Electromagnetic Characteristics of the Soil

The electromagnetic characteristics of the soil are discussed in this chapter. The characteristics of porous bedrock, soil medium, and impacts of rain attenuations are also presented. The models of dielectric soil properties are studied with a rigorous focus on the constitutive parameters of subsurface soil medium. Moreover, the permittivity and wavenumber in soil are explained. In addition, the frequency-dependent dielectric properties such as dispersion in soil, absorption characteristic, and penetration depth versus frequency are reviewed. Furthermore, the effective permittivity of soil–water mixture for through-the soil-propagation mechanism is analyzed thoroughly

Wireless Underground Channel Modeling

A comprehensive treatment of wireless underground channel modeling is presented in this chapter. The impacts of the soil on bandwidth and path loss are analyzed. A mechanism for the UG channel sounding and multipath characteristics analysis is discussed. Moreover, novel time-domain impulse response model for WUC is reviewed with the explanation of model parameters and statistics. Furthermore, different types of the through-the-soil wireless communications are surveyed. Finally, the chapter concludes with discussion of the UG wireless statistical model and path loss model for through-the-soil wireless communications in decision agriculture. The model presented in this chapter is also validated with empirical data

Current Advances in Internet of Underground Things

The latest developments in Internet of Underground Things are covered in this chapter. First, the IOUT Architecture is discussed followed by the explanation of the challenges being faced in this paradigm. Moreover, a comprehensive coverage of the different IOUT components is presented that includes communications, sensing, and system integration with the cloud. An in-depth coverage of the applications of the IOUT in various disciplines is also surveyed. These applications include areas such as decision agriculture, pipeline monitoring, border control, and oil wells

Regional differentiation of felid vertebral column evolution: a study of 3D shape trajectories

Recent advances in geometric morphometrics provide improved techniques for extraction of biological information from shape and have greatly contributed to the study of ecomorphology and morphological evolution. However, the vertebral column remains an under-studied structure due in part to a concentration on skull and limb research, but most importantly because of the difficulties in analysing the shape of a structure composed of multiple articulating discrete units (i.e. vertebrae). Here, we have applied a variety of geometric morphometric analyses to three-dimensional landmarks collected on 19 presacral vertebrae to investigate the influence of potential ecological and functional drivers, such as size, locomotion and prey size specialisation, on regional morphology of the vertebral column in the mammalian family Felidae. In particular, we have here provided a novel application of a method—phenotypic trajectory analysis (PTA)—that allows for shape analysis of a contiguous sequence of vertebrae as functionally linked osteological structures. Our results showed that ecological factors influence the shape of the vertebral column heterogeneously and that distinct vertebral sections may be under different selection pressures. While anterior presacral vertebrae may either have evolved under stronger phylogenetic constraints or are ecologically conservative, posterior presacral vertebrae, specifically in the post-T10 region, show significant differentiation among ecomorphs. Additionally, our PTA results demonstrated that functional vertebral regions differ among felid ecomorphs mainly in the relative covariation of vertebral shape variables (i.e. direction of trajectories, rather than in trajectory size) and, therefore, that ecological divergence among felid species is reflected by morphological changes in vertebral column shape

Signals in the Soil: An Introduction to Wireless Underground Communications

In this chapter, wireless underground (UG) communications are introduced. A detailed overview of WUC is given. A comprehensive review of research challenges in WUC is presented. The evolution of underground wireless is also discussed. Moreover, different component of UG communications is wireless. The WUC system architecture is explained with a detailed discussion of the anatomy of an underground mote. The examples of UG wireless communication systems are explored. Furthermore, the differences of UG wireless and over-the-air wireless are debated. Different types of wireless underground channel (e.g., In-Soil, Soil-to-Air, and Air-to-Soil) are reported as well

Soil Geography and Development of the Third Edition National Soil Map

The geography of the soils of Ireland in relation to the distribution of Great Soil Groups, the distinct Soil Subgroups that occur within each Great Soil Group and a reference profile description at series level from the online SIS database are presented in this chapter. This follows with a description of the development of the 3rd Edition National Soil Map of Ireland. Prior to the Irish Soil Information Systems (SIS) project, systematic pedology in Ireland had largely been related to mapping exercises, such as the previous National Soil Survey (NSS) conducted by An Foras Talúntais (AFT) who mapped 44% of the country at a scale of 1:126,720; developed a General Soil Map of Ireland and a National Peatland map, both at 1:575,000 scale. In 2009 the Irish SIS project was established to bring together all existing pedological data and map the remaining land area. A scale of 1:250,000 was determined as appropriate for the development of the 3rd Edition National Soil Map of Ireland based on recommendations of the European Soil Bureau Network (ESBN) Technical Working Group responsible for soil monitoring and harmonisation. The 1:250,000 national soil map of Ireland is a soil map composed of soil associations of the 213 soil series, and altogether a total of 58 soil associations, excluding peat, alluvium, urban, rock and marsh, are defined. A harmonisation of legacy data (Terra Cognita) was completed and served as the basis for the generation of soil-landscape models which were then used to model areas where detailed soil surveys had not previously been carried out. Validation of this methodology was carried out over a 2.5-year field survey, in which 11,000 locations were assessed for soil type using an auger survey approach. Where previously unidentified combinations of soilscape units were found, soil profile pits were excavated, sampled and described at representative locations across the country to define this new soil information. These 225 pits were described and sampled in detail and were used to support the development of a new soil classification (described in Chap. 3)