Nursing effects on postpartum anestrus in CGB ewes on autumn

O presente estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de estudar os possíveis efeitos de três regimes de amamentação diferentes – 24 horas/dia (Testemunha), durante a noite (Nocturno) e 2 vezes/dia (períodos de meia hora cada) (Bi-diário) - sobre a retoma da actividade ovárica pós-parto. Para o efeito foram utilizadas 59 ovelhas adultas da raça autóctone Churra Galega Bragançana (CGB), que pariram sem qualquer problema. Os partos ocorreram na primeira. As crias dos grupos Nocturno e Bi-diário foram separadas das ovelhas, pela primeira vez, uma semana após o parto. Nessa altura, deu-se início à avaliação da actividade ovárica Pós-Parto com base nos níveis plasmáticos de progesterona (P<).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Control Relevant System Identification Using Orthonormal Basis Filter Models

Models are extensively used in advanced process control system design and implementations. Nearly all optimal control design techniques including the widely used model predictive control techniques rely on the use of model of the system to be controlled. There are several linear model structures that are commonly used in control relevant problems in process industries. Some of these model structures are: Auto Regressive with Exogenous Input (ARX), Auto Regressive Moving Average with Exogenous Input (ARMAX), Finite Impulse Response (FIR), Output Error (OE) and Box Jenkins (BJ) models. The selection of the appropriate model structure, among other factors, depend on the consistency of the model parameters, the number of parameters required to describe a system with acceptable accuracy and the computational load in estimating the model parameters. ARX and ARMAX models suffer from inconsistency problem in most open-loop identification problems. Finite Impulse Response (FIR) models require large number of parameters to describe linear systems with acceptable accuracy. BJ, OE and ARMAX models involve nonlinear optimization in estimating their parameters. In addition, all of the above conventional linear models, except FIR, require the time delay of the system to be separately estimated and included in the estimation of the parameters. Orthonormal Basis Filter (OBF) models have several advantages over the other conventional linear models. They are consistent in parameters for most open-loop identification problems. They are parsimonious in parameters if the dominant pole(s) of the system are used in their development. The model parameters are easily estimated using the linear least square method. Moreover, the time delay estimation can be easily integrated in the model development. However, there are several problems that are not yet addressed. Some of the outstanding problems are: (i) Developing parsimonious OBF models when the dominant poles of the system are not known (ii) Obtaining a better estimate of time delay for second or higher order systems (iii) Including an explicit noise model in the framework of OBF model structures and determine the parameters and multi-step ahead predictions (iv) Closed-loop identification problems in this new OBF plus noise model frame work This study presents novel schemes that address the above problems. The first problem is addressed by formulating an iterative scheme where one or two of the dominant pole(s) of the system are estimated and used to develop parsimonious OBF models. A unified scheme is formulated where an OBF-deterministic model and an explicit AR or ARMA stochastic (noise) models are developed to address the second problem. The closed-loop identification problem is addressed by developing schemes based on the direct and indirect approaches using OBF based structures. For all the proposed OBF prediction model structures, the method for estimating the model parameters and multi-step ahead prediction are developed. All the proposed schemes are demonstrated with the help of simulation and real plant case studies. The accuracy of the developed OBF-based models is verified using appropriate validation procedures and residual analysis

Green lanes for stormwater management in Glasgow

The urban water management in Glasgow faces challenges due several reasons. The average annual rainfall of 1500 millimetres along with retro grey infrastructure contributes to the challenges. The proliferation of impermeable surfaces in urban areas worsens the problem of stormwater runoff. This paper examines the capacity of green lanes as nature-based strategies for achieving sustainable stormwater management in Glasgow. Green lanes, implemented through the use of soil and water bioengineering techniques, have a vital function in reducing flood hazards, preserving water resources, retaining soil nutrients, and purifying stormwater. The study is in line with broader initiatives such as the Urban Water Agenda and the European Green Deal, which highlight the importance of sustainable management of water in urban areas. Stakeholders and city councils in Scotland prioritize sustainable water management, biodiversity conservation, carbon emission reduction, and urban environment enhancement by implementing green lanes and other nature-based solutions. Although there is growing interest in green infrastructure, there is a significant gap between policy and implementation, especially in post-industrial cities such as Glasgow, where the drainage infrastructure has demonstrated weaknesses. This paper presents a three-tiered methodology for identifying flood-prone areas in Glasgow and simulating stormwater runoff to evaluate the efficacy of green lanes. The research seeks to offer theoretical perspectives and practical remedies for the environmental management and disaster resilience of urban areas

Control Relevant System Identification Using Orthonormal Basis Filter Models

Models are extensively used in advanced process control system design and implementations. Nearly all optimal control design techniques including the widely used model predictive control techniques rely on the use of model of the system to be controlled. There are several linear model structures that are commonly used in control relevant problems in process industries. Some of these model structures are: Auto Regressive with Exogenous Input (ARX), Auto Regressive Moving Average with Exogenous Input (ARMAX), Finite Impulse Response (FIR), Output Error (OE) and Box Jenkins (BJ) models. The selection of the appropriate model structure, among other factors, depend on the consistency of the model parameters, the number of parameters required to describe a system with acceptable accuracy and the computational load in estimating the model parameters. ARX and ARMAX models suffer from inconsistency problem in most open-loop identification problems. Finite Impulse Response (FIR) models require large number of parameters to describe linear systems with acceptable accuracy. BJ, OE and ARMAX models involve nonlinear optimization in estimating their parameters. In addition, all of the above conventional linear models, except FIR, require the time delay of the system to be separately estimated and included in the estimation of the parameters. Orthonormal Basis Filter (OBF) models have several advantages over the other conventional linear models. They are consistent in parameters for most open-loop identification problems. They are parsimonious in parameters if the dominant pole(s) of the system are used in their development. The model parameters are easily estimated using the linear least square method. Moreover, the time delay estimation can be easily integrated in the model development. However, there are several problems that are not yet addressed. Some of the outstanding problems are: (i) Developing parsimonious OBF models when the dominant poles of the system are not known (ii) Obtaining a better estimate of time delay for second or higher order systems (iii) Including an explicit noise model in the framework of OBF model structures and determine the parameters and multi-step ahead predictions (iv) Closed-loop identification problems in this new OBF plus noise model frame work This study presents novel schemes that address the above problems. The first problem is addressed by formulating an iterative scheme where one or two of the dominant pole(s) of the system are estimated and used to develop parsimonious OBF models. A unified scheme is formulated where an OBF-deterministic model and an explicit AR or ARMA stochastic (noise) models are developed to address the second problem. The closed-loop identification problem is addressed by developing schemes based on the direct and indirect approaches using OBF based structures. For all the proposed OBF prediction model structures, the method for estimating the model parameters and multi-step ahead prediction are developed. All the proposed schemes are demonstrated with the help of simulation and real plant case studies. The accuracy of the developed OBF-based models is verified using appropriate validation procedures and residual analysis

CADMIUM EXCLUSION FROM RICE GRAINS:DEVELOPMENT OF MOLECULAR AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MARKERS

Among trace elements not essential for plant growth and metabolism, Cd is of particular concern as it may exert phytotoxic effects and have direct consequences on human health by accumulating in staple food crops which make up a large proportion of dietary intake. Cd is generally present in the soil medium either naturally and/or from anthropogenic sources. Concerning agricultural activities, the application of sewage sludge and phosphate fertilizers containing Cd as an impurity, as well as the use of Cd containing irrigation water, are of particular relevance. Compared to other heavy metals, Cd constitutes a big issue in terms of food safety as it tends to be more mobile and thus more available to be translocated to the edible portion of the plant, causing acute or chronic toxicity to humans even at low soil concentrations. The well established tendency of rice (Oryza sativa L.) to accumulate Cd to levels often exceeding the international limits for the cereal grain trade highlights the need to apply sound strategies aimed at reducing the risk of grain Cd accumulation. Compared to the sole use of agronomic techniques, the selection of rice cultivars that accumulate low Cd in the grains by taking advantage from the broad variability in the Cd accumulation trait observed in Indica and Japonica cultivars is far more promising. Therefore, the general purpose of this study was to deepen the knowledge of the physiological basis governing Cd distribution in rice, with particular concern on Cd root retention and Cd translocation, as they have been seen to be crucial in determining Cd accumulation. Specifically, the role of phytochelatins (PCs) in chelation and subcellular compartimentalization of Cd in the roots was investigated, both by characterizing Cd-PCs complexes with respect of the external Cd concentration and examining the molecular basis of their synthesis. As Cd chelation by PCs has seen to be a crucial but not the only determinant in limiting the amount of Cd potentially available to be translocated to the shoots, the focus moved on the identification of the genes encoding transporters putatively involved in Cd xylem loading. Particularly we looked at two transporters, OsHMA2 and OsHMA4, belonging to the P1B-type ATPase subfamily, acknowledging the major role of such class of transporters in Cd translocation. While characterizing these transporters both by molecular and physiological analysis, the occurrence of clear competition effects of Cd over Zn at the translocation level emerged. Such an outcome highlighted that Cd movement determining its allocation through the plant is not strictly associated to Zn, which is likely to result from the existence of Cd transport pathways that are Zn-independent. These results, obtained by exposing rice plants to relatively low Cd concentrations aiming at simulating the real conditions in moderately contaminated soils, contributed to advance the understanding of the complex network of processes governing Cd accumulation in rice grains which, despite the economical and agricultural relevance of this crop, is still lacking. With regard to this, our study could be intended as a step further towards the development of molecular and/or physiological markers to early select rice genotypes able to exclude Cd from the grains with the intent of ensuring the food safety of the consumers

Controlo da actividade reprodutiva e inseminação artificial em ovelhas da raça Churra Galega Bragançana

O maneio reprodutivo é extremamente importante, pois é a principal fonte de ingressos económicos. O controlo da actividade reprodutiva é essencial à organização e à gestão adequada de qualquer exploração animal, pois permite adequar os ciclos de nascimentos e de produção às exigências sazonais do mercado de produtos de origem animal e planificar da melhor o maneio alimentar, o maneio sanitário, a mão-de-obra, a ocupação dos espaços, entre outros. A inseminação artificial permite de forma sustentável aumentar rapidamente o valor genético dos animais. Neste trabalho realizou-se, primeiramente, uma breve revisão bibliográfica sobre a fisiologia da reprodução das ovelhas, os métodos de controlo da actividade reprodutiva, as principais análises seminais efectuadas e a inseminação artificial com sémen fresco e refrigerado e os efeitos de dois diluidores seminais – Andromed® e INRA 96® – sobre a fertilidade. Foram utilizadas 67 ovelhas adultas (2-8 anos) da raça autóctone portuguesa Churra Galega Bragançana. O ciclo éstrico de metade das ovelhas foi sincronizado com um tratamento curto de acetato de fluorgestona (FGA; 20 mg) e eCG (500 UI) e o da outra metade foi-o com um tratamento curto de acetato de acetato de medroxiprogesterona (60 mg) e eCG (500 UI). O sémen foi recolhido por vagina artificial e depois de avaliado foi diluído com Andromed® ou INRA 96® e preparado para ser inseminado fresco ou refrigerado. Cada dose seminal continha cerca de 200 x 106 espermatozóides. A inseminação artificial foi realizada cerca de 55+1 horas pós-administração de eCG. Procurou-se avaliar alguns dos parâmetros que condicionam o sucesso da inseminação artificial: inseminador, cor da mucosa da vagina, grau de lubrificação vaginal, tipo do oríficio (Os) cervical externo, local de deposição do sémen e se houve refluxo cervical. A deposição do sémen foi feita sempre o mais profunda possível, com o auxílio de fórceps vaginais, luzes LED, pistoletes Quicklock com baínhas (Minitüb). O dignóstico de gestação foi feito 40 dias pós inseminação artificial. Quando estudo teve início, a maioria das fêmeas estavam cíclicas. Os tratamentos progestagénicos curtos + eCG foram igualmente máximos. A IA às 55+1 horas produziu excelentes resultados. Quarenta dias pós-inseminação 85,1% das ovelhas estavam gestantes. Verificaram-se diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre inseminadores, na forma de conservação do sémen, no local de deposição do sémen, entre a forma de XIII Os cervical e a corrência ou não de refluxo cervical. Os diluidores usados não afectaram a taxa de fertilidade.Reproduction management is highly important since it is the main source of money income. Reproduction control is essential to organize and manage every animal production, since it turns possible the adjustment between production and market demands and the best feed, health, labor and space use planning. Artificial insemination allows a fast and sustainable increase of animal genetic value. This thesis starts with a brief monography in ewes reproduction physiology, reproduction control methods, main semen analysis used, artificial insemination with fresh and cooled semen and the effects of two commercial extenders (Andromed® and INRA 96®) in fertility. Sixty-seven adult (2-8 years old) Portuguese Churra Galega Bragançana ewes were used in this study. Ovarian activity of half ewes was synchronized with a short-term treatment FGA (20 mg) + eCG (500 UI) and the other half with a short-term MAP (60 mg) + eCG (500 UI). Semen was collected with artificial vaginas. After been analyzed semen was diluted with Andromed® or INRA 96® and prepared to be inseminated fresh or cooled. Each seminal dose had 200 x 106 sperm cells. Artificial insemination was performed 55+1 hours after eCG administration. Different parameters effects (inseminator, vagina mucosa color, degree of vagina lubrication, external cervix Os form, sperm deposition local and cervical possible semen reflux) in fertility. Semen was deposited as deeper as possible in the cervix without damaging the mucosa wall, using vaginal forceps, LED lights, Quicklock guns and Minitüb sheaths. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed 40 days after artificial insemination. At the start of this study the majority of ewes were cycling. Both short-term progestogens and eCG treatments were absolute efficient. AI at 55+1 hours resulted in excellent fertility. Forty days after insemination, 85.1% of all ewes were pregnant. Significant statistical differences were found between inseminators, semen preservation, local of semen deposition, Os cervix form and cervical reflux in fertility. Extenders had no effect on fertility

PROPAGANDAS DE EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL: ANÁLISE CRÍTICA

O presente artigo visa refletir sobre duas propagandas que trazem uma proposta de Educação Ambiental Informal, as quais podem ser “introduzidas” no currículo escolar, como uma ferramenta pedagógica, nos processos de ensinar-aprender vivenciados na escola, assim como utilizadas para a formação de professores. A primeira, veiculada em uma revista semanal de circulação nacional, que denominaremos de Revista Atualidades, propaganda de uma empresa fabricante de lápis e outra, imagem/foto publicada em um relatório anual de demonstração contábil do ano de 2003/2004, de uma empresa termoelétrica. Pretendo então, expor elementos que permitam refletir sobre a “força” e/ou repercussão que os meios de comunicação em massa, nesse caso revistas, exercem sobre a sociedade. Caracterizando as propostas citadas acima, almejo explicar o sentido que as respectivas imagens “despertaram” em mim, questionando aspectos como, a crise civilizatória: estes projetos/propostas priorizam a transformação ou adequação da realidade? Tendo como prioritário que não somos exteriores ao meio ambiente, a natureza, e sim somos pertencentes a este, temos que ser responsáveis por todos os aspectos que circundam a Educação Ambiental. O principal objetivo deste artigo é proporcionar o debate e acima de tudo a reflexão dessas propagandas. Utilizando-me de uma metodologia de análise crítica sobre imagens e textos, nos permitindo a construção e reconstrução das informações e ideologias nelas contidas, tendo consciência das influências que estas provocam em nós

Utilização dos conceitos de LOW CODE e NO CODE na geração de Web Services com arquitetura MDA

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso, apresentado para obtenção do grau de Bacharel no Curso de Ciência da Computação da Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, UNESC.Modelos Específicos de Plataforma utilizados na Arquitetura Dirigida a Modelos geram artefatos com código-fonte que facilitam e aumentam a produtividade no desenvolvimento de software. Esta pesquisa desenvolve uma plataforma que extraí metadados de um banco de dados relacional gerando Web Services com uso dos conceitos de No-Code e Low-Code, transformando modelos e disponibilizando artefatos na linguagem de programação Java. Após uso da plataforma em bases de dados existentes, foram coletados dados de performance e analisados os artefatos gerados validando a execução dos mesmos. Com os resultados, notou-se maior sucesso nos métodos de busca e uma taxa menor em transações que validam regras de integridade do banco de dados