Irrigation and Thermal Buffering Using Mathematical Modeling

Two methods of irrigation, drip, and sprinkler were studied to determine the response of the Javits green roof to irrigation. The control study was dry unirrigated plots. Drip irrigation consisted of irrigation tubes running through the green roof that would water the soil throughout and sprinkler irrigation used a sprinkler system to irrigate the green roof from above. In all cases, the irrigated roofs had increased the soil moisture, reduced temperatures of both the upper and lower surfaces, reduced growing medium temperatures and reduced air temperatures above the green roof relative to the unirrigated roof. The buffered temperature fluctuations were also studied via air conditioner energy consumption. There was a 28% reduction in air conditioner energy consumption and a 33% reduction in overall energy consumption between dry and irrigated plots. Values of thermal resistance or S were determined for accuracy and for this study, there was little change which is ideal. A series of infra-red and thermal probe measurements were used to determine temperatures in the air and sedum. It was determined that the sprinkler irrigation did a better job than the drip irrigation in keeping cooler temperatures within the green roof. A Mann-Whitney U test was performed to verify the variation in moisture temperatures buffering energy consumption. By getting a p-value < 0.05, it indicates that the model is accurate for prediction and medium temperatures were statistically different

The Belt and Road Initiative's (BRI) Impact on International Trade of SAARC Countries

The impact of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on foreign commerce in the nations that make up the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is compared in this study. With data taken from the World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) for two different time periods (2008–2012 and 2014–2018), the study assesses changes in imports, exports, trade balances, and foreign direct investment (FDI) in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Different patterns in trade dynamics are revealed by the findings. Bangladesh had notable improvements in trade over the 2014–2018 period, whereas Afghanistan’s development was less than anticipated. Bhutan’s trade development was encouraged and in line with the goals of the Belt and Road Initiative. India demonstrated trade endurance by continuing to develop steadily. Positive developments were demonstrated by the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, confirming the BRI’s contribution to the growth of commerce. There have been improvements in the trade balances of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Maldives. Following the BRI, the FDI landscape steadied, with increases in FDI observed in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Maldives. With an emphasis on the significance of taking into account the particular context of every nation and the dynamic nature of international commerce, this research offers a comprehensive assessment of the effects of the Belt and Road Initiative. The results provide insightful information to help stakeholders, scholars, and policymakers navigate the intricate web of international commerce in the SAARC area

Analysis of Extreme Temperature Variability in Rwanda: Climate variability, Air temperature, Solar Radiation, Meteorological station

The temperature is one of the most important factors in weather and climate forecasting. Studying its behaviour is crucial to understanding climate variability, which could vary spatially and temporally at local, regional, and global scales. Several recent studies on air temperature findings show that the Earth' s near surface air temperature increased between 0.6 °C and 0.8 °C throughout the twentieth century. Using temperature records from ten meteorological stations, this study examined climate variability in Rwanda from the 1930s to 2014. The air temperature data were collected from Meteo Rwanda. Before making the analysis, the authors used software, such as Excel 2007 and INSTAT to control the quality of the raw data. The analysis of maxima and minima indicated that the trends of maximum air temperature were positive and significant at height meteorological stations, whereas the trends for minimum air temperature were found to be at 10 meteorological stations. For all parameters analysed, Kigali Airport meteorological station indicated the higher significance of the trends. The majority of meteorological stations showed an increase in both hot days and nights, confirming Rwanda' s warming over time. The analysis of average seasonal air temperature showed almost similar trends even though not all were significant. This similarity in trends could be attributed to the fact that Rwanda' s short and long dry seasons coincide with rainy seasons

Cyclopentadithiophene-based Conjugated Polymers for Organic Thermoelectric Devices and Other Applications

The 4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b’]dithiophene (CPDT)-based conjugated polymers (CPs) have garnered significant attention in various fields of organic electronics due to their strong electron-donating properties, extended π-plane, and rigid, planar chemical structure. These unique features enable CPDT-based CPs to be highly advantageous for use in a range of organic semiconductor devices. While CPDT-based CPs have been extensively investigated and utilized as electron donors in various organic semiconductor devices, there is limited literature discussing the electrochemical properties of CPDT building blocks and the representative examples of CPDT-based CPs. In this mini-review, the authors outline the electrochemical properties of the CPDT building block, which stem from its rigid and planar chemical structure, facilitating the use of CPDT derivative materials in the field of organic semiconductors, such as organic photovoltaics (OPVs), organic thin film transistors (OTFTs), and organic photodetectors (OPDs). Furthermore, the authors highlight the advantages of CPDT-based CPs, particularly, for organic thermoelectric applications (OTEs) such as strong electron-donating properties and extended π-conjugation, which lead to facile p-type doping characteristics in CPDT-based CPs. The authors discuss the basic working principles of OTEs, including several key parameters of OTE devices such as the Seebeck coefficient (S) and power factor (PF). Additionally, the authors address the main challenge in OTEs: the trade-off relationship between electrical conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient. The review presents several strategies to overcome these trade-off limitations, focusing on CPDT and other CPs for OTE applications

Assessment of the Intertropical Convergence Zone over the Atlantic Ocean through an Algorithm Based on Precipitation

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is a key atmospheric system on a global scale, primarily driven by trade wind convergence near the equator. The ITCZ plays a crucial role in modulating the climate of the borders of tropical continental areas. For instance, Northeastern Brazil experiences a climate influenced by the ITCZ over the Atlantic Ocean. In some periods, the ITCZ exhibits double bands, known as the double ITCZ. While the features of the ITCZ have been described using various approaches and atmospheric variables, there is still a lack of regional studies focusing on the ITCZ and double ITCZ in the Atlantic Ocean. In this context, the main goals of this study are (1) to describe a simple algorithm based on precipitation to identify the ITCZ and double ITCZ, (2) to present a climatology (1997–2022) of the position, width, and intensity of these two convective bands, and (3) to investigate variabilities in the ITCZ characteristics associated with anomalies of sea surface temperature (SST) in the tropical Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The double ITCZ typically occurs southward of the main cloud band, and between February and April, both bands are more distant (~4.5°). In the western sector of the Atlantic Ocean, the ITCZ and its double band extend to more southerly latitudes in austral autumn. Considering the entire Atlantic basin, the annual mean of the latitudinal position, width, and intensity of the ITCZ is 4.9°N, 4.2°, and 11 mm/day, respectively, while for the double ITCZ, it is 0.4°N, 2.6°, 10.3 mm/day, respectively. While the SST anomalies in the Pacific Ocean (El Niño and La Niña episodes) affect more the ITCZ width, the SST anomalies in the Tropical South Atlantic affect both its position and width

Performance Evaluation of Junctionless Cylindrical Gate-All-Around FET for Low Power Applications

The advent of device miniaturization techniques and the evolution of very deep submicron technology have led to the increased prominence of short channel effects (SCEs) in conventional transistors (CTs). Now, in the era of nanoengineering and nano-wires, current research is centered around a novel device known as the Junctionless Field Effect Transistor (JLFET), which incorporates gate-all-around engineering applications. Given the challenges associated with scaling transistor sizes, such as creating high-quality junctions and changing doping concentrations (~1019 cm–3) over a 10 nm distance, JLFET emerges as a promising alternative to CTs. Notably, JLFET lacks junctions and doping concentration gradients. In this study, the authors have conducted a comprehensive analysis and performance evaluation of JLFET and CTs, specifically in the context of low-power applications. Various performance parameters of JLFET, including SS, DIBL, transconductance, output conductance, and Ion/Ioff, have been assessed. The findings indicate that JLFET exhibits reduced susceptibility to SCEs compared to CTs and demonstrates exceptional current driving capability

Exploring Alternatives to Create Digital Twins from and for Process Simulation

In this work, Digital Twins based on Neural Networks for the steady state production of styrene were generated. Thus, both the Aspen Technology AI Model Builder (alternative 1) and a homemade MS Excel VBA code connected to Aspen HYSYS and Aspen Plus (alternative 2) were used with this same aim. The raw data used for generating the Digital Twins were obtained from process simulations using Aspen HYSYS and/or Aspen Plus, which were connected through a recycle-like stream via automation for solving the entire simulation flowsheet. Aspen HYSYS was used for solving the pre-heating, reaction, and stabilization sections of the process whereas Aspen Plus ensured the computing of the separation and purification columns. Both alternatives led to an excellent prediction showing the capability of creating Digital Twins from and for process simulation

Seasonal Variability of Rainfall and Thunderstorm Patterns in Kenya

This paper presents an analysis of spatial and temporal variation of rainfall and thunderstorm occurrence over Kenya from January 1987 to December 2017. The meteorological data used were obtained from the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) for the same period. This included the monthly thunderstorm occurrences and rainfall amounts of 26 synoptic stations across the country. The characteristics of monthly, seasonal and annual frequency results were presented on spatial maps while Time series graphs were used to display the pattern for annual cycle, seasonal variations and the inter-annual variability of rainfall amounts and thunderstorm occurrences. A well-known non-parametric statistical method Mann Kendall (MK) trend test was used to determine and compare the statistical significance of the trends. Thunderstorm frequencies over the Eastern, Central and Coast regions of the country showed a bimodal pattern with high frequencies coinciding with March-April-May (MAM) and October-November-December (OND) rainy seasons. Very few thunderstorm days were detected over June-July-August (JJA) season. The areas to the western part of the country, near Lake Victoria, had the highest thunderstorm frequencies in the country over the three seasons: MAM, JJAS and OND. The annual frequency showed a quasi-unimodal pattern. These places near Lake Victoria showed significantly increasing thunderstorm trends during the MAM and OND seasons irrespective of the rainfall trends. This shows the effects of Lake Victoria over these areas, and it acts as a continuous source of moisture for thunderstorm formation. However, most stations across the country showed a reducing trend of thunderstorm frequency during MAM and JJA seasons. The importance of these findings is that they could support various policy makers, and users of climate information, especially in the agriculture and aviation industries

Review on Activated Carbon for Supercapacitors

Carbon is a lavish element that has a large number of composite elements. Activated carbon is the main source for storing the charge in the Supercapacitor. The management of waste is a big issue in Kathmandu Valley, and by converting the waste into activated carbon the waste management is somehow solved. The wet blue leather waste is found to be more reliable for making supercapacitors than the other waste material. The lowest value of capacitance is found in the eggshell material

Back Bay Battery Simulation Reflective Essay

The success of an organization’s innovation strategy relies on a clearly defined innovation theme. In this article, the author will delve into the concept of disruptive innovation and explore how to achieve Horizon 2 ideas. Horizon 2 ideas involve extending the business’s current model and core competencies to reach new customers, markets, and even new business objectives in different segments. The business model extension under Horizon 2 focuses on the organization’s mid-term goals, typically taking 24 to 36 months to yield results. Drawing insights from the Harvard Business Review’s Back Bay Battery (BBB) simulation, this article presents the implementation of an innovation strategy within the BBB company. The aim is to assist the company in enhancing its business model and transitioning into the high-end market. The latter part of the article will shed light on the challenges associated with implementing this strategy in a real-world firm and the results it can deliver to the organization. Specifically, it will explore the effectiveness of the strategy in achieving disruptive innovation within the employee market, where the company intends to use the new business model to tap into new markets