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Grabens, or valleys formed during extensional tectonic events, are common but rarely observed during formation. In November 2023, inelastic surface deformation formed abruptly along Iceland's plate boundary in Grindavík. We documented graben formation in real‐time through satellite mapping (InSAR), seismicity, GNSS data, repeated lidar surveys, and field mapping. Five normal faults and ∼12 fissures ruptured the surface delineating two grabens separated by a horst, a context not present in other contemporary case studies. The graben normal faults slipped rapidly (over hours) and maximum surface motions coincided with the occurrence of turbulent seismic swarms in both space and time. Although 3 eruptions took place ∼15 km northeast of Grindavík from 2021 to 2023, attributed to magma intrusions (i.e., dikes), none of these also formed grabens. Thus, the Grindavík grabens shows evidence for tectonic origins. Real‐time monitoring of these phenomena provide insight into graben formation on Earth and potentially on other planets. Plain Language Summary: Valleys known as grabens, typically caused by extensional tectonic events, are a common geological feature, yet their formation is rarely observed. In November 2023, such two grabens suddenly emerged along the boundary between tectonic plates in the town of Grindavík, Iceland. The grabens were shaped by tectonic activity expressed by a swarm of earthquakes and associated ground deformation and resulted in normal faults rupturing the surface and cutting through houses, linear infrastructure including water pipelines and roads within Grindavík. We document the grabens and horst in real time using satellite mapping (InSAR), geodetic GPS data, repeated drone surveys, field mapping, and seismic recordings from a local seismic network. The combination of these data provide unprecedented level of precision in characterizing surface and sub‐surface deformations, especially when maximum surface motions correlate with a turbulent seismic activity in both space and time. Critically, following the formation of the grabens, a series of intensive through short‐lived eruptions happened in December 2023, January 2024, February 2024, March, and May 2024 within the northernmost portion of the grabens. Our observations provide valuable insights into the natural laboratory of Iceland and contribute to the understanding of plate tectonics both on Earth and other planets. Key Points: The 2023 seismic swarm and extension lead to a graben forming that coincides in time and space along Iceland's plate boundaryDuring 2021 to December 2023 only one tectonic graben formed, although 4 eruptions have taken placeThe graben in Grindavík, Iceland is wider at the surface than most recently documented grabens (∼4,500 m vs. <1,000 m) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reduce the power of methane explosion in natural gas pipelines and effectively improve the explosion suppression efficiency of a single explosion suppressant, we carry out the explosion suppression of HFC‐227ea/carbon dioxide mixed gas as well as mixed gas/ultrafine water mist through a self‐built methane explosion suppression experimental platform. Based on the changes in parameters such as explosion overpressure, flame propagation velocity, and flame propagation structure, the coupling mechanism of methane explosion suppression between mixed gases and between mixed gases and ultrafine water mist is revealed, which provides scientific support for promoting the development of methane explosion suppression technology. The experimental results show that when the mixed gas HFC‐227ea/carbon dioxide and ultrafine water mist synergistically suppresses methane explosion, the addition of the mixed gas can effectively improve the suppression effect of ultrafine water mist on methane explosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buried PVC water pipeline is prone to deformation due to the influence of unfavorable factors such as external load and soil collapse. Once the deformation exceeds the critical threshold, serious consequences such as leakage and pipeline burst may occur. In response to the crucial issue of monitoring PVC pipeline deformation, the feasibility of utilizing FBG (fiber Bragg grating) sensing technology to monitor the deformation of acrylate polymer blended with poly resin (ABR) pipe subjected to external pressure and soil collapse is explored in this study. To assess the monitoring performance of FBG on the ABR pipe's surface, an analysis method for package failure and pasted failure of FBG is introduced, along with the calculation formula for strain attenuation based on the Goodman model and the method for calculating the minimum adhesion length. A total of 20 ABR pipes with two cross‐sectional forms and different calibers are arranged with external pressure tests or soil collapse tests in this investigation. In the two tests, the circumferential strain measured by FBG is used to analyze the deformation of the ABR pipe and the bending strength. To validate the precision of FBG, a comparison between the strain curve measured by the strain gauge and that measured by the FBG sensors is conducted. The results of the two tests indicate that the deformation of the ABR pipe can be well monitored and the method can be applied to the field applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural gas pipelines are exposed to complex production and transportation environments, leading to blockages of varying compositions and forms due to various factors. This paper proposes a pressure pulsing wave‐based pipe blockage detection method, and a series of pipeline blockage detection experiments of different materials are carried out, including hydrate blockage, ice blockage, paraffin blockage, and water blockage. Through the blockage detection calculation theory and the reflection and transmission characteristics during pressure wave emission, the blockage position, length, and section blockage rate under different blockage materials are obtained, and the influence of different blockage materials on the reflection and transmission signal characteristics of the pressure pulse wave is analyzed. The results show that the solid blocking material does not noticeably impact the reflectivity and reflective properties of pressure waves, and different cross‐sectional shapes have a noticeable impact on the reflectivity of the pressure wave. The reflected wave waveform of the liquid blockage material is visible but irregular. The average error of blockage location is 0.78%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Timely and accurate detection of water pipe leakage is critical to preventing the loss of freshwater and predicting potential hazards induced by the change in underground water conditions, thereby developing mitigation strategies to improve the resilience of pipeline infrastructure. Ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) has been widely applied to investigating ground conditions and detecting pipe leakage. However, due to uncertainties of complex underground environments and time‐lapse change, a proper interpretation of GPR data has been a challenging task. This paper aims to leverage hydromechanical (HM) modelling to predict electromagnetic (EM) responses of water leakage detection in diverse leakage cases. A high‐fidelity 3D digital model of an actual pipeline network, hosting pipes with various sizes and materials, was reconstructed to represent the complex geometry and various mediums. The interoperability between the digital model and the numerical models utilized in HM and EM simulations was improved to better capture the irregular pipelines. Based on Kriging interpolation and the volumetric complex refractive index model, a linking technique was employed to replicate material heterogeneity caused by water intrusion. Thus, a framework was developed to accommodate the interoperability among digital modelling, HM modelling and finite‐difference time‐domain forward modelling. Moreover, sensitivity studies were conducted to evaluate the influences of different time stages, leak positions and pipe types on GPR responses. In GPR B‐scans, the presence of hyperbolic motion and horizontal reflections serve as indicators to estimate the location and scale of water leakage. Specifically, a downward‐shifting hyperbola indicates that the pipeline is submerged by leaked water, whereas the emergence of horizontal reflection is linked to the wetting front of saturated areas. The developed framework can be expanded for complicated applications, such as unknown locations and unforeseen failure modes of pipelines. It will increase the efficiency and accuracy of traditional interpretations of GPR‐based water leakage detection and thus enable automated interpretations by data‐driven methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Water T1 of the liver has been shown to be promising in discriminating the progressive forms of fatty liver diseases, inflammation, and fibrosis, yet proper correction for iron and lipid is required. Purpose: To examine the feasibility of an empirical approach for iron and lipid correction when measuring imaging‐based T1 and to validate this approach by spectroscopy on in vivo data. Study Type: Retrospective. Population: Next to mixed lipid‐iron phantoms, individuals with different hepatic lipid content were investigated, including people with type 1 diabetes (N = 15, %female = 15.6, age = 43.5 ± 14.0), or type 2 diabetes mellitus (N = 21, %female = 28.9, age = 59.8 ± 9.7) and healthy volunteers (N = 9, %female = 11.1, age = 58.0 ± 8.1). Field Strength/Sequences: 3 T, balanced steady‐state free precession MOdified Look‐Locker Inversion recovery (MOLLI), multi‐ and dual‐echo gradient echo Dixon, gradient echo magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). Assessment: T1 values were measured in phantoms to determine the respective correction factors. The correction was tested in vivo and validated by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H‐MRS). The quantification of liver T1 based on automatic segmentation was compared to the T1 values based on manual segmentation. The association of T1 with MRE‐derived liver stiffness was evaluated. Statistical Tests: Bland–Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used for MOLLI vs. 1H‐MRS agreement and to compare liver T1 values from automatic vs. manual segmentation. Pearson's r correlation coefficients for T1 with hepatic lipids and liver stiffness were determined. A P‐value of 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: MOLLI T1 values after correction were found in better agreement with the 1H‐MRS‐derived water T1 (ICC = 0.60 [0.37; 0.76]) in comparison with the uncorrected T1 values (ICC = 0.18 [−0.09; 0.44]). Automatic quantification yielded similar liver T1 values (ICC = 0.9995 [0.9991; 0.9997]) as with manual segmentation. A significant correlation of T1 with liver stiffness (r = 0.43 [0.11; 0.67]) was found. A marked and significant reduction in the correlation strength of T1 with liver stiffness (r = 0.05 [−0.28; 0.38], P = 0.77) was found after correction for hepatic lipid content. Data Conclusion: Imaging‐based correction factors enable accurate estimation of water T1 in vivo. Level of Evidence: 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the challenges faced by the water industry in managing underground pipe networks and minimizing leaks. It highlights the prevalence of aging infrastructure and the high number of water main breaks in the United States. The article emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing nonsurfacing leaks, which are more numerous than surfacing leaks and can go undetected for long periods of time. It suggests that proactive leak detection in areas of leak clusters can be more effective in reducing water loss than addressing background leaks. The article also mentions the factors that contribute to the development of leaks, such as moisture in the backfill material and soil resistivity. Overall, the article provides insights into the significance of leak reduction in water management and the potential benefits of implementing effective leak detection strategies. [Extracted from the article]

In recent years, metal alloys used for drinking water distribution are gradually being replaced by PVC and HDPE pipes. In areas of distribution networks made of plastic, consumer complaints related to a significant deterioration of organoleptic parameters of water are frequently recorded. The decline in water quality is most likely the result of chemical and biological processes occurring on the inner walls of the transmission pipes coexisting with the disappearance of disinfectant residues. Plastic pipes are also characterized by high failure rates associated with aging of polymeric materials under operating conditions. Published reports indicate disturbing phenomena occurring in plastic pipes: oxidative aging of polymers, degradation of antioxidant coatings, release of organic compounds to water as well as surface damage and scaling, generating microplastic particles. PE and PVC networks are also susceptible to biofilm formation, characterized by a high phylogenetic diversity of microorganisms. Studies presented in the literature, indicating the risks resulting from the exploitation of PE and PVC pipes, are mainly based on model tests. There is a lack of works, which would complementarily explain all the phenomena occurring in working water pipes made of plastics. The aim of this review is to present the current state of knowledge regarding the phenomena and processes that can occur in PE and PVC pipes in service and their relevance to the safety and quality of drinking water in distribution networks, as well as to identify areas that require further analysis to enable water producers to deliver an appropriately high-quality product to consumers. This article is categorized under: Engineering Water > Water, Health, and Sanitation Science of Water > Water Quality Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling is a powerful tool for rapidly characterizing biodiversity patterns for specious, cryptic taxa with incomplete taxonomies. One such group that are also of high conservation concern are North American freshwater gastropods. In particular, springsnails of the genus Pyrgulopsis (Family: Hydrobiidae) are prevalent throughout the western United States where >140 species have been described. Many of the described species are narrow endemics known from a single spring or locality, and it is believed that there are likely many additional species which have yet to be described. The distribution of these species across the landscape is of interest because habitat loss and degradation, climate change, groundwater mining, and pollution have resulted in springsnail imperilment rates as high as 92%. Determining distributions with conventional sampling methods is limited by the fact that these snails are often <5 mm in length with few distinguishing morphological characters, making them both difficult to detect and to identify. We developed an eDNA metabarcoding protocol that is both inexpensive and capable of rapid, accurate detection of all known Pyrgulopsis species. When compared with conventional collection techniques, our pipeline consistently resulted in detection at sites previously known to contain Pyrgulopsis springsnails and at a cost per site that is likely to be substantially less than the conventional sampling and individual barcoding that has been done historically. Additionally, because our method uses eDNA extracted from filtered water, it is non‐destructive and suitable for the detection of endangered species where "no take" restrictions may be in effect. This effort represents both a tool which is immediately applicable to taxa of high conservation concern across western North America and a case study in the broader application of eDNA sampling for landscape assessments of cryptic taxa of conservation concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial communities living in different environments can affect the transformation of nitrogen and phosphorus in sewage pipes. Two different environments were simulated to investigate the differences in the transformation of nitrogen and phosphorus under different microbial communities in the pipe. Results showed that the concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus changed greatly in the first 25–33 days and the first 21 days, respectively, and then remained stable. The decrease in amino acid nitrogen (AAN) concentration and the increase in ammonia nitrogen (NH4+‐N) concentration in the sediments were evident in the contrast group. The concentrations of total phosphorus (TP), dissolved total phosphorus (DTP), and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) in the overlying water and interstitial water decreased, and that of TP in the sediment increased. Some microorganisms in the sediments of both groups are related to the transformation of nitrogen and phosphorus, such as Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Sporacetigenium, Norank_f__Anaerolineaceae, Norank_f__norank_o__PeM15, and Caldisericum. The relative abundance of these microorganisms was remarkably differed between the two groups, which partly caused the difference in nitrogen and phosphorus transformation among overlying water, interstitial water, and sediment in the two environments. Practitioner Points: The concentration of N and P changed greatly in the first 20–30 days.AAN and NH4+‐N in sediments had greater concentration variation in contrast group.In two groups, TP, DTP, and DRP of water decreased, and TP of sediment increased.Microbe related to the transformation of N and P differed between the two groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we present a comprehensive holography‐based system designed for detecting microparticles through microscopic holographic projections of water samples. This system is designed for researchers who may be unfamiliar with holographic technology but are engaged in microparticle research, particularly in the field of water analysis. Additionally, our innovative system can be deployed for environmental monitoring as a component of an autonomous sailboat robot. Our system's primary application is for large‐scale classification of diverse microplastics that are prevalent in water bodies worldwide. This paper provides a step‐by‐step guide for constructing our system and outlines its entire processing pipeline, including hologram acquisition for image reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the transformation law of nitrogen in sediment–water system under different flow rates and wastewater concentrations were investigated in a simulated sewage pipeline system. Results showed that the different flow rates and wastewater concentrations in the pipeline caused differences in microbial community in sediments and nitrogen transformation. When the flow rate increased from 0.05 to 0.2 m/s, the scouring effect was enhanced, resulting in higher concentrations of NH4+–N and NO3−–N in the overlying water. At 0.2 m/s, the relative abundance of Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 in sediments was higher, resulting in a greater conversion of amino acid nitrogen (AAN) to NH4+–N. Meanwhile, many denitrifying bacteria (Trichococcus, Dechloromonas, norank_f__norank_o__Gaiellales, Thiobacillus) had high relative abundance in the sediments, and the denitrification process was common. When the wastewater concentration was high, the nitrification reaction was great in overlying and interstitial water. Moreover, the ammoniation process was great in the sediments, and the variation flux of AAN was large (remarkably reduced). Practitioner Points: AAN transformed to NH4+–N in sediment under different flow rate and concentration.Scouring was enhanced at 0.2 m/s, increasing nitrogen contents in overlying water.Difference in microbial community led to more AAN conversion to NH4+–N at 0.2 m/s.The ammoniation process was greater in sediment at a high concentration of sewage.NH4+–N migrated from overlying water to sediment at a high concentration of sewage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corrosion behavior of C20 pipeline steel was studied under Fe oxide and sand deposits in oilfield produced water containing sulfate‐reducing bacteria (SRB) via electrochemical techniques and surface analyses. A galvanic current of about 2 μAcm−2 was detected when the Fe oxide deposited sample and the bare steel were coupled in zero resistance ammeter (ZRA) mode, with the former being the anodic member of the couple. The Fe oxide deposited steel recorded severe localized corrosion after 14 days of testing in the SRB inoculated oilfield produced water. Corrosion severity decreased on the sand‐deposited steel, with general corrosion as the dominant morphology of surface attack. The development of product film was a vital factor in steel corrosion under the Fe oxide deposit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimation of water pollutant loads is of crucial importance as it decides data inputs for both subsequent water quality models and watershed pollutant mitigation strategy. However, the generation of water pollutant loads at high resolution and the life‐cycle pathway of them from sources, through pipelines and wastewater treatment plants, finally to recipient water bodies remain unclear. This study aims to establish a process‐based Water Pollutant Loads Tracking model and applies it to a rapidly urbanizing watershed in Taihu Lake Basin, China at the resolution of 5 m × 5 m in 2017, whose terrain is flat, slowly lowing from west to east. Results show that, of 261.55 tons of the total phosphorus (TP) generation, 71.28% is collected, and 64.32% is treated, with only 26.46% discharged to the water bodies and 1.25% to the target ones. The spatial hotspots of TP generation are mainly concentrated in residential and industrial areas. Direct discharges from point sources and nonpoint runoffs, especially in rainy seasons, are recognized as the main challenges for local water pollution control. The main innovation of this study is to quantify the generation of water pollutant loads at high resolution and to trace the subsequent pathway to collection and discharge, and then to identify the potential substantial gap between generation and discharge, demonstrating the efficacy and broader applicability of this model. Key Points: A process‐based mass balance model is developed to quantify the generation pattern of water pollutant loads at high resolutionThe model is a reliable tool for tracing water pollutants from sources to recipient water bodies without any topographic limitationSubstantial positive gap between generation and discharge indicates the effectiveness of local pollution control measures [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the rapid development of today's industry, it not only greatly accelerates the consumption of energy, but also causes serious pollution to the environment. Therefore, reducing energy waste and recovering energy has become an important research direction today. This paper introduces the future development trend of renewable energy, discusses the progress of recovery of nonpolluting energy such as marine, bioenergy and thermal energy, and analyzes the efficiency and social benefits of various types of energy recovery. Energy recovery methods for natural gas pipelines are briefly analyzed, and current research advances in energy pressure recovery devices are provided, leading to a summary of methods to improve the efficiency of fluid energy recovery. Finally, it is concluded that although the current energy sources are diversified, the most valued energy sources at present and in the future should be solar energy and ocean, which are infinitely recyclable. This paper will benefit researchers to further understand and study the various aspects of energy recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective water pipeline leak detection and localization can help water practitioners save water losses and reduce pipe rehabilitation budgets. Different sensing technologies can provide essential data aiding model development for predicting future leaks in the water distribution networks. Solutions for applying different sensing technologies to real water distribution networks are being developed for real‐time data collection, precise leak localization, reducing false alarms, and continuous pipeline monitoring. Experiments of different scales and specifications have been conducted to test the application and effectiveness of sensing technologies for leak diagnosis in water pipelines. Quality data collection is especially crucial for the successful implementation of these experiments. However, practitioners need help designing effective leak detection and localization experiments, wasting time, and resources. There needs to be a greater understanding of the design parameters for more accurate testing, such as sensor selection, sensor placement, ambient noise sources, and system operations. The current study, therefore, delineates design parameters for design leak diagnosis experiments for lab, testbed, and real networks. For application in real water networks, expert opinion is used to help identify the benefits and limitations and the implementation issues of available sensing technologies. An example experiment design using multi‐sensing technologies for smart leak diagnostics in Hong Kong is also presented. The study can guide water practitioners and researchers to design a multi‐sensing leak diagnostic experiments enabling a smart and sustainable utility management. This article is categorized under:Engineering Water > MethodsEngineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of WaterScience of Water > Water Extremes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A proactive condition assessment was conducted to ensure the long‐term integrity and viability of a critical raw water pipeline, preventing a potential failure and loss of service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within developing countries, a multitude of problems that affect the water supply process can result in the contamination of water taps. While machine learning applications have become popular for attaining efficient water quality predictions, acquiring the necessary data for modelling for developing countries is challenging. This study constructs water quality prediction models by machine learning with a pseudo‐pipeline network to complement the missing data of the water supply process. Using both water source and water tap quality information measured by the Government of Nepal, we apply the three machine learning models: support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF) and LightGBM. Furthermore, we also apply a traditional statistical method—logistic regression (LR)—to the prediction of the Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination in water taps. With some input variables (such as the length from the nearest sources) obtained from the pseudo‐pipeline network, the results show that SVM has stable and high accuracy for both the 26 cities (70%) and for the 25 cities except for Kathmandu (79%). LR performed a significantly lower accuracy for all cities (61%) than for 25 cities (79%). Additionally, we show that our method can be applied to other regions where a water quality survey has not yet been conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an estimation of the self‐purification capacity of rivers flowing through an area of the Ob River basin at Khanty‐Mansi Autonomous Okrug‐Yugra, which has been significantly transformed by the oil and gas industry. The research was done on the rivers of the Ob River basin in oil fields in 2003–2006 and 2018–2019. The coefficient of mineralization of organic matter has been used as a criterion of the rivers' water self‐purification levels. The mineralization coefficient was based on the ratio of numbers of bacteria consuming ammonium nitrogen and polymer substances as well as saprophytic heterotrophic bacteria. According to the results obtained, most rivers draining the oil field area (75% in 2003–2006 and 79% in 2018–2019) were characterized by a low potential for self‐purification. The highest level of self‐purification criteria was obtained for two rivers: the Ai‐Pim River in the Surgut region and the Ovyn'yegan River in the Oktyabrsky region. The high level of self‐purification detected with the coeficient of mineralization ensures the maintenance of a certain trophical level and environmental balance of the aquatic ecosystem. Complicated technological processes applied in the oil and gas industry, as well as outdated equipment and poor environmental management, often lead to pipeline accidents and other infrastructure failures. Hazardous pollutants flow into rivers from the watershed area and further into the Gulf of Ob of the Kara Sea. Continuous monitoring of water quality and water resource management based on the results obtained will constitute serious measures to prevent deterioration of aquatic ecosystems. It is necessary to include microbiological parameters in monitoring programs, as this helps to identify the processes of transformation of chemicals found in the river. The use of self‐purification assessment methodology for rivers in oil field areas yields effective results in the decision‐making process in the sphere of water resource management, significantly reducing ecological risks in the Ob River basin and, as a consequence, in the Arctic region. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:988–993. © 2022 SETAC Key Points: Most of the rivers draining oil field areas were characterized by low potential for self‐purification in both periods of the research caused by disturbances in the structure of microbial community, which led to accumulation in water bodies of hard‐to‐mineralize products of organic matter destruction.The sufficient level of self‐purification criteria was obtained in 23% of rivers, indicating a significant content of semidecomposed organic substances involved in the ammonification process, and ensuring the maintenance of a trophical level and environmental balance of the aquatic ecosystem.As regards spatial distribution, an increase in mineralization coefficients downstream has been detected; no statistically significant differences in the average values of mineralization coefficients obtained in different periods of the study were found.The inclusion of a self‐purification assessment method for rivers in the monitoring program demonstrates effective results in the sphere of water resource management, as it helps to reveal the rivers' polluted sections and provide an overview of the potential ability of water bodies for self‐purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a liquid‐metal‐based triboelectric nanogenerator (LM‐TENG) is proposed for harvesting energy from flowing water and self‐powered flow sensor applications. The proposed LM‐TENG mainly consists of a Galinstan working electrode that is encapsulated in a polydimethylsiloxane friction layer. The triboelectric performance of the LM‐TENG is optimized as a function of flow rate and frictional layer thickness. The output performance of the optimized LM‐TENG (6.2 V and 3.6 µA) is superior to that of the copper‐electrode‐based TENG (C‐TENG, 2.4 V and 0.8 µA) at the flow rate of 2.5 L min−1. This is because the stretchability of the optimized LM‐TENG is three times higher than that of the C‐TENG, which increases the contact area and enhances the output performance. The optimized LM‐TENG is successfully demonstrated as a self‐powered flow sensor for remote monitoring of water flow in pipelines. In addition, the LM‐TENG is a capable of powering more than 30 LEDs and directly powering low‐power electronics (LCDs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green synthesis and metal oxide composites have attracted much attention from researchers of industry and academia. As a typical application of green synthesis and metal oxide composites, the continuous change of industrial technology and the continuous improvement of the social and economic level, the demand for oil and gas are also increasing. However, the spatial gap between the place of origin and the place of demand for oil and gas resources is large, so the long-distance oil and gas pipeline came into being. However, under the action of time, coupled with the corrosion effect of the soil due to deep burial, some pipelines have serious aging and corrosion phenomena. Therefore, in order to give corresponding guarantees for economic development, we need to conduct in-depth research and analysis of the corrosion of oil and gas long-distance pipelines and give effective solutions. In this paper, the corrosion rate prediction of buried oil and gas pipelines is studied in Changqing gas field. By improving the inertial weights and learning factors of the traditional particle swarm algorithm, the parameters of the generalized regression neural network are optimized and selected, and the corrosion rate prediction model of buried pipelines is finally constructed. Comparative analysis with other swarm intelligence algorithms shows that the improved particle swarm algorithm has stronger convergence ability and higher prediction accuracy than the BP model and SVM model. In addition, based on the detection data collected at the site of the gathering and transportation pipeline in Changqing gas field, this paper uses the extreme value distribution theory and the local corrosion progress formula to establish a prediction model for the residual life of corrosion of buried pipelines. The model established in this paper can effectively determine the risk pipe segment of buried pipeline and provide a decision-making basis for pipeline management departments. The work provides an important application guidance to green synthesis and metal oxide composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Failures of water distribution networks (WDNs) are rising at an exponential rate, necessitating immediate attention. An effective way to reduce the failure rate is to develop accurate predictive models for the failure probability of water pipes, which are the most critical assets of WDNs. Despite the fact that researchers have invested efforts to develop various predictive models, the extant literature lacks a complete state‐of‐the‐art review. To fill this gap, this study employs a mixed approach (i.e., quantitative and qualitative) by providing (a) a bibliometric analysis of existing scholarly literature, (b) a systematic review of the techniques used in modeling the failure probability of water pipes, including physical, statistical, and machine‐learning (ML)‐based models, and (c) identified gaps and future research directions. The bibliometric analysis shows that ML‐based models are emerging and, hence understudied as compared to the physical and statistical‐based models. Regarding the systematic review, a proper understanding of the development of each model has been provided in addition to their advantages and critiques. Furthermore, failure probability integration methods are discussed. Findings reveal that the social and operation‐related predictors have been understudied, thereby suggesting their further exploration. This study adds to the existing body of knowledge by providing water utilities and academics with a comprehensive understanding of the probability of water pipe failure, which will be useful in the decision‐making process and network management. Plain Language Summary: This study is motivated by the lack of a comprehensive review of existing models in predicting the failure probability of water pipes. In order to fill this gap, this study conducts a bibliometric and systematic review by critically analyzing the physical, statistical, and machine learning‐based models in the literature. A frequency analysis of the factors used in the development of the models was conducted, to determine the most influential factors. This research provides a complete reference for water utilities and academics on the prediction of water pipe failure, which would be useful in the decision‐making process. Key Points: The state‐of‐the‐art of failure modeling of water pipes is demonstratedA conceptual framework for decision‐making process in water utility management is presentedKey future directions for achieving more sustainable water distribution networks are discussed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the onset of social life, humans have considered waste disposal as essential, and they have been able to repel it through brick and clay channels. Checking sewage pipes for energy consumption and a longer lifetime than other sewage system components is important. Climate change and exploitation of industrial resources have made environmental impacts, which are important factors in decision making. The purpose of this study was to introduce the most suitable type of sewage pipe considering environmental protection. Therefore, we applied the environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) method, using Sima Pro 8.2.3 software for the one‐kilometer length of concrete pipes (300 mm in diameter), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyethylene (PE) (315 mm in diameter). Also, the BEES method and sensitivity analysis were used to validate the results. The comparison between three types of municipal wastewater pipes indicated that PE pipes are a more environmentally friendly option than PVC, and concrete pipes in pipe recycling, reducing extraction from untapped resources, and inefficient extraction of resources. Electricity, diesel fuel, and sulfate resistance cement consumption for concrete production are the most pollution elements in the LCA of concrete pipes. Usage of PVC granular, sanitary landfill of PVC pipes, and using hydraulic drill in LCA of PVC pipes are the most elements of generating pollution. The usage of PE granules, PE pipes landfilling, hydraulic excavator, and electricity consumption in the LCA of the PE pipes are the greatest polluting parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drinking water scarcity is becoming an urgent problem worldwide, and it affects developing and developed countries alike. Kazakhstan is not an exception and has its primary sources of drinking water (groundwater, rivers, and lakes) continuously depleted and polluted; moreover, the country will be close to its exploitation limits within the following decades. However, modern technologies allow us to harvest drinking water from unintegrated sources, like the atmosphere. Therefore, it is crucial to research which non‐conventional technologies can be used to obtain drinking water from unintegrated sources for the country, considering the cost, viability of use through the year, and local climate conditions. Thus, the present assessment was performed for the 14 demographic regions in Kazakhstan and two city‐states, and a map depicting the most feasible technology for each region is presented, including their levelized cost per liter. Seven mature technologies were found to be feasible in Kazakhstani year‐round climates. However, Air AW3 technology and Artificial Glaciers (AG) were the most cost‐effective for family‐size and village‐size solutions, respectively. The water provided via utility pipelines proved to be the most cost‐effective manner, when available, to supply drinking water at a family‐size scale, but found a less expensive competitor in the AG technology for village‐size solutions. Moreover, the lack of utility water pipelines in some Kazakhstani regions, principally countryside rural areas, makes it vital to deploy and implement these alternative water‐harvesting technologies to guarantee the future water security of these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of chloride threshold (CT = [Cl−]/[SO42−]) on the pitting behaviors of 316LN in the sour water was studied by using electrochemical tests. The result shows that the pitting resistance of 316LN decreases with the increase in CT and temperature. The critical chloride threshold (CCT) decreases from 3 at 40°C to 1.5 at 70°C and then remains unchanged when further increases the temperature. The EIS experiment manifests that the protectiveness of the passive film reduces with the increase of CT, and the variation of the charge transfer resistance (Rct) is in keeping with the pitting potential (Epit). Increasing the CT or raising the temperature from 40°C to 80°C enhances the donor (point defect) density, resulting in a thinning of the protective film. Methods to raise the value of the CCT, that is, to improve the chlorine corrosion resistance of the pipelines were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to examine the problem of the abandoned mine water and harmful gas downflow from the overlying Jurassic of Tongxin coal mine in the Datong mine area, China. A theoretical analysis, physically similar simulation, and field measurement were used. A fracture aperture mechanical model based on key stratum fracture was used to analyze the main influencing factors of high key stratum fracture and rotation. We also compared the fracture characteristics, displacement changes, and fracture development of the high‐key stratum. The results showed that: (1) the main influencing factors affecting the fracture characteristics of high key stratum are the thickness of coal seam mining, the thickness of high key stratum, and the distance between high key stratum and 3–5# coal seam. (2) When both 8309 and 8207 working faces reached critical mining, the high key stratum was fractured and the mining‐induced fracture was developed to the 14# coal seam goaf, which coincided with the field tracer gas measurement results of the 8309 working face, indicating that when the distance between 3 and 5# coal seam and the overlying 14# coal seam goaf is less than 220.9 m, 8309 and 8207 working faces will form the channel for water and gas inrush. (3) The fracture length of the high key stratum above the working face of 8207 is smaller than that of 8309, and the pipeline of water and gas transport channel formed after the critical mining of its working face is larger and wider, which makes it more prone to the disaster of water and gas inrush. Before mining the extra‐thick coal seam, it is necessary to detect and pump the water and gas in the 14# coal seam goaf, so as to avoid the water and gas inrush hazard during the coal seam mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An epoxy treatment was applied to a pipeline used to convey advanced treated recycled water from a purification facility to a recharge site. The epoxy treatment was applied to prevent further deterioration (corrosion) of the interior cement mortar lining (CML). A soil column study was conducted to evaluate the effect of the epoxy liner on the clogging potential of water before and after conveyance. The clogging potential was represented by differences in the column's relative hydraulic conductivity and water quality, between the treatment plant and injection site, before and after epoxy lining. Hydraulic conductivity of columns at the injection well site declined rapidly before epoxy and improved considerably after epoxy application. Total suspended solids (TSS) and cellular adenosine triphosphate (cATP) median concentrations improved significantly. Before epoxy, TSS increased with pipeline transit from 0.005 to 0.053 (mg/L) compared with 0.009 mg/L after epoxy. Before epoxy, cATP increased from 0.14 to 1.6 pg/ml across pipeline transit compared with 0.37 pg/ml after epoxy. Aluminum and nitrate followed similar trends. Results indicate that epoxy liner reduced the clogging potential of high purity recycled water, likely due to a decrease in particle and biomass load (clogging constituents) accumulated during pipeline transit. Practitioner Points: Clogging potential of advanced treated recycled water increases with pipeline transit.Epoxy lining the pipeline used for conveyance reduces the particulate and microbial loading of the highly purified water.Applying epoxy to pipelines used to convey advanced treated recycled water has the dual benefit of infrastructure protection and improving water quality.Reducing particle and microbial load in the advanced treated recycled water can reduce maintenance frequencies and elongate production periods for MAR applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Takeaways: K‐water manages South Korea's multiregional water pipelines, some of which are showing signs of wear. To best direct its efforts for preventing future failures, K‐water decided to focus on the health of its large‐diameter pipes. Reliable tools to conduct pipeline inspections were essential, so a team developed and tested three technologies that produced improved results overall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The common‐pool nature of groundwater resources creates incentives to over pump that contribute to their rapid global depletion. In transboundary aquifers, users are separated by a territorial border and might face substantially different economic and hydrogeologic conditions that can alternatively dampen or amplify incentives to over pump. We develop a theoretical model that couples principles of game theory and groundwater flow to capture the combined effect of well locations and user asymmetries on pumping incentives. We find that heterogeneities across users (here referred to as asymmetries) in terms of either energy cost, groundwater profitability or aquifer response tend to dampen incentives to over pump. However, combinations of two or more types of asymmetry can substantially amplify common‐pool overdraft, particularly when the same user simultaneously faces comparatively higher costs (or aquifer response) and profitability. We use this theoretical insight to interpret the emergence of the Disi agreement between Saudi Arabia and Jordan in association with the Disi‐Amman water pipeline. By using bounded non‐dimensional parameters to encode user asymmetries and groundwater connectivity, the theory provides a tractable generalized framework to understand the premature depletion of shared aquifers, whether transboundary or not. Key Points: Economic and hydrogeologic differences between users affect common‐pool externalities in shared aquifersWhen combined, asymmetries in energy cost, groundwater profitability and aquifer response can exacerbate incentives to overpumpChanging asymmetry conditions might have facilitated the world's first distance‐based groundwater treaty [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transient‐based leak/burst detection has received more and more attentions in the operation and management of water distribution networks. However, with the increase in pipe network complexity, it is hard to detect and locate the potential pipe defects and water losses efficiently. Recently, we proposed an efficient leak/burst localization strategy in single pipelines based on the forward and backward transient analysis, and in this work, this effective approach is customized for the more realistic branched (tree‐shaped) pipe networks. Unlike traditional transient‐based methods which rely on tedious optimization procedures, the proposed method uses a mismatch property between forward and backward analyses of transient signals for the pipe burst detection during the water supply process. Compared with other developed methods, this method can directly calculate the defect location, so it is expected to have high efficiency and wide applicability. To fulfill this goal, a framework for burst detection in a tree‐shaped pipe network is developed in this paper. Using the mass conservation and energy relations at the branched junctions, the forward and backward transient analysis is extended from one pipe to another until the burst is found and then located in the network. Both experimental and numerical tests show the effectiveness of the proposed method, and further analysis has shown that the method is also valid for leak detection in both transient and steady conditions, confirming the robustness and practicality of this proposed method. At last, this paper discusses the influence of transient sources and the potential combination of the method with other methods. Key Points: Burst detection in tree‐shape pipe networks using forward and backward transient analysisAn effective and efficient framework for burst identification, and localization based on pipe end pressure transientsSuccessful burst detection in pipe networks under steady and unsteady flow states [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early days, greenhouse energy did not pay much attention to coating inspections and new applications, spending more attention on repair solar energy projects instead. However, these attitudes have recently changed. Energy producers realize that preventing corrosion and deterioration is less expensive than solving the greenhouse problems when they occur. The proposed model also provides coating, paint control, and error analysis services within the scope of solar machinery and equipment-related services while the greenhouse equipment reached a low energy level. The greenhouse monitoring services ensure that a solar plant is economical, reliable, and of high quality, meets legal requirements, conforms to standards published by domestic and foreign organizations, and determines conditions that cause short circuits or power outages. In this context, with the help of cloud computing-based Internet of things (IOT), the industrial power stations, high-voltage substations, low-voltage networks, power stations that comply with legal regulations on safety from electricity, electrical installations for machinery, alarm systems, fire alarm systems, cathodic corrosion protection mechanisms in oil tanks and pipelines, emergency power supply installations, electrical installations in buildings, and gas alarm systems are inspected and documented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Water pipeline condition monitoring, especially that of potable water pipeline, has attracted more research interest due to the increasing public concern in pipeline serviceability. This study focuses on the condition monitoring and temporal‐spatial assessment of potable‐water‐filled composite pipeline by using a network of specially designed fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. In responding to the challenges imposed by the operational environment in the pipeline, the sensory network development is guided by application‐specific design with three phases, including suitable sensor development, applicability validation, and implementation. A 200‐m‐long buried fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) pipeline for conveying potable water is instrumented and the in‐service pipeline has been monitored mainly by the properly designed and fixed strain sensors for nearly 2 years, forming a database with its data acquired in different conditions. Furthermore, targeting at the difficulty in the online anomaly identification of longitudinally extended structure, this study proposes a temporal‐spatial condition assessment scheme for identifying the anomalous time slots and locations of pipeline. This scheme consists of an offline modeling and validation process taking advantages of random forest (RF) algorithm for serviceability‐state classification, an online temporal‐spatial assessment process featured by a two‐stage assessment strategy which employs the temporal and then the spatial RF offline models for online state identification, and a reporting mechanism based on the analysis of anomaly types. The performance of the proposed state assessment scheme is examined by using the database, and its effectiveness is demonstrated by the high accordance between the identified results and the real conditions of the pipeline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the development of a noninvasive method for diagnosing and classifying nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). NAFLD is a liver disease characterized by the accumulation of fat, and it can range from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with inflammation and fibrosis. The traditional method for diagnosing NAFLD is liver biopsy, which is invasive and has limitations. The authors of this study propose a method that measures liver T1 values corrected for iron and fat content, called "water T1," using an empirical model calibrated in a phantom. The method was tested on healthy subjects and patients with diabetes mellitus, and the corrected T1 values showed good agreement with the reference values obtained from proton MR spectroscopy. The study is a significant step towards developing a noninvasive MRI protocol for diagnosing and classifying NAFLD. However, the study has limitations, including a small sample size and the empirical nature of the correction model. [Extracted from the article]

Aiming at the problem of pollutant migration and deposition in urban sewage confluence pipe, an experimental simulation system of sewage confluence pipe was established. The confluence conditions of three flow patterns (velocity ratio Vaccess/Vtrunk = 0.1/0.2, Vaccess/Vtrunk = 0.1/0.3, and Vaccess/Vtrunk = 0.2/0.3) were simulated. The changes of sediment thickness, carbon pollutants, nitrogen pollutants, and phosphorus pollutants in different confluence areas were analyzed, and the migration and deposition laws of various pollutants in urban sewage confluence pipe network under different flow patterns were revealed. The results show that when the flow velocity of trunk and branch roads changes, the deposition of various pollutants and the carrying capacity of water flow in the pipeline change, resulting in the change of sediment layer thickness and pollutant content. With the increase of trunk velocity, the sediment thickness in the area before and after confluence decreases, while the increase of branch velocity only reduces the sediment thickness in the area at the back of confluence. Under any flow pattern, the sediment thickness in the retention area (G3 and G4) shows an increasing trend, which is the key area of pollution removal. Under the three flow patterns, the content of carbon pollutants reaches the peak at the TCOD and SCOD values of G4 monitoring point. Increasing the trunk velocity can effectively reduce the content of carbon pollutants. The content of nitrogen pollutants in each flow pattern also reaches the maximum at G4 point, which are 213.6 mg/g, 205.2 mg/g, and 212.8 mg/g, respectively. Increasing the trunk velocity can effectively reduce the nitrogen content at points G1-G4, while increasing the flow velocity of the branch road can reduce the nitrogen content at points G5-G7. The distribution of phosphorus pollutants is complex, and the flow pattern needs to be adjusted according to different monitoring points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Takeaways: As its current workforce ages and retires, the water industry needs to bring in ambitious, young employees to keep the water flowing. Classrooms provide students with technical knowledge, and internships provide them with hands‐on experience that will help them stand out in job applications. Internships allow employers to see how prospective applicants work under pressure to determine if they are a good fit for the team. Internship programs provide a potential pipeline for new employees who may have not otherwise known about water industry positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite well‐controlled chlorination, no known operational outages and physicochemical parameters of the water indicating a slight tendency to form carbonate deposits, aged and internally uncoated pipelines may experience unexpected internal corrosion events that raise integrity concerns. A typical corrosion damage was investigated consisting of a single perforation covered by a corrosion product cap (CPC) approximately 5 cm in diameter and surrounded by a relatively dense population of blisters of approx. 1 cm in diameter covering shallow corrosion pits. It was observed on the inner wall of an aged on‐land water distribution pipeline after decades of corrosion‐free operation. A dense population of bacteria, sulphides and extracellular polysaccharide substances were detected in the CPC, but none at the pit bottom surrounding the perforation and within the blisters, but abundant fungi were observed on scanning electron microscopy images of the blister bottom. The morphology of the blisters suggests that the blister formation is due to the loss of adhesion of the corrosion product layer, which is influenced by the formation of spherulitic crystals. The Fourier transform infra‐red spectroscopy results suggest that the growth of these carbonate crystals is related to the adsorption of microbially generated carbonyl groups. The results support a likely scenario of the effect of biomineralization on the appearance of corrosion through the formation of blisters, which may provide a niche for microbes that eventually cause corrosion damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an agricultural waste, peanut shell powder (PSP) is rich in cellulose and lignin, but its traditional treatment not only has additional disposal costs, but also causes environmental pollution. Here, a low‐cost and environment‐friendly triboelectric nanogenerator based on PSP (PSP‐TENG) is designed for efficient wind energy harvesting. PSP film is used as the tribo‐positive layer, with high surface charge density. The maximum output power density of the PSP‐TENG reaches 365 mW m–2 with a short‐circuit current of 39.4 µA and an open‐circuit voltage of 248.9 V. About 228 commercial LEDs can be lighted up by the wind‐driven PSP‐TENG, which can also be used as a sensor to measure the wind speed. By integrating with capacitor, PSP‐TENG can provide continuous and stable power supply for electronic devices, such as hygrometers, calculators, and stopwatches. Besides, an efficient self‐powered cathodic protection system based on PSP‐TENG is designed for anti‐corrosion for marine pipelines and ships. This work provides a simple and environment‐friendly "waste‐to‐energy technology," which has a huge application prospect in agricultural waste treatment, new energy, and self‐powered system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the serious problem of Salawusu formation aquifer damage caused by caving mining in Yuyang coal mine, the technique of mechanized backfill mining with Aeolian sand-like paste was invented. Aeolian sand was used as aggregate and alkali-activated fly ash as cementing agent in the backfill material. Slurry ratio was studied where the water-sand ratio was 1 : 1.3 and the mass concentration was 72%, while slurry initial fluidity could reach 210 m. The author proposed the local resistance loss calculation method of slurry pipeline transportation, and the field gravity transport test results showed that resistance loss of unit length elbow was 4.26 times as big as loss of resistance along path; thus the pipeline diameter with 14.9 gravity of self-flowing was determined, and the pipeline flow design precision was improved by more than 10%. The backfill capacity could reach 360 m3/h and the running energy consumption was lower because of adopting backfill station model with double pulping system and underground equipment pool. The author also put forward whole backfill space sealing in which cloth consumption was only 40% of bag backfill. Industrial test showed that the backfill mining technique met requirements of water resources protection, primarily because the filling rate was 98.5% in goaf, strata behavior appeared slightly, roof water leaching was less than 2 m3/d, and surface subsidence value was only 38 mm. There were great breakthroughs in cost and production efficiency in this technology compared with similar technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the agricultural industry, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can be an important tool to promote economic growth. Using network devices in agriculture has the potential to enhance the production process. One of the key challenges WSN faces is energy efficiency. A model based on the water pipeline method is proposed in order to efficiently utilize sensor nodes in agricultural production and water distribution. A water pipeline serves as an important structure for transporting potable water across a distance for consumption or irrigation. In contrast, the biggest transportation problems of water pipelines are leaks. So, water resources may be lost as a result. These pipes need real-time monitoring to prevent such problems. The wireless sensor network technique, however, is considered one of the best solutions available today for monitoring water pipelines. A detailed analysis of agriculture is provided by the model. Aspects of WSN are discussed and their agricultural use is expounded. Moreover, this paper describes the various types of applicability of existing sensor networks in the field of agriculture, along with some technical perspectives. To achieve the best power consumption and communication for the two types of range, ZigBee wireless protocols are utilized. As such, high-performance information that provides a platform for WSNs to better support agricultural production is also included in our proposed model in order to address the shortcomings of existing WSNs regarding energy efficiency. This paper presents the improvements of the proposed solution compared to other techniques in the context of energy conservation in wireless sensor networks and in the monitoring water-saving process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the post-earthquake water supply pipeline network, the method of generating random numbers to determine the pipelines with leakage damage according to the earthquake damage rate is adopted. Select the most suitable seismic damage rate calculation model for this study. The proportion of different leakage points of pipelines with different pipe materials and interface forms summarized by Shi and O'Rourke from the actual earthquake damage is used to randomly sample the pipelines that cause earthquake damage, determine the leakage loss form of each leakage point, and use the corresponding leakage flow model and the leakage point area model for hydraulic analysis of the leakage of the post-earthquake pipeline network. The pressure-dependent nodal demand (PDD) model is added to the hydraulic analysis to avoid the problem of node negative pressure in the hydraulic analysis of low-pressure pipe networks. The linear search and backtracking algorithm was used to control the iterative step size of the nonlinear equations of the pipe network nodes, which ensures the global convergence of the low-pressure hydraulic analysis of the pipe network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is among the first to investigate whether patterns of access to basic services could explain the disproportionately severe impact of COVID‐19 in slums. Using geolocated containment zones and COVID‐19 case data for Mumbai, India's most populous city, we find that cases and case fatality rates are higher in slums compared with formal residential buildings. Our results show that access to toilets for men is associated with lower COVID‐19 prevalence. However, the effect is opposite in the case of toilets for women. This could be because limited hours for safely using toilets and higher waiting times increase the risk of exposure, and women and children sharing toilet facilities results in crowding. Proximity to water pipelines has no effect on prevalence, likely because slumdwellers are disconnected from formal water supply networks. Indoor crowding does not seem to have an effect on case prevalence. Finally, while police capacity—measured by number of police station outposts—is associated with lower prevalence in nonslum areas, indicating effective enforcement of containment, this relationship does not hold in slums. The study highlights the urgency of finding viable solutions for slum improvement and upgrading to mitigate the effects of contagion for some of the most vulnerable populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep thermal damage in mines has had a significant impact on mining efficiency and safety. Local cooling technology can effectively mitigate the problem of heat hazard prior to the formation of the return air system. Aiming at the problem of heat damage in the Lingbei transportation tunnel at the Linglong Gold Mine's -870 m level, a local cooling system based on water source heat pump is constructed. The basic parameters for the local cooling system are determined using measured data, calculation analysis, and numerical simulation. The refrigeration, water supply, heat discharge, and cooling systems are then optimized by utilizing underground water inflow, installing thermally insulated drainage pipelines, and adding an auxiliary pressure fan. Finally, a local cooling system based on groundwater heat pump is established. Once the system is stable, the overall temperature and humidity of the Lingbei transportation tunnel are significantly reduced; the working face temperature is reduced to 26.4°C, the relative humidity is reduced to 61%, compared with that before cooling, the decline reached 11.9°C and 37%, respectively, and the average temperature within 100 m of the working face is reduced to below 28°C, which meets the requirements for safe production. The system addresses the critical issues of water supply, heat removal, and cooling in the local cooling system, lowers investment and operating costs, increases refrigeration efficiency, and serves as a reference for similar mines' deep mining processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A horn antenna with circular aperture is proposed and designed based on the variation of the attenuation amplitude and the attenuation of electromagnetic wave in pipeline in the present paper. The simulation and tests show that the gain of the antenna is 15 dB and the return loss is −12.5 dB. The simulation and experimental results of simulated pipeline water cut test also show that the antenna was used to measure the water content in the range of 0%–100% of the water and oil in the pipeline. The water cut measurement of water and oil is less affected by the mixing type of oil–water mixture in the pipeline, because the main lobe of the antenna is located in the pipeline and the antenna has good directivity. The design of antenna in microwave sensor is useful for the field‐testing and fundamental research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auroral Kilometric Radiation (AKR) is the strongest terrestrial radio emission, and emanates from the same electron acceleration regions from which particles precipitate into the ionosphere, exciting the aurorae and other phenomena. As such, AKR is a barometer for the state of solar wind ‐ magnetosphere ‐ ionosphere coupling. AKR is anisotropically beamed in a hollow cone from a source region generally found at nightside local times, meaning that a single source region cannot be viewed from all local times in the magnetosphere. In radio data such as dynamic spectra, AKR is frequently observed simultaneously to other radio emissions which can have a similar intensity and frequency range, making it difficult to automatically detect. Building on a previously published pipeline to extract AKR emissions from Wind/WAVES data, in this paper a novel automated AKR burst detection technique is presented and applied to Wind/WAVES data. Over a five year interval, about 5000 AKR bursts are detected with median burst length ranging from about 30 to 60 min. During detected burst windows, higher solar wind velocity is observed, and the interplanetary magnetic field clock angle is observed to tend toward BZ < 0, BY < 0, when compared with the entire statistical interval. Additionally, higher geomagnetic activity is observed during burst windows at polar, high and equatorial latitudes. Plain Language Summary: Auroral Kilometric Radiation (AKR) is a terrestrial radio emission which is excited by the same electrons which enhance the aurorae. Due to a combination of complex beaming, and the statistical position of the source region, an AKR event cannot be observed at all positions in the Earth's magnetosphere. A combination of different radio emissions are simultaneously observed in the radio data, including both AKR and non‐AKR sources. Building on previous work, in this paper individual AKR burst events are automatically detected from Wind/WAVES data over a five year interval. About 5000 events are detected over the interval, during which the observed geomagnetic activity was higher. Higher solar wind velocity and differences in the morphology of the interplanetary magnetic field are also observed during burst windows, both of which are known to excite magnetospheric dynamics. Key Points: A novel technique has been developed to detect individual Auroral Kilometric Radiation bursts in Wind/WAVES dataWhen the technique is applied to 2000–2004 data, about 5000 bursts are detected with median duration 30–60 minDuring burst windows, higher solar wind velocity, more negative IMF BZ and greater geomagnetic activity is observed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the difficulty in evaluating pipeline safety in permafrost region, the pipeline disaster safety evaluation index system in permafrost region is analyzed and established. A comprehensive weight determination method based on improved fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, entropy weight method and Lagrange algorithm is proposed, and a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model of permafrost pipeline safety is established. Taking the disaster safety evaluation of pipeline in the China-Russia crude oil permafrost region as an example, the proposed method is used to determine the comprehensive weight of disaster safety index of permafrost pipeline and carry out comprehensive safety evaluation. The rationality of the comprehensive weight determination method is verified by comparing with the performance of the traditional AHP evaluation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underground pipeline infrastructures, such as water supply and industrial water pipes, were rapidly constructed in Japan during the 1970–1980s economic boom and have been ageing quickly. In general, corrosion of buried metal water pipes depends on the physicochemical properties of the soil around them. Conventionally, when conducting such investigations, the soil is excavated and sampled to analyse these properties in laboratories. As this damages the paved road surface, an alternative method is required. Resistivity is a significant physical property measured when investigating the corrosion risk of underground pipelines. Therefore, if geophysical exploration can facilitate the investigation of soil resistivity from the ground surface, it will play a key role in the renewal planning of water pipes. Traditionally, geophysical methods such as electrical and electromagnetic exploration have been used for measuring subsurface resistivity. Electrical exploration is a robust and noise‐tolerant method; however, it requires electrode installation. Most roads over the pipelines are paved, making conventional electrical exploration using metal electrodes a challenging task. Therefore, the Geological Survey of Japan, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, has developed a very‐low‐frequency band alternating current electrical surveying technique that uses water‐saturated polyvinyl alcohol sponge electrodes. In this technique, electrodes are placed on an asphalt or concrete paved surface and the electrode measures the soil resistivity profile and detects the corrosive soil distribution without damaging the paved surface. Moreover, we improved this equipment to enable vertical electrical survey of numerous points and acquired data for 740 m of the survey line in 1 day at Maborikaigan coast in Yokosuka City. We found that the resistivity values varied with the depths and locations of the buried water pipes. These variations indicated that surveys and evaluations on long survey lines along water pipe burial routes are essential for risk management in water pipelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing interest in offshore geologic carbon sequestration (GCS) motivates risk assessment of large‐scale subsea CO2 well blowouts or pipeline ruptures. For major leaks of CO2 from wells or pipelines, significant fluxes of CO2 may occur from the sea surface depending on water depth. In the context of risk assessment of human health and safety, we have used previously simulated coupled well‐reservoir and water column model results as a source term for dense gas dispersion of CO2 above the sea surface. The models are linked together by one‐way coupling, that is, output of one model is used as input to the next model. These first‐of‐their‐kind coupled flow results are applicable to assessing the hazard of CO2 to people at and downwind of the sea surface location of emission. Hazard is quantified by plotting the downwind dispersion length (DDL), which we define in the study as the distances from the emission source to the point at which the emitted CO2 has been diluted to 5% and 1.5% in air by volume. Results suggest that large‐scale blowouts in shallow water (10 m) may cause hazardous CO2 plumes extending on the order of several hundred meters downwind. Details of the modeling show DDL has a maximum for windspeed (at an elevation of 10 m) of approximately 5 m/s, with smaller DDL for both weaker and stronger winds. This is explained by the fact that wind favors transport but also causes dispersion; therefore there is a certain wind speed that maximizes DDL. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Water pipeline monitoring system becomes a relevant solution to cope with various pipeline hydraulic failures in order to save the environment from water losses. In this respect, cognitive water distribution system (WDS) combines Internet of Things (IoT) technology with Big Data generated by various connected objects and devices for reliable structural health monitoring of pipelines. Accordingly, designing a scalable WDS with smart leak detection and localization requires a serious study and an adequate planning. In this paper, we suggest a cognitive IoT‐based architecture with adequate data collection based on the Apache Spark framework. Furthermore, our objective is to elaborate a hybrid mechanism that defines and performs accurate leakage identification and localization by taking into account both the steady‐state and transient behavior of water. The bio‐inspired sensitivity analysis of the water pressure profile based on the genetic algorithm ensures the effectiveness and the accuracy of the proposed monitoring solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquake monitoring by seismic networks typically involves a workflow consisting of phase detection/picking, association, and location tasks. In recent years, the accuracy of these individual stages has been improved through the use of machine learning techniques. In this study, we introduce a new end‐to‐end approach that improves overall earthquake detection accuracy by jointly optimizing each stage of the detection pipeline. We propose a neural network architecture for the task of multi‐station processing of seismic waveforms recorded over a seismic network. This end‐to‐end architecture consists of three sub‐networks: a backbone network that extracts features from raw waveforms, a phase picking sub‐network that picks P‐ and S‐wave arrivals based on these features, and an event detection sub‐network that aggregates the features from multiple stations to associate and detect earthquakes across a seismic network. We use these sub‐networks together with a shift‐and‐stack module based on back‐projection that introduces kinematic constraints on arrival times, allowing the neural network model to generalize to different velocity models and to variable station geometry in seismic networks. We evaluate our proposed method on the STanford EArthquake Dataset (STEAD) and on the 2019 Ridgecrest, CA earthquake sequence. The results demonstrate that our end‐to‐end approach can effectively pick P‐ and S‐wave arrivals and achieve earthquake detection accuracy rivaling that of other state‐of‐the‐art approaches. Because our approach preserves information across tasks in the detection pipeline, it has the potential to outperform approaches that do not. Plain Language Summary: Earthquakes are monitored using multiple seismic stations in a seismic network. A typical earthquake detection workflow consists of two stages: first, earthquake signals are detected at each station; then these detections are associated across multiple stations to determine whether an earthquake occurred. These two stages are independently optimized in conventional algorithms, thus the overall earthquake detection performance can be limited due to information loss between each stages. In this work, we proposed an end‐to‐end approach to jointly optimize both stages (i.e., signal‐station detection and multi‐station association) inside one combined neural network architecture. The results on the 2019 Ridgecrest, CA earthquake sequence show that our end‐to‐end approach achieves earthquake detection accuracy rivaling that of other state‐of‐the‐art approaches. Because our approach preserves information across tasks in the detection pipeline, it has the potential to outperform approaches that do not. Key Points: We optimize the phase picking and phase association tasks using an end‐to‐end neural network architectureWe design a shift‐and‐stack module based on back‐projection to introduce kinematic constraints on arrival times and station geometryOur approach preserves information across tasks in the detection pipeline and has the potential to outperform approaches that do not [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]