Tests d'OSIRI, outil de conseil à l'irrigation chez des agriculteurs canniers de La Réunion

Un outil d'aide à la décision pour le conseil en irrigation, adapté à des petites exploitations et à un environnement pédo-climatique hétérogène, a été récemment mis au point à la demande et avec la Chambre d'Agriculture à la Réunion Il est fondé sur un modèle simple de simulation du bilan hydrique, couplé à un jeu de règles de décisions. Ceci conduit à proposer des doses, dans l'unité de programmation de l'irrigation, tenant compte du climat et des sols locaux. L'outil fournit à l'agriculteur des conseils personnalisés et individualisés pour chaque unité d'irrigation et peut tester différents scénarios d'irrigation pour optimiser les choix. Les principales règles de décision d'OSIRI sont publiées dans un article Chopart et al. (2007). Dans un dispositif expérimental situé dans un champ en canne à sucre irriguée, on a comparé les performances de cet outil avec celui actuellement utilisé (conseil à l'ETM), fondé sur l'estimation de l'évapotranspiration maximale. Les résultats montrent qu'OSIRI simule bien l'évapotranspiration réelle de la culture ainsi que les pertes par drainage en dessous de la zone racinaire. Dans les conditions pluviométriques de 2006 et avec les modalités expérimentales retenues, il a permis une économie de 26% des apports d'eau d'irrigation et de 9% du drainage par rapport au traitement conseil à l'ETM, sans réduction du rendement. Deux ans après le début de son introduction chez les agriculteurs, OSIRI est devenu l'outil de conseil le plus utilisé par les conseillers en irrigation de la Chambre d'Agriculture. Une enquête menée chez 25 agriculteurs montre que l'outil est bien accepté et est considéré comme un outil d'aide à la décision utile. Une typologie sommaire indique que l'outil est opérationnel pour les différentes catégories d'agriculteurs enquêtés. Un suivi des rendements obtenus chez 5 agriculteurs pendant 6 ans, avant et après l'introduction d'OSIRI, semble montrer que l'outil a permis une légère augmentation du rendement (+10%). Bien que non statistiquement significatif, ce résultat confirme ceux obtenus en conditions expérimentales: l'utilisation de l'outil conduit à une réduction des apports d'eau, sans risque de baisse de production. L'outil est donc adapté à une majorité d'agriculteurs canniers, mais il n'est spécifique ni de la canne à sucre, ni de l'environnement physique et humain de la Réunion. (Résumé d'auteur

Module optionnel, intégré dans l'outil de conseil en irrigation OSIRI-Run : aide à la décision de l'agriculteur pour la suspension de l'irrigation sur l'exploitation en fonction de la pluie, du sol et de ses choix techniques. (MAIA : Module d'Ajustement de l'Irrigation par l'Agriculteur)

L'outil de conseil en irrigation comprend, dans sa version initiale (Chopart et coll. 2005), un module proposant à l'agriculteur d'adapter le conseil OSIRI-Run en fonction des pluies réelles entre deux actualisations de l'état des réserves hydriques. Les agriculteurs canniers suivis ont eu quelques difficultés à l'utiliser. Un nouveau module d'aide à la décision de l'agriculteur, encore plus simple, a donc été élaboré (MAIA: Module d'ajustement de l'Irrigation par l'Agriculteur). La décision se fait maintenant pour l'ensemble de l'exploitation et non, comme avant, au niveau de chaque unité d'irrigation. De plus, il n'y a plus aucun calcul à faire, il faut simplement lire, dans un tableau, le nombre de jours d'arrêt d'irrigation en fonction de la hauteur de la pluie. Ce module continue néanmoins à utiliser des informations gérées par OSIRI-Run, ce qui permet de tenir compte du climat local, du sol, du stade de végétation des cultures de l'exploitation, des choix techniques des agriculteurs. Tous ces éléments contribuent en effet à une irrigation ajustée aux besoins de la culture et aux contraintes diverses. (Résumé d'auteur

Langtidsovervåking av miljøkvaliteten i kystområdene av Norge. Årsrapport 1996

Kystovervåkingsprogrammet skal gi en oversikt over miljøtilstanden m.h.t. næringssalter og effektene av disse på alge- og dyresamfunn fra svenskegrensen til Fedje. Utvikling over tid overvåkes innen fagdisiplinene hydrografi, hydrokjemi, planteplankton, bløtbunnsfauna og hardbunnsflora og -fauna. Året 1996 ble innledet med en kald vinter og vår. Vanntemperaturen i Skagerrak ned til ca. 25 m var i januar - februar kaldere enn gjennomsnittet for 1980-1990, mens samme periode i 1995 var uvanlig varm. Til forskjell fra 1995 var det ingen flom på kontinentet eller på Østlandet i 1996, og det resulterte i små tilførsler av næringssalter fra land. Sammenlignet med langtidsobservasjoner fra Arendalstasjonene (1980-90) var 1996 et år med lavere næringssaltkonsentrasjoner i de øvre vannmasser vinter og vår og for de løste næringssaltene også tildels sommeren og høsten. C/N-forholdet i stortare fra Sørlandskysten var meget høyt og kan indikere næringsbegrenset algevekst på Sørlandskysten sommeren 1996. Utbredelse og forekomst av fastsittende alger var generelt sett noe redusert i 1996 i forhold til 1995 og mer lik hva som ble funnet i 1993/94. Variasjonene kan sees i sammenheng med vinter/vår temperaturene. Fortsatt tilvekst av tareskog i Skagerrak gjør stasjonene mer homogene. Forekomst av organismer på bløt- og hardbunn viste en normal øst-vest gradient, med økende artsantall og diversitet mot vest. Bløtbunnsfaunaen viste ingen større endringer fra 1995 til 1996. For enkelte stasjoner ble det funnet en nedgang i individtall, mens det ble funnet en økning for andre stasjoner, uten at det er noen klar årsakssammenheng eller tendens i variasjonene

USCID fourth international conference

Presented at the Role of irrigation and drainage in a sustainable future: USCID fourth international conference on irrigation and drainage on October 3-6, 2007 in Sacramento, California.Includes bibliographical references.A decision-making software tool for monitoring irrigation of small farms in heterogeneous environments (OSIRI) was developed at the request of small-scale sugarcane farmers on the island of Réunion (France) hampered by variable climate and soil conditions. This program, which is based on a simple water balance simulation model coupled with a comprehensive set of decision rules, was designed to provide farmers with customized advice on discrete irrigation units and to simulate irrigation system scenarios so as to optimize their performance. The basic equations and main decision rules of OSIRI, as well as the software features, were given in Chopart et al. (2007). A detailed experimental study was carried out on a 5000 m2 irrigated sugarcane field to compare the performance of this tool with the currently used method based on maximum crop water requirements (control). The results showed that OSIRI reasonably well simulates actual evapotranspiration and drainage below the sugarcane root zone. Moreover, it allowed savings of about 26% in irrigation delivery throughout the crop cycle as compared with the control method, without a significant decrease in yield, and irrigation water productivity increased by 25%. The results of a survey of 25 farmers using OSIRI showed that it is a well accepted valuable decision-making tool

Preoperative predictors for residual tumor after surgery in patients with ovarian carcinoma

Objectives: Suboptimal debulking (>1 cm residual tumor) results in poor survival rates for patients with an advanced stage of ovarian cancer. The purpose of this study was to develop a prediction model, based on simple preoperative parameters, for patients with an advanced stage of ovarian cancer who are at risk of suboptimal cytoreduction despite maximal surgical effort. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 187 consecutive patients with a suspected clinical diagnosis of advanced-stage ovarian cancer undergoing upfront debulking between January 1998 and December 2003. Preoperative parameters were Karnofsky performance status, ascites and serum concentrations of CA 125, hemoglobin, albumin, LDH and blood platelets. The main outcome parameter was residual tumor >1 cm. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was employed for testing possible prediction models. A clinically applicable graphic model (nomogram) for this prediction was to be developed. Results: Serum concentrations of CA 125 and blood platelets in the group with residual tumor >1 cm were higher in comparison to the optimally cytoreduced group (p 1 cm based on serum levels of CA 125 and albumin was established. Conclusion: Postoperative residual tumor despite maximal surgical effort can be predicted by preoperative CA 125 and serum albumin levels. With a nomogram based on these two parameters, probability of postoperative residual tumor in each individual patient can be predicted. This proposed nomogram may be valuable in daily routine practice for counseling and to select treatment modality. Copyrigh

Image-guidance in endoscopic pituitary surgery: an in-silico study of errors involved in tracker-based techniques

Background: Endoscopic endonasal surgery is an established minimally invasive technique for resecting pituitary adenomas. However, understanding orientation and identifying critical neurovascular structures in this anatomically dense region can be challenging. In clinical practice, commercial navigation systems use a tracked pointer for guidance. Augmented Reality (AR) is an emerging technology used for surgical guidance. It can be tracker based or vision based, but neither is widely used in pituitary surgery. Methods: This pre-clinical study aims to assess the accuracy of tracker-based navigation systems, including those that allow for AR. Two setups were used to conduct simulations: (1) the standard pointer setup, tracked by an infrared camera; and (2) the endoscope setup that allows for AR, using reflective markers on the end of the endoscope, tracked by infrared cameras. The error sources were estimated by calculating the Euclidean distance between a point’s true location and the point’s location after passing it through the noisy system. A phantom study was then conducted to verify the in-silico simulation results and show a working example of image-based navigation errors in current methodologies. Results: The errors of the tracked pointer and tracked endoscope simulations were 1.7 and 2.5 mm respectively. The phantom study showed errors of 2.14 and 3.21 mm for the tracked pointer and tracked endoscope setups respectively. Discussion: In pituitary surgery, precise neighboring structure identification is crucial for success. However, our simulations reveal that the errors of tracked approaches were too large to meet the fine error margins required for pituitary surgery. In order to achieve the required accuracy, we would need much more accurate tracking, better calibration and improved registration techniques

Reconstruction of primary vertices at the ATLAS experiment in Run 1 proton–proton collisions at the LHC

This paper presents the method and performance of primary vertex reconstruction in proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment during Run 1 of the LHC. The studies presented focus on data taken during 2012 at a centre-of-mass energy of √s=8 TeV. The performance has been measured as a function of the number of interactions per bunch crossing over a wide range, from one to seventy. The measurement of the position and size of the luminous region and its use as a constraint to improve the primary vertex resolution are discussed. A longitudinal vertex position resolution of about 30μm is achieved for events with high multiplicity of reconstructed tracks. The transverse position resolution is better than 20μm and is dominated by the precision on the size of the luminous region. An analytical model is proposed to describe the primary vertex reconstruction efficiency as a function of the number of interactions per bunch crossing and of the longitudinal size of the luminous region. Agreement between the data and the predictions of this model is better than 3% up to seventy interactions per bunch crossing

Idoneidad de especies vegetales para el desarrollo poblacional de Neophilaenus campestris (Fallén) (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae)

El conocimiento de la biología y dinámica poblacional de los insectos vectores de la bacteria fitopatógena Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al., 1987, es fundamental para llevar a cabo un adecuado control de las enfermedades que produce en plantas cultivadas, por medio del manejo de dichos vectores. En la Comunidad Valenciana, en la Zona Demarcada por presencia de la bacteria localizada en la provincia de Alicante, Philaenus spumarius (Linnaeus, 1758), Neophilaenus campestris (Fallén, 1805) y Neophilaenus lineatus (Linnaeus, 1758) han evidenciado portar la bacteria, si bien solo las dos primeras especies son vectores reconocidos en Europa

Estatinas y factor de necrosis tumoral alfa

Las Estatinas son elaboradas para eliminar el riesgo cardiovascular al reducir LDL (colesterol de baja densidad), pero el evento coronario agudo sigue ocurriendo en 40% de las personas que presentaban colesterol total por debajo de lo normal. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar si dentro de los efectos pleiotropicos de las estatinas se podía reducir el FNTα y con ello probar sus efectos antioxidantes e inflamatorios. Se evaluaron 21 pacientes, con hipercolesterolemia al ingreso y después de 8 semanas de recibir 40 mg de Simvastatina, se le realizó: Colesterol, Triglicéridos, HDL, LDL, Glicemia, Creatinina, Acido Úrico, PCR, IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, TNFα, SOD y 8-Isoprostanos F2. Se utilizo la prueba t de student. La estatina, mas allá de disminuir LDL es eficaz en disminuir variables que participan en la respuesta oxidativa e inflamatoria, mecanismo fisiopatologico constantes en las enfermedades cardiovasculares y metabólicas.Statins are developed to eliminate the risk of heart disease by reducing LDL (low density), but the acute coronary event still happened in 40% of those who had total cholesterol below normal. The aim of this study was to assess whether in the pleiotropic effects of statins could reduce TNF α and thus prove its antioxidant and inflammatory effects. We evaluated 21 patients with hypercholesterolemia on admission and after 8 weeks of receiving 40 mg simvastatin, we evaluated: Cholesterol, Triglycerides, HDL, LDL, Glucose, Creatinine, uric acid, CRP, IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, TNF, SOD and 8-isoprostane F2α. T test was used to student. The statin beyond to reduced LDL is effective in decreasing variables involved in the inflammatory response, consistent pathophysiological mechanism in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases

Langtidsovervåking av miljøkvaliteten i kystområdene av Norge. Kystovervåkingsprogrammet. Årsrapport for 2009

Sammendrag Rapporten beskriver miljøkvaliteten i kystområdene av Sør-Norge i 2009, med spesiell fokus på tilstand og utvikling i næringssalttilførsler, vannkvalitet og det biologiske mangfoldet i plankton-, bløt- og hardbunns­samfunn. NAO-indeksen for vinteren 2009 var negativ, på grunn av kaldt klima i februar. Eutrofiutviklingen har vært positiv de siste årene. Vannføringen i Glomma var noe større enn normalt i 2009, men tilførslene av næringsalter fra elver har gått noe ned. Vannkvaliteten i Skagerrak var i 2009 i klasse God eller Meget god med hensyn til N, P, siktdyp og klorofyll, unntatt i Ytre Oslofjord hvor hvor det ble registrert tot-P og siktdyp i klasse Mindre god. For hele perioden er det i Skagerrak en tendens til avtakende risiko for opp­blom­string av skadelige alger. Økende oksygenforbruk i Risørfjorden og avtagende oksygen­konsentrasjoner i kystvannet generelt, gjenspeiler økt organisk belastning langs kysten. I 2009 var siktdypet som gjennomsnittet for 1991-2005, men i februar var sikten dårligere langs Skagerrakkysten. Det kan skyldes våroppblomstringen og innstrømmende vann fra Kattegat. 2009 var det åttende året på rad med lav algemengde. En kraftig våroppblomstring kom i februar. Lite alger kan være årsaken til nedgang i biomassen av kopepoder. Det ble registrert flere sørlige arter i våre områder i 2009. Tilstanden for bunndyr, både på bløtbunn og hardbunn, var generelt god i 2009, men tilstanden for tare har vært dårligere de siste to år.Klima- og forurensningsdirektoratet (Klif