Read Range Research Articles

An RFID smart structure using inkjet-printed additive manufacturing technology for metal crack characterization

Abstract Developing an indicator for metal materials to characterize cracks is urgent. However, traditional sensor-based technology has drawbacks such as high costs for installation and maintenance when using wired connections. In this paper, we studied the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensors created through 3D printing technology to characterize surface cracks in metals, this approach simplifies the manufacturing process, silver nanoparticles are printed layer by layer on substrate to form the sensor pattern. The functionality of the sensor is verified through simulations and experiments involving samples with various crack sizes. Our findings demonstrate that when cracks pass over the sensor, there is a distinct response in terms of a shift in resonant frequency, moreover, the sensor offers a reading range greater than 0.7 m at resonance frequency without requiring power supply or wired connection for data transmission purposes. This research showcases the design of a smart structure that is compact, easy-to-fabricate, and potential for applications related to structural health monitoring (SHM) and crack sensing.

A novel computational signal processing framework towards multimodal vital signs extraction using neck-worn wearable devices

Pulse rate (PR) and respiratory rate (RR) are two of the most important vital signs. Monitoring them would benefit from easy-to-use technologies. Hence, wearable devices would, in principle, be ideal candidates for such systems. The neck, although highly susceptible to artifacts, presents an attractive location for a diverse pool of physiological biomarkers monitoring purposes such as airflow sensing in a non-obstructive manner. This paper presents a methodology for PR and RR estimation using photoplethysmography (PPG) and accelerometry (Acc) sensors placed on the neck. Neck PPG and Acc signals were recorded from 22 healthy participants for RR estimation, where the resting subjects performed guided breathing following a visual metronome. Neck PPG signals were obtained from 16 healthy participants who breathed through an altitude generator machine in order to acquire a wider range of PR readings while at rest. The proposed methodology was able to provide rate estimates via a combination of recursive FFT-based dominance scoring coupled with an exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA)-driven aggregation scheme. The recursion aimed at bypassing sudden intra-window amplitude deviations caused by momentary artifacts, while the EWMA-based aggregation was utilized for handling inter-window artifact-induced deviations. To further improve estimation stability and confidence, estimates were calculated in the form of rate bands taking into account the relevant clinically acceptable error margins, and results when considering rate values and rate bands are presented and discussed. The framework was able to achieve an overall pulse rate value accuracy of 93.67±7.64\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$93.67\\pm 7.64$$\\end{document}% within the clinically acceptable ± 5 BPM with reference to the gold-standard reference devices while providing an overall respiratory rate value accuracy within the clinically appropriate ± 3 BrPM of 94.94±3.56\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$94.94\\pm 3.56$$\\end{document}% with reference to the guiding visual metronome, and 88.4±7.63\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$88.4\\pm 7.63$$\\end{document}% with respect to the gold-standard reference device. The proposed methodology achieves acceptable PR and RR estimation capabilities, even when signals are acquired from an unusual location such as the neck. This work introduces novel ideas that can lead to the development of medical device outputs for PR and RR monitoring, especially capitalizing on the advantages of the neck as a multi-modal physiological monitoring location.

Putting the Mockers On: The Rutles, The Beatles, Rock Biopics and Parody

Many accounts of film genre reiterate a familiar narrative of growth to “classic” maturity and subsequent parody and/or deconstruction, and the biopic is no exception. However, rock music biopics have reversed this narrative, so that the genre begins in parody and only gets serious later. This is partly because rock and roll music began as parody, mainly by white people imitating African Americans, what is known as blackface minstrelsy, in which music and humour are necessarily (because of racism) mixed. In turn, the 60s rock counterculture took many of its cues from this untimely birth, appropriating African-American marginality in modes that were at once serious (concerns about authenticity) and ironic (mockery of Establishment values). This collision of opposites helps explain both the counterculture’s preference for documentary, especially of live performance, over Hollywood fiction, and its predilection for mockery of both (for example, mockumentary). As the single most influential proto-rock act, whose inventive wit and comic antics, rendered in newsreel, direct cinema, cartoon, and on record, were keys to their commercial and critical success, The Beatles were the perfect subjects for such ironic canonisation. Their filmic career highlights the intersection of documentary and comedy, as well as reality and fiction, via musical performance, a mode which can problematise documentary/comedy, and reality/fiction distinctions. In line with this argument, I have focused on key live performances from the Beatles’ career, and how they are parodied in The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978) henceforth The Rutles, which doubles as the first filmic biography of the Beatles and the first rock mockumentary. The Beatles’ later career saw their public image shift from intentional to unintentional comedy, a shift mapped in the The Rutles, which gradually moves from parody towards satire. It is argued that The Rutles is open to a range of audience identifications and readings: it is at once a text for “true fans”, a playful deconstruction of their investments, but also one with real-world reverberations (some of its predictions came true). In this sense, it is a “media savvy”, peculiarly contemporary text that questions the priority of reality over fiction.

The Book of the Daughters of Adam in the Gelasian Decree

Abstract In the list of canonical, received, and apocryphal writings known as the Gelasian Decree, we find mention of a book that is known only by its title: The Book of the Daughters of Adam, of Leptogenesis. Modern scholars see an obvious connection to the book of Jubilees, although there is no other evidence of Jubilees being known as “The Book of the Daughters of Adam” in antiquity. In this article, I discuss the manuscript evidence for this entry in the Gelasian Decree, showing a wide range of variant readings. I postulate that ancient scribes lacked a clear understanding of what they were copying. Further, through a discussion of the history of scholarship on the text in the Gelasian Decree and Jubilees, I show that the modern discussion has turned away from an analysis of the manuscript evidence to a defense of the connection between this otherwise unattested title and Jubilees.

The Linguistic Landscape of Los Angeles Chinatowns

This paper presents a multi-level analysis of the signage in Los Angeles (LA) Chinatowns. Through a combined method of ethnographic observations, interviews and textual and visual analysis of language orthographies, the processes in which signage is designed, perceived, and interpreted are examined. A discussion of the range of interpretive readings of Chinese orthography and romanization is presented, with a focus on the relationship between the linguistic landscape and people’s language perception, and the changing social indexicalities of different linguistic variables displayed in LA Chinatowns. The paper concludes that the linguistic landscape can be taken as a form of informal language input which impacts Chinese immigrants’ language perception. Moreover, linguistic variables displayed on public signage not only contribute to the construction of the sociolinguistic context but also to the immigrants’ identity transformation.

The Linguistic Landscape of Los Angeles Chinatowns

This paper presents a multi-level analysis of the signage in Los Angeles (LA) Chinatowns. Through a combined method of ethnographic observations, interviews and textual and visual analysis of language orthographies, the processes in which signage is designed, perceived, and interpreted are examined. A discussion of the range of interpretive readings of Chinese orthography and romanization is presented, with a focus on the relationship between the linguistic landscape and people’s language perception, and the changing social indexicalities of different linguistic variables displayed in LA Chinatowns. The paper concludes that the linguistic landscape can be taken as a form of informal language input which impacts Chinese immigrants’ language perception. Moreover, linguistic variables displayed on public signage not only contribute to the construction of the sociolinguistic context but also to the immigrants’ identity transformation.

Battery-less long-range wireless fluidic sensing system using flexible additive manufacturing ambient energy harvester and microfluidics

Fluid sensing has been an important but missing part of the massive Internet-of-Things sensor networks due to challenges including excessive manufacturing time/cost, finite wireless interrogation range, limited immunity to ambient clutter, and excessive required power for autonomous microfluidics operability. Here, we proposed an additive manufacturing flexible system as a solution to those challenges while enabling fluid analysis from controlled labs to virtually everywhere. Energy harvesting provides all required power for the actuation of the micro-pump enabling battery-less liquid sample acquisition. Energy sources including ultra-high-frequency radio frequency identification and hand-held devices like two-way talk radio are harvested simultaneously to support energy requirements for periodic monitoring every 6.6 min and on-demand monitoring within 4.63 s. Backscattering topologies are used to significantly extend the reading range while increasing the immunity to interferences and reducing the cost to the reader. A new additive manufacturing process is proposed to reduce fabrication time and cost while enabling massive scalability of flexible microfluidics. The good flexibility makes the system suitable for working toward future wearable applications. Prototypes of a sweat sensing system are demonstrated and successfully interrogated at 3 m with more than 15 dB signal-to-noise ratio using only a 14 dBm transmitter equivalent isotropic radiated power.

Between Alexandria and Antioch: the Diverse Sources of Basil’s Homiliae super psalmos 45

Abstract Patristic exegesis is often still viewed as a binary: Alexandria vs. Antioch, allegory vs. literal. While there are clear examples of interpreters who adhered to one school’s approach, there were many who sat somewhere between these two extremes. One notable example of this is Basil of Caesarea, who, when actually studied as an exegete, has often been miscast as a student of Antioch or Alexandria. An examination of Basil’s Homiliae super psalmos 45, however, demonstrates that the sources behind Basil’s interpretive efforts cannot be limited to one exegetical ‘school’ or another, but actually represent a diverse range of readings, from Origen of Alexandria to Eusebius of Caesarea to Diodore of Tarsus. In his christological reading of this psalm, Basil resembles the Antiochenes, while in his overall spiritual vision and penchant for allegory, he draws on Origen. The example of Basil demonstrates the complexity of the exegetical world of the early church and the non-binary lines of influence, as well as the need for scholars of patristic exegesis to recognize nuance and complexity in their treatments of these writers.

Propagation Analysis of an RFID System in the UHF Band in the Honeycomb Frame of a Beehive.

In recent years, communication systems, including RFID, have been used in intelligent beehives for beekeeping. RFID systems in the UHF frequency band offer reading distances of tens of centimetres, allowing the localisation and identification of the queen bee inside the hive. With this purpose, this work proposes an analysis of an environment of propagation that consists of a honeycomb frame, where the reader is placed within the frame, and the tag is placed in different positions over it. A honeycomb frame consists of a wooden box containing a honey wax panel, supported by metallic wires. The environment is modelled theoretically using its S-parameters and simulated in CST Studio. An analysis of these results and empirical measurements is performed. The results show that a periodicity in the received power of the tag is found with respect to the distance to the reader when the tag is located in a direction parallel to the wire, where local maximum and minimum values are found. Additionally, when the tag is placed over a wire of the frame, a higher received power is obtained compared to the case where the tag is placed between two wires. Furthermore, it has been observed that the reading range has increased with respect to free space, covering the full frame.

3D printed sub-terahertz photonic crystal for wireless passive biosensing

Monitoring pathogens has become a major challenge for society and research in recent years. Of great interest are refractive index sensors, which are based on the interaction between analytes and electromagnetic waves and allow label-free and fast detection. In addition, the electromagnetic waves can be exploited for wireless communication. However, current refractive index biosensors can only be read from a few centimeters. Here, we demonstrate an innovative concept of a passive wireless sensor based on a sub-terahertz photonic crystal resonator. The fabricated sensors have a reading range of up to 0.9 m and elevation and azimuth acceptance angles of around 90°. We demonstrate the stand-off detection of sub-µm thin-film proteins as test analytes. The proposed wireless sensor opens the door to a non-electronic, compact, and low-cost solution and can be extended to a wireless sensor network monitoring airborne pathogen, which may provide a pre-infection detection to prevent their spread efficiently.

The Influence of the Design of Antenna and Chip Coupling Circuits on the Performance of Textronic RFID UHF Transponders

The objectives of this study were to design, investigate, and compare different designs of coupling circuits for textronic RFID transponders, particularly focusing on magnetic coupling between an antenna and a chip. The configuration of the inductively coupled antenna module and the microelectronic module housing the chip can be varied in several ways. This article explores various geometries of coupling circuits and assesses the effects of altering their dimensions on mutual inductance, chip voltage, and the transponder’s read range. The investigation comprised an analytical description of inductive coupling, calculations of mutual inductance and chip voltage based on simulation models of transponders, and laboratory measurements of the read range for selected configurations. The results obtained from this study demonstrate that various designs of textile transponders are capable of achieving satisfactory read ranges, with some configurations extending beyond 10 m. This significant range provides clothing designers with the flexibility to select transponder designs that best meet their specific aesthetic and functional requirements.

ASSESSMENT OF RAINWATER QUALITY FROM COLLECTED RAINWATER AND ITS TREATMENT NEEDS IN DIFFERENT AREAS IN THE ALJABIL ALAKHDER

Rain water samples were collected from three cities, Al-Bayda, Shahat and Derna. A study was conducted to evaluate the level of quality of rainwater by tested pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC) , total dissolved solids (TDS), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Turbidity, Fe+2 and pb+2. The results showed that the range of reading for were pH from 6.42 until 7.24, EC from (57.2 -484 ) microsiemens/cm3 ,TDS between 27 and 231 mg/L, COD was 4.09 mg/ L-8.32mg/L and BOD was ranged 1-55 mg/L and 3.24 mg/L. The range of parameter of Turbidity readings were between 6.23-9.84NTU, Fe+2 was ranged 0.030 mg/l and 0.058 mg/L and the pb+2 was from 0.0020mg /L to 0.0057 mg/L. The comparison with Recommended Raw Water Criteria by World Health Organization (WHO) shows that within the permissible limits. Keywords: Rainwater, Heavy metals, Quality, Assessment, Rooftop, Treatment, Aljabil Alakhder.

Fully Screen-Printed and Gentle-to-Skin Wet ECG Electrodes with Compact Wireless Readout for Cardiac Diagnosis and Remote Monitoring.

Recent advances in electrocardiogram (ECG) diagnosis and monitoring have triggered a demand for smart and wearable ECG electrodes and readout systems. Here, we report the development of a fully screen-printed gentle-to-skin wet ECG electrode integrated with a scaled-down printed circuit board (PCB) packaged inside a 3D-printed antenna-on-package (AoP). All three components of the wet ECG electrode (i.e., silver nanowire-based conductive part, electrode gel, and adhesive gel) are screen-printed on a flexible plastic substrate and only require 265 times less metal for the conductive part and 176 times less ECG electrode gel than the standard commercial wet ECG electrodes. In addition, our electrically small AoP achieved a maximum read range of 142 m and offers a 4 times larger wireless communication range than the typical commercial chip antenna. The adult volunteers' study results indicated that our system recorded ECG data that correlated well with data from a commercial ECG system and electrodes. Furthermore, in the context of a 12-lead ECG diagnostic system, the fully printed wet ECG electrodes demonstrated a performance similar to that of commercially available wet ECG electrodes while being gentle on the skin. This was confirmed through a blind review method by two cardiology consultants and one family medicine consultant, validating the consistency of the diagnostic information obtained from both electrodes. In conclusion, these findings highlight the potential of fully screen-printed wet ECG electrodes for both monitoring and diagnostic purposes. These electrodes could serve as potential candidates for clinical practice, and the screen-printing method has the capability to facilitate industrial mass production.

Vocal Range Variations Elicited With a Standard Mandarin Reading Passage in Individuals With Voice Disorders.

This study examined whether the "Three Bears Passage" (TB), a standard Mandarin reading passage, could elicit significant vocal range variations in individuals with voice disorders. Relative sensitivity of TB versus another existing standard reading passage, "Passage in Mandarin" (PM), for differentiating between individuals with and without voice disorders was also evaluated. Forty-two individuals with normal voice and 30 individuals with voice disorders participated in the study. Maximum fundamental frequency (f0), minimum f0, mean f0, f0 range, maximum vocal intensity, minimum intensity, mean intensity, and intensity range of all participants reading aloud the two passages were measured with Praat to construct speech range profiles (SRPs). Significantly larger vocal range was found for TB than for PM in individuals with voice disorders, including significantly higher maximum f0, mean f0, maximum intensity, mean intensity, and significantly larger f0 range and intensity range. Significantly more limited vocal range was observed in individuals with voice disorders than those without, with more obviously restricted SRPs while reading aloud TB compared to PM. Receiver operating characteristic analysis suggested that TB was more sensitive than PM in distinguishing between individuals with and without voice disorders. Our findings supported the potential of TB as a standard clinical assessment tool for evaluating pathological changes in vocal range. Future studies should explore if therapeutic approaches based on the passage or variations of it could be developed for overcoming functional limitations and restrictions in vocal range for specific voice disorders.

A Compact and Robust RFID Tag Based on an AMC Structure.

A platform-tolerant RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) tag is presented, designed to operate across the entire RFID band. This tag utilizes a small Artificial Magnetic Conductor (AMC) structure as a shielding element for an ungrounded RFID tag antenna. It can be easily mounted on various surfaces, including low permittivity dielectric materials, metal objects, or even attached to the human body for wearable applications. The key features of this RFID tag include its ability to be tuned within the worldwide RFID band, achieving a maximum theoretical read range of over 11 m. Despite its advanced capabilities, the design emphasizes simplicity and cost-effective manufacturing. The design and simulations were conducted using CST Studio Suite.

Passive UHF RFID-based real-time intravenous fluid level sensor.

Ultra high frequency (UHF) passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag-based sensors are proposed for intravenous (IV) fluid level monitoring in medical Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Two versions of the sensor are proposed: a binary sensor (i.e., full vs. empty state sensing) and a real-time (i.e., continuous level) sensor. The operating principle is demonstrated using full-wave electromagnetic simulation at 910 MHz and validated with experimental results. Generalized Additive Model (GAM) and random forest algorithms are employed for each interrogation dataset. Real-time sensing is accomplished with small deviations across the models. A minimum of 72% and a maximum of 97% of cases are within a 20% error for the GAM model and 62% to 98% for the random forest model. The proposed sensor is battery-free, lightweight, low-cost, and highly reliable. The read range of the proposed sensor is 4.6 m.

Developing a Hybrid Irrigation System for Smart Agriculture Using IoT Sensors and Machine Learning in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan

The agriculture sector is one of the largest consumers of fresh water. Different types of irrigation systems are available, including center pivot, drip and sprinkler systems, and linear motion systems. However, the complex structure of existing irrigation systems and their high maintenance costs encourage Indian farmers to continue using these methods. Due to its ease of use and low energy consumption, surface irrigation is one of the most popular irrigation techniques. Although the main reasons for poor irrigation application efficiency are uneven irrigation water distribution and deep absorption, using a variety of technologies, countries are trying to increase the sustainability of agriculture. Automated irrigation systems contribute significantly to water conservation. The combination of automation and Internet of Things (IoT) improves agricultural practices. These technologies help farmers understand their crops, minimize their impact on the environment, and preserve resources. They also enable efficient monitoring of the weather, water resources, and soil. This research proposes an intelligent, low-cost field irrigation system. The proposed prototype can measure soil moisture, rain status, wind speed, water level, temperature, and humidity using a hardware sensor and unit. To decide whether to turn on or off the motor, a variety of sensors are used to get a range of readings and conclusions. They enable automatic watering when soil moisture levels are below a certain threshold, and if soil moisture is equal to the required moisture, then the irrigation process stops. Every few minutes, the sensors measure the environmental factors. Data are collected and stored on a ThingSpeak cloud server for analysis. To evaluate the data we collected, we used a variety of models, such as K-nearest neighbors (KNN), Naïve Bayes, random forest, and logistic regression. Compared to other Naïve Bayes and random forest models, the accuracy rate was 98.8%, the mean square error was 0.16, and the results of logistic regression, KNN, and SVM were in order: (98.3%/1.66), (99.3%/0.66), and (99.5%/0.5), respectively. In the end, an automated irrigation system run on IoT applications gives farmers access to remote monitoring and control, as well as information about the specifics of the irrigation field.

An Impedance-Loaded Surface Acoustic Wave Corrosion Sensor for Infrastructure Monitoring

Passive surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are attractive candidates for continuous wireless monitoring of corrosion in large infrastructures. However, acoustic loss in the aqueous medium and limited read range usually create challenges in their widespread use for monitoring large systems such as oil and gas (O&G) pipelines, aircraft, and processing plants. This paper presents the investigation of impedance-loaded reflective delay line (IL-RDL) SAW devices for monitoring metal corrosion under O&G pipeline-relevant conditions. Specifically, we studied the effect of change in resistivity of a reflector on the backscattered signal of an RDL and investigated an optimal range through simulation. This was followed by the experimental demonstrations of real-time monitoring of Fe film corrosion in pressurized (550 psi) humid CO2 conditions. Additionally, remote monitoring of Fe film corrosion in an acidic solution inside a 70 m carbon steel pipe was demonstrated using guided waves. This paper also suggests potential ways to improve the sensing response of IL-RDLs.

Analysis of Misleading and Authenticity of News Headlines

The era of information has brought about a new "reading era" for news communication. Regardless of the type of news report, it is crucial to ensure the truthfulness of the news. The authenticity of news is the foundation for its existence and development. However, due to the entertainment-oriented nature of online media, some companies that profit from internet traffic take advantage of the general phenomenon of most users' lack of attention and irrationality on the internet platform. This phenomenon has been observed for many years and has repeatedly misled the masses, affecting their daily lives. This article analyzes the current problem using a questionnaire consisting of 14 questions. Nine of these questions are AI-generated fake news, while the remaining five are based on news headlines that caused panic in the past two years. This article focuses on the impact of inappropriate news headlines on people's confusion and daily lives. The results indicate that news about daily life significantly impacts people, regardless of their age or reading range.

«Великие грешники» и праведники Л. Н. Толстого и Ф. М. Достоевского в свете этического учения А. А. Ухтомского

The article proposes a typology of righteous heroes on the material of L. N. Tolstoy’s stories “Father Sergius,” “False Coupon,” “Alyosha the Pot,” and F. M. Dostoevsky’s novels “Teenager,” “The Brothers Karamazov.” The “great sinners” Dostoevsky and Tolstoy have gospel prototypes — the prodigal son and the “prudent thief.” At the same time, both writers have static characters — righteous people carrying Christian ideals. In the later stories of Tolstoy and the novels of Dostoevsky, there is a teleological plot, which includes the plot motifs of the test, the choice of the hero, and his movement toward salvation. Turning to the ethical teaching of A. A. Ukhtomsky, created based on the works of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, allows us to highlight the dominant character of the hero, which involves the rejection of egocentrism and determines his salvation, as well as the hero’s “doubles” and “interlocutors” who are capable of awakening his selfawareness. A comparison of the reading range of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky shows their attention to the works of John Climacus, Isaac the Syrian, and Tikhon of Zadonsk.