Coarsening dynamical systems: dynamic scaling, universality and mean-field theories

We study three distinct coarsening dynamical systems (CDS) and probe the underlying scaling laws and universal scaling functions. We employ a variety of computational methods to discover and analyse these intrinsic statistical objects. We consider mean-field type models, similar in nature to those used in the seminal work of Lifshitz, Slyozov and Wagner (LSW theory), and statistical information is then derived from these models. We first consider a simple particle model where each particle possesses a continuous positive parameter, called mass, which itself determines the particle’s velocity through a prescribed law of motion. The varying speeds of particles, caused by their differing masses, causes collisions to take place, in which the colliding particles then merge into a single particle while conserving mass. We computationally discover the presence of scaling laws of the characteristic scale (mean mass) and universal scaling functions for the distribution of particle mass for a family of power-law motion rules. We show that in the limit as the power-law exponent approaches infinity, this family of models approaches a probabilistic min-driven model. This min-driven model is then analysed through a mean-field type model, which yields a prediction of the universal scaling function. We also consider the conserved Kuramoto-Sivashinsky (CKS) equation and provide, in particular, a critique of the effective dynamics derived by Politi and ben-Avraham. We consider several different numerical methods for solving the CKS equation, both on fixed and adaptive grids, before settling on an implicit-explicit hybrid scheme. We then show, through a series of detailed numerical simulations of both the CKS equation and the proposed dynamics, that their particular reduction to a length-based CDS does not capture the effective dynamics of the CKS equation. Finally, we consider a faceted CDS derived from a one-dimensional geometric partial differential equation. Unusually, an obvious one-point mean-field theory for this CDS is not present. As a result, we consider the two-point distribution of facet lengths. We derive a mean-field evolution equation governing the two-point distribution, which serves as a two-dimensional generalisation of the LSW theory. Through consideration of the two-point theory, we subsequently derive a non-trivial one-point sub-model which we analytically solve. Our predicted one-point distribution bears a significant resemblance to the LSW distribution and stands in reasonable agreement with the underlying faceted CDS

Mental Blocks: The behavioural effects and neural encoding of obstacles when reaching and grasping

The ability to adeptly interact with a cluttered and dynamic world requires that the brain simultaneously encode multiple objects. Theoretical frameworks of selective visuomotor attention provide evidence for parallel encoding (Baldauf & Deubel, 2010; Cisek & Kalaska, 2010; Duncan, 2006) where concurrent object processing results in neural competition. Since the end goal of object representation is usually action, these frameworks argue that the competitive activity is best characterized as the development of visuomotor biases. While some behavioural and neural evidence has been accumulated in favour of this explanation, one of the most striking, yet deceptively common, demonstrations of this capacity is often overlooked; the movement of the arm away from an obstacle while reaching for a target object is definitive proof that both objects are encoded and affect behaviour. In the current thesis, I discuss three experiments exploring obstacle avoidance. While some previous studies have shown how visuomotor biases develop prior to movement onset, the dynamics of the bias during movement remains largely unexplored. In the first experiment I use the availability and predictability of vision during movement as a means of exploring whether obstacle representations might change during a reach (Chapter 2, Chapman & Goodale, 2010b). While the visuomotor system seems optimized to use vision, I found no difference between reaching with and without vision, providing no evidence that obstacle representations were altered. To more directly test this question, in the second experiment participants made reaches to a target that sometimes changed position during the reach (Chapter 3, Chapman & Goodale, 2010a). The automatic online corrections to the new target location were sometimes interfered with by an obstacle. Using this more direct approach we found definitive evidence that obstacle representations were accessed or updated during movement. In the third experiment, I directly tested the neural encoding of obstacles using functional magnetic resonance imaging (Chapter 4, Chapman, Gallivan, Culham, & Goodale, 2010). When participants planned a grasp movement that was interfered with by an obstacle versus when the grasp was not interfered with, one area in the left posterior intraparietal sulcus was activated. This activity was concurrent with a suppression of early visual areas that were responsive to the position of the obstacle. This study confirmed that the PPC was involved with the encoding of obstacles, and demonstrated that one effect of interference was the suppression of the visual cortical signal associated with the obstacle. These findings extend our understanding of competitive visuomotor biases. Critically, in a world filled with potential action targets, the selection of one target necessarily means all other objects in the workspace are potential obstacles. My results indicate that the visuomotor biasing signal to inhibit obstacle activity is putatively provided by the PPC, which in turn causes the visual cortical representation of the obstacle to be suppressed. The behavioural result of biasing the visual input is the propagation of this suppression to the motor output - ultimately resulting in a reach which intelligently deviates away from potential obstacles

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Mesh Independency Study of A Straight Blade Horizontal Axis Tidal Turbine

This paper numerically investigates a 3D mesh independency study of a straight blade horizontal axis tidal turbine modelled using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The solution was produced by employing two turbulence models, the standard k-&amp;epsilon; model and Shear Stress Transport (SST) in ANSYS CFX. Three parameters were investigated: mesh resolution, turbulence model, and power coefficient in the initial CFD, analysis. It was found that the mesh resolution and the turbulence model affect the power coefficient results. The power coefficients obtained from the standard k-&amp;epsilon; model are 15% to 20% lower than the accuracy of the SST model. It can also be demonstrated that the torque coefficient increases with the increasing Tip Speed Ratio (TSR), but drops drastically after TSR = 5 and k-&amp;epsilon; model failing to capture the non-linearity in the torque coefficient with the increasing TSR.</jats:p

Dynamics of eye-hand coordination are flexibly preserved in eye-cursor coordination during an online, digital, object interaction task

Do patterns of eye-hand coordination observed during real-world object interactions apply to digital, screen-based object interactions? We adapted a real-world object interaction task (physically transferring cups in sequence about a tabletop) into a two-dimensional screen-based task (dragging-and-dropping circles in sequence with a cursor). We collected gaze (with webcam eye-tracking) and cursor position data from 51 fully-remote, crowd-sourced participants who performed the task on their own computer. We applied real-world time-series data segmentation strategies to resolve the self-paced movement sequence into phases of object interaction and rigorously cleaned the webcam eye-tracking data. In this preliminary investigation, we found that: 1) real-world eye-hand coordination patterns persist and adapt in this digital context, and 2) remote, online, cursor-tracking and webcam eye-tracking are useful tools for capturing visuomotor behaviours during this ecologically-valid human-computer interaction task. We discuss how these findings might inform design principles and further investigations into natural behaviours that persist in digital environments

A computational design method for bio-mimicked horizontal axis tidal turbines

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conduct a comparative analysis between a straight blade (SB) and a curved caudal-fin tidal turbine blade (CB) and to examine the aspects relating to geometry, turbulence modelling, non-dimensional forces lift and power coefficients. Design/methodology/approach The comparison utilises results obtained from a default horizontal axis tidal turbine with turbine models available from the literature. A computational design method was then developed and implemented for “horizontal axis tidal turbine blade”. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results for the blade design are presented in terms of lift coefficient distribution at mid-height blades, power coefficients and blade surface pressure distributions. Moving the CB back towards the SB ensures that the total blade height stays constant for all geometries. A 3D mesh independency study of a “straight blade horizontal axis tidal turbine blade” modelled using CFD was carried out. The grid convergence study was produced by employing two turbulence models, the standard k-ε model and shear stress transport (SST) in ANSYS CFX. Three parameters were investigated: mesh resolution, turbulence model, and power coefficient in the initial CFD, analysis. Findings It was found that the mesh resolution and the turbulence model affect the power coefficient results. The power coefficients obtained from the standard k-ε model are 15 to 20 per cent lower than the accuracy of the SST model. Further analysis was performed on both the designed blades using ANSYS CFX and SST turbulence model. The variation in pressure distributions yields to the varying lift coefficient distribution across blade spans. The lift coefficient reached its peak between 0.75 and 0.8 of the blade span where the total lift accelerates with increasing pressure before drastically dropping down at 0.9 onwards due to the escalating rotational velocity of the blades. Originality/value The work presents a computational design methodological approach that is entirely original. While this numerical method has proven to be accurate and robust for many traditional tidal turbines, it has now been verified further for CB tidal turbines

Employee\u27s Allegation of Wrongful Termination for Failing to Comply with Illegal Order by Employer States Cause of Action.

Abstract Forthcoming

The interaction between policy and education using stroke as an example

This paper discusses the interaction between healthcare policy at the European, UK and Scottish levels and the funding of education that underpins specific health policy priorities. Stroke is used throughout to illustrate the relationship between a designated European and UK health priority and the translation of that priority into clinical delivery. The necessity to build a responsive and sustainable culture to address the healthcare education that underpins changing healthcare policies is emphasized