Design and Implementation of a Motif-based Compression Algorithm for Biometric Signals

Wearable devices are becoming a natural and economic means to gather biometric data from users: this thesis is centered around lossy data compression techniques, whose aim is to minimize the amount of information that is to be stored on their onboard memory and subsequently transmitted over wireless interfaces. A new class of codebook based (CB) compression algorithms is proposed, designed to be energy efficient, online and amenable to any type of signal exhibiting recurrent patternsope

Historical Analysis of International Trade Flows in Forest Products - A Preliminary Paper

In this paper we outline some ideas on how to study the past behavior of the structure and dynamic changes in international flows of wood and wood products. We present some results of a share structure analysis carried out for three products and three years (Sawnwood, Pulp and Newsprint in 1971, 1975, and 1979) based on UN trade matrices as reported by importers. We also comment on the currently available FAO and UN data and their quality. This paper is a prelude to a detailed trade analysis for 13 products over the last two decades, which will be completed in the Forest Sector Project

Uso da toxina botulínica no controle do bruxismo

TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro de Ciências da Saúde. Odontologia.A toxina botulínica é uma substância produzida pela bactéria Clostridium botulinum, e o seu uso oferece ao cirurgião dentista uma nova alternativa para controlar os sintomas do bruxismo. O bruxismo apresenta uma etiologia ampla, onde a gravidade do dano varia em cada indivíduo e por não possuir tratamento específico, cada paciente deve ser avaliado e tratado individualmente. O objetivo deste estudo foi realizar uma revisão de literatura para determinar se o uso da toxina botulínica no controle do bruxismo é eficaz e seguro quando aplicado em indivíduos que sofrem com a parafunção. De acordo com os estudos revisados, a toxina botulínica tem se mostrado uma nova modalidade de tratamento eficaz, aliviando o apertamento e rangido dental, e também como consequência seus sintomas, como a dor muscular. Apesar dos resultados positivos, existe uma escassez de literatura em relação ao assunto, sendo necessários estudos mais aprofundados, com uma amostra adequada para consolidar o uso da toxina botulínica como um tratamento satisfatório e rotineiro do bruxismo.Botulinum toxin is a substance produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and its use provides the surgeon dentist a tool to control symptoms of bruxism. Bruxism has a broad etiology, where the severity of the damage varies by individual and by not having specific treatment, each patient should be assessed and treated individually. The aim of this study was to conduct a literature review to determine whether the use of botulinum toxin in the control of bruxism is effective and safe when applied to individuals who suffer with this parafunction. According to the reviewed studies, botulinum toxin has been shown to be a new type of efficient treatment, relieving tooth clenching and grinding, and as a result their symptoms, such as muscle pain. Despite the positive results, there is a lack of literature on the subject, further studies with an adequate sample are needed to consolidate the use of botulinum toxin as a satisfactory and routine treatment of bruxism

A tensile strength apparatus with the facility to monitor negative pore-water pressure

This paper presents a new testing method for investigating the behaviour of clayey geomaterials subjected to a tensile (negative) total stress. The method includes the use of high capacity tensiometers to measure the pore-water pressure of the test specimen, an aspect which has not been demonstrated in any other direct tensile testing method. This addition allows interpretation of failure data in terms of effective stress rather than total stress, which is the approach that should be pursued in the saturated range. The test specimen shape and loading method have been modified from those commonly seen in existing literature to ensure that the direction of the major principal stress in the failure zone coincides with the direction of the externally applied tensile force, allowing for a more accurate analysis of tensile failure. Results are shown for saturated specimens and compared to results obtained for the same soil in uniaxial compression, using a modified version of the presented uniaxial tensile method, and a triaxial compression test. It is demonstrated that crack initiation occurs by shear failure if the data is interpreted in terms of effective stress rather than total stress, and that the failure mechanisms under tension do not differ from compression

An Historical Analysis of International Trade in Forest Products

In order to examine the long-term development of international trade in wood products, it is useful to study the patterns of past behaviour of trade. In this paper we therefore present an analysis of the structural characteristics of international trade in wood products over the last twenty years. The analysis reveals the structure of trade flows and their tendencies over time, together with the effects that trade policies have had on trade patterns. An attempt is then made to develop an understanding of the factors which have influenced these trade flows, via the application of gravitational models

Problems and Prospects of Developing Countries in Forestry and Wood-Processing Industries. Report from an IIASA/UNIDO Workshop

This paper reports in a summary form on the discussions during a workshop organized by IIASA and UNIDO in January 1983. The workshop treated problems and prospects relating to developing countries in the sectors of forestry and wood-processing industries. The results of the workshop will be used in IIASA's project "Structural Change in the Forest Sector" and in UNIDO's work on its world-wide study on wood and wood processing industries. The invited participants came mainly from developing countries and from the two institutions mentioned. The issues raised during the meeting are summarized systematically in Figure 2. The main concern of the meeting related to the sustainability of the wood resources, over-exploitation and depletion and suitable counter-balancing measures, such as afforestation, reforestation, and more efficient use of available resources. Trade patterns were also discussed. A global trade model for forestry industry products was presented

A Share Structure Analysis of International Trade Flows in Some Forest Products 1962-1981

In this paper, we present the detailed results of a share structure analysis of international trade flows of Sawnwood (Coniferous and Non-Coniferous separately) Panels, Furniture, and Builders' woodwork plus prefabricated buildings, over the years 1962 to 1981. The analysis is based on UN importers' data, supplemented by exporters' reports where the former give no data, and excludes intra-regional trade. In future the analysis will be completed for other products, and these results will also be updated as improvements to the Forest Sector Project database are completed. Changes that are being made to the trade database are outlined

Experimental investigation of flow boiling in silicon microchannel devices for electronics cooling

With the fast miniaturization of Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) systems in the electronics industry, thermal management issues are becoming a serious challenge for sustaining the Moore’s law trend in the next years. Flow boiling in silicon microchannel evaporators has recently arisen as one of the best solutions for the thermal management of high heat flux electronic devices. Microscale flow boiling exhibits high heat transfer rates and reduced temperature gradients optimizing electronics operation. Silicon fabrication techniques enable the development of compact and highly integrated systems. However, the lack of a complete understanding of the physics processes involved and serious technical issues are currently delaying the introduction of silicon microchannel devices in consumable products. Following the great interest of the electronics industry, silicon microchannel devices have started to be considered also for the design of future particle detectors for High Energy Physics (HEP) experiments. This work presents new insights on the two-phase fluid dynamics and flow boiling heat transfer characteristics in silicon microchannel devices. The effect of surface wall roughness is also addressed with a dedicated test section featuring tailored microfabricated structures at the channel walls. The study of interconnected silicon micro-evaporators for the efficient thermal management of future silicon particle detectors at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is described. The thermal performance of the device are presented and discussed. The qualification of the complete fabrication processes based on standard microfabrication techniques and the solution of important technical challenges are addressed, paving the introduction of silicon microchannel devices in the design of future detector systems. The results obtained in this study have many potential applications in all the industrial sectors where high heat fluxes need to be efficiently managed with very compact systems

A gaita ponto na região sul do Brasil: relação dialética entre seus aspectos socioculturais e técnico-musicais

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso apresentado ao Instituto Latino-Americano de Arte, Cultura e História da Universidade Federal da Integração Latino- Americana, como requisito parcial à obtenção do título de Bacharel em Música – Pesquisa em Música. Orientador: Prof. Me. Félix Ceneviva Eid.O presente trabalho tem como objetivo refletir sobre a relação dialética entre aspectos socioculturais e técnico-musicais relacionados à gaita ponto na região sul do Brasil. Para isto, estudamos criticamente aspectos históricos e socioculturais deste instrumento, incluindo uma discussão sobre gênero no contexto de suas práticas musicais; apresentamos um panorama sobre a construção do instrumento; analisamos alguns aspectos da prática interpretativa; e realizamos um estudo a respeito do idiomatismo do acordeão diatônico na região mencionada. A pesquisa se fundamenta em uma visão etnomusicológica, apoiada na relação dialética entre música e cultura. No intuito de alcançar o objetivo, as reflexões e considerações pontuadas partiram da pesquisa teórica bibliográfica e da trajetória prática da autora como acordeonista, abordagens estas que estão colocadas de forma aberta à continuidade de pesquisas e novas contribuições.El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo reflexionar sobre la relación dialéctica entre aspectos socioculturales y técnico-musicales relacionados al acordeón diatónico en la región sur de Brasil. Para esto, estudiamos críticamente aspectos históricos y socioculturales de este instrumento, incluyendo una discusión sobre género en el contexto de sus prácticas musicales; presentamos un panorama sobre la construcción del instrumento; analizamos algunos aspectos de la práctica interpretativa; y realizamos un estudio sobre el lenguaje del acordeón diatónico en la región mencionada. La investigación se fundamente en una visión etnomusicológica, apoyada en la relación dialéctica entre música y cultura. Con el fin de alcanzar el objetivo, las reflexiones y consideraciones puntuadas partieron de la investigación teórica bibliográfica y de la trayectoria práctica de la autora como acordeonista, enfoques planteados de forma abierta a la continuidad de investigaciones y nuevas contribucione