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No. 37/2020 (Nov. 16, 2020)
Engineers are working on the self-watering soil that could transform farming.
Engineers at the University of Texas in Austin have created a new type of soil that can pull water from the air on cool, humid days and at night, and then release it on hot days by the action of solar energy. The new discovery will expand farmable land to areas where proper irrigation is currently a problem, and will contribute to reducing water consumption and improving plant hydration at the time of droughts.The atmospheric irrigation system developed by the scientists uses gels which perfectly absorb moisture from the air. As the soil heats up to a certain point, the gels release water making it available to the plants. When the soil distributes water, some of it goes back into the air increasing its humidity. Depending on the crops, around 0.1 to 1 kilogram of soil can provide enough water to irrigate about a square meter of farmable land.
The process of pulling water from the air at night and releasing it into the soil during the day
While running an experiment on a building roof at the Cockrell School Engineering Teaching Center at UT Austin, the researchers found that the hydrogel soil was able to hold water better than sandy soils found in dry areas, and that much less water was needed for plant growth. After 4 weeks of experiments, the hydrogel soil retained approx. 40% of water, while in sandy soil, only 20% of water remained after a week.
In another experiment, the team planted radishes in both types of soil. All radishes in the hydrogel soil survived 14 days after the irrigation ended. The radishes in the sandy soil were irrigated several times during the first four days of the experiment, but none of them lasted more than two days after the irrigation was interrupted.
In another experiment, the team planted radishes in both types of soil. All radishes in the hydrogel soil survived 14 days after the irrigation ended. The radishes in the sandy soil were irrigated several times during the first four days of the experiment, but none of them lasted more than two days after the irrigation was interrupted.
The water-harvesting soil is the first major application of technology that the team of the university's mechanical engineering department has been working on for more than two years. Last year, the team developed the capability to use gel-polymer hybrid materials that work like "super sponges," extracting large amounts of water from the ambient air to quickly purify it and release after exposure to solar radiation.
Several other uses for this technology are already anticipated. It can be used for cooling of solar panels and data centers.
Several other uses for this technology are already anticipated. It can be used for cooling of solar panels and data centers.
Installation of TERRA MR-9xx series radial multiswitches in a RACK cabinet.
The RACK board ZMD-1 R77311 front mounting assembly is a set of two brackets for mounting in a RACK cabinet. It has dedicated holes for mounting of TERRA MR-xxx multiswitches (hole spacing: height 120 mm, width 100/140/180 mm). The M5x10 bolts and nuts are included. The vertical spacing of the elements is chosen so that the cables connected to the multiswitch input connectors have enough space to maintain the minimum bending radius. It is even possible to install Signal R48602 surge protectors. The set includes eight screws with caged nuts, used to assemble the unit in the cabinet.
Front assembly component ZMD-1 R77311 for installing TERRA MR-xxx multiswitches
Integrating Hikvision DVRs/NVRs with SkyHawk HDDs.
SkyHawk Health Management (SHM) is the embedded HDD software operated at the local DVR menu level. It monitors HDD parameters and operating conditions (such as temperature, humidity, vibrations) and may recommend a specific action (e.g. a reduction in the temperature or the number of HDDs) if it identifies a risk to HDD health. If the condition of the HDD is compromised, the system will automatically recommend its backup to ensure continued data access.
View of the SkyHawk Health Management window, available in the NVR menu
View of a warning message
View of a warning message
RAID Rapid Rebuild is the latest function designed to reduce the time needed to perform volume rebuilds. It rebuilds only the failed striped data, then copies over the rest of the unaffected data to a spare hard drive. The SHM system is integrated with 4 TB SkyHawk HDDs and compatible with Hikvision NVRs (v4.X).
DIPOL adds new ATK ALP LTE antenna models.
The ATK-LOG ALP LTE MIMO logarithmic antenna is designed for use in GSM/DCS/UMTS/HSDPA/LTE systems operating in the 800-3000 MHz range. It effectively solves the common problem of inadequate signal strength at the installation location of a modem with a GSM/UMTS/LTE card. If this is the case, it is usually enough to connect an antenna to the modem to achieve a sufficient signal strength. The antenna is designed to work with LTE modems (SMA connectors), e.g. Huawei B525, B535, ZTE 283+.Currently, the ATK ALP MIMO 2x2 800-3000 MHz antennas in five variants are offered:
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Main monitor extension mode in the Hikvision IP video intercom system.
When building a video intercom system, one indoor station is usually installed at each subscriber’s place that allows for receiving of video calls. Sometimes, in case of larger apartments or houses with several floors, installation of several monitors is required for more flexible system performance. Then the indoor stations are configured in the extension mode, where one is defined as the main one and others work as extensions (1-5 extensions). Assuming that a working system is already configured, the configuration of the extension monitors is as follows:- after adding devices to the iVMS-4200 application, go to the remote settings of the indoor station that will be configured as an extension,
- then, in the Intercom->IDs configuration tab, for the Device type select Additional indoor module, and in the Index tab, enter the extension number (1-5). The indoor station will restart,
- after the restart and re-entering the remote settings, go to the network->Linked network configuration tab, and for the Main IP of the indoor station enter the IP of the main monitor.
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Setting the monitor mode | Setting the IP of the main monitor on the extension monitor |
In such configuration, the call to a given subscriber can be received on the main monitor and installed extensions.
The simplest fiber optic splicers, based on the positioning of fibers in v-grooves, are equipped with 2 motors - one for each fiber handle. These motors are responsible for positioning the fibers horizontally, i.e. ensuring adequate distance between the fiber ends before they are spliced. The proper positioning of the fibers in the vertical axis depends on the cleanliness of the v-grooves in the splicer, as well as the cleanliness of the fibers.
Four-motor splicers are able to position fibers also in the vertical plane. Thanks to this the splicing process is much faster and less problematic. Equipped with an appropriate optical system, they usually use the method of centering the fibers to fit the cladding. This guarantees low attenuation of the splice in the vast majority of cases.
The Signal Fire Ai-8C L5870 splicer has 6 motors: two for positioning the fibers horizontally, two vertically, the 5th and 6th are the auto-focus motors
Does it mean the splicers with 6 motors align the fibers in 3 planes? Well, no. In the Z axis, the fibers remain always in the same position due to the factory arrangement of the v-grooves – there is no need to move the fibers in this plane. The 5th and 6th motors are auto-focus motors, supoorting the function that searches for the core of the optical fibers. To make this possible, apart from additional motors, a top quality optical system is required (the core in single-mode optical fiber cables has a diameter of approx. 9 μm). The ability to find the cores in the fibers allows for a better alignment, thus reducing signal loss at the splice.
 | Hikvision DS-KIS602 G73205 video intercom kit consists of the DS-KD8003-IME1 door/gate station main module, DS-KD-ACW1 1-module surface-mounted housing, 5-port PoE switch (4 x PoE (802.3 af/at) and 1 x Uplink) complete with a dedicated power supply, DS-KH6320-WTE1 7" monitor and a 16 GB microSD card. It is a complete and scalable kit that can be installed to work in a small building. | |
 | TP-LINK TL-PA4010 KIT powerline adapter kit N3368 transmits Ethernet signal through the existing electrical wiring. It is an ideal solution when it is not possible to use a twisted-pair cable or when using a wireless network is not possible or not convenient. | |
 | Compact IP camera Hikvision DS-2CD2686G2T-IZS K05334 belongs to the second generation of cameras based on the AcuSense technology, notable for even more effective filtering out of false alarms. The device is dedicated for use in CCTV systems based on IP DVRs/NVRs. The camera is fitted with an 8 Mpix 1/1.8" CMOS sensor and an IR illuminator with a range up to 60 m to ensure proper visibility in low-light conditions. It has a varifocal 2,8-12 mm Motozoom type lens. | |
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