Finite element approximation of the Neumann eigenvalue problem in domains with multiple cracks

^** Email: belhach{at}poncelet.univ-metz.fr^*** Email: bucur{at}math.univ-metz.fr^**** Email: jmse{at}math.univ-metz.fr We study the Neumann–Laplacian eigenvalue problem in domainswith multiple cracks. We derive a mixed variational formulationwhich holds on the whole geometric domain (including the cracks)and implements efficient finite-element discretizations forthe computation of eigenvalues. Optimal error estimates aregiven and several numerical examples are presented, confirmingthe efficiency of the method. As applications, we numericallyinvestigate the behaviour of the low eigenvalues in domainswith a large number of cracks.     

Error estimates for stochastic differential games: the adverse stopping case

^** Email: frederic.bonnans{at}inria.fr^*** Email: stefania.maroso{at}inria.fr^**** Email: zidani{at}ensta.fr We obtain error bounds for monotone approximation schemes ofa particular Isaacs equation. This is an extension of the theoryfor estimating errors for the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellmanequation. To obtain the upper error bound, we consider the ‘Krylovregularization’ of the Isaacs equation to build an approximatesub-solution of the scheme. To get the lower error bound, weextend the method of Barles & Jakobsen (2005, SIAM J. Numer.Anal.) which consists in introducing a switching system whosesolutions are local super-solutions of the Isaacs equation.     

A semi-Markov maintenance model with credit rating application

Email: g.damico{at}unich.it Received on 6 December 2006. Accepted on 2 April 2008. The impact of a preventive rating maintenance policy on therating process is investigated through the definition of a semi-Markovmaintenance model with imperfect repair at random times. Theresults allow us to study the rating migrations process in thetransient and the asymptotic case.     

The Helmholtz equation in a locally perturbed half-plane with passive boundary

^** Email: mduran{at}ing.puc.cl^*** Email: ignacio.muga{at}ucv.cl^**** Email: nedelec{at}cmapx.polytechnique.fr In this article, we study the existence and uniqueness of outgoingsolutions for the Helmholtz equation in locally perturbed half-planeswith passive boundary. We establish an explicit outgoing radiationcondition which is somewhat different from the usual Sommerfeld'sone due to the appearance of surface waves. We work with thehelp of Fourier analysis and a half-plane Green's function framework.This is an extended and detailed version of the previous articleDurán et al. (2005, The Helmholtz equation with impedancein a half-plane. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I, 340, 483–488).     

A finite-volume scheme for dynamic reliability models

^** Email: christiane.cocozza{at}univ-mlv.fr^*** Email: robert.eymard{at}univ-mlv.fr^**** Email: sophie.mercier{at}univ-mlv.fr In a model arising in the dynamic reliability study of a system,the probability of the state of the system is completely describedby the Chapman–Kolmogorov equations, which are scalarlinear hyperbolic partial differential equations coupled bytheir right-hand side, the solution of which are probabilitymeasures. We propose in this paper a finite-volume scheme toapproximate these measures. We show, thanks to the proof ofthe tightness of the approximate solution, that the conservationof the probability mass leads to a compactness property. Theconvergence of the scheme is then obtained in the space of continuousfunctions with respect to the time variable, valued in the setof probability measures on [graphic: see PDF] . We finally show on a numerical example the accuracy and efficiencyof the approximation method.     

A cell-centred finite-volume approximation for anisotropic diffusion operators on unstructured meshes in any space dimension

^** Email: eymard{at}math.univ-mlv.fr^*** Email: gallouet{at}cmi.univ-mrs.fr^**** Corresponding author. Email: herbin{at}cmi.univ-mrs.fr Finite-volume methods for problems involving second-order operatorswith full diffusion matrix can be used thanks to the definitionof a discrete gradient for piecewise constant functions on unstructuredmeshes satisfying an orthogonality condition. This discretegradient is shown to satisfy a strong convergence property forthe interpolation of regular functions, and a weak one for functionsbounded in a discrete H¹-norm. To highlight the importance ofboth properties, the convergence of the finite-volume schemefor a homogeneous Dirichlet problem with full diffusion matrixis proven, and an error estimate is provided. Numerical testsshow the actual accuracy of the method.     

A mortar spectral element method for 3D Maxwell's equations

^** Email: Tahar.Boulmezaoud{at}univ-pau.fr^*** Email: Mohammed.Elrhabi{at}math.jussieu.fr In this paper we propose a mortar spectral element method forsolving Maxwell's equations in 3D bounded cavities. The methodis based on a non-conforming decomposition of the domain intothe union of non-overlapping parallelepipeds. After provingan error estimate, we present some 3D computational resultswhich confirm the performance of the method.     

Finite time stability of differential inclusions

^** Email: emmanuel.moulay{at}ec-lille.fr^*** Email: wilfrid.perruquetti{at}ec-lille.fr In this paper, the problem of finite time stability is investigatedfor differential inclusion. Two sufficient conditions for finitetime stability, using a smooth Lyapunov function and a non-smoothone, are established. Then, the same idea is used to give twonecessary conditions. Examples are developed using the conceptof Krasovskii solutions for differential equation with discontinuousright-hand sides.     

On a Monte Carlo method for neutron transport criticality computations

^** Email: maire{at}univ-tln.fr^*** Email: denis.talay{at}sophia.inria.fr We give a stochastic representation of the principal eigenvalueof some homogeneous neutron transport operators. Our constructionis based upon the Feynman–Kac formula for integral transportequations, and uses probabilistic techniques only. We developa Monte Carlo method for criticality computations. We numericallytest this method on various homogeneous and inhomogeneous problems,and compare our results with those obtained by standard methods.     

Stopping criteria, forward and backward errors for perturbed asynchronous linear fixed point methods in finite precision

^** Email: pierre.spiteri{at}enseeiht.fr This paper deals with perturbed linear fixed point methods inthe presence of round-off errors. Successive approximationsas well as the more general asynchronous iterations are treated.Forward and backward error estimates are presented, and theseare used to propose theoretical stopping criteria for thesemethods. In the case of asynchronous iterations, macro-iterationsare used as a tool in order to obtain estimates.     

A priori and a posteriori analysis of non-conforming finite elements with face penalty for advection-diffusion equations

^** Corresponding author. Email: l.elalaoui{at}imperial.ac.uk^*** Email: ern{at}cermics.enpc.fr^**** Email: erik.burman{at}epfl.ch We analyse a non-conforming finite-element method to approximateadvection–diffusion–reaction equations. The methodis stabilized by penalizing the jumps of the solution and thoseof its advective derivative across mesh interfaces. The a priorierror analysis leads to (quasi-)optimal estimates in the meshsize (sub-optimal by order in the L²-norm and optimal in thebroken graph norm for quasi-uniform meshes) keeping the Pécletnumber fixed. Then, we investigate a residual a posteriori errorestimator for the method. The estimator is semi-robust in thesense that it yields lower and upper bounds of the error whichdiffer by a factor equal at most to the square root of the Pécletnumber. Finally, to illustrate the theory we present numericalresults including adaptively generated meshes.     

An LMI-based approach for robust stabilization of time delay systems containing saturating actuators

Email: elhaous_fati{at}yahoo.fr Corresponding author. Email: elh_tissir{at}yahoo.fr Received on September 8, 2005; Accepted on July 24, 2006 This paper deals with the problem of robust stabilization foruncertain systems with input saturation and time delay in thestate. The parameter uncertainties are time-varying and unknownbut are norm bounded. Sufficient conditions obtained via a linearmatrix inequality formulation are stated to guarantee the localstabilization. The method of synthesis consists in determiningsimultaneously a state feedback control law and an associateddomain of safe admissible states for which the stability ofthe closed-loop system is guaranteed when control saturationseffectively occur. Numerical examples are used to demonstratethe effectiveness of the proposed design technique.     

Boundary feedback stabilization of coupled sine-Gordon equations

^** Email: koba{at}cntl.kyutech.ac.jp^*** Email: sakamoto{at}cntl.kyutech.ac.jp This paper is concerned with global stabilization of the systemgoverned by coupled sine-Gordon equations without damping. Astabilizer is constructed by boundary velocity feedback. Theclosed-loop system is shown to be well posed by the non-linearsemigroup approach. Moreover, using a multiplier method, globalexponential stabilization of the closed-loop system is proved.     

A unified framework for the numerical solution of general quadratic matrix equations

^** Email: vassilios.tsachouridis{at}ieee.org^*** Email: N.karcanias{at}city.ac.uk^**** Email: ixp{at}le.ac.uk Algebraic quadratic equations are special cases of a singlegeneralized algebraic quadratic matrix equation (GQME). Thispaper focuses on the numerical solution of the GQME using probability-1homotopy methods. A synoptic review of these methods and theirapplication to algebraic matrix equations is provided as background.A large variety of analysis and design problems in systems andcontrol are reported as special cases of the presented frameworkand some of them are illustrated via numerical examples fromthe literature.     

Optimal allocation of reliability tasks to mitigate faults during system development

^** Email: walter.johnston{at}baesystems.com^*** Email: j.quigley{at}strath.ac.uk^**** Email: lesley.walls{at}strath.ac.uk This paper considers reliability planning for a concept designfor a new system where a portfolio of possible reliability developmenttasks exists; the goal is to find a selection and sequence oftasks to achieve reliability targets subject to time constraintsat minimal cost. This is non-trivial given that each task potentiallycan expose several different weaknesses and each weakness potentiallycan be exposed by several different tasks. We use a Bayesianpoint process model to estimate the system reliability. Theprior distribution maps to a fault register and relates directlyto a set of potential engineering modifications.The likely impactof each task can be assessed using the point process model.An integer programming approach is used to sequence and scheduletasks under the constraint that contractual reliability requirementsmust be met. An illustrative example is provided and an extensionto system availability is proposed.     

A posteriori error estimates of discontinuous Galerkin methods for non-standard Volterra integro-differential equations

^** Email: jingtang{at}lsec.cc.ac.cn^*** Email: hermann{at}math.mun.ca In this paper we establish a posteriori error estimates forthe discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method applied to linear, semilinearand non-standard (non-linear) Volterra integro-differentialequations. We also present an analysis of the DG method withquadrature for the memory term. Numerical experiments basedon three integro-differential equations are used to illustratevarious aspects of the error analysis.     

Reduced-basis output bound methods for parabolic problems

^** Email: rovas{at}uiuc.edu^*** Email: luc_machiels{at}mckinsey.com^**** Corresponding author. Email: maday{at}ann.jussieu.fr In this paper, we extend reduced-basis output bound methodsdeveloped earlier for elliptic problems, to problems describedby ‘parameterized parabolic’ partial differentialequations. The essential new ingredient and the novelty of thispaper consist in the presence of time in the formulation andsolution of the problem. First, without assuming a time discretization,a reduced-basis procedure is presented to ‘efficiently’compute accurate approximations to the solution of the parabolicproblem and ‘relevant’ outputs of interest. In addition,we develop an error estimation procedure to ‘a posteriorivalidate’ the accuracy of our output predictions. Second,using the discontinuous Galerkin method for the temporal discretization,the reduced-basis method and the output bound procedure areanalysed for the semi-discrete case. In both cases the reduced-basisis constructed by taking ‘snapshots’ of the solutionboth in time and in the parameters: in that sense the methodis close to Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD).     

The fast multipole method for the symmetric boundary integral formulation

^** Email: of{at}mathematik.uni-stuttgart.de^*** Email: o.steinbach{at}tugraz.at^**** Email: wendland{at}mathematik.uni-stuttgart.de A symmetric Galerkin boundary-element method is used for thesolution of boundary-value problems with mixed boundary conditionsof Dirichlet and Neumann type. As a model problem we considerthe Laplace equation. When an iterative scheme is employed forsolving the resulting linear system, the discrete boundary integraloperators are realized by the fast multipole method. While thesingle-layer potential can be implemented straightforwardlyas in the original algorithm for particle simulation, the double-layerpotential and its adjoint operator are approximated by the applicationof normal derivatives to the multipole series for the kernelof the single-layer potential. The Galerkin discretization ofthe hypersingular integral operator is reduced to the single-layerpotential via integration by parts. We finally present a correspondingstability and error analysis for these approximations by thefast multipole method of the boundary integral operators. Itis shown that the use of the fast multipole method does notharm the optimal asymptotic convergence. The resulting linearsystem is solved by a GMRES scheme which is preconditioned bythe use of hierarchical strategies as already employed in thefast multipole method. Our numerical examples are in agreementwith the theoretical results.     

Reimbursement systems and regional inpatient allocation: a non-linear optimisation model

^** Email: marion.rauner{at}univie.ac.at^*** Email: georg.schneider{at}univie.ac.at^**** Email: kurt.heidenberger{at}univie.ac.at This study presents a non-linear optimisation model for investigatingthe optimal allocation of both budgets and inpatients with differenttreatments among hospitals within a geographic region such asVienna. The objective function maximises the overall qualityof treatment provided by regional hospitals. We compare theeffects of two different reimbursement systems—fixed versusvariable budgets—on optimal allocation strategies. Thecombination of modelling ideas from hospital location-allocationmodels and economic models to solve such a problem is new accordingto the literature. We found that fixed budgets outperformedvariable budgets as fewer Euros had to be invested for an incrementalunit of quality of care provided in most of the policy scenariosanalysed. Regional demand and supply patterns for differenttreatments affect the decision makers' choice of the most suitablereimbursement system. In our illustrative example, two hospitalsappeared inefficient regardless of the reimbursement system.Vienna policy makers are currently considering restructuringthese hospitals. They plan to merge one with nearby hospitalsand transform the other into a nursing home.     

A coupled multivalued model for ice streams and its numerical simulation

^** Email: nati{at}dma.uvigo.es^*** Email: durany{at}dma.uvigo.es^**** Email: anaisabel.munoz{at}urjc.es^***** Email: emanuele.schiavi{at}urjc.es^****** Email: carlosv{at}udc.es This paper deals with the numerical solution of a non-linearmodel describing a free-boundary problem arising in modern glaciology.Considering a shallow, viscous ice sheet flow along a soft,deformable bed, a coupled non-linear system of differentialequations can be obtained. Particularly, an obstacle problemis then deduced and solved in the framework of its complementarityformulation. We present the numerical solution of the resultingmultivalued system modelling the ice sheet non-Newtonian dynamicsdriven by the underlying drainage system. Our numerical resultsshow the existence of fast ice streams when positive wave-likeinitial conditions are considered. The solutions are numericallycomputed with a decoupling iterative method and finite-elementtechnique. A duality algorithm and a projected Gauss–Seidelmethod are the alternatives used to cope with the resultingvariational inequality while the explicit treatment, Newtonmethod or a duality method are proposed to deal with the non-linearsource term. Finally, the numerical solutions are physicallyinterpreted and some comparisons among the numerical methodsare then discussed.