Pattern formation in a predator-prey system characterized by a spatial scale of interaction

We describe pattern formation in ecological systems using a version of the classical Lotka-Volterra model characterized by a spatial scale which controls the predator-prey interaction range. Analytical and simulational results show that patterns can emerge in some regions of the parameters space where the instability is driven by the range of the interaction. The individual-based implementation captures realistic ecological features. In fact, spatial structures emerge in an erratic oscillatory regime which can contemplate predators' extinction.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Computational aspects of the through-focus characteristics of the human eye

Calculating through-focus characteristics of the human eye from a single objective measurement of wavefront aberration can be accomplished through a range of methods that are inherently computationally cumbersome. A simple yet accurate and computationally effcient method is developed, which combines the philosophy of the extended Nijboer-Zernike approach with the radial basis function based approximation of the complex pupil function. The main advantage of the proposed technique is that the increase of the computational cost for a vector valued defocus parameter is practically negligible in comparison to the corresponding scalar valued defocus parameter

Fracturas estallido de columna toracolumbar: Evaluación clinicoradiológica y terapéutica de 90 casos

Presentamos un estudio retrospectivo de 90 fracturas toracolumbares tipo estallido con un seguimiento mínimo de 12 meses. Se realizó tratamiento ortopédico en 43 casos y en 47 se indicó una artrodesis instrumentada. Realizamos una evaluación clínico-radiológica en base al dolor residual y evolución del ángulo de cifosis con el objetivo de valorar el tratamiento ortopédico como opción terapéutica y la necesidad de distinguir fracturas estallido con afectación de 2 ó 3 columnas. No apreciamos diferencias estables significativas en el dolor y la lesión de las tres columnas. El aumento de cifosis angular media en las fracturas estallido estable no operadas es de 4.7º y de 5.2º en las fracturas estallido inestables tratadas ortopédicamente. Observamos una alta incidencia de complicaciones relacionadas con la fijación (21%) cuando la fractura asentaba en la charnela y se instrumentaba a un solo nivel. El tratamiento ortopédico es una opción aceptable en las fracturas estallido en pacientes neurológicamente indemnes.Ninety burst fractures of the thoracolumbar spine were retrospectively assessed with a minum follow-up of 12 months. Conservative treatment was indicated in 43 cases, and reduction and surgical stabilization in 47. The aim was to compare the two treatment modalities according to fracture stability. Clinical and radiological evaluation included chronic pain and kyphotic angle progression. No statistical differences were found between stable and unstable fractures as to chronic pain. The kyphotic angle average progression for stable burst fractures was 4.7º and 5.2º for unstable fractures conservatively treated. There was a high rate of complications related to instrumentation (21%) particularly when the fracture was at the thoracolumbar junction and a single level was fixed. The orthopaedic treatment is an acceptable alternative treatment for stable burst fractures without neurological injury

Crystallization and melting of bacteria colonies and Brownian Bugs

Motivated by the existence of remarkably ordered cluster arrays of bacteria colonies growing in Petri dishes and related problems, we study the spontaneous emergence of clustering and patterns in a simple nonequilibrium system: the individual-based interacting Brownian bug model. We map this discrete model into a continuous Langevin equation which is the starting point for our extensive numerical analyses. For the two-dimensional case we report on the spontaneous generation of localized clusters of activity as well as a melting/freezing transition from a disordered or isotropic phase to an ordered one characterized by hexagonal patterns. We study in detail the analogies and differences with the well-established Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young theory of equilibrium melting, as well as with another competing theory. For that, we study translational and orientational correlations and perform a careful defect analysis. We find a non standard one-stage, defect-mediated, transition whose nature is only partially elucidated.Comment: 13 Figures. 14 pages. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Aplicación del método SPH al estudio hidráulico de estructuras. Análisis hidrodinámico del aliviadero en pozo de la presa de Nagore (Navarra)

ResumenSon muchos los trabajos de calibración realizados que avalan la validez del método de hidrodinámica suavizada de partículas (SPH) para el análisis de flujos turbulentos en lámina libre. Sin embargo, sus altos requerimientos computacionales no permitían su empleo en trabajos reales. El desarrollo de las técnicas de supercomputación en unidades de procesamiento gráfico (GPU) ha modificado esta situación y está permitiendo su utilización como herramienta de diseño.CEDEX ha desarrollado el modelo SPHERIMENTAL basado en esta tecnología con el fin de apoyar los experimentos realizados con modelación física. Esto ha permitido calibrar el modelo y emplearlo en el estudio de fenómenos complejos.Se presentan los trabajos realizados para la comprobación hidrodinámica de flujos en lámina libre del aliviadero en pozo de la presa de Nagore (Navarra), describiendo tanto los trabajos de calibración previos como los resultados obtenidos.AbstractMany calibration works have been performed to support the validity of the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method for studying turbulent-free surface flows. However, its high computational requirements made it difficult to use in real cases. The development of techniques for supercomputing graphics processing units (GPU) has changed this situation, and is allowing its use as a design tool.CEDEX has developed a model based on this technology, SPHERIMENTAL, in order to support studies on physical modelling. This has enabled the model to be calibrated in order to study complex phenomena.This paper shows the works done to check the hydrodynamics free surface flows in the Nagore dam morning glory spillway, describing both the previous calibration works and the results obtained

Cost-Sensitive Variable Selection for Multi-Class Imbalanced Datasets Using Bayesian Networks

Multi-class classification in imbalanced datasets is a challenging problem. In these cases, common validation metrics (such as accuracy or recall) are often not suitable. In many of these problems, often real-world problems related to health, some classification errors may be tolerated, whereas others are to be avoided completely. Therefore, a cost-sensitive variable selection procedure for building a Bayesian network classifier is proposed. In it, a flexible validation metric (cost/loss function) encoding the impact of the different classification errors is employed. Thus, the model is learned to optimize the a priori specified cost function. The proposed approach was applied to forecasting an air quality index using current levels of air pollutants and climatic variables from a highly imbalanced dataset. For this problem, the method yielded better results than other standard validation metrics in the less frequent class states. The possibility of fine-tuning the objective validation function can improve the prediction quality in imbalanced data or when asymmetric misclassification costs have to be considered

Effect of acid treatment on the structure of sepiolite.

An ab initio determination of the structure of sepiolite after acid treatment (HCl 0.5 N for 24 h) was carried out using X-ray powder diffraction data. After acid treatment, the sections normal to the a and c axes presented discontinuities, ~2.25 Å wide, parallel to the (010) plane, with no electronic density maxima, thus suggesting that adjacent planes are joined by van der Waals-like residual links. Partial dissolution was detected on both octahedral and tetrahedral sheets, beginning by breaking the ribbons not along the edges, but in the centre, thus creating a 5.20x6.79 Å tunnel along the a axis. By interrupting the tetrahedral sheet, this mechanism changes the phyllosilicate-like nature of the sepiolite to an inosilicate-like structure.Peer reviewe

Steady state rheological behaviour of multi-component magnetic suspensions

In this paper, we study the rheological behaviour (in the absence of a magnetic field and upon its application) of multi-component magnetic suspensions that consist of a mixture of magnetic (iron) and non-magnetic (PMMA) particles dispersed in a liquid carrier. These suspensions exhibit considerably higher viscosity and yield stress in the absence of a magnetic field than single-component suspensions of the same solid fraction, as a consequence of the adsorption of the iron particles on the PMMA ones. The adsorbed layer of iron particles on the PMMA ones is observed through optical microscopy of dilute samples and confirmed by attenuated total reflectance. Microscopic observations also show that the resulting non-magnetic-core–magnetic-shell composites move upon magnetic field application and aggregate into particle structures aligned with the applied field. These structures, which consist of both types of particles, give rise to high values of the static and dynamic yield stresses upon field application. Actually, both quantities are much higher than those of a suspension with the same volume fraction of magnetic particles, and increase when the amount of non-magnetic ones increases. These trends are adequately predicted by a theoretical model that considers that the main contribution to the yield stress is the change of the suspension magnetic permeability when particle chains are deformed by the shear.This work was supported by Projects P08-FQM-3993, P09-FQM-4787 (Junta de Andalucía, Spain) and FIS2009-07321 (MICINN, Spain). In addition, L. Rodríguez-Arco and M.T. López-López acknowledge financial support by Secretaría de Estado de Educación, Formación Profesional y Universidades (MECD, Spain) through its FPU program and the University of Granada (Spain), respectively

High spatial resolution optical imaging of the multiple T Tauri system LkH{\alpha} 262/LkH{\alpha} 263

We report high spatial resolution i' band imaging of the multiple T Tauri system LkH$\alpha$ 262/LkH$\alpha$ 263 obtained during the first commissioning period of the Adaptive Optics Lucky Imager (AOLI) at the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope, using its Lucky Imaging mode. AOLI images have provided photometry for each of the two components LkH$\alpha$ 263 A and B (0.41 arcsec separation) and marginal evidence for an unresolved binary or a disc in LkH$\alpha$ 262. The AOLI data combined with previously available and newly obtained optical and infrared imaging show that the three components of LkH$\alpha$ 263 are co-moving, that there is orbital motion in the AB pair, and, remarkably, that LkH$\alpha$ 262-263 is a common proper motion system with less than 1 mas/yr relative motion. We argue that this is a likely five-component gravitationally bounded system. According to BT-settl models the mass of each of the five components is close to 0.4 M$_{\odot}$ and the age is in the range 1-2 Myr. The presence of discs in some of the components offers an interesting opportunity to investigate the formation and evolution of discs in the early stages of multiple very low-mass systems. In particular, we provide tentative evidence that the disc in 263C could be coplanar with the orbit of 263AB.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, Accepted 2016 May