Multiple Locations Research Articles

Experimental study on fatigue performance of double welded orthotropic steel bridge deck

Fatigue cracks which develop at multiple locations of orthotropic steel bridge decks (OSD) seriously deteriorate the safety and durability of steel bridges. U-rib fabricated using the double-sided penetration welding technique have been practically applied in bridges, but the fatigue performance of this type of U-rib has not been systematically studied. This study conducts fatigue tests on large-scale models of various fatigue details in the diaphragm area of orthotropic steel bridge decks with double-sided welds, obtaining the fatigue vulnerable locations and dominant cracking modes in the diaphragm area. The evolution law of out-of-plane deformation of diaphragm is clarified. The distribution characteristics of residual stress at the arched opening region and fatigue failure modes are acquired. Experimental results show that the interior weld toe of the U-rib-to-top-plate joint is the most fatigue-vulnerable zone, with a fatigue strength of 53.6 MPa. New fatigue cracks initiated from the weld toe of the top plate of the inner side of the U-rib or the weld toe of the U-rib perpendicularly or obliquely intersecting the longitudinal weld along 45° were found. After 10 million loading cycles, the residual stress in the arc-shaped opening area of the diaphragm reached 90–145 MPa, and the residual stress was higher where curvature of the opening was larger. The arc-shaped incision was in a circling state of tension and compression. It was also found that fatigue cracks that initiated from the weld toe of the diaphragm extended along the weld toe for some length before propagating into the diaphragm.

Blockchain Integration in Artificial Intelligence: Benefits, Applications, Research Challenges

Now-a-days block chain and artificial intelligence are the two emerging technologies. Both strategies bring change to the market, but the level of creativity and complexity varies. Block chain is a decentralized and distributed ledger technology which is used for storing information in multiple locations without any centralized monitoring system. Artificial intelligence imitates the problem-solving capability of human mind and decision making abilities by using computers, data, and sometimes machines. When both technologies are merged, their formed new opportunities and possibilities from the advantages of both, like productivity gain and the security and transparency. The convergence of AI with blockchain technology can bring a wide change in businesses by securing data , transparent data, and making it overall efficient. One of the most useful concepts of the two technologies is in cybersecurity. The technologies, which combine the capabilities of AI with the block chain's dependable, scattered nature, may be utilized to enable management of recourses and decision making in areas such as education, impact on society, healthcare, agricultural production, urban planning, and others. Artificial intelligence (AI) is capable of helping detect and react to risks, whereas the integrity and security of information may be ensured using blockchain technology. A comprehensive survey of various applications of blockchain for AI has been completed. Evaluated various literature based on the technologies, and the new blockchain-based applications, mediums, and technological advances that target the AI sector were collected and summarized. In addition, Open research issues concerning the use of blockchain technology for AI are addressed.

Research on Damage Identification of Arch Bridges Based on Deflection Influence Line Analytical Theory

There is no analytical solution to the deflection influence line of catenary hingeless arches nor an explicit solution to the deflection influence line difference curvature of variable section hingeless arches. Based on the force method equation, a deflection influence line analytical solution at any location before and after structural damage is obtained, and then an explicit solution of the deflection influence line difference curvature of the structural damage is obtained. The indexes suitable for arch structure damage identification are presented. Based on analytical theory and a finite element model, the feasibility of identifying damage at a single location and multiple locations of an arch bridge is verified. This research shows that when a moving load acts on a damaged area of an arch structure, the curvature of the deflection influence line difference will mutate, which proves theoretically that the deflection influence line difference curvature can be used for the damage identification of hingeless arch structures. This research has provided theoretical support for hingeless arch bridge design and evaluation. Combined with existing bridge monitoring methods, the new bridge damage identification method proposed in this paper has the potential to realize normal health status assessments of existing arch bridges in the future.

Globate 360 Solutions: Test on the Wheels

Rohit Prashar, director of Globate 360 Solutions Private Limited, a Chandigarh-based third-party logistics company with a global presence, faced a pivotal challenge on 25 August 2020. He secured a project to transport 200 consignments of crucial medical equipment for COVID testing machines to multiple locations in north-eastern states, Kashmir and Leh, India. This project was awarded by a US-based freight forwarding company authorized by The Indian Council of Medical Research. It was a prestigious achievement, hard-won through extensive negotiations during the national lockdown. However, he knew that the real battle had just begun. The stringent government restrictions during the COVID-19 lockdown added complexity. The consignments had to be transported delicately to maintain the testing equipment’s accuracy, necessitating minimal jolts. Deciding between air and road transport posed another challenge. Furthermore, he grappled with the choice between a multinational company with a premium price tag and a regional player with more budget-friendly options. Securing skilled labour was an ongoing concern. In this predicament, he sought cost-effective solutions for each shipment, strategizing to minimize costs while delivering top-notch service to his clients.

Taking matters into their own hands: effects of effort and success on duck hunter satisfaction

ABSTRACT Due to the steady decline of duck hunter participation, several studies have investigated means to bolster the duck hunter population. Fulfilling satisfaction will likely promote continued participation and research suggests that seeing ducks and harvesting ducks are among the most important attributes to duck hunter satisfaction. We explored how hunter effort and success affected hunter satisfaction during five duck-hunting seasons in the Central Flyway. As part of this exploration, we investigated how efforts such as hunting multiple days of the season, hunting at multiple locations, and scouting for ducks prior to the hunting season affected duck-hunter success and satisfaction. Hunter success was positively affected by hunter effort. We found that overall satisfaction with the season was partially affected by a combination of hunter effort and hunter success. Our findings suggest that hunters are at least partially responsible for achieving satisfaction from their duck-hunting experiences.

Fast wavefront shaping for two-photon brain imaging with multipatch correction.

Nonlinear fluorescence microscopy promotes in-vivo optical imaging of cellular structure at diffraction-limited resolution deep inside scattering biological tissues. Active compensation of tissue-induced aberrations and light scattering through adaptive wavefront correction further extends the accessible depth by restoring high resolution at large depth. However, those corrections are only valid over a very limited field of view within the angular memory effect. To overcome this limitation, we introduce an acousto-optic light modulation technique for fluorescence imaging with simultaneous wavefront correction at pixel scan speed. Biaxial wavefront corrections are first learned by adaptive optimization at multiple locations in the image field. During image acquisition, the learned corrections are then switched on the fly according to the position of the excitation focus during the raster scan. The proposed microscope is applied to in vivo transcranial neuron imaging and demonstrates multi-patch correction of thinned skull-induced aberrations and scattering at 40-kHz data acquisition speed.

How landscape traits affect boreal mammal responses to anthropogenic disturbance

Understanding mammalian responses to anthropogenic disturbance is challenging, as ecological processes and the patterns arising therefrom notoriously change across spatial and temporal scales, and among different landscape contexts. Responses to local scale disturbances are likely influenced by landscape context (e.g., overall landscape-level disturbance, landscape-level productivity). Hierarchical approaches considering small-scale sampling sites as nested holons within larger-scale landscapes, which constrain processes in lower-level holons, can potentially explain differences in ecological processes between multiple locations. We tested hypotheses about mammal responses to disturbance and interactions among holons using collected images from 957 camera sites across 9 landscapes in Alberta from 2007 to 2020 and examined occurrence for 11 mammal species using generalized linear mixed models. White-tailed deer occurred more in higher disturbed sites within lower disturbed landscapes (β = −0.30 [−0.4 to −0.15]), whereas occurrence was greater in highly disturbed sites within highly disturbed landscapes for moose (β = 0.20 [0.09–0.31]), coyote (β = 0.20 [0.08–0.26]), and lynx (β = 0.20 [0.07–0.26]). High disturbance sites in high productivity landscapes had higher occurrence of black bears (β = −0.20 [−0.46 to −0.01]), lynx (β = −0.70 [−0.97 to −0.34]), and wolves (β = −0.50 [−0.73 to −0.21]). Conversely, we found higher probability of occurrence in low productivity landscapes with increasing site disturbance for mule deer (β = 0.80 [0.39–1.14]), and white-tailed deer (β = 0.20 [0.01–0.47]). We found the ecological context created by aggregate sums (high overall landscape disturbance), and by subcontinental hydrogeological processes in which that landscape is embedded (high landscape productivity), alter mammalian responses to anthropogenic disturbance at local scales. These responses also vary by species, which has implications for large-scale conservation planning. Management interventions must consider large-scale geoclimatic processes and geographic location of a landscape when assessing wildlife responses to disturbance.

Experiences, Benefits, and Challenges of Virtual Teamwork for Public Libraries in the US Midwest during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Experiences, Benefits, and Challenges of Virtual Teamwork for Public Libraries in the US Midwest during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hierarchical Deployment of Vortex Generators for Wake Management in Finned-Tube Heat Exchanger

While developing thermal management systems, volumetric compactness of the heat exchange module is a critical design factor. This three-dimensional computational analysis seeks to boost the thermal compactness of fin-and-tube heat exchangers by employing winglet-type vortex generators. Due to the fact that the thermo-hydraulic performance of vortex generators in such thermal systems is determined by three distinct design parameters, namely the attack angle, spatial location, and geometric aspect ratio, a concurrent parametric analysis of all three design parameters is conducted to gain a thorough understanding. In addition, regression analysis is applied to develop functional correlations that can predict the enhanced thermo-hydraulic performance of the heat exchangers. The improvements in wake-affected heat transfer brought on by the modifications are also specifically explored, along with other aspects of the augmentation mechanism. The highest thermal augmentation over the wake-affected fin is seen as 120%. Based on a thermo-hydraulic tradeoff, the friction factor increases exponentially with the attack angle, and the rate of increase is lowest for 15–30 degree range of attack angle and highest for 45–60 degree range. Certainly, there are multiple locations where winglets can be erected, and heat transfer enhancement by each potential location incurs linearized increase in the friction factor.

Hybrid trust-based optimized virtual machine migration for dynamic load balancing and replica management in heterogeneous cloud

Cloud computing is an upcoming technology that has garnered interest from academic as well as commercial domains. Cloud offers the advantage of providing huge computing capability as well as resources that are positioned at multiple locations irrespective of time or location of the user. Cloud utilizes the concept of virtualization to dispatch the multiple tasks encountered simultaneously to the server. However, allocation of tasks to the heterogeneous servers requires that the load is balanced among the servers. To address this issue, a trust based dynamic load balancing algorithm in distributed file system is proposed. Load balancing is performed by predicting the loads in the physical machine with the help of the Rider optimization algorithm-based Neural Network (RideNN). Further, load balancing is carried out using the proposed Fractional Social Deer Optimization (FSDO) algorithm, where the virtual machine migration is performed based on the load condition in the physical machine. Later, replica management is accomplished for managing the replica in distributed file system with the help of the devised FSDO algorithm. Moreover, the proposed FSDO based dynamic load balancing algorithm is evaluated for its performance based on parameters, like predicted load, prediction error, trust, cost and energy consumption with values 0.051, 0.723, 0.390 and 0.431J correspondingly.

Economic-threshold-based classification of soybean aphid, Aphis glycines, infestations in commercial soybean fields using Sentinel-2 satellite data

The soybean aphid (SBA), Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a significant insect pest of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill (Fabales: Fabaceae), and field treatment decisions for this pest are based on average field populations. Previous studies indicated that ground- and drone-based red-edge and near-infrared remote sensing can be used to detect plant stress caused by SBA infestations in soybean. However, it remains to be determined if remote sensing for SBA can be expanded to field or landscape scale using satellite-based platforms. Thus, this research was conducted in three steps to determine the potential of using Sentinel-2 satellite data for the classification of SBA infestations in soybean fields using simulated and actual Sentinel-2 satellite spectral reflectance. In the first step, as a proof of concept, hyperspectral data from cage studies were used to simulate Sentinel-2 bands and vegetation indices (VIs), conducted in nine trials at multiple locations between 2013 and 2021. The effects of SBA from caged plants on simulated data were evaluated with random intercept linear mixed models. The satellite simulation indicated a significant effect of SBA on the spectral reflectance of caged soybean plants (p < 0.05) for four satellite bands (5, 6, 7, and 8A) and five VIs (NDVI, GNDVI, SAVI, OSAVI, and NDRE). In the second step, actual Sentinel-2 spectral reflectance and corresponding aphid counts of commercial soybean fields, collected from 2017 to 2019, were obtained. The relationship between SBA counts and Sentinel-2 spectral reflectance from commercial soybean fields were evaluated with general linear models. A significant effect of SBA was observed for three satellite bands (6, 7, and 8A) and three VIs (NDVI, SAVI, and OSAVI). In the third step, linear support vector machine (LSVM) models for the classification of SBA infestations as above or below a previously determined economic threshold of 250 aphids per plant were developed using simulated Sentinel-2 bands and VIs from the caged plots, and were tested on actual Sentinel-2 data from commercial soybean fields. The best LSVM model for the classification of aphids in soybean reached 91% accuracy, 85.7% sensitivity, and 93.3% specificity. Thus, simulations with caged plots can be used as an indication of the potential of using satellite data for the detection of plant stresses on a larger scale. Furthermore, this study advances decision-making for SBA, and the developed LSVM model can be used to update regional and local monitoring for the management of SBA.

Status, distribution, and threats of the last surviving fan mussel populations in Greece

Since the first confirmed records of mass mortality events (MME) in the Aegean Sea in 2018, Pinna nobilis populations in Greek seas have been decimated. To bolster recovery efforts, this study aimed to assess the status of fan mussel populations in the Aegean and Ionian seas and investigate potential recolonization through natural recruitment. From May 2022 to May 2023, 163 independent underwater visual surveys were conducted across various locations and depths along the Greek coastline. A total of 4348 P. nobilis individuals was recorded, of which 87.3% were found dead and 12.7% were alive. The sole surviving fan mussel populations were located in the semi-enclosed gulfs of Amvrakikos in the Ionian Sea and of Kalloni in the Aegean Sea, with estimated recent mortality rates (excluding potential poaching) of 7.7% and 6.3%, respectively. To track potential new recruitment, a network of larvae collectors was deployed in multiple locations. Additionally, an ocean circulation model (OCM) was developed to predict the export and fate of larvae from the surviving populations in the Marmara Sea towards the Aegean Sea. Beyond the MME, this study identified several other threats, which significantly endanger fan mussel survival. The findings of this study underscore the urgent need to implement protection measures and restoration actions to enhance the chances of P. nobilis survival and recovery in the Greek seas.

AN EFFICIENT METHOD TO SIMULATE THE VARYING STATIC RECEPTANCE OF A THIN-WALLED WORKPIECE

A new method to simulate the varying static receptance of a thin-walled workpiece based on the Cholesky decomposition is presented in this paper. In this method, the system stiffness matrix is updated by subtracting the elemental stiffness matrices of the removed elements from the initial system stiffness matrix. The updated system stiffness matrix is permuted by using a novel method based on element removing sequence and considering fill-in reduction. The Cholesky factor of the permuted system stiffness matrix is reused to compute the static receptance of the workpiece for multiple cutter locations. The reduction of computation time by using this new method is proved by a numerical test and the accuracy of the simulation is demonstrated with a machining test.

INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT WIND ANGLES ON PEDESTRIAN WIND COMFORT IN 3D SPACE

Abstract. Wind can impact pedestrian comfort. This comfort can be observed by integrating a 3D city model into the study area. However, little research has been done on the influence of different wind angles on pedestrian wind comfort and rarely on implementing 3D city models in the wind environment. Therefore, this study aims to fill the gap in using 3D city models to examine the effect of wind flow angles on pedestrian wind comfort. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) wind simulation environment presented in this study was constructed through the applied steady Reynolds-Average Navier-Stokes (RANS) with K-epsilon (k-ε) turbulence model. It is integrated with the standalone building model with a roof overhang structure represented in LoD2.3 of the CityGML standard. Three wind angles have been introduced to allow for variation in the analysis of pedestrian wind comfort: 0°, 15°, and 30° wind angles. Through the observation of multiple locations, which are directed beneath the roof overhang structure, the highest wind velocity is recorded in 0° wind angles compared to 15° and 30° wind angles. Thus, from these recorded values, pedestrian wind comfort is based on the Beaufort wind scale (BWS). The computed average recorded values show that 3.24 m/s corresponds to a wind angle of 0°, 2.761 m/s for 15°, and 2.415 m/s for 30°, which shows that all these values fall in BWS Scale 2. Thus, these areas experience a light breeze. However, the lowest value from a 30-degree environment presents the most reposeful surrounding.

Soiling in Solar Energy Systems: The Role of the Thresholding Method in Image Analysis

The use of image analysis has often been suggested as a practical way to monitor the soiling accumulated on the surfaces of solar energy conversion devices. Indeed, the deposited soiling particles can be counted and characterized to calculate the area they cover, and this area can be converted into an energy loss. However, several particle counting methodologies exist and can lead to dissimilar results. This work focuses on the role of thresholding, an essential step where particles are distinguished from a background based on the pixel brightness. Sixteen automatic thresholding methods are assessed using 13 200 micrographs of glass coupons soiled at nine locations globally. In low‐to‐intermediate soiling conditions, the “Triangle” method is found to return the minimum coefficient of variation and a mean deviation closer to zero. On the other hand, methods assuming a bimodal distribution of pixel brightness underestimate the area coverage. In addition, since soiling can be unevenly distributed over a surface, different loss estimations can be returned when the same image analysis process is used on different spots on a sample's surface. For these reasons, image analysis should be repeated at multiple locations on each investigated surface.

Lentil grain quality and segregation opportunities in‐field using remote sensing

AbstractFor broad‐acre crops grown in Mediterranean‐type environments, variation in lentil (Lens culinaris) yield and quality occurs due to seasonal abiotic and biotic stresses. Because grain quality affects the price paid to growers, in‐season assessment of likely final quality using remote sensing technologies could limit economic losses by informing spatial management at harvest. For a survey of lentil crops grown in southern Australia, in 2019 and 2020, Moran's I analysis identified significant field spatial autocorrelation for the grain quality traits of grain protein concentration (GPC), grain size, and grain brightness (CIE L*, where CIE is International Commission on Illumination), indicating an opportunity for zoning at harvest. Partial least squares calibration models of observed grain quality and proximal reflectance spectra were successfully derived for grain weight (R2 = 0.80), GPC (R2 = 0.80), and CIE L* (R2 = 0.86). For late senescence, Sentinel‐2 satellite canopy reflectance, grain size was best predicted (R2 = 0.79) and GPC was poorer (R2 = 0.42). Spatial maps of fields for grain size, informed by models, could be derived and determined that for the market critical threshold (38 mg), field area that exceeded this threshold ranged between 30% and 94%. Overall, we determined that sensing technologies had utility for mapping lentil grain quality across fields, providing a potential tool for growers to selectively harvest to achieve best aggregate price based on grain quality targets. Further calibration and validation with multiple years and locations is also needed to test model stability and application to varying environments.

Adaptation and local knowledge of the Marind Anim Tribes in the utilization of Paperbark trees (Melaleuca leucadendron) in Merauke, South Papua, Indonesia

Abstract. Suharno, Kadir A. 2023. Adaptation and local knowledge of the Marind Anim Tribes in the utilization of Paperbark trees (Melaleuca leucadendron) in Merauke, South Papua, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 24: 6323-6331. Papuan rainforests are one of the most immensely diverse in the world. Such rich biodiversity provides a source of livelihood for the inland communities in Merauke, South Papua Province. For example, Paperbark trees (Melaleuca leucadendron) or kayu bus in the local language, which grow dominantly in lowland areas, are essential for the lives of the local inhabitants, the Marind Anim tribe. This research aims to elaborate on the use of Paperbark trees (M. leucadendron) by the Marind Anim tribe in their daily lives. Data were collected from surveys, interviews, and field observations. The interviews were conducted in multiple locations: Merauke, Sota, Muting, Semangga, and Tanah Miring. The results show that all members of the Marind Anim tribe (100%) depend on Paperbark for their livelihood, especially for the need for housing. The community has been using Paperbark trunks for house frames (92.31%), either unprocessed or in the forms of wooden blocks (5 x 5, 5 x 10, 10 x 10 cm) and boards (2 x 20 cm). They also utilize the wood for firewood. Other tribe members, i.e., the residents of the Wasur National Park, extract essential oils from Paperbark leaves. This utilization receives assistance and support from the area manager of the national park. Other than that, the community also utilizes the bark for house roofs, mats for crops, and firewood. In brief, the community's dependence on Paperbark trees is high because, other than being versatile, they are endemic to the lowland areas of Merauke, dominating other tree species. The findings suggest the importance of establishing a sound management system for the utilization of Paperbark trees to maintain sustainability in meeting the needs of surrounding communities.

Where is Your Pain? Achilles Tendinopathy Pain Location on Loading Is Different to Palpation, Imaging and Recall Location.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and compare pain maps reported during Achilles tendon loading exercises with recall pain location, in people with pain on palpation in their Achilles tendon and tendon pathology on imaging. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of baseline RCT. METHOD: Participants were recruited from a larger Achilles tendinopathy clinical trial. Inclusion criteria were at least 2-month self-reported history of Achilles tendinopathy, midtendon palpation pain, and pathology on ultrasound tissue characterization. Participants were asked to identify their Achilles tendon pain location on a pain map with 8 prespecified locations while at rest prior to loading (recall pain), and subsequently during tendon loading exercises (loading pain). Participants could select multiple locations or select "other" if the locations did not represent their pain. RESULTS: Ninety-three participants were included (93% of participants from a clinical trial). The locations of pain on loading were diverse; all 8 pain locations (and an "other" option) were represented within this sample. Twenty-five percent of participants did not report pain with loading (n = 23 of 93). Of the 70 participants with loading pain, recall pain location differed to loading pain location in 40% (n = 28 of 70) of the participants. CONCLUSION: Palpation pain location, recall pain location, or location of pathology on imaging were not valid proxies for load-related pain in the Achilles tendon. How different pain locations respond to treatment is unknown. Some pathologies (eg, plantaris) have clear pain locations (eg, medial tendon), and assessing pain location may assist differential diagnosis. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2024;54(1):1-9. Epub 7 December 2023. doi:10.2519/jospt.2023.12131.

Reliable multiple allocation hub location problem under disruptions

Reliable multiple allocation hub location problem under disruptions

Phenotypic characterization and seed viability test in ex-situ conserved Ethiopian cultivated barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) landraces

BackgroundNowadays, most of the Ethiopian barley landraces had been lost from farmer’s field and exclusively found ex-situ conserved at the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI). Those ex-situ conserved are generally believed to be representative of the original population and possess high genetic diversity and important unique genes that are useful for tackling the various biotic and abiotic stresses in the face of the current climate change. Thus, this research was aimed at testing the performance of 150 ex-situ conserved landraces that had been collected from Arsi and Bale highlands, Southeastern Ethiopia. The landraces were tested at multiple test locations over two years (2021 and 2022).ResultsAll the tested landraces showed a good germination rate regardless of their long storage duration. In addition, performance of all the qualitative traits revealed a varying frequency for each character state. For example, most of the accessions (51.3%) had six kernel row numbers (KRN). All the remaining accessions had two rows (28.7%) and irregular KRN with variable lateral florets (20%). Likewise, some of the quantitative traits considered showed a significant variation among the landraces. However, there observed a significant variation for all the interaction effects in some of the traits considered signifying the importance of considering environment effects while targeting genetic selection and improvement of ex-situ conserved germplasms. The phenotypic coefficients of variation (PCV) were considerably high to medium in most of the traits considered including seed yield per hectare (SYPH) but with no associated higher genotypic coefficients of variation (GCV). Moreover, all the traits showed a far greater phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) to that of genotypic coefficients of variation (GCV) once again suggesting the pronounced effect of environmental factors to the variation. This was far supported by the significantly higher absolute magnitudes in phenotypic correlation compared to their corresponding genotypic correlation in most of the traits. Low estimates of heritability and genetic advance observed in all the traits considered except seed yield per hectare indicate importance of the trait for selection in Ethiopian barley improvement programs. Clustering patterns of the accessions, in narrow sense, revealed the existence of low divergence among the samples.ConclusionEthiopian barley landraces are promising candidates for further yield improvement and conservation. However, further regular testing and screening should be conducted for the ex-situ conserved landraces because of the current erratic climate change. In addition, more robust molecular marker systems could be used to clearly reveal the extents of genetic diversity and to facilitate the breeding and conservation of Ethiopian barley landraces.