Medição da densidade óssea através de ondas eletromagnéticas e classificação por MVS

This work holds the purpose of presenting an auxiliary way of bone density measurement through the attenuation of electromagnetic waves. In order to do so, an arrangement of two microstrip antennas with rectangular configuration has been used, operating in a frequency of 2,49 GHz, and fed by a microstrip line on a substrate of fiberglass with permissiveness of 4.4 and height of 0,9 cm. Simulations were done with silica, bone meal, silica and gypsum blocks samples to prove the variation on the attenuation level of different combinations. Because of their good reproduction of the human beings anomaly aspects, samples of bovine bone were used. They were subjected to weighing, measurement and microwave radiation. The samples had their masses altered after mischaracterization and the process was repeated. The obtained data were inserted in a neural network and its training was proceeded with the best results gathered by correct classification on 100% of the samples. It comes to the conclusion that through only one non-ionizing wave in the 2,49 GHz zone it is possible to evaluate the attenuation level in the bone tissue, and that with the appliance of neural network fed with obtained characteristics in the experiment it is possible to classify a sample as having low or high bone density

Arquiteturas eficientes para sensoriamento espectral e classificação automática de modulações usando características cicloestacionárias

The increasing demand for high performance wireless communication systems has shown the inefficiency of the current model of fixed allocation of the radio spectrum. In this context, cognitive radio appears as a more efficient alternative, by providing opportunistic spectrum access, with the maximum bandwidth possible. To ensure these requirements, it is necessary that the transmitter identify opportunities for transmission and the receiver recognizes the parameters defined for the communication signal. The techniques that use cyclostationary analysis can be applied to problems in either spectrum sensing and modulation classification, even in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) environments. However, despite the robustness, one of the main disadvantages of cyclostationarity is the high computational cost for calculating its functions. This work proposes efficient architectures for obtaining cyclostationary features to be employed in either spectrum sensing and automatic modulation classification (AMC). In the context of spectrum sensing, a parallelized algorithm for extracting cyclostationary features of communication signals is presented. The performance of this features extractor parallelization is evaluated by speedup and parallel eficiency metrics. The architecture for spectrum sensing is analyzed for several configuration of false alarm probability, SNR levels and observation time for BPSK and QPSK modulations. In the context of AMC, the reduced alpha-profile is proposed as as a cyclostationary signature calculated for a reduced cyclic frequencies set. This signature is validated by a modulation classification architecture based on pattern matching. The architecture for AMC is investigated for correct classification rates of AM, BPSK, QPSK, MSK and FSK modulations, considering several scenarios of observation length and SNR levels. The numerical results of performance obtained in this work show the eficiency of the proposed architectures

Estudo comportamental, hormonal e histopatológico de animais com perda de peso progressina (SEP) e da variável peso associada a uma nova classificação ontogenética em Callithrix jacchus

The use of non-human primates in scientific research has contributed significantly to the biomedical area and, in the case of Callithrix jacchus, has provided important evidence on physiological mechanisms that help explain its biology, making the species a valuable experimental model in different pathologies. However, raising non-human primates in captivity for long periods of time is accompanied by behavioral disorders and chronic diseases, as well as progressive weight loss in most of the animals. The Primatology Center of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) has housed a colony of C. jacchus for nearly 30 years and during this period these animals have been weighed systematically to detect possible alterations in their clinical conditions. This procedure has generated a volume of data on the weight of animals at different age ranges. These data are of great importance in the study of this variable from different perspectives. Accordingly, this paper presents three studies using weight data collected over 15 years (1985-2000) as a way of verifying the health status and development of the animals. The first study produced the first article, which describes the histopathological findings of animals with probable diagnosis of permanent wasting marmoset syndrome (WMS). All the animals were carriers of trematode parasites (Platynosomum spp) and had obstruction in the hepatobiliary system; it is suggested that this agent is one of the etiological factors of the syndrome. In the second article, the analysis focused on comparing environmental profile and cortisol levels between the animals with normal weight curve evolution and those with WMS. We observed a marked decrease in locomotion, increased use of lower cage extracts and hypocortisolemia. The latter is likely associated to an adaptation of the mechanisms that make up the hypothalamus-hypophysis-adrenal axis, as observed in other mammals under conditions of chronic malnutrition. Finally, in the third study, the animals with weight alterations were excluded from the sample and, using computational tools (K-means and SOM) in a non-supervised way, we suggest found new ontogenetic development classes for C. jacchus. These were redimensioned from five to eight classes: infant I, infant II, infant III, juvenile I, juvenile II, sub-adult, young adult and elderly adult, in order to provide a more suitable classification for more detailed studies that require better control over the animal development

Publicação e avaliação de periódicos científicos: paradoxos da classificação Qualis em Psicologia

Recently, Brazilian scientific production has increased greatly, due to demands for productivity from scientific agencies. However, this high increases requires a more qualified production, since it s essential that publications are relevant and original. In the psychological field, the assessment scientific journals of the CAPES/ANPEPP Commission had a strong effect on the scientific community and raised questions about the chosen evaluation method. Considering this impact, the aim of this research is a meta-analysis on the assessment of Psychological journals by CAPES to update the Qualis database. For this research, Psychology scientific editors (38 questionnaires were applied by e-mail) were consulted, also 5 librarians who work with scientific journals assessment (semi-structured interviews) and 8 members who acted as referees in the CAPES/ANPEPP Commission (open questions were sent by e-mail). The results are shown through 3 analysis: general evaluation of the Qualis process (including the Assessment Committee constitution), evaluation criteria used in the process and the effect of the evaluation on the scientific community (changes on the editing scene included). Some important points emerged: disagreement among different actors about the suitability of this evaluation model; the recognition of the improvement of scientific journals, mainly toward normalization and diffusion; the verification that the model does not point the quality of the journal, i.e., the content of the scientific articles published in the journal; the disagreement with the criteria used, seemed necessary and useful but needed to be discussed and cleared between the scientific community. Despite these points, the scientific journals evaluation still is the main method to assure quality for Psychology publications

Ferramentas quimiométricas aplicadas a classificação de amostras de leite em pó e quantificação de proteínas

In this work we used chemometric tools to classify and quantify the protein content in samples of milk powder. We applied the NIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy combined with multivariate techniques. First, we carried out an exploratory method of samples by principal component analysis (PCA), then the classification of independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA). Thus it became possible to classify the samples that were grouped by similarities in their composition. Finally, the techniques of partial least squares regression (PLS) and principal components regression (PCR) allowed the quantification of protein content in samples of milk powder, compared with the Kjeldahl reference method. A total of 53 samples of milk powder sold in the metropolitan areas of Natal, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro were acquired for analysis, in which after pre-treatment data, there were four models, which were employed for classification and quantification of samples. The methods employed after being assessed and validated showed good performance, good accuracy and reliability of the results, showing that the NIR technique can be a non invasive technique, since it produces no waste and saves time in analyzing the samples

Arquitetura com elevada taxa de processamento e reduzida largura de banda de memória para a estimação de movimento em vídeos digitais

Nowadays several electronics devices support digital videos. Some examples of these devices are cellphones, digital cameras, video cameras and digital televisions. However, raw videos present a huge amount of data, millions of bits, for their representation as the way they were captured. To store them in its primary form it would be necessary a huge amount of disk space and a huge bandwidth to allow the transmission of these data. The video compression becomes essential to make possible information storage and transmission. Motion Estimation is a technique used in the video coder that explores the temporal redundancy present in video sequences to reduce the amount of data necessary to represent the information. This work presents a hardware architecture of a motion estimation module for high resolution videos according to H.264/AVC standard. The H.264/AVC is the most advanced video coder standard, with several new features which allow it to achieve high compression rates. The architecture presented in this work was developed to provide a high data reuse. The data reuse schema adopted reduces the bandwidth required to execute motion estimation. The motion estimation is the task responsible for the largest share of the gains obtained with the H.264/AVC standard so this module is essential for final video coder performance. This work is included in Rede H.264 project which aims to develop Brazilian technology for Brazilian System of Digital Television

Segmentação Fuzzy de Texturas e Vídeos

The segmentation of an image aims to subdivide it into constituent regions or objects that have some relevant semantic content. This subdivision can also be applied to videos. However, in these cases, the objects appear in various frames that compose the videos. The task of segmenting an image becomes more complex when they are composed of objects that are defined by textural features, where the color information alone is not a good descriptor of the image. Fuzzy Segmentation is a region-growing segmentation algorithm that uses affinity functions in order to assign to each element in an image a grade of membership for each object (between 0 and 1). This work presents a modification of the Fuzzy Segmentation algorithm, for the purpose of improving the temporal and spatial complexity. The algorithm was adapted to segmenting color videos, treating them as 3D volume. In order to perform segmentation in videos, conventional color model or a hybrid model obtained by a method for choosing the best channels were used. The Fuzzy Segmentation algorithm was also applied to texture segmentation by using adaptive affinity functions defined for each object texture. Two types of affinity functions were used, one defined using the normal (or Gaussian) probability distribution and the other using the Skew Divergence. This latter, a Kullback-Leibler Divergence variation, is a measure of the difference between two probability distributions. Finally, the algorithm was tested in somes videos and also in texture mosaic images composed by images of the Brodatz album

Uso de confiabilidade na rotulação de exemplos em problemas de classificação multirrótulo com aprendizado semissupervisionado

The techniques of Machine Learning are applied in classification tasks to acquire knowledge through a set of data or information. Some learning methods proposed in literature are methods based on semissupervised learning; this is represented by small percentage of labeled data (supervised learning) combined with a quantity of label and non-labeled examples (unsupervised learning) during the training phase, which reduces, therefore, the need for a large quantity of labeled instances when only small dataset of labeled instances is available for training. A commom problem in semi-supervised learning is as random selection of instances, since most of paper use a random selection technique which can cause a negative impact. Much of machine learning methods treat single-label problems, in other words, problems where a given set of data are associated with a single class; however, through the requirement existent to classify data in a lot of domain, or more than one class, this classification as called multi-label classification. This work presents an experimental analysis of the results obtained using semissupervised learning in troubles of multi-label classification using reliability parameter as an aid in the classification data. Thus, the use of techniques of semissupervised learning and besides methods of multi-label classification, were essential to show the results

Segmentação fuzzy de imagens e vídeos

Image segmentation is the process of subdiving an image into constituent regions or objects that have similar features. In video segmentation, more than subdividing the frames in object that have similar features, there is a consistency requirement among segmentations of successive frames of the video. Fuzzy segmentation is a region growing technique that assigns to each element in an image (which may have been corrupted by noise and/or shading) a grade of membership between 0 and 1 to an object. In this work we present an application that uses a fuzzy segmentation algorithm to identify and select particles in micrographs and an extension of the algorithm to perform video segmentation. Here, we treat a video shot is treated as a three-dimensional volume with different z slices being occupied by different frames of the video shot. The volume is interactively segmented based on selected seed elements, that will determine the affinity functions based on their motion and color properties. The color information can be extracted from a specific color space or from three channels of a set of color models that are selected based on the correlation of the information from all channels. The motion information is provided into the form of dense optical flows maps. Finally, segmentation of real and synthetic videos and their application in a non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) toll are presented

Renderizações não fotorealísticas para estilização de imagens e vídeos usando areia colorida

Non-Photorealisitc Rendering (NPR) is a class of techniques that aims to reproduce artistic techniques, trying to express feelings and moods on the rendered scenes, giving an aspect of that they had been made "by hand". Another way of defining NPR is that it is the processing of scenes, images or videos into artwork, generating scenes, images or videos that can have the visual appeal of pieces of art, expressing the visual and emotional characteristics of artistic styles. This dissertation presents a new method of NPR for stylization of images and videos, based on a typical artistic expression of the Northeast region of Brazil, that uses colored sand to compose landscape images on the inner surface of glass bottles. This method is comprised by one technique for generating 2D procedural textures of sand, and two techniques that mimic effects created by the artists using their tools. It also presents a method for generating 21 2D animations in sandbox from the stylized video. The temporal coherence within these stylized videos can be enforced on individual objects with the aid of a video segmentation algorithm. The present techniques in this work were used on stylization of synthetic and real videos, something close to impossible to be produced by artist in real life

Investigando a combinação de técnicas de aprendizado semissupervisionado e classificação hierárquica multirrótulo

Data classification is a task with high applicability in a lot of areas. Most methods for treating classification problems found in the literature dealing with single-label or traditional problems. In recent years has been identified a series of classification tasks in which the samples can be labeled at more than one class simultaneously (multi-label classification). Additionally, these classes can be hierarchically organized (hierarchical classification and hierarchical multi-label classification). On the other hand, we have also studied a new category of learning, called semi-supervised learning, combining labeled data (supervised learning) and non-labeled data (unsupervised learning) during the training phase, thus reducing the need for a large amount of labeled data when only a small set of labeled samples is available. Thus, since both the techniques of multi-label and hierarchical multi-label classification as semi-supervised learning has shown favorable results with its use, this work is proposed and used to apply semi-supervised learning in hierarchical multi-label classication tasks, so eciently take advantage of the main advantages of the two areas. An experimental analysis of the proposed methods found that the use of semi-supervised learning in hierarchical multi-label methods presented satisfactory results, since the two approaches were statistically similar results

Proposição e aplicação de um core set da classificação internacional de funcionalidade, incapacidade e saúde (CIF) para saúde física de idosos

Para aumentar a viabilidade do uso da Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde (CIF), core sets começaram a ser desenvolvidos, e objetivam estabelecer uma seleção de categorias adaptada para representar os padrões de avaliação multiprofissional de grupos específicos de pacientes. Com o objetivo de propor um core set da CIF para classificar a saúde física de idosos, formou-se uma comissão de especialistas para julgar o instrumento por meio da técnica Delphi, o que mostra a interface multidisciplinar do projeto. Finalizada a participação da comissão, o core set foi proposto contendo 30 categorias. Após aplicação em uma amostra com 340 idosos dos municípios de Natal/RN e Santa Cruz/RN, o core set foi submetido à análise fatorial, tendo ficado com 19 categorias. A análise ainda proporcionou gerar uma pontuação para cada idoso por meio do escore fatorial, tendo provado ser uma forma fidedigna e confiável de se pontuar um core set.

Técnica para segmentação automática de imagens microscópicas de componentes sanguíneos e classificação diferencial de leucócitos baseada em lógica fuzzy

Automatic detection of blood components is an important topic in the field of hematology. The segmentation is an important stage because it allows components to be grouped into common areas and processed separately and leukocyte differential classification enables them to be analyzed separately. With the auto-segmentation and differential classification, this work is contributing to the analysis process of blood components by providing tools that reduce the manual labor and increasing its accuracy and efficiency. Using techniques of digital image processing associated with a generic and automatic fuzzy approach, this work proposes two Fuzzy Inference Systems, defined as I and II, for autosegmentation of blood components and leukocyte differential classification, respectively, in microscopic images smears. Using the Fuzzy Inference System I, the proposed technique performs the segmentation of the image in four regions: the leukocyte’s nucleus and cytoplasm, erythrocyte and plasma area and using the Fuzzy Inference System II and the segmented leukocyte (nucleus and cytoplasm) classify them differentially in five types: basophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, monocytes and neutrophils. Were used for testing 530 images containing microscopic samples of blood smears with different methods. The images were processed and its accuracy indices and Gold Standards were calculated and compared with the manual results and other results found at literature for the same problems. Regarding segmentation, a technique developed showed percentages of accuracy of 97.31% for leukocytes, 95.39% to erythrocytes and 95.06% for blood plasma. As for the differential classification, the percentage varied between 92.98% and 98.39% for the different leukocyte types. In addition to promoting auto-segmentation and differential classification, the proposed technique also contributes to the definition of new descriptors and the construction of an image database using various processes hematological staining

Classificação de técnicas e auxílio à navegação de busca com base em sua carga cognitiva, precisão e eficiência

Navigation, in both virtual and real environments, is the process of a deliberated movement to a specific place that is usually away from the origin point, and that cannot be perceived from it. Navigation aid techniques (TANs) have as their main objective help finding a path through a virtual environment to a desired location and, are widely used because they ease the navigation on these unknown environments. Tools like maps, GPS (Global Positioning System) or even oral instructions are real world examples of TAN usage. Most of the works which propose new TANs for virtual environments aim to analyze their impact in efficiency gain on navigation tasks from a known place to an unknown place. However, such papers tend to ignore the effect caused by a TAN usage over the route knowledge acquisition process, which is important on virtual to real training transfer, for example. Based on a user study, it was possible to confirm that TANs with different strategies affects the performance of search tasks differently and that the efficiency of the help provided by a TAN is not inversely related to the cognitive load of the technique’s aids. A technique classification formula was created. This formula utilizes three factors instead of only efficiency. The experiment’s data were applied to the formula and we obtained a better refinement of help level provided by TANs.

Semeando a cultura audiovisual no Rio Grande do Norte: a experiência das oficinas de vídeos do Coletivo Caminhos, Comunicação & Cultura

The audiovisual media is an instrument of communication that plays an important role in the cultural, social and political understanding of society. This survey was done intenting to identify the contribution of the audiovisual media to the culture in the Rio Grande do Norte and trying to understand the process of producing audiovisual in this state. To reach the aim, a case report was done regard the activities of Caminhos, Comunicação & Cultura – CC&C – a group that conducts cultural activities in the state since 2006 and has 76% of its activities related to audiovisual production, in which 47% of them, are video workshops. The video workshop project "Sowing Culture", held by the group in the city of Venha Ver/RN in January 2013, was observed and analised from its conception to its realization. The research pursued to reveal how the initiatives of independent producers, such as the CC&C group, can promote the access to audiovisual culture in regions where such knowledge is limited or nonexistent, due to the poor state policies related to the culture. Methodologically, the research was structured by performing a historical and descriptive analysis of hypothetical-deductive method through participant observation. For the conceptual and theoretical development, it was addressed the Sociability, Ethnography and media activism. The research proved that the independent audiovisual producers are promoting changes in the RN audiovisual practices. Before the background featured in the research, it is proposed a prognostic from researching to opening the RN Audiovisual Observatory, a communicational tool projected as space of sharing information, thinking, speaking, contacting and promoting the audiovisual productions of the state.