Comparative study of multilayer perceptron-stochastic gradient descent and gradient boosted trees for predicting daily suspended sediment load: The case study of the Mississippi River,U.S.

Monitoring sediment transport is essential for managing and maintaining rivers.Estimation of the sediment load in rivers is fundamental for the study of sediment movement,erosion,and flood control.In the current study,three machine learning models-multi-layer perceptron(MLP),multi-layer perceptron-stochastic gradient descent(MLP-SGD),and gradient boosted tree(GBT)-were utilized to estimate the suspended sediment load(SSL)at the St.Louis(SL)and Chester(CH)stations on the Mississippi River,U.S.Four evaluation criteria including the Correlation Coefficient(CC),Nash Sutcliffe Efficiency(NSE),Scatter Index(SI),and Willmott’s Index(WI)were utilized to evaluate the performance of the used models.A sensitivity analysis of the models to the input variables revealed that the current day discharge variable had the most effect on the SSL at both stations,but in the absence of current-day discharge data(Qt),a combination of input parameters including SSL_t-3,SSL_t-2,SSL_t-1,Q_t-3,Q_t-2,Q_t-1 can be used to estimate the SSL.The comparative outcomes indicated the high accuracy of MLP-SGD-5 model with a CC of 0.983,SI of 0.254,WI of 0.991,and NSE of 0.967 at station CH and the MLP-SGD-6 model with a CC of 0.933,SI of 0.576,WI of 0.961,and NSE of 0.867,respectively,at station SL.The results of MLP models were improved by SGD optimization.Therefore,the MLP-SGD method is recommended as the most accurate model for SSL estimation.     

Developing an algorithm for reconstruction blocky systems in discontinuous media: three‐dimensional analysis

Block detection is one of the important steps in all discontinuous methods of analysis such as discontinuous deformation analysis and discrete element method. It is in fact a pre‐processing step for these methods. This paper describes a new approach to the problem of geometrically defining polyhedral rock blocks created by the intersection of planar discontinuities in a rock mass. An approach is developed based on the concept of using matrices with integer elements that mostly represent vertices, edges, or face numbers and their connections. Using square matrices with integer elements and performing edge/face regularization reduce the size of the matrices because of elimination of unnecessary faces, edges, and vertices; speed and accuracy of block tracing operation will be increased. This algorithm is able to trace and identify all kinds of blocks including convex and concave blocks formed by limited or unlimited fractures. The simplicity of the procedure makes it very attractive. The algorithm was programmed in C#.Net by over 8100 code lines; several examples are presented to show application of the algorithm in different situations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of climate change on wind energy production in Iran

Arabian Journal of Geosciences - This study explores the effect of future climate change on wind energy conversion in Iran, based on data from existing wind farms. In an effort to estimate and...     

U–Pb and Hf isotope data from zircons in the Macquarie Arc,Lachlan Orogen: Implications for arc evolution and Ordovician palaeogeography along part of the east Gondwana margin

The Ordovician Macquarie Arc in the eastern subprovince of the Lachlan Orogen, southeastern Australia, is an unusual arc that evolved in four vertically stacked volcanic phases over ~ 37 million years, and which is flanked by coeval, craton-derived, passive margin sedimentary terranes dominated by detrital quartz grains. Although these two terranes are marked by a general absence of provenance mixing, LA-ICPMS analysis of U–Pb and Lu–Hf contents in zircon grains in volcaniclastic rocks from 3 phases of the arc demonstrates the same age populations of detrital grains inherited from the Gondwana margin as those that characterise the flanking quartz-rich Ordovician turbidites. Magmatic Phase 1 is older, ~ 480 Ma, and is characterised by detrital zircons grains with ages of ~ 490–540 with negative ε_Hf from 0 to mainly –7.78, 550–625 Ma ages with negative ε_Hf from 0 to ?26.6 and 970–1250 Ma (Grenvillian) with ε_Hf from + 6.47 to ?6.44. We have not as yet identified any magmatic zircons related to Phase 1 volcanism. Small amounts of detrital zircons also occur in Phase 2 (~ 468–455 Ma), hiatus 1 and Phase 4 (~ 449–443 Ma), all of which are dominated by Ordovician magmatic zircons with positive ε_Hf values, indicating derivation from unevolved mantle-derived magmas, consistent with formation in an intraoceanic island arc. Because of the previously obtained positive whole rock ε_Nd values from Phase 1 lavas, we rule out contamination from substrate or subducted sediments. Instead, we suggest that during Phase 1, the Macquarie Arc lay close enough to the Gondwana margin so that volcaniclastic rocks were heavily contaminated by detrital zircon grains shed from granites and Grenvillian mafic rocks mainly from Antarctica (Ross Orogen and East Antarctica) and/or the Delamerian margin of Australia. The reduced nature of a Gondwana population in Phase 2, hiatus 1 and Phase 4 is attributed to opening of a marginal basin between the Gondwana margin and the Macquarie Arc that put it out of reach of all but rare turbiditic currents.     

Assessment of noise induced psychological stresses on printery workers

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between psychological stresses and noise stresses on printery workers in Tehran, Iran. Hence, 267 workers were randomly selected. The L_eq and L_maxwere measured and the psychological stresses such as depression, anxiety, aggression and job satisfaction were also studied by the relevant questionnaires. The data were statistically analyzed by Pearson correlation test. The results demonstrated that there was no significant statistical relationship between noise and psychological stresses. In addition, by using Spearman regression method, the influence of variables such as age, gender and job history on psychological stresses caused by L_eq and L_max was studied and the results only revealed that the aggression caused by L_eq increased in young personnel (P=0.02) as well as, anxiety caused by L increased accompanied by increasing the job history and age of the workers (P=0.002 and P=0.007). Therefore, more variables must be taken into consideration to judge about noise induced psychological stresses in workplaces.     

Site selection for managed aquifer recharge using fuzzy rules: integrating geographical information system (GIS) tools and multi-criteria decision making

One of the most important water-resources management strategies for arid lands is managed aquifer recharge (MAR). In establishing a MAR scheme, site selection is the prime prerequisite that can be assisted by geographic information system (GIS) tools. One of the most important uncertainties in the site-selection process using GIS is finite ranges or intervals resulting from data classification. In order to reduce these uncertainties, a novel method has been developed involving the integration of multi-criteria decision making (MCDM), GIS, and a fuzzy inference system (FIS). The Shemil-Ashkara plain in the Hormozgan Province of Iran was selected as the case study; slope, geology, groundwater depth, potential for runoff, land use, and groundwater electrical conductivity have been considered as site-selection factors. By defining fuzzy membership functions for the input layers and the output layer, and by constructing fuzzy rules, a FIS has been developed. Comparison of the results produced by the proposed method and the traditional simple additive weighted (SAW) method shows that the proposed method yields more precise results. In conclusion, fuzzy-set theory can be an effective method to overcome associated uncertainties in classification of geographic information data.     

Hydrochemical characteristics of irrigation return flow in semi-arid regions of Iran

Abstract

The study area is located on the Harat plain, in the central region of Iran. Four local-soil filled, free-drainage lysimeters were installed in wheat and barley farms operating under traditional farm management practices. The volume, electrical conductivity (EC), nitrate and major ions of the applied irrigation water and irrigation return flow (IRF) were measured during the growing season. The total dissolved solids (TDS) of IRF increased three to five times compared to that of the applied water. This enhancement was the same as for the chloride ion ratio, indicating the major impact of evapotranspiration in IRF salinity enhancement. Geochemical modelling using PHREEQCI confirmed the significant role of evapotranspiration and the minor effects of processes such as calcite precipitation, gypsum dissolution, fertilizer nitrification and ion exchange on the values of the IRF TDS. Time variations of EC were functions of the type of flow (preferential or matrix), lithology and soil type. The controlling parameters of the nitrate time series were the frequent applications of N fertilizer and the nitrification process. The annual N loads (NO₃-N) of IRF varied from 22 to 195 kg ha^-1. These variations were due to the different N loads in the applied water, the amount of fertilizer, soil texture, N uptake and volume of IRF. The annual salt loads of IRF were mainly controlled by the volume of IRF.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz

Citation Jafari, H., Raeisi, E., Hoehn, E. and Zare, M., 2012. Hydrochemical characteristics of irrigation return flow in semi-arid regions of Iran. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57 (1), 173–185.     

Universe with Time Dependent Deceleration Parameter and Λ Term in General Relativity

A new class of exact solutions of Einstein's field equations with perfect fluid for an LRS Bianchi type-I spacetime is obtained by using a time dependent deceleration parameter. We have obtained a general solution of the field equations from which three models of the universe are derived: exponential, polynomial and sinusoidal form respectively. The behaviour of these models of the universe are also discussed in the frame of reference of recent supernovae Ia observations.