Development of an automated mobile robotic sprayer to prevent workers' exposure of agro-chemicals inside polyhouse

Automated spraying practices are inevitable for modern polyhouse management to attain a broader objective of minimizing human exposure to agrochemicals. In the present study, an automated mobile robotic sprayer (AMRS) was developed to combat the increased human intervention and safeguard agricultural workers from potential health hazards. The system mainly comprises embedded sensors (ultrasonic, proximity, XBee) and controllers (Arduino, PLC). The controller drives the system on a piping track between the rows as well as on the head space achieving end-to-end automation for spraying operations. The system performance was evaluated on the tomato crop with respect to the physiological traits, yield and economics. Additionally, the study leveraged response surface methodology to optimize forward speed, spray distance, and working pressure of AMRS on the responses, droplet density, coverage, volume mean diameter (VMD) and application rate. Optimization of forward speed (0.79 km/h), spray distance (250 mm) and working pressure (0.40 MPa) resulted in 90.7 droplets/cm² droplet density, 47.1% coverage, 170.2 μm VMD and 86.0 mL/m² of application rate. Ergonomic aspects of AMRS were assessed by the parameters, human exposure, discomfort and postural assessment with respect to knapsack sprayer. The working heart rate of 103 beats/min, work pulse of 12 beats/min, oxygen consumption rate of 916 mL/min and energy expenditure rate of 18.7 kJ/min recorded during the ergonomic evaluation of the AMRS were 25%, 75%, 42%, and 41% lower compared to manual spraying, respectively. Moreover, three–six times higher work pulse, cardiac cost, body part discomfort score and overall discomfort rating were observed which indicated more drudgery involved in manual spraying. State-of-the-art system developed for polyhouses would minimize the drudgery and health hazards, significantly. The system's resilience and effectiveness pave the way for its wider deployment where the use of agrochemicals are prevalent, particularly in small-size polyhouses.     

Investigation of MHD effects on micropolar–Newtonian fluid flow through composite porous channel

Microfluidics and Nanofluidics - We discuss the rotational force-induced flow dynamics of a viscoplastic fluid in a polymeric layer grafted soft microfluidic channel. In this analysis, the...     

A methodological review on attack and defense strategies in cyber warfare

Cyberspace is an integration of cyber physical system components that integrates computation, networking, physical processes, embedded computers and network monitors which uses feedback loops for controlling the processes where the computations are affected by processes and vice versa. More general, cyber physical systems include all equipments operated on preprogrammed instructions ranging from simple electronic devices to the ultra-modern warfare equipments along with life saving devices. Active cyber-attacks can cause cyber warfare situations by disrupting an entire community of people, which in turn raises an emergency situation to the nation. Thus, cyber warfare is a major threat to the nation at large. In this paper, we analyze the various aspects of cyber warfare situations and a survey on ongoing attacks, defense and cyber forensics strategies in that field. Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging computing area which enables Machine to Machine communication in cyber physical systems. An attack on IoT causes major issues to the security on the devices and thus, the various threats and attacks on IoT are analyzed here. Overall monitoring and data acquisition in cyber physical systems is done by Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems and are mainly targeted by the attackers in order to leave the cyberspace applications not functioning. Therefore, the various threats, attacks and research issues pertaining to the cyberspace are surveyed in this paper along with a few research issues and challenges that are to be solved in the area of cyber warfare.

     

Graphics and imaging in medicine

To explore the evolving role graphics and imaging might play in medicine over the coming centuries, the author considers three scenarios of the future. These involve medical image processing, computer graphics and robotics     

Learning medicine through collaboration and action: collaborative,experiential, networked learning environments

The SUMMIT Lab and William LeRoy Heinrichs, at Stanford University, were honored to be the 2002 awardees of the Satava Award for Virtual Reality in Medicine. Since the award, the group has followed two main threads of research, which we describe below. The first, “building a high-performance, network-aware, collaborative learning environment” has investigated the framework and components needed when students in multiple locations collaborate using computation-intensive simulations and large image datasets. The second thread, “online, interactive human physiology for medical education and training”, has focused on the application of interactive physiology models embedded in 3D visualizations of virtual patients in naturalistic medical environments. These environments support immersive, experiential learning where students act as medical providers and manage authentic medical events and crises. These research efforts, and our conclusions, are presented in the chapter below.     

Semantic Sensor Web

Sensors are distributed across the globe leading to an avalanche of data about our environment. It is possible today to utilize networks of sensors to detect and identify a multitude of observations, from simple phenomena to complex events and situations. The lack of integration and communication between these networks, however, often isolates important data streams and intensifies the existing problem of too much data and not enough knowledge. With a view to addressing this problem, the Semantic Sensor Web (SSW) proposes that sensor data be annotated with semantic metadata that will both increase interoperability and provide contextual information essential for situational knowledge.     

Detection of moving objects in video using a robust motionsimilarity measure

This correspondence deals with the segmentation of a video clip into independently moving visual objects. This is an important step in structuring video data for storage in digital libraries. The method follows a bottom-up approach. The major contribution is a new well-founded measure for motion similarity leading to a robust method for merging regions. The improvements with respect to existing methods have been confirmed by experimental results.     

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Electroslag Strip and Explosively Clad Low Alloy Steel: Stainless Steel Joints

The surface properties such as wear, corrosion, oxidation resistance etc., can be improved by using suitable cladding technique. The most commonly used cladding material is stainless steel for cladding on carbon and low alloy steel base materials. Mechanical properties are considered important for satisfactory performance of clad joints used in several defence applications. In this work, cladding of a high strength low alloy steel with stainless steel was carried out using explosive cladding and electroslag strip cladding processes. The relationship between mechanical properties and microstructure of clad materials was evaluated. The bond interface in explosively clad material shows a wavy interface compared to strip clad interface. Electron probe microanalysis revealed that inter-diffusion of elements was significant in strip clad joints and insignificant in explosively clad joints. Shear strength, notch tensile strength and impact toughness of explosive clad joints are much superior compared to those in strip clad joints.     

Effectiveness of an Internet-based program for reducing risk factors for eating disorders.

This study evaluated an Internet-delivered computer-assisted health education (CAHE) program designed to improve body satisfaction and reduce weight/shape concerns—concerns that have been shown to be risk factors for the development of eating disorders in young women. Participants were 60 women at a public university randomly assigned to either an intervention or control condition. Intervention participants completed the CAHE program Student Bodies. Measures of body image and disordered eating attitudes were assessed at baseline, postintervention, and 3-month follow-up. At follow-up, intervention participants, compared with controls, reported a significant improvement in body image and a decrease in drive for thinness. This program provides evidence for the feasibility and effectiveness of providing health education by means of the Internet. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)