In this article,the effect of the bearing elastic deformation on the performance characteristics of a cylindrical journal bearing is analyzed.The variety of simulation models covers hydrodynamic(HD) and elastohydrod...In this article,the effect of the bearing elastic deformation on the performance characteristics of a cylindrical journal bearing is analyzed.The variety of simulation models covers hydrodynamic(HD) and elastohydrodynamic(EHD) lubrication theories.The Reynolds equations governing the flow in the clearance space of the journal bearing are obtained by considering the effect of mass transfer across the fluid film.The finite element method with an iteration scheme was employed to solve both the Reynolds equation and the three-dimensional elasticity equation representing the displacement field in the bearing shell.The converged solutions for the lubricant flow and elastic deformation vector are obtained.Dynamic characteristics of the journal bearing are computed for HD and EHD theories.Numerical simulation results show that the flexibility of bearing liner has a significant influence on the performance of a cylindrical journal bearing.Indeed,the elastic deformations of the bearing liner extend the pressure area in the bearing and increase the minimum film thickness.Although,dynamic coefficient,load capacity and attitude angle decrease.展开更多
This paper focuses on the quality of the vertical accuracy of two Digital Elevation Models, corresponding to Kasserine region, central west Tunisia. The vertical accuracy assessment is based on 23 GPS ground control p...This paper focuses on the quality of the vertical accuracy of two Digital Elevation Models, corresponding to Kasserine region, central west Tunisia. The vertical accuracy assessment is based on 23 GPS ground control points belonging to the study area. We applied a statistic analysis approach and established 3 elevation profiles corresponding to GPS, ASTER and SRTM. The erected statistical analysis reveals that the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) was 8.88 and 10.13 respectively for SRTM and ASTER DTMs. 2D elevation profiles constructed for GPS measurements, ASTER and SRTM, highlight that both DTMs underestimate the true elevation and that SRTM DTM is quite closer to the GPS elevation profile. Relying on this investigation, we think that both DTMs are significant for the vertical accuracy assessment and we urge that SRTM DTM might scheme the Kasserine area features better than ASTER DTM.展开更多
Soil salinity limits plant growth, reduces crop productivity and degrades soil. Multispectral data from Landsat TM are used to study saline soils in southern Tunisia. This study will explore the potential multivariate...Soil salinity limits plant growth, reduces crop productivity and degrades soil. Multispectral data from Landsat TM are used to study saline soils in southern Tunisia. This study will explore the potential multivariate statistical analysis, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis to identify the most correlated spectral indices and rapidly predict salt affected soils. Sixty six soil samples were collected for ground truth data in the investigated region. A high correlation was found between electrical conductivity and the spectral indices from near infrared and short-wave infrared spectrum. Different spectral indices were used from spectral bands of Landsat data. Statistical correlation between ground measurements of Electrical Conductivity (EC), spectral indices and Landsat original bands showed that the near and short-wave infrared bands (band 4, band 5 and 7) and the salinity indices (SI 5 and SI 9) have the highest correlation with EC. The use of CA revealed a strong correlation between electrical conductivity EC and spectral indices such abs4, abs5, abs7 and si5. The principal components analysis is conducted by incorporating the reflectance bands and spectral salinity indices from the remote sensing data. The first principal component has large positive associations with bands from the visible domain and salinity indices derived from these bands, while second principal component is strongly correlated with spectral indices from NIR and SWIR. Overall, it was found that the electrical conductivity EC is highly correlated (R2 = -0.72) to the second principal component (PC2), but no correlation is observed between EC and the first principal component (PC1). This suggests that the second component can be used as an explanatory variable for predicting EC. Based on these results and combining the spectral indices (PC2 and abs B4) into a regression analysis, model yielded a relatively high coefficient of determination R2 = 0.62 and a low RMSE = 1.86 dS/m.展开更多
A hybrid heat pump(compression/absorption)with an integrated thermal photovoltaic unit is studied.The considered working fluids are organic mixtures:R245fa/DMAC and R236fa/DMAC,chosen for their low Global Warming Pote...A hybrid heat pump(compression/absorption)with an integrated thermal photovoltaic unit is studied.The considered working fluids are organic mixtures:R245fa/DMAC and R236fa/DMAC,chosen for their low Global Warming Potential.The main objective is the optimization of energy efficiency in order to minimize the environmental impact through the implementation of a sustainable strategy.It is shown that Exergy Analysis itself is a valuable tool in energy integration.Within the imposed framework of minimizing total annual costs,entropy analysis can be instrumental in determining the optimal plant concept,optimizing energy conversion and use,and improving profitability.The present results are discussed under the optimistic hope that they may help to define new energy and environmental policies.展开更多
Temporal ontologies allow to represent not only concepts,their properties,and their relationships,but also time-varying information through explicit versioning of definitions or through the four-dimensional perduranti...Temporal ontologies allow to represent not only concepts,their properties,and their relationships,but also time-varying information through explicit versioning of definitions or through the four-dimensional perdurantist view.They are widely used to formally represent temporal data semantics in several applications belonging to different fields(e.g.,Semantic Web,expert systems,knowledge bases,big data,and artificial intelligence).They facilitate temporal knowledge representation and discovery,with the support of temporal data querying and reasoning.However,there is no standard or consensual temporal ontology query language.In a previous work,we have proposed an approach namedτJOWL(temporal OWL 2 from temporal JSON,where OWL 2 stands for"OWL 2 Web Ontology Language"and JSON stands for"JavaScript Object Notation").τJOWL allows(1)to automatically build a temporal OWL 2 ontology of data,following the Closed World Assumption(CWA),from temporal JSON-based big data,and(2)to manage its incremental maintenance accommodating their evolution,in a temporal and multi-schema-version environment.In this paper,we propose a temporal ontology query language forτJOWL,namedτSQWRL(temporal SQWRL),designed as a temporal extension of the ontology query language—Semantic Query-enhanced Web Rule Language(SQWRL).The new language has been inspired by the features of the consensual temporal query language TSQL2(Temporal SQL2),well known in the temporal(relational)database community.The aim of the proposal is to enable and simplify the task of retrieving any desired ontology version or of specifying any(complex)temporal query on time-varying ontologies generated from time-varying big data.Some examples,in the Internet of Healthcare Things(IoHT)domain,are provided to motivate and illustrate our proposal.展开更多
This study investigated the direct effect of the insecticides deltamethrin and spinosad on three egg parasitoids species: Trichogramma oleae, T. cacoeciae and T. bourarachae. The parasitoid pupae were exposed to pesti...This study investigated the direct effect of the insecticides deltamethrin and spinosad on three egg parasitoids species: Trichogramma oleae, T. cacoeciae and T. bourarachae. The parasitoid pupae were exposed to pesticide residues on fresh olive tree leaves at recommended concentrations (RC) at different time intervals: 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 days after pesticide applications. Parasitism viability (% emergence from parasitized eggs) and adult emergence time (developmental time from pupa to adult emergence) were evaluated. Regarding to the International Organization of Biological Control (IOBC) guidelines, results of toxicity effects of insecticides show that: Deltamethrin was moderately harmful to all Trichogramma species at RC (Decis®100 milliliters·ha−1), however, spinosad was harmless to moderately harmful at RC (Tracer®20 milliliters·ha−1). Trichogramma species revealed differences with regard to adult emergence time and exhibited significant changes in parasitism viability with increasing time after pesticide treatment. While deltamethrin residues affected parasitism viability 31 days after the product application, spinosad displayed similar viability for almost species 24 days after the application. The usefulness of Trichogramma parasitoids used as biological control agents, in olive tree ecosystem, was discussed in integrated pest management programs for Prays oleae control when parasitoid species were exposed during pupal stage to the insecticide residue.展开更多
Soil salinity is one of the most damaging environmental problems worldwide, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Multispectral data Sentinel_2 are used to study saline soils in southern Tunisia. 34 soil samples w...Soil salinity is one of the most damaging environmental problems worldwide, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Multispectral data Sentinel_2 are used to study saline soils in southern Tunisia. 34 soil samples were collected for ground truth data in the investigated region. A moderate correlation was found between electrical conductivity and the spectral indices from SWIR. Different spectral indices were used from original bands of Sentinel_2 data. Statistical correlation between ground measurements of Electrical Conductivity (EC), spectral indices and Sentinel_2 original bands showed that SWIR bands (b11 and b12) and the salinity index SI have the highest correlation with EC. Based on these results and combining these remotely sensed variables into a regression analysis model yielded a coefficient of determination R2 = 0.48 and an RMSE = 4.8 dS/m.展开更多
Different treatment technologies have been efficiently applied to remove heavy metals from waste- water. Efforts have been made to find out the most economic water treatment technology by using low cost and easily acc...Different treatment technologies have been efficiently applied to remove heavy metals from waste- water. Efforts have been made to find out the most economic water treatment technology by using low cost and easily accessible natural materials. On the other hand, heavy metals are the most threatening groundwater contaminants because of their toxicity and harmful effects on human and biota. This review discusses the use of natural geological materials for heavy metal removal in aqueous systems. Special attention has been devoted to natural limestone through a systematic inventory of relevant published reports. The removal of toxic metals may include different mechanisms (e.g., physisorption, chemisorptions, precipitation, etc.), depending on the physico-chemical properties of the material and the removed metal. Sorption of toxic metals (e.g., Pb, Cu, Cd, Zn, Cr, Hg, etc.) onto natural limestone involved precipitation of metal carbonate as a predominant removal process, but often subordinated by adsorption and ion exchange, depending on the physico-chemical properties of the studied limestone.展开更多
This paper presents a lineament detection method using multi-band remote sensing images. The main objective of this work is to design an automatic image processing tool for lineament mapping from Landsat-7 ETM + satel...This paper presents a lineament detection method using multi-band remote sensing images. The main objective of this work is to design an automatic image processing tool for lineament mapping from Landsat-7 ETM + satellite data. Five procedures were involved: 1) The Principal Component Analysis;2) image enhancement using histogram equalization technique 3) directional Sobel filters of the original data;4) histogram segmentation and 5) binary image generation. The applied methodology was contributed in identifying several known large-scale faults in the Northeast of Tunisia. The statistical and spatial analyses of lineament map indicate a difference of morphological appearance of lineaments in the satellite image. Indeed, all the lineaments present a specific organization. Five groups were classified based on three orientations: NE-SW, E-W and NW-SE. The overlapping of lineament map with the geologic map confirms that these lineaments of diverse directions can be identified and recognized on the field as a fault. The identified lineaments were linked to a deep faults caused by tectonic movements in Tunisia. This study shows the performance of the satellite image processing in the analysis and mapping of the accidents in the northern Atlas.展开更多
The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the effect of elastic deformation of bearing liner on the acoustic behavior of oil lubricated journal bearings.Analysis is performed for hydrodynamic(HD) and elasto...The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the effect of elastic deformation of bearing liner on the acoustic behavior of oil lubricated journal bearings.Analysis is performed for hydrodynamic(HD) and elasto-hydrodynamic (EHD) lubrications.Dynamic behavior and acoustical properties are investigated through an analysis of pressure fluctuation calculated from the Reynolds equation governing the flow in the clearance space of the journal bearing.This is solved numerically using the finite difference method with the successive over relaxation technique.In elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication,the finite element method with in iteration scheme is adopted to solve both Reynolds equation and the three-dimensional elasticity equation representing the displacement field in the bearing shell.The results show that the sound pressure level of the bearing is markedly influenced by the flexibility of the bearing liner,the viscosity of lubricant and the load applied to journal.HD analysis shows that the journal centre's orbit,from a disturbed position,converges to the static equilibrium position faster than EHD lubrication.The results of the present paper could aid in the design of low-noise rotor-bearing systems supported by oil lubricated journal bearings.展开更多
Background: Several studies reported on the effectiveness of 1 Hz repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the temporoparietal cortex (TPC) on refractory auditory hallucinations (AH) in schizophrenia but...Background: Several studies reported on the effectiveness of 1 Hz repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the temporoparietal cortex (TPC) on refractory auditory hallucinations (AH) in schizophrenia but little is known about the long-term therapeutic effect of this tool. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate rTMS’ impact on auditory hallucinations (AH) and cognitive functions in patients with schizophrenia with a three-month follow-up. Methods: In a randomized double blind sham controlled study, 26 patients with refractory schizophrenia received 1 Hz rTMS applied on TPC for four weeks. rTMS was given to patients over one month with five rTMS sessions each week. Patients were evaluated via AHRS (Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale, Hoffman et al.), PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Kay et al. 1988), and CGI (Clinical Global Impression) before treatment by rTMS every week during the first month, and every month until the third month. Results: Neither clinical nor cognitive differences were found between rTMS and placebo. Conclusion: 1 Hz rTMS using parameters mentioned above has no statistically significant effect on AH;although evidences about the potential benefit of rTMS in the treatment of AH negative results suggest the need for further studies in this area.展开更多
Nowadays,ontologies,which are defined under the OWL 2 Web Ontology Language(OWL 2),are being used in several fields like artificial intelligence,knowledge engineering,and Semantic Web environments to access data,answe...Nowadays,ontologies,which are defined under the OWL 2 Web Ontology Language(OWL 2),are being used in several fields like artificial intelligence,knowledge engineering,and Semantic Web environments to access data,answer queries,or infer new knowledge.In particular,ontologies can be used to model the semantics of big data as an enabling factor for the deployment of intelligent analytics.Big data are being widely stored and exchanged in JavaScript Object Notation(JSON)format,in particular by Web applications.However,JSON data collections lack explicit semantics as they are in general schema-less,which does not allow to efficiently leverage the benefits of big data.Furthermore,several applications require bookkeeping of the entire history of big data changes,for which no support is provided by mainstream Big Data management systems,including Not only SQL(NoSQL)database systems.In this paper,we propose an approach,namedJOWL(temporal OWL 2 from temporal JSON),which allows users(i)to automatically build a temporal OWL 2 ontology of data,following the Closed World Assumption(CWA),from temporal JSON-based big data,and(ii)to manage its incremental maintenance accommodating the evolution of these data,in a temporal and multi-schema environment.展开更多
Objective:To analyze Myrlus communis chemically and evaluate the hypotensive effects and antioxidant properties of methanol,chloroform,ethyl acetate and aqueous extracts from the leaves of this plant.Methods:Total phe...Objective:To analyze Myrlus communis chemically and evaluate the hypotensive effects and antioxidant properties of methanol,chloroform,ethyl acetate and aqueous extracts from the leaves of this plant.Methods:Total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as the antioxidant potential of methanol,chloroform,ethyl acetate and aqueous extracts have been investigated by using different in vitro methods.The hypotensive effects of methanol and ethyl acetate extracts were evaluated in anaesthetized rats by using the method of invasive blood pressure recording.Moreover,ethyl acetate extract was subjected to analysis by different chromatographic methods in order to identify new compounds.Results:Chemical analysis of ethyl acetate extract revealed the presence of myrecitin-3-O-α-rhamnoside.Ethyl acetate extract was found to have the highest total phenolic and total flavonoid contents with the values of 435.37 ma gallic acid equivalents/g dried weight and 130.75 mg quercetin equivalent/g dried weight,respectively.Ethyl acetate extract also exhibited the highest activity in scavenging 2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl.2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid),hydroxy]radical and reducing power:whereas,methanol extract exhibited higher chelating activity than ethyl acetate extract did.Chloroform was found to be strong inhibitor of lipid peroxidation in β-carotene bleaching assay(91.19%).ferric thiocyanate method(87.55%).and thiobarbituric acid method(82.59%) as compared to butylated hydroxytoluene.Intravenous administration of methanol and ethyl acetate extract(0.04 to 12 mg/kg body weight) decreased the maximum mean arterial blood pressure with values of 20.6%and 32.49%at 12 mg/kg body weight,respectively in anesthetized rats.Conclusions:This study provides a scientific basis for the use of Myruts communis in traditional medicine as hypertensive agent as well as additional resources for natural antioxidants.展开更多
The main purpose of this study is to analyze the performance of a new system that combines organic Rankine Cycle(ORC) and vapor compression refrigeration cycle(VCRC) for refrigeration and cogeneration. This system use...The main purpose of this study is to analyze the performance of a new system that combines organic Rankine Cycle(ORC) and vapor compression refrigeration cycle(VCRC) for refrigeration and cogeneration. This system uses low-temperature heat sources such as solar energy, geothermal, industrial waste heat and biomass. The novelty of the proposed system manifests itself essentially in: the development of new ORC-VCRC combination architecture, lowering the ORC condensing temperature, the possibility of refrigeration production by the ORC upstream of the pumping phase, preheating of ORC using VCRC fluid and new configurations based on the integration of heat recovery systems to improve the overall system performance. The first part of this study presents the energetic analysis for the basic system using different working fluids and investigation of the operating parameters effect on the system performance(The system performance is described by the ORC thermal efficiency, the VCRC coefficient of performance and the system overall efficiency). Ten working fluids have been selected in order to provide the most adequate candidates for the proposed system. The results showed that the heating temperature and the cooling temperature have a significant effect on the system performance. The choice of fluid was also mentioned;the obtained results confirmed that the best combination for the basic system is R236fa-acetone. Four system configurations are developed and analyzed in the second part of the study. Also in the same part of the study, we will compare these configurations in terms of the performance rate retained. In the last part, we will make a comparison of this new system with another system.展开更多
Anterior transolecranon dislocation of the elbow is rarely observed in children, reported in only a small series. The present case involves an anterior transolecranon dislocation of the left elbow joint in a 7-year-ol...Anterior transolecranon dislocation of the elbow is rarely observed in children, reported in only a small series. The present case involves an anterior transolecranon dislocation of the left elbow joint in a 7-year-old child, which was surgically treated. Two attempts of closed reduction failed because the radial head had buttonholed via the joint capsule. After its release, open reduction was easily performed; osteosynthesis of the olecranon was not performed. Remarkably, good result was obtained, despite a mild flexion deformity at the last follow-up. This case report aims to highlight this treatment method, which may be considered for such an uncommon injury.展开更多
In the present work,a novel Organic Rankine Cycle(ORC)configuration is used for a low-grade heat source cogeneration plant.An investigation is conducted accordingly into the simultaneous production of electricity and ...In the present work,a novel Organic Rankine Cycle(ORC)configuration is used for a low-grade heat source cogeneration plant.An investigation is conducted accordingly into the simultaneous production of electricity and cold.The proposed configuration relies on concentrated solar power(as heat source)and ambient air(for cooling).Furthermore,two gas ejectors are added to the system in order to optimize the thermodynamic efficiency of the organic Rankine cycle.The results show that the thermodynamic and geometric parameters related to these ejectors have an important effect on the overall system performances.In order to account for the related environmental impact,the following working fluids are considered:HCFC-124,HFC-236fa,HFO-1234yf and HFO-1234ze.As shown by the numerical simulations,the fluid R1234yf presents the minimal heat consumption and therefore provides an optimal thermal efficiency for the ORC cycle(which is around 29%).However,the refrigerant R236fa displays the highest refrigeration performances with a performance coefficient reaching a value as high as 0.38.展开更多
Mechanical properties of alumina-fluorapatite composites with different titania additive amounts (0, 0.5, 1, 1.4, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wt%) have been investigated between 1200 and 1600℃. The optimum values of densificatio...Mechanical properties of alumina-fluorapatite composites with different titania additive amounts (0, 0.5, 1, 1.4, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wt%) have been investigated between 1200 and 1600℃. The optimum values of densification and mechanical properties of composites have been reached with 1.4 wt% of titania after the sintering process at 1500℃ for 1 h. Thus, the rupture strength of alumina-26.52 wt% Fap-1.4 wt% TiO2 reaches 75 MPa. At higher temperature and beyond 1.4 wt% TiO2 ,the densification and mechanical properties were hindered by the formation of both intergranular porosity and secondary phase. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of alumina-Fap-TiO2 composites shows the formation of aluminium titanate (Al2O3-TiO2:Al2TiO5 ). The 27Al magic angle scanning nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of Al2O3-Fap-TiO2 composites reveals the presence of octahedral and pentahedral aluminium and novel environment relative to tetrahedral aluminium sites.展开更多
The compaction of granulated powder is a common forming process used in ceramic and pharmaceutical industries. Argillaceous particles are used as a model system to investigate granule failure during cold compaction. I...The compaction of granulated powder is a common forming process used in ceramic and pharmaceutical industries. Argillaceous particles are used as a model system to investigate granule failure during cold compaction. In this work both experimental and numerical investigations have been focused on the fracture in powder compacts. This includes studies of crack propagation and determination of operating conditions to avoid the green body fracture. In fact, axial compaction tests have been performed to determine material parameters for hardening. The numerical modelling is implemented using a finite element method based on the Van Mises criterion. Simulation examples are presented to dem- onstrate the ability of the model to compute the distribution of the relative stresses in porous media.展开更多
Safety automation of complex mobile systems is a current topic issue in industry and research laboratories,especially in aeronautics.The dynamic models of these systems are nonlinear,Multi-Input Multi-Output(MIMO)and ...Safety automation of complex mobile systems is a current topic issue in industry and research laboratories,especially in aeronautics.The dynamic models of these systems are nonlinear,Multi-Input Multi-Output(MIMO)and tightly coupled.The nonlinearity resides in the dynamic equations and also in the aerodynamic coefficients’variability.This paper is devoted to developing the piloting law based on the combination of the robust differentiator with a dynamic adaptation of the gains and the robust controller via second order sliding mode,by using an aircraft in virtual simulated environments.To deal with the design of an autopilot controller,we propose an environment framework based on a Software In the Loop(SIL)methodology and we use Microsoft Flight Simulator(FS-2004)as the environment for plane simulation.The first order sliding mode control may be an appropriate solution to this piloting problem.However,its implementation generates a chattering phenomenon and a singularity problem.To overcome these problems,a new version of the adaptive differentiators for second order sliding modes is proposed and used for piloting.For the sliding mode algorithm,higher gains values may be used to improve accuracy;however this leads to an amplification of noise in the estimated signals.A good tradeoff between these two criteria(accuracy,robustness to noise ratio)is difficult to achieve.On the one hand,these values must increase the gains in order to derive a signal sweeping of some frequency ranges.On the other hand,low gains values have to be imposed to reduce noise amplification.So,our goal is to develop a differentiation algorithm in order to have a good compromise between error and robustness to noise ratio.To fit this requirement,a new version of differentiators with a higher order sliding modes and a dynamic adaptation of the gains,is proposed:the first order differentiator for the control of longitudinal speed and the second order differentiator for the control of the Euler angles.展开更多
文摘In this article,the effect of the bearing elastic deformation on the performance characteristics of a cylindrical journal bearing is analyzed.The variety of simulation models covers hydrodynamic(HD) and elastohydrodynamic(EHD) lubrication theories.The Reynolds equations governing the flow in the clearance space of the journal bearing are obtained by considering the effect of mass transfer across the fluid film.The finite element method with an iteration scheme was employed to solve both the Reynolds equation and the three-dimensional elasticity equation representing the displacement field in the bearing shell.The converged solutions for the lubricant flow and elastic deformation vector are obtained.Dynamic characteristics of the journal bearing are computed for HD and EHD theories.Numerical simulation results show that the flexibility of bearing liner has a significant influence on the performance of a cylindrical journal bearing.Indeed,the elastic deformations of the bearing liner extend the pressure area in the bearing and increase the minimum film thickness.Although,dynamic coefficient,load capacity and attitude angle decrease.
文摘This paper focuses on the quality of the vertical accuracy of two Digital Elevation Models, corresponding to Kasserine region, central west Tunisia. The vertical accuracy assessment is based on 23 GPS ground control points belonging to the study area. We applied a statistic analysis approach and established 3 elevation profiles corresponding to GPS, ASTER and SRTM. The erected statistical analysis reveals that the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) was 8.88 and 10.13 respectively for SRTM and ASTER DTMs. 2D elevation profiles constructed for GPS measurements, ASTER and SRTM, highlight that both DTMs underestimate the true elevation and that SRTM DTM is quite closer to the GPS elevation profile. Relying on this investigation, we think that both DTMs are significant for the vertical accuracy assessment and we urge that SRTM DTM might scheme the Kasserine area features better than ASTER DTM.
文摘Soil salinity limits plant growth, reduces crop productivity and degrades soil. Multispectral data from Landsat TM are used to study saline soils in southern Tunisia. This study will explore the potential multivariate statistical analysis, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis to identify the most correlated spectral indices and rapidly predict salt affected soils. Sixty six soil samples were collected for ground truth data in the investigated region. A high correlation was found between electrical conductivity and the spectral indices from near infrared and short-wave infrared spectrum. Different spectral indices were used from spectral bands of Landsat data. Statistical correlation between ground measurements of Electrical Conductivity (EC), spectral indices and Landsat original bands showed that the near and short-wave infrared bands (band 4, band 5 and 7) and the salinity indices (SI 5 and SI 9) have the highest correlation with EC. The use of CA revealed a strong correlation between electrical conductivity EC and spectral indices such abs4, abs5, abs7 and si5. The principal components analysis is conducted by incorporating the reflectance bands and spectral salinity indices from the remote sensing data. The first principal component has large positive associations with bands from the visible domain and salinity indices derived from these bands, while second principal component is strongly correlated with spectral indices from NIR and SWIR. Overall, it was found that the electrical conductivity EC is highly correlated (R2 = -0.72) to the second principal component (PC2), but no correlation is observed between EC and the first principal component (PC1). This suggests that the second component can be used as an explanatory variable for predicting EC. Based on these results and combining the spectral indices (PC2 and abs B4) into a regression analysis, model yielded a relatively high coefficient of determination R2 = 0.62 and a low RMSE = 1.86 dS/m.
文摘A hybrid heat pump(compression/absorption)with an integrated thermal photovoltaic unit is studied.The considered working fluids are organic mixtures:R245fa/DMAC and R236fa/DMAC,chosen for their low Global Warming Potential.The main objective is the optimization of energy efficiency in order to minimize the environmental impact through the implementation of a sustainable strategy.It is shown that Exergy Analysis itself is a valuable tool in energy integration.Within the imposed framework of minimizing total annual costs,entropy analysis can be instrumental in determining the optimal plant concept,optimizing energy conversion and use,and improving profitability.The present results are discussed under the optimistic hope that they may help to define new energy and environmental policies.
文摘Temporal ontologies allow to represent not only concepts,their properties,and their relationships,but also time-varying information through explicit versioning of definitions or through the four-dimensional perdurantist view.They are widely used to formally represent temporal data semantics in several applications belonging to different fields(e.g.,Semantic Web,expert systems,knowledge bases,big data,and artificial intelligence).They facilitate temporal knowledge representation and discovery,with the support of temporal data querying and reasoning.However,there is no standard or consensual temporal ontology query language.In a previous work,we have proposed an approach namedτJOWL(temporal OWL 2 from temporal JSON,where OWL 2 stands for"OWL 2 Web Ontology Language"and JSON stands for"JavaScript Object Notation").τJOWL allows(1)to automatically build a temporal OWL 2 ontology of data,following the Closed World Assumption(CWA),from temporal JSON-based big data,and(2)to manage its incremental maintenance accommodating their evolution,in a temporal and multi-schema-version environment.In this paper,we propose a temporal ontology query language forτJOWL,namedτSQWRL(temporal SQWRL),designed as a temporal extension of the ontology query language—Semantic Query-enhanced Web Rule Language(SQWRL).The new language has been inspired by the features of the consensual temporal query language TSQL2(Temporal SQL2),well known in the temporal(relational)database community.The aim of the proposal is to enable and simplify the task of retrieving any desired ontology version or of specifying any(complex)temporal query on time-varying ontologies generated from time-varying big data.Some examples,in the Internet of Healthcare Things(IoHT)domain,are provided to motivate and illustrate our proposal.
文摘This study investigated the direct effect of the insecticides deltamethrin and spinosad on three egg parasitoids species: Trichogramma oleae, T. cacoeciae and T. bourarachae. The parasitoid pupae were exposed to pesticide residues on fresh olive tree leaves at recommended concentrations (RC) at different time intervals: 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 days after pesticide applications. Parasitism viability (% emergence from parasitized eggs) and adult emergence time (developmental time from pupa to adult emergence) were evaluated. Regarding to the International Organization of Biological Control (IOBC) guidelines, results of toxicity effects of insecticides show that: Deltamethrin was moderately harmful to all Trichogramma species at RC (Decis®100 milliliters·ha−1), however, spinosad was harmless to moderately harmful at RC (Tracer®20 milliliters·ha−1). Trichogramma species revealed differences with regard to adult emergence time and exhibited significant changes in parasitism viability with increasing time after pesticide treatment. While deltamethrin residues affected parasitism viability 31 days after the product application, spinosad displayed similar viability for almost species 24 days after the application. The usefulness of Trichogramma parasitoids used as biological control agents, in olive tree ecosystem, was discussed in integrated pest management programs for Prays oleae control when parasitoid species were exposed during pupal stage to the insecticide residue.
文摘Soil salinity is one of the most damaging environmental problems worldwide, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Multispectral data Sentinel_2 are used to study saline soils in southern Tunisia. 34 soil samples were collected for ground truth data in the investigated region. A moderate correlation was found between electrical conductivity and the spectral indices from SWIR. Different spectral indices were used from original bands of Sentinel_2 data. Statistical correlation between ground measurements of Electrical Conductivity (EC), spectral indices and Sentinel_2 original bands showed that SWIR bands (b11 and b12) and the salinity index SI have the highest correlation with EC. Based on these results and combining these remotely sensed variables into a regression analysis model yielded a coefficient of determination R2 = 0.48 and an RMSE = 4.8 dS/m.
文摘Different treatment technologies have been efficiently applied to remove heavy metals from waste- water. Efforts have been made to find out the most economic water treatment technology by using low cost and easily accessible natural materials. On the other hand, heavy metals are the most threatening groundwater contaminants because of their toxicity and harmful effects on human and biota. This review discusses the use of natural geological materials for heavy metal removal in aqueous systems. Special attention has been devoted to natural limestone through a systematic inventory of relevant published reports. The removal of toxic metals may include different mechanisms (e.g., physisorption, chemisorptions, precipitation, etc.), depending on the physico-chemical properties of the material and the removed metal. Sorption of toxic metals (e.g., Pb, Cu, Cd, Zn, Cr, Hg, etc.) onto natural limestone involved precipitation of metal carbonate as a predominant removal process, but often subordinated by adsorption and ion exchange, depending on the physico-chemical properties of the studied limestone.
文摘This paper presents a lineament detection method using multi-band remote sensing images. The main objective of this work is to design an automatic image processing tool for lineament mapping from Landsat-7 ETM + satellite data. Five procedures were involved: 1) The Principal Component Analysis;2) image enhancement using histogram equalization technique 3) directional Sobel filters of the original data;4) histogram segmentation and 5) binary image generation. The applied methodology was contributed in identifying several known large-scale faults in the Northeast of Tunisia. The statistical and spatial analyses of lineament map indicate a difference of morphological appearance of lineaments in the satellite image. Indeed, all the lineaments present a specific organization. Five groups were classified based on three orientations: NE-SW, E-W and NW-SE. The overlapping of lineament map with the geologic map confirms that these lineaments of diverse directions can be identified and recognized on the field as a fault. The identified lineaments were linked to a deep faults caused by tectonic movements in Tunisia. This study shows the performance of the satellite image processing in the analysis and mapping of the accidents in the northern Atlas.
文摘The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the effect of elastic deformation of bearing liner on the acoustic behavior of oil lubricated journal bearings.Analysis is performed for hydrodynamic(HD) and elasto-hydrodynamic (EHD) lubrications.Dynamic behavior and acoustical properties are investigated through an analysis of pressure fluctuation calculated from the Reynolds equation governing the flow in the clearance space of the journal bearing.This is solved numerically using the finite difference method with the successive over relaxation technique.In elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication,the finite element method with in iteration scheme is adopted to solve both Reynolds equation and the three-dimensional elasticity equation representing the displacement field in the bearing shell.The results show that the sound pressure level of the bearing is markedly influenced by the flexibility of the bearing liner,the viscosity of lubricant and the load applied to journal.HD analysis shows that the journal centre's orbit,from a disturbed position,converges to the static equilibrium position faster than EHD lubrication.The results of the present paper could aid in the design of low-noise rotor-bearing systems supported by oil lubricated journal bearings.
文摘Background: Several studies reported on the effectiveness of 1 Hz repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the temporoparietal cortex (TPC) on refractory auditory hallucinations (AH) in schizophrenia but little is known about the long-term therapeutic effect of this tool. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate rTMS’ impact on auditory hallucinations (AH) and cognitive functions in patients with schizophrenia with a three-month follow-up. Methods: In a randomized double blind sham controlled study, 26 patients with refractory schizophrenia received 1 Hz rTMS applied on TPC for four weeks. rTMS was given to patients over one month with five rTMS sessions each week. Patients were evaluated via AHRS (Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale, Hoffman et al.), PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Kay et al. 1988), and CGI (Clinical Global Impression) before treatment by rTMS every week during the first month, and every month until the third month. Results: Neither clinical nor cognitive differences were found between rTMS and placebo. Conclusion: 1 Hz rTMS using parameters mentioned above has no statistically significant effect on AH;although evidences about the potential benefit of rTMS in the treatment of AH negative results suggest the need for further studies in this area.
文摘Nowadays,ontologies,which are defined under the OWL 2 Web Ontology Language(OWL 2),are being used in several fields like artificial intelligence,knowledge engineering,and Semantic Web environments to access data,answer queries,or infer new knowledge.In particular,ontologies can be used to model the semantics of big data as an enabling factor for the deployment of intelligent analytics.Big data are being widely stored and exchanged in JavaScript Object Notation(JSON)format,in particular by Web applications.However,JSON data collections lack explicit semantics as they are in general schema-less,which does not allow to efficiently leverage the benefits of big data.Furthermore,several applications require bookkeeping of the entire history of big data changes,for which no support is provided by mainstream Big Data management systems,including Not only SQL(NoSQL)database systems.In this paper,we propose an approach,namedJOWL(temporal OWL 2 from temporal JSON),which allows users(i)to automatically build a temporal OWL 2 ontology of data,following the Closed World Assumption(CWA),from temporal JSON-based big data,and(ii)to manage its incremental maintenance accommodating the evolution of these data,in a temporal and multi-schema environment.
基金Supported by Thematic Agency for Research in Health Sciences(Grant No.361/25/09/2011)
文摘Objective:To analyze Myrlus communis chemically and evaluate the hypotensive effects and antioxidant properties of methanol,chloroform,ethyl acetate and aqueous extracts from the leaves of this plant.Methods:Total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as the antioxidant potential of methanol,chloroform,ethyl acetate and aqueous extracts have been investigated by using different in vitro methods.The hypotensive effects of methanol and ethyl acetate extracts were evaluated in anaesthetized rats by using the method of invasive blood pressure recording.Moreover,ethyl acetate extract was subjected to analysis by different chromatographic methods in order to identify new compounds.Results:Chemical analysis of ethyl acetate extract revealed the presence of myrecitin-3-O-α-rhamnoside.Ethyl acetate extract was found to have the highest total phenolic and total flavonoid contents with the values of 435.37 ma gallic acid equivalents/g dried weight and 130.75 mg quercetin equivalent/g dried weight,respectively.Ethyl acetate extract also exhibited the highest activity in scavenging 2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl.2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid),hydroxy]radical and reducing power:whereas,methanol extract exhibited higher chelating activity than ethyl acetate extract did.Chloroform was found to be strong inhibitor of lipid peroxidation in β-carotene bleaching assay(91.19%).ferric thiocyanate method(87.55%).and thiobarbituric acid method(82.59%) as compared to butylated hydroxytoluene.Intravenous administration of methanol and ethyl acetate extract(0.04 to 12 mg/kg body weight) decreased the maximum mean arterial blood pressure with values of 20.6%and 32.49%at 12 mg/kg body weight,respectively in anesthetized rats.Conclusions:This study provides a scientific basis for the use of Myruts communis in traditional medicine as hypertensive agent as well as additional resources for natural antioxidants.
文摘The main purpose of this study is to analyze the performance of a new system that combines organic Rankine Cycle(ORC) and vapor compression refrigeration cycle(VCRC) for refrigeration and cogeneration. This system uses low-temperature heat sources such as solar energy, geothermal, industrial waste heat and biomass. The novelty of the proposed system manifests itself essentially in: the development of new ORC-VCRC combination architecture, lowering the ORC condensing temperature, the possibility of refrigeration production by the ORC upstream of the pumping phase, preheating of ORC using VCRC fluid and new configurations based on the integration of heat recovery systems to improve the overall system performance. The first part of this study presents the energetic analysis for the basic system using different working fluids and investigation of the operating parameters effect on the system performance(The system performance is described by the ORC thermal efficiency, the VCRC coefficient of performance and the system overall efficiency). Ten working fluids have been selected in order to provide the most adequate candidates for the proposed system. The results showed that the heating temperature and the cooling temperature have a significant effect on the system performance. The choice of fluid was also mentioned;the obtained results confirmed that the best combination for the basic system is R236fa-acetone. Four system configurations are developed and analyzed in the second part of the study. Also in the same part of the study, we will compare these configurations in terms of the performance rate retained. In the last part, we will make a comparison of this new system with another system.
文摘Anterior transolecranon dislocation of the elbow is rarely observed in children, reported in only a small series. The present case involves an anterior transolecranon dislocation of the left elbow joint in a 7-year-old child, which was surgically treated. Two attempts of closed reduction failed because the radial head had buttonholed via the joint capsule. After its release, open reduction was easily performed; osteosynthesis of the olecranon was not performed. Remarkably, good result was obtained, despite a mild flexion deformity at the last follow-up. This case report aims to highlight this treatment method, which may be considered for such an uncommon injury.
文摘In the present work,a novel Organic Rankine Cycle(ORC)configuration is used for a low-grade heat source cogeneration plant.An investigation is conducted accordingly into the simultaneous production of electricity and cold.The proposed configuration relies on concentrated solar power(as heat source)and ambient air(for cooling).Furthermore,two gas ejectors are added to the system in order to optimize the thermodynamic efficiency of the organic Rankine cycle.The results show that the thermodynamic and geometric parameters related to these ejectors have an important effect on the overall system performances.In order to account for the related environmental impact,the following working fluids are considered:HCFC-124,HFC-236fa,HFO-1234yf and HFO-1234ze.As shown by the numerical simulations,the fluid R1234yf presents the minimal heat consumption and therefore provides an optimal thermal efficiency for the ORC cycle(which is around 29%).However,the refrigerant R236fa displays the highest refrigeration performances with a performance coefficient reaching a value as high as 0.38.
文摘Mechanical properties of alumina-fluorapatite composites with different titania additive amounts (0, 0.5, 1, 1.4, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wt%) have been investigated between 1200 and 1600℃. The optimum values of densification and mechanical properties of composites have been reached with 1.4 wt% of titania after the sintering process at 1500℃ for 1 h. Thus, the rupture strength of alumina-26.52 wt% Fap-1.4 wt% TiO2 reaches 75 MPa. At higher temperature and beyond 1.4 wt% TiO2 ,the densification and mechanical properties were hindered by the formation of both intergranular porosity and secondary phase. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of alumina-Fap-TiO2 composites shows the formation of aluminium titanate (Al2O3-TiO2:Al2TiO5 ). The 27Al magic angle scanning nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of Al2O3-Fap-TiO2 composites reveals the presence of octahedral and pentahedral aluminium and novel environment relative to tetrahedral aluminium sites.
文摘The compaction of granulated powder is a common forming process used in ceramic and pharmaceutical industries. Argillaceous particles are used as a model system to investigate granule failure during cold compaction. In this work both experimental and numerical investigations have been focused on the fracture in powder compacts. This includes studies of crack propagation and determination of operating conditions to avoid the green body fracture. In fact, axial compaction tests have been performed to determine material parameters for hardening. The numerical modelling is implemented using a finite element method based on the Van Mises criterion. Simulation examples are presented to dem- onstrate the ability of the model to compute the distribution of the relative stresses in porous media.
文摘Safety automation of complex mobile systems is a current topic issue in industry and research laboratories,especially in aeronautics.The dynamic models of these systems are nonlinear,Multi-Input Multi-Output(MIMO)and tightly coupled.The nonlinearity resides in the dynamic equations and also in the aerodynamic coefficients’variability.This paper is devoted to developing the piloting law based on the combination of the robust differentiator with a dynamic adaptation of the gains and the robust controller via second order sliding mode,by using an aircraft in virtual simulated environments.To deal with the design of an autopilot controller,we propose an environment framework based on a Software In the Loop(SIL)methodology and we use Microsoft Flight Simulator(FS-2004)as the environment for plane simulation.The first order sliding mode control may be an appropriate solution to this piloting problem.However,its implementation generates a chattering phenomenon and a singularity problem.To overcome these problems,a new version of the adaptive differentiators for second order sliding modes is proposed and used for piloting.For the sliding mode algorithm,higher gains values may be used to improve accuracy;however this leads to an amplification of noise in the estimated signals.A good tradeoff between these two criteria(accuracy,robustness to noise ratio)is difficult to achieve.On the one hand,these values must increase the gains in order to derive a signal sweeping of some frequency ranges.On the other hand,low gains values have to be imposed to reduce noise amplification.So,our goal is to develop a differentiation algorithm in order to have a good compromise between error and robustness to noise ratio.To fit this requirement,a new version of differentiators with a higher order sliding modes and a dynamic adaptation of the gains,is proposed:the first order differentiator for the control of longitudinal speed and the second order differentiator for the control of the Euler angles.