Desenvolvimento de um método para diagnose de falhas na operação de navios transportadores de gás natural liquefeito através de redes bayesianas.

O Gás Natural Liquefeito (GNL) tem, aos poucos, se tornado uma importante opção para a diversificação da matriz energética brasileira. Os navios metaneiros são os responsáveis pelo transporte do GNL desde as plantas de liquefação até as de regaseificação. Dada a importância, bem como a periculosidade, das operações de transporte e de carga e descarga de navios metaneiros, torna-se necessário não só um bom plano de manutenção como também um sistema de detecção de falhas que podem ocorrer durante estes processos. Este trabalho apresenta um método de diagnose de falhas para a operação de carga e descarga de navios transportadores de GNL através da utilização de Redes Bayesianas em conjunto com técnicas de análise de confiabilidade, como a Análise de Modos e Efeitos de Falhas (FMEA) e a Análise de Árvores de Falhas (FTA). O método proposto indica, através da leitura de sensores presentes no sistema de carga e descarga, quais os componentes que mais provavelmente estão em falha. O método fornece uma abordagem bem estruturada para a construção das Redes Bayesianas utilizadas na diagnose de falhas do sistema.

El análisis histórico de la mortalidad por causas: problemas y soluciones

El trabajo desarrolla una propuesta metodológica para abordar los principales problemas que plantea el análisis de la mortalidad a partir de las expresiones diagnósticas que se recogen en las partidas de defunción de los registros parroquiales y civiles. La cuestión diacrónica o de recorrido cronológico de las expresiones es abordada desde las técnicas del análisis semántico documental y el estudio de sus tipologías demográfico-sanitarias. La agrupación de las diversas causas de muerte se resuelve con la utilización simultánea de la Segunda Nomenclatura de la Primera Clasificación de Causas de Muerte propuesta por Jacques Bertillon en 1899, y una modificación de la clasificación propuesta por Thomas McKeown en su conocida monografía sobre "El crecimiento moderno de la población".

Integrating the development of data mining and data warehouses via model-driven engineering

Data mining is one of the most important analysis techniques to automatically extract knowledge from large amount of data. Nowadays, data mining is based on low-level specifications of the employed techniques typically bounded to a specific analysis platform. Therefore, data mining lacks a modelling architecture that allows analysts to consider it as a truly software-engineering process. Bearing in mind this situation, we propose a model-driven approach which is based on (i) a conceptual modelling framework for data mining, and (ii) a set of model transformations to automatically generate both the data under analysis (that is deployed via data-warehousing technology) and the analysis models for data mining (tailored to a specific platform). Thus, analysts can concentrate on understanding the analysis problem via conceptual data-mining models instead of wasting efforts on low-level programming tasks related to the underlying-platform technical details. These time consuming tasks are now entrusted to the model-transformations scaffolding. The feasibility of our approach is shown by means of a hypothetical data-mining scenario where a time series analysis is required.

Geología en la costa: técnicas de análisis de sedimentos e interpretación de ambientes sedimentarios

El estudio de los componentes, tanto bióticos como abióticos, que forman los sedimentos y rocas sedimentarias posibilita de modo fácil y directo la obtención de información sobre el medio de depósito. En este taller se describe la metodología para el análisis de las micofacies utilizando, como ejemplo, sedimentos costeros y marinos de edad Messiniense y Plioceno de la Cuenca del Bajo Segura (Alicante).

Detección automática con snakes y representación 3D sobre imágenes cerebrales

Comunicación presentada en la VI Conferencia de la Asociación Española para la Inteligencia Artificial (CAEPIA'95), Alicante, 15-17 noviembre 1995.

El crimen en los programas informativos de la TV española

El objetivo principal de este artículo es analizar la forma en que los medios de comunicación españoles y, específicamente, los informativos de televisión, construyen aquellas noticias relativas al campo de la inseguridad ciudadana. Con este fin, se han recogido un total de 299 noticias emitidas en 105 programas informativos de cuatro cadenas de televisión, a cuyos contenidos se han aplicado, fundamentalmente, técnicas cualitativas de análisis. Así, desde una perspectiva descriptiva, se han ordenado, codificado y clasificado los textos, buscando discursos comunes y divergentes en torno a tres grandes dimensiones: importancia concedida y presencia en la agenda mediática, descripción de efectos y consecuencias para la población, así como posibles explicaciones y exposición de soluciones o medidas.

The Gaia-ESO Survey: processing FLAMES-UVES spectra

The Gaia-ESO Survey is a large public spectroscopic survey that aims to derive radial velocities and fundamental parameters of about 105 Milky Way stars in the field and in clusters. Observations are carried out with the multi-object optical spectrograph FLAMES, using simultaneously the medium-resolution (R ~ 20 000) GIRAFFE spectrograph and the high-resolution (R ~ 47 000) UVES spectrograph. In this paper we describe the methods and the software used for the data reduction, the derivation of the radial velocities, and the quality control of the FLAMES-UVES spectra. Data reduction has been performed using a workflow specifically developed for this project. This workflow runs the ESO public pipeline optimizing the data reduction for the Gaia-ESO Survey, automatically performs sky subtraction, barycentric correction and normalisation, and calculates radial velocities and a first guess of the rotational velocities. The quality control is performed using the output parameters from the ESO pipeline, by a visual inspection of the spectra and by the analysis of the signal-to-noise ratio of the spectra. Using the observations of the first 18 months, specifically targets observed multiple times at different epochs, stars observed with both GIRAFFE and UVES, and observations of radial velocity standards, we estimated the precision and the accuracy of the radial velocities. The statistical error on the radial velocities is σ ~ 0.4 km s-1 and is mainly due to uncertainties in the zero point of the wavelength calibration. However, we found a systematic bias with respect to the GIRAFFE spectra (~0.9 km s-1) and to the radial velocities of the standard stars (~0.5 km s-1) retrieved from the literature. This bias will be corrected in the future data releases, when a common zero point for all the set-ups and instruments used for the survey is be established.

ATTOS: Análisis de Tendencias y Temáticas a través de Opiniones y Sentimientos

El proyecto ATTOS centra su actividad en el estudio y desarrollo de técnicas de análisis de opiniones, enfocado a proporcionar toda la información necesaria para que una empresa o una institución pueda tomar decisiones estratégicas en función a la imagen que la sociedad tiene sobre esa empresa, producto o servicio. El objetivo último del proyecto es la interpretación automática de estas opiniones, posibilitando así su posterior explotación. Para ello se estudian parámetros tales como la intensidad de la opinión, ubicación geográfica y perfil de usuario, entre otros factores, para facilitar la toma de decisiones. El objetivo general del proyecto se centra en el estudio, desarrollo y experimentación de técnicas, recursos y sistemas basados en Tecnologías del Lenguaje Humano (TLH), para conformar una plataforma de monitorización de la Web 2.0 que genere información sobre tendencias de opinión relacionadas con un tema.

Changes in the Photoreceptor Mosaic of P23H-1 Rats During Retinal Degeneration: Implications for Rod-Cone Dependent Survival

Purpose. To investigate the spatiotemporal relationship between rod and cone degeneration in the P23H-1 rat. Methods. Control Sprague-Dawley (SD) and P23H-1 rats of ages ranging from P30 to P365 were used. Retinas were processed for whole mounts or cross sections and rods and cones were immunodetected. We used newly developed image analysis techniques to quantify the total population of L/M cones (the most abundant cones in the rat) and analyzed the rings of rod-cone degeneration. Results. In P23H-1 rats, rod degeneration occurs rapidly: first the rod outer segment shortens, at P30 there is extensive rod loss, and by P180 rod loss is almost complete except for the most peripheral retina. The numbers of L/M cones are, at all postnatal ages, lower in P23H-1 rats than in control SD rats, and decrease significantly with age (by P180). Rod and cone degeneration is spatiotemporally related and occurs in rings that appear already at P90 and spread throughout the entire retina. At P180, the rings of rod-cone degeneration are more abundant in the equatorial retina and are larger in the dorsal retina. Conclusions. This work describes for the first time that in the P23H-1 rat, rod and cone degeneration is spatiotemporally related and occurs in rings. Cone loss follows rod loss and starts very soon, even before P30, the first age analyzed here. The characteristics of the rings suggest that secondary cone degeneration is influenced by retinal position and/or other intrinsic or extrinsic factors.

A methodology for evacuation route planning inside buildings using geospatial technology

Evacuation route planning is a fundamental task for building engineering projects. Safety regulations are established so that all occupants are driven on time out of a building to a secure place when faced with an emergency situation. As an example, Spanish building code requires the planning of evacuation routes on large and, usually, public buildings. Engineers often plan these routes on single building projects, repeatedly assigning clusters of rooms to each emergency exit in a trial-and-error process. But problems may arise for a building complex where distribution and use changes make visual analysis cumbersome and sometimes unfeasible. This problem could be solved by using well-known spatial analysis techniques, implemented as a specialized software able to partially emulate engineer reasoning. In this paper we propose and test an easily reproducible methodology that makes use of free and open source software components for solving a case study. We ran a complete test on a building floor at the University of Alicante (Spain). This institution offers a web service (WFS) that allows retrieval of 2D geometries from any building within its campus. We demonstrate how geospatial technologies and computational geometry algorithms can be used for automating the creation and optimization of evacuation routes. In our case study, the engineers’ task is to verify that the load capacity of each emergency exit does not exceed the standards specified by Spain’s current regulations. Using Dijkstra’s algorithm, we obtain the shortest paths from every room to the most appropriate emergency exit. Once these paths are calculated, engineers can run simulations and validate, based on path statistics, different cluster configurations. Techniques and tools applied in this research would be helpful in the design and risk management phases of any complex building project.

Propuesta de una nueva clasificación de los oligoelementos para su aplicación en nutrición, oligoterapia, y otras estrategias terapéuticas

Objetivos: 1) Proponer una nueva clasificación de los oligoelementos fundamentada en el estudio detallado de las investigaciones más recientes sobre los mismos; 2) ofrecer información detallada y actualizada sobre todos los oligoelementos. Resultados: el análisis de todos los resultados de investigación consultados pone de manifiesto que los avances en las técnicas de análisis molecular permiten dilucidar la importancia que presentan ciertos oligoelementos para la salud humana. Se ofrece un análisis detallado de la función catalítica que podrían tener determinados elementos no considerados hasta ahora como esenciales o posiblemente esenciales, gracias al uso de plataformas informáticas que permiten el análisis integrado de datos sobre enzimas. Asimismo se presenta información integrada y actualizada del papel fisiológico, cinéticas y metabolismo, fuentes dietéticas y factores que propician la carencia o la toxicidad de cada uno de los oligoelementos. Conclusiones: La Oligoterapia plantea el uso de oligoelementos catalíticamente activos con fines terapéuticos. La nueva clasificación de oligoelementos planteada en este trabajo será de interés para diversos sectores profesionales: médicos y demás personal sanitario, nutricionistas, farmacéuticos, etc. Así podrán diseñarse nuevas estrategias terapéuticas que permitan paliar la sintomatología de diversas patologías, en particular las enfermedades carenciales y metabólicas.

Social Rankings: análisis visual de sentimientos en redes sociales

Social Rankings es una aplicación web que realiza un seguimiento en tiempo real de entidades en las redes sociales. Detecta y analiza las opiniones sobre estas entidades utilizando técnicas de análisis de sentimientos para generar un informe visual de su valoración y su evolución en el tiempo.

SCAPHOID AND LUNATE CARPAL MECHANICS OVER THE SPECTRUM OF HEALTHY FUNCTION

When ligaments within the wrist are damaged, the resulting loss in range of motion and grip strength can lead to reduced earning potential and restricted ability to perform important activities of daily living. Left untreated, ligament injuries ultimately lead to arthritis and chronic pain. Surgical repair can mitigate these issues but current procedures are often non-anatomic and unable to completely restore the wrist’s complex network of ligaments. An inability to quantitatively assess wrist function clinically, both before and after surgery, limits the ability to assess the response to clinical intervention. Previous work has shown that bones within the wrist move in a similar pattern across people, but these patterns remain challenging to predict and model. In an effort to quantify and further develop the understanding of normal carpal mechanics, we performed two studies using 3D in vivo carpal bone motion analysis techniques. For the first study, we measured wrist laxity and performed CT scans of the wrist to evaluate 3D carpal bone positions. We found that through mid-range radial-ulnar deviation range of motion the scaphoid and lunate primarily flexed and extended; however, there was a significant relationship between wrist laxity and row-column behaviour. We also found that there was a significant relationship between scaphoid flexion and active radial deviation range of motion. For the second study, an analysis was performed on a publicly available database. We evaluated scapholunate relative motion over a full range of wrist positions, and found that there was a significant amount of variation in the location and orientation of the rotation axis between the two bones. Together the findings from the two studies illustrate the complexity and subject specificity of normal carpal mechanics, and should provide insights that can guide the development of anatomical wrist ligament repair surgeries that restore normal function.

Civilians in DOD : their productivity and compensation

Cover title

Selected views and issues related to regulatory reform in the transportation industry.

Mode of access: Internet.