On designing experiments for a dynamic response modeled by regression splines

Dynamic response systems are often found in science, engineering, and medical applications, but the discussion on experimental design for such a system is relatively rare in literature. For an experimenter, designing such experiments requires making decisions on (1) when or where to take response measurements along the dynamic variable and (2) how to choose the combination of experimental factors and their levels. The first consideration is unique for such experiments, especially when the measurement cost is high. In this paper, we present a design approach through the mixed‐effect linear model, which is based on a hierarchical B‐spline function for the dynamic response. We develop several theorems that can assist in finding a statistically efficient sampling plan and propose an algorithm for searching the D‐optimal design of a dynamic response system.     

Second-order Asymptotics on Distributions of Maxima of Bivariate Elliptical Arrays

Let {(ξni, ηni), 1 ≤ i ≤ n, n ≥ 1} be a triangular array of independent bivariate elliptical random vectors with the same distribution function as(S_1, ρ_n S_1 +(1-ρ_n~2S_2)~(1/2)), ρn∈(0, 1), where(S1, S2) is a bivariate spherical random vector. For the distribution function of radius (S_1~2+ S_2~2)~(1/2) belonging to the max-domain of attraction of the Weibull distribution, the limiting distribution of maximum of this triangular array is known as the convergence rate of ρn to 1 is given. In this paper,under the refinement of the rate of convergence of ρn to 1 and the second-order regular variation of the distributional tail of radius, precise second-order distributional expansions of the normalized maxima of bivariate elliptical triangular arrays are established.     

A proof of Markov's theorem for polynomials on Banach spaces

Our object is to present an independent proof of the extension of V.A. Markov's theorem to Gâteaux derivatives of arbitrary order for continuous polynomials on any real normed linear space. The statement of this theorem differs little from the classical case for the real line except that absolute values are replaced by norms. Our proof depends only on elementary computations and explicit formulas and gives a new proof of the classical theorem as a special case. Our approach makes no use of the classical polynomial inequalities usually associated with Markov's theorem. Instead, the essential ingredients are a Lagrange interpolation formula for the Chebyshev nodes and a Christoffel-Darboux identity for the corresponding bivariate Lagrange polynomials. We use these tools to extend a single variable inequality of Rogosinski to the case of two real variables. The general Markov theorem is an easy consequence of this.     

A meshless method using the radial basis functions for numerical solution of the regularized long wave equation

This article discusses on the solution of the regularized long wave (RLW) equation, which is introduced to describe the development of the undular bore, has been used for modeling in many branches of science and engineering. A numerical method is presented to solve the RLW equation. The main idea behind this numerical simulation is to use the collocation and approximating the solution by radial basis functions (RBFs). To avoid solving the nonlinear system, a predictor‐corrector scheme is proposed. Several test problems are given to validate the new technique. The numerical simulation, includes the propagation of a solitary wave, interaction of two positive solitary waves, interaction of a positive and a negative solitary wave, the evaluation of Maxwellian pulse into stable solitary waves and the development of an undular bore. The three invariants of the motion are calculated to determine the conservation properties of the algorithm. The results of numerical experiments are compared with analytical solution and with those of other recently published methods to confirm the accuracy and efficiency of the presented scheme.© 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 2010     

Taylor‐Galerkin B‐spline finite element method for the one‐dimensional advection‐diffusion equation

The advection‐diffusion equation has a long history as a benchmark for numerical methods. Taylor‐Galerkin methods are used together with the type of splines known as B‐splines to construct the approximation functions over the finite elements for the solution of time‐dependent advection‐diffusion problems. If advection dominates over diffusion, the numerical solution is difficult especially if boundary layers are to be resolved. Known test problems have been studied to demonstrate the accuracy of the method. Numerical results show the behavior of the method with emphasis on treatment of boundary conditions. Taylor‐Galerkin methods have been constructed by using both linear and quadratic B‐spline shape functions. Results shown by the method are found to be in good agreement with the exact solution. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 2010     

Interpolatory Hermite splines on rectangular domains

Based on Bittner and Urban’s construction of interpolatory multiwavelets [Kai Bittner, Karsten Urban, On interpolatory divergence-free wavelets, Math. Comput. 76 (258) (2007) 903-929], we use the truncation method to obtain interpolatory multiwavelets on rectangular domains in this paper. In addition, the characterization for the corresponding functional spaces is given.     

A non-separable solution of the diffusion equation based on the Galerkin’s method using cubic splines

The two dimensional diffusion equation of the form is considered in this paper. We try a bi-cubic spline function of the form as its solution. The initial coefficients C_i,j(0) are computed simply by applying a collocation method; C_i,j = f(x_i, y_j) where f(x, y) = u(x, y, 0) is the given initial condition. Then the coefficients C_i,j(t) are computed by X(t) = e^tQX(0) where X(t) = (C_0,1, C_0,1, C_0,2, … , C_0,N, C_1,0, … , C_N,N) is a one dimensional array and the square matrix Q is derived from applying the Galerkin’s method to the diffusion equation. Note that this expression provides a solution that is not necessarily separable in space coordinates x, y. The results of sample calculations for a few example problems along with the calculation results of approximation errors for a problem with known analytical solution are included.     

UNIFORM SUPERCONVERGENCE OF GALERKIN METHODS FOR SINGULARLY PERTURBED PROBLEMS

In this paper, we are concerned with uniform superconvergence of Galerkin methods for singularly perturbed reaction-diffusion problems by using two Shishkin-type meshes. Based on an estimate of the error between spline interpolation of the exact solution and its numerical approximation, an interpolation post-processing technique is applied to the original numerical solution. This results in approximation exhibit superconvergence which is uniform in the weighted energy norm. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the interpolation post-processing technique and to verify the theoretical results obtained in this paper.     

Characterising ontogenetic niche shifts in Nile crocodile using stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N) analyses of scute keratin

Nile crocodiles undergo a three to five order of magnitude increase in body size during their lifespan. This shift coincides with a change in resource and habitat use which influences the strength, type and symmetry of interactions with other species. Identifying size-specific crocodile groups displaying similar traits is important for conservation planning. Here, we illustrate how stable carbon (δ¹³ C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵ N) isotope analysis of scute keratin, together with breakpoint modelling analysis can be used to characterise ontogenetic niche shifts. Using a sample set of 238 crocodiles from the Okavango Delta, Botswana (35–463 cm total length), we found prominent size-related changes in the scute keratin δ¹³ C and δ¹⁵ N profiles close to 40 and 119 cm snout-vent length. The first shift corroborated the findings of a traditional stomach-content study conducted on the same population at the same time, and the second conformed to known crocodile ecology. This approach can be used as a first approximation to identify size-specific groups within crocodile populations, and these can then be investigated further using isotopic or other methods.