Evaluation of Some Weibull Parameter Estimation Methods for Characterizing Stem Diameter Distribution in a Tropical Mixed Forest of Southern Nigeria

Stem diameter distribution information is useful in forest management planning. Weibull function is flexible, and has been used in characterising diameter distributions, especially in single-species planted stands, the world over. We evaluated some Weibull parameter estimation methods for stem diameter characterisation in （Oban） multi-species Forest in southern Nigeria. Four study sites （Aking, Ekang, Erokut and Ekuri） were selected. Four 2 km-long transects situated at 600 m apart were laid in each location. Five 50m x 50m plots were alternately laid along each transect at 400 m apart （20 plots/location） using systematic sampling technique. Tree growth variables： diameter at breast height （Dbh）, diameters at the base, middle and merchantable limit, total height, merchantable height, stem straightness, crown length and crown diameter were measured on all trees 〉 10 cm to compute model response variables such as mean diameters, basal area and stem volume. Weibull parameters estimation methods used were： moment-based, percentile-based, hybrid and maximum-likelihood （ML）. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, regression models and ANOVA at α0.05. Percentile-based method was the best for Weibull [location （a）, scale （b） and shape （c）] parameters estimations with mLogL = 116.66±21.89, while hybrid method was least-suitable （mLogL = 690.14±128.81） for Weibull parameters estimations. Quadratic mean diameter （Dq） was the only suitable predictor of Weibull parameters in Oban Forest.

Advances in Estimation Methods of Surface Solar Radiation

Based on the main research results of estimation methods of surface solar radiation at home and abroad in recent decades, three commonly used estimation models of surface solar radiation have been introduced, and their principles, advantages and disadvantages have been analyzed to provide scientific references for further study of surface solar radiation in future.

Evaluation of estimation methods for meiofaunal biomass from a meiofaunal survey in Bohai Bay

Studies in the coastal area of Bohai Bay,China,from July 2006 to October 2007,suggest that the method of meiofaunal biomass estimation affected the meiofaunal analysis.Conventional estimation methods that use a unique mean individual weight value for nematodes to calculate total biomass may cause deviation of the results.A modified estimation method,named the Subsection Count Method (SCM),was also used to calculate meiofaunal biomass.This entails only a slight increase in workload but generates results of greater accuracy.Results gained using each of these two methods were compared in the present study.The results show that the conventional method generally estimates a meiofaunal biomass.The difference between the two estimation methods was highly significant (P<0.01) for the spring and winter cruises.Furthermore,the estimation method for meiofaunal biomass affected the analysis of horizontal distribution and correlation with environmental factors.These findings highlight the importance of estimation methods for meiofaunal biomass and will hopefully stimulate further investigation and discussion of the topic.

Comparative Study of Probabilistic and Least-Squares Methods for Developing Predictive Models

This article explores the comparison between the probability method and the least squares method in the design of linear predictive models. It points out that these two approaches have distinct theoretical foundations and can lead to varied or similar results in terms of precision and performance under certain assumptions. The article underlines the importance of comparing these two approaches to choose the one best suited to the context, available data and modeling objectives.

An Efficient Reliability-Based Optimization Method Utilizing High-Dimensional Model Representation and Weight-Point Estimation Method

The objective of reliability-based design optimization(RBDO)is to minimize the optimization objective while satisfying the corresponding reliability requirements.However,the nested loop characteristic reduces the efficiency of RBDO algorithm,which hinders their application to high-dimensional engineering problems.To address these issues,this paper proposes an efficient decoupled RBDO method combining high dimensional model representation(HDMR)and the weight-point estimation method(WPEM).First,we decouple the RBDO model using HDMR and WPEM.Second,Lagrange interpolation is used to approximate a univariate function.Finally,based on the results of the first two steps,the original nested loop reliability optimization model is completely transformed into a deterministic design optimization model that can be solved by a series of mature constrained optimization methods without any additional calculations.Two numerical examples of a planar 10-bar structure and an aviation hydraulic piping system with 28 design variables are analyzed to illustrate the performance and practicability of the proposed method.

Estimation of Weibull Distribution Parameters for Wind Speed Characteristics Using Neural Network Algorithm

Harvesting the power coming from the wind provides a green andenvironmentally friendly approach to producing electricity. To facilitate theongoing advancement in wind energy applications, deep knowledge aboutwind regime behavior is essential. Wind speed is typically characterized bya statistical distribution, and the two-parameters Weibull distribution hasshown its ability to represent wind speeds worldwide. Estimation of Weibullparameters, namely scale (c) and shape (k) parameters, is vital to describethe observed wind speeds data accurately. Yet, it is still a challenging task.Several numerical estimation approaches have been used by researchers toobtain c and k. However, utilizing such methods to characterize wind speedsmay lead to unsatisfactory accuracy. Therefore, this study aims to investigatethe performance of the metaheuristic optimization algorithm, Neural NetworkAlgorithm (NNA), in obtaining Weibull parameters and comparing itsperformance with five numerical estimation approaches. In carrying out thestudy, the wind characteristics of three sites in Saudi Arabia, namely HaferAl Batin, Riyadh, and Sharurah, are analyzed. Results exhibit that NNA hashigh accuracy fitting results compared to the numerical estimation methods.The NNA demonstrates its efficiency in optimizing Weibull parameters at allthe considered sites with correlations exceeding 98.54.

Estimation of IFOV of Rosette Scan System

The methods of estimating the minimum allowed value of IFOV (instantaneous field of view) of the detector in a rosette scan system are investigated. The common method for the estimation of IFOV is described. A new method which uses the maximum distance between two neighboring petals as the estimated value of IFOV is developed and a comparison between the common method and the new method is given. It is concluded that the minimum allowed value of IFOV of rosette scanning is over estimated by the common method while this value can be calculated accurately with the new method.

The First Global Map of Atmospheric Ammonia(NH_(3)) as Observed by the HIRAS/FY-3D Satellite

Atmospheric ammonia(NH_(3)) is a chemically active trace gas that plays an important role in the atmospheric environment and climate change. Satellite remote sensing is a powerful technique to monitor NH_(3) concentration based on the absorption lines of NH_(3) in the thermal infrared region. In this study, we establish a retrieval algorithm to derive the NH_(3)column from the Hyperspectral Infrared Atmospheric Sounder(HIRAS) onboard the Chinese Feng Yun(FY)-3D satellite and present the first atmospheric NH_(3) column global map observed by the HIRAS instrument. The HIRAS observations can well capture NH_(3) hotspots around the world, e.g., India, West Africa, and East China, where large NH_(3) emissions exist. The HIRAS NH_(3) columns are also compared to the space-based Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer(IASI)measurements, and we find that the two instruments observe a consistent NH_(3) global distribution, with correlation coefficient(R) values of 0.28–0.73. Finally, some remaining issues about the HIRAS NH_(3) retrieval are discussed.

Coal-rock gas:Concept,connotation and classification criteria

In recent years,great breakthroughs have been made in the exploration and development of natural gas in deep coal-rock reservoirs in Junggar,Ordos and other basins in China.In view of the inconsistency between the industrial and academic circles on this new type of unconventional natural gas,this paper defines the concept of"coal-rock gas"on the basis of previous studies,and systematically analyzes its characteristics of occurrence state,transport and storage form,differential accumulation,and development law.Coal-rock gas,geologically unlike coalbed methane in the traditional sense,occurs in both free and adsorbed states,with free state in abundance.It is generated and stored in the same set of rocks through short distance migration,occasionally with the accumulation from other sources.Moreover,coal rock develops cleat fractures,and the free gas accumulates differentially.The coal-rock gas reservoirs deeper than 2000 m are high in pressure,temperature,gas content,gas saturation,and free-gas content.In terms of development,similar to shale gas and tight gas,coal-rock gas can be exploited by natural formation energy after the reservoirs connectivity is improved artificially,that is,the adsorbed gas is desorbed due to pressure drop after the high-potential free gas is recovered,so that the free gas and adsorbed gas are produced in succession for a long term without water drainage for pressure drop.According to buried depth,coal rank,pressure coefficient,reserves scale,reserves abundance and gas well production,the classification criteria and reserves/resources estimation method of coal-rock gas are presented.It is preliminarily estimated that the coal-rock gas in place deeper than 2000 m in China exceeds 30×10^(12)m^(3),indicating an important strategic resource for the country.The Ordos,Sichuan,Junggar and Bohai Bay basins are favorable areas for large-scale enrichment of coal-rock gas.The paper summarizes the technical and management challenges and points out the research directions,laying a foundation for the management,exploration,and development of coal-rock gas in China.

Seismic safety assessment with non-Gaussian random processes for train-bridge coupled systems

Extensive high-speed railway(HSR)network resembled the intricate vascular system of the human body,crisscrossing mainlands.Seismic events,known for their unpredictability,pose a significant threat to both trains and bridges,given the HSR’s extended operational duration.Therefore,ensuring the running safety of train-bridge coupled(TBC)system,primarily composed of simply supported beam bridges,is paramount.Traditional methods like the Monte Carlo method fall short in analyzing this intricate system efficiently.Instead,efficient algorithm like the new point estimate method combined with moment expansion approximation(NPEM-MEA)is applied to study random responses of numerical simulation TBC systems.Validation of the NPEM-MEA’s feasibility is conducted using the Monte Carlo method.Comparative analysis confirms the accuracy and efficiency of the method,with a recommended truncation order of four to six for the NPEM-MEA.Additionally,the influences of seismic magnitude and epicentral distance are discussed based on the random dynamic responses in the TBC system.This methodology not only facilitates seismic safety assessments for TBC systems but also contributes to standard-setting for these systems under earthquake conditions.

Measuring Herbage Mass by Non-Destructive Methods： A Review

Accurate assessment of herbage mass （HM） in pasture is a key to budgeting forage in grazing systems worldwide. Different non-destructive techniques to measuring pasture yield are commented. The methods compared include visual estimations, manual and electronic pasture meters and remote sensing. All methods are associated with a moderate to high error, showing that some indirect methods of yield estimation are appropriate under most appropriate because many factors as climate variations, soil certain conditions. In general terms, no method was found as the characteristics, plant phenology, pasture management and species composition must be taken into account to make local calibrations from a general model. Best results were found modifying general methods under local calibrations and under local conditions. In order to give farmers the best method to manage adequately their own grazing systems, researchers must select the most suitable technique considering the scale of operation, the desired accuracy and the resources available.

Direction finding of bistatic MIMO radar in strong impulse noise

For bistatic multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO)radar,this paper presents a robust and direction finding method in strong impulse noise environment.By means of a new lower order covariance,the method is effective in suppressing impulse noise and achieving superior direction finding performance using the maximum likelihood(ML)estimation method.A quantum equilibrium optimizer algorithm(QEOA)is devised to resolve the corresponding objective function for efficient and accurate direc-tion finding.The results of simulation reveal the capability of the presented method in success rate and root mean square error over existing direction-finding methods in different application situations,e.g.,locating coherent signal sources with very few snapshots in strong impulse noise.Other than that,the Cramér-Rao bound(CRB)under impulse noise environment has been drawn to test the capability of the presented method.

Ridge estimation iterative solution of ill-posed mixed additive and multiplicative random error model with equality constraints

The reasonable prior information between the parameters in the adjustment processing can significantly improve the precision of the parameter solution. Based on the principle of equality constraints, we establish the mixed additive and multiplicative random error model with equality constraints and derive the weighted least squares iterative solution of the model. In addition, aiming at the ill-posed problem of the coefficient matrix, we also propose the ridge estimation iterative solution of ill-posed mixed additive and multiplicative random error model with equality constraints based on the principle of ridge estimation method and derive the U-curve method to determine the ridge parameter. The experimental results show that the weighted least squares iterative solution can obtain more reasonable parameter estimation and precision information than existing solutions, verifying the feasibility of applying the equality constraints to the mixed additive and multiplicative random error model. Furthermore, the ridge estimation iterative solution can obtain more accurate parameter estimation and precision information than the weighted least squares iterative solution.

An Estimation Method of Stress in Soft Rock Based on In-situ Measured Stress in Hard Rock

The law of variation of deep rock stress in gravitational and tectonic stress fields is analyzed based on the Hoek-Brown strength criterion. In the gravitational stress field,the rocks in the shallow area are in an elastic state and the deep,relatively soft rock may be in a plastic state. However,in the tectonic stress field,the relatively soft rock in the shallow area is in a plastic state and the deep rock in an elastic state. A method is proposed to estimate stress values in coal and soft rock based on in-situ measurements of hard rock. Our estimation method relates to the type of stress field and stress state. The equations of rock stress in various stress states are presented for the elastic,plastic and critical states. The critical state is a special stress state,which indicates the conversion of the elastic to the plastic state in the gravitational stress field and the conversion of the plastic to the elastic state in the tectonic stress field. Two cases stud-ies show that the estimation method is feasible.

Estimation of soil organic carbon storage and its fractions in a small karst watershed

With few available soil organic carbon(SOC)profiles and the heterogeneity of those that do exist, the estimation of SOC pools in karst areas is highly uncertain.Based on the spatial heterogeneity of SOC content of 23,536 samples in a karst watershed, a modified estimation method was determined for SOC storage that exclusively applies to karst areas. The method is a "soil-type method" based on revised calculation indexes for SOC storage. In the present study, the organic carbon contents of different soil types varied greatly, but generally decreased with increasing soil depth. The organic carbon content decreased nearly linearly to a depth of 0–50 cm and then varied at depths of 50–100 cm. Because of the large spatial variability in the karst area, we were able to determine that influences of the different indexes on the estimation of SOC storage decreased as follows: soil thickness > boulder content > rock fragment content > SOC content > bulk density. Using the modified formula, the SOC content in the Houzhai watershed in Puding was estimated to range from 3.53 to 5.44 kg m^(-2), with an average value of 1.24 kg m^(-2) to a depth of 20 cm, and from 4.44 to 14.50 kg m^(-2), with an average value of 12.12 kg m^(-2) to a depth of 100 cm. The total SOC content was estimated at 5.39*10^(5) t.

Calculation of Significant Wave Height Using the Linear Mean Square Estimation Method

Significant wave height is an important criterion in designing coastal and offshore structures.Based on the orthogonality principle, the linear mean square estimation method is applied to calculate significant wave height in this paper.Twenty-eight-year time series of wave data collected from three ocean buoys near San Francisco along the California coast are analyzed.It is proved theoretically that the computation error will be reduced by using as many measured data as possible for the calculation of significant wave height.Measured significant wave height at one buoy location is compared with the calculated value based on the data from two other adjacent buoys.The results indicate that the linear mean square estimation method can be well applied to the calculation and prediction of significant wave height in coastal regions.

A new method for the estimation of fine-sediment resuspension ratios in estuaries-taking the turbidity maximum zone of the Changjiang(Yangtze) estuary as an example

Based on the principle of conservative matter removal in estuary,a new method is proposed for estimating the ratio of sediment resuspension in estuaries with fine suspended sediments in the turbidity maximum zone(TMZ) of the Changjiang(Yangtze) estuary during 2005.Results show that there was a range of 18.7%±27.9% to 73.9%±22.5% per annum of total suspended particulate matter(SPM),with an average of 49.2%.Nearly half of the particulate matter in the TMZ originates from sediment resuspension.This indicates that sediment resuspension is one of the major mechanisms involved in formation of the TMZ.Compared with traditional method for calculating these ratios in the estuary,this new method evaluates the dynamic variation of SPM content carried by river runoff from the river mouth to the ocean.The new method produced more reliable results than the traditional one and could produce a better estimation of resuspension flux for particulate matter in estuaries.

WAVE CURRENT FORCE COEFFICIENTS ON INCLINED CYLINDER AND A NEW ESTIMATION METHOD

Based on the review of present force coefficients estimation methods, a new method in the frequency domain, revised cross-spectrum estimation method, is presented in this paper. Some experiments on the wave-current force on inclined cylinders are also described and the wave current force coefficients are estimated by the revised cross-spectrum estimation method. From the results, it is found that the wave and current directions have some regular effect on the coefficients. According to the results, some empirical formulas are obtained for converting the wave-current force coefficients on inclined cylinders into a unified coefficient. Comparisons show that the unified coefficients are in good agreement with other results.

Singularity of Some Software Reliability Models and Parameter Estimation Method

According to the principle, “The failure data is the basis of software reliability analysis”, we built a software reliability expert system (SRES) by adopting the artificial intelligence technology. By reasoning out the conclusion from the fitting results of failure data of a software project, the SRES can recommend users “the most suitable model” as a software reliability measurement model. We believe that the SRES can overcome the inconsistency in applications of software reliability models well. We report investigation results of singularity and parameter estimation methods of experimental models in SRES.

A Simple Method for Source Depth Estimation with Multi-path Time Delay in Deep Ocean

A method of source depth estimation based on the multi-path time delay difference is proposed. When the minimum time arrivals in all receiver depths are snapped to a certain time on time delay-depth plane, time delay arrivals of surface-bottom reflection and bottom-surface reflection intersect at the source depth. Two hydrophones deployed vertically with a certain interval are required at least. If the receiver depths are known, the pair of time delays can be used to estimate the source depth. With the proposed method the source depth can be estimated successfully in a moderate range in the deep ocean without complicated matched-field calculations in the simulations and experiments.