Autonomous hybrid GPS/reactive navigation of an unmanned ground vehicle for precision viticulture-VINBOT

Yield forecasting can provide important benefits for wine industry in terms of quality and efficiency. Vineyard yield estimation can be obtained using several methods being the most widely used the method based on visual assessment and/or counting/weighing the yield components The increasing importance of yield forecast has lead to automated solutions for the data acquisition and allowed the first service robotics applications in viticulture. In this paper we aim to present the preliminary results obtained in the European research project VinBot: “Autonomous cloudcomputing vineyard robot to optimize yield management and wine quality”. The paper focuses in the robot navigation. Robot navigation for agriculture has been a continuous research topic in the last years. Even there is a wide number of RTK-DGPS and PPP based navigation solutions available for precision farming, navigation in vineyards has some particularities and can benefit from other navigation techniques. The high cost and in some cases other limitations as fix ratios (determined by baseline distances to base stations), or communication limitations in the field make alternative solutions desirable. In this paper, we present a hybrid reactive/GPS based navigation scheme tested successfully in vineyard navigation. The proposed solution makes use of a laser range finder and RGBD device to perform reactive row following and obstacle avoidance, while it can make use of other reactive behaviors or GPS waypoint navigation for changing from row to row or field to field, thus supporting different levels of automation. The paper includes also some experiences with recently introduced new generation low-cost RTK-DGPS devices, that in the coming years will enable the progressive introduction of viticulture robotsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Vineyard yeld estimation by VINBOT robot - preliminary results with the white variety Viosinho

Nowadays it is recognized that vineyard yield estimation can bring several benefits to all the vine and wine industry and, consequently, there is a strong demand for fast and reliable yield estimation methods. Recently a strong effort has been made on developing machine vision tools to automatically estimate vineyard yields evolving several research teams worldwide. In this paper we aim to present preliminary results obtained in the frame of an European research project (VINBOT: “Autonomous cloud-computing vineyard robot to optimise yield management and wine quality”) focus on yield estimation. A ground truth evaluation trial was set up in an experimental vineyard with the white variety Viosinho, trained on a vertical shoot positioning system and spur pruned. A sample of contiguous vines was labeled and submitted to a detailed assessment of vegetative and reproductive data to feed a viticulture data library. The vines were scanned during the ripening period of the 2015 season by the VINBOT sensor head composed with a set of sensors capable of capturing vineyard images and 3D data. Ground truth data was used to relate with images taken by the sensors and to test algorithms of image analysis. In this paper we present and discuss the relationships between actual and estimated yield computed using the surface occupied by the grape clusters in the images. Our preliminary results showed that, despite of a slight underestimation of the ground truth, caused mainly by cluster occlusion, when the canopy density allows visualization of most part of the clusters, the yield can be estimated by machine vision with a high fidelity. Further research is ongoing to test those devices and methodologies in other varieties and to improve the estimation accuracyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A experiência dos Serviços de Urologia: litíase urinária

Os autores fazem uma descrição da experiência do Serviço, na cirurgia da litíase dos últimos 10 anos, e destacam o actual arsenal cirúrgico disponível

Searching for the most variable m/z values in grape development in a Portuguese vineyard

Each vineyard is known to have a strong impact on the metabolic compounds of grapes due to its external factors, named terroir [1]. Furthermore, knowledge on the metabolic behavior of vines in response to the terroir effect can help to assess, in advance, the optimal maturity of grapes. The aim of this work was to obtain a metabolic profile of vines in different locations and consequently associate it with the external conditions present during grapes’ development using an untargeted approach. Samples were collected in eight sites of a Portuguese vineyard during different developmental stages and analyzed using a metabolomic protocol based on liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry [2]. Briefly, samples were grounded and extracted using a mixture of water/methanol/chloroform (20:40:40, v/v/v). The aqueous methanol fraction was used for further analysis. An Agilent Eclipse plus C18 column (RRHD 1.8 µm, 2.1 mm × 100 mm) was used for chromatographic separation and elution was achieved in gradient mode. Water and acetonitrile both containing 0.1% (v/v) formic acid were used as mobile phase. Mass spectrometry analysis was performed in positive and negative ionization mode and data were acquired in scan mode to maximize the number of detected m/z values. MZmine software was chosen for data analysis due to its robustness in fragment selection. A baseline correction was applied to equalize baselines and an alignment algorithm was used to equalize retention times aiming to compare m/z values from different samples. Statistical and chemometric tools were used to exclude m/z values attributed to blanks and to establish a metabolic profile, respectively. Preliminary results confirm that the methodology chosen for data analysis is fast and accurate for the viable selection of the most significant m/z features. Regarding currently analyzed samples, the proposed methodology allowed the identification of several m/z features presenting a statistically significant variation among sampling points, which will be further investigated as indicators of the maturity state.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Caracterização de materiais compósitos à base de gesso FGD

Este estudo visa a valorização de diversos subprodutos industriais como o gesso da dessulfuração de gases de combustão das centrais termoeléctricas, designado convencionalmente por gesso FGD (“flue gas desulfurization”), o re-granulado de cortiça resultante do fabrico de placas de aglomerado negro de cortiça e as fibras têxteis resultantes da reciclagem de pneus usados. Os materiais compósitos resultantes das misturas destes subprodutos podem ser conformados por dois processos distintos, a moldagem e a prensagem, obtendo-se produtos com características distintas. Por moldagem obtêm-se um compósito leve e por prensagem obtêm-se um material mais denso, com maiores resistências mecânicas e melhor acabamento superficial. Estes compósitos poderão ter várias aplicações na construção, nomeadamente no fabrico de blocos para paredes interiores dos edifícios. Neste contexto, foi realizada uma campanha experimental de modo a determinar as características mecânicas dos referidos compósitos no sentido de validar a sua aplicabilidade na construção

Caracterização de materiais compósitos à base de gesso FGD

Este estudo visa a valorização de diversos subprodutos industriais como o gesso da dessulfuração de gases de combustão das centrais termoeléctricas, designado convencionalmente por gesso FGD (“flue gas desulfurization”), o re-granulado de cortiça resultante do fabrico de placas de aglomerado negro de cortiça e as fibras têxteis resultantes da reciclagem de pneus usados. Os materiais compósitos resultantes das misturas destes subprodutos podem ser conformados por dois processos distintos, a moldagem e a prensagem, obtendo-se produtos com características distintas. Por moldagem obtêm-se um compósito leve e por prensagem obtêm se um material mais denso, com maiores resistências mecânicas e melhor acabamento superficial. Estes compósitos poderão ter várias aplicações na construção, nomeadamente no fabrico de blocos para paredes interiores dos edifícios. Neste contexto, foi realizada uma campanha experimental de modo a determinar as características mecânicas dos referidos compósitos no sentido de validar a sua aplicabilidade na construção

Avaliação de genótipos de soja de diferentes grupos de maturação e resistência aos percevejos.

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A de novo paradigm for male infertility

Funding Information: (DFG, CRU326) to C.F. and F.T. This project was also supported in part by funding from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1120356) to M.K.O.B., by grants from the National Institutes of Health of the United States of America (R01HD078641 to D.F.C. and K.I.A., P50HD096723 to D.F.C.) and from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/S008039/1) to D.J.E. Funding Information: We are grateful for the participation of all patients and their parents in this study. We thank Laurens van de Wiel (Radboudumc), Sebastian Judd-Mole (Monash University), Arron Scott and Bryan Hepworth (Newcastle University) for technical support, and Margot J Wyrwoll (University of Münster) for help with handling MERGE samples and data. This project was funded by The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (918-15-667) to J.A.V. as well as an Investigator Award in Science from the Wellcome Trust (209451) to J.A.V. a grant from the Catherine van Tussenbroek Foundation to M.S.O. a grant from MERCK to R.S. a UUKi Rutherford Fund Fellowship awarded to B.J.H. and the German Research Foundation Clinical Research Unit “Male Germ Cells” Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).De novo mutations are known to play a prominent role in sporadic disorders with reduced fitness. We hypothesize that de novo mutations play an important role in severe male infertility and explain a portion of the genetic causes of this understudied disorder. To test this hypothesis, we utilize trio-based exome sequencing in a cohort of 185 infertile males and their unaffected parents. Following a systematic analysis, 29 of 145 rare (MAF < 0.1%) protein-altering de novo mutations are classified as possibly causative of the male infertility phenotype. We observed a significant enrichment of loss-of-function de novo mutations in loss-of-function-intolerant genes (p-value = 1.00 × 10−5) in infertile men compared to controls. Additionally, we detected a significant increase in predicted pathogenic de novo missense mutations affecting missense-intolerant genes (p-value = 5.01 × 10−4) in contrast to predicted benign de novo mutations. One gene we identify, RBM5, is an essential regulator of male germ cell pre-mRNA splicing and has been previously implicated in male infertility in mice. In a follow-up study, 6 rare pathogenic missense mutations affecting this gene are observed in a cohort of 2,506 infertile patients, whilst we find no such mutations in a cohort of 5,784 fertile men (p-value = 0.03). Our results provide evidence for the role of de novo mutations in severe male infertility and point to new candidate genes affecting fertility.publishersversionpublishe

Genera Euastrum Ehrenberg ex Ralfs and Micrasterias C.Agardh (Conjugatophyceae-Desmidiaceae) from two Amazon black water environments (Manaus,Amazonas-Brazil)

An investigation of genera Euastrum Ehrenberg ex Ralfs and Micrasterias C.Agardh from an Amazon floodplain lake of the Negro river Basin was undertaken. The samples were collected using a plankton net in four stations on the Tupe Lake and one station near a lake on the Negro river. The species were identified and described on the basis of morphological and morphometrical characteristics. A total of 12 species were identified, five species of Euastrum genus (E. evolutum var. perornatum; E. gemmatum var. monocyclum; E. ornans; E. sinuosum; E. spinulosum), and seven of Micrasterias genus (M. borgei; M. radiata var. brasiliensis; M. torreyi; M. laticeps var. acuminata; M. mahabuleshwarensis var. amazonensis; M. rotata var. rotata; M. siolii). All species, except M. radiata Hassal var. brasiliensis Grönblad, were found in the Negro river; on the other hand, only seven species were found in the Tupé lake, three of Euastrum and four of Micrasterias.Foi realizado um inventário das espécies dos gêneros Euastrum Ehrenberg ex Ralfs e Micrasterias C.Agardh de dois ambientes de águas pretas do município de Manaus, um lago de inundação (lago Tupé), e o rio Negro. As coletas foram realizadas com rede de plâncton em quatro estações no lago e uma no rio Negro, situada próxima ao lago. Um total de 93 amostras foi analisado, coletadas em escala mensal no período de março de 2002 a outubro de 2003. As espécies foram descritas e ilustradas com base na sua morfologia e morfometria. Um total de 12 espécies foi identificado, sendo cinco do gênero Euastrum (E. evolutum var. perornatum; E. gemmatum var. monocyclum; E. ornans; E. sinuosum e E. spinulosum), e sete do gênero Micrasterias (M. borgei; M. radiata var. brasiliensis; M. torreyi; M. laticeps var. acuminata; M. mahabuleshwarensis var. amazonensis; M. rotata var. rotata; M. siolii). Todas as espécies, exceto M. radiata Hassal var. brasiliensis Grönblad, foram registradas no rio Negro, enquanto no lago Tupé foi registrado, no geral, apenas sete espécies, três de Euastrum e quatro de Micrasterias