Inibição temporária do crescimento de plantas voluntárias de soja na cultura do girassol.

RESUMO: O controle de plantas voluntárias de soja (Glycine max ) é uma exigência estabelecida em lei. A criação do vazio sanitário determina o período na entressafra no qual não deve haver a presença no campo de plantas emergidas de soja. Essa deliberação visa reduzir o inóculo do fungo causador da ferrugem asiática da soja (Phakopsora pachyrhizi). Além disso, a competição imposta por essas plantas pode reduzir a produtividade das culturas em sucessão. O experimento foi conduzido a fim de avaliar o controle de plantas voluntárias de soja em cultivos de girassol (Helianthus annuus). Os tratamentos aplicados foram: testemunha capinada, testemunha sem capina, amônio glufosinato 40 g i.a. ha-1, amônio glufosinato 100 g i.a. ha-1, sulfentrazone 75 g i.a. ha-1, sulfentrazone 100 g i.a. ha-1, tembotrione 21 g i.a. ha-1, carfentrazone 4 g i.a. ha-1, saflufenacil 1,75 g i.a. ha-1, saflufenacil 3,5 g i.a. ha-1, triclopyr 120 g i.a. ha-1 e MSMA 197,5 g i.a. ha-1. O herbicida sulfentrazone nas doses de 75 e 100 g i.a. ha -1 causa fitotoxicidade ao girassol logo após a aplicação, porém há recuperação das plantas, sem prejuízo a produtividade da cultura. Esses mesmos tratamentos não causam morte total das plantas voluntárias de soja, mas paralisam temporariamente seu crescimento, evitando a competição com a cultura do girassol. O amônio glufosinato é eficaz no controle de plantas voluntárias de soja. No entanto, os sintomas de fitotoxicidade na cultura do girassol são elevados, refletindo em perda de rendimento da cultura. Os outros tratamentos não proporcionam controle satisfatório das plantas voluntárias de soja, além de causar redução na produtividade do girassol. ABSTRACT: The control of volunteer soybean (Glycine max) is regulated by law due to the host-free period which determines the interval that is not allowed the presence of soybean plants in fields. The decision aims to reduce the inoculum of the fungus that causes the Asian soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi). Furthermore, the competition imposed by volunteer soybean plants can reduce crop yields. The experiment was conducted to evaluate the control of volunteer soybean plants in sunflower (Helianthus annuus). The treatments were as follows: hoed check, check without hoeing, glufosinate ammonium 40 g ai ha-1, glufosinate ammonium 100 g ai ha-1, sulfentrazone 75 g ai ha-1, sulfentrazone 100 g ai ha-1, tembotrione 21 g ai ha-1, carfentrazone 4g ai ha-1, saflufenacil 1.75 g ai ha-1, saflufenacil 3.5 g ai ha -1, triclopyr 120 g ai ha-1 and MSMA 197.5 g ai ha-1. Sulfentrazone (75 and 100 g ai ha-1) caused phytotoxicity on sunflower plants, however there is recovery of plants and no yield losses. The same treatments do not cause the total death of volunteer soybean plants, however temporarily paralyze its growth and avoid competition with the sunflower crop. The glufosinate ammonium is effective in controlling volunteer soybean plants. However, symptoms of phytotoxicity in the sunflower crop are high, reflecting in yield losses. The other treatments do not provide satisfactory control of volunteer soybean plants and even cause reduction in sunflower productivity.

Enactive appropriation.

The appropriation of digital artefacts involves their use, which has changed, evolved or developed beyond their original design. Thus, to understand appropriation, we must understand use. We define use as the active, purposive exploitation of the affordances offered by the technology and from this perspective; appropriation emerges as a natural consequence of this enactive use. Enaction tells us that perception is an active process. It is something we do, and not something that happens to us. From this reading, use then becomes the active exploitation of the affordances offered us by the artefact, system or service. In turn, we define appropriation as the engagement with these actively disclosed affordances—disclosed as a consequence of, not just, seeing but of seeing as. We present a small case study that highlights instances of perception as an actively engaged skill. We conclude that appropriation is a simple consequence of enactive perception.

Novelty and Habituation: the Driving Forces in Early Stage Learning for Developmental Robotics

Q. Meng and M. H. Lee, Novelty and Habituation: the Driving Forces in Early Stage Learning for Developmental Robotics, AI-Workshop on NeuroBotics, University of Ulm, Germany. September 2004.

On Models, Modelling and the Distinctive Nature of Model-Based Reasoning

M.H. Lee, On Models, Modelling and the Distinctive Nature of Model-Based Reasoning, AI Communications, 12 (3), pp127-137.1999.

Qualitative Circuit Models in Failure Analysis Reasoning

Lee M.H., Qualitative Circuit Models in Failure Analysis Reasoning, AI Journal. vol 111, pp239-276.1999.

Automating Mechanical FMEA Using Functional Models

Hughes, N., Chou E., Price, C. J. Lee M. H.(1999). Automating Mechanical FMEA Using Functional Models, Proceedings 12th Int. Florida AI Research Soc. Conf. (FLAIRS-99), AAAI Press, May 1999, pp. 394-398.

Absence of turnover and futile cycling of sucrose in leaves of Lolium temulentum L.: implications for metabolic compartmentation

Cairns, A. J., Gallagher, J. A. (2004). Absence of turnover and futile cycling of sucrose in leaves of Lolium temulentum L.: implications for metabolic compartmentation. Planta, 219 (5), 836-846. Sponsorship: BBSRC RAE2008

Protein kinase C regulation of cell spreading in the molluscan Biomphalaria glabrata embryonic (Bge) cell line

Judith E. Humphries, Leah Elizondo and Timothy P. Yoshino (2001). Protein kinase C regulation of cell spreading in the molluscan Biomphalaria glabrata embryonic (Bge) cell line. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Cell Research, 1540(3), 243-252. Sponsorship: National Institutes of Health AI 15503 RAE2008

Planning humanitarian projects with educational focus in Guinea rural areas

Dissertação apresentada à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Acção Humanitária, Cooperação e Desenvolvimento

China's performance in Sino-African cooperation and the impact in Africa's development

Trabalho de Dissertação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Cooperação Internacional e Desenvolvimento

Patient Retention in Antiretroviral Therapy Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

Paper published in PLoS Medicine in 2007.

A Memory Model for Concept Hierarchy Representation and Commonsense Reasoning

Most associative memory models perform one level mapping between predefined sets of input and output patterns1 and are unable to represent hierarchical knowledge. Complex AI systems allow hierarchical representation of concepts, but generally do not have learning capabilities. In this paper, a memory model is proposed which forms concept hierarchy by learning sample relations between concepts. All concepts are represented in a concept layer. Relations between a concept and its defining lower level concepts, are chunked as cognitive codes represented in a coding layer. By updating memory contents in the concept layer through code firing in the coding layer, the system is able to perform an important class of commonsense reasoning, namely recognition and inheritance.

The use of fault detection and diagnostics to reduce air handling unit energy consumption

The contribution of buildings towards total worldwide energy consumption in developed countries is between 20% and 40%. Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), and more specifically Air Handling Units (AHUs) energy consumption accounts on average for 40% of a typical medical device manufacturing or pharmaceutical facility’s energy consumption. Studies have indicated that 20 – 30% energy savings are achievable by recommissioning HVAC systems, and more specifically AHU operations, to rectify faulty operation. Automated Fault Detection and Diagnosis (AFDD) is a process concerned with potentially partially or fully automating the commissioning process through the detection of faults. An expert system is a knowledge-based system, which employs Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods to replicate the knowledge of a human subject matter expert, in a particular field, such as engineering, medicine, finance and marketing, to name a few. This thesis details the research and development work undertaken in the development and testing of a new AFDD expert system for AHUs which can be installed in minimal set up time on a large cross section of AHU types in a building management system vendor neutral manner. Both simulated and extensive field testing was undertaken against a widely available and industry known expert set of rules known as the Air Handling Unit Performance Assessment Rules (APAR) (and a later more developed version known as APAR_extended) in order to prove its effectiveness. Specifically, in tests against a dataset of 52 simulated faults, this new AFDD expert system identified all 52 derived issues whereas the APAR ruleset identified just 10. In tests using actual field data from 5 operating AHUs in 4 manufacturing facilities, the newly developed AFDD expert system for AHUs was shown to identify four individual fault case categories that the APAR method did not, as well as showing improvements made in the area of fault diagnosis.

Cross-cultural dimensions of meaning in the evaluation of events in world history? Perceptions of historical calamities and progress in cross-cultural data from 30 societies

The universality versus culture specificity of quantitative evaluations (negative-positive) of 40 events in world history was addressed using World History Survey data collected from 5,800 university students in 30 countries/societies. Multidimensional scaling using generalized procrustean analysis indicated poor fit of data from the 30 countries to an overall mean configuration, indicating lack of universal agreement as to the associational meaning of events in world history. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified one Western and two non-Western country clusters for which adequate multidimensional fit was obtained after item deletions. A two-dimensional solution for the three country clusters was identified, where the primary dimension was historical calamities versus progress and a weak second dimension was modernity versus resistance to modernity. Factor analysis further reduced the item inventory to identify a single concept with structural equivalence across cultures, Historical Calamities, which included man-made and natural, intentional and unintentional, predominantly violent but also nonviolent calamities. Less robust factors were tentatively named as Historical Progress and Historical Resistance to Oppression. Historical Calamities and Historical Progress were at the individual level both significant and independent predictors of willingness to fight for one’s country in a hierarchical linear model that also identified significant country-level variation in these relationships. Consensus around calamity but disagreement as to what constitutes historical progress is discussed in relation to the political culture of nations and lay perceptions of history as catastrophe.

Measurement of the differential cross section for the reaction gamman-->pi- p from deuterium.

We report a measurement of the differential cross section for the gamman-->pi- p process from the CLAS detector at Jefferson Laboratory in Hall B for photon energies between 1.0 and 3.5 GeV and pion center-of-mass (c.m.) angles (thetac.m.) between 50 degrees and 115 degrees. We confirm a previous indication of a broad enhancement around a c.m. energy ([sqrt]s) of 2.1 GeV at thetac.m.=90 degrees in the scaled differential cross section s7dsigma/dt and a rapid falloff in a center-of-mass energy region of about 400 MeV following the enhancement. Our data show an angular dependence of this enhancement as the suggested scaling region is approached for thetac.m. from 70 degrees to 105 degrees.