Problem Mechanical stress in welding is suppressed, a tilt of the elements is suppressed in relation to the increase in the number of layers so that LC defects are alleviated, whereby an increase in capacitance due to a greater number of layers is achieved. According to one embodiment, an imager-based method reads an optical code on an object in a viewing volume. The fixed buoyancy portion can have a spar buoy configuration or a marker buoy configuration, and can further be formed with at least one opening to establish a path of fluid communication between the exterior of the buoy and the enclosure. The other of the inner face and the end face includes an annular groove having a bottom wall defining a second abutment face. The top and bottom portions are joined together so that the inner standing rib is releaseably positioned in the inside receiving groove and the outward rim is releaseably positioned in the outside receiving groove. For example, in connection with a project in which a user generates a predictive model based on historical data about a system being modeled, the user is provided through a graphical user interface a structured sequence of model generation activities to be followed, the sequence including dimension reduction, model generation, model process validation, and model re-generation.