Discontinuity development patterns and the challenges for 3D discrete fracture network modeling on complicated exposed rock surfaces

Natural slopes usually display complicated exposed rock surfaces that are characterized by complex and substantial terrain undulation and ubiquitous undesirable phenomena such as vegetation cover and rockfalls.This study presents a systematic outcrop research of fracture pattern variations in a complicated rock slope,and the qualitative and quantitative study of the complex phenomena impact on threedimensional(3D)discrete fracture network(DFN)modeling.As the studies of the outcrop fracture pattern have been so far focused on local variations,thus,we put forward a statistical analysis of global variations.The entire outcrop is partitioned into several subzones,and the subzone-scale variability of fracture geometric properties is analyzed(including the orientation,the density,and the trace length).The results reveal significant variations in fracture characteristics(such as the concentrative degree,the average orientation,the density,and the trace length)among different subzones.Moreover,the density of fracture sets,which is approximately parallel to the slope surface,exhibits a notably higher value compared to other fracture sets across all subzones.To improve the accuracy of the DFN modeling,the effects of three common phenomena resulting from vegetation and rockfalls are qualitatively analyzed and the corresponding quantitative data processing solutions are proposed.Subsequently,the 3D fracture geometric parameters are determined for different areas of the high-steep rock slope in terms of the subzone dimensions.The results show significant variations in the same set of 3D fracture parameters across different regions with density differing by up to tenfold and mean trace length exhibiting differences of 3e4 times.The study results present precise geological structural information,improve modeling accuracy,and provide practical solutions for addressing complex outcrop issues.

Comparative Analysis of the Factors Influencing Metro Passenger Arrival Volumes in Wuhan, China, and Lagos, Nigeria: An Application of Association Rule Mining and Neural Network Models

This study explores the factors influencing metro passengers’ arrival volume in Wuhan, China, and Lagos, Nigeria, by examining weather, time of day, waiting time, travel behavior, arrival patterns, and metro satisfaction. It addresses a significant research gap in understanding metro passengers’ dynamics across cultural and geographical contexts. It employs questionnaires, field observations, and advanced data analysis techniques like association rule mining and neural network modeling. Key findings include a correlation between rainy weather, shorter waiting times, and higher arrival volumes. Neural network models showed high predictive accuracy, with waiting time, metro satisfaction, and weather being significant factors in Lagos Light Rail Blue Line Metro. In contrast, arrival patterns, weather, and time of day were more influential in Wuhan Metro Line 5. Results suggest that improving metro satisfaction and reducing waiting times could increase arrival volumes in Lagos Metro while adjusting schedules for weather and peak times could optimize flow in Wuhan Metro. These insights are valuable for transportation planning, passenger arrival volume management, and enhancing user experiences, potentially benefiting urban transportation sustainability and development goals.

Probing deactivation by coking in catalyst pellets for dry reforming of methane using a pore network model

Dry reforming of methane(DRM) is an attractive technology for utilizing the greenhouse gases(CO_(2) and CH_(4)) to produce syngas. However, the catalyst pellets for DRM are heavily plagued by deactivation by coking, which prevents this technology from commercialization. In this work, a pore network model is developed to probe the catalyst deactivation by coking in a Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) catalyst pellet for DRM. The reaction conditions can significantly change the coking rate and then affect the catalyst deactivation. The catalyst lifetime is higher under lower temperature, pressure, and CH_(4)/CO_(2) molar ratio, but the maximum coke content in a catalyst pellet is independent of these reaction conditions. The catalyst pellet with larger pore diameter, narrower pore size distribution and higher pore connectivity is more robust against catalyst deactivation by coking, as the pores in this pellet are more difficult to be plugged or inaccessible.The maximum coke content is also higher for narrower pore size distribution and higher pore connectivity, as the number of inaccessible pores is lower. Besides, the catalyst pellet radius only slightly affects the coke content, although the diffusion limitation increases with the pellet radius. These results should serve to guide the rational design of robust DRM catalyst pellets against deactivation by coking.

Modelling a Fused Deep Network Model for Pneumonia Prediction

Deep Learning(DL)is known for its golden standard computing paradigm in the learning community.However,it turns out to be an extensively utilized computing approach in the ML field.Therefore,attaining superior outcomes over cognitive tasks based on human performance.The primary benefit of DL is its competency in learning massive data.The DL-based technologies have grown faster and are widely adopted to handle the conventional approaches resourcefully.Specifically,various DL approaches outperform the conventional ML approaches in real-time applications.Indeed,various research works are reviewed to understand the significance of the individual DL models and some computational complexity is observed.This may be due to the broader expertise and knowledge required for handling these models during the prediction process.This research proposes a holistic approach for pneumonia prediction and offers a more appropriate DL model for classification purposes.This work incorporates a novel fused Squeeze and Excitation(SE)block with the ResNet model for pneumonia prediction and better accuracy.The expected model reduces the human effort during the prediction process and makes it easier to diagnose it intelligently as the feature learning is adaptive.The experimentation is carried out in Keras,and the model’s superiority is compared with various advanced approaches.The proposed model gives 90%prediction accuracy,93%precision,90%recall and 89%F1-measure.The proposed model shows a better trade-off compared to other approaches.The evaluation is done with the existing standard ResNet model,GoogleNet+ResNet+DenseNet,and different variants of ResNet models.

Percolation Network Modeling of Electrical Properties of Reservoir Rock*

Based on the percolation network model characterizing reservoir rock＇s pore structure and fluid characteristics, this paper qualitatively studies the effects of pore size, pore shape, pore connectivity, and the amount of micropores on the I - Sw curve using numerical modeling. The effects of formation water salinity on the electrical resistivity of the rock are discussed. Then the relative magnitudes of the different influencing factors are discussed. The effects of the different factors on the I - Sw curve are analyzed by fitting simulation results. The results show that the connectivity of the void spaces and the amount of micropores have a large effect on the I - S, curve, while the other factors have little effect. The formation water salinity has a large effect on the absolute resistivity values. The non-Archie phenomenon is prevalent, which is remarkable in rocks with low permeability.

Optimal path finding algorithms based on SLSD road network model

A solution to compute the optimal path based on a single-line-single-directional（SLSD）road network model is proposed.Unlike the traditional road network model,in the SLSD conceptual model,being single-directional and single-line style,a road is no longer a linkage of road nodes but abstracted as a network node.Similarly,a road node is abstracted as the linkage of two ordered single-directional roads.This model can describe turn restrictions,circular roads,and other real scenarios usually described using a super-graph.Then a computing framework for optimal path finding（OPF）is presented.It is proved that classical Dijkstra and A algorithms can be directly used for OPF computing of any real-world road networks by transferring a super-graph to an SLSD network.Finally,using Singapore road network data,the proposed conceptual model and its corresponding optimal path finding algorithms are validated using a two-step optimal path finding algorithm with a pre-computing strategy based on the SLSD road network.

TIME SERIES NEURAL NETWORK MODEL FOR HYDROLOGIC FORECASTING

Time series analysis plays an important role in hydrologic forecasting,while the key to this analysis is to establish a proper model.This paper presents a time series neural network model with back propagation procedure for hydrologic forecasting.Free from the disadvantages of previous models,the model can be parallel to operate information flexibly and rapidly.It excels in the ability of nonlinear mapping and can learn and adjust by itself,which gives the model a possibility to describe the complex nonlinear hydrologic process.By using directly a training process based on a set of previous data, the model can forecast the time series of stream flow.Moreover,two practical examples were used to test the performance of the time series neural network model.Results confirm that the model is efficient and feasible.

The Evolving Bipartite Network and Semi-Bipartite Network Models with Adjustable Scale and Hybrid Attachment Mechanisms

The bipartite graph structure exists in the connections of many objects in the real world, and the evolving modeling is a good method to describe and understand the generation and evolution within various real complex networks. Previous bipartite models were proposed to mostly explain the principle of attachments, and ignored the diverse growth speed of nodes of sets in different bipartite networks. In this paper, we propose an evolving bipartite network model with adjustable node scale and hybrid attachment mechanisms, which uses different probability parameters to control the scale of two disjoint sets of nodes and the preference strength of hybrid attachment respectively. The results show that the degree distribution of single set in the proposed model follows a shifted power-law distribution when parameter r and s are not equal to 0, or exponential distribution when r or s is equal to 0. Furthermore, we extend the previous model to a semi-bipartite network model, which embeds more user association information into the internal network, so that the model is capable of carrying and revealing more deep information of each user in the network. The simulation results of two models are in good agreement with the empirical data, which verifies that the models have a good performance on real networks from the perspective of degree distribution. We believe these two models are valuable for an explanation of the origin and growth of bipartite systems that truly exist.

Study of the permeability characteristics of porous media with methane hydrate by pore network model

The permeability in the methane hydrate reservoir is one of the key parameters in estimating the gas production performance and the flow behavior of gas and water during dissociation.In this paper,a three-dimensional cubic pore-network model based on invasion percolation is developed to study the effect of hydrate particle formation and growth habit on the permeability.The variation of permeability in porous media with different hydrate saturation is studied by solving the network problem.The simulation results are well consistent with the experimental data.The proposed model predicts that the permeability will reduce exponentially with the increase of hydrate saturation,which is crucial in developing a deeper understanding of the mechanism of hydrate formation and dissociation in porous media.

Research on runoff variations based on wavelet analysis and wavelet neural network model： A case study of the Heihe River drainage basin （1944-2005）

The Heihe River drainage basin is one of the endangered ecological regions of China. The shortage of water resources is the bottleneck, which constrains the sustainable development of the region. Many scholars in China have done researches concerning this problem. Based on previous researches, this paper analyzed characteristics, tendencies, and causes of annual runoff variations in the Yingluo Gorge （1944-2005） and the Zhengyi Gorge （1954-2005）, which are the boundaries of the upper reaches, the middle reaches, and the lower reaches of the Heihe River drainage basin, by wavelet analysis, wavelet neural network model, and GIS spatial analysis. The results show that： （1） annual runoff variations of the Yingluo Gorge have principal periods of 7 years and 25 years, and its increasing rate is 1.04 m^3/s.10y; （2） annual runoff variations of the Zhengyi Gorge have principal periods of 6 years and 27 years, and its decreasing rate is 2.25 m^3/s.10y; （3） prediction results show that： during 2006-2015, annual runoff variations of the Yingluo and Zhengyi gorges have ascending tendencies, and the increasing rates are respectively 2.04 m^3/s.10y and 1.61 m^3/s.10y; （4） the increase of annual runoff in the Yingluo Gorge has causal relationship with increased temperature and precipitation in the upper reaches, and the decrease of annual runoff in the Zhengyi Gorge in the past decades was mainly caused by the increased human consumption of water resources in the middle researches. The study results will provide scientific basis for making rational use and allocation schemes of water resources in the Heihe River drainage basin.

Application of Bayesian regularized BP neural network model for analysis of aquatic ecological data—A case study of chlorophyll-a prediction in Nanzui water area of Dongting Lake

Bayesian regularized BP neural network（BRBPNN） technique was applied in the chlorophyll-α prediction of Nanzui water area in Dongting Lake. Through BP network interpolation method, the input and output samples of the network were obtained. After the selection of input variables using stepwise/multiple linear regression method in SPSS i1.0 software, the BRBPNN model was established between chlorophyll-α and environmental parameters, biological parameters. The achieved optimal network structure was 3-11-1 with the correlation coefficients and the mean square errors for the training set and the test set as 0.999 and 0.000？8426, 0.981 and 0.0216 respectively. The sum of square weights between each input neuron and the hidden layer of optimal BRBPNN models of different structures indicated that the effect of individual input parameter on chlorophyll- α declined in the order of alga amount 〉 secchi disc depth（SD） 〉 electrical conductivity （EC）. Additionally, it also demonstrated that the contributions of these three factors were the maximal for the change of chlorophyll-α concentration, total phosphorus（TP） and total nitrogen（TN） were the minimal. All the results showed that BRBPNN model was capable of automated regularization parameter selection and thus it may ensure the excellent generation ability and robustness. Thus, this study laid the foundation for the application of BRBPNN model in the analysis of aquatic ecological data（chlorophyll-α prediction） and the explanation about the effective eutrophication treatment measures for Nanzui water area in Dongting Lake.

Artificial neural network models predicting the leaf area index:a case study in pure even-aged Crimean pine forests from Turkey

Background: Leaf Area Index(LAI) is an important parameter used in monitoring and modeling of forest ecosystems. The aim of this study was to evaluate performance of the artificial neural network(ANN) models to predict the LAI by comparing the regression analysis models as the classical method in these pure and even-aged Crimean pine forest stands.Methods: One hundred eight temporary sample plots were collected from Crimean pine forest stands to estimate stand parameters. Each sample plot was imaged with hemispherical photographs to detect the LAI. The partial correlation analysis was used to assess the relationships between the stand LAI values and stand parameters, and the multivariate linear regression analysis was used to predict the LAI from stand parameters. Different artificial neural network models comprising different number of neuron and transfer functions were trained and used to predict the LAI of forest stands.Results: The correlation coefficients between LAI and stand parameters(stand number of trees, basal area, the quadratic mean diameter, stand density and stand age) were significant at the level of 0.01. The stand age, number of trees, site index, and basal area were independent parameters in the most successful regression model predicted LAI values using stand parameters(R_(adj)~2=0.5431). As corresponding method to predict the interactions between the stand LAI values and stand parameters, the neural network architecture based on the RBF 4-19-1 with Gaussian activation function in hidden layer and the identity activation function in output layer performed better in predicting LAI(SSE(12.1040), MSE(0.1223), RMSE(0.3497), AIC(0.1040), BIC(-77.7310) and R^2(0.6392)) compared to the other studied techniques.Conclusion: The ANN outperformed the multivariate regression techniques in predicting LAI from stand parameters. The ANN models, developed in this study, may aid in making forest management planning in study forest stands.

Numerical simulation of neuronal spike patterns in a retinal network model

This study utilized a neuronal compartment model and NEURON software to study the effects of external light stimulation on retinal photoreceptors and spike patterns of neurons in a retinal network Following light stimulation of different shapes and sizes, changes in the spike features of ganglion cells indicated that different shapes of light stimulation elicited different retinal responses. By manipulating the shape of light stimulation, we investigated the effects of the large number of electrical synapses existing between retinal neurons. Model simulation and analysis suggested that interplexiform cells play an important role in visual signal information processing in the retina, and the findings indicated that our constructed retinal network model was reliable and feasible. In addition, the simulation results demonstrated that ganglion cells exhibited a variety of spike patterns under different light stimulation sizes and different stimulation shapes, which reflect the functions of the retina in signal transmission and processing.

Pore network modeling of water block in low permeability reservoirs

A pore network model was used in this paper to investigate the factors, in particular, throat radius, wettability and initial water saturation, causing water block in low permeability reservoirs. A new term - ＇relative permeability number＇ （RPN） was firstly defined, and then used to describe the degree of water block. Imbibition process simulations show that the RPN drops in accordance with the extension of the averaged pore throat radius from 0.05 to 1.5 μm, and yet once beyond that point of 1.5 μm, the RPN reaches a higher value, indicating the existence of a critical pore throat radius where water block is the maximum. When the wettability of the samples changes from water-wet to weakly water-wet, weakly gas-wet, or gas（oil）-wet, the gas RPN increases consistently, but this consistency is disturbed by the RPN dropping for weakly water-wet samples for water saturations less than 0.4, which means weakly waterwet media are more easily water blocked than water-wet systems. In the situation where the initial water saturation exceeds 0.05, water block escalates along with an increase in initial water saturation.

Strategic games on a hierarchical network model

Among complex network models,the hierarchical network model is the one most close to such real networks as world trade web,metabolic network,WWW,actor network,and so on.It has not only the property of power-law degree distribution,but also the scaling clustering coefficient property which Barabási-Albert(BA)model does not have.BA model is a model of network growth based on growth and preferential attachment,showing the scale-free degree distribution property.In this paper,we study the evolution of cooperation on a hierarchical network model,adopting the prisoner's dilemma(PD)game and snowdrift game(SG)as metaphors of the interplay between connected nodes.BA model provides a unifying framework for the emergence of cooperation.But interestingly,we found that on hierarchical model,there is no sign of cooperation for PD game,while the fre-quency of cooperation decreases as the common benefit decreases for SG.By comparing the scaling clustering coefficient prop-erties of the hierarchical network model with that of BA model,we found that the former amplifies the effect of hubs.Considering different performances of PD game and SG on complex network,we also found that common benefit leads to cooperation in the evolution.Thus our study may shed light on the emergence of cooperation in both natural and social environments.

Determination of a Pore Structure Parameter of Porous Media by Analysis of Percolation Network Model

According to the simulation of nitrogen sorption process in porous media with three-dimensional network model, and the analysis for such a process with percolation theory, a new method is proposed to determine a pore structure parameter--mean coordination number of pore network, which represents the connectivity among a great number of pores. Here the 'chamber-throat' model and the Weibull distribution are used to describe the pore geometry and the pore size distribution respectively. This method is based on the scaling law of percolation theory after both effects of sorption thermodynamics and pore size on the sorption hysteresis loops are considered. The results show that it is an effective procedure to calculate the mean coordination number for micro- and meso-porous media.

Agent-Based Network Modeling Study of Immune Responses in Progression of Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, is a chronic inflammatory disorder that results in ulcers of the colon and rectum without known etiology. Ulcerative colitis causes a huge public health care burden particularly in developed countries. Many studies suggest that ulcerative colitis results from an abnormal immune response against components of cornrnensal rnicrobiota in genetically susceptible individuals. However, understanding of the disease mechanisms at cellular and molecular levels remains largely elusive. In this paper, a network model is developed based on our previous study and computer simulations are perforrned using an agent-based network modeling to elucidate the dynamics of immune response in ulcerative colitis progression. Our modeling study identifies several important positive feedback loops as a driving force for ulcerative colitis initiation and progression. The results demonstrate that although immune response in ulcerative colitis patients is dominated by anti-inflarnrnatory/regulatory cells such as alternatively activated rnacrophages and type II natural killer T cells, proinflarnrnatory cells including classically activated rnacrophages, T helper 1 and T helper 17 cells, and their secreted cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-12, interleukin-23, interleukin-17 and interferon-γ remain at certain levels （lower than those in Crohn＇s disease, another inflammatory bowel disease）. Long-terrn exposure to these proinflarnrnatory components, causes rnucosal tissue damage persistently, leading to ulcerative colitis. Our simulation results are qualitatively in agreement with clinical and laboratory measurements, offering novel insight into the disease mechanisms.

Projected change in precipitation forms in the Chinese Tianshan Mountains based on the Back Propagation Neural Network Model

In the context of global warming,precipitation forms are likely to transform from snowfall to rainfall with a more pronounced trend.The change in precipitation forms will inevitably affect the processes of regional runoff generation and confluence as well as the annual distribution of runoff.Most researchers used precipitation data from the CMIP5 model directly to study future precipitation trends without distinguishing between snowfall and rainfall.CMIP5 models have been proven to have better performance in simulating temperature but poorer performance in simulating precipitation.To overcome the above limitations,this paper used a Back Propagation Neural Network(BNN)to predict the rainfall-to-precipitation ratio(RPR)in months experiencing freezing-thawing transitions(FTTs).We utilized the meteorological(air pressure,air temperature,evaporation,relative humidity,wind speed,sunshine hours,surface temperature),topographic(altitude,slope,aspect)and geographic(longitude,latitude)data from 28 meteorological stations in the Chinese Tianshan Mountains region(CTMR)from 1961 to 2018 to calculate the RPR and constructed an index system of impact factors.Based on the BNN,decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method(BP-DEMATEL),the key factors driving the transformation of the RPR in the CTMR were identified.We found that temperature was the only key factor affecting the transformation of the RPR in the BP-DEMATEL model.Considering the relationship between temperature and the RPR,the future temperature under different representative concentration pathways(RCPs)(RCP2.6/RCP4.5/RCP8.5)provided by 21 CMIP5 models and the meteorological factors from meteorological stations were input into the BNN model to acquire the future RPR from 2011 to 2100.The results showed that under the three scenarios,the RPR in the number of months experiencing FTTs during 2011-2100 will be higher than that in the historical period(1981-2010)in the CTMR.Furthermore,in terms of spatial variation,the RPR values on the south slope will be larger than those on the north slope under the three emission scenarios.Moreover,the RPR values exhibited different variation characteristics under different emission scenarios.Under the low-emission scenario(RCP2.6),as time passed,the RPR values changed slightly at more stations.Under the mediumemission scenario(RCP4.5),the RPR increased in the whole CTMR and stabilized on the north slope by the end of this century.Under the high-emission scenario(RCP8.5),the RPR values increased significantly through the 21 st century in the whole CTMR.This study may help to provide a scientific management basis for agricultural production and hydrology.

Stability analysis of discrete-time BAM neural networks based on standard neural network models

To facilitate stability analysis of discrete-time bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural networks, they were converted into novel neural network models, termed standard neural network models (SNNMs), which interconnect linear dynamic systems and bounded static nonlinear operators. By combining a number of different Lyapunov functionals with S-procedure, some useful criteria of global asymptotic stability and global exponential stability of the equilibrium points of SNNMs were derived. These stability conditions were formulated as linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). So global stability of the discrete-time BAM neural networks could be analyzed by using the stability results of the SNNMs. Compared to the existing stability analysis methods, the proposed approach is easy to implement, less conservative, and is applicable to other recurrent neural networks.

Assessing the Forecasting of Comprehensive Loss Incurred by Typhoons:A Combined PCA and BP Neural Network Model

This paper develops a joint model utilizing the principal component analysis(PCA)and the back propagation(BP)neural network model optimized by the Levenberg Marquardt(LM)algorithm,and as an application of the joint model to investigate the damages caused by typhoons for a coastal province,Fujian Province,China in 2005-2015(latest).First,the PCA is applied to analyze comprehensively the relationship between hazard factors,hazard bearing factors and disaster factors.Then five integrated indices,overall disaster level,typhoon intensity,damaged condition of houses,medical rescue and self-rescue capability,are extracted through the PCA;Finally,the BP neural network model,which takes the principal component scores as input and is optimized by the LM algorithm,is implemented to forecast the comprehensive loss of typhoons.It is estimated that an average annual loss of 138.514 billion RMB occurred for 2005-2015,with a maximum loss of 215.582 in 2006 and a decreasing trend since 2010 though the typhoon intensity increases.The model was validated using three typhoon events and it is found that the error is less than 1%.These results provide information for the government to increase medical institutions and medical workers and for the communities to promote residents’self-rescue capability.