Modeling baseflow from an alluvial aquifer using hydraulic-conductivity data obtained from a derived relation with apparent electrical resistivity

in Hydrogeology Journal (1997), 5(3), 97-108

Modeling climate change impacts on groundwater resources using transient stochastic climatic scenarios

in Water Resources Research (2011), 47

Several studies have highlighted the potential negative impact of climate change on groundwater reserves but additional work is required to help water managers to plan for future changes. In particular ... [more ▼]

Several studies have highlighted the potential negative impact of climate change on groundwater reserves but additional work is required to help water managers to plan for future changes. In particular, existing studies provide projections for a stationary climate representative of the end of the century, although information is demanded for the near-future. Such time-slice experiments fail to account for the transient nature of climatic changes over the century. Moreover, uncertainty linked to natural climate variability is not explicitly considered in previous studies. In this study, we substantially improve upon the state-of-the-art by using a sophisticated transient weather generator (WG) in combination with an integrated surface-subsurface hydrological model (Geer basin, Belgium) developed with the finite element modelling software 'HydroGeoSphere'. This version of the WG enables the stochastic generation of large numbers of equiprobable climatic time series, representing transient climate change, and used to assess impacts in a probabilistic way. For the Geer basin, 30 equiprobable climate change scenarios from 2010 to 2085 have been generated for each of 6 different RCMs. Results show that although the 95% confidence intervals calculated around projected groundwater levels remain large, the climate change signal becomes stronger than that of natural climate variability by 2085. Additionally, the WG ability to simulate transient climate change enabled the assessment of the likely timescale and associated uncertainty of a specific impact, providing managers with additional information when planning further investment. This methodology constitutes a real improvement in the field of groundwater projections under climate change conditions. [less ▲]

Modeling external and internal drug exposure: assessing their causal biomedical consequences

Doctoral thesis (2012)

Modeling groundwater with ocean and river interaction

in Water Resources Research (1999), 35(8), 2347-2358

We develop and implement the groundwater model, Saturated/Unsaturated Flow and Transport in 3D (SUFT3D), to integrate water quantity/quality data and simulations with models of other hydrologic cycle ... [more ▼]

We develop and implement the groundwater model, Saturated/Unsaturated Flow and Transport in 3D (SUFT3D), to integrate water quantity/quality data and simulations with models of other hydrologic cycle components, namely, rivers and the ocean. This work was done as part of the Sea Air Land Modeling Operational Network (SALMON) project supported by the IBM International Foundation through its Environmental Research Program. The first research steps, presented here, address the simulation of typical hydrologic conditions to demonstrate SUFT3D's effectiveness and accuracy. The theory behind the modeling of seawater intrusion and groundwater-river interaction is summarized along with the numerical methods and characteristics of SUFT3D. The code was applied to different, increasingly complex scenarios: confined to unconfined conditions, local to regional scale, homogeneous to increasing heterogeneity, two- to three-dimensional. Of particular interest were the impacts of different boundary conditions and influence of river interactions on seawater intrusion. Results are illustrated, discussed, and compared, when possible, to those in the literature. Simulating groundwater exchange between both the river and the ocean has provided interesting results that better depict the dynamics of flow and transport in coastal zone groundwater systems. [less ▲]

Modeling lactation curves and estimation of genetic parameters for first lactation test-day records of French Holstein cows.

in Journal of Dairy Science (2003), 86(7), 2480-90

Several functions were used to model the fixed part of the lactation curve and genetic parameters of milk test-day records to estimate using French Holstein data. Parametric curves (Legendre polynomials ... [more ▼]

Several functions were used to model the fixed part of the lactation curve and genetic parameters of milk test-day records to estimate using French Holstein data. Parametric curves (Legendre polynomials, Ali-Schaeffer curve, Wilmink curve), fixed classes curves (5-d classes), and regression splines were tested. The latter were appealing because they adjusted the data well, were relatively insensitive to outliers, were flexible, and resulted in smooth curves without requiring the estimation of a large number of parameters. Genetic parameters were estimated with an Average Information REML algorithm where the average information matrix and the first derivatives of the likelihood functions were pooled over 10 samples. This approach made it possible to handle larger data sets. The residual variance was modeled as a quadratic function of days in milk. Quartic Legendre polynomials were used to estimate (co)variances of random effects. The estimates were within the range of most other studies. The greatest genetic variance was in the middle of the lactation while residual and permanent environmental variances mostly decreased during the lactation. The resulting heritability ranged from 0.15 to 0.40. The genetic correlation between the extreme parts of the lactation was 0.35 but genetic correlations were higher than 0.90 for a large part of the lactation. The use of the pooling approach resulted in smaller standard errors for the genetic parameters when compared to those obtained with a single sample. [less ▲]

Modeling medium-scale TEC structures observed by Belgian GPS receivers network

in Advances in Space Research (2009), 43

Modeling milk urea of Walloon dairy cows in management perspectives.

in Journal of Dairy Science (2009), 92(7), 3529-40

The aim of this study was to develop an adapted random regression test-day model for milk urea (MU) and to study the possibility of using predictions and solutions given by the model for management ... [more ▼]

The aim of this study was to develop an adapted random regression test-day model for milk urea (MU) and to study the possibility of using predictions and solutions given by the model for management purposes. Data included 607,416 MU test-day records of first-lactation cows from 632 dairy herds in the Walloon Region of Belgium. Several advanced features were used. First, to detect the herd influence, the classical herd x test-day effect was split into 3 new effects: a fixed herd x year effect, a fixed herd x month-period effect, and a random herd test-day effect. A fixed time period regression was added in the model to take into account the yearly oscillations of MU on a population scale. Moreover, first autoregressive processes were introduced and allowed us to consider the link between successive test-day records. The variance component estimation indicated that large variance was associated with the random herd x test-day effect (48% of the total variance), suggesting the strong influence of herd management on the MU level. The heritability estimate was 0.13. By comparing observed and predicted MU levels at both the individual and herd levels, target ranges for MU concentrations were defined to take into account features of each cow and each herd. At the cow level, an MU record was considered as deviant if it was <200 or >400 mg/L (target range used in the field) and if the prediction error was >50 mg/L (indicating a significant deviation from the expected level). Approximately 7.5% of the MU records collected between June 2007 and May 2008 were beyond these thresholds. This combination allowed for the detection of potentially suspicious cows. At the herd level, the expected MU level was considered as the sum of the solutions for specific herd effects. A herd was considered as deviant from its target range when the prediction error was greater than the standard deviation of MU averaged by herd test day. Results showed that 6.7% of the herd test-day MU levels between June 2007 and May 2008 were considered deviant. These deviations seemed to occur more often during the grazing period. Although theoretical considerations developed in this study should be validated in the field, this research showed the potential use of a test-day model for analyzing functional traits to advise dairy farmers. [less ▲]

Modeling Neuronal Adaptation in the Brain: Integrating Receptor Signaling and Electrophysiology

in 2nd Conference on Foundations of Systems Biology in Engineering, Stuttgart, Germany (2007)

Modeling of 3-D losses and deviations in a throughflow analysis tool

in Journal Of Thermal Science (2007), 16(3), 208-214

This contribution is dedicated to the modeling of the end-wall flows in a throughflow model for turbomachinery applications. The throughflow model is based on the Euler or Navier-Stokes equations solved ... [more ▼]

This contribution is dedicated to the modeling of the end-wall flows in a throughflow model for turbomachinery applications. The throughflow model is based on the Euler or Navier-Stokes equations solved by a Finite-Volume technique. Two approaches are presented for the end-wall modeling. The first one is based on an inviscid formulation with dedicated 3-D distributions of loss coefficient and deviation in the end-wall regions. The second approach is directly based on a viscous formulation with no-slip boundary condition along the annular end-walls and blade force modification in the region close to the end-walls. The throughflow results are compared to a series of 3-D Navier-Stokes calculations averaged in the circumferential direction. These 3-D calculations were performed on the three rotors of a low pressure axial compressor, for a series of tip clearance values. [less ▲]

MODELING OF A GLASS WOOL PROCESS IN VIEW OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (L.C.A.)

Poster (2012, November)

Taking into account the environmental aspects in the building sector has become unavoidable. In France, environmental and sanitary statements for building products (“Fiches de Déclarations ... [more ▼]

Taking into account the environmental aspects in the building sector has become unavoidable. In France, environmental and sanitary statements for building products (“Fiches de Déclarations Environnementales et Sanitaires” (FDE&S)) have been developed. The environmental part of the statement is based on Life Cycle Assessment. So, KnaufInsulation, glass wool producer for the French market, has started to evaluated the environmental impacts of it process in view of FDE&S realization. The process has been modeling in GaBi with industrial data. Adjustable parameters have been introduced to allow to study the environmental impacts of almost all the KnaufInsulation products. So the FDE&S can be easily done for the different products. This model is also used for eco-conception. The LCA results allow to show the life cycle leaks. More, in modifying the model, the impact of a change in the process on its environmental performances will be highlighted. So relevant improvement will be brought out. The model and the mains results as the eco-conception strategy will be presented. The interest of making a modeling based on the step and process of the life cycle of a product or a product range will be clearly understood. [less ▲]