Open-Source Indoor Horizontal Grow Structure Designs

Recently the use of stereotactic radiosurgery to treat functional disorders such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and intractable pain has been reported in the literature. In such applications, a large single dose is typically delivered to an extremely small (<0.05 cm3) target volume. The purpose of this work is to investigate whether the dosimetric and imaging characteristics of radiosurgery treatment planning provide sufficient accuracy to allow efficacious therapy of functional disorders. We have begun treating trigeminal neuralgia using our linear accelerator-based radiosurgery system: 70 Gy is prescribed to the maximum dose in the volume (in our case the 100% isodose level) and delivered to the base of the fifth nerve in a single fraction using a 5 mm collimator, with the standard Brown–Roberts–Wells (BRW) radiosurgery accessories employed for fixation and localization. Because the fifth nerve cannot be visualized on x-ray computed tomography (CT), our radiosurgery treatment planning system was modified to use magnetic resonance images for localization, though dose calculations are still performed using CT. Isocentric accuracy of our original radiosurgery system, consisting of a floor stand and isocentric subunit, and our new couch mount system, was evaluated using the Winston–Lutz film test method. In order to evaluate the spatial accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) treatment planning, eight 4 mm sections of a 7 French catheter were filled with CuSO4 contrast material and attached rigidly to the stereotactic fixation posts of our BRW frame, four each in orientations parallel and perpendicular to the axial plane. The position of the externally placed fiducial markers, as well as internal anatomical structures, were then compared with CT. Monte Carlo calculations were compared with those from a commercial radiosurgery treatment planning system in order to investigate the effects of tissue heterogeneities on the resulting dose distributions. While commercial radiosurgery systems assume tissue homogeneity, the Monte Carlo calculations were performed in a patient-specific CT geometry accounting for all tissue inhomogeneities. The resulting 128 × 128 Monte Carlo dose grid was superimposed on the original CT data for analysis and comparison with identical treatment plans from the commercial system. The ability of our LINAC-based systems to accurately target a desired point in space has been effectively demonstrated: 0.32 ± 0.32 mm (N = 556) for our floor stand system and 0.34 ± 0.23 mm (N = 50) for our newer couch-mounted system. Inaccuracies introduced by tomographic imaging devices are significantly greater. The use of gel-filled fiducial markers in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided radiosurgery produces significant spatial distortion, resulting in Euclidean root-mean-square deviations of 2.32 ± 0.96 mm (N = 31) and 3.64 ± 1.28 mm (N = 27) at the center and periphery (extracranial) of the field of view respectively, as compared with CT. Use of water of CuSO4 filled rods had a minimal effect on these deviations: 2.51 ± 1.25 mm (N = 31) and 3.37 ± 1.28 mm (N =27) for central and peripheral targets respectively. Magnetic susceptibility artifacts in the frequency encoding (AP) direction produce a systematic posterior shift. This together with axial slice spacing accounts for the majority of the deviation. Tissue heterogeneities such as bone and air cavities produce a lateral spreading of the dose from small photon beams, resulting in a prescription dose volume smaller than predicted by conventional treatment planning systems. For a typical are configuration designed to produce a spherical dose volume, Monte Carlo calculations show the 90% dose volume to be significantly smaller than that predicted by the commercial system when either 5 mm or 10 mm collimators are used. Use of a LINAC-based system does not preclude accurate treatment of small functional targets. Isocentric uncertainty for either of two LINAC systems that we evaluated is small compared to imaging and dosimetric factors. However, chemical shifts and object-induced magnetic susceptibility artifacts can produce systematic spatial distortions in magnetic resonance images; thus, MR imaging may not possess the inherent accuracy necessary for stereotactic localization and targeting of small cranial structures. In addition, both CT and MR possess an inherent inaccuracy of at least one-half of the axial slice thickness; thus, for localization purposes, a slice spacing as small as possible should be used when treating small targets. Tissue heterogeneities decrease the volume covered by the higher isodose lines. As a result, the target may be only partially covered by the intended dose level, with the remainder lying in the high gradient region. This same lateral spreading may also increase the risk to adjacent normal structures. Imaging and dosimetric considerations are not unique to linear accelerator systems but apply equally to all stereotactic photon irradiation. Until spatial and dosimetric errors can be accounted for, use of a larger collimator will ensure better coverage of small targets.

Estimation of harvested fruit weight using volume measurements with distance sensors: A case study with olives in a big box

Understanding Barriers to Implementing and Managing Therapeutic Diets for People Living with Chronic Kidney Disease in Remote Indigenous Communities

In shrimp farming, commercial feed represents 60% of the production cost, with this research we tried to obtain an alternative to reduce production costs with the application of a nutritional supplement based on a diet ration of 80% commercial feed and 20% commercial feed. combination of semolina and molasses. This research aims to determine the growth of Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp in the juvenile stage in two commercial and experimental feeding systems. This study was carried out at the facilities of the Marine and Aquaculture Research Laboratory (LIMA) of UNAN–LEON. In the experiment, 6 plastic containers were used, we planted 12 organisms (in one repetition) applying the commercial diet and in the other battery with the same number of organisms the experimental diet was given. With respect to physical-chemical factors, temperature and pH remained at their optimal values, growth in the experimental system was 9.33 g and in the commercial system 7.45 g, obtaining a value of p&gt;0.05 , which indicates that there is a significant difference between both treatments, with a survival of 100% in both systems. The productive yield in the experimental system was 4,600 Lb/ha and the commercial system was 3,600 Lb/ha.

78.2 Impact of Climate Change on the Health and Well-Being of Indigenous Communities in Australia

The present study was carried out to evaluate different dairy production systems using multiple criteria. This study was conducted between October 2014 and September 2015, and including six dairy production systems which represents the most distributed diary systems in Egypt (Commercial system (CS), Government commercial system (GS), Government research farm (GR), Traditional Landless system (TLL), Traditional mixed system (TMS) and Traditional intensive system (TIS). These systems were evaluated using multiple criteria, including animal criteria, feeding criteria and management criteria the amount of dry matter intake DMI, the number of working minutes and the area of ​​land required to produce 1 kg fat corrected milk 4% were calculated within each system. The results showed that the production system had a significant effect (p> 0.001) on all production characteristics (total milk yield, average daily milk yield and lactation length) as well as reproductive traits under study. The highest yield was for Holstein Friesian cows (7024.41 ± 4554.52 kg), the lowest was for buffalo (1844.65 ± 461.75 kg) and the cross breed cows had average yield (2761.47 ± 312.36 kg). The highest productivity system was (CS) while the least productive systems were mixed (TMS). The results of DMI needed to produce 1 kg (FCM) in the following production systems: showed that the (CS) used the least amount was 0.860 kg while the largest quantity used in (GS) as 3.99 kg, and (GR) were 3.01 kg and The three traditional system were respectively 1.92, 2.01 and 2.92 kg. These differences were related to the number of dairy animal and the feeding system used within each system, as well as the nutritional ratio (Roughage: concentrates percentage). The results showed significant differences between the times used to produce 1 kg (FCM). The minimum time required to produce 1 kg (FCM) was in the (CS) as (1.91 minutes), while the largest time was in traditional production systems as: 19.58, 18.72 and 10.99 minutes. In (GS) the time required was 5.22 minutes. In (GR) was (5.75 minutes), these differences were related to the number of animals within each system and the use of systems for modern production techniques. The differences of average area needed to produce 1 kg (FCM) were highly significant. The results showed that: 4.21, 65.26, 1.74, 1.16, 84.89, and 57.60 m2 were required to produce 1 kg (FCM) in the six production systems, respectively. Accordingly the lowest value of total costs required to produce 1 kg FCM was (3.66 L.E) in Commercial Systems while the highest three calculated values showed in the Government Commercial System (16.58 L.E) followed by Traditional Mixed systems (15.74 L.E) and Traditional Landless Systems (15.23 L.E).

P053] Contrast-enhanced digital mammography on commercial systems: an optimization study

There has been growing interest in nanobubbles (NBs) for vascular and extravascular ultrasound contrast imaging and therapeutic applications. Studies to date have generally utilized low frequencies (<12 MHz), high concentrations (>109 mL-1), and uncalibrated B-mode or contrast-mode on commercial systems without reporting investigations on NB signatures upon which the imaging protocols should be based. We recently demonstrated that low concentrations (106 mL-1) of porphyrin-lipid-encapsulated NBs scatter nonlinearly at low (2.5, 8 MHz) and high (12.5, 25, 30 MHz) frequencies in a pressure threshold-dependent manner that is advantageous for amplitude modulation (AM) imaging. Here, we implement pressure-calibrated AM at high frequency on a commercial preclinical array system to enhance sensitivity to nonlinear scattering of three phospholipid-based NB formulations. With this approach, improvements in contrast to tissue ratio relative to B-mode between 12.4 and 22.8 dB are demonstrated in a tissue-mimicking phantom, and between 6.7 and 14.8 dB in vivo.

This paper is a practical guide to the selection of a commercial work evaluation system. It describes the factors therapists should consider in matching their vocational evaluation needs to commercial systems available. A short summary of five major systems is included.

Qualification testing of fiber based laser transmitters is required for NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications program to mature the technology for space applications. In the absence of fully space qualified systems, commercial systems have been investigated in order to demonstrate the robustness of the technology. To this end, a 2.5 W fiber based laser source was developed as the transmitter for an optical communications experiment flown aboard the ISS as a part of a technology demonstration mission. The low cost system leveraged Mil Standard design principles and Telcordia certified components to the extent possible and was operated in a pressure vessel with active cooling. The laser was capable of high rate modulation but was limited by the mission requirements to 50 Mbps for downlinking stored video from the OPALS payload, externally mounted on the ISS. Environmental testing and space qualification of this unit will be discussed along with plans for a fully space qualified laser transmitter.

In a production environment, delayed stress recognition can impact yield. Imaging can rapidly and effectively quantify stress symptoms using indexes such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Commercial systems are effective but cannot be easily customized for specific applications, particularly post-processing. We developed a low-cost customizable imaging system and validated the code to analyze images. Our objective was to verify the image analysis code and custom system could successfully quantify the changes in plant canopy reflectance. ‘Supercascade Red’, ‘Wave© Purple’, and ‘Carpet Blue’ Petunias (Petunia × hybridia) were transplanted individually and subjected to increasing fertilizer treatments and increasing substrate pH in a greenhouse. Treatments for the first trial were the addition of a controlled release fertilizer at six different rates (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 g/pot), and for the second trial, fertilizer solution with four pHs (4, 5.5, 7, and 8.5), with eight replications with one plant each. Plants were imaged twice a week using a commercial imaging system for fertilizer and thrice a week with the custom system for pH. The collected images were analyzed using an in-house program that calculated the indices for each pixel of the plant area. All cultivars showed a significant effect of fertilizer on the projected canopy size and dry weight of the above-substrate biomass and the fertilizer rate treatments (p < 0.01). Plant tissue nitrogen concentration as a function of the applied fertilizer rate showed a significant positive response for all three cultivars (p < 0.001). We verified that the image analysis code successfully quantified the changes in plant canopy reflectance as induced by increasing fertilizer application rate. There was no relationship between the pH and NDVI values for the cultivars tested (p > 0.05). Manganese and phosphorus had no significance with chlorophyll fluorescence for ‘Carpet Blue’ and ‘Wave© Purple’ (p > 0.05), though ‘Supercascade Red’ was found to have significance (p < 0.01). pH did not affect plant canopy size. Chlorophyll fluorescence pixel intensity against the projected canopy size had no significance except in ‘Wave© Purple’ (p = 0.005). NDVI as a function of the projected canopy size had no statistical significance. We verified the ability of the imaging system with integrated analysis to quantify nutrient deficiency-induced variability in plant canopies by increasing pH levels.

3D printing by two-photon polymerization enables the fabrication of microstructures with complex shapes and critical dimensions of a few hundreds of nanometers. On state-of-the art commercial two-photon polymerization systems, an immense 3D design freedom can be put into practice by direct laser writing using a precise fabrication technology, which makes this approach highly attractive for different applications on the microscale, such as microrobotics, micro-optics, or biosensing. However, navigating the different possible configurations and selecting the optimal parameters for the fabrication process often requires intensive testing and optimization. In addition to the more established acrylate-based resins, there is a growing interest in the use of soft materials. In this paper, we demonstrate the fabrication of various microscale structures by two-photon polymerization using a Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT+ commercial system. Furthermore, we describe the different configurations of the system and parameter selection, as well as commercial resins and their chemical and mechanical properties. Finally, we provide a short guide aiming to serve as starting point for the two-photon polymerization-based fabrication of various microscale architectures with distinct characteristics.

The impact of state policy on deployment and cost of solar photovoltaic technology in the U.S.: A sector-specific empirical analysis

Comparing the performance of hyperbolic and circular rod quadrupole mass spectrometers with applied higher order auxiliary excitation

Thermocouple probes have long been standard equipment for wildland fire scientists. But despite substantial advancements in the electronic datalogger technology necessary to read and store data from thermocouples, the effective cost per thermocouple sensor of commercial systems has not decreased such that most researchers can afford to deploy enough sensors to account for the high degree of variability in wildland fire behavior. Because the equipment must endure the extreme conditions of wildland fire, is unlikely that any thermocouple datalogger system will be considered “cheap.” However, the growing number of applications of open-source, do-it-yourself (DIY) microcontroller systems in scientific research suggests these products might be employed in thermocouple datalogging systems if (1) their performance can be shown to be comparable to commercial systems and (2) they can be protected from exposure in the wildland fire environment. In this paper, we compare the performance of an Arduino MEGA microcontroller board relative to a Campbell Scientific CR1000, reading standard K-type metal overbraided ceramic fiber insulated thermocouple probes, under the constant temperature of a drying oven and the variable flame of a Bunsen burner. In both comparisons, we found that the variability among individual thermocouples, which are known to have a $$\pm\, 2\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}{-}6\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$ margin of error, was greater than between the dataloggers. We also describe a compact and mobile Arduino-based system capable of recording wildland fire flame temperatures in agris. In considering these three systems, it is clear that Arduino-based open-source, DIY components can support a compact, low-cost datalogger that accommodates more sensors for lower cost than proprietary commercial systems with no sacrifice in data quality. The combination of low-cost, multi-sensor units can contribute to better understanding of variability in wildland fire behavior.