Quantifying parametric uncertainty in the Rothermel model

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Jimenez ◽  
M. Yousuff Hussaini ◽  
Scott Goodrick

The purpose of the present work is to quantify parametric uncertainty in the Rothermel wildland fire spread model (implemented in software such as BehavePlus3 and FARSITE), which is undoubtedly among the most widely used fire spread models in the United States. This model consists of a non-linear system of equations that relates environmental variables (input parameter groups) such as fuel type, fuel moisture, terrain, and wind to describe the fire environment. This model predicts important fire quantities (output parameters) such as the head rate of spread, spread direction, effective wind speed, and fireline intensity. The proposed method, which we call sensitivity derivative enhanced sampling, exploits sensitivity derivative information to accelerate the convergence of the classical Monte Carlo method. Coupled with traditional variance reduction procedures, it offers up to two orders of magnitude acceleration in convergence, which implies that two orders of magnitude fewer samples are required for a given level of accuracy. Thus, it provides an efficient method to quantify the impact of input uncertainties on the output parameters.

Author(s):  
A. Alhadhrami ◽  
Hassan A. H. Alzahrani ◽  
B. M. Prasanna ◽  
N. Madhukeshwara ◽  
K. C. Rajendraprasad ◽  
...  

The features of ferromagnetic fluids make it supportive for an extensive usage in loudspeakers, magnetic resonance imaging, computer hard drives, directing of magnetic drug and magnetic hyperthermia. Owing to all such potential applications, the current investigation is to understand the relationship between the thermal distribution, magnetic field and resulting fluid flow of Maxwell liquid over a stretching sheet. Investigation of thermal energy and concentration is carried out in the presence of thermal radiation, non-uniform heat sink/source, chemical reaction, Stefan blowing, magnetic dipole, thermophoresis and Brownian motion. Also, microorganisms are considered just to stabilize the suspended nanoparticles. Boundary layer approximation is employed during mathematical derivation. Based on a new constitutive relation, the governing equations are formulated and are reduced into a coupled non-linear system of equations using appropriate transformations. Further, these equations are solved numerically using fourth-order Runge–Kutta method with shooting technique. The impact of involved parameters is discussed and analysed graphically. Outcomes disclose that Newtonian liquid shows high heat transfer when compared to non-Newtonian (Maxwell) liquid for increased values of Brownian motion and thermophoresis parameters. Increased values of Peclet number declines the rate of gyrotactic microorganisms. Finally, an increase in Brownian and thermophoresis motion parameters declines the rate of heat transfer.


2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 438-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
MAN-KEUN KIM ◽  
C. MICHAEL UKKESTAD ◽  
HERNAN A. TEJEDA ◽  
DEEVON BAILEY

AbstractThis study reports the findings for an analysis using the computer program NAADSM (North American Animal Disease Spread Model) and a supply-driven social accounting matrix to examine the impact of a hypothetical foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in a relatively isolated part of the United States, Utah, under various levels of livestock traceability. The analysis demonstrates that a significant regional economic impact in Utah would result from an FMD outbreak but that improved levels of traceability would be very important in helping to reduce the negative economic consequences of the outbreak.


2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 244-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Karp ◽  
Gary Wong ◽  
Marguerite Orsi

Abstract. Introduction: Foods dense in micronutrients are generally more expensive than those with higher energy content. These cost-differentials may put low-income families at risk of diminished micronutrient intake. Objectives: We sought to determine differences in the cost for iron, folate, and choline in foods available for purchase in a low-income community when assessed for energy content and serving size. Methods: Sixty-nine foods listed in the menu plans provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for low-income families were considered, in 10 domains. The cost and micronutrient content for-energy and per-serving of these foods were determined for the three micronutrients. Exact Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for comparisons of energy costs; Spearman rho tests for comparisons of micronutrient content. Ninety families were interviewed in a pediatric clinic to assess the impact of food cost on food selection. Results: Significant differences between domains were shown for energy density with both cost-for-energy (p < 0.001) and cost-per-serving (p < 0.05) comparisons. All three micronutrient contents were significantly correlated with cost-for-energy (p < 0.01). Both iron and choline contents were significantly correlated with cost-per-serving (p < 0.05). Of the 90 families, 38 (42 %) worried about food costs; 40 (44 %) had chosen foods of high caloric density in response to that fear, and 29 of 40 families experiencing both worry and making such food selection. Conclusion: Adjustments to USDA meal plans using cost-for-energy analysis showed differentials for both energy and micronutrients. These differentials were reduced using cost-per-serving analysis, but were not eliminated. A substantial proportion of low-income families are vulnerable to micronutrient deficiencies.


2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Brettell

Soon after 9/11 a research project to study new immigration into the Dallas Fort Worth metropolitan area got under way. In the questionnaire that was administered to 600 immigrants across five different immigrant populations (Asian Indians, Vietnamese, Mexicans, Salvadorans, and Nigerians) between 2003 and 2005 we decided to include a question about the impact of 9/11 on their lives. We asked: “How has the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 affected your position as an immigrant in the United States?” This article analyzes the responses to this question, looking at similarities and differences across different immigrant populations. It also addresses the broader issue of how 9/11 has affected both immigration policy and attitudes toward the foreign-born in the United States. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-297
Author(s):  
Briana Wong

In Cambodia, the government's response to the COVID-19 crisis intersected with religious practice this year, as April played host both to the Christian Holy Week and the Cambodian New Year holiday, rooted in Cambodian Buddhism and indigenous religions. Typically, the Cambodian New Year celebration involves the near-complete shutting down of Phnom Penh, allowing for residents of the capital city to spend the New Year with their families in the countryside. Many Christians stay with their parents or other relatives, who remain primarily Theravada Buddhist, in the rural provinces throughout Holy Week, missing Easter Sunday services to participate in New Year's festivities at their ancestral homes. In light of the government's precautionary cancellation of the all-encompassing festivities surrounding the Cambodian New Year this spring, Christians who have previously spent Easter Sunday addressing controversial questions of interreligious interaction notably focused this year, through online broadcasting, on the resurrection of Jesus. In the United States, the near elimination of in-person gatherings has blurred the boundaries between the ministry roles of recognised church leaders and lay Christians, often women, who have long been leading unofficial services and devotionals over the phone and internet. In this article, I argue that the COVID-19 crisis, with its concomitant mass displacement of church communities from the physical to the technological realm, has impacted transnational Cambodian evangelicalism by establishing greater liturgical alignment between churches in Cambodia and in the diaspora, democratising spiritual leadership and increasing opportunities for interpersonal connectedness within the Cambodian evangelical community worldwide.


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