Design and fabrication of a Wing for a Remote-Controlled Electric Powered Airborne Imagery Platform

This documentation basically explains in detail about the project's planning, progress andachievement throughout the two semesters projectduration. Thereport began with introductory and background information of the project. This section generally explains what the project is all about. The general objective is to gain experience in handling engineering projects from the startto the end. After that, the scope of study involved was laid down to summarize what aspects of the project would be tackled. Engineering projects in the real world involves numerous engineers from different fields, each handling different parts of the project. This project was divided into 3 parts. The one in context ofthis report is to design and fabricate a wing for a remote controlled electric-powered airborne imagery platform. Hence, corresponding with this topic, the scope of study is mainly the aerodynamics ofthe wing, the fabrication process and the structural strength ofthe wings. The wing should be able to generate enough lift for the aircraft to fly, and at the same time being light and robust enough to support the aircraft during flight and landings. The report then continued with the literature review done on the project. In this section, various related information extractedfrom articles was included and elaborated. The next section is the methodology section ofthe project. This section explains the planning involved for this project, which includes process flows for both semesters, tools used, and the detailed Gantt chart which shows the exact timeplanning of the project. Then, in the results and discussion section, important findings and results of project activities was discussed and analyzed. Decisions and choices that were made was discussed and analyzed to show that they are verified. Finally the report was ended bythe conclusion of the project andrecommendations for future continuation of this project and also for the UTP future final students as a whole

Soil-Water Conservation, Erosion, and Landslide

The predicted climate change is likely to cause extreme storm events and, subsequently, catastrophic disasters, including soil erosion, debris and landslide formation, loss of life, etc. In the decade from 1976, natural disasters affected less than a billion lives. These numbers have surged in the last decade alone. It is said that natural disasters have affected over 3 billion lives, killed on average 750,000 people, and cost more than 600 billion US dollars. Of these numbers, a greater proportion are due to sediment-related disasters, and these numbers are an indication of the amount of work still to be done in the field of soil erosion, conservation, and landslides. Scientists, engineers, and planners are all under immense pressure to develop and improve existing scientific tools to model erosion and landslides and, in the process, better conserve the soil. Therefore, the purpose of this Special Issue is to improve our knowledge on the processes and mechanics of soil erosion and landslides. In turn, these will be crucial in developing the right tools and models for soil and water conservation, disaster mitigation, and early warning systems

Emerging and Disruptive Next-Generation Technologies for POC: Sensors, Chemistry and Microfluidics for Diagnostics

Recently, the attention paid to self-care tests and the easy and large screening of a high number of people has dramatically increased. Indeed, easy and affordable tools for the safe management of biological fluids together with self-diagnosis have emerged as compulsory requirements in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, to lighten the pressure on public healthcare institutions and thus limiting the diffusion of infections. Obviously, other kinds of pathologies (cancer or other degenerative diseases) also continue to require attention, with progressively earlier and more widespread diagnoses. The contribution to the development of this research field comes from the areas of innovative plastic and 3D microfluidics, smart chemistry and the integration of miniaturized sensors, going in the direction of improving the performances of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) devices. In our Special Issue, we include papers describing easy strategies to identify diseases at the point-of-care and near-the-bed levels, but also dealing with innovative biomarkers, sample treatments, and chemistry processes which, in perspective, represent promising tools to be applied in the field

Recent Clinical Research on Glaucoma

In the past few years, knowledge about glaucoma diagnosis and follow up has evolved dramatically through advances in intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement, corneal biomechanics, structural and functional assessment of the ocular surface, anterior chamber, retina, optic nerve and intracranial visual pathways, as well as the advent of artificial intelligence. In addition, the development of new modalities of IOP-lowering and non-IOP-lowering drugs, alternative deliveries, refined laser technologies, and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) techniques with different implants have widened the therapeutic possibilities for treating this disease. Finally, current insights into risk factors and quality of life in relation to glaucomatous impairment are emerging. The purpose of this Special Issue is to present the latest exciting clinical developments that are taking place in the field of glaucoma

A novel fluorophotometer for measuring concentration and diffusion of autofluorescent ophthalmic medication in the human eye

As society is aging, the frequency of age-related diseases is increasing. An area of age-related diseases that requires special attention is that of ocular diseases as they eventually cause blindness and therefore have a huge impact on the quality of life of the patient. Understanding the underlying cause of the disease and being able to treat it effectively is thus becoming increasingly important. To evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment, the behaviour of the medication in the body needs to be known or estimated. Monitoring the diffusion of medication is commonly referred to as pharmacokinetics, and the pharmacokinetics of ophthalmic medication are currently assessed by sacrificing animal eyes at given points in time after the application of the drug. This procedure does not allow for a high enough temporal resolution and incorporates a number of disadvantages such as the fact that the eyes are non-human and that the behaviour of the drug has to be extrapolated from the data obtained from different eyes. An instrument that can measure the pharmacokinetics of ophthalmic medication in a non-invasive manner will therefore increase the knowledge about the behaviour of the compound of interest considerably. This thesis presents a novel ocular fluorophotometer which can measure the diffusion of inherently ophthalmic drugs with high temporal and axial resolution (0.6 s and 124 μm, respectively) and a sensitivity of 2 nM in terms of Fluorescein concentration. The design process of the instrument and its performance in terms of resolution and noise are discussed. Thorough consideration of the eye safety of the instrument is presented. The instrument is calibrated for both a fluorescence standard (Fluorescein sodium salt) and an ophthalmic drug for treating open angle glaucoma (Brimonidine) and it is shown that the concentration of a sample with high signal to noise ratio can be accurately recovered with an error below 20%. It is however found that for samples with less good signal to noise ratios the accuracy decreases significantly. The repeatability of the measurements is also assessed and found to be slightly worse than the accuracy with an error of below 23% within one week. The calibration in in vitro porcine eyes is also discussed and suggestions made for its improvement. Further measurements of diffusing fluorescent compounds are then presented and discussed. It is found that the diffusion can be monitored with high temporal resolution and that the concentration after complete diffusion is measured correctly. Finally, measurements of in vivo eyes of human volunteers are presented and discussed. The instrument is shown to be of a similar standard to a commercially available instrument, and it is believed that the instrument presented here has the potential to become the new gold standard ocular fluorophotometer

Drift-filled hollows in the London basin: characteristics, origins and assessment of risk

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonAnomalous geology creates sub-surface risk to engineering projects. Within the London Basin, anomalous geological depressions, named drift-filled hollows (DFHs) have been identified and inducing sub-surface risk for the last century. DFHs are depressions identified at an anomalous depth to the local bedrock, infilled with largely unconsolidated sediment and occasionally local bedrock. The features range in size from 5-500 m wide and up to 75 m deep, narrowing with depth. Not visible from ground level, DFHs are often missed during site investigations which induces sub-surface risk on construction projects. Not addressing the features if and once encountered could lead to failure through differential subsidence, tunnel face collapse, impact on nationally-significant infrastructure, excessive and unplanned costs, damage to groundwater resources and loss of life. This thesis compiles information to create the largest DFH dataset of 89 features and their known characteristics. A multi-disciplinary approach is employed to further understanding of the physical characteristics of DFHs as well as to use an evidence-based approach to determine their origin and processes which have shaped their current form. The results illustrate the high level of variability between features and within a single feature. Data quality restrictions and methodological limitations are discussed in detail throughout. These limitations are then amplified with highly variable sediments, such as the infill of DFHs. Further outcomes of the research include furthering the understanding of London’s geology, not solely through identifying further anomalies, but through mapping the sub-surface of two differing areas and showing notable differences in depth to bedrock and presence and absence of strata within relatively short distances. A guide for the site investigation sector has also been created to readily identify and characterise DFHs and so reduce risk. All of the outcomes reduce sub-surface risk through an increased knowledge of the features and London’s geology as a whole. Finally, the enlarged dataset and the recognition of the high level of variability within a single feature and between features has enabled the existing and potential process hypotheses to be analysed and a new formation hypothesis is proposed for features with a diapir being formed through an increase of water and gas pressure

中性子二次元検出器の開発と単結晶構造解析への応用

Tohoku University佐藤卓論

Linerless Eutectic Al-Si Engine Wear: Microstructural Evolution

The wear mechanisms of novel linerless eutectic Al-Si engines subjected to extensive dynamometer testing have been thoroughly investigated using an array of surface and subsurface techniques to elucidate the effects of alloying, surface preparation, and temperature on the overall wear progression of linerless Al-Si engines. The efforts of this research have revealed that the long term wear resistance of linerless eutectic Al-Si engine bores is derived from the combined effects of oil deposits, silicon exposure, and the formation of reduced grain structures in the aluminum-matrix. Under this criterion, silicon particles maintained exposure at an equilibrium height of ~0.4 to 0.6 um. Amorphous structured oil deposits, abundant on the worn surface, were shown to fill/protect uneven areas on the aluminum-matrix. The evolution of the bore microstructure is explained in terms of fragmentation of silicon particles and subsequent polishing of the entire worn surface caused by sliding contact with the rings