Toxicity of biorational insecticides to Helicoverpa spp. (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae) and predators in cotton field

Field trials on upland cotton (Gossypium hirstum L.) during its reproductive phase were used to assess the toxicity of several biorational pesticides and chemicals to Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) and H. puntigera Wallengren, as well as major predators at Dalby, Queensland, Australia. Moderate rate-dependent control was obtained in plots treated with neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) seed extract-azadirachtin (Aza) at rates of 30, 60 and 90 g/ha. Plots treated with Talstar EC (bifenthrin) applications achieved the best results, followed by treatment with alternation of chemicals (methomyl, bifenthrin, thiodicarb and endosulfan) and biorational insecticides (neem oil, azadirachtin and Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki var. Berliner). Predators, including lady beetles, lacewings, spiders and predatory bugs, were insensitive to Aza, tooseendanin (Tsdn) and BT applications. In contrast, chemicals were very destructive of predators. All treatments provided some protection from infestation of H. armigera and H. puntigera. The effect of Aza on Helicoverpa spp. was reflected in a relatively higher yield of seed cotton harvested from Aza-treated plots compared with the control, but chemical control achieved significantly higher yields than any other treatment.

Controle da ferrugem e da broca-dos-ramos da figueira com diferentes fungicidas e inseticidas

Temperaturas e precipitações elevadas favorecem a incidência da ferrugem (Cerotelium fici(Cast.)) e da broca-dos-ramos (Azochis gripusalis (Walker, 1859) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)), limitando a produção comercial de figos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar a eficiência de fungicidas e inseticidas alternativos em relação à de produtos convencionais registrados para a cultura. Foram realizados dois experimentos, no delineamento de blocos inteiramente casualizados, com quatro repetições, no setor de fruticultura da Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Campus Dois Vizinhos. Para controle da ferrugem, foram utilizados, em 100 L de água, azoxistrobin (10 g), calda bordalesa (1.500 g de cal virgem + 1.500 g de sulfato de cobre) e testemunha (água). No controle da broca-dos-ramos utilizaram-se, em 100 L de água, azadiractina (1.000 mL P.C.), alho (Allium sativum L.) (100 mL P.C.), cinza (20.000 g), extrato de fumo (nicotina) (10.000 mL do preparado), deltametrina (50 mL P.C.), Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (100 g P.C.), rotenona (1.000 mL P.C.), sabão de coco (1.000 g) e testemunha (água). A calda bordalesa foi o tratamento mais efetivo no controle da ferrugem, promovendo aumento da produtividade e da qualidade dos frutos. A deltametrina promoveu o melhor controle da broca-dos-ramos da figueira. Entre os produtos alternativos testados, o alho foi o mais efetivo no controle dessa praga.

Estudo de soluções de contenção periférica em função das condicionantes de execução

Dissertação de natureza científica para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil

Computing semantic relatedness using DBPedia

Extracting the semantic relatedness of terms is an important topic in several areas, including data mining, information retrieval and web recommendation. This paper presents an approach for computing the semantic relatedness of terms using the knowledge base of DBpedia — a community effort to extract structured information from Wikipedia. Several approaches to extract semantic relatedness from Wikipedia using bag-of-words vector models are already available in the literature. The research presented in this paper explores a novel approach using paths on an ontological graph extracted from DBpedia. It is based on an algorithm for finding and weighting a collection of paths connecting concept nodes. This algorithm was implemented on a tool called Shakti that extract relevant ontological data for a given domain from DBpedia using its SPARQL endpoint. To validate the proposed approach Shakti was used to recommend web pages on a Portuguese social site related to alternative music and the results of that experiment are reported in this paper.

CodeSkelGen: a program skeleton generator

Existent computer programming training environments help users to learn programming by solving problems from scratch. Nevertheless, initiating the resolution of a program can be frustrating and demotivating if the student does not know where and how to start. Skeleton programming facilitates a top-down design approach, where a partially functional system with complete high level structures is available, so the student needs only to progressively complete or update the code to meet the requirements of the problem. This paper presents CodeSkelGen - a program skeleton generator. CodeSkelGen generates skeleton or buggy Java programs from a complete annotated program solution provided by the teacher. The annotations are formally described within an annotation type and processed by an annotation processor. This processor is responsible for a set of actions ranging from the creation of dummy methods to the exchange of operator types included in the source code. The generator tool will be included in a learning environment that aims to assist teachers in the creation of programming exercises and to help students in their resolution.

Seqins: a sequencing tool for educational resources

The teaching-learning process is increasingly focused on the combination of the paradigms “learning by viewing” and “learning by doing.” In this context, educational resources, either expository or evaluative, play a pivotal role. Both types of resources are interdependent and their sequencing would create a richer educational experience to the end user. However, there is a lack of tools that support sequencing essentially due to the fact that existing specifications are complex. The Seqins is a sequencing tool of digital resources that has a fairly simple sequencing model. The tool communicates through the IMS LTI specification with a plethora of e-learning systems such as learning management systems, repositories, authoring and evaluation systems. In order to validate Seqins we integrate it in an e-learning Ensemble framework instance for the computer programming learning.

JSON on Mobile: is there an efficient parser?

The two largest causes for battery consumption on mobile devices are related with the display and network operations. Since most application need to share data and communicate with remote servers, communications should be as lightweight and efficient as possible. In network communication, serialization plays a central role as the process of converting an object into a stream of bytes. One of the most popular data-interchange format is JSON (JavaScript Object Notation). This paper presents a survey on JSON parsers in mobile scenarios. The aim of the survey is to find the most efficient JSON parser in mobile communications characterised by high transfer rate of small amounts of data. In the performance benchmark we compare the time required to read and write data with several popular JSON parser implementations such as Gson, Jackson, org.json and others. The results of this survey are important for others that need to select an efficient parser for mobile communication.

Curry-Howard for sequent calculus at last!

This paper tries to remove what seems to be the remaining stumbling blocks in the way to a full understanding of the Curry-Howard isomorphism for sequent calculus, namely the questions: What do variables in proof terms stand for? What is co-control and a co-continuation? How to define the dual of Parigot's mu-operator so that it is a co-control operator? Answering these questions leads to the interpretation that sequent calculus is a formal vector notation with first-class co-control. But this is just the "internal" interpretation, which has to be developed simultaneously with, and is justified by, an "external" one, offered by natural deduction: the sequent calculus corresponds to a bi-directional, agnostic (w.r.t. the call strategy), computational lambda-calculus. Next, the duality between control and co-control is studied and proved in the context of classical logic, where one discovers that the classical sequent calculus has a distortion towards control, and that sequent calculus is the de Morgan dual of natural deduction.

Aufbau eines Hochspannungs-Isolations-Prüfplatzes

In der Arbeit wird ein Hochspannungs-Isolations-Prüfplatz entwickelt. Dieser dient zum Testen von Isolationsstrukturen in speziellen Proben bei der Berliner Glas KGaA Herbert Kubatz GmbH & Co. Der Prüfplatz muss programmierbar sein, vorhandenes Equipment soll nach Möglichkeit genutzt werden. Um eine geeignete Lösung zu finden, werden in Vorversuchen die möglichen Parameter ermittelt und gegebenenfalls eingeschränkt. Die Betrachtung der Themenschwerpunkte Digitalisierung, Strommessung, Spannungsmessung, Steuerung der Prüfspannung sowie Software führen zu Auswahl und Aufbau/Programmierung der einzelnen Komponenten. Des Weiteren wird die Sicherheit beim Umgang mit dem Prüfaufbau, besonders hinsichtlich der verwendeten Hochspannung, erörtert. Als Ergebnis wird der Prüfplatz mit einem Hochspannungsnetzteil aufgebaut, welches über eine USB-Datenbox mit der Software auf einem PC gesteuert wird. Die Ausgabe von Strom und Spannung des Netzteils wird aufgezeichnet. Ein USB-Oszilloskop zeichnet mittels eines Hochspannungstastkopfs die Spannung und mittels einer Stromzange den Strom auf. Mit dieser Strommessung wird ein elektrischer Durchschlag detektiert und an die Software gemeldet. Die Eignung des gewählten Equipments wird nachgewiesen.

Schnittstellenkonflikte und ihr betrienswirtschaftlicher Schaden

Die vorliegende Masterarbeit betrachtet die Ausprägungen und Auswirkungen von Konflikten an der Schnittstelle zwischen zwei verschiedenen Funktionsbereichen innerhalb einer Organisation, welche in der chemischen Industrie angesiedelt ist. Der Autor hat bereits einen Abschluss als Dipl.-Ing. Verfahrens- und Energietechnik und ist seit etwa fünf Jahren als Produktionsingenieur in diesem Unternehmen tätig. Die Organisation, Durchführung und Koordination bereichsübergreifender operativer Aufgaben im Bereich Produktion gehört zu seinem Tätigkeitsspektrum. Dies beinhaltet die Sicherstellung der Herstellung qualitätsgerechter Produkte, Aus- und Weiterbildung von Mitarbeitern, Instandhaltungs- und Reparaturmaßnahmen sowie die aktive Unterstützung der Kommunikation und Sicherstellung des Informationsflusses während der Arbeitsprozesse. Konflikte sind alltäglich in der Arbeitswelt anzutreffen und erzeugen dabei meist verschiedene negative Folgeerscheinungen, welche monetär schwierig zu erfassen und zu kontrollieren sind. Darunter zählen die Kosten für den Verbrauch von Ressourcen wie Personal und Arbeitszeit, aber auch die Auswirkungen auf die Motivation von Mitarbeitern und das allgemeine Betriebsklima. Einerseits liegt der betriebswirtschaftliche Fokus auf der ständigen Kostenreduzierung und Produktivitätssteigerung, andererseits rückt die Ressource Mensch innerhalb des Arbeitssystems immer mehr in den Vordergrund, um Unternehmensziele zu erreichen und am Markt sowie im Wettbewerb weiterhin zu bestehen. Diese beiden Seiten in Einklang zu bringen, stellt für Unternehmen in Zukunft eine enorme Herausforderung dar. (...)