Incremental tensor biased discriminant analysis:a new color-based visual tracking method

Most existing color-based tracking algorithms utilize the statistical color information of the object as the tracking clues, without maintaining the spatial structure within a single chromatic image. Recently, the researches on the multilinear algebra provide the possibility to hold the spatial structural relationship in a representation of the image ensembles. In this paper, a third-order color tensor is constructed to represent the object to be tracked. Considering the influence of the environment changing on the tracking, the biased discriminant analysis (BDA) is extended to the tensor biased discriminant analysis (TBDA) for distinguishing the object from the background. At the same time, an incremental scheme for the TBDA is developed for the tensor biased discriminant subspace online learning, which can be used to adapt to the appearance variant of both the object and background. The experimental results show that the proposed method can track objects precisely undergoing large pose, scale and lighting changes, as well as partial occlusion. © 2009 Elsevier B.V.

Last Interglacial synthesis of high-latitude temperature: temperature anomalies and associated errors for 4 time slices

The Last Interglacial (LIG, 129-116 thousand of years BP, ka) represents a test bed for climate model feedbacks in warmer-than-present high latitude regions. However, mainly because aligning different palaeoclimatic archives and from different parts of the world is not trivial, a spatio-temporal picture of LIG temperature changes is difficult to obtain. Here, we have selected 47 polar ice core and sub-polar marine sediment records and developed a strategy to align them onto the recent AICC2012 ice core chronology. We provide the first compilation of high-latitude temperature changes across the LIG associated with a coherent temporal framework built between ice core and marine sediment records. Our new data synthesis highlights non-synchronous maximum temperature changes between the two hemispheres with the Southern Ocean and Antarctica records showing an early warming compared to North Atlantic records. We also observe warmer than present-day conditions that occur for a longer time period in southern high latitudes than in northern high latitudes. Finally, the amplitude of temperature changes at high northern latitudes is larger compared to high southern latitude temperature changes recorded at the onset and the demise of the LIG. We have also compiled four data-based time slices with temperature anomalies (compared to present-day conditions) at 115 ka, 120 ka, 125 ka and 130 ka and quantitatively estimated temperature uncertainties that include relative dating errors. This provides an improved benchmark for performing more robust model-data comparison. The surface temperature simulated by two General Circulation Models (CCSM3 and HadCM3) for 130 ka and 125 ka is compared to the corresponding time slice data synthesis. This comparison shows that the models predict warmer than present conditions earlier than documented in the North Atlantic, while neither model is able to produce the reconstructed early Southern Ocean and Antarctic warming. Our results highlight the importance of producing a sequence of time slices rather than one single time slice averaging the LIG climate conditions.

Investimentos internacionais e a valorização imobiliária dos municípios de Maxaranguape e Rio do Fogo

Since the middle of 1970´s the world has been undergoing significant transformations, comes in a new era of global capital accumulation, and starts the called productive restructuring. This restructuring is materialized spatially through the reconfiguration of territory, redefining its uses and providing a new spatial structure. With regard to native of Rio Grande do Norte territory, there is, from the 1980s, the emergence of new economic activities, among which stand out tourism, which become stimulated from government policies. In this context, has stood the east coast of the state, because its beaches have recognized scenic appeal and environmental quality. Therewith business opportunity, international investors ended up investing in this portion of Rio Grande do Norte´s territory, especially over the last decade. The expansion of this process, to the north coast, resulted in the emergence of intense property dynamics in the municipalities of Maxaranguape and Rio do Fogo. The low value of the property and buildings, compared to the European market and the availability of real property, were the main factors that explain the attraction of such investors, who are now seen as new business opportunities with high rates of profitability, in tropical areas, hitherto remote geographical location of the economic system. Therefore, the objective of the research is to analyze to what extent the International Investment promoted the appreciation of property in the municipalities of Maxaranguape and Rio do Fogo. The time frame covers the period among 2000- 2013. The methodology consisted of the following proceedings: surveys and analysis of data collected in the property registry office of the Maxaranguape and Rio do Fogo municipalities; interviews with public and private officials that were important for the analysis of spatial transformations and the recovery of the property that occurred in the municipalities studied; collection of secondary data from official bodies, such as IBGE, MTUR, SETUR, BNB etc. Analyzing the information and data that have been cataloged, it was concluded that this investments are reinforcing old leisure and tourism practices existing in the past in those territories and, shifted (creating new territorial arrangements) a significant part of the eastern coast zone areas of the state. Another consequence connected to this recent phenomenon refers to property’s increase in value that has occurred in this part of the state, episode which is directly connected to that event. Therefore, it is realize that the expansion and the incorporation of the capital territories reveal, in part, the strategies of the capitalist mode of production, which are evident in the search for better conditions of accumulation, expanding the alternative of use of the properties which occurs in selective way and uneven in the geographic space form. It is observed that the mechanisms that capital makes use to impose their practices can happen through the property’s increase in value market, meaning, thereby, that the reproduction of imbalances happens, often, through the marked property speculation with the fast increase in value of properties.

Desenvolvimento de marcadores microssatélites e estrutura genética espacial da Copernicia prunifera (Miller) H. E. Moore (Arecaceae)

The present study aimed to develop microsatellite markers (SSR) for Copernicia prunifera; and characterize the demographic pattern and the spatial genetic structure (SGS) in different development stages of C. prunifera in a natural population of Rio Grande do Norte (RN) by using ISSR molecular markers. 17 SSR primers pairs were developed, which were tested by using DNA from samples of different populations. The demographic and genetic spatial structure was assessed in a plot with an area of 0.55 ha, where all individuals were georeferenced. The molecular analyses with the use of microsatellite markers pointed out that all built primers pairs, when submitted to PCR, had amplification. They showed sizes of base pairs ranging between 113 and 250 bp. The demographic analyses showed a clustered standard of spatial distribution in the first distance classes, random between 40 and 50 m and segregated in higher distances. Eight ISSR primers were used, thereby producing a total of 102 loci, with 100 of them being polymorphic. Among the three stages, the young showed the highest Nei’s genetic diversity index (He = 0.37); whilst the lowest index was found in the reproductive adults (He = 0.34). The AMOVA results showed a greater genetic differentiation within the development stages (98.61%) in comparison to the interval among the stages (1.39%). The total population (n = 161) showed a positive and significant relationship of kinship in the first distance class (12.3 m). The young showed a significant kinship up to 10.5 m and negative in the fifth distance class (37.6 m). The non-reproductive adults had a positive relationship of kinship in the first distance class (11.0 m) and random distribution of genotypes in the remaining classes. The reproductive adults showed genotypes spatially distributed in a random way. The values for the genetic bottleneck tests proved that the number of loci with excess observed heterozygosity was greater than expected. The SGS results reflect the restricted dispersion of the species, and the bottleneck tests reflect the reduction genotypes provoked by the anthropization of natural environments of C. prunifera.

Evolutionary dynamics under various modes of reproduction

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Arquitetura da (in)segurança: estudando relações entre configuração espacial, artifícios de segurança e violência urbana no bairro Manaíra, João Pessoa, Paraíba

João Pessoa, the capital city of the state of Paraíba (Northeast Brazil), is reputed throughout the country as a quiet place, although it has been acquiring, over the past years, an urban character with social implications similar to those of major metropolitan Brazilian areas. The new situation is evident by the social inequalities, with the creation of confined spaces, which segregate and cause enclosure of the inhabitants, leading to death the public space. This study correlates accessibility in spatial structure with two types of crime data, burglary and robbery, recorded in 2008 and 2009, by the Secretaria de Segurança da Paraíba (The government agency public in charge of safety), in the district of Manaíra, an upper middle class neighborhood, which has, in recent times, been considered one of the most violent areas in João Pessoa. Sought to understand connections between these events and morpho-social aspects of the built environment, where examined the spatial properties, such as accessibility of the urban net, the presence of control measures, the safety of buildings and their uses. Spatial properties were also validated by the observation of pedestrian flows at strategic points of the study area. It was concluded that the presence of intense flows helps to attract potential thieves, physical security and control offers little protection

Ecological and evolutionary effects of dispersal on freshwater zooplankton

A recent focus on contemporary evolution and the connections between communities has sought to more closely integrate the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology. Studies of coevolutionary dynamics, life history evolution, and rapid local adaptation demonstrate that ecological circumstances can dictate evolutionary trajectories. Thus, variation in species identity, trait distributions, and genetic composition may be maintained among ecologically divergent habitats. New theories and hypotheses (e.g., metacommunity theory and the Monopolization hypothesis) have been developed to understand better the processes occurring in spatially structured environments and how the movement of individuals among habitats contributes to ecology and evolution at broader scales. As few empirical studies of these theories exist, this work seeks to further test these concepts. Spatial and temporal dispersal are the mechanisms that connect habitats to one another. Both processes allow organisms to leave conditions that are suboptimal or unfavorable, and enable colonization and invasion, species range expansion, and gene flow among populations. Freshwater zooplankton are aquatic crustaceans that typically develop resting stages as part of their life cycle. Their dormant propagules allow organisms to disperse both temporally and among habitats. Additionally, because a number of species are cyclically parthenogenetic, they make excellent model organisms for studying evolutionary questions in a controlled environment. Here, I use freshwater zooplankton communities as model systems to explore the mechanisms and consequences of dispersal and to test these nascent theories on the influence of spatial structure in natural systems. In Chapter one, I use field experiments and mathematical models to determine the range of adult zooplankton dispersal over land and what vectors are moving zooplankton. Chapter two focuses on prolonged dormancy of one aquatic zooplankter, Daphnia pulex. Using statistical models with field and mesocosm experiments, I show that variation in Daphnia dormant egg hatching is substantial among populations in nature, and some of that variation can be attributed to genetic differences among the populations. Chapters three and four explore the consequences of dispersal at multiple levels of biological organization. Chapter three seeks to understand the population level consequences of dispersal over evolutionary time on current patterns of population genetic differentiation. Nearby populations of D. pulex often exhibit high population genetic differentiation characteristic of very low dispersal. I explore two alternative hypotheses that seek to explain this pattern. Finally, chapter four is a case study of how dispersal has influenced patterns of variation at the community, trait and genetic levels of biodiversity in a lake metacommunity.

Caracterização de frutos, divergência genética e estrutura espacial de jaboticabeiras nativas de fragmento florestal em Clevelândia - PR

To design strategies for the conservation and use of genetic resources of tree species such as jaboticaba tree, it is essential to make the characterization. In southwestern Paraná region, there are several forest fragments containing native jaboticaba tree (Plinia cauliflora), whose materials have broad potential for commercial orchards or breeding programs. As is the potential genetic diversity of a population to produce different genotypes, it would be able to start in such a characterization one of these fragments. The aim was to characterize fruits of jaboticaba tree (P. caulifora) of forest fragment kept in Clevelândia - PR for the presence of phenotypic variability, seeking to identify those superiors named for future selection as farming or male parent, as well as estimate genetic divergence between them, as a complementary tool for this purpose. Also, verify the regeneration and spatial distribution of the species. For the study was defined portion of a hectare (10.000 m²), with all individuals identified, mapped, with local coordinate system, and measured height and diameter. Fruits were characterized by sensory and biochemical characteristics in two years, 70 genotypes at 2013 and 56 at 2014, and of these 33 genotypes in both years. As a pre-selection criteria was adopted the choice of 20% of the genotypes that showed the highest frequency of superiority in the evaluated characteristics of the fruit. Genetic divergence among 33 genotypes per year was analyzed. The distribution pattern and spatial association was evaluated by Ripley's K function. It was classified for the first time the following ontogenetic stages of jaboticaba tree, by plant height, seedling (from 0.01 to 0.99 m), juvenile (1.0 to 4.99 m), immature (> 5.0 m, non-reproductive), adult (reproductive). It was also have been describe for the first time the naturally occurring juxtaposed seedlings, indicating polyembryony. The number of regenerating identified in the population (seedlings: n = 2163; juveniles: n = 330; immature: n = 59) was much larger than the number of adults (n = 132). The species showed reverse J-shaped size structure standard, with high concentration of regenerating. The regeneration distribution occurs in aggregate pattern and there is seedling-adult dependence, due seed dispersal and seedling emergence closest to mothers. The jaboticaba tree regeneration is sufficient to maintain the species for long term in this population, which should serve as reference to regeneration success for other studies of this important fruiting species from Ombrofile Mixed Forests. Has been pre-selected the jaboticaba trees 7, 42, 43, 47, 54, 91, 97, 104, 105, 118, 134, 153, 154, 157, 163, 169, 177, 186, 212, J7-01 and J7- 02, and 16 and 194 the ones that can now be selected by the superior characteristics of both cycles. It was recommended to carry out hybridization between genotypes 79 and 119, and 96 to 148. The quality of fruit analyzed showed potential for use as a dual purpose serving both in natura market or processing.

Vitalidade no centro antigo Teresina, Piauí Praça Marechal Deodoro: uma intervenção contemporânea em área de valor patrimonial

This study deals with the discussions of contemporary interventions in public spaces in areas of heritage value. The product of this dissertation is an Intervention Project to Marechal Deodoro Square located in Teresina/PI center. The starting point for understanding the theme of this study is to investigate the accessibility and vitality of a public space - through relationship between form and uses. The spatial properties of accessibility and visibility as well as the distribution of land use - factors were associated with distinct patterns of vitality - and compared to usage patterns observed in situ and statements from users obtained through the results of the questionnaires. In attention to questions about the building constructed, particularly in historical centers, considers the guidelines to define intervention strategies in the square, consisted in the development of simulations that after evaluation of results of redesign, was chosen the best option to meet the necessary requirements to the performance, considering the spatial properties of integration and visibility that meet these requirements. Therefore, the "Intervention Project" carried out for the Marechal Deodoro Square characterization proposed items are discussed: spatial structure, vegetation, road network, pavements, street furniture and lighting

Source populations in coastal crabs: parameters affecting egg production

Benthic marine invertebrates may form metapopulations connected via propagule dispersal. Conservation efforts often target potential source coastlines to indirectly benefit areas depending on allochthonous offspring production. Besides population density, adult size structure, sex ratio, brooding frequency and the proportion of breeding individuals may significantly influence the reproductive output of benthic populations, but these effects have seldom been tested. We used rocky shore crabs to assess the spatial variability of such parameters at relevant scales for conservation purposes and to test their consistency over 2 consecutive years; we then used the data to address whether bottom-up processes or biological interactions might explain the patterns observed. We decomposed egg production rates into their components for the 2 most abundant brachyuran species inhabiting the intertidal rocky habitat. Adult density and brooding frequency varied consistently among shores for both species and largely explained the overall spatial trends of egg production. Temporally consistent patterns also included among-shore differences in the size of ovigerous females of the grapsid Pachygrapsus transversus and between-bay differences in the fecundity of the spider crab Epialtus brasiliensis. Sex ratio was remarkably constant in both. We found no positive or negative correlations between adult density and brooding frequency to support either the existence of a component Allee effect (lack of mate encounters) or an effect of intra-specific competition. Likewise, shore-specific potential growth in P. transversus does not negatively correlate with frequency of ovigerous individuals, as would be expected under a critical balance between these 2 processes. The patterns observed suggest that bottom-up drivers may best explain spatial trends in the reproductive output of these species.

Análise coreográfica das sevilhanas : uma proposta de esquema coreográfico a partir da análise sistemática de vídeos didáticos

Este trabalho visa a análise coreográfica das Sevilhanas através da observação sistemática do comportamento motor, pretendendo definir a Estrutura de Composição Coreográfica desta dança, através da identificação de invariantes. Objetivou-se apresentar a coreografia de Sevilhanas de forma esquematizada, numa tabela que indique a estrutura musical, coreográfica e espacial. Para cumprir o objetivo principal, procedeu-se à identificação e descrição dos passos que constituem a coreografia; à apresentação de uma proposta de terminologia para os passos; e à identificação das constantes coreográficas que permitem reconhecer a Estrutura de Composição Coreográfica. Os dados foram obtidos a partir da observação sistemática de 15 coreografias de Sevilhanas Normais retiradas de 15 vídeos didáticos realizados com o intuito de ensinar a dançar Sevilhanas. No decorrer do estudo, foram também observadas 3 coreografias de Sevilhanas Boleras. Os resultados permitem concluir que as Sevilhanas Normais têm uma Estrutura de Composição Coreográfica dividida em duas componentes, a Estrutura Coreográfica Base e a Estrutura Coreográfica Específica, pelo que se avançou com a definição do Esquema Coreográfico das Sevilhanas Normais. Concluiu-se também que a coreografia de Sevilhanas Normais é diferente da coreografia de Sevilhanas Boleras, apesar de a Estrutura Coreográfica Base ser a mesma.

Arquitetura da (in)segurança: estudando relações entre configuração espacial, artifícios de segurança e violência urbana no bairro Manaíra, João Pessoa, Paraíba

João Pessoa, the capital city of the state of Paraíba (Northeast Brazil), is reputed throughout the country as a quiet place, although it has been acquiring, over the past years, an urban character with social implications similar to those of major metropolitan Brazilian areas. The new situation is evident by the social inequalities, with the creation of confined spaces, which segregate and cause enclosure of the inhabitants, leading to death the public space. This study correlates accessibility in spatial structure with two types of crime data, burglary and robbery, recorded in 2008 and 2009, by the Secretaria de Segurança da Paraíba (The government agency public in charge of safety), in the district of Manaíra, an upper middle class neighborhood, which has, in recent times, been considered one of the most violent areas in João Pessoa. Sought to understand connections between these events and morpho-social aspects of the built environment, where examined the spatial properties, such as accessibility of the urban net, the presence of control measures, the safety of buildings and their uses. Spatial properties were also validated by the observation of pedestrian flows at strategic points of the study area. It was concluded that the presence of intense flows helps to attract potential thieves, physical security and control offers little protection

Caracterização da estruturação espacial dos povoamentos da epifauna do litoral rochoso do distrito de Mercúfi. província de Cabo Delgado (Norte de Moçambique), com uso de Sistema de Informação Geográfica: distribuição, abundância, diversidade e conservação

Dissertação de mest. em Estudos Marinhos e Costeiros, Faculdade de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente, Univ. do Algarve, 2002

Análise de DFA e de agrupamento do perfil de densidade de poços de petróleo

In recent years, the DFA introduced by Peng, was established as an important tool capable of detecting long-range autocorrelation in time series with non-stationary. This technique has been successfully applied to various areas such as: Econophysics, Biophysics, Medicine, Physics and Climatology. In this study, we used the DFA technique to obtain the Hurst exponent (H) of the profile of electric density profile (RHOB) of 53 wells resulting from the Field School of Namorados. In this work we want to know if we can or not use H to spatially characterize the spatial data field. Two cases arise: In the first a set of H reflects the local geology, with wells that are geographically closer showing similar H, and then one can use H in geostatistical procedures. In the second case each well has its proper H and the information of the well are uncorrelated, the profiles show only random fluctuations in H that do not show any spatial structure. Cluster analysis is a method widely used in carrying out statistical analysis. In this work we use the non-hierarchy method of k-means. In order to verify whether a set of data generated by the k-means method shows spatial patterns, we create the parameter Ω (index of neighborhood). High Ω shows more aggregated data, low Ω indicates dispersed or data without spatial correlation. With help of this index and the method of Monte Carlo. Using Ω index we verify that random cluster data shows a distribution of Ω that is lower than actual cluster Ω. Thus we conclude that the data of H obtained in 53 wells are grouped and can be used to characterize space patterns. The analysis of curves level confirmed the results of the k-means

Vitalidade no centro antigo Teresina, Piauí Praça Marechal Deodoro: uma intervenção contemporânea em área de valor patrimonial

This study deals with the discussions of contemporary interventions in public spaces in areas of heritage value. The product of this dissertation is an Intervention Project to Marechal Deodoro Square located in Teresina/PI center. The starting point for understanding the theme of this study is to investigate the accessibility and vitality of a public space - through relationship between form and uses. The spatial properties of accessibility and visibility as well as the distribution of land use - factors were associated with distinct patterns of vitality - and compared to usage patterns observed in situ and statements from users obtained through the results of the questionnaires. In attention to questions about the building constructed, particularly in historical centers, considers the guidelines to define intervention strategies in the square, consisted in the development of simulations that after evaluation of results of redesign, was chosen the best option to meet the necessary requirements to the performance, considering the spatial properties of integration and visibility that meet these requirements. Therefore, the "Intervention Project" carried out for the Marechal Deodoro Square characterization proposed items are discussed: spatial structure, vegetation, road network, pavements, street furniture and lighting