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Body temperature is an important indicator of health monitoring. However, since animals are covered with fur, it is difficult to obtain their accurate body temperature with the traditional infrared measurement technology. To deal with this problem, this research proposes a non-contact real-time monitoring system using an infrared method combined with object detection. The system is developed based on general infrared thermal imaging technology and an infrared thermal imaging module with an image tracking algorithm. YOLO is used to detect animals, and a thermal imaging camera is used to measure the body surface temperature of animals. The result shows that the proposed system can accurately measure the body temperature of animals without being influenced by animals’ fur. In the future, it can be applied to monitor the body temperature of sick animals in veterinary hospitals.

The electrical spark discharge method was used to prepare graphene copper nanocomposite (GNS-Cu) colloids under normal temperature and pressure. Cu and graphite were mixed in deionized water at a Cu : C mass ratio of 9 : 1 (99% purity), and the mixture was used to produce composite rods as the electrodes for spark machining. An electrical discharge machine with five settings of pulse cycle turn-on and turn-off times, namely 10-10, 30-30, 50-50, 70-70, and 90-90 μs, was used to prepare five different types of GNS-Cu colloids. The ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy results revealed that the highest absorbance (2.441) was observed when the turn-on and turn-off times were 30-30 μs, indicating that this configuration was most efficient for preparing GNS-Cu colloids. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis were also conducted to examine the surface characteristics and crystal structure of GNS-Cu colloids. The transmission electron microscopy results revealed that Cu particles in the GNS-Cu colloids were located within or on top of graphene sheets. The Cu particle size varied with the discharge efficiency, and the lattice spacing of the Cu particles was approximately 0.218 nm. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that no byproducts were formed from the preparation of GNS-Cu colloids, which had complete crystal structures.

This study evaluated dose differences in normal organs at risk, such as the lungs, heart, left anterior descending artery (LAD), right coronary artery, left ventricle, and right breast under personalized breast holder (PERSBRA), when using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). This study evaluated the radiation protection offered by PERSBRA in left breast cancer radiation therapy. Here, we retrospectively collected data from 24 patients with left breast cancer who underwent breast-conserving surgery as well as IMRT radiotherapy. We compared the dose differences in target coverage and organs at risk with and without PERSBRA. For target coverage, tumor prescribed dose 95% coverage, conformity index, and homogeneity index were evaluated. For organs at risk, we compared the mean heart dose, mean left ventricle dose, LAD maximum and mean dose, mean left lung receiving 20 Gy, 10 Gy, and 5 Gy of left lung volume, maximum and mean coronary artery of the right, maximum of right breast, and mean dose. Good target coverage was achieved with and without PERSBRA. When PERSBRA was used with IMRT, the mean dose of the heart decreased by 42%, the maximum dose of LAD decreased by 26.4%, and the mean dose of LAD decreased by 47.0%. The mean dose of the left ventricle decreased by 54.1%, the volume (V20) of the left lung that received 20 Gy decreased by 22.8%, the volume (V10) of the left lung that received 10 Gy decreased by 19.8%, the volume (V5) of the left lung that received 5 Gy decreased by 15.7%, and the mean dose of the left lung decreased by 23.3%. Using PERSBRA with IMRT greatly decreases the dose to organs at risk (left lung, heart, left ventricle, and LAD). This study found that PERSBRA with IMRT can achieve results similar to deep inspiration breath-hold radiotherapy (DIBH) in terms of reducing the heart radiation dose and the risk of developing heart disease in patients with left breast cancer who cannot undergo DIBH.

Purpose: Breast immobilization with personalized breast holder (PERSBRA) is a promising approach for normal organ protection during whole breast radiotherapy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the skin surface dose for breast radiotherapy with PERSBRA using different radiotherapy techniques. Materials and methods: We designed PERSBRA with three different mesh sizes (large, fine and solid) and applied them on an anthropomorphic(Rando) phantom. Treatment planning was generated using hybrid, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) techniques to deliver a prescribed dose of 5000 cGy in 25 fractions accordingly. Dose measurement with EBT3 film and TLD were taken on Rando phantom without PERSBRA, large mesh, fine mesh and solid PERSBRA for (a) tumor doses, (b) surface doses for medial field and lateral field irradiation undergoing hybrid, IMRT, VMAT techniques. Results: The tumor dose deviation was less than five percent between the measured doses of the EBT3 film and the TLD among the different techniques. The application of a PERSBRA was associated with a higher dose of the skin surface. A large mesh size of PERSBRA was associated with a lower surface dose. The findings were consistent among hybrid, IMRT, or VMAT techniques. Conclusions: Breast immobilization with PERSBRA can reduce heart toxicity but leads to a build-up of skin surface doses, which can be improved with a larger mesh design for common radiotherapy techniques.

Background: This study used Electrical Spark Discharge Method (ESDM) to fabricate the nano-Au, nano-Ag and nano-Cu colloid. The spark wears down the surface of the electrodes and gets nano-metal particles at standard temperature and pressure and without adding any other chemical materials in the deionized water. Methods: The nano-metal particles are examined by UV-Visible Spectroscopy, Zetasizer, Transmission Electron Microscope, and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis and are proven to be nano-metal colloid. Under the comparison of different parameters (discharge pulse width, HV, Ip), the size of nano-metal particles increases with the level of Ip. Results: Under the experiment of light or dark, most of the Absorbance of the nano-Au and nano-Ag colloid is higher than that of the environment under strong light irradiation as long as it is prepared in a pure black environment. The nano-Au and nano-Ag colloid prepared by ESDM have a zeta potential exceeding the absolute value of 30 mV, no matter which parameter is applied or whether there is illumination or not. Conclusion: It represents a good suspension stability of the nano-Au and nano-Ag colloid, but the nano-Cu colloid does not have this feature. The suspension stability is not good.

In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocolloids (ZnONCs) were prepared in an electrical discharge machine using the electrical spark discharge method. ZnONCs comprising ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and zinc nanoparticles (ZnNPs) could be successfully prepared using metal electrodes with 99.97%-purity zinc (Zn) wire and deionized water as the dielectric fluid at normal temperature and pressure; chemical substances were not required in the preparation. According to the results of ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, the ZnONP characteristic peak value was 345 nm. X-ray diffraction results indicated that ZnONCs had both Zn and ZnO crystallite orientations. Transmission electron microscopy results revealed that ZnONPs and ZnNPs exhibited elongated crystals measuring 30–50 nm, a ZnO d-spacing of 0.25 nm, and a Zn d-spacing of 0.21 nm. Raman and photoluminescence imaging results indicated favorable structural quality and crystallinity.

In this study, graphene colloids were prepared using the electric spark discharge method (ESDM) with graphite rods (99.9% purity) in deionized water (DW) at a normal temperature and pressure. Five different types of graphene colloids were prepared using an electrical discharge machine (EDM) with five different pulse cycle switching times (Ton:Toff) = 10:10, 30:30, 50:50, 70:70, and 90:90 μs. According to the Ultraviolet-visible spectra (UV-Vis) and Zetasizer analysis, the results showed that the 10:10 μs parameter was the most suitable for the preparation of graphene colloids. UV-Vis was also used to detect the concentration of the graphene colloids; a comparison with a graphene oxide (GO) confirmed that this method could be used to calculate the discharge time needed to produce graphene colloids with different concentrations in the ESDM process.

This study enhanced the discharge energy of an existing micro-electric discharge machining (EDM) system to provide the system with the ability to prepare nano-tungsten (nano-W) colloid. The energy- enhanced EDM system, referred to as the upgraded-micro-EDM system, enables spark discharge using tungsten wires immersed in deionized water to produce nano-W colloids. Compared with the chemical preparation method, the processing environment for preparing colloids will not have nanoparticle escape in this study. Among the nano-W colloids prepared using the upgraded-micro-EDM system and an industrial EDM system, the colloid prepared by the upgraded-micro-EDM system exhibited more favorable absorbance, suspensibility, and particle size. The colloid prepared by the upgraded-micro-EDM system with the pulse on time and off time of 10–10 µs had an absorbance of 0.277 at the wavelength of 315 nm, ζ potential of −64.9 mV, and an average particle size of 164.9 nm. Transmission electron microscope imaging revealed the minimum particle size of approximately 11 nm, and the X-ray diffractometer spectrum verified that the colloid contained only \({\text{W}}_{2.00}\) and W nanoparticles. Relative to industrial EDM applications for nano-W colloid preparation, the upgraded system boasts lower costs and smaller size, and produces nano-W colloid with superior performance. These advantages contribute to the competitiveness of electrical spark discharge method in the preparation of high-quality nano-W colloids.

Along with the rapid development of sensing systems and wireless transmission technology, the scope of application of the IoT has substantially increased, and research and innovation that integrate artificial intelligence. This study integrated civil engineering and electrical engineering to establish a universal and modularized long-term sensing system. Aiming at positive construction in civil engineering, the campus of National Taipei University of Technology was used as the experimental site as a green campus. This paper focused on the cooling effect of the green roof and the temperature difference of the solar panel to effectively isolate the direct sunlight on the roof of the building. To achieve long-term monitoring, energy consumption must be minimized. Considering that the distance between sensor nodes in the experimental site was over dozens of feet, LoRa transmission technology was selected for data transmission. LoRa only consumes a small amount of energy during data transmission, and it can freely switch between work modes, achieving optimal power utilization efficiency. The greening-related research results indicated that the shade from solar panels on the rooftop could effectively reduce the temperature increase caused by direct sunlight on concrete surfaces. The temperature reduction effect was positively correlated with whether the solar panels provided shade. After 1 week of monitoring, we observed that having plants on the rooftop for greening negatively correlated with temperature reduction efficiency. Permeable pavement on the ground was positively correlated with temperature reduction efficiency. However, its temperature reduction efficiency was inferior to that of solar panel shading. The temperature difference between high-rise buildings and the ground was approximately 1–2 °C. At the same elevation, the temperature difference between buildings with and without greening was approximately 0.8 °C. Regarding the sensing system designed for this site, both hardware and software could be flexibly set according to the research purposes, precision requirements of the sites, and the measurement scope, thereby enabling their application in more fields.

This study used an electric discharge machine (EDM) to perform the electrical spark discharge method (ESDM) to prepare a graphene colloid and a graphene-Ag colloid. The characteristic wavelengths of graphene, and graphene-Ag are both 262 nm. They had the properties of high dispersion and are unlikely to aggregate. The XRD patterns of graphene and graphene-Ag are typical carbon diffraction peak angles and crystal orientations. Graphene-Ag in DW can increase the Raman signal intensity of graphene. Regarding the graphene colloid and graphene-Ag colloid, their average sheet resistance values are 0.0329 MΩ/sq and 0.00136 MΩ/sq, respectively. Moreover, when AgNPs composited with graphene layers, the average sheet resistance is only 1/24 that of graphene layers, indicating that graphene-Ag has superior conductivity.

In this study, the electric spark discharge method was used to prepare tungsten (W) and tungsten-trioxide (WO3) nanocomposite colloid. A high-energy arc was used to melt a W rod, and the W ions were then ionized with a medium arc to prepare W and WO3 nanocomposite colloid at a high temperature. This preparation method was simple, fast, and effective. The particle size and zeta potential of the samples were measured with a Zetasizer and the shape, size, distribution, and crystal lattice of the W (0.225 nm) and WO3 (0.355 nm) nanoparticles were observed and compared using a Transmission Electron Microscope. The optical properties of the nanocomposite colloids were measured with a UV–visible spectrophotometer (UV–Vis). X-ray diffraction and a Raman Spectrometer were used to detect the crystal properties of the W and WO3 nanoparticles. The results showed that the components of the nanocomposite colloid were W and WO3. The average size of the nanoparticles was 79.65 nm and the zeta potential was − 52.5 mV; thus, the W and WO3 nanoparticles had the suspension effect. There was a peak at 320 nm according to UV–Vis, which is the characteristic absorbance of W and WO3.

Electrical discharge machine was used to prepare platinum nanocolloid by electric spark discharge method (ESDM) at room temperature. Preparation of platinum nanocolloid needed only traditional electrical discharge machine, platinum wire (99.5%) and magnet mixer. Then verify whether platinum nanoparticles be could successfully prepared under different preparation and their suspension stability. The optical properties and zeta potential were measured by UV–vis and Zetasizer, and their characteristic peaks (surface plasmon resonant), while suspension stability was analysed. The results of transmission electron microscope showed size, shape and dispersibility of platinum nanoparticles with a size of mostly

This is a study of an antimicrobial test, including yeast, Aspergillus Niger, and Aspergillus Flavus, on a nanosilver colloid solution. The antibiosis is compared with a standard silver ion solution at the same concentration as in the experimental process. This study proved that the nanosilver colloid prepared by the electrical spark discharge method (ESDM) is free of any chemical additives, has a microbial control effect, and that the effect is much better than the Ag+ standard solution at the same concentration. 3M Count Plate (YM) is used to test and observe the colony counts. The microbial control test for yeast, Aspergillus Niger, and Aspergillus Flavus is implemented in the nanosilver colloid. In addition to Aspergillus flavus, an Ag+ concentration of 16 ppm is enough to inhibit the growth of the samples. At the same concentration, the nanosilver colloid has a much better microbial control effect than the Ag+ standard solution, which may be because the nanoparticle can release Ag+ continuously, so the solution using the ESDM has a more significant microbial control effect.

Metal nanoparticles are typically prepared by using a chemical method, and a suspension is added to control the particle size and concentration of the nanoparticles. In this study, a micro-electric discharge machine (micro-EDM) was used to melt bismuth into nanoparticles, thus yielding a colloidal solution. No chemicals were added during the manufacturing process, and pure water was used as the medium. The colloid was assessed using an electrohydraulic system, and process parameters were adjusted for optimization, additionally, the discharge pulse wave was analyzed. The proposed preparation process is simple, fast, and cost-effective, moreover, the manufacturing process allows for mass production and reduces environmental pollution. Experimental results revealed that the nano-bismuth (nano-bi) colloidal solution was successfully prepared by the micro-EDM, and absorption peaks in the UV-vis spectrum were observed at 234 and 237 nm. Moreover, to optimize the proportional&ndash, integral&ndash, derivative (PID) control parameters to be used in the micro-EDM to prepare the nano-bi colloidal solution, this study derived a mathematical model of the micro-EDM. MATLAB was used to obtain the PID parameters. The discharge success rate (74.1876%) for the nano-bi colloidal solution prepared using our method was higher than that (46.9196%) obtained for a nano-bi colloidal solution prepared using an online adaptation method.

This study employed an electric discharge machine (EDM) and the Electrical Spark Discharge Method (ESDM) to prepare silver iodide nanocolloid (AgINC). Povidone–iodine (PVP-I) was dissolved in deionized water to create a dielectric fluid. Silver material was melted using the high temperature generated by an electric arc, and the peeled-off material was reacted with PVP-I to form AgI nanoparticles (AgINPs). Six discharge pulse wave parameter combinations (Ton–Toff) were employed, and the resultant particle size and suspension of the prepared samples were examined. The results revealed that AgINPs were successfully created using the ESDM. When Ton–Toff was set at 90–90 μs, the zeta potential of the AgINC was − 50.3 mV, indicating excellent suspension stability. The AgINC particle size was 16 nm, verifying that the parameters yielded AgINPs with the smallest particle size distribution and highest zeta potential. Ultraviolet–visible spectrum analyser was performed to analyse the samples, and the spectra indicated that the characteristic wavelength was 420 nm regardless of the Ton–Toff values. X-ray diffraction analysis determined that the AgINPs exhibited two crystal structures, namely β-AgI and Ag. Transmission electron microscopy was performed and revealed that the particles were irregularly shaped and that some of the larger particles had aggregated. The crystal structure was determined to be a mixture of Ag and β-AgI, with a lattice spacing of 0.235 nm and 0.229 nm, respectively. The lattice spacing of the Ag was 0.235 nm. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the prepared AgINC were composed of only Ag and I; no additional chemical elements were detected.

Bismuth (Bi) is used to treat certain diseases, however the Bi powder or colloids used in medicine must be nonpolluting and safe. The use of electrical discharge machines (EDMs) to produce nano-Bi powder is a green process. A nonpolluting and safe nano-Bi colloid can be produced swiftly and easily in deionized water using the electrical spark discharge method, adjusting the discharge pulse width T on, T off and the discharge current I P of the EDM. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, the Zetasizer technique, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and other techniques were used to analyze a nano-Bi colloid prepared under various discharge parameters to optimize the preparation of Bi nanoparticles (Bi-NPs) using EDMs. The results of this study indicated that Bi-NP colloids were successfully prepared using EDM. TEM images revealed that the NPs were smaller than 50 nm with only the Bi element in the colloid. Furthermore, the zeta potential of the nano-Bi colloid exceeded 30 mV, which indicated that the suspension of the colloid was excellent. A UV-Vis absorption peak was observed at approximately 234-237 nm.

This study employed the electrical spark discharge method to prepare platinum iodide nanocolloids at normal temperature and pressure. Wires composed of 99.5% platinum were applied as the electrodes, and 250 ppm liquid iodine was employed as the dielectric fluid. An electric discharge machine was applied to generate cyclic direct current pulse power between the electrodes. Five sets of turn-on and turn-off time (Ton–Toff) parameters, namely 10–10, 30–30, 50–50, 70–70, and 90–90 μs, were implemented to identify the optimal nanocolloid preparation conditions. An ultraviolet-visible spectroscope, a Zetasizer, and a transmission electron microscope were used to examine the nanocolloids' properties. The results revealed that the Ton–Toff parameter set of 10–10 μs was the most ideal setting for platinum iodide nanocolloid preparation. With this parameter set, the characteristic wavelengths of the nanocolloid were 285 and 350 nm, respectively; its absorbance values were 0.481 and 0.425, respectively; and its zeta potential and particle size were −30.3 mV and 61.88 nm, respectively. This parameter set yielded maximized absorbance, satisfactory suspension stability, and minimized nanoparticle sizes for the nanocolloid.

This study used electrical discharge machine (EDM) to prepare nanoiron colloid with the electrical spark discharge method (ESDM) in a preparation environment with normal temperature and atmospheric pressure. An iron wire with a diameter of 1mm and purity of 99.9% was used as the electrode materials, and deionized water (DW) was used as the dielectric liquid. This preparation process was simple and did not require chemical additives. This study used different pulse discharge cycles $(\mathrm{T}_{\mathrm{on}}:\mathrm{T}_{\mathrm{o}\mathrm{f}\mathrm{f}})$ to prepare nanoiron colloid for the purpose of exploring the optimal $\mathrm{T}_{\mathrm{on}}:\mathrm{T}_{\mathrm{off}}$ parameters for the preparation of nanoiron colloid. The particle size distribution and the zeta potential of the prepared nanoiron colloid were tested by a Zetasizer to analyze the particle size distribution and suspension ability. According to the test results, when the pulse discharge cycle $\mathrm{T}_{\mathrm{on}}:\mathrm{T}_{\mathrm{off}}$ was $10:40\mu \mathrm{s}$ , the prepared nanoiron colloid had a size of 56.49nm and a zeta potential of 45.6mV, which indicates small particle size and optimal suspension stability. Therefore, $10:40\mu \mathrm{s}$ was the optimal preparation parameter. Finally, the optical properties, crystal structure, and hysteresis curve of the nanoiron colloid were analyzed by UV -Vis, XRD, and VSM.

This study used deionized water and ammonia (0.02%) as dielectric fluids and then employed electronic discharge machine to ionize them, with the arc-focused energy melting the surface of silver electrode rods. After the condensation of the dielectric fluid, silver nano-colloids were prepared under two conditions, named as Ag and Ag(NH3), respectively. The optical properties of the two samples were compared by a UV–Vis spectrum analyzer (UV–Vis), and the zeta potential was measured by Zetasizer. We then utilized a transmission electron microscope to observe the shape, size, and distribution of silver nanoparticles. The results showed that with the addition of NH3, the size of silver nanoparticles decreased, the concentration of nano-colloid increased, and the dispersive suspension of nano-colloid became better.

The purpose of this paper is to use bond graphs to retain system structures, linking dynamic models and the transfer functions of control systems, and develop a universal analysis method for eliminating the right-half-plane zeros (RHP-zeros) of systems. Although previous literature has investigated RHP-zero elimination, their findings were only applicable to specific systems. When such a system is modified, only a trial-and-error method can be applied to eliminate the RHP-zeros of systems. The main feature of the proposed method involves the analysis of the causal paths contained in bond graphs. Analysis results then serve as a guideline for RHP-zero elimination, which can involve processes including modification of model structures or changes to paths. This method improves the system to get a better performance, instead of using the trial-and-error methods. Finally, a boost converter with an RHP-zero is applied to various examples of RHP-zero elimination, verifying that the proposed methodology can be used to eliminate the RHP-zeros of systems without the need of a trial-and-error process.

The study used arc discharge method (ADM) to produce silver nano-colloid in deionised water (DW), and compared the difference between pre-adding and post-adding of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). First, they added 50 ppm of PVA into 200 mL silver nano-colloid, named Ag-PVA. Second, they added 50 ppm of PVA into 200 mL DW as the dielectrics and produced silver nano-colloid through it, named PVA-Ag. Then they compared the differences between two samples with several instruments. They examined wavelength and absorbance by using UV–visible spectrophotometer (UV–vis), used Zetasizer to measure particle size and zeta potential, adopted scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) to observe shape, size, and distribution of the silver nanoparticles in the colloid. The results indicated that colloid PVA-Ag had higher zeta potential and better suspension.

Platinum nanoparticles were prepared in ethanol by electric discharge method. The absorption of platinum nano-colloid was measured by UV–Visible Spectrophotometer (UV–Vis). Measurement of Zetasizer showed that the zeta potential is − 40.8 mV, representing the good suspension of platinum nano-colloid with a size of nanoscale. Platinum nano-colloid was identified by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrometer. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) was used to observe the actual distribution of platinum nanoparticles. The results show that size of platinum nanoparticles are divided into three groups. Size distribution of 3 nm accounts for the majority, which is similar to the results of chemical preparations. The well distribution of platinum nanoparticles was observed clearly without precipitation by TEM.