Quantitatively characterizing sandy soil structure altered by MICP using multi-level thresholding segmentation algorithm

The influences of biological,chemical,and flow processes on soil structure through microbially induced carbonate precipitation(MICP)are not yet fully understood.In this study,we use a multi-level thresholding segmentation algorithm,genetic algorithm(GA)enhanced Kapur entropy(KE)(GAE-KE),to accomplish quantitative characterization of sandy soil structure altered by MICP cementation.A sandy soil sample was treated using MICP method and scanned by the synchrotron radiation(SR)micro-CT with a resolution of 6.5 mm.After validation,tri-level thresholding segmentation using GAE-KE successfully separated the precipitated calcium carbonate crystals from sand particles and pores.The spatial distributions of porosity,pore structure parameters,and flow characteristics were calculated for quantitative characterization.The results offer pore-scale insights into the MICP treatment effect,and the quantitative understanding confirms the feasibility of the GAE-KE multi-level thresholding segmentation algorithm.

Models to Simulate Effective Coverage of Fire Station Based on Real-Time Travel Times

In recent years,frequent fire disasters have led to enormous damage in China.Effective firefighting rescues can minimize the losses caused by fires.During the rescue processes,the travel time of fire trucks can be severely affected by traffic conditions,changing the effective coverage of fire stations.However,it is still challenging to determine the effective coverage of fire stations considering dynamic traffic conditions.This paper addresses this issue by combining the traveling time calculationmodelwith the effective coverage simulationmodel.In addition,it proposes a new index of total effective coverage area(TECA)based on the time-weighted average of the effective coverage area(ECA)to evaluate the urban fire services.It also selects China as the case study to validate the feasibility of the models,a fire station(FS-JX)in Changsha.FS-JX station and its surrounding 9,117 fire risk points are selected as the fire service supply and demand points,respectively.A total of 196 simulation scenarios throughout a consecutiveweek are analyzed.Eventually,1,933,815 sets of valid sample data are obtained.The results showed that the TECA of FS-JX is 3.27 km^(2),which is far below the standard requirement of 7.00 km^(2) due to the traffic conditions.The visualization results showed that three rivers around FS-JX interrupt the continuity of its effective coverage.The proposed method can provide data support to optimize the locations of fire stations by accurately and dynamically determining the effective coverage of fire stations.

Scheme Based on Multi-Level Patch Attention and Lesion Localization for Diabetic Retinopathy Grading

Early screening of diabetes retinopathy(DR)plays an important role in preventing irreversible blindness.Existing research has failed to fully explore effective DR lesion information in fundus maps.Besides,traditional attention schemes have not considered the impact of lesion type differences on grading,resulting in unreasonable extraction of important lesion features.Therefore,this paper proposes a DR diagnosis scheme that integrates a multi-level patch attention generator(MPAG)and a lesion localization module(LLM).Firstly,MPAGis used to predict patches of different sizes and generate a weighted attention map based on the prediction score and the types of lesions contained in the patches,fully considering the impact of lesion type differences on grading,solving the problem that the attention maps of lesions cannot be further refined and then adapted to the final DR diagnosis task.Secondly,the LLM generates a global attention map based on localization.Finally,the weighted attention map and global attention map are weighted with the fundus map to fully explore effective DR lesion information and increase the attention of the classification network to lesion details.This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method through extensive experiments on the public DDR dataset,obtaining an accuracy of 0.8064.

Deep neural network based on multi-level wavelet and attention for structured illumination microscopy

Structured illumination microscopy(SIM)is a popular and powerful super-resolution(SR)technique in biomedical research.However,the conventional reconstruction algorithm for SIM heavily relies on the accurate prior knowledge of illumination patterns and signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)of raw images.To obtain high-quality SR images,several raw images need to be captured under high fluorescence level,which further restricts SIM’s temporal resolution and its applications.Deep learning(DL)is a data-driven technology that has been used to expand the limits of optical microscopy.In this study,we propose a deep neural network based on multi-level wavelet and attention mechanism(MWAM)for SIM.Our results show that the MWAM network can extract high-frequency information contained in SIM raw images and accurately integrate it into the output image,resulting in superior SR images compared to those generated using wide-field images as input data.We also demonstrate that the number of SIM raw images can be reduced to three,with one image in each illumination orientation,to achieve the optimal tradeoff between temporal and spatial resolution.Furthermore,our MWAM network exhibits superior reconstruction ability on low-SNR images compared to conventional SIM algorithms.We have also analyzed the adaptability of this network on other biological samples and successfully applied the pretrained model to other SIM systems.

Evaluation of a Wireless Solar Powered Personal Weather Station

We are evaluating dryland cotton production in Martin County, Texas, measuring cotton lint yield per unit of rainfall. Our goal is to collect rainfall data per 250 - 400 ha. Upon selection of a rainfall gauge, we realized that the cost of using, for example, a tipping bucket-type rain gauge would be too expensive and thus searched for an alternative method. We selected an all-in-one commercially available weather station;hereafter, referred to as a Personal Weather Station (PWS) that is both wireless and solar powered. Our objective was to evaluate average measurements of rainfall obtained with the PWS and to compare these to measurements obtained with an automatic weather station (AWS). For this purpose, we installed four PWS deployed within 20 m of the Plant Stress and Water Conservation Meteorological Tower that was used as our AWS, located at USDA-ARS Cropping Systems Research Laboratory, Lubbock, TX. In addition, we measured and compared hourly average values of short-wave irradiance (Rg), air temperature (Tair) and relative humidity (RH), and wind speed (WS), and calculated values of dewpoint temperature (Tdew). This comparison was done over a 242-day period (1 October 2022-31 May 2023) and results indicated that there was no statistical difference in measurements of rainfall between the PWS and AWS. Hourly average values of Rg measured with the PWS and AWS agreed on clear days, but PWS measurements were higher on cloudy days. There was no statistical difference between PWS and AWS hourly average measurements of Tair, RH, and calculated Tdew. Hourly average measurements of Rg and WS were more variable. We concluded that the PWS we selected will provide adequate values of rainfall and other weather variables to meet our goal of evaluating dryland cotton lint yield per unit rainfall.

A guidance strategy for rendezvous and docking to the space station in the Earth-Moon NRHO orbit

With the development of space technology,it is possible to build a space station in Earth-Moon space as a transit for Earth-Moon round-trip and entering in the deep space.Rendezvous and docking is one of the key technologies for building an Earth-Moon space station.A guidance strategy for rendezvous and docking from the Earth orbit to the space station in the Earth-Moon NRHO orbit is proposed in this paper,which is suitable for engineering applications.Firstly,the rendezvous and docking process is divided into three sections,i.e.,the large-range orbit transfer section,far-range guidance section,and close-range approaching section.The suitable terminal of large-range orbit transfer is selected according to the eigenvalue of NRHO orbit state transition matrix.The two-impulse guidance method based on the relative motion equation in the three-body problem is adopted for the far-range guidance section.The impulse time and amplitude are solved with the optimization algorithm.The linear constant three-body relative motion equation is proposed for the close-range approaching section,and the rendezvous and docking is completed by a two-stage linear approximation.Finally,a simulation analysis is carried out,and the simulation results show that the adopted dynamics equations and the designed guidance law are effective,and the three flight phases are naturally connected to accomplish the rendezvous and docking mission from the Earth orbit to the space station on the Earth-Moon NRHO.

Strategic Placement of Charging Stations for Enhanced Electric Vehicle Adoption in San Diego, California

California mandated that 100% of vehicles sold must be electric by 2035. As electric vehicles (EVs) reach a higher penetration of the car sector, cities will need to provide publicly accessible charging stations to meet the charging demand of people who do not have access to a private charging spot like a personal garage. We have chosen to limit our scope to San Diego County due to its non-trivial size, well-defined shape, and dependence on personal vehicles;this project models 100% of current vehicles as electric, roughly 2.5 million. By planning for the future, our model becomes more useful as well as more equitable. We anticipate that our model will find locations that can service multiple population centers, while also maximizing distance to other stations. Sensitivity analysis and testing of our algorithms are conducted for Coronado Island, an island with 24,697 residents. Our formulation is then scaled to set the parameters for the whole county.

Simulation of Underground Reservoir Stability of Pumped Storage Power Station Based on Fluid-Structure Coupling

Based on global initiatives such as the clean energy transition and the development of renewable energy,the pumped storage power station has become a new and significant way of energy storage and regulation,and its construction environment is more complex than that of a traditional reservoir.In particular,the stability of the rock strata in the underground reservoirs is affected by the seepage pressure and rock stress,which presents some challenges in achieving engineering safety and stability.Using the advantages of the numerical simulation method in dealing deal with nonlinear problems in engineering stability,in this study,the stability of the underground reservoir of the Shidangshan(SDS)pumped storage power station was numerically calculated and quantitatively analyzed based on fluid-structure coupling theory,providing an important reference for the safe operation and management of the underground reservoir.First,using the COMSOL software,a suitablemechanicalmodel was created in accordance with the geological structure and project characteristics of the underground reservoir.Next,the characteristics of the stress field,displacement field,and seepage field after excavation of the underground reservoir were simulated in light of the seepage effect of groundwater on the nearby rock of the underground reservoir.Finally,based on the construction specifications and Molar-Coulomb criterion,a thorough evaluation of the stability of the underground reservoir was performed through simulation of the filling and discharge conditions and anti-seepage strengthening measures.The findings demonstrate that the numerical simulation results have a certain level of reliability and are in accordance with the stress measured in the project area.The underground reservoir excavation resulted in a maximum displacement value of the rock mass around the caverns of 3.56 mm in a typical section,and the safety coefficient of the parts,as determined using the Molar-Coulomb criterion,was higher than 1,indicating that the project as a whole is in a stable state.

A Multi-Objective Optimization for Locating Maintenance Stations and Operator Dispatching of Corrective Maintenance

In this study,we introduce a novel multi-objective optimization model tailored for modern manufacturing,aiming to mitigate the cost impacts of operational disruptions through optimized corrective maintenance.Central to our approach is the strategic placement of maintenance stations and the efficient allocation of personnel,addressing a crucial gap in the integration of maintenance personnel dispatching and station selection.Our model uniquely combines the spatial distribution of machinery with the expertise of operators to achieve a harmonious balance between maintenance efficiency and cost-effectiveness.The core of our methodology is the NSGA Ⅲ+Dispatch,an advanced adaptation of the Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm Ⅲ(NSGA-Ⅲ),meticulously designed for the selection of maintenance stations and effective operator dispatching.This method integrates a comprehensive coding process,crossover operator,and mutation operator to efficiently manage multiple objectives.Rigorous empirical testing,including a detailed analysis from a taiwan region electronic equipment manufacturer,validated the effectiveness of our approach across various scenarios of machine failure frequencies and operator configurations.The findings reveal that the proposed model significantly outperforms current practices by reducing response times by up to 23%in low-frequency and 28.23%in high-frequency machine failure scenarios,leading to notable improvements in efficiency and cost reduction.Additionally,it demonstrates significant improvements in oper-ational efficiency,particularly in selective high-frequency failure contexts,while ensuring substantial manpower cost savings without compromising on operational effectiveness.This research significantly advances maintenance strategies in production environments,providing the manufacturing industry with practical,optimized solutions for diverse machine malfunction situations.Furthermore,the methodologies and principles developed in this study have potential applications in various other sectors,including healthcare,transportation,and energy,where maintenance efficiency and resource optimization are equally critical.

EV Charging Station Load Prediction in Coupled Urban Transportation and Distribution Networks

The increasingly large number of electric vehicles(EVs)has resulted in a growing concern for EV charging station load prediction for the purpose of comprehensively evaluating the influence of the charging load on distribution networks.To address this issue,an EV charging station load predictionmethod is proposed in coupled urban transportation and distribution networks.Firstly,a finer dynamic urban transportation network model is formulated considering both nodal and path resistance.Then,a finer EV power consumption model is proposed by considering the influence of traffic congestion and ambient temperature.Thirdly,the Monte Carlo method is applied to predict the distribution of EVcharging station load based on the proposed dynamic urban transportation network model and finer EV power consumption model.Moreover,a dynamic charging pricing scheme for EVs is devised based on the EV charging station load requirements and the maximum thresholds to ensure the security operation of distribution networks.Finally,the validity of the proposed dynamic urban transportation model was verified by accurately estimating five sets of test data on travel time by contrast with the BPR model.The five groups of travel time prediction results showed that the average absolute percentage errors could be improved from 32.87%to 37.21%compared to the BPR model.Additionally,the effectiveness of the proposed EV charging station load prediction method was demonstrated by four case studies in which the prediction of EV charging load was improved from27.2 to 31.49MWh by considering the influence of ambient temperature and speed on power energy consumption.

Multimodel Ensemble Forecast of Global Horizontal Irradiance at PV Power Stations Based on Dynamic Variable Weight

In the present study,multimodel ensemble forecast experiments of the global horizontal irradiance(GHI)were conducted using the dynamic variable weight technique.The study was based on the forecasts of four numerical models,namely,the China Meteorological Administration Wind Energy and Solar Energy Prediction System,the Mesoscale Weather Numerical Prediction System of China Meteorological Administration,the China Meteorological Administration Regional Mesoscale Numerical Prediction System-Guangdong,and the Weather Research and Forecasting Model-Solar,and observational data from four photovoltaic(PV)power stations in Yangjiang City,Guangdong Province.The results show that compared with those of the monthly optimal numerical model forecasts,the dynamic variable weight-based ensemble forecasts exhibited 0.97%-15.96%smaller values of the mean absolute error and 3.31%-18.40%lower values of the root mean square error(RMSE).However,the increase in the correlation coefficient was not obvious.Specifically,the multimodel ensemble mainly improved the performance of GHI forecasts below 700 W m^(-2),particularly below 400 W m^(-2),with RMSE reductions as high as 7.56%-28.28%.In contrast,the RMSE increased at GHI levels above 700 W m^(-2).As for the key period of PV power station output(02:00-07:00),the accuracy of GHI forecasts could be improved by the multimodel ensemble:the multimodel ensemble could effectively decrease the daily maximum absolute error(AE max)of GHI forecasts.Moreover,with increasing forecasting difficulty under cloudy conditions,the multimodel ensemble,which yields data closer to the actual observations,could simulate GHI fluctuations more accurately.

Research and exploration of direct current power supply and distribution systems for Antarctic research stations

The power supply and distribution systems for Antarctic research stations have special characteristics.In light of a worldwide trend toward a gradual increase in the application of renewable energy,an analysis was performed to assess the feasibility of achieving a direct current power supply and distribution at Antarctic research stations by comparing the characteristics of direct current and alternating current electricity.Research was also performed on the status quo and future trends in direct current power supply and distribution systems in Antarctica research stations in combination with case studies.

Research on Operation Optimization of Energy Storage Power Station and Integrated Energy Microgrid Alliance Based on Stackelberg Game

With the development of renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaics and wind power,it has become a research hotspot to improve the consumption rate of new energy and reduce energy costs through the deployment of energy storage.To solve the problem of the interests of different subjects in the operation of the energy storage power stations(ESS)and the integrated energy multi-microgrid alliance(IEMA),this paper proposes the optimization operation method of the energy storage power station and the IEMA based on the Stackelberg game.In the upper layer,ESS optimizes charging and discharging decisions through a dynamic pricing mechanism.In the lower layer,IEMA optimizes the output of various energy conversion coupled devices within the IEMA,as well as energy interaction and demand response(DR),based on the energy interaction prices provided by ESS.The results demonstrate that the optimization strategy proposed in this paper not only effectively balances the benefits of the IEMA and ESS but also enhances energy consumption rates and reduces IEMA energy costs.

Optimal Scheduling of Multiple Rail Cranes in Rail Stations with Interference Crane Areas

In this paper,we consider a multi-crane scheduling problem in rail stations because their operations directly influence the throughput of the rail stations.In particular,the job is not only assigned to cranes but also the job sequencing is implemented for each crane to minimize the makespan of cranes.A dual cycle of cranes is used to minimize the number of working cycles of cranes.The rail crane scheduling problems in this study are based on the movement of containers.We consider not only the gantry moves,but also the trolley moves as well as the rehandle cases are also included.A mathematical model of multi-crane scheduling is developed.The traditional and parallel simulated annealing(SA)are adapted to determine the optimal scheduling solutions.Numerical examples are conducted to evaluate the applicability of the proposed algorithms.Verification of the proposed parallel SA is done by comparing it to existing previous works.Results of numerical computation highlighted that the parallel SA algorithm outperformed the SA and gave better solutions than other considered algorithms.

Recent Progress in Space Science and Applications on Chinese Space Station in 2022–2024

Chinese Space Station(CSS)has been fully deployed by the end of 2022,and the facility has entered into the application and development phase.It has conducted scientific research projects in various fields,such as space life science and biotechnology,space materials science,microgravity fundamental physics,fluid physics,combustion science,space new technologies,and applications.In this review,we introduce the progress of CSS development and provide an overview of the research conducted in Chinese Space Station and the recent scientific findings in several typical research fields.Such compelling findings mainly concern the rapid solidification of ultra-high temperature alloy melts,dynamics of fluid transport in space,gravity scaling law of boiling heat transfer,vibration fluidization phenomenon of particulate matter,cold atom interferometer technology under high microgravity and related equivalence principle testing,the full life cycle of rice under microgravity and so forth.Furthermore,the planned scientific research and corresponding prospects of Chinese space station in the next few years are presented.

Optimization Strategies of Beijing Elderly Care Service Stations Based on Questionnaire Survey Method: A Case Study of Zhanlan Road Street of Xicheng District

4 elderly care service stations in Zhanlan Road Street,Xicheng District,Beijing are selected,and questionnaires are designed and distributed to the surrounding elderly population to understand their needs and satisfaction with the station environment.By observing elderly care service stations on site,the characteristics,obstacles,and shortcomings of the environment are recorded,and relevant data are collected and analyzed,such as the characteristics of the elderly population being interviewed,the planning and design data of the station environment,and the distribution of service facilities.The overall characteristics of the spatial environment of elderly care stations are summarized,and renovation measures and optimization suggestions are provided for the current shortcomings,thereby providing some basis for the spatial design of community elderly care service stations in the future.

Estimation of Daily Global Solar Radiation with Different Sunshine-Based Models for Some Burundian Stations

Sunshine duration (S) based empirical equations have been employed in this study to estimate the daily global solar radiation on a horizontal surface (G) for six meteorological stations in Burundi. Those equations include the Ångström-Prescott linear model and four amongst its derivatives, i.e. logarithmic, exponential, power and quadratic functions. Monthly mean values of daily global solar radiation and sunshine duration data for a period of 20 to 23 years, from the Geographical Institute of Burundi (IGEBU), have been used. For any of the six stations, ten single or double linear regressions have been developed from the above-said five functions, to relate in terms of monthly mean values, the daily clearness index () to each of the next two kinds of relative sunshine duration (RSD): and . In those ratios, G0, S0 and stand for the extraterrestrial daily solar radiation on a horizontal surface, the day length and the modified day length taking into account the natural site’s horizon, respectively. According to the calculated mean values of the clearness index and the RSD, each station experiences a high number of fairly clear (or partially cloudy) days. Estimated values of the dependent variable (y) in each developed linear regression, have been compared to measured values in terms of the coefficients of correlation (R) and of determination (R2), the mean bias error (MBE), the root mean square error (RMSE) and the t-statistics. Mean values of these statistical indicators have been used to rank, according to decreasing performance level, firstly the ten developed equations per station on account of the overall six stations, secondly the six stations on account of the overall ten equations. Nevertheless, the obtained values of those indicators lay in the next ranges for all the developed sixty equations:;;;, with . These results lead to assert that any of the sixty developed linear regressions (and thus equations in terms of and ), fits very adequately measured data, and should be used to estimate monthly average daily global solar radiation with sunshine duration for the relevant station. It is also found that using as RSD, is slightly more advantageous than using for estimating the monthly average daily clearness index, . Moreover, values of statistical indicators of this study match adequately data from other works on the same kinds of empirical equations.

Study on site selection planning of urban electric vehicle charging station

The large-scale development of electric vehicles(EVs)requires numerous charging stations to serve them,and the charging stations should be reasonably laid out and planned according to the charging demand of electric vehicles.Considering the costs of both operators and users,a site selection model for optimal layout planning of charging stations is constructed,and a queuing theory approach is used to determine the charging pile configuration to meet the charging demand in the planning area.To solve the difficulties of particle swarm global optimization search,the improved random drift particle swarm optimization(IRDPSO)and Voronoi diagram are used to jointly solve for the optimal layout of electric vehicles.The final arithmetic analysis verifies the feasibility and practicality of the model and algorithm,and the results show that the total social cost is minimized when the charging station is 9,the location of the charging station is close to the center of gravity and the layout is reasonable.

Discussion on Dust Removal(Suppression)System of Crushing Station in Open-Pit Coal Mine

This paper introduces the method of coal dust treatment in crushing station and the present situation of dust removal system in typical open-pit coal mine crushing station in China,and expounds the research idea of determining comprehensive dust removal(suppression)system in crushing station inspired by the working principle of"range hood".Based on the design example and link optimization of the crush-ing station of open-pit coal mine I of Thar coalfield,this paper finally draws some conclusions on the key technologies of dust removal(suppression)system of open-pit coal mine crushing station.This study has certain reference value for the technical innovation of dust removal(suppression)system in crushing station,the realization of green mining in"crushing link",and the reduction and avoidance of ecological environment pollution in mining area.

Assessing the Impact of Petrol Service Stations on Selected Physico-Chemical Water Quality Parameters within Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria

This study assessed the impact of petrol service stations on physico-chemical water quality in Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State. This threw light on the extent of damage and alteration of water quality in Port Harcourt metropolis as a result of the proliferation of petrol service stations especially the condition of ground and nearby surface water. This serves as a useful tool to government and regulatory authorities for planning especially due to lack of central water supply system in Port Harcourt metropolis. The parameters studied were sampled, measured and analyzed using in situ and other standard methods. Remarkable results above permissible limits of interest for physicochemical parameter analysis revealed pH values from 4.6 to 6.8, electrical conductivity from 0.002 µS/cm to 0.42 µS/cm, salinity from 3 ppm to 4050 ppm, and temperatures from 19.9˚C to 32.6˚C. Total dissolved solids (TDS) varied from 7 ppm to 1000 ppm, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) from 0.167 mg/L to 2.167 mg/L, chemical oxygen demand (COD) from 0.257 mg/L to 3.253 mg/L, and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations from 1.70 mg/L to 4.30 mg/L. Specifically, water samples from NNPC Filling Station (Choba) and Eneka Pond displayed “Poor” water quality with WQI values of 112.003 and 112.076, respectively. Similarly, ALLTEC Filling Station (Eneka) and TOTAL Filling Station (Rumuomasi) had “Poor” water quality with WQI values of 173.707 and 180.946, respectively. In contrast, Excelsis Filling Station (Akpajo) demonstrated “Good” water quality with a WQI of 85.2072, while Total Filling Stations (Slaughter) and Choba River revealed “unsuitable for drinking” water quality with WQI values of 552.461 and 654.601, respectively. Slaughter River also indicated very poor water quality with a WQI of 442.024. The physicochemical and nutrient analyses of the water samples showed that activities of the filling stations within the study area may have polluted groundwater in the environment posing poor aesthetics and great health risk to consumers of the water bodies. The findings underscore the need for immediate remediation efforts and stricter regulatory measures to protect water quality. The study concluded that surface and groundwater near petrol service stations in Port Harcourt are unfit for drinking and irrigation purposes without adequate treatment.