Toward an ecological conception of timbre

This paper is part of a series in which we had worked in the last 6 months, and, specifically, intend to investigate the notion of timbre through the ecological perspective proposed by James Gibson in his Theory of Direct Perception. First of all, we discussed the traditional approach to timbre, mainly as developed in acoustics and psychoacoustics. Later, we proposed a new conception of timbre that was born in concepts of ecological approach. The ecological approach to perception proposed by Gibson (1966, 1979) presupposes a level of analysis of perceptual stimulated that includes, but is quite broader than the usual physical aspect. Gibson suggests as focus the relationship between the perceiver and his environment. At the core of this approach, is the notion of affordances, invariant combinations of properties at the ecological level, taken with reference to the anatomy and action systems of species or individual, and also with reference to its biological and social needs. Objects and events are understood as relates to a perceiving organism by the meaning of structured information, thus affording possibilities of action by the organism. Event perception aims at identifying properties of events to specify changes of the environment that are relevant to the organism. The perception of form is understood as a special instance of event perception, which is the identity of an object depends on the nature of the events in which is involved and what remains invariant over time. From this perspective, perception is not in any sense created by the brain, but is a part of the world where information can be found. Consequently, an ecological approach represents a form of direct realism that opposes the indirect realist based on predominant approaches to perception borrowed from psychoacoustics and computational approach

Classification of Triadic Chord Inversions Using Kohonen Self-organizing Maps

In this paper we discuss the application of the Kohonen Selforganizing Maps to the classification of triadic chords in inversions and root positions. Our motivation started in the validation of Schönberg´s hypotheses of the harmonic features of each chord inversion. We employed the Kohonen network, which has been generally known as an optimum pattern classification tool in several areas, including music, to verify that hypothesis. The outcomes of our experiment refuse the Schönberg´s assumption in two aspects: structural and perceptual/functional

Identification of transitional disks in Chamaeleon with Herschel

Transitional disks are circumstellar disks with inner holes that in some cases are produced by planets and/or substellar companions in these systems. For this reason, these disks are extremely important for the study of planetary system formation. The Herschel Space Observatory provides an unique opportunity for studying the outer regions of protoplanetary disks. In this work we update previous knowledge on the transitional disks in the Chamaeleon I and II regions with data from the Herschel Gould Belt Survey. We propose a new method for transitional disk classification based on the WISE 12 micron-PACS 70 micron color, together with inspection of the Herschel images. We applied this method to the population of Class II sources in the Chamaeleon region and studied the spectral energy distributions of the transitional disks in the sample. We also built the median spectral energy distribution of Class II objects in these regions for comparison with transitional disks. The proposed method allows a clear separation of the known transitional disks from the Class II sources. We find 6 transitional disks, all previously known, and identify 5 objects previously thought to be transitional as possibly non-transitional. We find higher fluxes at the PACS wavelengths in the sample of transitional disks than those of Class II objects. We show the Herschel 70 micron band to be an efficient tool for transitional disk identification. The sensitivity and spatial resolution of Herschel reveals a significant contamination level among the previously identified transitional disk candidates for the two regions, which calls for a revision of previous samples of transitional disks in other regions. The systematic excess found at the PACS bands could be a result of the mechanism that produces the transitional phase, or an indication of different evolutionary paths for transitional disks and Class II sources.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A: 11 March 2013 11 pages, 15 figure

Entropy Production on Cooperative Opinion Dynamics

As one of the most widespread social dynamics, cooperative behavior is among the most fascinating collective phenomena. Several animal species, from social insects to human beings, feature social groups altruistically working for a common benefit. This collaborative conduct pervades the actions and opinions of individuals, yielding strategic decision-making between political, religious, ethnic, and economic social puzzles. Here, we explore how cooperative behavior phenomena impact collective opinion dynamics and entropy generation in social groups. We select a random fraction $f$ of community members as collaborative individuals and model the opinion dynamics using a social temperature parameter $q$ that functions as a social anxiety noise. With probability $q$, regular individuals oppose their companions about a social decision, assuming group dissent. Collaborative agents experience a reduced effective social noise $\mu q$, where $0 < \mu < 1$ is the social anxiety noise sensibility parameter that enhances social validation. We perform numerical simulations and mean-field analysis and find the system undergoes nonequilibrium order-disorder phase transitions with expressive social entropy production. Our results also highlight the effects of an individual social anxiety attenuation level in enhancing group consensus and inducing exuberant collective phenomena in complex systems

Surgical Myocardial Revascularization of Patients with Ischemic Cardiomyopathy and Severe Left Ventricular Disfunction

OBJECTIVE: To determine long-term survival, identify preoperative factors predictive of a favorable outcome, and assess functional improvement after coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with advanced left ventricular dysfunction. METHODS: Between 1995 and 2001, 244 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and had a preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction less than or equal to 35% were included. left ventricular ejection fraction was determined by uniplanar or biplanar ventriculography during left heart catheterization. Indication for surgery was predominance of tissue viability. Functional improvement was evaluated through echocardiography and gated scintigraphy at exercise/ rest. Survival was determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: Mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 29±4% (ranged from 9% to 35%). An average of 3.01 coronary bypass grafts per patient were performed. In-hospital mortality was 3.7% (9 patients). The 4-year survival rate was 89.7%. Multivariate correlates of favorable short- and long-term outcome were preoperative New York Heart Association Funcional classification for congestive heart failure class I/II, lower PAsP, higher left ventricular ejection fraction and gated left ventricular ejection fraction Ex/Rest ratio >5%. Left ventricular ejection fraction rise from 32±5% to 39±5%, p <0.001. Gated left ventricular ejection fraction at exercise/ rest increased markedly after surgery: from 27±8%/ 23±7% to 37±5%/ 31±6%, p <0.001. CONCLUSIONS: In selected patients with severe ischemic left ventricular dysfunction and predominance of tissue viability, coronary artery bypass grafting may be capable of implement preoperative clinical/ functional parameters in predicting outcome as left ventricular ejection fraction and gated left ventricular ejection fraction at exercise/ rest

Fatores de risco para mortalidade perinatal em Pelotas, RS, 1993

INTRODUCTION: Although there was a considerable reduction in infant mortality in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul in the last decade, its perinatal causes were reduced only by 28%. The associated factors of these causes were analised. MATERIAL AND METHOD: All hospital births and perinatal deaths were assessed by daily visits to all the maternity hospitals in the city, throughout 1993 and including the first week of 1994. RESULTS: The perinatal mortality rate was 22.1 per thousand births. The multivariate analysis showed the following risk factors: low socioeconomic level, male sex and maternal age above 35 years . Among multigravidae women, the fetal mortality rate was significantly increased for mothers with a previously low birthweight and a previous stillbirth. For early neonatal mortality the risk was significantly increased by a smaller number of antenatal visits than 5 and low birthweight. CONCLUSIONS: Main risk factors for perinatal mortality: low socioeconomic level, maternal age above 35 years and male sex. For early neonatal mortality the risk was significantly increased by a smaller number of antenatal visits than 5 and low birthweight.INTRODUÇÃO: Apesar de importante redução da mortalidade infantil em Pelotas, RS, na última década, as causas perinatais foram reduzidas em apenas 28%. Analisou-se os principais fatores associados a essas causas. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Todos os nascimentos hospitalares e óbitos perinatais, em Pelotas, foram acompanhados através de visitas diárias aos hospitais, durante 1993 até a primeira semana de 1994. RESULTADOS: O coeficiente de mortalidade perinatal foi 22,1/1.000 nascimentos. A análise multivariada apontou os seguintes fatores de risco: baixo nível socioeconômico, sexo masculino e idade materna acima de 35 anos. Nas multíparas, encontrou-se maior risco para a mortalidade fetal naquelas que relatavam baixo peso prévio e natimorto prévio. A mortalidade neonatal precoce esteve associada com número de consultas pré-natais inferior a 5 e baixo peso ao nascer. CONCLUSÕES: Principais fatores de risco para mortalidade perinatal: baixo nível socioeconômico, idade materna elevada e sexo masculino. Para mortalidade neonatal precoce, o risco maior foi para consultas pré-natai

Anthelmintic activity of nanoencapsulated carvacryl acetate against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep and its toxicity in rodents.

Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of carvacryl acetate (CVA) and nanoencapsulated CVA (nCVA) on gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep. The CVA was nanoencapsulated with chitosan/gum arabic and the efficacy of nanoencapsulation (EE), yield, zeta potential, nanoparticle morphology and release kinetics at pH 3 and 8 were analyzed. Acute and subchronic toxicity were evaluated in rodents and reduction of egg counts in the faeces (FECRT) of sheep. The sheep were divided into four groups (n = 10): G1, 250 mg/kg CVA; G2, 250 mg/kg nCVA; G3, polymer matrix and G4: 2.5 mg/kg monepantel. EE and nCVA yield were 65% and 57%, respectively. The morphology of the nanoparticles was spherical, size (810.6±286.7 nm), zeta potential in pH 3.2 (+18.3 mV) and the 50% release of CVA at pHs 3 and 8 occurred at 200 and 10 h, respectively. nCVA showed LD50 of 2,609 mg/kg. CVA, nCVA and monepantel reduced the number of eggs per gram of faeces (epg) by 57.7%, 51.1% and 97.7%, respectively. The epg of sheep treated with CVA and nCVA did not differ from the negative control (P>0.05). Nanoencapsulation reduced the toxicity of CVA; however, nCVA and CVA presented similar results in the FECRT. [Atividade anti-helmíntica do acetato de carvacrila nanoencapsulado sobre nematoides gastrintestinais de ovinos e toxicidade em roedores]. Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficácia do acetato de carvacrila (ACV) e do ACV nanoencapsulado (nACV) sobre nematóides gastrintestinais de ovinos. O ACV foi nanoencapsulado com quitosana/goma arábica e foi analisada a eficácia de nanoencapsulamento (EE), o rendimento, potencial zeta, morfologia das nanopartículas e cinética de liberação em pH 3 e 8. Foram avaliadas as toxicidades aguda e subcrônica em roedores e a redução da contagem de ovos nas fezes (RCOF) de ovinos. Os ovinos foram divididos em quatro grupos (n = 10): G1, 250 mg/kg ACV; G2, 250 mg/kg de nACV; G3, matriz polimérica e G4: 2,5 mg/kg de monepantel. A EE e o rendimento de nACV foram de 65% e 57%, respectivamente. A morfologia das nanopartículas foi esférica, tamanho (810,6±286,7 nm), potencial zeta no pH 3,2 (+18,3 mV) e a liberação de 50% de CVA nos pHs 3 e 8 ocorreu às 200 e 10 h, respectivamente. nACV apresentou DL50 de 2.609 mg/kg. ACV, nACV e o monepantel reduziram a contagem de ovos por grama de fezes (opg) em 57,7%, 51,1% e 97,7%, respectivamente. A contagem de opg de ovelhas tratadas com ACV e nCVA não diferiu do controle negativo (P>0,05). O nanoencapsulamento reduziu a toxicidade do AVC; no entanto, nACV e ACV apresentaram resultados semelhantes na RCOF

Growth hormone 1 gene (GH1) polymorphisms as possible markers of the production potential of beef cattle using the Brazilian Canchim breed as a model

The growth hormone 1 gene (GH1) is a candidate gene for body weight and weight gain in cattle since it plays a fundamental role in growth regulation. We investigated the GH1 gene AluI and DdeI restriction enzyme polymorphisms, located 149 bp apart in the cattle genome, as possible markers of the production potential of Canchim crossbreed cattle, a 5/8 Charolais (Bos taurus) and 3/8 Nelore (Bos indicus) breed developed in Brazil, by evaluating the birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight and plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentration of 7 month to 10 months old Canchim calves (n = 204) of known genealogy and which had been genotyped for the AluI and DdeI markers. Our results showed significant effect (p < 0.05) between the homozygous DdeI+/DdeI+ polymorphism and the estimated breeding value for weaning weight (ESB-WW), while the AluI leucine homozygous (L/L) and leucine/valine (L/V) heterozygous polymorphisms showed no significant effect on the traits studied. The restriction sites of the two enzymes led to the formation of haplotypes which also exerted a significant effect (p < 0.05) on the ESB-WW, with the largest difference being 8.5 kg in favor of the homozygous L plus DdeI+/L plus DdeI+ genotype over the heterozygous L plus DdeI-/V plus DdeI+ genotype

Is the expansion of sugarcane over pasturelands a sustainable strategy for Brazil's bioenergy industry?

The authors gratefully thank the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) (grants # 2014/08632-9 # 2015/14122-6, # 2013/17581-6, # 2014/16612-8 and 2018/09845-7) for the scholarship granted while this research was carried out, and CNPq (grants # 402992/2013-0 and # 311661/2014-9) for the financial support of the present research. Anonymous reviewers are also thanked for their valuable criticisms and comments, which led to substantial improvements of this manuscript.Peer reviewedPostprintPostprin