Uma selva entre o céu e o inferno: representações iconográficas e literárias dos índios do Brasil pelos portugueses nos séculos XVI e XVII

A partir de abril de 1500 a armada de Pedro Álvares Cabral dá início ao contato e ao registro através das páginas da carta de seu escrivão, Pero Vaz de Caminha de um novo mundo e uma nova humanidade: os índios que habitavam o território que atualmente conhecemos por Brasil. No desenrolar dos quinhentos, estes diferentes povos e culturas foram decodificados e reinterpretados de diversas maneiras em cartas, livros e demais documentos manuscritos. No campo das artes visuais portuguesas, não foi diferente. Esse outro assume um papel coadjuvante quase sempre inserido em duas temáticas principais, a arte religiosa e as grandes navegações mas nem por isso menos interessante: o gosto pelo exótico, característica marcante durante o período das expansões ultramarinas, não só em Portugal, mas em outras regiões europeias, aliado ao etnocentrismo e a influência do Cristianismo, acabou por caracterizar os índios do Brasil, mutatis mutandis, como novos homens selvagens. Para uns, são como bestas, mais perto do inferno; para outros, são cristãos em potencial, mais próximos do céu

Família e educadores da infância: um diálogo possível

A creche vem sendo afirmada como espaço de educação para a infância, complementar à família. Devido à idade das crianças que frequentam a creche, o diálogo entre educadores e famílias têm sido valorizado, pois as atribuições de cada um são bem próximas. O objetivo desta tese foi investigar o processo de construção da relação creche-família, em um período de três anos (estudo longitudinal), através de oito aspectos desta relação. São eles: (1) expectativas e opiniões das famílias sobre a creche e vice-versa; (2) os motivos para o diálogo, (3) estratégias utilizadas, (4) dificuldades no diálogo, (5) negociações sobre o cuidado e educação à criança, (6) a inserção à creche, (7) a opinião de famílias sobre o desenvolvimento da criança, e (8) a creche como parte de uma rede de apoio. Esses aspectos foram definidos com base no referencial teórico sobre o tema e nos encontros da autora com educadores da creche onde a pesquisa foi realizada. Essa creche é pública municipal da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Os sujeitos foram as famílias e os educadores de crianças que entraram em 2009 e permaneceram na instituição até 2011. O referecial teórico foi norteado pela perspectiva sociohistorica do desenvolvimento, com estudos sobre família e sobre a relação desta com a creche. Os intrumentos utilizados foram: entrevistas, questionários, diário de bordo, videogravação e um bonequinho de pano artesanal. A análise contemplou dados qualitativos e quantitativos que foram organizados em oito eixos, correspondentes a cada aspecto que pretendeu investigar. Os dados evidenciaram que famílias e educadores buscavam o diálogo, através da empatia gerada entre eles e de negociações sobre a educação da criança. Por outro lado havia queixas de educadores quanto às expectativas de famílias por um trabalho individualizado ou a falta de valorização profissional. O bonequinho atingiu a finalidade de promover o diálogo entre famílias e educadores, especialmente no período da inserção das crianças. Os oito eixos de análise constituiram aspectos a serem aprofundados em futuras investigações sobre a relação creche-família. A pesquisa, ao acompanhar famílias e educadores durante três anos, propiciou momentos de reflexão sobre suas crenças e práticas, promovendo experiências e oportunidades de desenvolvimento qualitativamente diferentes para ambos e para as crianças. Novos significados sobre a relação educadores e famílias foram produzidos para esses sujeitos, transformando a história dessa relação.

Trânsitos poéticos no ensino da arte: as visualidades, subjetividades e afetividades no cotidiano escolar

A pesquisa tem como foco a discussão das visualidades encontradas e, principalmente, produzidas no/do/com o cotidiano escolar, e suas relações com os currículos. O estudo se desenvolveu, tomando como base, o registro e recolhimento de dados a partir da nossa prática docente no ensino de arte, numa escola municipal do Rio de Janeiro. A escolha da problemática deste estudo surgiu do desejo de discutirmos as experiências vividas cotidianamente nos espaçostempos da escola, e de refletirmos em torno dos posicionamentos dos sujeitos deste contexto, frente às fissuras epistemológicas e conceituais que aí se apresentam. O debate em torno dos currículos vigentes e os praticados estão inseridos nesta investigação, trazendo à tona as imposições oficiais e as tessituras captadas nos entrelinhas dos cotidianos. As imagens que cercam este espaço, tanto as criadas quanto as que invadem tal cenário, são discutidas aqui quanto ao seu potencial emancipatório. Abordamos os desafios encontrados no exercício do ensinar/aprender na perspectiva contemporânea, levando em consideração as múltiplas identidades que transitam poeticamente na escola e as subjetividades que as caracterizam. Buscamos, ainda, incentivar as relações dialógicas com os docentes e suas atuações no campo escolar, acreditando que é na prática, e na reflexão sobre ela, que nos formamos enquanto educadores

An evaluation of volumetric interest points

This paper presents the first performance evaluation of interest points on scalar volumetric data. Such data encodes 3D shape, a fundamental property of objects. The use of another such property, texture (i.e. 2D surface colouration), or appearance, for object detection, recognition and registration has been well studied; 3D shape less so. However, the increasing prevalence of depth sensors and the diminishing returns to be had from appearance alone have seen a surge in shape-based methods. In this work we investigate the performance of several detectors of interest points in volumetric data, in terms of repeatability, number and nature of interest points. Such methods form the first step in many shape-based applications. Our detailed comparison, with both quantitative and qualitative measures on synthetic and real 3D data, both point-based and volumetric, aids readers in selecting a method suitable for their application. © 2011 IEEE.

The influence of Mozart's sonata K.448 on visual attention: An ERPs study

In the present study, the effects of Mozart's sonata K.448 on voluntary and involuntary attention were investigated by recording and analyzing behavioral and event-related potentials (ERPs) data in a three-stimulus visual oddball task. P3a (related to inv

A performance evaluation of volumetric 3D interest point detectors

This paper presents the first performance evaluation of interest points on scalar volumetric data. Such data encodes 3D shape, a fundamental property of objects. The use of another such property, texture (i.e. 2D surface colouration), or appearance, for object detection, recognition and registration has been well studied; 3D shape less so. However, the increasing prevalence of 3D shape acquisition techniques and the diminishing returns to be had from appearance alone have seen a surge in 3D shape-based methods. In this work, we investigate the performance of several state of the art interest points detectors in volumetric data, in terms of repeatability, number and nature of interest points. Such methods form the first step in many shape-based applications. Our detailed comparison, with both quantitative and qualitative measures on synthetic and real 3D data, both point-based and volumetric, aids readers in selecting a method suitable for their application. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

A low power integrated CMOS transmitter for BCI system

The prototype wafer of a low power integrated CMOS Transmitter for short-range biotelemetry application has been designed and fabricated, which is prospective to be implanted in the human brain to transfer the extracted neural information to the external computer. The transmitter consists of five parts, a bandgap current regulator, a ring oscillator, a buffer, a modulator and a power transistor. High integration and low power are the most distinct criteria for such an implantable integrated circuit. The post-simulation results show that under a 3.3 V power supply the transmitter provides 100.1 MHz half-wave sinusoid current signal to drive the off-chip antenna, the output peak current range is -0.155 mA similar to 1.250 mA, and on-chip static power dissipation is low to 0.374 mW. All the performances of the transmitter satisfy the demands of wireless real-time BCI system for neural signals recording and processing.

Polarization holographic high-density optical data storage in bacteriorhodopsin film

Optical films containing the genetic variant bacteriorhodopsin BR-D96N were experimentally studied in view of their properties as media for holographic storage. Different polarization recording schemes were tested and compared. The influence of the polarization states of the recording and readout waves on the retrieved diffractive image's intensity and its signal-to-noise ratio were analyzed. The experimental results showed that, compared with the other tested polarization relations during holographic recording, the discrimination between the polarization states of diffracted and scattered light is optimized with orthogonal circular polarization of the recording beams, and thus a high signal-to-noise ratio and a high diffraction efficiency are obtained. Using a He-Ne laser (633 nm, 3 mW) for recording and readout, a spatial light modulator as a data input element, and a 2D-CCD sensor for data capture in a Fourier-transform holographic setup, a storage density of 2 x 10(8) bits/cm(2) was obtained on a 60 x 42 mu m(2) area in the BR-D96N film. The readout of encoded binary data was possible with a zero-error rate at the tested storage density. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America.

Experimental study on polarization holographic storage in genetic mutant BR-D96N film

Recording with both parallel and orthogonal linearly polarized lights, polarization holographic storage in genetic mutant BR-D96N film is reported with both transmission type geometry and reflection type geometry. Polarization properties of diffraction light and scattering light are discussed for two different cases, parallel polarization recording and orthogonal polarization recording. It shows that, compared with recording with parallel polarization lights, orthogonal polarization holography can separate the diffraction light from the scattering noise, therefore improving the signal-to-noise ratio. It also shows that, compared with reconstruction with reference light, reconstruction with phase conjugated wave of the reference light can improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the reconstructed diffraction image, and also the wave-front aberration of the object light introduced by irregular phase object in the optical pass-way can also be corrected effectively, which ensures that the reconstructed diffraction image has a better fidelity. The preliminary angle-multiplexed volume holographic storage multiplexed by transmission type geometry and reflection type geometry is demonstrated in the BR-D96N film. Experiment shows that there is no cross-talk between the two pages of images except for some scattering noises.

工程地质三维建模与可视化技术应用开发

Synthetic Geology Information System (SGIS) is an important constituent part of the theory of Engineering Geomechanics Mate-Synthetic (EGMS), and is the information system more suited for the collection, storage, management, analysis and processing to the information coming from engineering geology,' geological engineering and geotechnical engineering. Its contents involve various works and methods of the investigation, design, and construction in different stages of the geological engineering. Engineering geological and three-dimensional modeling and visualization is the fundamental part of the SGIS, and is a theory, method and technique by which, adopting the computer graphics and image processing techniques, the data derived from engineering geological survey and the calculated results obtained from the geomechanical numerical simulation and analysis are converted to the graphics and images displayed on the computer screen and can be processed interactively. In this paper, the significance and realizing approaches of the three-dimensional modeling and visualization for the complex geological mass in the engineering geology are discussed and the methods of taking advantage of the interpolation and fitting for the scattered and field-surveyed data to simulate the geological layers, such as the topography and earth surface, the groundwater table and the stratum boundary, are researched into. At the mean time, in mind the characteristics of the structure of the basic data for three-dimensional modeling, its visual management can be resolved into the engineering surveyed database management module, plot parameter management module and data output module and the requirement for basic data management can be fulfilled. In the paper, the establishment and development of the three-dimensional geological information system are probed tentatively, and an instance of three-dimensional visual Engineering Distribution Information System (EDIS), theConstruction Management Information System for an airport, in which the functions, such as the real-time browse among the three-dimensional virtual-reality landscapes of the airport construction from start to finish, the information query to the airport facility and the building in the housing district and the recording and playback of the animation sets for the browse and the takeoff and landing of the planes, is developed by applying the component-mode three-dimensional virtual-reality geological information system (GIS) software development kits (SDK), so the three-dimensional visual management platform is provided for the airport construction. Moreover, in the gaper, integrated with the three-dimensional topography visualization and its application in the Sichuan-Tibet Highways, the method of the digital elevation model (DEM) data collection from the topographic maps is described, and the three-dimensional visualization and the roaming about the terrain along the highway are achieved through computer language programming. Understanding to the important role played by the varied and unique topographical condition in the gestation and germination of the highly-dense, frequently-arising and severely-endangered geological hazards can be deepened.

Training needs analysis of healthcare library staff, undertaken for South Yorkshire Workforce Development Confederation

Urquhart, C., Durbin, J. & Spink, S. (2004). Training needs analysis of healthcare library staff, undertaken for South Yorkshire Workforce Development Confederation. Aberystwyth: Department of Information Studies, University of Wales Aberystwyth. Sponsorship: South Yorkshire WDC (NHS)

Qualitative evaluation of KA24 (Knowledge Access 24)

Durbin, J. & Urquhart, C. (2003). Qualitative evaluation of KA24 (Knowledge Access 24). Aberystwyth: Department of Information Studies, University of Wales Aberystwyth. Sponsorship: Knowledge Access 24 (NHS)

Integrated Chest Image Analysis System "BU-MIA"

We introduce "BU-MIA," a Medical Image Analysis system that integrates various advanced chest image analysis methods for detection, estimation, segmentation, and registration. BU-MIA evaluates repeated computed tomography (CT) scans of the same patient to facilitate identification and evaluation of pulmonary nodules for interval growth. It provides a user-friendly graphical user interface with a number of interaction tools for development, evaluation, and validation of chest image analysis methods. The structures that BU-MIA processes include the thorax, lungs, and trachea, pulmonary structures, such as lobes, fissures, nodules, and vessels, and bones, such as sternum, vertebrae, and ribs.

Plate-specific gain map correction for the improvement of detective quantum efficiency in computed radiography.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this work is to improve the noise power spectrum (NPS), and thus the detective quantum efficiency (DQE), of computed radiography (CR) images by correcting for spatial gain variations specific to individual imaging plates. CR devices have not traditionally employed gain-map corrections, unlike the case with flat-panel detectors, because of the multiplicity of plates used with each reader. The lack of gain-map correction has limited the DQE(f) at higher exposures with CR. This current work describes a feasible solution to generating plate-specific gain maps. METHODS: Ten high-exposure open field images were taken with an RQA5 spectrum, using a sixth generation CR plate suspended in air without a cassette. Image values were converted to exposure, the plates registered using fiducial dots on the plate, the ten images averaged, and then high-pass filtered to remove low frequency contributions from field inhomogeneity. A gain-map was then produced by converting all pixel values in the average into fractions with mean of one. The resultant gain-map of the plate was used to normalize subsequent single images to correct for spatial gain fluctuation. To validate performance, the normalized NPS (NNPS) for all images was calculated both with and without the gain-map correction. Variations in the quality of correction due to exposure levels, beam voltage/spectrum, CR reader used, and registration were investigated. RESULTS: The NNPS with plate-specific gain-map correction showed improvement over the noncorrected case over the range of frequencies from 0.15 to 2.5 mm(-1). At high exposure (40 mR), NNPS was 50%-90% better with gain-map correction than without. A small further improvement in NNPS was seen from carefully registering the gain-map with subsequent images using small fiducial dots, because of slight misregistration during scanning. Further improvement was seen in the NNPS from scaling the gain map about the mean to account for different beam spectra. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that a simple gain-map can be used to correct for the fixed-pattern noise in a given plate and thus improve the DQE of CR imaging. Such a method could easily be implemented by manufacturers because each plate has a unique bar code and the gain-map for all plates associated with a reader could be stored for future retrieval. These experiments indicated that an improvement in NPS (and hence, DQE) is possible, depending on exposure level, over a wide range of frequencies with this technique.

Imaging Learned Song Representations in Populations of Sensorimotor Neurons Essential to Vocal Communication

Perceiving or producing complex vocalizations such as speech and birdsongs require the coordinated activity of neuronal populations, and these activity patterns can vary over space and time. How learned communication signals are represented by populations of sensorimotor neurons essential to vocal perception and production remains poorly understood. Using a combination of two-photon calcium imaging, intracellular electrophysiological recording and retrograde tracing methods in anesthetized adult male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), I addressed how the bird's own song and its component syllables are represented by the spatiotemporal patterns of activity of two spatially intermingled populations of projection neurons (PNs) in HVC, a sensorimotor area required for song perception and production. These experiments revealed that neighboring PNs can respond at markedly different times to song playback and that different syllables activate spatially intermingled HVC PNs within a small region. Moreover, noise correlation analysis reveals enhanced functional connectivity between PNs that respond most strongly to the same syllable and also provides evidence of a spatial gradient of functional connectivity specific to PNs that project to song motor nucleus (i.e. HVC_RA cells). These findings support a model in which syllabic and temporal features of song are represented by spatially intermingled PNs functionally organized into cell- and syllable-type networks.