Uncovered Area Research Articles

COMBINED EFFECT OF WIND SPEED AND COVERING IRRIGATION CANALS ON WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS

Wind has a considerable effect on many water quality parameters. Some of the parameters are directly affected by the wind, while others are influenced by other physical water parameters like the velocity, temperature. etc. that are affected by wind and hence transfer their effect to water quality parameters. As the wind has an effect on water quality parameters, also covering waterways has a great effect on the water quality of those covered waterways. This is because covering a waterway alters the concentrations of its water quality parameters. This research is concerned with studying the combined effect of wind and covering of canals on different water quality parameters. The main Sheikh Zayed canal of the New Valley project in Toshka governorate in Egypt is taken as case study. Water quality parameters studied are dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) and total dissolved solids (TDS). Mathematical model was developed in order to carry on the simulation. After simulating the effect of wind and covering on these two water quality parameters it was found that the studied water quality parameters concentrations increased as the wind is gradually increased. Thus, TDS and DO showed maximum increase with increased wind speed and with uncovered canal area. TDS showed the max increase; namely 16%.

Study of Bonded Wafers by Using a Synchrotron Radiation Transmission X-ray Microscopy for Three-Dimensional Integrated Circuit

Synchrotron radiation transmission X-ray microscopy (SRTXM) was applied for visualization of the interfacial layer in bonded wafer pairs. The X-ray energy of 6.54 keV with a monitoring window was utilized to enhance a resolution of transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM). The monitoring window was designed a locally uncovered area of the bonded wafer pairs to make the thickness of bonded wafers less than 200 μm. The experimental results showed that the technique has sub-micron meter resolution. Also this technique can improve the resolution of the synchrotron X-ray for nanoelectronics application.

Game Theory-Based Planning of Nodes in Wireless Sensor Networks for Optimum Coverage With Maximum Battery Life

Maximize the coverage is one of the important aspects, in designing the wireless sensor network. One should aim at a nearly optimum coverage rate without reducing the life span of the network. Numerous solutions were suggested for this from which most try to select the least number of nodes as active, while the others remain in the sleep mode to save energy. This approach extends the life span of the network also. Nevertheless, these methods suffer from a lack of mathematical bases for the initial seed node choice in selecting active nodes. In this manuscript, a distributed method is suggested to address the challenge of maximum coverage with maximum network life. The exploitation of the game theory as a mathematical basis for the choice of active nodes is demonstrated in the current manuscript. The basis of the game theory in node planning, is node compete with each other to become active. Node tries to avoid coverage redundancy using the costs of the activation. This cost use number of the active neighbors and the uncovered area. The comparison of the simulation results with the results of the actual network deployed with nodeMCUs is done. We found that the network lifetimes almost doubles from 52 Hours to 98 hours with actual deployment on two nodeMCUs. The suggested method works well for maximum coverage, life span, and energy efficiency. The proposed method also causes a reduction in the redundancy rate.

Evaluation of Woven Agrotextiles in the Development of Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in Greenhouse

The effect of the reflection by a white agrotextile, in hemp cultivation, was evaluated on a greenhouse experiment during 2019. The experiments were laid out in a completely randomized design with two treatments (soil cover and control). The results indicated that the average temperature in the covered area section was 28.5ºC while in the uncovered area was 25.12ºC, during the experiment. Concerning height, higher plants up to 20 cm, were recorded on the covered area than the uncovered one. The highest specific leaf area (SLA) (58.39 cm2 g-1) was found on the covered area at 60 days after transplanting (DAT) compared to the uncovered area where a value of 50.4 cm2 g-1 was recorded. The absolute growth rate was higher during 20-60 DAT comparatively to control. The highest rate was observed about 50-60 DAT where it reached the value of 3.34 g day-1. Concerning root system, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was only affected by the cover material. The number of inflorescences was not found to be affected by the cover material but the bud length and the cannabidiol (CBD) content were affected by the soil cover. The cannabinoids (CBD) content was 28.8% higher on covered area.

Tiled Monolayer Films of 2D Molybdenum Disulfide Nanoflakes Assembled at Liquid/Liquid Interfaces.

Thin films of MoS2 bilayer nanoflakes, which are predominantly a single flake thick and with flakes in edge-to-edge contact, have been produced via self-assembled tiling at the planar interface between two immiscible liquids. Films of several square centimeters extent can be produced with a total covered area approaching 90% and over 70% of the film covered by single flakes without overlap. Films produced through liquid/liquid assembly are shown to produce a lower uncovered area fraction and more uniform thickness when compared with films of similar areal coverage produced by the “top-down” techniques of spin coating and spray coating. Statistical analysis of flake coverage data, measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM), shows that liquid/liquid assembly produces a distinctly different variation in film thickness than conventional top-down deposition. This supports the hypothesis that the two-dimensional (2D) confinement of liquid/liquid assembly produces more uniform films. Demonstrator field-effect transistors (FETs) manufactured from the films exhibit mobility and on/off current ratios of 0.73 cm2 V–1 s–1 and 105, respectively, comparable to FETs of similar layout and chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown or mechanically cleaved single-crystal MoS2 channel material. This work demonstrates the use of liquid/liquid interfaces as a useful tool for the self-assembly of high-performance thin-film devices made from dispersions of 2D materials.

The coverage method of unmanned aerial vehicle mounted base station sensor network based on relative distance

The unmanned aerial vehicle features with high flexibility and easy deployment. It could be used as an air base station and provide fast communication services for the ground users. It plays an important role in some special occasions such as natural disasters, emergency communications and temporary large-scale activities. A single unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with base station has limited range of services, but a multiple unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with base station network can serve a wider range of users. The research goal of unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with base station network coverage control is to maximize the network coverage under the condition of maintaining the service quality. In view of the low dynamic coverage ratio of unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with base station network, this article proposes a relative distance–based unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with base station deployment method. The unmanned aerial vehicle realizes on-demand coverage and maintains a stable network topology under the influence of three relative distances by sensing the uncovered area of the ground, the neighbouring unmanned aerial vehicles and the location of the coverage boundary or obstacles. In addition, the algorithm is also adapted to a variety of scenarios. The simulation results show that the coverage of the proposed algorithm is 22.4% higher than that of random deployment, and it is 9.9%, 4.7% and 2.1% higher than similar virtual force-oriented node, circular binary segmentation and hybrid local virtual force algorithms.

A novel fabrication technique for three-dimensional concave nanolens arrays

A novel facile technique is proposed for fabricating three-dimensional (3D) concave nanolens arrays on a silicon substrate. The technique leverages an inherent characteristic of the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resist during inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching. The tendency for plasma ions to accumulate at the edge of the PMMA resist helps create a local electric field that causes the ions to etch the sidewall of the PMMA resist. This process progressively increases the uncovered area, resulting in a graded etched depth or a concave structure in the substrate. In addition, using a given ICP etching recipe, the time required for a PMMA resist to be removed by sidewall etching is determined by its width. The use of PMMA resist of different widths enables one to achieve structures of varying etched depths and thus a 3D lens array. Optical characteristics of the fabricated nanolens were simulated using the FDTD (Finite-difference time-domain) method, and focal lengths ranging from 150 nm to 420 nm were obtained. This type of nanolens is very useful in ultraviolet optical devices and CMOS image sensors.

Increase in environmental temperature affects exploratory behaviour, anxiety and social preference in Danio rerio

The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of a temperature increase on the behaviour of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) maintained for 21 days at 34 °C (treatment) and 26 °C (control). The temperatures chosen are within the vital range of zebrafish and correspond to temperatures that this species encounters in the natural environment. Previous results showed that the same treatment affects the brain proteome and the behaviour of adult zebrafish by producing alterations in the proteins involved in neurotransmitter release and synaptic function and impairing fish exploratory behaviour. In this study, we have investigated the performance of treated and control zebrafish during environmental exploration by using four behavioural tests (novel tank diving, light and dark preference, social preference and mirror biting) that are paradigms for assessing the state of anxiety, boldness, social preference and aggressive behaviour, respectively. The results showed that heat treatment reduces anxiety and increases the boldness of zebrafish, which spent more time in potentially dangerous areas of the tank such as the top and the uncovered bright area and at a distance from the social group, thus decreasing protection for the zebrafish. These data suggest that the increase in ambient temperature may compromise zebrafish survival rate in the natural environment.

An Artificially Weighted Spanning Tree Coverage Algorithm for Decentralized Flying Robots

In this article, an artificially weighted spanning tree coverage (AWSTC) algorithm is proposed for the distributed path planning of multiple flying robots. To balance well the efficiency, redundancy, and robustness in the cooperative coverage problem, each robot simultaneously constructs its spanning tree, which grows toward the center of inertia of the uncovered area and keeps away from the trees of its partners. Based on this, each robot covers a concerned area with almost equal trajectory length and computational burden. To guarantee dynamical consistency, a trajectory-smoothing method is developed utilizing Bezier curve transition. As transition in the spanning tree path planning is always conducted around the corner with right angle, geometric and velocity profiles of this kind of transition can be preevaluated as a basic component and then connected to establish more complex real-time trajectories according to the constructed spanning trees. Numerical evaluations and real-time flight experiments are carried out at last. Results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can generate a smooth trajectory for an area coverage problem while ensuring efficiency and robustness. In particular, the efficiency of the proposed algorithm is quite close to the typical centralized spanning tree coverage (STC) algorithm, while ensuring the fulfillment of the coverage task regardless of any breakdown in the individual robot. Note to Practitioners —In applications such as infrastructure inspection and plant protection, the concerned area or terrain is required to be fully covered with the smallest possible time consumption. In view of these real-world requirements, multiple unmanned systems with proper path planning provide a promising solution that can significantly enhance the efficiency as well as the robustness, compared with a single-robot system. Especially, centralized STC algorithms, concerning the computation efficiency and trajectory redundancy of multiple unmanned systems, demonstrate satisfactory effectiveness, and thereby receive a lot of attention. Unfortunately, most of the STC algorithms are proposed in a centralized control framework. Therefore, it is worth to study its decentralized version that could exploit the advantages of the distributed multiple robots. With this consideration, a decentralized AWSTC algorithm is proposed in this article. This spanning tree-based strategy artificially assigns priority weight for each cell, with respect to each individual robot, in the concerned area. With specially designed weight assignment, each robot tends to construct a spanning tree with cells that are uncovered but keep away from the trees of its partners. Based on this, the task burden as well as computational cost of each robot are almost equal. To improve the real-time performance, a Bezier transition trajectory-generation method is also used. With proper parameter selection, robots can generate smooth trajectory with constant velocity in real-time missions. Numerical evaluations and experiments with real-time flight demonstrate the effectiveness of this methodology.

Clustering based energy efficient multi-relay scheduling in green vehicular infrastructure

Proper scheduling of downlink (RSU-to-vehicle) communication reduces power consumption of Road Side Unit (RSU) in green vehicular networks. In highway scenarios, due to high deployment cost of RSUs, it is necessary to leave some areas uncovered in which vehicles cannot get direct access to the RSUs. Therefore, a vehicle with large data requirement may enter into an uncovered area without completely downloading from the RSU and such a vehicle is referred as target vehicle. In this paper, we provide an energy efficient offline downlink scheduling for store-carry-forward vehicles (relays) to satisfy the residual data requirement of the target vehicle moving in the uncovered area. An integer linear programming problem is formulated for relay scheduling and evaluated its NP-hardness by reduction from well-known Seminar Assignment Problem. A polynomial time solution is presented by modeling the problem as a Minimum Cost Flow (MCF) graph. Furthermore, we propose a cluster-based approach to identify vehicles in energy favorable locations and multi-hop distance to relay vehicles. These vehicles forward data to relay vehicles using off-channel vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) forwarding. Combining the V2V forwarding with relay scheduling further reduces the power consumption of the RSU. Extensive simulations show that the proposed approach augmented with MCF reduces the power consumption of RSU when compared to offline schedulers Nearest Fastest Set (NFS), MCF and two more basic algorithms First Come First Serve (FCFS) and Fastest First (FF). In addition, the proposed approach improves data delivery to the target vehicle in the uncovered area.

Evaluation of organic metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors based on a distributed constant circuit

The capacitance characteristics of pentacene metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors with a large uncovered pentacene area have been investigated. The capacitance measured was examined by assuming that the uncovered area is represented by a distributed constant circuit. The frequency dependence of the capacitance was reproduced by an equation derived based on the assumption. The sheet resistance for the uncovered area of a MOS capacitor was calculated as a function of the gate voltage from the capacitance measured. The mobility of a MOS capacitor with an uncovered area was estimated by fitting a curve to the gate voltage dependence of the sheet resistance, and was in the range of 0.48–0.64 cm2 V−1 s−1. In addition, the mobilities were compared with those calculated from the current–voltage characteristics of pentacene transistors fabricated on the same substrate.

Dewetted Pt nanostructures on Silicon Carbide surface

We exploit the thermal-induced dewetting process of a deposited Pt film to produce two-dimensional arrays of Pt nanostructures on SiC surface.After depositing 7.5 nm-thick Pt film on SiC, we performed annealings increasing the temperature from 773 to 1073 K. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy analyses were crossed to draw information on the chemical and morphological evolution of the Pt film increasing the annealing temperature. The gradual evolution of the Pt film, due to the ongoing dewetting process, from a holed film to a web of Pt filaments connecting Pt agglomerates and to, finally, isolated shaped nanostructures was observed. The Pt film surface roughness, fraction of uncovered surface area by the metal film, mean height and mean planar size of the dewetted nanostructures were quantified versus the annealing temperature to extract quantitative information on the main parameters characterizing the dewetting process and the nanostructures morphology.

Evaluating the efficacy of handwashing demonstration on hand hygiene among school students - An interventional study.

BACKGROUND:Washing of hands and maintenance of appropriate hand hygiene plays a significant role in preventing the spread of many communicable diseases. However, literature demonstrating the efficacy of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended handwashing procedure among schoolchildren in India is scanty.AIM:The aim of this study was to assess hand hygiene efficacy through graphical assessment technique utilizing ultraviolet (UV)-sensitive fluorescent lotion before and after handwashing demonstration among students aged 12–18 years.MATERIALS AND METHODS:This was an interventional study carried out over a period of 5 days among 21 schoolchildren aged 12–18 years in their respective school premises. Participants were requested to rub their hands with an UV-sensitive fluorescent lotion and then wash them. Hands were air-dried and examined under UV rays for blue light emission in a dark room. Emission of blue light highlighted parts of hand where lotion is still present and area not washed properly. Such areas were painted with nontoxic skin-friendly paints. Painted hands were imprinted over graph papers. Hand hygiene demonstration was provided to the participants as per the WHO guidelines by qualified public health dentists using audiovisual aids. Postintervention, the procedure followed at baseline was adopted to obtain imprints of uncovered (not covered during hand hygiene process) parts of hands. The mean percentage of uncovered parts of hand was assessed and compared between baseline and postintervention.RESULTS:The overall mean percentage score of uncovered hand area significantly reduced from 73.90 ± 19.81 mm2 at baseline to 20.05 ± 17.0 mm2 after demonstration of proper hand hygiene guidelines (P < 0.001).CONCLUSION:Hand hygiene demonstration by qualified public health dentists using audio-visual aids has significantly contributed to improving their hand hygiene practice.

Habeas corpus: reflexões teóricas e estratégias para a tradução (espanhol ”“ português) do termo jurídico

Este artigo apresenta reflexões sobre estratégias para a tradução de textos relacionados ao domínio discursivo jurídico. São aqui discutidos alguns usos do termo habeas corpus no par linguístico espanhol ”“ português que, embora eventualmente designados de forma idêntica, têm alcance, efeitos e ritos distintos nos sistemas jurídicos em contato. Considerando habeas corpus um item-cultural-específico, este trabalho aborda a história e o desenvolvimento dessa garantia no Brasil e em alguns países de língua espanhola com o objetivo de refletir sobre as diferenças entre os sistemas jurídicos eventualmente em contato por meio da tradução, chamando atenção para o fato de que dicionários nem sempre preveem a diversidade dos habeas corpus insculpidos no Direito das nações de língua hispânica. A partir disso, são sugeridas estratégias para o tratamento deste termo na tradução do texto jurídico, ressaltando-se a importância da consulta a fontes acuradas e dicionários especializados ””e, preferencialmente, provenientes do país de cuja tradição jurídica se estiver traduzindo ”” de modo a evitar que a tradução desses termos ignore as características que eles apresentam enquanto itens-culturais-específicos. Para tanto, propõe-se uma revisão teórica sobre o habeas corpus como instrumento garantidor de liberdades (tanto de liberdade de locomoção como de liberdades individuais mais amplas), seguida de uma discussão sobre como a tradução de textos jurídicos está ligada aos diferentes ambientes culturais em que esses textos estão colocados. Tomando por base o referencial teórico de Javier Franco Aixelá sobre itens-culturais-específicos, são propostas seis possíveis estratégias para a manipulação do habeas corpus (ou do instrumento que o faça as vezes sob a ótica do Direito Comparado) em tradução do espanhol para o português. Em seguida, analisam-se especificamente as estratégias possíveis para a tradução de termos e são apresentados exemplos de explicação intratextual e de universalização para este termo provenientes do texto jornalístico sobre o Direito. Com essa discussão, este artigo visa a levantar um debate em uma área relativamente pouco trabalhada dentro dos Estudos da Tradução e contribuir para o desenvolvimento do campo com uma pesquisa sobre línguas próximas, como o português e o espanhol.

Microcavity characteristics analysis of micro-shuttered organic light-emitting diodes

We demonstrated the control of the microcavity (MC) effect in micro-shuttered organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with the introduction of an Ag striped pattern (ASP) layer between the organic layer and the indium zinc oxide layer. The ASP electrodes demonstrated high flexibility, conductivity, and transmittance. The optical and electrical properties of the OLED devices with micro-scale patterned metal electrodes with varying thicknesses and uncovered (open) area:entire glass surface area ratios (open ratios, ORs) were analyzed. The ASP OLEDs demonstrated high color purity and narrowed emission spectra because of the MC effect, increased light extraction by modulating the OR of the micro-shutter structure, and adjustability of the viewing angle distortion by controlling the OR. The ASP OLEDs exhibited maximum efficiency at the OR of 0.3 (Ag thickness; tAg = 15 nm) because of their optimum transmittance and conductivity. The viewing angle distortion decreased by approximately 60.3% with an increase in the OR from 0 to 0.7, as revealed by the changes in the color coordinates. The results showed that when deposited on flexible substrates, ASP electrodes can be used in flexible devices.

Wireless sensor node deployment strategy for hilly terrains – a surface approximation based approach

Sensor deployment in a wireless sensor network (WSN) is a challenging task due to the high chance of occurrence of the error in the deployment process, which makes the network inefficient. Particularly in three-dimensional (3D) WSN, the ideal positioning of sensor nodes over the ground with precise coverage and connectivity is a very significant consideration in the deployment of sensors. Various models for 2D sensor deployment have been proposed to date, but in real-world scenarios, the target field (field of interest) is not always 2D flat surface and therefore a 2D deployment model cannot address the issue of deploying sensor nodes on uneven surfaces such as hilly terrains. In this paper, we presented a surface approximation-based sensor deployment using truncated octahedron (SASD-TO) to solve the problems of sensor deployment on an irregular surface. Using the B-Spline, a 3D model of the target surface is approximated and then a Truncated Octahedron is used to estimate the exact coordinates of a sensor node. A very decent coverage area as high as 98% on average, whereas at lowest 2% of the uncovered area and 8% of the superimposed area were observed.

Intestinal permeability in the pathogenesis of liver damage: From non-alcoholic fatty liver disease to liver transplantation.

The intimate connection and the strict mutual cooperation between the gut and the liver realizes a functional entity called gut-liver axis. The integrity of intestinal barrier is crucial for the maintenance of liver homeostasis. In this mutual relationship, the liver acts as a second firewall towards potentially harmful substances translocated from the gut, and is, in turn, is implicated in the regulation of the barrier. Increasing evidence has highlighted the relevance of increased intestinal permeability and consequent bacterial translocation in the development of liver damage. In particular, in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease recent hypotheses are considering intestinal permeability impairment, diet and gut dysbiosis as the primary pathogenic trigger. In advanced liver disease, intestinal permeability is enhanced by portal hypertension. The clinical consequence is an increased bacterial translocation that further worsens liver damage. Furthermore, this pathogenic mechanism is implicated in most of liver cirrhosis complications, such as spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatorenal syndrome, portal vein thrombosis, hepatic encephalopathy, and hepatocellular carcinoma. After liver transplantation, the decrease in portal pressure should determine beneficial effects on the gut-liver axis, although are incompletely understood data on the modifications of the intestinal permeability and gut microbiota composition are still lacking. How the modulation of the intestinal permeability could prevent the initiation and progression of liver disease is still an uncovered area, which deserves further attention.

Design, Modelling and Manufacturing of 16 Cylinder Hydraulic Fixture with Automated Clamping System

The function of a jig and/or fixture (fixturing system) is to hold a workpiece firmly in position during a manufacturing process. It is seeming that almost all the literature of fixture is focused on principles and theoretical aspects of fixture design. This raises a question of the practical value of fixture research. There is a clear demand for designing and manufacturing fixture for real industrial component and more research in computerized fixture design in such fields. The present research work satisfies this demand by deploying the fixture design task into an overall manufacturing process to obtain best fixture design solution for real industrial component. The component is rear flange of gear case widely used in automobile industry, made up of cast iron. The major operations to be performed are drilling and milling. The research includes design and manufacturing of a fixture with automated clamping system, which provides location and clamping arrangement for machining 4 components in one cycle on VMC 640 of pallet size 800 mm x 500 mm. Machine tools, material handling devices, transport and other mobile equipment, aviation systems, etc. do use hydraulic systems, butapplication of hydraulic principles in fixture is of uncovered area till now. This paper includes designing and manufacturing 16-cylinder hydraulic fixture with automated clamping system for machining rear flange on VMC. The important details of the part and fixture are included in each section along with 2D drawing and 3D view of finished component and fixture assembly using Creo 2.0.Fixture is not only designed but manufactured also, it sets the classical example of design for manufacturing.

Performance evaluation of optical attocells configuration in an indoor visible light communication

Visible light communication VLC is deemed as futuristic technology applied for both illumination and data communication due to the low-cost energy consumption, long life expectancy, huge bandwidth, and high security compared to radio frequency RF. Uncovered area, minimum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and received power results from the non-uniform distribution of small base stations (i.e. Optical attocells) in the room. In this paper, the researchers propose a new LEDs distribution of five optical attocells configuration model in order to optimize the received power distribution and SNR at the center of the room for indoor VLC system. The optical attocells configuration in terms of received power to fill the uncovered area at the center of the room has been investigated. The simulation results showed that the proposed attocells configuration saved 24.9% of the transmitted power. Besides that, the whole room was covered uniformly. As a result, the received power and SNR are improved.

Efficient Packings of Unit Squares in a Large Square

How efficiently can a large square of side length x be packed with non-overlapping unit squares? In this note, we show that the uncovered area W(x) can be made as small as \(O(x^{3/5})\). This improves an earlier estimate which showed that \(W(x) = O\bigl (x^{({3+\sqrt{2}})/{7} }\log x\bigr )\).