Unsaturated soils with hydraulic properties such as water retention and hydraulic conductivity are considered to be the most crucial parameters for modeling flow process in unsaturated soils. ...Experimental determination of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (k ) is a challenging task and it requires a costly and skilled experimentation. Therefore, the normal u practice is to estimate k from water retention characteristics. Water Retention Characteristic (designated as WRC) u includes the development of a graphical relationship between suction and water content (gravimetric or volumetric). This indicates that the accuracy of k is very much dependent on the unambiguous determination of WRC. In this study, a u tensiometer and volumetric water content probe have been used to measure soil suction and volumetric water content, respectively of a local sand by using two different measurement procedures. The k of the soil has been estimated based u on the WRC obtained. The main purpose of this investigation is to understand the extent of influence of different WRC measurement procedures on k estimation. The study indicates that the measurement procedures have moderate u influence on uniqueness of WRC of Brahmaputra sand and hence the estimated k.
Hill slope hydrology in terms of surface drainage and infiltration is important for analysing its stability and understanding the possibility of landslides. The infiltrating water during rainfall is ...found to cause instability to the slope. The location of water table will be low in such hill slopes and the soil will be mostly unsaturated. Therefore, the subsurface drainage of infiltrating water in a slope is influenced by the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (k
u
) of soil. The hill slopes of north-east India mainly constitute unsaturated red soil. There are not many studies related to the determination of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of this soil. Direct experimental determination of k
u
is a challenging task and requires costly and skilled experimentation. Therefore, the normal practice is to obtain k
u
based on water retention characteristic (WRC) and saturated hydraulic conductivity (k
s
) of the soil. In this study, an equitensiometer, a matric potential sensor and a relative humidity sensor have been used to measure WRCs of hilly red soil. The study indicates that the measurement methodologies have significant influence on the uniqueness of WRC of red soil and, hence, the estimation of k
u
.
The study was conceived with the aims to test sensitivity and specificity of LAMP and to compare it with conventional diagnostics in detecting mycobacterium tuberculosis in respiratory specimens of ...children with Pulmonary TB (PTB). Methods: In this cross sectional study, we enrolled 60 cases of suspected pediatric PTB < 14 years admitted to our tertiary care pediatric hospital after written informed consent from parents over a period of 1 year, based on a composite reference standard (CRS) which included clinical judgement, radiological evidence and microbiological positivity.
Diffusion is one of the predominant contaminant transport mechanisms in fine-grained soils. Usually, conventional methods such as half-cell and column tests are adopted for establishing diffusion ...characteristics of such soils. However, these techniques are destructive in nature, quite time-consuming, and require cumbersome chemical analysis of the soil and its pore-solution. Hence, development of a technique that would overcome these limitations and would yield precise results, in extremely short duration, becomes essential. With this in view, a modified Perspex diffusion cell with provision for inserting a series of stainless steel electrodes has been fabricated to monitor the diffusive contaminant transport, indirectly, based on the variation of electrical impedance of the soil. An LCR meter is employed to measure the electrical impedance of the soil across each electrode over a period. Further, the electrical impedance variation is indirectly correlated to the diffusion of contaminants that occurs in the soil. Details of the study and the test setup developed for this purpose are presented in this paper. It has been demonstrated that the technique based on electrical impedance measurement is quite useful and efficient for establishing diffusion characteristics of the fine-grained soil.
Recently, there has been an intense public and scientific concern over the disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, which adversely affect the quality of subsurface environment and the groundwater ...reserves. This necessitates studying interaction of these wastes with the geoenvironment and estimating their influence over it, in the long run. To achieve this, several studies were conducted in the past, which are mainly based on the assumption that the soil is fully-saturated. However, this assumption is not valid for most of the situations that are encountered in real life, where the soil is partially-saturated or unsaturated. Hence, systematic studies to establish fundamental characteristics of this state of the soil (viz., suction, hydraulic conductivity and clay content), which have been reported to be quite crucial for designing efficient barriers and waste containment systems, becomes essential.With this in view, efforts were made to employ state-of-the-art instruments to characterize unsaturated soils and to evaluate efficiency of the existing models and methodologies, which are being used for establishing the soil-water characteristic curve by researchers. Efforts were also made to develop guidelines that can be employed for characterizing unsaturated soils without resorting to such cost-intensive instruments. In addition to this, a non-destructive methodology, based on the impedance response of the soil, was developed for studying the diffusion of contaminants in unsaturated soils.
Machine Learning-Based Smart Appliances for Everyday Life Dhanalakshmi, R; Benjamin, Monica; Sivaraman, Arunkumar ...
Smart Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Performance Management in a Global Digitalised Economy,
05/2023, Letnik:
110A
Book Chapter
Abstract
Purpose: With this study, the authors aim to highlight the application of machine learning in smart appliances used in our day-to-day activities. This chapter focuses on analysing ...intelligent devices used in our daily lives to examine various machine learning models that can be applied to make an appliance ‘intelligent’ and discuss the different pros and cons of the implementation.
Methodology: Most smart appliances need machine learning models to decrypt the meaning and functioning behind the sensor’s data to execute accurate predictions and come to appropriate conclusions.
Findings: The future holds endless possibilities for devices to be connected in different ways, and these devices will be in our homes, offices, industries and even vehicles that can connect each other. The massive number of connected devices could congest the network; hence there is necessary to incorporate intelligence on end devices using machine learning algorithms. The connected devices that allow automatic control appliance driven by the user’s preference would avail itself to use the Network to communicate with devices close to its proximity or use other channels to liaise with external utility systems. Data processing is facilitated through edge devices, and machine learning algorithms can be applied.
Significance: This chapter overviews smart appliances that use machine learning at the edge. It highlights the effects of using these appliances and how they raise the overall living standards when smarter cities are introduced by integrating such devices.
Landfill liners are integral part of waste management for isolating the harmful wastes from surrounding environment. In the absence of impermeable natural soils, compacted mixture of expansive soil ...and sand have found wide applications as landfill liners. In this study, attempt was made to replace sand with thermal power plant by-product fly ash. Annual production of fly ash in India is approximately 170 million tons per annum out of which only 61% is being used in construction of road and embankments, production of cement, reclamation of low lying areas, agriculture, making bricks, tiles and others. There is limited literature on the utilization of waste product (fly ash) for waste management applications. The major objective of this research work is to explore the utility of waste fly ash in waste management. The study clearly demonstrates the utility of fly ash as a substitute of sand in the construction of liners.
Stability of rock slope along the stretch of Badrinath National Highway (NH-58) of Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand, India is very much essential to protect the infrastructure and livelihood in the ...area nearby. Every year this part of the slope has been facing severe landslides due to intensive rainfall causing substantial damages. The chosen area is also highly sensitive to earthquake according to Geological survey of India. Due to the severe earthquake and intensive rainfall, stability of rock mass is under continuous depletion. Rock slope in this area is highly jointed and possess a joint orientation which is highly vulnerable to seismic force. In this study, finite element slope stability analysis of this rock slope has been carried out in commercial software PHASE2. As per the earthquake zonation map of India, the site is located in seismic zone V, and hence, dynamic stability of slope has been performed considering pseudo static and time-response method. Initially, the rock slope is considered to be devoid of any joints and is modeled as a continuum mass using equivalent Mohr–Coulomb shear strength criteria. In the second model, the discontinuities are applied in the continuum model by providing interface elements as joints in between the rock walls. Results from the analysis accentuate the fact that the of rock slopes is stable under high seismic force.
For the past few decades, there has been an intense public and scientific concern over the disposal of solid and hazardous waste, which hampers the harmony of the ecosystem. The disposed off waste in ...the due course of time interacts with rainwater and contaminates the ground water resource. Such a situation calls for proper understanding and modeling of the long-term performance of these wastes and their transport through the porous media. With this in view, an attempt was made to model advective-diffusive transport of a nonreactive contaminant (chloride ion) through the unsaturated silty soil, in a geotechnical centrifuge. The results were compared with those obtained from the finite element analysis using SEEP/W and CTRAN/W, and an excellent matching between the results has been noted.
PDF
