Modified DBSCAN Algorithm for Microscopic Image Analysis of Wood

The analysis of the intern anatomy of wood samples for species identification is a complex task that only experts can perform accurately. Since there are not many experts in the world and their training can last decades, there is great interest in developing automatic processes to extract high-level information from microscopic wood images. The purpose of this work was to develop algorithms that could provide meaningful information for the classification process. The work focuses on hardwoods, which have a very diverse anatomy including many different features. The ray width is one of such features, with high diagnostic value, which is visible on the tangential section. A modified distance function for the DBSCAN algorithm was developed to identify clusters that represent rays, in order to count the number of cells in width. To test both the segmentation and the modified DBSCAN algorithms, 20 images were manually segmented, obtaining an average Jaccard index of 0.66 for the segmentation and an average index M=0.78 for the clustering task. The final ray count had an accuracy of 0.91. (c) 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time, and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space. While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes, vast areas of the tropics remain understudied. In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity, but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases. To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge, it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Escolarização inclusiva de alunos com autismo na rede municipal de ensino de Belo Horizonte Inclusive schooling of students with autism in municipal education of Belo Horizonte

O direito a matrícula de alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais em escolas regulares no Brasil é garantido por lei desde a Constituição de 1988. Os dados do Censo Escolar do Ministério da Educação indicam aumento no número de matrícula desses alunos no país ao longo dos anos, especialmente em escolas da rede municipal de ensino. Entre os alunos enquadrados na definição de "necessidades especiais" encontram-se aqueles com autismo, caracterizados por apresentarem alterações na interação social, na comunicação e pela presença de padrões estereotipados de comportamento. A prefeitura de Belo Horizonte - MG vem desenvolvendo ações com o intuito de favorecer o acesso de estudantes com autismo a escolas regulares do município, porém dados sobre o andamento deste processo são escassos. O objetivo desse estudo consistiu em caracterizar os alunos com autismo matriculados em escolas municipais regulares de Belo Horizonte, assim como descrever a maneira pela qual essa escolarização vem ocorrendo nas escolas comuns, a partir da perspectiva de seus professores. Participaram do estudo trinta e três professores da rede regular de ensino do município que tinham contato direto e diário com alunos com autismo. Foram utilizados um questionário semi-estruturado e a escala CARS (Childhood Autism Rating Scale). Os resultados indicaram que as estratégias utilizadas pela prefeitura parecem favorecer a freqüência dos alunos com autismo, porém há evidências de que eles participam pouco das atividades da escola, a interação com os colegas é escassa e a aprendizagem de conteúdos pedagógicos é limitada.<br>The right to enroll students with special needs in regular schools in Brazil is guaranteed by law since the 1988 Constitution. Ministry of Education school census data indicates that the number of students with special needs enrolled in regular schools in the country has increased over the years, especially in the municipal system of education. Among the students regarded as having "special needs" are those with autism, who show impairment in social interaction, communication and stereotypical behavior patterns. The city of Belo Horizonte - MG has been taking action in order to improve access for students with autism in regular schools in the city, but data of the progress of this process is scarce. The purpose of this research was to characterize the students with autism enrolled in regular public schools in Belo Horizonte, as well as describe the way in which this schooling is occurring in regular schools, from the perspective of the teachers. Thirty-three teachers who had direct and daily contact with students with autism in regular schools in the city participated in this research. A semi-structured questionnaire and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) were used. The results indicated that the strategies used by the city seem to enable the presence of the students with autism in the schools, but there is evidence that their participation in school activities is restricted, the interactions with their peers is scarce, and the content learned from the school curriculum is limited

Resultados econômicos da atividade leiteira na região de Lavras (MG) nos anos 2004 e 2005: um estudo multicasos Economical results of milk production systems in Lavras region (MG) throughout the years 2004 and 2005: a multicase study

Estudou-se a rentabilidade da atividade leiteira de 17 propriedades da região de Lavras/MG e identificaram-se os componentes que exerceram maior influência sobre os custos finais da atividade. Os dados foram coletados mensalmente durante o período de janeiro de 2004 a dezembro de 2005. Considerou-se a margem bruta, a margem líquida e o resultado (lucro ou prejuízo) como indicadores de eficiência econômica. Os itens componentes do custo operacional efetivo que exerceram maior influência sobre os custos da atividade leiteira foram, em ordem decrescente, alimentação (55,9%), mão-de-obra (19,1%), despesas diversas (11,3%), energia (7,1%), sanidade (4,9%), ordenha (0,74%), impostos (0,74%) e inseminação artificial (0,23%). A margem líquida e o resultado positivo indicam que os pecuaristas têm condições de produzir a médio e a longo prazo, com conseqüente capitalização. Os resultados do estudo não podem ser extrapolados por não se tratar de uma amostra probabilística.<br>It was studied the profitability of the milk production in 17 properties in the region of Lavras (MG), and the components that had the greatest influence on the final costs of the business were identified. The data were monthly collected from January 2004 to December 2005. The gross margin, net margin, and the result (profit or loss) were taken into consideration as indicators of economic efficiency. The component items of the effective operational cost that had the greatest influence upon the costs of dairy business were, in decreasing order, feeding (55.9%), labor (19.1%), different expenses (11.3%), energy (7.1%), health (4.9%), milking (0.74%), taxes (0.74%), and artificial insemination (0,23%). The net margin and the positive result show the farmers have conditions to produce in middle and long terms, with consequent capitalization. Although, the results of the study can not be extrapolated, since they do not represent a random sampling

Efeito de níveis crescentes de uréia na dieta de vacas em lactação sobre a produção e a composição físico-química do leite Effect of increasing dietary urea levels on milk yield and composition of lactating cows

Avaliou-se o efeito de níveis crescentes de uréia na dieta de vacas em lactação sobre a produção e composição físico-química do leite. Foram utilizadas nove vacas holandesas em lactação, distribuídas em três quadrados latinos 3 x 3, com três tratamentos e três períodos de coleta. O experimento teve duração de 63 dias, divididos em três períodos de 21 dias. Os tratamentos consistiram de uma dieta controle, formulada para suprir 100% das exigências de PB, proteína degradável no rúmen (PDR) e proteína não-degradável no rúmen (PNDR), composta de farelo de soja como principal fonte protéica e cana-de-açúcar como volumoso, e de duas outras dietas, semelhantes à dieta controle, mas com 0,75 ou 1,5% de uréia em substituição ao farelo de soja. As dietas foram isoenergéticas (1,53 Mcal/kg de energia líquida de lactação) e isoprotéicas (16% de PB). Quando os resultados foram analisados por regressão polinomial simples, não houve efeitos das dietas sobre o consumo de MS, as produções de leite e de leite corrigida para 3,5% de gordura, os teores de proteína e gordura e a contagem de células somáticas do leite. Os níveis de substituição do farelo de soja por uréia não influenciaram o pH, a crioscopia ou a densidade do leite. No entanto, verificou-se efeito linear decrescente dos níveis de uréia na dieta sobre a acidez do leite. Os teores de proteína, gordura, lactose, uréia, extrato seco total e extrato seco desengordurado não foram afetados pelas dietas. Os resultados deste estudo sugerem que o uso de até 1,5% de uréia na MS da dieta de vacas em lactação não altera a produção, a composição e as características físico-químicas do leite.<br>The objective of this trial was to evaluate the effects of three different dietary levels of urea on milk yield and composition. Nine lactating Holstein cows were randomly assigned to three replicated 3 x 3 Latin squares with three periods of 21 days each. Treatments were: A) control diet formulated to meet 100% of the requirements of crude protein (CP), rumen undegradable protein (RUP) and rumen degradable protein (RDP) according to the NRC (2001) model by feeding soybean meal and sugar cane; B) replacing soybean meal with 0.75% urea; or C) replacing soybean meal with 1.5% urea. Diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous (16% CP) and isocaloric (1.53 Mcal/kg of NEl). No significant differences in dry matter intake, milk yield, 3.5% fat corrected milk, yields of milk protein and milk fat, and somatic cell count were observed among treatments when data were analyzed by simple polynomial regression. Milk cryoscopy, pH and density were also not affected by increasing the proportion of urea in the diet treatments; however, milk acidity decreased linearly when the levels of urea were increased in the diet. Milk contents of protein, fat, lactose, total solids and non-solids fat and concentration of milk urea all did not differ across diets. Results obtained in this trial indicated that the inclusion of up to 1.5% of urea (% of diet DM) in the diet had no effect on milk yield, milk composition, and milk physical-chemical characteristics in lactating cows