Search results for "discontinuity"
showing 10 items of 76 documents
Persistence of orographic mixed‐phase clouds
2016
Mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) consist of ice crystals and supercooled water droplets at temperatures between 0 and approximately −38°C. They are thermodynamically unstable because the saturation vapor pressure over ice is lower than that over supercooled liquid water. Nevertheless, long-lived MPCs are ubiquitous in the Arctic. Here we show that persistent MPCs are also frequently found in orographic terrain, especially in the Swiss Alps, when the updraft velocities are high enough to exceed saturation with respect to liquid water allowing simultaneous growth of supercooled liquid droplets and ice crystals. Their existence is characterized by holographic measurements of cloud particles obtained …
Effects of a mobile disturbance pattern on dynamic patch networks and metapopulation persistence
2021
Abstract Motivation Certain early-succession habitats may emerge only at restricted locations following disturbance. Therefore, whether disturbances tend to occur at certain sites or not can significantly affect habitat availability and metapopulation persistence of early-successional habitat specialists. Available models that combine metapopulation and landscape processes do not address how to model mobile, spatially shifting disturbance intensities independent of factors of site suitability. We present a model that allows the study on how a mobile disturbance pattern, of either natural or anthropogenic origin, affects patch network and metapopulation dynamics in realistic, heterogeneous l…
A risk assessment proposal for underground cavities in Hard Soils-Soft Rocks
2018
Abstract Underground calcarenite quarries in Marsala (Sicily) have been involved in a number of collapses that have, seriously damaged numerous buildings. The stability conditions were therefore examined in order to assess risk conditions within the historical centre of the town and the surrounding areas, which are subject to urban expansion. Starting with an extensive collection of historical information, the research was carried out through surveys of the cavities, systematic sampling of material, petrographic analysis and geotechnical testing. The results of laboratory tests and in situ investigations provided a geotechnical characterization of both the intact material and the rock mass.…
Searching events in AFM force-extension curves: A wavelet approach
2016
An algorithm, based on the wavelet scalogram energy, for automatically detecting events in force-extension AFM force spectroscopy experiments is introduced. The events to be detected are characterized by a discontinuity in the signal. It is shown how the wavelet scalogram energy has different decay rates at different points depending on the degree of regularity of the signal, showing faster decay rates at regular points and slower rates at singular points (jumps). It is shown that these differences produce peaks in the scalogram energy plot at the event points. Finally, the algorithm is illustrated in a tether analysis experiment by using it for the detection of events in the AFM force-exte…
A heuristic, iterative algorithm for change-point detection in abrupt change models
2017
Change-point detection in abrupt change models is a very challenging research topic in many fields of both methodological and applied Statistics. Due to strong irregularities, discontinuity and non-smootheness, likelihood based procedures are awkward; for instance, usual optimization methods do not work, and grid search algorithms represent the most used approach for estimation. In this paper a heuristic, iterative algorithm for approximate maximum likelihood estimation is introduced for change-point detection in piecewise constant regression models. The algorithm is based on iterative fitting of simple linear models, and appears to extend easily to more general frameworks, such as models i…
Continuous and discontinuous nominal expressions in flexible (or “free”) word order languages: Patterns and correlates
2020
AbstractThis study explores continuous and discontinuous word order patterns of multi-word nominal expressions in flexible word order languages (traditionally referred to as “free word order” or “non-configurational” languages). Besides describing syntagmatic patterns, this paper seeks to identify any functional or other correlates that can be associated with different word orders. The languages under investigation are a number of Australian languages as well as Vedic Sanskrit, all of which have long been known for their syntagmatic flexibility. With respect to continuous order, evidence from several of these languages suggests that default ordering is primarily governed by functional templ…
Global-Local model for guided wave scattering problems with application to defect characterization in built-up composite structures
2020
Abstract Predicting scattering of elastic guided waves in multi-layered solid plates with geometrical and/or material discontinuities is of great interest to many fields, including ultrasonic-based Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and health monitoring of critical structural components (SHM). The problem is complicated by the multimode and dispersive behaviour of the guided waves. This paper describes a unified Global-Local (GL) approach that is computationally efficient in cases that can be very complex in terms of geometry and/or material properties. One example of this is a composite built-up structure. The proposed GL procedure discretizes the “local” region with the scattering discontinui…
Long-term persistence, invariant time scales and on-off intermittency of fog events
2021
Abstract In this work we study different characteristics of fog long-term persistence, in events with different physical formation mechanisms. Specifically, we focus on the characterization of fog long-term persistence from observational data, by means of a Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) of its associated low-visibility time series. We analyze fog events with radiation and orographic underlying physical formation mechanisms, and identify a two-range pattern of long-term persistence. Our analysis leads to the emergence of a characteristic time, τ∗, at the crossover point between different scaling exponents in the DFA, independent of the time scale at which the fog event is studied. We …
Autocorrelation Metrics to Estimate Soil Moisture Persistence From Satellite Time Series: Application to Semiarid Regions
2021
Satellite-derived soil moisture (SM) products have become an important information source for the study of land surface processes in hydrology and land monitoring. Characterizing and estimating soil memory and persistence from satellite observations is of paramount relevance, and has deep implications in ecology, water management, and climate modeling. In this work, we address the problem of SM persistence estimation from microwave sensors using several autocorrelation metrics that, unlike traditional approaches, build on accurate estimates of the autocorrelation function from nonuniformly sampled time series. We show how the choice of the autocorrelation estimator can have a dramatic impac…
Influence of a thin horizontal weak layer on the mechanical behaviour of shallow foundations resting on sand
2021
The presence of minor details of the ground, including soil or rock masses, occurs more frequently than what is normally believed. Thin weak layers, shear bands, and slickensided surfaces can substantially affect the behaviour of foundations, as well as that of other geostructures. In fact, they can affect the failure mechanisms, the ultimate bearing capacity of footings, and the safety factor of the geotechnical system. In this research, numerically conducted through Finite Element Code Plaxis 2D, the influence of a horizontal thin weak layer on the mechanical behaviour of shallow footings was evaluated. The obtained results prove that the weak layer strongly influences both the failure me…