Search results for: Thaline Maira P. Cruz

Authors: Maira C. M. Fonseca, Maria Aparecida N. Sediyama, Rosana Goncalves R. das Dores, Sanzio Mollica Vidigal, Alberto C. P. Dias

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Among Brazilian plant diversity, many species are used as food and considered minor crops (non-conventional plant foods) (NCPF). Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) is a NCPF from which starch is extracted from rhizome do not have gluten. Thus, arrowroot flower starch can be consumed by celiac people. Additional, some medicinal and functional proprieties are assigned to arrowroot leaves which currently are underutilized. In Brazil, it’s cultivated mainly by small scale farmers and there is no specific recommendation for fertilization. This work aimed to determinate the best fertilization for rhizome production and to verify its influence in phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of leaf extracts. Two arrowroot varieties, “Common” and “Seta”, were cultivated in organic system at state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, using cattle manure with three levels of nitrogen (N) (0, 300 and 900 kg N ha-1). The experiment design was in randomized block with four replicates. The highest production of rhizomes in both varieties, “Common” (38198.24 kg ha-1) and “Seta” (43567.71 kg ha-1), were obtained with the use of 300 kg N ha-1. With this fertilization, the total aerial part, petiole and leaf production in the varieties were respectively: “Common” (190.312 kg ha-1; 159.312 kg ha-1; 31.100 kg ha-1) and “Seta” (207.656 kg ha-1; 180.539 kg ha-1; 27.062 kg ha-1). Methanolic leaf extracts were analysed by HPLC-DAD. The major phenolic compounds found were caffeioylquinic acids, p-coumaric derivatives and flavonoids. In general, the production of these compounds significantly decreases with the increase levels of nitrogen (900 kg N ha-1). With 300 kg N ha-1 the phenolic production was similar to control. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH method and was detected around 60% of radical scavenging when 0.1 mg/mL of plant extracts were used. We concluded that fertilization with 300 kg N ha-1 increased arrowroot rhizome production, maintaining phenolic compounds yield at leaves.

Keywords: antioxidant activity, non-conventional plants, organic fertilization, phenolic compounds

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Authors: Rosana Goncalves Das Dores, Maira Fonseca, Fernando Finger, Vicente Casali

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Equisetum hyemale L. (horsetail, Equisetaceae) is a medicinal plant used and commercialized in simple paper bags or non-ecological packaging in Brazil. The aim of this work was to evaluate the relation between the bioactive compounds of horsetail stems stored in ecological packages (multi-ply paper sacks) at room temperature. Stems in primary and secondary stage were harvested from an organic estate, on December 2016, selected, measured (length from the soil to the apex (cm), stem diameter at ground level (DGL mm) and breast height (DBH mm) and cut into 10 cm. For the post-harvest evaluations, stems were stored in multi-ply paper sacks and evaluated daily to the respiratory rate, fresh weight loss, pH, presence of fungi / mold, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. The analyses were done with four replicates, over time (regression) and compared at 1% significance (Tukey test). The measured heights were 103.7 cm and 143.5 cm, DGL was 2.5mm and 8.4 mm and DBH of 2.59 and 6.15 mm, respectively for primary and secondary stems stage. At both stages of development, in storage in multi-ply paper sacks, the greatest mass loss occurred at 48 h, decaying up to 120 hours, stabilizing at 192 hours. The peak respiratory rate increase occurred in 24 hours, coinciding with a change in pH (temperature and mean humidity was 23.5°C and 55%). No fungi or mold were detected, however, there was loss of color of the stems. The average yields of ethanolic extracts were equivalent (approximately 30%). Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity were higher in secondary stems stage in up to 120 hours (AATt0 = 20%, AATt30 = 45%), decreasing at the end of the experiment (240 hours). The packaging used allows the commercialization of fresh stems of Equisetum for up to five days.

Keywords: paper sacks, phenolic content, antioxidant activity, medicinal plants, post-harvest, ecological packages, Equisetum

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Authors: Luísa P. Cruz-Lopes, Artur Figueirinha, Isabel Brás, Bruno Esteves

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Portugal is an important wine and olive oil producer, activities which generate a high quantity of residues commonly called grape stalks and olive cake, respectively. In this work grape stalks and olive cake were used as lignocellulosic adsorbents for wastewater containing lead treatment. To attain a better knowledge of the factors that could influence the quality of the treated wastewater, a chemical characterization of the materials used in the treatment was done. To access the ecotoxicological safety of the treated wastewater, several tests were performed. The results of the toxicity test show that the samples leachate has a mild effect on the living models tested. The tests performed in lemna and bacteria were the most sensible to toxicity effects of the samples. The results obtained in this work evidenced the importance of use of simple and fast toxicity tests to predict impacts in the environment.

Keywords: chemical composition, lignocellulosic residues, ecotoxicological safety, wastewater

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Authors: Ansal D'cruz, Anurup K., Saritha G. Parambath

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Physical and mental strain is a growing concern arising from various stressors in an urban context. However, these stressors are relatively less explored in the domain of urban design, especially in Indian cities where the central business district falls within the heritage core. An attempt is made in the context of the heritage core of Thiruvananthapuram city, Kerala, to understand and identify the connection between the built environment and urban stress. The criteria for establishing the indicators were obtained through a systematic literature review. A thorough study conducted in Gandhi Park, East Fort area using the identified criteria resulted in valuable insights into various urban stressors. Onsite surveys established the correlation between the built environment and user stress levels. The study concludes with guidelines for approaching urban stress in urban parks in an Indian context.

Keywords: urban stress, built environment, mental health, urban stressors, urban design

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Authors: I. Teotónio, C.O. Cruz, C.M. Silva, M. Manso

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Diverse stakeholders show different concerns when choosing green roof systems. Also, green roof solutions vary in their cost and performance. Therefore, decision-makers continually face the difficult task of balancing benefits against green roofs costs. Decision analysis methods, as multicriteria analysis, can be used when the decision‑making process includes different perspectives, multiple objectives, and uncertainty. The present study adopts a multicriteria decision model to evaluate the installation of green roofs in buildings, determining the solution with the best trade-off between costs and benefits in agreement with the preferences of the users/investors. This methodology was applied to a real decision problem, assessing the preferences between different green roof systems in an existing building in Lisbon. This approach supports the decision-making process on green roofs and enables robust and informed decisions on urban planning while optimizing buildings retrofitting.

Keywords: decision making, green roofs, investors preferences, multicriteria analysis, sustainable development

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Authors: Yulna Yulnafatmawita, Syafrimen Yasin, Lusi Maira

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Irrigation source is one of the factors affecting physical properties of rice field. This research was aimed to determine the impact of polluted irrigation wáter on soil physical properties of rice field. The study site was located in Koto Nan IV, Dharmasraya Regency, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The rice field was irrigated with wáter from Momongan river in which people do gold mining. The soil was sampled vertically from the top to 100 cm depth with 20 cm increment of soil profile from 2 year-fallowed rice field, as well as from the top 20 cm of cultivated rice field from the terrace-1 (the highest terrace) to terrace-5 (the lowest terrace) position. Soil samples were analysed in laboratory. For comparison, rice field receiving irrigation wáter from non-polluted source was also sampled at the top 20 cm and anaysed for the physical properties. The result showed that there was a change in soil physical properties of rice field after 9 years of getting irrigation from the river. Based on laboratory analyses, the total suspended solid (TSS) in the tailing reached 10,736 mg/L. The texture of rice field at polluted rice field (PRF) was dominated (>55%) by sand particles at the top 100 cm soil depth, and it tended to linearly decrease (R2=0.65) from the top 20 cm to 100 cm depth. Likewise, the sand particles also linearly decreased (R2=0.83), but clay particles linearly increased (R2=0.74) horizontally as the distance from the wáter input (terrace-1) was fartherst. Compared to nonpolluted rice field (NPRF), percentage of sand was higher, and clay was lower at PRF. This sandy texture of soil in PRF increased soil hydraulic conductivity (up to 19.1 times), soil bulk density (by 38%), and sharply decreased SOM (by 88.5 %), as well as soil total pore (by 22.1%) compared to the NPRF at the top 20 cm soil. The rice field was suggested to be reclaimed before reusing it. Otherwise the soil characteristics requirement, especially soil wáter retention, for rice field could not be fulfilled.

Keywords: gold mine tailing, polluted irrigation, rice field, soil physical properties

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Authors: D. Zujur, J. Moret, D. Rodriguez, L. Cruz, J. Lira, L. Gil, E. Dominguez, J. F. Alvarez-Barreto

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In this work, chitosan (CH) has been used to produce a novel coating for Ti6Al4V, the most widely used alloy in orthopedic implants, so as to improve the biological tissue response at the metallic surface. The Ti6Al4V surface was sandblasted with alumina particles and observed by SEM. Chitosan was chemically modified, via crodiimide chemistry, with lactobionic and 4-azidebenzoic acid to make it soluble at physiological pH and photo-crosslinkable, respectively. The reaction was verified by FTIR, NMR, and UV/vis spectroscopy. Ti6Al4V surfaces were coated with solutions of the modified CH and exposed to UV light, causing the polymer crosslinking, and formation of a hydrogel on the surface. The crosslinking reaction was monitored by FTIR at different exposure times. Coating morphology was observed by SEM. The coating´s cytocompatibility was determined in vitro through the culture of rat bone marrow´s mesenchymal stem cells, using an MTT assay. The results show that the developed coating is cytocompatible, easy to apply and could be used for further studies in the encapsulation of bioactive molecules to improve osteogenic potential at the tissue-implant interface.

Keywords: chitosan, photo-crosslinking, Ti6Al4V, bioactive coating, hydrogel

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Authors: Tathiana Yesenia Coy Mondragón, Jossitt William Vargas Cruz, Cristian Leonardo Gutiérrez Gómez

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The study of cosmic rays is based on two fundamental pillars: the detection of secondary cosmic rays on the Earth's surface and the detection of the source and origin of the cascade. In addition, the constant flow of RC generates a lot of interest for study due to the incidence of various natural phenomena, which makes it relevant to characterize their incidence parameters to determine their effect not only at subsoil or terrestrial surface levels but also throughout the atmosphere. To determine the physical parameters of the primary cosmic ray, the implementation of robust algorithms capable of reconstructing the cascade from the measured values is required, with a high level of reliability. Therefore, it is proposed to build a machine learning system that will be fed from the cosmic ray simulations in CORSIKA at different energies that lie in a range [10⁹-10¹²] eV. in order to generate a trained particle and pattern recognition system to obtain greater efficiency when inferring the nature of the origin of the cascade for EAS in the atmosphere considering atmospheric models.

Keywords: CORSIKA, cosmic rays, eas, Colombia

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Authors: Marwin M. Dela Cruz

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Aviation as a transport sector is supportive of the seventeen (17) Sustainable Goals espoused by the United Nations. Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) states that over 18.1 million indirect jobs globally were sustained through the purchase of goods and services by companies in the aviation industry. This supply chain activity contributed approximately $816.4 billion to global GDP. This was achieved through numerous actions to lessen economic uncertainty and challenges. Its impact is not just a by-product of economic activity but of the facilities it generates. As the aviation industry is unifying its efforts, education and training should also come with it. The need for aviation education and training and a well-crafted regulatory policy initiated by lawmakers can provide a better aviation education. The Philippine State College of Aeronautics (PhilSCA), being the only government Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the Philippines, is given a very distinct congressional mandate to offer aviation-related courses to afford those in the aviation industry the opportunity to pursue studies. Having this, the industry has become the precursor and venue of present-day communities. In addition, it becomes an essential measure of a better life.

Keywords: Philippine state college of aeronautics, aviation industry, sustainable goals, aviation education

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Authors: Cruz, G. P., Nagamatsu, R. N., Scacchetti, F. A. P., Merlin, F. K.

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This study aims to assess a set of technical parameters that provide quality products to the companies that produce caps, APL Apucarana / PR, the city that produces most Brazilian caps, in order to verify the potential of Brazilian caps to compete with international brands, recognized by the standard of excellence when it comes to quality of its products. The determination of the technical parameters was arbitrated from textile ABNT, a total of six technical parameters, providing eight tests for cotton caps. For the evaluation, we used as reference a leading brand recognized worldwide (based on their sales volume in $) for comparison with 3 companies of the APL Apucarana. The results showed that, of the 8 tests, of 8 tests, the companies Apucarana did not obtain better performance than the competitor. They obtained the same results in three tests and lower performance in 5. Given these values, it is concluded that local caps are not far from reaching the quality of leading brand. It is recommended that the APL companies use the parameters to evaluate their products, using this information to support decision-making that seek to improve both the product design and its production process, enabling the feasibility for faster international recognition . Thus, they may have an edge over its main competitor.

Keywords: technical parameters, making caps, quality, evaluation

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Authors: Tiago do Carmo Nogueira, Cássio Dener Noronha Vinhal, Gélson da Cruz Júnior, Matheus Rudolfo Diedrich Ullmann

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Generating automatic image descriptions through natural language is a challenging task. Image captioning is a task that consistently describes an image by combining computer vision and natural language processing techniques. To accomplish this task, cutting-edge models use encoder-decoder structures. Thus, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) are used to extract the characteristics of the images, and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) generate the descriptive sentences of the images. However, cutting-edge approaches still suffer from problems of generating incorrect captions and accumulating errors in the decoders. To solve this problem, we propose a model based on the encoder-decoder structure, introducing a module that generates the weights according to the importance of the word to form the sentence, using the part-of-speech (PoS). Thus, the results demonstrate that our model surpasses state-of-the-art models.

Keywords: gated recurrent units, caption generation, convolutional neural network, part-of-speech

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Authors: R. M. López-Gutiérrez, J. A. Michel-Macarty, H. Cervantes-De Avila, J. I. Nieto-Hipólito, C. Cruz-Hernández, L. Cardoza-Avendaño, S. Cortiant-Velez

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It is well know that mankind benefits from the application of robot control by virtual handlers in industrial environments. In recent years, great interest has emerged in the control of multiple robots in order to carry out collective tasks. One main trend is to copy the natural organization that some organisms have, such as, ants, bees, school of fish, birds’ migration, etc. Surely, this collaborative work, results in better outcomes than those obtain in an isolated or individual effort. This topic has a great drive because collaboration between several robots has the potential capability of carrying out more complicated tasks, doing so, with better efficiency, resiliency and fault tolerance, in cases such as: coordinate navigation towards a target, terrain exploration, and search-rescue operations. In this work, synchronization of multiple autonomous robots is shown over a variety of coupling topologies: star, ring, chain, and global. In all cases, collective synchronous behavior is achieved, in the complex networks formed with mobile robots. Nodes of these networks are modeled by a mass using Matlab to simulate them.

Keywords: robots, synchronization, bidirectional, coordinate navigation

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Authors: Ana Vieira, Fernando Lau, João Pedro Mortágua, Luís Cruz, Rui Santos

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The air transport impact on environment is more than ever a limitative obstacle to the aeronautical industry continuous growth. Over the last decades, considerable effort has been carried out in order to obtain quieter aircraft solutions, whether by changing the original design or investigating more silent maneuvers. The noise propagated by rotating surfaces is one of the most important sources of annoyance, being present in most aerial vehicles. Bearing this is mind, CEIIA developed a new computational chain for noise prediction with in-house software tools to obtain solutions in relatively short time without using excessive computer resources. This work is based on the new acoustic tool, which aims to predict the rotor noise generated during steady and maneuvering flight, making use of the flexibility of the C language and the advantages of GPU programming in terms of velocity. The acoustic tool is based in the Formulation 1A of Farassat, capable of predicting two important types of noise: the loading and thickness noise. The present work describes the most important features of the acoustic tool, presenting its most relevant results and framework analyses for helicopters and UAV quadrotors.

Keywords: rotor noise, acoustic tool, GPU Programming, UAV noise

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Authors: Raquel Salazar Moreno, Uwe Schmidt, Efrén Fitz Rodríguez, Dennis Dannehl, Abraham Rojano Aguilar, Irineo López Cruz, Gilberto Navas Gómez

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As urban areas expand, strategic and protected water reserves become more critical. In this study we investigate the water problems in Mexico City and its Metropolitan area. This region faces a complex water problem that concerns not only Mexican boundaries but also international level because is one of the biggest human concentrations in the World. The current water shortage situation raises the necessity of importing surface and groundwater from the Cutzamala River and from the Alto Rio Lerma System respectively. Water management is the real issue in this region, because waste water generation is more than aquifer overexploitation, and surface water loss in the rainfall period is greater than water imported from other regions. However, the possible solutions of the water supply schemes are complicated, there is a need to look for alternatives socially acceptable and environmentally desirable, considering first the possible solutions on the demand side. Also, it is necessary more investment in water treatment plants and hydraulic infrastructure to ensure water supply and decrease the environmental problems in the area. More studies need to be done related to water efficiency in the three sectors.

Keywords: megacities, aquifer overexploitation, environmental problems, vulnerability

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Authors: Terence Tumolva, Johannes Kristoff Vito, Joanna Crystelle Ragasa, Renz Marion Dela Cruz

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Natural fiber reinforced polymer (NFRP) composites have been the focus of various research projects due to their advantages over synthetic fiber-reinforced composites. For this study, ana haw is used as the fiber source due to its abundance throughout the Philippines. A problem addressed in this study is the need for an environment-friendly method of fiber treatment. The use of sodium alginate to treat fibers was thus investigated. The fibers were immersed in a sodium alginate solution and then in a calcium chloride solution afterwards. The treated fibers were used to reinforce orthophthalic unsaturated polyester (ortho-UP) resin. The mechanical properties were tested using a universal testing machine (UTM), and the fracture surfaces were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results showed that the sodium alginate treatment had increased the tensile and flexural strength of the composite. The increase in fiber load had also been found to increase the stiffness of the composite. However, sodium alginate treatment did not provide any significant improvement in the wet mechanical properties of the NFRP. The composite is comparable to some commercially available polymeric materials.

Keywords: NFRP, composite, alginate, anahaw, polymer

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Authors: Michela C. Batista Matos, Madelaine Venzon, Elem F. Martins, Erickson C. Freitas, Adenir V. Teodoro, Maira C. M. Fonseca, Angelo Pallini

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Aromatic plant species are capable of producing and releasing volatile organic compounds spontaneously, which can repel or attract beneficial insects such as generalist predators of herbivores. Attractive plants could be used as crop companion plants to promote biological control of pests. In order to select such plants for future use in horticulture fields, we assessed the attractiveness of the aromatic plants Ocimum basilicum L. (basil), Mentha piperita L. (peppermint), Melissa officinalis L. (lemon balm) and Cordia verbenacea DC (black sage) to adults of the generalist lacewing predator Ceraeochrysa cubana Hagen (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). This predator is commonly found in agroecosystems in Brazil and it feeds on aphids, mites, small caterpillars, insect eggs and scales. We further tested the effect of these plant species on the survival, development and oviposition of C. cubana. Finally, we evaluated the survival of larvae and adults of C. cubana when only flowers of basil were offered. Females of C. cubana were attracted to basil but not to the remaining aromatic plants. Larvae survival was higher when individuals had access only to basil leaf than when they had access to peppermint, lemon balm, black sage or water. Adult survival on leaf treatments and on water was no longer than three days. Flowers of basil enhanced predator larvae survival, yet they did not reach adulthood. Adults fed on basil flowers lived longer compared with water, but they did not reproduce. Basil is a promising aromatic plant species to be considered for conservation biological control programs. Besides being attractive to adults of the generalist predator, it benefits larvae and adults by providing nutritional resources when prey or other resources are absent. Financial support: CNPq, FAPEMIG and CAPES (Brazil).

Keywords: basil, chrysopidae, conservation biological control, companion plants

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Authors: Khryslyn Araño, Dela Cruz, Michael Leo, Dela Pena, Eden May, Leslie Joy Diaz

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Montmorillonite (MMT) is a very abundant clay mineral and is versatile such that it can be chemically or physically altered by changing the ions between the sheets of its layered structure. This clay mineral can be prepared into functional nanoparticles that can be used as fillers in other nanomaterials such as nanofibers to achieve special properties. In this study, two types of iron-modified MMT, Iron-MMT (FeMMT) and Zero Valent Iron-MMT (ZVIMMT) were synthesized via ion exchange technique. The modified clay was incorporated in polymer nanofibers which were produced using a process called electrospinning. ICP analysis confirmed that clay modification was successful where there is an observed decrease in the concentration of Na and an increase in the concentration of Fe after ion exchange. XRD analysis also confirmed that modification took place because of the changes in the d-spacing of Na-MMT from 11.5 Å to 13.6 Å and 12.6 Å after synthesis of FeMMT and ZVIMMT, respectively. SEM images of the electrospun nanofibers revealed that the ZVIMMT-filled fibers have a smaller average diameter than the FeMMT-filled fibers because of the lower resistance of the suspensions of the former to the elongation force from the applied electric field. The resistance to the electric field was measured by getting the bulk voltage of the suspensions.

Keywords: electrospinning, nanofibers, montmorillonite, materials science

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Authors: Hassan Wajid, Syed T. Ahmed, Syed G. Haider Jr., Razia Latif, Ahsan Ali, Maira Anam

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The phenomenon of Metamorphosis can be associated with any object, organism, or structure gradually and progressively going through the change of systemic or morphological form. This phenomenon can be integrated while teaching drawing to architecture students. In architectural drawings, metamorphosis’s main focus and purpose are not to completely imitate any object. In the process of drawing, the changes in systemic or morphological form happen until the complete process, and the visuals of the complete process change the drawing, opening up possibilities for the imagination of the perceivers. Metamorphosis in architectural drawings begins with an initial form and, through various noticeable stages, ends up final form or manifestation. How much of the initial form is manifested in the final form and progressively among various intermediate stages becomes an indication of the nature of metamorphosis as a phenomenon. It is important at this stage to clarify that the term metamorphosis is presently being coopted from its original domain, usually in life sciences. In this current exercise, the architectural drawings are to act as an operative analog process transforming one image of art and/or architecture in its broadest sense. That composition is claimed to have come from one source (individual work, a cultural artifact, civilizational remain). It dialectically meets, opposes, or confronts some carefully chosen alien opposites from a different domain. As an example, the layers of a detailed drawing of a Turkish prayer rug of 5 x 7 ratio over a detailed architectural plan of a religious, historical complex can be observed such that the two drawings, though at markedly different scales could dialectically converse with one another and through their mutual congruencies. In the final stage, the idea concludes contradictions across the scales to initiate the analogous roles of metamorphosed third reality, which suggests the previous un-acknowledged architectural or artistic identity. The proposed paper explores the trajectory of reproduction by analyzing drawings through detailed drawing stages and analyzes challenges as well as opportunities in the discovered realm of imagination. This description further aims at identifying factors influencing creativity and innovation in producing architectural drawings through the process of observing drawings from inception to the concluding stage.

Keywords: architectural drawings, metamorphosis, perceptions, discovery

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Authors: Ernesto Linan, Linda Cruz, Lucero Becerra

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In this paper, a new hybridized algorithm based on Chemical Reaction Optimization and Simulated Annealing is proposed to solve the alignment sequence Problem. The Chemical Reaction Optimization is a population-based meta-heuristic algorithm based on the principles of a chemical reaction. Simulated Annealing is applied to solve a large number of combinatorial optimization problems of general-purpose. In this paper, we propose hybridization between Chemical Reaction Optimization algorithm and Simulated Annealing in order to solve the Sequence Alignment Problem. An initial population of molecules is defined at beginning of the proposed algorithm, where each molecule represents a sequence alignment problem. In order to simulate inter-molecule collisions, the process of Chemical Reaction is placed inside the Metropolis Cycle at certain values of temperature. Inside this cycle, change of molecules is done due to collisions; some molecules are accepted by applying Boltzmann probability. The results with the hybrid scheme are better than the results obtained separately.

Keywords: chemical reaction optimization, sequence alignment problem, simulated annealing algorithm, metaheuristics

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Authors: Fidel Lòpez Saca, Carlos Avilés-Cruz, Miguel Magos-Rivera, José Antonio Lara-Chávez

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Automated object recognition and identification systems are widely used throughout the world, particularly in assembly lines, where they perform quality control and automatic part selection tasks. This article presents the design and implementation of an object recognition system in an assembly line. The proposed shapes-color recognition system is based on deep learning theory in a specially designed convolutional network architecture. The used methodology involve stages such as: image capturing, color filtering, location of object mass centers, horizontal and vertical object boundaries, and object clipping. Once the objects are cut out, they are sent to a convolutional neural network, which automatically identifies the type of figure. The identification system works in real-time. The implementation was done on a Raspberry Pi 3 system and on a Jetson-Nano device. The proposal is used in an assembly course of bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. The results presented include studying the efficiency of the recognition and processing time.

Keywords: deep-learning, image classification, image identification, industrial engineering.

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Authors: Michael Leo L. Dela Cruz, Khryslyn G. Arano, Eden May B. Dela Pena, Leslie Joy Diaz

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Arsenic adsorbents were continuously being researched to ease the detrimental impact of arsenic to human health. A comparative study on the adsorption mechanism of arsenic on iron modified nanoclays was undertaken. Iron intercalated montmorillonite (Fe-MMT) and montmorillonite supported zero-valent iron (ZVI-MMT) were the adsorbents investigated in this study. Fe-MMT was produced through ion-exchange by replacing the sodium intercalated ions in montmorillonite with iron (III) ions. The iron (III) in Fe-MMT was later reduced to zero valent iron producing ZVI-MMT. Adsorption study was performed by batch technique. Obtained data were fitted to intra-particle diffusion, pseudo-first order, and pseudo-second-order models and the Elovich equation to determine the kinetics of adsorption. The adsorption of arsenic on Fe-MMT followed the intra-particle diffusion model with intra-particle rate constant of 0.27 mg/g-min0.5. Arsenic was found to be chemically bound on ZVI-MMT as suggested by the pseudo-second order and Elovich equation. The derived pseudo-second order rate constant was 0.0027 g/mg-min with initial adsorption rate computed from the Elovich equation was 113 mg/g-min.

Keywords: adsorption mechanism, arsenic, montmorillonite, zero valent iron

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Authors: Sonia Gonzalez Cruz

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Subtitling activities allow for acquiring and developing certain translation skills, and they also have a great impact on the students' motivation. Active subtitling is a relatively recent activity that has generated a lot of interest particularly in the field of second-language acquisition, but it is also present within both the didactics of general translation and language teaching for translators. It is interesting to analyze the level of inclusion of these new resources into the existent curricula and observe to what extent these different teaching methods are being used in the translation classroom. Although subtitling has already become an independent discipline of study and it is considered to be a type of translation on its own, it is necessary to do further research on the different didactic varieties that this type of audiovisual translation offers. Therefore, this project is framed within the field of the didactics of translation, and it focuses on the relationship between the didactics of general translation and active subtitling as a didactic tool. Its main objective is to analyze the inclusion of interlinguistic active subtitling in general translation curricula at different universities. As it has been observed so far, the analyzed curricula do not make any type of reference to the use of this didactic tool in general translation classrooms. However, they do register the inclusion of other audiovisual activities such as dubbing, script translation or video watching, among others. By means of online questionnaires and interviews, the main goal is to confirm the results obtained after the observation of the curricula and find out to what extent subtitling has actually been included into general translation classrooms.

Keywords: subtitling, general translation, didactics, translation competence

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Authors: Andrés Calvillo Téllez, Marianne Martínez Zanzarric, José Cruz Núñez Pérez

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A modular system that performs basic monitoring of both water and air quality is presented. Monitoring is essential for environmental, aquaculture, and agricultural disciplines, where this type of instrumentation is necessary for data collection. The system uses low-cost components, which allows readings close to those with high-cost probes. The probe collects readings such as the coordinates of the geographical position, as well as the time it records the target parameters of the monitored. The modules or subsystems that make up the probe are the global positioning (GPS), which shows the altitude, latitude, and longitude data of the point where the reading will be recorded, a real-time clock stage, the date marking the time, the module SD memory continuously stores data, data acquisition system, central processing unit, and energy. The system acquires parameters to measure water quality, conductivity, pressure, and temperature, and for air, three types of ammonia, dioxide, and carbon monoxide gases were censored. The information obtained allowed us to identify the schedule of modification of the parameters and the identification of the ideal conditions for the growth of microorganisms in the water.

Keywords: calibration, conductivity, datalogger, monitoring, real time clock, water quality

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Authors: Fernanda Miranda da Cruz

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This paper aims to systematize, descriptively and analytically, the relations between language, body and material world explored in a specific empirical context: everyday co-presence interactions between children diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disease ASD and various interlocutors. We will work based on 20 hours of an audiovisual corpus in Brazilian Portuguese language. This analysis focuses on 1) the analysis of daily interactions that have the presence/participation of subjects with a diagnosis of ASD based on an embodied interaction perspective; 2) the study of the status and role of gestures, body and material world in the construction and constitution of human interaction and its relation with linguistic-cognitive processes and Autistic Spectrum Disorders; 3) to highlight questions related to the field of videoanalysis, such as: procedures for recording interactions in complex environments (involving many participants, use of objects and body movement); the construction of audiovisual corpora for linguistic-interaction research; the invitation to a visual analytical mentality of human social interactions involving not only the verbal aspects that constitute it, but also the physical space, the body and the material world.

Keywords: autism spectrum disease, multimodality, social interaction, non-verbal interactions

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Authors: Madelaine Venzon, Dany S. S. L. Amaral, André L. Perez, Natália S. Diaz, Juliana A. Martinez Chiguachi, Maira C. M. Fonseca, James D. Harwood, Angelo Pallini

Abstract:

Integrating strategies of sustainable crop production and promoting the provisioning of ecological services on farms and within rural landscapes is a challenge for today’s agriculture. Habitat management, through increasing vegetational diversity, enhances heterogeneity in agroecosystems and has the potential to improve the recruitment of natural enemies of pests, which promotes biological control services. In tropical agroecosystems, however, there is a paucity of information pertaining to the resources provided by associated plants and their interactions with natural enemies. The maintenance of non-crop plants integrated into and/or surrounding crop fields provides the farmer with a low-investment option to enhance biological control. We carried out field experiments in chili pepper agroecosystems with small stakeholders located in the Zona da Mata, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, from 2011 to 2015 where we assessed: (a) whether non-crop plants within and around chili pepper fields affect the diversity and abundance of aphidophagous species; (b) whether there are direct interactions between non-crop plants and aphidophagous arthropods; and (c) the importance of non-crop plant resources for survival of Coccinellidae and Chrysopidae species. Aphidophagous arthropods were dominated by Coccinellidae, Neuroptera, Syrphidae, Anthocoridae and Araneae. These natural enemies were readily observed preying on aphids, feeding on flowers or extrafloral nectaries and using plant structures for oviposition and/or protection. Aphid populations were lower on chili pepper fields associated with non-crop plants that on chili pepper monocultures. Survival of larvae and adults of different species of Coccinellidae and Chrysopidae on non-crop resources varied according to the plant species. This research provides evidence that non-crop plants in chili pepper agroecosystems can affect aphid abundance and their natural enemy abundance and survival. It is also highlighting the need for further research to fully characterize the structure and function of plant resources in these and other tropical agroecosystems. Financial support: CNPq, FAPEMIG and CAPES (Brazil).

Keywords: Conservation biological control, aphididae, Coccinellidae, Chrysopidae, plant diversification

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Authors: Ma. Rosario Concepcion O. Ang, Luis Caezar Ian K. Panganiban, Charmyne B. Mamador, Oliver Dan G. De Luna, Michael D. Bausas, Joselito P. Cruz

Abstract:

PhilSHORE is a multi-site, multi-device and multi-criteria decision support tool designed to support the development of tidal current energy in the Philippines. Its platform is based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) which allows for the collection, storage, processing, analyses and display of geospatial data. Combining GIS tools with open source web development applications, PhilSHORE becomes a webGIS-based marine spatial planning tool. To date, PhilSHORE displays output maps and graphs of power and energy density, site suitability and site-device analysis. It enables stakeholders and the public easy access to the results of tidal current energy resource assessments and site suitability analyses. Results of the initial development shows PhilSHORE is a promising decision support tool for ORE project developments.

Keywords: gis, site suitability analysis, tidal current energy resource assessment, webgis

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Authors: Mary Cruz

Abstract:

Founded from 1496 to 1502, Santo Domingo is the oldest European settlement in the Americas, inhabited without any discontinuity and was the first seat of Spanish power in the new world. Capital of the country since 1932.In this text, we discover Santo Domingo as an international tourist center, Urban Structure, Eco-tourism, Contamination and other issues related to tourism and development of this city. Founded from 1496 to 1502, Santo Domingo is the oldest European settlement in the Americas, inhabited without any discontinuity and was the first seat of Spanish power in the new world. Capital of the country since 1932. Encouraged by the United Nations and the World Bank, many Caribbean governments have encouraged tourism from the 1950s to boost their Third World economies. In this text, we discover Santo Domingo as an international tourist center, Urban Structure, Eco-tourism, Contamination and challenges of the first tourist destination in the Caribbean.

Keywords: eco-tourism, urban structure, contamination, development

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Authors: Daniel Rosero, Johan S. Arana, Sebastian Arango, Alejandro Cruz, Isabel Gomez-Gutierrez, Peter Thomson

Abstract:

Santiago de Cali is located in the southwestern Colombia in a high seismic hazard zone. About 50% of the city is on the banks of the Cauca River, which is the second most important hydric affluent in the country and whose alluvial deposits contain potentially liquefiable sands. Among the methods used to study a site's liquefaction potential is the finite elements method which use constitutive models to simulate the soil response for different load types. Among the different constitutive models, the Modified UBCSand stands out to study the seismic behavior of sands, and especially the liquefaction phenomenon. In this paper, the dynamic behavior of a potentially liquefiable sand of Santiago de Cali is studied by cyclic triaxial and CPTu tests. Subsequently, the behavior of the sand is simulated using the Modified UBCSand constitutive model, whose parameters are calibrated using the results of cyclic triaxial and CPTu tests. The above with the aim of analyze the constitutive model applicability for studying the geotechnical problems associated to liquefaction in the city.

Keywords: constitutive model, cyclic triaxial test, dynamic behavior, liquefiable sand, modified ubcsand

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Authors: Stephen Adeniyi Adefegha, Vitor Mostardeiro, Vera Maria Morsch, Ademir F. Morel, Ivana Beatrice Manica Da Cruz, Sabrina Somacal Maria Rosa Chitolina Schetinger

Abstract:

Moringa stenopetala is often consumed as food and used in folkloric medicine for the management of several diseases. Purpose: This study was set up in order to assess the effect of aqueous extract of Moringa stenopetala on cell viability and oxidative stress biomarkers in BV-2 microglial cells. Aqueous extracts of M. stenopetala were prepared, lyophilized and reconstituted in 0.5% dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO). Cells were treated with M. stenopetala extracts (0.1 - 100 µg/ml) for cell viability and nitric oxide (NO) production tests. However, M. stenopetala extract (50 µg/ml) was used in the treatment of cells for the determination of protein carbonyl content and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. Incubation of BV-2 microglia cell with M. stenopetala extract maintained cell viability, diminished NO and ROS levels, and reduced protein carbonyl contents Chlorogenic acid, rutin, kaempferol and quercetin derivatives were the main phenolic compounds identified in M. stenopetala leaf extract. These phenolic compounds present in M. stenopetala may be responsible for the mitigation of oxidative stress in BV-2 microglial cells.

Keywords: oxidative stress, BV-2 microglial cell, Moringa stenopetala, cell viability, antioxidant

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Authors: Ma. Eliza Jijeth V. dela Cruz

Abstract:

Technology is a recent prodigy in people’s everyday life that has taken off. It infiltrated almost every aspect of one’s lives, changing how people work, how people learn and how people perceive things. Academic Institutions, just like other organizations, have deeply modified its strategies to integrate technology into the institutional vision and corporate strategy that has never been greater. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) continues to be recognized as a major factor in organizations realizing its aims and objectives. Consequently, ICT has an important role in the mobilization of an academic institution’s strategy to support the delivery of operational, strategic or transformational objectives. This ICT strategy should align the institution with the radical changes of the ICT world through the use of Enterprise Architecture (EA). Hence, EA’s objective is to optimize the islands of legacy processes to be integrated that is receptive to change and supportive of the delivery of the strategy. In this paper, the focus is to explore the motivational antecedents during the adoption of EA in a Higher Education Institution in the Philippines for its ICT strategic plan. The seven antecedents (viewpoint, stakeholders, human traits, vision, revolutionary innovation, techniques and change components) provide understanding into EA adoption and the antecedents that influences the process of EA adoption.

Keywords: Enterprise Architecture, Adoption, Antecedents, Higher Educational Institutions

Procedia PDF Downloads 89