MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF EAR GRAIN SEPARATION PROCESS DEPENDING ON THE LENGTH OF THE AXIAL FLOW THRESHING APPARATUS

Modeling the threshing and separation process involves the application of a method of description, analysis and analytical determination of system performance: threshing apparatus - working process. The modeling of the process of separating the seeds passing through an axial flow threshing device was performed taking into account that the separation function ss(x) is given depending on the length of the threshing apparatus. Then, models were made to describe the variation of the percentage (cumulative) of separated seeds ss (x=L), corresponding to the modification of the threshing apparatus functional parameters (depending on the peripheral speed of the rotor, the flow of straw parts and the moisture of straw parts).

Gas Transport Characteristics of Mixed Matrix Membrane Containing MIL-100 (Fe) Metal-Organic Frameworks and PEBAX Precursors

In this research, the effect of adding MIL-100 (Fe) MOFs on the PEBAX membranes has been scrutinized in two grades of 1657 and 2533. Initially, the intended membranes were synthesized by the solution-casting method. Then, the XRD and SEM were applied to deliberate the influence of adding MIL-100 (Fe) to the structure of both types of membranes. In consequence, the separation function of the pair gases of CO2/CH4، CO2/N2 and CO2/O2 and their permeability were considered at the pressure of 3.5 bar and temperature of 25°C. Eventually, their function was compared by Robeson diagrams of 1991 and 2008. The comparison results by Robeson diagrams indicated that the PEBAX1657/MIL-100 (Fe) and PEBAX2533/MIL-100 (Fe) membranes containing 5 wt.% of MOF represent more suitable performance in separating CO2/CH4 in comparison with the axis of the Robeson diagram. However, their function for separating the aforementioned gases requires more modifications.

Automated recognition and sorting of recycled textiles for sustainable fashion

The application of the principles of sustainable fashion is one of the solutions to reduce the amount of waste from textile production and the use of such fabrics. Spectrophotometric methods have effective application in this subject area. In the present work, an analysis of known methods and approaches applied so far using the techniques of spectral analysis. The proposed methods and procedures lead to improvement and facilitation of the process of classification of textile fibers in sorting and recycling of textile fabrics, in order to implement in automated systems. The proposed analysis tools do not require high cost equipment and complex calculation procedures. They can be implemented in portable devices and microprocessor-based recognition systems. It has been found that two principal components and two latent variables are sufficient to describe the variance in the data. This significantly reduces the amount of data used to analyze textile fibers by their spectral characteristics. It has been shown that the accuracy of textile fiber classification does not depend on the type of separation function of the classifier used. This accuracy depends on the spectral characteristics used, the method for reducing the volume of data, and the type of classifier. The obtained results can be used in the development of recognition systems for sorting textile fabrics depending on the composition of their fibers. In this way, the principles of sustainable fashion will be effectively applied. Also, the proposed methods and tools can be used in the training of future specialists in the subject area.

Novel Approach for Battery Type Determination: A Mere Electrical Alternative

Today, the storage of electrical energy is one of the most important technical challenges. The increasing number of high capacity, high-power applications, especially electric vehicles and grid energy storage, points to the fact that we will be faced with a large amount of batteries that will need to be recycled and separated in the near future. An alternative method to the currently used methods for separating these batteries according to their chemistry is discussed in this study. This method can be applied even on integrated circuits due to its ease of implementation and low operational cost. In this respect, it is also possible to use it in multi-chemistry battery management systems to detect the chemistry of the connected battery. For the implementation of the method, the batteries are connected to two different loads alternately. In this way, current and voltage values ​​are measured for two different loads without allowing the battery to relax. The obtained data is pre-processed with a separation function developed based on statistical significance. In machine learning algorithms, artificial neural network and decision tree algorithms are trained with processed data and used to determine battery chemistry with 100% accuracy. The efficiency and ease of implementation of the decision tree algorithm in such a categorization method are presented comparatively.

The Schengen Crisis and the End of the “Myth” of Europe Without Borders

The European Schengen crisis, spurred off by a wave of terrorist attacks in Europe and an unexpected increase in migration across the Mediterranean Sea in 2015 led to a re-questioning of the functions of borders in European integration. The ideal of a “Europe without borders” has been particularly affected. Indeed, the re-introduction of border controls in several Member States of the European Union (EU) symbolized a new obstacle to free circulation in Europe and the “separation” function of the border seems to have strengthened. This contribution will argue that the Schengen crisis has not put an end to “Europe without borders” in terms of free movement of goods, services, capital and people. It will claim instead that there has been a construction of a “myth” of “Europe without borders” with a different meaning, i.e. in which “Europe without borders” is not a means to an objective but an objective in itself, that of an EU where all borders are assumed to have negative functions and should therefore disappear. The Schengen crisis helps to unravel this “myth” by demonstrating that borders can also have positive functions, that they persist within the EU and that their control remains a competence of the EU Member States. Adopting a less mystified view of “Europe without borders” and assessing its origin and development from a disciplinary approach in Contemporary History, helps to better explain the processes of de- and re-bordering in Europe and their relationship to European integration.

The hippocampus as a perceptual map: neuronal and behavioral discrimination during memory encoding

The hippocampus is thought to encode similar events as distinct memory representations that are used for behavioral decisions. Where and how this “pattern separation” function is accomplished in the hippocampal circuit, and how it relates to behavior, is still unclear. Here we perform in vivo 2-photon Ca2+ imaging from hippocampal subregions of head-fixed mice performing a virtual-reality spatial discrimination task. We find that population activity in the input region of the hippocampus, the dentate gyrus, robustly discriminates small changes in environments, whereas spatial discrimination in CA1 reflects the behavioral performance of the animals and depends on the degree of differences between environments. Our results demonstrate that the dentate gyrus amplifies small differences in its inputs, while downstream hippocampal circuits will act as the final arbiter on this decorrelated information, thereby producing a “perceptual map” that will guide behaviour.

A Microfluidic Prototype System towards Microalgae Cell Separation, Treatment and Viability Characterization

There are a huge number, and abundant types, of microalgae in the ocean; and most of them have various values in many fields, such as food, medicine, energy, feed, etc. Therefore, how to identify and separation of microalgae cells quickly and effectively is a prerequisite for the microalgae research and utilization. Herein, we propose a microfluidic system that comprised microalgae cell separation, treatment and viability characterization. Specifically, the microfluidic separation function is based on the principle of deterministic lateral displacement (DLD), which can separate various microalgae species rapidly by their different sizes. Moreover, a concentration gradient generator is designed in this system to automatically produce gradient concentrations of chemical reagents to optimize the chemical treatment of samples. Finally, a single photon counter was used to evaluate the viability of treated microalgae based on laser-induced fluorescence from the intracellular chlorophyll of microalgae. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first laboratory prototype system combining DLD separation, concentration gradient generator and chlorophyll fluorescence detection technology for fast analysis and treatment of microalgae using marine samples. This study may inspire other novel applications of micro-analytical devices for utilization of microalgae resources, marine ecological environment protection and ship ballast water management.

A Density-Based Basis-Set Correction for Wave Function Theory

<div><div><div><p>We report a universal density-based basis-set incom-<br>pleteness correction that can be applied to any wave<br>function method. The present correction, which ap-<br>propriately vanishes in the complete basis set (CBS)<br>limit, relies on short-range correlation density func-<br>tionals (with multi-determinant reference) from range-<br>separated density-functional theory (RS-DFT) to esti-<br>mate the basis-set incompleteness error. Contrary to<br>conventional RS-DFT schemes which require an ad hoc<br>range-separation parameter μ, the key ingredient here<br>is a range-separation function μ(r) that automatically<br>adapts to the spatial non-homogeneity of the basis-set<br>incompleteness error. As illustrative examples, we show how this density-based correction allows us to obtain CCSD(T) atomization and correlation energies near the CBS limit for the G2 set of molecules with compact Gaussian basis sets.</p></div></div></div>

A Density-Based Basis-Set Correction for Wave Function Theory

<div><div><div><p>We report a universal density-based basis-set incom-<br>pleteness correction that can be applied to any wave<br>function method. The present correction, which ap-<br>propriately vanishes in the complete basis set (CBS)<br>limit, relies on short-range correlation density func-<br>tionals (with multi-determinant reference) from range-<br>separated density-functional theory (RS-DFT) to esti-<br>mate the basis-set incompleteness error. Contrary to<br>conventional RS-DFT schemes which require an ad hoc<br>range-separation parameter μ, the key ingredient here<br>is a range-separation function μ(r) that automatically<br>adapts to the spatial non-homogeneity of the basis-set<br>incompleteness error. As illustrative examples, we show how this density-based correction allows us to obtain CCSD(T) atomization and correlation energies near the CBS limit for the G2 set of molecules with compact Gaussian basis sets.</p></div></div></div>

Intact memory for local and distal cues in male and female rats that lack adult neurogenesis

ABSTRACTThe dentate gyrus is essential for remembering the fine details of experiences that comprise episodic memory. Dentate gyrus granule cells receive highly-processed sensory information and are hypothesized to perform a pattern separation function, whereby similar sensory inputs are transformed into orthogonal neural representations. Behaviorally, this is believed to enable distinct memory for highly interfering stimuli. Since the dentate gyrus is comprised of a large number of adult-born neurons, which have unique synaptic wiring and neurophysiological firing patterns, it has been proposed that neurogenesis may contribute to this process in unique ways. Some behavioral evidence exists to support this role, whereby neurogenesis-deficient rodents are impaired at discriminating the fine visuospatial details of experiences. However, the extent to which newborn neurons contribute to dentate gyrus-dependent learning tasks is unclear. Furthermore, since most studies of dentate gyrus function are conducted in male rats, little is known about how females perform in similar situations, and whether there might be sex differences in the function of adult neurogenesis. To address these issues, we examined spatial discrimination memory in transgenic male and female rats that lacked adult neurogenesis. The first task probed memory for the position of local objects in an open field, assessed by behavioral responses to novel object locations. The second task examined memory for distal environmental cues. All rats were able to successfully discriminate local and distal cue changes. Males and females also performed comparably, although females displayed higher levels of rearing and locomotion. Collectively, our results indicate that rats are capable of learning about local and distal cues in the absence of adult neurogenesis.