Search results for " electronic engineering"
showing 10 items of 8284 documents
Temperate Fish Detection and Classification: a Deep Learning based Approach
2021
A wide range of applications in marine ecology extensively uses underwater cameras. Still, to efficiently process the vast amount of data generated, we need to develop tools that can automatically detect and recognize species captured on film. Classifying fish species from videos and images in natural environments can be challenging because of noise and variation in illumination and the surrounding habitat. In this paper, we propose a two-step deep learning approach for the detection and classification of temperate fishes without pre-filtering. The first step is to detect each single fish in an image, independent of species and sex. For this purpose, we employ the You Only Look Once (YOLO) …
Novel Wood Resistance Measurement Method Reducing the Initial Transient Instabilities Arising in DC Methods Due to Polarization Effects
2019
A novel method for measuring the electrical resistance in wood is presented. It is based on applying an Alternating Current (AC) to two electrodes rammed into the wood. The method reduces the transient time for value stabilization. In case of Direct Current (DC) resistance measurement methods, typically used in wood measurement, an initial transient exists, invalidating the measured value during an initial transient period. This measurement method uses an electronic circuit based on a relaxation oscillator where the wood automatically sets the oscillation frequency depending on its electrical resistance. Compared to other AC methods, this circuit greatly simplifies the measurement process, …
Assessing Methane Emission and Economic Viability of Energy Exploitation in a Typical Sicilian Municipal Solid Waste Landfill
2018
Sanitary landfills for municipal solid waste (MSW) represent one of the major anthropogenic source of GHGs emissions and are directly responsible of the climate changes we are facing nowadays. Indeed, the biodegradable organic matter of MSW undergoes anaerobic digestion producing the landfill gas (LFG), whose main components are CH4 and CO2. Therefore, biomethane energy exploitation in MSW landfills will reduce GHGs emission positively affecting the global warming. The aim of the present study was to assess the methane production in a Sicilian landfill by comparing the results from field measurements of methane emission and the estimates achieved by applying different mathematical models. A…
Forecasting the volatility of biofuel feedstock prices: the US evidence
2019
Given that, nowadays, 40% of the US corn crop is used for biofuel production, there is a growing concern that the rise in biofuel production might lead to an increase in food prices. However, it is also obvious that significant growth in biofuel use has minimized the demand for fossil fuel and has hence reduced the volume of carbon emissions. It is therefore crucial to model corn market volatility precisely because such an estimate could play a vital role in stabilizing food and biofuel market prices. For this purpose, we consider using the information content of the corn implied volatility (CIV) index to predict the corn futures market return volatility. Using symmetric and asymmetric GARC…
Fast pyrolysis of hot-water-extracted and soda-AQ-delignified okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and miscanthus (miscanthus x giganteus) stalks by Py-GC/MS
2018
Abstract The thermochemical behavior of various samples of okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus ) and miscanthus ( Miscanthus x giganteus ) stalks (initial, hot-water-extracted, and those from sulfur-free delignification) were studied by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). In all cases, major GC-amenable condensable products were measured semi-quantitatively and classified into several product groups. The formation of these product groups from different feedstock samples with varying mass portions of their structural constituents (carbohydrates and lignin) was investigated at 500 °C and 700 °C with a residence time of 5 s and 20 s. The main product groups were aliphatic comp…
The Influence of Solar Power Plants on Microclimatic Conditions and the Biotic Community in Chilean Desert Environments
2016
The renewable energy sector is growing at a rapid pace in northern Chile and the solar energy potential is one of the best worldwide. Therefore, many types of solar power plant facilities are being built to take advantage of this renewable energy resource. Solar energy is considered a clean source of energy, but there are potential environmental effects of solar technology, such as landscape fragmentation, extinction of local biota, microclimate changes, among others. To be able to minimize environmental impacts of solar power plants, it is important to know what kind of environmental conditions solar power plants create. This study provides information about abiotic and biotic conditions i…
Effect of Seasonal Storage on Single-Stem Bark Extractives of Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
2021
Increasing the net value of forestry side-streams has both ecological as well as economic benefits for emerging biorefining industries. Spruce bark represents one of the nature’s abundant sources of valuable extractives. In this study, the impact of storage on the quality and quantity of Norway spruce (Picea abies) extractives was examined as a function of storage time, environmental conditions and season (i.e., winter or summer). The bark from stored spruce saw logs was extracted with an accelerated solvent extractor (ASE) at 120 °C with hexane and water. The produced extracts were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively by gas chromatography with a flame ionisation detector (GC-FID) and…
Colorimetic biosensing dispositive based on reagentless hybrid biocomposite: Application to hydrogen peroxide determination
2016
Abstract An efficient approach to enhance the performance of colorimetric biosensors has been developed. The biosensor is based on the co-immobilization of the reagent 3,3′,5,5′-teramethylbencidine (TMB) and the enzyme horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in a PDMS-TEOS-SiO2NPs support. The HRP, in presence of H2O2, catalyzes the oxidation of TMB, producing a blue color. The generated biosensor, doped with the substrate (TMB) and the enzyme (HRP) (entrapped or adsorbed), has been used to determine H2O2 in real samples. Firstly, the immobilization of TMB and HRP in the composite has been studied in order to find the best suitable configuration. The kinetic parameters Vmax (maximum reaction rate) and…
Electrochemical polymerization of ambipolar carbonyl-functionalized indenofluorene with memristive properties
2019
Abstract Carbonyl-functionalized indenofluorene was electropolymerized with a high faradaic efficiency of 85% and the solid state properties of the resulting polymeric thin films were investigated. They displayed modular optical properties depending on their oxidation state. The approach used for inorganic semiconductors was applied to polyindeonofluorene derivative. Mott-Schottky analysis evidenced a switching from p-type to n-type electrical conduction, suggesting an ambipolar behaviour of the polymer. As an application, flexible organic memristors were fabricated and resistive switching properties were observed.
Electron Spin Resonance study of charge trapping in α-ZnMoO4 single crystal scintillator
2015
The origin and properties of electron and hole traps simultaneously appearing in a-ZnMoO4 scintillator after X-ray irradiation at low temperatures (T < 35 K) were studied by Electron Spin Resonance (ESR). ESR spectrum of the electron type trap shows pronounced superhyperfine structure due to the interaction of electron spin with nuclear magnetic moments of 95,97Mo and 67Zn lattice nuclei. Considering the nearly tetragonal symmetry of the center this allows us to identify the electron trap as an electron self-trapped at the (Mo(1)O4) 2 complex. Nearly 60% reduction of the spin–orbit coupling at the Mo(1) ion is caused by the overlap of the Mo and ligand oxygen orbitals indicating an essentia…