The Impact of Wireless Sensor Network in the Field of Precision Agriculture: A Review

Wireless Personal Communications - Precision agriculture (PA) is an interdisciplinary concept of integrating information technology in agriculture to increase the production and quality of the...     

Emergence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus as an important cause of diarrhea in Malaysia

Vibrio parahaemolyticus was isolated from 47 of 2,699 stools examined primarily for the exclusion of cholera. All strains grew well in alkaline peptone water containing 0.5% NaCl and in Monsur's medium. Serotyping showed them to be of various types. Adults were mainly affected. The importance of looking for V. parahaemolyticus in clinical specimens from cases of diarrhea is emphasized.     

Preparation and characterization of poly(o‐anisidine) with the influence of surfactants on stainless steel by electrochemical polymerization as a counter electrode for dye‐sensitized solar cells

Efficient fast electron transfer from counter electrode to an electrolyte is a key process during the operation of dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We introduce a surfactants assisted electro‐polymerized poly(o‐anisidine) (POA) counter electrodes (CE) for DSSCs. Commencing the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the POA/sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) CE exhibited very low series and charge‐transfer resistance. This is due to high electrocatalytic activity confirmed by cyclic voltammetry, surface area and the conductivity of the stainless steel film. The photovoltaic performance of POA/SDS counter electrode shows an energy conversion efficiency of 2.5% under 1 sun illumination. Short‐term stability test for POA/SDS point out that CE have almost uphold its initial performance. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42310.     

Numerical Simulation and Validation of Mass Transfer Process of Ozone Gas in Rice Grain Bulks

Ozone is a potential alternative to commercial fumigants. The development of ozone fumigation technology for insects control requires a precise prediction of the distribution of introduced ozone gas in grain bulks. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the mass transfer process of ozone gas in rice grain bulks. Experiments were conducted in a 0.6-m diameter flat-bottom bin filled with rice grains and ozonated using 5 g h^?1 capacity ozone generator. Simulation of transfer process of ozone through the rice grain bulks was conducted using the principle of the law of conservation employing the continuity equation. The experimental data for ozone transfer through connected the column of rice was used to validate the model. The relative error between the actual and predicted ozone concentration for the entire bin geometry was less than 33%. The predictions from the projected model were in accordance with the ozone concentrations obtained from the experimental results.     

Analysis of thermal comfort in an office room by varying the dimensions of the windows on adjacent walls using CFD: A case study based on numerical simulation

Ventilation provides a more comfortable thermal environment for occupants inside of buildings. The growing demand for electricity has encouraged research focused on natural ventilation. In this study, we analyze the thermal comfort in an office room with varied window opening dimensions using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. We created a 3-dimensional model room with windows on adjacent walls and an atmospheric zone. The flow equations were solved using the control volume method. Steady k-ɛ turbulence model and incompressible fluid flow of constant property have been considered, neglecting the variation due to temperature. We examined the effects of the window openings’ area and aspect ratio on thermal comfort. The CFD code was compared with the network model and its discrepancy value was less than 8%. Air temperatures along the various midlines of the room were predicted and compared for a range of window sizes. We identified the room areas occupied by the low temperature zone at various planes. Finally, we determined the predicted mean vote (PMV) contours at the midplane to identify the comfort zone. Areas other than the room corners and the areas nearest to the windowless walls are identified as the most comfort zone. Results from this study indicate the optimum window opening area and aspect ratio for maintaining thermal comfort in an office room.     

Behavior of Aramid Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Reinforced High Strength Concrete Beams under Bending

Flexural test results of ten high strength concrete beams reinforced with aramid fiber-reinforced polymer (AFRP) bars together with a steel-reinforced beam that served as a reference are presented and discussed. All beams were tested under third-point loading. Test results have shown that a concrete beam, when reinforced with AFRP bars, becomes more flexible in the postcracking range than an equivalent steel-reinforced beam, demonstrates wider and predominantly vertical cracks even in the shear span, and may fail in an unusual flexure-shear mode. Major critical issues concerning flexural designs of AFRP-reinforced beams have been discussed in the perspective of code provisions, and suitable recommendations are made for practical design. A method has been suggested to provide a meaningful quantification of ductility for FRP-reinforced beams. Also the need for reducing the maximum spacing of stirrups from that specified in the current code provisions for sections subjected to large shear combined with significant bending moment has been identified and recommendations are made.