scholarly journals Seismic and Rainfall Induced Displacements of an Existing Landslide: Findings from the Continuous Monitoring

Geosciences ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Ruggeri ◽  
Viviene M. E. Fruzzetti ◽  
Antonio Ferretti ◽  
Giuseppe Scarpelli
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Monitoring ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Back Analysis ◽  
Pressure Transducers ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Difference ◽  
One Year ◽  
National Road

“La Sorbella” is a deep-seated existing landslide in a Miocene clayey formation located in central Italy. Given the interaction with a national road, this landslide has been monitored for a long time with inclinometers and hydraulic piezometers. Recently, the monitoring system was implemented by adding pressure transducers in the Casagrande cells and by equipping the old inclinometers with in-place probes, to allow a remote reading of the instruments and data recording. This system allowed to identify that the very small average rate of movement observed over one year (1.0–1.5 cm/year) is the sum of small single sliding processes, strictly linked to the sequence of rainfall events. Moreover, data recorded by in-place inclinometer probes detected the response of the landslide to the seismic sequence of 2016 occurring in central Italy. Such in situ measurements during earthquakes, indeed rarely available in the scientific literature, allowed an assessment of the critical acceleration of the sliding mass by means of a back-analysis. The possibility to distinguish the difference between seismic and rainfall induced displacements of the slope underlines the potential of continuous monitoring in the diagnosis of landslide mechanisms.

Application of TDR Method for Moisture Profiles Measurement in Cellular Concrete

2014 ◽  
Vol 982 ◽  
pp. 11-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukáš Fiala ◽  
Milena Pavlíková ◽  
Zbyšek Pavlík
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Continuous Monitoring ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Soil Science ◽  
In Situ Conditions ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Measured Moisture Content ◽  
Moisture Profiles ◽  
Cellular Concrete

Possible applicability of TDR method for continuous monitoring of moisture content in porous building materials is studied in the paper. TDR method, originally proposed for application in soil science, represents prospective tool for long time monitoring of moisture content in laboratory as well as in-situ conditions neglecting the effect of salts presence in researched material on accuracy of measured moisture content. The basic experimental setup of the TDR method is adjusted to the measurement of water content in building materials. The practical application of the method is presented on the measurement of moisture profiles in rod-shaped sample of cellular concrete.

Annual Analysis of Boundary Conditions on Air Flow through Building Envelope

2016 ◽  
Vol 824 ◽  
pp. 379-386
Author(s):  
Michaela Horáčková
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
The Difference ◽  
One Year ◽  
Measured Pressure

Leakage in the building envelope may occur airflow as well as its surface. It brings series of adverse consequences, including the flow of diffuse. The airflow building envelope is allowed through a pressure gradient, which is caused by the difference in temperature and wind effects; if necessary a mechanical ventilation system. Article introduces the analysis which was performed on experimental objects of different wind exposition in situ. In this analysis was measured pressure, relative humidity and air temperature in the interior and exterior, for a period of one year. In the conclusion is evaluated the effect of these boundary conditions on the very existence of the airflow through building envelope.

Inter-country inequality as a dynamic process and the problem of post-industrial development

2018 ◽  
pp. 5-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Grigoryev ◽  
V. A. Pavlyushina
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Modern World ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Development Level ◽  
The World ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Post Industrial

The phenomenon of economic growth is studied by economists and statisticians in various aspects for a long time. Economic theory is devoted to assessing factors of growth in the tradition of R. Solow, R. Barrow, W. Easterly and others. During the last quarter of the century, however, the institutionalists, namely D. North, D. Wallis, B. Weingast as well as D. Acemoglu and J. Robinson, have shown the complexity of the problem of development on the part of socioeconomic and political institutions. As a result, solving the problem of how economic growth affects inequality between countries has proved extremely difficult. The modern world is very diverse in terms of development level, and the article offers a new approach to the formation of the idea of stylized facts using cluster analysis. The existing statistics allows to estimate on a unified basis the level of GDP production by 174 countries of the world for 1992—2016. The article presents a structured picture of the world: the distribution of countries in seven clusters, different in levels of development. During the period under review, there was a strong per capita GDP growth in PPP in the middle of the distribution, poverty in various countries declined markedly. At the same time, in 1992—2016, the difference increased not only between rich and poor groups of countries, but also between clusters.

Comparison of Mammography and Ultrasonography for Tumor Size of DCIS of Breast Cancer

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-213
Author(s):  
Yu Wang ◽  
Jiantao Wang ◽  
Haiping Wang ◽  
Xinyu Yang ◽  
Liming Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Tumor Size ◽  
Ductal Carcinoma ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Dense Breast ◽  
Pathological Examination ◽  
Negative Group ◽  
The Difference

Objective: Accurate assessment of breast tumor size preoperatively is important for the initial decision-making in surgical approach. Therefore, we aimed to compare efficacy of mammography and ultrasonography in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of breast cancer. Methods: Preoperative mammography and ultrasonography were performed on 104 women with DCIS of breast cancer. We compared the accuracy of each of the imaging modalities with pathological size by Pearson correlation. For each modality, it was considered concordant if the difference between imaging assessment and pathological measurement is less than 0.5cm. Results: At pathological examination tumor size ranged from 0.4cm to 7.2cm in largest diameter. For mammographically determined size versus pathological size, correlation coefficient of r was 0.786 and for ultrasonography it was 0.651. Grouped by breast composition, in almost entirely fatty and scattered areas of fibroglandular dense breast, correlation coefficient of r was 0.790 for mammography and 0.678 for ultrasonography; in heterogeneously dense and extremely dense breast, correlation coefficient of r was 0.770 for mammography and 0.548 for ultrasonography. In microcalcification positive group, coeffient of r was 0.772 for mammography and 0.570 for ultrasonography. In microcalcification negative group, coeffient of r was 0.806 for mammography and 0.783 for ultrasonography. Conclusion: Mammography was more accurate than ultrasonography in measuring the largest cancer diameter in DCIS of breast cancer. The correlation coefficient improved in the group of almost entirely fatty/ scattered areas of fibroglandular dense breast or in microcalcification negative group.

Psychology: Volume 5

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
World View ◽  
Science Volume ◽  
Western World ◽  
Mental Life ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Difference ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Indian Setting ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Relationship

This survey of research on psychology in five volumes is a part of a series undertaken by the ICSSR since 1969, which covers various disciplines under social science. Volume Five of this survey, Explorations into Psyche and Psychology: Some Emerging Perspectives, examines the future of psychology in India. For a very long time, intellectual investments in understanding mental life have led to varied formulations about mind and its functions across the word. However, a critical reflection of the state of the disciplinary affairs indicates the dominance of Euro-American theories and methods, which offer an understanding coloured by a Western world view, which fails to do justice with many non-Western cultural settings. The chapters in this volume expand the scope of psychology to encompass indigenous knowledge available in the Indian tradition and invite engaging with emancipatory concerns as well as broadening the disciplinary base. The contributors situate the difference between the Eastern and Western conceptions of the mind in the practice of psychology. They look at this discipline as shaped by and shaping between systems like yoga. They also analyse animal behaviour through the lens of psychology and bring out insights about evolution of individual and social behaviour. This volume offers critique the contemporary psychological practices in India and offers a new perspective called ‘public psychology’ to construe and analyse the relationship between psychologists and their objects of study. Finally, some paradigmatic, pedagogical, and substantive issues are highlighted to restructure the practice of psychology in the Indian setting.

scholarly journals Seawater Absorption and Adhesion Properties of Hydrophobic and Superhydrophobic Thermoset Epoxy Nanocomposite Coatings

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 272
Author(s):  
Ayman M. Atta ◽  
Mohamed H. El-Newehy ◽  
Meera Moydeen Abdulhameed ◽  
Mohamed H. Wahby ◽  
Ahmed I. Hashem
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stability ◽  
Oleic Acid ◽  
Salt Spray ◽  
Adhesion Properties ◽  
In Situ Modification ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Seawater Environment ◽  
Thermoset Epoxy ◽  
The Cost

The enhancement of both thermal and mechanical properties of epoxy materials using nanomaterials becomes a target in coating of the steel to protect it from aggressive environmental conditions for a long time, with reducing the cost. In this respect, the adhesion properties of the epoxy with the steel surfaces, and its proper superhyrophobicity to repel the seawater humidity, can be optimized via addition of green nanoparticles (NPs). In-situ modification of silver (Ag) and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) NPs with oleic acid (OA) was carried out during the formation of Ag−OA and CaCO3−OA, respectively. The epoxide oleic acid (EOA) was also used as capping for Ca−O3 NPs by in-situ method and epoxidation of Ag−OA NPs, too. The morphology, thermal stability, and the diameters of NPs, as well as their dispersion in organic solvent, were investigated. The effects of the prepared NPs on the exothermic curing of the epoxy resins in the presence of polyamines, flexibility or rigidity of epoxy coatings, wettability, and coatings durability in aggressive seawater environment were studied. The obtained results confirmed that the proper superhyrophobicity, coating adhesion, and thermal stability of the epoxy were improved after exposure to salt spray fog for 2000 h at 36 °C.

scholarly journals Snow Depth Fusion Based on Machine Learning Methods for the Northern Hemisphere

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1250
Author(s):  
Yanxing Hu ◽  
Tao Che ◽  
Liyun Dai ◽  
Lin Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Snow Depth ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Random Forest Regression ◽  
Machine Learning Methods ◽  
Long Time ◽  
In Situ Observations ◽  
Input Variables

In this study, a machine learning algorithm was introduced to fuse gridded snow depth datasets. The input variables of the machine learning method included geolocation (latitude and longitude), topographic data (elevation), gridded snow depth datasets and in situ observations. A total of 29,565 in situ observations were used to train and optimize the machine learning algorithm. A total of five gridded snow depth datasets—Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) snow depth, Global Snow Monitoring for Climate Research (GlobSnow) snow depth, Long time series of daily snow depth over the Northern Hemisphere (NHSD) snow depth, ERA-Interim snow depth and Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2) snow depth—were used as input variables. The first three snow depth datasets are retrieved from passive microwave brightness temperature or assimilation with in situ observations, while the last two are snow depth datasets obtained from meteorological reanalysis data with a land surface model and data assimilation system. Then, three machine learning methods, i.e., Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and Random Forest Regression (RFR), were used to produce a fused snow depth dataset from 2002 to 2004. The RFR model performed best and was thus used to produce a new snow depth product from the fusion of the five snow depth datasets and auxiliary data over the Northern Hemisphere from 2002 to 2011. The fused snow-depth product was verified at five well-known snow observation sites. The R2 of Sodankylä, Old Aspen, and Reynolds Mountains East were 0.88, 0.69, and 0.63, respectively. At the Swamp Angel Study Plot and Weissfluhjoch observation sites, which have an average snow depth exceeding 200 cm, the fused snow depth did not perform well. The spatial patterns of the average snow depth were analyzed seasonally, and the average snow depths of autumn, winter, and spring were 5.7, 25.8, and 21.5 cm, respectively. In the future, random forest regression will be used to produce a long time series of a fused snow depth dataset over the Northern Hemisphere or other specific regions.

scholarly journals Comparison of In-Situ and Retrospective Self-Reports on Assessing Hearing Aid Outcomes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Hsiang Wu ◽  
Elizabeth Stangl ◽  
Octav Chipara ◽  
Anna Gudjonsdottir ◽  
Jacob Oleson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Outcome Data ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Outcome Difference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Ecological Momentary

Abstract Background Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is a methodology involving repeated surveys to collect in-situ self-reports that describe respondents' current or recent experiences. Audiology literature comparing in-situ and retrospective self-reports is scarce. Purpose To compare the sensitivity of in-situ and retrospective self-reports in detecting the outcome difference between hearing aid technologies, and to determine the association between in-situ and retrospective self-reports. Research Design An observational study. Study Sample Thirty-nine older adults with hearing loss. Data Collection and Analysis The study was part of a larger clinical trial that compared the outcomes of a prototype hearing aid (denoted as HA1) and a commercially available device (HA2). In each trial condition, participants wore hearing aids for 4 weeks. Outcomes were measured using EMA and retrospective questionnaires. To ensure that the outcome data could be directly compared, the Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit Profile was administered as an in-situ self-report (denoted as EMA-GHABP) and as a retrospective questionnaire (retro-GHABP). Linear mixed models were used to determine if the EMA- and retro-GHABP could detect the outcome difference between HA1 and HA2. Correlation analyses were used to examine the association between EMA- and retro-GHABP. Results For the EMA-GHABP, HA2 had significantly higher (better) scores than HA1 in the GHABP subscales of benefit, residual disability, and satisfaction (p = 0.029–0.0015). In contrast, the difference in the retro-GHABP score between HA1 and HA2 was significant only in the satisfaction subscale (p = 0.0004). The correlations between the EMA- and retro-GHABP were significant in all subscales (p = 0.0004 to <0.0001). The strength of the association ranged from weak to moderate (r = 0.28–0.58). Finally, the exit interview indicated that 29 participants (74.4%) preferred HA2 over HA1. Conclusion The study suggests that in-situ self-reports collected using EMA could have a higher sensitivity than retrospective questionnaires. Therefore, EMA is worth considering in clinical trials that aim to compare the outcomes of different hearing aid technologies. The weak to moderate association between in-situ and retrospective self-reports suggests that these two types of measures assess different aspects of hearing aid outcomes.

scholarly journals Bottom-Up Generation of Peak Demand Scenarios in Water Distribution Networks

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Enrico Creaco ◽  
Giacomo Galuppini ◽  
Alberto Campisano ◽  
Marco Franchini
Keyword(s):  
Water Distribution ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Water Distribution Networks ◽  
Peak Demand ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Cross Correlations ◽  
User Demand ◽  
One Year ◽  
The One ◽  
Best Fit

This paper presents a two-step methodology for the stochastic generation of snapshot peak demand scenarios in water distribution networks (WDNs), each of which is based on a single combination of demand values at WDN nodes. The methodology describes the hourly demand at both nodal and WDN scales through a beta probabilistic model, which is flexible enough to suit both small and large demand aggregations in terms of mean, standard deviation, and skewness. The first step of the methodology enables generating separately the peak demand samples at WDN nodes. Then, in the second step, the nodal demand samples are consistently reordered to build snapshot demand scenarios for the WDN, while respecting the rank cross-correlations at lag 0. The applications concerned the one-year long dataset of about 1000 user demand values from the district of Soccavo, Naples (Italy). Best-fit scaling equations were constructed to express the main statistics of peak demand as a function of the average demand value on a long-time horizon, i.e., one year. The results of applications to four case studies proved the methodology effective and robust for various numbers and sizes of users.

scholarly journals Tuning Single-Molecule Conductance by Controlled Electric Field-Induced trans-to-cis Isomerisation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 3317
Author(s):  
C.S. Quintans ◽  
Denis Andrienko ◽  
Katrin F. Domke ◽  
Daniel Aravena ◽  
Sangho Koo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electric Field ◽  
Electric Fields ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Quantum Interference ◽  
Single Molecule Level ◽  
Wet Chemical Synthesis ◽  
Single Molecule Junctions ◽  
Tunnelling Microscopy ◽  
The Difference

External electric fields (EEFs) have proven to be very efficient in catalysing chemical reactions, even those inaccessible via wet-chemical synthesis. At the single-molecule level, oriented EEFs have been successfully used to promote in situ single-molecule reactions in the absence of chemical catalysts. Here, we elucidate the effect of an EEFs on the structure and conductance of a molecular junction. Employing scanning tunnelling microscopy break junction (STM-BJ) experiments, we form and electrically characterize single-molecule junctions of two tetramethyl carotene isomers. Two discrete conductance signatures show up more prominently at low and high applied voltages which are univocally ascribed to the trans and cis isomers of the carotenoid, respectively. The difference in conductance between both cis-/trans- isomers is in concordance with previous predictions considering π-quantum interference due to the presence of a single gauche defect in the trans isomer. Electronic structure calculations suggest that the electric field polarizes the molecule and mixes the excited states. The mixed states have a (spectroscopically) allowed transition and, therefore, can both promote the cis-isomerization of the molecule and participate in electron transport. Our work opens new routes for the in situ control of isomerisation reactions in single-molecule contacts.

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