High-order fluid solver based on a combined compact integrated RBF approximation and its fluid structure interaction applications

In this study, we present a high-order numerical method based on a combined compact integrated RBF (IRBF) approximation for viscous flow and fluid structure interaction (FSI) problems. In the method, the fluid variables are locally approximated by using the combined compact IRBF, and the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved by using the velocity-pressure formulation in a direct fully coupled approach. The fluid solver is verified through various problems including heat, Burgers, convection-diffusion equations, Taylor-Green vortex and lid driven cavity flows. It is then applied to simulate some FSI prob- lems in which an elastic structure is immersed in a viscous incompressible fluid. For FSI simulations, we employ the immersed boundary framework using a regular Eulerian computational grid for the fluid mechanics together with a Lagrangian representation of the immersed boundary. For the immersed fibre/membrane FSI problems, although the order of accuracy of the present scheme is generally similar to FDM approaches reported in the literature, the present approach is nonetheless more accurate than FDM approaches at comparable grid spacings. The numerical results obtained by the present scheme are highly accurate or in good agreement with those reported in earlier studies of the same problems

Compact approximation stencils based on integrated flat radial basis functions

This paper presents improved ways of constructing compact integrated radial basis function (CIRBF) stencils, based on extended precision, definite integrals, higher-order IRBFs and minimum number of derivative equations, to enhance their performance over large values of the RBF width. The proposed approaches are numerically verified through second-order linear differential equations in one and two variables. Significant improvements in the matrix condition number, solution accuracy and convergence rate with grid refinement over the usual approaches are achieved

Free vibration analysis of laminated composite plates based on FSDT using one-dimensional IRBFN method

This paper presents a new effective radial basis function (RBF) collocation technique for the free vibration analysis of laminated composite plates using the first order shear deformation theory (FSDT). The plates, which can be rectangular or non-rectangular, are simply discretised by means of Cartesian grids. Instead of using conventional differentiated RBF networks, one-dimensional integrated RBF networks (1D-IRBFN) are employed on grid lines to approximate the field variables. A number of examples concerning various thickness-to-span ratios, material properties and boundary conditions are considered. Results obtained are compared with the exact solutions and numerical results by other techniques in the literature to investigate the performance of the proposed method

Logging intensity drives variability in carbon stocks in lowland forests in Vietnam

Forest degradation in the tropics is generating large carbon (C) emissions. In tropical Asia, logging is the main driver of forest degradation. For effective implementation of REDD+ projects in logged forests in Southeast Asia, the impacts of logging on forest C stocks need to be assessed. Here, we assess C stocks in logged lowland forests in central Vietnam and explore correlations between logging intensity, soil, topography and living aboveground carbon (AGC) stocks. We present an approach to estimate historical logging intensities for the prevalent situation when complete records on logging history are unavailable. Landsat analysis and participatory mapping were used to quantify the density of historical disturbances, used as a proxy of logging intensities in the area. Carbon in AGC, dead wood, belowground carbon (BGC) and soil (SOC) was measured in twenty-four 0.25 ha plots that vary in logging intensity, and data on recent logging, soil properties, elevation and slope were also collected. Heavily logged forests stored only half the amount of AGC of stems ≥10 cm dbh as lightly logged forests, mainly due to a reduction in the number of large (≥60 cm dbh) trees. Carbon in AGC of small trees (5–10 cm dbh), dead wood and BGC comprised only small fractions of total C stocks, while SOC in the topsoil of 0–30 cm depth stored ~50% of total C stocks. Combining logging intensities with soil and topographic data showed that logging intensity was the main factor explaining the variability in AGC. Our research shows large reductions in AGC in medium and heavily logged forests. It highlights the critical importance of conserving big trees to maintain high forest C stocks and accounting for SOC in total C stock estimates

Data from a pre-publication independent replication initiative examining ten moral judgement effects

We present the data from a crowdsourced project seeking to replicate findings in independent laboratories before (rather than after) they are published. In this Pre-Publication Independent Replication (PPIR) initiative, 25 research groups attempted to replicate 10 moral judgment effects from a single laboratory's research pipeline of unpublished findings. The 10 effects were investigated using online/lab surveys containing psychological manipulations (vignettes) followed by questionnaires. Results revealed a mix of reliable, unreliable, and culturally moderated findings. Unlike any previous replication project, this dataset includes the data from not only the replications but also from the original studies, creating a unique corpus that researchers can use to better understand reproducibility and irreproducibility in science

The pipeline project: Pre-publication independent replications of a single laboratory's research pipeline

This crowdsourced project introduces a collaborative approach to improving the reproducibility of scientific research, in which findings are replicated in qualified independent laboratories before (rather than after) they are published. Our goal is to establish a non-adversarial replication process with highly informative final results. To illustrate the Pre-Publication Independent Replication (PPIR) approach, 25 research groups conducted replications of all ten moral judgment effects which the last author and his collaborators had “in the pipeline” as of August 2014. Six findings replicated according to all replication criteria, one finding replicated but with a significantly smaller effect size than the original, one finding replicated consistently in the original culture but not outside of it, and two findings failed to find support. In total, 40% of the original findings failed at least one major replication criterion. Potential ways to implement and incentivize pre-publication independent replication on a large scale are discussed

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Local moving least square-one-dimensional integrated radial basis function networks technique for incompressible viscous flows

This paper presents a local moving least square-one-dimensional integrated radial basis function networks method for solving incompressible viscous flow problems using stream function-vorticity formulation. In this method, the partition of unity method is employed as a framework to incorporate the moving least square and one-dimensional integrated radial basis function networks techniques. The major advantages of the proposed method include the following: (i) a banded sparse system matrix which helps reduce the computational cost; (ii) the Kronecker-ı property of the constructed shape function which helps impose the essential boundary condition in an exact manner; and (iii) high accuracy and fast convergence rate owing to the use of integration instead of conventional differentiation to construct the local radial basis function approximations. Several examples including two-dimensional (2D) Poisson problems, lid-driven cavity flow and flow past a circular cylinder are considered, and the present results are compared with the exact solutions and numerical results from other methods in the literature to demonstrate the attractiveness of the proposed method

Local moving least square - one-dimensional IRBFN technique: part 1 - natural convection flows in concentric and eccentric annuli

In this paper, natural convection flows in concentric and eccentric annuli are studied using a new numerical method, namely local moving least square-one dimensional integrated radial basis function networks (LMLS-1D-IRBFN). The partition of unity method is used to incorporate the moving least square (MLS) and one dimensional-integrated radial basis function (1D-IRBFN) techniques in an approach that leads to sparse system matrices and offers a high level of accuracy as in the case of 1D-IRBFN method. The present method possesses a Kronecker-Delta function property which helps impose the essential boundary condition in an exact manner. The method is first verified by the solution of the two-dimensional Poisson equation in a square domain with a circular hole, then applied to natural convection flow problems. Numerical results obtained are in good agreement with the exact solution and other published results in the literature