Precision Agriculture Usage and Big Agriculture Data

Agricultural producers have quickly adopted precision agriculture technologies in recent years. With the availability of global positioning system (GPS) signals and other technology, producers can track yields, steer and control equipment, monitor field conditions, and manage inputs at very precise levels across a field, offering the potential to substantially increase productivity and profitability

Precision Agriculture Usage and Big Agriculture Data

Agricultural producers have quickly adopted precision agriculture technologies in recent years. With the availability of global positioning system (GPS) signals and other technology, producers can track yields, steer and control equipment, monitor field conditions, and manage inputs at very precise levels across a field, offering the potential to substantially increase productivity and profitability

High entropy transition metal carbides

Since their discovery in 2004, High Entropy Alloys (HEAs) have become a major research area in the field of metallurgy. These materials are typically single-phase mixtures of several (\u3e4) different alloying elements in equi- or near-equiatomic proportions. The result is a material which has structural order, yet chemical disorder; an arrangement which has been reported to lead to enhanced mechanical, physical and chemical properties. Where previously it was believed that the mixing of elements in this way would lead to impractical multi-phase and brittle intermetallic materials, the discovery that single phase solid solutions can be stabilised by their high configurational entropy has opened up a wide new range of useful compositional space to be explored 1. The ‘entropy-stabilised materials’ concept has recently been successfully applied to metal oxide2 and transition metal diboride3 systems, sparking significant interest in the ceramics, and particularly the Ultrahigh Temperature Ceramics (UHTCs), community. These single-phase materials consist of a chemically ordered anion sublattice (O or B) and a chemically disordered metal cation sublattice; and initial testing suggests that these materials may possess enhanced hardness and oxidation resistance. We report on the fabrication of entropy-stabilised UHTC refractory metal carbides. It is shown that it is possible to produce bulk homogeneous high entropy carbides. Our findings include densification trials, multi-scale microstructural investigations, and mechanical and physical properties characterisation. The significance of the work will be discussed in relation to the opportunities created for the development of new UHTCs. References: [1] Brian Cantor (2014) Multicomponent and High Entropy Alloys: Review. Entropy, 16, 4749-4768; doi:10.3390/e16094749 [2] Rost et al. (2015) Entropy-stabilised oxides. Nature Communications, 6, 8485; doi:10.1038/ncomms9485 [3] Gild et al. (2016) High-entropy metal diborides: a new class of high-entropy materials and a new type of ultrahigh temperature ceramics. Scientific Reports, 6, 37946; doi:10.1038/srep3794

Effects of Build Parameters on Compression Properties for Ultem 9085 Parts by Fused Deposition Modeling

It has been observed by various researchers that parts fabricated by the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process have anisotropic properties. The research presented in the present paper was aimed to study the compression properties of FDM parts and to comprehend their dependence on build parameters. In this study Ultem 9085 was used as the material to fabricate both solid and sparse-build coupons with variations in build direction, raster angle and air gap. A full factorial experimental design was used to study the individual and combined effects of these build parameters on the mechanical properties of the coupons. The mechanical properties studied include compressive yield strength, compressive modulus, compressive strength/mass ratio, and compressive modulus/mass ratio. Besides the obtained test data, qualitative observation and reasoning was used to help understand how the compression properties are affected by the build parameters

Effect of Sparse-Build Internal Structure on Performance of Fused Deposition Modeling Tools under Pressure

Two different approaches to design a sparse-build tool for fabrication by the fused deposition modeling (FDM) process are compared. One approach uses a 2D lattice structure and the other approach is inspired by topology optimization. Ultem 9085 is used as the material, and the amount of material used to build the tool is kept constant to ensure a fair comparison. A solid tool is also included in the comparison. The performance of the tool under uniform pressure is simulated using finite element analysis (FEA) and the accuracy of the FEA results is verified by comparing them with experimentally measured data for a similar tool. The build material, support material, build time, maximum displacement, and maximum von Mises stress are compared for the three build approaches, with an emphasis on the pros and cons of each sparsebuild tool with regards to performance under uniform pressure and fabrication by FDM

Mechanical and magnetic properties of spark plasma sintered soft magnetic FeCo alloy reinforced by carbon nanotubes

Different volume fractions (0.5 vol. % to 4.5 vol. %) of CNTs were used to reinforce a binary Fe50Co soft magnetic alloy. The first method for dispersion was involved dry mixing and ball milling of the powder, while the second was included wet mixing in dimethylformamide under ultrasonic agitation, drying and then dry ball milling. The powders were consolidated using spark plasma sintering. Tensile test and SEM analyses were performed to characterize the mechanical properties and the fracture surface of the sintered materials. The best magnetic and mechanical properties were achieved using the first method. A maximum enhancement in tensile strength of around 20% was observed in the 0.5 vol. % CNT composite with improved elongation compared to the monolithic Fe50Co alloy. In addition, the magnetic properties were enhanced by adding CNTs up to 1 vol. %, and an improvement in densification was observed in composites up to 1.5 vol. % CNT with respect to monolithic Fe50Co alloy

Creating sustainable Internet of Things futures:Aligning legal and design research agendas

The way consumer Internet of Things (IoT) devices are built is leading to electronic waste (eWaste) growth. This arises from planned obsolescence, bundling of ‘smartness’ creating more routes to device failure, and lacking hardware modularity and repairability. Understanding how to best to tackle these issues requires an interdisciplinary perspective bridging design, law, and the social science research. The legal landscape is shifting, encouraging design of repairable and long-lasting IoT, and reducing routes to redundancy. This one-day workshop explores the interface between design and legal research to address the socio-technical challenges around designing sustainable consumer IoT devices. The workshop will: map out the societal, legal, and environmental implications of IoT; envision the opportunities and barriers to designing more sustainable IoT; and share best practice and tools how to move towards more sustainable IoT futures

"What Might a More Sustainable Internet of Things Look Like?" Zine 2024:Fixing the Future Collective

Zine created by Fixing the Future Collective. Has been printed and displayed at Designing Interactive Systems Conference Zine Library in Copenhagen, Denmark (July 2024), at the Workshop on Creating Sustainable IoT Futures also in Copenhagen (July 2024), and at ICT4S in Stockholm Sweden (June 2024)

Embedding lived experience into mental health academic research organizations: Critical reflections

Background: As part of a growing emphasis on engaging people with lived experience of mental health conditios in mental health research, there are increasing calls to consider and embed lived experience throughout academic research institutes. This extends beyond the engagement of lay patients andalso considers the potential roles of academic researchers with lived experience. When the lived experience of academic researchers is applied to academic work, there is the potential to improve the relevance of the research, while destigmatizing mental illness within academia. However, there are different and often contrasting perspectives on the way a lived experience academic researcher initiative should be implemented. Objectives: This article describes some of the key issues to be considered when planning an initiative that leverages and values the lived experience of academic researchers, including the advantages and disadvantages of each potential approach. Discussion & Recommendations: Institutions are encouraged to reflect on the ways that they might support and value lived experience among academic researchers. In developing any such initiative, institutions are encouraged to be transparent about their objectives and values, undertake a careful planning process, involve researchers with lived experience from the outsetand consistently challenge the stigma experienced by academic researchers with lived experience. Patient or Public Contribution: Multiple authors are academic researchers with lived experience of mental health conditions

Fixing the Future Annual Report 2024

Annual Report for the Fixing the Future Project. Full Citation: Urquhart, L. Stead, M. Sailaja, N. Darzentas, D. Terras, M. Lechelt, S. Luger, E. Coulton, P.Lindley, J. Boniface, C. D McAuley. Castle-Green, T. Pilling, M. Primlani, N. and D Kilic “Fixing the Future Annual Report 2024