Segmentation techniques in X-ray images for the analysis of mango stem boring insects

Mango plants are generally affected by various pests. The stem borer is a very harmful pest as its grub feeds on the internal parts of the tree leaving very little external evidence of damage to the host plant. Existing pest management methods suffer from the lack of knowledge about the precise location of the pest within the plant and the extent of internal damage. Recent laboratory experiments prove that these drawbacks can be overcome by using radiography as a means of study of the internal constituents of the plant’s stem. This paper proposes a method to precisely segment the tree trunk followed by the segmentation of the stem boring insect’s tunnels that appear in an X-ray image

Iso-array rewriting P systems with context-free iso-array rules

A new computing model called P system is a highly distributed and parallel theoretical model, which is proposed in the area of membrane computing. Ceterchi et al. initially proposed array rewriting P systems by extending the notion of string rewriting P systems to arrays (2003). A theoretical model for picture generation using context-free iso-array grammar rules and puzzle iso-array grammar rules are introduced by Kalyani et al. (2004, 2006). Also iso-array rewriting P systems for iso-picture languages have been studied by Annadurai et al. (2008). In this paper we consider the context-free iso-array rules and context-free puzzle iso-array rules in iso-array rewriting P systems and examine the generative powers of these P systems

Shuffle on array languages generated by array grammars

Motivated by the studies done by G. Siromoney et al. (1973) and Alexan- dru Mateescu et al. (1998) we examine the language theoretic results related to shuf- fle on trajectories by making use of Siromoney array grammars such as (R : R)AG, (R : C F )AG, (C F : R)AG, (C F : C F )AG, (C S : R)AG, (C S : C S)AG and (C F : C S)AG which are more powerful than the Siromoney matrix grammars (1972) and are used to make digital pictures

Expansion of HIV Laboratory Diagnostic Services in Chennai, India 2001–2006: Is the Growth Commensurate with the Need?

Objective: To describe the changes in HIV services provided and the patient population utilizing voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) services at private testing laboratories in Chennai, India in 2001 and 2006. Methods: In 2001, a cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted to assess the services provided and client population of 1,031 private laboratories. A subset of labs (9%) that had been surveyed in 2001 were also studied in 2006. Results: In 2001, significantly more high volume labs (.10 HIV tests per month) offered HIV diagnostic tests than low volume labs (,10 HIV test per month) (p,0.001). More high volume labs (20.0%) provided pre-test counseling as part of HIV testing than low volume labs (11.1%) (p = 0.003). Between 2001 and 2006, the number of labs that provided HIV diagnostic tests significantly increased, including ELISA (87.8 % vs. 40.0%), Western Blot (84.4 % vs. 13.3%), and Tridot (98.9 % vs. 72.2%) (p,0.001). Also the number of labs that reported greater than 10 women seeking HIV testing per month significantly increased from 14.5 % to 79.0 % (p = 0.006). More labs provided pre-test counseling in 2006 (34.4%) than in 2001 (21.1%) (p = 0.046). Conclusions: Though HIV diagnostic testing services have increasingly become available, counseling services have not expanded commensurately. Further outreach and education is necessary to expand comprehensive HIV VCT services in bot

Yield components and water use efficiency in coriander under irrigation and nitrogen fertilization

ABSTRACT Among the determining factors of yield, nitrogen (N) fertilization and the correct supply of water play an important role in the quality and yield aspects of coriander. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the yield components and the water use efficiency (WUE) in coriander subjected to different depths and N doses. A completely randomized design in split plot was used. Water depths were applied in the plots at the rates of 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125% of the Required Real Irrigation (RRI). N doses were distributed within the subplots at the following proportions: 50, 100 and 150% of the recommendation for the crop (70 kg ha-1). The N dose of 94 kg ha-1 and irrigation depth of 115% of RRI promoted the greatest yield (29.0 t ha-1) and number of bunches (29 bunches m-2). The highest number of leaves per plant was obtained with the N dose of 103.2 kg ha-1 and irrigation depth of 68% of the RRI. The maximum plant height (43 cm) was obtained with N dose of 105 kg ha-1 and irrigation depth of 121% of RRI. The highest WUE in coriander (71 kg m-3) occurred at the irrigation depth of 26% of RRI and N dose of 105 kg ha-1

Comportamento de cultivares de pepino (Cucumis sativus L.) em duas épocas de semeadura

Plant development and fruit production of cucumber cultivars 'Marketer IAC- 2 2 0 5 ' , 'Palomar IAC- 3 0 5 0 ' , 'Santee IAC- 2 4 4 1 ' , 'Verde Paulistano IAC-1336' and 'Aodai 1 - 4 3 2 1 ' were compared under two sowing dates, 5 t n of May and 5 t n of December of 1970 in Campinas, SP, Brazil, in a Yellow Red Latossol. Air temperature ranged from 1 2 , 0°C to 26, 8°C in the first period of culture, and from 18,5°C to 30,2°C in the second period. Adequate cultural practices were provided. When the first female flower appeared in the field, insecticides and fungicides applications were interrupted. For all cultivars, yields were higher and fruit quality was better in the first period of culture. Both in May and December cultures, plants have concentrated their highest yields between the third and the penultima te harvesting dates. 'Santee' presented low yields and the quality of its fruits was poor. 'Aodai' showed the best results as to fruit yield and fruit quality. Yields of the other cultivars were similar. 'Verde Paulistano' presented the latest fruit production. 'Marketer' showed a relatively uniform behaviour in both periods of culture. There were found positive correlations between yield in each harvesting date and total yield, total yield and marketable yield, number of fruits and fruits weight, plant height and yield, and number of lateral branches and yield. The relation between marketable and total yield, and fruit average weight, decreased at the end of the plants cycle.O desenvolvimento e a produção de frutos para consumo in natura dos cultivares de pepino 'Marketer IAC-2205', 'Palomar IAC-3050', 'Santee IAC-2441', 'Verde Paulistano IAC-1386' e 'Aodai 1-4321' foram estudados em duas épocas de semeadura, 5 de maio e 5 de dezembro, em Campinas, SP. Para todos os cultivares, as plantas semeadas em dezembro cresceram mais e desenvolveram-se com maior rapidez que as plantas semeadas em maio; entretanto, as produções das plantas semeadas em maio foram maiores e a qualidade de seus frutos foi superior. Tanto para as plantas semeadas em maio como para as semeadas em dezembro, 'Santee' apresentou produções baixas e frutos de má qualidade. 'Aodai' foi o cultivar mais produtivo e seus frutos foram os de melhor qualidade. As produções dos demais cultivares foram equivalentes. 'Verde Paulistano' apresentou a produção mais tardia. 0 comportamento de 'Marketer' foi pouco afetado pelas variações ambientais. As maiores produções de todos os cultivares, nas duas é poças, foram obtidas entre a terceira e a penúltima colheitas. Foram encontradas correlações positivas entre a produção de cada colheita e a produção total, entre a produção total e a produção comerciável, entre o número de frutos e seu peso, entre produção e a altura da planta e entre produção e número de ramos laterais da planta. A relação entre produções comerciável e total e o peso médio dos frutos diminuíram no final do ciclo das plantas