On bicluster aggregation and its benefits for enumerative solutions

Biclustering involves the simultaneous clustering of objects and their attributes, thus defining local two-way clustering models. Recently, efficient algorithms were conceived to enumerate all biclusters in real-valued datasets. In this case, the solution composes a complete set of maximal and non-redundant biclusters. However, the ability to enumerate biclusters revealed a challenging scenario: in noisy datasets, each true bicluster may become highly fragmented and with a high degree of overlapping. It prevents a direct analysis of the obtained results. To revert the fragmentation, we propose here two approaches for properly aggregating the whole set of enumerated biclusters: one based on single linkage and the other directly exploring the rate of overlapping. Both proposals were compared with each other and with the actual state-of-the-art in several experiments, and they not only significantly reduced the number of biclusters but also consistently increased the quality of the solution.Comment: 15 pages, will be published by Springer Verlag in the LNAI Series in the book Advances in Data Minin

Analyzing the communication and marketing strategies used by second-hand stores in Portugal and their influence in the adoption of second-hand clothes purchase

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Marketing IntelligenceFashion is one of the sectors that has increased in relevance over time while also increasing its environmental effect. Implementing the circular economy contributes to improved resource management and a more sustainable way of living. Second-hand clothing (SHC) businesses are now popular across the world, but it's unclear why their popularity hasn't grown as rapidly in Portugal. This study looks at what SHC is doing in Portugal as a marketing and communication way to achieve consumer preference for this mode of consumption. It's critical to evaluate and research what's now being done so that it might be improved and readjusted in the future. An experiment was done from the consumer's point of view, which included the creation of several potential campaigns with various focuses to assess the public's reaction and adherence. The findings are used to test the proposed model and suggest that there is a difference between those who have previous experience in this type of consumption and those who have never bought, so we should segment them differently. For those who have never bought SHC, the strategies should reflect the economic benefits that this model of consumption brings and the environmental impacts. Those who already have previous experience, are not as impacted by the type of campaigns presented, but the emphasis on low prices will also be beneficial. There is a clear urgency to re-educate consumers to think about their decision process in fashion consumption in Portugal, it is necessary to start gathering and reconciling the strategies used by better-known brands, and even fast fashion brands, to introduce this concept to the Portuguese shoppers

Pobreza econômica e sociocultural no abuso de drogas: da responsabilidade individual à sociopolítica

Research on drug abuse has often ignored users’ own opinions and perceptions about their addiction. In this study, we wanted to hear their voice on the reasons and motives why they engaged in drug abuse, and on the consequences this behavior had on their lives. Data were collected in Portugal from interviews with fifteen people under treatment for addictive behavior relative to alcohol and illegal drugs. The interviews were analyzed through Thematic Analysis and revealed the existence of several structural factors impacting on the lives of the participants, namely, gender discrimination, poor schooling, socioeconomic marginalization and exclusion associated to insufficient and inadequate public policies. The action of more symbolic structural factors – for instance, their widespread beliefs on drug addiction as a result of free will – through its internalization by families, friends and by addicts themselves, became visible in interviewees’ narratives, in which the rejection by close ones, as well as their own feelings of guilt, sadness and self-disapproval, are prominent features. As a conclusion, we call attention to the need for an integrated public policy in the educational, health and justice areas, and the implementation of awareness-raising actions aimed at the general public, in order to attenuate the impact of structural factors on the lives of current and potential drug addicts.A pesquisa sobre o abuso de drogas tem frequentemente ignorado as opiniões dos próprios usuários e as suas perceções sobre a sua dependência. Neste estudo, quisemos ouvir a sua voz sobre as razões e os motivos por que se engajaram no abuso de drogas e sobre as consequências que este comportamento teve nas suas vidas. Os dados foram coletados em Portugal a partir de entrevistas com quinze pessoas sob tratamento para comportamento aditivo em relação a álcool e drogas ilegais. As entrevistas foram analisadas através de análise temática e revelaram a existência de diversos fatores estruturais impactando na vida dos participantes, ou seja, discriminação de gênero, escolaridade baixa, marginalização socioeconômica e exclusão associados a políticas públicas insuficientes e inadequadas. A ação de fatores estruturais mais simbólicos – por exemplo, suas crenças generalizadas na toxicodependência como resultado do livre-arbítrio – através de sua interiorização pelas famílias, amigos e pelos viciados em si, tornou-se visível nas narrativas dos entrevistados, em que a rejeição pelos próximos, além de seus próprios sentimentos de culpa, tristeza e autodesaprovação, são características proeminentes. Como conclusão, chamamos atenção para a necessidade de uma política pública integrada nas áreas de educação, saúde e justiça, e a implementação de ações de sensibilização visando o público em geral, a fim de atenuar o impacto dos fatores estruturais sobre a vida dos atuais e potenciais viciados em drogas

Mapping on desertification in Brazil : a comparative analysis

Este trabalho se propõe a realizar uma análise dos diferentes mapeamentos temáticos relativos à questão da desertificação no semi-árido da região Nordeste do Brasil. Sua justificativa é determinada pelo fato de que, enquanto a Convenção das Nações Unidas de Combate à Desertificação – CCD demanda por informações referentes ao real dimensionamento e à distribuição geoespacial das áreas afetadas pelos processos de desertificação, existe uma considerável variedade de mapeamentos temáticos relativos a este tema no Brasil. Porém, os mapeamentos existentes, além de se basearem em procedimentos metodológicos questionáveis ou distintos, dispõem de resultados bastante variados entre si. _________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThe purpose of this work is to analyze the diferent thematic mappings regarding the desertification(susceptibility and occurrence areas) in the semiarid of the Northeast region of Brazil. Its justification is determined by the fact that a considerable variety of thematic mappings relatedto this theme exist in Brazil, while the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertificação– UNCCD demands referring information to the real magnitude and the geoespacial distribution of the areas affected by the desertification processes. However, the existing mappings, besidebeing based on questionable or distinct procedures, also show a great diversity of results among themselves

Provision and Collection of Safety Evidence: A Systematic Literature Review

Safety-Critical Systems (SCS) are becoming more and more present in modern societies’ daily lives, increasing people’s dependence on them. Current SCS are firmly based on computational technology; possible failures in the operation of these systems can lead to accidents and endanger human life, as well as damage the environment and property. SCS are present in many areas such as avionics, automotive systems, industrial plants (chemical, oil & gas, and nuclear), medical devices, railroad control, defense, and aerospace systems. Companies that develop SCS must present evidence of their safety to obtain certification and authorization. This paper presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to investigate processes, tools, and techniques for collecting and managing safety evidence in SCS. The authors conducted this SLR according to the guidelines proposed by Kitchenham and Charters. The SLR comprises seven (7) research questions that investigate essential aspects of collecting and managing safety evidence. The primary studies analyzed in this SLR were selected based on a search string applied into four data sources: ACM, IEEE Xplore, SpringerLink, and ScienceDirect. Data extraction considered (fifty-one) 51 primary studies. The authors identified eleven (11) different approaches covering processes, tools, and techniques for collecting and managing safety evidence. Despite other SLR works conducted about safety evidence, none of them focused on the details related to safety evidence collection. We found that very few approaches focused specifically on the process of collecting safety evidence

Transmissão de preços e cointegração no mercado brasileiro de arroz

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar a dinâmica de formação de preços no mercado nacional de arroz em casca de modo a definir o processo de formação e intensidade do ajustamento (períodos em que se dá a transmissão de preços) entre os principais mercados produtores (RS e MT). O conhecimento das relações de preços entre os mercados importante para o desenvolvimento de contratos de comercialização (contratos a termo e de futuro) para o arroz e para a formulação (ou reformulação) de políticas públicas para o setor. Como instrumental metodológico utilizou-se da modelagem de sries temporais (Modelos de Autorregressão Vetorial com Correção de Erro (VEC)) e causalidade de Granger. O resultado do teste de causalidade de Granger apontou que os preços do RS são importantes para prever os preços de MT. O modelo de transferência estimado com correção de erro mostrou que, para cada 1% de aumento na taxa de crescimento dos preços no RS, a taxa de crescimento dos preços em MT registrará, em mdia, aumento contemporâneo de 0,44% e em torno de 0,17% com um período de defasagem.The aim of this study is to evaluate the dynamics of pricing in the domestic market of paddy rice in order to define the process of prices formation and the adjustment intensity (periods in which the price transmission occurs) among the major producing markets (Rio Grande do Sul and Mato Grosso states). The knowledge of price ratios between markets is important for the development of trading contracts (fixed-term and future contracts) for rice and for the formulation (or reformulation) of public policies for the sector. As a methodological tool, we used the modeling of time series (Auto-Regression Models with Vector Error Correction - VEC) and Granger' causality. The Granger' causality test indicated that prices in the Rio Grande do Sul state are important to forecast prices in the Mato Grosso state. The model of transference estimated with an error correction term showed that for each 1% of increase in the growth rate for the RS prices, the growth rate of prices in MT will have, on average, a contemporaneous high of 0.44%, and around 0.17% in the following month

Análise das características empreendedoras dos participantes do Programa Bom Negócio Paraná

Anais do 35º Seminário de Extensão Universitária da Região Sul - Área temática: EducaçãoOs empreendedores proporcionam um legado substancial à sociedade. A iniciativa, liderança, visão de futuro, criatividade, motivação e capacidade de assumir riscos são características dos indivíduos empreendedores. Este estudo objetiva analisar as características empreendedoras dos participantes do Programa Bom Negócio Paraná. A pesquisa tem abordagem qualitativa, a qual contempla observações não estruturadas da equipe do Programa acerca do comportamento dos participantes em sala de aula. Assim como, quantitativa, por meio dos dados coletados através de questionários aplicados em seis turmas desenvolvidas pelo Programa em 2017. A determinação, comprometimento, motivação e espírito de liderança, respectivamente, representam as maiores porcentagens. Desta forma, os resultados indicam que a perseverança está relacionada ao comportamento de indivíduos com aptidão ao ato de empreende

Assessment of roadway bridges damaged by human errors using risk indicators and robustness index

To the bridges failures that have been arising over the years, experts have pointed out as the main cause of failure, human errors, in the design, construction and operation phases. One of the main goals of this paper is the identification of the foremost causes of failure due to human errors in design and construction procedures. Therefore, a bridge failure database that includes several failure cases and a human errors survey will be used to support this line of work. After the identification of some explicit human errors that is believed to be the source of several reinforced concrete bridges failures, a selective analysis using risk indicators, namely, the probability of occurrence and consequence, is performed to choose those that might represent a higher risk for the structural safety. The outcome of five selected human errors in a specific case study is quantified using a robustness index, computed according to the variation of the structure reliability index due to the damages caused by human errors, allowing to demonstrate their impact in the structural safety. The modelling process and the finite element analysis of the structure is performed using TNO DIANA software, allowing the calculation of the reliability index of the structure damaged by different human errors. Within the COST action TU-1406, the main goal of this work is a contribution for the establishment of a roadways bridge quality control plan with higher efficiency in the reduction of bridge failures, their mortality rates and economic loss.- (undefined