Design of a Highly Portable Data Logging Embedded System for Naturalistic Motorcycle Study

According to Motorcycle Industrial Council (MIC), in USA the number of owned motorcycle increased during last few years and most likely will keep increasing. However, the number of the deadly crash accidents associated with motorcycles is on the rise. Although MIC doesn\u27t explain why the accident rate has increased, the unprotected motorcyclist gear can be one of the reasons. The most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) annual report stated that its data analyses are based on their experiences and the best judgment is not based on solid scientific experiment [3]. Thus, building a framework for the data acquisition about the motorcyclist environment is a first step towards decreasing motorcyclist crashes. There are a few naturalistic motorcycle studies reported in the literature. The naturalistic motorcycle study also identifies the behaviors and environmental crash hazards. The primary objective of this thesis work is to design a highly portable data logging embedded system for naturalistic motorcycle study with capability of collecting many types of data such as images, speed, acceleration, time, location, distance approximation, etc. This thesis work is the first phase (of three phases) of a naturalistic motorcycle study project. The second phase is to optimize system area, form factor, and power consumption. The third phase will be concerned with aggressive low power design and energy harvesting. The proposed embedded system design is based on an Arduino microcontroller. A whole suite of Arduino based prototype boards, sensor boards, support software, and user forum is available. The system is high portable with capability to store up to eight (8) hours of text/image data during a one month study period. We have successfully designed and implemented the system and performed three trial runs. The data acquired has been validated and found to be accurate

CINEMA DE DENÚNCIA SOCIAL: OLHAR ENVOLVIDO/ OLHAR AFASTADO

Esta pesquisa buscou entender e analisar o uso do recurso audiovisual na construção de um documento dentro das narrativas cinematográficas, seu papel como agente construtor da memória e das identidades culturais locais e suas formas de narrar histórias em um tempo sempre presente. Para isso, foram estudadas três obras do cinema nacional: Baixio das Bestas (2007), de Claudio Assis, O Som Ao Redor (2013), de Kleber Mendonça, e Ocupa Brasil (2014), de Daniel A. Rubio; os dois primeiros classificados como ficção, e o último, enquadrado no gênero documentário. A partir desses filmes, o trabalho se desenvolve no sentido de analisar a produção cinematográfica como uma das formas de representação do comportamento dos indivíduos na sociedade brasileira contemporânea, concretamente, em São Paulo e em cidades do Nordeste, como Recife, e as narrativas de denúncia e violência social das regiões retratadas nos filmes. As análises, feitas com base em referenciais teóricos do cinema, permitiram entender que, mesmo dentro do gênero ficcional, o cinema lida diretamente com a construção do sentido da ‘realidade’, e que, nos filmes citados e estudados nesta pesquisa, a produção audiovisual se transformou em um documento de registro das relações e da realidade social brasileira. A literatura como lugar de expressão das manifestações simbólicas na modernidade, também constitui esse espaço de representação de realidade e de conhecimento enquanto ciência. Engels escreve que aprendera mais sobre a sociedade francesa posterior à Revolução Francesa lendo a obra de Honoré de Balzac, do que todos os livros sobre história que escreveram sobre aquele período. Finalmente, com uma reflexão sobre os limites filosóficos e estéticos entre a ficção e o documentário, foi possível estabelecer também algumas diferenças pontuais entre os gêneros, ainda que a aproximação e semelhança entre os dois, tomados como objeto de estudo os filmes já citados, seja uma das questões-chave desta pesquis

ANÁLISE HISTOPATOLÓGICA DO EPITÉLIO RENAL EM CAMUNDONGOS EXPOSTOS À INALAÇÃO DO HERBICIDA ÁCIDO 2,4 DICLOROFENOXIACÉTICO

One of the most widely used herbicides in Brazil, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), has a hazardous grade III. Its excretion is mainly renal, which can cause damage to this system. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the possible histopathological changes in Swiss mouse kidneys caused by exposure to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. For the experiment were used 80 male adult Swiss mice divided into groups, which were then exposed to the herbicide. After euthanasia and autopsy, the kidneys were removed and histologically analyzed. The results obtained from the statistical analysis of the tubular area and renal lumen area, together with previously published studies, have shown that there is little scientific evidence showing inflammatory and/or mutagenic potential of acute exposure to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, however, changes can may exist due to chronic exposure to the herbicide, so further research is needed for further clarification and decision making.Um dos herbicidas mais usados no Brasil, Ácido 2,4-diclorofenoxiacético (2,4-D), possui grau III de periculosidade. Sua excreção é principalmente renal, o que pode acarretar danos a esse sistema. O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar as possíveis alterações histopatológicas em rins de camundongos da linhagem Swiss causadas pela exposição ao Ácido 2,4-diclorofenoxiacético. Para o experimento foram utilizados 80 camundongos Swiss adultos machos divididos em grupos, sendo esses, então, expostos ao herbicida. Após a eutanásia e autópsia, foram retirados os rins, e analisados histologicamente. O resultado obtido da análise estatística da área tubular e área da luz renal, juntamente com trabalhos já publicados, demonstraram que existe pouca evidência cientifica que mostre potencial inflamatório e/ou mutagênico da exposição aguda ao ácido 2,4-diclorofenoxiacético, porém, alterações podem existir levando-se em conta uma exposição crônica ao herbicida, logo, é necessário o desenvolvimento de mais pesquisas para futuros esclarecimentos e tomadas de decisões

Branched-chain and aromatic amino acid catabolism into aroma volatiles in Cucumis melo L. fruit

The unique aroma of melons (Cucumis melo L., Cucurbitaceae) is composed of many volatile compounds biosynthetically derived from fatty acids, carotenoids, amino acids, and terpenes. Although amino acids are known precursors of aroma compounds in the plant kingdom, the initial steps in the catabolism of amino acids into aroma volatiles have received little attention. Incubation of melon fruit cubes with amino acids and α-keto acids led to the enhanced formation of aroma compounds bearing the side chain of the exogenous amino or keto acid supplied. Moreover, L-[13C6]phenylalanine was also incorporated into aromatic volatile compounds. Amino acid transaminase activities extracted from the flesh of mature melon fruits converted L-isoleucine, L-leucine, L-valine, L-methionine, or L-phenylalanine into their respective α-keto acids, utilizing α-ketoglutarate as the amine acceptor. Two novel genes were isolated and characterized (CmArAT1 and CmBCAT1) encoding 45.6 kDa and 42.7 kDa proteins, respectively, that displayed aromatic and branched-chain amino acid transaminase activities, respectively, when expressed in Escherichia coli. The expression of CmBCAT1 and CmArAT1 was low in vegetative tissues, but increased in flesh and rind tissues during fruit ripening. In addition, ripe fruits of climacteric aromatic cultivars generally showed high expression of CmBCAT1 and CmArAT1 in contrast to non-climacteric non-aromatic fruits. The results presented here indicate that in melon fruit tissues, the catabolism of amino acids into aroma volatiles can initiate through a transamination mechanism, rather than decarboxylation or direct aldehyde synthesis, as has been demonstrated in other plants

Functional annotation of the transcriptome of Sorghum bicolor in response to osmotic stress and abscisic acid

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Higher plants exhibit remarkable phenotypic plasticity allowing them to adapt to an extensive range of environmental conditions. Sorghum is a cereal crop that exhibits exceptional tolerance to adverse conditions, in particular, water-limiting environments. This study utilized next generation sequencing (NGS) technology to examine the transcriptome of sorghum plants challenged with osmotic stress and exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) in order to elucidate genes and gene networks that contribute to sorghum's tolerance to water-limiting environments with a long-term aim of developing strategies to improve plant productivity under drought.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>RNA-Seq results revealed transcriptional activity of 28,335 unique genes from sorghum root and shoot tissues subjected to polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced osmotic stress or exogenous ABA. Differential gene expression analyses in response to osmotic stress and ABA revealed a strong interplay among various metabolic pathways including abscisic acid and 13-lipoxygenase, salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and plant defense pathways. Transcription factor analysis indicated that groups of genes may be co-regulated by similar regulatory sequences to which the expressed transcription factors bind. We successfully exploited the data presented here in conjunction with published transcriptome analyses for rice, maize, and Arabidopsis to discover more than 50 differentially expressed, drought-responsive gene orthologs for which no function had been previously ascribed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present study provides an initial assemblage of sorghum genes and gene networks regulated by osmotic stress and hormonal treatment. We are providing an RNA-Seq data set and an initial collection of transcription factors, which offer a preliminary look into the cascade of global gene expression patterns that arise in a drought tolerant crop subjected to abiotic stress. These resources will allow scientists to query gene expression and functional annotation in response to drought.</p