Assessment of Cost-Efficient Thermocycler Prototype for Polymerase Chain Reaction and Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification

DNA amplification-based diagnostic is the most accurate method among others, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, increasing the global demand for instrumentation andamplification reagents locally, hence increasing import. It is a worrying state in terms of logisticsand the future domestic market. An effort for domestic production is a must. Previously a costefficientthermocycler prototype using Raspberry Pi and Phyton coding is constructed.Thermocycler prototype flow measurement and heat distribution have previously been tested. Thisresearch aims to compare thermocycler prototypes and commercial for in two types of DNAamplification reactions, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and loop-mediated isothermalamplification (LAMP). PCR is the most and more common method than LAMP, with the maindifference of PCR require thermal cycling and LAMP operate in isothermal conditions. LAMP has aquicker reaction time and operates at a lower temperature. DNA pol with high strand displacementactivity is used for LAMP, in this research Bsm pol is used for LAMP and Taq pol for PCR. Since theprototype thermocycler is designed to be as simple and inexpensive as possible for ease ofmanufacture and accessibility for every layer of society. Hence, its heat control and stability are notas good as a commercial thermocycler, with huge temperature fluctuation resonance from its setpoint.That causes prototype incapability of performing PCR, no DNA band at 250-500 bp range ingel electrophoresis. However, the prototype is capable of performing LAMP, existing <100 bp DNAgradient band in gel electrophoresis. The prototype is also capable of performing LAMP below itsprotocol temperature and time separately, 62°C and 40 minutes compared to the protocol of 66°Cand 60 minutes © 2021,International Journal of Technology. All Rights Reserved.

Apps for remote theater teaching: Avatar, deepfake, padlet and other experiments

This text deals with the practices of a theater teacher, carried out in State Schools of Minas Gerais in an emergency remote teaching regime, imposed by the Covid-19 sanitary crisis. A brief discussion on the use of technologies applied to education will be presented, as well as reflections on the role of theater in school and on what theater can do in this context of remote classes. The report accompanies an critical reflection, and demonstrations through images, texts and videos. Applications became a real possibility, and were used in various practices as something capable of integrating aspects of the theatrical experience itself.

Investigating feature selection and explainability for COVID-19 diagnostics from cough sounds

In this paper, we propose an approach to automatically classify COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 cough samples based on the combination of both feature engineering and deep learning models. In the feature engineering approach, we develop a support vector machine classifier over high dimensional (6373D) space of acoustic features. In the deep learning-based approach, on the other hand, we apply a convolutional neural network trained on the log-mel spectrograms. These two methodologically diverse models are then combined by fusing the probability scores of the models. The proposed system, which ranked 9th on the 2021 Diagnosing COVID-19 using Acoustics (Di- COVA) challenge leaderboard, obtained an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0:81 on the blind test data set, which is a 10:9% absolute improvement compared to the baseline. Moreover, we analyze the explainability of the deep learning-based model when detecting COVID-19 from cough signals. Copyright © 2021 ISCA.

The use of masks among brazilian nursing workers during the covid-19 pandemic

Objective: to assess the use of masks among Brazilian nursing workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: cross-sectional study addressing nursing workers between March and May 2020. Data were collected online using a form addressing demographic variables and the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Face Mask Use Scale (FMUS-PB). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, central tendency and dispersion measures, Student’s t-test, and analysis of variance. Results: a total of 3,294 workers participated;most were nurses (85.9%), women (90.2%), lived in the southeast (36.9%), and had had contact with the COVID-19 (77.8%). The participants reported using masks in public places and at work (63.1% and 78.8%, respectively). However, only 25.8% wore masks at home. Individuals aged between 35 and 45 (p=0.002) living in the south (p<0.001) reported more frequent use of masks. Nursing technicians (p<0.001), aged ≥ 45 (p<0.001), living in the south (p<0.001), scored higher in the use of masks for self-protection and to protect others (p=0.002). Prior contact with COVID-19 resulted in the more frequent use of masks for self-protection and to protect others (p<0.001). Conclusion: the use of masks by nursing workers in public places and health settings was more frequent than at home. Additionally, masks were more frequently use for self-protection than to protect others. These results show a need to promote cultural changes toward masks for personal protection and within the family and social contexts. © 2021, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. All rights reserved.

Depression symptoms in nursing professionals during the covid-19 pandemic

Objective: to identify depression symptoms in Nursing professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: a cross-sectional and observational study, conducted with Nursing professionals through an electronic form in the five Brazilian regions. An instrument with general information was used, as well as the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 to identify depression symptoms. The Student’s t hypothesis and Analysis of Variance tests were adopted. Results: the participants were 3,249 professionals. Of these, 2,092 (64.4%) did not present depression symptoms or presented minimal symptoms;603 (18.6%) presented moderate symptoms;330 (10.2%) had moderate to severe symptoms;and 224 (6.9%), severe symptoms. Women, workers from the North region, young adults, single and with an income of up to four minimum wages presented higher depression scores (p0.05). Conclusion: the Nursing professionals did not present depression symptoms, or presented mild symptoms of the disease. Variables such as gender, age group, marital status, region of the country, having contact with people infected by COVID-19, and not using masks presented significant differences with depression symptoms. © 2020 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland.

Skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding in the first hour of life during COVID-19

Objective: to determine the prevalence and analyze the factors associated with early skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding in the first hour of life in times of COVID-19. Method: cross-sectional study carried out in a municipal hospital in the coast of Rio de Janeiro, using data from medical records. The Chi-Square Test and Logistic Regression were used. Research ptotocol approved by the Ethic Committee. Results: among 187 medical records, the prevalence rates of skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding in the first hour were, respectively, 36.7% and 63.2%. Postpartum women with one or two children and female newborns had more chances of the baby not being placed at the breast. Breastfeeding in the first hour was approximately 4.5 times greater among newborns placed in skin-to-skin contact. Conclusion: the prevalence of the analyzed practices was not satisfactory. Number of previous children and the baby's sex remained associated with skin-to-skin contact. The practices analyzed were associated with each other. © 2021, Centro de Estudos da Faculdade de Enfermagem da UERJ. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 pandemic: adaptation and psychometric assessment of the Face Mask Use Scale

Objective:To culturally adapt the Face Mask Use Scale to Brazilian Portuguese and assess its psychometric properties. Methods: This is a methodological, cross-sectional, quantitative study, which comprised the following steps: translation;Portuguese version consensus;assessment by an expert committee;back-translation and comparison with the original version;pilot test;and psychometric assessment of the Face Mask Use Scale (FMUS). Results: The original version of FMUS was translated into Brazilian Portuguese. Content validity was performed by a panel of five experts.The Content Validity Index for the scale (CVI-S/Ave) was 0.87 and for the items (CVI-I) it ranged from 0.6 to 1.0. The FMUS - Brazilian Portuguese version (FMUS-BP) was applied to 4822 adults with a mean age of 30 years (SD = 11.7).For internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha was 0.86. The original two-factor model of the FMUS was not suitable for the Brazilian population due to the use of Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Thus, an Exploratory Factor Analysis was carried out to investigate the factor structure of the FMUS-BP again and a new potential model of the FMUS-BP for better explanation. The FMUS-BP presented a factor structure different from the original model. Items were aligned on a single factor, creating a one-dimensional instrument that explained 59.7% of the total variance. Construct validity by known-groups was satisfactory (p <0.001). Conclusion: The FMUS-BP is reliable and valid to measure the practice of using masks among the Brazilian population, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic.

ADVERSITIES EXPERIENCED BY NURSING PROFESSIONALS IN INTENSIVE CARE UNITS IN TIMES OF COVID-19

Objective: to describe adversities experienced by nursing professionals in intensive care units in times of COVID-19. Method: descriptive and exploratory research, with a qualitative approach, involving 28 nursing professionals from intensive care units in the state of Rio de Janeiro in April 2020. Data processed in the Interface de R pour Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires. Results: by the Descending Hierarchical Classification, three classes were obtained: fear of the unknown and lack of personal protective equipment and support to nursing professionals;lack of flows, protocols, information, materials and training of teams to promote safe assistance;and stress in caring for patients with positive COVID-19, risk of contamination and death and constant need for guidance on preventive measures. Final considerations: such adversities influenced the care practice and psychoemotional health of nursing professionals, and public policies and management and care strategies were needed to minimize them. © 2022 Universidade Federal da Bahia. All rights reserved.