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Sample records for flow patterns spatially

  1. Identification of two-phase flow pattern by using specific spatial frequency of differential pressure signal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han Bin; Tong Yunxian; Wu Shaorong

    1992-11-01

    It is a classical method by using analysis of differential pressure fluctuation signal to identify two-phase flow pattern. The method which uses trait peak in the frequency-domain will result confusion between bubble flow and intermittent flow due to the influence of gas speed. Considering the spatial geometric significance of two-phase slow patterns and using the differential pressure gauge as a sensor, the Strouhal number 'Sr' is taken as the basis for distinguishing flow patterns. Using Strouhal number 'Sr' to identify flow pattern has clear physical meaning. The experimental results using the spatial analytical technique to measure the flow pattern are also given

  2. Evaluation of Spatial Pattern of Altered Flow Regimes on a River Network Using a Distributed Hydrological Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryo, Masahiro; Iwasaki, Yuichi; Yoshimura, Chihiro; Saavedra V, Oliver C

    2015-01-01

    Alteration of the spatial variability of natural flow regimes has been less studied than that of the temporal variability, despite its ecological importance for river ecosystems. Here, we aimed to quantify the spatial patterns of flow regime alterations along a river network in the Sagami River, Japan, by estimating river discharge under natural and altered flow conditions. We used a distributed hydrological model, which simulates hydrological processes spatiotemporally, to estimate 20-year daily river discharge along the river network. Then, 33 hydrologic indices (i.e., Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration) were calculated from the simulated discharge to estimate the spatial patterns of their alterations. Some hydrologic indices were relatively well estimated such as the magnitude and timing of maximum flows, monthly median flows, and the frequency of low and high flow pulses. The accuracy was evaluated with correlation analysis (r > 0.4) and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (α = 0.05) by comparing these indices calculated from both observed and simulated discharge. The spatial patterns of the flow regime alterations varied depending on the hydrologic indices. For example, both the median flow in August and the frequency of high flow pulses were reduced by the maximum of approximately 70%, but these strongest alterations were detected at different locations (i.e., on the mainstream and the tributary, respectively). These results are likely caused by different operational purposes of multiple water control facilities. The results imply that the evaluation only at discharge gauges is insufficient to capture the alteration of the flow regime. Our findings clearly emphasize the importance of evaluating the spatial pattern of flow regime alteration on a river network where its discharge is affected by multiple water control facilities.

  3. Quantifying spatial and temporal patterns of flow intermittency using spatially contiguous runoff data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu (于松延), Songyan; Bond, Nick R.; Bunn, Stuart E.; Xu, Zongxue; Kennard, Mark J.

    2018-04-01

    River channel drying caused by intermittent stream flow is a widely-recognized factor shaping stream ecosystems. There is a strong need to quantify the distribution of intermittent streams across catchments to inform management. However, observational gauge networks provide only point estimates of streamflow variation. Increasingly, this limitation is being overcome through the use of spatially contiguous estimates of the terrestrial water-balance, which can also assist in estimating runoff and streamflow at large-spatial scales. Here we proposed an approach to quantifying spatial and temporal variation in monthly flow intermittency throughout river networks in eastern Australia. We aggregated gridded (5 × 5 km) monthly water-balance data with a hierarchically nested catchment dataset to simulate catchment runoff accumulation throughout river networks from 1900 to 2016. We also predicted zero flow duration for the entire river network by developing a robust predictive model relating measured zero flow duration (% months) to environmental predictor variables (based on 43 stream gauges). We then combined these datasets by using the predicted zero flow duration from the regression model to determine appropriate 'zero' flow thresholds for the modelled discharge data, which varied spatially across the catchments examined. Finally, based on modelled discharge data and identified actual zero flow thresholds, we derived summary metrics describing flow intermittency across the catchment (mean flow duration and coefficient-of-variation in flow permanence from 1900 to 2016). We also classified the relative degree of flow intermittency annually to characterise temporal variation in flow intermittency. Results showed that the degree of flow intermittency varied substantially across streams in eastern Australia, ranging from perennial streams flowing permanently (11-12 months) to strongly intermittent streams flowing 4 months or less of year. Results also showed that the

  4. Mining the Relationship between Spatial Mobility Patterns and POIs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liping Huang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Passengers move between urban places for diverse interests and drive the metropolitan regions as the aggregation of urban places to group into network communities. This paper aims to examine the relationship between the spatial patterns (represented by the network communities of mobility flows and places of interest (POIs. Furtherly, it intends to identify the categories of POIs that play the most significant role in shaping the spatial patterns of mobility flows. To achieve these purposes, we partition the study area into disjoint regions and construct the network with each partitioned region as a node and connection between them as links weighted by the mobility flows. The community detection algorithm is implemented on the network to discover spatial mobility patterns, and the multiclass classification based on the logistic regression method is adopted to classify spatial communities featured by POIs. Taking the taxi systems of Shanghai and Beijing as examples, we detect spatial communities based on the movement strengths among regions. Then we investigate their correlations with POIs. It finds that communities’ modularity correlates linearly with POIs; particularly governments, hotels, and the traffic facilities are of the most significance for generating the mobility patterns. This study can provide valuable insight into understanding the spatial mobility patterns from the perspective of POIs.

  5. Area PEc Neurons Use a Multiphasic Pattern of Activity to Signal the Spatial Properties of Optic Flow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milena Raffi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The cortical representation of visual perception requires the integration of several-signal processing distributed across many cortical areas, but the neural substrates of such perception are largely unknown. The type of firing pattern exhibited by single neurons is an important indicator of dynamic circuitry within or across cortical areas. Neurons in area PEc are involved in the spatial mapping of the visual field; thus, we sought to analyze the firing pattern of activity of PEc optic flow neurons to shed some light on the cortical processing of visual signals. We quantified the firing activity of 152 optic flow neurons using a spline interpolation function, which allowed determining onset, end, and latency of each neuronal response. We found that many PEc neurons showed multiphasic activity, which is strictly related to the position of the eye and to the position of the focus of expansion (FOE of the flow field. PEc neurons showed a multiphasic activity comprised of excitatory phases interspersed with inhibitory pauses. This phasic pattern seems to be a very efficient way to signal the spatial location of visual stimuli, given that the same neuron sends different firing patterns according to a specific combination of FOE/eye position.

  6. Temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of gas-liquid two-phase flow pattern based on image texture spectrum descriptor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Xi-Guo; Jin, Ning-De; Wang, Zhen-Ya; Zhang, Wen-Yin

    2009-11-01

    The dynamic image information of typical gas-liquid two-phase flow patterns in vertical upward pipe is captured by a highspeed dynamic camera. The texture spectrum descriptor is used to describe the texture characteristics of the processed images whose content is represented in the form of texture spectrum histogram, and four time-varying characteristic parameter indexes which represent image texture structure of different flow patterns are extracted. The study results show that the amplitude fluctuation of texture characteristic parameter indexes of bubble flow is lowest and shows very random complex dynamic behavior; the amplitude fluctuation of slug flow is higher and shows intermittent motion behavior between gas slug and liquid slug, and the amplitude fluctuation of churn flow is the highest and shows better periodicity; the amplitude fluctuation of bubble-slug flow is from low to high and oscillating frequence is higher than that of slug flow, and includes the features of both slug flow and bubble flow; the slug-churn flow loses the periodicity of slug flow and churn flow, and the amplitude fluctuation is high. The results indicate that the image texture characteristic parameter indexes of different flow pattern can reflect the flow characteristics of gas-liquid two-phase flow, which provides a new approach to understand the temporal and spatial evolution of flow pattern dynamics.

  7. Spatial statistics for predicting flow through a rock fracture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coakley, K.J.

    1989-03-01

    Fluid flow through a single rock fracture depends on the shape of the space between the upper and lower pieces of rock which define the fracture. In this thesis, the normalized flow through a fracture, i.e. the equivalent permeability of a fracture, is predicted in terms of spatial statistics computed from the arrangement of voids, i.e. open spaces, and contact areas within the fracture. Patterns of voids and contact areas, with complexity typical of experimental data, are simulated by clipping a correlated Gaussian process defined on a N by N pixel square region. The voids have constant aperture; the distance between the upper and lower surfaces which define the fracture is either zero or a constant. Local flow is assumed to be proportional to local aperture cubed times local pressure gradient. The flow through a pattern of voids and contact areas is solved using a finite-difference method. After solving for the flow through simulated 10 by 10 by 30 pixel patterns of voids and contact areas, a model to predict equivalent permeability is developed. The first model is for patterns with 80% voids where all voids have the same aperture. The equivalent permeability of a pattern is predicted in terms of spatial statistics computed from the arrangement of voids and contact areas within the pattern. Four spatial statistics are examined. The change point statistic measures how often adjacent pixel alternate from void to contact area (or vice versa ) in the rows of the patterns which are parallel to the overall flow direction. 37 refs., 66 figs., 41 tabs

  8. West African spatial patterns of economic activities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Walther, Olivier; Howard, Allen; Retaillé, Denis

    2015-01-01

    Over the last 30 years, two different bodies of literature developed by both US historians and francophone geographers have moved toward similar conclusions regarding West African economic spatial patterns. Despite their different backgrounds, both the ‘spatial factor’ approach promoted by histor......Over the last 30 years, two different bodies of literature developed by both US historians and francophone geographers have moved toward similar conclusions regarding West African economic spatial patterns. Despite their different backgrounds, both the ‘spatial factor’ approach promoted...... by historians and the ‘mobile space’ approach developed by geographers view exchange centres as nodes of transnational trade networks and places in production territories, and perceive spatial dynamics as highly dependent on shifts of trade flows and production activities. The objective of this article...

  9. A probabilistic approach to quantifying spatial patterns of flow regimes and network-scale connectivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garbin, Silvia; Alessi Celegon, Elisa; Fanton, Pietro; Botter, Gianluca

    2017-04-01

    The temporal variability of river flow regime is a key feature structuring and controlling fluvial ecological communities and ecosystem processes. In particular, streamflow variability induced by climate/landscape heterogeneities or other anthropogenic factors significantly affects the connectivity between streams with notable implication for river fragmentation. Hydrologic connectivity is a fundamental property that guarantees species persistence and ecosystem integrity in riverine systems. In riverine landscapes, most ecological transitions are flow-dependent and the structure of flow regimes may affect ecological functions of endemic biota (i.e., fish spawning or grazing of invertebrate species). Therefore, minimum flow thresholds must be guaranteed to support specific ecosystem services, like fish migration, aquatic biodiversity and habitat suitability. In this contribution, we present a probabilistic approach aiming at a spatially-explicit, quantitative assessment of hydrologic connectivity at the network-scale as derived from river flow variability. Dynamics of daily streamflows are estimated based on catchment-scale climatic and morphological features, integrating a stochastic, physically based approach that accounts for the stochasticity of rainfall with a water balance model and a geomorphic recession flow model. The non-exceedance probability of ecologically meaningful flow thresholds is used to evaluate the fragmentation of individual stream reaches, and the ensuing network-scale connectivity metrics. A multi-dimensional Poisson Process for the stochastic generation of rainfall is used to evaluate the impact of climate signature on reach-scale and catchment-scale connectivity. The analysis shows that streamflow patterns and network-scale connectivity are influenced by the topology of the river network and the spatial variability of climatic properties (rainfall, evapotranspiration). The framework offers a robust basis for the prediction of the impact of

  10. Spatial patterns of cyanobacterial mat growth on sand ripples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mariotti, G.; Klepac-Ceraj, V.; Perron, J. T.; Bosak, T.

    2016-02-01

    Photosynthetic microbial mats produce organic matter, cycle nutrients, bind pollutants and stabilize sediment in sandy marine environments. Here, we investigate the influence of bedforms and wave motion on the growth rate, composition and spatial variability of microbial mats by growing cyanobacterial mats on a rippled bed of carbonate sand in a wave tank. The tank was forced with an oscillatory flow with velocities below the threshold for sediment motion yet able to induce a porewater flow within the sediment. Different spatial patterns developed in mats depending on the initial biochemistry of the water medium. When growing in a medium rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and micronutrients, mats grew faster on ripple troughs than on ripple crests. After two months, mats covered the bed surface uniformly, and the microbial communities on the crests and in the troughs had similar compositions. Differences in bed shear stress and nutrient availability between crests and troughs were not able to explain the faster growth in the troughs. We hypothesize that this growth pattern is due to a "strainer" effect, i.e. the suspended bacteria from the inoculum were preferentially delivered to troughs by the wave-induced porewater flow. In the experiments initiated in a medium previously used up by a microbial mat and thus depleted in nutrients, mats grew preferentially on the ripple crests. This spatial pattern persisted for nearly two years, and the microbial composition on troughs and crests was different. We attribute this pattern to the upwelling of porewater in the crests, which increased the delivery of nutrients from sediment to the cyanobacteria on the bed surface. Thus, the macroscopic patterns formed by photosynthetic microbial mats on sand ripples may be used to infer whether mats are nutrient-limited and whether they are recently colonized or older than a month.

  11. Flow patterns in vertical two-phase flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McQuillan, K.W.; Whalley, P.B.

    1985-01-01

    This paper is concerned with the flow patterns which occur in upwards gas-liquid two-phase flow in vertical tubes. The basic flow patterns are described and the use of flow patter maps is discussed. The transition between plug flow and churn flow is modelled under the assumption that flooding of the falling liquid film limits the stability of plug flow. The resulting equation is combined with other flow pattern transition equations to produce theoretical flow pattern maps, which are then tested against experimental flow pattern data. Encouraging agreement is obtained

  12. Multiplex multivariate recurrence network from multi-channel signals for revealing oil-water spatial flow behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Zhong-Ke; Dang, Wei-Dong; Yang, Yu-Xuan; Cai, Qing

    2017-03-01

    The exploration of the spatial dynamical flow behaviors of oil-water flows has attracted increasing interests on account of its challenging complexity and great significance. We first technically design a double-layer distributed-sector conductance sensor and systematically carry out oil-water flow experiments to capture the spatial flow information. Based on the well-established recurrence network theory, we develop a novel multiplex multivariate recurrence network (MMRN) to fully and comprehensively fuse our double-layer multi-channel signals. Then we derive the projection networks from the inferred MMRNs and exploit the average clustering coefficient and the spectral radius to quantitatively characterize the nonlinear recurrent behaviors related to the distinct flow patterns. We find that these two network measures are very sensitive to the change of flow states and the distributions of network measures enable to uncover the spatial dynamical flow behaviors underlying different oil-water flow patterns. Our method paves the way for efficiently analyzing multi-channel signals from multi-layer sensor measurement system.

  13. Doing ecohydrology backward: Inferring wetland flow and hydroperiod from landscape patterns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acharya, Subodh; Kaplan, David A.; Jawitz, James W.; Cohen, Matthew J.

    2017-07-01

    Human alterations to hydrology have globally impacted wetland ecosystems. Preventing or reversing these impacts is a principal focus of restoration efforts. However, restoration effectiveness is often hampered by limited information on historical landscape properties and hydrologic regime. To help address this gap, we developed a novel statistical approach for inferring flows and inundation frequency (i.e., hydroperiod, HP) in wetlands where changes in spatial vegetation and geomorphic patterns have occurred due to hydrologic alteration. We developed an analytical expression for HP as a transformation of the landscape-scale stage-discharge relationship. We applied this model to the Everglades "ridge-slough" (RS) landscape, a patterned, lotic peatland in southern Florida that has been drastically degraded by compartmentalization, drainage, and flow diversions. The new method reliably estimated flow and HP for a range of RS landscape patterns. Crucially, ridge-patch anisotropy and elevation above sloughs were strong drivers of flow-HP relationships. Increasing ridge heights markedly increased flow required to achieve sufficient HP to support peat accretion. Indeed, ridge heights inferred from historical accounts would require boundary flows 3-4 times greater than today, which agrees with restoration flow estimates from more complex, spatially distributed models. While observed loss of patch anisotropy allows HP targets to be met with lower flows, such landscapes likely fail to support other ecological functions. This work helps inform restoration flows required to restore stable ridge-slough patterning and positive peat accretion in this degraded ecosystem, and, more broadly, provides tools for exploring interactions between landscape and hydrology in lotic wetlands and floodplains.

  14. Vibrations and spatial patterns in biomimetic surfaces: using the shark-skin effect to control blood clotting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramachandran, Rahul; Maani, Nazanin; Rayz, Vitaliy L; Nosonovsky, Michael

    2016-08-06

    We study the effect of small-amplitude fast vibrations and small-amplitude spatial patterns on various systems involving wetting and liquid flow, such as superhydrophobic surfaces, membranes and flow pipes. First, we introduce a mathematical method of averaging the effect of small spatial and temporal patterns and substituting them with an effective force. Such an effective force can change the equilibrium state of a system as well as a phase state, leading to surface texture-induced and vibration-induced phase control. Vibration and patterns can effectively jam holes in vessels with liquid, separate multi-phase flow, change membrane properties, result in propulsion and locomotion and lead to many other multi-scale, nonlinear effects including the shark-skin effect. We discuss the application of such effects to blood flow for novel biomedical 'haemophobic' applications which can prevent blood clotting and thrombosis by controlling the surface pattern at a wall of a vessel (e.g. a catheter or stent).This article is part of the themed issue 'Bioinspired hierarchically structured surfaces for green science'. © 2016 The Author(s).

  15. Spatial Temporal Image Correlation Spectroscopy (STICS) for Flow Analysis with Application for Blood Flow Mapping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rossow, Molly; Gratton, Enrico; Mantulin, William M.

    2009-01-01

    It is important for surgeons to be able to measure blood flow in exposed arterioles during surgery. We report our progress in the development of an optical technique that will measure blood flow in surgically exposed blood vessels and enable previously difficult measurements. By monitoring optical fluctuations, the optical technique, based on Spatial Temporal Image Correlation (STICS), will directly measure the velocity of micron-scale particles--such as red blood cells. It will complement existing technology and provide qualitative measurements that were not previously possible. It relies on the concept that blood, when viewed on a small enough scale, is an inhomogeneous substance. Individual blood cells passing between a near-infrared light source and a detector will cause fluctuations in the transmitted optical signal. The speed, direction, and flow pattern of blood cells can be determined from these optical fluctuations. We present a series of computer simulations and experiments on phantom and animal systems to test this technique's ability to map complex flow patterns.

  16. Spatial Patterns of Development Drive Water Use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez, G. M.; Smith, J. W.; Terando, A.; Sun, G.; Meentemeyer, R. K.

    2018-03-01

    Water availability is becoming more uncertain as human populations grow, cities expand into rural regions and the climate changes. In this study, we examine the functional relationship between water use and the spatial patterns of developed land across the rapidly growing region of the southeastern United States. We quantified the spatial pattern of developed land within census tract boundaries, including multiple metrics of density and configuration. Through non-spatial and spatial regression approaches we examined relationships and spatial dependencies between the spatial pattern metrics, socio-economic and environmental variables and two water use variables: a) domestic water use, and b) total development-related water use (a combination of public supply, domestic self-supply and industrial self-supply). Metrics describing the spatial patterns of development had the highest measure of relative importance (accounting for 53% of model's explanatory power), explaining significantly more variance in water use compared to socio-economic or environmental variables commonly used to estimate water use. Integrating metrics characterizing the spatial pattern of development into water use models is likely to increase their utility and could facilitate water-efficient land use planning.

  17. Spatial patterns of development drive water use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez, G.M.; Smith, J.W.; Terando, Adam J.; Sun, G.; Meentemeyer, R.K.

    2018-01-01

    Water availability is becoming more uncertain as human populations grow, cities expand into rural regions and the climate changes. In this study, we examine the functional relationship between water use and the spatial patterns of developed land across the rapidly growing region of the southeastern United States. We quantified the spatial pattern of developed land within census tract boundaries, including multiple metrics of density and configuration. Through non‐spatial and spatial regression approaches we examined relationships and spatial dependencies between the spatial pattern metrics, socio‐economic and environmental variables and two water use variables: a) domestic water use, and b) total development‐related water use (a combination of public supply, domestic self‐supply and industrial self‐supply). Metrics describing the spatial patterns of development had the highest measure of relative importance (accounting for 53% of model's explanatory power), explaining significantly more variance in water use compared to socio‐economic or environmental variables commonly used to estimate water use. Integrating metrics characterizing the spatial pattern of development into water use models is likely to increase their utility and could facilitate water‐efficient land use planning.

  18. Spatial pattern of Amazonian timber species using cartesian and spatial coordinates method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiago Monteiro Condé

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Geographic information system (GIS applied to forest analysis permit the recognition and analysis of spatial patterns of species in two and three dimensional. The aim of this study to demonstrate the efficiency of cartesian and spatial coordinates method (MCCE, method of correcting UTM coordinates of trees location in accordance with the location of field or Cartesian (X ,Y, combined with natural neighbor index (ANND in recognition and analysis of spatial distribution patterns of four commercial timber species in forest management in Caracaraí, Roraima State, Brazil. Simulations were performed on 9 ha, divided into 100 plots of 100 m2 each. Collected data were DBH > 10 cm, commercial and total heights, cartesian coordinates (X,Y and spatial coordinates (UTM. Random spatial patterns were observed in Eschweilera bracteosa and Manilkara huberi. The dispersed and rare spatial patterns were observed in Dinizia excelsa and Cedrelinga cateniformis. MCCE proved to be an efficient method in the recognition and analysis of spatial patterns of native species from Amazon rain forest, as forest planning becomes easier by 2D and 3D simulations.

  19. Spatial Temporal Image Correlation Spectroscopy (STICS) for Flow Analysis with Application for Blood Flow Mapping (abstract)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossow, Molly; Mantulin, William M.; Gratton, Enrico

    2009-04-01

    It is important for surgeons to be able to measure blood flow in exposed arterioles during surgery. We report our progress in the development of an optical technique that will measure blood flow in surgically exposed blood vessels and enable previously difficult measurements. By monitoring optical fluctuations, the optical technique, based on Spatial Temporal Image Correlation (STICS), will directly measure the velocity of micron-scale particles-such as red blood cells. It will complement existing technology and provide qualitative measurements that were not previously possible. It relies on the concept that blood, when viewed on a small enough scale, is an inhomogeneous substance. Individual blood cells passing between a near-infrared light source and a detector will cause fluctuations in the transmitted optical signal. The speed, direction, and flow pattern of blood cells can be determined from these optical fluctuations. We present a series of computer simulations and experiments on phantom and animal systems to test this technique's ability to map complex flow patterns.

  20. Can Sap Flow Help Us to Better Understand Transpiration Patterns in Landscapes?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassler, S. K.; Weiler, M.; Blume, T.

    2017-12-01

    Transpiration is a key process in the hydrological cycle and a sound understanding and quantification of transpiration and its spatial variability is essential for management decisions and for improving the parameterisation of hydrological and soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer models. At the tree scale, transpiration is commonly estimated by measuring sap flow. Besides evaporative demand and water availability, tree-specific characteristics such as species, size or social status, stand-specific characteristics such as basal area or stand density and site-specific characteristics such as geology, slope position or aspect control sap flow of individual trees. However, little is known about the relative importance or the dynamic interplay of these controls. We studied these influences with multiple linear regression models to explain the variability of sap velocity measurements in 61 beech and oak trees, located at 24 sites spread over a 290 km²-catchment in Luxembourg. For each of 132 consecutive days of the growing season of 2014 we applied linear models to the daily spatial pattern of sap velocity and determined the importance of the different predictors. By upscaling sap velocities to the tree level with the help of species-dependent empirical estimates for sapwood area we also examined patterns of sap flow as a more direct representation of transpiration. Results indicate that a combination of mainly tree- and site-specific factors controls sap velocity patterns in this landscape, namely tree species, tree diameter, geology and aspect. For sap flow, the site-specific predictors provided the largest contribution to the explained variance, however, in contrast to the sap velocity analysis, geology was more important than aspect. Spatial variability of atmospheric demand and soil moisture explained only a small fraction of the variance. However, the temporal dynamics of the explanatory power of the tree-specific characteristics, especially species, were

  1. Decoding complex flow-field patterns in visual working memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christophel, Thomas B; Haynes, John-Dylan

    2014-05-01

    There has been a long history of research on visual working memory. Whereas early studies have focused on the role of lateral prefrontal cortex in the storage of sensory information, this has been challenged by research in humans that has directly assessed the encoding of perceptual contents, pointing towards a role of visual and parietal regions during storage. In a previous study we used pattern classification to investigate the storage of complex visual color patterns across delay periods. This revealed coding of such contents in early visual and parietal brain regions. Here we aim to investigate whether the involvement of visual and parietal cortex is also observable for other types of complex, visuo-spatial pattern stimuli. Specifically, we used a combination of fMRI and multivariate classification to investigate the retention of complex flow-field stimuli defined by the spatial patterning of motion trajectories of random dots. Subjects were trained to memorize the precise spatial layout of these stimuli and to retain this information during an extended delay. We used a multivariate decoding approach to identify brain regions where spatial patterns of activity encoded the memorized stimuli. Content-specific memory signals were observable in motion sensitive visual area MT+ and in posterior parietal cortex that might encode spatial information in a modality independent manner. Interestingly, we also found information about the memorized visual stimulus in somatosensory cortex, suggesting a potential crossmodal contribution to memory. Our findings thus indicate that working memory storage of visual percepts might be distributed across unimodal, multimodal and even crossmodal brain regions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Spatial Patterns of Inshore Marine Soundscapes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McWilliam, Jamie

    2016-01-01

    Passive acoustic monitoring was employed to investigate spatial patterns of soundscapes within a marine reserve. High energy level broadband snaps dominated nearly all habitat soundscapes. Snaps, the principal acoustic feature of soundscapes, were primarily responsible for the observed spatial patterns, and soundscapes appeared to retain a level of compositional and configurational stability. In the presence of high-level broadband snaps, soundscape composition was more influenced by geographic location than habitat type. Future research should focus on investigating the spatial patterns of soundscapes across a wider range of coastal and offshore seascapes containing a variety of distinct ecosystems and habitats.

  3. Assessment of spatial and temporal patterns of green and blue water flows under natural conditions in inland river basins in Northwest China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. F. Zang

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available In arid and semi-arid regions freshwater resources have become scarcer with increasing demands from socio-economic development and population growth. Until recently, water research and management has mainly focused on blue water but ignored green water. Furthermore, in data poor regions hydrological flows under natural conditions are poorly characterised but are a prerequisite to inform future water resources management. Here we report on spatial and temporal patterns of both blue and green water flows that can be expected under natural conditions as simulated by the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT for the Heihe river basin, the second largest inland river basin in Northwest China. Calibration and validation at two hydrological stations show good performance of the SWAT model in modelling hydrological processes. The total green and blue water flows were 22.05–25.51 billion m3 in the 2000s for the Heihe river basin. Blue water flows are larger in upstream sub-basins than in downstream sub-basins mainly due to high precipitation and a large amount of snow and melting water in upstream. Green water flows are distributed more homogeneously among different sub-basins. The green water coefficient was 87%–89% in the 2000s for the entire river basin, varying from around 80%–90% in up- and mid-stream sub-basins to above 90% in downstream sub-basins. This is much higher than reported green water coefficients in many other river basins. The spatial patterns of green water coefficients were closely linked to dominant land covers (e.g. snow cover upstream and desert downstream and climate conditions (e.g. high precipitation upstream and low precipitation downstream. There are no clear consistent historical trends of change in green and blue water flows and the green water coefficient at both the river basin and sub-basin levels. This study provides insights into green and blue water endowments under natural conditions for the entire

  4. Impact of vegetation die-off on spatial flow patterns over a tidal marsh

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Temmerman, S.; Moonen, P.; Schoelynck, J.; Govers, G.; Bouma, T.J.

    2012-01-01

    Large-scale die-off of tidal marsh vegetation, caused by global change, is expected to change flow patterns over tidal wetlands, and hence to affect valuable wetland functions such as reduction of shoreline erosion, attenuation of storm surges, and sedimentation in response to sea level rise. This

  5. Mapping spatial patterns with morphological image processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peter Vogt; Kurt H. Riitters; Christine Estreguil; Jacek Kozak; Timothy G. Wade; James D. Wickham

    2006-01-01

    We use morphological image processing for classifying spatial patterns at the pixel level on binary land-cover maps. Land-cover pattern is classified as 'perforated,' 'edge,' 'patch,' and 'core' with higher spatial precision and thematic accuracy compared to a previous approach based on image convolution, while retaining the...

  6. Multiple Spatial Coherence Resonances and Spatial Patterns in a Noise-Driven Heterogeneous Neuronal Network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Yu-Ye; Ding Xue-Li

    2014-01-01

    Heterogeneity of the neurons and noise are inevitable in the real neuronal network. In this paper, Gaussian white noise induced spatial patterns including spiral waves and multiple spatial coherence resonances are studied in a network composed of Morris—Lecar neurons with heterogeneity characterized by parameter diversity. The relationship between the resonances and the transitions between ordered spiral waves and disordered spatial patterns are achieved. When parameter diversity is introduced, the maxima of multiple resonances increases first, and then decreases as diversity strength increases, which implies that the coherence degrees induced by noise are enhanced at an intermediate diversity strength. The synchronization degree of spatial patterns including ordered spiral waves and disordered patterns is identified to be a very low level. The results suggest that the nervous system can profit from both heterogeneity and noise, and the multiple spatial coherence resonances are achieved via the emergency of spiral waves instead of synchronization patterns. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

  7. Multiple Spatial Coherence Resonances and Spatial Patterns in a Noise-Driven Heterogeneous Neuronal Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yu-Ye; Ding, Xue-Li

    2014-12-01

    Heterogeneity of the neurons and noise are inevitable in the real neuronal network. In this paper, Gaussian white noise induced spatial patterns including spiral waves and multiple spatial coherence resonances are studied in a network composed of Morris—Lecar neurons with heterogeneity characterized by parameter diversity. The relationship between the resonances and the transitions between ordered spiral waves and disordered spatial patterns are achieved. When parameter diversity is introduced, the maxima of multiple resonances increases first, and then decreases as diversity strength increases, which implies that the coherence degrees induced by noise are enhanced at an intermediate diversity strength. The synchronization degree of spatial patterns including ordered spiral waves and disordered patterns is identified to be a very low level. The results suggest that the nervous system can profit from both heterogeneity and noise, and the multiple spatial coherence resonances are achieved via the emergency of spiral waves instead of synchronization patterns.

  8. Multiagent-Based Simulation of Temporal-Spatial Characteristics of Activity-Travel Patterns Using Interactive Reinforcement Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min Yang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We propose a multiagent-based reinforcement learning algorithm, in which the interactions between travelers and the environment are considered to simulate temporal-spatial characteristics of activity-travel patterns in a city. Road congestion degree is added to the reinforcement learning algorithm as a medium that passes the influence of one traveler’s decision to others. Meanwhile, the agents used in the algorithm are initialized from typical activity patterns extracted from the travel survey diary data of Shangyu city in China. In the simulation, both macroscopic activity-travel characteristics such as traffic flow spatial-temporal distribution and microscopic characteristics such as activity-travel schedules of each agent are obtained. Comparing the simulation results with the survey data, we find that deviation of the peak-hour traffic flow is less than 5%, while the correlation of the simulated versus survey location choice distribution is over 0.9.

  9. Spatial patterns of development drive water use

    Science.gov (United States)

    G. M. Sanchez; J. W. Smith; A. Terando; G. Sun; R. K. Meentemeyer

    2018-01-01

    Water availability is becoming more uncertain as human populations grow, cities expand into rural regions and the climate changes. In this study, we examine the functional relationship between water use and the spatial patterns of developed land across the rapidly growing region of the southeastern United States. We quantified the spatial pattern of developed land...

  10. The use of magnetic resonance imaging to quantify multi-phase flow patterns and transitions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reyes, J.N. Jr.; Lafi, A.Y.; Saloner, D.

    1998-01-01

    Conventional measurement techniques have given limited insights into the complex structure of multi-phase flows. This has led to highly subjective flow pattern classifications which have been cast in terms of flow regime maps. Rather than using static flow regime maps, some of the next generation of multi-phase flow analysis codes will implement interfacial area transport equations that would calculate the flow patterns that evolve spatially and temporally. To assess these new codes, a large data base needs to be established to quantify the essential characteristics of multi-phase flow structure. One such characteristic is the interfacial area concentration. In this paper, we discuss the current benefits and limitations of using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to examine multi- phase flow patterns and transitions. Of particular interest, are the MRI measurements of interfacial area concentration for slug flow in an air-water system. These tests were performed at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine MRI Center as a collaborative research effort with Oregon State University (OSU). The special scanning sequences designed by UCSF were capable of imaging at repetition intervals as fast as 7 milliseconds. (author)

  11. The use of magnetic resonance imaging to quantify multi-phase flow patterns and transitions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reyes, Jr, J N; Lafi, A Y [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (United States); Saloner, D [University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Francisco, CA (United States)

    1998-09-01

    Conventional measurement techniques have given limited insights into the complex structure of multi-phase flows. This has led to highly subjective flow pattern classifications which have been cast in terms of flow regime maps. Rather than using static flow regime maps, some of the next generation of multi-phase flow analysis codes will implement interfacial area transport equations that would calculate the flow patterns that evolve spatially and temporally. To assess these new codes, a large data base needs to be established to quantify the essential characteristics of multi-phase flow structure. One such characteristic is the interfacial area concentration. In this paper, we discuss the current benefits and limitations of using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to examine multi- phase flow patterns and transitions. Of particular interest, are the MRI measurements of interfacial area concentration for slug flow in an air-water system. These tests were performed at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine MRI Center as a collaborative research effort with Oregon State University (OSU). The special scanning sequences designed by UCSF were capable of imaging at repetition intervals as fast as 7 milliseconds. (author)

  12. Three-dimensional flow structure and patterns of bed shear stress in an evolving compound meander bend

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engel, Frank; Rhoads, Bruce L.

    2016-01-01

    Compound meander bends with multiple lobes of maximum curvature are common in actively evolving lowland rivers. Interaction among spatial patterns of mean flow, turbulence, bed morphology, bank failures and channel migration in compound bends is poorly understood. In this paper, acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements of the three-dimensional (3D) flow velocities in a compound bend are examined to evaluate the influence of channel curvature and hydrologic variability on the structure of flow within the bend. Flow structure at various flow stages is related to changes in bed morphology over the study timeframe. Increases in local curvature within the upstream lobe of the bend reduce outer bank velocities at morphologically significant flows, creating a region that protects the bank from high momentum flow and high bed shear stresses. The dimensionless radius of curvature in the upstream lobe is one-third less than that of the downstream lobe, with average bank erosion rates less than half of the erosion rates for the downstream lobe. Higher bank erosion rates within the downstream lobe correspond to the shift in a core of high velocity and bed shear stresses toward the outer bank as flow moves through the two lobes. These erosion patterns provide a mechanism for continued migration of the downstream lobe in the near future. Bed material size distributions within the bend correspond to spatial patterns of bed shear stress magnitudes, indicating that bed material sorting within the bend is governed by bed shear stress. Results suggest that patterns of flow, sediment entrainment, and planform evolution in compound meander bends are more complex than in simple meander bends. Moreover, interactions among local influences on the flow, such as woody debris, local topographic steering, and locally high curvature, tend to cause compound bends to evolve toward increasing planform complexity over time rather than stable configurations.

  13. Spatial patterns in accretion on barrier-island salt marshes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Groot, de A.V.; Veeneklaas, R.M.; Kuijper, D.P.J.; Bakker, J.P.

    2011-01-01

    On minerogenic barrier-island salt marshes, sedimentation is spatially heterogeneous. Although the main forcing factors for sedimentation are known, much less is known about the characteristic sizes of this spatial patterning. Such patterning gives information on the spatial component of salt-marsh

  14. Multi-spatial analysis of aeolian dune-field patterns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ewing, Ryan C.; McDonald, George D.; Hayes, Alex G.

    2015-07-01

    Aeolian dune-fields are composed of different spatial scales of bedform patterns that respond to changes in environmental boundary conditions over a wide range of time scales. This study examines how variations in spatial scales of dune and ripple patterns found within dune fields are used in environmental reconstructions on Earth, Mars and Titan. Within a single bedform type, different spatial scales of bedforms emerge as a pattern evolves from an initial state into a well-organized pattern, such as with the transition from protodunes to dunes. Additionally, different types of bedforms, such as ripples, coarse-grained ripples and dunes, coexist at different spatial scales within a dune-field. Analysis of dune-field patterns at the intersection of different scales and types of bedforms at different stages of development provides a more comprehensive record of sediment supply and wind regime than analysis of a single scale and type of bedform. Interpretations of environmental conditions from any scale of bedform, however, are limited to environmental signals associated with the response time of that bedform. Large-scale dune-field patterns integrate signals over long-term climate cycles and reveal little about short-term variations in wind or sediment supply. Wind ripples respond instantly to changing conditions, but reveal little about longer-term variations in wind or sediment supply. Recognizing the response time scales across different spatial scales of bedforms maximizes environmental interpretations from dune-field patterns.

  15. Experimental study on flow pattern and heat transfer of inverted annular flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takenaka, Nobuyuki; Akagawa, Koji; Fujii, Terushige; Nishida, Koji

    1990-01-01

    Experimental results are presented on flow pattern and heat transfer in the regions from inverted annular flow to dispersed flow in a vertical tube using freon R-113 as a working fluid at atmospheric pressure to discuss the correspondence between them. Axial distributions of heat transfer coefficient are measured and flow patterns are observed. The heat transfer characteristics are divided into three regions and a heat transfer characteristics map is proposed. The flow pattern changes from inverted annular flow (IAF) to dispersed flow (DF) through inverted slug flow (ISF) for lower inlet velocities and through agitated inverted annular flow (AIAF) for higher inlet velocities. A flow pattern map is obtained which corresponds well with the heat transfer characteristic map. (orig.)

  16. Experimental study on flow pattern transitions for inclined two-phase flow

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwak, Nam Yee; Lee, Jae Young [Handong Univ., Pohang (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Man Woong [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-07-01

    In this paper, experimental data on flow pattern transition of inclination angles from 0-90 are presented. A test section is constructed 2 mm long and I.D 1inch using transparent material. The test section is supported by aluminum frame that can be placed with any arbitrary inclined angles. The air-water two-phase flow is observed at room temperature and atmospheric condition using both high speed camera and void impedance meter. The signal is sampled with sampling rate 1kHz and is analyzed under fully-developed condition. Based on experimental data, flow pattern maps are made for various inclination angles. As increasing the inclination angels from 0 to 90, the flow pattern transitions on the plane jg-jf are changed, such as stratified flow to plug flow or slug flow or plug flow to bubbly flow. The transition lines between pattern regimes are moved or sometimes disappeared due to its inclined angle.

  17. Exploring the Linkage between Urban Flood Risk and Spatial Patterns in Small Urbanized Catchments of Beijing, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lei Yao

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available In the context of global urbanization, urban flood risk in many cities has become a serious environmental issue, threatening the health of residents and the environment. A number of hydrological studies have linked urban flooding issues closely to the spectrum of spatial patterns of urbanization, but relatively little attention has been given to small-scale catchments within the realm of urban systems. This study aims to explore the hydrological effects of small-scaled urbanized catchments assigned with various landscape patterns. Twelve typical residential catchments in Beijing were selected as the study areas. Total Impervious Area (TIA, Directly Connected Impervious Area (DCIA, and a drainage index were used as the catchment spatial metrics. Three scenarios were designed as different spatial arrangement of catchment imperviousness. Runoff variables including total and peak runoff depth (Qt and Qp were simulated by using Strom Water Management Model (SWMM. The relationship between catchment spatial patterns and runoff variables were determined, and the results demonstrated that, spatial patterns have inherent influences on flood risks in small urbanized catchments. Specifically: (1 imperviousness acts as an effective indicator in affecting both Qt and Qp; (2 reducing the number of rainwater inlets appropriately will benefit the catchment peak flow mitigation; (3 different spatial concentrations of impervious surfaces have inherent influences on Qp. These findings provide insights into the role of urban spatial patterns in driving rainfall-runoff processes in small urbanized catchments, which is essential for urban planning and flood management.

  18. Exploring the Linkage between Urban Flood Risk and Spatial Patterns in Small Urbanized Catchments of Beijing, China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Lei; Chen, Liding; Wei, Wei

    2017-01-01

    In the context of global urbanization, urban flood risk in many cities has become a serious environmental issue, threatening the health of residents and the environment. A number of hydrological studies have linked urban flooding issues closely to the spectrum of spatial patterns of urbanization, but relatively little attention has been given to small-scale catchments within the realm of urban systems. This study aims to explore the hydrological effects of small-scaled urbanized catchments assigned with various landscape patterns. Twelve typical residential catchments in Beijing were selected as the study areas. Total Impervious Area (TIA), Directly Connected Impervious Area (DCIA), and a drainage index were used as the catchment spatial metrics. Three scenarios were designed as different spatial arrangement of catchment imperviousness. Runoff variables including total and peak runoff depth (Qt and Qp) were simulated by using Strom Water Management Model (SWMM). The relationship between catchment spatial patterns and runoff variables were determined, and the results demonstrated that, spatial patterns have inherent influences on flood risks in small urbanized catchments. Specifically: (1) imperviousness acts as an effective indicator in affecting both Qt and Qp; (2) reducing the number of rainwater inlets appropriately will benefit the catchment peak flow mitigation; (3) different spatial concentrations of impervious surfaces have inherent influences on Qp. These findings provide insights into the role of urban spatial patterns in driving rainfall-runoff processes in small urbanized catchments, which is essential for urban planning and flood management. PMID:28264521

  19. Use of soil moisture dynamics and patterns at different spatio-temporal scales for the investigation of subsurface flow processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Blume

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Spatial patterns as well as temporal dynamics of soil moisture have a major influence on runoff generation. The investigation of these dynamics and patterns can thus yield valuable information on hydrological processes, especially in data scarce or previously ungauged catchments. The combination of spatially scarce but temporally high resolution soil moisture profiles with episodic and thus temporally scarce moisture profiles at additional locations provides information on spatial as well as temporal patterns of soil moisture at the hillslope transect scale. This approach is better suited to difficult terrain (dense forest, steep slopes than geophysical techniques and at the same time less cost-intensive than a high resolution grid of continuously measuring sensors. Rainfall simulation experiments with dye tracers while continuously monitoring soil moisture response allows for visualization of flow processes in the unsaturated zone at these locations. Data was analyzed at different spacio-temporal scales using various graphical methods, such as space-time colour maps (for the event and plot scale and binary indicator maps (for the long-term and hillslope scale. Annual dynamics of soil moisture and decimeter-scale variability were also investigated. The proposed approach proved to be successful in the investigation of flow processes in the unsaturated zone and showed the importance of preferential flow in the Malalcahuello Catchment, a data-scarce catchment in the Andes of Southern Chile. Fast response times of stream flow indicate that preferential flow observed at the plot scale might also be of importance at the hillslope or catchment scale. Flow patterns were highly variable in space but persistent in time. The most likely explanation for preferential flow in this catchment is a combination of hydrophobicity, small scale heterogeneity in rainfall due to redistribution in the canopy and strong gradients in unsaturated conductivities leading to

  20. Integrating spatial and numerical structure in mathematical patterning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ni’mah, K.; Purwanto; Irawan, E. B.; Hidayanto, E.

    2018-03-01

    This paper reports a study monitoring the integrating spatial and numerical structure in mathematical patterning skills of 30 students grade 7th of junior high school. The purpose of this research is to clarify the processes by which learners construct new knowledge in mathematical patterning. Findings indicate that: (1) students are unable to organize the structure of spatial and numerical, (2) students were only able to organize the spatial structure, but the numerical structure is still incorrect, (3) students were only able to organize numerical structure, but its spatial structure is still incorrect, (4) students were able to organize both of the spatial and numerical structure.

  1. Development of Spatial Distribution Patterns by Biofilm Cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Haagensen, Janus Anders Juul; Hansen, Susse Kirkelund; Bak Christensen, Bjarke

    2015-01-01

    -pattern by Acinetobacter sp. C6. Ecological spatial pattern analyses revealed that the microcolonies were not entirely randomly distributed, and instead arranged in a uniform pattern. Detailed time-lapse confocal microscopy at the single cell level demonstrated that the spatial pattern was the result of an intriguing self......-organization: Small multicellular clusters moved along the surface to fuse with one another to form microcolonies. This active distribution capability was dependent on environmental factors (carbon source, oxygen) and historical contingency (formation of phenotypic variants). The findings of this study are discussed...

  2. Mining Co-Location Patterns with Clustering Items from Spatial Data Sets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, G.; Li, Q.; Deng, G.; Yue, T.; Zhou, X.

    2018-05-01

    The explosive growth of spatial data and widespread use of spatial databases emphasize the need for the spatial data mining. Co-location patterns discovery is an important branch in spatial data mining. Spatial co-locations represent the subsets of features which are frequently located together in geographic space. However, the appearance of a spatial feature C is often not determined by a single spatial feature A or B but by the two spatial features A and B, that is to say where A and B appear together, C often appears. We note that this co-location pattern is different from the traditional co-location pattern. Thus, this paper presents a new concept called clustering terms, and this co-location pattern is called co-location patterns with clustering items. And the traditional algorithm cannot mine this co-location pattern, so we introduce the related concept in detail and propose a novel algorithm. This algorithm is extended by join-based approach proposed by Huang. Finally, we evaluate the performance of this algorithm.

  3. Ferrofluid-in-oil two-phase flow patterns in a flow-focusing microchannel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheu, T. S.; Chen, Y. T.; Lih, F. L.; Miao, J. M.

    This study investigates the two-phase flow formation process of water-based Fe3O4 ferrofluid (dispersed phase) in a silicon oil (continuous phase) flow in the microfluidic flow-focusing microchannel under various operational conditions. With transparent PDMS chip and optical microscope, four main two-phase flow patterns as droplet flow, slug flow, ring flow and churn flow are observed. The droplet shape, size, and formation mechanism were also investigated under different Ca numbers and intended to find out the empirical relations. The paper marks an original flow pattern map of the ferrofluid-in-oil flows in the microfluidic flow-focusing microchannels. The flow pattern transiting from droplet flow to slug flow appears for an operational conditions of QR < 1 and Lf / W < 1. The power law index that related Lf / W to QR was 0.36 in present device.

  4. The spatial patterns of directional phenotypic selection

    KAUST Repository

    Siepielski, Adam M.; Gotanda, Kiyoko M.; Morrissey, Michael B.; Diamond, Sarah E.; DiBattista, Joseph; Carlson, Stephanie Marie

    2013-01-01

    the spatial patterns of selection, namely the extent of variation among populations in the strength and direction of selection. Here, we analyse a data set of spatially replicated studies of directional phenotypic selection from natural populations. The data

  5. Empirical Modeling of Spatial 3D Flow Characteristics Using a Remote-Controlled ADCP System: Monitoring a Spring Flood

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claude Flener

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The use of acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP for measuring streamflow and discharge is becoming increasingly widespread. The spatial distribution of flow patterns is useful data in studying riverine habitats and geomorphology. Until now, most flow mapping has focused on measurements along a series of transects in a channel. Here, we set out to measure, model and analyze the 3D flow characteristics of a natural river over a continuous areal extent, quantifying flow velocity, 3D flow directions, volumes, water depth and their changes over time. We achieved multidimensional spatial flow measurements by deploying an ADCP on a remotely-controlled boat, combined with kinematic GNSS positioning and locally-monitored water level data. We processed this data into a 3D point cloud of accurately positioned individual 3D flow measurements that allows the visual analysis of flow velocities, directions and channel morphology in 3D space. We demonstrate how this allows monitoring changes of flow patterns with a time series of flow point clouds measured over the period of a spring flood in Finnish Lapland. Furthermore, interpolating the raw point cloud onto a 3D matrix allows us to quantify volumetric flow while reducing noise in the data. We can now quantify the volumes of water moving at certain velocities in a given reach and their location in 3D space, allowing, for instance, the monitoring of the high-velocity core and its changes over time.

  6. A digital elevation analysis: Spatially distributed flow apportioning algorithm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Sang-Hyun; Kim, Kyung-Hyun [Pusan National University, Pusan(Korea); Jung, Sun-Hee [Korea Environment Institute, (Korea)

    2001-06-30

    A flow determination algorithm is proposed for the distributed hydrologic model. The advantages of a single flow direction scheme and multiple flow direction schemes are selectively considered to address the drawbacks of existing algorithms. A spatially varied flow apportioning factor is introduced in order to accommodate the accumulated area from upslope cells. The channel initiation threshold area(CIT) concept is expanded and integrated into the spatially distributed flow apportioning algorithm in order to delineate a realistic channel network. An application of a field example suggests that the linearly distributed flow apportioning scheme provides some advantages over existing approaches, such as the relaxation of over-dissipation problems near channel cells, the connectivity feature of river cells, the continuity of saturated areas and the negligence of the optimization of few parameters in existing algorithms. The effects of grid sizes are explored spatially as well as statistically. (author). 28 refs., 7 figs.

  7. Climatology of local flow patterns around Basel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weber, R.O. [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)

    1997-06-01

    Recently a method has been developed to classify local-scale flow patterns from the wind measurements at a dense network of stations. It was found that in the MISTRAL area around Basel a dozen characteristic flow patterns occur. However, as the dense network of stations ran only during one year, no reliable climatology can be inferred from these data, especially the annual cycle of the flow patterns is not well determined from a single year of observations. As there exist several routinely operated stations in and near the MISTRAL area, a method was searched to identify the local flow patterns from the observations at the few routine stations. A linear discriminant analysis turned out to be the best method. Based of data from 11 stations which were simultaneously operated during 1990-1995 a six-year climatology of the flow patterns could be obtained. (author) 1 fig., 1 tab., 3 refs.

  8. A spatial emergy model for Alachua County, Florida

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lambert, James David

    A spatial model of the distribution of energy flows and storages in Alachua County, Florida, was created and used to analyze spatial patterns of energy transformation hierarchy in relation to spatial patterns of human settlement. Emergy, the available energy of one kind previously required directly or indirectly to make a product or service, was used as a measure of the quality of the different forms of energy flows and storages. Emergy provides a common unit of measure for comparing the productive contributions of natural processes with those of economic and social processes---it is an alternative to using money for measuring value. A geographic information system was used to create a spatial model and make maps that show the distribution and magnitude of different types of energy and emergy flows and storages occurring in one-hectare land units. Energy transformities were used to convert individual energy flows and storages into emergy units. Maps of transformities were created that reveal a clear spatial pattern of energy transformation hierarchy. The maps display patterns of widely-dispersed areas with lower transformity energy flows and storages, and smaller, centrally-located areas with higher transformities. Energy signature graphs and spatial unit transformities were used to characterize and compare the types and amounts of energy being consumed and stored according to land use classification, planning unit, and neighborhood categories. Emergy ratio maps and spatial unit ratios were created by dividing the values for specific emergy flows or storages by the values for other emergy flows or storages. Spatial context analysis was used to analyze the spatial distribution patterns of mean and maximum values for emergy flows and storages. The modeling method developed for this study is general and applicable to all types of landscapes and could be applied at any scale. An advantage of this general approach is that the results of other studies using this method

  9. Spatial analysis of weed patterns

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heijting, S.

    2007-01-01

    Keywords: Spatial analysis, weed patterns, Mead’s test, space-time correlograms, 2-D correlograms, dispersal, Generalized Linear Models, heterogeneity, soil, Taylor’s power law. Weeds in agriculture occur in patches. This thesis is a contribution to the characterization of this patchiness, to its

  10. Balancing geo-privacy and spatial patterns in epidemiological studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chien-Chou Chen

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available To balance the protection of geo-privacy and the accuracy of spatial patterns, we developed a geo-spatial tool (GeoMasker intended to mask the residential locations of patients or cases in a geographic information system (GIS. To elucidate the effects of geo-masking parameters, we applied 2010 dengue epidemic data from Taiwan testing the tool’s performance in an empirical situation. The similarity of pre- and post-spatial patterns was measured by D statistics under a 95% confidence interval. In the empirical study, different magnitudes of anonymisation (estimated Kanonymity ≥10 and 100 were achieved and different degrees of agreement on the pre- and post-patterns were evaluated. The application is beneficial for public health workers and researchers when processing data with individuals’ spatial information.

  11. Research for rolling effects on flow pattern of gas-water flow in horizontal tubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luan Feng; Yan Changqi

    2007-01-01

    The flow pattern transition of two-phase flow is caused by the inertial force resulted from rolling and incline of horizontal tubes under rolling state. an experimental study on the flow patterns of gas-water flow was carried out in horizontal tubes under rolling state, which rolling period is 15 second and rolling angle is 10 degrees, and a pattern flow picture is shown. It was found that there are two flow patterns in one rolling period under some gas flux and water flux. (authors)

  12. Hepatic vein flow pattern in children: assesment with Doppler sonography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmetoglu, Ali; Kosucu, Polat; Arikan, Elif; Dinc, Hasan; Resit Guemele, Halit

    2005-01-01

    Background: Aim of this study is to establish normal hepatic vein flow pattern and effect of age, sex, activity and feeding status on the hepatic flow pattern in normal Turkish children less than 15 years of ages and also to compare our values with the previously reported studies. Method: Hepatic vein flow patterns were evaluated in 150 children (83 male, 67 female) without any cardiac, pulmonary and liver disease by using Doppler sonography. Blood flow patterns were compared with age, sex, activity, and feeding status of the children. Results: Only 44% of the children had triphasic flow pattern in all hepatic veins. Monophasic flow pattern was the most common flow pattern in children less then 1 year of age. Triphasic flow pattern increase after 1 year of age. Although most of the children older than 1 year of age had triphasic flow pattern, there is some variation in the flow patterns of the hepatic veins in the same subject. Triphasic hepatic flow pattern is most commonly seen in the left hepatic vein and least commonly seen in the right hepatic vein. There was no significant difference between male and girl, children who were agitated or calm and fasting or not fasting in respect to triphasic flow pattern. Conclusion: Liver stiffening is not only the reason for abnormal hepatic flow pattern and some other physiologic factors may also lead to mono and/or diphasic flow pattern in the children. Absence of triphasic flow pattern must not be accepted as a liver pathology in children especially younger than 1 year of age

  13. A bio-inspired spatial patterning circuit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Kai-Yuan; Joe, Danial J; Shealy, James B; Land, Bruce R; Shen, Xiling

    2014-01-01

    Lateral Inhibition (LI) is a widely conserved patterning mechanism in biological systems across species. Distinct from better-known Turing patterns, LI depend on cell-cell contact rather than diffusion. We built an in silico genetic circuit model to analyze the dynamic properties of LI. The model revealed that LI amplifies differences between neighboring cells to push them into opposite states, hence forming stable 2-D patterns. Inspired by this insight, we designed and implemented an electronic circuit that recapitulates LI patterning dynamics. This biomimetic system serve as a physical model to elucidate the design principle of generating robust patterning through spatial feedback, regardless of the underlying devices being biological or electrical.

  14. What Do They Have in Common? Drivers of Streamflow Spatial Correlation and Prediction of Flow Regimes in Ungauged Locations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Betterle, A.; Radny, D.; Schirmer, M.; Botter, G.

    2017-12-01

    The spatial correlation of daily streamflows represents a statistical index encapsulating the similarity between hydrographs at two arbitrary catchment outlets. In this work, a process-based analytical framework is utilized to investigate the hydrological drivers of streamflow spatial correlation through an extensive application to 78 pairs of stream gauges belonging to 13 unregulated catchments in the eastern United States. The analysis provides insight on how the observed heterogeneity of the physical processes that control flow dynamics ultimately affect streamflow correlation and spatial patterns of flow regimes. Despite the variability of recession properties across the study catchments, the impact of heterogeneous drainage rates on the streamflow spatial correlation is overwhelmed by the spatial variability of frequency and intensity of effective rainfall events. Overall, model performances are satisfactory, with root mean square errors between modeled and observed streamflow spatial correlation below 10% in most cases. We also propose a method for estimating streamflow correlation in the absence of discharge data, which proves useful to predict streamflow regimes in ungauged areas. The method consists in setting a minimum threshold on the modeled flow correlation to individuate hydrologically similar sites. Catchment outlets that are most correlated (ρ>0.9) are found to be characterized by analogous streamflow distributions across a broad range of flow regimes.

  15. Complex networks from experimental horizontal oil–water flows: Community structure detection versus flow pattern discrimination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Zhong-Ke; Fang, Peng-Cheng; Ding, Mei-Shuang; Yang, Dan; Jin, Ning-De

    2015-01-01

    We propose a complex network-based method to distinguish complex patterns arising from experimental horizontal oil–water two-phase flow. We first use the adaptive optimal kernel time–frequency representation (AOK TFR) to characterize flow pattern behaviors from the energy and frequency point of view. Then, we infer two-phase flow complex networks from experimental measurements and detect the community structures associated with flow patterns. The results suggest that the community detection in two-phase flow complex network allows objectively discriminating complex horizontal oil–water flow patterns, especially for the segregated and dispersed flow patterns, a task that existing method based on AOK TFR fails to work. - Highlights: • We combine time–frequency analysis and complex network to identify flow patterns. • We explore the transitional flow behaviors in terms of betweenness centrality. • Our analysis provides a novel way for recognizing complex flow patterns. • Broader applicability of our method is demonstrated and articulated

  16. Arterial secondary blood flow patterns visualized with vector flow ultrasound

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Mads Møller; Pihl, Michael Johannes; Hansen, Jens Munk

    2011-01-01

    This study presents the first quantification and visualisation of secondary flow patterns with vector flow ultrasound. The first commercial implementation of the vector flow method Transverse Oscillation was used to obtain in-vivo, 2D vector fields in real-time. The hypothesis of this study...... was that the rotational direction is constant within each artery. Three data sets of 10 seconds were obtained from three main arteries in healthy volunteers. For each data set the rotational flow patterns were identified during the diastole. Each data set contains a 2D vector field over time and with the vector angles...

  17. impact of vegetation on flow routing and sedimentation patterns : three-dimensional modeling for a tidal marsh

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Temmerman, S.; Bouma, T.J.; De Vries, M.B.; Wang, Z.B.; Govers, G.; Herman, P.M.J.

    2005-01-01

    A three-dimensional hydrodynamic and sediment transport model was used to study the relative impact of (1) vegetation, (2) micro-topography, and (3) water level fluctuations on the spatial flow and sedimentation patterns in a tidal marsh landscape during single inundation events. The model

  18. Impact of vegetation on flow routing and sedimentation patterns : three-dimensional modeling for a tidal marsh

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Temmerman, S.; Bouma, T.J.; Govers, G.; Wang, Z.B.; de Vries, M.B.; Herman, P.M.J.

    2005-01-01

    A three-dimensional hydrodynamic and sediment transport model was used to study the relative impact of (1) vegetation, (2) micro-topography, and (3) water level fluctuations on the spatial flow and sedimentation patterns in a tidal marsh landscape during single inundation events. The model

  19. Macroecological factors shape local-scale spatial patterns in agriculturalist settlements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Tingting; Abades, Sebastián; Teng, Shuqing; Huang, Zheng Y X; Reino, Luís; Chen, Bin J W; Zhang, Yong; Xu, Chi; Svenning, Jens-Christian

    2017-11-15

    Macro-scale patterns of human systems ranging from population distribution to linguistic diversity have attracted recent attention, giving rise to the suggestion that macroecological rules shape the assembly of human societies. However, in which aspects the geography of our own species is shaped by macroecological factors remains poorly understood. Here, we provide a first demonstration that macroecological factors shape strong local-scale spatial patterns in human settlement systems, through an analysis of spatial patterns in agriculturalist settlements in eastern mainland China based on high-resolution Google Earth images. We used spatial point pattern analysis to show that settlement spatial patterns are characterized by over-dispersion at fine spatial scales (0.05-1.4 km), consistent with territory segregation, and clumping at coarser spatial scales beyond the over-dispersion signals, indicating territorial clustering. Statistical modelling shows that, at macroscales, potential evapotranspiration and topographic heterogeneity have negative effects on territory size, but positive effects on territorial clustering. These relationships are in line with predictions from territory theory for hunter-gatherers as well as for many animal species. Our results help to disentangle the complex interactions between intrinsic spatial processes in agriculturalist societies and external forcing by macroecological factors. While one may speculate that humans can escape ecological constraints because of unique abilities for environmental modification and globalized resource transportation, our work highlights that universal macroecological principles still shape the geography of current human agricultural societies. © 2017 The Author(s).

  20. [Explore the spatial and temporal patterns of water pollution in the Yincungang canal of the Lake Taihu basin, China].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xiao-Ying; Luo, Xing-Zhang; Zheng, Zheng; Fang, Shu-Bo

    2012-09-01

    Two high-density snap-shot samplings were conducted along the Yincungang canal, one important tributary of the Lake Tai, in April (low flow period) and June (high flow period) of 2010. Geostatistical analysis based on the river network distance was used to analyze the spatial and temporal patterns of the pollutant concentrations along the canal with an emphasis on chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total nitrogen (TN). Study results have indicated: (1) COD and TN concentrations display distinctly different spatial and temporal patterns between the low and high flow periods. COD concentration in June is lower than that in April, while TN concentration has the contrary trend. (2) COD load is relatively constant during the period between the two monitoring periods. The spatial correlation structure of COD is exponential for both April and June, and the change of COD concentration is mainly influenced by hydrological conditions. (3) Nitrogen load from agriculture increased significantly during the period between the two monitoring periods. Large amount of chaotic fertilizing by individual farmers has led to the loss of the spatial correlation among the observed TN concentrations. Hence, changes of TN concentration in June are under the dual influence of agricultural fertilizing and hydrological conditions. In the view of the complex hydrological conditions and serious water pollution in the Lake Taihu region, geostatistical analysis is potentially a useful tool for studying the characteristics of pollutant distribution and making predictions in the region.

  1. Exploring spatial patterns and hotspots of diarrhea in Chiang Mai, Thailand

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tripathi Nitin K

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Diarrhea is a major public health problem in Thailand. The Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, has been trying to monitor and control this disease for many years. The methodology and the results from this study could be useful for public health officers to develop a system to monitor and prevent diarrhea outbreaks. Methods The objective of this study was to analyse the epidemic outbreak patterns of diarrhea in Chiang Mai province, Northern Thailand, in terms of their geographical distributions and hotspot identification. The data of patients with diarrhea at village level and the 2001–2006 population censuses were collected to achieve the objective. Spatial analysis, using geographic information systems (GIS and other methods, was used to uncover the hidden phenomena from the data. In the data analysis section, spatial statistics such as quadrant analysis (QA, nearest neighbour analysis (NNA, and spatial autocorrelation analysis (SAA, were used to identify the spatial patterns of diarrhea in Chiang Mai province. In addition, local indicators of spatial association (LISA and kernel density (KD estimation were used to detect diarrhea hotspots using data at village level. Results The hotspot maps produced by the LISA and KD techniques showed spatial trend patterns of diarrhea diffusion. Villages in the middle and northern regions revealed higher incidences. Also, the spatial patterns of diarrhea during the years 2001 and 2006 were found to represent spatially clustered patterns, both at global and local scales. Conclusion Spatial analysis methods in GIS revealed the spatial patterns and hotspots of diarrhea in Chiang Mai province from the year 2001 to 2006. To implement specific and geographically appropriate public health risk-reduction programs, the use of such spatial analysis tools may become an integral component in the epidemiologic description, analysis, and risk assessment of diarrhea.

  2. Image processing system for flow pattern measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ushijima, Satoru; Miyanaga, Yoichi; Takeda, Hirofumi

    1989-01-01

    This paper describes the development and application of an image processing system for measurements of flow patterns occuring in natural circulation water flows. In this method, the motions of particles scattered in the flow are visualized by a laser light slit and they are recorded on normal video tapes. These image data are converted to digital data with an image processor and then transfered to a large computer. The center points and pathlines of the particle images are numerically analized, and velocity vectors are obtained with these results. In this image processing system, velocity vectors in a vertical plane are measured simultaneously, so that the two dimensional behaviors of various eddies, with low velocity and complicated flow patterns usually observed in natural circulation flows, can be determined almost quantitatively. The measured flow patterns, which were obtained from natural circulation flow experiments, agreed with photographs of the particle movements, and the validity of this measuring system was confirmed in this study. (author)

  3. The SPAtial EFficiency metric (SPAEF): multiple-component evaluation of spatial patterns for optimization of hydrological models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koch, Julian; Cüneyd Demirel, Mehmet; Stisen, Simon

    2018-05-01

    The process of model evaluation is not only an integral part of model development and calibration but also of paramount importance when communicating modelling results to the scientific community and stakeholders. The modelling community has a large and well-tested toolbox of metrics to evaluate temporal model performance. In contrast, spatial performance evaluation does not correspond to the grand availability of spatial observations readily available and to the sophisticate model codes simulating the spatial variability of complex hydrological processes. This study makes a contribution towards advancing spatial-pattern-oriented model calibration by rigorously testing a multiple-component performance metric. The promoted SPAtial EFficiency (SPAEF) metric reflects three equally weighted components: correlation, coefficient of variation and histogram overlap. This multiple-component approach is found to be advantageous in order to achieve the complex task of comparing spatial patterns. SPAEF, its three components individually and two alternative spatial performance metrics, i.e. connectivity analysis and fractions skill score, are applied in a spatial-pattern-oriented model calibration of a catchment model in Denmark. Results suggest the importance of multiple-component metrics because stand-alone metrics tend to fail to provide holistic pattern information. The three SPAEF components are found to be independent, which allows them to complement each other in a meaningful way. In order to optimally exploit spatial observations made available by remote sensing platforms, this study suggests applying bias insensitive metrics which further allow for a comparison of variables which are related but may differ in unit. This study applies SPAEF in the hydrological context using the mesoscale Hydrologic Model (mHM; version 5.8), but we see great potential across disciplines related to spatially distributed earth system modelling.

  4. Temporal changes in spatial patterns of submersed macrophytes in two impounded reaches of the Upper Mississippi River, USA, 1998-2009

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Jager, Nathan R.; Yin, Yao

    2011-01-01

    We examined temporal changes in spatial patterns of submersed aquatic macrophytes during a recent three-fold increase in macrophyte abundance and in response to the cumulative effects of management actions (island construction and water level management) and changes in regional environmental conditions (turbidity) in two navigation pools of the Upper Mississippi River, Pool 8 (managed) and Pool 13 (unmanaged). We used cross-correlograms to quantify changes in the degree and range of spatial correlation between submersed macrophytes and depth across the impounded portions of the two pools from 1998-2009. Along with increases in abundance, we observed gradual expansion of submersed macrophytes into deeper water in both pools. However, we detected no temporal change in spatial patterns in Pool 13, where the range of spatial correlation was ~ 1500-2500 m in length in the downriver direction and ~ 500-1000 m in length in the crossriver direction. We initially detected similar ranges of spatial correlation in Pool 8, but over time the range of correlation in the cross river direction increased from ~ 500 m in 1998 to ~ 2000 m by 2009. Thus, the expansion of submersed macrophytes into deeper water areas in Pool 8 appears to have occurred in the cross-river direction and led to increases in patch size and a more symmetrical patch configuration. Hence, very similar temporal changes in submersed macrophyte abundance corresponded with different diffusion dynamics and spatial patterns in the two pools. We hypothesize that management actions altered spatial patterns of depth, water flow and/or wind fetch and led to the differences in spatial patterns reported here.

  5. Influence of model boundary conditions on blood flow patterns in a patient specific stenotic right coronary artery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Biyue; Zheng, Jie; Bach, Richard; Tang, Dalin

    2015-01-01

    In literature, the effect of the inflow boundary condition was investigated by examining the impact of the waveform and the shape of the spatial profile of the inlet velocity on the cardiac hemodynamics. However, not much work has been reported on comparing the effect of the different combinations of the inlet/outlet boundary conditions on the quantification of the pressure field and flow distribution patterns in stenotic right coronary arteries. Non-Newtonian models were used to simulate blood flow in a patient-specific stenotic right coronary artery and investigate the influence of different boundary conditions on the phasic variation and the spatial distribution patterns of blood flow. The 3D geometry of a diseased artery segment was reconstructed from a series of IVUS slices. Five different combinations of the inlet and the outlet boundary conditions were tested and compared. The temporal distribution patterns and the magnitudes of the velocity, the wall shear stress (WSS), the pressure, the pressure drop (PD), and the spatial gradient of wall pressure (WPG) were different when boundary conditions were imposed using different pressure/velocity combinations at inlet/outlet. The maximum velocity magnitude in a cardiac cycle at the center of the inlet from models with imposed inlet pressure conditions was about 29% lower than that from models using fully developed inlet velocity data. Due to the fact that models with imposed pressure conditions led to blunt velocity profile, the maximum wall shear stress at inlet in a cardiac cycle from models with imposed inlet pressure conditions was about 29% higher than that from models with imposed inlet velocity boundary conditions. When the inlet boundary was imposed by a velocity waveform, the models with different outlet boundary conditions resulted in different temporal distribution patterns and magnitudes of the phasic variation of pressure. On the other hand, the type of different boundary conditions imposed at the

  6. Behavioral states may be associated with distinct spatial patterns in electrocorticogram.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panagiotides, Heracles; Freeman, Walter J; Holmes, Mark D; Pantazis, Dimitrios

    2011-03-01

    To determine if behavioral states are associated with unique spatial electrocorticographic (ECoG) patterns, we obtained recordings with a microgrid electrode array applied to the cortical surface of a human subject. The array was constructed with the intent of extracting maximal spatial information by optimizing interelectrode distances. A 34-year-old patient with intractable epilepsy underwent intracranial ECoG monitoring after standard methods failed to reveal localization of seizures. During the 8-day period of invasive recording, in addition to standard clinical electrodes a square 1 × 1 cm microgrid array with 64 electrodes (1.25 mm separation) was placed on the right inferior temporal gyrus. Careful review of video recordings identified four extended naturalistic behaviors: reading, conversing on the telephone, looking at photographs, and face-to-face interactions. ECoG activity recorded with the microgrid that corresponded to these behaviors was collected and ECoG spatial patterns were analyzed. During periods of ECoG selected for analysis, no electrographic seizures or epileptiform patterns were present. Moments of maximal spatial variance are shown to cluster by behavior. Comparisons between conditions using a permutation test reveal significantly different spatial patterns for each behavior. We conclude that ECoG recordings obtained on the cortical surface with optimal high spatial frequency resolution reveal distinct local spatial patterns that reflect different behavioral states, and we predict that similar patterns will be found in many if not most cortical areas on which a microgrid is placed.

  7. Spatial modeling of potential woody biomass flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woodam Chung; Nathaniel Anderson

    2012-01-01

    The flow of woody biomass to end users is determined by economic factors, especially the amount available across a landscape and delivery costs of bioenergy facilities. The objective of this study develop methodology to quantify landscape-level stocks and potential biomass flows using the currently available spatial database road network analysis tool. We applied this...

  8. Classification of pulsating flow patterns in curved pipes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tada, S; Oshima, S; Yamane, R

    1996-08-01

    The fully developed periodic laminar flow of incompressible Newtonian fluids through a pipe of circular cross section, which is coiled in a circle, was simulated numerically. The flow patterns are characterized by three parameters: the Womersley number Wo, the Dean number De, and the amplitude ratio beta. The effect of these parameters on the flow was studied in the range 2.19 secondary flow evolved with increasing Womersley number and Dean number is explained. The secondary flow patterns are classified into three main groups: the viscosity-dominated type, the inertia-dominated type, and the convection-dominated type. It was found that when the amplitude ratio of the volumetric flow rate is equal to 1.0, four to six vortices of the secondary flow appear at high Dean numbers, and the Lyne-type flow patterns disappear at beta > or = 0.50.

  9. Laser direct-write of single microbeads into spatially-ordered patterns

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phamduy, Theresa B; Schiele, Nathan R; Corr, David T; Chrisey, Douglas B; Raof, Nurazhani Abdul; Xie Yubing; Yan Zijie; Huang Yong

    2012-01-01

    Fabrication of heterogeneous microbead patterns on a bead-by-bead basis promotes new opportunities for sensors, lab-on-a-chip technology and cell-culturing systems within the context of customizable constructs. Laser direct-write (LDW) was utilized to target and deposit solid polystyrene and stem cell-laden alginate hydrogel beads into computer-programmed patterns. We successfully demonstrated single-bead printing resolution and fabricated spatially-ordered patterns of microbeads. The probability of successful microbead transfer from the ribbon surface increased from 0 to 80% with decreasing diameter of 600 to 45 µm, respectively. Direct-written microbeads retained spatial pattern registry, even after 10 min of ultrasonication treatment. SEM imaging confirmed immobilization of microbeads. Viability of cells encapsulated in transferred hydrogel microbeads achieved 37 ± 11% immediately after the transfer process, whereas randomly-patterned pipetted control beads achieved a viability of 51 ± 25%. Individual placement of >10 µm diameter microbeads onto planar surfaces has previously been unattainable. We have demonstrated LDW as a valuable tool for the patterning of single, micrometer-diameter beads into spatially-ordered patterns. (paper)

  10. Reactive Transport of Marcellus Shale Waters in Natural Aquifers: the Role of Mineralogical Compositions and Spatial Distribution Patterns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Z.; Wen, H.; Li, L.

    2017-12-01

    Accidental release of Marcellus Shale waters (MSW) can release high concentrations of chemicals that can deteriorate groundwater quality. It is important to understand the reactive transport and fate of chemicals from MSW. Natural aquifers typically have complex mineralogical compositions and are heterogeneous with large spatial variation in terms of physical and geochemical properties. To investigate the effects of mineralogical compositions, flow-through experiments and reactive transport modeling were carried out using 3 large columns (5 cm×50 cm, Quartz, Calcite, and Vermiculite). Results indicate calcite immobilizes heavy metals by precipitation and solid solution partitioning (coprecipitation). Vermiculite retards heavy metals through ion exchange. The sorbed chemicals however slowly release back to the groundwater. Na and Ca transport similarly to Br in Qtz and Cal columns however become sorbed in Vrm column during release through ion exchange by 27.8% and 46.5%, respectively and later slowly release back to aqueous phase. To understand the role of mineral spatial patterns, three 2D flow-cell (40 cm×12 cm×1 cm) experiments were carried out. All flow cells have the same clay mass within quartz matrix but different spatial patterns characterized by the relative length of the clay zone ( 0, ¼, ½) of the domain length (L). Results show that in the uniform column, ion exchange dominates and most Ba sorbs to the solid phase, to an extent Ba cannot precipitate out with SO4 as barite. In 1/2-Zone, however, most Ba precipitates as barite. In 1/4-Zone, both ion exchange and mineral precipitation occur. In general, the 1/2-Zone has the smallest ion exchange capacity for other species including Na, Ca, Mg, K and heavy metals (Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) as well. Our flow cell experiment emphasizes the importance of mineral spatial patterns in regulating not only reaction rates but also the type of reactions in controlling the reactive transport of MSW chemicals. The

  11. Spatial pattern and ecological process in the coffee agroforestry system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perfecto, Ivette; Vandermeer, John

    2008-04-01

    The coffee agroforestry system provides an ideal platform for the study of spatial ecology. The uniform pattern of the coffee plants and shade trees allows for the study of pattern generation through intrinsic biological forces rather than extrinsic habitat patchiness. Detailed studies, focusing on a key mutualism between an ant (Azteca instabilis) and a scale insect (Coccus viridis), conducted in a 45-ha plot in a coffee agroforestry system have provided insights into (1) the quantitative evaluation of spatial pattern of the scale insect Coccus viridis on coffee bushes, (2) the mechanisms for the generation of patterns through the combination of local satellite ant nest formation and regional control from natural enemies, and (3) the consequences of the spatial pattern for the stability of predator-prey (host-parasitoid) systems, for a key coccinelid beetle preying on the scale insects and a phorid fly parasitoid parasitizing the ant.

  12. Spatial pattern of Baccharis platypoda shrub as determined by sex and life stages

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fonseca, Darliana da Costa; de Oliveira, Marcio Leles Romarco; Pereira, Israel Marinho; Gonzaga, Anne Priscila Dias; de Moura, Cristiane Coelho; Machado, Evandro Luiz Mendonça

    2017-11-01

    Spatial patterns of dioecious species can be determined by their nutritional requirements and intraspecific competition, apart from being a response to environmental heterogeneity. The aim of the study was to evaluate the spatial pattern of populations of a dioecious shrub reporting to sex and reproductive stage patterns of individuals. Sampling was carried out in three areas located in the meridional portion of Serra do Espinhaço, where in individuals of the studied species were mapped. The spatial pattern was determined through O-ring analysis and Ripley's K-function and the distribution of individuals' frequencies was verified through x2 test. Populations in two areas showed an aggregate spatial pattern tending towards random or uniform according to the observed scale. Male and female adults presented an aggregate pattern at smaller scales, while random and uniform patterns were verified above 20 m for individuals of both sexes of the areas A2 and A3. Young individuals presented an aggregate pattern in all areas and spatial independence in relation to adult individuals, especially female plants. The interactions between individuals of both genders presented spatial independence with respect to spatial distribution. Baccharis platypoda showed characteristics in accordance with the spatial distribution of savannic and dioecious species, whereas the population was aggregated tending towards random at greater spatial scales. Young individuals showed an aggregated pattern at different scales compared to adults, without positive association between them. Female and male adult individuals presented similar characteristics, confirming that adult individuals at greater scales are randomly distributed despite their distinct preferences for environments with moisture variation.

  13. Modulating patterns of two-phase flow with electric fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Dingsheng; Hakimi, Bejan; Volny, Michael; Rolfs, Joelle; Anand, Robbyn K; Turecek, Frantisek; Chiu, Daniel T

    2014-07-01

    This paper describes the use of electro-hydrodynamic actuation to control the transition between three major flow patterns of an aqueous-oil Newtonian flow in a microchannel: droplets, beads-on-a-string (BOAS), and multi-stream laminar flow. We observed interesting transitional flow patterns between droplets and BOAS as the electric field was modulated. The ability to control flow patterns of a two-phase fluid in a microchannel adds to the microfluidic tool box and improves our understanding of this interesting fluid behavior.

  14. Method for confirming flow pattern of gas-water flow in horizontal tubes under rolling state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luan Feng; Yan Changqi

    2008-01-01

    An experimental study on the flow patterns of gas-water flow was carried out in horizontal tubes under rolling state. It was found that the pressure drop of two phase flow was with an obvious periodical characteristic. The flow pattern of the gas-water flow was distinguished according to the characteristics of the pressure drop in this paper. It was proved that the characteristics of the pressure drop can distinguish the flow pattern of gas-water flow correctly through comparing with the result of careful observation and high speed digital camera. (authors)

  15. Spatially patterned matrix elasticity directs stem cell fate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Chun; DelRio, Frank W.; Ma, Hao; Killaars, Anouk R.; Basta, Lena P.; Kyburz, Kyle A.; Anseth, Kristi S.

    2016-08-01

    There is a growing appreciation for the functional role of matrix mechanics in regulating stem cell self-renewal and differentiation processes. However, it is largely unknown how subcellular, spatial mechanical variations in the local extracellular environment mediate intracellular signal transduction and direct cell fate. Here, the effect of spatial distribution, magnitude, and organization of subcellular matrix mechanical properties on human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSCs) function was investigated. Exploiting a photodegradation reaction, a hydrogel cell culture substrate was fabricated with regions of spatially varied and distinct mechanical properties, which were subsequently mapped and quantified by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The variations in the underlying matrix mechanics were found to regulate cellular adhesion and transcriptional events. Highly spread, elongated morphologies and higher Yes-associated protein (YAP) activation were observed in hMSCs seeded on hydrogels with higher concentrations of stiff regions in a dose-dependent manner. However, when the spatial organization of the mechanically stiff regions was altered from a regular to randomized pattern, lower levels of YAP activation with smaller and more rounded cell morphologies were induced in hMSCs. We infer from these results that irregular, disorganized variations in matrix mechanics, compared with regular patterns, appear to disrupt actin organization, and lead to different cell fates; this was verified by observations of lower alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and higher expression of CD105, a stem cell marker, in hMSCs in random versus regular patterns of mechanical properties. Collectively, this material platform has allowed innovative experiments to elucidate a novel spatial mechanical dosing mechanism that correlates to both the magnitude and organization of spatial stiffness.

  16. Abiotic and biotic controls of spatial pattern at alpine treeline

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malanson, George P.; Xiao, Ningchuan; Alftine, K.J.; Bekker, Mathew; Butler, David R.; Brown, Daniel G.; Cairns, David M.; Fagre, Daniel; Walsh, Stephen J.

    2000-01-01

    At alpine treeline, trees and krummholz forms affect the environment in ways that increase their growth and reproduction. We assess the way in which these positive feedbacks combine in spatial patterns to alter the environment in the neighborhood of existing plants. The research is significant because areas of alpine tundra are susceptible to encroachment by woody species as climate changes. Moreover, understanding the general processes of plant invasion is important. The importance of spatial pattern has been recognized, but the spatial pattern of positive feedbacks per se has not been explored in depth. We present a linked set of models of vegetation change at an alpine forest-tundra ecotone. Our aim is to create models that are as simple as possible in order to test specific hypotheses. We present results from a model of the resource averaging hypothesis and the positive feedback switch hypothesis of treelines. We compare the patterns generated by the models to patterns observed in fine scale remotely sensed data.

  17. Understanding the effects of predictability, duration, and spatial pattern of drying on benthic invertebrate assemblages in two contrasting intermittent streams

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Schiller, Daniel; Barberá, Gonzalo G.; Díaz, Angela M.; Arce, Maria Isabel; del Campo, Rubén; Tockner, Klement

    2018-01-01

    In the present study, we examined the effects of different drying conditions on the composition, structure and function of benthic invertebrate assemblages. We approached this objective by comparing invertebrate assemblages in perennial and intermittent sites along two intermittent Mediterranean streams with contrasting predictability, duration, and spatial patterns of drying: Fuirosos (high predictability, short duration, downstream drying pattern) and Rogativa (low predictability, long duration, patchy drying pattern). Specifically, we quantified the contribution of individual taxa to those differences, the degree of nestedness, and shifts in the composition, structure and function of benthic invertebrate assemblages along flow intermittence gradients. We observed greater effects of drying on the benthic invertebrate composition in Fuirosos than in Rogativa, resulting in a higher dissimilarity of assemblages between perennial and intermittent sites, as well as a lower degree of nestedness. Furthermore, a higher number of biotic metrics related to richness, abundance and biological traits were significantly different between perennial and intermittent sites in Fuirosos, despite a shorter dry period compared to Rogativa. At the same time, slightly different responses were detected during post-drying (autumn) than pre-drying (spring) conditions in this stream. In Rogativa, shifts in benthic invertebrate assemblages along increasing gradients of flow intermittence were found for three metrics (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) and Odonata, Coleoptera and Heteroptera (OCH) abundances and aerial active dispersal. Furthermore, we demonstrated that combined gradients of dry period duration and distance to nearest perennial reach can generate complex, and different, responses of benthic invertebrate assemblages, depending on the flow intermittence metric. Our study advances the notion that special attention should be paid to the predictability, duration and

  18. An objective indicator for two-phase flow pattern transition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hervieu, E.; Seleghim, P. Jr.

    1998-01-01

    This work concerns the development of a methodology which objective is to characterize and diagnose two-phase flow regime transitions. The approach is based on the fundamental assumption that a transition flow is less stationary than a flow with an established regime. In a first time, the efforts focused on: the design and construction of an experimental loop, allowing to reproduce the main horizontal two-phase flow patterns, in a stable and controlled way; the design and construction of an electrical impedance probe, providing an imaged information of the spatial phase distribution in the pipe; the systematic study of the joint time-frequency and time-scale analysis methods, which permitted to define an adequate parameter quantifying the unstationarity degree. In a second time, in order to verify the fundamental assumption, a series of experiments were conducted, which objective was to demonstrate the correlation between unstationarity and regime transition. The unstationarity degree was quantified by calculating the Gabor's transform time-frequency covariance of the impedance probe signals. Furthermore, the phenomenology of each transition was characterized by the joint moments and entropy. The results clearly show that the regime transitions are correlated with local time-frequency covariance peaks, which demonstrates that these regime transitions are characterized by a loss of stationarity. Consequently, the time-frequency covariance constitutes an objective two-phase flow regime transition indicator. (author)

  19. Modeling study on the flow patterns of gas-liquid flow for fast decarburization during the RH process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yi-hong; Bao, Yan-ping; Wang, Rui; Ma, Li-feng; Liu, Jian-sheng

    2018-02-01

    A water model and a high-speed video camera were utilized in the 300-t RH equipment to study the effect of steel flow patterns in a vacuum chamber on fast decarburization and a superior flow-pattern map was obtained during the practical RH process. There are three flow patterns with different bubbling characteristics and steel surface states in the vacuum chamber: boiling pattern (BP), transition pattern (TP), and wave pattern (WP). The effect of the liquid-steel level and the residence time of the steel in the chamber on flow patterns and decarburization reaction were investigated, respectively. The liquid-steel level significantly affected the flow-pattern transition from BP to WP, and the residence time and reaction area were crucial to evaluate the whole decarburization process rather than the circulation flow rate and mixing time. A superior flow-pattern map during the practical RH process showed that the steel flow pattern changed from BP to TP quickly, and then remained as TP until the end of decarburization.

  20. Spatial coherence resonance and spatial pattern transition induced by the decrease of inhibitory effect in a neuronal network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Ye; Gu, Huaguang; Ding, Xueli

    2017-10-01

    Spiral waves were observed in the biological experiment on rat brain cortex with the application of carbachol and bicuculline which can block inhibitory coupling from interneurons to pyramidal neurons. To simulate the experimental spiral waves, a two-dimensional neuronal network composed of pyramidal neurons and inhibitory interneurons was built. By decreasing the percentage of active inhibitory interneurons, the random-like spatial patterns change to spiral waves and to random-like spatial patterns or nearly synchronous behaviors. The spiral waves appear at a low percentage of inhibitory interneurons, which matches the experimental condition that inhibitory couplings of the interneurons were blocked. The spiral waves exhibit a higher order or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) characterized by spatial structure function than both random-like spatial patterns and nearly synchronous behaviors, which shows that changes of the percentage of active inhibitory interneurons can induce spatial coherence resonance-like behaviors. In addition, the relationship between the coherence degree and the spatial structures of the spiral waves is identified. The results not only present a possible and reasonable interpretation to the spiral waves observed in the biological experiment on the brain cortex with disinhibition, but also reveal that the spiral waves exhibit more ordered degree in spatial patterns.

  1. Spatial pattern of diarrhea based on regional economic and environment by spatial autoregressive model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bekti, Rokhana Dwi; Nurhadiyanti, Gita; Irwansyah, Edy

    2014-10-01

    The diarrhea case pattern information, especially for toddler, is very important. It is used to show the distribution of diarrhea in every region, relationship among that locations, and regional economic characteristic or environmental behavior. So, this research uses spatial pattern to perform them. This method includes: Moran's I, Spatial Autoregressive Models (SAR), and Local Indicator of Spatial Autocorrelation (LISA). It uses sample from 23 sub districts of Bekasi Regency, West Java, Indonesia. Diarrhea case, regional economic, and environmental behavior of households have a spatial relationship among sub district. SAR shows that the percentage of Regional Gross Domestic Product is significantly effect on diarrhea at α = 10%. Therefore illiteracy and health center facilities are significant at α = 5%. With LISA test, sub districts in southern Bekasi have high dependencies with Cikarang Selatan, Serang Baru, and Setu. This research also builds development application that is based on java and R to support data analysis.

  2. Spatial stochasticity and non-continuum effects in gas flows

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dadzie, S. Kokou, E-mail: k.dadzie@glyndwr.ac.uk [Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Glyndwr University, Mold Road, Wrexham LL11 2AW (United Kingdom); Reese, Jason M., E-mail: jason.reese@strath.ac.uk [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XJ (United Kingdom)

    2012-02-06

    We investigate the relationship between spatial stochasticity and non-continuum effects in gas flows. A kinetic model for a dilute gas is developed using strictly a stochastic molecular model reasoning, without primarily referring to either the Liouville or the Boltzmann equations for dilute gases. The kinetic equation, a stochastic version of the well-known deterministic Boltzmann equation for dilute gas, is then associated with a set of macroscopic equations for the case of a monatomic gas. Tests based on a heat conduction configuration and sound wave dispersion show that spatial stochasticity can explain some non-continuum effects seen in gases. -- Highlights: ► We investigate effects of molecular spatial stochasticity in non-continuum regime. ► Present a simplify spatial stochastic kinetic equation. ► Present a spatial stochastic macroscopic flow equations. ► Show effects of the new model on sound wave dispersion prediction. ► Show effects of the new approach in density profiles in a heat conduction.

  3. Spatial pattern enhances ecosystem functioning in an African savanna.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert M Pringle

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available The finding that regular spatial patterns can emerge in nature from local interactions between organisms has prompted a search for the ecological importance of these patterns. Theoretical models have predicted that patterning may have positive emergent effects on fundamental ecosystem functions, such as productivity. We provide empirical support for this prediction. In dryland ecosystems, termite mounds are often hotspots of plant growth (primary productivity. Using detailed observations and manipulative experiments in an African savanna, we show that these mounds are also local hotspots of animal abundance (secondary and tertiary productivity: insect abundance and biomass decreased with distance from the nearest termite mound, as did the abundance, biomass, and reproductive output of insect-eating predators. Null-model analyses indicated that at the landscape scale, the evenly spaced distribution of termite mounds produced dramatically greater abundance, biomass, and reproductive output of consumers across trophic levels than would be obtained in landscapes with randomly distributed mounds. These emergent properties of spatial pattern arose because the average distance from an arbitrarily chosen point to the nearest feature in a landscape is minimized in landscapes where the features are hyper-dispersed (i.e., uniformly spaced. This suggests that the linkage between patterning and ecosystem functioning will be common to systems spanning the range of human management intensities. The centrality of spatial pattern to system-wide biomass accumulation underscores the need to conserve pattern-generating organisms and mechanisms, and to incorporate landscape patterning in efforts to restore degraded habitats and maximize the delivery of ecosystem services.

  4. Spatial pattern enhances ecosystem functioning in an African savanna.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pringle, Robert M; Doak, Daniel F; Brody, Alison K; Jocqué, Rudy; Palmer, Todd M

    2010-05-25

    The finding that regular spatial patterns can emerge in nature from local interactions between organisms has prompted a search for the ecological importance of these patterns. Theoretical models have predicted that patterning may have positive emergent effects on fundamental ecosystem functions, such as productivity. We provide empirical support for this prediction. In dryland ecosystems, termite mounds are often hotspots of plant growth (primary productivity). Using detailed observations and manipulative experiments in an African savanna, we show that these mounds are also local hotspots of animal abundance (secondary and tertiary productivity): insect abundance and biomass decreased with distance from the nearest termite mound, as did the abundance, biomass, and reproductive output of insect-eating predators. Null-model analyses indicated that at the landscape scale, the evenly spaced distribution of termite mounds produced dramatically greater abundance, biomass, and reproductive output of consumers across trophic levels than would be obtained in landscapes with randomly distributed mounds. These emergent properties of spatial pattern arose because the average distance from an arbitrarily chosen point to the nearest feature in a landscape is minimized in landscapes where the features are hyper-dispersed (i.e., uniformly spaced). This suggests that the linkage between patterning and ecosystem functioning will be common to systems spanning the range of human management intensities. The centrality of spatial pattern to system-wide biomass accumulation underscores the need to conserve pattern-generating organisms and mechanisms, and to incorporate landscape patterning in efforts to restore degraded habitats and maximize the delivery of ecosystem services.

  5. Complex temporal and spatial patterns in nonequilibrium processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swinney, H.L.

    1992-01-01

    We have used dynamical systems methods to study and characterize bifurcations and pattern formation in a variety of nonequilibrium systems. In this paper we describe our work on dynamical systems, chemical oscillations and chaos, chemical spatial patterns, instabilities in fluid dynamics, electrodeposition clusters, the ballast resistor, and crack propagation

  6. Identification of 3-phase flow patterns of heavy oil from pressure drop and flow rate data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pacheco, F.; Bannwart, A.C.; Mendes, J.R.P. [Campinas State Univ., Sao Paulo (Brazil); Serapiao, A.B.S. [Sao Paulo State Univ., Sao Paulo (Brazil)

    2008-07-01

    Pipe flow of oil-gas-water mixtures poses a complex thermo-fluid dynamical problem. This paper examined the relationship between phase flow rates, flow pattern identification, and pressure drop in 3-phase water-assisted heavy oil in the presence of a gaseous phase. An artificial intelligence program called a support vector machine (SVM) was used to determine relevant parameters for flow pattern classification. Data from a 3-phase flow of heavy oil with gas and water in a vertical pipe was used in the study. The data were used to train the machine, which then predicted the flow pattern of the remaining data. Tests with different parameters and training data were then performed. The study showed that the proposed SVM flow pattern identification process accurately predicted flow patterns. It was concluded that the SVM took a relatively short amount of time to train. Future research is needed to apply the tool to larger flow datasets. 5 refs., 1 tab., 2 figs.

  7. Investigating Spatial Patterns of Persistent Scatterer Interferometry Point Targets and Landslide Occurrences in the Arno River Basin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ping Lu

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI has been widely used for landslide studies in recent years. This paper investigated the spatial patterns of PSI point targets and landslide occurrences in the Arno River basin in Central Italy. The main purpose is to analyze whether spatial patterns of Persistent Scatterers (PS can be recognized as indicators of landslide occurrences throughout the whole basin. The bivariate K-function was employed to assess spatial relationships between PS and landslides. The PSI point targets were acquired from almost 4 years (from March 2003 to January 2007 of RADARSAT-1 images. The landslide inventory was collected from 15 years (from 1992–2007 of surveying and mapping data, mainly including remote sensing data, topographic maps and field investigations. The proposed approach is able to assess spatial patterns between a variety of PS and landslides, in particular, to understand if PSI point targets are spatially clustered (spatial attraction or randomly distributed (spatial independency on various types of landslides across the basin. Additionally, the degree and scale distances of PS clustering on a variety of landslides can be characterized. The results rejected the null hypothesis that PSI point targets appear to cluster similarly on four types of landslides (slides, flows, falls and creeps in the Arno River basin. Significant influence of PS velocities and acquisition orbits can be noticed on detecting landslides with different states of activities. Despite that the assessment may be influenced by the quality of landslide inventory and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR images, the proposed approach is expected to provide guidelines for studies trying to detect and investigate landslide occurrences at a regional scale through spatial statistical analysis of PS, for which an advanced understanding of the impact of scale distances on landslide clustering is fundamentally needed.

  8. 1988 Wet deposition temporal and spatial patterns in North America

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simpson, J.C.; Olsen, A.R.; Bittner, E.A.

    1992-03-01

    The focus of this report is on North American wet deposition temporal patterns from 1979 to 1988 and spatial patterns for 1988. It is the third in a series of reports that investigate the patterns of annual precipitation-weighted average concentration and annual deposition for nine ion species: hydrogen, sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, calcium, chloride, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Mosaic maps, based on surface estimation using kriging, display concentration and deposition spatial patterns of pH, hydrogen, sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and calcium ion species for 1988 annual, winter, and summer periods. Temporal pattern analyses use a subset of 35 sites over a 10-year (1979--1988) period and an expanded subset of 137 sites, with greater spatial coverage, over a 7-year (1982--1988) period. The 10-year period represents the longest period with wet deposition monitoring data available that has a sufficient number of sites with data of known quality to allow a descriptive summary of annual temporal patterns. Sen's median trend estimate and Kendall's seasonal tau (KST) test are calculated for each ion species concentration and deposition at each site in both subsets.

  9. 1988 Wet deposition temporal and spatial patterns in North America

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simpson, J.C.; Olsen, A.R.; Bittner, E.A.

    1992-03-01

    The focus of this report is on North American wet deposition temporal patterns from 1979 to 1988 and spatial patterns for 1988. It is the third in a series of reports that investigate the patterns of annual precipitation-weighted average concentration and annual deposition for nine ion species: hydrogen, sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, calcium, chloride, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Mosaic maps, based on surface estimation using kriging, display concentration and deposition spatial patterns of pH, hydrogen, sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and calcium ion species for 1988 annual, winter, and summer periods. Temporal pattern analyses use a subset of 35 sites over a 10-year (1979--1988) period and an expanded subset of 137 sites, with greater spatial coverage, over a 7-year (1982--1988) period. The 10-year period represents the longest period with wet deposition monitoring data available that has a sufficient number of sites with data of known quality to allow a descriptive summary of annual temporal patterns. Sen`s median trend estimate and Kendall`s seasonal tau (KST) test are calculated for each ion species concentration and deposition at each site in both subsets.

  10. Two-phase flow patterns in adiabatic and diabatic corrugated plate gaps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polzin, A.-E.; Kabelac, S.; de Vries, B.

    2016-09-01

    Correlations for two-phase heat transfer and pressure drop can be improved considerably, when they are adapted to specific flow patterns. As plate heat exchangers find increasing application as evaporators and condensers, there is a need for flow pattern maps for corrugated plate gaps. This contribution presents experimental results on flow pattern investigations for such a plate heat exchanger background, using an adiabatic visualisation setup as well as a diabatic setup. Three characteristic flow patterns were observed in the considered range of two-phase flow: bubbly flow, film flow and slug flow. The occurrence of these flow patterns is a function of mass flux, void fraction, fluid properties and plate geometry. Two different plate geometries having a corrugation angle of 27° and 63°, respectively and two different fluids (water/air and R365mfc liquid/vapor) have been analysed. A flow pattern map using the momentum flux is presented.

  11. Selective memory generalization by spatial patterning of protein synthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Donnell, Cian; Sejnowski, Terrence J

    2014-04-16

    Protein synthesis is crucial for both persistent synaptic plasticity and long-term memory. De novo protein expression can be restricted to specific neurons within a population, and to specific dendrites within a single neuron. Despite its ubiquity, the functional benefits of spatial protein regulation for learning are unknown. We used computational modeling to study this problem. We found that spatially patterned protein synthesis can enable selective consolidation of some memories but forgetting of others, even for simultaneous events that are represented by the same neural population. Key factors regulating selectivity include the functional clustering of synapses on dendrites, and the sparsity and overlap of neural activity patterns at the circuit level. Based on these findings, we proposed a two-step model for selective memory generalization during REM and slow-wave sleep. The pattern-matching framework we propose may be broadly applicable to spatial protein signaling throughout cortex and hippocampus. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. An exploration of spatial patterns of seasonal diarrhoeal morbidity in Thailand.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCormick, B J J; Alonso, W J; Miller, M A

    2012-07-01

    Studies of temporal and spatial patterns of diarrhoeal disease can suggest putative aetiological agents and environmental or socioeconomic drivers. Here, the seasonal patterns of monthly acute diarrhoeal morbidity in Thailand, where diarrhoeal morbidity is increasing, are explored. Climatic data (2003-2006) and Thai Ministry of Health annual reports (2003-2009) were used to construct a spatially weighted panel regression model. Seasonal patterns of diarrhoeal disease were generally bimodal with aetiological agents peaking at different times of the year. There is a strong association between daily mean temperature and precipitation and the incidence of hospitalization due to acute diarrhoea in Thailand leading to a distinct spatial pattern in the seasonal pattern of diarrhoea. Model performance varied across the country in relation to per capita GDP and population density. While climatic factors are likely to drive the general pattern of diarrhoeal disease in Thailand, the seasonality of diarrhoeal disease is dampened in affluent urban populations.

  13. Research on the spatial structure of crude oil flow and the characteristics of its flow field in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Yuan; Hao, Li-Sha; Wan, Lu

    2007-01-01

    Crude oil flow is a sort of oil spatial movement, and in China, it is large scale and covers wide area with extensive social-economic effects. This paper analyses the spatial structure of crude oil flow in China, the characters of its flow field and the layout of its flow track. The results show that oil flow in China has a spatial characteristic of centralized output and decentralized input; its spatial structure is composed of Source System in the shape of right-angled triangle, Confluence System in the shape of right-angled trapezium and Multiplex System in the shape of obtuse-angled triangle, which are mutually nested, and on a whole, the presence of Multiplex System balances and optimizes the flow layout; oil flow field in China can be divided into four parts, i.e. the North, North-west, East and South Field, two or three of which overlap with each other, extending the oil flow and making the flow more flexible and maneuverable; oil flow track is a multi-objective decision-making route and in the decision-making process oil transportation cost is one of the essential factors, in China, oil flow track falls into the Northeast, North, East, Northwest and South five cluster regions, which connect with each other, and series-parallel connection between various kinds of transportation channels is widely seen in them, reinforcing the supply security of crude oil

  14. Hydrogeological controls on spatial patterns of groundwater discharge in peatlands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. K. Hare

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Peatland environments provide important ecosystem services including water and carbon storage, nutrient processing and retention, and wildlife habitat. However, these systems and the services they provide have been degraded through historical anthropogenic agricultural conversion and dewatering practices. Effective wetland restoration requires incorporating site hydrology and understanding groundwater discharge spatial patterns. Groundwater discharge maintains wetland ecosystems by providing relatively stable hydrologic conditions, nutrient inputs, and thermal buffering important for ecological structure and function; however, a comprehensive site-specific evaluation is rarely feasible for such resource-constrained projects. An improved process-based understanding of groundwater discharge in peatlands may help guide ecological restoration design without the need for invasive methodologies and detailed site-specific investigation. Here we examine a kettle-hole peatland in southeast Massachusetts historically modified for commercial cranberry farming. During the time of our investigation, a large process-based ecological restoration project was in the assessment and design phases. To gain insight into the drivers of site hydrology, we evaluated the spatial patterning of groundwater discharge and the subsurface structure of the peatland complex using heat-tracing methods and ground-penetrating radar. Our results illustrate that two groundwater discharge processes contribute to the peatland hydrologic system: diffuse lower-flux marginal matrix seepage and discrete higher-flux preferential-flow-path seepage. Both types of groundwater discharge develop through interactions with subsurface peatland basin structure, often where the basin slope is at a high angle to the regional groundwater gradient. These field observations indicate strong correlation between subsurface structures and surficial groundwater discharge. Understanding these general patterns

  15. Hydrogeological controls on spatial patterns of groundwater discharge in peatlands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hare, Danielle K.; Boutt, David F.; Clement, William P.; Hatch, Christine E.; Davenport, Glorianna; Hackman, Alex

    2017-11-01

    Peatland environments provide important ecosystem services including water and carbon storage, nutrient processing and retention, and wildlife habitat. However, these systems and the services they provide have been degraded through historical anthropogenic agricultural conversion and dewatering practices. Effective wetland restoration requires incorporating site hydrology and understanding groundwater discharge spatial patterns. Groundwater discharge maintains wetland ecosystems by providing relatively stable hydrologic conditions, nutrient inputs, and thermal buffering important for ecological structure and function; however, a comprehensive site-specific evaluation is rarely feasible for such resource-constrained projects. An improved process-based understanding of groundwater discharge in peatlands may help guide ecological restoration design without the need for invasive methodologies and detailed site-specific investigation. Here we examine a kettle-hole peatland in southeast Massachusetts historically modified for commercial cranberry farming. During the time of our investigation, a large process-based ecological restoration project was in the assessment and design phases. To gain insight into the drivers of site hydrology, we evaluated the spatial patterning of groundwater discharge and the subsurface structure of the peatland complex using heat-tracing methods and ground-penetrating radar. Our results illustrate that two groundwater discharge processes contribute to the peatland hydrologic system: diffuse lower-flux marginal matrix seepage and discrete higher-flux preferential-flow-path seepage. Both types of groundwater discharge develop through interactions with subsurface peatland basin structure, often where the basin slope is at a high angle to the regional groundwater gradient. These field observations indicate strong correlation between subsurface structures and surficial groundwater discharge. Understanding these general patterns may allow resource

  16. Deriving Process-Driven Collaborative Editing Pattern from Collaborative Learning Flow Patterns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marjanovic, Olivera; Skaf-Molli, Hala; Molli, Pascal; Godart, Claude

    2007-01-01

    Collaborative Learning Flow Patterns (CLFPs) have recently emerged as a new method to formulate best practices in structuring the flow of activities within various collaborative learning scenarios. The term "learning flow" is used to describe coordination and sequencing of learning tasks. This paper adopts the existing concept of CLFP and argues…

  17. [Characteristics of temporal-spatial differentiation in landscape pattern vulnerability in Nansihu Lake wetland, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Jia Xin; Li, Xin Ju

    2018-02-01

    With remote sensing images from 1985, 2000 Lantsat 5 TM and 2015 Lantsat 8 OLI as data sources, we tried to select the suitable research scale and examine the temporal-spatial diffe-rentiation with such scale in the Nansihu Lake wetland by using landscape pattern vulnerability index constructed by sensitivity index and adaptability index, and combined with space statistics such as semivariogram and spatial autocorrelation. The results showed that 1 km × 1 km equidistant grid was the suitable research scale, which could eliminate the influence of spatial heterogeneity induced by random factors. From 1985 to 2015, the landscape pattern vulnerability in the Nansihu Lake wetland deteriorated gradually. The high-risk area of landscape pattern vulnerability dramatically expanded with time. The spatial heterogeneity of landscape pattern vulnerability increased, and the influence of non-structural factors on landscape pattern vulnerability strengthened. Spatial variability affected by spatial autocorrelation slightly weakened. Landscape pattern vulnerability had strong general spatial positive correlation, with the significant form of spatial agglomeration. The positive spatial autocorrelation continued to increase and the phenomenon of spatial concentration was more and more obvious over time. The local autocorrelation mainly based on high-high accumulation zone and low-low accumulation zone had stronger spatial autocorrelation among neighboring space units. The high-high accumulation areas showed the strongest level of significance, and the significant level of low-low accumulation zone increased with time. Natural factors, such as temperature and precipitation, affected water-level and landscape distribution, and thus changed the landscape patterns vulnerability of Nansihu Lake wetland. The dominant driver for the deterioration of landscape patterns vulnerability was human activities, including social economy activity and policy system.

  18. Flow-pattern identification and nonlinear dynamics of gas-liquid two-phase flow in complex networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Zhongke; Jin, Ningde

    2009-06-01

    The identification of flow pattern is a basic and important issue in multiphase systems. Because of the complexity of phase interaction in gas-liquid two-phase flow, it is difficult to discern its flow pattern objectively. In this paper, we make a systematic study on the vertical upward gas-liquid two-phase flow using complex network. Three unique network construction methods are proposed to build three types of networks, i.e., flow pattern complex network (FPCN), fluid dynamic complex network (FDCN), and fluid structure complex network (FSCN). Through detecting the community structure of FPCN by the community-detection algorithm based on K -mean clustering, useful and interesting results are found which can be used for identifying five vertical upward gas-liquid two-phase flow patterns. To investigate the dynamic characteristics of gas-liquid two-phase flow, we construct 50 FDCNs under different flow conditions, and find that the power-law exponent and the network information entropy, which are sensitive to the flow pattern transition, can both characterize the nonlinear dynamics of gas-liquid two-phase flow. Furthermore, we construct FSCN and demonstrate how network statistic can be used to reveal the fluid structure of gas-liquid two-phase flow. In this paper, from a different perspective, we not only introduce complex network theory to the study of gas-liquid two-phase flow but also indicate that complex network may be a powerful tool for exploring nonlinear time series in practice.

  19. Design of Capillary Flows with Spatially Graded Porous Films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joung, Young Soo; Figliuzzi, Bruno Michel; Buie, Cullen

    2013-11-01

    We have developed a new capillary tube model, consisting of multi-layered capillary tubes oriented in the direction of flow, to predict capillary speeds on spatially graded porous films. Capillary flows through thin porous media have been widely utilized for small size liquid transport systems. However, for most media it is challenging to realize arbitrary shapes and spatially functionalized micro-structures with variable flow properties. Therefore, conventional media can only be used for capillary flows obeying Washburn's equation and the modifications thereof. Given this background, we recently developed a method called breakdown anodization (BDA) to produce highly wetting porous films. The resulting surfaces show nearly zero contact angles and fast water spreading speed. Furthermore, capillary pressure and spreading diffusivity can be expressed as functions of capillary height when customized electric fields are used in BDA. From the capillary tube model, we derived a general capillary flow equation of motion in terms of capillary pressure and spreading diffusivity. The theoretical model shows good agreement with experimental capillary flows. The study will provide novel design methodologies for paper-based microfluidic devices.

  20. Analysis on the Changing Spatial Patterns of China's Migration in 1985-2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zan, Q.; Bian, Y.

    2014-11-01

    Based on the data of China's fourth, fifth and sixth population census, taking the seven geographical zone as research units, the Changing Spatial Patterns of China's Migration in 1985-2010 is studied by the means of spatial analysis and mathematical statistics. The empirical results show that: (1) The migration population in China was increasing a lot in 1985-2010, and the main part of it is Provincial migration. (2) The total number of migration, immigration and emigration, the relative proportion of inter provincial and provincial migration have been positively correlated to the regional economic development level. (3) The emigrations from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas mainly moved to East and North China. (4) Central and west of China are the main area where people outflowed from, and most migration population moved to south-eastern coastal areas. The migration in Northeast and northwest of China is still relatively small. The main direction of population migration and flowing is from west to east and from north to south.

  1. A novel spatial performance metric for robust pattern optimization of distributed hydrological models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stisen, S.; Demirel, C.; Koch, J.

    2017-12-01

    Evaluation of performance is an integral part of model development and calibration as well as it is of paramount importance when communicating modelling results to stakeholders and the scientific community. There exists a comprehensive and well tested toolbox of metrics to assess temporal model performance in the hydrological modelling community. On the contrary, the experience to evaluate spatial performance is not corresponding to the grand availability of spatial observations readily available and to the sophisticate model codes simulating the spatial variability of complex hydrological processes. This study aims at making a contribution towards advancing spatial pattern oriented model evaluation for distributed hydrological models. This is achieved by introducing a novel spatial performance metric which provides robust pattern performance during model calibration. The promoted SPAtial EFficiency (spaef) metric reflects three equally weighted components: correlation, coefficient of variation and histogram overlap. This multi-component approach is necessary in order to adequately compare spatial patterns. spaef, its three components individually and two alternative spatial performance metrics, i.e. connectivity analysis and fractions skill score, are tested in a spatial pattern oriented model calibration of a catchment model in Denmark. The calibration is constrained by a remote sensing based spatial pattern of evapotranspiration and discharge timeseries at two stations. Our results stress that stand-alone metrics tend to fail to provide holistic pattern information to the optimizer which underlines the importance of multi-component metrics. The three spaef components are independent which allows them to complement each other in a meaningful way. This study promotes the use of bias insensitive metrics which allow comparing variables which are related but may differ in unit in order to optimally exploit spatial observations made available by remote sensing

  2. Patterned Roughness for Cross-flow Transition Control at Mach 6

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arndt, Alexander; Matlis, Eric; Semper, Michael; Corke, Thomas

    2017-11-01

    Experiments are performed to investigate patterned discrete roughness for transition control on a sharp right-circular cone at an angle of attack at Mach 6.0. The approach to transition control is based on exciting less-amplified (subcritical) stationary cross-flow (CF) modes that suppress the growth of the more-amplified (critical) CF modes, and thereby delay transition. The experiments were performed in the Air Force Academy Ludwieg Tube which is a conventional (noisy) design. The cone model is equipped with a motorized 3-D traversing mechanism that mounts on the support sting. The traversing mechanism held a closely-spaced pair of fast-response total pressure Pitot probes. The model utilized a removable tip to exchange between different tip-roughness conditions. Mean flow distortion x-development indicated that the transition Reynolds number increased by 25% with the addition of the subcritical roughness. The energy in traveling disturbances was centered in the band of most amplified traveling CF modes predicted by linear theory. The spatial pattern in the amplitude of the traveling CF modes indicated a nonlinear (sum and difference) interaction between the stationary and traveling CF modes that might explain differences in Retrans between noisy and quiet environments. Air Force Grant FA9550-15-1-0278.

  3. Spatial and Temporal Patterns In Ecohydrological Separation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jarvis, S. K.; Barnard, H. R.; Singha, K.; Harmon, R. E.; Szutu, D.

    2017-12-01

    The model of ecohydrological separation suggests that trees source water from a different subsurface pool than what is contributing to stream flow during dry periods, however diel fluctuations in stream flow and transpiration are tightly coupled. To better understand the mechanism of this coupling, this study examines spatiotemporal patterns in water isotopic relationships between tree, soil, and stream water. Preliminary analysis of data collected in 2015 show a trend in δ18O enrichment in xylem water, suggesting an increased reliance on enriched soil water not flowing to the stream as the growing season progresses, while xylem samples from 2016, a particularly wet year, do not have this trend. Variations in these temporal trends are explored with regard to distance from stream, aspect of hillslope, position in the watershed, size of the tree, and soil depth. Additionally, a near-stream site is examined at high resolution using water isotope data, sap flow, and electrical resistivity surveying to examine soil moisture and water use patterns across the riparian-hillslope transition.

  4. An objective indicator for two-phase flow pattern transition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hervieua, E.; Seleghim, P. Jr.

    1998-01-01

    This work concerns the development of a methodology the objective of which is to characterize and diagnose two-phase flow regime transitions. The approach is based on the fundamental assumption that a transition flow is less stationary than a flow with an established regime. During the first time, the efforts focused on: (1) the design and construction of an experimental loop, allowing to reproduce the main horizontal two-phase flow patterns, in a stable and controlled way; (2) the design and construction of an electrical impedance probe, providing an imaged information of the spatial phase distribution in the pipe; and (3) the systematic study of the joint time-frequency and time-scale analysis methods, which permitted to define an adequate parameter quantifying the unstationarity degree. During the second time, in order to verify the fundamental assumption, a series of experiments were conducted, the objective of which was to demonstrate the correlation between unstationarity and regime transition. The unstationarity degree was quantified by calculating the Gabor's transform time-frequency covariance of the impedance probe signals. Furthermore, the phenomenology of each transition was characterized by the joint moments and entropy. The results clearly show that the regime transitions are correlated with local time-frequency covariance peaks, which demonstrates that these regime transitions are characterized by a loss of stationarity. Consequently, the time-frequency covariance constitutes an objective two-phase flow regime transition indicator. (orig.)

  5. Automated measurement and classification of pulmonary blood-flow velocity patterns using phase-contrast MRI and correlation analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Amerom, Joshua F P; Kellenberger, Christian J; Yoo, Shi-Joon; Macgowan, Christopher K

    2009-01-01

    An automated method was evaluated to detect blood flow in small pulmonary arteries and classify each as artery or vein, based on a temporal correlation analysis of their blood-flow velocity patterns. The method was evaluated using velocity-sensitive phase-contrast magnetic resonance data collected in vitro with a pulsatile flow phantom and in vivo in 11 human volunteers. The accuracy of the method was validated in vitro, which showed relative velocity errors of 12% at low spatial resolution (four voxels per diameter), but was reduced to 5% at increased spatial resolution (16 voxels per diameter). The performance of the method was evaluated in vivo according to its reproducibility and agreement with manual velocity measurements by an experienced radiologist. In all volunteers, the correlation analysis was able to detect and segment peripheral pulmonary vessels and distinguish arterial from venous velocity patterns. The intrasubject variability of repeated measurements was approximately 10% of peak velocity, or 2.8 cm/s root-mean-variance, demonstrating the high reproducibility of the method. Excellent agreement was obtained between the correlation analysis and radiologist measurements of pulmonary velocities, with a correlation of R2=0.98 (P<.001) and a slope of 0.99+/-0.01.

  6. Multifractal spatial patterns and diversity in an ecological succession.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leonardo Ariel Saravia

    Full Text Available We analyzed the relationship between biodiversity and spatial biomass heterogeneity along an ecological succession developed in the laboratory. Periphyton (attached microalgae biomass spatial patterns at several successional stages were obtained using digital image analysis and at the same time we estimated the species composition and abundance. We show that the spatial pattern was self-similar and as the community developed in an homogeneous environment the pattern is self-organized. To characterize it we estimated the multifractal spectrum of generalized dimensions D(q. Using D(q we analyze the existence of cycles of heterogeneity during succession and the use of the information dimension D(1 as an index of successional stage. We did not find cycles but the values of D(1 showed an increasing trend as the succession developed and the biomass was higher. D(1 was also negatively correlated with Shannon's diversity. Several studies have found this relationship in different ecosystems but here we prove that the community self-organizes and generates its own spatial heterogeneity influencing diversity. If this is confirmed with more experimental and theoretical evidence D(1 could be used as an index, easily calculated from remote sensing data, to detect high or low diversity areas.

  7. 1987 wet deposition temporal and spatial patterns in North America

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simpson, J.C.; Olsen, A.R.

    1990-03-01

    The focus of this report is on North American wet deposition temporal patterns from 1979 to 1987 and spatial patterns for 1987. The report investigates the patterns of annual precipitation-weighted average concentration and annual deposition for nine ion species: hydrogen, sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, calcium, chloride, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Data are from the Acid Deposition System (ADS) for the statistical reporting of North American deposition data which includes the National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network (NADP/NTN), the MAP3S precipitation chemistry network, the Utility Acid Precipitation Study Program (UAPSP), the Canadian Precipitation Monitoring Network (CAPMoN), and the daily and 4-weekly Acidic Precipitation in Ontario Study (APIOS-D and APIOS-C). Mosaic maps, based on surface estimation using kriging, display concentration and deposition spatial patterns of pH, hydrogen, sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and calcium ion species for 1987 annual, winter, and summer periods. The temporal pattern analyses use a subset of 39 sites over a 9-year (1979--1987) period and an expanded subset of 140 sites with greater spatial coverage over a 6-year (1982--1987) period. 68 refs., 15 figs., 15 tabs.

  8. Spatial Pattern and Regional Relevance Analysis of the Maritime Silk Road Shipping Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naixia Mou

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Under the strategy of “One Belt and One Road”, this paper explores the spatial pattern and the status quo of regional trade relevance of the Maritime Silk Road shipping network. Based on complex network theory, a topological structure map of shipping networks for containers, tankers, and bulk carriers was constructed, and the spatial characteristics of shipping networks were analyzed. Using the mode of spatial arrangement and the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index, this paper further analyzes the traffic flow pattern of regional trade of three kinds of goods. It is shown that the shipping network of containers, tankers and bulk carriers are unevenly distributed and have regional agglomeration phenomena. There is a strong correlation between the interior of the region and the adjacent areas, and the port competition is fierce. Among them, the container ships network is the most competitive in the region, while the competitiveness of the tankers network is relatively the lowest. The inter-regional correlation is weak, and a few transit hub ports have obvious competitive advantages. The ports in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia are the most significant. The research results combined with the Maritime Silk Road policy can provide reference for port construction, route optimization, and coordinated development of regional trade, which will help to save time and cost of marine transportation, reduce energy consumption, and promote the sustainable development of marine environment and regional trade on the Maritime Silk Road.

  9. Multiple flow patterns and heat transfer in confined jet impingement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Xianchang; Gaddis, J. Leo; Wang Ting

    2005-01-01

    The flow field of a 2-D laminar confined impinging slot jet is investigated. Numerical results indicate that there exist two different solutions in some range of geometric and flow parameters. The two steady flow patterns are obtained under identical boundary conditions but only with different initial flow fields. Two different exit boundary conditions are investigated with two commercial software packages to eliminate artificial or computational effects. The different flow patterns are observed to significantly affect the heat transfer. A flow visualization experiment is carried out to verify the computational results and both flow patterns are observed. The bifurcation mechanism is interpreted and discussed

  10. Retrieval of Spatial Join Pattern Instances from Sensor Networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yiu, Man Lung; Mamoulis, Nikos; Bakiras, Spiridon

    2009-01-01

    We study the continuous evaluation of spatial join queries and extensions thereof, defined by interesting combinations of sensor readings (events) that co-occur in a spatial neighborhood. An example of such a pattern is "a high temperature reading in the vicinity of at least four high-pressure re...

  11. Flow Patterns and Morphological Changes in a Sandy Meander Bend during a Flood—Spatially and Temporally Intensive ADCP Measurement Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elina Kasvi

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The fluvio-geomorphological processes in meander bends are spatially uneven in distribution. Typically, higher velocities and erosion take place near the outer bank beyond the bend apex, while the inner bend point bar grows laterally towards the outer bank, increasing the bend amplitude. These dynamics maintain the meander evolution. Even though this development is found in meandering rivers independent of soil or environmental characteristics, each river still seems to behave unpredictably. The special mechanisms that determine the rate and occasion of morphological changes remain unclear. The aim of this study is to offer new insights regarding flow-induced morphological changes in meander using a novel study approach. We focused on short-term and small-spatial-scale changes by conducting a spatially and temporally (daily intensive survey during a flood (a period of nine days with an ADCP attached to a remotely controlled mini-boat. Based on our analysis, the flood duration and the rate of discharge increase and decrease seems to play key roles in determining channel changes by controlling the flow velocities and depth and the backwater effect may have notable influence on the morphological processes. We discuss themes such as the interaction of inner and outer bend processes and the longer-term development of meander bends.

  12. Investigation on flow patterns and transition characteristics in a tube-bundle channel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiang Wenyuan; Lu Yonghong; Zhao Guisheng

    2012-01-01

    Tube-bundle channels have been widely used in condenser-evaporator and other industrial heat-exchange equipment. The characteristics of two-phase flow patterns and their transitions for refrigerant R-113 through a vertical tube-bundle channel are experimentally investigated using high-speed camera. Experiments show that there are four main flow patterns in the tube-bundle channel, which are bubbly flow, bubbly-churn flow, churn flow and annular flow. And in the same cross-section of tube- bundle channels, it is shown that there might be different flow patterns in different sub-channels. The flow pattern transitions exhibit unsynchronized in different sub-channels. On the basis of experimental research, the flow pattern map is drawn and analyses are made on the comparison of differences between boiling flow patterns in a circular tube and those in a tube-bundle channel. (authors)

  13. Spatial pattern of 2009 dengue distribution in Kuala Lumpur using GIS application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aziz, S; Ngui, R; Lim, Y A L; Sholehah, I; Nur Farhana, J; Azizan, A S; Wan Yusoff, W S

    2012-03-01

    In the last few years in Malaysia, dengue fever has increased dramatically and has caused huge public health concerns. The present study aimed to establish a spatial distribution of dengue cases in the city of Kuala Lumpur using a combination of Geographic Information System (GIS) and spatial statistical tools. Collation of data from 1,618 dengue cases in 2009 was obtained from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL). These data were processed and then converted into GIS format. Information on the average monthly rainfall was also used to correlate with the distribution pattern of dengue cases. To asses the spatial distribution of dengue cases, Average Nearest Neighbor (ANN) Analysis was applied together with spatial analysis with the ESRI ArcGIS V9.3 programme. Results indicated that the distribution of dengue cases in Kuala Lumpur for the year 2009 was spatially clustered with R value less than 1 (R = 0.42; z-scores = - 4.47; p 1) between August and November. In addition, the mean monthly rainfall has not influenced the distribution pattern of the dengue cases. Implementation of control measures is more difficult for dispersed pattern compared to clustered pattern. From this study, it was found that distribution pattern of dengue cases in Kuala Lumpur in 2009 was spatially distributed (dispersed or clustered) rather than cases occurring randomly. It was proven that by using GIS and spatial statistic tools, we can determine the spatial distribution between dengue and population. Utilization of GIS tools is vital in assisting health agencies, epidemiologist, public health officer, town planner and relevant authorities in developing efficient control measures and contingency programmes to effectively combat dengue fever.

  14. Towards breaking the spatial resolution barriers: An optical flow and super-resolution approach for sea ice motion estimation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrou, Zisis I.; Xian, Yang; Tian, YingLi

    2018-04-01

    Estimation of sea ice motion at fine scales is important for a number of regional and local level applications, including modeling of sea ice distribution, ocean-atmosphere and climate dynamics, as well as safe navigation and sea operations. In this study, we propose an optical flow and super-resolution approach to accurately estimate motion from remote sensing images at a higher spatial resolution than the original data. First, an external example learning-based super-resolution method is applied on the original images to generate higher resolution versions. Then, an optical flow approach is applied on the higher resolution images, identifying sparse correspondences and interpolating them to extract a dense motion vector field with continuous values and subpixel accuracies. Our proposed approach is successfully evaluated on passive microwave, optical, and Synthetic Aperture Radar data, proving appropriate for multi-sensor applications and different spatial resolutions. The approach estimates motion with similar or higher accuracy than the original data, while increasing the spatial resolution of up to eight times. In addition, the adopted optical flow component outperforms a state-of-the-art pattern matching method. Overall, the proposed approach results in accurate motion vectors with unprecedented spatial resolutions of up to 1.5 km for passive microwave data covering the entire Arctic and 20 m for radar data, and proves promising for numerous scientific and operational applications.

  15. Experimental investigation on flow patterns of gas-liquid two-phase upward flow through packed channel with spheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Nan; Sun Zhongning; Zhao Zhongnan

    2011-01-01

    Experiments of visualized two-phase upward flow were conducted in the packed channel, which filled with 3, 5, 8 mm in diameter of glass sphere respectively. The gas superficial velocity ranges from 0.005 to 1.172 m/s. The liquid superficial velocity ranges from 0.004 to 0.093 m/s. Four representative flow patterns were observed as bubbly flow, cluster flow, liquid-pulse flow and churn-pulse flow, and corresponding flow pattern maps were also presented. It is found that the pulse flow region is dominant. The comparisons of flow pattern map between packed channel and non-packed channel show that the bubbly flow region in packed channel is narrower than that of non-packed channel due to the packing. The comparisons of flow pattern maps for three different packing sizes show that the cluster flow region expands with the increase of the packing diameter. In the low liquid superficial velocity, the cluster flow directly changes to churn-pulse flow in the packed channel with 8 mm packing. (authors)

  16. Streamline topology: Patterns in fluid flows and their bifurcations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brøns, Morten

    2007-01-01

    Using dynamical systems theory, we consider structures such as vortices and separation in the streamline patterns of fluid flows. Bifurcation of patterns under variation of external parameters is studied using simplifying normal form transformations. Flows away from boundaries, flows close to fix...... walls, and axisymmetric flows are analyzed in detail. We show how to apply the ideas from the theory to analyze numerical simulations of the vortex breakdown in a closed cylindrical container....

  17. The spatial patterns of directional phenotypic selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siepielski, Adam M; Gotanda, Kiyoko M; Morrissey, Michael B; Diamond, Sarah E; DiBattista, Joseph D; Carlson, Stephanie M

    2013-11-01

    Local adaptation, adaptive population divergence and speciation are often expected to result from populations evolving in response to spatial variation in selection. Yet, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the major features that characterise the spatial patterns of selection, namely the extent of variation among populations in the strength and direction of selection. Here, we analyse a data set of spatially replicated studies of directional phenotypic selection from natural populations. The data set includes 60 studies, consisting of 3937 estimates of selection across an average of five populations. We performed meta-analyses to explore features characterising spatial variation in directional selection. We found that selection tends to vary mainly in strength and less in direction among populations. Although differences in the direction of selection occur among populations they do so where selection is often weakest, which may limit the potential for ongoing adaptive population divergence. Overall, we also found that spatial variation in selection appears comparable to temporal (annual) variation in selection within populations; however, several deficiencies in available data currently complicate this comparison. We discuss future research needs to further advance our understanding of spatial variation in selection. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

  18. The spatial patterns of directional phenotypic selection

    KAUST Repository

    Siepielski, Adam M.

    2013-09-12

    Local adaptation, adaptive population divergence and speciation are often expected to result from populations evolving in response to spatial variation in selection. Yet, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the major features that characterise the spatial patterns of selection, namely the extent of variation among populations in the strength and direction of selection. Here, we analyse a data set of spatially replicated studies of directional phenotypic selection from natural populations. The data set includes 60 studies, consisting of 3937 estimates of selection across an average of five populations. We performed meta-analyses to explore features characterising spatial variation in directional selection. We found that selection tends to vary mainly in strength and less in direction among populations. Although differences in the direction of selection occur among populations they do so where selection is often weakest, which may limit the potential for ongoing adaptive population divergence. Overall, we also found that spatial variation in selection appears comparable to temporal (annual) variation in selection within populations; however, several deficiencies in available data currently complicate this comparison. We discuss future research needs to further advance our understanding of spatial variation in selection. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

  19. Spatial linear flows of finite length with nonuniform intensity distribution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mikhaylov Ivan Evgrafovich

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Irrotational flows produced by spatial linear flows of finite length with different uneven lows of discharge over the flow length are represented in cylindrical coordinate system. Flows with the length 2a are placed in infinite space filled with ideal (inviscid fluid. In “А” variant discharge is fading linearly downward along the length of the flow. In “B” variant in upper half of the flow (length a discharge is fading linearly downward, in lower half of the flow discharge is fading linearly from the middle point to lower end. In “C” variant discharge of the flow is growing linearly from upper and lower ends to middle point.Equations for discharge distribution along the length of the flow are provided for each variant. Equations consist of two terms and include two dimensional parameters and current coordinate that allows integrating on flow length. Analytical expressions are derived for speed potential functions and flow speed components for flow speeds produced by analyzed flows. These analytical expressions consist of dimensional parameters of discharge distribution patterns along the length of the flow. Flow lines equation (meridional sections of flow surfaces for variants “A”, “B”, “C” is unsolvable in quadratures. Flow lines plotting is proposed to be made by finite difference method. Equations for flow line plotting are provided for each variant. Calculations of these equations show that the analyzed flows have the following flow lines: “A” has confocal hyperbolical curves, “B” and “C” have confocal hyperboles. Flow surfaces are confocal hyperboloids produced by rotation of these hyperboles about the axis passing through the flows. In “A” variant the space filled with fluid is separated by vividly horizontal flow surface in two parts. In upper part that includes the smaller part of the flow length flow lines are oriented downward, in lower part – upward. The equation defining coordinate of

  20. Two-phase flow patterns in a four by four rod bundle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mizutani, Yoshitaka; Tomiyama, Akio; Hosokawa, Shigeo; Sou, Akira; Kudo, Yoshiro; Mishima, Kaichiro

    2007-01-01

    Air-water two-phase flow patterns in a four by four square lattice rod bundle consisting of an acrylic channel box of 68 mm in width and transparent rods of 12mm in diameter were observed by utilizing a high speed video camera, FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene) tubes for rods, and a fiberscope inserted in a rod. The FEP possesses the same refractive index as water, and thereby, whole flow patterns in the bundle and local flow patterns in subchannels were successfully visualized with little optical distortion. The ranges of gas and liquid volume fluxes, (J G ) and (J L ), in the present experiments were 0.1 L ) G ) G )-(J L ) flow pattern diagram is so narrow that it can be regarded as a boundary between bubbly and churn flows. (2) the boundary between bubbly and churn flows is close to the boundary between bubbly and slug flows of the Mishima and Ishii's flow pattern transition model, and (3) the boundary between churn and annular flow is close to the Mishima and Ishii's model. (author)

  1. Two-Phase Flow Patterns in a Four by Four Rod Bundle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshitaka Mizutani; Shigeo Hosokawa; Akio Tomiyama

    2006-01-01

    Air-water two-phase flow patterns in a four by four square lattice rod bundle consisting of an acrylic channel box of 68 mm in width and transparent rods of 12 mm in diameter were observed by utilizing a high speed video camera, FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene) tubes for rods, and a fiber-scope inserted in a rod. The FEP possesses the same refractive index as water, and thereby, whole flow patterns in the bundle and local flow patterns in subchannels were successfully visualized with little optical distortion. The ranges of liquid and gas volume fluxes, G > and L >, in the present experiments were 0.1 L > G > G > - L > flow pattern diagram is so narrow that it can be regarded as a boundary between bubbly and churn flows, (2) the boundary between bubbly and churn flows is close to the boundary between bubbly and slug flows of the Mishima and Ishii's flow pattern transition model, and (3) the boundary between churn and annular flows is well predicted by the Mishima and Ishii's model. (authors)

  2. An investigation on thermal patterns in Iran based on spatial autocorrelation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fallah Ghalhari, Gholamabbas; Dadashi Roudbari, Abbasali

    2018-02-01

    The present study aimed at investigating temporal-spatial patterns and monthly patterns of temperature in Iran using new spatial statistical methods such as cluster and outlier analysis, and hotspot analysis. To do so, climatic parameters, monthly average temperature of 122 synoptic stations, were assessed. Statistical analysis showed that January with 120.75% had the most fluctuation among the studied months. Global Moran's Index revealed that yearly changes of temperature in Iran followed a strong spatially clustered pattern. Findings showed that the biggest thermal cluster pattern in Iran, 0.975388, occurred in May. Cluster and outlier analyses showed that thermal homogeneity in Iran decreases in cold months, while it increases in warm months. This is due to the radiation angle and synoptic systems which strongly influence thermal order in Iran. The elevations, however, have the most notable part proved by Geographically weighted regression model. Iran's thermal analysis through hotspot showed that hot thermal patterns (very hot, hot, and semi-hot) were dominant in the South, covering an area of 33.5% (about 552,145.3 km2). Regions such as mountain foot and low lands lack any significant spatial autocorrelation, 25.2% covering about 415,345.1 km2. The last is the cold thermal area (very cold, cold, and semi-cold) with about 25.2% covering about 552,145.3 km2 of the whole area of Iran.

  3. experimental investigation of flow pattern around repelling

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A. Mahdieh NajafAbadi and M. M. Bateni

    2017-09-01

    Sep 1, 2017 ... FLOW-3D® software used to simulate flow pattern. The simulation was .... separated into separation zone, shear layer, vortices zone, end point of vorticity zone and primary flow zone. In the figure, b1 and b2 denote ... closer to the wall for the attractive spur dike. For case of the repelling spur dike, transverse.

  4. Wavenumber locking and pattern formation in spatially forced systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manor, Rotem; Meron, Ehud; Hagberg, Aric

    2009-01-01

    We study wavenumber locking and pattern formation resulting from weak spatially periodic one-dimensional forcing of two-dimensional systems. We consider systems that produce stationary or traveling stripe patterns when unforced and apply forcing aligned with the stripes. Forcing at close to twice the pattern wavenumber selects, stabilizes, or creates resonant stripes locked at half the forcing wavenumber. If the mismatch between the forcing and pattern wavenumber is high we find that the pattern still locks but develops a wave vector component perpendicular to the forcing direction and forms rectangular and oblique patterns. When the unforced system supports traveling waves, resonant rectangular patterns remain stationary but oblique patterns travel in a direction orthogonal to the traveling waves.

  5. Combining satellite data and appropriate objective functions for improved spatial pattern performance of a distributed hydrologic model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demirel, Mehmet C.; Mai, Juliane; Mendiguren, Gorka; Koch, Julian; Samaniego, Luis; Stisen, Simon

    2018-02-01

    Satellite-based earth observations offer great opportunities to improve spatial model predictions by means of spatial-pattern-oriented model evaluations. In this study, observed spatial patterns of actual evapotranspiration (AET) are utilised for spatial model calibration tailored to target the pattern performance of the model. The proposed calibration framework combines temporally aggregated observed spatial patterns with a new spatial performance metric and a flexible spatial parameterisation scheme. The mesoscale hydrologic model (mHM) is used to simulate streamflow and AET and has been selected due to its soil parameter distribution approach based on pedo-transfer functions and the build in multi-scale parameter regionalisation. In addition two new spatial parameter distribution options have been incorporated in the model in order to increase the flexibility of root fraction coefficient and potential evapotranspiration correction parameterisations, based on soil type and vegetation density. These parameterisations are utilised as they are most relevant for simulated AET patterns from the hydrologic model. Due to the fundamental challenges encountered when evaluating spatial pattern performance using standard metrics, we developed a simple but highly discriminative spatial metric, i.e. one comprised of three easily interpretable components measuring co-location, variation and distribution of the spatial data. The study shows that with flexible spatial model parameterisation used in combination with the appropriate objective functions, the simulated spatial patterns of actual evapotranspiration become substantially more similar to the satellite-based estimates. Overall 26 parameters are identified for calibration through a sequential screening approach based on a combination of streamflow and spatial pattern metrics. The robustness of the calibrations is tested using an ensemble of nine calibrations based on different seed numbers using the shuffled complex

  6. Flow patterns in a cylindrical porous enclosure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sezai, I.

    2005-01-01

    Natural convection in a 3-D vertical cylinder containing an isotropic porous media is studied numerically using the Brinkman and Forcheimer's extensions to the Darcy law. The cylinder is heated from below and cooled from top while the vertical wall is insulated. The formation of multiple flow patterns are investigated by varying the Rayleigh number. Altogether, six different steady flow patterns are found exhibiting different symmetries. The results are presented in terms of projection of streamlines and Nusselt number distributions on the heated plate. (authors)

  7. Flow patterns in a cylindrical porous enclosure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sezai, I. [Eastern Mediterranean Univ., Dept. Mechanical Engineering(Turkey)

    2005-07-01

    Natural convection in a 3-D vertical cylinder containing an isotropic porous media is studied numerically using the Brinkman and Forcheimer's extensions to the Darcy law. The cylinder is heated from below and cooled from top while the vertical wall is insulated. The formation of multiple flow patterns are investigated by varying the Rayleigh number. Altogether, six different steady flow patterns are found exhibiting different symmetries. The results are presented in terms of projection of streamlines and Nusselt number distributions on the heated plate. (authors)

  8. Calibration of a distributed hydrologic model using observed spatial patterns from MODIS data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demirel, Mehmet C.; González, Gorka M.; Mai, Juliane; Stisen, Simon

    2016-04-01

    Distributed hydrologic models are typically calibrated against streamflow observations at the outlet of the basin. Along with these observations from gauging stations, satellite based estimates offer independent evaluation data such as remotely sensed actual evapotranspiration (aET) and land surface temperature. The primary objective of the study is to compare model calibrations against traditional downstream discharge measurements with calibrations against simulated spatial patterns and combinations of both types of observations. While the discharge based model calibration typically improves the temporal dynamics of the model, it seems to give rise to minimum improvement of the simulated spatial patterns. In contrast, objective functions specifically targeting the spatial pattern performance could potentially increase the spatial model performance. However, most modeling studies, including the model formulations and parameterization, are not designed to actually change the simulated spatial pattern during calibration. This study investigates the potential benefits of incorporating spatial patterns from MODIS data to calibrate the mesoscale hydrologic model (mHM). This model is selected as it allows for a change in the spatial distribution of key soil parameters through the optimization of pedo-transfer function parameters and includes options for using fully distributed daily Leaf Area Index (LAI) values directly as input. In addition the simulated aET can be estimated at a spatial resolution suitable for comparison to the spatial patterns observed with MODIS data. To increase our control on spatial calibration we introduced three additional parameters to the model. These new parameters are part of an empirical equation to the calculate crop coefficient (Kc) from daily LAI maps and used to update potential evapotranspiration (PET) as model inputs. This is done instead of correcting/updating PET with just a uniform (or aspect driven) factor used in the mHM model

  9. Altered doppler flow patterns in cirrhosis patients: An overview

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iranpour, Pooya; Lall, Chandana; Houshyar, Roozbeh; Helmy, Mohammad; Yang, Albert; Ward, Garrett; Goodwin, Scott C. [Dept. of Radiology, University of California Irvine, Orange (United States); Choi, Joon Il [Dept. of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary' s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-01-15

    Doppler ultrasonography of the hepatic vasculature is an integral part of evaluating precirrhotic and cirrhotic patients. While the reversal of the portal venous flow is a well-recognized phenomenon, other flow patterns, although not as easily understood, may play an important role in assessing the disease status. This article discusses the different characteristic flow patterns observed from the portal vein, hepatic artery, and hepatic vein in patients with liver cirrhosis or related complications and procedures. Knowledge of these different flow patterns provides additional information that may reinforce the diagnosis of cirrhosis, help in staging, and offer prognostic information for determining the direction of therapy. Doppler ultrasonography is invaluable when liver transplantation is being considered and aids in the diagnosis of cirrhosis and portal hypertension.

  10. Identification of basin characteristics influencing spatial variation of river flows

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mazvimavi, D.; Burgers, S.L.G.E.; Stein, A.

    2006-01-01

    The selection of basin characteristics that explain spatial variation of river flows is important for hydrological regionalization as this enables estimation of flow statistics of ungauged basins. A direct gradient analysis method, redundancy analysis, is used to identify basin characteristics,

  11. Churn-annular flow pattern transition in a vertical upward gas-liquid two-phase flow in various conduits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takenaka, Nobuyuki; Ueda, Tadanobu; Asano, Hitoshi

    2008-01-01

    Void fraction was measured by neutron radiography for a vertical upward gas-water two-phase flow in a concentric annular tube with and with out a spacer, 4x4 rod bundle with and without a spacer and a tight rod bundle with and without a wrapping wire for various gas and liquid flow rates. The flow patterns of these two-phase flows were determined by the Mishima-Ishii flow pattern map and void fraction was calculated by the Ishii's drift flux model. The predicted values were compared with the experimental results. The void fraction was well predicted by the Mishima-Ishii flow pattern map and the Ishii's drift flux model except the annular flow region with void fraction lower than 0.8 for conduits with small equivalent diameter. A new churn-annular flow pattern transition condition of the void fraction equal to 0.8 was added. The void fraction for the present experimental condition was successful predicted with the new transition model. (author)

  12. Relationship between thermal stratification and flow patterns in steam-quenching suppression pool

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Daehun; Erkan, Nejdet; Jo, Byeongnam; Okamoto, Koji

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Thermal stratification mechanism by direct contact condensation is investigated. • Thermal stratification condition changes according to the flow pattern. • Thermal stratification depends on the force balance between buoyancy and momentum. • Flow pattern change was observed even in the same regime. • Flow pattern is affected by the sensitive force balance. - Abstract: This study aims to examine the relationship between thermal stratification and flow patterns in a steam-quenching suppression pool using particle image velocimetry. Thermal stratification was experimentally evaluated in a depressurized water pool under different steam mass flux conditions. The time evolution of the temperature profile of the suppression pool was presented with the variation of condensation regimes, and steam condensation processes were visualized using a high-speed camera. The thermal stratification condition was classified into full mixing, gradual thermal stratification, and developed thermal stratification. It was found that the condition was determined by the flow patterns depending on the force balance between buoyancy and momentum. The force balance affected both the condensation regime and the flow pattern, and hence, the flow pattern was changed with the condensation regime. However, the force balance had a sensitive influence on the flow in the pool; therefore, distinct flow patterns were observed even in the same condensation regime.

  13. Environmental controls on multiscale spatial patterns of salt marsh vegetation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kim, Daehyun; Cairns, David; Bartholdy, Jesper

    2010-01-01

    In coastal environments, biogeographic patterns are generally influenced by surface elevation and horizontal distance from sea water. However, it is still unclear whether these major topographic factors are significant controls of vegetation patterns across spatial scales at which different physi...

  14. Effect of friction on pebble flow pattern in pebble bed reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Yu; Gui, Nan; Yang, Xingtuan; Tu, Jiyuan; Jiang, Shengyao

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • A 3D DEM study on particle–wall/particle friction in pebble bed reactor is carried out. • Characteristic values are defined to evaluate features of pebble flow pattern quantitatively. • Particle–wall friction is dominant to determine flow pattern in a specific pebble bed. • Friction effect of hopper part on flow field is more critical than that of cylinder part. • Three cases of 1:1 full scale practical pebble beds are simulated for demonstration. - Abstract: Friction affects pebble flow pattern in pebble-bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) significantly. Through a series of three dimensional DEM (discrete element method) simulations it is shown that reducing friction can be beneficial and create a uniform and consistent flow field required by nuclear engineering. Particle–wall friction poses a decisive impact on flow pattern, and particle–particle friction usually plays a secondary role; relation between particle–wall friction and flow pattern transition is also concluded. Moreover, new criteria are created to describe flow patterns quantitatively according to crucial issues in HTGR like stagnant zone, radial uniformity and flow sequence. Last but not least, it is proved that friction control of hopper part is more important than that of cylinder part in practical pebble beds, so reducing friction between pebbles and hopper surface is the engineering priority.

  15. Wind-Induced Air-Flow Patterns in an Urban Setting: Observations and Numerical Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sattar, Ahmed M. A.; Elhakeem, Mohamed; Gerges, Bishoy N.; Gharabaghi, Bahram; Gultepe, Ismail

    2018-04-01

    City planning can have a significant effect on wind flow velocity patterns and thus natural ventilation. Buildings with different heights are roughness elements that can affect the near- and far-field wind flow velocity. This paper aims at investigating the impact of an increase in building height on the nearby velocity fields. A prototype urban setting of buildings with two different heights (25 and 62.5 cm) is built up and placed in a wind tunnel. Wind flow velocity around the buildings is mapped at different heights. Wind tunnel measurements are used to validate a 3D-numerical Reynolds averaged Naviers-Stokes model. The validated model is further used to calculate the wind flow velocity patterns for cases with different building heights. It was found that increasing the height of some buildings in an urban setting can lead to the formation of large horseshoe vortices and eddies around building corners. A separation area is formed at the leeward side of the building, and the recirculation of air behind the building leads to the formation of slow rotation vortices. The opposite effect is observed in the wake (cavity) region of the buildings, where both the cavity length and width are significantly reduced, and this resulted in a pronounced increase in the wind flow velocity. A significant increase in the wind flow velocity in the wake region of tall buildings with a value of up to 30% is observed. The spatially averaged velocities around short buildings also increased by 25% compared to those around buildings with different heights. The increase in the height of some buildings is found to have a positive effect on the wind ventilation at the pedestrian level.

  16. Combining satellite data and appropriate objective functions for improved spatial pattern performance of a distributed hydrologic model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. C. Demirel

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Satellite-based earth observations offer great opportunities to improve spatial model predictions by means of spatial-pattern-oriented model evaluations. In this study, observed spatial patterns of actual evapotranspiration (AET are utilised for spatial model calibration tailored to target the pattern performance of the model. The proposed calibration framework combines temporally aggregated observed spatial patterns with a new spatial performance metric and a flexible spatial parameterisation scheme. The mesoscale hydrologic model (mHM is used to simulate streamflow and AET and has been selected due to its soil parameter distribution approach based on pedo-transfer functions and the build in multi-scale parameter regionalisation. In addition two new spatial parameter distribution options have been incorporated in the model in order to increase the flexibility of root fraction coefficient and potential evapotranspiration correction parameterisations, based on soil type and vegetation density. These parameterisations are utilised as they are most relevant for simulated AET patterns from the hydrologic model. Due to the fundamental challenges encountered when evaluating spatial pattern performance using standard metrics, we developed a simple but highly discriminative spatial metric, i.e. one comprised of three easily interpretable components measuring co-location, variation and distribution of the spatial data. The study shows that with flexible spatial model parameterisation used in combination with the appropriate objective functions, the simulated spatial patterns of actual evapotranspiration become substantially more similar to the satellite-based estimates. Overall 26 parameters are identified for calibration through a sequential screening approach based on a combination of streamflow and spatial pattern metrics. The robustness of the calibrations is tested using an ensemble of nine calibrations based on different seed numbers using the

  17. Patterning of ultrathin polymethylmethacrylate films by in-situ photodirecting of the Marangoni flow

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Elashnikov, Roman [Department of Solid State Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology, 16628 Prague, Czech Repuiblic (Czech Republic); Fitl, Premysl [Department of Physics and Measurements, University of Chemistry and Technology, 16628 Prague, Czech Repuiblic (Czech Republic); Svorcik, Vaclav [Department of Solid State Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology, 16628 Prague, Czech Repuiblic (Czech Republic); Lyutakov, Oleksiy, E-mail: lyutakoo@vscht.cz [Department of Solid State Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology, 16628 Prague, Czech Repuiblic (Czech Republic)

    2017-02-01

    Highlights: • The preparation of periodical structures on the polymer surface using photo-directing of Marangoni flow is described. • The surface tension gradient appears due to the spatial distribution of energy in the laser beam and leads to the creation of periodical structures. • The method allows the creation of surface structures with different symmetry, from simple line array to more complex geometries. - Abstract: Laser heating and Marangoni flow result in the formation of surface structures with different geometries and shape on thin polymer films. By laser beam irradiation combined with a sample movement the solid polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) films are heated and undergo phase transition which leads to a material flow. Since the laser beam has a non-linear distribution of energy, the PMMA film is heated inhomogeneously and a surface tension gradient in a lateral direction is introduced. During this procedure additional phenomena such as “reversible” or cyclic polymer flow also take place. The careful choice of experimental conditions enables the preparation of patterns with sophisticated geometries and with hierarchical pattern organization. Depending on initial PMMA film thickness and speed of the sample movement line arrays are created, which can subsequently be transformed into the crimped lines or system of circular holes. In addition, the introduction of a constant acceleration in the sample movement or a laser beam distortion enables the preparation of regularly crimped lines, ordered hexagonal holes or overlapped plates.

  18. Spatial pattern recognition of seismic events in South West Colombia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benítez, Hernán D.; Flórez, Juan F.; Duque, Diana P.; Benavides, Alberto; Lucía Baquero, Olga; Quintero, Jiber

    2013-09-01

    Recognition of seismogenic zones in geographical regions supports seismic hazard studies. This recognition is usually based on visual, qualitative and subjective analysis of data. Spatial pattern recognition provides a well founded means to obtain relevant information from large amounts of data. The purpose of this work is to identify and classify spatial patterns in instrumental data of the South West Colombian seismic database. In this research, clustering tendency analysis validates whether seismic database possesses a clustering structure. A non-supervised fuzzy clustering algorithm creates groups of seismic events. Given the sensitivity of fuzzy clustering algorithms to centroid initial positions, we proposed a methodology to initialize centroids that generates stable partitions with respect to centroid initialization. As a result of this work, a public software tool provides the user with the routines developed for clustering methodology. The analysis of the seismogenic zones obtained reveals meaningful spatial patterns in South-West Colombia. The clustering analysis provides a quantitative location and dispersion of seismogenic zones that facilitates seismological interpretations of seismic activities in South West Colombia.

  19. Characteristics of Spatial Structural Patterns and Temporal Variability of Annual Precipitation in Ningxia

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2011-01-01

    [Objective] The aim was to study the characteristics of the spatial structural patterns and temporal variability of annual precipitation in Ningxia.[Method] Using rotated empirical orthogonal function,the precipitation concentration index,wavelet analysis and Mann-Kendall rank statistic method,the characteristics of precipitation on the spatial-temporal variability and trend were analyzed by the monthly precipitation series in Ningxia during 1951-2008.[Result] In Ningxia,the spatial structural patterns of a...

  20. Spatial pattern formation induced by Gaussian white noise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scarsoglio, Stefania; Laio, Francesco; D'Odorico, Paolo; Ridolfi, Luca

    2011-02-01

    The ability of Gaussian noise to induce ordered states in dynamical systems is here presented in an overview of the main stochastic mechanisms able to generate spatial patterns. These mechanisms involve: (i) a deterministic local dynamics term, accounting for the local rate of variation of the field variable, (ii) a noise component (additive or multiplicative) accounting for the unavoidable environmental disturbances, and (iii) a linear spatial coupling component, which provides spatial coherence and takes into account diffusion mechanisms. We investigate these dynamics using analytical tools, such as mean-field theory, linear stability analysis and structure function analysis, and use numerical simulations to confirm these analytical results. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Flow Driven by an Archimedean Helical Permanent Magnetic Field. Part I: Flow Patterns and Their Transitions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Bo; Wang, Xiaodong; Etay, Jacqueline; Na, Xianzhao; Zhang, Xinde; Fautrelle, Yves

    2016-04-01

    In this study, an Archimedean helical permanent magnetic field was constructed and its driving effects on liquid metal were examined. A magnetic stirrer was constructed using a series of arc-like magnets. The helical distribution of its magnetic field, which was confirmed via Gauss probe measurements and numerical simulations, can be considered a combination of rotating and traveling magnetic fields. The characteristics of the flow patterns, particularly the transitions between the meridian secondary flow (two vortices) and the global axial flow (one vortex), driven by this magnetic field were quantitatively measured using ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry. The transient and modulated flow behaviors will be presented in a companion article. The D/ H dimension ratio was used to characterize the transitions of these two flow patterns. The results demonstrated that the flow patterns depend on not only the intrinsic structure of the magnetic field, e.g., the helix lead angle, but also the performance parameters, e.g., the dimensional ratio of the liquid bulk. The notable opposing roles of these two flow patterns in the improvement of macrosegregations when imposing such magnetic fields near the solidifying front were qualitatively addressed.

  2. Combining satellite data and appropriate objective functions for improved spatial pattern performance of a distributed hydrologic model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Demirel, Mehmet C.; Mai, Juliane; Mendiguren Gonzalez, Gorka

    2018-01-01

    Satellite-based earth observations offer great opportunities to improve spatial model predictions by means of spatial-pattern-oriented model evaluations. In this study, observed spatial patterns of actual evapotranspiration (AET) are utilised for spatial model calibration tailored to target...... and potential evapotranspiration correction parameterisations, based on soil type and vegetation density. These parameterisations are utilised as they are most relevant for simulated AET patterns from the hydrologic model. Due to the fundamental challenges encountered when evaluating spatial pattern performance...

  3. Voronoi tessellations and the cosmic web : Spatial patterns and clustering across the universe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van de Weygaert, Rien; Gold, CM

    2007-01-01

    The spatial cosmic matter distribution on scales of a few up to more than a hundred Megaparsec(1) displays a salient and pervasive foamlike pattern. Voronoi tessellations are a versatile and flexible mathematical model for such weblike spatial patterns. They would be the natural result of an

  4. Spatial Pattern, Transportation and Air Quality Nexus: The Case of Iskandar Malaysia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azalia Mohd Yusop

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Spatial pattern, transportation, and air quality are three development entities which significantly affecting one another. This nexus exhibits the urbanization imprint accouter transportation generating air pollution as a reflection of spatial distribution. The integration among them is a vital part of development as it affects the societal living environment. It provides unfavorable air quality and directly cause health problems. The developing region of Iskandar Malaysia exhibits huge spatial distribution transformation accompanied by large percentage of urbanization rate, but seems less integration of land use and transportation planning which causes the exaggeration of air pollution. We carry out the research on the nexus of spatial distribution, transportation and air quality in Iskandar Malaysia by analyzing and evaluating the interconnectivity of these three entities. The spatial analysis and evaluation on the land use development pattern and spatial policy shows that the Iskandar development region are growing in the polycentric manners, where the spatial development policy drives the distributional growth of new sub-centers. We undertook a household-based travel survey that reveals the poly-centricity reflected by the de-concentration of workplaces which shifted from the single point towards multiple centers. On the other hand, this phenomenon has created a distributional traffic pattern amid the high dependency on the private vehicles of the citizens in Iskandar Malaysia. With a predominantly fossil fuel consuming vehicles, this has generated air pollution. Based on the traffic survey and the dependency of the citizens on private cars for their daily mobility, the concentration of air pollution is seemingly at risk. This research reflects that Iskandar Malaysia development region currently undergoes towards polycentric development with some new urban centers. We found that land use and transportation planning policies require serious

  5. Flow Pattern Identification of Horizontal Two-Phase Refrigerant Flow Using Neural Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-12-31

    classification of liquid–vapor structures into flow patterns is useful for predicting heat transfer rates and, ultimately, system performance. Most flow and...Here, ~x represents the spa- tial variables, x and y, and t is time. This normalization assigns εð~x; tÞ to be zero for only vapor (εg) and one for...tube surface [17,22]. As in stratified wavy flow, interfacial waves were also present in stratified wavy transitional flow. The waves were more fre

  6. Pattern and spatial distribution of plague in Lushoto, north-eastern ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A review of plague records from 1986 to 2002 and household interviews were carried out in the plague endemic villages to establish a pattern and spatial distribution of the disease in Lushoto district, Tanzania. Spatial data of households and village centres were collected and mapped using a hand held Global Positioning ...

  7. Analysis of Spatial Voting Patterns: An Approach in Political Socialization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klimasewski, Ted

    1973-01-01

    Passage of the 26th Amendment gave young adults the right to vote. This study attempts to further student understanding of the electoral process by presenting a method for analyzing spatial voting patterns. The spatial emphasis adds another dimension to the temporal and behavioral-structural approaches in studying the American electoral system.…

  8. A novel drag force coefficient model for gas–water two-phase flows under different flow patterns

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shang, Zhi, E-mail: shangzhi@tsinghua.org.cn

    2015-07-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A novel drag force coefficient model was established. • This model realized to cover different flow patterns for CFD. • Numerical simulations were performed under wide range flow regimes. • Validations were carried out through comparisons to experiments. - Abstract: A novel drag force coefficient model has been developed to study gas–water two-phase flows. In this drag force coefficient model, the terminal velocities were calculated through the revised drift flux model. The revised drift flux is different from the traditional drift flux model because the natural curve movement of the bubble was revised through considering the centrifugal force. Owing to the revisions, the revised drift flux model was to extend to 3D. Therefore it is suitable for CFD applications. In the revised drift flux model, the different flow patterns of the gas–water two-phase flows were able to be considered. This model innovatively realizes the drag force being able to cover different flow patterns of gas–water two-phase flows on bubbly flow, slug flow, churn flow, annular flow and mist flow. Through the comparisons of the numerical simulations to the experiments in vertical upward and downward pipe flows, this model was validated.

  9. Demographic change in Germany and reversal of spatial ageing patterns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Swiaczny Frank

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the result of a spatial analysis considering the effect of demographic ageing and ageing-in-place processes in Germany according to spatially differentiated ageing patterns among urban, sub-urban and rural counties up to 2025. As to the latest official population forecast counties of urban core regions will undergo a slower ageing process than other types of counties, resulting in a reversal of ageing patterns. Urban core areas in this analysis will gain demographically from their net migration surplus while suburban housing locations of the past will be no longer able to attract enough young migrants to compensate for their now rapidly ageing baby boomer generation. The process presented is typical for the fate of (suburban housing areas with homogenous populations under conditions of ageing and shrinking if spatial mobility in ageing population groups is declining.

  10. Demographic change in Germany and reversal of spatial ageing patterns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Swiaczny F.

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the result of a spatial analysis considering the effect of demographic ageing and ageing-in-place processes in Germany according to spatially differentiated ageing patterns among urban, sub-urban and rural counties up to 2025. As to the latest official population forecast counties of urban core regions will undergo a slower ageing process than other types of counties, resulting in a reversal of ageing patterns. Urban core areas in this analysis will gain demographically from their net migration surplus while suburban housing locations of the past will be no longer able to attract enough young migrants to compensate for their now rapidly ageing baby boomer generation. The process presented is typical for the fate of (suburban housing areas with homogenous populations under conditions of ageing and shrinking if spatial mobility in ageing population groups is declining.

  11. Temporal and spatial patterns of micropollutants in urban receiving waters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Musolff, Andreas, E-mail: andreas.musolff@ufz.d [UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Hydrogeology, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Leschik, Sebastian, E-mail: sebastian.leschik@ufz.d [UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Hydrogeology, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Moeder, Monika, E-mail: monika.moeder@ufz.d [UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Strauch, Gerhard, E-mail: gerhard.strauch@ufz.d [UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Hydrogeology, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Reinstorf, Frido, E-mail: frido.reinstorf@hs-magdeburg.d [University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal, Department of Water and Waste Management, Breitscheidstr. 2, 39114 Magdeburg (Germany); Schirmer, Mario, E-mail: mario.schirmer@eawag.c [Eawag, The Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Water Resources and Drinking Water, Ueberlandstr. 133, 8600 Duebendorf (Switzerland)

    2009-11-15

    Based on a monitoring program over the course of a year, we characterize the temporal and spatial distribution of selected micropollutants in an urban watershed within the city of Leipzig, Germany. Micropollutants revealed a ubiquitous presence in untreated and treated wastewater, surface water and groundwater. The loads of 4-nonylphenol in the effluents of the municipal wastewater treatment plant followed a seasonal trend, whereas the loads of all other micropollutants were highly variable and not correlated to seasons. In the surface water, load seasonality of caffeine, galaxolide and tonalide resulted from a rapid removal with increased water temperature. The loads of 4-nonylphenol and of caffeine in the colder months increased when rainfall occurred. In the groundwater, complex spatial and temporal patterns were apparent and were related to varying input, retardation and removal processes. As a consequence, an assessment of micropollutants in urban waters should consider different micropollutants' temporal and spatial variability. - Micropollutants in urban receiving waters are characterized by variable temporal and spatial concentration and load patterns that have to be considered in risk assessments.

  12. Analysis of blood flow patterns in aortic aneurysm by cine magnetic resonance imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuoka, Hiroshi

    1993-01-01

    Cine MRI (0.5 T) using rephased gradient echo technique was performed to study the patterns of blood flow in the aortic aneurysm of 16 patients with aortic aneurysm, and the data were compared with those of 5 healthy volunteers. In the transaxial section, the blood flow in normal aorta appeared as homogeneous high intensity during systole. On the other hand, the blood flow in the aneurysm appeared as inhomogeneous flow enhancement with flow void. In the sagittal scan, the homogeneous flow enhancement in a normal aorta was also observed during systole and its apex of flow enhancement was 'taper'. The blood flow patterns in the aneurysm were classified as 'irregular', 'zonal', 'eddy', and 'obscure' depending on the contrast of flow enhancement and flow void. Their apexes were 'taper' or 'round'. The blood flow patterns in the aneurysm were related to the size of aneurysm. In patients with a large size 'aneurysm, their flow patterns were 'eddy' or 'obscure' and the flow enhancement was 'round'. On the other hand, in patients with a small size aneurysm, their flow patterns were 'irregular' or 'zonal', and their flow enhancement was 'taper'. Though the exact mechanism of abnormal flow patterns in an aortic aneurysm remains to be determined, cine MRI gives helpful informations in assessing blood flow dynamics in the aneurysm. (author)

  13. An experimental study on two-phase flow pattern in low pressure natural circulation system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Shaorong; Han Bing; Zhou Lei; Zhang Youjie; Jiang Shengyao; Wu Xinxin

    1991-10-01

    An experimental study on two-phase flow pattern in the riser of low pressure natural circulation system was performed. The local differential pressure signal was analysed for flow pattern. It is considered that Sr f·d/v can be used to distinguish different flow patterns and it has clear and definite physical meaning. Flow patterns at different inlet temperature with different system pressures (1.5 MPa, 0.24 MPa and 0.1 MPa) are described. It is considered that the flow pattern is only bubble flow without flow pattern change during the period of low quality density-wave instability at 1.5 MPa. There is no density-wave oscillation in the system, when flow pattern is in bubble-intermittent transition area. The effect of flash vaporization on stability at low pressure is discussed

  14. Inputs and spatial distribution patterns of Cr in Jiaozhou Bay

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Dongfang; Miao, Zhenqing; Huang, Xinmin; Wei, Linzhen; Feng, Ming

    2018-03-01

    Cr pollution in marine bays has been one of the critical environmental issues, and understanding the input and spatial distribution patterns is essential to pollution control. In according to the source strengths of the major pollution sources, the input patterns of pollutants to marine bay include slight, moderate and heavy, and the spatial distribution are corresponding to three block models respectively. This paper analyzed input patterns and distributions of Cr in Jiaozhou Bay, eastern China based on investigation on Cr in surface waters during 1979-1983. Results showed that the input strengths of Cr in Jiaozhou Bay could be classified as moderate input and slight input, and the input strengths were 32.32-112.30 μg L-1 and 4.17-19.76 μg L-1, respectively. The input patterns of Cr included two patterns of moderate input and slight input, and the horizontal distributions could be defined by means of Block Model 2 and Block Model 3, respectively. In case of moderate input pattern via overland runoff, Cr contents were decreasing from the estuaries to the bay mouth, and the distribution pattern was parallel. In case of moderate input pattern via marine current, Cr contents were decreasing from the bay mouth to the bay, and the distribution pattern was parallel to circular. The Block Models were able to reveal the transferring process of various pollutants, and were helpful to understand the distributions of pollutants in marine bay.

  15. Post-fire spatial patterns of soil nitrogen mineralization and microbial abundance.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erica A H Smithwick

    Full Text Available Stand-replacing fires influence soil nitrogen availability and microbial community composition, which may in turn mediate post-fire successional dynamics and nutrient cycling. However, fires create patchiness at both local and landscape scales and do not result in consistent patterns of ecological dynamics. The objectives of this study were to (1 quantify the spatial structure of microbial communities in forest stands recently affected by stand-replacing fire and (2 determine whether microbial variables aid predictions of in situ net nitrogen mineralization rates in recently burned stands. The study was conducted in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia and Engelmann spruce/subalpine fir (Picea engelmannii/Abies lasiocarpa forest stands that burned during summer 2000 in Greater Yellowstone (Wyoming, USA. Using a fully probabilistic spatial process model and Bayesian kriging, the spatial structure of microbial lipid abundance and fungi-to-bacteria ratios were found to be spatially structured within plots two years following fire (for most plots, autocorrelation range varied from 1.5 to 10.5 m. Congruence of spatial patterns among microbial variables, in situ net N mineralization, and cover variables was evident. Stepwise regression resulted in significant models of in situ net N mineralization and included variables describing fungal and bacterial abundance, although explained variance was low (R²<0.29. Unraveling complex spatial patterns of nutrient cycling and the biotic factors that regulate it remains challenging but is critical for explaining post-fire ecosystem function, especially in Greater Yellowstone, which is projected to experience increased fire frequencies by mid 21(st Century.

  16. Spatial pattern evaluation of a calibrated national hydrological model - a remote-sensing-based diagnostic approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendiguren, Gorka; Koch, Julian; Stisen, Simon

    2017-11-01

    Distributed hydrological models are traditionally evaluated against discharge stations, emphasizing the temporal and neglecting the spatial component of a model. The present study widens the traditional paradigm by highlighting spatial patterns of evapotranspiration (ET), a key variable at the land-atmosphere interface, obtained from two different approaches at the national scale of Denmark. The first approach is based on a national water resources model (DK-model), using the MIKE-SHE model code, and the second approach utilizes a two-source energy balance model (TSEB) driven mainly by satellite remote sensing data. Ideally, the hydrological model simulation and remote-sensing-based approach should present similar spatial patterns and driving mechanisms of ET. However, the spatial comparison showed that the differences are significant and indicate insufficient spatial pattern performance of the hydrological model.The differences in spatial patterns can partly be explained by the fact that the hydrological model is configured to run in six domains that are calibrated independently from each other, as it is often the case for large-scale multi-basin calibrations. Furthermore, the model incorporates predefined temporal dynamics of leaf area index (LAI), root depth (RD) and crop coefficient (Kc) for each land cover type. This zonal approach of model parameterization ignores the spatiotemporal complexity of the natural system. To overcome this limitation, this study features a modified version of the DK-model in which LAI, RD and Kc are empirically derived using remote sensing data and detailed soil property maps in order to generate a higher degree of spatiotemporal variability and spatial consistency between the six domains. The effects of these changes are analyzed by using empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis to evaluate spatial patterns. The EOF analysis shows that including remote-sensing-derived LAI, RD and Kc in the distributed hydrological model adds

  17. Spatial patterns of encroaching shrub species under different ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... in Middelburg (Eastern Cape, South Africa) coexist and partition space under different grazing regimes (viz. continuous rest, and continuous, summer and winter grazing). We used point-pattern analysis to assess the spatial ecology of these species. We also used an index of integration (mingling index), where low values ...

  18. "Chess-board pattern" spatial modulation of magnetization. Assessment of myocardial function

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, C

    1992-01-01

    . Through spatial modulation of the magnetization the entire image can be labeled in different patterns. Two new pulse sequences are presented, giving a chess-board like spatial modulation. These pulse sequences have several advantages compared with the previously published methods, as the modulation time...... is half that required to obtain a 2-dimensional grid, the area in the image with high signal intensity was significantly larger, and the radiofrequency power deposition was substantially decreased. By labeling the heart at diastole the chess-board pattern tagging of the heart wall could be followed...

  19. spsann - optimization of sample patterns using spatial simulated annealing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samuel-Rosa, Alessandro; Heuvelink, Gerard; Vasques, Gustavo; Anjos, Lúcia

    2015-04-01

    There are many algorithms and computer programs to optimize sample patterns, some private and others publicly available. A few have only been presented in scientific articles and text books. This dispersion and somewhat poor availability is holds back to their wider adoption and further development. We introduce spsann, a new R-package for the optimization of sample patterns using spatial simulated annealing. R is the most popular environment for data processing and analysis. Spatial simulated annealing is a well known method with widespread use to solve optimization problems in the soil and geo-sciences. This is mainly due to its robustness against local optima and easiness of implementation. spsann offers many optimizing criteria for sampling for variogram estimation (number of points or point-pairs per lag distance class - PPL), trend estimation (association/correlation and marginal distribution of the covariates - ACDC), and spatial interpolation (mean squared shortest distance - MSSD). spsann also includes the mean or maximum universal kriging variance (MUKV) as an optimizing criterion, which is used when the model of spatial variation is known. PPL, ACDC and MSSD were combined (PAN) for sampling when we are ignorant about the model of spatial variation. spsann solves this multi-objective optimization problem scaling the objective function values using their maximum absolute value or the mean value computed over 1000 random samples. Scaled values are aggregated using the weighted sum method. A graphical display allows to follow how the sample pattern is being perturbed during the optimization, as well as the evolution of its energy state. It is possible to start perturbing many points and exponentially reduce the number of perturbed points. The maximum perturbation distance reduces linearly with the number of iterations. The acceptance probability also reduces exponentially with the number of iterations. R is memory hungry and spatial simulated annealing is a

  20. Modeling on bubbly to churn flow pattern transition for vertical upward flows in narrow rectangular channel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Yanlin; Chen Bingde; Huang Yanping; Wang Junfeng

    2011-01-01

    A theoretical model was developed to predict the bubbly to churn flow pattern transition for vertical upward flows in narrow rectangular channel. The model was developed based on the imbalance theory of Helmholtz and some reasonable assumptions. The maximum ideal bubble in narrow rectangular channel and the thermal hydraulics boundary condition leading to bubbly flow to churn flow pattern transition was calculated. The model was validated by experimental data from previous researches. Comparison between predicted result and experimental result shows a reasonable good agreement. (author)

  1. Mapping spatial patterns of people's risk perception of landslides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kofler, Christian; Pedoth, Lydia; Elzbieta Stawinoga, Agnieszka; Schneiderbauer, Stefan

    2016-04-01

    The resilience of communities against natural hazards is largely influenced by how the individuals perceive risk. A good understanding of people's risk perception, awareness and hazard knowledge is crucial for developing and improving risk management and communication strategies between authorities and the affected population. A lot of research has been done in investigating the social aspects of risks to natural hazards by means of interviews or questionnaires. However, there is still a lack of research in the investigation of the influence of the spatial distance to a hazard event on peoples risk perception. While the spatial dimension of a natural hazard event is always assessed in works with a natural science approach, it is often neglected in works on social aspects of natural hazards. In the present study, we aimed to overcome these gaps by combining methods from different disciplines and assessing and mapping the spatial pattern of risk perception through multivariate statistical approaches based on empirical data from questionnaires. We will present results from a case study carried out in Badia, located in the Province of South Tyrol- Italy, where in December 2012 a landslide destroyed four residential buildings and led to the evacuation of 36 people. By means of questionnaires distributed to all adults living in the case study area we assessed people's risk perception and asked respondents to allocate their place of residence on a map of the case study area subdivided in 7 zones. Based on the data of the questionnaire results we developed a risk perception factor in order to express various assessed aspects linked to risk perception with one metric. We analyzed and mapped this factor according to the different zones reflecting the spatial distance to the event. Furthermore, a cluster analysis identified various risk behavior profiles within the population. We also investigated the spatial patterns of these risk profiles. We revealed that the residential

  2. Blood flow patterns underlie developmental heart defects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Midgett, Madeline; Thornburg, Kent; Rugonyi, Sandra

    2017-03-01

    Although cardiac malformations at birth are typically associated with genetic anomalies, blood flow dynamics also play a crucial role in heart formation. However, the relationship between blood flow patterns in the early embryo and later cardiovascular malformation has not been determined. We used the chicken embryo model to quantify the extent to which anomalous blood flow patterns predict cardiac defects that resemble those in humans and found that restricting either the inflow to the heart or the outflow led to reproducible abnormalities with a dose-response type relationship between blood flow stimuli and the expression of cardiac phenotypes. Constricting the outflow tract by 10-35% led predominantly to ventricular septal defects, whereas constricting by 35-60% most often led to double outlet right ventricle. Ligation of the vitelline vein caused mostly pharyngeal arch artery malformations. We show that both cardiac inflow reduction and graded outflow constriction strongly influence the development of specific and persistent abnormal cardiac structure and function. Moreover, the hemodynamic-associated cardiac defects recapitulate those caused by genetic disorders. Thus our data demonstrate the importance of investigating embryonic blood flow conditions to understand the root causes of congenital heart disease as a prerequisite to future prevention and treatment. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Congenital heart defects result from genetic anomalies, teratogen exposure, and altered blood flow during embryonic development. We show here a novel "dose-response" type relationship between the level of blood flow alteration and manifestation of specific cardiac phenotypes. We speculate that abnormal blood flow may frequently underlie congenital heart defects. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  3. Flow Patterns in an Open Channel Confluence with Increasingly Dominant Tributary Inflow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laurent Schindfessel

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Despite the ratio of incoming discharges being recognized as a key parameter in open-channel confluence hydrodynamics, little is known about the flow patterns when the tributary provides more than 90% of the total discharge. This paper offers a systematic study of flow features when the tributary becomes increasingly dominant in a 90° confluence with a fixed concordant bed. Large-eddy simulations are used to investigate the three-dimensional complex flow patterns for three different discharge ratios. It is found that the tributary flow impinges on the opposing bank when the tributary flow becomes sufficiently dominant, causing a recirculating eddy in the upstream channel of the confluence, which induces significant changes in the incoming velocity distribution. Moreover, it results in stronger helicoidal cells in the downstream channel, along with zones of upwelling flow. In turn, the changed flow patterns also influence the mixing layer and the flow recovery. Finally, intermittent events of stronger upwelling flow are discerned. Improved understanding of flow patterns at confluences where the tributary is dominant is applicable to both engineering and earth sciences.

  4. Stream flow - its estimation, uncertainty and interaction with groundwater and floodplains

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Jane Bang

    , floodplain hydraulics and sedimentation patterns has been investigated along a restored channel section of Odense stream, Denmark. Collected samples of deposited sediment, organic matter and phosphorus on the floodplain were compared with results from a 2D dynamic flow model. Three stage dependent flow...... regimes were predicted by the flow model with shifting primary overbank flow and zones of flow confluence. These dynamic flow patterns were found to correlate with the spatial deposition of total phosphorus (11.4 g m-2), organic matter (0.65 kg m-2) and sediment (4.72 kg m-2), and zones of major total...... sediment deposition coincided with the flow confluence zones. The revealed complex spatially and temporally changing floodplain flow pattern was found to play a decisive role for the deposition processes. The interaction between stream flow and groundwater from catchment to point scale has been...

  5. Spatial implications of covariate adjustment on patterns of risk

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sabel, Clive Eric; Wilson, Jeff Gaines; Kingham, Simon

    2007-01-01

    Epidemiological studies that examine the relationship between environmental exposures and health often address other determinants of health that may influence the relationship being studied by adjusting for these factors as covariates. While disease surveillance methods routinely control...... for covariates such as deprivation, there has been limited investigative work on the spatial movement of risk at the intraurban scale due to the adjustment. It is important that the nature of any spatial relocation be well understood as a relocation to areas of increased risk may also introduce additional...... localised factors that influence the exposure-response relationship. This paper examines the spatial patterns of relative risk and clusters of hospitalisations based on an illustrative small-area example from Christchurch, New Zealand. A four-stage test of the spatial relocation effects of covariate...

  6. Intimal cushions and endothelial nuclear elongation around mouse aortic branches and their spatial correspondence with patterns of lipid deposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bond, Andrew R.; Ni, Chih-Wen; Jo, Hanjoong

    2010-01-01

    Spatial variation in hemodynamic stresses acting on the arterial wall may explain the nonuniform distribution of atherosclerosis. In thoracic aortas of LDL receptor/apolipoprotein E double knockout mice, lesions develop preferentially around the entire circumference of intercostal branch ostia, regardless of age, with the highest prevalence occurring upstream. Additional chevron-shaped lesions occur further upstream of the ostia. This pattern differs from the age-related ones occurring in people and rabbits. In the present study, patterns of near-wall blood flow around intercostal ostia in wild-type mice were estimated from the morphology of endothelial nuclei, which were shown in vitro to elongate in response to elevated shear stress and to align with the flow, and wall structure was assessed from confocal and scanning electron microscopy. A triangular intimal cushion surrounded the upstream part of most ostia. Nuclear length-to-width ratios were lowest over this cushion and highest at the sides of branches, regardless of age. Nuclear orientations were consistent with flow diverging around the branch. The pattern of nuclear morphology differed from the age-related ones observed in rabbits. The intimal cushion and the distribution of shear stress inferred from these observations can partly account for the pattern of lesions observed in knockout mice. Nuclear elongation in nonbranch regions was approximately constant across animals of different size, demonstrating the existence of a mechanism by which endothelial cells compensate for the dependence of mean aortic wall shear stress on body mass. PMID:19933414

  7. The Spatial Patterns of Dairy Farming In Molise

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ievoli Corrado

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The greater market orientation of European dairy production, caused by the end of quota regime, is likely to have consequences on less favoured areas, where breeding of dairy cattle plays both a crucial socio-economic and environmental role. Within this new framework, endogenous factors determining spatial reorganisation of the sector are becoming of increasing relevance. Based on these considerations, this study analyses the impact of the three broader classes of location determinants suggested by economic theory - factor endowment, market potential, and spatial agglomeration externalities - on the spatial pattern of milk production in Molise, a rural region in the south of Italy. Milk production is measured in term of dairy cows per hectare. The truncated distribution of this variable and its high degree of spatial autocorrelation prompted us to apply a Spatial Autoregressive Tobit model. Estimation results reveal that all three categories have a positive effect on the location of milk production, even if the influence of factor endowment (intended as forage area, and market potential (measured in term of proximity of dairy companies is quite limited. On the contrary, the impact of spatial externalities (related variety on the regional localisation of milk production is strongly significant. These results cast some doubts on the current measures of intervention and might suggest a new policy framework both at firm and spatial level

  8. One-way spatial integration of Navier-Stokes equations: stability of wall-bounded flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rigas, Georgios; Colonius, Tim; Towne, Aaron; Beyar, Michael

    2016-11-01

    For three-dimensional flows, questions of stability, receptivity, secondary flows, and coherent structures require the solution of large partial-derivative eigenvalue problems. Reduced-order approximations are thus required for engineering prediction since these problems are often computationally intractable or prohibitively expensive. For spatially slowly evolving flows, such as jets and boundary layers, a regularization of the equations of motion sometimes permits a fast spatial marching procedure that results in a huge reduction in computational cost. Recently, a novel one-way spatial marching algorithm has been developed by Towne & Colonius. The new method overcomes the principle flaw observed in Parabolized Stability Equations (PSE), namely the ad hoc regularization that removes upstream propagating modes. The one-way method correctly parabolizes the flow equations based on estimating, in a computationally efficient way, the local spectrum in each cross-stream plane and an efficient spectral filter eliminates modes with upstream group velocity. Results from the application of the method to wall-bounded flows will be presented and compared with predictions from the full linearized compressible Navier-Stokes equations and PSE.

  9. On tests of randomness for spatial point patterns

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doguwa, S.I.

    1990-11-01

    New tests of randomness for spatial point patterns are introduced. These test statistics are then compared in a power study with the existing alternatives. These results of the power study suggest that one of the tests proposed is extremely powerful against both aggregated and regular alternatives. (author). 9 refs, 7 figs, 3 tabs

  10. Subcutaneous blood flow in early male pattern baldness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klemp, P.; Peters, K.; Hansted, B.

    1989-01-01

    The subcutaneous blood flow (SBF) was measured by the 133 Xe washout method in the scalp of 14 patients with early male pattern baldness. Control experiments were performed in 14 normal haired men matched for age. The SBF in the scalp of the normal individuals was about 10 times higher than previously reported SBF values in other anatomical regions. In patients with early male pattern baldness, SBF was 2.6 times lower than the values found in the normal individuals (13.7 +/- 9.6 vs 35.7 +/- 10.5 ml/100 g/min-1). This difference was statistically significant (p much less than 0.001). A reduced nutritive blood flow to the hair follicles might be a significant event in the pathogenesis of early male pattern baldness

  11. Spatial Patterning of Newly-Inserted Material during Bacterial Cell Growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ursell, Tristan

    2012-02-01

    In the life cycle of a bacterium, rudimentary microscopy demonstrates that cell growth and elongation are essential characteristics of cellular reproduction. The peptidoglycan cell wall is the main load-bearing structure that determines both cell shape and overall size. However, simple imaging of cellular growth gives no indication of the spatial patterning nor mechanism by which material is being incorporated into the pre-existing cell wall. We employ a combination of high-resolution pulse-chase fluorescence microscopy, 3D computational microscopy, and detailed mechanistic simulations to explore how spatial patterning results in uniform growth and maintenance of cell shape. We show that growth is happening in discrete bursts randomly distributed over the cell surface, with a well-defined mean size and average rate. We further use these techniques to explore the effects of division and cell wall disrupting antibiotics, like cephalexin and A22, respectively, on the patterning of cell wall growth in E. coli. Finally, we explore the spatial correlation between presence of the bacterial actin-like cytoskeletal protein, MreB, and local cell wall growth. Together these techniques form a powerful method for exploring the detailed dynamics and involvement of antibiotics and cell wall-associated proteins in bacterial cell growth.[4pt] In collaboration with Kerwyn Huang, Stanford University.

  12. Blood flow patterns during incremental and steady-state aerobic exercise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coovert, Daniel; Evans, LeVisa D; Jarrett, Steven; Lima, Carla; Lima, Natalia; Gurovich, Alvaro N

    2017-05-30

    Endothelial shear stress (ESS) is a physiological stimulus for vascular homeostasis, highly dependent on blood flow patterns. Exercise-induced ESS might be beneficial on vascular health. However, it is unclear what type of ESS aerobic exercise (AX) produces. The aims of this study are to characterize exercise-induced blood flow patterns during incremental and steady-state AX. We expect blood flow pattern during exercise will be intensity-dependent and bidirectional. Six college-aged students (2 males and 4 females) were recruited to perform 2 exercise tests on cycleergometer. First, an 8-12-min incremental test (Test 1) where oxygen uptake (VO2), heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), and blood lactate (La) were measured at rest and after each 2-min step. Then, at least 48-hr. after the first test, a 3-step steady state exercise test (Test 2) was performed measuring VO2, HR, BP, and La. The three steps were performed at the following exercise intensities according to La: 0-2 mmol/L, 2-4 mmol/L, and 4-6 mmol/L. During both tests, blood flow patterns were determined by high-definition ultrasound and Doppler on the brachial artery. These measurements allowed to determine blood flow velocities and directions during exercise. On Test 1 VO2, HR, BP, La, and antegrade blood flow velocity significantly increased in an intensity-dependent manner (repeated measures ANOVA, pflow velocity did not significantly change during Test 1. On Test 2 all the previous variables significantly increased in an intensity-dependent manner (repeated measures ANOVA, pflow patterns during incremental and steady-state exercises include both antegrade and retrograde blood flows.

  13. Spatial ecology of the aquatic garter snake, Thamnophis atratus, in a free-flowing stream environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    H. H. Welsh; C. A. Wheeler; A. J. Lind

    2010-01-01

    Spatial patterns of animals have important implications for population dynamics and can reveal other key aspects of a species' ecology. Movements and the resulting spatial arrangements have fitness and genetic consequences for both individuals and populations. We studied the spatial and dispersal patterns of the Oregon Gartersnake, Thamnophis atratus...

  14. Simulating spatial patterns of land-use change in Rondonia, Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dale, V.H.; Southworth, F.; O'Neill, R.V.; Rosen, A.

    1992-01-01

    Large scale deforestation in the Brazilian state of Rondonia has resulted from massive colonization and has caused increases in atmospheric CO 2 , soil degradation, loss of extractive resources, and disruption of indigenous populations. A simulation model has been developed that integrates colonization, socioeconomic, and ecological submodels to estimate spatial patterns and rates of deforestation under different immigration policies, land tenure practices, and road development scenarios. It is used to model the socioeconomic causes and ecological impacts of rapid deforestation in Rondonia. The simulation can be used to identify scenarios that might optimize economic and agricultural sustainability or reduce emigration. Spatial analysis of the simulation projections shows that very different patterns of deforestation can result depending on whether soil suitability, distance to market or lot size is the prime factor affecting a colonist's choice of a lot. Projections of the amount and pattern of deforestation under specific scenarios of land-use choice and management can be used to explore the socioeconomic and ecological implications of land-use change

  15. Spatial pattern of ASG-EUPOS sites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calka, Beata; Bielecka, Elzbieta; Figurski, Mariusz

    2017-12-01

    The article presents the spatial pattern analysis of the ASG-EUPOS permanent GNSS stations in Poland. Using different methods and tools (nearest neighbour, Riplay's K-function, morphology of Thiessen polygons) we proved that the station distribution model changes within scales. At short distances up to 65 km, which are typical lengths in the network, stations are irregularly dispersed. Increasing this distance to 130 km and over could result in a clustered pattern. The Thiessen polygon area in 72% depends on the level of urbanization, especially coverage of forested and built-up areas as well as the density of the transportation network. The smallest density of the ASG-EUPOS sites is one station over 10,000 sq. km, which is two times more than is stated in the national regulations. The mean distance from ASG-EUPOS location to the nearest station is about 41.5 km.

  16. Chromosome driven spatial patterning of proteins in bacteria.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed Saberi

    Full Text Available The spatial patterning of proteins in bacteria plays an important role in many processes, from cell division to chemotaxis. In the asymmetrically dividing bacteria Caulobacter crescentus, a scaffolding protein, PopZ, localizes to both poles and aids the differential patterning of proteins between mother and daughter cells during division. Polar patterning of misfolded proteins in Escherichia coli has also been shown, and likely plays an important role in cellular ageing. Recent experiments on both of the above systems suggest that the presence of chromosome free regions along with protein multimerization may be a mechanism for driving the polar localization of proteins. We have developed a simple physical model for protein localization using only these two driving mechanisms. Our model reproduces all the observed patterns of PopZ and misfolded protein localization--from diffuse, unipolar, and bipolar patterns and can also account for the observed patterns in a variety of mutants. The model also suggests new experiments to further test the role of the chromosome in driving protein patterning, and whether such a mechanism is responsible for helping to drive the differentiation of the cell poles.

  17. Surface Patterning: Controlling Fluid Flow Through Dolphin and Shark Skin Biomimicry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gamble, Lawren; Lang, Amy; Bradshaw, Michael; McVay, Eric

    2013-11-01

    Dolphin skin is characterized by circumferential ridges, perpendicular to fluid flow, present from the crest of the head until the tail fluke. When observing a cross section of skin, the ridges have a sinusoidal pattern. Sinusoidal grooves have been proven to induce vortices in the cavities that can help control flow separation which can reduce pressure drag. Shark skin, however, is patterned with flexible scales that bristle up to 50 degrees with reversed flow. Both dolphin ridges and shark scales are thought to help control fluid flow and increase swimming efficiency by delaying the separation of the boundary layer. This study investigates how flow characteristics can be altered with bio-inspired surface patterning. A NACA 4412 hydrofoil was entirely patterned with transverse sinusoidal grooves, inspired by dolphin skin but scaled so the cavities on the model have the same Reynolds number as the cavities on a swimming shark. Static tests were conducted at a Reynolds number of approximately 100,000 and at varying angles of attack. The results were compared to the smooth hydrofoil case. The flow data was quantified using Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV). The results of this study demonstrated that the patterned hydrofoil experienced greater separation than the smooth hydrofoil. It is hypothesize that this could be remediated if the pattern was placed only after the maximum thickness of the hydrofoil. Funding through NSF REU grant 1062611 is gratefully acknowledged.

  18. Quantifying Landscape Spatial Pattern: What Is the State of the Art?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eric J. Gustafson

    1998-01-01

    Landscape ecology is based on the premise that there are strong links between ecological pattern and ecological function and process. Ecological systems are spatially heterogeneous, exhibiting consid-erable complexity and variability in time and space. This variability is typically represented by categorical maps or by a collection of samples taken at specific spatial...

  19. Coastal marsh degradation: modeling the influence of vegetation die-off patterns on flow and sedimentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schepers, Lennert; Wang, Chen; Kirwan, Matthew; Belluco, Enrica; D'Alpaos, Andrea; Temmerman, Stijn

    2014-05-01

    erosion, which may explain their lower surface elevation. Therefore the establishment of marsh plants will be unfavorable. So far, however, this hypothesis has not been verified. In order to investigate the influence of these different types of pool patterns on spatial flow and sedimentation patterns, we used an existing hydrodynamic and sediment transport model (Delft3D) that has been calibrated and validated against field data on tidal marsh flow and sedimentation. The model reproduces the bio-geomorphologic effects of complete vegetation removal, but different pool patterns have not been studied until now. By simulating different pool patterns, we are able to verify our hypothesis regarding elevation changes and marsh recovery potential in degraded marsh pools. This highlights the importance of bio-geomorphologic feedbacks for marsh degradation and recovery.

  20. Burstiness in Viral Bursts: How Stochasticity Affects Spatial Patterns in Virus-Microbe Dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yu-Hui; Taylor, Bradford P.; Weitz, Joshua S.

    Spatial patterns emerge in living systems at the scale of microbes to metazoans. These patterns can be driven, in part, by the stochasticity inherent to the birth and death of individuals. For microbe-virus systems, infection and lysis of hosts by viruses results in both mortality of hosts and production of viral progeny. Here, we study how variation in the number of viral progeny per lysis event affects the spatial clustering of both viruses and microbes. Each viral ''burst'' is initially localized at a near-cellular scale. The number of progeny in a single lysis event can vary in magnitude between tens and thousands. These perturbations are not accounted for in mean-field models. Here we developed individual-based models to investigate how stochasticity affects spatial patterns in virus-microbe systems. We measured the spatial clustering of individuals using pair correlation functions. We found that increasing the burst size of viruses while maintaining the same production rate led to enhanced clustering. In this poster we also report on preliminary analysis on the evolution of the burstiness of viral bursts given a spatially distributed host community.

  1. Large-area imaging reveals biologically driven non-random spatial patterns of corals at a remote reef

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Clinton B.; Eynaud, Yoan; Williams, Gareth J.; Pedersen, Nicole E.; Zgliczynski, Brian J.; Gleason, Arthur C. R.; Smith, Jennifer E.; Sandin, Stuart A.

    2017-12-01

    For sessile organisms such as reef-building corals, differences in the degree of dispersion of individuals across a landscape may result from important differences in life-history strategies or may reflect patterns of habitat availability. Descriptions of spatial patterns can thus be useful not only for the identification of key biological and physical mechanisms structuring an ecosystem, but also by providing the data necessary to generate and test ecological theory. Here, we used an in situ imaging technique to create large-area photomosaics of 16 plots at Palmyra Atoll, central Pacific, each covering 100 m2 of benthic habitat. We mapped the location of 44,008 coral colonies and identified each to the lowest taxonomic level possible. Using metrics of spatial dispersion, we tested for departures from spatial randomness. We also used targeted model fitting to explore candidate processes leading to differences in spatial patterns among taxa. Most taxa were clustered and the degree of clustering varied by taxon. A small number of taxa did not significantly depart from randomness and none revealed evidence of spatial uniformity. Importantly, taxa that readily fragment or tolerate stress through partial mortality were more clustered. With little exception, clustering patterns were consistent with models of fragmentation and dispersal limitation. In some taxa, dispersion was linearly related to abundance, suggesting density dependence of spatial patterning. The spatial patterns of stony corals are non-random and reflect fundamental life-history characteristics of the taxa, suggesting that the reef landscape may, in many cases, have important elements of spatial predictability.

  2. Comparison of detection pattern of HCC by ferumoxide-enhanced MRI and intratumoral blood flow pattern

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Itou, Naoki; Kotake, Fumio; Saitou, Kazuhiro; Abe, Kimihiko

    2000-01-01

    We compared the detection rate and pattern of ferumoxide-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (Fe-MRI) with the intratumoral blood flow pattern determined by CT angiography (CTA) and CT portography (CTAP) in 124 nodes (34 cases) diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or borderline HCC, based on the clinical course. Sequences to obtain a T1-weighted images (T1W), proton density-weighted images (PDW), T2-weighted images (T2W), T2*-weighted images (T2*W) were used in Fe-MRI. In nodes shown to be hypervascular on CTA, the detection rate by Fe-MRI was 69.7%. In nodes shown to be avascular by CTAP, the detection rate by Fe-MRI was 67.3%. These rates were higher than with other flow patterns. In nodes showing high signal intensity (HSI) on any sequences, arterial blood flow was increased and portal blood flow decreased in comparison with nodes without high signal intensity. All nodes showing HSI, both on Fe-MRI T2W and T2*W, were hypervascular on CTA, and portal blood flow was absent on CTAP. Nodes showing HSI on both T2*W and T2W were considered to have greater arterial blood flow and decreased portal blood flow compared with nodes appearing as HSI on T2*W, but only as iso- or low signal intensity on T2W (Mann-Whitney U-test; p<0.05). (author)

  3. Experimental study of flow patterns near tube support structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rummens, H.E.C.; Turner, C.W.

    1994-07-01

    Extensive blockage of broached support plates in steam generators has occurred at the Bruce A Nuclear Generating Station (NGS), forcing unit derating in 1988 March. Blockage has also been found on the lower broached plates of the Pickering B and Point Lepreau NGSs. Water chemistry and operating conditions are known to influence fouling directly. We suspect that flow patterns also play a role, that these patterns are influenced by the geometry of steam generator (SG) components, and that particularly the broached plate design actively creates an environment favorable to deposition. Experiments are in progress to examine the flow patterns near various tube supports: the broached plate, two types of lattice bars, and the formed bars. Preliminary tests in an air/water loop with 1/2- and 7-tube SG mockups containing the tube supports have been completed. Flow patterns were visualized using injected air bubbles. Local velocities and turbulence levels were measured using a laser technique, which confirmed observations of flow recirculation and stagnation. Axial pressure profiles were measured to determine overall resistance coefficients, and to identify local pressure extremes. Some visualization tests were also carried out on an artificially fouled broached plate. Based on results to date, several deposition mechanisms are proposed: deposition of particles in stagnant regions, deposition of solubles due to flashing in low-pressure regions, and deposition in smaller channels due to steam migration toward larger channels. A qualitative assessment of the tube support designs based on these mechanisms implies that the relative resistances to fouling are: (WORST) broach plate << lattice bars << formed bars (BEST). As the air/water simulation shows only hydraulic flow patterns, further tests will be done in a simple liquid/vapor Freon loop to examine thermal effects. (author). 3 refs., 10 figs

  4. Spatial Pattern Determination of Biodiversity Threats at Landscape Level (Case Study: Golestan Province)

    OpenAIRE

    R. Mirzaei; A. Esmaili-Sari; M. R. Hemami; H. R. Rezaei

    2015-01-01

    Mapping spatial patterns of potential biodiversity threats is one of the important steps for effective conservation planning and activities. To determine the spatial patterns of threats in Golestan province, 12 criteria in four main groups including structural (fractal coefficient of perimeter, circularity ratio of area, average slope), compositional aspects of biodiversity (presence of species at risk), non-biological threats (distance to city, distance to village, distance to road, distance...

  5. EFFECTS OF HETEROGENIETY ON SPATIAL PATTERN ANALYSIS OF WILD PISTACHIO TREES IN ZAGROS WOODLANDS, IRAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Erfanifard

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Vegetation heterogeneity biases second-order summary statistics, e.g., Ripley's K-function, applied for spatial pattern analysis in ecology. Second-order investigation based on Ripley's K-function and related statistics (i.e., L- and pair correlation function g is widely used in ecology to develop hypothesis on underlying processes by characterizing spatial patterns of vegetation. The aim of this study was to demonstrate effects of underlying heterogeneity of wild pistachio (Pistacia atlantica Desf. trees on the second-order summary statistics of point pattern analysis in a part of Zagros woodlands, Iran. The spatial distribution of 431 wild pistachio trees was accurately mapped in a 40 ha stand in the Wild Pistachio & Almond Research Site, Fars province, Iran. Three commonly used second-order summary statistics (i.e., K-, L-, and g-functions were applied to analyse their spatial pattern. The two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness-of-fit test showed that the observed pattern significantly followed an inhomogeneous Poisson process null model in the study region. The results also showed that heterogeneous pattern of wild pistachio trees biased the homogeneous form of K-, L-, and g-functions, demonstrating a stronger aggregation of the trees at the scales of 0–50 m than actually existed and an aggregation at scales of 150–200 m, while regularly distributed. Consequently, we showed that heterogeneity of point patterns may bias the results of homogeneous second-order summary statistics and we also suggested applying inhomogeneous summary statistics with related null models for spatial pattern analysis of heterogeneous vegetations.

  6. Effects of Heterogeniety on Spatial Pattern Analysis of Wild Pistachio Trees in Zagros Woodlands, Iran

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erfanifard, Y.; Rezayan, F.

    2014-10-01

    Vegetation heterogeneity biases second-order summary statistics, e.g., Ripley's K-function, applied for spatial pattern analysis in ecology. Second-order investigation based on Ripley's K-function and related statistics (i.e., L- and pair correlation function g) is widely used in ecology to develop hypothesis on underlying processes by characterizing spatial patterns of vegetation. The aim of this study was to demonstrate effects of underlying heterogeneity of wild pistachio (Pistacia atlantica Desf.) trees on the second-order summary statistics of point pattern analysis in a part of Zagros woodlands, Iran. The spatial distribution of 431 wild pistachio trees was accurately mapped in a 40 ha stand in the Wild Pistachio & Almond Research Site, Fars province, Iran. Three commonly used second-order summary statistics (i.e., K-, L-, and g-functions) were applied to analyse their spatial pattern. The two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness-of-fit test showed that the observed pattern significantly followed an inhomogeneous Poisson process null model in the study region. The results also showed that heterogeneous pattern of wild pistachio trees biased the homogeneous form of K-, L-, and g-functions, demonstrating a stronger aggregation of the trees at the scales of 0-50 m than actually existed and an aggregation at scales of 150-200 m, while regularly distributed. Consequently, we showed that heterogeneity of point patterns may bias the results of homogeneous second-order summary statistics and we also suggested applying inhomogeneous summary statistics with related null models for spatial pattern analysis of heterogeneous vegetations.

  7. Uncovering patterns of inter-urban trip and spatial interaction from social media check-in data.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Liu

    Full Text Available The article revisits spatial interaction and distance decay from the perspective of human mobility patterns and spatially-embedded networks based on an empirical data set. We extract nationwide inter-urban movements in China from a check-in data set that covers half a million individuals within 370 cities to analyze the underlying patterns of trips and spatial interactions. By fitting the gravity model, we find that the observed spatial interactions are governed by a power law distance decay effect. The obtained gravity model also closely reproduces the exponential trip displacement distribution. The movement of an individual, however, may not obey the same distance decay effect, leading to an ecological fallacy. We also construct a spatial network where the edge weights denote the interaction strengths. The communities detected from the network are spatially cohesive and roughly consistent with province boundaries. We attribute this pattern to different distance decay parameters between intra-province and inter-province trips.

  8. Uncovering patterns of inter-urban trip and spatial interaction from social media check-in data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yu; Sui, Zhengwei; Kang, Chaogui; Gao, Yong

    2014-01-01

    The article revisits spatial interaction and distance decay from the perspective of human mobility patterns and spatially-embedded networks based on an empirical data set. We extract nationwide inter-urban movements in China from a check-in data set that covers half a million individuals within 370 cities to analyze the underlying patterns of trips and spatial interactions. By fitting the gravity model, we find that the observed spatial interactions are governed by a power law distance decay effect. The obtained gravity model also closely reproduces the exponential trip displacement distribution. The movement of an individual, however, may not obey the same distance decay effect, leading to an ecological fallacy. We also construct a spatial network where the edge weights denote the interaction strengths. The communities detected from the network are spatially cohesive and roughly consistent with province boundaries. We attribute this pattern to different distance decay parameters between intra-province and inter-province trips.

  9. Uncovering Patterns of Inter-Urban Trip and Spatial Interaction from Social Media Check-In Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yu; Sui, Zhengwei; Kang, Chaogui; Gao, Yong

    2014-01-01

    The article revisits spatial interaction and distance decay from the perspective of human mobility patterns and spatially-embedded networks based on an empirical data set. We extract nationwide inter-urban movements in China from a check-in data set that covers half a million individuals within 370 cities to analyze the underlying patterns of trips and spatial interactions. By fitting the gravity model, we find that the observed spatial interactions are governed by a power law distance decay effect. The obtained gravity model also closely reproduces the exponential trip displacement distribution. The movement of an individual, however, may not obey the same distance decay effect, leading to an ecological fallacy. We also construct a spatial network where the edge weights denote the interaction strengths. The communities detected from the network are spatially cohesive and roughly consistent with province boundaries. We attribute this pattern to different distance decay parameters between intra-province and inter-province trips. PMID:24465849

  10. Critical heat flux and flow pattern for water flow in annular geometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jae Wook; Baek, Won Pil; Chang, Soon Heung

    1996-01-01

    An experimental study on critical heat flux (CHF) and two-phase flow visualization has been performed for water flow in internally-heated, vertical, concentric annuli under near atmospheric pressure. Tests have been done under stable forced-circulation, upward and downward flow conditions with three test sections of relatively large gap widths (heated length = 0.6 m, inner diameter = 19 mm, outer diameter = 29, 35 and 51 mm). The outer wall of the test section was made up of the transparent Pyrex tube to allow the observation of flow patterns near the CHF occurrence. The CHF mechanism was changed in the order of flooding, churn-to-annular flow transition, and local dryout under a large bubble in churn flow as the flow rate was increased from zero to higher values. Observed parametric trends are consistent with the previous understanding except that the CHF for downward flow is considerably lower than that for upward flow

  11. Application of computational fluid dynamics to closed-loop bioreactors: I. Characterization and simulation of fluid-flow pattern and oxygen transfer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Littleton, Helen X; Daigger, Glen T; Strom, Peter F

    2007-06-01

    A full-scale, closed-loop bioreactor (Orbal oxidation ditch, Envirex brand technologies, Siemens, Waukesha, Wisconsin), previously examined for simultaneous biological nutrient removal (SBNR), was further evaluated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A CFD model was developed first by imparting the known momentum (calculated by tank fluid velocity and mass flowrate) to the fluid at the aeration disc region. Oxygen source (aeration) and sink (consumption) terms were introduced, and statistical analysis was applied to the CFD simulation results. The CFD model was validated with field data obtained from a test tank and a full-scale tank. The results indicated that CFD could predict the mixing pattern in closed-loop bioreactors. This enables visualization of the flow pattern, both with regard to flow velocity and dissolved-oxygen-distribution profiles. The velocity and oxygen-distribution gradients suggested that the flow patterns produced by directional aeration in closed-loop bioreactors created a heterogeneous environment that can result in dissolved oxygen variations throughout the bioreactor. Distinct anaerobic zones on a macroenvironment scale were not observed, but it is clear that, when flow passed around curves, a secondary spiral flow was generated. This second current, along with the main recirculation flow, could create alternating anaerobic and aerobic conditions vertically and horizontally, which would allow SBNR to occur. Reliable SBNR performance in Orbal oxidation ditches may be a result, at least in part, of such a spatially varying environment.

  12. Spatial pattern of structural ageing in eastern Croatia: evolution and explanations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marijan Jukic

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available This article aims to examine the ageing situation and social policy issues in the Osijek-Baranja County of eastern Croatia. Using historical evidence from census data, research suggests that the evolution of the ageing pattern has been mainly determined by such factors as development of the transport system, changes in political-territorial organisation, supply of jobs in the cities, deagrarianisation and a domestic war in the 1990s. The increased importance of urban centres, through planned industrialisation and administrative centralisation, has accelerated and intensified rural-tourban migration. Consequently, the spatial pattern of structural ageing has been substantially affected. A significant variation was found in urban and rural areas and also within sub-regional units. The findings suggest that the evolution of spatial disparities in the ageing pattern is because of unplanned migration; spatial differences in the level of socio-economic development; the influence of tradition, such as higher fertility rates historically in some areas; and suburbanisation, notably around the city of Osijek. The article concludes that ageing is affecting the country's economic growth and the formal and informal social support systems, including the provision of resources for older citizens in the endangered areas.

  13. Spatial patterning and floral synchrony among trillium populations with contrasting histories of herbivory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher R. Webster

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available We investigated the spatial patterning and floral synchrony within and among populations of a non-clonal, forest understory herb, Trillium catesbaei. Two populations of T. catesbaei within Great Smoky Mountains National Park were monitored for five years: Cades Cove (high deer abundance and Whiteoak Sink (low deer abundance. All individuals within each population were mapped during year one and five. Only flowering and single-leaf juveniles were mapped during intervening years. Greater distances between flowering plants (plants currently in flower and substantially lower population densities and smaller patch sizes were observed at Cades Cove versus Whiteoak Sink. However, with the exception of flowering plants, contrasting histories of herbivory did not appear to fundamentally alter the spatial patterning of the T. catesbaei population at Cades Cove, an area with a long and well-documented history of deer overabundance. Regardless of browse history, non-flowering life stages were significantly clustered at all spatial scales examined. Flowering plants were clustered in all years at Whiteoak Sink, but more often randomly distributed at Cades Cove, possibly as a result of their lower abundance. Between years, however, there was a positive spatial association between the locations of flowering plants at both sites. Flowering rate was synchronous between sites, but lagged a year behind favorable spring growing conditions, which likely allowed plants to allocate photosynthate from a favorable year towards flowering the subsequent year. Collectively, our results suggest that chronically high levels of herbivory may be associated with spatial patterning of flowering within populations of a non-clonal plant. They also highlight the persistence of underlying spatial patterns, as evidenced by high levels of spatial clustering among non-flowering individuals, and the pervasive, although muted in a population subjected to chronic herbivory, influence of

  14. A tool to estimate bar patterns and flow conditions in estuaries when limited data is available

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leuven, J.; Verhoeve, S.; Bruijns, A. J.; Selakovic, S.; van Dijk, W. M.; Kleinhans, M. G.

    2017-12-01

    The effects of human interventions, natural evolution of estuaries and rising sea-level on food security and flood safety are largely unknown. In addition, ecologists require quantified habitat area to study future evolution of estuaries, but they lack predictive capability of bathymetry and hydrodynamics. For example, crucial input required for ecological models are values of intertidal area, inundation time, peak flow velocities and salinity. While numerical models can reproduce these spatial patterns, their computational times are long and for each case a new model must be developed. Therefore, we developed a comprehensive set of relations that accurately predict the hydrodynamics and the patterns of channels and bars, using a combination of the empirical relations derived from approximately 50 estuaries and theory for bars and estuaries. The first step is to predict local tidal prisms, which is the tidal prism that flows through a given cross-section. Second, the channel geometry is predicted from tidal prism and hydraulic geometry relations. Subsequently, typical flow velocities can be estimated from the channel geometry and tidal prism. Then, an ideal estuary shape is fitted to the measured planform: the deviation from the ideal shape, which is defined as the excess width, gives a measure of the locations where tidal bars form and their summed width (Leuven et al., 2017). From excess width, typical hypsometries can be predicted per cross-section. In the last step, flow velocities are calculated for the full range of occurring depths and salinity is calculated based on the estuary shape. Here, we will present a prototype tool that predicts equilibrium bar patterns and typical flow conditions. The tool is easy to use because the only input required is the estuary outline and tidal amplitude. Therefore it can be used by policy makers and researchers from multiple disciplines, such as ecologists, geologists and hydrologists, for example for paleogeographic

  15. Spatial pattern of agricultural land conversion in West Java Province

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maryati, S.; Humaira, A. N. S.; Pratiwi, F.

    2018-03-01

    Population growth has an implication on increasing demand for land. The demand for built-up area is filled by land conversion, mostly from agricultural land. On the other hand, population growth requires an increase in food production as well as land for agriculture. Conversion of agricultural land can threaten the availability and food security. The purpose of this study is to identify the spatial pattern of changes in agricultural land in West Java Province as input to improve food security condition in this province. Descriptive statistics and spatial analysis were used to analyse the area of agricultural land, conversion of agricultural land, and spatial pattern of changes in agricultural land in West Java Province. The data used is time series data in the period of 2005-2014. The result of analysis shows that there are still areas with a high percentage of agricultural land in West Java Province. The rate of conversion of agricultural land varies widely. Cities or regions with very high land conversion rate tend to concentrate in metropolitan areas.

  16. Two-phase flow patterns in horizontal rectangular minichannel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ron’shin Fedor

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The two-phase flow in a short horizontal channel of rectangular cross-section of 1 × 19 mm2 has been studied experimentally. Five conventional two-phase flow patterns have been detected (bubble, churn, stratified, annular and jet and transitions between them have been determined. It is shown that a change in the width of the horizontal channels has a substantial effect on the boundaries between the flow regimes.

  17. Spatial patterning and persistence of meltwater on ice shelves and the implications for ice shelf collapse

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robel, A.; MacAyeal, D. R.; Tsai, V. C.; Shean, D. E.

    2017-12-01

    Observations indicate that for at least the last few decades, there has been extensive surface melting over ice shelves in Antarctica. Meltwater either collects in ponds or flows over the surface in streams that discharge to the ocean. The spatial organization and persistence of this meltwater can have a significant influence on the thermomechanical ice shelf state through albedo, turbulent heat exchange, refreezing and hydrofracture. However, as more meltwater forms on Antarctic ice shelves, there is no general theory that predicts the spatial pattern of meltwater ponded on the ice shelf surface and the volume of meltwater runoff to the ocean. Here, we show how dynamical systems tools, such as cellular automata, can be used to calculate the expected distribution of meltwater on ice shelf surfaces. These tools can also be used to explore how ice shelf surface morphology is modified by meltwater albedo and turbulent heating feedbacks. We apply these numerical approaches to new high-resolution digital elevation models for ice shelves in West Antarctica. Additionally, we survey the prospects of developing general rules of meltwater patterning by applying scaling approaches from percolation theory. We conclude by discussing the types of ice shelves that are more likely to cause ice shelf collapse through surface melt-induced hydrofracture or thermomechanical weakening.

  18. Citizen science: A new perspective to advance spatial pattern evaluation in hydrology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koch, Julian; Stisen, Simon

    2017-01-01

    Citizen science opens new pathways that can complement traditional scientific practice. Intuition and reasoning often make humans more effective than computer algorithms in various realms of problem solving. In particular, a simple visual comparison of spatial patterns is a task where humans are often considered to be more reliable than computer algorithms. However, in practice, science still largely depends on computer based solutions, which inevitably gives benefits such as speed and the possibility to automatize processes. However, the human vision can be harnessed to evaluate the reliability of algorithms which are tailored to quantify similarity in spatial patterns. We established a citizen science project to employ the human perception to rate similarity and dissimilarity between simulated spatial patterns of several scenarios of a hydrological catchment model. In total, the turnout counts more than 2500 volunteers that provided over 43000 classifications of 1095 individual subjects. We investigate the capability of a set of advanced statistical performance metrics to mimic the human perception to distinguish between similarity and dissimilarity. Results suggest that more complex metrics are not necessarily better at emulating the human perception, but clearly provide auxiliary information that is valuable for model diagnostics. The metrics clearly differ in their ability to unambiguously distinguish between similar and dissimilar patterns which is regarded a key feature of a reliable metric. The obtained dataset can provide an insightful benchmark to the community to test novel spatial metrics.

  19. Gas-liquid-liquid three-phase flow pattern and pressure drop in a microfluidic chip : similarities with gas-liquid/liquid-liquid flows

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yue, J.; Rebrov, E.; Schouten, J.C.

    2014-01-01

    We report a three-phase slug flow and parallel-slug flow as two major flow patterns found under the nitrogen-decane-water flow through a glass microfluidic chip which features a long microchannel with a hydraulic diameter of 98 µm connected to a cross-flow mixer. The three-phase slug flow pattern is

  20. Small regulatory RNAs may sharpen spatial expression patterns.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erel Levine

    2007-11-01

    Full Text Available The precise establishment of gene expression patterns is a crucial step in development. Formation of a sharp boundary between high and low spatial expression domains requires a genetic mechanism that exhibits sensitivity, yet is robust to fluctuations, a demand that may not be easily achieved by morphogens alone. Recently, it has been demonstrated that small RNAs (and, in particular, microRNAs play many roles in embryonic development. Whereas some RNAs are essential for embryogenesis, others are limited to fine-tuning a predetermined gene expression pattern. Here, we explore the possibility that small RNAs participate in sharpening a gene expression profile that was crudely established by a morphogen. To this end, we study a model in which small RNAs interact with a target gene and diffusively move from cell to cell. Though diffusion generally smoothens spatial expression patterns, we find that intercellular mobility of small RNAs is actually critical in sharpening the interface between target expression domains in a robust manner. This sharpening occurs as small RNAs diffuse into regions of low mRNA expression and eliminate target molecules therein, but cannot affect regions of high mRNA levels. We discuss the applicability of our results, as examples, to the case of leaf polarity establishment in maize and Hox patterning in the early Drosophila embryo. Our findings point out the functional significance of some mechanistic properties, such as mobility of small RNAs and the irreversibility of their interactions. These properties are yet to be established directly for most classes of small RNAs. An indirect yet simple experimental test of the proposed mechanism is suggested in some detail.

  1. Response of spatial point pattern of halostachys caspica population to ground water depth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niu, P.; Wang, M.; Jiang, P.; Li, M.; Chu, G.

    2017-01-01

    We subjected Halostachys caspica populations to three groundwater depths: shallow ( 4.5 m) in the sample plots, at the diluvial fan of the South Junggar Basin. Both the spatial pattern and spatial association of the population among all three groundwater depths and four growth stages were studied to investigate the impact of groundwater depth on the formation and persistence mechanism of the spatial pattern of Halostachys caspica populations. In this study, Ripley's K function was utilized to characterize spatial patterns and intraspecific associations of H. caspica in three 1-ha plots, as well as to study their relationship with groundwater depth. The seedling supplement severely decreased with increasing groundwater depth, and the population structure changed noticeably due to increased amount of dead standing plants. Different growth stages of the H. caspica population all had aggregated distributions at small scale in the three groundwater depth areas. With increasing scales, the aggregation intensity weakened in all growth stages. Distribution was aggregated at 50 m scales in both the shallow and middle groundwater depth areas, while the deep groundwater depth area followed a random distribution. (author)

  2. Magnetic field induced flow pattern reversal in a ferrofluidic Taylor-Couette system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altmeyer, Sebastian; Do, Younghae; Lai, Ying-Cheng

    2015-12-21

    We investigate the dynamics of ferrofluidic wavy vortex flows in the counter-rotating Taylor-Couette system, with a focus on wavy flows with a mixture of the dominant azimuthal modes. Without external magnetic field flows are stable and pro-grade with respect to the rotation of the inner cylinder. More complex behaviors can arise when an axial or a transverse magnetic field is applied. Depending on the direction and strength of the field, multi-stable wavy states and bifurcations can occur. We uncover the phenomenon of flow pattern reversal as the strength of the magnetic field is increased through a critical value. In between the regimes of pro-grade and retrograde flow rotations, standing waves with zero angular velocities can emerge. A striking finding is that, under a transverse magnetic field, a second reversal in the flow pattern direction can occur, where the flow pattern evolves into pro-grade rotation again from a retrograde state. Flow reversal is relevant to intriguing phenomena in nature such as geomagnetic reversal. Our results suggest that, in ferrofluids, flow pattern reversal can be induced by varying a magnetic field in a controlled manner, which can be realized in laboratory experiments with potential applications in the development of modern fluid devices.

  3. Seasonal and spatial patterns of metals at a restored copper mine site. I. Stream copper and zinc

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bambic, Dustin G.; Alpers, Charles N.; Green, Peter G.; Fanelli, Eileen; Silk, Wendy K.

    2006-01-01

    Seasonal and spatial variations in metal concentrations and pH were found in a stream at a restored copper mine site located near a massive sulfide deposit in the Foothill copper-zinc belt of the Sierra Nevada, California. At the mouth of the stream, copper concentrations increased and pH decreased with increased streamflow after the onset of winter rain and, unexpectedly, reached extreme values 1 or 2 months after peaks in the seasonal hydrographs. In contrast, aqueous zinc and sulfate concentrations were highest during low-flow periods. Spatial variation was assessed in 400 m of reach encompassing an acidic, metal-laden seep. At this seep, pH remained low (2-3) throughout the year, and copper concentrations were highest. In contrast, the zinc concentrations increased with downstream distance. These spatial patterns were caused by immobilization of copper by hydrous ferric oxides in benthic sediments, coupled with increasing downstream supply of zinc from groundwater seepage. - Seasonal hydrology and benthic sediments control copper and zinc concentrations in a stream through a restored mine site

  4. Measuring spatial patterns in floodplains: A step towards understanding the complexity of floodplain ecosystems: Chapter 6

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scown, Murray W.; Thoms, Martin C.; DeJager, Nathan R.; Gilvear, David J.; Greenwood, Malcolm T.; Thoms, Martin C.; Wood, Paul J.

    2016-01-01

    Floodplains can be viewed as complex adaptive systems (Levin, 1998) because they are comprised of many different biophysical components, such as morphological features, soil groups and vegetation communities as well as being sites of key biogeochemical processing (Stanford et al., 2005). Interactions and feedbacks among the biophysical components often result in additional phenomena occuring over a range of scales, often in the absence of any controlling factors (sensu Hallet, 1990). This emergence of new biophysical features and rates of processing can lead to alternative stable states which feed back into floodplain adaptive cycles (cf. Hughes, 1997; Stanford et al., 2005). Interactions between different biophysical components, feedbacks, self emergence and scale are all key properties of complex adaptive systems (Levin, 1998; Phillips, 2003; Murray et al., 2014) and therefore will influence the manner in which we study and view spatial patterns. Measuring the spatial patterns of floodplain biophysical components is a prerequisite to examining and understanding these ecosystems as complex adaptive systems. Elucidating relationships between pattern and process, which are intrinsically linked within floodplains (Ward et al., 2002), is dependent upon an understanding of spatial pattern. This knowledge can help river scientists determine the major drivers, controllers and responses of floodplain structure and function, as well as the consequences of altering those drivers and controllers (Hughes and Cass, 1997; Whited et al., 2007). Interactions and feedbacks between physical, chemical and biological components of floodplain ecosystems create and maintain a structurally diverse and dynamic template (Stanford et al., 2005). This template influences subsequent interactions between components that consequently affect system trajectories within floodplains (sensu Bak et al., 1988). Constructing and evaluating models used to predict floodplain ecosystem responses to

  5. Patterned-string tasks: relation between fine motor skills and visual-spatial abilities in parrots.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anastasia Krasheninnikova

    Full Text Available String-pulling and patterned-string tasks are often used to analyse perceptual and cognitive abilities in animals. In addition, the paradigm can be used to test the interrelation between visual-spatial and motor performance. Two Australian parrot species, the galah (Eolophus roseicapilla and the cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus, forage on the ground, but only the galah uses its feet to manipulate food. I used a set of string pulling and patterned-string tasks to test whether usage of the feet during foraging is a prerequisite for solving the vertical string pulling problem. Indeed, the two species used techniques that clearly differed in the extent of beak-foot coordination but did not differ in terms of their success in solving the string pulling task. However, when the visual-spatial skills of the subjects were tested, the galahs outperformed the cockatiels. This supports the hypothesis that the fine motor skills needed for advanced beak-foot coordination may be interrelated with certain visual-spatial abilities needed for solving patterned-string tasks. This pattern was also found within each of the two species on the individual level: higher motor abilities positively correlated with performance in patterned-string tasks. This is the first evidence of an interrelation between visual-spatial and motor abilities in non-mammalian animals.

  6. Spatial Patterns and the Regional Differences of Rural Settlements in Jilin Province, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoyan Li

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The spatial patterns of rural settlements are important for understanding the drivers of land use change and the relationship between human activity and environmental processes. It has been suggested that the clustering of houses decreases the negative effects on the environment and promotes the development of the countryside, but few empirical studies have quantified the spatial distribution patterns of houses. Our aim was to explore the regional differences in rural settlement patterns and expand our understanding of their geographic associations, and thus contribute to land use planning and the implementation of the policy of “building a new countryside”. We used spatial statistical methods and indices of landscape metrics to investigate different settlement patterns in three typical counties within different environments in Jilin Province, Northeast China. The results indicated that rural settlements in these three counties were all clustered, but to a varied degree. Settlement density maps and landscape metrics displayed uniformity of the settlement distributions within plain, hill, and mountainous areas. Influenced by the physical environment, the scale, form, and degree of aggregation varied. Accordingly, three types of rural settlements were summarized: a low-density, large-scale and sparse type; a mass-like and point-scattered type; and a low-density and high cluster-like type. The spatial patterns of rural settlements are the result of anthropogenic and complex physical processes, and provide an important insight for the layout and management of the countryside.

  7. Effect of the mitral valve on diastolic flow patterns

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seo, Jung Hee; Vedula, Vijay; Mittal, Rajat; Abraham, Theodore; Dawoud, Fady; Luo, Hongchang; Lardo, Albert C.

    2014-01-01

    The leaflets of the mitral valve interact with the mitral jet and significantly impact diastolic flow patterns, but the effect of mitral valve morphology and kinematics on diastolic flow and its implications for left ventricular function have not been clearly delineated. In the present study, we employ computational hemodynamic simulations to understand the effect of mitral valve leaflets on diastolic flow. A computational model of the left ventricle is constructed based on a high-resolution contrast computed-tomography scan, and a physiological inspired model of the mitral valve leaflets is synthesized from morphological and echocardiographic data. Simulations are performed with a diode type valve model as well as the physiological mitral valve model in order to delineate the effect of mitral-valve leaflets on the intraventricular flow. The study suggests that a normal physiological mitral valve promotes the formation of a circulatory (or “looped”) flow pattern in the ventricle. The mitral valve leaflets also increase the strength of the apical flow, thereby enhancing apical washout and mixing of ventricular blood. The implications of these findings on ventricular function as well as ventricular flow models are discussed

  8. Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV to Quantify Spatial Gap Patterns in Forests

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephan Getzin

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Gap distributions in forests reflect the spatial impact of man-made tree harvesting or naturally-induced patterns of tree death being caused by windthrow, inter-tree competition, disease or senescence. Gap sizes can vary from large (>100 m2 to small (<10 m2, and they may have contrasting spatial patterns, such as being aggregated or regularly distributed. However, very small gaps cannot easily be recorded with conventional aerial or satellite images, which calls for new and cost-effective methodologies of forest monitoring. Here, we used an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV and very high-resolution images to record the gaps in 10 temperate managed and unmanaged forests in two regions of Germany. All gaps were extracted for 1-ha study plots and subsequently analyzed with spatially-explicit statistics, such as the conventional pair correlation function (PCF, the polygon-based PCF and the mark correlation function. Gap-size frequency was dominated by small gaps of an area <5 m2, which were particularly frequent in unmanaged forests. We found that gap distances showed a variety of patterns. However, the polygon-based PCF was a better descriptor of patterns than the conventional PCF, because it showed randomness or aggregation for cases when the conventional PCF showed small-scale regularity; albeit, the latter was only a mathematical artifact. The mark correlation function revealed that gap areas were in half of the cases negatively correlated and in the other half independent. Negative size correlations may likely be the result of single-tree harvesting or of repeated gap formation, which both lead to nearby small gaps. Here, we emphasize the usefulness of UAV to record forest gaps of a very small size. These small gaps may originate from repeated gap-creating disturbances, and their spatial patterns should be monitored with spatially-explicit statistics at recurring intervals in order to further insights into forest dynamics.

  9. Measurements of two-phase flow patterns in a 4 x 4 rod bundle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akio tomiyama; Akira Sou; Shigeo Hosokawa; Masato Mitsuhashi; Kohei Noda; Yasushi Tsubo; Kaichiro Mishima; Yoshiro Kudo

    2005-01-01

    Air-water two-phase flow patterns in a 4 x 4 square lattice rod bundle consisting of an acrylic channel box of 68 mm in width and transparent rods of 12 mm in diameter were measured by utilizing FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene) tubes for the rods. The FEP possesses the same refractive index with water, and therefore, whole flow patterns in the bundle and local flow patterns in subchannels were visualized with little optical distortion. In addition to the visualization, transmission rates of laser beam from one rod to its opponent rod and two-point correlation coefficients of phase indicator functions were measured to examine the feasibility of objective identification of flow patterns in subchannels. The ranges of liquid and gas volume fluxes, JL and JG, were 0.1 < JL < 2.0 m/s and 0.04 < JG < 8.85 m/s, respectively. As a result, the following conclusions were obtained: (1) slug flow pattern does not appear in the rod bundle and bubbly flow would directly transit to churn flow, (2) the measured boundary between bubbly and churn flows is close to the boundary between bubbly and slug flows given by Mishima and Ishii's flow pattern transition model, (3) critical void fraction causing bubbly to churn flow transition depends on a subchannel, i.e., about 0.3 for inner subchannels, about 0.2 for side subchannels and about 0.1 for corner subchannels, and (4) the two-point correlation coefficient of phase indicator functions for two inner subchannels shows a steep increase at the bubbly to churn flow transition, which, in turn, means that the two-point correlation is an appropriate indicator for detecting this transition. (authors)

  10. Spatial statistics detect clustering patterns of kidney diseases in south-eastern Romania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruben I.

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Medical geography was conceptualized almost ten years ago due to its obvious usefulness in epidemiological research. Still, numerous diseases in many regions were neglected in these aspects of research, and the prevalence of kidney diseases in Eastern Europe is such an example. We evaluated the spatial patterns of main kidney diseases in south-eastern Romania, and highlighted the importance of spatial modeling in medical management in Romania. We found two statistically significant hotspots of kidney diseases prevalence. We also found differences in the spatial patterns between categories of diseases. We propose to speed up the process of creating a national database of records on kidney diseases. Offering the researchers access to a national database will allow further epidemiology studies in Romania and finally lead to a better management of medical services.

  11. Echocardiographic and hemodynamic determinants of right coronary artery flow reserve and phasic flow pattern in advanced non-ischemic cardiomyopathy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mady Charles

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In patients with advanced non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NIC, right-sided cardiac disturbances has prognostic implications. Right coronary artery (RCA flow pattern and flow reserve (CFR are not well known in this setting. The purpose of this study was to assess, in human advanced NIC, the RCA phasic flow pattern and CFR, also under right-sided cardiac disturbances, and compare with left coronary circulation. As well as to investigate any correlation between the cardiac structural, mechanical and hemodynamic parameters with RCA phasic flow pattern or CFR. Methods Twenty four patients with dilated severe NIC were evaluated non-invasively, even by echocardiography, and also by cardiac catheterization, inclusive with Swan-Ganz catheter. Intracoronary Doppler (Flowire data was obtained in RCA and left anterior descendent coronary artery (LAD before and after adenosine. Resting RCA phasic pattern (diastolic/systolic was compared between subgroups with and without pulmonary hypertension, and with and without right ventricular (RV dysfunction; and also with LAD. RCA-CFR was compared with LAD, as well as in those subgroups. Pearson's correlation analysis was accomplished among echocardiographic (including LV fractional shortening, mass index, end systolic wall stress more hemodynamic parameters with RCA phasic flow pattern or RCA-CFR. Results LV fractional shortening and end diastolic diameter were 15.3 ± 3.5 % and 69.4 ± 12.2 mm. Resting RCA phasic pattern had no difference comparing subgroups with vs. without pulmonary hypertension (1.45 vs. 1.29, p = NS either with vs. without RV dysfunction (1.47 vs. 1.23, p = NS; RCA vs. LAD was 1.35 vs. 2.85 (p Conclusion In patients with chronic advanced NIC, RCA phasic flow pattern has a mild diastolic predominance, less marked than in LAD, with no effects from pulmonary artery hypertension or RV dysfunction. There is no significant correlation between any cardiac mechanical-structural or

  12. Optimizing spatial patterns with sparse filter bands for motor-imagery based brain-computer interface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yu; Zhou, Guoxu; Jin, Jing; Wang, Xingyu; Cichocki, Andrzej

    2015-11-30

    Common spatial pattern (CSP) has been most popularly applied to motor-imagery (MI) feature extraction for classification in brain-computer interface (BCI) application. Successful application of CSP depends on the filter band selection to a large degree. However, the most proper band is typically subject-specific and can hardly be determined manually. This study proposes a sparse filter band common spatial pattern (SFBCSP) for optimizing the spatial patterns. SFBCSP estimates CSP features on multiple signals that are filtered from raw EEG data at a set of overlapping bands. The filter bands that result in significant CSP features are then selected in a supervised way by exploiting sparse regression. A support vector machine (SVM) is implemented on the selected features for MI classification. Two public EEG datasets (BCI Competition III dataset IVa and BCI Competition IV IIb) are used to validate the proposed SFBCSP method. Experimental results demonstrate that SFBCSP help improve the classification performance of MI. The optimized spatial patterns by SFBCSP give overall better MI classification accuracy in comparison with several competing methods. The proposed SFBCSP is a potential method for improving the performance of MI-based BCI. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Design of flow-field patterns for proton exchange membrane fuel cell application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosli, M.I.; Wan Ramli Wan Daud; Kamaruzzaman Sopian; Jaafar Sahari

    2006-01-01

    Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that produce electricity at high efficiency without combustion. Fuel cells are emerging as viable candidates as power sources in many applications, including road vehicles, small-scale power stations, and possibly even portable electronics. This paper addresses the design of flow-field patterns for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The PEMFC is a low-temperature fuel cell, in which a proton conductive polymer membrane is used as the electrolyte. In PEMFC, flow-field pattern is one important thing that effects the performance of PEMFC. This paper present three types of flow-field pattern that will be consider to be testing using CFD analysis and by experimental. The design look detail on to their shape and dimension to get the best pattern in term of more active electrode area compare to electrode area that will be used. Another advantage and disadvantage for these three type of flow-field patterns from literature also compared in this paper

  14. Spatial statistics of pitting corrosion patterning: Quadrat counts and the non-homogeneous Poisson process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez de la Cruz, J.; Gutierrez, M.A.

    2008-01-01

    This paper presents a stochastic analysis of spatial point patterns as effect of localized pitting corrosion. The Quadrat Counts method is studied with two empirical pit patterns. The results are dependent on the quadrat size and bias is introduced when empty quadrats are accounted for the analysis. The spatially inhomogeneous Poisson process is used to improve the performance of the Quadrat Counts method. The latter combines Quadrat Counts with distance-based statistics in the analysis of pit patterns. The Inter-Event and the Nearest-Neighbour statistics are here implemented in order to compare their results. Further, the treatment of patterns in irregular domains is discussed

  15. Periodic flow patterns of the magnetic fluid in microchannel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, C.-W.; Cheng, Y.-T.; Tsai, C.-Y.; Chien, J.-H.; Wang, P.-Y.; Chen, P.-H.

    2007-01-01

    In this study, of interests are the periodic flow patterns of the oil-based magnetic fluid in microchannels. A microfluidic chip is made of poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and contains cross-shape microchannels. The microchannels are 1000 μm in width and 200 μm in depth. A syringe pump was used to drive the fluids. Periodic flow patterns were seen and the slugs of magnetic fluid and DI water were generated. The operating factors discussed in the present work are the flow rates and the magnetic field. The frequency of generation of the slugs increases with increase in the flow rates. Besides, by settling the permanent magnet around the microchannel, the periods of the slug generation are changed. Different positions of the magnet lead to different periods for generating the slugs. By adjusting operating conditions, to control the frequency and the volume of the slugs is practical

  16. PATTERNS OF FLOWS IN AN INTERMEDIATE PROMINENCE OBSERVED BY HINODE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Kwangsu; Chae, Jongchul; Cao Wenda; Goode, Philip R.

    2010-01-01

    The investigation of plasma flows in filaments/prominences gives us clues to understanding their magnetic structures. We studied the patterns of flows in an intermediate prominence observed by Hinode/SOT. By examining a time series of Hα images and Ca II H images, we have found horizontal flows in the spine and vertical flows in the barb. Both of these flows have a characteristic speed of 10-20 km s -1 . The horizontal flows displayed counterstreaming. Our detailed investigation revealed that most of the moving fragments in fact reversed direction at the end point of the spine near a footpoint close to the associated active region. These returning flows may be one possible explanation of the well-known counterstreaming flows in prominences. In contrast, we have found vertical flows-downward and upward-in the barb. Most of the horizontal flows in the spine seem to switch into vertical flows when they approach the barb, and vice versa. We propose that the net force resulting from a small deviation from magnetohydrostatic equilibrium, where magnetic fields are predominantly horizontal, may drive these patterns of flow. In the prominence studied here, the supposed magnetohydrostatic configuration is characterized by magnetic field lines sagging with angles of 13 0 and 39 0 in the spine and the barb, respectively.

  17. Spatial relationships and movement patterns of the air cargo industry in airport regions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petrus J. van V. Coetzee

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: During the past few years, with the increase in air traffic and the expansion of airports, very few industries had such a large spatial development and movement impact as that of airport-related clusters or airport regions. Although much research was done on the various impacts of the airport industry, very little research was done on the air cargo industry in airport regions. Objectives: This article specifically explored the unique spatial relationships, impacts, trends and movement patterns of the air cargo industry within a typical airport region. Method: The article focused on the OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng, South Africa, as a case study and was informed by an extensive quantitative spatial and land use analysis and modelling of the study area. Results: The article presented findings and insights on the movement patterns and relationships between (1 the airport facility and (2 the spatial configuration of air cargo industries in the particular airport region. These findings also provided some framework for a possible spatial model and guideline that could assist in steering and managing development and movement patterns in airport regions. Conclusion: The article provided new insights and understanding on the spatial dynamics of airport regions and the air cargo industry, ultimately addressing some gaps in this knowledge field. The article in the end highlighted the need for a different and novel approach to the planning and management of the air cargo industry in airport regions and a basis for further research.

  18. Evidence of Territoriality and Species Interactions from Spatial Point-Pattern Analyses of Subarctic-Nesting Geese

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reiter, Matthew E.; Andersen, David E.

    2013-01-01

    Quantifying spatial patterns of bird nests and nest fate provides insights into processes influencing a species’ distribution. At Cape Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, recent declines in breeding Eastern Prairie Population Canada geese (Branta canadensis interior) has coincided with increasing populations of nesting lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) and Ross’s geese (Chen rossii). We conducted a spatial analysis of point patterns using Canada goose nest locations and nest fate, and lesser snow goose nest locations at two study areas in northern Manitoba with different densities and temporal durations of sympatric nesting Canada and lesser snow geese. Specifically, we assessed (1) whether Canada geese exhibited territoriality and at what scale and nest density; and (2) whether spatial patterns of Canada goose nest fate were associated with the density of nesting lesser snow geese as predicted by the protective-association hypothesis. Between 2001 and 2007, our data suggest that Canada geese were territorial at the scale of nearest neighbors, but were aggregated when considering overall density of conspecifics at slightly broader spatial scales. The spatial distribution of nest fates indicated that lesser snow goose nest proximity and density likely influence Canada goose nest fate. Our analyses of spatial point patterns suggested that continued changes in the distribution and abundance of breeding lesser snow geese on the Hudson Bay Lowlands may have impacts on the reproductive performance of Canada geese, and subsequently the spatial distribution of Canada goose nests. PMID:24312520

  19. Measuring floodplain spatial patterns using continuous surface metrics at multiple scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scown, Murray W.; Thoms, Martin C.; DeJager, Nathan R.

    2015-01-01

    Interactions between fluvial processes and floodplain ecosystems occur upon a floodplain surface that is often physically complex. Spatial patterns in floodplain topography have only recently been quantified over multiple scales, and discrepancies exist in how floodplain surfaces are perceived to be spatially organised. We measured spatial patterns in floodplain topography for pool 9 of the Upper Mississippi River, USA, using moving window analyses of eight surface metrics applied to a 1 × 1 m2 DEM over multiple scales. The metrics used were Range, SD, Skewness, Kurtosis, CV, SDCURV,Rugosity, and Vol:Area, and window sizes ranged from 10 to 1000 m in radius. Surface metric values were highly variable across the floodplain and revealed a high degree of spatial organisation in floodplain topography. Moran's I correlograms fit to the landscape of each metric at each window size revealed that patchiness existed at nearly all window sizes, but the strength and scale of patchiness changed within window size, suggesting that multiple scales of patchiness and patch structure exist in the topography of this floodplain. Scale thresholds in the spatial patterns were observed, particularly between the 50 and 100 m window sizes for all surface metrics and between the 500 and 750 m window sizes for most metrics. These threshold scales are ~ 15–20% and 150% of the main channel width (1–2% and 10–15% of the floodplain width), respectively. These thresholds may be related to structuring processes operating across distinct scale ranges. By coupling surface metrics, multi-scale analyses, and correlograms, quantifying floodplain topographic complexity is possible in ways that should assist in clarifying how floodplain ecosystems are structured.

  20. Entropy feature extraction on flow pattern of gas/liquid two-phase flow based on cross-section measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, J; Dong, F; Xu, Y Y

    2009-01-01

    This paper introduces the fundamental of cross-section measurement system based on Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT). The measured data of four flow regimes of the gas/liquid two-phase flow in horizontal pipe flow are obtained by an ERT system. For the measured data, five entropies are extracted to analyze the experimental data according to the different flow regimes, and the analysis method is examined and compared in three different perspectives. The results indicate that three different perspectives of entropy-based feature extraction are sensitive to the flow pattern transition in gas/liquid two-phase flow. By analyzing the results of three different perspectives with the changes of gas/liquid two-phase flow parameters, the dynamic structures of gas/liquid two-phase flow is obtained, and they also provide an efficient supplementary to reveal the flow pattern transition mechanism of gas/liquid two-phase flow. Comparison of the three different methods of feature extraction shows that the appropriate entropy should be used for the identification and prediction of flow regimes.

  1. Visualisation of cerebrospinal fluid flow patterns in albino Xenopus larvae in vivo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mogi Kazue

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background It has long been known that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF, its composition and flow, play an important part in normal brain development, and ependymal cell ciliary beating as a possible driver of CSF flow has previously been studied in mammalian fetuses in vitro. Lower vertebrate animals are potential models for analysis of CSF flow during development because they are oviparous. Albino Xenopus laevis larvae are nearly transparent and have a straight, translucent brain that facilitates the observation of fluid flow within the ventricles. The aim of these experiments was to study CSF flow and circulation in vivo in the developing brain of living embryos, larvae and tadpoles of Xenopus laevis using a microinjection technique. Methods The development of Xenopus larval brain ventricles and the patterns of CSF flow were visualised after injection of quantum dot nanocrystals and polystyrene beads (3.1 or 5.8 μm in diameter into the fourth cerebral ventricle at embryonic/larval stages 30-53. Results The fluorescent nanocrystals showed the normal development of the cerebral ventricles from embryonic/larval stages 38 to 53. The polystyrene beads injected into stage 47-49 larvae revealed three CSF flow patterns, left-handed, right-handed and non-biased, in movement of the beads into the third ventricle from the cerebral aqueduct (aqueduct of Sylvius. In the lateral ventricles, anterior to the third ventricle, CSF flow moved anteriorly along the outer wall of the ventricle to the inner wall and then posteriorly, creating a semicircle. In the cerebral aqueduct, connecting the third and fourth cerebral ventricles, CSF flow moved rostrally in the dorsal region and caudally in the ventral region. Also in the fourth ventricle, clear dorso-ventral differences in fluid flow pattern were observed. Conclusions This is the first visualisation of the orchestrated CSF flow pattern in developing vertebrates using a live animal imaging approach. CSF flow

  2. Fluid Flow Patterns During Production from Gas Hydrates in the Laboratory compared to Field Settings: LARS vs. Mallik

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strauch, B.; Heeschen, K. U.; Priegnitz, M.; Abendroth, S.; Spangenberg, E.; Thaler, J.; Schicks, J. M.

    2015-12-01

    The GFZ's LArge Reservoir Simulator LARS allows for the simulation of the 2008 Mallik gas hydrate production test and the comparison of fluid flow patterns and their driving forces. Do we see the gas flow pattern described for Mallik [Uddin, M. et al., J. Can. Petrol Tech, 50, 70-89, 2011] in a pilot scale test? If so, what are the driving forces? LARS has a network of temperature sensors and an electric resistivity tomography (ERT) enabling a good spatial resolution of gas hydrate occurrences, water and gas distribution, and changes in temperature in the sample. A gas flow meter and a water trap record fluid flow patterns and a backpressure valve has controlled the depressurization equivalent to the three pressure stages (7.0 - 5.0 - 4.2 MPa) applied in the Mallik field test. The environmental temperature (284 K) and confining pressure (13 MPa) have been constant. The depressurization induced immediate endothermic gas hydrate dissociation until re-establishment of the stability conditions by a consequent temperature decrease. Slight gas hydrate dissociation continued at the top and upper lateral border due to the constant heat input from the environment. Here transport pathways were short and permeability higher due to lower gas hydrate saturation. At pressures of 7.0 and 5.0 MPa the LARS tests showed high water flow rates and short irregular spikes of gas production. The gas flow patterns at 4.2 MPa and 3.0MPa resembled those of the Mallik test. In LARS the initial gas surges overlap with times of hydrate instability while water content and lengths of pathways had increased. Water production was at a minimum. A rapidly formed continuous gas phase caused the initial gas surges and only after gas hydrate dissociation decreased to a minimum the single gas bubbles get trapped before slowly coalescing again. In LARS, where pathways were short and no additional water was added, a transport of microbubbles is unlikely to cause a gas surge as suggested for Mallik.

  3. Spatial pattern and temporal trend of mortality due to tuberculosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Angélica Rêgo de Queiroz

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objectives: To describe the epidemiological profile of mortality due to tuberculosis (TB, to analyze the spatial pattern of these deaths and to investigate the temporal trend in mortality due to tuberculosis in Northeast Brazil. Methods: An ecological study based on secondary mortality data. Deaths due to TB were included in the study. Descriptive statistics were calculated and gross mortality rates were estimated and smoothed by the Local Empirical Bayesian Method. Prais-Winsten’s regression was used to analyze the temporal trend in the TB mortality coefficients. The Kernel density technique was used to analyze the spatial distribution of TB mortality. Results: Tuberculosis was implicated in 236 deaths. The burden of tuberculosis deaths was higher amongst males, single people and people of mixed ethnicity, and the mean age at death was 51 years. TB deaths were clustered in the East, West and North health districts, and the tuberculosis mortality coefficient remained stable throughout the study period. Conclusions: Analyses of the spatial pattern and temporal trend in mortality revealed that certain areas have higher TB mortality rates, and should therefore be prioritized in public health interventions targeting the disease.

  4. Modeling on bubbly to churn flow pattern transition in narrow rectangular channel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Yanlin; Chen Bingde; Huang Yanping; Wang Junfeng

    2012-01-01

    A theoretical model based on some reasonable concepts was developed to predict the bubbly flow to churn flow pattern transition in vertical narrow rectangular channel under flow boiling condition. The maximum size of ideal bubble in narrow rectangular channel was calculated based on previous literature. The thermal hydraulics boundary condition of bubbly to churn flow pattern transition was exported from Helmholtz and maximum size of ideal bubble. The theoretical model was validated by existent experimental data. (authors)

  5. Children's Brain Responses to Optic Flow Vary by Pattern Type and Motion Speed.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rick O Gilmore

    Full Text Available Structured patterns of global visual motion called optic flow provide crucial information about an observer's speed and direction of self-motion and about the geometry of the environment. Brain and behavioral responses to optic flow undergo considerable postnatal maturation, but relatively little brain imaging evidence describes the time course of development in motion processing systems in early to middle childhood, a time when psychophysical data suggest that there are changes in sensitivity. To fill this gap, electroencephalographic (EEG responses were recorded in 4- to 8-year-old children who viewed three time-varying optic flow patterns (translation, rotation, and radial expansion/contraction at three different speeds (2, 4, and 8 deg/s. Modulations of global motion coherence evoked coherent EEG responses at the first harmonic that differed by flow pattern and responses at the third harmonic and dot update rate that varied by speed. Pattern-related responses clustered over right lateral channels while speed-related responses clustered over midline channels. Both children and adults show widespread responses to modulations of motion coherence at the second harmonic that are not selective for pattern or speed. The results suggest that the developing brain segregates the processing of optic flow pattern from speed and that an adult-like pattern of neural responses to optic flow has begun to emerge by early to middle childhood.

  6. Simulation of Flow Pattern around Inclined Bridge Group Pier using FLOW-3D Software

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Malihesadat Jafari

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Bridges are certainly one of the most important structures but costly service elements in a transport system. The bridges are very required to access the damaged areas in emergency situations such as floods and earthquakes. Scour around the foundations of bridge piers exposed to the flowing water than can destroy the bridge itself is a subject of major concern. Flow pattern is known as responsible for all changes in stream bed. Any obstacle in the channel can form new flow patterns causing additional shear stress exerted on the bed than the equilibrium condition of the absence of the obstacle. Appropriate shaping of flow pattern and proper selecting of pier geometry and the location of bridge piers can be one of the proper methods in reduction of scour amount which is the main subject of the present study. Materials and Methods: Inclined bridge group pier is a type of bridges with modern geometry based on development in building technology of structures. Many of these bridges have been built all around the world and the 8th bridge built crossing the Karun River in Ahvaz is a sample of the Iranian ones considered in this research. Hydrodynamic behavior of flow is investigated around the inclined bridge group pier settled on foundation using the FLOW-3D numerical model. Inclined bridge group pier investigated in this study, includes two rectangular piers which are 2.5 cm long and 3.5 cm wide and set in an angle of 28 degree on rectangular foundation which is 16 cm long and 10 cm wide and installed in three different foundation levels namely at, above and below the bed levels. The physical model of prototype pier considered in this study was constructed to the scale of 1:190 of the Ahvaz 8th bridge. In order to verify the accuracy of the numerical model, velocity data obtained from image processing technique were used. Results and Discussion: Due to non- linearity and interactions between various phenomena involved, flow pattern

  7. Spatial and seasonal distribution patterns of the ragged-tooth shark ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Catches from competitive shore-anglers, inshore boatbased anglers and sightings by spearfishers and divers were used to infer the spatial and seasonal movement patterns of young-of-the-year (2.4m TL) ragged-tooth sharks Carcharias taurus along ...

  8. Visualization and analysis of flow patterns of human carotid bifurcation by computational fluid dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xue Yunjing; Gao Peiyi; Lin Yan

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To investigate flow patterns at carotid bifurcation in vivo by combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD)and MR angiography imaging. Methods: Seven subjects underwent contrast-enhanced MR angiography of carotid artery in Siemens 3.0 T MR. Flow patterns of the carotid artery bifurcation were calculated and visualized by combining MR vascular imaging post-processing and CFD. Results: The flow patterns of the carotid bifurcations in 7 subjects were varied with different phases of a cardiac cycle. The turbulent flow and back flow occurred at bifurcation and proximal of internal carotid artery (ICA) and external carotid artery (ECA), their occurrence and conformation were varied with different phase of a cardiac cycle. The turbulent flow and back flow faded out quickly when the blood flow to the distal of ICA and ECA. Conclusion: CFD combined with MR angiography can be utilized to visualize the cyclical change of flow patterns of carotid bifurcation with different phases of a cardiac cycle. (authors)

  9. Evaluation of flow volume and flow patterns in the patent false lumen of chronic aortic dissections using velocity-encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Inoue, Toshihisa; Watanabe, Shigeru; Sakurada, Hideki; Ono, Katsuhiro; Urano, Miharu; Hijikata, Yasuyoshi; Saito, Isao; Masuda, Yoshiaki [Chiba Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine

    2000-10-01

    In 21 patients with chronic aortic dissections and proven patent false lumens, the flow volume and flow patterns in the patent false lumens was evaluated using velocity-encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging (VENC-MRI) and the relationship between the flow characteristics and aortic enlargement was retrospectively examined. Flow patterns in the false lumen were divided into 3 groups: pattern A with primarily antegrade flow (n=6), pattern R with primarily retrograde flow (n=3), and pattern B with bidirectional flow (n=12). In group A, the rate of flow volume in the false lumen compared to the total flow volume in true and false lumens (%TFV) and the average rate of enlargement of the maximum diameter of the dissected aorta per year ({delta}D) were significantly greater than in groups R and B (%TFV: 74.1{+-}0.07 vs 15.2{+-}0.03 vs 11.8{+-}0.04, p<0.01; {delta}D: 3.62{+-}0.82 vs 0 vs 0.58{+-}0.15 mm/year, p<0.05, respectively). There was a significant correlation between %TFV and {delta}D (r=0.79, p<0.0001). Evaluation of flow volume and flow patterns in the patent false lumen using VENC-MRI may be useful for predicting enlargement of the dissected aorta. (author)

  10. Classification of natural circulation two-phase flow patterns using fuzzy inference on image analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mesquita, R.N. de; Masotti, P.H.F.; Penha, R.M.L.; Andrade, D.A.; Sabundjian, G.; Torres, W.M.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► A fuzzy classification system for two-phase flow instability patterns is developed. ► Flow patterns are classified based on images of natural circulation experiments. ► Fuzzy inference is optimized to use single grayscale profiles as input. - Abstract: Two-phase flow on natural circulation phenomenon has been an important theme on recent studies related to nuclear reactor designs. The accuracy of heat transfer estimation has been improved with new models that require precise prediction of pattern transitions of flow. In this work, visualization of natural circulation cycles is used to study two-phase flow patterns associated with phase transients and static instabilities of flow. A Fuzzy Flow-type Classification System (FFCS) was developed to classify these patterns based only on image extracted features. Image acquisition and temperature measurements were simultaneously done. Experiments in natural circulation facility were adjusted to generate a series of characteristic two-phase flow instability periodic cycles. The facility is composed of a loop of glass tubes, a heat source using electrical heaters, a cold source using a helicoidal heat exchanger, a visualization section and thermocouples positioned over different loop sections. The instability cyclic period is estimated based on temperature measurements associated with the detection of a flow transition image pattern. FFCS shows good results provided that adequate image acquisition parameters and pre-processing adjustments are used.

  11. Spatial patterns of fish standing biomass across Brazilian reefs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morais, R A; Ferreira, C E L; Floeter, S R

    2017-12-01

    A large fish-count dataset from the Brazilian province was used to describe spatial patterns in standing biomass and test if total biomass, taxonomic and functional trophic structure vary across nested spatial scales. Taxonomic and functional structure varied more among localities and sites than among regions. Total biomass was generally higher at oceanic islands and remote or protected localities along the coast. Lower level carnivores comprised a large part of the biomass at almost all localities (mean of 44%), zooplanktivores never attained more than 14% and omnivores were more representative of subtropical reefs and oceanic islands (up to 66% of total biomass). Small and large herbivores and detritivores varied greatly in their contribution to total biomass, with no clear geographical patterns. Macrocarnivores comprised less than 12% of the biomass anywhere, except for two remote localities. Top predators, such as sharks and very large groupers, were rare and restricted to a few reefs, suggesting that their ecological function might have already been lost in many Brazilian reefs. © 2017 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

  12. Simulation techniques for spatially evolving instabilities in compressible flow over a flat plate

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wasistho, B.; Geurts, Bernardus J.; Kuerten, Johannes G.M.

    1997-01-01

    In this paper we present numerical techniques suitable for a direct numerical simulation in the spatial setting. We demonstrate the application to the simulation of compressible flat plate flow instabilities. We compare second and fourth order accurate spatial discretization schemes in combination

  13. The impact of traffic-flow patterns on air quality in urban street canyons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thaker, Prashant; Gokhale, Sharad

    2016-01-01

    We investigated the effect of different urban traffic-flow patterns on pollutant dispersion in different winds in a real asymmetric street canyon. Free-flow traffic causes more turbulence in the canyon facilitating more dispersion and a reduction in pedestrian level concentration. The comparison of with and without a vehicle-induced-turbulence revealed that when winds were perpendicular, the free-flow traffic reduced the concentration by 73% on the windward side with a minor increase of 17% on the leeward side, whereas for parallel winds, it reduced the concentration by 51% and 29%. The congested-flow traffic increased the concentrations on the leeward side by 47% when winds were perpendicular posing a higher risk to health, whereas reduced it by 17–42% for parallel winds. The urban air quality and public health can, therefore, be improved by improving the traffic-flow patterns in street canyons as vehicle-induced turbulence has been shown to contribute significantly to dispersion. - Highlights: • CFD is used to study impact of traffic-flow patterns on urban air quality. • Facilitating free-flow patterns induce more turbulence in street canyons. • Traffic-generated turbulence alters pollutant levels in urban street canyons. - This study investigates the effect of vehicle-induced-turbulence generated during free-flow traffic pattern in reduction of air pollutant concentrations in urban street canyons.

  14. Spatial patterns of dengue cases in Brazil.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando Jose Antonio

    Full Text Available Dengue infection plays a central role in our society, since it is the most prevalent vector-borne viral disease affecting humans. We statistically investigated patterns concerning the spatial spreading of dengue epidemics in Brazil, as well as their temporal evolution in all Brazilian municipalities for a period of 12 years. We showed that the distributions of cases in municipalities follow power laws persistent in time and that the infection scales linearly with the population of the municipalities. We also found that the average number of dengue cases does not have a clear dependence on the longitudinal position of municipalities. On the other hand, we found that the average distribution of cases varies with the latitudinal position of municipalities, displaying an almost constant growth from high latitudes until reaching the Tropic of Capricorn leveling to a plateau closer to the Equator. We also characterized the spatial correlation of the number of dengue cases between pairs of municipalities, where our results showed that the spatial correlation function decays with the increase of distance between municipalities, following a power-law with an exponential cut-off. This regime leads to a typical dengue traveling distance. Finally, we considered modeling this last behaviour within the framework of a Edwards-Wilkinson equation with a fractional derivative on space.

  15. Effect of induced cross flow on flow pattern and performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiao, Kui; Bachman, John; Zhou, Yibo; Park, Jae Wan

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • 3D numerical works to study the effect of cross flow on the PEMFC performance. • The cross flow ensure more evenly distributed water and oxygen in the CL. • The optimal net power output can be identified by controlling the back pressure. • Results confirm that present design is effective in improving performance. - Abstract: The cross flow in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) plays an important role in changing the transport pattern and performance. In this study, three-dimensional numerical simulations are carried out to investigate the effect of induced cross flow on the flow pattern and performance of a PEMFC with a previously proposed and experimentally studied novel parallel flow channel design. The numerical results indicate that the liquid water and oxygen become more evenly distributed in the catalyst layer (CL) as the pressure difference between the low-pressure and high-pressure flow channels increases. It has been found that, in the low-pressure channels, the cross flow drives a convective flow from the CL to the flow channel resulting in improved liquid water removal. The optimal net power output can be identified by controlling the back pressure on the high-pressure flow channels. The numerical results confirm that this novel parallel flow channel design is effective in improving PEMFC performance

  16. Comparison of different statistical modelling approaches for deriving spatial air temperature patterns in an urban environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Straub, Annette; Beck, Christoph; Breitner, Susanne; Cyrys, Josef; Geruschkat, Uta; Jacobeit, Jucundus; Kühlbach, Benjamin; Kusch, Thomas; Richter, Katja; Schneider, Alexandra; Umminger, Robin; Wolf, Kathrin

    2017-04-01

    Frequently spatial variations of air temperature of considerable magnitude occur within urban areas. They correspond to varying land use/land cover characteristics and vary with season, time of day and synoptic conditions. These temperature differences have an impact on human health and comfort directly by inducing thermal stress as well as indirectly by means of affecting air quality. Therefore, knowledge of the spatial patterns of air temperature in cities and the factors causing them is of great importance, e.g. for urban planners. A multitude of studies have shown statistical modelling to be a suitable tool for generating spatial air temperature patterns. This contribution presents a comparison of different statistical modelling approaches for deriving spatial air temperature patterns in the urban environment of Augsburg, Southern Germany. In Augsburg there exists a measurement network for air temperature and humidity currently comprising 48 stations in the city and its rural surroundings (corporately operated by the Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health and the Institute of Geography, University of Augsburg). Using different datasets for land surface characteristics (Open Street Map, Urban Atlas) area percentages of different types of land cover were calculated for quadratic buffer zones of different size (25, 50, 100, 250, 500 m) around the stations as well for source regions of advective air flow and used as predictors together with additional variables such as sky view factor, ground level and distance from the city centre. Multiple Linear Regression and Random Forest models for different situations taking into account season, time of day and weather condition were applied utilizing selected subsets of these predictors in order to model spatial distributions of mean hourly and daily air temperature deviations from a rural reference station. Furthermore, the different model setups were

  17. Pollen-mediated gene flow and fine-scale spatial genetic structure in Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beghè, D; Piotti, A; Satovic, Z; de la Rosa, R; Belaj, A

    2017-03-01

    Wild olive ( Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris ) is important from an economic and ecological point of view. The effects of anthropogenic activities may lead to the genetic erosion of its genetic patrimony, which has high value for breeding programmes. In particular, the consequences of the introgression from cultivated stands are strongly dependent on the extent of gene flow and therefore this work aims at quantitatively describing contemporary gene flow patterns in wild olive natural populations. The studied wild population is located in an undisturbed forest, in southern Spain, considered one of the few extant hotspots of true oleaster diversity. A total of 225 potential father trees and seeds issued from five mother trees were genotyped by eight microsatellite markers. Levels of contemporary pollen flow, in terms of both pollen immigration rates and within-population dynamics, were measured through paternity analyses. Moreover, the extent of fine-scale spatial genetic structure (SGS) was studied to assess the relative importance of seed and pollen dispersal in shaping the spatial distribution of genetic variation. The results showed that the population under study is characterized by a high genetic diversity, a relatively high pollen immigration rate (0·57), an average within-population pollen dispersal of about 107 m and weak but significant SGS up to 40 m. The population is a mosaic of several intermingled genetic clusters that is likely to be generated by spatially restricted seed dispersal. Moreover, wild oleasters were found to be self-incompatible and preferential mating between some genotypes was revealed. Knowledge of the within-population genetic structure and gene flow dynamics will lead to identifying possible strategies aimed at limiting the effect of anthropogenic activities and improving breeding programmes for the conservation of olive tree forest genetic resources. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf

  18. Spatial patterns and morphology of termite (Macrotermes falciger) mounds in the upper Katanga, D.R. Congo

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mujinya, B.B.; Adam, M.Y.O.; Mees, F.; Bogaert, J.; Vranken, I.; Erens, H.; Baert, G.; Ngongo, M.; Ranst, van E.

    2014-01-01

    This study examines the spatial distribution patterns and morphological characteristics of Macrotermes falciger mounds in the peri-urban zone of Lubumbashi, D.R. Congo. Spatial patterns of mounds were assessed using high-resolution satellite images for 24 plots of variable size (3 to 27 ha). Soil

  19. Velocity measurements and identification of the flow pattern of vertical air-water flows with light-beam detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luebbesmeyer, D.; Leoni, B.

    1980-07-01

    A new detector for measuring fluid velocities in two-phase flows by means of Noise-Analysis (especially Transient-Cross-Correlation-technique) has been developed. The detector utilizes a light-beam which is modulated by changes in the transparency of the two-phase flow. The results of nine measurements for different flow-regimes of vertical air/water-flows are shown. A main topic of these investigations was to answer the question if it is possible to identify the flow-pattern by looking at the shape of different 'Noise-Analytical-functions' (like APSD, CPSD, CCF etc.). The results prove that light-beam sensors are good detectors for fluid-velocity measurements in different flow regimes and in a wide range of fluid velocities starting with values of about 0.08 m/s up to values of 40 m/s. With respect to flow-pattern identification only the time-signals and the shape of the cross-power-density-function (CPSD) seem to be useful. (Auth.)

  20. Assessment of theoretical flow pattern maps for vertical upward two-phase flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khare, Rajesh; Vijayan, P.K.; Saha, D.; Venkat Raj, V.

    1997-04-01

    Taitel-Dukler (1980), Mishima-Ishii (1984) and Solbrig (1986) flow pattern maps have been assessed against an experimental data bank compiled from different sources. The data bank consisted of a total of 1411 data points with 368 bubbly, 474 slug/churn and 545 annular flow points, the rest being transition points. The data bank consisted of mainly steam water data; some amount of air-water data are included as there were no steam-water data at low pressure ( gs - U ls plane. (author)

  1. Gender and spatial population mobility in Iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hemmasi, M

    1994-01-01

    1976-1986 data from the National Census of Population and Housing were analyzed to examine the spatial patterns of internal migration of women and men in Iran within its Islamic patriarchal cultural system. The researcher also organized 1986 data into two interprovincial migration matrixes for men and women. Women were spatially as mobile as men (urban, 16.7% for men and 17% for women; rural, 8.4% and 8.9%, respectively). Gender spatial mobility patterns during the 10 years included: migration streams from nine provinces consistently led to Tehran province, most migration flows to Tehran and most other provinces originated from Khuzistan, East Azerbaijan province still continued to lose population (about 500,000), and out-flows generally originated from the provinces affected by the Iran-Iraq war and went to the central and eastern provinces. The strongest determinants of women's migration was men's migration ratio and the road distance between the origin and destination. Reasons for these strong associations were few employed women ( 10%), strong family ties, and traditional cultural values (e.g., women tend not to travel alone). So their migration patterns tended to be associational rather than autonomous. Despite the fact that internal migration patterns of men and women were the same, the causes, processes, and consequences of migration were still very gender-specific in Iran. There are no signs of change in the near future.

  2. What drives the formation of global oil trade patterns?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Hai-Ying; Ji, Qiang; Fan, Ying

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, the spatial characteristics of current global oil trade patterns are investigated by proposing a new indicator Moran-F. Meanwhile, the factors that influence the formation of oil trade patterns are identified by constructing four different kinds of spatial econometric models. The findings indicate that most oil exporters have an obvious export focus in North America and a relatively balanced export in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Besides supply and demand factors, technological progress and energy efficiency have also significantly influenced the oil trade. Moreover, there is a spillover effect of trade flow among different regions, but its impact is weak. In addition, oil importers in the same region have the potential to cooperate due to their similar import sources. Finally, promotion of oil importers' R&D investments can effectively reduce the demand for global oil trade. - Highlights: • A new spatial association Moran-F indicator that applies to trade flows is proposed. • Driving factors affecting the formation of oil trade patterns are identified. • Oil-exporting countries implement various export strategies in different regions. • Supply, demand and technological factors contribute to the oil trade patterns. • Spillover effect of each factor affecting oil trade flows does exist but is limited

  3. Evaluation of flow volume and flow patterns in the patent false lumen of chronic aortic dissections using velocity-encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inoue, Toshihisa; Watanabe, Shigeru; Sakurada, Hideki; Ono, Katsuhiro; Urano, Miharu; Hijikata, Yasuyoshi; Saito, Isao; Masuda, Yoshiaki

    2000-01-01

    In 21 patients with chronic aortic dissections and proven patent false lumens, the flow volume and flow patterns in the patent false lumens was evaluated using velocity-encoded cine magnetic resonance imaging (VENC-MRI) and the relationship between the flow characteristics and aortic enlargement was retrospectively examined. Flow patterns in the false lumen were divided into 3 groups: pattern A with primarily antegrade flow (n=6), pattern R with primarily retrograde flow (n=3), and pattern B with bidirectional flow (n=12). In group A, the rate of flow volume in the false lumen compared to the total flow volume in true and false lumens (%TFV) and the average rate of enlargement of the maximum diameter of the dissected aorta per year (ΔD) were significantly greater than in groups R and B (%TFV: 74.1±0.07 vs 15.2±0.03 vs 11.8±0.04, p<0.01; ΔD: 3.62±0.82 vs 0 vs 0.58±0.15 mm/year, p<0.05, respectively). There was a significant correlation between %TFV and ΔD (r=0.79, p<0.0001). Evaluation of flow volume and flow patterns in the patent false lumen using VENC-MRI may be useful for predicting enlargement of the dissected aorta. (author)

  4. Spatial and spatiotemporal pattern analysis of coconut lethal yellowing in Mozambique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonnot, F; de Franqueville, H; Lourenço, E

    2010-04-01

    Coconut lethal yellowing (LY) is caused by a phytoplasma and is a major threat for coconut production throughout its growing area. Incidence of LY was monitored visually on every coconut tree in six fields in Mozambique for 34 months. Disease progress curves were plotted and average monthly disease incidence was estimated. Spatial patterns of disease incidence were analyzed at six assessment times. Aggregation was tested by the coefficient of spatial autocorrelation of the beta-binomial distribution of diseased trees in quadrats. The binary power law was used as an assessment of overdispersion across the six fields. Spatial autocorrelation between symptomatic trees was measured by the BB join count statistic based on the number of pairs of diseased trees separated by a specific distance and orientation, and tested using permutation methods. Aggregation of symptomatic trees was detected in every field in both cumulative and new cases. Spatiotemporal patterns were analyzed with two methods. The proximity of symptomatic trees at two assessment times was investigated using the spatiotemporal BB join count statistic based on the number of pairs of trees separated by a specific distance and orientation and exhibiting the first symptoms of LY at the two times. The semivariogram of times of appearance of LY was calculated to characterize how the lag between times of appearance of LY was related to the distance between symptomatic trees. Both statistics were tested using permutation methods. A tendency for new cases to appear in the proximity of previously diseased trees and a spatially structured pattern of times of appearance of LY within clusters of diseased trees were detected, suggesting secondary spread of the disease.

  5. ANALYSIS ON THE DYNAMICS OF SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION PATTERN OF MIXED SPIDER POPULATION IN RICE FIELD

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    ZhiWang; Zhe-mingYuan; Da-xiangSong; Ming-shengZhu

    2004-01-01

    The results make it clear that there are total 11 families, 29 genera and 43 species of spiders in the rice field of Dong Fang Hong Farm. Among them, there are 8 families, 19 genera and 28 species in the early rice field, and 10 families, 27 genera and 36 species in the late rice field. The spatial distribution pattern of mixed spider populations in rice fields was different during different development stages of rice plant. During the prophase, metaphase and anaphase of early rice plant development, the spatial distribution pattern of mixed spider populations was aggregative, random and aggregative respectively. During the prophase, metaphase and anaphase of late rice plant development, the spatial distribution pattern was uniform, aggregative and uniform respectively.

  6. Spatio-temporal cerebral blood flow perfusion patterns in cortical spreading depression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verisokin, Andrey Yu.; Verveyko, Darya V.; Postnov, Dmitry E.

    2017-04-01

    Cortical spreading depression (CSD) is an example of one of the most common abnormalities in biophysical brain functioning. Despite the fact that there are many mathematical models describing the cortical spreading depression (CSD), most of them do not take into consideration the role of redistribution of cerebral blood flow (CBF), that results in the formation of spatio-temporal patterns. The paper presents a mathematical model, which successfully explains the CBD role in the CSD process. Numerical study of this model has revealed the formation of stationary dissipative structures, visually analogous to Turing structures. However, the mechanism of their formation is not diffusion. We show these structures occur due to another type of spatial coupling, that is related to tissue perfusion rate. The proposed model predicts that at similar state of neurons the distribution of blood flow and oxygenation may by different. Currently, this effect is not taken into account when the Blood oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) contrast imaging used in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Thus, the diagnosis on the BOLD signal can be ambiguous. We believe that our results can be used in the future for a more correct interpretation of the data obtained with fMRI, NIRS and other similar methods for research of the brain activity.

  7. Inspiratory flow pattern in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lafortuna, C L; Minetti, A E; Mognoni, P

    1984-10-01

    The theoretical estimation of the mechanical work of breathing during inspiration at rest is based on the common assumption that the inspiratory airflow wave is a sine function of time. Different analytical studies have pointed out that from an energetic point of view a rectangular wave is more economical than a sine wave. Visual inspection of inspiratory flow waves recorded during exercise in humans and various animals suggests that a trend toward a rectangular flow wave may be a possible systematic response of the respiratory system. To test this hypothesis, the harmonic content of inspiratory flow waves that were recorded in six healthy subjects at rest, during exercise hyperventilation, and during a maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) maneuver were evaluated by a Fourier analysis, and the results were compared with those obtained on sinusoidal and rectangular models. The dynamic work inherent in the experimental waves and in the sine-wave model was practically the same at rest; during exercise hyperventilation and MVV, the experimental wave was approximately 16-20% more economical than the sinusoidal one. It was concluded that even though at rest the sinusoidal model is a reasonably good approximation of inspiratory flow, during exercise and MVV, a physiological controller is probably operating in humans that can select a more economical inspiratory pattern. Other peculiarities of airflow wave during hyperventilation and some optimization criteria are also discussed.

  8. Structure of two-phase air-water flows. Study of average void fraction and flow patterns

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roumy, R.

    1969-01-01

    This report deals with experimental work on a two phase air-water mixture in vertical tubes of different diameters. The average void fraction was measured in a 2 metre long test section by means of quick-closing valves. Using resistive probes and photographic techniques, we have determined the flow patterns and developed diagrams to indicate the boundaries between the various patterns: independent bubbles, agglomerated bubbles, slugs, semi-annular, annular. In the case of bubble flow and slug flow, it is shown that the relationship between the average void fraction and the superficial velocities of the phases is given by: V sg = f( ) * g(V sl ). The function g(V sl ) for the case of independent bubbles has been found to be: g(V sl ) = V sl + 20. For semi-annular and annular flow conditions; it appears that the average void fraction depends, to a first approximation only on the ratio V sg /V sl . (author) [fr

  9. Debris-flows scale predictions based on basin spatial parameters calculated from Remote Sensing images in Wenchuan earthquake area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Huaizhen; Chi, Tianhe; Liu, Tianyue; Wang, Wei; Yang, Lina; Zhao, Yuan; Shao, Jing; Yao, Xiaojing; Fan, Jianrong

    2014-01-01

    Debris flow is a common hazard in the Wenchuan earthquake area. Collapse and Landslide Regions (CLR), caused by earthquakes, could be located from Remote Sensing images. CLR are the direct material source regions for debris flow. The Spatial Distribution of Collapse and Landslide Regions (SDCLR) strongly impact debris-flow formation. In order to depict SDCLR, we referred to Strahler's Hypsometric analysis method and developed 3 functional models to depict SDCLR quantitatively. These models mainly depict SDCLR relative to altitude, basin mouth and main gullies of debris flow. We used the integral of functions as the spatial parameters of SDCLR and these parameters were employed during the process of debris-flows scale predictions. Grouping-occurring debris-flows triggered by the rainstorm, which occurred on September 24th 2008 in Beichuan County, Sichuan province China, were selected to build the empirical equations for debris-flows scale predictions. Given the existing data, only debris-flows runout zone parameters (Max. runout distance L and Lateral width B) were estimated in this paper. The results indicate that the predicted results were more accurate when the spatial parameters were used. Accordingly, we suggest spatial parameters of SDCLR should be considered in the process of debris-flows scale prediction and proposed several strategies to prevent debris flow in the future

  10. Analyzing Unsaturated Flow Patterns in Fractured Rock Using an Integrated Modeling Approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Y.S. Wu; G. Lu; K. Zhang; L. Pan; G.S. Bodvarsson

    2006-01-01

    Characterizing percolation patterns in unsaturated fractured rock has posed a greater challenge to modeling investigations than comparable saturated zone studies, because of the heterogeneous nature of unsaturated media and the great number of variables impacting unsaturated flow. This paper presents an integrated modeling methodology for quantitatively characterizing percolation patterns in the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a proposed underground repository site for storing high-level radioactive waste. The modeling approach integrates a wide variety of moisture, pneumatic, thermal, and isotopic geochemical field data into a comprehensive three-dimensional numerical model for modeling analyses. It takes into account the coupled processes of fluid and heat flow and chemical isotopic transport in Yucca Mountain's highly heterogeneous, unsaturated fractured tuffs. Modeling results are examined against different types of field-measured data and then used to evaluate different hydrogeological conceptualizations and their results of flow patterns in the unsaturated zone. In particular, this model provides a much clearer understanding of percolation patterns and flow behavior through the unsaturated zone, both crucial issues in assessing repository performance. The integrated approach for quantifying Yucca Mountain's flow system is demonstrated to provide a practical modeling tool for characterizing flow and transport processes in complex subsurface systems

  11. Changes in spatial patterns of Caragana stenophylla along a climatic drought gradient on the Inner Mongolian Plateau.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Li-Na; Guo, Hong-Yu; Gabler, Christopher A; Li, Qing-Fang; Ma, Cheng-Cang

    2015-01-01

    Few studies have investigated the influence of water availability on plant population spatial patterns. We studied changes in the spatial patterns of Caragana stenophylla along a climatic drought gradient within the Inner Mongolian Plateau, China. We examined spatial patterns, seed density, "nurse effects" of shrubs on seedlings, transpiration rates and water use efficiency (WUE) of C. stenophylla across semi-arid, arid, and intensively arid zones. Our results showed that patches of C. stenophylla populations shifted from a random to a clumped spatial pattern towards drier environments. Seed density and seedling survival rate of C. stenophylla decreased from the semi-arid zone to the intensively arid zone. Across the three zones, there were more C. stenophylla seeds and seedlings underneath shrub canopies than outside shrub canopies; and in the intensively arid zone, there were almost no seeds or seedlings outside shrub canopies. Transpiration rates of outer-canopy leaves and WUE of both outer-canopy and inner-canopy leaves increased from the semi-arid zone to the intensively arid zone. In the intensively arid zone, transpiration rates and WUE of inner-canopy leaves were significantly lower and higher, respectively, than those of outer-canopy leaves. We conclude that, as drought stress increased, seed density decreased, seed proportions inside shrubs increased, and "nurse effects" of shrubs on seedlings became more important. These factors, combined with water-saving characteristics associated with clumped spatial patterns, are likely driving the changes in C. stenophylla spatial patterns.

  12. Editorial: Spatial arrangement of faults and opening-mode fractures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laubach, Stephen E.; Lamarche, Juliette; Gauthier, Bertand D. M.; Dunne, William M.

    2018-03-01

    This issue of the Journal of Structural Geology titled Spatial arrangement of faults and opening-mode fractures explores a fundamental characteristic of fault and fracture arrays. The pattern of fault and opening-mode fracture positions in space defines structural heterogeneity and anisotropy in a rock volume, governs how faults and fractures affect fluid flow, and impacts our understanding of the initiation, propagation and interactions during the formation of fracture patterns. This special issue highlights recent progress with respect to characterizing and understanding the spatial arrangements of fault and fracture patterns, providing examples over a wide range of scales and structural settings.

  13. Quantifying Forest Spatial Pattern Trends at Multiple Extents: An Approach to Detect Significant Changes at Different Scales

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ludovico Frate

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available We propose a procedure to detect significant changes in forest spatial patterns and relevant scales. Our approach consists of four sequential steps. First, based on a series of multi-temporal forest maps, a set of geographic windows of increasing extents are extracted. Second, for each extent and date, specific stochastic simulations that replicate real-world spatial pattern characteristics are run. Third, by computing pattern metrics on both simulated and real maps, their empirical distributions and confidence intervals are derived. Finally, multi-temporal scalograms are built for each metric. Based on cover maps (1954, 2011 with a resolution of 10 m we analyze forest pattern changes in a central Apennines (Italy reserve at multiple spatial extents (128, 256 and 512 pixels. We identify three types of multi-temporal scalograms, depending on pattern metric behaviors, describing different dynamics of natural reforestation process. The statistical distribution and variability of pattern metrics at multiple extents offers a new and powerful tool to detect forest variations over time. Similar procedures can (i help to identify significant changes in spatial patterns and provide the bases to relate them to landscape processes; (ii minimize the bias when comparing pattern metrics at a single extent and (iii be extended to other landscapes and scales.

  14. Mapping spatial patterns of denitrifiers at large scales (Invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Philippot, L.; Ramette, A.; Saby, N.; Bru, D.; Dequiedt, S.; Ranjard, L.; Jolivet, C.; Arrouays, D.

    2010-12-01

    Little information is available regarding the landscape-scale distribution of microbial communities and its environmental determinants. Here we combined molecular approaches and geostatistical modeling to explore spatial patterns of the denitrifying community at large scales. The distribution of denitrifrying community was investigated over 107 sites in Burgundy, a 31 500 km2 region of France, using a 16 X 16 km sampling grid. At each sampling site, the abundances of denitrifiers and 42 soil physico-chemical properties were measured. The relative contributions of land use, spatial distance, climatic conditions, time and soil physico-chemical properties to the denitrifier spatial distribution were analyzed by canonical variation partitioning. Our results indicate that 43% to 85% of the spatial variation in community abundances could be explained by the measured environmental parameters, with soil chemical properties (mostly pH) being the main driver. We found spatial autocorrelation up to 739 km and used geostatistical modelling to generate predictive maps of the distribution of denitrifiers at the landscape scale. Studying the distribution of the denitrifiers at large scale can help closing the artificial gap between the investigation of microbial processes and microbial community ecology, therefore facilitating our understanding of the relationships between the ecology of denitrifiers and N-fluxes by denitrification.

  15. Long-term mortality rates and spatial patterns in an old-growth forest

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emily J. Silver; Shawn Fraver; Anthony W. D' Amato; Tuomas Aakala; Brian J. Palik

    2013-01-01

    Understanding natural mortality patterns and processes of forest tree species is increasingly important given projected changes in mortality owing to global change. With this need in mind, the rate and spatial pattern of mortality was assessed over an 89-year period in a natural-origin Pinus resinosa (Aiton)-dominated system to assess these processes...

  16. Spatial and temporal patterns of cloud cover and fog inundation in coastal California: Ecological implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rastogi, Bharat; Williams, A. Park; Fischer, Douglas T.; Iacobellis, Sam F.; McEachern, A. Kathryn; Carvalho, Leila; Jones, Charles Leslie; Baguskas, Sara A.; Still, Christopher J.

    2016-01-01

    The presence of low-lying stratocumulus clouds and fog has been known to modify biophysical and ecological properties in coastal California where forests are frequently shaded by low-lying clouds or immersed in fog during otherwise warm and dry summer months. Summer fog and stratus can ameliorate summer drought stress and enhance soil water budgets, and often have different spatial and temporal patterns. Here we use remote sensing datasets to characterize the spatial and temporal patterns of cloud cover over California’s northern Channel Islands. We found marine stratus to be persistent from May through September across the years 2001-2012. Stratus clouds were both most frequent and had the greatest spatial extent in July. Clouds typically formed in the evening, and dissipated by the following early afternoon. We present a novel method to downscale satellite imagery using atmospheric observations and discriminate patterns of fog from those of stratus and help explain patterns of fog deposition previously studied on the islands. The outcomes of this study contribute significantly to our ability to quantify the occurrence of coastal fog at biologically meaningful spatial and temporal scales that can improve our understanding of cloud-ecosystem interactions, species distributions and coastal ecohydrology.

  17. Spatial pattern affects diversity-productivity relationships in experimental meadow communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamošová, Tereza; Doležal, Jiří; Lanta, Vojtěch; Lepš, Jan

    2010-05-01

    Plant species create aggregations of conspecifics as a consequence of limited seed dispersal, clonal growth and heterogeneous environment. Such intraspecific aggregation increases the importance of intraspecific competition relative to interspecific competition which may slow down competitive exclusion and promote species coexistence. To examine how spatial aggregation impacts the functioning of experimental assemblages of varying species richness, eight perennial grassland species of different growth form were grown in random and aggregated patterns in monocultures, two-, four-, and eight-species mixtures. In mixtures with an aggregated pattern, monospecific clumps were interspecifically segregated. Mixed model ANOVA was used to test (i) how the total productivity and productivity of individual species is affected by the number of species in a mixture, and (ii) how these relationships are affected by spatial pattern of sown plants. The main patterns of productivity response to species richness conform to other studies: non-transgressive overyielding is omnipresent (the productivity of mixtures is higher than the average of its constituent species so that the net diversity, selection and complementarity effects are positive), whereas transgressive overyielding is found only in a minority of cases (average of log(overyielding) being close to zero or negative). The theoretical prediction that plants in a random pattern should produce more than in an aggregated pattern (the distances to neighbours are smaller and consequently the competition among neighbours stronger) was confirmed in monocultures of all the eight species. The situation is more complicated in mixtures, probably as a consequence of complicated interplay between interspecific and intraspecific competition. The most productive species ( Achillea, Holcus, Plantago) were competitively superior and increased their relative productivity with mixture richness. The intraspecific competition of these species is

  18. Linking the spatial patterns of organisms and abiotic factors to ecosystem function and management: insights from semi-arid environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. T. Maestre

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Numerous theoretical and modeling studies have demonstrated the ecological significance of the spatial patterning of organisms on ecosystem functioning and dynamics. However, there is a paucity of empirical evidence that quantitatively shows how changes in the spatial patterns of the organisms forming biotic communities are directly related to ecosystem structure and functioning. In this article, I review a series of experiments and observational studies conducted in semi-arid environments from Spain (degraded calcareous shrubland, steppes dominated by Stipa tenacissima, and gypsum shrublands to: 1 evaluate whether the spatial patterns of the dominant biotic elements in the community are linked to ecosystem structure and functioning, and 2 test if these patterns, and those of abiotic factors, can be used to improve ecosystem restoration. In the semiarid steppes we found a significant positive relationship between the spatial pattern of the perennial plant community and: i the water status of S. tenacissima and ii perennial species richness and diversity. Experimental plantings conducted in these steppes showed that S. tenacissima facilitated the establishment of shrub seedlings, albeit the magnitude and direction of this effect was dependent on rainfall conditions during the first yr after planting. In the gypsum shrubland, a significant, direct relationship between the spatial pattern of the biological soil crusts and surrogates of ecosystem functioning (soil bulk density and respiration was found. In a degraded shrubland with very low vegetation cover, the survival of an introduced population of the shrub Pistacia lentiscus showed marked spatial patterns, which were related to the spatial patterns of soil properties such as soil compaction and sand content. These results provide empirical evidence on the importance of spatial patterns for maintaining ecosystem structure and functioning in semi-arid ecosystems

  19. Pattern recognition neural-net by spatial mapping of biology visual field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Xin; Mori, Masahiko

    2000-05-01

    The method of spatial mapping in biology vision field is applied to artificial neural networks for pattern recognition. By the coordinate transform that is called the complex-logarithm mapping and Fourier transform, the input images are transformed into scale- rotation- and shift- invariant patterns, and then fed into a multilayer neural network for learning and recognition. The results of computer simulation and an optical experimental system are described.

  20. Graphical User Interface Development for Representing Air Flow Patterns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhary, Nilika

    2004-01-01

    In the Turbine Branch, scientists carry out experimental and computational work to advance the efficiency and diminish the noise production of jet engine turbines. One way to do this is by decreasing the heat that the turbine blades receive. Most of the experimental work is carried out by taking a single turbine blade and analyzing the air flow patterns around it, because this data indicates the sections of the turbine blade that are getting too hot. Since the cost of doing turbine blade air flow experiments is very high, researchers try to do computational work that fits the experimental data. The goal of computational fluid dynamics is for scientists to find a numerical way to predict the complex flow patterns around different turbine blades without physically having to perform tests or costly experiments. When visualizing flow patterns, scientists need a way to represent the flow conditions around a turbine blade. A researcher will assign specific zones that surround the turbine blade. In a two-dimensional view, the zones are usually quadrilaterals. The next step is to assign boundary conditions which define how the flow enters or exits one side of a zone. way of setting up computational zones and grids, visualizing flow patterns, and storing all the flow conditions in a file on the computer for future computation. Such a program is necessary because the only method for creating flow pattern graphs is by hand, which is tedious and time-consuming. By using a computer program to create the zones and grids, the graph would be faster to make and easier to edit. Basically, the user would run a program that is an editable graph. The user could click and drag with the mouse to form various zones and grids, then edit the locations of these grids, add flow and boundary conditions, and finally save the graph for future use and analysis. My goal this summer is to create a graphical user interface (GUI) that incorporates all of these elements. I am writing the program in

  1. Variable gene dispersal conditions and spatial deforestation patterns can interact to affect tropical tree conservation outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kashimshetty, Yamini; Pelikan, Stephan; Rogstad, Steven H

    2015-01-01

    Tropical lowland rain forest (TLRF) biodiversity is under threat from anthropogenic factors including deforestation which creates forest fragments of different sizes that can further undergo various internal patterns of logging. Such interventions can modify previous equilibrium abundance and spatial distribution patterns of offspring recruitment and/or pollen dispersal. Little is known about how these aspects of deforestation and fragmentation might synergistically affect TLRF tree recovery demographics and population genetics in newly formed forest fragments. To investigate these TLRF anthropogenic disturbance processes we used the computer program NEWGARDEN (NG), which models spatially-explicit, individual-based plant populations, to simulate 10% deforestation in six different spatial logging patterns for the plant functional type of a long-lived TLRF canopy tree species. Further, each logging pattern was analyzed under nine varying patterns of offspring versus pollen dispersal distances that could have arisen post-fragmentation. Results indicated that gene dispersal condition (especially via offspring) had a greater effect on population growth and genetic diversity retention (explaining 98.5% and 88.8% of the variance respectively) than spatial logging pattern (0.2% and 4.7% respectively), with 'Near' distance dispersal maximizing population growth and genetic diversity relative to distant dispersal. Within logged regions of the fragment, deforestation patterns closer to fragment borders more often exhibited lower population recovery rates and founding genetic diversity retention relative to more centrally located logging. These results suggest newly isolated fragments have populations that are more sensitive to the way in which their offspring and pollen dispersers are affected than the spatial pattern in which subsequent logging occurs, and that large variation in the recovery rates of different TLRF tree species attributable to altered gene dispersal

  2. Spatial pattern in Antarctica: what can we learn from Antarctic bacterial isolates?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chong, Chun Wie; Goh, Yuh Shan; Convey, Peter; Pearce, David; Tan, Irene Kit Ping

    2013-09-01

    A range of small- to moderate-scale studies of patterns in bacterial biodiversity have been conducted in Antarctica over the last two decades, most suggesting strong correlations between the described bacterial communities and elements of local environmental heterogeneity. However, very few of these studies have advanced interpretations in terms of spatially associated patterns, despite increasing evidence of patterns in bacterial biogeography globally. This is likely to be a consequence of restricted sampling coverage, with most studies to date focusing only on a few localities within a specific Antarctic region. Clearly, there is now a need for synthesis over a much larger spatial to consolidate the available data. In this study, we collated Antarctic bacterial culture identities based on the 16S rRNA gene information available in the literature and the GenBank database (n > 2,000 sequences). In contrast to some recent evidence for a distinct Antarctic microbiome, our phylogenetic comparisons show that a majority (~75 %) of Antarctic bacterial isolates were highly similar (≥99 % sequence similarity) to those retrieved from tropical and temperate regions, suggesting widespread distribution of eurythermal mesophiles in Antarctic environments. However, across different Antarctic regions, the dominant bacterial genera exhibit some spatially distinct diversity patterns analogous to those recently proposed for Antarctic terrestrial macroorganisms. Taken together, our results highlight the threat of cross-regional homogenisation in Antarctic biodiversity, and the imperative to include microbiota within the framework of biosecurity measures for Antarctica.

  3. Spatial arrangement of faults and opening-mode fractures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laubach, S. E.; Lamarche, J.; Gauthier, B. D. M.; Dunne, W. M.; Sanderson, David J.

    2018-03-01

    Spatial arrangement is a fundamental characteristic of fracture arrays. The pattern of fault and opening-mode fracture positions in space defines structural heterogeneity and anisotropy in a rock volume, governs how faults and fractures affect fluid flow, and impacts our understanding of the initiation, propagation and interactions during the formation of fracture patterns. This special issue highlights recent progress with respect to characterizing and understanding the spatial arrangements of fault and fracture patterns, providing examples over a wide range of scales and structural settings. Five papers describe new methods and improvements of existing techniques to quantify spatial arrangement. One study unravels the time evolution of opening-mode fracture spatial arrangement, which are data needed to compare natural patterns with progressive fracture growth in kinematic and mechanical models. Three papers investigate the role of evolving diagenesis in localizing fractures by mechanical stratigraphy and nine discuss opening-mode fracture spatial arrangement. Two papers show the relevance of complex cluster patterns to unconventional reservoirs through examples of fractures in tight gas sandstone horizontal wells, and a study of fracture arrangement in shale. Four papers demonstrate the roles of folds in fracture localization and the development spatial patterns. One paper models along-fault friction and fluid pressure and their effects on fault-related fracture arrangement. Contributions address deformation band patterns in carbonate rocks and fault size and arrangement above a detachment fault. Three papers describe fault and fracture arrangements in basement terrains, and three document fracture patterns in shale. This collection of papers points toward improvement in field methods, continuing improvements in computer-based data analysis and creation of synthetic fracture patterns, and opportunities for further understanding fault and fracture attributes in

  4. Pattern recognition techniques for horizontal and vertically upward multiphase flow measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arubi, Tesi I. M.; Yeung, Hoi

    2012-03-01

    The oil and gas industry need for high performing and low cost multiphase meters is ever more justified given the rapid depletion of conventional oil reserves that has led oil companies to develop smaller and marginal fields and reservoirs in remote locations and deep offshore, thereby placing great demands for compact and more cost effective solutions of on-line continuous multiphase flow measurement for well testing, production monitoring, production optimisation, process control and automation. The pattern recognition approach for clamp-on multiphase measurement employed in this study provides one means for meeting this need. High speed caesium-137 radioisotope-based densitometers were installed vertically at the top of a 50.8mm and 101.6mm riser as well as horizontally at the riser base in the Cranfield University multiphase flow test facility. A comprehensive experimental campaign comprising flow conditions typical of operating conditions found in the Petroleum Industry was conducted. The application of a single gamma densitometer unit, in conjunction with pattern recognition techniques to determine both the phase volume fractions and velocities to yield the individual phase flow rates of horizontal and vertically upward multiphase flows was investigated. The pattern recognition systems were trained to map the temporal fluctuations in the multiphase mixture density with the individual phase flow rates using statistical features extracted from the gamma counts signals as their inputs. Initial results yielded individual phase flow rate predictions to within ±5% relative error for the two phase airwater flows and ±10% for three phase air-oil-water flows data.

  5. Spatial variability in subsurface flow and transport: a review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gutjahr, A.L.; Bras, R.L.

    1993-01-01

    Stochastic models of spatial variations as they apply to both saturated and unsaturated flow and transport problems are examined in this paper. Both modeling and data interpretive geostatistical approaches are reviewed and an integrated discussion combining the two approaches given. The probabilistic content is of special interest for reliability and risk calculations for waste management and groundwater pollution studies. (author)

  6. Influence of fast advective flows on pattern formation of Dictyostelium discoideum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bae, Albert; Zykov, Vladimir; Bodenschatz, Eberhard

    2018-01-01

    We report experimental and numerical results on pattern formation of self-organizing Dictyostelium discoideum cells in a microfluidic setup under a constant buffer flow. The external flow advects the signaling molecule cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) downstream, while the chemotactic cells attached to the solid substrate are not transported with the flow. At high flow velocities, elongated cAMP waves are formed that cover the whole length of the channel and propagate both parallel and perpendicular to the flow direction. While the wave period and transverse propagation velocity are constant, parallel wave velocity and the wave width increase linearly with the imposed flow. We also observe that the acquired wave shape is highly dependent on the wave generation site and the strength of the imposed flow. We compared the wave shape and velocity with numerical simulations performed using a reaction-diffusion model and found excellent agreement. These results are expected to play an important role in understanding the process of pattern formation and aggregation of D. discoideum that may experience fluid flows in its natural habitat. PMID:29590179

  7. Critical heat flux and flow pattern for water flow in annular geometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, J.-W.; Baek, W.-P.; Chang, S.H.

    1997-01-01

    An experimental study on critical heat flux (CHF) and two-phase flow visualization has been performed for water flow in internally-heated, vertical, concentric annuli under near atmospheric pressure. Tests have been done under stable forced-circulation, upward and downward flow conditions with three test sections of relatively large gap widths (heated length = 0.6 m, inner diameter 19 mm, outer diameter = 29, 35 and 51 mm). The outer wall of the test section was made up of the transparent Pyrex tube to allow the observation of flow patterns near the CHF occurrence. The CHF mechanism was changed in the order of flooding, churn-to-annular flow transition and local dryout under a large bubble in churn flow as the flow rate was increased from zero to higher values. Observed parametric trends are consistent with the previous understanding except that the CHF for downward flow is considerably lower than that for the upward flow. In addition to the experiment, selected CHF correlations for annuli are assessed based on 1156 experimental data from various sources. The Doerffer et al. (1994); Barnett (1966); Jannsen and Kervinen (1963); Levitan and Lantsman (1977) correlations show reasonable predictions for wide parameter ranges, among which the Doerffer et al. (1994) correlation shows the widest parameter ranges and a possibility of further improvement. However, there is no correlation predicting the low-pressure, low-flow CHF satisfactorily. (orig.)

  8. Geophysical characterization of soil moisture spatial patterns in a tillage experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez, G.; Vanderlinden, K.; Giráldez, J. V.; Muriel, J. L.

    2009-04-01

    Knowledge on the spatial soil moisture pattern can improve the characterisation of the hydrological response of either field-plots or small watersheds. Near-surface geophysical methods, such as electromagnetic induction (EMI), provide a means to map such patterns using non-invasive and non-destructive measurements of the soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa. In this study ECa was measured using an EMI sensor and used to characterize spatially the hydrologic response of a cropped field to an intense shower. The study site is part of a long-term tillage experiment in Southern Spain in which Conventional Tillage (CT), Direct Drilling (DD) and Minimum Tillage (MT) are being evaluated since 1982. Soil ECa was measured before and after a rain event of 115 mm, near the soil surface and at deeper depth (ECas and ECad, respectively) using the EM38-DD EMI sensor. Simultaneously, elevation data were collected at each sampling point to generate a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Soil moisture during the first survey was close to permanent wilting point and near field capacity during the second survey. For the first survey, both ECas and ECad, were higher in the CT and MT than in the DD plots. After the rain event, rill erosion appeared only in CT and MT plots were soil was uncovered, matching the drainage lines obtained from the DEM. Apparent electrical conductivity increased all over the field plot with higher increments in the DD plots. These plots showed the highest ECas and ECad values, in contrast to the spatial pattern found during the first sampling. Difference maps obtained from the two ECas and ECad samplings showed a clear difference between DD plots and CT and MT plots due to their distinct hydrologic response. Water infiltration was higher in the soil of the DD plots than in the MT and CT plots, as reflected by their ECad increment. Higher ECa increments were observed in the depressions of the terrain, where water and sediments accumulated. On the contrary, the

  9. Spatial-temporal-spectral EEG patterns of BOLD functional network connectivity dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamoš, Martin; Mareček, Radek; Slavíček, Tomáš; Mikl, Michal; Rektor, Ivan; Jan, Jiří

    2018-06-01

    Objective. Growing interest in the examination of large-scale brain network functional connectivity dynamics is accompanied by an effort to find the electrophysiological correlates. The commonly used constraints applied to spatial and spectral domains during electroencephalogram (EEG) data analysis may leave part of the neural activity unrecognized. We propose an approach that blindly reveals multimodal EEG spectral patterns that are related to the dynamics of the BOLD functional network connectivity. Approach. The blind decomposition of EEG spectrogram by parallel factor analysis has been shown to be a useful technique for uncovering patterns of neural activity. The simultaneously acquired BOLD fMRI data were decomposed by independent component analysis. Dynamic functional connectivity was computed on the component’s time series using a sliding window correlation, and between-network connectivity states were then defined based on the values of the correlation coefficients. ANOVA tests were performed to assess the relationships between the dynamics of between-network connectivity states and the fluctuations of EEG spectral patterns. Main results. We found three patterns related to the dynamics of between-network connectivity states. The first pattern has dominant peaks in the alpha, beta, and gamma bands and is related to the dynamics between the auditory, sensorimotor, and attentional networks. The second pattern, with dominant peaks in the theta and low alpha bands, is related to the visual and default mode network. The third pattern, also with peaks in the theta and low alpha bands, is related to the auditory and frontal network. Significance. Our previous findings revealed a relationship between EEG spectral pattern fluctuations and the hemodynamics of large-scale brain networks. In this study, we suggest that the relationship also exists at the level of functional connectivity dynamics among large-scale brain networks when no standard spatial and spectral

  10. The effect of spatial planning patterns on distribution of pedestrians ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study focuses on public spaces of residential neighbourhoods in the City of Nairobi. It establishes various spatial characteristics, hence patterns, that have a bearing on the distribution of pedestrians therein. A higher encounter rate of pedestrians is a desirable public space quality given that the higher degree of ...

  11. Impacts of spatial resolution and representation of flow connectivity on large-scale simulation of floods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. M. R. Mateo

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Global-scale river models (GRMs are core tools for providing consistent estimates of global flood hazard, especially in data-scarce regions. Due to former limitations in computational power and input datasets, most GRMs have been developed to use simplified representations of flow physics and run at coarse spatial resolutions. With increasing computational power and improved datasets, the application of GRMs to finer resolutions is becoming a reality. To support development in this direction, the suitability of GRMs for application to finer resolutions needs to be assessed. This study investigates the impacts of spatial resolution and flow connectivity representation on the predictive capability of a GRM, CaMa-Flood, in simulating the 2011 extreme flood in Thailand. Analyses show that when single downstream connectivity (SDC is assumed, simulation results deteriorate with finer spatial resolution; Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficients decreased by more than 50 % between simulation results at 10 km resolution and 1 km resolution. When multiple downstream connectivity (MDC is represented, simulation results slightly improve with finer spatial resolution. The SDC simulations result in excessive backflows on very flat floodplains due to the restrictive flow directions at finer resolutions. MDC channels attenuated these effects by maintaining flow connectivity and flow capacity between floodplains in varying spatial resolutions. While a regional-scale flood was chosen as a test case, these findings should be universal and may have significant impacts on large- to global-scale simulations, especially in regions where mega deltas exist.These results demonstrate that a GRM can be used for higher resolution simulations of large-scale floods, provided that MDC in rivers and floodplains is adequately represented in the model structure.

  12. Impacts of spatial resolution and representation of flow connectivity on large-scale simulation of floods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mateo, Cherry May R.; Yamazaki, Dai; Kim, Hyungjun; Champathong, Adisorn; Vaze, Jai; Oki, Taikan

    2017-10-01

    Global-scale river models (GRMs) are core tools for providing consistent estimates of global flood hazard, especially in data-scarce regions. Due to former limitations in computational power and input datasets, most GRMs have been developed to use simplified representations of flow physics and run at coarse spatial resolutions. With increasing computational power and improved datasets, the application of GRMs to finer resolutions is becoming a reality. To support development in this direction, the suitability of GRMs for application to finer resolutions needs to be assessed. This study investigates the impacts of spatial resolution and flow connectivity representation on the predictive capability of a GRM, CaMa-Flood, in simulating the 2011 extreme flood in Thailand. Analyses show that when single downstream connectivity (SDC) is assumed, simulation results deteriorate with finer spatial resolution; Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficients decreased by more than 50 % between simulation results at 10 km resolution and 1 km resolution. When multiple downstream connectivity (MDC) is represented, simulation results slightly improve with finer spatial resolution. The SDC simulations result in excessive backflows on very flat floodplains due to the restrictive flow directions at finer resolutions. MDC channels attenuated these effects by maintaining flow connectivity and flow capacity between floodplains in varying spatial resolutions. While a regional-scale flood was chosen as a test case, these findings should be universal and may have significant impacts on large- to global-scale simulations, especially in regions where mega deltas exist.These results demonstrate that a GRM can be used for higher resolution simulations of large-scale floods, provided that MDC in rivers and floodplains is adequately represented in the model structure.

  13. Emerging spatial patterns in Antarctic prokaryotes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chong, Chun-Wie; Pearce, David A; Convey, Peter

    2015-01-01

    . Based on our synthesis, it is clear that spatial patterns of Antarctic prokaryotes can be unique at local scales, while the limited evidence available to date supports the group exhibiting overall regional biogeographical patterns similar to the eukaryotes. We further consider the applicability of the concept of "functional redundancy" for the Antarctic microbial community and highlight the requirements for proper consideration of their important and distinctive roles in Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems.

  14. Using artificial intelligence to improve identification of nanofluid gas–liquid two-phase flow pattern in mini-channel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian Xiao

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This work combines fuzzy logic and a support vector machine (SVM with a principal component analysis (PCA to create an artificial-intelligence system that identifies nanofluid gas-liquid two-phase flow states in a vertical mini-channel. Flow-pattern recognition requires finding the operational details of the process and doing computer simulations and image processing can be used to automate the description of flow patterns in nanofluid gas-liquid two-phase flow. This work uses fuzzy logic and a SVM with PCA to improve the accuracy with which the flow pattern of a nanofluid gas-liquid two-phase flow is identified. To acquire images of nanofluid gas-liquid two-phase flow patterns of flow boiling, a high-speed digital camera was used to record four different types of flow-pattern images, namely annular flow, bubbly flow, churn flow, and slug flow. The textural features extracted by processing the images of nanofluid gas–liquid two-phase flow patterns are used as inputs to various identification schemes such as fuzzy logic, SVM, and SVM with PCA to identify the type of flow pattern. The results indicate that the SVM with reduced characteristics of PCA provides the best identification accuracy and requires less calculation time than the other two schemes. The data reported herein should be very useful for the design and operation of industrial applications.

  15. Using artificial intelligence to improve identification of nanofluid gas-liquid two-phase flow pattern in mini-channel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Jian; Luo, Xiaoping; Feng, Zhenfei; Zhang, Jinxin

    2018-01-01

    This work combines fuzzy logic and a support vector machine (SVM) with a principal component analysis (PCA) to create an artificial-intelligence system that identifies nanofluid gas-liquid two-phase flow states in a vertical mini-channel. Flow-pattern recognition requires finding the operational details of the process and doing computer simulations and image processing can be used to automate the description of flow patterns in nanofluid gas-liquid two-phase flow. This work uses fuzzy logic and a SVM with PCA to improve the accuracy with which the flow pattern of a nanofluid gas-liquid two-phase flow is identified. To acquire images of nanofluid gas-liquid two-phase flow patterns of flow boiling, a high-speed digital camera was used to record four different types of flow-pattern images, namely annular flow, bubbly flow, churn flow, and slug flow. The textural features extracted by processing the images of nanofluid gas-liquid two-phase flow patterns are used as inputs to various identification schemes such as fuzzy logic, SVM, and SVM with PCA to identify the type of flow pattern. The results indicate that the SVM with reduced characteristics of PCA provides the best identification accuracy and requires less calculation time than the other two schemes. The data reported herein should be very useful for the design and operation of industrial applications.

  16. Effect of Conservation on Spatial Pattern of Dominant Trees in Beech (Fagus Orientalis Lipsky Communities, (Case Study: Masal, Guilan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. S. Ebrahimi

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Spatial patterns are suitable tools for optimal management in many forested areas. In this research, the effect of conservation on spatial pattern of dominant trees has been studied. To achieving this purpose, protected and non- protected forests were selected in Masal region of Guilan province as the study area. Sampling methods including fixed- area plots and distance methods, such as T- square and compound sampling were used 25 circle sample plots, each with an area 1000 m2and 25 sampling points were taken. Then, tree species in plot samples and the distance of interest were identified and measured. Dispersion indices such as Green, Morisata, standardized Morisata, Hopkins, Eberhart, Johnson and Zimmer, Hines and C were used to analyze the spatial pattern in the areas. All indices related to plot samples indicated the clumped pattern for dominant species in protected and non- protected areas. The results of the distance indices have indicated that destruction changes the spatial pattern of dominant species and these species had different pattern in these areas. Among the distance indices, C and Hines indices revealed differences and they were suitable to describe the spatial pattern of both areas.

  17. Flow Patterns and Thermal Drag in a One-Dimensional Inviscid Channel with Heating or Cooling

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    1993-01-01

    In this paper investigations on the flow patterns and the thermal drag phenomenon in one -dimensional inviscid channel flow with heating or cooling are described and discussed:expressions of flow rate ratio and thermal drag coefficient for different flow patterns and its physical mechanism are presented.

  18. A study on effects of cash flow patterns and auditors’ opinions in predicting financial distress

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatemeh Namvar

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Bankruptcy has been one of the most important issues among investors in stock market and there are literally different techniques for predicting bankruptcy. In this paper, we study on effects of cash flow patterns and auditors’ opinions in predicting financial distress on some 80 selected firms traded on Tehran Stock Exchange over the period 2005-2011. In this study, the combination of cash flow patterns represent firm’s resource allocations and operational capabilities interacted with their strategy choices. In additions, predictions about each individual cash flow components, operational, investment, financial, are derived from economic theory, which forms a basis for the life proxy. We use cash flow patterns in the decline stage and compare the results with auditors’ opinions. The results indicate that cash flow patterns could predict financial distress companies in Iran. In addition, the effective cash flow patterns in predicting financial distress is more than auditors’ feedbacks.

  19. Network structure of subway passenger flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Q.; Mao, B. H.; Bai, Y.

    2016-03-01

    The results of transportation infrastructure network analyses have been used to analyze complex networks in a topological context. However, most modeling approaches, including those based on complex network theory, do not fully account for real-life traffic patterns and may provide an incomplete view of network functions. This study utilizes trip data obtained from the Beijing Subway System to characterize individual passenger movement patterns. A directed weighted passenger flow network was constructed from the subway infrastructure network topology by incorporating trip data. The passenger flow networks exhibit several properties that can be characterized by power-law distributions based on flow size, and log-logistic distributions based on the fraction of boarding and departing passengers. The study also characterizes the temporal patterns of in-transit and waiting passengers and provides a hierarchical clustering structure for passenger flows. This hierarchical flow organization varies in the spatial domain. Ten cluster groups were identified, indicating a hierarchical urban polycentric structure composed of large concentrated flows at urban activity centers. These empirical findings provide insights regarding urban human mobility patterns within a large subway network.

  20. The spatial and temporal distributions of arthropods in forest canopies: uniting disparate patterns with hypotheses for specialisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wardhaugh, Carl W

    2014-11-01

    Arguably the majority of species on Earth utilise tropical rainforest canopies, and much progress has been made in describing arboreal assemblages, especially for arthropods. The most commonly described patterns for tropical rainforest insect communities are host specificity, spatial specialisation (predominantly vertical stratification), and temporal changes in abundance (seasonality and circadian rhythms). Here I review the recurrent results with respect to each of these patterns and discuss the evolutionary selective forces that have generated them in an attempt to unite these patterns in a holistic evolutionary framework. I propose that species can be quantified along a generalist-specialist scale not only with respect to host specificity, but also other spatial and temporal distribution patterns, where specialisation is a function of the extent of activity across space and time for particular species. When all of these distribution patterns are viewed through the paradigm of specialisation, hypotheses that have been proposed to explain the evolution of host specificity can also be applied to explain the generation and maintenance of other spatial and temporal distribution patterns. The main driver for most spatial and temporal distribution patterns is resource availability. Generally, the distribution of insects follows that of the resources they exploit, which are spatially stratified and vary temporally in availability. Physiological adaptations are primarily important for host specificity, where nutritional and chemical variation among host plants in particular, but also certain prey species and fungi, influence host range. Physiological tolerances of abiotic conditions are also important for explaining the spatial and temporal distributions of some insect species, especially in drier forest environments where desiccation is an ever-present threat. However, it is likely that for most species in moist tropical rainforests, abiotic conditions are valuable

  1. Flow regime and deposition pattern of evaporating binary mixture droplet suspended with particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Xin; Duan, Fei

    2016-02-01

    The flow regimes and the deposition pattern have been investigated by changing the ethanol concentration in a water-based binary mixture droplet suspended with alumina nanoparticles. To visualize the flow patterns, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) has been applied in the binary liquid droplet containing the fluorescent microspheres. Three distinct flow regimes have been revealed in the evaporation. In Regime I, the vortices and chaotic flows are found to carry the particles to the liquid-vapor interface and to promote the formation of particle aggregation. The aggregates move inwards in Regime II as induced by the Marangoni flow along the droplet free surface. Regime III is dominated by the drying of the left water and the capillary flow driving particles radially outward is observed. The relative weightings of Regimes I and II, which are enhanced with an increasing load of ethanol, determine the motion of the nanoparticles and the formation of the final drying pattern.

  2. From theoretical to actual ecosystem services: mapping beneficiaries and spatial flows in ecosystem service assessments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenneth J. Bagstad

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Ecosystem services mapping and modeling has focused more on supply than demand, until recently. Whereas the potential provision of economic benefits from ecosystems to people is often quantified through ecological production functions, the use of and demand for ecosystem services has received less attention, as have the spatial flows of services from ecosystems to people. However, new modeling approaches that map and quantify service-specific sources (ecosystem capacity to provide a service, sinks (biophysical or anthropogenic features that deplete or alter service flows, users (user locations and level of demand, and spatial flows can provide a more complete understanding of ecosystem services. Through a case study in Puget Sound, Washington State, USA, we quantify and differentiate between the theoretical or in situ provision of services, i.e., ecosystems' capacity to supply services, and their actual provision when accounting for the location of beneficiaries and the spatial connections that mediate service flows between people and ecosystems. Our analysis includes five ecosystem services: carbon sequestration and storage, riverine flood regulation, sediment regulation for reservoirs, open space proximity, and scenic viewsheds. Each ecosystem service is characterized by different beneficiary groups and means of service flow. Using the ARtificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services (ARIES methodology we map service supply, demand, and flow, extending on simpler approaches used by past studies to map service provision and use. With the exception of the carbon sequestration service, regions that actually provided services to people, i.e., connected to beneficiaries via flow paths, amounted to 16-66% of those theoretically capable of supplying services, i.e., all ecosystems across the landscape. These results offer a more complete understanding of the spatial dynamics of ecosystem services and their effects, and may provide a sounder basis for

  3. From theoretical to actual ecosystem services: mapping beneficiaries and spatial flows in ecosystem service assessments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Villa, Ferdinando; Batker, David; Harrison-Cox, Jennifer; Voigt, Brian; Johnson, Gary W.

    2014-01-01

    Ecosystem services mapping and modeling has focused more on supply than demand, until recently. Whereas the potential provision of economic benefits from ecosystems to people is often quantified through ecological production functions, the use of and demand for ecosystem services has received less attention, as have the spatial flows of services from ecosystems to people. However, new modeling approaches that map and quantify service-specific sources (ecosystem capacity to provide a service), sinks (biophysical or anthropogenic features that deplete or alter service flows), users (user locations and level of demand), and spatial flows can provide a more complete understanding of ecosystem services. Through a case study in Puget Sound, Washington State, USA, we quantify and differentiate between the theoretical or in situ provision of services, i.e., ecosystems’ capacity to supply services, and their actual provision when accounting for the location of beneficiaries and the spatial connections that mediate service flows between people and ecosystems. Our analysis includes five ecosystem services: carbon sequestration and storage, riverine flood regulation, sediment regulation for reservoirs, open space proximity, and scenic viewsheds. Each ecosystem service is characterized by different beneficiary groups and means of service flow. Using the ARtificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services (ARIES) methodology we map service supply, demand, and flow, extending on simpler approaches used by past studies to map service provision and use. With the exception of the carbon sequestration service, regions that actually provided services to people, i.e., connected to beneficiaries via flow paths, amounted to 16-66% of those theoretically capable of supplying services, i.e., all ecosystems across the landscape. These results offer a more complete understanding of the spatial dynamics of ecosystem services and their effects, and may provide a sounder basis for economic

  4. Nematode spatial and ecological patterns from tropical and temperate rainforests.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dorota L Porazinska

    Full Text Available Large scale diversity patterns are well established for terrestrial macrobiota (e.g. plants and vertebrates, but not for microscopic organisms (e.g. nematodes. Due to small size, high abundance, and extensive dispersal, microbiota are assumed to exhibit cosmopolitan distributions with no biogeographical patterns. This assumption has been extrapolated from local spatial scale studies of a few taxonomic groups utilizing morphological approaches. Recent molecularly-based studies, however, suggest something quite opposite. Nematodes are the most abundant metazoans on earth, but their diversity patterns are largely unknown. We conducted a survey of nematode diversity within three vertical strata (soil, litter, and canopy of rainforests at two contrasting latitudes in the North American meridian (temperate: the Olympic National Forest, WA, U.S.A and tropical: La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica using standardized sampling designs and sample processing protocols. To describe nematode diversity, we applied an ecometagenetic approach using 454 pyrosequencing. We observed that: 1 nematode communities were unique without even a single common species between the two rainforests, 2 nematode communities were unique among habitats in both rainforests, 3 total species richness was 300% more in the tropical than in the temperate rainforest, 4 80% of the species in the temperate rainforest resided in the soil, whereas only 20% in the tropics, 5 more than 90% of identified species were novel. Overall, our data provided no support for cosmopolitanism at both local (habitats and large (rainforests spatial scales. In addition, our data indicated that biogeographical patterns typical of macrobiota also exist for microbiota.

  5. Nematode Spatial and Ecological Patterns from Tropical and Temperate Rainforests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porazinska, Dorota L.; Giblin-Davis, Robin M.; Powers, Thomas O.; Thomas, W. Kelley

    2012-01-01

    Large scale diversity patterns are well established for terrestrial macrobiota (e.g. plants and vertebrates), but not for microscopic organisms (e.g. nematodes). Due to small size, high abundance, and extensive dispersal, microbiota are assumed to exhibit cosmopolitan distributions with no biogeographical patterns. This assumption has been extrapolated from local spatial scale studies of a few taxonomic groups utilizing morphological approaches. Recent molecularly-based studies, however, suggest something quite opposite. Nematodes are the most abundant metazoans on earth, but their diversity patterns are largely unknown. We conducted a survey of nematode diversity within three vertical strata (soil, litter, and canopy) of rainforests at two contrasting latitudes in the North American meridian (temperate: the Olympic National Forest, WA, U.S.A and tropical: La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica) using standardized sampling designs and sample processing protocols. To describe nematode diversity, we applied an ecometagenetic approach using 454 pyrosequencing. We observed that: 1) nematode communities were unique without even a single common species between the two rainforests, 2) nematode communities were unique among habitats in both rainforests, 3) total species richness was 300% more in the tropical than in the temperate rainforest, 4) 80% of the species in the temperate rainforest resided in the soil, whereas only 20% in the tropics, 5) more than 90% of identified species were novel. Overall, our data provided no support for cosmopolitanism at both local (habitats) and large (rainforests) spatial scales. In addition, our data indicated that biogeographical patterns typical of macrobiota also exist for microbiota. PMID:22984536

  6. Modeling Temporal and Spatial Flows of Ecosystem Services in Chittenden County, VT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voigt, B. G.; Bagstad, K.; Johnson, G.; Villa, F.

    2010-12-01

    This paper documents the integration of ARIES (ARtificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services) with the land use change model UrbanSim to explore the impacts of current and future land use patterns on flood protection and water provision services in Chittenden County, VT. ARIES, an open source modeling platform, is particularly well-suited for measuring, mapping, and modeling the temporal and spatial flows of ecosystem services across the landscape, linking the areas of provision (sources) with human beneficiaries (users) through a spatially explicit agent-based modeling approach. UrbanSim is an open source agent-based land use model designed to facilitate a wide-range of scenarios based on user-specified behavioral assumptions, zoning regulations, and demographic, economic, and infrastructure (e.g. transportation, water, sewer, etc.) parameters. Ecosystem services travel through time and space and are susceptible to disruption and destruction from both natural and anthropogenic perturbations. The conversion of forested or agricultural land to urbanizing uses is replete with a long history of hydrologic impairment, habitat fragmentation, and the degradation of sensitive landscapes. Development decisions are predicated on the presence of landscape characteristics that meet the needs of developers and satisfy the desires of consumers, with minimal consideration of access to or effect on the provision of ecosystem services. The County houses nearly 25% of the state’s population and several employment centers that draw labor from throughout the region. Additionally, the County is expected to maintain modest residential and employment growth over the next 30 years, and will continue to serve as the state’s population and employment center. Expected future growth is likely to adversely affect the remaining farm and forest land in the County in the absence of policies to support sustainable development. We demonstrate how ARIES can be used to quantify changes in

  7. Modelling hydrological connectivity in semi-arid flat areas: effect of the flow accumulation algorithm on the spatial pattern

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-Vicente, Manuel; Álvarez, Sara

    2017-04-01

    Much of the water and sediment fluxes in semi-arid landscapes are found to be concentrated in localized pathways. Identifying the location of these pathways is important for management and restoration. This task becomes more complicated in flat areas, such as alluvial terraces, where geomorphic features of concentrated overland flow (rills and ephemeral gullies) are scarce or inexistent. Field identification of sediment delivery pathways as well as depositional areas is also difficult and challenged. The concept of hydrological connectivity (HC) helps us to express the complexity of landscape non-linear responses to rainfall inputs. One of the unsolved issues in overland flow modelling studies is the choice of the right flow accumulation algorithm (FAA). There is an abundant literature on runoff generation under semi-arid conditions, and relating HC and land use management and changes. However, we found a scientific gap in the literature focussed on modelling of HC in flat areas under semi-arid conditions. This study aims to fill in this gap by modelling HC in alluvial terraces (28 ha) in NE Spain under semi-arid conditions (342 mm / year), mainly devoted to rain-fed cereal fields, by using eight FAA. For this purpose, we applied a modified version of the Borselli's index of runoff and sediment connectivity (IC). The study area includes seven fields on flat alluvial terraces, three fields on a gentle slope, small patches of scrubland, and twelve grass buffer strips that are located between each set of fields. Gentle and flat areas (S drone (model eBee by senseFly Ltd.). In order to minimize the effect of the vegetation on the photogrammetry restitution technique, pictures were taken in early spring, before the growth of the cereals. Then, several DEMs were generated independently. For this study, we chose the DEM at 0.5 x 0.5 m of spatial resolution. Before running the IC model, the continuity of the flow path lines throughout the landscape was ensured by removing

  8. Variable gene dispersal conditions and spatial deforestation patterns can interact to affect tropical tree conservation outcomes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yamini Kashimshetty

    Full Text Available Tropical lowland rain forest (TLRF biodiversity is under threat from anthropogenic factors including deforestation which creates forest fragments of different sizes that can further undergo various internal patterns of logging. Such interventions can modify previous equilibrium abundance and spatial distribution patterns of offspring recruitment and/or pollen dispersal. Little is known about how these aspects of deforestation and fragmentation might synergistically affect TLRF tree recovery demographics and population genetics in newly formed forest fragments. To investigate these TLRF anthropogenic disturbance processes we used the computer program NEWGARDEN (NG, which models spatially-explicit, individual-based plant populations, to simulate 10% deforestation in six different spatial logging patterns for the plant functional type of a long-lived TLRF canopy tree species. Further, each logging pattern was analyzed under nine varying patterns of offspring versus pollen dispersal distances that could have arisen post-fragmentation. Results indicated that gene dispersal condition (especially via offspring had a greater effect on population growth and genetic diversity retention (explaining 98.5% and 88.8% of the variance respectively than spatial logging pattern (0.2% and 4.7% respectively, with 'Near' distance dispersal maximizing population growth and genetic diversity relative to distant dispersal. Within logged regions of the fragment, deforestation patterns closer to fragment borders more often exhibited lower population recovery rates and founding genetic diversity retention relative to more centrally located logging. These results suggest newly isolated fragments have populations that are more sensitive to the way in which their offspring and pollen dispersers are affected than the spatial pattern in which subsequent logging occurs, and that large variation in the recovery rates of different TLRF tree species attributable to altered gene

  9. Patterns of allozyme variation in diploid and tetraploid Centaurea jacea at different spatial scales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hardy, O J; Vekemans, X

    2001-05-01

    The extent and spatial patterns of genetic variation at allozyme markers were investigated within and between diploid and autotetraploid knapweeds (Centaurea jacea L. sensu lato, Asteraceae) at contrasted geographic scales: (1) among populations sampled from a diploid-tetraploid contact zone in the northeastern part of the Belgian Ardennes, and (2) within mixed populations from that zone where diploids and tetraploids coexist. Our data were also compared with a published dataset by Sommer (1990) describing allozyme variation in separate diploid and tetraploid knapweeds populations collected throughout Europe. Genetic diversity was higher in tetraploids. In the Belgian Ardennes and within the mixed populations, both cytotypes had similar levels of spatial genetic structure, they were genetically differentiated, and their distributions of allele frequencies were not spatially correlated. In contrast, at the European scale, diploids and tetraploids did not show differentiated gene pools and presented a strong correlation between their patterns of spatial genetic variation. Numerical simulations showed that the striking difference in patterns observed at small and large geographic scales could be accounted for by a combination of (1) isolation by distance within cytotypes; and (2) partial reproductive barriers between cytotypes and/or recurrent formation of tetraploids. We suggest that this may explain the difficulty of the taxonomic treatment of knapweeds and of polyploid complexes in general.

  10. Analysis of Spatial Pattern among Grasshopper and Vegetation in Heihe based on GIS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Wei; Wang, KeMing; Zhao, Chengzhang; Zhang, Qi-peng

    Geostatistics was used to analyze the grasshopper and dominant plants population spatial pattern and their relationship in the upper reaches of Heihe River under GIS platform. The results showed that the plants and grasshoppers populations have strong spatial correlation in study area. The Semivariogram curve of Chorthippus brunneus huabeiensis, Filchnerella, Aneurolepidium dasystanchys and Artemisia dalailamae is spherical model, Gomphocerus licenti and Stipa krylovii's Semivariogram curve is exponential and Gaussian model respectively, and their spatial autocorrelation scope is 10.8, 11.3, 11.5, 12.4, 23.5 and 59.7 meters respectively. Stipa krylovii and Artemisia dalailamae spatial distribution was patchy, Aneurolepidium dasystanchys showed flaky distribution; Gomphocerus licenti and Chorthippus brunneus huabeiensis mainly located in southeast areas with high coverage of Stipa krylovii and Aneurolepidium dasystanchys. Filchnerella nearly located in North areas with high coverage of Artemisia dalailamae, but were rarely found in south and east areas. The effects of different plants coverage on grasshopper abundance are significantly different. Filchnerella abundance and Artemisia dalailamae coverage showed significantly positive correlation, Chorthippus brunneus huabeiensis and Gomphocerus licenti positively correlated with Aneurolepidium dasystanchys and Stipa krylovii. Grasshopper spatial patterns and occurrence numbers are both influenced by grasshopper biological characteristics and plant community composition, which reflected complex coupled relation between grasshopper and plant.

  11. Systematic Assessment of the Impact of User Roles on Network Flow Patterns

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-09-01

    a system at IP address c_IPj can be expressed as D[ui][c_ip j]. Specifying use of a specific protocol ( prk ), server port (spl) and distant end IP...address (e_ipm) can be expressed as D[ui][c_ip j][ prk ][spl][e_ipm]. 3.2 Patterns Within Flow Sets We define patterns within a set of Netflow records as...address, protocol, server port, and endpoint IP address (D[ui][c_ip j][ prk ][spl][e_ipm]) we identified sequential flow pairs, matching each flow with

  12. Spatial Patterns in Herbivory on a Coral Reef Are Influenced by Structural Complexity but Not by Algal Traits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vergés, Adriana; Vanderklift, Mathew A.; Doropoulos, Christopher; Hyndes, Glenn A.

    2011-01-01

    Background Patterns of herbivory can alter the spatial structure of ecosystems, with important consequences for ecosystem functions and biodiversity. While the factors that drive spatial patterns in herbivory in terrestrial systems are well established, comparatively less is known about what influences the distribution of herbivory in coral reefs. Methodology and Principal Findings We quantified spatial patterns of macroalgal consumption in a cross-section of Ningaloo Reef (Western Australia). We used a combination of descriptive and experimental approaches to assess the influence of multiple macroalgal traits and structural complexity in establishing the observed spatial patterns in macroalgal herbivory, and to identify potential feedback mechanisms between herbivory and macroalgal nutritional quality. Spatial patterns in macroalgal consumption were best explained by differences in structural complexity among habitats. The biomass of herbivorous fish, and rates of herbivory were always greater in the structurally-complex coral-dominated outer reef and reef flat habitats, which were also characterised by high biomass of herbivorous fish, low cover and biomass of macroalgae and the presence of unpalatable algae species. Macroalgal consumption decreased to undetectable levels within 75 m of structurally-complex reef habitat, and algae were most abundant in the structurally-simple lagoon habitats, which were also characterised by the presence of the most palatable algae species. In contrast to terrestrial ecosystems, herbivory patterns were not influenced by the distribution, productivity or nutritional quality of resources (macroalgae), and we found no evidence of a positive feedback between macroalgal consumption and the nitrogen content of algae. Significance This study highlights the importance of seascape-scale patterns in structural complexity in determining spatial patterns of macroalgal consumption by fish. Given the importance of herbivory in maintaining the

  13. Spatial patterns in herbivory on a coral reef are influenced by structural complexity but not by algal traits.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriana Vergés

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Patterns of herbivory can alter the spatial structure of ecosystems, with important consequences for ecosystem functions and biodiversity. While the factors that drive spatial patterns in herbivory in terrestrial systems are well established, comparatively less is known about what influences the distribution of herbivory in coral reefs.We quantified spatial patterns of macroalgal consumption in a cross-section of Ningaloo Reef (Western Australia. We used a combination of descriptive and experimental approaches to assess the influence of multiple macroalgal traits and structural complexity in establishing the observed spatial patterns in macroalgal herbivory, and to identify potential feedback mechanisms between herbivory and macroalgal nutritional quality. Spatial patterns in macroalgal consumption were best explained by differences in structural complexity among habitats. The biomass of herbivorous fish, and rates of herbivory were always greater in the structurally-complex coral-dominated outer reef and reef flat habitats, which were also characterised by high biomass of herbivorous fish, low cover and biomass of macroalgae and the presence of unpalatable algae species. Macroalgal consumption decreased to undetectable levels within 75 m of structurally-complex reef habitat, and algae were most abundant in the structurally-simple lagoon habitats, which were also characterised by the presence of the most palatable algae species. In contrast to terrestrial ecosystems, herbivory patterns were not influenced by the distribution, productivity or nutritional quality of resources (macroalgae, and we found no evidence of a positive feedback between macroalgal consumption and the nitrogen content of algae.This study highlights the importance of seascape-scale patterns in structural complexity in determining spatial patterns of macroalgal consumption by fish. Given the importance of herbivory in maintaining the ability of coral reefs to reorganise and

  14. INVESTIGATION AND EVALUATION OF SPATIAL PATTERNS IN TABRIZ PARKS USING LANDSCAPE METRICS

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    Ali Majnouni Toutakhane

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, the green spaces in cities and especially metropolises have adopted a variety of functions. In addition to improving the environmental conditions, they are suitable places for spending free times and mitigating nervous pressures of the machinery life based on their distribution and dispersion in the cities. In this research, in order to study the spatial distribution and composition of the parks and green spaces in Tabriz metropolis, the map of Parks prepared using the digital atlas of Tabriz parks and Arc Map and IDRISI softwares. Then, quantitative information of spatial patterns of Tabriz parks provided using Fragstats software and a selection of landscape metrics including: the area of class, patch density, percentage of landscape, average patch size, average patch area, largest patch index, landscape shape index, average Euclidean distance of the nearest neighborhood and average index of patch shape. Then the spatial distribution, composition, extent and continuity of the parks was evaluated. Overall, only 8.5 percent of the landscape is assigned to the parks, and they are studied in three classes of neighborhood, district and regional parks. Neighborhood parks and green spaces have a better spatial distribution pattern compared to the other classes and the studied metrics showed better results for this class. In contrast, the quantitative results of the metrics calculated for regional parks, showed the most unfavorable spatial status for this class of parks among the three classes studied in Tabriz city.

  15. MotionFlow: Visual Abstraction and Aggregation of Sequential Patterns in Human Motion Tracking Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Sujin; Elmqvist, Niklas; Ramani, Karthik

    2016-01-01

    Pattern analysis of human motions, which is useful in many research areas, requires understanding and comparison of different styles of motion patterns. However, working with human motion tracking data to support such analysis poses great challenges. In this paper, we propose MotionFlow, a visual analytics system that provides an effective overview of various motion patterns based on an interactive flow visualization. This visualization formulates a motion sequence as transitions between static poses, and aggregates these sequences into a tree diagram to construct a set of motion patterns. The system also allows the users to directly reflect the context of data and their perception of pose similarities in generating representative pose states. We provide local and global controls over the partition-based clustering process. To support the users in organizing unstructured motion data into pattern groups, we designed a set of interactions that enables searching for similar motion sequences from the data, detailed exploration of data subsets, and creating and modifying the group of motion patterns. To evaluate the usability of MotionFlow, we conducted a user study with six researchers with expertise in gesture-based interaction design. They used MotionFlow to explore and organize unstructured motion tracking data. Results show that the researchers were able to easily learn how to use MotionFlow, and the system effectively supported their pattern analysis activities, including leveraging their perception and domain knowledge.

  16. TOOLS FOR PRESENTING SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL PATTERNS OF ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING DATA

    Science.gov (United States)

    The EPA Health Effects Research Laboratory has developed this data presentation tool for use with a variety of types of data which may contain spatial and temporal patterns of interest. he technology links mainframe computing power to the new generation of "desktop publishing" ha...

  17. Mathematical simulation of fluid flow and analysis of flow pattern in the flow path of low-head Kaplan turbine

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    A. V. Rusanov

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The results of numerical investigation of spatial flow of viscous incompressible fluid in flow part of Kaplan turbine PL20 Kremenchug HPP at optimum setting angle of runner blade φb = 15° and at maximum setting angle φb = 35° are shown. The flow simulation has been carried out on basis of numerical integration of the Reynolds equations with an additional term containing artificial compressibility. The differential two-parameter model of Menter (SST has been applied to take into account turbulent effects. Numerical integration of the equations is carried out using an implicit quasi-monotone Godunov type scheme of second - order accuracy in space and time. The calculations have been conducted with the help of the software system IPMFlow. The analysis of fluid flow in the flow part elements is shown and the values of hydraulic losses and local cavitation coefficient have been obtained. Comparison of calculated and experimental results has been carried out.

  18. Residential Racial Isolation and Spatial Patterning of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Durham, North Carolina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bravo, Mercedes A; Anthopolos, Rebecca; Kimbro, Rachel T; Miranda, Marie Lynn

    2018-05-14

    Neighborhood characteristics such as racial segregation may be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, but studies have not examined these relationships using spatial models appropriate for geographically patterned health outcomes. We construct a local, spatial index of racial isolation (RI) for blacks, which measures the extent to which blacks are exposed to only one another, to estimate associations of diabetes with RI and examine how RI relates to spatial patterning in diabetes. We obtained 2007-2011 electronic health records from the Duke Medicine Enterprise Data Warehouse. Patient data were linked to RI based on census block of residence. We use aspatial and spatial Bayesian models to assess spatial variation in diabetes and relationships with RI. Compared to spatial models with patient age and sex, residual geographic heterogeneity in diabetes in spatial models that also included RI was 29% and 24% lower for non-Hispanic whites and blacks, respectively. A 0.20 unit increase in RI was associated with 1.24 (95% credible interval: 1.17, 1.31) and 1.07 (1.05, 1.10) increased risk of diabetes for whites and blacks, respectively. Improved understanding of neighborhood characteristics associated with diabetes can inform development of policy interventions.

  19. Spatial analysis of instream nitrogen loads and factors controlling nitrogen delivery to streams in the southeastern United States using spatially referenced regression on watershed attributes (SPARROW) and regional classification frameworks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoos, Anne B.; McMahon, Gerard

    2009-01-01

    Understanding how nitrogen transport across the landscape varies with landscape characteristics is important for developing sound nitrogen management policies. We used a spatially referenced regression analysis (SPARROW) to examine landscape characteristics influencing delivery of nitrogen from sources in a watershed to stream channels. Modelled landscape delivery ratio varies widely (by a factor of 4) among watersheds in the southeastern United States—higher in the western part (Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi) than in the eastern part, and the average value for the region is lower compared to other parts of the nation. When we model landscape delivery ratio as a continuous function of local-scale landscape characteristics, we estimate a spatial pattern that varies as a function of soil and climate characteristics but exhibits spatial structure in residuals (observed load minus predicted load). The spatial pattern of modelled landscape delivery ratio and the spatial pattern of residuals coincide spatially with Level III ecoregions and also with hydrologic landscape regions. Subsequent incorporation into the model of these frameworks as regional scale variables improves estimation of landscape delivery ratio, evidenced by reduced spatial bias in residuals, and suggests that cross-scale processes affect nitrogen attenuation on the landscape. The model-fitted coefficient values are logically consistent with the hypothesis that broad-scale classifications of hydrologic response help to explain differential rates of nitrogen attenuation, controlling for local-scale landscape characteristics. Negative model coefficients for hydrologic landscape regions where the primary flow path is shallow ground water suggest that a lower fraction of nitrogen mass will be delivered to streams; this relation is reversed for regions where the primary flow path is overland flow.

  20. Spatial Autocorrelation Patterns of Understory Plant Species in a Subtropical Rainforest at Lanjenchi, Southern Taiwan

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    Su-Wei Fan

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Many studies described relationships between plant species and intrinsic or exogenous factors, but few quantified spatial scales of species patterns. In this study, quantitative methods were used to explore the spatial scale of understory species (including resident and transient species, in order to identify the influential factors of species distribution. Resident species (including herbaceous species, climbers and tree ferns < 1 m high were investigated on seven transects, each 5-meter wide and 300-meter long, at Lanjenchi plot in Nanjenshan Reserve, southern Taiwan. Transient species (seedling of canopy, subcanopy and shrub species < 1 cm diameter at breast height were censused in three of the seven transects. The herb coverage and seedling abundance were calculated for each 5 × 5 m quadrat along the transects, and Moran’s I and Galiano’s new local variance (NLV indices were then used to identify the spatial scale of autocorrelation for each species. Patterns of species abundance of understory layer varied among species at fine scale within 50 meters. Resident species showed a higher proportion of significant autocorrelation than the transient species. Species with large size or prolonged fronds or stems tended to show larger scales in autocorrelation. However, dispersal syndromes and fruit types did not relate to any species’ spatial patterns. Several species showed a significant autocorrelation at a 180-meter class which happened to correspond to the local replicates of topographical features in hilltops. The spatial patterns of understory species at Lanjenchi plot are mainly influenced by species’ intrinsic traits and topographical characteristics.

  1. DYNAMIC MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF URBAN SPATIAL PATTERN (RESIDENTIAL CHOICE OF LOCATION: MOBILITY VS EXTERNALITY

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    Rahma Fitriani

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Household’s residential choice of location determines urban spatial pattern (e.g sprawl. The static model which assumes that the choice has been affected by distance to the CBD and location specific externality, fails to capture the evoution of the pattern over time. Therefore this study proposes a dynamic version of the model. It analyses the effects of externalities on the optimal solution of development decision as function of time. It also derives the effect of mobility and externality on the rate of change of development pattern through time. When the increasing rate of utility is not as significant as the increasing rate of income, the externalities will delay the change of urban spatial pattern over time. If the mobility costs increase by large amount relative to the increase of income and inflation rate, then the mobility effect dominates the effects of externalities in delaying the urban expansion.

  2. Individual Differences in Spatial Pattern Separation Performance Associated with Healthy Aging in Humans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stark, Shauna M.; Yassa, Michael A.; Stark, Craig E. L.

    2010-01-01

    Rodent studies have suggested that "pattern separation," the ability to distinguish among similar experiences, is diminished in a subset of aged rats. We extended these findings to the human using a task designed to assess spatial pattern separation behavior (determining at time of test whether pairs of pictures shown during the study were in the…

  3. Spatio-temporal flow maps for visualizing movement and contact patterns

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    Bing Ni

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The advanced telecom technologies and massive volumes of intelligent mobile phone users have yielded a huge amount of real-time data of people’s all-in-one telecommunication records, which we call telco big data. With telco data and the domain knowledge of an urban city, we are now able to analyze the movement and contact patterns of humans in an unprecedented scale. Flow map is widely used to display the movements of humans from one single source to multiple destinations by representing locations as nodes and movements as edges. However, it fails the task of visualizing both movement and contact data. In addition, analysts often need to compare and examine the patterns side by side, and do various quantitative analysis. In this work, we propose a novel spatio-temporal flow map layout to visualize when and where people from different locations move into the same places and make contact. We also propose integrating the spatiotemporal flow maps into existing spatiotemporal visualization techniques to form a suite of techniques for visualizing the movement and contact patterns. We report a potential application the proposed techniques can be applied to. The results show that our design and techniques properly unveil hidden information, while analysis can be achieved efficiently. Keywords: Spatio-temporal data, Flow map, Urban mobility

  4. Effects of rainfall patterns and land cover on the subsurface flow generation of sloping Ferralsols in southern China.

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    Jian Duan

    Full Text Available Rainfall patterns and land cover are two important factors that affect the runoff generation process. To determine the surface and subsurface flows associated with different rainfall patterns on sloping Ferralsols under different land cover types, observational data related to surface and subsurface flows from 5 m × 15 m plots were collected from 2010 to 2012. The experiment was conducted to assess three land cover types (grass, litter cover and bare land in the Jiangxi Provincial Soil and Water Conservation Ecological Park. During the study period, 114 natural rainfall events produced subsurface flow and were divided into four groups using k-means clustering according to rainfall duration, rainfall depth and maximum 30-min rainfall intensity. The results showed that the total runoff and surface flow values were highest for bare land under all four rainfall patterns and lowest for the covered plots. However, covered plots generated higher subsurface flow values than bare land. Moreover, the surface and subsurface flows associated with the three land cover types differed significantly under different rainfall patterns. Rainfall patterns with low intensities and long durations created more subsurface flow in the grass and litter cover types, whereas rainfall patterns with high intensities and short durations resulted in greater surface flow over bare land. Rainfall pattern I had the highest surface and subsurface flow values for the grass cover and litter cover types. The highest surface flow value and lowest subsurface flow value for bare land occurred under rainfall pattern IV. Rainfall pattern II generated the highest subsurface flow value for bare land. Therefore, grass or litter cover are able to convert more surface flow into subsurface flow under different rainfall patterns. The rainfall patterns studied had greater effects on subsurface flow than on total runoff and surface flow for covered surfaces, as well as a greater effect on surface

  5. Geo-ecological spatial pattern analysis of the island of Fogo (Cape Verde)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olehowski, C.; Naumann, S.; Fischer, D.; Siegmund, A.

    2008-12-01

    With its small-scale climatic, floristic and geo-ecological differentiation, the island of Fogo is an optimal research area for understanding semi-arid island ecosystems in the marginal tropics. Because of the high variability in precipitation, the archipelago of Cape Verde has a potentially high ecological vulnerability, which is caused mainly by population growth, intensification of agricultural land use and increasing tourism. In this context, a geo-ecological spatial pattern analysis has been conducted for Fogo, including several types of geo-ecological layers like vegetation, elevation, aspect, soil and geology. The different kinds of spatial patterns that are detected can be used as a first tool to display distinctive levels of ecological vulnerability. These levels could constitute a base for sustainable land use planning and the redevelopment of agricultural strategies.

  6. Spatial profiling of nuclear receptor transcription patterns over the course of Drosophila development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilk, Ronit; Hu, Jack; Krause, Henry M

    2013-07-08

    Previous work has shown that many of the 18 family members of Drosophila nuclear receptor transcription factors function in a temporal hierarchy to coordinate developmental progression and growth with the rate limiting process of metabolism. To gain further insight into these interactions and processes, we have undertaken a whole-family analysis of nuclear receptor mRNA spatial expression patterns over the entire process of embryogenesis, as well as the 3rd instar wandering larva stage, by using high-resolution fluorescence in situ hybridization. Overall, the patterns of expression are remarkably consistent with previously mapped spatial activity profiles documented during the same time points, with similar hot spots and temporal profiles in endocrine and metabolically important tissues. Among the more remarkable of the findings is that the majority of mRNA expression patterns observed show striking subcellular distributions, indicating potentially critical roles in the control of protein synthesis and subsequent subcellular distributions. These patterns will serve as a useful reference for future studies on the tissue-specific roles and interactions of nuclear receptor proteins, partners, cofactors and ligands.

  7. Spatial-phase code-division multiple-access system with multiplexed Fourier holography switching for reconfigurable optical interconnection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takasago, Kazuya; Takekawa, Makoto; Shirakawa, Atsushi; Kannari, Fumihiko

    2000-05-01

    A new, to our knowledge, space-variant optical interconnection system based on a spatial-phase code-division multiple-access technique with multiplexed Fourier holography is described. In this technique a signal beam is spread over wide spatial frequencies by an M -sequence pseudorandom phase code. At a receiver side a selected signal beam is properly decoded, and at the same time its spatial pattern is shaped with a Fourier hologram, which is recorded by light that is encoded with the same M -sequence phase mask as the desired signal beam and by light whose spatial beam pattern is shaped to a signal routing pattern. Using the multiplexed holography, we can simultaneously route multisignal flows into individually specified receiver elements. The routing pattern can also be varied by means of switching the encoding phase code or replacing the hologram. We demonstrated a proof-of-principle experiment with a doubly multiplexed hologram that enables simultaneous routing of two signal beams. Using a numerical model, we showed that the proposed scheme can manage more than 250 routing patterns for one signal flow with one multiplexed hologram at a signal-to-noise ratio of 5.

  8. Locating sensors for detecting source-to-target patterns of special nuclear material smuggling: a spatial information theoretic approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Przybyla, Jay; Taylor, Jeffrey; Zhou, Xuesong

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, a spatial information-theoretic model is proposed to locate sensors for detecting source-to-target patterns of special nuclear material (SNM) smuggling. In order to ship the nuclear materials from a source location with SNM production to a target city, the smugglers must employ global and domestic logistics systems. This paper focuses on locating a limited set of fixed and mobile radiation sensors in a transportation network, with the intent to maximize the expected information gain and minimize the estimation error for the subsequent nuclear material detection stage. A Kalman filtering-based framework is adapted to assist the decision-maker in quantifying the network-wide information gain and SNM flow estimation accuracy.

  9. Locating Sensors for Detecting Source-to-Target Patterns of Special Nuclear Material Smuggling: A Spatial Information Theoretic Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xuesong Zhou

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a spatial information-theoretic model is proposed to locate sensors for detecting source-to-target patterns of special nuclear material (SNM smuggling. In order to ship the nuclear materials from a source location with SNM production to a target city, the smugglers must employ global and domestic logistics systems. This paper focuses on locating a limited set of fixed and mobile radiation sensors in a transportation network, with the intent to maximize the expected information gain and minimize the estimation error for the subsequent nuclear material detection stage. A Kalman filtering-based framework is adapted to assist the decision-maker in quantifying the network-wide information gain and SNM flow estimation accuracy.

  10. Decompositions of injection patterns for nodal flow allocation in renewable electricity networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schäfer, Mirko; Tranberg, Bo; Hempel, Sabrina; Schramm, Stefan; Greiner, Martin

    2017-08-01

    The large-scale integration of fluctuating renewable power generation represents a challenge to the technical and economical design of a sustainable future electricity system. In this context, the increasing significance of long-range power transmission calls for innovative methods to understand the emerging complex flow patterns and to integrate price signals about the respective infrastructure needs into the energy market design. We introduce a decomposition method of injection patterns. Contrary to standard flow tracing approaches, it provides nodal allocations of link flows and costs in electricity networks by decomposing the network injection pattern into market-inspired elementary import/export building blocks. We apply the new approach to a simplified data-driven model of a European electricity grid with a high share of renewable wind and solar power generation.

  11. Flow distributions and spatial correlations in human brain capillary networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorthois, Sylvie; Peyrounette, Myriam; Larue, Anne; Le Borgne, Tanguy

    2015-11-01

    The vascular system of the human brain cortex is composed of a space filling mesh-like capillary network connected upstream and downstream to branched quasi-fractal arterioles and venules. The distribution of blood flow rates in these networks may affect the efficiency of oxygen transfer processes. Here, we investigate the distribution and correlation properties of blood flow velocities from numerical simulations in large 3D human intra-cortical vascular network (10000 segments) obtained from an anatomical database. In each segment, flow is solved from a 1D non-linear model taking account of the complex rheological properties of blood flow in microcirculation to deduce blood pressure, blood flow and red blood cell volume fraction distributions throughout the network. The network structural complexity is found to impart broad and spatially correlated Lagrangian velocity distributions, leading to power law transit time distributions. The origins of this behavior (existence of velocity correlations in capillary networks, influence of the coupling with the feeding arterioles and draining veins, topological disorder, complex blood rheology) are studied by comparison with results obtained in various model capillary networks of controlled disorder. ERC BrainMicroFlow GA615102, ERC ReactiveFronts GA648377.

  12. Web-based GIS for spatial pattern detection: application to malaria incidence in Vietnam.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bui, Thanh Quang; Pham, Hai Minh

    2016-01-01

    There is a great concern on how to build up an interoperable health information system of public health and health information technology within the development of public information and health surveillance programme. Technically, some major issues remain regarding to health data visualization, spatial processing of health data, health information dissemination, data sharing and the access of local communities to health information. In combination with GIS, we propose a technical framework for web-based health data visualization and spatial analysis. Data was collected from open map-servers and geocoded by open data kit package and data geocoding tools. The Web-based system is designed based on Open-source frameworks and libraries. The system provides Web-based analyst tool for pattern detection through three spatial tests: Nearest neighbour, K function, and Spatial Autocorrelation. The result is a web-based GIS, through which end users can detect disease patterns via selecting area, spatial test parameters and contribute to managers and decision makers. The end users can be health practitioners, educators, local communities, health sector authorities and decision makers. This web-based system allows for the improvement of health related services to public sector users as well as citizens in a secure manner. The combination of spatial statistics and web-based GIS can be a solution that helps empower health practitioners in direct and specific intersectional actions, thus provide for better analysis, control and decision-making.

  13. 4D flow MRI assessment of right atrial flow patterns in the normal heart - influence of caval vein arrangement and implications for the patent foramen ovale.

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    Jehill D Parikh

    Full Text Available To investigate atrial flow patterns in the normal adult heart, to explore whether caval vein arrangement and patency of the foramen ovale (PFO may be associated with flow pattern.Time-resolved, three-dimensional velocity encoded magnetic resonance imaging (4D flow was employed to assess atrial flow patterns in thirteen healthy subjects (6 male, 40 years, range 25-50 and thirteen subjects (6 male, 40 years, range 21-50 with cryptogenic stroke and patent foramen ovale (CS-PFO. Right atrial flow was defined as vortical, helico-vortical, helical and multiple vortices. Time-averaged and peak systolic and diastolic flows in the caval and pulmonary veins and their anatomical arrangement were compared.A spectrum of right atrial flow was observed across the four defined categories. The right atrial flow patterns were strongly associated with the relative position of the caval veins. Right atrial flow patterns other than vortical were more common (p = 0.015 and the separation between the superior and inferior vena cava greater (10±5mm versus 3±3mm, p = 0.002 in the CS-PFO group. In the left atrium all subjects except one had counter-clockwise vortical flow. Vortex size varied and was associated with left lower pulmonary vein flow (systolic r = 0.61, p = 0.001, diastolic r = 0.63 p = 0.002. A diastolic vortex was less common and time-averaged left atrial velocity was greater in the CS-PFO group (17±2cm/sec versus 15±1, p = 0.048. One CS-PFO subject demonstrated vortical retrograde flow in the descending aortic arch; all other subjects had laminar descending aortic flow.Right atrial flow patterns in the normal heart are heterogeneous and are associated with the relative position of the caval veins. Patterns, other than 'typical' vortical flow, are more prevalent in the right atrium of those with cryptogenic stroke in the context of PFO. Left atrial flow patterns are more homogenous in normal hearts and show a relationship with flow arising from the left

  14. A study of flow patterns for staggered cylinders at low Reynolds number by spectral element method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hsu, Li-Chieh; Chen, Chien-Lin; Ye, Jian-Zhi [National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan (China)

    2017-06-15

    This study investigates the pattern of flow past two staggered array cylinders using the spectral element method by varying the distance between the cylinders and the angle of incidence (α) at low Reynolds numbers (Re = 100-800). Six flow patterns are identified as Shear layer reattachment (SLR), Induced separation (IS), Vortex impingement (VI), Synchronized vortex shedding (SVS), Vortex pairing and enveloping (VPE), and Vortex pairing splitting and enveloping (VPSE). These flow patterns can be transformed from one to another by changing the distance between the cylinders, the angle of incidence, or Re. SLR, IS and VI flow patterns appear in regimes with small angles of incidence (i.e., α ≤ 30° ) and hold only a single von Karman vortex shedding in a wake with one shedding frequency. SVS, VPE and VPSE flow patterns appear in regimes with large angles of incidence (i.e., 30° ≤ α ≤ 50° ) and present two synchronized von Karman vortices. Quantitative analyses and physical interpretation are also conducted to determine the generation mechanisms of the said flow patterns.

  15. Synthetic perspective optical flow: Influence on pilot control tasks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett, C. Thomas; Johnson, Walter W.; Perrone, John A.; Phatak, Anil V.

    1989-01-01

    One approach used to better understand the impact of visual flow on control tasks has been to use synthetic perspective flow patterns. Such patterns are the result of apparent motion across a grid or random dot display. Unfortunately, the optical flow so generated is based on a subset of the flow information that exists in the real world. The danger is that the resulting optical motions may not generate the visual flow patterns useful for actual flight control. Researchers conducted a series of studies directed at understanding the characteristics of synthetic perspective flow that support various pilot tasks. In the first of these, they examined the control of altitude over various perspective grid textures (Johnson et al., 1987). Another set of studies was directed at studying the head tracking of targets moving in a 3-D coordinate system. These studies, parametric in nature, utilized both impoverished and complex virtual worlds represented by simple perspective grids at one extreme, and computer-generated terrain at the other. These studies are part of an applied visual research program directed at understanding the design principles required for the development of instruments displaying spatial orientation information. The experiments also highlight the need for modeling the impact of spatial displays on pilot control tasks.

  16. Investigating flow patterns in a channel with complex obstacles using the lattice Boltzmann method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yojina, Jiraporn; Ngamsaad, Waipot; Nuttavut, Narin; Triampo, Darapond; Lenbury, Yongwimon; Sriyab, Somchai; Triampo, Wannapong [Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok (Thailand); Kanthang, Paisan [Rajamangala University of Technology, Bangkok (Thailand)

    2010-10-15

    In this work, mesoscopic modeling via a computational lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is used to investigate the flow pattern phenomena and the physical properties of the flow field around one and two square obstacles inside a two-dimensional channel with a fixed blockage ratio,{beta} =14 , centered inside a 2D channel, for a range of Reynolds numbers (Re) from 1 to 300. The simulation results show that flow patterns can initially exhibit laminar flow at low Re and then make a transition to periodic, unsteady, and, finally, turbulent flow as the Re get higher. Streamlines and velocity profiles and a vortex shedding pattern are observed. The Strouhal numbers are calculated to characterize the shedding frequency and flow dynamics. The effect of the layouts or configurations of the obstacles are also investigated, and the possible connection between the mixing process and the appropriate design of a chemical mixing system is discussed

  17. Spatial Pattern Determination of Biodiversity Threats at Landscape Level (Case Study: Golestan Province

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Mirzaei

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Mapping spatial patterns of potential biodiversity threats is one of the important steps for effective conservation planning and activities. To determine the spatial patterns of threats in Golestan province, 12 criteria in four main groups including structural (fractal coefficient of perimeter, circularity ratio of area, average slope, compositional aspects of biodiversity (presence of species at risk, non-biological threats (distance to city, distance to village, distance to road, distance to infrastructure, distance to agricultural land, soil pollution, risk of fire and isolation (Nearest Neighbor Index were used. These data layers were digitized in GIS environment and were weighted through Analytical Hierarchy Process. A weighted linear combination was then used to map the spatial pattern of biodiversity threats in the province. Compositional aspect (0.59, non-biological threats (0.23, isolation (0.11, and structural aspect (0.07 were relatively weighted in the order of importance. Central parts of the province and patches in the northern and southern parts were recognized to be more exposed to biodiversity threats. The central parts of the province were mostly threatened by urban, industrial, road and agricultural development, whereas the northern and southern parts were recognized as areas of conservation importance having a variety of threatened birds.

  18. Effect of Flood Water Diffuser on Flow Pattern of Water during Road Crossing

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    Abdul Ghani A.N.

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available One of the methods to reduce the velocity of flood water flow across roads is to design obstacle objects as diffusers and place them alongside the road shoulder. The velocity reduction of water flow depends on the diffusion pattern of water. The pattern of diffused water depends on the design of the obstacle objects. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the design of obstacle objects and their water diffusing patterns and their capability to reduce the velocity of the flood water flow during road crossing. Variety of designs and orientation of the obstacle objects were tested in the environmental laboratory on a scale of 1:20. The results are classified into three distinguishable patterns of diffusion. Finally, two diffuser shapes and arrangements are recommended for further investigations in full scale or CFD model.

  19. Tree Regeneration Spatial Patterns in Ponderosa Pine Forests Following Stand-Replacing Fire: Influence of Topography and Neighbors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Justin P. Ziegler

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Shifting fire regimes alter forest structure assembly in ponderosa pine forests and may produce structural heterogeneity following stand-replacing fire due, in part, to fine-scale variability in growing environments. We mapped tree regeneration in eighteen plots 11 to 15 years after stand-replacing fire in Colorado and South Dakota, USA. We used point pattern analyses to examine the spatial pattern of tree locations and heights as well as the influence of tree interactions and topography on tree patterns. In these sparse, early-seral forests, we found that all species were spatially aggregated, partly attributable to the influence of (1 aspect and slope on conifers; (2 topographic position on quaking aspen; and (3 interspecific attraction between ponderosa pine and other species. Specifically, tree interactions were related to finer-scale patterns whereas topographic effects influenced coarse-scale patterns. Spatial structures of heights revealed conspecific size hierarchies with taller trees in denser neighborhoods. Topography and heterospecific tree interactions had nominal effect on tree height spatial structure. Our results demonstrate how stand-replacing fires create heterogeneous forest structures and suggest that scale-dependent, and often facilitatory, rather than competitive, processes act on regenerating trees. These early-seral processes will establish potential pathways of stand development, affecting future forest dynamics and management options.

  20. Spatial vegetation patterns and neighborhood competition among woody plants in an East African savanna.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dohn, Justin; Augustine, David J; Hanan, Niall P; Ratnam, Jayashree; Sankaran, Mahesh

    2017-02-01

    The majority of research on savanna vegetation dynamics has focused on the coexistence of woody and herbaceous vegetation. Interactions among woody plants in savannas are relatively poorly understood. We present data from a 10-yr longitudinal study of spatially explicit growth patterns of woody vegetation in an East African savanna following exclusion of large herbivores and in the absence of fire. We examined plant spatial patterns and quantified the degree of competition among woody individuals. Woody plants in this semiarid savanna exhibit strongly clumped spatial distributions at scales of 1-5 m. However, analysis of woody plant growth rates relative to their conspecific and heterospecific neighbors revealed evidence for strong competitive interactions at neighborhood scales of up to 5 m for most woody plant species. Thus, woody plants were aggregated in clumps despite significantly decreased growth rates in close proximity to neighbors, indicating that the spatial distribution of woody plants in this region depends on dispersal and establishment processes rather than on competitive, density-dependent mortality. However, our documentation of suppressive effects of woody plants on neighbors also suggests a potentially important role for tree-tree competition in controlling vegetation structure and indicates that the balanced-competition hypothesis may contribute to well-known patterns in maximum tree cover across rainfall gradients in Africa. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

  1. Metrics to describe the effects of landscape pattern on hydrology in a lotic peatland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, J.; Cohen, M. J.; Kaplan, D. A.; Acharya, S.; Larsen, L.; Nungesser, M.

    2013-12-01

    Strong reciprocal interactions exist between landscape patterns and ecological processes. Hydrology is the dominant abiotic driver of ecological processes in wetlands, particularly flowing wetlands, but is both the control on and controlled by the geometry of vegetation patterning. Landscape metrics are widely used to quantitatively link pattern and process. Our goal here was to use several candidate spatial pattern metrics to predict the effects of wetland vegetation pattern on hydrologic regime, specifically hydroperiod, in the ridge-slough patterned landscape of the Everglades. The metrics focus on the capacity for longitudinally connected flow, and thus the ability of this low-gradient patterned landscape to route water from upstream. We first explored flow friction cost (FFC), a weighted spatial distance procedure wherein ridges have a high flow cost than sloughs by virtue of their elevation and vegetation structure, to evaluate water movement through different landscape configurations. We also investigated existing published flow metrics, specifically the Directional Connectivity Index (DCI) and Landscape Discharge Competence (LDC), that seek to quantify connectivity, one of the sentinel targets of ecological restoration. Hydroperiod was estimated using a numerical hydrologic model (SWIFT 2D) in real and synthetic landscapes with varying vegetation properties ( patch anisotropy, ridge density). Synthetic landscapes were constrained by the geostatistical properties of the best conserved patterned, and contained five anisotropy levels and seven ridge density levels. These were used to construct the relationship between landscape metrics and hydroperiod. Then, using historical images from 1940 to 2004, we applied the metrics toback-cast hydroperiod. Current vegetation maps were used to test scale dependency for each metric. Our results suggest that both FFC and DCI are good predictors of hydroperiod under free flowing conditions, and that they can be used

  2. Spatial and temporal patterns of airflow across a foredune and beach surface under offshore winds: implications for aeolian sediment transport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, D.; Delgado-Fernandez, I.; Lynch, K.; Baas, A. C.; Cooper, J. A.; Beyers, M.

    2010-12-01

    The input of aeolian sediment into foredune systems from beaches represents a key component of sediment budget analysis along many soft sedimentary coastlines. Where there are significant offshore wind components in local wind regimes this is normally excluded from analysis. However, recent work has shown that if the topography of the foredune is favourable then this offshore component is steered or undergoes flow reversal through leeside eddying to give onshore transport events at the back beach under offshore flow conditions. At particular distances from the foredune crest flow reattaches to the surface to continue its incident offshore direction. The location of this reattachment point has important implications for aeolian transport of sand on the back beach and foredune toe locations. This study reports initial results where the positioning of the reattachment point is mobile and is driven by incident wind velocity (at the foredune crest) and the actual undulations of the foredune crest’s topography, dictating heterogeneous flow behaviour at the beach. Using detailed field measurements (25 Hz, three-dimensional sonic anemometry) and computational fluid dynamic modelling, a temporal and spatial pattern of reattachment positions are described. Implications for aeolian transport and dune evolution are also examined.

  3. Bifurcation and spatial pattern formation in spreading of disease with incubation period in a phytoplankton dynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Randhir Singh Baghel

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available In this article, we propose a three dimensional mathematical model of phytoplankton dynamics with the help of reaction-diffusion equations that studies the bifurcation and pattern formation mechanism. We provide an analytical explanation for understanding phytoplankton dynamics with three population classes: susceptible, incubated, and infected. This model has a Holling type II response function for the population transformation from susceptible to incubated class in an aquatic ecosystem. Our main goal is to provide a qualitative analysis of Hopf bifurcation mechanisms, taking death rate of infected phytoplankton as bifurcation parameter, and to study further spatial patterns formation due to spatial diffusion. Here analytical findings are supported by the results of numerical experiments. It is observed that the coexistence of all classes of population depends on the rate of diffusion. Also we obtained the time evaluation pattern formation of the spatial system.

  4. An artificial intelligence based improved classification of two-phase flow patterns with feature extracted from acquired images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shanthi, C; Pappa, N

    2017-05-01

    Flow pattern recognition is necessary to select design equations for finding operating details of the process and to perform computational simulations. Visual image processing can be used to automate the interpretation of patterns in two-phase flow. In this paper, an attempt has been made to improve the classification accuracy of the flow pattern of gas/ liquid two- phase flow using fuzzy logic and Support Vector Machine (SVM) with Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The videos of six different types of flow patterns namely, annular flow, bubble flow, churn flow, plug flow, slug flow and stratified flow are recorded for a period and converted to 2D images for processing. The textural and shape features extracted using image processing are applied as inputs to various classification schemes namely fuzzy logic, SVM and SVM with PCA in order to identify the type of flow pattern. The results obtained are compared and it is observed that SVM with features reduced using PCA gives the better classification accuracy and computationally less intensive than other two existing schemes. This study results cover industrial application needs including oil and gas and any other gas-liquid two-phase flows. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Two-phase flow patterns and their relationship to two-phase heat transfer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hewitt, G.F.

    1977-01-01

    The objective of this lecture was to discuss the general nature of two phase flows, to define the various regimes of flow and to discuss the influence of these regimes on the heat transfer processes taking place. The methods of regime delineation are briefly described and regime descriptions introduced for both vertical and horizontal flows in tubes. ''Flow regime maps'' have been widely used as an aid to determination of the regime which occurs in a given situation. Some of the more widely used maps are described and the limitations of this approach discussed. There have been many attempts to obtain a better phenomenological description of two phase flow patterns. In this lecture, these attempts will be reviewed in the context of the bubble/plug, plug/churn and churn/annular flow transitions in vertical flow. The latter two transitions are related to the flooding/flow reversal phenomena. For horizontal flows, recent work on the onset of slugging will be reviewed. In flows with evaporation or condensation, the situation is influenced by departures from thermodynamic equilibrium and the types of departure observed are discuss briefly. Flow patterns and their relationships with heat transfer regimes are then reviewed for the case of condensation in horizontal tubes and evaporation in vertical tubes

  6. Parametric study of flow patterns behind the standing accretion shock wave for core-collapse supernovae

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iwakami, Wakana; Nagakura, Hiroki [Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Oiwake-cho, Kitashirakawa, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502 (Japan); Yamada, Shoichi, E-mail: wakana@heap.phys.waseda.ac.jp [Advanced Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1, Okubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-8555 (Japan)

    2014-05-10

    In this study, we conduct three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations systematically to investigate the flow patterns behind the accretion shock waves that are commonly formed in the post-bounce phase of core-collapse supernovae. Adding small perturbations to spherically symmetric, steady, shocked accretion flows, we compute the subsequent evolutions to find what flow pattern emerges as a consequence of hydrodynamical instabilities such as convection and standing accretion shock instability for different neutrino luminosities and mass accretion rates. Depending on these two controlling parameters, various flow patterns are indeed realized. We classify them into three basic patterns and two intermediate ones; the former includes sloshing motion (SL), spiral motion (SP), and multiple buoyant bubble formation (BB); the latter consists of spiral motion with buoyant-bubble formation (SPB) and spiral motion with pulsationally changing rotational velocities (SPP). Although the post-shock flow is highly chaotic, there is a clear trend in the pattern realization. The sloshing and spiral motions tend to be dominant for high accretion rates and low neutrino luminosities, and multiple buoyant bubbles prevail for low accretion rates and high neutrino luminosities. It is interesting that the dominant pattern is not always identical between the semi-nonlinear and nonlinear phases near the critical luminosity; the intermediate cases are realized in the latter case. Running several simulations with different random perturbations, we confirm that the realization of flow pattern is robust in most cases.

  7. Temporal symmetry of individual filaments in different spatial symmetry filaments pattern in a dielectric barrier discharge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong, L. F.; Xiao, H.; Fan, W. L.; Yin, Z. Q.; Zhao, H. T.

    2010-01-01

    The temporal behavior of individual filament in different spatial symmetry filaments patterns in dielectric barrier discharge is investigated by using an optical method. A series of return maps of the discharge moments of individual filaments is given. It is found that the temporal symmetry of individual filament changes with the change of the spatial symmetry of filaments pattern as the applied voltage increases. The role of wall charges for this phenomenon is analyzed.

  8. Effect of solar chimney inclination angle on space flow pattern and ventilation rate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bassiouny, Ramadan; Korah, Nader S.A. [Department of Mechanical Power Engineering and Energy, Minia University, Minia 61111 (Egypt)

    2009-02-15

    The solar chimney is a simple and practical idea that is applied to enhance space natural ventilation. The chimney could be vertical or inclined. The chimney inclination angle is an important parameter that greatly affects space flow pattern and ventilation rate. In the present study, the effect of chimney inclination angle on air change per hour and indoor flow pattern was numerically and analytically investigated. A numerical simulation using Ansys, a FEM-based code, was used to predict flow pattern. Then the results were compared with published experimental measurements. A FORTRAN program was developed to iteratively solve the mathematical model that was obtained through an overall energy balance on the solar chimney. The analytical results showed that an optimum air flow rate value was achieved when the chimney inclination is between 45 and 70 for latitude of 28.4 . The numerically predicted flow pattern inside the space supports this finding. Moreover, in the present study a correlation to predict the air change per hour was developed. The correlation was tested within a solar intensity greater than or equal to 500 W/m{sup 2}, and chimney width from 0.1 m to 0.35 m for different inclination angles with acceptable values. (author)

  9. Velocity bias induced by flow patterns around ADCPs and associated deployment platforms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, David S.

    2015-01-01

    Velocity measurements near the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) are important for mapping surface currents, measuring velocity and discharge in shallow streams, and providing accurate estimates of discharge in the top unmeasured portion of the water column. Improvements to ADCP performance permit measurement of velocities much closer (5 cm) to the transducer than has been possible in the past (25 cm). Velocity profiles collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) with a 1200 kHz Rio Grande Zedhead ADCP in 2002 showed a negative bias in measured velocities near the transducers. On the basis of these results, the USGS initiated a study combining field, laboratory, and numerical modeling data to assess the effect of flow patterns caused by flow around the ADCP and deployment platforms on velocities measured near the transducers. This ongoing study has shown that the negative bias observed in the field is due to the flow pattern around the ADCP. The flow pattern around an ADCP violates the basic assumption of flow homogeneity required for an accurate three-dimensional velocity solution. Results, to date (2014), have indicated velocity biases within the measurable profile, due to flow disturbance, for the TRDI 1200 kHz Rio Grande Zedhead and the SonTek RiverSurveyor M9 ADCPs. The flow speed past the ADCP, the mount and the deployment platform have also been shown to play an important role in the magnitude and extent of the velocity bias.

  10. Social networks and trade of services: modelling interregional flows with spatial and network autocorrelation effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    de la Mata, Tamara; Llano, Carlos

    2013-07-01

    Recent literature on border effect has fostered research on informal barriers to trade and the role played by network dependencies. In relation to social networks, it has been shown that intensity of trade in goods is positively correlated with migration flows between pairs of countries/regions. In this article, we investigate whether such a relation also holds for interregional trade of services. We also consider whether interregional trade flows in services linked with tourism exhibit spatial and/or social network dependence. Conventional empirical gravity models assume the magnitude of bilateral flows between regions is independent of flows to/from regions located nearby in space, or flows to/from regions related through social/cultural/ethic network connections. With this aim, we provide estimates from a set of gravity models showing evidence of statistically significant spatial and network (demographic) dependence in the bilateral flows of the trade of services considered. The analysis has been applied to the Spanish intra- and interregional monetary flows of services from the accommodation, restaurants and travel agencies for the period 2000-2009, using alternative datasets for the migration stocks and definitions of network effects.

  11. Spatial and temporal air quality pattern recognition using environmetric techniques: a case study in Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Syed Abdul Mutalib, Sharifah Norsukhairin; Juahir, Hafizan; Azid, Azman; Mohd Sharif, Sharifah; Latif, Mohd Talib; Aris, Ahmad Zaharin; Zain, Sharifuddin M; Dominick, Doreena

    2013-09-01

    The objective of this study is to identify spatial and temporal patterns in the air quality at three selected Malaysian air monitoring stations based on an eleven-year database (January 2000-December 2010). Four statistical methods, Discriminant Analysis (DA), Hierarchical Agglomerative Cluster Analysis (HACA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), were selected to analyze the datasets of five air quality parameters, namely: SO2, NO2, O3, CO and particulate matter with a diameter size of below 10 μm (PM10). The three selected air monitoring stations share the characteristic of being located in highly urbanized areas and are surrounded by a number of industries. The DA results show that spatial characterizations allow successful discrimination between the three stations, while HACA shows the temporal pattern from the monthly and yearly factor analysis which correlates with severe haze episodes that have happened in this country at certain periods of time. The PCA results show that the major source of air pollution is mostly due to the combustion of fossil fuel in motor vehicles and industrial activities. The spatial pattern recognition (S-ANN) results show a better prediction performance in discriminating between the regions, with an excellent percentage of correct classification compared to DA. This study presents the necessity and usefulness of environmetric techniques for the interpretation of large datasets aiming to obtain better information about air quality patterns based on spatial and temporal characterizations at the selected air monitoring stations.

  12. Possible effects of two-phase flow pattern on the mechanical behavior of mudstones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goto, H.; Tokunaga, T.; Aichi, M.

    2016-12-01

    To investigate the influence of two-phase flow pattern on the mechanical behavior of mudstones, laboratory experiments were conducted. In the experiment, air was injected from the bottom of the water-saturated Quaternary Umegase mudstone sample under hydrostatic external stress condition. Both axial and circumferential strains at half the height of the sample and volumetric discharge of water at the outlet were monitored during the experiment. Numerical simulation of the experiment was tried by using a simulator which can solve coupled two-phase flow and poroelastic deformation assuming the extended-Darcian flow with relative permeability and capillary pressure as functions of the wetting-phase fluid saturation. In the numerical simulation, the volumetric discharge of water was reproduced well while both strains were not. Three dimensionless numbers, i.e., the viscosity ratio, the Capillary number, and the Bond number, which characterize the two-phase flow pattern (Lenormand et al., 1988; Ewing and Berkowitz, 1998) were calculated to be 2×10-2, 2×10-11, and 7×10-11, respectively, in the experiment. Because the Bond number was quite small, it was possible to apply Lenormand et al. (1988)'s diagram to evaluate the flow regime, and the flow regime was considered to be capillary fingering. While, in the numerical simulation, air moved uniformly upward with quite low non-wetting phase saturation conditions because the fluid flow obeyed the two-phase Darcy's law. These different displacement patterns developed in the experiment and assumed in the numerical simulation were considered to be the reason why the deformation behavior observed in the experiment could not be reproduced by numerical simulation, suggesting that the two-phase flow pattern could affect the changes of internal fluid pressure patterns during displacement processes. For further studies, quantitative analysis of the experimental results by using a numerical simulator which can solve the coupled

  13. Pattern formation and three-dimensional instability in rotating flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christensen, Erik A.; Aubry, Nadine; Sorensen, Jens N.

    1997-03-01

    A fluid flow enclosed in a cylindrical container where fluid motion is created by the rotation of one end wall as a centrifugal fan is studied. Direct numerical simulations and spatio-temporal analysis have been performed in the early transition scenario, which includes a steady-unsteady transition and a breakdown of axisymmetric to three-dimensional flow behavior. In the early unsteady regime of the flow, the central vortex undergoes a vertical beating motion, accompanied by axisymmetric spikes formation on the edge of the breakdown bubble. As traveling waves, the spikes move along the central vortex core toward the rotating end-wall. As the Reynolds number is increased further, the flow undergoes a three-dimensional instability. The influence of the latter on the previous patterns is studied.

  14. Temporal changes of spatial soil moisture patterns: controlling factors explained with a multidisciplinary approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martini, Edoardo; Wollschläger, Ute; Kögler, Simon; Behrens, Thorsten; Dietrich, Peter; Reinstorf, Frido; Schmidt, Karsten; Weiler, Markus; Werban, Ulrike; Zacharias, Steffen

    2016-04-01

    Characterizing the spatial patterns of soil moisture is critical for hydrological and meteorological models, as soil moisture is a key variable that controls matter and energy fluxes and soil-vegetation-atmosphere exchange processes. Deriving detailed process understanding at the hillslope scale is not trivial, because of the temporal variability of local soil moisture dynamics. Nevertheless, it remains a challenge to provide adequate information on the temporal variability of soil moisture and its controlling factors. Recent advances in wireless sensor technology allow monitoring of soil moisture dynamics with high temporal resolution at varying scales. In addition, mobile geophysical methods such as electromagnetic induction (EMI) have been widely used for mapping soil water content at the field scale with high spatial resolution, as being related to soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa). The objective of this study was to characterize the spatial and temporal pattern of soil moisture at the hillslope scale and to infer the controlling hydrological processes, integrating well established and innovative sensing techniques, as well as new statistical methods. We combined soil hydrological and pedological expertise with geophysical measurements and methods from digital soil mapping for designing a wireless soil moisture monitoring network. For a hillslope site within the Schäfertal catchment (Central Germany), soil water dynamics were observed during 14 months, and soil ECa was mapped on seven occasions whithin this period of time using an EM38-DD device. Using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient, we described the temporal persistence of a dry and a wet characteristic state of soil moisture as well as the switching mechanisms, inferring the local properties that control the observed spatial patterns and the hydrological processes driving the transitions. Based on this, we evaluated the use of EMI for mapping the spatial pattern of soil moisture under

  15. Non Lyapunov stability of a constant spatially developing 2-D gas flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balint, Agneta M.; Balint, Stefan; Tanasie, Loredana

    2017-01-01

    Different types of stabilities (global, local) and instabilities (global absolute, local convective) of the constant spatially developing 2-D gas flow are analyzed in a particular phase space of continuously differentiable functions, endowed with the usual algebraic operations and the topology generated by the uniform convergence on the plane. For this purpose the Euler equations linearized at the constant flow are used. The Lyapunov stability analysis was presented in [1] and this paper is a continuation of [1].

  16. Estimating preferential flow in karstic aquifers using statistical mixed models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anaya, Angel A; Padilla, Ingrid; Macchiavelli, Raul; Vesper, Dorothy J; Meeker, John D; Alshawabkeh, Akram N

    2014-01-01

    Karst aquifers are highly productive groundwater systems often associated with conduit flow. These systems can be highly vulnerable to contamination, resulting in a high potential for contaminant exposure to humans and ecosystems. This work develops statistical models to spatially characterize flow and transport patterns in karstified limestone and determines the effect of aquifer flow rates on these patterns. A laboratory-scale Geo-HydroBed model is used to simulate flow and transport processes in a karstic limestone unit. The model consists of stainless steel tanks containing a karstified limestone block collected from a karst aquifer formation in northern Puerto Rico. Experimental work involves making a series of flow and tracer injections, while monitoring hydraulic and tracer response spatially and temporally. Statistical mixed models (SMMs) are applied to hydraulic data to determine likely pathways of preferential flow in the limestone units. The models indicate a highly heterogeneous system with dominant, flow-dependent preferential flow regions. Results indicate that regions of preferential flow tend to expand at higher groundwater flow rates, suggesting a greater volume of the system being flushed by flowing water at higher rates. Spatial and temporal distribution of tracer concentrations indicates the presence of conduit-like and diffuse flow transport in the system, supporting the notion of both combined transport mechanisms in the limestone unit. The temporal response of tracer concentrations at different locations in the model coincide with, and confirms the preferential flow distribution generated with the SMMs used in the study. © 2013, National Ground Water Association.

  17. Spatial patterns of modern period human-caused fire occurrence in the Missouri Ozark Highlands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jian Yang; Hong S. Healy; Stephen R. Shifley; Eric J. Gustafson

    2007-01-01

    The spatial pattern of forest fire locations is important in the study of the dynamics of fire disturbance. In this article we used a spatial point process modeling approach to quantitatively study the effects of land cover, topography, roads, municipalities, ownership, and population density on fire occurrence reported between 1970 and 2002 in the Missouri Ozark...

  18. Spatial attraction in migrants' settlement patterns in the city of Catania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angelo Mazza

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Background: In broad terms, and apart from ethnic discriminatory rules enforced in some places and at some times, residential segregation may be ascribed both to economic inhomogeneities in the urban space (e.g., in the cost of rents, or in occupation opportunities and to spatial attraction among individuals sharing the same group identity and culture. Objective: Traditional indices of spatial segregation do not distinguish between these two sources of clustering. Furthermore, they typically rely on census tracts, a scale that does not allow for fine-grained analysis. Also, the use of alternative zoning often leads to conflicting results. The aim of this paper is to measure spatial attraction among groups of foreign migrants in Catania (Italy using individual household data. Methods: We apply a version of Ripley's K-function specially conceived for assessing spatial attraction while adjusting for the effects of spatial inhomogeneity. To avoid the risk of confounding the two sources of clustering, spatial inhomogeneity is estimated following a case-control approach. Results: Different parts of the city exhibit different suitabilities for migrants of different nationalities, with groups mainly involved in housekeeping and caregiving being more spread than the ones specialized in peddling and retailing. A significant spatial attraction has been found for Sri Lankan, Mauritians, Senegalese, and Chinese. Conversely, the settlement patterns of Tunisians and Moroccans comply with random allocation. These results seem consistent with the hypothesis of a relevant correlation between chain migration and spatial attraction.

  19. Characterizing Groundwater Level and Flow Pattern in a Shallow ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Bheema

    This study characterize groundwater yield and flow pattern on a shallow ... simple process of weathering, fractured fissure systems, networks of joints and ..... lowest yield in wells that are deeper than the mean well depth in the study area.

  20. Suitable Methods in Spatial Pattern Analysis of Heterogeneous Wild Pistachio (Pistacia atlantica Desf. Woodlands in Zagros, Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Erfanifard

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Spatial pattern of trees in forests reveals how trees interact with each other and their environment. Spatial structure of trees in forest ecosystems is affected by environmental heterogeneity that leads to their heterogeneous distribution. This study was aimed to investigate the appropriate methods to analyze spatial pattern of heterogeneous wild pistachio woodlands in Zagros, Iran. A 40-ha pure stand of wild pistachio trees (Pistacia atlantica Desf. was selected in Wild Pistachio Research Forest in Fars Province for this purpose. The Kolmogrov-Smirnov test of goodness-of-fit of inhomogeneous Poisson point process showed that the distribution of wild pistachio trees was significantly heterogeneous (α=0.05. Inhomogeneous Ripley's K-, L-, and G-functions were applied beside their homogeneous forms. Inhomogeneous Ripley's K- and L-functions showed that wild pistachio trees were primarily clumped and dispersedly distributed thereafter, while g(r not only showed these results but also well expressed the detailed changes in spatial scale. The results of inappropriate homogeneous functions in the study area showed that all three functions expressed the primary clumping of the trees more than it was and their dispersed pattern as clumped. In general, it was concluded that inhomogeneous functions should be applied to analyze the spatial pattern of heterogeneous wild pistachio trees in the study area and it is recommended to develop g(r applications due to its more detailed information

  1. Mechanism Underlying the Spatial Pattern Formation of Dominant Tree Species in a Natural Secondary Forest.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guodong Jia

    Full Text Available Studying the spatial pattern of plant species may provide significant insights into processes and mechanisms that maintain stand stability. To better understand the dynamics of naturally regenerated secondary forests, univariate and bivariate Ripley's L(r functions were employed to evaluate intra-/interspecific relationships of four dominant tree species (Populus davidiana, Betula platyphylla, Larix gmelinii and Acer mono and to distinguish the underlying mechanism of spatial distribution. The results showed that the distribution of soil, water and nutrients was not fragmented but presented clear gradients. An overall aggregated distribution existed at most distances. No correlation was found between the spatial pattern of soil conditions and that of trees. Both positive and negative intra- and interspecific relationships were found between different DBH classes at various distances. Large trees did not show systematic inhibition of the saplings. By contrast, the inhibition intensified as the height differences increased between the compared pairs. Except for Larix, universal inhibition of saplings by upper layer trees occurred among other species, and this reflected the vertical competition for light. Therefore, we believe that competition for light rather than soil nutrients underlies the mechanism driving the formation of stand spatial pattern in the rocky mountainous areas examined.

  2. Detecting spatial patterns with the cumulant function – Part 2: An application to El Niño

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Yiou

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available The spatial coherence of a measured variable (e.g. temperature or pressure is often studied to determine the regions of high variability or to find teleconnections, i.e. correlations between specific regions. While usual methods to find spatial patterns, such as Principal Components Analysis (PCA, are constrained by linear symmetries, the dependence of variables such as temperature or pressure at different locations is generally nonlinear. In particular, large deviations from the sample mean are expected to be strongly affected by such nonlinearities. Here we apply a newly developed nonlinear technique (Maxima of Cumulant Function, MCF for detection of typical spatial patterns that largely deviate from the mean. In order to test the technique and to introduce the methodology, we focus on the El Niño/Southern Oscillation and its spatial patterns. We find nonsymmetric temperature patterns corresponding to El Niño and La Niña, and we compare the results of MCF with other techniques, such as the symmetric solutions of PCA, and the nonsymmetric solutions of Nonlinear PCA (NLPCA. We found that MCF solutions are more reliable than the NLPCA fits, and can capture mixtures of principal components. Finally, we apply Extreme Value Theory on the temporal variations extracted from our methodology. We find that the tails of the distribution of extreme temperatures during La Niña episodes is bounded, while the tail during El Niños is less likely to be bounded. This implies that the mean spatial patterns of the two phases are asymmetric, as well as the behaviour of their extremes.

  3. Bilinear common spatial pattern for single-trial ERP-based rapid serial visual presentation triage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, K.; Shen, K.; Shao, S.; Ng, W. C.; Li, X.

    2012-08-01

    Common spatial pattern (CSP) analysis is a useful tool for the feature extraction of event-related potentials (ERP). However, CSP is essentially time invariant, and thus unable to exploit the temporal information of ERP. This paper proposes a variant of CSP, namely bilinear common spatial pattern (BCSP), which is capable of accommodating both spatial and temporal information. BCSP generalizes CSP through iteratively optimizing bilinear filters. These bilinear filters constitute a spatio-temporal subspace in which the separation between two conditions is maximized. The method is unique in the sense that it is mathematically intuitive and simple, as all the bilinear filters are obtained by maximizing the power ratio as CSP does. The proposed method was evaluated on 20 subjects’ ERP data collected in rapid serial visual presentation triage experiments. The results show that BCSP achieved significantly higher average test accuracy (12.3% higher, p < 0.001).

  4. Spatial distribution of groundwater recharge and base flow: Assessment of controlling factors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Zomlot

    2015-09-01

    New hydrological insights for the region: The average resulting recharge is 235 mm/year and occurs mainly in winter. The overall moderate correlation between base flow estimates and modeled recharge rates indicates that base flow is a reasonable proxy of recharge. Groundwater recharge variation was explained in order of importance by precipitation, soil texture and vegetation cover; while base flow variation was strongly controlled by vegetation cover and groundwater depth. The results of this study highlight the important role of spatial variables in estimation of recharge and base flow. In addition, the prominent role of vegetation makes clear the potential importance of land-use changes on recharge and hence the need to include a proper strategy for land-use change in sustainable management of groundwater resources.

  5. Estimating planktonic diversity through spatial dominance patterns in a model ocean.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soccodato, Alice; d'Ovidio, Francesco; Lévy, Marina; Jahn, Oliver; Follows, Michael J; De Monte, Silvia

    2016-10-01

    In the open ocean, the observation and quantification of biodiversity patterns is challenging. Marine ecosystems are indeed largely composed by microbial planktonic communities whose niches are affected by highly dynamical physico-chemical conditions, and whose observation requires advanced methods for morphological and molecular classification. Optical remote sensing offers an appealing complement to these in-situ techniques. Global-scale coverage at high spatiotemporal resolution is however achieved at the cost of restrained information on the local assemblage. Here, we use a coupled physical and ecological model ocean simulation to explore one possible metrics for comparing measures performed on such different scales. We show that a large part of the local diversity of the virtual plankton ecosystem - corresponding to what accessible by genomic methods - can be inferred from crude, but spatially extended, information - as conveyed by remote sensing. Shannon diversity of the local community is indeed highly correlated to a 'seascape' index, which quantifies the surrounding spatial heterogeneity of the most abundant functional group. The error implied in drastically reducing the resolution of the plankton community is shown to be smaller in frontal regions as well as in regions of intermediate turbulent energy. On the spatial scale of hundreds of kms, patterns of virtual plankton diversity are thus largely sustained by mixing communities that occupy adjacent niches. We provide a proof of principle that in the open ocean information on spatial variability of communities can compensate for limited local knowledge, suggesting the possibility of integrating in-situ and satellite observations to monitor biodiversity distribution at the global scale. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Density of founder cells affects spatial pattern formation and cooperation in Bacillus subtilis biofilms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Gestel, Jordi; Weissing, Franz J; Kuipers, Oscar P; Kovács, Akos T

    2014-10-01

    In nature, most bacteria live in surface-attached sedentary communities known as biofilms. Biofilms are often studied with respect to bacterial interactions. Many cells inhabiting biofilms are assumed to express 'cooperative traits', like the secretion of extracellular polysaccharides (EPS). These traits can enhance biofilm-related properties, such as stress resilience or colony expansion, while being costly to the cells that express them. In well-mixed populations cooperation is difficult to achieve, because non-cooperative individuals can reap the benefits of cooperation without having to pay the costs. The physical process of biofilm growth can, however, result in the spatial segregation of cooperative from non-cooperative individuals. This segregation can prevent non-cooperative cells from exploiting cooperative neighbors. Here we examine the interaction between spatial pattern formation and cooperation in Bacillus subtilis biofilms. We show, experimentally and by mathematical modeling, that the density of cells at the onset of biofilm growth affects pattern formation during biofilm growth. At low initial cell densities, co-cultured strains strongly segregate in space, whereas spatial segregation does not occur at high initial cell densities. As a consequence, EPS-producing cells have a competitive advantage over non-cooperative mutants when biofilms are initiated at a low density of founder cells, whereas EPS-deficient cells have an advantage at high cell densities. These results underline the importance of spatial pattern formation for competition among bacterial strains and the evolution of microbial cooperation.

  7. Contrasting Patterns of Gene Flow for Amazonian Snakes That Actively Forage and Those That Wait in Ambush.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Fraga, Rafael; Lima, Albertina P; Magnusson, William E; Ferrão, Miquéias; Stow, Adam J

    2017-07-01

    Knowledge of genetic structure, geographic distance and environmental heterogeneity can be used to identify environmental features and natural history traits that influence dispersal and gene flow. Foraging mode is a trait that might predict dispersal capacity in snakes, because actively foragers typically have greater movement rates than ambush predators. Here, we test the hypothesis that 2 actively foraging snakes have higher levels of gene flow than 2 ambush predators. We evaluated these 4 co-distributed species of snakes in the Brazilian Amazon. Snakes were sampled along an 880 km transect from the central to the southwest of the Amazon basin, which covered a mosaic of vegetation types and seasonal differences in climate. We analyzed thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms to compare patterns of neutral gene flow based on isolation by geographic distance (IBD) and environmental resistance (IBR). We show that IBD and IBR were only evident in ambush predators, implying lower levels of dispersal than the active foragers. Therefore, gene flow was high enough in the active foragers analyzed here to prevent any build-up of spatial genotypic structure with respect to geographic distance and environmental heterogeneity. © The American Genetic Association 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  8. Chemistry with spatial control using particles and streams†

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalinin, Yevgeniy V.; Murali, Adithya

    2012-01-01

    Spatial control of chemical reactions, with micro- and nanometer scale resolution, has important consequences for one pot synthesis, engineering complex reactions, developmental biology, cellular biochemistry and emergent behavior. We review synthetic methods to engineer this spatial control using chemical diffusion from spherical particles, shells and polyhedra. We discuss systems that enable both isotropic and anisotropic chemical release from isolated and arrayed particles to create inhomogeneous and spatially patterned chemical fields. In addition to such finite chemical sources, we also discuss spatial control enabled with laminar flow in 2D and 3D microfluidic networks. Throughout the paper, we highlight applications of spatially controlled chemistry in chemical kinetics, reaction-diffusion systems, chemotaxis and morphogenesis. PMID:23145348

  9. The research of urban spatial polarization based on the space of flows theory——a case study of Shanghai

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LIU Chaoqing

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Based on the elite space and the relation model between the space of flows and the urban space,the paper analyzed the mechanism and consequence of the new urban spatial polarization.Using the Shanghai sixth census data and the sample data,the paper discussed the new phenomenon of urban spatial polarization in the information age by the location quotient analysis and GIS spatial analysis.The research result showed that the space of flows influencing urban spatial polarization through the elite space is a higher level agglomeration,including the spatial concentration of the human capital,the concentration of wealth and knowledge of science and technology.

  10. Magnitude and Spatial Distribution of Impact Intensity Under the Foot Relates to Initial Foot Contact Pattern.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breine, Bastiaan; Malcolm, Philippe; Segers, Veerle; Gerlo, Joeri; Derie, Rud; Pataky, Todd; Frederick, Edward C; De Clercq, Dirk

    2017-12-01

    In running, foot contact patterns (rear-, mid-, or forefoot contact) influence impact intensity and initial ankle and foot kinematics. The aim of the study was to compare impact intensity and its spatial distribution under the foot between different foot contact patterns. Forty-nine subjects ran at 3.2 m·s -1 over a level runway while ground reaction forces (GRF) and shoe-surface pressures were recorded and foot contact pattern was determined. A 4-zone footmask (forefoot, midfoot, medial and lateral rearfoot) assessed the spatial distribution of the vertical GRF under the foot. We calculated peak vertical instantaneous loading rate of the GRF (VILR) per foot zone as the impact intensity measure. Midfoot contact patterns were shown to have the lowest, and atypical rearfoot contact patterns the highest impact intensities, respectively. The greatest local impact intensity was mainly situated under the rear- and midfoot for the typical rearfoot contact patterns, under the midfoot for the atypical rearfoot contact patterns, and under the mid- and forefoot for the midfoot contact patterns. These findings indicate that different foot contact patterns could benefit from cushioning in different shoe zones.

  11. Multitemporal spatial pattern analysis of Tulum's tropical coastal landscape

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramírez-Forero, Sandra Carolina; López-Caloca, Alejandra; Silván-Cárdenas, José Luis

    2011-11-01

    The tropical coastal landscape of Tulum in Quintana Roo, Mexico has a high ecological, economical, social and cultural value, it provides environmental and tourism services at global, national, regional and local levels. The landscape of the area is heterogeneous and presents random fragmentation patterns. In recent years, tourist services of the region has been increased promoting an accelerate expansion of hotels, transportation and recreation infrastructure altering the complex landscape. It is important to understand the environmental dynamics through temporal changes on the spatial patterns and to propose a better management of this ecological area to the authorities. This paper addresses a multi-temporal analysis of land cover changes from 1993 to 2000 in Tulum using Thematic Mapper data acquired by Landsat-5. Two independent methodologies were applied for the analysis of changes in the landscape and for the definition of fragmentation patterns. First, an Iteratively Multivariate Alteration Detection (IR-MAD) algorithm was used to detect and localize land cover change/no-change areas. Second, the post-classification change detection evaluated using the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm. Landscape metrics were calculated from the results of IR-MAD and SVM. The analysis of the metrics indicated, among other things, a higher fragmentation pattern along roadways.

  12. Spatial Pattern of Residential Carbon Dioxide Emissions in a Rapidly Urbanizing Chinese City and Its Mismatch Effect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heli Lu

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Cities undergoing rapid urbanization are characterized by quick successions of spatiotemporal patterns, meaning that traditional methods cannot adequately assess carbon emissions from urban residential areas, which prevents the study of spatial mismatch. Therefore, this study utilizes night-time lights to construct a spatial emissions model that enables the analysis of the evolution of emissions patterns in China. The results indicate that, compared to the traditional method, the spatial modeling based on night-time lights reflects the spatial emissions trajectories in a more timely and accurate manner in rapidly urbanizing cities. Additionally, we found a relatively low degree of spatial match between emissions and economic activities, with the former, which are greatly affected by urbanization, having a larger dynamism and instability than the latter. Such spatial mismatch effect illustrates that policy makers should focus on factors beyond economics in order to reduce residential carbon emissions during China’s rapid urbanization process.

  13. Relationship between spontaneous expiratory flow-volume curve pattern and air-flow obstruction in elderly COPD patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nozoe, Masafumi; Mase, Kyoshi; Murakami, Shigefumi; Okada, Makoto; Ogino, Tomoyuki; Matsushita, Kazuhiro; Takashima, Sachie; Yamamoto, Noriyasu; Fukuda, Yoshihiro; Domen, Kazuhisa

    2013-10-01

    Assessment of the degree of air-flow obstruction is important for determining the treatment strategy in COPD patients. However, in some elderly COPD patients, measuring FVC is impossible because of cognitive dysfunction or severe dyspnea. In such patients a simple test of airways obstruction requiring only a short run of tidal breathing would be useful. We studied whether the spontaneous expiratory flow-volume (SEFV) curve pattern reflects the degree of air-flow obstruction in elderly COPD patients. In 34 elderly subjects (mean ± SD age 80 ± 7 y) with stable COPD (percent-of-predicted FEV(1) 39.0 ± 18.5%), and 12 age-matched healthy subjects, we measured FVC and recorded flow-volume curves during quiet breathing. We studied the SEFV curve patterns (concavity/convexity), spirometry results, breathing patterns, and demographics. The SEFV curve concavity/convexity prediction accuracy was examined by calculating the receiver operating characteristic curves, cutoff values, area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity. Fourteen subjects with COPD had a concave SEFV curve. All the healthy subjects had convex SEFV curves. The COPD subjects who had concave SEFV curves often had very severe airway obstruction. The percent-of-predicted FEV(1)% (32.4%) was the most powerful SEFV curve concavity predictor (area under the curve 0.92, 95% CI 0.83-1.00), and had the highest sensitivity (0.93) and specificity (0.88). Concavity of the SEFV curve obtained during tidal breathing may be a useful test for determining the presence of very severe obstruction in elderly patients unable to perform a satisfactory FVC maneuver.

  14. CFD simulation of flow pattern in a bubble column reactor for forming aerobic granules and its development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Wenwen; Yuan, LinJiang; Li, Yonglin

    2018-06-04

    The flow pattern is considered to play an important role in the formation of aerobic granular sludge in a bubble column reactor; therefore, it is necessary to understand the behavior of the flow in the reactor. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation for bubble column reactor was established to visualize the flow patterns of two-phase air-liquid flow and three-phase air-liquid-sludge flow under different ratios of height to diameter (H/D ratio) and superficial gas upflow velocities (SGVs). Moreover, a simulation of the three-phase flow pattern at the same SGV and different characteristics of the sludge was performed in this study. The results show that not only SGV but also properties of sludge involve the transformation of flow behaviors and relative velocity between liquid and sludge. For the original activated sludge floc to cultivate aerobic granules, the flow pattern has nothing to do with sludge, but is influenced by SGV, and the vortices is occurred and the relative velocity is increased with an increase in SGV; the two-phase flow can simplify the three-phase flow that predicts the flow pattern development in bubble column reactor (BCR) for aerobic granulation. For the aerobic granules, the liquid flow behavior developed from the symmetrical circular flow to numbers and small-size vortices with an increase in the sludge diameter, the relative velocity is amount up to u r =5.0, it is 29.4 times of original floc sludge.

  15. Mode pattern of internal flow in a water droplet on a vibrating hydrophobic surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hun; Lim, Hee-Chang

    2015-06-04

    The objective of this study is to understand the mode pattern of the internal flow in a water droplet placed on a hydrophobic surface that periodically and vertically vibrates. As a result, a water droplet on a vibrating hydrophobic surface has a typical shape that depends on each resonance mode, and, additionally, we observed a diversified lobe size and internal flows in the water droplet. The size of each lobe at the resonance frequency was relatively greater than that at the neighboring frequencies, and the internal flow of the nth order mode was also observed in the flow visualization. In general, large symmetrical flow streams were generated along the vertical axis in each mode, with a large circulating movement from the bottom to the top, and then to the triple contact line along the droplet surface. In contrast, modes 2 and 4 generated a Y-shaped flow pattern, in which the flow moved to the node point in the lower part of the droplet, but modes 6 and 8 had similar patterns, with only a little difference. In addition, as a result of the PIV measurement, while the flow velocity of mode 4 was faster than that of model 2, those of modes 6 and 8 were almost similar.

  16. Experimental and visual study on flow patterns and pressure drops in U-tubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Da Silva Lima, J. R.

    2011-01-01

    In single- and two-phase flow heat exchangers (in particular 'coils'), besides the straight tubes there are also many singularities, in particular the 180° return bends (also called return bends or U-bends). However, contrary to the literature concerning pressure drops and heat transfer in straight tubes, where many experimental data and predicting methods are available, only a limited number of studies concerning U-bends can be found. Neither reliable experimental data nor proven prediction methods are available. Indeed, flow structure, pressure drop and heat transfer in U-bends are an old unresolved design problem in the heat transfer industry. Thus, the present study aims at providing further insight on two-phase pressure drops and flows patterns in U-bends. Based on a new type of U-bend test section, an extensive experimental study was conducted. The experimental campaign covered five test sections with three internal diameters (7.8, 10.8 and 13.4 mm), five bend diameters (24.8, 31.7, 38.1, 54.8 and 66.1 mm), tested for three orientations (horizontal, vertical upflow and vertical downflow), two fluids (R134a and R410A), two saturation temperatures (5 and 10 °C) and mass velocities ranging from 150 to 1000 kg s -1 m -2 . The flow pattern observations identified were stratified-wavy, slug-stratified-wavy, intermittent, annular, dryout and mist flows. The effects of the U-bend on the flow patterns were also observed. A total of 5655 pressure drop data were measured at seven different locations in the test section ( straight tubes and U-bend) providing a total of almost 40,000 data points. The straight tube data were first used to improve the actual two-phase straight tube model of Moreno-Quibén and Thome. This updated model was then used to developed a two-phase U-bend pressure drop model. Based on a comparison between experimental and predicted values, it is concluded that the new two-phase frictional pressure drop model for U-bends successfully

  17. Alterations in macroinvertebrate spatial patterns in coastal lagoons: Óbidos (NW coast of Portugal) 1984 versus 2002

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodrigues, Ana Maria; Quintino, Victor; Pereira, Fábio; Freitas, Rosa

    2012-09-01

    The macroinvertebrate spatial distribution patterns in the Lagoon of Óbidos were studied in 1984 and revisited in 2002. The overall surficial sediments and benthic community patterns show consistent similarities in the two sampling periods, but also important differences. The lagoon is relatively shallow, with about 1/3 of the area covered with extensive intertidal sand banks. These are interrupted by a navigation channel bordering the northern margin (1984) and, following dredging operations, a new navigation channel was opened along the southern margin (2002). The sediments in the navigation channels were coarser and with less percentage of fines in 2002 than in 1984. Arthropods dominated the species richness and abundance in 1984, but were much less important in 2002, when the community was dominated by molluscs and annelids, both in species numbers as well as in abundance. In 1984, the structure of the macrofauna communities closely followed a general model proposed for Atlantic and Mediterranean lagoons, with the marine, the transition and the lagoon communities occupying very well defined areas. This gradient was in accordance with an increase in the fines and organic matter content directed inwards allowing for the coexistence of several characteristic lagoon species with others characteristic of organic enriched sediments. In 2002 this spatial pattern is still recognized but the marine and the transition communities are spatially mixed, occupying both the entrance region and the navigation channels, whereas the characteristic lagoon community identified in 1984 was only recognized in a group of sites located along the southern margin in 2002. Several species show very important changes in their distribution extent in the lagoon system. These changes essentially show a generalized inward expansion of the distribution range of the marine species, in agreement with a larger influence of marine conditions toward the inner areas of the lagoon. This study shows

  18. [Spatial scale effect of urban land use landscape pattern in Shanghai City].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Li-Hua; Yue, Wen Ze; Cao, Yu

    2007-12-01

    Based on geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) techniques, the landscape classes of urban land use in Shanghai City were extracted from SPOT images with 5 m spatial resolution in 2002, and then, the classified data were applied to quantitatively explore the change patterns of several basic landscape metrics at different scales. The results indicated that landscape metrics were sensitive to grain- and extent variance. Urban landscape pattern was spatially dependent. In other words, different landscape metrics showed different responses to scale. The resolution of 40 m was an intrinsic observing scale for urban landscape in Shanghai City since landscape metrics showed random characteristics while the grain was less than 40 m. The extent of 24 km was a symbol scale in a series of extents, which was consistent with the boundary between urban built-up area and suburban area in Shanghai City. As a result, the extent of 12 km away from urban center would be an intrinsic handle scale for urban landscape in Shanghai City. However, due to the complexity of urban structure and asymmetry of urban spatial expansion, the intrinsic handle scale was not regular extent, and the square with size of 24 km was just an approximate intrinsic extent for Shanghai City.

  19. Identification of two-phase flow patterns in a nuclear reactor by the high-frequency contribution fraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Y.W.; Pei, B.S.; King, C.H.; Lee, S.C.

    1989-01-01

    Recently, King et al. and Wang et al. analyzed the fluctuating characteristics of differential pressure and void fraction by the optimum modeling method and by spectral analysis, respectively. These two investigations presented some new concepts and deterministic criteria, which are based on purely empirical formulas, to identify two-phase flow patterns. These deterministic criteria on two-phase flow patterns' identification seem to show reasonable performance. In King's and Wang's studies, there are at least three problems that need further investigations for the applications to the nuclear reactor engineering field. These three problems are the following: 1. Is the response to a certain two-phase flow pattern, i.e., the fluctuating characteristics, of neutrons the same as that of differential pressure or void fraction? 2. Could those criteria developed from air/water flow be allowed to identify steam/water two-phase flow patterns? 3. Could those criteria be applied to identify two-phase flow patterns in rod bundles? In this paper, parts of the investigated results answer the first problem, and detailed comparisons with the previous work of the authors are given on a variety of items

  20. Heat transfer and flow pattern during two-phase flow boiling of R-134a in horizontal smooth and microfin tubes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Minghuei; Lin, Tsunkuo; Tseng, Chyuanchyi [National Sun Yat Sen Univ., Taiwan (China). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

    2002-09-01

    Flow pattern and heat transfer during evaporation in a 10.7 mm diameter smooth tube and a micro-fin tube are presented. The tubes were tested in the ranges of mass flux between 163 and 408 kg m{sup -2}s{sup -1} and heat flux between 2200 and 56 000 W m{sup -2}. The evaporation temperature was 6{sup o}C. Flow maps for both the tubes are plotted in the coordinates of mass flux and vapor quality. The relations of flow pattern and local heat transfer coefficient are discussed. The heat transfer coefficients for intermittent and annular flows in both the smooth tube and the micro-fin tube are shown to agree well with Gungor and Winterton's correlation with modified constants. (author)

  1. A study of the cerebral blood flow pattern and cognitive deficit in Parkinson's disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamaru, Fuyuhiko

    1997-01-01

    Cerebral blood flow pattern in Parkinson's disease was examined by 123 I-IMP SPECT to determine whether the deficit in cognitive function is reflected in it. The patient group with Parkinson's disease showed deterioration in intelligence (Minimental state examination, Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices) and frontal lobe test (the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test). Though the uptake ratio of prefrontal area/occipital area in 123 I-IMP SPECT study varied widely in the Parkinson's disease group compared to the normal control group, there was no significant difference in the mean. Selective depletion of frontal lobe blood flow was not confirmed in this study. There was no correlation between cerebral blood flow pattern and cognitive functions including frontal lobe function and intelligence. We concluded that the deficit in cognitive function was not reflected in the cerebral blood flow pattern in Parkinson's disease. (author)

  2. The role of landscape spatial patterns on obesity in Hispanic children residing in inner-city neighborhoods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jun-Hyun; Lee, Chanam; Olvara, Norma E; Ellis, Christopher D

    2014-11-01

    Childhood obesity and its comorbidities have become major public health challenges in the US. While previous studies have investigated the roles of land uses and transportation infrastructure on obesity, limited research has examined the influence of landscape spatial patterns. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between landscape spatial patterns and obesity in Hispanic children. Participants included 61 fourth- and fifth-grade Hispanic children from inner-city neighborhoods in Houston, TX. BMI z-scores were computed based on objectively-measured height and weight from each child. Parental and child surveys provided sociodemographic and physical activity data. Landscape indices were used to measure the quality of landscape spatial patterns surrounding each child's home by utilizing Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing analyses using aerial photo images. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, in the half-mile airline buffer, more tree patches and well-connected landscape patterns were negatively correlated with their BMI z-scores. Furthermore, larger sizes of urban forests and tree patches were negatively associated with children's BMI z-scores in the half-mile network buffer assessment. This study suggests that urban greenery requires further attention in studies aimed at identifying environmental features that reduce childhood obesity.

  3. Effect of a flow-corrective insert on the flow pattern in a pebble bed reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Yu; Gui, Nan; Yang, Xingtuan [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology, Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and Safety of Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Tu, Jiyuan [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology, Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and Safety of Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); School of Aerospace, Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne 3083, VIC (Australia); Jiang, Shengyao, E-mail: shengyaojiang@sina.com [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology, Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and Safety of Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2016-04-15

    Highlights: • Effect of an insert on improving flow uniformity and eliminating stagnant zone is studied. • Three values concerned with the stagnant zone, radial uniformity and flow sequence are used. • Outlet diameter is a critical parameter that determines balancing mechanism of the insert. • Height/location is varied to let the insert work in unbalanced region and avoid adverse effect. - Abstract: A flow-corrective insert is adopted in the pebble-bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) to improve flow performance of the pebble flow for the first time. 3D discrete element method (DEM) modeling is employed to study this slow and dense granular flow. It is verified that locating a properly designed insert in the bed can help transform unsatisfactory flow field to the preferred flow pattern for pebble bed reactors. Three characteristic values on the stagnant zone, radial uniformity and flow sequence of pebble flow are defined to evaluate uniformity of the overall flow field quantitatively. The results demonstrate that the pebble bed equipped with an insert performs better than normal beds from all these three aspects. Moreover, based on numerical experiments, several universal tips for insert design on height, location and outlet diameter are suggested.

  4. A Theoretical Approach to Analyze the Parametric Influence on Spatial Patterns of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, A G; Godoy, W A C

    2017-06-01

    Studies of the influence of biological parameters on the spatial distribution of lepidopteran insects can provide useful information for managing agricultural pests, since the larvae of many species cause serious impacts on crops. Computational models to simulate the spatial dynamics of insect populations are increasingly used, because of their efficiency in representing insect movement. In this study, we used a cellular automata model to explore different patterns of population distribution of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), when the values of two biological parameters that are able to influence the spatial pattern (larval viability and adult longevity) are varied. We mapped the spatial patterns observed as the parameters varied. Additionally, by using population data for S. frugiperda obtained in different hosts under laboratory conditions, we were able to describe the expected spatial patterns occurring in corn, cotton, millet, and soybean crops based on the parameters varied. The results are discussed from the perspective of insect ecology and pest management. We concluded that computational approaches can be important tools to study the relationship between the biological parameters and spatial distributions of lepidopteran insect pests.

  5. Patterns and stability of a whirlpool flow

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carrión, Luis [Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas-ESPE, Av. Gral. Rumiñahui s/n Sangolquí 171103 (Ecuador); Herrada, Miguel A; María López-Herrera, José [E.S.I, Universidad de Sevilla, Camino de los Descubrimientos s/n 41092 (Spain); Shtern, Vladimir N [Shtern Research and Consulting, Houston, Texas 77096, United States of America (United States)

    2017-04-15

    This numerical study reveals stable multi-eddy patterns of a steady axisymmetric air–water flow driven by the rotating bottom disk in a vertical sealed cylindrical container. As rotation strength Re increases, eddies emerge, coalesce, separate, and disappear in both air and water. The topological scenario varies with water volume fraction H{sub w} according to the results obtained for H{sub w}  = 0.3, 0.5, and 0.8. Interesting features are: (a) zipper-like chains of air and water eddies forming as the interface bends and (b) bubble-ring air eddies existing in the Re ranges specified in the paper. The stability analysis, performed with the help of a novel efficient technique for two-fluid flows, shows that these multi-eddy motions are stable. The shear-layer instability develops as the interface approaches either the top or bottom of the container and some eddies vanish. The physical reasoning behind the eddy formation and the flow instability is provided. The results are of fundamental interest and can have applications in bioreactors. (paper)

  6. Using a spatially-distributed hydrologic biogeochemistry model with nitrogen transport to study the spatial variation of carbon stocks and fluxes in a Critical Zone Observatory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Y.; Eissenstat, D. M.; He, Y.; Davis, K. J.

    2017-12-01

    Most current biogeochemical models are 1-D and represent one point in space. Therefore, they cannot resolve topographically driven land surface heterogeneity (e.g., lateral water flow, soil moisture, soil temperature, solar radiation) or the spatial pattern of nutrient availability. A spatially distributed forest biogeochemical model with nitrogen transport, Flux-PIHM-BGC, has been developed by coupling a 1-D mechanistic biogeochemical model Biome-BGC (BBGC) with a spatially distributed land surface hydrologic model, Flux-PIHM, and adding an advection dominated nitrogen transport module. Flux-PIHM is a coupled physically based model, which incorporates a land-surface scheme into the Penn State Integrated Hydrologic Model (PIHM). The land surface scheme is adapted from the Noah land surface model, and is augmented by adding a topographic solar radiation module. Flux-PIHM is able to represent the link between groundwater and the surface energy balance, as well as land surface heterogeneities caused by topography. In the coupled Flux-PIHM-BGC model, each Flux-PIHM model grid couples a 1-D BBGC model, while nitrogen is transported among model grids via surface and subsurface water flow. In each grid, Flux-PIHM provides BBGC with soil moisture, soil temperature, and solar radiation, while BBGC provides Flux-PIHM with spatially-distributed leaf area index. The coupled Flux-PIHM-BGC model has been implemented at the Susquehanna/Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory. The model-predicted aboveground vegetation carbon and soil carbon distributions generally agree with the macro patterns observed within the watershed. The importance of abiotic variables (including soil moisture, soil temperature, solar radiation, and soil mineral nitrogen) in predicting aboveground carbon distribution is calculated using a random forest. The result suggests that the spatial pattern of aboveground carbon is controlled by the distribution of soil mineral nitrogen. A Flux-PIHM-BGC simulation

  7. Numerical Study of Flow Motion and Patterns Driven by a Rotating Permanent Helical Magnetic Field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Wenzhi; Wang, Xiaodong; Wang, Bo; Baltaretu, Florin; Etay, Jacqueline; Fautrelle, Yves

    2016-10-01

    Liquid metal magnetohydrodynamic flow driven by a rotating permanent helical magnetic field in a cylindrical container is numerically studied. A three-dimensional numerical simulation provides insight into the visualization of the physical fields, including the magnetic field, the Lorentz force density, and the flow structures, especially the flow patterns in the meridional plane. Because the screen parameter is sufficiently small, the model is decoupled into electromagnetic and hydrodynamic components. Two flow patterns in the meridional plane, i.e., the global flow and the secondary flow, are discovered and the impact of several system parameters on their transition is investigated. Finally, a verifying model is used for comparison with the previous experiment.

  8. Continuous flow chemistry: a discovery tool for new chemical reactivity patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartwig, Jan; Metternich, Jan B; Nikbin, Nikzad; Kirschning, Andreas; Ley, Steven V

    2014-06-14

    Continuous flow chemistry as a process intensification tool is well known. However, its ability to enable chemists to perform reactions which are not possible in batch is less well studied or understood. Here we present an example, where a new reactivity pattern and extended reaction scope has been achieved by transferring a reaction from batch mode to flow. This new reactivity can be explained by suppressing back mixing and precise control of temperature in a flow reactor set up.

  9. Continuous flow chemistry: a discovery tool for new chemical reactivity patterns

    OpenAIRE

    Hartwig, Jan; Metternich, Jan B.; Nikbin, Nikzad; Kirschning, Andreas; Ley, Steven V.

    2014-01-01

    Continuous flow chemistry as a process intensification tool is well known. However, its ability to enable chemists to perform reactions which are not possible in batch is less well studied or understood. Here we present an example, where a new reactivity pattern and extended reaction scope has been achieved by transferring a reaction from batch mode to flow. This new reactivity can be explained by suppressing back mixing and precise control of temperature in a flow reactor set up.

  10. Spatial distribution of seeds and seedlings of two tropical tree species: Is there correspondence between patterns?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parrado Rosselli, Angela

    2007-01-01

    The spatial patterns of seed and seedling distribution relative to parent trees (seed and seedling shadow, respectively) were studied for Dacryodes chimantensis (Burseraceae) and Brosimum utile (Moraceae), two common tree species of terra firme forests of Colombian Amazonia. The general objective was to assess whether the patterns imposed by seed dispersal change or persist in subsequent life stages occurring during the transition from seeds/saplings to adult stages. Seed and seedling shadows on the ground were characterized for each tree species along four 50-m radial transects from the base of the parent tree. Causes of seed and seedling predation as a function of distance to the parent tree were determined, as well as the spatial consistency between life stages. Results showed that seed density of both Dacryodes and Brosimum declined leptokurtically with distance, and it was skewed towards the parent tree. However, seed density was more skewed and leptokurtic in Dacryodes than in Brosimum. The overall trend was maintained in the seedling stage of both species and was positively correlated with the distribution patterns of seeds. Seed and seedling predation were positively correlated with density and negatively correlated with the distance from the parent tree. Factors that could be generating the high consistency between the spatial patterns of seed and seedling distribution are discussed, as well as its implications in the population structure of both species and the debate on the factors that influence the spatial distribution of plant species in tropical rain forests.

  11. In situ calibration of an interferometric velocity sensor for measuring small scale flow structures using a Talbot-pattern

    Science.gov (United States)

    König, Jörg; Czarske, Jürgen

    2017-10-01

    Small scale flow phenomena play an important role across engineering, biological and chemical sciences. To gain deeper understanding of the influence of those flow phenomena involved, measurement techniques with high spatial resolution are often required, presuming a calibration of very low uncertainty. To enable such measurements, a method for the in situ calibration of an interferometric flow velocity profile sensor is presented. This sensor, with demonstrated spatial resolution better than 1 μm, allows for spatially-resolving measurements with low velocity uncertainty in flows with high velocity gradients, on condition that the spatial behavior of the interference fringe systems is well-known by calibration with low uncertainty, especially challenging to obtain at applications with geometries difficult to access. The calibration method described herein uses three interfering beams to form the interference fringe systems of the sensor, yielding Doppler burst signals exhibiting two peaks in the frequency domain whose amplitude ratio varies periodically along the measurement volume major z-axis, giving a further independent value of the axial tracer particle position that can be used to determine the calibration functions of the sensor during the flow measurement. A flow measurement in a microchannel experimentally validates that the presented approach allows for simultaneously estimating the calibration functions and the velocity profile, providing flow measurements with very low systematic measurement errors of the particle position of less than 400 nm (confidence interval 95%). In that way, the interferometric flow velocity profile sensor utilizing the in situ self-calibration method promises valuable insights on small scale flow phenomena, such as those given in shear and boundary layer flows, by featuring reliable flow measurements due to minimum systematic and statistical measurement errors.

  12. Pressure-flow characteristics of normal and disordered esophageal motor patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singendonk, Maartje M J; Kritas, Stamatiki; Cock, Charles; Ferris, Lara F; McCall, Lisa; Rommel, Nathalie; van Wijk, Michiel P; Benninga, Marc A; Moore, David; Omari, Taher I

    2015-03-01

    To perform pressure-flow analysis (PFA) in a cohort of pediatric patients who were referred for diagnostic manometric investigation. PFA was performed using purpose designed Matlab-based software. The pressure-flow index (PFI), a composite measure of bolus pressurization relative to flow and the impedance ratio, a measure of the extent of bolus clearance failure were calculated. Tracings of 76 pediatric patients (32 males; 9.1 ± 0.7 years) and 25 healthy adult controls (7 males; 36.1 ± 2.2 years) were analyzed. Patients mostly had normal motility (50%) or a category 4 disorder and usually weak peristalsis (31.5%) according to the Chicago Classification. PFA of healthy controls defined reference ranges for PFI ≤142 and impedance ratio ≤0.49. Pediatric patients with pressure-flow (PF) characteristics within these limits had normal motility (62%), most patients with PF characteristics outside these limits also had an abnormal Chicago Classification (61%). Patients with high PFI and disordered motor patterns all had esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction. Disordered PF characteristics are associated with disordered esophageal motor patterns. By defining the degree of over-pressurization and/or extent of clearance failure, PFA may be a useful adjunct to esophageal pressure topography-based classification. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Laser speckle imaging of rat retinal blood flow with hybrid temporal and spatial analysis method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Haiying; Yan, Yumei; Duong, Timothy Q.

    2009-02-01

    Noninvasive monitoring of blood flow in retinal circulation will reveal the progression and treatment of ocular disorders, such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. A non-invasive and direct BF measurement technique with high spatial-temporal resolution is needed for retinal imaging. Laser speckle imaging (LSI) is such a method. Currently, there are two analysis methods for LSI: spatial statistics LSI (SS-LSI) and temporal statistical LSI (TS-LSI). Comparing these two analysis methods, SS-LSI has higher signal to noise ratio (SNR) and TSLSI is less susceptible to artifacts from stationary speckle. We proposed a hybrid temporal and spatial analysis method (HTS-LSI) to measure the retinal blood flow. Gas challenge experiment was performed and images were analyzed by HTS-LSI. Results showed that HTS-LSI can not only remove the stationary speckle but also increase the SNR. Under 100% O2, retinal BF decreased by 20-30%. This was consistent with the results observed with laser Doppler technique. As retinal blood flow is a critical physiological parameter and its perturbation has been implicated in the early stages of many retinal diseases, HTS-LSI will be an efficient method in early detection of retina diseases.

  14. Density, Spatial Pattern and Relief Features of Sacred Sites in Northern Morocco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Holger Jäckle

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Sacred sites are of conservation value because of their spiritual meaning, as cultural heritage and as remnants of near-natural biotopes in landscapes strongly transformed by man. The vegetation of sacred sites in Morocco was studied recently. Information about their number, spatial pattern or relief position is fragmentary. However, these parameters are important to evaluate their role as refuge for organisms and their representativeness of potential natural vegetation. Therefore, density and spatial pattern of sacred sites on the Tangier Peninsula in NW Morocco were studied based on records on topographic maps and by ground check. Their relief position was examined calculating a logistic regression model based on site-presences and random pseudo-absences. A ground check showed that around 67% of the existing sacred sites are documented in the topographic maps. They occur in the whole study area but are agglomerated around settlements. Although sacred sites occur with preference at elevated sites they can be found in almost all relief positions, thus offering the potential of supporting different types of climax vegetation (climatic climax and pedoclimax. Because of their abundance (around 29 sacred sites / 100 km² and their distribution pattern they could serve as elements of a biotope network in degraded landscapes.

  15. Spatial and temporal patterns of human Puumala virus (PUUV infections in Germany

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah Cunze

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Background Worldwide, the number of recorded human hantavirus infections as well as the number of affected countries is on the rise. In Europe, most human hantavirus infections are caused by the Puumala virus (PUUV, with bank voles (Myodes glareolus as reservoir hosts. Generally, infection outbreaks have been related to environmental conditions, particularly climatic conditions, food supply for the reservoir species and land use. However, although attempts have been made, the insufficient availability of environmental data is often hampering accurate temporal and spatially explicit models of human hantavirus infections. Methods In the present study, dynamics of human PUUV infections between 2001 and 2015 were explored using ArcGIS in order to identify spatio-temporal patterns. Results Percentage cover of forest area was identified as an important factor for the spatial pattern, whereas beech mast was found explaining temporal patterns of human PUUV infections in Germany. High numbers of infections were recorded in 2007, 2010 and 2012 and areas with highest records were located in Baden-Wuerttemberg (southwest Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia (western Germany. Conclusion More reliable data on reservoir host distribution, pathogen verification as well as an increased awareness of physicians are some of the factors that should improve future human infection risk assessments in Germany.

  16. Dry limit to photosynthesis and cyanobacterial spatial pattern in the Atacama Desert

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warren-Rhodes, K. A.; Pointing, S. B.; Ewing, S.; Lacap, D.; Gomez-Silva, B.; Amundson, R.; Friedmann, E. I.; McKay, C. P.

    2005-12-01

    Hypolithic autotrophs inhabit translucent rocks in the world`'s most extreme hot and cold deserts. Across a rainfall gradient in the Atacama, we measured a three-fold decline in the molecular diversity of cyanobacterial communities and a drop in their abundance from 28% in relatively wet sites to 0.08% in the driest core. Like plants, hypoliths appear to exhibit traits of self-organized patchiness (aggregated spatial patterns) that tightly correlate with rainfall. Rare cyanobacteria in the core live slowly (3,200 y turnover times) and survive in spatially isolated patches of self-augmented fertility, with the dry limit to their survival occurring at ~Mars but may have existed in rare oases in the past. The spatial distributions of terrestrial desert microbes should be considered in the remote search for life on Mars.

  17. APPLICATION FEATURES OF SPATIAL CONDUCTOMETRY SENSORS IN MODELLING OF COOLANT FLOW MIXING IN NUCLEAR POWER UNIT EQUIPMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Barinov

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Coolant flow mixing processes with different temperatures and concentrations of diluted additives widely known in nuclear power units operation. In some cases these processes make essential impact on the resource and behavior of the nuclear unit during transient and emergency situations. The aim of the study was creation of measurement system and test facility to carry out basic tests and to embed spatial conductometry method in investigation practice of turbulent coolant flows. In the course of investigation measurement system with sensors and experimental facility was designed, several first tests were carried out. A special attention was dedicated to calibration and clarification of conductometry sensor application methodologies in studies of turbulent flow characteristics. Investigations involved method of electrically contrast tracer jet with concurrent flow in closed channel of round crosssection. The measurements include both averaged and unsteady realizations of measurement signal. Experimental data processing shows good agreement with other tests acquired from another measurement systems based on different physical principles. Calibration functions were acquired, methodical basis of spatial conductometry measurement system application was created. Gathered experience of spatial sensor application made it possible to formulate the principles of further investigation that involve large-scale models of nuclear unit equipment. Spatial wire-mesh sensors proved to be a perspective type of eddy resolving measurement devices.

  18. Research on the Spatial-Temporal Distribution Pattern of the Network Attention of Fog and Haze in China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weng, Lingyan; Han, Xugao

    2018-01-01

    Understanding the spatial-temporal distribution pattern of fog and haze is the base to deal with them by adjusting measures to local conditions. Taking 31 provinces in China mainland as the research areas, this paper collected data from Baidu index on the network attention of fog and haze in relevant areas from 2011 to 2016, and conducted an analysis of their spatial-temporal distribution pattern by using autocorrelation analysis. The results show that the network attention of fog and haze has an overall spatial distribution pattern of “higher in the eastern and central, lower in the western China”. There are regional differences in different provinces in terms of network attention. Network attention of fog and haze indicates an obvious geographical agglomeration phenomenon, which is a gradual enlargement of the agglomeration area of higher value with a slight shrinking of those lower value agglomeration areas.

  19. Response of coral assemblages to thermal stress: are bleaching intensity and spatial patterns consistent between events?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penin, Lucie; Vidal-Dupiol, Jeremie; Adjeroud, Mehdi

    2013-06-01

    Mass bleaching events resulting in coral mortality are among the greatest threats to coral reefs, and are projected to increase in frequency and intensity with global warming. Achieving a better understanding of the consistency of the response of coral assemblages to thermal stress, both spatially and temporally, is essential to determine which reefs are more able to tolerate climate change. We compared variations in spatial and taxonomic patterns between two bleaching events at the scale of an island (Moorea Island, French Polynesia). Despite similar thermal stress and light conditions, bleaching intensity was significantly lower in 2007 (approximately 37 % of colonies showed signs of bleaching) than in 2002, when 55 % of the colonies bleached. Variations in the spatial patterns of bleaching intensity were consistent between the two events. Among nine sampling stations at three locations and three depths, the stations at which the bleaching response was lowest in 2002 were those that showed the lowest levels of bleaching in 2007. The taxonomic patterns of susceptibility to bleaching were also consistent between the two events. These findings have important implications for conservation because they indicate that corals are capable of acclimatization and/or adaptation and that, even at small spatial scales, some areas are consistently more susceptible to bleaching than others.

  20. Spatial heterogeneity of biofouling under different cross-flow velocities in reverse osmosis membrane systems

    KAUST Repository

    Farhat, Nadia; Staal, M.; Bucs, Szilard; Van Loosdrecht, M.C.M.; Vrouwenvelder, Johannes S.

    2016-01-01

    the spatial heterogeneity of biofilm development over the membrane fouling simulator (MFS) length (inlet and outlet part) at three different cross-flow velocities (0.08, 0.12 and 0.16 m/s). The MFS contained sheets of membrane and feed spacer and simulatedComparison of the inlet and outlet position of the MFS showed a more (i) heterogeneous biofilm distribution and a (ii) higher biological activity at the inlet side (first 2.5 cm) for all cross-flow velocities. The lowest cross-flow velocity had

  1. Selection of Two-Phase Flow Patterns at a Simple Junction in Microfluidic Devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engl, W.; Ohata, K.; Guillot, P.; Colin, A.; Panizza, P.

    2006-04-01

    We study the behavior of a confined stream made of two immiscible fluids when it reaches a T junction. Two flow patterns are witnessed: the stream is either directed in only one sidearm, yielding a preferential flow pathway for the dispersed phase, or splits between both. We show that the selection of these patterns is not triggered by the shape of the junction nor by capillary effects, but results from confinement. It can be anticipated in terms of the hydrodynamic properties of the flow. A simple model yielding universal behavior in terms of the relevant adimensional parameters of the problem is presented and discussed.

  2. Patterns of regional cerebral blood flow in acute stroke

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, T S; Skriver, E B

    1981-01-01

    In a consecutive group of 56 stroke patients the regional cerebral blood flow was measured within 84 hours after stroke. A 254 multidetector scintillation camera and the intracarotid Xenon-133 injection method was used to study rCBF. Typical rCBF-patterns are described and compared to the findings...

  3. [Spatial pattern of forest biomass and its influencing factors in the Great Xing'an Mountains, Heilongjiang Province, China].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiao-Li; Chang, Yu; Chen, Hong-Wei; Hu, Yuan-Man; Jiao, Lin-Lin; Feng, Yu-Ting; Wu, Wen; Wu, Hai-Feng

    2014-04-01

    Based on field inventory data and vegetation index EVI (enhanced vegetation index), the spatial pattern of the forest biomass in the Great Xing'an Mountains, Heilongjiang Province was quantitatively analyzed. Using the spatial analysis and statistics tools in ArcGIS software, the impacts of climatic zone, elevation, slope, aspect and vegetation type on the spatial pattern of forest biomass were explored. The results showed that the forest biomass in the Great Xing'an Mountains was 350 Tg and spatially aggregated with great increasing potentials. Forest biomass density in the cold temperate humid zone (64.02 t x hm(-2)) was higher than that in the temperate humid zone (60.26 t x hm(-2)). The biomass density of each vegetation type was in the order of mixed coniferous forest (65.13 t x hm(-2)) > spruce-fir forest (63.92 t x hm(-2)) > Pinus pumila-Larix gmelinii forest (63.79 t x hm(-2)) > Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica forest (61.97 t x hm(-2)) > Larix gmelinii forest (61.40 t x hm(-2)) > deciduous broadleaf forest (58.96 t x hm(-2)). With the increasing elevation and slope, the forest biomass density first decreased and then increased. The forest biomass density in the shady slopes was greater than that in the sunny slopes. The spatial pattern of forest biomass in the Great Xing' an Mountains exhibited a heterogeneous pattern due to the variation of climatic zone, vegetation type and topographical factor. This spatial heterogeneity needs to be accounted when evaluating forest biomass at regional scales.

  4. The pattern of spatial flood disaster region in DKI Jakarta

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tambunan, M. P.

    2017-02-01

    The study of disaster flood area was conducted in DKI Jakarta Province, Indonesia. The aim of this research is: to study the spatial distribution of potential and actual of flood area The flood was studied from the geographic point of view using spatial approach, while the study of the location, the distribution, the depth and the duration of flooding was conducted using geomorphologic approach and emphasize on the detailed landform unit as analysis unit. In this study the landforms in DKI Jakarta have been a diversity, as well as spatial and temporal pattern of the actual and potential flood area. Landform at DKI Jakarta has been largely used as built up area for settlement and it facilities, thus affecting the distribution pattern of flooding area. The collection of the physical condition of landform in DKI Jakarta data prone were conducted through interpretation of the topographic map / RBI map and geological map. The flood data were obtained by survey and secondary data from Kimpraswil (Public Work) of DKI Jakarta Province for 3 years (1996, 2002, and 2007). Data of rainfall were obtained from BMKG and land use data were obtained from BPN DKI Jakarta. The analysis of the causal factors and distribution of flooding was made spatially and temporally using geographic information system. This study used survey method with a pragmatic approach. In this study landform as result from the analytical survey was settlement land use as result the synthetic survey. The primary data consist of landform, and the flood characteristic obtained by survey. The samples were using purposive sampling. Landform map was composed by relief, structure and material stone, and process data Landform map was overlay with flood map the flood prone area in DKI Jakarta Province in scale 1:50,000 to show. Descriptive analysis was used the spatial distribute of the flood prone area. The result of the study show that actual of flood prone area in the north, west and east of Jakarta lowland both

  5. Features of two-phase flow patterns in horizontal rectangular microchannels of height 50 μm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ron’shin Fedor

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The horizontal microchannel with the height of 50 micrometres and width of 40 mm of a rectangular cross-section has been used to study two-phase flow. The classical patterns of two-phase flow in the channel (bubble, stratified, churn, jet, and annular have been detected. Experimental information allows us to define the characteristics of the regimes and to determine precisely the boundaries between the patterns of the two-phase flows.

  6. Spatial point pattern analysis of human settlements and geographical associations in eastern coastal China - a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhonghao; Xiao, Rui; Shortridge, Ashton; Wu, Jiaping

    2014-03-10

    Understanding the spatial point pattern of human settlements and their geographical associations are important for understanding the drivers of land use and land cover change and the relationship between environmental and ecological processes on one hand and cultures and lifestyles on the other. In this study, a Geographic Information System (GIS) approach, Ripley's K function and Monte Carlo simulation were used to investigate human settlement point patterns. Remotely sensed tools and regression models were employed to identify the effects of geographical determinants on settlement locations in the Wen-Tai region of eastern coastal China. Results indicated that human settlements displayed regular-random-cluster patterns from small to big scale. Most settlements located on the coastal plain presented either regular or random patterns, while those in hilly areas exhibited a clustered pattern. Moreover, clustered settlements were preferentially located at higher elevations with steeper slopes and south facing aspects than random or regular settlements. Regression showed that influences of topographic factors (elevation, slope and aspect) on settlement locations were stronger across hilly regions. This study demonstrated a new approach to analyzing the spatial patterns of human settlements from a wide geographical prospective. We argue that the spatial point patterns of settlements, in addition to the characteristics of human settlements, such as area, density and shape, should be taken into consideration in the future, and land planners and decision makers should pay more attention to city planning and management. Conceptual and methodological bridges linking settlement patterns to regional and site-specific geographical characteristics will be a key to human settlement studies and planning.

  7. Multisubject Learning for Common Spatial Patterns in Motor-Imagery BCI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dieter Devlaminck

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Motor-imagery-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs commonly use the common spatial pattern filter (CSP as preprocessing step before feature extraction and classification. The CSP method is a supervised algorithm and therefore needs subject-specific training data for calibration, which is very time consuming to collect. In order to reduce the amount of calibration data that is needed for a new subject, one can apply multitask (from now on called multisubject machine learning techniques to the preprocessing phase. Here, the goal of multisubject learning is to learn a spatial filter for a new subject based on its own data and that of other subjects. This paper outlines the details of the multitask CSP algorithm and shows results on two data sets. In certain subjects a clear improvement can be seen, especially when the number of training trials is relatively low.

  8. Computational modeling of lava domes using particle dynamics to investigate the effect of conduit flow mechanics on flow patterns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Husain, Taha Murtuza

    Large (1--4 x 106 m3) to major (> 4 x 106 m3) dome collapses for andesitic lava domes such as Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat are observed for elevated magma discharge rates (6--13 m3/s). The gas rich magma pulses lead to pressure build up in the lava dome that result in structural failure of the over steepened canyon-like walls which may lead to rockfall or pyroclastic flow. This indicates that dome collapse intimately related to magma extrusion rate. Variation in magma extrusion rate for open-system magma chambers is observed to follow alternating periods of high and low activity. Periodic behavior of magma exhibits a rich diversity in the nature of its eruptive history due to variation in magma chamber size, total crystal content, linear crystal growth rate and magma replenishment rate. Distinguished patterns of growth were observed at different magma flow rates ranging from endogenous to exogenous dome growth for magma with varying strengths. Determining the key parameters that control the transition in flow pattern of the magma during its lava dome building eruption is the main focus. This dissertation examines the mechanical effects on the morphology of the evolving lava dome on the extrusion of magma from a central vent using a 2D particle dynamics model. The particle dynamics model is coupled with a conduit flow model that incorporates the kinetics of crystallization and rheological stiffening to investigate important mechanisms during lava dome building eruptions. Chapter I of this dissertation explores lava dome growth and failure mechanics using a two-dimensional particle-dynamics model. The model follows the evolution of fractured lava, with solidification driven by degassing induced crystallization of magma. The particle-dynamics model emulates the natural development of dome growth and rearrangement of the lava dome which is difficult in mesh-based analyses due to mesh entanglement effects. The deformable talus evolves naturally as a frictional

  9. Determination of Areas Susceptible to Landsliding Using Spatial Patterns of Rainfall from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Data, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renato Fontes Guimarães

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Spatial patterns of shallow landslide initiation reflect both spatial patterns of heavy rainfall and areas susceptible to mass movements. We determine the areas most susceptible to shallow landslide occurrence through the calculation of critical soil cohesion and spatial patterns of rainfall derived from TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission data for Paraty County, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Our methodology involved: (a creating the digital elevation model (DEM and deriving attributes such as slope and contributing area; (b incorporating spatial patterns of rainfall derived from TRMM into the shallow slope stability model SHALSTAB; and (c quantitative assessment of the correspondence of mapped landslide scars to areas predicted to be most prone to shallow landsliding. We found that around 70% of the landslide scars occurred in less than 10% of the study area identified as potentially unstable. The greatest concentration of landslides occurred in areas where the root strength of vegetation is an important contribution to slope stability in regions of orographically-enhanced rainfall on the coastal topographic flank. This approach helps quantify landslide hazards in areas with similar geomorphological characteristics, but different spatial patterns of rainfall.

  10. Spatial filtring and thermocouple spatial filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han Bing; Tong Yunxian

    1989-12-01

    The design and study on thermocouple spatial filter have been conducted for the flow measurement of integrated reactor coolant. The fundamental principle of spatial filtring, mathematical descriptions and analyses of thermocouple spatial filter are given

  11. Applications of high-resolution spatial discretization scheme and Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov method in two-phase flow problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zou, Ling; Zhao, Haihua; Zhang, Hongbin

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Using high-resolution spatial scheme in solving two-phase flow problems. • Fully implicit time integrations scheme. • Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov method. • Analytical solution for two-phase water faucet problem. - Abstract: The majority of the existing reactor system analysis codes were developed using low-order numerical schemes in both space and time. In many nuclear thermal–hydraulics applications, it is desirable to use higher-order numerical schemes to reduce numerical errors. High-resolution spatial discretization schemes provide high order spatial accuracy in smooth regions and capture sharp spatial discontinuity without nonphysical spatial oscillations. In this work, we adapted an existing high-resolution spatial discretization scheme on staggered grids in two-phase flow applications. Fully implicit time integration schemes were also implemented to reduce numerical errors from operator-splitting types of time integration schemes. The resulting nonlinear system has been successfully solved using the Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov (JFNK) method. The high-resolution spatial discretization and high-order fully implicit time integration numerical schemes were tested and numerically verified for several two-phase test problems, including a two-phase advection problem, a two-phase advection with phase appearance/disappearance problem, and the water faucet problem. Numerical results clearly demonstrated the advantages of using such high-resolution spatial and high-order temporal numerical schemes to significantly reduce numerical diffusion and therefore improve accuracy. Our study also demonstrated that the JFNK method is stable and robust in solving two-phase flow problems, even when phase appearance/disappearance exists

  12. Nonlinear convective flows in a two-layer system under the action of spatial temperature modulation of heat release/consumption at the interface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simanovskii, Ilya B.; Viviani, Antonio; Dubois, Frank

    2018-06-01

    An influence of a spatial temperature modulation of the interfacial heat release/consumption on nonlinear convective flows in the 47v2 silicone oil - water system, is studied. Rigid heat-insulated lateral walls, corresponding to the case of closed cavities, have been considered. Transitions between the flows with different spatial structures, have been investigated. It is shown that the spatial modulation can change the sequence of bifurcations and lead to the appearance of specific steady and oscillatory flows in the system.

  13. Spatial patterns of FUS-immunoreactive neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCI) in neuronal intermediate filament inclusion disease (NIFID).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, Richard A; Gearing, Marla; Bigio, Eileen H; Cruz-Sanchez, Felix F; Duyckaerts, Charles; Mackenzie, Ian R A; Perry, Robert H; Skullerud, Kari; Yokoo, Hideaki; Cairns, Nigel J

    2011-11-01

    Neuronal intermediate filament inclusion disease (NIFID), a rare form of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), is characterized neuropathologically by focal atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes, neuronal loss, gliosis, and neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCI) containing epitopes of ubiquitin and neuronal intermediate filament (IF) proteins. Recently, the 'fused in sarcoma' (FUS) protein (encoded by the FUS gene) has been shown to be a component of the inclusions of NIFID. To further characterize FUS proteinopathy in NIFID, we studied the spatial patterns of the FUS-immunoreactive NCI in frontal and temporal cortex of 10 cases. In the cerebral cortex, sectors CA1/2 of the hippocampus, and the dentate gyrus (DG), the FUS-immunoreactive NCI were frequently clustered and the clusters were regularly distributed parallel to the tissue boundary. In a proportion of cortical gyri, cluster size of the NCI approximated to those of the columns of cells was associated with the cortico-cortical projections. There were no significant differences in the frequency of different types of spatial patterns with disease duration or disease stage. Clusters of NCI in the upper and lower cortex were significantly larger using FUS compared with phosphorylated, neurofilament heavy polypeptide (NEFH) or α-internexin (INA) immunohistochemistry (IHC). We concluded: (1) FUS-immunoreactive NCI exhibit similar spatial patterns to analogous inclusions in the tauopathies and synucleinopathies, (2) clusters of FUS-immunoreactive NCI are larger than those revealed by NEFH or ΙΝΑ, and (3) the spatial patterns of the FUS-immunoreactive NCI suggest the degeneration of the cortico-cortical projections in NIFID.

  14. Physically-based modeling of topographic effects on spatial evapotranspiration and soil moisture patterns through radiation and wind

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Liu

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, simulations with the Soil Water Atmosphere Plant (SWAP model are performed to quantify the spatial variability of both potential and actual evapotranspiration (ET, and soil moisture content (SMC caused by topography-induced spatial wind and radiation differences. To obtain the spatially distributed ET/SMC patterns, the field scale SWAP model is applied in a distributed way for both pointwise and catchment wide simulations. An adapted radiation model from r.sun and the physically-based meso-scale wind model METRAS PC are applied to obtain the spatial radiation and wind patterns respectively, which show significant spatial variation and correlation with aspect and elevation respectively. Such topographic dependences and spatial variations further propagate to ET/SMC. A strong spatial, seasonal-dependent, scale-relevant intra-catchment variability in daily/annual ET and less variability in SMC can be observed from the numerical experiments. The study concludes that topography has a significant effect on ET/SMC in the humid region where ET is a energy limited rather than water availability limited process. It affects the spatial runoff generation through spatial radiation and wind, therefore should be applied to inform hydrological model development. In addition, the methodology used in the study can serve as a general method for physically-based ET estimation for data sparse regions.

  15. Gas flow dependence for plasma-needle disinfection of S. mutans bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goree, J; Liu Bin; Drake, David

    2006-01-01

    The role of gas flow and transport mechanisms are studied for a small low-power impinging jet of weakly-ionized helium at atmospheric pressure. This plasma needle produces a non-thermal glow discharge plasma that kills bacteria. A culture of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) was plated onto the surface of agar, and spots on this surface were then treated with plasma. Afterwards, the sample was incubated and then imaged. These images, which serve as a biological diagnostic for characterizing the plasma, show a distinctive spatial pattern for killing that depends on the gas flow rate. As the flow is increased, the killing pattern varies from a solid circle to a ring. Images of the glow reveal that the spatial distribution of energetic electrons corresponds to the observed killing pattern. This suggests that a bactericidal species is generated in the gas phase by energetic electrons less than a millimetre from the sample surface. Mixing of air into the helium plasma is required to generate the observed O and OH radicals in the flowing plasma. Hydrodynamic processes involved in this mixing are buoyancy, diffusion and turbulence

  16. Gas flow dependence for plasma-needle disinfection of S. mutans bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goree, J [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States); Liu Bin [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States); Drake, David [Dows Institute for Dental Research, Dept. of Endodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States)

    2006-08-21

    The role of gas flow and transport mechanisms are studied for a small low-power impinging jet of weakly-ionized helium at atmospheric pressure. This plasma needle produces a non-thermal glow discharge plasma that kills bacteria. A culture of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) was plated onto the surface of agar, and spots on this surface were then treated with plasma. Afterwards, the sample was incubated and then imaged. These images, which serve as a biological diagnostic for characterizing the plasma, show a distinctive spatial pattern for killing that depends on the gas flow rate. As the flow is increased, the killing pattern varies from a solid circle to a ring. Images of the glow reveal that the spatial distribution of energetic electrons corresponds to the observed killing pattern. This suggests that a bactericidal species is generated in the gas phase by energetic electrons less than a millimetre from the sample surface. Mixing of air into the helium plasma is required to generate the observed O and OH radicals in the flowing plasma. Hydrodynamic processes involved in this mixing are buoyancy, diffusion and turbulence.

  17. Periodic and aperiodic flow patterns around an airfoil with leading-edge protuberances

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Chang; Zuo, Zhigang; Maeda, Takao; Kamada, Yasunari; Li, Qing'an; Shimamoto, Kensei; Liu, Shuhong

    2017-11-01

    Recently leading-edge protuberances have attracted great attention as a passive method for separation control. In this paper, the effect of multiple leading-edge protuberances on the performance of a two-dimensional airfoil is investigated through experimental measurement of aerodynamic forces, surface tuft visualization, and numerical simulation. In contrast to the sharp stall of the baseline airfoil with large hysteresis effect during AOA (angle of attack) increasing and decreasing, the stall process of the modified airfoil with leading-edge protuberances is gentle and stable. Flow visualization revealed that the flow past each protuberance is periodic and symmetric at small AOAs. Streamwise vortices are generated on the shoulders of the protuberance, leading to a larger separation around the valley sections and a longer attachment along the peak sections. When some critical AOA is exceeded, aperiodic and asymmetric flow patterns occur on the protuberances at different spanwise positions, with leading-edge separation on some of the valley sections and non-stalled condition elsewhere. A combined mechanism, involving both the compartmentalization effect of the slender momentum-enhanced attached flows on the protuberance peaks and the downwash effect of the local stalled region with low circulation, is proposed to explain the generation of the aperiodic flow patterns. The influence of the number of protuberances is also investigated, which shows similar aperiodic flow patterns. The distance between the neighboring local stalled valley sections is found to be in the range of 4-7 times the protuberance wavelength. According to the proposed mechanism, it is speculated that the distance between the neighboring local stalled valley sections is inclined to increase with a smaller protuberance amplitude or at a larger AOA.

  18. Flow patterns of GaInSn liquid on inclined stainless steel plate under a range of magnetic field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Juan-Cheng, E-mail: yangjc@xjtu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, School of Aerospace, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shanxi 710049 (China); Qi, Tian-Yu [School of Engineering Sciences, University of Chinese Academy and Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Ni, Ming-Jiu, E-mail: mjni@ucas.ac.cn [School of Engineering Sciences, University of Chinese Academy and Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Wang, Zeng-Hui [School of Engineering Sciences, University of Chinese Academy and Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China)

    2016-11-01

    Highlights: • The liquid GaInSn metal flow loop was built to study some fusion related liquid metal MHD phenomenon. • The flow patterns of GaInSn free surface flow with the change of Re number and Ha number were got by lot of experiments. • Some detailed descriptions of these flow patterns were also made, and a solid conclusion which agreed with some previous studies was got. - Abstract: In the present paper, some preliminary experimental studies have been conducted to show the flow pattern of liquid metal flow using visualization method. For the convenience of experiments in lab, Ga{sup 67}In{sup 20.5}Sn{sup 12.5} in liquid state at room temperature is used. A test section made by stainless steel is inserted in a traverse magnetic field with strength (B{sub 0}) varies from 0 to 1.28 T. The inclined angle of stainless steel plate in test section is about 9°. Visualization results obtained by high-speed camera (Phantom M/LC 310) shown that GaInSn liquid flow on inclined stainless steel plate behaved unstable liquid column flow pattern in the low flow rate, while behaved large area spreading flow pattern with small waves on the free surface in the large flow rate. However, in the magnetic field, under the action of electromagnetic force, the flow patterns of GaInSn liquid have some significant changes on the spreading width and surface structure of free surface. Some detailed analyses on these changes have been also showed in the present paper. Plans for future work are also presented.

  19. Formation of self-organized anode patterns in arc discharge simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trelles, Juan Pablo

    2013-01-01

    Pattern formation and self-organization are phenomena commonly observed experimentally in diverse types of plasma systems, including atmospheric-pressure electric arc discharges. However, numerical simulations reproducing anode pattern formation in arc discharges have proven exceedingly elusive. Time-dependent three-dimensional thermodynamic non-equilibrium simulations reveal the spontaneous formation of self-organized patterns of anode attachment spots in the free-burning arc, a canonical thermal plasma flow established by a constant dc current between an axi-symmetric electrode configuration in the absence of external forcing. The number of spots, their size and distribution within the pattern depend on the applied total current and on the resolution of the spatial discretization, whereas the main properties of the plasma flow, such as maximum temperatures, velocity and voltage drop, depend only on the former. The sensibility of the solution to the spatial discretization stresses the computational requirements for comprehensive arc discharge simulations. The obtained anode patterns qualitatively agree with experimental observations and confirm that the spots originate at the fringes of the arc–anode attachment. The results imply that heavy-species–electron energy equilibration, in addition to thermal instability, has a dominant role in the formation of anode spots in arc discharges. (paper)

  20. The impact of traffic-flow patterns on air quality in urban street canyons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thaker, Prashant; Gokhale, Sharad

    2016-01-01

    We investigated the effect of different urban traffic-flow patterns on pollutant dispersion in different winds in a real asymmetric street canyon. Free-flow traffic causes more turbulence in the canyon facilitating more dispersion and a reduction in pedestrian level concentration. The comparison of with and without a vehicle-induced-turbulence revealed that when winds were perpendicular, the free-flow traffic reduced the concentration by 73% on the windward side with a minor increase of 17% on the leeward side, whereas for parallel winds, it reduced the concentration by 51% and 29%. The congested-flow traffic increased the concentrations on the leeward side by 47% when winds were perpendicular posing a higher risk to health, whereas reduced it by 17-42% for parallel winds. The urban air quality and public health can, therefore, be improved by improving the traffic-flow patterns in street canyons as vehicle-induced turbulence has been shown to contribute significantly to dispersion. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Contrasting spatial patterns in active-fire and fire-suppressed Mediterranean climate old-growth mixed conifer forests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danny L. Fry; Scott L. Stephens; Brandon M. Collins; Malcolm North; Ernesto Franco-Vizcaino; Samantha J. Gill

    2014-01-01

    In Mediterranean environments in western North America, historic fire regimes in frequent-fire conifer forests are highly variable both temporally and spatially. This complexity influenced forest structure and spatial patterns, but some of this diversity has been lost due to anthropogenic disruption of ecosystem processes, including fire. Information from reference...

  2. Velocity correlations and spatial dependencies between neighbors in a unidirectional flow of pedestrians

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porzycki, Jakub; WÄ s, Jarosław; Hedayatifar, Leila; Hassanibesheli, Forough; Kułakowski, Krzysztof

    2017-08-01

    The aim of the paper is an analysis of self-organization patterns observed in the unidirectional flow of pedestrians. On the basis of experimental data from Zhang et al. [J. Zhang et al., J. Stat. Mech. (2011) P06004, 10.1088/1742-5468/2011/06/P06004], we analyze the mutual positions and velocity correlations between pedestrians when walking along a corridor. The angular and spatial dependencies of the mutual positions reveal a spatial structure that remains stable during the crowd motion. This structure differs depending on the value of n , for the consecutive n th -nearest-neighbor position set. The preferred position for the first-nearest neighbor is on the side of the pedestrian, while for further neighbors, this preference shifts to the axis of movement. The velocity correlations vary with the angle formed by the pair of neighboring pedestrians and the direction of motion and with the time delay between pedestrians' movements. The delay dependence of the correlations shows characteristic oscillations, produced by the velocity oscillations when striding; however, a filtering of the main frequency of individual striding out reduces the oscillations only partially. We conclude that pedestrians select their path directions so as to evade the necessity of continuously adjusting their speed to their neighbors'. They try to keep a given distance, but follow the person in front of them, as well as accepting and observing pedestrians on their sides. Additionally, we show an empirical example that illustrates the shape of a pedestrian's personal space during movement.

  3. A family of spatial interaction models incorporating information flows and choice set constraints applied to U.S. interstate labor flows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, T R; Slater, P B

    1981-01-01

    "A new family of migration models belonging to the elimination by aspects family is examined, with the spatial interaction model shown to be a special case. The models have simple forms; they incorporate information flow processes and choice set constraints; they are free of problems raised by the Luce Choice Axiom; and are capable of generating intransitive flows. Preliminary calibrations using the Continuous Work History Sample [time] series data indicate that the model fits the migration data well, while providing estimates of interstate job message flows. The preliminary calculations also indicate that care is needed in assuming that destination [attraction] are independent of origins." excerpt

  4. Short-range dynamics and prediction of mesoscale flow patterns in the MISTRAL field experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weber, R.O.; Kaufmann, P.; Talkner, P. [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)

    1997-06-01

    In a limited area of about 50 km by 50 km with complex topography, wind measurements on a dense network were performed during the MISTRAL field experiment in 1991-1992. From these data the characteristic wind fields were identified by an automated classification method. The dynamics of the resulting twelve typical regional flow patterns is studied. It is discussed how transitions between the flow patterns take place and how well the transition probabilities can be described in the framework of a Markov model. Guided by this discussion, a variety of prediction models were tested which allow a short-term forecast of the flow pattern type. It is found that a prediction model which uses forecast information from the synoptic scale has the best forecast skill. (author) 2 figs., 7 refs.

  5. ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL PATTERN AND INFLUENCING FACTORS OF E-COMMERCE

    OpenAIRE

    Y. Zhang; J. Chen; S. Zhang

    2017-01-01

    This paper aims to study the relationship between e-commerce development and geographical characteristics using data of e-commerce, economy, Internet, express delivery and population from 2011 to 2015. Moran’s I model and GWR model are applied to analyze the spatial pattern of E-commerce and its influencing factors. There is a growth trend of e-commerce from west to east, and it is obvious to see that e-commerce development has a space-time clustering, especially around the Yangtze R...

  6. Postfire environmental conditions influence the spatial pattern of regeneration for Pinus ponderosa

    Science.gov (United States)

    V. H. Bonnet; Anna Schoettle; W. D. Shepperd

    2005-01-01

    Regeneration of ponderosa pine after fire depends on the patterns of seed availability and the environmental conditions that define safe sites for seedling establishment. A transect approach was applied in 2002 to determine the spatial distribution of regeneration from unburned to burned areas within the landscape impacted by the Jasper Fire of 2000 in the...

  7. Localized electric field induced transition and miniaturization of two-phase flow patterns inside microchannels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Abhinav; Tiwari, Vijeet; Kumar, Vineet; Mandal, Tapas Kumar; Bandyopadhyay, Dipankar

    2014-10-01

    Strategic application of external electrostatic field on a pressure-driven two-phase flow inside a microchannel can transform the stratified or slug flow patterns into droplets. The localized electrohydrodynamic stress at the interface of the immiscible liquids can engender a liquid-dielectrophoretic deformation, which disrupts the balance of the viscous, capillary, and inertial forces of a pressure-driven flow to engender such flow morphologies. Interestingly, the size, shape, and frequency of the droplets can be tuned by varying the field intensity, location of the electric field, surface properties of the channel or fluids, viscosity ratio of the fluids, and the flow ratio of the phases. Higher field intensity with lower interfacial tension is found to facilitate the oil droplet formation with a higher throughput inside the hydrophilic microchannels. The method is successful in breaking down the regular pressure-driven flow patterns even when the fluid inlets are exchanged in the microchannel. The simulations identify the conditions to develop interesting flow morphologies, such as (i) an array of miniaturized spherical or hemispherical or elongated oil drops in continuous water phase, (ii) "oil-in-water" microemulsion with varying size and shape of oil droplets. The results reported can be of significance in improving the efficiency of multiphase microreactors where the flow patterns composed of droplets are preferred because of the availability of higher interfacial area for reactions or heat and mass exchange. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Altered Precipitation and Flow Patterns in the Dunajec River Basin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariola Kędra

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This study analyzes changes in long-term patterns of precipitation and river flow, as well as changes in their variability over the most recent 60 years (1956–2015. The study area is situated in the mountain basin of the Dunajec River, encompassing streams draining the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland. The focus of the study was to evaluate how regional warming translates into precipitation changes in the studied mountain region, and how changes in climate affect sub-regional hydrology. Monthly time series of precipitation measured at several sites were compared for two 30-year periods (1986–2015 versus 1956–1985. The significance of the difference between the periods in question was evaluated by means of the Wilcoxon signed rank test with the Bonferroni correction. The identified shifts in precipitation for 6 months are statistically significant and largely consistent with the revealed changes in river flow patterns. Moreover, significant differences in precipitation variability were noted in the study area, resulting in a significant decrease in the repeatability of precipitation over the most recent 30 years (1986–2015. Changes in the variability of the river flow studied were less visible in this particular mountain region (while significant for two months; however, the overall repeatability of river flow decreased significantly at the same rate as for precipitation.

  9. Quantitative cerebral blood flow patterns with the short lived isotope 195m Au

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindner, P.; Nickel, O.

    1984-01-01

    A previously reported theory for quantitative cerebral blood flow measurements using intravenously injected nondiffusible radiotracers has been applied on patients after stroke and on volunteers undergoing a mental stimulation exercise. Quantitative measurements of cerebral blood flow patterns (in ml/min/100g) not only in p.a. but also in lateral views of the brain are possible by using of the short-lived (30 sec) isotope Au 195m. The energy spectrum of the eluate of the generator shows two strong photon peaks, one at 68 keV and a second at 262 keV. The 68 keV peak is suitable for perfusion studies in lateral views of the hemispheres, no 'look through' effect is seen. The 262 keV peak is good for studies in p.a. positions. The studies last less than 1 minute and can be repeated after 3 minutes. Parametric images for quantitative regional cerebral blood flow can be generated. The area of occluded vessels in the case of stroke can be made visible. Quantitative activation patterns of cerebral blood flow during mental stimulation can be generated. After optical stimulation a clear increase of blood flow was seen in the visual cortex. The results prove that not only with freely diffusible (like Xenon) but also with nondiffusible indicators like 195m Au it is possible to measure quantitatively cerebral blood flow patterns. Au 195m is very advantageous for quantitative clinical investigations of cerebrovascular disease. (Author)

  10. Effect of diameter and axial location on upward gas–liquid two-phase flow patterns in intermediate-scale vertical tubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ansari, M.R.; Azadi, R.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • A vertical two-phase flow system is manufactured to study flow behavior adiabatically. • Two test sections are studied with inner diameters of 40 mm and 70 mm at two locations. • Flow pattern maps are presented for both tubes. • Effects of tube diameter and heights on pattern transition boundaries are investigated. • Three sub-patterns bubbly flow and two types of slug pattern are recognized. - Abstract: In the present research, a two-phase flow system is designed, manufactured, assembled and adjusted to study two-phase flow behavior isothermally. Test sections are tubes standing in vertical position and are made of transparent acrylic with inner diameters of 40 mm and 70 mm. Two axial locations of 1.73 m and 3.22 m are chosen for data acquisition. Flow pattern maps are presented for both tubes. Effects of tube diameter and axial location on pattern transition boundaries are investigated. Air and water are chosen as working fluids. The range of air and water superficial velocities are 0.054–9.654 m/s and 0.015–0.877 m/s for the 40 mm diameter tube, but these values are 0.038–20.44 m/s and 0.036–1.530 m/s for 70 mm diameter tube. The results show that for both tubes, increasing axial location does not affect flow transition boundaries significantly. However, slug pattern region shrinks considerably by changing tube diameter from 40 mm to 70 mm. Using image processing techniques, recorded high speed movies were investigated accurately. As a result, bubbly flow in the 40 mm tube can be divided into three sub-patterns as dispersed, agitated and agglomerated bubbly. Also, two types of slug pattern are also recognized in the same tube diameter which are called small and large slugs. Semi-annular flow is observed as an independent pattern in the 70 mm tube that does not behave as known churn or annular patterns.

  11. Integrating Spatial and Attribute Characteristics of Extended Voronoi Diagrams in Spatial Patterning Research: A Case Study of Wuhan City in China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zuohua Miao

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Rapid urbanization has caused numerous problems, and the urban spatial structure has been a hot topic in sustainable development management. Urban spatial structure is affected by a series of factors. Thus, the research model should synthetically consider the spatial and non-spatial relationship of every element. Here, we propose an extended Voronoi diagram for exploring the urban land spatial pattern. In essence, we first used a principal component analysis method to construct attribute evaluation indicators and obtained the attribute distance for each indicator. Second, we integrated spatial and attribute distances to extend the comparison distance for Voronoi diagrams, and then, we constructed the Voronoi aggregative homogeneous map of the study area. Finally, we make a spatial autocorrelation analysis by using GeoDA and SPSS software. Results show that: (1 the residential land cover aggregation is not significant, but spatial diffusion is obvious; (2 the commercial land cover aggregation is considerable; and (3 the spatial agglomeration degree of the industrial land cover is increased and mainly located in urban fringes. According to the neo-Marxist theory, we briefly analyzed the driving forces for shaping the urban spatial structure. To summarize, our approach yields important insights into the urban spatial structure characterized by attribute similarity with geospatial proximity, which contributes to a better understanding of the urban growth mechanism. In addition, it explicitly identifies ongoing urban transformations, potentially supporting the planning for sustainable urban land use and protection.

  12. CFD flow pattern analysis on primaryside of IHX for fast reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takano, Masahito; Mochizuki, Hiroyasu

    2011-01-01

    The present paper describes the CFD analysis on the primary-side of an intermediate heat exchange (IHX) which has the similar configurations as the IHX for the fast breeder reactor 'Monju'. The IHX is precisely modeled based on the discussion about meshing system. The present model is used for the heat transfer analysis under low-flowrate and natural circulation conditions. The IHX is a shell-and-tube type and counter-flow heat exchanger which has more than 3000 heat transfer tubes on the secondary side. Therefore, the flow pattern on the primary side gets complex. Measurement of flow pattern and temperature distribution on the primary-side of the real IHX are almost impossible. Since the heat transfer tubes of approximately 5 m in length are fixed at 7 plates with many flow holes and placed on the 23 circles with an appropriate lattice pitch, the number of meshes becomes enormous size. In order to overcome these problems, a separate model is discussed. In the present study, two models are discussed. The first one is a precise full-sector model with one flow entrance, 6 windows on the primary-side. The flow distributions are calculated changing inlet flow rate from 100% to 0.1% which is equivalent to 10 6 to 10 3 in the Reynolds numbers. The other model is a sector model with 8 chamber separated by 7 flow-rectifying plats. Pressure losses at each plate and chamber are calculated using this model. As a result of the analysis, since there is only a small flow deviation between the flow from the 6 windows under turbulent flow and laminar flow conditions, the sector model with one window is possible model in the calculation. The small radial velocity gradient is calculated from 23rd layer (outer heat transfer tube) to 10th layer. The distribution is not dependent on the flow rate. Axial flow distributions through the rectifying plates are unified from the entrance to the down-stream. The sector model is applicable to calculate the primary-side flow distributions

  13. [Spatial pattern analysis and associations of Quercus aquifolioides population at different growth stages in Southeast Tibet, China].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Zhi-qiang; Hua, Min; Dan, Qu; Lu, Jie; Fang, Jiang-ping

    2016-02-01

    This article analyzed the spatial pattern and its correlation of Quercus aquifolioides, Southeast Tibet at different growing stages by using Ripley' s L function in the method of point pattern, analysis. The results showed the diameter structure of Q. aquifolioides population in Southeast Tibet followed a 'single peak' shape and the saplings and medium trees predominated in number in the whole population. The population had a high regeneration rate and was of increase type. In the growth process of Q. aquifolioides from saplings to large trees, saplings and medium trees showed aggregation distribution at.small scale, while large trees showed basically random distribution at whole scale. There was significant correlation between saplings with medium or large trees at small scale, however, there was no correlation between medium and large trees. In the growth process of Q. aquifolioides population from saplings, medium trees to large trees, its spatial pattern developed from aggregative distribution to random distribution. The natural regeneration of Q. aquifolioides population was affected not only by interspecific competition, but also by intraspecific competition. In the similar natural environment, the most important factors affecting the spatial pattern of Q. aquifoioides population were its own biological and ecological characteristics.

  14. Gas-water two-phase flow characterization with Electrical Resistance Tomography and Multivariate Multiscale Entropy analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Chao; Zhao, Jia; Dong, Feng

    2015-03-01

    Flow behavior characterization is important to understand gas-liquid two-phase flow mechanics and further establish its description model. An Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) provides information regarding flow conditions at different directions where the sensing electrodes implemented. We extracted the multivariate sample entropy (MSampEn) by treating ERT data as a multivariate time series. The dynamic experimental results indicate that the MSampEn is sensitive to complexity change of flow patterns including bubbly flow, stratified flow, plug flow and slug flow. MSampEn can characterize the flow behavior at different direction of two-phase flow, and reveal the transition between flow patterns when flow velocity changes. The proposed method is effective to analyze two-phase flow pattern transition by incorporating information of different scales and different spatial directions. Copyright © 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Spatially dynamic recurrent information flow across long-range dorsal motor network encodes selective motor goals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoo, Peter E; Hagan, Maureen A; John, Sam E; Opie, Nicholas L; Ordidge, Roger J; O'Brien, Terence J; Oxley, Thomas J; Moffat, Bradford A; Wong, Yan T

    2018-03-08

    Performing voluntary movements involves many regions of the brain, but it is unknown how they work together to plan and execute specific movements. We recorded high-resolution ultra-high-field blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal during a cued ankle-dorsiflexion task. The spatiotemporal dynamics and the patterns of task-relevant information flow across the dorsal motor network were investigated. We show that task-relevant information appears and decays earlier in the higher order areas of the dorsal motor network then in the primary motor cortex. Furthermore, the results show that task-relevant information is encoded in general initially, and then selective goals are subsequently encoded in specifics subregions across the network. Importantly, the patterns of recurrent information flow across the network vary across different subregions depending on the goal. Recurrent information flow was observed across all higher order areas of the dorsal motor network in the subregions encoding for the current goal. In contrast, only the top-down information flow from the supplementary motor cortex to the frontoparietal regions, with weakened recurrent information flow between the frontoparietal regions and bottom-up information flow from the frontoparietal regions to the supplementary cortex were observed in the subregions encoding for the opposing goal. We conclude that selective motor goal encoding and execution rely on goal-dependent differences in subregional recurrent information flow patterns across the long-range dorsal motor network areas that exhibit graded functional specialization. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. The transition criteria of circulating flow pattern of moderator in the calandria tank of CANDU nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Yun Sik; Lee, Jae Young; Kim, Man Woong

    2004-01-01

    The moderator cooling system to the Calandria tank of CANDU nuclear power plant provides an alternative pass of heat sink during the hypothetical loss of coolant accident. Also, the neutron population in the CANDU plant can be affected by the moderator temperature change which strongly depends on the circulating flow pattern in the Calandria tank. It has been known that there are three distinguished flow patterns: the buoyancy dominated flow, the momentum dominated flow, and the mixed type flow. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) recommended that a series of experimental works should be performed to verify the three dimensional codes. Two existing facilities, SPEL (1982) and STERN (1990), have produced experimental data for these purposes. The present work is also motivated to build up a new scaled experimental facility named HGU for the same purposes. CANDU-6 was selected as the target plant to be scaled down. In the design for the scaled facility, the knowledge on the flow regime transitions in the circulating flow was imperative. In the present study, to pave the way for the scaling, the flow pattern maps of circulating flow were constructed based on the Reynolds number and Archimedes number. The CFX code was employed with real meshes to represent all calandria tubes in the tank. The flow pattern maps were constructed for SPEL, STERN, HGU, and CANDU6. As the key transition criterion useful for scaling law, a new Archimedes number considering the jet impingement of the feed water in the Calandria tank was found. The transition of flow patterns was made with the same Archimedes number for CANDU6, STERN and HGU. However, SPEL which has third of the modified Archimedes number showed different maps in the wider region of mixed flow pattern was observed. It was found that the Archimedes number considering the inlet nozzle velocity plays the key role in patterns classification. Also, it can be suggested that the moderator cooling system needs to be designed

  17. Flow pattern in the ventricle of brain with cilia beating and CSF circulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yong; Westendorf, Christian; Faubel, Regina; Eichele, Gregor; Bodenschatz, Eberhard

    We recently discovered that cilia of the ventral third ventricle (v3V) of mammalian brain generate a complex flow network close to the wall. However, the flow pattern in the overall three dimensional v3V, especially under physiological condition, remains to be investigated. Computational fluid dynamics is arguably the best approach for such investigations. Several v3V geometries are reconstructed from different data for comparison study. The lattice Boltzmann method and immersed boundary method are used to reproduce the experimental set-up for an opened v3V firstly. The experimentally recorded cilia induced flow network is projected on the curved v3V wall. The flow maps obtained numerically at different heights from the v3V wall agree with the experimental data qualitatively. We then consider the entire v3V with ciliary flow network along the wall for boundary condition. Moreover, we add a time dependent flow rate to represent the CSF circulation, and study flow pattern in the ventricle. We thank the Max Planck Society (MPG) for financial support. This work is conducted within the Physics and Medicine Initiative at Goettingen Campus between MPG and University Medical Center.

  18. Vortex formation in Taylor-Couette flow with weakly spatial modulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Z.; Khayat, R.E.

    2002-01-01

    The onset of the vortex structure in axisymmetric Taylor-Couette flow with spatially modulated cylinders is examined. The modulation amplitude is assumed to be small for a regular perturbation solution to be sought at small to moderate Taylor numbers. It is found that the presence of a weak modulation of the outer or inner cylinders leads unavoidably to the emergence of steady vortex flow even for a vanishingly small Taylor number. This situation is reminiscent of the onset of an imperfect bifurcation. The vortex structure of the forced TVF is found to have same periodicity when only one cylinder is modulated or the two modulations are commensurate for the Taylor number measured. The vortex structure is quasi-periodic when the two modulations are incommensurate. For a certain Taylor number, there exists a critical wavelength for the presence of the strongest vortex flow when the modulation is in the form of sinusoidal. This critical wavelength tends to the critical value predicted by the linear stability analysis when Ta approaches the supercritical value. (author)

  19. Spatial and temporal patterns in preterm birth in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byrnes, John; Mahoney, Richard; Quaintance, Cele; Gould, Jeffrey B; Carmichael, Suzan; Shaw, Gary M; Showen, Amy; Phibbs, Ciaran; Stevenson, David K; Wise, Paul H

    2015-06-01

    Despite years of research, the etiologies of preterm birth remain unclear. In order to help generate new research hypotheses, this study explored spatial and temporal patterns of preterm birth in a large, total-population dataset. Data on 145 million US births in 3,000 counties from the Natality Files of the National Center for Health Statistics for 1971-2011 were examined. State trends in early (birth rates were compared. K-means cluster analyses were conducted to identify gestational age distribution patterns for all US counties over time. A weak association was observed between state trends in birth rates and the initial absolute birth rate. Significant associations were observed between trends in birth rates and between white and African American births. Periodicity was observed in county-level trends in birth rates. Cluster analyses identified periods of significant heterogeneity and homogeneity in gestational age distributional trends for US counties. The observed geographic and temporal patterns suggest periodicity and complex, shared influences among preterm birth rates in the United States. These patterns could provide insight into promising hypotheses for further research.

  20. Experimental study of circle grid fractal pattern on turbulent intensity in pipe flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manshoor, B; Zaman, I; Othman, M F; Khalid, Amir

    2013-01-01

    Fractal turbulence is deemed much more efficient than grid turbulence in terms of a turbulence generation. In this paper, the hotwire experimental results for the circle grids fractal pattern as a turbulent generator will be presented. The self-similar edge characteristic of the circle grid fractal pattern is thought to play a vital role in the enhancement of turbulent intensity. Three different beta ratios of perforated plates based on circle grids fractal pattern were used in the experimental work and each paired with standard circle grids with similar porosity. The objectives were to study the fractal scaling influence on the flow and also to explore the potential of the circle grids fractal pattern in enhancing the turbulent intensity. The results provided an excellent insight of the fractal generated turbulence and the fractal flow physics. Across the circle grids fractal pattern, the pressure drop was lower but the turbulent intensity was higher than those across the paired standard circle grids

  1. Stochastic Geometric Models with Non-stationary Spatial Correlations in Lagrangian Fluid Flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gay-Balmaz, François; Holm, Darryl D.

    2018-01-01

    Inspired by spatiotemporal observations from satellites of the trajectories of objects drifting near the surface of the ocean in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's "Global Drifter Program", this paper develops data-driven stochastic models of geophysical fluid dynamics (GFD) with non-stationary spatial correlations representing the dynamical behaviour of oceanic currents. Three models are considered. Model 1 from Holm (Proc R Soc A 471:20140963, 2015) is reviewed, in which the spatial correlations are time independent. Two new models, called Model 2 and Model 3, introduce two different symmetry breaking mechanisms by which the spatial correlations may be advected by the flow. These models are derived using reduction by symmetry of stochastic variational principles, leading to stochastic Hamiltonian systems, whose momentum maps, conservation laws and Lie-Poisson bracket structures are used in developing the new stochastic Hamiltonian models of GFD.

  2. Stochastic Geometric Models with Non-stationary Spatial Correlations in Lagrangian Fluid Flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gay-Balmaz, François; Holm, Darryl D.

    2018-06-01

    Inspired by spatiotemporal observations from satellites of the trajectories of objects drifting near the surface of the ocean in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's "Global Drifter Program", this paper develops data-driven stochastic models of geophysical fluid dynamics (GFD) with non-stationary spatial correlations representing the dynamical behaviour of oceanic currents. Three models are considered. Model 1 from Holm (Proc R Soc A 471:20140963, 2015) is reviewed, in which the spatial correlations are time independent. Two new models, called Model 2 and Model 3, introduce two different symmetry breaking mechanisms by which the spatial correlations may be advected by the flow. These models are derived using reduction by symmetry of stochastic variational principles, leading to stochastic Hamiltonian systems, whose momentum maps, conservation laws and Lie-Poisson bracket structures are used in developing the new stochastic Hamiltonian models of GFD.

  3. Analysis of spatial relationships in three dimensions: tools for the study of nerve cell patterning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raven Mary A

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Multiple technologies have been brought to bear on understanding the three-dimensional morphology of individual neurons and glia within the brain, but little progress has been made on understanding the rules controlling cellular patterning. We describe new matlab-based software tools, now available to the scientific community, permitting the calculation of spatial statistics associated with 3D point patterns. The analyses are largely derived from the Delaunay tessellation of the field, including the nearest neighbor and Voronoi domain analyses, and from the spatial autocorrelogram. Results Our tools enable the analysis of the spatial relationship between neurons within the central nervous system in 3D, and permit the modeling of these fields based on lattice-like simulations, and on simulations of minimal-distance spacing rules. Here we demonstrate the utility of our analysis methods to discriminate between two different simulated neuronal populations. Conclusion Together, these tools can be used to reveal the presence of nerve cell patterning and to model its foundation, in turn informing on the potential developmental mechanisms that govern its establishment. Furthermore, in conjunction with analyses of dendritic morphology, they can be used to determine the degree of dendritic coverage within a volume of tissue exhibited by mature nerve cells.

  4. Improving the spatial representation of basin hydrology and flow processes in the SWAT model

    OpenAIRE

    Rathjens, Hendrik

    2014-01-01

    This dissertation aims at improving the spatial representation of basin hydrology and flow processes in the SWAT model. Die vorliegende Dissertation stellt die methodischen Grundlage zur räumlich differenzierten Modellierung mit dem Modell SWAT dar.

  5. Spatial patterns and processes for shifting cultivation landscape in Garo Hills, India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashish Kumar; Bruce G. Marcot; P.S. Roy

    2006-01-01

    We analyzed a few spatial patterns and processes of a shifting cultivation landscape in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya state in North East India, where about 85% of land belongs to native community. The landscape comprised 2459 km2 of land with forest cover and shifting cultivation patches over 69% and 7% area of landscape, respectively. The mean...

  6. Visualized study on specific points on demand curves and flow patterns in a single-side heated narrow rectangular channel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Junfeng; Huang Yanping; Wang Yanlin

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Specific points on the demand curve and flow patterns are visually studied. → Bubbly, churn, and annular flows were observed. → Onset of flow instability and bubbly-churn transition occurs at the same time. → The evolution of specific points and flow pattern transitions were examined. - Abstract: A simultaneous visualization and measurement study on some specific points on demand curves, such as onset of nucleate boiling (ONB), onset of significant void (OSV), onset of flow instability (OFI), and two-phase flow patterns in a single-side heated narrow rectangular channel, having a width of 40 mm and a gap of 3 mm, was carried out. New experimental approaches were adopted to identify OSV and OFI in a narrow rectangular channel. Under experimental conditions, the ONB could be predicted well by the Sato and Matsumura model. The OSV model of Bowring can reasonably predict the OSV if the single-side heated condition is considered. The OFI was close to the saturated boiling point and could be described accurately by Kennedy's correlation. The two-phase flow patterns observed in this experiment could be classified into bubbly, churn, and annular flow. Slug flow was never observed. The OFI always occurred when the bubbles at the channel exit began to coalesce, which corresponded to the beginning of the bubbly-churn transition in flow patterns. Finally, the evolution of specific points and flow pattern transitions were examined in a single-side heated narrow rectangular channel.

  7. Dynamics of baroclinic wave pattern in transition zones between different flow regimes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larcher, Thomas von; Egbers, Christoph

    2005-01-01

    Baroclinic waves, both steady and time-dependent, are studied experimentally in a differentially heated rotating cylindrical gap with a free surface, cooled from within. Water is used as working fluid. We focus especially on transition zones between different flow regimes, where complex flow pattern like mixed-mode states are found. The transition from steady wave regime to irregular flow is also of particular interest. The surface flow is observed with visualisation techniques. Velocity time series are measured with the optical laser-Doppler-velocimetry technique. Thermographic measurements are applied for temperature field visualisations

  8. PIV study of flow field in Rushton turbine stirred vessel influenced by spatial resolution

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kotek, M.; Jašíková, D.; Kysela, Bohuš; Šulc, R.; Kopecký, V.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 2, č. 2017 (2017), s. 79-84 ISSN 2367-8992 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA16-20175S Grant - others:GA MŠk(CZ) LO1201 Institutional support: RVO:67985874 Keywords : mixing process * PIV measurement * spatial resolution Subject RIV: JP - Industrial Processing OBOR OECD: Fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics) http://www.iaras.org/iaras/home/caijtam/piv-study-of-flow-field-in-rushton-turbine-stirred-vessel-influenced-by-spatial-resolution

  9. Complex temporal and spatial patterns in nonequilibrium processes. Progress report, December 1, 1987--November 30, 1992

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Swinney, H.L.

    1992-10-01

    We have used dynamical systems methods to study and characterize bifurcations and pattern formation in a variety of nonequilibrium systems. In this paper we describe our work on dynamical systems, chemical oscillations and chaos, chemical spatial patterns, instabilities in fluid dynamics, electrodeposition clusters, the ballast resistor, and crack propagation.

  10. From lag synchronization to pattern formation in one-dimensional open flow models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Zengrong; Luo Jigui

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, the relation between synchronization and pattern formation in one-dimensional discrete and continuous open flow models is investigated in detail. Firstly a sufficient condition for globally asymptotical stability of lag/anticipating synchronization among lattices of these models is proved by analytic method. Then, by analyzing and simulating lag/anticipating synchronization in discrete case, three kinds of pattern of wave (it is called wave pattern) travelling in the lattices are discovered. Finally, a proper definition for these kinds of pattern is proposed

  11. Simulating Spatial Growth Patterns in Developing Countries: A Case of Shama in the Western Region of Ghana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inkoom, J. N.; Nyarko, B. K.

    2014-12-01

    The integration of geographic information systems (GIS) and agent-based modelling (ABM) can be an efficient tool to improve spatial planning practices. This paper utilizes GIS and ABM approaches to simulate spatial growth patterns of settlement structures in Shama. A preliminary household survey on residential location decision-making choice served as the behavioural rule for household agents in the model. Physical environment properties of the model were extracted from a 2005 image implemented in NetLogo. The resulting growth pattern model was compared with empirical growth patterns to ascertain the model's accuracy. The paper establishes that the development of unplanned structures and its evolving structural pattern are a function of land price, proximity to economic centres, household economic status and location decision-making patterns. The application of the proposed model underlines its potential for integration into urban planning policies and practices, and for understanding residential decision-making processes in emerging cities in developing countries. Key Words: GIS; Agent-based modelling; Growth patterns; NetLogo; Location decision making; Computational Intelligence.

  12. Attention Modulates Visual-Tactile Interaction in Spatial Pattern Matching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Göschl, Florian; Engel, Andreas K.; Friese, Uwe

    2014-01-01

    Factors influencing crossmodal interactions are manifold and operate in a stimulus-driven, bottom-up fashion, as well as via top-down control. Here, we evaluate the interplay of stimulus congruence and attention in a visual-tactile task. To this end, we used a matching paradigm requiring the identification of spatial patterns that were concurrently presented visually on a computer screen and haptically to the fingertips by means of a Braille stimulator. Stimulation in our paradigm was always bimodal with only the allocation of attention being manipulated between conditions. In separate blocks of the experiment, participants were instructed to (a) focus on a single modality to detect a specific target pattern, (b) pay attention to both modalities to detect a specific target pattern, or (c) to explicitly evaluate if the patterns in both modalities were congruent or not. For visual as well as tactile targets, congruent stimulus pairs led to quicker and more accurate detection compared to incongruent stimulation. This congruence facilitation effect was more prominent under divided attention. Incongruent stimulation led to behavioral decrements under divided attention as compared to selectively attending a single sensory channel. Additionally, when participants were asked to evaluate congruence explicitly, congruent stimulation was associated with better performance than incongruent stimulation. Our results extend previous findings from audiovisual studies, showing that stimulus congruence also resulted in behavioral improvements in visuotactile pattern matching. The interplay of stimulus processing and attentional control seems to be organized in a highly flexible fashion, with the integration of signals depending on both bottom-up and top-down factors, rather than occurring in an ‘all-or-nothing’ manner. PMID:25203102

  13. Attention modulates visual-tactile interaction in spatial pattern matching.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florian Göschl

    Full Text Available Factors influencing crossmodal interactions are manifold and operate in a stimulus-driven, bottom-up fashion, as well as via top-down control. Here, we evaluate the interplay of stimulus congruence and attention in a visual-tactile task. To this end, we used a matching paradigm requiring the identification of spatial patterns that were concurrently presented visually on a computer screen and haptically to the fingertips by means of a Braille stimulator. Stimulation in our paradigm was always bimodal with only the allocation of attention being manipulated between conditions. In separate blocks of the experiment, participants were instructed to (a focus on a single modality to detect a specific target pattern, (b pay attention to both modalities to detect a specific target pattern, or (c to explicitly evaluate if the patterns in both modalities were congruent or not. For visual as well as tactile targets, congruent stimulus pairs led to quicker and more accurate detection compared to incongruent stimulation. This congruence facilitation effect was more prominent under divided attention. Incongruent stimulation led to behavioral decrements under divided attention as compared to selectively attending a single sensory channel. Additionally, when participants were asked to evaluate congruence explicitly, congruent stimulation was associated with better performance than incongruent stimulation. Our results extend previous findings from audiovisual studies, showing that stimulus congruence also resulted in behavioral improvements in visuotactile pattern matching. The interplay of stimulus processing and attentional control seems to be organized in a highly flexible fashion, with the integration of signals depending on both bottom-up and top-down factors, rather than occurring in an 'all-or-nothing' manner.

  14. Soil and Waste Matrix Affects Spatial Heterogeneity of Bacteria Filtration during Unsaturated Flow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrian Unc

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Discontinuous flows resulting from discrete natural rain events induce temporal and spatial variability in the transport of bacteria from organic waste through soils in which the degree of saturation varies. Transport and continuity of associated pathways are dependent on structure and stability of the soil under conditions of variable moisture and ionic strength of the soil solution. Lysimeters containing undisturbed monoliths of clay, clay loam or sandy loam soils were used to investigate transport and pathway continuity for bacteria and hydrophobic fluorescent microspheres. Biosolids, to which the microspheres were added, were surface applied and followed by serial irrigation events. Microspheres, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., Salmonella spp. and Clostridium perfringens were enumerated in drainage collected from 64 distinct collection areas through funnels installed in a grid pattern at the lower boundary of the monoliths. Bacteria-dependent filtration coefficients along pathways of increasing water flux were independent of flow volume, suggesting: (1 tracer or colloid dependent retention; and (2 transport depended on the total volume of contiguous pores accessible for bacteria transport. Management decisions, in this case resulting from the form of organic waste, induced changes in tortuosity and continuity of pores and modified the effective capacity of soil to retain bacteria. Surface application of liquid municipal biosolids had a negative impact on transport pathway continuity, relative to the solid municipal biosolids, enhancing retention under less favourable electrostatic conditions consistent with an initial increase in straining within inactive pores and subsequent by limited re-suspension from reactivated pores.

  15. Ecological studies of Eastern Australian fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in their endemic habitat : II. The spatial pattern of abundance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zalucki, M P; Drew, R A I; Hooper, G H S

    1984-10-01

    11 fruit fly species captured at 47 sites in a natural forest area at Cooloola (south-east Queensland) revealed specific patterns of spatial abundance. Although all species were collected throughout the study area, D. bryoniae, D. mayi, D. neohumeralis and D. tryoni were more prevalent (average number caught per trap) in the open Eucalypt forest than the rainforest, whereas C. aequalis, D. absonifacies and D. endiandrae were more prevalent in the rainforest. D. cacuminatus, D. choristus, D. quadratus and D. signatifrons were equally prevalent throughout both forest types. Fly numbers were not distributed randomly throughout the trap sites. The clumped dispersion patterns seemed to be species specific as assessed and summarised by Taylor's Power Law. The exponent (b) relating mean spatial abundance to its variance ranged from 1.6-5.11 for the 11 species captured. Changing patterns of trap catches from one sampling period to another were analysed using correlograms for the 6 most abundant species (D. tryoni, D. neohumeralis, D. endiandrae, C. aequalis, D. cacuminatus and D. mayi). These revealed changing patterns of relative spatial abundance which can be related, in part, to changing population abundance levels. The various spatial patterns recognised are related to each species movement, breeding and feeding behaviour. It is proposed that flies migrate into the rainforest area from distant locations and that the rainforest habitat is an important adult feeding site.

  16. In vitro and in vivo studies of pulmonary artery flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sahn, D.J.; Yoganathan, A.P.

    1986-01-01

    A variety of interesting intracardiac flow patterns have been recorded by pulsed and continuous wave Doppler technologies in humans with heart disease. Some of these patterns have, in fact, been difficult to explain and are now more easily understood using color Doppler flow mapping systems which show the spatial location of flow. The authors performed a number of studies in patients, as well as studies in in vitro systems to model some of the phenomenon that the authors observed in the pulmonary artery. Their studies with Doppler flow mapping in the clinical situation, in the in vitro model, and in the animal models of congenital heart disorders lend insights into the complex hydrodynamics present in the pulmonary artery

  17. Spatial patterns in timing of the diurnal temperature cycle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. R. H. Holmes

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the structural difference in timing of the diurnal temperature cycle (DTC over land resulting from choice of measuring device or model framework. It is shown that the timing can be reliably estimated from temporally sparse observations acquired from a constellation of low Earth-orbiting satellites given record lengths of at least three months. Based on a year of data, the spatial patterns of mean DTC timing are compared between temperature estimates from microwave Ka-band, geostationary thermal infrared (TIR, and numerical weather prediction model output from the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO. It is found that the spatial patterns can be explained by vegetation effects, sensing depth differences and more speculatively the orientation of orographic relief features. In absolute terms, the GMAO model puts the peak of the DTC on average at 12:50 local solar time, 23 min before TIR with a peak temperature at 13:13 (both averaged over Africa and Europe. Since TIR is the shallowest observation of the land surface, this small difference represents a structural error that possibly affects the model's ability to assimilate observations that are closely tied to the DTC. The equivalent average timing for Ka-band is 13:44, which is influenced by the effect of increased sensing depth in desert areas. For non-desert areas, the Ka-band observations lag the TIR observations by only 15 min, which is in agreement with their respective theoretical sensing depth. The results of this comparison provide insights into the structural differences between temperature measurements and models, and can be used as a first step to account for these differences in a coherent way.

  18. Spatial Patterns in Distribution of Kimberlites: Relationship to Tectonic Processes and Lithosphere Structure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chemia, Zurab; Artemieva, Irina; Thybo, Hans

    2014-01-01

    of kimberlite melts through the lithospheric mantle, which forms the major pipe. Stage 2 (second-order process) begins when the major pipe splits into daughter sub-pipes (tree-like pattern) at crustal depths. We apply cluster analysis to the spatial distribution of all known kimberlite fields with the goal...

  19. Spatial extreme value analysis to project extremes of large-scale indicators for severe weather.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilleland, Eric; Brown, Barbara G; Ammann, Caspar M

    2013-09-01

    Concurrently high values of the maximum potential wind speed of updrafts ( W max ) and 0-6 km wind shear (Shear) have been found to represent conducive environments for severe weather, which subsequently provides a way to study severe weather in future climates. Here, we employ a model for the product of these variables (WmSh) from the National Center for Atmospheric Research/United States National Center for Environmental Prediction reanalysis over North America conditioned on their having extreme energy in the spatial field in order to project the predominant spatial patterns of WmSh. The approach is based on the Heffernan and Tawn conditional extreme value model. Results suggest that this technique estimates the spatial behavior of WmSh well, which allows for exploring possible changes in the patterns over time. While the model enables a method for inferring the uncertainty in the patterns, such analysis is difficult with the currently available inference approach. A variation of the method is also explored to investigate how this type of model might be used to qualitatively understand how the spatial patterns of WmSh correspond to extreme river flow events. A case study for river flows from three rivers in northwestern Tennessee is studied, and it is found that advection of WmSh from the Gulf of Mexico prevails while elsewhere, WmSh is generally very low during such extreme events. © 2013 The Authors. Environmetrics published by JohnWiley & Sons, Ltd.

  20. Spatial distribution patterns of soil mite communities and their relationships with edaphic factors in a 30-year tillage cornfield in northeast China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jie; Gao, Meixiang; Liu, Jinwen; Guo, Yuxi; Liu, Dong; Zhu, Xinyu; Wu, Donghui

    2018-01-01

    Spatial distribution is an important topic in community ecology and a key to understanding the structure and dynamics of populations and communities. However, the available information related to the spatial patterns of soil mite communities in long-term tillage agroecosystems remains insufficient. In this study, we examined the spatial patterns of soil mite communities to explain the spatial relationships between soil mite communities and soil parameters. Soil fauna were sampled three times (August, September and October 2015) at 121 locations arranged regularly within a 400 m × 400 m monitoring plot. Additionally, we estimated the physical and chemical parameters of the same sampling locations. The distribution patterns of the soil mite community and the edaphic parameters were analyzed using a range of geostatistical tools. Moran's I coefficient showed that, during each sampling period, the total abundance of the soil mite communities and the abundance of the dominant mite populations were spatially autocorrelated. The soil mite communities demonstrated clear patchy distribution patterns within the study plot. These patterns were sampling period-specific. Cross-semivariograms showed both negative and positive cross-correlations between soil mite communities and environmental factors. Mantel tests showed a significant and positive relationship between soil mite community and soil organic matter and soil pH only in August. This study demonstrated that in the cornfield, the soil mite distribution exhibited strong or moderate spatial dependence, and the mites formed patches with sizes less than one hundred meters. In addition, in this long-term tillage agroecosystem, soil factors had less influence on the observed pattern of soil mite communities. Further experiments that take into account human activity and spatial factors should be performed to study the factors that drive the spatial distribution of soil microarthropods.

  1. Multiple flow profiles for two-phase flow in single microfluidic channels through site-selective channel coating.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Logtenberg, Hella; Lopez-Martinez, Maria J; Feringa, Ben L; Browne, Wesley R; Verpoorte, Elisabeth

    2011-06-21

    An approach to control two-phase flow systems in a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic device using spatially selective surface modification is demonstrated. Side-by-side flows of ethanol : water solutions containing different polymers are used to selectively modify both sides of a channel by laminar flow patterning. Introduction of air pockets during modification allows for control over the length of the channel section that is modified. This approach makes it possible to achieve slug flow and side-by-side flow of water : 1-octanol simultaneously within the same PDMS channel, without the need of additional structural elements. A key finding is that conditioning of the PDMS channels with 1-octanol before polymer deposition is crucial to achieving stable side-by-side flows.

  2. Scale effects on spatially varying relationships between urban landscape patterns and water quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Yanwei; Guo, Qinghai; Liu, Jian; Wang, Run

    2014-08-01

    Scientific interpretation of the relationships between urban landscape patterns and water quality is important for sustainable urban planning and watershed environmental protection. This study applied the ordinary least squares regression model and the geographically weighted regression model to examine the spatially varying relationships between 12 explanatory variables (including three topographical factors, four land use parameters, and five landscape metrics) and 15 water quality indicators in watersheds of Yundang Lake, Maluan Bay, and Xinglin Bay with varying levels of urbanization in Xiamen City, China. A local and global investigation was carried out at the watershed-level, with 50 and 200 m riparian buffer scales. This study found that topographical features and landscape metrics are the dominant factors of water quality, while land uses are too weak to be considered as a strong influential factor on water quality. Such statistical results may be related with the characteristics of land use compositions in our study area. Water quality variations in the 50 m buffer were dominated by topographical variables. The impact of landscape metrics on water quality gradually strengthen with expanding buffer zones. The strongest relationships are obtained in entire watersheds, rather than in 50 and 200 m buffer zones. Spatially varying relationships and effective buffer zones were verified in this study. Spatially varying relationships between explanatory variables and water quality parameters are more diversified and complex in less urbanized areas than in highly urbanized areas. This study hypothesizes that all these varying relationships may be attributed to the heterogeneity of landscape patterns in different urban regions. Adjustment of landscape patterns in an entire watershed should be the key measure to successfully improving urban lake water quality.

  3. Spatial Point Pattern Analysis of Human Settlements and Geographical Associations in Eastern Coastal China — A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhonghao; Xiao, Rui; Shortridge, Ashton; Wu, Jiaping

    2014-01-01

    Understanding the spatial point pattern of human settlements and their geographical associations are important for understanding the drivers of land use and land cover change and the relationship between environmental and ecological processes on one hand and cultures and lifestyles on the other. In this study, a Geographic Information System (GIS) approach, Ripley’s K function and Monte Carlo simulation were used to investigate human settlement point patterns. Remotely sensed tools and regression models were employed to identify the effects of geographical determinants on settlement locations in the Wen-Tai region of eastern coastal China. Results indicated that human settlements displayed regular-random-cluster patterns from small to big scale. Most settlements located on the coastal plain presented either regular or random patterns, while those in hilly areas exhibited a clustered pattern. Moreover, clustered settlements were preferentially located at higher elevations with steeper slopes and south facing aspects than random or regular settlements. Regression showed that influences of topographic factors (elevation, slope and aspect) on settlement locations were stronger across hilly regions. This study demonstrated a new approach to analyzing the spatial patterns of human settlements from a wide geographical prospective. We argue that the spatial point patterns of settlements, in addition to the characteristics of human settlements, such as area, density and shape, should be taken into consideration in the future, and land planners and decision makers should pay more attention to city planning and management. Conceptual and methodological bridges linking settlement patterns to regional and site-specific geographical characteristics will be a key to human settlement studies and planning. PMID:24619117

  4. Simulated Flow Pattern in Massive Pulmonary Embolism: Significance for Selective Intrapulmonary Thrombolysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmitz-Rode, Thomas; Kilbinger, Markus; Guenther, Rolf W.

    1998-01-01

    Purpose: The flow pattern in the central pulmonary arteries proximal to large pulmonary emboli was studied experimentally. The currents to which thrombolytic agents are exposed when administered via an intrapulmonary catheter were visualized in order to explain the lack of benefit of local versus systemic administration. Methods: By illumination of suspended microspheres, the flow pattern proximal to an obstructing embolus was visualized in an in vitro pulmonary arterial flow model. In six dogs massive pulmonary embolism was created. A pigtail catheter was positioned in the pulmonary artery immediately proximal to the central edge of the occluding embolus. To allow visualization of the local flow pattern, a small amount of contrast material (4 ml) was injected through the catheter at a high flow rate (25 ml/sec). The course of the radiopaque spot that emerged from the catheter tip within 160 msec was monitored with digital subtraction angiography at a frame rate of 12.5 frames/sec. In two dogs, the study was repeated after embolus fragmentation with the same catheter position. Results: The flow model study revealed formation of a vortex proximal to the occluding embolus. In vivo experiments showed that the radiopaque spot was whirled by the vortex proximal to the embolus and made only evanescent contact with the edge of the embolus. Regardless of the embolus location, the contrast spot was washed into the non-occluded ipsilateral and contralateral pulmonary arteries within 0.40-0.64 sec. After embolus fragmentation, the contrast spot was carried completely into the formerly occluded artery. Conclusion: Flow studies explain why thrombolytic agents administered via a catheter positioned adjacent to the embolus may have no more effect than systemically administered agents. An enhanced local effect is precluded by the rapid washout into the non-occluded pulmonary arteries and subsequent systemic dilution. These results support the practice of direct intrathrombic

  5. Experimental investigation on flow patterns of RP-3 kerosene under sub-critical and supercritical pressures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ning; Zhou, Jin; Pan, Yu; Wang, Hui

    2014-02-01

    Active cooling with endothermic hydrocarbon fuel is proved to be one of the most promising approaches to solve the thermal problem for hypersonic aircraft such as scramjet. The flow patterns of two-phase flow inside the cooling channels have a great influence on the heat transfer characteristics. In this study, phase transition processes of RP-3 kerosene flowing inside a square quartz-glass tube were experimentally investigated. Three distinct phase transition phenomena (liquid-gas two phase flow under sub-critical pressures, critical opalescence under critical pressure, and corrugation under supercritical pressures) were identified. The conventional flow patterns of liquid-gas two phase flow, namely bubble flow, slug flow, churn flow and annular flow are observed under sub-critical pressures. Dense bubble flow and dispersed flow are recognized when pressure is increased towards the critical pressure whilst slug flow, churn flow and annular flow disappear. Under critical pressure, the opalescence phenomenon is observed. Under supercritical pressures, no conventional phase transition characteristics, such as bubbles are observed. But some kind of corrugation appears when RP-3 transfers from liquid to supercritical. The refraction index variation caused by sharp density gradient near the critical temperature is thought to be responsible for this corrugation.

  6. A Familiar Pattern? Semantic Memory Contributes to the Enhancement of Visuo-Spatial Memories

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riby, Leigh M.; Orme, Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    In this study we quantify for the first time electrophysiological components associated with incorporating long-term semantic knowledge with visuo-spatial information using two variants of a traditional matrix patterns task. Results indicated that the matrix task with greater semantic content was associated with enhanced accuracy and RTs in a…

  7. The study for the Spatial Distribution Pattern of NDVI in the Western of Jilin Province

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Shu-jie; Li, Xiao-dong; Yan, Shou-gang

    2018-02-01

    Using methods of spatial autocorrelation analysis and trend analysis, the paper studies the spatial distribution pattern of NDVI based on the GIMMS NDVI dataset (1998-2008), in Western Jilin. The maximum value for 15d is got through the method of MAX processing. Results show that: the NDVI in growing season shows a rising trend in western Jilin in 1998-2008. In the study area, the NDVI in Western Jilin shows positive spatial autocorrelation in the whole region, but the partial NDVI is apt to scattered distribution, which means the vegetation cover of Western Jilin is generally fragmental.

  8. The influence of different diffusion pattern to the sub- and super-critical fluid flow in brown coal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Peihuo

    2018-03-01

    Sub- and super-critical CO2 flowing in nanoscale pores are recently becoming of great interest due to that it is closely related to many engineering applications, such as geological burial and sequestration of carbon dioxide, Enhanced Coal Bed Methane recovery ( ECBM), super-critical CO2 fracturing and so on. Gas flow in nanopores cannot be described simply by the Darcy equation. Different diffusion pattern such as Fick diffusion, Knudsen diffusion, transitional diffusion and slip flow at the solid matrix separate the seepage behaviour from Darcy-type flow. According to the principle of different diffusion pattern, the flow of sub- and super-critical CO2 in brown coal was simulated by numerical method, and the results were compared with the experimental results to explore the contribution of different diffusion pattern and swelling effect in sub- and super-critical CO2 flow in nanoscale pores.

  9. Identification of microfluidic two-phase flow patterns in lab-on-chip devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Zhaochu; Dong, Tao; Halvorsen, Einar

    2014-01-01

    This work describes a capacitive sensor for identification of microfluidic two-phase flow in lab-on-chip devices. With interdigital electrodes and thin insulation layer utilized, this sensor is capable of being integrated with the microsystems easily. Transducing principle and design considerations are presented with respect to the microfluidic gas/liquid flow patterns. Numerical simulation results verify the operational principle. And the factors affecting the performance of the sensor are discussed. Besides, a feasible process flow for the fabrication is also proposed.

  10. Methods for discriminating gas-liquid two phase flow patterns based on gray neural networks and SVM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Jingjing; Zhou Tao; Duan Jun; Zhang Lei

    2013-01-01

    Background: The flow patterns of two phase flow will directly influence the heat transfer and mass transfer of the flow. Purpose: By wavelet analysis of the pressure drop experimental data, the wavelet coefficients of different frequency can be obtained. Methods: Get the wavelet energy and then train them in the model of BP neural network to distinguish the flow patterns. Introduced the implant gray neural networks model and use it for the two phase flow for the first time. At the same time, set up the method of training the pressure data and wavelet energy data in the support vector machine. Results: Through treatment of the gray layer, the result of the neural network is more accuracy. It can obviously reduce the effect of data marginalization. The accuracy of the pressure drop Lib-SVM method is 95.2%. Conclusions: The results show that these three methods can make a distinction among the different flow patterns and the Lib-SVM method gets the best result, then the gray neural networks, and at last the BP neural networks. (authors)

  11. Flow Patterns in the Sedimentation of a Capsule-Shaped Particle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nie De-Ming; Lin Jian-Zhong; Zhang Kai

    2012-01-01

    The main objective of this study is to numerically investigate the settling of a capsule-shaped particle in an infinitely long channel by the newly developed LB-DF/FD method. This work will focus on the effects of the particle orientation and particle/fluid density ratio on the flow patterns during sedimentation. As the density ratio is varied, our results show that there are four distinct modes of sedimentation: vertical sedimentation, horizontal sedimentation, periodically oscillating sedimentation and chaotic mode where the particle is released from the center of the domain with an initial inclination of π/4 to break the symmetry. Furthermore, we also numerically investigate the flow patterns where the particle is released with an initial inclination of 0, π/6, π/3 and π/2. We conduct a detailed study on the effects of density ratio on the transition from the vertical sedimentation mode to horizontal sedimentation mode. (fundamental areas of phenomenology(including applications))

  12. Cryptic species? Patterns of maternal and paternal gene flow in eight neotropical bats.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth L Clare

    Full Text Available Levels of sequence divergence at mitochondrial loci are frequently used in phylogeographic analysis and species delimitation though single marker systems cannot assess bi-parental gene flow. In this investigation I compare the phylogeographic patterns revealed through the maternally inherited mitochondrial COI region and the paternally inherited 7(th intron region of the Dby gene on the Y-chromosome in eight common Neotropical bat species. These species are diverse and include members of two families from the feeding guilds of sanguivores, nectarivores, frugivores, carnivores and insectivores. In each case, the currently recognized taxon is comprised of distinct, substantially divergent intraspecific mitochondrial lineages suggesting cryptic species complexes. In Chrotopterus auritus, and Saccopteryx bilineata I observed congruent patterns of divergence in both genetic regions suggesting a cessation of gene flow between intraspecific groups. This evidence supports the existence of cryptic species complexes which meet the criteria of the genetic species concept. In Glossophaga soricina two intraspecific groups with largely sympatric South American ranges show evidence for incomplete lineage sorting or frequent hybridization while a third group with a Central American distribution appears to diverge congruently at both loci suggesting speciation. Within Desmodus rotundus and Trachops cirrhosus the paternally inherited region was monomorphic and thus does not support or refute the potential for cryptic speciation. In Uroderma bilobatum, Micronycteris megalotis and Platyrrhinus helleri the gene regions show conflicting patterns of divergence and I cannot exclude ongoing gene flow between intraspecific groups. This analysis provides a comprehensive comparison across taxa and employs both maternally and paternally inherited gene regions to validate patterns of gene flow. I present evidence for previously unrecognized species meeting the criteria of

  13. Effect of Flow on Cultured Cell at Micro-Pattern of Ridge Lines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haruka Hino

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available A flow channel with a micro-pattern of ridge lines of a scaffold has been designed to study quantitatively the effect of flow on an oriented cell in vitro. The lines of parallel micro ridges (0.001 mm height, 0.003 mm width, and 0.003 mm interval are made by the lithography technique on the lower surface of the channel as the scaffold to make orientation of each cell. Variation is made about the angle between the longitudinal direction of the ridge line and the direction of the flow: zero, 0.79 and 1.6 rad. The suspension of C2C12 (mouse myoblast cell line was injected to the channel, and incubated for two hours on the micro ridges before the flow test for four hours. The flow rate of 3/hour is controlled by a syringe pump to make variation of the wall shear stress of < 3 Pa. The action of each cell adhered on the micro pattern was analyzed at the time lapse images. The experimental results show that both the migration and the deformation of each myoblast along the micro ridge are restricted by the wall shear stress higher than 3 Pa.

  14. Complex blood flow patterns in an idealized left ventricle: A numerical study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tagliabue, Anna; Dedè, Luca; Quarteroni, Alfio

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, we study the blood flow dynamics in a three-dimensional (3D) idealized left ventricle of the human heart whose deformation is driven by muscle contraction and relaxation in coordination with the action of the mitral and aortic valves. We propose a simplified but realistic mathematical treatment of the valves function based on mixed time-varying boundary conditions (BCs) for the Navier-Stokes equations modeling the flow. These switchings in time BCs, from natural to essential and vice versa, model either the open or the closed configurations of the valves. At the numerical level, these BCs are enforced by means of the extended Nitsche's method (Tagliabue et al., Int. J. Numer. Methods Fluids, 2017). Numerical results for the 3D idealized left ventricle obtained by means of Isogeometric Analysis are presented, discussed in terms of both instantaneous and phase-averaged quantities of interest and validated against those available in the literature, both experimental and computational. The complex blood flow patterns are analysed to describe the characteristic fluid properties, to show the transitional nature of the flow, and to highlight its main features inside the left ventricle. The sensitivity of the intraventricular flow patterns to the mitral valve properties is also investigated.

  15. Motif distributions in phase-space networks for characterizing experimental two-phase flow patterns with chaotic features.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Zhong-Ke; Jin, Ning-De; Wang, Wen-Xu; Lai, Ying-Cheng

    2010-07-01

    The dynamics of two-phase flows have been a challenging problem in nonlinear dynamics and fluid mechanics. We propose a method to characterize and distinguish patterns from inclined water-oil flow experiments based on the concept of network motifs that have found great usage in network science and systems biology. In particular, we construct from measured time series phase-space complex networks and then calculate the distribution of a set of distinct network motifs. To gain insight, we first test the approach using time series from classical chaotic systems and find a universal feature: motif distributions from different chaotic systems are generally highly heterogeneous. Our main finding is that the distributions from experimental two-phase flows tend to be heterogeneous as well, suggesting the underlying chaotic nature of the flow patterns. Calculation of the maximal Lyapunov exponent provides further support for this. Motif distributions can thus be a feasible tool to understand the dynamics of realistic two-phase flow patterns.

  16. Spatial and temporal patterns of carbon storage in forest ecosystems on Hainan island, southern China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Hai; Li, Linjun; Liu, Qiang; Wang, Xu; Li, Yide; Hui, Dafeng; Jian, Shuguang; Wang, Jun; Yang, Huai; Lu, Hongfang; Zhou, Guoyi; Tang, Xuli; Zhang, Qianmei; Wang, Dong; Yuan, Lianlian; Chen, Xubing

    2014-01-01

    Spatial and temporal patterns of carbon (C) storage in forest ecosystems significantly affect the terrestrial C budget, but such patterns are unclear in the forests in Hainan Province, the largest tropical island in China. Here, we estimated the spatial and temporal patterns of C storage from 1993-2008 in Hainan's forest ecosystems by combining our measured data with four consecutive national forest inventories data. Forest coverage increased from 20.7% in the 1950s to 56.4% in the 2010s. The average C density of 163.7 Mg C/ha in Hainan's forest ecosystems in this study was slightly higher than that of China's mainland forests, but was remarkably lower than that in the tropical forests worldwide. Total forest ecosystem C storage in Hainan increased from 109.51 Tg in 1993 to 279.17 Tg in 2008. Soil C accounted for more than 70% of total forest ecosystem C. The spatial distribution of forest C storage in Hainan was uneven, reflecting differences in land use change and forest management. The potential carbon sequestration of forest ecosystems was 77.3 Tg C if all forested lands were restored to natural tropical forests. To increase the C sequestration potential on Hainan Island, future forest management should focus on the conservation of natural forests, selection of tree species, planting of understory species, and implementation of sustainable practices.

  17. Spatial heterogeneity of biofouling under different cross-flow velocities in reverse osmosis membrane systems

    KAUST Repository

    Farhat, Nadia

    2016-09-06

    The spatially heterogeneous distribution of biofouling in spiral wound membrane systems restricts (i) the water distribution over the membrane surface and therefore (ii) the membrane-based water treatment. The objective of the study was to assess the spatial heterogeneity of biofilm development over the membrane fouling simulator (MFS) length (inlet and outlet part) at three different cross-flow velocities (0.08, 0.12 and 0.16 m/s). The MFS contained sheets of membrane and feed spacer and simulated the first 0.20 m of spiral-wound membrane modules where biofouling accumulates the most in practice. In-situ non-destructive oxygen imaging using planar optodes was applied to determine the biofilm spatially resolved activity and heterogeneity.

  18. Disturbance History,Spatial Variability, and Patterns of Biodiversity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bendix, J.; Wiley, J. J.; Commons, M.

    2012-12-01

    The intermediate disturbance hypothesis predicts that species diversity will be maximized in environments experiencing intermediate intensity disturbance, after an intermediate timespan. Because many landscapes comprise mosaics with complex disturbance histories, the theory implies that each patch in those mosaics should have a distinct level of diversity reflecting combined impact of the magnitude of disturbance and the time since it occurred. We modeled the changing patterns of species richness across a landscape experiencing varied scenarios of simulated disturbance. Model outputs show that individual landscape patches have highly variable species richness through time, with the details reflecting the timing, intensity and sequence of their disturbance history. When the results are mapped across the landscape, the resulting temporal and spatial complexity illustrates both the contingent nature of diversity and the danger of generalizing about the impacts of disturbance.

  19. Parallel patterns determination in solving cyclic flow shop problem with setups

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bożejko Wojciech

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The subject of this work is the new idea of blocks for the cyclic flow shop problem with setup times, using multiple patterns with different sizes determined for each machine constituting optimal schedule of cities for the traveling salesman problem (TSP. We propose to take advantage of the Intel Xeon Phi parallel computing environment during so-called ’blocks’ determination basing on patterns, in effect significantly improving the quality of obtained results.

  20. The influence of sampling unit size and spatial arrangement patterns on neighborhood-based spatial structure analyses of forest stands

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, H.; Zhang, G.; Hui, G.; Li, Y.; Hu, Y.; Zhao, Z.

    2016-07-01

    Aim of study: Neighborhood-based stand spatial structure parameters can quantify and characterize forest spatial structure effectively. How these neighborhood-based structure parameters are influenced by the selection of different numbers of nearest-neighbor trees is unclear, and there is some disagreement in the literature regarding the appropriate number of nearest-neighbor trees to sample around reference trees. Understanding how to efficiently characterize forest structure is critical for forest management. Area of study: Multi-species uneven-aged forests of Northern China. Material and methods: We simulated stands with different spatial structural characteristics and systematically compared their structure parameters when two to eight neighboring trees were selected. Main results: Results showed that values of uniform angle index calculated in the same stand were different with different sizes of structure unit. When tree species and sizes were completely randomly interspersed, different numbers of neighbors had little influence on mingling and dominance indices. Changes of mingling or dominance indices caused by different numbers of neighbors occurred when the tree species or size classes were not randomly interspersed and their changing characteristics can be detected according to the spatial arrangement patterns of tree species and sizes. Research highlights: The number of neighboring trees selected for analyzing stand spatial structure parameters should be fixed. We proposed that the four-tree structure unit is the best compromise between sampling accuracy and costs for practical forest management. (Author)

  1. Flow field characteristics of impinging sweeping jets: TR-PIV measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Xin; Peng, Di; Liu, Yingzheng; Tang, Hui

    2017-11-01

    Influence of Reynolds number of sweeping jets on its impinging flow fields was extensively investigated in a water tank. Toward this end, a fluidic oscillator was specially designed to produce spatially sweeping jets which imping on a flat plate. Six Reynolds numbers were tested by controlling the supply flow rate of the fluidic oscillator. Impinging flow fields were captured by time-resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (TR-PIV) measurement. Reference signals were extracted from the flow fields for phase reconstruction. The oscillating flow fields with super-harmonic frequency at different regions were discussed in term of the phase-averaged velocity, vorticity and turbulent velocity. Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) was used to capture the most-energetic flow patterns with distinct frequencies. By projecting the phase-averaged flow fields onto a reduced basis of DMD modes, the phase correlation between the distinct flow patterns were analyzed under different Reynolds numbers.

  2. Spatial self-organized patterning in seagrasses along a depth gradient of an intertidal ecosystem

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Heide, Tjisse; Bouma, Tjeerd J.; Nes, Egbert H. van; van de Koppel, Johan; Scheffer, Marten; Roelofs, Jan G.M.; Katwijk, Marieke M. van; Smolders, Alfons J.P.

    2010-01-01

    The spatial structure of seagrass landscapes is typically ascribed to the direct influence of physical factors such as hydrodynamics, light, and sediment transport. We studied regularly interspaced banded patterns, formed by elongated patches of seagrass, in a small-scale intertidal ecosystem. We

  3. Near-Horizontal, Two-Phase Flow Patterns of Nitrogen and Hydrogen at Low Mass Heat and Flux (on CD-ROM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    VanDresar, N. T.; Siegwarth, J. D.

    2001-01-01

    One reason for NASA's interest in cryogenic two-phase flow with low mass and heat flux is the need to design spacecraft heat exchangers used for vaporizing cryogenic propellants. The CD-ROM provides digitized movies of particular flow patterns observed in experimental work. The movies have been provided in (QuickTime9Trademark) format, encoded at 320w x 240h pixels, 15 fps, using the Sorenson(Trademark) Video Codec for compression. Experiments were conducted to obtain data on the two-phase (liquid and vapor) flow behavior of cryogenic nitrogen and hydrogen under low mass and heat flux conditions. Tests were performed in normal gravity with a 1.5 degree up flow configuration. View ports in the apparatus permitted visual observation of the two-phase flow patterns. Computer codes to predict flow patterns were developed from theoretical/empirical models reported in the literature. Predictions from the computer codes were compared with experimental flow pattern observations. Results are presented employing the traditional two-dimensional flow pattern map format using the liquid and gas superficial velocities as coordinates. In general, the agreement between the experimental results and the analytical predictive methods is reasonably good. Small regions of the flow pattern maps are identified where the models are deficient as a result of neglecting phase change phenomena. Certain regions of the maps were beyond the range of the experiments and could not be completely validated. Areas that could benefit from further work include modeling of the transition from separated flow, collection of additional data in the bubble and annular flow regimes, and collection of experimental data at other inclination angles, tube diameters and high heat flux.

  4. Evaluating patterns of a white-band disease (WBD outbreak in Acropora palmata using spatial analysis: a comparison of transect and colony clustering.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer A Lentz

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Despite being one of the first documented, there is little known of the causative agent or environmental stressors that promote white-band disease (WBD, a major disease of Caribbean Acropora palmata. Likewise, there is little known about the spatiality of outbreaks. We examined the spatial patterns of WBD during a 2004 outbreak at Buck Island Reef National Monument in the US Virgin Islands. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Ripley's K statistic was used to measure spatial dependence of WBD across scales. Localized clusters of WBD were identified using the DMAP spatial filtering technique. Statistics were calculated for colony- (number of A. palmata colonies with and without WBD within each transect and transect-level (presence/absence of WBD within transects data to evaluate differences in spatial patterns at each resolution of coral sampling. The Ripley's K plots suggest WBD does cluster within the study area, and approached statistical significance (p = 0.1 at spatial scales of 1100 m or less. Comparisons of DMAP results suggest the transect-level overestimated the prevalence and spatial extent of the outbreak. In contrast, more realistic prevalence estimates and spatial patterns were found by weighting each transect by the number of individual A. palmata colonies with and without WBD. CONCLUSIONS: As the search for causation continues, surveillance and proper documentation of the spatial patterns may inform etiology, and at the same time assist reef managers in allocating resources to tracking the disease. Our results indicate that the spatial scale of data collected can drastically affect the calculation of prevalence and spatial distribution of WBD outbreaks. Specifically, we illustrate that higher resolution sampling resulted in more realistic disease estimates. This should assist in selecting appropriate sampling designs for future outbreak investigations. The spatial techniques used here can be used to facilitate other

  5. Evaluating patterns of a white-band disease (WBD) outbreak in Acropora palmata using spatial analysis: a comparison of transect and colony clustering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lentz, Jennifer A; Blackburn, Jason K; Curtis, Andrew J

    2011-01-01

    Despite being one of the first documented, there is little known of the causative agent or environmental stressors that promote white-band disease (WBD), a major disease of Caribbean Acropora palmata. Likewise, there is little known about the spatiality of outbreaks. We examined the spatial patterns of WBD during a 2004 outbreak at Buck Island Reef National Monument in the US Virgin Islands. Ripley's K statistic was used to measure spatial dependence of WBD across scales. Localized clusters of WBD were identified using the DMAP spatial filtering technique. Statistics were calculated for colony- (number of A. palmata colonies with and without WBD within each transect) and transect-level (presence/absence of WBD within transects) data to evaluate differences in spatial patterns at each resolution of coral sampling. The Ripley's K plots suggest WBD does cluster within the study area, and approached statistical significance (p = 0.1) at spatial scales of 1100 m or less. Comparisons of DMAP results suggest the transect-level overestimated the prevalence and spatial extent of the outbreak. In contrast, more realistic prevalence estimates and spatial patterns were found by weighting each transect by the number of individual A. palmata colonies with and without WBD. As the search for causation continues, surveillance and proper documentation of the spatial patterns may inform etiology, and at the same time assist reef managers in allocating resources to tracking the disease. Our results indicate that the spatial scale of data collected can drastically affect the calculation of prevalence and spatial distribution of WBD outbreaks. Specifically, we illustrate that higher resolution sampling resulted in more realistic disease estimates. This should assist in selecting appropriate sampling designs for future outbreak investigations. The spatial techniques used here can be used to facilitate other coral disease studies, as well as, improve reef conservation and management.

  6. Pressure sensor to determine spatial pressure distributions on boundary layer flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sciammarella, Cesar A.; Piroozan, Parham; Corke, Thomas C.

    1997-03-01

    The determination of pressures along the surface of a wind tunnel proves difficult with methods that must introduce devices into the flow stream. This paper presents a sensor that is part of the wall. A special interferometric reflection moire technique is developed and used to produce signals that measures pressure both in static and dynamic settings. The sensor developed is an intelligent sensor that combines optics and electronics to analyze the pressure patterns. The sensor provides the input to a control system that is capable of modifying the shape of the wall and preserve the stability of the flow.

  7. Flow patterns from metallic vascular endoprostheses: in vitro results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mueller-Huelsbeck, S.; Grimm, J.; Jahnke, T.; Haeselbarth, G.; Heller, M. [Dept. of Radiology, University Hospital, Kiel (Germany)

    2001-05-01

    The aim of this study was to determine flow characteristics and pressure gradients of different balloon- and self-expandable stents in an in vitro flow-model. Seven vascular stents (Bridge, Cragg, Memotherm, Palmaz PS 784, Sinus, Symphony, Wallstent), equal in length (60 mm) and diameter (10 mm), were deployed in a closed flow model. The inner diameter of the tube measured 9 mm. Flow at 1.5 and 6 l/min was applied. Flow patterns were visualized by anionic particles illuminated with two helium-neon lasers. Late laminary flow characteristics and pre- /post-stent pressure gradients were determined in either expanded stent, 25 and 50 % tube stenosis. Stent implantation induced a decrease of laminary flow when compared with an unstented tube with and without concentric 25 % stenosis (p < 0.01) at all flow rates and an increase of pressure gradients when compared with an unstented tube for a flow rate of 6 l/min and all stenoses (p < 0.01). At 1.5 l/min most stents revealed no significant change of pressure gradient, the highest gradient measured 4.0 mmHg. Sinus permitted maximum (expanded: 82.1 % and 76.9 % at 25 % stenosis at 1.5 l/min; p < 0.01) and Palmaz minimum of laminary flow at all flow rates and stenoses (70.2 and 52.4 % at 25 % stenosis at 1.5 l/min; p < 0.01). At 6 l/min, when completely expanded, Sinus is equal to Bridge and Memotherm; in 25 % stenosis Sinus is equal to Bridge, Memotherm, and additionally to Cragg and Wall. None of the endoprostheses revealed laminary flow at 50 % stenosis. Inadequate stent deployment bears the risk of creating less laminary flow and pressure gradients. Since flow disturbances and pressure gradients may influence neointimal hyperplasia, stent design and completeness of stent expansion are important factors regarding the appearance of thrombus formation and postinterventional restenosis. (orig.)

  8. Soil water content evaluation considering time-invariant spatial pattern and space-variant temporal change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, W.; Si, B. C.

    2013-10-01

    Soil water content (SWC) varies in space and time. The objective of this study was to evaluate soil water content distribution using a statistical model. The model divides spatial SWC series into time-invariant spatial patterns, space-invariant temporal changes, and space- and time-dependent redistribution terms. The redistribution term is responsible for the temporal changes in spatial patterns of SWC. An empirical orthogonal function was used to separate the total variations of redistribution terms into the sum of the product of spatial structures (EOFs) and temporally-varying coefficients (ECs). Model performance was evaluated using SWC data of near-surface (0-0.2 m) and root-zone (0-1.0 m) from a Canadian Prairie landscape. Three significant EOFs were identified for redistribution term for both soil layers. EOF1 dominated the variations of redistribution terms and it resulted in more changes (recharge or discharge) in SWC at wetter locations. Depth to CaCO3 layer and organic carbon were the two most important controlling factors of EOF1, and together, they explained over 80% of the variations in EOF1. Weak correlation existed between either EOF2 or EOF3 and the observed factors. A reasonable prediction of SWC distribution was obtained with this model using cross validation. The model performed better in the root zone than in the near surface, and it outperformed conventional EOF method in case soil moisture deviated from the average conditions.

  9. Spatial Point Pattern Analysis of Human Settlements and Geographical Associations in Eastern Coastal China — A Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhonghao Zhang

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the spatial point pattern of human settlements and their geographical associations are important for understanding the drivers of land use and land cover change and the relationship between environmental and ecological processes on one hand and cultures and lifestyles on the other. In this study, a Geographic Information System (GIS approach, Ripley’s K function and Monte Carlo simulation were used to investigate human settlement point patterns. Remotely sensed tools and regression models were employed to identify the effects of geographical determinants on settlement locations in the Wen-Tai region of eastern coastal China. Results indicated that human settlements displayed regular-random-cluster patterns from small to big scale. Most settlements located on the coastal plain presented either regular or random patterns, while those in hilly areas exhibited a clustered pattern. Moreover, clustered settlements were preferentially located at higher elevations with steeper slopes and south facing aspects than random or regular settlements. Regression showed that influences of topographic factors (elevation, slope and aspect on settlement locations were stronger across hilly regions. This study demonstrated a new approach to analyzing the spatial patterns of human settlements from a wide geographical prospective. We argue that the spatial point patterns of settlements, in addition to the characteristics of human settlements, such as area, density and shape, should be taken into consideration in the future, and land planners and decision makers should pay more attention to city planning and management. Conceptual and methodological bridges linking settlement patterns to regional and site-specific geographical characteristics will be a key to human settlement studies and planning.

  10. The Urban Heat Island Impact in Consideration of Spatial Pattern of Urban Landscape and Structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, J.; Lee, D. K.; Jeong, W.; Sung, S.; Park, J.

    2015-12-01

    Preceding study has established a clear relationship between land surface temperature and area of land covers. However, only few studies have specifically examined the effects of spatial patterns of land covers and urban structure. To examine how much the local climate is affected by the spatial pattern in highly urbanized city, we investigated the correlation between land surface temperature and spatial patterns of land covers. In the analysis of correlation, we categorized urban structure to four different land uses: Apartment residential area, low rise residential area, industrial area and central business district. Through this study, we aims to examine the types of residential structure and land cover pattern for reducing urban heat island and sustainable development. Based on land surface temperature, we investigated the phenomenon of urban heat island through using the data of remote sensing. This study focused on Daegu in Korea. This city, one of the hottest city in Korea has basin form. We used high-resolution land cover data and land surface temperature by using Landsat8 satellite image to examine 100 randomly selected sample sites of 884.15km2 (1)In each land use, we quantified several landscape-levels and class-level landscape metrics for the sample study sites. (2)In addition, we measured the land surface temperature in 3 year hot summer seasons (July to September). Then, we investigated the pattern of land surface temperature for each land use through Ecognition package. (3)We deducted the Pearson correlation coefficients between land surface temperature and each landscape metrics. (4)We analyzed the variance among the four land uses. (5)Using linear regression, we determined land surface temperature model for each land use. (6)Through this analysis, we aims to examine the best pattern of land cover and artificial structure for reducing urban heat island effect in highly urbanized city. The results of linear regression showed that proportional land

  11. Patterns of coexistence of two species of freshwater turtles are affected by spatial scale

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Segurado, P.; Kunin, W.E.; Filipe, A.F.

    2012-01-01

    Inferring biotic interactions from the examination of patterns of species occurrences has been a central tenet in community ecology, and it has recently gained interest in the context of single-species distribution modelling. However, understanding of how spatial extent and grain size affect such...

  12. Patterns of gene flow define species of thermophilic Archaea.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hinsby Cadillo-Quiroz

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Despite a growing appreciation of their vast diversity in nature, mechanisms of speciation are poorly understood in Bacteria and Archaea. Here we use high-throughput genome sequencing to identify ongoing speciation in the thermoacidophilic Archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus. Patterns of homologous gene flow among genomes of 12 strains from a single hot spring in Kamchatka, Russia, demonstrate higher levels of gene flow within than between two persistent, coexisting groups, demonstrating that these microorganisms fit the biological species concept. Furthermore, rates of gene flow between two species are decreasing over time in a manner consistent with incipient speciation. Unlike other microorganisms investigated, we do not observe a relationship between genetic divergence and frequency of recombination along a chromosome, or other physical mechanisms that would reduce gene flow between lineages. Each species has its own genetic island encoding unique physiological functions and a unique growth phenotype that may be indicative of ecological specialization. Genetic differentiation between these coexisting groups occurs in large genomic "continents," indicating the topology of genomic divergence during speciation is not uniform and is not associated with a single locus under strong diversifying selection. These data support a model where species do not require physical barriers to gene flow but are maintained by ecological differentiation.

  13. Patterns of gene flow define species of thermophilic Archaea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cadillo-Quiroz, Hinsby; Didelot, Xavier; Held, Nicole L; Herrera, Alfa; Darling, Aaron; Reno, Michael L; Krause, David J; Whitaker, Rachel J

    2012-02-01

    Despite a growing appreciation of their vast diversity in nature, mechanisms of speciation are poorly understood in Bacteria and Archaea. Here we use high-throughput genome sequencing to identify ongoing speciation in the thermoacidophilic Archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus. Patterns of homologous gene flow among genomes of 12 strains from a single hot spring in Kamchatka, Russia, demonstrate higher levels of gene flow within than between two persistent, coexisting groups, demonstrating that these microorganisms fit the biological species concept. Furthermore, rates of gene flow between two species are decreasing over time in a manner consistent with incipient speciation. Unlike other microorganisms investigated, we do not observe a relationship between genetic divergence and frequency of recombination along a chromosome, or other physical mechanisms that would reduce gene flow between lineages. Each species has its own genetic island encoding unique physiological functions and a unique growth phenotype that may be indicative of ecological specialization. Genetic differentiation between these coexisting groups occurs in large genomic "continents," indicating the topology of genomic divergence during speciation is not uniform and is not associated with a single locus under strong diversifying selection. These data support a model where species do not require physical barriers to gene flow but are maintained by ecological differentiation.

  14. Spatial patterns of seaweed distribution in Malaysia using GIS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lian, Du Hai; Sim, Jillian Ooi Lean; Fauzi, Rosmadi; Moi, Phang Siew

    2008-10-01

    The objective of this article is to represent spatial patterns of seaweed distribution in Malaysia. Seaweeds have been collected since 1984 along coastlines of 4675 km of peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak. However, there is no seaweed database and they cannot be displayed in a geographic view. Therefore, a database with 805 georeferenced observations was setup and GIS is used to analyze seaweed diversity based on this database. The highest number of observations is 94 which occur along east coastline of peninsular Malaysia. The highest number of species richness is 82 which are also along east coastline of peninsular Malaysia. Rhodophyta has the highest species richness while Chlorophyta has the least species richness.

  15. The effect of bowl-in-piston geometry layout on fluid flow pattern

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jovanovic Zoran S.

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper some results concerning the evolution of 3D fluid flow pattern through all four strokes in combustion chambers with entirely different bowl-in-piston geometry layouts ranging from ”omega” to “simple cylinder” were presented. All combustion chambers i.e. those with „omega“ bowls, with different profiles, and those with „cylinder“ bowls, with different squish area ranging from 44% to 62%, were with flat head, vertical valves and identical elevation of intake and exhaust ports. A bunch of results emerged by dint of multidimensional modeling of nonreactive fluid flow in arbitrary geometry with moving objects and boundaries. The fluid flow pattern during induction and compression in all cases was extremely complicated and entirely three-dimensional. It should be noted that significant differences due to geometry of the bowl were encountered only in the vicinity of TDC. Namely, in the case of “omega” bowl all three types of organized macro flows were observed while in the case of “cylinder” bowl no circumferential velocity was registered at all. On the contrary, in the case of “cylinder” bowl some interesting results concerning reverse tumble and its center of rotation shifting from exhaust valve zone to intake valve zone during induction stroke and vice-verse from intake valve zone to exhaust valve zone during compression were observed while in the case of “omega” bowl no such a displacement was legible. During expansion the fluid flow pattern is fully controlled by piston motion and during exhaust it is mainly one-dimensional, except in the close proximity of exhaust valve. For that reason it is not affected by the geometry of the bowl.

  16. Spatial distribution pattern of vanadium in hydric landscapes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiedler, Sabine; Breuer, Jörn; Palmer, Iris; Berger, Jochen

    2010-05-01

    landscapes. Independent from the parent material, we found a distinct spatial pattern of V, which reflected that of the local redox environment: Horizons/pedons with oxic conditions revealed a positive correlation between V content and Fe content. In this case, iron oxides act as an important sink for dissolved V which originated from other locations of the catena. Poorly drained soils, such as Stagnosols for example, promote both Fe and V reduction, which is coupled to their removal from the pedons by leaching. It can be demonstrated that the element-specific Eh window for differential reduction is very narrow. The spatial distribution of both elements shows that high V contents are often associated with low Fe contents. It is therefore assumed that a reducing environment promotes Fe3+ reduction, while maintaining while maintaining V stable.

  17. The Effect of Confluence Angle on the Flow Pattern at a Rectangular Open-Channel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Rooniyan

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Flow connection in channels is a phenomenon which frequently happens in rivers, water and drainage channels and urban sewage systems. The phenomenon appears to be more complex in rivers than in channels, especially at the y-junction bed joint that causes erosion and sedimentation at some areas resulting to morphological changes. Flow behavior at the channel junction area depends on variables such as channel geometry, discharge ratio, tributary width and y-junction connection angle of the channel, bed level changes at the bed joint, flow characteristic at the bed joint upstream and flow Froude number in different sections. In this research, fluent numerical model and junction angles of 30o, 45o & 60o are used to analyze and evaluate the effect of channel junction geometry on the flow pattern and the flow separation zone dimensions in different ratios of flow discharge (upstream channel discharge to total discharge of the flow. Results for two ratios of flow discharge are represented. Results are in agreement with earlier studies and it is shown that the change of the channel crossing angle affects the flow pattern in the main channel and also that the dimensions of the created separation zone in the main channel become larger when the crossing angle increases. This phenomenon can also be observed when the flow discharge ratio is lower. Analysis showed that the least dimension of the separation zone will be at the crossing angle of 45o .

  18. Flow Pattern in Ventilated Rooms with Large Depth and Width

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yue, Zou; Nielsen, Peter V.

    In this paper both model experiments and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) are employed to study the isothennal flow pattern in the ventilated room with different UH and inlet velocities. The maximum size of the model is 1.4* 0.72*0.0714m and the measurement is made by a Laser Doppler anemometer....

  19. Spatial extent of analysis influences observed patterns of population genetic structure in a widespread darter species (Percidae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Argentina, Jane E.; Angermeier, Paul L.; Hallerman, Eric M.; Welsh, Stuart A.

    2018-01-01

    Connectivity among stream fish populations allows for exchange of genetic material and helps maintain genetic diversity, adaptive potential and population stability over time. Changes in species demographics and population connectivity have the potential to permanently alter the genetic patterns of stream fish, although these changes through space and time are variable and understudied in small‐bodied freshwater fish.As a spatially widespread, common species of benthic freshwater fish, the variegate darter (Etheostoma variatum) is a model species for documenting how patterns of genetic structure and diversity respond to increasing isolation due to large dams and how scale of study may shape our understanding of these patterns. We sampled variegate darters from 34 sites across their range in the North American Ohio River basin and examined how patterns of genetic structure and diversity within and between populations responded to historical population changes and dams within and between populations.Spatial scale and configuration of genetic structure varied across the eight identified populations, from tributaries within a watershed, to a single watershed, to multiple watersheds that encompass Ohio River mainstem habitats. This multiwatershed pattern of population structuring suggests genetic dispersal across large distances was and may continue to be common, although some populations remain isolated despite no apparent structural dispersal barriers. Populations with low effective population sizes and evidence of past population bottlenecks showed low allelic richness, but diversity patterns were not related to watershed size, a surrogate for habitat availability. Pairwise genetic differentiation (FST) increased with fluvial distance and was related to both historic and contemporary processes. Genetic diversity changes were influenced by underlying population size and stability, and while instream barriers were not strong determinants of genetic structuring or

  20. Exploring spatial patterns of urban brownfields regeneration: The case of Brno, Czech Republic

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Frantál, Bohumil; Greer-Wootten, B.; Klusáček, Petr; Krejčí, Tomáš; Kunc, Josef; Martinát, Stanislav

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 44, č. 1 (2015), s. 9-18 ISSN 0264-2751 R&D Projects: GA TA ČR(CZ) TD020259 Institutional support: RVO:68145535 Keywords : brownfields * urban renewal * spatial patterns Subject RIV: DE - Earth Magnetism, Geodesy, Geography Impact factor: 2.051, year: 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2014.12.007

  1. MODFLOW 2.0: A program for predicting moderator flow patterns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, P. F.; Paik, I. K.

    1991-07-01

    Sudden changes in the temperature of flowing liquids can result in transient buoyancy forces which strongly impact the flow hydrodynamics via flow stratification. These effects have been studied for the case of potential flow of stratified liquids to line sinks, but not for moderator flow in SRS reactors. Standard codes, such as TRAC and COMMIX, do not have the capability to capture the stratification effect, due to strong numerical diffusion which smears away the hot/cold fluid interface. A related problem with standard codes is the inability to track plumes injected into the liquid flow, again due to numerical diffusion. The combined effects of buoyant stratification and plume dispersion have been identified as being important in the operation of the Supplementary Safety System which injects neutron-poison ink into SRS reactors to provide safe shutdown in the event of safety rod failure. The MODFLOW code discussed here provides transient moderator flow pattern information with stratification effects, and tracks the location of ink plumes in the reactor. The code, written in Fortran, is compiled for Macintosh II computers, and includes subroutines for interactive control and graphical output. Removing the graphics capabilities, the code can also be compiled on other computers. With graphics, in addition to the capability to perform safety related computations, MODFLOW also provides an easy tool for becoming familiar with flow distributions in SRS reactors.

  2. Complex temporal and spatial patterns in nonequilibrium systems: Progress report, December 1, 1987-November 30, 1988

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swinney, H.L.

    1988-09-01

    Dynamical systems methods are being developed and used to characterize nonequilibrium processes and to address outstanding unresolved questions regarding bifurcations and chaos, especially in reaction-diffusion systems. An information-theoretic property, the mutual information, is being examined as a means for detecting and quantifying spatiotemporal chaos. A recent analysis has shown that information on dynamics deduced from noisy data can be used to reduce the noise in those data. These tools from dynamical systems and information theory are being applied to data obtained in laboratory experiments on homogeneous systems and on extended systems. A novel unstirred chemical reactor has been designed for studies of the development and evolution of chemical spatial patterns, and experiments with this reactor have yielded the first sustained chemical spatial patterns in a controlled laboratory environment. These laboratory experiments and numerical and analytic studies of models should provide general insights into spatiotemporal patterns in nonequilibrium systems. 14 refs

  3. Tendency to occupy a statistically dominant spatial state of the flow as a driving force for turbulent transition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chekmarev, Sergei F

    2013-03-01

    The transition from laminar to turbulent fluid motion occurring at large Reynolds numbers is generally associated with the instability of the laminar flow. On the other hand, since the turbulent flow characteristically appears in the form of spatially localized structures (e.g., eddies) filling the flow field, a tendency to occupy such a structured state of the flow cannot be ruled out as a driving force for turbulent transition. To examine this possibility, we propose a simple analytical model that treats the flow as a collection of localized spatial structures, each of which consists of elementary cells in which the behavior of the particles (atoms or molecules) is uncorrelated. This allows us to introduce the Reynolds number, associating it with the ratio between the total phase volume for the system and that for the elementary cell. Using the principle of maximum entropy to calculate the most probable size distribution of the localized structures, we show that as the Reynolds number increases, the elementary cells group into the localized structures, which successfully explains turbulent transition and some other general properties of turbulent flows. An important feature of the present model is that a bridge between the spatial-statistical description of the flow and hydrodynamic equations is established. We show that the basic assumptions underlying the model, i.e., that the particles are indistinguishable and elementary volumes of phase space exist in which the state of the particles is uncertain, are involved in the derivation of the Navier-Stokes equation. Taking into account that the model captures essential features of turbulent flows, this suggests that the driving force for the turbulent transition is basically the same as in the present model, i.e., the tendency of the system to occupy a statistically dominant state plays a key role. The instability of the flow at high Reynolds numbers can then be a mechanism to initiate structural rearrangement of

  4. Retrospective 70 y-spatial analysis of repeated vine mortality patterns using ancient aerial time series, Pléiades images and multi-source spatial and field data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaudour, E.; Leclercq, L.; Gilliot, J. M.; Chaignon, B.

    2017-06-01

    For any wine estate, there is a need to demarcate homogeneous within-vineyard zones ('terroirs') so as to manage grape production, which depends on vine biological condition. Until now, the studies performing digital zoning of terroirs have relied on recent spatial data and scant attention has been paid to ancient geoinformation likely to retrace past biological condition of vines and especially occurrence of vine mortality. Is vine mortality characterized by recurrent and specific patterns and if so, are these patterns related to terroir units and/or past landuse? This study aimed at performing a historical and spatial tracing of vine mortality patterns using a long time-series of aerial survey images (1947-2010), in combination with recent data: soil apparent electrical conductivity EM38 measurements, very high resolution Pléiades satellite images, and a detailed field survey. Within a 6 ha-estate in the Southern Rhone Valley, landuse and planting history were retraced and the map of missing vines frequency was constructed from the whole time series including a 2015-Pléiades panchromatic band. Within-field terroir units were obtained from a support vector machine classifier computed on the spectral bands and NDVI of Pléiades images, EM38 data and morphometric data. Repeated spatial patterns of missing vines were highlighted throughout several plantings, uprootings, and vine replacements, and appeared to match some within-field terroir units, being explained by their specific soil characteristics, vine/soil management choices and the past landuse of the 1940s. Missing vines frequency was spatially correlated with topsoil CaCO3 content, and negatively correlated with topsoil iron, clay, total N, organic C contents and NDVI. A retrospective spatio-temporal assessment of terroir therefore brings a renewed focus on some key parameters for maintaining a sustainable grape production.

  5. The simulated air flow pattern around a moving animal transport vehicle as the basis for a prospective biosecurity risk assessment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jens Seedorf

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Research that investigates bioaerosol emissions from animal transport vehicles (ATVs and their importance in the spread of harmful airborne agents while the ATVs travel on roads is limited. To investigate the dynamical behaviour of theoretically released particles from a moving ATV, the open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD software OpenFOAM was used to calculate the external and internal air flow fields with passive and forced ventilated openings of a common ATV moving at a speed of 80 km/h. In addition to a computed flow rate of approximately 40,000 m3/h crossing the interior of the ATV, the visualization of the trajectories has demonstrated distinct patterns of the spatial distribution of potentially released bioaerosols in the vicinity of the ATV. Although the front openings show the highest air flow to the outside, the recirculations of air masses between the interior of the ATV and the atmosphere also occur, which complicate the emission and the dispersion characterizations. To specify the future emission rates of ATVs, a database of bioaerosol concentrations within the ATV is necessary in conjunction with high-performance computing resources to simulate the potential dispersion of bioaerosols in the environment.

  6. The simulated air flow pattern around a moving animal transport vehicle as the basis for a prospective biosecurity risk assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seedorf, Jens; Schmidt, Ralf-Gunther

    2017-08-01

    Research that investigates bioaerosol emissions from animal transport vehicles (ATVs) and their importance in the spread of harmful airborne agents while the ATVs travel on roads is limited. To investigate the dynamical behaviour of theoretically released particles from a moving ATV, the open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software OpenFOAM was used to calculate the external and internal air flow fields with passive and forced ventilated openings of a common ATV moving at a speed of 80 km/h. In addition to a computed flow rate of approximately 40,000 m 3 /h crossing the interior of the ATV, the visualization of the trajectories has demonstrated distinct patterns of the spatial distribution of potentially released bioaerosols in the vicinity of the ATV. Although the front openings show the highest air flow to the outside, the recirculations of air masses between the interior of the ATV and the atmosphere also occur, which complicate the emission and the dispersion characterizations. To specify the future emission rates of ATVs, a database of bioaerosol concentrations within the ATV is necessary in conjunction with high-performance computing resources to simulate the potential dispersion of bioaerosols in the environment.

  7. Examining Spatiotemporal Urbanization Patterns in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: Remote Sensing and Spatial Metrics Approaches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rajesh Bahadur Thapa

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the spatiotemporal pattern of urbanization in Kathmandu Valley using remote sensing and spatial metrics techniques. The study is based on 33-years of time series data compiled from satellite images. Along with new developments within the city fringes and rural villages in the valley, shifts in the natural environment and newly developed socioeconomic strains between residents are emerging. A highly dynamic spatial pattern of urbanization is observed in the valley. Urban built-up areas had a slow trend of growth in the 1960s and 1970s but have grown rapidly since the 1980s. The urbanization process has developed fragmented and heterogeneous land use combinations in the valley. However, the refill type of development process in the city core and immediate fringe areas has shown a decreasing trend in the neighborhood distances between land use patches, and an increasing trend towards physical connectedness, which indicates a higher probability of homogenous landscape development in the upcoming decades.

  8. Depth distribution of preferential flow patterns in a sandy loam soil as affected by tillage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. T. Petersen

    1997-01-01

    Full Text Available Dye-tracer studies using the anionic dye Brilliant Blue FCF were conducted on a structured sandy loam soil (Typic Agrudalf. 25 mm of dye solution was applied to the surface of 11 1.6 x 1.6 m field plots, some of which had been subjected to conventional seed bed preparation (harrowing while others had been rotovated to either 5 or 15 cm depth before sowing. The soil was excavated to about 160 cm depth one or two days after dye application. Flow patterns and structural features appearing on vertical or horizontal cross sections were examined and photographed. The flow patterns were digitized, and depth functions for the number of activated flow pathways and the degree of dye coverage were calculated. Dye was found below 100 cm depth on 26 out of 33 vertical cross sections made in conventionally tilled plots showing that preferential flow was a prevailing phenomenon. The depth-averaged number of stained flow pathways in the 25-100 cm layer was significantly smaller in a plot rotovated to 5 cm depth than in a conventionally tilled plot, both under relatively dry initial soil conditions and when the entire soil profiles were initially at field capacity. There were no examples of dye penetration below 25 cm depth one month after deep rotovation. Distinct horizontal structures in flow patterns appearing at 20-40 cm depth coupled with changes in flow domains indicated soil layering with abrupt changes in soil structure and hydraulic properties.

  9. Design of a High Viscosity Couette Flow Facility for Patterned Surface Drag Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Tyler; Lang, Amy

    2009-11-01

    Direct drag measurements can be difficult to obtain with low viscosity fluids such as air or water. In this facility, mineral oil is used as the working fluid to increase the shear stress across the surface of experimental models. A mounted conveyor creates a flow within a plexiglass tank. The experimental model of a flat or patterned surface is suspended above a moving belt. Within the gap between the model and moving belt a Couette flow with a linear velocity profile is created. PIV measurements are used to determine the exact velocities and the Reynolds numbers for each experiment. The model is suspended by bars that connect to the pillow block housing of each bearing. Drag is measured by a force gauge connected to linear roller bearings that slide along steel rods. The patterned surfaces, initially consisting of 2-D cavities, are embedded in a plexiglass plate so as to keep the total surface area constant for each experiment. First, the drag across a flat plate is measured and compared to theoretical values for laminar Couette flow. The drag for patterned surfaces is then measured and compared to a flat plate.

  10. Pattern transitions of oil-water two-phase flow with low water content in rectangular horizontal pipes probed by terahertz spectrum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Xin; Wu, Shi-Xiang; Zhao, Kun; Wang, Wei; Zhan, Hong-Lei; Jiang, Chen; Xiao, Li-Zhi; Chen, Shao-Hua

    2015-11-30

    The flow-pattern transition has been a challenging problem in two-phase flow system. We propose the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) to investigate the behavior underlying oil-water flow in rectangular horizontal pipes. The low water content (0.03-2.3%) in oil-water flow can be measured accurately and reliably from the relationship between THz peak amplitude and water volume fraction. In addition, we obtain the flow pattern transition boundaries in terms of flow rates. The critical flow rate Qc of the flow pattern transitions decreases from 0.32 m3 h to 0.18 m3 h when the corresponding water content increases from 0.03% to 2.3%. These properties render THz-TDS particularly powerful technology for investigating a horizontal oil-water two-phase flow system.

  11. Environmental flow assessments for transformed estuaries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Tao; Zhang, Heyue; Yang, Zhifeng; Yang, Wei

    2015-01-01

    Here, we propose an approach to environmental flow assessment that considers spatial pattern variations in potential habitats affected by river discharges and tidal currents in estuaries. The approach comprises four steps: identifying and simulating the distributions of critical environmental factors for habitats of typical species in an estuary; mapping of suitable habitats based on spatial distributions of the Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) and adopting the habitat aggregation index to understand fragmentation of potential suitable habitats; defining variations in water requirements for a certain species using trade-off analysis for different protection objectives; and recommending environmental flows in the estuary considering the compatibility and conflict of freshwater requirements for different species. This approach was tested using a case study in the Yellow River Estuary. Recommended environmental flows were determined by incorporating the requirements of four types of species into the assessments. Greater variability in freshwater inflows could be incorporated into the recommended environmental flows considering the adaptation of potential suitable habitats with variations in the flow regime. Environmental flow allocations should be conducted in conjunction with land use conflict management in estuaries. Based on the results presented here, the proposed approach offers flexible assessment of environmental flow for aquatic ecosystems that may be subject to future change.

  12. Diffuse correlation tomography reveals spatial and temporal difference in blood flow changes among murine femoral grafts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Songfeng; Proctor, Ashley R.; Benoit, Danielle S. W.; Choe, Regine

    2017-07-01

    Diffuse correlation tomography was utilized to noninvasively monitor 3D blood flow changes in three types of healing mouse femoral grafts. Results reveal the spatial and temporal difference among the groups.

  13. Contrasting Spatial Patterns in Active-Fire and Fire-Suppressed Mediterranean Climate Old-Growth Mixed Conifer Forests

    OpenAIRE

    Fry, Danny L.; Stephens, Scott L.; Collins, Brandon M.; North, Malcolm P.; Franco-Vizcaíno, Ernesto; Gill, Samantha J.

    2014-01-01

    In Mediterranean environments in western North America, historic fire regimes in frequent-fire conifer forests are highly variable both temporally and spatially. This complexity influenced forest structure and spatial patterns, but some of this diversity has been lost due to anthropogenic disruption of ecosystem processes, including fire. Information from reference forest sites can help management efforts to restore forests conditions that may be more resilient to future changes in disturbanc...

  14. Spatial patterns of soil pH and the factors that influence them in plantation forests of northern China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Songbai; Liu, Yongwen; Piao, Shilong

    2017-04-01

    Climate and anthropogenic activities such as afforestation and nitrogen deposition all impact soil pH. Understanding the spatial pattern of soil pH and the factors that influence it can provide basic information for generating appropriate strategies for soil resource management and protection, especially in light of increasing anthropogenic influences and climate change. In this study, we investigated the spatial and vertical pattern of soil pH and evaluated the influence of climate and nitrogen deposition using 1647 soil profiles 1 meter in depth from 549 plots in plantation forests of northern China. We found that soil pH decreased from the southwest to the northeast in the study region and had a similar spatial pattern before and after afforestation. Furthermore, our results show that climate and nitrogen deposition fundamentally influence the pattern of soil pH. Specifically, increasing precipitation significantly decreased soil pH (with a mean rate of 0.3 for every 100 mm rainfall, ppH (0.13 for every degree centigrade, ppH (ppH directly and indirectly through climate-plant-soil interactions. As the risks from both climate change and nitrogen deposition increase, there is an urgent need to further understanding of soil pH dynamics and to develop informed policies to protect soil resources.

  15. Discharge characteristics and hydrodynamics behaviors of atmospheric plasma jets produced in various gas flow patterns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Setsuhara, Yuichi; Uchida, Giichiro; Nakajima, Atsushi; Takenaka, Kosuke; Koga, Kazunori; Shiratani, Masaharu

    2015-09-01

    Atmospheric nonequilibrium plasma jets have been widely employed in biomedical applications. For biomedical applications, it is an important issue to understand the complicated mechanism of interaction of the plasma jet with liquid. In this study, we present analysis of the discharge characteristics of a plasma jet impinging onto the liquid surface under various gas flow patterns such as laminar and turbulence flows. For this purpose, we analyzed gas flow patters by using a Schlieren gas-flow imaging system in detail The plasma jet impinging into the liquid surface expands along the liquid surface. The diameter of the expanded plasma increases with gas flow rate, which is well explained by an increase in the diameter of the laminar gas-flow channel. When the gas flow rate is further increased, the gas flow mode transits from laminar to turbulence in the gas flow channel, which leads to the shortening of the plasm-jet length. Our experiment demonstrated that the gas flow patterns strongly affect the discharge characteristics in the plasma-jet system. This study was partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas ``Plasma Medical Innovation'' (24108003) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT).

  16. Spatial patterns in the distribution of kimberlites: relationship to tectonic processes and lithosphere structure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chemia, Zurab; Artemieva, Irina; Thybo, Hans

    2015-01-01

    of kimberlite melts through the lithospheric mantle, which forms the major pipe. Stage 2 (second-order process) begins when the major pipe splits into daughter sub-pipes (tree-like pattern) at crustal depths. We apply cluster analysis to the spatial distribution of all known kimberlite fields with the goal...

  17. Spatial pattern and variations in the prevalence of congenital heart disease in children aged 4-18 years in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Li-Guang; Chen, Qiu-Hong; Wang, Yuan-Yuan; Wang, Jing; Ren, Zhou-Peng; Cao, Zong-Fu; Cao, Yan-Rong; Ma, Xu; Wang, Bin-Bin

    2018-06-15

    This study aimed to investigate the spatial distribution pattern of the prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD) in children in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), a high-altitude region in China. Epidemiological data from a survey on the prevalence of CHD in Qinghai Province including 288,066 children (4-18 years) were used in this study. The prevalence and distribution pattern of CHD was determined by sex, CHD subtype, and nationality and altitude. Spatial pattern analysis using Getis-Ord Gi ⁎ was used to identify the spatial distribution of CHD. Bayesian spatial binomial regression was performed to examine the relationship between the prevalence of CHD and environmental risk factors in the QTP. The prevalence of CHD showed a significant spatial clustering pattern. The Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Yushu (average altitude > 4000 m) and the Mongolian autonomous county of Henan (average altitude > 3600 m) in Huangnan had the highest prevalence of CHD. Univariate analysis showed that with ascending altitude, the total prevalence of CHD, that in girls and boys with CHD, and that of the subtypes PDA and ASD increasing accordingly. Thus, environmental factors greatly contributed to the prevalence of CHD. The prevalence of CHD shows significant spatial clustering pattern in the QTP. The CHD subtype prevalence clustering pattern has statistical regularity which would provide convenient clues of environmental risk factors. Our results may provide support to make strategies of CHD prevention, to reduce the incidence of CHD in high altitude regions of China. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  18. Spatial Patterns of Ischemic Heart Disease in Shenzhen, China: A Bayesian Multi-Disease Modelling Approach to Inform Health Planning Policies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Qingyun; Zhang, Mingxiao; Li, Yayan; Luan, Hui; Liang, Shi; Ren, Fu

    2016-04-20

    Incorporating the information of hypertension, this paper applies Bayesian multi-disease analysis to model the spatial patterns of Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) risks. Patterns of harmful alcohol intake (HAI) and overweight/obesity are also modelled as they are common risk factors contributing to both IHD and hypertension. The hospitalization data of IHD and hypertension in 2012 were analyzed with three Bayesian multi-disease models at the sub-district level of Shenzhen. Results revealed that the IHD high-risk cluster shifted slightly north-eastward compared with the IHD Standardized Hospitalization Ratio (SHR). Spatial variations of overweight/obesity and HAI were found to contribute most to the IHD patterns. Identified patterns of IHD risk would benefit IHD integrated prevention. Spatial patterns of overweight/obesity and HAI could supplement the current disease surveillance system by providing information about small-area level risk factors, and thus benefit integrated prevention of related chronic diseases. Middle southern Shenzhen, where high risk of IHD, overweight/obesity, and HAI are present, should be prioritized for interventions, including alcohol control, innovative healthy diet toolkit distribution, insurance system revision, and community-based chronic disease intervention. Related health resource planning is also suggested to focus on these areas first.

  19. Detecting spatial patterns with the cumulant function – Part 1: The theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Naveau

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available In climate studies, detecting spatial patterns that largely deviate from the sample mean still remains a statistical challenge. Although a Principal Component Analysis (PCA, or equivalently a Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOF decomposition, is often applied for this purpose, it provides meaningful results only if the underlying multivariate distribution is Gaussian. Indeed, PCA is based on optimizing second order moments, and the covariance matrix captures the full dependence structure of multivariate Gaussian vectors. Whenever the application at hand can not satisfy this normality hypothesis (e.g. precipitation data, alternatives and/or improvements to PCA have to be developed and studied. To go beyond this second order statistics constraint, that limits the applicability of the PCA, we take advantage of the cumulant function that can produce higher order moments information. The cumulant function, well-known in the statistical literature, allows us to propose a new, simple and fast procedure to identify spatial patterns for non-Gaussian data. Our algorithm consists in maximizing the cumulant function. Three families of multivariate random vectors, for which explicit computations are obtained, are implemented to illustrate our approach. In addition, we show that our algorithm corresponds to selecting the directions along which projected data display the largest spread over the marginal probability density tails.

  20. Spatial dynamics of ecosystem service flows: a comprehensive approach to quantifying actual services

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Johnson, Gary W.; Voigt, Brian; Villa, Ferdinando

    2013-01-01

    Recent ecosystem services research has highlighted the importance of spatial connectivity between ecosystems and their beneficiaries. Despite this need, a systematic approach to ecosystem service flow quantification has not yet emerged. In this article, we present such an approach, which we formalize as a class of agent-based models termed “Service Path Attribution Networks” (SPANs). These models, developed as part of the Artificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services (ARIES) project, expand on ecosystem services classification terminology introduced by other authors. Conceptual elements needed to support flow modeling include a service's rivalness, its flow routing type (e.g., through hydrologic or transportation networks, lines of sight, or other approaches), and whether the benefit is supplied by an ecosystem's provision of a beneficial flow to people or by absorption of a detrimental flow before it reaches them. We describe our implementation of the SPAN framework for five ecosystem services and discuss how to generalize the approach to additional services. SPAN model outputs include maps of ecosystem service provision, use, depletion, and flows under theoretical, possible, actual, inaccessible, and blocked conditions. We highlight how these different ecosystem service flow maps could be used to support various types of decision making for conservation and resource management planning.