The Prevalence Of The Metabolically Healthy Obese Phenotype In An Aging Population And Its Association With Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease: The Brazilian Study On Healthy Aging.

Current literature has elucidated a new phenotype, metabolically healthy obese (MHO), with risks of cardiovascular disease similar to that of normal weight individuals. Few studies have examined the MHO phenotype in an aging population, especially in association with subclinical CVD. This cross sectional study population consisted of 208 octogenarians and older. Anthropometrics, biochemical, and radiological parameters were measured to assess obesity, metabolic health (assessed by the National Cholesterol Education Program -Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP-ATP III) criteria), and subclinical measures of CVD. The prevalence of MHO was 13.5% (N = 28). No significant association with MHO was noted for age, coronary artery calcium score, cIMT, or hs-CRP > 3 mg/dl (p = NS). Our results suggest that the MHO phenotype exists in the elderly; however, subclinical CVD measures were not different in sub-group analysis suggesting traditional metabolic risk factor algorithms may not be accurate in the very elderly.

On The Consistency Of Monte Carlo Track Structure Dna Damage Simulations.

Monte Carlo track structures (MCTS) simulations have been recognized as useful tools for radiobiological modeling. However, the authors noticed several issues regarding the consistency of reported data. Therefore, in this work, they analyze the impact of various user defined parameters on simulated direct DNA damage yields. In addition, they draw attention to discrepancies in published literature in DNA strand break (SB) yields and selected methodologies. The MCTS code Geant4-DNA was used to compare radial dose profiles in a nanometer-scale region of interest (ROI) for photon sources of varying sizes and energies. Then, electron tracks of 0.28 keV-220 keV were superimposed on a geometric DNA model composed of 2.7 × 10(6) nucleosomes, and SBs were simulated according to four definitions based on energy deposits or energy transfers in DNA strand targets compared to a threshold energy ETH. The SB frequencies and complexities in nucleosomes as a function of incident electron energies were obtained. SBs were classified into higher order clusters such as single and double strand breaks (SSBs and DSBs) based on inter-SB distances and on the number of affected strands. Comparisons of different nonuniform dose distributions lacking charged particle equilibrium may lead to erroneous conclusions regarding the effect of energy on relative biological effectiveness. The energy transfer-based SB definitions give similar SB yields as the one based on energy deposit when ETH ≈ 10.79 eV, but deviate significantly for higher ETH values. Between 30 and 40 nucleosomes/Gy show at least one SB in the ROI. The number of nucleosomes that present a complex damage pattern of more than 2 SBs and the degree of complexity of the damage in these nucleosomes diminish as the incident electron energy increases. DNA damage classification into SSB and DSB is highly dependent on the definitions of these higher order structures and their implementations. The authors' show that, for the four studied models, different yields are expected by up to 54% for SSBs and by up to 32% for DSBs, as a function of the incident electrons energy and of the models being compared. MCTS simulations allow to compare direct DNA damage types and complexities induced by ionizing radiation. However, simulation results depend to a large degree on user-defined parameters, definitions, and algorithms such as: DNA model, dose distribution, SB definition, and the DNA damage clustering algorithm. These interdependencies should be well controlled during the simulations and explicitly reported when comparing results to experiments or calculations.

A Metabolomic Protocol For Plant Systematics By Matrix-assisted Laser-desorption/ionization Time-of Flight Mass Spectrometry.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been widely used for the identification and classification of microorganisms based on their proteomic fingerprints. However, the use of MALDI-TOF MS in plant research has been very limited. In the present study, a first protocol is proposed for metabolic fingerprinting by MALDI-TOF MS using three different MALDI matrices with subsequent multivariate data analysis by in-house algorithms implemented in the R environment for the taxonomic classification of plants from different genera, families and orders. By merging the data acquired with different matrices, different ionization modes and using careful algorithms and parameter selection, we demonstrate that a close taxonomic classification can be achieved based on plant metabolic fingerprints, with 92% similarity to the taxonomic classifications found in literature. The present work therefore highlights the great potential of applying MALDI-TOF MS for the taxonomic classification of plants and, furthermore, provides a preliminary foundation for future research.

Avaliação de técnicas de classificação digital de imagens landsat em diferentes padrões de cobertura da terra em Rondônia

Remotely sensed imagery has been widely used for land use/cover classification thanks to the periodic data acquisition and the widespread use of digital image processing systems offering a wide range of classification algorithms. The aim of this work was to evaluate some of the most commonly used supervised and unsupervised classification algorithms under different landscape patterns found in Rondônia, including (1) areas of mid-size farms, (2) fish-bone settlements and (3) a gradient of forest and Cerrado (Brazilian savannah). Comparison with a reference map based on the kappa statistics resulted in good to superior indicators (best results - K-means: k=0.68; k=0.77; k=0.64 and MaxVer: k=0.71; k=0.89; k=0.70 respectively for three areas mentioned). Results show that choosing a specific algorithm requires to take into account both its capacity to discriminate among various spectral signatures under different landscape patterns as well as a cost/benefit analysis considering the different steps performed by the operator performing a land cover/use map. it is suggested that a more systematic assessment of several options of implementation of a specific project is needed prior to beginning a land use/cover mapping job.

Mapeamento de semeaduras de soja (Glycine max (L.)Merr.) mediante dados MODIS/Terra E TM/Landsat 5: um comparativo

The objective of this work was to compare the soybean crop mapping in the western of Parana State by MODIS/Terra and TM/Landsat 5 images. Firstly, it was generated a soybean crop mask using six TM images covering the crop season, which was used as a reference. The images were submitted to Parallelepiped and Maximum Likelihood digital classification algorithms, followed by visual inspection. Four MODIS images, covering the vegetative peak, were classified using the Parallelepiped method. The quality assessment of MODIS and TM classification was carried out through an Error Matrix, considering 100 sample points between soybean or not soybean, randomly allocated in each of the eight municipalities within the study area. The results showed that both the Overall Classification (OC) and the Kappa Index (KI) have produced values ranging from 0.55 to 0.80, considered good to very good performances, either in TM or MODIS images. When OC and KI, from both sensors were compared, it wasn't found no statistical difference between them. The soybean mapping, using MODIS, has produced 70% of reliance in terms of users. The main conclusion is that the mapping of soybean by MODIS is feasible, with the advantage to have better temporal resolution than Landsat, and to be available on the internet, free of charge.

Proposição e avaliação de um método baseado em projeção de luz para reconstrução e análise da superfície do tronco durante a respiração

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Efeito de diferentes protocolos de treinamento sobre o risco cardiovascular global = : Effects of different training programs on global cardiovascular risk

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Analise cinematica das trajetorias de jogadores de handebol obtidas por rastreamento automatico

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Concepção e implementação de um sistema para analise cinematica de movimentos humanos

Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Faculdade de Educação Física

Desenvolvimento de uma metodologia para reconstrução da superficie do pe humano por videogrametria

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Wavelets And Adaptive Grids For The Discontinuous Galerkin Method

In this paper, space adaptivity is introduced to control the error in the numerical solution of hyperbolic systems of conservation laws. The reference numerical scheme is a new version of the discontinuous Galerkin method, which uses an implicit diffusive term in the direction of the streamlines, for stability purposes. The decision whether to refine or to unrefine the grid in a certain location is taken according to the magnitude of wavelet coefficients, which are indicators of local smoothness of the numerical solution. Numerical solutions of the nonlinear Euler equations illustrate the efficiency of the method. © Springer 2005.

Pre-processing for noise detection in gene expression classification data

Due to the imprecise nature of biological experiments, biological data is often characterized by the presence of redundant and noisy data. This may be due to errors that occurred during data collection, such as contaminations in laboratorial samples. It is the case of gene expression data, where the equipments and tools currently used frequently produce noisy biological data. Machine Learning algorithms have been successfully used in gene expression data analysis. Although many Machine Learning algorithms can deal with noise, detecting and removing noisy instances from the training data set can help the induction of the target hypothesis. This paper evaluates the use of distance-based pre-processing techniques for noise detection in gene expression data classification problems. This evaluation analyzes the effectiveness of the techniques investigated in removing noisy data, measured by the accuracy obtained by different Machine Learning classifiers over the pre-processed data.

Aptidão agrícola e algoritmos genéticos na organização espacial em projetos de reforma agrária

A definição das parcelas familiares em projetos de reforma agrária envolve questões técnicas e sociais. Essas questões estão associadas principalmente às diferentes aptidões agrícolas do solo nestes projetos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi apresentar método para realizar o processo de ordenamento territorial em assentamentos de reforma agrária empregando Algoritmo Genético (AG). O AG foi testado no Projeto de Assentamento Veredas, em Minas Gerais, e implementado com base no sistema de aptidão agrícola das terras.

Resultados preliminares de um algoritmo para ablação de lente de contato personalizada

OBJETIVO: Desenvolver simulação computadorizada de ablação para produzir lentes de contato personalizadas a fim de corrigir aberrações de alta ordem. MÉTODOS: Usando dados reais de um paciente com ceratocone, mensurados em um aberrômetro ("wavefront") com sensor Hartmann-Shack, foram determinados as espessuras de lentes de contato que compensam essas aberrações assim como os números de pulsos necessários para fazer ablação as lentes especificamente para este paciente. RESULTADOS: Os mapas de correção são apresentados e os números dos pulsos foram calculados, usando feixes com a largura de 0,5 mm e profundidade de ablação de 0,3 µm. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados simulados foram promissores, mas ainda precisam ser aprimorados para que o sistema de ablação "real" possa alcançar a precisão desejada.

Resultados preliminares de um sistema de topografia de grande-ângulo usando videoceratógrafo com discos de Plácido

OBJETIVO: Desenvolver a instrumentação e o "software" para topografia de córnea de grande-ângulo usando o tradicional disco de Plácido. O objetivo é permitir o mapeamento de uma região maior da córnea para topógrafos de córnea que usem a técnica de Plácido, fazendo-se uma adaptação simples na mira. MÉTODOS: Utilizando o tradicional disco de Plácido de um topógrafo de córnea tradicional, 9 LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) foram adaptados no anteparo cônico para que o paciente voluntário pudesse fixar o olhar em diferentes direções. Para cada direção imagens de Plácido foram digitalizadas e processadas para formar, por meio de algoritmo envolvendo elementos sofisticados de computação gráfica, um mapa tridimensional completo da córnea toda. RESULTADOS: Resultados apresentados neste trabalho mostram que uma região de até 100% maior pode ser mapeada usando esta técnica, permitindo que o clínico mapeie até próximo ao limbo da córnea. São apresentados aqui os resultados para uma superfície esférica de calibração e também para uma córnea in vivo com alto grau de astigmatismo, mostrando a curvatura e elevação. CONCLUSÃO: Acredita-se que esta nova técnica pode propiciar a melhoria de alguns processos, como por exemplo: adaptação de lentes de contato, algoritmos para ablações costumizadas para hipermetropia, entre outros.