Fabio Takeshi Matsunaga

Strategies to reconstruct 3D Coffea arabica L. plant structure

Accurate model of structural elements is necessary to model the foliage and fruit distributions in cultivated plants, both of them being key parameters for yield prediction. However, the level of details in architectural data collection could vary, simplifying the data collection when plants get older and because of the high time cost required. In the present study, we aimed at reconstructing and analyzing plant structure, berry distributions and yield in Coffea arabica (Arabica coffee), by using both detailed or partial morphological information and probabilistic functions. Different datasets of coffee plant architectures were available with different levels of detail depending on the tree age. Three scales of decomposition—plant, axes and metamers were used reconstruct the plant architectures. CoffePlant3D, a software which integrates a series of mathematical, computational and statistical methods organized in three newly developed modules, AmostraCafe3D, VirtualCafe3D and Cafe3D, was developed to accurately reconstruct coffee plants in 3D, whatever the level of details available. The number of metamers of the 2nd order axes was shown to be linearly proportional to that of the orthotropic trunk, and the number of berries per metamer was modeled as a Gaussian function within a specific zone along the plagiotropic axes. This ratio of metamer emission rhythm between the orthotropic trunk and plagiotropic axes represents the pillar of botanical events in the C. arabica development and was central in our modeling approach, especially to reconstruct missing data. The methodology proposed for reconstructing coffee plants under the CoffePlant3D was satisfactorily validated across dataset available and could be performed for any other Arabica coffee variety.

Variations in leaf growth parameters within the tree structure of adult Coffea arabica in relation to seasonal growth, water availability and air carbon dioxide concentration

Background and Aims Dynamics in branch and leaf growth parameters, such as the phyllochron, duration of leaf expansion, leaf life span and bud mortality, determine tree architecture and canopy foliage distribution. We aimed to estimate leaf growth parameters in adult Arabica coffee plants based on leaf supporter axis order and position along the vertical profile, considering their modifications related to seasonal growth, air [CO2] and water availability. Methods Growth and mortality of leaves and terminal buds of adult Arabica coffee trees were followed in two independent field experiments in two sub-tropical climate regions of Brazil, Londrina-PR (Cfa) and Jaguariúna-SP (Cwa). In the Cwa climate, coffee trees were grown under a FACE (free air CO2 enrichment) facility, where half of those had been irrigated. Plants were observed at a 15-30 d frequency for 1 year. Leaf growth parameters were estimated on five axes orders and expressed as functions of accumulated thermal time (°Cd per leaf). Key Results The phyllochron and duration of leaf expansion increased with axis order, from the seond to the fourth. The phyllochron and life span during the reduced vegetative seasonal growth were greater than during active growth. It took more thermal time for leaves from the first- to fourth-order axes to expand their blades under irrigation compared with rainfed conditions. The compensation effects of high [CO2] for low water availability were observed on leaf retention on the second and third axes orders, and duration of leaf expansion on the first- and fourth-order axes. The second-degree polynomials modelled leaf growth parameter distribution in the vertical tree profile, and linear regressions modelled the proportion of terminal bud mortality. Conclusions Leaf growth parameters in coffee plants were determined by axis order. The duration of leaf expansion contributed to phyllochron determination. Leaf growth parameters varied according the position of the axis supporter along the vertical profile, suggesting an effect of axes age and micro-environmental light modulations.

Stress-induced DREB1A gene changes heliotropism and reduces drought stress in soybean plants under greenhouse conditions

The drought stress is one of the most severe environmental constraints for plant and food production. Development of cultivars for suitable drought environments can offer sustainable solutions. In order to avoid direct sunlight under drought conditions, some species show complex daily heliotropic adjustments of leaf angles that can reduce transpiration losses by diminishing the light interception (paraheliotropism). The diaheliotropism (solar tracking) is an opposite process that can increase diurnal carbon gain in sparse canopies and reduce carbon gain in dense canopies. A soybean cultivar BR 16 was genetically engineered producing the isoline P58 with intention to ectopically over express AtDREB1A, a transcription factor known to be involved in a biotic stress response. It was hypostatized that P58 will show better tolerance to drought stress compared to parental cultivar BR 16. The aim of the study was to follow the central and lateral leaflet movements in vegetative stages V7-V10 and to integrate heliotropic changes of BR 16 and P58 into an estimation of daily plant photosynthesis using 3D modelling. Soybean plants were grown in greenhouse, under optimized water supply and drought stress controlled by gravimetric humidity in pots. The plants were codified and reconstructed under the VPlants methodology. Leaflet movements and leaf gas exchange were measured in V7-V10 stages on leaflets of upper leaves by hourly-performed photo-shots and reproduced in 3D reconstructions. Under non-limited conditions, the BR 16 showed some diaheliotropic movements of the central and lateral leaflets, in the morning and early afternoon hours, while the central leaflet in P58 showed long lasting diaheliotropic movements in the morning and early afternoon with lateral leaflets constantly positioned parallel to solar rays. Under the drought stress, BR 16 responded by prevalent paraheliotropic movements of the central and lateral leaflets, while the central leaflets in P58 followed the paraheliotropic pattern, and the lateral ones showed diaheliotropic movements in the morning, early afternoon and late afternoon compensating the predominant central leaflet paraheliotropism. The mean leaf photosynthesis per plant in water-stressed P58 was maintained in the same level as in well-watered plants during the late morning hours. Results suggest that DREB1A could be involved in various responses to drought stress, from alleviating its impacts through the increasing of diaheliotropic movement frequency of lateral leaflets, to maintaining the same level of assimilation in late morning hours on plant scale.

Phyllochron, leaf expansion and life span in adult Coffea Arabica L. plants: Impact of axis order, growth intensity period and emitted leaf position

Phyllochron is a morphogenetic characteristic defined as a time interval between the appearance of two successive leaves. In adult Arabica coffee plants (Coffea Arabica L.), the greatest part of the annual vegetative growth occurs in the warm, rainy season, while the smaller part of annual growth happens during the cool, dry season. We aimed to estimate the phyllochron, leaf expansion duration and life span in adult Arabica coffee plants depending on growth intensity periods, axis order and position of emitted leaves. Four-year-old plants were codified following the VPlants methodology in dynamic multiscale-tree-graphs. The leaf growth parameters were estimated on five axis orders. To integrate the effect of temperature on leaf growth parameters, they were expressed as functions of accumulated thermal time (growing degree-days — GDD). The demands in GDD for phyllochron were roughly 30 to 40% higher during the reduced compared to the active growth period. The lowest GDD of phyllochron was observed on the 2nd order axes, and the highest on the 5th order ones. The similar requirement in GDD for leaf expansion and life span was noted in leaves on 1st and 2nd order axes, while leaves born on 3rd to 5th axis orders showed higher GDD requirements. Leaves born on 2nd order axes finished their expansion more rapidly during the reduced than during the active growth period, indicating the occurrence of acclimation to temperatures over the same tree. The leaf emission duration and life span over the axes ranks followed binomial distributions. The results suggest that the phyllochron changed within the branching hierarchy and is seasonally modified by the environment. In future studies, longer period and apex mortality rate will be considered to improve the understanding of complex orchestration in structural development of Arabica coffee plants in 3D architectural dynamics modeling.

Interactive Data Structure Learning Platform

The advent in technology in the past few years allowed an improvement in the educational area, as the increasing in the development of educational system. One of the techniques that emerged in this lapse is called Gamification, defined as the utilization of video game mechanics outside its bounds. Researchers in this area found positive results in the application of these concepts in several areas from marketing to education. In education, there are researches that covers from elementary to higher education, with many variations to adequate to the educators methodologies. Among higher education, focusing on IT courses, Data Structures can be considered an important subject to be taught, as they are base for many systems. Based on the exposed this paper describes the development and implementation of an interactive web learning environment, called DSLEP (Data Structure Learning Platform), to support students in higher education IT courses. The system includes basic concepts taught on this discipline as stacks, queues, lists, arrays, trees and was implemented to receive new ones. The system is also implemented with gamification concepts, as points, levels, and leader boards, to motivate students in the learning process and stimulate self-learning.

A Web System for Solving Real Problems Involving Partial Differential Equations in Generalized Coordinates

Numerical simulations based on partial differential equations are applied to different knowledge areas. There was a motivation for the use of computational tools to perform real and numerical simulations, however many of these are restricted to a software installation and limiting processing, mainly in mobile devices. The aim of this study was to develop a web system which is able to solve real problems involving partial differential equations in 2D generalized coordinates, by the finite difference discretization. The system consists of web service for client-server communication, a database, a module of processing calculation (back-end) and a graphical user interface (front-end). The system can be executed on devices regardless their performance, such as personal computers and mobile devices, since the calculations are made on a remote server. The contribution is the availability of a web architecture for including other types of differential equations and consequently, for real problems and situations, such as energy conduction and pollutant transportation.

InterpolMateS1- The module for interpolation of growth and production of yerba-mate

Yerba-mate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.) is a subtropical, evergreen, dioecious, South-American tree, and an economically important species, whose leaves and twigs are extensively used as a primary material in the preparation of diverse beverages. Its architecture is defined by Rauhs model, which comprises the rhythmic growth, and consequently, the existence of growth units. The aims of this study were to define the mathematical functions for growth unit formation related to various morphological parameters, to interpolate the 3D reconstructions for two-year period and to calculate the leaf/fine twig production of males and females cultivated in two contrasting environments (monoculture - and forest understory). For this purpose, InterpolMateS1, one deterministic and empirical model, has been developed. It interpolates the structural reconstructions of plants in 3D based on several known growth stages, and estimates the plant production for beverage industry. Various morphological characters were defined to parameterize the InterpolMateS1: metamer number, individual leaf size, main axes elongation, leaf number increase per axes, total leaf area, leaf shed per axes and branching. The VPlants and PlantGLViewer software were used for plant codifying and 3D reconstruction, while the modules of InterpolMateS1 were written in NetBeans IDE (Java). The cubic splines functions fitted correctly with the observed values of morphological characters during four growth flushes in two-year continuum. The out-put of useful biomass production in InterpolMateS1 was related to mock-up leaf area, fine branch volume and various forest productive parameters (i.e., specific leaf area, specific wood mass). The next steps in development of this forestry/agronomy useful software consider the coupling of yerba-mate mock-ups with carbon gain and storage on plant and landscape scale for two environments - monoculture and forest understory.

Daily heliotropic movements assist gas exchange and productive responses in DREB1A soybean plants under drought stress in the greenhouse

Drought stress is one of the most severe environmental constraints on plant production. Under environmental pressures, complex daily heliotropic adjustments of leaflet angles in soybean can help to reduce transpiration losses by diminishing light interception (paraheliotropism), increase diurnal carbon gain in sparse canopies and reduce carbon gain in dense canopies by solar tracking (diaheliotropism). The plant materials studied were cultivar BR 16 and its genetically engineered isoline P58, ectopically overexpressing AtDREB1A, which is involved in abiotic stress responses. We aimed to follow the movements of central and lateral leaflets in vegetative stages V7-V10 and reproductive stages R4-R5, integrating the reversible morphogenetic changes into an estimate of daily plant photosynthesis using three-dimensional modeling, and to analyze the production parameters of BR 16 and P58. The patterns of daily movements of central leaflets of BR 16 in V7-V10 and R4-R5 were similar, expressing fewer diaheliotropic movements under drought stress than under non-limiting water conditions. Daily heliotropic patterns of lateral leaflets in V7-V10 and R4-R5 showed more diaheliotropic movements in drought-stressed P58 plants than in those grown under non-limiting water conditions. Leaf area in R4-R5 was generally higher in P58 than in BR 16. Drought significantly affected gas exchange and vegetative and reproductive architectural features. DREB1A could be involved in various responses to drought stress. Compared with the parental BR 16, P58 copes with drought through better compensation between diaheliotropic and paraheliotropic movements, finer tuning of water-use efficiency, a lower transpiration rate, higher leaf area and higher pod abortion to accomplish the maximum possible grain production under continued drought conditions.

SSIE: An Automatic Data Extractor for Sports Management in Athletics Modality

Sports management concerns the organization of sport results and modalities information and statistical analysis by professionals. However, these information scattered around the web or organized by sport events which difficult the prospection of sport talents and the textual information are unstructured or semi-structured. This work proposes a Summary Sport Information Extraction System (SSIE) to generate a summary of statistics of the athletics modality by the automatic information extraction of documents retrieved from web. These documents are converted in textual information and classified using Naive Bayes learning method, according to sport type. After the documents retrieval and classification, text segmentation/tokenization, corpus annotation and entity/subset recognition by chunking were used to generate data frames in parse trees structure. The parse trees information are stored in a database, from which was possible to summary projection and big data analyzing over the web. The main contribution of this work was the clustering of huge amount of data spread on the web, useful for sports management.

Client-server architecture for pre and post-processing of real problems involving two-dimensional generalized coordinates

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to propose a Web environment for pre-processing and post-processing for 2D problems in generalized coordinate systems. Design/methodology/approach – The system consists of a Web service for client-server communication, a database for user information, simulation requests and results storage, a module of (for) calculation processing (front-end) and a graphical interface for visualization of discretized mesh (back-end). Findings – The Web system was able to model real problems and situations, where the user can describe the problem or upload a geometry file descriptor, generated from computer graphics software. The Web system, programmed for finite difference solutions, was able to generate a mesh from other complex methods, such as finite elements method, adapting it to the proposed Web system, respecting the finite difference mesh structure. Research limitations/implications – The proposed Web system is limited to solve partial differential equations by finite difference...