Proportional Convolution Filters - An Alternative Technique For Non-distorted Image Enhancement

This paper introduces a new class of spatial filters, here coined the proportional convolution filters. These filters are constructed in such way that the values assigned to each kernel cell are weighted as a function of the trigonometric distance of the cells to the kernel centre. A set of high-pass and low-pass proportional filters were designed using a specially tailored algorithm and a Delphi-based code that allows producing multi-dimensional filters. These filters underwent a twofold test. Firstly, the filters were tested against an instructive digital image of a candle flame. This image was employed as it shows large and detailed variations in color tones (low frequencies) and an assortment of possible boundaries between tones (high frequencies). Secondly, the filters were applied to a Landsat-5 TM image containing a variety of landforms. Results showed the efficiency of the filters and the adequacy of an array of kernel sizes to enhance both tonal and edge variations in a digital image, demonstrating that the proportional filters can benefit numerous applications in several fields of Geosciences. © 2012 Sociedade Brasileira de Geofísica.3013139Blom, R.G., Daily, M., Radar Image-Processing for Rock-Type Discrimination (1982) IEEE Transactions On Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 20 (3), pp. 343-351Branco, F.C., (1998) Filtros De Convolução Passa Baixas No Realce Tonal De Imagens, p. 78. , M.Sc. Dissertation. Instituto de Geociências - USP. São Paulo, SP, BrazilCurran, P.J., (1985) Principles of Remote Sensing, p. 282. , Longman Group Limited, London, UKDrury, S.A., (2001) Image Interpretation In Geology, p. 296. , Blackwell Science, UK, 3rd editionHoldermann, F., Bohner, M., Bargel, B., Kazmierczak, H., Review of Automatic Image Processing (1978) Photogrammetria, 34, pp. 225-258Mather, P.M., (1999) Computer Processing of Remotely-Sensed Images: An Introduction, p. 292. , John Wiley & Sons Inc., UKSouza, F.C.R., Drury, S.A., Denniss, A.M., Carlton, R.W.T., Rothery, D.A., Restoration of Corrupted Optical Fuyo-1 (JERS-1) Data Using Frequency Domain Techniques (1996) Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, 62 (9), pp. 1037-1047Tao, L., Asari, V., An Integrated Neighborhood Dependent Approach for Nonlinear Enhancement of Color Images (2004) International Conference On Information Technology, Proceedings, 2, pp. 138-13

Detection Of Quartz And Clay For Monitoring Of Degradation Land Data From Thermal Infrared Sensor Aster [detecção De Quartzo E Argilominerais Para O Monitoramento De Degradação De Terras A Partir De Dados Do Infravermelho Termal Do Sensor Aster]

In thiswork, ASTER(Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer)Thermal Infrareddata(TIR-10to14bands-8.125-10.95μ) were used to map quartz and clay minerals in land degradation areas, in the southwestern portion of Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. This study area presents a specific land degradation process named arenização, which is related to erosion of arenitic rocks and formation of structured sandy soils. Such processes introduce several environmental damages such as increased erosion, reduction in soil fertility and decline of agricultural land use. Using ASTER/TIR data it was possible to replicate important diagnostic spectral features related to the SiO reststrahlen band from clay minerals and quartz. Mineral abundance maps were produced using spectral index and band ratio methods. The results show that ASTER/TIR data were able to map these minerals in the soil and to reveal the degree of mixtures among quartz, clay minerals and others land cover features. Areas simultaneously mapped as quartz-rich and with lower proportion of clay minerals indicate a wealth of sandy soils, scarce vegetation cover and excessive drainage, which leads to large nutrient losses. This approach allows a more precise and quantitative mapping of land degradation characteristics, with important implications to the study of its dynamics in tropical environments. © 2010 Sociedade Brasileira de Geofísica.282229247Abrams, M., Hook, S., Ramachandran, B., (2002) ASTER User Hand- Book (version 2), p. 135. , NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)Azevedo, A.C., Kaminski, J., Considerações sobre os solos dos campos de areia no Rio Grande do Sul (1995) Ciência E Ambiente, 11, pp. 65-79Brady, N.C., (1989) Natureza E Propriedades Dos Solos, p. 878. , Rio de Janeiro: Freitas BastosCudahy, T.J., Okada, K., Yamato, Y., Huntington, J.F., Hackwell, J.A., Mapping skarn alteration mineralogy at Yerington, Nevada, using airborne hyperspectral TIR SEBASS imaging data (2000) In: ERIM Proceedings Brazilian Journal of Geophysics, 28 (2), pp. 70-79. , 2010 of the 14th International Conference on Applied Geologic Remote Sensing(2005), p. 2005. , http://www.syd.dem.csiro.au/research/MMTG/Exploration/ASTER/ASTER.htm, CSIRO. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Disponível em, Acesso em: 25 setDemattê, J.L.I., Holowaychuck, N., Solos da região de São Pedro, Estado de São Paulo: II mineralogia (1977) Revista Brasileira De Ciência Do Solo, 1, pp. 99-103Demattê, J.A.M., Toledo, A.M.A., Simões, M.S., Metodologia para reconhecimentodetrêssolosporsensores: Laboratorialeorbital (2004) Revista Brasileira De Ciência Do Solo, 28 (5), pp. 877-889Formaggio, A.R., Epiphanio, J.C.N., Valeriano, M.M., Oliveira, J.B., Comportamento espectral (450-2450 nm) de solos tropicais de São Paulo (1996) Revista Brasileira De Ciência Do Solo, 20 (3), pp. 467-474Galvão, L.S., Spectral discrimination of hydrothermally altered materials using ASTER short-wave infrared bands: Evaluation in a tropical savannah environment (2005) International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 7, pp. 107-114Gillespie, A.R., Kahle, A.B., Palluconi, F.D., Mapping alluvial fans in Death Valley, California, using multichannel thermal infrared images (1984) Geophysical Research Letters, 11 (11), pp. 1153-1156Gillespie, A.R., Rokugawa, S., Matsunaga, T., Cothern, J.S., Hook, S.J., (1999) Temperature/emissivity Separationalgorithm Theoretical Basis Document, Version 2.4, p. 64. , USA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)Hales, K., Neelin, J.D., Zeng, N., Sensitivity of tropical land climate to leaf area index: Role of surface conductance versus albedo (2004) American Meteorological Society, 17, pp. 1459-1473Hanan, N.P., Prevost, Y., Diouf, A., Diallo, O., Assessment of desertification around deep wells in the Sahel using satellite imagery (1991) Journal of Applied Ecology, 28 (1), pp. 173-186Hewson, R.D., Cudahy, T.J., Mizuhiko, S., Ueda, K., Mauger, A.J., Seamless geological map generation using ASTER in the Broken Hill-Curnamona Province of Australia (2005) Remote Sensing of Environment, 99, pp. 159-172Hook, S.J., Cudahy, T.J., Kahle, A.B., Whitbourn, L.B., Synergy of active and passive airborne thermal infrared systems for surface compositional mapping (1998) Journal of Geophysical Research, 103 (18), pp. 269-276Hook, S.J., Abbott, E.A., Grove, C., Kahle, A.B., Palluconi, F.D., Use of multispectral thermal infrared data in geological studies (1999) Manual of Remote Sensing: Remote Sensing For the Earth Sciences, 3, pp. 59-110. , In: RENCZ AN (Ed.), 3rd ed, New York: John Wiley and sonsHuete, A.R., Liu, H., Lira, G.R., Batchily, K., Escadafal, R., A soil color index to adjust for soil and litter noise and vegetation index imagery of arid regions (1994) IEEE, pp. 1042-1043Hunt, G.R., Salisbury, J.W., Visible and near infrared spectra of minerals and rocks: II Carbonates (1971) Modern Geology, 2, pp. 23-30(2003), IBGE. Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, Mapa Geológico 1:250 000 -folhas SH.21-X-D e SH.21-Z-B(2003), IBGE. Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, Mapa Geo-morfológico 1:250 000 -folhas SH.21-X-D e SH.21-Z-B(2003), IBGE. Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, Mapa Pedológico 1:250 000 -folhas SH.21-X-D e SH.21-Z-BGood practice guidance for land use, land-use change and forestry (2003) In: IPCC National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme, p. 295. , IPCC. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Hayama, JapanKahle, A.B., Goetz, A.F.H., Mineralogic information from a new airborne thermal infrared multispectral scanner (1983) Science, 222, pp. 24-27Kahle, A.B., Madura, D.P., Soha, J.M., Middle infrared multispec-tral aircraft scanner data: Analysis for geological applications (1980) Applied Optics, 19, pp. 2279-2290Kahle, A.B., Palluconi, F.D., Cristensen, P.R., Thermal emission spectroscopy: Application to Earth and Mars (1993) Remote Geochemical Analysis: Elemental and Mineralogical Composition. Topics In Remote Sensing, 4, pp. 99-120. , In: PIETERS CM & ENGLERT PAJ (Eds.), Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University PressKalinowski, A., Oliver, S., ASTER Mineral Index Processing Manual Remote Sensing Applications, p. 37. , Geoscience AustraliaKassas, M., Desertification: A general review (1995) Journal of Arid Environments, 30, pp. 115-128Kealy, S., Hook, S.J., Separating Temperature and Emissivity in Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner Data: Implications for Recovering Land Surface Temperatures (1993) IEEE Transactions On Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 31, p. 6Korb, A.R., Dybwad, P., Wadsworth, W., Salisbury, J.W., (1996) Portable FTIR Spectrometer For Field Measurements of Radiance and Emissivity: Applied Optics, 35, pp. 1679-1692Latz, K., Weismiller, R.A., van Scoyoc, G.E., Baumgardner, M.F., Characteristic variation in spectral reflectance of selected Alfisols (1984) Soil Science Society of American Journal, 48, pp. 1130-1134Lima, V.S., Assinaturas espectrais de gossans associados a mineralizações de Pb-Zn-Ba na Bacia de Irecê (BA): Um estudo baseado em dados dos sensores TM e ASTER (2003), p. 154. , Dissertação de mestrado (Geologia) -Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas -SPMoreno, J.A., O clima do Rio Grande do Sul (1961) Boletim Geográfico Do Rio Grande Do Sul, 6 (11), p. 134. , Porto Alegre, anoNanni, M.R., Demattê, J.A.M., Spectral Reflectance Methodology in Comparison to Traditional Soil Analysis (2006) Soil Science Society of American Journal, 70, pp. 393-407Nimer, E., (1977) In: Geografia Do Brasil: Região Sul, pp. 35-79. , Clima, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e EstatísticaNinomiya, Y., Fu, B., Cudahy, T.J., Detecting lithology with Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) multispectral thermal infrared "radiance-at-sensor" data (2005) Remote Sensing of Environment, 99, pp. 127-139Ramsey, M.S., Christensen, P.R., Lancaster, N., Howard, D.A., Identification of sand sources and transport pathways at the Kelso Dunes, California, using thermal infrared Remote Sensing (1999) Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull, 111, pp. 646-662Robinove, C.J., Chavez, P.S., Gehring, D., Holmgren, R., Arid land monitoring using Landsat albedo difference images (1981) Remote Sensing of Environment, 11, pp. 133-156Rockwell, B.W., Hofstra, A.H., Identification of quartz and carbonate minerals across northern Nevada using ASTER thermal infrared emissivity data -Implications for geologic mapping and mineral resource investigations in well-studied and frontier areas (2008) Geosphere, 4 (1), pp. 218-246Salisbury, J.W., Walter, L.S., Vergo, N., D'ARIA, D.M., (1991), p. 294. , Infrared (2.1-25 micrometers) Spectra of Minerals. USA: Johns Hopkins University PressSchmugge, T., French, A., Ritchie, J.C., Rango, A., Pelgrum, H., Temperature and emissivity separation from multispectral thermal infrared observations (2002) Remote Sensing of Environment, 79, pp. 189-198Suertegaray, D.M.A., Guasselli, L.A., Verdum, R., (2001) Atlas Da Arenização: Sudoeste Do Rio Grande Do Sul, p. 84. , Porto Alegre: Rio Grande do Sul, Secretaria Estadual de Coordenação e PlanejamentoVaughan, R.G., Hook, S.J., Calvin, W.M., Taranik, J.V., Surface mineral mapping at Steamboat Springs, Nevada, USA, multi-wavelength thermal infrared images (2005) Remote Sensing of Environment, 99, pp. 140-158Verdum, R., Approche Géographique des "déserts" dans les communes de São Francisco de Assis et Manuel Viana, État du Rio Grande do Sul, Brésil. Tese de Doutorado (1997) Toulouse, p. 211. , Université de Toulouse Le MirailVerstraete, M.M., Schwartz, S.A., Desertification and global change (1991) Vegetation, 91, pp. 3-13Vicente, L.E., Souza Filho, C.R., Perez Filho, A., Mapeamen-to De Formações Arenosas Em Fragmentos De Cerrado Utilizando Dados E Produtos Do Sensor ASTER (2005) In: Simp. Bras. Sens. Rem, pp. 3419-3426. , http://www.ltid.inpe.br/sbsr2005, 12., Goiânia, INPE/SELASR, Disponível em, Acesso em: 25 jul. 2005Vicente, L.E., Bolfe, E.L., Souza Filho, C.R., Nunes, G.M., Mapeamento De Corte Seletivo Na Floresta Amazônica Utilizando Dados Do Sensor ASTER E Análise De Correlação (2009) In: Simp. Bras. Sens. Rem, pp. 3135-3142. , http://www.ltid.inpe.br/sbsr2009, 14., Natal, INPE/SELASR, Disponível em, Acesso em: 30 nov. 2009Vitousek, P.M., Mooney, H.A., Melillo, J.M., Human domination of Earth's ecosystems (1997) Science, 277, pp. 494-499Wessman, C., Remote sensing of soil processes (1991) Agric. Ecosys. Envir, 34, pp. 479-49

Landfills As Risk Factors For Respiratory Disease In Children [o Aterro Sanitário Como Fator De Risco Para Doenças Respiratórias Em Crianças]

Objective: To investigate the relationship between exposure to a landfill site closed 6 years previously and respiratory symptoms in children aged up to 13 years. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Várzea Paulista, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. One adult in every household in a neighborhood close to the landfill and from a randomized sample of households in another neighborhood with similar socioeconomic characteristics but no landfill were interviewed and asked about respiratory symptoms and other variables relating to children aged up to 13. A logistic regression model was used to study this relationship. Results: The likelihood of a child having respiratory symptoms was a function of -2.36 + 0.43 if the child was less than 2 years old; + 0.24 if the child lived in the landfill area; -0.67 if there was a computer at home; + 0.54 if firewood was burnt in the home in the last year; + 0.94 if the child was diagnosed with asthma; + 0.87 if the child visited a health service in the previous 30 days. Conclusion: The authors conclude that living near to a landfill closed 6 years previously may be a risk factor for respiratory diseases in children. Copyright © 2011 by Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria.874319324Mello-Da-Silva, C.A., Fruchtengarten, L., Riscos químicos ambientais à saúde da criança (2005) J Pediatr, 81, pp. S205-S211. , Rio JBellamy, C., Healthy environments for children (2003) Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 81 (3), p. 157Dherani, M., Pope, D., Mascarenhas, M., Smith, K.R., Weber, M., Bruce, N., Indoor air pollution from unprocessed solid fuel use and pneumonia risk in children aged under five years: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2008) Bull World Health Organ, 86, pp. 390-38CLai, K., Emberlin, J., Colbeck, I., Outdoor environments and human pathogens in air (2009) Environ Health, 8 (SUPPL. 1), pp. S15Mendell, M.J., Indoor residential chemical emissions as risk factors for respiratory and allergic effects in children: A review (2007) Indoor Air, 17 (4), pp. 259-277. , DOI 10.1111/j.1600-0668.2007.00478.xElliott, L., Arbes, S.J., Harvey, E.S., Lee, R.C., Salo, P.M., Cohn, R.D., Dust weight and asthma prevalence in the National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing (NSLAH) (2007) Environ Health Perspect, 115, pp. 215-220Classificação do gás proveniente de aterro sanitário (2007) Superintendência de Comercialização e Movimentação de Petróleo, Seus Derivados e Gás Natural (SCM), Superintendência de Abastecimento (SAB), Superintendência de Qualidade de Produtos (SQP), Superintendência de Refino e Processamento de Gás Natural (SRP), p. 7. , ANP ANdP. Petróleo ANd, edSisinno, C.L., Moreira, J.C., Evaluation of environmental contamination and pollution at the area under the influence of the Morro do Céu landfill dump in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1996) Cad Saude Publica, 12, pp. 515-523Heller, L., Antunes, C.C.A., Solid waste disposal in urban areas and health - The case of Belo Horizonte, Brazil (2003) Waste Management and Research, 21 (6), pp. 549-556Gelberg, K.H., Health study of New York City department of Sanitation landfill employees (1997) Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 39 (11), pp. 1103-1110. , DOI 10.1097/00043764-199711000-00011Deloraine, A., Zmirou, D., Tillier, C., Boucharlat, A., Bouti, H., Case-control assessment of the short-term health effects of an industrial toxic waste landfill (1995) Environ Res, 68, pp. 124-132Pukkala, E., Ponka, A., Increased incidence of cancer and asthma in houses built on a former dump area (2001) Environmental Health Perspectives, 109 (11), pp. 1121-1125Porta, D., Milani, S., Lazzarino, A.I., Perucci, C.A., Forastiere, F., Systematic review of epidemiological studies on health effects associated with management of solid waste (2009) Environ Health, 8, p. 60Kundi, M., Causality and the interpretation of epidemiologic evidence (2007) Cien Saude Colet, 12, pp. 419-428Wu, F., Takaro, T.K., Childhood asthma and environmental interventions (2007) Environmental Health Perspectives, 115 (6), pp. 971-975. , http://www.ehponline.org/members/2007/8989/8989.pdf, DOI 10.1289/ehp.8989Valent, F., Little, D., Tamburlini, G., Barbone, F., Burden of disease attributable to selected environmental factors and injuries among Europe's children and adolescents (2004) WHO Environmental Burden of Disease Series, (8). , Geneva: WHOAgresti, A., (2002) Categorical Data Analysis, p. 526. , 2. ed. New Jersey: John Wiley & SonsWehrmeister, F.C., Peres, K.G., Desigualdades regionais na prevalência de diagnóstico de asma em crianças: Uma análise da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios, 2003 (2010) Cad Saude Publica, 26, pp. 1839-1852Lima, R.G., Pastorino, A.C., Casagrande, R.R., Sole, D., Leone, C., Jacob, C.M., Prevalência das doenças alérgicas em crianças de 6 a 7 anos na região oeste da cidade de São Paulo (2007) Clinics, 62, pp. 225-234Soares, M.J.G., Marcopito, L.F., Neves, A.A., De Freitas, T.B., Lima, E.S.A.N., Prevalence of asthma and asthma symptoms among 13 and 14-year-old schoolchildren, Brazil (2004) Revista de Saude Publica, 38 (2), pp. 292-299Khot, A., Burn, R., Evans, N., Seasonal variation and time trends in childhood asthma in England and Wales 1975-81 (1984) British Medical Journal, 289 (6439), pp. 235-237Bartra, T.J., Mullol, J., Del, C.A., Davila, I., Ferrer, M., Jauregui, I., Montoro, J., Valero, A., Air pollution and allergens (2007) Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology, 17 (SUPPL.2), pp. 3-8. , http://www.jiaci.org/issues/vol17s2/2.pdfDeǧer, L., Plante, C., Goudreau, S., Smargiassi, A., Perron, S., Thivierge, R.L., Home environmental factors associated with poor asthma control in Montreal children: A population-based study (2010) J Asthma, 47, pp. 513-520Fullerton, D.G., Bruce, N., Gordon, S.B., Indoor air pollution from biomass fuel smoke is a major health concern in the developing world (2008) Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg, 102, pp. 843-851Patel, S.P., Järvelin, M.R., Little, M.P., Systematic review of worldwide variations of the prevalence of wheezing symptoms in children (2008) Environ Health, 7, p. 57(2007) Critério Padrão de Classificação Econômica Brasil/2008: O Novo Critério Padrão de Classificação Econômica Brasil, , http://www.viverbem.fmb.unesp.br/docs/classificacaobrasil.pdf, ABEP. Acesso: 27/10/10Campagna, D., Kathman, S.J., Pierson, R., Inserra, S.G., Phifer, B.L., Middleton, D.C., Zarus, G.M., White, M.C., Ambient hydrogen sulfide, total reduced sulfur, and hospital visits for respiratory diseases in northeast Nebraska, 1998-2000 (2004) Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology, 14 (2), pp. 180-187. , DOI 10.1038/sj.jea.7500313(2011) What Are Six Common Air Pollutants?, , U.S.A. U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMoffatt, M.F., Gut, I.G., Demenais, F., Strachan, D.P., Bouzigon, E., Heath, S., A large-scale, consortium-based genomewide association study of asthma (2010) N Engl J Med, 363, pp. 1211-1221Nguyen, T., Lurie, M., Gomez, M., Reddy, A., Pandya, K., Medvesky, M., The National Asthma Survey - New York State: Association of the home environment with current asthma status (2010) Public Health Rep, 125, pp. 877-887Apter, A.J., Communities and health: The case of inner-city violence and asthma (2010) LDI Issue Brief, 16, pp. 1-4Bush, A., Saglani, S., Management of severe asthma in children (2010) Lancet, 376, pp. 814-82

Evaluation of the Thermic Behavior of the Coal as a Byproduct through the Low Temperature Conversion Process – LTC of the Sewage Sludge

Brazil follows the global trend to seek viable alternative energy sources that can improve the quality and secure supply of energy with environmental sustainability, allied to the necessity of facilitating a fitting end to the sludge treatment plants sewage. The biomass present in SS is emerging as an alternative to the country's energy matrix, through the Low Temperature Conversion process – LTC of the sludge in the production of biofuel (biooil and coal). This article aims to characterize the coal obtained through the Low Temperature Conversion and evaluate the thermal behavior. In this study physical and chemical studies were made: elemental analysis (CHNO), calorific power, Thermogravimetry (TG) at a heating rate of 10°C min-1 under synthetic air atmosphere, and spectroscopic. The thermogravimetric study found a thermal stability at 300oC. In the spectroscopy in the infrared (IR) regionit was observed bands related to the presence of water, organic matter and silicon oxides in the SS samples analyzed.</jats:p