The use of molecular spectra simulation for diagnostics of reactive flows

The C 2 * radical is used as a system probe tool to the reactive flow diagnostic, and it was chosen due to its large occurrence in plasma and combustion in aeronautics and aerospace applications. The rotational temperatures of C 2 * species were determined by the comparison between experimental and theoretical data. The simulation code was developed by the authors, using C++ language and the object oriented paradigm, and it includes a set of new tools that increase the efficacy of the C 2 * probe to determine the rotational temperature of the system. A brute force approach for the determination of spectral parameters was adopted in this version of the computer code. The statistical parameter c 2 was used as an objective criterion to determine the better match of experimental and synthesized spectra. The results showed that the program works even with low-quality experimental data, typically collected from in situ airborne compact apparatus. The technique was applied to flames of a Bunsen burner, and the rotational temperature of ca. 2100 K was calculated.

Comparative analysis between three methods of bone estimating age in individuals with down syndrome by mode of the hand and wrist ray

The wrist and hand region has been the most commonly used for estimating age and osseous development due to the great number of ossification centers. The aim was to determine which method, Tanner & Whitehouse's (TW3), Greulich & Pyle's (GP) or Eklof & Ringertz's, more closely relates to the chronological age in subjects with Down syndrome with chronological ages between 61 and 180 months, using wrist and hand radiographs. The sample consisted of 85 radiographs, 52 of males and 33 of females. Eklof & Ringertz's method was computerized (Radiomemory). Greulich & Pyle's atlas was used and compared with the wrist and hand radiographs. For the TW3 method, 13 ossification centers were evaluated; for each one of them, there are seven or eight development stages to which scores are assigned; these scores are then added and the results are transformed into osseous age values. No statistically significant differences were observed between the male and female genders for methods TW3 and GP, contrasting with the observed differences for the Eklof & Ringertz method. Correlation (r2) between osseous and chronological ages was 0.8262 for TW3 and 0.7965 for GP, while for the method of Eklof & Ringertz, it was 0.7656 for females and 0.8353 for males. The author concluded that the osseous age assessment method that better related to the chronological age was the TW3, followed by Greulich & Pyle's and Eklof & Ringertz's.

Identification of sperm head subpopulations with defined pleiomorphic characteristics in ejaculates of captive Goeldi's monkeys (Callimico goeldii)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of pleiomorphisms and its influence on the distribution of sperm morphometric subpopulations in ejaculates from the vulnerable Goeldi's monkey (Callimico goeldii) by using a combination of computerized analysis system and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) methods Each sperm head was measured for four primary spermatozoal head dimensional parameters (area [A (μm2)], perimeter [P (μm)], length [L (μm)] and width [W (μm)]) and three head shape derived parameters (ellipticity [(L/W)], elongation [(L-W)/(L+W)] and rugosity [(4πA/P2)]) Six separate subpopulations (SPs) were identified: SP1, constituted by very large, narrow and very elliptical spermatozoa (A=16.85±1.56μm2, W=2.75±0.42μm and ellipticity=2.16±0.24); SP2, characterized by average sized, short, wide and round spermatozoa (A=15.00±1.92μm2, L=5.06±0.49μm, W=3.51±0.31μm and ellipticity=1.44±0.15); SP3, represented by small, wide and slightly round spermatozoa (A=14.95±1.75μm2, W=3.47±0.29μm and ellipticity=1.48±0.14); SP4 included very small, short and very round spermatozoa (A=14.15±2.38μm2, L=4.90±0.57μm and elongation=0.18±0.05); SP5 consisted of average sized and slightly elliptical spermatozoa (A=15.14±1.72μm2 and ellipticity=1.49±0.14); and SP6 included large and round spermatozoa (A=16.30±1.62μm2 and elongation=0.19±0.04) There were differences in the sperm subpopulation distribution (P<0.001) among the five donors analyzed In conclusion, the results of the current study confirmed that the use of computer sperm analysis methods combined with PCA cluster analyses are useful methods to identify, classify, and characterize different sperm head morphometric subpopulations in neotropical primates Broadening our knowledge of C goeldii sperm morphometric abnormalities as well as developing reliable techniques for sperm evaluation may be essential for ex situ conservation of this threatened species © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Use of algorithms for semi-automatic quantification of pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema

Obtaining a semi-automatic quantification of pathologies found in the lung, through images of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT), is of great importance to aid in medical diagnosis. Paraccocidioidomycosis (PCM) is a systemic disease that affects the lung and even after effective treatment leaves sequels such as pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. It is very important to the area of tropical diseases that the lung injury be quantified more accurately. In this stud, we propose the development of algorithms in computational environment Matlab® able to objectively quantify lung diseases such as fibrosis and emphysema. The program consists in selecting the region of interest (ROI), and through the use of density masks and filters, obtaining the lesion area quantification in relation to the healthy area of the lung. The proposed method was tested on 15 exams of HRCT of patients with confirmed PCM. To prove the validity and effectiveness of the method, we used a virtual phantom, also developed in this research. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.

Apical ballooning syndrome (Takotsubo Syndrome): Case report

Introduction. The apical ballooning syndrome (ABS) is a single reversible cardiomyopathy often triggered by a stressful event. We aimed to present a case report regarding this disorder. Case presentation. Here we present the case of a 77-year-old female hypertensive patient, sedentary and non-smoker, diagnosed with apical ballooning syndrome. We describe the clinical signs and symptoms, changes in markers of myocardial necrosis and changes in the electrocardiogram and coronary angiography. Conclusion: The course of events patient showed clinical improvement with treatment and support was not necessary to administer specific medications or interventions to reverse the situation. After hemodynamic stabilization coronary angiography showed no obstructive lesions and left ventricle with akinesia of the apex and the middle portion of the left ventricle. © 2013 do Nascimento et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Comparison of different designs of implant-retained overdentures and fixed full-arch implant-supported prosthesis on stress distribution in edentulous mandible - A computed tomography-based three-dimensional finite element analysis

A finite element analysis was used to compare the effect of different designs of implant-retained overdentures and fixed full-arch implant-supported prosthesis on stress distribution in edentulous mandible. Four models of an human mandible were constructed. In the OR (O'ring) group, the mandible was restored with an overdenture retained by four unsplinted implants with O'ring attachment; in the BC (bar-clip) -C and BC groups, the mandibles were restored with overdentures retained by four splinted implants with bar-clip anchor associated or not with two distally placed cantilevers, respectively; in the FD (fixed denture) group, the mandible was restored with a fixed full-arch four-implant-supported prosthesis. Models were supported by the masticatory muscles and temporomandibular joints. A 100-N oblique load was applied on the left first molar. Von Mises (σvM), maximum (σmax) and minimum (σmin) principal stresses (in MPa) analyses were obtained. BC-C group exhibited the highest stress values (σvM=398.8, σmax=580.5 and σmin=-455.2) while FD group showed the lowest one (σvM=128.9, σmax=185.9 and σmin=-172.1). Within overdenture groups, the use of unsplinted implants reduced the stress level in the implant/prosthetic components (59.4% for σvM, 66.2% for σmax and 57.7% for σmin versus BC-C group) and supporting tissues (maximum stress reduction of 72% and 79.5% for σmax, and 15.7% and 85.7% for σmin on the cortical and trabecular bones, respectively). Cortical bone exhibited greater stress concentration than the trabecular bone for all groups. The use of fixed implant dentures and removable dentures retained by unsplinted implants to rehabilitate edentulous mandible reduced the stresses in the periimplant bone tissue, mucosa and implant/prosthetic components. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

ECG arrhythmia classification based on optimum-path forest

An important tool for the heart disease diagnosis is the analysis of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, since the non-invasive nature and simplicity of the ECG exam. According to the application, ECG data analysis consists of steps such as preprocessing, segmentation, feature extraction and classification aiming to detect cardiac arrhythmias (i.e.; cardiac rhythm abnormalities). Aiming to made a fast and accurate cardiac arrhythmia signal classification process, we apply and analyze a recent and robust supervised graph-based pattern recognition technique, the optimum-path forest (OPF) classifier. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that OPF classifier is used to the ECG heartbeat signal classification task. We then compare the performance (in terms of training and testing time, accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity) of the OPF classifier to the ones of other three well-known expert system classifiers, i.e.; support vector machine (SVM), Bayesian and multilayer artificial neural network (MLP), using features extracted from six main approaches considered in literature for ECG arrhythmia analysis. In our experiments, we use the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database and the evaluation protocol recommended by The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. A discussion on the obtained results shows that OPF classifier presents a robust performance, i.e.; there is no need for parameter setup, as well as a high accuracy at an extremely low computational cost. Moreover, in average, the OPF classifier yielded greater performance than the MLP and SVM classifiers in terms of classification time and accuracy, and to produce quite similar performance to the Bayesian classifier, showing to be a promising technique for ECG signal analysis. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preliminary assessment of the quantitative relationships between testicular tissue composition and ultrasonographic image attributes in the ram

This study examined the relationships between gross chemical composition and ultrasonographic characteristics of the ram testes. Ten testes from sexually mature Karakul rams were scanned ex situ with an 8-MHz linear-array transducer, in a transverse and longitudinal plane. All ultrasonograms were saved as digital images and subjected to computerized analyses. Crude protein content was determined by the Kjeldahl method, moisture was determined with an oven-drying method, and fat was measured by the Soxhlet extraction of dried samples. Mean pixel values (r = -0.64, P = 0.04), pixel heterogeneity (standard deviation of pixel values; r = -0.64, P = 0.04) and maximum pixel intensity (r = -0.76, P = 0.01) were all negatively correlated with parenchymal protein content. Pixel heterogeneity correlated directly with extractable lipids (r = 0.66, P = 0.02). The quantitative correlations between echotextural and biochemical parameters found in the present experiment confirm the utility of ultrasonographic imaging combined with computer-assisted image analysis for determining changes in testicular histophysiology. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efeito da estocagem a curto prazo e da temperatura sobre gametas de jundiá, Rhamdia quelen (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Análise, desenvolvimento e implantação de software para monitorização, controle e gerenciamento dos processos na condução de estudos clínicos em cancerologia

Pós-graduação em Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (Biotecnologia Médica) - FMB

Avaliação das reações adversas agudas após administração endovenosa de contraste iodado iônico e não-iônico em hospital oncológico

Pós-graduação em Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (Biotecnologia Médica) - FMB

Análise de dispensação de medicamentos em uma farmácia hospitalar. -

Pós-graduação em Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (Biotecnologia Médica) - FMB

Estudo pela tomografia computadorizada da infiltração gordurosa hepática em pacientes em uso de quimioterapia para linfoma

Pós-graduação em Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (Biotecnologia Médica) - FMB

Immunodetecção de marcadores de prognóstico em neoplasias mamárias de gatas: correlação dos padrões classificados

Pós-graduação em Ciência Animal - FMVA

Anestesia total intravenosa em cães pela administração de propofol e butorfanol em infusão contínua: hemodinâmica, eletrocardiografia e índice biespectral

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)