Computer programs for analysis of droplets sprayed on water sensitive papers

The use of water-sensitive papers is an important tool for assessing the quality of pesticide application on crops, but manual analysis is laborious and time-consuming. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate and compare the results obtained from four software programs for spray droplet analysis in different scanned images of water-sensitive papers. After spraying, papers with four droplet deposition patterns (varying droplet spectra and densities) were analyzed manually and by means of the following computer programs: CIR, e-Sprinkle, DepositScan and Conta-Gotas. The diameter of the volume and number medians and the number of droplets per target area were studied. There is a strong correlation between the values measured using the different programs and the manual analysis, but there is a great difference between the numerical values measured for the same paper. Thus, it is not advisable to compare results obtained from different programs.

Chlorophyll fluorescence in guanandi tree (Calophyllum brasiliense) after herbicide application

Chlorophyll fluorescence is currently used as a rapid diagnostic and nondestructive method to detect and quantify damage on the photosynthetic apparatus of leaves on weeds, crops and ornamental/coniferous trees in response to both environmental stress and herbicides. This study aimed to evaluate chlorophyll fluorescence in guanandi plants (Calophyllum brasiliense) after application of different postemergence herbicides. The experiment was performed in a completely randomized design, with six treatments (control, bentazon, sulfentrazone, isoxaflutole, atrazine and glyphosate) and five replications. The herbicide treatments were applied with a stationary sprayer, and electron transport rate (ETR) was subsequently analyzed with OS5p Multi-Mode Chlorophyll Fluorometer. In the monitored period, guanandi plants subjected to atrazine showed higher sensitivity to chlorophyll fluorescence than the other treatments. Although bentazon is a photosystem II inhibitor, it showed no major changes in electron transport for the studied species and in the monitored period. In summary, ETR is a good parameter to evaluate the effect of some herbicides on Calophyllum brasiliense plants.

Glyphosate Effectiveness in the Control of Macrophytes Under a Greenhouse Condition

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of glyphosate, as Rodeo(r) formulation, to control Eichhornia crassipes, Pistia stratiotes, Salvinia molesta, Salvinia herzogii and Urochloa subquadripara, under greenhouse conditions. The doses assessed were (480, 960, 1440, 1920, 2400, 2880, 3360 and 3840 g ha-1 of glyphosate) with 0.5% of the Aterbane(r) BR surfactant and a control, with no herbicide application. All experiments were conducted in a completely randomized experimental design with ten replications. Applications were carried out by precision backpack sprayer at a CO2 constant pressure of 25 psi and spray solution consumption of 200 L ha-1. Product effectiveness was determined by assessing the growth inhibitions and phytotoxicity signals during the periods of 3, 7, 15, 21, 30 and 45 days after application (DAA). At 45 DAA, the highest glyphosate dose (3840 g ha-1) displayed 100% effectiveness for all four macrophyte species. Under greenhouse conditions, the glyphosate in formulation Rodeo(r) with 0.5% of Aterbarne(r) BR surfactant showed excellent effectiveness, inhibiting the growth of the floating aquatic macrophytes. This procedure can be included on the tillage plans for these species.

APPLICATION HEIGHT IN HERBICIDES EFFICIENCY IN BEAN CROPS

ABSTRACTInadequate herbicide application can result in failures in weed control and/or poisoning of the crops, resulting in yield losses. In this research were assessed the effects of the sprayer nozzle boom height in the distribution of the spray solution for weed control, influencing intoxication of beans and crop yield. Experiments were conducted in laboratory and field conditions. In laboratory, the performance of flat spray tip TT 11002 was assessed at heights 0.20, 0.30, 0.40 and 0.50 meters with respect to the target surface. In the field the same heights were assessed in applications of herbicides fomesafen, fluazifop-P-butyl and fomesafen + fluazifop-P-butyl. There was an inverse relationship between the height of the spray boom and the coefficients of variation of the patterns. The mixture better efficiency in a tank of fluazifop-P-butyl + fomesafen was obtained with the height of 0.50 m from the target. This treatment resulted in better weed control, lower poisoning of the bean plants and better crop yield rates.

A role for histone-like protein H1 (H-NS) in the regulation of hemolysin expression by Serratia marcescens

The histone-like protein H1 (H-NS) is an abundant structural component of the bacterial nucleoid and influences many cellular processes including recombination, transcription and transposition. Mutations in the hns gene encoding H-NS are highly pleiotropic, affecting the expression of many unrelated genes. We have studied the role of H-NS on the regulation of hemolysin gene expression in Serratia marcescens. The Escherichia coli hns mutant carrying S. marcescens hemolysin genes on a plasmid constructed by ligation of the 3.2-kb HindIII-SacI fragment of pR02 into pBluescriptIIKS, showed a high level of expression of this hemolytic factor. To determine the osmoregulation of wild-type and hns defective mutants the cells were grown to mid-logarithmic phase in LB medium with 0.06 or 0.3 M NaCl containing ampicillin and kanamycin, whereas to analyze the effect of pH on hemolysin expression, the cells were grown to late-logarithmic phase in LB medium buffered with 0.1 M Tris-HCl, pH 4.5 to 8.0. To assay growth phase-related hemolysin production, bacterial cells were grown in LB medium supplemented with ampicillin and kanamycin. The expression of S. marcescens hemolysin genes in wild-type E. coli and in an hns-defective derivative at different pH and during different growth phases indicated that, in the absence of H-NS, the expression of hemolysin did not vary with pH changes or growth phases. Furthermore, the data suggest that H-NS may play an important role in the regulation of hemolysin expression in S. marcescens and its effect may be due to changes in DNA topology influencing transcription and thus the amount of hemolysin expression. Implications for the mechanism by which H-NS influences gene expression are discussed.

Cholesterol-dependent hemolytic activity of Passiflora quadrangularis leaves

Plants used in traditional medicine are rich sources of hemolysins and cytolysins, which are potential bactericidal and anticancer drugs. The present study demonstrates for the first time the presence of a hemolysin in the leaves of Passiflora quadrangularis L. This hemolysin is heat stable, resistant to trypsin treatment, has the capacity to froth, and acts very rapidly. The hemolysin activity is dose-dependent, with a slope greater than 1 in a double-logarithmic plot. Polyethylene glycols of high molecular weight were able to reduce the rate of hemolysis, while liposomes containing cholesterol completely inhibited it. In contrast, liposomes containing phosphatidylcholine were ineffective. The Passiflora hemolysin markedly increased the conductance of planar lipid bilayers containing cholesterol but was ineffective in cholesterol-free bilayers. Successive extraction of the crude hemolysin with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol resulted in a 10-fold purification, with the hemolytic activity being recovered in the n-butanol fraction. The data suggest that membrane cholesterol is the primary target for this hemolysin and that several hemolysin molecules form a large transmembrane water pore. The properties of the Passiflora hemolysin, such as its frothing ability, positive color reaction with vanillin, selective extraction with n-butanol, HPLC profile, cholesterol-dependent membrane susceptibility, formation of a stable complex with cholesterol, and rapid erythrocyte lysis kinetics indicate that it is probably a saponin.

Modeling a Network of Heat Exchangers

This research work addresses the problem of building a mathematical model for the given system of heat exchangers and to determine the temperatures, pressures and velocities at the intermediate positions. Such model could be used in nding an optimal design for such a superstructure. To limit the size and computing time a reduced network model was used. The method can be generalized to larger network structures. A mathematical model which includes a system of non-linear equations has been built and solved according to the Newton-Raphson algorithm. The results obtained by the proposed mathematical model were compared with the results obtained by the Paterson approximation and Chen's Approximation. Results of this research work in collaboration with a current ongoing research at the department will optimize the valve positions and hence, minimize the pumping cost and maximize the heat transfer of the system of heat exchangers.

Quality of mussels cultivated and commercialized in Ubatuba, SP, Brazil: monitoration Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus growth after post-harvest processing

Aiming at improving the quality of Perna perna mussels cultivated and commercialized in Ubatuba, SP, Brazil, the growth and elimination of Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus artificially inoculated in mussels were studied. The inoculation was carried out in "in natura" and pre-cooked mussels for 30 min, and after that the mussels were kept for 10 hours at room temperature (25 ± 1 °C) and under refrigeration (7 ± 1 °C). Six thermal treatments were evaluated: three using steam (5, 10 and 15 minutes) and three in boiling water (5, 10 and 15 minutes), in order to find the best time/temperature binomial to provide pathogenic control. Yield and physical-chemical and sensory characteristics were evaluated. All thermal treatments were efficient to eliminate microorganisms in 2 logarithmic cycles. However, the boiling water treatments presented better results than the steam treatments. The physical-chemical and sensory analyses did not show statistical differences among the thermal treatments studied. The best performances were reached in the shortest times of heat exposure. Overall, the treatments in boiling water presented better results than the steam treatments.

Optimizing the Performance of a Heat Exchanger Network

This research is the continuation and a joint work with a master thesis that has been done in this department recently by Hemamali Chathurangani Yashika Jayathunga. The mathematical system of the equations in the designed Heat Exchanger Network synthesis has been extended by adding a number of equipment; such as heat exchangers, mixers and dividers. The solutions of the system is obtained and the optimal setting of the valves (Each divider contains a valve) is calculated by introducing grid-based optimization. Finding the best position of the valves will lead to maximization of the transferred heat in the hot stream and minimization of the pressure drop in the cold stream. The aim of the following thesis will be achieved by practicing the cost optimization to model an optimized network.

Effect of air-temperature and diet composition on the drying process of pellets for japanese abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) feeding

The aim of this research was to study the effect of air-temperature and diet composition on the mass transfer kinetics during the drying process of pellets used for Japanese Abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) feeding. In the experimental design, three temperatures were used for convective drying, as well as three different diet compositions (Diets A, B and C), in which the amount of fishmeal, spirulin, algae, fish oil and cornstarch varied. The water diffusion coefficient of the pellets was determined using the equation of Fick's second law, which resulted in values between 0.84-1.94×10-10 m²/s. The drying kinetics was modeled using Page, Modified Page, Root of time, Exponential, Logarithmic, Two-Terms, Modified Henderson-Pabis and Weibull models. In addition, two new models, referred to as 'Proposed' models 1 and 2, were used to simulate this process. According to the statistical tests applied, the models that best fitted the experimental data were Modified Henderson-Pabis, Weibull and Proposed model 2, respectively. Bifactorial analysis of variance ANOVA showed that Diet A (fishmeal 44%, spirulin 9%, fish oil 1% and cornstarch 36%) presented the highest diffusion coefficient values, which were favored by the temperature increase in the drying process.

Suomen taloussuhdanteiden kansainvälinen yhteisvaihtelu

Taloussuhdanteiden yhteisvaihtelun tutkimus on eräs taloustieteiden vanhimmista tutkimusaloista. Finanssikriisi ja euroalueen kohtaamat talousvaikeudet ovat kuitenkin nostaneet aiheen jälleen hyvin ajankohtaiseksi. Kuluneiden kahdenkymmenen vuoden aikana tutkimusalueesta on muodostunut erittäin laaja lukuisine näkökulmineen ja debatteineen. Tutkielman aiheena on Suomen taloussuhdanteiden kansainvälinen yhteisvaihtelu valittujen vertailumaiden kanssa. Vertailumaat ovat Ruotsi, Norja, Tanska, Saksa, Ranska, Iso-Britannia ja Yhdysvallat. Tutkielmaan valitut taloussuhdannetta kuvaavat muuttujat ovat reaalinen bruttokansantuote, yksityinen kokonaiskulutus ja teollisuustuotantoindeksi. Aineisto on kerätty Lappeenrannan tiedekirjaston Nelli-portaalin OECD iLibrary-tietokannasta ja se kattaa aikajakson 1960 Q1- 2014 Q4. Maakohtainen taloussuhdanne operationalisoidaan laskemalla ensimmäinen logaritminen differenssi, joka edustaa perinteistä reaalisuhdanneteoreettisen koulukunnan näkemystä taloussuhdanteesta. Tutkielman näkökulmaksi valitaan yhden maan näkökulma, joka on hieman harvinaisempi näkökulma verrattuna laajempiin alueellisiin näkökulmiin. Tutkimusmenetelminä käytetään Pearsonin korrelaatiokerrointa, Engle-Granger- sekä Johansenin yhteisintegroituvuustestejä ja VAR-GARCH-BEKK –mallilla laskettua dynaamista korrelaatiota, jotka lasketaan Suomen ja vertailumaiden välille maapareittain. Tuloksia tulkitaan suomalaisen vientiä vertailumaihin suunnittelevan yrityksen näkökulmasta. Tutkielman tulosten perusteella Engle-Grangerin menetelmällä laskettu samanaikainen yhteisintegroituvuus Suomen ja vertailumaiden välillä on epätodennäköistä. Kun yhteisintegroituvuuden annetaan riippua myös viiveistä, saadaan Johansenin menetelmällä yhteisintegroituvuus Suomen ja Yhdysvaltojen välille reaalisessa bruttokansantuotteessa, Suomen ja Saksan, Suomen ja Ranskan sekä Suomen ja Yhdysvaltojen välille yksityisessä kokonaiskulutuksessa sekä Suomen ja Norjan välille teollisuustuotantoindeksissä. Tulosten tulkintaa vaikeuttavat niiden malliriippuvuus ja informaatiokriteerien toisistaan poikkeavat mallisuositukset, joten yhteisintegroituvuus on mahdollinen myös muiden maaparien kohdalla. Dynaamisten korrelaatiokuvaajien perusteella maaparien välisen yhteisvaihtelun voimakkuus muuttuu ajan mukana. Finanssikriisin aikana kokonaistuotannossa on havaittavissa korkeampi korrelaatio, mutta korrelaatio palaa sen jälkeen perustasolleen. Kokonaiskulutuksen korrelaatio on kokonaistuotantoa alhaisempi ja pitemmissä aikajaksoissa vaihtelevaa.

Individual differences and factors affecting male behaviour in field crickets

Individual differences in male sexual behav~our and the factors influencing calling behaviour were studied in the field crickets Gryllus 2 integer and Q. veletis. In a large (13m) outdoor arena individually numbered adult male ~~ integer started calling at three to five days of age but thereafter the age of individual G. integer males did not affect nightly calling duration. Calling also did not correlate with individual weight. In this study individual male calling was continuously distributed from 0 hrs. per night to 3.5 hrs. per night, on average. A temporal effect on the number of G. integer males calling was observed. The number of males calling through the night was uniform, but a sharp increase in the number calling was observed in the early morning. No difference in calling times was observed between the night and dawn callers. AlsC)' males calling at dawn usually didnotc'all during the preceeding night. Calling and reproductive success in 1979 demonstrated a negative logarithmic relationship while in the 1980(initial) population a negative linear relationship was observed. No relationship was seen in the 1980 high density population. The ratio of non-callers to callers also affected the mating of individuals in the 1979 and1980(initial) densities:-non~callers (males calling .5 hrs. per night, on average, or less) obtained more females when the population contained a high number of callers, this being a negative logarithmic relationship to, No such relationship was observed in the 1980 high density population. Individual displacement varied nightly and was not correlated to amount of calling or reproductive success of individual G. integer males. G. integer males were displa~ed more when in a higher density in the outdoor arena Male G. integer and G. veletis behaviours were also observed in an indoor arena at different densities and, in G. veletis, with respect to female presence. When females were present in the arena, in G. veletis, male calling was reduced. Males of both species called less, on average, when in ~ higher density, than when they were in a lower density. Male displacement of both species increased on average when in a higher density as compared to displacement in a lower density. Aggression was measured by aggressive call-ing and fighting and was studied in regards to density.G. integer demonstrated less aggression in all but one comparison at higher density. No difference was observed in the ratio of aggressive calling to f.ighting comparison in G. integer. G. veletis demonstrated mixed results. No difference in aggression between densities was observed in comparisons. Less.aggression did occur in higher densities when comparisons invol.ved fighting behaviour. Male behaviour represents a competitive strategy against ot~er males, strategy being defined as a genetic (in part) alternative to other strategies. In this sense, the factors of time, density, male-male aggression, and female presence are conditions demonstrated to affect male behaviour in G. integer and G. veletis. Individual male differences and other considerations suggest that alternative male behaviours are represented by at least two conditional strategies. This possibility, and the transient 'or stable nature of genetic polymorphisms in field cricket behaviour are considered.

Magnetic properties of the Biâ Srâ CaCuâ Oâ single crystal

The Bi2Sr2CaCu20g single crystal with a superconducting transition temperature equal to 90 ± 2 K was prepared. The irreversibility line of the single crystal for a mgnetic field direction along the c-axis and T* in the ab-plane was determined. The reduced temperature (l - T ) is proportional to H 1.1 for fields below 004 T and proportional to HO.09 for fields above 0.4 T. The zero temperature upper critical field Hc2(0) and coherence length ~ (0) were determined from the magnetization meaurements to be H-lC2=35.9T , H//C2=31.2T, ~c(0)=35.0 A, and ~ab(0)=32.5A,and from the magnetoresistance measurements to be H-lc2 = 134.6T , H//C2=55.5T '~c(0)=38.1 A, and ~ab(0)=2404 A for both directions of the applied magnetic field. The results obtained for Hc2(0) and ~(O) are not reliable due to the rounding that the single crystal exhibits in the magnetization and magnetoresistance curves. The magnetization relaxation of the single crystal was investigated, and was found to be logarithmic in time, and the relaxation rate increases with temperature up to 50 -60 K, then decreases at higher temperatures.

Dipping is Easy...With Right Vat Design

The article discusses dipping vats and three basic types of dipping systems: Jump in Vat, Hydraulic Cage Vat, and the Box Sprayer.

Preuves interactives quantiques

Cette thèse est consacrée à la complexité basée sur le paradigme des preuves interactives. Les classes ainsi définies ont toutes en commun qu’un ou plusieurs prouveurs, infiniment puissants, tentent de convaincre un vérificateur, de puissance bornée, de l’appartenance d’un mot à un langage. Nous abordons ici le modèle classique, où les participants sont des machines de Turing, et le modèle quantique, où ceux-ci sont des circuits quantiques. La revue de littérature que comprend cette thèse s’adresse à un lecteur déjà familier avec la complexité et l’informatique quantique. Cette thèse présente comme résultat la caractérisation de la classe NP par une classe de preuves interactives quantiques de taille logarithmique. Les différentes classes sont présentées dans un ordre permettant d’aborder aussi facilement que possible les classes interactives. Le premier chapitre est consacré aux classes de base de la complexité ; celles-ci seront utiles pour situer les classes subséquemment présentées. Les chapitres deux et trois présentent respectivement les classes à un et à plusieurs prouveurs. La présentation du résultat ci-haut mentionné est l’objet du chapitre quatre.