4,279 research outputs found
Spatial variability of litter temperature, relative air humidity and skin temperature of chicks in a commercial broiler house
ArticleThe thermal environment inside a broiler house has a great influence on animal welfare
and productivity during the production phase. Among the importance of the chicken litter is the
function of absorbing moisture, provide thermal insulation and provide a soft surface for broilers.
The skin temperature is an important physiological parameter to quantify the thermal comfort of
animals, its variations may occur as a function of thermal variables. So, the aim of this work was
to analyse the magnitude and spatial variability of chicken litter temperature and relative humidity
of the air and to correlate them with the spatial distribution of chicks’ skin surface temperature
throughout the broiler house during the 7th, 14th and 21st days of the chicks’ life, using
geostatistical techniques. The experiment was performed in a commercial broiler house located
in the western mesoregion of Minas Gerais, Brazil, where 28,000 male Cobb chicks were housed.
The heating system consisted of an industrial indirect-fired biomass furnace. The heated air was
inflated by an AC motor, 2,206 W of power, 1,725 RPM. Geostatistical techniques were used
through semivariogram analysis and isochore maps were generated through data interpolation by
kriging. The semivariogram was fitted by the restricted maximum likelihood method. The used
mathematical model was the spherical one. After fitting the semivariograms, the data were
interpolated by ordinary kriging. The semivariograms along with the isochore maps allowed
identifying the non-uniformity of spatial distribution of the broiler litter temperature throughout
the broiler house for 3 days of chicks’ life. It was observed that skin surface presented a positive
correlation with the litter temperature and a negative correlation with the air humidity. The
semivariograms along with the isochore maps allowed identifying the non-uniformity of spatial
distribution of the litter temperature, air humidity and skin temperature of chicks throughout the
broiler aviary for the three days. In addition, the use of geostatistics and distribution maps made
possible to identify different environmental conditions in regions inside the broiler house that
may harm the development of chicks
Software para automação de Língua Eletrônica em análise de líquidos.
Pressionada pela crescente competitividade no mercado globalizado, a indústria alimentícia necessita aperfeiçoar continuamente os seus produtos visando produtividade e qualidade. Neste contexto, é forte a demanda pelo desenvolvimento de sensores capazes de monitorar qualidade e sabor durante os processos de produção, de forma automática e confiável. A Embrapa Instrumentação Agropecuária desenvolveu sensores gustativos (Riul Jr. et al., 2003) capazes de distinguir diferentes marcas de café, vinho, água mineral, suco de fruta, chá, leite e outras bebidas. Através destes sensores, os sabores podem ser detectados com sensibilidade maior do que a do paladar humano. O potencial de aplicação desta tecnologia se estende a diversos setores assim como a estudos ambientais, como o da contaminação dos corpos d'água. Atualmente, destaca-se o grande interesse que os setores cafeeiro e vinícola têm demonstrado em utilizar a língua eletrônica tanto no processo de produção quanto durante o armazenamento. Testes preliminares demonstraram o enorme potencial desta técnica. Deseja-se que a análise destas bebidas seja feita automaticamente, durante o processamento com equipamentos dedicados às aplicações específicas e de custo acessível. Com estes objetivos, está em andamento na Embrapa Instrumentação Agropecuária o projeto: "Desenvolvimento de sensores poliméricos para aplicações na agroindústria e meio ambiente", financiado pela FAPESP (proc. 01.13745-1).bitstream/CNPDIA/8723/1/CT54_2003.pd
Spatial variability of soil fertility attributes and productivity in a coffee crop farm
ArticleCoffee cultivation is of great importance to Brazilian agribusiness, as coffee occupies
extensive production areas and is one of the most exported Brazilian products. To maintain coffee
production numbers, productive techniques must be adopted that optimize productive system use.
The objective of this work was to apply geostatistical techniques in the evaluation of soil fertility
attributes to construct maps of variability in soil fertility parameters and the productivity of a
coffee crop in the municipality of Monte Carmelo, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil. The work was
developed with coffee of the cultivar Mundo Novo 379/19, and 19 sample points were
georeferenced in Universal Transverse Mercator coordinates. Spatial dependence of the fertility
and productivity parameters was analysed via classic semivariogram fitting and interpolation by
ordinary kriging using the statistical computer system, R. All parameters evaluated showed high
degrees of spatial dependence. The attribute values varied along the sampling points, except for
the sodium (Na) contents, which had similar values in all samplings. The studied parameters
ranged from 80 to 200 metres. It is conclusion, the use of productivity maps linked to soil
chemical attributes can be useful for determining the occurrence of variable productivity rates
throughout the area, allowing the adoption of corrective practices for subsequent crops and thus
making the maps very useful tools for producers
Experimental Observation of Quantum Correlations in Modular Variables
We experimentally detect entanglement in modular position and momentum
variables of photon pairs which have passed through -slit apertures. We
first employ an entanglement criteria recently proposed in [Phys. Rev. Lett.
{\bf 106}, 210501 (2011)], using variances of the modular variables. We then
propose an entanglement witness for modular variables based on the Shannon
entropy, and test it experimentally. Finally, we derive criteria for
Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-Steering correlations using variances and entropy
functions. In both cases, the entropic criteria are more successful at
identifying quantum correlations in our data.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, comments welcom
Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) distribution in agroecosystems: a cross-scale habitat analysis.
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