High Sensitivity Area Research Articles

Flood Susceptibility Mapping Using Novel Hybrid Approach of Neural Network with Genetic Quantum Ensembles

Flood susceptibility mapping is an important method for flood research. In this paper, we combine a backpropagation neural network (BPNN) with a genetic quantum algorithm (GQA) for the first time to develop flood susceptibility mapping. The area on the Chinese side of the Tumen River Basin was selected as the research object. A set of flood conditioning factors was selected based on relevant literature and an actual situation and then validated using the chi-square test and correlation analysis. Different weights were assigned using stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis. Finally, modeling and flood susceptibility mapping using GQA-BPNN. As a reference, the same work was performed with both the pure BPNN and optimized BPNN using a genetic algorithm (GA). The results show that the area under the curve, root mean squared error, Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient and percentage of bias are significantly better for the GQA-BPNN than for the BPNN and GA-BPNN and that the flood sensitivity maps constructed by the GQA-BPNN have more flood points in high flood sensitivity areas. Therefore, the GQA-BPNN method can be considered an effective method for flood susceptibility mapping.

Dynamic changes of cultivated land use and grain production in the lower reaches of the Yellow River based on GlobeLand30

The lower reaches of the Yellow River are China’s grain production base and ecological barrier. Its total grain production ranks third in China in 2021, and its cultivated land plays an extremely important role in ensuring food security in the Yellow River Basin and even the whole country. Based on the data of GlobeLand30 in 2000, 2010 and 2020, this study studied the spatial distribution of cultivated land use and the cultivated land transfer pattern, the spatial distribution concentration degree and directional distribution characteristics of cultivated land and grain production, and the sensitivity analysis of grain production to the change of cultivated land area in the lower reaches of the Yellow River by using the methods of land cover transfer matrix, spatial distribution concentration model, sensitivity analysis model, standard deviation ellipse model and spatial autocorrelation analysis. The results show that: 1) The land type with the largest area transferred from cultivated land in the lower Yellow River is artificial surface, and its regional distribution is scattered; At the same time, the land type with the largest area transferred into cultivated land is still artificial surface, which is directly related to the rural land remediation measures implemented by the government. 2) During the period from 2000 to 2020, the spatial distribution concentration index (HHI) grade of cultivated land in the lower reaches of the Yellow River was moderately concentrated and below, and there was no obvious concentration trend; the concentration degree of grain production distribution in the lower reaches of the Yellow River is higher than that of cultivated land, such as Rizhao, Dongying, Qingdao and Weihai, where the HHI grades of grain production are higher; The center of gravity of cultivated land in the lower reaches of the Yellow River is relatively stable, while the center of gravity of grain production shows an obvious trend of “westward shift”. 3) During 2000–2010, the grain productions of 68.38% of districts and counties were insensitive to the change of cultivated land, while the grain productions of 18 districts and counties were highly sensitive to the change of cultivated land, mostly distributed in the hilly and mountainous areas of central and southern Shandong; During 2010–2020, the proportion of insensitive districts and counties decreased to 36%, and the middle and high sensitive areas obviously showed a gradual decreasing trend. Based on GlobeLand30 remote sensing image technology, this study can effectively reveal the temporal and spatial dynamic changes of cultivated land use and grain production in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and provide scientific reference for further rational development and utilization of cultivated land resources in the lower reaches of the Yellow River and promoting the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.

Study on cooperative constraint zoning of water environment.

This study comprehensively considers two elements of water environmental sensitivity and pressure using the combination of qualitative analysis and quantitative calculation. And it puts forward the water environmental collaborative constraint zoning method and focuses on the construction of the water environmental collaborative constraint zoning evaluation index system using the fuzzy optimization programming model to determine the index weight. This study takes the Liaohe River Basin in Liaoning Province as a study area through two-dimensional quadrant analysis of water environmental sensitivity and pressure; it is divided into four types of areas: high-pressure and high-sensitivity area (HP-HS area), high-pressure and low-sensitivity area (HP-LS area), low-pressure and high-sensitivity area (LP-HS area) and low-pressure and low-sensitivity area (LP-LS area), respectively. The results show that the proportion of HP-HS area is 28.4%, the proportion of HP-LS area is 10.1%, the proportion of LP-HS area is 22.2% and the proportion of LP-LS area is 39.3%, respectively. The evaluation results are in line with the actual situation of the Liaohe River Basin in Liaoning Province. According to the results of different zoning, this research puts forward the optimization and adjustment scheme of industrial layout to achieve the comprehensive and coordinated sustainable development of population, economy, society, and environment in the study area. The research results also have been applied to the formulation of '14th Five-Year Plan' for water ecological environment protection of key river basins in Liaoning Province.

Constructing the Ecological Security Pattern of Nujiang Prefecture Based on the Framework of "Importance-Sensitivity-Connectivity".

Constructing an ecological security pattern is vital to guaranteeing regional ecological security. The terrain and geomorphology of the alpine valley are complex and sensitive, meaning it is difficult to construct ecological security patterns. Therefore, the study takes Nujiang Prefecture as the study area and builds an “Importance–Sensitivity–Connectivity” (Importance of ecosystem service, eco-environmental sensitivity, and landscape connectivity) framework to carry on the comprehensive evaluation of the ecological security and identification of ecological sources. Furthermore, we constructed an ecological resistance surface using land-use type. Using the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model, the study identifies the ecological corridors and nodes to build ecological security patterns to optimize the ecological spatial structure of Nujiang Prefecture. The results showed that (1) the importance of ecosystem services was higher in the west and lower in the east. The high-sensitive areas of the ecological environment were distributed discontinuously along the banks of the Nujiang and the Lantsang River, and the areas with high landscape connectivity were distributed in patches in the Gaoligong Mountain Nature Reserve and the Biluo Snow Mountain. (2) The overall ecological security was in a good state, and the ecologically insecure areas were primarily distributed in Lanping County and the southeast region of Lushui City. (3) The primary ecological source area was identified to be 3281.35 km2 and the secondary ecological source area to be 4224.64 km2. (4) In total, 26 primary ecological corridors, 39 secondary ecological corridors, and 82 ecological nodes were identified.

Compliance of Fasteners in Metal-Composite Joints

The greatest difficulties in creating a new structure or upgrading an old one are associated with designing joints and connecting parts of the structure, especially composite and metal ones. Nowadays, the problem of designing and improving such joints is timely and is being actively studied so that the best solutions are found. The article presents the research carried out to determine the main parameters of elements of mechanical joints made of polymer composite materials, as factors affecting the requirements for precision of connection compliance estimation. There has been found the influence of the number of fastener rows on estimating the maximum forces which act in the joint, as well as the influence of the ratio of the connection compliance to the compliance of the part. A field of possible states of the joint has been built. Within the field, the following areas have been identified: the area of high sensitivity to precision of estimating the parameters of the joint elements, requiring experimental confirmation and more accurate models; the area of average sensitivity of the joint to precision of estimating the parameters of its elements, permitting the use of known dependences; and the area of low sensitivity, where simplified models can be used. In the course of the developed model testing, joint samples were tested to evaluate the force connection compliance, and a reference variant was calculated using the Douglas formula. The reference variant of the joint sample was chosen based on the principle of equal compliances of the parts to be joined, presented by a series of samples assembled from a composite package of 80 layers and two surface layers made of 3.98 mm-thick steel. The parts were connected with steel bolts with a diameter of 6 and 8 mm. Numerically, the ratio of the connection compliance to the part compliance is 85...96 for the experimental data, and 9...10 for the calculated data. This indicated that the joint was in the transition area between high and medium sensitivity of the joint to the accuracy of compliance estimation, which requires continuous refinement of the connection parameters.

Existential risk - Danger Extinction Humanity or Reducing permanent of Potential Humanity

Recently humanity witnessed a shift in way of life affecting natural, social, political, and economic resources. As such, the public and/or private sectors provided alternative ways of communication and working from distich leading to a new source of livelihood, especially after the great COVID pandemic challenges. Such new ways of uncontrolled development in a very short period of time would affect negatively human evolution resilience, as there were so-called critical areas of high sensitivity that cannot be returned to their previous state without the human intervention (soil terraces, reforestation, biodiversity). If the ecological environment is endangered or destroyed as a result of human action; then the risk to human life would be enormous. Critical areas also play a major role in preserving soils and ensuring that biodiversity is preserved and supports the food chain. Unsustainable land management, particularly when coupled with droughts, has contributed to higher dust-storm activity, reducing human well-being in drylands and beyond. This is supported by the Presidential Policy Directive-21, referring to critical infrastructure security and resilience. Many people mistake the future for a continuation of trends, meaning that carrying out the process of continuous development will protect the human and human existence on Earth. The question in our time is not whether global climate change exists or not, it does exist, but rather whether the symbiotic relationship between global capitalism and nation-states has the capacity to meet the challenge posed by global climate change, meaning that there must be a connection, communication, and consensus between developed and non-developed countries to find solutions and cooperation in solving the world problems cooperatively.

Validating a Sclera-Based Smartphone Application for Screening Jaundiced Newborns in Ghana.

Reducing the burden of bilirubin-induced neurologic complications in low-resource countries requires reliable and accessible screening tools. We sought to optimize and validate a sclera-based smartphone application, Neonatal Scleral-Conjunctival Bilirubin (neoSCB), for screening neonatal jaundice. Using a cross-sectional design, consecutive eligible infants (aged 0-28 days, in the hospital, not critically ill) were enrolled in Ghana from March 2019 to April 2020. Jaundice screening was performed with neoSCB (Samsung Galaxy S8) to quantify SCB and JM-105 (Dräger) for transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB). Screening values were compared with total serum bilirubin (TSB) measured at the point of care. Overall, 724 infants participated in the optimization and validation phases of the study. The analysis for validation included 336 infants with no previous treatment of jaundice. Single neoSCB image captures identified infants with TSB >14.62 mg/dL (250 μmol/L) with reasonably high sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristic area under the curve at 0.94 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91 to 0.97), 0.73 (95% CI, 0.68 to 0.78), and 0.90, respectively. These findings were comparable to the sensitivity and specificity of JM-105 (0.96 [95% CI, 0.90 to 0.99] and 0.81 [95% CI, 0.76 to 0.86], respectively). The TcB/TSB had a larger correlation coefficient (r = 0.93; P < .01) than SCB/TSB (r = 0.78; P < .01). Performance of both devices was lower in infants with previous phototherapy (n = 231). The diagnostic performance of neoSCB was comparable to JM-105 and is a potential, affordable, contact-free screening tool for neonatal jaundice.

Ecological Restoration Strategies for the Topography of Loess Plateau Based on Adaptive Ecological Sensitivity Evaluation: A Case Study in Lanzhou, China

Existing studies related to ecological sensitivity evaluation are comparatively mature; however, few approaches are concerned with distinctive topographical conditions that enable response to specific environmental restoration requirements. In this paper, an adaptive ecological sensitivity evaluation framework is established according to a representative plateau topography (i.e., the Loess Plateau region) via a case study of Gaolan County, China. Through the process of factor selection, index system construction, formula adaption, factor weight determination by analytic hierarchy process (AHP) as well as the support of RS and GIS technology, the ecological sensitivity of the research region has been evaluated and analyzed in combination with land use types and typical gully problems. The results show that high sensitivity areas account for 11.16 percent of the total area in the research region and a tendency for fragmentation in spatial distribution. Forest lands with steep slopes in gullies’ upstream have the highest ecological sensitivity, the proportion of forest and garden land dominated by trees in the highest sensitivity area is around 80 percent. Evidence-based ecological restoration strategies are proposed in terms of the topography of Loess Plateau. This study shows possibilities to adapt existing sensitivity evaluation model for medium-scaled specific topography problems and provides useful clues as a basis for knowledge acquisition that can feed into spatial design, planning and restoration processes.

Effect of Calcification Based on Computer-Aided System on CT-Fractional Flow Reserve in Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Lesion.

This study was to analyze the diagnostic value of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) based on computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for coronary lesions and the possible impact of calcification. 80 patients who underwent CCTA and FFR examination in hospital were selected as the subjects. The FFR value of 0.8 was used as the dividing line and divided into the ischemic group (FFR ≤ 0.8) and nonischemic group (FFR > 0.8). The basic data and imaging characteristics of patients were analyzed. The maximum diameter stenosis rate (MDS %), maximum area stenosis rate (MAS %), and napkin ring sign (NRS) in the ischemic group were significantly lower than those in the nonischemic group (P < 0.05). Remodeling index (RI) and eccentric index (EI) compared with the nonischemic group had no significant difference (P > 0.05). The total plaque volume (TPV), total plaque burden (TPB), calcified plaque volume (CPV), lipid plaque volume (LPV), and lipid plaque burden (LPB) in the ischemic group were significantly different from those in the non-ischemic group (P < 0.05). MAS % had the largest area under curve (AUC) for the diagnosis of coronary myocardial ischemia (0.74), followed by MDS % (0.69) and LPV (0.68). CT-FFR had high diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, truncation value, and AUC area data for patients in the ischemic group and nonischemic group. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, cutoff value, and AUC area data of CT-FFR were higher in the ischemic group (89.93%, 92.07%, 95.84%, 60.51%, 0.932) and nonischemic group (93.75%, 90.88%, 96.24%, 58.22%, 0.944), but there were no significant differences between the two groups (P > 0.05). In summary, CT-FFR based on CAD system has high accuracy in evaluating myocardial ischemia caused by coronary artery stenosis, and within a certain range of calcification scores, calcification does not affect the diagnostic accuracy of CT-FFR.

Nanosensor technology and their applications: an overview

Metal nanoparticles are a promising candidate for the fabrication of nanosensors because of their high specific surface area and capability of high detection sensitivity. The main aim of this review paper is to provide an overview of nanosensors and their classification based on their energy source, structure, application, and receptor molecules along with their working mechanism and recent advancements in the field of nanosensors. Synthesis and applications of metal-based nanoparticles (metal/metal sulphide nanoparticles/metal-organic framework/doped metal or metal oxide nanoparticles) in the sensing field are discussed in detail.

Effects of Frequency on the Directional Auditory Sensitivity of Northern Saw-Whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus)

Many animals use sound as a medium for detecting or locating potential prey items or predation threats. Northern saw-whet owls (Aegolius acadicus) are particularly interesting in this regard, as they primarily rely on sound for hunting in darkness, but are also subject to predation pressure from larger raptors. We hypothesized that these opposing tasks should favor sensitivity to low-frequency sounds arriving from many locations (potential predators) and high-frequency sounds below the animal (ground-dwelling prey items). Furthermore, based on the morphology of the saw-whet owl skull and the head-related transfer functions of related species, we expected that the magnitude of changes in sensitivity across spatial locations would be greater for higher frequencies than low frequencies (i.e., more “directional” at high frequencies). We used auditory-evoked potentials to investigate the frequency-specific directional sensitivity of Northern saw-whet owls to acoustic signals. We found some support for our hypothesis, with smaller-magnitude changes in sensitivity across spatial locations at lower frequencies and larger-magnitude changes at higher frequencies. In general, owls were most sensitive to sounds originating in front of and above their heads, but at 8 kHz there was also an area of high sensitivity below the animals. Our results suggest that the directional hearing of saw-whet owls should allow for both predator and prey detection.

Performance of an emulsion telescope for gamma-ray observations in the GRAINE2018 balloon-borne experiment

Abstract The Gamma-Ray Astro-Imager with Nuclear Emulsion (GRAINE) project is aimed at the precise observation of astronomical gamma-ray sources in the energy range of 10 MeV–100 GeV using a balloon-borne telescope utilizing a nuclear emulsion, which can help realize precise imaging with high angular resolution (1.0○ at 100 MeV), polarization sensitivity, and large aperture area (10 m2). In 2018, the third balloon experiment was carried out as a demonstration of the detection of the brightest known astronomical gamma-ray source, the Vela pulsar, with an aperture area of 0.38 m2. In these data, some gamma rays were produced by the π0 → 2γ decay, which was caused by the hadronic interactions of cosmic rays in the detector. These could be used to calibrate the reconstructed angle, energy, and so on. In this study, we establish a method of searching for hadronic interactions and concomitant gamma rays with high statistics and purity. Our analysis indicates that the performance of our detector for gamma rays is as expected in wide incidence angle and energy ranges. We plan to commence scientific observations using the proposed system with the verified high angular resolution and largest aperture area in 2022 or later.

Targeted implementation of cool roofs for equitable urban adaptation to extreme heat

Cities are facing the twin pressures of greenhouse gas driven climatic warming and locally induced urban heating. These pressures are threatening populations that are sensitive to extreme heat due to sociodemographic factors including economic means. Heat-reducing infrastructure adaptation measures such as reflective “cool” materials can reduce urban temperatures. Here we examine the needs-based equity implications associated with heat-reducing cool roofing in Maricopa County, Arizona through application of high-resolution urban-atmospheric simulations. We simulate heatwave conditions and evaluate the air temperature reduction arising from uniform cool roof implementation (i.e., the entire urbanized county), and contrast results against simulated cooling impacts of needs-based targeted cool roof implementation in sociodemographically heat sensitive areas. We find that installing cool roofs uniformly, rather than in a targeted fashion, provides on average 0.66 °C reduction in the highest heat sensitivity area and 0.39 °C temperature reduction in the lowest heat sensitivity area due in part to a higher roof area density in the heat sensitive area. Targeting cool roof implementation yields 0.45 °C cooling in the most sensitive areas compared to 0.22 °C cooling in the least sensitive areas, meaning that needs-based targeted cool roofs in high sensitivity areas provide more relief than cool roofs targeted at low sensitivity areas, thus providing more cooling where it is most needed. Needs-based targeted implementation has the dual benefits of concurrently producing more than twice as much cooling and reducing heat exposure for the largest absolute number of individuals in the densely populated, highly heat sensitive areas. Targeting cool roof implementation to high heat sensitivity areas, however, does not achieve thermally equal temperatures in Maricopa County because the high sensitivity areas were substantially warmer than low sensitivity areas prior to implementation. This study illustrates the utility of a new “Targeted Urban Heat Adaptation” (TUHA) framework to assess needs-based equity implications of heat-reducing strategies and underscores its importance by examining the impacts of cooling interventions across sociodemographically heterogeneous urban environments.

Locomotion of Slope Geohazards Responding to Climate Change in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Its Adjacent Regions

Slope geohazards, which cause significant social, economic and environmental losses, have been increasing worldwide over the last few decades. Climate change-induced higher temperatures and shifted precipitation patterns enhance the slope geohazard risks. This study traced the spatial transference of slope geohazards in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) and investigated the potential climatic factors. The results show that 93% of slope geohazards occurred in seasonally frozen regions, 2.6% of which were located in permafrost regions, with an average altitude of 3818 m. The slope geohazards are mainly concentrated at 1493–1988 m. Over time, the altitude of the slope geohazards was gradually increased, and the mean altitude tended to spread from 1984 m to 2562 m by 2009, while the slope gradient varied only slightly. The number of slope geohazards increased with time and was most obvious in spring, especially in the areas above an altitude of 3000 m. The increase in temperature and precipitation in spring may be an important reason for this phenomenon, because the results suggest that the rate of air warming and precipitation at geohazard sites increased gradually. Based on the observation of the spatial location, altitude and temperature growth rate of slope geohazards, it is noted that new geohazard clusters (NGCs) appear in the study area, and there is still a possibility of migration under the future climate conditions. Based on future climate forecast data, we estimate that the low-, moderate- and high-sensitivity areas of the QTP will be mainly south of 30° N in 2030, will extend to the south of 33° N in 2060 and will continue to expand to the south of 35° N in 2099; we also estimate that the proportion of high-sensitivity areas will increase from 10.93% in 2030 to 14.17% in 2060 and 17.48% in 2099.

NPK in treated wastewater irrigation: Regional scale indices to minimize environmental pollution and optimize crop nutritional supply

Treated wastewater (TWW) is increasingly used for agricultural irrigation, and often contains higher concentrations of the major plant nutrients N, P, and K than freshwater, reducing the need for agricultural fertilization. However, excessive inputs of nutrients to cropping systems can be harmful to crops and the environment. The present study developed and employed six novel indices to assess the sustainability of TWW-irrigation and spatio-temporal trends in NPK loads to TWW-irrigated fields. Three indices relate to regional analysis of TWW-irrigation sustainability: the ‘Environmental sustainability’ index measures the TWW compliance with environmental irrigation standards; a ‘Nutritional sustainability’ index assesses whether the TWW satisfy crop fertilization requirements; a ‘Basin nutrient surplus’ index measures deviations of N or P loads to river basins from allowed levels. Three additional indices assess the environmental impact, potential loss of nutrients and fit of a given TWW for fertilization recommendations. We employed these indices to analyze a decade-long high spatio-temporal resolution data of TWW quality from Israel on a basin scale, for six TWW-irrigated plantation crops. The results reveal that in high-sensitivity hydrological areas, TWW is generally above the environmental standard for N and P; the TWW with lowest nutrient content is irrigated in low-sensitivity areas, leading to a reduced potential for utilization of nutrients in TWW. While the N irrigation standard (25 mg L−1) does not exceed the nutritional requirements of most analyzed crops, the P standard (5 mg L−1) results in excess fertilization for all analyzed crops. Therefore, environmental and nutritional sustainability of TWW-irrigation can be increased by diverting high-quality TWW to high-sensitivity areas and vice versa. Furthermore, development of local environmental standards will allow maximizing TWW NPK utilization in low-sensitivity areas, increasing nutritional sustainability. The indices presented in this study provide a tool to help maximize the nutritional benefits of TWW while minimizing its environmental impact.

Environmental monitoring and hydrological simulations of a natural wetland based on high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle data (Paulista Peripheral Depression, Brazil)

The main biofuel produced in Brazil is ethanol representing 16% of energy production in the national energy matrix, that is why sugarcane is one of the most important crops for Brazilian agriculture. The land conversion associated with the advancement of agriculture is often carried out inappropriately advancing over areas of high environmental sensitivity, such as natural small wetlands. The level of detail required to monitor subtle changes in their dynamics and landscape makes very high-resolution images (+ 10 cm/pixel resolution) acquired by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) an excellent data. The objective of this research was to use UAV orthomosaics and digital elevation models to carry out seasonal monitoring, simulate the water flow in the areas of hydric-contribution and inland flooding, and validate the flooding simulations. The studied wetland located in the State of São Paulo (Paulista Peripheral Depression), showed a seasonal surface water storage capacity (28,067 m³) and a loss of approximately 12.27% of its total area between October 2019 and February 2020. The flooding simulations were validated with data observed by the imagery (variation of ± 3.27%.), being possible to be reapplied in several small ecosystems.

New Risk-Based Framework for Oil Spill Response Planning Requirements – Ports and Oil Terminals – A Brazilian Study Case

Abstract In 2000, Brazil experienced its most relevant oil spill accident until today: 1.3 thousand cubic meters (c.m.) of crude oil were leaked from a pipeline to the waters of Guanabara Bay, in Rio de Janeiro. Therefore, in 2001 the Government implemented a federal legislation requiring oil spill response plans (OSRP) which was strongly inspired in the United States requirement for ports and terminals. In 2016, an interdisciplinary task force was initiated to improve this legislation. Thus, a new risk-based framework was developed in order to better engage some of the environmental and social-economical complexities of Brazil as adequate inputs for the oil spill response planning process. This methodology was expanded from the guidelines published by International Association of Oil &amp; Gas Producers (IOGP). First, the concept of sensitive receptors were introduced to describe any valuable element that can be harmed by the spill. These were selected from environmental sensitivities, protection areas, wildlife occurrence, human occupation, tourism and fisheries, among others. These criticalities were categorized in five classes using an oil slick forecast modelling results for different spill volumes such as the minimum time to reach these receptors and oiling probability. After this, they were associated with certain spill volumes, resulting in three possible requirement levels. Consequently, the minimum response capability demand for the facility is calculated, as well as tactical and logistics plans. This new approach not only optimizes the allocation of first response equipment at the highest risk spots, but also regulates the sharing of these capabilities when there is a concentration of these facilities. In this paper, this methodology was applied to a major oil terminal located in a high sensitivity area at Ilha Grande Bay, in Rio de Janeiro. The worst-case scenario was around 6.923 c.m., which allowed the identification of 116 vulnerable receptors. Of these, 02 were identified as having high criticality and, therefore, were prioritized for response planning. The minimum nominal response capability was estimated as being equal to 4.760 m3/day for full deployment condition after the initial 60 hours. This value is about 25% higher than that predicted in facility's existing OSRP. However, with the application of resource sharing rules, the amount of equipment staged on site is equal to only 1298 m3/d, allowing a significant optimization due to logistics processes after the initial 24h.

An Active Leakage Canceller Adopting Switched-Capacitor Digital Power Amplifier for UHF-RFID Transceiver

A low-noise active leakage canceller (ALC) for radio frequency identification (RFID) transceiver is reported. The proposed ALC suppresses the strong transmitter (TX) leakage at the receiver (RX) input through continuous leakage tracking by employing an I/Q harmonic rejection switched-capacitor digital power amplifier (I/Q HR SC DPA). Compared to the analog feedback loop-based ALC, the proposed ALC minimizes the noise figure (NF) degradation in the RX and eliminates the large-size passive components in the analog low pass filter, which leads to high RX sensitivity and small chip area. Implemented in a 55-nm CMOS, the proposed ALC suppresses -10 dBm TX leakage down to -47.2 dBm while degrading the RX NF by 0.4 dB at the offset frequency of 640 kHz.

The bright end of the infrared luminosity functions and the abundance of hyperluminous infrared galaxies

Aims. We provide the most accurate estimate yet of the bright end of the infrared (IR) luminosity functions (LFs) and the abundance of hyperluminous IR galaxies (HLIRGs) with IR luminosities &gt;1013L⊙, thanks to the combination of the high sensitivity, angular resolution, and large area of the LOFAR Deep Fields, which probes an unprecedented dynamic range of luminosity and volume. Methods. We cross-match Herschel sources and LOFAR sources in Boötes (8.63 deg2), Lockman Hole (10.28 deg2), and ELAIS-N1 (6.74 deg2) with rms sensitivities of ~32, 22, and 20 μJy beam−1, respectively. We divide the matched samples into “unique” and “multiple” categories. For the multiple matches, we de-blend the Herschel fluxes using the LOFAR positions and the 150-MHz flux densities as priors. We perform spectral energy distribution fitting, combined with multi-wavelength counterpart identifications and photometric redshift estimates, to derive IR luminosities. Results. The depth of the LOFAR data allows us to identify highly complete (~92% completeness) samples of bright Herschel sources with a simple selection based on the 250 μm flux density (45, 40, and 35 mJy in Boötes, Lockman Hole, and ELAIS-N1, respectively). Most of the bright Herschel sources fall into the unique category (i.e. a single LOFAR counterpart). For the multiple matches, there is excellent correspondence between the radio emission and the far-IR emission. We find a good agreement in the IR LFs with a previous study out to z ~ 6 which used de-blended Herschel data. Our sample gives the strongest and cleanest indication to date that the population of HLIRGs has surface densities of ~5 to ~18/deg2 (with variations due to a combination of the applied flux limit and cosmic variance) and an uncertainty of a factor of ≲2. In comparison, the GALFORM semi-analytic model significantly under-predicts the abundance of HLIRGs.

Landscape Visual Sensitivity Assessment of Historic Districts—A Case Study of Wudadao Historic District in Tianjin, China

Against the backdrop of urban stock renewal, as the core area of a city rich in culture, aesthetics, and tourism resources, the assessment of landscape visual sensitivity of historic districts can provide an accurate, objective, and intuitive decision-making basis for the multi-purpose planning of districts. The main purpose of this study was to develop an assessment method based on the geographic information system (GIS) in order to make a visual sensitivity index map on a district scale. To this end, this study uses the multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) method, selects the visibility (VSv), the number of potential users (VSu), and remarkableness (VSe) as the main criteria, and constructs a comprehensive assessment model of the visual sensitivity of the historic landscape. The most well-protected Wudadao Historic District in Tianjin (Wudadao) was selected as the study area, and its visual sensitivity was assessed. The assessment results are divided into four levels: areas of high sensitivity, moderate sensitivity, low sensitivity, and very low sensitivity. Results indicate that after the optimization and improvement of the evaluation index for visual sensitivity of a large-scale forest landscape, it is feasible to evaluate the small-scale visual sensitivity of historic districts; the higher the sensitivity level, the more important it is to be protected, and the more cautious it should be in the renewal of districts; the higher the number of potential users, the higher the visual sensitivity level, and so on. Further attention needs to be paid to planning and design to improve visual quality.