Discontinuous Features Research Articles

Stability Analysis of a Large Gold Mine Open-Pit Slope Using Advanced Probabilistic Method

A large gold reserve was recently discovered at Haveri district of Karnataka state of India where open-pit mining was planned to extract these deposits. Stability analysis for open-pit mine slope at this site is presented in the article. Extensive geological investigations and laboratory testing suggested high variability in geological features of discontinuities, rock mass quality and intact rock properties. Hence, it was decided to perform stability analysis of the rock slope using probabilistic approach along with deterministic approach. Deterministic analysis was carried out with average properties of rock, and reliability analysis of the rock slope was carried out using both traditional and advanced probabilistic methods. In traditional probabilistic method, rock mass strength properties were treated as random variables without considering spatial variation of rock properties and reliability index was evaluated by Monte Carlo (MC) simulation on augmented radial basis function-based response surface. In advanced probabilistic analysis, spatial variability of rock mass strength properties was considered by generating anisotropic random field using Fourier series method with spatial averaging over finite difference zones. Reliability index was then estimated by performing MC simulation using random finite difference method. A comparison was provided between the results of stability analysis of slope from all these approaches. Rock slope was found to be stable in both deterministic and probabilistic approaches; however, the degree of stability predicted was different for both methods. Deterministic approach was found to be inappropriate to analyse the stability of slope having rock mass with variable properties. Further, reliability index and expected performance level of slope were highly underestimated by traditional probabilistic method as compared to advanced probabilistic method.

A new scheme for velocity analysis and imaging of diffractions

Seismic diffractions are the responses of small-scale inhomogeneities or discontinuous geological features, which play a vital role in the exploitation and development of oil and gas reservoirs. However, diffractions are generally ignored and considered as interference noise in conventional data processing. In this paper, a new scheme for velocity analysis and imaging of seismic diffractions is proposed. Two steps compose of this scheme in our application. First, the plane-wave destruction method is used to separate diffractions from specular reflections in the prestack domain. Second, in order to accurately estimate migration velocity of the diffractions, the time-domain dip-angle gathers are derived from a Kirchhoff-based angle prestack time migration using separated diffractions. Diffraction events appear flat in the dip-angle gathers when imaged above the diffraction point with selected accurate migration velocity for diffractions. The selected migration velocity helps to produce the desired prestack imaging of diffractions. Synthetic and field examples are applied to test the validity of the new scheme. The diffraction imaging results indicate that the proposed scheme for velocity analysis and imaging of diffractions can provide more detailed information about small-scale geologic features for seismic interpretation.

3D modeling of discontinuities using GPR in a commercial size ornamental limestone block

Discontinuities can be hidden or out-cropping with variable aperture sizes in rock media. Obtaining deterministic geo-spatial features of discontinuities inside quarried ornamental stone blocks is a decision-making tool for the post processing phase of cutting slabs. In a case study of a limestone block, discontinuities were detected by the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) through a high frequency antenna (700 MHz) and deterministically modeled in three dimensions following the method presented in Elkarmoty et al. (2017). The use of the 700 MHz GPR antenna in this kind of rock allowed to detect tiny-size apertures of discontinuities. The results showed that it is possible to detect and model not only the outcropping discontinuities, but also the hidden ones. Hidden three-dimensional voids or defects were detected and modeled as well. The resulting model was visualized in different orientations, using a 3D data visualization software package, for a better perception of the results.

Petascale simulations of compressible flows with interfaces

We demonstrate a high throughput software for the efficient simulation of compressible multicomponent flow on high performance computing platforms. The discrete problem is represented on structured three-dimensional grids with non-uniform resolution. Discontinuous flow features are captured using a diffuse interface method. A distinguishing characteristic of the method is the proper treatment of the interface zone as a mixing region of liquid and gas. The governing equations are discretized by a Godunov-type finite volume method with explicit time stepping using a low-storage Runge-Kutta scheme. The presented flow solver Cubism-MPCF is based on our Cubism library which enables a highly optimized framework for the efficient treatment of stencil based problems on multicore architectures. The framework is general and not limited to applications in fluid dynamics. We validate our solver by classical benchmark examples. Furthermore, we examine a highly-resolved shock-induced bubble collapse and a cloud of O(103) collapsing bubbles, which demonstrate the high potential of the proposed framework and solver.

Multispectral coherence

Seismic coherence is a routine measure of seismic reflection similarity for interpreters seeking structural boundary and discontinuity features that may be not properly highlighted on original amplitude volumes. One mostly wishes to use the broadest band seismic data for interpretation. However, because of thickness tuning effects, spectral components of specific frequencies can highlight features of certain thicknesses with higher signal-to-noise ratio than others. Seismic stratigraphic features (e.g., channels) may be buried in the full-bandwidth data, but can be “lit up” at certain spectral components. For the same reason, coherence attributes computed from spectral voice components (equivalent to a filter bank) also often provide sharper images, with the “best” component being a function of the tuning thickness and the reflector alignment across faults. Although one can corender three coherence images using red-green-blue (RGB) blending, a display of the information contained in more than three volumes in a single image is difficult. We address this problem by combining covariance matrices for each spectral component, adding them together, resulting in a “multispectral” coherence algorithm. The multispectral coherence images provide better images of channel incisement, and they are less noisy than those computed from the full bandwidth data. In addition, multispectral coherence also provides a significant advantage over RGB blended volumes. The information content from unlimited spectral voices can be combined into one volume, which is useful for a posteriori/further processing, such as color corendering display with other related attributes, such as petrophysics parameters plotted against a polychromatic color bar. We develop the value of multispectral coherence by comparing it with the RGB blended volumes and coherence computed from spectrally balanced, full-bandwidth seismic amplitude volume from a megamerge survey acquired over the Red Fork Formation of the Anadarko Basin, Oklahoma.

Characterization of Weathered Soft Rock Mass by Index Tests

The understanding of geotechnical and geomechanical rock mass behavior is challenging, mainly regarding weathered parts, since they may trigger stability issues. Soft Rocks, as phyllite, are known to enhance these problems. In this case, a road cut on a highway between the cities of Ouro Preto and Mariana (MG – Brazil) was studied, showing a particular weathering zone with changing conditions. After morphological description and geological fragmentation (using geological hammer, the Schmidt hammer and a switchblade) of the weathering zone, tests were done on rock matrix and rock mass in order to identify the discontinuity features. Physical properties were determined by physical index, using the point load test and slake durability test. The results permit to define the weathering zone, showing some huge anisotropy and heterogeneity in the rock properties.

New gravity anomaly map of Taiwan and its surrounding regions with some tectonic interpretations

In this study, we compiled recently collected (from 2005 to 2015) and previously reported (published and open access) gravity data, including land, shipborne and satellite-derived data, for Taiwan and its surrounding regions. Based on the cross-over error analysis, all data were adjusted; and, new Free-air gravity anomalies were obtained, shedding light on the tectonics of the region. To obtain the Bouguer gravity anomalies, the densities of land terrain and marine sediments were assumed to be 2.53 and 1.80 g/cm3, respectively. The updated gravity dataset was gridded with a spacing of one arc-minute. Several previously unnoticed gravity features are revealed by the new maps and can be used in a broad range of applications: (1) An isolated gravity high is located between the Shoushan and the Kaoping Canyon off southwest Taiwan. (2) Along the Luzon Arc, both Free-air and Bouguer gravity anomaly maps reveal a significant gravity discontinuity feature at the latitude of 21°20′N. (3) In the southwestern Okinawa Trough, the NE-SW trending cross-back-arc volcanic trail (CBVT) marks the low-high gravity anomaly (both Free-air and Bouguer) boundary.

OGLE-2016-BLG-0613LABb: A Microlensing Planet in a Binary System

Abstract We present the analysis of OGLE-2016-BLG-0613, for which the lensing light curve appears to be that of a typical binary-lens event with two caustic spikes but with a discontinuous feature on the trough between the spikes. We find that the discontinuous feature was produced by a planetary companion to the binary lens. We find four degenerate triple-lens solution classes, each composed of a pair of solutions according to the well-known wide/close planetary degeneracy. One of these solution classes is excluded due to its relatively poor fit. For the remaining three pairs of solutions, the most-likely primary mass is about , while the planet is a super Jupiter. In all cases, the system lies in the Galactic disk, about halfway toward the Galactic bulge. However, in one of these three solution classes, the secondary of the binary system is a low-mass brown dwarf, with relative mass ratios (1:0.03:0.003), while in the two others the masses of the binary components are comparable. These two possibilities can be distinguished in about 2024 when the measured lens-source relative proper motion will permit separate resolution of the lens and source.

Ultra-short beam expander with segmented curvature control: the emergence of a semi-lens.

We introduce direct curvature control in designing a segmented beam expander, and explore novel design possibilities for ultra-compact beam expanders. Assisted by the particle swarm optimization algorithm, we search for an optimal curvature-controlled multi-segment taper that maintains width continuity. Counterintuitively, the optimization yields a structure with abrupt width discontinuity and width compression features. Through spatial phase and parameterized analysis, a semi-lens feature is revealed that helps to flatten the wavefront at the output end for higher coupling efficiency. Such functionality cannot be achieved by normal tapers in a short distance. The structure is fabricated and characterized experimentally. By a figure of merit that accounts for expansion ratio, length, and efficiency, this structure outperforms an adiabatic taper by 9 times.

Plane-wave Sobel attribute for discontinuity enhancement in seismic images

Discontinuity enhancement attributes are commonly used to facilitate the interpretation process by enhancing edges in seismic images and providing a quantitative measure of the significance of discontinuous features. These attributes require careful preprocessing to maintain geologic features and suppress acquisition and processing artifacts, which may be artificially detected as a geologic edge. We have developed the plane-wave Sobel attribute, a modification of the classic Sobel filter, by orienting the filter along seismic structures using plane-wave destruction and plane-wave shaping. The plane-wave Sobel attribute can be applied directly to a seismic image to efficiently and effectively enhance discontinuous features or to a coherence image to create a sharper and more detailed image. Two field benchmark data examples with many faults and channel features from offshore New Zealand and offshore Nova Scotia demonstrate the effectiveness of this method compared with conventional coherence attributes. The results are reproducible using the Madagascar software package.

Assessment of rock slope stability by slope mass rating (SMR): A case study for the gas flare site in Assalouyeh, South of Iran

Slope mass rating (SMR) is commonly used for the geomechanical classification of rock masses in an attempt to evaluate the stability of slopes. SMR is calculated from the RMR89-basic (basic rock mass rating) and from the characteristic features of discontinuities, and may be applied to slope stability analysis as well as to slope support recommendations. This study attempts to utilize the SMR classification system for slope stability analysis and to investigate the engineering geological conditions of the slopes and the slope stability analysis of the Gas Flare site in phases 6, 7 and 8 of the South Pars Gas Complex in Assalouyeh, south of Iran. After studying a total of twelve slopes, the results of the SMR classification system indicated that three slope failure modes, namely, wedge, plane and mass failure were possible along the slopes. In addition, the stability analyses conducted by a number of computer programs indicated that three of the slopes were stable, three of the slopes were unstable and the remaining six slopes were categorized as \'needs attention\' classes.

Weathering characterization for landslides modeling in granitoid rock masses of the Capo Vaticano promontory (Calabria, Italy)

This work focuses on developing multidisciplinary researches concerning weathering profiles related to landscape evolution of the Capo Vaticano promontory on the Calabria Tyrrhenian side (southern Italy). In this area, the tectonic uplift, occurred at least since Pleistocene, together with the Mediterranean climatic conditions, is the main cause of deep weathering and denudation processes. The latter occurred on the outcropping rocks of the crystalline-metamorphic basement, made up of weathered granitoids, in turn belonging to the Monte Poro granitoid complex (intermediate to felsic plutonic rocks covered by Cenozoic sedimentary successions). Field observations coupled to borehole explorations, geophysical surveys, and minero-petrographical analyses allowed the characterization of the granitoid outcrops typical of the studied area in terms of kind and degree of slope instability. This characterization was based on suitable correlations verified between several factors as weathering degree, elastic properties of rocks, and discontinuity features. Weathering profiles are mainly composed by rock masses varying from completely weathered rock with corestones of highly weathered rock (classes IV–V) to slightly weathered rocks (class II). The weathered rocks are involved in several landslide typologies such as debris flow (frequency 48.5%), translational slide (frequency 33.3%), and minor rock fall and rotational slide (frequency 9%). The achieved data allowed the establishment of a general correlation between weathering degree and type of slope instability. Debris flow-type instabilities are predominant on the steeper slopes, involving very poor rock masses ascribed to the shallowest portions of the weathering class IV. Translational slides are less widespread than the previous ones and often involve a mixture of soil and highly weathered rocks. Rotational slides are more frequently close to the top of the slopes, where the thicknesses of more weathered rocks increase, and involve mainly rock masses belonging to the weathering classes IV and V. Rock falls mostly occur on the vertical escarpments of the road cuts and are controlled by the characteristics of the main discontinuities. The assessment of rock mass rating and slope mass rating, based on the application of the discontinuity data, allowed respectively an evaluation of the quality of rock masses and of the susceptibility of rock slopes to failure. The comparison between the last one and the real stability conditions along the cut slopes shows a good correspondence. Finally, the geological strength index system was also applied for the estimation of rock mass properties. The achieved results give a worthy support for a better understanding of the relationship between the distribution of landslides and the geological features related to different weathering degrees. Therefore, they can provide a reliable tool to evaluate the potential stability conditions of the rock slopes in the studied area and a general reference framework for the study of weathering processes in other regions with similar geological features.

A workflow to skeletonize faults and stratigraphic features

Improving the accuracy and completeness of subtle discontinuities in noisy seismic data is useful for mapping faults, fractures, unconformities, and stratigraphic edges. We have developed a workflow to improve the quality of coherence attributes. First, we apply principal component structure-oriented filtering to reject random noise and sharpen the lateral edges of seismic amplitude data. Next, we compute eigenstructure coherence, which highlights the stratigraphic and structural discontinuities. We apply a Laplacian of a Gaussian filter to the coherence attribute that sharpens the steeply dipping faults, attenuates the stratigraphic features parallel to the seismic reflectors, and skeletonizes the unconformity features subparallel to the reflectors. Finally, we skeletonize the filtered coherence attribute along with the fault plane. The filtered and skeletonized seismic coherence attribute highlights the geologic discontinuities more clearly and precisely. These discontinuous features can be color coded by their dipping orientation or as a suite of independent, azimuthally limited volumes, providing the interpreter a means of isolating fault sets that are either problematic or especially productive. We validate the effectiveness of our workflow by applying it to seismic surveys acquired from the Gulf of Mexico, USA, and the Great South Basin, New Zealand. The skeletonized result rejects noise and enhances discontinuities seen in the vertical and lateral directions. The corendering of the “fault” azimuth and the fault-dip magnitude exhibits the strengths of the discontinuities and their orientation. Finally, we compared our workflow with the results generated from the swarm intelligence and found our method to be better at tracking short faults and stratigraphic discontinuities.

Discontinuous pinning effect by a hole row to the gas-liquid interface in a parallel gap

Discontinuous contact line pinning phenomenon appears when liquid wets discontinuous sharp features. It provides additional resistance to the gas-liquid interface and sometimes can be used as an effective approach for liquid control, such as avoiding liquid leakage by extraction holes in immersion lithography and other microfluidic devices. The discontinuous pinning effect by a hole row to the gas-liquid interface in a parallel gap was investigated in this study. We designed an experiment to investigate the behavior and the maximum resistance pressure of a hole row blocking the air-water interface in the gap. It was observed that the interface was partially pinned by the hole edges, while the unpinned parts was also stopped by the interface stretching. The pinning effect caused the interface distorted and produced additive Laplace pressure to resist the water pressure. Three failure types of the discontinuous pinning system were found, which were related to not only the hole edge pinning effect, but also the shape and position of the contact line. By analyzing the experimental results, analytical models based on the Laplace equation were built to formulate the pinning effects in the paper. The resistance pressure can be determined dependent on the developed analytical method. The experimental results agreed with the models in the failure types and maximum resistance pressure estimations.

A seismic diffraction extraction method for the study of discontinuous geologies using a regularisation algorithm

Seismic diffractions play a vital role in identifying discontinuous geological structures, such as tiny faults and cavities which are important because of their close relationship with the reservoir properties of oil and gas. In this paper, we focus on an extraction method for separation of seismic diffractions. The energy of reflection is usually much stronger than that of the diffraction, thus, removing reflection becomes a key problem for diffraction applications. In order to extract seismic diffractions accurately and stably, we propose an optimised regularisation method based on the local plane-wave equation. By considering two constraints arising from the Sobolev penalty function and the difference operator, we build a stable minimisation model for determining seismic slopes. In computation, an iterative method based on projection onto a convex set for solving the nonlinear minimisation is developed, which can provide fast and accurate solutions. Subtracting the predicted reflections from the seismic image, we can extract the seismic diffractions. Numerical experiments illustrate the effectiveness of the diffraction extraction method in separating tiny faults, scatterers and cavities. Finally, a carbonate reservoir field example is provided to demonstrate the high-resolution capability of the method in revealing small-scale discontinuous geological features.

Percolation framework to describe El Niño conditions.

Complex networks have been used intensively to investigate the flow and dynamics of many natural systems including the climate system. Here, we develop a percolation based measure, the order parameter, to study and quantify climate networks. We find that abrupt transitions of the order parameter usually occur ∼1 year before El Niño events, suggesting that they can be used as early warning precursors of El Niño. Using this method, we analyze several reanalysis datasets and show the potential for good forecasting of El Niño. The percolation based order parameter exhibits discontinuous features, indicating a possible relation to the first order phase transition mechanism.

Interface Direct Shearing Behavior Between Soil and Saw-tooth Surfaces by DEM Simulation

The shearing behavior of a soil-structure interface is influenced by the properties of both the soil and the structure (e.g., particle shape, structural hardness, and surface roughness). While previous investigations using experimental approaches have been able to characterize the macroscopic behavior of the soil–structure interface, the micro-mechanisms behind these observations made from a laboratory still require explanation. This study aims to analyze the effect of roughness on the shearing behavior of the soil-hard structure interface. To do so, we performed a series of three-dimensional interface shear tests using the discrete element method with various degrees of normalized roughness. A standard saw-tooth was chosen to represent the geometry of an artificial rough surface. The results show that: (1) shear stress softening is observed after peak when the specimen shearing is on a rough interface, (2) the shear strength of a soil-structure interface increases as the interface roughness increases, and (3) dilatancy occurs when the roughness is sufficiently large. The incremental shear displacement field indicates that during the shearing process the shear deformation is largely localized in a narrow zone adjacent to the interface, called the shear band. A discontinuous feature is characterized after the shear band appears. The thickness of the shear band varies depending on the roughness of the interface. Specimen shearing on a rougher interface tends to create a thicker shear band.

A Mathematical Model of a Reversible DC-DC Converter as a Part of a Variable-Frequency Electric Drive with Supercapacitors in Case of Operation in the Direct and Discontnous Current Modes

A mathematical model of a DC-DC converter with consideration of the discontinuous current mode is considered. It is assumed that the DC-DC converter operates within a variable-frequency electric drive and is used for connecting the supercapacitors unit to the direct current link of the frequency convertor. The operation modes, the mathematical description as well as the time diagrams of the corresponding DC-DC converter values with consideration of the discontinuous current mode features are presented. When building the mathematical model of the DC-DC converter, it is also required to consider the unique features of the frequency converter direct current link model, which in its turn has a significant impact on the system transient processes. In this context, the equations system, describing the transient processes in the frequency converter direct current link, is presented. The mathematical model equations system, the flow diagram as well as the simulation results of the DC-DC converter operation in the direct and discontinuous current modes are presented.

Microglia show altered morphology and reduced arborization in human brain during aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Changes in microglia function are involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD) for which ageing is the major risk factor. We evaluated microglial cell process morphologies and their gray matter coverage (arborized area) during ageing and in the presence and absence of AD pathology in autopsied human neocortex. Microglial cell processes were reduced in length, showed less branching and reduced arborized area with aging (case range 52-98 years). This occurred during normal ageing and without microglia dystrophy or changes in cell density. There was a larger reduction in process length and arborized area in AD compared to aged-matched control microglia. In AD cases, on average, 49%-64% of microglia had discontinuous and/or punctate Iba1 labeled processes instead of continuous Iba1 distribution. Up to 16% of aged-matched control microglia displayed discontinuous or punctate features. There was no change in the density of microglial cell bodies in gray matter during ageing or AD. This demonstrates that human microglia show progressive cell process retraction without cell loss during ageing. Additional changes in microglia occur with AD including Iba1 protein puncta and discontinuity. We suggest that reduced microglial arborized area may be an aging-related correlate of AD in humans. These variations in microglial cells during ageing and in AD could reflect changes in neural-glial interactions which are emerging as key to mechanisms involved in ageing and neurodegenerative disease.

Plastid: nucleotide-resolution analysis of next-generation sequencing and genomics data.

BackgroundNext-generation sequencing (NGS) informs many biological questions with unprecedented depth and nucleotide resolution. These assays have created a need for analytical tools that enable users to manipulate data nucleotide-by-nucleotide robustly and easily. Furthermore, because many NGS assays encode information jointly within multiple properties of read alignments ― for example, in ribosome profiling, the locations of ribosomes are jointly encoded in alignment coordinates and length ― analytical tools are often required to extract the biological meaning from the alignments before analysis. Many assay-specific pipelines exist for this purpose, but there remains a need for user-friendly, generalized, nucleotide-resolution tools that are not limited to specific experimental regimes or analytical workflows.ResultsPlastid is a Python library designed specifically for nucleotide-resolution analysis of genomics and NGS data. As such, Plastid is designed to extract assay-specific information from read alignments while retaining generality and extensibility to novel NGS assays. Plastid represents NGS and other biological data as arrays of values associated with genomic or transcriptomic positions, and contains configurable tools to convert data from a variety of sources to such arrays.Plastid also includes numerous tools to manipulate even discontinuous genomic features, such as spliced transcripts, with nucleotide precision. Plastid automatically handles conversion between genomic and feature-centric coordinates, accounting for splicing and strand, freeing users of burdensome accounting. Finally, Plastid’s data models use consistent and familiar biological idioms, enabling even beginners to develop sophisticated analytical workflows with minimal effort.ConclusionsPlastid is a versatile toolkit that has been used to analyze data from multiple NGS assays, including RNA-seq, ribosome profiling, and DMS-seq. It forms the genomic engine of our ORF annotation tool, ORF-RATER, and is readily adapted to novel NGS assays. Examples, tutorials, and extensive documentation can be found at https://plastid.readthedocs.io.