http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/3794 Sat, 29 Aug 2026 16:39:55 GMT 2026-08-29T16:39:55Z http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/4902 Title: The potential of thermal imaging to assist winemakers in the detection of downy mildew in Vitis vinifera cv Loureiro Authors: Portela, Fernando; Paredes, Cláudio A.; Sousa, Joaquim J.; Pádua, Luís Abstract: Vineyards represent one of the maincropsystemsof greatest importance in the world economy, both in terms of the value chain of wine production and in its current expression of generating tradable goods. One of the challenges of grape production is grapevinehealth, which annually forces the winegrowers to incur fixed costs associated with the prevention and/or treatment of pests and diseases, causing an impact on the environment due to the applicationof phytosanitary products. Among the various diseases affecting grapevines, downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) stands out, which causes negative impacts throughout the phenological cycle, particularly on leaves by affecting the absorption of photosynthetic pigments and consequent chlorophyll production, ultimately influencinggrape yield and quality. Traditional methods for detecting vineyard diseasesare often insufficient in crop protection, favoring new formsof a more agile decision support with timely responses. Proximal sensing troughoptical sensors can assist in early disease detection. In this context,thermal infrared sensorsstand out for their ability to capture changes in thermal response of leaves due to changes in grapevine metabolism and photosynthetic production. This study aims to explore the use of thermal infrared imagery to assess the detection of downy mildew by valuating temperature variationsin thesurface of grapevine leaves whencompared with non-infected leaves in a vineyard plot of the cv. Loureiro. The effects of temporal and spatial variability on the temperature of mildew-infected vine leaves are reported. A temperaturevariation of 2.71°C was found within the same leafwhen comparing to infected and non-infect areas. As the infection progresses over time, thermal variation tends to increase. Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/4902 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/4901 Title: A Systematic Review on the Advancements in Remote Sensing and Proximity Tools for Grapevine Disease Detection Authors: Portela, Fernando; Sousa, Joaquim J.; Araújo-Paredes, Cláudio; Peres, Emanuel; Morais, Raul; Pádua, Luís Abstract: Grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) are one of the most economically relevant crops worldwide, yet they are highly vulnerable to various diseases, causing substantial economic losses for winegrowers. This systematic review evaluates the application of remote sensing and proximal tools for vineyard Citation: Portela, F.; Sousa, J.J.; Araújo-Paredes, C.; Peres, E.; Morais, R.; Pádua, L. A Systematic Review on the Advancements in Remote Sensing and Proximity Tools for Grapevine Disease Detection. Sensors 2024, 24, 8172. https://doi.org/10.3390/ s24248172 Academic Editors: Jiangtao Qi and Gang Wang Received: 3 December 2024 Revised: 17 December 2024 Accepted: 18 December 2024 Published: 21 December 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). disease detection, addressing current capabilities, gaps, and future directions in sensor-based field monitoring of grapevine diseases. The review covers 104 studies published between 2008 and October 2024, identified through searches in Scopus and Web of Science, conducted on 25 January 2024, and updated on 10 October 2024. The included studies focused exclusively on the sensor-based detection of grapevine diseases, while excluded studies were not related to grapevine diseases, did not use remote or proximal sensing, or were not conducted in field conditions. The most studied diseases include downy mildew, powderymildew, Flavescence dorée, esca complex, rots, and viral diseases. The main sensors identified for disease detection are RGB, multispectral, hyperspectral sensors, and field spectroscopy. A trend identified in recent published research is the integration of artificial intelligence techniques, such as machine learning and deep learning, to improve disease detection accuracy. The results demonstrate progress in sensor-based disease monitoring, with most studies concentrating on specific diseases, sensor platforms, or methodological improvements. Future research should focus on standardizing methodologies, integrating multi-sensor data, and validating approaches across diverse vineyard contexts to improve commercial applicability and sustainability, addressing both economic and environmental challenges. Sat, 21 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/4901 2024-12-21T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/3915 Title: Chemical stability assessment of soft magnetic composites for biomedical applications Authors: Powjska, Anna; Nieweglowska, Joanna; Suska, Sylvia; Cavadas, Adélio; Mystkowska, Joanna Abstract: Silicone-based elastic composites with a metallic filler have been strongly developed in recent years. These materials are considered applicable in many fields of science, including medicine. The advantageous mechanical parameters provided by the NdFeB micropowder reinforcement are balanced by the elasticity and biocompatibility guaranteed by the silicone matrix. So far, there have been several reports regarding such composites’ properties important from the biomedical point of view. The article deals with the physicochemical parameters of the new material for medical applications as well as the properties of the incubation liquid. The aim of the work was to determine effects of both the magnetic particles content (0, 30, 50, 70 wt%) and the incubation process under physiological conditions on the physicochemical properties of the material and the solution after incubation. The samples were incubated for various periods of time (8, 16 and 24 weeks) at the temperature of 37°C in a 0.9 wt% NaCl solution. The density, water contact angle, and water absorption of the materials were measured. The electrolytic conductivity, pH value, redox potential, surface tension, and kinematic viscosity were determined for the liquids after the materials incubation. The results obtained for pure silicone and the silicone-based composite reinforced with NdFeB microparticles were compared. The results indicate that incubation affects the samples and liquids, changing their physiochemical properties. For composites, the density decreased, which results in a noticeable concentration of the examined elements in the solutions. Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/3915 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/3145 Title: Influence of wetting-drying cycles on wood behaviour of coastal pedestrian walkways Authors: Labrincha, António; Delgado, Pedro; Parauta, Helena; Löwenström, Charles V.; Almeida, Joana O. Abstract: In the context of inspection and maintenance actions for beach walkways in the North of Portugal, some samples of wood used in their construction were collected – the Pinus sylvestris wood, widely applied in the country. The sustainability of the beach walkways over natural coastal areas is very dependent on their material durability. One of the main problems of the timber used to build those structures is its behavior under wet-drying cycles. For that reason, this work aimed to simulate the effects of weathering on the long-term bending behavior of pinewood. Weathering slab samples with two decades of service life and new, unused slabs were subjected to wetting–drying cycles and tested between each wetting or drying phase. As the bending test characterizes one of the most representative efforts in pedestrian boardwalk slabs, the bending module of rupture was used as an indicator to characterize the resistance of timber. Thus, in this study, the samples' density, dimensional stability, and mechanical strength were determined at the end of each batch of cycle repetitions. The tests were carried out before and after a set of wetting-drying cycles caused by immersion in water and placement into an oven at 80°C to simulate environmental exposure. Thus, it was intended to simulate the use in service through the realization of successive wetting-drying cycles in a laboratory environment and to evaluate its influence on the density, dimensional stability, and mechanical strength of the pine wood tested. The extreme conditions used in the laboratory pretend to accelerate the degradation of samples and simulate, in a relatively short period, what would need years to occur in service. The results showed that the wood that had never been in service is more susceptible to bending resistance variations with cycles than the one already in service. Thus, after a few wet-drying cycles, the wood without any service life tends to approximate, in terms of bending behavior, to the one with two decades of service. This indicates that the method used could satisfy the need to obtain predictions for long-time behavior in a relatively short period. Wed, 11 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/3145 2023-01-11T00:00:00Z