LAND USE OPTIMIZATION USING SELF-ORGANIZING ALGORITHMS

ABSTRACT. In many spatial systems the interaction between various regions decreases dramatically with distance. This suggests that local trade-offs may be more important than global ones in land use planning and that a decentralized, parallel optimization of the individual regions may be an attractive supplement to more centralized optimization approaches. In this paper, we solve a forest planning problem using a series of decentralized approaches. The approaches can be characterized as self-organizing algorithms and are modeled in the framework of a cellular automaton. We compare our results with those obtained by more centralized approaches, viz. a large sample approach, simulated annealing, and a genetic algorithm. We find that the self-organizing algorithms generally converge much faster to solutions which are at least as good as those obtained by simulated annealing and the genetic algorithm.     

Calculation of dipole moment functions with density functional theory: application to vibrational band intensities

We have calculated fundamental and overtone XH stretching vibrational band intensities for H₂O, benzene, cyclohexane, 1,3-butadiene, and HCN. The band intensities were calculated with a simple harmonically coupled anharmonic oscillator local mode model and a series expanded dipole moment function. The dipole moment functions were obtained from local, non-local and hybrid density functional theory calculations with basis sets ranging from 6–31G(d) to 6–311++G(3df,3pd). The calculated band intensities have been compared with intensities calculated with conventional ab initio methods and with experimental results. Compared with conventional correlated ab initio methods, a carefully chosen density functional method and basis set seems to give better fundamental and overtone intensities with far less resources used. We have found that the density functional methods appear to be less sensitive to the choice of basis set, with little difference between the results obtained with a non-local or hybrid density functional method.     

Comparison of the Morse and Deng-Fan potentials for X-H bonds in small molecules

We use the Morse and the Deng-Fan potentials to treat the X-H stretching motion in small molecules. The Deng-Fan potential is qualitatively similar to the Morse potential but has the correct asymptotic behaviour as the internuclear distance approaches 0. We use the Deng-Fan potential to calculate transition frequencies and intensities of overtones of X-H stretching vibrations. Parameters for the Morse oscillator can readily be found from a Birge-Sponer fit of experimental transition frequencies. We describe a procedure to find the parameters for the Deng-Fan oscillator. We compare the potentials, wavefunctions, and matrix elements of the Morse and the Deng-Fan oscillator models. In the examples considered the Deng-Fan potential does not predict observed energy levels and intensities significantly better than the Morse potential despite its correct asymptotic behaviour.     

OPTIMAL CONTROL OF MULTIPLE-USE PRODUCTS: THE CASE OF TIMBER,FORAGE AND WATER PRODUCTION

ABSTRACT. A thorough analysis of the optimal control of multiple-use forest management at the stand level reveals that the results of earlier studies, which seem to contradict each other, are in fact part of a common solution space. We provide an explanation for this result by showing that it is caused by the growth function and the interaction between the timber and forage production functions. We discuss the sensibility of the results using this new knowledge. Most optimal control models focusing on multiple-use forest management have applied production functions that are quadratic in the state variable. This makes explicit solutions easy because the first order derivative is linear. However, in reality, production is often better described by more complex nonlinear functions, but, unfortunately, such functions are difficult to handle in an optimal control framework. We illustrate how the convenience of the quadratic production function can be combined with better approximations to nonlinear production functions.