Preocupação com a forma do corpo de graduandos de Farmácia-Bioquímica

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Comparison of snow data assimilation system with GPS reflectometry snow depth in the Western United States

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Classification of intact açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) and jucara (Euterpe edulis Mart) fruits based on dry matter content by means of near infrared spectroscopy

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Análise dos indicadores biométricos e nutricionais da cultura da alface (Lactuca sativa L.) irrigada com água tratada magneticamente utilizando modelagem fuzzy

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Irrigação e Drenagem) - FCA

Comparação entre modelos de análise genômica utilizando dados simulados e dados reais em ovinos

Pós-graduação em Genética e Melhoramento Animal - FCAV

Sistema baseado em regras fuzzy do tipo Takagi-Sugeno aplicado a ecos de radares meteorológicos

Pós-graduação em Ciências Ambientais - Sorocaba

Estimativas da radiação difusa horária incidente em superfícies inclinadas com base na transmissividade atmosférica

Evaluated statistical equations estimates (based on radiometric fractions) of the hourly diffuse radiation incident on inclined surfaces for the North to 12.85, 22.85 and 32.85°, the climate and geographical conditions of Botucatu, SP. The database was generated from April/1998 to December/2007, with measures in the three tilted surfaces in different periods, but concomitant to the horizontal plane. In the validation of the equations were used indicative statistics MBE (mean absolute error), RMSE (square root mean square error) and index adjustment (d) for three inclinations and conditions of sky coverage. The increased angle of inclination of the surface led to increased scattering of hourly values for the coefficient of atmospheric transmissivity of diffuse radiation for inclined and horizontal surfaces. Estimates of diffuse radiation on the basis of hourly tilted horizontal global radiation occur for quadratic polynomial models, which adjust K'Dβ maximum values of between 0.14 and 0.30 for winter and summer when KTH varies between 0.40 and 0.66, indicating that energy, the highest values of diffuse radiation occur in partly cloudy sky conditions and / or partially open. The increase in atmospheric transmissivity decreases the performance of annual and monthly equations at all inclinations.

Bovine Tuberculosis in Swedish Farmed Deer: Detection and Control of the Disease

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) was introduced into Swedish farmed deer herds in 1987. Epidemiological investigations showed that 10 deer herds had become infected (July 1994) and a common source of infection, a consignment of 168 imported farmed fallow deer, was identified (I). As trace-back of all imported and in-contact deer was not possible, a control program, based on tuberculin testing, was implemented in July 1994. As Sweden has been free from BTB since 1958, few practicing veterinarians had experience in tuberculin testing. In this test, result relies on the skill, experience and conscientiousness of the testing veterinarian. Deficiencies in performing the test may adversely affect the test results and thereby compromise a control program. Quality indicators may identify possible deficiencies in testing procedures. For that purpose, reference values for measured skin fold thickness (prior to injection of the tuberculin) were established (II) suggested to be used mainly by less experienced veterinarians to identify unexpected measurements. Furthermore, the within-veterinarian variation of the measured skin fold thickness was estimated by fitting general linear models to data (skin fold measurements) (III). The mean square error was used as an estimator of the within-veterinarian variation. Using this method, four (6%) veterinarians were considered to have unexpectedly large variation in measurements. In certain large extensive deer farms, where mustering of all animals was difficult, meat inspection was suggested as an alternative to tuberculin testing. The efficiency of such a control was estimated in paper IV and V. A Reed Frost model was fitted to data from seven BTB-infected deer herds and the spread of infection was estimated (< 0.6 effective contacts per deer and year) (IV). These results were used to model the efficiency of meat inspection in an average extensive Swedish deer herd. Given a 20% annual slaughter and meat inspection, the model predicted that BTB would be either detected or eliminated in most herds (90%) 15 years after introduction of one infected deer. In 2003, an alternative control for BTB in extensive Swedish deer herds, based on the results of paper V, was implemented.

Modeling the growth rate and lag time of different strains of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat lettuce

The growth parameters (growth rate, mu and lag time, lambda) of three different strains each of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in minimally processed lettuce (MPL) and their changes as a function of temperature were modeled. MPL were packed under modified atmosphere (5% O-2, 15% CO2 and 80% N-2), stored at 7-30 degrees C and samples collected at different time intervals were enumerated for S. enterica and L monocytogenes. Growth curves and equations describing the relationship between mu and lambda as a function of temperature were constructed using the DMFit Excel add-in and through linear regression, respectively. The predicted growth parameters for the pathogens observed in this study were compared to ComBase, Pathogen modeling program (PMP) and data from the literature. High R-2 values (0.97 and 0.93) were observed for average growth curves of different strains of pathogens grown on MPL Secondary models of mu and lambda for both pathogens followed a linear trend with high R2 values (>0.90). Root mean square error (RMSE) showed that the models obtained are accurate and suitable for modeling the growth of S. enterica and L monocytogenes in MP lettuce. The current study provides growth models for these foodborne pathogens that can be used in microbial risk assessment. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of multiple-input single-output single-user ultra-wideband systems with pre-distortion

This paper presents a performance analysis of a baseband multiple-input single-output ultra-wideband system over scenarios CM1 and CM3 of the IEEE 802.15.3a channel model, incorporating four different schemes of pre-distortion: time reversal, zero-forcing pre-equaliser, constrained least squares pre-equaliser, and minimum mean square error pre-equaliser. For the third case, a simple solution based on the steepest-descent (gradient) algorithm is adopted and compared with theoretical results. The channel estimations at the transmitter are assumed to be truncated and noisy. Results show that the constrained least squares algorithm has a good trade-off between intersymbol interference reduction and signal-to-noise ratio preservation, providing a performance comparable to the minimum mean square error method but with lower computational complexity. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A regional multirnodulus algorithm for blind equalization of QAM signals: Introduction and steady-state analysis

It is well known that constant-modulus-based algorithms present a large mean-square error for high-order quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals, which may damage the switching to decision-directed-based algorithms. In this paper, we introduce a regional multimodulus algorithm for blind equalization of QAM signals that performs similar to the supervised normalized least-mean-squares (NLMS) algorithm, independently of the QAM order. We find a theoretical relation between the coefficient vector of the proposed algorithm and the Wiener solution and also provide theoretical models for the steady-state excess mean-square error in a nonstationary environment. The proposed algorithm in conjunction with strategies to speed up its convergence and to avoid divergence can bypass the switching mechanism between the blind mode and the decision-directed mode. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Parametrização e avaliação do modelo DSSAT/Canegro para variedades brasileiras de cana-de-açúcar

O objetivo deste trabalho foi parametrizar e avaliar o modelo DSSAT/Canegro para cinco variedades brasileiras de cana-de-açúcar. A parametrização foi realizada a partir do uso de dados biométricos e de crescimento das variedades CTC 4, CTC 7, CTC 20, RB 86-7515 e RB 83-5486, obtidos em cinco localidades brasileiras. Foi realizada análise de sensibilidade local para os principais parâmetros. A parametrização do modelo foi feita por meio da técnica de estimativa da incerteza de probabilidade generalizada ("generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation", Glue). Para a avaliação das predições, foram utilizados, como indicadores estatísticos, o coeficiente de determinação (R2), o índice D de Willmott e a raiz quadrada do erro-médio (RMSE). As variedades CTC apresentaram índice D entre 0,870 e 0,944, para índice de área foliar, altura de colmo, perfilhamento e teor de sacarose. A variedade RB 83-5486 apresentou resultados similares para teor de sacarose e massa de matéria fresca do colmo, enquanto a variedade RB 86-7515 apresentou valores entre 0,665 e 0,873, para as variáveis avaliadas.

Estimating the monthly pCO2 distribution in the North Atlantic using a self-organizing neural network

[EN] Here we present monthly, basin-wide maps of the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) for the North Atlantic on a latitude by longitude grid for years 2004 through 2006 inclusive. The maps have been computed using a neural network technique which reconstructs the non-linear relationships between three biogeochemical parameters and marine pCO2. A self organizing map (SOM) neural network has been trained using 389 000 triplets of the SeaWiFSMODIS chlorophyll-a concentration, the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis sea surface temperature, and the FOAM mixed layer depth. The trained SOM was labelled with 137 000 underway pCO2 measurements collected in situ during 2004, 2005 and 2006 in the North Atlantic, spanning the range of 208 to 437atm. The root mean square error (RMSE) of the neural network fit to the data is 11.6?atm, which equals to just above 3 per cent of an average pCO2 value in the in situ dataset. The seasonal pCO2 cycle as well as estimates of the interannual variability in the major biogeochemical provinces are presented and discussed. High resolution combined with basin-wide coverage makes the maps a useful tool for several applications such as the monitoring of basin-wide air-sea CO2 fluxes or improvement of seasonal and interannual marine CO2 cycles in future model predictions. The method itself is a valuable alternative to traditional statistical modelling techniques used in geosciences.

Advanced signal and receiver design for next generation OFDM systems

This thesis deal with the design of advanced OFDM systems. Both waveform and receiver design have been treated. The main scope of the Thesis is to study, create, and propose, ideas and novel design solutions able to cope with the weaknesses and crucial aspects of modern OFDM systems. Starting from the the transmitter side, the problem represented by low resilience to non-linear distortion has been assessed. A novel technique that considerably reduces the Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) yielding a quasi constant signal envelope in the time domain (PAPR close to 1 dB) has been proposed.The proposed technique, named Rotation Invariant Subcarrier Mapping (RISM),is a novel scheme for subcarriers data mapping,where the symbols belonging to the modulation alphabet are not anchored, but maintain some degrees of freedom. In other words, a bit tuple is not mapped on a single point, rather it is mapped onto a geometrical locus, which is totally or partially rotation invariant. The final positions of the transmitted complex symbols are chosen by an iterative optimization process in order to minimize the PAPR of the resulting OFDM symbol. Numerical results confirm that RISM makes OFDM usable even in severe non-linear channels. Another well known problem which has been tackled is the vulnerability to synchronization errors. Indeed in OFDM system an accurate recovery of carrier frequency and symbol timing is crucial for the proper demodulation of the received packets. In general, timing and frequency synchronization is performed in two separate phases called PRE-FFT and POST-FFT synchronization. Regarding the PRE-FFT phase, a novel joint symbol timing and carrier frequency synchronization algorithm has been presented. The proposed algorithm is characterized by a very low hardware complexity, and, at the same time, it guarantees very good performance in in both AWGN and multipath channels. Regarding the POST-FFT phase, a novel approach for both pilot structure and receiver design has been presented. In particular, a novel pilot pattern has been introduced in order to minimize the occurrence of overlaps between two pattern shifted replicas. This allows to replace conventional pilots with nulls in the frequency domain, introducing the so called Silent Pilots. As a result, the optimal receiver turns out to be very robust against severe Rayleigh fading multipath and characterized by low complexity. Performance of this approach has been analytically and numerically evaluated. Comparing the proposed approach with state of the art alternatives, in both AWGN and multipath fading channels, considerable performance improvements have been obtained. The crucial problem of channel estimation has been thoroughly investigated, with particular emphasis on the decimation of the Channel Impulse Response (CIR) through the selection of the Most Significant Samples (MSSs). In this contest our contribution is twofold, from the theoretical side, we derived lower bounds on the estimation mean-square error (MSE) performance for any MSS selection strategy,from the receiver design we proposed novel MSS selection strategies which have been shown to approach these MSE lower bounds, and outperformed the state-of-the-art alternatives. Finally, the possibility of using of Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) in the Broadband Satellite Return Channel has been assessed. Notably, SC-FDMA is able to improve the physical layer spectral efficiency with respect to single carrier systems, which have been used so far in the Return Channel Satellite (RCS) standards. However, it requires a strict synchronization and it is also sensitive to phase noise of local radio frequency oscillators. For this reason, an effective pilot tone arrangement within the SC-FDMA frame, and a novel Joint Multi-User (JMU) estimation method for the SC-FDMA, has been proposed. As shown by numerical results, the proposed scheme manages to satisfy strict synchronization requirements and to guarantee a proper demodulation of the received signal.

Rainfall spatial predictions: a two-part model and its assessment

Spatial prediction of hourly rainfall via radar calibration is addressed. The change of support problem (COSP), arising when the spatial supports of different data sources do not coincide, is faced in a non-Gaussian setting; in fact, hourly rainfall in Emilia-Romagna region, in Italy, is characterized by abundance of zero values and right-skeweness of the distribution of positive amounts. Rain gauge direct measurements on sparsely distributed locations and hourly cumulated radar grids are provided by the ARPA-SIMC Emilia-Romagna. We propose a three-stage Bayesian hierarchical model for radar calibration, exploiting rain gauges as reference measure. Rain probability and amounts are modeled via linear relationships with radar in the log scale; spatial correlated Gaussian effects capture the residual information. We employ a probit link for rainfall probability and Gamma distribution for rainfall positive amounts; the two steps are joined via a two-part semicontinuous model. Three model specifications differently addressing COSP are presented; in particular, a stochastic weighting of all radar pixels, driven by a latent Gaussian process defined on the grid, is employed. Estimation is performed via MCMC procedures implemented in C, linked to R software. Communication and evaluation of probabilistic, point and interval predictions is investigated. A non-randomized PIT histogram is proposed for correctly assessing calibration and coverage of two-part semicontinuous models. Predictions obtained with the different model specifications are evaluated via graphical tools (Reliability Plot, Sharpness Histogram, PIT Histogram, Brier Score Plot and Quantile Decomposition Plot), proper scoring rules (Brier Score, Continuous Rank Probability Score) and consistent scoring functions (Root Mean Square Error and Mean Absolute Error addressing the predictive mean and median, respectively). Calibration is reached and the inclusion of neighbouring information slightly improves predictions. All specifications outperform a benchmark model with incorrelated effects, confirming the relevance of spatial correlation for modeling rainfall probability and accumulation.