588 research outputs found
Evaluating the Effects of Environmental Conditions on Sensed Parameters for Green Areas Monitoring and Smart Irrigation Systems
[EN] The irrigation of green areas in cities should be managed appropriately to ensure its sustainability. In large cities, not all green areas might be monitored simultaneously, and the data acquisition time can skew the gathered value. Our purpose is to evaluate which parameter has a lower hourly variation. We included soil parameters (soil temperature and moisture) and plant parameters (canopy temperature and vegetation indexes). Data were gathered at 5 different hours in 11 different experimental plots with variable irrigation and with different grass composition. The results indicate that soil moisture and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index are the sole parameters not affected by the data acquisition time. For soil moisture, the maximum difference was in experimental plot 4, with values of 21% at 10:45 AM and 27% at 8:45 AM. On the other hand, canopy temperature is the most affected parameter with a mean variation of 15 degrees C in the morning. The maximum variation was in experimental plot 8 with a 19 degrees C at 8:45 AM and 39 degrees C at 12:45 PM. Data acquisition time affected the correlation between soil moisture and canopy temperature. We can affirm that data acquisition time has to be included as a variability source. Finally, our conclusion indicates that it is vital to consider data acquisition time to ensure water distribution for irrigation in cities.This research was funded by AREA VERDE-MG projects, by project PDR18-XEROCESPED funded under the PDR-CM 2014-2020 by the EU (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, EAFRD), Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) and Comunidad de Madrid regional government through IMIDRA, and by the Conselleria de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte through "Subvenciones para la contratacion de personal investigador en fase postdoctoral", grant number APOSTD/2019/04.Mauri Ablanque, PV.; Parra-Boronat, L.; Yousfi, S.; Lloret, J.; Marin, JF. (2021). Evaluating the Effects of Environmental Conditions on Sensed Parameters for Green Areas Monitoring and Smart Irrigation Systems. Sensors. 21(6):1-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/s2106225512221
Drone RGB Images as a Reliable Information Source to Determine Legumes Establishment Success
[EN] The use of drones in agriculture is becoming a valuable tool for crop monitoring. There are some critical moments for crop success; the establishment is one of those. In this paper, we present an initial approximation of a methodology that uses RGB images gathered from drones to evaluate the establishment success in legumes based on matrixes operations. Our aim is to provide a method that can be implemented in low-cost nodes with relatively low computational capacity. An index (B1/B2) is used for estimating the percentage of green biomass to evaluate the establishment success. In the study, we include three zones with different establishment success (high, regular, and low) and two species (chickpea and lentils). We evaluate data usability after applying aggregation techniques, which reduces the picture's size to improve long-term storage. We test cell sizes from 1 to 10 pixels. This technique is tested with images gathered in production fields with intercropping at 4, 8, and 12 m relative height to find the optimal aggregation for each flying height. Our results indicate that images captured at 4 m with a cell size of 5, at 8 m with a cell size of 3, and 12 m without aggregation can be used to determine the establishment success. Comparing the storage requirements, the combination that minimises the data size while maintaining its usability is the image at 8 m with a cell size of 3. Finally, we show the use of generated information with an artificial neural network to classify the data. The dataset was split into a training dataset and a verification dataset. The classification of the verification dataset offered 83% of the cases as well classified. The proposed tool can be used in the future to compare the establishment success of different legume varieties or species.This research and the contract of S.Y. were funded by project PDR18-XEROCESPED, under the PDR-CM 2014-2020, by the EU (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, EAFRD), Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) and Comunidad de Madrid regional government through IMIDRA and the contract of L.P. was funded by Conselleria de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte with the Subvenciones para la contratacion de personal investigador en fase postdoctoral, APOSTD/2019/04.Parra-Boronat, L.; Mostaza-Colado, D.; Yousfi, S.; Marin, JF.; Mauri, PV.; Lloret, J. (2021). Drone RGB Images as a Reliable Information Source to Determine Legumes Establishment Success. Drones. 5(3):1-18. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5030079S1185
Timing of antibiotic therapy in the ICU
Severe or life threatening infections are common among patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Most infections in the ICU are bacterial or fungal in origin and require antimicrobial therapy for clinical resolution. Antibiotics are the cornerstone of therapy for infected critically ill patients. However, antibiotics are often not optimally administered resulting in less favorable patient outcomes including greater mortality. The timing of antibiotics in patients with life threatening infections including sepsis and septic shock is now recognized as one of the most important determinants of survival for this population. Individuals who have a delay in the administration of antibiotic therapy for serious infections can have a doubling or more in their mortality. Additionally, the timing of an appropriate antibiotic regimen, one that is active against the offending pathogens based on in vitro susceptibility, also influences survival. Thus not only is early empiric antibiotic administration important but the selection of those agents is crucial as well. The duration of antibiotic infusions, especially for ÎČ-lactams, can also influence antibiotic efficacy by increasing antimicrobial drug exposure for the offending pathogen. However, due to mounting antibiotic resistance, aggressive antimicrobial de-escalation based on microbiology results is necessary to counterbalance the pressures of early broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy. In this review, we examine time related variables impacting antibiotic optimization as it relates to the treatment of life threatening infections in the ICU. In addition to highlighting the importance of antibiotic timing in the ICU we hope to provide an approach to antimicrobials that also minimizes the unnecessary use of these agents. Such approaches will increasingly be linked to advances in molecular microbiology testing and artificial intelligence/machine learning. Such advances should help identify patients needing empiric antibiotic therapy at an earlier time point as well as the specific antibiotics required in order to avoid unnecessary administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics
Selective denitrification of simulated oily wastewater by oxidation using Janus-structured carbon nanotubes
The intense industrial development has resulted in several consequences for human and environmental health,
including the increased discharge of oily products in water bodies. Oily products are widely used in industry,
often bearing an associated high cost. Finding alternatives to treat oily wastewater aiming at recovering oily and
water phases is an approach allowing recovery of products of economic interest. In this work, Janus-like carbon
nanotubes (CNTs) were synthesized by varying the feed time of acetonitrile and ethylene, respectively, as nitrogen/
carbon and carbon precursors in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) approach. The CVD approach
allowed the synthesis of completely undoped, completely doped and partially doped CNTs with a Janus structure.
The CNTs were then tested as catalysts for the selective oxidation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) contained in a
simulated oily wastewater (2,2,4-trimethylpentane/water (O/W) = 1:9, volume basis) by catalytic wet peroxide
oxidation (CWPO). The CWPO experiments were conducted for 24 h, 80 âŠC, 2.5 g L-1 of catalyst, and the
stoichiometric concentration of H2O2 (3.6 g L-1) for the degradation of 4-NP (1 g L-1). The same conditions were
kept for experiments conducted under a biphasic system. The catalysts bearing a Janus-like structure were
demonstrated to be more effective in CWPO experiments in aqueous-only and biphasic systems for the abatement
of 4-NP.This work was financially supported by LA/P/0045/2020 (ALiCE),
UIDB/50020/2020 and UIDP/50020/2020 (LSRE-LCM) funded by national
funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC); project âPLASTIC_TO_FUEL&MAT â Upcycling Waste Plastics into Fuel and
Carbon Nanomaterialsâ (PTDC/EQU-EQU/31439/2017), CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020), and project âHealthy Watersâ (NORTE-01â0145-FEDER-000069) through FEDER under Program PT2020. Fernanda F. Roman
acknowledges the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the
European Social Fund (FSE) for the individual research grant with
reference SFRH/BD/143224/2019. Adriano S. Silva was supported by
the doctoral Grant SFRH/BD/151346/2021 financed by FCT with funds
from NORTE2020, under MIT Portugal Program. Jose L. Diaz De Tuesta
acknowledges the financial support through the program of AtracciĂłn al
Talento of Comunidad de Madrid (Spain) for the individual research
grant 2020-T2/AMB-19836.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Somatotypes trajectories during adulthood and their association with COPD phenotypes
Rationale: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) comprises distinct phenotypes, all
characterised by airflow limitation.
Objectives: We hypothesised that somatotype changes â as a surrogate of adiposity â from early adulthood
follow different trajectories to reach distinct phenotypes.
Methods: Using the validated Stunkardâs Pictogram, 356 COPD patients chose the somatotype that best
reflects their current body build and those at ages 18, 30, 40 and 50 years. An unbiased group-based
trajectory modelling was used to determine somatotype trajectories. We then compared the current
COPD-related clinical and phenotypic characteristics of subjects belonging to each trajectory.
Measurements and main results: At 18 years of age, 88% of the participants described having a lean or
medium somatotype (estimated body mass index (BMI) between 19 and 23 kg·mâ2
) while the other 12% a
heavier somatotype (estimated BMI between 25 and 27 kg·mâ2
). From age 18 onwards, five distinct
trajectories were observed. Four of them demonstrating a continuous increase in adiposity throughout
adulthood with the exception of one, where the initial increase was followed by loss of adiposity after age
40. Patients with this trajectory were primarily females with low BMI and DLCO (diffusing capacity of the
lung for carbon monoxide). A persistently lean trajectory was seen in 14% of the cohort. This group had
significantly lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), DLCO, more emphysema and a worse BODE
(BMI, airflow obstruction, dyspnoea and exercise capacity) score thus resembling the multiple organ loss
of tissue (MOLT) phenotype.
Conclusions: COPD patients have distinct somatotype trajectories throughout adulthood. Those with the
MOLT phenotype maintain a lean trajectory throughout life. Smoking subjects with this lean phenotype in
early adulthood deserve particular attention as they seem to develop more severe COPD
Intrinsically determined cell death of developing cortical interneurons
Cortical inhibitory circuits are formed by GABAergic interneurons, a cell population that originates far from the cerebral cortex in the embryonic ventral forebrain. Given their distant developmental origins, it is intriguing how the number of cortical interneurons is ultimately determined. One possibility, suggested by the neurotrophic hypothesis1-5, is that cortical interneurons are overproduced, and then following their migration into cortex, excess interneurons are eliminated through a competition for extrinsically derived trophic signals. Here we have characterized the developmental cell death of mouse cortical interneurons in vivo, in vitro, and following transplantation. We found that 40% of developing cortical interneurons were eliminated through Bax- (Bcl-2 associated X-) dependent apoptosis during postnatal life. When cultured in vitro or transplanted into the cortex, interneuron precursors died at a cellular age similar to that at which endogenous interneurons died during normal development. Remarkably, over transplant sizes that varied 200-fold, a constant fraction of the transplanted population underwent cell death. The death of transplanted neurons was not affected by the cell-autonomous disruption of TrkB (tropomyosin kinase receptor B), the main neurotrophin receptor expressed by central nervous system (CNS) neurons6-8. Transplantation expanded the cortical interneuron population by up to 35%, but the frequency of inhibitory synaptic events did not scale with the number of transplanted interneurons. Together, our findings indicate that interneuron cell death is intrinsically determined, either cell-autonomously, or through a population-autonomous competition for survival signals derived from other interneurons
Energy Estimation of Cosmic Rays with the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is part of the Pierre Auger
Observatory and is used to detect the radio emission of cosmic-ray air showers.
These observations are compared to the data of the surface detector stations of
the Observatory, which provide well-calibrated information on the cosmic-ray
energies and arrival directions. The response of the radio stations in the 30
to 80 MHz regime has been thoroughly calibrated to enable the reconstruction of
the incoming electric field. For the latter, the energy deposit per area is
determined from the radio pulses at each observer position and is interpolated
using a two-dimensional function that takes into account signal asymmetries due
to interference between the geomagnetic and charge-excess emission components.
The spatial integral over the signal distribution gives a direct measurement of
the energy transferred from the primary cosmic ray into radio emission in the
AERA frequency range. We measure 15.8 MeV of radiation energy for a 1 EeV air
shower arriving perpendicularly to the geomagnetic field. This radiation energy
-- corrected for geometrical effects -- is used as a cosmic-ray energy
estimator. Performing an absolute energy calibration against the
surface-detector information, we observe that this radio-energy estimator
scales quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy as expected for coherent
emission. We find an energy resolution of the radio reconstruction of 22% for
the data set and 17% for a high-quality subset containing only events with at
least five radio stations with signal.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
Measurement of the Radiation Energy in the Radio Signal of Extensive Air Showers as a Universal Estimator of Cosmic-Ray Energy
We measure the energy emitted by extensive air showers in the form of radio
emission in the frequency range from 30 to 80 MHz. Exploiting the accurate
energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we obtain a radiation energy of
15.8 \pm 0.7 (stat) \pm 6.7 (sys) MeV for cosmic rays with an energy of 1 EeV
arriving perpendicularly to a geomagnetic field of 0.24 G, scaling
quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy. A comparison with predictions from
state-of-the-art first-principle calculations shows agreement with our
measurement. The radiation energy provides direct access to the calorimetric
energy in the electromagnetic cascade of extensive air showers. Comparison with
our result thus allows the direct calibration of any cosmic-ray radio detector
against the well-established energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DOI.
Supplemental material in the ancillary file
Periodontal disease and some adverse perinatal outcomes in a cohort of low risk pregnant women
Objective: To evaluate the association of periodontal disease (PD) in pregnancy with some adverse perinatal outcomes. Method: This cohort study included 327 pregnant women divided in groups with or without PD. Indexes of plaque and gingival bleeding on probing, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level and gingival recession were evaluated at one periodontal examination below 32 weeks of gestation. The rates of preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), small for gestational age (SGA) neonates and prelabor rupture of membranes (PROM) were evaluated using Risk Ratios (95%CI) and Population Attributable Risk Fractions. Results: PD was associated with a higher risk of PTB (RRadj. 3.47 95% CI 1.62-7.43), LBW (RRadj. 2.93 95% CI 1.36-6.34) and PROM (RRadj. 2.48 95% CI 1.35-4.56), but not with SGA neonates (RR 2.38 95% CI 0.93 - 6.10). Conclusions: PD was a risk factor for PT, LBW and PROM among Brazilian low risk pregnant women
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