Surface coverage in wireless sensor networks based on delaunay tetrahedralization

In this work is presented a new method for sensor deployment on 3D surfaces. The method was structured on different steps. The first one aimed discretizes the relief of interest with Delaunay algorithm. The tetrahedra and relative values (spatial coordinates of each vertex and faces) were input to construction of 3D Voronoi diagram. Each circumcenter was calculated as a candidate position for a sensor node: the corresponding circular coverage area was calculated based on a radius r. The r value can be adjusted to simulate different kinds of sensors. The Dijkstra algorithm and a selection method were applied to eliminate candidate positions with overlapped coverage areas or beyond of surface of interest. Performance evaluations measures were defined using coverage area and communication as criteria. The results were relevant, once the mean coverage rate achieved on three different surfaces were among 91% and 100%.

Hormesis method for increasing oat straw with a view to viability of direct-seeding systems

In conservation agriculture, mainly under direct seeding, maintaining the vegetation ground cover is essential, since this serves as a reservoir of nutrients which are slowly released to plants by microorganisms. Some authors have sought to study increases in the amount of straw in the soil, in addition to slowing down the process of decomposition, with hormesis being one of the techniques used. This technique states that all chemical substances are both poisonous and nonpoisonous, with only the dosage determining whether they are lethal or not. This study aimed to evaluate the dry weight and agronomic characteristics of a crop of black oat subjected to hormesis. The experimental design was of randomised blocks, with 12 treatments and 4 replications, giving a total of 48 experimental lots. The treatments were: Haloxyfop-R Methyl Ester at dosages of 0.625, 1.25 and 2.50 g ha(-1); Glyphosate at dosages of 12.50, 25.00 and 50.00 g ha-1; 2,4-D dimethylamine salt at dosages of 100.00, 200.00 and 300.00 g ha(-1); Alterbane at a dosage of 500.00 g ha(-1); Salicylic acid at a dose of 100 g ha(-1); and a control. It was concluded that for the subdosages under test, the herbicides 2,4-D at medium dosage and Verdict at low dosage were shown to be the best treatments for conserving straw as ground cover under direct seeding.

Potential application of Ganoderma lucidum in solid state fermentation of primary sludge and wheat straw

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Micronutrientes e biorregulador via foliar em diferentes estádios de desenvolvimento de cultivares de feijão, visando produção e qualidade de sementes

Pós-graduação em Agronomia - FEIS

Desempenho de discos de corte de semeadora-adubadora em diferentes quantidades de cobertura vegetal

The quality and efficiency in straw cutting are determinants in the sowing process, according to the occurrence of "tamp" and stops, the magnitude of the straw removal or even the known effects of the seed "envelopment" where the cutting mechanism can not cut the remaining straw. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of different mechanisms for straw cutting of a seeder individualized in different amounts of crop coverage artificially added in a clay soil. The experiment was conducted at Unesp – Sao Paulo State University in the Experimental Farm Lageado, belonging to the College of Agricultural Sciences - Unesp, Botucatu. The experimental design was split plot with four replications, with main plots consisting of five quantities of black oat straw, in area with no-tillage system and subplots of three opening furrows mechanisms, which are: plane disk (PD), corrugated disk (CD) and wavy disk (WD). The wavy disk provided greater rolling resistance, reducing the speed of the set (tractor and equipment). The plane cutting disk showed the highest values of mobilized soil area, deeper penetration into the soil, requiring lower values of vertical force and higher values of lateral force. Regarding the type of waste and doses used, they offered no resistance to cutting and there was no change in the horizontal force on straw.

Growth of Pleurotus ostreatus in culture media based on formulated straw or grass

Mycelial growth strains of POS 98/38, POS 09/100, POS 09/101, and POS 09/102 of Pleurotus ostreatus were evaluated in culture media with various compositions based on extracts of substrates formulated with sugar cane bagasse together with straws and grasses, and with or without nitrogen supplementation. The evaluation was performed during incubation regularly with a ruler graduated in millimeters until total colonization of the culture medium contained in Petri dishes. The statistical model explaining the kinetics of mycelial growth of mushroom strains of P. ostreatus as a deterministic component has an exponential Gompertz function. The results show that the culture medium with sugar cane straw and brizantha grass (supplemented) showed the highest rates of mycelial growth, regardless of strain used compared to wheat straw-based culture media with had the lowest velocities of growth, regardless of supplementation and strains studied.

Plantas de cobertura, adubação nitrogenada e produção de sementes de feijoeiro

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Aplicação de nitrogênio em forrageiras e produção da cultura da soja em sucessão no sistema plantio direto

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Agricultura) - FCA

The Impact of Software Evolution on Code Coverage Information

Many tools and techniques for addressing software maintenance problems rely on code coverage information. Often, this coverage information is gathered for a specific version of a software system, and then used to perform analyses on subsequent versions of that system without being recalculated. As a software system evolves, however, modifications to the software alter the software’s behavior on particular inputs, and code coverage information gathered on earlier versions of a program may not accurately reflect the coverage that would be obtained on later versions. This discrepancy may affect the success of analyses dependent on code coverage information. Despite the importance of coverage information in various analyses, in our search of the literature we find no studies specifically examining the impact of software evolution on code coverage information. Therefore, we conducted empirical studies to examine this impact. The results of our studies suggest that even relatively small modifications can greatly affect code coverage information, and that the degree of impact of change on coverage may be difficult to predict.

“PROVINCIALISM, PICKING SIDES AND BIAS: EFFECTS OF GEOGRAPHY ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, 2005-10.”

The development of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, by Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton has prompted diverse coverage from print and online media. This investigation looked at trends in news stories and commentary from 2005-10 to show how the location of a medium affected coverage. Through the author’s own observations and interviews with journalists and other interested parties, several trends emerged. Media outlets outside Arkansas portrayed the museum as trying to plunder the cultural heritage of local communities and relied partly on the museum’s association with Wal-Mart and stereotypes of Arkansas to frame coverage. Arkansas media, faced with limited cooperation from the museum’s public relations apparatus, typically played a cheerleader role, at times overemphasizing the importance of the collection in the art world and showcasing few critical voices in stories about acquisitions and other areas of the museum’s development.

An Ardent Flame: Witness to Distant Suffering, Human Rights and Unworthy Victims in the Coverage by The New York Times and Two Journals of the Religious Left of the 1980s Civil Wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua

Scholars have investigated witness to distant suffering (WTDS) almost entirely in visual media. This study examines it in print. This form of reporting will be examined in two publications of the religious left as contrasted with the New York Times. The thesis is that, more than any technology, WTDS consists of the journalist’s moral commitment and narrative skills and the audience’s analytical resources and trust. In the religious journals, liberation theology provides the moral commitment, the writers and editors the narrative skills and trust and the special vision of the newly empowered poor the analytical foundation. In bearing witness to those who have suffered state or guerilla terrorism in El Salvador and Nicaragua during the 1980s, we will investigate a distinction between “worthy” and “unworthy victims.” This last issue has a special ethical and political significance. Media witnessing to the suffering of strangers can help them become known, and so “worthy.” It can help them, and their plight and cause, become better recognized. This is the power of the media.

Aplicação de nitrogênio em forrageiras e produção da cultura da soja em sucessão no sistema plantio direto

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Agricultura) - FCA

Acellular dermal matrix graft with or without enamel matrix derivative for root coverage in smokers: a randomized clinical study

Aim: The aim of this randomized controlled clinical study was to compare the use of an acellular dermal matrix graft (ADMG) with or without the enamel matrix derivative (EMD) in smokers to evaluate which procedure would provide better root coverage. Material and Methods: Nineteen smokers with bilateral Miller Class I or II gingival recessions >= 3 mm were selected. The test group was treated with an association of ADMG and EMD, and the control group with ADMG alone. Probing depth, relative clinical attachment level, gingival recession height, gingival recession width, keratinized tissue width and keratinized tissue thickness were evaluated before the surgeries and after 6 months. Wilcoxon test was used for the statistical analysis at significance level of 5%. Results: No significant differences were found between groups in all parameters at baseline. The mean gain recession height between baseline and 6 months and the complete root coverage favored the test group (p = 0.042, p = 0.019 respectively). Conclusion: Smoking may negatively affect the results achieved through periodontal plastic procedures; however, the association of ADMG and EMD is beneficial in the root coverage of gingival recessions in smokers, 6 months after the surgery.

A Randomized comparative clinical study of two surgical procedures to improve root coverage with the acellular dermal matrix graft

Aim This randomized, controlled, clinical study compared two surgical techniques for root coverage with the acellular dermal matrix graft (ADMG) to evaluate which procedure could provide better root coverage and greater amounts of keratinized tissue. Materials and Methods Fifteen pairs of bilateral Miller Class I or II gingival recessions were treated and assigned randomly to the test group, and the contra-lateral recessions were assigned to the control group. The ADMG was used in both groups. In the control group, the graft and flap were positioned at the level of the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ), and in the test group, the graft was positioned 1 mm apical to the CEJ and the flap 1 mm coronal to the CEJ. The clinical parameters were taken before the surgeries and after 6 months. The gingival recession area, a new parameter, was measured in standardized photographs through a special device and software. Results There were statistically significant differences favouring the proposed technique for all parameters except for the amount of keratinized tissue at 6 months. Conclusions The proposed test technique is more suitable for root coverage procedures with ADMG, and the new parameter evaluated appears valuable for root coverage analysis. (Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01175720).

AMMONIA LOSSES ESTIMATED BY AN OPEN COLLECTOR FROM UREA APPLIED TO SUGARCANE STRAW

The quantification of ammonia (NH3) losses from sugarcane straw fertilized with urea can be performed with collectors that recover the NH3 in acid-treated absorbers. Thus, the use of an open NH3 collector with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-wrapped absorber is an interesting option since its cost is low, handling easy and microclimatic conditions irrelevant. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of an open collector for quantifying NH3-N volatilized from urea applied over the sugarcane straw. The experiment was carried out in a sugarcane field located near Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The NH3-N losses were estimated using a semi-open static collector calibrated with N-15 (reference method) and an open collector with an absorber wrapped in PTFE film. Urea was applied to the soil surface in treatments corresponding to rates of 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg ha(-1) N. Applying urea-N fertilizer on sugarcane straw resulted in losses NH3-N up to 24 % of the applied rate. The amount of volatile NH3-N measured in the open and the semi-open static collector did not differ. The effectiveness of the collection system varied non-linearly, with an average value of 58.4 % for the range of 100 to 200 kg ha(-1) of urea-N. The open collector showed significant potential for use; however, further research is needed to verify the suitability of the proposed method.