Development and evaluation of GIS-based ArcPRZM-3 system for spatial modeling of groundwater vulnerability to pesticide contamination

The objectives of this study were to develop and evaluate a GIS-based modeling system called ArcPRZM-3 for spatial modeling of pesticide leaching potential from soil surface towards groundwater. The ArcPRZM-3 was developed by coupling a commonly used FORTRAN-based Pesticide Root Zone Model version 3 (PRZM-3) with user-friendly input and output interfaces through links to GIS using customized programming. A Visual PRZM-3 interface simplifies the entry of model inputs and links to the databases of crops, soils, and pesticides. The ArcPRZM-3 produces user-friendly outputs from the PRZM-3 batch simulations in the form of tables, charts, and maps. The Visual PRZM-3 can be used to run a single simulation for site-specific studies or simultaneous multiple simulations for spatial distributed modeling. The ArcPRZM-3 was applied to simulate maximum dissolved bentazon concentration at 0.75 m soil depth for a period of 2 years. These simulation results were used to develop a health risk map for Woodruff County, Arkansas, based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Lifetime Health Advisory Level (USEPA-LHA) of bentazon in drinking water. The ArcPRZM-3 was evaluated by comparing the bentazon detection data from monitoring wells from the same area with the predicted bentazon health risk map. The results showed that 100% of the wells where bentazon was detected were within the high risk category based on the ArcPRZM-3 predictions. However, uncertainty in the ArcPRZM-3 model and the timing of groundwater well monitoring could both complicate the interpretations of the ArcPRZM-3 simulation results.     

A comprehensive modeling environment for the simulation of groundwater flow and transport

A comprehensive graphical modeling environment has been developed to address the needs of the computer simulation of groundwater flow and transport. The Department of Defense Groundwater Modeling Systems (GMS), developed at the Engineering Computer Graphics Laboratory at Brigham Young University, is part of a multi-year project funded through the Department of Defense, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency. GMS is a graphically based software tool providing facility through all aspects of the groundwater flow and transport modeling process. Facilities include geometric modeling of hydrostratigraphy, two- and three-dimensional mesh generation, graphically based model input for specific flow and transport codes, interpolation and geostatistics as well as complete three-dimensional scientific visualization.     

The learner characteristics,features of desktop 3D virtual reality environments,and college chemistry instruction: A structural equation modeling analysis

We examined a model of the impact of a 3D desktop virtual reality environment on the learner characteristics (i.e. perceptual and psychological variables) that can enhance chemistry-related learning achievements in an introductory college chemistry class. The relationships between the 3D virtual reality features and the chemistry learning test as it relates to the selected perceptual (spatial orientation and usability) and psychological (self-efficacy and presence) variables were analyzed using the structural equation modeling approach. The results supported all the hypothesized relationships except one. Usability strongly mediated the relationship between 3D virtual reality features, spatial orientation, self-efficacy, and presence. Spatial orientation and self-efficacy had statistically significant, positive impact on the chemistry learning test. The results indicate that 3D virtual reality-based instruction is effective for enhancing students’ chemistry achievement. Overall, this study contributed a research model that can help increase the effectiveness of desktop virtual reality environments for enhancing spatial ability and science achievement. Moreover, this study provides insight to science educators, instructional designers, and multimedia developers who are interested in designing science-based instruction using instructional design principles.     

Database development and 3D modeling of textural variations in heterogeneous,unconsolidated aquifer media: Application to the Milan plain

The textural and hydrogeologic properties of loose deposits are closely connected to the sedimentary processes occurring in fluvial and glacio-fluvial systems. The proposed procedure combines geologic knowledge, coded well data logs stored in a hydrogeologic georeferenced database, geographic information system (GIS) and 3D calculation software to reconstruct the detailed distribution of the subsoil's hydrogeologic parameters. The calculations may apply to any subsoil part, bounded by one or more surfaces. This methodological approach may be applied to diverse investigation depths, vertical intervals detailed to varying extents, on a local or regional scale. Employing great quantities of well data logs, recorded in different ways and distributed across large areas, has enabled significant spatial sedimentologic reconstruction. Two groups of parameters were considered: textural (percentages of gravel, sand and clay) and hydrogeologic (hydraulic conductivity and porosity). In terms of sedimentology, the method reconstructs spatial heterogeneity both along cross-sections and for an entire user-defined volume to analyze the sediments’ energy functions and their distribution; deposition rates are proportional to process intensity and distribution with time. In terms of hydrogeology, detailed 3D hydrogeologic structural data provide detailed input for hydrogeologic models in groundwater resource management and planning, such as for transport models.     

Towards a holonic multiple aspect analysis and modeling approach for complex systems: Application to the simulation of industrial plants

In complex systems, multiple aspects interact and influence each other. A vast number of entities are present in the system. Traditional modeling and simulation techniques fail to capture interactions between loosely coupled aspects of a complex system. In this work, we describe a generic framework for modeling and analysis of naturally distributed and complex systems based on Holonic Multi-Agent paradigm. We illustrate the suitability of our generic model by applying it to the modeling and simulation of an important industrial plant in the east of france.     

Discrete kinetic theory for 2D modeling of a moving crowd: Application to the evacuation of a non-connected bounded domain

This paper concerns the mathematical modeling of the motion of a crowd in a non connected bounded domain, based on kinetic and stochastic game theories. The proposed model is a mesoscopic probabilistic approach that retains features obtained from both micro- and macro-scale representations; pedestrian interactions with various obstacles being managed from a probabilistic perspective. A proof of the existence and uniqueness of the proposed mathematical model’s solution is given for large times. A numerical resolution scheme based on the splitting method is implemented and then applied to crowd evacuation in a non connected bounded domain with one rectangular obstacle. The evacuation time of the room is then calculated by our technique, according to the dimensions and position of a square-shaped obstacle, and finally compared to the time obtained by a deterministic approach by means of randomly varying some of its parameters.     

Actuator fault diagnosis for a class of nonlinear systems and its application to a laboratory 3D crane

In this paper, an actuator fault diagnosis scheme is proposed for a class of affine nonlinear systems with both known and unknown inputs. The scheme is based on a novel input/output relation derived from the considered nonlinear systems and the use of the recently developed high-order sliding-mode robust differentiators. The main advantages of the proposed approach are that it does not require a design of nonlinear observer and applies to systems not necessarily detectable. Conditions are provided to characterize the feasibility of fault detection and isolation using the proposed scheme and the maximum number of isolatable actuator faults. The efficacy of the proposed actuator fault diagnosis approach is tested through experiments on a laboratory 3D Crane, and the experimental results show that the proposed actuator fault diagnosis approach is promising and can achieve fault detection and isolation satisfactorily.     

A workflow for handling heterogeneous 3D models with the TOUGH2 family of codes: Applications to numerical modeling of CO2 geological storage

This paper is addressed to the TOUGH2 user community. It presents a new tool for handling simulations run with the TOUGH2 code with specific application to CO₂ geological storage. This tool is composed of separate FORTRAN subroutines (or modules) that can be run independently, using input and output files in ASCII format for TOUGH2. These modules have been developed specifically for modeling of carbon dioxide geological storage and their use with TOUGH2 and the Equation of State module ECO2N, dedicated to CO₂-water-salt mixture systems, with TOUGHREACT, which is an adaptation of TOUGH2 with ECO2N and geochemical fluid-rock interactions, and with TOUGH2 and the EOS7C module dedicated to CO₂-CH₄ gas mixture is described. The objective is to save time for the pre-processing, execution and visualization of complex geometry for geological system representation. The workflow is rapid and user-friendly and future implementation to other TOUGH2 EOS modules for other contexts (e.g. nuclear waste disposal, geothermal production) is straightforward. Three examples are shown for validation: (i) leakage of CO₂ up through an abandoned well; (ii) 3D reactive transport modeling of CO₂ in a sandy aquifer formation in the Sleipner gas Field, (North Sea, Norway); and (iii) an estimation of enhanced gas recovery technology using CO₂ as the injected and stored gas to produce methane in the K12B Gas Field (North Sea, Denmark).     

Remote sensing of small and linear features: Quantifying the effects of patch size and length, grid position and detectability on land cover mapping

The accurate mapping of small, often fragmented and linear vegetation patches is of key importance for natural resource management because of their ecological significance. However, due to their small size and the quantised nature of remote sensing imagery they may be under-represented in the landscape when mapped using earth observation. This paper investigates the effect of patch area and patch elongation on the accurate mapping of these vegetation patches. Using synthetic images to simulate sub-pixel patch location, we investigated classification accuracy and extraction probability resulting from differences in the geometric properties of the raster grid and the feature alone. We simulated the effect of grid position, detectability, feature size and shape on classification. This represents the highest achievable accuracy using the remote sensing raster grid, where other factors influencing classification such as classification algorithm, radiometric calibration and sensor characteristics are excluded. We found that mapping error was highest when the scale of the feature and the raster grid coincided. We showed that the spatial resolution of the grid should be many times finer in order to extract these features accurately. For square patches with a mean classification accuracy of 75%, the grid pixel area was 11 times smaller than patch size. When patches were small and/or elongated, the probability of extraction was reduced, mapping accuracies decreased and variability in accuracy due to the effects of grid position increased. For example, a square shaped patch needed an area of at least 11 pixels to achieve a mean accuracy of 75%, whilst a linear patch with a width to length ratio of 4 needed an area of 12.3 pixels. This paper quantifies the limitations of remote sensing for the accurate detection of small and linear features and provides guidelines on the appropriate spatial resolution required to map these features. Using our results, map users can estimate the probability of a map classifying small and linear features independently of the error matrix. Furthermore, we provide a more precise estimate of the size of the smallest discernable feature taking into account the random position of the remote sensing grid with respect to the feature as well as its shape. An understanding of this phenomenon is critical for making good land management decisions based on a thorough understanding of the limitations of remote sensing data.     

Simulating the spatio-temporal dynamics of soil erosion,deposition, and yield using a coupled sediment dynamics and 3D distributed hydrologic model

Since soil erosion is driven by overland flow, it is fair to expect heterogeneity in erosion and deposition in both space and time. In this study, we develop and evaluate an open-source, spatially-explicit, sediment erosion, deposition and transport module for the distributed hydrological model, GEOtop. The model was applied in Dripsey catchment in Ireland, where it captured the total discharge volume and suspended sediment yield (SSY) with a relative bias of −1.2% and −22.4%, respectively. Simulation results suggest that daily SSY per unit rainfall amount was larger when the top soil was near saturation. Simulated erosion and deposition areas, which varied markedly between events, were also found to be directly influenced by spatial patterns of soil saturation. The distinct influence of soil saturation on erosion, deposition and SSY underscores the role of coupled surface-subsurface hydrologic interactions and a need to represent them in models for capturing fine resolution sediment dynamics.     

3D通用人脸模型的自适应算法及应用

利用3D人脸建模的方法进行人脸识别有效地克服了2D人脸识别系统中识别率易受光照、姿态、表情影响的缺陷。文章采用一种依据人脸图像对3D通用人脸模型进行自适应调整的有效算法,构造出特定的人脸模型并运用于人脸识别中。通过比较从人脸图像中估算出的特征点与通用人脸模型在图像平面上的投影点之间的关系,对3D通用人脸模型进行全局和局部调整,以适应人脸中眼、口、鼻的个性化特征。最后以一个实例说明了此算法的应用。     

Robust prediction-based control for unstable delay systems: Application to the yaw control of a mini-helicopter

We present a discrete-time prediction-based state-feedback controller. It is shown that this controller stabilizes possibly unstable continuous-time delay systems. The stability is shown to be robust with respect to uncertainties in the knowledge on the plant parameters, the system delay and the sampling period. The proposed prediction-based controller has been tested in a real-time application to control the yaw angular displacement of a 4-rotor mini-helicopter.     

A systematic method for 3D mapping of mangrove forests based on Shuttle Radar Topography Mission elevation data, ICEsat/GLAS waveforms and field data: Application to Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombia

Mangrove forests are found within the intertropical zone and are one of the most biodiverse and productive wetlands on Earth. We focus on the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (CGSM) in Colombia, the largest coastal lagoon–delta ecosystem in the Caribbean area with an extension of 1280 km², where one of the largest mangrove rehabilitation projects in Latin America is currently underway. Extensive man-made hydrological modifications in the region caused hypersaline soil (> 90 g kg^− 1) conditions since the 1960s triggering a large dieback of mangrove wetlands (~ 247 km²). In this paper, we describe a new systematic methodology to measure mangrove height and aboveground biomass by remote sensing. The method is based on SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) elevation data, ICEsat/GLAS waveforms (Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite/Geoscience Laser Altimeter System) and field data. Since the locations of the ICEsat and field datasets do not coincide, they are used independently to calibrate SRTM elevation and produce a map of mangrove canopy height. We compared height estimation methods based on waveform centroids and the canopy height profile (CHP). Linear relationships between ICEsat height estimates and SRTM elevation were derived. We found the centroid of the canopy waveform contribution (CWC) to be the best height estimator. The field data was used to estimate a SRTM canopy height bias (− 1.3 m) and estimation error (rms = 1.9 m). The relationship was applied to the SRTM elevation data to produce a mangrove canopy height map. Finally, we used field data and published allometric equations to derive an empirical relationship between canopy height and biomass. This relationship was used to scale the mangrove height map and estimate aboveground biomass distribution for the entire CGSM. The mean mangrove canopy height in CGSM is 7.7 m and most of the biomass is concentrated in forests around 9 m in height. Our biomass maps will enable estimation of regeneration rates of mangrove forests under hydrological rehabilitation at large spatial scales over the next decades. They will also be used to assess how highly disturbed mangrove forests respond to increasing sea level rise under current global climate change scenarios.     

Coupled model for the nonlinear analysis of sections made of anisotropic materials, subjected to general 3D loading. Part 2: Implementation and validation

A numerical model for the coupled analysis of cross-sections made of anisotropic materials under general combined loading was formulated in an accompanying paper (1). In this paper, additional aspects concerning its implementation and the scheme for nonlinear analysis are discussed. The model is validated by analyzing several isotropic and anisotropic elastic problems; excellent accuracy was obtained compared to closed-form solutions. Further, the case of a RC section presenting crack-induced anisotropy is investigated. The capability of the model to capture interactions between tangent and normal forces is proved. The conclusion drawn is that the developed model is a suitable sectional constitutive equation for 3D beam elements for realistic structural analysis.     

Conceptualization and implementation of a multi-agent model to simulate whale-watching tours in the St. Lawrence Estuary in Quebec, Canada

The Saguenay St. Lawrence Marine Park (SSLMP) and the adjacent Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the St. Lawrence Estuary, in Quebec, cover a territory of exceptional biodiversity including 12 species of marine mammals, nearly half of which are considered to be endangered species. Whale-watching trips and other human activities related to commercial shipping, tourism, and recreation generate very intensive traffic in the area, which pose cumulative threats to the marine wildlife. This study has been undertaken in collaboration with the Marine Park and the MPA managers to develop a multi-agent system (MAS) to investigate the interactions between the traffic and the marine mammals in the estuary. This paper describes the first prototype version of the proposed MAS model where the focus is on the whale-watching boats. It discusses the conceptual model with its principal components: the physical environment and the boat agents and whale entities, and the implementation of the model with the behavior rules of the agents. In this version of the MAS, the whale-watching boats are represented as cognitive agents while the whales are simple reactive entities. The prototype model was implemented in the agent-based modeling platform RePast. An index, the happiness factor (i.e., the ratio of whale observation time over the trip duration) was designed to measure how successful the boat agents are in achieving their goal. Simulations were run to assess different decision strategies of the boat agents and their impacts on the whales. Results show that cooperative behavior that involves a combination of innovator and imitator strategies yields a higher average happiness factor over non-cooperative, purely innovators, behavior. However, this cooperative behavior creates increased risk for the whale populations in the estuary.     

Coupled model for the non-linear analysis of anisotropic sections subjected to general 3D loading. Part 1: Theoretical formulation

A numerical model for the coupled analysis of arbitrary shaped cross sections made of heterogeneous-anisotropic materials under 3D combined loading is formulated. The theory is derived entirely from equilibrium considerations and based on the superposition of the 3D section’s distortion and the traditional plane section hypothesis. 3D stresses and strains fields are obtained as well as a section stiffness matrix reflecting coupling effects between normal and tangential forces due to material anisotropy. Traditional generalized strains and stresses are maintained as input and output variables. The proposed model is suitable as a constitutive law for frame elements in the analysis of complete structures.     

Thermodynamic evaluation and optimization of Al–Gd, Al–Tb, Al–Dy, Al–Ho and Al–Er systems using a Modified Quasichemical Model for the liquid

The Al–Gd, Al–Tb, Al–Dy, Al–Ho and Al–Er (Al–heavy rare earths) binary systems have been systematically assessed and optimized based on the available experimental data and ab-initio data using the FactSage thermodynamic software. A systematic technique (reduced melting temperature proposed by Gschneidner) was used for estimating the Al–Tb phase diagram due to lack of experimental data. Optimized model parameters of the Gibbs energies for all phases which reproduced all the reliable experimental data to satisfaction have been obtained. The optimization procedure was biased by putting a strong emphasis on the observed trends in the thermodynamic properties of Al–RE phases. The Modified Quasichemical Model, which takes short-range ordering into account, is used for the liquid phase and the Compound Energy Formalism is used for the solid solutions in the binary systems. It is shown that the Modified Quasichemical Model used for the liquid alloys permits one to obtain entropies of mixing that are more reliable than that based on the Bragg–Williams random mixing model which does not take short-range ordering into account.