LOW COST ANALYZER FOR THE DETERMINATION OF PHOSPHORUS BASED ON OPEN-SOURCE HARDWARE AND PULSED FLOWS

The need for automated analyzers for industrial and environmental samples has triggered the research for new and cost-effective strategies of automation and control of analytical systems. The widespread availability of open-source hardware together with novel analytical methods based on pulsed flows have opened the possibility of implementing standalone automated analytical systems at low cost. Among the areas that can benefit from this approach are the analysis of industrial products and effluents and environmental analysis. In this work, a multi-pumping flow system is proposed for the determination of phosphorus in effluents and polluted water samples. The system employs photometric detection based on the formation of molybdovanadophosphoric acid, and the fluidic circuit is built using three solenoid micropumps. The detection is implemented with a low cost LED-photodiode photometric detection system and the whole system is controlled by an open-source Arduino Uno microcontroller board. The optimization of the timing to ensure the color development and the pumping cycle is discussed for the proposed implementation. Experimental results to evaluate the system behavior are presented verifying a linear relationship between the relative absorbance and the phosphorus concentrations for levels as high as 50 mg L-1.

Uptake and translocation of nitrogen, phosphorus and calcium in soybean infected with Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica

Two soybean (Glycine max) cultivars were used in this study, Ocepar 4, rated as moderately resistant to Meloidogyne incognita race 3 but susceptible to M. javanica, and 'BR 16', susceptible to both nematodes. The effect of nematodes infection on the uptake and transport of N, P and Ca to the shoot was studied in plants growing in a split root system. The upper half was inoculated with 0, 3,000, 9,000 or 27,000 eggs/plant while the lower half received 15N, 32P or 45Ca. Infected plants showed an increase of root but a decrease of shoot mass with increasing inoculum levels. In general, total endogenous nutrients increased in the roots and tended to decrease in the shoots with increasing inoculum levels. When concentrations were calculated, there was an increase in the three nutrients in the roots, and an increase of Ca but no significant variation of N and P was observed in the shoots. The total amount of 15N in the roots increased at the highest inoculum levels but 32P and 45Ca decreased. In the shoots there was a reduction of 32P and 45Ca. The specific concentrations of the labelled nutrients (abundance or radioactivity/tissue mass) also showed a decrease of 32P and 45Ca in the shoots and roots of infected plants and an increase of 15N in the shoots. Considering that overall nutrient concentrations reflect cumulative nutrient uptake and the data from labelled elements gave information at a specific moment of the infection, thus nematodes do interfere with nutrient uptake and translocation.

Innovaattorin dilemma - Kehittäminen vs. Parantaminen

Työssä tutkimme parantamis- ja kehittämisstrategiaa ja niiden yhteiskäyttöä eli ambidekstriaa. Tavoitteenamme on tuoda parantamis- ja kehittämisstrategian erot esille ja sijoittaa strategiat tuotteen elinkaarelle. Esittelemme organisaation ambidekstrian hallintaa ja vaikeuksia. Esittelemme ensin parantamis- ja kehittämisstrategian termit, eri innovaatiostrategiat ja tuotteen elinkaari mallit ja ambidekstrian kirjallisuuden pohjalta. Tämän jälkeen esittelemme case materiaalimme. Materiaalin pohjalta sijoitamme strategiat tuotteen elinkaarelle ja tuomme casessa esiintyneitä ambidekstrian ominaisuuksia esille. Tavoitteemme pohjalta voimme sanoa, että tuotteen elinkaaren vaiheilla ja parantamis- ja kehittämisstrategioilla on selvä yhteys ja strategiat sijoittuvat hyvin elinkaarelle. Ambidekstrian hallitseminen, eli parantamis- ja kehittämisstrategian tasapainon löytäminen ei ole helppoa, sillä strategiat ovat hyvin erilaisia keskenään. Hallinta vaatii paljon työtä, hyvän reagointikyvyn ja ennustamisen taidon, jotta yritys pysyy mukana muutoksessa ja mielellään hieman edellä, jos mielii teknologiajohtajaksi.

Estresse hídrico em plantio de Eucalyptus grandis vs. Eucalyptus urophylla, em função do solo, substrato e manejo hídrico de viveiro

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar em campo os níveis de estresse hídrico das mudas de Eucalyptus grandis vs. Eucalyptus urophylla selecionado para tolerância ao déficit hídrico, em função dos substratos, do manejo hídrico e dos solos. As mudas foram produzidas em dois viveiros distintos do Estado de São Paulo: com o substrato Plantmax estacas® (PLX) em Bofete (SP) e com a mistura em partes iguais de casca de arroz carbonizada e vermiculita (CAC), em Ibaté (SP). A partir dos 60 dias após a estaquia (DAE), durante a rustificação as mudas foram manejadas com cinco frequências de irrigação por subsuperfície: F1 - irrigado uma vez ao dia, F2 - irrigado duas vezes ao dia, F3 - irrigado três vezes ao dia, F4 - irrigado quatro vezes ao dia e FD - mantido em irrigação, restabelecendo a capacidade de campo até o plantio aos 90 DAE, em um solo argiloso e outro arenoso. Foram realizadas avaliações dos níveis de estresse (brando, moderado e severo), que afetaram a sobrevivência nos dois solos, por meio de censo aos 15 e aos 30 dias após o plantio. Com relação aos níveis de estresse avaliados, verificou-se pouca influência do substrato, porém onde ocorreu o PLX proporcionou menores percentuais de plantas afetadas. Independentemente do tipo de solo onde as mudas foram plantadas, os sintomas de estresse nas plantas, de modo geral, foram semelhantes. O manejo de viveiro não influenciou na sobrevivência das mudas, embora tenham ocorrido algumas diferenças estatísticas quando se usaram CAC e plantio no solo arenoso, porém sem tendência clara de comportamento. Os critérios relativos à implantação foram mais determinantes na sobrevivência das mudas no campo até os 30 dias após o plantio, indicando a necessidade de replantio.