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Showing papers by "Universidade de Pernambuco published in 2011"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The main challenges inherent to the resource allocation process particular to distributed clouds are highlighted and categorized, offering a stepwise view of this process that covers the initial modeling phase through to the optimization phase.
Abstract: In a cloud computing environment, dynamic resource allocation and reallocation are keys for accommodating unpredictable demands and, ultimately, contribute to investment return. This article discusses this process in the context of distributed clouds, which are seen as systems where application developers can selectively lease geographically distributed resources. This article highlights and categorizes the main challenges inherent to the resource allocation process particular to distributed clouds, offering a stepwise view of this process that covers the initial modeling phase through to the optimization phase.

214 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
18 Apr 2011-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: Generally, viruses and atypical bacteria were detected in all severities and clinical manifestations of ARI but RSV and Mpp were associated with more severe cases of bronchiolitis and pneumonia respectively.
Abstract: Background Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. This study aimed to determine the viral and atypical bacterial causes of different severities and clinical manifestations of ARI in preschool children from low-income families in North-East Brazil. Methods Clinical/demographic data and nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) were prospectively collected from children <5 years presenting with ARI over one year to a paediatric A&E department. Disease severity was grouped according to presence of lower respiratory tract signs, need for hospital admission and need for oxygen. Clinical manifestation of ARI was based on discharge diagnosis from hospital with four conditions predominating: bronchiolitis, pneumonia, episodic viral wheeze/asthma and upper respiratory tract infection. Multiplex PCR was used to detect 17 common respiratory viral and atypical bacterial pathogens in NPA. Findings 407 children with a median age of eight months were recruited. Pathogens were detected in 85·5% samples with co-infection being particularly common (39·5%). Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV; 37%), Adenoviruses (AdV; 25%), Rhinoviruses (hRV; 19%), Bocavirus (hBoV; 19%), human Meta-pneumovirus (hMPV; 10%) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mpp; 10%) were most prevalent. Detection and co-infection rates were similar in all severities and clinical manifestations of ARI apart from RSV, which was associated with more severe disease and specifically more severe cases of bronchiolitis, and Mpp, which was associated with more severe cases of pneumonia. Mpp was detected in 17% of children admitted to hospital with pneumonia. Interpretation This study underlines the importance of viral and atypical bacterial pathogens in ARI in pre-school children and highlights the complex epidemiology of these pathogens in this age group. Generally, viruses and atypical bacteria were detected in all severities and clinical manifestations of ARI but RSV and Mpp were associated with more severe cases of bronchiolitis and pneumonia respectively.

174 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This study offers the first high-level evidence that RALRP provides significantly better EF recovery than LRP without hindering the oncologic radicality of the procedure.

172 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A modified Z-source inverter with specific modulation techniques is proposed to reduce leakage currents in three-phase transformerless photovoltaic (PV) systems and results are obtained to validate the theoretical and simulation models.
Abstract: In this paper, a modified Z-source inverter (ZSI) with specific modulation techniques is proposed to reduce leakage currents in three-phase transformerless photovoltaic (PV) systems. The new topology only requires an additional fast-recovery diode when compared with the original structure. On the other hand, the pulsewidth modulation technique is entirely modified in order to reduce the leakage currents through the conduction path. Simulation results for the three-phase transformerless PV system operating in two cases, i.e., connected to a grid and connected to a grounded RL load, are presented. Experimental results of leakage currents in three-phase ZSIs connected to a RL load are obtained to validate the theoretical and simulation models.

155 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The association of aerobic and resistance exercises in the same training session did not potentiate post-exercise hypotension, and increased cardiac sympathetic activation during the recovery period.
Abstract: Concurrent training is recommended for health improvement, but its acute effects on cardiovascular function are not well established. This study analyzed hemodynamics and autonomic modulation after a single session of aerobic (A), resistance (R), and concurrent (A + R) exercises. Twenty healthy subjects randomly underwent four sessions: control (C:30 min of rest), aerobic (A:30 min, cycle ergometer, 75% of VO2 peak), resistance (R:6 exercises, 3 sets, 20 repetitions, 50% of 1 RM), and concurrent (AR: A + R). Before and after the interventions, blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), cardiac output (CO), and HR variability were measured. Systolic BP decreased after all the exercises, and the greatest decreases were observed after the A and AR sessions (−13 ± 1 and −11 ± 1 mmHg, respectively, P < 0.05). Diastolic BP decreased similarly after all the exercises, and this decrease lasted longer after the A session. CO also decreased similarly after the exercises, while systemic vascular resistance increased after the R and AR sessions in the recovery period (+4.0 ± 1.7 and +6.3 ± 1.9 U, respectively, P < 0.05). Stroke volume decreased, while HR increased after the exercises, and the greatest responses were observed after the AR session (SV, A = −14.6 ± 3.6, R = −22.4 ± 3.5 and AR = −23.4 ± 2.4 ml; HR, A =+13 ± 2, R =+15 ± 2 vs. AR =+20 ± 2 bpm, P < 0.05). Cardiac sympathovagal balance increased after the exercises, and the greatest increase was observed after the AR session (A = +0.7 ± 0.8, R = +1.0 ± 0.8 vs. AR = +1.2 ± 0.8, P < 0.05). In conclusion, the association of aerobic and resistance exercises in the same training session did not potentiate post-exercise hypotension, and increased cardiac sympathetic activation during the recovery period.

134 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a method oriented to carry out a stable intentional disconnection/reconnection of local grids from the main electrical network under grid-fault conditions.
Abstract: The high penetration of distributed generation power plants, based on renewable energy sources (RESs), is boosting the connection of power converters to the electrical network. This generation concept would permit to form local networks, microgrids, when the main grid falls due to any kind of contingency in the network. However, the connection and disconnection of these local networks may give rise to undesired transient overcurrents that should be avoided. In order to solve this drawback, this paper presents a method oriented to carry out a stable intentional disconnection/reconnection of local grids from the main electrical network under grid-fault conditions. This control method has been implemented in a grid-connected power converter that acts as an intelligent connection agent (ICA) and adapts its operation mode according to its connection state. The proposed control also manages the operation of a controlled switch, which is responsible of disconnecting/reconnecting the microgrid from the mains. In this paper, the behavior of the ICA under transient conditions will be discussed, and finally, its simulated and experimental performance will be shown.

127 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results of the present study suggest that the reliability of the 1RM test is influenced by the subject's previous experience in resistance training.
Abstract: The 1-repetition maximum test (1RM) has been widely used to assess maximal strength However, to improve accuracy in assessing maximal strength, several sessions of the 1RM test are recommended The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of previous resistance training experience on the reliability of 1RM test Thirty men were assigned to the following 2 groups according to their previous resistance training experience: no previous resistance training experience (NOEXP) and more than 24 months of resistance training experience (EXP) All subjects performed the 1RM tests in bench press and squat in 4 sessions on distinct days There was a significant session × group effect in bench press (F = 309; p < 003) and squat (F = 276; p < 005) showing that only the NOEXP increased maximal strength between the sessions Significant increases (p < 005) in maximal strength occurred in the NOEXP between session 1 and the other sessions in bench press (session 1 vs 2 = +38%; session 1 vs 3 = +74%; session 1 vs 4 = +101%), and squat (session 1 vs 2 = +76%; session 1 vs 3 = +101%; session 1 vs 4 = +112%) Moreover, in bench press, maximal strength in sessions 3 and 4 were significantly higher than in session 2 The results of the present study suggest that the reliability of the 1RM test is influenced by the subject's previous experience in resistance training Subjects without experience in resistance training require more practice and familiarization and show greater increases in maximal strength between sessions than subjects with previous experience in resistance training

124 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The aim of this work was to analyse the coagulant and antibacterial activities of lectin isolated from Moringa oleifera seeds that are used for water treatment.
Abstract: Aims: The aim of this work was to analyse the coagulant and antibacterial activities of lectin isolated from Moringa oleifera seeds that are used for water treatment. Methods and Results: The water-soluble M. oleifera lectin (WSMoL) was separated from nonhemagglutinating components (NHC) by chitin chromatography. WSMoL fluorescence spectrum was not altered in the presence of ions that are often present in high concentrations in polluted waters. Seed extract, NHC and WSMoL showed coagulant activity on a turbid water model. Both NHC and WSMoL reduced the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, but only WSMoL caused a reduction in Escherichia coli. WSMoL was also more effective in reducing the growth of ambient lake water bacteria. Conclusions: Data obtained from this study indicate that WSMoL is a potential natural biocoagulant for water, reducing turbidity, suspended solids and bacteria. Significance and Impact of the Study: Moringa oleifera seeds are a material effective in the treatment of water.

120 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that both teriparatide and strontium ranelate had a rapid bone anabolic effect on unhealed atypical fractures associated with chronic bisphosphonate use.
Abstract: Context: Atypical femoral fractures have rarely been reported in women taking bisphosphonates, but this is still a controversial issue. Data are derived mainly from observation studies because a post hoc analysis from a randomized clinical trial did not find any such association. Objective: The aim of this study was to report three cases of what are considered atypical femoral fractures and their responses to the use of strontium ranelate and teriparatide. Patients: We studied three postmenopausal women with a diagnosis of osteoporosis who suffered fractures of the subtrochanteric region and femoral diaphysis with no major trauma while on long-term use of bisphosphonates. Results: All the major features of atypical femoral fractures highlighted in the Task Force Report of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research were present in the three cases. They had had unconsolidated fractures for approximately 1 yr before being referred to our center. After 3 months on strontium ranelate 2 g/d, serum osteo...

90 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A high prevalence of osteoporosis and vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus, irrespective of blood glucose control, was found, and these conditions were more frequent in long-standing disease and in patients with retinopathy and impaired renal function.
Abstract: Controversial data suggest that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have an increased risk of fractures despite having, in some studies, higher bone mineral density. Methods The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of osteoporosis and morphometric vertebral fractures in 148 postmenopausal diabetic women, aged 61.87±7.85 years, and their relationship with clinical and metabolic factors and chronic complications of the disease. Results The prevalence of osteoporosis was 30.4% at lumbar spine (LS) and 9.5% at femoral neck (FN). The prevalence of vertebral fractures was 23%, mostly mild and located at the thoracic spine. Patients with fractures were older ( P P =.005), had lower creatinine clearance ( P =.026) had and lower bone mineral density at LS ( P =.01) and FN ( P =.042). The frequency of fractures increased with age ( P P =.037) and with the presence of retinopathy ( P =.030). In patients with fractures, the prevalence of osteoporosis increased to 40% at LS ( P =.004) and to 35.7% at FN ( P =.049). After logistic regression adjustment, it was observed that the likelihood of presenting vertebral fractures was significantly increased at the age of 60 years or older ( P P =.006), irrespective of blood glucose control. Conclusion We found a high prevalence of osteoporosis and vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus, irrespective of blood glucose control, and these conditions were more frequent in long-standing disease and in patients with retinopathy and impaired renal function.

86 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In vitro the efficacy of a novel at-home bleaching technique using 10% or 16% carbamide peroxide modified by casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate and its influence on the microhardness of bleached enamel was evaluated and all of the bleaching agents were effective at whitening the teeth.
Abstract: This study was designed to evaluate in vitro the efficacy of a novel at-home bleaching technique using 10% or 16% carbamide peroxide modified by casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) and its influence on the microhardness of bleached enamel. A total of 40 bovine incisors were divided into four groups (n=10) according to the bleaching agent used: 10% carbamide peroxide only; a blend of 10% carbamide peroxide and a CPP-ACP paste; 16% carbamide peroxide only; and a blend of 16% carbamide peroxide and a CPP-ACP paste. During the 14-day bleaching regimen, the samples were stored in artificial saliva. The Vickers microhardness and color of the teeth were assessed at baseline (T0) and immediately after the bleaching regimen (T14) using a microhardness tester and a spectrophotometer, respectively. The degree of color change was determined by the Commission Internationale de l'Eclariage (CIE) L*a*b* system (ΔE, ΔL*, Δa*, and Δb*) and Vita shade guide parameters. The data were analyzed by analysis of variance and the Tukey test (p<0.05). The teeth that were bleached with a blend of peroxide (10% or 16%) and the CPP-ACP paste presented increased microhardness values at T14 compared with T0, whereas the samples that were bleached with peroxide only did not show any differences in their microhardness values. All of the bleaching agents were effective at whitening the teeth and did not show a statistically significant difference using the CIEL*a*b* system (ΔE, ΔL*, Δa*, and Δb*) or the Vita shade guide parameters. The use of a CPP-ACP paste with carbamide peroxide bleaching agents increased the bleached enamel's microhardness and did not have an influence on whitening efficacy.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Many factors contribute to surgical difficulty, but considering these factors individually, some are only determinants of either difficulty or complications, Thus, not all significant predictors of surgical difficulty should be considered indicators of complications.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This study identified the following independent risk factors for mediastinitis after CABG: obesity, diabetes, smoking, use of pedicled ITA and on-pump CABGs.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Mediastinitis is a serious complication of median sternotomy and is associated to significant morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to identify risk factors for mediastinitis in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), without the use of bilateral internal thoracic artery (ITA), at the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery of Pronto Socorro Cardiologico de Pernambuco - PROCAPE. METHODS: A retrospective study of 500 consecutive patients operated on between May 2007 and April 2010. Ten preoperative variables, seven intraoperative variables and seven postoperative variables possibly involved in the development of postoperative mediastinitis were evaluated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: The incidence of mediastinitis was 5.6% (n=28), with a lethality rate of 32.1% (n=9). In multivariate analysis using logistic regression, five variables remained as independent risk factors: obesity (OR 2.60, 95% CI 1.11 to 6.68), diabetes (OR 2.71, 95% CI 1.18 to 6.65), smoking (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.12 to 4.67), use of pedicled internal thoracic artery (OR 5.17, 95% CI 1.45 to 18.42) and on-pump CABG (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.14 to 5.85). CONCLUSION: This study identified the following independent risk factors for mediastinitis after CABG: obesity, diabetes, smoking, use of pedicled ITA and on-pump CABG.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The variables found to be associated factors in the present study for the occurrence of non-nutritive sucking habits and anterior open bite emphasize the need to establish strategies that include orientation regarding health promotion based on the “common determining factors” approach.
Abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of non-nutritive sucking habits and anterior open bite as well as their main causes (associated factors) in Brazilian children aged 30-59 months. A cross-sectional study was carried out during the National Immunization Day for polio in the city of Recife in the northeastern region of Brazil. The sample was made up of 1,308 children. Data were collected from interviews with mothers or guardians as well as from clinical examinations carried out by previously trained dental students. The chi-square test was used for statistical analysis at 5% significance level. The prevalence of non-nutritive sucking habits was 40%, and the habits were associated with gender (p=0.001), age (p=0.003) and feeding type (p<0.001). Anterior open bite was detected in 30.4% of children, and it was significantly associated with feeding type (p<0.001) and non-nutritive sucking habits (p<0.001). The variables found to be associated factors in the present study for the occurrence of non-nutritive sucking habits and anterior open bite emphasize the need to establish strategies that include orientation regarding health promotion based on the “common determining factors” approach. Public health policies should be adopted to encourage a longer duration of breastfeeding, thereby contributing towards reducing the prevalence of non-nutritive sucking habits and anterior open bite.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The notion that depressed OCD patients present more severe general psychopathology is supported, as well as the prevalence rates of current and lifetime major depressive disorder and lifetime MDD were similar for both sexes in this study.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The higher intensity of resistance exercise for trunk and upper limbs promoted, in an acute manner, greater increase in cardiac sympathovagal balance after exercise.
Abstract: Background: Cardiac sympathovagal balance is altered after resistance exercise. However, the impact of the characteristics of resistance training in this response remains unclear.Objective: Analyze the acute effect of resistance exercise intensity for trunk and upper limbs in cardiac autonomic modulation after exercise.Methods: Fifteen young men performed three experimental sessions in random order: control (C), resistance exercise with 50% of 1-RM (E50%) and resistance exercise with 70% of 1-RM (E70%). The sessions included 05 exercises for the trunk and upper limbs performed in three sets of 12, 9 and 6 repetitions, respectively. Before and at 20 and 50 minutes after the interventions, the heart rate was measured for spectral analysis of variability.Results: In comparison to the values before the intervention, the RR interval and the band of high frequency (HF) increased (major changes: + 112 ± 83 ms; +10 ± 11 un, respectively, p 0.05). Compared to pre-exercise values, the RR interval and the HF band decreased (major changes: -69 ± 105 ms; -13 ± 14 un, respectively, p < 0.01), while the LF band and the LF/HF ratio increased (major changes: -13 ± 14 un, 13 ± 3 14 ± 3 and un, respectively, p < 0.01) after E70%.Conclusion: The higher intensity of resistance exercise for trunk and upper limbs promoted, in an acute manner, greater increase in cardiac sympathovagal balance after exercise. (Arq Bras Cardiol. 2011; [online].ahead print, PP.0-0)Keywords: Exercise; physical exertion; autonomic nervous system; sympathetic nervous system.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Independently of the method used, reduced polymerization shrinkage was found for silorane resin-based composite and the ranking of the resins was very similar with Filtek P90 presenting the lowest shrinkage values.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Data from this study suggest that NPHPT has a diverse phenotypic presentation, implying that this may not be an "indolent" disease.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of normocalcemic primary hyperparathyroidism (NPHPT) in patients seen for osteoporosis evaluation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We examined the records of 156 women who came to the hospital to be screened for osteoporosis. Measurements of total calcium, PTH, 25-hydroxy vitamin D, and β-C-telopeptide were recorded. Bone mineral density and T-scores were evaluated by densitometry of the lumbar spine, femoral neck and distal one-third of the radius. The latter was only measured in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. Nephrolithiasis and bone fractures were documented by a review of the medical records. RESULTS: We identified 14 patients with NPHPT, accounting for 8.9% of the population studied. In the medical records, the occurrence of kidney stones was reported in 28.6% of the patients with NPHPT, in contrast with only 0.7% of the noncarriers. Regarding the presence of general fractures, 21.4% of the patients with NPHPT were affected versus 16.2% of noncarriers. CONCLUSION: Data from our study suggest that NPHPT has a diverse phenotypic presentation, implying that this may not be an "indolent" disease.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Concluimos that existe a necessidade of maiores incentivos institucionais e politicos, de forma a permitir that o enfermeiro exerca a profissao com mais autonomia.
Abstract: O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar o conhecimento dos enfermeiros sobre a Sistematizacao da Assistencia de Enfermagem (SAE) em um hospital de grande porte em Recife, Pernambuco. Realizou-se um estudo descritivo, exploratorio e quantitativo. A populacao foi composta de 107 enfermeiros assistenciais com amostra de 73 (68%). A coleta de dados foi realizada em junho de 2008, atraves de um questionario semiestruturado preenchido pelos sujeitos. Verificamos que 50 (69%) nao tinham conhecimentos sobre a SAE e especialmente sobre os diagnosticos de enfermagem. Constatamos ausencia de formularios na maioria das unidades de internacao. Os enfermeiros justificaram diversas razoes para nao trabalharem com a SAE, dentre elas, a sobrecarga de trabalho e escassez de formularios. Concluimos que existe a necessidade de maiores incentivos institucionais e politicos, de forma a permitir que o enfermeiro exerca a profissao com mais autonomia.

Proceedings ArticleDOI
07 Nov 2011
TL;DR: A mechanism for functional TC selection which considers two objectives simultaneously: maximize requirements' coverage while minimizing cost in terms of TC execution effort and two multi-objective versions of PSO are implemented.
Abstract: Although software testing is a central task in the software lifecycle, it is sometimes neglected due to its high costs. Tools to automate the testing process minor its costs, however they generate large test suites with redundant Test Cases (TC). Automatic TC Selection aims to reduce a test suite based on some selection criterion. This process can be treated as an optimization problem, aiming to find a subset of TCs which optimizes one or more objective functions (i.e., selection criteria). The majority of search-based works focus on single-objective selection. In this light, we developed a mechanism for functional TC selection which considers two objectives simultaneously: maximize requirements' coverage while minimizing cost in terms of TC execution effort. This mechanism was implemented as a multi-objective optimization process based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). We implemented two multi-objective versions of PSO (BMOPSO and BMOPSO-CDR). The experiments were performed on two real test suites, revealing very satisfactory results (attesting the feasibility of the proposed approach). We highlight that execution effort is an important aspect in the testing process, and it has not been used in a multi-objective way together with requirements coverage for functional TC selection.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Nov 2011-Headache
TL;DR: The 1‐year prevalence of headache, its repercussion and its association with the academic performance of university students are estimated to be about 1 in 10,000 for university students.
Abstract: Objectives.— To estimate the 1-year prevalence of headache, its repercussion and its association with the academic performance of university students. Methods.— Cross-sectional study. Three hundred eighty students were randomly selected out of the 1718, 90.5% of them were interviewed. A semi-structured interview, the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used. The variables related to academic performance: absenteeism, performance coefficient and number of failures in disciplines, were obtained by consulting the academic records. Results.— Three hundred forty-four students were interviewed. The headache prevalence was 87.2%. Migraine prevalence was 48.5%. Tension-type headache prevalence was 42.4%. During the 3 months prior to the interview, 8.7% sought emergency services, 30.8% missed class, and 30.8% had a reduction in their productive capacity because of headache. HIT-6: substantial/severe impact = 49%. Multiple linear regressions have shown that serious/very serious-impact headaches are significantly related to greater number of discipline failure and absenteeism. There was no association between student grades and headaches. Conclusion.— A high prevalence of headache in the studied population was verified. A high headache impact on a student's life was associated with worse academic performance.

Proceedings ArticleDOI
29 Nov 2011
TL;DR: The Cloud Modeling Language (CloudML) is introduced, a vendor-neutral XML-based language intended to integrate the description of different cloud related aspects such as computational and network resources, services profiles, and developers' requests in an integrated way.
Abstract: Distributed Clouds, or just D-Clouds, can be seen as a paradigm that is able to exploit the potential of sharing resources across geographic boundaries and provide latency-bound allocation of resources to third-party developers. The representation of D-Cloud resources is a challenge that involves the careful choice of characteristics that drive the mapping of requests on the substrate resources. Regarding these problems, this paper introduces the Cloud Modeling Language (CloudML), a vendor-neutral XML-based language intended to integrate the description of different cloud related aspects such as computational and network resources, services profiles, and developers' requests in an integrated way. Furthermore, the CloudML provides a way to describe geographical location aware services, seen particularly indispensable in D-Cloud scenarios.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Aug 2011
TL;DR: The main advantages of GaTSa are a constructive process to add new nodes in the architecture based on GA, the ability to escape from local minima with uphill moves (SA feature), and faster convergence by the evaluation of a set of solutions (TS feature).
Abstract: The performance of an artificial neural network (ANN) depends upon the selection of proper connection weights, network architecture, and cost function during network training. This paper presents a hybrid approach (GaTSa) to optimize the performance of the ANN in terms of architecture and weights. GaTSa is an extension of a previous method (TSa) proposed by the authors. GaTSa is based on the integration of the heuristic simulated annealing (SA), tabu search (TS), genetic algorithms (GA), and backpropagation, whereas TSa does not use GA. The main advantages of GaTSa are the following: a constructive process to add new nodes in the architecture based on GA, the ability to escape from local minima with uphill moves (SA feature), and faster convergence by the evaluation of a set of solutions (TS feature). The performance of GaTSa is investigated through an empirical evaluation of 11 public-domain data sets using different cost functions in the simultaneous optimization of the multilayer perceptron ANN architecture and weights. Experiments demonstrated that GaTSa can also be used for relevant feature selection. GaTSa presented statistically relevant results in comparison with other global and local optimization techniques.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The qualitative analysis of the internal margins did not observe gaps even after A-scan examination, although distinctive patterns were found for each restorative system, and OCT can be considered a promising method for the evaluation of theinternal margins of restorations in vivo.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The average treatment time was significantly shorter and 11% less expensive than in the quad-helix group, making it the more cost-effective choice for treatment.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Age over 29 years, complete or incomplete secondary or university education and the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) were identified as protective factors for the outcome, reinforcing the strategy of early initiation of HAART in individuals with TB.
Abstract: Background Concomitant treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and tuberculosis (TB) presents a series of challenges for treatment compliance for both providers and patients. We carried out this study to identify risk factors for default from TB treatment in people living with HIV.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Metabolic syndrome is more prevalent in breast cancer patients and is an independent risk factor for breast cancer.
Abstract: This study was aimed to assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with breast cancer and the independent effect of metabolic syndrome on breast cancer risk. Eighty-one women aged 40–80 years with breast cancer and 81 controls of similar age were screened for metabolic syndrome prevalence and breast cancer risk factors, including age at diagnosis, age at menarche, reproductive status, live births, breastfeeding, family history of breast cancer, physical activity, cigarette smoking, body mass index, and metabolic syndrome parameters. Each variable was first assessed for baseline comparisons using the univariate model, and significant variables were then added to the multivariate conditional logistic regression model. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 59.2% in breast cancer patients, and 37% in the control group (p < 0.005). A positive and independent association was observed between metabolic syndrome and breast cancer risk (odds ratio = 2.49; 95% confidence interval 1.17–5.30). Metabolic syndrome is more prevalent in breast cancer patients and is an independent risk factor for breast cancer.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results of this study may be helpful in understanding the distribution of oral diseases in this very specific age group that requires special attention.
Abstract: Gerodontology 2010;00; doi: 10.1111/j.1741-2358.2010.00370.x Epidemiological study of 534 biopsies of oral mucosal lesions in elderly Brazilian patients Background: The number of elderly people in Brazil has increased during the last few decades. Oral lesions are very common in this age group, but few studies have examined the prevalence of these conditions worldwide and, particularly, in Brazil. Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of oral lesions in an elderly Brazilian population. Materials and methods: A total of 534 cases of oral lesions retrieved from the files of the Oral Pathology Laboratory of the School of Dentistry, University of Pernambuco, between 1991 and 2008, were descriptively and qualitatively evaluated. Results: In this study, the oral mucosal lesions cases preferentially affected women (n = 357; 66.8%), white persons (n = 253; 47.3%), in the seventh decade of life (n = 361; 67.6%), and with lesions predominantly located on the gingival/alveolar ridge (n = 102; 19.1%). The non-neoplastic lesions (n = 353; 66.1%) were more prevalent than benign neoplasms (n = 85; 15.9%), oral cancers (n = 56; 10.4%) and potentially malignant lesions (n = 40; 7.4%). The five most predominant diseases were fibrous hyperplasia, non-specific chronic inflammatory processes, oral squamous cell carcinoma, non-specified odontogenic cysts and epithelial dysplasia. Conclusions: Our results may be helpful in understanding the distribution of oral diseases in this very specific age group that requires special attention.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Components of the adhesives tested may permeate the dentin in sufficient concentrations to cause death and damage to cell metabolism in the alveolar macrophages of rats, which indicates potential cytotoxicity to pulpal cells.