Closure Model (closure + model)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Neurulation in the human embryo revisited

CONGENITAL ANOMALIES, Issue 2 2000
Tomoko Nakatsu
ABSTRACT It used to be widely accepted that neural tube closure in the human initiates at the level of the future neck and proceeds both cranially and caudally like zip fastener closing. This continuous closure model was recently challenged, and observation of human embryos at the neurulation stage revealed that the closure of the human neural tube initiates at multiple sites. Multi-site closure of the neural tube has been observed in many other animal species, but the initiation sites and the process of neural tube closure are variable among species. Therefore we should be careful when extrapolating the data of normal and abnormal neurulation in laboratory animals to the human. Recent studies in mouse genetics and developmental biology have shown that neural tube defects are quite heterogeneous both etiologically and pathogenetically. Gene mutations responsible for human neural tube defects are largely unknown, but molecular studies of human cases of neural tube defects and their comparison with the mouse genome data should provide a molecular basis for human neural tube defects. [source]


Three-dimensional flow modelling and sediment transport in the River Klarälven

EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 7 2004
Bijan Dargahi
Abstract A three-dimensional ,ow model that uses the RNG k - , turbulence model and a non-equilibrium wall function was applied to the River Klarälven in the southwest part of Sweden. The objectives were to study the nature of the ,ow in the river bifurcation and to investigate the short-term sediment transport patterns in the river. The effectiveness of three-dimensional ,ow models depends upon: (1) how well the river geometry and it surface roughness are modelled; and (2) the choice of the closure model. Improvements were obtained by modelling the river in two parts: the entire river reach, and a selected part. Composite Manning coef,cients were used to account for roughness properties. The method requires a calibration process that ensures the water surface pro,les match the ,eld data. The k - , model under-predicted both the extent of ,ow separation zones and the number of secondary ,ow regions having a spiral motion, in comparison with the RNG k - , model. The 3-D model could predict with good accuracy both the general and secondary ,ow ,elds in the river. The results agreed well with the 3-D velocity measurements using an acoustic Doppler current pro,ler. A conceptual model was developed that accounts for the development of secondary ,ows in a river bifurcation having two bends. The main ,ow feature in the river cross-sections was the existence of multiple counter-rotating spiral motions. The number of spiral motions increased as the river bends were approached. The river bends also caused vorticity intensi,cation and increased the vertical velocities. The application of the 3-D ,ow model was extended by solving the sediment continuity equation. The sediment transport patterns were related to the secondary ,ow ,elds in the river. The sediment transport patterns at the river bifurcations are characterized by the growth of a sandbank. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Fatigue behaviour and life prediction of fibre reinforced metal laminates under constant and variable amplitude loading

FATIGUE & FRACTURE OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES, Issue 5 2002
X. R. WU
ABSTRACT Fatigue crack growth of fibre reinforced metal laminates (FRMLs) under constant and variable amplitude loading was studied through analysis and experiments. The distribution of the bridging stress along the crackline in centre-cracked tension (CCT) specimen of FRMLs was modelled numerically, and the main factors affecting the bridging stress were identified. A test method for determining the delamination growth rates in a modified double cracked lap shear (DCLS) specimen was presented. Two models, one being fatigue-mechanism-based and the other phenomenological, were developed for predicting the fatigue life under constant amplitude loading. The fatigue behaviour, including crack growth and delamination growth, of glass fibre reinforced aluminium laminates (GLARE) under constant amplitude loading following a single overload was investigated experimentally, and the mechanisms for the effect of a single overload on the crack growth rates and the delamination growth rates were identified. An equivalent closure model for predicting crack-growth in FRMLs under variable amplitude loading and spectrum loading was presented. All the models presented in this paper were verified by applying to GLARE under constant amplitude loading and Mini-transport aircraft wing structures (TWIST) load sequence. The predicted crack growth rates are in good agreement with test results. [source]


A model for evaluating the effect of fatigue crack repair by the infiltration method

FATIGUE & FRACTURE OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES, Issue 10 2000
C. S. Shin
Infiltration of foreign materials into a fatigue crack has previously been shown to be able to retard the crack and extend fatigue life. Most of the related studies were empirical and phenomenological in nature. To aid engineering decisions, it would be advantageous if the possible outcome of a repair can be evaluated beforehand. To this end, a crack closure model taking into account the additional closure effect of the infiltrant has been developed and verified against experimental results. With this model, the sensitivity of the repair effect to various parameters such as mechanical properties of the infiltrant, depth of penetration and infiltration load level can be assessed. [source]


Modelling sources and sinks of CO2, H2O and heat within a Siberian pine forest using three inverse methods

THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 590 2003
M. Siqueira
Abstract Source/sink distributions of heat, CO2 and water vapour in a Siberian Scots pine forest were estimated from measured concentration and temperature profiles using three inverse analysis methods. These methods include: a Eulerian second-order closure model (EUL); a localized near-field Lagrangian dispersion model (LNF); and a hybrid model (HEL) which uses the Eulerian second-order turbulence model to calculate the flow statistics combined with the regression analysis used with the Lagrangian model. Model predictions were compared to heat flux profiles measured at five levels in the canopy, and to CO2 and water-vapour fluxes measured close to the ground and above the forest. Predictions of sensible-heat flux profiles by the LNF and HEL schemes were systematically better than results from the EUL analysis. This improvement was attributed to the redundancy in the measured profile (scalar concentration and temperature) data for LNF and HEL and to the imposed smoothness condition used in the regression analyses, whereas the EUL approach calculates a source for each level without any redundancy. The LNF and HEL schemes were also better than EUL in predicting source distributions for CO2 and water vapour, although errors were larger than for sensible heat. The main novelty in our study is the use of EUL to decompose the vertical variability in scalar (or heat) sources into variability produced by the inhomogeneity in flow statistics and variability inferred from the measured mean scalar concentration (or temperature) profile. Hence, it is possible with this analysis to assess how much ,new information' about the source variability is attributed to vertical variation in the measured mean scalar concentration (or temperature) profiles. The analysis shows that measured water vapour concentration profiles provide little information on the inferred source distribution, whereas the CO2 profiles contain more information. Monte Carlo simulations show that computed sources from all three inverse methods have similar sensitivities to errors in measured temperatures. Errors are reduced when the reference temperature above the canopy is held fixed, implying that errors in this temperature propagate throughout the entire domain. When information content and error estimations are combined, a valuable tool to assess the quality of source prediction by inverse methods can be generated. Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society [source]


Turbulent stresses as a function of shear rate in a local disk model

ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 1 2009
A.J. Liljeström
Abstract We present local numerical models of accretion disk turbulence driven by the magnetorotational instability with varying shear rate. The resulting turbulent stresses are compared with predictions of a closure model in which triple correlations are modelled in terms of quadratic correlations. This local model uses five nondimensional parameters to describe the properties of the flow. We attempt to determine these closure parameters for our simulations and find that the model does produce qualitatively correct behaviour. In addition, we present results concerning the shear rate dependency of the magnetic to kinetic energy ratio. We find both the turbulent stress ratio and the total stress to be strongly dependent on the shear rate (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Near threshold fatigue crack growth versus long finite life

FATIGUE & FRACTURE OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES, Issue 8-9 2002
P. C. PARIS
ABSTRACT A brief review of the discovery of the fatigue crack growth threshold is provided with a discussion of the main variables, Kmax and ,K, which control the threshold over the low and high load ratio ranges, respectively. The significant effect on near threshold growth rates as illustrated by Donald are shown, for an example the aluminium alloy, 2324-T39. Attention is then turned to the ,partial closure model' as a means of correlating near threshold fatigue crack growth rates. This seems to be the most promising model with a physical basis. For this reason, the discussion goes on to present a new theoretical analysis of the load displacement record characteristics, which should accompany ,partial closure' of fatigue cracks. In addition it is concluded that secondary stress effects should be explored for near threshold fatigue crack growth rates. [source]