SEOULTECH researchers develop autonomous geological assessment tool

Machine learning-based method enhances the accuracy of measuring dip angles and directions in rock facets

Seoul National University of Science & Technology

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Researchers developed a methodology that autonomously filters unnecessary data from 3D point clouds of rock faces to accurately determine dip angles and directions-critical parameters in geological and structural engineering.

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Credit: Hyungjoon Seo from the Seoul National University of Science and Technology

Machine learning (ML) algorithms are constantly finding new applications in all scientific fields, and geological engineering is no exception. Over the last decade, researchers have developed various ML-based techniques to determine geological features more effortlessly in rocks, such as the dip angle (the angle at which a planar feature is inclined to the horizontal plane) and direction of rock facets in tunnels. Understanding these characteristics is essential for large construction projects as they help ensure structural stability and safety, preventing potential failures or collapses.

Although powerful, most ML models still struggle to differentiate between joint bands and joint embedment points in rock. To clarify, joint bands are broader, less distinct areas within the rock that may include multiple parallel fractures, while joint embedment points are more localized features representing the actual intersections of rock layers. As direct indicators of surface orientation, joint embedment points enable a more accurate measurement of dip angle and direction than joint bands. Thus, methods that can eliminate joint bands from input data can increase the accuracy of ML-based techniques, leading to more precise geological assessments.

To fulfill this challenge, a research team led by Professor Hyungjoon Seo of Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SEOULTECH) developed the Roughness-CANUPO-Dip-Facet (R-C-D-F) method. This ML-powered, multistep approach combines many filtration techniques to remove joint bands while preserving most joint embedment points in the data, leading to excellent accuracy when measuring dip angle and direction. Their paper was made available online on September 11, 2024, and was published in Volume 154 of the journal Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology on December 1, 2024.

The first step of the filtration process consists of a roughness analysis on an input 3D point cloud, taken directly from a rock surface. This step removes minor surface irregularities and noise from the data, preserving continuous lines on the surface but removing joint lines. The second filtration step uses the CANUPO algorithm, which classifies points based on their geometric characteristics and isolates key features, removing even more joint lines. The third filtration step eliminates connecting rock segments based on dip angles, isolating distinct rock formations. Finally, the measurement stage consists of facet segmentation to obtain the dip angle and direction of each section of the rock sample.

The researchers tested the R-C-D-F method on various real tunnel face images, achieving remarkable accuracy rates ranging from 97% to 99.4%. Notably, 100% of joint bands were successfully removed while still preserving 81% of joint embedment points. But the most attractive aspect of this technique was its fully autonomous nature, requiring no human intervention. “By automating the process of filtering and segmenting rock features, it reduces human error and computational inefficiencies, making it ideal for modern infrastructure projects that demand high accuracy and reliability,” highlights Prof. Seo.

Overall, the proposed approach could find promising applications across many disciplines of structural and geological engineering. “The R-C-D-F method’s integration of ML and deep learning ensures reliable and accurate geological data processing, which can directly improve the safety of large-scale engineering projects like tunnels and underground structures,” notes Prof. Seo. “It could also enable the development of smarter and faster geological analysis tools, reducing costs and improving efficiency in industries reliant on subsurface exploration and infrastructure development.”

The innovative approach thus holds great promise for paving the way for safer and more efficient geological engineering solutions.

 

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Reference      
DOI: 10.1016/j.tust.2024.106071

 

                           

About the institute Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SEOULTECH)
Seoul National University of Science and Technology, commonly known as 'SEOULTECH,' is a national university located in Nowon-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Founded in April 1910, around the time of the establishment of the Republic of Korea, SEOULTECH has grown into a large and comprehensive university with a campus size of 504,922 m2. It comprises 10 undergraduate schools, 35 departments, 6 graduate schools, and has an enrollment of approximately 14,595 students.

Website: https://en.seoultech.ac.kr/

 

About the authors

Hyungjoon Seo, Assistant Professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, focuses on integrating machine learning into civil engineering to optimize infrastructure analysis.

Jiayao Chen is an Associate Professor at Beijing Jiaotong University in China, who specializes in urban underground engineering and advanced structural geology techniques.

Hongwei Huang, a Professor at Tongji University, China, leads the research on geotechnical engineering and rock mechanics, contributing to innovative methods for geological and structural analysis.

Bara Alseid, a PhD student at Concordia university, specializes in structural rehabilitation and structural health monitoring.

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Journal

Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology

DOI

10.1016/j.tust.2024.106071 

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

R-C-D-F machine learning method to measure for geological structures in 3D point cloud of rock tunnel face

 

Scientists discover a genetic lifeline for the endangered shortfin mako shark

The shortfin mako shark is being fished to extinction, but genetics show that diversity in Atlantic populations remains high. A new study underscores the urgency to halt overfishing and help the fastest shark in the sea survive as our climate changes

Save Our Seas Foundation

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NOAA Fisheries implemented regulations consistent with new ICCAT requirements adopted in 2021, based on the 2017 stock assessment. In the U.S, fishermen may not land or retain Atlantic shortfin mako sharks.

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Credit: Photo by Justin Gilligan | © Save Our Seas Foundation

Shortfin makos are the fastest sharks in the sea, but they’re failing to outpace the scale of overfishing that is driving them to extinction. Global demand for their meat and lucrative fins has placed this predator on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) endangered list and on Appendix II of the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The situation for shortfin mako sharks in the Atlantic Ocean is particularly dire. Populations are currently managed as two assumed separate populations (or stocks), with fishery-based assessments indicating that Northern Atlantic mako sharks are overfished. Independent scientific surveys, using data from satellite tags deployed on shortfin makos, suggest that fishing mortality may be 10 times higher than estimates from previous fisheries models. With extreme pressure on mako populations from international fisheries, the questions are: has the shortfin makos’ genetic health and potential to adapt been compromised; and is the current fisheries management strategy based on two populations backed by scientific evidence?

A team of scientists led by Dr Andrea Bernard and Professor Mahmood Shivji from the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center (SOSF-SRC) and Guy Harvey Institute at Nova Eastern University, USA, has published its answers in a paper ‘Connections across open water: A bi-organelle, genomics-scale assessment of Atlantic-wide population dynamics in a pelagic, endangered apex predator shark (Isurus oxyrinchus)’ in the journal Environmental Applications.

The scientists have for the first time sequenced entire genomes for mitochondrial DNA and conducted high-resolution scans across the nuclear genomes of shortfin makos from nearly the entire distribution of this species in the Atlantic Ocean.

These genomic assessments have discovered a potential lifeline that should add urgency to curbing overfishing. ‘Despite decades of fishing pressure, shortfin mako sharks in the Atlantic Ocean still show a (relatively) high level of genetic diversity,’ explains Professor Shivji. ‘Genetic diversity in a population is what allows species to adapt to environmental change, or to survive catastrophes.’ While overfishing is the single greatest threat to sharks worldwide, many species remain vulnerable to complex and compounding additional threats like habitat loss, deep-sea mining, pollution and our changing climate.

‘We were rather surprised, but also pleased, to see that the genetic health of shortfin makos does not appear to have been severely compromised – yet – by the population reductions caused by overfishing,’ says Professor Shivji. ‘That means that if we can prevent further erosion of this genetic diversity in shortfin mako sharks by urgently curbing overfishing, we have more hope for this species to retain the resilience needed for its populations to adapt to our fast-changing climate and survive.’ He goes on to caution, ‘Typically, in most of the exploited shark species we study we see pretty low diversity.’ Such is the case for the critically endangered great hammerhead shark, another species being fished to the edge of existence, but whose vulnerability to being tipped into extinction is higher because it lacks the diversity to adapt to our rapidly changing climate.

The scientists also hypothesised that nomadic sharks like makos, which have been tracked making extraordinary journeys across oceans, would mix freely, hampered by few genetic barriers. And that is exactly what the research team found from the high-resolution scans made of shortfin mako nuclear DNA.

Nuclear DNA is inherited from both parents, and it suggests that male shortfin mako sharks are indeed ranging across the Atlantic and spreading their genes widely. ‘Female mako sharks, which get even larger than males, are quite capable of also making these large-scale journeys,’ says Professor Shivji. ‘But when we look at the mitochondrial DNA – the genetic material inherited only from mothers – we see a contrasting picture.’

The mitochondrial genome sequences show matrilineal genetic structure for northern and southern hemisphere populations. That’s scientific-speak for the populations in each hemisphere being genetically distinct from each other. In fact, the results suggest that although female shortfin makos may well be as wide-ranging as their male counterparts, they return to key sites in one hemisphere to pup. And if we’re to protect this important genetic diversity, the management of two distinct Atlantic populations – the northern Atlantic and southern Atlantic shortfin mako sharks – is now backed by this high-resolution genetic information.

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About the Save Our Seas Foundation

Founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2003, the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) is a philanthropic organisation whose ultimate goal is to create a legacy of securing the health and sustainability of our oceans, and the communities that depend on them, for generations to come. Its support for research, conservation and education projects worldwide focuses on endangered sharks, rays and skates. Three permanent SOSF research and education centres reinforce its actions in Seychelles, South Africa and the USA.

Dr Mahmood Shivji, director of the Guy Harvey Research Institute and Save Our Seas Shark Research Center (Nova Southeastern University). A major focus of his research is the application of modern molecular genetic techniques to investigate trade-related issues in elasmobranchs.

Credit

Photo by Justin Gilligan | © Save Our Seas Foundation

The fastest fish in the sea, the shortfin mako shark is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Shortfin mako sharks are built for speed. Their streamlined, torpedo-shaped body, powerful muscular tail and specially adapted skin allows them to reach speeds of up to 70km/hr. They are a highly valuable shark on the international market, and have declined rapidly due to overfishing

Credit

Photo © Sebastian Staines

Journal

Evolutionary Applications

DOI

10.1111/eva.70071 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

Animal tissue samples

Article Title

Connections Across Open Water: A Bi-Organelle, Genomics-Scale Assessment of Atlantic-Wide Population Dynamics in a Pelagic, Endangered Apex Predator Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus)

Article Publication Date

29-Jan-2025

 

Hidden ‘highways’ connect Brazil’s rainforests

University of Exeter

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An Inga tree (I. affinis) growing alongside a river in the cerrado savanna region of central Brazil

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Credit: RT Pennington

Forests flanking Brazil’s rivers act as “highways” that have allowed tree species to move between the Amazon and Atlantic rainforests for millions of years, new research shows.

The two rainforests are separated by hundreds of miles of dry forest and savanna, where most rainforest trees cannot survive.

Until now, it was thought that tree species only passed between the Amazon and the Atlantic forests during periods long ago when the climate was wetter and much of South America was covered in rainforest.

But the new study – led by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) and the University of Exeter – reveals a different story.

“Rather than tree species being exchanged during specific wetter periods in the past, we found that species have dispersed consistently over time,” said Dr James Nicholls, of RBGE.

“This probably happens slowly, by generations of trees growing along the ‘highways’ provided by rivers that run through Brazil’s dry ecosystems.”

The research team – including scientists from Brazil – studied 164 species of Inga trees, which are common in Latin American rainforests.

By analysing DNA, they reconstructed the trees’ family tree – seeing when each species split from its various ancestors. They then mapped where each species is found, allowing them to examine patterns of movement between the Amazon and Atlantic rainforests.

They found 16-20 “dispersal events” when species arrived in the Atlantic forest from the Amazon, and successfully established themselves. These occurred throughout the evolutionary history of Inga – not just during periods when humid forest covered much of Brazil.

Meanwhile, the study only found one or two occasions when species moved from the Atlantic to the Amazon forest. The researchers think this may reflect the relative size of the forests – with the vast Amazon simply producing more outflow of tree seeds.

The findings highlight the importance of conserving riverside forests – which are protected in Brazilian law.

Professor Toby Pennington, from Exeter’s Department of Geography and the Global Systems Institute, and RGBE, said: “This legal protection – and efforts to preserve these riverside forests – are highly valuable for long-term habitat connectivity.

“The study also tells us something fundamental about the history of the incredible biodiversity of the Atlantic rainforest, which contains about 3,000 more plant species than the Brazilian Amazon.

“Only 20% of the Atlantic rainforest now remains intact.

“In the short term, we need to protect these precious rainforests. In the long term, our study shows that we must also conserve the connections between them.”

The study was funded by the United States National Science Foundation.

The paper, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, is entitled: “Continuous colonization of the Atlantic coastal rain forests of South America from Amazônia.”

an Inga tree (I. sessilis) from the Mata Atlantica

Credit

RT Pennington

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Journal

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences

DOI

10.1098/rspb.2024.1559 

Article Title

Continuous colonization of the Atlantic coastal rain forests of South America from Amazônia

Amazonian mangrove forests provide nutrients for the ocean

New study highlights the role of mangrove systems in

global biogeochemical cycles

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR)

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Mangrove forests are not only critical carbon sinks and biodiversity hotspots but also play a key role as suppliers of trace elements to the ocean. This is shown by a study conducted by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany. For example, mangrove systems along the Amazon coastline release about 8.4 million grams of dissolved neodymium into the ocean each year – 64 percent of the total neodymium input in this region. Similar processes are likely for other essential trace elements, such as iron or manganese, which are crucial for marine ecosystems and the carbon cycle.

“Our research shows that mangroves play a central role in the global cycle of trace elements,” explains Dr Antao Xu, first author of the study from GEOMAR. “They act as biochemical reactors, releasing nutrients and metals into coastal waters through processes such as sediment dissolution and pore water exchange.”

Mangrove Systems as "Nutrient Pumps"

The research team analysed water samples from coastal waters, estuaries and mangrove sediments along the Amazonian coast. Distinct isotopic patterns of neodymium and hafnium were identified, revealing their origin and the interactions between sediments, pore water, and seawater. “Mangroves are not only buffer zones that retain material from land; they are also key players that process and selectively release these substances and micronutrients into the ocean,” says Professor Martin Frank, co-author of the study and head of the research division Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics at GEOMAR. This exchange of substances supports coastal food chains.

Globally, mangrove systems contribute between six and nine percent of the total neodymium input to the ocean, according to the researchers. This contribution is comparable to the global input of neodymium from the atmosphere via dust.

Global Importance of Mangrove Conservation

The study’s findings underscore the urgent need to protect these threatened ecosystems. Xu states: “Mangroves sit at the interface between land and sea and provide invaluable services for biodiversity and climate regulation. Their prominent role as a source of trace elements is another compelling reason to prioritise their conservation.”

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s43247-024-01989-1 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

The Amazonian mangrove systems accumulate and release dissolved neodymium and hafnium to the oceans

Article Publication Date

8-Jan-2025

 

Better nurse staffing linked to fewer C-sections

Labor and delivery nurse staffing aligning with national standards can improve maternal outcomes

New York University

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Labor and delivery units that are adequately staffed by nurses have lower cesarean birth rates, according to new research published in the journal Nursing Outlook.

“Our findings highlight how crucial nurse staffing is for optimal maternal outcomes,” said Audrey Lyndon, the Vernice D. Ferguson Professor in Health Equity and executive vice dean at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. 

C-sections account for nearly a third of births in the US and are the most common surgery performed in hospitals. While C-sections can be lifesaving and some are necessary for the health of the mother and child, the surgery carries more risks and a longer recovery than vaginal births and can complicate future pregnancies. 

“If we can safely lower the C-section rate, we are improving outcomes for childbearing people and their families,” added Lyndon, the study’s lead author.

Nurses play an important role during childbirth, providing emotional and physical support at the bedside, monitoring the health of the mother and baby, and administering medication. When hospitals are understaffed, nurses are forced to prioritize tasks that require the most immediate attention at the expense of other care. 

“While nurses intuitively know that having enough nurses to provide the attentive care that mother and babies need and deserve improves outcomes, research has been minimal in linking maternity nurse staffing and patient outcomes,” said Kathleen Rice Simpson, a perinatal clinical nurse specialist at Mercy Hospital St. Louis and study author.

To determine if nurse staffing influences C-section rates, the researchers examined how well maternity units adhere to staffing standards established by the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN). The evidence-based standards call for one nurse to one birthing person during many parts of labor, two nurses at birth, and one nurse for each mother-newborn pair in the first few hours after birth.

The researchers surveyed 2,786 nurses from 193 hospitals across 23 states about staffing on their maternity units. Their responses, collected in 2018 and 2019, were matched with hospital-level administrative data and rates of C-sections and vaginal births.

Better nurse staffing during labor and birth was linked to lower C-section rates and higher vaginal birth rates, including vaginal births among mothers who had previously had C-sections. C-section rates were 11 percent lower in hospitals with nurse staffing aligned with the national standards.

“Concern about cesarean section rates in the US has been high for many years, and there has been little progress toward improvement. This study points us toward one important solution: aligning labor and delivery nurse staffing with consensus- and expert-developed guidelines,” said Joanne Spetz, director of the Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and a study author.

“We hope our findings will encourage hospitals to see the value in nurse staffing consistent with standards to support healthy outcomes for mothers and babies,” said Simpson.

Hospitals and policymakers often point to increased costs related to both C-sections and nurse staffing. The researchers note that the cost of adequate nurse staffing during labor and birth can be balanced by the savings of avoiding unnecessary C-sections, including shorter hospital stays and fewer complications.

“Nursing care is looked at as a cost center as opposed to a revenue center in hospitals, so it’s often one of the first things cut when hospitals are trying to keep costs in line. But research continues to show that nurse staffing is a key contributor to patient safety across departments,” said Lyndon.

“While increasing nurse staffing during a period of shortage can be challenging, this investment could reduce overall costs by reducing rates of surgical cesarean sections and longer-term adverse outcomes for mothers and babies,” said Spetz.

To hold hospitals accountable, the researchers encourage the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to consider establishing regulatory standards for nurse staffing as part of their "Birthing-Friendly" designation for high-quality maternity care. 

Additional study authors include Jason Fletcher of NYU Meyers, Gay Landstrom of Trinity Health in Michigan, and Caryl Gay of UCSF. The research was supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (grant R01HS025715).

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Journal

Nursing Outlook

DOI

10.1016/j.outlook.2024.102346 

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Relationship Between Nurse Staffing during Labor and Cesarean Birth Rates in US Hospitals

Article Publication Date

28-Jan-2025