An Efficient Edge Computing-Enabled Network for Used Cooking Oil Collection

In Portugal, more than 98% of domestic cooking oil is disposed of improperly every day. This avoids recycling/reconverting into another energy. Is also may become a potential harmful contaminant of soil and water. Driven by the utility of recycled cooking oil, and leveraging the exponential growth of ubiquitous computing approaches, we propose an IoT smart solution for domestic used cooking oil (UCO) collection bins. We call this approach SWAN, which stands for Smart Waste Accumulation Network. It is deployed and evaluated in Portugal. It consists of a countrywide network of collection bin units, available in public areas. Two metrics are considered to evaluate the system's success: (i) user engagement, and (ii) used cooking oil collection efficiency. The presented system should (i) perform under scenarios of temporary communication network failures, and (ii) be scalable to accommodate an ever-growing number of installed collection units. Thus, we choose a disruptive approach from the traditional cloud computing paradigm. It relies on edge node infrastructure to process, store, and act upon the locally collected data. The communication appears as a delay-tolerant task, i.e., an edge computing solution. We conduct a comparative analysis revealing the benefits of the edge computing enabled collection bin vs. a cloud computing solution. The studied period considers four years of collected data. An exponential increase in the amount of used cooking oil collected is identified, with the developed solution being responsible for surpassing the national collection totals of previous years. During the same period, we also improved the collection process as we were able to more accurately estimate the optimal collection and system's maintenance intervals.

SchoolAIR: A Citizen Science IoT Framework Using Low-Cost Sensing for Indoor Air Quality Management

Indoor air quality (IAQ) problems in school environments are very common and have significant impacts on students' performance, development and health. Indoor air conditions depend on the adopted ventilation practices, which in Mediterranean countries are essentially based on natural ventilation controlled through manual window opening. Citizen science projects directed to school communities are effective strategies to promote awareness and knowledge acquirement on IAQ and adequate ventilation management. Our multidisciplinary research team has developed a framework-SchoolAIR-based on low-cost sensors and a scalable IoT system architecture to support the improvement of IAQ in schools. The SchoolAIR framework is based on do-it-yourself sensors that continuously monitor air temperature, relative humidity, concentrations of carbon dioxide and particulate matter in school environments. The framework was tested in the classrooms of University Fernando Pessoa, and its deployment and proof of concept took place in a high school in the north of Portugal. The results obtained reveal that CO2 concentrations frequently exceed reference values during classes, and that higher concentrations of particulate matter in the outdoor air affect IAQ. These results highlight the importance of real-time monitoring of IAQ and outdoor air pollution levels to support decision-making in ventilation management and assure adequate IAQ. The proposed approach encourages the transfer of scientific knowledge from universities to society in a dynamic and active process of social responsibility based on a citizen science approach, promoting scientific literacy of the younger generation and enhancing healthier, resilient and sustainable indoor environments.

Bioinformatics and expression analysis of the Xeroderma Pigmentosum complementation group C (XPC) of Trypanosoma evansi in Trypanosoma cruzi cells

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) acts repairing damages in DNA, such as lesions caused by cisplatin. Xeroderma Pigmentosum complementation group C (XPC) protein is involved in recognition of global genome DNA damages during NER (GG-NER) and it has been studied in different organisms due to its importance in other cellular processes. In this work, we studied NER proteins in Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma evansi, parasites of humans and animals respectively. We performed three-dimensional models of XPC proteins from T. cruzi and T. evansi and observed few structural differences between these proteins. In our tests, insertion of XPC gene from T. evansi (TevXPC) in T. cruzi resulted in slower cell growth under normal conditions. After cisplatin treatment, T. cruzi overexpressing its own XPC gene (TcXPC) was able to recover cell division rates faster than T. cruzi expressing TevXPC gene. Based on these tests, it is suggested that TevXPC (being an exogenous protein in T. cruzi) interferes negatively in cellular processes where TcXPC (the endogenous protein) is involved. This probably occurred due interaction of TevXPC with some endogenous molecules or proteins from T.cruzi but incapacity of interaction with others. This reinforces the importance of correctly XPC functioning within the cell.

Racial inequality and periodontal condition in Brazilian adolescents

Background

Oral health, such as other health conditions, reflects social inequalities. These inequalities are fed back by oral diseases, generating a vicious and sustainable circle. Racial issues play a prominent role, once they are associated with oral diseases as risk markers. Among the different oral diseases, periodontal disease associated with racial inequalities in adolescents is emblematic. Thus, this study aimed to analyse the race differentials associated with the levels of periodontal disease, regardless of other risk factors.

Methods

Data from the 2010 national epidemiological survey on oral health were used, with 5445 adolescents (15 to 19 years old). Multinomial logistic regression models were used. Dependent variable was the Community Periodontal Index. Independent variable was self-declared race/colour, categorized as white, pardo (mixed-race identity) and preto (black). The effect of race was controlled in the presence of the covariates sex, years of study, decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth (DMFT index), toothache and self-reported need for dental treatment. Odds Ratio (OR) was estimated and sample weights were considered.

Results

The simple model showed preto with 2.7 (p < 0.05) and 8 (p < 0.05) times more likely to have shallow and deep periodontal pockets, respectively, compared to white. Pardo was 1.5 (p < 0.05) times more likely to have periodontal calculus. In the multiple model, even in the presence of all independent covariates, preto showed association with shallow pockets (OR = 2.51, p < 0.05) and pardo showed association with the presence of calculus (OR = 1.37, p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Regardless of sex, education, perception of pain and need for treatment and the DMFT index, race/colour was associated with periodontal problems. It should be noted that skin colour is not a biological risk factor for periodontal disease. However, the findings of this study revealed racial inequities regardless of socioeconomic variables.

Key messages

Raises the need to guarantee health as a resource for social development, with science having a fundamental role in recovering the citizenship of this historically forgotten population. The findings of this study revealed racial inequities regardless of socioeconomic variables.

Accuracy of the need for dental prosthesis and associated factors between elderly in Recife, Brazil

Background

The latest national oral health survey showed a high prevalence of the need for dental prostheses between the Brazilian elderly. To classify this need, normative (clinical) and subjective (self-reported) criteria must be considered since patients' self-perception takes into account social and functional issues that arise with oral health problems. Few studies investigate the agreement between these criteria, as well as its determinants. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the accuracy of the need for the use of total dental prosthesis and factors associated with the agreement between criteria.

Methods

Cross-sectional study, carried out in three municipalities in the Metropolitan Region of Recife, with a random sample of 816 elderly people from 65 to 74 years old. The dependent variable was the accuracy, calculated by the agreement between the self-reported and the normative need for a total dental prosthesis, and the independents were assembled in three blocks (socioeconomic/demographic, access to oral health services and self-perceived oral health). Hierarchical logistic models were conducted for total upper prosthesis (TUP) and total lower prosthesis (TLP).

Results

The self-perception of the need for prosthetic use presented an accuracy of 75.9% (95% CI = 72.8-78.7%) for TUP and 78.6% (95% CI = 75.6-81.3%) for TLP. In the multiple analysis, the accuracy for TUP and TLP needs holds an association with the variables: family income, age and time since the last dental appointment.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the self-perception of need for dental prosthesis demonstrates potential applicability for the elderly, presenting notable accuracy values. It suggests that studies based on patients' self-reports should be stimulated, aiming for the evaluation and validation of self-reported criteria in different contexts and cultures. Furthermore, the identification of accuracy associated factors can help to build more meaningful questions to be used in future surveys.

Key messages

The use of the self-reported need for total dental prosthesis may be feasible when considering lower cost, reduced time of execution and ease of use in population epidemiological surveys. Application of self-reporting as an epidemiological tool for planning and monitoring oral health services, incorporating it in the form of indicators for oral health surveillance.

Collective oral health care at Xukuru do Ororubá Indigenous Territory (Pesqueira, Brazil) in 2018

Background

Primary oral health care services are responsible for performing collective actions, in order to prevent diseases and promote health through education. Brazilian indigenous populations, especially from the Northeast Region, suffer from insufficient access to oral health services. From this perspective, this study aims to verify the performance of oral health collective actions indicators in the territory of the Xukuru do Ororubá indigenous ethnic group (Pesqueira, Brazil) in 2018.

Methods

An observational and ecological study. Secondary data for 2018 were extracted from the Indigenous Health Care Information System, part of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). Performance of collective oral procedures conducted by the oral health teams in the Xukuru territory was analyzed through indicators applied for the evaluation of oral health actions and services related to primary care.

Results

There was an average monthly coverage of the collective supervised toothbrushing (CST) of 47.8% for the entire Xukuru territory. The average monthly coverage of the collective topical fluoride application (CTFA) was 2.8%. There was an annual average of 6.2 collective dental procedures (CDP) per capita.

Conclusions

Less than half of the population participated in CST actions. CTFA proved to be almost nonexistent, with poor coverage for the general territory population. The annual average of CDP was satisfactory which may, in general terms, demonstrate greater concern with preventive measures. However, it appears that such average gains strength due to the volume of health education actions, which is part of the indicator sum. Analyzing the low coverage of CST and CTFA in isolation, a reality of low access to fluoride in this indigenous population can be seen. Results points to the need for greater provision of collective actions in the indigenous territory studied, aiming at strengthening the prevention of diseases and/or aggravations of oral health, in all life cycles.

Key messages

Measurement of the performance of oral health teams regarding the collective oral health actions in the territory of the Xukuru do Ororubá ethnic group. Analysis of the indigenous oral health stored data quality, aiming to offer support for system management decision making and to the services organization improvement.

"Survey of Wellbeing of Young Children (SWYC)": how does it fit for screening developmental delay in Brazilian children aged 4 to 58 months?

OBJECTIVE

To replicate the original normative study of the SWYC's Milestones Questionnaires for children in Brazil. Our goals were to compare the performance of Brazilian and North American children using this screening tool and to verify the reliability and validity of the Brazilian version.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

Cross-sectional study with children aged 1-65 months and their guardians, recruited in southern Brazil. Parents were interviewed using the Developmental Milestones questionnaire, which contains 10 questions about cognitive, motor, social, and language abilities. Item response theory was used to examine item validity.

RESULTS

We interviewed 415 parents. SWYC provided the most information on the children's development between 10 and 30 months. The performance of Brazilian and North American children was quite similar when children are younger than 36 months old. Above 36 months, North American children performed almost all items earlier than Brazilians. Convergent validity was 0.73 and internal consistency 0.97.

CONCLUSION

The Brazilian version of the Developmental Milestones questionnaire presented acceptable measurement qualities that support the SWYĆs potential as a developmental screening tool. As we found important differences between North American and Brazilian children in achieving the milestones, especially among the oldest children, additional normative studies are needed.

Palatal asymmetry during development: an anatomical study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate hard palate asymmetry during development. The palates of 248 dry skulls were photographed and evaluated digitally. The skulls were divided into seven groups: fetus, newborn, infant, child, adolescent, adult, and aged. Linear measures were obtained from great palatine foramen (GPF) to incisive fossa (INC) and to posterior nasal spine (PNS). Angular measures were obtained from the former landmarks plus the point on sutures intersection between maxillary and palatine bones. Asymmetry was evaluated intra and intergroups. All skulls showed some degree of right-left asymmetry in the hard palate. Regardless of hard palate asymmetry, none of the right-left side differences was statistically significant. For the intergroups assessment, none of the asymmetry index means were statistically different. The posterior part of palate (PNS x GPF) measures was more asymmetric than the anterior part (INC x GPF), showing, respectively, 4.6% and 2.8% of mean asymmetry index. Angular measures showed a more symmetric behavior than the linear ones. Hard palate asymmetry occurs even in the absence of masticatory function, showing that this feature begins early in fetal life and persists through development.