Reducing Botrytis cinerea incidence in unheated tomato greenhouses in real time using a wireless sensors network.

The objective was to investigate the influence of ventilation on the humidity conditions in unheated tomato greenhouses and the consequences for Botrytis cinerea control and generate the necessary knowledge to build a warning system for this problem. Two different natural ventilation treatments were randomly assigned to the greenhouses. One treatment was permanent ventilation (PV), with the vents open during the day and night, while the other was classical ventilation (CV), in which the vents were open during the day and closed during the night. On a second stage and supported by a wireless network of air relative humidity and temperature sensors a rules based engine with defined setpoints will be developed to make available a early warning system via SMS, e- mail and Web. This will allow the growers to act only when needed, making possible to reduce chemical use, lowering both production costs and environmental impacts

Electrochemical studies on the corrosion of brass in seawater under anaerobic conditions

This paper reports an electrochemical study on the corrosion of brass in deoxygenated nonbuffered and buffered natural and artificial seawater solutions under anaerobic conditions. Cyclic voltammograms of brass and copper in natural seawater (NSW) and artificial seawater (ASW) were obtained in the passive and transpassive potential regions. The corrosion resistance of brass in natural and artificial seawater was evaluated, and opencircuit potentials were recorded over exposure period of 1 week. Brass samples from 3-month exposures in deoxygenated nonbuffered ASW and NSW, under opencircuit potential, have been imaged by scanning electron microscopy, and the elemental composition of the corrosion products was obtained by energy dispersive spectrometry analysis. It has been concluded that, under anaerobic conditions, the aggressivity of NSW is higher, with brass being less resistant to corrosion than copper, and that buffer contributes to reduce the aggressivity of both medi

Business Intelligence in the Vineyard

The evolution that is nowadays taking place in the information and communication fields, namely in mobile computing and remote monitoring, constitutes a very interesting challenge to the agricultural sector. This reality places agronomic knowledge in centre stage as these technologies are dramatically improving data collection and storage capacities, challenging the farmers and the agricultural field experts to develop processes that efficiently transform data into information and knowledge and are able to support the everyday decision making at farm level. In this work we will present a demonstration project under way in a vineyard in Portugal where we are exploring the potential of the most recent technological innovations available in the market to build the i-Farm, the information and knowledge society intelligent farm. i-Farm (intelligent farm) applies at farm level the potential offered by using in an integrated way mobile solutions, sensor networks, wireless communication and digital imagery materialized in a information system that supports farmer real time decision making in the field and in the office. The i-Farm project creates a unique knowledge repository containing information from multiple sources (crop, environment, soil, operations, market, etc.) enabling accurate and timely decisions. For the project development a Business Intelligence approach is used. In the context of this paper this broad term is used to refer to the process of aggregating, processing and building rich and relevant information which is made available dynamically in real time to managers in an interactive way to support decisions and planning activitiesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Corrosion of brass in a natural and artificial seawater under anaerobic conditions

The corrosion of brass in deoxygenated nonbuffered and buffered artificial and natural seawater was studied. The weight gains and the average corrosion rates of brass samples, immersed in both media during periods of 1 week, 1 and 3 months, were determined. The morphology of the corroded surfaces, with and without the corrosion products, was analyzed by visual observation and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used for the identification of the corrosion products and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for the identification of the crystalline corrosion products. In general it was concluded that deoxygenating and buffering, at pH 9, both contribute to enhance the corrosion of brass in seawate

Artificial Motor Control For Electrically Stimulated Upper Limbs Of Plegic Or Paretic People

Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) is a technique used in the restoration and generation of movements performed by subjects with neuromuscular disorders such as spinal cord injury (SCI). The purpose of this article is to outline the state of the art and perspectives of the use of FES in artificial motor control of the upper limbs in paretic or plegic people. Methods: The databases used in papers selection were Google Scholar and Capes’ Portals as well as proceedings of the Annual Conference of the International Functional Electrical Stimulation Society (IFESS). Results: Approximately 85% of the reviewed studies showed FES profile with pulse duration ranging from 1 to 300 μs and modulating (burst) frequency between 10 and 40 Hz. Regarding the type of electrodes, 88% of the studies employed transcutaneous electrodes. Conclusion: We concluded that FES with closed-loop feedback and feedforward are the most used and most viable systems for upper limbs motor control, because they perform self-corrections slowing neuromuscular adaptation, allowing different planes and more range of movement and sensory-motor integration. One of the difficulties found in neuroprosthesis systems are electrical wires attached to the user, becoming uninteresting in relation to aesthetics and break. The future perspectives lead to a trend to miniaturization of the stimulation equipment and the availability of wireless networks, which allow the attachment of modules to other components without physical contact, and will become more attractive for daily use. © 2016, Sociedade Brasileira de Engenharia Biomedica. All rights reserved.32219921

Ultrassonografia duplex Doppler transcraniana em cães com hidrocefalia

Transcranial duplex Doppler ultrasound was performed in 32 conscious dogs presenting ventriculomegaly detected in B-mode, obtaining measures of lateral ventricles and resistance parameters of main cerebral arteries before and after 30 days of clinical treatment. The animals were distributed divided in two groups: group 1, dogs that presented remission or decrease of the neurological signs of the disease after clinical therapy; and group 2, dogs that displayed worsening of the neurological signs or clinical stability. The data were all presented in tables and were submitted to paired t test and to logistic regression models to evaluate the influence of the RI reduction on both groups. There was no significant influence of the variables in the B-mode. After the treatment, the mean resistive index (RI) was significantly lower for the group that presented clinical improvement. There was no significant difference of the mean RI reduction for the same artery when the right and left sides were compared. It could be concluded that transcranial duplex Doppler ultrasound is a method of cerebral hemodynamic assessment able to monitor more precisely the treatment of hydrocephalus in dogs and verify the responses.Foi realizada a ultrassonografia duplex Doppler transcraniana em 32 cães, conscientes, que apresentavam ventriculomegalia previamente detectada ao exame modo-B, para obter as medidas dos ventrículos laterais e os parâmetros de resistência das artérias cerebrais antes e depois de 30 dias de tratamento clínico. Os animais foram distribuídos em dois grupos: 1 - formado por cães que apresentaram remissão ou diminuição dos sinais clínicos após tratamento; 2 - por cães que apresentaram piora dos sinais neurológicos ou estabilidade do quadro clínico. Todos os dados foram dispostos em tabelas e submetidos ao teste t pareado e a modelos de regressão logística para avaliar a influência da redução do índice de resistividade (IR). Não foi observada influência das variáveis em modo-B. Após o tratamento, a média do IR foi significantemente menor para o grupo que apresentou melhora clínica; não houve diferença significativa da média de redução do IR para a mesma artéria quando comparados os lados direito e esquerdo. Concluiu-se que o duplex Doppler transcraniano é um métodos de avaliação hemodinâmica capaz de monitorar mais precisamente o tratamento da hidrocefalia em cães e verificar a resposta dos pacientes

i-Farm: A exploração vitícola inteligente da sociedade da informação e do conhecimento

www.i-Farm.pt.Neste trabalho iremos explorar o potencial das mais recentes inovações tecnológicas disponíveis no mercado para construir a i-Farm, a exploração vitícola inteligente da sociedade da informação e do conhecimento. O projecto i-Farm foi financiado pelo Programa DEMTEC da Agência de Inovação, apesar de passível de ser aplicado em qualquer actividade agrícola, é apresentado para o caso concreto da vinha, pois a viticultura foi considerada estratégicas no âmbito do Plano Estratégico Nacional para o Desenvolvimento Rural Português (GPP, 2007), numa lógica de aumento da competitividade do sector agrícola, conforme previsto no Eixo 1 da referida estratégia. A viticultura, mais concretamente a viticultura de precisão, tem vindo a receber uma atenção crescente da comunidade científica e empresarial na medida em que é efectivamente uma actividade capital intensivo em que a realização de investimentos em tecnologias de informação e comunicação podem ser justificados numa análise custo/benefício rigorosa. É hoje possível encontrar na literatura científica e nas empresas de prestação de serviços especializados exemplos concretos da aplicação das mais recentes tecnologias de monitorização remota sem fios na vinha (Camilli et al., 2007, Morais et al., 2008, Neto et al. 2007). Neste projecto quisemos ir mais longe na utilização das tecnologias disponíveis para construir um sistema integrado de apoio à decisão numa abordagem de Business Intelligence e estudar a utilização de digital dashboards para suportar a tomada de decisão ao nível da exploraçãoinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Conceitos Atuais No Tratamento Das Ataxias Hereditárias

Hereditary ataxias (HA) represents an extensive group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by progressive ataxia combined with extra-cerebellar and multi-systemic involvements, including peripheral neuropathy, pyramidal signs, movement disorders, seizures, and cognitive dysfunction. There is no effective treatment for HA, and management remains supportive and symptomatic. In this review, we will focus on the symptomatic treatment of the main autosomal recessive ataxias, autosomal dominant ataxias, X-linked cerebellar ataxias and mitochondrial ataxias. We describe management for different clinical symptoms, mechanismbased approaches, rehabilitation therapy, disease modifying therapy, future clinical trials and perspectives, genetic counseling and preimplantation genetic diagnosis. © 2016, Associacao Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria. All rights reserved.74324425