Environmental performance of farmer-level corn production systems in the Philippines

Four corn production systems at farmer-level of operation were evaluated. Environmental performance such as energy use, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emission (GHG) and carbon efficiency were determined. Data were collected from 60 corn producing farmers using survey questionnaires and face to face interview. The input energy to produce an output energy of 69,714.06 and 73,029.60 MJ/ha for sun drying and mechanical drying, respectively, were 22,346.27, 31, 469.75, 22, 399.05 and 31,522.53 MJ/ha for systems 1 (manual harvesting and sun drying), 2 (manual harvesting and mechanical drying), 3 (mechanical harvesting and sun drying) and 4 (mechanical harvesting and mechanical drying), respectively.  The highest energy input was observed for system 4 followed by system 2 because of the additional energy input of kerosene fuel during mechanical drying.  Non-renewable and indirect forms of energy had contributed most to the total input energy in all corn production systems.  In all systems evaluated, chemical fertilizer had the highest share in energy input followed by diesel fuel. Lower GHG emissions were measured for system 1 and 3 at 1276.5 and 1309.60 kg CO2eq per ha, respectively than system 2 and 4 at 2101.9 and 2135.0 kg CO2eq per ha due to additional non-renewable energy input like kerosene during mechanical drying.  A kilogram of dried corn grain emitted 0.27 to 28 kg CO2eq for system 1 and 3 and increased further to 0.42 to 0.43 kg CO2eq for systems 2 and 4.  The net carbon sequestered for systems 1, 2, 3 and 4 was 1785.98, 1662.36, 1776.94 and 1653.33 kg C/ha, respectively. The highest carbon efficiency ratio was observed for system 1 at 6.13 followed by system 3 at 5.98 due to non-utilization of fossil fuel during drying.  Generally, all corn production systems evaluated did not emit carbon beyond the carbon produced and sequestered in corn itself as indicated by their positive net carbon ratio

Raman threshold for nth-order cascade Raman amplification

We study theoretically and experimentally Raman threshold for 1, 2, ... , n orders Stokes in a free running configuration. Using alternative way to solve the differential coupled equations that describe the stimulate Raman scattering, we find simple mathematical expressions that allow calculating the necessary pumping power to obtain Raman threshold for nth-order Stokes and the maximum output power available in each Stokes. The theoretical calculations coincide with the results obtained experimentally

Learned optical flow for intra-operative tracking of the retinal fundus

Purpose: Sustained delivery of regenerative retinal therapies by robotic systems requires intra-operative tracking of the retinal fundus. We propose a supervised deep convolutional neural network to densely predict semantic segmentation and optical flow of the retina as mutually supportive tasks, implicitly inpainting retinal flow information missing due to occlusion by surgical tools. / Methods: As manual annotation of optical flow is infeasible, we propose a flexible algorithm for generation of large synthetic training datasets on the basis of given intra-operative retinal images. We evaluate optical flow estimation by tracking a grid and sparsely annotated ground truth points on a benchmark of challenging real intra-operative clips obtained from an extensive internally acquired dataset encompassing representative vitreoretinal surgical cases. / Results: The U-Net-based network trained on the synthetic dataset is shown to generalise well to the benchmark of real surgical videos. When used to track retinal points of interest, our flow estimation outperforms variational baseline methods on clips containing tool motions which occlude the points of interest, as is routinely observed in intra-operatively recorded surgery videos. / Conclusions: The results indicate that complex synthetic training datasets can be used to specifically guide optical flow estimation. Our proposed algorithm therefore lays the foundation for a robust system which can assist with intra-operative tracking of moving surgical targets even when occluded

Monitoramento de indicadores da qualidade de um Cambissolo sob sistemas de manejo da pecuária familiar na Serra do Sudeste, RS

bitstream/item/30288/1/boletim-37.pd

Generation of Bioelectricity Using Molasses as Fuel in Microbial Fuel Cells

The large amount of molasses that are generated in sugar-processing companies are not always redistributed for commercialization in by-products. Because of this, the present research uses these wastes as fuel in low-cost, lab-scale, single-chamber microbial fuel cells. Zinc and copper electrodes were used as electrodes and 100 mL of molasse in the chamber as fuel, managing to generate current and voltage peaks of 1.73 ± 0.13 mA and 0.953 ± 0.142 V. In monitoring the conductivity of the substrate, a maximum peak of 111.156 ± 8.45 mS/cm was observed, and a slightly acidic pH was observed throughout the monitoring. It was possible to obtain a power density of 5.45 ± 0.31 W/cm2 for a current density of 308.06 mA/cm2, while the yeast count showed a logarithmic curve throughout the monitoring. Finally, the molecular technique identified 100% of the special C. boidinii present in the anodic electrode. This research will give great benefits to sugar companies because they will be able to generate electricity using the molasses that cannot generate by-products

Influence of Ovarian Follicle Sizes and Estrous Signs on Pregnancy Following Progesterone-Based Fixed Time Artificial Insemination in Water Buffaloes

The objectives of the present study were to elucidate the importance of follicle sizes and estrous signs during Controlled Internal Drug Release-Synch-human Chorionic Gonadotropin (CIDR-Synch-hCG) protocol for Fixed Time Artificial Insemination (FTAI) and to evaluate their association with pregnancy in water buffaloes. Data from riverine buffaloes (n = 207) under the CIDR-Synch-hCG protocol were analyzed. Buffaloes were administered with Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) with insertion of CIDR on Day 0. Prostaglandin (PGF2α) was given on Day 7 with the removal of CIDR. hCG was given on Day 9, and AI was performed on Day 10. Follicle measurements by ultrasonography were done on Days 0, 7, and 10, and follicle sizes on those days were categorized into I, II, and III. Estrus signs were taken on the day of AI. The pregnancy diagnosis was done on Day 30-35 post-AI. The average size of follicles in Category III is significantly higher than those of Categories I and II, regardless of the Days of the protocol. Pregnancy is significantly (P<0.001) associated with Pre-Ovulatory Follicle (POF) size and uterine tonicity on the Day of AI but not with follicle sizes on Days 0 and 7, nor with mucus discharge discharge (P>0.05). The overall pregnancy rate is 44.44% while performing AI with POF size ≥12.0 mm increased the probability of pregnancy rate to 56.25%. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated a follicle size-based CIDR-Synch-hCG protocol providing new fertility indicators to improve FTAI efficiency in buffaloes with huge application in other livestock species

"Potential Use of Mango Waste and Microalgae Spirulina sp. for Bioelectricity Generation"

"Potential use of organic waste and microalgae generates bioelectricity and thereby reduces harmful effects on the environment. These residues are used due to their high content of electron-generating microorganisms. However, so far, they have not been used simultaneously. Therefore, this research uses mango waste and microalgae Spirulina sp. in double-chamber microbial fuel cells to generate bioelectricity. The cells were made at a laboratory scale using zinc and copper electrodes, achieving a maximum current and voltage of 7.5948 ± 0.3109 mA and 0.84546 ± 0.314 V, with maximum electrical conductivity of the substrate being 157.712 ± 4.56 mS/cm and an optimum operating pH being 5.016 ± 0.086. The cells showed a low internal resistance of approximately 205.056 ± 25 Ω, and a maximum power density of 657.958 ± 21.114 mW/cm2 at a current density of 4.484 A/cm2 . This research provides an excellent opportunity for mango farmers and exporting and importing companies because they can use their own waste to reduce their electricity costs when this prototype is brought to a large scale.

Monitoramento do conteúdo de carbono orgânico em sistemas de manejo do solo na Serra do Sudeste, RS.

bitstream/item/30317/1/boletim-40.pd

Potential Use of Mango Waste and Microalgae Spirulina sp. for Bioelectricity Generation

Potential use of organic waste and microalgae generates bioelectricity and thereby reduces harmful effects on the environment. These residues are used due to their high content of electron-generating microorganisms. However, so far, they have not been used simultaneously. Therefore, this research uses mango waste and microalgae Spirulina sp. in double-chamber microbial fuel cells to generate bioelectricity. The cells were made at a laboratory scale using zinc and copper electrodes, achieving a maximum current and voltage of 7.5948 ± 0.3109 mA and 0.84546 ± 0.314 V, with maximum electrical conductivity of the substrate being 157.712 ± 4.56 mS/cm and an optimum operating pH being 5.016 ± 0.086. The cells showed a low internal resistance of approximately 205.056 ± 25 Ω, and a maximum power density of 657.958 ± 21.114 mW/cm2 at a current density of 4.484 A/cm2. This research provides an excellent opportunity for mango farmers and exporting and importing companies because they can use their own waste to reduce their electricity costs when this prototype is brought to a large scale

Potential use of pepper waste and microalgae Spirulina sp. for bioelectricity generation

The research aimed to generate bioelectricity using pepper waste and the microalgae Spirulina sp by a double-chamber microbial fuel cell (dcMFC). A dcMFC was constructed with Cu and Zn electrodes, where organic waste and microalgae were placed in the anodic and cathodic chambers, respectively. Also, electrochemical parameters were measured for 35 days. Finally, possible electrogenic microorganisms were isolated and identified. It was possible to generate maximum values of current (6.04414 ± 0.2145 mA) and voltage (0.77328 ± 0.213 V). The maximum conductivity value was 134.1636 ± 7.121 mS/cm, while the internal resistance value was 83.784 . The values of power and current density reached were 584.45 ± 19.14 mW/cm 2 and 5.983 A/cm 2, respectively. The optimal operating pH was 4.59 ± 0.14. From the microbial growth on the anode, the yeast Yarrowia phangngaensis (1) and Pseudomonas stutzeri (2) were identified, which may be involved in the transfer of electrons to the electrode. In conclusion, it was possible to generate clean energy in a laboratory-scale dcMFC when pepper waste and Spirulina sp. were used. These results are promising because organic waste can generate sustainable and environmentally friendly energy