609 research outputs found
Modeling Earthen Dike Stability: Sensitivity Analysis and Automatic Calibration of Diffusivities Based on Live Sensor Data
The paper describes concept and implementation details of integrating a
finite element module for dike stability analysis Virtual Dike into an early
warning system for flood protection. The module operates in real-time mode and
includes fluid and structural sub-models for simulation of porous flow through
the dike and for dike stability analysis. Real-time measurements obtained from
pore pressure sensors are fed into the simulation module, to be compared with
simulated pore pressure dynamics. Implementation of the module has been
performed for a real-world test case - an earthen levee protecting a sea-port
in Groningen, the Netherlands. Sensitivity analysis and calibration of
diffusivities have been performed for tidal fluctuations. An algorithm for
automatic diffusivities calibration for a heterogeneous dike is proposed and
studied. Analytical solutions describing tidal propagation in one-dimensional
saturated aquifer are employed in the algorithm to generate initial estimates
of diffusivities
Complex Agent Networks explaining the HIV epidemic among homosexual men in Amsterdam
Simulating the evolution of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) epidemic
requires a detailed description of the population network, especially for small
populations in which individuals can be represented in detail and accuracy. In
this paper, we introduce the concept of a Complex Agent Network(CAN) to model
the HIV epidemics by combining agent-based modelling and complex networks, in
which agents represent individuals that have sexual interactions. The
applicability of CANs is demonstrated by constructing and executing a detailed
HIV epidemic model for men who have sex with men (MSM) in Amsterdam, including
a distinction between steady and casual relationships. We focus on MSM contacts
because they play an important role in HIV epidemics and have been tracked in
Amsterdam for a long time. Our experiments show good correspondence between the
historical data of the Amsterdam cohort and the simulation results.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures, Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, added
reference
Slope Instability of the Earthen Levee in Boston, UK: Numerical Simulation and Sensor Data Analysis
The paper presents a slope stability analysis for a heterogeneous earthen
levee in Boston, UK, which is prone to occasional slope failures under tidal
loads. Dynamic behavior of the levee under tidal fluctuations was simulated
using a finite element model of variably saturated linear elastic perfectly
plastic soil. Hydraulic conductivities of the soil strata have been calibrated
according to piezometers readings, in order to obtain correct range of
hydraulic loads in tidal mode. Finite element simulation was complemented with
series of limit equilibrium analyses. Stability analyses have shown that slope
failure occurs with the development of a circular slip surface located in the
soft clay layer. Both models (FEM and LEM) confirm that the least stable
hydraulic condition is the combination of the minimum river levels at low tide
with the maximal saturation of soil layers. FEM results indicate that in winter
time the levee is almost at its limit state, at the margin of safety (strength
reduction factor values are 1.03 and 1.04 for the low-tide and high-tide
phases, respectively); these results agree with real-life observations. The
stability analyses have been implemented as real-time components integrated
into the UrbanFlood early warning system for flood protection
Inference of the Russian drug community from one of the largest social networks in the Russian Federation
The criminal nature of narcotics complicates the direct assessment of a drug
community, while having a good understanding of the type of people drawn or
currently using drugs is vital for finding effective intervening strategies.
Especially for the Russian Federation this is of immediate concern given the
dramatic increase it has seen in drug abuse since the fall of the Soviet Union
in the early nineties. Using unique data from the Russian social network
'LiveJournal' with over 39 million registered users worldwide, we were able for
the first time to identify the on-line drug community by context sensitive text
mining of the users' blogs using a dictionary of known drug-related official
and 'slang' terminology. By comparing the interests of the users that most
actively spread information on narcotics over the network with the interests of
the individuals outside the on-line drug community, we found that the 'average'
drug user in the Russian Federation is generally mostly interested in topics
such as Russian rock, non-traditional medicine, UFOs, Buddhism, yoga and the
occult. We identify three distinct scale-free sub-networks of users which can
be uniquely classified as being either 'infectious', 'susceptible' or 'immune'.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure
Equilibrium spherically curved 2D Lennard-Jones systems
To learn about basic aspects of nano-scale spherical molecular shells during
their formation, spherically curved two-dimensional N-particle Lennard-Jones
systems are simulated, studying curvature evolution paths at zero-temperature.
For many N-values (N<800) equilibrium configurations are traced as a function
of the curvature radius R. Sharp jumps for tiny changes in R between
trajectories with major differences in topological structure correspond to
avalanche-like transitions. For a typical case, N=25, equilibrium
configurations fall on smooth trajectories in state space which can be traced
in the E-R plane. The trajectories show-up with local energy minima, from which
growth in N at steady curvature can develop.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, to be published in Journal of Chemical Physic
Distributed simulation of city inundation by coupled surface and subsurface porous flow for urban flood decision support system
We present a decision support system for flood early warning and disaster
management. It includes the models for data-driven meteorological predictions,
for simulation of atmospheric pressure, wind, long sea waves and seiches; a
module for optimization of flood barrier gates operation; models for stability
assessment of levees and embankments, for simulation of city inundation
dynamics and citizens evacuation scenarios. The novelty of this paper is a
coupled distributed simulation of surface and subsurface flows that can predict
inundation of low-lying inland zones far from the submerged waterfront areas,
as observed in St. Petersburg city during the floods. All the models are
wrapped as software services in the CLAVIRE platform for urgent computing,
which provides workflow management and resource orchestration.Comment: Pre-print submitted to the 2013 International Conference on
Computational Scienc
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