Optimization of structural control via a smart NEURO‐FBG control system

This study improves a NEURO‐FBG active control system to mature the concept of a smart structure. Originally, a system similar to the human brain is created from FBG sensors and neural networks. The system comprises three parts, namely, a structural condition surveillance system, a NEURO‐FBG converter, and a NEURO‐FBG controller. To solve the inherent time‐consuming and reliability problem of the NEURO‐FBG converter, a new technology is first proposed, and the relationship between inter‐story drift and strain data is established. Global indices such as displacement and velocity of the structure are then reconstructed for searching the optimal control force of the actuator. Meanwhile, the soundness of a building with hydraulic actuators is also an important issue to be solved. To make the building sound, the characteristics of earthquakes are considered for enhancing the performance of the NEURO‐FBG controller. Theoretical analysis shows satisfactory improvement to the control efficiency of both displacement and acceleration. To verify the enhanced system, a series of shaking table tests was conducted. Experimental results demonstrated that the new NEURO‐FBG system can effectively manage the structure; and the controller, taking into consideration the ground acceleration effect, is more reliable and robust for practical application than a conventional controller. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Start‐Up Study on Biohydrogen from Palm Oil Mill Effluent in a Pilot‐Scale Reactor

A start‐up study for biohydrogen production from palm oil mill effluent (POME) is carried out in a pilot‐scale up‐flow anaerobic sludge blanket fixed‐film reactor (UASFF). A substrate with a chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 30 g L^?1 is used, starting with molasses solution for 30 days and followed by a 10% v/v increment of POME/molasses ratio. At 100% POME, a hydrogen content of 80%, hydrogen production rate of 36 L H₂ per day, and maximum COD removal of 48.7% are achieved. Bio‐kinetic coefficients of Monod, first‐order, Grau second‐order, and Stover‐Kincannon kinetic models are calculated to describe the performance of the system. The steady‐state data with 100% POME shows that Monod and Stover‐Kincannon models with bio‐kinetic coefficients of half‐velocity constant (K_s) of 6000 mg COD L^?1, microbial decay rate (K_d) of 0.0015 per day, growth yield constant (Y) of 0.786 mg volatile suspended solids (VSS)/mg COD, specific biomass growth rate (μ_max) of 0.568 per day, and substrate consumption rate of (U_max) 3.98 g/L day could be considered as superior models with correlation coefficients (R²) of 0.918 and 0.989, respectively, compared to first‐order and Grau's second‐order models with coefficients of K₁ 1.08 per day, R² 0.739, and K_2s 1.69 per day, a = 7.0 per day, b = 0.847.     

Basin-scale groundwater response to precipitation variation and anthropogenic pumping in Chih-Ben watershed, Taiwan

The sustainable use of groundwater has become increasingly challenging due to extreme hydrological events and anthropogenic activity. In this study, the basin-scale groundwater response to precipitation variation was analyzed using an integrated model that comprises lumped models for land and river recharges and a distributed model for groundwater. The integrated model was applied to the Chih-Ben watershed, Taiwan, using 20?years (1988?C2007) of data. The hydrological data were analyzed for trends using statistical tests. Based on decreasing trends in precipitation and groundwater levels and an increasing trend in stream flow, the oblique-cut method was applied to precipitation and excess infiltration to assess land and streambed recharge. Distributed numerical groundwater modeling was used to simulate the basin-scale groundwater responses to precipitation variation and anthropogenic pumping. The model was calibrated using stable-isotope and groundwater-level data. The safe yields were estimated for the Chih-Ben watershed for dry, wet, and normal precipitation scenarios. The safe yield of groundwater was shown to vary with precipitation, which does not guarantee the sustainable use of groundwater resources. Instead, water resources should be assessed at a basin scale, taking into account the whole ecosystem, rather than only considering water for human consumption in the alluvium.     

Large-scale simulation of watershed mass transport: a case study of Tsengwen reservoir watershed, southwest Taiwan

We present the large-scale simulation of watershed mass transport, including landslide, debris flow, and sediment transport. A case study of Tsengwen reservoir watershed under the extreme rainfall triggered by typhoon Morakot is conducted for verification. This approach starts with volume-area relation with landslide inventory method to predict temporal and regional landslide volume production and distribution. Then, debris flow model, Debris-2D, is applied to simulate the mass transport from hillslope to fluvial channel. Finally, a sediment transport model, NETSTARS, is used for hydraulic and sediment routing in river and reservoir. Near the water intake at the reservoir dam, the simulated sediment concentration is in good agreement with the measured one. The proposed approach gives good prediction and should help the management of reservoir operation and disaster prevention.     

National policy of watershed management and flood mitigation after the 921 Chi-Chi earthquake in Taiwan

Registering a 7.3 magnitude on the Richter scale, the 921 Chi-Chi Earthquake that struck central Taiwan on September 21, 1999 left the island nation with fragile soils, frequent floods, and debris flow, further weakening homeland resources. Taiwan’s dense population had forced its residents to use mountain hills for agriculture and development. The 92-Flood in 2004, which incurred vast monetary losses and human casualties, caused the government to rethink its strategy for land use. In order to use land in a more efficient and in an eco-friendly manner, the Council for Economic Planning and Development, Executive Yuan of the Taiwanese government proposed the “Land Recovery Strategy and Action Plan” in 2006. Its core concept was aimed at “respecting, and adapting to, nature.” To achieve this goal, a hillside watershed management and flood mitigation policy was proposed. Factors of safety, economy, and ecology were included in the policy. Both strategies and practical measures to be implemented were organized in a chart for better understanding and for reference by other countries with similar conditions.     

Laboratory Simulation of Magnetospheric Plasma Shocks

An experimental simulation of planetary magnetospheres is being developed to investigate the formation of collisionless shocks and their effects. Two experimental situations are considered. In both, the solar wind is simulated by laser ablation plasmas. In one case, the “solar wind” flows across the magnetic field of a high-current discharge. In the other, a transverse magnetic field is embedded in the plasma flow, which interacts with a conductive obstacle. The ablation plasma is created using the “Tomcat” laser, currently emitting 5 J in a 6 ns pulse at 1 μm wavelength and irradiance above 10¹³ W/cm². The “Zebra” z-pinch generator, with load current up to 1 MA and voltage up to 3.5 MV produces the magnetic fields. Hydrodynamic modeling is used to estimate the plasma parameters achievable at the front of the plasma flow and to optimize the experiment design. Particle-in-cell simulations reveal details of the interaction of the “solar wind” with an external magnetic field, including flow collimation and heating effects at the stopping point. Hybrid simulations show the formation of a bow shock at the interaction of a magnetized plasma flow with a conductor. The plasma density and the embedded field have characteristic spatial modulations in the shock region, with abrupt jumps and fine structure on the skin depth scale.     

The GLARE Survey – II. Faint z≈ 6 Lyα line emitters in the HUDF

The galaxy population at   z ≈ 6  has been the subject of intense study in recent years, culminating in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) – the deepest imaging survey yet. A large number of high-redshift galaxy candidates have been identified within the HUDF, but until now analysis of their properties has been hampered by the difficulty of obtaining spectroscopic redshifts for these faint galaxies. Our 'Gemini Lyman-Alpha at Reionization Era' (GLARE) project has been designed to undertake spectroscopic follow-up of faint  ( z ' < 28.5)  i '-drop galaxies at   z ≈ 6  in the HUDF. In a previous paper we presented preliminary results from the first 7.5 h of data from GLARE. In this paper we detail the complete survey. We have now obtained 36 h of spectroscopy on a single GMOS slitmask from Gemini-South, with a spectral resolution of  λ/Δλ_FWHM≈ 1000  . We identify five strong Lyα emitters at   z > 5.5  , and a further nine possible line emitters with detections at lower significance. We also place tight constraints on the equivalent width of Lyα emission for a further ten i '-drop galaxies and examine the equivalent width distribution of this faint spectroscopic sample of   z ≈ 6  galaxies. We find that the fraction of galaxies with little or no emission is similar to that at   z ≈ 3  , but that the   z ≈ 6  population has a tail of sources with high rest-frame equivalent widths. Possible explanations for this effect include a tendency towards stronger line emission in faint sources, which may arise from extreme youth or low metallicity in the Lyman-break population at high redshift, or possibly a top-heavy initial mass function.     

Using a hybrid genetic algorithm–simulated annealing algorithm for fuzzy programming of reservoir operation

We present a novel approach for optimizing reservoir operation through fuzzy programming and a hybrid evolution algorithm, i.e. genetic algorithm (GA) with simulated annealing (SA). In the analysis, objectives and constraints of reservoir operation are transformed by fuzzy programming for searching the optimal degree of satisfaction. In the hybrid search procedure, the GA provides a global search and the SA algorithm provides local search. This approach was investigated to search the optimizing operation scheme of Shihmen Reservoir in Taiwan. Monthly inflow data for three years reflecting different hydrological conditions and a consecutive 10‐year period were used. Comparisons were made with the existing M‐5 reservoir operation rules. The results demonstrate that: (1) fuzzy programming could effectively formulate the reservoir operation scheme into degree of satisfaction α among the users and constraints; (2) the hybrid GA‐SA performed much better than the current M‐5 operating rules. Analysis also found the hybrid GA‐SA conducts parallel analyses that increase the probability of finding an optimal solution while reducing computation time for reservoir operation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.