Imagetic and affective measures of memory reverberation diverge at sleep onset in association with theta rhythm

The ‘day residue’ - the presence of waking memories into dreams - is a century-old concept that remains controver- sial in neuroscience. Even at the psychological level, it remains unclear how waking imagery cedes into dreams. Are visual and affective residues enhanced, modified, or erased at sleep onset? Are they linked, or dissociated? What are the neural correlates of these transformations? To address these questions we combined quantitative se- mantics, sleep EEG markers, visual stimulation, and multiple awakenings to investigate visual and affect residues in hypnagogic imagery at sleep onset. Healthy adults were repeatedly stimulated with an affective image, allowed to sleep and awoken seconds to minutes later, during waking (WK), N1 or N2 sleep stages. ‘Image Residue’ was objectively defined as the formal semantic similarity between oral reports describing the last image visualized before closing the eyes (‘ground image’), and oral reports of subsequent visual imagery (‘hypnagogic imagery). Similarly, ‘Affect Residue’ measured the proximity of affective valences between ‘ground image’ and ‘hypnagogic imagery’. We then compared these grounded measures of two distinct aspects of the ‘day residue’, calculated within participants, to randomly generated values calculated across participants. The results show that Image Residue persisted throughout the transition to sleep, increasing during N1 in proportion to the time spent in this stage. In contrast, the Affect Residue was gradually neutralized as sleep progressed, decreasing in proportion to the time spent in N1 and reaching a minimum during N2. EEG power in the theta band (4.5-6.5 Hz) was inversely correlated with the Image Residue during N1. The results show that the visual and affective aspects of the ‘day residue’ in hypnagogic imagery diverge at sleep onset, possibly decoupling visual contents from strong negative emotions, in association with increased theta rhythm.Neuroimag

Metodologia para análise de dados de monitoramentos acústicos passivos de longa duração.

Despite the extensive Brazilian coast areas, little is known on underwater acoustic environments in Brazil. Acoustic environments (or soundscape) are composed by biological, geological and man-made sound sources. Soundscapes are strongly linked to ecosystems dynamics, and follow temporal patters that can vary at daily and seasonal scales. Thus, for soundscape characterization, it is necessary to undertake sound recordings for long periods, which demands innovative analyzing methods. Accordingly, the present research focuses in two principal objectives: (1) to develop methods for analyzing long-term acoustic recordings and, (2) to characterize marine soundscapes of selected points in São Paulo State. Four deployment sites were selected for the underwater acoustic monitoring: a point located at the channel entrance of the Santos Harbor, and three marine Protected Areas (PAs) in Sao Paulo state. As a result, the largest underwater acoustic database from Brazilian seas was acquired. The present work used Power Spectral Density (PSD), Sound Pressure Level (SPL) and Spectrograms to develop an innovative methodology for analyzing long-term acoustic data. In addition, a new visualization tool and a method for automatic detection of dawn and dusk choruses are presented. The achieved results validated the proposed methodology as an effective tool for analyzing long-term acoustic data. The area close to the first site, the vicinity of Santos Harbor, was dominated by ship noise, which values reach levels that can affect some species of fish and marine mammals. The soundscapes of the other three remaining measurement sites were dominated by fish and crustacean choruses, with daily and seasonal patterns (related to sunrise and sunset). For the monitored regions, the present work signifies the first contribution for cataloguing fish choruses, and establishes a baseline for the study of their underwater acoustic environment. Although the proposed methodology has used long-term undersea acoustic datasets as case-study, it can also be extended for monitoring other aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems. Finally, the research indicates to Brazilian environmental agencies and to the related scientific community that passive acoustic monitoring is a noninvasive and cost-effective tool that can be used for the management of PAs and points of economic relevance.Apesar da ampla área dos mares brasileiros, pouco se conhece sobre paisagens acústicas submarinas no Brasil. Estas paisagens são compostas por sons de origens biológicas, geológicas e as produzidas pelo homem. As paisagens acústicas estão fortemente ligadas à dinâmica dos ecossistemas, mostrando padrões temporais diários e sazonais. Para caracterizar paisagens acústicas é necessário realizar gravações de sons por períodos de tempos prolongados, o que demanda métodos de análise inovadores. Neste sentido, a presente pesquisa visa dois objetivos principais: (1) desenvolver métodos para a análise de gravações acústicas de longa duração, (2) caracterizar a paisagem acústica do litoral do estado de São Paulo. Quatro pontos de coleta foram selecionados para monitoramento acústico passivo: um ponto situado no canal de entrada do Porto de Santos e os outros três em áreas de proteção marinhas (APM) do estado de São Paulo. Como resultado foi obtida a base de dados de sons submarinhos mais extensa dos mares brasileiros. Do ponto de vista da análise destes dados, o presente trabalho baseia-se no cálculo da Densidade Espectral de Potência, Níveis de Pressão Sonora e Espectrogramas, obtendo métodos de análise novedosos a partir técnicas tradicionais. Neste contexto a tese apresenta uma ferramenta para a visualização de dados acústicos e um método para a detecção automática de coros biológicos matutinos e vespertinos. Os resultados obtidos permitiram validar a efetividade dos métodos propostos na descrição e análise de dados acústicos de longa duração. O ambiente acústico nas proximidades do Porto de Santos foi dominado por ruído de embarcações, alcançando valores de níveis sonoros capazes de afetar algumas espécies de peixes e mamíferos marinhos. As paisagens acústicas dos três pontos restantes foram dominadas por coros de peixes e crustáceos, com padrões diários e sazonais (relacionados ao nascer e pôr do sol). O presente trabalho constitui a primeira pesquisa que cataloga coro de peixes e que estabelece uma referência para o estudo do ambiente acústico das regiões monitoradas. Embora os métodos apresentados usaram como estudo de caso dados de sons submarinos, a sua aplicação pode ser estendida para o monitoramento de outros ambientes aquáticos ou terrestres. Por último, a pesquisa mostra aos órgãos ambientais brasileiros que o monitoramento acústico passivo é uma ferramenta eficaz para o manejo e monitoramento de áreas protegidas e pontos de relevância econômica

Análise de dados aplicada às Cidades Inteligentes: reflexões sobre a Região Nordeste do Brasil

As cidades inteligentes, como aposta para a gestão urbana, têm despertado a atenção de pesquisadores e gestores públicos ao redor do mundo. Em 2020, na Região Nordeste do Brasil, 36 municípios estão categorizados como “cidades inteligentes”. Este artigo descreve os métodos usados para analisar, visualizar e discutir algumas informações sobre essas 36 cidades. A utilização de mapas temáticos permitiu demonstrar, numa perspectiva espacial, algumas características desses municípios, e sua associação ao uso de métodos de mineração de dados e a uma perspectiva teórica crítica mostrou-se útil para compreender as dinâmicas territoriais das cidades inteligentes. Ao combinar variáveis das cidades pesquisadas, a análise de componentes principais e o agrupamento hierárquico identificaram automaticamente similaridades e diferenças entre elas. Em comparação com as metrópoles e capitais incluídas neste estudo, e tomando-se como referência a REGIC 2007, os resultados mostram-se úteis para identificar as cidades com potencialidades para melhor promover e/ou abrigar dinâmicas territoriais características de cidades inteligentes, que são: Jaboatão dos Guararapes-PE, Olinda-PE, Igarassu-PE, São Lourenço da Mata-PE, Moreno-PE, Itapissuma-PE, que fazem parte da Região Metropolitana de Recife; e Parnamirim-RN, pertencente à Região Metropolitana de Natal.Smart cities, as a bet for urban management purposes, have attracted the attention of researchers and public managers around the world. In 2020, 36 municipalities are categorized as “smart cities”, in the Brazil’s Nordeste. This article describes the methods used to analyze, visualize, and discuss some variables related to these 36 cities. From a spatial perspective, the use of thematic maps allowed to evince some characteristics of these municipalities. The association of thematic maps with data mining methods and a critical theoretical perspective proved to be useful to understand the territorial dynamics of smart cities. By combining the variables from the studied cities, principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering automatically identified similarities and differences between them. In comparison with the metropolises and capitals included in this study, cities with the conditions to better promote and/or harbor territorial dynamics characteristic of smart cities are: Jaboatão dos Guararapes-PE, Olinda-PE, Igarassu-PE, São Lourenço da Mata-PE, Moreno-PE, Itapissuma-PE, which are part of the Metropolitan Region of Recife; and Parnamirim-RN from the Metropolitan Region of Natal.Les villes intelligentes comme pari pour la gestion urbaine attirent l'attention des chercheurs et des gestionnaires publics du monde entier. En 2020, dans la Région Nord-Est du Brésil, 36 villes ont été classées comme «villes intelligentes». Cet article décrit les méthodes utilisées pour analyser, visualiser et discuter certaines informations sur ces 36 villes. Dans un point de vue spatial, l'utilisation de cartes thématiques a démontré certaines de leurs caractéristiques qui, associées à l'utilisation de méthodes d'exploration de données et à une perspective théorique critique, sont utiles pour comprendre la dynamique territoriale des villes intelligentes.  En combinant les variables des villes étudiées, l'analyse des composantes principales et le regroupement hiérarchique ont permis d'identifier automatiquement les similitudes et les différences entre elles.   En comparaison avec les métropoles et les capitales du Nordeste, les villes présentant les conditions pour mieux promouvoir et/ou abriter les dynamiques territoriales caractéristiques des villes intelligentes sont:  Jaboatão dos Guararapes-PE, Olinda-PE, Igarassu-PE, São Lourenço da Mata-PE, Moreno-PE, Itapissuma-PE, qui font partie de la région métropolitaine de Recife; et Parnamirim-RN, qui appartient à la région métropolitaine de Natal

Análise de dados aplicada às Cidades Inteligentes: reflexões sobre a Região Nordeste do Brasil

Smart cities, as a bet for urban management purposes, have attracted the attention of researchers and public managers around the world. In 2020, 36 municipalities are categorized as “smart cities”, in the Brazil’s Nordeste. This article describes the methods used to analyze, visualize, and discuss some variables related to these 36 cities. From a spatial perspective, the use of thematic maps allowed to evince some characteristics of these municipalities. The association of thematic maps with data mining methods and a critical theoretical perspective proved to be useful to understand the territorial dynamics of smart cities. By combining the variables from the studied cities, principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering automatically identified similarities and differences between them. In comparison with the metropolises and capitals included in this study, cities with the conditions to better promote and/or harbor territorial dynamics characteristic of smart cities are: Jaboatão dos Guararapes-PE, Olinda-PE, Igarassu-PE, São Lourenço da Mata-PE, Moreno-PE, Itapissuma-PE, which are part of the Metropolitan Region of Recife; and Parnamirim-RN from the Metropolitan Region of Natal

Area Triangulation Method for Automatic Detection of Venous Emptying Maneuvers

Abstract Venous refilling time (VRT) can diagnose the presence of venous diseases in lower limbs. In order to calculate VRT it is necessary to determine the End of the Emptying Maneuvers (EEM). First Derivative Method (FDM) can be employed for automatic detection of the EEM, but its sensitivity to artifacts and noise can degrade its performance. In contrast, studies report that Area Triangulation Method (ATM) evinces effectiveness in biosignals point finding. This work compares the exactness of ATM and FDM for recognition of the EEM. The annotations made by 3 trained human observers on 37 photoplethysmography records were used as a reference. Bland-Altman graphics supported the analysis of agreement among human observers and methods, which was complemented with Analysis of variance and Multiple Comparisons statistical tests. Results showed that ATM is more accurate than FDM for automatic detection of the EEM, with statistically significant differences (p-value < 0.01)