Natural Illumination Research Articles

Coupling APS/SPS Techniques for Cu-TiO2 Antibacterial Coating Deposition: Application to Water Treatment

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts in the field of surface decontamination have been redoubled. Finding innovative self-cleaning devices has become a challenge, and several solutions have been proposed in the market in recent years. In this work, an optimized powder/suspension plasma spray process at atmospheric pressure, using a Triplex Pro 210TM torch, is implemented to produce Cu-TiO2 surface coatings on stainless steel. The purpose is to investigate the potential improvement of antibacterial efficacy by the reactive surface species generated from TiO2 photoactivity under irradiation. A water-based suspension, prepared with AnalaR NORMAPURTM TiO2, is used as a precursor to incorporate the photocatalyst into an antibacterial copper matrix. Surface antibacterial tests according to ASTM 2180 standards were performed, and experiments were performed in treated contaminated water. Sub-stoichiometric blue TiO2 coatings showed complete bacterial elimination after 90 min of visible light irradiation, and Cu-TiO2 surface coatings were even able to disinfect the surfaces under white light, making the application interesting for bacterial destruction under natural illumination. These materials are also intended for application in water treatment, including both pathogens and chemical micropollutants, which is a pressing issue facing many countries today.

On-the-go table grape ripeness estimation via proximal snapshot hyperspectral imaging

The monitoring of grapes for ripeness estimation is a practice that enables fruit harvesting at the optimal time. Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) represents a non-destructive and high-throughput alternative to traditional laboratory analyses. Current literature approaches perform hyperspectral measurements using line scan sensors or low-resolution static snapshot cameras, which hinder a fast per-bunch ripeness characterization. We propose a framework for on-the-go collection and processing of proximal snapshot hyperspectral images to estimate single bunch ripeness parameters. Focusing on table grapes (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Red Globe), we collected images under natural illumination with a hyperspectral camera (500–900 nm) mounted on a moving vehicle in an experimental block sited in Piacenza, Italy. We investigated images collected in August and September 2021 representing two ripening stages. The composition of the imaged grape bunches was determined through laboratory chemical analyses to predict Total Soluble Solids (TSS) and anthocyanin concentration. The images were pre-processed via multimodal image registration to correct the unalignment of bands due to the vehicle motion, and the single bunches were automatically identified on false RGB images through a Mask Region-Convolutional Neural Network (Mask R-CNN) instance segmentation network. The mean spectra of the bunches were used as input features of a Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) model to predict the chemical parameters at single bunch and whole vine scales. The regression model of TSS had an R2 (10-fold nested cross-validation) of 0.75 and 0.85 on a per-bunch and per-vine basis, respectively. The regression model of anthocyanin had an R2 of 0.68 and 0.49 on a per-bunch and per-vine basis, respectively. The results suggest the potential of using snapshot hyperspectral images for high-throughput analysis of a per-bunch grape ripeness estimation. The method described in this study could give valuable information to improve grape ripening monitoring and management of harvest operations and even allow for precise and automated robotic harvesting.

Improvement of thermal environment in the outdoor atrium by employing the spray system

Outdoor atriums have recently been applied with increasing frequency for natural illumination, but they produce a harsh thermal environment easily in summer. Moreover, overheating of the outdoor atrium necessitates air-conditioning to moderate indoor thermal comfort. Simultaneously, the substantial heat emissions from air-conditioning outdoor units worsen the outdoor thermal environment, creating a vicious cycle. Traditional passive evaporative methods involving water and greenery, while capable of regulating the thermal environment, suffer from low evaporative efficiency and pose significant challenges. To improve thermal environment in outdoor atriums, the spray system was employed due to its high cooling efficiency, especially in open or semi-open spaces. In this study, a comparative experiment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of using a spray system for evaporative cooling in open outdoor spaces. Furthermore, employing high-efficiency evaporative cooling through spraying to disrupt the vicious cycle of indoor and outdoor thermal environments. The dual goals include regulating indoor and outdoor thermal conditions while also mitigating the local heat island effect. Temperature and humidity distribution within the atrium and adjacent hallways were monitored, along with the impact on air-conditioning operation consumption in neighboring offices. Results showed that the spray system significantly improved the thermal environment in the outdoor atrium, reducing the average and peak air temperatures by 0.94–2.83 °C and 2.92–5.21 °C, respectively. It also resulted in a drop in the average temperature by 0.56–1.62 °C and the peak temperature by 2.31–3.25 °C in adjacent hallways. This effectively eased the issue of overheating in these areas while raising the comfort level in adjacent office spaces. The predicted mean vote decreased from 1.46 to 0.87, indicating a significant improvement in thermal environment in neighboring offices. Furthermore, the daily energy consumption was reduced by 10.6–12.4% in neighboring offices. This study provided the valuable guidance for improving thermal environments within outdoor atrium.

Highly efficient photocatalysis-Fenton degradation of antibiotics and phenol over sulfidated FeOCl under natural sunlight illumination

Sulfidated FeOCl is prepared as a heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalyst. And the surface sulfidation of FeOCl can remarkably accelerate the photoinduced charge separation and transfer, while also increase Fe2+/Fe3+ atomic ratio, leading to the boosted photo-Fenton activity in the presence of H2O2. Under irradiation of natural sunlight (light intensity: ∼80 mW·cm−2), over 10 mg sulfidated FeOCl catalyst with using 20 μL 15 % H2O2, 91.2 % of ofloxacin solution (50 mg·L−1) and 97.5 % of sulfisoxazole solution (60 mg·L−1) can be degraded in 80 min, and 99.6 % of phenol solution (625 mg·L−1) is decomposed in 4 h. Under irradiation of a white Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lamp (light intensity: 5 mW·cm−2), 99.8 % of ofloxacin solution is decomposed after treatment for 4 h. Moreover, this photo-Fenton degradation system displays a stable activity in a wide range of pH (1−10), diverse water bodies, and various coexisting ions with concertation from 1 mM to 500 mM. Moreover, sulfidated FeOCl catalyst coated on a frosted glass sheet exhibits excellent stability for degrading ofloxacin even in seven continuous cycles. Particularly, the non-toxicity of the treated ofloxacin, sulfisoxazole, and phenol solution, have been proven by testing their toxic effects on cabbage seed, bacteria, and human embryonic kidney cell, respectively.

Solar driven photocatalytic colored co–TixOyNz amorphous film prepared through air plasma treatment of sputtered titanium film

Colored co–titanium oxides and oxynitride amorphous thin film were fabricated through air plasma treatment of sputtered titanium films. Air plasma treatment led to the removal of the passive film that developed on the titanium film surface, and changes in the structural and optical properties of the films. The amorphous nature, grain size, and thickness of the films remained invariant after the treatment process. The surface roughness of the films increased upon plasma treatment. UV-vis spectroscopy study showed the reduction of the bandgap energy of the films after the air plasma treatment and the maximum reduction was found for the thinner film. The 60min air plasma treatment of the thinner film (AD5: film with 5 min deposition time) leads to the changes in bandgap from 4.11 eV to 3.26 eV, and significant Urbach energy values pointed to the formation of defect states. XPS analysis highlighted that the plasma treatment process led to the formation of titanium oxides (TiO2, Ti2O3) and oxynitrides (TiON), accompanied with Ti2+ defect states in the bandgap. The degradation of methylene blue dye solution with plasma-treated film (PT5) as the photocatalyst resulted in 88% degradation efficiency under 240min irradiation of solar simulator. The degradation has also been checked with natural solar illumination and is found to have a 90% degradation efficiency in 480min.

A Method for Predicting Ultradian Body Temperature Rhythms in Small Animals.

It has been found that the intraday dynamics of body temperature in small mammal and bird species on the adjacent day are similar. Therefore, by focusing on the body temperature dynamics of the previous day, it is possible to predict with a high degree of accuracy the periods of increase and decrease in body temperature for the current day. This phenomenon was observed when animals were kept under natural illumination and under artificial illumination when the phase of the intrinsic circadian rhythm shifted by 1-2 h every day. When analyzing this phenomenon in birds, it has been shown that the best match for body temperature dynamics occurs when comparing adjacent days based on sidereal days (a period of 23 h and 56 min). Over time, after several days, the daily patterns of body temperature fluctuation take on a completely different form and frequency. These facts suggest a connection between ultradian rhythms and the rotation of the Earth around its axis, and consequently, the position of animals on the surface of the planet relative to space objects.

An Appraisal Of Large-Scale Particle Tracking With Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles

Camera technology is rapidly enhancing within the last years, which led to the availability of sophisticated technical features within consumer cameras, that could only be found in scientific set-ups earlier. The present work explores the possibilities of utilizing the potentials of commercially-available camera drones as moving cameras for large-scale particle tracking velocimetry. We made use of the glare-point particle tracking approach introduced by Kaiser & Rival (2023), where only a single camera and natural illumination, e.g. the sun, could be used. The set-up demonstrated full suitability for large volumes in the order of 10-100 m³. The frame-to-frame camera movement, caused by the slight movement of the drone could be quantified and corrected by an imaged-based approach. The calibration strategy could be simplified due to the fixed set-up in the camera drone. The limits introduced through the tracer size and uncertainty caused by the glare-point approach are discussed accordingly. For the presented magnification and camera set-up given by the DJI Mini 3 pro, the limit in height can be determined when the two most dominant glare points collapse to one, which happened well above 10 m for the present set-up. The equipment together with the glare-point particle tracking approach is best suited for flow information extraction at large-scale facilities or difficult accessible terrain, where the current set-up could depict its strengths.

Analyzing the Relationship Between Chronic Periodontitis and Psychological Stress in Elderly Patients: A Study Protocol.

Although stress is the body's physiological response to challenging life events, chronic exposure to a stressor may not cause stress. In such cases, stress negatively impacts some physiological functions, which can lead to psychosomatic diseases. According to research, inadequate coping mechanisms and long-term stress are factors that moderate the risk and progression of periodontitis. As a result, theories explaining how stress affects the periodontium have been put forth. The clinical examination comprised measurements of the probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level, number of teeth present, and plaque index. The current study uses a questionnaire to examine how psychosocial stress affects periodontium. A written consent form will be obtained after each patient has received an extensive description of the study's objectives. The instrument for diagnosis and natural illumination will be used during the patient's examination. PPD and clinical attachment loss will be compared with a questionnaire. Patients who are under stress should receive additional periodontal care to prevent periodontal disease from emerging or, if the issue already exists, from progressing to a more critical stage. Stress here deserves special attention because it is a natural part of people's life experiences with various intensities.Prejudice suggests that psychological stress and anxiety have a role in the advancement of periodontitis, which is consistent with the findings.

Virtual home staging and relighting from a single panorama under natural illumination

Virtual staging technique can digitally showcase a variety of real-world scenes. However, relighting indoor scenes from a single image is challenging due to unknown scene geometry, material properties, and outdoor spatially-varying lighting. In this study, we use the High Dynamic Range (HDR) technique to capture an indoor panorama and its paired outdoor hemispherical photograph, and we develop a novel inverse rendering approach for scene relighting and editing. Our method consists of four key components: (1) panoramic furniture detection and removal, (2) automatic floor layout design, (3) global rendering with scene geometry, new furniture objects, and the real-time outdoor photograph, and (4) virtual staging with new camera position, outdoor illumination, scene texture, and electrical light. The results demonstrate that a single indoor panorama can be used to generate high-quality virtual scenes under new environmental conditions. Additionally, we contribute a new calibrated HDR (Cali-HDR) dataset that consists of 137 paired indoor and outdoor photographs. The animation for virtual rendered scenes is available here.

Optimizing the indoor thermal environment and daylight performance of buildings with PCM glazing

With the development of energy efficient technologies for glass envelopes, using thermal storage techniques to improve their thermal inertia has become a trend in research. In the present study, the heat transfer and day-lighting models of a building with PCM glazing curtain wall (PGC) were developed. Multiple parameters such as glazing internal surface temperature, PCM liquid phase rate, indoor temperature, natural illumination, and daylighting coefficient were quantitatively analyzed to evaluate their indoor thermal environment and daylighting performance. The results show that the application of PGC can significantly improve indoor temperature uniformity and indoor thermal comfort compared to silica aerogel glass curtain wall (SGC) and hollow glass curtain wall (HGC). By filling 10 mm thick PCM, the temperature fluctuation of the inner surface of the glass and the midpoint temperature of the room can be reduced by 35 %, the peak temperature of the inner surface of the glass can be delayed by 0.89 h, and the average indoor natural light value and indoor daylight factor are satisfactory at 453.26 lx and 9.63 %, respectively. However, as the thickness of the PCM increases to 15 and 20 mm, the liquid fraction of the PCM and the energy storage performance of the PGC are greatly reduced, and natural daylighting does not meet the GB/t-50033-2013 limit.

Oxygen-deficient AgIO3 for efficiently photodegrading organic contaminants under natural sunlight

Defect engineering is regarded as an effective strategy to boost the photo-activity of photocatalysts for organic contaminants removal. In this work, abundant surface oxygen vacancies (Ov) are created on AgIO3 microsheets (AgIO3-OV) by a facile and controllable hydrogen chemical reduction approach. The introduction of surface Ov on AgIO3 broadens the photo-absorption region from ultraviolet to visible light, accelerates the photoinduced charges separation and migration, and also activates the formation of superoxide radicals (•O2−). The AgIO3-OV possesses an outstanding degradation rate constant of 0.035 min−1, for photocatalytic degrading methyl orange (MO) under illumination of natural sunlight with a light intensity is 50 mW/cm2, which is 7 and 3.5 times that of the pristine AgIO3 and C–AgIO3 (AgIO3 is calcined in air without generating Ov). In addition, the AgIO3-OV also exhibit considerable photoactivity for degrading other diverse organic contaminants, including azo dye (rhodamine B (RhB)), antibiotics (sulflsoxazole (SOX), norfloxacin (NOR), chlortetracycline hydrochloride (CTC), tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) and ofloxacin (OFX)), and even the mixture of organic contaminants (MO-RhB and CTC-OFX). After natural sunlight illumination for 50 min, 41.4% of total organic carbon (TOC) for MO-RhB mixed solution can be decreased over AgIO3-OV. In a broad range of solution pH from 3 to 11 or diverse water bodies of MO solution, AgIO3-OV exhibits attractive activity for decomposing MO. The MO photo-degradation process and mechanism over AgIO3-OV under natural sunlight irradiation has been systemically investigated and proposed. The toxicities of MO and its degradation intermediates over AgIO3-OV are compared using Toxicity Estimation Software (T.E.S.T.). Moreover, the non-toxicity of both AgIO3-OV catalyst and treated antibiotic solution (CTC-OFX mixture) are confirmed by E. coli DH5a cultivation test, supporting the feasibility of AgIO3-OV catalyst to treat organic contaminants in real water under natural sunlight illumination.

Sodium titanium oxide/zinc oxide (STO/ZnO) photocomposites for efficient dye degradation applications

Abstract In this study, sodium titanium oxide (Na2Ti3O7, termed STO) and sodium titanate/zinc oxide (STO/ZnO) photocomposites were prepared for the first time. A low-cost hydrothermal technique was employed to fabricate the STO/ZnO photocomposites with varying ZnO weight ratios: STO/0.25ZnO, STO/0.5ZnO, and STO/ZnO. The prepared photocomposites were investigated for the decomposition of methylene blue dye (MB) under natural visible light illumination and an artificial tungsten halogen lamp. The STO/ZnO photocomposite exhibits high photodegradation performance, which can be correlated with its properties and characterization. The X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that STO has an average crystallite size of 69.1 nm, ZnO has an average crystallite size of 41.4 nm, and the combination of STO/ZnO results in a reduced average crystallite size of 39.5 nm. The bandgap (E g) of STO/ZnO is 2.53 eV after controlling the ZnO weight ratio. The photocatalytic efficiency of the STO/ZnO photocomposite was 100% for MB within 60 min of solar light irradiation, compared to 33.7% for STO and 25.8% for ZnO. The effect of STO/ZnO dosage and MB concentration was investigated. Furthermore, the kinetics and mechanisms of the photocatalytic process were examined. The results suggest that STO/ZnO has promising potential for practical applications in wastewater treatment.

Contribution of advanced windows and façades to buildings decarbonization: A comprehensive review

On a global level the building sector consumes about 45.00% of energy consumption, contributes about 40.00% to emission, uses 30.00% of water and impacts the environment by generating 30.00% of waste. Although windows are important components of a building that provide natural lighting and ventilation and establish necessary contact with the external environment necessary for healthy indoor ambient, they permit entry of undesirable solar heat in summer and allow escaping heat from the indoor ambient in cold seasons, which aggravate the building needs for energy and increase its contribution to atmospheric emissions. The present investigation provides a review on research, development, and applications of advanced windows in the building sector. The introduction highlights the importance and contribution of advanced glazing technology to improving energy, comfort, and thermal performance of buildings. The review includes natural illumination and ventilation, thermal comfort and discusses the effects of window to wall ratio on natural illumination and ventilation of windows and façades. The review also covers recent developments in glazed windows and façades including performance enhancements by using reflective solar films, vacuum glazing, windows with filling materials, windows with water flow, window with phase change material, window with stagnant inert gas filling, ventilated windows and façades and windows with aerogel. A special section was also included on smart glazing for windows and façades showing the new tendencies and applications in the building industry. Since commercial programs and open access codes are handy tools for simulation and performance calculations a section is dedicated to these codes. The conclusion section contains the most relevant conclusion of the review as well as future trends in research and developments in the area. The topics included in this review can be helpful for experienced and young researchers, practicing engineers and general readers interested in windows and façades.

Hybrid lighting approach to improve interior workspace environments: a case study in the UAE

PurposeInterior workspace environments use exclusively artificial light, resulting in a loss of biological connection and natural light quality, as well as greater energy consumption. The purpose of the study is to identify a suitable system that can provide natural light to such interior spaces throughout the day while supplementing it with artificial light when necessary. The fundamental aim is to provide insights into the most effective solutions for energy-efficient lighting design in the UAE's environment, with the potential to lower energy consumption related to interior lighting.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted an empirical approach to gather and analyze primary data based on field measurements to understand and assess existing lighting conditions, as well as DIALux lighting simulation software to test the efficacy of the proposed HLS in terms of natural light delivery, illumination quality and energy consumption. A branch of a local bank in the United Arab Emirates, situated inside one of the shopping malls where there is no natural light penetration, has been chosen as a case study.FindingsThe findings of comparing the base case to four probable scenarios that used HLS revealed that the third scenario, which uses 100% pure sunshine and 35% artificial LED light during daylight operations and 100% LED light during night duty, is considered to be optimal in terms of illumination quality and energy efficiency.Originality/valueThe study demonstrated the potential of innovative lighting to improve the visual working environment in interior spaces with limited access to direct natural lighting, especially in arid regions, where sunlight is plentiful throughout the year. The study contributes new insights into the establishment of lighting-related recommendations and standards for the UAE context. This may include advice for sustainable construction practices, lighting guidelines or incentives to encourage the use of hybrid lighting technology in commercial and institutional buildings.

Combined effect of grooves and nanoflower structured Co3O4 coating on bamboo wood for highly efficient solar steam generation at indoor and outdoor conditions.

Currently, interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) in desalinating water has become very popular for obtaining purified water from polluted water. However, finding an efficient evaporator with low cost is a challenging task for researchers. In this work, we introduce natural bamboo wood (BW) that acts as an interfacial evaporator for obtaining purified water. Four different wood evaporators namely, flat wood (BW-FW), two-cut grooved wood (BW-2G), four-cut grooved wood (BW-4G), and four-cut grooved with Co3O4-coated wood (BW-4G/Co3O4) are used to study the mass loss (ML), evaporation rate (ER), and evaporation efficiency (EY). From the observations, BW-4G/Co3O4 gives an admirable ML, ER, and EY of 4.4 g, 3.366 kg m-2 h-1, and 91.34% under 1 sun illumination for 60 min. Also, the BW-4G/Co3O4 evaporator is kept under natural sun illumination. It achieves 17.8 g of ML, 1.92 kg m-2 h-1 of ER, and 76% of EY respectively under 604.762 W/m2 solar illumination for 8 h. The reasons for the observed results are as follows: (i) the presence of grooves increases the exposing area for solar illuminations, (ii) super hydrophilicity nature of wood gives continuous replenishment of water from the bottom to the evaporative surface, (iii) the excellent salt rejection property of wood aids in continuous water transportation without salt accumulations. As a result of the condensed seawater samples, the ion concentrations (zinc, magnesium, cadmium, lead, copper, and sodium) come under WHO standards. Consequently, it gives better dye water separation from polluted water.

IMPROVING THE AUTOMATED APPROACH TO CALCULATING AND ASSESSING THE STATE OF NATURAL ILLUMINATION

Problem statement. In the XXI century, there is a global trend towards the development of specialised software that would solve a number of specific problems within certain subject areas. The task of extending the functionality of the developed software for calculating side illumination with functionality that would allow the calculation of overhead natural illumination is becoming increasingly important. The purpose of the article is to improve the automated approach to calculating the regulated area of light openings in buildings and structures, as well as assessing the available natural illumination by filling the developed software for assessing side natural illumination with functionality for assessing overhead natural illumination. Conclusions. The developed software product for the calculation of one-sided side natural illumination was supplemented with functionality designed to calculate two-sided side lighting and overhead natural illumination. It provides protection against entering erroneous data, and partially implements automated document flow, which includes the ability to keep a log of calculations. The use of such specialized software is one of the methods of automating calculations in the preliminary design of natural illumination of premises, as well as in assessing the existing natural illumination and its compliance with the requirements regulated by DBN B.2.5:28-2018 Natural and artificial illumination. The proposed method for calculating natural illumination will minimize the possibility of errors, increase the accuracy of the calculations, speed up the process of calculating the area of illumination openings, and allow the calculation of the area of illumination openings without knowledge of the methodology. This method is of practical use in the construction industry when designing illumination systems, as well as in the field of occupational health and safety to assess the compliance of existing illumination with the regulated requirements.

A computer vision system for apple fruit sizing by means of low-cost depth camera and neural network application

AbstractFruit size is crucial for growers as it influences consumer willingness to buy and the price of the fruit. Fruit size and growth along the seasons are two parameters that can lead to more precise orchard management favoring production sustainability. In this study, a Python-based computer vision system (CVS) for sizing apples directly on the tree was developed to ease fruit sizing tasks. The system is made of a consumer-grade depth camera and was tested at two distances among 17 timings throughout the season, in a Fuji apple orchard. The CVS exploited a specifically trained YOLOv5 detection algorithm, a circle detection algorithm, and a trigonometric approach based on depth information to size the fruits. Comparisons with standard-trained YOLOv5 models and with spherical objects were carried out. The algorithm showed good fruit detection and circle detection performance, with a sizing rate of 92%. Good correlations (r > 0.8) between estimated and actual fruit size were found. The sizing performance showed an overall mean error (mE) and RMSE of + 5.7 mm (9%) and 10 mm (15%). The best results of mE were always found at 1.0 m, compared to 1.5 m. Key factors for the presented methodology were: the fruit detectors customization; the HoughCircle parameters adaptability to object size, camera distance, and color; and the issue of field natural illumination. The study also highlighted the uncertainty of human operators in the reference data collection (5–6%) and the effect of random subsampling on the statistical analysis of fruit size estimation. Despite the high error values, the CVS shows potential for fruit sizing at the orchard scale. Future research will focus on improving and testing the CVS on a large scale, as well as investigating other image analysis methods and the ability to estimate fruit growth.

Flexible retinomorphic vision sensors with scotopic and photopic adaptation for a fully flexible neuromorphic machine vision system

AbstractBioinspired neuromorphic machine vision system (NMVS) that integrates retinomorphic sensing and neuromorphic computing into one monolithic system is regarded as the most promising architecture for visual perception. However, the large intensity range of natural lights and complex illumination conditions in actual scenarios always require the NMVS to dynamically adjust its sensitivity according to the environmental conditions, just like the visual adaptation function of the human retina. Although some opto‐sensors with scotopic or photopic adaption have been developed, NMVSs, especially fully flexible NMVSs, with both scotopic and photopic adaptation functions are rarely reported. Here we propose an ion‐modulation strategy to dynamically adjust the photosensitivity and time‐varying activation/inhibition characteristics depending on the illumination conditions, and develop a flexible ion‐modulated phototransistor array based on MoS2/graphdiyne heterostructure, which can execute both retinomorphic sensing and neuromorphic computing. By controlling the intercalated Li+ ions in graphdiyne, both scotopic and photopic adaptation functions are demonstrated successfully. A fully flexible NMVS consisting of front‐end retinomorphic vision sensors and a back‐end convolutional neural network is constructed based on the as‐fabricated 28 × 28 device array, demonstrating quite high recognition accuracies for both dim and bright images and robust flexibility. This effort for fully flexible and monolithic NMVS paves the way for its applications in wearable scenarios.

Sunlight-activated Mo-doped La2CuO4/rGO perovskite oxide nanocomposite for photocatalytic treatment of diverse dyes pollutant

The pristine La2CuO4, Mo-doped, and rGO-supported nanocomposites were fabricated by a simple Pechini route. FTIR and XRD analysis confirmed the fabrication of the perovskite structure. The XRD results exhibit that the prepared products have no impurities and the dopant element is successfully incorporated into the perovskite material. FESEM images exhibit the morphology of synthesized perovskite material. EDX data showed the existence of lanthanum, copper, molybdenum, carbon, and oxygen in grown material. The energy band gap of the rGO-based composite was narrow compared with other samples. The photodegradation capability of the rGO-base catalyst was achieved 99.4 % (MB), 98.8 % (MO), 99.35 % (MR), 98.7 % (RhB), and 99.6 % (SO) in 75 min under natural sunlight illumination. The scavenger experiment revealed that superoxide and hydroxyl radicals are active species during the decolorization reaction. Moreover, this catalyst is stable for six cycles. The synthesized perovskite is an effective material for water purification and environmental remediation.

Algal-bacterial shortcut nitrogen removal model with seasonal light variations.

The algal-bacterial shortcut nitrogen removal (ABSNR) process can be used to treat high ammonia strength wastewaters without external aeration. However, prior algal-bacterial SNR studies have been conducted under fixed light/dark periods that were not representative of natural light conditions. In this study, laboratory-scale photo-sequencing batch reactors (PSBRs) were used to treat anaerobic digester sidestream under varying light intensities that mimicked summer and winter conditions in Tampa, FL, USA. A dynamic mathematical model was developed for the ABSNR process, which was calibrated and validated using data sets from the laboratory PSBRs. The model elucidated the dynamics of algal and bacterial biomass growth under natural illumination conditions as well as transformation processes for nitrogen species, oxygen, organic and inorganic carbon. A full-scale PSBR with a 1.2 m depth, a 6-day hydraulic retention time (HRT) and a 10-day solids retention time (SRT) was simulated for treatment of anaerobic digester sidestream. The full-scale PSBR could achieve >90% ammonia removal, significantly reducing the nitrogen load to the mainstream wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The dynamic simulation showed that ABSNR process can help wastewater treatment facilities meet stringent nitrogen removal standards with low energy inputs.