Sustainable Irrigation at the Ogier Gardens

Environmental Center Leadership Program Project The UNF Ogier Gardens exists to create a healthier UNF community through nature contact by growing crops, demonstrating sustainability and biodiversity, and nourishing people with local, fresh, and delicious food. The appropriate watering of the Ogier Garden’s crops is pivotal to providing healthy options for the local community. Watering crops typically falls solely on the farmer, but proper watering is sometimes based on intuition and the working memory of the responsible party. Luckily, irrigation controllers provide a convenient and reliable method of watering for homeowners and farmers alike. A fully automatic sprinkler system means the user can establish various settings related to the garden and let the controller take care of the yard without supervision. Since UNF is installing high-speed internet at the Ogier Gardens this year, the irrigation controller should be replaced by one with Wifi capabilities. The new controller will be efficient and hassle-free for those who have access to controlling the garden’s irrigation system. The cost to replace the face panel of the current sprinkler system and to purchase a soil moisture sensor and rain bucket are currently $423.83. When local farmers have an improved understanding of their monthly water consumption, they can make informed decisions about the health and well-being of their crops and their communities

Creating value with digital platforms : the cases of Uber and Airbnb

This thesis is intended to analyze a new business model, which bases the main activities of a company in a digital platform. To do so, two companies – Uber and Airbnb - were studied in depth. An overview of each company, an analysis of how is their pricing model and some financial data is shown. In order to provide conclusions concerning the main question of this study, how is value created through digital platforms, it is important to deliver some information regarding the major theoretical concepts, such as sharing economy, trust or network effects. The most fundamental for this work was, certainly, the sharing economy one: the fact that this type of economy is emerging and allowing people to connect with each other and generate activity is very important. Later in the thesis, a model is used to give a more clear perspective of which elements generate value, when a platform is in use. The platform allows transactions, which therefore enable the participating organizations to create value.A presente tese destina-se a analisar um novo modelo de negócio, que baseia as principais actividades de uma empresa numa plataforma digital. Nesse sentido, duas empresas – Uber e Airbnb – foram analisadas em detalhe. Uma visão geral de cada empresa, uma análise de que tipo de modelo de preços e alguns dados financeiros são apresentados. De forma a conseguir proporcionar conclusões acerca da questão fulcral deste trabalho, de como é que, através de plataformas digitais, se consegue criar valor, é necessário examinar alguns conceitos teóricos, tais como a “network effects”, confiança ou “economia partilhada”. O conceito com mais peso para o desenvolvimento deste trabalho foi, certamente, o da “economia partilhada”, visto que este tipo de economia está em crescimento e permite às pessoas conectarem-se umas com as outras e, dessa forma, gerarem actividade, o que é muito importante. Existe um modelo que é utilizado nesta tese, de forma a oferecer uma perspectiva mais clara de que elementos geram valor, no caso da utilização de uma plataforma. A plataforma permite que haja transações, o que leva à criação de valor

Chlamydia psittaci infection in canaries heavily infested by Dermanyssus gallinae

Dermanyssus gallinae is a haematophagous ectoparasite responsible for anemia, weight loss, dermatitis and a decrease in egg production. Dermanyssus gallinae may play a role in the modulation of the host immune system, maybe predisposing the host to some bacterial infections such as chlamydiosis. This is an important zoonosis. Humans are exposed to Chlamydia psittaci through inhalation of the agent dispersed from the infected birds. In this study, a syndrome observed in an aviary of canaries was investigated. A heavy infestation by D. gallinae was reported. Simultaneously, a C. psittaci infection was molecularly confirmed in the canaries. Combined therapy was applied successfully. The association of C. psittaci with the examined mites has been confirmed. Therefore, we think that D. gallinae have played a role in the spreading of C. psittaci infection among the canaries. Moreover, D. gallinae could have played an important role predisposing the canaries to the development of chlamydiosis, by inducing anemia and debilitation. The control of mites in the aviaries may represent a crucial step for the prevention of important infection such as chlamydiosis in birds and humans

Policía y discurso político : Disputas en torno al nuevo cuerpo de policías locales

A partir del siguiente trabajo nos proponemos analizar los discursos que giran en torno a las nuevas Policías Locales. Nos centraremos en describir y desentrañar aquellos discursos que ponen de relieve las disputas que surgen a la hora de definir la concepción de seguridad, como así también el rol y función de este cuerpo de seguridad. Las Policías Locales fueron recientemente creadas por Gobernador de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Daniel Scioli, mediante la Resolución Nº835/14 y el Decreto Nº373/14, tras un trunco debate en la Legislatura Provincial acerca del Proyecto de ley enviado el 24 de febrero de 2014 por el mismo Gobernador. El diseño de esta nueva política gubernamental tiene lugar en el marco de un contexto en el que la cuestión de la inseguridad ya está instalada como una temática recurrente, siendo central en el debate mediático, político y social, y en el que los gobiernos locales fueron conformándose como actores centrales en la gestión de las políticas públicas. En este contexto, el gobierno local se presenta como asumiendo el mandato de contar con una “policía propia”.Mesa 32: Crimen y castigo. Conflictividades, ilegalismos, justicias y control social (siglos XIX a XXI).Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Impaired glucose metabolism in subjects with the Williams-Beuren syndrome. A five-year follow-up cohort study

Objective. The Williams-Beuren syndrome (WS) is associated with impaired glucose metabolism (IGM) early in adulthood. However, the pathophysiology of IGM remains poorly defined, due to the lack longitudinal studies investigating the contribution of β-cell dysfunction and impaired insulin sensitivity. This study aimed at assessing incidence of IGM and the underlying mechanisms in WS adults. Methods. This observational, longitudinal (5-year), cohort study enrolled thirty-one consecutive WS subjects attending a tertiary referral center. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed yearly and used to classify patients as normal or IGM, including impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and/or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and diabetes mellitus (DM), and to calculate surrogate measures of insulin secretion and/or sensitivity. Results. IGM patients were 18 (58.1%, three DM) at baseline and 19 (61.3%, five DM) at end-of-follow-up. However, 13 individuals changed category of glucose homeostasis in both directions during follow-up (8 progressors, 5 regressors) and 18 did not (8 non-progressors, 10 non-regressors). New cases of IGM and DM were 11.1 and 2.53 per 100 persons-year, respectively, and were treated non-pharmacologically. In the whole cohort and, to a higher extent, in progressors, indices of early-phase insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity decreased significantly from baseline to end-of-follow-up, with concurrent reduction of the oral disposition index and insulin secretion-sensitivity index-2 (ISSI-2), compensating insulin secretion for the level of insulin resistance. No baseline measure independently predicted progression, which correlated with change from baseline in ISSI-2. Compared with patients with normal glucose homeostasis, IGT subjects had impaired insulin sensitivity, whereas insulin secretion was reduced only in those with IFG+IGT or DM. Conclusions. IGM incidence is high in young adults with WS, suggesting the need of early screening and timed intervention. As in classical type 2 diabetes, impaired insulin sensitivity and β-cell dysfunction contribute, in this sequence, to progression to IGM and DM

Indoor radon exposure and lung cancer risk: a meta-analysis of case-control studies

The aim of this study was to assess a potential relationship between indoor radon exposure and the incidence of lung cancer worldwide. A systematic literature search was carried out in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to identify relevant studies published in English conducted in the last 15 years until January 2016. Summary relative risks (RR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model and the influence of moderators using a mixed-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Q, I2 and H2 tests, and the source of heterogeneity was detected by meta-regression analysis. Publication bias was evaluated with Egger’s regression symmetry test and the contour-enhanced funnel plot. Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis was performed. Twenty-five lung cancer studies (case-control studies) with 13,569 cases and 22,701 controls were included. Indoor Radon exposure was significantly associated with increased risk for lung cancer (RR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.02–1.39). Study location analysis showed that radon exposure was associated with increased risk for lung cancer from forty degrees absolute latitude (RR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.92–1.31), to fifty degrees (RR 1.26; 95% CI, 1.08–1.48), to sixty degrees (RR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.12–1.91). Indoor radon exposure may be associated with increased risk for lung cancer

Garduino: Using Image Processing to Measure Health in Plants

Honorable Mention Winner As the world population increases, so do the demands for more efficient (less energy-consuming) methods of food cultivation. The vision of “precision agriculture” strives for greater farmland efficiency through advances in technology (sensors, robots), promising capabilities beyond what is possible from only manual labor. The University of North Florida’s “Garduino” project, providing a “hands-on” garden bed within which customized automated solutions can be piloted, aims to prepare engineering and computing undergraduates for this precision agriculture vision. A particularly valuable data source in this vision is near-field crop imagery, as may be acquired via self-navigating ground robots with cameras, for example. We report on experiences with using the image processing toolbox in MATLAB to measure green pixel density to monitor growth and health in plants, assuming increasing green density is an indicator of plant growth. Our approach depends upon a two-step image enhancement algorithm, first transforming the RGB color input image into its HSV parameterization and then employing a threshold-based intensity transformation. Error is quantified by comparing the algorithm’s results to the manual determination of the plant’s growth and health. Preliminary results support the usefulness of our approach. Future research will generalize the algorithm and broaden the scope of its agricultural applications

La capacità repressiva di compost nei confronti della tracheofusariosi del basilico

Alcuni compost, addizionati al suolo o impiegati come componenti di substrati per colture in vaso, possono svolgere un’attività repressiva nei confronti dei patogeni terricoli. Nel biennio 2005-2006 sono stati saggiati, a Grugliasco (TO), in serre in ferro/vetro, compost provenienti da aziende di compostaggio presenti sul territorio piemontese al fine di valutarne la loro capacità repressiva. Dai risultati è emerso l’efficace contenimento nei confronti di F. oxysporum f.sp. basilici, da parte di compost prodotto a partire da rifiuti solidi urbani e fanghi, con una diminuzione fino al 50% di piante morte e un incremento fino al 25% di biomassa prodotta a fine ciclo rispetto a quanto rilevato impiegando un ammendante torboso scelto come riferimento