Description: Compared with microscopic indices such as biomass, inverted satellite images can reflect cyanobacterial blooms from a macroscopic perspective, can provide planar information for blooms, and can more definitely reflect the occurrence of visible cyanobacterial blooms. We therefore adopted inverted images (from MODIS imagery) to judge whether cyanobacterial blooms had occurred in a water area at a given time. We constructed two probit models for identifying significant environmental factors related to cyanobacterial bloom occurrence and for short-term forecasts of bloom occurrence. The models used the index of cyanobacterial bloom occurrence as the dependent variable and the predicted variable, respectively, and used three categories (water quality, hydrology, and weather) of monitoring variables as the independent variables (or predictive variables). We used the Hill Dagong water area of Lake Tai in China as a case study of the new methods. The results produced by the identification model are consistent with the general conclusions in this research field indicating the validity of the model. The mean relative error of the forecast model is 13.5%, which is close to or lower than that of two previous models. Compared with the previous models, our forecast model also has advantages in terms of spatial and temporal precision. The new models have both practical applicability and the ability to be generalized and can, therefore, be easily adapted for the prevention, control, and prediction of cyanobacterial blooms in other bodies of water.

Description: Integrated three-dimensional seismic, logging, sediment cores, and geochemical testing data were collected from Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey 3 and 4 hydrate drilling expeditions and used in this study for a comprehensive investigation of the geological and geophysical features and accumulation mechanism of hydrates in the first offshore gas-hydrate production test region (GHPTR) in the Shenhu area of the South China Sea. Seismic signatures indicative of disseminated hydrates and free gas include the bottom simulating reflector (BSR), gas chimney, and mud diapir associated with enhanced seismic reflections, acoustic blanking, masking, and chaotic appearance have been observed. The acoustic travel-time responses, density, and compensated neutron three porosity log analysis, high-precision grid tomography inversion analysis, and constrained sparse spike inversion confirm the presence of free gas below the gas-hydrate-bearing zone (GHBZ). Free-gas-bearing zones have significantly different p-wave impedances and low-velocity anomalies than the overlying GHBZ and surrounding strata. These anomalous zones are controlled by the structural attitude of the reservoir strata, which are characterized as inter-bedded stratigraphic units. Variations in the type and geological characteristics of the hydrocarbon migration pathways were observed between sites W18 and W19 on the western ridge and sites W11 and W17 on the eastern ridge in the GMGS study area. The efficiency of gas migration in the western ridge may be higher than that in the eastern ridge, resulting in variations in hydrate gas types, thickness of the GHBZ, and gas migration flux and accumulation. Except for site W11, hydrates were recovered below the structure I inferred BSR at sites W17, W18, and W19. The gas-hydrate stability zone calculations reveal that the structure I hydrate stability zone differs from the BSR depth and is generally shallower than the base of the logging anomaly, indicating the coexistence of structure I and II hydrates. The BSR is not indicative of the BGHSZ; it is rather regarded as a transitional indicator of structure I and II gas hydrates in the GHPTR. The appearance of free gas and hydrates below the structure I inferred BSR indicates that the Shenhu area is characterized by a complex hydrate formation and accumulation system resulting from the supply of biogenic and thermogenic gases. Despite fine-grained host sediments predominating the GHPTR, the coupling of favorable conditions including efficient hydrocarbon generation, sufficient gas supply, multiple pathways for gas migration, and relatively high reservoir porosity have led to the development of highly saturated gas-hydrate accumulations within relatively thick sedimentary sections, which demonstrates a significant resource potential.

Description: Research on the formation and distribution of submarine channel systems and associated gas-bearing fluids is of great significance for gas hydrate exploration. Disseminated gas hydrates with high saturation up to 65% were recovered from a submarine ridge, equivalent to the levee of the channel–levee system in the Shenhu area, northern South China Sea. Sedimentary deposits in the submarine ridge were dominated by fine-grained silt and clay-rich silt; gas hydrates with relatively high saturation preferentially accumulated in coarser sediments with less clay content. Although abundant foraminifera fossils may have increased reservoir pore space, their presence was not a necessary condition for high-saturation hydrates. Higher levels of pyrite appeared in the reservoirs corresponding to high-saturation hydrates, which suggests that the reducing environment caused by sufficient methane provided adequate gas to form higher-saturation hydrates. Because of the migration of the channel–levee system, different channels formed their respective depositional systems composed of channel-filling, buried channel-filling, erosion grooves, and slumped turbidities. Relatively coarse-grained deposits were identified in the channel fillings and levees, and the accumulation of hydrates was affected by the lithological features of the sediments and their spatial coupling with the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ). GHSZ modeling based on in situ measurements indicated that erosion and sedimentation, as well as variations of the geothermal gradient, resulted in the upward/downward migration of bottom simulating reflectors (BSRs). On the erosion flank of the channel, the strata thinned, and rapid erosion was likely to destroy the shallower BSR, causing gas hydrate decomposition and methane release, and may have caused turbidite slumping and seepage, whereas the strata thickened on the deposition flank of the channel. The BSR in the channel–levee system would gradually move toward the new GHSZ, eventually forming a new BSR; parts of the BSR that formed under the original P–T conditions have remained, and double BSRs occurred in the seismic profile. The thermal fluid that moved upward through a gas chimney may also have caused the migration of the GHSZ, resulting in the emergence of double BSRs. During the lateral migration of the channel and the vertical migration of the gas-bearing fluid, there was a dynamic adjustment relationship between the GHSZ and the erosion–deposition process of the channel, resulting in the dynamic accumulation of hydrates in the Shenhu area. A model to demonstrate the relationship between channel migration and variation of the BSR was established, which is of great significance for understanding the formation and accumulation mechanisms of gas hydrates.

Description: This paper presents a novel mathematical modelling for analyzing stabilizing piles with prestressed tieback anchors. The new differential equations governing the mechanical response of the stabilizing pile are formulated and the boundary conditions considering the tie-back anchors are mathematically specified. Then, the system of differential equations is numerically solved by the high-accuracy Runge-Kutta finite difference method. A simple computer program has been written on the platform of MATLAB to run the procedure of the proposed algorithm. This approach is entirely different from the traditional finite element method used to design the anchored piles. The FEM is employed to verify the feasibility of the developed method. The comparative case study indicates that the proposed method has more higher modeling and computing efficiency than the FEM and can be an alternative method for designing the anchored pile used for slope stabilization.

Description: Assessment of urban water logging risk depth is mainly based on extreme value of rainstorm and its occurrence frequency as disaster causing factor. Regional waterlogging disaster risk assessment can be determined through regional geographic spatial information coupling calculation; the fundamental reason lies in the lack of an effective method for numerical simulation of waterlogging risk depth. Based on the hydrodynamic principle, FloodArea model realizes the numerical simulation of regional waterlogging depth by hydrologic calculating of runoff generation and runoff concentration of waterlogging. Taking risk assessment in Nanchang city as an example, spatial distribution of urban waterlogging depth was simulated by using FloodArea model in return period of 5 years, 10 years, 50 years, and 100 years. Research results show that FloodArea model can simulate urban waterlogging forming process and spatial distribution qualitatively.

Description: Feature extraction is a very important part in speech emotion recognition, and in allusion to feature extraction in speech emotion recognition problems, this paper proposed a new method of feature extraction, using DBNs in DNN to extract emotional features in speech signal automatically. By training a 5 layers depth DBNs, to extract speech emotion feature and incorporate multiple consecutive frames to form a high dimensional feature. The features after training in DBNs were the input of nonlinear SVM classifier, and finally speech emotion recognition multiple classifier system was achieved. The speech emotion recognition rate of the system reached 86.5%, which was 7% higher than the original method.

Description: Background and Aim. The predisposing factors for prolonged cecal intubation time (CIT) during colonoscopy have been well identified. However, the factors influencing CIT during retrograde SBE have not been addressed. The aim of this study was to determine the factors influencing CIT during retrograde SBE. Methods. We investigated patients who underwent retrograde SBE at a medical center from January 2011 to March 2014. The medical charts and SBE reports were reviewed. The patients’ characteristics and procedure-associated data were recorded. These data were analyzed with univariate analysis as well as multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify the possible predisposing factors. Results. We enrolled 66 patients into this study. The median CIT was 17.4 minutes. With univariate analysis, there was no statistical difference in age, sex, BMI, or history of abdominal surgery, except for bowel preparation . Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that inadequate bowel preparation (odds ratio 30.2, 95% confidence interval 4.63–196.54; ) was the independent predisposing factors for prolonged CIT during retrograde SBE. Conclusions. For experienced endoscopist, inadequate bowel preparation was the independent predisposing factor for prolonged CIT during retrograde SBE.

Description: We propose the conception and evaluation indexes of emergency logistics network connecting reliability to construct evaluation index system of complex network reliability, and describe these indexes quantitatively to evaluate the network connecting reliability. Moreover, the network topological model and the simulation methods of reliability measurement when the network is under attack are present. Finally, we take three classical emergency logistics networks as examples, and through emulation analysis we obtain the connecting reliability changing situation of these three networks under random attack, the changing curve of the ratio of effective demand nodes and emergence supply mileage of emergency logistics network with same network density but different forms, and then evaluate the emergency logistics network connecting reliability. This can provide references for the designing of emergency logistics network with high reliability and analysis means for research in other fields.