Challenges and opportunities for knowledge organization at the intersection with information technologies

In this paper we study the intersection of Knowledge Organization with Information Technologies and the challenges and opportunities for Knowledge Organization experts that, in our view, are important to be studied and for them to be aware of. We start by giving some definitions necessary for providing the context for our work. Then we review the history of the Web, beginning with the Internet and continuing with the World Wide Web, the Semantic Web, problems of Artificial Intelligence, Web 2.0, and Linked Data. Finally, we conclude our paper with IT applications for Knowledge Organization in libraries, such as FRBR, BIBFRAME, and several OCLC initiatives, as well as with some of the challenges and opportunities in which Knowledge Organization experts and researchers might play a key role in relation to the Semantic Web.

Leptomeningeal enhancement in computed tomography of feline brains

Contrast enhancement enables the verification of several pathological conditions that lead to vascular changes and/or breakdown of the blood-brain barrier. Examples of diseases that cause these disorders are: neoplastic diseases, vascular communications, active inflammation and cerebral ischemia. Several contrast enhancements located peripherically to cerebral lobes, in the topography of brain sulci and gyri, were identified on tomographic scan of twelve healthy cats that had their health confirmed through history, general and neurologic physical examination and polymerase chain reaction for feline leukemia (FeLV) and immunodeficiency (FIV) virus. This study aims to describe the tomographic contrast enhancement findings, which showed an identical appearance to the pia mater and arachnoid enhancement, also called leptomeninges. This finding is generally considered related to leptomeningeal diseases such as meningitis and neoplastic disease. However, in dogs, the leptomeningeal enhancement has already been described in healthy animals. This finding has a great importance in the interpretation of tomographic images of these animals since, so far, in the presence of these enhancements, meningeal disorders were suggested. Thus, the verification of other tomographic findings and the combination with other diagnostic methods are of great importance for the diagnosis of leptomeningeal disease.

Transmission enhancement in chalco-halide glasses for multiband applications

The potential of clear Ga2S3-GeS2-CsCl based sulfide glasses transparent up to 11.5 μm to be used as new optical material for multispectral applications has been investigated. The addition of large amount of chlorine ions – above 40 mol.% of CsCl – into the chalcogenide vitreous network in order to produce colorless glasses results in a drastic increase of their water contamination. We report for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the purification of cesium chloride CsCl by dynamic distillations under vacuum in order to reduce water and hydroxyl group contamination before complete melting of the glass. Besides, sulfur purification by dynamic and static distillations was also performed in the implemented method. The obtained glasses were then characterized by UV-visible and infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies, by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), thermal analysis (DSC), and their refractive indices in the visible and near infrared ranges were also measured. A large improvement of the glass transmission spectrum has been achieved with an estimated reduction of about 45 times of the OH and H2O content and 60 times of the SH content. The glass thermal molding ability and chemical durability with and without protective coating have been tested to probe their potential for fabrication of complex optics.

Síntese e estudos de sistemas de bioencapsulação associados a peptídeos antimicrobianos miméticos da toxina natural CcdB

Pós-graduação em Biotecnologia - IQ

Tecnologias virtuais e análise videográfica: o YouTube® como recurso de pesquisa para compreensão sobre a imagem do idoso brasileiro = Virtual technologies and videographic analysis : YouTube® as research resource for understanding about brazilian elderly imagem

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

Formulations of Melia azedarach to control diabrotica speciosa (germar) (coleoptera: chrysomelidae) larvae in corn and plant enhancement

We evaluated oil and powder formulations of Melia azedarach for controlling larvae of Diabrotica speciosa (Germar) in corn and plant enhancement. Five concentrations of each formulation were evaluated and compared to fipronil (negative control) and distilled water (positive control). After treatment, the number of surviving insects (larvae, pupae, and adults), the adult body weight, the sex ratio, and the longevity were recorded, while the height, dry weight of aerial part and roots, and number of leaves of plants were measured. The oil formulation at 4.0 mL reduced the larvae population of D. speciosa similarly to the insecticide fipronil, which resulted in greater height, dry weight of the root system, and number of leaves. Powder formulation at concentrations of 40, 80, and 160 mg caused larval mortality above 80%; however, these concentrations did not prevent reduction of plant height and dry weight of aerial part. Further studies assessing the residual period of M. azedarach control against D. speciosa larvae and its phytotoxicity, which are common traits associated with azadirachtin application, are necessary to subsidize the next steps of this alternative control strategy.

Applying enhancement filters in the pre-processing of images of lymphoma

Lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the immune system, and is classified as Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin. It is one of the ten types of cancer that are the most common on earth. Among all malignant neoplasms diagnosed in the world, lymphoma ranges from three to four percent of them. Our work presents a study of some filters devoted to enhancing images of lymphoma at the pre-processing step. Here the enhancement is useful for removing noise from the digital images. We have analysed the noise caused by different sources like room vibration, scraps and defocusing, and in the following classes of lymphoma: follicular, mantle cell and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The filters Gaussian, Median and Mean-Shift were applied to different colour models (RGB, Lab and HSV). Afterwards, we performed a quantitative analysis of the images by means of the Structural Similarity Index. This was done in order to evaluate the similarity between the images. In all cases we have obtained a certainty of at least 75%, which rises to 99% if one considers only HSV. Namely, we have concluded that HSV is an important choice of colour model at pre-processing histological images of lymphoma, because in this case the resulting image will get the best enhancement.

Enhancement of quality and stability of dried papaya by pectin-based coatings as air-drying pretreatment

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Synchronization enhancement via an oscillatory bath in a network of self-excited cells

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Prior Heavy-Intensity Exercise's Enhancement of Oxygen-Uptake Kinetics and Short-Term High-Intensity Exercise Performance Independent of Aerobic-Training Status

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

The mechanism of 234U 238U activity ratio enhancement in karstic limestone groundwater

Experimental etch/leach of Carboniferous Limestone gravels on a laboratory time-scale has demonstrated that 234U 238U activity ratios (AR's) greater than the radiochemical equilibrium value may be generated on short time-scales. The molar U/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios show that both U and Mg are leached preferentially relative to Ca whereas the molar U/Mg ratio is only slightly greater than that of the rock matrix. The generation of enhanced AR's is attributed to a two-stage process in which the limestone surface is dissolved by zero-order etch and silicate minerals so released are subjected to first-order chemical leach of U and Mg. The implications of these results for the production of enhanced AR's in Carboniferous Limestone groundwater are discussed. It is suggested that chemical leaching or exchange of U between groundwater and its particulate load or at the aquifer fluid-solid interface is an important mechanism controlling AR changes as groundwater migrates beyond a redox boundary. AR's for dissolved U in groundwater are more probably related to chemical equilibria than to groundwater age. © 1993.

Soft color enhancement of the production of J/psi's by neutrinos

We calculate the production of J/ψ mesons by neutrino-nucleon collisions in fixed target experiments. Soft color, often referred to as color evaporation effects, enhances production cross sections due to the contribution of color octet states. Though still small, J/ψ production may be observable in present and future experiments such as NuTeV and μ colliders. ©2001 The American Physical Society.

Development of technologies and methods for monitoring the spatial variability of air temperature in greenhouse environment

Climatic factors directly influence growth and productivity of plants inside greenhouses, where temperature can be considered one of the major parameter in this context. Thus, the aim of this research was to develop a low cost device for thermal sensing and data acquisition, and use it in data collection and analysis of spatial variability of temperature inside a greenhouse with tropical climate. The developed equipment for thermal measurements showed a high degree of accuracy and fast responses in measurements, proving its efficiency. The data analysis interpretations were made from the elaborations of variograms and of tridimensional maps generated by a geostatistical software. The processed data analysis presented that a greenhouse without thermal control has spatial variations of air temperature, both in the sampled horizontals layers as in the three analyzed vertical columns, presenting variations of up to 3.6 ºC in certain times.

Enhancement of Corrosion Resistance AISI 304 Steel by Plasma Polymerized Thin Films

The purpose of this work is the deposition of films in order to increase the corrosion resistance of AISI 304 steel, which is a material used to construct the reactors for bioethanol production. This deposition inhibits the permeation of corrosive species to the film-metal interface. Thin films were prepared by radio-frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) method using plasmas of hexamethyldisiloxane/argon/oxygen mixtures excited by signals of different powers. The plasma was generated by the application of RF power of 13.56 MHz to the sample holder while keeping grounded the topmost electrode and the chamber walls. The effect of the RF power on the properties of the samples was investigated by perfilometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results of the corrosion resistance tests of the AISI 304 steel were interpreted in terms of the energy delivered to the growing layer by plasma excitation power.

Scalable Web Server Clustering Technologies

The exponential growth of the Internet, coupled with the increasing popularity of dynamically generated content on the World Wide Web, has created the need for more and faster Web servers capable of serving the over 100 million Internet users. Server clustering has emerged as a promising technique to build scalable Web servers. In this article we examine the seminal work, early products, and a sample of contemporary commercial offerings in the field of transparent Web server clustering. We broadly classify transparent server clustering into three categories.