On the use of heated needle probes for measuring snow thermal conductivity

Heated needle probes provide the most convenient method to measure snow thermal conductivity. Recent studies have suggested that this method underestimates snow thermal conductivity; however the reasons for this discrepancy have not been elucidated. We show that it originates from the fact that, while the theory behind the method assumes that the measurements reach a logarithmic regime, this regime is not reached within the standard measurement procedure. Using the needle probe without this logarithmic regime leads to thermal conductivity underestimations of tens of percents. Moreover, we show that the poor thermal contact between the probe and the snow due to insertion damages results in a further underestimation. Thus, we encourage the use of fixed needle probes, set up before the snow season and buried under snowfalls, rather than hand-inserted probes. Finally, we propose a method to correct the measurements performed with such fixed needle probes buried in snow. This correction is based on a lookup table, derived specifically for the Hukseflux TP02 needle probe model, frequently used in snow studies. Comparison between corrected measurements and independent estimations of snow thermal conductivity obtained with numerical simulations shows an overall improvement of the needle probe values after application of the correction.

Household ICT Utilization and Food Security Nexus in Nigeria

The study examines the nexus between household ICT utilization and food security in Nigeria, which supports goal 2 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aims to “end hunger, achieve food security, improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.” The study employs the logit regression to wave 4 of Living Standard Measurement Integrated Survey on Agriculture (LSMS) data for the empirical analysis. Based on the analysis, the study finds that for male household, ICT utilization has a statistically significant and positive nexus with food security. In contrast, for the female households, an insignificant and, however, negative nexus is observed with food security in Nigeria. Furthermore, the findings show that for male household users, a 1 percent increase in male household ICT utilization spurs about 0.68 percent increase in food security in Nigeria. The findings imply that among the male and female household ICT users, the male household ICT utilization is significantly contributes to food security in Nigeria. The study recommends that relevant stakeholders take strategic measures to ensure that the potentials of household ICTs be fully maximized to contribute to food security in the nearest future as confirmed by studies in other regions.

An Advanced Holter Monitor Using AD8232 and MEGA 2560

Monitoring of cardiac signals is very important for patients with heart disease. The detection of the ECG signal that is carried out for twenty hours will help the doctor to diagnose heart disease. The purpose of this study was to develop a portable ECG monitoring system and cost as it is called a Holter monitor. The main design of ECG module consists of the AD8232, DS3231 RTC module, Arduino microcontroller, and SD card memory. ECG signals are collected from the body of a standard measurement based LEAD II .. To record the raw data from the ECG signal, SD card memory is used to store data for further data analysis. Calibration is performed using a phantom ECG. This is done to make the design results are in accordance with the standard ECG machine.

Food Losses and Wastage along the Wheat Value Chain in Egypt and Their Implications on Food and Energy Security, Natural Resources, and the Environment

Pushing yield frontiers of cereals and legumes is becoming increasingly difficult, especially in drylands. This paper argues and provides empirical evidence that food loss and wastage constitute a sizeable proportion of the total wheat supply in Egypt. By following the life cycle of food and using standard measurement protocols, we estimated the levels of food loss and wastage along the wheat value chain in Egypt and their socioeconomic, biophysical, and environmental implications. About 4.4 million tons (20.62% of total wheat supply from domestic production and imports in 2017/2018) is estimated to be lost or wasted in Egypt which is also associated with the wastage of about 4.79 billion m3 of water, and 74.72 million GJ of energy. This implies that if Egypt manages to eliminate, or considerably reduce, wheat-related losses and wastage, it will save enough food to feed 21 million more people from domestic production and hence reduce wheat imports by 37%, save 1.1 billion USD of much-needed foreign exchange, and reduce emissions of at least 260.84 million kg carbon dioxide-equivalent and 8.5 million kg of methane. Therefore, investment in reducing food loss and wastage can be an effective strategy to complement ongoing efforts to enhance food security through productivity enhancement in Egypt.

Improving diabetic patients’ outcomes in family medicine in the United Arab Emirates

We evaluated a diabetic mini-clinic by assessing adherence to American Diabetes Association guidelines and changes in glycosylated haemoglobin levels. Of 1063 patients, 721 were multiple attenders. Single and multiple attenders showed no significant differences in age, sex, time since diagnosis or body mass index. Female and male multiple attenders showed significant declines in glycosylated haemoglobin levels over the first 12 and 18 months respectively. After 2 years, these levels were similar to those at entry to the clinic. The clinic’s compliance with standard measurement guidelines was high. The diabetic mini-clinic model, which is effective in industrialized countries, was equally effective in this setting.

Immersion ultrasonic transducers

The principles of operation and design of immersion ultrasonic transducers developed by the authors for excitation and reception of elastic vibrations in moving filament-like and plane-parallel materials, in particular, polymer fibbers and films, with an adjustable angle of input (reception) of probing signals into moving controlled object – polymer fibbers and films at normal and high temperatures. The technical characteristics of the installation are given in which the converters developed by us are used, namely, sounding base (distance from the emitter to the receivers), the duration of the probing pulses, the frequency of filling and the duration of the probing pulses, the speed of the controlled object, the combined standard measurement uncertainties of the difference Δt of the propagation times of ultrasonic waves from the emitter to the first and second signal receivers, relative combined standard uncertainties of measurements of attenuation coefficient and velocity of propagation of ultrasonic waves.

Analysis of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Surge Arrester Connected to Various Ground Electrodes

This paper presents impulse tests results on a zinc oxide (ZnO) surge arrester connected to four ground electrodes, with its resistance values ranging from 17 Ω to 104 Ω. It has been noted that when in series with various ground resistance values, the voltage–current characteristics of the zinc oxide (ZnO) surge arrester are far from the one tested using a common grounding, which is a standard measurement method described in IEC 60060-1. This paper clarifies the relationship between the surge arrester with various ground electrodes and its performance when tested with a common practice, based on IEC 60060-1. The tests carried out on a 15 kV ZnO surge arrester, under high-impulse conditions by field measurements, provide important information on the characteristics and ability of the surge arrester to adequately function in various ground electrodes.

WORKING CAPITAL EFFICIENCY TOWARDS PROFITABILITY IN THE SAMI JAYA CREDIT COOPERATIVE IN KUPANG

Credit cooperatives are business service institutions formed by a group of people who voluntarily save their money together so that a certain amount of capital is formed, which is then lent between them at a reasonable interest rate and in an easy way, whose management applies cooperative principles. This study aims to determine the working capital that has been managed efficiently, to determine the effect of working capital on profitability, and to determine the factors that affect the efficiency of working capital in the Sami Jaya Credit Cooperative in Kupang. The research period used is the period 2015 - 2019. This research is a quantitative descriptive study. The data used in this research are working capital turnover, cash turnover, accounts receivable turnover, NPM, ROE, and ROA. The results of this study indicate that the working capital of the Sami Jaya credit cooperative is less efficient because each year the working capital does not reach the standard measurement so that its profitability is also inefficient.

Number and height of unbrowsed saplings are more appropriate than the proportion of browsed saplings for predicting silvicultural regeneration success

• Key message The browsing level of oak (Quercus petraea and Quercus robur) and fir (Abies alba) provided only a rough estimate of the expected regeneration success. Thus, it cannot be recommended as a standard measurement to predict forest development, unless the number of saplings and the height of those saplings are considered. • Context Browsing by large herbivores may affect regeneration success and forest development, with an impact that lasts for decades. • Aims Whether the browsing level of a tree species can be used in forestry as a standard measure to assess whether the target values (for instance regeneration success) of highly selected tree species, such as oak (Quercus petraea (Mattuschka) Liebl., Quercus robur (L.)) and fir (Abies alba (Mill.)), will be reached is unclear and need specification. • Methods In this study, 985 sampling plots (10 m2) in Southern Germany (Baden-Württemberg) containing browsed and unbrowsed oak and fir-saplings were analysed. Both the browsing level and a measure of the expected regeneration success that considered not only the sapling density but also different height classes (≤ 20 cm; 21–50 cm; 51–130 cm) were calculated. • Results The use of the browsing level as a proxy for the expected regeneration success was statistically only partly justified. For fir the relationship between browsing level and expected regeneration success became even weaker for a new indicator variable which considers two height classes rather than one class for saplings exceeding 50 cm (51–80 cm and 81–130 cm). • Conclusion According to these results, the browsing level cannot be recommended as a standard measurement and/or predictor of damage, unless the number of saplings and the height of those saplings are considered. Thus, in efforts to mitigate conflicts between foresters and hunters, a measurement is needed that addresses the successful establishment of a sufficient number of trees despite browsing, rather than the browsing of trees alone.