For linear elastic problems, it is well-known that mesh generation dominates the total analysis time. Different types of methods have been proposed to directly or indirectly alleviate this burden associated with mesh generation. We review in this pap
er a subset of such methods centred on tighter coupling between computer aided design (CAD) and analysis (finite element or boundary element methods). We focus specifically on frameworks which rely on constructing a discretisation directly from the functions used to describe the geometry of the object in CAD. Examples include B-spline subdivision surfaces, isogeometric analysis, NURBS-enhanced FEM and parametric-based implicit boundary definitions. We review recent advances in these methods and compare them to other paradigms which also aim at alleviating the burden of mesh generation in computational mechanics.
Critical phenomena in complex networks, and the emergence of dynamical abrupt transitions in the macroscopic state of the system are currently a subject of the outmost interest. We report evidence of an explosive phase synchronization in networks of
chaotic units. Namely, by means of both extensive simulations of networks made up of chaotic units, and validation with an experiment of electronic circuits in a star configuration, we demonstrate the existence of a first order transition towards synchronization of the phases of the networked units. Our findings constitute the first prove of this kind of synchronization in practice, thus opening the path to its use in real-world applications.
