Closed poly-trajectories and Poincaré index of non-smooth vector fields on the plane

This paper is concerned with closed orbits of non-smooth vector fields on the plane. For a class of non-smooth vector fields we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of closed poly-trajectorie. By means of a regularization process we prove that hyperbolic closed poly-trajectories are limit sets of a sequence of limit cycles of smooth vector fields. In our approach the Poincaré Index for non-smooth vector fields is introduced. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

On elimination of chaotic behavior in a non-ideal portal frame structural system, using both passive and active controls

In this paper, an application is considered of both active and passive controls, to suppression of chaotic behavior of a simple portal frame, under the excitation of an unbalanced DC motor, with limited power supply (non-ideal problem). The adopted active control strategy consists of two controls: the nonlinear (feedforward) in order to keep the controlled system in a desirable orbit, and the feedback control, which may be obtained by considering state-dependent Riccati equation control to bringing the system into the desired orbit using a magneto rheological (MR) damper. To control the electric current applied in control of the MR damper the Bouc-Wen mathematical model was used to the MR damper. The passive control was obtained by means of a nonlinear sub-structure with properties of nonlinear energy sink. Simulations showed the efficiency of both the passive control (energy pumping) and active control strategies in the suppression of the chaotic behavior. © The Author(s) 2012.

Multiobjective short-term planning of electric power distribution systems using NSGA-II

This paper presents a mixed integer nonlinear programming multiobjective model for short-term planning of distribution networks that considers in an integrated manner the following planning activities: allocation of capacitor banks; voltage regulators; the cable replacement of branches and feeders. The objective functions considered in the proposed model are: to minimize operational and investment costs and minimize the voltage deviations in the the network buses, subject to a set of technical and operational constraints. A multiobjective genetic algorithm based on a Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) is proposed to solve this model. The proposed mathematical model and solution methodology is validated testing a medium voltage distribution system with 135 buses. © 2013 Brazilian Society for Automatics - SBA.

Sparse arrays and image compounding techniques for non-destructive testing using guided acoustic waves

Piezoelectric array transducers applications are becoming usual in the ultrasonic non-destructive testing area. However, the number of elements can increase the system complexity, due to the necessity of multichannel circuitry and to the large amount of data to be processed. Synthetic aperture techniques, where one or few transmission and reception channels are necessary, and the data are post-processed, can be used to reduce the system complexity. Another possibility is to use sparse arrays instead of a full-populated array. In sparse arrays, there is a smaller number of elements and the interelement spacing is larger than half wavelength. In this work, results of ultrasonic inspection of an aluminum plate with artificial defects using guided acoustic waves and sparse arrays are presented. Synthetic aperture techniques are used to obtain a set of images that are then processed with an image compounding technique, which was previously evaluated only with full-populated arrays, in order to increase the resolution and contrast of the images. The results with sparse arrays are equivalent to the ones obtained with full-populated arrays in terms of resolution. Although there is an 8 dB contrast reduction when using sparse arrays, defect detection is preserved and there is the advantage of a reduction in the number of transducer elements and data volume. © 2013 Brazilian Society for Automatics - SBA.

Probing the degree of non-Markovianity for independent and common environments

We study the non-Markovianity of the dynamics of open quantum systems, focusing on the cases of independent and common environmental interactions. We investigate the degree of non-Markovianity quantified by two distinct measures proposed by Luo, Fu, and Song and Breuer, Laine, and Pillo. We show that the amount of non-Markovianity, for a single qubit and a pair of qubits, depends on the quantum process, the proposed measure, and whether the environmental interaction is collective or independent. In particular, we demonstrate that while the degree of non-Markovianity generally increases with the number of qubits in the system for independent environments, the same behavior is not always observed for common environments. In the latter case, our analysis suggests that the amount of non-Markovianity could increase or decrease depending on the properties of the considered quantum process. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Tracking the evolution of sex chromosome systems in Melanoplinae grasshoppers through chromosomal mapping of repetitive DNA sequences

Background: The accumulation of repetitive DNA during sex chromosome differentiation is a common feature of many eukaryotes and becomes more evident after recombination has been restricted or abolished. The accumulated repetitive sequences include multigene families, microsatellites, satellite DNAs and mobile elements, all of which are important for the structural remodeling of heterochromatin. In grasshoppers, derived sex chromosome systems, such as neo-XY♂/XX♀ and neo-X1X2Y♂/X 1X1X2X2♀, are frequently observed in the Melanoplinae subfamily. However, no studies concerning the evolution of sex chromosomes in Melanoplinae have addressed the role of the repetitive DNA sequences. To further investigate the evolution of sex chromosomes in grasshoppers, we used classical cytogenetic and FISH analyses to examine the repetitive DNA sequences in six phylogenetically related Melanoplinae species with X0♂/XX♀, neo-XY♂/XX♀ and neo-X1X2Y♂/X1X1X 2X2♀ sex chromosome systems. Results: Our data indicate a non-spreading of heterochromatic blocks and pool of repetitive DNAs (C 0 t-1 DNA) in the sex chromosomes; however, the spreading of multigene families among the neo-sex chromosomes of Eurotettix and Dichromatos was remarkable, particularly for 5S rDNA. In autosomes, FISH mapping of multigene families revealed distinct patterns of chromosomal organization at the intra- and intergenomic levels. Conclusions: These results suggest a common origin and subsequent differential accumulation of repetitive DNAs in the sex chromosomes of Dichromatos and an independent origin of the sex chromosomes of the neo-XY and neo-X1X2Y systems. Our data indicate a possible role for repetitive DNAs in the diversification of sex chromosome systems in grasshoppers. © 2013Palacios-Gimenez et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Multilayer perceptron neural networks training through charged system search and its Application for non-technical losses detection

The non-technical loss is not a problem with trivial solution or regional character and its minimization represents the guarantee of investments in product quality and maintenance of power systems, introduced by a competitive environment after the period of privatization in the national scene. In this paper, we show how to improve the training phase of a neural network-based classifier using a recently proposed meta-heuristic technique called Charged System Search, which is based on the interactions between electrically charged particles. The experiments were carried out in the context of non-technical loss in power distribution systems in a dataset obtained from a Brazilian electrical power company, and have demonstrated the robustness of the proposed technique against with several others nature-inspired optimization techniques for training neural networks. Thus, it is possible to improve some applications on Smart Grids. © 2013 IEEE.

Transdentinal cytotoxicity of experimental adhesive systems of different hydrophilicity applied to ethanol-saturated dentin

The aim of this study was to evaluate the transdentinal cytotoxicity of experimental adhesive systems (EASs) with different hydrophilicity and dentin saturation solutions on odontoblast-like cells. One hundred 0.4-mm-thick dentin discs were mounted in in vitro pulp chambers and assigned to 10 groups. MDPC-23 cells were seeded onto the pulpal side of the discs, incubated for 48 h. The EASs with increasing hydrophilicity (R1, R2, R3 and R4) were applied to the occlusal side after etching and saturation of etched dentin with water or ethanol. R0 (no adhesive) served as controls. R1 is a non-solvated hydrophobic blend, R2 is similar to a simplified etch-and-rinse adhesive system and R3 and R4 are similar to self-etching adhesives. After 24 h, cell metabolism was evaluated by MTT assay (n = 8 discs) and cell morphology was examined by SEM (n = 2 discs). Type of cell death was identified by flow cytometry and the degree of monomer conversion (%DC) was determined by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) after 10 s or 20 s of photoactivation. Data were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests (α = 0.05). Dentin saturation with ethanol resulted in higher necrotic cell death ratios for R2, R3 and R4 compared with water saturation, although R2 and R3 induced higher SDH production. Photoactivation for 20 s significantly improved the %DC of all EASs compared with 10 s. A significant positive correlation was observed between the degree of hydrophilicity and %DC. In conclusion, except for R1, dentin saturation with ethanol increased the cytotoxicity of EASs, as expressed by the induction of necrotic cell death. © 2013 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Suspensões de Poisson, ergodicidade e o teorema central do limite

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Renewable energy sources in Latin America and the Caribbean: situation and policy proposals

Includes bibliography

An assessment of the economic impact of climate change on the health sector In Jamaica

Climate change is a naturally occurring phenomenon in which the earth‘s climate goes through cycles of warming and cooling; these changes usually take place incrementally over millennia. Over the past century, there has been an anomalous increase in global temperature, giving rise to accelerated climate change. It is widely accepted that greenhouse gas emissions from human activities such as industries have contributed significantly to the increase in global temperatures. The existence and survival of all living organisms is predicated on the ability of the environment in which they live not only to provide conditions for their basic needs but also conditions suitable for growth and reproduction. Unabated climate change threatens the existence of biophysical and ecological systems on a planetary scale. The present study aims to examine the economic impact of climate change on health in Jamaica over the period 2011-2050. To this end, three disease conditions with known climate sensitivity and importance to Jamaican public health were modelled. These were: dengue fever, leptospirosis and gastroenteritis in children under age 5. Historical prevalence data on these diseases were obtained from the Ministry of Health Jamaica, the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre, the Climate Studies Group Mona, University of the West Indies Mona campus, and the Meteorological Service of Jamaica. Data obtained spanned a twelve-year period of 1995-2007. Monthly data were obtained for dengue and gastroenteritis, while for leptospirosis, the annual number of cases for 1995-2005 was utilized. The two SRES emission scenarios chosen were A2 and B2 using the European Centre Hamburg Model (ECHAM) global climate model to predict climate variables for these scenarios. A business as usual (BAU) scenario was developed using historical disease data for the period 2000-2009 (dengue fever and gastroenteritis) and 1995-2005 (leptospirosis) as the reference decades for the respective diseases. The BAU scenario examined the occurrence of the diseases in the absence of climate change. It assumed that the disease trend would remain unchanged over the projected period and the number of cases of disease for each decade would be the same as the reference decade. The model used in the present study utilized predictive empirical statistical modelling to extrapolate the climate/disease relationship in time, to estimate the number of climate change-related cases under future climate change scenarios. The study used a Poisson regression model that considered seasonality and lag effects to determine the best-fit model in relation to the diseases under consideration. Zhang and others (2008), in their review of climate change and the transmission of vector-borne diseases, found that: ―Besides climatic variables, few of them have included other factors that can affect the transmission of vector-borne disease….‖ (Zhang 2008) Water, sanitation and health expenditure are key determinants of health. In the draft of the second communication to IPCC, Jamaica noted the vulnerability of public health to climate change, including sanitation and access to water (MSJ/UNDP, 2009). Sanitation, which in its broadest context includes the removal of waste (excreta, solid, or other hazardous waste), is a predictor of vector-borne diseases (e.g. dengue fever), diarrhoeal diseases (such as gastroenteritis) and zoonoses (such as leptospirosis). In conceptualizing the model, an attempt was made to include non-climate predictors of these climate-sensitive diseases. The importance of sanitation and water access to the control of dengue, gastroenteritis and leptospirosis were included in the Poisson regression model. The Poisson regression model obtained was then used to predict the number of disease cases into the future (2011-2050) for each emission scenario. After projecting the number of cases, the cost associated with each scenario was calculated using four cost components. 1. Treatment cost morbidity estimate. The treatment cost for the number of cases was calculated using reference values found in the literature for each condition. The figures were derived from studies of the cost of treatment and represent ambulatory and non-fatal hospitalized care for dengue fever and gastroenteritis. Due to the paucity of published literature on the health care cost associated with leptospirosis, only the cost of diagnosis and antibiotic therapy were included in the calculation. 2. Mortality estimates. Mortality estimates are recorded as case fatality rates. Where local data were available, these were utilized. Where these were unavailable, appropriate reference values from the literature were used. 3. Productivity loss. Productivity loss was calculated using a human capital approach, by multiplying the expected number of productive days lost by the caregiver and/or the infected person, by GDP per capita per day (US$ 14) at 2008 GDP using 2008 US$ exchange rates. 4. No-option cost. The no-option cost refers to adaptation strategies for the control of dengue fever which are ongoing and already a part of the core functions of the Vector Control Division of the Ministry of Health, Jamaica. An estimated US$ 2.1 million is utilized each year in conducting activities to prevent the post-hurricane spread of vector borne diseases and diarrhoea. The cost includes public education, fogging, laboratory support, larvicidal activities and surveillance. This no-option cost was converted to per capita estimates, using population estimates for Jamaica up to 2050 obtained from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN, 2006) and the assumption of one expected major hurricane per decade. During the decade 2000-2009, Jamaica had an average inflation of 10.4% (CIA Fact book, last updated May 2011). This average decadal inflation rate was applied to the no-option cost, which was inflated by 10% for each successive decade to adjust for changes in inflation over time.

A contribuition to the study of channel coding in wireless communication systems

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Elétrica - FEIS

Análise econômica da “produção invisível” nos estabelecimentos agrícolas familiares no Projeto de Assentamento Agroextrativista Praialta e Piranheira, Município de Nova Ipixuna, Pará

Este trabalho discute a importância da "produção invisível" na composição da renda total dos agricultores familiares de uma reigião de fronteira da Amazônia, como é o caso do sudeste paraense que é fortemente marcado pelos conflitos agrários. os dados utilizados neste estudo foram obtidos a partir de uma pesquisa de campo realizada junto a 78 agricultores familiares do Projeto de Assentamento Agroextrativista Praialta e Piranheira, Município de Nova Ipixuna, Pará, em 2001. O objetivo geral deste trabalho foi conhecer de que forma a "produção invisível" contribui para composição da renda familiar e da estratégia de reprodução da agricultura familiar na mesorregião do sudeste paraense. A escolha dos produtores entrevistados foi intencional, que se constitui na identificação da renda agrícola, bem como na caracterização dos sistemas de produção desenvolvidos por estes agricultores. Este procedimento permitiu a elaboração de uma tipologia dos sistemas de produção a partir de alguns indicadores socioeconômicos e agronômicos. Os resultados desta pesquisa desta pesquisa comprovam a forte participação da "produção invisível" no conjunto das atividades da agricultura familiar. Produtos com mercado definido, têm uma parte da produção retida para consumo familiar, dos produtos sem mercado voltados exclusivamente para o autoconsumo e, uma componente importante, refer-se à venda da mão-de-obra familiar, essencial na sua estratégia de sobrevivência. Uma conclusão imediata é que a produção agrícola e extrativa é muito superior àquela que vem sendo estimada ou desconhecida nas estatística oficiais. O conhecimento da participação da "produção invisível" torna-se importante no delineamento de políticas públicas, primeiro pela subestimação dos dados estatísticos oficiais, tanto pela quantidade como pela não-inclusão de diversos produtos, tanto produzidos ou coletados, pela agricultura familiar, na propriedade ou fora dela. Desta forma, pode-se verificar que os agricultores familiares do Projeto de Assentamento Agroextrativista Praialta e Piranheira possuem uma renda total equivalente a 1,48 salário mínimo/mês. É interessante destacar que a contribução da "produção invisível" na renda familiar chega a 0,28 salário mínimo/mês que representa 18,77 % total da renda invisível. A drenagem da renda não-agrícola autônoma, decorente da aposentadoria do INSS, representa 10,55 % da renda monetária dos agricultores, constituindo em importante fator de sustentabilidade das comunidades locais. Espera-se que estes resultados sejam importantes para aumentar a sustentabilidade da agricultura familiar de fronteira estimadas em mais de 600 mil unidades familiares na Amazônia, responsáveis pela maior parcela das derrubadas e queimadas crônicas.

Treatment of geophysical data as a non-stationary process

ABSTRACT: The Kalman-Bucy method is here analized and applied to the solution of a specific filtering problem to increase the signal message/noise ratio. The method is a time domain treatment of a geophysical process classified as stochastic non-stationary. The derivation of the estimator is based on the relationship between the Kalman-Bucy and Wiener approaches for linear systems. In the present work we emphasize the criterion used, the model with apriori information, the algorithm, and the quality as related to the results. The examples are for the ideal well-log response, and the results indicate that this method can be used on a variety of geophysical data treatments, and its study clearly offers a proper insight into modeling and processing of geophysical problems.

Convergências e/ou divergências no sistema de crenças e práticas parentais: comparação entre duas amostras amazônicas

A proposta desta pesquisa foi identificar convergências e divergências nas crenças, metas de socialização e práticas de cuidados parentais em dois contextos ecológicos amazônicos, buscando analisar a relação entre fatores biológicos e ecoculturais. Participaram da pesquisa 99 mães de duas localidades: Belém – capital (CEU – contexto ecológico urbano – N=50) e Santa Bárbara (CENU – contexto ecológico não urbano – N=49), com idade superior a 18 anos com pelo menos uma criança com idade entre 0 e 6 anos . Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevistas em que se aplicavam questionários e para análise destes foram utilizados critérios estatísticos e o respaldo teórico da Psicologia Evolucionista. Os dados indicaram que as comunidades estudadas em relação aos dados socio-demográficos diferem de forma sistemática uma da outra, em função dos níveis de desenvolvimento tecnológico e diferentes organizações para o contexto social. O mundo social das crianças de CENU e de CEU representam contextos desenvolvimentais que oferecem diferentes oportunidades. A literatura aponta que as trocas sociais estabelecidas entre crianças e cuidadores podem refletir sobre o desenvolvimento da criança em relação ao aspecto cognitivo, emocional e social. Os resultados encontrados indicam que as mães de CEU apesar de terem sido mais autônomas que as de CENU, foram ao mesmo tempo mais relacionais que as mesmas, demonstrando que talvez as mudanças que atingem os contextos, ocorram com mais rapidez em ambientes urbanizados. Além disso, os dados parecem indicar que os contextos por estarem em um momento de transição passam de um modelo interdependente para um modelo autônomo-relacional. Entretanto, foi possível perceber que as idéias que as mães possuem sobre a importância de determinadas ações nem sempre refletem suas práticas. Em relação aos cuidados primários as mães parecem valorizar e realizar de igual modo. Em relação ao Contato corporal as mães de CENU valorizam mais que as mães de CEU. Em estimulação corporal o resultado foi bastante interessante, pois os itens que CEU deu mais importância e praticou menos, foram os mesmos itens em que CENU deu menos importância e praticou mais. No que tange a estimulação por objeto as mães de CEU dão mais importância as praticas do que as realizam e vice-versa acontece em CENU. Ao sistema face-a-face foi atribuída maior importância pelas mães de CEU. Os dados apresentados sugerem que as mães de ambos os contextos estão utilizando estratégias parentais distais e proximais ao mesmo tempo, ou seja, desejam que seus filhos se tornem auto-suficientes, mas também desejam que os mesmos sejam respeitosos e obedientes. Além disso, os resultados aqui encontrados confirmam que os quatro sistemas descrevem as experiências interacionais das crianças e expressam a ênfase cultural de combinações e estilos particulares. Não foram encontradas diferenças marcantes nas crenças e práticas de cuidados maternos entre CEU e CENU, o que nos levou a considerar que as crenças parentais, em consequência à adaptação ao contexto, variaram menos conspicuamente nas cidades escolhidas do que entre outras cidades examinadas em outros estudos. Outra questão bastante interessante encontrada foi o resultado relativo ao nível de instrução das mães de CEU e a valorização de metas relacionais, pois de acordo com a hipótese na literatura o nível educacional das mães torna-se uma variável importante em relação às metas de socialização. CENU demonstrou uma tendência para metas e práticas relacionais. Isso se deve ao modo de vida mais próximo do protótipo de interdependência que este contexto apresenta, no qual as mães tendem a valorizar as normas e regras determinadas pela família ou grupo ao qual pertencem. Os resultados referentes ao CEU não confirmaram a hipótese de que ele apresentaria mais metas e práticas voltadas para a independência, sendo percebido que Belém apresenta tanto características do modelo de independência como de interdependência. Presume-se que CEU e CENU são contextos que passam por mudanças, uma vez que as mães podem acreditar em uma coisa e na realidade agir de outra forma.