Study on behavioral impedance for route planning techniques from the pedestrian's perspective: Part I - Theoretical contextualization and taxonomy

The interest of researchers for analyzing of best routes and shortest paths allows a continuous technological advance in topological analysis techniques used in the geographic information systems for transportation. One of the topological analysis techniques is the route planning, in which the constraint management must be considered. There have been few studies where the constraint domain for pedestrian in an urban transportation system was clearly stated. Consequently, more studies need to be carried out. The aim of this paper is to provide a theoretical contextualization on identification and management of constraints to ascertain the behavioral impedance domain from the pedestrian perspective. In this part of the research the grounded theory was the research method used to develop the proposed theory. A meta-model was used to (1) define the behavioral domain structure, (2) hold the behavioral data collection and (3) verify the design of the proposed taxonomic tree. The main contribution of this article is the behavioral domain taxonomy from the pedestrian perspective, which will be used to implement a module responsible for the constraint management of an experimental application, named Router. Within this context, the proposed taxonomy could be used to model cost functions more precisely.Postprint (published version

Study on behavioral impedance for route planning techniques from the pedestrian's perspective: some findings and considerations

The multi-disciplinary characteristics of transportation force a new design of geographic information systems, within which these characteristics are considered. In this context, geographic information systems for transportation are the result of the integration of transportation information systems and conventional geographic information systems. An interesting research area in geographic information systems for transportation is constraint management in route planning algorithms from the pedestrian s perspective. Constraint management becomes more complex when route planning takes into account an integrated public transportation network (i.e. a multimodal network). A study on the theoretical contextualization and taxonomy of a pedestrian s behavioral impedance has been developed in order to improve the constraint management from the pedestrian s perspective. This study entails strategies of travel reduction by private transport (e.g. travel by car) through switching to or substitution by alternative public transport (e.g. travel by walk, bus or rail). The grounded theory method has been used to develop the proposed taxonomy. Using the partial results of a questionnaire applied to a reduced group of people from Barcelona as a starting point, important data are being collected to define the mathematical model of the behavioral impedance domain. The goal of this paper is to provide some considerations about theoretical contextualization on identification and management of constraints regarding the behavioral impedance domain from the pedestrian s perspective within the urban public transportation context. The research project where this work is included is composed of six major phases. The first phase represents a continuous bibliographic review. The second phase was a study on sidewalks in the university zone of Barcelona. In this phase, an experimental application has been proposed and the management, map and route modules have been implemented on the ArcInfo GIS package and C++. This paper reports the partial work of the third phase, which is composed of two parts. The first part was a theoretical study on behavioral impedance for route planning techniques, in which taxonomy was proposed. The results of the second part are partially presented in this paper. The fourth (i.e. design and implementation), fifth (i.e. calibration and validation) and sixth (i.e. generalization of the results) phases are characterized by the application of the prototype regarding the multimodal network model for urban public transportation from the pedestrian s perspective. The main contribution of this article is the behavioral impedance taxonomy review from the pedestrian s perspective, which will allow designing a mathematical model and be used to implement a constraint management algorithm. Within this context, the proposed taxonomy could be used to model cost functions more precisely.Postprint (published version

Study on behavioral impedance for route planning techniques from the pedestrian s perspective: Part II - Mathematical approach

The theoretical foundations of the behavioral impedance domain are based on (1) a meta-model composed of analytical and mathematical approaches and (2) a taxonomy on the constraints involved in the decision-making process of a pedestrian during the route selection. The goal of this technical report is to present the mathematical model of the behavioral impedance domain. The partial least squares approach has been used to validate the meta-model analytical approach and develop the proposed mathematical model. This study contributes a mathematical model towards the implementation of behavioral impedance domain in geographic information systems for transportation through a constraint management module.Postprint (published version

A TRANSIÇÃO DO ENSINO MÉDIO PARA A UNIVERSIDADE: UM ESTUDO QUALITATIVO SOBRE OS FATORES QUE INFLUENCIAM ESTE PROCESSO E SUAS POSSÍVEIS CONSEQUÊNCIAS COMPORTAMENTAIS

A entrada na Universidade para muitos jovens é marcada por uma fase de transição caracterizada por diversas mudanças que interferem e influenciam em seu desenvolvimento psicossocial, além do profissional. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo a análise dos fatores que influenciaram na adaptação do aluno, egresso do ensino médio, para a vida universitária. O estudo foi realizado através de entrevistas semi-estrutadas com 8 estudantes pertencentes a diferentes cursos. Os dados foram analisados através da análise de conteúdo e categorizados em dois segmentos: Fatores que Influenciaram na Adaptação e Mudanças Comportamentais. Os resultados indicaram o destaque de quatro categorias para o primeiro bloco – Infra-estrutura, Informação sobre a Universidade e o curso, Fatores Externo à Universidade e Aspectos Organizacionais– e duas categorias para o segundo bloco - Aspectos pessoais e Organização do estudo. O estudo contribui para pontuar as dificuldades encontradas pelos alunos ingressantes no contexto da universidade e proporcionou melhor compreensão sobre a transição acadêmica

A PERCEPÇÃO DAS CONDIÇÕES DE CRESCIMENTO NA UNIVERSIDADE A PARTIR DA PERSPECTIVA DO ALUNO INGRESSANTE

O objetivo deste estudo consiste em analisar e avaliar a percepção de egressos de ensino médio em relação à sua adaptação no ambiente universitário, bem como o de compreender como ocorre esse processo de transição. Com este fim, foi conduzido um estudo qualitativo, utilizando como método entrevistas semiestruturadas. Participaram do estudo 8 estudantes matriculados em diversos cursos de uma instituição de ensino pública federal. Para a análise dos dados utilizou-se a técnica qualitativa de Análise de Conteúdo, a partir da qual foram feitos agrupamentos de categorias semânticas. Observou-se que os aspectos relacionados ao ensino, didática e relação com os professores foram muito relevantes e mostraram ser categorias interdependentes. Embora a inserção em um ambiente diferente fosse potencialmente adversa, encararam tal realidade enquanto oportunidade de crescimento pessoal. No âmbito da percepção sobre condições de crescimento, observou-se que os participantes focaram mais em atividades extracurriculares e curriculares oferecidas pela universidade do que nas políticas afirmativas

Teste de receptores de estrógeno e progesterona em carcinoma de mama: concordância dos resultados entre laboratórios locais e de referência no Brasil

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer accounts for approximately one quarter of all cancers in females. Estrogen and progesterone receptor testing has become an essential part of the clinical evaluation of breast carcinoma patients, and accurate results are critical in identifying patients who may benefit from hormone therapy. The present study had the aim of investigating the concordance of the results from hormone receptor tests between a reference laboratory and local (or community) laboratories in Brazil. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective study at a reference pathology laboratory. METHODS: The concordance in the results from hormone receptor tests between a reference laboratory and 146 local laboratories in Brazil was compared in relation to 500 invasive breast carcinoma cases, using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: There was concordance in 89.4% (447/500 cases) and 85.0% (425/500 cases) of the results from estrogen (&#954; = 0.744, P < 0.001) and progesterone (&#954; = 0.688, P < 0.001) receptor tests, respectively, between local and reference laboratories. This was similar to findings in other countries. The false negative rates from estrogen and progesterone receptor tests in local laboratories were 8.7% and 14.4%, respectively. The false positive rates from estrogen and progesterone receptor tests in local laboratories were 15.5% and 16.0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Technical and result interpretation issues may explain most of the discordances in hormone receptor testing in local laboratories. Validation of estrogen and progesterone receptor tests at local laboratories, with rigorous quality control measures, is strongly recommended in order to avoid erroneous treatment of breast cancer patients.CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: O carcinoma de mama é responsável por cerca de um quarto de todos os cânceres em mulheres. O teste de receptores de estrógeno e progesterona se tornou parte essencial da avaliação clínica de pacientes com carcinoma de mama; assim, resultados precisos são fundamentais para identificação de pacientes que podem se beneficiar da terapia hormonal. O presente estudo tem por objetivo investigar a concordância nos resultados do teste de receptores hormonais entre um laboratório referência e laboratórios locais (ou comunitários) do Brasil. TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL: Estudo retrospectivo em laboratório referência em patologia no Brasil. MÉTODOS: A concordância nos resultados dos testes de receptores hormonais entre um laboratório referência e 146 diferentes laboratórios locais brasileiros foi comparada em 500 casos de carcinoma invasivo de mama através da imunoistoquímica. RESULTADOS: Houve concordância de 89,4% (447/500 casos) e 85,0% (425/500 casos) nos resultados dos testes de receptores de estrógeno (&#954; = 0,744, P < 0,001) e progesterona (&#954; = 0,688, P < 0,001), respectivamente, entre laboratórios locais e referência, similar à descrita em outros países. A taxa de resultados falso-negativos nos testes de receptores de estrógeno e progesterona em laboratórios locais foi de 8,7% e 14,4%, respectivamente. A taxa de resultados falso-positivos nos testes de receptores de estrógeno e progesterona em laboratórios locais foi de 15,5% e 16,0%, respectivamente. CONCLUSÃO: Questões técnicas e de interpretação dos resultados podem explicar a maior parte das discordâncias nos testes de receptores hormonais em laboratórios locais. A validação dos testes de receptores de estrógeno e progesterona pelos laboratórios locais com medidas de controle de qualidade rigorosas é fortemente recomendada de modo a evitar o tratamento errôneo de pacientes com carcinoma de mama

Effect of prebiotic or probiotic supplementation and ileo rectal anastomosis on intestinal morphology of weaned piglets

Forty eight 21 days old piglets were used to compare the effect of prebiotic or probiotic supplementation and ileo rectal anastomosis on the morphology of the small intestine. Half of the piglets were maintained intact and the other half was subjected to an ileo rectal anastomosis (IRA). Each group of piglets received one of the following diets: 1) basal diet (C), 2) basal diet supplemented with a Xylo-oligosaccharide (XOS), 3) basal diet supplemented with a Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) and 4) basal diet supplemented with XOS and SC. Villus height was greatest with XOS and with XOS + SC, only in the ileum, as compared to controls. In the duodenum, crypt width was highest in the control group, but no significant differences were found in the jejunum and ileum. The IRA piglets had longer villi in the jejunum and shorter villi in the ileum. The crypt depth was greater in the duodenum and in the ileum of IRA piglets. Villus height/crypt depth was lower in the duodenum and in the ileum, in the IRA piglets. In conclusion, the XOS, but not the SC, moderately modified the intestinal morphology. The IRA modified the intestinal villus and crypt architecture but its consequence on the absorption of nutrients needs to be investigated

Environment of development and the start of Brazilian women's reproductive life

Modelos teóricos inspirados na teoria da história de vida têm avaliado padrões de reprodução humanos em países desenvolvidos, com resultados ainda não conclusivos. Em vista das condições de vida na população brasileira, foram investigadas relações entre marcos da carreira reprodutiva feminina, condições ambientais e variáveis psicossociais relacionadas às condições de criação. Foram entrevistadas 606 mulheres em seis estados. Os resultados apóiam a teoria da história de vida, mostrando associações entre condições de vida na infância e início da vida sexual e da reprodução, mas não com a idade da menarca. Sugerimos que diferentes marcadores da vida reprodutiva podem estar sob controle de diferentes fenômenos e que a diversidade de condições da população brasileira oferece contextos alternativos para testar hipóteses.Several models inspired by the life history theory have assessed the patterns of human reproduction in developed countries with promising but inconclusive results. Considering the diversity of life conditions in Brazil, we investigated the relationship between the time of main events in female reproductive life, environmental conditions and psychosocial variables related to child-rearing. We interviewed 606 women in six different states in Brazil. Results corroborate the life history theory, showing associations among the investigated factors, especially between life conditions during childhood and the beginning of sexual life and reproduction, but not to sexual maturity. We suggest that landmarks in reproductive life, although related, can be under the influence of several phenomena. Diversity of life conditions in Brazil offers alternative contexts to hypotheses testing

Automatic removal of music tracks from tv programmes

This work pertains to in the research area of sound source separation. It deals with the problem of automatically removing musical segments from TV programmes. The dissertation proposes the utilisation of a pre-existant music recording, easily obtainable from o cially published CDs related to the audiovisual piece, as a reference for the undesired signal. The method is able to automatically detect small segments of the speci c musictrack spread among the whole audio signal of the programme, even if they appear with time-variable gain, or after having su ered linear distortions, such as being processed by equalization lters, or non-linear distortions, such as dynamic range compression. The project developed a quick-search algorithm using audio ngerprint techniques and hash-token data types to lower the algorithm complexity. The work also proposes the utilisation of a Wiener ltering technique to estimate potential equalization lter coe cients and uses a template matching algorithm to estimate time-variable gains to properly scale the musical segments to the correct amplitude they appear in the mixture. The key components of the separation system are presented, and a detailed description of all the algorithms involved is reported. Simulations with arti cial and real TV programme soundtracks are analysed and considerations about new future works are made. Furthermore, given the unique nature of this project, it is possible to say the dissertation is pioneer in the subject, becoming an ideal source of reference for other researchers that want to work in the area.Este trabalho está inserido na área de pesquisa de separação de fontes sonoras. Ele trata do problema de remover automaticamente segmentos de música de programas de TV. A tese propõe a utilização de uma gravação musical pré-existente, facilmente obtida em CDs oficialmente publicados relacionados à obra audiovisual, como referência para o sinal não desejado. O método é capaz de detectar automaticamente pequenos segmentos de uma trilha musical específica espalhados pelo sinal de áudio do programa, mesmo que eles apareçam com um ganho variante no tempo, ou tenham sofrido distorções lineares, como processamento por filtros equalizadores, ou distorções não lineares, como compressão de sua faixa dinâmica. O projeto desenvolveu um algoritmo de busca rápida usando técnicas de impressão digital de áudio e dados do tipo hash-token para diminuir a complexidade. O trabalho também propõe a utilização da técnica de filtragem de Wiener para estimar os coe cientes de um potencial filtro de equalização, e usa um algoritmo de template matching para estimar ganhos variantes no tempo para escalar corretamente os excertos musicais até a amplitude correta com que eles aparecem na mistura. Os componentes-chaves para o sistema de separação são apresentados, e uma descrição detalhada de todos os algoritmos envolvidos é reportada. Simulações com trilhas sonoras artificiais e de programas de TV reais são analisadas e considerações sobre novos trabalhos futuros são feitas. Além disso, dada a natureza única do projeto, é possível dizer que a dissertação é pioneira no assunto, tornando-se uma fonte de referência para outros pesquisadores que queiram trabalhar na área

Controlling mothers, insecure daughters: parental style and adult attachment

There is a proven relationship between adult attachment and parental style, yet the use of Life History Theory, in a “majority of the world” country, with advanced statistical analysis, can bring new results. In view of this, the objective of this study was to identify and relate the perceived parental style of 150 Brazilian women aged 18-45 years. The Relationship Style Scale and the Parental Bonding Instrument were used. Attachment security ranged from 48.0% to 67.9%, which exposes the impact of the type of statistical analysis. Analyses of structural equation models revealed that the maternal control dimension was more important to the attachment style of women, while paternal care and control were both relevant. Life History Theory can explain this result through the influence of maternal control on changes in  female development, which are due to different parental investment, which  influences sexual strategy.There is a proven relationship between adult attachment and parental style, yet the use of Life History Theory, in a “majority of the world” country, with advanced statistical analysis, can bring new results. In view of this, the objective of this study was to identify and relate the perceived parental style of 150 Brazilian women aged 18-45 years. The Relationship Style Scale and the Parental Bonding Instrument were used. Attachment security ranged from 48.0% to 67.9%, which exposes the impact of the type of statistical analysis. Analyses of structural equation models revealed that the maternal control dimension was more important to the attachment style of women, while paternal care and control were both relevant. Life History Theory can explain this result through the influence of maternal control on changes in female development, which are due to different parental investment, which influences sexual strategy