On the impact of the stem electrical impedance in neural network algorithms for plant monitoring applications

Smart agriculture offers an environmental-friendly path with respect to unsustainable farming that depletes the nutrients in the soil leading to a persistent degradation of ecosystems caused by population growth. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help mitigate this issue by predicting plant health status to reduce the use of chemicals and optimize water usage. This paper proposes a custom framework to train neural networks and a comparison among different models to point out the impact and the importance of the stem electrical impedance in addition to environmental parameters for plant monitoring applications. In particular, the paper demonstrates how stem electrical impedance improves the accuracy of the proposed neural network application for plant status classification. The data set is composed of electrical impedance spectra and environmental data acquired on four tobacco plants for a two-month-long experiment. In this paper, we describe the acquisition system architecture, the feature composition of the data set, a general overview of the developed framework, and the training of the neural networks showing the different results considering both the stem impedance and the environmental parameters

Monitoring the Distribution, Abundance, and Movements of Birds Near Vancouver International Airport

The Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is Canada’s second-busiest civil airport and is located on the Fraser River delta—the staging and wintering ground for millions of birds representing many taxonomic groups. Consequently, YVR experiences one of the highest bird-strike rates of any airport in Canada. Since 1994, LGL Limited has investigated and monitored avian ecology as it relates to existing and potential hazards to air-traffic safety at YVR. A formalized monitoring program is on-going. The distribution, abundance, and flight patterns of birds are recorded and summarized by individual species or by taxonomic group. Monthly and semiannual reports present information that depict changes in the local bird community regarding spatial, temporal, and behavioural factors. A multi-year database permits the comparison of these factors during a present period to past highs, lows, and averages. Data analyses are complex, but have been streamlined through the development and application of database programming developed specifically for this project. Using this, and other information such as habitat mapping and bird-strike statistics, “hazard maps” are generated. Together with the remainder of the reports, these maps provide the Wildlife Control Program with an objective view of bird hazards at YVR. Among other uses, this information can guide control efforts and gauge the effectiveness of bird control over time

Monitoring the Distribution, Abundance, and Movements of Birds Near Vancouver International Airport

The Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is Canada’s second-busiest civil airport and is located on the Fraser River delta—the staging and wintering ground for millions of birds representing many taxonomic groups. Consequently, YVR experiences one of the highest bird-strike rates of any airport in Canada. Since 1994, LGL Limited has investigated and monitored avian ecology as it relates to existing and potential hazards to air-traffic safety at YVR. A formalized monitoring program is on-going. The distribution, abundance, and flight patterns of birds are recorded and summarized by individual species or by taxonomic group. Monthly and semiannual reports present information that depict changes in the local bird community regarding spatial, temporal, and behavioural factors. A multi-year database permits the comparison of these factors during a present period to past highs, lows, and averages. Data analyses are complex, but have been streamlined through the development and application of database programming developed specifically for this project. Using this, and other information such as habitat mapping and bird-strike statistics, “hazard maps” are generated. Together with the remainder of the reports, these maps provide the Wildlife Control Program with an objective view of bird hazards at YVR. Among other uses, this information can guide control efforts and gauge the effectiveness of bird control over time

Calpain restrains the stem cells compartment in breast cancer

CAPNS1 is essential for the stability and function of ubiquitous CAPN1 and CAPN2. Calpain modulates by proteolytic cleavage many cellular substrates and its activity is often deregulated in cancer cells, therefore calpain inhibition has been proposed as a therapeutical strategy for a number of malignancies. Here we show that CAPNS1 depletion is coupled to impairment of MCF7 and MCF10AT cell lines growth on plate and defective architecture of mammary acini derived from MCF10A cells. In soft agar CAPNS1 depletion leads to cell growth increase in MCF7, and decrease in MCF10AT cells. In both MCF7 and MCF10AT, CAPNS1 depletion leads to the enlargement of the stem cell compartment, as demonstrated by mammosphere formation assays and evaluation of stem cell markers by means of FACS and western blot analysis. Accordingly, activation of calpain by thapsigargin treatment leads to a decrease in the stem cell reservoir. The expansion of the cancer stem cell population in CAPNS1 depleted cells is coupled to a defective shift from symmetric to asymmetric division during mammosphere growth coupled to a decrease in NUMB protein level

Long-Range Low-Power Soil Water Content Monitoring System for Precision Agriculture

World population growth and desertification are increasing the food demand. Food production must increase to ensure food security in the following years. Smart agriculture tries to improve food production thanks to the adoption of electronic sensors to monitor and control fruit and vegetable crops. Another critical point in agriculture is the use of potable water. Precision irrigation strategies can be implemented to reduce water waste and increase crop production. This paper proposes a long-range, low-power sensor node to monitor soil water content. It is possible to place multiple sensor nodes in the field and use the gathered data to determine the most suitable irrigation strategy. The node communicates thanks to the LoRa protocol and it can also be used in remote areas where it is impossible to have an internet connection

One-Dimensional ZnO/Gold Junction for Simultaneous and Versatile Multisensing Measurements

The sensing capabilities of zinc oxide nano/micro-structures have been widely investigated and these structures are frequently used in the fabrication of cutting-edge sensors. However, to date, little attention has been paid to the multi-sensing abilities of this material. In this work, we present an efficient multisensor based on a single zinc oxide microwire/gold junction. The device is able to detect in real time three different stimuli, UV-VIS light, temperature and pH variations. This is thanks to three properties of zinc oxide its photoconductive response, pyroelectricity and surface functionalization with amino-propyl groups, respectively. The three stimuli can be detected either simultaneously or in a sequence/random order. A specific mathematical tool was also developed, together with a design of experiments (DoE), to predict the performances of the sensor. Our micro-device allows reliable and versatile real-time measurements of UV-VIS light, temperature and pH variations. Therefore, it shows great potential for use in the field of sensing for living cell cultures

Avaliação de cápsulas com gás traçador SF6 utilizadas na determinação de emissão de metano entérico em bovinos.

A metodologia do gás traçador hexafluoreto de enxofre (SF6) é amplamente utilizada para mensuração das taxas de emissão de metano (CIL) produzido pela fermentação entérica de bovinos. Alguns pontos críticos desta metodologia são a taxa de liberação, a vida útil das cápsulas de permeação de SF6 e sua durabilidade ou o efeito residual das mesmas no rúmen, que podem restringir e limitar o período de coleta de CIL. Este trabalho teve como objetivos determinar o efeito do armazenamento de cápsulas de permeação preenchidas com SF6 e a vida útil de cápsulas com diferentes septos de teflon. Foram utilizadas 28 cápsulas de permeação de latão, confeccionadas com os mesmos parâmetros e preenchidas com média de 541±48 mg de SF6. Das 28 cápsulas, 10 foram confeccionadas com septo de teflon com espessura de 0,3mm, preenchidas e armazenadas por 60 dias em freezer comum (-8°C). Após os 60 dias, mais 10 cápsulas de 0,3mm e 8 de 0,2mm foram preenchidas com SF6. As cápsulas foram pesadas semanalmente por 1 ano. O armazenamento de cápsulas de permeação em freezer comum por um período de 60 dias não alterou sua vida útil. As cápsulas confeccionadas com septo de 0,3mm apresentaram vida útil aproximada de 6 meses, período máximo de duração de cada coleta de CIL. Cápsulas confeccionadas com septo de 0,2mm apresentam maior taxa de emissão e menor vida útil, sendo mais indicadas para experimentos de curta duração ou quando se pretende reutilizar os animais após um curto período de tempo