Effect of annealing temperatures on TiO2 thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis deposition method

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles thin film has been successfully synthesized by a spray pyrolysis deposition method by using an air compressor on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate and was annealed at different temperature. TiO2 is the most common oxide as an electrode in dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) which still has chances of improvements to increase its efficiency as an electrode. The efficiency of a DSSC was relatively low but modifications on every part of a DSSC were currently in research progress and an increase in adsorbed dye molecules was considered a potential. Thus, the influences of annealing temperature on structural and morphological properties of TiO2 have been studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), respectively, while the efficiency of the films in a solar cell was studied by a solar simulator. The FESEM result showed several degrees of porosity obtained by varying the annealing temperature. The crystallinity of TiO2 investigated by XRD showed that the crystallinity of the TiO2 thin films was generally unaffected by the annealing temperature. The relationship between the properties and the efficiency of the films as an electrode was also studied

Image Processing Techniques for Harumanis Disease Severity and Weighting Estimation for Automatic Grading System Application

Harumanis Mango is known as the king of Mangoes. It is very nutritious and rich with carotenes. However, many of the farmers and agriculture experts reported that they have problems in grading and inspecting the Harumanis Mango. Sometimes, Mango production loses its quality due to diseases that are not even visible to the naked eyes. Traditionally, farmers and agriculture experts will estimate the severity of the disease using their experiences. While for weight estimation, manual inspection was done by using a weight scale. This traditional method has its own drawbacks as it can lead to some errors due to inconsistencies made by human inspection. Furthermore, they are less efficient and very time-consuming. Therefore, an automated procedure that able to classify the disease severities and weight estimations would be much appreciated. With the aid of image processing techniques, diseases can be classified according to its scale, and its weight can be estimated. A number of pixels of Harumanis Mango will be used for classification. The analysis will be done by using the statistical method of regression. It shows that the accuracy of weight estimation is 72.25%

Effect of Water to Cement Ratio and Replacement Percentage of Recycled Concrete Aggregate on the Concrete Strength

Fine Recycled Concrete Aggregate (FRCA) is one of the construction waste can be recycled. It can be the aggregate to replace the natural aggregate in concrete since we know the physical properties of materials are hard and strong. Demand for sand in the concrete production has been increased which become the problems in the concrete industry. This work deals with the effect of concrete incorporating with FRCA as partial replacement of sand. The percentage of natural sand replaced by the FRCA was 0%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 45% and 60%. Other than that, water cement ratio was manipulated variable started form 0.40, 0.45, 0.50, 0.55 and 0.60. In short, 20% replacement was the most suitable interaction of FRCA in the concrete occur that contribute to increasing in compressive strength. The porosity properties of FRCA been neutralized on that replacement percentage by the present of optimum filler effect generated form the very fine FRCA particle during the mixing process. Meanwhile, 0.50 water cement ratio was optimum condition for cement hydration process using FRCA as partial sand replacement

Fundamental Shape Discrimination of Underground Metal Object Through One-Axis Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Scan

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) was used in this research to detect or recognize the buried objects underground. Hyperbolic signals formed by datagram of GPR after detection the buried objects which quite similar to each other in term of metal shapes. The research was tested on the metal cube and metal cylinder by using the A-scan of GPR. There are steps in this signal processing step which are pre-processing step, feature extraction, and classification process. The segmentation process hyperbolic signals were segmented one by one and normalize from the negative to positive signals. The hyperbole from the metal cylinder and metal cube that had been buried in the ground is differentiated using four features of their respective A-scans which are found the maximum value of amplitude signal graph, the number of peaks in the signals graph, skewness, and standard deviation values. Finally, the classification process used learning algorithm of Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) was a test on Bayesian Regulation Backpropagation (BR) was given the highest accuracy, 98.70% as a classifier to classify the metal shapes which are a metal cube and metal cylinder

Design and Simulation of Fuzzy Logic Controlled Car Parking Assist System

The simulation of the autonomous self-parking car model is introduced in this paper. The system using a fuzzy logic controller in monitoring the car into a parking spot. The car will be manoeuvred to the parking space along a curvilinear path called path planning that designed to prevent crashing with the neighbouring cars or obstacles. In this project, it has used the Simulink in MATLAB to compute the system. The Simulink has an easier way to set up the rules in fuzzy control. The system imitates human thinking in performing the parking whereby it controls the steering angle and speed of the car corresponded to the situation of the car

Detection of Colletotrichum Gloeosporioides Fungus Isolates Development/Spread for Mango (Mangifera Indica L.) Cultivar from Electronic Nose Using Multivariate-Statistical Analysis

Agriculture plays a very important role in Asia economic sectors. For Malaysia, it plays a big contribution towards the country’s development. Mangifera Indica L., commonly known as Mango, is one of the fruit that has high economic demand and potential in Malaysia export business. However, due to radical climate changes from hot to humid, Mango is exposed towards a number of disease and this will affect its production. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is one of the major diseases that could occur on any types of Mango. This fungus can attack on fruit skin and leaf, therefore a method that able to detect and control it would be much appreciated. Hence, this paper shows that the presence of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides type of pathogen can be detected by using Electronic Nose (E-Nose). The E-Nose will detect the Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) that produced from this fungus. Further analysis and justification on its existence are completed by using one of Multivariate-Statistical Analysis method which is Principal Component Analysis (PCA).The analysis results effectively show that the PCA is able to classify the number of isolating days of this type of fungus after cultured. Furthermore the potential of pre-symptomatic detection of the plant diseases was demonstrated

GnRH-agonist implantation of prepubertal male cats affects their reproductive performance and testicular LH receptor and FSH receptor expression

Show less https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2015.10.031Get rights and content Abstract This study was conducted to investigate the effect of GnRH-agonist implantation in prepubertal tomcats on sexual behavior, reproductive performance, and expression of testicular LH receptor (LHR) and FSH receptor (FSHR) and also to compare the testicular characteristics, LHR and FSHR expression between prepubertal and adult tomcats. In experiment 1, 3-month-old tomcats (n = 6/group) were either treated with or left without 4.7 mg deslorelin implants. Semen collection and evaluation were performed just before castration at 48 weeks after treatment; removed testes were analyzed for mRNA and protein expression of LHR and FSHR. We were able to collect semen from six non-treated cats, whereas in treated cats, semen was uncollectable. The results revealed that sexual behavior was absent in the implanted cats throughout the study period. Testicular volume was found to decrease from 30 weeks after treatment onward in the implanted cats compared to the controls (P < 0.05). Semen production was found only in non-implanted cats. Testicular tissue score, seminiferous tubule diameter, and LHR protein expression were found lower in the implanted cats (P < 0.05), but no differences were observed in mRNA expression of LHR and protein expression of FSHR between groups. The mRNA expression of FSHR was higher in the implanted (P < 0.05) compared to control cats. In experiment 2, testes from prepubertal (n = 6) and adult (n = 6) male cats were collected after castration and analyzed for mRNA and protein expression of LHR and FSHR. No differences were observed in the protein expression of LHR and FSHR between the two groups, whereas mRNA expression of FSHR was higher in prepubertal cats (P < 0.05). Testicular and epididymal weight, diameter of seminiferous tubules, and the testicular grade were higher in the adult compared to prepubertal cats (P < 0.05). In conclusion, deslorelin implants suppressed protein expression of LHR and enhanced mRNA expression of FSHR along with suppression of reproductive function without any adverse effects for at least 48 weeks in male cats

Long-term Atmospheric Mercury Wet Deposition at Underhill, Vermont

Section 112(m) of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, referred to as the Great Waters Program, mandated an assessment of atmospheric deposition of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) to Lake Champlain. Mercury (Hg) was listed as a priority HAP and has continued to be a high priority for a number of national and international programs. An assessment of the magnitude and seasonal variation of atmospheric Hg levels and deposition in the Lake Champlain basin was initiated in December 1992 which included event precipitation collection, as well as collection of vapor and particle phase Hg in ambient air. Sampling was performed at the Proctor Maple Research Center in Underhill Center, VT. The range in the annual volume-weighted mean concentration for Hg in precipitation was 7.8–10.5 ng/l for the 11-year sampling period and the average amount of Hg deposited with each precipitation event was 0.10 μg/m 2 . The average amount of Hg deposited through precipitation each year from 1993 to 2003 was 9.7 μg/m 2 /yr. A seasonal pattern for Hg in precipitation is clearly evident, with increased Hg concentrations and deposition observed during spring and summer months. While a clear trend in the 11-year event deposition record at Underhill was not observed, a significant decrease in the event max-to-monthly ratio was observed suggesting that a major source influence was controlled over time. Discrete precipitation events were responsible for significant fractions of the monthly and annual loading of Hg to the forested ecosystem in Vermont. Monthly-averaged temperatures were found to be moderately correlated with monthly volume-weighted mean Hg concentrations ( r 2 =0.61) and Hg deposition ( r 2 =0.67) recorded at the Vermont site. Meteorological analysis indicated the highest levels of Hg in precipitation were associated with regional transport from the west, southwest, and south during the warmer months.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44444/1/10646_2004_Article_6260.pd

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. Methods: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model—a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates—with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality—which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. Findings: The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2–100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1–290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1–211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4–48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3–37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7–9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. Interpretation: Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation