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The accuracy in predicting the typhoon track can be key to minimizing their frequent disastrous effects. This article aims to study the accuracy of typhoon trajectory prediction obtained by combining several algorithms based on current deep-learning techniques. The combination of a Convolutional Neural Network with Long Short-Term Memory (CNN+LSTM), Patch Time-Series Transformer (CNN+PatchTST) and Transformer (CNN+Transformer) were the models chosen for this work. These algorithms were tested on the best typhoon track data from the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), ERA5 data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), and structured meteorological data from the Zhuhai Meteorological Bureau (ZMB) as an extension of existing studies that were based only on public data sources. The experimental results were obtained by testing two complete years of data (2021 and 2022), as an alternative to the frequent selection of a small number of typhoons in several years. Using the R-squared metric, results were obtained as significant as CNN+LSTM (0.991), CNN+PatchTST (0.989) and CNN+Transformer (0.969). CNN+LSTM without ZMB data can only obtain 0.987, i.e., 0.004 less than 0.991. Overall, our findings indicate that appropriately augmenting data near land and ocean boundaries around the coast improves typhoon track prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation quality is crucial for maintaining ecological health, and remote sensing techniques offer precise assessments of vegetation's environmental quality. Although existing indicators and remote sensing approaches provide extensive spatial coverage, challenges remain in effectively integrating diverse indicators for a comprehensive evaluation. This study introduces a comprehensive ecological quality index (EQI) to assess vegetation quality on the Mongolian Plateau from 2001 to 2020 and to identify the determinants of EQI variations over space and time. We developed the EQI using remotely sensed normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data and the net primary productivity (NPP). Our analysis revealed distinct spatial patterns, with high ecological quality concentrated in northern Mongolia and eastern Inner Mongolia. Temporal fluctuations, indicative of ecological shifts, were primarily observed in eastern Mongolia and specific zones of Inner Mongolia. We employed a Geographically Optimal Zones-based Heterogeneity (GOZH) model to analyze the spatial scales and interactions influencing EQI patterns. This study found that precipitation, with an Omega value of 0.770, was the dominant factor affecting the EQI, particularly at spatial scales of 40–50 km. The GOZH model provided deeper insights into the spatial determinants of the EQI compared with previous models, highlighting the importance of climatic variables and their interactions in driving ecological quality. This research enhanced our understanding of vegetation quality dynamics and established a foundation for ecosystem conservation and informed management strategies, emphasizing the critical role of climate, especially precipitation, in shaping ecological landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: At present, studies have shown that organic trace minerals have a positive impact on animal health compared with inorganic trace minerals. However, the effect of organic trace minerals on the intestinal health of adult cats has not been extensively explored. In our study, we investigated the effects of different trace mineral sources on the gut microbiota and digestive health in British Shorthair cats and dietary organic trace minerals on the intestinal barrier, immune function, anti-inflammatory ability, gut microbiota, and metabolites in adult British Shorthair cats. Our results suggest that compared to inorganic trace minerals, dietary organic trace minerals could enhance immune function, improve inflammatory state, and regulate the gut microbiota structure in cats. Trace minerals are essential for biological processes, including enzyme function, immune response, and hormone synthesis. The study assessed the effects of different dietary trace minerals on the gut health, microbiota composition, and immune function of cats. Eighteen adult British Shorthair cats were divided into three groups receiving inorganic trace minerals (ITM), a 50/50 mix of inorganic and organic trace minerals (ITM + OTM), or organic trace minerals (OTM) for 28 days. The OTM showed enhanced immune capacities, reduced intestinal barrier function, and lower inflammation condition. The OTM altered gut microbiota diversity, with a lower Simpson index and higher Shannon index (p < 0.05). Specifically, the abundance of Bacteroidota, Lachnospiraceae, and Prevotella in the OTM group were higher than the ITM group (p < 0.05). Metabolomic analysis identified 504 differential metabolites between the OTM and ITM groups (p < 0.05, VIP-pred-OPLS-DA > 1), affecting pathways related to steroid hormone biosynthesis and glycerophospholipid metabolism (p < 0.05, VIP-pred-OPLS-DA > 2). Additionally, there was a significant correlation between intestinal microbiota and differential metabolites. To conclude, dietary OTM can modulate the gut metabolite and microbiota composition, enhance immune and intestinal barrier function, and mitigate inflammation in cats, highlighting the benefit of using OTM in feline diet to promote the intestinal and overall health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the coupling between rock permeability, pore pressure, and fluid flow is crucial, as fluids play an important role in the Earth's crustal dynamics. We measured the distribution of fluid pressure during fluid‐flow experiments on two typical crustal lithologies, granite and basalt. Our results demonstrate that the pore‐pressure distribution transitions from a linear to a non‐linear profile as the imposed pore‐pressure gradient is increased (from 2.5 to 60 MPa) across the specimen. This non‐linearity results from the effective pressure dependence of permeability, for which two analytical formulations were considered: an empirical exponential and a new micromechanics‐based model. In both cases, the non‐linearity of pore pressure distribution is predicted. Using a compilation of permeability versus Terzaghi's effective pressure data for granites and basalts, we show that our micromechanics‐based model has the potential to predict the pore pressure distribution over the range of effective pressures expected within the brittle crust. Plain Language Summary: Fluids distributions and fluid migrations play an important role in the Earth's crustal dynamics and how fluids migrate through a rock will depend primarily on permeability. However, the permeability of crustal rocks may exhibit important pressure dependence, because cracks and fractures will increasingly close with increasing tectonic pressure. In this experimental study, we show that the couplings between increasing pressure, crack closure, and permeability reduction may result in non‐linear pore pressure distributions on a rock specimen at the laboratory scale, which confirms for the first time pioneering theoretical and experimental works. Two simple analytical expressions of the pressure dependence of permeability predict this non‐linearity. One empirical expression, most commonly used in the literature, takes the form of an exponential. The second one, a new model, based on crack micromechanics, was developed within this work and shown to outperform the exponential formulation at low Terzaghi's effective pressure. Key Points: Pore pressure was measured locally in rocks exhibiting pressure‐dependent permeabilityWe observed a transition from linear to nonlinear pore pressure distribution with increasing fluid pressure gradientsA new, micromechanics‐based, analytical model was developed for the pressure dependence of permeability in microcracked rocks [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of the Fengqi Chaoming project in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, this paper investigates the influence of pile foundation construction on the existing tunnels in a metro protection area to ensure the stability and safety of the pile foundation construction in the area of Hangzhou Metro Line 2 through in situ pile tests and numerical simulations. The test results show that the pile foundation construction has a certain influence on the existing metro tunnels, and the degree of influence gradually decreases as the distance between the pile foundation and the metro tunnel increases. The corresponding impact level for the pile foundation at 12 m from the tunnel is 1.06 mm, and that for the pile foundation at 4.9 m from the tunnel is 1.18 mm. Different types of pile foundations also lead to different degrees of influence. The maximum settlement corresponding to triaxial cement mixing piles is 1.89 mm, while the hard-method occlusal piles is 1.18 mm. The monitoring point of the metro tunnel with the smallest distance from the pile foundation experiences the largest deformation, but several sets of deformation data meet the requirements of the deformation control index, indicating that the pile foundation construction is safe and controllable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]