Design And Evaluation of Flexibility-Based Structural Damage Localization Using Wireless Sensor Networks

The health of civil structures is very important and sometimes life-critical. While there are different ways to monitor their health, wireless sensor network: WSN) has the advantage of easy deployment and low cost, which make it feasible for most structures. We designed and implemented a system to localize damages on structures with a WSN by detecting the change in structure flexibility. This method has been validated to work well on bridges like a cantilever beam and a truss. It is also possible to be extended to other type of structures. Different from other systems, in network data processing was applied to lower the bandwidth requirement of large amount of raw sensing data. Only the intermediate computation results, that capture the flexibility related information, were transmitted back to the base station. We also divide the detection and localization into multiple levels. Lower level acts as the sentinel to detect the existence of damage; and higher levels, which consume more energy, are then triggered when necessary to get a higher resolution of localization. This design helps to further extend the lifetime of the system

Consumers’ purchasing behavior – the impact of product innovation

Research Purpose: The main objective of this study is to investigate the way in which consumers’ attitude toward attributes of product innovation influences their purchasing behavior in grocery stores. The study is based on an investigation of the fresh fruit juice category of the F&B industry. Theoretical Framework: The concept of product innovation in the F&B industry is firstly introduced with the aim of providing a broader understanding of its four attributes. This is followed by a description of the TRA model which is widely used to predict consumers’ purchasing behavior before establishing a new model of the way in which product innovation can affect consumers’ purchasing behavior and using it to make a further analysis. Methodology: This thesis is based on qualitative research and the data was collected from semi-structured interviews with eight ICA consumers. Conclusion: The findings show that consumers have an extremely positive attitude toward the different attributes of product innovation because of their beneficial effect. Product innovation generates greater value, which increases their intention to purchase new or improved F&B products. However, not all aspects of the four attributes of product innovation affect consumers’ purchasing behavior and the findings of this study are expected to assist manufacturers and retailers to develop the most useful of them in order to enhance consumers’ purchasing behavior and thereby increase their competitive advantage in the field of grocery marketing

Multi-level Monte Carlo methods with the truncated Euler-Maruyama scheme for stochastic differential equations

The truncated Euler-Maruyama method is employed together with the Multi-level Monte Carlo method to approximate expectations of some functions of solutions to stochastic differential equations (SDEs). The convergence rate and the computational cost of the approximations are proved, when the coefficients of SDEs satisfy the local Lipschitz and Khasminskii-type conditions. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the theoretical results

Cyber-Physical Codesign of Distributed Structural Health Monitoring with Wireless Sensor Networks

Our Deteriorating Civil Infrastructure Faces the Critical Challenge of Long-Term Structural Health Monitoring for Damage Detection and Localization. in Contrast to Existing Research that Often Separates the Designs of Wireless Sensor Networks and Structural Engineering Algorithms, This Paper Proposes a Cyber-Physical Co-Design Approach to Structural Health Monitoring based on Wireless Sensor Networks. Our Approach Closely Integrates (1) Flexibility-Based Damage Localization Methods that Allow a Tradeoff between the Number of Sensors and the Resolution of Damage Localization, and (2) an Energy-Efficient, Multi-Level Computing Architecture Specifically Designed to Leverage the Multi-Resolution Feature of the Flexibility-Based Approach. the Proposed Approach Has Been Implemented on the Intel Imote2 Platform. Experiments on a Physical Beam and Simulations of a Truss Structure Demonstrate the System\u27s Efficacy in Damage Localization and Energy Efficiency. © 2010 ACM

Assessment of genetic relationships among Spring Dendrobium cultivars and varietal materials using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis

Spring Dendrobiums have been largely produced as one of the top grade ornamental pot plants due to their various flower colors, multitudinous flowers and graceful flower shape as well as their long period of florescence. Genetic relationships among Spring Dendrobium cultivars, however, have not been documented. This study analyzed the genetic relatedness of 30 commonly grown cultivars or varietal materials using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers with near-infrared fluorescence-labeled primers. Eight EcoRI + 3 bases/MseI + 3 bases primer set combinations were used in this investigation. Each selected primer set generated 113 to 158 scorable fragments. A total of 1102 AFLP fragments were detected, of which 778 were polymorphic (70.6%). An unweighted pair-group method of the arithmetic averages (UPGMA), principal coordinate analysis (PCOA), and bootstrap analysis were used to analyze the genetic relationships. The 30 cultivars were separated into five clusters. Cluster I contains 6 cultivars that are either from Senlan No.1 or Senlan No. 6 with Jaccardfs similarity coefficients ranging from 0.70 to 0.80. All of these 6 cultivars came from Taiwan, and were derived from somaclonal variants or sports. Just 3 cultivars were positioned in cluster II ranging from 0.71 to 0.76, and also originated from Taiwan. Cluster III included 13 cultivars, Jaccardfs similarity coefficients varied from 0.69 to 0.84. Seven cultivars from Senlan No. 15 or eSnowboy Romancef were situated in cluster IV with Jaccardfs similarity coefficients ranging from 0.69 to 0.82. Only eSantana Canaryf was positioned in cluster ‡X with Jaccardfs similarity coefficient at 0.62. This study established the genetic relationships of these commonly cultivated Spring Dendrobiums, and raised a concern over genetic vulnerability of cultivars in this study because of their close genetic similarities.Key words: Spring Dendrobium, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), genetic relationship, cultivars and varietal materials

Compact Supercell Method Based on Opposite Parity for Bragg Fibers

The supercell- based orthonormal basis method is proposed to investigate the modal properties of the Bragg fibers. A square lattice is constructed by the whole Bragg fiber which is considered a supercell, and the periodical dielectric structure of the square lattice is decomposed using periodic functions (cosine). The modal electric field is expanded as the sum of the orthonormal set of Hermite-Gaussian basis functions based on the opposite parity of the transverse electric field. The propagation characteristics of Bragg fibers can be obtained after recasting the wave equation into an eigenvalue system. This method is implemented with very high efficiency and accuracy

Cyber-Physical Codesign of Distributed Structural Health Monitoring with Wireless Sensor Networks

Our Deteriorating Civil Infrastructure Faces the Critical Challenge of Long-Term Structural Health Monitoring for Damage Detection and Localization. in Contrast to Existing Research that Often Separates the Designs of Wireless Sensor Networks and Structural Engineering Algorithms, This Paper Proposes a Cyber-Physical Codesign Approach to Structural Health Monitoring based on Wireless Sensor Networks. Our Approach Closely Integrates 1) Flexibility-Based Damage Localization Methods that Allow a Tradeoff between the Number of Sensors and the Resolution of Damage Localization, and 2) an Energy-Efficient, Multilevel Computing Architecture Specifically Designed to Leverage the Multiresolution Feature of the Flexibility-Based Approach. the Proposed Approach Has Been Implemented on the Intel Imote2 Platform. Experiments on a Simulated Truss Structure and a Real Full-Scale Truss Structure Demonstrate the System\u27s Efficacy in Damage Localization and Energy Efficiency

Simple Preparations for Plasmon-Enhanced Photodetectors

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), known as the collective oscillation of electrons and incident light in metallic nanostructures, has been applied in high performance photodetectors over the past few years. But the preparation process is complex and expensive due to the introduction of electron beam lithography (EBL) for preparing nanostructures. In the past few months, we have demonstrated two simple methods to prepare plasmon-enhanced photodetectors: (i) Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) solution were directly spun coated onto the WS2-based photodetectors. The performance has been enhanced by the LSPR of Au NPs, and reached an excellent high responsivity of 1050 A/W at the wavelength of 590 nm. (ii) Au NPs were deposited on MoS2 by magnetron sputtering. The spectral response of pure MoS2 was located in visible light and which was extended to near-infrared region (700–1600 nm) by Au NPs. Further, the responsivity reaches up to 64 mA/W when the incident light is 980 nm. In this book chapter, more details for developing those two simple methods and the discussion of the enhanced mechanism are performed, which can be very useful for the next generation photodetection

Restoration of Mangrove Plantations and Colonisation by Native Species in Leizhou Bay, South China

To examine the natural colonization of native mangrove species into remediated exotic mangrove stands in Leizhou Bay, South China, we compared soil physical–chemical properties, community structure and recruitments of barren mangrove areas, native mangrove species plantations, and exotic mangrove species—Sonneratia apetala Buch.Ham—between plantations and natural forest. We found that severely degraded mangrove stands could not regenerate naturally without human intervention due to severely altered local environments, whereas some native species had been recruited into the 4–10 year S. apetala plantations. In the first 10 years, the exotic species S. apetala grew better than native species such as Rhizophora stylosa Griff and Kandelia candel (Linn.) Druce. The mangrove plantation gradually affected soil physical and chemical properties during its recovery. The exotic S. apetala was more competitive than native species and its plantation was able to restore soil organic matter in about 14 years. Thus, S. apetala can be considered as a pioneer species to improve degraded habitats to facilitate recolonization by native mangrove species. However, removal to control proliferation may be needed at late stages to facilitate growth of native species. To ensure sustainability of mangroves in South China, the existing mangrove wetlands must be managed as an ecosystem, with long-term scientific monitoring program in place