Modelagem técnica-comercial de peças automotivas com rede neural artificial / Technical-commercial modeling of automotive parts with artificial neural network

Em mercados cada vez mais competitivos, o fator produtivo interno tem ganhado grande destaque e preocupação por parte das empresas. Para o setor automotivo, é de suma importância realizar previsões de custo e preço de peças, pois tais informações podem balizar de forma vantajosa muitas negociações comerciais e reduzir custos desnecessários. Contudo, devido à complexidade de mensuração, um dos principais problemas que a empresa que cedeu os dados enfrenta na predição é a dificuldade em modelar os dados de preços para precificação de seus produtos. Assim, o objetivo do trabalho é desenvolver e descrever a aplicação de uma Rede Neural Artificial para modelar os dados de preço de uma montadora de caminhões e ônibus, a fim de obter vantagem competitiva na negociação dos preços. Foram utilizados dados técnicos e comerciais de uma amostra de 100 tubos de borracha da empresa. Na camada de entrada da rede, foram utilizados dados como peso, comprimento, quantidade de dobras e mudanças de diâmetro, e na variável de saída, o preço da peça. Os resultados da correlação entre as variáveis mostraram alta capacidade preditiva do modelo. Concluiu-se que o algoritmo gerado pela RNA alcançou estatísticas satisfatórias para validá-lo como uma ferramenta comercial útil para suportar as negociações de uma montadora de caminhões e ônibus

In-hospital and late outcomes of patients undergoing percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty in a center with intermediate volume of structural procedures

ABSTRACTBackgroundPercutaneous mitral valvuloplasty is the treatment of choice for rheumatic mitral stenosis with favorable anatomy, for its ability to prevent complications inherent to a surgical procedure, while maintaining effectiveness. It is necessary to promote comparisons between the results obtained by the procedure performed at referral centers with high patient inflow and at institutions with lower volume and fewer patients, which represents the main objective of this study.MethodsThirty-one consecutive patients undergoing percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty were analyzed from September 2006 to January 2015. Immediate procedural success and late event-free survival rates were evaluated, defined as cardiovascular death or need for a new mitral valve intervention.ResultsThe mean age was 40.9 ± 14.2 years, with a predominance of females (96.8%). The mean Wilkins and Block score was 8.1 ± 1.2. All procedures were performed using the Inoue technique, with an immediate success rate of 90.3%. At mean follow-up of 6.8 ± 2.5 years, seven events (22.6%) were observed: two cardiovascular deaths, four surgeries for mitral valve replacement, and one mitral commissurotomy.ConclusionsIn a hospital with intermediate procedure volume, the results of percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty in the treatment of rheumatic mitral stenosis with favorable anatomy were comparable to those achieved by high-volume centers

Perfil clínico e angiográfico de pacientes jovens submetidos à intervenção coronária percutânea primária

ResumoIntroduçãoO atual declínio observado na taxa de mortalidade entre pacientes com infarto do miocárdio com supradesnivelamento do segmento ST pode ser atribuído não apenas a maior utilização de estratégias de reperfusão, mas também a uma mudança no perfil demográfico dessa população, notadamente à redução em sua média de idade.MétodosForam analisados retrospectivamente todos os pacientes submetidos à intervenção coronária percutânea primária no período de abril de 2010 a dezembro de 2014. O objetivo primário foi a caracterização dos fatores de risco mais prevalentes, a natureza angiográfica das lesões, os aspectos técnicos do procedimento e a evolução clínica hospitalar de pacientes jovens, com idade ≤ 45 anos, comparando‐os àqueles com idade > 45 anos.ResultadosDentre 489 pacientes com diagnóstico de infarto agudo do miocárdio, 54 tinham idade ≤ 45 anos e 435, idade > 45 anos. Pacientes jovens exibiram maior prevalência de tabagismo e obesidade, enquanto pacientes > 45 anos eram mais propensos a apresentar hipertensão arterial sistêmica, diabetes melito, dislipidemia e infarto do miocárdio antigo. Intervenção coronária percutânea primária em jovens associou‐se ao uso de menor quantidade de cateteres‐guia, menor tempo de fluoroscopia e maior porcentual de implante direto de stent. Pacientes jovens exibiram boa evolução hospitalar, com reduzida taxa de eventos cardíacos adversos (3,7% vs. 9,2%; p = 0,30).ConclusõesPacientes com idade ≤ 45 anos representaram aproximadamente 10% dos casos de infarto do miocárdio com supradesnivelamento do segmento ST e exibiram elevada prevalência de fatores de risco modificáveis.AbstractBackgroundThe current decline observed in mortality rate among patients with ST‐segment elevation acute myocardial infarction can be attributed not only to the increased use of reperfusion strategies, but also to a change in the demographic profile of this population, notably the reduction in mean age.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed all patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention in the period from April 2010 to December 2014. The primary objective was the characterization of the most prevalent risk factors, the angiographic nature of the lesions, the technical aspects of the procedure, and in‐hospital clinical outcomes in patients aged ≤ 45 years, comparing them to those aged > 45 years.ResultsAmong 489 patients with acute myocardial infarction, 54 were ≤ 45 years, and 435 were > 45 years. Young patients exhibited a higher prevalence of smoking and obesity, while patients > 45 years were more likely to have hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and previous myocardial infarction. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention in young patients was associated with the use of fewer guide catheters, shorter fluoroscopy time, and higher percentage of direct stent implantation. Young patients exhibited good in‐hospital outcomes, with lower rate of adverse cardiac events (3.7% vs. 9.2%; p = 0.30).ConclusionsPatients aged ≤ 45 years accounted for approximately 10% of cases of ST‐segment elevation acute myocardial infarction and exhibited high prevalence of modifiable risk factors

Clinical and angiographic profile of young patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention

AbstractBackgroundThe current decline observed in mortality rate among patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction can be attributed not only to the increased use of reperfusion strategies, but also to a change in the demographic profile of this population, notably the reduction in mean age.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed all patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention in the period from April 2010 to December 2014. The primary objective was the characterization of the most prevalent risk factors, the angiographic nature of the lesions, the technical aspects of the procedure, and in-hospital clinical outcomes in patients aged ≤ 45 years, comparing them to those aged > 45 years.ResultsAmong 489 patients with acute myocardial infarction, 54 were ≤ 45 years, and 435 were > 45 years. Young patients exhibited a higher prevalence of smoking and obesity, while patients > 45 years were more likely to have hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and previous myocardial infarction. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention in young patients was associated with the use of fewer guide catheters, shorter fluoroscopy time, and higher percentage of direct stent implantation. Young patients exhibited good in-hospital outcomes, with lower rate of adverse cardiac events (3.7% vs. 9.2%; p=0.30).ConclusionsPatients aged ≤ 45 years accounted for approximately 10% of cases of ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction and exhibited high prevalence of modifiable risk factors

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora