WSN in Conservation Management

A wireless sensor network (WSN) utilising a mesh configuration is a cost-effective and labour-saving solution for remotely monitoring traps and tracking devices used in conservation management. The unintentional introduction of stoats and rats into a once pristine ecosystem has resulted in the devastation of large parts of New Zealand’s native flora and fauna. Other equally harmful mammalian species, including possum, for their fur, and domestic cats, were introduced intentionally. Abundant vegetation and a lack of predators lead to rampant population growth, further exacerbating their destructive impact. Effective monitoring, trapping and control of mammalian pests have proven difficult, time-consuming and expensive, primarily relying on socially controversial methods such as aerially delivered toxins. Despite advances in technology, costly and time-intensive manual checking of lures, toxins, traps and tracking devices remains a limiting factor. Together with WSN-based remote monitoring capability, these advances look set to have a significant impact. This chapter discusses opportunities for WSN in conservation management. It outlines a mammalian pest management project utilising a series of possum-specific self-resetting traps. A WSN designed for remotely monitoring possum trap activity is detailed, and the process for reconfiguring and presenting field-trial data via alpha-numeric and graphical user interface applications is described

Modular sensor nodes for environmental data monitoring

A framework for modular wireless sensor networks (WSN) designed to capture and monitor micro-climates in a crop field. WSN is rapidly improving in automotive industry, agricultural, industrial and environmental monitoring and many other areas. Moulder architecture minimises the software upgrade down time and enables hardware reusability. Recent developments and advances in wireless technology as well as affordability give rise to this emerging field in the realm of Precision Agriculture (PA). Vineyard monitoring is an emerging application field in PA

Determining the oxidative stability and quality of tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus) oil and its antioxidant activity during microwave heating

Introduction : The emphasis on vegetable oils high in oleic acid is prominent in human communities around the world. That said, the high level of this monounsaturated fatty acid (oleic acid) in tigernut oil ( Cyperus esculentus ) shows that it is resistant to oxidative stability. The purpose of this study was to see if tigernut oil can be exploited for use as an alternative or supplemental source of high-quality and nutritious cooking oil. Materials and methods: Color, RI, viscosity, PV, p-AV, FFA, TPC, at 233 and 269 nm, thermal behavior, TAG and FAC were used in this study to evaluate the oil after microwave heating. Results: PV, p-AV, FFA, TPC, and specific extinction increased during microwave heating. Significant differences (p <0.05) were detected for peroxide, anisidine, acid value, polar compounds, and specific extinction. During microwave heating, the amounts of the peroxide, anisidine, and TOTOX values ​​increased from the initial value of 3.06, 0.72, and 6.84 for the unheated oil to 4.11, 10.02, and 18, 25 after 15 minutes of heating respectively. Free fatty acid changed from 0.10 to 0.12% during microwave heating. The amount of unsaturated fatty acids decreased significantly during heating. During microwave heating, antioxidant activity decreased significantly (p <0.05) from 68.60 to 19, Conclusions : This may indicate that tigernut oil can withstand heat treatments in culinary methods such as frying and it can be concluded that tigernut oil is stable in heating processes, especially frying

Determinar de la estabilidad oxidativa y la calidad del aceite de chufa (Cyperus esculentus) y su actividad antioxidante durante el calentamiento por microondas

Introduction: The emphasis on high-oleic vegetable oils is prominent in human communities all over the world. That being said, the high level of monounsaturated fatty acid (oleic acid) in tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus) oil shows that it is resistant to oxidative stability. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to see if tiger nut oil can be exploited for use as an alternative or supplementary source of high-quality and nutritious cooking oil. Materials and methods: In this study, Color, RI, viscosity, PV, p-AV, FFA, TPC, at 233 and 269 nm, thermal behavior, TAG and FAC were used to evaluate the oil after microwave heating. Results: The PV, p-AV, FFA, TPC and specific extinction were increased during the microwave heating. Significant differences (p &lt; 0.05) were detected for peroxide, anisidine, acid value, polar compounds and specific extinction. During microwave heating, the amounts of peroxide, anisidine and TOTOX values increased from initial value 3.06, 0.72 and 6.84 for unheated oil to 4.11, 10.02 and 18.25 after 15 min heating respectively. Free fatty acid changed from 0.10 to 0.12% during microwave heating. Amount of unsaturated fatty acids decreased during the heating significantly. During microwave heating the antioxidant activity was significantly decreased (p&lt;0.05) from 68.60 to 19.66 (for unheated tiger nut oil and after 15 min heating in high concentrations by DPPH test, respectively). Conclusions: This may indicate that it can bear thermal treatments in such culinary methods as frying, and it can thus be concluded that tiger nut oil is stable in heating processes, especially frying.Introducción: El énfasis en los aceites vegetales con alto contenido de ácido oleico es prominente en las comunidades humanas de todo el mundo. Dicho esto, el alto nivel de este ácido graso monoinsaturado (ácido oleico) en el aceite de chufa (Cyperus esculentus) muestra que es resistente a la estabilidad oxidativa. El propósito de este estudio fue ver si el aceite de chufa puede explotarse para su uso como una fuente alternativa o suplementaria de aceite de cocina de alta calidad y nutritivo.Materiales y métodos: En este estudio se utilizó el Color, RI, viscosidad, PV, p-AV, FFA, TPC, a 233 y 269 nm, comportamiento térmico, TAG y FAC para evaluar el aceite después del calentamiento por microondas.Resultados: El PV, p-AV, FFA, TPC y extinción específica aumentaron durante el calentamiento con microondas. Se detectaron diferencias significativas (p &lt;0,05) para el peróxido, la anisidina, el valor del ácido, los compuestos polares y la extinción específica. Durante el calentamiento con microondas, las cantidades de los valores de peróxido, anisidina y TOTOX aumentaron desde el valor inicial de 3,06, 0,72 y 6,84 para el aceite no calentado a 4,11, 10,02 y 18,25 después de 15 minutos de calentamiento respectivamente. El ácido graso libre cambió de 0,10 a 0,12% durante el calentamiento con microondas. La cantidad de ácidos grasos insaturados disminuyó significativamente durante el calentamiento. Durante el calentamiento con microondas, la actividad antioxidante disminuyó significativamente (p &lt;0,05) de 68,60 a 19,66 (para el aceite de chufa sin calentar y después de 15 minutos de calentamiento en altas concentraciones mediante la prueba de DPPH, respectivamente).Conclusiones: Esto puede indicar que el aceite de chufa puede soportar tratamientos térmicos en métodos culinarios como la fritura y se puede concluir que el aceite de chufa es estable en los procesos de calentamiento, especialmente la fritura

Microarray transcriptional profiling of Arctic Mesorhizobium strain N33 at low temperature provides insights into cold adaption strategies

Background: Arctic Mesorhizobium strain N33 was isolated from nodules of the legume Oxytropis arctobia in Canada’s eastern Arctic. This symbiotic bacterium can grow at temperatures ranging from 0 to 30 °C, fix nitrogen at 10 °C, and is one of the best known cold-adapted rhizobia. Despite the economic potential of this bacterium for northern regions, the key molecular mechanisms of its cold adaptation remain poorly understood. Results: Using a microarray printed with 5760 Arctic Mesorhizobium genomic clones, we performed a partial transcriptome analysis of strain N33 grown under eight different temperature conditions, including both sustained and transient cold treatments, compared with cells grown at room temperature. Cells treated under constant (4 and 10 °C) low temperatures expressed a prominent number of induced genes distinct from cells treated to short-term cold-exposure (<60 min), but exhibited an intermediate expression profile when exposed to a prolonged cold exposure (240 min). The most prominent up-regulated genes encode proteins involved in metabolite transport, transcription regulation, protein turnover, oxidoreductase activity, cryoprotection (mannitol, polyamines), fatty acid metabolism, and membrane fluidity. The main categories of genes affected in N33 during cold treatment are sugar transport and protein translocation, lipid biosynthesis, and NADH oxidoreductase (quinone) activity. Some genes were significantly down-regulated and classified in secretion, energy production and conversion, amino acid transport, cell motility, cell envelope and outer membrane biogenesis functions. This might suggest growth cessation or reduction, which is an important strategy to adjust cellular function and save energy under cold stress conditions. Conclusion: Our analysis revealed a complex series of changes associated with cold exposure adaptation and constant growth at low temperatures. Moreover, it highlighted some of the strategies and different physiological states that Mesorhizobium strain N33 has developed to adapt to the cold environment of the Canadian high Arctic and has revealed candidate genes potentially involved in cold adaptati

Sensors for modeling the effects of climate change on grapevine growth and wine quality

Abstract: -This paper describes recent advances in sensor technology and wireless radio frequency (telemetry architecture) with the capability for measuring climate change with weather and atmospheric conditions. When combined with GPS (global positioning system) functionality enabling geo-referenced information to be gathered and analysed in real-time, new opportunities emerge for the development of wireless sensor networks (WSN) for decision making in precision agriculture (PA). The use of WSN technologies in precision viticulture (PV) to date is mostly confined to on-farm and narrow regions within a city or in the case of a larger region the data collection is limited to monitoring weather conditions alone. This paper reviews three application scenarios: a) within a vineyard b) regionally within the state of Washington in the USA and c) cities within the Asia Pacific Region. It then details the development of a system proposed for comparative analysis of viticulture management information from two countries, namely Chile and New Zealand that have the same latitude but are at different longitude points. The paper looks at a variety of remotely located real-time sensors (telemetry devices), associated hardware devices (server, workstation, architectures and topologies) and software suitable for data collection, logging, distribution and streaming. Data gathered by the sensors is relayed via a series of repeaters to a workstation, which logs the data and is connected directly to the Internet for transmission to a server acting as the final collection and data analysis point for a comparative information matching synthesis. The data collected is to be used for building models that could enhance our understanding about the effects of climate change on grapevine growth and wine quality within major wine regions in the two countries being studied in the initial research. Finally, the paper describes variable parameters considered for analysis in this research so far in relation to plant growth, weather, climate, atmospheric influences such as climate change, pollution and also wine quality factors such as soil, terrain and grape variety

Metabolomic analysis of cold acclimation of arctic mesorhizobium sp. strain N33

Arctic Mesorhizobium sp. N33 isolated from nodules of Oxytropis arctobia in Canada’s eastern Arctic has a growth temperature range from 0°C to 30°C and is a well-known cold-adapted rhizobia. The key molecular mechanisms underlying cold adaptation in Arctic rhizobia remains totally unknown. Since the concentration and contents of metabolites are closely related to stress adaptation, we applied GC-MS and NMR to identify and quantify fatty acids and water soluble compounds possibly related to low temperature acclimation in strain N33. Bacterial cells were grown at three different growing temperatures (4°C, 10°C and 21°C). Cells from 21°C were also cold-exposed to 4°C for different times (2, 4, 8, 60 and 240 minutes). We identified that poly-unsaturated linoleic acids 18∶2 (9, 12) & 18∶2 (6, 9) were more abundant in cells growing at 4 or 10°C, than in cells cultivated at 21°C. The mono-unsaturated phospho/neutral fatty acids myristoleic acid 14∶1(11) were the most significantly overexpressed (45-fold) after 1hour of exposure to 4°C. As reported in the literature, these fatty acids play important roles in cold adaptability by supplying cell membrane fluidity, and by providing energy to cells. Analysis of water-soluble compounds revealed that isobutyrate, sarcosine, threonine and valine were more accumulated during exposure to 4°C. These metabolites might play a role in conferring cold acclimation to strain N33 at 4°C, probably by acting as cryoprotectants. Isobutyrate was highly upregulated (19.4-fold) during growth at 4°C, thus suggesting that this compound is a precursor for the cold-regulated fatty acids modification to low temperature adaptation

Caracterización de tres variedades de aceite de semillas de rambután de Malasia

Introduction: Rambutan seed is considered a waste by-product of fruit processing. The seed waste is usually discarded or disposed in a large amount without an economic value which has become an issue that needs to be solved.  However, the seed contains a considerable amount of crude fat. Aim: the purpose of this study was to characterize the physicochemical properties of oil of the seeds of three varieties of Malaysian rambutan fruit (R4, R7 and Serjan) for potential application. Materials and methods: In this study, colour, refractive index, viscosity, free fatty acid content, peroxide value, p-anisidine value, iodine value, saponification value, unsaponifiable matter, fatty acid composition, thermal behaviour, melting point, and solid fat content of rambutan seed oil from three varieties were used to characterise physicochemical properties of rambutan seed oil. Results: No significant differences (p &gt; 0.05) were observed for free fatty acid content, peroxide value, p-anisidine value, saponification value, unsaponifiable matter, colour, viscosity and refractive index among three varieties. There are significant differences (p &lt; 0.05) in the iodine value and melting point among the rambutan seed oil of three varieties. Varieties R7 and R4 seed had the highest (37.62 ± 0.10 %) and lowest (34.25 ± 0.07 %) crude fat content, respectively. Oleic (37.75-40.58 %) and arachidic (35.24-36.89 %) acids were the major fatty acids in the oil. Both melting and crystallization curves showed that the oil exhibited three distinct peaks. The complete melting and crystallization onset temperatures of the oil were 24.76–26.57°C and 21.19–22.79°C, respectively.Conclusions: This study reveals that the rambutan seed oil has potential to be used in various sectors of food industry. Therefore, rambutan seed can be fully utilized and, subsequently, the amount of waste can be minimized.Introducción: la semilla de rambután se considera un subproducto residual del procesamiento del fruto. Los residuos de semillas generalmente se desechan o se eliminan en grandes cantidades sin un valor económico que se ha convertido en un problema que debe resolverse. Sin embargo, la semilla contiene una cantidad considerable de grasa cruda. Objetivo: el propósito de este estudio fue caracterizar las propiedades fisicoquímicas del aceite de las semillas de tres variedades de rambután de Malasia (R4, R7 y Serjan) para su posible aplicación. Material y métodos: En este estudio, el contenido de aceite de semilla de rambután de tres variedades se utilizó para caracterizar las propiedades fisicoquímicas del aceite de semilla de rambután en color, índice de refracción, viscosidad, contenido de ácidos grasos libres, índice de peróxido, índice de p-anisidina, índice de yodo, valor de saponificación, materia insaponificable, composición de ácidos grasos, comportamiento térmico, punto de fusión y grasa sólida.Resultados: No se observaron diferencias significativas (p&gt; 0.05) para el contenido de ácidos grasos libres, el valor de peróxido, el valor de p-anisidina, el valor de saponificación, la materia insaponificable, el color, la viscosidad y el índice de refracción entre tres variedades. Existen diferencias significativas (p &lt;0.05) en el valor de yodo y el punto de fusión entre el aceite de semilla de rambután de tres variedades. Las variedades R7 y R4 tuvieron el contenido de grasa cruda más alto (37.62 ± 0.10%) y más bajo (34.25 ± 0.07%), respectivamente. El ácido oleico (37.75-40.58%) y el ácido araquídico (35.24-36.89%) fueron los principales ácidos grasos en el aceite. Las curvas de fusión y cristalización mostraron que el aceite exhibía tres picos distintos. Las temperaturas de inicio de fusión y cristalización completas del aceite fueron 24.76–26.57 ° C y 21.19–22.79 °C, respectivamente.Conclusiones: Este estudio revela que el aceite de semilla de rambután tiene potencial para ser utilizado en varios sectores de la industria alimentaria. Por lo tanto, la semilla de rambután se puede utilizar por completo y, en consecuencia, se puede minimizar la cantidad de desechos

Correlation between the Intensity of Helicobacter pylori

Background. The most common cause of chronic gastritis is infection with Helicobacter pylori. Identifying the relationship between intensities of colonization and activity of gastritis helps the clinician in more effective treatment and posttreatment follow-ups. Methods. In this cross-sectional study, endoscopic gastric biopsy samples of 544 patients who complained symptoms of dyspepsia for more than three months referring to the laboratory were studied. To determine the colonization rate of H. pylori and other pathological findings, Giemsa and H&E stains were, respectively, used. Results. Among 544 subjects, 47 (8.64%) patients had no gastritis, 203 (37.32%) had mild gastritis, 278 (10.51%) suffered moderate gastritis, and 16 (2.94%) had severe gastritis. In this study, patients with mild H. pylori colonization rates had the highest level of mild activity (33.52%); in contrast, those with severe H. pylori colonization had the highest level of severe activity (43.75%). 93.96% of people with severe H. pylori colonization suffered from moderate and severe chronic gastritis. There is a significant statistical relationship between the intensity of H. pylori colonization and histopathological findings including intestinal metaplasia, atrophy, and lymphoid follicle formation. Conclusions. According to the present study, with increasing intensity of H. pylori colonization, chronicity and activity of gastritis and its complications increase