Building a Digital Twin for the Management of Pressurised Collective Irrigation Systems

Digital Twins (DT) can be exploited to improve Collective Irrigation Systems (CIS) performance and be fundamental for decision-making. Developing a DT is an enormous challenge with continuous adjustments and learning from the physical system. Agriculture represents one of the most water demanding sectors, and changing from gravity to pressurised water distribution turning the efficient use of water and energy as one of the main purposes of managing pressurised CIS. The DT is created based on field and laboratory tests, a systematic application of hydraulic modelling, water balance, energy balance and performance indicators. The data connection between the physical system and the DT and data advanced analytics provides a means to the operational setting, optimising, studying scenarios, and adapting to external changes of the pressurised CIS. In this paper, the authors propose a methodology to build a DT of a primary and secondary pressurised CIS network to evaluate water use efficiency, global energy efficiency, pumping facilities efficiency and energy inefficiency associated with water losses. A preliminary application to Block 4, a pressurised sub-system of Odivelas CIS, is presented in Southern Portugal. It was possible to ascertain the great potential of the physical twin – digital twin set to understand system processes, the corrective measures, the priority of maintenance and management decision of the pressurised collective irrigation system. This formulation is a good way to move towards smart water management in CIS

Políticas de visibilidad y agendas de lo juvenil en Viedma

El proyecto se propone conocer el lugar que ocupa la cuestión juvenil en la agenda de los diarios regionales que circulan en Viedma, y los encuadres noticiosos utilizados por dichos medios para configurar al sujeto juvenil y sus problemáticas. Asimismo, se busca conocer cómo se construyen y jerarquizan las problemáticas juveniles en las agendas de las instituciones estatales que tienen como objetivo intervenir con jóvenes en Viedma y cuáles son los encuadres utilizados para configurar al sujeto juvenil y sus problemáticas a fin de comparar agendas y encuadres y analizar posibles articulaciones e incidencia de medios e instituciones locales en las autorrepresentaciones de los jóvenes de Viedma. El campo de estudio se configura en tres zonas diferentes entre sí, cuyas articulaciones se plantean como interrogantes a trabajar: 1. Las autorrepresentaciones juveniles. 2.- Las agendas de los trabajadores estatales que intervienen con jóvenes en Viedma. 3.- La relevancia y que los diarios dan a la cuestión juvenil y los encuadres noticiosos utilizados. La investigación será de carácter generativo y se desarrollará en el marco de un diseño flexible, tendrá una fase exploratoria y descriptiva para luego abordar la dimensión interpretativa del fenómeno

A contribuição de uma abordagem transversal da água na formação do técnico em Enfermagem em uma escola pública do Distrito Federal

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Educação, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação, 2013.Este trabalho investiga a contribuição da água como tema transversal na formação humana e profissional do estudante do curso técnico em enfermagem de uma instituição pública de saúde do Distrito Federal. Realiza a análise documental da matriz curricular vigente no referido curso tendo como base legal as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais para a Educação Profissional de Nível Técnico e os Referenciais Curriculares Nacionais da Educação Profissional de Nível Técnico. Utiliza a metodologia de formação humana do projeto Água como Matriz Ecopedagógica (AME) na elaboração e desenvolvimento de um plano de curso para a disciplina Microbiologia/Parasitologia do curso técnico em enfermagem, inserindo a água como fio condutor das atividades. Tem como procedimento um estudo de caso a partir dos referenciais da etnopesquisa. A observação participante teve como foco as atividades realizadas nos encontros formativos desenvolvidos na disciplina Microbiologia/Parasitologia com o registro no diário de campo da pesquisadora. A análise documental, o diário de campo da pesquisadora, além de portfólios individuais construídos pelos alunos ao longo dos encontros formativos constituíram o material para a interpretação e discussão dos resultados. A análise dos dados nos mostrou que a metodologia do AME possibilitou ao estudante do curso técnico em enfermagem o acesso à dimensão subjetiva do humano no sentido de aflorar a sensibilidade, o sentimento de pertença e a importância das relações na formação para o cuidar e também contribuiu para fazer emergir novos sentidos diante do elemento água como matriz e sustentação da vida. ______________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThis work investigates the contribution of water as a crosscutting theme in human development and professional student of technical course in Nursing from a public health institution of the Brazilian Federal District. Performs documentary analysis of the current curriculum that course based on the statutory National Curriculum Guidelines for Professional Education Technical Level and Benchmarks National Curriculum Vocational Education Technical Level. Uses the methodology of human development of the Water project as ecological pedagocical matrix (EPM) in the design and development of a plan for ongoing discipline Microbiology / Parasitology of technical course in Nursing, entering the water as thread activity. The procedure is a case study based on the use of etnoresearsh. The observation focused on the activities developed in the formative meetings in the discipline Microbiology/Parasitology with journaling researcher's field. The document analysis, the researcher's field journal, and individual portfolios built by students during the formative meetings constituted the material for interpretation and discussion of results. Data analysis showed us that the methodology of EPM enabled the nursing student's access to the subjective dimension of human in order to touch sensitivity, a sense of belonging and importance of relationships in training to take care of and also contributed to make new meanings emerge before the water element as matrix and sustaining life

Determinantes da participação dos beneficiários no programa do Rendimento Mínimo Garantido no mercado de trabalho

We present micro econometric evidence on the determinants of the probability that beneficiaries of the Minimum Guaranteed Income (MGI) participate in market production or in home production. We use a micro data set which covers all the beneficiaries of the MGI, up to 2001, for the Portuguese Region with the highest incidence of this program, namely, the Azores. We find striking diferences between women’s and men’s behaviour with respect to labour market participation decisions, with women heavily specialized in home production and men in market production. The probability of participating decreases with income support. Moreover, there are several aspects of household demographics that matter to female participation decisions. Therefore, policies designed to promote female labour supply should not be of the type one size fits all and must improve the terms of trade between home production and market production for women

Packaging waste recycling in Europe: is the industry paying for it?

This paper describes and examines the schemes established in five EU countries for the recycling of packaging waste. The changes in packaging waste management were mainly implemented since the Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste entered into force. The analysis of the five systems allowed the authors to identify very different approaches to cope with the same problem: meet the recovery and recycling targets imposed by EU law. Packaging waste is a responsibility of the industry. However, local governments are generally in charge of waste management, particularly in countries with Green Dot schemes or similar extended producer responsibility systems. This leads to the need of establishing a system of financial transfers between the industry and the local governments (particularly regarding the extra costs involved with selective collection and sorting). Using the same methodological approach, the authors also compare the costs and benefits of recycling from the perspective of local public authorities for France, Portugal and Romania. Since the purpose of the current paper is to take note of who is paying for the incremental costs of recycling and whether the industry (i.e. the consumer) is paying for the net financial costs of packaging waste management, environmental impacts are not included in the analysis. The work carried out in this paper highlights some aspects that are prone to be improved and raises several questions that will require further research. In the three countries analyzed more closely in this paper the industry is not paying the net financial cost of packaging waste management. In fact, if the savings attained by diverting packaging waste from other treatment (e.g. landfilling) and the public subsidies to the investment on the “recycling system” are not considered, it seems that the industry should increase the financial support to local authorities (by 125% in France, 50% in Portugal and 170% in Romania). However, in France and Portugal the industry is paying local authorities more than just the incremental costs of recycling (full costs of selective collection and sorting minus the avoided costs). To provide a more definitive judgment on the fairness of the systems it will be necessary to assess the cost efficiency of waste management operators (and judge whether operators are claiming costs or eliciting “prices”)

The monotypic Brazilian genus Diacrodon is a synonym of Borreria (Spermacoceae, Rubiaceae): Morphological and molecular evidences

Diacrodon is a monotypic genus of the tribe Spermacoceae (Rubiaceae), endemic to northeastern Brazil. Diacrodon compressus is frequently misidentified with a two lobed calyx species of Borreria, B. verticillata. Traditionally, in Spermacoceae the fruit type was considered a diagnostic character among the genera. In this sense, D. compressus presents a strongly compressed, one seeded and indehiscent fruit (vs. globose, two seeded and dehiscent fruit in B. verticillata). In this work, we address two objectives: evaluate the systematic position and determine the identity of Diacrodon in respect to other taxa. Molecular analyses using ITS and ETS indicate that D. compressus is strongly related to other species of Borreria. The morphological results revealed that D. compressus, despite of its type of fruit, is identical to Borreria in floral and palynological features. As conclusion, the new combination Borreria diacrodonta is made and a lectotype is designated. An updated description of the species and a key to the Borreria species with a two lobed calyx are provided. The distribution of B. diacrodonta is extended to Brazilian states Goiás and Minas Gerais, and Paraguay. By this taxonomical change it has become clear that the dehiscence of the fruits lack taxonomic value in the delimitation of Borreria.Fil: Miguel, Laila Mabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Sobrado, Sandra Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Janssens, Steven. Botanic Garden Meise; BélgicaFil: Dessein, Steven. Botanic Garden Meise; BélgicaFil: Cabral, Elsa Leonor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura; Argentin

Effects of thyroxine replacement on endothelial function and carotid artery intima-media thickness in female patients with mild subclinical hypothyroidism

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested an association between subclinical hypothyroidism and coronary artery disease that could be related to changes in serum lipids or endothelial dysfunction. METHODS: Thirty-two female subclinical hypothyroidism patients were randomly assigned to 12 months of L-thyroxine replacement or no treatment. Endothelial function was measured by the flow-mediated vasodilatation of the brachial artery, as well as mean carotid artery intima-media thickness, and lipid profiles were studied at baseline and after 12 months of follow-up. RESULTS: The mean ( ± SD) serum thyroid-stimulating hormone levels in the L-thyroxine replacement and control groups were 6.09±1.32 and 6.27 ± 1.39 μUI/ml, respectively. No relationship between carotid artery intima-media thickness or brachial flow-mediated vasodilatation and free T4 and serum thyroid-stimulating hormone was found. The median L-T4 dose was 44.23 ± 18.13 μg/day. After 12 months, there was a significant decrease in the flow-mediated vasodilatation in the subclinical hypothyroidism control group (before: 17.33 ± 7.88 to after: 13.1 ±4.75%, p =0.03), but there were no significant differences in flow-mediated vasodilatation in the L-thyroxine treated group (before: 16.81 ± 7.0 to after: 18.52 ± 7.44%, p = 0.39). We did not find any significant change in mean carotid intimamedia thickness after 12 months of L-thyroxine treatment. CONCLUSION: Replacement therapy prevents a decline in flow-mediated vasodilatation with continuation of the subclinical hypothyroidism state. Large prospective multicenter placebo-controlled trials are necessaryto investigate endothelial physiology further in subclinical hypothyroidism patients and to define the role of L-thyroxine therapy in improving endothelial function in these patients

Tensiones entre lo político y lo cultural en la producción de sentidos de las radios comunitarias

Este trabajo es un análisis sobre los debates actuales en las redes de radios comunitarias en Argentina y en América Latina. Nos interrogamos sobre los sentidos puestos en juego en las prácticas comunicativas de las radios comunitarias en la actualidad política del continente. Partimos haciendo un recorrido en clave histórico-cultural para vincular los procesos de resignificación de la identidad de las radios con los contextos político-culturales. Las tensiones entre lo político y lo cultural surgen en los debates actuales en torno a la construcción de un proyecto político comunicativo de las organizaciones que nuclean a las radios comunitarias. Consideramos que en el interior de las organizaciones radiales y en relación con el contexto latinoamericano surge una resignificación del sentido de lo político que no pretende agotarse en el poder de las resistencias.Facultad de Periodismo y Comunicación Socia

TENSIONES ENTRE LO POLÍTICO Y LO CULTURAL EN LA PRODUCCIÓN DE SENTIDOS DE LAS RADIOS COMUNITARIAS

Este trabajo es un análisis sobre los debates actuales en las redes de radios comunitarias en Argentina y en América Latina. Nosinterrogamos sobre los sentidos puestos en juego en las prácticas comunicativas de las radios comunitarias en la actualidadpolítica del continente. Partimos haciendo un recorrido en clave histórico-cultural para vincular los procesos de resignificación de laidentidad de las radios con los contextos político-culturales.Las tensiones entre lo político y lo cultural surgen en los debates actuales en torno a la construcción de un proyecto políticocomunicativo de las organizaciones que nuclean a las radios comunitarias. Consideramos que en el interior de las organizacionesradiales y en relación con el contexto latinoamericano surge una resignificación del sentido de lo político que no pretende agotarseen el poder de las resistencias

Os emigrantes caboverdianos em Portugal: Identidade construída

Projecto organizado e realizado, para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Ciências da Comunicação – Cinema e TelevisãoO projecto “Os emigrantes cabo-verdianos em Portugal: Identidade construída” tem como objectivo, interpretar, compreender e mostrar as várias facetas do quotidiano dos emigrantes cabo-verdianos em Portugal, particularmente, em Lisboa e arredores (Reboleira, Damaia, Queluz, Venteira, Falagueira e Cacém). Este projecto complementa-se também com a realização prática de um vídeo documentário de 25 minutos com as opiniões/ pareceres dos emigrantes cabo-verdianos residentes nas zonas supracitadas. Nasce da necessidade de mostrar os paradigmas desta comunidade de emigrantes, da sua inserção no mercado de trabalho, do relacionamento com os portugueses, das suas perspectivas como emigrantes, dos desafios que enfrentaram à chegada a Portugal. Em suma, de todo o percurso social, cultural e económico que realizaram e realizam em Portugal. Procura assim, contribuir para um melhor entendimento das expressividades, posicionamentos e negociações identitárias dos cabo-verdianos na área metropolitana de Lisboa. A perspectiva técnica, responsável pela condução destas pesquisas iniciais, parte de um entendimento das comunidades migrantes, enquanto colectivos, que partilham simultaneamente duas culturas distintas – a cultura de acolhimento e a cultura do seu país de origem. Tem ainda como foco, a compreensão da existência de uma relação afectiva entre os emigrantes cabo-verdianos e os portugueses, através de opiniões dos entrevistados. Pretende-se entender o porquê da escolha de Portugal, como o país de destino, tema complexo que traz um número elevado de questões em torno da emigração, na nova conjuntura mundial