Objective:To confirm the presence of Culex(Cx.)(Lophoceraomyia)cinctellus in Sri Lanka using morphological and molecular evidence.Methods:From October 2019 to April 2020,mosquito surveillance was conducted fort-nightl...Objective:To confirm the presence of Culex(Cx.)(Lophoceraomyia)cinctellus in Sri Lanka using morphological and molecular evidence.Methods:From October 2019 to April 2020,mosquito surveillance was conducted fort-nightly in the Banduragoda Public Health Inspector area.Larvae were collected using standard siphoning methods,while adults were sampled using Cattle Baited Trap,Gravid Traps,Light Traps,Bird-Baited Traps,Dog Baited Traps,and diurnal human landing collections.Specimens were transported to the Entomology Laboratory at the Medical Research Institute for identification.Morphological identification was performed using standard taxonomic keys.Molecular confirmation was achieved through DNA sequencing of mosquito head and thoracic regions,followed by sequence analysis using NCBI BLAST and Geneious software(version 7.1.3).Results:Adults of Cx.cinctellus were identified in Bird-Baited Traps and human bait collections.Unique morphological characteristics,including well-developed pulvilli,wing vein 1A ending before the apex of cross vein mcu,basal transverse pale bands on abdominal terga,and two labial basal setae on the proboscis,confirmed species identity.Morphometric measurements included mean thoracic length(0.58±0.02)mm,thoracic width(0.63±0.02)mm,abdominal length(2.15±0.03)mm,abdominal width(0.61±0.01)mm,and wing length(2.91±0.02)mm.Molecular analysis corroborated the morphological identification,affirming the species as Cx.cinctellus.COI sequences of the collected specimen(452 bp)were confirmed as Cx.cinctellus for sequence identity by BLAST and BOLD analysis.These sequences were subsequently deposited in GenBank under the accession number OR225623.1.Conclusions:This study documents the first occurrence of Cx.cinctellus in Sri Lanka,highlighting the need to enhance entomological surveillance to monitor its dispersal and population dynamics.展开更多
The “Huang gua” melons were measured for their physical properties including firmness and static elastic modulus. The vibrational characteristics of fruits and vegetables are governed by their elastic modulus (firmn...The “Huang gua” melons were measured for their physical properties including firmness and static elastic modulus. The vibrational characteristics of fruits and vegetables are governed by their elastic modulus (firmness), mass, and geometry. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate firmness of fruits and vegetables based on their vibrational characteristics. Analysis of the vibration responses of a fruit is suggested for measuring elastic properties (Firmness) non-destructively. The impulse response method is often used to measure firmness of fruits. The fruit was excited using three types of balls (wooden, steel and rubber) and the vibration is detected by an accelerometer. The Instron device was used to measure the static elastic modulus of the inner, middle and outer portions of melon flesh. Finite element (FE) technique was used to determine the optimum excitation location of the chosen measurement sensor and to analyze the mode shape fruits. Four types of mode shapes (torsional or flexural mode shape, first-type, second-type spherical mode and breathing mode shape) were found. Finite element simulation results agreed well with experimental results. Correlation between the firmness and resonant frequency (r2=0.91) and between the resonant frequency and stiffness factor (r2=0.74) existed. The optimum location and suitable direction for excitation and response measurement on the fruit were suggested.展开更多
Understanding the potential drought characteristics under climate change is essential to reduce vulnerability and establish adaptation strategies, especially in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain （3H Plain）, which is a major ...Understanding the potential drought characteristics under climate change is essential to reduce vulnerability and establish adaptation strategies, especially in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain （3H Plain）, which is a major grain production area in China. In this paper, we investigated the variations in drought characteristics （drought event frequency, duration, severity, and intensity） for the past 50 years （1961-2010） and under future scenarios （2010-2099）, based on the observed meteorological data and the Representative Concentration Pathway （RCP） 8.5 scenario, respectively. First, we compared the applicability of three climatic drought indices： the standardized precipitation index （SPI）, the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index based on the Penman-Monteith equation （SPEI-PM） and the same index based on the Thornthwaite equation （SPEI-TH） to correlate the recorded agricultural drought areas. Then, we analyzed the drought characteristics using ＇run theory＇ for both historical and the future RCP 8.5 scenario based on the best performing index. Correlation analyses between drought indices and agricultural drought areas showed that SPEI-PM performed better than SPI and SPEI-TH in the 3H Plain. Based on the results of SPEI-PM, drought risks including duration, severity and intensity during 1961-2010 showed an decreasing trend. However, under the RCP 8.5 scenario, drought is expected to rise in frequency, duration, severity, and intensity from 2010-2099, although drought components during the 2010-2039 are predicted to be milder compared with historical conditions. This study highlights that the estimations for atmospheric evaporative demand would create differences in the prediction of long-term drought trends by different drought indices. The results of this study can help inform researchers and local policy makers to establish drought management strategies.展开更多
The weight of shelled shrimp is an important parameter for grading process.The weight prediction of shelled shrimp by contour area is not accurate enough because of the ignorance of the shrimp thickness.In this paper,...The weight of shelled shrimp is an important parameter for grading process.The weight prediction of shelled shrimp by contour area is not accurate enough because of the ignorance of the shrimp thickness.In this paper,a multivariate prediction model containing area,perimeter,length,and width was established.A new calibration algorithm for extracting length of shelled shrimp was proposed,which contains binary image thinning,branch recognition and elimination,and length reconstruction,while its width was calculated during the process of length extracting.The model was further validated with another set of images from 30 shelled shrimps.For a comparison purpose,artificial neural network(ANN) was used for the shrimp weight predication.The ANN model resulted in a better prediction accuracy(with the average relative error at 2.67%),but took a tenfold increase in calculation time compared with the weight-area-perimeter(WAP) model(with the average relative error at 3.02%).We thus conclude that the WAP model is a better method for the prediction of the weight of shelled red shrimp.展开更多
This study presents an analytical solution of thermal and mechanical displacements, strains, and stresses for a thick-walled rotating spherical pressure vessel made of functionally graded materials (FGMs). The pressur...This study presents an analytical solution of thermal and mechanical displacements, strains, and stresses for a thick-walled rotating spherical pressure vessel made of functionally graded materials (FGMs). The pressure vessel is subject to axisymmetric mechanical and thermal loadings within a uniform magnetic field. The material properties of the FGM are considered as the power-law distribution along the thickness. Navier’s equation, which is a second-order ordinary differential equation, is derived from the mechanical equilibrium equation with the consideration of the thermal stresses and the Lorentz force resulting from the magnetic field. The distributions of the displacement, strains, and stresses are determined by the exact solution to Navier’s equation. Numerical results clarify the influence of the thermal loading, magnetic field, non-homogeneity constant, internal pressure, and angular velocity on the magneto-thermo-elastic response of the functionally graded spherical vessel. It is observed that these parameters have remarkable effects on the distributions of radial displacement, radial and circumferential strains, and radial and circumferential stresses.展开更多
The impact force response of a peach impacting on a metal flat-surface was considered as nondestructive determination of firmness. The objectives were to analyze the effect of firmness, drop height, fruit mass, and im...The impact force response of a peach impacting on a metal flat-surface was considered as nondestructive determination of firmness. The objectives were to analyze the effect of firmness, drop height, fruit mass, and impact orientation on the impact force parameters, and to establish a relationship between the impact force parameter and firmness. The effect of fruit firmness, drop height and fruit mass on the impact force parameters (coefficient of restitution, percentage of energy absorbed, and coefficient of force-time) was evaluated. The study found that the coefficient of restitution, percentage of energy absorbed, and force-time impact coefficient were significantly affected by fruit ripeness, but not affected by drop height, impact position (fruit cheek), and mass. The percentage of absorbed energy increased with ripeness, while the force-time impact coefficient and coefficient of restitution decreased with ripeness. Relationships were obtained between the three impact characteristic parameters (force-time impact coefficient, coefficient of restitution, and percentage of energy absorbed) and peach firmness using a polynomial model (R2=0.932), S model (R2=0.910), and exponential model (R2=0.941), respectively.展开更多
Components with strong adsorption capacity for cholates from buckwheat proteins were screened, separated and purified by several methods, and the effects of ultra-high-pressure(UHP) on the structure and function of bu...Components with strong adsorption capacity for cholates from buckwheat proteins were screened, separated and purified by several methods, and the effects of ultra-high-pressure(UHP) on the structure and function of buckwheat 13S globulin(BW13SG) were studied. Samples were treated by UHP at different p H(3.0 and 7.0) value(s) and at 100–500 MPa for 10–30 min. The results showed that the tertiary structure of BW13SG was partially denatured and aggregated. The decrease in the unordered structure indicated that UHP resulted in a looser secondary structure of BW13SG. UHP treatment also increased solubility, emulsion activity and stability, foaming capacity and stability. The samples treated at 500 MPa, p H 3.0 for 30 min had the most enhanced functionality. Moreover, under this condition, the sodium cholate and sodium deoxycholate adsorption capacities of BW13SG were both higher than 98% and the adsorption capacity of sodium taurocholate, which can be difficult to adsorb, was higher than 60%.展开更多
Liquid manure storage may contribute to methane （CH4） emission and this emission can be greatly reduced if appropriate management practices are applied. Biofiltration has been used in other fields for mitigating gre...Liquid manure storage may contribute to methane （CH4） emission and this emission can be greatly reduced if appropriate management practices are applied. Biofiltration has been used in other fields for mitigating greenhouse gas （GHG） emission （e.g., landfill） and shown promise for mitigation OH4 emis- sion from liquid manure storage. It has been reported that biofilter was capable of reducing 80% of CH4 emissions from manure storage. The OH4 removal efficiency is influenced by many factors, including OH4 and 02 concentrations, temperature, moisture, composition of the filter bed, nutrient, and empty bed resi- dency time （EBRT）. Biological conversion of methane of a biofilter is a slow process due to the low water solubility of methane. The residence times （EBRT） between 5 min and 5 h have been used, whereas a typical EBRT of 25 s is used for common biofilter applications. Temperature at which methanotrophic bac- teria are active ranges from 10℃ to 45℃. The maximum activity is found at around 30℃. The optimal filter bed water content depends on both the gas flow rate and the type of filter bed （soil, compost, etc.） and ranges from 30%-70% of the water holding capacity. Compost is the best material for filter bed. The optimal pH for methanotrophic bacteria is neutral to slightly acidic. Copper and nitrogen compounds especially nitrate are important nutrients to methanotrophic bacteria but their optimal concentrations have not been founded. Phosphorus and other elements such as potassium and manganese are reported to affect the performance of methanotrophic bacteria but need further confirmation.展开更多
Periodontitis is a type of chronic inflammation in the gingival tissue caused by infectious bacteria colonizing the surface of the teeth,leading to the destruction of tooth-supporting tissues and loss of alveolar bone...Periodontitis is a type of chronic inflammation in the gingival tissue caused by infectious bacteria colonizing the surface of the teeth,leading to the destruction of tooth-supporting tissues and loss of alveolar bone.Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid(SAHA),a class of histone deacetylase(HDAC)inhibitor,has the potential to stimulate osteoblast differentiation by acetylating histone proteins,and thus suppressing the expression of adipogenic and chondrogenic genes.However,the effect of SAHA on the differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells(hPDLSCs)is yet to be elucidated.Herein,we investigated the effects of SAHA on in vitro proliferation and differentiation of hPDLSCs by MTT assay,Alizarin Red-S,and alkaline phosphatase staining,and real-time PCR.Notably,300 ng/mL SAHA treatment enhanced the proliferation and mineralization of hPDLSCs,indicating their osteogenic potential.Moreover,a significant enhancement of osteogenesis gene markers and proteins was observed.We also demonstrated that ERK is a positive regulator of Runx2 transcription factors during osteoblast differentiation.These results indicate that SAHA may be a useful osteogenic induction agent for periodontal bone regeneration.展开更多
The presence of acidic soil in rural areas poses difficulties for agricultural production.One factor regulating soil pH is the overuse of inorganic fertilizer.The increased use of fertilizers in soybean production not...The presence of acidic soil in rural areas poses difficulties for agricultural production.One factor regulating soil pH is the overuse of inorganic fertilizer.The increased use of fertilizers in soybean production not only raises sustainability concerns but also contributes to soil acidity.Therefore,the use of organic fertilizer could offer a solution for addressing both issues related to soil acidity and sustainability.The purpose of this study was to investigate the manipulation of soil pH using organic fertilizer for soybean production under acidic stress.The planting medium,consisting of a mixture of topsoil,rice husk charcoal,and organic fertilizer(in a ratio of 2:1:1),was supplemented with 0.5 g of NPK fertilizer as a basal treatment in each planting medium.To regulate the soil acidity to pH 4,we added FeSO_(4) and allowed the mixture to incubate for 30 days.The results demonstrate that the application of three types of organic fertilizers chicken manure(P1),oil palm empty bunch fertilizer(P2),and vermicompost(P3)positively impacts the growth of three soybean varieties.The findings indicate that the application of P2 organic fertilizer can increase vegetative growth almost 50%in soybeans on acidic soil,including plant height,leaf count,and root length.Meanwhile,applying P3 organic fertilizer can boost reproductive growth responses in soybeans on acidic soil,such as pod number(from around 0-4 unit to 42-51 unit),grain number(from around 0-5 unit to 88-90 unit),and grain weight(from around 0-0.37 g to 12-25 g).Organic fertilizer has the potential to regulate soil pH,promoting higher yields of soybeans under acidic stress.展开更多
Fuel injectors are considered as an important component of combustion engines. Operational weakness can possibly lead to the complete machine malfunction, decreasing reliability and leading to loss of production. To o...Fuel injectors are considered as an important component of combustion engines. Operational weakness can possibly lead to the complete machine malfunction, decreasing reliability and leading to loss of production. To overcome these circumstances, various condition monitoring techniques can be applied. The application of acoustic signals is common in the field of fault diagnosis of rotating machinery. Advanced signal processing is utilized for the construction of features that are specialized in detecting fuel injector faults. A performance comparison between novelty detection algorithms in the form of one-class classifiers is presented. The one-class classifiers that were tested included One-Class Support Vector Machine (OCSVM) and One-Class Self Organizing Map (OCSOM). The acoustic signals of fuel injectors in different operational conditions were processed for feature extraction. Features from all the signals were used as input to the one-class classifiers. The one-class classifiers were trained only with healthy fuel injector conditions and compared with new experimental data which belonged to different operational conditions that were not included in the training set so as to contribute to generalization. The results present the effectiveness of one-class classifiers for detecting faults in fuel injectors.展开更多
Solid biomass fuels are useful and cost effective renewable energy source. The energy content of biomass is determined by its calorific value. The objective of this study was to determine experimentally the gross calo...Solid biomass fuels are useful and cost effective renewable energy source. The energy content of biomass is determined by its calorific value. The objective of this study was to determine experimentally the gross calorific value (GCV) of different agroforestry species and bio-based industry residues that could be used by: a) companies specialized in processing raw biomass solid biofuel production, b) small-scale consumers (households, medium-sized residential buildings, etc.). The fuel samples used were from agricultural residues and wastes (rice husks, apricot kernels, olive pits, sunflower husks, cotton stems, etc.), energy crops and wetland herbs (cardoon, switchgrass, common reed, narrow-leaf cattail), and forest residues (populus, fagus, pinus). The GCV of the bio-mass samples was experimentally determined based on CEN/TS 14918:2005, and an oxygen bomb calorimeter was used (Model C5000 Adiabatic Calorimeter, IKA?-Werke, Staufen, Germany). The GCV of different agroforestry species and residues ranges from 14.3 - 25.4 MJ?kg<sup>–</sup>1. The highest GCV was obtained by seeds and kernels due to higher unit mass and higher lipid content. Pinus sylvestris with moisture content 24.59% obtained the lowest GCV (13.973 MJ?kg<sup>–</sup>1).展开更多
The variation of the vibration characteristics of a Huanghua pear was investigated using finite element simulations. A new image processing technique was used to obtain the unsymmetrical and un-spherical geometrical m...The variation of the vibration characteristics of a Huanghua pear was investigated using finite element simulations. A new image processing technique was used to obtain the unsymmetrical and un-spherical geometrical model of a pear. The vibra-tion characteristics of this type of pear with the correlation of its behavior with geometrical configurations and material charac-teristics were investigated using numerical modal analysis. The results showed that the eigenfrequency increased with the in-creasing pear Young’s modulus, while decreased with increasing pear density, and decreased with increasing pear volume. The results of this study provided foundation for further investigations of the physical characteristics of fruits and vegetables by using finite element simulations.展开更多
This article discusses the characterization of fracture process zone at the tip of a blunt crack in elastoplastic materials under mixed mode loading. The analysis includes the description of elastoplastic zone geometr...This article discusses the characterization of fracture process zone at the tip of a blunt crack in elastoplastic materials under mixed mode loading. The analysis includes the description of elastoplastic zone geometry around the blunt crack tip for predicting crack growth direction. The deformed zone appearing at the crack front is described by presenting a criterion based on the subloading surface concept falling within the framework of unconventional plasticity. The mixed mode crack propagates along the minimum value of the elastoplastic region. The present solutions are reduced to those previously reported in literature, when the elastic perfectly plastic material is considered.展开更多
Existing segmentation and augmentation techniques on convolutional neural network(CNN)has produced remarkable progress in object detection.However,the nominal accuracy and performance might be downturned with the phot...Existing segmentation and augmentation techniques on convolutional neural network(CNN)has produced remarkable progress in object detection.However,the nominal accuracy and performance might be downturned with the photometric variation of images that are directly ignored in the training process,along with the context of the individual CNN algorithm.In this paper,we investigate the effect of a photometric variation like brightness and sharpness on different CNN.We observe that random augmentation of images weakens the performance unless the augmentation combines the weak limits of photometric variation.Our approach has been justified by the experimental result obtained from the PASCAL VOC 2007 dataset,with object detection CNN algorithms such as YOLOv3(You Only Look Once),Faster R-CNN(Region-based CNN),and SSD(Single Shot Multibox Detector).Each CNN model shows performance loss for varying sharpness and brightness,ranging between−80%to 80%.It was further shown that compared to random augmentation,the augmented dataset with weak photometric changes delivered high performance,but the photometric augmentation range differs for each model.Concurrently,we discuss some research questions that benefit the direction of the study.The results prove the importance of adaptive augmentation for individual CNN model,subjecting towards the robustness of object detection.展开更多
In this study, a new method based on image processing was presented to count and discriminate paddy rice, even when they overlapped. This method was performed in three steps. In the first step, using a reference image...In this study, a new method based on image processing was presented to count and discriminate paddy rice, even when they overlapped. This method was performed in three steps. In the first step, using a reference image that excludes any overlapping paddy rice, the average area, standard deviation, and a threshold value for paddy rice were determined.展开更多
Objective:To assess the larvicidal activity of mangosteen(Garcinia mangostana)against larval stages of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.Methods:A crude extract was prepared in ethanol from powdered mangosteen pericarps.A conc...Objective:To assess the larvicidal activity of mangosteen(Garcinia mangostana)against larval stages of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.Methods:A crude extract was prepared in ethanol from powdered mangosteen pericarps.A concentration gradient(0.01-4.92 g/L)was prepared from the stock solution.Seven batches of 25 third instar larvae of Aedes aegypti were used for larval bioassays.Larval mortality rates were observed after one and 24 hours.Cholesterol and total lipid contents in 20 randomly selected dead larvae at each trial were assessed by colorimetric method.The experimental setup was repeated five times.The General Linear Model and Probit analysis were used to evaluate the relationship of mortality with cholesterol level,total lipid level and cholesterol to total lipid ratio.Results:The percentage mortalities significantly varied with different concentrations(F_(7,32)=385.737;P<0.001).The LC50 and LC99 values were(0.041±0.006)g/L and(10.616±1.758)g/L,respectively after 24 hours.There was no mortality recorded within the one-hour exposure time.Only the cholesterol content(F_(5,24)=173.245;P<0.001)in larvae exposed to different concentrations denoted a significantly decreasing trend within 24-hour exposure.Larvae that were exposed to the lowest concentration(0.55 g/L)showed a higher cholesterol level(22.67±1.33)μg.Conclusions:The Garcinia mangostana extract acts as an effective sterol carrier protein inhibitor that inhibits cholesterol uptake in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.Hence,it could be explored for use as a key source for the development of an environment-friendly plant-based larvicide.展开更多
The main goal of this study was to quantify reduction of runoff responses using selected erosion control covers on 1.2 m × 0.6 m plots under simulated rainfall to determine the most cost-effective temporary cover...The main goal of this study was to quantify reduction of runoff responses using selected erosion control covers on 1.2 m × 0.6 m plots under simulated rainfall to determine the most cost-effective temporary cover treatment under similar soils, rainfall and embankment slope conditions. The different erosion control covers tested were polyacrylamide (PAM), wheat straw and PAM (WS + P) with and without seed;and engineered fiber matrix (EFM) with and without seed. The EFM + S and WS + P + S treatments were the most effective treatments for runoff volume with 68.0% and 48.9% reduction, respectively, as compared to control. EFM + S was the most effective treatment for turbidity and modified total suspended solids (MTSS) with 98.7%, and 99.8% reduction, respectively as compared to control. Vegetation in the wheat straw treatment significantly reduced turbidity but less effect on runoff volume and MTSS than vegetation in the EFM + S treatment. Seeded treatments combined (EFM + S, WS + P + S) had a significant negative correlation between MTSS delivery and time (r = –0.69), as compared to a positive correlation of corresponding non-seeded treatments (EFM, WS + P) over time (r = 0.14). The EFM + S treatment had 39% less average MTSS delivery than WS + P + S but the WS + P + S treatment ($1.03 kg-1 sediment reduction) was found to be 84% less expensive than the EFM + S treatment ($6.36 kg-1 sediment reduction). The WS + P + S treatment can therefore be recommended as the most cost effective method for sediment delivery reduction under similar conditions and within the limitations of this small scale plot study.展开更多
In this paper, I applied the Euler-Lagrange equations in order to obtain the coupled-nonlinear motion equations for an elastic structure. The model is composed of six coupled and strongly nonlinear ordinary differenti...In this paper, I applied the Euler-Lagrange equations in order to obtain the coupled-nonlinear motion equations for an elastic structure. The model is composed of six coupled and strongly nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The new contribution of this work arises from the fact that a convenient and innovative parameterization of the motion equations for the elastic system was developed with all mathematical nonlinearities taken into account, without the usage of any simplifying linearization procedure, as found in most of the works presented in the literature. The results can be used as a source for conducting experiments and can be useful for a better understanding and control of such nonlinear elastic systems.展开更多
Traditional smoking of fish in Nigeria is often carried out in open and unsanitary environment. In addition, the current process does not result in uniformly smoked fish and uses wood （an increasingly scarce material...Traditional smoking of fish in Nigeria is often carried out in open and unsanitary environment. In addition, the current process does not result in uniformly smoked fish and uses wood （an increasingly scarce material） as heat source. The fish smoking kiln designed and fabricated in this study addresses these problems. The kiln （700 × 800 × 1,500 mm） is made of stainless steel on the inside and mild steel on the outside with glass fiber insulation separating the inside and outside covers. The sample to be smoked is totally enclosed by the kiln with a latchable door provided at one of the sides for placing of samples to be smoked. In addition, the kiln was designed to use waste biomass resource as fuels （sawdust and/or maizecob）. Bonga fish （Ethmalosafimbriata） and African catfish （Clarias gariepinus） were used as test samples for the kiln. The temperature of the chamber increased to about 120 ℃ to 160 ℃ when fueled with sawdust and about 150 ℃ to 200 ℃ for maizecob. The total heat transfer resistance through the kiln walls was determined to be 1.0 ℃/W. About 6-8 h was required to smoke-dry 16 kg of fish samples from initial moisture content of 75% to about 25% or 20% moisture level.展开更多
文摘Objective:To confirm the presence of Culex(Cx.)(Lophoceraomyia)cinctellus in Sri Lanka using morphological and molecular evidence.Methods:From October 2019 to April 2020,mosquito surveillance was conducted fort-nightly in the Banduragoda Public Health Inspector area.Larvae were collected using standard siphoning methods,while adults were sampled using Cattle Baited Trap,Gravid Traps,Light Traps,Bird-Baited Traps,Dog Baited Traps,and diurnal human landing collections.Specimens were transported to the Entomology Laboratory at the Medical Research Institute for identification.Morphological identification was performed using standard taxonomic keys.Molecular confirmation was achieved through DNA sequencing of mosquito head and thoracic regions,followed by sequence analysis using NCBI BLAST and Geneious software(version 7.1.3).Results:Adults of Cx.cinctellus were identified in Bird-Baited Traps and human bait collections.Unique morphological characteristics,including well-developed pulvilli,wing vein 1A ending before the apex of cross vein mcu,basal transverse pale bands on abdominal terga,and two labial basal setae on the proboscis,confirmed species identity.Morphometric measurements included mean thoracic length(0.58±0.02)mm,thoracic width(0.63±0.02)mm,abdominal length(2.15±0.03)mm,abdominal width(0.61±0.01)mm,and wing length(2.91±0.02)mm.Molecular analysis corroborated the morphological identification,affirming the species as Cx.cinctellus.COI sequences of the collected specimen(452 bp)were confirmed as Cx.cinctellus for sequence identity by BLAST and BOLD analysis.These sequences were subsequently deposited in GenBank under the accession number OR225623.1.Conclusions:This study documents the first occurrence of Cx.cinctellus in Sri Lanka,highlighting the need to enhance entomological surveillance to monitor its dispersal and population dynamics.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30370371) and the Natural Science Foundation of Zheji-ang Province (No. 301267), China
文摘The “Huang gua” melons were measured for their physical properties including firmness and static elastic modulus. The vibrational characteristics of fruits and vegetables are governed by their elastic modulus (firmness), mass, and geometry. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate firmness of fruits and vegetables based on their vibrational characteristics. Analysis of the vibration responses of a fruit is suggested for measuring elastic properties (Firmness) non-destructively. The impulse response method is often used to measure firmness of fruits. The fruit was excited using three types of balls (wooden, steel and rubber) and the vibration is detected by an accelerometer. The Instron device was used to measure the static elastic modulus of the inner, middle and outer portions of melon flesh. Finite element (FE) technique was used to determine the optimum excitation location of the chosen measurement sensor and to analyze the mode shape fruits. Four types of mode shapes (torsional or flexural mode shape, first-type, second-type spherical mode and breathing mode shape) were found. Finite element simulation results agreed well with experimental results. Correlation between the firmness and resonant frequency (r2=0.91) and between the resonant frequency and stiffness factor (r2=0.74) existed. The optimum location and suitable direction for excitation and response measurement on the fruit were suggested.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program,2012CB955904)the National Key Technologies R&D Program of China during the 12th Five-year Plan period (2012BAD09B01)the National Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China (41401510)
文摘Understanding the potential drought characteristics under climate change is essential to reduce vulnerability and establish adaptation strategies, especially in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain （3H Plain）, which is a major grain production area in China. In this paper, we investigated the variations in drought characteristics （drought event frequency, duration, severity, and intensity） for the past 50 years （1961-2010） and under future scenarios （2010-2099）, based on the observed meteorological data and the Representative Concentration Pathway （RCP） 8.5 scenario, respectively. First, we compared the applicability of three climatic drought indices： the standardized precipitation index （SPI）, the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index based on the Penman-Monteith equation （SPEI-PM） and the same index based on the Thornthwaite equation （SPEI-TH） to correlate the recorded agricultural drought areas. Then, we analyzed the drought characteristics using ＇run theory＇ for both historical and the future RCP 8.5 scenario based on the best performing index. Correlation analyses between drought indices and agricultural drought areas showed that SPEI-PM performed better than SPI and SPEI-TH in the 3H Plain. Based on the results of SPEI-PM, drought risks including duration, severity and intensity during 1961-2010 showed an decreasing trend. However, under the RCP 8.5 scenario, drought is expected to rise in frequency, duration, severity, and intensity from 2010-2099, although drought components during the 2010-2039 are predicted to be milder compared with historical conditions. This study highlights that the estimations for atmospheric evaporative demand would create differences in the prediction of long-term drought trends by different drought indices. The results of this study can help inform researchers and local policy makers to establish drought management strategies.
文摘The weight of shelled shrimp is an important parameter for grading process.The weight prediction of shelled shrimp by contour area is not accurate enough because of the ignorance of the shrimp thickness.In this paper,a multivariate prediction model containing area,perimeter,length,and width was established.A new calibration algorithm for extracting length of shelled shrimp was proposed,which contains binary image thinning,branch recognition and elimination,and length reconstruction,while its width was calculated during the process of length extracting.The model was further validated with another set of images from 30 shelled shrimps.For a comparison purpose,artificial neural network(ANN) was used for the shrimp weight predication.The ANN model resulted in a better prediction accuracy(with the average relative error at 2.67%),but took a tenfold increase in calculation time compared with the weight-area-perimeter(WAP) model(with the average relative error at 3.02%).We thus conclude that the WAP model is a better method for the prediction of the weight of shelled red shrimp.
文摘This study presents an analytical solution of thermal and mechanical displacements, strains, and stresses for a thick-walled rotating spherical pressure vessel made of functionally graded materials (FGMs). The pressure vessel is subject to axisymmetric mechanical and thermal loadings within a uniform magnetic field. The material properties of the FGM are considered as the power-law distribution along the thickness. Navier’s equation, which is a second-order ordinary differential equation, is derived from the mechanical equilibrium equation with the consideration of the thermal stresses and the Lorentz force resulting from the magnetic field. The distributions of the displacement, strains, and stresses are determined by the exact solution to Navier’s equation. Numerical results clarify the influence of the thermal loading, magnetic field, non-homogeneity constant, internal pressure, and angular velocity on the magneto-thermo-elastic response of the functionally graded spherical vessel. It is observed that these parameters have remarkable effects on the distributions of radial displacement, radial and circumferential strains, and radial and circumferential stresses.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30570449)the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in Chinese University (No. NCET-04-0544)
文摘The impact force response of a peach impacting on a metal flat-surface was considered as nondestructive determination of firmness. The objectives were to analyze the effect of firmness, drop height, fruit mass, and impact orientation on the impact force parameters, and to establish a relationship between the impact force parameter and firmness. The effect of fruit firmness, drop height and fruit mass on the impact force parameters (coefficient of restitution, percentage of energy absorbed, and coefficient of force-time) was evaluated. The study found that the coefficient of restitution, percentage of energy absorbed, and force-time impact coefficient were significantly affected by fruit ripeness, but not affected by drop height, impact position (fruit cheek), and mass. The percentage of absorbed energy increased with ripeness, while the force-time impact coefficient and coefficient of restitution decreased with ripeness. Relationships were obtained between the three impact characteristic parameters (force-time impact coefficient, coefficient of restitution, and percentage of energy absorbed) and peach firmness using a polynomial model (R2=0.932), S model (R2=0.910), and exponential model (R2=0.941), respectively.
基金the financial support by the Open Project Program of State Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology (No. SKLDB2018-002)National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31871805 & No. 31501437)+1 种基金Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (Plateau Discipline Construction Program)China Agriculture Research System (CARS-08-D2)。
文摘Components with strong adsorption capacity for cholates from buckwheat proteins were screened, separated and purified by several methods, and the effects of ultra-high-pressure(UHP) on the structure and function of buckwheat 13S globulin(BW13SG) were studied. Samples were treated by UHP at different p H(3.0 and 7.0) value(s) and at 100–500 MPa for 10–30 min. The results showed that the tertiary structure of BW13SG was partially denatured and aggregated. The decrease in the unordered structure indicated that UHP resulted in a looser secondary structure of BW13SG. UHP treatment also increased solubility, emulsion activity and stability, foaming capacity and stability. The samples treated at 500 MPa, p H 3.0 for 30 min had the most enhanced functionality. Moreover, under this condition, the sodium cholate and sodium deoxycholate adsorption capacities of BW13SG were both higher than 98% and the adsorption capacity of sodium taurocholate, which can be difficult to adsorb, was higher than 60%.
文摘Liquid manure storage may contribute to methane （CH4） emission and this emission can be greatly reduced if appropriate management practices are applied. Biofiltration has been used in other fields for mitigating greenhouse gas （GHG） emission （e.g., landfill） and shown promise for mitigation OH4 emis- sion from liquid manure storage. It has been reported that biofilter was capable of reducing 80% of CH4 emissions from manure storage. The OH4 removal efficiency is influenced by many factors, including OH4 and 02 concentrations, temperature, moisture, composition of the filter bed, nutrient, and empty bed resi- dency time （EBRT）. Biological conversion of methane of a biofilter is a slow process due to the low water solubility of methane. The residence times （EBRT） between 5 min and 5 h have been used, whereas a typical EBRT of 25 s is used for common biofilter applications. Temperature at which methanotrophic bac- teria are active ranges from 10℃ to 45℃. The maximum activity is found at around 30℃. The optimal filter bed water content depends on both the gas flow rate and the type of filter bed （soil, compost, etc.） and ranges from 30%-70% of the water holding capacity. Compost is the best material for filter bed. The optimal pH for methanotrophic bacteria is neutral to slightly acidic. Copper and nitrogen compounds especially nitrate are important nutrients to methanotrophic bacteria but their optimal concentrations have not been founded. Phosphorus and other elements such as potassium and manganese are reported to affect the performance of methanotrophic bacteria but need further confirmation.
基金the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF)and funded by the Ministry of Education(No.2018R1A6A1A03025582)the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF-2019R1D1A3A03103828).
文摘Periodontitis is a type of chronic inflammation in the gingival tissue caused by infectious bacteria colonizing the surface of the teeth,leading to the destruction of tooth-supporting tissues and loss of alveolar bone.Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid(SAHA),a class of histone deacetylase(HDAC)inhibitor,has the potential to stimulate osteoblast differentiation by acetylating histone proteins,and thus suppressing the expression of adipogenic and chondrogenic genes.However,the effect of SAHA on the differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells(hPDLSCs)is yet to be elucidated.Herein,we investigated the effects of SAHA on in vitro proliferation and differentiation of hPDLSCs by MTT assay,Alizarin Red-S,and alkaline phosphatase staining,and real-time PCR.Notably,300 ng/mL SAHA treatment enhanced the proliferation and mineralization of hPDLSCs,indicating their osteogenic potential.Moreover,a significant enhancement of osteogenesis gene markers and proteins was observed.We also demonstrated that ERK is a positive regulator of Runx2 transcription factors during osteoblast differentiation.These results indicate that SAHA may be a useful osteogenic induction agent for periodontal bone regeneration.
文摘The presence of acidic soil in rural areas poses difficulties for agricultural production.One factor regulating soil pH is the overuse of inorganic fertilizer.The increased use of fertilizers in soybean production not only raises sustainability concerns but also contributes to soil acidity.Therefore,the use of organic fertilizer could offer a solution for addressing both issues related to soil acidity and sustainability.The purpose of this study was to investigate the manipulation of soil pH using organic fertilizer for soybean production under acidic stress.The planting medium,consisting of a mixture of topsoil,rice husk charcoal,and organic fertilizer(in a ratio of 2:1:1),was supplemented with 0.5 g of NPK fertilizer as a basal treatment in each planting medium.To regulate the soil acidity to pH 4,we added FeSO_(4) and allowed the mixture to incubate for 30 days.The results demonstrate that the application of three types of organic fertilizers chicken manure(P1),oil palm empty bunch fertilizer(P2),and vermicompost(P3)positively impacts the growth of three soybean varieties.The findings indicate that the application of P2 organic fertilizer can increase vegetative growth almost 50%in soybeans on acidic soil,including plant height,leaf count,and root length.Meanwhile,applying P3 organic fertilizer can boost reproductive growth responses in soybeans on acidic soil,such as pod number(from around 0-4 unit to 42-51 unit),grain number(from around 0-5 unit to 88-90 unit),and grain weight(from around 0-0.37 g to 12-25 g).Organic fertilizer has the potential to regulate soil pH,promoting higher yields of soybeans under acidic stress.
文摘Fuel injectors are considered as an important component of combustion engines. Operational weakness can possibly lead to the complete machine malfunction, decreasing reliability and leading to loss of production. To overcome these circumstances, various condition monitoring techniques can be applied. The application of acoustic signals is common in the field of fault diagnosis of rotating machinery. Advanced signal processing is utilized for the construction of features that are specialized in detecting fuel injector faults. A performance comparison between novelty detection algorithms in the form of one-class classifiers is presented. The one-class classifiers that were tested included One-Class Support Vector Machine (OCSVM) and One-Class Self Organizing Map (OCSOM). The acoustic signals of fuel injectors in different operational conditions were processed for feature extraction. Features from all the signals were used as input to the one-class classifiers. The one-class classifiers were trained only with healthy fuel injector conditions and compared with new experimental data which belonged to different operational conditions that were not included in the training set so as to contribute to generalization. The results present the effectiveness of one-class classifiers for detecting faults in fuel injectors.
文摘Solid biomass fuels are useful and cost effective renewable energy source. The energy content of biomass is determined by its calorific value. The objective of this study was to determine experimentally the gross calorific value (GCV) of different agroforestry species and bio-based industry residues that could be used by: a) companies specialized in processing raw biomass solid biofuel production, b) small-scale consumers (households, medium-sized residential buildings, etc.). The fuel samples used were from agricultural residues and wastes (rice husks, apricot kernels, olive pits, sunflower husks, cotton stems, etc.), energy crops and wetland herbs (cardoon, switchgrass, common reed, narrow-leaf cattail), and forest residues (populus, fagus, pinus). The GCV of the bio-mass samples was experimentally determined based on CEN/TS 14918:2005, and an oxygen bomb calorimeter was used (Model C5000 Adiabatic Calorimeter, IKA?-Werke, Staufen, Germany). The GCV of different agroforestry species and residues ranges from 14.3 - 25.4 MJ?kg<sup>–</sup>1. The highest GCV was obtained by seeds and kernels due to higher unit mass and higher lipid content. Pinus sylvestris with moisture content 24.59% obtained the lowest GCV (13.973 MJ?kg<sup>–</sup>1).
基金Project (No. 30170533) supported by the National Natural ScienceFoundation of China
文摘The variation of the vibration characteristics of a Huanghua pear was investigated using finite element simulations. A new image processing technique was used to obtain the unsymmetrical and un-spherical geometrical model of a pear. The vibra-tion characteristics of this type of pear with the correlation of its behavior with geometrical configurations and material charac-teristics were investigated using numerical modal analysis. The results showed that the eigenfrequency increased with the in-creasing pear Young’s modulus, while decreased with increasing pear density, and decreased with increasing pear volume. The results of this study provided foundation for further investigations of the physical characteristics of fruits and vegetables by using finite element simulations.
文摘This article discusses the characterization of fracture process zone at the tip of a blunt crack in elastoplastic materials under mixed mode loading. The analysis includes the description of elastoplastic zone geometry around the blunt crack tip for predicting crack growth direction. The deformed zone appearing at the crack front is described by presenting a criterion based on the subloading surface concept falling within the framework of unconventional plasticity. The mixed mode crack propagates along the minimum value of the elastoplastic region. The present solutions are reduced to those previously reported in literature, when the elastic perfectly plastic material is considered.
文摘Existing segmentation and augmentation techniques on convolutional neural network(CNN)has produced remarkable progress in object detection.However,the nominal accuracy and performance might be downturned with the photometric variation of images that are directly ignored in the training process,along with the context of the individual CNN algorithm.In this paper,we investigate the effect of a photometric variation like brightness and sharpness on different CNN.We observe that random augmentation of images weakens the performance unless the augmentation combines the weak limits of photometric variation.Our approach has been justified by the experimental result obtained from the PASCAL VOC 2007 dataset,with object detection CNN algorithms such as YOLOv3(You Only Look Once),Faster R-CNN(Region-based CNN),and SSD(Single Shot Multibox Detector).Each CNN model shows performance loss for varying sharpness and brightness,ranging between−80%to 80%.It was further shown that compared to random augmentation,the augmented dataset with weak photometric changes delivered high performance,but the photometric augmentation range differs for each model.Concurrently,we discuss some research questions that benefit the direction of the study.The results prove the importance of adaptive augmentation for individual CNN model,subjecting towards the robustness of object detection.
基金funded by the Research Deputy of Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Iran (Grant No.01-1396-02)。
文摘In this study, a new method based on image processing was presented to count and discriminate paddy rice, even when they overlapped. This method was performed in three steps. In the first step, using a reference image that excludes any overlapping paddy rice, the average area, standard deviation, and a threshold value for paddy rice were determined.
文摘Objective:To assess the larvicidal activity of mangosteen(Garcinia mangostana)against larval stages of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.Methods:A crude extract was prepared in ethanol from powdered mangosteen pericarps.A concentration gradient(0.01-4.92 g/L)was prepared from the stock solution.Seven batches of 25 third instar larvae of Aedes aegypti were used for larval bioassays.Larval mortality rates were observed after one and 24 hours.Cholesterol and total lipid contents in 20 randomly selected dead larvae at each trial were assessed by colorimetric method.The experimental setup was repeated five times.The General Linear Model and Probit analysis were used to evaluate the relationship of mortality with cholesterol level,total lipid level and cholesterol to total lipid ratio.Results:The percentage mortalities significantly varied with different concentrations(F_(7,32)=385.737;P<0.001).The LC50 and LC99 values were(0.041±0.006)g/L and(10.616±1.758)g/L,respectively after 24 hours.There was no mortality recorded within the one-hour exposure time.Only the cholesterol content(F_(5,24)=173.245;P<0.001)in larvae exposed to different concentrations denoted a significantly decreasing trend within 24-hour exposure.Larvae that were exposed to the lowest concentration(0.55 g/L)showed a higher cholesterol level(22.67±1.33)μg.Conclusions:The Garcinia mangostana extract acts as an effective sterol carrier protein inhibitor that inhibits cholesterol uptake in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.Hence,it could be explored for use as a key source for the development of an environment-friendly plant-based larvicide.
文摘The main goal of this study was to quantify reduction of runoff responses using selected erosion control covers on 1.2 m × 0.6 m plots under simulated rainfall to determine the most cost-effective temporary cover treatment under similar soils, rainfall and embankment slope conditions. The different erosion control covers tested were polyacrylamide (PAM), wheat straw and PAM (WS + P) with and without seed;and engineered fiber matrix (EFM) with and without seed. The EFM + S and WS + P + S treatments were the most effective treatments for runoff volume with 68.0% and 48.9% reduction, respectively, as compared to control. EFM + S was the most effective treatment for turbidity and modified total suspended solids (MTSS) with 98.7%, and 99.8% reduction, respectively as compared to control. Vegetation in the wheat straw treatment significantly reduced turbidity but less effect on runoff volume and MTSS than vegetation in the EFM + S treatment. Seeded treatments combined (EFM + S, WS + P + S) had a significant negative correlation between MTSS delivery and time (r = –0.69), as compared to a positive correlation of corresponding non-seeded treatments (EFM, WS + P) over time (r = 0.14). The EFM + S treatment had 39% less average MTSS delivery than WS + P + S but the WS + P + S treatment ($1.03 kg-1 sediment reduction) was found to be 84% less expensive than the EFM + S treatment ($6.36 kg-1 sediment reduction). The WS + P + S treatment can therefore be recommended as the most cost effective method for sediment delivery reduction under similar conditions and within the limitations of this small scale plot study.
文摘In this paper, I applied the Euler-Lagrange equations in order to obtain the coupled-nonlinear motion equations for an elastic structure. The model is composed of six coupled and strongly nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The new contribution of this work arises from the fact that a convenient and innovative parameterization of the motion equations for the elastic system was developed with all mathematical nonlinearities taken into account, without the usage of any simplifying linearization procedure, as found in most of the works presented in the literature. The results can be used as a source for conducting experiments and can be useful for a better understanding and control of such nonlinear elastic systems.
文摘Traditional smoking of fish in Nigeria is often carried out in open and unsanitary environment. In addition, the current process does not result in uniformly smoked fish and uses wood （an increasingly scarce material） as heat source. The fish smoking kiln designed and fabricated in this study addresses these problems. The kiln （700 × 800 × 1,500 mm） is made of stainless steel on the inside and mild steel on the outside with glass fiber insulation separating the inside and outside covers. The sample to be smoked is totally enclosed by the kiln with a latchable door provided at one of the sides for placing of samples to be smoked. In addition, the kiln was designed to use waste biomass resource as fuels （sawdust and/or maizecob）. Bonga fish （Ethmalosafimbriata） and African catfish （Clarias gariepinus） were used as test samples for the kiln. The temperature of the chamber increased to about 120 ℃ to 160 ℃ when fueled with sawdust and about 150 ℃ to 200 ℃ for maizecob. The total heat transfer resistance through the kiln walls was determined to be 1.0 ℃/W. About 6-8 h was required to smoke-dry 16 kg of fish samples from initial moisture content of 75% to about 25% or 20% moisture level.
