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.

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.

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.

Network Modeling of Inammatory Dynamics Induced by Biomass Smoke Leading to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by airflow obstruction and progressive damage of lung tissues. As currently more than 3 billion people use biomass fuel for cooking and heating worldwide, exposure to biomass smoke(BS) is recognized as a significant risk factor for COPD. Recent clinical data have shown that BS-COPD patients have a Th2-type inflammatory profile significantly different from that in COPD induced by cigarette smoke. As COPD is essentially proinflammatory,however, the mechanism underlying this Th2-type anti-inflammatory profile remains elusive.In this work, a network model is applied to study BS-induced inflammatory dynamics. The network model involves several positive feedback loops, activations of which are responsible for different mechanisms by which clinical phenotypes of COPD are produced. Our modeling study in this work has identified a subset of BS-COPD patients with a mixed M1-and Th2-type inflammatory profile. The model’s prediction is in good agreement with clinical experiments and our in silico knockout simulations have demonstrated several important network components that play an important role in the disease. Our modeling study provides novel insight into BS-COPD progression, offering a rationale for targeted therapy and personalized medicine for treatment of the disease in future.

Algorithmic approach to discrete fracture network flow modeling in consideration of realistic connections in large-scale fracture networks

Analyzing rock mass seepage using the discrete fracture network(DFN)flow model poses challenges when dealing with complex fracture networks.This paper presents a novel DFN flow model that incorporates the actual connections of large-scale fractures.Notably,this model efficiently manages over 20,000 fractures without necessitating adjustments to the DFN geometry.All geometric analyses,such as identifying connected fractures,dividing the two-dimensional domain into closed loops,triangulating arbitrary loops,and refining triangular elements,are fully automated.The analysis processes are comprehensively introduced,and core algorithms,along with their pseudo-codes,are outlined and explained to assist readers in their programming endeavors.The accuracy of geometric analyses is validated through topological graphs representing the connection relationships between fractures.In practical application,the proposed model is employed to assess the water-sealing effectiveness of an underground storage cavern project.The analysis results indicate that the existing design scheme can effectively prevent the stored oil from leaking in the presence of both dense and sparse fractures.Furthermore,following extensive modification and optimization,the scale and precision of model computation suggest that the proposed model and developed codes can meet the requirements of engineering applications.

Network Modeling and Operation Optimization of Electricity-HCNG-Integrated Energy System

Hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas(HCNG)has great potential for renewable energy and hydrogen utilization.However,injecting hydrogen into the natural gas network will change original fluid dynamics and complicate compressed gas's physical properties,threatening operational safety of the electricity-HCNG-integrated energy system(E-HCNG-IES).To resolve such problem,this paper investigates effect of HCNG on gas network dynamics and presents an improved HCNG network model,which embodies the influence of blending hydrogen on the pressure drop equation and line pack equation.In addition,an optimal dispatch model for the E-HCNG-IES,considering the“production-storage-blending-transportation-utilization”link of the HCNG supply chain,is also proposed.The dispatch model is converted into a mixed-integer second-order conic programming(MISOCP)problem using the second-order cone(SOC)relaxation and piecewise linearization techniques.An iterative algorithm is proposed based on the convex-concave procedure and bound-tightening method to obtain a tight solution.Finally,the proposed methodology is evaluated through two E-HCNGIES numerical testbeds with different hydrogen volume fractions.Detailed operation analysis reveals that E-HCNG-IES can benefit from economic and environmental improvement with increased hydrogen volume fraction,despite declining energy delivery capacityand line pack flexibility.

The impact of heterogeneity and pore network characteristics on single and multi-phase fluid propagation in complex porous media:An X-ray computed tomography study

This study investigates the impact of pore network characteristics on fluid flow through complex and heterogeneous porous media,providing insights into the factors affecting fluid propagation in such systems.Specifically,high-resolution or micro X-ray computed tomography(CT)imaging techniques were utilized to examine outcrop stromatolite samples of the Lagoa Salgada,considered flow analogous to the Brazilian Pre-salt carbonate reservoirs.The petrophysical results comprised two distinct stromatolite depositional facies,the columnar and the fine-grained facies.By generating pore network model(PNM),the study quantified the relationship between key features of the porous system,including pore and throat radius,throat length,coordination number,shape factor,and pore volume.The study found that the less dense pore network of the columnar sample is typically characterized by larger pores and wider and longer throats but with a weaker connection of throats to pores.Both facies exhibited less variability in the radius of the pores and throats in comparison to throat length.Additionally,a series of core flooding experiments coupled with medical CT scanning was designed and conducted in the plug samples to assess flow propagation and saturation fields.The study revealed that the heterogeneity and presence of disconnected or dead-end pores significantly impacted the flow patterns and saturation.Two-phase flow patterns and oil saturation distribution reveal a preferential and heterogeneous displacement that mainly swept displaced fluid in some regions of plugs and bypassed it in others.The relation between saturation profiles,porosity profiles,and the number of fluid flow patterns for the samples was evident.Only for the columnar plug sample was the enhancement in recovery factor after shifting to lower salinity water injection(SB)observed.

Modeling of multiphase flow in low permeability porous media:Effect of wettability and pore structure properties

Multiphase flow in low permeability porous media is involved in numerous energy and environmental applications.However,a complete description of this process is challenging due to the limited modeling scale and the effects of complex pore structures and wettability.To address this issue,based on the digital rock of low permeability sandstone,a direct numerical simulation is performed considering the interphase drag and boundary slip to clarify the microscopic water-oil displacement process.In addition,a dual-porosity pore network model(PNM)is constructed to obtain the water-oil relative permeability of the sample.The displacement efficiency as a recovery process is assessed under different wetting and pore structure properties.Results show that microscopic displacement mechanisms explain the corresponding macroscopic relative permeability.The injected water breaks through the outlet earlier with a large mass flow,while thick oil films exist in rough hydrophobic surfaces and poorly connected pores.The variation of water-oil relative permeability is significant,and residual oil saturation is high in the oil-wet system.The flooding is extensive,and the residual oil is trapped in complex pore networks for hydrophilic pore surfaces;thus,water relative permeability is lower in the water-wet system.While the displacement efficiency is the worst in mixed-wetting systems for poor water connectivity.Microporosity negatively correlates with invading oil volume fraction due to strong capillary resistance,and a large microporosity corresponds to low residual oil saturation.This work provides insights into the water-oil flow from different modeling perspectives and helps to optimize the development plan for enhanced recovery.

Weighted Forwarding in Graph Convolution Networks for Recommendation Information Systems

Recommendation Information Systems(RIS)are pivotal in helping users in swiftly locating desired content from the vast amount of information available on the Internet.Graph Convolution Network(GCN)algorithms have been employed to implement the RIS efficiently.However,the GCN algorithm faces limitations in terms of performance enhancement owing to the due to the embedding value-vanishing problem that occurs during the learning process.To address this issue,we propose a Weighted Forwarding method using the GCN(WF-GCN)algorithm.The proposed method involves multiplying the embedding results with different weights for each hop layer during graph learning.By applying the WF-GCN algorithm,which adjusts weights for each hop layer before forwarding to the next,nodes with many neighbors achieve higher embedding values.This approach facilitates the learning of more hop layers within the GCN framework.The efficacy of the WF-GCN was demonstrated through its application to various datasets.In the MovieLens dataset,the implementation of WF-GCN in LightGCN resulted in significant performance improvements,with recall and NDCG increasing by up to+163.64%and+132.04%,respectively.Similarly,in the Last.FM dataset,LightGCN using WF-GCN enhanced with WF-GCN showed substantial improvements,with the recall and NDCG metrics rising by up to+174.40%and+169.95%,respectively.Furthermore,the application of WF-GCN to Self-supervised Graph Learning(SGL)and Simple Graph Contrastive Learning(SimGCL)also demonstrated notable enhancements in both recall and NDCG across these datasets.

A multilayer network diffusion-based model for reviewer recommendation

With the rapid growth of manuscript submissions,finding eligible reviewers for every submission has become a heavy task.Recommender systems are powerful tools developed in computer science and information science to deal with this problem.However,most existing approaches resort to text mining techniques to match manuscripts with potential reviewers,which require high-quality textual information to perform well.In this paper,we propose a reviewer recommendation algorithm based on a network diffusion process on a scholar-paper multilayer network,with no requirement for textual information.The network incorporates the relationship of scholar-paper pairs,the collaboration among scholars,and the bibliographic coupling among papers.Experimental results show that our proposed algorithm outperforms other state-of-the-art recommendation methods that use graph random walk and matrix factorization and methods that use machine learning and natural language processing,with improvements of over 7.62%in recall,5.66%in hit rate,and 47.53%in ranking score.Our work sheds light on the effectiveness of multilayer network diffusion-based methods in the reviewer recommendation problem,which will help to facilitate the peer-review process and promote information retrieval research in other practical scenes.

An application of network modeling method to scientific research and demonstration platform-Connector load analysis

A new approach referred as“the network modeling method”was developed by the authors to analyze the behaviors of marine structures.In this paper the method is briefly described and applied to predict the loads acting on the connectors between the two modules of the Scientific Research and Demonstration Platform(SRDP),which was deployed in a complicated wave environment near islands and reefs in South China Sea.Based on this method,the response amplitude operators(RAOs)of the connector loads of the SRDP in regular waves,and the time variations of the connector loads of the SRDP in an on-site measured random sea state are predicted and presented.The significant stresses at 20 spots of the local connection structure induced by the connector loads in the sea state are further calculated.The comparisons between the predicted and the on-site measured stresses confirm that the network modeling method is feasible to some extent and especially useful for design of the connectors’arrangement,estimation of the connector loads and the related structural safety of a multi-module floating structure in early design stage.

Experimental and numerical study of water sprayed turbulent combustion: Proposal of a neural network modeling for five-dimensional flamelet approach

Owing to the increasing worldwide demand for natural gas,the development of a large submerged combustion vaporizer is required.Its burner is equipped with a water spray nozzle to reduce nitrogen oxides,and a practi-cal simulation method is required for the optimal design.The non-adiabatic flamelet approach can predict the combustion emissions and is useful for reducing simulation costs.However,as the number of control variables increases,the database requires larger memory and cannot be dealt with by general computers.In this study,an artificial neural network(ANN)model based on a five-dimensional flamelet database,which includes the effects of heat loss and vapor concentration by sprayed water evaporation,is developed.Furthermore,large eddy sim-ulations(LESs)for turbulent combustion fields with and without water spray are conducted employing flamelet generated manifold(FGM)approach with this ANN model,and the validity is investigated.For comparison,a lab-scale burner equipped with a water spray nozzle is manufactured,and combustion experiments with and without water spray are conducted.The results show that CO,NO,temperature,and reaction rate of progress variable predicted by the present ANN model are in good agreement with those of a five-dimensional flamelet database.In the condition without water spray,the flame behavior predicted by the LES employing the FGM/ANN ap-proach is in good agreement with that employing the conventional FGM approach,while indicating much lower memory,although there appeared some quantitative discrepancies in the temperature against the experiment probably partially because of the insufficiency of the FGM approach for the present complex flame structure.In the condition with water spray,the LES employing the FGM/ANN approach is able to capture the effect of the water spray on the flame behavior in the experiment,such that the water spray decreases the temperature,which causes the decrease in NO but increase in CO.

Brain networks modeling for studying the mechanism underlying the development of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a primary age-related neurodegenerative disorder that can result in impaired cognitive and memory functions.Although connections between changes in brain networks of Alzheimer’s disease patients have been established,the mechanisms that drive these alterations remain incompletely understood.This study,which was conducted in 2018 at Northeastern University in China,included data from 97 participants of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative(ADNI)dataset covering genetics,imaging,and clinical data.All participants were divided into two groups:normal control(n=52;20 males and 32 females;mean age 73.90±4.72 years)and Alzheimer’s disease(n=45,23 males and 22 females;mean age 74.85±5.66).To uncover the wiring mechanisms that shaped changes in the topology of human brain networks of Alzheimer’s disease patients,we proposed a local naive Bayes brain network model based on graph theory.Our results showed that the proposed model provided an excellent fit to observe networks in all properties examined,including clustering coefficient,modularity,characteristic path length,network efficiency,betweenness,and degree distribution compared with empirical methods.This proposed model simulated the wiring changes in human brain networks between controls and Alzheimer’s disease patients.Our results demonstrate its utility in understanding relationships between brain tissue structure and cognitive or behavioral functions.The ADNI was performed in accordance with the Good Clinical Practice guidelines,US 21 CFR Part 50-Protection of Human Subjects,and Part 56-Institutional Review Boards(IRBs)/Research Good Clinical Practice guidelines Institutional Review Boards(IRBs)/Research Ethics Boards(REBs).

Integrating artificial neural networks and geostatistics for optimum 3D geological block modeling in mineral reserve estimation:A case study

In this research, a method called ANNMG is presented to integrate Artificial Neural Networks and Geostatistics for optimum mineral reserve evaluation. The word ANNMG simply means Artificial Neural Network Model integrated with Geostatiscs, In this procedure, the Artificial Neural Network was trained, tested and validated using assay values obtained from exploratory drillholes. Next, the validated model was used to generalize mineral grades at known and unknown sampled locations inside the drilling region respectively. Finally, the reproduced and generalized assay values were combined and fed to geostatistics in order to develop a geological 3D block model. The regression analysis revealed that the predicted sample grades were in close proximity to the actual sample grades, The generalized grades from the ANNMG show that this process could be used to complement exploration activities thereby reducing drilling requirement. It could also be an effective mineral reserve evaluation method that could oroduce optimum block model for mine design.

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.

Network-based structure optimization method of the anti-aircraft system

The anti-aircraft system plays an irreplaceable role in modern combat. An anti-aircraft system consists of various types of functional entities interacting to destroy the hostile aircraft moving in high speed. The connecting structure of combat entities in it is of great importance for supporting the normal process of the system. In this paper, we explore the optimizing strategy of the structure of the anti-aircraft network by establishing extra communication channels between the combat entities.Firstly, the thought of combat network model(CNM) is borrowed to model the anti-aircraft system as a heterogeneous network. Secondly, the optimization objectives are determined as the survivability and the accuracy of the system. To specify these objectives, the information chain and accuracy chain are constructed based on CNM. The causal strength(CAST) logic and influence network(IN) are introduced to illustrate the establishment of the accuracy chain. Thirdly, the optimization constraints are discussed and set in three aspects: time, connection feasibility and budget. The time constraint network(TCN) is introduced to construct the timing chain and help to detect the timing consistency. Then, the process of the multi-objective optimization of the structure of the anti-aircraft system is designed.Finally, a simulation is conducted to prove the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method. Non-dominated sorting based genetic algorithm-Ⅱ(NSGA2) is used to solve the multiobjective optimization problem and two other algorithms including non-dominated sorting based genetic algorithm-Ⅲ(NSGA3)and strength Pareto evolutionary algorithm-Ⅱ(SPEA2) are employed as comparisons. The deciders and system builders can make the anti-aircraft system improved in the survivability and accuracy in the combat reality.

Artificial neural network-based subgrid-scale models for LES of compressible turbulent channel flow

Fully connected neural networks(FCNNs)have been developed for the closure of subgrid-scale(SGS)stress and SGS heat flux in large-eddy simulations of compressible turbulent channel flow.The FCNNbased SGS model trained using data with Mach number Ma=3.0 and Reynolds number Re=3000 was applied to situations with different Mach numbers and Reynolds numbers.The input variables of the neural network model were the filtered velocity gradients and temperature gradients at a single spatial grid point.The a priori test showed that the FCNN model had a correlation coefficient larger than 0.91 and a relative error smaller than 0.43,with much better reconstructions of SGS unclosed terms than the dynamic Smagorinsky model(DSM).In a posteriori test,the behavior of the FCNN model was marginally better than that of the DSM in predicting the mean velocity profiles,mean temperature profiles,turbulent intensities,total Reynolds stress,total Reynolds heat flux,and mean SGS flux of kinetic energy,and outperformed the Smagorinsky model.

A novel pore-fracture dual network modeling method considering dynamic cracking and its applications

Unconventional reservoirs are normally characterized by dual porous media, which has both multi-scalepore and fracture structures, such as low permeability or tight oil reservoirs. The seepage characteristicsof such reservoirs is mainly determined by micro-fractures, but conventional laboratory experimentalmethods are difficult to measure it, which is attribute to the dynamic cracking of these micro-fractures.The emerging digital core technology in recent years can solve this problem by developing an accuratepore network model and a rational simulation approach. In this study, a novel pore-fracture dualnetwork model was established based on percolation theory. Fluid flow in the pore of two scales, microfracture and matrix pore, were considered, also with the impact of micro-fracture opening and closingduring flow. Some seepage characteristic parameters, such as fluid saturations, capillary pressure, relative permeabilities, displacement efficiency in different flow stage, can be predicted by proposedcalculating method. Through these work, seepage characteristics of dual porous media can be achieved.

Modeling and Performance Analysis of Spiral Fishbone Network Using NS-2

In this research, we have projected and carried out a novel fishbone network that shows better performance in the term of minimizing the packet delay with respect to sink speed. Previous study implies that sector angle affects greatly on designing fishbone network. Finite Set of nodes arranges to sense the physical condition of any system is called wireless sensor. Our designed fishbone network can be potentially applied for a wireless sensing system to formulate a whole network. The network is a novel design which has been finalized by comparing sector angle. Analysis takes place by varying packet delay according to sink speed. Future analysis takes place for Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE). Latency of Packet and its size is the measurement criteria of any network or service is called Quality of Service (QoS). On the other hand the user experience of using the designed network is called Quality of Experience (QoE). Our designed network has been analyzed in TCP Tracer to find out the latency or packet delay for different users. The user data has been shorted and equated among them for latency with different no of packets. Our proposed spiral fishbone network shows better QoS and QoE. In future more nodes can be added to design extended fishbone network for wireless.

A Sentence Retrieval Generation Network Guided Video Captioning

Currently,the video captioning models based on an encoder-decoder mainly rely on a single video input source.The contents of video captioning are limited since few studies employed external corpus information to guide the generation of video captioning,which is not conducive to the accurate descrip-tion and understanding of video content.To address this issue,a novel video captioning method guided by a sentence retrieval generation network(ED-SRG)is proposed in this paper.First,a ResNeXt network model,an efficient convolutional network for online video understanding(ECO)model,and a long short-term memory(LSTM)network model are integrated to construct an encoder-decoder,which is utilized to extract the 2D features,3D features,and object features of video data respectively.These features are decoded to generate textual sentences that conform to video content for sentence retrieval.Then,a sentence-transformer network model is employed to retrieve different sentences in an external corpus that are semantically similar to the above textual sentences.The candidate sentences are screened out through similarity measurement.Finally,a novel GPT-2 network model is constructed based on GPT-2 network structure.The model introduces a designed random selector to randomly select predicted words with a high probability in the corpus,which is used to guide and generate textual sentences that are more in line with human natural language expressions.The proposed method in this paper is compared with several existing works by experiments.The results show that the indicators BLEU-4,CIDEr,ROUGE_L,and METEOR are improved by 3.1%,1.3%,0.3%,and 1.5%on a public dataset MSVD and 1.3%,0.5%,0.2%,1.9%on a public dataset MSR-VTT respectively.It can be seen that the proposed method in this paper can generate video captioning with richer semantics than several state-of-the-art approaches.