Evolvable hardware applied to voice recognition

This paper presents some results of the application on Evolvable Hardware (EHW) in the area of voice recognition. Evolvable Hardware is able to change inner connections, using genetic learning techniques, adapting its own functionality to external condition changing. This technique became feasible by the improvement of the Programmable Logic Devices. Nowadays, it is possible to have, in a single device, the ability to change, on-line and in real-time, part of its own circuit. This work proposes a reconfigurable architecture of a system that is able to receive voice commands to execute special tasks as, to help handicapped persons in their daily home routines. The idea is to collect several voice samples, process them through algorithms based on Mel - Ceptrais theory to obtain their numerical coefficients for each sample, which, compose the universe of search used by genetic algorithm. The voice patterns considered, are limited to seven sustained Portuguese vowel phonemes (a, eh, e, i, oh, o, u).

Modifying the stochastic model to mitigate GPS systematic errors in relative positioning

The GPS observables are subject to several errors. Among them, the systematic ones have great impact, because they degrade the accuracy of the accomplished positioning. These errors are those related, mainly, to GPS satellites orbits, multipath and atmospheric effects. Lately, a method has been suggested to mitigate these errors: the semiparametric model and the penalised least squares technique (PLS). In this method, the errors are modeled as functions varying smoothly in time. It is like to change the stochastic model, in which the errors functions are incorporated, the results obtained are similar to those in which the functional model is changed. As a result, the ambiguities and the station coordinates are estimated with better reliability and accuracy than the conventional least square method (CLS). In general, the solution requires a shorter data interval, minimizing costs. The method performance was analyzed in two experiments, using data from single frequency receivers. The first one was accomplished with a short baseline, where the main error was the multipath. In the second experiment, a baseline of 102 km was used. In this case, the predominant errors were due to the ionosphere and troposphere refraction. In the first experiment, using 5 minutes of data collection, the largest coordinates discrepancies in relation to the ground truth reached 1.6 cm and 3.3 cm in h coordinate for PLS and the CLS, respectively, in the second one, also using 5 minutes of data, the discrepancies were 27 cm in h for the PLS and 175 cm in h for the CLS. In these tests, it was also possible to verify a considerable improvement in the ambiguities resolution using the PLS in relation to the CLS, with a reduced data collection time interval. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.

Interventions to promote the wearing of hearing protection

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Economic regulation to supplement bidding for public works contracts

Includes bibliography

Involvement of pituitary gonadotropins, gonadal steroids and breeding season in sex change of protogynous dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus (Teleostei: Serranidae), induced by a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor

Two experiments were performed using the aromatase inhibitor (AI) letrozole (100mg/kg) to promote sex change, from female-to-male, in protogynous dusky grouper. One experiment was performed during the breeding season (spring) and the other at the end of the breeding season (summer). During the spring, AI promoted sex change after 9weeks and the sperm produced was able to fertilize grouper oocytes. During the summer, the sex change was incomplete; intersex individuals were present and sperm was not released by any of the animals. Sex changed gonads had a lamellar architecture; cysts of spermatocytes and spermatozoa in the lumen of the germinal compartment. In the spring, after 4weeks, 11ketotestosterone (11KT) levels were higher in the AI than in control fish, and after 9weeks, coincident with semen release, testosterone levels increased in the AI group, while 11KT returned to the initial levels. Estradiol (E2) levels remained unchanged during the experimental period. Instead of decreasing throughout the period, as in control group, 17 α-OH progesterone levels did not change in the AI-treated fish, resulting in higher values after 9weeks when compared with control fish. fshβ and lhβ gene expression in the AI animals were lower compared with control fish after 9weeks. The use of AI was effective to obtain functional males during the breeding season. The increase in androgens, modulated by gonadotropins, triggered the sex change, enabling the development of male germ cells, whereas a decrease in E2 levels was not required to change sex in dusky grouper. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

New technologies and methodologies for intervention to promote development

Includes bibliography

A modular approach to study protein adsorption on surface modified hydroxyapatite

Biocompatible inorganic nano- and microcarriers can be suitable candidates for protein delivery. This study demonstrates facile methods of functionalization by using nanoscale linker molecules to change the protein adsorption capacity of hydroxyapatite (HA) powder. The adsorption capacity of bovine serum albumin as a model protein has been studied with respect to the surface modifications. The selected linker molecules (lysine, arginine, and phosphoserine) can influence the adsorption capacity by changing the electrostatic nature of the HA surface. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of linker-molecule interactions with the HA surface have been performed by using NMR spectroscopy, zeta-potential measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analyses. Additionally, correlations to theoretical isotherm models have been calculated with respect to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Lysine and arginine increased the protein adsorption, whereas phosphoserine reduced the protein adsorption. The results show that the adsorption capacity can be controlled with different functionalization, depending on the protein-carrier selections under consideration. The scientific knowledge acquired from this study can be applied in various biotechnological applications that involve biomolecule-inorganic material interfaces.

Carbon content in Amazonian Oxisols after forest conversion to pasture

O solo desempenha importante papel no ciclo do C, porém a substituição da floresta tropical por áreas cultivadas altera a dinâmica e o estoque desse elemento. Em uma frente pioneira de colonização no município de Itupiranga (PA), na Amazônia Oriental, foi desenvolvido este estudo com o objetivo de avaliar as consequências da substituição de floresta nativa por pastagens de Brachiaria brizantha no conteúdo de C de um Latossolo Amarelo distrófico. As amostras de solo foram coletadas em área de floresta nativa (FN), floresta secundária de 8–10 anos (FS), pastagens de 1–2 anos (P1-2), de 5–7 anos (P5–7) e de 10–12 anos (P10–12), nas camadas de 0–2, 2–5 e 5–10 cm, para avaliar os teores e o estoque de C e realizar um fracionamento granulométrico da matéria orgânica. Após o desmatamento, a densidade do solo aumentou até a profundidade de 5 cm, sendo esse aumento maior nas pastagens mais antigas. As maiores mudanças no conteúdo de C ocorreram na camada superior do solo, havendo aumento nesse conteúdo com o tempo de implantação das pastagens. Nas camadas de 2–5 e 5–10 cm, o conteúdo de C se mostrou estável entre os tipos de cobertura vegetal avaliados. As maiores concentrações de C foram encontradas na fração silte, mas os maiores conteúdos de C ocorreram na fração argila, independentemente do tipo de cobertura vegetal. Um aumento da quantidade de C associado à fração areia, na forma de resíduos orgânicos pouco decompostos, foi observado nas pastagens, confirmando a maior sensibilidade dessa fração às mudanças de uso do solo.

Homework: Is There More To It Than Answers?

In this action research study of my two high school geometry classrooms, I investigated the use of homework. By changing the focus on homework away from the answers to the process involved in getting the answers, I found that students felt more confident, utilized their class time better, and placed more effort on complex problems. Their questions also became more specific and more effective for finding gaps in their understanding. As a result of this research, I plan to change my strategy in the practice of homework. I will give students the answers on multi-step problems to allow them the opportunity to utilize problem solving and critical thinking skills to gain practice in autonomous learning.

Use of policy, education, and enforcement to reduce binge drinking among university students: The NU Directions project

This paper describes a program, conducted over a 5-year period, that effectively reduced heavy drinking and alcohol-related harms among university students. The program was organized around strategies to change the environment in which binge drinking occurred and involved input and cooperation from officials and students of the university, representatives from the city and the neighborhood near the university, law enforcement, as well as public health and medical officials. In 1997, 62.5% of the university’s approximately 16,000 undergraduate student population reported binge drinking. This rate had dropped to 47% in 2003. Similar reductions were found in both self-reported primary and secondary harms related to alcohol consumption.

Intervention to reduce C-reactive protein determination requests for acute infections at an emergency department

Introduction C-reactive protein (CRP) levels rise during inflammatory processes and have been ordered for rheumatic disease follow-up since the 1950s. The number of tests ordered in the emergency setting has increased, but without evident improvement in medical care quality. Objective To determine the pattern of CRP determinations in the emergency department (ED) of a university hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and to evaluate the effect of an intervention with staff and students about the best use of the test in the ED. Methods Data regarding CRP testing requests, related diagnoses and the number of monthly consultations in the hospital ED were analysed before and after the intervention. Because of an increase in CRP measurement requests from 2007 to 2009, the author started discussing the role of CRP determinations in the medical decision-making process in early 2010. Staff and faculty members openly discussed the pattern of requests in the hospital and related current medical literature. During 2010, the medical staff worked as multipliers to change the behaviour of new students and residents. The results of the first 4 months after the intervention were presented at another general meeting in July 2010. Results From 2007 to 2009, there were 11 786 CRP measurement requests with a clear exponential trend. After the intervention, during the calendar year 2010, there was a 48% reduction in adjusted annual CRP requests. Pneumonia, fever and urinary tract infections were the most common reasons for CRP requests. Discussion Inexpensive, well-directed, interactive educational interventions may affect professional behaviour and curb rates of laboratory tests.

CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND SEVERITY OF PATIENTS ADMITTED TO PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ICUS

This study aimed to compare clinical characteristics, evolution and severity of adult patients admitted to public and private Intensive Care Units. It is a retrospective, longitudinal and quantitative analysis of 600 patients admitted to four Intensive Care Units of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Differences were found between patients admitted in private and public hospitals regarding the following variables: age, origin, length of stay and mortality in the critical unit, cardiologic, hematologic, neurologic and renal failures and some comorbidities. The results reveal the importance of analyzing in detail clinical characteristics and healthcare of patients admitted in public institutions, because of the high mortality found. The Intensive Care Nurse can contribute to change this scenario, because she/he plays a leading role in planning and providing resources for intensive care.

Intervention Based Exclusively on Stage- Matched Printed EducationalMaterials Regarding Healthy Eating Does Not Result in Changes to Adolescents' Dietary Behavior

Purpose. To assess the impact of a six-month stage-based intervention on fruit and vegetable intake, regarding perceived benefits and barriers, and self-efficacy among adolescents. Design. Randomized treatment-control, pre-post design. Subjects/ Setting. Schools were randomized between control and experimental groups. 860 adolescents from ten public schools in Bras ' ilia, Federal District, Brazil were evaluated at baseline; 771 (81%) completed the study. Intervention. Experimental group received monthly magazines and newsletters aimed at promotion of healthy eating. Measures. Self-reported fruit and vegetable intake, stages of change, self-efficacy and decisional balance scores were evaluated at baseline and post-intervention in both groups. Analysis. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated using the analysis of covariance model (ANCOVA) and repeated measurement analysis by means of weighted least squares. Comparison between the proportions of adolescents who advanced through the stages during the intervention was performed using the Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test. Results. After adjusting for sex and age, study variables showed no modifications through the proposed intervention. There was no statistical difference in participant mobility in the intervention and control groups between the stages of change, throughout the study. Conclusion. A nutritional intervention based exclusively on distribution of stage-matched printed educational materials was insufficient to change adolescents' dietary behavior.

Strength training with and without a vibration platform is capable to modulate heart rate variability?

The current research compared resting heart rate variability (VFC) before and after 10 weeks of strength training in groups that used and did not use a vibration platform. Seventeen healthy men were divided into conventional strength training (TF) or strength training using a vibration platform with a frequency of 30 Hz (TF+V30) training groups. One repetition maximum load (1-RM) on half squat exercise and VFC measurements were determined pre- and post-training program. Both groups had improved 1-RM load after the program (15.1% in TF group and 16.4% in TF+V30 group), although this increase was changed in the same extent for the two groups and there was no difference in 1-RM load between groups pre- and post-training program. No significant difference was observed in resting VFC measurements between groups pre and post-training program, however the magnitude of the effect size was moderated (ES = 0.50-0.80) for some variables (R-R interval, standard deviation of all R-R interval - SDNN, RMSSD, log-transformed of low frequency - InLF, and log-transformed of high frequency - InHF) in TF+V30 group. It was concluded that 10 weeks of strength training program with or without the vibration platform provided similar increase in 1-RM load in both groups, and although some evidences in this study indicate that vibration can increase vagal activity analyzed by ES, in neither groups the strength training was able to change VFC significantly.

Occlusal trauma can not be compared to orthodontic movement or Occlusal trauma in orthodontic practice and V-shaped recession

The mechanisms of tissue changes induced by occlusal trauma are in no way comparable to orthodontic movement. In both events the primary cause is of a physical nature, but the forces delivered to dental tissues exhibit completely different characteristics in terms of intensity, duration, direction, distribution, frequency and form of uptake by periodontal tissues. Consequently, the tissue effects induced by occlusal trauma are different from orthodontic movement. It can be argued that occlusal trauma generates a pathological tissue injury in an attempt to adapt to new excessive functional demands. Orthodontic movement, in turn,performs physiological periodontal bone remodeling to change the position of the teeth in a well-planned manner, eventually restoring normalcy.