ALBERT

Notes: Abstract A novel scalar (i.e. paraxial) free space radiation mode method is presented for calculating the normal incidence facet reflectivity of the main guided mode of a step-index optical fibre with generally shaped smooth core. Numerical results are presented and discussed for several cases of the Nth order super-elliptical core shape, including the circular, elliptical, rectangular-type and slab limiting cases.

Notes: Abstract The optical amplification of LiNbO3:Er3+/Yb3+ channel waveguides has been modelled in the small signal regime using the overlapping integrals method and the rate-equation formalism. It has been found that Yb3+ -sensitisation improves the pump efficiency at 980 nm and a higher gain is achievable in the high power-limit compared to singly-doped LiNbO3:Er3+ amplifiers.

Notes: Abstract We study a highly simplified version of the proposed mobility support in version 6 of Internet Protocols (IP). We concentrate on the issue of ensuring that messages to and from mobile agents are delivered without loss of connectivity. We provide three models, of increasingly complex nature, of a network of routers and computing agents that are interconnected via the routers: the first is without mobile agents and is treated as a specification for the next two; the second supports mobile agents, and the third additionally allows correspondent agents to cache the current location of a mobile agent. Following a detailed analysis of the three models to extract invariant properties, we show that the three models are related by a suitable notion of equivalence based on barbed bisimulation. Finally, we report on some experiments in simulating and verifying finite state versions of our model.

Notes: Abstract The applicability of a two-dimensional mathematical model of the impressed current cathodic protection (CP) system of the interior wall of a cylindrical structure was investigated. The modelled system was an axisymmetric cylindrical column filled with electrolyte with a wire anode running along its entire length and displaced from the column axis. Model inputs included anode and cathode dimensions, the anode-to-cathode distance, the electrolyte conductivity and limiting current density of oxygen reduction. A semi-analytical solution to the Laplace equation was used to compute the distribution of electrical potential. From these results, the nonuniform current density distribution was obtained to a first approximation by entering the computed values of the position-dependent cathode polarization potential into the nonlinear experimentally obtained polarization expression. The experimental electrical potential distribution compared well with that predicted by the model. Results showed the possibility of overprotection occurring in the system. The mathematical analysis was also extended to the case of a system with two wire anodes.

Notes: Abstract A model for the liquid feed, direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), based on the homogeneous two-phase flow theory and mass conservation equation, which describes the hydraulic behaviour of internally manifolded cell stacks, is presented. The model predicts the pressure drop behaviour of the anode side of an individual DMFC cell and is used to determine the channel depth and width for fast and efficient carbon dioxide removal with minimum pressure drop. The model is used to calculate flow distribution through fuel cell stack internal manifolds. The effect of inlet and outlet manifold diameters on flow distribution is also determined. Two types of manifold design are compared, reverse flow and parallel flow. An iterative numerical scheme is used to solve the differential equations for longitudinal momentum and continuity.

Notes: Abstract We derive an electrochemical-potential model for the peroxide mechanism describing the electrochemistry of a molten carbonate fuel cell cathode. The advantages of this model include elegantly combining the chemical and electrical processes, making clear the connection to the underlying reaction stoichiometry, and requiring the fewest equations consistent with that stoichiometry. The relationship between electrochemical-potential and concentration models is also discussed, along with a two-dimensional computational study of the effects of variations in electrode geometry or coefficient parameters. In particular, it is shown that the mean current density associated with a small portion of electrode may be increased by as much as a factor of five by carefully redistributing the electrolyte, and that on this scale the current density is most sensitive to the electrolyte diffusivity.

Notes: Abstract A number of recent studies have examined the hypothesis of induced travel in an attempt to quantify the phenomenon (Hansen & Huang 1997; Noland, forthcoming). No study has yet attempted to adjust for potential simultaneity bias in the results. This study addresses this issue by the use of an instrumental variable (two stage least squares) approach. Metropolitan level data compiled by the Texas Transportation Institute for their annual congestion report is used in the analysis and urbanized land area is used as an instrument for lane miles of capacity. While this is not an ideal instrument, results still suggest a strong causal relationship but probably that most previous work has had an upward bias in the coefficient estimates. The effect of lane mile additions on VMT growth is forecast and found to account for about 15% of annual VMT growth with substantial variation between metropolitan areas. This effect appears to be closely correlated with percent growth in lane miles, suggesting that rapidly growing areas can attribute a greater share of their VMT growth to growth in lane miles.

Notes: Abstract Amplification of multiwavelength signals by an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) is becoming critical, due to the proliferation of wavelength division multiplexed systems. However, when a standard EDFA is employed, the dissimilarities among the signals’ gain may prove unacceptable. Thus, a novel gain-clamped EDFA is proposed here to tackle the issue of gain tilt. The suitability of the configuration is then investigated through a numerical model, which is developed based on the standard EDFA and fiber laser models.

Notes: Abstract It is argued that complexity is not attributable directly to systems or processes but rather to the descriptions of their `best' models, to reflect their difficulty. Thus it is relative to the modelling language and type of difficulty. This approach to complexity is situated in a model of modelling. Such an approach makes sense of a number of aspects of scientific modelling: complexity is not situated between order and disorder; noise can be explicated by approaches to excess modelling error; and simplicity is not truth indicative but a useful heuristic when models are produced by a being with a tendency to elaborate in the face of error.

Notes: Abstract In this journal, 'space debris' usually carries implications of aerospace activities, but it was not always thus. Humankind has been concerned with sky debris (often not knowing it was that) since eyes were turned skyward. Before space exploration began, astronomers specialized in comet tails, asteroids, meteorites, aurorae and zodiacal light. It was inevitable that they stay near the forefront of the new space technologies, even before Explorer I explained the aurorae. Now, the emphasis is on manmade debris, for the simple reason that an astronomical experiment proved that to be the preponderant component of the total debris environment. We present here a review survey of the total near-Earth debris complex, artificial and cosmic. Our goal is three-fold: (1) To detail to both astronomers and spaceflight specialists the long and heavy astronomical activity, (2) to give an overview of what has been and is being done, and (3) to suggest some possible directions for the future.

Notes: Abstract The coupled ionosphere–thermosphere–plasmasphere system is very complex. The study of its interrelationships during geomagnetically disturbed conditions is an especially challenging task.Significant progress has been achieved during the last few years in developing comprehensive theoretical models to describe its global behaviour.Moreover, more simple, specialized numerical modelling of some specialaspects of storm behaviour and/or regional models have contributedto the progress in this field.This paper summarizes recent developments in upper ionosphereand plasmasphere storm studies and modelling.From an observational point of view the upper ionosphere/plasmasphereregion is well reflected in radio beacon measurements providing the totalelectron content (TEC). The development of space-based radio navigation systems such as GPS offersnew opportunities to derive TEC on both regional and global scale.Combining TEC with ionosonde data enables the variability of the shape of the electron density distribution during storms to be studied.We present some examples of co-ordinated investigation,made during the CEDAR storm study intervals.

Notes: Abstract Acid rain and photochemical smog are two regionalair-quality issues that have received considerableattention in the last two decades due to their harmfuleffects. Health impacts of particulate matter (PM) inthe atmosphere is another issue of concern. Sulphur dioxide emission controls were introducedin both Canada and the U.S.A. to reduceacid-deposition-related damage. While these emissionreductions have already resulted in reduced sulphatedeposition, based on results from modelling studiesmuch of southeastern Canada is still expected toexperience damaging levels of acid deposition evenafter all currently legislated emission controls arefully implemented. Moreover, there has not been acorresponding reduction in the acidity ofprecipitation. This may be attributable to aconcurrent reduction in base-cation concentration inprecipitation. Models were also developed to understand theformation, transport and diffusion of troposphericozone. The models have been used to provide policyguidance for emission control options to reduceground-level ozone to acceptable limits. In thesummer of 1997 a Canadian pilot project was initiatedto provide real-time forecasts of ground-level ozonein the southeastern part of the province of NewBrunswick in eastern Canada. With the emergence of fine Particulate Matter(PM2.5) as a health concern, efforts are underwayin Canada to develop a “unified'' regional air-qualitymodel that will address the combined impacts ofvarious pollutants in the atmosphere. In this effortthe atmosphere is viewed as a single entity where theimpacts of multiple pollutants are considered at thesame time.

Notes: Abstract The adsorption of n -butane on extruded cylindrical activated carbon grains is studied providing two kinds of information: the influence of the temperature and the hydrocarbon partial pressure on the adsorption dynamics (kinetic study) and on the adsorption capacities (thermodynamic study). The thermodynamic aspect could be interpreted by a Langmuir model. From a kinetic point of view, we have experimentally proved that strong temperature variations occur inside the particles during the adsorption. In this paper, a kinetic model including both mass and heat transfer phenomena is proposed. Good agreement is found between the kinetic model predictions and the experimental mass and temperature variations inside the grain during the hydrocarbon adsorption.

Notes: Abstract A program has been written to describe solubility surfaces of the polythermal ternary phase diagram Mg(NO3)2–Al(NO3)3–H2O, using the model proposed by Cohen-Adad et al. [2]. In this work we present the calculation of the solubility surface of Mg(NO3)2×6H2O and Al(NO3)3×9H2O in the phase diagram. The calculated isothermal sections are in a good agreement with experimental determinations. Coefficients of the fitting equation that describes the solubility field allow drawing any isothermal section. The monovariant line was also calculated. The chosen model is well adapted to calculations of these solubility surfaces and gives very good results.

Notes: Abstract The lagoon of Biguglia (northeastern Corsica) is one of a number Nature Reserve. Anthropogenic activities are increasing over its watershed however. The present study aims to examine the state of health of the lagoon with the example of two pollutants (Cd and Cu). Water samples were collected in spring and summer 1997. The trace metal fluxes between the various compartments were measured. Transfer processes from the watershed to the lagoon were also examined. The temporal evolution of Cd and Cu content is assessed on the one hand by comparing the present data with former reference work (1992). On the other hand, a 5-box model is implemented in order to reduce the complex functioning of the lagoon to a system of differential equations. With the help of a numerical resolution method, the increase of metallic concentration levels is estimated since 1992. On the basis of 1997 data, two hypotheses are compared. The hypothesis that takes into account a growing increase of anthropogenic activities on the watershed gives, by extrapolation, results that are closer to field measurements. However, even with this hypothesis, the cadmium content in the lagoon is underestimated. This may signify that for this metal the evolution of the lagoon pollution is more important than a linear increase.

Notes: Abstract The paper presents nonlinear model which stands for effective digital simulation of electrochemical behavior of partially blocked electrodes under linear potential sweep and cyclic voltammetry conditions. The model is based on a system of diffusion equations, also involving the Nernst diffusion layer. The mass transport is assumed to be regular in the entire diffusion space. The influence of the thickness of the resist layer on the behavior of the partially blocked electrodes is investigated. The agreement between the theoretical results and experimental ones is obtained to be admirable for several model electrodes with different blocking degree.

Notes: Abstract Previous research by one of the authors showed that novice designers do not use sketching as a way to generate, develop and communicate design proposals, but move immediately to three-dimensional modelling. Neither do they generate multiple solutions. The follow-up study described here addressed the questions: Does teaching two-dimensional modelling enable Grade 7 pupils to better express their ideas and organize their thoughts? What role does discussion play in pupils' attempts to generate a design proposal? Does the use of contextualising items make a difference to pupils' success with designing? Eight Grade 7 pupils were drawn from each of two classes. One class had received instruction in sketching; the other served as a control group. Each group of eight pupils was divided into single-sex dyads. The eight dyads were videotaped while producing a solution to a common design brief. Analysis of the data has provided insights into the effects of instruction on the proposals produced by pupils. Additionally, their ability to generate, develop and communicate design ideas is enhanced by both the dynamic relationship between pupils' talk and 3D modelling and the way the task is contextualised.

Notes: Abstract Three Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull heathlands (1100, 1500 and 1780 m altitude) are studied in order to establish and estimate parameters which will be integrated in a discrete event simulation of heathland functioning in the case of a 2 °C climate warming. The sites, situated in the Chaîne des Puys and the Massif du Sancy (France), present similar conditions for Calluna growth: bedrock (trachyt), exposure and slope, so that they can be compared on a climatic basis. Main parameters sampled are: age distributions, life expectancies, layering probabilities, annual growths, biomasses (standing crop), C/N rates and potential respiratory of soils. In addition, experiments were carried out on germination, hypocotyle elongation and growth of mycorrhizal fungi in order to estimate the inhibitory-to-growth action against the substitution process. On one stand (exhibiting gaps) the patch structure of Calluna plants was recorded and mapped. The rising of biomass expected is calculated according to the Aerts's model, as a function of nitrogen availability which would increase under a scenario of climate warming. From a similar point of view, layering probabilities, life expectancies and inhibition of seedlings survival modelling – under a linear model assumption – are proposed.

Notes: Abstract Purpose. To quantify the contribution of distributional processes across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to the delay in antinociceptive effect of morphine in rats. Methods. Unbound morphine concentrations were monitored in venous blood and in brain extracellular fluid (ECF) using microdialysis (MD) and in arterial blood by regular sampling. Retrodialysis by drug was used for in vivo calibration of the MD probes. Morphine was infused (10 or 40 mg/kg) over 10 min intravenously. Nociception, measured by the electrical stimulation vocalisation method, and blood gas status were determined. Results. The half-life of unbound morphine in striatum was 44 min compared to 30 min in venous and arterial blood (p 〈 0.05). The BBB equilibration of morphine, expressed as the ratio of areas under the curve between striatum and venous blood, was less than unity (0.28 ± 0.09 and 0.22 ± 0.17 for 10 and 40 mg/kg), respectively, indicating active efflux of morphine across the BBB. The concentration-effect relationship exhibited a clear hysterisis with an effect delay half-life of 32 and 5 min based on arterial blood and brain ECF concentrations, respectively. Conclusions. Eighty five percent of the effect delay was caused by morphine transport across the BBB, indicating possible involvement of rate limiting mechanisms at the receptor level or distributional phenomena for the remaining effect delay of 5 min.

Notes: Abstract The Barber-Cushman mechanistic nutrient uptake model which has been utilized extensively to describe and predict nutrient uptake by crop plants at different stages of crop growth was evaluated for its ability to predict the Zn uptake by rice seedlings. Uptake of the nutrient is, therefore, determined by the rate of nutrient supply to the root surface by mass flow and diffusion. Inter root competition and time dependent root density are accounted for by soil volume that delivers nutrients. The radii of these cylinders decline with increasing density. Since mass flow and diffusion each supply zinc to the root, the process can be described mathematically using the model of Barber-Cushman (1984). The 11 parameters of the model for the uptake by rice cultivars were measured by established experimental techniques. Zinc uptake at different growth stages predicted by the model was compared to measured zinc uptake by rice cultivars grown on sandy loam soil in a green house. Predicted zinc uptake was significantly correlated with observed uptake r 2=0.99**. Sensitivity analysis was also used to investigate the impact of changes in soil nutrient supply, root morphological and root uptake kinetic parameters on simulated nutrient uptake. Overall results of sensitivity analysis indicate that the half distance between root axes, rate of root growth and water flux affect the uptake of zinc particularly at their higher values rather than at lower values and DaZn is the most sensitive parameter for zinc uptake at its lower values.

Notes: Abstract Pore-water concentrations of inorganic solutes were measured at four locations in a recent sedimentation area of the river Meuse in The Netherlands. The pore-water concentration profiles were interpreted using the steady state one-dimensional reaction/transport model STEADYSED1. This model explicitly accounts for the organic matter degradation pathways and secondary redox reactions. Results show that the model reproduces the measured pore-water profiles of redox species reasonably well, although significant divergence is observed for pH. The latter is due to the absence of pH buffering by CaCO3 in the model. At all locations, methanogenesis is the major pathway of organic matter degradation below 3 cm from the sediment-water interface. However, organic matter degradation rates by methanogenesis may be overestimated, because methane ebullition is not included. Differences in profiles of redox-sensitive ions among the four locations are explained by differences in depositional conditions, in particular the sediment accumulation rate and supply of organic matter.

Notes: Abstract Alternative methods are presented to modelling the kinetics of microbial growth and substrate consumption in batch cultures. The maximum specific growth rate, μmax, the maximum specific substrate consumption rate, R max, and the saturation constant, K s, were calculated for the growth of Candida utilis on glucose by using differential and integral analysis methods. The differential method was applied to the Monod equations. The integral analysis method was applied to a combination of those expressions and the empirical logistic equation to describe biomass formation. In this case, it was found that R max, μmax and K s/S 0 values were constant over a wide range of growth conditions. Both sets of calculated kinetic parameters enabled satisfactory simulation of the microbial growth and substrate consumption for aerobic batch cultures of C. utilis over a wide range of initial glucose concentration (S 0 = 3.8–45 g/l). However, the kinetic parameters obtained by using the differential method were shown to be inadequate for the description of the time course of other main compounds in the process, including dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide. In contrast, the integral analysis method allowed the complete description of the process dynamics. Comparison of data found in the literature for the growth of C. utilis with those predicted by using the kinetic parameters obtained from the integral analysis showed a reasonable agreement.

Notes: Abstract The modelling of conditional scalar dissipation in locally self-similar turbulent reacting jets is considered. The streamwise dependence in the transport equation of the conserved scalar pdf is represented by a function solely dependent on centreline mixture fraction. This procedure provides a simple model suitable for non-homogeneous flows and ensures positive values for conditional scalar dissipation. It has been tested in pure hydrogen-air jet diffusion flames using a Conditional Moment Closure method with detailed 12species, 23 reactions chemistry. The calculations show good agreement of the averaged scalar dissipation with reference values and the model proves to be superior to previous models based on homogeneous flows if the distribution of the conditional scalar dissipation in mixture fraction space is compared with experimental results. A dependence of NO predictions on the model of conditional scalar dissipation can be observed.

Notes: Abstract There are no commercial yield monitors for sugar cane despite the economic importance of the crop for sugar and alcohol production. As sugar cane is not mechanically harvested in some regions, special yield monitors need to be developed considering the harvest and load methods used. Grab loaders are essential when the crop is manually harvested. If the weight of the crop being loaded is monitored, yield maps can be produced. This paper presents the development of a weight measurement system for grab loaders. It is based on a mechanical device that contains a load cell adapted to the machine. As it is necessary to perform this measurement dynamically, the effect of movement on the measured value must be corrected. Thus, a mathematical model was developed to assess the effect of each parameter on the dynamics of the load and on the measured weight. In order to collect data to evaluate the model, an experimental measurement system was assembled and used in field tests. The analysis of the results showed that the model was able to describe the machine behaviour within the limits considered. Mean errors of ±2% or less were obtained for each load if the sampling period was adequately chosen. The frequency response of the angle sensors used and the low sampling rate of the subsystems used restricted the ability to define a single period for error minimisation. These two points will be addressed in the development of dedicated hardware, to allow the use of filtering and processing techniques in real time to obtain measurements with consistently low errors.

Notes: Abstract The decomposition of oilseed rape residues of different quality and its effects on the mineral N dynamics of the soil in the period between crops were studied in situ. The residues studied were obtained by growing an oilseed rape crop at two levels of N fertilisation, 0 and 270 kg N ha-1. The study was carried out using two types of experiment: field plots and cylinders filled with disturbed soil and inserted into the soil. The decomposition of the residues was followed using an approach involving the dynamics of both carbon and nitrogen, the parameters measured being the CO2 emitted from the soil, the soil mineral N content, the C present in soluble form or in the form of microbial biomass, and the C and N present in the form of plant residues. The two residues studied, of similar biochemical composition, and differing only in their N content, were rapidly mineralised: approximately 50% of the carbon in the residues was decomposed during the first two months following incorporation into the soil. The carbon mineralised in the form of CO2 was largely related to the C present in the residues, no relationship having been found with the C present in soluble form or in the form of microbial biomass. Calculation of net N mineralisation from the residues using a model of mineralisation and leaching has provided evidence of an immobilisation phase for soil mineral N, during the first steps of residues decomposition. Labelling the high-N residues with 15N has moreover enabled us to demonstrate the low availability of the organic N from this residue, 20.8% of the organic N being mineralised in the course of 18 months of experimentation. Eventually, only the highest-N content residue resulted in a mineral N surplus in the soil, equivalent to 9 kg N ha-1, by comparison with the control soil. Finally, this study has provided good evidence of the complementarity between the two experimental methods. The cylinders of disturbed soil gave a precise measurement of the decomposition of the residues, especially by means of monitoring soil respiration. The field plots were used to monitor the dynamics of soil mineral N which were calculated with the aid of a mathematical model of mineralisation and leaching of nitrogen in the presence and absence of residues.

Notes: Abstract Numerical simulation of the structure and evolution of a comet nucleus is reviewed both from the mathematical and from the physical point of view. Various mathematical procedures and approximations are discussed, and different attempts to model the physical characteristics of cometary material, such as thermal conductivity, or permeability to gas flow, are described. The evolution and activity of comets is shown to depend on different classes of parameters: Defining parameters, such as size and orbit, structural parameters, such as porosity and composition, and initial parameters, such as temperature and live radio isotope content. The latter are related to the formation of comets. Despite the large number of parameters, general conclusions, or common features, appear to emerge from the numerous model calculations — for different comets — performed to date. Thus, the stratified structure of comet nuclei, volatile depletion, and the role of crystallization of ice in cometary outbursts are discussed. Finally, an evolution model applied to comet C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp — using different assumptions — is described and analysed in the light of observations.

Notes: Abstract A Chemical Aqueous Phase Radical Mechanism (CAPRAM) for modelling troposphericmultiphase chemistry is described. CAPRAM contains (1) a detailed treatmentof the oxidation of organic compounds with one and two carbon atoms, (2) anexplicit description of S(IV)-oxidation by radicals and iron(III), as well asby peroxides and ozone, (3) the reactions of OH, NO3,Cl- 2, Br- 2, andCO- 3 radicals, as well as reactions of the transitionmetal ions (TMI) iron, manganese and copper. A modelling study using a simplebox model was performed for three different tropospheric conditions (marine,rural and urban) using CAPRAM coupled to the RADM2-mechanism (Stockwell etal., 1990) for liquid and gas phase chemistry, respectively. In the maincalculations the droplets are assumed as monodispersed with a radius of 1μm and a liquid water content of 0.3 g m-3. In the coupledmechanism the phase transfer of 34 substances is treated by the resistancemodel of Schwartz (1989). Results are presented for the concentration levelsof the radicals in both phases under variation of cloud duration and dropletradius.The effects of the multiphase processes are shown in the loss fluxes of theradicals OH, NO3 and HO2 into the cloud droplets. Fromcalculations under urban conditions considering gas phase chemistry only theOH maximum concentration level is found to be 5.5 · 106cm-3. In the presence of the aqueous phase (r = 1 μm,LWC = 0.3 g m-3) the phase transfer constitutes the most importantsink (58%) reducing the OH level to 1.0 · 106cm-3. The significance of the phase transfer during night time ismore important for the NO3 radical (90%). Its concentrationlevel in the gas phase (1.9 · 109 cm-3) isreduced to 1.4 · 106 cm-3 with liquid waterpresent. In the case of the HO2 radical the phase transfer from thegas phase is nearly the only sink (99.8%). The concentration levelscalculated in the absence and presence of the liquid phase again differ bythree orders of magnitude, 6 · 108 cm-3 and 4.9· 105 cm-3, respectively. Effects of smallerduration of cloud occurrence and of droplet size variation are assessed.Furthermore, in the present study a detailed description of a radicaloxidation chain for sulfur is presented. The most important reaction chain isthe oxidation of (hydrogen) sulphite by OH and the subsequent conversion ofSO- 3 to SO- 5 followed by theinteraction with TMI (notably Fe2+) and chloride to producesulphate. After 36 h of simulation ([H2O2]0= 1 ppb; [SO2]0 = 10 ppb) the direct oxidation pathwayfrom sulfur(IV) by H2O2 and ozone contributes only to8% (2.9 · 10-10 M s-1) of the total lossflux of S(IV) (3.7 · 10-9 M s-1).

Notes: Abstract In urban conditions, car exhaust gases are often emitted inside poorly ventilated street canyons. One may suppose however that moving cars can themselves produce a certain ventilation effect in addition to natural air motions. Such ventilation mechanism is not sufficiently studied so far. A similarity criterion relating the vehicle- and wind-induced components of turbulent motion in an urban street canyon was proposed in 1982 by E. J. Plate for wind tunnel modelling purposes. The present study aims at further evaluation of the criterion and its applicability for a variety of wind and traffic conditions. This is accomplished by joint analyses of data from numerical simulations and wind tunnel measurements.

Notes: Abstract The performance of a power based fuel consumption and exhaust emissions model for spark ignition vehicles has been evaluated using a large Australian database derived from testing a wide range of in-use cars on a chassis dynamometer. It was also applied to results of on-road fuel consumption measurement using a "floating" car which was driven back and forth on hilly roadways in Sydney with a length of 8.6 km. The model is found to predict the fuel consumption well over the standard drive cycles and also for the floating car. Average exhaust emissions were also well predicted, but, as would be expected, vehicle-to-vehicle correlation is impossible due to the well-known high variability of emissions between nominally identical vehicles.

Notes: Abstract Previous research by one of the authors showed that novice designers do not use sketching as a way to generate, develop and communicate design proposals, but move immediately to three-dimensional modelling. Neither do they generate multiple solutions. The follow-up study described here addressed the questions: Does teaching two-dimensional modelling enable Grade 7 pupils to better express their ideas and organize their thoughts? What role does discussion play in pupils' attempts to generate a design proposal? Does the use of contextualising items make a difference to pupils' success with designing? Eight Grade 7 pupils were drawn from each of two classes. One class had received instruction in sketching; the other served as a control group. Each group of eight pupils was divided into single-sex dyads. The eight dyads were videotaped while producing a solution to a common design brief. Analysis of the data has provided insights into the effects of instruction on the proposals produced by pupils. Additionally, their ability to generate, develop and communicate design ideas is enhanced by both the dynamic relationship between pupils' talk and 3D modelling and the way the task is contextualised.

Notes: Abstract Anthropogenic radioisotopes with long physicalhalf-lives derived from atmospheric fallout remain inthe environment for decades after deposition. Process- and field-based studies within uplandcatchments show that radiocaesium is transported insolution as well as in particulate form. Catchmenthydrology is therefore an important control onradiocaesium transport and natural processes of soildevelopment. The topographic index, from thehydrological model TOPMODEL, has been used as a basisfor the development of a simple model for predictingradiocaesium redistribution in temperate uplandcatchments. The model is particularly suited topredicting 137Cs redistribution within uplandenvironments as it is based on topography, which isreadily calculated from digital terrain models withingeographical information systems. A conceptual modelof radiocaesium losses on hillslopes and re-depositionon the valley floor was calibrated with atmosphericweapons testing 137Cs inventories from soil coredata for the Raithburn catchment, Renfrewshire, U.K. The model fitted the observations well and showed thatin this catchment a topographic index value of about5.0, for 10 m grid cells, forms the threshold between137Cs loss and accumulation. The resultsindicated that about 20% of the total atmosphericweapons testing 137Cs deposited in the catchmenthad been transported out of the catchment over theca. 30 yr period since deposition.

Notes: Abstract Determining a tight WCET of a block of code to be executed on a modern superscalar processor architecture is becoming ever more difficult due to the dynamic behaviour exhibited by current processors, which include dynamic scheduling features such as speculative and out-of-order execution in the context of multiple execution units with deep pipelines. We describe the use of Coloured Petri Nets (CP-nets) in a simulation based approach to this problem. A complex model of a generic processor architecture is described, with emphasis on the modelling strategy for obtaining the WCET and an analysis of the results.

Notes: Abstract Single crystals of α-alumina with {0001}, {11 $$\overline 2 $$ and {01 $$\overline 1 $$ 2} orientations were embedded in a matrix of liquid phase sintered alumina to study α-alumina single crystal growth in the presence of a calcium aluminosilicate liquid. Growth on the {11 $$\overline 2 $$ 0} and {01 $$\overline 1 $$ 2} surfaces was observed to occur by a diffusion-controlled mechanism while growth on the basal surface was controlled by two-dimensional nucleation. Growth models, which incorporate the change in matrix grain size, were derived and shown to fit the growth kinetics.

Notes: Abstract This paper describes an application of neural networks and simulated annealing (SA) algorithm to model and optimize the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process. The relationships between welding process parameters and weld pool features are established based on neural networks. In this study, the counter-propagation network (CPN) is selected to model the GTAW process due to the CPN equipped with good learning ability. An SA optimization algorithm is then applied to the CPN for searching for the welding process parameters with optimal weld pool features. Experimental results have shown that GTAW performance can be enhanced by using this approach.

Notes: Abstract The smaller fruit tortrix, Grapholita lobarzewskii Nowicki, has become a major pest in the recent past in apple orchards north of the Alps. Nevertheless little is known about the biology and the behaviour of this species. The effect of temperature on post-diapause development and survival was studied under controlled conditions in order to establish a basis for the forecasting of adult emergence. Survival was found to be highest at 17 °C and lowest at 11.8 °C. The sex ratio did not differ significantly from 1:1. Based on a linear relationship between temperature and developmental rates, thermal thresholds of 9.6 °C and 9.8 °C were determined for females and males respectively. The thermal constants, i.e., the mean developmental times in physiological time units, were found to be 342 day-degrees for females and 317 day-degrees for males, suggesting a slight protandry. Based on the mean and the variance of the developmental times, a simple temperature-driven phenology model was built using a time-varying distributed delay. The model was validated by visually comparing the predictions with independent observations on adult emergence, and by calculating the temporal deviations of the predictions. In 4 out of 5 years the mean error was less than 3 days. The model was therefore found to give reliable forecasts of the emergence of G. lobarzewskii and can be used to determine the optimal time for the exposure of pheromone traps, the application of pheromone dispensers for mating disruption, and for the timing of insecticide applications.

Notes: Abstract In the present project, twenty materials (e.g., polyhydroxybutyrate-hydroxyvalerate, polycaprolactone, cellulose acetate, polyacticacid, polyethylene), representing varied biodegradability levels were studied. An aerobic respirometric test, based on the CEN Draft, was setup. The biodegradability of each plastic film was evaluated by measuring the percentage of carbon converted into CO2 during 35 days. The values of the CO2 production were plotted versus days as a cumulative function. In order to reduce its number of points, the cumulative curve was modeled using a sigmoïd function (Hill sigmoïd). This model was compared to one found in the literature. A χ i 2 test showed that the biodegradation curve was more accurately fitted with the model than the previous one. Three kinetic parameters were determined by this “Hill model”: one represents the maximal percentage of carbon converted into CO2, the second the “half-life time” in days of the degrading part of the material and the third one the curve radius. In addition, the following analyses were carried out on each sample: elemental analysis, thickness, hydrophobicity and surface free energy measurements. In order to compress the information and to keep only relevant pieces, these parameters were submitted to a Principal Component Analysis. PCA found linear combinations of variables that describe major trends in the data. The two principal components which separate groups of materials were closely related to a chemical and a physical axis respectively. Materials showing a high biodegradability were related to high oxygen (and nitrogen) contents and low hydrophobicity: Material thickness did not influence the likeliness to biodegradability described by the maximum biodegradation rate. Finally, this study established the correlation between the biodegradation and the structure of biopolymers.

Notes: Abstract A microscopic approach is proposed for predicting the behaviour of the active layer from the local mass transfer equations at the catalytic particle level. The model takes into account diffusion and electrochemical reaction without ohmic drop limitation and is numerically performed for three geometric descriptions of the active layer using the finite element method. Diffusion limitations within the whole active layer are confirmed, but diffusion and competition effects at the particle level are also pointed out. As a practical conclusion, these effects at the particle level, almost negligible for oxygen reduction, are significantly influent for hydrogen oxidation.

Notes: Abstract A simple analytical expression to determine cell potential (E) against current density (i) behaviour in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) was derived. The equation describes experimental data over the whole range of current density taking into account possible mass transport limitations. The empirical equation was used to fit experimental data obtained in a 50 cm2 single cell in H2/air operation using electrodes with low Pt loading (∼0.1 mg cm-). A good agreement between theoretical and experimental data was found.

Notes: Abstract A simple mathematical model is developed to investigate the superiority of the interdigitated flow field design over the conventional one, especially in terms of maximum power density. Darcy's equation for porous media and the standard diffusion equation with effective diffusivity are used in the gas diffuser, and a coupled boundary condition given by the Butler–Volmer equation is used at the catalyst layer interface. The performance of PEM fuel cells with a conventional flow field and an interdigitated flow field is studied with other appropriate boundary conditions. The theoretical results show that the limiting current density of a fuel cell with an interdigitated flow field is about three times the current density of a fuel cell with a conventional flow field. The results also demonstrate that the interdigitated flow field design can double the maximum power density of a PEM fuel cell. The modelling results compared well with experimental data in the literature.

Notes: Abstract A mathematical model for phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) cathodes has been developed. The model, based on equations that take activation and diffusional problems into account, provides a description of the electrochemical behaviour of the electrode. These studies allow optimization of the morphological characteristics of this cell component and improvement in the performance of the whole fuel cell. In particular, the sensitivity analysis carried out on the model provides information on the influence of single parameters. Accordingly, the as optimized cathode allowed a performance of 700 mV at 200 mAcm−2 in air; the corresponding cell potential also increased from 500 mV at 150 mAcm−2 to 510mV at 200 mAcm−2.

Notes: Abstract This paper treats multidimensional discrete input-output systems from the constructive point of view. We adapt and improve recursive algorithms, derived earlier by E. Zerz and the second author from standard Gröbner basis algorithms, for the solution of the canonical Cauchy problem for linear systems of partial difference equations with constant coefficients on the lattices N = ℕr1 × ℤr2. These recursive algorithms, in turn, furnish four other solution methods for the initial value problem, namely by transfer operators, by canonical Kalman global state equations, by parametrizations of controllable systems and, for systems with proper transfer matrix and left bounded input signals, by convolution with the transfer matrix. In the 2D-case N = ℤ2 the last method was studied by S. Zampieri. Minimally embedded systems are studied and give rise to especially simple Kalman equations. The latter also imply a useful characterization of the characteristic or polar variety of the system by eigenvalue spectra. For N = ℕr we define reachability of a system and prove that controllability implies reachability, but not conversely. Moreover we solve, in full generality, the modelling problem which was introduced and partially solved by F. Pauer and S. Zampieri. Various algorithms have been implemented by the first author in axiom, and examples are demonstrated by means of computer generated pictures. Related work on state space representations has been done by the Padovian and Groningian system theory schools.

Notes: Abstract The reductionist/holist debate is highly polarised. I propose an intermediate position of pragmatic holism. It derives from two claims: firstly, that irrespective of whether all natural systems are theoretically reducible, for many systems it is utterly impractical to attempt such a reduction, and secondly, that regardless of whether irreducible 'wholes’ exist, it is vain to try and prove this. This position illuminates the debate along new pragmatic lines by refocussing attention on the underlying heuristics of learning about the natural world.

Notes: Abstract Detailed knowledge of the biodiversity of spider communities on agricultural land is important both in terms of enhancing pest control and understanding the driving forces influencing nature conservation value. Pitfall traps were used to assess spider species diversity at 71 Scottish agricultural sites between May and September during 1996 and 1997. Land-use varied from intensive arable fields, grasslands and extensive heather (Calluna vulgaris) moorland. Spider species richness (S) was found to decrease significantly as farm management intensity increased. Several linear regression models based on the 1996 data (50 sites) and a selection of plant, soil and landscape variables explained up to 88% of the variation in species richness. Four of these models were used to estimate 1997 species richness (36 sites: 15 repeat and 21 new) and up to 58% of sites were correctly predicted to within ± four species of the actual number caught. As only 60% of the repeat 1997 sites had values of S within four units of their 1996 score, this suggested a relatively high level of model accuracy. Model accuracy increased to 64% when all four models were used for each site, suggesting the individual models should be targeted at specific land-use types. We discuss the relevance of these models for predicting the consequences of changes in agricultural land-use for spider diversity.

Notes: Abstract The technique of Diffusional Gradients in Thin-films (DGT) can be used in situ to obtain high resolution profiles of trace-metals in sediment pore waters. Substances sampled by DGT continuously diffuse through a ‘diffusion layer’ comprising a hydrogel prior to being immobilized by binding to a resin layer. DGT therefore measures a time averaged flux from the pore water to the resin. Interpretation of this flux as pore water concentration is problematic for two reasons. Firstly, the pore water concentration adjacent to the sampler may become depleted by the DGT induced flux. Secondly, if there are steep vertical chemical gradients in the pore waters, they may relax by diffusion along the gradient within the gel layer. The extent of relaxation depends on the diffusion coefficient, gradient steepness, and diffusion layer thickness. Two dimensional (2D) numerical models of DGT deployments in horizontally uniform sediments were used to investigate to what extent DGT measured profiles accurately reproduced (a) the shape of pore water concentration profiles, and (b) the magnitude of pore water concentrations. A method is developed which translates high resolution DGT measured flux profiles into reliable estimates of pore water concentrations. Linear relationships are given which estimate the minimum DGT measured peak width (as a function of diffusion layer thickness) that ensures accurate reproduction of the shape and the magnitude of peaks in pore water concentrations. Peaks in DGT profiles obtained from assemblies with diffusion layer thicknesses of 0.3 mm (0.5 mm) should be at least 1.2 mm (1.8 mm) wide for their shape to reflect accurately their true shape in the pore water, and at least 1.7 mm (2.7 mm) wide to ensure the peak concentration is accurately estimated.

Notes: Abstract This paper describes a dynamic model for the simulation of foamy oil flow in porous media. The model includes expressions for the rate processes of nucleation, bubble growth and disengagement of dispersed gas bubbles from the oil. The model is used to simulate experimental results pertaining to primary depletion tests conducted in a sand pack. Using the model to interpret experimental results indicated that, although the lifetimes of supersaturation and dispersed gas bubbles may be short, supersaturated conditions are likely to exist, and dispersed gas bubbles are likely to be present during the entire production period, as long as the pressure continues to decline at a high rate. The model developed in this paper gave better agreement with experimental data than other proposed models. The effect of foamy oil flow increases as the rate of pressure decline increases.

Notes: Abstract The Granier-system, a relatively simple and continuous method for measuring sap flux density, has been adapted and evaluated for its use in older, mature grapevines. The original calibration of Granier (1985, Annales Sciences Forestieres, 42, 193-200) could be extended to a sap flux density of up to 400 10-6 m3 m-2 s-1 with only little error at high flux densities. A time lag of around 20 min was apparent between transpiration and calculated sap flow which was attributed to the thermal mass of the sensors themselves. The time lag and the consequently dampened response of the system caused a very low accuracy over short time periods thus reducing the value for detailed plant physiological investigations. However, when integrating over longer time intervals, much of the error cancelled out. For daily values the maximum error was within ±10% and after a period of 89 days only 1.5% error remained. This method is thus best suited for long term measurements of total water use.

Notes: Abstract The heat balance method was evaluated in detail for its use in older, mature grapevines with stems of 35 – 45 mm in diameter. Dye colouring of the xylem vessels revealed that even 21 year old grapevines did not show any development of heartwood and that xylem vessels of that age still have the capacity to transport water. A comparison of weight loss of potted vines on a balance and sap flow measurements demonstrated that the heat balance system reflected rapid changes in flow rate without any time delay. However, since even 20 year old xylem vessels of grapevines have the capacity to conduct water, the heater band was not able to heat the sap in all year rings evenly. Apparently, at low flow rates this effect was small and sap flow was calculated correctly. With increasing flow rates large thermal heterogeneities developed upsetting the calculation of the heat balance and mass flow. Consequently, actual sap flow was overestimated by 50 to 100% at high flow rates. This could be attributed to thermal gradients in these relatively thick stems excluding the use of this technique for measurements of long term as well as short term water use patterns in older grapevines.

Notes: Abstract A mathematical model of P solubilization by organic anion excretion from roots is described and used to account for P solubilization by rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants growing in aerobic soil. In previous experiments with rice in an aerobic, highly-weathered, P-deficient soil, we found that the plants were able to solubilize P from an alkali-soluble pool and thereby increase their P uptake. The solubilization could not be explained by pH changes nor by the release of phosphatases. In subsequent experiments we found excretion of citrate from rice roots into nutrient solutions, and the synthesis and excretion of citrate tended to increase under P starvation. The model allows for the diffusion of the organic anion away from a root, its decomposition by soil microbes, its reaction with the soil in solubilizing P, and diffusion of the solubilized P back towards the root as well as away from it. We calculated the rate of citrate excretion from rice roots growing in soil based on measured steady-state citrate concentrations in the rhizosphere and calculated rates of decomposition. Calculations using these and other model parameters obtained independently showed that the observed solubilization and increased P uptake by rice growing in soil could be accounted for. A sensitivity analysis of the model is given.

Notes: Abstract Root length density (RLD) is an important determinant of crop water and nutrient acquisition, but is difficult to measure in the field. On a soil profile, in-situ counts of root impacts per unit surface on soil profiles (NI) can be used to calculate RLD if crop-specific parameters for preferential root orientation (anisotropy) are known. An improved method for field determinations of RLD was developed and validated for maize at sites in Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso. Root anisotropy was measured with cubes of undisturbed soil with 0.1 m sidelength, based on NI observed on three planes oriented perpendicularly to each other. RLD was also measured for the enclosed volume. Repetition of such measurements enabled estimation of the robustness across sites of empirical and geometric models for the relationship between RLD and NI:RLD = NI CO, with CO being the coefficient of root orientation, theoretically equals 2 for an isotropic distribution. Root systems were found to be nearly isotropic, except near the root front (0.3 to 0.5 m), where roots had a preferentially orthotropic orientation. Measured RLD was generally about 50% larger than RLD calculated from observed NI and CO, indicating that at least one of the measurement techniques had a systematic error. The ratio between measured and calculated RLD (CE), which ranged from 0.8 to 2, increased with the age of the plants and decreased with soil depth. CE was therefore introduced as an additional coefficient, resulting in RLD = NI CO CE. The empirical value for CO CE was between 2 and 5. The empirical coefficients CO and CE were the same for the sites in Cote d'Ivoire (oxisol with an iron pan at 0.6 to 0.9 m) and Burkina Faso (alfisol with an iron pan at 0.4 to 0.8 m). The model was validated with independent data sets at both sites, and gave satisfactory predictions of RLD on the basis of NI obtained from single soil planes, which can be easily measured in the field.

Notes: Abstract The flux of phosphate in the aquatic ecosystems of the Camargue was modelled. The model developed for the hydrological unit, the water basin of the Aube de Bouic, is based on the hydrology of the system, the reaction equations of the adsorption of phosphate onto Fe(OOH) and the solubility product of apatite. The water basin consists of an inlet canal, the Aube de Bouic, ricefields and natural marshes, plus a drainage canal through which the excess water is pumped into the Etang de Vaccarès. Phosphate is introduced into ricefields either with the irrigation water, taken from the Rhône, or as fertiliser. Most of the phosphate will be fixed on the ricefield soils either as iron-bound or as calcium-bound phosphate, depending on the pH. The o-phosphate concentration will slowly increase to an extent depending on the pH. From the ricefields water will flow towards the Etang de Vaccarès; the amount of phosphate reaching the Etang de Vaccarès depends on the pH of the system and the depth of the water outlet of the ricefields. In six different scenarios the amount of phosphate reaching the Etang de Vaccarès is calculated depending on the quantity of fertiliser, the depth of the water outlet and the pH. For the Etang de Vaccarès the model predicts the present concentration of o-P relatively well and shows that the loading is considerable. This should cause concern; the danger of serious eutrophication is real. Part of the irrigation water is used to refill or keep under water the natural marshes in this hydrological unit, which without irrigation would dry out during summer. Again high P-concentrations are found in the marshes, but mostly in the form of Fe(OOH)≈P or CaCO3≈P, the ratio of which depends again on the pH of the sediments. The o-P concentration has remained low up to now.

Notes: Abstract We present the results of an experiment about the effects on the seismic ground motion of a hill of large dimensions (6km long, 3km large and 700m high) near Corinth (Greece). We installed 7 seismometers across the hill, and analyzed the ground motion with different methods: the classical spectral ratios (CSR) and the horizontal to vertical spectral ratios calculated both on noise (HVNR) and earthquake data (RF). The amplification at the resonant frequency (around 0.7Hz) is low, as expected, but one of the two stations installed at the top exhibits large amplification (up to a factor of 10) at 3Hz. The comparison between the H/V results and the CSR ones suggests that the former method is able to point out the fundamental frequencies of a hill. Amplifications and spatial localization predicted by numerical 3D modeling are consistent with the experimental data only at frequencies lower than 1Hz.

Notes: Abstract Daily variations of the hydroxyl radical concentration have been measured during a campaign at the Weybourne Atmospheric Observatory (WAO) in June 1995. These measurements are compared with box model calculations, based on a slightly modified, second generation Regional Acid Deposition Model (RADM2). Results from eight days of the comparison are presented. A detailed analysis and discussion of the different source and sink terms is given for two days: Julian Day (JD) 170 (19 June, and 178 (27 June). In both cases excellent agreement between the measurements and the calculation is obtained, indicating that the model describes the OH chemistry sufficiently well. Furthermore, the analysis of these days demonstrate that JD 170 is dominated by the NOx catalysed OH production, whereas JD 178 is influenced by OH formation via ozone photolysis.

Notes: Abstract Calculated and observed hydroxyl (OH) fields are presented. Calculated OH was obtained in three ways using (1) a photochemical box-model (2) a simple OH steady state approach and (3) a variant on (2) – the ‘multiple equation steady state’ approach which assumes steady state for OH, HO2 and RO2 and hence obtains three simultaneous, non linear, equations. All three methods used data collected in June 1995 during the Weybourne Atmospheric Observatory Summer Experiment (WAOSE'95). Julian Days 169, 178, 179 and 180 displayed especially good data capture and were consequently chosen for study. The two steady state methods are essentially driven purely by observations and derive OH from the ratio of the relevant source and sink terms. The box-model was constrained where possible to observations; remaining unmeasured volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were initialised to an arbitrary low value of 10 ppt. Agreement between theory and experiment was usually around 50% and often better than this value, especially on J169, though discrepancies of up to a factor of 3 were occasionally apparent. Despite the inherent scatter, neither the box-model nor the simple steady state method were found to consistently over-estimate OH (a common feature of many numerical approaches) although this did occur to a certain extent using the multiple equation steady state approach, probably due to breakdowns in the steady state approximation. More data spread was evident in the box-model approach compared with the other methods. An analysis of the major sources and sinks of OH is presented for the three methods of calculation. Calculated and observed peroxy radicals are also presented. Calculated peroxy radicals were generally lower than that observed at night yet higher, sometimes by up to a factor of 7, during the day. Possible explanations for this result are explored.

Notes: Abstract In the Emanation Thermal Analysis the release of inert gas atoms previously incorporated in the sample is measured. Results of the statistical modelling of the inert gas release during thermal decomposition of solids are presented. The updated model supposing three components in the solid-state reaction system including the formation of an intermediate metastable component on the surface of the newly formed component was proposed for the modelling of the ETA curves. The release of inert gas atoms previously incorporated into the sample is used as a probe of microstructure changes. The random nucleation mechanism was considered in the modelling. The model can be used in modelling ETA curves of solid-solid, solid-gas and solid-liquid interactions where the existence of metastable intermediate component is supposed.

Notes: Abstract This article discusses the growth of methanotrophic biofilms. Several independent biofilm growths scenarios involving different inocula were examined. Biofilm growth, substrate removal and product formation were monitored throughout the experiments. Based on the oxygen consumption it was concluded that heterotrophs and nitrifiers co-existed with methanotrophs in the biofilm. Heterotrophic biomass grew on soluble polymers formed by the hydrolysis of dead biomass entrapped in the biofilm. Nitrifier populations developed because of the presence of ammonia in the mineral medium. Based on these experimental results, the computer program AQUASIM was used to develop a biological model involving methanotrophs, heterotrophs and nitrifiers. The modelling of six independent growth experiments showed that stoichiometric and kinetic parameters were within the same order of magnitude. Parameter estimation yielded an average maximum growth rate for methanotrophs, μm, of 1.5 ± 0.5 d−1, at 20 °C, a decay rate, bm, of 0.24 ± 0.1 d−1, a half saturation constant, $${\text{K}}_{{\text{S(CH}}_{\text{4}} {\text{)}}} $$ , of 0.06 ± 0.05 mg CH4/L, and a yield coefficient, $$Y_{CH_4 } $$ , of 0.57 ±: 0.04 g X/g CH4. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was performed on this model. It indicated that the most influential parameters were those related to the biofilm (i.e. density; solid-volume fraction; thickness). This suggests that in order to improve the model, further research regarding the biofilm structure and composition is needed.

Notes: Abstract In many European rivers, including the major streams of the Rhine and Elbe basins, the nutrient load (N and P) still exceeds target levels. In this paper, a model is presented that describes the river nutrient load as a function of nutrient sources, runoff and lithology in the upstream basin. The model was tested with independent data on nutrient sources (input) and nutrient river load (output) for 130 specific combinations of sub-basins and 5 year periods. A wide range of river systems within the Rhine and Elbe basins were included and the analysis covers a period of 25 years from 1970 to 1995. Most of the observed spatial and temporal variation in the average annual river nutrient load was successfully described by the model. It is therefore concluded that the model can be used to predict the effect of changes in nutrient sources (e.g. reduction of livestock numbers, further improvement of waste water treatment plants etc.) on the average annual nutrient loads of the rivers Rhine, Elbe and their main tributaries.

Notes: Abstract A series of models was developed using functionally-derived variables (mainly based on morphological attributes of freshwater macrophytes) to predict the trophic status of river and associated channel systems. The models were compared with an existing species-assemblage based procedure for predicting British river trophic conditions (the Macrophyte Trophic Ranking scheme, MTR). We compared sites in cooler temperate conditions (in Scotland) and warmer, sub-tropical conditions (in Egypt). In total, we made measurements of 13 traits from 〉600 individual plant specimens of 33 species growing at 42 sites (divided into independent input and test site datasets). N status (as annual mean concentration in water of total oxidised nitrogen, TON) was only very poorly predicted by this approach. However, P (as annual mean concentration in water of soluble reactive phosphate, SRP) was better predicted: both by a model based on MTR (r = −0.585, p〈0.001), and by models using functional attributes of the macrophyte vegetation. River Trophic Status Indicator (RTSI) models based on ranked plant functional group relationship to river water P concentrations (RTSIFG), or field-measured trait sets of the plants (RTSITR) could also individually explain up to about 34% of the variation in P, both for the total dataset and for subsets from Egypt or Scotland alone or for high v. low-flow sites. Combining both types of RTSI measure produced the most powerful predictive model (r = 0.72, p〈0.001), explaining just over half the variability in P.

Notes: Abstract The role of the water exchange processes on semi-enclosed marine systems is discussed on the example of the Gulf of Riga. Two different aspects are illustrated: potential and kinetic (dynamic). The first one appears as a level or certain equilibrium in the water and nutrient balance of the water-body. Currents ventilate the Gulf especially in relation to excessive nitrogen amounts. The second aspect explains how the situation in some coastal areas is affected by the water exchange processes (currents) of nearby basins, driving hydrochemical and biological fronts there and back. It appeared that, for example, in the Väinameri basin such movements are more important than the local pollution or sometimes even seasonality.

Notes: Abstract The entire Baltic Sea, as well as many of its different sub-regions, are subject to eutrophication due to high nutrient inputs. To plan expensive water management measures one needs a tool to quantify effects of different water management policy decisions. The tools implemented here are simulation models based on similar descriptions of biochemical interactions in the water and sediments but coupled to different hydrodynamical models. For the Baltic Proper a 1D physical model with high vertical resolution but horizontally integrated was used. Simulations for 20 years made with 50% load reduction each 5 year show that for this domain and at these scales the recovery would take decades. The most effective is reduction of phosphorus, while reduction of only nitrogen leads to a dramatic increase in cyanobacteria blooms. For the Gulf of Finland a high-resolution 3D hydrodynamic model was coupled to a more crude 3D-box biogeochemical model describing concrete conditions during August and November 1991. In the Eastern Gulf of Finland the effects of a 50% load reduction from the St. Petersburg region are pronounced even after two weeks. Here, nitrogen reduction would be more beneficial than that of phosphorus, both locally and at a larger scale. The conclusion from these simulations is that the difference in effects of nitrogen versus phosphorus reduction is dependent on scales and locations of management.

Notes: Abstract Conceptual models assist the understanding of complex, multivariate problems. Management models should offer reliable predictions of the outcome of alternative approaches to problems which assist the manager to decide the optimal course of action. It is rare for one model to fulfil both purposes. Excessive phytoplankton production in lakes, reservoirs and rivers presents, at best, a potentially conspicuous detraction from water quality or, at worst, a lethal cocktail which must be excluded from recreational waters and potable supplies. Thus, the difficulties may relate as much to the type of organisms present and to the problems they may cause as they do to the biomass that may be achieved. Examples will be cited of some particular problems of lake and reservoir management that have been confronted in recent years. The range of model solutions available to plankton biologists is reviewed. The philosophies of these are unsympathetic to specific management problems; the models are shown to be unhelpful and potentially misleading in the context of the questions usually asked. Even when quite general questions are submitted to generalised models, imprecision can lead to erroneous judgements. Approaches to making much more process-based models and expert systems are advocated. The ability to identify and quantify the principal regulatory processes in operation, including the effects of light, turbidity and physical mixing and those relating to the trophic structure, is highlighted. Dynamic simulations, based upon the population ecology of several selected species simultaneously can give reasonable fits to observable phenomena. Applying altered model components to simulate viable options can be tested for their likely comparative impacts. A yet more recent approach to modelling lake metabolism is introduced for its potential as a guide to determining management impacts and priorities at particular sites. The objective of the paper is to encourage the development of site-specific functional models which are oriented to both conceptual and management issues. We have to overcome the widespread but naive "my lake is phosphorus-limited" syndrome if we are to learn how to better manage our standing waters.

Notes: Abstract Bankside storage reservoirs are used as a major water supply resource in the lower Thames Valley, England. They form the link between the River Thames and the water treatment works of the Greater London area. The reservoirs act as both a water reserve in times of low river flows, and a quality ‘buffer’ between the river and the treatment works. The load on the water treatment works (particulate material, physico-chemical characteristics) primarily reflects the water qualities of the reservoirs. Management of such reservoirs thus seeks to reduce the adverse impacts which would otherwise arise from direct river use, and to ensure as far as possible that the ecological processes within the reservoirs do not introduce new challenges to the water treatment. Reservoir management clearly needs a good understanding of those ecological processes and their interactions, and, hopefully, a means to exploit that understanding in hindcasting to explain past events, in forecasting near- or far-future events, and to help in exploring operational options to ameliorate any foreseable difficulties. The reservoirs consist of a variety of configurations, physical dimensions and operational circumstances. They have, importantly, basically simple morphologies, known hydraulic regimes and physico-chemical qualities. Nonetheless, they appear to behave essentially as small (1–50 Mm3), eutrophic lakes; and various aspects of their ecology has been studied for the past 65 years. Their attributes and operational involvement make them ideal candidates for ecological modelling, which has been applied to them in varying extents for the past 30 years. The major conclusion which may be drawn from these studies is that even in such relatively simple water bodies, current (and probably future) models can only encompass their broad ecological characteristics. Detailed operational needs have to be met by a variety of modelling approaches, mainly predicated on the basis of only being able to know a lot about a little or a little about a lot. The operational needs for modelling fall into the following broad types: (a) understanding: why did those events occur, or where is our ignorance greatest? (b) short-term forecasts: how will the current situation develop in the short-term (weeks)? (c) what-if considerations: what would happen if some management facility were employed or used differently? (d) optimisation: what are the optimal volume– quality supply arrangements? (e) long-term prediction: what is the longer-term (years) outlook under foreseeable scenarios? (f) projective evaluation: how would potential, as yet non-existant reservoirs behave under prescribed circumstances? Examples of how these needs have been met are outlined, with examples ranging from simple models of the diatom ecology of the reservoirs to much broader trophic–dynamic descriptions which can allow expression of fish–zooplankton–phytoplankton interactions. This is crucial for present and future management of cyanobacterial phases. It is clear that considerable management insight and control can result from modelling assistance, but only if the appropriate questions are asked. Whilst simple short-term modelling is less demanding, any attempt to model the full complexity of the ecology of even these relatively simple water-bodies is probably doomed to founder on complexity–understanding difficulties, unless these are resolved to much more constrained system aspects. This is particularly so for the qualitative biology. The best that may presently be foreseen is for development of the newer multi-biological type models, with reasonably realistic and dynamic physical and chemical environment sub-models, being able to manifest the general characteristics of the ecosystem in question. Despite such difficulties, new reservoir management insights and approaches will inevitably be founded on critical modelling of those ecosystems.

Notes: Abstract The phytoplankton community model, PROTECH, simulates algal growth and is sensitive to numerous environmental variables (temperature, depth, light, daylength, nutrient supply). This investigation examines the effects of altering, in turn, each of these variables upon the simulated algal growth. We compare these results with those predicted by a phytoplankton variation on Grime's C-S-R paradigm. Finally, it is concluded that PROTECH is a suitable tool for the exploration of community assembly in relation to the ecological theories of competition, succession and biodiversity.

Notes: Abstract The use of a quantitative population growth model to investigate the persistence of South African elephant populations is explored. The model provides quantitative assessments of population persistence and confidence intervals for estimated parameters based purely on population size estimates. The analysis supports the view that most of the larger populations in the region are secure. This view is further supported by a lack of density dependent effects in most of the recovering populations and the high population rates of increase observed. This predominantly positive prognosis is in contrast with that emerging from most of the rest of the African continent where the populations are under greater threat because of habitat restriction and direct human conflict. This preliminary assessment of elephant population persistence suggests that “viable” populations may lie between 400 and 6000 individuals. Although not inconsistent with information-greedy genetic and demographic models, the relationship between population growth versus genetic and demographic models should be further investigated. The implementation of a metapopulation management strategy towards these smaller populations is advocated. In addition, as all of the populations included in this analysis have been afforded some degree of protection since the 1920s, continued protection would be a prerequisite for their continued survival.

Notes: Abstract Modelling of atmospheric transport and deposition of pesticides is presented and discussed. Modelling on regional scale builds on the existing knowledge gained in other air pollution fields. An overview of current modelling studies on transport and deposition on a regional scale (typically 30-3000 km) is given. From these studies it is concluded that the models are capable in simulating the spatial distribution of the concentrations and depositions. However, large uncertainties are present in this type of modelling and are for the greater part induced by the uncertainty in the emissions and subsequently in the exchange process parameterisations and the physicochemical properties needed in the parameterisations. Many more measurement data are needed to validate the models.

Notes: Abstract Foliar gas exchange characteristics, understorey microclimate, and crown irradiation were assessed for saplings of eight canopy tree species in two plots of neotropical rain forest with different degrees of canopy opening. Species studied belonged to different putative guilds: shade intolerants (both short-lived--pioneers--and long-lived), intermediates, and shade-tolerants. A considerable overlap was recorded between species in values of the photosynthetic rate per unit leaf area (PN). The highest median PN (1.26 µmol m-2 s-1) was recorded in the pioneer Croton killipianus, while slightly lower median values were recorded in Simarouba amara and Pentaclethra macroloba, and markedly lower values in two species of Vochysiaceae (Qualea paraense and Vochysia ferruginea), both putative intolerants. Highest median stomatal conductance (gs) was also shown by C. killipianus, while S. amara, P. macroloba, and L. procera exhibited intermediate values, and the lowest gs was shown by V. ferruginea and Q. paraense. Overall irradiance and crown irradiation, PN, and gs of saplings were higher in the plot which had previously received a silvicultural treatment. Most values of photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) were 〈100 µmol m-2 s-1 in both plots, with shortlived peaks of up to 2000 µmol m-2 s-1 in the treated plot. When the relationship between PN and irradiance (I) was examined by fitting PN/I curves, the degree of fit varied markedly between species, values of the regression coefficient r2 were between 0.09 and 0.51. No significant differences between species were recorded in Pmax and species also demonstrated little variation in the predicted values of dark respiration (RD), values varying between -0.51 and -1.46 µmol m-2 s-1 in Q. paraense and Minquartia guianensis, respectively. Fitted values of apparent quantum efficiency were also fairly uniform, generally falling within the range 0.02-0.03 mol(CO2) mol-1(photon).

Notes: Abstract Elevated carbon dioxide concentrations and limited water supply have been shown to reduce the impact of ozone pollution on the growth and physiology of Quercus petraea in a long-term factorial experiment. These responses can be explained by observed reductions in stomatal conductance, and thus potential ozone exposure of 28% and 40% for CO2 and drought treatments respectively. However, parameterisation of a stomatal conductance model for Quercus robur and Fagus sylvatica grown under ambient and elevated CO2 concentrations in a separate experiment has demonstrated that elevated CO2 also reduces the responsiveness of stomata to both saturation deficit (LAVPD) and soil moisture deficit (ψ) in beech, and to a lesser extent, in oak. Season-long model simulations of ozone fluxes suggest that LAVPD and ψ conductance parameters derived at ambient CO2 concentrations will lead to these fluxes being underestimated by 24% and 2% for beech and oak respectively at 615 ppm CO2.

Notes: Abstract To assess the impact of acid deposition on the long-term sustainability of nine oak, pine and spruce stands on sandy to loamy sandy parent material in Sweden, Denmark and The Netherlands, a dynamic soil acidification model (ReSAM) was applied. Two deposition scenarios for the period 1990–2090 were used: a business as usual scenario (BAU) and a restrictive critical load scenario (CL). The BAU scenario leads to a strong decrease in both Al concentrations and pH in the topsoil of the Dutch and the Danish sites due to a decrease in the amount of amorphous Al compounds. The decline in pH leads to an enhanced release of base cations by silicate weathering. Despite the ongoing acidification, base saturation increases during the simulation period, due to both the increase in base cation weathering and an increased input from mineralization with the ageing of the tree stands. No change in Al concentration is predicted for northern Sweden as deposition levels are below critical loads. Soil chemistry at the recently replanted Swedish sites is dominated by changes in N cycling instead of by deposition. The CL scenario leads, especially after 2010, to a stronger decline in Al concentration compared with the BAU scenario, which is mainly caused by a reduction of the acid input. Up to 2010, a considerable acid input to the soil system is maintained as N supply is larger than the consumption of N by the trees. Despite the reduction of the deposition of S and N to critical loads, the readily available cation pools are still declining on the Danish and Dutch sites in 2090. It is concluded that deposition levels above critical loads lead to exhaustion of the pool of amorphous Al compounds and a decline in pH. Base saturation does not decline due to an increase in mineralization with stand age and an increase in weathering rate due to the decline in pH.

Notes: Abstract Semi-solid metal alloys, as used in thixoforming, have a special microstructure of globular grains suspended in a liquid metal matrix. The complex rheological properties are strongly influenced by the local solid fraction, particle shape, particle size and state of agglomeration. There is a high demand for models and software tools allowing the simulation of semi-solid casting processes. The material under investigation is a tin-lead alloy (Sn-15%Pb) which exhibits a similar microstructure to aluminium alloys. The experiments were performed with a concentric cylinder rheometer of the Searle type. Initially, the liquid alloy is cooled down to the semi-solid range under constant shearing and then kept under isothermal conditions for further experimentation. Based on the experimental data, a single-phase model has been derived where the semi-solid alloy is regarded as a homogeneous material with thixotropic properties and the microstructure is characterised by a structural parameter. The model consists of two parts: the equation of state, including a finite yield stress, and a rate equation for the structural parameter. The model equations are employed in numerical software and used for the simulation of characteristic filling cases and the comparison with the conventional filling.

Notes: Abstract The effect of temperature on the length of the incubation period of rose powdery mildew, caused by Sphaerotheca pannosa var. rosae, was studied. At constant temperature over the range 8–28°C, the length of the incubation period ranged from 3 to 10 days; no visible colonies developed at 30°C after 19 days. The relationship between temperature and the rate of development of mildew colonies within the incubation period under constant temperature was described by two alternative non-linear models (exponential and thermodynamic). The resulting curves were asymmetrically bell-shaped with an optimum temperature of c. 23°C. The two constant-temperature models predicted the development of powdery mildew under fluctuating temperatures with similar accuracy, even though the exponential model fitted the constant temperature data less well than the thermodynamic model. The thermodynamic model failed to fit the fluctuating-temperature data directly, whereas the exponential model fitted those data directly and the fit was similar to the corresponding model from the constant-temperature data. Fitting the models to the combined (constant and fluctuating temperature) data gave results that were nearly identical to those based on the constant-temperature data alone.

Notes: Abstract The effects of inoculum load and watering regime on the transmission of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris from seed to seedlings of cauliflower were investigated. Seed, inoculated with different concentrations of bacteria, was sown in commercial module trays and subjected to four different watering regimes: high frequency overhead spray, low frequency overhead spray, high frequency capillary and low frequency capillary. Visible symptoms were recorded and leaf washings were carried out to detect the pathogen on symptomless plants. The effects of treatments on symptoms and on the proportion of contaminated but symptomless plants was similar. Initially, they were influenced only by the dose of bacteria with little difference between the watering regimes, but later the proportion of plants with symptoms was greater for plants subjected to overhead watering, due to spread and secondary infection. Generalised linear models were fitted to the data relating the proportion of symptomless contaminated plants or the proportion of plants with symptoms, p, to the mean dose of bacteria per seed, d, and the number of overhead waterings, noh. The equations were: p=1−exp(−0.014·d 0.32·noh 0.045) for symptomless contaminated/infected plants and p=1−exp(−0.0056·d 0.44·noh 0.014) for plants with symptoms. These models indicated that the one-hit probability for transmission of the pathogen (i.e. with/without visible symptoms) was 0.014 and for infection (i.e. with visible symptoms) was 0.0056.

Notes: Abstract Today's manufacturing methods are caught between the growing need for quality, high process safety, minimal manufacturing costs, and short manufacturing times. In order to meet these demands, process setting parameters have to be chosen in the best possible way, according to demand on quality. For such optimization it is necessary to represent the processes in a model. Due to the enormous complexity of many processes and the high number of influencing parameters, however, conventional approaches to modelling and optimization are no longer sufficient. In this article it is shown how, by means of applying neural networks for process modelling, even these highly complex interdependencies can be learned. That way both process and quality parameters can be assessed before or during processing. By connecting them with corresponding cost models, it is possible to optimize processes with the help of evolutionary algorithms. Using examples of different manufacturing processes, the possi bilities for process modelling and optimization with neural networks and evolutionary algorithms are demonstrated.

Notes: Abstract The use of simulation technology as a tool for planning and control is of increasing significance in most fields of production. The main part of the expenditure concerning simulation analyses is the modelling of the considered production. Despite the use of modern building-block-oriented modelling technology, this modelling can often not be done by the user, but only by external experts. Against this backdrop, an adaptive simulation system is being developed by the Institute for Industrial Manufacturing and Management (IFF) at the University of Stuttgart. It independently adapts to real production processes, i.e. it learns about the interdependencies of production processes, and, in this way, supports the user in constructing and maintaining the model. In terms of information technology, the research in the field of artificial intelligence, especially in the subdomain of machine learning, is the basis for the realization of such adaptive systems.

Notes: Abstract Chromium deposition on an inert electrode is a complex process. To gain a better understanding of phenomena involved in multistep reactions we have studied such a mechanism and developed Voltasim, a new software that simulates cyclic voltammograms for a two-step metal deposition with adsorption. In addition, Voltasim is suitable for either reversible or quasi-reversible or irreversible reactions. The software was validated with experimental results obtained for the chromium deposition case. Data fitting was achieved using a screening design of experiments involving 12␣parameters.

Notes: Abstract Numerical modelling of charge transfer using the finite element method within the whole active layer of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) electrodes is proposed in order to study the electrocatalyst utilization as characterized by the effectiveness factor. In this way, two modified approaches based on the thin film and agglomerate models are developed for studying ionic ohmic drop effects in the active layer at both the electrolyte layer and electrocatalyst particles scales. The catalyst phase is considered to be a network of spherical nanoparticles instead of the classical representation as a uniform distribution over a surface (thin film model) or in a volume (agglomerate model). Simulations point out unexpected effects at the local level due to the discrete distribution of the catalyst phase as nanoparticles. Finally, the results are applied to the practical case of oxygen reduction and hydrogen oxidation.

Notes: Abstract The numerical simulation of current and temperature distribution in monolithic solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks requires fast computers because of the large number of mesh points required in casting a complex solid geometry into a finite difference form and the necessity to solve coupled, nonlinear differential equations. By analogy with the modelling of radiative heat transfer in packed bed reactors, a significant degree of simplification is achieved by defining effective electric and thermal conductivities for the repeating unit cell elements, identified as the basic building blocks of the SOFC stack. The effective conductivities are approximated by closed form formulae derived from the principles of electrostatics and heat conduction. The effect of radiation across the gas channels is incorporated into the expressions for the effective thermal conductivity. Using this approach, the unit cell geometry, local mass transfer processes and reaction kinetics are expressed in terms of a supraelement model in a finite difference grid for the numerical calculation of temperature and potential distributions in a stack by an iterative process. The simplifications thus provided render simulations of three-dimensional SOFC stacks tractable for desktop processors. By using the foregoing approach to numerical simulation, a parametric study of a cross-flow type SOFC is presented, and some of the results are compared with the available experimental data

Notes: Abstract A step-wise computer model is presented for simultaneous deposition of nickel and nickel hydroxide in aqueous solutions. In acidic solutions ({pH} 1), the potentiostatic current-time transient response on glassy carbon or titanium was analysed with respect to nucleation and radial growth mechanism. pH changes influence the current-time response greatly. A marked maximum in the current transient appears for slightly acidic solutions ({pH} 4.5) and a consecutive decrease in the deposition current density at long times is obtained. This behaviour is attributed to early precipitation of nickel hydroxide due to a local pH increase at the cathode surface.

Notes: Abstract Physical properties of shallow sediments measured at a particular site can not easily be extrapolated over a given profile. The number of samples required to define sediment properties adequately can then become time-consuming and expensive. Laboratory and in-situ experimentations have shown that electrical probing provides a useful complementary technique to extrapolate results from cores. These experiments have pointed out the need for quantitative, easily-transportable and fast resistivity measurements combining high vertical resolution with azimuthal resolution and full coverage, in the shallow subsurface. A new prototype probe called FICUS (Formation Imaging and Coring for Unconsolidated Sediments) has been developed to bridge this gap. FICUS is designed to provide in-situ high resolution electrical resistivity images of the upper few meters of shallow unconsolidated sediments. Laboratory experiments have been completed to test the feasibility of this technique to provide resistivity images of unconsolidated sediments. Laboratory images agree with theoretical predictions from numerical modelling. The obtained cm-scale resolution could be used for petrophysical and sedimentary purposes. The probe may offer additional information about changes in porosity and pore morphology caused by climatic cycles, since electrical resistivity is known to be especially sensitive to these changes. The probe could also allow to detect and map organic pollutants in the future.

Notes: Abstract There is growing awareness that grassland livestock production systems are major sources of nitrous oxide (N2O). Controlling these emissions requires a thorough understanding of all sources and controlling factors at the farm level. This paper examines the various controlling factors and proposes farm management measures to decrease N2O emissions from intensively managed grassland livestock farming systems. Two types of regulating mechanisms of N2O emissions can be distinguished, i.e. environmental regulators and farm management regulators. Both types of regulators may influence the number and size of N2O sources, and the timing of the emissions. At the field and farm scales, two clusters of environmental regulating factors have been identified, i.e. soil and climate, and three levels of management regulators, i.e. strategic, tactical and operational. Though the understanding of these controls is still incomplete, the available information suggests that there is large scope for diminishing N2O emissions at the farm scale, using strategies that have been identified already. For example, model calculations indicate that it may be possible to decrease total N2O emissions from intensively managed dairy farms in The Netherlands in the short term from a mean of about 19 to about 13 kg N per ha per year by more effective nutrient management, whilst maintaining productivity. There is scope for a further reduction to a level of about 6 kg N per ha per year. Advisory tools for controlling N2O emissions have to be developed for all three management levels, i.e. strategic, tactical and operational, to be able to effectively implement emission reduction options and strategies in practice. Some strategies and best management practices to decrease N2O emissions from grassland livestock farming systems are suggested.

Notes: Abstract During the last decade robots with flexible links became a popular research object for control engineers. This is because of their sophisticated properties referring to feedback control, e.g., non-minimum phase behaviour in end-effector control. Massive problems already occur trying to obtain an accurate analytic model for multilink flexible robots. This paper presents an effective way for numerical modelling of multilink flexible robots using the multibody system toolkit MBILE. The experimental model fitting to a laboratory test bed of a two-link flexible robot is documented.

Notes: Abstract A localized-constant model involving two capacities reliably describes two injection calorimeters: a mass-variation calorimeter and a constant-volume calorimeter (TAM 2277 by Thermometric). The model distinguishes the place and the types of dissipation, and its parameters depend on the rates and on the heat capacities of the liquids. In the case of the TAM 2277 calorimeter, the dependence between the detected heat of mixing and the injection rate is revealed. The proposed model permits the inclusion of perturbations on the baseline originating from the temperature variation of the thermostat.

Notes: Abstract A critical reading of early papers on heat flux or conduction calorimetry (1920-1965) reveals the original kinetic aims of the developed instrumentation and the progressive appearance of the intrinsic difficulties. An analysis of current publications demonstrates biased application/results relating to equivalent problems. Modelling of the systems by the RC analogy of heat transfer equations establishes the problems connected with the structure of the apparatus and also the experimental conditions to be fulfilled. Analysis of the equations highlights several possibilities that are used in part today. For instance, the reduction of noise and drift on the calorimeter output by a software approach and the conditions to be attained with crucibles for increased accuracy.

Notes: Abstract A predictive design methodology based on modelling the fracture stress (notched tensile strength) and post-fatigue residual strength of laminated fiber composites is presented. The approach is based explicitly on the development of models of the physical processes by which damage accumulates at a notch-tip and the application of these models to cross-ply laminates for a variety of material systems, including thermosetting and thermoplastic matrices containing carbon, glass and Kevlar fiber reinforcements. The effects of temperature and humidity on composite fracture can also be examined in the context of this modelling strategy. A pre-requisite of the model is that it has to be calibrated for each material system by performing tensile tests on notched and unnotched cross-ply laminate. From this initial calibration, which takes relatively little time, it is possible to apply the model to a prediction of the dependence of fracture stress on notch size; to an understanding of the effects of laminate stacking sequence (within the same cross-ply family) on fracture stress; and to provide insight into the effects of thermal or load cycling history on fatigue damage-growth and residual or fatigue strength. The advantages and deficiencies of this modelling strategy are assessed, as well as the applicability of such a physical modelling approach to the predictive design and failure of composite materials in general.

Notes: Abstract EgDf1 is a developmentally regulated protein from the parasite Echinococcus granulosus related to a family of hydrophobic ligand binding proteins. This protein could play a crucial role during the parasite life cycle development since this organism is unable to synthetize most of their own lipids de novo. Furthermore, it has been shown that two related protein from other parasitic platyhelminths (Fh15 from Fasciola hepatica and Sm14 from Schistosoma mansoni) are able to confer protective inmunity against experimental infection in animal models. A three-dimensional structure would help establishing structure/function relationships on a knowledge based manner. 3D structures for EgDf1 protein were modelled by using myelin P2 (mP2) and intestine fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) as templates. Molecular dynamics techniques were used to validate the models. Template mP2 yielded the best 3D structure for EgDf1. Palmitic and oleic acids were docked inside EgDf1. The present theoretical results suggest definite location in the secondary structure of the epitopic regions, consensus phosphorylation motifs and oleic acid as a good ligand candidate to EgDf1. This protein might well be involved in the process of supplying hydrophobic metabolites for membrane biosynthesis and for signaling pathways.

Notes: Abstract The problem of modelling air missions is part of a larger problem—simulating possible war-like scenarios in the air, sea, and on land. In modelling such military systems one is required to model the behaviour of various actors and the resources that are available to them. One aspect of this problem is the modelling of a group of actors as a team and then modelling the coordinated behaviour of such a team to achieve a joint goal. In the domain of air mission modelling the actors are pilots who control aircraft and their behaviour is referred to as tactics. In this paper we present the approach we adopted in modelling teams and team tactics as part of the development of the Smart Whole AiR Mission Model (SWARMM) for the Air Operations Division of the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organization. In our approach teams are composed of sub-teams and adopt organizational structures. Such structures define the responsibilities of the sub-teams towards the mission to be achieved as well as towards the control and coordination of the sub-teams. We also describe how communication is used when adopting a variety of control and coordination strategies and how one could reason about the choice of organizational structures for a given mission and situation.

Notes: Abstract In this study we investigate a hybrid neural network architecture for modelling purposes. The proposed network is based on the multilayer perceptron (MLP) network. However, in addition to the usual hidden layers the first hidden layer is selected to be a centroid layer. Each unit in this new layer incorporates a centroid that is located somewhere in the input space. The output of these units is the Euclidean distance between the centroid and the input. The centroid layer clearly resembles the hidden layer of the radial basis function (RBF) networks. Therefore the centroid based multilayer perceptron (CMLP) networks can be regarded as a hybrid of MLP and RBF networks. The presented benchmark experiments show that the proposed hybrid architecture is able to combine the good properties of MLP and RBF networks resulting fast and efficient learning, and compact network structure.

Notes: Abstract This paper is devoted to the modelling of a temperature field in nonsaturated porous media in the absence of phase change. We establish the energy equation at the macroscopic level, from a description at the pore level by using the homogenisation method of multiple-scale asymptotic expansions. Different macroscopic models are obtained depending on the values of the local Péclet number and the local Fourier number. An example of the application of the different model catalogue is presented which concerns the modelling of the hot pressing of a paper web.

Notes: Abstract We report the results from a field experiment in which we examined the spatial and temporal patterns of water uptake by a mature apple tree (Malus domestica Borkh., ‘Splendour’) in an orchard. Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) was used to measure changes in the soil's volumetric water content, and heat-pulse was used to monitor locally the rates of sap flow in the trunk and roots of the tree. We also measured the tree's distribution of root-length density and obtained supporting data to characterize the soil's hydraulic properties. The experimental data were used to examine the output of the WAVE-model (Vanclooster et al, 1995; Ecol. Model. 81, 183–185) in which soil water transport is predicted using Richards' equation, and where root uptake is represented by a distributed macroscopic sink term. When the surface soil layers were uniformly wet, 70% of the trees water uptake occurred in the top 0.4 m of the root zone, in which approximately 70% of the tree's fine roots were located. When a partial irrigation was applied to just one side of the root zone, the apple tree quickly shifted its pattern of water uptake with an almost two-fold increase in uptake from the wetter soil parts and a corresponding reduction in uptake from the drier parts. The response of root-sap flow to irrigation was almost immediate (i.e. root flow increased within hours of the irrigation). Following subsequent irrigations over the whole soil surface, TDR measurements revealed a surface-ward shift in the pattern of water extraction, and root flow measurements revealed a recovery in the uptake function of seemingly inactive roots located in the previously-dry soil. Via our root sap flow measurements, we observed two roots on the same tree locally responding quite differently to similar events of soil wetting. This observation suggests that there may be considerable functional variability across the apple root system. Our measurement-model calculations yielded similar results and stress the prime role played by the plant in modifying the root zone balance of water. Following an irrigation or rainfall event, root uptake by apple appears to be more dependent upon the near-surface availability of water than it is related to the distribution of fine roots.

Notes: Abstract Soil nutrient depletion is increasingly regarded as a major constraint to sustainable food production in tropical environments. Research in the recent past focused on different scales, but few attempts were made to link them. In this paper, two cases are elaborated in Central America (CA) and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), in which the integration of different scales has been studied. Soil nutrient depletion has been calculated for fields, and has then been aggregated to farms, regions, and subcontinents. Key problems on aggregation of field nutrient balances to farms include nutrient flows between fields. Aggregation of farms to regions requires a generalization of individual farms into a farm typology. Aggregation of regions into subcontinents implies that the farm typology concept can mostly not be maintained, resulting in a generalized calculation based on national soil, climate and land use data bases. The field-farm step proved complicated for SSA due to the occurrence of a wide variety of nutrient flows between fields, whereas in CA these flows were much less pronounced; the farm-region step turned out to be manageable for both CA and SSA as farm typology adequately covered observed variation; the region-subcontinent step proved difficult for CA due to the considerable variation in management and input levels in farming systems, whereas this was less the case in SSA. The study shows that integration of spatial scales is constrained by both data availability (the tropical parameter crisis) and by scale-specific variability.

Notes: Abstract Predicting timber volume can be important for decision- making. Conventional forest growth models are generally based on mensuration data acquired in fully stocked homogeneous tree stands, and do not consider the wide spacings often adopted in European agroforestry. In order to test the possibility of adapting conventional forestry growth models, diameter and height growth were measured on widely spaced trees. Parameters of a Gompertz double exponential function were adjusted for several tree species planted at wide spacings. Spacing, vegetation control, and individual tree shelters affected the parameters. At wide spacings, the asymptote for diameter growth was larger, and the asymptote for height growth smaller, compared to conventional forestry.

Notes: Abstract The fact that the shelter created by windbreaks can have a significant, positive effect on crop production is supported by eight decades of research from many countries around the world. Although the concept of planting windbreaks to enhance crop production has general currency in Australia, the practice is not as wide as it could be. This review of the last decade of windbreak literature defines the research needed to encourage wider utilisation of windbreak technology. After outlining the principal mechanisms behind the effect of shelter on temperate crops, the review discusses relevant literature of the past decade especially that from Australia. The main mechanisms discussed are: the protection of crops from physical damage; soil conservation; the direct augmentation of soil moisture; and the alteration of the crop energy balance and plant water relations. Also discussed are the elusiveness of the shelter effect, competition from windbreak trees, and the modelling of windbreak systems. Suggestions for future research in Australia include: quantifying the competition of various windbreak species and the effect of root pruning on both crop and tree; a model of crop energy and water relations at the tree-crop interface; an economic model and a farmer-oriented decision support tool.

Notes: Abstract Reductions in leaf area and plant growth as a consequence of phosphorus (P) limitations have been attributed both to direct effects of P shortage on leaf expansion rate and to a reduced production of assimilates required for growth. Canopy assimilation and leaf area expansion are closely interrelated processes. In this work we used experimental and simulation techniques to identify and study their importance in determining leaf area on sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) growing under P-deficient conditions. Experiment 1 was done outdoors, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Experiment 2 in a glasshouse in Wageningen, The Netherlands. In both experiments we studied the effects of soil P addition on leaf appearance, leaf expansion, dry matter accumulation, and leaf photosynthesis of non-water stressed plants grown in pots containing a P-deficient soil. Before sowing the equivalent amounts of 0–600 kg of super phosphate ha-1 were added to the pots. Phosphorus deficiency delayed leaf appearance increasing the value of the phyllochron (PHY) up to 76%, the rate of leaf area expansion during the quasi-linear phase of leaf expansion (LER) was reduced by up to 74%, with respect to high P plants. Phosphorus deficiency reduced by up to 50% the rate of light saturated photosynthesis per unit of leaf area (AMAX) in recently expanded leaves, while at low levels of leaf insertion in the canopy, AMAX was reduced by up to 85%, when compared to that in high P plants. Phosphorus deficiency also reduced the duration of the quasi-linear phase of leaf expansion by up to eight days. The values of LER were related (r = 0.56, P 〈 0.05) to the mean concentration of P in all the leaves (Leaves P%) and not to the concentration of P in the individual leaf where LER was determined (r = 0.22, P 〈 0.4) suggesting that under P deficiency individual leaf expansion was not likely to be regulated by the total P concentration at leaf level. The values of AMAX of individual leaves were related (r = 0.79, P 〈 0.01) to the concentration of total P in the corresponding leaf (Leaf P%). LER showed a hyperbolic relationship with Leaves P% (R2 = 0.94, P 〈 0.01, n = 13) that saturate at 0.14%. AMAX showed a hyperbolic relationship with Leaf P% (R2 = 0.73, P 〈 0.01, n = 53) that saturated with values of Leaf P% higher than 0.22. A morphogenetic model of leaf area development and growth was developed to quantify the effect of assimilate supply at canopy level on total leaf area expansion, and to study the effects of model parameters on the growth of sunflower plants under P-deficient conditions. With this model we identified the existence of direct effects of P deficiency on individual leaf area expansion. However, we calculated that under mild P stress conditions up to 83% of the reduction in the observed leaf area was explained by the particular effects of P% on the rate of leaf appearance, on the duration of the linear period of leaf expansion, and on the value of AMAX. We also calculated that the effects of P deficiency on the value of AMAX alone, explained up to 41% of the observed reductions in total leaf area between the highest and the intermediate P level in Experiment 2. Possible mechanisms of action of the direct effects of P on individual leaf expansion are discussed in this paper.

Notes: Abstract Cultivation of forest and grassland soils induces heavy changes in soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics. To better predict the effect of cultivation, there is a need to describe which organic pools are affected and to which extent. We used a chronosequence of thick humic forest soils converted to maize cultivation for 40 yr in southwest France. The dynamics of soil carbon was investigated through particle-size fractionation and the use of 13C allowed to distinguish forest-derived organic matter and new crop-derived organic matter. This partitioning of soil carbon by size on one hand and by age on the other provided a precise description of carbon turnover. The level towards which tend the organic pools under cultivation showed that the decay rates of soil carbon were one order of magnitude higher under cultivation than under forest. SOM can thus be considered as deprotected under cultivation. All size fractions appeared to be deprotected to the same extent. A progressive transfer of silt-sized C to clay-sized C was nevertheless suspected and attributed to the decreasing stability of fine silt-sized microaggregates with cultivation. SOM furthermore contained some very stable C present as silt-sized and possibly clay-sized particles. The turnover times of maize-derived organic matter was the same as that observed in similar soils cultivated for centuries. This indicated that the new conditions induced by cultivation were reached in the very first years after forest clearing and that the high initial SOM content and high mineralization rate of initial organic matter did not affect the dynamics of newly incorporated carbon.

Notes: Abstract Under phosphorus deficiency reductions in plant leaf area have been attributed to both direct effects of P on the individual leaf expansion rate and to a reduced availability of assimilates for leaf growth. In this work we use experimental and simulation techniques to identify and quantify these processes in wheat plants growing under P-deficient conditions. In a glasshouse experiment we studied the effects of soil P addition (0–138 kg P2O5 ha-1) on tillering, leaf emergence, leaf expansion, plant growth, and leaf photosynthesis of wheat plants (cv. INTA Oasis) that were not water stressed. Plants were grown in pots containing a P-deficient (3 mg P g-1 soil) sandy soil. Sowing and pots were arranged to simulate a crop stand of 173 plants m-2. Experimental results were integrated in a simulation model to study the relative importance of each process in determining the plant leaf area during vegetative stages of wheat. Phosphorus deficiency significantly reduced plant leaf area and dry weight production. Under P-deficient conditions the phyllochron (PHY) was increased up to a 32%, compared to that of high-P plants. In low-P plants the rate of individual leaf area expansion during the quasi-linear phase of leaf expansion (LER) was significantly reduced. The effect of P deficiency on LER was the main determinant of the final size of the individual leaves. In recently expanded leaves phosphorus deficiency reduced the photosynthesis rate per unit leaf area at high radiation (AMAX), up to 57%. Relative values of AMAX showed an hyperbolic relationship with leaf P% saturating at 0.27%. Relative values of the tillering rate showed an hyperbolic relationship with the shoot P% saturating at values above 0.38%. The value of LER was not related to the concentration of P in leaves or shoots. A morphogenetic model of leaf area development and growth was developed to quantify the effect of assimilate supply at canopy level on total leaf area expansion, and to study the sensitivity of different model variables to changes in model parameters. Simulation results indicated that under mild P stress conditions up to 80% of the observed reduction in plant leaf area was due to the effects of P deficiency on leaf emergence and tillering. Under extreme P-deficient conditions the simulation model failed to explain the experimental results indicating that other factors not taken into account by the model, i.e. direct effects of P on leaf expansion, must have been active. Possible mechanisms of action of the direct effects of P on individual leaf expansion are discussed in this work.