Fuyang Ke, Xiangxiang Hu, Guan Hong, Lulu Ming, Bao Song
{"title":"Characteristics and Evolution of the Response of the Lower Atmosphere to the Tonga Volcanic Eruption","authors":"Fuyang Ke, Xiangxiang Hu, Guan Hong, Lulu Ming, Bao Song","doi":"10.3390/app131810095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app131810095","url":null,"abstract":"Research concerning the response characteristics of lower atmosphere to volcanic eruption is a key and hot topic in the field of volcanic environment research. Against the background of a submarine volcano in the South Pacific island country of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) on 15 January 2022, this paper explores the response characteristics of this volcanic eruption on environmental factors in the lower atmosphere region using a priori data such as ERA5 reanalysis data, water vapor data from GNSS inversion and surface temperature data from Landsat inversion for the Tonga Islands region. Among them, (1) The amount of precipitable water (PWV) in Tonga was abnormally high on 15 January. (2) The water vapor flux was mainly in the lower space below 850 hPa. (3) The average surface temperature in December 2021 was higher. In February 2022, the average surface temperature was lower. (4) There was a low-pressure center near 30° S on the south side of Tonga volcano on 14 January, and a new low-pressure center was formed on the east side of Tonga volcano after the eruption of Tonga volcano on 15 January. Furthermore, the precipitation area of Tonga increased in January and decreased in February 2022. The PWV values, water vapor fluxes, temperature and circulation response characteristics, and precipitation characteristics show that the volcanic eruption affected part of the atmospheric and oceanic circulation, and water vapor was transported to the low-pressure center along the direction of atmospheric circulation. With the continuous water vapor transport, precipitation formed in Tonga, and the intensity and area of precipitation in Tonga increased significantly in January. Thus, the volcanic eruption could have significantly triggered the response between the low-pressure center, PWV, precipitation and surface temperature in the lower atmosphere, which influenced the environmental characteristics of this eruption.","PeriodicalId":48760,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences-Basel","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49531398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Noise-Tolerant Data Reconstruction Based on Convolutional Autoencoder for Wireless Sensor Network","authors":"Trinh Thuc Lai, Tuan Phong Tran, Jaehyuk Cho, Myung-Sig Yoo","doi":"10.3390/app131810090","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app131810090","url":null,"abstract":"Maintaining data dependability within wireless sensor network (WSN) systems has significant importance. Nevertheless, the deployment of systems in unattended and hostile areas poses a major challenge in dealing with noise. Consequently, several investigations have been conducted to address the issue of noise-affected data recovery. Nevertheless, previous research has primarily focused on the internal noise of the system. Neglecting to include external factors that impact the WSN system in the study might lead to findings that are not true to reality. Hence, this research takes into account both internal and external noise factors, such as rain, fog, or snow conditions. Moreover, in order to maintain the temporal characteristics and intersensor relationships, the data from multiple sensor nodes are consolidated into a two-dimensional matrix format. The stacked convolutional autoencoder (SCAE) model is proposed, which has the capability to extract data features. The stack design of the SCAE enables it to effectively mitigate the issue of vanishing gradients. Moreover, the weight sharing approach used between the two subnetworks also enhances the efficiency of the weight initialization procedure. Thorough experiments are conducted using both simulated WSN systems and real-world sensing data. Experimental results demonstrate that the SCAE outperforms existing methods for reconstructing noisy data.","PeriodicalId":48760,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences-Basel","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42412591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Application of the Improved Entry and Exit Method in Slope Reliability Analysis","authors":"Rong Yang, Boyan Sun, Yukuai Wan, Xinyue Gao","doi":"10.3390/app131810081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app131810081","url":null,"abstract":"The entry and exit method is a simple and practical method to decide the critical slip surface of slope. Nevertheless, it has the drawback of sacrificing computational efficiency to improve search accuracy. To solve this problem, this paper proposes an improved entry and exit approach to search for the critical slip surface. On basis of the random fields produced by applying the Karhunen–Loève expansion approach, the simplified Bishop’s method combined with the improved entry and exit method is used to decide the critical slip surface and its relevant minimum factor of security. Then, the failure probability is calculated by conducting Monte Carlo simulation. Two instances are reanalyzed to validate the precision and efficiency of the method. Meaningful comparisons are made to show the calculating precision and calculating efficiency of the improved entry and exit method in searching for the minimum security factor of slope, based on which the effect of the reduced searching range on slope reliability was explored. The outcomes suggest that the approach offers a practical device for assessing the reliability of slopes in spatially variable soils. It can significantly enhance the computational efficiency in relatively high-computational precision of slope reliability analysis.","PeriodicalId":48760,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences-Basel","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43431314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Improved Learning-Automata-Based Clustering Method for Controlled Placement Problem in SDN","authors":"Azam Amin, Mohsen Jahanshahi, M. Meybodi","doi":"10.3390/app131810073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app131810073","url":null,"abstract":"Clustering, an unsupervised machine learning technique, plays a crucial role in partitioning unlabeled data into meaningful groups. K-means, known for its simplicity, has gained popularity as a clustering method. However, both K-means and the LAC algorithm, which utilize learning automata, are sensitive to the selection of initial points. To overcome this limitation, we propose an enhanced LAC algorithm based on the K-Harmonic means approach. We evaluate its performance on seven datasets and demonstrate its superiority over other representative algorithms. Moreover, we tailor this algorithm to address the controller placement problem in software-defined networks, a critical field in this context. To optimize relevant parameters such as switch–controller delay, intercontroller delay, and load balancing, we leverage learning automata. In our comparative analysis conducted in Python, we benchmark our algorithm against spectral, K-means, and LAC algorithms on four different network topologies. The results unequivocally show that our proposed algorithm outperforms the others, achieving a significant improvement ranging from 3 to 11 percent. This research contributes to the advancement of clustering techniques and their practical application in software-defined networks.","PeriodicalId":48760,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences-Basel","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45781854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shengpeng Zheng, Xiaoping Xiao, Xin Ma, Zisheng Li, Yitao Liu, J. Li, Dongyu Wang, Xiang Li
{"title":"Research on Dynamic Sealing Performance of Combined Sealing Structure under Extreme Working Conditions","authors":"Shengpeng Zheng, Xiaoping Xiao, Xin Ma, Zisheng Li, Yitao Liu, J. Li, Dongyu Wang, Xiang Li","doi":"10.3390/app131810100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app131810100","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigates the sealing performance of a combined sealing structure under extremely high and low temperature conditions, considering potential issues like high-temperature aging and low-temperature brittle fracture, which can lead to sealing failure. EPDM rubber underwent uniaxial compression tests at high, low, and normal temperatures, then the sealing performance under extreme working conditions was compared with that under normal temperature conditions. Additionally, the influences of gasket parameters and gas pressure on the sealing performance were analyzed. The result shows that compared with the normal temperature conditions, the maximum von Mises stress is reduced by 65% and the effective sealing length and the maximum contact pressure is reduced by 40% under the high temperature conditions, while the maximum von Mises stress is increased by 7 times and the maximum contact pressure is increased by a remarkable 7 times under the low temperature conditions. In the range of 10–100 MPa, the increase in gas pressure aggravates the O-ring stress concentration and improves the sealing performance relatively. When the thickness of gasket is 0.85–1.05 mm, the stress concentration of the O-ring is lighter and the sealing performance is better.","PeriodicalId":48760,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences-Basel","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43934302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yang Huang, Shaolei Xu, Xingyu Gao, Chuannen Wei, Yang Zhang, Mingfeng Li
{"title":"Feature Point Identification in Fillet Weld Joints Using an Improved CPDA Method","authors":"Yang Huang, Shaolei Xu, Xingyu Gao, Chuannen Wei, Yang Zhang, Mingfeng Li","doi":"10.3390/app131810108","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app131810108","url":null,"abstract":"An intelligent, vision-guided welding robot is highly desired in machinery manufacturing, the ship industry, and vehicle engineering. The performance of the system greatly depends on the effective identification of weld seam features and the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the weld seam position in a complex industrial environment. In this paper, a 3D visual sensing system with a structured laser projector and CCD camera is developed to obtain the geometry information of fillet weld seams in robot welding. By accounting for the inclination characteristics of the laser stripe in fillet welding, a Gaussian-weighted PCA-based laser center line extraction method is proposed. Smoother laser centerlines can be obtained at large, inclined angles. Furthermore, an improved chord-to-point distance accumulation (CPDA) method with polygon approximation is proposed to identify the feature corner location in center line images. The proposed method is validated numerically with simulated piece-wise linear laser stripes and experimentally with automated robot welding. By comparing this method with the grayscale gravity method, Hessian-matrix-based method, and conventional CPDA method, the proposed improved CPDA method with PCA center extraction is shown to have high accuracy and robustness in noisy welding environments. The proposed method meets the need for vision-aided automated welding robots by achieving greater than 95% accuracy in corner feature point identification in fillet welding.","PeriodicalId":48760,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences-Basel","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42880815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aristi Tsokani, Theodoros Dimopoulos, E. Vourazanis, N. Strimpakos, E. Billis, G. Pepera, E. Kapreli
{"title":"Barriers and Facilitators for Therapeutic Green Exercise in Patients with Chronic Conditions: A Qualitative Focus Group Study","authors":"Aristi Tsokani, Theodoros Dimopoulos, E. Vourazanis, N. Strimpakos, E. Billis, G. Pepera, E. Kapreli","doi":"10.3390/app131810077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app131810077","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Exercise has indisputable advantages for people with chronic conditions. Engaging in physical activity within natural environments, known as green exercise, contributes to both physical and mental well-being. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of people with chronic conditions and health professionals and the perceived facilitators and barriers to therapeutic green exercise. Methods: This was a qualitative study based on two focus groups. Ethical approval was received, and a thematic analysis was used to analyze the discussions. Results: Seven patients and eight health professionals participated in the study. The thematic analysis yielded thirteen main themes. Safety concerns and inadequate infrastructures were key barriers. Core facilitators were socialization, and multisensory exposure. Conclusions: Patients with chronic conditions and health professionals believe that green exercise improves physical activity engagement, and it would be beneficial if incorporated in the rehabilitation process. There are challenges to overcome to make therapeutic green exercise for people with chronic conditions more accessible.","PeriodicalId":48760,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences-Basel","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45403027","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Di Lu, Wenchang Li, Jian Liu, Gang Chen, Zhigang Li
{"title":"Design of a Configurable Spike-Encoding Circuit Based on Focal Plane Array","authors":"Di Lu, Wenchang Li, Jian Liu, Gang Chen, Zhigang Li","doi":"10.3390/app131810092","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app131810092","url":null,"abstract":"Spiking neural networks inspired by biological models are gaining popularity in artificial intelligence due to their ability to solve diverse problems while reducing energy consumption. As a result of the trade-off between the need to transmit large amounts of data and the power consumption of hardware deployment, artificial vision systems are particularly well-suited to construction using spiking neural networks (SNNs). How to communicate with the neuromorphic network effectively is one of the challenges associated with building systems that utilize SNN systems. It is necessary to convert the data to spike form before they can be processed by an SNN as input, unless neuromorphic or event-triggered sensing systems are employed. We present a configurable circuit based on a focal plane array (FPA) capable of providing spike-encoded readout data at the pixel level. With this type of circuit, the current signal of the photoelectric sensor can be encoded into two spike encodings with different precision, which are sent for processing to SNNs. This provides image information at two different scales for the artificial vision system based on SNNs. With this feature, we can use this circuit and different SNN structures to build an artificial target recognition system that is closer to the biological visual system.","PeriodicalId":48760,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences-Basel","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49211788","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wei Lou, Shenglong Zhu, Jinjin Ding, Taiyun Zhu, Ming Wang, Licheng Sun, Feili Zhong, Xiaodong Yang
{"title":"Transactive Demand–Response Framework for High Renewable Penetrated Multi-Energy Prosumer Aggregators in the Context of a Smart Grid","authors":"Wei Lou, Shenglong Zhu, Jinjin Ding, Taiyun Zhu, Ming Wang, Licheng Sun, Feili Zhong, Xiaodong Yang","doi":"10.3390/app131810083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app131810083","url":null,"abstract":"Demand–response (DR) can provide the economic flexibility required to adapt a high proportion of renewable energy in the context of a smart grid. This paper proposes a transactive DR framework to enable the multi-time-scale proactive participation of demand-side flexible multi-energy resources. In this framework, the distribution system operator distributes the real-time DR request and the high renewable penetrated multi-energy prosumer aggregators provide the ancillary services based on their adjustable potential. To facilitate such multi-time-scale prosumer–operator interactions, a flexibility potential evaluation method is developed for the quantification and pricing of prosumer flexibility. The positive and negative flexibility potential of the demand-side prosumer aggregators are defined as deviations from the optimal pre-dispatch operation, which are further quantified using the aspects of flexible time and power. Based on the introduction of a flexibility pricing mechanism to identify the economically optimal ancillary service requirements, each prosumer aggregator performs an optimal real-time DR scheduling. Case studies over several DR schemes are performed to confirm the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method on the economy and flexibility of the system.","PeriodicalId":48760,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences-Basel","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43762395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kateryna Czerniachowska, Radosław Wichniarek, Krzysztof Żywicki
{"title":"A Two-Step Matheuristics for Order-Picking Process Problems with One-Directional Material Flow and Buffers","authors":"Kateryna Czerniachowska, Radosław Wichniarek, Krzysztof Żywicki","doi":"10.3390/app131810099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app131810099","url":null,"abstract":"The necessity for undertaking this research is driven by the prevailing challenges encountered in logistic centers. This study addresses a logistic order-picking issue involving unidirectional conveyors and buffers, which are assigned to racks and pickers with the objective of minimizing the makespan. Subsequently, two variations of a two-step matheuristic approach are proposed as solution methodologies. These matheuristics entail decomposing the primary order-picking problem into two subproblems. In the initial step, the problem of minimizing the free time for pickers/buffers is solved, followed by an investigation into minimizing order picking makespan. An experimentation phase is carried out across three versions of a distribution center layout, wherein one or more pickers are allocated to one or more buffers, spanning 120 test instances. The research findings indicate that employing a mathematical programming-based technique holds promise for yielding solutions within reasonable computational timeframes, particularly when distributing products to consumers with limited product variety within the order. Furthermore, the proposed technique offers the advantages of expediency and simplicity, rendering it suitable for adoption in the process of designing and selecting order-picking systems.","PeriodicalId":48760,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences-Basel","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47509018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}