This paper presents a concise state-of-the-art review along with an exhaustive comparative investigation on surrogate models for critical comparative assessment of uncertainty in natural frequencies of composite plates on the basis of computational efficiency and accuracy. Both individual and combined variations of input parameters have been considered to account for the effect of low and high dimensional input parameter spaces in the surrogate based uncertainty quantification algorithms including the rate of convergence. Probabilistic characterization of the first three stochastic natural frequencies is carried out by using a finite element model that includes the effects of transverse shear deformation based on Mindlin's theory in conjunction with a layer-wise random variable approach. The results obtained by different metamodels have been compared with the results of traditional Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) method for high fidelity uncertainty quantification. The crucial issue regarding influence of sampling techniques on the performance of metamodel based uncertainty quantification has been addressed as an integral part of this article.

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A study on the relationship between latex yield and antecedent environmental data was undertaken for five clones (RRII203, RRII118, RRIM600, RRII105 and GT1) of Hevea brasiliensis (rubber) in Agartala, northeast India, a region in which rubber is not traditionally cultivated. The explained variance for the regression equations based on parameters determined on the day of tapping and up to 3 days prior to it, varied from 72% to 37% during the NWT period and 94-83% during the WT period. Soil moisture storage, 1 and 3 days prior to tapping, was found to be the primary parameter affecting yield for the NWT and WT periods, respectively. It was observed that the clone RRII105, with a comparatively lower yield to that of RRIM600, was more susceptible to daily WD conditions during the non-winter season. RRIM600 and RRII105 being high-yielding clones were also found to be fairly dependent on the AT of the day prior to tapping. The mean lag period correlation of this parameter with yield was also found to be higher during the WT period than during the NWT period. As a whole, the mean lag period based on prior measurements of environmental variables showed optimum correlation with yield at 15-20 days prior to the day of tapping. The study also confirms that varied responses of yield with environmental factors in this non-traditional region of rubber cultivation depend on clonal character.