Machine vision to identify broiler breeder behavior

Animal behavioral parameters can be used to assess welfare status in commercial broiler breeders. Behavioral parameters can be monitored with a variety of sensing devices, for instance, the use of video cameras allows comprehensive assessment of animal behavioral expressions. Nevertheless, the development of efficient methods and algorithms to continuously identify and differentiate animal behavior patterns is needed. The objective this study was to provide a methodology to identify hen white broiler breeder behavior using combined techniques of image processing and computer vision. These techniques were applied to differentiate body shapes from a sequence of frames as the birds expressed their behaviors. The method was comprised of four stages: (1) identification of body positions and their relationship with typical behaviors. For this stage, the number of frames required to identify each behavior was determined; (2) collection of image samples, with the isolation of the birds that expressed a behavior of interest; (3) image processing and analysis using a filter developed to separate white birds from the dark background; and finally (4) construction and validation of a behavioral classification tree, using the software tool Weka (model 148). The constructed tree was structured in 8 levels and 27 leaves, and it was validated using two modes: the set training mode with an overall rate of success of 96.7%, and the cross validation mode with an overall rate of success of 70.3%. The results presented here confirmed the feasibility of the method developed to identify white broiler breeder behavior for a particular group of study. Nevertheless, more improvements in the method can be made in order to increase the validation overall rate of success. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Doses e parcelamento da adubação potássica na cultura da batata (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Agricultura) - FCA

Quem são os novos agricultores familiares?: um estudo de caso da microrregião de Jales-SP

Pós-graduação em Agronomia - FEIS

Cádmio, cobre e cromo em solo e plantas de milho após quinze anos de aplicações anuais de lodo de esgoto

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Produção Vegetal) - FCAV

Condições, modos de aplicação e doses de ureia revestida por polímeros na cultura do milho

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Nutrient accumulation and biomass production of alfafa after soil amendment with silicates

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Produtividade, eficiência energética e econômica em semeadura cruzada de soja

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Avaliação do desempenho operacional e de custos entre enfardadoras no recolhimento de palhiço de cana-de-açúcar

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Soil microbial properties after 5 years of consecutive amendment with composted tannery sludge

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Poly(epsilon-caprolactone) nanocapsules carrying the herbicide atrazine: effect of chitosan-coating agent on physico-chemical stability and herbicide release profile

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Implications of stillage land disposal: A critical review on the impacts of fertigation

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Chitosan/tripolyphosphate nanoparticles loaded with paraquat herbicide: An environmentally safer alternative for weed control

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Determinação de metais em água produzida de petróleo

In order to enable the reuse of the large surplus volume of petroleum produced water for irrigation of crops inedible, the quality evaluation of this water is very important. This work aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the diffusive gradient in thin films technique (DGT) for the determination of labile Cu (II), Mn (II) and Zn (II) in petroleum produced water destined to reuse in agriculture. Samples were collected at the exit of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) (after separation oil/water and flotation) of a Petrobrás onshore production region. Basically, the laboratory experiments with DGT devices involved the evaluation of the behavior of the main variables of the technique for determination of analytes in the samples (diffusion coefficients, immersion time, fractionation of organic and inorganic species, and performance of diffusion gels with different porosities, among others). Also, experiments were conducted based on the solid phase extraction (SPE) protocol with Chelex- 100 resin using previously established protocols to support the study. During the project the possibility of in situ immersions in water treatment plants was evaluated. The DGT technique presented satisfactory results for determination of Mn in produced water, and can be used for in situ determinations. However, the results obtained for Cu and Zn show the need of additional studies

Fungos melanizados associados a formigas cortadeiras (Formicidae: Tribo Attini)

Leafcutter ants are considered pests in agriculture for their impact in human crops, as they behave utilizing foliar fragments to raise their simbiont fungi (Agaricales: Lepiotaceae) inside their nest. Recent studies have noticed that other fungi may be associated to ants inside their nests, for instance, fungi with melanized wall, known by “dematiaceous”. Historically, many black fungi have been noticed as fitopathogens of many plant cultures with economic importance, highlighting dematiaceous ecological behavior importance in this study. This investigation had the purpose of amplifying ecological knowledge of this fungi, isolating and identificating dematiaceous fungi found in Attini nests, having the intention of understanding plant pathogens dispersion by ants. In this work, 66 isolates were characterized in the following genus: Aspergillus, Penicillium, Paecilomyces, Oxyporus, Rhodotorula, Bipolaris, Curvularia, Fusarium, Giberella, Paraphaeosphaeria, and Cladosporium. The genus Bipolaris, Curvularia, Fusarium and Giberella are known for their opportunistic behaviour, with some published human infections in literature. Fusarium is a notorious fitopathogen, with wide number of descriptions and studies involving pathogenicity development, biochemistry and genetics. The isolates outline is of phyto – associated (phytopathogens, endophytic or epiphitic), fulfilling this work intention in alarming fungi capacity of dispersal by ants. The comprehension of phytopathogenical processes may be clarified based on the knowledge of oportunistics fungi that may utilize ants bodies for their own dispersal. The identification of isolates with capacity of infecting humans brings out public health issues.

Projeto de um sistema anaeróbico para estabilização de lodo e recuperação de energia

The treatment of domestic and industrial effluents through Wastewater Treatment Plants (WTPs) generates a residue termed sewage sludge, rich in organic matter, high-volume, occasionally containing pathogens and heavy metals. The sludge generation can minimize the benefits brought by the treatment of sewage, because this residue does not always receive appropriate treatment before final disposal. The disposal is another problem related to sludge. Landfills generally does not have physical space and alternatives such as the use in agriculture requires an intense treatment that could be in many cases operational or economic unfeasible. The objective of this work is the theoretical research about the processes of stabilization of the sludge by anaerobic digestion and the methanogenic activity during the process. Through analysis of each step and contemplating each relevant factor in anaerobic digestion process in order to optimize them, we proposed a theoretical model of reactors capable of stabilize the sludge, reduce its volume and eliminate pathogens. The obtained configuration consists of two anaerobic reactors connected in series. The first one operates in the range mesophilic temperature (35 ° C) and has higher hydraulic retention time (25 days) working primarily in the stabilization of organic matter present in the sludge and producing biogas, whereas the second one operates in the thermophilic range (55 ° C) in order to eliminate pathogens, and to reduce the volume. The hydraulic retention time in the second reactor is lower (10 days). Both mesophilic and thermophilic processes were efficient in what was proposed, promoting the stabilization of organic matter present in the sludge and significant reduction of pathogens. As a final step with the sludge previously digested, it is indicated a final dehydration... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)