Aplicador portátil de produtos químicos via agua de irrigação.

A "Quimigação" - aplicação de produções químicos via água de irrigação - promove inúmeros benefícios, entre eles, redução no custo, aumento da eficiência de aplicação, maior flexibilidade nas operações culturais, maior segurança e redução da contaminação do meio ambiente. O desenvolvimento de um aplicador portátil de produtos químicos baseou-se na equação de energia e no tubo de Pitot.- É apresentado o protótipo do equipamento em sua forma simples, robusta, e também um exemplo de seu desempenho para o caso de um sistema de aspersão com laterais portáteis

Aplicador portátil de produtos químicos via água de irrigação.

Principios basicos de funcionamento; Descricao do modelo; Operacao; Resultados e discussao.bitstream/item/37448/1/circ-13-1.pd

Comparison of biocenoses from sequencing batch and sequencing biofilm batch reactors

Since the extensive research during the 70s, sequencing batch reactors (SBR) have become a quite common modification of activated sludge process. Additionally, the SBR can be combined with biofilm growth on the surface of a support material originating the Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactors (SBBR). While several comparative studies between the two systems were done in terms of organic carbon and nutrients removal efficiency, a detailed comparison of their biocenoses is not documented in the literature. The present work aims to compare the biocenoses from SBR and SBBR. In order to reach this objective four reactors were operated in parallel. One reactor was operated just with suspended biomass (SBR1) while the others combined suspended biomass with biofilm cultivation. The biofilm was formed on a new type of polyethylene support developed by University of Minho, called DupUM. The bed formed by these supports occupied 5 % (SBBR2), 10 % (SBBR3) and 20 % (SBBR4) of the reactor volume. Microscopic inspection revealed that the quality of biocenoses from reactors started to differ very soon after the inoculation. The biocenose of SBR1 and SBBR2 was dominated by filamentous microorganisms, while in SBBR3 and SBBR4 the communities were clearly more complex. The incorporation of an optimized amount of support for biofilm growth apparently suppressed the overgrowth of filamentous microorganisms. The differences between the biocenoses of the reactors are documented in figure 1

Nitrogen removal in a Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactor : effect of carbon availability and intermittent aeration

This study aimed to investigate the effects of carbon availability and intermittent aeration on nitrogen removal in a Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactor (SBBR). The percentage of nitrogen removal in the SBBRs operating with dump fill and slow fill with optimum intermittent aeration was quite similar, 75.7% and 69.2%, respectively, indicating that intermittent aeration allowed a considerable energy saving without compromising significantly nitrogen removal. Accumulation of storage polymers by heterotrophic bacteria was only observed in the dump fill mode of operation. FISH analyses of the biofilm indicated that ammonia-oxidisers belonged to the beta-subclass Proteobacteria and nitrite-oxidisers were affiliated with the genus Nitrospira.Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER)Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Acesso à informação e participação pública : planeamento de recursos hídricos e desenvolvimento sustentável nos Açores

O acesso à informação e participação pública são dois dos mais significativos desafios que o actual quadro de planeamento ambiental coloca a nível nacional. Nesse sentido, a presente comunicação foca-se nos trabalhos conducentes à elaboração do Plano Regional da Água e nos Estudos de Base do Plano Regional de Desenvolvimento Sustentável, ambos levados a efeito na Região Autónoma dos Açores. Concretizando-se objectivos operacionais e graus de envolvimento da comunidade diferenciados nestes dois projectos, apresentam-se as principais linhas de trabalho e discutem-se as diferentes metodologias em ambos adoptadas com vista a um exercício integrado de cidadania

VirtualECare: group support in collaborative networks organizations for digital homecare

Collaborative Work plays an important role in today’s organizations and normally in areas where decisions must be made. However, any decision that involves a collective or group of decision makers is, by itself, complex but is becoming normal in recent years. In this work we present the VirtualECare project (Figure 10), intelligent multi‐agent system able to monitor, interact and serve its customers, which are, normally, in need of care services. In the last years there has been a substantially increase in the number of people needed of intensive care, especially among the elderly, a phenomenon that is related to population ageing. However, this is not exclusive of the elderly, as diseases as obesity, diabetes, and blood pressure have been increasing among young adults. As a new reality, it has to be dealt by the health sector, and particularly by the public one. Thus, the importance of finding new and cost effective ways for health care delivery are of particular importance, especially when one want them not to be removed from their “habitat”. Following this line of thinking, the VirtualECare project will be presented, like similar ones that preceded it. Recently we have assisted to a growing interest in combining the advances in information society ‐ computing, telecommunications and presentation – in order to create Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS). Indeed, the new economy, along with increased competition in today’s complex business environments, takes the companies to seek complementarities in order to increase competitiveness and reduce risks. Under these scenarios, planning takes a major role in a company life. However, effective planning depends on the generation and analysis of ideas (innovative or not) and, as a result, the idea generation and management processes are crucial. Our objective is to apply the above presented GDSS to a new area. We believe that the use of GDSS in the healthcare arena will allow professionals to achieve better results in the analysis of one’s Electronically Clinical Profile (ECP). This achievement is vital, regarding the explosion of knowledge and skills, together with the need to use limited resources and get better results

The Aquarius Co-Moving Group is Not a Disrupted Classical Globular Cluster

We present a detailed analysis of high-resolution, high S/N spectra for 5 Aquarius stream stars observed with the MIKE spectrograph on the Magellan Clay telescope. Our sample represents one third of the 15 known members in the stream. We find the stream is not mono-metallic: the metallicity ranges from [Fe/H] = -0.63 to -1.58. No anti-correlation in Na-O abundances is present, and we find a strong positive Mg-Al relationship, similar to that observed in the thick disk. We find no evidence that the stream is a result of a disrupted classical globular cluster, contrary to a previously published claim. High [(Na, Ni, alpha)/Fe] and low [Ba/Y] abundance ratios in the stream suggests it is not a tidal tail from a disrupted dwarf galaxy, either. The stream is chemically indistinguishable from Milky Way field stars with the exception of one candidate, C222531-145437. From its position, velocity, and detailed chemical abundances, C222531-145437 is likely a star that was tidally disrupted from omega-Centauri. We propose the Aquarius stream is Galactic in origin, and could be the result from a disk-satellite perturbation in the Milky Way thick disk on the order of a few Gyr ago: derived orbits, UVW velocities, and angular momenta of the Aquarius members offer qualitative support for our hypothesis. Assuming C222531-145437 is a tidally disrupted member of omega-Centauri, this system is the most likely disk perturber. In the absence of compelling chemical and/or dynamical evidence that the Aquarius stream is the tidal tail of a disrupted satellite, we advocate the "Aquarius group" as a more appropriate description. Like the Canis Major over-density, as well as the Hercules and Monoceros groups, the Aquarius group joins the list of kinematically-identified substructures that are not actually accreted material: they are simply part of the rich complexity of the Milky Way structure.Comment: Accepted to MNRAS. Updated to journal versio