Problems of Remote Temperature Measurement of Small Objects of Electricity Power Systems—On the Example of Lashing Clamps of Bridge Connections on High Voltage Poles

The article presents problems occurring during remote temperature measurement of lashing clamps of bridge connections on high voltage poles using thermal imaging cameras. The basic metrological parameters of thermal imaging cameras are described. On this basis, typical errors made during the inspection of high voltage lines supplying power substations are presented using infrared cameras. Researching the possible solutions for the problems of remote temperature measurement of small objects of electricity power systems—on the example of lashing clamps of bridge connections on high voltage poles in the proposed paper and showing the basic metrological aspects and parameters of thermal imaging cameras are important because, in this way, it is observed to eliminate costly interruptions in the supply of electricity associated with the breaking of power lines. Small objects are quite difficult to be controlled and monitored on large grids and on large powerline poles; thus, it is very challenging to interpret the data offered by thermograms. The problem of remote temperature measurement of small objects in electrical power engineering is very important from the point of view of the quality and reliability of electricity supply. Obtaining early warning information about the occurrence of overheating, e.g., on lashing clamps of bridge connections, is very important, as it eliminates costly interruptions in the supply of electricity associated with the breaking of power lines supplying high voltage switchgears or substations.

Classification Accuracy Improvement for Small-Size Citrus Pests and Diseases Using Bridge Connections in Deep Neural Networks

Due to the rich vitamin content in citrus fruit, citrus is an important crop around the world. However, the yield of these citrus crops is often reduced due to the damage of various pests and diseases. In order to mitigate these problems, several convolutional neural networks were applied to detect them. It is of note that the performance of these selected models degraded as the size of the target object in the image decreased. To adapt to scale changes, a new feature reuse method named bridge connection was developed. With the help of bridge connections, the accuracy of baseline networks was improved at little additional computation cost. The proposed BridgeNet-19 achieved the highest classification accuracy (95.47%), followed by the pre-trained VGG-19 (95.01%) and VGG-19 with bridge connections (94.73%). The use of bridge connections also strengthens the flexibility of sensors for image acquisition. It is unnecessary to pay more attention to adjusting the distance between a camera and pests and diseases.

A Mediterranean history

The Mediterranean region has had a long and complex history. The phasing of three main historical elements forms a Mediterranean triptych: geology, climate, and human activities. The geological fragmentation of the Mediterranean into distinct microregions and tectonic movement of its different microplates has continually reshaped the configuration of the terrestrial landscapes, islands, and mountains. Many areas have been land bridge connections across the sea. The Mediterranean region has a characteristic climate, the essential element of which is the occurrence of a summer drought. Although initial trends towards aridity are ancient, the Mediterranean climate only dates to the Pliocene. Climatic oscillations since its onset have caused sea level changes, influencing the appearance and disappearance of land bridge connections across different parts of the Mediterranean Sea, causing species’ range sizes to expand and contract in repeated phases. Finally, nowhere else in Europe has had such a long history of human presence and activity. In the last three millennia, the impact of human activities on the landscape has been dramatic in terms of the evolution of the mosaic landscape we now observe. The phased history of these three factors is at the heart of plant evolution in the Mediterranean.