MAPPING DECIDUOUS FORESTS BY USING TIME SERIES OF FILTERED MODIS NDVI AND NEURAL NETWORKS

Multi-temporal images are now of standard use in remote sensing of vegetation during monitoring and classification. Temporal vegetation signatures (i. e., vegetation indices as functions of time) generated, poses many challenges, primarily due to signal to noise-related issues. This study investigates which methods generate the most appropriate smoothed curves of vegetation signatures on MODIS NDVI time series. The filtering techniques compared were the HANTS algorithm which is based on Fourier analyses and Wavelet temporal algorithm which uses the wavelet analysis to generate the smoothed curves. The study was conducted in four different regions of the Minas Gerais State. The smoothed data were used as input data vectors for vegetation classification by means of artificial neural networks for comparison purpose. A comparison of the results was ultimately discussed in this work showing encouraging results and similarity between the two filtering techniques used.16212313

Mental health problems among medical students in Brazil: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To provide a comprehensive picture of mental health problems (MHPs) in Brazilian medical students by documenting their prevalence and association with co-factors. Methods: We systematically searched the MEDLINE/PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, and PsycINFO databases for cross-sectional studies on the prevalence of MHPs among medical students in Brazil published before September 29, 2016. We pooled prevalences using a random-effects meta-analysis, and summarized factors associated with MHP. Results: We included 59 studies in the analysis. For meta-analyses, we identified the summary prevalence of different MHPs, including depression (25 studies, prevalence 30.6%), common mental disorders (13 studies, prevalence 31.5%), burnout (three studies, prevalence 13.1%), problematic alcohol use (three studies, prevalence 32.9%), stress (six studies, prevalence 49.9%), low sleep quality (four studies, prevalence 51.5%), excessive daytime sleepiness (four studies, prevalence 46.1%), and anxiety (six studies, prevalence 32.9%). Signs of lack of motivation, emotional support, and academic overload correlated with MHPs. Conclusion: Several MHPs are highly prevalent among future physicians in Brazil. Evidence-based interventions and psychosocial support are needed to promote mental health among Brazilian medical students

METHODOLOGY FOR PLANNING LOG STACKING USING GEOTECHNOLOGY AND OPERATIONS RESEARCH

In view of the need to improve the planning of timber harvest and transportation, with both activities being the most influential in determining the final cost of timber delivered to the mill yard, this work aims to develop a new methodological proposal using operations research and geotechnology tools in order to determine optimal locations for log stacking and also the amount of timber to be allocated to each selected stack. Analysis was performed using two software applications, geographic information system (GIS) and operations research (OR). GIS spatial analyses were based on layers of the study site, which is a property owned by Votorantim Celulose e Papel, located in the municipality of Sao Jose dos Campos, in order to obtain three variables: degree of difficulty in operating forestry equipment, degree of difficulty in log stacking, and distance between log stacks and existing roadways. To obtain these variables, layers containing information on terrain inclination and existing roadways were combined in another analysis named weighted overlay. Results were then filtered and inserted into an operations research environment for maximization of the timber volume in each selected stack. With results obtained from the geographic information system, 80 potential sites were selected for log stacking. By using operations research, 59 of these sites were ruled out, a 73% reduction in the number of potential sites, with only 21 sites remaining as potentially optimal for log storage. For each of these 21 sites, an optimal amount of timber was determined to be allocated to each one of them.17330931

New insights into diagnosis of Platynosomum fastosum (Trematoda: Dicrocoeliidae) in cats

Platynosomum fastosum is a hepatic trematode which causes the so-called lizard poisoning in cats. This parasite is reported in tropical and sub-tropical areas infecting the liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts of cats. Despite its clinical importance, the diagnosis of P. fastosum has been poorly investigated so far. In this study, three cases of infection by P. fastosum in cats are reported. The FLOTAC technique was utilized for the first time in the detection of eggs of this parasite. Three cats (two males and one female), being one of them with a history of diarrhea and vomiting, were diagnosed positive for the presence of P. fastosum eggs through the FLOTAC technique. In conclusion, this study provides important and new insights into the diagnosis of P. fastosum in cats, expanding the geographical knowledge of this parasite in Brazil

CSES Module 3 Full Release

The module was administered as a post-election interview. The resulting data are provided along with voting, demographic, district and macro variables in a single dataset. CSES Variable List The list of variables is being provided on the CSES Website to help in understanding what content is available from CSES, and to compare the content available in each module. Themes: MICRO-LEVEL DATA: Identification and study administration variables: weighting factors; election type; date of election 1st and 2nd round; study timing (post election study, pre-election and post-election study, between rounds of majoritarian election); mode of interview; gender of interviewer; date questionnaire administered; primary electoral district of respondent; number of days the interview was conducted after the election Demography: age; gender; education; marital status; union membership; union membership of others in household; business association membership, farmers´ association membership; professional association membership; current employment status; main occupation; socio economic status; employment type - public or private; industrial sector; current employment status, occupation, socio economic status, employment type - public or private, and industrial sector of spouse; household income; number of persons in household; number of children in household under the age of 18; attendance at religious services; religiosity; religious denomination; language usually spoken at home; race; ethnicity; region of residence; rural or urban residence Survey variables: most important issues of election; candidates competencies to deal with most important issues; difference who is in power and who people vote for; evaluation of governments performance; party and leader that represent respondent´s view best; sympathy scale for selected parties and political leaders; assessment of parties and political leaders on a left-right-scale; self-assessment on a left-right-scale; differences of choice options; campaign involvement; satisfaction with democracy; party identification; intensity of party identification; respondent cast a ballot at the current and the previous election; vote choice (presidential, lower house and upper house elections) at the current and the previous election; respondent cast candidate preference vote at the current and the previous election; political information items DISTRICT-LEVEL DATA: number of seats contested in electoral district; number of candidates; number of party lists; percent vote of different parties; official voter turnout in electoral district MACRO-LEVEL DATA: election outcomes by parties in current (lower house/upper house) legislative election; percent of seats in lower house received by parties in current lower house/upper house election; percent of seats in upper house received by parties in current lower house/upper house election; percent of votes received by presidential candidate of parties in current elections; electoral turnout; party of the president and the prime minister before and after the election; number of portfolios held by each party in cabinet, prior to and after the most recent election; size of the cabinet after the most recent election; number of parties participating in election; ideological families of parties; left-right position of parties assigned by experts and alternative dimensions; most salient factors in the election; fairness of the election; formal complaints against national level results; election irregularities reported; scheduled and held date of election; irregularities of election date; extent of election violence and post election violence; geographic concentration of violence; post-election protest; electoral alliances permitted during the election campaign; existing electoral alliances; requirements for joint party lists; possibility of apparentement and types of apparentement agreements; multi-party endorsements on ballot; votes cast; voting procedure; voting rounds; party lists close, open, or flexible; transferable votes; cumulated votes if more than one can be cast; compulsory voting; party threshold; unit for the threshold; freedom house rating; democracy-autocracy polity IV rating; age of the current regime; regime: type of executive; number of months since last lower house and last presidential election; electoral formula for presidential elections; electoral formula in all electoral tiers (majoritarian, proportional or mixed); for lower and upper houses was coded: number of electoral segments; linked electoral segments; dependent formulae in mixed systems; subtypes of mixed electoral systems; district magnitude (number of members elected from each district); number of secondary and tertiary electoral districts; fused vote; size of the lower house; GDP growth (annual percent); GDP per capita; inflation, GDP Deflator (annual percent); Human development index; total population; total unemployment; constitutional federal structure; number of legislative chambers; electoral results data available; effective number of electoral and parliamentary partie