The past decade has witnessed the rapid development and adoption of machine and deep learning (ML & DL) methodologies in agricultural systems, showcased by great successes in applications such as ...smart crop management, smart plant breeding, smart livestock farming, precision aquaculture farming, and agricultural robotics. However, these conventional ML/DL models have certain limitations: they heavily rely on large, costly-to-acquire labeled datasets for training, require specialized expertise for development and maintenance, and are mostly tailored for specific tasks, thus lacking generalizability. Recently, large pre-trained models, also known as foundation models (FMs), have demonstrated remarkable successes in language, vision, and decision-making tasks across various domains. These models are trained on a vast amount of data from multiple domains and modalities. Once trained, they can accomplish versatile tasks with just minor fine-tuning and minimal task-specific labeled data. Despite their proven effectiveness and huge potential, there has been little exploration of applying FMs to agriculture artificial intelligence (AI). Therefore, this study aims to explore the potential of FMs in the field of smart agriculture. In particular, conceptual tools and technical background are presented to facilitate the understanding of the problem space and uncover new research directions in this field. To this end, recent FMs in the general computer science (CS) domain are reviewed, and the models are categorized into four categories: language FMs, vision FMs, multimodal FMs, and reinforcement learning FMs. Subsequently, the process of developing agriculture FMs (AFMs) is outlined and their potential applications in smart agriculture are discussed. In addition, the unique challenges and risks associated with developing AFMs are discussed, including model training, validation, and deployment. Through this study, the advancement of AI in agriculture is explored by introducing AFMs as a promising paradigm that can significantly mitigate the reliance on extensive labeled datasets and enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and generalization of agricultural AI systems. To facilitate further research, a well-classified and actively updated list of papers on AFMs is organized and accessible at https://github.com/JiajiaLi04/Agriculture-Foundation-Models.
•Basics of large language and foundation models.•Review of potential applications of large language and foundation models in agriculture.•Outline challenges and opportunities.
In this work, a coupled macroelement model for shallow foundations under cyclic loading has been developed. Coupling a hypoplastic constitutive model with an uplift plasticity model and a ...Mohr-Coulomb interface model can substantially improve the prediction of the foundation response. The yield surface adopted in this work is an ellipsoid and the flow rule can be chosen associated or non-associated. The couplings are achieved by introducing new variables that control the dominance of one model on the total response. Initial validation is carried out against numerical FEM simulations for shallow foundations in loose and dense sand subjected to monotonic and symmetric cyclic loading. Further validation against experimental data is performed by comparing the results obtained from caisson foundations in loose and dense sand subjected to non-symmetric and symmetric cyclic loading. The proposed macroelement model shows satisfactory results because it captures not only the limit loads, loading and unloading stiffness of load-displacement curves, but also complex cyclic settlement variations, in particular foundation uplift.
•Constitutive model developed for shallow foundations under cyclic VHM loading.•Hypoplastic macroelement model extension coupling uplift and frictional interface.•Favourable comparisons with FEM results for footings on loose and dense sand.•Good agreement with experimental results from caisson foundations in sand.•Model captures uplift and Christmas-tree-shape of cyclic settlement variation.
Inderjeet Parmar reveals the complex interrelations, shared mindsets, and collaborative efforts of influential public and private organizations in the building of American hegemony. Focusing on the ...involvement of the Ford, Rockefeller, and Carnegie foundations in U.S. foreign affairs, Parmar traces the transformation of America from an "isolationist" nation into the world's only superpower, all in the name of benevolent stewardship. Parmar begins in the 1920s with the establishment of these foundations and their system of top-down, elitist, scientific giving, which focused more on managing social, political, and economic change than on solving modern society's structural problems. Consulting rare documents and other archival materials, he recounts how the American intellectuals, academics, and policy makers affiliated with these organizations institutionalized such elitism, which then bled into the machinery of U.S. foreign policy and became regarded as the essence of modernity. America hoped to replace Britain in the role of global hegemon and created the necessary political, ideological, military, and institutional capacity to do so, yet far from being objective, the Ford, Rockefeller, and Carnegie foundations often advanced U.S. interests at the expense of other nations. Incorporating case studies of American philanthropy in Nigeria, Chile, and Indonesia, Parmar boldly exposes the knowledge networks underwriting American dominance in the twentieth century.
Liquefaction-induced settlement and bearing capacity failure have been reported as leading causes of damages in shallow foundations during earthquakes. Previous studies of this problem have mainly ...focused on the performance of isolated shallow foundations. In urban areas, however, foundations are generally located in close proximity. In this study, three series of centrifuge tests were conducted to investigate the effect of foundation-soil-foundation interaction (FSFI) on the seismic and post-seismic settlement of shallow foundations on saturated sand. Two rigid foundations with different surcharge loads (as heavy and light foundations) were placed with different spacing. Multiple shaking events were applied to achieve different extents of soil liquefaction. The results indicate that significant part of foundation settlement occurred before soil reconsolidation. Furthermore, the time period after shaking, wherein excess pore water pressure sustains, plays an important role in the total settlement of foundations. The acceleration responses experienced by the foundations were significantly larger than those observed in the free-field. The heavy foundation fluctuated more strongly than the light one. Moreover, adjacency considerably affected the seismic response of foundations whereas stronger acceleration response on the ground level was observed for the closer cases. The Clear asymmetric settlement was observed for the adjacent foundations. It is demonstrated that settlement of foundations not only is dependent on foundations' proximity but also is a function of shaking intensity. Influence of foundations' spacing on the generation-dissipation mechanism of excess pore water pressure (EPWP) and liquefaction extent was described by the time-dependent contours plotted by interpolation of the recorded data.
•Foundation-soil-foundation interaction on liquefiable sand is studied.•Settlement mechanisms of foundations are divided into three distinct phases.•Propagation of liquefaction extent after shaking affects foundation settlement.•Closely adjacent foundations behave like a mono-foundation.•Foundations fluctuate more strongly when located closer to each other.
Collapsible soils have been regarded to be a significant engineering concern for foundation constructions in northwest China. Given that the collapsible soils, also known as loess, cover most of ...northwest China, all buildings, structures, and utility pipelines have to deal with the collapse of loess. Despite the many empirically based methods available for evaluation of the collapse of loess, methods to assess the collapse of loess surrounded by piles are, however, rarely seen. This study proposes a simple method for evaluation of the collapse of loess surrounded by piles by taking into account both the collapsible deformation characteristics and friction at the loess–pile interface. The results of an application of the proposed method to three more loess–pile foundation worksites are presented and indicate that the proposed method can predict the settlement of loess–pile foundation satisfactorily.
AbstractThe rocking behavior of a shallow foundation of a bridge pier has emerged as an effective mechanism for reducing the seismic load on the superstructure during a strong earthquake. However, a ...lack of understanding regarding the rocking behavior of shallow foundations has hindered the application of the rocking foundation design philosophy to construction. In this study, the soil-rounding effect on embedded foundations was evaluated to increase understanding of the rocking mechanism. A centrifuge apparatus was used to conduct horizontal slow cyclic tests on an embedded shallow foundation model for three different slenderness ratios (i.e., structure height divided by foundation length) at a centrifugal acceleration of 20 g. The soil-rounding phenomenon was examined according to variations in the soil pressure under the foundation during cyclic loading, and the shape of the rounded soil surface was evaluated as a function of the slenderness ratio. The ultimate moment capacity of the shallow foundation was observed to increase with the side soil pressure; this was verified by comparing the side soil earth pressure with the overturning moment. The rocking mechanism of the embedded shallow foundation was evaluated by focusing on soil rounding.
If a rigid wheel or roller acts on an infinitely-long beam or a narrow (1-D) plate that is attached to a deformable foundation, point contact or a region of circular contact may occur. The following ...problems are analyzed: (1) an Euler-Bernoulli beam or an elastica attached to a Winkler foundation; (2) an Euler-Bernoulli beam or an elastica attached to a Pasternak foundation; (3) an Euler-Bernoulli beam attached to a foundation with two different stiffnesses; (4) point contact of a moving wheel with constant speed on an Euler-Bernoulli beam or an elastica attached to a Winkler or Pasternak foundation; (5) point contact of a 1-D plate on an elastomeric foundation; and (6) point contact of a 1-D plate attached to a combined foundation (including Winkler and elastomeric actions). The Euler-Bernoulli beam model tends to predict larger maximum deflections than the elastica model. For small speeds, the maximum deflection increases as the speed increases.
The installation phase is a critical stage during the lifecycle of an offshore wind turbine. This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of the technical aspects of offshore wind turbine ...installation. An overview is first presented introducing the classification of offshore wind turbines, installation vessels, rules and regulations, and numerical modelling tools. Then, various installation methods and concepts for bottom-fixed and floating wind turbines are critically discussed, following the order of wind turbine foundations and components. Applications and challenges of the methods are identified. Finally, future developments in four technical areas are envisioned. This review aims to guide research and development activities on offshore wind turbine installation.
•Various installation methods and concepts for bottom-fixed and floating offshore wind turbines are presented.•Challenges and opportunities for different foundation and component installation methods are identified.•Research works on installation methods are critically reviewed.•Future developments in four technical areas are envisioned.
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