Search results for "SYSTEM DYNAMICS"
showing 10 items of 230 documents
Environmentally‐induced noise dampens and reddens with increasing trophic level in a complex food web
2019
Stochastic variability of key abiotic factors including temperature, precipitation and the availability of light and nutrients greatly influences species’ ecological function and evolutionary fate. Despite such influence, ecologists have typically ignored the effect of abiotic stochasticity on the structure and dynamics of ecological networks. Here we help to fill that gap by advancing the theory of how abiotic stochasticity, in the form of environmental noise, affects the population dynamics of species within food webs. We do this by analysing an allometric trophic network model of Lake Constance subjected to positive (red), negative (blue), and non‐autocorrelated (white) abiotic temporal …
Eco‐evolutionary dynamics driven by fishing : from single species models to dynamic evolution within complex food webs
2020
Evidence of contemporary evolution across ecological time scales stimulated research on the eco‐evolutionary dynamics of natural populations. Aquatic systems provide a good setting to study eco‐evolutionary dynamics owing to a wealth of long‐term monitoring data and the detected trends in fish life‐history traits across intensively harvested marine and freshwater systems. In the present study, we focus on modelling approaches to simulate eco‐evolutionary dynamics of fishes and their ecosystems. Firstly, we review the development of modelling from single‐species to multispecies approaches. Secondly, we advance the current state‐of‐the‐art methodology by implementing evolution of life‐history…
Diet composition and biomass consumption of harbour seals in Telemark and Aust-Agder, Norwegian Skagerrak
2020
To explore ecosystem dynamics and functions it is vital to obtain knowledge on predator–prey relations. Harbour seals are piscivorous predators that can come into conflict with fisheries. Recently, as the Skagerrak and Kattegat population of harbour seals has increased, claims have emerged that seals are depleting coastal cod populations. The diet of harbour seals in Norwegian Skagerrak was investigated based on otolith identification from scats. The overall seal diet included 20 different fish species/groups. The most important prey (combined index Q i ) were haddock/pollack/saithe (32.7%), genus Trisopterus (Norway pout/poor cod/bib, 12.5%), plaice (12.4%) and herring (10.0%). Plaice also…
Hydrodynamic characterization of a new small-scale reactor mixed by a magnetic bar
2015
International audience; The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mixing characteristics of a new milliliter-scale (mL-scale) reactor developed for studying enzymatic activity or physiological cell response. The mL-scale reactor was designed to enable the integration of several sensors to carry out dynamic measurements in a controlled environment. Rapid homogeneity of the entire system is essential to ensure reproducible and reliable results, consequently the reactor was stirred to optimize both mass and heat transfers. A comparative study using three different techniques was undertaken to study mixing performances in the system. Firstly, mixing time (4,) was estimated in the reactor us…
From Metaphor to Practice: Operationalizing the Analysis of Resilience Using System Dynamics Modelling
2017
This paper operationalizes an analysis of resilience for social-ecological systems using system dynamics (SD) modelling. Resilience is a versatile concept that continues to gain popularity among researchers who study ways to reduce the vulnerability of social-ecological systems to a wide range of disturbances. However, its application in the policymaking domain still remains underdeveloped because it is difficult to understand the mechanisms that might enhance resilience and to measure the impact of potential policies. This paper proposes to use SD modelling as a tool to analyse resilience using simulations to quantify system response to disturbances and a causal analysis to identify ways t…
Managing for resilience: an information theory-based approach to assessing ecosystems
2016
Ecosystems are complex and multivariate; hence, methods to assess the dynamics of ecosystems should have the capacity to evaluate multiple indicators simultaneously. Most research on identifying leading indicators of regime shifts has focused on univariate methods and simple models which have limited utility when evaluating real ecosystems, particularly because drivers are often unknown. We discuss some common univariate and multivariate approaches for detecting critical transitions in ecosystems and demonstrate their capabilities via case studies. Synthesis and applications. We illustrate the utility of an information theory-based index for assessing ecosystem dynamics. Trends in this inde…
Model-Free Sliding-Mode-Based Detection and Estimation of Backlash in Drives With Single Encoder
2021
Backlash is a frequently encountered problem for various drives, especially those equipped with a single encoder onside of the controlled actuator. This brief proposes a sliding-mode differentiator-based estimation of unknown backlash size while measuring the actuator displacement only. Neither actuator nor load dynamics are explicitly known, while a principal second-order actuator behavior is assumed. We make use of the different perturbation dynamics distinctive for different backlash modes and an unbounded impulse-type perturbation at impact. The latter leads to transient loss of the sliding-mode and allows for detecting an isolated time instant of the backlash occurrence. The proposed m…
Use of second-order sliding mode observer for low-accuracy sensing in hydraulic machines
2018
Low-accuracy sensing is very common for the large hydraulic machines and does not allow for directly measuring the relative velocity which can be, otherwise, required for the control and monitoring purposes. This paper provides a case study of designing the second-order sliding mode observer based on the super-twisting robust exact differentiator. The nominal part of the system dynamics is derived from the simple available system measurements and incorporated into the observer structure. Parasitic by-effects, arising from the sensor sampling, quantization, and non-modeled distortions due to mechanical sensor interface, are shown as the main causes of hampering the final (steady-state) conve…
Minimal-model for robust control design of large-scale hydraulic machines
2018
Hydraulic machines are in use where the large forces, at relatively low velocities, are required by varying loads and often hazardous and hard-to-reach environments, like e.g. offshore, mining, forestry, cargo logistics, and others industries. Cranes and excavators equipped with multiple hydraulic cylinders are typical examples for that. For design of the robust feedback controls of hydraulic cylinders, already installed into large-scale machines, there is a general lack of reliable dynamic models. Also the suitable and feasible identification techniques, especially in frequency domain, yield limited. This paper proposes a minimal-modeling approach for determining the most relevant open-lo…
On Stability of Virtual Torsion Sensor for Control of Flexible Robotic Joints with Hysteresis
2019
Author's accepted manuscript (postprint). This article has been published in a revised form in Robotica, http://doi.org/10.1017/S0263574719001358. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution or re-use. © 2019 Cambridge University Press. Available from 25/03/2020. Aim of the virtual torsion sensor (VTS) is in observing the nonlinear deflection in the flexible joints of robotic manipulators and, by its use, improving positioning control of the joint load. This model-based approach utilizes the motor-side sensing only and, therefore, replaces the load-side encoders at nearly zero hardware costs. For being applied in the closed control …