An integrated approach project for the revaluation of a traditional sourdough bread production chain

The influence of organic and conventional farming systems on the performance of a panel of old and modern Italian bread wheat varieties has been evaluated, with the aim to individuate an agronomic protocol suitable for the production of a sourdough bread traditionally prepared in a hill zone of Emilia-Romagna. The agronomic and technological characterisation of the wheat samples obtained in organic and conventional farming conditions has been done and the sensorial qualities of the sourdough bread obtained have been evaluated

Modelling and Parameter Identification of Ex-Situ Biological Biogas Upgrading

In this paper, a model of ex-situ biological biogas upgrading process is first developed. Then, parameter sensitivity analysis is performed, in order to determine the most relevant parameters for subsequent parameter identification, based on a linear fractional transformation (LFT) reformulation of the model. Biogas composition and volumetric production have been well predicted by the calibrated model, allowing its adoption as a designing tool for start-up operation of experimental pilot-scale activity

Cloud based sensor network for environmental monitoring

This paper describes a complete infrastructure for environmental monitoring, which is based on a cloud architecture. The proposed system employs small button-like battery-operated sensors, which connect through a wireless link to small receivers capable of routing data to the cloud system. Cloud data can be accessed in real time through smart-phones and downloaded for further analyses. Each button-like sensor is capable of measuring temperature and humidity for more than one year without attendance. All data are sent to the receiver and in addition stored inside the button memory so that the system can work also in the absence of power and Internet connection. The architecture takes advantage of the μPanel environment, which is conceived to work also with unreliable and slow Internet connections and permits to implement a cloud-based infrastructure with the capability to control the sensors locally and in absence of Internet connectivity. The proposed architecture is currently used in different museums to monitor the local environment inside the display rooms, but the system can be easily extended to open environments without additional costs

Fórum: um espaço para a construção da Autonomia na Educação a Distância

Este trabalho trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa em forma de estudo de caso, realizado em uma turma de graduação na modalidade semipresencial de cursos de Licenciatura em uma Universidade Federal. Investigaram-se as interações realizadas em seis fóruns no Ambiente Virtual de Aprendizagem (AVA), buscando um entendimento sobre a condução do processo de ensino-aprendizagem e os fatores que auxiliaram a fomentar a construção da autonomia do aluno. O referencial teórico que norteou o trabalho foi a Epistemologia Genética e autores atuais que estudam a Educação a Distância. Como resultados, aponta-se para a importância de propiciar espaços que possibilitam a interatividade entre os componentes e a atenção à mediação pedagógica, como um componente fundamental para auxiliar na passagem da heteronomia à autonomia

Application of qualitative risk assessment to prioritize hazards in pork products in Brazil.

SafePork 2017

Cepstral Peak Prominence Smoothed distribution as discriminator of vocal health in sustained vowel

This paper focuses on Cepstral Peak Prominence Smoothed (CPPS) as a possible indicator of vocal health status, considering individual CPPS distribution and its descriptive statistics. 31 voluntary patients and 22 control subjects performed the same protocol, which includes the simultaneous acquisition of three repetitions of the sustained vowel /a/ with a microphone in air and a contact sensor, the perceptual assessment of voice and the videolaringoscopy examination. The best logistic regression models have been applied and preliminary results showed that the fifth percentile and the standard deviation of CPPS distributions are the best parameters that discriminate healthy and unhealthy voice for the microphone in air and the contact sensor, respectively. The Area Under Curve (AUC) revealed the diagnostic precision of the selected CPPS parameters: AUC of 0.96 and 0.83 have been found for the microphone in air and the contact sensor, showing strong to moderate discrimination power, respectively. The repeatability of the selected CPPS parameters has been also estimated. For each selected CPPS parameter, the Monte Carlo method has been implemented in order to evaluate the uncertainty of the threshold, which was identified by means of the Receiver Operating Curve analysis

The digital whomanities project. Best practices for digital pedagogy in the pandemic era

This paper aims to enter the ongoing debate about the critical issues of digital pedagogy through the presentation of Digital WHOmanities, a series of online conferences and workshops held at the University of Bologna. Distance learning has become one of the most discussed topics in educational institutions during the spread of Covid-19, revealing a discrepancy between the rapid development of technology and the ability of learning environments to adapt to this turn. In view of this ongoing debate, Digital WHOmanities tried to define the complex and multifaceted figure of the digital humanist and to provide a methodological framework that could foster further online academic initiatives. Specifically, the accurate organization of timing and contents and the adoption of synchronous and asynchronous approaches have highlighted the effectiveness of flexible digital didactics

Estudo caso-controle pareado avaliando a frequência dos principais agentes causadores de diarréia neonatal em suínos no Rio Grande do Sul

A case-control study was carried out in litters of 1 to 7-day-old piglets to identify the main infectious agents involved with neonatal diarrhea in pigs. Fecal samples (n=276) from piglets were collected on pig farms in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from May to September 2007. Litters with diarrhea were considered cases (n=129) and normal litters (n=147) controls. The samples were examined by latex agglutination test, PAGE, conventional isolating techniques, ELISA, PCR, and microscopic methods in order to detect rotavirus, bacterial pathogens (Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens type A and C, and Clostridium difficile), and parasites (Coccidian and Cryptosporidium spp.). Outbreaks of diarrhea were not observed during sampling. At least one agent was detected in fecal samples on 25 out of 28 farms (89.3%) and in 16 farms (57.1%) more than one agent was found. The main agents diagnosed were Coccidia (42.86%) and rotavirus (39.29%). The main agents identified in litters with diarrhea were Clostridium difficile (10.6%), Clostridium perfringens type A (8.8%) and rotavirus (7.5%); in control litters, Clostridium difficile (16.6%) and Coccidian (8.5%). Beta hemolytic Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens type C were not detected. When compared with controls, no agent was significantly associated with diarrhea in case litters. These findings stress the need for caution in the interpretation of laboratorial diagnosis of mild diarrhea in neonatal pigs, as the sole detection of an agent does not necessarily indicate that it is the cause of the problem.Um estudo de caso-controle em leitegadas de um a sete dias de idade foi realizado com o objetivo de identificar os principais agentes infecciosos envolvidos na diarreia neonatal de leitões. As amostras de fezes (n=276) foram coletadas em granjas de suínos no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, no período de maio a setembro de 2007. Leitegadas com diarreia foram consideradas casos (n=147) e leitegadas normais, controles (n=129). As amostras foram examinadas através do teste de aglutinação em látex, PAGE, cultivo, ELISA, PCR e métodos microscópicos para a excreção dos principais agentes de diarreia: virais (rotavirus), bacterianos (Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens tipos A e tipo C e Clostridium difficile) e parasitários (coccídeos e Cryptosporidium spp.). Durante o período do estudo não foram observados surtos e a diarréia, quando presente, apresentou-se leve. Pelo menos um agente foi identificado nas amostras fecais de 25 entre 28 granjas (89,3%) analisadas e em 16 granjas (57,1%) mais de um agente foi detectado. Os principais agentes encontrados nas granjas foram coccídeos (42,86%) e rotavírus (39,29%). Os principais agentes detectados nas leitegadas com diarreia foram Clostridium difficile (10,6%), Clostridium perfringens tipo A (8,8%) e rotavírus (7,5%). Por outro lado, nas leitegadas controle os agentes mais prevalentes foram Clostridium difficile (16,6%) e coccídeos (8,5%). E. coli Beta hemolítica e Clostridium perfringens tipo C não foram detectados. O presente estudo de caso-controle demonstrou que nenhum agente infeccioso esteve associado significativamente com diarreia (p>0.05). Esses achados reforçam a necessidade de que haja cuidado na interpretação de resultados de exames laboratoriais em materiais coletados de leitões com diarreia neonatal leve, pois a detecção isolada de um agente infeccioso não indica necessariamente que o mesmo seja a causa do problema

Detection of Invasive Borrelia burgdorferi Strains in North-Eastern Piedmont, Italy.

SummaryFollowing reports of human cases of Lyme borreliosis from the Ossola Valley, a mountainous area of Piemonte, north‐western Italy, the abundance and altitudinal distribution of ticks, and infection of these vectors with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato were evaluated. A total of 1662 host‐seeking Ixodes ricinus were collected by dragging from April to September 2011 at locations between 400 and 1450 m above sea level. Additional 104 I. ricinus were collected from 35 hunted wild animals (4 chamois, 8 roe deer, 23 red deer). Tick density, expressed as the number of ticks per 100 m2, resulted highly variable among different areas, ranging from 0 to 105 larvae and from 0 to 22 nymphs. A sample of 352 ticks (327 from dragging and 25 from wild animals) was screened by a PCR assay targeting a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene of B. burgdorferi s.l. Positive samples were confirmed with a PCR assay specific for the 5S‐23S rRNA intergenic spacer region and sequenced. Four genospecies were found: B. afzelii (prevalence 4.0%), B. lusitaniae (4.0%), B. garinii (1.5%) and B. valaisiana (0.3%). Phylogenetic analysis based on the ospC gene showed that most of the Borrelia strains from pathogenic genospecies had the potential for human infection and for invasion of secondary body sites