Technology of Microclimate Regulation in Organic and Energy-Sustainable Livestock Production

The control of climatic conditions where cattle are kept is one of the challenges in the livestock sector regarding the digital automation of the process. (1) Background: The main purpose of this study is to define the optimal foundations for automatic climatic systems in organic and energy-sustainable livestock production. In particular, the following components are suggested: (a) the determination of current deviations and interdependency between factors; (b) an algorithm for defining the possible sources of regulation; (c) the ranking approach of the optimal sequence of possible sources; and (d) ensuring transparency and coordination of the model with organic and energy certificates. (2) Methods: This investigation accumulates information on the characteristics of the main microclimatic parameters and simulates their possible combinations in a livestock building in Poland within 24 h of a spring day. A few indices are considered that signal the impact on the thermal comfort of cattle based on the example of recommended measures for the Angus steer genotype. (3) Results: The proposed transparent algorithm is designed for selecting and ranking potential sources of microclimate control according to three criteria. (4) Conclusions: This paper potentially contributes to determining the most optimal digital algorithm for managing microclimate conditions to ensure acceptable comfort for animals, meeting the requirements of organic certification with minimum costs of production, and switching to sustainable types of energy with consideration of technologies’ efficiency. The algorithm is scalable and adjustable to the individual conditions of any livestock premise with a digitally controlled environment

Glass transition and physical hardening of asphalts

Bibliography: p. 210-22

Experimental Investigation into the Influence of Plasma Technology on Seed Surface Wettability

The influence of atmospheric plasma discharge (APD) of the Gliding Arc type and low-pressure microwave plasma discharge (LPMD) on the class of various seeds was investigated. Pea, wheat, and sunflower seeds, representing legumes, cereals, and oilseeds, respectively, were selected for the treatment. Our study aimed to verify the effect of plasma treatment on the water contact angle and the wettability of the seeds. Treatment time, working gas flow and microwave power were varied to determine their impact. All treated and untreated variants were used to conduct the water contact angle measurements to compare their wettability. APD treatment seemed to be utterly ineffective for improving the wettability for most process parameters. On the contrary, LPMD manifested a much more efficient impact. The maximum effect was found for the 800 W microwave power applied to the pea seed for 30 s. The contact angle achieved decreased by approximately 50% compared to the untreated sample. These results indicate that LPMD may be an effective alternative to traditional pre-sowing seed treatments used in agriculture for water intake enhancement. Still, it is strongly dependent on the seed’s type and the used process parameters

Highly Hydrophobic Organosilane-Functionalized Cellulose: A Promising Filler for Thermoplastic Composites

The aim of this work is to design and optimize the process of functionalization of cellulose fibers by organosilane functional groups using low-pressure microwave plasma discharge with hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) precursor in order to prepare a compatible hydrophobic filler for composites with nonpolar thermoplastic matrices. Particular attention was paid to the study of agglomeration of cellulose fibers in the mixture with polypropylene. In our contribution, the dependence of the surface wettability on used process gas and treatment time was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses were applied to characterize the surface morphology and chemical composition of the cellulose fibers. It was observed that the plasma treatment in oxygen process gas led to the functionalization of cellulose fibers by organosilane functional groups without degradation. In addition, the treated cellulose was highly hydrophobic with water contact angle up to 143°. The use of treated cellulose allowed to obtain a homogeneous mixture with polypropylene powder due to the significantly lower tendency of the functionalized cellulose fibers to agglomerate

Numerical Modelling of Electromagnetic Field in a Tornado

This study deals with the numerical model of both the physical and the chemical processes in the tornado. Within the paper, a basic theoretical model and a numerical solution are presented. We prepared numerical models based on the combined finite element method (FEM) and the finite volume method (FVM). The model joins the magnetic, electric and current fields, the flow field and a chemical nonlinear ion model. The results were obtained by means of the FEM/FVM as a main application in ANSYS software

Improving Indoor Localization Using Bluetooth Low Energy Beacons

The paper describes basic principles of a radio-based indoor localization and focuses on the improvement of its results with the aid of a new Bluetooth Low Energy technology. The advantage of this technology lies in its support by contemporary mobile devices, especially by smartphones and tablets. We have implemented a distributed system for collecting radio fingerprints by mobile devices with the Android operating system. This system enables volunteers to create radio-maps and update them continuously. New Bluetooth Low Energy transmitters (Apple uses its “iBeacon” brand name for these devices) have been installed on the floor of the building in addition to existing WiFi access points. The localization of stationary objects based on WiFi, Bluetooth Low Energy, and their combination has been evaluated using the data measured during the experiment in the building. Several configurations of the transmitters’ arrangement, several ways of combination of the data from both technologies, and other parameters influencing the accuracy of the stationary localization have been tested

Linear, High Dynamic Range Isolated Skin Resistance Transducer Circuit for Neurophysiological Research in Individuals after Spinal Cord Injury

The quantification of skin resistance in individuals after spinal cord injury for the purpose of neurophysiological research is difficult, mainly as a consequence of decreased activity of sweat glands in the injured human organism. In this original work, we propose a custom electrical skin resistance transducer, featuring extremely low patient auxiliary current, linear response and high dynamic range. After the design and fabrication of the prototype device, we conducted preliminary benchmark tests. We found that our prototype transducer was able to linearly report a broad range of resistance presented to its input terminals, which is not usually found in skin resistance research instrumentation. The basic design idea is viable and, following further research, an improved version of presented prototype device may be used for the purpose of neurophysiological research in individuals after spinal cord injury

THE HISTOMORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF MAXILLARY SINUS LIFT ELEVATION USING THE SYNTHETIC HYDROXYAPATITE AND TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE GRAFTING MATERIALS

The aim of the study was to conduct an evaluation of the success of implants inserted into the distal maxilla augmented via the lateral sinus lift method using a combination of synthetic alloplastic hydroxyapatite and β-tricalcium phosphate materials. The solubility of PORESORB-TCP in body fluids leads (due to TCP dissolution) to their hyper-saturation with Ca2+ and P ions, which gradually reprecipitate as CaP. OssaBase-HA has been shown to evince osteoconductive properties. The aim was to take advantage of the synergistic osteoconduction potential of the hydroxylapatite OssaBase-HA and β-tricalcium phosphate PORESORB-TCP materials. We selected a ratio of the two materials of 3:2 for experimentation purposes. The histological findings clearly indicated that, concerning the histological sample, the area of the original bone was 21.4% and the area of augmented tissue occupied 78.6%. The proportion of bone of the patients hard tissue was 68.3% compared to 43.9% of bone with the new augmented tissue. The volume of the augmentation material in the augmented tissue was determined at 45.6%. The amount of PORESORB-TCP was 34.1% of the augmentation material, and the amount of OssaBase-HA was 11.6% of the augmentation material. Our study thus confirmed the osteoconductive properties of the hydroxylapatite OssaBase-HA and β-tricalcium phosphate PORESORB-TCP materials and demonstrated the osteoconduction of a 3:2 mixture of the two materials, thus proving the synergy of their respective properties