Brazilian Program Research Articles

Does the Brazilian cash transfer program (bolsa familia): Protect nutritional deviations among infants and breastfeeding practices in a capital of the Central Region of Brazil?

Does the Brazilian cash transfer program (bolsa familia): Protect nutritional deviations among infants and breastfeeding practices in a capital of the Central Region of Brazil?

A-227 First Brazilian External Quality Assessment Program for Monkeypox Molecular Tests: Results from Two Surveys

Abstract Background The WHO declared the current Monkeypox (Mpox) outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. PCR test is the preferred diagnostic assay. External Quality Assessment Programs (EQAP) provide an independent assessment of the effectiveness of analytical systems, especially with emerging pathogens. There are a few references about EQAP for Mpox. Here, we report the results of the first Mpox EQAP conducted by a Brazilian EQAP provider, which follows the criteria of ABNT NBR ISO/IEC 17043:2011. Methods The quality control samples were inactivated lyophilized suspension of Vero cells (BCRJ 0245/ATCC CCL-81) infected with viable Mpox virus particles and cultured under BSL-3 conditions. The EQAP surveys were conducted in September and October/2022. In the first round, two samples were sent—one negative and one positive [cycle threshold (CT) of 23]. In the second round, 5 samples with different viral loads were sent (CT of 24.9/negative/26.5/34.8/34.6). The percentage of correct results (%CR), sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), false positive (FP), and false negative (FN) were calculated for each sample, and the performance of laboratory-developed test (LDT) or in vitro diagnosis (IVD) was compared. Results A total of 49 laboratories (38 from Brazil) submitted 319 datasets with qualitative results. In the first round, 30 laboratories used LDT methods and 11 IVD methods, and in the second round, it was 32 and 14, respectively. The %CR ranged from 81.4%–100%, SE from 83.3%–100%, SP from 95.45%–97.7%, FP from 2.3%–4.55%, and FN from 2.3%–16.3%. Samples with higher FN have lower viral loads (P = 0.00044).The overall % of CR, SE, SP, FP, and FN for LDT methods were 76.7%–100%, 79.3%–100%, 93.3%–100%, 0%–6.7%, and 0%–20%, and for IVD methods were, 90.9%–100%, 90.9%–100%, 90.9%–100%, 0%–3.1%, and 0%–7.7%, respectively. No statistical difference was found between methods regarding these parameters. Conclusion This is the first report of EQAP of Mpox molecular testing from Brazil. The EQAP showed that Mpox PCR had an overall good accuracy and performance. FN rates ranged from 2.3% to 16.3%, suggesting there is room for assay improvement, especially with samples with low viral loads. LDT and IVD tests presented similar performance.

A-196 Trend Analysis in Proficiency Testing—Does it Work?

Abstract Background Trend analysis is a powerful tool in any data analysis due to its preventive characteristics. In proficiency testing (PT) it is also important because it can anticipate errors that could impact on patient’s results. Therefore, it is a key tool to patient safety. Although this is the current and logical premise, efficacy of trend analysis has not been measured by laboratories. This work aims to share our laboratory’s enhancements after implementing trend analysis for PT results. Methods PT results from a Brazilian national program for two years were analyzed: one year before the implementation of trend analysis (2020) and another year after the process had already been fully established (2022). Qualitative tests were not considered and a total of 432 quantitative analytes were included in the study. Trends were classified by CAP’s recommendations for single mailing patterns (Troubleshooting guide for proficiency testing data—ww.cap.org). The percentage of results classified as inadequate and inadequate results with previous trend alert were calculated. Ten results from both years were compared by Chi-square. Results Over 7000 results were analyzed and classified. In 2022, overall inadequate results were 37% lower than 2020. Comparing both periods, Chi-square was high (ꭓ2 = 9,74), corroborating that the enhancements observed were statistically significant. Before trend analysis was implemented, 14 inadequate results presented biased results in previous rounds. If trend analysis had not been implemented, we estimate there would be 15 analytes in this situation. However, only 5 were found, which represents a 297, 8% improvement. For this metric (inadequate results with previous trend alert), Chi-square from both periods was 5087. Conclusion Using a simple trend analysis technique we were able to reach an important improvement in the PT process, contributing to preventive actions for potential problems that could affect patient results and decreasing the number of inadequate results. Hence, in our laboratory trend analysis can be considered worth it.

Rescuing the Brazilian Agave breeding program: morphophysiological and molecular characterization of a new germplasm

Agaves have been a valuable resource in dryland areas for centuries, providing fibers (sisal), food, and beverages. However, the advent of synthetic fibers has led to a decrease in research on Agave, resulting in the cessation of breeding programs in Brazil. With the rise of climate change, there is renewed interest in Agave for its potential as a biofuel feedstock in semiarid regions. Since 2016, we have been collecting Agave accessions throughout the country and retrieving what is left of Brazil’s original breeding program to establish a new germplasm bank. Here, we evaluated 21 of those accessions growing in the field. We used molecular markers and morphophysiological traits to characterize the plants. Based on the Mayahuelin molecular marker, we were able to reconstruct a phylogeny for the Brazilian accessions. The morphophysiological traits explained 34.6% of the phenotypic variation in the dataset, with physiological traits such as leaf water content, effective quantum efficiency of photosystem II (ΦPSII), and specific leaf mass (SLM) as the most significant traits. Specifically, we evaluated nine Agave species and found that the physiological traits, rather than the morphological ones, were the most significant. Leaf water content was negatively correlated with specific leaf mass, which could be used as a marker for selecting cultivars with higher biomass accumulation. Interestingly, ΦPSII and chlorophyll content were negatively correlated, suggesting photochemical adaptations throughout the rosette. Molecular and phenotypic data suggest that A. amaniensis, which is frequently considered a synonym of A. sisalana, is effectively another species. Overall, this study provides valuable information on the physiological traits of Brazilian Agave accessions and is a starting point for selecting more productive and climate-resilient cultivars for biorenewables production.

The Internationalization of brazilian postgraduate programs : a strategic approach

This paper looks at the reasons behind internationalization in Brazilian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and different mechanisms that can be used by the institutions themselves, financing agencies, as well as individual researchers to improve the international impact of their research and the production of quality alumni to solve problems posed by society. We question why institutions and researchers should consider the internationalization of research and teaching, and an operational approach is proposed. The need for strategic priorities and partnerships is highlighted as well as methods for monitoring and evaluating these methods. We also show that institutions should question how initiatives fit within the institution’s mission and overall strategy, and how they can go about framing and deciding upon various forms of internationalization.

Potential Factors for Retention and Intent to Drop-out in Brazilian Computing Programs

Motivation : Enrollments in Brazilian computing degrees are at an all-time high, but graduation numbers have not increased at the same rate. Moreover, enrollment growth has mainly attracted male students, steadily expanding the gender gap in Brazilian computing programs. Such high attrition rates have a great economic impact and may disproportionately affect women and students of color. Previous works investigated reasons for student drop-out and retention in specific courses or barriers to entrance in computing programs in narrower contexts or in a single institution. Objectives : We investigate potential actionable factors for intent to drop out in computing programs and what factors might lead students to remain in a computing program in several Brazilian institutions. We investigated how such factors may be affected by students’ race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. Method : We analyzed Likert-style answers from an online survey with 3,193 students currently enrolled in Brazilian computing programs. Results : The results show that students value salary/job-related factors as the most important factors to potentially remain in a computing program. The excess of theoretical courses and the difficulty of programming and mathematics courses are the top-ranked factors by students to potentially abandon a computing degree. However, while there is little effect of gender, race/ethnicity, or socioeconomic status in retention factors, potential drop out factors such as a the fact that it is a male-dominated field, harassment, and the difficulty of courses were rated as more important by women. Also, costs and the difficulty of courses are relevant factors for the intent to drop out when analyzing students’ race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Discussion : We explore the implications of our findings for Computing programs, particularly (but not restricted to) the Brazilian context. We conjecture reasons for such students’ perspectives regarding intent to drop out and retention factors and provide recommendations of actions for instructional designers, curriculum developers, and other key stakeholders to address issues related to gender, students’ wellness, perceived authenticity of courses, and other relevant factors. Since we only observed small interactions between race/ethnicity and retention and intent to drop out factors, which may indicate a lack of sensitivity from the instrument, we present suggestions to address such limitations in future work.

University-Industry Technology Transfer and Coproduction: A Case Study

Universities can promote entrepreneurship and innovation both by training professionals and by offering knowledge resulting from their research. Traditionally, industrial development has benefited from technology transfer (TT) from universities. Although the TT is very known and used, co-ownership and economic exploitation after a TT process remain a challenge to formal University-Industry agreements. In this study we discuss the notion of university-industry coproduction as a means to address formal agreement after TT. The case study is a Brazilian national Program, called CEURS - “Training and Studies for Urban and Regional Sustainability”. The main goal of CEURS is to provide practical training to individuals and teams on sustainability matters, focused on how to fulfill the UN's SDG 2030 Agenda locally (i.e., how to empower projects that are already at the community level so that they can become city programs). To do so, CEURS project was led by an academic network, sponsored by national government agencies. The project was developed at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) by academics and students of the Graduate Program in Engineering and Knowledge Management, from the research group on Co-production in Digital Commons, in Brazil. CEURS team has developed CEURS Platform, a digital education platform, currently in the process of being publicly transferred to be augmented and operated at a national level. In this article, we analyze the institutional technology transfer agreements available to CEURS regarding the need to meet project demands for technology licensing, technology transfer, open innovation, and joint patents. We offer a critical analysis of a current regulatory process in technology transfer in an academic project that combines education, development, and social demand fulfillment. We conclude that a technology transfer licensing agreement can include principles that may fulfill CEURS project needs for nationalization through university-industry co-production. This study contributes to academics, innovation offices, policymakers, and university managers in formulating diligent and fast processes and strategies through technology transfers.

The Hidden Facets: Uncovering the Influence of Region on Social Housing Unit Distribution in Brazil

The Brazilian housing program, Minha Casa, Minha Vida (MCMV) (My House, My Life), was launched in 2009 to address the housing deficit issue, with the goal of distributing contracted housing units throughout the Brazilian territory. However, the program faces criticisms regarding the distribution of these units. Thus, this paper aims to analyze the distribution heterogeneity of these contracted housing units (CHUs). Two analytical approaches were employed: temporal and spatial (states). To achieve this objective, inferential methods such as Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Spatial Autoregressive Model (SAR), and panel data regressions were employed. The findings indicate that, from a temporal perspective, there is a positive relationship between the urban housing deficit (UHD) and CHUs. However, the relationship is negative from a spatial perspective, characterizing such heterogeneity among the states. In addition, bordering regions are subject to mutual spatial influences in terms of contracted units, thereby reinforcing this heterogeneity over time.

Entrepreneurial competences of founders of startups participating in a brazilian government program

Startups have emerged as significant sources of investment, driving innovation and economic growth. However, a challenge faced is the limited understanding of the required entrepreneurial competencies by founders. This study examined the entrepreneurial competencies of founders participating in a startup promotion program, based on the McClelland model. The results revealed well-developed competencies in areas such as opportunity-seeking, persistence, quality orientation, efficiency, and commitment. However, opportunities for improvement were identified in the competencies of calculated risk-taking and independence/self-confidence. Thus, targeted training and mentoring programs in these specific areas can enhance startup development and ensure better resource utilization.

Development and preliminary validation of the evaluation use scale for evaluation systems (EUS-ES)

ABSTRACT The usefulness of evaluation is critical. Evaluation use occurs when, from its results or process, decisions are made about the program, it changes people's mindsets, or persuasive or legitimation actions happen (instrumental, conceptual, and symbolic uses respectively). Few quantitative evaluation use studies have been conducted in recent years. Most existing evaluation use scales are outdated due to theoretical advances and were project or program specific, not designed for evaluation systems. This study was designed to develop the Evaluation Use Scale for Evaluation Systems (EUS-ES) and gather initial validity evidence. We collected and analyzed data from Brazilian professors and program coordinators who were consultants of the Brazilian Graduate Evaluation System. Validity evidence was collected based on instrument content and internal structure. CFA results supported a three-factor-correlated model with adequate score reliability estimates. The EUS-ES is valuable for diagnostic purposes to identify low/high evaluation uses in an evaluation system setting.

A Syllabi Analysis of CS1 Courses from Brazilian Public Universities

The design and administration of methodological interventions is a possible way to address dropout and failure rates in undergraduate introductory programming courses (CS1). However, to implement such strategies, it is required to identify how CS1 courses are organized and offered to students. In this work, we analyzed 225 syllabi from CS1 courses distributed in 95 Brazilian public universities. We collected these syllabi from Brazilian undergraduate programs with focus on Computer Science aspects. We report context information regarding the most covered topics, most common CS1 course names, when undergraduates take the course, total class hours, and the programming paradigms and languages taught. The results indicate that the Brazilian scenario has its own characteristics that differs from those presented in related work conducted in other countries or world regions. In Brazil, we identified 90% of the analyzed CS1 courses teaches the procedural paradigm, with C as the most common programming language (53% of the total). These results differ from those conducted in other countries where Java and object-oriented are the most common languages and paradigm taught in CS1 courses. We believe that our results can be used to: (1) provide an update to those interested in the Brazilian scenario of CS1 courses; (2) support future interventions in teaching and learning of CS1; and (3) support the Brazilian community in the development of future CS1 syllabi.

A COVID-19 Overview from the Perspective of the Brazilian Kidney Transplantation Program

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has significantly affected kidney transplantation activities around the world, thus resulting in a substantial decrease in both deceased and living transplants. This study presents a COVID-19 overview from the perspective of the Brazilian kidney transplant program by comparing its differences or similarities with the situations observed in other countries. During the first year of the pandemic, there was a 40% reduction in the number of kidney transplants worldwide. A similar scenario was observed in Brazil, which has the world’s largest public transplantation program. Beyond its effect on transplant activity, COVID-19 has influenced the outcomes of prevalent kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) because the prolonged use of immunosuppressive drugs and comorbidities increase the susceptibility of such patients to severe disease and death. In the pre-vaccination era, almost two-thirds of KTRs required hospitalization, more than 20% required dialysis, and one-third was admitted to the intensive care unit. In the pre-vaccination period in Brazil, 15% and 21% of KTRs died within 28 and 90 days of COVID-19 diagnosis, respectively. Although high vaccination coverage rates have altered the COVID-19 landscape in many populations, persistently low immunogenicity rates following sequential vaccination shots and the absence of targeted treatments for severe cases continue to classify KTRs as highly vulnerable, thus warranting significant concern.

Factors Associated with Continued Breastfeeding Practice in Children Under 2 Years of Age Assisted by the Brazilian Conditional Cash Transfer Program, Bolsa Família

ABSTRACT Breastfeeding is the first guarantee of the human right to adequate food and the benefits of continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age are well established. This cross-sectional study sought to explore the association between socioeconomic, demographic, and nutritional factors and the practice of continued breastfeeding in children aged 6 to 24 months assisted by the Brazilian conditional cash transfer program, Bolsa Família. Our findings emphasize the role of unfavorable socioeconomic conditions in diminishing the practice of continued breastfeeding. They also suggest the importance of policy-level actions to promote and support breastfeeding and to combat early ultra-processed foods consumption.

How politics can influence the allocation of social program benefits: A case study of the Brazilian poverty reduction program Bolsa Família

We investigate the utilization of Bolsa Família, a Brazilian social program aimed at reducing poverty and social inequalities, for electoral purposes. The literature demonstrates that politicians often employ social programs to achieve their political and personal goals. Most of these studies focus on politicians offering benefits from social programs before elections in an attempt to capture votes in the upcoming election. In contrast, our research reveals that social programs can be used as post-election rewards for their voters. This strategy has the potential to be much more effective than the previous one, as it directs rewards only to those who actually produce favorable outcomes for politicians. We employ differences-in-differences models in our tests. Our results indicate that cities electing a ruling party candidate in the 2012 mayoral elections, where the previous mayor is not affiliated with that party, receive more benefits than cities that do not elect ruling party candidates. Similarly, cities with higher percentages of votes in favor of the ruling party in the 2006 presidential elections receive more benefits than cities with lower percentages.

Evolution of the brazilian motorcycle from 2003 to 2020: market, technology, and emission policy

Motorcycles are relevant in the Brazilian individual transportation fleet, but they are not as studied as passenger cars. In this study, it is presented a review evaluating engine and physical parameters from motorcycles from 2003 to 2020. First, it is presented the Honda sales dominance in all motorcycle segments sales. After, are presented and analyzed the evolution of main parameters (fleet, average price, engine capacity and maximum power, and weight) from 2003 to 2020. Finally, there is a review regarding the Brazilian motorcycle air pollution control (PROMOT), comparing it with the similar European emission program (EURO) and the Brazilian program for car (PROCONVE). It is conclued that public data for motorcycles in Brazil are far less transparent (e.g., fuel economy and CO2 emission official results are not available for the population and researches) when compared to the similar scenario for Brazilian cars. The authors suggest CONAMA to verify the positive aspects of the PROCONVE program and replicate them for PROMOT, which may foster a long-term improvement in the motorcycle fleet.

Trends in Pneumococcal and Bacterial Meningitis in Brazil from 2007 to 2019.

The pneumococcal conjugate vaccination (PCV) was introduced into the Brazilian Childhood National Immunization Program in 2010; however, universal pneumococcal vaccination for older adults has not been implemented yet. Our aim is to evaluate the trends in pneumococcal meningitis incidence and case fatality rate (CFR) across all age groups from 2007 to 2019 using data from the National Surveillance System. The pre-PCV (2007-2009) and post-PCV (2011-2019) periods were compared; changes in incidence and CFR were assessed by joinpoint regression. Additional analyses of bacterial meningitis were performed to compare the patterns and trends. Over the 13-year period, 81,203 and 13,837 cases were classified as bacterial and pneumococcal meningitis, respectively. S. pneumoniae was the main etiological agent of bacterial meningitis in adults aged ≥50 years and the most lethal in all age groups. In the post-PCV period, a 56.5% reduction in the average incidence was seen in pneumococcal meningitis in the pediatric population. In contrast, there was an increasing trend among adults. The CFR for pneumococcal and bacterial meningitis remained stable in most age groups during the study period. These findings highlight the value of expanding pneumococcal vaccination policies, including vaccines that provide better indirect protection from children to adults and broadening vaccination to older adults.

The Trajectory of Brazilian Immunization Program between 1980 and 2018: From the Virtuous Cycle to the Vaccine Coverage Decline.

Public health policies are crossed by economic and political interests that can affect the maintenance of the immunization programs and their vaccination coverages. The aim was to investigate the political and economic conditions that marked the trajectory of the Brazilian immunization program from 1980 to 2018. Documentary research gathered data on public expenditures with epidemiological surveillance and vaccine procurement and nationwide estimates of vaccine coverage. The scientific literature on the program's implementation and the country's political and economic conditions was examined. The theoretical approach was based on historical institutionalism. The results showed rising, high rates maintaining and falling vaccination coverages in the period. As of 2010, there was a tendency for a reduction in total federal spending on epidemiological surveillance, putting pressure on the budgets of the sub-national governments in their respective areas of coverage, and on federal spending in dollars for the acquisition of immunobiologicals and inputs. The amplitude and complexity of the program's trajectory have been crossed by diverse dynamics conditioned by economic and political interests reflecting at a deeper level the advance of capitalism through fiscal austerity measures over democracy's aspirations for greater balance and justice in the distribution of resources.

Benefits and Perspectives of Adopting Soybean-IPM: The Success of a Brazilian Programme

Abstract Soybean, Glycine max (Fabaceae), is considered one of the world’s most important crops. Planted on millions of hectares worldwide, the management of soybean pests usually requires large amounts of chemicals. Currently, integrated pest management (IPM) is one way to protect crops through the integration of different pest control tools based on plant tolerance, adoption of economic thresholds (ETs), scouting procedures, use of selective insecticides, biological control, and other sustainable pest management tools, which helps to maintain environmental quality in an ecological and economical manner. This soybean-IPM case study in Brazil is an example of how it is possible to manage soybean fields sustainably, preserving or even increasing productivity and reducing production costs, consequently, maximizing profits. In this case, we discuss the advantages and benefits as well as possible challenges for soybean-IPM adoption. We provide examples of how to reinforce the importance of IPM by focusing on experiences from Brazil, one of the major soybean producers and exporters in the world. We analyse IPM case studies to illustrate the importance for farmers to have easy and fast access to information on medium- and long-term benefits of IPM. Overall, this case highlights both the successful achievements of the Parana State in Brazil and how important IPM is for soybean sustainability. Information © The Authors 2023

Urgent-Start Peritoneal Dialysis: Brazilian Experience

Introduction: Unplanned peritoneal dialysis (PD) is an important option for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients requiring kidney replacement therapy urgently as it offers the convenience of home-based therapy. The objective of this study was to assess the Brazilian urgent-start PD program in three different dialysis centers where there is shortage of hemodialysis (HD) beds. Methods: This prospective, multicentric cohort study included incident patients with stage 5 CKD and no permanent vascular access established who started urgent PD between July 2014 and July 2020 in three different hospitals. Urgent-start PD was defined as initiation of treatment up to 72 h after catheter placement. Patients were followed up from catheter insertion and assessed according to mechanical and infectious complications related to PD, patients, and technique survival. Results: Over 6 years, 370 patients were included in all three study centers. Mean patient age was 57.8 ± 16.32 years. Diabetic kidney disease was the main underlying condition (35.1%) and uremia was the main cause for dialysis indication (81.1%). Concerning complications related to PD, 24.3% had mechanical complications, 27.3% had peritonitis, 28.01% had technique failure, and 17.8% died. On logistic regression, hospitalization (p = 0.003) and exit site infection (p = 0.002) were identified as predictors of peritonitis, while mechanical complications (p = 0.004) and peritonitis (p < 0.001) were identified as predictors of technique failure and switching to HD. Age (p < 0.001), hospitalization (p = 0.012), and bacteremia (p = 0.021) were observed to predict death. The number of patients on PD increased at least 140% in all three participating centers. Conclusion: PD is a feasible option for patients starting dialysis in an unplanned manner and may be a useful tool for reducing shortage of HD beds.

The Brazilian archaeological program in Egypt: the first six years on TT123: assembling the puzzle

Created in 2015, the Brazilian Archaeological Program in Egypt (BAPE) develops transversal and participatory research on Egyptian soil. Since 2016, BAPE has been developing, together with the Egyptian government, an excavation project for Theban Tomb 123, located in Sheikh Abdel Qurna, Luxor, known as the Amenemhet Project. Tomb 123 served as a burial ground during the Pharaonic period and is currently a modern residence for Qurnawi families. This paper presents the first results of the research conducted at the site, offering a first interpretation based on the data collected so far, from an archaeological, historical and ethnographic perspective.