Tianditu: China's first official online mapping service

Tianditu is China’s first state-sponsored web mapping service. Beijing considers Tianditu part and parcel of its burgeoning endeavor to build a ‘digital China’. The Chinese state created Tianditu to regain some of the ground lost when its monopoly on geographic information was effectively broken. This effort goes hand in hand with Beijing’s intention to compete with and shrink the space occupied by Google mapping services (Google Maps, Google Earth, etc.). Although Tianditu does bestow a certain degree of power on civilian users to interact with and explore geographic data, for political and social reasons the Chinese state tightly controls Tianditu. It is a tool that the regime uses to maintain political power and push ideologies it supports. This type of top-down reinforcement of static geographic knowledge is a far cry from the concept of civilian empowerment as understood in liberal democracies

Wireless Remote Weather Monitoring System Based on MEMS Technologies

This study proposes a wireless remote weather monitoring system based on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and wireless sensor network (WSN) technologies comprising sensors for the measurement of temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed and direction, integrated on a single chip. The sensing signals are transmitted between the Octopus II-A sensor nodes using WSN technology, following amplification and analog/digital conversion (ADC). Experimental results show that the resistance of the micro temperature sensor increases linearly with input temperature, with an average TCR (temperature coefficient of resistance) value of 8.2 × 10−4 (°C−1). The resistance of the pressure sensor also increases linearly with air pressure, with an average sensitivity value of 3.5 × 10−2 (Ω/kPa). The sensitivity to humidity increases with ambient temperature due to the effect of temperature on the dielectric constant, which was determined to be 16.9, 21.4, 27.0, and 38.2 (pF/%RH) at 27 °C, 30 °C, 40 °C, and 50 °C, respectively. The velocity of airflow is obtained by summing the variations in resistor response as airflow passed over the sensors providing sensitivity of 4.2 × 10−2, 9.2 × 10−2, 9.7 × 10−2 (Ω/ms−1) with power consumption by the heating resistor of 0.2, 0.3, and 0.5 W, respectively. The passage of air across the surface of the flow sensors prompts variations in temperature among each of the sensing resistors. Evaluating these variations in resistance caused by the temperature change enables the measurement of wind direction

An Accelerating 3D Image Reconstruction System Based on the Level-of-Detail Algorithm

This paper proposes a research of An Accelerating 3D Image Reconstruction System Based on the Level-of-Detail Algorithm and combines 3D graphic application interfaces, such as DirectX3D and OpenCV to reconstruct the 3D imaging system for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and adds Level of Detail (LOD) algorithm to the system. The system uses the volume rendering method to perform 3D reconstruction for brain imaging. The process, which is based on the level of detail algorithm that converts and formulates functions from differing levels of detail and scope, significantly reduces the complexity of required processing and computation, under the premises of maintaining drawing quality. To validate the system's efficiency enhancement on brain imaging reconstruction, this study operates the system on various computer platforms, and uses multiple sets of data to perform rendering and 3D object imaging reconstruction, the results of which are then verified and compared

Boron Nitride Nanotube Films Grown From Boron Ink Painting

The growth of nanotube films on various substrates and surfaces is vital for applications in nanoscale functional devices. We report a simple and versatile boron (B) ink painting method that enables high-density boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) films with any desired pattern to be grown on, and firmly attached to, different surfaces. In the method, special B ink is first painted, sprayed or inkjet printed at desired location with required pattern, and then the ink layer is annealed in a nitrogen-containing atmosphere to form BNNT film. The B ink is a liquid mixture of ball-milled B particles, metal nitrate and ethanol. This is the first method capable of growing BNNTs on complex non-flat surfaces, which greatly broadens the potential application of BNNTs. For example, it is demonstrated that a BNNT coated steel mesh can separate water and oil on a microliter scale; a needle given an internal BNNT coating could greatly enhance microfluidic transport; and a coated screw could be used to minimize wear at the interface.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure