Central-West Region Research Articles

IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE PROFILE, SEASONALITY AND INCIDENCE OF FEMUR FRACTURE CASES IN BRAZILIAN YOUNG ADULTS

To compare the incidence of femur fractures (ICD S72) in patients aged 15 to 49 in Brazil, in the period before (March to December 2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (March to December 2020), based on data from DATASUS, as well as to assess the impact of social isolation on the incidence and demographic profile of affected individuals. An ecological study with data from individuals aged 15 to 49 who had a femur fracture before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, extracted from the DATASUS database. We calculated the incidence and demographic profile of femur fractures and the type of hospitalization. There was a significant increase in the incidence of femur fractures among individuals aged 15 - 49 in Brazil during the period of social isolation due to COVID-19. The incidence was 165/100,000 inhabitants during the pandemic and 163/100,000 inhabitants in the same period of 2019 (main increase observed in the 15 - 34 age group and decline in the 35 - 49 age group). The North and Northeast regions showed an increase in the incidence of femur fractures and an increase in emergency hospitalizations related to this condition. On the other hand, there was a decrease in incidence in the Central-West region and in the type of hospitalization described as elective. We conclude that during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil there has been an increase in femur fractures in young adults, which may be related to the failure of social isolation measures.

Exploring factors and trends in place of death by cancer: A population-based study in Brazil.

237 Background: Place of death serves as an indicator of the quality of end-of-life care. This study seeks to elucidate the place of deaths by cancer in Brazil, also identifying factors contributing to regional disparities in end-of-life settings. Methods: Using data obtained from the National Mortality Information System, this study extracted sociodemographic characteristics and the location of cancer deaths in Brazil from 2012 to 2021. The place of death was classified into hospital death, home death, and other settings (not shown). Results: A total of 2.165.643 deaths by cancer were included. Almost half of the cases were from Southeast (47.4%), while 22.0% were from Northeast, 19.0% from South and the minority from Central-west (6.5%) and North (5.0%) regions; remarkably, 73.3% of deaths occurred out of capitals. A downward trend was observed from 2012 to 2021 with a Relative Percent Difference (RPD) of -4,0. The frequency of deaths occurring at home in the Northeast region (26.6%) was found to be higher than the reference region, the Southeast (10.6%), RPD -22.2. Furthermore, Indigenous individuals showed a higher frequency of death at home (25.4%) compared to White ethnicity (14.2%), RPD -18.4. A clear inverse relation between in-hospital deaths and aging can be noted, as more at-home deaths are observed in the elderly (17.8%) compared to the young group (4.1%). Conclusions: Most cancer deaths in Brazil occur in hospitals. Death at home is related to pronounced regional differences, being higher in the North and Northeast, and may be related to advanced age, race and educational level.[Table: see text]

Behavioral and Morphological Traits of Nellore Cattle That Can Influence Calf Survival and Performance from Birth to Weaning

This study aimed to identify behavioral and morphological traits of Nellore cattle that can influence calves’ survival and pre-weaning performance. It was performed in two units of a large-scale cow–calf operation farm located in the Central-West region of Brazil, with 975 cow–calf dyads, by scoring cows’ maternal protective behavior, body condition, horns, udder suspension (US), teat size (TS) and calves’ vigor. TS was used to determine teat symmetry (TSm). The production unit where calves were born, their birth date, sex, and birth (BW) and weaning weights were also recorded. Cow ages at calving and production units were used to categorize the cows into twelve classes (Cage). The Shapiro–Wilk test alongside tables of frequencies were used to determine if continuous and categorical variables followed a normal distribution, respectively. Two datasets were considered in statistical analyses: (i) 975 dyad records were used to identify potential factors influencing calf survivability and (ii) 936 records of weaned calves were used to assess pre-weaning performance. Generalized linear models were used to assess the effect of target traits on the calves’ weight adjusted for 210 days of age (W210, kg) and pre-weaning average daily gain (preADG, kg/day). Tukey’s test was used to compare W210 and preADG means. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were estimated between BW, W210 and preADG. Cage, US and the TSm significantly affected pre-weaning calf performance (p < 0.01). Older cows (independently of the production unit) and those with intermediate US and symmetrical teats weaned heavier calves. As expected, positive and significant correlation was observed between BW and preADG (r = 0.35), which, in turn, was highly correlated with W210 (r = 0.99). We concluded that none of the behavioral and morphological traits influenced calf survivability, but cow age, US and TSm impacted pre-weaning performance, with 8- to 11-year-old cows and those with intermediate US and symmetric teats leading to better calf performance at weaning.

Climate Change, Decentralization and Territorial Resilience in Burkina Faso: Case of the Center-West Region (Burkina Faso)

Climate Change, Decentralization and Territorial Resilience in Burkina Faso: Case of the Center-West Region (Burkina Faso)

Dynamic coupling coordination and spatial–temporal analysis of digital economy and carbon environment governance from provinces in China

Research on digital economy (DE) and carbon environment governance (CEG) holds paramount importance in attaining sustainable development objectives. By focusing on 30 provinces within China as specific instances, this research constructed a comprehensive evaluation framework to assess the overall progress of DE and CEG from 2011 to 2020. Moreover, it employed a coupling coordination model alongside spatio-temporal evolution patterns to examine the state of coupling coordination development (CCD) and the temporal and spatial features within DE-CEG. First, the overall levels of China's DE and CEG were both showing an upward trend, with the average level of CCD improving year by year. The spatio-temporal arrangement exhibited a distinctive “bell-shaped” pattern, characterized by narrow at both ends, wide in the middle. The average level of CCD in three major regions was east, central and west followed a descending order, underscoring notable spatial and temporal disparities within the DE-CEG. Second, kernel density estimation and exploratory spatial data analysis substantiated the spatio-temporal differentiation for the CCD within DE-CEG. Notably, these analyses unveiled prevailing spatial patterns of “high-high” and “low-low” agglomeration, spatial agglomeration effect became significant over time. Finally, among the absolute differences, the central region exhibited the least disparity, while the western region displayed the greatest variation, with absolute differences undergoing a fluctuating trajectory. Among the relative differences, the most pronounced contrast was observed between the eastern and western regions, whereas the disparities between the central-east and central-west regions were comparable. Remarkably, relative differences accounted for over 40% of the total variation, emerging as the predominant contributor to the overall divergence in CCD within China's DE-CEG framework. Consequently, it is imperative for future developmental efforts to focus on diminishing the relative disparities among regions. In light of the research findings, a set of strategies and recommendations had been formulated to propel the CCD of China's DE and CEG.

Diversidade genética e fenotípica de uma população de plântulas de moringa a partir de descritores morfológicos

Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam. - Moringaceae) is a plant originating in India, which has been widely cultivated in different regions of the world, especially due to the nutritional properties of its leaves, which are of high economic, medicinal and industrial interest. However, there are no reports on the genotypic and phenotypic diversity of moringa seedlings cultivated in the Central-West region of Brazil. This study aimed to characterize a population of moringa seedlings using different qualitative morphological descriptors. A population consisting of 1,263 28-day-old moringa plants was initially classified and separated into four distinct phenotypic groups based on hypocotyl color [seedlings with hypocotyls colored green (100% green), ¾ green (75% green and 25% purple ), ¾ purple (25% green and 75% purple), and purple hypocotyl (100% purple)]. Initially, the seedling emergence rate and the frequency of occurrence of the different hypocotyl color classes in the total population were evaluated. Subsequently, 10 morphological descriptors were evaluated in each group of plants with different hypocotyl color. The plant emergence rate was 74%, indicating the adequate physiological quality of the seeds. The separation of the population into four phenotypic groups based on the color of the hypocotyl allowed us to separate 432 plants (34.2%) with a green hypocotyl, 480 plants (38.0%) with a ¾ green color, 336 plants (26.6% ) ¾ purple in color and 15 plants (1.2%) with purple hypocotyls. The results reported that of the ten morphological descriptors evaluated, only the type of insertion of the first pair of leaves (TI_1F) and the height of insertion of the first leaf (AI_1F) have significant differences (P < 0.05) between the different phenotypic groups of seedlings. moringa. Seedlings from the phenotypic group with purple or ¾ purple hypocotyls have the entire insertion of the first pair of daughters of the opposite type, while seedlings with green and ¾ green hypocotyls have, respectively, 25% and 42% of the plants with the insertion of the first pair of alternating leaves. Seedlings with purple hypocotyls have a higher insertion height of the first leaf (AI_1F) when compared to green and ¾ green seedlings. Highly significant and negative correlations were obtained between TI_1F and DC (–0.99, P < 0.05) and VR (–0.96; P < 0.05). Highly significant and positive correlations were obtained between AI_1F and DC (0.96; P < 0.05). It can be stated that there is genetic and phenotypic variability within a population of moringa seedlings, and the distinct phenotypic groups separated based on hypocotyl color have some characteristics or morphological descriptors typical of their group.

Evaluation of cloud-type impact on performance of the GL model version 1.2 for estimation of solar irradiance

ABSTRACT This work evaluates the quality of the satellite-based GLobal radiation model version 1.2 (GL1.2) estimates for four cloud classes. The GL1.2 calculates the global solar irradiance at ground level using images from a single visible band channel (VIS) of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – GOES (GOES-East). The model´s performance was assessed by comparing hourly mean GL1.2 values with ground-based hourly measurements from the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology (INMET, 354 automatic weather stations), for the entire year 2017. A satellite-based cloud classifier was adopted to discriminate the datasets according to prevailing cloud conditions (cumulus, stratus, cirrus and multilayer), but the clear sky behaviour was presented. The results were analysed for the five Brazilian regions. In the first analysis, we selected days with a predominance for five stations. It was found that the diurnal cycle was well reproduced. Then the regional investigation for the cloud types reveals that the best results are found for the Center West region over multilayer cloud (mean bias error, MBEannual = -2 ± 91 Wm−2 and root mean squared error, RMSE = 91 Wm−2), while the worst ones are in the North over cumulus fields (MBEannual = 101.5 ± 136.4 Wm−2). When considering all cloud types, the MBEannual is lower than 5 Wm−2 for the Northeast, Southeast and South regions, but it reaches 101 Wm−2 in the North. It is noteworthy that winter has the highest MBE in all classes analysed in the North, as well as cirrus situations in other regions. Although the inhomogeneities of cumulus and the semitransparent cirrus clouds tend to propagate errors to the model, the quality of GL1.2 data has a high degree of agreement with the observations. Improvements including an updated monthly minimum reflectance (R min) and water vapour column (H2Ovapour), and a better spatial resolution of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) of GOES-16 (ABI/GOES-16) VIS imagery will allow refinement, especially for cumulus clouds.

EXPERIENCE REPORTE

This article aims to report the personal experience of the crew of the Mobile Intensive Care Unit – ICU, of a private company, in the center-west region of the state of Minas Gerais. The method used is the report of experiences lived in the last 15 months. It was noticed that the body mass index - BMI, was often not prioritized during removal requests in patients using an orotracheal tube in obese patients, as the majority of ventilators available on the market do not ventilate morbidly obese patients, generating a risk of barotrauma in bag-mask-valve ventilation. This generated in the institution a new protocol for assistance and reception by the attendant when it comes to intubated patients. As it is an Intensive Care Unit (mobile ICU) environment, it requires numerous prevention, stabilization and health promotion actions for the individual to be transported. This is a highly vulnerable vehicle for patients in transit and for the car’s crew. The article leads to reflection on the topic, providing the opportunity to have a broader view when it comes to transporting an obese patient. Despite being very specific and qualified assistance, the importance of disseminating information could awaken the community in general, as any human being could one day need this care and this type of transport. Among the ways to prevent transport complications, the measures taken include improving communication from the team leaving the support base until receiving the patient in the specialized bed with the best support.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trends in stillbirths, under-5 and maternal mortality in Brazil: Excess deaths and regional inequalities.

Despite the proliferation of studies on the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there is less evidence on the indirect death toll compared to the health system and service provision disruptions. We assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on national and regional trends and differences in stillbirths, under-5 and maternal deaths in Brazil. We used the nationwide routine health information system data from January 2017 to December 2021, to which we applied descriptive and advanced mixed effects ordinary least squared regression models to measure the percent change in mortality levels during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to December 2021). We carried out counterfactual analyses comparing the observed and expected mortality levels for each type of mortality at national and regional levels. Stillbirths increased 4.8% (3.1% in 2020 and 6.2% in 2021) and most noticeably maternal deaths increased 71.6% (35.3% in 2020 and 103.3% in 2021) over the COVID-19 period. An opposite pattern was observed in under-5 mortality, which dropped -10.2% (-12.5% in 2020 and -8.1% in 2021). We identified regional disparities, with a higher percent increase in stillbirths observed in the Central-West region and in maternal deaths in the South region. Based on pre-pandemic trends and expected number of deaths in the absence of the COVID-19, we observed increases in stillbirths and maternal deaths and reductions in under-5 deaths during the pandemic. The months with the highest number of deaths (stillbirths and maternal deaths) coincided with the months with the highest mortality from COVID-19. The increase in deaths may also have resulted from indirect effects of the pandemic, such as unavailability of health services or even reluctance to go to the hospital when necessary due to fear of contagion. In Brazil, the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent restrictions had a detrimental impact on stillbirths and maternal deaths. Even before the pandemic, mortality trends highlighted pre-existing regional inequalities in the country's health care system. Although there were some variations, increases were observed in all regions, indicating potential weaknesses in the health system and inadequate management during the pandemic, particularly concerning pregnant and postpartum women.

Sorghum and cowpea productivity as influenced by tillage, cropping system with soil amendment in Centre-West Region of Burkina Faso

Improving crop productivity requires integrated management of soil fertility. This study aimed to assess the effects of tillage and the cropping system with soil amendment on the productivity of sorghum and cowpea. The experimental design was a completely randomized block with the treatments arranged in a split plot and three repetitions. Four tillage methods were allocated to the main plots and four cropping systems combined with four types of soil amendment were allocated to the sub plots. The results showed that ploughing and tied-ridging generated higher grain yields of sorghum than minimum tillage and manual zaï. The two cropping systems 1) 2 rows of sorghum alternated with 2 rows of semi-erect habit cowpea and 2) 1 or 2 row(s) of sorghum alternated with 1 or 2 row(s) of creeping habit cowpea in interaction with soil amendments generated higher grain yields for sorghum ranging from 895 to 1097 kg ha-1 and stover yields ranging from 1913 to 2370 kg ha-1 in the third year of study. Minimum tillage and ploughing proved to be more efficient in improving cowpea grain yields in the cropping system of 1 row of sorghum alternated with 1 row of creeping cowpea with soil amendment. These results show that tillage and crop association with soil amendments are likely to optimize agricultural productivity.

Cardiovascular mortality in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparison between underlying and multiple causes of death

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 pandemic has differentially impacted cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality worldwide. Causes of death misclassification may be one of the reasons. We evaluated the impact of the pandemic on CVD mortality in Brazil, comparing underlying causes (UCs) and multiple causes (MCs) of death. Study designEcological time-series study. MethodsAn ecological, time-series study was conducted analysing age-standardised death rates for CVD, from epidemiological week (EW) 10/2020 to 39/2021, using data from the Mortality Information System, Brazil. CVD was defined using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) coding, if reported as UC or MC of death. Observed and expected data (mean for the same EW, 2017–2019) were compared. Risk ratios (RiRs) were analysed, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. ResultsAge-standardised mortality rate for CVD as UC of death was 165.8 (95%CI: 165.4–166.3) per 100,000 inhabitants, similar to what was expected (165.6/100,000, 95%CI: 165.2–166.1, RiR = 1.00). There was increased out-of-hospital mortality (RiR = 1.18; 95%CI: 1.17–1.19) and deaths of ill-defined causes (RiR = 1.43; 95%CI: 1.42–1.44). The increase in out-of-hospital deaths was more pronounced in the North (RiR = 1.33; 95%CI 1.30–1.36) region, with a less resilient health system. Conversely, as MCs of death, there was a 10% increase in CVD mortality (observed: 243.2 [95%CI: 242.7–243.7], expected: 221.6 [95%CI: 221.1–222.1] per 100,000). An increase also occurred in the North and Central West regions (RiR = 1.16; 95%CI: 1.15–1.18), among men (RiR = 1.11; 95%CI: 1.11–1.12) and individuals aged ≥60 years (RiR = 1.11; 95%CI: 1.10–1.11). ConclusionsDuring the pandemic, mortality rates for CVD as MCs of death increased in Brazil, whereas as UC mortality rates did not change. Higher out-of-hospital mortality, misclassification, and competing causes of death may explain this pattern.

Seroprevalence of Equine Leptospirosis in the State of Goiás, Brazil.

Leptospirosis, caused by Leptospira, is a zoonotic disease that, in horses, is linked to abortions, uveitis, and sporadic occurrences of liver and kidney disease, often resulting in significant economic losses for farmers. Research on the prevalence of leptospirosis in horses in the central-west region of Brazil has been relatively scarce. Thus, the present study aimed to determine the prevalence of leptospirosis in equine herds in the state of Goiás (Central Brazil). Blood samples were collected from 894 equids at 294 randomly selected farms divided into three different strata according to their herd characteristics. The microscopic agglutination test for the detection of anti-Leptospira agglutinins was carried out and the results showed that among the 294 sampled farms, 213 (72.9%; CI 95% 71.7-78.9) had one or more animals positive for leptospirosis, and of the 894 horses sampled, 513 (61.6%; CI 95% 54.3-69.0) were seropositive for leptospirosis. Djasiman, Icterohaemorrhagiae, and Australis were the most prevalent serogroups. The results showed a high prevalence of seropositive animals and a widespread distribution of positive farms in the state of Goiás. Thus, environmental sanitation measures and health education to prevent and control equine leptospirosis in the state are required.

Self-reported health effects of pesticides among cotton farmers from the Central-West region in Burkina Faso

Pesticides are chemicals used to control pests with sometime harmful effects on human health. This paper presents results of self-reported health effects experienced by cotton farmers in the Central-West region of Burkina Faso. It was a cross-sectional survey conducted from October to December 2021 among 585 consenting conventional and organic cotton farmers. Data collected included pesticides used, they use conditions, farming practices, experienced health effects. Binary logistic regression was used to find relationships between self-reported health effects and the type of cotton produced. Results showed that all conventional cotton farmers (100%) reported using synthetic pesticides compared to organic ones who using only natural insecticides. Both conventional and organic farmers reported health effects that occurred at least once since they started using pesticides, involving skin effects (85.27% conventional, 65.52% organic), nervous (88.95% conventional, 48,71% organic), respiratory (88.10% conventional, 67.67% organic) systems. 99.72% of conventional farmers vs 46.98% of organic ones reported skin irritation following pesticide use. 69.97% of conventional vs 35.34% of organic cotton farmers reported acute signs such as severe headaches. In univariate and multivariate logistic regressions, severe headaches, dizziness, skin, and ocular effects were significantly associated with conventional farmers compared to organic ones (p < 0.05). There was a significant relationship between vomiting (p = 0.014), diarrhea (p = 0.003) and experience in synthetic pesticide use among conventional farmers. Among organic farmers, there was no significant relationship between health effects reported and experience in organic insecticides use. there was a significant relationship between severe headaches (p = 0.01), rhinitis (p = 0.006), cough (p = 0.0001), skin and ocular irritations (p = 0.007) and the frequency of synthetic insecticides use per year by conventional farmers. Study showed that conventional and organic cotton producers experience the same types of health effects. However, these health effects were significantly associated with conventional farmers compared to organic ones.

Budget revenue as a determinant of transparency level in federal universities of the central-west region: an analysis through general purpose accounting reports

Transparency as a means of providing public information is a governance practice that ensures citizens' right to access information. In the case of Federal Universities (FUs), as public institutions belonging to the Federal Executive Branch and as Units Providing Accounts (UPAs), one way to access their information is through the General Purpose Accounting Reports of Entities of the Public Sector (GPAR’s), made available on their respective websites. The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of Total Budget Revenue on the transparency index of accounting information of Federal Universities in the Midwest region of Brazil. In the first stage, to determine the level of transparency of the GPAR’s of FUs, a scale of intensity was used, resulting in UFGD and UFG with the highest performance (83.61% and 81.97%, respectively), followed by UnB (72.13%), UFMS (67.21%), UFMT (49.18%), UFJ (45.90%), UFCat (32.79%), and finally, UFR (18.03%). In the second stage, it was possible to understand that the variables Total Budget Revenue, Total Assets of FUs at the end of the period, and Current Expenses are negatively related to the level of transparency. On the other hand, Expenses with Active Personnel and Fixed Assets are positively related to the level of transparency. The study shows, however, that there are still tasks to be carried out and fulfilled so that FUs can be considered truly transparent, and not conditioned by certain variables.

Suicide among Indigenous peoples in Brazil from 2000 to 2020: a descriptive study

Previous studies in Australia, Canada, and Brazil, found that suicide among ethnic minority groups is higher than in the general population. Indigenous peoples in Brazil have been reported to have a high suicide rate, with reports of suicide clusters occurring in several communities. The objective of this study was to report trends in countrywide suicide rates among Indigenous peoples in Brazil between 2000 and 2020, and to compare these with the non-Indigenous population. This ecological study used Indigenous suicide data collected from all regions of Brazil during a 21-year period, between 2000 and 2020. We used suicide estimates from the Mortality Information System (SIM), available at the Brazilian Health Ministry website (DATASUS). Suicide mortality rates by state and region were calculated using the estimated Indigenous population from the 2010 census, and estimated population proportions for the other years. We performed a trend analysis and compared trends in suicide between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous population during the period studied. Suicide rates among Indigenous Brazilians have reached more than two and a half times the levels for the overall Brazilian population in 2020 (17.57 suicide deaths versus 6.35 suicide deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively). The Central-West region of Brazil had the highest suicide rates among Indigenous Brazilians over the study period, reaching 58.8 deaths/100,000 inhabitants in 2008. The younger age group (10-24 years old) had the highest suicide rates for all the years studied. Time-series analyses showed a trend of statistically significant increases in suicide rates in Brazil for both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous population during the study period. The North region, and specifically Amazonas state, has shown a decisive increase in suicide rates among the Indigenous populations. The suicide rate for Indigenous people in Brazil, excluding cases in Amazonas and Mato Grosso do Sul states, were similar to those for the entire Brazilian population, showing that the Indigenous peoples who are the most vulnerable to suicide reside in these locations. While there were statistically significant increases in suicide rates for all Brazilians over the study period, they remained alarmingly high among Indigenous people, compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. The high suicide rates among Indigenous people, and younger individuals in particular (aged between 10 and 24), reinforces the need for specific prevention strategies for these populations. Further studies should be concentrated on determining risk factors in distinct ethnic groups, specifically within regions experiencing an elevated risk, such as the states of Amazonas and Mato Grosso do Sul. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01MH128911-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

A Bayesian spatiotemporal approach to modelling arboviral diseases in Mexico.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the spatial and temporal patterns of disease prevalence clusters of dengue (DENV), chikungunya (CHIKV) and Zika (ZIKV) virus and how socio-economic and climatic variables simultaneously influence the risk and rate of occurrence of infection in Mexico. To determine the spatiotemporal clustering and the effect of climatic and socio-economic covariates on the rate of occurrence of disease and risk in Mexico, we applied correlation methods, seasonal and trend decomposition using locally estimated scatterplot smoothing, hotspot analysis and conditional autoregressive Bayesian models. We found cases of the disease are decreasing and a significant association between DENV, CHIKV and ZIKV cases and climatic and socio-economic variables. An increment of cases was identified in the northeastern, central west and southeastern regions of Mexico. Climatic and socio-economic covariates were significantly associated with the rate of occurrence and risk of the three arboviral disease cases. The association of climatic and socio-economic factors is predominant in the northeastern, central west and southeastern regions of Mexico. DENV, CHIKV and ZIKV cases showed an increased risk in several states in these regions and need urgent attention to allocate public health resources to the most vulnerable regions in Mexico.

Temporal trend in the incidence of human visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil.

It is an ecological study that analyzed the time trend of visceral leishmaniasis incidence rates in Brazil using segmented time regression by joinpoints. There was a decreasing incidence rate of this disease in the country with an average annual percent change (AAPC) of -5 (CI95%: -9.1; -0.6) and a reduction of 1.69 cases/100 thousand inhabitants in 2007, and 0.91/100 thousand inhabitants in 2020. The Central-West region showed the highest reduction percent (AAPC: -9.1; CI95%: -13.8; -4.3), followed by the Southeast region (AAPC: -8.7; -14.6; -2.5). The North and South regions showed the largest number of joinpoints in the time series. The highest incidences were recorded in the male population, however, stable (AAPC: 2.14; CI95%: -8.3; 0). In the age group analysis, the trend was decreasing for the groups from 0 to 4 years old (AAPC: -7.7; CI95%: -12.6; -2.4), 5 to 9 years old (AAPC: -7.3; CI95%: -13.6; -0,4) and 10 to 14 years old (AAPC: -5.5; CI95%: -10.3; -0.3). It was found that although Visceral Leishmaniasis is an endemic disease in Brazil, there was a decrease in its incidence rate from 2007 to 2020.

Three decadal urban drought variability risk assessment for Indian smart cities

In 2015 the beginning of the Indian Smart Cities’ mission was one of the significant steps taken by the Indian government to make the urban environment resilient to climate change impact and extreme weather events like drought, floods, heatwaves, etc. This study computes the urban drought risk for Indian smart cities before the beginning of the Indian smart cities mission. This study considers three decadal variability (1982–2013) in meteorological, hydrological, vegetation, and soil moisture parameters for inducing water scarcity and drought conditions in urban regions. Hazards associated with urban drought-inducing parameters variability, vulnerability, and exposure of Indian smart cities were used to compute the Urban drought risk. The research investigations revealed the maximum urban drought risk for Bangalore, Chennai, and Surat cities. Northwest, West Central, and South Peninsular urban regions have higher risk among all the urban regions of India. Indian smart cities mission can be used to make Indian cities resilient to urban drought risk and increase their sustainability. The present research aligned with several national and international agreements by providing an urban drought risk rank for Indian cities, making them less vulnerable to extreme weather events and improving their resilience to climate change.

THE NEST OF THE SCARLET-HEADED BLACKBIRD AMBLYRAMPHUS HOLOSERICEUS IN BRAZIL WITH NOTES ON ITS BREEDING BEHAVIOR

Although it is a common marsh bird of central Brazil, there is little information about the reproductive biology of the Scarlet-headed Blackbird Amblyramphus holosericeus. Here we present data from observations made of two nests —found in November 2005 and March 2008— amid the vegetation of a flooded area in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, the central-west region of Brazil. The nests were built by the couple attached to marshy vegetation, at least 1 m above the surface of the water. The clutches consisted of two eggs with a greenish background color, spotted with fine brown striations and some small, spaced spots across the surface. In one of the nests the incubation period lasted 13 days. Both male and female cared for the chicks, who left the nest around 10 days after hatching. Despite its Least Concern global conservation status, the species could be experiencing a population decline, primarily due to the destruction of swamp areas and to frequent fires in much of the Pantanal region during drought periods.

Climate impact on combined cycle thermoelectric power plant in hot and humid regions

Thermoelectric power plants have been designed to operate in ISO conditions, similar to the temperate climatic conditions of the northern hemisphere. Thus, some equipment used in tropical regions operated outside the ideal conditions, with high relative humidity and ambient temperature. This ends up impairing its efficiency and maximum generation. This paper presents the analysis of 2020 and 2021 hourly electric generation and climatic conditions data for 2020 from the gas based combined cycle Cuiabá Thermoelectric Power Plant, located in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, center-west region of Brazil. The main objective is to present and discuss the correlations between meteorological conditions and power generation in the plant. Results show a strong correlation between generation and the wet bulb temperature. They also show that high wind speeds, increase thermal losses and the efficiency of the steam cycle. This paper shows that thermal electric power plants are particularly sensitive to climate conditions in hot and humid regions.