JOURNAL OF BIOENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGIES AND HEALTH

Quantification of Pigmented Regions in Detracted Images

Eugênio Rocha da Silva Júnior — 2025-02-21

This study presents a method for analyzing and quantifying pigmented areas on dental surfaces after the application of caries detection products. The methodology integrates image enhancement, the creation of binary masks, and conversion to the HSV color space to isolate and accurately calculate the extent of pigmentation. A dataset consisting of 200 images of unpigmented teeth and 200 images of pigmented teeth was used, with strict criteria for selecting images that provided a clear frontal view, focusing on the upper and lower canine regions. The image processing steps included using LabelMe software for manual annotation and applying binary masks to segment the teeth from the background. Specific color filters identified pigmented regions. Histogram analysis in the HSV space validated the predominance of red shades corresponding to the pigmented areas, confirming the accuracy of the segmentation. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for calculating pigmented areas, providing an objective measure that can be used to assess the efficacy of products designed for bacterial plaque detection in dental applications.

Seed Germination of Native Species of Atlantic Forest (Bahia, Brazil)

Rosângela da Silva Pinto — 2025-02-21

The objective of this study was to evaluate the seed germination of native species of the Atlantic Forest biome. We evaluated sucupira Bowdichia virgilioides Kunth, jatobá Hymenaea courbaril L., monkfish Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Vell.) Morong (Fabaceae), guava Psidium guajava L. (Myrtaceae) and jequitibá-rosa Cariniana legalis Kuntze (Lecythidaceae), through germination rate (GR), germination speed index (GSI), and mortality rate (MR), after pre-germination treatment stoovercome dormancy and subsequent production of seedlings to be used in Degraded Area Recovery Plans. Sets of 100 seeds were divided into four groups of 25 for the treatments, one physical by scarification (wall sandpaper number 120) and two chemicals by immersion in water at room temperature for 48 hours and acetic acid for 15 minutes. These treatments were compared with the control of untreated seeds, subsequently grown in washed sand at room temperature in the shade. The indexes GR, GSI, and MR were calculated and analyzed. In general, scarification was more efficient for H. courbaril (GR=48%) and E. contortisiliquum (GSI=0.75) but increased the MR of this in other species. Immersion in water favored new seeds of sucupira B. virgilioides (GR=52%, GSI=0.69), and immersion in acetic acid showed a varied and less effective performance overall. Scarification with sandpaper and immersion in water at room temperature for 48 hours were the most effective methods to increase the seedling production of the studied species.

Morphometry of Seeds of the Species Serjania comata Radlk in a Remnant of Atlantic Forest, Alagoinhas, Bahia

Joyce Raianne de Oliveira Barbosa — 2025-02-21

The Atlantic Forest is a biodiversity-rich area, but it is highly threatened due to the numerous human actions that have affected ecosystems since the colonial era. Considering that morphological studies of forest seeds will serve as subsidies for reforestation programs and research on seed technology and physiology in the conservation of native forests, the study on the morphometry of seeds of the species Serjania comata Radlk will contribute positively to knowledge despite the diversity of species present in the ecosystems, to characterize the morphometry of S. comata seeds in remnants of the Atlantic Forest, to represent biodiversity conservation strategies, serving as subsidies for the implementation of management projects for the recovery of degraded areas. The study area is a remnant of the Atlantic Forest in Alagoinhas-Ba, with collections from October 2023 to January 2024. After the seed processing process, they were characterized following descriptive parameters suggested by the literature. The species has fruits characterized as echizocarpic with three wing expansions and oblong-oval seeds, with a sharp end, rigid, shiny, brown integument and a visible hilum. The research analyzed morphometric data from 304 species of seeds, and it was possible to observe a slight variation in the variable's size and weight.

Aspects of the Plankton Community from Sauípe Port Estuary, Bahia, Brazil

Letícia Nayara Barreto dos Santos — 2025-02-21

The estuary forms at the meeting of the river and the sea. It houses a fundamental microbiological community of plankton, which plays a role in the trophic network and the decomposition of organic matter. The uncontrolled expansion of human occupation in areas near mangroves has led to degradation, with alterations in physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. The present study investigates the ecological aspects of planktonic communities in the estuary waters and the identification of species that indicate the water quality of the Port of Sauípe estuary, state of Bahia, Brazil. Estuary water samples were collected to identify plankton, with random releases of a conical plankton net with a screw cup and stored in plastic containers with Transeau solution. The water samples were filtered, and the material retained in the filter was analyzed. All samples were examined under an optical microscope to identify phytoplankton, zooplankton, parasites, and other microinvertebrate species. Cyanobacteria predominated in the phytoplankton, while Copepoda was the most common in the zooplankton. Among the parasites, Ascaris lumbricoides had been recorded six years earlier, but Schistosoma haematobium and Entamoeba coli are being recorded for the first time in the area. The plankton data indicate poor environmental quality in the estuary, with toxin-producing species and sanitary hazard parasites used for fishing, shellfish harvesting, recreation, and tourism in a reference place on the North Coast of Bahia, Brazil.

Ecological Niche Model for Palicourea jambosioides (Schltdl.) C.M. Taylor in the State of Bahia, Brazil

Stefani Hiaminique dos Santos de Carvalho — 2025-02-21

The Atlantic Forest is a complex of ecosystems of great importance, as it is home to a significant portion of Brazilian biodiversity. The Rubiaceae family is the fourth largest in number of species among the Angiosperms, presenting its most remarkable diversity in the phytogeographic domains of the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest. This study aimed to model the ecological niche of Palicourea jambosioides (Schltdl.) C.M. Taylor in the state of Bahia. Georeferenced occurrence data were obtained from the online databases SpeciesLink and GBIF, as well as consultations with physical herbaria and scientific articles, and were combined with climate information from WorldClim. The statistical validation of the models was performed considering AUC values ≥ 0.7 and TSS ≥ 0.4. The variables that most contributed to the modeling were BIO5 (26.1%), BIO15 (22.6%), BIO10 (15.8%), and BIO3 (15.0%). It was observed that P. jambosioides occurs mainly in areas of seasonal forest and restinga, with temperature and precipitation being the environmental variables with the most significant influence on its distribution. Thus, this study contributes to advancing knowledge about the distribution of the species and can offer subsidies for conservation actions in the state of Bahia.

Using the MLP Classifier Model with Markov Chains Observing the Bovespa Index

Bruno Oliveira Cardoso — 2025-02-21

The application of resources in the financial market in the form of investment is primarily linked to variable income, which has a higher risk, requiring a more thorough assessment to increase its assertiveness. Successful past experiences influence decisions and can lead to correct choices. Mathematical and statistical models should assist in decision-making to optimize their success. This work involves creating a web service connector to capture data from the BOVESPA index, randomly used to choose between three websites: Infomoney, Investnews, and Valor Invest. This work used an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) Classification model, the MLPClassifier, and compared this model alone and about itself with the insertion of the modeling with Markov Chains. The MLPClassifier model proved satisfactory, given that performance metrics measure its classifications, and the speed will depend on the number of hidden layers used. By including Markov Chains in the MLPClassifier model, it was possible to refine the classification process of the model, which already had a very high level of assertiveness.

Bioclimatic Variables Used in Predictive Modeling: A Literature Review for the Caatinga Biome

Marinalva de Jesus Almeida — 2025-02-21

Modeling species distribution is a predictive technique, and its search has increased due to the need to obtain rapid information for decision-making in the face of the loss and fragmentation of natural habitats, climate change, and anthropogenic actions. It is an important tool used for the conservation of species in different environments, and the Caatinga is among the environments that suffer from these threats, being a region with high temperatures, low precipitation, and high evapotranspiration, which makes it more vulnerable to climate change. This article aims to review the literature on the beginnings of predictive modeling, the area of knowledge that gave basis and existence to modeling methods, their development through computing, bioclimatic variables, and their applications in the Caatinga biome. The bibliographic survey was structured in publications found in the databases Scielo, Google Scholar, scientific journals, among other modalities, National Social Assistance Policy-PNAS, Rodriguesia, Ecological Modeling, Research and Development Society, Embrapa, Nature & Conservation, Ultrasound, Journal, Biodiversity Informatics, Nature, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change- IPCC, thesis, dissertation, Monograph, Nature, Ecology letters, Tutorial, Symposium, political politics research notebook, Research Brazilian Agriculture between the years 2003 to 2023. There were thirty-four scientific articles in twenty data sources. Computing was a great ally in the expansion of species distribution modeling processes that applied to the Caatinga, bringing significant gains and important results for this biome, being used to predict species occurrences in future scenarios, evaluate the influence of environmental variables, and potential distribution of endangered species.

Temporal Change in Land Use and Cover in the Municipality of Entre Rios, Bahia (Brazil)

Jaqueline Leal dos Santos — 2025-02-21

The objective of this article was to analyze changes in land use and land cover in Entre Rios, Bahia (Brazil), between 2002 and 2022, using data from MapBiomas to contribute to decision-making of environmental interest. The method consisted of a bibliographic review, geoprocessing, and remote sensing techniques using QGIS software and MapBiomas Collection 8, allowing a 20-year temporal analysis. The results of land use and occupation resulted in 5 classes: Group 1 - Forest (variation of 8.7%); Group 2 - Non-forest natural formation (variation of -3.2%); Group 3 - Agriculture (variation of -3.5%); Group 4 - Non-vegetated area (variation of 28.3%) and Group 5 - Water bodies (variation of -5.8%). It is concluded that, from 2002 to 2023, there were relevant changes in land use and occupation for Entre Rios- BA, emphasizing the increase in forestry, agriculture, urbanized areas, mining, and the reduction of water bodies.

Bibliometric Analysis of Ornithophilous Species of Bromeliaceae in the Atlantic Forest

Jéssica Figuera Oliveira Miranda — 2025-02-21

This bibliometric analysis quantified the articles published on ornithophilous species of Bromeliaceae in the Atlantic Forest biome, demonstrating the scarcity of studies and the need for work to reduce the knowledge of this plant-animal relationship in the state of Bahia (Brazil). The bibliometric analysis of ornithophilous species of Bromeliaceae in the Atlantic Forest in the time cut from 1996 to 2024, with the first filter of the expressions "ornithophilia, Bromeliaceae, Atlantic Forest", selected 251 articles from 819 authors in 96 journals from 23 countries, with Brazil highlighted by 111 articles (44%). The second filter with the term "pollination" generated 40 (15.9%) articles listed by national institutions. In Brazil, most of the surveys on ornithological pollination in Bromeliaceae were carried out in the Atlantic Forest (96%). The third filter for the final selection of articles published by authors of Brazilian institutions grouped only 8 (3%) articles from the initial total. The method is effective and limited, excluding articles published in the middle of the dissemination books in modest or low-cost journals. A non-factor of impact phase can also devalue research of regional or local relevance, leading to a distorted vision of the relevance of endemism.