The importance of irrigation development is considered a key factor for food security and poverty reduction because it improves crop productivity,and ensures stable expansion of agricultural production.However,irrigat...The importance of irrigation development is considered a key factor for food security and poverty reduction because it improves crop productivity,and ensures stable expansion of agricultural production.However,irrigation development requires understanding of the avail-able resources including the suitability of the land for agriculture.In this study,the land suitability for paddy fields was evaluated within the United Republic of Tanzania mainland by integrating the geographic information system(GIS)and analytical hierarchy process(AHP).In this study,11 criteria based on various sources(soil type,soil drainage,soil organic carbon,soil pH,soil depth,elevation,slope,land use,topographic wetness index,temperature,and precipitation)were used.These criteria were used within the GIS-based AHP to identify the most suitable land for sustainable paddy field cultivation considering the preservation of the natural environment of forests and protected areas by examining two scenarios:rainfed condition and irrigation priority.The former ten criteria were assumed to be constant in both scenarios and were assigned the same scores,while the latter criterion(precipitation)was assigned different scores for varying amounts to plan new irrigation projects.Unsuitable land represents 72.8%of the study area,reducing the potential agriculture land(PAL)appropriate for cultivation to 27.2%.In the rainfed condition scenario,the very high and high suitability classes represent 17.6%of the total land of the study area and 64.7%of the PAL.In the irrigation priority scenario,the same classes represent 21.4%of the total land of the study area and 78.6%of the PAL.Finally,the distribution of the land suitability for both scenarios was analyzed within eight administrative irrigation zones to determine the irrigation zone with the greatest potential for paddy field cultivation.展开更多
Largest portion of the bridge stock in almost any country and bridge owning organisation consists on ordinary bridges that has short or medium spans and are now deteriorating due to aging, etc. Therefore, it is becomi...Largest portion of the bridge stock in almost any country and bridge owning organisation consists on ordinary bridges that has short or medium spans and are now deteriorating due to aging, etc. Therefore, it is becoming an important social concern to develop and put to practical use simple and efficient health monitoring systems for existing short and medium span (10 - 30 m) bridges. In this paper, one practical solution to the problem for condition assessment of short and medium span bridges was discussed. A vehicle-based measurement with a public bus as part of a public transit system (called “Bus monitoring system”) has been developed to be capable of detecting damage that may affect the structural safety of a bridge from long term vibration measurement data collected while the vehicle (bus) crossed the target bridges. This paper systematically describes how the system has been developed. The bus monitoring system aims to detect the transition from the damage acceleration period, in which the structural safety of an aged bridge declines sharply, to the deterioration period by continually monitoring the bridge of interest. To evaluate the practicality of the newly developed bus monitoring system, it has been field-tested over a period of about four years by using an in-service fixed-route bus operating on a bus route in the city of Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. The verification results thus obtained are also described in this paper. This study also evaluates the sensitivity of “characteristic deflection”, which is a bridge (health) condition indicator used by the bus monitoring system, in damage detection. Sensitivity of “characteristic deflection” is verified by introducing artificial damage into a bridge that has ended its service life and is awaiting removal. As the results, it will be able to make a rational long-term health monitoring system for existing short and mediumspan bridges, and then the system helps bridge administrators to establish the rational maintenance strategies.展开更多
An octa-functional acrylate of C-tetramethyl calix[4]resorcinarene（CMC-4-RA） was facilely synthesized and characterized with ^1H NMR, ^13C NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The CMC-4-RA was added to a thiol-acrylate system...An octa-functional acrylate of C-tetramethyl calix[4]resorcinarene（CMC-4-RA） was facilely synthesized and characterized with ^1H NMR, ^13C NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The CMC-4-RA was added to a thiol-acrylate system with different mass ratios, and exposed to a middle pressure mercury lamp. The maximum photopolymerization rate and final vinyl group conversion in the cured film increased greatly along with CMC-4-RA addition that was monitored with Photo-DSC. The tensile strength and pendulum hardness were improved significantly after the addition of CMC-4-RA. With increasing the content of CMC-4-RA to 60%（mass fraction）, the glass transition temperature increased from 34.2 ℃ to 84.1 ℃; the cross-link density was calculated to be increased from 23.83 mmol/cm^3 to 82.40 mmol/cm^3 according to dynamic mechanical thermal analysis; the thermostability was greatly improved.展开更多
Advancements in airborne LiDAR analysis technology have made it possible to quantify forest resource volumes based on individual trees, and such technology may soon replace field surveys. Unlike individual tree detect...Advancements in airborne LiDAR analysis technology have made it possible to quantify forest resource volumes based on individual trees, and such technology may soon replace field surveys. Unlike individual tree detection or tree height measurements, diameter at breast height (DBH) is difficult to determine directly from measured data and is instead estimated indirectly using the correlation between crown size and DBH. Indicators that represent crown size include crown area, surface area, length, and length ratio, and were utilized with tree height as explanatory variables in ten combinations to determine a regression formula. DBH and tree height calculated from the regression formula were applied to an equation to calculate stem volumes of individual trees. Airborne LiDAR measurements were taken using ALS50-II and ALS60 (Leica) at a density of 4 points/m2. An evaluation of the relationship between the regression formulae and DBH estimates indicated that a combination of crown area, tree height, and crown ratio for Japanese cedar, and a combination of crown area and tree height for Japanese cypress, yielded the highest coefficients of determination. The average error and RMSE were 6.9% and 2.38 cm respectively for Japanese cedar, while the corresponding values for Japanese cypress were 8.35% and 2.51 cm. Once the relationship was extended to the stem volumes of individual trees, the average error was 14.4% and RMSE was 0.10 m3 for Japanese cedar. The corresponding values for Japanese cypress were 18.9% and 0.10 m3. These results demonstrate the potential use of airborne LiDAR as a substitute for field surveys.展开更多
In many medical fields,spatial localization of devices is of paramount importance to e.g.deliver treatments correctly or to perform accurate diagnostic evaluations.Among the different technologies available,optical lo...In many medical fields,spatial localization of devices is of paramount importance to e.g.deliver treatments correctly or to perform accurate diagnostic evaluations.Among the different technologies available,optical localization in the visible band of the spectrum offers many advantages:minimum interference with other instruments,flexibility in position of the devices used and extra features such as patient/operator surface tracking or vital signs monitoring.Its application in the domain of radiotherapy is novel,and potentially very beneficial.In this work we introduced a workflow to test the reliability of one of these systems,developed in house,to localize an ultrasound transducer for ultrasound guided radiation therapy(USg RT).Accuracy,precision,latency,sensitive volume and sensitivity to light intensity were evaluated.The workflow we proposed allowed us to establish that,while all the clinically relevant parameters of the system are acceptable,accuracy in locating the transducer could be as intended purpose of the system.展开更多
Ever since its outbreak,the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been spreading rapidly causing a global health crisis.Accurate diagnosis and instituting appropriate intervention to relevant individuals are esse...Ever since its outbreak,the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been spreading rapidly causing a global health crisis.Accurate diagnosis and instituting appropriate intervention to relevant individuals are essential not only to slow down the spread of this pandemic but also to manage our resources efficiently.To date,testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection mostly relies on reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)on a nasopharyngeal or saliva specimen and remains the gold standard for diagnosis as it exhibits high sensitivity and specificity.展开更多
文摘The importance of irrigation development is considered a key factor for food security and poverty reduction because it improves crop productivity,and ensures stable expansion of agricultural production.However,irrigation development requires understanding of the avail-able resources including the suitability of the land for agriculture.In this study,the land suitability for paddy fields was evaluated within the United Republic of Tanzania mainland by integrating the geographic information system(GIS)and analytical hierarchy process(AHP).In this study,11 criteria based on various sources(soil type,soil drainage,soil organic carbon,soil pH,soil depth,elevation,slope,land use,topographic wetness index,temperature,and precipitation)were used.These criteria were used within the GIS-based AHP to identify the most suitable land for sustainable paddy field cultivation considering the preservation of the natural environment of forests and protected areas by examining two scenarios:rainfed condition and irrigation priority.The former ten criteria were assumed to be constant in both scenarios and were assigned the same scores,while the latter criterion(precipitation)was assigned different scores for varying amounts to plan new irrigation projects.Unsuitable land represents 72.8%of the study area,reducing the potential agriculture land(PAL)appropriate for cultivation to 27.2%.In the rainfed condition scenario,the very high and high suitability classes represent 17.6%of the total land of the study area and 64.7%of the PAL.In the irrigation priority scenario,the same classes represent 21.4%of the total land of the study area and 78.6%of the PAL.Finally,the distribution of the land suitability for both scenarios was analyzed within eight administrative irrigation zones to determine the irrigation zone with the greatest potential for paddy field cultivation.
文摘Largest portion of the bridge stock in almost any country and bridge owning organisation consists on ordinary bridges that has short or medium spans and are now deteriorating due to aging, etc. Therefore, it is becoming an important social concern to develop and put to practical use simple and efficient health monitoring systems for existing short and medium span (10 - 30 m) bridges. In this paper, one practical solution to the problem for condition assessment of short and medium span bridges was discussed. A vehicle-based measurement with a public bus as part of a public transit system (called “Bus monitoring system”) has been developed to be capable of detecting damage that may affect the structural safety of a bridge from long term vibration measurement data collected while the vehicle (bus) crossed the target bridges. This paper systematically describes how the system has been developed. The bus monitoring system aims to detect the transition from the damage acceleration period, in which the structural safety of an aged bridge declines sharply, to the deterioration period by continually monitoring the bridge of interest. To evaluate the practicality of the newly developed bus monitoring system, it has been field-tested over a period of about four years by using an in-service fixed-route bus operating on a bus route in the city of Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. The verification results thus obtained are also described in this paper. This study also evaluates the sensitivity of “characteristic deflection”, which is a bridge (health) condition indicator used by the bus monitoring system, in damage detection. Sensitivity of “characteristic deflection” is verified by introducing artificial damage into a bridge that has ended its service life and is awaiting removal. As the results, it will be able to make a rational long-term health monitoring system for existing short and mediumspan bridges, and then the system helps bridge administrators to establish the rational maintenance strategies.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.50233030)Granted by China NKBRSF Project (No.2001CB409600)
文摘An octa-functional acrylate of C-tetramethyl calix[4]resorcinarene（CMC-4-RA） was facilely synthesized and characterized with ^1H NMR, ^13C NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The CMC-4-RA was added to a thiol-acrylate system with different mass ratios, and exposed to a middle pressure mercury lamp. The maximum photopolymerization rate and final vinyl group conversion in the cured film increased greatly along with CMC-4-RA addition that was monitored with Photo-DSC. The tensile strength and pendulum hardness were improved significantly after the addition of CMC-4-RA. With increasing the content of CMC-4-RA to 60%（mass fraction）, the glass transition temperature increased from 34.2 ℃ to 84.1 ℃; the cross-link density was calculated to be increased from 23.83 mmol/cm^3 to 82.40 mmol/cm^3 according to dynamic mechanical thermal analysis; the thermostability was greatly improved.
文摘Advancements in airborne LiDAR analysis technology have made it possible to quantify forest resource volumes based on individual trees, and such technology may soon replace field surveys. Unlike individual tree detection or tree height measurements, diameter at breast height (DBH) is difficult to determine directly from measured data and is instead estimated indirectly using the correlation between crown size and DBH. Indicators that represent crown size include crown area, surface area, length, and length ratio, and were utilized with tree height as explanatory variables in ten combinations to determine a regression formula. DBH and tree height calculated from the regression formula were applied to an equation to calculate stem volumes of individual trees. Airborne LiDAR measurements were taken using ALS50-II and ALS60 (Leica) at a density of 4 points/m2. An evaluation of the relationship between the regression formulae and DBH estimates indicated that a combination of crown area, tree height, and crown ratio for Japanese cedar, and a combination of crown area and tree height for Japanese cypress, yielded the highest coefficients of determination. The average error and RMSE were 6.9% and 2.38 cm respectively for Japanese cedar, while the corresponding values for Japanese cypress were 8.35% and 2.51 cm. Once the relationship was extended to the stem volumes of individual trees, the average error was 14.4% and RMSE was 0.10 m3 for Japanese cedar. The corresponding values for Japanese cypress were 18.9% and 0.10 m3. These results demonstrate the potential use of airborne LiDAR as a substitute for field surveys.
文摘In many medical fields,spatial localization of devices is of paramount importance to e.g.deliver treatments correctly or to perform accurate diagnostic evaluations.Among the different technologies available,optical localization in the visible band of the spectrum offers many advantages:minimum interference with other instruments,flexibility in position of the devices used and extra features such as patient/operator surface tracking or vital signs monitoring.Its application in the domain of radiotherapy is novel,and potentially very beneficial.In this work we introduced a workflow to test the reliability of one of these systems,developed in house,to localize an ultrasound transducer for ultrasound guided radiation therapy(USg RT).Accuracy,precision,latency,sensitive volume and sensitivity to light intensity were evaluated.The workflow we proposed allowed us to establish that,while all the clinically relevant parameters of the system are acceptable,accuracy in locating the transducer could be as intended purpose of the system.
基金supported in port by Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development(AMED,IP19fk0108110 and JP20he0522001)by Health Labour Sciences research grant from the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare(19HA1003)。
文摘Ever since its outbreak,the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been spreading rapidly causing a global health crisis.Accurate diagnosis and instituting appropriate intervention to relevant individuals are essential not only to slow down the spread of this pandemic but also to manage our resources efficiently.To date,testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection mostly relies on reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)on a nasopharyngeal or saliva specimen and remains the gold standard for diagnosis as it exhibits high sensitivity and specificity.
