<s>
In	O
numerical	B-General_Concept
analysis	I-General_Concept
the	O
diffuse	B-Algorithm
element	I-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
(	O
DEM	O
)	O
or	O
simply	O
diffuse	B-Algorithm
approximation	I-Algorithm
is	O
a	O
meshfree	B-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
diffuse	B-Algorithm
element	I-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
was	O
developed	O
by	O
B	O
.	O
Nayroles	O
,	O
G	O
.	O
Touzot	O
and	O
Pierre	O
Villon	O
at	O
the	O
Universite	O
de	O
Technologie	O
de	O
Compiegne	O
,	O
in	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
in	O
concept	O
rather	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
much	O
older	O
smoothed	B-Application
particle	I-Application
hydrodynamics	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
paper	O
they	O
describe	O
a	O
"	O
diffuse	B-Algorithm
approximation	I-Algorithm
method	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
method	O
for	O
function	O
approximation	O
from	O
a	O
given	O
set	O
of	O
points	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
fact	O
the	O
method	O
boils	O
down	O
to	O
the	O
well-known	O
moving	B-Algorithm
least	I-Algorithm
squares	I-Algorithm
for	O
the	O
particular	O
case	O
of	O
a	O
global	O
approximation	O
(	O
using	O
all	O
available	O
data	O
points	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
this	O
,	O
they	O
coined	O
the	O
term	O
diffuse	B-Algorithm
element	I-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
(	O
DEM	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Advantages	O
over	O
finite	B-Application
element	I-Application
methods	I-Application
are	O
that	O
DEM	O
does	O
n't	O
rely	O
on	O
a	O
grid	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
more	O
precise	O
in	O
the	O
evaluation	O
of	O
the	O
derivatives	O
of	O
the	O
reconstructed	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
