Analysis of Macronutrients in Soil Using Impedimetric Multisensor Arrays.

ABSTRACT: The need to increase food production to address the world population growth can only be fulfilled with precision agriculture strategies to increase crop yield with minimal expansion of the cultivated area. One example is site-specific fertilization based on accurate monitoring of soil nutrient levels, which can be made more cost-effective using sensors. This study developed an impedimetric multisensor array using ion-selective membranes to analyze soil samples enriched with macronutrients (N, P, and K), which is compared with another array based on layer-by-layer films. The results obtained from both devices are analyzed with multidimensional projection techniques and machine learning methods, where a decision tree model algorithm chooses the calibrations (best frequencies and sensors). The multicalibration space method indicates that both devices effectively distinguished all soil samples tested, with the ion-selective membrane setup presenting a higher sensitivity to K content. These findings pave the way for more environmentally friendly and efficient agricultural practices, facilitating the mapping of cropping areas for precise fertilizer application and optimized crop yield

Diagnostic diagrams for ram-pressure stripped candidates

This paper presents a method for finding ram-pressure stripped (RPS) galaxy candidates by performing a morphological analysis of galaxy images obtained from the Legacy survey. We consider a sample of about 600 galaxies located in different environments such as groups and clusters, tidally interacting pairs and the field. The sample includes 160 RPS previously classified in the literature into classes from J1 to J5, based on the increasing level of disturbances. Our morphological analysis was done using the {\sc astromorphlib} software followed by the inspection of diagnostic diagrams involving combinations of different parameters like the asymmetry ($A$), concentration ($C$), S\'ersic index ($n$), and bulge strength parameters $F(G,\,M_{20})$. We found that some of those diagrams display a distinct region in which galaxies classified as J3, J4 and J5 decouples from isolated galaxies. We call this region as the morphological transition zone and we also found that tidally interacting galaxies in pairs are predominant within this zone. Nevertheless, after visually inspecting the objects in the morphological transition zone to discard obvious contaminants, we ended up with 33 bonafide new RPS candidates in the studied nearby groups and clusters (Hydra, Fornax, and CLoGS sample), of which one-third show clear evidence of unwinding arms. Future works may potentially further increase significantly the samples of known RPS using such method.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figure

Evaluation of pharmaceutical counseling after hospital discharge of post-surgery patients

The aim of this study was to evaluate pharmaceutical counseling following hospital discharge. All subjects received pharmacist counseling before discharge in a private hospital in Aracaju-SE, Brazil, from October 2007 to February 2008. Medication adherence was measured by Haynes-Sacket and Morisky-Green-Levine scales at the end of post-discharge treatment. Post-surgery patients (n = 243) received counseling on the day of hospital discharge, while adherence was observed in 186 (76.5 %) of these patients. During the four months, the increase in adherence was observed in those patients that received the counseling: 68.7 %, 73.6 %, 82.9 % and 85.7 %, respectively. The patients were distributed according to the variables of age, chronic illness, and duration of treatment did not significantly vary during the study. At the end of pharmaceutical counseling period, more than three fourths of post-surgery patients were considered adherent after hospital discharge. This result indicates a potential opportunity to implement this service in other wards.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) as a pre-coating in layer-by-layer films containing phosphotungstate nanoclusters electrochemically sensitive toward s-triazines

One of the major advantages of the Layer-by-Layer (LbL) deposition technique is the possible control of molecular architecture, not only to achieve optimized properties but also to seek synergy among different materials. In this study, LbL films containing nanoclusters of a Keggin type polyoxometalate, phosphotungstic acid (HPW), alternated with the polycation poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) were deposited on indium-tin oxide (ITO) substrates. The electrochemical properties of the hybrid LbL film investigated in acidic conditions indicated no significant desorption of HPW, when a layer of poly(dimethylsiloxane) terminated with 3-aminopropyl groups (PDMS) was previously deposited on the ITO substrate. Such effect occurred because PDMS prevents desorption of HPW from the hybrid film, as shown by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. The porous structures of the films were revealed by Fourier transform infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and XPS. PDMS/PAH as a pre-coating allowed the HPW/PAH films to be sensitive to the electrochemical detection of the triazines atrazine and melamine. In conclusion, the precise control of the LbL films architecture is important to develop opportunities for new applications. © 2014 The Royal Society of Chemistry.One of the major advantages of the Layer-by-Layer (LbL) deposition technique is the possible control of molecular architecture, not only to achieve optimized properties but also to seek synergy among different materials. 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Can the evolution of music be analyzed in a quantitative manner?

We propose a methodology to study music development by applying multivariate statistics on composers characteristics. Seven representative composers were considered in terms of eight main musical features. Grades were assigned to each characteristic and their correlations were analyzed. A bootstrap method was applied to simulate hundreds of artificial composers influenced by the seven representatives chosen. Afterwards we quantify non-numeric relations like dialectics, opposition and innovation. Composers differences on style and technique were represented as geometrical distances in the feature space, making it possible to quantify, for example, how much Bach and Stockhausen differ from other composers or how much Beethoven influenced Brahms. In addition, we compared the results with a prior investigation on philosophy. Opposition, strong on philosophy, was not remarkable on music. Supporting an observation already considered by music theorists, strong influences were identified between composers by the quantification of dialectics, implying inheritance and suggesting a stronger master-disciple evolution when compared to the philosophy analysis.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, added references for sections 1 and 4.C, better mathematical description on section 2. New values and interpretation, now considering a bootstrap metho

Analysis of the dynamics of a spacecraft in the vicinity of an asteroid binary system with equal masses

In this work, we performed a dynamical analysis of a spacecraft around a nearly equal-mass binary near-Earth asteroid with application to the asteroid 2017 YE5, which is also a possible dormant Jupiter-family comet. Thus, we investigated the motion of a particle around this binary system using the circular restricted three-body problem. We calculated the locations of the Lagrangian points of the system and their Jacobi constant. Through numerical simulations, using the Poincar\'e Surface of Sections, it was possible to find several prograde and retrograde periodic orbits around each binary system's primary, some exhibiting significantly-sized higher-order behavior. We also calculated the stability of these orbits. After finding the periodic orbits, we investigated the influence of solar radiation pressure on these orbits. For this analysis, we considered that the area-to-mass ratio equals 0.01 and 0.1. We also performed a spacecraft lifetime analysis considering the physical and orbital characteristics of the 2017YE5 system and investigated the behavior of a spacecraft in the vicinity of this system. We analyzed direct and retrograde orbits for different values of Jacobi's constant. This study investigated orbits that survive for at least six months, not colliding or escaping the system during that time. We also analyze the initial conditions that cause the spacecraft to collide with $M_1$ or $M_2$, or escape from the system. In this work, we take into account the gravitational forces of the binary asteroid system and the solar radiation pressure (SRP). Finally, we calculated optimal bi-impulsive orbital maneuvers between the collinear Lagrangian points. We found a family of possible orbital transfers considering times of flight between 0.1 and 1 day