This critical narrative review examined scientific literature published between 2019 and 2025 regarding screen exposure and child neurodevelopment from birth to 12 years of age, emphasizing cognitive, linguistic, socioemotional, sleep, and neurobiological outcomes. Methodologically, primary studies (observational cohorts, cross-sectional designs, and randomized controlled trials) and secondary reviews were critically synthesized to differentiate statistical associations from causal inference. The reviewed evidence indicates that screenrelated impacts vary significantly according to exposure duration, timing, content quality, developmental stage, family environment, socioeconomic background, and active adult mediation. Higher and passive digital media exposure was consistently associated with less favorable outcomes in language acquisition, sustained attention, sleep quality, behavioral regulation, and structural white-matter integrity in preschool-aged children. However, much of the current literature remains observational, with reported effect sizes often modest compared to broader developmental and social determinants of health. Randomized controlled trials offer targeted evidentiary insights, demonstrating that interventions focused on parental digital education and removing screen use prior to bedtime yield measurable reductions in screen time and modest improvements in specific sleep parameters. Overall, current evidence supports a contextualized, pragmatic approach to children's digital media engagement rather than deterministic interpretations relying solely on total screen duration. Further prospective longitudinal studies and adequately powered randomized trials are needed to clarify precise causal pathways and long-term neurodevelopmental trajectories.

Multilabel emotion recognition requires models to identify co-occurring emotions while handling unequal label frequencies and selecting decision thresholds. We investigated these issues in Brazilian Portuguese using BRIGHTER Track A, with anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness and surprise. The study compared TF-IDF with logistic regression against BERTimbau Base and Large, BERTweet.BR and Albertina 100M PT-BR, assessing binary cross-entropy, its weighted variant, focal loss, weighted focal loss and asymmetric loss in the combinations evaluated. Training and development data were pooled for out-of-fold evaluation. Emotion-specific thresholds and probability-fusion weights were selected through nested validation for previously chosen configurations; the preceding model and loss search was not fully nested. The final EN2 system combined BERTweet.BR with asymmetric loss and BERTimbau Large with binary cross-entropy, using frozen probability weights and emotion-specific thresholds before retraining on the full pool. EN2 obtained Macro-F1 of 0.5691 in nested development evaluation and 0.2852 on the official test set, exceeding the separately tested BERTweet.BR component, which obtained 0.1569. The BERTimbau Large component was not evaluated independently on the test set. Predicted label cardinality fell from 1.0639 to 0.3459 and Macro-AP from 0.6002 to 0.5042, with extensive false negatives, particularly for disgust, fear and sadness. Meanwhile, aggregate Brier score and expected calibration error decreased. Thus, development gains did not transfer fully after retraining, and thresholded decisions, ranking and probabilistic quality exhibited distinct changes. The available evidence does not isolate a single cause of the decline. Conclusions remain limited by reuse of development data for configuration selection, rare labels, one final training seed and the scope of Portuguese Track A.

Diffusion language models (dLLMs) generate text by iteratively denoising blocks of tokens. DiffusionGemma reuses the prompt and every finalized 256-token canvas as a persistent key–value (KV) cache at each denoising step, so this cache can dominate memory as the context grows, yet the effect of its numerical precision on a dLLM has received little study. We introduce CanvasKV4, a symmetric INT4 storage format for the persistent cache whose scale groups are aligned with the model's 256-token canvases. Entries are quantized once, when they become persistent, and reconstructed whenever later canvases attend to them, while the active canvas retains BF16 keys and values and attention consumes BF16 inputs. We compare it with the native BF16 cache under matched conditions, using the same FP8-quantized DiffusionGemma model weights, prompts, and sampling parameters on one NVIDIA H100 GPU. We measure cache memory, accuracy on the full GSM8K test split and HumanEval in thinking mode with paired statistical tests, and forward-pass and end-to-end generation time. CanvasKV4 reduces persistent-cache memory by 3.938× at every evaluated cache capacity, without a statistically detectable change in accuracy on either benchmark. In the current eager-mode implementation, however, this saving comes with noticeably slower forward passes and longer generation times.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an important One Health problem involving humans, animals, and the environment. Although AMR surveillance traditionally focuses on hospitals, livestock, and food production, wildlife is increasingly recognized as an important part of this system. Urban wildlife, including pigeons, gulls, and rodents, lives in close contact with human populations and frequently uses environments affected by wastewater, solid waste, food waste, and domestic animals. These conditions may expose wildlife to antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). This literature review summarizes evidence on the potential use of urban wildlife as sentinels of environmental AMR, focusing mainly on Escherichia coli, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria, and multidrug-resistant organisms. Studies from different countries show that urban wildlife can carry bacteria with resistance profiles of importance to human and veterinary health. However, resistant bacteria in wildlife do not necessarily indicate that these animals are a source of AMR, as they may reflect resistance present in human-impacted areas. Therefore, wildlife surveillance can complement AMR monitoring in human, animal, and environmental settings within a One Health approach, while providing additional information for understanding the distribution of resistance in urban ecosystems.

Parent education, when integrated with pedagogical work, constitutes an important strategy for strengthening the relationship between families and schools, particularly in supporting students eligible for special education. This article presents a qualitative, descriptive, and reflective experience report grounded in the coauthor’s work as a researcher and coordinator of Specialized Educational Services (Atendimento Educacional Especializado, AEE) at a private school. The objective was to analyze how practices involving parental guidance, listening, and shared responsibility with families can foster school inclusion, the development of autonomy, and students’ participation in academic and social activities. The results indicate that intentionally bringing families and schools closer together enables the creation of accessible and individualized pedagogical strategies, reduces friction in communication, minimizes the blaming of families, and establishes predictable routines between the home environment and the classroom. Furthermore, grounding ongoing support in the principles of connection and affection significantly improves students’ school engagement. The experience demonstrates that parent education should not be understood as training or judging families, but as a process of dialogue, support, and the joint development of strategies. It is concluded that bringing families, teachers, pedagogical coordination, and AEE closer together contributes to the development of more coherent, accessible, and individualized practices and also ensures the fundamental rights guaranteed by Decree No. 12,686 and the Brazilian Inclusion Act.

Toxoplasmosis is a globally distributed zoonotic disease caused by the coccidian parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Although felids are the definitive hosts of the parasite, most warm blooded animals, including humans, can become infected. This literature review aimed to discuss the epidemiological relationship between free-roaming animals and the transmission of T. gondii, with emphasis on the interaction between definitive and intermediate hosts, environmental contamination, and prevention from a One Health perspective. A literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Google Scholar, and SciELO databases, prioritizing recent studies while also including relevant classical publications. The reviewed literature indicates that animals with free access to the environment may have greater exposure to T. gondii and, under certain circumstances, may serve as indicators of parasite circulation within a population. The interaction between felids, synanthropic animals, and other intermediate hosts establishes an important connection between parasite circulation among animals and environmental contamination by oocysts. Factors such as environmental access, feeding habits, predation, and food availability may influence opportunities for exposure to the parasite. Although the reviewed studies do not allow the conclusion that controlling free-roaming animals alone can reduce the occurrence of toxoplasmosis in humans, they reinforce the importance of integrated preventive strategies. Population education, responsible pet ownership, appropriate management of animals with environmental access, control of synanthropic animals, and measures aimed at reducing environmental contamination by oocysts are relevant intervention points in the transmission cycle. Therefore, a One Health approach may contribute to integrating actions directed toward human, animal, and environmental health, prioritizing prevention and reducing opportunities for exposure to the parasite.

This study examines how Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns can encourage critical reflection on women's rights through the relationship between fiction, history, and contemporary reality. Using a qualitative approach based on literary and contextual analysis, the study examines the experiences of the novel's female protagonists, Mariam and Laila, alongside historical and contemporary sources concerning women's rights in Afghanistan. The analysis shows that the contrasting backgrounds of Mariam and Laila provide an important perspective for understanding how individual circumstances interact with broader political structures. While Mariam grows up with limited opportunities, as a result of her family status, gender, and social environment, Laila initially has access to education and greater expectations of Independence. Despite these different starting points, political transformations, particularly the establishment of Taliban rule, significantly restrict the rights and opportunities of both women. By connecting these fictional experiences with Afghanistan's historical development and contemporary situation, the novel allows readers to examine how political change can affect rights that may otherwise appear secure. The study concludes that literature can contribute to critical thinking by exploring broad historical and political developments, and then encourages readers to question, compare, and contextualize social realities. Although fiction should not be treated as historical evidence or as a representation of all Afghan women, it can serve as a meaningful starting point for reflection on political authority, the vulnerability of individual rights, and the continuing relevance of women's rights in contemporary society.

Technological acceleration has changed the conditions under which individuals and organizations create and innovate, particularly through artificial intelligence, automation, data analysis, and digital platforms. This study aims to understand how technological acceleration has been reconfiguring creative and innovation processes, considering the transformations observed between 2024 and 2026 and changes in the role of professionals involved in these processes. To this end, selected data from a study conducted in 2024 with 71 consumers and three professionals connected to business management were revisited, and a qualitative stage was added in September 2026 through semi-structured interviews with three professionals working in digital strategy and branding, audiovisual production, design, and creative direction. The 2024 data were revisited selectively and placed in dialogue with the 2026 interviews and the literature; the two moments were not treated as equivalent samples. The findings indicate a shift from adaptation to accelerated adaptation: organizations and professionals still need to monitor changes, trends, and audience preferences, but artificial intelligence and other digital tools reduce the time between identifying a change and acting on it. These technologies increase production capacity and facilitate operational stages, while direction, selection, evaluation, and meaning remain strongly dependent on human knowledge and repertoire. The results also reveal a tension between large-scale production and standardization. Metrics, algorithms, and trends can support strategic decisions, but may encourage repetition when they become commands rather than information. The study concludes that technological acceleration does not remove humans from creative processes; instead, it reorganizes their role and increases the importance of intention, identity, interpretation, and creative direction.

The internet has become a central environment in which children and adolescents learn, socialize, and form ideas about themselves and the world. This article examines how digital environments shape and, at times, distort perceptions of reality, with particular attention to young people. Drawing on a narrative review of the literature on the media construction of reality, algorithmic personalization, social comparison, online communities, cyberbullying, and digital information evaluation, it analyzes the mechanisms through which online content influences what individuals regard as real, normal, and important. The discussion shows that platforms do not display information neutrally: algorithms prioritize content that sustains attention, which can produce selective and emotionally charged views of the world. Idealized and manipulated representations may alter expectations about appearance, success, and relationships, while online communities can offer both valuable belonging and exposure to harmful influences. The growing difficulty of distinguishing authentic from manipulated content, combined with the repetition of false or misleading narratives, further complicates the evaluation of information, especially for those whose critical skills are still developing. The article argues that restricting children's access to technology is neither realistic nor desirable. Instead, it highlights the role of parents, educators, and institutions in fostering media and digital literacy, open dialogue about online experiences, reasonable boundaries, and adult role modeling. It concludes that preparing children for the digital world requires teaching them both how to use technology and how to think critically about the realities it presents.

The evolution of design in Brazil has always been connected to the country’s economic, social, and political history. In today’s competitive global market, design management is a key factor for company innovation and market positioning. However, using design at a strategic level in Brazil still faces historical and structural obstacles. This study examines how academic literature explains the shift from operational to strategic design in Brazil, and how economic history influenced its role in national industry. Through an integrative literature review using SciELO, Scopus, the CAPES Periodicals Portal, and Google Scholar (1988–2025), findings were organized into three main themes: late industrialization and technology dependence, design education and practical traditions; and the role of public policies in the knowledge economy. The results show that late industrialization based on imported technology, along with curricula focused mostly on technical and visual tasks, created a business culture that often sees design as a short-term aesthetic cost rather than a core tool for strategy and innovation. Connecting design with top management requires updating university training and building stronger links between universities, businesses, and public programs.

This study examines how religious discourse constructs representations of women’s roles through the opposition between women’s empowerment and religious tradition. The corpus consists of a clip from a sermon by Friar Gilson da Silva Pupo Azevedo, broadcast live on his YouTube channel in March 2025, focusing on women’s empowerment and their role in the family. The theoretical framework links polarization and argumentation to the discursive conditions that legitimize religious discourse and frames the naturalization of gender relations as symbolic domination. The methodology consists of descriptive research employing a bibliographic procedure and a qualitative approach. It examines how the expanded situational context shapes a representation of women as helpers in the face of a group’s social and cultural recognition, guided by an ideology that materializes in discourse legitimized by the authority of the institution it represents. It is also evident that the representation of women in religious discourse is linked to the search for belonging and identity, moving from the purely conceptual to recognition within a socially internalized framework. The argumentation that constructs this discourse will be shaped by controversy and polarization, driven by the interest in influencing the behavior of those who join in solidarity with its thesis.

Mobile applications support reproductive health through menstrual tracking, fertility-related information, symptom recording, and contraceptive reminders. However, designing applications for contraceptive self-management requires understanding how these functions relate to different methods, regimens, and user needs. This narrative literature review aimed to identify and synthesise functional, usability, inclusivity, privacy, and safety requirements relevant to this context. Searches were conducted in Google Scholar using terms related to contraceptive self-management, mobile applications, adherence, menstrual tracking, and requirements engineering. Ten publications from 2024 onwards were selected according to their relevance to the research topic. Reported barriers, participant preferences, and author recommendations were organised into five analytical dimensions and translated into nine suggested design requirements. The synthesis identified needs for configurable methods and regimens, flexible symptom recording, discreet reminders, understandable feedback, meaningful personalisation, proportionate recording demands, transparent data practices, technical security, and clear limits for predictions and guidance. Requirements were distributed across studies with different purposes, supporting the fragmentation component of the initial hypothesis within the selected literature. Nevertheless, several publications already addressed needs beyond menstrual tracking and isolated reminders, indicating that the main research opportunity concerns integrating and evaluating these contributions across contraceptive methods and regimens. The findings suggest that integration should preserve user choice and contextual relevance while avoiding unnecessary complexity and disclosure. The proposed requirements provide a literature-informed basis for participatory development and subsequent evaluation. Further research should assess their practical suitability and distinguish usability, acceptability, and engagement from improvements in contraceptive self-management.

The presence of pharmaceutical residues in aquatic environments has raised concerns due to their potential impacts on aquatic organisms and water quality. Conventional wastewater treatment processes may have limitations in removing these contaminants, highlighting the need for alternative and advanced treatment technologies. In this context, the present study aimed to compare the individual efficiencies of pyrite and ozonation for bromazepam removal from water, while assessing the influence of two different pyrite masses on drug removal efficiency and identifying the conditions that provided the highest removal performance. Experiments were conducted using an initial bromazepam concentration of 0.50 mg L⁻¹ under three independent conditions: isolated ozonation (experiment A), 750 g of pyrite without ozonation (experiment B), and 1000 g of pyrite without ozonation (experiment C). The experiments were carried out for 8 h, with samples collected at different treatment times without replacement of the withdrawn volume. Bromazepam concentrations were determined by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), along with measurements of pH, color, turbidity, total organic carbon (TOC), and total nitrogen (TN). The results showed that ozonation (experiment A) did not significantly reduce bromazepam concentration. In contrast, the pyrite-based systems resulted in a substantial decrease in bromazepam concentration, achieving 100% removal after approximately 120 min in experiment B and 240 min in experiment C. These findings indicate that increasing the pyrite mass did not enhance the bromazepam removal rate. Among the treatments evaluated, experiment B achieved complete bromazepam removal within the shortest treatment time. Therefore, pyrite showed greater potential for bromazepam removal than isolated ozonation, while also offering advantages related to waste valorization, low cost, and availability, thus representing a promising alternative for the treatment of water contaminated with pharmaceutical residues.

This article traces how architecture and scenography are an extension of theater, examining how the lack of a holistic thinking in these areas can lead to the underutilisation of architectural space and the loss of opportunities for sensory, emotional, and immersive experiences. It argues that a closer integration between architecture and theatrical practice can allow space to move beyond its role as a passive backdrop and become an active component of the theatrical experience. Particular attention is given to environmental theater and site-specific theater, in which the conventional separation between stage, audience, and surrounding environment is challenged. A closer integration between architecture and theatrical practice can expand the possibilities of scenography, encouraging more immersive and spatially responsive forms of performance while demonstrating the potential of architectural space to actively participate in the construction of the theatrical experience.

Water scarcity is a growing global challenge, creating a need for efficient desalination technologies. While Reverse Osmosis (RO) remains the dominant industry standard, its high electrical energy consumption presents an economic and environmental bottleneck. This paper evaluates the electrical energy performance of Capacitive Deionization (CDI) as a low-energy electrochemical alternative. Through a comprehensive literature review and comparative thermodynamic analysis, this research studies the Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) of CDI, Membrane CDI (MCDI), and traditional RO of varying feedwater salinities, electrode architectures, and operating modes. The results indicate that CDI offers superior energy efficiency (0.2–0.6 kWh/m³) for treating low-to-moderate salinity brackish water (1.0–3.0 g/L), because energy requirements in electrochemical processes scale directly with the mass of dissolved ions removed rather than total fluid volume. Furthermore, integrating energy recovery systems and advanced carbon nanomaterials further reduces net energy demand. Although conventional RO remains more practical for high-salinity seawater treatment (35 g/L), CDI represents a highly viable and sustainable approach for brackish water desalination.