scholarly journals Simulation of Fragmental Rockfalls Detected Using Terrestrial Laser Scans from Rock Slopes in South-Central British Columbia, Canada

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zac Sala ◽  
D. Jean Hutchinson ◽  
Rob Harrap
Keyword(s):  
Change Detection ◽  
Fragment Size ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Rock Slopes ◽  
Loss Of Life ◽  
South Central ◽  
Element At Risk ◽  
Actual Change ◽  
Rockfall Simulation

Abstract. Rockfall presents an ongoing challenge to the safe operation of transportation infrastructure, creating hazardous conditions which can result in damage to roads and railways, as well as loss of life. Rockfall risk assessment frameworks often involve the determination of rockfall runout in an attempt to understand the likelihood that rockfall debris will reach an element at risk. Rockfall modelling programs which simulate the trajectory of rockfall material are one method commonly used to assess potential runout. This study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of a rockfall simulation prototype which uses the Unity3D game engine. The technique is capable of simulating rockfall events comprised of many mobile fragments, a common limitation of available rockfall modelling programs. Five fragmental rockfalls were simulated using the technique, with slope and rockfall geometries constructed from high-resolution terrestrial laser scans. Simulated change detection was produced for each of the events and compared to the actual change detection results for each rockfall as a basis for testing model performance. In each case the simulated change detection results aligned well with the actual observed change in terms of location and magnitude. An example of how the technique could be used to support the design of rockfall catchment ditches is shown. Suggestions are made for future development of the simulation technique with a focus on better informing simulated rockfall fragment size and the timing of fragmentation.

scholarly journals Simulation of fragmental rockfalls detected using terrestrial laser scans from rock slopes in south-central British Columbia, Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 2385-2404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zac Sala ◽  
D. Jean Hutchinson ◽  
Rob Harrap
Keyword(s):  
Change Detection ◽  
Fragment Size ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Rock Slopes ◽  
Industry Standard ◽  
South Central ◽  
Element At Risk ◽  
Actual Change ◽  
Rockfall Simulation

Abstract. Rockfall presents an ongoing challenge to the safe operation of transportation infrastructure, creating hazardous conditions which can result in damage to roads and railways, as well as loss of life. Rockfall risk assessment frameworks often involve the determination of rockfall runout in an attempt to understand the likelihood that rockfall debris will reach an element at risk. Rockfall modelling programs which simulate the trajectory of rockfall material are one method commonly used to assess potential runout. This study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of a rockfall simulation prototype which uses the Unity 3D game engine. The technique is capable of simulating rockfall events comprised of many mobile fragments, a limitation of many industry standard rockfall modelling programs. Five fragmental rockfalls were simulated using the technique, with slope and rockfall geometries constructed from high-resolution terrestrial laser scans. Simulated change detection was produced for each of the events and compared to the actual change detection results for each rockfall as a basis for testing model performance. In each case the simulated change detection results aligned well with the actual observed change in terms of location and magnitude. An example of how the technique could be used to support the design of rockfall catchment ditches is shown. Suggestions are made for future development of the simulation technique with a focus on better informing simulated rockfall fragment size and the timing of fragmentation.

scholarly journals Price of human life: Medical, legal and social aspects

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. 01016
Author(s):  
Andrejs Vilks
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
Legal Aspect ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
Price Determination ◽  
Loss Of Life ◽  
Insurance Costs ◽  
Philosophical Aspect

The author of the article turns attention to the phenomenon of human life, recognizing it as the value which is hard and complicated to define. The price of a human life comprises philosophical, political, sociological and legal issues. From the legal and philosophical aspect the price of a human life is practically impossible to determine, since it is worth the highest price. Determination of the price of human life means admitting that a human is the measure of value in a certain community under appropriate socially economic conditions. Different approaches and methodologies are applied in determination of a materialized price of a human life, therefore the rating of the price is varied. In determining the price of a human life, the legal aspect is important, since it deals with the fixation of the amount of compensations in cases of an individual's loss of life and calculations of the insurance costs.

Estimation of Polypropylene Melt Index through the Application of Stacked Neural Networks

2011 ◽  
Vol 187 ◽  
pp. 411-415
Author(s):  
Lu Yue Xia ◽  
Hai Tian Pan ◽  
Meng Fei Zhou ◽  
Yi Jun Cai ◽  
Xiao Fang Sun
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Neural Networks ◽  
Network Model ◽  
Neural Network Model ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Measurement Interval ◽  
Melt Index ◽  
Polypropylene Melt ◽  
Single Neural Network

Melt index is the most important parameter in determining the polypropylene grade. Since the lack of proper on-line instruments, its measurement interval and delay are both very long. This makes the quality control quite difficult. A modeling approach based on stacked neural networks is proposed to estimation the polypropylene melt index. Single neural network model generalization capability can be significantly improved by using stacked neural networks model. Proper determination of the stacking weights is essential for good stacked neural networks model performance, so determination of appropriate weights for combining individual networks using the criteria about minimization of sum of absolute prediction error is proposed. Application to real industrial data demonstrates that the polypropylene melt index can be successfully estimated using stacked neural networks. The results obtained demonstrate significant improvements in model accuracy, as a result of using stacked neural networks model, compared to using single neural network model.

scholarly journals Can recovery from disturbance explain observed declines in total phosphorus in Precambrian Shield catchments?

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 1202-1212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Crossman ◽  
M. Catherine Eimers ◽  
Shaun A. Watmough ◽  
Martyn N. Futter ◽  
Jason Kerr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Total Phosphorus ◽  
Soil Acidification ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Oligotrophic Lakes ◽  
The Past ◽  
Land Disturbance ◽  
South Central ◽  
And Performance ◽  
P Fluxes

The plausibility of land disturbance as a cause of declining phosphorus (P) concentrations in oligotrophic lakes within south-central Ontario, Canada, is evaluated using the process-based model INCA-P. The model was calibrated upon three catchments in the Muskoka–Haliburton region (MHR): Harp (HP), Dickie (DE), and Plastic (PC), which have varying degrees of declining P export and different forms of historic disturbances (timber harvesting, tree death, and soil acidification, respectively). Hindcasts (1978–2007) were run with and without simulated disturbances. Model performance of both DE and HP was greatly improved when effects of wetland tree deaths (DE) and harvesting (HP) were included. In PC, with no record of timber harvesting and relatively minor declines in P, initial hindcasts successfully accounted for the majority of interannual P fluxes, and performance was only marginally improved through the simulation of soil acidification. Vegetation decay, harvesting, and catchment acidification accounted for 63%, 24%, and 0.6%, respectively, of P export over the past 30 years. Of all disturbances, wetland vegetation death had the highest impact on areal P exports, indicating that riparian stability is particularly important.

Determination of critical slip surface of fractured rock slopes based on fracture orientation data

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1248-1256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Zhang ◽  
JianPing Chen ◽  
Wu Zhang ◽  
Yan Lü ◽  
YuFei Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Slip Surface ◽  
Fractured Rock ◽  
Rock Slopes ◽  
Critical Slip Surface ◽  
Orientation Data ◽  
Fracture Orientation

scholarly journals Molecular Analysis of S-haplotypes in Peach, a Self-compatible Prunus Species

2006 ◽  
Vol 131 (6) ◽  
pp. 738-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Attila Hegedüs ◽  
Zoltán Szabó ◽  
József Nyéki ◽  
Júlia Halász ◽  
Andrzej Pedryc
Keyword(s):  
Prunus Persica ◽  
Fragment Size ◽  
Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Synonymous Substitution ◽  
The Self ◽  
Native Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Self Compatibility ◽  
Length Determination

The most commercially grown peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch.] cultivars do not require cross-pollination for reasonable fruit set; however, self-incompatibility is a well-known feature within the Prunoideae subfamily. Isoelectric focusing and native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of S-ribonucleases; PCR analyses of S-RNase and S-haplotype-specific F-box genes as well as DNA sequencing were carried out to survey the self-(in)compatibility allele pool and to uncover the nature of self-compatibility in peach. From 25 cultivars and hybrids with considerable diversity in phenotype and origin, only two S-haplotypes were detected. Allele identity could be checked by exact length determination of the PCR-amplified fragments and/or partial sequencing of the peach S1-, S2-, and Prunus davidiana (Carr.) Franch. S1-RNases. S-RNases of peach were detected to possess ribonuclease activity, and a single nucleotide polymorphism in the S1-RNase was shown, which represents a synonymous substitution and does not change the amino acid present at the position in the protein. A 700-bp fragment of the peach SFB gene was PCR-amplified, which is similar to the fragment size of functional Prunus L. SFBs. All data obtained in this study may support the contribution of genes outside the S-locus to the self-compatible phenotype of peaches.

RNA Quality Control Non-Denaturing Agarose "Bleach" Gel v1

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn Doran
Keyword(s):  
Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Fragment Size ◽  
Toxic Chemicals ◽  
Rna Integrity ◽  
Rna Quality ◽  
System P ◽  
Rna Quality Control ◽  
Electrophoresis System

To evaluate the quality of RNA without the use of toxic chemicals, samples are run in a non-denaturing agarose "bleach" gel and product segregation is used to estimate RNA integrity. Be aware that in a non-denaturing gel, the RNA will not segregate strictly on particle size due to secondary structures of the molecules. This method is for an estimation of quality only and the location of the banding in relation to a base pair ladder does not allow confident determination of the size of the RNA fragment. If true fragment size determinations are required, RNA quality should be evaluated on a denaturing gel electrophoresis system.

scholarly journals A Bayesian Hidden Markov Model of Daily Precipitation over South and East Asia

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy Holsclaw ◽  
Arthur M. Greene ◽  
Andrew W. Robertson ◽  
Padhraic Smyth
Keyword(s):  
Markov Model ◽  
Hidden Markov Model ◽  
Daily Precipitation ◽  
Hidden Markov ◽  
Yangtze River Basin ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Central China ◽  
Northern India ◽  
South Central

Abstract A Bayesian hidden Markov model (HMM) for climate downscaling of multisite daily precipitation is presented. A generalized linear model (GLM) component allows exogenous variables to directly influence the distributional characteristics of precipitation at each site over time, while the Markovian transitions between discrete states represent seasonality and subseasonal weather variability. Model performance is evaluated for station networks of summer rainfall over the Punjab region in northern India and Pakistan and the upper Yangtze River basin in south-central China. The model captures seasonality and the marginal daily distributions well in both regions. Extremes are reproduced relatively well in the Punjab region, but underestimated for the Yangtze. In terms of interannual variability, the combined GLM–HMM with spatiotemporal averages of observed rainfall as a predictor is shown to exhibit skill (in terms of reduced RMSE) at the station level, particularly for the Punjab region. The skill is largest for dry-day counts, moderate for seasonal rainfall totals, and very small for the number of extreme wet days.

Uranium series disequilibrium in young surficial uranium deposits in southern British Columbia

1984 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 559-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. Levinson ◽  
C. J. Bland ◽  
J. R. Dean
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Uranium Content ◽  
Igneous Rocks ◽  
Uranium Deposits ◽  
Secular Equilibrium ◽  
Uranium Series ◽  
South Central ◽  
Activity Ratios ◽  
Different Sources

Disequilibrium studies involving the determination of total U and the activity ratios of 234U/238U and 234U/230Th or activities of 230Th, 226Ra, and 210Pb were carried out on samples from three surficial (generally within 5 m of the surface) uranium deposits in south-central British Columbia that give apparent 234U/230Th ages of 1000–20 000 years. As a result of the young ages, the deposits have not yet reached radioactive secular equilibrium and, therefore, yield very little gamma activity.The deposits formed from groundwaters that leached labile uranium from intermediate to felsic igneous rocks. Two accumulation mechanisms concentrate the uranium: evaporation, and adsorption onto organic matter.The uranium content and the activities of the various daughter nuclides are highly variable within and between the various deposits studied. Some of the variations can be explained in terms of the accumulation processes. In the evaporative process the highest value of uranium and daughter nuclides will be found at the surface, whereas in those deposits in which adsorption is the dominant mechanism these nuclides are found in association with buried organic matter. Under these circumstances, accumulations will be influenced by the flow of groundwater from different sources and also depend on whether daughter nuclides remain immobile or are leached after formation.

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