Modeling Solid Waste Minimization Performance at Source in Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania

Municipal solid waste generation is strongly linked to rising human population and expanding urban areas, with significant implications on urban metabolism as well as space and place values redefinition. Effective management performance of municipal solid waste management underscores the interdisciplinarity strategies. Such knowledge and skills are paramount to uncover the sources of waste generation as well as means of waste storage, collection, recycling, transportation, handling/treatment, disposal, and monitoring. This study was conducted in Dar es Salaam city. Driven by the curiosity model of the solid waste minimization performance at source, study data was collected using focus group discussion techniques to ward-level local government officers, which was triangulated with literature and documentary review. The main themes of the FGD were situational factors (SFA) and local government by-laws (LGBY). In the FGD session, sub-themes of SFA tricked to understand how MSW minimization is related to the presence and effect of services such as land use planning, availability of landfills, solid waste transfer stations, material recovery facilities, incinerators, solid waste collection bins, solid waste trucks, solid waste management budget and solid waste collection agents. Similarly, FGD on LGBY was extended by sub-themes such as contents of the by-law, community awareness of the by-law, and by-law enforcement mechanisms. While data preparation applied an analytical hierarchy process, data analysis applied an ordinary least square (OLS) regression model for sub-criteria that explain SFA and LGBY;and OLS standard residues as variables into geographically weighted regression with a resolution of 241 × 241 meter in ArcMap v10.5. Results showed that situational factors and local government by-laws have a strong relationship with the rate of minimizing solid waste dumping in water bodies (local R square = 0.94).

The burden of upper motor neuron involvement is correlated with the bilateral limb involvement interval in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis:a retrospective observational study

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a rare neurodegenerative disease characterized by the involvement of both upper and lower motor neurons.Early bilateral limb involvement significantly affects patients'daily lives and may lead them to be confined to bed.However,the effect of upper and lower motor neuron impairment and other risk factors on bilateral limb involvement is unclear.To address this issue,we retrospectively collected data from 586 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients with limb onset diagnosed at Peking University Third Hospital between January 2020 and May 2022.A univariate analysis revealed no significant differences in the time intervals of spread in different directions between individuals with upper motor neuron-dominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and those with classic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.We used causal directed acyclic graphs for risk factor determination and Cox proportional hazards models to investigate the association between the duration of bilateral limb involvement and clinical baseline characteristics in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.Multiple factor analyses revealed that higher upper motor neuron scores(hazard ratio[HR]=1.05,95%confidence interval[CI]=1.01–1.09,P=0.018),onset in the left limb(HR=0.72,95%CI=0.58–0.89,P=0.002),and a horizontal pattern of progression(HR=0.46,95%CI=0.37–0.58,P<0.001)were risk factors for a shorter interval until bilateral limb involvement.The results demonstrated that a greater degree of upper motor neuron involvement might cause contralateral limb involvement to progress more quickly in limb-onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.These findings may improve the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients with limb onset and the prediction of patient prognosis.

Short Term Load Forecasting Using Subset Threshold Auto Regressive Model

The subset threshold auto regressive (SSTAR) model, which is capable of reproducing the limit cycle behavior of nonlinear time series, is introduced. The algorithm for fitting the sampled data with SSTAR model is proposed and applied to model and forecast power load. Numerical example verifies that desirable accuracy of short term load forecasting can be achieved by using the SSTAR model.

Origin Distribution Patterns and Floating Population Modeling:Yiwu City as a Destination

Existing quantitative migration studies are mainly at the inter-region or inter-province level for lacking of detailed geo-referenced migration data.Meanwhile,few of them integrate explorative spatial data analysis and spatial regression model into migration analysis.Based on aggregated registered floating population data from 2005 to 2008,the phenomena that population floating to Yiwu City in Zhejiang Province is analyzed at the provincial and county levels.The spatial layout of Yiwu's pull forces is proved as a V-shaped pattern excluding Sichuan Province based on map visualization method.Using the migration ratio in 2007 as an explanatory variable,two models are compared using ordinary least square,spatial error model and spatial lag model methods for county-level data in Jiangxi and Anhui provinces.The model with migration stock provides an improved fitting over the model without migration stock according to the model fitting results.The floating population flocking into Yiwu City from Jiangxi is determined mostly by migration stock while the determinant factors are migration stock and distance to Yiwu City for Anhui.The distance-decay effect is true for migration flow from Anhui to Yiwu City while the distance rule is not confirmed in Jiangxi with the best fitting model.The correlation between per capita net income of rural labor forces and migration ratio is not significant in Jiangxi and significant but at the 0.1 level only in Anhui.Further analysis shows that the distance,income and man-land ratio are important factors to explain population floating at earlier stage.However,as the dynamic population floating process evolves,the determinant factor would be migration stock.

Modeling the Effects of Tool Shoulder and Probe Profile Geometries on Friction Stirred Aluminum Welds Using Response Surface Methodology

The present paper discusses the modeling of tool geometry effects on the friction stir aluminum welds using response surface methodology. The friction stir welding tools were designed with different shoulder and tool probe geometries based on a design matrix. The matrix for the tool designing was made for three types of tools, based on three types of probes, with three levels each for defining the shoulder surface type and probe profile geometries. Then, the effects of tool shoulder and probe geometries on friction stirred aluminum welds were experimentally investigated with respect to weld strength, weld cross section area, grain size of weld and grain size of thermo-mechanically affected zone. These effects were modeled using multiple and response surface regression analysis. The response surface regression modeling were found to be appropriate for defining the friction stir weldment characteristics.

Modeling of Spatial Distributions of Farmland Density and Its Temporal Change Using Geographically Weighted Regression Model

This study used spatial autoregression(SAR)model and geographically weighted regression(GWR)model to model the spatial patterns of farmland density and its temporal change in Gucheng County,Hubei Province,China in 1999 and 2009,and discussed the difference between global and local spatial autocorrelations in terms of spatial heterogeneity and non-stationarity.Results showed that strong spatial positive correlations existed in the spatial distributions of farmland density,its temporal change and the driving factors,and the coefficients of spatial autocorrelations decreased as the spatial lag distance increased.SAR models revealed the global spatial relations between dependent and independent variables,while the GWR model showed the spatially varying fitting degree and local weighting coefficients of driving factors and farmland indices(i.e.,farmland density and temporal change).The GWR model has smooth process when constructing the farmland spatial model.The coefficients of GWR model can show the accurate influence degrees of different driving factors on the farmland at different geographical locations.The performance indices of GWR model showed that GWR model produced more accurate simulation results than other models at different times,and the improvement precision of GWR model was obvious.The global and local farmland models used in this study showed different characteristics in the spatial distributions of farmland indices at different scales,which may provide the theoretical basis for farmland protection from the influence of different driving factors.

Effects of modeling means on properties of monitoring models of spot welding quality

Analyzing and modeling the relation between monitoring information during welding and quality information of the joints is the foundation of monitoring resistance spot welding quality. According to the means of modeling, the known models can be divided into three large categories: single linear regression models, multiple linear regression models and multiple non linear models. By modeling the relations between dynamic resistance information and welding quality parameters with different means, this paper analyzes effects of modeling means on performances of monitoring models of resistance spot welding quality. From the test results, the following conclusions can be drawn: By comparison with two other kinds of models, artificial neural network (ANN) model can describe non linear and high coupling relationship between monitoring information and quality information more reasonably, improve performance of monitoring model remarkably, and make the estimated values of welding quality parameters more accurate and reliable.

Stochastic Modeling for Coliform Count Assessment in Ground Water

Stochastic models are derived to estimate the level of coliform count in terms of MPN index, one of the most important water quality characteristic in ground water based on a set of water source location and soil characteristics. The study is based on about twenty location and soil characteristics, majority of them are observed through laboratory analysis of soil and water samples collected from nearly thee hundred locations of drinking water sources, wells and bore wells selected at random from the district of Kasaragod. The water contamination in wells are found to be relatively more as compared to bore wells. The study reveals that only 7 % of the wells and 40 o~ of the bore wells of the district are within the permissible limit of WHO standard of drinking water quality. The level of contamination is very high in the hospital premises and is very low in the forest area. Two separate multiple ordinal logistic regression models are developed to predict the level of coliform count, one for well and the other for bore well. The significant feature of this study is that in addition to scientifically proving the dependence of the water quality on the distances from waste disposal area and septic tanks etc., it highlights the dependence of two other very significant soil characteristics, the soil organic carbon and soil porosity. The models enable to predict the quality of water in a location based on the set of soil and location characteristics. One of the important uses of the model is in fixing safe locations for waste dump area, septic tank, digging well etc. in town planning, designing residential layouts, industrial layouts, hospital/hostel construction etc. This is the first ever study to describe the ground water quality in terms of the location and soil characteristics.

Analysis of gender＇s role on voluntary tendency of potential/active volunteers via logistic regression modeling： The case of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University

From economy to political administrations, education to health, environment to human rights, many problems we met have gained a global importance in recent days. Existing state systems, political parties and nation states are not adequate for solving these problems in question effectively on their own. Not only governments and local authorities but also voluntary organizations based on completely voluntary activities have significant roles in solving these problems. Effective performance of voluntary organizations depends on increasing volunteer population. Individuals＇ attitudes or their perception of understanding volunteerism play an important role in their contributions to voluntary organizations. The aim of this study is to determine individuals＇ ways of perceiving volunteerism concept and their tendency towards it. Furthermore, differences between men and women＇s perception and attitudes towards volunteerism concept have been examined. For this purpose, a survey has been conducted over university students of bachelor＇s degree. Tendencies and attitudes towards volunteerism compared to gender differences have been tested via logistic regression method. Research results reveal that women take part in voluntary activities more than men and women perceive volunteerism as ＂a political position＂ while men perceive volunteerism as ＂a learning atmosphere and learning process＂.

Modeling Cyber Loss Severity Using a Spliced Regression Distribution with Mixture Components

Cyber losses in terms of number of records breached under cyber incidents commonly feature a significant portion of zeros, specific characteristics of mid-range losses and large losses, which make it hard to model the whole range of the losses using a standard loss distribution. We tackle this modeling problem by proposing a three-component spliced regression model that can simultaneously model zeros, moderate and large losses and consider heterogeneous effects in mixture components. To apply our proposed model to Privacy Right Clearinghouse (PRC) data breach chronology, we segment geographical groups using unsupervised cluster analysis, and utilize a covariate-dependent probability to model zero losses, finite mixture distributions for moderate body and an extreme value distribution for large losses capturing the heavy-tailed nature of the loss data. Parameters and coefficients are estimated using the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm. Combining with our frequency model (generalized linear mixed model) for data breaches, aggregate loss distributions are investigated and applications on cyber insurance pricing and risk management are discussed.

Landslide-Dammed Mapping and Logistic Regression Modeling Using GIS and R Statistical Software in the Northeast Afghanistan

A complex terrain and topography resulted in an enormous landslide-dammed area northeast of Afghanistan. Moreover, debris, rock avalanches, and landslides occurrences are the primary source of lakes created within the area. Recently, instances have increased because of the high displacement and mass movement by glacial and seismic activities. In this study, using GIS and R statistical software, we performed a logistic regression modeling in order to map and predict the probability of landslides-dammed occurrences. Totally, 361 lakes were mapped using Google Earth historical imagery. This total was divided into 253 （70%） lakes for modeling and 801 （30%） lakes for the model validation. They were randomly selected by creating a fishnet for the study area using Arc toolbox in GIS. Four independent variables that are mostly contributed to landslide-dammed occurrences consisting of slope angles, relief classes, distances to major water sources and earthquake epicenters, were extracted from DEM （digital elevation model） data using 85-meter resolution. The result is a grid map that classified the area into Low （16,834.98 km2）, Medium （2,217.302 kin：） and High （2,013.55 km2） vulnerability to landslide-dammed occurrences. Overall, the model result has been validated by using a ROC （receiver operator characteristic） curve available in SPSS software. The model validation showed a 95.1 percent prediction accuracy that is considered satisfactory.

Modeling the Undrained Shear Strength with Soil Index Properties for Niger Delta Soft Clays

The aim of this study was to model the Undrained Shear Strength (USS) of soil found in the coastal region of the Niger Delta in Nigeria with some soil properties. The undrained shear strength (USS) is a key parameter needed for most geotechnical/structural designs. Accurate determination of the USS of soft clays can be challenging to obtain in the laboratory due to the difficulty in remoulding the clay to its in-situ conditions before testing and more accurate test such as Cone Penetration test (CPT) can be quite expensive. This study was carried out at Escravos site which is located in Delta state, Nigeria. Three Boreholes were drilled and soil samples were collected at 0.75 m intervals up to a depth of 45 m. Laboratory tests were used to obtain the moisture content, bulk unit weight, liquid and plastic limit, while CPT was used in obtaining the undrained shear strength. Classification of the soil samples was done by adopting the Unified Soil Classification System and various models relating the USS with the soil properties were developed. The result showed that most of the soils at Escravos site were predominately inorganic clay of high plasticity which are problematic due to the expansion and shrinking nature of this type of soil. The model developed showed that the soil properties that gave the best fit with the USS were the moisture content and effective stress of the soil. The coefficient of determination (R2) and the root mean square error (RMSE) obtained for this model were 0.805 and 6.37 KN/m2, respectively.

Changes of coastline and tidal flat and its implication for ecological protection under human activities: Take China’s Bohai Bay as an example

The change processes and trends of shoreline and tidal flat forced by human activities are essential issues for the sustainability of coastal area,which is also of great significance for understanding coastal ecological environment changes and even global changes.Based on field measurements,combined with Linear Regression(LR)model and Inverse Distance Weighing(IDW)method,this paper presents detailed analysis on the change history and trend of the shoreline and tidal flat in Bohai Bay.The shoreline faces a high erosion chance under the action of natural factors,while the tidal flat faces a different erosion and deposition patterns in Bohai Bay due to the impact of human activities.The implication of change rule for ecological protection and recovery is also discussed.Measures should be taken to protect the coastal ecological environment.The models used in this paper show a high correlation coefficient between observed and modeling data,which means that this method can be used to predict the changing trend of shoreline and tidal flat.The research results of present study can provide scientific supports for future coastal protection and management.

Impact of Hinterland Manufacturing on the Development of Container Ports: Evidence from the Pearl River Delta, China

Container ports and hinterland manufacturing are two important forces of the local participation in economic globalization.This study,taking the Pearl River Delta(PRD),China with an export-oriented economy as an example,applies Huff and panel regres-sion models to evaluate the impact of hinterland manufacturing on the development of container ports during the period of 1993–2019.The results show that 1)the spatial patterns of hinterlands for hub ports help to determine the distribution range and scale of economic variables that affect port throughput;2)the hinterland’s gross manufacturing output has universally positive influence on port through-put,wherein export-oriented processing and the entire manufacturing industry have significantly positive impact on port throughput in 1993–2011 and 2001–2019,respectively;3)the two internal structural factors related to an export-oriented economy,labor-intensive sectors and foreign-funded terminals,have positively moderate the direct influence of hinterland manufacturing on port throughput.Our results highlight the importance of local context in understanding port-manufacturing relationship in developing economies.Based on our findings,policy implications are further proposed to enhance port network organization in PRD.

MDTCNet:Multi-Task Classifications Network and TCNN for Direction of Arrival Estimation

The direction-of-arrival(DoA) estimation is one of the hot research areas in signal processing. To overcome the DoA estimation challenge without the prior information about signal sources number and multipath number in millimeter wave system,the multi-task deep residual shrinkage network(MTDRSN) and transfer learning-based convolutional neural network(TCNN), namely MDTCNet, are proposed. The sampling covariance matrix based on the received signal is used as the input to the proposed network. A DRSN-based multi-task classifications model is first introduced to estimate signal sources number and multipath number simultaneously. Then, the DoAs with multi-signal and multipath are estimated by the regression model. The proposed CNN is applied for DoAs estimation with the predicted number of signal sources and paths. Furthermore, the modelbased transfer learning is also introduced into the regression model. The TCNN inherits the partial network parameters of the already formed optimization model obtained by the CNN. A series of experimental results show that the MDTCNet-based DoAs estimation method can accurately predict the signal sources number and multipath number under a range of signal-to-noise ratios. Remarkably, the proposed method achieves the lower root mean square error compared with some existing deep learning-based and traditional methods.

Determination of the Pile Drivability Using Random Forest Optimized by Particle Swarm Optimization and Bayesian Optimizer

Driven piles are used in many geological environments as a practical and convenient structural component.Hence,the determination of the drivability of piles is actually of great importance in complex geotechnical applications.Conventional methods of predicting pile drivability often rely on simplified physicalmodels or empirical formulas,whichmay lack accuracy or applicability in complex geological conditions.Therefore,this study presents a practical machine learning approach,namely a Random Forest(RF)optimized by Bayesian Optimization(BO)and Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO),which not only enhances prediction accuracy but also better adapts to varying geological environments to predict the drivability parameters of piles(i.e.,maximumcompressive stress,maximum tensile stress,and blow per foot).In addition,support vector regression,extreme gradient boosting,k nearest neighbor,and decision tree are also used and applied for comparison purposes.In order to train and test these models,among the 4072 datasets collected with 17model inputs,3258 datasets were randomly selected for training,and the remaining 814 datasets were used for model testing.Lastly,the results of these models were compared and evaluated using two performance indices,i.e.,the root mean square error(RMSE)and the coefficient of determination(R2).The results indicate that the optimized RF model achieved lower RMSE than other prediction models in predicting the three parameters,specifically 0.044,0.438,and 0.146;and higher R^(2) values than other implemented techniques,specifically 0.966,0.884,and 0.977.In addition,the sensitivity and uncertainty of the optimized RF model were analyzed using Sobol sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo(MC)simulation.It can be concluded that the optimized RF model could be used to predict the performance of the pile,and it may provide a useful reference for solving some problems under similar engineering conditions.

Sustainable land management in Mali

This study uses logistic and Poisson regression models to examine the factors influencing the adoption of sustain-able land management(SLM)practices in Mali using two rounds of the nationally representative survey Enquête Agricole de Conjoncture Intégrée aux Conditions de Vie des Ménages.The SLMs considered include the applica-tion of organic fertilizers,the application of inorganic fertilizers,the use of improved seeds,and the practice of intercropping.On average the application of organic fertilizers(39.2%),and inorganic fertilizers(28.7%)are the most frequent SLM practices among Malian farmers,and between 2014 and 2017,we observe a decline in the practice of intercropping.The regression results show that farmers’adoption of different SLMs is significantly associated with biophysical factors(average temperature,climate type,plot size,plot shape,and location),de-mographic factors(age,gender,education,household size),and socioeconomic factors(number of cultivated plots,livelihood diversification,type of crop grown,market access,credit access,economic shocks,and social capital).Our findings suggest that policymakers and agricultural development agencies in Mali need to adopt a multidimensional policy framework to unlock the untapped potential of SLM practices in promoting sustainable agriculture and food security.

Unconfined compressive strength and failure behaviour of completely weathered granite from a fault zone

Understanding the strength characteristics and deformation behaviour of the tunnel surrounding rock in a fault zone is significant for tunnel stability evaluation.In this study,a series of unconfined compression tests were conducted to investigate the mechanical characteristics and failure behaviour of completely weathered granite(CWG)from a fault zone,considering with height-diameter(h/d)ratio,dry densities(ρd)and moisture contents(ω).Based on the experimental results,a regression mathematical model of unconfined compressive strength(UCS)for CWG was developed using the Multiple Nonlinear Regression method(MNLR).The research results indicated that the UCS of the specimen with a h/d ratio of 0.6 decreased with the increase ofω.When the h/d ratio increased to 1.0,the UCS increasedωwith up to 10.5%and then decreased.Increasingρd is conducive to the improvement of the UCS at anyω.The deformation and rupture process as well as final failure modes of the specimen are controlled by h/d ratio,ρd andω,and the h/d ratio is the dominant factor affecting the final failure mode,followed byωandρd.The specimens with different h/d ratio exhibited completely different fracture mode,i.e.,typical splitting failure(h/d=0.6)and shear failure(h/d=1.0).By comparing the experimental results,this regression model for predicting UCS is accurate and reliable,and the h/d ratio is the dominant factor affecting the UCS of CWG,followed byρd and thenω.These findings provide important references for maintenance of the tunnel crossing other fault fractured zones,especially at low confining pressure or unconfined condition.

Specialization or Diversification:Which is More Conducive to Foreign Trade Resilience?Evidence from China-Russia Border Regions in Northeast China

Under the background of complex international situation,how to build the special geo-economic space of China-Russia bor-der lies in strengthening their foreign trade resilience against external shocks.Based on empirical evidence from ten prefecture-level China-Russia border regions in Northeast China,this paper analyzed the spatiotemporal evolution of foreign trade resilience under different shocks.Furthermore,through the Panel Regression model,the mechanism of the industrial structure on the foreign trade resilience in contraction period and expansion period was discussed.The results showed that:1)from 2004 to 2021,foreign trade in China-Russia border regions experienced five phases.The overall foreign trade resilience was higher than expected,showing a rising volatility trend,but there was significant spatial heterogeneity in the ability of cities to cope with shocks.2)Highly specialized clusters were mainly concentrated in Yichun,Heihe and Da Hinggan Ling Prefecture,while Mudanjiang and Yanbian performed better in related and unrelated diversification.3)In different stages of economic system evolution,the response mode,degree and result of border foreign trade resilience to regional industrial structure showed obvious stage characteristics.During the contraction period,related diversification was more conducive to improving the resistance through risk spillovers.During the expansion period,specialization played a more significant role in improving regional resilience through self-reinforcing effect.These results are beneficial for expanding the resilience theory,ensuring border economic security and optimizing border industrial investment layout.

Prediction and driving factors of forest fire occurrence in Jilin Province,China

Forest fires are natural disasters that can occur suddenly and can be very damaging,burning thousands of square kilometers.Prevention is better than suppression and prediction models of forest fire occurrence have developed from the logistic regression model,the geographical weighted logistic regression model,the Lasso regression model,the random forest model,and the support vector machine model based on historical forest fire data from 2000 to 2019 in Jilin Province.The models,along with a distribution map are presented in this paper to provide a theoretical basis for forest fire management in this area.Existing studies show that the prediction accuracies of the two machine learning models are higher than those of the three generalized linear regression models.The accuracies of the random forest model,the support vector machine model,geographical weighted logistic regression model,the Lasso regression model,and logistic model were 88.7%,87.7%,86.0%,85.0%and 84.6%,respectively.Weather is the main factor affecting forest fires,while the impacts of topography factors,human and social-economic factors on fire occurrence were similar.