Toxicity of Heavy Metals that Affect Germination, Development and Cell Cycle of Allium cepa L.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of heavy metals copper, cadmium, lead, aluminum and nickel, on the growth, physiology, metabolism, and cell cycle of Allium cepa L. Five treatments with increasing concentrations (0, 50, 100, 250, and 500 µM) were applied to the seeds. The results showed that the highest concentrations of copper and cadmium had phytotoxic and biochemical effects on the onion. Additionally, copper concentrations caused an increase in mitodepressive effect and chromosomal abnormalities. Aluminum also induced several chromosomal abnormalities. The study found that Cd > Cu > Pb > Ni > Al and Cu > Al > Ni > Pb > Cd had the highest phytotoxic and cytotoxic potentials, respectively. Furthermore, the UPGMA method revealed three divergent groups. These results suggest that heavy metals, especially copper, have a significant pollution potential when present in high concentrations.

SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection Cases in a Household-Based Prospective Cohort in Rio de Janeiro.

This was a household-based prospective cohort study conducted in Rio de Janeiro, in which people with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and their household contacts were followed from April 2020 through June 2022. Ninety-eight reinfections were identified, with 71 (72.5%) confirmed by genomic analyses and lineage definition in both infections. During the pre-Omicron period, 1 dose of any COVID-19 vaccine was associated with a reduced risk of reinfection, but during the Omicron period not even booster vaccines had this effect. Most reinfections were asymptomatic or milder in comparison with primary infections, a justification for continuing active surveillance to detect infections in vaccinated individuals. Our findings demonstrated that vaccination may not prevent infection or reinfection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2). Therefore we highlight the need to continuously update the antigenic target of SARS CoV-2 vaccines and administer booster doses to the population regularly, a strategy well established in the development of vaccines for influenza immunization programs.

The Role of Children in Household Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Across Four Waves of the Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: It is important to understand the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in close-contact settings such as households. We hypothesized that children would most often acquire SARS-CoV-2 from a symptomatic adult caregiver. METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted from April 2020 to July 2022 in a low-resource, urban settlement in Brazil. We recruited families who brought their children to a public clinic. We collected nasopharyngeal and oral swabs from household members and tracked symptoms and vaccination. RESULTS: In total, 1256 participants in 298 households were tested for SARS-CoV-2. A total of 4073 RT-PCR tests were run with 893 SARS-CoV-2 positive results (21.9%). SARS-CoV-2 cases were defined as isolated cases (N = 158) or well-defined transmission events (N = 175). The risk of household transmission was lower if the index case was a child (OR: 0.3 [95% CI: 0.16-0.55], P < .001) or was vaccinated (OR: 0.29 [95% CI: 0.1-0.85], P = .024), and higher if the index was symptomatic (OR: 2.53 [95% CI: 1.51-4.26], P < .001). The secondary attack rate for child index cases to child contacts was 0.29, whereas the secondary attack rate for adult index cases to child contacts was 0.47 (P = .08). CONCLUSIONS: In this community, children were significantly less infectious to their household contacts than adolescents or adults. Most children were infected by a symptomatic adult, usually their mother. There was a double benefit of vaccination as it protected the vaccine from severe illness and prevented onward transmission to household contacts. Our findings may also be valid for similar populations throughout Latin America.

Implicações da Pandemia para a Psicologia nas Políticas Públicas / Implications of the Pandemic for Psychology in Public Policies / Implicaciones de la Pandemia para la Psicología en las Políticas Públicas

O artigo objetivou identificar e analisar desafios e potencialidades no trabalho de psicólogas(os) nas políticas públicas brasileiras na conjuntura pandêmica. É um estudo exploratório-descritivo de abordagem mista. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de questionário virtual com 123 psicólogas(os) que trabalhavam nas políticas públicas no país. A análise se deu a partir da extração de medidas de tendência central e pela Análise de Conteúdo temática, em um diálogo da psicologia com a tradição marxista. Os resultados apontaram para os efeitos deletérios objetivos e subjetivos do sucateamento das políticas às(aos) profissionais, bem como o tolhimento de suas práticas. Por outro lado, também apontaram algumas potencialidades que contradizem a si próprias(os) e à realidade. Fica a premência de responsabilização do Estado em fornecer melhores condições de trabalho e fortalecer as políticas públicas para o enfrentamento à pandemia, assim como a necessidade de reflexão e transformação da psicologia e sua práxis.

The article aimed to identify and analyze the challenges and potentialities of psychologists' work in Brazilian public policies in the pandemic context. It's an exploratory-descriptive study with a mixed approach. Data collection was carried out through a virtual questionnaire with 123 psychologists working in public policies around the country. The analysis was carried out from the extraction of central tendency measures and by Thematic Content Analysis, in a dialogue between psychology and the Marxist tradition. Results pointed to numerous deleterious effects (objective and subjective) on professionals resulting from the scrapping of public policies and the hampering of their practices. On the other hand, they also pointed out some potentialities that contradict themselves and reality. There is an urgent need for state responsibility to offer better working conditions and to strengthen public policies to fight the pandemic, together with the need for reflection and transformation of psychology and its own praxis.

El artículo objetivó identificar y analizar desafíos y potencialidades del trabajo de psicólogas/os en las políticas públicas brasileñas en el contexto de la pandemia. Es un estudio exploratorio-descriptivo con enfoque mixto. La recolección de datos se realizó a través de un cuestionario virtual con 123 psicólogos que trabajaban en políticas públicas en el país. El análisis se realizó a partir de la extracción de medidas de tendencia central, y por Análisis de Contenido temática, en un diálogo entre psicología y tradición marxista. Los resultados apuntaron los efectos deletéreos (objetivos y subjetivos) del desguace de políticas a los profesionales y la obstaculización de sus prácticas. Por otro lado, también señalaron potencialidades que contradicen a sí mismos y a la realidad. Existe una necesidad urgente de rendición de cuentas del Estado para mejorar las condiciones laborales y el fortalecimiento de las políticas para combatir la pandemia y la necesidad de reflexión y transformación de la psicología y de su praxis.

Midsession reversal task with starlings: A quantitative test of the timing hypothesis.

In the Mid-Session Reversal task (MSR), an animal chooses between two options, S1 and S2. Rewards follow S1 but not S2 from trials 1-40, and S2 but not S1 from trials 41-80. With pigeons, the psychometric function relating S1 choice proportion to trial number starts close to 1 and ends close to 0, with indifference (PSE) close to trial 40. Surprisingly, pigeons make anticipatory errors, choosing S2 before trial 41, and perseverative errors, choosing S1 after trial 40. These errors suggest that they use time into the session as the preference reversal cue. We tested this timing hypothesis with 10 Spotless starlings. After learning the MSR task with a T-s Inter-Trial Interval (ITI), they were exposed to either 2 T or T/2 ITIs during testing. Doubling the ITI should shift the psychometric function to the left and halve its PSE, whereas halving the ITI should shift the function to the right and double its PSE. When the starlings received one pellet per reward, the ITI manipulation was effective: The psychometric functions shifted in the direction and by the amount predicted by the timing hypothesis. However, non-temporal cues also influenced choice.

Is a diet of Planococcus citri nymphs and adults suitable for Chrysoperla externa for use in biological control?

ABSTRACT Several studies have shown that the survival and reproduction of lacewings varies depending on the type of prey they consumed, especially during the first instar. In this study, we evaluated the effect of a diet consisting of Ephestia kuehniella (EK) and/or Planococcus-citri (PC) eggs offered to first instar Chrysoperla externa on subsequent development and survival. Larvae supplied only with P. citri (PC) nymphs had extended immature development, low survival, adults with lower weight and longevity, low fecundity and egg viability, and lower net reproduction rate (R0). Larvae submitted to the treatment EK+PC responded positively to the diet, showing results similar to those obtained in the control-EK treatment. Therefore, this mealybug supports suitable development and reproduction of C. externa when it is provided to second instar larvae after they fed on E. kuehniella eggs as first instars. As far as we know, this is the first report that demonstrates the effect of natural prey and alternatives on different larval stages of lacewings. This information is valuable in developing protocols for use of C. externaas a pest control agent.

[Vaccines and social media: a debate around vaccines on Instagram and Facebook during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021)]. / Vacinas e redes sociais: o debate em torno das vacinas no Instagram e Facebook durante a pandemia de COVID-19 (2020-2021).

Considering that the Internet and especially social media work as a locus for the circulation of information on COVID-19, this study aimed to assess the attention given to the vaccine theme on Instagram and Facebook in posts throughout two years of pandemic, identifying the temporality in which discussion about the different immunizing agents in social media and highlighting the actors who permeated the discussions on the subject. Data were collected using the CrowdTangle graphical interface, based on search terms in Portuguese related to vaccines approved for use in Brazil and it included posts from public Facebook pages and open Instagram profiles made from January 1st, 2020, to December 31st, 2021. The database included 3,876,408 posts (2,901,457 on Facebook and 974,952 on Instagram). The results showed an alternation of Pfizer, CoronaVac, AstraZeneca, and Janssen vaccines as the focus of discussion, following the public debate established in the country around the dilemmas and advances related to the development, production, distribution, and application of immunizing agents. References to institutions involved in the acquisition and production of immunizing agents were also identified, such as the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the Butantan Institute, and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, present among the thousand social actors that most generated comments from users in both networks. It was evidenced that the debate on immunizing agents, in the analyzed channels and period, was permeated by social media related to journalism and politicians and celebrities' pages and profiles.

Tendo em vista que a Internet e, em especial, as redes sociais funcionam como lócus para a circulação de informações sobre a COVID-19, o objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a atenção dispensada à temática das vacinas no Instagram e Facebook em postagens feitas ao longo de dois anos de pandemia, identificando a temporalidade em que a discussão sobre os diferentes imunizantes nas redes sociais ocorreu e apontando atores que permearam as discussões envolvendo o tema. A coleta de dados foi feita pela interface gráfica do CrowdTangle, a partir de termos de consulta em português relacionados às vacinas aprovadas para uso no Brasil e contemplou postagens de páginas públicas no Facebook e perfis abertos no Instagram feitas de 1º de janeiro de 2020 a 31 de dezembro de 2021. O banco de dados analisado possui 3.876.408 publicações (2.901.457 no Facebook e 974.952 no Instagram). Os resultados evidenciaram uma alternância das vacinas Pfizer, CoronaVac, AstraZeneca e Janssen como foco de discussão, acompanhando temporalmente o debate público que se estabeleceu no país em torno dos dilemas e avanços relativos ao desenvolvimento, à produção, à distribuição e à aplicação dos imunizantes. Também foram identificadas referências às instituições envolvidas na aquisição e produção dos imunizantes, como o Ministério da Saúde, o Instituto Butantan e a Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), presentes entre os mil atores sociais que mais despertaram comentários por parte dos usuários em ambas as redes. Evidenciou-se que o debate sobre imunizantes, nos canais e no período analisados, foi permeado por meios de comunicação ligados ao jornalismo, além de páginas e perfis ligados a políticos e celebridades.

Dado que Internet y, en particular, las redes sociales funcionan como espacios de circulación de la información sobre el COVID-19, el objetivo de este estudio fue verificar la atención prestada al tema de las vacunas en Instagram y Facebook en los posts realizados a lo largo de dos años de pandemia, identificando la temporalidad en que se produjo la discusión sobre los diferentes inmunizantes en las redes sociales y señalando los actores que permeaban las discusiones que involucraban el tema. La recopilación de datos se realizó mediante la interfaz gráfica de CrowdTangle, a partir de términos de consulta en portugués relacionados con las vacunas aprobadas para su uso en Brasil y contempló publicaciones de páginas públicas en Facebook y perfiles abiertos en Instagram realizadas desde el 1º de enero de 2020 hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2021. La base de datos analizada cuenta con 3.876.408 publicaciones (2.901.457 en Facebook y 974.952 en Instagram). Los resultados mostraron una alternancia de las vacunas de Pfizer, CoronaVac, AstraZeneca y Janssen como foco de discusión, siguiendo temporalmente el debate público que se estableció en el país en torno a los dilemas y avances relacionados con el desarrollo, la producción, la distribución y la aplicación de los inmunizantes. También se identificaron referencias a instituciones involucradas en la adquisición y producción de inmunizantes, como el Ministerio de Salud de Brasil, el Instituto Butantan y la Fundación Oswaldo Cruz, presentes entre los mil actores sociales que más despertaron comentarios de los usuarios en ambas redes. Fue evidente que el debate sobre los inmunizadores, en los canales y período analizados, estuvo permeado por medios vinculados al periodismo, además de páginas y perfiles vinculados a políticos y celebridades.

Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 over four epidemic waves in a low-resource community in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Incidence rates of SARS-CoV-2 infections in low-resource communities can inform vaccination strategies and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). Our objective was to estimate incidence over four epidemic waves in a slum in Rio de Janeiro, a proxy for economically deprived areas in the Global South. Methods: Prospective cohort of children and household contacts screened for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR and serology (IgG). The incidence density of PCR positive infections estimated for each wave - the first wave, Zeta, Gamma and Delta - was compared to an index combining NPIs and vaccination coverage. Findings: 718 families and 2501 individuals were enrolled, from May 2020 to November 2021. The incidence density of SARS-CoV-2 infection due to the first wave was 2, 3 times that of the other waves. The incidence among children was lower than that of older participants, except in later waves, when vaccination of the elderly reached 90%. Household agglomeration was significantly associated with incidence only during the first wave. Interpretation: The incidence of infection greatly exceeded rates reported in similar cohorts. The observed reduction in incidence in the elderly during the Delta variant wave, in spite of the rollback of NPIs, can be attributed to increased vaccine coverage. The high incidence in young people reinforces the importance of vaccination in this age group, a policy that has yet to receive the full support of some sectors of society. Funding: UK Medical Research Council, Foundation for the Advancement of Science of the State of Rio de Janeiro, National Council for Scientific and Technological Development.

ArboAlvo: stratification method for territorial receptivity to urban arboviruses.

OBJECTIVE: To present the urban arboviruses (dengue, zika and chikungunya) stratification methodology by the territorial receptivity Index, an instrument for the surveillance and control of these diseases, which considers the heterogeneity of an intra-municipal territory. METHODS: Ecological study that uses as unit of analysis the areas covered by health centers in Belo Horizonte. For the development of a territorial receptivity index, indicators of socio-environmental determination of urban arboviruses were selected in order to integrate the analysis of main components. The resulting components were weighted by the analytic hierarchy process and combined via map algebra. RESULTS: The territorial receptivity index showed great heterogeneity of urban infrastructure conditions. The areas classified with high and very high receptivity correspond to approximately 33% of the occupied area and are mainly concentrated in the administrative planning regions of East, Northeast, North, West, and Barreiro, especially in areas surrounding the municipality. When the density of dengue cases and Aedes eggs, from 2016, were superimposed with the stratification by the index of territorial receptivity to urban arboviruses, areas of very high receptivity had a high density of cases and Aedes eggs - higher than that observed in other areas of the city, which corresponds to a very small percentage of the municipal territory (13.5%). CONCLUSION: The analyses indicate the need for the development of adequate surveillance and control actions for each context, overcoming the logic of homogeneous allocation throughout the territory.

Time to contrast models of timing: The structure of temporal memory.

In the study of animal timing over the last 100 years, we identify three different periods, each characterized by a distinct activity. In the first period, researchers brought timing into the laboratory and explored its multiple expressions empirically. In the second period, the growing body of empirical findings inspired researchers to develop a plethora of timing models that vary in theoretical orientation, scope, depth, and quantitative explicitness. We argue that it is now the time to advance towards a third period, wherein researchers select models by comparing them with one another and with data. We make our case by contrasting how the scalar expectancy theory and the learning-to-time model conceive of temporal memory and learning both in concurrent timing tasks and in retrospective timing tasks. We identify four problems related to the structure of temporal memory and to the rules of temporal learning that challenge these models and that should drive the next steps in modeling the timing abilities of animals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

A Poisson-multinomial spatial model for simultaneous outbreaks with application to arboviral diseases.

Dengue, Zika, and chikungunya are arboviral diseases (AVD) transmitted mainly by Aedes aegypti. Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil, has been endemic for dengue for over 30 years, and experienced the first joint epidemic of the three diseases between 2015-2016. They present similar symptoms and only a small proportion of cases are laboratory-confirmed. These facts lead to potential misdiagnosis and, consequently, uncertainty in the registration of the cases. We have available the number of cases of each disease for the n=160 neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro. We propose a Poisson model for the total number of cases of Aedes-borne diseases and, conditioned on the total, we assume a multinomial model for the allocation of the number of cases of each of the diseases across the neighborhoods. This provides simultaneously the estimation of the associations of the relative risk of the total cases of AVD with environmental and socioeconomic variables; and the estimation of the probability of presence of each disease as a function of available covariates. Our findings suggest that a one standard deviation increase in the social development index decreases the relative risk of the total cases of AVD by 28%. Neighborhoods with smaller proportion of green area had greater odds of having chikungunya in comparison to dengue and Zika. A one standard deviation increase in population density decreases the odds of a neighborhood having Zika instead of dengue by 18% but increases the odds of chikungunya in comparison to dengue by 18% and by 43% in comparison to Zika.

[ARBOALVO: territorial stratification for definition of areas for prompt response by surveillance and timely control of urban arbovirus infections]. / ARBOALVO: estratificação territorial para definição de áreas de pronta resposta para vigilância e controle de arboviroses urbanas em tempo oportuno.

The study aimed to present the methodological proposal entitled "Prompt Response", modelled in the cities of Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais State) and Natal (Rio Grande do Norte State), Brazil. The proposal aims to identify and demarcate priority areas for timely targeting of surveillance activities, aiming to reduce the intensity and velocity in the spread of epidemics in endemic urban areas. The methodology uses three variables that represent the necessary causes for the production and reproduction of dengue: notified cases (virus), Aedes eggs (vector), and population (host). This was an ecological study that used data from three information planes aggregated in finer temporal and spatial scales of 3 to 4 weeks and 400 to 600-meter grids, respectively. The prompt response areas were defined by Scan statistical analysis with definition of simultaneous spatial clusters for the three planes via the SaTScan program. In Natal, the areas defined as prompt response occupied, on average, 15.2% of the city's territory and concentrated 67.77% of the dengue cases in the period following demarcation of the prompt response areas. In Belo Horizonte, the observed proportions were 64.16% of cases in 23.23% of the territory. These results were obtained in two cities with different socioenvironmental and geographic realities and distinct epidemiological profiles, indicating that the methodology can be applied to different urban realities, allowing control programs to concentrate on reduced portions of the territory and impacting a high percentage of cases in timely fashion.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi apresentar a proposta metodológica denominada de "Pronta Resposta" modelada nas cidades de Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais) e Natal (Rio Grande do Norte), Brasil. A metodologia visa identificar e delimitar áreas prioritárias para o direcionamento das ações de vigilância em tempo oportuno, buscando a redução da intensidade e velocidade da dispersão de epidemias em áreas urbanas endêmicas. Para tanto, a metodologia utiliza três variáveis, que representam as causas necessárias para a produção e reprodução da dengue: casos notificados (vírus), ovos de Aedes (vetor) e população (hospedeiro). Trata-se de um estudo ecológico que utilizou os dados dos três planos de informações agregados em escalas temporais e espaciais mais finas, de três a quatro semanas e grades de 400 a 600 metros respectivamente. As áreas de pronta resposta foram definidas por meio de análise estatística de varredura Scan, com definição de clusters espaciais simultâneos para os três planos por meio do programa SaTScan. Os resultados observados foram: na cidade de Natal, as áreas definidas como pronta resposta ocuparam em média 15,2% do território do município e concentraram 67,77% dos casos de dengue do período posterior ao utilizado na delimitação das áreas de pronta resposta, e em Belo Horizonte, os números observados foram de 64,16% dos casos em 23,23% do território. Esses resultados foram obtidos em duas cidades com realidades socioambientais e geográficas diferentes e com perfis epidemiológicos também distintos, apontando que a metodologia pode ser aplicada em diferentes realidades urbanas, criando a possibilidade de os programas de controle atuarem em porções reduzidas do território e impactar num alto percentual de casos em tempo oportuno.

El objetivo del trabajo fue presentar la propuesta metodológica, denominada de "Resposta Rápida", modelada en las ciudades de Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais) y Natal (Rio Grande do Norte), Brasil. Esta última tiene como meta identificar y delimitar áreas prioritarias para la ejecución de acciones de vigilancia en el momento oportuno, buscando la reducción de la intensidad y velocidad de la dispersión de epidemias en áreas urbanas endémicas. Para tal fin, la metodología utiliza tres variables, que representan las causas necesarias para la producción y reproducción del dengue: casos notificados (virus), huevos de Aedes (vector) y población (huésped). Se trata de un estudio ecológico que utilizó los datos de los tres planos de información agregados en escalas temporales y espaciales más finas, de 3 a 4 semanas y tablas de 400 a 600 metros respectivamente. Las áreas de respuesta rápida se definieron a través del análisis estadístico de exploración Scan, con definición de clústeres espaciales simultáneos para los tres planos mediante el programa SaTScan. Los resultados observados fueron: en la ciudad de Natal, las áreas definidas como de respuesta rápida ocuparon de media un 15,2% del territorio del municipio y concentraron un 67,77% de los casos de dengue del período posterior al utilizado en la delimitación de las áreas de respuesta rápida y, en Belo Horizonte, los números observados fueron un 64,16% de los casos en un 23,23% del territorio. Estos resultados se obtuvieron en dos ciudades con realidades socioambientales y geográficas diferentes y con perfiles epidemiológicos también distintos, apuntando que la metodología se puede aplicar en diferentes realidades urbanas. Dando la posibilidad de que los programas de control actúen en secciones reducidas del territorio e impactar en un alto porcentaje de casos en el momento oportuno.