Graphene-doped CuO(rGO-CuO)nanocomposites with flower shapes were prepared by an improved solvothermal method.The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–visible spectr...Graphene-doped CuO(rGO-CuO)nanocomposites with flower shapes were prepared by an improved solvothermal method.The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–visible spectroscopy.The active species in the degradation reaction of rGO-CuO composites under ultrasonic irradiation were detected by electron paramagnetic resonance.On the basis of comparative experiments,the photodegradation mechanisms of two typical dyes,Rhodamine B(Rh B)and methyl orange(MO),were proposed.The results demonstrated that the doped CuO could improve the degradation efficiency.The catalytic degradation efficiency of rGO-CuO(2:1)to rhodamine B(RhB)and methyl orange(MO)reached 90%and 87%respectively,which were 2.1 times and 4.4 times of the reduced graphene oxide.Through the first-principles and other theories,we give the reasons for the enhanced catalytic performance of rGO-CuO:combined with internal and external factors,rGO-CuO under ultrasound could produce more hole and active sites that could interact with the OH·in pollutant molecules to achieve degradation.The rGO-CuO nanocomposite has a simple preparation process and low price,and has a high efficiency of degrading water pollution products and no secondary pollution products.It has a low-cost and high-efficiency application prospect in water pollution industrial production and life.展开更多
During its growth stage,the plant is exposed to various diseases.Detection and early detection of crop diseases is amajor challenge in the horticulture industry.Crop infections can harmtotal crop yield and reduce farm...During its growth stage,the plant is exposed to various diseases.Detection and early detection of crop diseases is amajor challenge in the horticulture industry.Crop infections can harmtotal crop yield and reduce farmers’income if not identified early.Today’s approved method involves a professional plant pathologist to diagnose the disease by visual inspection of the afflicted plant leaves.This is an excellent use case for Community Assessment and Treatment Services(CATS)due to the lengthy manual disease diagnosis process and the accuracy of identification is directly proportional to the skills of pathologists.An alternative to conventional Machine Learning(ML)methods,which require manual identification of parameters for exact results,is to develop a prototype that can be classified without pre-processing.To automatically diagnose tomato leaf disease,this research proposes a hybrid model using the Convolutional Auto-Encoders(CAE)network and the CNN-based deep learning architecture of DenseNet.To date,none of the modern systems described in this paper have a combined model based on DenseNet,CAE,and ConvolutionalNeuralNetwork(CNN)todiagnose the ailments of tomato leaves automatically.Themodelswere trained on a dataset obtained from the Plant Village repository.The dataset consisted of 9920 tomato leaves,and the model-tomodel accuracy ratio was 98.35%.Unlike other approaches discussed in this paper,this hybrid strategy requires fewer training components.Therefore,the training time to classify plant diseases with the trained algorithm,as well as the training time to automatically detect the ailments of tomato leaves,is significantly reduced.展开更多
Nitrogen-rich graphitized carbon microspheres(NGCs)with hierarchically porous were constructed by self-assembly.Under different heat treatment conditions,the structure,morphology and properties of NGCs were studied by...Nitrogen-rich graphitized carbon microspheres(NGCs)with hierarchically porous were constructed by self-assembly.Under different heat treatment conditions,the structure,morphology and properties of NGCs were studied by using multiple characterization techniques.The results showed that the chemical microenvironments(e.g.surface chemistry,degree of graphitization and defective,etc.)and microstructures properties(e.g.morphology,specific surface area,particle size,etc.)could be delicately controlled via thermal carbonization processes.The degradation of ofloxacin(OFLX)by NGCs activated peroxymonosulfate(PMS)was studied systematically.It was found that the synergistic coupling effect between optimum N or O bonding species configuration ratio(graphitic N and C=O)and special microstructure was the main reason for the enhanced catalytic activity of NGC-800(calcination temperature at 800°C).Electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR)experiments and radical quenching experiments indicated that the hydroxyl(·OH),sulfate(SO4^·-)and singlet oxygen(^1O_(2))were contributors in the NGC-800/PMS systems.Further investigation of the durability of chemical structures and surface active sites revealed that undergo N bonding species configuration reconstruction and cannibalistic oxidation during PMS activation reaction.The used NGC-800 physicochemical properties could be recovered by heat treatment to achieve the ideal catalytic performance.The findings proposed a valuable insight for catalytic performance and controllable design of construction.展开更多
The effects of wavelength-specific visible light, white light, and ultraviolet-B (UV-B, 280- 315 nm) on selected behaviors, grazing rate, spawning rate, and hatching rate of the marine copepod Calanus sinicus collecte...The effects of wavelength-specific visible light, white light, and ultraviolet-B (UV-B, 280- 315 nm) on selected behaviors, grazing rate, spawning rate, and hatching rate of the marine copepod Calanus sinicus collected from the Yellow Sea were studied. Calanus sinicus placed in a partitioned experimental system responded positively phototaxis to blue-cyan and yellow light but negatively to orange light and UVB. No obvious dodge activity was found among C. sinicus irradiated with <0.005 mW/cm^2 UV-B. Under 0.20, 0.30 and 0.50 mW/cm^2 UV-B radiation, the lethal half times of individuals were 30.47, 2.86, and 1.96 h, respectively. Grazing of C. sinicus was restrained at >0.10 mW/cm^2 UV-B, whereas yellow-red light stimulated grazing. Egg production rate was highest at a white-light intensity of 1.58 mW/cm^2, with an average rate of 10.04 eggs/(female·d). These results are consistent with the observed phenomenon that C. sinicus in the Yellow Sea mostly spawn near dawn. Our results indicate that light intensity and spectrum are important factors affecting the diel vertical migration of C. sinicus under natural conditions in the Yellow Sea.展开更多
In light of the characteristics of the interactions between flexible structure and wind in three directions, and based on the rational mechanical section-model of structure, a new aerodynamic force model is accepted, ...In light of the characteristics of the interactions between flexible structure and wind in three directions, and based on the rational mechanical section-model of structure, a new aerodynamic force model is accepted, i.e, the coefficients of three component forces are the functions of the instantaneous attack angle and rotational speed C-t = C-t (beta(t), 0). (i = D, L, M). So, a new method to formulate the linear and nonlinear aerodynamic items of wind and structure interacting has been put forward in accordance with 'strip theory' and modified 'quasi-static theory', and then the linear and nonlinear coupled theory of super-slender structure for civil engineering analyzing are converged in one model, For the linear aerodynamic-force parts, the semi-analytical expressions of the items so-called 'flutter derivatives' corresponding to the one in the classic equations have been given here, and so have the nonlinear parts. The study of the stability of nonlinear aerodynamic-coupled torsional vibration of the old Tacoma bridge shows that the form and results of the nonlinear control equation in rotational direction are in agreement with that of V. F. Bohm's.展开更多
The hydrology of the Little Ruaha River which is a major catchment of the Ihemi Cluster in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SA-GCOT) has been studied. The study focused on the hydrological assess...The hydrology of the Little Ruaha River which is a major catchment of the Ihemi Cluster in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SA-GCOT) has been studied. The study focused on the hydrological assessment through analysis of the available data and developing a model that could be used for assessing impacts of environmental change. Pressures on land and water resources in the watershed are increasing mainly as a result of human activities, and understanding the hydrological regime is deemed necessary. In this study, modeling was conducted using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in which meteorological and streamflow data were used in the simulation, calibration and evaluation. Calibration and evaluation was done at three gauging stations and the results were deemed plausible with NSE ranging between 0.64 and 0.80 for the two stages. The simulated flows were used for gap filling the missing data and generation of complete daily time series of streamflow at three gauging stations of Makalala, Ihimbu and Mawande. Results of statistical trends and flow duration curves, revealed decline in magnitudes of seasonal and annual flows indicating that streamflows are changing with time and may have implications on envisioned development and the water dependent ecosystems.展开更多
Intensification of agricultural land use and population growth from 1990-2017 has caused changes in land cover and land use of the Mbarali River sub-catchment which is located in the Upper Great Ruaha Sub basin, Tanza...Intensification of agricultural land use and population growth from 1990-2017 has caused changes in land cover and land use of the Mbarali River sub-catchment which is located in the Upper Great Ruaha Sub basin, Tanzania. This has affected the magnitude of the surface runoff, total water yield and the groundwater flow. This study assesses the impacts of the land cover and land use changes on the stream flows and hydrological water balance components (surface runoff, water yield, percolation and actual evapotranspiration). The land use and land cover (LULC) maps for three window period snapshots, 1990, 2006 and 2017 were created from Landsat TM and OLI_TIRS with the help of QGIS version 2.6. Supervised classification was used to generate LULC maps using the Maximum Likelihood Algorithm and Kappa statistics for assessment of accuracy. SWAT was set up and run to simulate stream flows and hydrological water balance components. The assessment of the impacts of land use and land cover changes on stream flows and hydrological water balance component was performed by comparing hydrological parameters simulated by SWAT using land use scenarios of 2006 and 2017 against the baseline land use scenario of 1990. Accuracy of LULC classification was good with Kappa statistics ranging between 0.9 and 0.99. There was a drastic increase in areal coverage of cultivated land, for periods 1990-2006 (5.84%) and 2006-2017 (12.05%) compared to other LULC. During 2006 and 2017 surface runoff increased by 4% and 9% respectively;however, water yield increased by only 0.5% compared to 1990 baseline period. This was attributed to increased proportion of cultivated land in the sub-catchment which has a high curve number (59.60) that indicates a higher runoff response and low infiltration rate.展开更多
This paper is devoted to analytical and numerical studies of global buckling of a sandwich circular plate. The mechanical properties of the plate core vary along its thickness, remaining constant in the facings. The m...This paper is devoted to analytical and numerical studies of global buckling of a sandwich circular plate. The mechanical properties of the plate core vary along its thickness, remaining constant in the facings. The middle surface of the plate is its symmetrical plane. The mathematical model of the plate is presented. The field of displacements is formulated using the proposed nonlinear hypothesis that generalizes the classical hypotheses. The equations of equilibrium are formulated based on the principle of stationary total potential energy. The proposed mathematical model of the displacements considers the shear effect. The numerical model of the plate is also formulated with a view to verify the analytical one. Numerical calculations are carried out for the chosen family of plates. The values of the critical load obtained by the analytical and numerical methods are compared. The effects of the material properties of the core and the change of the plate radius on the critical load intensity are presented.展开更多
The effects of Mg content on the microstructure and tensile properties of thixoformed A319 alloys were studied. The samples were thixoformed at 50% liquid content and some of the thixoformed samples were subjected to ...The effects of Mg content on the microstructure and tensile properties of thixoformed A319 alloys were studied. The samples were thixoformed at 50% liquid content and some of the thixoformed samples were subjected to the T6 heat treatment. The samples were then examined by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis as well as tensile tests. The results showed that magnesium was able to refine the eutectic silicon in the samples. It was also observed that a compact Al9FeMg3Si5 phase was formed when the magnesium content was 1.0% and 1.5%. The results also revealed that as the magnesium content in the alloy increases, the tensile strengths of the thixoformed alloys also increase. The ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and elongation to fracture of the thixoformed A319 heat treated alloy were 298 MPa, 201 MPa and 4.5%, respectively, whereas the values of the thixoformed heat treated alloy with 1.5% Mg content were 325 MPa, 251 MPa and 1.4%, respectively. Thixoformed A319 alloy showed a dimple fracture behaviour, while thixoformed A319 alloys with 1.5% Mg showed a mixed mode fracture behaviour, where dimple and cleavage ruptures were seen on the fracture surface of the samples.展开更多
Information on the dietary composition and food preferences of the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai is important for understanding the trophic drivers of jellyfish outbreaks and their ecological consequences.We used...Information on the dietary composition and food preferences of the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai is important for understanding the trophic drivers of jellyfish outbreaks and their ecological consequences.We used fatty acid(FA)and stable isotope(SI)biomarkers to analyze the diet of N.nomurai from the Yellow Sea in August 2016.N.nomurai was found at all sampling stations,with abundances ranging from 59 inds./km^(2) to 1651 inds./km^(2).There were no significant differences between large(>80 cm in diameter)and small(20–30 cm in diameter)medusae,either in FA compositions or in SI values,which suggests that large and small jellyfi sh have the same food composition and similar trophic levels.Compared to other zooplanktons,the relatively high levels of C20꞉4n-6 in total FAs(~12%)indicates that organic detritus contributes considerably to the food composition of the jellyfish.The mixed model Stable Isotope Analysis in R(SIAR)revealed that N.nomurai tended to prey on smaller organisms(<1000μm in diameter)which comprised about 70%of its diet.This means the N.nomurai blooms will put high feeding pressure on the small plankton.The similar SI values and FA composition indicates that krill may share the same food resources with N.nomurai,which suggests that the jellyfi sh blooms may affect krill populations as a result of food competition.展开更多
The objectives of this study were to explore alternatives for using fruit waste and sugarcane bagasse as important sources for new products and potential applications in the food industry. Fast foods are part of moder...The objectives of this study were to explore alternatives for using fruit waste and sugarcane bagasse as important sources for new products and potential applications in the food industry. Fast foods are part of modern life, as well as sources for producing biofuels based on biomass. The mineral content and compounds of nutritional interest, such as lipophilic substances, were determined in fruit waste （orange peels, passion fruit, bananas, grapes） and sugarcane bagasse. Significant differences were found in the samples tested, where minerals, such as potassium, nitrogen, zinc and iron, were found in fruit residues （bananas, oranges, passion fruit） and sugarcane bagasse. Banana residues were the most important source of minerals, followed by orange peels. Gas chromatography mass spectrography （GC-MS） analyses of the lipophilic fractions obtained from the plant residues revealed the presence of mostly saturated （palmitic, stearic） and unsaturated （oleic and linoleic） fatty acids, as well as other nutritionally valuable compounds, such as antioxidants （flavones in orange residues）. The residues studied here can be used for future research to optimize pretreatment and hydrolysis of biomass for bioethanol production.展开更多
Petroleum and Natural Gas still represent a considerable share in terms of energy consumption in the current global matrix, so that its exploration/exploitation is present in the market and driving activities in locat...Petroleum and Natural Gas still represent a considerable share in terms of energy consumption in the current global matrix, so that its exploration/exploitation is present in the market and driving activities in locations of specific complexities, as the ones along unconventional hydrocarbon resources from the Brazilian pre-salt. The daily cost of well drilling under harsh conditions can exceed US $1 million a day, turning any type of downtime or necessary maintenance during the activities to be very costly, moment in which processes optimization starts to be a key factor in costs reduction. Thus, new technologies and methods in terms of automating and optimizing the processes may be of great advantages, having its impact in total related project costs. In this context, the goal of this research is to allow a computation tool supporting achieving a more efficient drilling process, by means of drilling mechanics parameters choosiness aiming rate of penetration (ROP) maximization and mechanic specific energy (MSE) minimization. Conceptually, driven by the pre-operational drilling test curve trends, the proposed system allows it to be performed with less human influences and being updateable automatically, allowing more precision and time reduction by selecting optimum parameters. A Web Operating System (Web OS) was designed and implemented, running in online servers, granting accessibility to it with any device that has a browser and internet connection. It allows processing the drilling parameters supplied and feed into it, issuing outcomes with optimum values in a faster and precise way, allowing reducing operating time.展开更多
With cloud computing,large chunks of data can be handled at a small cost.However,there are some reservations regarding the security and privacy of cloud data stored.For solving these issues and enhancing cloud computi...With cloud computing,large chunks of data can be handled at a small cost.However,there are some reservations regarding the security and privacy of cloud data stored.For solving these issues and enhancing cloud computing security,this research provides a Three-Layered Security Access model(TLSA)aligned to an intrusion detection mechanism,access control mechanism,and data encryption system.The TLSA underlines the need for the protection of sensitive data.This proposed approach starts with Layer 1 data encryption using the Advanced Encryption Standard(AES).For data transfer and storage,this encryption guarantees the data’s authenticity and secrecy.Surprisingly,the solution employs the AES encryption algorithm to secure essential data before storing them in the Cloud to minimize unauthorized access.Role-based access control(RBAC)implements the second strategic level,which ensures specific personnel access certain data and resources.In RBAC,each user is allowed a specific role and Permission.This implies that permitted users can access some data stored in the Cloud.This layer assists in filtering granular access to data,reducing the risk that undesired data will be discovered during the process.Layer 3 deals with intrusion detection systems(IDS),which detect and quickly deal with malicious actions and intrusion attempts.The proposed TLSA security model of e-commerce includes conventional levels of security,such as encryption and access control,and encloses an insight intrusion detection system.This method offers integrated solutions for most typical security issues of cloud computing,including data secrecy,method of access,and threats.An extensive performance test was carried out to confirm the efficiency of the proposed three-tier security method.Comparisons have been made with state-of-art techniques,including DES,RSA,and DUAL-RSA,keeping into account Accuracy,QILV,F-Measure,Sensitivity,MSE,PSNR,SSIM,and computation time,encryption time,and decryption time.The proposed TLSA method provides an accuracy of 89.23%,F-Measure of 0.876,and SSIM of 0.8564 at a computation time of 5.7 s.A comparison with existing methods shows the better performance of the proposed method,thus confirming the enhanced ability to address security issues in cloud computing.展开更多
This work proposes to design a fuzzy proportional-integral derivative (FPID) controller for dual-sensor cardiac pacemaker systems, which can automatically control the heart rate to accurately track a desired preset pr...This work proposes to design a fuzzy proportional-integral derivative (FPID) controller for dual-sensor cardiac pacemaker systems, which can automatically control the heart rate to accurately track a desired preset profile. The combination of fuzzy logic and conventional PID control approaches is adopted for the controller design based on dual-sensors. This controller offers good adaptation of the heart rate to the physiological needs of the patient under different states (rest and walk). Through comparing with the conventional fuzzy control algorithm, FPID provides a more suitable control strategy to determine a pacing rate in order to achieve a closer match between actual heart rate and a desired profile. To assist the heartbeat recovery, the stimuli with adjustable pacing rate is generated by the pacemaker according to the FPID controller, such actual heart rate may track the preset heart rate faithfully. Simulation results confirm that this proposed control design is effective for heartbeat recovery and maintenance. This study will be helpful not only for the analysis and treatment of bradycardias but also for improving the performance of medical devices.展开更多
The use of the thermal power plant ashes including fly ash(FA) and bottom ash(BA) for producing unfired building bricks(UBB) using sodium hydroxide(NaOH) solution as an alkaline activator was investigated. A low appli...The use of the thermal power plant ashes including fly ash(FA) and bottom ash(BA) for producing unfired building bricks(UBB) using sodium hydroxide(NaOH) solution as an alkaline activator was investigated. A low applied forming pressure of 0.5 MPa and various NaOH concentrations of 5, 8, 10, and 12 M were used for the preparation of brick samples with different solution-to-binder(S/B) ratios of 0.35 and 0.40. The bricks were subjected to various test programs with reflecting the effect of both NaOH concentrations and S/B ratios on the brick’s properties. The compressive strength, unit weight, ultrasonic pulse velocity, and thermal conductivity of bricks increased with increasing NaOH concentration, whereas the contrary trend was found with increasing S/B ratio. Also, the water absorption of bricks was observed to reduce with increasing NaOH concentration and decreasing S/B ratio. As the results, the combined utilization of both low forming pressure and coal power plant ashes can produce the UBBs with low unit weight, low heat conductivity, and acceptable strength and water absorption rate as stipulated by TCVN 6477-2016. Furthermore, the outcomes of chemical analysis and microstructure observation also demonstrate that a high concentration of the Na OH promoted the geopolymerization process. Notably, the use of NaOH solution of either 10 M or above is recommended for the production of UBBs, which are classified as grade M5.0 or higher.展开更多
Both the primary resonant solutions and their bifurcations due to time delayed velocity feedbacks used in a self-sustained oscillator with excitation were further investigated. A model was proposed by adding linear an...Both the primary resonant solutions and their bifurcations due to time delayed velocity feedbacks used in a self-sustained oscillator with excitation were further investigated. A model was proposed by adding linear and nonlinear time delayed feedbacks to a representative non-autonomous system( with external forcing). The stability condition of the linearized system at trivial equilibrium was discussed, which leads to a critical stability boundary where periodic solutions may occur. The main attention was focused on bifurcations from the primary resonant solutions. It is found that the stable primary resonant solution may appear periodically in the time delay. Meanwhile, the unstable regions for such solutions are also obtained, predicting the occurrence of quasi-periodic motions.展开更多
This study aims to evaluate the performance of the individual Regional Climate Models (RCMs) used in Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) and the ensemble average of the four RCMs to feign the ...This study aims to evaluate the performance of the individual Regional Climate Models (RCMs) used in Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) and the ensemble average of the four RCMs to feign the characteristics of the rainfall pattern for the Mbarali River catchment in Rufiji Basin for the period of 1979 to 2005. Statistical analysis for model performance such as Root mean square error, Mean error, Pearson correlation coefficient, Mean, Median, standard deviation and trend analysis are used. In addition to the statistical measure of model performance, the models are tested on their ability to capture the observed annual cycles and interannual variability of rainfall. Results indicated that the RCMs from the CORDEX indicated a better performance to reproduce the rainfall characteristics over Mbarali River catchment in Rufiji Basin. They reproduced fairly the Era Interim annual cycle and inter-annual variability of rainfall. The ensemble average performed better than individual models in representing rainfall over Mbarali River catchment in Rufiji Basin. These suggest that rainfall simulation from the ensemble average will be used for the assessment of the hydrological impact studies over Mbarali River catchment in Rufiji Basin.展开更多
Nonlinear normal modes in a two degrees of freedom asymmetric system with cubic nonlinearities as singularity occurs in the system are studied, based on the invariant space in nonlinear normal modes and perturbation t...Nonlinear normal modes in a two degrees of freedom asymmetric system with cubic nonlinearities as singularity occurs in the system are studied, based on the invariant space in nonlinear normal modes and perturbation technique. Emphasis is placed on singular characteristics as the linear coupling between subsystems degenerated. For nonresonances, it is analytically presented that a single-mode motion and localization of vibrations occur in the system, and the degree of localization relates not only to the coupling stiffness between oscillators, but also to the asymmetric parameter. The parametric threshold value of localization is analytically given. For 1 : 1 resonance, there exist bifurcations of normal modes with nonlinearly coupling stiffness and asymmetric parameter varying. The bifurcating set on the parameter and bifurcating curves of normal modes are obtained.展开更多
Annual energy consumption and annual Global Warming Potential （GWP） decreases with the improving of the energy performance of the facade, whereas the embodied energy and embodied GWP increases due to the extra mater...Annual energy consumption and annual Global Warming Potential （GWP） decreases with the improving of the energy performance of the facade, whereas the embodied energy and embodied GWP increases due to the extra material and products applied. This study analyses the relation between the embodied energy and the energy consumption of a house during the life span of the buildings, and the results represented separately in tables and figures. The study uses Life Cycle Assessment （LCA） framework as a tool to conduct a partial LCA, from cradle to site of the construction and energy consumption during usage phase of the buildings with three different wall types through 50 years usage phase. According to this study, laminated timber and aerated concrete are better choices than cast concrete for both types of buildings because of lower density and lower U value.展开更多
Basic equations of energy-to-cth-power difference criterion were derived for multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) systems subjected to stationary Gaussian excitations with non-zero mean. Modal transform technique was used i...Basic equations of energy-to-cth-power difference criterion were derived for multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) systems subjected to stationary Gaussian excitations with non-zero mean. Modal transform technique was used in order to reduce the unknowns. Main computational formulae were presented and suggested values of c were given. Numerical results show that the method of this paper prevails over equation difference criterion both in accuracy and in simplicity.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.11375136)。
文摘Graphene-doped CuO(rGO-CuO)nanocomposites with flower shapes were prepared by an improved solvothermal method.The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–visible spectroscopy.The active species in the degradation reaction of rGO-CuO composites under ultrasonic irradiation were detected by electron paramagnetic resonance.On the basis of comparative experiments,the photodegradation mechanisms of two typical dyes,Rhodamine B(Rh B)and methyl orange(MO),were proposed.The results demonstrated that the doped CuO could improve the degradation efficiency.The catalytic degradation efficiency of rGO-CuO(2:1)to rhodamine B(RhB)and methyl orange(MO)reached 90%and 87%respectively,which were 2.1 times and 4.4 times of the reduced graphene oxide.Through the first-principles and other theories,we give the reasons for the enhanced catalytic performance of rGO-CuO:combined with internal and external factors,rGO-CuO under ultrasound could produce more hole and active sites that could interact with the OH·in pollutant molecules to achieve degradation.The rGO-CuO nanocomposite has a simple preparation process and low price,and has a high efficiency of degrading water pollution products and no secondary pollution products.It has a low-cost and high-efficiency application prospect in water pollution industrial production and life.
基金funded by UKRI EPSRC Grant EP/W020408/1 Project SPRITE+2:The Security,Privacy,Identity,and Trust Engagement Network plus(phase 2)for this studyfunded by PhD project RS718 on Explainable AI through the UKRI EPSRC Grant-funded Doctoral Training Centre at Swansea University.
文摘During its growth stage,the plant is exposed to various diseases.Detection and early detection of crop diseases is amajor challenge in the horticulture industry.Crop infections can harmtotal crop yield and reduce farmers’income if not identified early.Today’s approved method involves a professional plant pathologist to diagnose the disease by visual inspection of the afflicted plant leaves.This is an excellent use case for Community Assessment and Treatment Services(CATS)due to the lengthy manual disease diagnosis process and the accuracy of identification is directly proportional to the skills of pathologists.An alternative to conventional Machine Learning(ML)methods,which require manual identification of parameters for exact results,is to develop a prototype that can be classified without pre-processing.To automatically diagnose tomato leaf disease,this research proposes a hybrid model using the Convolutional Auto-Encoders(CAE)network and the CNN-based deep learning architecture of DenseNet.To date,none of the modern systems described in this paper have a combined model based on DenseNet,CAE,and ConvolutionalNeuralNetwork(CNN)todiagnose the ailments of tomato leaves automatically.Themodelswere trained on a dataset obtained from the Plant Village repository.The dataset consisted of 9920 tomato leaves,and the model-tomodel accuracy ratio was 98.35%.Unlike other approaches discussed in this paper,this hybrid strategy requires fewer training components.Therefore,the training time to classify plant diseases with the trained algorithm,as well as the training time to automatically detect the ailments of tomato leaves,is significantly reduced.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51578295)the National Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(No.BK20161479)+3 种基金Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse(Nanjing University of Science and Technology)Qinglan Project of Jiangsu Province supported this studyFoundation of Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materialsa project funded by the priority academic program development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions。
文摘Nitrogen-rich graphitized carbon microspheres(NGCs)with hierarchically porous were constructed by self-assembly.Under different heat treatment conditions,the structure,morphology and properties of NGCs were studied by using multiple characterization techniques.The results showed that the chemical microenvironments(e.g.surface chemistry,degree of graphitization and defective,etc.)and microstructures properties(e.g.morphology,specific surface area,particle size,etc.)could be delicately controlled via thermal carbonization processes.The degradation of ofloxacin(OFLX)by NGCs activated peroxymonosulfate(PMS)was studied systematically.It was found that the synergistic coupling effect between optimum N or O bonding species configuration ratio(graphitic N and C=O)and special microstructure was the main reason for the enhanced catalytic activity of NGC-800(calcination temperature at 800°C).Electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR)experiments and radical quenching experiments indicated that the hydroxyl(·OH),sulfate(SO4^·-)and singlet oxygen(^1O_(2))were contributors in the NGC-800/PMS systems.Further investigation of the durability of chemical structures and surface active sites revealed that undergo N bonding species configuration reconstruction and cannibalistic oxidation during PMS activation reaction.The used NGC-800 physicochemical properties could be recovered by heat treatment to achieve the ideal catalytic performance.The findings proposed a valuable insight for catalytic performance and controllable design of construction.
基金Supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2017YFC1404402)the Science&Technology Basic Resources Investigation Program of China(No.2017FY100803)+1 种基金the Project of Global Change and Air-Sea Interaction(No.GASI-02-PAC-STMSspr)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41306155)
文摘The effects of wavelength-specific visible light, white light, and ultraviolet-B (UV-B, 280- 315 nm) on selected behaviors, grazing rate, spawning rate, and hatching rate of the marine copepod Calanus sinicus collected from the Yellow Sea were studied. Calanus sinicus placed in a partitioned experimental system responded positively phototaxis to blue-cyan and yellow light but negatively to orange light and UVB. No obvious dodge activity was found among C. sinicus irradiated with <0.005 mW/cm^2 UV-B. Under 0.20, 0.30 and 0.50 mW/cm^2 UV-B radiation, the lethal half times of individuals were 30.47, 2.86, and 1.96 h, respectively. Grazing of C. sinicus was restrained at >0.10 mW/cm^2 UV-B, whereas yellow-red light stimulated grazing. Egg production rate was highest at a white-light intensity of 1.58 mW/cm^2, with an average rate of 10.04 eggs/(female·d). These results are consistent with the observed phenomenon that C. sinicus in the Yellow Sea mostly spawn near dawn. Our results indicate that light intensity and spectrum are important factors affecting the diel vertical migration of C. sinicus under natural conditions in the Yellow Sea.
文摘In light of the characteristics of the interactions between flexible structure and wind in three directions, and based on the rational mechanical section-model of structure, a new aerodynamic force model is accepted, i.e, the coefficients of three component forces are the functions of the instantaneous attack angle and rotational speed C-t = C-t (beta(t), 0). (i = D, L, M). So, a new method to formulate the linear and nonlinear aerodynamic items of wind and structure interacting has been put forward in accordance with 'strip theory' and modified 'quasi-static theory', and then the linear and nonlinear coupled theory of super-slender structure for civil engineering analyzing are converged in one model, For the linear aerodynamic-force parts, the semi-analytical expressions of the items so-called 'flutter derivatives' corresponding to the one in the classic equations have been given here, and so have the nonlinear parts. The study of the stability of nonlinear aerodynamic-coupled torsional vibration of the old Tacoma bridge shows that the form and results of the nonlinear control equation in rotational direction are in agreement with that of V. F. Bohm's.
文摘The hydrology of the Little Ruaha River which is a major catchment of the Ihemi Cluster in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SA-GCOT) has been studied. The study focused on the hydrological assessment through analysis of the available data and developing a model that could be used for assessing impacts of environmental change. Pressures on land and water resources in the watershed are increasing mainly as a result of human activities, and understanding the hydrological regime is deemed necessary. In this study, modeling was conducted using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in which meteorological and streamflow data were used in the simulation, calibration and evaluation. Calibration and evaluation was done at three gauging stations and the results were deemed plausible with NSE ranging between 0.64 and 0.80 for the two stages. The simulated flows were used for gap filling the missing data and generation of complete daily time series of streamflow at three gauging stations of Makalala, Ihimbu and Mawande. Results of statistical trends and flow duration curves, revealed decline in magnitudes of seasonal and annual flows indicating that streamflows are changing with time and may have implications on envisioned development and the water dependent ecosystems.
文摘Intensification of agricultural land use and population growth from 1990-2017 has caused changes in land cover and land use of the Mbarali River sub-catchment which is located in the Upper Great Ruaha Sub basin, Tanzania. This has affected the magnitude of the surface runoff, total water yield and the groundwater flow. This study assesses the impacts of the land cover and land use changes on the stream flows and hydrological water balance components (surface runoff, water yield, percolation and actual evapotranspiration). The land use and land cover (LULC) maps for three window period snapshots, 1990, 2006 and 2017 were created from Landsat TM and OLI_TIRS with the help of QGIS version 2.6. Supervised classification was used to generate LULC maps using the Maximum Likelihood Algorithm and Kappa statistics for assessment of accuracy. SWAT was set up and run to simulate stream flows and hydrological water balance components. The assessment of the impacts of land use and land cover changes on stream flows and hydrological water balance component was performed by comparing hydrological parameters simulated by SWAT using land use scenarios of 2006 and 2017 against the baseline land use scenario of 1990. Accuracy of LULC classification was good with Kappa statistics ranging between 0.9 and 0.99. There was a drastic increase in areal coverage of cultivated land, for periods 1990-2006 (5.84%) and 2006-2017 (12.05%) compared to other LULC. During 2006 and 2017 surface runoff increased by 4% and 9% respectively;however, water yield increased by only 0.5% compared to 1990 baseline period. This was attributed to increased proportion of cultivated land in the sub-catchment which has a high curve number (59.60) that indicates a higher runoff response and low infiltration rate.
文摘This paper is devoted to analytical and numerical studies of global buckling of a sandwich circular plate. The mechanical properties of the plate core vary along its thickness, remaining constant in the facings. The middle surface of the plate is its symmetrical plane. The mathematical model of the plate is presented. The field of displacements is formulated using the proposed nonlinear hypothesis that generalizes the classical hypotheses. The equations of equilibrium are formulated based on the principle of stationary total potential energy. The proposed mathematical model of the displacements considers the shear effect. The numerical model of the plate is also formulated with a view to verify the analytical one. Numerical calculations are carried out for the chosen family of plates. The values of the critical load obtained by the analytical and numerical methods are compared. The effects of the material properties of the core and the change of the plate radius on the critical load intensity are presented.
基金the Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM)the Ministry of Education, Malaysia for being financial sponsorsUniversiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) for the financial support under research grants GUP-2012-040 and AP-2012-014
文摘The effects of Mg content on the microstructure and tensile properties of thixoformed A319 alloys were studied. The samples were thixoformed at 50% liquid content and some of the thixoformed samples were subjected to the T6 heat treatment. The samples were then examined by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis as well as tensile tests. The results showed that magnesium was able to refine the eutectic silicon in the samples. It was also observed that a compact Al9FeMg3Si5 phase was formed when the magnesium content was 1.0% and 1.5%. The results also revealed that as the magnesium content in the alloy increases, the tensile strengths of the thixoformed alloys also increase. The ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and elongation to fracture of the thixoformed A319 heat treated alloy were 298 MPa, 201 MPa and 4.5%, respectively, whereas the values of the thixoformed heat treated alloy with 1.5% Mg content were 325 MPa, 251 MPa and 1.4%, respectively. Thixoformed A319 alloy showed a dimple fracture behaviour, while thixoformed A319 alloys with 1.5% Mg showed a mixed mode fracture behaviour, where dimple and cleavage ruptures were seen on the fracture surface of the samples.
基金Supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Nos.2017YFC1404401,2017YFC1404402)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41706189)。
文摘Information on the dietary composition and food preferences of the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai is important for understanding the trophic drivers of jellyfish outbreaks and their ecological consequences.We used fatty acid(FA)and stable isotope(SI)biomarkers to analyze the diet of N.nomurai from the Yellow Sea in August 2016.N.nomurai was found at all sampling stations,with abundances ranging from 59 inds./km^(2) to 1651 inds./km^(2).There were no significant differences between large(>80 cm in diameter)and small(20–30 cm in diameter)medusae,either in FA compositions or in SI values,which suggests that large and small jellyfi sh have the same food composition and similar trophic levels.Compared to other zooplanktons,the relatively high levels of C20꞉4n-6 in total FAs(~12%)indicates that organic detritus contributes considerably to the food composition of the jellyfish.The mixed model Stable Isotope Analysis in R(SIAR)revealed that N.nomurai tended to prey on smaller organisms(<1000μm in diameter)which comprised about 70%of its diet.This means the N.nomurai blooms will put high feeding pressure on the small plankton.The similar SI values and FA composition indicates that krill may share the same food resources with N.nomurai,which suggests that the jellyfi sh blooms may affect krill populations as a result of food competition.
文摘The objectives of this study were to explore alternatives for using fruit waste and sugarcane bagasse as important sources for new products and potential applications in the food industry. Fast foods are part of modern life, as well as sources for producing biofuels based on biomass. The mineral content and compounds of nutritional interest, such as lipophilic substances, were determined in fruit waste （orange peels, passion fruit, bananas, grapes） and sugarcane bagasse. Significant differences were found in the samples tested, where minerals, such as potassium, nitrogen, zinc and iron, were found in fruit residues （bananas, oranges, passion fruit） and sugarcane bagasse. Banana residues were the most important source of minerals, followed by orange peels. Gas chromatography mass spectrography （GC-MS） analyses of the lipophilic fractions obtained from the plant residues revealed the presence of mostly saturated （palmitic, stearic） and unsaturated （oleic and linoleic） fatty acids, as well as other nutritionally valuable compounds, such as antioxidants （flavones in orange residues）. The residues studied here can be used for future research to optimize pretreatment and hydrolysis of biomass for bioethanol production.
文摘Petroleum and Natural Gas still represent a considerable share in terms of energy consumption in the current global matrix, so that its exploration/exploitation is present in the market and driving activities in locations of specific complexities, as the ones along unconventional hydrocarbon resources from the Brazilian pre-salt. The daily cost of well drilling under harsh conditions can exceed US $1 million a day, turning any type of downtime or necessary maintenance during the activities to be very costly, moment in which processes optimization starts to be a key factor in costs reduction. Thus, new technologies and methods in terms of automating and optimizing the processes may be of great advantages, having its impact in total related project costs. In this context, the goal of this research is to allow a computation tool supporting achieving a more efficient drilling process, by means of drilling mechanics parameters choosiness aiming rate of penetration (ROP) maximization and mechanic specific energy (MSE) minimization. Conceptually, driven by the pre-operational drilling test curve trends, the proposed system allows it to be performed with less human influences and being updateable automatically, allowing more precision and time reduction by selecting optimum parameters. A Web Operating System (Web OS) was designed and implemented, running in online servers, granting accessibility to it with any device that has a browser and internet connection. It allows processing the drilling parameters supplied and feed into it, issuing outcomes with optimum values in a faster and precise way, allowing reducing operating time.
基金funded by UKRI EPSRC Grant EP/W020408/1 Project SPRITE+2:The Security,Privacy,Identity and Trust Engagement Network plus(phase 2)for this studyThe authors also have been funded by PhD project RS718 on Explainable AI through UKRI EPSRC Grant funded Doctoral Training Centre at Swansea University.
文摘With cloud computing,large chunks of data can be handled at a small cost.However,there are some reservations regarding the security and privacy of cloud data stored.For solving these issues and enhancing cloud computing security,this research provides a Three-Layered Security Access model(TLSA)aligned to an intrusion detection mechanism,access control mechanism,and data encryption system.The TLSA underlines the need for the protection of sensitive data.This proposed approach starts with Layer 1 data encryption using the Advanced Encryption Standard(AES).For data transfer and storage,this encryption guarantees the data’s authenticity and secrecy.Surprisingly,the solution employs the AES encryption algorithm to secure essential data before storing them in the Cloud to minimize unauthorized access.Role-based access control(RBAC)implements the second strategic level,which ensures specific personnel access certain data and resources.In RBAC,each user is allowed a specific role and Permission.This implies that permitted users can access some data stored in the Cloud.This layer assists in filtering granular access to data,reducing the risk that undesired data will be discovered during the process.Layer 3 deals with intrusion detection systems(IDS),which detect and quickly deal with malicious actions and intrusion attempts.The proposed TLSA security model of e-commerce includes conventional levels of security,such as encryption and access control,and encloses an insight intrusion detection system.This method offers integrated solutions for most typical security issues of cloud computing,including data secrecy,method of access,and threats.An extensive performance test was carried out to confirm the efficiency of the proposed three-tier security method.Comparisons have been made with state-of-art techniques,including DES,RSA,and DUAL-RSA,keeping into account Accuracy,QILV,F-Measure,Sensitivity,MSE,PSNR,SSIM,and computation time,encryption time,and decryption time.The proposed TLSA method provides an accuracy of 89.23%,F-Measure of 0.876,and SSIM of 0.8564 at a computation time of 5.7 s.A comparison with existing methods shows the better performance of the proposed method,thus confirming the enhanced ability to address security issues in cloud computing.
文摘This work proposes to design a fuzzy proportional-integral derivative (FPID) controller for dual-sensor cardiac pacemaker systems, which can automatically control the heart rate to accurately track a desired preset profile. The combination of fuzzy logic and conventional PID control approaches is adopted for the controller design based on dual-sensors. This controller offers good adaptation of the heart rate to the physiological needs of the patient under different states (rest and walk). Through comparing with the conventional fuzzy control algorithm, FPID provides a more suitable control strategy to determine a pacing rate in order to achieve a closer match between actual heart rate and a desired profile. To assist the heartbeat recovery, the stimuli with adjustable pacing rate is generated by the pacemaker according to the FPID controller, such actual heart rate may track the preset heart rate faithfully. Simulation results confirm that this proposed control design is effective for heartbeat recovery and maintenance. This study will be helpful not only for the analysis and treatment of bradycardias but also for improving the performance of medical devices.
文摘The use of the thermal power plant ashes including fly ash(FA) and bottom ash(BA) for producing unfired building bricks(UBB) using sodium hydroxide(NaOH) solution as an alkaline activator was investigated. A low applied forming pressure of 0.5 MPa and various NaOH concentrations of 5, 8, 10, and 12 M were used for the preparation of brick samples with different solution-to-binder(S/B) ratios of 0.35 and 0.40. The bricks were subjected to various test programs with reflecting the effect of both NaOH concentrations and S/B ratios on the brick’s properties. The compressive strength, unit weight, ultrasonic pulse velocity, and thermal conductivity of bricks increased with increasing NaOH concentration, whereas the contrary trend was found with increasing S/B ratio. Also, the water absorption of bricks was observed to reduce with increasing NaOH concentration and decreasing S/B ratio. As the results, the combined utilization of both low forming pressure and coal power plant ashes can produce the UBBs with low unit weight, low heat conductivity, and acceptable strength and water absorption rate as stipulated by TCVN 6477-2016. Furthermore, the outcomes of chemical analysis and microstructure observation also demonstrate that a high concentration of the Na OH promoted the geopolymerization process. Notably, the use of NaOH solution of either 10 M or above is recommended for the production of UBBs, which are classified as grade M5.0 or higher.
文摘Both the primary resonant solutions and their bifurcations due to time delayed velocity feedbacks used in a self-sustained oscillator with excitation were further investigated. A model was proposed by adding linear and nonlinear time delayed feedbacks to a representative non-autonomous system( with external forcing). The stability condition of the linearized system at trivial equilibrium was discussed, which leads to a critical stability boundary where periodic solutions may occur. The main attention was focused on bifurcations from the primary resonant solutions. It is found that the stable primary resonant solution may appear periodically in the time delay. Meanwhile, the unstable regions for such solutions are also obtained, predicting the occurrence of quasi-periodic motions.
文摘This study aims to evaluate the performance of the individual Regional Climate Models (RCMs) used in Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) and the ensemble average of the four RCMs to feign the characteristics of the rainfall pattern for the Mbarali River catchment in Rufiji Basin for the period of 1979 to 2005. Statistical analysis for model performance such as Root mean square error, Mean error, Pearson correlation coefficient, Mean, Median, standard deviation and trend analysis are used. In addition to the statistical measure of model performance, the models are tested on their ability to capture the observed annual cycles and interannual variability of rainfall. Results indicated that the RCMs from the CORDEX indicated a better performance to reproduce the rainfall characteristics over Mbarali River catchment in Rufiji Basin. They reproduced fairly the Era Interim annual cycle and inter-annual variability of rainfall. The ensemble average performed better than individual models in representing rainfall over Mbarali River catchment in Rufiji Basin. These suggest that rainfall simulation from the ensemble average will be used for the assessment of the hydrological impact studies over Mbarali River catchment in Rufiji Basin.
文摘Nonlinear normal modes in a two degrees of freedom asymmetric system with cubic nonlinearities as singularity occurs in the system are studied, based on the invariant space in nonlinear normal modes and perturbation technique. Emphasis is placed on singular characteristics as the linear coupling between subsystems degenerated. For nonresonances, it is analytically presented that a single-mode motion and localization of vibrations occur in the system, and the degree of localization relates not only to the coupling stiffness between oscillators, but also to the asymmetric parameter. The parametric threshold value of localization is analytically given. For 1 : 1 resonance, there exist bifurcations of normal modes with nonlinearly coupling stiffness and asymmetric parameter varying. The bifurcating set on the parameter and bifurcating curves of normal modes are obtained.
文摘Annual energy consumption and annual Global Warming Potential （GWP） decreases with the improving of the energy performance of the facade, whereas the embodied energy and embodied GWP increases due to the extra material and products applied. This study analyses the relation between the embodied energy and the energy consumption of a house during the life span of the buildings, and the results represented separately in tables and figures. The study uses Life Cycle Assessment （LCA） framework as a tool to conduct a partial LCA, from cradle to site of the construction and energy consumption during usage phase of the buildings with three different wall types through 50 years usage phase. According to this study, laminated timber and aerated concrete are better choices than cast concrete for both types of buildings because of lower density and lower U value.
文摘Basic equations of energy-to-cth-power difference criterion were derived for multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) systems subjected to stationary Gaussian excitations with non-zero mean. Modal transform technique was used in order to reduce the unknowns. Main computational formulae were presented and suggested values of c were given. Numerical results show that the method of this paper prevails over equation difference criterion both in accuracy and in simplicity.
