Minimum Drop Research Articles

Improvement of the continuous "pipe in pipe" pasteurization unit

The result of improving the pasteurizer is a 6-fold decrease in the specific metal consumption by the device, in comparison with the basic design (26 kg/m 2 versus 160 kg/m 2 ). The duration of heating and pasteurization of drinking milk at a temperature of 73...77 °C while aging over 15...20 s is 27.5 s, which is 1.8 times less. A reduction in the heat consumption for heating the apparatus is achieved, which is 1,372.8 kJ (CPiPPU – Continuous in pipe pasteurization unit), in comparison to the consumption by the basic pasteurizer, 8,448 kJ. The uniformity of flow heating was established when its speed changes from 0.03 to 0.40 m/s for various heat supply techniques; under the condition υ=0.4 m/s, a temperature drop is ensured: at internal heating ‒ 1.4 °C; in the basic design with external heating by a hot heat carrier ‒ 2.7 °C; and in the proposed CPiPPU with double-sided heating ‒ 0.5 °C. The comparison of heat supply techniques confirms the heat exchange efficiency of raw material processing by CPiPPU while ensuring a minimum temperature drop. The improved continuous pipe-in-pipe pasteurization unit based on the double-sided heating by a flexible film resistive electric heater of the radiating type (FFREHRT) is resource-efficient and can be used to heat food raw materials in the temperature range 15...110 °C

Impact of local left atrial wall thickness on the incidence of acute pulmonary vein reconnection after Ablation Index-guided atrial fibrillation ablation.

Although Ablation Index (AI)-guided ablation facilitates creation of lesions of consistent depth, pulmonary vein (PV) reconnection is still commonly observed after AI-guided pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). The present study aimed to investigate the impact of local left atrial wall thickness on the incidence of acute PV reconnection after AI-guided atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. Seventy patients (63% paroxysmal AF, 67% male, mean age 63±8years) who underwent preprocedural CT imaging and AI-guided AF ablation were studied. Occurrence of acute PV reconnection after initial PVI was assessed after a 30-minute waiting period. Ablation procedures were retrospectively analyzed and each ablation circle was subdivided into 8 segments. Minimum AI, force-time integral, contact force, ablation duration, power, impedance drop and maximum interlesion distance were determined for each segment. PV antrum wall thickness was assessed for each segment on reconstructed CT images based on patient-specific thresholds in Hounsfield Units. Acute reconnection occurred in 27/1120 segments (2%, 15 anterior/roof, 12 posterior/inferior) in 19/140 ablation circles (14%). Reconnected segments were characterized by a greater local atrial wall thickness, both in anterior/roof (1.87±0.42 vs. 1.54±0.42mm; p<0.01) and posterior/inferior (1.43±0.20 vs. 1.16±0.22mm; p<0.01) segments. Minimum AI, force-time integral, contact force, ablation duration, power, impedance drop and maximum interlesion distance were not associated with acute reconnection. Local atrial wall thickness is associated with acute pulmonary vein reconnection after AI-guided PVI. Individualized AI targets based on local wall thickness may be of use to create transmural ablation lesions and prevent PV reconnection after PVI.

Voltage drop analysis and leakage suppression design for mineral-insulated cables

ABSTRACT The influence of materials of mineral-insulated (MI) cables on their electrical characteristics upon exposure to high-temperature conditions was examined via a transmission test, in the objective of achieving the stability of the potential distribution along the cable length. Occurrence of a voltage drop along the cable was confirmed for aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and magnesium oxide (MgO), as insulating materials of the MI cable. A finite-element method (FEM)-based analysis was performed to evaluate the leakage in the potentials, which was found at the terminal end. Voltage drop yields by the transmission test and the analysis were in good agreement for the MI cable of Al2O3 and MgO materials, which suggests the reproducibility of the magnitude relationship of the experimental results via the FEM analysis. To suppress the voltage drop, the same FEM analysis was conducted, the diameter of the core wires (d) and the distance between them (l) were varied. Considering the variation of d, the potential distribution in the MI cable produced a minimum voltage drop corresponding to a ratio d/D of 0.35, obtained by dividing d with that of the insulating material (D). In case of varying l, a minimum voltage drop was l/D of 0.5.

666Impact of local left atrial wall thickness on the incidence of acute pulmonary vein reconnection after ablation index-guided ablation

Abstract Background/Introduction Pulmonary vein reconnection is considered a major determinant of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Ablation Index (AI)-guided ablation allows for the creation of ablation lesions of consistent depth and may reduce the incidence of pulmonary vein reconnection after PVI. However, anatomical and imaging studies have demonstrated an important inter- and intra-patient variability of left atrial wall thickness, which can result in non-transmural ablation lesion formation in thicker segments. Purpose The present study aimed to investigate the impact of local left atrial wall thickness on the incidence of acute pulmonary vein reconnection after AI-guided AF ablation. Methods Consecutive AF patients who underwent cardiac computed tomography (CT) imaging prior to AI-guided ablation between December 2017 and September 2019 were studied. AI targets were 500 for anterior/roof and 380 for posterior/inferior segments with a maximum interlesion distance of 6 mm. Occurrence of acute pulmonary vein reconnection after initial PVI was assessed after a 30-minute waiting period. Ablation procedures were analysed offline to determine minimum AI, force-time integral, contact force, ablation duration, power, impedance drop and maximum interlesion distance for each segment according to a 16-segment model. Pulmonary vein antrum wall thickness was assessed for each segment on reconstructed CT images based on patient-specific thresholds in Hounsfield Units, using a previously described method. Results Seventy patients (63% paroxysmal AF, 67% male, mean age 63 ± 8 years) who underwent preprocedural CT imaging and AI-guided AF ablation were studied. Acute reconnection (AR) occurred in 27/1152 segments (2%, 15 anterior/roof, 12 posterior/inferior) in 17/70 (24%) patients. Anterior/roof segments were thicker than posterior/inferior segments (1.48 [1.23-1.80] vs. 1.13 [1.00-1.30] mm; p &amp;lt; 0.01). Reconnected segments were characterised by a greater local atrial wall thickness, both in anterior/roof (1.83 [1.60-2.00] vs. 1.47 [1.20-1.80] mm; p &amp;lt; 0.01) and posterior/inferior (1.38 [1.25-1.50] vs. 1.13 [1.00-1.27] mm; p &amp;lt; 0.01) segments (Figure 1). Minimum AI, force-time integral, contact force, ablation duration, power, impedance drop and maximum interlesion distance were not associated with acute pulmonary vein reconnection. Conclusion Local atrial wall thickness is associated with acute pulmonary vein reconnection after AI-guided PVI. Individualised AI targets based on local wall thickness may be of use to create transmural ablation lesions and prevent pulmonary vein reconnection after PVI. Abstract Figure. Impact of wall thickness on reconnection

Gene expression studies of Saccharum spontaneum, a wild relative of sugarcane in response to salinity stress.

The study is aimed to assess the morphological, physiological, and molecular responses of seven Saccharum spontaneum clones for salinity stress. These clones (IND-07-1462, IND-07-1465, IND-07-1470, IND-07-1471, IND 16-1761, IND 16-1762, and IND 16-1763) were subjected to salinity stress at two different concentrations of electrical conductivity 6 and 8 ds/m after 60 days of planting. All seven genotypes showed a decrease in relative water content and nitrate reductase activity with an increase in severity of salt stress. The effect was more pronounced in IND-07-1471, while IND-16-1762 exhibited only a minimum drop. Similarly we observed an increase in proline content and lipid peroxidation activity for the genotype IND-07-1471, while IND-16-1762 showed minimum increase. Molecular profiling of genes/transcription factors like salt overly sensitive, responsive to abscissic acid, dirigent, myeloblastosis, ethylene responsive factor associated with salinity stress tolerance showed 19-, 18-, 17-, 10-, and 9-fold increased expression at 8 ds/m of salinity stress, respectively, in IND-16-1762 showed. Based on the evidences obtained from expression profiling, we have cloned the conserved regions of RAB and SOS1 genes. The domain of SOS and RAB was identified as a regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinases which is involved in a signaling pathway.

Electronic and magnetic structure of infinite-layer NdNiO2: trace of antiferromagnetic metal

The recent discovery of Sr-doped infinite-layer nickelate NdNiO2 offers a new platform for investigating unconventional superconductivity in nickelate-based compounds. Most intriguingly, the resistivity minimum and Hall coefficient drop were identified simultaneously in the experiment, reflecting a novel electronic structure and transport property of NdNiO2. Driven by this pioneering work, we present a first-principles calculation for the electronic and magnetic structure of undoped parent NdNiO2. By taking into account experimentally relevant interaction strength, we found that (π, π, π) antiferromagnetic NdNiO2 is a compensated bad metal with small Fermi pockets. However, due to the small exchange coupling between 3d-electrons of Ni and strong hybridization with 5d-electrons of Nd, the discovered antiferromagnetic ordering is very weak. Crucially, with the decreasing of temperature, there exists a phase transition between good paramagnetic metal and bad AFM metal. The estimated transition temperature is ~70–90 K, which is consistent with that for observing the resistivity minimum and Hall coefficient drop. In this regarding, our results provide a plausible physical interpretation for these significant experimental observations.

The harmful effect of removing the extracellular vitrification medium during embryo cryopreservation using a nylon mesh device in rabbit

During the last decades, many techniques have been developed to reduce sample volume and improve cooling and warming rates during embryo vitrification. The vast majority are based on the “minimum drop size” concept, in which the vitrification solution around embryos is reduced by aspiration, leaving a tiny part of volume surrounding embryos. However, novel cryodevices were aimed to remove the entire vitrification solution. This study was designed to compare the “minimum drop size” technique using Cryotop® with the nylon mesh as cryodevice on rabbit morula embryos. The outcomes assessed were the in vitro development rates (experiment 1) and the offspring rates at birth (experiment 2). Embryos were vitrified in a two-step procedure; equilibrium (10% EG + 10% Me2SO) for 2 min and vitrification (20% EG + 20% Me2SO) for 1 min. In experiment 1, embryos (n = 323) were warmed and subsequently in vitro cultured for 48 h to assess the embryo developmental capability to reach the hatching-hatched blastocyst stage. In experiment 2, embryos were transferred using the laparoscopic technique (n = 369) to assess the offspring rate at birth. In this context, rates of in vitro embryo development were similar between vitrified groups (0.73 ± 0.042% and 0.66 ± 0.047% for Cryotop® and nylon mesh device, respectively), but lower than in the fresh group (0.97 ± 0.016%, p < 0.05). In experiment 2, there were no significant differences in survival rates (offspring born/total embryos transferred) among the Cryotop® device group and fresh group (0.41 ± 0.049% and 0.49 ± 0.050%, respectively). But significantly lower value was obtained in the nylon mesh device group (0.18 ± 0.030%). These results indicate that nylon mesh is not suitable as cryodevice for rabbit morula vitrification, remaining those using the “minimum drop size” methodology as the best option.

Dynamics of liquid drops levitating on superheated surfaces

The determination of the spreading dynamics and Leidenfrost temperature of drops impacting on a superheated surface is very complicated because it needs the rigorous determination of relevant time and length scales. We experimentally measured the parameters related to these phenomena for different fluid drops (water, ethanol, and FC-72). Although the drop spreading dynamics, which are represented by the maximum spreading ratio, can be qualitatively modeled by existing energy (kinetic, surface, and viscous dissipation energies) conservation theory, we find that the estimates for the surface area of the drop and the relevant length and time scales should be modified for the accuracy and generality of the model. For drops with a low Weber number, the side surface area should be considered. Further, using experimental data, we reveal that the minimum drop thickness and time scale expressed by the thickness are more suitable for describing the spreading dynamics than the drop diameter and relevant time scale. Moreover, we present a scaling procedure for the Leidenfrost temperature, for which a proper scale for the vapor film thickness is essential. As a result of the scaling analysis, the vapor film thickness scale is expressed in terms of the drop diameter and as a power function of the Weber number. Together with the scaling result, we propose a Leidenfrost temperature scale relation.

Thermodynamic Performance Analysis of Hydrofluoroolefins (HFO) Refrigerants in Commercial Air-Conditioning Systems for Sustainable Environment

Global warming is one of most severe environmental concerns that our planet is facing today. One of its causes is the previous generation of refrigerants that, upon release, remain in the atmosphere for longer periods and contribute towards global warming. This issue could potentially be solved by replacing the previous generation’s high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants with environmentally friendly refrigerants. This scenario requires an analysis of new refrigerants for a comparison of the thermodynamic properties of the previously used refrigerants. In the present research, a numerical study was conducted to analyze the thermodynamic performance of specifically low GWP hydrofluoroolefens (HFO) refrigerants for an actual vapor compression refrigeration cycle (VCRC) with a constant degree of 3 K superheat. The output parameters included the refrigeration effect, compressor work input, the coefficient of performance (COP), and the volumetric refrigeration capacity (VRC), all of which were calculated by varying the condenser pressure from 6 to 12 bars and vapor pressure from 0.7 to 1.9 bars. Results showed that R1234ze(Z) clearly possessed the desired thermodynamic performance. The drop in refrigeration effect for R1234ze(Z) was merely 14.6% less than that of R134a at a 12 bar condenser pressure; this was minimum drop among candidate refrigerants. The drop in the COP was the minimum for R1234ze(Z)—5.1% less than that of R134a at a 9 bar condenser pressure and 4.7% less than that of R134a at a 1.9 bar evaporator pressure, whereas the COP values of the other refrigerants dropped more drastically at higher condenser pressures. R1234ze(Z) possessed favorable thermodynamic characteristics, with a GWP of 7, and it can serve as an alternative refrigerant for refrigeration systems for a sustainable environment.

Impedance drop predicts acute electrical reconnection of the pulmonary vein-left atrium after pulmonary vein isolation using short-duration high-power exposure.

To determine the efficacy and identify the relevant factors for durable lesion creation in pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) using a high-power short-duration (HPSD) strategy. Thirty-two consecutive patients who underwent PVI using HPSD (50W) (HP group: HP-G) were compared with 32 controls using normal power (25-40W) (conventional group: C-G). The segments were divided into 12 segments per group; thus, there were 768 segments for analysis. Radiofrequency (RF) ablation (RFA) was mainly performed under guidance with a unipolar electrogram at the distal tip of the ablation catheter in both groups. The high-power strategy reduced radiofrequency energy (P < 0.0001), RFA time (P < 0.0001), acute pulmonary vein reconnection (PVR) segments (P = 0.02), and several three-dimensional-mapping-related indices except for minimum impedance drop (Imp-min). There was a significant difference only in Imp-min between the subjects with acute PVR and those without in the HP-G (P = 0.002). Multivariate analysis revealed Imp-min to be the only independent predictor of the absence of PVR after adjusting for maximum inter-lesion distance and minimum ablation index (odds ratio [OR] 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-1.39, P = 0.001). In the region-specific analysis, this was attenuated in posterior segments, where the HP strategy independently predicted the absence of PVR (OR 2.80 [95% CI 1.32-6.30], P = 0.007). The HPSD strategy reduced RF time, RF energy, and three-dimensional mapping-related indices but also improved the acute outcome. The HP strategy may be a sophisticated strategy under guidance with the impedance drop rather than the ablation index.

A Multi-Objective Model Checking for Transmission Policy Optimization in Hybrid Powered Small Cell Networks

In the fifth generation (5G) communication system, maximizing energy utilization is one of the key challenges especially with limited green energy sources. In particular, it is important to determine the optimal transmission policy for the hybrid model with grid and green energy in small cell networks. The optimal transmission policy should minimize both grid power consumption and wastage of green harvested energy at the same time; while satisfying the quality of service (QoS) requirements such as minimum packet drop probability. In contrast to existing policies with a single objective for the hybrid powered small cell networks, the proposed transmission policy adopts a multi-objective model checking for Markov decision process (MOMC-MDP) with a linear temporal logic (LTL) scheme. The MOMC-MDP firstly determines all feasible decisions for packet transmissions in every time slot, and then chooses one of the best feasible decisions to obtain the optimal transmission policy. Three dimension Markov decision process (3D-MDP) that includes packet buffer, battery capacity, and channel state, are used with the age of information (AoI) of the packet arrivals to improve the overall performance of the proposed MOMC-MDP scheme. Numerical results validate that the proposed MOMC-MDP with AoI can provide higher green energy utilization compared to the conventional MDP-based schemes.

Effect of calcium, boron and sorbitol on fruit set, yield and quality of mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. langra.

Low fruit setting and heavy fruit drop in cv. Langra is a serious problem for mango growers despite the profuse flowering, good fruit setting. Some chemicals like Calcium nitrate, Boric and Sorbitol are able to minimize the loss. The experiment was conducted during the two successive seasons in the years 2012 & 2013 on mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Langra with treatments T1-( Calcium nitrate @0.06%), T2-(Boric acid @0.02%), T3-(Sorbitol @2.0%) T4-(Calcium nitrate @ 0.06% + Boric acid @ 0.02%), T5-(Calcium nitrate @ 0.06% + Sorbitol @ 2.0%), T6-(Boric acid @ 0.02% + Sorbitol @ 2.0%) and T7-(Control) with four replications to study on fruit set, yield and quality. The pooled data for the year 2012 and 2013 indicated that the foliar spray of Boric acid @ 0.02% significantly performed better result in regards to highest pulp (78.60%), TSS (19.080Brix), total sugar (11.57%), reducing sugar (2.68%), non-reducing sugar (8.89%), ascorbic acid (33.76mg/100gfw) and carotenoids (8.62mg/100gfw) with lowest value peel (7.45%), stone (13.86%) and acidity (0.30%). The combination effect of Calcium nitrate @ 0.06% + Boric acid @ 0.02% significantly proves better in respect of minimum fruit drop percent (91.19%), whereas; maximum in control (97.35%) as well as in terms of increasing fruit set and yield (138.43kg/tree) of mango cv. Langra.

Энергосберегающая методика изучения физической модели высоковольтного инвертора на основе электронно-лучевого клапана

The schemes of inverters applied in static reactive power compensators (SRPC) are as a rule developed with the use of power semiconductor devices (PSD); however, attempts to develop industry-grade prototypes of high-voltage inverters on the basis of serially produced vacuum-tube devices (VTD) are also made. High-voltage electron beam valves (EBV), which feature—owing to beam recovery at the anode — the minimum possible voltage drop across the anode-cathode section in the conductive state among the VTDs and a high steepness of the impulse front and trailing edges in comparison with PSDs, seem to be promising for such applications. An EBV was simulated in the EWB circuit engineering computer program environment to determine the minimum permissible load resistance at which the EBV has the maximum electrical efficiency up to 0.99. To determine whether it is advisable to construct such inverters, it is necessary to conduct not only theoretical, but also experimental investigations on physical models using dedicated test benches. A high-voltage energy-saving bench for testing EBVs operating within the SRPC circuit in an inverter mode has been developed. The bench takes power supply from the 3x380 V, 50 Hz network. The bench comprises a three-phase high-voltage transformer, using which the power supply voltage can be increased to a 40 kV level. This voltage is rectified according to the Larionov bridge scheme, and, owing to an artificial midpoint, the 0 to +20 kV and 0 to -20 kV voltages with the maximum current up to 1 A are obtained. The voltage amplitude can be smoothly varied using a three-phase electromechanical regulator installed in the high-voltage transformer primary winding. A 50 Hz sine-wave voltage is produced in the inverter mode by means of pulse-width modulation (PWM) with a clock frequency smoothly variable in the 1...3 kHz range and is applied to a water equivalent of load. To increase the bench power level during the test and achieve energy saving, a gating logic device (GLD) was introduced, which allows the EBV control system to operate in an intermittent PWM generation mode. The GLD produces pulses using which three cycles of a 50 Hz sine-wave voltage (with the total duration equal to 60 ms) repeating at approximately 1.2 s intervals are generated. The use of the GLD producing packs of control pulses makes it possible to study the EBV operation modes on the bench at a short-term power of up to 200 kW in pulse-periodic mode, which is significantly (by 10.20 times) higher than the average power of the bench constant-voltage network power supply source. The GLD output voltage waveforms and the load voltage and current front and trailing edge waveforms are given.

Determination of the minimum drop height of the spherical grains in the solution of the treater

One of the main reserves for increasing grain production is the use for sowing high-quality seeds, purified from impurities and pathogens. One of the main ways to protect the seed from various diseases is dressing. The most effective way to protect seeds from disease is wet dressing with the simultaneous release of grain impurities. To develop a device for cleaning and dressing seeds by density using a wet method, an estimate was made of the minimum height of the fall of the grain needed to overcome the surface tension of the liquid. As objects of research, pea seeds were used, having a shape close to a spherical. Therefore, a spherical grains with a density ρz = (1.15-1.45)·103 kg/m3 and a diameter of 2rz = (3.5-10.9)·10-3 m was taken as a model of pea seed. We study the fall of individual spherical grains with minimal (2rzmin = 3.5·10-3 m) and maximum (2rzmax. = 10.9·10-3 m)) linear dimensions that have a density ρz = 1.15; 1.25; 1.35 and 1.45·103 kg/m3. Drop occurs on the surface of the water (ρzh = 1.0·103 kg/m3) and the aqueous solution of the etchant (ρzh = 1.03; 1.06; 1.09; 1.12 and 1.15·103 kg/m3), with Corresponding coefficients σ of surface tension (0.0727; 0.0755; 0.0771; 0.0786; 0.0801, 0.0816 N/m) and hydrodynamic drag coefficients c = 0.4 (0.5 for ρzh = 1.12·103 and 1.15·103 kg/m3). The process of dressing grain is considered at a temperature of 20 °C. It was established that the minimum drop height h to overcome the surface tension of the dressing solution with all spherical grains should be 15.5·10-3 m.

Study on electrochemical properties of Al-Ga-Mn-Ca-Cu alloy electrode alkaline system

This study is aimed to study a new type of Al-Ga-Mn-Ca-Cu anode alloy. The corrosion behavior and electrochemical performance of the alloy in different concentrations of NaOH solution were studied. The micro-corrosion morphology of the alloy anode was observed. The conclusion is as follows: With the increase of the concentration of NaOH solution, the alloy anode film resistance Rf and the pore resistance Rpor are reduced, so that the reaction rate of the anode of the reaction alloy is increased, the activity is improved, and the reaction of the alloy anode is facilitated; The main corrosion factor of alloy anode is hydrogen evolution corrosion. Therefore, inhibition of hydrogen evolution corrosion on the basis of maintaining anode activity is the next research focus of the alloy anode. When the alloy anode is continuously constant current discharge at different current densities, the voltage of 5mol/L NaOH solution the minimum drop is the most stable; the comprehensive performance is 4mol/L NaOH solution, and the discharge performance is the best, the Al-0.017Ga-0.885Mn-0.038Ca-0.048Cu (wt.%) alloy has a lower corrosion rate in the 4mol/L NaOH solution. The higher discharge voltage and the highest anode energy density are more suitable for continuous constant current discharge at different current densities; the constant current discharge and EIS results of the alloy agree well with the corrosion characteristics.

Encapsulation with an interfacial liquid layer: Robust and efficient liquid-liquid wrapping

HypothesisWe developed an impact driven liquid-based encapsulation method by utilizing the fundamental thermodynamic tendency of a suitable three-liquid combination towards formation of a core-shell structure. ExperimentsStable wrapping is achieved by impinging a core drop from a vertical separation on an interfacial liquid film floating on a host liquid bath. The resulting interfacial dynamics is captured using a high-speed camera. Several combinations of impact height and interfacial film thickness are investigated for a quantitative description of the phenomena. FindingsThe stability and integrity of the liquid encapsulating layer are confirmed both experimentally (by analyzing the under-liquid wetting signature) and theoretically (by equilibrium thermodynamic analysis). Effect of viscous dissipation on the dynamics is explained and a consequent theoretical threshold for minimum allowable drop size is provided. A non-dimensional experimental regime is also constructed for successful encapsulation in terms of impact kinetic energy and interfacial layer thickness. Additionally, the encapsulating layer is shown to protect the core drop even when the core and host liquids are miscible. The demonstrated method is simple to implement yet robust, offers flexibility regarding varying both the size and the material properties of the core and shell liquids and consistently produces stable monodispersed encapsulated drops in an ultrafast manner.

Effect of Surfactant Compound Sprays on The Rate of Adsorption on Different Target Surfaces

The first operation of adsorption on leaf surfaces in pulverization is drop sticking. In the water wettability of the surfaces, the sticking of the drops has a great importance. Drop contact angle, contact height, and contact diameter values in the third and tenth seconds were measured with Drop Shape Analysis 10 device to determine adsorption, spreading, and sticking levels by applying mixtures of ten surface active substances including different contents with pure water to different leaf surfaces. The adsorption and sticking rates of the drops they formed on different leaf surfaces were determined for the time they are obtained from the data obtained in both time periods. Furthermore, the spreading rates of the mixtures prepared by taking into account the change rates during the last seven seconds between these two periods were determined as the sticking rate. Coating shares related to covering rates of different surface active substances with different surface properties on the surface of leaves were evaluated as possible work success according to the adsorption, spreading and sticking levels anticipated in spraying. According to their results on the application surfaces, surface active substances and leaves were evaluated statistically by the SPSS 15 program in terms of their similar properties. It has been found that surface active substance mixtures with sodium carboxymethylcellulose and carboxymethylcellulose contents had the largest drop contact angles and contact heights with the smallest drop contact diameters on the leaf surfaces, and a negative impact on the adsorption performance as they spread very little over seven seconds. It has been determined that drops with surface active substance including trisiloxane + allyloxypolyethyleneglycol and alcoholethoxylate, alkylphenolethoxylate have formed the smallest contact angles, minimum drop heights and largest contact diameters on the surface of the leaves, as well as increased adsorption and sticking by spreading rapidly for seven seconds.

On the applicability range of Cassie–Baxter and Wenzel equation: a numerical study

In this study, the range of applicability for Cassie–Baxter and Wenzel equations for estimating apparent contact angle on rough surfaces is numerically discussed. To do this, circular drops with different sizes are simulated on rough surfaces with a square pillar pattern and randomly distributed cylindrical pillar. With the aid of numerical method, the local surface fraction, local length fraction and local roughness factor for drops with different sizes on the surface are computed. Then, the global surface fraction and global roughness factor have been compared with the local surface fraction and local roughness factor, respectively. Local surface and local length fractions, as well as local roughness factor, behave oscillatory. It has been found that when drop radius is nearly 3 times greater than summation of pillar width and pillar edge-to-edge separation distance, the contact angles calculated through involving local and global surface fractions in Cassie–Baxter equation for the case of square pillar pattern, provided differences lower than ± 1° which is in agreement with the results of Marmur and Bittoun (Langmuir 25(3):1277–1281, 2009). The similar differences limit for contact angles calculated from local and global roughness factors are observed for square pillar pattern at Wenzel state when drop radius is nearly two times greater than the summation of pillar width, pillar edge-to-edge separation distance, and pillar height. Also, when drop size is almost 1000 times greater than the summation of pillar width and pillar edge-to-edge separation distance, the contact angle calculated through involving local surface and length fractions in Cassie–Baxter equation are different by ± 1°. Results of this work determine the minimum drop radius after which, different forms of Cassie–Baxter, as well as Wenzel equations, tend to the answer of their general equations.

ICAFE: Intelligent Congestion Avoidance and Fast Emergency services

Abstract Content Centric Network (CCN) has been envisioned as a paradigm shift from client server architecture. In smart cities, transportation plays an important role where integrated services facilitate citizens through the ease of use, safety, and convenience. In this work, we propose an integrated CCN for intelligent Congestion Avoidance and Fast Emergency (iCAFE) services delivery at road side accidents. One of the significant contributions is a novel content-centric VANET-based protocol called iCAFE, an efficient traffic control algorithm and five unique packet headers for effective communications. In case of accident, emergency packets are broadcast to RSU wherein the forwarding information based (FIB) and pending interest table (PIT) are updated accordingly. The RSU broadcasts interest packets to hospital and sends a rescue message to the ambulance. The RSU also informs nearest RSUs and vehicles to evacuate the affected lane. After the rescue process is completed, the data packet is unicast from the hospital to the RSU and the PIT and FIB are updated. iCAFE achieves a high packet delivery ratio (PDR) with minimum rescue delay (R-Delay), high throughput, minimum network load, smaller collision probability, and minimum packet drop fraction. The iCAFE results are compared with the traffic accidents reduction strategy (TARS).

Response of orchard floor management treatments to soil hydrothermal regimes in nectarine

Being the second important stone fruit crop of Himachal Pradesh, nectarine still requires a great improvisation in floor management. Keeping this objective, a two year study was conducted with various orchard floor management practices on eight year old ‘Snow Queen’ nectarine trees during 2014 and 2015. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design, having seven treatments including control and replicated four times. Among all treatments soil hydrothermal regimes were maintained effectively under grass mulch and black polythene mulch. Grass mulch recorded maximum increase in annual shoot growth (148.25 cm), per cent increase in trunk girth (11.49%), per cent increase in tree height (14.46%) and per cent increase in tree volume (40.84%). Maximum fruit set (74.38%) and fruit yield (26.09 kg/tree) was recorded under nylon mulch mat while minimum fruit drop (16.37%) under grass mulch. Bicolour polythene mulch recorded fruit size (56.90 mm), fruit weight (100.97 g), fruit volume (102.94 cc), pulp to stone ratio (14.65), TSS (12.91 oBrix), total sugars (9.58%) and reducing sugars (4.10%) along with maximum proportion (82.25%) of “A” grade fruits.