Interactive Generation of Time-Evolving Snow-Covered Landscaped with Avalanches

We introduce a novel method for interactive generation of visually consistent, snow-covered landscapes and provide control of their dynamic evolution over time. Our main contribution is the real-time phenomenological simulation of avalanches and other user-guided events, such as tracks left by Nordic skiing, which can be applied to interactively sculpt the landscape. The terrain is modeled as a height field with additional layers for stable, compacted, unstable, and powdery snow, which behave in combination as a semi-viscous fluid. We incorporate the impact of several phenomena, including sunlight, temperature, prevailing wind direction, and skiing activities. The snow evolution includes snow-melt and snow-drift, which affect stability of the snow mass and the probability of avalanches. A user can shape landscapes and their evolution either with a variety of interactive brushes, or by prescribing events along a winter season time-line. Our optimized GPU-implementation allows interactive updates of snow type and depth across a large (10×10km) terrain, including real-time avalanches, making this suitable for visual assets in computer games. We evaluate our method through perceptual comparison against exiting methods and real snow-depth data

A New Class of Nonsingular Exact Solutions for Laplacian Pattern Formation

We present a new class of exact solutions for the so-called {\it Laplacian Growth Equation} describing the zero-surface-tension limit of a variety of 2D pattern formation problems. Contrary to common belief, we prove that these solutions are free of finite-time singularities (cusps) for quite general initial conditions and may well describe real fingering instabilities. At long times the interface consists of N separated moving Saffman-Taylor fingers, with ``stagnation points'' in between, in agreement with numerous observations. This evolution resembles the N-soliton solution of classical integrable PDE's.Comment: LaTeX, uuencoded postscript file

Generic critical points of normal matrix ensembles

The evolution of the degenerate complex curve associated with the ensemble at a generic critical point is related to the finite time singularities of Laplacian Growth. It is shown that the scaling behavior at a critical point of singular geometry $x^3 \sim y^2$ is described by the first Painlev\'e transcendent. The regularization of the curve resulting from discretization is discussed.Comment: Based on a talk given at the conference on Random Matrices, Random Processes and Integrable Systems, CRM Montreal, June 200

Forming Terrains by Glacial Erosion

We introduce the first solution for simulating the formation and evolution of glaciers, together with their attendant erosive effects, for periods covering the combination of glacial and inter-glacial cycles. Our efficient solution includes both a fast yet accurate deep learning-based estimation of high- order ice flows and a new, multi-scale advection scheme enabling us to account for the distinct time scales at which glaciers reach equilibrium compared to eroding the terrain. We combine the resulting glacial erosion model with finer-scale erosive phenomena to account for the transport of debris flowing from cliffs. This enables us to model the formation of terrain shapes not previously adequately modeled in Computer Graphics, ranging from U-shaped and hanging valleys to fjords and glacial lakes

Cloud feedback in atmospheric general circulation models: An update

Six years ago, we compared the climate sensitivity of 19 atmospheric general circulation models and found a roughly threefold variation among the models; most of this variation was attributed to differences in the models' depictions of cloud feedback. In an update of this comparison, current models showed considerably smaller differences in net cloud feedback, with most producing modest values. There are, however, substantial differences in the feedback components, indicating that the models still have physical disagreements

The Current State of Performance Appraisal Research and Practice: Concerns, Directions, and Implications

On the surface, it is not readily apparent how some performance appraisal research issues inform performance appraisal practice. Because performance appraisal is an applied topic, it is useful to periodically consider the current state of performance research and its relation to performance appraisal practice. This review examines the performance appraisal literature published in both academic and practitioner outlets between 1985 and 1990, briefly discusses the current state of performance appraisal practice, highlights the juxtaposition of research and practice, and suggests directions for further research

Heating of nuclei with energetic anti-protons

International audienceHigh-energy γ rays associated with the decay of the giant dipole resonance have been measured for two fusion reactions leading to the 140Sm compound nucleus at an excitation energy of 71 MeV. The observed yield increases with the asymmetry in the ratios of the number of neutrons to protons in the entrance channel. This is interpreted as resulting from giant dipole phonons excited at the moment of collision in an N/Z asymmetric reaction