Efficiency and effectiveness of systems for the treatment of domestic wastewater based on subsurface flow constructed wetlands in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic

Constructed wetlands(CwW)are well known nature-based systems for water treatment.This study evaluated the efficiency and effectiveness of seven domestic wastewater treatment systems based on horizontal flow CWs in Jarabacoa,the Dominican Republic.The results showed that the CWs were efficient in reducing the degree of contamination of wastewater to levels below the Dominican wastewater discharge standards for parameters such as the 5-day biochemical oxygen demand(BOD5)and chemical oxygen demand,but not for the removal of phosphorus and fecal coliforms.In addition,a horizontal flow subsurface wetland in the peri-urban area El Dorado was evaluated in terms of the performance of wastewater treatment in tropical climatic conditions.The concentrations of heavy metals,such as zinc,copper,chromium,and iron,were found to decrease in the effluent of the wetland,and the concentrations for nickel and manganese tended to increase.The levels of heavy metals in the effluent were lower than the limit values of the Dominican wastewater discharge standards.The construction cost of these facilities was around 200 USD per population equivalent,similar to the cost in other countries in the same region.This study suggested some solutions to the improved performance of CWs:selection of a microbial flora that guarantees the reduction of nitrates and nitrites to molecular nitrogen,use of endemic plants that bioaccumulate heavy metals,combination of constructed wetlands with filtration on activated carbon,and inclusion of water purification processes that allow to evaluate the reuse of treated water.

Seasonal response of nitrogen exchange fluxes to crab disturbance at sediment-water interface in coastal tidal wetlands

Coastal wetlands are hotspots for nitrogen(N)cycling,and crab burrowing is known to transform N in intertidal marsh soils.However,the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.This study conducted field experiments and used indoor control test devices to investigate the seasonal response of nitrogen to crab disturbance at the sediment-water interface in coastal tidal flat wetlands.The results showed that crab disturbance exhibited significant seasonality with large seasonal differences in cave density and depth.Due to crab disturbance,nitrogen fuxes at the sediment-water interface were much greater in the box with crabs than in the box without crabs.In summer,NH-N showed a positive flux from the sediment to the overlying water,but NO2-N and NOg-N showed positive fluxes from the sediment to the overlying water only in early stages.In winter,NH-N showed a positive flux from the sediment to the overlying water,but NO-N and NO,-N both exhibited positive and negative fluxes.These results indicated that the presence of crab burrows can cause the aerobic layer to move downward by approximately 8-15 cm in summer and directly promote nitrification at the sediment surface.

Occurrence,Spatial Distribution,Sources and Risk Assessment of Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Surface Sediments of the Yellow River Delta Wetland

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFASs)are emerging persistent organic pollutants(POPs).In this study,47 surface sediment samples were collected from the Yellow River Delta wetland(YRDW)to investigate the occurrence,spatial distribution,potential sources,and ecological risks of PFASs.Twenty-three out of 26 targeted PFASs were detected in surface sediment samples from the YRDW,with totalΣ23PFASs concentrations ranging from 0.23 to 16.30 ng g^(-1) dw and a median value of 2.27 ng g^(-1) dw.Perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA),perfluorobutanoic acid(PFBA)and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid(PFOS)were the main contaminants.The detection frequency and concentration of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids(PFCAs)were higher than those of perfluoroal-kanesulfonic acids(PFSAs),while those of long-chain PFASs were higher than those of short-chain PFASs.The emerging PFASs substitutes were dominated by 6:2 chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonic acid(6:2 Cl-PFESA).The distribution of PFASs is significantly influenced by the total organic carbon content in the sediments.The concentration of PFASs seems to be related to human activities,with high concentration levels of PFASs near locations such as beaches and villages.By using a positive matrix factorization model,the potential sources of PFASs in the region were identified as metal plating mist inhibitor and fluoropolymer manufacturing sources,metal plating industry and firefighting foam and textile treatment sources,and food packaging material sources.The risk assessment indicated that PFASs in YRDW sediments do not pose a significant ecological risk to benthic organisms in the region overall,but PFOA and PFOS exert a low to moderate risk at individual stations.

基于SSD与FaceNet的人脸识别系统设计

人脸识别技术广泛应用于考勤管理、移动支付等智慧建设中。伴随着常态化的口罩干扰,传统人脸识别算法已无法满足实际应用需求,为此,本文利用深度学习模型SSD以及FaceNet模型对人脸识别系统展开设计。首先,为消除现有数据集中亚洲人脸占比小造成的类内间距变化差距不明显的问题,在CAS-IA Web Face公开数据集的基础上对亚洲人脸数据进行扩充;其次,为解决不同口罩样式对特征提取的干扰,使用SSD人脸检测模型与DLIB人脸关键点检测模型提取人脸关键点,并利用人脸关键点与口罩的空间位置关系,额外随机生成不同的口罩人脸,组成混合数据集;最后,在混合数据集上进行模型训练并将训练好的模型移植到人脸识别系统中,进行检测速度与识别精度验证。实验结果表明,系统的实时识别速度达20 fps以上,人脸识别模型准确率在构建的混合数据集中达到97.1%,在随机抽取的部分LFW数据集验证的准确率达99.7%,故而该系统可满足实际应用需求,在一定程度上提高人脸识别的鲁棒性与准确性。

基于YOLO5Face重分布的小尺度人脸检测方法

针对复杂场景下小尺度人脸检测精度较低的问题,提出了一种基于YOLO5Face重分布的小尺度人脸检测方法。方法以YOLO5Face为基础,在网络浅层引入改进的CBAM注意力并对模型计算重分布,提升复杂场景下小尺度人脸检测精度的同时降低模型参数量;采用融合mixup的数据增强方法,充分训练模型小尺度人脸检测分支;依据人脸检测特性,将softmax损失作为分类损失以最大化类间特征的差异。在WiderFace各个子集上的实验结果表明,与主流人脸检测方法相比,改进后的模型满足实时性的同时,小尺度人脸检测精度较高,其中Hard子集检测精度比YOLO5Face提升2个百分点。

VR/AR-AdaptFace:面向虚拟现实与增强现实的自适应多模态面部替换模型

随着VR/AR技术的迅猛发展,用户对于沉浸式体验的需求日益增长。同时,虚拟人脸技术亦趋成熟。基于此,本文探索将高度拟真的虚拟人脸融入VR/AR,以增强用户体验的自然度与沉浸感。然而,在虚拟数字人领域,图像生成及换脸技术在VR/AR环境下仍遇诸多挑战,尤其是唇形合成模型在动态场景及多语言环境下的性能需进一步优化。为解决上述问题,本文提出VR/AR-AdaptFace模型,一个面向虚拟现实与增强现实的自适应多模态面部替换方案。该模型由两大模块构成:“文颜绘真”模块,采用先进的文本至图像转换技术和特定类别先验保存策略,优化虚拟人脸生成,并通过注意力机制大幅提升图像质量;“语唇映生”模块,依托强大的生成器、唇形同步判别器及视觉质量判别器,实现语音与唇形的精准同步,为VR/AR场景中的动态交互带来更加逼真的体验。

Probabilistic analysis of tunnel face seismic stability in layered rock masses using Polynomial Chaos Kriging metamodel

Face stability is an essential issue in tunnel design and construction.Layered rock masses are typical and ubiquitous;uncertainties in rock properties always exist.In view of this,a comprehensive method,which combines the Upper bound Limit analysis of Tunnel face stability,the Polynomial Chaos Kriging,the Monte-Carlo Simulation and Analysis of Covariance method(ULT-PCK-MA),is proposed to investigate the seismic stability of tunnel faces.A two-dimensional analytical model of ULT is developed to evaluate the virtual support force based on the upper bound limit analysis.An efficient probabilistic analysis method PCK-MA based on the adaptive Polynomial Chaos Kriging metamodel is then implemented to investigate the parameter uncertainty effects.Ten input parameters,including geological strength indices,uniaxial compressive strengths and constants for three rock formations,and the horizontal seismic coefficients,are treated as random variables.The effects of these parameter uncertainties on the failure probability and sensitivity indices are discussed.In addition,the effects of weak layer position,the middle layer thickness and quality,the tunnel diameter,the parameters correlation,and the seismic loadings are investigated,respectively.The results show that the layer distributions significantly influence the tunnel face probabilistic stability,particularly when the weak rock is present in the bottom layer.The efficiency of the proposed ULT-PCK-MA is validated,which is expected to facilitate the engineering design and construction.

Rock mass quality prediction on tunnel faces with incomplete multi-source dataset via tree-augmented naive Bayesian network

Rock mass quality serves as a vital index for predicting the stability and safety status of rock tunnel faces.In tunneling practice,the rock mass quality is often assessed via a combination of qualitative and quantitative parameters.However,due to the harsh on-site construction conditions,it is rather difficult to obtain some of the evaluation parameters which are essential for the rock mass quality prediction.In this study,a novel improved Swin Transformer is proposed to detect,segment,and quantify rock mass characteristic parameters such as water leakage,fractures,weak interlayers.The site experiment results demonstrate that the improved Swin Transformer achieves optimal segmentation results and achieving accuracies of 92%,81%,and 86%for water leakage,fractures,and weak interlayers,respectively.A multisource rock tunnel face characteristic(RTFC)dataset includes 11 parameters for predicting rock mass quality is established.Considering the limitations in predictive performance of incomplete evaluation parameters exist in this dataset,a novel tree-augmented naive Bayesian network(BN)is proposed to address the challenge of the incomplete dataset and achieved a prediction accuracy of 88%.In comparison with other commonly used Machine Learning models the proposed BN-based approach proved an improved performance on predicting the rock mass quality with the incomplete dataset.By utilizing the established BN,a further sensitivity analysis is conducted to quantitatively evaluate the importance of the various parameters,results indicate that the rock strength and fractures parameter exert the most significant influence on rock mass quality.

Mangrove wetlands distribution status identification, changing trend analyzation and carbon storage assessment of China

This research investigates the ecological importance,changes,and status of mangrove wetlands along China’s coastline.Visual interpretation,geological surveys,and ISO clustering unsupervised classification methods are employed to interpret mangrove distribution from remote sensing images from 2021,utilizing ArcGIS software platform.Furthermore,the carbon storage capacity of mangrove wetlands is quantified using the carbon storage module of InVEST model.Results show that the mangrove wetlands in China covered an area of 278.85 km2 in 2021,predominantly distributed in Hainan,Guangxi,Guangdong,Fujian,Zhejiang,Taiwan,Hong Kong,and Macao.The total carbon storage is assessed at 2.11×10^(6) t,with specific regional data provided.Trends since the 1950s reveal periods of increase,decrease,sharp decrease,and slight-steady increases in mangrove areas in China.An important finding is the predominant replacement of natural coastlines adjacent to mangrove wetlands by artificial ones,highlighting the need for creating suitable spaces for mangrove restoration.This study is poised to guide future mangroverelated investigations and conservation strategies.

VanillaFaceNet:一种高精度快速推理的牛脸识别方法

快速精准确定牛只身份对于牛只活体贷款,改善牛只骗保等问题具有重要意义。针对不同牛只面部差异小,FaceNet网络层数深,推理速度较慢,模型分类精度不足等问题,该研究提出了基于FaceNet的牛脸识别方法-VanillaFaceNet。该方法首先将FaceNet的主干特征提取网络替换为极简网络VanillaNet-13并提出动态激活和增强型线性变换的激活函数两种方法提高网络的非线性;然后,提出一种新的DBCA(dual-branch coordinate attention)注意力模块,能够更好地反映不同牛只面部特征之间的差异,从而提高网络的识别精度;最后,针对triplet loss仅能减小牛只类间差异的问题,采用center-triplet loss联合监督来减少牛只类内差异,从而提高了相同牛只身份比对的准确性。基于自建的牛脸数据集对该模型进行训练和测试,试验结果表明,VanillaFaceNet对牛只识别的准确率达到88.21%,每秒传输帧数为26.23帧。与FaceNet、MobileFaceNet、CenterFace、CosFace和ArcFace算法相比,本文算法的识别准确率分别提高了2.99、9.58、6.26、3.85和4.49个百分点,推理速度分别提升了2.67、0.77、0.10、1.28和0.94帧/s。该模型对牛只有较为优秀的识别效果,适于在嵌入式设备上部署,实现了牛只面部识别精度和推理速度之间的平衡。

Significance of Primary Treatment Selection in the Efficiency of Wastewater Treatment in Constructed Wetlands (CWs)

This research explores strategies to enhance the efficiency of secondary treatment in Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands (CW) in Montenegro. The focus is on selecting appropriate primary treatment methods alongside three distinct substrate types to improve wastewater treatment efficacy. The study examines the combination of two primary treatments with different substrate types in constructed wetlands (CW1, CW2, and CW3). The primary treatments include the existing wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Podgorica, involving coarse material removal through screens, inert material separation in aerated sand traps, and sediment and suspended matter removal in primary sedimentation tanks. The Extreme Separator (ExSep) was employed to evaluate its efficacy as a primary treatment method. The research demonstrates that the efficiency of CW can be significantly enhanced by selecting suitable primary treatment methods and substrates in Podgorica’s conditions. The most promising results were achieved by combining ExSep as a primary treatment with secondary treatment in CW-3. The removal efficiencies after CW3 for COD, BOD, and TSS exceeded 89%, 93%, and 91%, respectively. The outcomes underscore the significance of primary treatment in mitigating pollutant loads before discharge into the constructed wetlands, emphasizing potential areas for further optimization in wastewater treatment practices to enhance environmental sustainability and water quality management.

基于改进YOLOv5s-face的Face5系列人脸检测算法

针对人脸检测中小尺度人脸和遮挡人脸的漏检问题,提出了一种基于改进YOLOv5s-face(you only look once version 5 small-face)的Face5系列人脸检测算法Face5S(face5 small)和Face5M(face5 medium)。使用马赛克(mosaic)和图像混合(mixup)数据增强方法,提升算法在复杂场景下检测人脸的泛化性和稳定性;通过改进C3的网络结构和引入可变形卷积(DCNv2)降低算法的参数量,提高算法提取特征的灵活性;通过引入特征的内容感知重组上采样算子(CARAFE),提高多尺度人脸的检测性能;引入损失函数WIoUV3(wise intersection over union version 3),提升算法的小尺度人脸检测性能。实验结果表明,在WIDER FACE验证集上,相较于YOLOv5s-face算法,Face5S算法的平均mAP@0.5提升了1.03%;相较于先进的人脸检测算法ASFD-D3(automatic and scalable face detector-D3)和TinaFace,Face5M算法的平均mAP@0.5分别提升了1.07%和2.11%,提出的Face5系列算法能够有效提升算法对小尺度和部分遮挡人脸的检测性能,同时具有实时性。

Stability analysis of tunnel face reinforced with face bolts

Face bolting has been widely utilized to enhance the stability of tunnel face,particularly in soft soil tunnels.However,the influence of bolt reinforcement and its layout on tunnel face stability has not been systematically studied.Based on the theory of linear elastic mechanics,this study delved into the specific mechanisms of bolt reinforcement on the tunnel face in both horizontal and vertical dimensions.It also identified the primary failure types of bolts.Additionally,a design approach for tunnel face bolts that incorporates spatial layout was established using the limit equilibrium method to enhance the conventional wedge-prism model.The proposed model was subsequently validated through various means,and the specific influence of relevant bolt design parameters on tunnel face stability was analyzed.Furthermore,design principles for tunnel face bolts under different geological conditions were presented.The findings indicate that bolt failure can be categorized into three stages:tensile failure,pullout failure,and comprehensive failure.Increasing cohesion,internal friction angle,bolt density,and overlap length can effectively enhance tunnel face stability.Due to significant variations in stratum conditions,tailored design approaches based on specific failure stages are necessary for bolt design.

Seasonal Abundance and Diversity of Birds of Prey and Owls in Al Wathba Wetland Reserve in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Inland wetlands in Abu Dhabi Emirate are wintering and stopover sites for migratory birds of prey. We conducted long-term regular monitoring surveys in Al Wathba Wetland Reserve (AWWR) from January 1995 to December 2022. Both diurnal and occasionally nocturnal surveys were undertaken to record the migratory raptors and owls in the Wetland Reserve. During the study, a total of 1282 regular monitoring visits were undertaken and 27 species of diurnal raptors and owls representing five families and three orders were detected. These represent 57% of the total species of birds of prey recorded in the UAE. Overall, 63% of all the species that we observed were Accipitriformes followed by 26% Falconiformes and 11% Strigiformes. We found that changes in mean daily temperature have a positive effect on raptor species diversity and abundance in the Wetland Reserve. The species encounter rate was higher in low temperature as compared to high temperature and overall regression equation was statistically significant F (4, 1126) = 8.49), p = 0.00). However, the numbers of raptors did not vary significantly across the years (p = 0.51). Western Marsh-harrier (Circus aeruginosus) and Greater Spotted Eagle (Clanga clanga) were recorded to be the most abundant species in the wetland reserve followed by Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). However, the encounter rate of globally threatened Greater Spotted Eagle was detected to have significantly decreased since 2016. Moreover, 63% of the species detected were uncommon and rarely recorded such as 1) Saker Falcon 2) Lanner Falcon 3) Long-eared Owl & Merlin, which were the rare records from the wetland reserve. Furthermore, 27 years of regular monitoring in the wetland have yielded diverse diurnal raptors and owl fauna (H) = 0.83, (E) = 1.43 (Shannon Diversity Index). The results demonstrate that long-term monitoring surveys in arid environments are essential to determine the trends in the raptor populations and to document rare and globally important species.

Impact of Sky Conditions on Net Ecosystem Productivity over a “Floating Blanket” Wetland in Southwest China

Based on eddy covariance(EC) measurements during 2016–20, the effects of sky conditions on the net ecosystem productivity(NEP) over a subtropical “floating blanket ” wetland were investigated. Sky conditions were divided into overcast, cloudy, and sunny conditions. On the half-hourly timescale, the daytime NEP responded more rapidly to the changes in the total photosynthetic active radiation(PARt) under overcast and cloudy skies than that under sunny skies. The increase in the apparent quantum yield under overcast and cloudy conditions was the greatest in spring and the least in summer. Additionally, lower atmospheric vapor pressure deficit(VPD) and moderate air temperature were more conducive to enhancing the apparent quantum yield under cloudy skies. On the daily timescale, NEP and the gross primary production(GPP) were higher under cloudy or sunny conditions than those under overcast conditions across seasons. The daily NEP and GPP during the wet season peaked under cloudy skies. The daily ecosystem light use efficiency(LUE) and water use efficiency(WUE) during the wet season also changed with sky conditions and reached their maximum under overcast and cloudy skies, respectively. The diffuse photosynthetic active radiation(PAR_d) and air temperature were primarily responsible for the variation of daily NEP from half-hourly to monthly timescales, and the direct photosynthetic active radiation(PAR_b) had a secondary effect on NEP. Under sunny conditions, PAR_b and air temperature were the dominant factors controlling daily NEP. While daily NEP was mainly controlled by PAR_d under cloudy and overcast conditions.

Generating animatable 3D cartoon faces from single portraits

Background With the development of virtual reality(VR)technology,there is a growing need for customized 3D avatars.However,traditional methods for 3D avatar modeling are either time-consuming or fail to retain the similarity to the person being modeled.This study presents a novel framework for generating animatable 3D cartoon faces from a single portrait image.Methods First,we transferred an input real-world portrait to a stylized cartoon image using StyleGAN.We then proposed a two-stage reconstruction method to recover a 3D cartoon face with detailed texture.Our two-stage strategy initially performs coarse estimation based on template models and subsequently refines the model by nonrigid deformation under landmark supervision.Finally,we proposed a semantic-preserving face-rigging method based on manually created templates and deformation transfer.Conclusions Compared with prior arts,the qualitative and quantitative results show that our method achieves better accuracy,aesthetics,and similarity criteria.Furthermore,we demonstrated the capability of the proposed 3D model for real-time facial animation.

Sparse representation scheme with enhanced medium pixel intensity for face recognition

Sparse representation is an effective data classification algorithm that depends on the known training samples to categorise the test sample.It has been widely used in various image classification tasks.Sparseness in sparse representation means that only a few of instances selected from all training samples can effectively convey the essential class-specific information of the test sample,which is very important for classification.For deformable images such as human faces,pixels at the same location of different images of the same subject usually have different intensities.Therefore,extracting features and correctly classifying such deformable objects is very hard.Moreover,the lighting,attitude and occlusion cause more difficulty.Considering the problems and challenges listed above,a novel image representation and classification algorithm is proposed.First,the authors’algorithm generates virtual samples by a non-linear variation method.This method can effectively extract the low-frequency information of space-domain features of the original image,which is very useful for representing deformable objects.The combination of the original and virtual samples is more beneficial to improve the clas-sification performance and robustness of the algorithm.Thereby,the authors’algorithm calculates the expression coefficients of the original and virtual samples separately using the sparse representation principle and obtains the final score by a designed efficient score fusion scheme.The weighting coefficients in the score fusion scheme are set entirely automatically.Finally,the algorithm classifies the samples based on the final scores.The experimental results show that our method performs better classification than conventional sparse representation algorithms.

Mapping and understanding degradation of alpine wetlands in the northern Maloti-Drakensberg, southern Africa

The alpine terrestrials of the Maloti-Drakensberg in southern Africa play crucial roles in ecosystem functions and livelihoods,yet they face escalating degradation from various factors including overgrazing and climate change.This study employs advanced Digital Soil Mapping(DSM)techniques coupled with remote sensing to map and assess wetland coverage and degradation in the northern Maloti-Drakensberg.The model achieved high accuracies of 96%and 92%for training and validation data,respectively,with Kappa statistics of 0.91 and 0.83,marking a pioneering automated attempt at wetland mapping in this region.Terrain attributes such as terrain wetness index(TWI)and valley depth(VD)exhibit significant positive correlations with wetland coverage and erosion gully density,Channel Network Depth and slope were negative correlated.Gully density analysis revealed terrain attributes as dominant factors driving degradation,highlighting the need to consider catchment-specific susceptibility to erosion.This challenge traditional assumptions which mainly attribute wetland degradation to external forces such as livestock overgrazing,ice rate activity and climate change.The sensitivity map produced could serve as a basis for Integrated Catchment Management(ICM)projects,facilitating tailored conservation strategies.Future research should expand on this work to include other highland areas,explore additional covariates,and categorize wetlands based on hydroperiod and sensitivity to degradation.This comprehensive study underscores the potential of DSM and remote sensing in accurately assessing and managing wetland ecosystems,crucial for sustainable resource management in alpine regions.

The Relation between Mental Workload and Face Temperature in Flight Simulation

In this research, we study the relationship between mental workload and facial temperature of aircraft participants during a simulated takeoff flight. We conducted experiments to comprehend the correlation between work and facial temperature within the flight simulator. The experiment involved a group of 10 participants who played the role of pilots in a simulated A-320 flight. Six different flying scenarios were designed to simulate normal and emergency situations on airplane takeoff that would occur in different levels of mental workload for the participants. The measurements were workload assessment, face temperatures, and heart rate monitoring. Throughout the experiments, we collected a total of 120 instances of takeoffs, together with over 10 hours of time-series data including heart rate, workload, and face thermal images and temperatures. Comparative analysis of EEG data and thermal image types, revealed intriguing findings. The results indicate a notable inverse relationship between workload and facial muscle temperatures, as well as facial landmark points. The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the physiological effects of workload, as well as practical implications for aviation safety and performance.

Learning to represent 2D human face with mathematical model

How to represent a human face pattern?While it is presented in a continuous way in human visual system,computers often store and process it in a discrete manner with 2D arrays of pixels.The authors attempt to learn a continuous surface representation for face image with explicit function.First,an explicit model(EmFace)for human face representation is pro-posed in the form of a finite sum of mathematical terms,where each term is an analytic function element.Further,to estimate the unknown parameters of EmFace,a novel neural network,EmNet,is designed with an encoder-decoder structure and trained from massive face images,where the encoder is defined by a deep convolutional neural network and the decoder is an explicit mathematical expression of EmFace.The authors demonstrate that our EmFace represents face image more accurate than the comparison method,with an average mean square error of 0.000888,0.000936,0.000953 on LFW,IARPA Janus Benchmark-B,and IJB-C datasets.Visualisation results show that,EmFace has a higher representation performance on faces with various expressions,postures,and other factors.Furthermore,EmFace achieves reasonable performance on several face image processing tasks,including face image restoration,denoising,and transformation.