Unsupervised segmentation method for cuboidal cell nuclei in histological prostate images based on minimum cross entropy

This paper presents a novel segmentation method for cuboidal cell nuclei in images of prostate tissue stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The proposed method allows segmenting normal, hyperplastic and cancerous prostate images in three steps: pre-processing, segmentation of cuboidal cell nuclei and post-processing. The pre-processing step consists of applying contrast stretching to the red (R) channel to highlight the contrast of cuboidal cell nuclei. The aim of the second step is to apply global thresholding based on minimum cross entropy to generate a binary image with candidate regions for cuboidal cell nuclei. In the post-processing step, false positives are removed using the connected component method. The proposed segmentation method was applied to an image bank with 105 samples and measures of sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were compared with those provided by other segmentation approaches available in the specialized literature. The results are promising and demonstrate that the proposed method allows the segmentation of cuboidal cell nuclei with a mean accuracy of 97%. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A novel straightforward compromising method for dynamic economic and emission dispatch considering valve-point effect

This paper proposes a straightforward compromising method to determine the output power of all committed units during the scheduling time horizon. Unlike the conventional methods that work based on a constant pollution control cost (CPCC), this method works based on the system topology such as demand, minimum cost and minimum output emission of the system. In order to have a meaningful compromise between costs and emission in economic and emission dispatch (EED) problem, a flexible pollution control cost (FPCC) is proposed. Also a dynamic economic emission dispatch (DEED) approach is considered where the ramping constraints couple the scheduling hours; the inclusion of valve-point effect makes the DEED modeling more practical. The validity and effectiveness of the unproblematic FPCC approach is verified through an IEEE 30-bus test system with 6 unit for the 6-hour scheduling horizon. © 2013 IEEE.

Validation of the lactate minimum test as a specific aerobic evaluation protocol for table tennis players

The purpose of this study was to validate the lactate minimum test as a specific aerobic evaluation protocol for table tennis players. Using the frequency of 72 balls·min-1 for 90 sec, an exercise-induced metabolic acidosis was determined in 8 male table tennis players. The evaluation protocol began with a frequency of 40 balls·min-1 followed by an increase of 8 balls·min-1 every 3 min until exhaustion. The mean values that corresponded to the subjects' lactate minimum (Lacmin) were equal to 53.1 ± 1.5 balls·min-1 [adjusted for the time test (Lacmin_time)] and 51.6 ± 1.6 balls·min-1 [adjusted for the frequency of balls (Lacmin_Freq)], which resulted in a high correlation between the two forms of adjustment (r = 0.96 and (P = 0.01). The mean maximum lactate steady state (MLSS) was 52.6 ± 1.6 balls·min-1. Pearson's correlations between Lacmin_time vs. MLSS and Lacmin_freq vs. MLSS were statistically significant (P = 0.03 and r = 0.86, P = 0.03 and r = 0.85, respectively). These findings indicate that the Lacmin test predicts MLSS. Therefore, it is an excellent method to obtain the athletes' anaerobic threshold. Also, there is the advantage that it can be performed in 1 day in the game area. However, the Lacmin value does not depend on the Lacpeak value.

Pollution-induced metabolic responses in hypoxia-tolerant freshwater turtles

The physiological control to support the absence of O2 for long periods of diving, and oxidative damage impact caused by the whole process of hypoxia/reperfusion in freshwater turtles is well known. However, effects of contaminants may act as co-varying stressors and cause biological damage, disrupting the hypoxia/reperfusion oxidative damage control. In order to investigate the action of environmental stressors present in domestic or industrial wastewater effluent, we performed a biochemical analysis of biotransformation enzymes, oxidative stress, as well as neuromuscular, physiological and morphological parameters in Phrynops geoffroanus, an hypoxic-tolerant freshwater turtle endemic of South America, using animals sampled in urban area, contaminated by sewage and industrial effluents and animals sampled in control area. Here we demonstrate the physiological and biochemical impact caused by pollution, and the effect that these changes cause in antioxidant activity. Animals from the urban area exhibited higher EROD (ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase, CYP1A1), GST (glutathione S-transferase), G6PDH (glucose-6-phosphate deshydrogenase), AChE (acetilcholinesterase) activities and also TEAC (trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity) and TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) values. We examined whether two morphometric indices (K - condition factor and HIS - hepatosomatic index) which help in assessing the general condition and possible liver disease, respectively, were modified. The K of the urban animals was significantly decreased compared to the control animals, but the HIS value was increased in animals from the urban area, supporting the idea of an impact in physiology and life quality in the urban freshwater turtles. We propose that this freshwater turtle specie have the ability to enhance its antioxidants defenses in order to protect from tissue damage caused by hypoxia and reperfusion, but also that caused by environmental contamination and that the oxidative damage control in hypoxic conditions has resulted in an adaptive condition in hypoxic-tolerant freshwater turtle species, in order to better tolerate the release of contaminated effluents resulting from human activity. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Informe del Seminario-Taller sobre el Análisis de la Contaminación de la Refinería Estatal Esmeraldas en los Ríos Esmeraldas y Teaone = Report of the Seminar-Workshop on the Analysis of the Pollution from the Esmeraldas State Refinery in the Esmeraldas and Teaone Rivers

Incluye Bibliografía

Informe del Seminario-Taller sobre Políticas para el Control y la Fiscalización de la Contaminación Atmosférica de las Fuentes Fijas de los Sectores Productivo y Energético = Report of the Seminar-Workshop on Policies for the Regulation and Control of Air Pollution from Fixed Sources in the Production and Energy Sectors

Contiene antecedentes, asistencia y organización de los trabajos y resumen de las presentaciones de la reunión que tuvo como objetivo analizar los aspectos jurídicos, institucionales, económicos y tecnológicos de la política de descontaminación ambiental. Incluye lista de documentos presentados y de participantes.

Estado de la contaminación marina en la región del Gran Caribe = State of marine pollution in the Wider Caribbean region = L'etat de la pollution marine dans la region des Caraibes

Incluye Bibliografía

Status of oil pollution and oil pollution control in the Wider Caribbean region

Includes bibliography

Origin, fate and effects of oil pollution in the marine environment

Includes bibliography

Preventing marine pollution

Contiene un resumen de lo que se ha logrado en materia de control de la contaminacion de los mares en relacion con los principales tipos de actividad naviera.

Caracterização do aporte de poluentes oriundos da atividade sucroalcooleira para a atmosfera, água, solo e sedimento

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Degradação fotocatalítica na redução da DQO (demanda química de oxigênio) de efluente proveniente de processos de extração vegetal

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Programação linear inteira aplicada ao aproveitamento do palhiço da cana-de-açúcar

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

The water resources of Latin America and the Caribbean: water pollution

Includes bibliography