Searching for Critical Slip Surface of Slope Based on Flower Pollination Algorithm

In order to determine the critical sliding surface of the slope, the most dangerous sliding surface was searched by flower pollination algorithm. First, the method is applied to the traditional vertical slice method for slope stability analysis. The results are very close to those of the Autobank program, indicating that the method can search the critical sliding surface and find the optimal solution. Then, the method is applied to the new horizontal slice method, and the results of the calculation examples are better than those given in the references, indicating that the application of the flower pollination algorithm to the horizontal slice method is reasonable, reliable and superior. The successful application of this method provides a new method for determining the most dangerous sliding surface of slope.

“Show Me the Crowds!” Revealing Cluster Structures Through AMTICS

OPTICS is a popular tool to analyze the clustering structure of a dataset visually. The created two-dimensional plots indicate very dense areas and cluster candidates in the data as troughs. Each horizontal slice represents an outcome of a density-based clustering specified by the height as the density threshold for clusters. However, in very dynamic and rapidly changing applications, a complex and finely detailed visualization slows down the knowledge discovery. Instead, a framework that provides fast but coarse insights is required to point out structures in the data quickly. The user can then control the direction he wants to put emphasize on for refinement. We develop AMTICS as a novel and efficient divide-and-conquer approach to pre-cluster data in distributed instances and align the results in a hierarchy afterward. An interactive online phase ensures a low complexity while giving the user full control over the partial cluster instances. The offline phase reveals the current data clustering structure with low complexity and at any time.

POSI BOLA OF JAMI MOSQUE AS SPATIAL TRANSFORMATION SYMBOL

Palopo city space as the center of Tana Luwu cannot be separated from the significance of the oldest kingdom in South Sulawesi. The entry of the Islamic religion in Luwu was marked by the Jami Mosque, which is located at the zero points of Palopo city. The preservation of pre-Islamic heritage and after the entry of Islam in the present tends to not a dichotomy in two different meanings. The research is aimed to explore the semiotic meaning of the Jami Mosque, which has become an icon in Palopo City. The research used the ethnomethodology method within the framework of the semiotics paradigm to obtain contextual meaning as well as the application of a new approach in architecture semiotics study. The results show that the Jami Mosque keeps the complexity of meaning, which can be the foundation of conservation philosophy and planning of the built environment. The cosmos axis of Palopo city space and the territory of Luwu become the central point of religious civilization, especially in Islamic cosmology. The space transformation is represented by ‘posi bola’ (house pole). The symbolic ‘posi bola’ moves from the palace to the Jami mosque as the axis of Luwu space in the Islamic era. The horizontal slice of the pole has implications on the particular geometrical patterns of Luwu. The elements of structure and construction of buildings become a symbol of Islamic teachings.

The Application of Adaptive Time Gain Compensation in an Improved Breast Ultrasound Tomography Algorithm

In order to better detect information about a mass in breast tissue, an ultrasound tomography algorithm based on adaptive time gain compensation (TGC) was designed. Field II was utilized to automatically evaluate the phantom attenuation coefficient and compensate for the attenuated image. The image reconstruction algorithm process is presented here. Furthermore, the experimental setup with the cylindrical motion of a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) linear array was used to detect the mass in the breast model. The attenuation coefficient was evaluated by using the spectral cross-correlation method. According to the acquired attenuation coefficients, TGC compensates for the pulse-echo signal, and the horizontal slice image was reconstructed using the tomography algorithm. The experimental results show that this algorithm can evaluate the attenuation coefficient of the breast model and improve the ability to detect an internal mass. At the same time, the realization of attenuation compensation with software is beneficial to the development of portable medical equipment.

Comparison of Uplift Capacity and Nonlinear Failure Surfaces of Single-Belled Anchor in Homogeneous and Layered Sand Deposits

This experimental study explains the contribution of embedment ratios, diameter ratios, and bell angles to uplift capacities of single-belled anchors and formation of nonlinear failure surfaces in homogeneous and layered sand deposits. Uplift capacities in both types of sand deposits are increased with higher embedment ratios, lesser diameter ratios, and bell angles. Uplift capacities are higher in layered sand deposit in comparison with homogeneous sand deposit for the same model. Analytical uplift capacities are predicted by the horizontal slice method based on observed failure surfaces. A comparative discussion is made on nonlinear failure surfaces as well as analytical uplift capacities in reference to aforementioned parameters for the variation in sand deposits. The 45° and 63° belled anchors are more effective as uplift-resistant structures than 72° anchors in both types of sand deposits. Out of 36 analytical data on homogeneous sand and 33 analytical data on layered sand, 94.45% data are within the range of +08.51 to −10.70% and 100% data are within the range of +10.47 to −10.72%, respectively, with respect to the experimental uplift capacities. Four numbers of multiple linear regression models have been developed by observed breakout factors to eliminate the size effect, so the newly developed models are suitable for actual engineering to compare with prototype tests within the suggested imitation of values of variable parameters.