Effects of the Pandemic and Governance on the Timeliness of Financial Reports of Brazilian Public Companies

This study aimed to verify whether there is a significant difference in the timeliness of companies' financial reports in relation to the level of corporate governance and the beginning of the pandemic. 575 companies were selected, with quarterly data between 2019 and 2020, totaling 3447 observations. Wilcoxon's nonparametric test of the sum of ranks was used, due to the absence of normality. The results indicated that companies: started to publish more timely reports after the beginning of the pandemic;at different levels of governance, they present more timely reports;with differentiated level of governance during the pandemic provided more timely reporting. Additionally, there was no change in the timing of companies listed in traditional governance levels when compared to before and after the beginning of the pandemic. © 2023 Universia. All rights reserved.

The politicization of Public Administration as an aggravating factor in the Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil

This study demonstrates the negative impact of the politicization of Public Administration in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. In order to do so, we discussed the process of State Reform in the period of redemocratization, the changes inaugurated with the Federal Constitution of 1988, the phenomenon of politicization of public institutions and its repercussions on the scope of public interest, especially with regard to health, and facing the emergency caused by COVID-19. To achieve the objective of this article, the nature of basic research was used. As for the research objectives, they were descriptive-explanatory, of bibliographic technical procedure. Thus, it is necessary to implement changes in Public Administration, with a view to making popular demands and expectations viable. In addition, greater rigor in the selection of public office holders is essential, especially those with functions involving health, distancing political party interests and promoting the full effectiveness of the provisions of article 196 of the Charter. © 2022, Instituto de Direito Romeu Felipe Bacellar. All rights reserved.

The Return to in-Person Classes and the Feelings Experienced by Academics during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Considering the global pandemic caused by Covid-19, the world has been affected in various social and educational spheres, changing the formats of classroom classes for online teaching. With that, the return to in-person classes is being studied through the advance of vaccination. In this sense, this work aimed to describe the students' perceptions and feelings most experienced by them through eleven structured questions. A form was created using the Google forms application and made available through WhatsApp to a population sample of 152 students from two institutions, one public and the other private, in the city of Altamira-Para-Brasil. The results characterized the occurrence of feelings such as worry, anxiety, fear, stress, and sadness. Furthermore, it was observed that the pandemic affected the emotional aspect of the participants.

MEDICAL STUDENTS WORKING AS ASSISTANTS IN MEDICINE DURING COVID-19 IN AUSTRALIA: HAS THAT IMPROVED THEIR RESILIENCE AND MENTAL TOUGHNESS?

Background: A surge in COVID-19 cases has required health systems around the world to prepare for an urgent call to enhance workforce systems by upskilling senior medical students to assist (Miller et al., 2020;Rasmussen et al., 2020). Objectives: In a regional medical school in NSW, students entering the final 6 months of study were able to apply for an Assistant in Medicine (AiM) role with the state government. This small case study reports (1) the interest of medical students in undertaking an AiM role;(2) psychological distress, resilience and mental toughness in the cohort;and (3) the perceived impact on professional development. Methods: Students were invited to complete a pre- and post-questionnaire containing demographic questions;questions about professional development;Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) score;resilience, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) score;and the Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ-48) score. Nineteen students completed the pre-questionnaire, and four students completed the post-questionnaire. Findings: Most respondents were interested in the AiM role (95%), of whom 88% received an offer, of which 87.5% accepted. Those who received an offer were the most psychologically well with lower K10 scores than their peers. Those who declined the AiM offer had the highest CD-RISC scores. The MTQ-48 scores across both groups were comparable. Respondents who completed the AiM reported that completing the role was very important to their professional development. Conclusion: The opportunity to undertake such a role during a pandemic benefits students and potentially patients and the healthcare system (Gill et al., 2020;Miller et al., 2020;Rasmussen et al., 2020), as opposed to the alternative of cancelling hospital-based rotations to the detriment of students progressing and graduating muchneeded doctors (Gill et al., 2020). .

Repercussions of infodemia associated with COVID-19 on the mental health of the elderly in Brazil

The phenomenon called infodemia refers to the increase in the volume of information on a specific topic, which multiplies rapidly in a short period of time, and has stood out in the context of the health crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Too much information can trigger feelings of fear, anxiety, stress, and other conditions of mental distress. The study aims to describe the profile of exposure to information about COVID-19 and its repercussions on the mental health of elderly Brazilians. This is a cross-sectional study carried out with 1924 elderly Brazilians. Data were collected through a web-based survey sent to the elderly via social networks and email, from July to October 2020. The results of the descriptive analysis of the data show that most of the elderly were aged between 60 and 69 years (69.02%), female (71.26%), married (53.79%) and white (75.57%). About 21.67% (n = 417) concluded their graduation, 19.75% (380) concluded their specialization and 16.63% (320) concluded their master's or doctoral degrees. Television 862 (44.80%) and social networks 651 (33.84%) were reported as frequent sources of exposure to news or information about COVID-19. Participants indicated that television (46.47%;n = 872), social networks (30.81%;n = 575) and radio (14.48%;251) affected them psychologically and/or physically. Receiving fake news about COVID-19 on television (n = 482;19.8%) and on social media (n = 415;21.5%) mainly resulted in stress and fear. The disseminated information contributes to awareness, but also affects physically and/or psychologically many elderly people, mainly generating fear and stress. © 2022, Centro Nacional de Informacion de Ciencias Medicas. All rights reserved.

Gamification for Infectious Diseases Medical Education: Creating a Videogame to Teach COVID 19 Diagnosis and Treatment to Medical Students

Background. Brazillian authorities reported a total of 16.3 million cases and 454. 000 deaths during COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil by may 2021. It became necessary to educate healthcare professionals on diagnosis and treatment of the syndrome. Game based learning surfaced as an effective alternative, since it promotes critical thinking and problem solving skills. A team of Brazilian and Peruvian students, physicians, designers and programmers gathered to create a decision based computer game that simulates a hospital scenario and allows medical students to analise, make decisions and receive feedback. This work describes the creative process and showcase the initial version of the software. Methods. Professors and students of Medicine, Information Technology (IT), Design and Architecture from Brazil and Peru assembled a team in order to develop the computer game. Clinical cases were created by the medical students and professors, comprising medical procedures for the treatment and management of COVID 19, and a video game script was developed exploring gamification principles of challenge, objectivity, persistence, failure, reward and feedback. Algorithms (image 1) were created, under supervision of professors of Medicine, to define possible courses of action and outcomes (e.g. gain or loss of points, improvement or worsening of the patient). Students of Design created artistic elements, and IT students programmed with a game engine software. This fluxogram, written in portuguese, describes in detail all the possible courses of actions that can be exercised by the player. It is created by a team of Professors of Medicine and medical students, in accordance with evidence-based guidelines. Primarily, this document guides the programmers and designers throughout the development phase of the game. Results. Initially, an expandable minimum viable product was obtained. The game, visualized on image 2, consists in a non-playable character and a playable character (i.e. doctor), with a scenario and a dialogue script simulating a clinical examination of a COVID 19 patient. The player can interact with certain elements within the game, e.g. the computer and other characters, to retrieve test results or start dialogues with relevant information. Hospital scenario and dialogue window between doctor (player in black) and patient (non playable character) are displayer in the game engine software (Unity 2D). On the bottom half of the screen, the dialogue box allows the player to collect the patient's medical history. The player can interact with certain elements to obtain relevant information to make decision and progress in the game. Conclusion. The game allows medical students to practice diagnosis and treatment of COVID 19. Future versions will include assessment reports of player's actions, and a new score system will be implemented. New diseases will be incorporated in the gameplay to match the variety of scenarios offered by real hospitals and patients. Artificial intelligence will be employed to optimize gameplay, feedback and learning.

A Fuzzy Theory Based Topological Distance Measurement for Undirected Multigraphs

The topological distance is to measure the structural difference between two graphs in a metric space. Graphs are ubiquitous, and topological measurements over graphs arise in diverse areas, including, e.g. COVID-19 structural analysis, DNA/RNA alignment, discovering the Isomers, checking the code plagiarism. Unfortunately, popular distance scores used in these applications, that scale over large graphs, are not metrics, and the computation usually becomes NP-hard. While, fuzzy measurement is an uncertain representation to apply for a polynomial-time solution for undirected multigraph isomorphism. But the graph isomorphism problem is to determine two finite graphs that are isomorphic, which is not known with a polynomial-time solution. This paper solves the undirected multigraph isomorphism problem with an algorithmic approach as NP=P and proposes a polynomial-time solution to check if two undirected multigraphs are isomorphic or not. Based on the solution, we define a new fuzzy measurement based on graph isomorphism for topological distance/structural similarity between two graphs. Thus, this paper proposed a fuzzy measure of the topological distance between two undirected multigraphs. If two graphs are isomorphic, the topological distance is 0;if not, we will calculate the Euclidean distance among eight extracted features and provide the fuzzy distance. The fuzzy measurement executes more efficiently and accurately than the current methods.

A fuzzy theory based topological distance measurement for undirected multigraphs

The topological distance is to measure the structural difference between two graphs in a metric space. Graphs are ubiquitous, and topological measurements over graphs arise in diverse areas, including, e.g. COVID-19 structural analysis, DNA/RNA alignment, discovering the Isomers, checking the code plagiarism. Unfortunately, popular distance scores used in these applications, that scale over large graphs, are not metrics, and the computation usually becomes NP-hard. While, fuzzy measurement is an uncertain representation to apply for a polynomial-time solution for undirected multigraph isomorphism. But the graph isomorphism problem is to determine two finite graphs that are isomorphic, which is not known with a polynomial-time solution. This paper solves the undirected multigraph isomorphism problem with an algorithmic approach as NP=P and proposes a polynomial-time solution to check if two undirected multigraphs are isomorphic or not. Based on the solution, we define a new fuzzy measurement based on graph isomorphism for topological distance/structural similarity between two graphs. Thus, this paper proposed a fuzzy measure of the topological distance between two undirected multigraphs. If two graphs are isomorphic, the topological distance is 0;if not, we will calculate the Euclidean distance among eight extracted features and provide the fuzzy distance. The fuzzy measurement executes more efficiently and accurately than the current methods. © 2020 IEEE.

Avoiding the poverty pandemic: The potential of the bolsa família program and the single registry for social programs to face the covid-19 pandemic

This study suggests three measures to enhance the potential of the Bolsa Família program and Single Registry for Social Protection (Cadastro Único) as responses to the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. We propose to: (i) enroll all eligible households already in the Cadastro Único in the Bolsa Família program, and postpone all verification and recertification processes that could result in benefit cuts;(ii) adjust the eligibility thresholds of Bolsa Família and the value of the benefits;and (iii) grant an emergency benefit, for at least six months, to all families enrolled in the Single Registry (regardless of whether they are Bolsa Família beneficiaries or not) whose per capita income is below half a minimum wage. The combination of these measures results in 56 different scenarios. Based on the data from the Single Registry and the Bolsa Família payroll, the study estimates the target audience and costs. Given the unprecedented magnitude of these measures, the study also emphasizes possible institutional and operational difficulties for their implementation. A combination of these measures is recommended, with a duration of at least six months. © 2020, Fundacao Getulio Vargas. All rights reserved.

A critical appraisal of evidence in the use of preprocedural mouthwash to avoid SARS-CoV-2 transmission during oral interventions.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to review and report the current evidence supporting the use of mouthwashes as a preprocedural protocol on dental offices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is a secondary one that performed a comprehensive literature search of scientific studies published up to 10th August 2020 in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Scientific Electronic Library Online (Scielo) databases. The electronic search strategy was performed using free text and DeCS/MeSH terms. RESULTS: Only five studies were included in this work, despite 140 studies that were identified with the research strategy. In vivo studies were carried out in two works, in vitro studies were described in two papers, and a in silico approach was used in one work. No cetylpyridinium chloride studies were identified, while chlorhexidine and povidone studies were more studied. CONCLUSIONS: There is reduced evidence about how preprocedural mouthwashes decrease SARS-CoV-2 salivary load.

Nursing process directed to patients with COVID-19: record of the stages

Objective: to identify the record of the stages of the Nursing Process directed to patients with COVID-19. Method: descriptive and documentary research, with analysis of 37 medical records. Results: 83.8% of the medical records presented a record of Nursing Data Collection;56.8%, from the Nursing Assessment;and, 51.4%, of Implementation. However, no records were identified involving the stage of Nursing Diagnosis and Nursing Planning. Conclusion: the registration has occurred in an incipient and discontinuous way;however, it is an analysis carried out in a pandemic scenario, in which the professional's overload and feelings of helplessness and insecurity must be considered. Therefore, it is suggested that research be carried out to assess the impact of the pandemic in the context of nursing, thus enabling subsidies for the development of strategies that aim to support the registration of the Nursing Process by the professional.

Changes in the prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior during COVID-19 pandemic: a survey with 39,693 Brazilian adults

This study analyzed changes in the prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors according to correlates during the COVID-19 pandemic among Brazilian adults. A national retrospective online survey was conducted with 39,693 Brazilian adults. Physical activity (weekly frequency and daily duration;cut-off point of 150 minutes/week), TV-viewing time and computer/tablet use (daily duration;cut-off point of 4 hours/day) before and during the pandemic period were reported. Sex, age group, schooling level, skin color, per capita income, country region, working status during the quarantine, and adherence to the quarantine were the correlates. Descriptive statistics were used. The prevalence of physical inactivity, high TV-viewing time and computer/tablet use increased, respectively, 26%, 266%, and 38% during the pandemic. While increases in physical inactivity and computer/tablet were more widespread, higher increases in the prevalence of high TV viewing tiem were observed among younger adults (660%), with higher schooling level (437%) and those who were at home office (331%). The prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors increased in all population sub-groups during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.