This study proposes a new component of the composite loss function minimised during training of the Super-Resolution(SR)algorithms—the normalised structural similarity index loss LSSIMN,which has the potential to imp...This study proposes a new component of the composite loss function minimised during training of the Super-Resolution(SR)algorithms—the normalised structural similarity index loss LSSIMN,which has the potential to improve the natural appearance of reconstructed images.Deep learning-based super-resolution(SR)algorithms reconstruct high-resolution images from low-resolution inputs,offering a practical means to enhance image quality without requiring superior imaging hardware,which is particularly important in medical applications where diagnostic accuracy is critical.Although recent SR methods employing convolutional and generative adversarial networks achieve high pixel fidelity,visual artefacts may persist,making the design of the loss function during training essential for ensuring reliable and naturalistic image reconstruction.Our research shows on two models—SR and Invertible Rescaling Neural Network(IRN)—trained on multiple benchmark datasets that the function LSSIMN significantly contributes to the visual quality,preserving the structural fidelity on the reference datasets.The quantitative analysis of results while incorporating LSSIMN shows that including this loss function component has a mean 2.88%impact on the improvement of the final structural similarity of the reconstructed images in the validation set,in comparison to leaving it out and 0.218%in comparison when this component is non-normalised.展开更多
The article examines a window of opportunity that emerged between 1955 and 1957 and which could have resulted in the normalisation of Saudi Arabia’s relations with the People’s Republic of China,along with a few oth...The article examines a window of opportunity that emerged between 1955 and 1957 and which could have resulted in the normalisation of Saudi Arabia’s relations with the People’s Republic of China,along with a few other states from the communist bloc.As the article will show,this possibility emerged as a by-product of the Kingdom’s national security challenges during that juncture,and which in turn contributed towards its embrace of a strategy playing both sides of the Cold War divide against one another.This strategy elicited the desired American response which,hand in hand with changing Saudi assessments of regional threats by late 1956,consolidated the American-Saudi security partnership and foreclosed Sino-Saudi normalisation.While the Kingdom had‘moved on’by 1957,a reading of open Chinese sources from the late 1950s suggests that Beijing continued to harbour the hope that formal relations could be established.展开更多
Background:The two images,slightly different,seen by the two eyes allow the brain to build a 3D representation of the world.Monocular signals enter the primary visual cortex through layer 4,where they are segregated a...Background:The two images,slightly different,seen by the two eyes allow the brain to build a 3D representation of the world.Monocular signals enter the primary visual cortex through layer 4,where they are segregated and organized in ocular dominance stripes.They are later combined in upper layers.In order to study the integration of the information coming from the two eyes at this mesoscopical scale in V1,we use optical imaging in anaesthetized macaque monkey.Methods:Ocular dominance maps have been obtained with intrinsic optical imaging.Dichoptic interactions have then been studied with voltage-sensitive dye imaging(VSDI)with a frequency-tagging paradigm.Visual stimuli with different contrasts were respectively presented at 6 and 10 Hz to the two eyes,independently or simultaneously with a passive 3D screen.Frequency analysis thus allowed to identify each eye’s contribution to the signal.Results:We observed that V1 population activity generated by one eye stimulation is suppressed when the other eye is stimulated too.This integration of monocular signals at the population level can be accurately modeled with an interocular normalization model.Conclusions:This approach and this model confirm V1 implication in combining the signals coming from the two eyes.The mechanisms underlying this interocular normalization,through local,feedforward,feedback or long-range connections,are still to be determined.展开更多
Land surface temperature(LST) is the skin temperature of the earth surface. LST depends on the amount of sunlight received by any geographical area. Apart from sun light, LST is also affected by the land cover, which ...Land surface temperature(LST) is the skin temperature of the earth surface. LST depends on the amount of sunlight received by any geographical area. Apart from sun light, LST is also affected by the land cover, which leads to change in land surface temperature. Impact of land cover change(LCC) on LST has been assessed using Landsat TM5, Landsat 8 TIRS/OLI and Digital Elevation Model(ASTER) for Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India. In the present study, Spiti valley was divided into three altitudinal zones to check the pattern of changing land cover along different altitudes and LST was calculated for all the four land cover categories extracted from remote sensing data for the years of 1990 and 2015. Matrix table was used as a technique to evaluate the land cover change between two different years. Matrix table shows that as a whole, about 2,151,647 ha(30%) area of Spiti valley experienced change in land cover in the last 25 years. The result also shows vegetation and water bodies increased by 107,560.2 ha(605.87%) and 45 ha(0.98%), respectively. Snow cover and barren land decreased by 19,016.5 ha(23.92%) and 88,589(14.14%), during the study period. A significant increase has been noticed in vegetation amongst all land cover types. Minimum, maximum and mean LST for three altitudinal zones have been calculated. The mean LST recorded was 11℃ in 1990 but it rose by 2℃ and reached to 13℃ in 2015. Changes in LST were obtained for each land cover categories. The mean temperature of different land cover types was calculated by averaging value of all pixels of a given land cover types. The mean LST of vegetation, barren land, snow cover and water body increased by 6℃, 9℃, 1℃, and 7℃, respectively. Further, relationships between LST, Normalized Difference Snow Index(NDSI), and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI) were established using Linear Regression.展开更多
Rock joints infilled with sediments can strongly influence the strength of rock mass. As infilled joints often exist under unsaturated condition, this study investigated the influence of matric suction of infill on th...Rock joints infilled with sediments can strongly influence the strength of rock mass. As infilled joints often exist under unsaturated condition, this study investigated the influence of matric suction of infill on the overall joint shear strength. A novel technique that allows direct measurement of matric suction of infill using high capacity tensiometers(HCTs) during direct shear of infilled joints under constant normal stiffness(CNS) is described. The CNS apparatus was modified to accommodate the HCT and the procedure is explained in detail. Joint specimens were simulated by gypsum plaster using threedimensional(3D) printed surface moulds, and filled with kaolin and sand mixture prepared at different water contents. Shear behaviours of both planar infilled joints and rough joints having joint roughness coefficients(JRCs) of 8-10 and 18-20 with the ratios of infill thickness to asperity height(t/a)equal to 0.5 were investigated. Matric suction shows predominantly unimodal behaviour during shearing of both planar and rough joints, which is closely associated with the variation of unloading rate and volumetric changes of the infill material. As expected, two-peak behaviour was observed for the rough joints and both peaks increased with the increase of infill matric suction. The results suggest that the contribution of matric suction of infill on the joint peak normalised shear stress is relatively independent of the joint roughness.展开更多
This investigation was conducted to correlate process variables in shielded metal-arc welding (SMAW) and post weld heat treatment on some mechanical properties of low carbon steel weld. Three hundred and sixty pieces ...This investigation was conducted to correlate process variables in shielded metal-arc welding (SMAW) and post weld heat treatment on some mechanical properties of low carbon steel weld. Three hundred and sixty pieces of weld samples were prepared. The samples were welded together using AWS E6013 electrodes with DC arc welding process. Varying welding currents of 100 A, 120 A, 140 A were used with a terminal voltage of 80 V. The weld samples were prepared for hardness, tensile and impact test. The prepared samples were then subjected to normalising heat treatment operation at temperatures of 590°C, 600°C, 620°C, 640°C, 660°C, 680°C, and 700°C. It was observed that increase in welding current led to an increase in hardness and ultimate tensile strength values of as-weld samples while impact strength de-creases. After post heat treatment operation the hardness and ultimate tensile strengths decreases while impact strength increases. From this outcome we conclude that there is correlation between the welding current and mechanical proper-ties of weld metal on one hand and normalising temperatures and mechanical properties on the other hand. As the cur-rent increases the hardness and strength increases but impact strength reduces, while hardness and strength continuously reduces but impact strength increases as normalising temperatures increases.展开更多
In this paper, using Opooladifferential operator, we introduce new subclasses of univalent functions andprovide δ -Neigbhourhoods properties, Inclusion relations for the subclasses of univalent functions.
Background:This research aimed to elucidate the components of rainfall variation,their influence on the natural vegetation growing season and consequent impacts on the livestock population.Methods:This study evaluates...Background:This research aimed to elucidate the components of rainfall variation,their influence on the natural vegetation growing season and consequent impacts on the livestock population.Methods:This study evaluates the influence of rainfall metrics and drought on vegetation and livestock in Central District,Botswana.It uses Pearson correlation analysis to assess the relationships between rainfall metrics,drought,vegetation and livestock.Trends were analysed using Mann-Kendal and Sen's slope analysis.Results:It was found that rainfall variability and drought frequently occur in Central District,with continuing effects on vegetation and livestock.From 1990 to 2020,the district experienced moderate droughts on cycles of approximately alternating years.Severe drought occurred in 2003,and 2000 was a wet year.No significant trend was observed in rainfall metrics.The normalised difference vegetation index(NDVI),and the number of cattle and goats significantly declined.Annual NDVI shows a significant relationship with the number of rainy days,drought and consecutive wet days;cattle numbers are negatively correlated with consecutive dry days.Seasonal results show that NDVI is highly correlated to the number of rainy days in April-June(AMJ)and October-December,and NDVI is correlated to the standardised precipitation evapotranspiration index(SPEI)during AMJ and July-September.Conclusions:The study findings revealed a seasonal and annual relationship between rainfall metrics,SPEI 12,livestock(goats,sheep and cattle population)and NDVI in the Central District of Botswana.展开更多
Street greening is a popular topic in urban design research.Traditionally,assessments for urban green-ing levels using Normalised Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI)from satellite remote sensing images,often over-lookin...Street greening is a popular topic in urban design research.Traditionally,assessments for urban green-ing levels using Normalised Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI)from satellite remote sensing images,often over-looking street greening from a human-scale perspective.This study combined spatial syntax,machine learning techniques,streetscape images,and remote sensing data to comprehensively assess thoroughly analyse street greening levels in Chengdu’s Fourth Ring Road.Additionally,by integrating accessibility analysis with Green View Index(GVI),this study identified areas that should be prioritised for street greening interventions.The results indi-cate that:(1)Streets in the western and southern regions of Chengdu City’s Fourth Ring Road possessed higher GVI.(2)There is a significant difference in the overall distributions of GVI and NDVI,particularly in the central and eastern regions.(3)Streets with“high commuting and walking accessibility(low GVI)overlapped in the area east of Shuncheng Avenue.The methodology presented in this study can serve as a reference for human-scale street greening in Chengdu and other cities.展开更多
Wetlands play a critical role in water retention and supply in drainage connected regions.The Usangu wetland ecosystem contributes to recharging the Ruaha River,which is hydrologically connected to the wetland,support...Wetlands play a critical role in water retention and supply in drainage connected regions.The Usangu wetland ecosystem contributes to recharging the Ruaha River,which is hydrologically connected to the wetland,supporting both ecolog-ical balance and agricultural activities in the region.This study analyzes Land Surface Temperature(LST)data from Landsat 8 and 9,employing machine learning techniques to explore temporal relationships with multiple variables,in-cluding the NDVI and the SPI.The SPI dataset,derived from NOAA PER-SIANN-CDR satellite images,was analysed from 2000 to 2024 using Google Earth Engine(GEE).The precipitation datasets clustered using the K-Means al-gorithm to identify SPI drought years.Timeseries charts and Seasonal Trend De-composition by LOESS(STL)statistical tests,conducted using CHIRPS data with 0.05˚resolution.Historical CMIP6 model precipitation datasets were bias cor-rected against the CHIRPS reference dataset using linear scaling,which revealed that the raw CMIP6 outputs consistently overestimated precipitation.The cor rected data shows severe dry spells in the wetland region with values frequently below 200 mm/month.The SPI analysis identifies drought years in the water shed,which align with periods of below average precipitation.Linear regression of LST data shows a strong positive correlation between the baseline temperature and predicted data,with a correlation coefficient(r)of 0.79.However,the corre-lation between LST and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Digital Elevation Model(SRTDEM)dataset reveals a negative relationship.This suggests that lower elevations in the wetland experience higher temperatures.LST influences various spectral indices in the wetland.The Water in Wetland(WIW)method detects water pixel through two spectral threshold approaches applied to NIR and SWIR2 bands.NDVI trends from 2019 to 2023,show higher greenness NDVI up to 0.5 in the wetland compared to the surrounding area.These varia-tions are influenced by seasonal harvesting,drought years,and the warming trend.This study is crucial for water management in the Usangu wetland,which serves as a vital source and watershed for the Ruaha River,supporting both eco logical and agricultural sustainability in the region.展开更多
The possibility of a Saudi rapprochement with Israel has been continuously influenced by the the domestic barriers within the Saudi community and the Saudi historical narratives on the regional security perceptions of...The possibility of a Saudi rapprochement with Israel has been continuously influenced by the the domestic barriers within the Saudi community and the Saudi historical narratives on the regional security perceptions of the Saudi decision-makers.After the appointment of Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the Minister of Defense in 2015,King Salman’s government adopted a new discourse in domestic and foreign policy built upon a redefined Saudi identity rhetorically distanced from its Islamic neighbours and moved towards a nationalised tone.The unstable nature of the regional security dynamics forces the kingdom to actively reconstruct new security routines based on the emerging regional security dynamics and repositions the alliances.At this juncture,this research aims at understanding the rationality of the rise and fall of the intensity of Saudi foreign policy towards a normalisation process with Israel within the borders of the redefined Saudi national identity and regional threat perceptions.展开更多
Here,we introduce the normalisations for the marginal index and the Banzhaf–Owen index,respectively.We show that there exists reduced games that could be adopted to characterise these two normalisations.Further,alter...Here,we introduce the normalisations for the marginal index and the Banzhaf–Owen index,respectively.We show that there exists reduced games that could be adopted to characterise these two normalisations.Further,alternative formulations are also proposed by applying excess functions.Based on reduced games and excess functions,we provide different dynamic processes for these two normalisations.展开更多
A mathematical model has been formulated based on the combined continuous and discrete particle method for investigating the sedimentation behaviour of microparticles in aqueous suspensions, by treating the fluid phas...A mathematical model has been formulated based on the combined continuous and discrete particle method for investigating the sedimentation behaviour of microparticles in aqueous suspensions, by treating the fluid phase as continuous and the particles phase as discrete, thus allowing the behaviour of individual particles to be followed and the evolution of the structure of the particle phase to be investigated as a function of time. The model takes into account most of the prevailing forces acting on individual particles including van der Waals attractive, electrostatic repulsive, gravitational, Brownian, depletion, steric, contact and drag forces. A code has also been developed based on the model. This paper reports some preliminary modelling results of mono-dispersed microparticles settling in aqueous suspensions under various conditions. The results show the short time dynamics of the fluid phase, which has a similar order of magnitude to the particle phase. Such short time dynamics could bear significance to processes such as particle aggregation when their size becomes very small. Preliminary analyses of the results have also been carried out on the evolution of particle settling based on a newly proposed parameter, local normalised volume fraction （LNVF）.展开更多
基金support from the following institutional grant.Internal Grant Agency of the Faculty of Economics and Management,Czech University of Life Sciences Prague,grant no.2023A0004(https://iga.pef.czu.cz/,accessed on 6 June 2025).
文摘This study proposes a new component of the composite loss function minimised during training of the Super-Resolution(SR)algorithms—the normalised structural similarity index loss LSSIMN,which has the potential to improve the natural appearance of reconstructed images.Deep learning-based super-resolution(SR)algorithms reconstruct high-resolution images from low-resolution inputs,offering a practical means to enhance image quality without requiring superior imaging hardware,which is particularly important in medical applications where diagnostic accuracy is critical.Although recent SR methods employing convolutional and generative adversarial networks achieve high pixel fidelity,visual artefacts may persist,making the design of the loss function during training essential for ensuring reliable and naturalistic image reconstruction.Our research shows on two models—SR and Invertible Rescaling Neural Network(IRN)—trained on multiple benchmark datasets that the function LSSIMN significantly contributes to the visual quality,preserving the structural fidelity on the reference datasets.The quantitative analysis of results while incorporating LSSIMN shows that including this loss function component has a mean 2.88%impact on the improvement of the final structural similarity of the reconstructed images in the validation set,in comparison to leaving it out and 0.218%in comparison when this component is non-normalised.
基金special issue of Sino-Saudi Relations is a joint project of Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies,Saudi Arabia.
文摘The article examines a window of opportunity that emerged between 1955 and 1957 and which could have resulted in the normalisation of Saudi Arabia’s relations with the People’s Republic of China,along with a few other states from the communist bloc.As the article will show,this possibility emerged as a by-product of the Kingdom’s national security challenges during that juncture,and which in turn contributed towards its embrace of a strategy playing both sides of the Cold War divide against one another.This strategy elicited the desired American response which,hand in hand with changing Saudi assessments of regional threats by late 1956,consolidated the American-Saudi security partnership and foreclosed Sino-Saudi normalisation.While the Kingdom had‘moved on’by 1957,a reading of open Chinese sources from the late 1950s suggests that Beijing continued to harbour the hope that formal relations could be established.
文摘Background:The two images,slightly different,seen by the two eyes allow the brain to build a 3D representation of the world.Monocular signals enter the primary visual cortex through layer 4,where they are segregated and organized in ocular dominance stripes.They are later combined in upper layers.In order to study the integration of the information coming from the two eyes at this mesoscopical scale in V1,we use optical imaging in anaesthetized macaque monkey.Methods:Ocular dominance maps have been obtained with intrinsic optical imaging.Dichoptic interactions have then been studied with voltage-sensitive dye imaging(VSDI)with a frequency-tagging paradigm.Visual stimuli with different contrasts were respectively presented at 6 and 10 Hz to the two eyes,independently or simultaneously with a passive 3D screen.Frequency analysis thus allowed to identify each eye’s contribution to the signal.Results:We observed that V1 population activity generated by one eye stimulation is suppressed when the other eye is stimulated too.This integration of monocular signals at the population level can be accurately modeled with an interocular normalization model.Conclusions:This approach and this model confirm V1 implication in combining the signals coming from the two eyes.The mechanisms underlying this interocular normalization,through local,feedforward,feedback or long-range connections,are still to be determined.
文摘Land surface temperature(LST) is the skin temperature of the earth surface. LST depends on the amount of sunlight received by any geographical area. Apart from sun light, LST is also affected by the land cover, which leads to change in land surface temperature. Impact of land cover change(LCC) on LST has been assessed using Landsat TM5, Landsat 8 TIRS/OLI and Digital Elevation Model(ASTER) for Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India. In the present study, Spiti valley was divided into three altitudinal zones to check the pattern of changing land cover along different altitudes and LST was calculated for all the four land cover categories extracted from remote sensing data for the years of 1990 and 2015. Matrix table was used as a technique to evaluate the land cover change between two different years. Matrix table shows that as a whole, about 2,151,647 ha(30%) area of Spiti valley experienced change in land cover in the last 25 years. The result also shows vegetation and water bodies increased by 107,560.2 ha(605.87%) and 45 ha(0.98%), respectively. Snow cover and barren land decreased by 19,016.5 ha(23.92%) and 88,589(14.14%), during the study period. A significant increase has been noticed in vegetation amongst all land cover types. Minimum, maximum and mean LST for three altitudinal zones have been calculated. The mean LST recorded was 11℃ in 1990 but it rose by 2℃ and reached to 13℃ in 2015. Changes in LST were obtained for each land cover categories. The mean temperature of different land cover types was calculated by averaging value of all pixels of a given land cover types. The mean LST of vegetation, barren land, snow cover and water body increased by 6℃, 9℃, 1℃, and 7℃, respectively. Further, relationships between LST, Normalized Difference Snow Index(NDSI), and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI) were established using Linear Regression.
基金The financial support provided by the China Scholarship Council (Grant No. 201406420027)
文摘Rock joints infilled with sediments can strongly influence the strength of rock mass. As infilled joints often exist under unsaturated condition, this study investigated the influence of matric suction of infill on the overall joint shear strength. A novel technique that allows direct measurement of matric suction of infill using high capacity tensiometers(HCTs) during direct shear of infilled joints under constant normal stiffness(CNS) is described. The CNS apparatus was modified to accommodate the HCT and the procedure is explained in detail. Joint specimens were simulated by gypsum plaster using threedimensional(3D) printed surface moulds, and filled with kaolin and sand mixture prepared at different water contents. Shear behaviours of both planar infilled joints and rough joints having joint roughness coefficients(JRCs) of 8-10 and 18-20 with the ratios of infill thickness to asperity height(t/a)equal to 0.5 were investigated. Matric suction shows predominantly unimodal behaviour during shearing of both planar and rough joints, which is closely associated with the variation of unloading rate and volumetric changes of the infill material. As expected, two-peak behaviour was observed for the rough joints and both peaks increased with the increase of infill matric suction. The results suggest that the contribution of matric suction of infill on the joint peak normalised shear stress is relatively independent of the joint roughness.
文摘This investigation was conducted to correlate process variables in shielded metal-arc welding (SMAW) and post weld heat treatment on some mechanical properties of low carbon steel weld. Three hundred and sixty pieces of weld samples were prepared. The samples were welded together using AWS E6013 electrodes with DC arc welding process. Varying welding currents of 100 A, 120 A, 140 A were used with a terminal voltage of 80 V. The weld samples were prepared for hardness, tensile and impact test. The prepared samples were then subjected to normalising heat treatment operation at temperatures of 590°C, 600°C, 620°C, 640°C, 660°C, 680°C, and 700°C. It was observed that increase in welding current led to an increase in hardness and ultimate tensile strength values of as-weld samples while impact strength de-creases. After post heat treatment operation the hardness and ultimate tensile strengths decreases while impact strength increases. From this outcome we conclude that there is correlation between the welding current and mechanical proper-ties of weld metal on one hand and normalising temperatures and mechanical properties on the other hand. As the cur-rent increases the hardness and strength increases but impact strength reduces, while hardness and strength continuously reduces but impact strength increases as normalising temperatures increases.
文摘In this paper, using Opooladifferential operator, we introduce new subclasses of univalent functions andprovide δ -Neigbhourhoods properties, Inclusion relations for the subclasses of univalent functions.
文摘Background:This research aimed to elucidate the components of rainfall variation,their influence on the natural vegetation growing season and consequent impacts on the livestock population.Methods:This study evaluates the influence of rainfall metrics and drought on vegetation and livestock in Central District,Botswana.It uses Pearson correlation analysis to assess the relationships between rainfall metrics,drought,vegetation and livestock.Trends were analysed using Mann-Kendal and Sen's slope analysis.Results:It was found that rainfall variability and drought frequently occur in Central District,with continuing effects on vegetation and livestock.From 1990 to 2020,the district experienced moderate droughts on cycles of approximately alternating years.Severe drought occurred in 2003,and 2000 was a wet year.No significant trend was observed in rainfall metrics.The normalised difference vegetation index(NDVI),and the number of cattle and goats significantly declined.Annual NDVI shows a significant relationship with the number of rainy days,drought and consecutive wet days;cattle numbers are negatively correlated with consecutive dry days.Seasonal results show that NDVI is highly correlated to the number of rainy days in April-June(AMJ)and October-December,and NDVI is correlated to the standardised precipitation evapotranspiration index(SPEI)during AMJ and July-September.Conclusions:The study findings revealed a seasonal and annual relationship between rainfall metrics,SPEI 12,livestock(goats,sheep and cattle population)and NDVI in the Central District of Botswana.
基金The Philosophy and Social Scienceof Sichuan Province (SCJJ23ND494)The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities-Scientific Innovation Project (XJ2023009801)。
文摘Street greening is a popular topic in urban design research.Traditionally,assessments for urban green-ing levels using Normalised Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI)from satellite remote sensing images,often over-looking street greening from a human-scale perspective.This study combined spatial syntax,machine learning techniques,streetscape images,and remote sensing data to comprehensively assess thoroughly analyse street greening levels in Chengdu’s Fourth Ring Road.Additionally,by integrating accessibility analysis with Green View Index(GVI),this study identified areas that should be prioritised for street greening interventions.The results indi-cate that:(1)Streets in the western and southern regions of Chengdu City’s Fourth Ring Road possessed higher GVI.(2)There is a significant difference in the overall distributions of GVI and NDVI,particularly in the central and eastern regions.(3)Streets with“high commuting and walking accessibility(low GVI)overlapped in the area east of Shuncheng Avenue.The methodology presented in this study can serve as a reference for human-scale street greening in Chengdu and other cities.
文摘Wetlands play a critical role in water retention and supply in drainage connected regions.The Usangu wetland ecosystem contributes to recharging the Ruaha River,which is hydrologically connected to the wetland,supporting both ecolog-ical balance and agricultural activities in the region.This study analyzes Land Surface Temperature(LST)data from Landsat 8 and 9,employing machine learning techniques to explore temporal relationships with multiple variables,in-cluding the NDVI and the SPI.The SPI dataset,derived from NOAA PER-SIANN-CDR satellite images,was analysed from 2000 to 2024 using Google Earth Engine(GEE).The precipitation datasets clustered using the K-Means al-gorithm to identify SPI drought years.Timeseries charts and Seasonal Trend De-composition by LOESS(STL)statistical tests,conducted using CHIRPS data with 0.05˚resolution.Historical CMIP6 model precipitation datasets were bias cor-rected against the CHIRPS reference dataset using linear scaling,which revealed that the raw CMIP6 outputs consistently overestimated precipitation.The cor rected data shows severe dry spells in the wetland region with values frequently below 200 mm/month.The SPI analysis identifies drought years in the water shed,which align with periods of below average precipitation.Linear regression of LST data shows a strong positive correlation between the baseline temperature and predicted data,with a correlation coefficient(r)of 0.79.However,the corre-lation between LST and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Digital Elevation Model(SRTDEM)dataset reveals a negative relationship.This suggests that lower elevations in the wetland experience higher temperatures.LST influences various spectral indices in the wetland.The Water in Wetland(WIW)method detects water pixel through two spectral threshold approaches applied to NIR and SWIR2 bands.NDVI trends from 2019 to 2023,show higher greenness NDVI up to 0.5 in the wetland compared to the surrounding area.These varia-tions are influenced by seasonal harvesting,drought years,and the warming trend.This study is crucial for water management in the Usangu wetland,which serves as a vital source and watershed for the Ruaha River,supporting both eco logical and agricultural sustainability in the region.
文摘The possibility of a Saudi rapprochement with Israel has been continuously influenced by the the domestic barriers within the Saudi community and the Saudi historical narratives on the regional security perceptions of the Saudi decision-makers.After the appointment of Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the Minister of Defense in 2015,King Salman’s government adopted a new discourse in domestic and foreign policy built upon a redefined Saudi identity rhetorically distanced from its Islamic neighbours and moved towards a nationalised tone.The unstable nature of the regional security dynamics forces the kingdom to actively reconstruct new security routines based on the emerging regional security dynamics and repositions the alliances.At this juncture,this research aims at understanding the rationality of the rise and fall of the intensity of Saudi foreign policy towards a normalisation process with Israel within the borders of the redefined Saudi national identity and regional threat perceptions.
文摘Here,we introduce the normalisations for the marginal index and the Banzhaf–Owen index,respectively.We show that there exists reduced games that could be adopted to characterise these two normalisations.Further,alternative formulations are also proposed by applying excess functions.Based on reduced games and excess functions,we provide different dynamic processes for these two normalisations.
文摘A mathematical model has been formulated based on the combined continuous and discrete particle method for investigating the sedimentation behaviour of microparticles in aqueous suspensions, by treating the fluid phase as continuous and the particles phase as discrete, thus allowing the behaviour of individual particles to be followed and the evolution of the structure of the particle phase to be investigated as a function of time. The model takes into account most of the prevailing forces acting on individual particles including van der Waals attractive, electrostatic repulsive, gravitational, Brownian, depletion, steric, contact and drag forces. A code has also been developed based on the model. This paper reports some preliminary modelling results of mono-dispersed microparticles settling in aqueous suspensions under various conditions. The results show the short time dynamics of the fluid phase, which has a similar order of magnitude to the particle phase. Such short time dynamics could bear significance to processes such as particle aggregation when their size becomes very small. Preliminary analyses of the results have also been carried out on the evolution of particle settling based on a newly proposed parameter, local normalised volume fraction （LNVF）.
