The dichotomous Markov process with nonparametric test application; a decision support method in long-term river behavioural analysis: the Zayandeh Rud River; a case study from central Iran

We use the Dichotomous Markov Noise model with constant transition rates to describe the dynamics of fluctuations in the water level as a stochastic process, which is imposed on river discharge changes. By applying this model, two different regimes are determined for the long-term behaviour of the river. Based on these regimes, we define two nonparametric classes of the overall increasing/decreasing nature of the water level in the long-term behaviour, which are separated by an exponential steady state regime. In this paper, we develop a nonparametric testing procedure to test exponentially (steady state regime) against an alternative overall decreasing level distribution. The proposed test predicts the long-term regime behaviour of the river. The mathematical tools introduced to handle the problem should be of general use and the testing procedure can be considered as a new mathematical tool in the study of water level dynamics. Under conditions of data austerity and as a case of study, we examine the stochastic characteristics of the Zayandeh Rud (Zāyandé-Rūd or Zāyanderūd, also spelled as Zayandeh-Rood or Zayanderood) River (Isfahan, Iran) water level.     

“Phasic” metropolitan settlers: a phase-based model for the distribution of households in US metropolitan regions

In this article, we develop a model for explaining spatial patterns in the distribution of households across metropolitan regions in the United States. First, we use housing consumption and residential mobility theories to construct a hypothetical probability distribution function for the consumption of housing services across three phases of household life span. We then hypothesize a second probability distribution function for the offering of housing services based on the distance from city center(s) at the metropolitan scale. Intersecting the two hypothetical probability functions, we develop a phase-based model for the distribution of households in US metropolitan regions. We argue that phase one households (young adults) are more likely to reside in central city locations, whereas phase two and three households are more likely to select suburban locations, due to their respective housing consumption behaviors. We provide empirical validation of our theoretical model with the data from the 2010 US Census for 35 large metropolitan regions.     

Spectral wave characteristics along the central coast of eastern Red Sea

The Jeddah coast lies in the central eastern Red Sea, which is characterized by the predominant northwest winds and the associated wind waves throughout the year. A detailed investigation on the spectral wave characteristics in the nearshore regions of the Jeddah coast has not been carried out yet, primarily due to the lack of data. In the present study, we have analyzed the available wave spectra measured at two nearshore locations along the Jeddah coast using wave gauges. The wave spectra were separated into wind sea and swell components using a frequency-based algorithm, and the integral wave parameters corresponding to each component were derived. Although the measurements were limited to the summer season, notable features such as the diurnal variability and the superimposition of wind seas and swells have been identified from the spectra. The superimposition is mainly due to the interaction of the young swells propagated from the northern Red Sea and the local breezes prevailing along the coast at certain periods in a diurnal cycle. Based on the wave speed calculations and the estimated time shifts between the wind and waves, the potential swell regions have been backtracked.     

Assessment of reference evapotranspiration across an arid urban environment having poor data monitoring system

Estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ET₀) in urban areas is challenging but essential in arid urban climates. To evaluate ET₀ in an urban environment and non-urban areas, air temperature and relative humidity were measured at five different sites across the arid city of Isfahan, Iran, over 4 years. Wind speed and sunshine hours were obtained from an urban surrounding weather station over the same period and used to estimate ET₀. Calculated ET₀ was compared with satellite-based ET₀ retrieved from the MOD16A2 PET product. Although MODIS PET was strongly correlated with the Valiantzas equation, it overestimated ET₀ and showed average accuracy (r = 0.93–0.94, RMSE = 1.18–1.28 mm/day, MBE = 0.73–0.84 mm/day). The highest ET₀ differences between an urban green space and a non-urban area were 1.1 and 0.87 mm/day, which were estimated by ground measurements and MODIS PET, respectively. The sensitivity of ET₀ to wind speed and sunshine hours indicated a significant effect on cumulative ET₀ at urban sites compared to the non-urban site, which has a considerable impact on the amount of irrigation required in those areas. Although MODIS PET requires improvement to accurately reflect field level microclimate conditions affecting ET₀, it is beneficial to hydrological applications and water resource managers especially in areas where data is limited. In addition, our results indicated that using limited data methods or meteorological data from regional weather stations, leads to incorrect estimation of ET₀ in urban areas. Therefore, decision-makers and urban planners should consider the importance of precisely estimating ET₀ to optimize management of urban green space irrigation, especially in arid and semi-arid climates such as the city of Isfahan.     

Biodegradation of cyanide and evaluation of kinetic models by immobilized cells of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Serratia marcescens</Emphasis> strain AQ07

Immobilized form of Serratia marcescens strain AQ07 was experimented for cyanide biodegradation. Cyanide degradation (200 ppm) was achieved after 24-h incubation. Three parameters were optimized which included gellan gum concentration, beads size, and number of beads. In accordance with one-factor-at-a-time method, cyanide removal was optimum at 0.6% w/v gellan gum gel, 0.3-cm-diameter beads, and 50 beads number. It was able to withstand cyanide toxicity of 800 ppm, which makes it very suitable candidate in cyanide remediation. Beads reusability indicates one-cycle ability. The first cycle removed 96.3%, while the second removed 78.5%. Effects of heavy metals at 1.0 ppm demonstrated that mercury has a considerable effect on bacteria, inhibiting degradation to 61.6%, while other heavy metals have less effect, removing 97–98%. Maximum specific degradation rate of 0.9997 h^?1 was observed at 200 ppm cyanide concentration. Gellan gum was used as the encapsulation matrix. ?-picoline-barbituric acid spectrophotometric analytical method was used to optimize the condition in buffer medium integrated with potassium cyanide via one-factor-at-a-time and response surface method. The range of cyanide concentrations used in this research, specific biodegradation rate was obtained to model the substrate inhibition kinetics. This rate fits to the kinetic models of Teisser, Aiba and Yano, which are utilized to elucidate substrate inhibition on degradation. One-factor-at-a-time approach parameters were adopted because it removes more cyanide compared to response surface methodology modules. The predicted biokinetic constant from this model suggests suitability of the bacteria for use in cyanide treatment of industrial waste effluents.     

A transparent aqueous-saturated sand surrogate for use in physical modeling

This paper presents the geotechnical properties of a new family of synthetic transparent soils made of fused quartz, saturated with a matched refractive index water-based sucrose solution, suitable for modeling the behavior of sand in small-scale model tests. The dry density ranged between 1,134 and 1,358 kg/m³. The peak angle of friction was found to range from 46° to 57°. The average hydraulic conductivity was 1.7 × 10^?5 cm/s. The compressibility index (C _c) ranged from 0.34 to 0.57. The main advantage of fused quartz over available sand surrogates made of silica gel is that its solid structure better models the behavior of natural sand. The matching pore fluids are inert and non-toxic, which facilitates their use in educational settings. The availability of a safe and easy-to-use transparent sand permits measurement of three-dimensional deformation patterns and flow characteristics in controlled research experiments. The introduction of an aqueous solution permits the use of two immiscible pore fluids, one made of mineral oil and the other made of a sucrose solution, for modeling multiphase flow problems, as well as coupled flow-deformation problems.     

Spectral Combination of Spherical Gradiometric Boundary-Value Problems: A Theoretical Study

The Earth’s gravity potential can be determined from its second-order partial derivatives using the spherical gradiometric boundary-value problems which have three integral solutions. The problem of merging these solutions by spectral combination is the main subject of this paper. Integral estimators of biased- and unbiased-types are presented for recovering the disturbing gravity potential from gravity gradients. It is shown that only kernels of the biased-type integral estimators are suitable for simultaneous downward continuation and combination of gravity gradients. Numerical results show insignificant practical difference between the biased and unbiased estimators at sea level and the contribution of far-zone gravity gradients remains significant for integration. These contributions depend on the noise level of the gravity gradients at higher levels than sea. In the cases of combining the gravity gradients, contaminated with Gaussian noise, at sea and 250?km levels the errors of the estimated geoid heights are about 10 and 3 times smaller than those obtained by each integral.     

Prediction of scour depth at piers with debris accumulation effects using linear genetic programming

Abstract

Exact evaluation of scour depth around piers under debris accumulation is crucial for the safe design of pier structures. Experimental studies on scouring around pier bridges with debris accumulation have been conducted to estimate the maximum scour depth using various empirical relationships. However, due to the oversimplification of a complex process, the proposed relationships have not always been able to accurately predict the pier scour depth. This research proposes linear genetic programming (LGP) approach as an extension of the genetic programming to predict the scour depth around bridge piers. Among the artificial intelligence techniques, LGP and locally weighted linear regression (LWLR) models have not been used to predict the scour depth at bridge piers. Literature experimental data were collected and used to develop the models. The performance of the LGP method was compared with gene-expression programming, LWLR, multilinear regression and empirical equations using rigorous statistical criteria. The correlation coefficient (R) and the root mean squared error (RMSE) were (R?=?0.962, RMSE =0.31) and (R?=?0.885, RMSE =0.542) for the LGP and LWLR, respectively. The results demonstrated the superiority of the LGP method for increasing the accuracy of the predicted scour depth in comparison with the other models.     

The PBRM (perception-based regional mapping): A spatial method to support regional development initiatives

This paper examines the relevance of a perception-based regional level mapping tool in rural Niger. Two regions in Niger are examined. Results permit to assume that such a tool helped to fill several gaps: (i) a scale gap between local and nation wide studies; (ii) a scientific gap between biophysical and socio-anthropological sciences; and (iii) a methodological gap of integration between data sources. Moreover, this method is fast, cheap and action-oriented. Data are easily understandable and usable both by rural communities and development agencies. It provides information about human dynamics at a regional level, which cannot be achieved by other methods.