Optimal Depth Research Articles

Optimising needle depth in temporomandibular joint arthrocentesis: a magnetic resonance-based study for safety and efficacy

The aim of this paper was to determine the optimal needle depth for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthrocentesis using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with the aim of improving procedural safety and efficacy in clinical practice. A retrospective analysis of 264 TMJ MRIs from 132 patients at Istanbul Medipol Mega University Hospital was conducted. T2-weighted MRI sequences were utilised to measure distances from skin to joint capsules at varying needle entry points, applying the double puncture technique. The study adhered to ethical standards with appropriate approvals. The analysis revealed significant gender-related variations in needle depths (females showing shorter distances than males, p < 0.05). No significant gender differences were found in condylar angles. An inverse correlation between age and condylar angle suggested age-related anatomical changes. Crucially, a 20 mm needle depth was identified as safer and more effective than the previously recommended 25 mm. This study underscores the necessity of revising needle depth to 20 mm in TMJ arthrocentesis. These findings hold significant implications for improving procedural safety and catering to demographic variations.

Investigation on the effect of different groove depth and width on the tip clearance leakage flow of hydrofoil

Abstract Due to the complexity of axial-flow hydraulic machinery structure and the difficulty of flow field analysis, this paper takes three-dimensional hydrofoil as the research object to analyse the flow characteristics of clearance flow and carry out research on clearance leakage control. The 3-D hydrofoil model with two kinds of gap widths was calculated by using the numerical model method, and compared with the experiment; the influence law of different groove depth and width on the gap leakage flow characteristics and energy characteristics was studied. The results show that with the increase of groove depth, the clearance leakage increases, the lift-drag ratio decreases, and the pressure coefficient increases. Higher axial velocity is shown with increasing groove depth under the small tip clearance, while the opposite is true for large gaps. The optimal groove depth is determined to be D=1mm. When the groove width is 2mm, the pressure coefficient of the hydrofoil is the highest and the vorticity coefficient is the smallest, so the hydrofoil has better performance. In summary, when groove depth D=1mm and groove width W=2mm, the clearance leakage flow rate is smaller and the lift-drag ratio is higher. This study provides a new method for improving the flow field and running stability of turbine-machines with tip clearance in practical engineering.

“Bubble Behind Iris” Technique in Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty for Vitrectomized Eyes

Purpose: Performing Descemet membrane keratoplasty (DMEK) in vitrectomized eyes can be challenging, owing to the compromised stability of the iris–lens diaphragm. This study presents a “bubble behind iris” technique in DMEK to achieve a shallower anterior chamber in vitrectomized and pseudophakic eyes. Methods: The patients with vitrectomized eyes who underwent DMEK between October 2022 and March 2023 were enrolled in this study. Following the insertion of the donor tissue into the anterior chamber, a 30-gauge blunt cannula was used to introduce an air bubble posterior to the iris. The depth of the anterior chamber was confirmed before unfolding the graft. Subsequently, the air bubble was carefully replaced with balanced salt solution insertion using the blunt cannula, and the anterior chamber was filled with gas for graft attachment. Results: This study included 3 eyes of 3 patients (3 men; mean age 62.3 ± 8.5 years). The best spectacle corrected visual acuity and central corneal thickness improved in all eyes with no notable complications. Conclusions: The “bubble behind iris” technique is a straightforward and minimally invasive approach for maintaining an optimal anterior chamber depth during DMEK in vitrectomized and pseudophakic eyes.

Prognosis of deep margin excisions within or beyond subcutaneous fat for invasive acral melanoma of the sole: A multi-institutional retrospective study.

9582 Background: There is scant evidence concerning the optimal deep margins for wide excision (WE) of primary tumors in melanoma surgery. Despite the importance of preserving plantar subcutaneous fat in the sole for cushioning function, no study data exists on the optimal depth margins for acral melanoma of the sole (sole AM). Thus, we aimed to compare the prognosis associated with different deep margin excisions for sole AM. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of clinical records from patients with invasive resectable sole AM who underwent WE of the primary tumor across 41 Japanese institutions. The prognosis was compared between two groups based on different deep margin excisions: those with tumors excised within (S-group) or beyond (D-group) the subcutaneous fat. Kaplan—Meier analysis and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the survival probabilities. Propensity-score matching (PSM) was used to adjust for numerical differences in baseline characteristics. Results: This study included a total of 425 patients (median age 73 years) with invasive sole AM, who underwent WE based on the peripheral surgical margins recommended in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. The median follow-up period was 48 months. The S-group included 263 patients and the D-group 162 patients. The baseline characteristics significantly differed between the two groups in terms of Breslow thickness ( P &lt; 0.01), presence of ulcer ( P &lt; 0.01), and presence of in-transit, satellite, and regional lymph node metastasis ( P &lt; 0.01). The other baseline characteristics were similar. Although local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) did not significantly differ between groups, the S-group showed significantly longer disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) than the D-group (5-year LRFS, 96% vs. 90%; P = 0.08; 5-year DFS, 70% vs. 41%; P &lt; 0.01; 5-year OS, 84% vs. 69%; P &lt; 0.01). In contrast, multivariable Cox proportional hazard models showed no significant differences in LRFS, DFS, and OS between the two groups (LRFS, hazard ratio [HR], 1.87, P = 0.18; DFS, HR, 1.05, P = 0.77; OS, HR, 1.08, P = 0.72). After PSM, the groups were balanced at a 1:1 ratio (128 patients in each group) and no statistical significance was found in LRFS, DFS, or OS between the adjusted groups (5-year LRFS, 97 % vs. 91 %; P = 0.40; 5-year DFS, 65 % vs. 48 %; P = 0.053; 5-year OS, 80 % vs. 73%; P = 0.18). Subgroup analysis of stage I, II, and III also indicated no statistical significance in LRFS, DFS, and OS between the two groups (stage I: LRFS, P = 0.11; DFS, P = 0.65; OS, P = 0.26; stage II: LRFS, P = 0.37; DFS, P = 0.06; OS, P = 0.85; stage III: LRFS, P = 0.29; DFS, P = 0.67; OS, P = 0.85). Conclusions: In sole AM, WE with excessive deep margins beyond the subcutaneous fat did not improve prognosis. Excision of the primary tumor within the subcutaneous fat may be an optimal deep margin for sole AM.

Numerical study on the dynamic pressure control for self-forming roadways using CHRCT in thin coal seams with thick and hard roofs

Close-hole roof-cutting technology (CHRCT, also called “dense drilling”) has been widely applied in coal mines due to its economic and safety benefits. Inappropriate cutting parameters and support schemes can lead to dynamic pressure disturbances in self-forming roadways with thick and hard roofs. Moreover, fully characterizing the procedure and process of self-forming roadways using CHRCT in the field is difficult, resulting in unconvincing results. Therefore, this study aims to fill the gaps in theoretical knowledge and methodology. First, the dynamic pressure characteristics of the self-forming roadway using CHRCT were investigated, and the dynamic pressure types of the roadway were classified. There are three main types: roof cut off along the coal wall side of, severe deformation, and overhanging roof of a roadway after the second working face mining. The effects of different hole parameters (inclination angle, depth and spacing) on the roof cutting to form a roadway were also investigated. The optimal hole inclination, depth and spacing of 15°, 8 m, and 200 mm were determined through a series of experiments. Then, three support schemes embedded in the roadway were compared in terms of stress evolution, bolt and cable axial forces, roof displacement, and structure. Finally, this study proposes a dynamic pressure mitigation strategy through the optimization of parameters for close-hole roof-cutting and support schemes, monitoring and controlling ground pressure in roadways, and taking auxiliary measures for pressure relief. The results show that this strategy can effectively eliminate the dynamic pressure of the roadway and meet the stability requirements of the full mining cycle. This paper presents a methodology for analysing CHRCT via numerical simulation. Moreover, this approach is of great theoretical and practical importance for dynamic pressure control for self-forming roadways using CHRCT in thin coal seams with thick and hard roofs.

Investigation on the Impact Fracture Mechanism of Rock in Microgravity Environment Using the Continuum-Discontinuum Element Method

Abstract In-depth analysis of asteroid samples will provide a key scientific basis for understanding its evolution history, resource utilization, and life origin. Obtaining rock samples from asteroids is getting more and more attention. However, successful sampling in asteroid is difficult due to extremely complex environmental conditions. In this paper, the dynamic processes of rock failure by sampling device are investigated by a continuum-discontinuum element method (CDEM) to instruct the rock sampling in asteroid. The deformation and failure of rock samples under different conditions (impact speeds, impact positions, rock cut-slot numbers, cut-slot spacings, cut-slot depths and cut-slot widths, etc.) are analyzed, and the relationships between the rock failure and hammer impact method are obtained. The results show that the cut-slot formed by grinding wheel increases the free surface of rock sample, which is beneficial to impact fracture and asteroid sampling. The relative distance between cut-slot free surface and impact position significantly affects the rock fracture under impact loading. The fracture degree of rock with single cut-slot is obviously smaller than that of rock with double cut-slots, the cut-slot scheme of double grinding wheels is more suitable for asteroid sampling. Under the impact loading, the rock fracture is negatively correlated with the cut-slot spacing formed by double grinding wheel cutting, the effective spacing of double cut-slots is 12 mm. The fracture unit number of rock varies nonlinearly with an increase of the depth from impact position, there is an optimal cut-slot depth corresponding to a certain impact velocity, and the rock crushing efficiency of asteroid sampling can be improved as the cut-slot depth matches the crack propagation depth.

Optimized sand tube irrigation combined with nitrogen application improves jujube yield as well as water and nitrogen use efficiencies in an arid desert region of Northwest China

Efficient water-saving irrigation techniques and appropriate nitrogen (N) application are keys to solving the problems of water scarcity and irrational fertilization in jujube cultivation. In this study, first, the effects of sand tube irrigation (STI) on surface and subsurface wetted characteristics were investigated using in-situ infiltration tests in a jujube garden. Compared with surface drip irrigation (SD), STI reduced surface wetted area by 57.4% and wetted perimeter of the surface wetted circle by 37.1% and increased subsurface maximum infiltration distance of wetting front by 64.9%. At the optimal sand tube depth of 20 cm, surface wetted area of the surface wetted circle decreased by 65.4% and maximum infiltration distance of the wetting front increased by 70.9%, compared with SD. Two-year field experiments then investigated the effects of STI and SD on soil water storage, jujube leaf chlorophyll, net photosynthetic rate, actual water consumption, fruit yield, and water (WUE) and N (NUE) use efficiencies at four levels of N (pure nitrogen: N1, 0; N2, 286 kg ha–1; N3, 381 kg ha–1; N4, 476 kg ha–1) at the same irrigation amount (45 mm irrigation–1, total of 8). Compared with SD, STI increased soil water storage 18.0% (2021) and 15.6% (2022) during the entire growth period and also chlorophyll content, nitrogen balance index, and net photosynthetic rate, with both increasing and then decreasing with increasing N. Compared with SD, STI increased yields by 39.1% and 36.5% and WUE by 44.3% and 39.7% in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Nitrogen use efficiency was 2.5 (2021) and 1.6 (2022) times higher with STI than with SD. STI combined with N3 had the highest yield, WUE, NUE, and net income and is thus recommended as the optimal water–N combination. In conclusion, STI combined with appropriate N application can be an effective water-saving irrigation technology alternative to SD in jujube cultivation in arid areas.

Optimum embedment depths for CFST column-to-foundation connections: Analytical and reliability-based approach

In the present study, the pullout capacity models were developed to derive analytical expressions for the minimum required depths of embedment for conventional and two recently published schemes of connection for circular and square concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns. The models were developed by equating the pullout strength of the tube with the pullout capacity of the reinforced concrete (RC) footing. The pullout capacity of the RC footing was a function of the strength of cement grout, footing concrete, and RC footing reinforcement. The analytical expressions derived for the minimum required depths of embedment were utilized to deduce limit state functions. These limit state functions were then employed for the reliability calculations by means of the Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) technique. The reliability calculations provide optimum embedment depths for CFST columns for the given reliability level. It was shown for the required reliability index of 3.0, the requirements of nominal embedment depth for the second column-to-foundation connecting scheme for circular and square CFST columns are 37.3% and 45.2% less than their corresponding first schemes of connection. This outcome proves the superiority of the second scheme (as a result of mechanical interlocking) over the first scheme. A few parametric studies were also conducted to obtain results of practical value.

Evaluating tidal impact on ground source heat exchanger performance under fluctuating groundwater levels

Coastal regions undergo dynamic changes due to tidal forces, posing distinct challenges for groundwater management and utilization of ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems. This study examines the impact of tidal fluctuations on groundwater levels and the performance of ground heat exchangers (GHEs), specifically focusing on the suitability of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) technology in high-tidal zones. Itoman City in Okinawa Prefecture, Southern Japan, serves as an ideal location for this study due to its complex coastal hydrogeological conditions and increasing interest in renewable energy solutions. Employing a comprehensive approach involving field experiments, FEFLOW software simulations, and model validation, we aim to elucidate the intricate relationship between tidal dynamics, groundwater behavior, and GHE performance. Furthermore, our investigation assesses the effectiveness of HDD-GHEs installed in highly tidal-affected zones to determine the optimal installation depth for this type of GHE in coastal regions. According to our research, the layer at a depth of 30 m is most affected by tidal influence and fluctuations in groundwater levels in coastal regions. This layer is the most suitable for installing horizontal HDD-GHEs, with an average heat exchange rate of about 89 W/m. This rate is approximately four and two times higher than the depths above and below this layer, respectively, due to groundwater saturation and flow in the formation. Furthermore, we noticed that the heat exchange rate increases from the top to the bottom of this layer, but the extent of this increase diminishes as the depth increases. This is because deeper depths are less affected by tidal fluctuations in groundwater levels.

Optimizing crop yields while minimizing environmental impact through deep placement of nitrogen fertilizer

Nitrogen (N) serves as an essential nutrient for yield formation across diverse crop types. However, agricultural production encounters numerous challenges, notably high N fertilizer rates coupled with low N use efficiency and serious environmental pollution. Deep placement of nitrogen fertilizer (DPNF) is an agronomic measure that shows promise in addressing these issues. This review aims to offer a comprehensive understanding of DPNF, beginning with a succinct overview of its development and methodologies for implementation. Subsequently, the optimal fertilization depth and influencing factors for different crops are analyzed and discussed. Additionally, it investigates the regulation and mechanism underlying the DPNF on crop development, yield, N use efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, the review delineates the limitations and challenges of this technology and provides suggestions for its improvement and application. This review provides valuable insight and reference for the promotion and adoption of DPNF in agricultural practice.

Model tests on red clay foundation reinforced by coir geotextiles

Geosynthetics slowly degrade in soil, which may cause environmental problems in the future. Natural coir fibers are green, environmental-friendly, renewable, and have broad application prospects. Coir geotextiles were used to reinforce red clay foundations. The effects of the reinforcement length and depth, first-layer reinforcement depth, and reinforcement-layer spacing on the deformation and bearing capacity of the foundations were studied via load tests. The distribution law of the earth pressure along the depth was also analyzed. The results showed that when the reinforcement length was 1B, the anchorage length of the reinforcement was insufficient, and the reinforcement effect was unclear. As the reinforcement length increased, the anchoring length of the reinforcement increased, and bearing capacity of the foundation significantly increased. However, when the reinforcement length exceeded 3B, the force of the anchorage segment was fully exerted, slightly increasing the bearing capacity of the foundation. The optimal reinforcement length was determined as 3B. The bearing capacity of the foundation increased as the reinforcement depth increased and the buried depth of the first reinforcement layer and spacing of the reinforcement decreased. The optimal reinforcement depth, buried depth of the first reinforcement layer, and reinforcement spacing were 2B, 0.25B, and 0.25B, respectively.

Numerical analysis of failure mechanism and stability of reinforced embankment with DCM soft soil composite foundation

The deep cement mixing (DCM) method has been widely used in offshore geotechnical engineering. At present, the reinforcement form of pile has been researched widely, but there is a lack of understanding of the failure mode of DCM pile composite foundation reinforcement for bank slopes. In this paper, a series of unconfined compression tests was conducted to obtain necessary numerical analysis parameters. A series of study on the failure mechanism and stability control of DCM pile composite foundation reinforcement bank slope has been conducted through numerical analysis. The results of numerical analysis indicate that under different reinforcement conditions, there exists an optimal reinforcement depth, and the safety coefficient will gradually stabilize at 1.45; The bending moment of the piles under the bank slope the bending moment of the pile body under the road surface Under different overloads. The maximum bending moment of the pile body is located near one-third of the pile body, and the maximum bending moment of the pile body is located between the shoulder and foot of the slope.

A new optimization approach based on neural architecture search to enhance deep U-Net for efficient road segmentation

Neural Architecture Search (NAS) has significantly improved the accuracy of image classification and segmentation. However, these methods concentrate on finding segmentation structures for natural or medical applications. In this study, we introduce a NAS approach based on gradient optimization to identify ideal cell designs for road segmentation. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first application of gradient-based NAS to road extraction. Taking insight from the U-Net model and its successful variations in different image segmentation tasks, we propose NAS-enhanced U-Net, illustrated by an equal number of cells in both encoder and decoder levels. While cross-entropy combined with dice loss is commonly used in many segmentation tasks, road extraction brings up a unique challenge due to class imbalance. To address this, we introduce a combination of loss function. This function merges cross-entropy with weighted Dice loss, focusing on elevating the importance of the road class by assigning it a weight (⍵), while background Dice values are disregarded. The results indicate that the optimal weight for the proposed model equals 2. Additionally, our work challenges the assumption that increased model parameters or depth inherently leads to improved performance. Therefore, we establish search spaces 2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8 to automatically choose the optimal depth for model. We present promising segmentation results for our proposed method, achieved without any pretraining on the Massachusetts road dataset. Furthermore, these results are compared with those of 14 models categorized into four groups: U-Net, Segnet, FCN8, and Nas-U-Net.

Detection of epileptiform discharges by patient state index and density spectral array during anesthetic emergence after resection of hemispheric brain tumor. Case report

Background: Processed electroencephalogram (EEGp) plays a crucial role in anesthesia as a quantitative and automated method for assessing anesthetic depth. It utilizes mathematical algorithms to furnish objective measures, offering an intuitive interface for anesthesiologists lacking specialized neurophysiology training. Among the array of visual graphical analyses, the Density Spectral Array (DSA) stands out as particularly promising. DSA furnishes a comprehensive and visual depiction of the patient's brain activity, aiding anesthesiologists in maintaining optimal anesthetic depth during surgical procedures Conclusion: This report underscores the potential of analyzing Case report: A 51-year-old male with a medical history of neurofibromatosis type 2 and a frontal hemispheric brain tumor underwent resection in the operating room under total intravenous anesthesia. Anesthetic depth was monitored utilizing SedLine® Patient Status Index (PSi). The resection proceeded uneventfully; however, upon extubation, EEG processing revealed epileptiform discharges concurrent with tonic-clonic movement of the right hand electroencephalogram waveforms alongside the latest SedLine-derived Density Spectral Array to confirm the presence of partial epileptic seizures during the immediate post-extubation and postoperative phases following brain tumor resection. Employing advanced monitoring techniques like Density Spectral Array aids in early detection of neurological complications, facilitating timely intervention and potentially enhancing patient outcomes during the critical postoperative period.

Elevational Earth-Sheltered Buildings with Horizontal Overhang Photovoltaic-Integrated Panels—New Energy-Plus Building Concept in the Territory of Serbia

The global scientific community is intensively promoting energy-plus buildings. Following the leading world trends, this paper presents a new energy-plus building concept—elevational earth-sheltered buildings with three different types of horizontal overhang photovoltaic-integrated panels: wooden support columns covered with clay tiles, steel pipes as support columns covered with sheet steel, and concrete support columns with concrete coverage. In this instance, the specific multi-numerical case study building model for the city of Kragujevac (located in central Serbia with favorable climatic conditions) was performed over 7 months (from 1 October to 30 April), taking into account the soil temperature, the effects of solar shading, the performance of the heating system—a ground source heat pump—and the characteristics of the artificial and automatic lighting control system. The simulation results show that the optimal depth of a horizontal overhang (energy-plus status) depends on the occupant’s habits, in addition to meteorological conditions. The presented methodology can be used for any other location, both in Europe and the world.

Adaptive Whale Optimization Algorithm–DBiLSTM for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Trajectory Prediction

AUVs are autonomous underwater robots equipped with advanced sensors and navigation systems. Due to the complexity and uncertainty of the marine environment, AUVs are susceptible to the effects of the marine environment and may experience communication delays or even accidents. Based on the aforementioned issues, this paper proposes a prediction method for lost AUVs based on an adaptive optimization depth BiLSTM (AWOA-DBiLSTM) neural network model. To enhance prediction accuracy, AWOA-DBiLSTM employs a double BiLSTM to extract AUV features from positional information and physical attitude. Additionally, AWOA-DBiLSTM utilizes a gating mechanism to filter and reset physical attitude feature information to obtain features associated with positional information. After undergoing filtering operations, the physical attitude information of the AUV is fused with the position information to achieve trajectory prediction. For the first time, the differentiation and stratified extraction of AUV data features are presented in this paper. The experimental results demonstrate that the model achieves significant improvements in prediction accuracy and generalization, and the present study is of great significance for application in the task of predicting the trajectories of lost AUVs.

Using sectional blasting to improve the efficiency of making cut cavities in underground mine workings

Introduction: The research concerns how making cut cavities improves drilling and blasting operations as well as the optimum parameters to arrange both snubber and auxiliary blastholes.Methods: The research methods include experimental and industrial activities to identify the optimum depth of the first-section snubber blastholes relative to the second-section blastholes. It also identifies optimum parameters of the snubber blastholes while driving mine workings and ore breaking in stopes with different mine working sections and different rock mass strengths broken using the technique of cut-cavity formation.Results and Discussion: Experimental explosions executed in a production environment have proved the efficiency of the proposed technique of sectional formation of a cut cavity, which helped increase the blasthole use coefficient (BUC) from 0.88 to 0.97. The depth of the first-section boreholes should be determined relative to the length of the second-section boreholes and the broken rock mass strength. The higher the strength of the broken formation, the larger the ratio between the first and the second-section blasthole lengths should be. The results of the experimental explosions indicate that the depth of first-section snubber blastholes varies from 0.5 and more of the second-section boreholes, depending upon the depth of the latter and the broken rock mass strength. If the strength of the broken rock mass is 12 on the Protodyakonov scale, and the second-section blasthole depth increases from 1.6 m to 2.6 m, then the depth of the second-section boreholes should be increased from 0.9 m to 1.54 m so as to be 0.55–0.56 of the second section blasthole length. If the strength of the broken rock mass is 18, and the length of the second section increases from 1.8 m to 2.82 m, then the first-section length varies from 0.9 m to 1.75 m, being 0.5–0.62 of the second section blasthole length. Applying the novel proposed procedure for a cut-cavity formation will increase the blasthole use coefficient and reduce the cost of drilling and blasting operations. Moreover, the procedure may also be practical for driving underground mine workings and for ore breaking within stopes.

Modelling and optimization of urea super granule (USG) placement depth in paddy cultivation under check basin irrigation using HYDRUS-2D model

Urea, a nitrogenous fertilizer which plays an important role in enhancing yield, but has a drawback of low nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Use of urea super granule (USG) and coated urea have advantages over prilled urea in terms of higher NUE and eventually improved yield. Depth of placement (DOP) of USG plays a major role in achieving higher NUE and yield. However, appropriate depth of placement needs detailed knowledge about water and nitrogen (N) movements to provide maximum nutrient to plants. Therefore, an experiment was conducted in the paddy field using USG coated with three different types of coating (USG with nano bentonite and neem oil (T1), USG with heated nano bentonite and neem oil (T2) and USG with sulfer and acacia gum solution (T3)) and placed at the centre of four hills of paddy as basal dose at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi. Spatial and temporal data of soil moisture and Nwere collected for the initial 32 days in paddy field after crops establishment. The HYDRUS-2D model was calibrated and validated using the observed data. Calibrated model was used for simulation of N movement in different soil types and for different depths of USG placement. Results revealed that permissible soil like sandy loam, the optimum DOP irrespective of coating was 5 cm. For sandy clay loam soil, optimum depth of placement was found to be 10 cm, 6 cm and 10 cm for T1, T2 and T3 type of coatings. Similarly, for clay loam soil, depth of USG placement for T1, T2 and T3 type coating was found to be 8 cm, 10 cm and 8 cm, respectively. Using the optimum DOP in sandy clay loam soil, results showed that both i.e., DOP and coating type has significant effect on number of tillers m−2 and yield (t ha−1). In 2020 and 2021, the highest number of tillers per square meter at 30 days after transplanting (DAT) was observed in the T3 treatment at DOP of 10 cm, with counts of 453.66 and 454.88, respectively. Following closely were T2 at DOP of 10 cm (447.33 and 119.55) and T1 at DOP of 6 cm (443.44 and 444.77). Similarly, the best yield in 2020 and 2021 were observed from T3 treatment at DOP of 10 cm (5.41 t/ha and 5.44 t/ha), followed by T2 at DOP of 10 cm (5.33 t/ha and 5.42 t/ha), and T1 at DOP of 6 cm (5.29 t/ha and 5.31 t/ha). This study may assist the farmers, researchers, manufacturers and policy makers to make selection of the optimum depth of placement for higher NUE and yield in different soil types.

Enhancing Solar Still Efficiency: Optimal Water Depth and Wire Mesh-Pebble Structures

In underdeveloped countries, the shortage of clean drinking water is a major problem. One approach to tackle this issue has been to use solar energy for desalination, a process that turns saltwater into fresh water. This method utilizes solar thermal energy to evaporate water, separating the pure water from the salty water. However, traditional solar stills face challenges in producing sufficient water because of the limited heat transfer between the absorbing plate and the fluid used to extract energy. The research aims to improve the efficiency of solar stills for water desalination. In conventional solar stills, maintaining optimal water depth is a challenge. The study experimented with varying water depths (2 cm to 12 cm) in a modified solar still. The best result, with a maximum distillate output of 2050 ml/m2day, was achieved at a 2 cm water depth. To enhance performance, wire mesh and pebbles were added to increase absorptivity, raising the temperature of saline water. This modification led to a significant improvement, with the modified solar still producing a maximum distillate of 2670 ml/m2day. This research provides valuable insights into optimizing solar stills for better water yield and thermal efficiency.

Large‐strain consolidation of vacuum preloading combined with partially penetrating prefabricated vertical drains

AbstractA system of vacuum preloading combined with partially penetrating prefabricated vertical drains (PP‐PVDs) is an effective solution for promoting the consolidation of the dredged marine clay. However, a significant and traditionally challenging‐to‐predict amount of deformation or settlement occurs. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce a three‐dimensional large‐strain consolidation model to consider the length of the vertical drain to determine the consolidation time and degree of consolidation (DoC), and associated settlement. The predictions using the proposed analytical model provide fair agreements with the field data and those in the literature. Parametric studies reveal that to achieve a 90% DoC within 100 days in soft soil, the optimal penetration depth for PP‐PVDs would be 0.7 times the depth of the soil layer. With the increase of DoC, the ratio of excess pore water pressure to applied vacuum pressure (u/P) in the whole soil layer moves toward 1.0. With the increase of PVD penetration ratio (H1/H), more DoC is required to dissipate the excess pore water pressure in the top improved soil layer.