Open and standardized tools for smart transducer networking

IEEE 1451 Standard is intended to address the smart transducer interfacing problematic in network environments. Usually, proprietary hardware and software is a very efficient solution to in planent the IEEE 1451 normative, although can be expensive and inflexible. In contrast, the use of open and standardized tools for implementing the IEEE 1451 normative is proposed in this paper. Tools such as Java and Phyton programming languages, Linux, programmable logic technology, Personal Computer resources and Ethernet architecture were integrated in order to constructa network node based on the IEEE 1451 standards. The node can be applied in systems based on the client-server communication model The evaluation of the employed tools and expermental results are presented. © 2005 IEEE.

Methods and tools for encoding the WordNet.Br sentences, concept glosses, and conceptual-semantic relations

This paper presents the overall methodology that has been used to encode both the Brazilian Portuguese WordNet (WordNet.Br) standard language-independent conceptual-semantic relations (hyponymy, co-hyponymy, meronymy, cause, and entailment) and the so-called cross-lingual conceptual-semantic relations between different wordnets. Accordingly, after contextualizing the project and outlining the current lexical database structure and statistics, it describes the WordNet.Br editing GUI that was designed to aid the linguist in carrying out the tasks of building synsets, selecting sample sentences from corpora, writing synset concept glosses, and encoding both language-independent conceptual-semantic relations and cross-lingual conceptual-semantic relations between WordNet.Br and Princeton WordNet © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.

Applying GIS tools for analysing urban thermal environment

A methodology for analyzing the solar access and its influence on both air temperature and thermal comfort of the urban environment was here developed by applying the potentiality of GIS tools. Urban canyons in a specific area of a Brazilian medium sized city were studied. First, a computational algorithm was applied in order to allow the determination of sky view factors (SVF) and sun-paths in urban canyons. Then, air temperatures in 40 measurement points were collected within the study area. Solar radiation values of these canyons were determined and subsequently stored in a GIS database. The creation of thermal maps for the whole neighbourhood was possible due to a statistical treatment of the data, by promoting the interpolation of values. All data could then be spatially cross-examined. In addition, thermal comfort maps for summer and winter periods were generated. The methodology allowed the identification of thermal tendencies within the neighbourhood, what can be useful in the conception of guidelines for urban planning purposes.

Comparative study on turning CI and CGI using silicon nitride cutting tools

There has been a great interest for improving the machining of cast iron materials in the automotive and other industries. Comparative studies for tool used to machine grey cast iron (CI) and compacted graphite iron (CGI) on dry machining were also performed in order to find out why in this case the tool lifetime is not significantly higher. However the machining these materials while considering turning with the traditional high-speed steel and carbide cutting tools present any disadvantages. One of these disadvantages is that all the traditional machining processes involve the cooling fluid to remove the heat generated on workpiece due to friction during cutting. This paper present a new generation of ceramic cutting tool exhibiting improved properties and important advances in machining CI and CGI. The tool performance was analyzed in function of flank wear, temperature and roughness, while can be observed that main effects were found for tool wear, were abrasion to CI and inter-diffusion of constituting elements between tool and CGI, causing crater. However the difference in tool lifetime can be explained by the formation of a MnS layer on the tool surface in the case of grey CI. This layer is missing in the case of CGI.

Study of cutting forces on machinability properties of gray cast iron using new ceramics cutting tools

During gray cast iron cutting, the great rate of mechanical energy from cutting forces is converted into heat. Considerable heat is generated, principally in three areas: the shear zone, rake face and at the clearance side of the cutting edge. Excessive heat will cause undesirable high temperature in the tool which leads to softening of the tool and its accelerated wear and breakage. Nowadays the advanced ceramics are widely used in cutting tools. In this paper a composition special of Si3N4 was sintering, characterized, cut and ground to make SNGN120408 and applyed in machining gray cast iron with hardness equal 205 HB in dry cutting conditions by using digital controlled computer lathe. The tool performance was analysed in function of cutting forces, flank wear, temperature and roughness. Therefore metal removing process is carried out for three different cutting speeds (300 m/min, 600 m/min, and 800 m/min), while a cutting depth of 1 mm and a feed rate of 0.33 mm/rev are kept constant. As a result of the experiments, the lowest main cutting force, which depends on cutting speed, is obtained as 264 N at 600 m/min while the highest main cutting force is recorded as 294 N at 300 m/min.

Interactive DC-DC converters tools for instant design and education

This paper deals with the usage of interactive simulations tools to serve as an oriented design tool for the lectures and laboratory experiments in the power electronics courses. A dynamic and interactive visualization of simulations for idealized converters in steady state are provided by the proposed educational tools, allowing students to acquire qualification in non-isolated DC-DC converters, without previous circuitry knowledge, either without the usage of sophisticated simulation packages. The interaction with proposed simulation tools can be accomplished by student using direct or graphic mode. In direct mode the parameters related with the design of converter can be inserted simply editing default values presented in textboxes, while in the graphic mode students interact indirectly with design information by manipulating visual widgets. In order to corroborate the proposed interactive simulation tools, comparisons of results from buck-boost and boost converters on proposed tools and a well-known simulator package with those on experimental evaluation from laboratory classes were presented. © 2009 IEEE.

Development of ceramic cutting tools for future application on dry machining

Advanced ceramic materials constitute a mature technology with a very broad base of current and potential applications and a growing list of material compositions. Within the advanced ceramics category, silicon nitride based ceramics are wear-resistant, corrosion-resistant and lightweight materials, and are superior to many materials with regard to stability in high-temperature environments. Because of this combination the silicon nitride ceramics have an especially high potential to resolve a wide number of machining problems in the industries. Presently the Si3N4 ceramic cutting tool inserts are developed using additives powders that are pressed and sintered in the form of a cutting tool insert at a temperature of 1850 °C using pressureless sintering. The microstructure of the material was observed and analyzed using XRD, SEM, and the mechanical response of this array microstructure was characterized for hardness Vickers and fracture toughness. The results show that Si3N4/20 wt.% (AlN and Y 2O3) gives the best balance between hardness Vickers and fracture toughness. The Si3N4/15 wt.% (AlN and Y 2O3) composition allows the production of a very fine-grained microstructure with low decreasing of the fracture toughness and increased hardness Vickers. These ceramic cutting tools present adequate characteristics for future application on dry machining. © (2010) Trans Tech Publications.

Latin-American Society Of Forensic Genetics (SLAGF) results of the Interlaboratory Quality Control Exercise 2010-2011

Latin-American Society of Forensic Genetics (SLAGF) Interlaboratory Quality Control Exercise (2010-2011) included the analysis of three bloodstain samples in FTA Classic Card (three persons, biologically unrelated) and one theoretical exercise. There were 56 participating laboratories from 13 Latin-American countries that belong to society, were reported 70 STRs, including autosomal and sex chromosome markers with consensus in 53 STRs with a rate in reporting errors of 2.3%. Fifty-six laboratories reported results in theoretical exercise with mistakes in calculation of IP for each marker. It is necessary to hold meetings to discuss the results of this exercise to reach conclusions and recommendations on all aspects of DNA forensics analysis and paternity test, to improve results and quality in the results of each laboratory. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Computer tools to aid the learning and design steps for photovoltaic systems

This paper presents novel simulation tools to assist the lecturers about learning processes on renewable energy sources, considering photovoltaic (PV) systems. The PV behavior, functionality and its interaction with power electronic converters are investigated in the simulation tools. The main PV output characteristics, I (current) versus V (voltage) and P (power) versus V (voltage), were implemented in the tools, in order to aid the users for the design steps. In order to verify the effectiveness of the developed tools the simulation results were compared with Matlab. Finally, a prototype was implemented with the purpose to compare the experimental results with the results from the proposed tools, validating its operational feasibility. © 2011 IEEE.

Is characterizing the digital forensic facial reconstruction with hair necessary? A familiar assessors' analysis

Background: In the international scientific literature, there are few studies that emphasize the presence or absence of hair in forensic facial reconstructions. There are neither Brazilian studies concerning digital facial reconstructions without hair, nor research comparing recognition tests between digital facial reconstructions with hair and without hair. The miscegenation of Brazilian people is considerable. Brazilian people, and, in particular, Brazilian women, even if considered as Caucasoid, may present the hair in very different ways: curly, wavy or straight, blonde, red, brown or black, long or short, etc. For this reason, it is difficult to find a correct type of hair for facial reconstruction (unless, in real cases, some hair is recovered with the skeletal remains). Aims and methods: This study focuses on the performance of three different digital forensic facial reconstructions, without hair, of a Brazilian female subject (based on one international database and two Brazilian databases for soft facial-tissue thickness) and evaluates the digital forensic facial reconstructions comparing them to photographs of the target individual and nine other subjects, employing the recognition method. A total of 22 assessors participated in the recognition process; all of them were familiar with the 10 individuals who composed the face pool. Results and conclusions: The target subject was correctly recognized by 41% of the 22 examiners in the International Pattern, by 32% in the Brazilian Magnetic Resonance Pattern and by 32% in the Brazilian Fresh Cadavers Pattern. The facial reconstructions without hair were correctly recognized using the three databases of facial soft-tissue thickness. The observed results were higher than the results obtained using facial reconstructions with hair, from the same skull, which can indicate that it is better to not use hair, at least when there is no information concerning its characteristics. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development and validation of a D-loop mtDNA SNP assay for the screening of specimens in forensic casework

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis is usually a last resort in routine forensic DNA casework. However, it has become a powerful tool for the analysis of highly degraded samples or samples containing too little or no nuclear DNA, such as old bones and hair shafts. The gold standard methodology still constitutes the direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products or cloned amplicons from the HVS-1 and HVS-2 (hypervariable segment) control region segments. Identifications using mtDNA are time consuming, expensive and can be very complex, depending on the amount and nature of the material being tested. The main goal of this work is to develop a less labour-intensive and less expensive screening method for mtDNA analysis, in order to aid in the exclusion of non-matching samples and as a presumptive test prior to final confirmatory DNA sequencing. We have selected 14 highly discriminatory single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) based on simulations performed by Salas and Amigo (2010) [1] to be typed using SNaPShotTM (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA). The assay was validated by typing more than 100 HVS-1/HVS-2 sequenced samples. No differences were observed between the SNP typing and DNA sequencing when results were compared, with the exception of allelic dropouts observed in a few haplotypes. Haplotype diversity simulations were performed using 172 mtDNA sequences representative of the Brazilian population and a score of 0.9794 was obtained when the 14 SNPs were used, showing that the theoretical prediction approach for the selection of highly discriminatory SNPs suggested by Salas and Amigo (2010) [1] was confirmed in the population studied. As the main goal of the work is to develop a screening assay to skip the sequencing of all samples in a particular case, a pair-wise comparison of the sequences was done using the selected SNPs. When both HVS-1/HVS-2 SNPs were used for simulations, at least two differences were observed in 93.2% of the comparisons performed. The assay was validated with casework samples. Results show that the method is straightforward and can be used for exclusionary purposes, saving time and laboratory resources. The assay confirms the theoretic prediction suggested by Salas and Amigo (2010) [1]. All forensic advantages, such as high sensitivity and power of discrimination, as also the disadvantages, such as the occurrence of allele dropouts, are discussed throughout the article. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Free tools and strategies for the generation of 3D finite element meshes: Modeling of the cardiac structures

The Finite Element Method is a well-known technique, being extensively applied in different areas. Studies using the Finite Element Method (FEM) are targeted to improve cardiac ablation procedures. For such simulations, the finite element meshes should consider the size and histological features of the target structures. However, it is possible to verify that some methods or tools used to generate meshes of human body structures are still limited, due to nondetailed models, nontrivial preprocessing, or mainly limitation in the use condition. In this paper, alternatives are demonstrated to solid modeling and automatic generation of highly refined tetrahedral meshes, with quality compatible with other studies focused on mesh generation. The innovations presented here are strategies to integrate Open Source Software (OSS). The chosen techniques and strategies are presented and discussed, considering cardiac structures as a first application context. © 2013 E. Pavarino et al.

Dental fluorescence: Potential forensic use

In cases of identification of bones, skeletal segments or isolated bones, searching for biotypologic diagnostic data to estimate an individual's age enables comparing these data with those of missing individuals. Enamel, dentin and pulp undergo remarkable changes during an individual's life. The enamel becomes more mineralized, smoother and thinner, and deteriorates because of physiological and pathological factors. Dental pulp decreases in volume due to the deposition of secondary dentin; thus, the dentin becomes thicker with time. In natural teeth, the fluorescence phenomenon occurs in dentin and enamel and changes in those tissues may alter the expression of the natural tooth color. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between age and teeth fluorescence for individuals from different age groups. The sample consisted of 66 randomly selected Brazilians of both genders aged 7-63 years old. They were divided into 6 groups: Group 1 - aged 7-12 years, Group 2 - aged 13-20 years, Group 3 - aged 21-30 years, Group 4 - aged 31-40 years, Group 5 - aged 41-50 years and Group 6 - aged between 51 and 63 years. Upper right or left central incisors were used for the study. Restored and aesthetic rehabilitated teeth were excluded from the sample. The measurement of tooth fluorescence was carried out via computer analysis of digital images using the software ScanWhite DMC/Darwin Systems - Brazil. It was observed that dental fluorescence decreases when comparing the age groups 21-30, 31-40, 41-50 and 51-63 years. The results also showed that there is a statistically significant difference between the groups 41-50 years and 21-30 years (p=. 0.005) and also among the group 51-63 years and all other groups (p< 0.005). It can be concluded that dental fluorescence is correlated with age and has a similar and stable behavior from 7 to 20 years of age. It reaches its maximum expected value at the age of 26.5 years and thereafter decreases. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Habitat monitoring and genotoxicity in Ucides cordatus (Crustacea: Ucididae), as tools to manage a mangrove reserve in southeastern Brazil

In Brazil, the state of São Paulo contains both preserved areas (Juréia-Itatins Ecological Station) and extremely impacted ones (Cubatão Municipality). This study evaluated the concentrations of five metals (Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Hg) in two mangroves with different levels of anthropogenic impact and the apparent genotoxicity to Ucides cordatus. Water and sediment samples were obtained, and metal concentrations were determined with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The genotoxic impact was quantified based on the number of micronucleated cells per 1,000 analyzed (MN‰), using hemolymph slides stained with Giemsa. Metal concentrations in water were below the detection limit, except for lead, although no significant difference was observed between the areas (P > 0.05). Sediment from Cubatão had higher concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cr, and Cu than sediment from Juréia-Itatins (P < 0.05), but no significant differences in metal concentrations were detected among depth strata of the sediment (P > 0.05). Crabs from Cubatão had a 2.6 times higher mean frequency of micronucleated cells (5.2 ± 1.8 MN‰) than those from Juréia-Itatins (2.0 ± 1.0 MN‰; P < 0.0001). The more-polluted conditions found in the mangrove sediments of Cubatão were reflected in the micronucleus assay, demonstrating their genotoxic effect; however, genetic damage should be attributed to a synergistic effect with other kinds of pollutants previously recorded in different environments of Cubatão. U. cordatus proved to be an excellent bioindicator of mangrove pollution. This study established, for the first time, the normal frequency of MN‰ in a population of this species within an ecological station. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.