Design of solar -powered grass trimmer

Common grass-cutter machines are operated by fuel and electrical energy, which are expensive, and need high maintenance. To keep environment clean and reduce use of fuel a solar powered grass trimmer has been designed in this research work. The purpose of this study is to design and fabricate a solar-powered grass trimmer which is affordable, easy to operate and environment friendly. The grass trimmer uses a 12V, - 100AH battery to power a 12V DC motor of 180W. A solar panel 1 000V system voltage is used to charge the battery. A solar charge controller of 20A is used to control the energy into the battery. The machine uses sheet metal blade to cut the grass. It can run for almost two hours when fully charged and there is no sun. It is easy to tell if the battery is fully charged or flat.Mechanical and Industrial Engineerin

Estudos genéticos sobre a leitegada em suínos da raça Landrace criados no Rio Grande do Sul Genetic characterization of litter traits in purebred Landrace swine, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Avaliaram-se parâmetros e tendências genéticas em suínos da raça Landrace em uma amostra constituída de 927 avós, 2.537 mães e 8.887 leitegadas registradas nos arquivos de dados da Associação Brasileira de Criadores de Suínos (ABCS), no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. As estimativas dos componentes genéticos foram obtidas pelo Método REML utilizando-se um modelo que incluiu os efeitos genéticos diretos e maternos; os efeitos comuns de leitegada; os efeitos fixos de grupo contemporâneo (granja, ano de nascimento dos leitões e estação do ano); e as co-variáveis número de partos da mãe e idades da mãe ao primeiro e ao último parto. As tendências genéticas diretas e maternas foram avaliadas por meio da regressão dos valores genéticos diretos e maternos sobre o ano de nascimento da mãe. As herdabilidades genéticas aditivas e maternas foram, respectivamente, de 0,0018 e 0,0117 para número de leitões ao nascimento (NLN), 0,0031 e 0,0088 para número de leitões aos 21 dias (NLD), 0,0237 e 0,0132 para peso médio ao nascimento (PMNasc), 0,0002 e 0,0081 peso médio ajustado para os 21 dias (PMD), 0,0000 e 0,0070 para ganho médio diário (GMD) e 0,0280 e 0,0103 para natimortos (NatMort). A análise de variância para as tendências genéticas, tanto para os efeitos direto quanto para o efeito materno, foi significativa para NLN, NLD, PMNasc e NatMort e não-significativa para PMD e GMD, respectivamente, considerando os dois efeitos estudados. Tendências genéticas aditivas diretas e maternas foram positivas para número de leitões ao nascimento (0,0007/ 0,0018 g/ano), número de leitões aos 21 dias (0,001/ 0,0017 g/ano) e ganho médio diário (5E-06/ 0,0003 g/ano) e negativas para peso médio ao nascimento (-0,0001/ -8E-05 g/ano), peso médio ao desmame (-1E-05/ -7E-05 g/ano) e natimortos (-0,002/ -1E-05 g/ano).<br>The goals of this research were to obtain genetic parameters and estimate genetic trends in Landrace pigs. Data consisted of records from 927 granddams, 2,537 dams and 8,887 litters raised in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, provided by the Swine Breeders Brazilian Association ABCS. Variance components were estimated by REML, using a model that included the direct genetic effect, maternal effect, common litter effect and the fixed effect of contemporary group. Contemporary groups were defined as a combination of farm, year, and season of farrowing. The model also included the covariates parity order, age of sow at first litter and age of sow at last litter. Direct genetic and maternal genetic trends were estimated by regression of direct genetic values on birth year of the dam. Heritability and maternal heritabilities were, respectively, .002 and .012 for litter size at birth (NLN), .003 and .009 for litter size at 21 days (NLD), .024 and .013 for average litter weight at birth (PMNasc), .000 and .008 for average litter weight at weaning, in kg, adjusted to 21 days (PMD), .000 and .007 for average daily weight gain (GMD), .028 and .010 for number of stillborn (NatMort). Analysis of variance for genetic trend showed significance for direct and maternal genetic effects for NLN, NLD, PMNasc and NatMort but not for PMD or GMD. Genetic trends were positive for NLN (0.0007/ 0.0018 g/year), NLD (0.001/ 0.0017 g/year), GMD (5E-06/ 0.0003 g/year) and negative for (-0.0001/ -8E-05 g/year), PMD (-1E-05/ -7E-05 g/year) e NatMort (-0.002/ -1E-05 g/year)

Anatomia de raízes de nove espécies de Bromeliaceae (Poales) da região amazônica do estado de Mato Grosso, Brasil Anatomy of the roots of nine species of Bromeliaceae (Poales) from the Amazon, Mato Grosso, Brazil

Este estudo busca caracterizar raízes de Bromeliaceae: Aechmea bromeliifolia, A. castelnavii, A. mertensii (Bromelioideae), Dyckia duckei, D. paraensis, D. racemosa (Pitcairnoideae), Tillandsia adpressiflora, T. didistachae e T. paraensis (Tillandsioideae) ocorrentes nas regiões amazônicas (Mato Grosso-MT), procurando levantar caracteres de valor taxonômico e significado ecológico. As espécies estudadas são epífitas e suas raízes se caracterizam por apresentar velame pluriestratificado, córtex diferenciado, endoderme e periciclo unisseriados, cilindro vascular poliarco e medula com células de paredes espessadas. Estruturas anatômicas como: número de camadas e tipo de espessamento das paredes das células do velame, tipo de espessamento de parede da exoderme e endoderme, presença de idioblastos contendo cristais e número de pólos de protoxilema agrupam as espécies nos diferentes gêneros e subfamílias. A presença de canais de mucilagem no córtex de A. castelnavii relatados pela primeira vez na literatura para Bromeliaceae é caráter diagnóstico. As raízes de Dyckia e Tillandsia apresentam maior número de caracteres comuns, representando maior similaridade entre Pitcairnioideae e Tillandsioideae. Raízes com velame, exoderme com células de paredes espessadas constituindo uma camada mecânica, canais de mucilagem, lacunas de ar no córtex interno e idioblastos com cristais são estruturas adaptativas ao hábito epifítico.<br>This study aimed to characterize the roots of Bromeliaceae, Aechmea bromeliifolia, A. castelnavii, A. mertensii (Bromelioideae), Dyckia duckei, D. paraensis, D. racemosa (Pitcairnoideae), Tillandsia adpressiflora, T. didistachae and T. paraensis (Tillandsioideae), that occur in Amazonian regions (Mato Grosso-MT), in order to find features of taxonomic value and ecological importance. The studied species are epiphytes and their roots are characterized by a multi-layered velamen, differentiated cortex, uniseriate endodermis and pericycle, polyarch vascular cylinder and medulla with thickened cell walls. Anatomical structures, such as the number of layers and kind of cell wall thickening of the velamen, the kind of thickening of the exodermis and endodermis walls, the presence of idioblasts containing crystals and the number of protoxylem poles help seperate these species within different genera and subfamilies. The presence of mucilage canals in the cortex of A. castelnavii is a diagnostic feature. The roots of Dyckia and Tillandsia share more common features, so there is greater similarity between Pitcairnioideae and Tillandsioideae. Roots with velamen, an exodermis with thickened cell walls constituting a mechanical layer, mucilage canals, air gaps in the inner cortex and idioblasts with crystals are structures adapted to the epiphytic habit

Structural variations among monocot emergent and amphibious species from lakes of the semi-arid region of Bahia, Brazil

Temporary lakes are common in the semi-arid region of the State of Bahia and form water mirrors in the rainy season. In this period, various vegetal species appear having different life forms adapted to the seasonality conditions of the rainfall regime. This work surveyed the adaptive anatomical structures of some emergent and amphibious monocot species occurring in these lakes. We studied the anatomy of roots, rhizomes, leaves and scapes of Cyperus odoratus, Oxycaryum cubense, Pycreus macrostachyos (Cyperaceae) - amphibious species; and of Echinodorus grandiflorus (Alismataceae), Eichhornia paniculata (Pontederiaceae) and Habenaria repens (Orchidaceae) - emergent species. The anatomical features of the dermal, fundamental and vascular systems confirming the tendency of the adaptive convergence of these plants to temporary lacustrine the environment include: single layered epidermal cells with a thin cuticle layer in the aerial organs; the presence of air canals in all the organs; few or no supporting tissues; and less numerous conducting elements and thinner cell walls in the xylem. The reduction of the supporting tissues, the number of stomata, which can even be absent, and the number of conducting elements and the degree of cell wall lignification in the xylem of the emergent species is more accentuated than that of the amphibious species. The pattern of distribution of aerenchyma in the roots of the studied species was considered important to distinguish between amphibious and emergent life forms