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Now showing 1 - 10 of 10
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    Performance of seasonal forecasts for the flowering and veraison of two major Portuguese grapevine varieties
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2023) Yang, Chenyao; Ceglar, Andrej; Menz, Christoph; Martins, Joana; Fraga, Helder; Santos, João A.
    Seasonal phenology forecasts are becoming increasingly demanded by winegrowers and viticulturists. Forecast performance needs to be investigated over space and time before practical applications. We assess seasonal forecast performance (skill, probability and accuracy) in predicting flowering and veraison stages of two representative varieties in Portugal over 1993–2017. The state-of-the-art forecast system ECMWF-SEAS5 provides 7-month seasonal forecasts and is coupled with a locally adapted phenology model. Overall, findings illustrate the dependence of forecast performance on initialization timings, regions and predicting subjects (stages and varieties). Forecast performance improves by delaying the initialization timing and only forecasts initialized on April 1st show better skills than climatology on predicting phenology terciles (early/normal/late). The considerable bias of daily values of seasonal climate predictions can represent the main barrier to accurate forecasts. Better prediction performance is consistently found in Central-Southern regions compared to Northern regions, attributing to an earlier phenology occurrence with a shorter forecast length. Comparable predictive skills between flowering and veraison for both varieties imply better predictability in summer. Consequently, promising seasonal phenology predictions are foreseen in Central-Southern wine regions using forecasts initialized on April 1st with approximately 1–2/3–4 months lead time for flowering/veraison: potential prediction errors are ∼2 weeks, along with an overall moderate forecast skill on categorical events. However, considerable inter-annual variability of forecast performance over the same classified phenology years reflects the substantial influence of climate variability. This may represent the main challenge for reliable forecasts in Mediterranean regions. Recommendations are suggested for methodological innovations and practical applications towards reliable regional phenology forecasts.
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    Dataset on permeability of wings from owls and non-silently flying birds
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2024) Geyer, Thomas F.; Windisch, Thomas; Fritzsche, Christoph; Sarradj, Ennes
    The very soft and flow-permeable plumage is among the special adaptations of the owl that the silent flight is attributed to. Using a specially designed apparatus that provides a low-speed volume flow of air through a small sample of porous material, measurements of the air flow permeability were performed in accordance to ISO 9053 on a total of 39 prepared wing specimen from six different bird species, including three species of silently flying owls and three non-silently flying bird species. The resulting data set described in the present paper contains the static airflow resistance measured at different positions on the wing.
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    NaOH protective layer for a stable sodium metal anode in liquid electrolytes
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2024) Thomas, Alexander; Pohle, Björn; Schultz, Johannes; Hantusch, Martin; Mikhailova, Daria
    Sodium is known as a soft metal that can easily change its particle morphology. It can form outstretched and rolled fibers with plastic or brittle behavior, and cubes. In Na-batteries, metallic Na anodes demonstrate a high reactivity towards the majority of electrolyte solutions, volume change and a random deposition process from the electrolyte, accompanied by dendrite formation. In order to smooth the electrochemical Na deposition, we propose NaOH as a simple artificial protective layer for sodium, formed by its exposure to ambient conditions for a certain period of time. The formed NaOH layer on top of the metallic sodium suppresses the volume change and dendrite growth on the sodium surface. Additionally, the protected sodium does not change its morphology after a prolonged contact with carbonate-based electrolytes. In symmetric Na-batteries, the NaOH layer increases the lifetime of the electrochemical cell by eight times in comparison to non-protected Na. In the full-cell with a layered sodium oxide cathode, the NaOH-protected sodium anode also leads to a high cycling stability, providing 81 % of the initial cell capacity after 500 cycles with a 1C current rate. In contrast, batteries with a non-protected Na-anode reach only 20 % of their initial capacity under the same conditions. Therefore, the main benefits of the NaOH artificial layer are the chemical compatibility with the carbonate-based electrolytes, the protection of Na metal against reaction with the electrolyte solution, the rapid Na-ion diffusion through the layer and the formation of a mechanical barrier, mitigating Na-dendrite growth. This work presents an easily scalable method to protect sodium without any additional chemicals or a special environment for this reaction.
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    Adhesion of a cylindrical punch with elastic properties that vary radially
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2023) Kossa, Attila; Hensel, René; McMeeking, Robert M.
    The adhesion of a rigid substrate and an adhered straight cylindrical punch with a non-homogeneous elastic modulus is analyzed. The stress distributions are obtained along the interface for various elastic modulus gradients. The calculations are performed in the commercial finite element software Abaqus using a user material (UMAT) subroutine to control the dependence of Young's modulus on the radial position. The UMAT code is shared in the paper. The results reveal that the decreasing elastic modulus toward the perimeter of the punch can be used to significantly reduce the normal stress magnitudes in the singularity domain, which leads to stronger adhesion. The increase in the adhesion strength is characterized numerically. The effect of Poisson's ratio is also analyzed.
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    In-situ fruit analysis by means of LiDAR 3D point cloud of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2023) Tsoulias, Nikos; Saha, Kowshik Kumar; Zude-Sasse, Manuela
    A feasible method to analyse fruit at the tree is requested in precise production management. The employment of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) was approached aimed at measuring the number of fruit, quality-related size, and ripeness-related chlorophyll of fruit skin. During fruit development (65 – 130 day after full bloom, DAFB), apples were harvested and analysed in the laboratory (n = 225) with two LiDAR laser scanners measuring at 660 and 905 nm. From these two 3D point clouds, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVILiDAR) was calculated. The correlation analysis of NDVILiDAR and chemically analysed fruit chlorophyll content showed R2 = 0.81 and RMSE = 3.63 % on the last measuring date, when fruit size reached 76 mm. The method was tested on 3D point clouds of 12 fruit trees measured directly in the orchard, during fruit growth on five measuring dates, and validated with manual fruit analysis in the orchard (n = 4632). Point clouds of individual apples were segmented from 3D point clouds of trees and fruit NDVILiDAR were calculated. The non-invasively obtained field data showed good calibration performance capturing number of fruit, fruit size, fruit NDVILiDAR, and chemically analysed chlorophyll content of R2 = 0.99, R2 = 0.98 with RMSE = 3.02 %, R2 = 0.65 with RMSE = 0.65 %, R2 = 0.78 with RMSE = 1.31 %, respectively, considering the related reference data at last measuring date 130 DAFB. The new approach of non-invasive laser scanning provided physiologically and agronomically valuable time series data on differences in fruit chlorophyll affected by the leaf area to number of fruit and leaf area to fruit fresh mass ratios. Concluding, the method provides a tool for gaining production-relevant plant data for, e.g., crop load management and selective harvesting by harvest robots.
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    Development and Implementation of a Guideline for the Combination of Additively Manufactured Joint Assemblies with Wire Actuators made of Shape Memory Alloys
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2023) Löffler, Robin; Tremmel, Stephan; Hornfeck, Rüdiger
    Smart Materials actuators in the form of wires made of shape memory alloys in combination with additively manufactured carrier components are used in a wide variety of prototype developments of innovative joint assemblies. This combination is relevant because of the same manufacturing costs of the additively manufactured components, which are independent of the quantity of parts, the free geometric design possibilities as well as the huge energy density of the aforementioned actuator technology. In particular, the focus is on the possibility of appropriately fitting large wire lengths on a compact part volume while taking into account acceptable force losses. Since there is no design guideline for such joint developments, each is individual, which results in unnecessarily long development times and a higher risk of errors. Based on selected in-house and third-party examples, integration possibilities of shape memory alloy wire actuators in additively manufactured carrier components are analysed and transferred into a universally applicable design guideline. These recommendations are brought into the framework of existing design guidelines of the VDI (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure – Association of German Engineers), namely VDI 2206 and VDI 2221 with extensions for additive manufacturing, for a better usability and integrability into existing processes. Finally, this results in a simplified access to the topic of the combination of additive manufacturing and shape memory alloys and a more efficient realisation of such joint developments.
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    Geometric Basics and Calculation Methods for the Design of a Technical Saddle Joint based on Owl Neck Vertebrae
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2023) Gründer, Johannes; Hornfeck, Rüdiger
    A saddle joint enables the movement of two components relative to each other primarily about two axes of rotation and, to a limited extent, in translational direction. This type of joint is primarily found in nature, for example in the human thumb, in the ossicles and the cervical spine of owls. Motivated by the high degree of the owls’ head mobility, the authors aim to make this high motion potential technically accessible by defining relevant design parameters and developing calculation methods for dimensioning the saddle joint components. First, an abstracted contact geometry model based on the owls’ saddle joints is de-fined. A method for calculating the kinematics of the joint as a function of the previously introduced design parameters of the contact is derived mathematically. Regarding the implementation in a design process, this model is used to calculate the restoring forces required to stabilize the joint parts as well as the actuator torque needed for a specific rotational movement around those axes. Furthermore, the rotational stiffness of a specific joint geometry is calculated as an important design criterion. In summary, the defined contact geometry, the kinematics, and the computable forces serve as basis for designing technical saddle joints in the future.
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    Measuring and evaluating colorimetric properties of samples from loess-paleosol sequences
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2023) Laag, Christian; Lagroix, France; Kreutzer, Sebastian; Chapkanski, Stoil; Zeeden, Christian; Guyodo, Yohan
    Colorimetric measurements are valuable in studying paleoenvironmental changes in sediment archives such as loess-paleosol sequences. These measurements allow for the identification of climate-sensitive minerals such as hematite, goethite, and secondary carbonates, as well as the observation of stratigraphic changes influenced by paleoclimate variations. Herein, a detailed workflow protocol emphasizing mineral abundance extraction by determining true band amplitudes is presented. Moreover, we present a protocol for colorimetric measurements that eliminates container bias, allowing the analysis and re-analysis of stored sediment quickly and inexpensively. Finally, we introduce a new R-package ('LESLIE') for graphical data display and enhancement. The protocol and its validation are demonstrated on the Suhia Kladenetz loess-paleosol sequence of northern Bulgaria. • A detailed workflow protocol eliminating container bias in colorimetric measurements and extracting mineral abundances is presented. • The protocol is independently validated with aid of Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform mid-infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopic experiments. • Stratigraphic color enhancement using the R-package 'LESLIE' is facilitated by a user-friendly R-shiny application.
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    Acoustic resonance effects and cavitation in SAW aerosol generation
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2023) Roudini, Mehrzad; Manuel Rosselló, Juan; Manor, Ofer; Ohl, Claus-Dieter; Winkler, Andreas
    The interaction of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) with liquids enables the production of aerosols with adjustable droplet sizes in the micrometer range expelled from a very compact source. Understanding the nonlinear acousto-hydrodynamics of SAWs with a regulated micro-scale liquid film is essential for acousto-microfluidics platforms, particularly aerosol generators. In this study, we demonstrate the presence of micro-cavitation in a MHz-frequency SAW aerosol generation platform, which is touted as a leap in aerosol technology with versatile application fields including biomolecule inhalation therapy, micro-chromatography and spectroscopy, olfactory displays, and material deposition. Using analysis methods with high temporal and spatial resolution, we demonstrate that SAWs stabilize spatially arranged liquid micro-domes atop the generator's surface. Our experiments show that these liquid domes become acoustic resonators with highly fluctuating pressure amplitudes that can even nucleate cavitation bubbles, as supported by analytical modeling. The observed fragmentation of liquid domes indicates the participation of three droplet generation mechanisms, including cavitation and capillary-wave instabilities. During aerosol generation, the cavitation bubbles contribute to the ejection of droplets from the liquid domes and also explain observed microstructural damage patterns on the chip surface eventually caused by cavitation-based erosion.
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    Energy-dependent dielectric tensor axes in monoclinic α-3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2023) Alonso, M.I.; Garriga, M.; Ossó, J.O.; Schreiber, F.; Scholz, R.
    We have determined the complex dielectric tensor of single crystalline 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (α-PTCDA) as a function of energy in the range between 1.4 and 5.0 eV. The results obtained reflect the monoclinic symmetry of the crystal: The principal axes of the real and the imaginary part of the tensor in general do not coincide and show chromatic dispersion. Monoclinic behavior allows rotation of the components ɛX and ɛZ in the plane perpendicular to the unique symmetry axis Y. The experimental results indicate that the energies of the optical transitions observed in the weak ɛX component coincide with energies in which a resonance effect due to coupling with the stronger ɛZ component occurs. These resonances appear at energies close to electronic excitations such as the optical gap, the transport gap and the highest occupied molecular orbital–lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO–LUMO) peak-to-peak gap and their assignments are discussed based on theoretical calculations.