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Spatial Domain (spatial + domain)
Selected AbstractsPhysically-based Dye Advection for Flow VisualizationCOMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 3 2008Guo-Shi Li Abstract Dye advection is widely used in experimental flow analysis but has seen less use for visualization in computational fluid dynamics. One possible reason for this disconnect is the inaccuracy of the texture-based approach, which is prone to artifacts caused by numeric diffusion and mass fluctuation. In this paper, we introduce a novel 2D dye advection scheme for flow visualization based on the concept of control volume analysis typically used in computational fluid dynamics. The evolution of dye patterns in the flow field is achieved by advecting individual control volumes, which collectively cover the entire spatial domain. The local variation of dye material, represented as a piecewise quasi-parabolic function, is integrated within each control volume resulting in mass conserving transport without excessive numerical diffusion. Due to its physically based formulation, this approach is capable of conveying intricate flow structures not shown in the traditional dye advection schemes while avoiding visual artifacts. [source] Upward range extension of Andean anurans and chytridiomycosis to extreme elevations in response to tropical deglaciationGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2007TRACIE A. SEIMON Abstract High-alpine life forms and ecosystems exist at the limits of habitable environments, and thus, are especially sensitive to environmental change. Here we report a recent increase in the elevational limit of anurans following glacial retreat in the tropical Peruvian Andes. Three species have colonized ponds in recently deglaciated terrain at new record elevations for amphibians worldwide (5244,5400 m). Two of these species were also found to be infected with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), an emerging fungal pathogen causally associated with global amphibian declines, including the disappearance of several Latin American species. The presence of this pathogen was associated with elevated mortality rates of at least one species. These results represent the first evidence of upward expansion of anurans to newly available habitat brought about by recent deglaciation. Furthermore, the large increase in the upper limit of known Bd infections, previously reported as 4112 m in Ecuador, to 5348 m in this study, also expands the spatial domain of potential Bd pathogenicity to encompass virtually all high elevation anuran habitats in the tropical Andes. [source] Computational homogenization of uncoupled consolidation in micro-heterogeneous porous mediaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 14 2010Fredrik Larsson Abstract Variationally consistent homogenization is exploited for the analysis of transient uncoupled consolidation in micro-heterogeneous porous solids, whereby the classical approach of first-order homogenization for stationary problems is extended to transient problems. Homogenization is then carried out in the spatial domain on representative volume elements (RVE), which are introduced in quadrature points in standard fashion. Along with the classical averages, a higher-order conservation quantity is obtained. An iterative FE2 -algorithm is devised for the case of nonlinear permeability and storage coefficients, and it is applied to pore pressure changes in asphalt-concrete (particle composite). Various parametric studies are carried out, in particular, with respect to the influence of the ,substructure length scale' that is represented by the size of the RVE's. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Numerical analysis of the rectangular domain decomposition methodINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 7 2009Younbae Jun Abstract When solving parabolic partial differential equations using finite difference non-overlapping domain decomposition methods, one often uses the stripwise decomposition of spatial domain and it can be extended to the rectangular decomposition without further analysis. In this paper, we analyze the rectangular decomposition when the modified implicit prediction (MIP) algorithm is used. We show that the performance of the rectangular decomposition and the stripwise decomposition is different. We compare spectral radius, maximum error, efficiency, and total operations of the rectangular and the stripwise decompositions. We investigate the accuracy of the interface of the rectangular decomposition and the effects of the correction phase of the rectangular decomposition. Numerical experiments have been done in both two and three spatial dimensions and show that the rectangular decomposition is not better than the stripwise decomposition. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Variationally consistent computational homogenization of transient heat flowINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 13 2010Fredrik Larsson Abstract A framework for variationally consistent homogenization, combined with a generalized macro-homogeneity condition, is exploited for the analysis of non-linear transient heat conduction. Within this framework the classical approach of (model-based) first-order homogenization for stationary problems is extended to transient problems. Homogenization is then carried out in the spatial domain on representative volume elements (RVE), which are (in practice) introduced in quadrature points in standard fashion. Along with the classical averages, a higher order conservation quantity is obtained. An iterative FE2 -algorithm is devised for the case of non-linear diffusion and storage coefficients, and it is applied to transient heat conduction in a strongly heterogeneous particle composite. Parametric studies are carried out, in particular with respect to the influence of the ,internal length' associated with the second-order conservation quantity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A finite volume method for large strain analysis of incompressible hyperelastic materialsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 12 2005I. Bijelonja Abstract This paper describes development of a displacement,pressure based finite volume formulation for modelling of large strain problems involving incompressible hyperelastic materials. The method is based on the solution of the integral conservation equations governing momentum balance in total Lagrangian description. The incompressibility constraint is enforced by employing the integral form of the mass conservation equation in deformed configurations of the body. A Mooney,Rivlin incompressible material model is used for material description. A collocated variable arrangement is used and the spatial domain is discretized using finite volumes of an arbitrary polyhedral shape. A segregated approach is employed to solve resulting set of coupled non-linear algebraic equations, utilizing a SIMPLE based algorithm for displacement,pressure coupling. Comparisons of numerical and analytical results show a very good agreement. For the limited range of cell topologies tested the developed method appears to be locking free. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A non-reflecting layer method for non-linear wave-type equations on unbounded domains with applications to shape memory alloy rodsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 15 2005M. Newman Abstract In this paper a new technique is introduced and applied in solving one-dimensional linear and non-linear wave-type equations on an unbounded spatial domain. This new technique referred to as the non-reflecting layer method (NRLM) extends the computational domain with an artificial layer on which a one-way wave equation is solved. The method will be applied to compute stress waves in long rods consisting of NiTi shape memory alloy material subjected to impact loading and undergoing detwinning and pseudo-elastic material responses. The NRLM has been tested on model problems and it has been found that the computed solutions agree well with the exact solutions, i.e. normalized error levels are in ranges acceptable for engineering computations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Wavelet-based adaptive vector quantization for still-image codingINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMAGING SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2002Wen-Shiung Chen Abstract Wavelet transform coding (WTC) with vector quantization (VQ) has been shown to be efficient in the application of image compression. An adaptive vector quantization coding scheme with the Gold-Washing dynamic codebook-refining mechanism in the wavelet domain, called symmetric wavelet transform-based adaptive vector quantization (SWT-GW-AVQ), is proposed for still-image coding in this article. The experimental results show that the GW codebook-refining mechanism working in the wavelet domain rather than the spatial domain is very efficient, and the SWT-GW-AVQ coding scheme may improve the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of the reconstructed images with a lower encoding time. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol 12, 166,174, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ima.10024 [source] Position-dependent defocus processing for acoustic holography imagesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMAGING SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2002Ruming Yin Acoustic holography is a transmission-based ultrasound imaging method that uses optical image reconstruction and provides a larger field of view than pulse-echo ultrasound imaging. A focus parameter controls the position of the focal plane along the optical axis, and the images obtained contain defocused content from objects not near the focal plane. Moreover, it is not always possible to bring all objects of interest into simultaneous focus. In this article, digital image processing techniques are presented to (1) identify a "best focused" image from a sequence of images taken with different focus settings and (2) simultaneously focus every pixel in the image through fusion of pixels from different frames in the sequence. Experiments show that the three-dimensional image information provided by acoustic holography requires position-dependent filtering for the enhancement step. It is found that filtering in the spatial domain is more computationally efficient than in the frequency domain. In addition, spatial domain processing gives the best performance. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol 12, 101,111, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ima.10017 [source] Position-dependent disturbance rejection using spatial-based adaptive feedback linearization repetitive controlINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 12 2009Cheng-Lun Chen Abstract In this paper, we propose a new design of spatial-based repetitive control for a class of rotary motion systems operating at variable speeds. The open-loop system in spatial domain is obtained by reformulating a nonlinear time-invariant system with respect to angular displacement. A two-degree-of-freedom control structure (comprising two control modules) is then proposed to robustly stabilize the open-loop system and improve the tracking performance. The first control module applies adaptive feedback linearization with projected parametric update and concentrates on robust stabilization of the closed-loop system. The second control module introduces a spatial-based repetitive controller cascaded with a loop-shaping filter, which not only further reduces the tracking error, but also improves parametric adaptation. The overall control system is robust to model uncertainties of the system and capable of rejecting position-dependent disturbances under varying process speeds. Stability proof for the overall system is given. A design example with simulation is provided to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed design. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Classification of protein crystallization images using Fourier descriptorsJOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2007James Foadi The two-dimensional Fourier transform (2D-FT) is well suited to the extraction of features to differentiate image texture, and the classification of images based on information acquired from the frequency domain provides a complementary method to approaches based within the spatial domain. The intensity, I, of the Fourier-transformed images can be modelled by an equation of power law form, I = Ar,, where A and , are constants and r is the radial spatial frequency. The power law is fitted over annuli, centred at zero spatial frequency, and the parameters, A and ,, determined for each spatial frequency range. The variation of the fitted parameters across wedges of fixed polar angle provides a measure of directionality and the deviation from the fitted model can be exploited for classification. The classification results are combined with an existing method to classify individual objects within the crystallization drop to obtain an improved overall classification rate. [source] Hierarchical spatial models for predicting pygmy rabbit distribution and relative abundanceJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Tammy L. Wilson Summary 1.,Conservationists routinely use species distribution models to plan conservation, restoration and development actions, while ecologists use them to infer process from pattern. These models tend to work well for common or easily observable species, but are of limited utility for rare and cryptic species. This may be because honest accounting of known observation bias and spatial autocorrelation are rarely included, thereby limiting statistical inference of resulting distribution maps. 2.,We specified and implemented a spatially explicit Bayesian hierarchical model for a cryptic mammal species (pygmy rabbit Brachylagus idahoensis). Our approach used two levels of indirect sign that are naturally hierarchical (burrows and faecal pellets) to build a model that allows for inference on regression coefficients as well as spatially explicit model parameters. We also produced maps of rabbit distribution (occupied burrows) and relative abundance (number of burrows expected to be occupied by pygmy rabbits). The model demonstrated statistically rigorous spatial prediction by including spatial autocorrelation and measurement uncertainty. 3.,We demonstrated flexibility of our modelling framework by depicting probabilistic distribution predictions using different assumptions of pygmy rabbit habitat requirements. 4.,Spatial representations of the variance of posterior predictive distributions were obtained to evaluate heterogeneity in model fit across the spatial domain. Leave-one-out cross-validation was conducted to evaluate the overall model fit. 5.,Synthesis and applications. Our method draws on the strengths of previous work, thereby bridging and extending two active areas of ecological research: species distribution models and multi-state occupancy modelling. Our framework can be extended to encompass both larger extents and other species for which direct estimation of abundance is difficult. [source] Improved myelin water quantification using spatially regularized non-negative least squares algorithmJOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, Issue 1 2009Dosik Hwang PhD Abstract Purpose To improve the myelin water quantification in the brain in the presence of measurement noise and to increase the visibility of small focal lesions in myelin-water-fraction (MWF) maps. Materials and Methods A spatially regularized non-negative least squares (srNNLS) algorithm was developed for robust myelin water quantification in the brain. The regularization for the conventional NNLS algorithm was expanded into the spatial domain in addition to the spectral domain. Synthetic data simulations were performed to study the effectiveness of this new algorithm. Experimental free-induction-decay measurements were obtained using a multi-gradient-echo pulse sequence and MWF maps were estimated using the srNNLS algorithm. The results were compared with other conventional methods. Results A substantial decrease in MWF variability was observed in both simulations and experimental data when the srNNLS algorithm was applied. As a result, false lesions in the MWF maps disappeared and the visibility of small focal lesions improved greatly. On average, the contrast-to-noise ratio for focal lesions was improved by a factor of 2. Conclusion The MWF variability due to the measurement noise can be substantially reduced and the detection of small focal lesions can be improved by using the srNNLS algorithm. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009;30:203,208. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Fixed rank kriging for very large spatial data setsJOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY: SERIES B (STATISTICAL METHODOLOGY), Issue 1 2008Noel Cressie Summary., Spatial statistics for very large spatial data sets is challenging. The size of the data set, n, causes problems in computing optimal spatial predictors such as kriging, since its computational cost is of order . In addition, a large data set is often defined on a large spatial domain, so the spatial process of interest typically exhibits non-stationary behaviour over that domain. A flexible family of non-stationary covariance functions is defined by using a set of basis functions that is fixed in number, which leads to a spatial prediction method that we call fixed rank kriging. Specifically, fixed rank kriging is kriging within this class of non-stationary covariance functions. It relies on computational simplifications when n is very large, for obtaining the spatial best linear unbiased predictor and its mean-squared prediction error for a hidden spatial process. A method based on minimizing a weighted Frobenius norm yields best estimators of the covariance function parameters, which are then substituted into the fixed rank kriging equations. The new methodology is applied to a very large data set of total column ozone data, observed over the entire globe, where n is of the order of hundreds of thousands. [source] Identification of sediment source and sink areas in a Himalayan watershed using GIS and remote sensingLAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2009M. K. Jain Abstract Erosion is a natural geomorphic process occurring continually over the Earth's surface and it largely depends on topography, vegetation, soil and climatic variables, and therefore, exhibits pronounced spatial variability due to catchment heterogeneity and climatic variation. This problem can be circumvented by discretizing the catchment into approximately homogeneous sub-areas using GIS. In this study, the remote sensing and GIS techniques (through Imagine®8.6 and ArcGIS®9.1 software) were used for derivation of spatial information, catchment discretization, data processing etc. for the Himalayan Chaukhutia watershed (India). Various thematic layers for different factors of USLE were generated and overlaid to compute spatially distributed gross soil erosion maps for the watershed using 18-year rainfall data. The concept of transport limited accumulation was formulated and used in ArcGIS® for generating the transport capacity maps. Using these maps, the gross soil erosion was routed to the catchment outlet using hydrological drainage paths, for derivation of transport capacity limited sediment outflow maps. These maps depict the amount of sediment rate from a particular grid in spatial domain and the pixel value of the outlet grid indicates the sediment yield at the outlet of the watershed. Up on testing, the proposed method simulated the annual sediment yield with less than ±40% error. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] On the domain dependence of solutions to the Navier,Stokes equations of a two-dimensional compressible flowMATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 18 2009Fei Jiang Abstract We consider the Navier,Stokes equations for compressible, barotropic flow in two space dimensions, with pressure satisfying p(,)=a,logd(,) for large ,, here d>1 and a>0. After introducing useful tools from the theory of Orlicz spaces, we prove a compactness result for the solution set of the equations with respect to the variation of the underlying bounded spatial domain. Especially, we get a general existence theorem for the system in question with no restrictions on smoothness of the bounded spatial domain. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] On the domain dependence of solutions to the compressible Navier,Stokes equations of a barotropic fluidMATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 12 2002Eduard Feireisl We prove a general compactness result for the solution set of the compressible Navier,Stokes equations with respect to the variation of the underlying spatial domain. Among various corollaries, we then prove a general existence theorem for the system in question with no restrictions on smoothness of the spatial domain. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] EFFECTS OF DOMAIN SIZE ON THE PERSISTENCE OF POPULATIONS IN A DIFFUSIVE FOOD-CHAIN MODEL WITH BEDDINGTON-DeANGELIS FUNCTIONAL RESPONSENATURAL RESOURCE MODELING, Issue 3 2001ROBERT STEPHEN CANTRELL ABSTRACT. A food chain consisting of species at three trophic levels is modeled using Beddington-DeAngelis functional responses as the links between trophic levels. The dispersal of the species is modeled by diffusion, so the resulting model is a three component reaction-diffusion system. The behavior of the system is described in terms of predictions of extinction or persistence of the species. Persistence is characterized via permanence, i.e., uniform persistence plus dissi-pativity. The way that the predictions of extinction or persistence depend on domain size is studied by examining how they vary as the size (but not the shape) of the underlying spatial domain is changed. [source] The radial basis functions method for identifying an unknown parameter in a parabolic equation with overspecified dataNUMERICAL METHODS FOR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS, Issue 5 2007Mehdi Dehghan Abstract Parabolic partial differential equations with overspecified data play a crucial role in applied mathematics and engineering, as they appear in various engineering models. In this work, the radial basis functions method is used for finding an unknown parameter p(t) in the inverse linear parabolic partial differential equation ut = uxx + p(t)u + ,, in [0,1] × (0,T], where u is unknown while the initial condition and boundary conditions are given. Also an additional condition ,01k(x)u(x,t)dx = E(t), 0 , t , T, for known functions E(t), k(x), is given as the integral overspecification over the spatial domain. The main approach is using the radial basis functions method. In this technique the exact solution is found without any mesh generation on the domain of the problem. We also discuss on the case that the overspecified condition is in the form ,0s(t)u(x,t)dx = E(t), 0 < t , T, 0 < s(t) < 1, where s and E are known functions. Some illustrative examples are presented to show efficiency of the proposed method. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2007 [source] Remote sensing image analysis,including the spatial domainTHE PHOTOGRAMMETRIC RECORD, Issue 113 2006A. A. MacArthur No abstract is available for this article. [source] Construction and application of covariance functions with variable length-fieldsTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 619 2006Gregory Gaspari Abstract This article focuses on construction, directly in physical space, of three-dimensional covariance functions parametrized by a length-field, and on an application of these functions to improve the representation of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) in the Goddard Earth Observing System, Version 4 (GEOS-4) data assimilation system. The covariance functions are obtained by fusing collections of auto-covariance functions having different constant length-scales with their associated cross-covariance functions. This construction yields covariance functions with length-scales that can vary arbitrarily over any finite partition of the spatial domain. A simple, and also motivating application of these functions is to the case where the length-scale varies in the vertical direction only. The class of covariance functions with variable length-fields constructed in this article will be called multi-level to associate them with this application. The multi-level covariance functions extend well-known single-level covariance functions depending only on a constant length-scale. Generalizations of the familiar first-and third-order autoregressive covariances in three dimensions are given, providing multi-level covariances with zero and four continuous derivatives at zero separation, respectively. Multi-level piecewise rational covariances with two continuous derivatives at zero separation are also provided. Multi-level power-law covariances are constructed with continuous derivatives of all orders. Additional multi-level covariance functions are constructed using the Schur product of single- and multi-level covariance functions. A multi-variate, multi-level power-law covariance with a large troposphere-to-stratosphere length-field gradient is employed to reproduce the QBO from sparse radiosonde wind observations in the tropical lower stratosphere. This covariance model is described along with details of the assimilation experiments. The new covariance model is shown to represent the vertical wind shear associated with the QBO much more effectively than the multi-variate, multi-level covariance model in the baseline GEOS-4 system. Copyright © 2006 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Geophysical evidence for Holocene lake-level change in southern California (Dry Lake)BOREAS, Issue 1 2010BROXTON W. BIRD Bird, B. W., Kirby, M. E., Howat, I. M. & Tulaczyk, S. 2009: Geophysical evidence for Holocene lake-level change in southern California (Dry Lake). Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2009.00114.x. ISSN 0300-9483. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) data are used in combination with previously published sediment cores to develop a Holocene history of basin sedimentation in a small, alpine lake in southern California (Dry Lake). The GPR data identify three depositional sequences spanning the past 9000 calendar years before present (cal. yr BP). Sequence I represents the first phase of an early Holocene highstand. A regression between <8320 and >8120 cal. yr BP separates Sequence I from Sequence II, perhaps associated with the 8200 cal. yr BP cold event. Sequence II represents the second phase of the early-to-mid Holocene highstand. Sequence IIIa represents a permanent shift to predominantly low lake stands beginning ,5550 cal. yr BP. This mid-Holocene shift was accompanied by a dramatic decrease in sedimentation rate as well as a contraction of the basin's area of sedimentation. By ,1860 cal. yr BP (Sequence IIIb), the lake was restricted to the modern, central basin. Taken together, the GPR and core data indicate a wet early Holocene followed by a long-term Holocene drying trend. The similarity in ages of the early Holocene highstand across the greater southern California region suggests a common external forcing , perhaps modulation of early Holocene storm activity by insolation. However, regional lake level records are less congruous following the initial early Holocene highstand, which may indicate a change in the spatial domain of climate forcing(s) throughout the Holocene in western North America. [source] Optimized green fluorescent protein variants provide improved single cell resolution of transgene expression in ascidian embryosDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 2 2006Robert W. Zeller Abstract The green fluorescent protein (GFP) is used extensively to monitor gene expression and protein localization in living cells, particularly in developing embryos from a variety of species. Several GFP mutations have been characterized that improve protein expression and alter the emission spectra to produce proteins that emit green, blue, cyan, and yellow wavelengths. DsRed and its variants encode proteins that emit in the orange to red wavelengths. Many of these commercially available fluorescent proteins have been "codon optimized" for maximal levels of expression in mammalian cells. We have generated several fluorescent protein color variants that have been codon optimized for maximal expression in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. By analyzing quantitative time-lapse recordings of transgenic embryos, we demonstrate that, in general, our Ciona optimized variants are detected and expressed at higher levels than commercially available fluorescent proteins. We show that three of these proteins, expressed simultaneously in different spatial domains within the same transgenic embryo are easily detectable using optimized fluorescent filter sets for epifluorescent microscopy. Coupled with recently developed quantitative imaging techniques, our GFP variants should provide useful reagents for monitoring the simultaneous expression of multiple genes in transgenic ascidian embryos. Developmental Dynamics 235:456,467, 2006. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Performance of Jacobi preconditioning in Krylov subspace solution of finite element equationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 4 2002F.-H. Lee Abstract This paper examines the performance of the Jacobi preconditioner when used with two Krylov subspace iterative methods. The number of iterations needed for convergence was shown to be different for drained, undrained and consolidation problems, even for similar condition number. The differences were due to differences in the eigenvalue distribution, which cannot be completely described by the condition number alone. For drained problems involving large stiffness ratios between different material zones, ill-conditioning is caused by these large stiffness ratios. Since Jacobi preconditioning operates on degrees-of-freedom, it effectively homogenizes the different spatial sub-domains. The undrained problem, modelled as a nearly incompressible problem, is much more resistant to Jacobi preconditioning, because its ill-conditioning arises from the large stiffness ratios between volumetric and distortional deformational modes, many of which involve the similar spatial domains or sub-domains. The consolidation problem has two sets of degrees-of-freedom, namely displacement and pore pressure. Some of the eigenvalues are displacement dominated whereas others are excess pore pressure dominated. Jacobi preconditioning compresses the displacement-dominated eigenvalues in a similar manner as the drained problem, but pore-pressure-dominated eigenvalues are often over-scaled. Convergence can be accelerated if this over-scaling is recognized and corrected for. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Crystal temperature control in the Czochralski crystal growth processAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2001Antonios Armaou This work proposes a control configuration and a nonlinear multivariable model-based feedback controller for the reduction of thermal gradients inside the crystal in the Czochralski crystal growth process after the crystal radius has reached its final value. Initially, a mathematical model which describes the evolution of the temperature inside the crystal in the radial and axial directions and accounts for radiative heat exchange between the crystal and its surroundings and motion of the crystal boundary is derived from first principles. This model is numericully solved using Galerkin's method and the behaviour of the crystal temperature is studied to obtain valuable insights which lead to the precise formulation of the control problem, the design of a new control configuration for the reduction of thermal gradients inside the crystal and the derivation of a simplified 1-D in a space dynamic model. Then, a model reduction procedure for partial differential equation systems with time-dependent spatial domains (Armaou and Christofides, 1999) based on a combination of Galerkin's method with approximate inertial manifolds is used to construct a fourth-order model that describes the dominant thermal dynamics of the Czochralski process. This low-order model is employed for the synthesis of a fourth-order nonlinear multivariable controller that can be readily implemented in practice. The proposed control scheme is successfully implemented on a Czochralski process used to produce a 0.7 m long silicon crystal with a radius of 0.05 m and is shown to significantly reduce the axial and radial thermal gradients inside the crystal. The robustness of the proposed controller with respect to model uncertainty is demonstrated through simulations. [source] Spatial distribution and prediction of seed production by Eucalyptus microcarpa in a fragmented landscapeAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2010PETER A. VESK Abstract Woodlands worldwide have been greatly modified by clearing for agriculture, and their conservation and restoration requires understanding of tree recruitment processes. Seed production is one possible point of recruitment failure, and one that the spatial arrangement of trees may affect. We sampled 118 Eucalyptus microcarpa (Myrtaceae) trees to compare and analyse the determinants of seed production in this dominant tree of modified, fragmented temperate grassy woodlands, which extend over much of southeastern Australia. Fecundity was estimated as the seed crop measured on leaf mass and whole tree bases and was compared between categories of tree configuration. We also modelled fecundity using boosted regression trees, a new and flexible tool. Fecundity on a leaf mass basis was predominantly influenced by environmental factors (topographic ,wetness', slope, soil type), rather than by local tree density and configuration. Fewer seed per unit leaf mass were produced on flat and topographically wet sites, reflecting poor tolerance of waterlogging by E. microcarpa. By contrast, whole tree fecundity was little influenced by environmental factors. Local tree density and configuration did influence whole tree fecundity, which was high in solitary and woodland-spaced trees and reduced under high local density. We found little evidence for reduced fecundity of E. microcarpa in solitary trees. This points to the importance of scattered trees as sources of seed for tree recruitment and for natural regeneration of landscape level tree cover. Considerable uncertainty remains in modelled seed supply, and may be reduced with sampling across multiple years and greater environmental and spatial domains. [source] Verbal and Nonverbal Memory in Adults Prenatally Exposed to AlcoholALCOHOLISM, Issue 5 2010Claire D. Coles Background:, Neurocognitive effects of prenatal alcohol exposure in adulthood are not well documented. Questions persist regarding the extent to which there are specific, measurable effects beyond those associated with global ability deficits, whether individuals without the full fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) demonstrate alcohol-related cognitive impairments, and whether observed memory effects are specific to a particular modality, i.e., verbal vs. visual/spatial domains. Methods:, In this study, verbal and nonverbal selective reminding paradigms were used to assess memory function in 234 young adults (M age: 22.78, SD: 1.79). Alcohol exposure was quantified prenatally. Alcohol groups included: Individuals with physical effects of alcohol exposure (Dysmorphic group, n = 47); Exposed individuals without such effects (n = 74). Contrast groups included: Controls (n = 59) matched for ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and hospital of birth; Special Education contrast group (n = 54) included to control for disability status. Memory outcomes entailed total recall, delayed recall, and measures of encoding and retrieval, and learning over trials as indexed by slope. Results:, Results indicated that Dysmorphic individuals were significantly less efficient in memory performance than Controls on all of the outcomes measured, but they did not differ from those in the Special Education contrast group. The nondysmorphic, alcohol-exposed group was intermediate in their performance, suggesting a continuum of effects of prenatal exposure. Evaluation of the encoding and retrieval aspects of memory performance indicated that learning rather than forgetting accounted for the deficits associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. Finally, no interaction was found between modality of presentation (verbal and nonverbal) and effects of alcohol exposure on memory performance. Conclusion:, These findings indicate that prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with persistent and specific effects on memory performance, and these problems result from less efficient encoding of information across both verbal and nonverbal modalities. Education and training efforts with this clinical group should take these characteristics into account. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||