Granular Distribution Research Articles

Influence of Glass Granular Class on the Compressive Strength of Glass-Sand Mortar

This study examines the effect of glass particle size and color on the compressive strength of mortars made from glass, sand, and cement. A range of water-to-cement (W/C) ratios was applied, and tests were conducted to measure density and compressive strength at both 2 and 7 days. The glass, available in green, brown, and white, was introduced as both fine and coarse particles. The findings reveal that incorporating glass significantly enhances compressive strength compared to traditional mortars without glass, regardless of its color. Brown glass, especially in its coarse form, exhibited the best mechanical performance. With a W/C ratio of 0.48, mortars containing coarse brown glass particles reached a peak compressive strength of 34.78 MPa, showing a relative increase of 134.52% compared to mortars without glass. Fine brown glass particles also demonstrated strong compressive strength, though lower than the coarse ones. The density analysis showed a positive correlation between density and compressive strength, suggesting that denser mortars perform better mechanically. The superior performance of coarse glass particles is likely due to their optimal granular distribution, which enhances the bonding between cement and glass particles, leading to greater overall strength. Keywords: Compressive strength – Particle size – Recycled glass – Mortar – Density

GenSynthPop: generating a spatially explicit synthetic population of individuals and households from aggregated data

Synthetic populations are representations of actual individuals living in a specific area. They play an increasingly important role in studying and modeling individuals and are often used to build agent-based social simulations. Traditional approaches for synthesizing populations use a detailed sample of the population (which may not be available) or combine data into a single joint distribution, and draw individuals or households from these. The latter group of existing sample-free methods fail to integrate (1) the best available data on spatial granular distributions, (2) multi-variable joint distributions, and (3) household level distributions. In this paper, we propose a sample-free approach where synthetic individuals and households directly represent the estimated joint distribution to which attributes are iteratively added, conditioned on previous attributes such that the relative frequencies within each joint group of attributes are maintained and fit granular spatial marginal distributions. In this paper we present our method and test it for the Zuid-West district of The Hague, the Netherlands, showing that spatial, multi-variable and household distributions are accurately reflected in the resulting synthetic population.

Study on the Effect of Al-10Sr Intermediate Alloy on the Modification of A356 Aluminum Alloy after Different Purification Treatments

Abstract For three different purification treatment methods of aluminum melt: untreated (UT), conventional purification treatment (CPT), impurity removal flux purification treatment (IRF), and Al-10Sr intermediate alloy was applied for modification treatment. The results showed that due to the highest purity of aluminum liquid treated with IRF, the secondary dendrite spacing decreased by 31.32% after modification, and the eutectic silicon phase was in a granular and dispersed distribution. The tensile fracture exhibited ductile fracture characteristics, effectively improving the mechanical properties of the alloy. At the same time, it was found that reducing the Sr content did not decrease the modifying effect, indicating good purity of aluminum liquid can provide superior melt conditions for subsequent modification treatment.

Experimental Study on CO2 Flooding Characteristic in Low-Permeability Sandstone Considering the Influence of In-Situ Stress

Summary The pore network controlled by in-situ stress significantly influences the CO2 flooding in low-permeability reservoirs. In this study, the CO2/oil distribution and response of pore structure were monitored online using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), and the in-situ stress dependence of oil recovery was analyzed. The results show that the pore structure consists of adsorption pore (AP < 1 millisecond), percolation pore (1 millisecond < PP < 10 milliseconds), and migration pore (10 milliseconds < MP). Oil recovery was primarily influenced by AP and MP at lower in-situ stress, while PP and MP are the main contributors at higher in-situ stress. The matrix experienced compression deformation, microfracture generation, and shrinkage of pore, combined with an increase and followed by a decrease in oil recovery, responding to the increase of in-situ stress from 5 MPa to 15 MPa and from 15 MPa to 20 MPa. The reduction in gas channels promotes a piston-like advancement of oil displacement, resulting in an initial increase in oil recovery, while subsequent decline is linked to heightened pore heterogeneity caused by high in-situ stress. Increased heterogeneity reduces gas displacement stability, hampers CO2 sweep efficiency, and results in a granular distribution of residual oil. The findings provide insight on CO2-enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in low-permeability reservoirs.

Investigation of geometrical hopper and initial packing state on the inter-phase momentum transfer with granular flow in vertical packed bed

Abstract For the specific application of vertical packed bed design, the main task is to optimize and improve the granular flow pattern, since a worse granular flow pattern is detrimental to the performance of heat transfer and flow in vertical packed bed. To improve the uniformity of granular flow profiles, an application of the discrete element method is used to investigate the granular flow pattern in a vertically packed bed under the condition of different tapered hopper angles and initial packing states. The uniformity of granular dramatically decreases with an increase in the fluctuation of granular velocity distribution. The variation of structural parameters has a positive influence on enhancing the stability of the granular layer. Coefficient of variation and relative fluctuation kinetic energy are introduced as criteria to describe the stability of the granular layer. This study numerically reveals the evolution of initial packing states has a slight influence on improving the stability of granular flow.

Effects of various long-term thermal aging levels on the morphology, rheology and self-healing performances of high-viscosity asphalt

Large macroporous structures of permeable asphalt pavement made high-viscosity asphalt (HVA) more susceptible to aging and failure. However, the standard pressure aging vessel (PAV) test was difficult to accurately emulate the long-term aging behavior of HVA. Hence, 1–5PAV aging levels of two HVAs (i.e. HVA-1 and HVA-2) were emulated by the simple aging test (SAT). Rheological analysis indicated that asphalt oxidation consistently dominated regardless of the long-term aging levels of HVAs. Combined with the fluorescence microscopy observation, HVA-2 with meticulous and uniform granular distribution was more resistant to aging than HVA-1 with coarse and continuously strip-like structures. Stress-strain curve analysis in linear amplitude sweep (LAS) test revealed that the accumulated strain energy (ASE) representing the overall mechanical properties of HVAs first increased and then decreased as the long-term aging level grew. The continuous repeated LAS (RLAS) test further reflected that the yield stress, yield strain and ASE of HVAs gradually decreased as the LAS loading number increased at initial long-term aging states; but as the sustained growth of aging level, the stress-strain curve of HVAs become increasingly chaotic until remarkable strain hardening occurred. Furthermore, RLAS-based self-healing (RLASSH) test was developed by introducing intermittent time into RLAS test. The variation of ratio of ASE decrease can characterize the self-healing performance of HVAs. RLASSH test showed that the self-healing performance of HVAs was unstable at 1–3PAV aging level, and the HVAs with 4 or 5PAV aging levels completely lost their self-healing performance. Overall, with the increase in long-term aging levels, significant differences were observed in the evolution characteristics of morphology, rheology and self-healing performances of different HVAs. This study helps to understand the rheology and self-healing performance evolution pattern of HVA during long-term service.

Sedimentary Environment, Tectonic Setting, and Uranium Mineralization Implications of the Yimin Formation, Kelulun Depression, Hailar Basin, China

The sandstone-type uranium deposit of the Kelulun Depression is the first industrially valuable uranium deposit discovered in the Hailar Basin. This study performed a systematic examination of 17 sandstone samples from the Yimin Formation in the Kelulun Depression based on various analytical techniques. The findings of the current study were synthesized with previous research to investigate the impact of the redox conditions and the tectonic background of the source area, as well as the paleoclimatic evolution of the Yimin Formation on uranium mineralization. The elemental Mo, U/Th, V/Cr, Ni/Co, and V/(V + Ni) ratios indicate that the paleowater was in an oxygen-rich environment during the deposition of the Yimin Formation. Additionally, the C-value, Sr/Cu, Al2O3/MgO, and Rb/Sr ratios indicate that the Yimin Formation was formed in a paleoclimate characterized by arid-to-semi-arid conditions. The geochemical characteristics of the observed elements indicated that the sediment source of the Yimin Formation was mainly felsic rocks from the upper continental crust, the weathering of the rock was weak, and the tectonic background was a passive continental margin. Coffinite is distributed in the form of cementation and stellates within or around pyrite crystals, and uranium-titanium oxide is mostly distributed in an irregular granular distribution in the biotite cleavage fractures of the study area. In summary, the findings of this study reveal that the tectonic settings, provenance, uranium source, paleoclimate, and oxygen-rich paleowater of the Yimin Formation have important geological significance for the large-scale uranium mineralization of the Kelulun Depression.

Potensi Limbah Fly Ash PLTU Anggrek, Gorontalo Utara sebagai Bahan Substitusi Semen Pada Beton

Accumulation of coal ash waste (fly ash) is a dangerous toxic material (B3) which light and fine so it easily flies in the air. This problem is urgent to be resolved because the production continues to increase in quantity and can cause air and water pollution. Currently, coal waste is used to make bricks, but research needs to be done on its potential as a concrete mixture and even as a cement substitute. Currently, coal waste is used to make bricks, but research necessery on its potential as a concrete mixture and even as a cement substitute. Therefore this research can be an alternative solution to the coal ash waste problem in Gorontalo Province. Research on the use of coal ash as a concrete mixture using crushed stone aggregate and sand from the quarry PT. CMP, Bonda Raya, South Suwawa To obtain a granular distribution that meets the requirements, the proportions used for crushed stone measuring 1-2 cm and measuring 2-3 cm are 65% and 35% respectively. Meanwhile, to obtain a combined gradation of fine and coarse aggregate that meets the requirements, percentages of 55% and 45% are used respectively. Based on the research results, the normal compressive strength value of concrete is 28.827 MPa. The compressive strength of fly ash variations of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% is 25,069 MPa, 27,442 MPa, 23,096 MPa, and 20,934 MPa. The compressive strength of fly ash variations is lower than normal concrete. The optimum compressive strength value for fly ash substitution for cement with a 10% variation is 27.442 MPa.

The impact of supplementary cementitious materials on the rheological and mechanical properties of mortars based on quarry waste sand

Mineral substances used as additives in cement plants or as additives in the making of concrete contribute through their physical, hydraulic, and pozzolanic activity to improving the behavior of cements in both the fresh and hardened states. Several types of additions are well known, such as natural pozzolans, fly ash, blast furnace slag, and silica fume. These products become more active in the alkaline solutions of cement and give rise to new hydrates that impart greater mechanical strength and better durability to concretes. Through their surface activity and granular distribution, they play a fundamental role in the rheological and mechanical behavior of mortars and concretes. Quarry waste sand (QWS) is generally stockpiled to be eventually sold at very low prices. For this reason, its use in the production of concrete and mortar is increasingly becoming a necessity to protect the environment and meet the needs of the construction and public works sector.This study aims to investigate the effect of using both supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) and quarry waste sand(QWS) to improve some properties of mortar. Ordinary cement is replaced by 10%, 20% and 30% of silica fume (SF), natural pozzolan (NP) or ground blast-furnace slag (GBFS) by weight and the properties of the QWS sand -based mortar are compared to those of natural sand (NS) based mortar. In this study, the slump, superplasticizer requirement, rheological parameters, mechanical strength, and water absorption are investigated. The results obtained show that QWS sand mix has the best workability and requires less superplasticizer dosage. When SCM were used, a drop-in workability is shown and more superplasticizer is required. Also, QWS sand makes the mortar strength 2 and 1.5 times higher than that of NS and becomes 42% higher with 10% SF. Adequate relationships have been established to predict mechanical strengths as a function of test parameters with high correlation coefficient and low root mean square error.

Online group streaming feature selection based on fuzzy neighborhood granular ball rough sets

Online group streaming feature selection holds significant research value in large-scale streaming data processing scenarios, and the related work based on rough set theory has attracted academic interest. Nevertheless, most relevant algorithms come with parameters, and performing a grid search for the optimal parameters reduces the efficiency. Moreover, the existing online group streaming feature selection frameworks cannot effectively fit the situation in practice. Focusing on these issues, this paper investigates an online group streaming feature selection method based on fuzzy neighborhood granular ball rough sets. First, Canopy clustering is introduced to granular ball computing, and the adaptive neighborhood of samples is generated based on the granular ball distribution. Second, we construct a fuzzy neighborhood granular ball rough set (FNGBRS) model and propose the integrated dependence degree to achieve maximal dependency and minimum classification error. Then, the purity of granular balls is considered as the weight of features, and some uncertainty measures based on FNGBRS are presented. Finally, we define a random factor to control the size of streaming groups and design an online group streaming feature selection algorithm. Comparative experimental results on sixteen public datasets demonstrate that the proposed algorithm exhibits superior and stable classification performance, coupled with increased efficiency from its parameter-free design.

Abstract MP04: Socioeconomic Spatial Social Polarization and Blood Pressure at Three Spatial Levels

Spatial social polarization (SSP) indices measure how a population is distributed at extremes of privilege and deprivation. The choice of spatial level for analysis impacts the results of studies of SSP, resulting in a bias known as the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP). The objective of this study is to examine the association between participant SSP with systolic and high blood pressure among Black and White adults in the CHS and REGARDS studies across three spatial levels: ZCTA, census tract, and county. We used the Index of Concentration at the Extremes (ICE) to measure SSP across socioeconomic domains including race/ethnicity, income, joint race/ethnicity with income, and home ownership using ZCTA-, census tract-, and county-level data. We computed quintiles for each geographic level, with quintile 1 representing the most deprived area and quintile 5 representing the most privileged for each SSP domain measured. High BP was defined as a treated or untreated blood pressure >140/90 mmHg. Multilevel mixed-effects regression models were adjusted for source study and a priori defined covariates with a random intercept for spatial level. The magnitude of the association between spatial privilege and blood pressure was higher at more local levels. We found that study participants who resided in the most polarized and disadvantaged quintile for race/ethnicity had an odds ratio of 1.01 (95% CI: 0.87, 1.16), 1.20 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.35), and 1.24 (95% CI: 1.09, 1.40) at the county, ZCTA, and tract level respectively for high blood pressure compared to those in the most polarized privileged groups for race/ethnicity. Similar results were found for systolic blood pressure, though results varied by the ICE domain examined. These varying effects as a result of MAUP may be functions of the larger area units not capturing the underlying granular SSP distributions of deprivation and privilege and washing out the total effects of spatial polarization on blood pressure.

Drought Stress Inhibits Starch Accumulation in Taro (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott).

Colocasia esculenta L. Schott is a main traditional root crop in China, serving as an important vegetable and staple food. Drought stress plays vital role on the growth and development of taro corm. Two different varieties of taro in Jiangsu were selected: Xiangsha taro and Longxiang taro. The accumulation characteristics, morphological structure, and physicochemical properties of taro corm starch were studied by microscopic observation, particle size analysis, and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis. Transcriptome analyses were used to identify the related genes of taro corm under drought stress. During the growth of taro, the number of amyloplasts showed an obvious increasing trend and shifted from being dispersed throughout the cells to being gathered on one side of the cells, and morphological observations showed that smaller granular distribution gradually changed to a larger lumpy distribution. The particle size of Longxiang taro is smaller than that of Xiangsha taro. Under drought stress conditions, the occurrence of starch grains and corm size were inhibited in Xiangsha taro. Transcriptome sequencing of drought-stressed taro corms showed that the enzymes related to starch synthesis were differentially expressed. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis of drought-stressed taro corms showed that drought affected hormone signal transduction, material metabolism, drought stress tolerance, plant growth and development, and stress resistance, which triggered the plant drought adaptive response. Drought stress inhibits starch accumulation in taro.

High-dimensional phenotyping to define the genetic basis of cellular morphology

The morphology of cells is dynamic and mediated by genetic and environmental factors. Characterizing how genetic variation impacts cell morphology can provide an important link between disease association and cellular function. Here, we combine genomic sequencing and high-content imaging approaches on iPSCs from 297 unique donors to investigate the relationship between genetic variants and cellular morphology to map what we term cell morphological quantitative trait loci (cmQTLs). We identify novel associations between rare protein altering variants in WASF2, TSPAN15, and PRLR with several morphological traits related to cell shape, nucleic granularity, and mitochondrial distribution. Knockdown of these genes by CRISPRi confirms their role in cell morphology. Analysis of common variants yields one significant association and nominate over 300 variants with suggestive evidence (P < 10−6) of association with one or more morphology traits. We then use these data to make predictions about sample size requirements for increasing discovery in cellular genetic studies. We conclude that, similar to molecular phenotypes, morphological profiling can yield insight about the function of genes and variants.

Effect of Coal Particle Breakage on Gas Desorption Rate during Coal and Gas Outburst

The gas contained in coal plays a crucial role in triggering coal and gas outbursts. During an outburst, a large quantity of gas originally absorbed by coal is released from pulverized coal. The role this part of the gas plays in the process of coal and gas outbursts has not been clearly elucidated yet. Therefore, investigating the changes in gas desorption rate from coal particles of different sizes could provide some meaningful insights into the outburst process and improve our understanding of the outburst mechanism. First, combining the diffusivity of coal of different particle sizes and the distribution function of broken coal, we present a gas desorption model for fragmented gas-bearing coal that can quantify gas desorption from coal particles within a certain range of size. Second, the gas desorption rate ratio is defined as the ratio of the gas desorption rate from coal being crushed to that from coal before breaking. The desorption rate ratio is mainly determined by the desorption index (γ) and the granularity distribution index (α). Within the limit range of coal particle sizes, the ratio of effective diffusion coefficient for coal particles with different sizes is directly proportional to the reciprocal of the ratio of particle sizes. Under uniform particle size conditions before and after fragmentation, the gas desorption rate ratio is the square root of the reciprocal of the effective diffusion coefficient. The gas desorption model quantitatively elucidates the accelerated desorption of adsorbed gas in coal during the continuous fragmentation process of coal during an outburst.

Effects of different oocyte cytoplasmic granulation patterns on embryo development and euploidy: a sibling oocyte control study.

This study evaluated the relationship between cytoplasmic granulation patterns and the developmental potential of mature sibling oocytes. Data from 54 cycles of preimplantation genetic tests for structural rearrangement from July 2019 to June 2022 were analyzed. In total, 564 embryos were cultured using a time-lapse system. Sibling oocytes were divided into four groups based on cytoplasmic granulation patterns: fine granulation (FG) group (n = 177), central granulation (CG) group (n = 183), dispersed granulation (DG) group (n = 161), and uneven granulation (UG) group (n = 43). The CG group was further divided into three groups (grades I, II, and III) based on the tertile of the ratio of central granular distribution area to oocyte area. Fertilization rate, embryo morphokinetics, chromosomal ploidy, and clinical outcomes of the groups were compared. No significant differences were observed in morphokinetic parameters, fertilization rate, embryo production, blastocyst formation, and aneuploidy rates among the different cytoplasmic-granulation pattern groups. However, embryos derived from CG oocytes showed significantly higher aneuploidy rates in grade III compared to grade I (86.21% vs 61.54%, P = 0.036) or grade II (86.21% vs 56.00%, P = 0.013). Thirty embryos were transferred to the uteri of female patients and the clinical pregnancy and live birth rates did not significantly differ among groups. Cytoplasmic granulation patterns may not affect embryo fertilization, development speed, and aneuploidy rates. However, a higher grade of CG may be associated with increased aneuploidy rates. Larger sample sizes are required to explore the impact of oocyte cytoplasmic granulation patterns on embryo implantation potential.

Nanoparticles Titanium Dioxide with Thymus vulgaris extract in preservation and prolong the shelf life of cheese

Cheese is considered a perishable food that is affected by microorganisms, and due to the properties of nanomaterials that have antimicrobial activity, they have been used synergistically with plant extracts in inhibiting the action of microorganisms that cause cheese spoilage. In this study, TiO2 (Titanium dioxide) nanoparticles were synthesized using Thymus vulgaris leaves extract (TVLE) . Atomic Force Microscopywas used to investigate Titanium dioxide/ TVLE nanoparticles characterize, which improved the regular spherical shape and granular distribution of nanoparticles with a particle size of 13 nm . The results showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Titanium dioxide was at a concentration of 4 mg/ml and 80 mg/ml for TVLE, while it was 2 + 20 mg /ml for Titanium dioxide and TVLE .The inhibitory effect increased against Brucella melitensis recorded 12 mm when mixing Titanium dioxide and TVLE, compared with the inhibitory effect of Titanium dioxide, which recorded 10.5 mm and TVLE, with an inhibition diameter 8.1 mm. The effect of using titanium particles and thyme leaves’ extract was studied alone at a concentration of 4 mg/ml and 80 mg/ml and also when mixed in the microbial properties and pH of white soft cheese samples, which were prepared in the laboratory and contaminated with Brucella melitensis at refrigerated storage conditions (5Cº) for 21days. The effect of the synergism relationship between TiO2 / TVLE significantly reduced the total number of microorganisms in samples contaminated and uncontaminated with B. melitensis. Adding titanium dioxide and TVLE at concentrations of 4 and 80 mg/ml contributed significantly to maintaining the pH level during the storage period compared with the control group.

Investigation on optimal selection of multi-nozzle spray dust suppression parameters for air-operated spraying system

To evaluate the granularity distribution pattern for multi-nozzle interference spray, the two-phase flow state inside the nozzle and the fragmentation process of the droplet particles in the eddy current field is studied, and the atomization characteristics of the multi-nozzle spray interference process is simulated based on CFD technology. The results indicate that the braking distance in the atomization field decreases with the increase of atomization pressure, and the decreasing speed is slower, in contrast, the atomizing angle increases with the rise in atomization pressure and the decrease of nozzle diameter. Compared with the single nozzle atomization field, the multi-nozzle atomization field has a more uniform distribution of droplet particles through collision, polymerization and rupture, which can achieve a better dust removal effect. By increasing the atomization pressure, the multi-nozzle interference atomization area can be formed faster, the droplet size is more refined, and the distribution is more uniform. Under the optimal parameters, practical testing indicates that the multi-nozzle air-operated atomization system makes the total dust and respirable dust concentrations at the various measuring points decrease rapidly, and the maximum suppression rates reach 95.52% and 96.84%, respectively.

Microstructure and Anisotropy of Mechanical Properties of Al-3Li-1Cu-0.4Mg-0.1Er-0.1Zr Alloys Prepared by Normal Rolling and Cross-Rolling

The influence of normal rolling and cross-rolling on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and anisotropy of Al-3Li-1Cu-0.4Mg-0.1Er-0.1Zr alloy was investigated. With an increase in the rolling reduction amount, both the strength and plasticity of the alloy are enhanced. Among them, the alloy in the normal rolling state with a deformation amount of 90% exhibits the best properties, with a tensile strength of 362 MPa and an elongation of 19.1% along the rolling direction. During the rolling process, the intergranular Cu-containing phase in the alloy is continuously broken and dissolved, leading to a decrease in both size and quantity, turning from continuous distribution along grain boundaries to a granular distribution. Moreover, a large quantity of the Al3Li phase and Al3(Er, Zr, Li) core–shell composite phase are precipitated in the alloy. Recrystallization occurs mainly through the particle stimulated nucleation (PSN) mechanism. Cross-rolling eliminates the brass-type texture &lt;111&gt; produced by normal rolling and enhances the brass R-type texture {111}&lt;112&gt;. The index of plane anisotropy (IPA) of the strength decreases from 10.1% for normal rolling to 5.5% for cross-rolling, and the IPA of elongation decreases from 12.8% to 3.3%. Cross-rolling provides an effective method to reduce the anisotropy of Al-Li alloys.

A deep learning-based method for detecting granular fertilizer deposition distribution patterns in centrifugal variable-rate spreader fertilization

Beginning with the problems of high cost, low efficiency and high working intensity of traditional granular fertilizer deposition distribution detection methods, this study proposes an automatic detection system of granular fertilizer deposition distribution pattern based on deep learning method. The system analyzes the distribution pattern of granular fertilizer deposition on the ground and allows for parameter calibration, performance evaluation and structural optimization of fertilizer spreading devices. In this study, hardware and software parts of the proposed system were designed. The hardware part primarily includes a customized fertilizer calibration mat, an image acquisition device, a system control terminal, and a processing core to realize image acquisition, storage, data processing, and system control functions. For the software part, a granular fertilizer identification algorithm was designed; in addition, the granular fertilizer instance segmentation network model F-TPP (Fertilizer-Swin Transformer PANet partition) was proposed that integrated the Swin Transformer network and path aggregation network (PANet) to address the problems associated with extremely small and relatively dense targets in the detection of granular fertilizers. Moreover, the F-TPP network model optimized the Anchor generation scale for appropriate segmentation detection of granular fertilizers. The experimental results show that the F-TPP network model outperformed comparison conventional network models, such as Mask R-CNN, SOLO, and YOLOv5. Indeed, the detection efficiency of the proposed model was higher than that of conventional models for small and dense granular fertilizers. The proposed model yielded a detection precision, recall rate, and F1 score of 93.8%, 96.3%, and 0.95, respectively. The F-TPP network model improves the segmentation precision of granular fertilizer; thus, it improves the accuracy of automatically-deposited fertilizers. According to the experimental results, the proposed detection method yielded maximum absolute and relative errors of 0.59 g and 5.25%, respectively.

Phosphoric acid functionalized carbon dots for supercapacitor applications

The improvement of energy storage technologies with green materials is essential for a sustainable future. In this study, oleic acid carbon dots (CDs) were functionalized with phosphoric acid to find its influence on Ni-foam electrodes for supercapacitor applications. The carbon dots and electrodes were characterized using UV–Vis, PL, FT-IR, FESEM, TGA, and DSC. The changes in morphology, thermal stability, and other characteristics of Ni-foam with the incorporation of carbon dots have been discussed. Specifically, phosphoric acid functionalized CDs have been found to possess a unique granular distribution on the electrode with lower thermal stability than bare Ni-foam. Electrochemical investigation involved CV, GCD, and EIS techniques. The results from electrochemical tests indicate an enhancement in the electrochemical performance of Ni-foam with the addition of functionalized CDs. CV results indicate quasi-reversible peaks for the studied systems. A lowering in resistance with the addition of phosphoric acid functionalized CDs was concluded and the specific capacitance was obtained to be 2.08 Fg Overall, this study will also help in understanding the changes in physical and electrochemical characteristics of electrodes with the addition of functionalized CDs.