This paper develops a biometric gait recognition system based on 3D video acquired by a Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor providing depth and intensity frames. A first step of the proposed gait analysis is the automatic extraction of the silhouette of the person via segmentation. The segmentation of the silhouette is performed on the depth frame which provide information which describes the distance ...

AIM Simulation has been proposed to improve learning curves in carotid artery stenting (CAS), but previous studies have only evaluated CAS simulation in a single type of arch usually either type I or type II. The aim of our study is to define the use of virtual reality for CAS training in type I and type III aortic arches for novice operators. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty experienced intervent...

Approximating a hand-written curve by a Bézier curve can be performed by two main processes: (1) the selection of the significant points on the curve and (2) the curve approximation. This paper focuses on finding a set of featured points, which is an important component for curve fitting into a Bézier curve. This new approach is an extension of the authors’ previous work by reducing the weaknes...

This work discusses an operational method for actual evapotranspiration (ET) retrieval from remote sensing, considering a minimum quantity of ancillary data. The method consists in a graphical approach based on the Priestley-Taylor (PT) equation, where the dry soil and non-limiting water conditions are defined by land surface temperature (LST) and vegetation index (VI) space, both retrieved fro...

Diagnostic accuracy can be improved considerably by combining multiple markers, whose performance in identifying diseased subjects is usually assessed via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The selection of multimarker signatures is a complicated process that requires integration of data signatures with sophisticated statistical methods. We developed a user-friendly tool, called Co...

Recently, several studies have started to explore covert visuospatial attention as a control signal for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Covert visuospatial attention represents the ability to change the focus of attention from one point in the space without overt eye movements. Nevertheless, the full potential and possible applications of this paradigm remain relatively unexplored. Voluntary ...

Models are increasingly used in clinical practice to improve the accuracy of diagnosis. The aim of our work was to compare a Bayesian network to logistic regression to forecast IgA nephropathy (IgAN) from simple clinical and biological criteria. Retrospectively, we pooled the results of all biopsies (n = 155) performed by nephrologists in a specialist clinical facility between 2002 and 2009. Tw...

OBJECTIVE To assess the discriminative capacity of the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (K-MPAI), in its version adapted for Brazil, in a sample of 230 Brazilian adult musicians. METHOD The Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) was used to assess the presence of social anxiety indicators, adopting it as the gold standard. The Mann-Whitney U test and the receiver operating characteristic (RO...

Implied volatility surfaces are central tools used for pricing options. This thesis treats the topic of their construction. The main purpose is to uncover the most appropriate methodology for constructing implied volatility surfaces from discrete data and evaluate how well it performs. First some methods and techniques in use for such surface constructing are presented. Then the most attractive...