Edge Detection by Adaptive Splitting

In this paper we propose an algorithm (EDAS-d) to approximate the jump discontinuity set of functions defined on subsets of ℝ ^d . We have limited our study to the 1D (EDAS-1) and 2D (EDAS-2) versions of the algorithm. Theoretical and computational results prove its effectiveness in the case of piecewise continuous 1D functions and piecewise constant 2D functions. The algorithm is based on adaptive splitting of the domain of the function guided by the value of an average integral. EDAS-d exhibits a number of attractive features: accurate determination of the jump points, fast processing, absence of oscillatory behavior, precise determination of the magnitude of the jumps, and ability to differentiate between real jumps (discontinuities) and steep gradients. Moreover, low-dimensional versions of EDAS-d can be used for solving higher dimensional problems. Computational experiments also show that EDAS-d can be applied to solve some problems involving general piecewise continuous functions. EDAS-1 and EDAS-2 have been used to determine edges in 2D-images. The results are quite satisfactory for practical purposes.     

A simulation analysis of the detectability of understory burns in miombo woodlands

The miombo woodlands of southern Africa are one of the most extensively burned biomes in the tropics. The detectability of understory burns in these woodlands was assessed with a sensitivity analysis approach, based on a hybrid geometrical-optical radiative transfer model. Model input data were obtained from a variety of sources, including field biometry and spectroradiometry, and satellite data. The effects of variable tree percent cover, leaf area index, stand density, burn scar age, illumination and observation geometry, and spectral region, were taken into account. Detectability of understory burns was defined as the spectral separability of burned and unburned understory, measured with the Jeffries-Matusita distance, for all possible combinations of the green, red, and near-infrared channels of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) sensor. Single channels, or pairwise combinations of channels perform poorly at detecting understory burns, but a large improvement in detectability is obtained for the combination of the three spectral domains. The detectability of understory burns is largely insensitive to the effects of stand structure and illumination/observation geometry, and depends primarily on burn scar age. Our results agree with those of previous satellite-based studies of burns scar detectability in African savanna woodlands.     

Damp trend Grey Model forecasting method for airline industry

This paper presents a modification of the Grey Model (GM) to forecast routes passenger demand growth in the air transportation industry. Forecast methods like Holt-Winters, autoregressive models, exponential smoothing, neural network, fuzzy logic, GM model calculate very high airlines routes pax growth. For this reason, a modification has been done to the GM model to damp trend calculations as time grows. The simulation results show that the modified GM model reduces the model exponential estimations grow. It allows the GM model to forecast reasonable routes passenger demand for long lead-times forecasts. It makes this model an option to calculate airlines routes pax flow when few data points are available.The United States domestic air transport market data are used to compare the performance of the GM model with the proposed model.     

An efficient omnidirectional vision system for soccer robots: From calibration to object detection

Robotic soccer is nowadays a popular research domain in the area of multi-robot systems. In the context of RoboCup, the Middle Size League is one of the most challenging. This paper presents an efficient omnidirectional vision system for real-time object detection, developed for the robotic soccer team of the University of Aveiro, CAMBADA. The vision system is used to find the ball and white lines, which are used for self-localization, as well as to find the presence of obstacles. Algorithms for detecting these objects and also for calibrating most of the parameters of the vision system are presented in this paper. We also propose an efficient approach for detecting arbitrary FIFA balls, which is an important topic of research in the Middle Size League. The experimental results that we present show the effectiveness of our algorithms, both in terms of accuracy and processing time, as well as the results that the team has been achieving: 1st place in RoboCup 2008, 3rd place in 2009 and 1st place in the mandatory technical challenge in RoboCup 2009, where the robots have to play with an arbitrary standard FIFA ball.     

Contested landscapes: territorial conflicts and the production of different ruralities in Brazil

ABSTRACT

From the perspective of Brazilian agrarian geography, the conflicts generated by land tenure disputes have as protagonists the families of the Landless Workers’ Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra), traditional landowners, and agribusiness corporations. In this article, we present a reflection on land conflicts and the spatial and territorial production of latifundia, peasant smallholders, and large-scale agribusiness through studies of the landscapes of two municipalities in the state of São Paulo. Among the various tools for analysing territorial disputes, Google Earth can be used for local, regional, and international comparative studies of how landscapes have been transformed. Informed by traditional research, the article analyses a diversity of photographs, from satellite to field shots, as evidence of landscapes that express conflicting social relations in disputes over different models of social and territorial development.     

Cellular and Molecular Signatures of Oxidative Stress in Bronchial Epithelial Cell Models Injured by Cigarette Smoke Extract

Exposure of the airways epithelium to environmental insults, including cigarette smoke, results in increased oxidative stress due to unbalance between oxidants and antioxidants in favor of oxidants. Oxidative stress is a feature of inflammation and promotes the progression of chronic lung diseases, including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Increased oxidative stress leads to exhaustion of antioxidant defenses, alterations in autophagy/mitophagy and cell survival regulatory mechanisms, thus promoting cell senescence. All these events are amplified by the increase of inflammation driven by oxidative stress. Several models of bronchial epithelial cells are used to study the molecular mechanisms and the cellular functions altered by cigarette smoke extract (CSE) exposure, and to test the efficacy of molecules with antioxidant properties. This review offers a comprehensive synthesis of human in-vitro and ex-vivo studies published from 2011 to 2021 describing the molecular and cellular mechanisms evoked by CSE exposure in bronchial epithelial cells, the most used experimental models and the mechanisms of action of cellular antioxidants systems as well as natural and synthetic antioxidant compounds.     

Human Intestinal Dendritic Cells in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is a serious, costly, and persistent health problem with an estimated prevalence in Western countries around 0.5% of the general population; its socioeconomic impact is comparable with that for chronic diseases such as diabetes. Conventional treatment involves escalating drug regimens with concomitant side effects followed, in some cases, by surgical interventions, which are often multiple, mainly in Crohn's disease. The goal of finding a targeted gut‐specific immunotherapy for IBD patients is therefore an important unmet need. However, to achieve this goal we first must understand how dendritic cells (DC), the most potent antigen present cells of the immune system, control the immune tolerance in the gastrointestinal tract and how their properties are altered in those patients suffering from IBD. In this review, we summarize the current available information regarding human intestinal DC subsets composition, phenotype, and function in the human gastrointestinal tract describing how, in the IBD mucosa, DC display pro‐inflammatory properties, which drive disease progression. A better understanding of the mechanisms inducing DC abnormal profile in IBD may provide us with novel tools to perform tissue specific immunomodulation.