Contact-free Wheat Mildew Detection with Commodity WiFi

Abstract The contact deformation of a radial tire with a camber angle, has been an important problem closely related to the cornering characteristics of radial tires. The analysis of this problem has been considered to be so difficult mathematically in describing the asymmetric deformation of a radial tire contacting with the roadway, that few papers have been published. In this paper, we present an analytical approach to this problem by using a spring bedded ring model consisting of sidewall spring systems in the radial, the lateral, and the circumferential directions and a spring bed of the tread rubber, together with a ring strip of the composite belt. Analytical solutions for each belt deformation in the contact and the contact-free regions are connected by appropriate boundary conditions at both ends. Galerkin's method is used for solving the additional deflection function defined in the contact region. This function plays an important role in determining the contact pressure distribution. Numerical calculations and experiments are conducted for a radial tire of 175SR14. Good agreement between the predicted and the measured results was obtained for two dimensional contact pressure distribution and the camber thrust characterized by the camber angle.

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Determination of the thermal properties of leaves by non-invasive contact‑free laser probing

Journal of Biotechnology ◽

10.1016/j.jbiotec.2015.11.008 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 217 ◽

pp. 100-108 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

J.F. Buyel ◽

H.M. Gruchow ◽

N. Tödter ◽

M. Wehner

Keyword(s):

Thermal Properties ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Laser Probing ◽

Contact Free

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Video‐based actigraphy is an effective contact‐free method of assessing sleep in preterm infants

Acta Paediatrica ◽

10.1111/apa.15740 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Xi Long ◽

Javier Espina ◽

Renee A. Otte ◽

Wenjin Wang ◽

Ronald M. Aarts ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preterm Infants ◽

Effective Contact ◽

Contact Free

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Short-Pulse Lasers: A Versatile Tool in Creating Novel Nano-/Micro-Structures and Compositional Analysis for Healthcare and Wellbeing Challenges

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano11030712 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 712

Author(s):

Ahmed Al-Kattan ◽

David Grojo ◽

Christophe Drouet ◽

Alexandros Mouskeftaras ◽

Philippe Delaporte ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Laser Ablation ◽

Surface Engineering ◽

Short Pulse ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Compositional Analysis ◽

Periodic Patterns ◽

Laser Ablation In Liquid ◽

Micro Scale ◽

Direct Laser ◽

Contact Free

Driven by flexibility, precision, repeatability and eco-friendliness, laser-based technologies have attracted great interest to engineer or to analyze materials in various fields including energy, environment, biology and medicine. A major advantage of laser processing relies on the ability to directly structure matter at different scales and to prepare novel materials with unique physical and chemical properties. It is also a contact-free approach that makes it possible to work in inert or reactive liquid or gaseous environment. This leads today to a unique opportunity for designing, fabricating and even analyzing novel complex bio-systems. To illustrate this potential, in this paper, we gather our recent research on four types of laser-based methods relevant for nano-/micro-scale applications. First, we present and discuss pulsed laser ablation in liquid, exploited today for synthetizing ultraclean “bare” nanoparticles attractive for medicine and tissue engineering applications. Second, we discuss robust methods for rapid surface and bulk machining (subtractive manufacturing) at different scales by laser ablation. Among them, the microsphere-assisted laser surface engineering is detailed for its appropriateness to design structured substrates with hierarchically periodic patterns at nano-/micro-scale without chemical treatments. Third, we address the laser-induced forward transfer, a technology based on direct laser printing, to transfer and assemble a multitude of materials (additive structuring), including biological moiety without alteration of functionality. Finally, the fourth method is about chemical analysis: we present the potential of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, providing a unique tool for contact-free and space-resolved elemental analysis of organic materials. Overall, we present and discuss the prospect and complementarity of emerging reliable laser technologies, to address challenges in materials’ preparation relevant for the development of innovative multi-scale and multi-material platforms for bio-applications.

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Acting like a start-up: National Library of Estonia during Covid-19 pandemic

Alexandria The Journal of National and International Library and Information Issues ◽

10.1177/0955749020983479 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 095574902098347

Author(s):

Janne Andresoo

Keyword(s):

Crisis Management ◽

Emergency Situation ◽

National Library ◽

Management Committee ◽

Start Up ◽

Basic Services ◽

Contact Free ◽

Looking Back

Emergency situation was declared in Estonia in the middle of March; the country was placed under partial lockdown. Libraries had to close. One of the first steps taken by the National Library of Estonia in these exceptional circumstances was to establish a crisis management committee to monitor the overall situation and decide how the library should proceed. The library was able to react quickly and continue with basic services, providing them online or contact-free. New services were introduced, making home lending and reference enquiry more efficient and convenient. The library reopened on 18 May. Looking back, we are happy to have not just survived but managed the crisis as an opportunity. This was reflected in increased numbers of new registered readers and usage. The emergency situation clearly indicated one of the most important requirements for libraries – the need to be ready to react fast and adapt to new situations.

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How Does the Pandemic Facilitate Mobile Payment? An Investigation on Users’ Perspective under the COVID-19 Pandemic

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18031016 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 1016

Author(s):

Yuyang Zhao ◽

Fernando Bacao

Keyword(s):

Social Economy ◽

Emergency Situation ◽

Mobile Payment ◽

Unified Theory ◽

Perceived Benefits ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Use Of Technology ◽

The Social ◽

Perceived Security ◽

Contact Free

Owing to the convenience, reliability and contact-free feature of Mobile payment (M-payment), it has been diffusely adopted in China during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the direct and indirect contacts in transactions, allowing social distancing to be maintained and facilitating stabilization of the social economy. This paper aims to comprehensively investigate the technological and mental factors affecting users’ adoption intentions of M-payment under the COVID-19 pandemic, to expand the domain of technology adoption under the emergency situation. This study integrated Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) with perceived benefits from Mental Accounting Theory (MAT), and two additional variables (perceived security and trust) to investigate 739 smartphone users’ adoption intentions of M-payment during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. The empirical results showed that users’ technological and mental perceptions conjointly influence their adoption intentions of M-payment during the COVID-19 pandemic, wherein perceived benefits are significantly determined by social influence and trust, corresponding with the situation of pandemic. This study initially integrated UTAUT with MAT to develop the theoretical framework for investigating users’ adoption intentions. Meanwhile, this study originally investigated the antecedents of M-payment adoption under the pandemic situation and indicated that users’ perceptions will be positively influenced when technology’s specific characteristics can benefit a particular situation.

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