Assessment of a diagnostic procedure for the monitoring and control of industrial processes

The definition of “energy efficiency” entails programming, planning and implementation of operational tools and strategies leading to the reduction of energy demand for the same offered services. Among the typical industrial energy uses, the production of compressed air represents certainly an important segment of potential saving. The present work studies the monitoring of the compressed air used for blow moulding of a packaging solution company. The study addresses the monitoring of compressed air line in term of operational and energy variables. The available measured data are used to evaluate the energy performance evolution during a year time. The work tackles the problem with two different approaches based on univariate and multivariate methods. The first method aims at finding a key performance index and a new univariate control chart related to energy/operational parameters to better monitor the performance of the compressed air plant. Besides, the multivariate analysis of the production process is applied in order to analyse the energy efficiency by also considering the multiple variables influencing the whole process itself. Final purposes are identify a new methodology for the production process analysis and evaluate flaws and strengths of these models

Dramatic Indigenization: An Investigation and Analysis of Indigenizing Saskatchewan Drama Curriculum

A current barrier to Indigenizing the current Canadian school system is the lack of knowledge by educators of how to teach using Indigenous ways of knowing in a meaningful and authentic way. The research I have conducted proposes that an already existing curriculum can be Indigenized by taking the established learning outcomes and meeting them using Indigenous ways of knowing and learning. Using the Saskatchewan drama curricula this research first analyzes the currently used drama curriculum in Saskatchewan, and determines how and if it currently teaches with an Indigenous paradigm in mind. This research then develops the ATS (Action/Text/Subtext) framework that determines how to conceptualize drama using Indigenous ways of knowing across grades 10-12 so that the same curriculum outcomes as before are maintained, but are taught through Indigenous paradigm and using Indigenous ways of knowing. The hope of this research is to focus on creating a paradigm shift that moves from the colonial paradigm in which the current drama curriculum has been created, into a paradigm that utilizes Indigenous ways of knowing in order to Indigenize how curriculum is understood and taught within schools

Is facial pattern a predisposing factor for otitis media with effusion in children?

Anormalidades na morfologia craniofacial são associadas à disfunção da tuba auditiva e a otite média com efusão (OME). OBJETIVO: Avaliar a relação entre o padrão facial, direção do crescimento craniofacial e OME em crianças com tonsilas faríngea e palatinas aumentadas (TFPA). CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODOS: Estudo clínico prospectivo em 79 crianças (41 meninos e 38 meninas), com idades de 4 a 10 anos, com TFPA (níveis III e IV de Brodsky). O grupo de estudo foi composto por 40 crianças com OME, enquanto que o grupo controle foi composto por 39 crianças sem OME. Foi realizada análise cefalométrica. RESULTADOS: Não houve correlação entre o padrão facial e a OMS (c 2 = 0,25 p = 0,88). O grupo com OME apresentou Eixo Facial maior (F(1,75) = 3,68 p = 0,05), e uma Altura Facial Inferior menor (F(1, 75) = 3,99 p = 0,05) quando comparados ao grupo controle. CONCLUSÕES: Não houve correlação entre o padrão facial e a OME em crianças com TFPA, ainda que um padrão facial mais horizontal associado à altura facial inferior diminuída foi consistentemente observada. Isto sugere que um posicionamento anormal do tuba auditiva influencia o desenvolvimento da OME em crianças com TFPA.Abnormalities in craniofacial morphology are associated with Eustachian tube dysfunction and otitis media with effusion (OME). AIM: to evaluate the relationship between facial pattern and craniofacial growth direction, and OME in children with enlarged tonsils and adenoids (ETA). METHODS: Clinical prospective survey in 79 children (41 male and 38 female), ranging from 4 to 10 years of age, with tonsil and adenoid enlargement (Brodsky's grades III and IV). Forty children presented with OME (study group) and 39 did not (control group). Cephalometric analysis was used to determine the facial pattern. RESULTS: There was no correlation observed between facial pattern and OME (c 2 = 0.25 p = 0.88). Facial Axis was larger in the OME group (F(1.75) = 3.68 p = 0.05) and the Lower Anterior Facial height was smaller (F(1. 75) = 3.99 p = 0.05) in children with otitis media with effusion. CONCLUSIONS: There was no correlation between OME and facial pattern in children with ETA although a more horizontal facial growth direction, and a smaller lower anterior facial height was observed consistently among subjects in this group. This suggests that abnormal positioning of the eustachian tube influences the development of OME in children with ETA

Hidradenoma masquerading digital ganglion cyst:a rare phenomenon

Introduction: Mucous cyst is the commonest soft tissue tumor in the dorsum of the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) of the finger. We report the first case of a recurring eccrine tumor (nodular hidradenoma), mimicking a mucous/ganglion cyst, on the dorsum of the DIPJ. Case report: A 54 year old man presented with painless, hemispherical, colored swelling on the dorsum of his right middle finger (dominant hand), which appeared to have recurred from a previous surgery. The lesion was excised and operative findings from the medical notes showed the gross appearance to be a soft, white, glistening, smooth-surfaced, myxoid nodule resembling a “ganglion cyst”. Immunohistochemistry showed the tumour to be positive for S100, smooth muscle actin and cytokeratin 7. Ductal differentiation was confirmed by staining for epithelial membrane antigen and carcinoembryonic antigen. The histological features were that of atypical and solid cystic hidradenoma. Discussion: This is the first reported case of this rare tumour presenting as mucous cyst. We conduct a review of the literature of nodular hidradenomas, illustrating the immunohistologic findings in this tumour to emphasise the atypical features.We emphasise the importance of considering hidradenoma in the differential diagnosis of such lesions of the finger, in view of its high recurrence rate and the possibility of malignant transformation

Wheat transcriptome analysis targeting leaf rust resistance-related genes.

ISCB-Latin America 2014. Pôster D03

Segmentation of Lung Tomographic Images Using U-Net Deep Neural Networks

Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) are among the best methods of Artificial Intelligence, especially in computer vision, where convolutional neural networks play an important role. There are numerous architectures of DNNs, but for image processing, U-Net offers great performance in digital processing tasks such as segmentation of organs, tumors, and cells for supporting medical diagnoses. In the present work, an assessment of U-Net models is proposed, for the segmentation of computed tomography of the lung, aiming at comparing networks with different parameters. In this study, the models scored 96% Dice Similarity Coefficient on average, corroborating the high accuracy of the U-Net for segmentation of tomographic images

Genética da resistência de planta adulta à ferrugem da folha em trigo - cultivar Toropi.

Orientadora: Sandra Patussi Brammer

Quality of life in South African Black women with alopecia: A pilot study

BACKGROUND: Alopecia has been shown to have a significant impact on quality of life (QoL), particularly in women. However, there are no data for African populations. This study was conducted to pilot an original questionnaire and a model-based methodology to measure QoL and its determinants in a sample of South African Black women of African ancestry with alopecia. METHODS: Fifty participants aged 21-79 years were randomly chosen from patients presenting to dermatologists with alopecia. We used an original questionnaire consisting of 24 items grouped into those assessing the respective impacts of subjective symptoms, objective signs, and relationship issues, measured on a four-level scale. These were then combined using component-based structural equation modeling to return a QoL index (QLI) and to rank the factors contributing to this. RESULTS: On a scale ranging from 0 (high QoL) to 100 (severely decreased QoL), we found a mean QLI of 67.7. The negative impact of alopecia on QoL was higher in younger patients than older patients. The factors with the highest impact were those relating to the subjective experience of alopecia and self-image (56.3%), followed by those relevant to relationships and interaction with other people (34.8%). The presence of objective symptoms and signs such as pruritus was of minor importance (8.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Although not a life-threatening condition, alopecia may seriously impair QoL, particularly by inducing anxiety and reducing self-esteem among African women. Healthcare practitioners should be mindful of this and intervene appropriately to mitigate these effects