53,083 research outputs found
An extended finite element method with smooth nodal stress
The enrichment formulation of double-interpolation finite element method
(DFEM) is developed in this paper. DFEM is first proposed by Zheng \emph{et al}
(2011) and it requires two stages of interpolation to construct the trial
function. The first stage of interpolation is the same as the standard finite
element interpolation. Then the interpolation is reproduced by an additional
procedure using the nodal values and nodal gradients which are derived from the
first stage as interpolants. The re-constructed trial functions are now able to
produce continuous nodal gradients, smooth nodal stress without post-processing
and higher order basis without increasing the total degrees of freedom. Several
benchmark numerical examples are performed to investigate accuracy and
efficiency of DFEM and enriched DFEM. When compared with standard FEM,
super-convergence rate and better accuracy are obtained by DFEM. For the
numerical simulation of crack propagation, better accuracy is obtained in the
evaluation of displacement norm, energy norm and the stress intensity factor
Hedonic Prices and House Numbers: The Influence of Feng Shui
In contemporary practice, feng shui incorporates a wide range of concepts considered to affect a person’s luck. These include traditional ideas about site selection and building design, as well as newer beliefs about the “luckiness” of certain numbers. Focusing on an area with a relatively high percentage of Chinese households in Auckland, New Zealand, this paper uses hedonic price analysis to investigate whether house values are affected by lucky and unlucky numbers. Sales transactions for 1989 to 1996 are used in this analysis. The results demonstrate that lucky house numbers are capitalised into house values.Feng shui, hedonic price model, lucky, New Zealand
Fluctuation Analysis of Human Electroencephalogram
The scaling behaviors of the human electroencephalogram (EEG) time series are
studied using detrended fluctuation analysis. Two scaling regions are found in
nearly every channel for all subjects examined. The scatter plot of the scaling
exponents for all channels (up to 129) reveals the complicated structure of a
subject's brain activity. Moment analyses are performed to extract the gross
features of all the scaling exponents, and another universal scaling behavior
is identified. A one-parameter description is found to characterize the
fluctuation properties of the nonlinear behaviors of the brain dynamics.Comment: 4 pages in RevTeX + 6 figures in ep
Detection of Minimum-Ionizing Particles and Nuclear Counter Effect with Pure BGO and BSO Crystals with Photodiode Read-out
Long BGO (Bismuth Germanate) and BSO (Bismuth Silicate) crystals coupled with
silicon photodiodes have been used to detect minimum-ionizing particles(MIP).
With a low noise amplifier customized for this purpose, the crystals can detect
MIPs with an excellent signal-to-noise ratio. The NCE(Nuclear Counter Effect}
is also clearly observed and measured. Effect of full and partial wrapping of a
reflector around the crystal on light collection is also studied.Comment: 18 pages, including 5 figures; LaTeX and EP
Steady-state traffic flow on a ring road with up- and down- slopes
This paper studies steady-state traffic flow on a ring road with up- and
down- slopes using a semi-discrete model. By exploiting the relations between
the semi-discrete and the continuum models, a steady-state solution is uniquely
determined for a given total number of vehicles on the ring road. The solution
is exact and always stable with respect to the first-order continuum model,
whereas it is a good approximation with respect to the semi-discrete model
provided that the involved equilibrium constant states are linearly stable. In
an otherwise case, the instability of one or more equilibria could trigger
stop-and-go waves propagating in certain road sections or throughout the ring
road. The indicated results are reasonable and thus physically significant for
a better understanding of real traffic flow on an inhomogeneous road
Do Housing Submarkets Really Matter?
We maintain that the appropriate definition of submarkets depends on the use to which they will be put. For mass appraisal purposes, submarkets should be defined so that the accuracy of hedonic predictions will be optimized. Thus we test whether out-of-sample hedonic value predictions can be improved when a large urban housing market is divided into submarkets and we explore the effects of alternative definitions of submarkets on the accuracy of predictions. We compare a set of submarkets based on small geographical areas defined by real estate appraisers with a set of statistically generated submarkets consisting of dwellings that are similar but not necessarily contiguous. The empirical analysis uses a transactions database from Auckland, New Zealand. Price predictions are found to be most accurate when based on the housing market segmentation used by appraisers. We conclude that housing submarkets matter, and location plays the major role in explaining why they matter.Housing; Submarkets; Price Predictions; Mass Appraisal; Hedonic Method
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