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Quadratic
Terms modified by Quadratic Selected AbstractsHigher-order XFEM for curved strong and weak discontinuitiesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2010Kwok Wah Cheng Abstract The extended finite element method (XFEM) enables the accurate approximation of solutions with jumps or kinks within elements. Optimal convergence rates have frequently been achieved for linear elements and piecewise planar interfaces. Higher-order convergence for arbitrary curved interfaces relies on two major issues: (i) an accurate quadrature of the Galerkin weak form for the cut elements and (ii) a careful formulation of the enrichment, which should preclude any problems in the blending elements. For (i), we employ a strategy of subdividing the elements into subcells with only one curved side. Reference elements that are higher-order on only one side are then used to map the integration points to the real element. For (ii), we find that enrichments for strong discontinuities are easily extended to higher-order accuracy. In contrast, problems in blending elements may hinder optimal convergence for weak discontinuities. Different formulations are investigated, including the corrected XFEM. Numerical results for several test cases involving strong or weak curved discontinuities are presented. Quadratic and cubic approximations are investigated. Optimal convergence rates are achieved using the standard XFEM for the case of a strong discontinuity. Close-to-optimal convergence rates for the case of a weak discontinuity are achieved using the corrected XFEM. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Reliability of Computerized Emergency TriageACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 3 2006Sandy L. Dong MD Objectives: Emergency department (ED) triage prioritizes patients based on urgency of care. This study compared agreement between two blinded, independent users of a Web-based triage tool (eTRIAGE) and examined the effects of ED crowding on triage reliability. Methods: Consecutive patients presenting to a large, urban, tertiary care ED were assessed by the duty triage nurse and an independent study nurse, both using eTRIAGE. Triage score distribution and agreement are reported. The study nurse collected data on ED activity, and agreement during different levels of ED crowding is reported. Two methods of interrater agreement were used: the linear-weighted , and quadratic-weighted ,. Results: A total of 575 patients were assessed over nine weeks, and complete data were available for 569 patients (99.0%). Agreement between the two nurses was moderate if using linear , (weighted ,= 0.52; 95% confidence interval = 0.46 to 0.57) and good if using quadratic , (weighted ,= 0.66; 95% confidence interval = 0.60 to 0.71). ED overcrowding data were available for 353 patients (62.0%). Agreement did not significantly differ with respect to periods of ambulance diversion, number of admitted inpatients occupying stretchers, number of patients in the waiting room, number of patients registered in two hours, or nurse perception of busyness. Conclusions: This study demonstrated different agreement depending on the method used to calculate interrater reliability. Using the standard methods, it found good agreement between two independent users of a computerized triage tool. The level of agreement was not affected by various measures of ED crowding. [source] The Underinvestment and Overinvestment Hypotheses: an Analysis Using Panel DataEUROPEAN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2003Artur Morgado G31 We study the relationship between firm value and investment to test the underinvestment and overinvestment hypotheses. The results obtained, using panel data methodology as the estimation method, indicate that the abovementioned relation is quadratic, which implies that there exists an optimal level of investment. As a consequence, firms that invest less than the optimal level suffer from an underinvestment problem, while those investing more than the optimum suffer from overinvestment. The quadratic relation is maintained when firms are classified depending on their investment opportunities, the optimum being in accordance with the quality of investment opportunities. [source] Transport and environmental temperature variability of eggs and larvae of the Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) and Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) in the western North Pacific estimated via numerical particle-tracking experimentsFISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2009SACHIHIKO ITOH Abstract Numerical particle-tracking experiments were performed to investigate the transport and variability in environmental temperature experienced by eggs and larvae of Pacific stocks of the Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) and Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) using high-resolution outputs of the Ocean General Circulation Model for the Earth Simulator (OFES) and the observed distributions of eggs collected from 1978 to 2004. The modeled anchovy individuals tend to be trapped in coastal waters or transported to the Kuroshio,Oyashio transition region. In contrast, a large proportion of the sardines are transported to the Kuroshio Extension. The egg density-weighted mean environmental temperature until day 30 of the experiment was 20,24°C for the anchovy and 17,20°C for the sardine, which can be explained by spawning areas and seasons, and interannual oceanic variability. Regression analyses revealed that the contribution of environmental temperature to the logarithm of recruitment per spawning (expected to have a negative relationship with the mean mortality coefficient) was significant for both the anchovy and sardine, especially until day 30, which can be regarded as the initial stages of their life cycles. The relationship was quadratic for the anchovy, with an optimal temperature of 21,22°C, and linear for the sardine, with a negative coefficient. Differences in habitat areas and temperature responses between the sardine and anchovy are suggested to be important factors in controlling the dramatic out-of-phase fluctuations of these species. [source] Logistic Population Growth in the World's Largest CitiesGEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS, Issue 4 2006Gordon F. Mulligan This article demonstrates that recent population growth in the world's largest cities has conformed to the general parameters of the logistic process. Using data recently provided by the United Nations, logistic population growth for 485 million-person cities is analyzed at 5-year intervals during 1950,2010, with the UN projections for 2015 adopted as upper limits. A series of ordinary least-squares regression models of increasing complexity are estimated on the pooled data. In one class of models, the logarithms of population proportions are specified to be linear in time, which is the standard approach, but in a second class of models those proportions are specified as being quadratic. The most complex models control logistic growth estimates for (i) city-specific effects (e.g., initial population), (ii) nation-specific effects (e.g., economic development, age distribution of population), and (iii) global coordinates (for unobserved effects). Moreover, the results are segregated according to each city's membership in four different growth clubs, which was an important finding of previous research. [source] Optimal stress recovery points for higher-order bar elements by Prathap's best-fit methodINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 8 2009S. Rajendran Abstract Barlow was the first to propose a method to predict optimal stress recovery points in finite elements (FEs). Prathap proposed an alternative method that is based on the variational principle. The optimal points predicted by Prathap, called Prathap points in this paper, have been reported in the literature for linear, quadratic and cubic elements. Prathap points turn out to be the same as Barlow points for linear and quadratic bar elements but different for cubic bar element. Nevertheless, for all the three elements, Prathap points coincide with the reduced Gaussian integration points. In this paper, an alternative implementation of Prathap's best-fit method is used to compute Prathap points for higher-order (viz., 4,10th order) bar elements. The effectiveness of Prathap points as points of accurate stress recovery is verified by actual FE analysis for typical bar problems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A variational multiscale model for the advection,diffusion,reaction equationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 7 2009Guillaume Houzeaux Abstract The variational multiscale (VMS) method sets a general framework for stabilization methods. By splitting the exact solution into coarse (grid) and fine (subgrid) scales, one can obtain a system of two equations for these unknowns. The grid scale equation is solved using the Galerkin method and contains an additional term involving the subgrid scale. At this stage, several options are usually considered to deal with the subgrid scale equation: this includes the choice of the space where the subgrid scale would be defined as well as the simplifications leading to compute the subgrid scale analytically or numerically. The present study proposes to develop a two-scale variational method for the advection,diffusion,reaction equation. On the one hand, a family of weak forms are obtained by integrating by parts a fraction of the advection term. On the other hand, the solution of the subgrid scale equation is found using the following. First, a two-scale variational method is applied to the one-dimensional problem. Then, a series of approximations are assumed to solve the subgrid space equation analytically. This allows to devise expressions for the ,stabilization parameter' ,, in the context of VMS (two-scale) method. The proposed method is equivalent to the traditional Green's method used in the literature to solve residual-free bubbles, although it offers another point of view, as the strong form of the subgrid scale equation is solved explicitly. In addition, the authors apply the methodology to high-order elements, namely quadratic and cubic elements. The proposed model consists in assuming that the subgrid scale vanishes also on interior nodes of the element and applying the strategy used for linear element in the segment between these interior nodes. The proposed scheme is compared with existing ones through the solution of a one-dimensional numerical example for linear, quadratic and cubic elements. In addition, the mesh convergence is checked for high-order elements through the solution of an exact solution in two dimensions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A geometrically and materially non-linear piezoelectric three-dimensional-beam finite element formulation including warping effectsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2008A. Butz Abstract This paper is concerned with a three-dimensional piezoelectric beam formulation and its finite element implementation. The developed model considers geometrically and materially non-linear effects. An eccentric beam formulation is derived based on the Timoshenko kinematics. The kinematic assumptions are extended by three additional warping functions of the cross section. These functions follow from torsion and piezoelectrically induced shear deformations. The presented beam formulation incorporates large displacements and finite rotations and allows the investigation of stability problems. The finite element model has two nodes with nine mechanical and five electrical degrees of freedom. It provides an accurate approximation of the electric potential, which is assumed to be linear in the direction of the beam axis and quadratic within the cross section. The mechanical degrees of freedom are three displacements, three rotations and three scaling factors for the warping functions. The latter are computed in a preprocess by solving a two-dimensional in-plane equilibrium condition with the finite element method. The gained warping patterns are considered within the integration through the cross section of the beam formulation. With respect to material non-linearities, which arise in ferroelectric materials, the scalar Preisach model is embedded in the formulation. This model is a mathematical model for the general description of hysteresis phenomena. Its application to piezoelectric materials leads to a phenomenological model for ferroelectric hysteresis effects. Here, the polarization direction is assumed to be constant, which leads to unidirectional constitutive equations. Some examples demonstrate the capability of the proposed model. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Boundary element formulation for 3D transversely isotropic cracked bodiesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2004M. P. Ariza Abstract The boundary traction integral representation is obtained in elasticity when the classical displacement representation is differentiated and combined according to Hooke's law. The use of both traction and displacement integral representations leads to a mixed (or dual) formulation of the BEM where the discretization effort for crack problems is much smaller than in the classical formulation. A boundary element analysis of three-dimensional fracture mechanics problems of transversely isotropic solids based on the mixed formulation is presented in this paper. The hypersingular and strongly singular kernels appearing in the formulation are regularized by using two terms of the displacement series expansion and one term of the traction expansion, at the collocation point. All the remaining integrals are analytically evaluated or transformed by means of Stokes' theorem into regular or weakly singular integrals, which are numerically computed. The method is general and can be used for elements of any shape including quarter-point crack front elements. No change of co-ordinates is required for the integration. The formulation as presented in this paper is something as clear, general and easy to handle as the classical BE formulation. It is used in combination with three-dimensional quadratic and quarter-point elements to obtain accurate results for several different crack problems. Cracks in boundless and finite transversely isotropic domains are studied. The meshes are simple and include only discretization of the crack and the external boundary. The obtained results are in good agreement with those existing in the literature. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A finite element model for thermomechanical analysis of sheet metal formingINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 9 2004G. Bergman Abstract A thermal model based on explicit time integration is developed and implemented into the explicit finite element code DYNA3D to model simultaneous forming and quenching of thin-walled structures. A staggered approach is used for coupling the thermal and mechanical analysis, wherein each analysis is performed with different time step sizes. The implementation includes a thermal shell element with linear temperature approximation in the plane and quadratic in the thickness direction, and contact heat transfer. The material behaviour is described by a temperature-dependent elastic,plastic model with a non-linear isotropic hardening law. Transformation plasticity is included in the model. Examples are presented to validate and evaluate the proposed model. The model is evaluated by comparison with a one-sided forming and quenching experiment. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Development of an optimal hybrid finite volume/element method for viscoelastic flowsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 11 2003M. Aboubacar Abstract A cell-vertex hybrid finite volume/element method is investigated that is implemented on triangles and applied to the numerical solution of Oldroyd model fluids in contraction flows. Particular attention is paid to establishing high-order accuracy, whilst retaining favourable stability properties. Elevated levels of elasticity are sought. The main impact of this study reveals that switching from quadratic to linear finite volume stress representation with discontinuous stress gradients, and incorporating local reduced quadrature at the re-entrant corner, provide enhance stability properties. Solution smoothness is achieved by adopting the non-conservative flux form with area integration, by appealing to quadratic recovered velocity-gradients, and through consistency considerations in the treatment of the time term in the constitutive equation. In this manner, high-order accuracy is maintained, stability is ensured, and the finer features of the flow are confirmed via mesh refinement. Lip vortices are observed for We>1, and a trailing-edge vortex is also apparent. Loss of evolution and solution asymptotic behaviour towards the re-entrant corner are also discussed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Review article: Basic steps in adapting response surface methodology as mathematical modelling for bioprocess optimisation in the food systemsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 9 2010Titus U. Nwabueze Summary Techniques involving choosing process combinations for optimisation without due consideration for relevant experimental designs is scientifically unreliable and irreproducible. Mathematical modelling, of which response surface methodology (RSM) is one, provides a precise map leading to successful optimisation. This paper identified key process variables, building the model and searching the solution through multivariate regression analysis, interpretation of resulting polynomial equations and response surface/contour plots as basic steps in adapting the central composite design to achieve process optimisation. It also gave information on appropriate RSM software packages and choice of order in RSM model and data economy in reducing the factorial experiments from large number parameter combinations to a far less number without losing any information including quadratic and interaction (if present) effects. It is expected that this paper will afford many food scientists and researchers the opportunity for adapting RSM as a mathematical model for achieving bioprocess optimisation in food systems. [source] Creep-recovery parameters of gluten-free batter and crumb properties of bread prepared from pregelatinised cassava starch, sorghum and selected proteinsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 12 2009Calvin Onyango Summary The effect of egg white, skim milk powder, soy protein isolate and soy protein concentrate on creep-recovery parameters of gluten-free batter made from sorghum and pregelatinised cassava starch was studied. Batter treated with egg white had the highest deformation and compliance parameters and lowest zero shear viscosities and differed significantly (P < 0.05) from the other treatments. However, this batter recovered its elasticity sufficiently and its elastic portion of maximum creep compliance did not differ significantly (P < 0.05) from the other treatments. Unlike the other treatments, egg white did not decrease bread volume and exhibited the lowest crumb firmness and staling rate. Optimisation of the amount of egg white with diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono and diglycerides (DATEM) showed that creep-recovery parameters and crumb hardness were affected by the linear, quadratic and interaction effects of the input variables. Treatment with 6% and 0.1% w/w fwb egg white and DATEM, respectively, gave gluten-free batter with the least elastic portion of maximum creep compliance (Je/Jmax = 11.65%) which corresponded to the lowest crumb firmness (790.8 g). [source] Linear quadratic optimal sliding mode flow control for connection-oriented communication networksINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 4 2009Przemys, aw Ignaciuk Abstract In this paper, a new sliding mode flow controller for multi-source connection-oriented communication networks is proposed. The networks are modelled as discrete time, nth-order systems. On the basis of the system state space description, novel sliding mode controllers with linear quadratic (LQ) optimal and sub-optimal switching planes are designed. The control law derivation focuses on the minimization of the LQ cost functional and solving the resultant matrix Riccati equation. Closed-loop system stability is demonstrated, and conditions for no data loss and full bottleneck link bandwidth utilization in the network are presented and strictly proved. To the best of our knowledge, this paper presents the first attempt to design a discrete time sliding mode flow control algorithm for connection-oriented communication networks. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Simultaneous ,2/,, control of uncertain jump systems with functional time-delaysINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 3 2008Magdi S. Mahmoud Abstract This paper presents new results pertaining to the control design of a class of linear uncertain systems with Markovian jump parameters. An integral part of the system dynamics is a delayed state in which the time-delays are mode dependent. The jumping parameters are modelled as a continuous-time, discrete-state Markov process and the uncertainties are norm-bounded. We construct an appropriate Lyapunov,Krasovskii functional and design a simultaneous ,2/,, controller which minimizes a quadratic ,2 performance measure while satisfying a prescribed ,, -norm bound on the closed-loop system. It is established that sufficient conditions for the existence of the simultaneous ,2/,, controller and the associated performance upper bound are cast in the form of linear matrix inequalities. Simulation results are provided and extension to the case where the jumping rates are subject to uncertainties is presented. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Delay-dependent anti-windup strategy for linear systems with saturating inputs and delayed outputsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 7 2004S. Tarbouriech Abstract This paper addresses the problem of the determination of stability regions for linear systems with delayed outputs and subject to input saturation, through anti-windup strategies. A method for synthesizing anti-windup gains aiming at maximizing a region of admissible states, for which the closed-loop asymptotic stability and the given controlled output constraints are respected, is proposed. Based on the modelling of the closed-loop system resulting from the controller plus the anti-windup loop as a linear time-delay system with a dead-zone nonlinearity, constructive delay-dependent stability conditions are formulated by using both quadratic and Lure Lyapunov,Krasovskii functionals. Numerical procedures based on the solution of some convex optimization problems with LMI constraints are proposed for computing the anti-windup gain that leads to the maximization of an associated stability region. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is illustrated by some numerical examples. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Assessment of the water,salinity crop production function of wheat using experimental data of the Golestan province, Iran,IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE, Issue 4 2009A. R. Kiani stress hydrique; stress de salinité; fonctions de production; blé Abstract Optimisation of agricultural water management in arid and semi-arid regions requires the availability of water,salinity crop production functions. A two-year experiment was conducted in the northern Golestan province of Iran to assess the water,salinity production function of wheat. The treatments in the experiment consisted of four levels of irrigation water, i.e. 50 (W1), 75 (W2), 100 (W3) and 125 (W4) % of crop water requirement, and four levels of water salinity, respectively 1.5 (S1), 8.5 (S2), 11.5 (S3) and 14.2 (S4) dS,m,1. The plots were arranged in a randomised complete block design with three replications and water quantity as main plot treatment and water quality as subplot treatment. The data were analysed using linear, quadratic, Cobb,Douglas and transcendental functions, complemented with an economic analysis. The results indicate that for the given climate,soil conditions, transcendental functions best predict wheat yield under both water and salinity stress conditions. Yield reduction caused by a unit increase of matric potential is found to be larger than that caused by a unit increase of osmotic potential. The marginal rate of technical substitution indicates that each one of the two factors studied, namely soil salinity and water supply, can be substituted with the other in a wide range in order to achieve equal amount of yield. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. L'optimisation de la gestion de l'eau agricole dans les zones arides et semi-arides nécessite de savoir la relation entre l'apport d'eau selon sa salinité et la production végétale. Une expérience de deux ans a été menée dans le nord de la province du Golestan en Iran pour évaluer la fonction de production de l'eau saline sur le blé. Les traitements expérimentaux consistaient en quatre niveaux d'apports d'eau soit 50% (W1), 75% (W2), 100% (W3) et 125% (W4) des besoins en eau des cultures, et quatre niveaux de salinité de l'eau, respectivement 1.5 (S1), 8.5 (S2), 11.5 (S3) et 14.2 (S4) dS,m,1. Les parcelles ont été disposées dans un bloc de Fisher randomisé avec trois répétitions avec la quantité de l'eau comme variable principale et la qualité de l'eau comme variable secondaire. Les données ont été analysées en utilisant les fonctions linéaires, quadratiques, Cobb,Douglas et transcendantes, complétées par une analyse économique. Les résultats indiquent que, pour un climat et un état du sol donnés, les fonctions transcendantes donnent les meilleures prédictions du rendement de blé en condition de salinité et de stress hydrique. La baisse de rendement causée par une augmentation d'une unité de potentiel hydrique est plus importante que celle causée par l'augmentation d'une unité de potentiel osmotique. Le taux marginal de substitution technique indique que chacun des deux facteurs étudiés, à savoir la salinité des sols et l'apport d'eau, peuvent être largement substitués l'un à l'autre pour viser rendement identique. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Quadratic Differential Demand Systems and the Retail Demand for Pork in Great BritainJOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2003Panos Fousekis The primary objective of this paper is to derive a general synthetic quadratic (rank 3) differential demand system which nests within it a range of testable differential demand models including the quadratic AIDS, CBS, Rotterdam and NBR systems. A model selection test procedure is also outlined. These differential systems are then applied and tested to analyse the monthly retail demand for cuts of pork in Great Britain over the period 1989,2000. The empirical results suggest that a quadratic differential AIDS model is most appropriate for the pork demand system studied, but that the need for inclusion of quadratic income/expenditure terms is not universal for every cut within the demand system. Quadratic expenditure effects were appropriate for pork chops and leg roasts, but log linear expenditure effects were adequate for bellies, shoulders and loin roasts. Roasting cuts were expenditure and own price elastic, with pork loins, chops and bellies all expenditure and own price inelastic. [source] Drip Irrigation Frequency: The Effects and Their Interaction with Nitrogen Fertilization on Sandy Soil Water Distribution, Maize Yield and Water Use Efficiency Under Egyptian ConditionsJOURNAL OF AGRONOMY AND CROP SCIENCE, Issue 3 2008S. E. El-Hendawy Abstract Irrigation frequency is one of the most important factors in drip irrigation scheduling that affects the soil water regime, the water and fertilization use efficiency and the crop yield, although the same quantity of water is applied. Therefore, field experiments were conducted for 2 years in the summer season of 2005 and 2006 on sandy soils to investigate the effects of irrigation frequency and their interaction with nitrogen fertilization on water distribution, grain yield, yield components and water use efficiency (WUE) of two white grain maize hybrids (Zea mays L.). The experiment was conducted by using a randomized complete block split-split plot design, with four irrigation frequencies (once every 2, 3, 4 and 5 days), two nitrogen levels (190 and 380 kg N ha,1), and two maize hybrids (three-way cross 310 and single cross 10) as the main-plot, split-plot, and split-split plot treatments respectively. The results indicate that drip irrigation frequency did affect soil water content and retained soil water, depending on soil depth. Grain yield with the application of 190 kg N ha,1 was not statistically different from that at 380 kg N ha,1 at the irrigation frequency once every 5 days. However, the application of 190 kg N ha,1 resulted in a significant yield reduction of 25 %, 18 % and 9 % in 2005 and 20 %, 13 % and 6 % in 2006 compared with 380 kg N ha,1 at the irrigation frequencies once every 2, 3 and 4 days respectively. The response function between yield components and irrigation frequency treatments was quadratic in both growing seasons except for 100-grain weight, where the function was linear. WUE increased with increasing irrigation frequency and nitrogen levels, and reached the maximum values at once every 2 and 3 days and at 380 kg N ha,1. In order to improve the WUE and grain yield for drip-irrigated maize in sandy soils, it is recommended that irrigation frequency should be once every 2 or 3 days at the investigated nitrogen levels of 380 kg N ha,1 regardless of maize varieties. However, further optimization with a reduced nitrogen application rate should be aimed at and will have to be investigated. [source] Estimates of direct and maternal genetic effects for weights from birth to 600 days of age in Nelore cattleJOURNAL OF ANIMAL BREEDING AND GENETICS, Issue 2 2001Galvão de Albuquerque Estimates of direct and maternal variance and heritability for weights at each week (up to 280 days of age) and month of age (up to 600 days of age) in Zebu cattle are presented. More than one million records on 200 000 animals, weighed every 90 days from birth to 2 years of age, were available. Data were split according to week (data sets 1) or month (data sets 2) of age at recording, creating 54 and 21 data sets, respectively. The model of analysis included contemporary groups as fixed effects, and age of dam (linear and quadratic) and age of calf (linear) effects as covariables. Random effects fitted were additive direct and maternal genetic effects, and maternal permanent environmental effect. Direct heritability estimates decreased from 0.28 at birth, to 0.12,0.13 at about 150 days of age, stayed more or less constant at 0.14,0.16 until 270 days of age and increased with age after that, up to 0.25,0.26. Maternal heritability estimates increased from birth (0.01) to a peak of 0.14 for data sets 1 and 0.07,0.08 for data sets 2 at about 180,210 days of age, before decreasing slowly to 0.07 and 0.05, respectively, at 300 days, and then rapidly diminished after 300 days of age. Permanent environmental effects were 1.5 to four times higher than genetic maternal effects and showed a similar trend. Schätzung von direkten und maternal genetischen Effekten für Gewichte von der Geburt bis zum 600. Lebenstag beim Nelore-Rind Es werden Schätzwerte für die direkte und maternale Varianz sowie für Heritabilitäten der Gewichte in jeder Woche (bis zum 280. Lebenstag) und für jeden Monat (bis zum 600. Lebenstag) beim Zebu Rind gezeigt. Mehr als eine Million Datensätze vom 200.000 Tieren standen zur Verfügung, die alle 90 Tage bis zum zweiten Lebensjahr gewogen wurden. Die Daten wurden entsprechend dem Alter in Wochen (Datenset 1) oder Monaten (Datenset 2) aufgeteilt, woraus 54 bzw. 21 Datensets entstanden. Die Modelle beinhalteten Tiergruppen, die zur gleichen Zeit gelebt haben, als fixen Effekt, das Alter der Mutter (linear und quadratisch) und das Alter des Kalbes (linear) als Kovariablen. Als zufällige Effekte wurden der additive direkte, maternal genetische Effekt und maternal permanente Umwelteffekt berücksichtigt. Direkte Heritabilitätsschätzungen nahmen von 0,28 von Geburt auf 0,12,0,13 bei ca. 150 Lebenstagen ab, blieben mehr oder weniger konstant bei 0,14,0,16 bis zum 270. Lebenstag und nahmen ab dem 270. Lebenstag auf 0,25,0,26 zu. Maternale Heritabilitätsschätzungen nahmen von Geburt (0,01) zu einem Peak von 0, 14 beim Datenset 1 und 0,07,0,8 beim Datenset 2 bis ca. 180,210 Lebenstagen zu, bevor sie langsam wieder auf 0,07 bzw. 0,05 bei einem Alter von 300 Tagen sanken. Nach 300 Lebenstagen sanken sie rapide ab. Permanente Umwelteffekte waren 1,5 bis vierfach höher als genetisch maternale Effekte und zeigten einen ähnlichen Trend. [source] Oxidative degradation of 4-nitrophenol in UV-illuminated titania suspensionJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 8 2001Jimmy Lea Abstract An internally-irradiated annular photoreactor has been used to investigate the oxidative degradation of aqueous 4-nitrophenol with titania as the photocatalyst. Reaction runs were performed over a 3-h period and in practically all cases, complete degradation was possible within about 2,h. The kinetics was determined as a function of nitrophenol concentration, oxygen partial pressure, catalyst loading, pH, temperature and light intensity. The reaction was characterised by a relatively low activation energy of 7.83,kJ,mol,1 although transport intrusions were negligible. Rate decreased almost exponentially with pH while a quadratic (maximum) behaviour with respect to both oxygen pressure and nitrophenol concentration is symptomatic of self-inhibition possibly due to the formation of intermediates which competitively adsorb on similar sites to the reactants. Increased catalyst dosage also improved the reaction rate although the possible effects of light scattering and solution opacity caused a drop at loadings higher than about 1.20,g,dm,3. Rate, however, has a linear dependency on light intensity, suggesting that hole,electron recombination processes were negligible at the conditions investigated. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Forcing highly connected subgraphsJOURNAL OF GRAPH THEORY, Issue 4 2007Maya Jakobine Stein Abstract A theorem of Mader states that highly connected subgraphs can be forced in finite graphs by assuming a high minimum degree. We extend this result to infinite graphs. Here, it is necessary to require not only high degree for the vertices but also high vertex-degree (or multiplicity) for the ends of the graph, that is, a large number of disjoint rays in each end. We give a lower bound on the degree of vertices and the vertex-degree of the ends which is quadratic in k, the connectedness of the desired subgraph. In fact, this is not far from best possible: we exhibit a family of graphs with a degree of order 2k at the vertices and a vertex-degree of order k log k at the ends which have no k -connected subgraphs. Furthermore, if in addition to the high degrees at the vertices, we only require high edge-degree for the ends (which is defined as the maximum number of edge-disjoint rays in an end), Mader's theorem does not extend to infinite graphs, not even to locally finite ones. We give a counterexample in this respect. But, assuming a lower bound of at least 2k for the edge-degree at the ends and the degree at the vertices does suffice to ensure the existence (k + 1)- edge -connected subgraphs in arbitrary graphs. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 54: 331,349, 2007 [source] Credit cards scoring with quadratic utility functionsJOURNAL OF MULTI CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS, Issue 4-5 2002Vladimir Bugera Abstract The paper considers a general approach for classifying objects using mathematical programming algorithms. The approach is based on optimizing a utility function, which is quadratic in indicator parameters and is linear in control parameters (which need to be identified). Qualitative characteristics of the utility function, such as monotonicity in some variables, are included using additional constraints. The methodology was tested with a ,credit cards scoring' problem. Credit scoring is a way of separating specific subgroups in a population of objects (such as applications for credit), which have significantly different credit risk characteristics. A new feature of our approach is incorporating expert judgments in the model. For instance, the following preference was included with an additional constraint: ,give more preference to customers with higher incomes.' Numerical experiments showed that including constraints based on expert judgments improves the performance of the algorithm. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Conjectural Variations and Voluntary Public Good Provision in a Repeated Game SettingJOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMIC THEORY, Issue 1 2003ichi Itaya The purpose of this paper is to show how conjectural variations can be derived as a reduced form in an infinitely repeated game of private provision of public goods. We obtain explicit closed forms of conjectural variations associated with maximal sustainable equilibria in which the sum of the utilities of all of a community's members is maximized for both quadratic and Cobb,Douglas preferences, provided that the resulting sequence of contributions can be sustained as a Nash (or subgame perfect) equilibrium in the underlying repeated game. We also show that positive conjectural variations will emerge as long as people place positive weight on the future, and that those conjectures are positively related to the discount factor. [source] The complex Bingham quartic distribution and shape analysisJOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY: SERIES B (STATISTICAL METHODOLOGY), Issue 5 2006J. T. Kent Summary., The complex Bingham distribution was introduced by Kent as a tractable model for landmark-based shape analysis. It forms an exponential family with a sufficient statistic which is quadratic in the data. However, the distribution has too much symmetry to be widely useful. In particular, under high concentration it behaves asymptotically as a normal distribution, but where the covariance matrix is constrained to have complex symmetry. To overcome this limitation and to provide a full range of asymptotic normal behaviour, we introduce a new ,complex Bingham quartic distribution' by adding a selection of quartic terms to the log-density. In the simplest case this new distribution corresponds to Kent's FB5 -distribution. Asymptotic and saddlepoint methods are developed for the normalizing constant to facilitate maximum likelihood estimation. Examples are given to show the usefulness of this new distribution. [source] Effects of repeated burning on species richness in a Florida pine savanna: A test of the intermediate disturbance hypothesisJOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 1 2000Brian Beckage Wunderlin (1982) except for Aristida beyrichiana; which follows Peet (1993). Vouchers for each species were collected and deposited at the University of Central Florida herbarium Abstract. We studied the effect of burning frequency on the density and species richness of understory flowering stems in a Florida sandhill. Flowering stems were censused weekly for 54 weeks in six sites that had been burned one to six times in the previous 16 years. We concurrently measured overstory characteristics such as species composition, density and basal area. We used maximum likelihood and Akaike's Information Criterion to compare linear, quadratic, saturating, and null models of community response to repeating burning. We did not find a relationship between species richness, diversity or flowering stem density and fire frequency. Tree density was related to fire frequency and may represent an indirect pathway for fire effects on understory characteristics. While we found no support for the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis, an analysis of our experimental design indicated that we had low statistical power. We develop the hypothesis that a saturating model of response to fire best describes understory species richness in our system. We test this hypothesis using the most extensive published fire data set we are aware of and find support for a saturating model. [source] Empirical Modeling of Butyl Acrylate/Vinyl Acetate/Acrylic Acid Emulsion-Based Pressure-Sensitive AdhesivesMACROMOLECULAR MATERIALS & ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2004Renata Jovanovic Abstract Summary: Butyl acrylate/vinyl acetate/acrylic acid (BA/VAc/AA) emulsion latexes were produced in a semi-batch mode. The objective was to generate polymers with properties favoring their application as pressure-sensitive adhesives. The influence of the individual monomer concentrations on final properties such as glass transition temperature (Tg), peel strength, shear strength and tack was investigated. To obtain the maximum amount of information in a reasonable number of runs, a constrained three-component mixture design was used to define the experimental conditions. Latexes were coated onto a polyethylene terephthalate carrier and dried. Different empirical models (e.g. linear, quadratic and cubic mixture models) governing the individual properties (i.e. Tg, peel adhesion, shear resistance and tack) were developed and evaluated. In the given experimental region, no single model was found to fit all of the responses (i.e. the final properties). However, in all models the most significant factor affecting the final properties was the AA concentration, followed by the VAc concentration. Shear strength contour lines over the investigated region. [source] A new perturbation solution for systems with strong quadratic and cubic nonlinearitiesMATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 6 2010Mehmet Pakdemirli Abstract The new perturbation algorithm combining the method of multiple scales (MS) and Lindstedt,Poincare techniques is applied to an equation with quadratic and cubic nonlinearities. Approximate analytical solutions are found using the classical MS method and the new method. Both solutions are contrasted with the direct numerical solutions of the original equation. For the case of strong nonlinearities, solutions of the new method are in good agreement with the numerical results, whereas the amplitude and frequency estimations of classical MS yield high errors. For strongly nonlinear systems, exact periods match well with the new technique while there are large discrepancies between the exact and classical MS periods. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A geometric-based algebraic multigrid method for higher-order finite element equations in two-dimensional linear elasticityNUMERICAL LINEAR ALGEBRA WITH APPLICATIONS, Issue 7 2009Yingxiong Xiao Abstract In this paper, we will discuss the geometric-based algebraic multigrid (AMG) method for two-dimensional linear elasticity problems discretized using quadratic and cubic elements. First, a two-level method is proposed by analyzing the relationship between the linear finite element space and higher-order finite element space. And then a geometric-based AMG method is obtained with the existing solver used as a solver on the first coarse level. The resulting AMG method is applied to some typical elasticity problems including the plane strain problem with jumps in Young's modulus. The results of various numerical experiments show that the proposed AMG method is much more robust and efficient than a classical AMG solver that is applied directly to the high-order systems alone. Moreover, we present the corresponding theoretical analysis for the convergence of the proposed AMG algorithms. These theoretical results are also confirmed by some numerical tests. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A new class of stabilized mesh-free finite elements for the approximation of the Stokes problemNUMERICAL METHODS FOR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS, Issue 5 2004V. V. K. Srinivas Kumar Abstract Previously, we solved the Stokes problem using a new linear - constant stabilized mesh-free finite element based on linear Weighted Extended B - splines (WEB-splines) as shape functions for the velocity approximation and constant extended B-splines for the pressure (Kumar et al., 2002). In this article we derive another linear-constant element that uses the Haar wavelets for the pressure approximation and a quadratic - linear element that uses quadrilateral bubble functions for the enrichment of the velocity approximation space. The inf-sup condition or Ladyshenskaya-Babus,ka-Brezzi (LBB) condition is verified for both the elements. The main advantage of these new elements over standard finite elements is that they use regular grids instead of irregular partitions of domain, thus eliminating the difficult and time consuming pre-processing step. Convergence and condition number estimates are derived. Numerical experiments in two space dimensions confirm the theoretical predictions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2004. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||