Characterizing drought using the reliability-resilience-vulnerability concept

This study borrows the measures developed for the operation of water resources systems as a means of characterizing droughts in a given region. It is argued that the common approach of assessing drought using a univariate measure (severity or reliability) is inadequate as decision makers need assessment of the other facets considered here. It is proposed that the joint distribution of reliability, resilience, and vulnerability (referred to as RRV in a reservoir operation context), assessed using soil moisture data over the study region, be used to characterize droughts. Use is made of copulas to quantify the joint distribution between these variables. As reliability and resilience vary in a nonlinear but almost deterministic way, the joint probability distribution of only resilience and vulnerability is modeled. Recognizing the negative association between the two variables, a Plackett copula is used to formulate the joint distribution. The developed drought index, referred to as the drought management index (DMI), is able to differentiate the drought proneness of a given area when compared to other areas. An assessment of the sensitivity of the DMI to the length of the data segments used in evaluation indicates relative stability is achieved if the data segments are 5years or longer. The proposed approach is illustrated with reference to the Malaprabha River basin in India, using four adjoining Climate Prediction Center grid cells of soil moisture data that cover an area of approximately 12,000 km(2). (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Phase relations in the system Ca-Ta-O and thermodynamics of calcium tantalates in relation to calciothermic reduction of Ta2O5

Phase equilibria of the system Ca-Ta-O is established by equilibrating eleven samples at 1200 K for prolonged periods and phase identification in quenched samples by optical and scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Four ternary oxides are identified: CaTa4O11, CaTa2O6, Ca2Ta2O7 and Ca4Ta2O9. Isothermal section of the phase diagram is composed using the results. Thermodynamic properties of the ternary oxides are measured in the temperature range from 975 to 1275 K employing solid-state galvanic cells incorporating single crystal CaF2 as the solid electrolyte. The cells essentially measure the chemical potentials of CaO in two-phase fields (Ta2O5 + CaTa4O11), (CaTa4O11 + CaTa2O6), (CaTa2O6 + Ca2Ta2O7), and (Ca2Ta2O7 + Ca4Ta2O9) of the pseudo-binary system CaO-Ta2O5. The standard Gibbs energies of formation of the four ternary oxides from their component binary oxides Ta2O5 and CaO are given by: Delta G(f)((ox))(o) (CaTa4O11) (+/- 482)/J mol(-1) = -58644+21.497 (T/K) Delta G(f)((ox))(o) (CaTa2O6) (+/- 618)/J mol(-1) = -55122+21.893 (T/K) Delta G(f)((ox))(o) (Ca2Ta2O7) (+/- 729)/J mol(-1) = -82562+31.843 (T/K) Delta G(f)((ox))(o) (Ca4Ta2O9) (+/- 955)/J mol(-1) = -126598+48.859 (T/K) The Gibbs energy of formation of the four ternary compounds obtained in this study differs significantly from that reported in the literature. The thermodynamic data and phase diagram are used for understanding the mechanism and kinetics of calciothermic and electrochemical reduction of Ta2O5 to metal. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Weakly corrected numerical solutions to stochastically driven nonlinear dynamical systems

A method to weakly correct the solutions of stochastically driven nonlinear dynamical systems, herein numerically approximated through the Eule-Maruyama (EM) time-marching map, is proposed. An essential feature of the method is a change of measures that aims at rendering the EM-approximated solution measurable with respect to the filtration generated by an appropriately defined error process. Using Ito's formula and adopting a Monte Carlo (MC) setup, it is shown that the correction term may be additively applied to the realizations of the numerically integrated trajectories. Numerical evidence, presently gathered via applications of the proposed method to a few nonlinear mechanical oscillators and a semi-discrete form of a 1-D Burger's equation, lends credence to the remarkably improved numerical accuracy of the corrected solutions even with relatively large time step sizes. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Arc Root Attachment on the Anode Surface of Arc Plasma Torch Observed with a Novel Method

The arc-root attachment on the anode surface of a dc non-transferred arc plasma torch has been successfully observed using a novel approach. A specially designed copper mirror with a boron nitride film coated on its surface central-region is employed to avoid the effect of intensive light emitted from the arc column upon the observation of weakly luminous arc root. It is found that the arc-root attachment is diffusive on the anode surface of the argon plasma torch, while constricted arc roots often occur when hydrogen or nitrogen is added into argon as the plasma-forming gas.

Cell shape changes indicate a role for extrinsic tensile forces in Drosophila germ-band extension.

Drosophila germ-band extension (GBE) is an example of the convergence and extension movements that elongate and narrow embryonic tissues. To understand the collective cell behaviours underlying tissue morphogenesis, we have continuously quantified cell intercalation and cell shape change during GBE. We show that the fast, early phase of GBE depends on cell shape change in addition to cell intercalation. In antero-posterior patterning mutants such as those for the gap gene Krüppel, defective polarized cell intercalation is compensated for by an increase in antero-posterior cell elongation, such that the initial rate of extension remains the same. Spatio-temporal patterns of cell behaviours indicate that an antero-posterior tensile force deforms the germ band, causing the cells to change shape passively. The rate of antero-posterior cell elongation is reduced in twist mutant embryos, which lack mesoderm. We propose that cell shape change contributing to germ-band extension is a passive response to mechanical forces caused by the invaginating mesoderm.

Influencia de rotación de cultivos y métodos de control sobre la dinámica de las malezas y el crecimiento, desarrollo y rendimiento de la soya (Glycine max (L) Merr.) cv. cristalina

En la estación experimental de Campos Azules, municipio de Masetepe, se inició en la época de postrera de 1987, un experimento de rotación de cultivos bajo diferentes niveles de control de malezas. El presente trabajo, evaluó el control de los cultivos antecesores Maíz y Pepinillo con tres niveles de control de malezas: químico, limpia en período crítico y limpias periódicas a la dinámica de le cenosis de malezas, crecimiento y rendimiento del cultivo sucesor soya en la postrera de 1989. Cuando antecedió el Maíz, la abundancia de malezas fue mayor con 449 individuos, reduciéndose considerablemente a le coseche, obteniendo una biomasa promedio de solo 165.48 gramos. De lo contrario con Pepinillo como antecesor, la abundancia al inicio fue menor con 231 individuos, pero se obtuvo a la cosecha la mayor biomasa promedio con 193.45 gramos. Para los caracteres de la soya a la cosecha no hubo diferencies significativas en les rotaciones. El control químico presentó mayor abundancia al inicio con 422 individuos, teniendo posteriormente une reducción hasta de 27 individuos. El control limpie en período crítico tuvo un comportamiento similar que el químico con 390 individuos, reduciéndose a lo cosecha a 140 individuos. El control limpias periódicas tuvo el inicio la menor abundancia con 218 individuos, reduciéndose a la cosecha a 100 individuos. Relacionando los caracteres de lo soya con los controles hubo diferencias significativas en: altura de planta a la cosecha y altura de inserción de la primero vaina en el control limpia en período crítico. Peso de mil semillas eh el control químico y rendimiento en el control limpias periódicas. En los demás caracteres de la soya no hubo diferencias significativas, mareándose una tendencia a favor del pepinillo como cultivo antecesor con 1018 kg/he de soya, comparado con Maíz como antecesor con solo 859 kg/ha de soya.

Flow Rate Measurement in Multiphase Flow Using Turbine Flow-meter

对涡轮流量传感器进行了理论分析,给出了涡轮流量计仪表常数的计算方法,讨论了获得较大固有仪表常数K_0时涡轮传感器结构参数（如叶片数、涡轮半径、口径等）的优化组合问题,通过多相流动实验,总结出K_0与流动密度之间的实验关系,由此给出用涡轮流量计测量多相流的半理论半经验公式,并在油井多相流量测量中得到了实际应用,符合较好。

Estimación del comportamiento de los principales índices reproductivos de un hato Cebú, bajo explotación semi-intensiva en el trópico seco de Nicaragua

El presente estudio se llevó a cabo utilizando datos de registros reproductivo de los años 1976 a1985, de un hato de vacas Cebú en el departamento de Rivas, ubicado a 11º, 26, Latitud Norte; 85º, 50`, longitud Oeste y una elevación de 70 m.s.n.m; con una temperatura, humedad relativa y precipitación pluvial promedio en los últimos 14 años de 28, 89oc,-86.69% y 1,654.5mm anuales, respectivamente. Las variables en estudio fueron: edad de incorporación (EI), Edad al primer parto (EPP), intervalo parto-primera inseminación (IPPI), periodo de servicio (PS), Intervalo parto-parto (IPP), y nùmero de servicios por concepción (NSC); con promedios de 44+/-10 meses, 54+/4 meses, 202+/87 días, 2201+/9-98 días, 513+/-102 días y 1.54+/-0.03 servicios, respectivamente. En el ANDEVA para EI, resulto significativo el año de nacimiento, mes de nacimientos y unidad de producción estatal (UPE); para la EPP el año, mes y UPE resultaron no significativos, a diferencia de la covariable edad de incorporación; para IPPI Y PS resultaron significativos el año de parto, mes de parto, UPE y covariable cada de parto; para el IPP resulto significativo el año y no significativo el mes, UPE y covariables edad al parto. Las correlaciones lineales entre: NSC con IPP, PS; IPP con PS, IPPI y EP; IPPI y EP; resultaron significativas con un coeficiente de: +0.250, +0.232, +0.121, +0.934, +0.859, +0.201, +0.918, -0.246 y -0.297, respectivamente. Las regiones para la PS con IPPI, IPPI con EP, NSC con EP, IPP con NSC y PS, resultaron significativas con coeficiente: +0.97 días, -1.16 días /mes, +0.0044 servicios/mes, +4.02 días/servicio y +0.93 días, respectivamente.

Transition waves and nonlinear interactions in the near wake of a circular cylinder

Transition waves and interactions between two kinds of instability-vortex shedding and transition wave in the near wake of a circular cylinder in the Reynolds number range 3 000-10 000 are studied by a domain decomposition hybrid numerical method. Based on high resolution power spectral analyses for velocity new results on the Reynolds-number dependence of the transition wave frequency, i.e. f(t)/f(s) similar to Re-0.87 are obtained. The new predictions are in good agreement with the experimental results of Wei and Smith but different from Braza's prediction and some early experimental results f(t)/f(s) similar to Re-0.5 given by Bloor et nl. The multi-interactions between two kinds of vortex are clearly visualized numerically. The strong nonlinear interactions between the two independent frequencies (f(t), f(s)) leading to spectra broadening to form the coupling mf(s) +/- nf(t) are predicted and analyzed numerically, and the characteristics of the transition are described. Longitudinal variations of the transition wave and its coupling are reported. Detailed mechanism of the flow transition in the near wake before occurrence of the three-dimensional evolution is provided.

地质材料中的流-固耦合研究

阐述地质材料中的流 -固耦合问题中的几个重要方面 ,同时也一般地讨论了流 -固耦合的基本方程和边界条件。

随机缺陷对蜂窝结构动态行为影响的有限元分析

通过对胞壁随机移除的蜂窝结构动态变形过程的有限元模拟，分析了随机缺陷对蜂窝结构变形模式的影响，得到蜂窝结构在两个加载方向上的变形模式图及不同模式间转换的临界速度. 对含缺陷蜂窝结构平台应力的研究发现，当变形模式为过渡模式或动态模式时结构平台应力与冲击速度的平方成线性关系. 相同密度下，低缺陷蜂窝结构的平台应力在由过渡模式向动态模式转变的临界速度附近高于规则蜂窝结构，较高的随机缺陷则使蜂窝结构的平台应力在由准静态模式向过渡模式转变的临界速度附近显著下降.