PEDESTRIAN SEGMENTATION FROM COMPLEX BACKGROUND BASED ON PREDEFINED POSE FIELDS AND PROBABILISTIC RELAXATION

The wide use of cameras enables the availability of a large amount of image frames that can be used for people counting or to monitor crowds or single individuals for security purposes. These applications require both, object detection and tracking. This task has shown to be challenging due to problems such as occlusion, deformation, motion blur, and scale variation. One alternative to perform tracking is based on the comparison of features extracted for the individual objects from the image. For this purpose, it is necessary to identify the object of interest, a human image, from the rest of the scene. This paper introduces a method to perform the separation of human bodies from images with changing backgrounds. The method is based on image segmentation, the analysis of the possible pose, and a final refinement step based on probabilistic relaxation. It is the first work we are aware that probabilistic fields computed from human pose figures are combined with an improvement step of relaxation for pedestrian segmentation. The proposed method is evaluated using different image series and the results show that it can work efficiently, but it is dependent on some parameters to be set according to the image contrast and scale. Tests show accuracies above 71%. The method performs well in other datasets, where it achieves results comparable to stateof-the-art approaches

Comparative study of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine and azoxymethane on the induction of colorectal cancer in rats

AbstractThe induced colorectal carcinogenesis in rodents has a long history and currently uses the substances 1,2-dimethylhydrazine and azoxymethane.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to compare the inductive effect of the substances azoxymethane and 1,2-dimethylhydrazine in colorectal carcinogenesis.Method30 randomly chosen male Wistar rats were divided into four groups. G1 group was treated with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine and C1 was its control group; G2 group was treated azoxymethane and C2 was its control group. The animals were weekly weighed until euthanasia, when their intestines were removed, processed and analyzed by an experienced pathologist.ResultsAmong the control groups (C1 and C2) no histologic changes were observed; moderate dysplasia was detected in G2 group; hyperplasia, mild dysplasia, severe dysplasia and carcinoma were observed in G1 group. When this study compared the cost of the substances, 1,2-dimethylhydrazine was more than 50 times less expensive than azoxymethane.ConclusionAzoxymethane is able to promote histological changes consistent with colorectal carcinogenesis. 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine produced neoplasia and dysplasia, and, compared to the azoxymethane, was more efficient in the induction of colorectal cancer

Quantity theory of money: the hypothesis of the dichotomy between relative prices and absolute prices

This paper aims to investigate the impact of a change in the quantity of money on relative prices based on quarterly time-series for the period 1959-2013 of the U.S. economy. The econometric results show evidence that a change in the money supply affects the relative prices. This result does not corroborate the assumption that changes in relative prices only occur due to changes in real variables, but changes in relative prices also occur via changes of the money stock. In this sense, there is no empirical evidence that the hypothesis of the dichotomy between relative prices and absolute prices is valid

Metales pesados en suelos de la planicie costera del Río de la Plata, partidos de Ensenada y Berisso

Los datos de metales pesados determinados en diferentes horizontes de suelo de la Planicie Costera del Gran La Plata, no muestran, en términos generales, gran dispersión ni concentraciones mayores a los valores de referencia regionales aportados por otros autores. Las concentraciones máximas consideradas ecotóxicas en suelos de la región Pampeana brindan valores de 50 mg kg-1 para cobre, 100 mg kg-1 para plomo y 150 mg kg-1 para cinc. Si consideramos los promedios para la totalidad de los horizontes superficiales y subsuperficiales estudiados, se verifican valores de Cu: 45,73 mg kg-1, Zn: 105, 8 mg kg-1 y Pb. 34,38 mg kg-1, con valores decrecientes de desviación standard de Zn-Pb-Cu de 130,81- 51,12- 24,75. Las escasas excepciones se encuentran en sectores cercanos a áreas urbanas y de intensa actividad industrial como por ejemplo en la zona de influencia del Arroyo Doña Flora de la localidad de Ensenada con valores notablemente superiores de Cu: 155 mg kg-1, Zn: 283 mg kg-1 y Pb. 134 mg kg-1. Los suelos de la Planicie Costera presentan dos clases texturales, suelos arenosos en la Llanura Aluvional, cercanos a la línea de costa y suelos ricos en arcillas esmectíticas en la Llanura de Fango. En ambas unidades, los perfiles de suelos, no presentan variaciones verticales importantes de estos elementos. En el primer caso, este hecho se explica por la homogeneidad arenosa de sus materiales y su relativa juventud, siendo la retención de metales baja. En el segundo caso, se atribuye a los materiales arcillosos homogéneos en todo el perfil de suelo que conjuntamente con la materia orgánica generan una alta retención de metales.Fil: Manassero, Marcelo Jorge. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Invest.cientif.y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnol.conicet - la Plata. Centro de Invest.geologicas (i); Argentina;Fil: Da Silva, Mario Marcelo. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Cs.naturales y Museo. Instituto de Geomorfologia y Suelos; Argentina;Fil: Boff, Laura Daniela. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Cs.naturales y Museo. Instituto de Geomorfologia y Suelos; Argentina;Fil: Hurtado, Martín A.

NOISY BAND SELECTION BASED ON THE INTEGRATION OF THE STACKED-AUTOENCODER AND CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORK APPROACHES FOR HYPERSPECTRAL DATA: Seleção de bandas ruidosas baseada na integração de Stacked-AutoEncoder e redes neurais convulacionais para dados hiperespectrais

The presence of noise on hyperspectral images causes degradation and hinders efficiency of processing for land cover classification. In this sense, removing noise or detecting noisy bands automatically on hyperspectral images becomes a challenge for research in remote sensing. To cope this problem, an integrated model (SAE-1DCNN) is presented in this study, based on Stacked-Autoencoders (SAE) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) algorithms for the selection and exclusion of noisy bands. The proposed model employs convolutional layers to improve the performance of autoencoders focused on discriminating the training data by analyzing the hyperspectral signature of the pixel. Thus, in the SAE-1DCNN model, information can be compressed, and then redundant information can be detected and extracted by taking advantage of the efficiency of the deep architecture based on the convolutional and pooling layers. Hyperspectral data from the AVIRIS (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer) sensor were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed automatic method based on feature selection. The results showed effectiveness to identify noisy bands automatically, suggesting that the proposed methodology was found to be promising and can be an alternative to identify noisy bands within the scope of hyperspectral data pre-processing. Keywords: noisy bands; feature selection; convolutional neural network; stacked-autoencoders; hyperspectral dataRESUMO - A presença de ruído em imagens hiperespectrais causa degradação e dificulta a eficiência no processamento para a classificação da cobertura terrestre. Nesse sentido, a remoção do ruído ou a detecção automática de bandas ruidosas em imagens hiperespectrais torna-se um desafio para pesquisas na área de sensoriamento remoto. Para solucionar esse problema, um modelo integrado (SAE-1DCNN) é apresentado nesse estudo, baseado nos algoritmos de Deep Learning conhecidos como: Stacked-Autoencoders (SAE) e Redes Neurais Convolucionais (CNN) para a seleção e exclusão de bandas ruidosas. O modelo proposto emprega as camadas convolucionais para melhorar o desempenho dos Autoencoders focados na discriminação dos dados de treinamento por meio da análise da assinatura hiperespectral do pixel. Assim, no modelo SAE-1DCNN, a informação pode ser comprimida, e depois a informação redundante pode ser detectada e extraída tirando partido da eficiência da arquitetura profunda baseada nas camadas convolucionais e de agrupamento. Os dados hiperespectrais do sensor AVIRIS (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer) foram utilizados para avaliar o desempenho do método automático proposto, com base na seleção de atributos. Os resultados mostraram eficácia na identificação automática de bandas ruidosas, sugerindo que a metodologia proposta foi considerada promissora e pode ser uma alternativa para identificar bandas ruidosas no âmbito de pré-processamento de dados hiperespectrais. ABSTRACT - The presence of noise on hyperspectral images causes degradation and hinders efficiency of processing for land cover classification. In this sense, removing noise or detecting noisy bands automatically on hyperspectral images becomes a challenge for research in remote sensing. To cope this problem, an integrated model (SAE-1DCNN) is presented in this study, based on Stacked-Autoencoders (SAE) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) algorithms for the selection and exclusion of noisy bands. The proposed model employs convolutional layers to improve the performance of autoencoders focused on discriminating the training data by analyzing the hyperspectral signature of the pixel. Thus, in the SAE-1DCNN model, information can be compressed, and then redundant information can be detected and extracted by taking advantage of the efficiency of the deep architecture based on the convolutional and pooling layers. Hyperspectral data from the AVIRIS (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer) sensor were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed automatic method based on feature selection. The results showed effectiveness to identify noisy bands automatically, suggesting that the proposed methodology was found to be promising and can be an alternative to identify noisy bands within the scope of hyperspectral data pre-processing

Deleuze y la novela corta: las líneas de la vida en El último pecado

El último pecado del escritor santandereano Juan Cristóbal Martínez se propone y muestra pertenecer al género novela y al subgénero novela corta. Para ello se acude a cinco diferentes propuestas teóricas: Forster, Pabs, Pavel, Lukács y Deleuze. Filiado su género y establecida su especial tipología, se pregunta desde las reflexiones filosófico literarias de Deleuze-Guattari, plasmadas en Mil mesetas y otras de sus obras, ¿cómo se muestra en El último pecado la especificidad de la novela corta, según la propuesta de Deleuze-Guattari? Se identifican sus rasgos, sus líneas, cruzamientos y rupturas y se propone una singular representación para esta novela de Martínez

Evaluation of the profile of drug therapy administered through enteral feeding tube in a general hospital in Rio de Janeiro

Enteral nutrition (EN) is the method of choice for patients that cannot adequately receive oral feeding despite good gastrointestinal tract condition. Enteral diets may be administered through tube or ostomy placed in the stomach, duodenum or jejunum. The administration of drugs via enteral feeding tube (EFT) is a common practice in hospitals due to patient clinical status, and requires special attention from professionals involved in this process. This study entailed an analysis of the profile of drug therapy through EFT based on evaluation of medical prescriptions of the Medical Clinic of the Hospital dos Servidores do Estado (HSE) of Rio de Janeiro sent to the Pharmacy Service between January and June 2007, according to standard protocols in place. Prescription of drugs via EFT outside recommended guidelines was observed, besides potential drug-nutrient incompatibilities associated with this practice. These results point to the need for improvement of enteral route access and the adoption of measures to promote safe and effective use of drugs and nutritional therapy.A nutrição enteral (NE) é o método de escolha para alimentar pacientes que não podem receber alimentação por via oral de forma adequada, mas que estejam com a função gastrointestinal satisfatória para a absorção dos nutrientes. As dietas enterais podem ser administradas através de cateteres ou ostomias, posicionados no estômago, duodeno ou jejuno. A administração de medicamentos através de cateter de nutrição enteral (CNE) é uma prática muito comum no ambiente hospitalar, devido ao estado clínico do paciente, necessitando atenção especial dos profissionais envolvidos neste processo. O estudo constituiu uma análise do perfil da terapia medicamentosa através de CNE por meio de uma avaliação das prescrições médicas da Clínica Médica do Hospital dos Servidores do Estado (HSE) do Rio de Janeiro encaminhadas ao Serviço de Farmácia, de janeiro a junho de 2007, tendo como padrão protocolos existentes. Foi observada a prescrição de medicamentos através do CNE fora das recomendações contidas nas referências, além de possíveis incompatibilidades fármaco-nutriente associadas a esta prática. Os resultados demonstraram a necessidade de melhoria na utilização dessa via e adoção de medidas a fim de promover um uso seguro e eficaz de medicamentos e da terapia nutricional

Resultados de intervenciones en adherencia al tratamiento farmacologico en pacientes con hipertensión arterial analizados desde el modelo de Dorothea Orem: una revisión integrativa

La hipertensión arterial (HTA) sigue constituyendo un problema de salud pública tanto a nivel mundial como nacional. En Colombia, ocupó el séptimo lugar como causa de mortalidad general en 2013 y además aporta como factor de riesgo para un importante número de enfermedades de alta prevalencia. Para su control se han establecido diversas estrategias, sin embargo, la adherencia a estas se ha mantenido baja, determinando graves consecuencias para la calidad de vida de la población afectada. Por esta razón se considera importante conocer las intervenciones que se han desarrollado para mejorar la adherencia a los tratamientos de HTA y sus resultados. El estudio fue de tipo documental mediante revisión integrativa de 16 artículos seleccionados, cuyos resultados se analizaron a la luz de la teoría de Autocuidado de Dorothea Orem. Se identificó que intervenciones guiadas con ayudas audiovisuales (Pictogramas) como el propuesto por Teixeira y Cols, demostraron mejorar los niveles de adherencia a los tratamientos farmacológicos. Se recomienda realizar intervenciones con seguimiento a largo plazo con individualización y caracterización de la población a intervenir, para así tener un mayor impacto en la aplicación de estas estrategias.Abstract. Hypertension is still a public health problem nationally and globally. In 2013 it was the seventh leading cause of overall mortality and also provides a risk factor for a number of highly prevalent diseases. To control it different strategies have been established, however adherence to these, has been low, determining serious consequences for the quality of life of the affected population. For this reason it is considered important to know the interventions that have been developed to improve adherence to treatment of hypertension and its results. The study was documentary by integrative review of 16 articles selected, the results were discussed in the light of the theory of Dorothea Orem self-care. It was identified that guided visual aids (pictograms) as proposed by Teixeira and Cols, interventions showed improved levels of adherence to pharmacological treatments. It is recommended that interventions with long-term follow with identification and characterization of the population to intervene in order to have a greater impact on the implementation of these strategies.Otr

Minor literature in Tirano Banderas from the proposal of philosophical reading of novel of G. Deleuze and F. Guattari

Este artículo trata, en un primer momento, de presentar los puntos fundamentales de la propuesta de Deleuze y Guattari en torno a la literatura menor, para pasar, en un segundo momento, a mostrar cómo, en Tirano Banderas, Del Valle-Inclán crea una literatura menor que permite al lector experimentar distintas maneras de enunciación que rompen formas tradicionales de creación literaria y expresan intensidades y rupturas en el mecanismo maquínico de ejercicio del poder en América Latina. De esta manera, Tirano Banderas, como obra de arte, vuelve sensible preceptos y afectos autónomos en el marco de una metamorfización de la forma en la que se presentan los personajes, los contenidos y los acontecimientos.This article present, at first, the main points of the proposal of Deleuze and Guattari, around the minor literature, to go in a second time, to show how, in Tirano Banderas, Del Valle Inclán creates a minor literature that allows the reader to experience different ways of enunciation that break traditional forms of literary creation and express intensities and ruptures in the machine-like mechanism of governance in Latin America. Thus, Tirano Banderas, as art work, makes possible to experience precepts and autonomous affections within a metamorfización of how the characters, the contents and the events are presented

Natural ester fluids applications in transformers as a sustainable dielectric and coolant

New requirements for a better sustainable energy policy around the world is easy to observe, many projects in sustainable energy are developed wherein the academia works together the authorities and commercial firms such as electrical grid utilities. In distribution transformers one of the suggested solutions is to replace mineral oils used as dielectric and coolant for natural ester fluids, they provide improved technical properties making them a safe substitute of mineral oil. Natural esters are based on clean technology in order to guarantee requirements from utilities. The main goal of the present paper is to present a technical-economic analysis obtained from five years of applications of oil-immersed transformers using natural ester fluids in Colombia. The methodology considers forty-four oil-immersed distribution Transformers, a half use mineral oil and the other side use natural ester, operating under the same load regime. Results evidenced the feasibility of implementing this technology because the costs are very similar and the reduction of risks and environmental impact is considerable. © 2019 Author(s)