30,414 research outputs found
Rigorous statistical detection and characterization of a deviation from the Gutenberg-Richter distribution above magnitude 8 in subduction zones
We present a quantitative statistical test for the presence of a crossover c0
in the Gutenberg-Richter distribution of earthquake seismic moments, separating
the usual power law regime for seismic moments less than c0 from another faster
decaying regime beyond c0. Our method is based on the transformation of the
ordered sample of seismic moments into a series with uniform distribution under
condition of no crossover. The bootstrap method allows us to estimate the
statistical significance of the null hypothesis H0 of an absence of crossover
(c0=infinity). When H0 is rejected, we estimate the crossover c0 using two
different competing models for the second regime beyond c0 and the bootstrap
method. For the catalog obtained by aggregating 14 subduction zones of the
Circum Pacific Seismic Belt, our estimate of the crossover point is log(c0)
=28.14 +- 0.40 (c0 in dyne-cm), corresponding to a crossover magnitude mW=8.1
+- 0.3. For separate subduction zones, the corresponding estimates are much
more uncertain, so that the null hypothesis of an identical crossover for all
subduction zones cannot be rejected. Such a large value of the crossover
magnitude makes it difficult to associate it directly with a seismogenic
thickness as proposed by many different authors in the past. Our measure of c0
may substantiate the concept that the localization of strong shear deformation
could propagate significantly in the lower crust and upper mantle, thus
increasing the effective size beyond which one should expect a change of
regime.Comment: pdf document of 40 pages including 5 tables and 19 figure
Measurement Method for Evaluating the Probability Distribution of the Quality Factor of Mode-Stirred Reverberation Chambers
An original experimental method for determining the empirical probability
distribution function (PDF) of the quality factor (Q) of a mode-stirred
reverberation chamber is presented. Spectral averaging of S-parameters across a
relatively narrow frequency interval at a single pair of locations for the
transmitting and receiving antennas is applied to estimate the stored and
dissipated energy in the cavity, avoiding the need for spatial scanning to
obtain spatial volume or surface averages. The effective number of
simultaneously excited cavity modes per stir state, M, can be estimated by
fitting the empirical distribution to the parametrized theoretical
distribution. The measured results support a previously developed theoretical
model for the PDF of Q and show that spectral averaging over a bandwidth as
small as a few hundred kHz is sufficient to obtain accurate results.Comment: submitted for publicatio
Multi-Epoch HST Observations of IZw18: Characterization of Variable Stars at Ultra-Low Metallicities
Variable stars have been identified for the first time in the very metal-poor
Blue Compact dwarf galaxy IZw18, using deep multi-band (F606W,
F814W)time-series photometry obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys
(ACS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). We detected 34 candidate
variable stars in the galaxy. We classify three of them as Classical Cepheids,
with periods of 8.71, 125.0 and 130.3 days, respectively, and other two as long
period variables with periodicities longer than a hundred days. These are the
lowest metallicity Classical Cepheids known so far, thus providing the
opportunity to explore and fit models of stellar pulsation fo Classical
Cepheids at previously inaccessible metallicities. The period distribution of
the confirmed Cepheids is markedly different from what is seen in other nearby
galaxies, which is likely related to the star bursting nature of IZw18. By
applying to the 8.71 days Cepheid theoretical Wesenheit (V,I) relations based
on new pulsation models of Classical Cepheids specifically computed for the
extremely low metallicity of this galaxy (Z=0.0004, Y=0.24), we estimate the
distance modulus of IZw18 to be mu_0= 31.4pm0.2 D=19.0^{+1.8}_{-1.7}Mpc) for
canonical models of Classical Cepheids, and of 31.2pm0.2 mag
(D=17.4^{+1.6}_{-1.6}Mpc) using over luminous models. The theoretical modeling
of the star's light curves provides mu_0=31.4pm0.1 mag, D=19.0^{+0.9}_{-0.9}
Mpc, in good agreement with the results from the theoretical Wesenheit
relations. These pulsation distances bracket the distance of 18.2pm1.5Mpc
inferred by Aloisi et al. (2007) using the galaxy's Red Giant Branch Tip.Comment: 13 Pages, 6 Figures, accepted, Ap
Risk Assessment for National Natural Resource Conservation Programs
This paper reviews the risk assessments prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in support of regulations implementing the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). These two natural resource conservation programs were authorized as part of the 1996 Farm Bill. The risk assessments were required under the Federal Crop Insurance Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994. The framework used for the assessments was appropriate, but the assessments could be improved in the areas of assessments endpoint selection, definition, and estimation. Many of the assessment endpoints were too diffuse or ill-defined to provide an adequate characterization of the program benefits. Two reasons for this lack of clarity were apparent: 1) the large, unprioritized set of natural resource conservation objectives for the two programs and 2) there is little agreement about what changes in environmental attributes caused by agriculture should be considered adverse and which may be considered negligible. There is also some "double counting" of program benefits. Although the CRP and EQIP are, in part, intended to assist agricultural producers with regulatory compliance, the resultant environmental benefits would occur absent the programs. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations for continuing efforts to conduct regulatory analyses of these major conservation programs. The central recommendation is that future risk assessments go beyond efforts to identify the natural resources at greatest risk due to agricultural production activities and instead provide scientific input for analyses of the cost-effectiveness of the conservation programs.
The role of learning on industrial simulation design and analysis
The capability of modeling real-world system operations has turned simulation into an indispensable problemsolving methodology for business system design and analysis. Today, simulation supports decisions ranging
from sourcing to operations to finance, starting at the strategic level and proceeding towards tactical and
operational levels of decision-making. In such a dynamic setting, the practice of simulation goes beyond
being a static problem-solving exercise and requires integration with learning. This article discusses the role
of learning in simulation design and analysis motivated by the needs of industrial problems and describes
how selected tools of statistical learning can be utilized for this purpose
Global Sensitivity Analysis of Stochastic Computer Models with joint metamodels
The global sensitivity analysis method, used to quantify the influence of
uncertain input variables on the response variability of a numerical model, is
applicable to deterministic computer code (for which the same set of input
variables gives always the same output value). This paper proposes a global
sensitivity analysis methodology for stochastic computer code (having a
variability induced by some uncontrollable variables). The framework of the
joint modeling of the mean and dispersion of heteroscedastic data is used. To
deal with the complexity of computer experiment outputs, non parametric joint
models (based on Generalized Additive Models and Gaussian processes) are
discussed. The relevance of these new models is analyzed in terms of the
obtained variance-based sensitivity indices with two case studies. Results show
that the joint modeling approach leads accurate sensitivity index estimations
even when clear heteroscedasticity is present
Reliability analysis and micromechanics: A coupled approach for composite failure prediction
This work aims at associating two classical approaches for the design of composite materials: first, reliability methods that allow to account for the various uncertainties involved in the composite materials behaviour and lead to a rational estimation of their reliability level; on the other hand, micromechanics that derive macroscopic constitutive laws from micromechanical features. Such approach relies on the introduction of variabilities defined at the microscale and on the investigation of their consequences on the material macroscopic response through an homogenization scheme. Precisely, we propose here a systematic treatment of variability which involves a strong link between micro- and macroscales and provides a more exhaustive analysis of the influence of uncertainties. The paper intends to explain the main steps of such coupling and demonstrate its interests for material engineering, especially for constitutive modelling and composite materials optimization. An application case is developed throughout on the failure of unidirectional carbon fibre-reinforced composites with a comparative analysis between experimental data and simulation results
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