Assessing texture pattern in slum across scales: an unsupervised approach

According to the Global Report on Human Settlements (United Nations, 2003), almost 1 billion people (32% of the world ’s population) live in squatter settlements or slums. Recently, the perception of these settlements has changed, from harmful tumours which would spread around sickly and unhealthy cities, to a new perspective that interpret them as social expressions of more complex urban dynamics. However, considering a report from UNCHS - United Nations Center for Human Settlements, in relation to illegal and disordered urbanisation issue, some of the main challenges faced by cities are related to mapping and registering geographic information and social data spatial analysis. In this context, we present, in this paper, preliminary results from a study that aims to interpret city from the perspective of urban texture, using for this purpose, high resolution remote sensing images. We have developed analytic experiments of "urban tissue" samples, trying to identify texture patterns which could (or could not) represent distinct levels of urban poverty associated to spatial patterns. Such analysis are based on some complex theory concepts and tools, such as fractal dimension and lacunarity. Preliminary results seems to suggest that the urban tissue is fractal by nature, and from the distinct texture patterns it is possible to relate social pattern to spatial configuration, making possible the development of methodologies and computational tools which could generate, via satellite, alternative and complementary mapping and classifications for urban poverty

Enhancing urban analysis through lacunarity multiscale measurement

Urban spatial configurations in most part of the developing countries showparticular urban forms associated with the more informal urban development ofthese areas. Latin American cities are prime examples of this sort, butinvestigation of these urban forms using up to date computational and analyticaltechniques are still scarce. The purpose of this paper is to examine and extendthe methodology of multiscale analysis for urban spatial patterns evaluation. Weexplain and explore the use of Lacunarity based measurements to follow a lineof research that might make more use of new satellite imagery information inurban planning contexts. A set of binary classifications is performed at differentthresholds on selected neighbourhoods of a small Brazilian town. Theclassifications are appraised and lacunarity measurements are compared in faceof the different geographic referenced information for the same neighbourhoodareas. It was found that even with the simple image classification procedure, animportant amount of spatial configuration characteristics could be extracted withthe analytical procedure that, in turn, may be used in planning and other urbanstudies purposes

Entrega de certificado aos supervisores de estagiários com deficiência

Discurso proferido quando Ministro Presidente do Superior Tribunal de Justiça.Discurso proferido na abertura do evento, no Superior Tribunal de Justiça, em 17 de abril de 2007

ECONOMIC THOUGHT, DEVELOPMENT PLANNING, PUBLIC POLICY

The paper analyzes the discourse of economists in Maranhão State development plans. lts point of departure is the assumption that the power effects (Foucault) produced by the discourse of economists are, in nowadays societies, the reason why one can observe, as suggested by Schumpeter (History of Economic Analysis), a correlation between Economic Thoughf and public policies, that is, the discourse of economists is the concrete means by which, at present times, Economic Thought turns into public poIicies. Its aim is not make a resumed or systematic exposition of such discourse but show clearly its connections with the condition and the position (Bourdieu) of the social agents that produce it as well as make explicit the procedures of control (Foucault) that condition its production. Such an analysis brings a critical purpose implicit: it shows that both public problems and policy solutions are not objectively defined but socially built. The discourses that have the quality of establishing public problems or the ones that are recognized as being able to give answers are not worse nor better than any other. They produce power effects not because they are true but because they are socially accepted as being true

Rawls e o desenho constitucional brasileiro

Discute o conceito de democracia a partir da posição de John Rawls e expõe considerações sobre a democracia brasileira. Trata da liberdade política brasileira e a necessidade de recorrer às maiorias legislativas para modificar leis e políticas. Discute se existem arrajos constitucionais, definidores do processo democrático, que tendem a resultar em leis e políticas que podem ser defendidas como mais “justas” do que outras

Envelhecimento acelerado em sementes de melão

Accelerated aging is one of the most useful tests used for the evaluation of seed vigor but it is seldomly used to test melon (Cucumis melo L.) seeds. The objective this research was to compare different procedures of the accelerated aging test to evaluate the physiological quality of melon seeds and the efficiency of using saturated salt solution for the control of water uptake by seeds. Five seed lots each of the hybrids AF-646 and AF-682 were tested for germination, seedling emergence, traditional accelerated aging (periods 0f 48, 72 and 96 hours, at 38 or 41°C) and salt saturated accelerated aging. The accelerated aging test (traditional procedure and with salt solution) for 72h and 96h, at 38 or 41°C was sensitive to detect differences in the physiological quality of the seeds. It was also observed that the seed water content after salt saturated accelerated aging was lower and more uniform, thus presenting advantagens in relation to the traditional procedure.O teste de envelhecimento acelerado é um dos mais utilizados para a avaliação do potencial fisiológico das sementes de várias espécies. Entretanto, estudos com sementes de melão ainda são escassos. Avaliou-se procedimentos para a condução do teste de envelhecimento acelerado para avaliação do potencial fisiológico de sementes de melão (Cucumis melo L.), incluindo o uso de solução saturada de sal em substituição à água. Cinco lotes de sementes, dos híbridos AF-646 e AF-682, foram submetidos aos testes de germinação, emergência de plântulas em casa de vegetação e envelhecimento acelerado (períodos de 48, 72 ou 96 horas, a 38 ou 41°C), com e sem o uso de solução saturada de NaCl. O teste de envelhecimento acelerado (procedimento tradicional e com solução salina), conduzido com períodos de exposição de 72h e 96h a 38 ou 41°C, apresentou sensibilidade suficiente para detectar diferenças no potencial fisiológico de lotes de sementes de melão. A utilização de solução saturada de NaCl contribui para reduzir a absorção de água pelas sementes durante o teste de envelhecimento acelerado, permitiu obter resultados menos drásticos e mais uniformes, sem afetar a eficiência do teste

Uma Cuba é o Bastante: Segurança Coletiva na América Latina Durante a Guerra Fria

Despite the contribution of new streams in international law scholarship, the decades of the Cold War remain underexplored in Latin American current historiography. Removing the geopolitical conflict from the centrality of historiographic analysis, the present article aims to understand the operation of international law in the Cold War through Latin American regional dynamics. Through the reading of the articles on “collective security” published in some international law journals during the period of the Cold War (American Journal of International Law and the Mexican Foro Internacional), this article recounts the history of the jurisdictional conflict between regional and universal organizations. It demonstrates that the history of collective security in the hemisphere begins as experiment in formalization of the long and distinct American tradition in international law.  The defense of this tradition served as a basis to formalize or legalize the projection of US power in the Americas. Latin Americans responded to this push first by endorsing the creation of a regional organization and a collective security arrangement, later by using law as a strategy to advance their position. However, as collective security increasingly became a justification for violations of the UN Charter, solidarity among American republics faded and cooperation, despite a regional treaty, became virtually impossible. The regional agreement thus proved to be both an enabler and an obstacle for this strategy. Thus, we conclude that the history of the International Law in Latin American during the Cold War was also the history of the demise of American International Law. KEYWORDS: Cold War. Latin America; International Law; Collective Security.Apesar de novas contribuições aos estudos de direito internacional, as décadas da Guerra Fria continuam subexploradas na historiografia atual da América Latina. Removendo o conflito geopolítico da centralidade da análise historiográfica, o presente artigo visa entender o funcionamento do direito internacional na Guerra Fria através da dinâmica regional latinoamericana. Através da leitura dos artigos sobre "segurança coletiva" publicados em algumas revistas de direito internacional durante o período da Guerra Fria (em especial o American Journal of International Law e o mexicano Foro Internacional mexicano), este artigo relata a história do conflito jurisdicional entre organizações regionais e universais. Ele demonstra que a história da segurança coletiva no hemisfério começa como uma experiência de formalização da longa e distinta tradição americana no direito internacional. A defesa desta tradição serviu como base para formalizar e legalizar a projeção do poder americano nas Américas. Os latino-americanos responderam a este impulso primeiro endossando a criação de uma organização regional e de um acordo de segurança coletiva, e mais tarde usando a lei como estratégia para avançar sua posição. Entretanto, à medida que a segurança coletiva se tornou cada vez mais uma justificativa para violações da Carta da ONU, a solidariedade entre as repúblicas americanas se desvaneceu e a cooperação, apesar de um tratado regional, tornou-se virtualmente impossível. Assim, o acordo regional provou ser tanto um facilitador quanto um obstáculo para esta estratégia. Conclui-se, pois, que a história do Direito Internacional na América Latina durante a Guerra Fria foi também a história do desaparecimento do Direito Internacional Americano.  PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Guerra Fria. América Latina. Direito Internacional. Segurança coletiva

Adolescentes Eutróficos Estão Satisfeitos Com O Seu Peso?

The high prevalence of obesity has led to public policies for combating it. People with normal weight may gain greater awareness of this issue and change their perceptions of their weight. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of body weight dissatisfaction among normal-weight adolescents, according to demographic and socioeconomic variables, health-related behavior and morbidities. DESIGN AND SETTING: Population-based cross-sectional study that used data from a health survey conducted in the city of Campinas, São Paulo, in 2008-2009. METHODS: The prevalence and prevalence ratios of weight dissatisfaction were estimated according to independent variables, by means of simple and multiple Poisson regression. RESULTS: 573 normal-weight adolescents aged 10 to 19 years (mean age 14.7 years) were analyzed. The prevalence of weight dissatisfaction was 43.7% (95% confidence interval, CI: 37.8-49.8). Higher prevalences of weight dissatisfaction were observed among females, individuals aged 15 to 19 years, those whose households had eight or more domestic appliances, former smokers, individuals who reported alcohol intake and those who had one or more chronic diseases. Lower prevalence of dissatisfaction was observed among adolescents living in substandard housing. Among the normal-weight adolescents, 26.1% wished to lose weight and 17.6% wished to gain weight. CONCLUSION: The results from this study indicate that even when weight is seen to be within the normal range, a high proportion of adolescents express dissatisfaction with their weight, especially females, older adolescents and those of higher socioeconomic level. © 2016, Associacao Paulista de Medicina. All rights reserved.134321922