Sistema de agentes poligínicos para esteganálise de imagens digitais

In this work, we propose a multi agent system for digital image steganalysis, based on the poliginic bees model. Such approach aims to solve the problem of automatic steganalysis for digital media, with a case study on digital images. The system architecture was designed not only to detect if a file is suspicious of covering a hidden message, as well to extract the hidden message or information regarding it. Several experiments were performed whose results confirm a substantial enhancement (from 67% to 82% success rate) by using the multi-agent approach, fact not observed in traditional systems. An ongoing application using the technique is the detection of anomalies in digital data produced by sensors that capture brain emissions in little animals. The detection of such anomalies can be used to prove theories and evidences of imagery completion during sleep provided by the brain in visual cortex areas

Um framework de agentes de recomendação para sistemas Web

The World Wide Web has been consolidated over the last years as a standard platform to provide software systems in the Internet. Nowadays, a great variety of user applications are available on the Web, varying from corporate applications to the banking domain, or from electronic commerce to the governmental domain. Given the quantity of information available and the quantity of users dealing with their services, many Web systems have sought to present recommendations of use as part of their functionalities, in order to let the users to have a better usage of the services available, based on their profile, history navigation and system use. In this context, this dissertation proposes the development of an agent-based framework that offers recommendations for users of Web systems. It involves the conception, design and implementation of an object-oriented framework. The framework agents can be plugged or unplugged in a non-invasive way in existing Web applications using aspect-oriented techniques. The framework is evaluated through its instantiation to three different Web systems

Avaliação de arquitetura de agentes emocionais : uma abordagem baseada em métrica de qualidade e na influência das emoções sobre usuários

There is a need for multi-agent system designers in determining the quality of systems in the earliest phases of the development process. The architectures of the agents are also part of the design of these systems, and therefore also need to have their quality evaluated. Motivated by the important role that emotions play in our daily lives, embodied agents researchers have aimed to create agents capable of producing affective and natural interaction with users that produces a beneficial or desirable result. For this, several studies proposing architectures of agents with emotions arose without the accompaniment of appropriate methods for the assessment of these architectures. The objective of this study is to propose a methodology for evaluating architectures emotional agents, which evaluates the quality attributes of the design of architectures, in addition to evaluation of human-computer interaction, the effects on the subjective experience of users of applications that implement it. The methodology is based on a model of well-defined metrics. In assessing the quality of architectural design, the attributes assessed are: extensibility, modularity and complexity. In assessing the effects on users' subjective experience, which involves the implementation of the architecture in an application and we suggest to be the domain of computer games, the metrics are: enjoyment, felt support, warm, caring, trust, cooperation, intelligence, interestingness, naturalness of emotional reactions, believabiliy, reducing of frustration and likeability, and the average time and average attempts. We experimented with this approach and evaluate five architectures emotional agents: BDIE, DETT, Camurra-Coglio, EBDI, Emotional-BDI. Two of the architectures, BDIE and EBDI, were implemented in a version of the game Minesweeper and evaluated for human-computer interaction. In the results, DETT stood out with the best architectural design. Users who have played the version of the game with emotional agents performed better than those who played without agents. In assessing the subjective experience of users, the differences between the architectures were insignificant

Doenças de Veiculação Hídrica em Trechos da Bacia do Rio Piranhas-Assu: ocorrência de bactérias oportunistas, caracterização epidemiológica e concepções de professores e agentes de saúde

Water is essential to life and all living organisms and their supply is necessary for economic development and quality of life of human populations, but their quality has been altered by human actions. In semi-arid northeast, the water is an issue of concern, especially its quality. This region is common to the construction of reservoirs that capture rain water, streams and temporary rivers in search of ease this situation, being intended for various purposes. Water scarcity is a limiting factor for the economic and social development of the region and contributes to the maintenance of waterborne diseases. About 80% of diseases that occur in developing countries are infected by waterborne pathogens. Therefore, this study aimed to determine in two environments that are part of semilênticos Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves reservoir, and a stretch of the river Assu, all located in the semiarid RN, the occurrence of opportunistic pathogenic bacteria; check the conceptions of teachers and health workers about the issues "waterborne diseases" and "bacteria" and a diagnosis of diarrheal diseases that affect the population in some municipalities of the semi-arid region of RN from a survey of epidemiological data. For identification of bacteria using commercial kits and the diagnosis of diarrheal disease was based on information from databases. The previous conceptions of teachers and health workers were obtained through questionnaires. The results confirmed the presence of opportunistic bacteria in the studied area, showing the importance of monitoring water quality. There was an under-reporting of cases of diarrhea pointing out flaws in the monitoring of Diarrheal Diseases and indicating the need to improve it. It was felt also the need to implement educational activities on topics dealt with both with teachers and health workers, since they were identified misconceptions on the subject

Cartografia do trabalho de agentes penitenciários: reflexão sobre o “dispositivo prisão”

The Brazilian prison system is going through a serious crisis, not only due to the growth in the number of prisoners and the consequent overcrowding of prisons, but also for the violation of human rights, institutionalization and difficulty in social rehabilitation of inmates. Furthermore, the harmful effects of the prison system affect their workers, who generally are not prioritized by researchers, health programs and government policies. The literature pointing to some consequences of work in prison, among them, the mental illness, stress, alcohol abuse, etc., but little is known about this profession, their problems, the difficulties of their work routine, so as subjective processes involved. So, what are the effects of this work in the prison in the lives of correctional officers? What strategies developed to address the work in prison? This research aims to analyze the effects of this work in the prison in the lives of correctional officers from the state prison in Parnamirim, located in the metropolitan region of Natal-RN. Within the theoretical and methodological perspective of institutional analysis and cartography were carried conversation circles, interviews, in addition to participant observation of the correctional officers work’s routine. The results point to a working routine marked by the performance of procedures that involve risk to the worker, generating situations of tension and stress. Besides, the culture of violence (which is implemented in jail everyday) as well as the training and initial learning of the profession, are responsible for the militarization process of the subjectivities of the correctional officers, producing hard subject, disciplined, stiff, likely to violent practices and other rights violations. Other mapped effects relate to the acquisition of knowledge about the human (“psy” knowledge) responsible for forging the conception of the criminal as "dangerous subject", which, in turn, acts as subjectivity vector in the daily life of prison guards by setting up a way of life crossed by fear and insecurity outside the work environment. Produces a control in the open about their lives and their families, limiting them with regard to family and community life and the realization of leisure activities in public spaces. In this sense, it appears that the arrest acts producing “bad meetings” (from Espinosa's perspective), once it produces sad affections responsible for weakening the conatus, limiting the possibilities of action of these subjects. Although agents develop some strategies to deal with the difficulties of working in prison (among which stand out the development of other professional or leisure activities, spirituality / religiosity and the ability to separate the labor moments from those of their the personal lives, is advocated that such strategies do not offer significant resistance, since they do not question the contemporary legal-criminal logic. The thesis presented supports the proposals of penal abolitionism to present other conceptions of crime and justice through the invention of other practical and conceptual strategies.

Síntese de zeólitas utilizando cátions orgânicos a base de um anel imidazólio como agentes direcionadores de estruturas em meio fluorídrico

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES

Aplicação de agentes remineralizantes sobre o esmalte clareado: eficácia contra o manchamento por café

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of remineralizing agents on the susceptibility of enamel cleared by the coffee pigmentation during office bleaching. Fifty bovine incisors were selected and randomly assigned into 5 groups (n = 10) on the basis of remineralizing agents: G1 gel hydrogen peroxide to 35% (control group); G2, hydrogen peroxide gel and a 35% gel 2% neutral fluorine; G3, hydrogen peroxide gel and a 35% nanostructured calcium phosphate gel, G4, hydrogen peroxide gel and a 35% casein fosfoptídia-phosphate and amorphous calcium folder; G5 hydrogen peroxide gel to 35% without mineralizing agent. All groups exception G1 (control group) were subjected to pigmentation soluble coffee according to the manufacturer's guidelines. The samples were immersed in coffee at temperature of 55° C, 1 time a day for 4 minutes. Color changes were performed by Easyshade spectrophotometer at CIE Lab method before and after 3 whitening sessions. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance ANOVA. The results showed statistically significant differences between the remineralizing substances for the parameters L *, a *, b * ΔE (p <0.0001). The L * values for the group G5, and the b * for G2 and G5 groups differed from the control group. After the 3rd whitening session, Fluor's group (G2) and that without mineralizing agent (G5) showed ΔE values less than the control group that did not undergo pigmentation. It was concluded that only the nanoclusters remineralizing agents Phosphopeptides Casein-Amorphous Calcium Phosphate and Calcium Amorphous phosphate were able to reduce the coffee interference whitening efficacy of hydrogen peroxide.

Efeito imunomodulador e atividade antimicrobiana de heterofucanas de Sargassum filipendula

Fucans, sulphated polysaccharides that contain L-fucose in its constitution, obtained from species of Phaeophyceae of the Sargassum kind, display several biological activities. Heterofucans from Sargassum filipendula are bioactive molecules that contain strong antiproliferative and antioxidant activity. However, their immunomodulatory and antimicrobial activities have not yet been examined. In this context, the aim of this research was to evaluate the heterofucans as for their immunomodulatory capacity and antimicrobial action against Leishmania infantum, Trichomonas vaginalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Klebsiella pneumonia (KPC). The five heterofucans obtained from S. filipendula show activities that are distant as stimulants of the immune system and microbial agent. The SF0.5V, SF0.7V amd SF1.0V heterofucans were capable of acting in the activation of murine and human macrophages. In addition to that, SF0.5V has shown antibiofilm activity of S. epidermides and SF0.7V and 1.0V almost completely inhibited the survival of the protozoan T. vaginalis. Results such as this one, reflect the broad range of action of the sulphated polysaccharides obtained from seaweeds, especially from the species S.filipendula

Avaliação da atividade antimicrobiana das defensinas recombinantes de ervilha (drr230a) e café (cd1) produzidas em Pichia pastoris

The inefficiency of chemical pesticides to control phytopathogenic fungi in agriculture and the frequent incidence of human diseases caused by bacteria which are resistant to antibiotics lead to the search for alternative antimicrobial compounds. In this context, plant defensins are a promising tool for the control of both plant and human pathogenic agents. Plant defensins are cationic peptides of about 50 amino acid residues, rich in cysteine and whose tridimensional structure is considerably conserved among different plant species. These antimicrobial molecules represent an important innate component from plant defense response against pathogens and are expressed in various plant tissues, such as leaves, tubers, flowers, pods and seeds. The present work aimed at the evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of two plant defensins against different phytopathogenic fungi and pathogenic bacteria to humans. The defensin Drr230a, whose gene was isolated from pea (Pisum sativum), and the defensin CD1,whose gene was identified within coffee (Coffea arabica) transcriptome, were subcloned in yeast expression vector and expressed in Pichia pastoris. The gene cd1 was subcloned as two different recombinant forms: CD1tC, containing a six-histidine sequence (6xHis) at the peptide C-terminal region and CD1tN, containing 6xHis coding sequence at the N-terminal region. In the case of the defensin Drr230a, the 6xHis coding sequence was inserted only at the N-terminal region. Assays of the antimicrobial activity of the purified recombinant proteins rDrr230a and rCD1 against Phakopsora pachyrhizi, causal agent of soybean Asian rust, were performed to analyze the in vitro spore germination inhibition and disease severity caused by the fungus in planta. Both recombinant defensins were able to inhibit P. pachyrhizi uredospore germination, with no difference between the antimicrobial action of either CD1tC or CD1tN. Moreover, rDrr230a and rCD1 drastically reduced severity of soybean Asian rust, as demonstrated by in planta assays. In spite of the fact that rCD1 was not able to inhibit proliferation of the human pathogenic bacteria Staplylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae, rCD1 was able to inhibit growth of the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium tucumaniae, that causes soybean sudden death syndrome. The obtained results show that these plant defensins are useful candidates to be used in plant genetic engineering programs to control agriculture impacting fungal diseases.

O algodão sem veneno do Assentamento Queimadas, na Paraíba: agentes sociais, alinhamento em rede, produção e comercialização

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

Polissacarídeos sulfatados da Alga Marrom Dictyopteris justii como agentes antioxidantes e inibidores da formação de cristais de oxalato de cálcio

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior