applications are expected to keep growing year-by-year, generating demands from high throughput services. Since some of these applications are deployed over licensed mobile networks, as long term evolution (LTE), one already common problem is faced: the scarcity of licensed spectrum to cope with the increasing demand for data rate. The LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) forum, aiming to tackle this problem, proposed LTE-U to operate in the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum.

Nutritional efficiency of feed-restricted F1 Holstein/Zebu cows in early lactation.

The quantitative feed restriction of lactating cows has been used in intensive production systems as a strategy to reduce production costs. However, the effects of this restriction in F1 Holstein/Zebu cows are unclear. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of quantitative feed restriction on nutrient intake and digestibility, nitrogen balance, feed efficiency, feed behavior, and productive performance in F1 Holstein/Zebu cows during early lactation.

Nutritional efficiency of feed-restricted F1 Holstein/Zebu cows during the middle third of lactation.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different levels of quantitative feed restriction on nutrient intake and digestibility, nitrogen balance, efficiency and feeding behavior, and productive performance in F1 Holstein/Zebu cows during the middle third of their lactation.

Methods: Sixty F1 Holstein/Zebu cows with 111.5 ± 11.

Sediment Sampling in Estuarine Mudflats with an Aerial-Ground Robotic Team.

This paper presents a robotic team suited for bottom sediment sampling and retrieval in mudflats, targeting environmental monitoring tasks. The robotic team encompasses a four-wheel-steering ground vehicle, equipped with a drilling tool designed to be able to retain wet soil, and a multi-rotor aerial vehicle for dynamic aerial imagery acquisition. On-demand aerial imagery, properly fused on an aerial mosaic, is used by remote human operators for specifying the robotic mission and supervising its execution.

Midline brain-in-brain malformation associated with bilateral perirolandic cortical abnormalities: an image review of this rare disorder.

A midline brain-in-brain malformation was recently reported, but appropriate classification of this malformation remains uncertain. We describe a child with a complex brain malformation that was not restricted to the midline structures, enlarging the neuroanatomical spectrum of this pseudotumoral midline dysplasia associated with corpus callosum dysgenesis, azygos anterior cerebral artery, absent septum pellucidum and bilateral perirolandic cortical abnormalities. The spectrum of fusion of the cerebral hemispheres and associated brain hemispherical abnormalities is not completely understood.

Latent tuberculosis in rheumatoid arthritis: evaluating cellular response and high-resolution computed tomography.

Introduction: The diagnosis of latent tuberculosis (LTB) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has become important with the introduction of anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF-α) agents and the appearance of active tuberculosis cases in these patients. The tuberculin skin test (TST) has limited value in patients with RA. Tests based on the release of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) are being studied, but their role has not been well established for this group of patients.

Petroclival meningiomas: surgical management and common complications.

Petroclival meningiomas are technically challenging lesions. They have a tendency to grow slowly, involve cranial nerves and compress the brainstem and basilar artery, pushing them to the opposite side. Their natural history is marked by clinical deterioration and fatal outcome.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Innsbruck Health Dimensions Questionnaire for Neurosurgical Patients (IHD-NS).

The goal of this study was to accomplish the cross-cultural adaptation of a quality of life instrument, specific for neurosurgical patients, called Innsbruck Health Dimensions Questionnaire for Neurosurgical Patients (IHD-NS). Thirty patients participated in this study, male and female, all having been submitted to brain tumor surgery more than twelve months before, and whose ages ranged from 26 to 66. After the process of translation/back translation and the elaboration of the Brazilian version of the instrument, the patients were assessed and reassessed within a one-month period.

Peritumoral brain edema in benign meningiomas: correlation with clinical, radiologic, and surgical factors and possible role on recurrence.

Background: Approximately 60% of meningiomas are associated with peritumoral edema. Various causative factors have been discussed in the literature. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation of PTBE with clinical, radiologic, and surgical aspects and recurrence of meningiomas.

Intracranial meningiomas: magnetic resonance imaging findings in 78 cases.

Objective: To present the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings of 78 patients with meningiomas diagnosed in a single institution.

Method: 78 patients with histological proven intracranial meningioma were studied. There were 52 female and 26 male patients (median=56 years).