Design of Moisture Control System for Beddings of Deep-litter

In order to solve the problems like rotten bed caused by accumulated wa-ter in the beddings of the deep-litter system, the ＂heat pulse method＂ was deter-mined as the moisture control method for beddings through tests, and a set of e-quipment was designed for the moisture control of deep-litter beddings. With STC89C52 micro-control er as the center, WL433A wireless communication module as means of data transmission, VB.NET for PC development, Access as back-ground database, the system realized the real-time col ection, wireless transmission, automatic storage and remote real-time monitoring of the internal information of the deep-litter beddings, which provided the facility basis for the research on the mois-ture control of deep-litter beddings, and to a certain extent, promoted the develop-ment of the facilities and equipment for livestock breeding.

A Study of Influencing Systems and Moisture Budget in a Heavy Rainfall in Low Latitude Plateau in China during Early Summer

Analysis of a heavy rainfall in a lower latitude plateau and characteristics of water vapor transportation have been conducted by using conventional data and denser surface data. The results show： （1） the heavy rainfall was caused by a series of mesoscale systems under favorable large-scale conditions when the warm moister air and cold air interacted with each other. At the same time, the coupling between the upper- and lower-level jets was revealed. It is also found that there exists some different characteristics among the main influencing systems of heavy rainfalls in Yunnan, such as the Indian-Myanmar trough and the path of the cold air, compared with those in East and South China. （2） The interaction between mesoscale convergence lines near the ground may be a possible triggering mechanism for the occurrence of mesoscale systems, and the dynamical and thermal dynamical structure of the mesoscale systems was very obvious. The convergence lines may relate closely to the terrain of Yunnan, China. （3） The computation of the water vapor budget reveals that the primary source of water vapor supply for heavy rainfall was in the Bay of Bengal. In this case, the water vapor could be transported into Yunnan even though the amount of water vapor was less than that in the lower troposphere in East and South China. In addition, the analysis for three-dimensional air parcel trajectories better revealed and described the source location and the transportation of water vapor to Yunnan.

Improvement of Soil Moisture Simulation in Eurasia by the Beijing Climate Center Climate System Model from CMIP5 to CMIP6

This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of historical surface soil moisture simulation(1979-2012)over Eurasia at annual and seasonal time scales between two medium-resolution versions of the Beijing Climate Center Climate System Model(BCC-CSM)—one that is currently participating in phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project(CMIP6),i.e.,BCC-CSM2-MR,and the other,BCC-CSM1.1m,which participated in CMIP5.We show that BCC-CSM2-MR is more skillful in reproducing the climate mean states and standard deviations of soil moisture,with pattern correlations increased and biases reduced significantly.BCC-CSM2-MR performs better in capturing the first two primary patterns of soil moisture anomalies,where the period of the corresponding time series is closer to that of reference data.Comparisons show that BCC-CSM2-MR performs at a high level among multiple models of CMIP6 in terms of centered pattern correlation and“amplitude of variation”(relative standard deviation).In general,the centered pattern correlation of BCC-CSM2-MR,ranging from 0.61 to 0.87,is higher than the multi-model mean of CMIP6,and the relative standard deviation is 0.75,which surmounts the overestimations in most of the CMIP6 models.Due to the vital role played by precipitation in land-atmosphere interaction,possible causes of the improvement of soil moisture simulation are further related to precipitation in BCC-CSM2-MR.The results indicate that a better description of the relationship between soil moisture and precipitation and a better reproduction of the climate mean precipitation by the model may result in the improved performance of soil moisture simulation.

Moisture content thresholds for ignition and rate of fire spread for various dead fuels in northeast forest ecosystems of China

Fuel moisture content is one of the important factors that determine ignition probability and fire behaviour in forest ecosystems.In this study,ignition and fire spread moisture content thresholds of 40 dead fuel were performed in laboratory experiments,with a focus on the source of ignition and wind speed.Variability in fuel moisture content at time of ignition and during fire spread was observed for different fuels.Matches were more efficient to result in ignition and spread fire with high values of fuel moisture content compared to the use of cigarette butts.Some fuels did not ignite at 15%moisture content,whereas others ignited at 40%moisture content and fire spread at 38%moisture content in the case of matches,or ignited at 27%moisture content and spread fire at 25%moisture content using cigarette butts.A two-way ANOVA showed that both the source of ignition and the wind speed affected ignition and fire spread threshold significantly,but there was no interaction between these factors.The relationship between ignition and fire spread was strong,with R2=98%for cigarette butts,and 92%for matches.Further information is needed,especially on the density of fuels,fuel proportion(case of mixed fuels),fuel age,and fuel combustibility.

Effects of the Dicranopteris linearis root system and initial moisture content on the soil disintegration characteristics of gully erosion

Benggang erosion is caused by a special type of gully erosion in southern China that seriously endangers the local ecology and environment.In this study,typical Benggang collapsing-wall soils were used as the study area to investigate the effects of different initial moisture contents and dicranopteris linearis root weight densities,as well as their interactions on disintegration in orthogonal test method.The results showed that the rate of soil disintegration decreased as a linear function of the initial moisture content.The soil disintegration rate tended to rise and then fall as the root weight density increased,reflecting an optimum root weight density of 0.75-1.00 g/100 cm3.The incorporation of dicranopteris linearis roots was most effective for soil consolidation in the shallow layers of soil.In addition,the disintegration rate of the collapsing-wall soils increases as the soil layer deepened.The dicranopteris linearis root system and initial moisture content had an interactive effect that was more pronounced in deeper soils.However,the combined effect of these processes was always dominated by the initial moisture content.Moderate initial soil moisture content(0.20-0.24 g/g)and the addition of a high root density in dicranopteris linearis(0.75-1.00 g/100 cm3)were the optimal combinations that reduced the disintegration rate.In conclusion,maintaining a suitable natural moisture content in collapsing-wall soils and taking measures that use plants to consolidate soil can effectively prevent and control the occurrence of Benggang erosion.The results of this study provided further insight into the factors that influence soil disintegration and offered a scientific basis for soil erosion management in the southern China.

SENSITIVITY OF MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE SYSTEMS AND ASSOCIATED HEAVY RAINFALL TO SOIL MOISTURE OVER SOUTH CHINA

The impacts of soil moisture(SM) on heavy rainfall and the development of Mesoscale Convection Systems(MCSs) are investigated through 24-h numerical simulations of two heavy rainfall events that occurred respectively on28 March 2009(Case 1) and 6 May 2010(Case 2) over southern China. The numerical simulations were carried out with WRF and its coupled Noah LSM(Land Surface Model). First, comparative experiments were driven by two different SM data sources from NCEP-FNL and NASA-GLDAS. Secondary, with the run driven by NASA-GLDAS data as a control one, a series of sensitivity tests with different degree of(20%, 60%) increase or decrease in the initial SM were performed to examine the impact of SM on the simulations. Comparative experiment results show that the 24-h simulated cumulative rainfall distributions are not substantially affected by the application of the two different SM data,while the precipitation intensity is changed to some extent. Forecast skill scores show that simulation with NASA-GLDAS SM data can lead to some improvement, especially in the heavy rain(芏50 mm) forecast, where there is up to 5% increase in the TS score. Sensitivity test analysis found that a predominantly positive feedback of SM on precipitation existed in these two heavy rain events but not with completely the same features. Organization of the heavy rainfall-producing MCS seems to have an impact on the feedback process between SM and precipitation. For Case 1, the MCS was poorly organized and occurred locally in late afternoon, and the increase of SM only caused a slight enhancement of precipitation. Drier soil was found to result in an apparent decrease of rainfall intensity,indicating that precipitation is more sensitive to SM reduction. For Case 2, as the heavy rain was caused by a well-organized MCS with sustained precipitation, the rainfall is more sensitive to SM increase, which brings more rainfall. Additionally, distinctive feedback effects were identified from different stages and different organization of MCS, with strong feedback between SM and precipitation mainly appearing in the early stages of the poorly organized MCS and during the late period of the well-organized MCS.

Collection System of Soil Moisture Information Based on ZigBee and GPRS

Real-time monitoring and wireless transmission of farmland soil moisture have been paid with more and more attention in the research of agricultural drought monitoring, early warning and prevention and control technology. The hardware design and software design of soil moisture monitoring in farmland were carried out, and a monitoring system based on the principles of ZigBee and GPRS technologies was developed and applied to the actual monitoring of soil moisture in farmland. This study provides a good idea to promote real-time monitoring, wireless transmission and intelligent management of soil moisture in farmland.

Relationship between Moisture Behavior and Gaseous Volatile Organic Compounds Removal in a Biofiltration System

Studies on the relationship between moisture behavior and gaseous VOCs （Volatile Organic Compounds） removal efficiency of packed tower biofilters are limited. In this research, the nutrient holding capacity, moisture evaporation rate and gaseous toluene and MEK （Methyl Ethyl Ketone） removal efficiencies of bioreactors with porous synthetic resin as the packing material were simultaneously observed. The nutrient holding capacity in one of the reactors was higher than those of the other two because its packing layer was frequently supplied with a nutrient solution by soaking. This reactor exhibited the highest toluene removal efficiency. However, excessive biomass growth was observed in this reactor. The reactor with a less frequent supply of nutrient solution by soaking showed a slightly lower toluene removal efficiency, possibly due to lack of nutrients in the packing layer. The reactor that was fed with the nutrient solution by spraying it onto the packing layer （a common method for supplying moisture） had the lowest toluene removal efficiency, mainly because of the uneven distribution of nutrients. Moreover, the moisture evaporation rate in the packing layer during moisture supply and heat balance were determined.

Resilience, reliability and risk analyses of maize, sorghum and sunflower in rain-fed systems using a soil moisture modeling approach

This paper is aimed at examining the applicability of methods for resilience, reliability and risk analyses of rain-fed agricultural systems from modeled continuous soil moisture availability in rain-fed crop lands. The methodology involves integration of soil and climatic data in a simple soil moisture accounting model to assess soil moisture availability, and a risk used as indicator of sustainability of rain-fed agricultural systems. It is also attempted to demonstrate the role of soil moisture modeling in risk analysis and agricultural water management in a semi-arid region in Limpopo Basin where rain-fed agriculture is practiced. For this purpose, a daily-time step soil moisture accounting model is employed to simulate daily soil moisture, evaporation, surface runoff, and deep percolation using 40 years (1961-2000) of agroclimatic data, and cropping cycle data of maize, sorghum and sunflower. Using a sustainability criterion on crop water requirement and soil moisture availability, we determined resilience, risk and reliability as a quantitative measure of sustainability of rain-fed agriculture of these three crops. These soil moisture simulations and the sustainability criteria revealed further confirmation of the relative sensitivity to drought of these crops. Generally it is found that the risk of failure is relatively low for sorghum and relatively high for maize and sunflower in the two sites with some differences of severity of failure owing to the slightly different agroclimatic settings.

Enhancing Deep Learning Soil Moisture Forecasting Models by Integrating Physics-based Models

Accurate soil moisture(SM)prediction is critical for understanding hydrological processes.Physics-based(PB)models exhibit large uncertainties in SM predictions arising from uncertain parameterizations and insufficient representation of land-surface processes.In addition to PB models,deep learning(DL)models have been widely used in SM predictions recently.However,few pure DL models have notably high success rates due to lacking physical information.Thus,we developed hybrid models to effectively integrate the outputs of PB models into DL models to improve SM predictions.To this end,we first developed a hybrid model based on the attention mechanism to take advantage of PB models at each forecast time scale(attention model).We further built an ensemble model that combined the advantages of different hybrid schemes(ensemble model).We utilized SM forecasts from the Global Forecast System to enhance the convolutional long short-term memory(ConvLSTM)model for 1–16 days of SM predictions.The performances of the proposed hybrid models were investigated and compared with two existing hybrid models.The results showed that the attention model could leverage benefits of PB models and achieved the best predictability of drought events among the different hybrid models.Moreover,the ensemble model performed best among all hybrid models at all forecast time scales and different soil conditions.It is highlighted that the ensemble model outperformed the pure DL model over 79.5%of in situ stations for 16-day predictions.These findings suggest that our proposed hybrid models can adequately exploit the benefits of PB model outputs to aid DL models in making SM predictions.

Time-lagged Effects of the Spring Atmospheric Heat Source over the Tibetan Plateau on Summer Precipitation in Northeast China during 1961–2020:Role of Soil Moisture

The spring atmospheric heat source(AHS)over the Tibetan Plateau(TP)has been suggested to affect the Asian summer monsoon and summer precipitation over South China.However,its influence on the summer precipitation in Northeast China(NEC)remains unknown.The connection between spring TP AHS and subsequent summer precipitation over NEC from 1961 to 2020 is analyzed in this study.Results illustrate that stronger spring TP AHS can enhance subsequent summer NEC precipitation,and higher soil moisture in the Yellow River Valley-North China region(YRVNC)acts as a bridge.During spring,the strong TP AHS could strengthen the transportation of water vapor to East China and lead to excessive rainfall in the YRVNC.Thus,soil moisture increases,which regulates local thermal conditions by decreasing local surface skin temperature and sensible heat.Owing to the memory of soil moisture,the lower spring sensible heat over the YRVNC can last until mid-summer,decrease the land–sea thermal contrast,and weaken the southerly winds over the East Asia–western Pacific region and convective activities over the South China Sea and tropical western Pacific.This modulates the East Asia–Pacific teleconnection pattern,which leads to a cyclonic anomaly and excessive summer precipitation over NEC.

The hydrologic record of karst systems: linking soil moisture to the carbon isotope signatures of soils above the Blue Spring cave system

Speleothem carbonates are precipitated continuously from inorganic carbon dissolved in seepage water infiltrating from the land surface,that reflects a mixture of atmospheric CO_2,respired soil carbon,and epikarst sources,each with distinct δ^(13)C values.To aid in deconvolving these signatures,soil samples were collected above the Blue Spring cave system in Sparta,Tennessee,USA and subjected to a series of incubation experiments,in order to constrain the correlation between CO_2respiration rates and soil moisture.This relationship is used to parameterize a simple mixing model which predicts the relationship between δ^(13)C and soil moisture in fluids infiltrating into the underlying cave system.

Moisture Migration and Bulk Nutrients Interaction in a Drying Food Systems: A Review

Drying is a technique that involves removal of moisture using heat energy. This heat affects the protein components in foods especially the thiosulphide groups, which causes hydrophobic bond break that has been attributed greatly to denaturation during drying. Safe moisture content (SMC) is the extent to which moisture can be withdrawn from food crops during drying that such crops can be considered safe for storage with minimal loss of nutritional qualities. Several reported minimum moisture contents, and bulk nutrients’ levels of crops were collected for the purpose of this review, and scattered plot graph was employed to determine the levels of bond interaction between moisture content and each bulk nutrients in the various dried food categories. The moisture contents in grains, root and tuber crops, fruits and vegetables, and cash crops formed a SMC threshold boundary within the 6% - 14%;0% - 10%;0% - 22%;and 0% - 30% respectively. Crude fibre and most especially the ash content played the most crucial role by providing the strongest bond interaction with migrating moisture during drying of all the food crops’ categories, and are of utmost important in the determination of SMC.

Influence of Artificial Light on Laying Hens Production of Heat, Moisture and Carbon Dioxide in a Floor Housing System

Investigations about laying hens reactions on artificial light conditions were carried out in a climate chamber equipped with a floor housing system for laying hens. The release of moisture increased during light periods probably due to increased activity which increased respiration rate but also on increased scratching which increased evaporation of moisture from bedding material. The daily average was 6.29 g henl h＂l at 4 lux and 5.97 g henl hl, at 93 lux which corresponds to a difference of 5%. The level of light intensity seemed to have little influence on the release of moisture. The total release of heat was slightly higher during light periods compared to dark periods. Explanations can be increased activity but also feed intake increasing the metabolic rate during light periods. The daily average of total heat production was 17.0 W per hen at 4 lux and 14.7 at 93 lux which corresponds to a difference of 16%. The release of carbon dioxide increased during light periods probably due to increased activity and respiration.

Development and Application of Cell-Phone-Based Internet of Things (IoT) Systems for Soil Moisture Monitoring

Active soil moisture monitoring is an important consideration in irrigation water management. A permanent and readily accessible record of changes in soil moisture can be used to improve future water management decision-making. Similarly, accessing stored soil moisture data in near-real-time is also essential for making timely farming and management decisions, such as where, when, and how much irrigation to apply. Access to reliable communication systems and delivery of real-time data can be affected by its availability near production fields. Therefore, soil moisture monitoring systems with real-time data functionality that can meet the needs of farmers at an affordable cost are currently needed. The objective of the study was to develop and fieldtest affordable cell-phone-based Internet of things (IoT) systems for soil moisture monitoring. These IoT systems were designed using low-cost hardware components and open-source software to transmit soil moisture data from the Watermark 200SS or ECH2O EC-5 sensors. These monitoring systems utilized either Particle Electron or Particle Proton Arduino-compatible devices for data communication. The IoT soil moisture monitoring systems have been deployed and operated successfully over the last three years in South Carolina.

Assessment of Moisture Permeability and Closure Systems of High Density Polyethylene Plastic Bottles Used as Primary Packaging Containers for Moisture Sensitive Medicines

Introduction: Moisture permeability and a loose closure system might allow a significant gain of moisture into container and this could lead to significant loss of potency of drug sensitive to moisture and as well promoting the growth of microorganisms. Typical examples of the drugs sensitive to moisture include Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF). Product claimed to be a “Tight container” does not make it a tight container until proved practically. A plastic container is tight if “not more than one of the 10 tested containers exceeds 100 mg per day per L in moisture permeability. Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine rate of moisture permeability of selected High Density Polyethylene plastic bottles for packaging of moisture sensitive medicines in particular Lamivudine/Tenofovir Disoproxil fumarate tablets. Methodology: The determination of rate of moisture permeability was achieved by assessing closure systems of plastics as per USP 37 method, while the difference in absorption pattern was achieved by assessing the spectrum obtained through transmittance by Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR). The plastic bottles were randomly selected from supplier A, B and C. Results: The plastic bottles from supplier A and B had an average moisture permeability of 12.57 and 51.55 mg/day/L with none of the containers exceeding moisture permeability of 100 mg/day/L whereas containers from supplier C had an average of 149.95 mg/day/L with seven of the containers exceeding of 100 mg/day/L. Conclusion: Containers from supplier A and B met the USP specifications hence could be used as primary packaging for moisture sensitive medicines whereas the containers from supplier C did not meet the USP specifications for them to be regarded as “Tight Containers” and hence, unsuitable for packaging of moisture sensitive medicines.

Differences in Precipitation and Related Wind Dynamics and Moisture and Heat Features in Separate Areas of the South China Sea before and after Summer Monsoon Onset

Using surface and balloon-sounding measurements, satellite retrievals, and ERA5 reanalysis during 2011–20, this study compares the precipitation and related wind dynamics, moisture and heat features in different areas of the South China Sea(SCS) before and after SCS summer monsoon onset(SCSSMO). The rainy sea around Dongsha(hereafter simply referred to as Dongsha) near the north coast, and the rainless sea around Xisha(hereafter simply referred to as Xisha) in the western SCS, are selected as two typical research subregions. It is found that Dongsha, rather than Xisha, has an earlier and greater increase in precipitation after SCSSMO under the combined effect of strong low-level southwesterly winds, coastal terrain blocking and lifting, and northern cold air. When the 950-h Pa southwesterly winds enhance and advance northward, accompanied by strengthened moisture flux, there is a strong convergence of wind and moisture in Dongsha due to a sudden deceleration and rear-end collision of wind by coastal terrain blocking. Moist and warm advection over Dongsha enhances early and deepens up to 200 h Pa in association with the strengthened upward motion after SCSSMO, thereby providing ample moisture and heat to form strong precipitation. However, when the 950-h Pa southwesterly winds weaken and retreat southward, Xisha is located in a wind-break area where strong convergence and upward motion centers move in. The vertical moistening and heating by advection in Xisha enhance later and appear far weaker compared to that in Dongsha, consistent with later and weaker precipitation.

Unraveling engineering disturbance effects on deformation in red-bed mudstone railway cuttings:incorporating crack-facilitated moisture diffusion

Red-bed mudstone, prevalent in southwest China, poses a formidable challenge due to its hydrophilic clay minerals, resulting in expansion, deformation, and cracking upon exposure to moisture. This study addresses uplift deformation disasters in high-speed railways by employing a moisture diffusion-deformation-fracture coupling model based on the finite-discrete element method(FDEM). The model integrates the influence of cracks on moisture diffusion. The investigation into various excavation depths reveals a direct correlation between depth and the formation of tensile cracks at the bottom of the railway cutting. These cracks expedite moisture migration, significantly impacting the temporal and spatial evolution of the moisture field. Additionally, crack expansion dominates hygroscopic deformation, with the lateral coordinate of the crack zone determining peak vertical displacement. Furthermore, key factors influencing deformation in railway cuttings, including the swelling factor and initial moisture content at the bottom of the cutting, are explored. The number of tensile and shear cracks increases with greater excavation depth, particularly concerning shear cracks. Higher swelling factors and initial moisture contents result in an increased total number of cracks, predominantly shear cracks. Numerical calculations provide valuable insights, offering a scientific foundation and directional guidance for the precise prevention, control, prediction, and comprehensive treatment of mudstone-related issues in high-speed railways.

Magneto-Photo-Thermoelastic Excitation Rotating Semiconductor Medium Based on Moisture Diffusivity

In this research,we focus on the free-surface deformation of a one-dimensional elastic semiconductor medium as a function of magnetic field and moisture diffusivity.The problem aims to analyze the interconnection between plasma and moisture diffusivity processes,as well as thermo-elastic waves.The study examines the photothermoelasticity transport process while considering the impact of moisture diffusivity.By employing Laplace’s transformation technique,we derive the governing equations of the photo-thermo-elastic medium.These equations include the equations for carrier density,elastic waves,moisture transport,heat conduction,and constitutive relationships.Mechanical stresses,thermal conditions,and plasma boundary conditions are used to calculate the fundamental physical parameters in the Laplace domain.By employing numerical techniques,the Laplace transform is inverted to get complete time-domain solutions for the primary physical domains under study.Referencemoisture,thermoelastic,and thermoelectric characteristics are employed in conjunction with a graphical analysis that takes into consideration the effects of applied forces on displacement,moisture concentration,carrier density,stress due to forces,and temperature distribution.

Comparison of isotope-based linear and Bayesian mixing models in determining moisture recycling ratio

Stable water isotopes are natural tracers quantifying the contribution of moisture recycling to local precipitation,i.e.,the moisture recycling ratio,but various isotope-based models usually lead to different results,which affects the accuracy of local moisture recycling.In this study,a total of 18 stations from four typical areas in China were selected to compare the performance of isotope-based linear and Bayesian mixing models and to determine local moisture recycling ratio.Among the three vapor sources including advection,transpiration,and surface evaporation,the advection vapor usually played a dominant role,and the contribution of surface evaporation was less than that of transpiration.When the abnormal values were ignored,the arithmetic averages of differences between isotope-based linear and the Bayesian mixing models were 0.9%for transpiration,0.2%for surface evaporation,and–1.1%for advection,respectively,and the medians were 0.5%,0.2%,and–0.8%,respectively.The importance of transpiration was slightly less for most cases when the Bayesian mixing model was applied,and the contribution of advection was relatively larger.The Bayesian mixing model was found to perform better in determining an efficient solution since linear model sometimes resulted in negative contribution ratios.Sensitivity test with two isotope scenarios indicated that the Bayesian model had a relatively low sensitivity to the changes in isotope input,and it was important to accurately estimate the isotopes in precipitation vapor.Generally,the Bayesian mixing model should be recommended instead of a linear model.The findings are useful for understanding the performance of isotope-based linear and Bayesian mixing models under various climate backgrounds.