Application of the Ring Theory in the Segmentation of Digital Images

Ring theory is one of the branches of the abstract algebra that has been broadly used in images. However, ring theory has not been very related with image segmentation. In this paper, we propose a new index of similarity among images using Zn rings and the entropy function. This new index was applied as a new stopping criterion to the Mean Shift Iterative Algorithm with the goal to reach a better segmentation. An analysis on the performance of the algorithm with this new stopping criterion is carried out. The obtained results proved that the new index is a suitable tool to compare images.Comment: Very interesting new index to compute the similarity among images. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1306.262

Convergence among EU Regions (1990-2001): Quality of National Institutions and "Objective 1" Status

This article focuses on convergence in terms of output per working-age person across regions in the European Union for the period 1990-2001. Controlling for the quality of national institutions, we investigate whether the status of “objective 1” region improves the speed of convergence as compared to what would be expected, given the regions’ initial conditions. We find evidence of conditional convergence among EU regions, with the quality of national institutions having a positive impact, but no evidence on a correlation between the eligibility for objective 1 and faster convergence.Convergence, economic growth, European Union, institutions

Territorial dynamics in the city of Rio de Janeiro: asphalt invades o morro

The objective of this research is to analyze the recent transformations in the psychosocial processes of occupation of Rio de Janeiro‟s morros, where nearly 1 500 000 people inhabit, 22% of carioca population, in conditions qualified by the federal government as “abnormal settlements”. These places appeared in XVII century when the recent liberated slaves find in the morro as their only alternative of territorial occupation not prohibited by dominant classes, and defined a negative charge since their origins as places of sociospatial segregation. Some of these locations were occupied by narcotrafic during one hundred years, increasing social segregation. Public forces recently installed police units as units of pacification as a proposal for disarticulating the gangs controlling the territory, and as a policy of sociospatial revalorization. As a consequence, favelas has been transformed into touristic points receiving „asphalt visitors‟, in an apparently superation of differences. I discuss the political reality of this supposed integration.A pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar transformações recentes nos processos psicossociais de ocupação dos morros da cidade do Rio de Janeiro, onde habitam cerca de 1.500.000 de pessoas, 22% da população carioca, em condições denominados pelo governo federal de “assentamentos subnormais”. Esses locais surgiram no século XVIII quando os escravos recém-libertos viram no morro a única alternativa de ocupação permitida pelas classes dominantes, e trazem desde sua origem, uma carga negativa, como um lugar de exclusão socioespacial. Ao longo de um século, alguns destes locais foram ocupados pelo narcotráfico, aumentando a segregação social daquela população. Recentemente o poder público instalou postos de policiamento em unidades de políticas pacificadoras, como proposta de desarticulação das quadrilhas que controlavam os territórios, e como política de revalorização socioespacial. Como consequência, as favelas têm se transformado em pontos turísticos recebendo “visitantes do asfalto”, numa aparente superação das diferenças. Discutimos a realidade política desta suposta integração

Avaliação dos testes biofísicos na predição da vitalidade fetal em gestantes acima de 41 semanas.

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Tocoginecologia, Curso de Medicina, Florianópolis, 200

Stopping Criterion for the Mean Shift Iterative Algorithm

Image segmentation is a critical step in computer vision tasks constituting an essential issue for pattern recognition and visual interpretation. In this paper, we propose a new stopping criterion for the mean shift iterative algorithm by using images defined in Zn ring, with the goal of reaching a better segmentation. We carried out also a study on the weak and strong of equivalence classes between two images. An analysis on the convergence with this new stopping criterion is carried out too.Comment: Have 8 pages. Is the first version of the more general pape

The compliance function in banking: perspective and future in the age of globalization

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and EconomicsEthically correct business decisions and the respect for applicable laws and regulations have become in demand for regulators and supervisors, but especially for the general public. For those behaviors to happen, compliance culture is an essential requirement. Through survey research, we prove the existence of a relationship between the workers’ level of compliance culture and their hierarchical position, which may indicate communication problems between hierarchies. This area is also given a comprehensive outlook, as the globalization process combined with financial regulatory reforms lead multinational corporations to a more challenging equilibrium between their compliance departments’ actions and budgets