A comparative assessment between linear and quadratic discriminant analyses (LDA-QDA) with frequency ratio and weights-of-evidence models for forest fire susceptibility mapping in China

Forest fire is known as an important natural hazard in many countries which causes financial damages and human losses; thus, it is necessary to investigate different aspects of this phenomenon. In this study, performance of four models of linear and quadratic discriminant analysis (LDA and QDA), frequency ratio (FR), and weights-of-evidence (WofE) was investigated to model forest fire susceptibility in the Yihuang area, China. For this purpose, firstly, a forest fire locations map was prepared implementing MODIS satellite images and field surveys. Then, it was classified into two groups including training (70%) and validation (30%) by a random algorithm. In addition, 13 forest fire effective factors were prepared and used such as slope degree, slope aspect, altitude, Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), plan curvature, land use, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), annual rainfall, distance from roads and rivers, wind effect, annual temperature, and soil texture. Using the training dataset and effective factors, LDA, QDA, FR, and WofE models were applied and forest fire susceptibility maps were prepared. Finally, area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristics (ROC) was implemented for investigating the performance of the models. The results depicted that WofE had the best performance (AUC = 82.2%), followed by FR (AUC = 80.9%), QDA (AUC = 78.3%), and LDA (AUC = 78%), respectively. The results of this study showed the high contribution of altitude, slope degree, and temperature. On the other hand, it was seen that slope aspect and soil had the lowest importance in forest fire susceptibility mapping. From the AUC results, it can be concluded that FR, WofE, LDA, and QDA had acceptable performance and could be used for forest fire susceptibility mapping at the regional scale.     

Analytical approach for predicting local scour downstream of submerged sluice gate with an apron

A new analytical method was evaluated for predicting scour profile downstream of a submerged sluice gate with an apron. The differential equations between bed Shear stress and Scour profile Curvature(SSC model) were utilized to predict the scour profile in both temporal and equilibrium stages. A jet momentum flux was considered as an external source of erosion on a hypothetical particle ring as the boundary between the flow and sediment bed. The scour length and sediment resistance factor were t...     

A Genetic Algorithm for Stochastic Inversion in Contaminant Subsurface Hydrology

Identifying the spatial distribution of hydrological properties of aquifers is a key problem in subsurface hydrology. The aquifer structure plays an important role in contaminant transport. Identifying the properties (primarily the hydraulic conductivity) is essentially an inversion problem that is ill-posed, non-unique and computationally intensive by definition. In this work, the non-uniqueness of the inverse problem is tackled via a novel Genetic Algorithm approach combined with a geostatistical method (Sequential Indicator Simulations) for construction of realizations of properties spatial distributions, which are modeled as random. The Genetic Algorithm cross-over operator is based on a novel concept of pilot-planes: daughter realizations adopt pilot-planes from one of their parents. In addition, each aquifer realization is conditioned on the geological hard data and is constructed by sampling the facies distribution, evaluated by indicator variograms. The approach is illustrated in two test cases: a synthetic two-dimensional (2D) case and an actual three-dimensional (3D) case. The results have shown the ability of the proposed approach to generate a set of realizations, where each individual exhibits minor deviations from the measurements. Further, a comparison between the proposed approach and direct (Monte Carlo) approach shows that the Genetic Algorithm was able to generate an ensemble of solutions with a better fitting of the measurements than the direct approach by a significantly reduced computational effort.     

Experimental Investigation of Rheological Behavior and Wax Deposition of Waxy Oil–Disulfide Oil Systems

Natural Resources Research - In this work, we studied the feasibility of using disulfide oil (DSO) as a solvent for wax prevention in pipelines. Several tests were carried out to determine the...     

Scour countermeasures for cylindrical piers using riprap and combination of collar and riprap

Various methods are proposed to control scouring around bridge piers. In the present study application of riprap alone and combinations of riprap and collar were examined experimentally for scour control around cylindrical bridge piers. Tests were conducted with seven riprap sizes and with two different sizes of collars. Empirical equations were developed for stable riprap diameter for two cases of piers with and without collar protection. Extent of riprap layer is also presented for these two cases. The results showed that in the range of b/dR≤7.5 (where b is pier diameter and dR is riprap size) using a collar reduced the stable riprap size. It was also concluded that using collar reduced the riprap layer extension in front and sides of the pier.     

Comparative study of analytical and numerical evaluation of the dynamic response of buried pipelines to road-cut excavation blasting

ABSTRACT

This study develops a mathematical model of buried pipelines subjected to surface blast loading based on the theory of beam on elastic foundation. The Fourier transform, a mathematical formula that converts the time domain of the problem to the frequency domain, was used in order to solve a fourth-order non-homogeneous partial differential equation. Transforming the solution back to the time domain, the blast-induced Peak Particle Velocity (PPV) of the pipeline can be calculated. In addition to the mathematical model, a three-dimensional finite element model has been established, thereby drawing a comparison between analytical and numerical results. It can be concluded that the analytically calculated PPV values are found to be higher than the corresponding numerical values. Lastly, the safe distance from the pipeline to blast source and the maximum allowable ANFO explosive weight for two types of rock have been presented in the form of graphs by imposing a limit of 50 mm/s for PPV. This comparative study has investigated the effect of road-cut excavation blasting on pipelines buried under only two types of rock mass. However, it can be used for different types of rock and explosives, mainly thanks to the comprehensiveness of the analytical solution.     

Assessment of hydro power potential of Swat,Kohistan Himalayas: A solution for energy shortfall in region

Pakistan is facing acute power dearth these days due to which people are suffering from privation and their economic condition is deflating. Expensive imported fossil fuel for thermal power generation is pressing them hard and exacerbating the situation. The total power produced in the country by all means is less by 4000 MW than the requirement of Pakistan. So this is the prime time to think about exploring aboriginal and renewable power resources. This article converses about hydro power resources of Swat, North Pakistan, one of the most promising areas in hydro power production. The area drained by the Swat River and its tributary net work is a part of Kohistan Himalayas and has a potential of more than 1000 MW that can contribute 25% to the total energy shortfall in the country and the same is 150% more than the shortfall experienced in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that hosts Swat Valley. Due to great relief difference acquired within a small stretch, the perennial Swat River and its tributaries become pertinent for power production as high head projects and also gain importance in irrigation as well.     

Analytical study on accelerating falling of non-spherical particle in viscous fluid

Unsteady motion of a vertically falling non-spherical particle has attracted considerable attention due to its frequent applications in nature and industry.A series of semi-analytical methods have been used to raise the results＇ accuracy as well as widening the region of convergence.The current study pursued a new analytical solution for the unsteady motion of a rigid non-spherical particle in a quiescent Newtonian fluid,based on the Optimal Homotopy Analysis Method.With a view towards obtaining the highest level of accuracy and ensuring the convergence of the analytical results,the averaged residual errors were obtained and minimized.In addition to flexibility,it was also proven that the proposed method can lead to completely reliable and precisely accurate results.Based on the series solution,the effects of physical parameters on the terminal settling velocity（i.e.the greatest velocity that a falling body may reach）and the acceleration time（i.e.the time that a particle reaches the settling velocity） are investigated.     

Optimum placement and characteristics of velocity-dependent dampers under seismic excitation

In this study,through novel drift-based equations of motion in the frequency domain,optimum placement and characteristics of linear velocity-dependent dampers are investigated.In this study,the sum of the square of the absolute values of transfer matrix elements for interstory drifts is considered as the optimization index.Optimum placement and characteristics of dampers are simultaneously obtained by minimizing the optimization index through an incremental procedure.In each step of the procedure,a predefined value is considered as the damper characteristic.The optimum story for this increment is selected such that it leads to a minimum value for the optimization index.The procedure is repeated for the next increments until the optimization index meets its target value,which is obtained according to the desired damping ratio for the overall structure.In other words,the desired overall damping ratio is the input to the proposed procedure,and the optimal placement and characteristics of the dampers are its output.It is observed that the optimal placement of a velocitydependent damper depends on the damping coefficient of the added damper,frequency of the excitation,and distribution of the mass,stiffness,and inherent damping of the main structure.     

Signal detectability of marine electromagnetic methods in the exploration of resistive targets

We compare selected marine electromagnetic methods for sensitivity to the presence of relatively thin resistive targets (e.g., hydrocarbons, gas hydrates, fresh groundwater, etc.). The study includes the conventional controlled‐source electromagnetic method, the recently introduced transient electromagnetic prospecting with vertical electric lines method, and the novel marine circular electric dipole method, which is still in the stage of theoretical development. The comparison is based on general physical considerations, analytical (mainly asymptotic) analysis, and rigorous one‐dimensional and multidimensional forward modelling. It is shown that transient electromagnetic prospecting with vertical electric lines and marine circular electric dipole methods represent an alternative to the conventional controlled‐source electromagnetic method at shallow sea, where the latter becomes less efficient due to the air‐wave phenomenon. Since both former methods are essentially short‐offset time‐domain techniques, they exhibit a much better lateral resolution than the controlled‐source electromagnetic method in both shallow sea and deep sea. The greatest shortcoming of the transient electromagnetic prospecting with vertical electric lines and marine circular electric dipole methods comes from the difficulties in accurately assembling the transmitter antenna within the marine environment. This makes these methods significantly less practical than the controlled‐source electromagnetic method. Consequently, the controlled‐source electromagnetic method remains the leading marine electromagnetic technique in the exploration of large resistive targets in deep sea. However, exploring laterally small targets in deep sea and both small and large targets in shallow sea might require the use of the less practical transient electromagnetic prospecting with vertical electric lines and/or marine circular electric dipole method as a desirable alternative to the controlled‐source electromagnetic method.