Fuzzy logic as a decision-making support system for the indication of bariatric surgery based on an index (OBESINDEX) generated by the association between body fat and body mass index

Background: A Fuzzy Obesity Index (OBESINDEX) for use as an alternative in bariatric surgery indication (BSI) is presented. The search for a more accurate method to evaluate obesity and to indicate a better treatment is important in the world health context. BMI (body mass index) is considered the main criteria for obesity treatment and BSI. Nevertheless, the fat excess related to the percentage of Body Fat (%BF) is actually the principal harmful factor in obesity disease that is usually neglected. This paper presents a new fuzzy mechanism for evaluating obesity by associating BMI with %BF that yields a fuzzy obesity index for obesity evaluation and treatment and allows building up a Fuzzy Decision Support System (FDSS) for BSI.

Methods: Seventy-two patients were evaluated for both BMI and %BF. These data are modified and treated as fuzzy sets. Afterwards, the BMI and %BF classes are aggregated yielding a new index (OBESINDEX) for input linguistic variable are considered the BMI and %BF, and as output linguistic variable is employed the OBESINDEX, an obesity classification with entirely new classes of obesity in the fuzzy context as well is used for BSI.

Results: There is a gradual, smooth obesity classification and BSI when using the proposed fuzzy obesity index when compared with other traditional methods for dealing with obesity.

Conclusion: The BMI is not adequate for surgical indication in all the conditions and fuzzy logic becomes an alternative for decision making in bariatric surgery indication based on the OBESINDEX

Multilocus sequence types of invasive Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolated in the Rio de Janeiro urban area, Brazil

Invasive infections caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae in vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals have been reported increasingly. In this study we used multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to study genetic relationships between six invasive strains of this bacterium isolated solely in the urban area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during a 10-year period. Of note, all the strains rendered negative results in PCR reactions for the tox gene, and four strains presented an atypical sucrose-fermenting ability. Five strains represented new sequence types. MLST results did not support the hypothesis that invasive (sucrose-positive) strains of C. diphtheriae are part of a single clonal complex. Instead, one of the main findings of the study was that such strains can be normally found in clonal complexes with strains related to non-invasive disease. Comparative analyses with C. diphtheriae isolated in different countries provided further information on the geographical circulation of some sequence types

Conservação pós-colheita de goiaba Paluma sob atmosfera modificada e refrigeração.

O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a eficiência do emprego da AM, através de filme de polietileno de baixa densidade (PEBD), em goiaba Paluma, durante o armazenamento refrigerado

Evolução de indicadores do ponto de colheita em manga "Tommy Atkins" durante o crescimento e a maturação, nas condições do Vale do São Francisco, Brasil.

Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, caracterizar a evolução dos principais indicadores do ponto de colheita sugeridos para a manga (Mangifera indica L.), durante o crescimento e a maturação de frutos da cultivar Tommy Atkins, nas condições do Vale do São Francisco. Por ocasião da frutificação, foram selecionadas quarenta e oito plantas, distribuídas uniformemente em quatro fileiras de plantio de um pomar comercial. Nessas plantas, foram marcados seiscentos frutos, no estádio de desenvolvimento denominado ?ovo? (40 mm de diâmetro), o que foi verificado aos 52 dias após a frutificação (daf). Periodicamente, até o completo amadurecimento na planta, foram coletadas amostras desses frutos, correspondentes à idade, aos 52, 64, 72, 83, 92, 99, 106, 113, 120, 125, 128, 133 e 139 daf. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, com 13 tratamentos (idade dos frutos) e quatro repetições constituídas por dez frutos. As mudanças ocorridas na coloração a partir de 99 daf e na firmeza da polpa foram os indicadores que melhor delimitaram o início da maturação das mangas, devendo ser acompanhados por meio de amostragem da área. As mudanças na acidez titulável e nos teores de sólidos solúveis (SS) e de carotenóides totais da polpa também foram indicativas da evolução da maturação. A polpa da manga madura apresentou o máximo teor de SS e teores de ácido ascórbico e de carotenóides totais inferiores aos dos frutos no início da maturação

Pressure effect in the X-ray intrinsic position resolution in noble gases and mixtures

A study of the gas pressure effect in the position resolution of an interacting X- or gamma-ray photon in a gas medium is performed. The intrinsic position resolution for pure noble gases (Argon and Xenon) and their mixtures with CO2 and CH4 were calculated for several gas pressures (1-10bar) and for photon energies between 5.4 and 60.0 keV, being possible to establish a linear match between the intrinsic position resolution and the inverse of the gas pressure in that energy range. In order to evaluate the quality of the method here described, a comparison between the available experimental data and the calculated one in this work, is done and discussed. In the majority of the cases, a strong agreement is observed

Conservação pós-colheita de goiaba Paluma sob atmosfera modificada em temperatura ambiente.

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a conservação pós-colheita de goiabas Paluma sob atmosfera modificada (AM), através de filme de polietileno de baixa densidade (PEBD), em temperatura ambiente (24,8±1,0ºC e 48±11% UR). A goiaba Paluma pôde ser mantida sob AM durante 3 ou 5 dias sem prejuízo do metabolismo respiratório aeróbico e da qualidade